bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frailty Among Elderly Patients with Baseline Advanced Nondialysis Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Franco Maria Eugenia Portilla , Molina Fernando Tornero , Calvo Jose Antonio Herrero , Gregorio Pedro Gil
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE: Given the important association between frailty and chronic kidney disease (CKD), we assessed the prognostic value of the frailty phenotype (FP) in elderly patients with advanced CKD and compared the ability of two established frailty tools to predict mortality.
METHODS: Observational, prospective study with two years of follow-up. Spanish patients ≥ 65 years from the Nephrology clinic at San Carlos Hospital, with an eGFR<20mL/min/1.73m2, and without renal replacement therapy. All patients received functional, cognitive and nutritional assessments. Frailty was measured using established FP cut-off. Regression models were conducted to determine whether frailty was associated with greater mortality, hospital admission, and dialysis initiation. The frailty assessments included the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and gait speed.
RESULTS: One hundred individuals (62% male; mean age 78.8±7.1 years) were assessed and showed a prevalence of frailty of 44.7%. The mean follow-up was 2.1±0.2 years, during which 34% started dialysis and 24% died. Frail patients had an increased adjusted risk of death (HR 5.4; 95% CI:1.859-15.866) and hospital admission (OR 3.4; 95% CI:1.247-9.534). SPPB had better predictive ability in estimating the risk of death at two years, similar to that obtained by the FP.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the prognostic value of the FP in the assessment of advanced CKD patients, the use of the SPPB tool in clinical practice for risk stratification of patients and the possible benefit from establishing effective interventions aimed at improving or reversing the frailty condition, thus improving the quality of life for this special population.
Rope-sheave contact transient analysis in hoisting operations with a bristle model and an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach
Authors: Escalona José
Published: December 2023

This paper describes the development of a computational model for the rope-sheave contact interaction in reeving systems when the ropes are modeled with an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach. This discretization approach has been developed in previous publications as a general and systematic method for the modeling and simulation of reeving systems. However, the rope-sheave contact model was avoided assuming the no-slip contact condition. The contact model developed in this paper introduces specialized ALE-ANCF-cubic rope contact elements that are used to discretize the rope segment winded at the sheave. The contact is modeled using a set of virtual discrete bristles attached to material points in the mid-line of the rope in one end and in contact with the sheave in the other end. Therefore, a second Lagrangian mesh, apart of the ALE mesh used to discretize the rope, is used to define the fixed ends of the bristles. The kinematics and dynamics used to calculate the normal and tangential contact forces are described in detail. The contact model is 3D and can be used to analyse the contact with a sheave groove with arbitrary shape. The tangential contact force model can be used to describe stick and slip contact conditions and, to improve the simulation performance of the model, a LuGre regularization tangential contact force model is used. The rope-sheave contact model is used to analyze the behavior of a simple elevator system. The numerical results show that the static rope-sheave contact interaction agrees well with an analytical solution of the problem. Finally, the same elevator system is analyzed dynamically for a cabin ride of 8 meters with a steady velocity of 1 m/s. Results show that the normal and tangential contact forces during the steady velocity period are not so different to the static solution, but very different of the classical Creep Theory and Firbank's Theory.
Isolation of endophytic strains of Bacillus thuringiensis from wild plant seeds: A potential new biotechnological development
Authors: Cando-Narvaez Areli , Rincón-Castro M. Cristina Del , González-Elizondo M. Socorro , Ibarra Jorge E.
Published: December 2023

In recent years, the insecticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been found as an endophytic inhabitant of cultivated and wild plants. However, its ability to be vertically transmitted in nature is unknown. This work was aimed to detect B. thuringiensis strains within seeds of wild plants. Seeds were collected from nine different locations in northern and central Mexico, surface-sterilized and placed on LB agar for 18 h to corroborate sterilization. Then, seed were mashed, pasteurized, and inoculated in LB broth. Strains with B. thuringiensis morphology (ovoid spores and parasporal crystals) were isolated, and morphologically, molecularly, and toxicologically characterized. From seeds collected from 72 different plant species, 20 strains were isolated and identified as B. thuringiensis by their morphology, sequencing of the 16S ribosomal gene, the hag gene, and the MLST group of genes. Two isolates were identified as subspecies nigeriensis, two as israelensis, and one as thompsoni, while 15 were identified to species level. Parasporal bodies showed atypical morphology and no toxicity against Aedes aegypti larvae. One was highly toxic to Manduca sexta larvae and one more against Caenorhabditis elegans. Hence, B. thuringiensis was found in plant seeds at a high frequency (28%), potentially capable of vertical transmission in nature. The potential biotechnological significance of this discovery is discussed.
Deep-Learning-Based Pelvic Automatic Segmentation in Pelvic Fractures
Authors: Lee Jung Min , Park Jun Young , Kim Young Jae , Kim Kwang Gi
Published: December 2023

