bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The importance of intravenous glucose tolerance test glucose stimulus for the evaluation of insulin secretion
Authors: Godsland Ian F. , Johnston Desmond G. , Alberti KGMM , Oliver Nick
Published: March 2024

For 100 years, the Intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) has been used extensively in researching the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus and AIRg—the IVGTT-induced acute insulin response to the rapid rise in circulating glucose—is a key measure of insulin secretory capacity. For an effective evaluation of AIRg, IVGTT glucose loading should be adjusted for glucose distribution volume (gVOL) to provide an invariant, trend-free immediate rise in circulating glucose (ΔG0). Body weight-based glucose loads have been widely used but whether these achieve a trend-free ΔG0 does not appear to have been investigated. By analysing variation in AIRg, ΔG0 and gVOL with a range of IVGTT loads, both observed and simulated, we explored the hypothesis that there would be an optimum anthropometry-based IVGTT load calculation that, by achieving a trend-free ΔG0, would not compromise evaluation of AIRg as an index of beta cell function. Data derived from patient and research volunteer records for 3806 IVGTT glucose and insulin profiles. Among the non-obese, as gVOL rose, weight increased disproportionately rapidly. Consequently, the IVGTT glucose load needed for an invariant ΔG0 was progressively overestimated, accounting for 47% of variation in AIRg. Among the obese, ΔG0 was trend-free yet AIRg increased by 11.6% per unit body mass index, consistent with a more proportionate increase in weight with gVOL and a hyperinsulinaemic adaptation to adiposity-associated insulin resistance. Simulations further confirmed our hypothesis by demonstrating that a body surface area-based IVGTT load calculation could provide for a more generally invariant IVGTT ΔG0.
Composition and antimicrobial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Artemisia monosperma L. leaf essential oils and methanolic extracts from plants grown in normal and saline habitats in Egypt
Authors: Soliman Marwa Mohamed , Elsaba Yasmin Mohamed , Soliman M. S. A. , Ahmed Eman Zakaria
Published: March 2024

The present work aimed to investigate the effect of salinity in natural habitats in Egypt on the main secondary metabolites of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Artemisia monosperma L. plants compared to plants grown at normal conditions. Plants grown under salinity were collected from Egyptian Western Coastal region habitats irrigated with underground water. Results showed that salinity increased the essential oil percentage of R. officinalis L. by 52.7% and A. monosperma L by 0.29% in addition to the total phenolics and flavonoids content in dry leaves compared to control plants. GC/MS analysis of rosemary essential oils revealed that salinity decreased the amount of some major oil monoterpenes component as verbenone, with a slight effect on 1,8 cineole and increased Camphor, endo- Boreneol, and linalool in addition to the appearance of new specific components such as Chrysanthenone monoterpene ketone and Caryophyllene sesquiterpene, while, in the case of Artemisia, the GC/MS showed that Artemisia ketone, Camphor, β -phellandrene monoterpenes andα-Bisabolol sesquiterpenewere the major oil components; salinity decreased Camphor and β -phellandrene content and increased artemisia ketone and α-Bisabolol oil content. About 11 new oil constituents were detected such as ( +)-2-Bornanone and Sesquisabinene hydrate. Mineral ions (N, K+, Ca+2, P, and Mg+2) uptake by R. officinalis and A. monosperma decreased in plants grown under salinity, while Na content increased compared to corresponding controls. Results demonstrated that both plants could tolerate the high salinity level in natural Western Coastal region soil which promoted more production of valuable secondary metabolites. The antimicrobial effect of R. officinalis L. and A. monosperma L. leaf methanolic extracts, results showed that R. officinalis extracts had an inhibitory response against all tested gram-positive and negative bacteria, in addition to the yeast (Candida albicans), whereas there was no any inhibitory effect concerning A. monosperma L extract on the tested species.
A retrospective study evaluating the influence of Class III correction appliances on the sagittal pharyngeal airway dimension
Authors: Eid Farah Y. , Abbas Bassant A. , Elfouly Dina A. , Madian Ahmed M.
Published: March 2024

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Class III correction appliances including the Facemask (FM), and the new non-compliance fixed functional appliances such as the Reversed Forsus Fatigue Resistant Device (FRD), as well as the CS-2000 (CS), on the sagittal pharyngeal airway dimension (SPAD). Pre-treatment and post-treatment lateral cephalograms of 45 patients who underwent Class III appliance treatment, using either FM, Reversed FRD, or CS were collected from the files of treated patients. SPAD changes were evaluated in each group, and comparisons were conducted between the three study groups. Additionally, sagittal and vertical skeletal measurements were conducted. The FM, the Reversed FRD, and the CS, were found to generate a significant increase in the SPAD, with the Reversed FRD contributing to the most significant change at the OPAA (116.80 ± 26.36 mm2). All three appliances elicited significant antero-posterior changes in the SNA°, SNB°, and ANB°, also with the greatest intermaxillary change documented with the employment of the Reversed FRD (ANB° = 3.33 ± 0.82°). As for the vertical dimension, the FM, the Reversed FRD, and the CS elicited significant FMA° increases, with the greatest change attributed to the FM (FMA° = 2.32 ± 0.97°). Therefore, the three tested Class III corrective appliances generated significant SPAD, antero-posterior, and vertical changes. However, the Revered FRD showed a superior impact in increasing the SPAD at the OPAA level and in eliciting significant intermaxillary changes.
An adaptive predefined time sliding mode control for uncertain nonlinear cyber-physical servo system under cyber attacks
Authors: Riaz Saleem , Li Bingqiang , Qi Rong , Zhang Chenda
Published: March 2024

