bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Persistir en el intento: cambios y permanencias en la identidad y rol de las ONG fundacionales en el Perú 1990-2016
Authors: Bobadilla Díaz Percy
Published: May 2023

Esta investigación pretende mostrar los cambios organizacionales y las formas de intervención social que han venido asumiendo las ONG fundadas en el Perú entre las décadas de 1960 y 1980. A partir de 1990, estas ONG han sufrido una serie de cambios, principalmente en los discursos de desarrollo que orientan sus proyectos, en el tipo de relaciones que establecen con actores claves para ejecutarlos y en la manera de financiar su funcionamiento. Se observará que en el ámbito del desarrollo internacional y local se modifican las reglas del juego para las ONG: el Estado central y el sector empresarial incrementan su presencia en la promoción de proyectos de desarrollo; hay una mayor orientación al mercado y a la venta de servicios basados en una gestión eficiente; en un contexto de reducción de fondos provenientes de agencias de cooperación internacional. Esto generará el surgimiento de roles estratégicos como una manera de responder a estos cambios en el entorno institucional. Se notará que, si bien las estrategias se han modificado y utilizan nuevos enfoques —ligados al desarrollo humano, el género, medio ambiente, gobernabilidad, entre otros—, el sentido y significado de la acción social fundacional de las ONG se mantienen vigentes: el trabajo con poblaciones vulnerables y excluidas.
Seventh-day Adventist church corporate governance and educational institutions’ financial stability in Tanzania
Authors: Kisyeri Dickson Matiko , Kira Alex Reuben
Published: May 2023

Corporate governance is a global issue that has caught the interest of many researchers and business owners. However, there is scanty literature that is done on the influence of corporate management on educational institutions’ financial stability and in particular the Adventist Church in Tanzania. The secondary schools owned by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church in Tanzania have faced a financial crisis and this study investigated the church’s corporate governance and the financial stability of these educational institutions in Tanzania. The study adopted qualitative research design, used purposive sampling technic to collect information form the fifteen institutions, used the questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The study used frequency statistics for the analysis with the help of SPSS version 26. The findings show that poor administration, inefficient and unprofessional boards, nepotism, bad treatment of employees, not addressing audit reports, poor customer care, poor infrastructure, and improvement of the government secondary schools have contributed to the financial crisis of these institutions and the church is advised to adhere to good corporate governance to bring remedy to the situation.
Bioestadística sin miedos : aplicaciones con Stata para Ciencias de la Salud
Authors:   Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Mayta Tovalino Frank Roger
Published: May 2023

La estadística siempre ha sido un tema complejo de entender, pero esto se complica aún más cuando no se sabe explicar de manera correcta, siendo generalmente debido a que su enseñanza sigue dándose de una forma poco didáctica; es decir, con la obligación de aprender fórmulas, con más teoría que la necesaria, sin un enfoque práctico y sin el uso de programas estadísticos que faciliten su aprendizaje, entre otras características, todo lo cual origina que el estudiante no aprenda como deba, no interiorice el conocimiento, no sepa plasmarlo en un trabajo práctico y hasta tenga temor de la estadística y de hacer el intento de generar resultados. Esto tiene repercusiones directas e indirectas.
ANALISIS BIBLIOMETRIK: TREN PENELITIAN BERPIKIR KREATIF
Authors: Huda Nurul , Misbah Misbah , Miriam Sarah , Harto Muhdi , Rusmansyah Rusmansyah , Hamid Abdul , Muhammad Nurlaela
Published: May 2023

Penelitian terkait Creative Thinking sudah banyak dilakukan beberapa tahun belakangan ini, maka agar mendapatkan pandangan yang menyeluruh terkait Creative Thinking Skills dan memahami trend penekanan penelitian pada masa sekarang. Penelitian ini digunakan untuk mengevaluasi tema yang paling relevan terkait dengan Creative Thinking Skills berbasis analisis bibliometrik, dengan input menggunakan kata kunci “Creative Thinking Skills” OR “Creative Thinking”. Data yang digunakan berbasis database Scopus karena  perangkat lunak VOSviewer versi 1.6.18 yang diadopsi sebagai alat analisis bibliometrik untuk memvisualisasikan jaringan berupa penulis, negara, jurnal, dan kata kunci. Analisis yang dilakukan pada 1 Agustus 2022 menemukan total 96 dokumen dalam periode dari tahun 2013 hingga 2022. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir jumlah publikasi tentang Creative Thinking mengalami naik turun secara periodik, tetapi mengalami publikasi tertinggi pada tahun 2017 sebanyak 17 dokumen. Indonesia adalah negara terproduktif di bidang publikasi Creative Thinking, menyumbang jumlah publikasi terbesar di dunia. Analisis kata kunci menunjukkan bahwa studi tentang Creative Thinking dalam dua dekade terakhir berfokus pada tema yang terkait 21st century skills, higher order thinking skills, thinking skills, pollution, sampling technique, experimental research, research instrumen, gender, dan literature reviews. Analisis bibliometrik yang disajikan memberikan informasi yang relevan tentang tema utama yang dipelajari terkait Creative Thinking.
Energy Audit as an Instrument to Tackle Internal Barriers to Energy Efficiency: Lessons from Moroccan Industrial Firms
Authors: Bensouda Mehdi
Published: May 2023

