bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polyphenylene carboxymethylene (PPCM), the active component of the topical contraceptive Yaso-GEL, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity againstNeisseria gonorrhoeaein preclinical studies
Authors: Pilligua-Lucas Michelle , Tkavc Rok , Bash Sarah K , North Barbara B , Weitzel Mary B , Jerse Ann E
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Polyphenylene carboxymethylene (PPCM) is a condensation polymer that has both contraceptive and antimicrobial activity against several sexually transmitted viruses including HIV, herpes simplex virus, Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2 in preclinical studies. PPCM, both as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and in a vaginal gel formulation (Yaso-GEL), has an excellent safety profile. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of PPCM againstNeisseria gonorrhoeaein vitro and in a gonorrhoea mouse model.

Methods

The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PPCM was determined against 11N. gonorrhoeaestrains by agar dilution and a microtitre plate-based method. In vivo efficacy was tested in a murine model ofN. gonorrhoeaegenital tract infection by applying Yaso-GEL, PPCM incorporated in 2.7% hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), or the HEC vehicle vaginally prior to challenge withN. gonorrhoeae. Vaginal swabs were quantitatively cultured over 5 days to assess efficacy.

Results

PPCM MIC againstN. gonorrhoeaeranged between 5–100 µg/mL (agar dilution) and 50–200 µg/mL (microtitre plate method). PPCM/HEC gel applied vaginally prior to bacterial challenge resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of infection. Yaso-GEL containing 4% PPCM prevented infection in 100% of mice. Incubation ofN. gonorrhoeaewith PPCM increased membrane permeability, suggesting PPCM directly compromisesN. gonorrhoeaeviability, which may be a mechanism by which PPCM inhibitsN. gonorrhoeaeinfection.

Conclusions

Yaso-GEL containing the API PPCM showed significant activity againstN. gonorrhoeaein vitro and in vivo in a female mouse model. These data support further development of Yaso-GEL as an inexpensive, non-hormonal and non-systemic product with both contraceptive and antimicrobial activity against gonorrhea and other common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Such multipurpose prevention technology products are needed by women in all economic, social and cultural circumstances to prevent unintended pregnancy and STIs.
Specialist palliative care out of hours telephone advice in Ireland: a national survey
Authors: Coffey Siobháin , Twomey Feargal , Callinan Joanne , O'Reilly Martina , Coffey Alice , Holmes Jacqueline , Lucey Michael
Published: May 2023

Objectives

In 2015 the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care identified access to specialist palliative care (SPC) advice out of hours (OOH) as their number one research priority. Receiving appropriate advice in response to palliative care needs OOH can address a patient/family’s concerns and prevent unnecessary hospital attendances.

The aim of this study was to describe the current model of SPC OOH advice in the units that run this service, and gain a greater understanding of the nature of calls received by these services.

Methods

A national online survey was sent to staff providing OOH advice to patients with SPC needs and a second survey was sent to the managers of the organisations within Ireland. Surveys were emailed with a link to managers of both inpatient and community services who provide SPC.

Results

78 clinical staff who provide OOH telephone advice responded to the survey and there were 23 responses to the managers’ survey. The most common type of call received was in relation to symptom management (97%); however, 73% of staff indicated that they had no specific training in giving OOH advice over the phone and furthermore 44% of respondents felt ill equipped and uncomfortable giving OOH advice for a number of reasons.

Conclusions

This survey has highlighted the need for support and training to the staff providing OOH SPC advice and that a set of standards to guide practice would be useful to this cohort of staff.
Effect of dry or temper rolling of high- or low-protein wheat and its impact on rumen parameters, growth performance, and liver abscesses in feedlot cattle
Authors: Meadows Amanda C. , Terry Stephanie A. , Penner Gregory B. , Hucl Pierre J. , McAllister Tim A. , Ribeiro Gabriel O.
Published: May 2023

This study assessed the impact of dry- (DR) versus temper-rolled (TR) and low- (13%, LP) versus high-protein (18%, HP) wheat on ruminal fermentation, growth, and liver abscesses in feedlot cattle. Crossbred Angus steers (302 ± 34 kg; n = 160; 24 ruminally cannulated) were used in a backgrounding (BG) to finishing (FN) trial. The BG diet consisted of 60% barley silage, 35% wheat, and 5% supplement, and the FN diet contained 10% barley silage, 85% wheat, and 5% supplement (dry matter basis). Four transition (TN) diets were used to adapt cattle to the FN diet. A numerical increase in large particles and reduction in small particles occurred when both HP and LP wheat were TR, with this response being greater for HP wheat. Steers experienced lower ( P ≤ 0.03) ruminal pH with HP-DR and LP-TR than HP-TR wheat during TN. Steers fed HP wheat BG diets tended to exhibit greater ( P ≤ 0.09) gain:feed and NEg than steers fed LP wheat. Greater ( P = 0.01) average daily gains were exhibited by FN steers fed LP wheat. Liver abscesses were more ( P < 0.001) severe with HP wheat. While HP wheat improved the growth of BG cattle, it increased the severity of liver abscesses during FN.
Hear π from quantum Galperin billiards
Authors: Cai Yin , Zhang Fu-Lin
Published: May 2023

