bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling Climate-Induced Refugee Migration: An Explainable Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Qi Haodong , Sirbu Alina , Momeni Rahman , Hisam Enes , Arcila-Calderon Carlos , Bircan Tuba , Iacus Stefano
Published: October 2024

We introduce a novel machine learning model to explain and predict climate-induced refugee migration. Through a case study of Somalis seeking asylum in the EU, we demonstrated three key features of our approach. First, by combining lead-lag analysis and Elastic Net regularization, our model can efficiently extract important predictors and their optimal lags from a high-dimensional space containing thousands of location-specific indicators within a country of origin. This feature is useful for identifying where and when migration responses to climate conditions are likely to occur. Moreover, by training on rolling time windows, our model can analyze the persistence of migration drivers and examine whether persistent drivers might induce qualitative (abrupt) changes in the functioning of migration systems. Finally, compared to common time series extrapolation methods (auto-regressive models), our approach can deliver more accurate forecasts and more reliable assessment of uncertainties. In this regard, our machine learning approach is proven to be not only predictive, but also explainable.
Computational Insights into Graphene-Based Materials for Arsenic Removal from Wastewater: A Hybrid Quantum Mechanical Study
Authors: AYENI Olusola Ibraheem , OYEGOKE Toyese
Published: October 2024

The discharge of industrial wastewater, particularly from chemical and mining industries, poses significant threats to the environment, public health, and safety due to high concentrations of pollutants leading to serious illnesses and the loss of aquatic life. It is therefore essential and urgent to devise measures for mitigating these threats. To advance the understanding of graphene membranes for arsenic removal from wastewater, we investigated the arsenic adsorption mechanism and relative selectivity on graphene-based materials using computational approaches. Our study employed hybrid quantum mechanical calculations for energy and geometry optimization to explore arsenic adsorption on pristine graphene membrane surfaces in vacuum and aqueous environments. We assessed the effect of different adsorption sites on the surface, including top (T), bridge (B), and hollow (H) across both edge (E) and center (C) regions, to identify the optimal site. Our results identified edge sites as the most effective for adsorption, with strong adsorption energies in both vacuum (-1.98 eV) and aqueous environments (-1.97 eV), which are generally stronger than those for water adsorption (-0.25 to -0.26 eV) on the surface. Geometrical analyses confirmed the bridge edge sites as the most preferred adsorption configuration. Our findings advance computational methodologies for designing efficient adsorbents and offer valuable insights for developing graphene-based materials. By elucidating adsorption mechanisms and optimizing membrane properties, this study contributes to the novel design of adsorbents for arsenic removal, addressing critical challenges in environmental remediation.
Identification and functional characterization of multiple haemadins and an oligomeric decorsin in the Asian land leech Haemadipsa interrupta
Authors: Müller Christian , Sponholz Dana , Tolksdorf Céline , Rauch Bernhard H. , Kvist Sebastian
Published: October 2024

Haematophagous leeches rely on a broad variety of bioactive compounds to secure a sufficient blood meal from their vertebrate prey. Both the primary (platelet aggregation) and secondary (blood coagulation) haemostasis are main targets of action. The platelet aggregation inhibitor decorsin was first described in the North American leech, Macrobdella decora Say, 1824, whereas the bivalent thrombin inhibitor hirudin was originally identified in the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758. Hirudin blocks both the catalytic site and the fibrinogen-binding site (exosite I) of thrombin. Haemadin of the Indian land leech Haemadipsa sylvestris Blanchard, 1894, is also a highly efficient bivalent thrombin inhibitor, but blocks exosite II of thrombin. So far, only the archetypal form of haemadin from H. sylvestris has been purified and functionally characterized, and two putative haemadins have been identified in the salivary transcriptome of Haemadipsa interrupta Moore, 1835, a terrestrial leech inhabiting mainly the Malayan peninsula. Here we describe the identification of ten additional putative haemadins in the transcriptomic data set of H. interrupta, first generated by another study. Furthermore, we identified a putative oligomeric decorsin, which represents the first finding of this anticoagulant in a haemadipsid leech. Both decorsin and a selection of haemadins were expressed, purified and functionally characterized. The putative haemadins displayed a broad spectrum of thrombin-inhibitory potencies, whereas the putative oligomeric decorsin was indeed a weak inhibitor of platelet aggregation.
Viral gene therapeutic strategies to obtain abluminal protein secretion from brain endothelial cells denoting the blood-brain barrier
Authors: Moos Torben , Laczek Bartosz , Burkhart Annette , Thomsen Maj Schneider , Körbelin Jakob
Published: October 2024

