bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cure can be Achieved by Conversion to Microwave Ablation following Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab Therapy in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Febro Rene John , Perillo Engelbert Simon , Kimura Akemi , Wong Stephen
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Atezolizumab- Bevacizumab is the recommended first-line systemic therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) and may allow the transition to curative conversion using resection and locoregional therapies. However, there have been very few reports of curative conversion using microwave ablation (MWA). We aimed to determine the curative conversion rate with MWA, using Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab as first-line in patients with uHCC, and to compare the characteristics and survival of patients with and without curative conversion. Methods: Consecutive uHCC patients who were started on Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab from May 2021 to December 2023 in a single tertiary center were included. Objective response (ORR) and disease control rates (DCR) were based on RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST criteria. Results: Twenty consecutive uHCC patients (60% advanced stage) were included, with 90% exceeding the up-to-7 criteria. The ORR and DCR were 35% and 60%, and 35% and 55% using RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. Five (25%) patients underwent successful curative conversion with MWA (4 advanced and 1 intermediate stage) despite a median HCC size of 6.1 (range: 2.4-7.3) cm., two of whom were tumor and drug-free 132-133 weeks from the 1st Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab dose. Patients with curative conversion had significantly longer survival than those without. (p=0.024) Other factors associated with survival were male sex, Child-Pugh class A, and an objective response. Conclusions: Despite relatively large tumor sizes, successful curative conversion with MWA can be achieved with first-line Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab in uHCC. Data from prospective, multicenter trials are needed to determine if this strategy is universally applicable.
A Smart Contract-based Blockchain Solution for Key Revocation in IoT Networks
Authors: Bettayeb Sami , Messai Mohamed-Lamine , Hemam Sofiane Mounine
Published: January 2024

The emergence and growing use of advanced technologies have opened up new possibilities for addressing the security challenges of resource-constrained IoT networks. As IoT devices exchange sensitive data, secure key management is essential for IoT network security, particularly during the key revocation phase. However, current IoT key management solutions require improvements due to the resource limitations of IoT devices. Despite these limitations, existing key revocation solutions still have several areas for improvement, including high communication overheads. Therefore, a decentralized and efficient solution is necessary to address these issues in IoT networks, with a focus on security. This paper proposes a new solution for key revocation based on Blockchain technology using smart contracts to minimize communication overhead and energy consumption in IoT networks. The paper presents a security and performance analysis to assess its correctness. The results indicate that our proposal outperforms other solutions by having a reduced communication overhead of 93.55\%, 91.87\%, and 99.75\% compared to other solutions during the compromising, leaving, and draining cases, respectively. This demonstrates that our solution is efficient and suitable for IoT networks.
Edge-Terminated AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN Multi- Quantum Well IMPATT Sources for Terahertz Wave Generation
Authors: Ghosh Monisha , Deb Shilpi Bhattacharya , Ghosh Dwaipayan , Acharyya Aritra , Biswas Arindam , Inokawa Hiroshi , Satoh Hiroaki
Published: January 2024

In our pursuit of high-power terahertz (THz) wave generation, we propose innovative edge-terminated single-drift region (SDR) multi-quantum well (MQW) impact avalanche transit time (IMPATT) structures based on the AlxGa1−xN/GaN/AlxGa1−xN material system, with a fixed Aluminum mole fraction of x = 0.3. Two distinct MQW diode configurations, namely p+-n junction-based and Schottky barrier diode structures, are investigated for their THz potential. To enhance reverse breakdown characteristics, we employ mesa etching and nitrogen ion-implantation for edge termination, mitigating issues related to premature and soft breakdown. The THz performance is comprehensively evaluated through steady-state and high-frequency characterizations using a self-consistent quantum drift-diffusion (SCQDD) model. Our proposed Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN/Al0.3Ga0.7N MQW diodes, as well as GaN-based single-drift region (SDR) and 3C-SiC/Si/3C-SiC MQW-based double-drift region (DDR) IMPATT diodes, are simulated. The Schottky barrier in the proposed diodes significantly reduces device series resistance, enhancing peak continuous wave power output to approximately 300 mW and DC to THz conversion efficiency to nearly 13% at 1.0 THz. Noise performance analysis reveals that MQW structures within the avalanche zone mitigate noise, improving overall performance. Benchmarking against state-of-the-art THz sources establishes the superiority of our proposed THz sources, highlighting their potential for advancing THz technology and applications.
Gut microbiota and radiculopathy: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Wang Jinyv , Yan Chen , Han Linhui , Lu YiJuan , Sun JingChuan , Shi Jiangang , Sun Kaiqiang
Published: January 2024

BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested a potential link between the gut microbiome and radiculopathy, but the causal relationship remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the causal effect of gut microbiome on radiculopathy using Mendelian randomization (MR) approach and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with gut microbiome as instrumental variables
Methods Summary data from genome-wide association studies of gut microbiota (the MiBioGen) and radiculopathy (the FinnGen biobank) were acquired. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) was chosen as the main MR Analysis method. The weighted median, MR-Egger regression, weighted model, and simple model were provided as additional supplements. Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and MR-Egger regression were performed to evaluate the horizontal pleiotropy and to eliminate outlier single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Cochran’s Q-test was applied for heterogeneity detection.
Results We identified eight gut microbial taxa that were causally associated with radiculopathy (P<0.05). The Cochrane Q test produced results that did not indicate heterogeneity (P>0.05), indicating a lack of statistical significance. Furthermore, both the MR-Egger intercept test and the MR-PRESSO global test indicated that our findings were not influenced by horizontal pleiotropy (P>0.05), further supporting the reliability of our results. In the reverse analysis, no evidence was found to suggest that radiculopathy has an impact on the gut microbiota.
ConclusionWe identified four gut microbiota that were protective against radiculopathy and four that may elevate the risk of the condition. Our findings confirmed a potential causal link between gut microbiota and radiculopathy, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the development of targeted prevention strategies.
Keywords
Estrogen receptor (ER)-, progesterone receptor (PR)- and HER2-dependent expression of largely understudied genes with large number of copy number gain events in breast cancer
Authors: Berkel Caglar
Published: January 2024

Breast cancer can be classified into several molecular subtypes based on the status of hormone receptors including estrogen receptor (ER) and the progesterone receptor (PR), and of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; ERBB2). Copy number variants (CNVs) cover 5-10% of the human genome, and are responsible for the majority of variability among different individuals’ genomes based on nucleotide coverage. In the present study, I identified largely understudied genes for which copy number gain events (CNV gains) are observed in more than half of breast cancer patients, and whose expression is upregulated in breast tumors compared to non-malignant breast tissue. I found 6 genes meeting these criteria: SLC45A3, RGS7, FCRL4, CSMD4, FAM135B and TRAF7. I then studied these 6 genes in terms of ER, PR and HER2 status in breast cancer patients. I found that SLC45A3 expression is lower in breast cancer patients with ER-positive or PR-positive status. RGS7 mRNA levels are higher in breast cancer patients with ER-positive or PR-positive status but lower in those with HER2-positive status. FCRL4 expression is lower in breast tumors with ER-positive or PR-positive status. CSMD3 transcript levels are lower in breast tumors with HER2-positive status. FAM135B expression is higher in breast cancer patients with ER-positive or PR-positive status but lower in those with HER2-positive status. Combined, our study points that most of the studied genes exhibit receptor status-dependent changes in the expression, and that further mechanistic studies are needed for these genes with large number of copy number gain events in breast cancer.
Specific knockdown of the NDUFS4 gene reveals important roles of Ferroptosis in UVB-induced photoaging
Authors: Yan Teng , Cui Hong , Xu Danfeng , Tang Hui , Tang Yi , Tao Xiaohua , Huang Youming , Fan Yibin
Published: January 2024

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation significantly contributes to photoaging. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death mode recently identified, plays a key role in UVB-induced skin photoaging. This study examines the functions and regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis in this regard. Characterized by increased intracellular iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS), ferroptosis is associated with mitochondrial function and structure. Through RNA sequencing, we identified NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit S4 (NDUFS4), a gene implicated in UVB-mediated photoaging, and explored its role in ferroptosis by NDUFS4 knockdown. In vitro, inhibiting NDUFS4 reduced ferroptosis, decreased ROS levels, and increased glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) levels, suggesting a reinforced ferroptosis protective mechanism. Additionally, NDUFS4 regulates ferroptosis via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, with its knockdown reducing p38 and ERK phosphorylation and elevating GPX4 levels, enhancing ferroptosis resistance. Animal experiments supported these findings, demonstrating that Fer-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor, significantly mitigated UVB-induced skin photoaging and related protein expression. This study uncovers NDUFS4's novel role in regulating ferroptosis and provides new insights into ferroptosis-mediated UVB-induced skin photoaging.
The association of preoperative serum free fatty acid with the survival in breast cancer patients
Authors: Li Liuran , Jin Liang , You Lili , Liu Qiang , Yan Li
Published: January 2024

Background
Several studies have analyzed the association between serum free fatty acid (FFA) and several types of cancer. However, the role of preoperative serum FFA and breast cancer (BC) prognosis remains largely unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the specific relationship between FFA and BC outcomes.
Methods
A retrospective review was conducted on 4133 breast cancer patients admitted to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from January 2015 to October 2021. Restricted cubic splines and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between preoperative serum FFA and overall survival (OS) in BC patients. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.
Results
Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a U-shaped relationship between preoperative serum FFA levels and OS after adjusting for other variables. According to the cutoff points of FFA, multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that patients with low FFA levels (≤ 250µmol/L) had higher rates of all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality compared to patients with high FFA levels (250–715µmol/L) in total population and those with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.0 kg/m2.
Conclusion
A nonlinear U-shaped association was identified between preoperative serum FFA levels and the survival in BC patients, with lower FFA levels associated with worse OS.
Research on Vehicle Lane Keeping Capability in Low-Speed Scenarios Based on Autonomous Driving Technology
Authors: Duan Mengmeng , Wu Hao , Li Penghui , Feng Pengfei , Jin Huiqing , He Xinlei , Gu Junwen
Published: January 2024