Climate change complies firms to introduce various measures to enhance both their competitiveness and sustainability, particularly energy efficiency measures (EEMs). Energy efficiency is particularly important in energy-intensive sectors such as the industrial sector. However, EEMs within the industrial firms are hindered by several internal barriers such as competing interests within firms, the lack of information regarding energy efficiency opportunities, and the low technical competence. In this regard, energy audit aims to improve energy efficiency in facilities and to tackle internal barriers to energy efficiency. We construct a model which aims to explore the importance of energy audit in implementing EEMs and reducing the intensity of internal barriers to energy efficiency. Our research model was empirically tested through survey data gathered from 193 industrial firms in Morocco. Results show that competing interests, the lack of information and the low technical competence hinder the adoption of EEMs within industrial firms. In addition, energy audits enhance EEMs, and mitigate the negative effect of the lack of information and the low technical competence on the adoption of EEMs. However, energy audits do not attenuate the negative effect of competing interests on EEMs. This study reinforces previous studies with additional confirmation regarding the importance of energy audits for tackling the lack of information, and the low technical competence within firms. Furthermore, our study extends prior research as we found that energy audits do not reduce the intensity of competing interests within firms regarding EMMs’ implementation.
Power Measurement Using Adaptive Chirp Mode Decomposition for Electrical Vehicles Charging Load
Authors: Ding Haili , Tian Rui , Wang Jinfei , Yang Xiaomei
Published: May 2023

Due to nonlinear components in the charging piles of electric vehicles, harmonics and non-stationary signals in the electric vehicle charging load brings voltage and current distortion, seriously affecting the accuracy of the power-related calculation in non-sinusoidal environments. This paper proposed a new approach to calculate the active power and root mean square values from decomposed components using the adaptive chirp mode decomposition (ACMD) method on voltage and current. The advantage of the ACMD-based method is that it correctly provides the power-related quantities of harmonics or non-stationary components for the electric vehicle charging load. The performance of the proposed method was verified using synthetic signals and simulation tests. The experimental results presented better estimations for each quantity defined in IEEE Standard 1459-2010, compared with the discrete wavelet transform approach.
OPTIMISATION OF OPERATOR-MACHINE ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM USING EXCEL SOLVER
Authors: Bányai Tamás , Meczkó Viktória
Published: May 2023

Although the fourth industrial revolution has greatly accelerated the automation of production processes, the importance of human resources has not diminished, as evidenced by the fact that multinational companies are increasingly investing more and more effort in determining the optimal allocation of machines and operators. In this paper, the authors present an approach to the operator-machine assignment task through a suitable model. The mathematical model presented is suitable to support the design of an appropriate human resource management strategy and the implementation of operative human resource management tasks in production systems of different sizes.
Perbandingan Dampak Alokasi Anggaran terhadap Pendapatan dalam Dua Rezim: Pilkada Langsung Versus Tidak Langsung
Authors:   Program Pascasarjana Ilmu Ekonomi Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Indonesia, Heriyana Aan , Adrison Vid ,   Program Pascasarjana Ilmu Ekonomi Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Indonesia
Published: May 2023

Penelitian ini membandingkan dampak alokasi anggaran antara daerah yang telah melaksanakan pemilihan kepala daerah secara langsung dengan tidak langsung dan dampaknya terhadap pendapatan per kapita daerah. Alokasi anggaran menggunakan alokasi belanja modal dan belanja tidak langsung pada Anggaran Pendapatan Belanja Daerah (APBD) kabupaten dan kota di Indonesia. Secara empiris pada kurun waktu 2005-2010 di Indonesia hasil estimasi dengan menggunakan Pooled Least Square tidak menunjukkan perbedaan yang signifikan dampak alokasi anggaran terhadap pendapatan per kapita daerah antara rezim dengan pilkada langsung versus tidak langsung. Namun secara regional terjadi perbedaan signifikan di kabupaten dan kota pada kelompok pulau Sumatera bila dibandingkan dengan kelompok pulau lainnya di Indonesia, yaitu terdapat perbedaan dampak pada total anggaran yang berpengaruh terhadap pendapatan per kapita di mana secara rata-rata kepala daerah yang dipilih melalui pilkada langsung dampaknya lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan kepala daerah yang dipilih secara tidak langsung.
Palm Sugar Business Development in Temon Village, Arjosari District, Pacitan Regency
Authors: Azizah Nurul , Rokamah Ridho
Published: May 2023