Galperin introduced an interesting method to learn the digits of π by counting the collisions of two billiard balls and a hard wall. This paper studies two quantum versions of the Galperin billiards. It is shown that the digits of π can be observed in the phase shifts of the quantum models.
Broad histone H4 monomethylation marks expressed genes involved in translation
Authors: Fatemiyan Narges , Davie James R.
Published: May 2023

H4K20me1 (histone H4 monomethylated at lysine 20) generally has a broad distribution along genes and has been reported to be associated with expressed and repressed genes. In contrast, H3K4me3 (histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4) is positioned as a narrow peak at the 5′ end of most expressed genes in vertebrate cells. A small population of genes involved in cell identity has H3K4me3 distributed throughout the gene body. In this report, we show that H4K20me1 is associated with expressed genes in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer MCF7 cells and erythroleukemic K562 cells. Further, we identified the genes with the broadest H4K20me1 domains in these two cell types. The broad H4K20me1 domain marked gene bodies of expressed genes, but not the promoter or enhancer regions. The most significant GO term (biological processes) of these genes was cytoplasmic translation. There was little overlap between the genes marked with the broad H4K20me1 domain and those marked with H3K4me3. H4K20me1 and H3K79me2 distributions along expressed gene bodies were similar, suggesting a relationship between the enzymes catalyzing these histone modifications.
A Bayesian-network-based quantum procedure for failure risk analysis
Authors: Carrascal Gines , Botella Guillermo , del Barrio Alberto , Kremer David
Published: May 2023

Studying the propagation of failure probabilities in interconnected systems such as electrical distribution networks is traditionally performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, we propose a procedure for creating a model of the system on a quantum computer using a restricted representation of Bayesian networks. We present examples of this implementation on sample models using Qiskit and test them using both quantum simulators and IBM Quantum hardware. The results show a correlation in the precision of the results when considering the number of Monte Carlo iterations alongside the sum of shots in a single quantum circuit execution.
Investigation of nanofluid physical behavior inside porous container utilizing mathematical numerical method
Authors: Seyam Noha M.
Published: May 2023

The numerical method for modeling the behavior of nanofluid within the closed container in the presence of Lorentz force was dissected in this paper. The working fluid contains water and two shapes of nanoparticles. The porous geometry has one sinusoidal inner surface which faces constant heat flux. Influences of gravity and vertical Lorentz was complicated in modeling and momentum equations have been edited with adding related source terms. The precision of code was tested and respectable agreement has been obtained. The influences of loading nanomaterial and strength of two important forces (gravity and buoyancy) have been analyzed in the result section. Loading nanoparticles leads to a growth of Nu around 26.99% and 41.04% when [Formula: see text] and 15. Increasing buoyancy leads to augment of Nu about 44.34% and 1.46% in the absence and existence of Ha. Applying Lorentz force makes Nu to decrease about 40.39% when [Formula: see text].
Quantum Algorithm for Estimating Volumes of Convex Bodies
Authors: Chakrabarti Shouvanik , Childs Andrew M. , Hung Shih-Han , Li Tongyang , Wang Chunhao , Wu Xiaodi
Published: May 2023

Estimating the volume of a convex body is a central problem in convex geometry and can be viewed as a continuous version of counting. We present a quantum algorithm that estimates the volume of an
n
-dimensional convex body within multiplicative error ε using

Õ(n
3
+ n
2.5
/ε

) queries to a membership oracle and

Õ(n
5
+n
4.5
/ε)

additional arithmetic operations. For comparison, the best known classical algorithm uses

Õ(n
3.5
+n
3
/ε
2
)

queries and

Õ(n
5.5
+n
5
/ε
2
)

additional arithmetic operations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantum speedup for volume estimation. Our algorithm is based on a refined framework for speeding up simulated annealing algorithms that might be of independent interest. This framework applies in the setting of “Chebyshev cooling,” where the solution is expressed as a telescoping product of ratios, each having bounded variance. We develop several novel techniques when implementing our framework, including a theory of continuous-space quantum walks with rigorous bounds on discretization error. To complement our quantum algorithms, we also prove that volume estimation requires
Ω (√ n+1/ε)
quantum membership queries, which rules out the possibility of exponential quantum speedup in
n
and shows optimality of our algorithm in 1/ε up to poly-logarithmic factors.
UniLoc: Unified Fault Localization of Continuous Integration Failures
Authors: Hassan Foyzul , Meng Na , Wang Xiaoyin
Published: May 2023

