bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Renal denervation restores biomechanics of carotid arteries in a rat model of hypertension
Authors: Gkousioudi Anastasia , Razzoli Margherita , Moreira Jesse D. , Wainford Richard D. , Zhang Yanhang
Published: September 2023

The prevalence of hypertension increases with aging and is associated with increased arterial stiffness. Resistant hypertension is presented when drug treatments fail to regulate a sustained increased blood pressure. Given that the mechanisms between the sympathetic nervous system and the kidney play an important role in blood regulation, renal denervation (RDN) has emerged as a therapeutic potential in resistant hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effects of RDN on the biomechanical response and microstructure of elastic arteries. Common carotid arteries (CCA) were excised from 3-, 8- and 8-month-old denervated rats, and subjected to biaxial extension-inflation test. Our results showed that hypertension developed in the 8-month-old rats. The sustained elevated blood pressure resulted in arterial remodeling which was manifested as a significant stress increase in both axial and circumferential directions after 8 months. RDN had a favorable impact on CCAs with a restoration of stresses in values similar to control arteries at 3 months. After biomechanical testing, arteries were imaged under a multi-photon microscope to identify microstructural changes in extracellular matrix (ECM). Quantification of multi-photon images showed no significant alterations of the main ECM components, elastic and collagen fibers, indicating that arteries remained intact after RDN. Regardless of the experimental group, our microstructural analysis of the multi-photon images revealed that reorientation of the collagen fibers might be the main microstructural mechanism taking place during pressurization with their straightening happening during axial stretching.
Changes in perceptions of antibiotic stewardship among neonatal intensive care unit providers over the course of a learning collaborative: A prospective, multi-site, mixed methods evaluation
Authors: Qureshi Nabeel , Kroger Jack , Zangwill Kenneth , Joshi Neha , Payton Kurlen , Mendel Peter
Published: September 2023

Objective: To assess clinician perceptions towards the value and implementation of antibiotic stewardship (AS) in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
Study Design: We performed a mixed methods study of AS perceptions (prescribing appropriateness, importance, activity, capacity) using surveys and interviews in 30 California NICUs before and after a multicenter collaborative (Optimizing Antibiotic Use in California NICUs [OASCN]).
Results: Pre-OASCN, 24% of respondents felt there was “a lot of” or “some” inappropriate prescribing, often driven by fear of a bad outcome or reluctance to change existing practice. Clinicians reported statistically significant increases in AS importance (71 v 79%), perceived AS activity (67 v 87%), and more openness to change after OASCN (59 v 70%). We identified other concerns that lessen AS effort.
Conclusion: OASCN increased perceived AS activity and openness to change in AS practices among NICU prescribers. Greater attention to subjective concerns should augment AS improvement.
The simplest approach for the hand calculation of pseudo-first order rate constants for abiotic reduction of organic compounds
Authors: Keshavarz Mohammad Hossein , Shirazi Zeinab , Jafari Mohammad , Rajabi Arezoo
Published: September 2023

A new method is introduced to predict pseudo-first order rate constants (kobs) for abiotic reduction of organic compounds with diverse reducible functional groups, including aliphatic nitro-compounds (ANCs), nitroaromatic compounds (NACs), aromatic N-oxides (ANOs), polyhalogenated alkanes (PHAs), isoxazoles (ISXs), sulfoxides and sulfones (SOs), and others. The largest experimental data of -logkobs for 59 organic compounds are used to derive and test the new model. In comparison to available quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methods where need computer codes, complex descriptors, and expert users, the novel method requires experimental conditions and structural parameters of the desired organic compounds. The calculated outputs of the new method are compared with the results of one of the best QSARs methods, which requires energy of the lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital. The values of statistical factors comprising average absolute deviation (AAD), mean error (ME), absolute maximum deviation (ADmax), average absolute relative deviation (AARD%), and R-squared (R2) of the estimated outputs for 54/5 training/test data sets of the new method are 0.663/1.311, -0.056/-0.165, 1.788/1.215, 19.10/74.07, and 0.796/0.958, respectively. Meanwhile, AAD, ME, ADmax, AAD%, and R2 for comparative QSAR method are 0.731/2.301, 0.601/1.126, 3.795/3.732, 641/821, and 0.003/0.447, respectively. Thus, the new model provides the simplest approach for the hand calculation of -logkobs with great goodness-of-fit, reliability, precision, and accuracy.
Wellbore Stability in a Depleted Reservoir by Finite Element Analysis of Coupled thermo-poro-elastic Units in an Oilfield, SW Iran
Authors: Pirhadi Alireza , Kianoush Pooria , Ebrahimabadi Arash , Shirinabadi Reza
Published: September 2023