In business development, the right strategy is needed so that the business runs perfectly. However, the development of the sugar business has not implemented a good strategy, which is shown in the production process that has not made product variants and promotions are still simple. So a strategy is needed in business development to achieve the goal. The purpose of this study was to determine the development of palm sugar business in Temon village, Arjosari district, Pacitan district, to determine the factors that influence palm sugar business, and to determine the impact of business development on increasing palm sugar production in Temon village, Arjosari district, Pacitan district. This study uses a qualitative method. This type of research is field research (field research). Data collection techniques are from interviews, observation, and documentation. The results of this study are: 1) Development of palm sugar business in the village, namely developing the market for products, sales systems, and developing markets with synergy. However, only the strategy of developing the market with synergy is maximally applied to the palm sugar business. The palm sugar business also applies business development in Islam which includes: honesty, sincerity, professional friendship, holy intentions and worship, and paying zakat, infaq, and sadaqah. 2) The factors that influence the development of the sugar business include: opportunity factors, planning factors, management factors, and marketing and sales factors. 3) business development in Temon village can increase palm sugar production and make a good contribution to craftsmen, this is evidenced by the increase in palm sugar production over the past year, which is 2-7 kg/month.
INSPECTR assay protocol for sensitive SARS-CoV-2 enabled by rolling circle amplification
Authors: Phillips Elizabeth A. , Silverman Adam D. , Joneja Aric , Liu Michael , Brown Carl , Carlson Paul , Coticchia Christine , Shytle Kristen , Larsen Alex , Goyal Nadish , Cai Vincent , Huang Jason , Hickey Jennifer E. , Ryan Emily , Acheampong Joycelynn , Ramesh Pradeep , Collins James J. , Blake William J.
Published: May 2023

This protocol defines the process for executing an INSPECTR assay to sensitively detect SARS-CoV-2 gRNA in a fully ambient temperature workflow. INSPECTR (for internal splint-pairing expression-cassette translation reaction), leverages the target-specific splinted ligation of DNA probes to generate expression cassettes that can be flexibly designed for the cell-free synthesis of reporter proteins. One implementation of INSPECTR incorporates rolling circle amplification, which is described in this protocol. This protocol entails five ambient temperature steps including target-splinted probe ligation, exonuclease digestion, hyperbranched rolling circle amplification, in vitro transcription and translation, and lateral flow detection. This implementation of the INSPECTR assay demonstrates the utility of synthetic biology and cell-free systems wherever low-cost and decentralized nucleic acid sensing is of value.
PASSAGING HUMAN INTESTINAL ORGANOIDS AND MONOLAYERS SET UP
Authors: Carmona Noelia , Randazzo Walter
Published: May 2023

Human intestinal enteroids (HIE) have been found to support enteric virus replication, which is especially relevant for studying human rotavirus and human norovirus infections. Thus, the HIE system is being used as a biologically significant human system to assess the efficiency of preventive and control strategies to prevent infection, which is relevant in clinical, therapeutics, and food safety fields. This protocol is intended to be used for the maintenance of human intestinal enteroids (HIE) (Procedure A) and set up of single cell monolayers to be differentiated and infected for viral replication (Procedure B). The procedures described are based on the original publications on human rotavirus and human norovirus replication in HIE (Ettayebi et al., 2016; Saxena et al., 2015; Zou et al., 2019), with the modifications implemented elsewhere (Ettayebi et al., 2021) and at VISAFElab for making the routinely handling of the system more practical. The main novel implementation refers to the use of the gentle cell dissociation reagent (produced by Stem Cell Technologies) to dissociate HIE domes for routine passaging or for producing single-cell suspensions for monolayers set up. Those modifications have been proven to support the human norovirus and human rotavirus replication features originally described for the HIE system.
Breast cancer characterization in cadavers
Authors: Boligo Sofia , Cardoso Vasco , Sidiropoulou Zacharoula , Cardoso Fátima
Published: May 2023

This protocol describes a technique for data collection in autopsies corpses, and data analysis of breast cancer epidemiological patterns.
The benefit of forensic autopsies lies in the relatively uniform age distribution of the population under study, unlike hospital samples. Only five publications exist in the international literature based on medico-legal autopsies that were designed to define the ‘natural reservoir’ of the disease.
According to the standard procedure, once the eligibility criteria have been fulfilled and the sample collection authorisation cleared, bilateral subcutaneous modified radical mastectomy in each fresh cadaver is performed. Tissues are subsequently transported within an appropriate container, and submitted for inspection, palpation, ultrasound and mammography by breast radiologists. The imaging of the collected tissues is performed using the GE Healthcare digital mammography system, Senographe EssentialTM, using an X-ray beam of 27 kV and 10-15 decanewtons (daN) compression, depending on tissue density and size. Breast tissue, classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 3 or higher, is submitted to wire-guided surgical biopsy by a breast surgeon. These samples are subsequently analysed in the pathology department.
Intravenous Cyclophosphamide Therapy for Patients with Severe Ocular Inflammatory Diseases Who Failed Other Immunomodulatory Therapies
Authors: Karaca Irmak , Tran Elaine , Park Sung Who , Bromeo Albert John , Khojasteh Hassan , Tran Anh , Yavari Negin , Akhavanrezayat Amir , Yasar Cigdem , Uludag Gunay , Hassan Muhammad , Or Chris , Ghoraba Hashem , Do Diana , Dong Quan
Published: May 2023