Due to the recent increase in traffic accidents, pelvic fractures are increasing, second only to skull fractures in terms of mortality and complication risk. Research is also being actively conducted on the treatment of intra-abdominal bleeding, which is the primary cause of death related to pelvic fractures. A considerable amount of preliminary research has been conducted on segmenting tumors and organs. However, studies on clinically useful algorithms for bone and pelvic segmentation based on the developed models were limited. In this study, we explored the potential of deep learning models based on previous studies to achieve accurate pelvic region segmentation in X-ray images. Data were collected from X-ray images of 940 patients aged 18 or older at Gachon University Gil Hospital from January 2015 to December 2022. To segment the pelvis, Attention U-Net and Swin U-Net were learned and compared and analyzed through 5-Fold cross-validation. It was found that the Swin U-Net model had relatively high performance compared to Attention U-Net. The Swin U-Net model achieved an average sensitivity of 96.77%, an average specificity of 98.50%, an average of 98.03%, and an average DSC of 96.32%.
Morphological characterization and genetic diversity analysis of yield and yield contributing parameters in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes
Authors: Zabbar Md. Abdul , Parveen Shahanaz , Rahim Md. Abdur , Kamrul Kazi Md. , Arif Md. Azaharul Islam , Sharif Md. Raihan , Rashid Md. Harun-Ur-
Published: December 2023

A field experiment was carried out to assess the significance of variance, heritability, genetic advance, correlation, path coefficient and genetic diversity for fifteen yield and yield contributing features in twenty brinjal genotypes. The study was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Dhaka from November 2021 to June 2022 using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. In this experiment, the existing genotypes showed significant differences for all characters. The phenotypic co-efficient of variation was higher than the genotypic co-efficient of variation for all the characters. Highest PCV (68.60) was found in percent of BSFB infestation and GCV (59.50) was found in percent of BSFB infestation. High heritability associated with high genetic advance and high genetic advance in percentage of mean was found in plant height, individual fruit weight and percent of BSFB infestation, which indicated selection on the basis of phenotype would be effective. Assessments of character association indicating that fruit yield per plant had highest significant positive correlation with days of last harvesting (rg = 0.495, rp = 0.454), number of secondary branches per plant (rg=0.356, rp=0.315), leaf blade length (rg = 0.714, rp = 0.462), leaf blade width (rg = 0.674, rp = 0.498) and number of fruits per plant (rg= 0.798, rp= 0.787) in both genotypic and phenotypic level. Path analysis revealed that the number of flowers per plant (1.421) had the maximum positive and direct effect on yield per plant. According to PCA, D2 and Cluster analysis, twenty brinjal genotypes were grouped into were grouped into five different clusters. Cluster I, II, III, IV and V composed of three, three, four, six and four genotypes respectively. The maximum intra cluster distance was exhibited by cluster III (1.918), whereas the highest value for inter cluster distance was recorded between cluster II and V (95.69). Mean performance of cluster revealed the highest number of fruits per plant (13.45) and yield per plant (0.71) value in cluster IV. Therefore, considering cluster distances, contribution of characters towards divergence, magnitude of cluster mean performance, genetic parameters and based on the objectives, the genotypes G10 (Choto Katali) and G20 (BARI Bt Begun 2) from cluster III, G11 (BARI Hybrid Begun 2) and G8 (BARI Begun 6) from cluster II, G5 (BARI Hybrid Begun 4) along with G18 (Local Black Long) from cluster IV might be used in future breeding program.
Mechanical properties of AISI 1045 carbon steel plates weld overlay with EnDOTec DO15 using CMT and GMAW-P
Authors: Cortés Rafael , Ambriz Ricardo Rafael , Lopez-Morelos Victor Hugo , Cortés-Carrillo Eduardo , Curiel-Lopez Francisco Fernando
Published: December 2023

Cold metal transfer (CMT) and gas metal arc welding with pulsed current (GMAW-P) were used to apply a hardfacing layer on AISI 1045 steel plates with EnDOTec DO15 filler wire. Three conditions were studied for the plates with hardfacing; as welded (AW), annealed (ANN) after welding for minimum hardness and tempered heat-treated (HT) after welding targeting hardness values of ~ 400 Vickers units. For the same metallurgical condition, there were no noticeable variation in the microhardness values despite the welding process used. The only difference found was the extent of the heat affected zone (HAZ) being smaller for the CMT process. The HAZ showed a refined microstructure that was fully and partially reversed for the ANN and HT conditions, respectively. For the tensile tests of the EnDOTec DO15 filler material, the AW condition exhibited a brittle behavior. The highest yield strength values were obtained in the HT condition (1327.1 ± 34.5 MPa for GMAW-P and 1422.55 ± 9.65 MPa for CMT). The ANN condition showed yield strength values of 715.5 ± 3.3 MPa for GMAW-P and 719.88 ± 7.72 MPa for the CMT. Charpy impact tests were performed using weld cladded samples with the V-groove in two positions, over the hardfacing layer and over the AISI 1045 substrate. The specimens with the notch on the carbon steel plate recorded the highest values of absorbed energy for the three metallurgical conditions. The results proved that irrespective of the power source employed the mechanical properties of the weld overlay cladded plates are very good.
Pronunciation Guided Copy And Correction Model For ASR Error Correction
Authors: Dong Ling , Wang Wenjun , Yu Zhengtao , Huang Yuxin , Guo Junjun , Zhou Guojiang
Published: December 2023