Maintaining wellbore stability in depleted reservoirs is a critical problem. With production from hydrocarbon reservoirs, the pore pressure of the reservoir is reduced over time, and the reservoir is depleted since field development is one of the main purposes for oil companies. Heavy mud weight in depleted reservoir caused fracture due to reduced fracture gradient, and low mud weight caused blow out in high-pressure zone or well collapse due to shale beds that required high mud weight to prevent collapse. Considering geomechanics and coupled equilibrium equation, continuity equation, Hook’s law, compatibility equation, Darcy’s law, and thermal relation, the Thermo-poro-elastic equation was derived in this research. A finite element method has been developed to implement the fully coupled thermo-poro-elastic non-linear models. The finite element model was validated by comparing it to the available analytical solutions for the thermo-poro-elastic wellbore problems in shale. The non-linear thermal-poro-elasticity finite element model was used to analyze wellbore stability in a depleted limestone reservoir during drilling. The numerical results showed that a decrease drilling fluid’s temperature (cooling) causes to increase in the potential for tensile failure and reduces the potential of shear failure. Due to the depletion reservoir, the potential of tensile failure increased than shear failure, so heating the drilling fluid could cause wellbore stability in the depleted reservoir. Furthermore, based on the numerical results, it may be concluded that the drilling fluid’s temperature is one of the important factors in the wellbore stability analysis in depleted reservoirs.
Phase Envelopes in Reservoir Fill Analysis
Authors: Arouri Khaled R. , Herrera Carlos G.
Published: September 2023

Phase envelopes are routinely employed by reservoir engineers for fluid characterization. These envelopes are controlled by the reservoir PVT conditions, but fundamentally also by the hydrocarbon fluid type and composition. As a result of increasing source-rock maturation, fluids with decreasing average molecular weights, decreasing densities and increasing gas-to-oil ratios (and hence different phase envelopes) are generated, which are thus linked to fluid history. In addition to their importance for exploration, charge models can play a key role in constraining reservoir models and in optimising field development, particularly when PVT data are properly integrated with fluid geochemistry. Two distinct patterns of fluid phase evolution from two different fields are presented, and their relations to charge analysis and reservoir models are discussed. The first example discusses the identification, based on hydrocarbon geochemistry complemented by overlapping phase envelopes, of compartmentalised filling cycles in what was initially considered a single oil-rimmed gas accumulation. The second example presents an opposite scenario where two wet gas accumulations 20-km apart laterally and 400-feet average depth difference appear to represent a single more-expansive accumulation spread over areas of variable PVT conditions and reservoir qualities. The wet gas across both accumulations is characterised by a continuous phase evolution pattern that shrinks systematically (cricondentherm shifts to lower temperature and cricondenbar to lower pressure) suggestive of phase fractionation of a charge of single maturity. The proposed gas distribution model represents a discovery of a hybrid conventional and unconventional (tight sand) system, with potential for basin-centered gas.
Feeding potential and foraging behaviour of Cheilomenes sexmaculata (F.) against cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)
Authors: Kumar Rakesh , Suroshe Sachin , Venkanna Y , Keerthi M.C. , Kumar Anoop , Chander Subhash
Published: September 2023

Feeding potential and foraging behavior are complimentary with each other to determine the efficiency of predator in managing prey host. Predatory potential of grub and adult stages of Cheilomenes sexmaculata (F.) was investigated against the different developmental stages (nymph, pupae and adult) of cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, under laboratory conditions. Whereas, foraging behavior was performed as a function of prey/host density. The fourth instar grub of C. sexmaculata exhibited the highest feeding potential (41.74±8.13 adults, 33.41±3.95 pupae and 31.33±3.95 whitefly nymphs) followed by third instar grub (23.85±5.40 adults, 21.44±3.36 pupae and 19.37±2.53 whitefly nymphs), second instar grub (13.19±3.18 adults, 11.89±1.84 pupae and 9.48±1.99 whitefly nymphs) and first instar grub (10.15±1.70 adults, 9.15±1.35 pupae and 7±1.45 whitefly nymphs). The female beetle consumed the highest prey’s (1445.29±312.77 adults, 1364.88±294.38 pupae and 1374.35±296.20 whitefly nymphs) followed by male beetle (1390.12±229.35 adults, 1308.18±270.51 pupae and 1325.35±275.81 whitefly nymphs) throughout their life span. Both the Roger’s and Holling’s model indicated type II functional response curve for all the grub and adult stages of C. sexmaculata. Adult female showed the highest coefficient of attack (4.65) and the maximum rate of predation (37.5), whereas the lowest handling time (0.02) was recorded for the male against B. tabaci nymphs. Against the B. tabaci pupae, fourth instar grub showed the highest coefficient of attack (1.30), whereas female beetle showed the maximum rate of predation (38.18) with the lowest handling time (0.04). However, against the B. tabaci adults, female beetle showed the highest coefficient of attack (6.87), whereas the fourth instar grub showed the maximum rate of predation (41.7) with the lowest handling time (0.01). Hence, it is advocated to release the fourth instar grubs and females of C. sexmaculata collectively for the augmentative biological control of B. tabaci in the IPM programme.
Determination of Obstetric Violence and Affecting Factors: A Cross‐Sectional Research
Authors: Isık Bedia , Nazik Evşen
Published: September 2023

