bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comunicación organizacional y desempeño laboral en el área de crédito vehicular de una entidad financiera, distrito de La Molina (Lima-Perú), 2022
Authors:   , Figueroa Alvarado Cynthia Gabriela
Published: January 2024

La comunicación organizacional es un tema crucial en la gestión de cualquier empresa, ya que es la herramienta que permite transmitir información, objetivos y metas a los colaboradores de la organización. En la actualidad, las empresas enfrentan una creciente competencia y cambios constantes en el mercado, lo que ha generado la necesidad de mejorar sus sistemas de comunicación con el fin de aumentar el desempeño y la productividad de los colaboradores. En este contexto, la investigación que se llevó a cabo tuvo como objetivo principal determinar la relación entre la comunicación organizacional y el desempeño laboral en el Área de Crédito Vehicular de una entidad financiera localizada en el distrito de La Molina (Lima-Perú) durante el 2022. Se desarrolló un estudio no experimental, cuantitativo, correlacional; se incluyó a 52 ejecutivos comerciales del área previamente mencionada a los que se administró un cuestionario de 18 preguntas, con escala de tipo Likert. Se encontró una asociación fuerte y significativa entre comunicación organizacional y desempeño laboral (r = 0,781).
Efecto citotóxico de fracciones cromatográficas de Dracontium spruceanum en líneas celulares del cáncer de mama
Authors:   , Rodriguez Huamani Arlem Nicol , Medina Calderon Maria Belen Zenayda
Published: January 2024

El cáncer de mama representa la primera neoplasia maligna diagnosticada con mayor frecuencia; es por ello que existen múltiples tratamientos, en donde las plantas medicinales han adquirido gran importancia. Objetivo: El objetivo del estudio fue determinar el efecto citotóxico de las fracciones cromatográficas del extracto clorofórmico del bulbo de Dracontium spruceanum (eDSBCl) en líneas celulares del cáncer de mama. Materiales y métodos: Se usaron 2 líneas celulares de cáncer de mama: MDA-MB-231 y MCF-7. Se evaluaron 11 fracciones cromatográficas de eDSBCl. Se seleccionaron las dos fracciones con mejor actividad citotóxica y se calculó la concentración inhibitoria media (IC50) con diferentes concentraciones a través del ensayo de viabilidad celular (ensayo MTT). Finalmente, se realizó el análisis del IC50 a través del Software GraphPad Prism 5. Resultados: Las fracciones cromatográficas del eDSBCl con mayor efecto citotóxico fueron las fracciones 43 (F43) y 50 (F50) a las 24 y 48 horas, en ambas líneas celulares. Posteriormente, se observó en MDA-MB-231, el IC50 de la F43 fue de 275.4 µg/mL y 130.7 µg/mL a las 24 y 48 horas; asimismo, el IC50 de la F50 fue 107.8 µg/mL y 126.7 µg/mL a las 24 y 48 horas. En la línea celular MCF-7, el IC50 de la F43 fue de 295.4 µg/mL y 145.3 µg/mL a las 24 y 48 horas respectivamente; el IC50 de la F50 fue 206.8 µg/mL y 108.1 µg/mL a las 24 y 48 horas. Conclusión: Se concluye que existe efecto citotóxico de las fracciones cromatográficas del eDSBCl en las líneas celulares de cáncer de mama MDA-MB-231 y MCF-7. Los resultados brindan un cambio en el paradigma del tratamiento de esta patología al ampliar las opciones de manejo.
Impacto del gasto de bolsillo en la mortalidad por Covid 19 en Lima, Perú
Authors:   , Linares Lingan Renato Miguel , Leon Morales Fiorella Andrea
Published: January 2024

OBJETIVO: Determinar la correlación entre gasto de bolsillo en salud y mortalidad por COVID-19 en Lima Metropolitana en el periodo 2020-2021. MÉTODOS: Estudio de diseño ecológico realizado a partir de los datos administrativos del Sistema Informático Nacional de Defunciones (SINADEF) y de la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares sobre Condiciones de Vida y Pobreza 2020 y 2021 (ENAHO 2020 y 2021). Se realizó un análisis de correlación de Spearman entre la variable de mortalidad por COVID-19 y gasto de bolsillo en salud comparativo entre el año 2020 y 2021, donde se obtuvo los valores de significancia del análisis de correlación. RESULTADOS: Se encontró una correlación negativa no significativa entre el gasto de bolsillo y la mortalidad por COVID-19 en el año 2020-2021 en Lima Metropolitana, asimismo, no se encontró significancia estadística entre periodos (2020, p=0.29; 2021, p=0.12). CONCLUSIONES: Si bien se observó una tendencia de mayor gasto de bolsillo en salud en la primera ola, esta se reduce en la segunda ola sin ser significativa en ninguna de estas La ausencia de datos en la primera ola debido a las restricciones impuestas por el gobierno podría haber mostrado un panorama más amplio y sobrecogedor una vez dadas las cifras de mortalidad a nivel nacional.
Prevalencia de anomalías dentarias de forma evaluadas en adolescentes de un instituto radiológico en Perú
Authors:   , Reto Valdiviezo Katherine Denisse
Published: January 2024