Absrtact: In order to ensure the safety, stability and driving comfort of vehicle lane keeping in low-speed scenarios, this paper proposes an evaluation method of lane keeping behavior capability based on automatic driving technology. Taking low-speed scene as the research object, based on automatic driving technology, IDM intelligent driving model is applied to describe ACC car following model, and MATLAB/Simulink and Carsim are used to build a low-speed scene lane keeping simulation platform The three aspects of comfort are used to evaluate the vehicle lane keeping ability in low-speed scenarios. The structure shows that when the distance between the target vehicle behind and the vehicle in front reaches a stable safety distance, the average speed of the vehicle is 21.6 (km · h -1 ), and the floating size is not more than 1. The difference between floating up and floating down is 0.0002, which is conducive to the stability of the lane during driving. In addition, based on the IDM intelligent driving model, this paper obtains data through vehicle to vehicle communication in the urban low-speed scenario, that is, when the vehicle is driving in the lane, its acceleration changes slightly. When it approaches zero, it can reduce unnecessary deceleration, so as to improve the driver's riding comfort. Based on ACC simulation, the difference between the actual following distance between the target vehicle and the vehicle in front during lane keeping and the target following distance fluctuates between -0.06 and 0.05m, and most of the differences are greater than the average difference, which can well meet the actual requirements and make car following safer. It can be seen that it is effective to study the lane keeping ability of vehicles in low-speed scenarios based on automatic driving technology in this paper.
Codon optimization of voraxin α sequence enhances the immunogenicity of a recombinant vaccine against Hyalomma anatolicum infestation in rabbits
Authors: Nazari Mahmood , Monjezi  , Rooshanfekr Hedaiat allah , Salabi Fatemeh , Tabandeh Mohammad Reza
Published: January 2024

Research has shown that voraxin α derived from male ticks stimulates blood feeding to engorge in female ticks. Whereas, the oviposition rate, egg weight, and body weight of female ticks were reduced in animals vaccinated with recombinant (r-) voraxin α. These data suggest a potential role of r-voraxin α as a functional anti-tick antigen in Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Amblyomma hebraeum tick infestation. This study investigated the immunogenicity of r-voraxin α protein from Hyalomma anatolicum (H. anatolicum) tick as an anti-tick vaccine in rabbits. The H. anatolicum voraxin α sequence was optimized according to the codon usage in E. coli before being sub-cloned into pQE30. The gene sequence of the voraxin α was synthesized, verified by DNA sequencing, cloned in a pQE30 vector, and transformed into E. coli. Then, the expression of the r-voraxin α protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Subsequently, three rabbits were immunized with the r-voraxin α as the vaccinated group, whereas three rabbits without injection were considered the control group. The result indicated the success of cloning of codon-optimized H. anatolicum voraxin α gene. Moreover, the expression of the r-voraxin α protein (approximately 18 kDa) in the bacterial expression system was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The results of this study showed that the mortality rate in vaccine recipients increased compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Also, the egg weight, oviposition rate, and engorgement weight of female ticks fed from vaccinated animals were significantly reduced compared to the control group (P < 0.01). The results confirmed that the codon-optimized H. anatolicumvoraxin α gene expressed in the bacterial expression system could be a suitable anti-tick vaccine against H. anatolicum tick infestation.
Exploring Healthcare Research Patterns in Developed and Developing Countries: ATopic Modeling Perspectives
Authors: Mahmoudi Laya , Sharifi Mohammad Hossein , Bagheri Ruhollah , berahmand kamal
Published: January 2024

Healthcare research has become an integral part of shaping medical improvements due to its importance in discovering health challenges, examining public health concerns, and providing evidence-based practices. Regarding the differences that exist among nations concerning their culture, infrastructure, and politics, the study of healthcare research specific to each country provides valuable lessons for policymaking and reforms based on the needs of that nation. Moreover, if there are common concerns between different countries, it can facilitate scientific cooperation. Accordingly, the purpose of this current study is to provide a cross-country overview of research themes and sub-themes on healthcare in four countries: China, England, and Iran. A total of 5122 Scopus-indexed publications related to healthcare from 2010 to 2023 are analyzed using state-of-the-art topic modeling techniques: Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), and BERTopic. Comparing the topic models based on evaluation metrics, BERTopic was outperformed and selected for further analysis. The results give insights into the most prevalent themes and sub-themes on healthcare in each country. Additionally, the study shows the evolution trends of the predominant topics identified for each country, showing their rise, fall, and fluctuation patterns within the literature. The findings of this study can provide helpful insight for both academics and policymakers to develop their efforts and make better decisions in this field.
Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) as a biomarker of fibromyalgia and pain severity: effect of the CPM paradigm used
Authors: Gil-Ugidos Antonio , Vázquez-Millán A. , Samartin-Veiga N. , Carrillo-de-la-Peña M. T.
Published: January 2024