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) formed by brain endothelial cells (BECs) limits the passage of biopharmaceuticals from the circulation into the brain parenchyma. An emerging strategy suggests that viral vectors may specifically target and productively transduce BECs leading to protein secretion into the brain. To study protein secretion, different AAV-BR1 vector constructs encoding mCherry were designed containing either an endothelial specific promotor or the more ubiquitous CAG promotor. Intending to enhance abluminal secretion, a fragment of platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGF-B) protein was fused to the N-terminus of mCherry. Post-translational removal of PDGF-B using a furin cleavage site was also examined. Secretion of mCherry from BECs occurred primarily without post-translational processing, hence limiting the applicability of PDGF-B fusion to proteins among which bioactivity is not abolished by N-terminal modifications. Modelling the BBB in vitro using primary BECs co-cultured with glial cells, mCherry secretion across the abluminal membrane was particularly favorable, following transduction with constructs containing the CAG promoter and PDGF-B fragment. Systemically administered AAV-BR1 vector transduced BECs in vivo, but tracing mCherry secretion into the brain was complicated by additional BBB crossing of the vector with neuronal off-target transduction. In conclusion, the AAV-BR1 vectors transduce BECs and enable abluminal protein secretion with potential for protein delivery to the brain.
Optimization of Betulinic and Ursolic Acids and Phenolics Extraction from Endemic Rosa pisiformis Using Box-Behnken Design in Relation to Cytotoxic Activities
Authors: DEMİRAY Hatice , Emir Mesut , ÖZEL Onur
Published: October 2024

Despite its important pharmacological bioactivities, betulinic acid is still primarily obtained through extraction from heartwood and bark or synthesized synthetically, with less than 3% efficiency. Our endemic rose species, Rosa pisiformis (Christ.) D. Sosn., which is a new alternative source of betulinic acid and traditionally valued for its medicinal properties, was collected from its natural distribution in Gümüşhane province. The plant’s organs, such as root, stem, leaf and fruit were air-dried and pulverized. The compounds were separately extracted using three different solvents (ethanol, dichloromethane and hexane) with an optimized Box-Behnken method. The amounts of quercetin, rutin, catechin, betulinic, ursolic and oleanolic acids in roots, stems, leaves, and fruits were determined using HPLC-DAD techniques with standard substances. Optimisation data revealed a 65% solvent ratio and five-times maceration with 75 ml of solvents. The highest amounts of catechin were found in the leaves (DCM) as 15.61 µg/ml. Stems were rich in rutin (28.96 µg/ml) and quercetin (39.90 µg/ml). Betulinic acid content was determined for the first time in stems (hexane, 11.84 µg/ml) and roots (9.32 µg/ml). Their cytotoxic activities against prostate and lung carcinoma cells were evaluated using ABTS-assay, revealing that stems exhibited the highest activity, followed by leaves and roots.
The rare bacteria in the rhizosphere enhanced the tolerance of tea plants to drought
Authors: You Xinhan , Zhao Xiaoxia , Han Xiaoyang
Published: October 2024

Drought can seriously affect the yield and quality of tea. The interaction between rhizosphere microorganisms and tea plants could enhance the drought resistance of tea plants. However, there are few studies on the effects of abundant and rare microorganisms on tea plants. In this study, the contributions of abundant and rare bacteria in the rhizosphere microorganisms of ‘FudingDabaicha’ and ‘Baiye No.1’ to the resistance of tea plants to drought stress were studied using 16SrRNA sequencing, co-occurrence network analysis, and PLS-PM modeling analysis. The results showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of osmotic substances increased significantly after drought stress. In the co-occurrence network of the two varieties, the average degree, clustering coefficient, and modularity index of the rare bacteria were greater than those of the abundant bacteria, and the path coefficient of the rare bacteria to drought was greater than that of the abundant bacteria. The contribution of rare microorganisms in ‘FudingDabaicha’ to drought stress was greater than that in ‘Baiye No.1’. The rare bacteria of the two varieties were positively correlated with amino acids and negatively correlated with lipids. The results of this study will provide new insights for the use of rhizosphere microorganisms in improving the drought resistance of tea plants.
Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Urinary Tract Infections.
Authors: Senaratne Thamarasi , Jayathilaka Nishadi , Nakkawita Dilini
Published: October 2024

