bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Clinical Efficacy of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Risperidone and Paliperidone in Patients with Schizophrenia: Insights from a Clinical Data Warehouse
Authors: Shin Wonsuk , Lee Dong Hyeon , Yoo Hyounggyoon , Jung Huiyoung , Bang Minji , Kim Anhye
Published: July 2024

This study investigated the usage patterns and impact of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for risperidone and paliperidone in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, utilizing retrospective real-world data sourced from a single center’s Clinical Data Warehouse. Our study cohort comprised patients diagnosed with schizophrenia undergoing treatment with either risperidone or paliperidone. Data on demographic characteristics, comorbidities, medication utilization, and clinical outcomes were collected. Patients were categorized into two groups: those undergoing TDM and those not undergoing TDM. Additionally, within the TDM group, patients were further stratified based on their risperidone and paliperidone concentrations relative to the reference range. The findings revealed that patients in the TDM group received higher risperidone and paliperidone doses (320 mg/day and 252 mg/day, p = 0.0045) compared to their non-TDM counterparts. Nevertheless, no significant disparities were observed in hospitalization rates, duration of hospital stays, or compliance between the two groups (p = 0.9082, 0.5861, 0.7516, respectively). Subgroup analysis within the TDM cohort exhibited no notable distinctions in clinical outcomes between patients with concentrations within or surpassing the reference range. Despite the possibility of a selection bias in assigning patients to the groups, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of TDM utilization and its ramifications on schizophrenia treatment outcomes.
Associations between Suspected Adverse Drug Reactions of HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors and Polypharmacology Using a National Registry Approach
Authors: Yousaf Hasan , Jones Alan M.
Published: July 2024

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) data of five licensed statins in the UK: atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin. A secondary aim was to determine if there are any associations between the polypharmacological properties of the statins and their associated muscle-related side effects. Methods: The chemical database of bioactive molecules with drug-like properties, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (ChEMBL), was used to obtain data on the pharmacological interactions of statins with human proteins. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Yellow Card scheme was used to obtain reports of suspected ADRs from 2018 to 2022. The OpenPrescribing database was used to obtain the prescribing rates for statistical interpretation. Results: The study found no significant difference between the statins association with suspected ADRs across all organ classes (X2, p > 0.05). Fluvastatin was found to have a higher incidence of ADRs/100,000 Rx across multiple system organ classes. Conclusions: No significant difference was found between the suspected ADR incidence of the statins across all system organ classes.
Palmitoylethanolamide-Incorporated Elastic Nano-Liposomes for Enhanced Transdermal Delivery and Anti-Inflammation
Authors: Ren Chuanpeng , Ma Yanyun , Wang Yizhen , Luo Dan , Hong Yanhan , Zhang Xinyuan , Mei Hexiang , Liu Wei
Published: July 2024

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) exhibits multiple skincare functions such as anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. However, its topical application is limited due to its difficulty in bypassing the stratum corneum barrier, relatively low bioavailability, and low stability. Herein, elastic nano-liposomes (ENLs) with excellent deformability and elasticity were utilized as a novel drug delivery system to encapsulate PEA to overcome the abovementioned issues and enhance the biological effects on the skin. ENL was prepared with phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and cetyl-PG hydroxyethyl palmitamide with a molar ratio mimicking skin epidermal lipids, and PEA was loaded. The PEA-loaded ENL (PEA-ENL) demonstrated efficient transdermal delivery and enhanced skin retention, with negligible cytotoxicity toward HaCaT cells and no allergic reaction in the human skin patch test. Notably, PEA-ENL treatment increased cell migration and induced significant regulation in the expression of genes associated with anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and skin barrier repair. The mechanism of the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of PEA was further investigated and explained by molecular docking site analysis. This novel PEA-ENL, with efficient transdermal delivery efficiency and multiple skincare functionalities, is promising for topical application.
A Systematic Review of Heterogeneous Catalysis Applied to the Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater: Operational Conditions and Statistical Analysis
Authors: Nascimento Raqueline Caldas do , Cahino Arthur , Lucena Larissa Granjeiro , Barbosa Segundo Inalmar D. , Espíndola Jonathan Cawettiere , Rocha Elisângela M. R.
Published: July 2024