Error correction has been proven an effective means of refining mistakes produced by the Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models, thereby contributing to a notable reduction in the word error rate (WER) at ASR post-edit stage. Existing ASR error correction methods built upon sequence-to-sequence architecture may suffer from the over correction issue and result in introducing new mistakes or altering correct portions. In this paper, we propose a Pronunciation Guided Copy and Correction (PGCC) model for ASR error correction. Leveraging the fact that the ASR hypotheses shares big overlap with the correct text and is frequently characterized by homophone errors, our approach incorporates a copy module into BART pertained model’s encoder-decoder structure, which gives the optimal decision of either retaining a token from the source input (via copying) or generating a modified one through the decoder. Furthermore, a hierarchical phonetic feature encoder is designed to provide guidance to the copy module and BART decoder to implicitly identify the positions of homophone errors and generating precise corrections. Experiments on two public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, showcasing remarkable reductions of 18.18\% and 44.84\% in character error rate and outperforms solid baseline models.
Towards Unlocking the Linguistic Code of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Comprehensive Analysis and Diagnostic Approach
Authors: Quillivic Robin , Gayraud Frédérique , Auxéméry Yann , Vanni Laurent , Peschanski Denis , Eustache Francis , Dayan Jacques , Mesmoudi Salma
Published: December 2023

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) lacks clear biomarkers in clinical practice. Language as a potential diagnostic biomarker for PTSD is investigated in this study. We analyze an original cohort of 148 individuals exposed to the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris. The interviews, conducted 5 to 11 months after the event, include individuals from similar socioeconomic backgrounds exposed to the same incident, responding to identical questions and using uniform PTSD measures.
Using this dataset to collect nuanced insights that might be clinically relevant we proposes a three-step interdisciplinary methodology that integrates expertise from psychiatry, linguistics, and the Natural Language Processing (NLP) community to examine the relationship between language and PTSD. The first step assesses a clinical psychiatrist's ability to diagnose PTSD using interview transcription alone. The second step uses statistical analysis and machine learning models to create language features based on psycholinguistic hypotheses and evaluate their predictive strength. The third step is the application of a hypothesis-free deep learning approach to the classification of PTSD in our cohort.
Results show that the clinical psychiatrist achieved a diagnosis of PTSD with an AUC of 0.72. This is comparable to a gold standard questionnaire (AUC ≈ 0.80). The machine learning model achieved a diagnostic AUC of 0.69. The deep learning approach achieved an AUC of 0.64. An examination of model error informs our discussion.
Importantly, the study controls for confounding factors, establishes associations between language and DSM-5 subsymptoms, and integrates automated methods with qualitative analysis. This study provides a direct and methodologically robust description of the relationship between PTSD and language. Our work lays the groundwork for advancing early and accurate diagnosis and using linguistic markers to assess the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments and psychotherapies.
Response of Arabica Coffee collections to Coffee Berry Disease (Colletotrichum kahawae), In Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Wegari Adisu , Bekeko Zelalem , Derso Eshetu
Published: December 2023

Ethiopia mainly uses resistant varieties and cultural disease management strategies to tackle this disease. However, still there is a lack of improved and resistant varieties in coffee growing areas of the country including Arsi Zone. The objectives of this study were to investigate the resistance of Arsi coffee collections to Coffee Berry Disease through artificial inoculation of green berries on mother trees, and younger coffee seedlings under controlled conditions. The field experiment was conducted at Gololcha (Arbagugu state farm) and Mechara Agricultural research center on station. A hypocotyl test was conducted at Jimma Agricultural research center. Field test was carried out on 13 Arsi coffee collections and the Coffee Berry Disease -susceptible Arusa coffee variety. Standard checks like susceptible variety (370) and resistant varieties 741 and 754 were used for hypocotyl tests. Seventeen treatments were used for hypocotyl tests. Result showed the presence of a significant difference in Coffee Berry Disease reaction levels among genotypes (P < 0.001) under field conditions. The infection percentage of berries varied from 2.89 to 25.93% at Gololcha (Arbagugu state farm) and 3.25 to 34.92% at Mechara three weeks after treatment applications. According to the results, the resistant variety 741 showed the lowest infection percentage (15.04%) in comparison to all other collections and/or varieties at the seedling stage. Therefore, coffee collections that showed the lowest level of infection percentage under both experimental conditions (Ar15/11, Ar05/11, and Ar70/11) were recommended for further breeding strategies to develop resistant coffee varieties against the disease.
Cross It, Crack It!! Full Thickness Calcium Fracture by Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy on Optical Coherence Tomography(Oct)
Authors: Veeraraghavan Sriram , Kidambi Bharath Raj
Published: December 2023