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de anomalías dentarias de forma mediante radiografías panorámicas en pacientes de 10 a 14 años en un instituto radiológico. Materiales y Métodos: Este estudio observacional fue aplicado en una muestra poblacional de 949 imágenes (330 varones y 616 mujeres) con edades de 10 a 14 años de un instituto radiológico en Lima (Perú) obtenidas del 1 de marzo de 2017 al 1 de marzo de 2020. Una observadora calibrada con kappa (k≥0,8) evaluó la presencia y frecuencia de anomalías según tipo (geminación, concrescencia, dilaceración, dens in dent, taurodontismo, fusión, en clavija, radix entomolaris, en pala y perlas del esmalte), arcada (superior e inferior), cuadrante (I al IV), tipo (incisivos, caninos, premolares, primeros y segundos molares) y diente permanente (#18 a #28). Resultados: Las anomalías tuvieron una prevalencia de 61,9% con una frecuencia de 1,51± 1,52 predominando los tipos dilaceración, en pala, y taurodontismo. La mayoría de las anomalías se presentaron en el maxilar superior, cuadrantes I y II, y en incisivo. Hubo asociaciones de las mujeres a mayor frecuencia de anomalías, de los de 11 y 10 años a anomalías de dientes en pala, evaginación, geminación, y en incisivos superiores, y de los de 14 y 13 años anomalías de dilaceración, perlas del esmalte, fusión, entomolaris, y de caninos a molares (P<0,05). Conclusión: Las anomalías dentarias de forma fueron prevalentes y frecuentes diferenciándose por arcada, cuadrante, diente, sexo, y edad.
Los Chocoyos supereruption did not trigger millennial scale cooling
Authors: Innes Helen , Hutchison William , Sigl Micheal , Crick Laura , Abbott Peter , Bigler Matthias , Chellman Nathan , Davies Siwan , Kutterolf Steffen , McConnell Joseph , Severi Mirko , Sparks Stephen , Svensson Anders , Wolff Eric , Rae James , Burke Andrea
Published: January 2024

Stratospheric sulfate aerosols from explosive volcanic eruptions reflect incoming solar radiation and cool the planet, leading to the hypothesis that the largest volcanic events triggered millennial-scale cold periods over the last ice age. Here, we identify tephra shards from the Atitlán Los Chocoyos supereruption (LCY), one of the largest Quaternary eruptions, in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica (dated at 79.5 ± 1.7 ka), and a marine sediment core (linked to a sea level highstand at 80.5 ± 0.9 ka). The large ice core sulfate peak associated with the tephra results in an estimated stratospheric sulfur injection of 226 ± 48 Tg S (1σ) for LCY, consistent with volcanic-induced cooling on a multi-annual scale. However, the well-constrained timing of LCY within the high-resolution temperature proxy records of ice cores proves it was not a trigger of millennial-scale cooling.
Eight-year survival and growth of Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis) seedlings with one weeding operation: Impact of mechanical site preparation, vegetation release, summer planting, stock type, and forwarder trail
Authors: Harayama Hisanori , Tsuyama Ikutaro , Yamada Takeshi , Kitao Mitsutoshi , Furuya Naoyuki , Yazaki Kenichi , Sugai Tetsuto , Uemura Akira , Sasaki Shozo , Utsugi Hajime
Published: January 2024

In Hokkaido, northern Japan, bareroot Sakhalin fir seedlings are conventionally planted in short periods during spring and fall following strip site preparation that alternates managed and unmanaged strips to reduce labor requirements. Postplanting, seven years of weeding are imperative owing to the relentless encroachment of evergreen dwarf bamboo from unmanaged strips. Given diminishing forest labor availability, this protocol poses increasing challenges. We hypothesized that comprehensive mechanical site preparation (MSP) to eradicate dwarf bamboo across the entire site could reduce weeding frequency by delaying the regeneration of competing vegetation. Furthermore, using container seedlings could extend the planting season to summer. Over an eight-year period, we examined the survival and growth of summer-planted bareroot and container seedlings in a fully MSP-treated site, with a single weeding operation conducted in the fifth year. Whole-site MSP induced a shift from dwarf bamboo to deciduous woody and herbaceous species, fostering consistently high Sakhalin fir seedling survival and growth rates despite the lone weeding operation. Container seedlings exhibited superior establishment after summer planting and maintained higher survival rates over eight years relative to bareroot seedlings. Planting in the forwarder trail detrimentally impacted overall seedling growth and survival. These findings advocate for container seedling summer planting alongside comprehensive MSP as an effective Sakhalin fir reforestation technique, mitigating weeding frequency and broadening the planting timeframe.
Study on Relationship of skid resistance and texture depth for Indian traffic condition
Authors: C Makendran
Published: January 2024