Malicious attacks are often inevitable in cyber-physical systems (CPS). Accuracy in Cyber physical system for position tracking of servos is the major concern now a days. In high precision industrial automation, it is very hard to achieve accuracy in tracking especially under malicious cyber-attacks, control saturations, parametric perturbations and external disturbances. In this paper, we have designed a novel predefined time (PDT) convergence sliding mode adaptive controller (PTCSMAC) for such kind of cyber physical control system. Main key feature of our control is to cope these challenges that are posed by CPS systems such as parameter perturbation, control saturation, and cyber-attacks and the whole system then upgrade to a third-order system to facilitate adaptive control law. Then, we present an adaptive controller based on the novel PDT convergent sliding mode surface (SMS) combined with a modified weight updated Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) which is used to approximate the uncertain part of the system. Another significant advantage of our proposed control approach is that it does not require detailed model information, guaranteeing robust performance even when the system model is uncertain. Additionally, our proposed PTCSMAC controller is nonsingular regardless of initial conditions, and is capable of eradicating the possibility of singularity problems, which are frequently a concern in numerous CPS control systems. Finally, we have verified our designed PTCSMAC control law through rigorous simulations on CPS seeker servo positioning system and compared the robustness and performance of different existing techniques.
TCN-attention-HAR: human activity recognition based on attention mechanism time convolutional network
Authors: Wei Xiong , Wang Zifan
Published: March 2024

Wearable sensors are widely used in medical applications and human–computer interaction because of their portability and powerful privacy. Human activity identification based on sensor data plays a vital role in these fields. Therefore, it is important to improve the recognition performance of different types of actions. Aiming at the problems of insufficient time-varying feature extraction and gradient explosion caused by too many network layers, a time convolution network recognition model with attention mechanism (TCN-Attention-HAR) was proposed. The model effectively recognizes and emphasizes the key feature information. The ability of extracting temporal features from TCN (temporal convolution network) is improved by using the appropriate size of the receiver domain. In addition, attention mechanisms are used to assign higher weights to important information, enabling models to learn and identify human activities more effectively. The performance of the Open Data Set (WISDM, PAMAP2 and USC-HAD) is improved by 1.13%, 1.83% and 0.51%, respectively, compared with other advanced models, these results clearly show that the network model presented in this paper has excellent recognition performance. In the knowledge distillation experiment, the parameters of student model are only about 0.1% of those of teacher model, and the accuracy of the model has been greatly improved, and in the WISDM data set, compared with the teacher's model, the accuracy is 0.14% higher.
3D cotton-type anisotropic biomimetic scaffold with low fiber motion electrospun via a sharply inclined array collector for induced osteogenesis
Authors: Cho Sun Hee , Lee Soonchul , Kim Jeong In
Published: March 2024

Electrospinning is an effective method to fabricate fibrous scaffolds that mimic the ECM of bone tissue on a nano- to macro-scale. However, a limitation of electrospun fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering is the structure formed by densely compacted fibers, which significantly impedes cell infiltration and tissue ingrowth. To address this problem, several researchers have developed numerous techniques for fabricating 3D fibrous scaffolds with customized topography and pore size. Despite the success in developing various 3D electrospun scaffolds based on fiber repulsion, the lack of contact points between fibers in those scaffolds has been shown to hinder cell attachment, migration, proliferation, and differentiation due to excessive movement of the fibers. In this article, we introduce a Dianthus caryophyllus-inspired scaffold fabricated using SIAC-PE, a modified collector under specific viscosity conditions of PCL/LA solution. The developed scaffold mimicking the structural similarities of the nature-inspired design presented enhanced cell proliferation, infiltration, and increased expression of bone-related factors by reducing fiber movements, presenting high space interconnection, high porosity, and controlled fiber topography.
Kir4.1 channels contribute to astrocyte CO2/H+-sensitivity and the drive to breathe
Authors: Cleary Colin M. , Browning Jack L. , Armbruster Moritz , Sobrinho Cleyton R. , Strain Monica L. , Jahanbani Sarvin , Soto-Perez Jaseph , Hawkins Virginia E. , Dulla Chris G. , Olsen Michelle L. , Mulkey Daniel K.
Published: March 2024

Astrocytes in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) stimulate breathing in response to CO2/H+, however, it is not clear how these cells detect changes in CO2/H+. Considering Kir4.1/5.1 channels are CO2/H+-sensitive and important for several astrocyte-dependent processes, we consider Kir4.1/5.1 a leading candidate CO2/H+ sensor in RTN astrocytes. To address this, we show that RTN astrocytes express Kir4.1 and Kir5.1 transcripts. We also characterized respiratory function in astrocyte-specific inducible Kir4.1 knockout mice (Kir4.1 cKO); these mice breathe normally under room air conditions but show a blunted ventilatory response to high levels of CO2, which could be partly rescued by viral mediated re-expression of Kir4.1 in RTN astrocytes. At the cellular level, astrocytes in slices from astrocyte-specific inducible Kir4.1 knockout mice are less responsive to CO2/H+ and show a diminished capacity for paracrine modulation of respiratory neurons. These results suggest Kir4.1/5.1 channels in RTN astrocytes contribute to respiratory behavior.
The nuclear import receptor Kapβ2 modifies neurotoxicity mediated by poly(GR) in C9orf72-linked ALS/FTD
Authors: Cicardi M. E. , Kankate V. , Sriramoji S. , Krishnamurthy K. , Markandaiah S. S. , Verdone B. M. , Girdhar A. , Nelson A. , Rivas L. B. , Boehringer A. , Haeusler A. R. , Pasinelli P. , Guo L. , Trotti D.
Published: March 2024