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY(OCT) due to its high spatial resolution is a very essential imaging tool during angioplasty of calcified coronary lesions. Compared to Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), OCT has additional advantage of measuring thickness of the calcium and imaging of vessel wall beyond the calcium . Intravascular lithotripsy(IVL) modifies calcium by creating micro and macrofractures . OCT can identify these macrofractures as these fractures improve the vessel wall compliance and help in proper stent expansion and angioplasty outcomes.
In this case , we report high qaulity OCT image showing full thickness calcium fracture created by IVL during angioplasty.To the best of our knowledge , this is the first report of calcium fracture involving >800microns in thickness imaged by OCT.
Carnauba wax as a strategy to produce improved ulvan films for sustainable food packaging
Authors: Schmitz Luíza , Alarcon Orestes Estevam , Amaral Diego Serrasol do
Published: December 2023

Ulvan biopolymers originate from algae and are promising alternatives for sustainable food packaging, however, their hydrophilic nature limits their applications. In this study, different carnauba wax levels (0%, 5%, 10% and 15% w/w) were incorporated into ulvan film-form solutions to modify its hydrophilic nature. The ulvan extraction by hot water yield was 18.9%. Based on FTIR, the characteristic vibrational frequency bands of ulvan: carboxyl groups of uronic acid, ester sulfate groups and the vibration of C-O groups in the glycosidic bond between rhamnose and glucuronic acid were identified. Moreover, lower intensity of transmission peaks between 3500 cm− 1 and 3200 cm− 1 were attributed to the increase in the hydrophobicity of the films by the addition of carnauba wax. Contributing to the convergence of evidence regarding increased hydrophobicity, a significant decrease in solubility was observed in films containing 10% carnauba wax, compared to films without wax. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the films remained significantly unaffected when compared to compositions without carnauba wax. In short, the present study suggests that the addition of carnauba wax has a hydrophobizing effect on the ulvan films without affecting its mechanical properties, and, therefore, is promising for application in the field of food packaging.
InternalBrace Fixation Technique for Lisfranc Injury:A Retrospective Study
Authors: Zeng Guanglong , Huang Haobo , Cai Limin , Xie Qingxiang , Li Yongcong , Liang Xinyuan , Su Boyuan
Published: December 2023

Background Lisfranc ligament is an important structure to maintain the transverse and longitudinal arch of the foot, due to the inherent fretting between the medial cuneiform bone and the base of the 2nd metatarsal bone, the current preferred fixation method remains controversial. Our study aimed to evaluate the InternalBrace fixation technique for Lisfranc injury. Methods A total of 58 patients who underwent InternalBrace fixation technique for Lisfranc injury from January 2019 to September 2022 through a retrospective study. Preoperative classification was performed according to Myerson classification system with imaging data. Postoperative follow-up was performed according to fracture healing time, visual analog scores(VAS), the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), Tegner scores and complications. Results All cases completed the operation successfully and obtained follow-up. The patients age ranged from 19 to 62 years (34.6 ± 9.4 years on average). The postoperative follow-up time was 12–24 months (16.9 ± 3.0 months on average). During the follow up period, no recurrence of lisfranc fracture-dislocations. The VAS, AOFAS and Tegner scores significantly improved as time went postoperatively, which proved statistically significant (P < 0.01), and the good rates of AOFAS was 91.4%. The postoperative complications were 1 case of traumatic arthritis, 1 case of incision infection and 1 case of temporary dorsal foot numbness. Conclusions InternalBrace fixation technique for Lisfranc injury that is benifical to restore lisfranc joint stability and function, allow earlier return to activities with fewer surgical complications.
Vacuum preloading hydrostatic support technology for mirror milling of thin-walled parts
Authors: Lu Mengfan , Kang Renke , Dong Zhigang , Song Hongxia , Bao Yan
Published: December 2023

High quality and high efficiency machining of thin-wall, low-stiffness and large-scale skin parts with complex curved surface is in great demand in the aerospace field. Mirror milling is an efficient and green processing technology for large-scale skin parts. The support technology of mirror milling is the key technology to ensure the machining accuracy and surface quality. Aiming at the problems of poor machining accuracy and surface quality, as well as the scratches on the support surface in the sliding and rolling support modes, a new technology of vacuum preloading hydrostatic support was proposed. The machining accuracy and surface quality of thin-wall parts by mirror milling with vacuum preloading hydrostatic support are systematically studied. The main study and findings are as follows: The vacuum preloaded hydrostatic supporting head was designed. The theoretical analysis of the liquid film stiffness and thickness were carried out. The vacuum preloaded hydrostatic support system was designed and developed. Mirror milling experiments of thin-walled parts supported by vacuum preloading hydrostatic pressure was carried out to compare the surface profile and surface roughness under different fluid feed pressure and vacuum preloading. It is concluded that within a certain range: the smaller the vacuum preload and the larger the inlet pressure, the closer the milling depth is to the target depth; the larger the inlet pressure and the larger the vacuum preload, the better the consistency of workpiece thickness of the milled surface; and the presence of the liquid film effectively reduces the roughness of the milled surface.
Trauma Exposure Across the Lifespan among Individuals Engaged in Treatment with Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Differences by Gender, PTSD Status, and Chronic Pain
Authors: Rodríguez Monique N. , Colgan Dana D. , Leyde Sarah , Pike Kenneth , Merrill Joseph O. , Price Cynthia J.
Published: December 2023