This study aims to develop prediction models for skid resistance (SR), texture depth (TD), and the relationship between SR and TD for urban roads. These models are intended to help highway engineers by providing prior information about the maintenance and development of urban roads. The study collected data from about 250 road stretches of metropolitan roadways in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This data includes information on skid resistance, texture depth, commercial vehicle per day (CVPD), Abrasion value (AV) and other relevant factors. This model was developed by using multiple linear regression (MLR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques. This generated three prediction models: Model 1: Predicting skid resistance (SR). Model 2: Predicting texture depth (TD), and Model 3: Establishing a relationship between SR and TD for urban roads. The study divided the data into a "Training" set (70% of the data) and a "Validation" set (30% of the data) for model development and testing. The models created in this study have practical applications for highway engineers. They can use these models to assess SR and TD and make prior decisions for budget allocation, scheduling of repair and maintenance of roads scientifically.
Initial Experience of Long-Term Prophylaxis with Lanadelumab for Hereditary Angioedema in China: a Clinical Observation of Four patients.
Authors: Yao Wo , Diao Ran , Yang Boyun , Wang Yongfang , Li Bohui , Li Ting , Ge Liuya , Yu Yongmei , Zhu Rongfei , Wang Huiying
Published: January 2024

Background
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency or dysfunction of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), which leads to recurrent episodes of bradykininmediated edema. Lanadelumab is a plasma kallikrein inhibitor that is the only first line therapy for long term prophylaxis (LTP) of HAE attacks in China since 2021.
Objectives
To observe the clincial efficacy and safety of lanadelumab in Chinese patients with HAE in a small population of four patients.
Method
Four HAE patients from three academic centers in China was included. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestions and life quality of HAE patients were recorded before and after LTP treatment of lanadelumab .The primary outcome is the attack frequence of symptoms, and disease-related work loss days. The secondary outcome is the improved life quality of patients. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire (AE-QoL).
Results
Lanadelumab led to the reductions of 98.04% and 100% in attack rate and treated attack rate respectively. Three patients of four (75%) reported complete remission from attacks after starting the administration of lanadelumab. Two patients had significant improvements on AE-QoL and DLQI (both scores reduction rate were 100%) in early period of treatment (4 weeks and 2 weeks, respectively) and all the patients had significant improvement on missed work days/year (reduction rate was 100%). The efficacy of lanadelumab was stable during vaccination and infection with COVID-19. No treatment-related serious/severe treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) occured during the treatment of lanadelumab.
Conclusions
Our study first demonstrated the clinical efficacy of lanadelumab with highly safety in Chinese HAE patients. A reasonable dosage plan can ensure the stability of therapeutic effects of lanadelumab. Moreover, lanadelumab also play a protective role to prevent attack in the case of COVID-19 infection.
Parkinson’s disease and food expenditure in Italy: stochastic and non-stochastic analyses
Authors: Cornelli U , Grossi E , Recchia M , Antonelli C , Battaglia L , Bonalume G , Butti R , Camurri M , Carluccio B , Clementi C , Condoleo F , D’Ambrosio A , Lucia De , Giardinetti R , Gusperti G , Idonia M , Idonia L , Iftime MD , Malnati S , Mandelli K , Masini C , Messina B , Nebbia S , Piarulli G , Piccinini D , Pelucchi F , Radici A , Rattaggi M , Testa M , Volpi V , Zahra M
Published: January 2024

Background
The correlation between food and Parkinson's disease (PD) indicates that there are positive benefits from the Mediterranean diet (MeD).
Objective
To find the correlation between PD and food expenditure/consumption in the various regions of Italy in 2016.
Methods
The food expenditure/quantities in kilograms of 56 distinct food categories and PD, in terms of Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR), were computed for the year 2016 for 19,500 families in 540 Italian municipalities.
Stochastic analysis based on Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and non-stochastic analyses (neural network mapping) were used to compute the associations with PD.
Results
The following results were obtained by focusing on food categories deemed significant in both stochastic and non-stochastic analyses:
Yogurt, fresh vegetables, wine, processed meat, citrus fruit, and butter were identified as causative factors, while cheese, ice cream, beef, grapes & strawberries , bananas, canned fruit, and fruit juice were deemed partially causative.
Added sugar, flour, lamb meat, and dried legumes emerged as protective, while seed oil, pork meat, fish, fish canned, and tomatoes canned showed partial protective effects.
In Southern Italy, the SMR of PD was significantly lower than in the North due to a lower consumption of causative foods and a higher consumption of protective ones.
Conclusions
In 2016, the PD death rate in South of Italy was significantly lower than that in the North.
The food pattern that emerged in Southern regions was also significantly different: a lower consumption of causative foods and higher consumption of protective ones.
Using data on food expenditure and quantities enabled us to track the correlation with PD SMR on an annual basis.
Performance evaluation of Machine Learning based regression models for rainfall forecasting
Authors: Saleh Md. Abu , Rasel H. M.
Published: January 2024