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a widespread chronic pain syndrome, possibly associated with the presence of central dysfunction in descending pain inhibition pathways. Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) has been proposed as a biomarker of FM. Nonetheless, the wide variety of methods used to measure CPM has hampered robust conclusions being reached. To clarify the validity of CPM as a biomarker of FM, we tested two CPM paradigms (parallel and sequential) in a sample of 23 female patients and 23 healthy women by applying test (mechanical) stimuli and conditioning (pressure cuff) stimuli. We evaluated whether CPM indices could correctly classify patients and controls, and we also determined the correlations between the indices and clinical variables such as symptomatology, impact, depression, quality of life, pain intensity, pain interference, fatigue and numbness. In addition, we compared the clinical status of CPM responders (efficient pain inhibitory mechanism) and non-responders. We observed that only parallel CPM testing correctly classified about 70% of patients with FM. In addition, more than 80% of healthy participants were found to be responders, while the rate was about 50% in the FM patients. The sequential CPM test was not as sensitive, with a decrease of up to 40% in the response rate for both groups. On the other hand, although we did not observe any correlation between CPM measures and clinical symptoms, we found that patients with impaired CPM response displayed more severe symptoms, though less generalized pain. In summary, our findings demonstrate the influence of the CPM paradigm used and confirm that CPM may be a useful marker to complement FM diagnosis. However, the findings also cast doubts on the sensitivity of CPM as a marker of pain severity in FM.
Spatial Time Series Analysis of Warming Patterns in the Kumaun Himalayas: A Future Perspective
Authors: Khan Zainab , Ahmad Ateeque , Shamim Syed Kausar
Published: January 2024

In this groundbreaking study, we introduce a novel approach to forecasting Land Surface Temperature (LST) in the Kumaun Himalayas, an area critical for understanding regional impacts of global warming. The novelty of our research lies in the utilization of spatial time series analysis, a method not previously applied for future LST prediction. Combined adoption of remote sensing and advanced statistical techniques such as the Simple Moving Average (SMA), Sen’s Slope, and z-statistics with excellent statistical power, our study analyses LST trends from 1990 to 2030 using comprehensive Landsat data. Notably, the application of z-statistics provides a robust framework for assessing temperature changes, with significant findings such as a z-statistics value of -15.04 for spring, indicating a marked shift in temperature patterns. Similarly, for autumn, the z-statistics value of -21.41 underscores a drastic deviation from historical norms i.e., from 1990 to 2020. These values highlight a future that is significantly warmer than the present, bringing into sharp focus the urgency of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in this ecologically sensitive region. The study also suggests differential rate of seasonal warming. The study is not only pivotal for local climate policy but also contribute significantly to the broader understanding of climate dynamics in mountainous terrains is seasonal variation in warming rates. Despite challenges like rugged terrain and variable cloud cover affecting data accuracy, our approach offers a scalable model for similar climatic studies in other regions, marking a significant advancement in the field of climate change.
Osimertinib-related Pulmonary Fibrosis, A case report and review of literature
Authors: Rasool Muhammad Haseeb ul , Ferman Yisrael , Ozeir Brandon , Mulkurti Ornela
Published: January 2024

Lung cancers are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Pulmonary malignancies are grossly divided into small-cell lung carcinoma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Non-small cell lung carcinoma contributes to the majority of tumor burden. The treatment regimen and subsequent prognosis for lung cancer depend on the type of cancer, the grade, and the stage. With the advancement in modern immunology and genetics, targeted treatment therapies targeted against specific genetic mutations and immune markers resulted in improved survival. Though these treatment modalities are considered to have minimal to no effect on co-existing normal tissues, there have been reports of side effects among patients on these advanced treatments. Here we present a case of 72 years old female with advanced metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma who presented with significant deterioration of respiratory status. Initially, due to elevated inflammatory markers and fever, was treated with antibiotics. However, with worsening respiratory status despite being on appropriate antibiotics, she was started on steroids for the imaging findings suggestive of pulmonary fibrosis. Initiation of steroids resulted in rapid recovery, with the improvement of imaging findings and oxygen requirements. The patient was eventually discharged home without oxygen to follow up with hematology regarding further treatment. Osimertinib has been shown to improve progression-free survival compared to the earlier generations of EGFR TKIs, however, there are adverse effects to Osimertinib, with the most common being rash, diarrhea, and dry skin. More severe and potentially fatal, side effects like QT interval prolongation, interstitial lung disease, and drug-related pneumonitis are documented potential adverse effects as well. In all the reported cases, the removal of medication results in the improvement of pulmonary fibrosis. However, a few cases have reported successful reintroduction of Osimertinib once the fibrosis improves with no recurrence. There is a need to run blinded trials to find the association of Osimertinib with co-existent factors that can contribute to pulmonary fibrosis.
Characterizing Age-related Changes in Intact Mitochondrial Proteoforms in Murine Hearts using Quantitative Top-Down Proteomics
Authors: Ramirez-Sagredo Andrea , Sunny Anju , Cupp-Sutton Kellye , Chowdhury Trishika , Zhao Zhitao , wu si , Chiao Ying Ann
Published: January 2024