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of cyclophosphamide (CP) therapy for patients with severe ocular inflammatory diseases who failed other immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs).Methods Medical records of 1295 patients who presented to the Uveitis Clinic at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford between 2017 and 2022 were reviewed. Seven patients (10 eyes) who received CP therapy for ocular inflammatory diseases with at least one year of follow-up were included.Results The mean age of the patients (4 males, 3 females) was 61.6 ± 14.9 (43.0–89.0) years. Clinical diagnoses included scleromalacia perforans (4 eyes), anterior necrotizing scleritis (1 eye), peripheral ulcerative keratitis (2 eyes), orbital pseudotumor (1 eye), HLA-B27 associated panuveitis and retinal vasculitis (2 eyes). Ocular disease was idiopathic in 3 patients, and was associated with rheumatoid arthritis, IgG-4 sclerosing disease, dermatomyositis, and ankylosing spondylitis in 1 patient each. All the patients had history of previous IMT use including methotrexate (5), mycophenolate mofetil (3), azathioprine (1), tacrolimus (1), adalimumab (2), infliximab (4), and rituximab (1). The mean follow-up time was 34.4 ± 11.0 (13–45) months, and mean duration of CP therapy was 11.9 ± 8.8 (5–28) months. Remission was achieved in 5 patients (71.4%). Four patients (57.1%) experienced transient leukopenia (white blood cell count < 4000/mL).Conclusion CP therapy can be considered a potentially effective and relatively safe therapeutic option for patients with severe ocular inflammatory diseases who failed other IMTs including biologics (TNFa and CD20 inhibitors).
Can urban-level strategies foster nascent hydrogen industries?
Authors: Peng Yuan , White Lee , Cheng Wenting , Bai Xuemei
Published: May 2023

Many cities are developing strategies to foster rapid growth of the hydrogen industry for both environmental and economic benefits. Yet, the effectiveness of these strategies remains unclear. This paper addresses this gap. We extract the motivators and enabling factors of 21 frontrunner cities in China in implementing local hydrogen strategies. To examine whether frontrunner cities’ strategies lead to increased hydrogen industry development, a two-way fixed effects regression analysis is performed to the panel data of 19 frontrunner cities and 64 matching control cities during 2012-2021. We find that cities implementing hydrogen strategies saw increasing the number of firms, and, more tentatively, the investment scale. Our findings suggest cities can enable nascent hydrogen industry development, and have the potential to support broader energy system transition.
Successful Treatment of Post-COVID-19 Severe ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: Case Report
Authors: Ural Zeynep , Yıldırım Saliha , Şahin Osman Tamer , Tomar Veysel Baran , Zelyurt Nail , Koç Handenur , Türkoğlu Melda , Aygencel Gülbin , Erten Yasemin
Published: May 2023

Background
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has become the most serious health problem of today globally. Kidney involvement in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is common and associated with high mortality. Although acute tubular necrosis due to hemodynamic instability is the most common cause, other complex and destructive processes related to cytokine storm and activation of innate and adaptive immunity have also been reported.
Case presentation:
Herein, we present successful treatment of proteinase-3 anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (PR3-ANCA)-associated vasculitis case presenting with severe pulmonary-renal syndrome as a rare and fatal complication of COVID-19 infection.
Conclusions
AAV is a serious disease and prompt treatment is one of the most important factors in patient survival.
Retrospective evaluation of “critical view of safety” in laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Liu Pan , Hang Xu , Li Min , Li JiaRong , Xiaohua Dai
Published: May 2023

Objective
The value of critical view of safety (CVS) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was evaluated using retroactive surgical video recording and clinical data.
Methods
172 patients who underwent LC in our center from January 2022 to December 2022 were selected and the complete operation video was retained. By reviewing the surgical video and clinical data, patients were divided into CVS group and unfinished CVS (U-CVS) group, comparing patients with different cholecystitis severity, gallbladder mesangial anatomy, bile duct injury(BDI), operation time, postoperative bile leakage and hospital length between the two groups. Performed logistic regression analysis on the risk factors of U-CVS in GRADE II/III (moderate/severe)cholecystitis, ROC curve was drawn to determine its predictive value.
Results
The proportion of LC achieving CVS in the center was 70.93% (122 /172), and the proportion of GRADE I, II and III cholecystitis patients was 85.98%, 49.12% and 25.00%, respectively. Compared with GRADE I group, the exposure rates of gallbladder mesangium (48.57% vs 80%), gallbladder neck / blood vessel (42.86% vs73.33%) in GRADE II / III group were lower, and the intraoperative bile duct injury (2.85%vs0%) was higher. The preoperative WBC > 18×109/L, BMI > 24kg/m2, previous gallbladder puncture, bile duct variation and incarceration of gall bladder neck stones were independent risk factors of U-CVS. ROC analysis showed that the above risk factors had good predictive performance(0.851).
Conclusion
CVS can reduce the incidence of IBD. Mild cholecystitis is prone to operate, while operation for moderate and severe cholecystitis is difficult, which is affected by preoperative WBC > 18×109/L, BMI > 24kg/m2, past history of gallbladder puncture, variation of bile duct and stones incarceration of gall bladder neck and other factors.
Risk factors and Outcome Analysis of Delayed Neurological Sequelae in elderly patients with carbon monoxide poisoning
Authors: Ma Yuehong , Xue Ruijun , Hu Huijun , Pan Shuyi , Guo Dazhi
Published: May 2023