Continuous integration (CI) practices encourage developers to frequently integrate code into a shared repository. Each integration is validated by automatic build and testing such that errors are revealed as early as possible. When CI failures or integration errors are reported, existing techniques are insufficient to automatically locate the root causes for two reasons. First, a CI failure may be triggered by faults in source code and/or build scripts, whereas current approaches consider only source code. Second, a tentative integration can fail because of build failures and/or test failures, whereas existing tools focus on test failures only. This article presents UniLoc, the first unified technique to localize faults in
both
source code and build scripts given a CI failure log, without assuming the failure’s location (source code or build scripts) and nature (a test failure or not). Adopting the information retrieval (IR) strategy, UniLoc locates buggy files by treating source code and build scripts as documents to search and by considering build logs as search queries. However, instead of naïvely applying an off-the-shelf IR technique to these software artifacts, for more accurate fault localization, UniLoc applies various domain-specific heuristics to optimize the search queries, search space, and ranking formulas. To evaluate UniLoc, we gathered 700 CI failure fixes in 72 open source projects that are built with Gradle. UniLoc could effectively locate bugs with the average mean reciprocal rank value as 0.49, mean average precision value as 0.36, and normalized discounted cumulative gain value as 0.54. UniLoc outperformed the state-of-the-art IR-based tool BLUiR and Locus. UniLoc has the potential to help developers diagnose root causes for CI failures more accurately and efficiently.
Towards a Better Tradeoff between Quality and Efficiency of Community Detection: An Inductive Embedding Method across Graphs
Authors: Qin Meng , Zhang Chaorui , Bai Bo , Zhang Gong , Yeung Dit-Yan
Published: May 2023

Many network applications can be formulated as NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems of community detection (CD) that partitions nodes of a graph into several groups with dense linkage. Most existing CD methods are
transductive
, which independently optimized their models for each single graph, and can only ensure either high quality or efficiency of CD by respectively using advanced machine learning techniques or fast heuristic approximation. In this study, we consider the CD task and aims to alleviate its NP-hard challenge. Motivated by the efficient
inductive
inference of graph neural networks (GNNs), we explore the possibility to achieve a better tradeoff between the quality and efficiency of CD via an
inductive
embedding scheme across multiple graphs of a system and propose a novel
inductive
community detection (ICD) method. Concretely, ICD first conducts the
offline
training of an adversarial dual GNN structure on historical graphs to capture key properties of a system. The trained model is then directly generalized to new graphs of the same system for
online
CD without additional optimization, where a better tradeoff between quality and efficiency can be achieved. Compared with existing
inductive
approaches, we develop a novel feature extraction module based on graph coarsening, which can efficiently extract informative feature inputs for GNNs. Moreover, our original designs of adversarial dual GNN and clustering regularization loss further enable ICD to capture permutation-invariant community labels in the
offline
training and help derive community-preserved embedding to support the high-quality
online
CD. Experiments on a set of benchmarks demonstrate that ICD can achieve a significant tradeoff between quality and efficiency over various baselines.
Review—Magneto-Electrochemical-based Biosensors Devices for Recognition of Tumour Vesicles from Blood Plasma
Authors: Bora Anusuiya , Sharma Rashi , Gupta Ishi , Singh Mahika , Mukherjea Nilabha , Bartaria Yuvraj Ranjan , Chadha Utkarsh , Bhardwaj Preetam , Latha Srinivasan , Chakravorty Arghya
Published: May 2023

Today, cancer is analyzed after it has metastasized throughout the body. This understanding demands earlier identification of cancer to enable better opportunities for a cure. Viable and well-defined strategies to discover cancer and clinical determination are the need of the hour. Biosensors are devices intended to recognize a particular natural analyte by recognizing an organic element (i.e., protein, DNA, RNA) to produce the signals as an electrical signature that can be distinguished and investigated. The utilization of biosensors in disease recognition and observation holds immense potential in diagnosis and treatment. Biosensors can detect cancer biomarkers and decide drug adequacy at different objective destinations. Innovations attributed to biosensors can give a quick and exact location, dependable imaging of cancer cells, observe angiogenesis and disease metastasis, and have the capacity to decide the adequacy of anticancer chemotherapy for specialists. This review briefly summarizes the growing utilization of magneto-electrochemical biosensors as indicative devices and some of its future uses of biosensor innovation.
Flow Cell for Simultaneous In Situ Analysis of Local Electrolyte Distribution and Porous Morphology within the Negative Electrode in a Lead-Acid Battery
Authors: Stone Chad W. , Hollenkamp Anthony F. , Mahon Peter J. , Newnham Russell H.
Published: May 2023

While lead-acid is without doubt the oldest battery technology still in use and despite continuous research over many years, mystery still surrounds certain key aspects of its operation. A complex relationship exists between the characteristics of the electrolyte and those of the solid lead sulfate that is alternately deposited and removed during discharge-charge. A premature mode of failure is the often-cited “plate sulfation” that affects the negative electrode and this was investigated by forcing electrolyte flow through the electrode to probe structural changes. A new design of Flow cell that measures flow through the porous electrode has been developed. Under forced electrolyte flow, the discharge capacity and recharge efficiency both increased significantly confirming that local sulfuric acid concentration has a strong effect. Also contributing to decreased electrolyte flow was the production of hydrogen gas during charging, which may make this technique useful in studies of fast-charging. Beyond this, the Flow cell can be used to investigate types of duty where the deposition of lead sulfate triggers catastrophic loss of performance. The ability to monitor electrolyte flow accurately provides an important additional operating parameter that will help characterize modes of electrode failure that until now have remained opaque.
Electrochemically Non-Enzymatic Urea Estimation in Human Dialysate Waste Using Indirect NiOOH-Urea Oxidation
Authors: Janyasupab Metini , Asavakijthananont Narawee , Chanlek Narong , Chio-Srichan Sirinart , Zhang Yuan , Surareungchai Werasak , Sommani Piyanart
Published: May 2023