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the prevalence of CVDs increases markedly with age. Due to the high energetic demand, the heart is highly sensitive to mitochondrial dysfunction. The complexity of the cardiac mitochondrial proteome hinders the development of effective strategies that target mitochondrial dysfunction in CVDs. Mammalian mitochondria are composed of over 1000 proteins, most of which can undergo post-translational protein modifications (PTMs). Top-down proteomics is a powerful technique for characterizing and quantifying all protein sequence variations and PTMs. However, there are still knowledge gaps in the study of age-related mitochondrial proteoform changes using this technique. In this study, we used top-down proteomics to identify intact mitochondrial proteoforms in young and old hearts and determined changes in protein abundance and PTMs in cardiac aging.
METHODS: Intact mitochondria were isolated from the hearts of young (4-month-old) and old (24-25-month-old) mice. The mitochondria were lysed, and mitochondrial lysates were subjected to denaturation, reduction, and alkylation. For quantitative top-down analysis, there were 12 runs in total arising from 3 biological replicates in two conditions, with technical duplicates for each sample. The collected top-down datasets were deconvoluted and quantified, and then the proteoforms were identified.
RESULTS: From a total of 12 LC-MS/MS runs, we identified 134 unique mitochondrial proteins in the different sub-mitochondrial compartments (OMM, IMS, IMM, matrix). 823 unique proteoforms in different mass ranges were identified. Compared to cardiac mitochondria of young mice, 7 proteoforms exhibited increased abundance and 13 proteoforms exhibited decreased abundance in cardiac mitochondria of old mice. Our analysis also detected PTMs of mitochondrial proteoforms, including N-terminal acetylation, lysine succinylation, lysine acetylation, oxidation, and phosphorylation.
CONCLUSION: By combining mitochondrial protein enrichment using mitochondrial fractionation with quantitative top-down analysis using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS and label-free quantitation, we successfully identified and quantified intact proteoforms in the complex mitochondrial proteome. Using this approach, we detected age-related changes in abundance and PTMs of mitochondrial proteoforms in the heart.
Synergistic response of extremophiles in cyanobacterial crusts against in-situ exposure to multiple stratospheric stresses
Authors: Zhang Xian , Li Qi , Yang Haijian , Li Hua , Hu Chunxiang
Published: January 2024

Background
The stratosphere, with its harsh conditions similar to the Martian surface, provides a unique and relatively accessible environment for studying the adaptation of extremophiles in anticipation of extraterrestrial colonization applications. However, we are just beginning to understand the synergistic response of microbial communities under this Mars-like near space. Using cyanobacterial crusts from deserts, as a multitrophic model system, we loaded it on a balloon-borne astrobiology platform for direct exposure to multiple stratospheric stresses such as high radiation and extreme temperature fluctuations. We then performed multi-omics analyses to delineate the underlying composition alterations and metabolic response at the community level.
Results
After short-term in-situ exposure, a significant shift in the community composition of active members was observed that the relative abundance of photoautotrophs declined while chemotrophic abundance increased. We tracked the changes in metabolic processes against the stratospheric ambiance and found that life history strategies associated with resource acquisition, growth potential, and stress tolerance were regulated distinctively in different microbial categories. For instance, α-proteobacteria and chloroflexi tended to enhance the strategies related to the ability of stress tolerance, while actinobacteria assigned more resources to reinforce their growth potential. Cyanobacteria contributed to the promotion of different strategies, indicating their significant adaptability differentiation. Moreover, we demonstrated the unique thriving of Scytonema, a diazotrophic genus of cyanobacteria, attributed to its synthesis of anti-ultraviolet scytonemin, diverse material, and energy acquisition. These synergistic responses further induced interspecies mutualistic nutrient interactions, thus promoting the retention of organic carbon and nitrogen within the community, finally maintaining the stability of biocrusts in extreme environments of the stratosphere.
Conclusions
Our study underscores the adaptive resilience of cyanobacterial crusts under stratospheric conditions, with a notable shift in microbial composition and metabolic strategies. The robustness of Scytonema, particularly its unique survival capabilities, highlights its potential for extraterrestrial colonization. These findings expand our understanding of microbial proliferation in extreme environments, providing valuable insights for future astrobiological endeavors.
Feature Fusion and Sliding Migration Attention for Pneumonia CXR Detection
Authors: Ji Dongsheng , Zhuoma Caidan , Wang Xin , Zhao Qianchuan
Published: January 2024