Objective Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the common causes of poisoning in patients and can result in significant neurological sequelae. However, few studies have focused on the elderly population.
Method We retrospectively reviewed elderly (age≥60 years) with CO poisoning from non-fire accidents and non-suicid at at the 6th medical center PLA general hospital in China from 2013 to 2023. We analyzed the patients’ epidemiological characteristics and outcome; identified the risk factors for patients who developed delayed neurological sequelae (DNS) and long-term neurological sequelae (LNS); compared the data of patients who received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) to those who received normobaric oxygen (NBO) therapy.
Result A total of 167 elderly patients were enrolled. The annual case number decreased from 2013 to 2023, particularly during the cold months (November to February). The most common source of exposure was coal heating (89.8%). The most common presenting symptoms were consciousness changes (86.8%). Eighty-eight patients (52.3%) developed DNS, of which sixty-nine patients (78.4%) converted to LNS. The most common imaging manifestations were hypoxic ischemic damage in the basal ganglia (54.3%) and demyelination in white matter (45.7%). After multivariate analysis, initial GCS score and coma time were the independent risk factor for patients with DNS (p＜0.001). Interestingly, myocardial injury was more common in non DNS elderly patients than in DNS patients (p＜0.001); only coma time was an independent risk factor for patients with LNS (p＜0.001). There was no significant difference between HBO (p=0.196) and NBO (p=0.379) in the occurrence of DNS and LNS in elderly patients with CO poisoning.
Conclusion: Only initial GCS score and coma time are the risk factors of DNS for elderly patients, and coma time alone is a high-risk factor for poor prognosis of CO poisoning in the elderly. Moreover, HBO is not superior to NBO in elderly patients with CO poisoning. Special attention should be given and follow-up should be performed to elderly patients, particularly those have longer coma time and CO exposure time, and lower initial GCS score in acute CO poisoning.
Effects of a novel differential diagnosis aid for managing patients with unexplained fatigue in the primary care setting. A prospective randomized, controlled and multicentre pilot study in primary care
Authors: Känel Roland , Neuner-Jehle Stefan , Kressig Reto W. , Guessous Idris , Krayenbühl Pierre Alexandre , Zimmerli Lukas , Angelilo-Scherer Anne , Keller Thomas , Elzner Caroline , Pauls Karl , Morin Neige , Battegay Edouard
Published: May 2023

Objective Unexplained fatigue is a common reason for encounter in the primary care setting, with currently no structured tool available to support diagnosis. This study evaluated the effects of the novel Fatigue Differential Diagnostic Aid (FDDA) in clinical practice.
Design This was a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicentre study comparing use of the FDDA vs usual care in patients with unexplained fatigue as the main reason for encounter.
Setting and Participants The study included 93 patients seen in the primary care setting (FDDA n=40, usual care n=53) in Switzerland.
Outcomes Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), patient satisfaction with treatment and fatigue improvement, treatment patterns, number of examinations, number of visits.
Results There was no statistically significant group difference for the primary endpoint of PGIC. However, five predefined endpoints met statistical significance: (1) More patients were very satisfied with treatment management in the FDDA group at both 1 month (FDDA 56.8% vs usual care 25.6%, p=0.004) and 3 months (FDDA 64.9% vs usual care 31%, p=0.003); (2) patients underwent more examinations at baseline in the FDDA group (median 11.0 for FDDA vs 7.0 for usual care, p=0.002); (3) The FDDA group received a wider range of, and more treatments at 1 month, but less iron replacement therapy (p=0.0233); the FDDA was also associated with (4) a higher total number of visits (median 4.0 vs 3.0, p <0.001), and (5) more patients reporting reduced fatigue after 3 or 6 months (FDDA 97.4% vs usual care 78.4%, p=0.011).
Conclusions The FDDA has the potential to improve the management of fatigue. The findings of this study may be relevant to clinical practice because physicians using the FDDA investigated the causes of fatigue more extensively, and more patients reported reduced fatigue. Further studies on diagnostic tools for unexplained fatigue are warranted.
Early Cambrian Protomelission is a scleritomous eumetazoan but not a bryozoan or dasyclad alga
Authors: Xiang Kai , Liu Wei , Zhao Fangchen , Zhu Maoyan , Yin Zongjun
Published: May 2023

The origin of Bryozoa has long been an intriguing mystery, largely due to the dearth of unambiguous bryozoan fossils within Cambrian strata1-5. Recently reported earliest bryozoan Protomelission 2, an early Cambrian phosphatized microfossil from Australia and China, was subsequently contested and proposed as calcified dasyclad algae1. Our re-analysis of raw micro-CT data from Protomelission specimens, however, unveils previously unrevealed structures, indicating Protomelission to be neither bryozoan nor alga, but almost a complete scleritome of Cambroclavus, an early Cambrian microfossil typically found as disarticulated sclerites. The long-awaited scleritomes suggest that enigmatic cambroclaves likely represent an extinct group of epitheliozoan-grade eumetazoan, with spiny sclerites covering their epidermis for defense. The prevalence of bizarre animals like cambroclaves, lacking modern analogues, implies a greater disparity of animal body plans during the Cambrian Explosion than previously understood. Our findings underscore the absence of definitive early Cambrian bryozoan fossils, further highlighting the dilemma of the origin of Bryozoa.
Predictive value of dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI-based machine learning model for lymphovascular invasion status in node-negative invasive breast cancer
Authors: Liang Rong , Tong fang , Hua M , Liu Junjun , Li Fangfang , Shi Chenlei , Sui Lewen , Yao Jingyuan , Lu Hong
Published: May 2023