Non-enzymatic urea detection in human dialysate offers a sustainable and spontaneous platform for advanced analysis and monitoring. This study investigated urea estimation in dialysate by using an indirect urea oxidation of nickel on nitrogen doped carbon with an incorporation of surface roughness (Rf) and double layer current (Idl). Fascinatingly, the second oxidation peak on (reverse) cathodic scan at 0.42 V vs Ag/AgCl in cyclic voltammetry and the first peak of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) after background subtraction were evidenced to the exploited NiOOH binding with urea, concurrently with the regeneration of Ni(OH)2. In presence of more urea, the decreasing trends of the oxidation peaks in both techniques were observed and capable of determining urea concentrations in human dialysate. In consideration of actual reaction current, the measured total current after background subtraction in fresh simulated dialysate provides the sensitivity of −5.136 × 10−5 A.mM−1 (R2 = 0.998) and limit of detection of 60.2 μM in 1–5 mM linear range. For validation in patients’ dialysate, the total current peak was normalized by Rf and subtracted from Idl, resulting in excellent urea estimation with recovery percentage between 99.18 and 102.68 in comparison to that of clinical standard, offering future prognostic monitoring and wearable artificial kidney.
YSZ-based NO2 Mixed Potentiometric Sensor with Three-Dimensional Ordered Porous Structure
Authors: Sun Hongqian , Li Yunpeng , Zhang Zhiyu , Song Jing , Tian Liangliang , Cheng Zhenqian , Zhou Mingjun , Qi Tao
Published: May 2023

This study presents the preparation of a nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas sensor based on yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) using a hard-template method and evaporation self-assembly technology. The sensing electrode employed is nickel oxide, and the sensor exhibits an efficient three-phase boundary. The study systematically investigates the effects of changing the three-phase reaction boundary on the gas-sensing performance of the sensor. A three-dimensional (3D) ordered macroporous (3DOM) structure was deposited on a YSZ substrate using the hard template method to obtain an efficient three-phase boundary. At 450 °C and 100 ppm NO2, the response value of the sensor with a 3D-ordered porous structure was 38.71 mV, which is 1.91 times the response value observed for the untreated YSZ-based sensor (20.3 mV), and the sensitivity significantly improved. In addition, a sensor with a 3D-ordered structure exhibits good 2 selectivity, and long-term stability. The improvement in the sensitivity of the sensor can be attributed to an increase in the area of the three-phase reaction boundary and an increase in the number of active sites in the electrochemical reaction.
Metal-Assisted Etching of n-Type and p-Type Silicon Using Patterned Platinum Films: Spatial Distribution of Mesoporous Layer and Open Circuit Potential of Silicon
Authors: Matsumoto Ayumu , Nishinaka Rin , Shimada Yuki , Furukawa Kyohei , Azuma Kyohei , Yae Shinji
Published: May 2023

Platinum (Pt) is one of the interesting catalysts in metal-assisted etching (metal-assisted chemical etching) of silicon (Si). The Pt-assisted etching induces not only the dissolution of Si under the Pt catalysts but also the formation of mesoporous layer on the Si surface away from them. In this work, we etched n-Si and p-Si by using patterned Pt films with a diameter of 5 μm and an interval of 50 μm. For both the cases, the Si surface under the Pt catalysts was selectively etched and macropores with a diameter of 5 μm were formed. The macropores formed on n-Si were deeper than those formed on p-Si. The mesoporous layer was observed only around the macropores on n-Si, while it was observed over the entire surface of p-Si. We also measured the open circuit potential of Si in the etching solution. The positive shift of potential of n-Si by the Pt deposition was smaller than that of p-Si except for the initial stage of etching, which can be explained by the polarization characteristics. We discussed the etching behavior of n-Si and p-Si on the basis of the results of structure observation and electrochemical measurements.
A Novel Measurement Method for the Self-Discharge of Lithium-Ion Cells Employing an Equivalent Resistance Model
Authors: Xu Bin , Tu Yan , Li Jinhua , Zhang Bo , Zhang Wei , Liu Kai
Published: May 2023

Self-discharge is an important indicator to evaluate the quality of lithium-ion cells. This paper proposes a novel method to quickly measure the self-discharge of lithium-ion cells. A self-discharge equivalent model is developed for analyzing self-discharge measurement requirements. The load capacitance in the model is obtained by using the characteristic curve of open circuit voltage and state of charge. Based on the relationship between the weak current and time of the cell in the charging state, the self-discharge resistance is quickly determined. The corresponding measurement process is introduced. The first experiment preliminarily verifies the plausibility of the load capacitance measurement method proposed in this paper. The second experiment uses this new method to investigate the self-discharge dependence of state-of-charge and further analyzes the influence of load capacitance accuracy on measurement. In order to verify the efficiency and accuracy of the new method, a comparison experiment is conducted by three typical methods and the new method. The results show that this new method is useful; the difference between the results is acceptable while the required measurement time is shortened to less than 6 h.
Human endogenous retroviruses: our genomic fossils and companions
Authors: Stein Richard A. , DePaola Rosalie V.
Published: May 2023