Accurate assessment and detection of pulmonary lesions are of paramount importance in the treatment of lung diseases. Chest X-rays (CXR) serve as a critical screening method, allowing physicians to differentiate between normal and diseased tissues by examining the level of X-ray absorption in the chest. However, as diseases progress, pulmonary lesions associated with pneumonia can transition from a singular pattern to a more diverse set of features. These features manifest as more intricate textures in chest X-ray images and are often surrounded by interference from multiple low-density tissues, posing a significant challenge for lesion detection in the lungs.Hence, this paper proposes an improved YOLOv8 network model for the detection of pulmonary lesion features. This model employs novel Swin Transformer attention modules and feature fusion methods to accurately pinpoint the lesion areas based on the patterns and regularities of lesion evolution. It categorizes the lesions into three types: consolidation, infiltration, and ground-glass opacities. This approach will provide more dependable support for disease progression assessment and clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Optimizing Athletic Performance Analysis with ACED-GBS: A Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Approach
Authors: Ruan Hui
Published: January 2024

Sports performance improvement and prediction contains the analysis of various factors influencing athletic performance, including player statistics, team dynamics, injuries, and environmental conditions. Challenges of traditional methods in sports performance improvement and prediction include data privacy concerns, over fitting issues, complexity, and interpretability. To overcome these complexities, this paper proposed a novel method named the Adaptive Convolutional Encoder-decoder-based Gooseneck Bernacle Search (ACED-GBS) algorithm. In this study, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is utilized to extract data related to athletes’ sports performance. Additionally, the encoder-decoder is employed to efficiently capture the interactions between the information. In this work, the Gooseneck Bernacle optimization with initial search strategy is implemented for hyperparameter optimization to enhance the performance of the ACED-GBS method and the study conducted experiments on the ODI-Players performance dataset. Different evaluation metrics namely precision, accuracy, recall, F1-score, specificity, etc are utilized to evaluate the performance of the ACED-GBS method and compare its performance with existing methods. The experimental outcomes depict the effectiveness of the ACED-GBS method for sports performance improvement and prediction. The experimental analysis demonstrates that the convergence speed of the ACED-GBS method is high, the error is low and the prediction performance is more accurate with high noise immunity and practicality compared to traditional methods.
Tangeretin, An Active Flavonoid in Citrus Peel, Alleviates Cisplatin-Induced Cardiotoxicity via the Activation of AMPK and the Prevention on Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Authors: Wang Jian-qiang , Zhang Ruo-bing , Hu Jun-nan , Xing Jing-jing , Tang Shan , Zheng Si-wen , Chen Chen , Lei Feng-jie , Wang Zi , Li Wei
Published: January 2024

Cardiotoxicity is a major side effects of cisplatin use in cancer therapy and often delays optimal cancer management. Tangeretin (TG), a natural polymethoxyflavone found in citrus peels, exhibits significant biological activity against myocardial injury. In this study, we initially explored the protective effect of TG on cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. TG (1.25, 2.5, and 5 µM) protected against cisplatin-induced (40 µM) injury in H9c2 cells, increased the quantity of mitochondria, enhanced membrane protein expressions of glucose transporters (GLUT 4), and stabilized the mitochondrial membrane potential. Concurrently, cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo was significantly mitigated by TG (50 and 100 mg/kg for 3 weeks).This was evidenced by the reduction of cardiac function indices (creatine kinase, isoenzymes MB, troponin T, and lactate dehydrogenase), cardiac morphological changes, and the suppression of heart injury-associated proteins. Furthermore, TG treatment significantly increased the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), reduced the inactivation of ACC protein, and decreased the expression of phosphorylated p38 MAPK protein, which inhibited the opening of myocardial mitochondrial permeability transition pore and cell apoptosis. In conclusion, our work provides insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms through which TG modulates AMPK signaling pathways and mitochondrial dysfunction, thus protecting the heart against cisplatin-mediated myocardial injury.
Differentiatiing between Rhizophora mangle, Avicinnea germinans, Laguncularia racemose and Conocarpus erectus populations from Anlo Beach in the Shama District of Ghana using RAPD
Authors: Dompreh Daniel , Ankobra Rosalinda Appiah , Acquah Emmanuel , Sevor Dora
Published: January 2024

Mangroves cover about cover about 3.9% of the entire 550km coastal stretch of land from Eastern to Western region of Ghana. Despite the important ecological services and socio-economic benefits mangroves provide, they are increasingly exploited for domestic activities including fuel wood and therefore require immediate protection to prevent the few remaining populations from extinction. Rhizophora mangle (red mangroves), Laguncularia racemose (white mangroves) and Avicennia germinans (black mangroves) are the three most common mangrove species in Ghana. They mostly grow in association with Conocarpus erectus and many people classify Conocarpus as mangrove due to some common morphological characters they share. Though it is possible to distinguish between the three common mangrove species and Conocarpus erectus using morphological markers, it remains difficult to identify individuals in mixed populations therefore using molecular markers could enhance understanding and identification of the species. Genetic variation in Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemose, Avicennia germinans and Conocarpus erectus was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Intra-and interspecific variations were observed using ten out of 15 primers screened. RAPD markers were also used to produce similarity matrix among individuals of a species. A higher degree of polymorphism (94%) was observed within populations of Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemose, Avicinnea germinans, and Conocarpus erectus while (6%) was observed among the populations. PhiPT-value of 86.3% (0.863) indicates considerable degree of difference between the mangrove populations and Conocarpus erectus, however, they shared some few common genes together. Knowledge from this research will help develop conservation strategies for mangroves and Conocarpus in Ghana.
A Comprehensive Survey Integrating Scientometric Analysis and ML approaches for Data Protection
Authors: Yaseen Haseeba , Hassan Syed Imtiyaz
Published: January 2024