The use of heterogeneous photocatalysis has garnered significant attention, mainly due to its remarkable efficacy in degrading recalcitrant compounds. The main objective of this research was to investigate this process applied to pharmaceutical treatment. For that, an analysis of a Final Bibliographic Portfolio (FBP), using the systematic review of the PRISMA and the ProKnow-C method, and a meta-analysis study in a historical series from 2010 to 2020, were performed for scientific works published in indexed journals from the Scopus and Web of Science databases and fully available in English. The works were filtered after a careful reading of the titles, followed by the exclusion of repeated documents and those that were not aligned with the research from 3498 articles, 40 of which were chosen to compose the FBP that addressed the classes of antibiotics, antihypertensives, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory drugs after scientific recognition and exclusion due to not fitting into one of the four FBP structured stages: (1) identification, (2) triage, (3) eligibility, and (4) inclusion. The following gaps were highlighted: (i) a limited number of studies working with interactions of the interfering variables; (ii) a large number of experiments not considering the natural constituents of wastewater; (iii) the use of drug concentrations high above the values found in aquatic matrices; (iv) little applicability of the process at the real scale. In this meta-analysis study, operational parameter optimization was fundamental to guarantee degradation efficiencies above 80% with a variety of pharmaceutical pollutants, the main representatives studied of which were tetracycline, nimesulide, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and atenolol. However, there is still a need to determine the best conditions for this technique when using real effluents, which have the utmost importance for the process on a large scale.
On the Origin of the Photoplethysmography Signal: Modeling of Volumetric and Aggregation Effects
Authors: Lapitan Denis G. , Tarasov Andrey P. , Shtyflyuk Maria E. , Rogatkin Dmitry A.
Published: July 2024

This study aimed to examine the mechanisms of the photoplethysmography (PPG) signal formation using Monte Carlo simulations of light transport in biological tissues and experimental observations. Based on a three-layer skin model in backscattering geometry, we sequentially simulated volumetric blood changes and the aggregation/disaggregation of erythrocytes in the dermal layer and estimated their contribution to the registered PPG signal. The calculations were conducted for two wavelengths: 525 nm and 810 nm. For green light, absorption predominates over scattering in the formation of a PPG signal, whereas, for near-infrared light, scattering prevails over absorption. This theoretical result was verified using the Modified Beer–Lambert law and clinical in vivo PPG data of seven healthy subjects. Changes in the size of the scatterers during erythrocyte aggregation and disaggregation can significantly contribute to the PPG signal at near-infrared light. Thus, for the green waveband, the classical volumetric model can be considered dominant in the PPG signal formation. In contrast, for the near-infrared range, both volumetric and aggregation effects must be considered as being approximately equal.
Assessment of Phenological Dynamics of Different Vegetation Types and Their Environmental Drivers with Near-Surface Remote Sensing: A Case Study on the Loess Plateau of China
Authors: Guo Fengnian , Liu Dengfeng , Mo Shuhong , Li Qiang , Meng Jingjing , Huang Qiang
Published: July 2024

Plant phenology is an important indicator of the impact of climate change on ecosystems. We have continuously monitored vegetation phenology using near-surface remote sensing, i.e., the PhenoCam in a gully region of the Loess Plateau of China from March 2020 to November 2022. In each image, three regions of interest (ROIs) were selected to represent different types of vegetation (scrub, arbor, and grassland), and five vegetation indexes were calculated within each ROI. The results showed that the green chromatic coordinate (GCC), excess green index (ExG), and vegetation contrast index (VCI) all well-captured seasonal changes in vegetation greenness. The PhenoCam captured seasonal trajectories of different vegetation that reflect differences in vegetation growth. Such differences may be influenced by external abiotic environmental factors. We analyzed the nonlinear response of the GCC series to environmental variables with the generalized additive model (GAM). Our results suggested that soil temperature was an important driver affecting plant phenology in the Loess gully region, especially the scrub showed a significant nonlinear response to soil temperature change. Since in situ phenology monitoring experiments of the small-scale on the Loess Plateau are still relatively rare, our work provides a reference for further understanding of vegetation phenological variations and ecosystem functions on the Loess Plateau.
Genome-Wide Identification of the Alfin-like Gene Family in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and the GhAL19 Gene Negatively Regulated Drought and Salt Tolerance
Authors: Liu Jie , Wang Zhicheng , Chen Bin , Wang Guoning , Ke Huifeng , Zhang Jin , Jiao Mengjia , Wang Yan , Xie Meixia , Gu Qishen , Sun Zhengwen , Wu Liqiang , Wang Xingfen , Ma Zhiying , Zhang Yan
Published: July 2024

Alfin-like (AL) is a small plant-specific gene family characterized by a PHD-finger-like structural domain at the C-terminus and a DUF3594 structural domain at the N-terminus, and these genes play prominent roles in plant development and abiotic stress response. In this study, we conducted genome-wide identification and analyzed the AL protein family in Gossypium hirsutum cv. NDM8 to assess their response to various abiotic stresses for the first time. A total of 26 AL genes were identified in NDM8 and classified into four groups based on a phylogenetic tree. Moreover, cis-acting element analysis revealed that multiple phytohormone response and abiotic stress response elements were highly prevalent in AL gene promoters. Further, we discovered that the GhAL19 gene could negatively regulate drought and salt stresses via physiological and biochemical changes, gene expression, and the VIGS assay. The study found there was a significant increase in POD and SOD activity, as well as a significant change in MDA in VIGS-NaCl and VIGS-PEG plants. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of the ABA biosynthesis gene (GhNCED1), signaling genes (GhABI1, GhABI2, and GhABI5), responsive genes (GhCOR47, GhRD22, and GhERFs), and the stress-related marker gene GhLEA14 were regulated in VIGS lines under drought and NaCl treatment. In summary, GhAL19 as an AL TF may negatively regulate tolerance to drought and salt by regulating the antioxidant capacity and ABA-mediated pathway.
Positive- and Negative-Polarity Nanosecond-Pulsed Cryogenic Plasma in Liquid Argon
Authors: Dobrynin Danil , Fridman Alexander
Published: July 2024