Background and aim:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by carbapenem-resistant (CR) bacteria cause poor outcomes in infected patients. An interviewer administered questionnaire to collect data on clinical characteristics and outcomes is needed to assess the clinical outcome and to improve patient care. Present study developed and validated a questionnaire to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes during hospital stay and after discharge over three months, among patients with CR-UTI.
Method
A four-phase methodology was followed. (1) item generation by literature search, (2) content validation by an expert panel review (n = 3), (3) face validation by conducting a pilot study (n = 20), (4) construct validity and reliability analysis with the participation of 123 patients confirmed with CR-UTIs.
Results
Questionnaire with 14 items were generated by the end of phase 1. Content validation indicated a strong item content validity index for relevance. Several revisions were done to improve clarity. Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis showed that items loaded > 0.04 on a single item explained total variance of 71.67%. The Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin value was acceptable (0.34), with significant Bartlett’s sphericity test (p < 0.05). The Cronbach’s alpha value indicated sufficient reliability (0.53) for a newly developed questionnaire. At the end of four phases, 21-item questionnaire was generated.
Conclusion
The questionnaire validated for clinical characteristics and outcome assessment of CR-UTI patients was with excellent psychometric properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to develop and validate a standardized questionnaire, to enhance patient care through monitoring of clinical characteristics and outcome assessment of patients diagnosed with CR-UTIs.
The influencing mechanism of thermo-oxidative aging of waste cotton textiles on mechanical properties of their regenerated fibers
Authors: Guo Mengsheng , Miao Yaping , Su Jinhui , Zhang Xinyan , Zhang Haiyang , Chen Sisi , Zhang Wenli , Liu Lin , Hou Lin , Fan Wei
Published: October 2024

Recycling and reuse of waste cotton textiles reduces environmental pollution and lowers energy consumption. Currently, researchers have conducted a lot of studies on the reuse of waste cotton textiles, but there are fewer studies on how the degree of their aging affects the properties of the regenerated fibers. In particular, the higher the degree of aging, the greater the change of physical and chemical properties of them, thus limiting their reuse value. In this paper, ionic liquids were used to dissolve cotton textiles with different degree of aging, and the effect of aging degree of cotton textiles on the viscosity of spinning solution was investigated by measuring the rheological behavior of spinning solution. The regenerated fibers were prepared by wet spinning and the mechanical and chemical properties of the regenerated fibers were characterized. When comparing regenerated fibers made from cotton textiles that have not been aged with those made from cotton textiles aged at 200°C, the tensile strength of the regenerated fibers decreases from 204.83 MPa to 47.5 MPa, and the hydroxyl vibration peaks of the regenerated fibers are weakened. With the help of molecular dynamics simulation, the aging process of cotton textiles under different temperature conditions was explored, at high temperatures, cellulose molecular chains break and intramolecular hydrogen bonding is reduced, resulting in reduced mechanical properties. Therefore, the selection of waste cotton textiles with the appropriate degree of aging according to the recycling purpose can help to realize the efficient use of waste textiles.
18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms: a head-to-head comparative study
Authors: Xiong Min , You HongJi , Feng Jingmin , Liu Yipei , Luo Xiaoming , Liu Ying , Jiang Sheng-Nan
Published: October 2024

Purpose
Radionuclide-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) is an emerging tumor tracer. We sought to assess the uptake and diagnostic performance of 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT compared with simultaneous 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT in primary and metastatic lesions in patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms and determine the potential clinical benefit.
Procedures
Forty-two patients (men = 30, women = 12, mean age = 56.71 ± 13.26 years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT simultaneously for diagnosis, staging, and restaging were enrolled. Quantitative data, including standardized uptake value (SUV), tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR), and tumor-to-blood pool ratio (TBR), were analyzed. Two independent readers performed a visual assessment of lesion number and location on PET/CT images. Interobserver agreement between two examinations was calculated using Cohen’s kappa (κ).
Results
Primary tumor locations included the liver (n = 20), stomach (n = 9), pancreas (n = 5), and intestine (n = 10). More intense 18F-FAPI-42 uptake and higher tumor-to-background contrast were detected in most primary and metastatic lesions compared with 18F-FDG, contributing to improved diagnostic accuracy ranging from 95.24–100%. Moreover, additional lesions showing 18F-FAPI-42 uptake in primary, locoregional and distant metastatic lesions were visualized, especially in multiple liver and peritoneal metastases. Patient-based interobserver agreement varied from moderate to strong, with suboptimal outcomes observed in primary tumors (κ = 0.441, P = 0.01) and preferable results derived from metastatic liver and bone lesions (κ = 1 and 0.896, both P < 0.01). 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT resulted in modified treatment strategies for 40.48% (17/42) of patients, while 18F-FDG PET/CT led to altered therapeutic regimens in only 4.8% (2/42) of patients.
Conclusions
In selected patients with malignant digestive system neoplasms, our study shows that 18F-FAPI-42 PET/CT is a promising and alternative tool for assessing primary tumors and metastases and aiding staging, restaging, and decision-making, with higher uptake and better lesion visualization compared with 18F-FDG. In addition, it may shed light into the treatment selection and response assessment for FAP-targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
Design and Characterization of a Magnetorheological Elastomer Linear Actuator
Authors: Bellelli Alberto , Vairo Antonio , Spaggiari Andrea
Published: October 2024