The extensive implementation of smart contracts in blockchain ecosystems has brought significant benefits, particularly in enhancing transparency and transactional effectiveness. However, this remarkable advancement has also raised substantial concerns regarding the protection of sensitive data during smart contract execution. This research analysis delves into an in-depth examination of the constantly evolving domain of data privacy in the realm of smart contracts, going beyond the inherent transparency that defines blockchain technology. In this pursuit, we embark on an exploration of existing literature through a bibliometric analysis, shedding light on the trends and developments in this crucial field of study. Our objective is to discern the key challenges and issues confronting data privacy. Through a systematic bibliometric analysis, we aim to identify and evaluate the efficacy of current privacy-preserving mechanisms while pinpointing potential avenues for future research endeavors to address privacy concerns in smart contracts comprehensively. This literature review, informed by bibliometric insights, not only advances our collective understanding of data privacy within smart contracts but also offers invaluable guidance to developers, researchers, and policymakers seeking to shape and implement privacy-enhancing measures in forthcoming blockchain-based systems.
50-year deprivation trajectories: local area change in England and Wales, 1971-2021
Authors: Norman Paul , McLennan David , Ferguson Sara , Catney Gemma , Lloyd Chris
Published: January 2024

Since 1971, the decennial censuses of England and Wales have underpinned the construction of various local level deprivation measures. Many policy-related and academic studies have used deprivation scores calculated cross-sectionally to identify geographical areas in need of regeneration and to explain spatial variations in health outcomes. However, such an approach masks the sometimes very distinct challenges faced in areas with different deprivation histories. There is, therefore, a need to consider the deprivation trajectories of areas over a long time run. This can then enable, for example: monitoring the effects of industry closure; assessing the impacts of area-based planning initiatives; and determining whether a change in the level of deprivation leads to changes in health outcomes. It can also be used to consider what interventions may be linked with positive changes and which could then possibly be implemented elsewhere. Here we extend previous work to cover a 50-year period using input variables relating to employment, housing, and car accessibility, from the six censuses from 1971 to 2021. We identify areas of persistent (dis-)advantage, those areas which have improved their deprivation situation, and those places where the situation has worsened. We cross-classify the changing deprivation measurements with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Supergroups area classification to thereby determine how different types of area are faring. On average, areas are less deprived in 2021 than in 1971. However, the trajectories of the input variables and of overall deprivation are not linear. The earlier decades are distinctive in rapid falls in non-home ownership and lack of car access but rises and falls in unemployment. The more recent decades have seen rises in non-home ownership and household overcrowding. Geographically, there has been a shift from a widespread level of deprivation, including in more rural areas in 1971, to being more concentrated in urban areas in the 21st Century.
Assessment of the impact on boron treatment for finger-jointed Pine (Pinus caribaea) wood by impregnation method
Authors: Muthumala Chaminda , Silva Sudhira , Arunakumara K. K.I.U. , Alwis P. L.A.G.
Published: January 2024

Timber material could be considered as a leading environmental friendly construction material. Timber stores as much as 15 times CO2 released during its manufacture whereas Aluminium and steel store negligible amounts. Finger joint is a sustainable, eco-friendly and economically valuable concept for timber industry. It ensures the sustainable utilization of small wood cut pieces which removed as waste. Chemical protection of wood is performed with preservatives, such as fungicides, insecticides, fire retardants and UV protective finishes that are applied for wood materials. Softwood timber species are subjected to easily deteriorate by the actions of wood destroying agents. Thus preservation is needed to enhance the durability of such wood. Major objective of this study is to evaluate of the impact on Boron treatment for finger-jointed Pine wood specimens and enhanced the durability of Pine wood timber planks. Specimens with 19 mm finger joint length of Pine wood were used for this study. Average tensile strength values of treated and untreated finger-jointed Pine specimens are higher than the recommended minimum requirement of tensile strength value ( ≥ 10 N/mm2). Failure modes of treated and untreated finger-jointed Pine specimens also described. Thus, it can be recommended that Boron treated finger-jointed Pine timber planks with 19 mm long fingers can be effectively used in industrial applications with enhancing the durability of Pine wood timber planks.
Exploring the Association Between Type of Pain and Mental Health With Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire
Authors: Sipahioglu Nurver Turfaner , Fenercioglu Aysen Kutan , Demircan Ebru Unur , Karabacak Sevda , Ser Merve Hazal , Kafadar Didem , Sayılı Ugurcan , Engin V. Selçuk
Published: January 2024