This work reports on observations of positive and negative nanosecond-pulsed discharge in liquid argon. The structures of both positive and negative discharges, their sizes, and the propagation velocities exhibit remarkable similarity. Similar to the streamers in liquid nitrogen and gases, negative streamers require higher applied voltages (electric fields) and propagate to shorter distances. For both polarities, the spectra are almost identical and appear to be a superposition of strongly broadened atomic lines, with preliminary analysis of broadening indicating densities of about 40% that of liquid.
A Whole Blood Method for Assessing the Innate Immune Response in Chickens
Authors: Reynolds Donald L. , Simpson E. Barry , Hille Matthew M. , Jia Beibei
Published: July 2024

Innate immunity is considered the first line of immune defense and is typically an unmeasured response. Here we report a method for evaluating the innate immune response in chickens by using whole blood which has been activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce IL-6 release by innate immune cells. It was found that a 24-h LPS activation time interval was the optimum time interval for inducing the IL-6 response. An activation index, defined as the PBS activated control response subtracted from the LPS activated response and then divided by the PBS activated control response and expressed as a percentage, was useful for demonstrating and comparing the magnitude of the innate immune response. Results indicated that there was wide variation between the IL-6 response between individual birds although statistically significant results were obtained for all individual birds at the 24-h activation time interval. The activation indices from all birds were greatest at the 24-h activation time interval. Statistically significant results were achieved when all the data from all birds at the 24-h activation time interval were combined. The cells responsible for the IL-6 response were identified as the peripheral blood monocytes.
Efficacy of Naltrexone/Bupropion in Treatment of Binge Eating: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Moawad Mostafa Hossam-Eldin , Sadeq Mohammed Ahmed , Abbas Abdallah , Ghorab Reem Mohamed Farouk , Serag Ibrahim , Hendawy Mohamed , Alkasaby Muhammad
Published: July 2024

Background: As the most widespread eating disorder in the world now, binge eating disorder (BED) is a mental condition characterized by recurrent periods of excessive food consumption and an inability to regulate one’s portion sizes. The utilization of a bupropion–naltrexone (NB) combination has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach for BED. Assessing the effectiveness of NB in the treatment of BED and its accompanying obesity is the purpose of this research. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in order to obtain any pertinent articles. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Clinical Trials were consulted against in the databases that were searched. In our final meta-analysis, we incorporated interventional or observational studies that documented the effects of NB therapy for binge eating in adults. We also examined the difference in the mean change between the NB and placebo groups, as well as the disparity in outcomes before and after treatment. Results: This study shows that the use of an NB combination is associated with a statistically significant reduction in the weight, BMI, and Binge Eating Scale (BES) of the patients compared to their weight before treatment with MD: −8.52 (95% CI: −10.01–−6.94, p < 0.00001), MD: −4.95 (95%CI: −9.72–−0.17, p = 0.04), and MD: −7.66 (95%CI: −14.36–0.96, p = 0.02), respectively. The absolute mean change was statistically significantly higher in the drug combination group compared to the placebo group. Conclusions: NB showed efficacy in the improvement of the weight and psychiatric symptoms associated with BED and this provides a promising treatment option.
Targeting Liver X Receptors in Cancer Drug Discovery
Authors: Premaratne Asitha , Bagchi Abhinav , Basu Shinjini , Gustafsson Jan-Åke , Lin Chin-Yo
Published: July 2024

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors. LXRα is predominantly expressed in metabolic tissues, whereas LXRβ is ubiquitously expressed. Upon ligand binding, they regulate the expression of target genes involved in lipid metabolism, cholesterol homeostasis, and immune responses, including those which function in pathways that are commonly reprogrammed during carcinogenesis. Known LXR ligands include oxysterols and natural and synthetic agonists which upregulate LXR transcriptional activity and target gene expression. Synthetic inverse agonists have also been identified that inhibit LXR activity. While both types of ligands have been shown to inhibit cancer cells and tumor growth either directly or indirectly by modulating the activities of stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment, they appear to target different aspects of cancer metabolism and other cancer hallmarks, including immune evasion. This review summarizes the characterization of LXRs and their ligands and their mechanisms of action in cancer models and discusses the future directions for translating these discoveries into novel cancer therapeutics.
Round Heaven and Square Earth, the Unity of the Pagoda and Statues—A Study on the Geometric Proportions of the Architectural Space, Statues, and Murals in Ying Xian Fogong Si Shijia Ta 應縣佛宮寺釋迦塔 (Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Ying County)
Authors: Wang Nan , Wang Zhuonan , Zheng Hongyu
Published: July 2024