Introduction: Obstetric violence, which affects maternal and infant health negatively, is accepted as a violation of human rights and a serious public health problem.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine experiences of obstetric violence and the affecting factors among women who had childbirth.
Methods: This descriptive and cross‐sectional study included 200 women who had vaginal delivery. Data were collected within the first 24 hours following childbirth using the Personal Information Form, the Labor-related Characteristics Form, and the Obstetric Violence Identification Form.
Results: Results showed that 25,5% of participating women who had vaginal delivery were exposed to verbal violence, 37,2 % were exposed to psycho-emotional violence, and all of them were exposed to physical violence. It was found that participating women perceived the negative verbal and psycho-emotional behaviors they experienced as violence, but they did not perceive most of the physical interventions as violence. Only the place of living among socio-demographic characteristics showed a statistically significant difference with the type of obstetric violence (p<0,05). As for the obstetric characteristics, only receiving information before labor demonstrated a statistically significant difference with exposure to verbal obstetric violence (p<0,05). Of all the participants, 42,5% were slightly satisfied with their childbirth experience.
Conclusions: This study found that women were exposed to obstetric violence and had low levels of satisfaction with their childbirth experience. Besides, women can be victims of obstetric violence regardless of their age, education level, socio-economic condition, and obstetric features.
Ectopic thyroid tissue in the lateral lymph nodes: A rare case and literature review
Authors: Zhang Yujie , Zheng Xun , Wang Xiaofei , Xu TianFeng , Li Pengyu , Ran Yanhao , Wei Tao
Published: September 2023

Background
Ectopic thyroid tissue in the lateral lymph nodes is a rare phenomenon that is difficult to differentiate from metastatic thyroid carcinoma, which poses a great challenge to clinical decisions and may cause unnecessary operations. Puncture eluate thyroglobulin (FNA-Tg) of fine-needle aspiration is usually significantly elevated in malignant samples, but false-positive results still exist.
Case Presentation
We report a patient with lymph node ectopy who was suspected to have metastatic papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) preoperatively due to an undefined thyroid nodule and a drastically upregulated FNA-Tg level in the enlarged lymph nodes. In this review, we discuss the embryonic development of ectopic thyroid tissue in the lateral lymph nodes and the application of FNA-Tg in the diagnosis of nodal metastasis. We also present the individual treatment based on FNA and ultrasound evaluation.
Conclusion
For patients who have isolated suspicious lateral nodes but lack direct evidence of thyroid malignancy, ectopic thyroid tissue should be considered.
Prediction of dysphagia aspiration through machine learning-based analysis of patients’ postprandial voices
Authors: Kim Jung-Min , Kim Min-Seop , Choi Sun-Young , Ryu Ju Seok
Published: September 2023

Background: Conventional diagnostic methods for dysphagia have limitations such as long wait times, radiation risks, and restricted evaluation. Therefore, voice-based diagnostic and monitoring technologies are required to overcome these limitations. Based on our hypothesis regarding the impact of weakened muscle strength and the presence of aspiration on vocal characteristics, this single-center, prospective study aimed to develop a machine-learning algorithm for predicting dysphagia status (normal, and aspiration) by analyzing postprandial voice limiting intake to 3cc.
Methods: This study was a single-center, prospective cohort study, conducted from September 2021 to February 2023, at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. A total of 204 participants were included, aged 40 or older, comprising 133 without suspected dysphagia and 71 with dysphagia-aspiration.Voice data from participants were collected and used to develop dysphagia prediction models using the Audio Spectrogram Transformer process with MobileNet V3. Male-only, female-only, and combined models were constructed using 10-fold cross-validation. Through the inference process, we established a model capable of probabilistically categorizing a new patient's voice as either normal or indicating the possibility of aspiration.
Results: The pre-trained models (mn40_as and mn30_as) exhibited superior performance compared to the non-pre-trained models (mn4.0 and mn3.0). The best-performing model, mn30_as, which is a pre-trained model, demonstrated an average AUC across 10 folds as follows: combined model 0.7879 (95% CI 0.7355-0.8403; max 0.9531), male model 0.7787 (95% CI 0.6768-0.8806; max 1.000), and female model 0.7586 (95% CI 0.6769-0.8402; max 0.9132). Additionally, the other models (pre-trained; mn40_as, non-pre-trained; mn4.0 and mn3.0) also achieved performance above 0.7 in most cases, and the highest fold-level performance for most models was approximately around 0.9.
Conclusions: This study suggests the potential of using simple voice analysis as a supplementary tool for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring dysphagia aspiration. By directly analyzing the voice itself, this method enables simpler and more remarkable analysis in contrast to conventional clinical evaluations. The postprandial voice-based prediction model holds implications for improving patient quality of life and advancing the development of non-invasive, safer, and more effective intervention methods.
Trial registration: This study was approved by the IRB (No. B-2109-707-303) and registered on clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT05149976).
Monitoring of wastewater within the sewage system of university
Authors: Najam Talyaa , Hashmi Imran
Published: September 2023