Purpose
To retrospectively evaluate breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based machine learning (ML) model that can preoperatively predict lymphovascular invasion (LVI) status in invasive breast cancer patients with negative axillary lymph nodes (LNs).
Methods
We retrospectively enrolled 280 patients who underwent pre-operative breast MRI and were confirmed with invasive breast cancer by surgical pathology, with absence of axillary LN metastasis. This cohort included 148 LVI-positive lesions and 141 LVI-negative lesions, randomly divided (7:3) into training and validation cohort. The tumor segmentation from the first postcontrast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI was semi-automatically implemented using 3D Slicer 5.1.0 software, and radiomics features of each lesion were extracted. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method was used to select the significant radiomics features, and five different ML algorithms were used to build models. A clinical model was also built and integrated with the radiomics models. The predictive performance of models were evaluated by discrimination and compared using DeLong test.
Results
A total of 4 clinico‑radiological parameters and 10 selected radiomics features were selected for model construction. The RF model that was built based on the radiomics and clinico‑radiological feature information exhibited the best predictive performance, yielding high AUC (0.97 for train and 0.82 for validation, respectively). The integrated model significantly outperformed the clinical model, whereas showed no significant difference from the radiomics model.
Conclusions
The RF model integrating radiomics features with clinical information facilitate LVI detection in invasive breast cancer patient with negative axillary LNs preoperatively, which was valuable for clinical decision-making.
Impact of Refractance Window drying method on physical properties and phenolic antioxidants of tomato powder in comparison with other methods
Authors: Zomorodi Shahin , Hedayat Aida
Published: May 2023

In this study, the quality properties of tomato powder prepared using the Refractance Window (RW) drying method was compared with microwave, hot air and sun drying methods. The bulk density, water solubility, vitamin C, total polyphenol compounds, optical density and color index of tomato powders were determined. The results of statistical analysis showed that the vitamin C content, phenolic compounds and solubility of samples dried by microwave and RW methods were significantly higher than the other methods (p<0.05). The lowest and the highest bulk density belonged to the powders prepared by microwave and RW respectively. In samples dried by RW method, L*, b* and a* index and color score was higher and the optical density was lower than other samples. The samples dried in microwave had the lowest L* value and highest optical density value, while the b* and a* index in these sample have been higher than the samples dried by sun and hot air drying methods. Also the lowest and the highest Hue and Chroma value were found in samples dried in hot air and RW respectively, while a*/b* ratio was reversed. But the highest and the lowest the total color (ΔE) value was in the samples dried in sun and RW method respectively. All in all, it can be concluded that the Refractance Window method can be used as a suitable alternative to hot air and microwave drying methods, without undesired effects on quality properties of tomato powders.
Active tectonic deformation in the central-lower courses of Cai River, Khanh Hoa Province, Central Vietnam and its significance for the evolution of river and associated geological hazards
Authors: Tran Hai Thanh , Bui Hau Vinh , Ngo Chi Kim Thi , Phan Binh Van , Nguyen Hung Quoc , Ngo Thanh Xuan , Nguyen Nam Xuan , Hoang Do Tu Ngo , Vu Dao Anh , Nguyen Hiep Huu , Vu Linh Thai
Published: May 2023

The east-west trending middle and lower courses of the Cai River, central Vietnam, are underlain by a geologically complicated basement, which was strongly deformed by multiphase tectonic activities. Active tectonism is intensely, indicated by wide-spread brittle faulting, fracturing, significant uplifting or subsidence, and other tectono-geomorphological indicators, that systematically modify landscapes, drainage systems, and enhanced geological hazards such as landslides, riverbanks erosions, and coastal erosions. These, in conjunction with basement heterogeneity, have governed the evolution of the drainage network in the area. Active faulting forces the channels/currents to flow along the fault zones. The transecting of strike-slip faults across the flows leads to diversion of the flow orientation and formed complex flow patterns as well as pull-apart basins. Dip-slip motions of fault walls resulted in the formation of local uplift and/or subsidence blocks. In uplifted areas, the lowering of the base-level leads to incision and rejuvenation of the channels with a deep gorge, a step V-shape valley, and a widening of the beach. The subsidence led to a relative base-level rise, leading to lateral erosion, bankcuts and the windings of river course and formation of oxbow lake/lagoons, as well as erosion of the shoreline. In addition, uneven uplift and subsidence produce local tectonic tilting, resulting in the migration of flow towards the subsided areas. In this case, the pronounced uplifting of the south side of Cai River Valley has led to northeasterly tectonic tilting, which has forced the main flow and its mouth to migrated northeastward periodically, abandoned of older flows in the south and created an uneven north side-down river
Design and Analysis of Hanger Irrigation System
Authors: Sawant Rohit V. , Chavan Sachin S.
Published: May 2023