In Ying Xian Fogong Si Shijia Ta 應縣佛宮寺釋迦塔 (Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Ying County), Shanxi, there are statues set on each floor, and 26 exist in total, with six murals painted on the first floor. The pagoda was designed as a vertically rising Buddhist temple, and the interior space of each floor was customized for the statues. Based on previous research and through surveying and mapping of the architecture and statuary (including the murals on the first floor) combined with geometric design analysis, this paper proposes the following: First, there exists a clear geometric proportion among the interior space and statues on each floor of the pagoda. Second, clear proportional relationships also exist among the statues on each floor, and each of the 26 statues has ‘classical’ proportion rules. Third, the height of the giant Buddha statue on the first floor is the module for not only the height of the statues on each floor but also the construction of the whole pagoda such that the height of the statue on the first floor is 1/6 of the total height of the pagoda (excluding the base). And the ratio of the pagoda’s total height to the first floor’s diameter, the ratio of the total height to the top-story height under the column capital, and all the other geometric proportions are closely related to the architectural modeling. And finally, in the construction of the pagoda, statues, and murals, the scale is deduced to be 1 chi 尺 (Chinese foot) = 29.5 cm. These values give clear scale logics not only to the construction but also to the details of the statues. Accordingly, the most frequently used proportions in the architectural space, statues, and murals of the Pagoda of Fogong Temple are 2, 3:2, 5:3 (or 8:5), and 9:5, which are imbued with cultural messages, like Zhou Bi Suan Jing 周髀算經 (The Mathematical classic of the Zhou shadow-gauging instrument), Ying Zao Fa Shi 營造法式 (Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards), the ancient Chinese world view—tian yuan di fang 天圜地方 (the dome-shaped heaven and the flat, square earth) reflected from “ yuan fang tu 圓方圖 (rounded-square map)” and “fang yuan tu 方圓圖 (squared-circle map)”, ancient Chinese ideas that ”san tian liang di er yi shu 參天兩地而倚數 (‘three’ is the number of the heaven and ‘two’ is the number of the earth, and all numbers are based on them)” and “jiu wu zhi zun 九五之尊 (nine and five are the numbers of the honorable central position)”, and most probably related to the “mandala” of Esoteric Buddhism and to the Western “Golden Ratio”, which all need further research in depth.
Imitation Learning from a Single Demonstration Leveraging Vector Quantization for Robotic Harvesting
Authors: Porichis Antonios , Inglezou Myrto , Kegkeroglou Nikolaos , Mohan Vishwanathan , Chatzakos Panagiotis
Published: July 2024

The ability of robots to tackle complex non-repetitive tasks will be key in bringing a new level of automation in agricultural applications still involving labor-intensive, menial, and physically demanding activities due to high cognitive requirements. Harvesting is one such example as it requires a combination of motions which can generally be broken down into a visual servoing and a manipulation phase, with the latter often being straightforward to pre-program. In this work, we focus on the task of fresh mushroom harvesting which is still conducted manually by human pickers due to its high complexity. A key challenge is to enable harvesting with low-cost hardware and mechanical systems, such as soft grippers which present additional challenges compared to their rigid counterparts. We devise an Imitation Learning model pipeline utilizing Vector Quantization to learn quantized embeddings directly from visual inputs. We test this approach in a realistic environment designed based on recordings of human experts harvesting real mushrooms. Our models can control a cartesian robot with a soft, pneumatically actuated gripper to successfully replicate the mushroom outrooting sequence. We achieve 100% success in picking mushrooms among distractors with less than 20 min of data collection comprising a single expert demonstration and auxiliary, non-expert, trajectories. The entire model pipeline requires less than 40 min of training on a single A4000 GPU and approx. 20 ms for inference on a standard laptop GPU.
A Throughput Performance Analysis Method for Multimode Underwater Acoustic Communication Network Based on Markov Decision Process
Authors: Wang Chao , Du Pengyu , Wang Zhongkang , Li Dong
Published: July 2024