Expanded intronic G4C2 repeats in the C9ORF72 gene cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). These intronic repeats are translated through a non-AUG-dependent mechanism into five different dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs), including poly-glycine-arginine (GR), which is aggregation-prone and neurotoxic. Here, we report that Kapβ2 and GR interact, co-aggregating, in cultured neurons in-vitro and CNS tissue in-vivo. Importantly, this interaction significantly decreased the risk of death of cultured GR-expressing neurons. Downregulation of Kapβ2 is detrimental to their survival, whereas increased Kapβ2 levels mitigated GR-mediated neurotoxicity. As expected, GR-expressing neurons displayed TDP-43 nuclear loss. Raising Kapβ2 levels did not restore TDP-43 into the nucleus, nor did alter the dynamic properties of GR aggregates. Overall, our findings support the design of therapeutic strategies aimed at up-regulating Kapβ2 expression levels as a potential new avenue for contrasting neurodegeneration in C9orf72-ALS/FTD.
New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea
Authors: Richter Brian D. , Lamsal Gambhir , Marston Landon , Dhakal Sameer , Sangha Laljeet Singh , Rushforth Richard R. , Wei Dongyang , Ruddell Benjamin L. , Davis Kyle Frankel , Hernandez-Cruz Astrid , Sandoval-Solis Samuel , Schmidt John C.
Published: March 2024

Persistent overuse of water supplies from the Colorado River during recent decades has substantially depleted large storage reservoirs and triggered mandatory cutbacks in water use. The river holds critical importance to more than 40 million people and more than two million hectares of cropland. Therefore, a full accounting of where the river’s water goes en route to its delta is necessary. Detailed knowledge of how and where the river’s water is used can aid design of strategies and plans for bringing water use into balance with available supplies. Here we apply authoritative primary data sources and modeled crop and riparian/wetland evapotranspiration estimates to compile a water budget based on average consumptive water use during 2000–2019. Overall water consumption includes both direct human uses in the municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors, as well as indirect water losses to reservoir evaporation and water consumed through riparian/wetland evapotranspiration. Irrigated agriculture is responsible for 74% of direct human uses and 52% of overall water consumption. Water consumed for agriculture amounts to three times all other direct uses combined. Cattle feed crops including alfalfa and other grass hays account for 46% of all direct water consumption.
Polystyrene-degrading bacteria in the gut microbiome of marine benthic polychaetes support enhanced digestion of plastic fragments
Authors: Zhao Sufang , Liu Renju , Lv Shiwei , Zhang Benjuan , Wang Juan , Shao Zongze
Published: March 2024

Polystyrene foam, which is used as a buoyant material in mariculture, is a common constituent of marine plastic debris. Here, we conduct analyses on polystyrene foam debris collected on the east coast of Xiamen Island, China, and associated plastic-burrowing clamworms. We apply interferometry, mass spectrometry and microscopy to polystyrene foam fragments excreted by the benthic clamworms (Perinereis vancaurica). We find evidence of polystyrene digestion and degradation during passage of the clamworm gut leading to the formation and accumulation of microplastics, with a mean diameter of 0.6 ± 0.2 mm. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of clamworm intestines indicated diverse bacterial gut microbiome, dominated by Acinetobacter and Ruegeria bacteria. Further characterization confirmed that polystyrene was degraded by representative gut isolates of Acinetobacter johnsonii, Brevibacterium casei, and Ruegeria arenilitoris. During a 30-day incubation, we observed a very slight decrease in polystyrene weight, changes in chemical group and thermal characteristic, and production of polystyrene metabolic intermediates. Our findings indicate that polystyrene-degrading bacteria in the gut microbiome of clamworms may influence plastic fragmentation and degradation in marine ecosystems.
Accurate and interpretable drug-drug interaction prediction enabled by knowledge subgraph learning
Authors: Wang Yaqing , Yang Zaifei , Yao Quanming
Published: March 2024

Background

Discovering potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is a long-standing challenge in clinical treatments and drug developments. Recently, deep learning techniques have been developed for DDI prediction. However, they generally require a huge number of samples, while known DDIs are rare.

Methods

In this work, we present KnowDDI, a graph neural network-based method that addresses the above challenge. KnowDDI enhances drug representations by adaptively leveraging rich neighborhood information from large biomedical knowledge graphs. Then, it learns a knowledge subgraph for each drug-pair to interpret the predicted DDI, where each of the edges is associated with a connection strength indicating the importance of a known DDI or resembling strength between a drug-pair whose connection is unknown. Thus, the lack of DDIs is implicitly compensated by the enriched drug representations and propagated drug similarities.

Results

Here we show the evaluation results of KnowDDI on two benchmark DDI datasets. Results show that KnowDDI obtains the state-of-the-art prediction performance with better interpretability. We also find that KnowDDI suffers less than existing works given a sparser knowledge graph. This indicates that the propagated drug similarities play a more important role in compensating for the lack of DDIs when the drug representations are less enriched.