Approximately 8% of the human genome, over four times more than its protein-coding regions, comprises sequences of viral origin that are known as human endogenous retroviral elements (HERVs). Present in the genome of all human cells, HERVs resulted from the integration of now-extinct exogenous retroviruses into mammalian ancestor germ cells or their precursors on several occasions, sometimes as long as tens of millions of years ago. Most HERVs have become silenced because of mutations such as substitutions, insertions, or deletions, and as a result of epigenetic changes, and are vertically transmitted in the population. Considered for a long time to be part of the “junk DNA,” HERVs were shown, in more recent years, to perform critical functions in the host. Two of the very few HERVs known to encode functional proteins, syncytin-1 and syncytin-2, are critical during embryogenesis, when they contribute to the formation of the placenta and facilitate tolerance of the maternal immune system toward the developing fetus. Homologs of syncytin-encoding genes were described in several other species, and it appears that during evolution they were stably endogenized into the respective genomes on multiple occasions and became co-opted for critical physiological functions. The aberrant expression of HERVs has been linked to conditions that include infectious, autoimmune, malignant, and neurological diseases. HERVs, our genomic fossils and storytellers, provide a fascinating and somewhat mysterious insight into our co-evolution with viruses, and will undoubtedly offer many teachings, surprises, and paradigm changes for years to come.
Effect of Varied Cashew Nut Ash Reinforcement in Aluminum Matrix Composite
Authors: Abshalomu Yallamati , Jyothi Y. , Balamurugan K. , Selvaraj Rabin
Published: May 2023

In the present article, cashew nut biocarbon (CTB), an agricultural waste, is used as reinforcement in Al6061 by the heating process. The primary XRD study on CTB confirms the presence of SiO2, Al2O3, iron-rich ferro-axinite, MgO, and Mn, which improve the material’s properties when used as reinforcement. SiO2 levels increase with annealing time. The extracted CTB is crushed into a ball mill for 24 hours, and the particle size is measured by SEM as 70–90 nm. An experimental study was performed with a variable percent weight of CTB with an increase of 5%–20% for structural stability applications. X-ray analysis tests the composite’s elemental composition and intermetallic elements. It confirms that no such evidence exists. CTB’s density, tensile, flexural, and impact tests measure CTB’s impact. CTB has the lowest density variation and increases tensile and flexion bearing capacity by 30% and 47%, respectively. The lightweight brittle increment is impact-resistant. SEM fracture analysis shows transgranular and intergranular fractures with dimples, large craters, and peak areas.
Association of Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection with Pro-Inflamatory Cytokine Interleukin (IL)-12 Responses in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients of Bangladesh
Authors: Ashraf Tamanna , Sarker Pankaj Kumar , Hosen Md. Ismail , Rahman Atiqur , Hasan A. K. M. Mahbub , Rahman Taibur
Published: May 2023

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis in around one-third of the world population, particularly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most severe global health challenges in the 21st century, and especially, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for 90% of the diabetes cases diagnosed globally. In Bangladesh, the rate of T2DM is rising gradually with the improvement in living standards. The aim of this study is to find out the correlation between latent toxoplasmosis and T2DM, emphasizing the pro-inflammatory cytokine immunity. For this, 100 (

N
=
100

) patients with T2DM and 100 (

N
=
100

) healthy controls were enrolled to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, ELISA was also performed to determine the level of pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-12, to understand its role in the development of toxoplasmosis. In our study, 39.39% of the T2DM patients were positive with anti-T. gondii Immunoglobulin G by ELISA, whereas the rate of seropositivity in healthy controls was 39.73%. We did not find significant association between T. gondii infection and T2DM, but our data confirmed a high prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis in Bangladeshi population. From hematology tests, it was found that the T2DM patients had significantly lower levels of total white blood cells (

P
=
0.0015

), circulating eosinophils (

P
=
0.0026

), and neutrophils (

P
=
0.0128

) than the healthy controls. On the other hand, the levels of lymphocytes (

P
=
0.0204

) and monocytes (

P
=
0.0067

) were significantly higher in patients. Furthermore, T. gondii infected T2DM patients had significantly higher levels of IL-12 than the healthy controls (

P
=
0.026

), suggesting a link between parasitic infection and IL-12 secretion. Further studies are to be performed to find out the exact cause of high prevalence of chronic T. gondii infection in Bangladeshi population.
Stability Conditions for a Nonlinear Time Series Model
Authors: Youns Anas S. , Ahmad Salim M.
Published: May 2023