The multimode underwater acoustic communication network is a novel form of underwater acoustic communication that adjusts its communication mode to enhance overall performance. Current performance analysis methods are primarily applied to single-mode networks and assume uniform communication capability across all nodes, making them unsuitable for multimode networks. This paper investigates the multimode communication of the physical layer, considering factors such as the marine environment, the node transmitting sound source level, and the transmitting distance. A decoding conflict model is proposed to support multimode concurrent transmission scenarios. The communication mode is designed to be compatible with the channel and node characteristics. Additionally, using a Markov decision process, this paper establishes a performance evaluation and analysis model for multimode underwater acoustic networks to determine throughput performance limits in real underwater environments. Simulations across various scenarios validate that the throughput performance limits obtained by this method are more accurate under multimode networks, with an improvement in accuracy of over 67.5% compared to existing methods.
Large-Scale Land Cover Mapping Framework Based on Prior Product Label Generation: A Case Study of Cambodia
Authors: Zhu Hongbo , Yu Tao , Mi Xiaofei , Yang Jian , Tian Chuanzhao , Liu Peizhuo , Yan Jian , Meng Yuke , Jiang Zhenzhao , Ma Zhigao
Published: July 2024

Large-Scale land cover mapping (LLCM) based on deep learning models necessitates a substantial number of high-precision sample datasets. However, the limited availability of such datasets poses challenges in regularly updating land cover products. A commonly referenced method involves utilizing prior products (PPs) as labels to achieve up-to-date land cover mapping. Nonetheless, the accuracy of PPs at the regional level remains uncertain, and the Remote Sensing Image (RSI) corresponding to the product is not publicly accessible. Consequently, the sample dataset constructed through geographic location matching may lack precision. Errors in such datasets are not only due to inherent product discrepancies, and can also arise from temporal and scale disparities between the RSI and PPs. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes an LLCM framework for generating labels for use with PPs. The framework consists of three main parts. First, initial generation of labels, in which the collected PPs are integrated based on D-S evidence theory and initial labels are obtained using the generated trust map. Second, for dynamic label correction, a two-stage training method based on initial labels is adopted. The correction model is pretrained in the first stage, then the confidence probability (CP) correction module of the dynamic threshold value and NDVI correction module are introduced in the second stage. The initial labels are iteratively corrected while the model is trained using the joint correction loss, with the corrected labels obtained after training. Finally, the classification model is trained using the corrected labels. Using the proposed land cover mapping framework, this study used PPs to produce a 10 m spatial resolution land cover map of Cambodia in 2020. The overall accuracy of the land cover map was 91.68% and the Kappa value was 0.8808. Based on these results, the proposed mapping framework can effectively use PPs to update medium-resolution large-scale land cover datasets, and provides a powerful solution for label acquisition in LLCM projects.
Spectral-Spatial Mamba for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: Huang Lingbo , Chen Yushi , He Xin
Published: July 2024

Recently, transformer has gradually attracted interest for its excellence in modeling the long-range dependencies of spatial-spectral features in HSI. However, transformer has the problem of the quadratic computational complexity due to the self-attention mechanism, which is heavier than other models and thus has limited adoption in HSI processing. Fortunately, the recently emerging state space model-based Mamba shows great computational efficiency while achieving the modeling power of transformers. Therefore, in this paper, we first proposed spectral-spatial Mamba (SS-Mamba) for HSI classification. Specifically, SS-Mamba mainly includes a spectral-spatial token generation module and several stacked spectral-spatial Mamba blocks. Firstly, the token generation module converts any given HSI cube to spatial and spectral tokens as sequences. And then these tokens are sent to stacked spectral-spatial mamba blocks (SS-MB). Each SS-MB includes two basic mamba blocks and a spectral-spatial feature enhancement module. The spatial and spectral tokens are processed separately by the two basic mamba blocks, correspondingly. Moreover, the feature enhancement module modulates spatial and spectral tokens using HSI sample’s center region information. Therefore, the spectral and spatial tokens cooperate with each other and achieve information fusion within each block. The experimental results conducted on widely used HSI datasets reveal that the proposed SS-Mamba requires less processing time compared with transformer. The Mamba-based method thus opens a new window for HSI classification.
Derivative Method to Detect Sleep and Awake States through Heart Rate Variability Analysis Using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Vaussenat Fabrice , Bhattacharya Abhiroop , Boudreau Philippe , Boivin Diane B. , Gagnon Ghyslain , Cloutier Sylvain G.
Published: July 2024

Sleep disorders can have harmful consequences in both the short and long term. They can lead to attention deficits, as well as cardiac, neurological and behavioral repercussions. One of the most widely used methods for assessing sleep disorders is polysomnography (PSG). A major challenge associated with this method is all the cables needed to connect the recording devices, making the examination more intrusive and usually requiring a clinical environment. This can have potential consequences on the test results and their accuracy. One simple way to assess the state of the central nervous system (CNS), a well-known indicator of sleep disorder, could be the use of a portable medical device. With this in mind, we implemented a simple model using both the RR interval (RRI) and its second derivative to accurately predict the awake and napping states of a subject using a feature classification model. For training and validation, we used a database providing measurements from nine healthy young adults (six men and three women), in which heart rate variability (HRV) associated with light-on, light-off, sleep onset and sleep offset events. Results show that using a 30 min RRI time series window suffices for this lightweight model to accurately predict whether the patient was awake or napping.
Elucidating the Epigenetic and Protein Interaction Landscapes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Kadena Katerina , Vlamos Panagiotis
Published: July 2024

Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis. Understanding the molecular basis of ALS is crucial for the development of effective therapies. Objective: This study aims to explore the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of ALS, focusing on the interplay between gene mutations, protein interactions, and epigenetic factors. Methods: We conducted an extensive analysis of key ALS-associated genes including TARDBP, SOD1, ANG, VAPB, and CHMP2B. We used computational tools to assess the functional consequences of identified mutations on neuronal health and explored DNA methylation patterns in gene promoters to investigate epigenetic regulation. Results: Our findings reveal that mutations in ALS-associated genes disrupt critical processes such as amyloid fibril formation and autophagy. We also identified altered DNA methylation patterns, suggesting a mechanism for changes in gene expression linked to ALS. Molecular docking studies highlighted Humulene and Buddledin C as compounds with high binding affinities to the SOD1 enzyme, suggesting their potential to mitigate hallmark features of ALS pathology such as SOD1 aggregation and oxidative stress. Conclusions: Our comprehensive analysis underscores the complexity of ALS pathogenesis, combining genetic, epigenetic, and proteomic approaches. The insights gained not only enhance our understanding of ALS but also pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies, highlighting the importance of integrated approaches in tackling this challenging neurodegenerative disease.
Strengthening the Attachment to Local Brands through Consumer Ethnocentrism and Impactful Entrepreneurship Education
Authors: Shava Herring
Published: July 2024

This study investigates whether consumer ethnocentrism, a concept that refers to the tendency of consumers to favor domestic products over foreign ones, and entrepreneurship education are variables that can be used to strengthen attachment to local brands. Brand attachment is a well-researched concept in marketing literature. Many variables have been found to have different impacts on brand attachment across the globe. However, studies linking consumer ethnocentrism and entrepreneurship education to brand attachment are scarce, and this study contributes in that regard. Furthermore, the study examines whether entrepreneurship education mediates the association between consumer ethnocentrism and brand attachment. The study adopted a quantitative research methodology. Primary data were gathered through a survey. Past and current entrepreneurship education candidates were targeted. Factor analysis, simple linear regression, and hierarchical regression analyses using PROCESS were performed to make sense of the data. The study’s findings reveal that consumer ethnocentrism and entrepreneurship education can be used to strengthen attachment to local brands. The study recommends that marketing practitioners, scholars, and policymakers collaborate to design an impactful entrepreneurship education curriculum with the goal of enhancing consumer ethnocentrism, leading to increased interaction between consumers and local brands.
Effects of Work–Family Conflict and Facilitation Profiles on Work Engagement
Authors: Carvalho Carla , Mónico Lisete , Pinto Ana , Oliveira Soraia , Leite Eduardo
Published: July 2024

Achieving the balance between work and family life needs a holistic viewpoint on how these two aspects interact. It poses a significant challenge due to its impact on individuals, organizations, and society. Research suggests that employees engaged in both spheres tend to exhibit more favorable work attitudes, and experience improved health and wellbeing. In this study, we examined the interplay between work–family dynamics and work engagement among 654 university professors in Portugal. Using several statistical methods, including confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and multivariate analysis, we identified distinct conflict and facilitation patterns within work–family relationships. Our findings revealed four clusters representing different conflict-facilitation profiles: those characterized by either work → family facilitation or conflict, and, similarly, family → work facilitation or conflict. Notably, we observed a significant association between work engagement and work–family facilitation, particularly evident in dimensions such as vigor and dedication. Absorption showed fewer significant effects than the other dimensions. We discuss these results, suggesting interventions within the university professors’ careers, as well as further research directions.
Changes in the Composition of Soil Organic Matter after the Transformation of Natural Beech Stands into Spruce Monoculture
Authors: Thai Saven , Pavlů Lenka , Vokurková Petra , Thet Bunthorn , Vejvodová Kateřina , Drábek Ondřej , Tejnecký Václav
Published: July 2024