Rainfall plays a crucial role in the water cycle, serving as a direct input for agricultural practices and water resource management. However, its patterns vary significantly across different regions, creating challenges for sustainable water use. This study focuses on the Rangpur district in northwestern Bangladesh, where irrigation heavily relies on unpredictable rainfall. To address this, this study employed three machine learning regression methods – Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Gradient Boosting Machine – using historical annual rainfall data from 1990 to 2020. The analysis was conducted on Google Colab, an open-source Python environment. Hyperparameter optimization via grid search was conducted on the three models to maximize prediction accuracy. The analysis revealed that the Random Forest model to be the most accurate for rainfall prediction in the Rangpur district. During the testing phase, it achieved an R-squared value of 0.75, indicating a strong correlation between predictions and actual rainfall. Interestingly, Gradient Boosting Machine outperformed Random Forest in the training phase, highlighting the importance of considering both training and testing performance for model selection. Additionally, Random Forest regression confirmed the strong relationship between predicted and observed rainfall by generating highest correlation (97%). This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Random Forest Regression for forecasting rainfall in Rangpur district. This knowledge can contribute to resilient water management strategies, enabling farmers and authorities to adapt irrigation practices and optimize resource allocation in response to predicted precipitation patterns. Future research could involve incorporating additional environmental variables into the model and exploring ensemble learning techniques for potentially further improving prediction accuracy.
An experimental study of multi-sensor tool wear monitoring and its application to predictive maintenance
Authors: Granados German Herrera , Misaka Takashi , Herwan Jonny , Komoto Hitoshi , Furukawa Yoshiyuki
Published: January 2024

Wear in cutting tools is a critical issue that can lead to reduced product quality, increased production costs, and unexpected downtime. To mitigate these challenges, the implementation of tool wear monitoring systems and predictive maintenance strategies has gained significant attention in recent years. Early detection or prediction of tool wear is vital to optimize tool life and maintain the manufacturing processes efficiently. This paper presents a method to determine the tool wear progression based on the collaboration of direct and indirect monitoring techniques. By analyzing the monitoring of data from force, vibration, sound, and current sensors to estimate the tool wear state, and correlating this information with a photographic database of the tool wear progression used to create an image recognition system that can classify the tool wear at any moment into three states: Good, Moderate and Worn. A case study was conducted to test the advantages and limitations of the proposed method. The case study also shows that the improvement of the prediction of the tool wear state might be useful in the decision-making of whether the tool life can be extended, or the tool must be replaced, as well as in the detection of anomalies during the machining process, aiming its improvement and the reduction of operational costs.
miR-30b-5p targets CD73 and inhibits gastric cancer migration and invasion via PTEN/AKT/GSK3β/mTOR pathway
Authors: Liu Hongli , Guo Shuang , Li Ya , Lei Ting , Chen Qian
Published: January 2024

Background and purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. CD73 has been found to be overexpressed in a variety of cancers including GC and is associated with poor cancer prognosis. However, its specific mechanisms regulating the progression of GC are not sufficiently clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function of CD73 in GC and to explore its upstream and downstream molecular mechanisms.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting were used to detect the protein levels of CD73 and other proteins. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the RNA levels of CD73, miR-30b-5p, and other genes. CCK-8 and clonogenic assays were used to test cell proliferation. Scracth and Transwell were used to analyze the migration and invasion of GC cells. In addition, CD73 stable knockdown and overexpression cell lines were established to detect the expression of PTEN/AKT/GSK3β/mTOR pathway-related molecules. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the binding of CD73 and miR-30b-5p.
Results: We found that miR-30b-5p targeted binding and inhibited CD73 overexpression, and suppressed GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in GC cells. We further revealed that these effects were mediated through the PTEN/AKT/GSK3β/mTOR signalling pathway.
Conclusions: In summary, our results reveal the relevance of the miR-30b-5p/CD73/PTEN/AKT/GSK3β /mTOR regulatory axis to migration and invasion in gastric cancer.
HIF-1α is Associated with Improved Survival in ARDS due to COVID-19: A Prospective Study
Authors: Sipahioglu Hilal , Koyuncu Sumeyra , Akalın Hilal , Karasu Nilgun , Sipahioğlu Murat , Eren Esma Eryılmaz , Onuk Sevda , Elay Gulseren , Saatci Cetin , Yüksel Recep Civan , Gundogan Kursat , Dundar Munis
Published: January 2024

Background
Acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) due to COVID-19 is accompanied by severe hypoxemia and hyperinflammation. Hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF) pathway plays a fundamental role in detecting hypoxia and developing appropriate responses. The epidemiological report claimed a lower rate of disease in the population living at high altitudes and hypothesized that adaptation to hypoxia might be advantageous for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study was designed to examine the frequency of polymorphisms in the HIF-1α and PHD2(prolyl hydroxylase domain 2) genes, which are involved in the adaptation to hypoxia, and the relationship of existing polymorphisms with survival in the ARDS clinic developed due to COVID-19.
Methods
The study included 297 patients who developed ARDS due to COVID-19 infection and were admitted to the tertiary intensive care unit. Age, gender, hospitalization diagnosis, arterial blood pressure, heart rate, APACHEII score, SOFA laboratory parameters during hospitalization, vasopressor, dialysis and mechanical ventilation need during treatment, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality status were recorded. DNA was isolated from the blood samples by spin colon method with the QIAamp DNA MiniKit (Cat.No.51106, QIAGEN, Germany).
Results
Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (C/T SNP [11549465]) genotypes. Frequencies were 71.13% for the homozygous CC genotype, 26.4% heterozygous CT genotype, and 2.36% for the homozygous TT genotype. Median age (p=0.631), APACHE II (p=0.205), and SOFA (p=0.077) scores were similar in all three groups. However, the need for dialysis, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor was less in the homozygous TT-genotype group than in the other groups (p<0.05). The mortality rate was also lower in this group compared to other groups (p<0.05). PND2 (C/T SNP [480902] and [516651]) polymorphism, clinical and laboratory features were similar in all groups. Moreover, 30-day mortality did not differ between the groups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we revealed polymorphism in HIF-lα and PHD2 genes in ARDS patients due to COVID-19. The rate of HIF-lα polymorphism was 26.4% heterozygous CT-genotype and 2.36% for homozygous TT-genotype. 30-day mortality and adverse outcome (dialysis, vasopressor use, MV need) were significantly lower in TT homozygous. However, none of the polymorphisms in the PHD2 genes affected mortality and adverse outcome.
Activities of the Oral Health Team in Primary Health Care: a time-motion study
Authors: Belotti Lorrayne , Maito Sofia , Vesga-Varela Andrea Liliana , de Almeida Leticia Yamawaka , Praça Maira Tamires da Silva , Haddad Ana Estela , Palacio Danielle da Costa , Bonfim Daiana
Published: January 2024