Rapid increase in population and industrialization has not only improved the lifestyle but adversely affected the quality and availability of water leading to ample amount of wastewater generation. The major contribution towards wastewater production is from sewage. Regular monitoring and treatment of sewage water is necessary to conserve and enhance the quality of water. The present study focuses on monitoring of sewage water within the sewage system of a residential university. A total of 16 samples from different manholes were collected for physicochemical and heavy metals analysis and compared with final effluent collected from integrated constructed wetland (ICWs) to assess its removal efficiency. The mean concentrations of influent and effluent were compared with national environmental quality standards (NEQS) for municipal discharge and international agricultural reuse standards (IARS), respectively. Among all physicochemical parameters, influent values for chemical oxygen demand (COD) exceeded the limit of NEQS for discharge into sewage treatment plant (STP) and inland water, whereas for total suspended solids (TSS) it exceeded for discharge into STP. However, effluent concentrations for all the parameters were found within the permissible limit set by IARS. The removal efficiency for different parameters such as phosphate- phosphorus (PO43-P), COD, TSS, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) were 52, 53, 54, 35, and 36%, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were compared with WHO guidelines among which lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) exceeded the limit (Pb 0.01 and Cr 0.05 mg/L). Interpolation results showed that zone 2 was highly contaminated in comparison to zone 1 & 3. Statistical analysis showed that correlation of physicochemical parameters and heavy metals was found significant (p < 0.05). ICWs are efficient, cost effective and environment friendly treatment methods for sewage water treatment.
Mitigating exogenous cobalt-induced stress in maize plants with biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Rhizophagous intraradices)
Authors: Ahmadi Frahad , Sarghin Siavash Hosseini , Siosemardeh Adel , Weisany Weria
Published: September 2023

The effects of cobalt contamination on maize plant growth and the potential benefits of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biochar (B) as low-cost amendments for improving plant growth in metal-polluted soils were investigated in a pot experiment. The experiment evaluated the impact of Rhizophagous intraradices and biochar on maize plants grown under different cobalt concentrations (0, 60, and 120 ppm). A wide range of physiological parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, root and shoot fresh and dry weight, relative water content, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, oxidative stress, cobalt distribution, and nutrient content, were analyzed. The results revealed that cobalt contamination had a negative impact on plant growth, reducing chlorophyll and carotenoid content, increasing oxidative stress, and elevating cobalt accumulation in the shoot while also decreasing nutrient content. However, Rhizophagous intraradices inoculation and biochar application were shown to be effective in reducing cobalt uptake in aerial parts, improving nutrient content, and reducing oxidative stress. This study highlights the potential of AMF and biochar as cost-effective amendments for improving maize growth and mitigating cobalt toxicity in contaminated soils.
Effect of Landslide Spatial Representation and Raster Resolution on the Landslide Susceptibility Assessment
Authors: Yang Shuo , Li Deying , Sun Yiqing , She Xiangjie
Published: September 2023

The quality of landslide susceptibility assessment is effected by landslide inventory and raster resolution. The point landslide inventory and polygon landslide inventory are usually two spatial representations. In order to explore the effect of spatial representation and raster resolution on the assessment result of landslide susceptibility, two spatial representations (point and polygon) in landslide inventory map and four raster resolution (25m, 50m, 75m and 100m) were introduced in the landslide susceptibility model. A total of 489 landslides with accurate boundary information were obtained in Wanzhou District, Chongqing, China. Five geo-environmental predictors and random forest model as a data-driven model were used in the landslide susceptibility assessment. The research results demonstrate that (i) For two spatial representations, the prediction performance of polygon models was higher than that of point models by comparing reliability and accuracy. (ii) For four different raster resolution, the good prediction performance occurred in the 25m model. (iii) Through the analysis of model robustness, the lowest uncertainty was the 25m resolution model, which has more stable prediction performance. The research is useful for selecting the raster resolution and spatial representations in the data-driven landslide susceptibility assessment.
The Combination of Astragalus Injection and Ambroxol Hydrochloride in the Adjuvant Treatment of COPD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhou Zubing , Yang Lele , Hu Chao , Gao Rui , Zhang Xiaobo , Shen Tao
Published: September 2023

In China, the combination of astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride is used as an adjuvant treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the effectiveness of combining astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride as an adjuvant treatment for COPD has not been systematically evaluated. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of combining astragalus injection with ambroxol hydrochloride as an adjuvant treatment for COPD. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that the combination of astragalus injection with ambroxol hydrochloride as an adjuvant treatment can improve various clinical parameters in patients with COPD compared to conventional treatment alone. These parameters include the clinical effective rate, partial pressure of oxygen in artery, partial pressure of carbon dioxide in artery, forced expiratory volume in one second, percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity. However, further validation is required to evaluate the effectiveness of combining astragalus injection and ambroxol hydrochloride as an adjunctive treatment for patients with COPD.
Measurements of objective cyclotorsion in a population of healthy children
Authors: Lin Hsu-Ying , Wu Wei-Chi , Sun Ming-Hui , Lin Jui-Yen , Huang Ping-Hsuan , Liu Chun-Hsiu
Published: September 2023