The composition of soil organic matter is considered to have a key influence on C sequestration and global climate change and can be associated with changes in vegetation cover in the terrestrial ecosystem. Our study aimed to evaluate the soil chemical structures and various organic components from available or reactive to more stable forms in forest soils affected by acidification and after conversion from fairly close to natural beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands to a spruce (Picea abies) monoculture. Our results revealed that the beech stands had higher contents of dissolved organic carbon and low molecular mass organic acid compared to the spruce stands. The aliphatic CH groups within the soluble alkaline-extractable organic substance (AEOS) gradually disappeared with deeper soil horizons under both forest species, while the presence of aliphatic CH groups in the low-solubility AEOS was more pronounced in the A horizon under spruce and relatively increased with depth under beech stands. The carboxylic groups were more prevalent in deeper soil horizons, while polysaccharide chains and nitrogen functional groups decreased with depth under both forest stands but were more prevalent under beech than under spruce stands. These findings suggest that the stability of organic matter through the forest soil profiles increased due to the transformation of various organic compounds from litter to more stable organic matter with higher amounts of lignin components to greater amounts of carboxylic groups and aromatic groups in deeper soil horizons. Furthermore, a higher number of mobile components of soil organic matter and carboxylic acids, together with lower pH and cation exchange capacity under spruce, resulted in the leaching of nutrients, releasing risk elements into the soil solution and accelerating the podzolization process.
Development and Validation of a Near Infra-Red (NIR) Hand-held Spectrophotometric Method Using PCA Approaches and Chemometric Tools: Application for Qualitative and Quantitative Determination of Tadalafil Marketed in Kinshasa—D.R. Congo
Authors: Mankulu Kakumba Jocelyn , Hamuli Patient Ciza , Luyinama Merdie Mpemba , Kasago Freddy Mugisho , Tembo Monyele Malachie , Ive Kitenge Dadit , Bayebila Menanzambi Trésor , Kimbeni Malongo Trésor , Mana Kialengila Didi , Mbinze Kindenge Jérémie
Published: July 2024

A hand-held NIR spectrophotometric method was developed, validated, and applied for the determination of tadalafil in tablets. The aim of our work was to develop analytical methods based on vibrational techniques using low-cost portable equipment. Based on different chemometric modeling, we attempted to validate the method, which gave encouraging results from the principal component analysis (PCA), DD-SIMCA, and PLS modeling. Following this, we optimized the method using an appropriate experiment plan. For validation, we used the total error approach with acceptance limits set at ±10% with a risk level of 5%. The method showed that it was possible to perform both qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical products using low-cost portable NIR systems with chemometric tools. The developed approach enabled the completion of the first step in implementing an NIR method for quality control of tadalafil-based drugs in the DRC. Validation difficulties of the PLS method resulted from the lack of information about inter-day serial variations of spectral responses. It would be interesting to extend the study to a larger calibration interval in order to correct uncertainties that may result from the variability observed under different conditions and to verify robustness. These are the limitations of this work, but the results are nevertheless very encouraging.
Psychological Capital as a Mediator in the Link between Organizational Socialization and Job Performance in Chinese Higher Education Teachers
Authors: Da Yanan , Ma Zhong , Gao Yiying
Published: July 2024

This research examines the relationships between organizational socialization, psychological capital, and job performance within Chinese higher education institutions, with an emphasis on the implications for institutional sustainability. Utilizing a quantitative methodology, this study surveyed 1079 faculty members across various universities in China to assess how organizational socialization influences job performance (task, contextual, adaptive, and counterproductive dimensions) both directly and indirectly through psychological capital (self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience). Statistical analyses with the Process 4.2. Macros for SPSS 29.01 have been conducted using model 4. The analysis indicates that organizational socialization has a positive direct effect on task performance, both contextual and adaptive, but a negative effect on counterproductive performance. A significant positive relationship between organizational socialization and each of the psychological capital components has been found. The psychological capital components each played a unique role in mediating the relationship between organizational socialization and the different performance dimensions. These findings suggest that strategic socialization practices can significantly improve both the immediate and long-term performance outcomes of faculty members. This study contributes to the understanding of how targeted socialization and psychological capital development can serve as levers for optimizing job performance in the academic sector.
The Carbon Footprint of Spanish University Websites
Authors: Sanchez-Cuadrado Sonia , Morato Jorge
Published: July 2024

The consumption of digital content is essential for economic and scientific development, leading to a high dependence on information and communication technologies, which significantly impacts the environment. Quantifying this ecological impact is challenging due to its intangible nature and the diversity of factors. This research focuses on assessing the energy consumption and CO2 production of Spanish university websites to evaluate their levels of digital pollution and environmental impact. The calculation of the carbon footprint considers factors related to energy consumption and the use of green or renewable energies. The findings indicate that only 17% of university websites can be considered environmentally friendly. There are significant differences in CO2 consumption and emissions depending on whether the websites implement environmentally sound practices. This study highlights the lack of initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with web information management. The study shows that Spanish universities have the potential to contribute to the reduction in CO2 emissions by implementing sustainable development practices on their websites. Furthermore, it fosters awareness about technology usage and its environmental impact, promoting the adoption of green and sustainable approaches.
Guaranteeing the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4 through Temporary Guardianship in Times of Sudden Public Emergencies: Analytical Evidence from China’s Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Chen Shiqing , Zhang Yanqiong
Published: July 2024