Background
There is little study of lifetime trauma exposure among individuals engaged in medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD). A multisite study provided the opportunity to examine the prevalence of lifetime trauma and differences by gender, PTSD status, and chronic pain.
Methods
A cross-sectional study examined baseline data from participants (N = 303) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a mind-body intervention as an adjunct to MOUD. All participants were stabilized on MOUD. Measures included the Trauma Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5). Analyses involved descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, and linear and logistic regression.
Results
Participants were self-identified as women (n = 157), men (n = 144), and non-binary (n = 2). Fifty-seven percent (n = 172) self-reported chronic pain, and 41% (n = 124) scored above the screening cut-off for PTSD. Women reported significantly more intimate partner violence (85%) vs 73%) and adult sexual assault (57% vs 13%), while men reported more physical assault (81% vs 61%) and witnessing trauma (66% vs 48%). Men and women experienced substantial childhood physical abuse, witnessed intimate partner violence as children, and reported an equivalent exposure to accidents as adults. The number of traumatic events predicted PTSD symptom severity and PTSD diagnostic status. Participants with chronic pain, compared to those without chronic pain, had significantly more traumatic events in childhood (85% vs 75%).
Conclusions
The study found a high prevalence of lifetime trauma among people in MOUD. Results highlight the need for comprehensive assessment and mental health services to address trauma among those in MOUD treatment.
Trial Registration:
NCT04082637
Permeability characteristics and fine-scale deformation of loaded sandstone under increasing confining pressure unloading rates
Authors: Sun Weiji , Qin Xu , Zhang Yujun , Ma Wenfei , Ma Yangqi , Zhang Wenlu
Published: December 2023

In deep mineral resource mining, the deformation and permeability characteristics of rocks are two main factors affecting engineering excavation. To study the influence of stress release on the deformation and permeability characteristics of rock under the action of the roadway excavation rate, this study investigated the fine-scale deformation and permeability characteristics of sandstone under the action of different confining pressure unloading rates (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 MPa/s) via indoor experiments and a numerical simulation using particle flow software, and a rock fracture mechanics model was constructed to analyze the degree of stress concentration at the end of branch cracks under different loading and unloading paths. The results showed that the permeability, number of cracks, and principal stress difference corresponded well with the axial strain curve and the acoustic emission events under the action of the confining pressure unloading rate. The confining pressure unloading rate was inversely proportional to the axial strain, and the magnitude of the change of the axial strain was gradually reduced with the increase in the confining pressure unloading rate. The permeability and principal stress difference satisfied exponential function, while the permeability and number of cracks satisfied linear function. The microscopic cracks formed in the unloading process were predominantly tensile, with the expansion of shear cracks lagging behind. Deformations were mainly axial pressure deformations and expansions along the direction of unloading.
Phenotypic correlation between egg quality indices in 85-weeks-old layer chicken genotypes
Authors: Ogbu Cosmas C.
Published: December 2023

Phenotypic correlations between egg quality indices were evaluated in aged Shaver Brown (SB) and heavy ecotype native (HEN) hens. Studied traits were egg, yolk, albumen and shell weights (EW, YW, AW and SW); egg length (EL), surface area (ESA), volume (EV), specific gravity (ESG) and shape index (ESI); egg, yolk and albumen diameters (ED, YD and AD); yolk and albumen heights (YH and AH); yolk, albumen and shell ratios and indexes (YR, AR and SR) and (YI, AI and SI); Y/A and Haugh unit (HU); shell thickness (ST), volume (SV), and density (SD). Pearson’s correlation method was employed and none zero coefficients were interpreted as perfect, near perfect, very strong, strong, moderate, weak, or very weak. EW perfectly correlated with ESA, EV, ESG and SV, and very weakly with ESI and SD in both genotypes; moderately with EL, SW, SR, YW and AW, and weakly with SD, YD and AH in HEN eggs but near perfectly with AW, strongly with EL and SR, moderately with ST, SI, YW, AH and AI, and weakly with YH and AR in SB. YW very strongly correlated with YR, strongly with YD and Y/A, moderately with YI, HU, SV and SR, and weakly with YH, AW, AH, AD, AI, SD, and SI in HEN eggs while in SB eggs it had very strong correlations with YR and Y/A, moderate correlations with YD and HU, and weak correlations with AW, SV, SR, and SI. AW was strongly correlated with AR, moderately with SV, and weakly with Y/A, SW, and SR in HEN eggs but near perfectly with SV, strongly with SR, and moderately with AH, ST, and SI in SB eggs. In HEN eggs, SW had very strong correlation with SI, moderate correlations with SV, SD, and SR and weak correlation with ST but very strongly correlated with SD, strongly with SI, and moderately with SR in SB. Variations in direction and/or strength of correlation suggest genotypic effects due to differences in degree and direction of genetic selection. Therefore, phenotypic correlation could guide non-invasive determination and genetic improvement of egg quality traits in domestic chicken genotypes.
Low expression of miR125a-5p predicts sensitivity to sorafenib by upregulating STAT3 and HTATIP2 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Zhou Hongyuan , Yang Lu , Wang Yu , Zhang Qin , Zhang Zewu , Wang Yingying , Pan Zhaolong , Cao Junbo , Li Dongyang , Liu Chen , Sun Tao , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2023