This research aims to determine whether the proposed time series model is stable or not. To achieve this, Ozaki’s approximation method was utilized, where the nonlinear part is a function that approaches zero, similar to Ozaki’s imposed function. The study produced examples of both stable and unstable models, and it was discovered that the stability and instability of the model are affected by the enforced optional constants. The researchers used the approximation method to obtain an asymptotic linear model that satisfied the singular point of the proposed model. The study first identified the singular points of the suggested model and then focused on determining the stability conditions, which was the main objective of the study. Last, the stability conditions of the limit cycle were established.
The Research on Obtaining the Geometric Dimension of Cable-Stayed Bridges Based on 3D Laser Scanning
Authors: Jiang Zhigang , Chen Lihang , Liang Dong
Published: May 2023

The traditional manual measurement methods are time-consuming and error-prone when they are used for cable-stayed bridges’ geometric dimensions acquisition. They are always limited by various adverse conditions such as large bridge spans, the high height of bridge towers, more risk of manual operation, and many other unpredictable factors. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning technology is extremely useful for solving the above problems. After obtaining plenty of point cloud data and point cloud models, precise and accurate geometric dimensions of cable-stayed bridges can be obtained accurately and conveniently. Taking a cable-stayed bridge named XingLinBao as an example, the accuracy and convenience of 3D laser scanning are verified.
Estimation of Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Blood Infections among Patients Admitted at a Tertiary Hospital in Oman over a Period of Five Years: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: El-Beeli Marah , Al-Farsi Yahya , Balkhair Abdullah , Al-Muharrmi Zakariya , Al-Jabri Mansoor , Al-Adawi Samir
Published: May 2023

Background. Data from developed/developed countries have shown that hospital-acquired blood infections (HA-BSIs) are one of the most severe nosocomial infections and constitute 20%–60% of hospitalization-related deaths. Despite the high morbidity and mortality rates and the enormous burden of health care costs associated with HA-BSIs, to our knowledge, there are few published reports on HA-BSI prevalence estimates in Arab countries, including Oman. Objectives. This study aims to explore the HA-BSI prevalence estimates over selected sociodemographic characteristics among admitted patients at a tertiary hospital in Oman over five years of follow-up. The regional variations in Oman were also examined in this study. Methods. This hospital-based cross-sectional study reviewed reports of hospital admissions over 5 years of retrospective follow-ups at a tertiary hospital in Oman. HA-BSI prevalence estimates were calculated over age, gender, governorate, and follow-up time. Results. In total, 1,246 HA-BSI cases were enumerated among a total of 139,683 admissions, yielding an overall HA-BSI prevalence estimate of 8.9 cases per 1000 admissions (95% CI: 8.4, 9.4). HA-BSI prevalence was higher among males compared to females (9.3 vs. 8.5). HA-BSI prevalence started as relatively high in the group aged 15 years or less (10.0; 95% CI 9.0, 11.2) and then declined as age increased from 36 to 45 years (7.0; 95% CI 5.9, 8.3) when it started to increase steadily with increasing age in the group aged 76 or more (9.9; 95% CI 8.1, 12.1). The governorate-specific estimate of HA-BSI prevalence was the highest among admitted patients who resided in Dhofar governorate, while the lowest estimate was reported from the Buraimi governorate (5.3). Conclusion. The study provides supportive evidence for a steady increase in HA-BSI prevalence over age categories and years of follow-up. The study calls for the timely formulation and adoption of national HA-BSI screening and management programs centered on surveillance systems based on real-time analytics and machine learning.
Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Causing Priapism
Authors: Shankar Vinay Hanyalu , Adithya-Sateesh Bharadwaj , Gousy Nicole , Ayele Girma , Petursson Freyr , Atalay Rediet , Michael Miriam
Published: May 2023

Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) is an autosomal recessive defect of the enzyme pyruvate kinase (PK) which is involved in catalyzing a reaction that produces ATP in the glycolytic pathway. It is the most common defect of the glycolytic pathway associated with congenital anemia. Patients usually present with signs of chronic hemolytic anemia such as hyperbilirubinemia, splenomegaly, reticulocytosis, and gallstones; the presentation can vary by age. Diagnosis is usually made by demonstration of decreased PK enzymatic activity in a spectrophotometric assay and on the detection of mutations in the PK-LR gene. Management strategies vary from full splenectomies to hematopoietic stem cell transplants with gene therapies with transfusions and administration of PK-activators coming in between. Thromboembolic complications do occur in patients with splenectomy, but there are not much data regarding this for patients with PKD. We present a case of a patient with PKD who demonstrated priapism to be a thromboembolic complication. This differs greatly as priapism has been frequently reported in patients with other chronic hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and G6PD with and without splenectomy. While it is still unclear how splenectomies can result in thrombotic events in PKD, there does appear to be a correlation between splenectomies with resultant thrombocytosis with increased platelet adhesion.
SLC2A9 Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Elevated Serum Uric Acid Caused by Pyrazinamide
Authors: Dai Yuyang , Wang Yunyun , Wu Wanfeng , Guo Shaojie , Zhao Xiuli
Published: May 2023