The requirements for children’s health, well-being, and education are covered in Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4. In response to the crisis in survival and development sustainability faced by children during the COVID-19 pandemic, China adopted the temporary guardianship system. The purpose of this study is to examine whether this system does contribute to safeguarding children’s sustainable development, well-being, and health. The study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach with content analysis and applied qualitative document analysis of relevant regulations. Data were obtained through 12 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the institutional staff and individuals. The results indicate that the multiple supports provided to children during the COVID-19 pandemic by the institutions and individuals responsible for assuming temporary guardianship were basically adequate to meet the needs for achieving children’s objective well-being and sustainable development and safeguarding their health. Despite some deficiencies, the temporary guardianship system is worthy of becoming a sustainable system for supporting children’s sustainable personal development and safeguarding their health and well-being, and of serving as a blueprint for other countries to pursue Sustainable Development Goals in times of sudden public emergencies.
A Study of the Impact of ESG on Total Factor Productivity in a Dual-Carbon Context—Based on the Moderating Role of CEOs’ Overseas Experience
Authors: Shen Runan
Published: July 2024

With the proposal of “peak carbon and carbon neutrality”, the attention given to sustainable development has been increasing both at home and abroad. Starting from the background of “dual-carbon”, this paper empirically analyzes the relationship between corporate ESG performance and total factor productivity through a fixed-effect model using the data of A-share listed companies in China from 2011 to 2021, and introduces the CEOs’ overseas experience as a moderator variable (the CEOs’ overseas experience is binary, and CEO performance is irrelevant) to analyze the mechanism of the impact of ESG performance on total factor productivity. The study found that good ESG performance of enterprises can significantly promote the improvement of total factor productivity, and CEOs’ overseas experience can positively regulate the promotion effect of ESG performance on enterprises’ total factor productivity. The conclusions of this paper provide theoretical support and practical references for guiding enterprises to practice ESG concepts, improving total factor productivity, realizing comprehensive green transformation, and upgrading and promoting high-quality economic and social development, as well as high-level construction of the ecological environment.
Energy Consumption Calculation of Civil Buildings in Regional Integrated Energy Systems: A Review of Characteristics, Methods and Application Prospects
Authors: Cai Qicong , Li Baizhan , He Wenbo , Guo Miao
Published: July 2024

Civil buildings play a critical role in urban energy consumption. The energy consumption of civil buildings significantly affects energy allocation and conservation management within regional integrated energy systems (RIESs). This paper first analyzes the influencing factors of civil building energy consumption, as well as the energy consumption characteristics of different types of buildings such as office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, hotels, and residential buildings. Subsequently, it reviews methodologies for calculating operational energy consumption, offering valuable insights for the optimization and strategic adjustments of an RIES. Finally, the paper assesses the application potential of these calculation methods within an RIES and discusses the future development trend of calculating civil building energy consumption.
The Integrating Impacts of Extreme Weather Events and Shrimp Farming Practices on Coastal Water Resource Quality in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam
Authors: Cao Thu Thuy , Nguyen Kieu Lan Phuong , Le Hung Anh , Eppe Gauthier
Published: July 2024

Ninh Thuan is a coastal province in the central region of Vietnam and is characterized by a climate that is the hottest and driest in the country. Vietnam is also one of the top five countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change worldwide. The objective of this study was a thorough evaluation of the quality of water supply sources and the impacts of water effluents from shrimp farms in Ninh Thuan province. The comprehensive evaluation was based on an understanding of the water–wastewater cycle employed in coastal shrimp cultivation. We combined qualitative and quantitative analyses in undertaking this study. Secondary data of groundwater and coastal water from the local periodic water quality monitoring program and national technical regulations were collected in the qualitative approach. We also integrated participatory rural appraisal techniques and field observations to understanding shrimp cultivation and the environmental and social impacts of shrimp farm effluents. The quantitative assessment consisted of measuring groundwater and wastewater contamination from shrimp ponds. As a result, four main reasons for water pollution issues were determined including extreme weather events, shrimp cultivation practices, degraded infrastructure, and mismanagement by local governance. Shrimp cultivation practices (feeding, using chemicals) have resulted in elevated levels of suspended solid (TSS, total Coliform), organic and carbon matter (BOD5, COD), and excessive nutrients (total Nitrogen, NO2-N, NO3-N, PO4-P). According to a local monitoring program, the coastal water and groundwater have experienced nutrient pollution. Groundwater sampling near the shrimp farms identified salinization elevated levels of Coliform from local domestic sewage sources. This study resulted in an integrated approach that evaluated the combined effects of extreme weather events and shrimp farming practices on the quality of coastal water. Also, the finding can be useful in recommending remedial water treatment technologies as a follow-on phase.