Conclusions

KnowDDI nicely combines the efficiency of deep learning techniques and the rich prior knowledge in biomedical knowledge graphs. As an original open-source tool, KnowDDI can help detect possible interactions in a broad range of relevant interaction prediction tasks, such as protein-protein interactions, drug-target interactions and disease-gene interactions, eventually promoting the development of biomedicine and healthcare.
TCTP regulates genotoxic stress and tumorigenicity via intercellular vesicular signaling
Authors: Amson Robert , Senff-Ribeiro Andrea , Karafin Teele , Lespagnol Alexandra , Honoré Joane , Baylot Virginie , Banroques Josette , Tanner N Kyle , Chamond Nathalie , Dimitrov Jordan D , Hoebeke Johan , Droin Nathalie M , Job Bastien , Piard Jonathan , Bommer Ulrich-Axel , Choi Kwang-Wook , Abdelfatah Sara , Efferth Thomas , Telerman Stephanie B , Geyer Felipe Correa , Reis-Filho Jorge , Telerman Adam
Published: March 2024

Oncogenic intercellular signaling is regulated by extracellular vesicles (EVs), but the underlying mechanisms remain mostly unclear. Since TCTP (translationally controlled tumor protein) is an EV component, we investigated whether it has a role in genotoxic stress signaling and malignant transformation. By generating a Tctp-inducible knockout mouse model (Tctp–/f–), we report that Tctp is required for genotoxic stress-induced apoptosis signaling via small EVs (sEVs). Human breast cancer cells knocked-down for TCTP show impaired spontaneous EV secretion, thereby reducing sEV-dependent malignant growth. Since Trp53–/– mice are prone to tumor formation, we derived tumor cells from Trp53–/–;Tctp–/f– double mutant mice and describe a drastic decrease in tumori-genicity with concomitant decrease in sEV secretion and content. Remarkably, Trp53–/–;Tctp–/f– mice show highly prolonged survival. Treatment of Trp53–/– mice with sertraline, which inhibits TCTP function, increases their survival. Mechanistically, TCTP binds DDX3, recruiting RNAs, including miRNAs, to sEVs. Our findings establish TCTP as an essential protagonist in the regulation of sEV-signaling in the context of apoptosis and tumorigenicity.
Algal and Microalgal Compounds in Cosmeceuticals
Authors: Boruah Tridip , Devi Barsha , Gogoi Nibedita , Mili Chiranjib
Published: March 2024

A significant focus during the 21st century has been avoiding synthetic products and replacing them with suitable natural products in our daily life. Many substances used in these synthetic products are absorbed through the skin by the body, making them hazardous to the environment, as well as to the human body. The cosmetics industry is a huge market for the exploration of natural product-based organizations, since there is scope to improve almost all the manufacturing methodologies of cosmeceutical production. Algae are photosynthetic thallus-like organisms that possess a wide range of bioactive compounds that contribute to products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutritious feeds, which are valuable for human health and wellness. They are wealthy resources of vital nutrients, such as amino acids, proteins, vitamins, pigments, minerals, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. These ingredients are employed in cosmetic formulations either as excipients, additives or active substances. Apart from that, these algae are very fast growing and there is always a sustainable approach to use it in the cosmetic industry as an alternative to many synthetic ingredients. This chapter will deal with algal-based cosmeceuticals in terms of their secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds and pharmacological potential, and the market products obtained from them.
Organohypervalent heterocycles
Authors: Kumar Ravi , Dohi Toshifumi , Zhdankin Viktor V.
Published: March 2024

This review summarizes structural and synthetic aspects of heterocyclic molecules incorporating an atom of a hypervalent main-group element. The higher thermal stability of hypervalent heterocycles, as compared to their acyclic analogs, adds special feature to their chemistry.
Superoxide dismutase nanozymes: current status and future perspectives on brain disease treatment and diagnosis
Authors: Chen Ying , Li Bo , Li Kai , Lin Yuqing
Published: March 2024

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an important metalloenzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide radicals (O2˙−) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2).
In situ use of photocatalytically produced H2O2 for Fenton degradation of organic pollutants
Authors: Kumar Uttam , Shrivastava Anshu , Sinha Indrajit
Published: March 2024

Steps 1 to 4 illustrate the mechanism for the photocatalytic production of H2O2 and its in situ utilization for Fenton-like degradation of organic pollutants.
Enhancing mass transport to accelerate photoreactions and enable scale-up
Authors: Gaulhofer Florian , Metzger Markus , Peschl Alexander , Ziegenbalg Dirk
Published: March 2024

The importance of mixing in photoreactors along the direction of light propagation for competitive photochemical reactions is experimentally demonstrated in the MISCOP mini-plant photoreactor.
Efficient vibrationally correlated calculations using n-mode expansion-based kinetic energy operators
Authors: Bader Frederik , Lauvergnat David , Christiansen Ove
Published: March 2024

We find kinetic energy operator (KEO) models based on n-mode expansions to be flexible, systematically improvable and accurate KEO representations in vibrationally correlated calculations in curvilinear coordinate systems.
Phosphonic acid anchored tripodal molecular films on indium tin oxide
Authors: Zhang Chaoran , Das Saunak , Sakurai Naoya , Imaizumi Takaki , Sanjayan Sajisha , Shoji Yoshiaki , Fukushima Takanori , Zharnikov Michael
Published: March 2024

Well-defined and densely packed tripodal self-assembled monolayers on oxide substrates were formed using a combination of triptycene framework and phosphonic acid anchoring groups. Functional character of these films was demonstrated.
Beryllium carbonyl Be(CO)n (n = 1–4) complex: a p-orbital analogy of Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model
Authors: Purkayastha Siddhartha K. , Rohman Shahnaz S. , Parameswaran Pattiyil , Guha Ankur K.
Published: March 2024