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly designed hanger irrigation system in providing consistent water supply for agriculture in India. With agriculture being a crucial sector for the country's economic development and a significant source of livelihood for about 70% of the population, water scarcity poses a significant challenge. Traditional irrigation methods have limitations, necessitating the exploration of alternative systems that are durable and affordable. The hanger irrigation system was developed using SolidWorks software, incorporating Finite Element Analysis to enhance its vibrational sustainability and reduce deformation. The structure utilized structural steel and bamboo fiber as materials, with vibration and static analyses conducted using ANSYS 19 software to ensure stability and improve load-bearing capacity. Cost comparisons were made between bamboo and steel models. The findings of modal and static analyses for different materials were discussed to draw conclusions. Effective water management in irrigation is essential for maximizing crop productivity and meeting food production goals in India. The hanger irrigation system shows promise in providing consistent water supply while minimizing labor costs, making it a viable alternative for agricultural irrigation.
A cross-chain model with underlying security and scalability based on quantum algorithm
Authors: Wang Zhuo , Li Jian , Liu Ang , Hou Yanyan
Published: May 2023

As a typical cross-chain technology, the relay chain is widely applied. The transaction security in the cross-chain application of a traditional relay chain depends on the reliability of the relay part, which relies on the autonomous performance of the relay chain. However, this will lead to the risk of trust breach. There are three main security concerns: 1) No security access control for authentication; 2) Consensus transmission depends on the authority of the relay node; 3) Potential security threats from quantum computing attacks. To tackle these issues, a quantum cross-chain model (QCC) is proposed to provide post-quantum security. The QCC offers an access control policy for the global identity of application chains and two-way authentication for the cross-chain network, and a secure solution that deploys a quantum ring signature scheme (QRS) provided with audit and key-loss security for cross-chain transactions, contributing to decentralization, reliability, consensus transmissionand security of the relay chain. From a system security perspective, the security of QCC is enhanced by the underlying cryptographic algorithm--QRS, eliminating under-layer attacks and bringing a stronger guarantee for the security and scalability of upper-layer applications. In addition, the model has the advantage of scalability and supports multi-party transactions.
The Social Groups and Decline of a Southwestern Clovis Network
Authors: Wendorf M. A.
Published: May 2023

Shared lithic raw materials were used to map a ca. 13,000-year-old Clovis regional social network, labelled the Cochise Clovis network, that connected the Murray Springs Clovis site to Clovis assemblages in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and northern Sonora, Mexico. The network retained evidence of the foraging party, seasonal aggregation, and periodic aggregation social grouping layers of a Clovis band. With numerous small nodes that coexisted with a few hubs, the link distribution of the network was consistent with a power law. The network initially extended into the Sonoran Desert to the west but subsequently declined from this region in response to a severe drought. The decline of the western portion of the network could have been asymmetric and characterized by errors. Copious flint knapping at Murray Springs presented opportunities to discuss the status of existing links using first-hand information during a time of network decline.
The 3’ non-coding sequence negatively regulates PD-L1 expression and its regulators are systematically identified in pan-cancer
Authors: Chen Zike , Pi Hui , Wang Zhiyang , Zhang Yingdan , Zhang Jie , Xu Jintai , Qu Xuanhao , Liu Lehan , Shen Haoliang , Lu Yang , Chen Miaomiao , Zhang Weibing , Mao Renfang , Sun Rong , Fan Yihui
Published: May 2023

Objective Comparing to the coding sequences (CDS), the 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) of PD-L1 is extremely longer but its role and regulators are less explored.Methods The whole 3’-UTR region was deleted by CRISPR-Cas9. Prognostic analysis was performed using online tools. Immune infiltration analysis was performed using Timer and Xcell package. Immunotherapy response prediction and cox regression were performed using R software. MicroRNA network analysis was conducted by Cytoscape software.Results The level of PD-L1 was dramatically and significantly up-regulated in 3’-UTR deficient cells. Furthermore, we found a panel of 43 RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that correlated with PD-L1 in a majority of cancer cell lines and tumor tissues. Among them, PARP14 is widely associated with immune checkpoints, tumor microenvironment and immune infiltrating cells in various cancer types. We also identified 38 MicroRNA that associated with PD-L1 across cancers. The miR-3139, miR-4761 and miR-15a-5p are significantly associated with PD-L1 in most of cancer types. Finally, we revealed 21 m6A regulators that have a strong correlation with PD-L1. More importantly, by combing the identified RBPs and m6A regulators, we established a predictive immune signature including RBMS1, QKI, YTHDC1, ZC3HAV1, RBM38 and PPARGC1B to predict the responsiveness of cancer patients upon receiving immune checkpoint blockade.Conclusions We demonstrated the critical role of 3’-UTR in the regulation of PD-L1 and uncovered a large number of potential PD-L1 regulators in pan-cancer. The generated biomarker signature has power to predict patient’s prognosis, but along with the potential PD-L1 regulators should be further biologically investigated.
Prognostic factors of non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms after curative surgery and risk factors for liver recurrence
Authors: Shintakuya Ryuta , Uemura Kenichiro , Sumiyoshi Tatsuaki , Seo Shingo , Okada Kenjiro , Otsuka Hiroyuki , Baba Kenta , Murakami Yoshiaki , Serikawa Masahiro , Ishii Yasutaka , Arihiro Koji , Takahashi Shinya
Published: May 2023