Background
Efficient planning of the oral health workforce in Primary Health Care (PHC) is paramount to ensure equitable community access to services. This requires a meticulous examination of the population's needs, strategic distribution of oral health professionals, and effective human resource management. In this context, the average time spent on care to meet the needs of users/families/communities is the central variable in healthcare professional sizing methods. However, many time measures are solely based on professional judgment or experience.
Objective
Calculate the average time parameters for the activities carried out by the oral health team in primary health care.
Method
This is a descriptive observational study using the time-motion method carried out in five Primary Health Care Units in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Direct and continuous observation of oral health team members occurred for 40 hours spread over five days of a typical work week.
Results
A total of 696.05 hours of observation were conducted with 12 Dentists, three Oral Health Assistants, and five Oral Health Technicians. The Dentists’ main activity was consultation with an average duration of 24.39 minutes, which took up 42.36% of their working time, followed by documentation with 12.15%. Oral Health Assistants spent 31.57% of their time on infection control, while Oral Health Technicians spent 22.37% on documentation.
Conclusion
The study establishes time standards for the activities performed by the dental care team and provides support for the application of sizing methods that allow for review and optimization of the work process and public personnel policies.
Causal effects of the gut microbiome on immune-related vasculitis: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Chen Si , Nie Rui , Wang Chao , Luan Haixia , Ma Xu , Gui Yuan , Zeng Xiaoli , Yuan Hui
Published: January 2024

Observational data suggest a link between gut microbiota and immune-related vasculitis, but causality remains unclear. A bidirectional mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted using public genome-wide data. The inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) method identified associations and addressed heterogeneity. Families Clostridiaceae 1 and Actinomycetaceae correlated positively with granulomatosis with polyangiitis risk, while classes Lentisphaeria and Melainabacteria, and families Lachnospiraceae and Streptococcaceae showed negative associations. Behçet's disease was positively associated with the risk of family Streptococcaceae abundance. And other several gut microbiota constituents were identified as potential risk factors for immune-related vasculitis. Furthermore, combining positive association results from the IVW analysis revealed numerous shared gut microbiota constituents associated with immune-related vasculitis. MR analysis demonstrated a causal association between the gut microbiota and immune-related vasculitis, offering valuable insights for subsequent mechanistic and clinical investigations into microbiota-mediated immune-related vasculitis.
Extending a Pretrained Language Model (BERT) using an Ontological Perspective to Classify Students’ Scientific Expertise Level from Written Responses
Authors: Wang Heqiao , Haudek Kevin C. , Manzanares Amanda D. , Romulo Chelsie L. , Royse Emily A.
Published: January 2024

The complex and interdisciplinary nature of scientific concepts presents formidable challenges for students in developing their knowledge-in-use skills. The utilization of computerized analysis for evaluating students’ contextualized constructed responses offers a potential avenue for educators to develop personalized and scalable interventions, thus supporting the teaching and learning of science consistent with contemporary calls. While prior research in artificial intelligence has demonstrated the effectiveness of algorithms, including Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), in tasks like automated classifications of constructed responses, these efforts have predominantly leaned towards text-level features, often overlooking the exploration of conceptual ideas embedded in students’ responses from a cognitive perspective. Despite BERT’s performance in downstream tasks, challenges may arise in domain-specific tasks, particularly in establishing knowledge connections between specialized and open domains. These challenges become pronounced in small-scale and imbalanced educational datasets, where the available information for fine-tuning is frequently inadequate to capture task-specific nuances and contextual details. The primary objective of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of a pretrained language model (BERT), when integrated with an ontological framework aligned with a contextualized science assessment, in classifying students’ expertise levels in scientific explanation. Our findings indicate that while pretrained language models such as BERT contribute to enhanced performance in language-related tasks within educational contexts, the incorporation of identifying domain-specific terms and extracting and substituting with their associated sibling terms in sentences through ontology-based systems can significantly improve classification model performance. Further, we qualitatively examined student responses and found that, as expected, the ontology framework identified and substituted key domain specific terms in student responses that led to more accurate predictive scores. The study explores the practical implementation of ontology in assessment evaluation to facilitate formative assessment and formulate instructional strategies.
Hypernetwork-Driven Centralized Contrastive Learning for Federated Graph Classification
Authors: Zhu Jianian , Li Yichen , Wang Haozhao , Qi Yining , Li Ruixuan
Published: January 2024