A p-orbital analogy of Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model has been proposed for alkaline earth metal carbonyl complexes.
Magnetic structure of a multiferroic compound: Cu2OCl2
Authors: Lévêque Julien , Rebolini Elisa , Saúl Andrés , Lepetit Marie-Bernadette
Published: March 2024

Incommensurate magnetic structure of Cu2OCl2, determined by a CAS + DDCI evaluation of the magnetic low energy Hamiltonian, and a Monte-Carlo determination of its ground state.
Composited silk fibroins ensured adhesion stability and magnetic controllability of Fe3O4-nanoparticle coating on implant for biofilm treatment
Authors: Quan Kecheng , Mao Zhinan , Lu Yupu , Qin Yu , Wang Shuren , Yu Chunhao , Bi Xuewei , Tang Hao , Ren Xiaoxiang , Chen Dafu , Cheng Yan , Wang Yong , Zheng Yufeng , Xia Dandan
Published: March 2024

Magnetic propulsion of nano-/micro-robots is an effective way to treat implant-associated infections by physically destroying biofilm structures to enhance antibiotic killing.
Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks with extended conjugate systems for boosted photocatalytic degradation
Authors: Bai Xiaojuan , Xin YiLin , Jia Tianqi , Guo Linlong , Song Wei , Hao Derek
Published: March 2024

A schematic mechanism of the photocatalytic degradation process of SMX by solvothermal synthesis of hydrogen-bonded organic framework materials.
Fabrication of graphitic carbon nitride synthesized via pyrolysis for environmental remediation: a detailed experimental analysis with different parametric optimizations
Authors: Ilakiya S. , Keerthana M. , Ponpandian N. , Thangadurai P.
Published: March 2024

This paper reports on the photodegradation of the Rh 6G dye using a g-C3N4 (g-CN) nanosheet photocatalyst under UV light irradiation.
Hole transport layer engineering in high performance quasi-2D perovskite blue light emitting diodes
Authors: Sharma Vivek Vishal , Shin Yun Seop , Kim Jin Young , Kim Dong Suk , Kim Gi-Hwan
Published: March 2024

The graph tracks EQE in blue PeLEDs from 2015 to 2024, with trend lines for deep-blue, pure-blue, and sky-blue wavelengths. Noticeable improvements, particularly in 2021 and 2023 for pure-blue and sky-blue, reflect focused technological advancements.
A composite electrolyte based on aluminum oxide filler/polyester polymer via in situ thermal polymerization for long-cycle sodium metal batteries
Authors: Wang Qiujun , He Xin , Zhang Di , Li Zhaojin , Sun Huilan , Sun Qujiang , Wang Bo , Fan Li-Zhen
Published: March 2024

The introduction of Al2O3 regulates the solvation structure of Na+, which is conducive to the formation of inorganic-rich SEI. Na|THFA-5|Na cell maintains low polarization voltage, indicating that uniform Na depositions was successfully achieved.
Neighboring group-directed asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition to access C–N axially chiral indoles
Authors: Zhang Xuan , Teng Qi , Ren Yanru , Wei Baitong , Tung Chen-Ho , Xu Zhenghu
Published: March 2024

A Rh-catalyzed neighboring group-directed asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of 1,6-diynes and ynamides to generate C–N axially chiral indole derivatives has been developed.
An infrared and visible image fusion network based on multi‐scale feature cascades and non‐local attention
Authors: Xu Jing , Liu Zhenjin , Fang Ming
Published: March 2024

In recent years, research on infrared and visible image fusion has mainly focused on deep learning‐based approaches, particularly deep neural networks with auto‐encoder architectures. However, these approaches suffer from problems such as insufficient feature extraction capability and inefficient fusion strategies. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel image fusion network to address the limitations of infrared and visible image fusion networks with auto‐encoder architectures. In the designed network, the encoder employs a multi‐branch cascade structure, and these convolution branches with different kernel sizes provide the encoder with an adaptive receptive field to extract multi‐scale features. In addition, the fusion layer incorporates a non‐local attention module that is inspired by the self‐attention mechanism. With its global receptive field, this module is used to build a non‐local attention fusion network, which works together with the ‐norm spatial fusion strategy to extract, split, filter, and fuse global and local features. Comparative experiments on the TNO and MSRS datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art fusion approaches.
Combining Natural Ingredients to Optimise Antioxidant Content in Brewing Herbal Drinks
Authors: Raharjo Sentot Joko , Budianta Tarsisius Dwi Wibawa , Widyawati Paini Sri
Published: March 2024

Herbal drinks are one of the functional foods utilized and needed by the community to maintain health. Herbal drinks consisting of green tea, noni leaves, and butterfly pea flowers can be used to meet the community’s needs. The research was conducted by optimizing the combination of natural ingredients to obtain high antioxidant content in herbal drinks. Optimization using RSM Method on Minitab 17, with 2 factors of green tea concentration and maximum concentration of noni leaves 2.4 g, using Central Composite Design with a combination of 13 treatments, one replication. The main parameter tested was DPPH antioxidant activity as a response to the treatments tried. The results obtained were that there was an interaction between the components of green tea and noni leaves on the antioxidant activity of counteracting DPPH free radicals, with the equation: DPPH = 89.8 + 4.2 GT - 23 NL + 5.6 GT * GT + 14.2 NL * NL - 0.58 GT * NL. it can be concluded that there is an interaction between the two ingredients used in the antioxidant activity of the herbal drink.
Sucrose and glucose reduction using fructo-oligosaccharides and xylitol in pectin jelly candy
Authors: Maringka Cherilyn Theophila , Lo Diana , Indrawanto Rochmad
Published: March 2024