Background:
A biopsychosocial approach is needed to assess the background of headache and pain disorders for their effective treatment.
Method:
Four dimensional symptom questionnaire (4DSQ) was used to determine the mental health status of 158 participants who were seperated into four groups as follows: 1: Control; 2: Headache, 3: Bodily pain without headache, 4: Headache with bodily pain.
A demographic data form, a pain questionnaire querying the type, severity, duration of pain and other pain attitudes were both applied to the participants. The data were evaluated by SPSS 21, using Kruskal Wallis, Fischer’s exact, Chi square tests and logistic regressions.
Results:
Participants with headache (groups 2 and 4) had significantly higher scores on all four dimensions of 4DSQ than participants without headache (group1 and 3) (p<0.01). Headache group was significantly different from those without headache in terms of gender, age, income, occupation, psychiatric disease, exercise, alcohol use, and diabetes (p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.031, p=0.023, p=0.005, p=0.018, respectively).
Participants with headache and bodily pain (group4) had significantly higher scores on somatization and distress than other three groups (p<0. 001), and higher scores on depression than control group (p=0. 006) and higher scores on anxiety when compared to control and ‘bodily pain without headache’ groups (group 1 and 3) (p<0.001).
The severity of pain was significantly correlated with anxiety (p=0.014), distress (p=0.003), and somatization (p=0.032).
The severity of pain was significantly higher in the group with headache and bodily pain when compared to bodily pain group (p=0.003).
In the logistic regression analysis performed to determine the factors that independently affected headache symptom: somatization (OR: 4.75;1.90-11.87) and lower or middle income levels (OR: 9.13;1.64-50.77, OR: 5.67; 2.18-14.74, respectively) were directly related while older age (OR:0.93; 0.89-0.97) and alcohol use (OR:0.20; 0.07-0.58) were inversely related with headache symptom.
Discussion and conclusion:
Patients with primary headache are likely to have a multifaceted etiology as well as comorbidities.
Socioeconomic and several individual factors seem to influence the relationship between headache and mental symptoms .
It is of paramount importance for primary health service providers not to overlook psychiatric symptoms and to interrogate pain in other regions to improve patient compliance and satisfaction.
Exploring serum metabolic profiles in postmenopausal osteoporosis women by using NMR metabolomics and network pharmacology
Authors: Sun Na , Li Xiaofei , Liu Guoyan , Xu Wanli
Published: January 2024

Objective: To investigate the distinctive metabolites within the serum of women afflicted with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), and clarify the mechanism of PMOP development in combination with network pharmacology.
Methods: 150 female participants were divided into two teams: the PMOP team (C/D/E/F groups, n=30/group) and the control team (A group, n=30). All women's clinical indicators and basic information were collected and recorded. The hydrogen profile characteristics of all participants were analysed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and the differences in serum metabolic profiles between the PMOP and control teams were analysed by multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). PMOP disease-related targets from Genecards, OMIM, DisGeNET, DrugBank, TTD and other databases were selected for pathway enrichment analysis.
Results: The serum differential metabolites between the PMOP and control teams included Creatine, Ethanolamine, Formate, Glutamine, Glycerol, Isobutyrate, Isoleucine, Lactate, LDL, CH3-(CH2)n-, Leucine, Lysine, Malonate, Methoinine, Phenylalanine, Pyruvate, Tyrosine, Valine, -CH2-CH2-C=O, α-Glucose, and β-Glucose. The pathways of serum metabolite enrichment include Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis; Nitrogen metabolism; Valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation; Glycolysis or Gluconeogenesis. Major pathways enriched for PMOP targets include Pathways in cancer, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and Lipid and atherosclerosis.
Conclusions: The PMOP team differed from the control team in amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and energy metabolism pathways. Formic acid may be a potential biological marker for PMOP.
Hybrid composite of gold nanoparticles with polyacrylamide hydrogel: one-step synthesis, preparation of plasmon films, characterization
Authors: Tatarchuk Vladimir , Gromilov Sergey , Plyusnin Pavel
Published: January 2024

Hybrid composites of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with polymer hydrogels are promising platforms for the development of new materials that can respond to external stimuli (chemical, physical, mechanical), reversibly absorb/release water and reagents, act as plasmonic sensors, and also be triggers of photochemical processes and photothermal actuators of micromechanical processes. In our study we have (1) proposed a one-step method for the synthesis of a hybrid composite of Au NPs with polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAm) by the reduction of HAuCl 4 with acrylamide (AAm) and simultaneous radical polymerization of AAm in an aqueous solution, (2) optimized the conditions for obtaining a phase-stable product, (3) studied the effect of the initial concentrations of Au and AAm on the morphology and structure of Au NPs, (4) obtained and characterized plasmonic films from the Au NPs-PAAm composite and after thermal removal of the polymer matrix. The methods of UV-visible and photon correlation spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, synchronous thermal analysis, transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used in the work. Graphical abstract