Background This study aimed to compare ocular torsion measurements to investigate normative objective cyclotorsion values in a population of healthy, full-term and preterm children.Methods The participants enrolled in this study had an age range of 3–12 years and were divided into two groups, full-term (gestational age [GA] > 37 weeks) and preterm without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (GA ≤ 37 weeks. The disc-center-fovea angle (DFA) was used to evaluate ocular torsion using two different imaging modalities: optical coherence tomography (OCT) with a 55-degree field of view (FV) and conventional fundus photography (CFP) with a 45-degree FV. The values measured from both right and left eyes were combined to obtain a single value to compensate for the effect of head tilt during measurement.Results A total of 86 full-term and 145 preterm children were enrolled in this study. The DFAs measured using OCT and CFP were − 11.57° ± 5.27° and − 12.07° ± 5.66° in the full-term group and − 10.64° ± 5.40° and − 11.25° ± 4.80° in the preterm group, respectively. There were no significant differences between the results obtained from OCT and CFP in the two groups (p = 0.109 and p = 0.512, respectively). There was a strong correlation between OCT and CFP in all patients, with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.74 and an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.74 (both p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the average axial length (AXL) was associated with DFA.Conclusions This study found a significant correlation between DFA measured using OCT and CFP, making either measurement modality feasible in pediatric populations. There was no significant difference in the DFA between full-term and preterm children. AXL demonstrated an association with the DFA.
Visual Outcome of Various Dose of Glucocorticoids Treatment in Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy – A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Zhao Fangfang , Chen Yun , Li Taiping , Wang Yun , Lin Hongjie , Yang Jianfeng , Chen Lan , Liang Jia-Jian , Cen Ling-Ping
Published: September 2023

Background and Purpose The objective of this investigation was to assess the therapeutic efficacy of distinct glucocorticoid therapy dosages in the management of acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
Materials and Methods This retrospective, unmasked, and non-randomized study included a total of 85 patients. The patients were categorized into four groups: Group 1 (control) consisted of 15 patients who did not receive glucocorticoids, Group 2 included 16 patients administered with oral prednisone at a dosage of 1mg/kg/d for 14 days, Group 3 comprised 30 patients who received 250 units of methylprednisolone once daily for 3 days, followed by oral prednisone at a dosage of 1mg/kg/d for 11 days, and Group 4 encompassed 24 patients who received 500 units of methylprednisolone once daily for 3 days, followed by oral prednisone at a dosage of 1mg/kg/d for 11 days. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed at baseline and the final follow-up (>7 days post-treatment). The changesin visual acuity between baseline and the 7-14 day follow-up, as well as between baseline and the concluding appraisal, were employed as metrics for assessing the extent of visual enhancement.
Results No significant differences were noted in the final visual outcomes or in the changes between final visual acuity and baseline across the four groups. In Group 1 (control), the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) remained unchanged during final follow-ups compared to baseline. Conversely, the intervention groups exhibited statistically significant enhancements in BCVA during final follow-up (p=0.012, p=0.03, and p=0.009 for Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4, respectively) when compared to baseline. During the 7-14 day follow-up, there was a significant difference in the changes between baseline BCVA and follow-up BCVA across the groups (p=0.035). Go a step further by Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, group 4 showed a greater change in vision compared with group1 (p=0.045).
Conclusion While no significant differences were observed final visual outcomes among the four groups, the intervention groups exhibited statistically significant enhancements in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during final follow-ups. Furthermore, patients who were administered 500 units of methylprednisolone exhibited a significantly greater improvement in BCVA compared to the control group during the 7-14 day follow-up.
Neuroprotective Potential of Virgin Coconut Oil in abrogating Acrylamide-induced Neurobehavioural Impairment Via NRF-2/NFK-B Signaling and BDNF Upregulation
Authors: Ajibare Ayodeji Johnson , Akintoye Olabode Oluwadare , Oriyomi Adeola Isaac , Asuku Abraham Olufemi , Adedara Joshua Favour
Published: September 2023