What Is Known and Objective. Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) is one of the most common adverse reactions during the administration of pyrazinamide, but patients exhibit significant individual differences. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between gene polymorphisms and pyrazinamide-induced SUA elevation in Han Chinese tuberculosis patients. Methods. Tuberculosis patients treated with pyrazinamide were genotyped for the following three candidate genes: SLC22A12, SLC2A9, and ABCG2. Patients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups according to the change of SUA after treatment. Intergroup comparisons were performed on clinical characteristics, allele and genotype frequencies, and haplotype distributions, and logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relevant risk factors. Results. In total, 143 patients were enrolled, including 83 in the high-risk groups and 60 in the low-risk groups. We observed a significant association between SLC2A9 polymorphism and pyrazinamide-induced SUA elevation. The G allele was significantly lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (27.7% vs. 48.3%, OR = 0.410, 95% CI: 0.250–0.671,

p
<
0.001

). Patients with the GA and GG genotypes were less likely to have SUA elevation than those with the AA genotype (OR = 0.125, 95% CI: 0.053–0.293,

p
<
0.001

and OR = 0.252, 95% CI: 0.074–0.851,

p
=
0.026

, respectively). Regarding SLC2A9 rs13129697, the frequency of the G allele was significantly lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (26.1% vs. 40.8%, OR = 0.531, 95% CI: 0.312–0.842,

p
=
0.008

). In the low-risk group, the proportion of patients with the TG genotype was significantly higher than that with the TT genotype (81.7% vs. 18.3%, OR = 0.279, 95% CI: 0.127–0.611,

p
=
0.001

). Haplotype analysis revealed that patients with the SLC2A9 (rs1014290–rs13129697) GG haplotype had lower risk of SUA elevation than those with the AT haplotype (27.11% vs. 63.25%,

p
=
0.005

). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis showed that drinking history was an independent risk factor for elevated SUA caused by PZA (OR = 3.943, 95% CI = 1.18–13.175,

p
=
0.026

) and that the rs1014290 GA genotype might be a protective factor (OR = 0.094, 95% CI = 0.023–0.386,

p
=
0.001

) after correction. What Is New and Conclusion. We found that SLC2A9 genetic polymorphisms were associated with elevated SUA caused by pyrazinamide. The G>A variant of rs1014290 and drinking history might be risk factors.
Nuclear Protein 1 Expression Is Associated with PPARG in Bladder Transitional Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lu Chao , Gao Shenglin , Zhang Li , Shi Xiaokai , Chen Yin , Wei Shuzhang , Zuo Li , Zhang Lifeng
Published: May 2023

Background. The Nuclear protein 1 gene was first discovered in acute pancreatitis and functions as an oncogene in cancer progression and drug resistance. However, the role of Nuclear protein 1 in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC) is still unclear. Methods. The Cancer Genome Atlas database and immunohistochemical analysis were adopted to evaluate Nuclear protein 1 expression in BTCC. We applied lentivirus-mediated small-interfering RNA to down-regulate the expression of Nuclear protein 1 in BTCC cell lines. We further performed an Affymetrix microarray and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to assess the genes and signaling pathways related to Nuclear protein 1. Results. We found that Nuclear protein 1 expression was up-regulated in BTCC and positively related to the degree of BTCC malignancy. Compared with Caucasian patients with BTCC, Nuclear protein 1 expression was attenuated in Asian patients. The Affymetrix microarray showed that lipopolysaccharide was the upstream regulatory factor of Nuclear protein 1 in BTCC. The GSEA indicated that Nuclear protein 1 expression was associated with signaling pathways in cancer, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathways, and RNA degradation. The expression of Nuclear protein 1 was negatively correlated with PPARG (

R
=
−
0.290

,

P
<
0.001

), but not with PPARA (

R
=
0.047

,

P
=
0.344

) and PPARD (

R
=
−
0.055

,

P
=
0.260

). Conclusions. The study findings indicate that Nuclear protein 1 is positively associated with the malignancy degree of BTCC and that Nuclear protein 1 expression is negatively correlated with PPARG.
Photon and Neutron Production as In Situ Diagnostics of Proton-Boron Fusion
Authors: Hegelich B. M. , Labun L. , Labun O. Z. , Mehlhorn T. A. , Batani Dimitri
Published: May 2023

Short-pulse, ultrahigh-intensity lasers have opened new regimes for studying fusion plasmas and creating novel ultrashort ion beams and neutron sources. Diagnosing the plasma in these experiments is important for optimizing the fusion yield but difficult due to the picosecond time scales, 10 s of micron-cubed volumes, and high densities. We propose to use the yields of photons and neutrons produced by parallel reactions involving the same reactants to diagnose the plasma conditions and predict the yields of specific reactions of interest. In this work, we focus on verifying the yield of the high-interest aneutronic proton-boron fusion reaction <mml:math xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:mnf="http://cambridge.org/core/manifest" xmlns:cup="http://contentservices.cambridge.org" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:m="http://cambridge.org/core/metadata" xmlns:core="http://cambridge.org/core" xmlns:c="http://cambridge.org/core/content" id="M1">11Bp,2α4He, which is difficult to measure directly due to the short stopping range of the produced αs in most materials. We identify promising photon-producing reactions for this purpose and compute the ratios of the photon yield to the α yield as a function of plasma parameters. In beam-fusion experiments, the 11C yield is an easily-measurable observable to verify the α yield. In light of our results, improving and extending measurements of the cross-sections for these parallel reactions are important steps to gain greater control over these laser-driven fusion plasmas.
Position Vectors of the Natural Mate and Conjugate of a Space Curve
Authors: Alghanemi Azeb , Khan Meraj Ali
Published: May 2023