This work presents the design and characterization of an innovative linear actuator based on a magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) disc coupled to an electromagnet. MREs are a class of smart materials in which micrometre-sized magnetic particles are suspended in an elastomeric matrix. Most research works study their applicability as semi-active systems, but less effort is devoted to their applicability in actuators. The MRE is activated by a commercial electromagnet, and it is used to provide linear motion. The stiffness of the elastomeric matrix is exploited to bring the system back to its initial position, so that the system is monostable. The magneto-mechanical behaviour is modelled both analytically and by means of finite element magneto-mechanical simulations, and the models are compared with the experimental tests. Two membrane thicknesses and two different gaps between the membrane and the electromagnetic actuator were manufactured and characterized. The results show the effect of the design variable on the actuator behaviour and confirm that the analytical model provided can predict the actuator's behaviour with a good approximation in all the configuration analysed. The dynamic range of the proposed system, regardless of the configuration selected, demonstrates that the magnetic contribution is always able to increase the actuator force by 50% and that the provided model can easily be used as a reliable design tool for this kind of smart system.
P-Mamba: Marrying Perona Malik Diffusion with Mamba for Efficient Pediatric Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Segmentation
Authors: Ye Zi , Chen Tianxiang , Wang Fangyijie , Zhang Hanwei , Zhang Lijun
Published: October 2024

In pediatric cardiology, the accurate and immediate assessment of cardiac function through echocardiography is crucial since it can determine whether urgent intervention is required in many emergencies. However, echocardiography is characterized by ambiguity and heavy background noise interference, causing more difficulty in accurate segmentation. Present methods lack efficiency and are prone to mistakenly segmenting some background noise areas, such as the left ventricular area, due to noise disturbance. To address these issues, we introduce P-Mamba, which integrates the Mixture of Experts (MoE) concept for efficient pediatric echocardiographic left ventricular segmentation. Specifically, we utilize the recently proposed ViM layers from the vision mamba to enhance our model's computational and memory efficiency while modeling global dependencies. In the DWT-based Perona-Malik Diffusion (PMD) Block, we devise a PMD Block for noise suppression while preserving the left ventricle's local shape cues. Consequently, our proposed P-Mamba innovatively combines the PMD's noise suppression and local feature extraction capabilities with Mamba's efficient design for global dependency modeling. We conducted segmentation experiments on two pediatric ultrasound datasets and a general ultrasound dataset, namely Echonet-dynamic, and achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) results. Leveraging the strengths of the P-Mamba block, our model demonstrates superior accuracy and efficiency compared to established models, including vision transformers with quadratic and linear computational complexity.
Experimental study and acoustic characteristics analysis of defective-state Helmholtz-ring phononic crystal muffler
Authors: Bai Yang , Chen Yuehua , Zheng Jiahui
Published: October 2024

To improve the sound absorption performance of the expansion chamber muffler at low frequencies, a Helmholtz-ring phononic crystal muffler is designed based on the local resonance mechanism. The phononic crystal muffler exhibits strong sound attenuation performance at deep sub-wavelength scales. Firstly, the phononic crystal scatterer is designed as a ring-type Helmholtz resonant chamber, and a certain amount of cell units is periodically arranged inside an expansion chamber muffler. Secondly, the effects of the dimension parameters of scatterers on the bandgaps are studied. The transmission loss of the phononic crystal muffler, together with the pressure loss at low Mach numbers, is investigated. Subsequent focus is devoted to analyzing the effects of point and linear defective states on the acoustic transmission characteristics of the phononic crystal muffler. The results show that a significant improvement in both transmission loss and aerodynamic performance of the proposed phononic crystal muffler is observed when compared to the original expansion chamber muffler. Additionally, the transmission loss within the bandgap can be further enhanced when the phononic crystal muffler is in a defective state. Finally, experimental investigations were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the phononic crystal muffler within its bandgap range.
Study on the mechanism and prevention system of creep induced instability of isolated coal pillars considering time effect
Authors: Song Weihua , Yu Shiqi , Rong Hai
Published: October 2024