Background
Sorafenib is a standard of care for systemic therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Further personalized treatment with sorafenib is warranted. The current study aims to identify predictive biomarkers for the efficacy of sorafenib and investigate the underlying mechanism.
Methods
MiRNA array was performed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour from patients who received adjuvant sorafenib therapy after liver resection, including patients who had tumor recurrence within one year and patients without tumor recurrence after liver resection. In situ hybridization (ISH) was performed to evaluate the expression of miR-125a-5p, and the association of miR125a-5p with overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) was evaluated. LM3 with miR125a-5p overexpression and SMMC7721 with miR125a-5p knockdown were constructed using lentiviruses respectively. The sensitivity to sorafenib treatment were studied by in vitro CCK8 assay and in vivo xenograft tumor model. RNA-seq, luciferase reporter assay, real-time PCR and Western blot assays were performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism.
Results
MiR125a-5p was among the most significantly changed microRNAs and low expression of miR125a-5p was associated with increased sensitivity to sorafenib. In situ hybridization and survival analysis found that higher miR125a-5p was associate with improved OS and RFS for HCC patients after liver resection. We overexpressed miR125a-5p in LM3 HCC cells and knockdown miR-125a-5p in SMMC7721, respectively, and confirmed that miR125a-5p overexpression caused sorafenib resistance both in vivo and in vitro, while miR125a-5p suppression led to sensitivity to sorafenib treatment. RNAseq and pathway analysis revealed that STAT3 pathway was downregulated by miR125a-5p. STAT3 was also confirmed as a target of miR125a-5p by TargetScan prediction, and both STAT3 and HTATIP2 were downregulated by miR125a-5p in in-vitro experiment.
Conclusion
Low expression of miR125a-5p predicted sorafenib sensitivity by upregulating STAT3 and HTATIP2.
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality-Based Simulation Program for Mental Health Nursing Practicum
Authors: Kim Geun Myun , Lim Ji Young , Kim Juhang
Published: December 2023

Introduction:
To develop a virtual mental nursing practice program and verify its effectiveness.
Methods
Participants were fifty-four fourth grade nursing students who completed more than one semester of theoretical courses in mental nursing with no psychiatric nursing clinical practice experience. The program comprised six themes; its effect was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.
Results
There were significant effects between groups and time points in mental disease-related knowledge, learning flow, and learning satisfaction.
Conclusions
The simulation education program was effective as an intermediate educational space connecting theoretical and field education. It can enhance students’ ability and confidence to interact with patients and perform therapeutic nursing.
Development of an anti-Pfs230 monoclonal antibody as a Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte blocker
Authors: Cuccurullo Emilia C. , Dong Yuemei , Simões Maria L. , Dimopoulos George , Bier Ethan
Published: December 2023

Vector control is a crucial strategy for malaria elimination by preventing infection and reducing disease transmission. Most gains have been achieved through insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), but the emergence of insecticide resistance among Anopheles mosquitoes calls for new tools to be applied. Here, we present the development of a highly effective murine monoclonal antibody, targeting the N-terminal region of the Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte antigen Pfs230, that can decrease the infection prevalence by > 50% when fed to Anopheles mosquitoes with gametocytes in an artificial membrane feeding system. We used a standard mouse immunization protocol followed by protein interaction and parasite-blocking validation at three distinct stages of the monoclonal antibody development pipeline: post-immunization, post-hybridoma generation, and final validation of the monoclonal antibody. We evaluated twenty antibodies identifying one (mAb 13G9) with high Pfs230-affinity and parasite-blocking activity. This 13G9 monoclonal antibody could potentially be developed into a transmission-blocking single-chain antibody for expression in transgenic mosquitoes.
Piperine improves the health span of old Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Lee Hye-Yeon , Lee Ji-Hyeon , Baek Jisun , Cho Kyung A , Min Kyung-Jin
Published: December 2023