Confectioneries contain high amounts of sugar. High consumption frequency of candies may lead to various health risks. Sugar in jelly candy can be substituted with fructo-oligosaccharides and xylitol as a healthy sugar. This study examined the effect of using fructo-oligosaccharides and xylitol as a sugar substitute on the pH, degree of Brix, water activity, moisture content, hardness, colour, syneresis, and sensory of jelly candy from pectin. Sucrose was substituted with fructo-oligosaccharides (5.47%, 10.93%, and 16.36%) and glucose syrup was substituted with xylitol (5.47%, 10.93%, and 16.36%). The results showed that substituting sugar with fructo-oligosaccharides and xylitol affected the jelly candy’s physical and chemical characteristics (p< 0.05). The higher the concentration of fructo-oligosaccharides and xylitol used, the lower the water activity, moisture content, and syneresis, as well as increasing the colour of the jelly candy compared to the control. Jelly candy with the highest sugar substitute concentrations obtained the softest of the jelly candy hardness. The sensory evaluation showed that panellists preferred jelly candy with sugar substitutions of 5.47% fructo-oligosaccharides and 5.47% xylitol.
Evaluation of Paste and Dried Microalgae Biomass and Its Nutritional Value During Storage
Authors: Antara Nyoman Semadi , Gunam Ida Bagus Wayan , Suhendra Lutfi
Published: March 2024

Microalga has recently attracted considerable attention researchers and bio-industries for its potential nutrition properties as feed and food. Three kinds of microalgae namely Spirulina sp., Chaetoceros sp., and Chlorella sp., which have a potency to develop as a source of nutrition, were experimented to grow on the laboratory scale. Their biomass product was concentrated in the form of biomass paste and then dried in vacuum condition at 45°C. Biomass products were stored in paste and dry form for four weeks at 4°C. The result of the experiment showed that there were cells and nutritional changes during storage. After storage for 4 weeks, the viable cells on biomass paste detected were 60% and 46% for Chaetoceros sp. and Chlorella sp., respectively. Cell fragmentation of Spirulina sp. was occurred, on the other side, during storage. The protein content of biomass paste of microalgae and dried biomass as well were not significantly changed during storage, but the content of β-carotene and the antioxidant capacity of the biomass decreased during storage.
Power spectrum estimation methods on intracluster medium surface brightness fluctuations
Authors: Bishop M. , Perrott Y. , Parashar T. , Oughton S.
Published: March 2024

Accurate estimation of galaxy cluster masses is a central problem in cosmology. Turbulence is believed to introduce significant deviations from the hydrostatic mass estimates. Estimation of turbulence properties is complicated by projection of the 3D cluster onto the 2D plane of the sky, and is commonly done in the form of indirect probes from fluctuations in the X-ray surface brightness and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect maps. In this paper, we address this problem using simulations. We examine different methods for estimating the power spectrum on 2D projected fluctuation data, emulating data projected onto a 2D plane of the sky, and comparing them to the original, expected 3D power spectrum. Noise can contaminate the power spectrum of ICM observations, so we also briefly compare a few methods of reducing noise in the images for better spectral estimation.
Licking the plate: Dusty star-forming galaxies buried in the ALMA calibration data
Authors: Chen Jianhang , Ivison R.J. , Zwaan M. , Péroux Céline , Biggs A.D.
Published: March 2024

Deep, unbiased surveys are essential to decipher the cosmic evolution of galaxies. The submillimetre (submm) and millimetre (mm) windows complement the UV/optical waveband and are key to revealing the cold and dusty Universe. Traditional ways of conducting deep surveys resort to either lensed fields or target small areas for ultra-long integrations. These surveys have greatly advanced our understanding of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs), but are susceptible to lensing uncertainties and cosmic variance and will be expensive to expand. Here, we summarise our recent multi-wavelength survey of DSFGs in the vicinity of ALMA’s calibrators: the ALMACAL survey. These fields have accumulated many hundreds of hours of on-source time, reaching depths and effective areas that are competitive with bespoke cosmological surveys. We summarise the multi-wavelength number counts from ALMACAL and the resolved fraction of the Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) from submm to mm wave-lengths. Meanwhile, combining all available ALMA observations in each field results in impressive frequency coverage, which often yields the redshifts of these DSFGs. The ALMACAL survey has demonstrated the scientific value of calibration scans for all submm/mm and radio telescopes, existing and planned.
The Three Hundred project: Contrasting clusters optical and IR properties in hydrodynamical and dark matter only simulations
Authors: Muñoz A. Jiménez , Macías-Pérez J.F. , Yepes G. , Gómez J.S. , Cui W. , De Petris M. , Ferragamo A.
Published: March 2024