In response to the frequent occurrence of impact manifestations of isolated coal pillars in the middle of mining areas without obvious mining disturbances, taking multiple isolated coal pillar impact events that occurred in Zhaolou Coal Mine and Gengcun Coal Mine as examples, a study was conducted on the mechanism of induced rock burst by isolated coal pillars considering time effects,The occurrence of such rockburst accidents often exhibits significant "lag" and "spontaneity". Due to the unclear mechanism of occurrence and the difficulty in grasping the timing of pressure relief, this type of rockburst has become a typical hidden disaster, posing a serious threat to the deep mining of coal mines.Based on the analysis of creep mechanical properties of coal and rock mass and FLAC3D numerical simulation, a creep model of coal and rock mass was established, revealing the mechanism of creep instability and impact. The starting conditions for the occurrence of rock burst in isolated coal pillars under unstable creep during deep mining were studied, and the study showed that high ground stress is a necessary condition for the occurrence of "hysteresis" rock burst in isolated coal pillars. Long term unstable creep weakens the support strength of tunnels, When the elastic energy accumulated in an isolated coal pillar exceeds its ultimate bearing capacity, impact instability occurs.Based on the mechanism of such impact accidents, targeted prevention and control measures for deep hole blasting pressure relief have been proposed, providing good reference value for the prevention and control of isolated coal pillar "hysteresis" impact ground pressure accidents.
Misconceptions, prejudice and social distance towards people with alcohol use disorders in China
Authors: Yang Qingyan , Rüsch Nicolas , Yang Kebing , Niu Yajuan , Xiao Yanxia , Zhou Yanfang , Tan Yunlong , Zhang Yi , Corrigan Patrick W. , Xu Ziyan
Published: October 2024

Purpose:
Research from Western societies indicates pervasive public stigma against people with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). However, there is a lack of knowledge about the interactions between different components of stigma and their contribution to discriminatory behaviour towards individuals with AUDs within the Chinese cultural context. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the relationships of (mis-)conceptions, stereotypes, emotional reactions, perceived public stigma and their contribution to the desire for social distance among the Chinese adults.
Methods:
(Mis-)conceptions, stereotypes, emotional responses, willingness to help and avoid, perceived stigma, and the desire for social distance from individuals with AUDs were assessed via a cross-sectional online survey with a sample of 1,100 adults from the Chinese population.
Results:
Three-fourth of the participants recognised AUDs as mental illnesses, though 70% of the sample did not support health insurance coverage for the treatment of AUDs. A stronger desire for social distance was associated with increased perceived public stigma, greater recognition of alcohol use disorders as mental illnesses, heightened perceptions of personal responsibility, increased fear, and more willingness to avoid and withhold help, controlling for age, gender, education, employment, and alcohol consumption.
Conclusions:
To improve social integration for individuals with AUDs in China, culturally tailored anti-stigma programmes are needed to reduce negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviours among the Chinese population.
Transcriptome analysis reveals the potential molecular mechanism involved in fatty acids biosynthesis of Sunflower
Authors: Guo Shuchun , Zhang Yanfang , Shao Ying , Zhao Lingmin , Zuo Yongchun , Li Suping , Nie Hui , Mou Yingnan , Zhang Congzi , Che Yingxue , Zhang Haiyang , Miao Hongmei , Yu Haifeng
Published: October 2024

Background
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is one of the most important oilseed crops worldwide. To reveal the molecular mechanism of biosynthesis and accumulation of major fatty acid components in sunflower, and to clarify the primary and secondary relationships between temperature, genes, and fatty acid synthesis in sunflower. In this study, as our study materials, we chose the sunflower inbred lines J9 and P50 with high and low oleic acids, respectively. Sampling at the same period of sowing at different periods (S-test) and sampling at different periods of sowing at the same time (A-test) were used to determine the fatty acid fractions and contents of different samples of seeds after pollination, respectively; and RNA-Seq technology was utilized to sequence the different samples to obtain the gene expression data related to fatty acid synthesis for each sample.
Results
Five main fatty acids were detected, including Oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, and the relative contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid were negatively correlated, while the relative contents of linolenic acid and palmitic acid were lower and showed a continuous decreasing trend during seed development. The crucial turning point in sunflower fatty acid synthesis occurs at 20 days after flowering (DAF), and fatty acid fractions and contents of high oleic sunflower lines were little affected by temperature, while low oleic lines were susceptible to temperature. A total of 81,676 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing. There were 15885 and 18220 genes obtained in the S dataset and A dataset, respectively, were annotated in the GO and KEGG functional databases. Based on the KEGG database, a total of 19 pathways associated with lipid metabolism, with a cumulative enrichment of 29 DEGs. Through the analysis of metabolic pathways, a total of 42 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) directly related to sunflower fatty acid metabolism were identified. These DEGs belong to 22 different types of enzymes, including PIGT, KCS, ACC, SAD, MFP, ACX, ACP, and FAB, which are key genes involved in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and oil accumulation in sunflowers.
Conclusions
We predicted that PIGT, KCS, ACC, SAD, MFP, ACX, ACP, and FAB were the key enzymes, regulating their genes in the fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in sunflower seed. This study provides the first comprehensive genomic resources characterizing sunflowers seed gene expression at the transcriptional level. These data lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation for sunflower.
Stress-assisted clustering-triggered emission of cellulose- based materials
Authors: Dimitriev Oleg , Zhang Huotian , Dávid Anna , Eskilson Olof , Aili Daniel , Celada Lukas Marcos , Olsén Peter , Gao Feng , Fahlman Mats
Published: October 2024