Piperine, a dietary phytochemical isolated from the Piper species, has been used as a natural medicine for pain, flu, and fever in ancient China and India. Although the health benefits of piperine have been widely studied, research on its effect on aging is limited. This study aimed to determine whether piperine has the potential to mitigate aging-related changes in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), which is an excellent model organism for studies on aging. The experiments were conducted using the newly eclosed or 30-day-old D. melanogaster wild-type strain Cantonized-white. Piperine was dissolved in 99% ethanol and added to the sucrose-yeast medium at a final concentration of 10, 35, 70, or 100 µM. The study examined the effects of piperine supplementation on the lifespan of D. melanogaster and other physiological functions, such as fecundity, feeding, lipid content, and resistance to environmental stress. Log-rank tests, Shapiro-wilk test, F-test, t-test, or Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to analyze the data. Piperine failed to change the lifespan and body weight, but increased the fecundity and decreased the feeding rate in one-week-old flies. However, when piperine was fed to 30-day-old flies, it increased the lifespan of male flies and the fecundity and feeding rate of female flies. These results indicate that piperine can improve the health of aged flies. The findings suggest that piperine has age-dependent and sex-specific anti-aging effects in fruit flies.
Feasibility of a novel eHealth intervention for Parkinson’s disease targeting motor-cognitive function in the home
Authors: Sedhed Jenny , Johansson Hanna , Andersson Nina , Åkesson Elisabet , Kalbe Elke , Franzén Erika , Leavy Breiffni
Published: December 2023

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) drastically affects motor and cognitive function, but evidence shows that motor-cognitive training improves disease symptoms. Motor-cognitive training in the home is scarcely investigated and eHealth methods can provide continual support for PD self-management. Feasibility testing is however required. Objective to assess the feasibility (i) recruitment capability ii) acceptability and suitability iii) demand and safety) of a home-based motor-cognitive eHealth exercise intervention in PD. Methods The 10-week intervention was delivered using the ExorLive® application and exercises were individually adapted and systematically progressed and targeted functional strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and motor-cognitive function. People with mild-to moderate PD were assessed before and after the intervention regarding; gait performance in single and dual-task conditions; functional mobility; dual-task performance; balance performance; physical activity level; health related quality of life and perceived balance confidence and walking ability; global cognition and executive function. Feasibility outcomes were continuously measured using a home-exercise diary and contact with a physiotherapist. Changes from pre- and post-intervention are reported descriptively. Results Fifteen participants (mean age 68.5 years) commenced and 14 completed the 10-week intervention. In relation to Interventionacceptability, 64% of the motor sessions and 52% of motor-cognitive sessions were rated as "enjoyable". Concerning suitability, the average level of exertion (Borg RPE scale) was light (11–12). Adherence was high, with 86% of all (420) sessions reported as completed. No falls or adverse events occurred in conjunction with the intervention. Conclusions This motor-cognitive eHealth home exercise intervention for PD was safe and feasible in terms of Recruitment capability, Acceptability, Safety and Demand. The intensity of physical challenge needs to be increased before testing in an efficacy trial. Trial registration: This trial is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov with NCT05027620.
An 8T and 10T static random access memory with bit-serial operations for in-memory computing
Authors: Xu Weidong , Lou Mian , Li Li , Zhang Kai , Gong Longqing
Published: December 2023

To address the issue of memory-computer integration still requiring field-programmable gate array (FPGA) assistance for nonconvolutional computation in the acceleration of deep neural networks, this study proposes a general hybrid static random-access memory in-memory computing (IMC) that combines transposed 8T and 10T units with vector-based, bit-serial in-memory arithmetic to support integer/decimal and positive/negative multiply-accumulate operations with various bit widths. This provides the necessary flexibility and programmability for the development of various software algorithms ranging from neural networks to signal processing. Furthermore, it reduces the transfer of data between the IMC and FPGA. The proposed design achieves an energy efficiency of 21.39 TOPS/W at 1.2 V and 500 MHz. This study presents a novel IMC design that supports flexible bit-width operations, enhancing the versatility of deep learning applications. This advancement has potential implications for various applications, paving the way for more efficient computing systems.
Vanishing Refuges: Unraveling the Climate Change Impact on the Critically Endangered Black Softshell Turtle Nilssonia nigricans in Northeastern India
Authors: Vishnu C.S. , Das Priyanka , M.Rajkumar  , Gopi G.V.
Published: December 2023

Reptilian species can be regarded as a bioindicator of climate change. However, limited studies are available on the effect of climate change on the distribution of reptiles in India. Nilssonia nigricans is a Critically Endangered Soft-shell Turtle found in Northeastern India, facing severe threats due to the Anthropocene. Previously, this species was considered extinct in the wild; however, recently, some populations have been discovered in the Brahmaputra Valley. In this context, a study was initiated to understand the impact of climate change on the distribution of N. nigricans. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) is employed to predict the potential distribution range of this species for two time periods: the 2050s (2041–2060) and the 2070s (2061–2080) under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. The study found that the Mean Temperature of the Wettest Quarter, Elevation and Precipitation Seasonality will be the major factors that determine the distribution of N. nigricans. The model indicated that under current conditions, 21.78% of the study area provides a suitable habitat for N. nigricans. Future predictions suggest a potential range contraction of 16.09% during the 2050s under RCP 4.5 and an increase of 25.83% in the 2050s under the RCP 8.5 scenario. However, in the 2070s, the habitat range of this species may decline to 10.77% under RCP 4.5 and 19.97% under RCP 8.5. The comparison of various RCP scenarios illustrated that the habitat range is shrinking under RCP 4.5 scenarios. Among the states, Assam is the only place that shows the highest potential for suitable sites, covering an area of 58,535 km2 (58.47%), while the remaining 41,581 km2 (41.53%) is deemed unsuitable for its current distribution. The study reveals that N. nigricans serves as a bioindicator of climate change in Northeast India, and the study's results will be helpful in creating conservation and management attention for the species.
A DICOM-based Standard for Quantitative Physical Rehabilitation
Authors: Matteo Alessandro Di , Lozzi Daniele , Mignosi Filippo , Polsinelli Matteo , Placidi Giuseppe
Published: December 2023