This study investigated the effects of virgin coconut oil-supplemented diet (VCO) on acrylamide (AA)-induced neurotoxicity in Wistar rats. Twenty (20) Wistar rats (18-250g) were grouped into four (I-IV) (n = 5): I: control, received the recommended feed and water daily, II: received oral doses of AA (10 mg/kg body weight (b.w)) alone, III: received oral doses of AA (10 mg/kg b.w) and 5% VCO, IV: received oral doses of AA (10 mg/kg b.w) and 10% VCO, for 56 days. On the 55th day, the rats were subjected to behavioral tests using an elevated plus maze and Y-maze. The rats were then euthanized to obtain samples of blood for the investigation of biochemical parameters (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and interleukin-1B (IL-1B)) using standard methods, while the brain tissues were used for gene expressions (brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (NRF-2), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NFKB)). Histoarchitecture of the hippocampus to show the morphology and cell distribution of dentate gyrus was also carried out. The result revealed a significant increase in anxiety-like behaviour and memory impairment in the group that were exposed to AA only. However, administration of VCO (especially 5%) cause a significant reduction in anxiety-like behaviour and the memory impairment (p < 0.05). Similarly, AA exposure caused a significant reduction in the serum SOD and CAT (p < 0.05), increase in the serum level of MDA and IL-B. AA exposure also caused down-regulation in the gene expression levels of brain NRF-2 and BDNF, up-regulation in the gene expression level of brain NFK-B and significant decrease in the dentate gyrus cells. VCO’s administration (especially 5%) resulted in a significant increase in the serum SOD and CAT (p < 0.05), reduction in the serum level of MDA and IL-B, up-regulation in the expression of gene levels of the brain NRF-2 and BDNF, down-regulation in the gene expression level of the brain NFK-B and significant increase in the dentate gyrus cells of the hippocampus. This study concludes that VCO ameliorated AA-induced neurotoxicity via reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation.
Oracle Bone Inscriptions Image Retrieval Based on Metric Learning
Authors: Ding Jun , Ubul Kurban , Wang Jiaoyan , Xu Xuebin , Aysa Alimjan
Published: September 2023

The purpose of Oracle bone inscriptions image retrieval is to find the most similar image to a given query image from the Oracle database, which can provide practical tools and methods for scholars. It is of great significance for promoting digital research and the in--depth development of oracle bone inscriptions. The background of oracle bone inscriptions is complex, many samples are damaged or lost, and the similarity in the same category is low. In contrast, the similarity of different categories is high. To address these problems, this paper proposes a metric learning-based method for oracle bone inscriptions image retrieval, which uses a dual-branch network to measure the similarity between the input images and achieve the comparison between the query image and the image library to be queried. To enhance the ability of network feature extraction, this article introduces residual connections in the original VGG network. Meanwhile, the influence of different connection methods of spatial and channel attention modules on feature extraction ability in the experiment was explored. In addition, we constructed three retrieval datasets that increased with sample size based on the OBC306 dataset. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of our method, we performed experiments on these three retrieval datasets. The experimental results show that the MAP of our approach on these three datasets reached 71.38%, 92.33%, and 92.97%, respectively.
Improved Exponential Type Ratio Estimator in Double Sampling for Stratification
Authors: Gupta Anurag , Tailor Rajesh , Barod Nitu
Published: September 2023

The objective of this research is to develop a chain-ratio-type exponential estimator in order to estimate the finite population mean in double sampling for stratification. An estimator for population mean has been constructed based on the concept of chain-ratio estimators given by Chand (1975). The constructed estimator is compared to the standard unbiased estimator, as well as the estimators of Ige and Tripathi (1987) and Tailor et al. (2014), and conditions are shown to yield better results in terms of efficiency. To support the theoretical results the study has been done on both natural as well as simulated populations.
AMS Subject Classification: 62DO5
Trichoderma viride based seed biopriming strategies for quality seedling production in East Indian Sandalwood
Authors: Satheesan Anjali , CM Jijeesh , TK Kunhamu , AV Santhoshkumar , V Jamaludheen , Settu Krishnamoorthi , Athikkayi Arshad , Nageri Fasilkhan
Published: September 2023

Seed biopriming is one of the cheapest, eco-friendly, and proven seed enhancement techniques to obtain better germination and seedling performance in many crops. Sandal (Santalum album L) seeds, in general, have poor and staggered germination which leads to difficulty in nursery management. In this study, the impact of plant growth-promoting fungi Trichoderma viride on the germination and seedling growth of sandal was studied. Fresh mature sandal seeds were procured from the Nachivayal Reserve Forest, Marayur Sandal Division, Kerala, India. The experiment was conducted in two factorial CRD with concentrations of T. viride (25, 50, 75 and 100%) and duration of treatment (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 days) as factors. The effect of post priming storage (periods one day and one week) was also studied. The application of T. viride improved the germination and seedlings performance of S. album. The highest germination was obtained on biopriming at 100% concentration for 3 days (82.72%) for one week, followed by 100% concentration for 1 day (73.3%) for storage of one day. Post priming storage studies indicated that the storage of bioprimed seeds (100% for 3 days) for one week recorded better seedling growth. Hence, we recommend the biopriming of sandal seeds with T. virideat 100% for 3 days stored for one week for the quality seedling production of sandal in the nursery.
Automatic quantification of TSR as a prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer.
Authors: Vendittelli Pierpaolo , Bokhorst John-Melle , Smeets Esther , Kryklyva Valentyna , Brosens Lodewijk , Verbeke Caroline , Litjens Geert
Published: September 2023