Cellulose-based materials can be classified as non-conventional luminogens that produce photoluminescence (PL) in the visible range due to specific intermolecular arrangements. Usually such an arrangement is referred to as clusterization. Here, we demonstrate the importance of intramolecular arrangement of ethyl cellulose and bacterial cellulose that demonstrate tunable photoluminescence with multiexponent decay. We show that the observed emission is due to a n-π* electronic transition of carbonyl groups, whose emission intensity depends on the form of the sample preparation, either the powder-form or spin-coated films, displaying different density of the emitting regions on the microscale. Particularly, it is shown that PL emission is produced from disordered amorphous regions rather than from crystalline ones. We show that the emission is also promoted by mechanical stress applied to the sample that is suggested to facilitate formation of clusters of the carbonyl groups. The observed stress-assisted emission opens up the potential perspective of using this phenomenon in printed photonic devices.
A Framework for Mobile App Performance Testing: Analysis and Development
Authors: Motton Suman(corresponding author) , Bhardwaj Yadunandan , kaur Inderdeep , Kaur Parminder
Published: October 2024

Mobile platforms have become a global means of entertainment and communication. Therefore, mobile applications must be tested thoroughly to meet the growing competition. Performance testing is an integral part of software testing. This research paper aims to analyze the various performance testing tools and compare them based on multiple parameters. Performance test results have been analyzed for a better understanding of these tools. This paper aims to give the researchers detailed insights into mobile application testing tools, which will help them to find the gaps and design better frameworks. Performance testing has been performed by implementing a small framework/code to further extend the research work. This framework collects the data at the system level. For this purpose, an Android debug bridge shell has been used. It also needs to write a Python script. Another requisite is to connect the system where the Android debug bridge is used and mobile whose app needs to be tested should connect on the same network. Finally, performance testing data has been successfully collected and presented in graphical format. This collected data will be helpful to enhance the research work to a greater degree.
Synthesis, Optimization and Performance Evaluation of a Biomass-based Environment-friendly Dust Suppressant
Authors: Liu Zhichen , Kan Shihao , Ma Junru , Xu Tao , Che Yanyu , Liu Wenjie , Zeng Xiang , Mao Xuhui
Published: October 2024

Although dust suppressants with diverse raw materials have been developed to cope with the increasingly urban dust pollution, the previous researches predominantly focused on the exploration of formulations for composite dust suppressants, and their environmental friendliness were seldom considered. In this study, an environment-friendly dust suppressant, which exhibited a favorable covering effect and excellent dust suppression performance, is prepared to address this research gap. Through single constituent experiments and orthogonal experiments, the types and optimal concentrations of binder, hygroscopic agent and surfactant are first determined. The optimal formulation of the dust suppressant includes 0.5% CMC-Na, 2% MgCl2 and 0.15% sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, 1% bentonite and 1% straw powder could be added as fillers to maximize the performance. The dust suppression effect is evaluated using a self-designed wind-erosion resistance device, revealing a favorable anti-erosion efficiency exceeding 94%. The hardness of the curing layer formed after spraying the dust suppressant can reach 169 N at a given thickness of 9.5 mm. Additionally, the composite dust suppressant is of non-biotoxicity and shows negligible corrosiveness to carbon steels (0.122 mm/a), while demonstrating its biodegradability in soil. The results indicate that the biomass-based dust suppressant in this study is promising for practical applications.
A novel application of Shapley values for large multidimensional time-series data: Applying explainable AI to a DNA profile classification neural network.
Authors: Elborough Lauren , Taylor Duncan , Humphries Melissa
Published: October 2024

The application of Shapley values to high-dimensional, time-series-like data is computationally challenging - and sometimes impossible. For N inputs the problem is 2N hard. In image processing, clusters of pixels, referred to as superpixels, are used to streamline computations. This research presents an efficient solution for time-series-like data that adapts the idea of superpixels for Shapley value computation. Motivated by a forensic DNA classification example, the method is applied to multivariate time-series-like data whose features have been classified by a convolutional neural network (CNN). In DNA processing, it is important to identify alleles from the background noise created by DNA extraction and processing. A single DNA profile has 31,200 scan points to classify, and the classification decisions must be defensible in a court of law. This means that classification is routinely performed by human readers - a monumental and time consuming process. The application of a CNN with fast computation of meaningful Shapley values provides a potential alternative to the classification. This research demonstrates the realistic, accurate and fast computation of Shapley values for this massive task.
Exploring the Link: Increased Prevalence of Periodontitis in Individuals with Psoriasis and Associated Risk Factors
Authors: Singh Akanksha , Singh Rika , Rathore Praveen , Singh Pushpendra
Published: October 2024