In the realm of Graph Federated Learning (GFL), current methodologies predominantly concentrate on local client data, a focus that often results in a constrained understanding of more expansive, global patterns. This approach typically struggles with Non-IID issues in cross-domain datasets, which impedes the identification of overarching patterns. Contrastive Learning (CL) has emerged as a potent method to improve model’s ability to differentiate between variations across diverse views. However, existing CL frameworks, which are primarily client-centric, fail to fully exploit this advantage. Our empirical findings reveal that the direct application of conventional CL techniques tends to induce homog-enization among clients, a phenomenon particularly pronounced in settings where client datasets exhibit high heterogeneity. To tackle this statistical heterogene-ity and harness inherent data variability, we propose a hypernetwork-based approach, termed CCL. This innovative, server-centric strategy, underpinned by a hypernetwork, adeptly navigates the core challenges associated with traditional client-centric models in the face of heterogeneous datasets. CCL excels in assimilating global patterns derived from multiple clients, effectively capturing a more diverse spectrum of patterns and, consequently, substantially boosting the overall performance of GFL. Our comprehensive experimental evaluations, encompassing supervised, unsupervised, and other harsh scenarios, distinctly affirm CCL’s superiority over prevailing models. Its remarkable compatibility with standard backbones, and the resulting significant enhancements in GFL performance across various contexts, further underscore its effectiveness.
Quantum Generative Modeling of Sequential Data with Trainable Token Embedding
Authors: Hou Wanda , Li Miao , You Yi-Zhuang
Published: January 2024

Generative models are a class of machine learning models that aim to learn the underlying probability distribution of data. Unlike discriminative models, generative models focus on capturing the data's inherent structure, allowing them to generate new samples that resemble the original data. To fully exploit the potential of modeling probability distributions using quantum physics, a quantum-inspired generative model known as the Born machines have shown great advancements in learning classical and quantum data over matrix product state(MPS) framework. The Born machines support tractable log-likelihood, autoregressive and mask sampling, and have shown outstanding performance in various unsupervised learning tasks. However, much of the current research has been centered on improving the expressive power of MPS, predominantly embedding each token directly by a corresponding tensor index. In this study, we generalize the embedding method into trainable quantum measurement operators that can be simultaneously honed with MPS. Our study indicated that combined with trainable embedding, Born machines can exhibit better performance and learn deeper correlations from the dataset.
Association of Serum miR-99a level and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Serum mTOR levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Zhang Yangyang , Zuo Yuqiong , Chen Qian , Cui Yaqiang , Bao Yanxia , Jiang Panpan , Liu Jing , Quan Jinxing , Liu Juxiang
Published: January 2024

Purpose
This study was designed with the goal of exploring miR-99a expression in T2DM patients suffering from comorbid NAFLD and clarifying the importance of miR-99a in this pathological context.
Methods
A total of 137 subjects were included in this study, including 50 T2DM patients with NAFLD (T2DM + NAFLD group),48 T2DM patients without NAFLD (T2DM group), and 39 healthy subjects (Control group). We measured the levels of IL-6, mTOR and SOD in the serum of the subjects by ELISA. The plasma miR-99a levels was detected by RT-PCR. The correlation between serum miR-99a level and other indicators was analyzed.
Results
Serum miR-99a levels (median 0.79 vs 0.16 vs 0.03, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the T2DM group than the healthy population and further decreased in the T2DM with NAFLD patients (P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, illness duration and BMI, spearman correlation analysis showed that TG, HBA1c, FPG, HOMA-IR, Hs-CRP, IL-6, HDL-C, mTOR(P < 0.05) remained independently linked with serum miR-99a. And stepwise linear regression analysis showed that HBA1c, IL-6 and mTOR are independent serum miR-99a correlation variables (P < 0.05). Moreover, the ROC results indicated that serum miR-99a has a high diagnostic value for T2DM with NAFLD. In conclusion, serum miR-99a may be utilized as a screening biomarker for T2DM with NAFLD.
Conclusions
These data highlight a potential role for miR-99a as a regulator of the comorbid incidence of T2DM and NAFLD, suggesting that measuring the levels of miR-99a can effectively predict the risk of NAFLD in those with T2DM.
Temperature-Driven Structural Evolution during Preparation of MCM-41 Mesoporous Materials
Authors: Xu Tao , Cui Kuixin , Jin Shengming
Published: January 2024