Purpose
This study aims to introduce an innovative multi-step pipeline for automatic tumorstroma ratio (TSR) quantification as a potential prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer, addressing the limitations of existing staging systems and the lack of commonly used prognostic biomarkers.
Methods
The proposed approach involves a deep-learning-based method for the automatic segmentation of tumor epithelial cells, tumor bulk, and stroma from whole-slide images (WSIs). Models were trained using five-fold cross-validation and evaluated on an independent external test set. TSR was computed based on the segmented components. Additionally, TSR’s predictive value for six-month survival on the independent external dataset was assessed.
Results
Median Dice (inter-quartile range (IQR)) of 0.751(0.15) and 0.726(0.25) for tumor epithelium segmentation on internal and external test sets, respectively. Median Dice of 0.76(0.11) and 0.863(0.17) for tumor bulk segmentation on internal and external test sets, respectively. TSR was evaluated as an independent prognostic marker, demonstrating a cross-validation AUC of 0.61 ± 0.12 for predicting six-month survival on the external dataset.
Conclusion
Our pipeline for automatic TSR quantification offers promising potential as a prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer. The results underscore the feasibility of computational biomarker discovery in enhancing patient outcome prediction, thus contributing to personalized patient management.
Technical optimization of spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomic datasets to study clinical liver disease.
Authors: Rocque Brittany , Guion Kate , Singh Pranay , Bangerth Sarah , Pickard Lauren , Bhattacharjee Jashdeep , Eguizabal Sofia , Weaver Carly , Chopra Shefali , Zhou Shengmei , Kohli Rohit , Sher Linda , Ekser Burcin , Emamaullee Juliet A.
Published: September 2023

Single cell and spatially resolved ‘omic’ techniques have enabled deep characterization of clinical pathologies that remain poorly understood, providing unprecedented insights into molecular mechanisms of disease. However, transcriptomic platforms are costly, limiting sample size, which increases the possibility of pre-analytical variables such as tissue processing and storage procedures impacting RNA quality and downstream analyses. Furthermore, spatial transcriptomics have not yet reached single cell resolution, leading to the development of multiple deconvolution methods to predict individual cell types within each transcriptome ‘spot’ on tissue sections. In this study, we performed spatial transcriptomics and single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNASeq) on matched specimens from patients with either histologically normal or advanced fibrosis to establish important aspects of tissue handling, data processing, and downstream analyses of biobanked liver samples. We observed that tissue preservation technique impacts transcriptomic data, especially in fibrotic liver. Deconvolution of the spatial transcriptome using paired snRNASeq data generated a spatially resolved, single cell dataset with 24 unique liver cell phenotypes. We determined that cell-cell interactions predicted using ligand-receptor analysis of snRNASeq data poorly correlated with celullar relationships identified using spatial transcriptomics. Our study provides a framework for generating spatially resolved, single cell datasets to study gene expression and cell-cell interactions in biobanked clinical samples with advanced liver disease.
“We and malaria are already friends, becoming one,” A qualitative study on malaria risk perception in Eastern Indonesia
Authors: Ayuandini S. , Tobing F. , Jupp D. , Halim D.F , Kenangalem E. , Sumiwi Maria Endang , Prameswari Helen Dewi , Theodora Minerva , Dewi Riskha Tiara Puspa , Supriyanto Dedy , Kurnia Bayu , Shetye Mrunal , Ndoen Ermi , Onishi Yuka
Published: September 2023

Background
Despite the Government of Indonesia’s success in eliminating malaria in 372 out of 514 districts in 2022, the disease is still highly prevalent in Eastern Indonesia. In 2021, 95% of the total malaria cases in Indonesia were reported from Papua, West Papua and Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) provinces. In the context of the persistence of malaria in these areas, there is an increased recognition that malaria elimination will require an understanding of the social determinants of malaria prevention and treatment, informed by local context and local practice.
Methods
This study is based on qualitative data collected through participatory community assessment and participatory barrier analysis implemented through an adapted immersion approach. For the adapted immersion, researchers immersed themselves in the communities during the day and early evening over a period of 5 days. Researchers gathered insights through informal conversations, discussions using visual tools, and direct observation. The study was conducted in 4 districts of high endemic areas across Papua, West Papua, and Sumba Islands in NTT.
Results
The study highlights how people’s perception of the disease in high malaria endemic areas affects their health behaviors in dealing with malaria infection, particularly in their decision making for early testing, adherence to malaria treatment, and practices taken to prevent mosquito bites.
Conclusions
People in high-endemic areas of Eastern Indonesia perceived malaria as inseparable from their daily lives and with little link to mosquitos. These views underpinned behaviors that hindered the effectiveness of malaria programs, including delays in malaria testing, low adherence to malaria treatment, and inconsistent practices to prevent mosquito bites or control mosquitos. The effectiveness of public health interventions that aim to eliminate malaria in Eastern Indonesia may be improved by addressing these behaviors and underlying beliefs.
Research on the forecast of emergency supplies for major public health emergencies
Authors: Zhu Xiaoxin , Wen Zhimin , Regan David , Zhu Wenlong
Published: September 2023