The concept of the natural mate and the conjugate curves associated to a smooth curve in Euclidian 3-space were introduced initially by Dashmukh and others. In this paper, we give some extra results that add more properties of the natural mate and the conjugate curves associated with a smooth space curve in

E

3

. The position vectors of the natural mate and the conjugate of a given smooth curve are investigated. Also, using the position vector of the natural mate, the necessary and sufficient condition for a smooth given curve to be a Bertrand curve is introduced. Moreover, a new characterization of a general helix is introduced.
Simulation Analysis of Electromagnetic‐Fluid‐Temperature Field in Cable Shafts of High‐Rise Buildings
Authors: Qu Bo , Li Xin , Xiang Xing-yao , Wu Shao-wei , Li Kai , Li Xin , Zheng Zhi-cong
Published: May 2023

High‐rise building fires can be characterized by a rapid spreading and are challenging to extinguish. The chimney effect of cable shafts in high‐rise buildings will greatly increase the spread speed of fire and smoke, and will also make it harder to put out fires. Therefore, fire‐blocking materials or fire protection measures are usually used in cable shafts to slow down or even block the spread of fire. Currently, most of the research focuses on the fire performance of fire protection materials, and there are relatively few studies on the impact of fire‐blocking materials on the operation state of cables. Based on the theories of electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics, the paper establishes a multiphysics simulation model of a double‐layer cable shaft. Then, the electromagnetic‐fluid‐temperature distribution in the cable shaft under rated operating conditions is analyzed, and the influence of the fire‐blocking material is discussed. The simulation results show that the firestop material will affect the heat dissipation of the cable, which causes the hot‐spot temperature of the cable to slightly increase by 1 to 2°C, and the relative growth rate of its hot‐spot temperature rise is close to 6.83%.
Probiotics for Preventing Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Meta-Analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis
Authors: Zhang Yang , Xu Qiong , Zhang Feng , Sun Chunlei
Published: May 2023

What is Known and Objective. The role of probiotics, especially the different genera of probiotics, in managing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis (TSA) to determine the efficacy and safety of probiotics for preventing NEC. Methods. Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, WorldCat, TROVE, DART-Europe, and CBM were searched from inception to May 2022. Two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4, and TSA was conducted using TSA 0.9 beta. Results and Discussion. Fifty-five studies involving 12897 newborns were eligible. The use of probiotics for preventing NEC reduced the incidence of NEC (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.57, and

P

 < 0.05) and sepsis (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.94, and

P

 < 0.05), the risk of mortality (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.84, and

P

 < 0.05), and shortened the average days of hospitalization (MD −3.12, 95% CI −4.98 to −1.26, and

P

 < 0.05). However, subgroup analysis revealed that different genera of probiotics gave rise to different outcomes. In addition, TSA indicated that the cumulative z-curve crossed the traditional and trial sequential monitoring boundaries for benefit, providing firm evidence that multiple strains and Lactobacillus species of probiotics decreased the incidence of NEC. However, the current evidence was inconclusive for Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces species. What is New and Conclusions. Probiotics are effective in preventing NEC and sepsis and could provide added benefits, including decreasing mortality and the number of days of hospitalization. However, considering the heterogeneity of probiotics regimens and the risk of selective reporting of RCTs, more high-quality clinical trials targeting different genera of probiotics with suitable doses and timing to prophylactic use of probiotics are needed to avoid overestimating the role of probiotics in preterm infants.
A Nonparametric Bayesian Approach for Bridge Reliability Assessment Using Structural Health Monitoring Data
Authors: Chen Ran , Ni Yi-Qing
Published: May 2023

Integrating structural health monitoring (SHM) data into reliability assessment has increasingly been practiced in the condition evaluation of in-service bridges over the past decade. The selection of probability distribution models for load- and resistance-related random variables is a prerequisite for monitoring-based reliability assessment. However, the underlying probabilistic assumptions of the used models could be restrictive and unverifiable especially when dealing with real-world heterogeneous monitoring data, weakening the confidence on the estimated reliability index. This study aims to develop a nonparametric Bayesian model with the Dirichlet process prior for bridge reliability assessment, where the model order constraint can be released such that the complexity of the model adapts to the observed data. Reliability analysis via the nonparametric Bayesian model allows the aleatory uncertainty and the epistemic uncertainty arising from monitoring data to be concurrently accounted for in the formulated reliability index. A numerical example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the nonparametric Bayesian model for dealing with multimodal data. The feasibility of the proposed approach for reliability assessment is then demonstrated with one-year strain monitoring data acquired from a large-scale bridge instrumented with the SHM system.