In this study, we explored the structural evolution of MCM-41 mesoporous silica synthesized using water glass as the silicon source under varying hydrothermal crystallization temperatures, with a particular focus on the changes in pore size and structural order. Our experimental results revealed that as the hydrothermal crystallization temperature escalates from 100℃ to 160℃, there is a notable expansion in the lattice structure of MCM-41, accompanied by an increase in pore size. This phenomenon is attributed to the increase in the diameter of the micelles constituting MCM-41, resulting in an expanded distance between the axes of the micelles, while maintaining a relatively stable structural order. However, a further increase in temperature of 180℃-200℃ leads to a loss of material order. This is primarily due to the excessively high temperatures preventing the micelles from maintaining their two-dimensional hexagonal stacking structure, rendering them ineffective as templates for silica condensation. Additionally, the alkaline high-temperature environment contributes to the disruption of the mesoporous channels, resulting in a disordered material structure. The insights gained from this study are crucial for understanding the structural transformation of MCM-41 materials under different hydrothermal conditions and offer a new perspective for controlling the pore size and structural order of mesoporous materials.
Joint design of timetabling and capacity for mixed transit system with autonomous and human-driven buses considering passengers’ acceptance
Authors: Zhou Xucheng , Liu Yundong , Zhao Xiaomei , Xie Dongfan
Published: January 2024

Human-driven buses (HBs) with fixed-capacity are difficult to adapt to time-varying demand, resulting in overcrowding and excessive operating cost. With the introduce of self-driving technology in public transit, autonomous buses (ABs) with flexible capacity are intended to alleviate this problem. In this paper, based on a mixed transit system (MTS) with ABs and HBs, a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is formulated for jointly optimizing timetabling and capacity, by taking into account time-varying demand and passenger acceptance of HBs and ABs. The objective function is to minimize the operating cost and passenger cost. Genetic algorithm is employed to solve the model. The results show that MTS, compared to HBs system, can reducing total cost by 10.57% during peak periods, increase the frequency by 29.73%, and improve full load factor by 7.45% during off-peak periods. The sensitivity analysis of passenger acceptance reveals that the total cost of MTS tends to decrease when the proportion of passengers who accept ABs increases.
Effect of Steamed Stauntonia hexaphylla fruit on RAW 264.7 osteoclast and MC3T3-E1 osteoblast differentiation
Authors: Akter Reshmi , Awais Muhammad , Morshed Md Niaj , Kim Jong Hak , Kong Byoung Man , Lee Dong Wook , Choi Sung Keun , Lee Chang Soon , Ahn Jong Chan , Yang Deok Chun
Published: January 2024

Stauntonia hexaphylla (SH), a medicinal plant in the Lardizabalaceae family, holds traditional significance in East Asian countries for its therapeutic properties, particularly in treating rheumatism. Steam processing is a common method employed to augment the therapeutic properties of SH, prompting the need for a detailed investigation into the chemical and biological changes induced by this process. Comparative analyses revealed significantly higher 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) content, total flavonoid and phenolic content, and antioxidant activity in steamed SH fruit (SHF) samples compared to unprocessed ones. Furthermore, the study explored the effects of steamed SHF extracts on bone health using an in vitro model simulating osteoclast in Raw 264.7 cells and osteoblasts in MC3T3E1 cells. Notably, steamed extracts demonstrated a dual effect on bone health by promoting alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium nodule, and collagen formation in osteoblasts, while inhibiting tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity in osteoclasts. Steamed SHF extracts were able to restore the aberrant gene expression of osteoclastogenesis indicators including TRAP, NFTAc1, RANK, MMP9, c-Fos and TRAF6. Additionally, the expression of the osteoblastogenesis biomarkers ALP, Runx2, BGLAP, Col1a1, and OPG were boosted by steaming to levels greater than those in the untreated control group, suggesting that steaming can be used to improve the properties of proteins. The component 5-HMF actively promotes ALP and inhibits TRAP activities. Hence, these results are expected to aid in confirming the efficacy of herbal medicines and identifying suitable materials for medicinal applications.
Recreational Physical Activity Online Decrease Obesity on School Children: A Pilot Study
Authors: Rodriguez-Triviño Claudia-Yaneth , Cerón Nidia-Cristina , Ramírez María-Camila , Zuluaga Juliana-Sofia , Méndez Miguel
Published: January 2024

Objective
To determine the effects of recreational physical activity mediated by technology on the body composition of six- to nine-year-old children. Childhood obesity is a public health problem associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and which was exacerbated during the COVID-19 lockdowns, given the restrictions on going to school and participating in group games, among others.
Methods
A quasi-experimental intervention study included 27 schoolchildren (12 boys and 15 girls) with an average age of 6 from an educational establishment during who received three 60-minute online sessions of recreational physical activity per week for 20 weeks.
Results
Medical tests were carried out prior to the intervention, which found that 13.3% of girls were overweight and 40% obese, while 6.7% of boys were overweight and 41.6% obese. After the interventions, there was an average weight reduction of 1.7 kg (p = 0.16), while there were also reductions in the proportion of the participants suffering from overweight and obesity, body fat percentage (0.9 percentage points; p = 0.4) and abdominal circumference (1.01 cm; p = 0.63).
Conclusion
The interventions mediated by technology had a positive impact on anthropometric measurements, promoting healthy practices and physical exercise during lockdown.
Protocol paper for the Vincular Project: a randomized controlled trial with changes in 24- hour movement behaviors targeting the reduce of depressive symptoms in adults
Authors: Bertuol Cecília , Alves Deborah Kazimoto , Duca Giovani Firpo Del
Published: January 2024