An adequate provision of medical supplies is critical in the battle against pandemics, such as the ongoing one against COVID-19. This paper proposes a generalized analysis based on the fluctuation period of emergency material demand, constructing a combined forecasting model of time series and support vector machines. The daily demand of specific protective masks donated by the Wuhan COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters in the period from February 1 to March 16, 2020 is predicted through the use of data from the Wuhan Red Cross. Compared with traditional linear time series forecasting models, the proposed forecasting model sees its accuracy increased by 37.55%, with the relative errors of MAE, MSE and MAPE being respectively reduced by 37.57%, 60.88% and 37.86%. It transpires that the combined model is able to make full use of the potential information implied in the original data. The decision-making process provides a reference point for the forecast of the demand of medical emergency materials in future major public health emergencies.
Differential Short-term and Long-term Metabolic and Cytokine Responses to Infection of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus
Authors: zhang zhiyi , Hu Yafei , Zheng Xiang , Chen Cairong , Zhao Yishuang , Lin Haijiang , He Na
Published: September 2023

Introduction
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by the SFTS bunyavirus (SFTSV), which has a wide geographic distribution. The primary clinical manifestations of SFTS are fever and thrombocytopenia, with multiorgan failure being the leading cause of death. While most patients recover with treatment, little is known about the potential long-term metabolic effects of SFTSV infection.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to light on dysregulated metabolic pathways and cytokine responses following SFTSV infection, which pose significant risks to the short-term and long-term health of affected individuals.
Methods
In this study, we used untargeted metabolomics to obtain the relative abundance of plasma metabolites from 14 SFTS patients, 18 IgG positive healthy controls and 20 IgG negative healthy controls, respectively, using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). Additionally, the concentrations of 12 cytokines were quantified through mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) measurements.
Results and Conclusion
We screened 122 long-term metabolites and 108 short-term metabolites by analytical comparison and alalyzed their correlations with 12 cytokines. Glycerophospholipid metabolism (GPL) was identified as significant short-term metabolic pathway suggesting that the activation of GPL might be linked to the self-replication of SFTSV, whereas pentose phosphate pathway and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were indicated as significant long-term metabolic pathways playing a role in combating long-standing oxidative stress in the patients. Furthermore, we propose that α-ketoglutarate could serve as a dietary supplement to protect recovering SFTS patients, potentially providing a new perspective for the treatment of SFTS patients.
Semi-field evaluation of aquatic predators for the control of Anopheles funestus in rural south-eastern Tanzania
Authors: Mahenge Herieth H. , Muyaga Letus L. , Nkya Joel D. , Kafwenji Andrew D. , Mwalugelo Yohana A. , Kahamba Najat F. , Ngowo Halfan S. , Kaindoa Emmanuel W.
Published: September 2023

Introduction:
Biological control is a promising alternative or complementary approach for controlling vector populations in response to the spread of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. This study evaluated the efficacy of three selected potential predators on the density and fitness parameters of Anopheles funestus larvae in rural Tanzania.
Methods
Common predator families (Aeshnidae, Coenagriondae, and Notonectidae) and An. funestus group larvae were collected from natural aquatic habitats in rural south-eastern Tanzania. Predators were starved for 12hours while An. funestus larvae were given fish food before starting the experiment. Anopheles funestus larvae were placed into artificial habitats containing predators, exposing them to potential predation. The number of surviving An. funestus larvae was counted every 24hours. An emergence trap was placed at the top of artificial habitats to capture emerging mosquitoes. Emerged mosquitoes were monitored until they died. Female wings were measured and used as a proxy for body size. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with binomial variates at 95% CI and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the proportion of dead mosquitoes and the daily survival determined.
Results
There were significant differences in the number of emerged mosquitoes between the treatment and control groups (p < 0.001). Thus, all predator species played a significant role in reducing the density of An. funestus mosquitoes (P < 0.001). Furthermore, these predators had notable effects on the fitness parameters and survival of emerged mosquitoes (P < 0.001). Among the three predators studied, Coenagrionidae were most efficient followed by Notonectidae, with Aeshnidae being the least efficient.
Conclusion
Selected aquatic predators have the potential to reduce the survival and density of Anopheles funestus larvae. They might eventually be included within an integrated malaria vector control strategy, ultimately leading to a reduction in malaria transmission.
A novel CaCO 3 -embedded carbon cathode for highly energy-efficient Li–O 2 batteries
Authors: Kang Inhan , Kang Jungwon
Published: September 2023

Rechargeable Li‒O2 batteries have attracted considerable attention owing to their high specific energy density compared to those of other lithium secondary batteries. However, the high charging overpotential remains one of the challenges for the application of Li-O2 batteries in specific energy storage systems. To solve this problem, various catalyst materials such as metal/metal oxides (Pt, Au, MnO2, CuO, etc.) have been developed. In this study, a new CaCO3 catalyst embedded in carbon is investigated for the first time for a nonaqueous Li‒O2 battery application. The overpotential of the Li‒O2 cell containing the CaCO3-embedded carbon cathode decreases by ~ 6.5% on an average over 40 cycles.