Background:
The association between periodontitis and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis, has garnered increasing attention. This case-control study investigates the potential link between psoriasis and periodontitis, while also examining the impact of various risk factors on this relationship.
Methods:
A total of 364 participants were included in the study, with 183 diagnosed with psoriasis and 181 serving as controls. Comprehensive full-mouth periodontal examinations were conducted, assessing plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP). The influence of risk factors was analyzed through univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression.
Results:
Psoriasis patients exhibited higher BMI, diabetes prevalence, anxiolytic/antidepressant use, and smoking rates compared to controls (all p < 0.05). Periodontal clinical parameters (PI, BOP, PD, CAL) were significantly worse in the psoriasis group (all p < 0.001). Psoriasis was associated with a higher prevalence of periodontitis (49.8% vs. 35.6%) and increased severity (p trend < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified significant associations between periodontitis and the number of teeth, smoking, and BMI (all p < 0.05), but psoriasis was not an independent predictor of periodontitis. The ROC curve of the model demonstrated 83.0% accuracy, with periodontal parameters excluded due to collinearity.
Conclusions:
This study reveals a higher prevalence of periodontitis in individuals with psoriasis, with severity influencing periodontitis prevalence. However, psoriasis was not an independent predictor of periodontitis in the multivariate analysis. Further research with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs is warranted to confirm these findings.
Optimizing conservation of Ulmus wallichiana, threatened Himalayan species by combining population genetics and species distribution modeling
Authors: Singh Amandeep , Sharma Vikas , Majeed Aasim , Pandey Puneeta , Bhardwaj Pankaj
Published: October 2024

Global climate change and human action are dismantling many ecosystems at an alarming rate, causing an unprecedented erosion of biodiversity. In this context, investigation of the threats and evaluation of the remedies to protect biological resources are necessary. This study aims to define the appropriate conservation strategy for Ulmus wallichiana, a vulnerable Himalayan Elm species. The structure of genetic diversity was investigated within and among its populations using nuclear microsatellites (SSR). Further, ecological niche modelling was carried out to ascertain the climatic suitability in the Indian Western Himalayas. Our integrative approach identified genetic diversity hotspots and long-term suitable areas across the Western Himalayas for U. wallichiana, two key aspects required for its conservation in the future. Moreover, a negligible level of inbreeding and signs of a genetic bottleneck in several populations were observed. Germplasms from the genetic diversity hotspots for propagation in the climatic hotspots may ensure better genetic diversity under a safer climate in the future. We believe that this integrative approach will guide the formulation of cost, time, and labor-intensive effective strategies in restoring this Himalayan vulnerable species.
Introducing Anisotropic Fields for Enhanced Diversity in Crowd Simulation
Authors: Li Yihao , Liu Junyu , Guan Xiaoyu , Hou Hanming , Huang Tianyu
Published: October 2024

Large crowds exhibit intricate behaviors and significant emergent properties, yet existing crowd simulation systems often lack behavioral diversity, resulting in homogeneous simulation outcomes. To address this limitation, we propose incorporating anisotropic fields (AFs) as a fundamental structure for depicting the uncertainty in crowd movement. By leveraging AFs, our method can rapidly generate crowd simulations with intricate behavioral patterns that better reflect the inherent complexity of real crowds. The AFs are generated either through intuitive sketching or extracted from real crowd videos, enabling flexible and efficient crowd simulation systems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through several representative scenarios, showcasing a significant improvement in behavioral diversity compared to classical methods. Our findings indicate that by incorporating AFs, crowd simulation systems can achieve a much higher similarity to real-world crowd systems. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/tomblack2014/AF_Generation.
Early spring population dynamics of Salpa thompsoni linked to physical oceanography in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean
Authors: Pakhomov Evgeny A. , Mole Ryan , Bahl Alexis A. , Appen Wilken-Jon , Lüskow Florian
Published: October 2024