Background: A better understanding of how behavior change interventions work to reduce depressive symptoms, as well as their effects and potential mediators, is needed. This paper described the methods of the Vincular Project, an intervention based on Self-Determination Theory with changes in 24-hour movement behaviors to reduce depressive symptoms in Brazilian adults.
Methods: This is a randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trial with adults aged 20 to 59 years, of both sexes, with depressive symptoms. The sample was intentional and non-probabilistic and participants were allocated to a control group and an intervention group. The intervention was carried out twice a week, for 16 weeks and consisted of face-to-face and online meetings. The activities aimed to make participants more aware of their living and health conditions, exploring 24-hour movement behaviors, especially physical activity, and their relationships with depressive symptoms. The contents were different in each meeting and the activities were organized into four blocks, the first being contextualization, the second with general and specific guidelines on 24-hour movement behaviors, the third with opportunities to practice physical activity in different contexts and situations, and the fourth with strategies for maintaining healthy behaviors in the short and long term. Baseline (January 2022), post-intervention (May 2022), and maintenance (November 2022) evaluations included depressive symptoms as primary outcome, and 24-hour movement behaviors and basic psychological needs as secondary outcomes. The variables of autonomy, competence and relatedness were also tested as mediators related to the effectiveness of the intervention on depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), 24-hour movement behaviors by self-report and accelerometry, and basic psychological needs by the translated and adapted version of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES). To verify the effect of the intervention, per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses will be conducted using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). Structural Equation Models (SEMs) will be employed in the mediation analysis. Discussion:The results of this trial will involve valuable information about the effect of a behavioral intervention to reduce depressive symptoms carried out in a middle-income country.
Trial registration: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC): RBR-7466htj, April, 17 2023. Retrospectively registered.
Optimization a method based on headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry for the rapid and visual analyzation of flavor compounds interaction in Baijiu
Authors: Wang Guangnan , Liu Feifei , Cheng Huan , Zheng Fuping , Ye Xingqian , Sun Baoguo
Published: January 2024

The flavor of Baijiu is not only determined by the individual flavors of the compounds but also by the combination of them. The exploration of the interaction effects between flavor compounds remains in the nascent stages. In this study, a method based on headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry has been proposed to swiftly elucidate the interactions among flavor compounds in Baijiu. To optimize the critical factors influencing headspace generation, namely, incubation time, sample quantity, injection volume, and alcohol content, we employ a Box-Behnken design integrated with Response Surface Methodology. Model solutions were created with 13 common flavor compounds typically found in Baijiu and varying concentrations of lactic acid, allowing researchers to evaluate the intensity of the interaction between lactic acid and these compounds by comparing the concentration of flavor compounds in the presence of different levels of lactic acid. The findings revealed that lactic acid had a strong correlation with the majority of the flavor compounds, and the disparities among the model solutions with flavor compounds augmented as the lactic acid content rose. This research presents a novel analytical approach, offering rapid insights into the correlation between flavor components in Baijiu and other complex food matrices.
Outcome of robot-assisted surgery for stage IA endometrial cancer compared to open and laparoscopic surgeries: A retrospective study at a single institution
Authors: Ikebuchi AI , Komatsu Hiroaki , Yamamoto Koji , Okawa Masayo , Hikino Kohei , Iida Yuki , Hosokawa Masayo , Sawada Mayumi , Kudo Akiko , Sato Shinya , Harada Tasuku , Taniguchi Fuminori
Published: January 2024

Background
Few studies have compared the efficacy of robot-assisted, laparoscopic, and open surgeries for endometrial cancer. When considering the position of robotic surgery in Japan, it was necessary to determine whether it was effective or not. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of these three types of surgeries for early-stage endometrial cancer.
Methods
In total, 175 patients with endometrial cancer of preoperative stage IA, who had undergone laparotomic (n=80), laparoscopic (n=40), or robot-assisted (n=55) modified radical hysterectomy at our hospital from 2010 to 2022, were included; surgical outcomes, perioperative complications, and prognoses were compared. Total operative and console times for robot-assisted surgery between patients who did or did not undergo pelvic lymphadenectomy were assessed.
Results
The robot-assisted group had the shortest total operative time. The estimated blood loss was lower in the laparoscopic and robot-assisted groups than in the laparotomy group. In advanced postoperative stage IA cases, there were no differences in progression-free and overall survival among the three groups. In the robot-assisted group, the operative time decreased as the number of operations increased; the learning curve was reached after 10 cases each of patients with and without pelvic lymphadenectomy. The frequency of perioperative complications of Clavien–Dindo classification Grade 1 or higher was the lowest in the robot-assisted group (p=0.02). There were no complications of Clavien–Dindo classification Grade 2 or higher in the robot-assisted group.
Conclusion
Robot-assisted surgery for stage IA endometrial cancer, a minimally invasive procedure, has fewer operative times and complications than those of laparoscopic and open surgeries in a single institution in JAPAN.