Purpose
This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors of non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NF-PNENs) after curative surgery and evaluate the risk factors for liver recurrence in patients with NF-PNENs.
Methods
We retrospectively analysed clinicopathological data from 1993 to 2021 to determine predictors of poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) and risk factors for liver recurrence after curative surgery in patients with NF-PNENs. Independent factors associated with survival and liver recurrence were identified using multivariate analysis.
Results
Of the 107 consecutive patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms who underwent surgical resection, 78 who underwent curative surgery were eligible for this study. The median postoperative follow-up time was 58.1 months. The 5-year OS and DFS were 90.7% and 86.8%, respectively. Eight (10%) patients had imaging findings of recurrence, with liver recurrence being the most frequent (n = 7). In multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P = 0.026) was the only independent predictor of poor OS and DFS. Moreover, LNM (P = 0.036) was the only independent risk factor for liver recurrence.
Conclusion
LNM was independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with NF-PNENs after curative surgery. LNM was the only independent risk factor for liver recurrence, which is a haematogenous metastasis. Therefore, systemic treatment may help prevent distant metastases and prolong the prognosis.
A pan-genome of 72 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions reveals a conserved genome structure throughout the global species range
Authors: Lian Qichao , Hüttel Bruno , Walkemeier Birgit , Mayjonade Baptiste , Lopez-Roques Celine , Gil Lisa , Roux Fabrice , Schneeberger Korbinian , Mercier Raphael
Published: May 2023

Although originally primarily a model for functional biology, the thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana has, owing to its broad geographical distribution and adaptation to diverse abiotic and biotic environments, developed into a powerful model in population genomics. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies of 72 diverse accessions located across the global species range. We found that genomic co-linearity is remarkably conserved, even among geographically and genetically distant accessions. Along chromosome arms, megabase-scale rearrangements are rare, typically present only in a single accession. This indicates that the highly re-arranged karyotype of Arabidopsis thaliana (as compared to other Brassicaceae species), is quasi-fixed and that rearrangements in chromosome arms are counter-selected. In contrast, centromeric regions show much higher structural dynamics, and divergences in core centromeres account for most of the variation in genome size. Pan-genome analyses of the gene space uncovered 40,382 distinct genes, 52% being present in all accessions and 48% appearing to be dispensable, including 23% private to a single accession, indicating a vast unexplored genic diversity. The availability of 72 new Arabidopsis thaliana genome assemblies will empower future genetic research.
Whole-genome sequencing of Pseudoalteromonas piscicida 2515 revealed its antibacterial potency against Vibrio anguillarum: a preliminary invitro study
Authors: Wang Fenglin , Ghonimy Abdallah , Wang Xiuhua
Published: May 2023

Pseudoalteromonas piscicida 2515, isolated from Litopenaeus vannamei culture water, is a potential marine probiotic with broad anti-Vibrio properties. However, genomic information on P. piscicida 2515 isscarce. In this study, the general genomic characteristics and probiotic properties of the P. piscicida 2515 strain were analysed. In addition, we determined the antibacterial mechanism of this bacterial strain by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the whole-genome sequence of P. piscicida 2515 contained one chromosome and one plasmid, including a total length of 5,541,406 bp with a G+C content of 43.24%, and 4679 protein-coding genes were predicted. Various adhesion-related genes, amino acid and vitamin metabolism and biosynthesis genes, and stress-responsive genes were found with genome mining tools. The presence of genes encoding chitin, bromocyclic peptides, lantibiotics, and sactipeptides showed the strong antibacterial activity of the P. piscicida 2515 strain. Moreover, in coculture with Vibrio anguillarum, P. piscicida 2515 displayed vesicle/pilus-like structures located on its surface that participated in its bactericidal activity, representing a novel antibacterial mechanism. Nevertheless, 16 haemolytic genes and 3 antibiotic resistance genes (tetracycline, fluoroquinolone, and carbapenem) were annotated, but virulence genes encoding enterotoxin FM (entFM), cereulide (ces), and cytotoxin K were not detected. Further toxicity tests should be conducted to confirm the safety of P. piscicida 2515. The results here provide a new understanding of the probiotic properties and antibacterial mechanism of P. piscicida 2515 and theoretical information for its application in aquaculture.
Design, analysis and construction of a simple pulse duplicator system
Authors: Khalaf Taha Yaseen , Hussein O. , Khalaf AL-Tarboolee Ahmed Y.
Published: May 2023

One of the most important human diseases that need to be considered in terms of development of the medical engineering devices is cardiovascular disease which is a significant cause of death globally recently. Valvular heart disease is normally treated by restoring or altering heart valves with an artificial one. But the new prosthetic valve designs necessitate testing for durability estimate and failure method. It is significant to simulate the circulation system by the building of a pulse duplicator system. This study is stated by clarifying the parameter and implementation steps of the pulse duplicator system in which the different researchers have utilized the system and tried to explain the design steps of using this system without going into the system design by steps or what are the main part of this system and how can be implemented, tested, and developed individually.

In this design, a DC motor produces, through a hydraulic piston, a flow pulse to the left ventricle chamber model, which is linked with two interchangeable prosthetic heart valves. The computer is used to control and process data from volumetric flow rate and image. The findings show that the linear displacement, the velocity of the piston and the linear acceleration regularly become significant particularly and follows a sinusoidal wave shape during one cycle, when (crank length/connecting rod length) value is equal 0.2 or less. Several sets of measured flow rate readings were obtained by using flow meter sensor YF-S201, results after calibration showed the error rate falls within permissible limits