Physical rehabilitation (PR) is crucial in medicine that, yet to date, often relies on qualitative rather than objectively quantifiable data. With the recent scientific and technological advances, several instruments and methods have been proposed aimed at measuring and evaluating rehabilitation objectively, for quantitative PR (QPR), though without a standardized data format. The lack of a standard data format implies several issues, including the inability to compare datafrom different devices, create patient history, perform temporal evaluation or inter-patient comparisons, share data, create and use common evaluation scalesfor therapists, calculate statistics, etc. This lack is also an obstacle to the diffusion of artificial intelligence in rehabilitation, due to the data inhomogeneity,increasing uncertainty, and subjectivity. Digital Imaging and COmmunicationsin Medicine (DICOM) is an affirmed standard, born for medical imaging but recently extended to other fields of medicine, with the primary scope to share data from different devices, handle different associated processes, and assure interoperability among systems and specialists, by generating structured data and documents. In this article, a DICOM Information Object Definition (IOD) is proposed for QPR data. Furthermore, as an example, the proposed DICOM-like standard is applied for managing data from QPR of the hand, generated by the Virtual Glove (VG) device, a multi-source hand-tracking device, and results are discussed.
Structural and Molecular Dynamic Simulation Studies of CBL-Interacting Protein Kinase CIPK and its Complexes Related to Plant Salinity Stress
Authors: Das Prabir Kumar , Bhatnagar Tanya , Banik Sanhita , Majumdar Sambit , Dutta Debajyoti
Published: December 2023

Calcium-dependent signaling in plants is responsible for several major cellular events, including the activation of the salinity-responsive pathways. Calcium binds to calcineurin B-like protein (CBL), and the CBL-Ca2+ binds to CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK). The CBL-CIPK complex enhances the CIPK interaction with an upstream kinase. The upstream kinase phosphorylates CIPK that, in turn, phosphorylates membrane transporters. Targeted membrane transporter phosphorylation influences its activity and kick-starts many downstream functions, such as balancing the cytosolic Na+-to-K+ ratio. The CBL-CIPK interaction is pivotal for Ca2+-dependent salinity stress signaling. The plant contains multiple CBL and CIPK genes coded in their genomes. Hence, different yet specific combinations of CBL and CIPK are responsible for targeting particular ion transporters. Here, we present the computationally predicted structures of autoinhibited CIPK24 and CIPK24-CBL4 complex. The models are supported by the available structural and functional data. Models are energy-minimized and subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MD simulations enabled us to predict the importance of conserved residues of the proteins. Finally, the work is extended to predict the CIPK24-CBL4 complex with the upstream kinase GIRK2. MD simulation on the ternary complex structure enabled us to identify the critical CIPK24-GIRK2 interactions. Together, these data could be used to engineer the CBL-CIPK interaction network for developing salt tolerance in crops.
Nexus between carbon emissions, renewable energy, technological innovation, and economic growth in the G7 economies: an econometric analysis
Authors: Liu Jianhua , Rasheed Mohsin
Published: December 2023

This research investigates the relationship among CO \(_2\) emissions, economic growth, technological innovation, renewable energy consumption, and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in G7 countries from 1990 to 2022. The overarching objective is to uncover specific short-run and long-run associations between these variables, examining immediate impacts and long-term effects. With global concerns related to climate change and concerted international efforts to reduce CO$_2$, this study explores the critical dynamics between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The methods include panel unit root tests, cointegration analysis, causality tests, and AutoRegressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models, chosen for their capacity to offer a thorough understanding of the relationships between the variables. The finding indicates a stable equilibrium between GDP and CO$_2$ emissions within G7 nations, signifying a crucial aspect of global climate change. Specifically, the results highlight that the relationship is statistically significant for the USA, Canada, Germany, and the UK while being deemed insignificant for Italy, France, and Japan. This study suggests a complex relationship that extends beyond short-run fluctuations. In the short term, an observed inverse correlation emphasizes the need for agile policy strategies to balance economic growth and environmental concerns. Promoting renewable energy sources and strategically increasing investment in research and development have policy implications that can help make economic growth and environmental concerns more sustainable and balanced.