Cluster number count is a major cosmological probe for the next generation of cosmological large scale-structure surveys like the one expected from the Euclid satellite mission. Cosmological constraints will be mainly limited by the understanding of the selection function (SF), which characterize the probability of detecting a cluster of a given mass and redshift. The SF can be estimated by injecting realistic simulated clusters into the survey and re-applying the detection procedure. In this paper, we use the galaxy clusters from The Three Hundred project to study this effect with their member galaxies. We further study possible resolution effects by comparing low and high resolution simulations. Finally, we present the density profiles of the member galaxies and discuss their evolution with cluster mass and redshift.
Measuring the CMB primordial B-modes with Bolometric Interferometry
Authors: Mennella A. , Ade P. , Almela A. , Amico G. , Arnaldi L.H. , Aumont J. , Banfi S. , Battistelli E.S. , Bélier B. , Bergé L. , Bernard J.-Ph. , Bersanelli M. , Bonaparte J. , Bonilla J.D. , Bunn E. , Buzi D. , Cacciotti F. , Camilieri D. , Cavaliere F. , Chanial P. , Chapron C. , Colombo L. , Columbro F. , Coppolecchia A. , Costanza M.B. , D’Alessandro G. , de Bernardis P. , De Gasperis G. , De Leo M. , De Petris M. , Del Castillo N. , Dheilly S. , Etchegoyen A. , Ferazzoli S. , Ferreyro L.P. , Franceschet C. , Lerena M.M. Gamboa , Ganga K. , García B. , Redondo M.E. García , Gayer D. , Geria J.M. , Gervasi M. , Giard M. , Gilles V. , Berisso M. Gómez , Gonzalez M. , Gradziel M. , Grandsire L. , Hamilton J.-Ch. , Hampel M.R. , Isopi G. , Kaplan J. , Lamagna L. , Lazarte F. , Loucatos S. , Maffei B. , Mancilla A. , Mandelli S. , Manzan E. , Marchitelli E. , Marnieros S. , Marty W. , Masi S. , May A. , Maya J. , McCulloch M. , Mele L. , Melo D. , Mirón-Granese N. , Montier L. , Mousset L. , Müller N. , Nati F. , O’Sullivan C. , Paiella A. , Pajot F. , Paradiso S. , Pascale E. , Passerini A. , Pelosi A. , Perciballi M. , Pezzotta F. , Piacentini F. , Piat M. , Piccirillo L. , Pisano G. , Platino M. , Polenta G. , Prêle D. , Rambaud D. , Ramos G. , Rasztocky E. , Régnier M. , Reyes C. , Rodríguez F. , Rodríguez C.A. , Romero G.E. , Salum J.M. , Schillaci A. , Scóccola C. , Stankowiak G. , Tartari A. , Thermeau J.-P. , Timbie P. , Tomasi M. , Torchinsky S. , Tucker G. , Tucker C. , Vacher L. , Voisin F. , Wright M. , Zannoni M. , Zullo A.
Published: March 2024

The Q&U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QL’BIC) is the first bolometric interferometer designed to measure the primordial B-mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Bolometric interferometry is a novel technique that combines the sensitivity of bolometric detectors with the control of systematic effects that is typical of interferometry, both key features in the quest for the faint signal of the primordial B-modes. A unique feature is the so-called “spectral imaging”, i.e., the ability to recover the sky signal in several sub-bands within the physical band during data analysis. This feature provides an in-band spectral resolution of ∆v/v ~ 0.04 that is unattainable by a traditional imager. This is a key tool for controlling the Galactic foregrounds contamination. In this paper, we describe the principles of bolometric interferometry, the current status of the QU BIC experiment and future prospects.
Systematic effects on the upcoming NIKA2 LPSZ scaling relation
Authors: Moyer-Anin A. , Adam R. , Ade P. , Ajeddig H. , André P. , Artis E. , Aussel H. , Bartalucci I. , Beelen A. , Benoît A. , Berta S. , Bing L. , Bourrion O. , Calvo M. , Catalano A. , De Petris M. , Désert F.-X. , Doyle S. , Driessen E.F.C. , Ejlali G. , Gomez A. , Goupy J. , Hanser C. , Katsioli S. , Kéruzoré F. , Kramer C. , Ladjelate B. , Lagache G. , Leclercq S. , Lestrade J.-F. , Macías-Pérez J.F. , Madden S.C. , Maury A. , Mauskopf P. , Mayet F. , Monfardini A. , Muñoz-Echeverría M. , Paliwal A. , Perotto L. , Pisano G. , Pointecouteau E. , Ponthieu N. , Pratt G.W. , Revéret V. , Rigby A.J. , Ritacco A. , Romero C. , Roussel H. , Ruppin F. , Schuster K. , Sievers A. , Tucker C.
Published: March 2024

In cluster cosmology, cluster masses are the main parameter of interest. They are needed to constrain cosmological parameters through the cluster number count. As the mass is not an observable, a scaling relation is needed to link cluster masses to the integrated Compton parameters Y, i.e. the Sunyaev-Zeldovich observable (SZ). Planck cosmological results obtained with cluster number counts are based on a scaling relation measured with clusters at low redshift (z<0.5) observed in SZ and X-ray. In the SZ Large Program (LPSZ) of the NIKA2 collaboration, the scaling relation will be obtained with a sample of 38 clusters at intermediate to high redshift (0.5 < z < 0.9) and observed at high angular resolution in both SZ and X-ray. Thanks to analytical simulation of LPSZ-like samples, we take into account the LPSZ selection function and correct for its effects. Besides, we show that white and correlated noises in the SZ maps do not affect the scaling relation estimation.
Needles, Herbs, and Electricity: A Meta-Analysis of Traditional Eastern Medicine in the Management of Facial Paralysis
Authors: Harsinay Ariel , Patil Anusha , Ali-Khan Safi , Sweitzer Keith , Leckenby Jonathan I.
Published: March 2024

In Eastern nations, interventions like acupuncture and herbal medicine are often first-line for patients presenting with facial paralysis. Despite the rising popularity of Eastern medicine in Western nations, the literature assessing whether Eastern medicine interventions should be recommended for patients with facial paralysis is lacking. This meta-analysis aims to define what Eastern medicine interventions exist for the management of facial paralysis and assess whether current research supports these approaches as safe and effective. The PubMed and Cochrane databases were reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted of peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2023 that reported on Eastern medicine, also described as, “complementary” or “alternative” interventions for facial paralysis. Effective and cured rates were the primary outcomes extracted from the literature. Interventions within these studies were categorized into six groups: (1) standard acupuncture, (2) special needle therapies, (3) needle therapy + other alternative treatments, (4) herbal medicine, (5) alternative treatments + Western medicine, and (6) Western medicine alone. A multiple-treatment meta-analysis was performed to assess differences in effective and cured rates. Fifteen studies involving Eastern medicine for the treatment of facial paralysis met the inclusion criteria. No significant differences were found in effective and cured rates across groups. Multiple quality concerns were noted, such as the lack of control groups, blinding, and randomization noted in several studies. Many studies failed to report complications, preventing conclusions from being drawn on the safety of these Eastern medicine interventions. This meta-analysis was unable to support the recommendation of Eastern medicine approaches for patients with facial paralysis. No Eastern medicine treatments, combination of Eastern medicine treatments, or Eastern medicine treatments given with Western medicine were seen to be more effective than Western medicine alone.
Homeopathic Pyrogenium Ointment as Adjuvant in Treatment of Traumatic and Infected Myiasis by Cochliomyia Hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Sheep: A Case Series
Authors: Barros Giuliano Pereira de , Leme Denise Pereira , Bricarello Patrizia Ana
Published: March 2024

Background The blowfly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) causes traumatic myiasis in farm animals, with deeply embedded larvae that lead to serious tissue damage and sometimes death. Treating this form of myiasis is difficult, often resulting in poor outcomes. As a homeopathic preparation that can mimic traumatic myiasis symptoms, Pyrogenium could potentially supplement treatment. This study aimed to describe the adjuvant effect that a Pyrogenium ointment might have in the treatment of sheep with traumatic myiasis.

Patients The study reports a homeopathic adjuvant treatment with Pyrogenium 12cH ointment in six sheep with traumatic and infected myiasis. Daily clinical examinations were performed to monitor the evolution of the health of animals. Pyrogenium 12cH ointment was applied topically on the wounds, after cleaning and mechanical removal of the larvae from the lesion. Blood samples were collected for blood counts, and wound exudate samples were obtained for bacteriological examination before and after wound treatment.

Results The ointment of Pyrogenium 12cH limited the development of parasitic larvae and was associated with the repair of tissue losses resulting from the myiases and with subsequent wound healing, together with control of fever and local inflammation.

Conclusion Homeopathic Pyrogenium 12cH, formulated as an ointment, may be a useful new and adjuvant therapeutic option for treating traumatic and infected myiasis in animals.
The Use of Unlisted Billing Codes for Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction and Implications for Code Consolidation
Authors: Yang Alan Z. , Hyland Colby J. , Carty Matthew J. , Erdmann-Sager Jessica , Pusic Andrea L. , Broyles Justin M.
Published: March 2024

Background Private insurers have considered consolidating the billing codes presently available for microvascular breast reconstruction. There is a need to understand how these different codes are currently distributed and used to help inform how coding consolidation may impact patients and providers.

Methods Using the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database between 2016 and 2020, patients who underwent microsurgical breast reconstruction following mastectomy for cancer-related indications were identified. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test whether an S2068 claim was associated with insurance type and median household income by patient ZIP code. The ratio of S2068 to CPT19364 claims for privately insured patients was calculated for providers practicing in each county. Total payments for professional fees were compared between billing codes.

Results There were 272 claims for S2068 and 209 claims for CPT19364. An S2068 claim was associated with age < 45 years (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.11–3.20, p = 0.019), more affluent ZIP codes (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03–1.19, p = 0.004), and private insurance (OR: 16.13, 95% CI: 7.81–33.33, p < 0.001). Median total payments from private insurers were 101% higher for S2068 than for CPT19364. In all but two counties (Worcester and Hampshire), the S-code was used more frequently than CPT19364 for their privately insured patients.

Conclusion Coding practices for microsurgical breast reconstruction lacked uniformity in Massachusetts, and payments differed greatly between S2068 and CPT19364. Patients from more affluent towns were more likely to have S-code claims. Coding consolidation could impact access, as the majority of providers in Massachusetts might need to adapt their practices if the S-code were discontinued.
Comparing the effects of two repeated reading methods on EFL learners’ reading rates
Authors: Pham Ngoc Yen Vy , Baker John R. , Nguyễn Thắng
Published: March 2024

English as a foreign language (EFL) learners often read at rates below recommended reading speeds needed for reading fluency. Two methods are often employed to facilitate reading rates: unassisted repeated reading (UARR) and audio-assisted repeated reading (AARR). Both approaches have demonstrated significant gains. However, the two methods’ effects have not been explored and compared in the course of one investigation. To address this, an experimental design was employed with undergraduate EFL learners (N = 50) at a university in Southern Vietnam. The results indicated that both procedures produced significant positive gains; however, the AARR showed a significantly higher effect than UARR (77.27, 44.72, p < 0.001). As no prior studies were found to have compared these two techniques, it is hoped that the findings will practically and theoretically further the literature regarding their comparative effectiveness.