The pelagic tunicate Salpa thompsoni accounts for a large portion of the zooplankton in the Southern Ocean. While salp’s functional role in pelagic ecosystems is recognised, their life cycle during winter and spring remains poorly understood. To uncover the effects of environmental drivers on S. thompsoni population dynamics, we collected physical oceanography and salp population development data in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during the spring of 2022. Salp abundances were generally < 5 ind. m− 2 in the 0–150 m and 0–600 m layers. The S. thompsoni population was at the most advanced stages of development, including a diverse stage composition and a bimodal size distribution, in the sub-Antarctic Zone north of the Polar Front (PF). This indicated ongoing salp reproduction that started at least one month prior to our voyage. Stations located in the Antarctic Zone south of the PF were characterised by low salp densities (generally < 2 ind. m− 2) and early developmental stages. The distribution of biologically diverse salp populations and their development were strongly influenced by the regional physical oceanography. The region’s strong currents and dynamic frontal systems, including eddies emerged as a major driver of salp population dynamics. The findings from this study illustrate that salps north of the PF likely spawn year-round, while their populations in regions influenced by Antarctic waters show strong seasonal development and their reproduction may seize during the austral winter.
Has the displacement of capelin Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776) feeding ground induced a phenotypic response?
Authors: Singh Warsha , Bjarnason Sigurvin , Pampoulie Christophe
Published: October 2024

Capelin in the Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen region has experienced a range shift over the last two decades potentially driven by climate change. The population now inhabits the east Greenland shelf during the late feeding season, instead of the north Iceland shelf as in the past. Spatial and temporal variation in phenotypic and life history traits such as body size, weight, length- and age-at-maturation, as well as body condition were used to comprehend the population response to environmental perturbations, using biological data spanning two decades. The findings showed that length-at-age, weight-at-age, body condition, and length-at-maturity increased over time, whereas age-at-maturity remained stable. A finer spatiotemporal modelling of length- and weight-at-age for each specific period, before and after the shift, showed density-dependent effects were most prominent for all ages where the size and condition of organisms have improved over the years likely because of reduced intra-specific competition. Temperature effects were more apparent for ages 1 and 2 where fish attain a smaller body size in warmer conditions, and a positive relationship was apparent with net primary productivity. By adjusting life-history traits to a new environment, the capelin population has exhibited a plastic response. A good understanding of the ecological processes that drive population response can prove useful for management in the future.
Optimizing the combined electrocoagulation (EC) and electrochemical oxidation (EO) for treating the petroleum wastewater from crude oil storage tank bottoms
Authors: Galedari Mona , Ghazi Mohsen Mehdipour , Aliabadiba Maryam Hosseini
Published: October 2024

This study investigated the treatment of petroleum-contaminated water from the crude oil storage tank by employing sequential coupling electrocoagulation and electrochemical oxidation using Fe and Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes as the sacrificial and oxidation anodes respectively. Although the Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrode is commonly used, its short lifetime disadvantages have limited its performance in industrial applications. A long-standing (highly stable) Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrode with high electro-oxidation capability was fabricated by applying an electrodeposited-annealed Sb-SnO2 interlayer between the Ti substrate and the Top Sb-SnO2 coating. Physical characterization results, including Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), revealed the presence of SnO2 and Sb in the anode composition. The surface appeared flat with a uniform spherical shape, averaging about 13–22 nm in size. The 2 V oxygen evolution overpotential and the accelerated lifetimes of 11 hours demonstrated that using the electro-deposited interlayer improved the electrocatalytic performance and stability of the electrode for electro-oxidation applications. The highest COD removal of the mentioned wastewater was optimized using the RSM methodology for EC and EO, respectively. The integrated EC-EO process achieved a maximum COD reduction efficiency of 96.5% at a current density of 20 mA/cm2, with electrodes placed 2.5 cm apart in a neutral pH environment for 120 minutes.
A human mitochondrial isoform of TRPV1 regulates intracellular Ca2+ simultaneously with mitochondrial thermolysis
Authors: Lenaers Guy , Beignon Florian , Ducreux Sylvie , Tuifua Léa , Dantec Yannick Le , Lemao Morgane , Goudenège David , Chevrollier Arnaud , Khiati Salim , Tricoire-Leignel Hélène , Gueguen Naig , Mattei César
Published: October 2024

Mitochondria are the cornerstones of cellular and body thermogenesis, with an inner temperature possibly reaching 50°C. Here, we report the identification of a human Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 alternative isoform located in mitochondria. This isoform, which we have termed mitoTRPV1, acts as a thermostat to restrict the mitochondrial temperature. The mitoTRPV1 open reading frame overlaps TRPV1 exons 1 and 2 and intron 2 in a + 1 frame, encoding for a predicted 150 amino-acid N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) conserved amongst mammalian species, followed by the 687 amino acids of TRPV1 C-terminal. This ORF is ubiquitously expressed in most human organs, underscoring its broad relevance. The deduced MTS, conserved among mammalian species, effectively addresses this TRPV1 isoform to the mitochondrial inner membrane. Our experiments, using heterologous wild-type and mutated mitoTRPV1 expression, combined with Ca2+ imaging, mitochondrial temperature and oxygraphy measurements, disclosed that mitoTRPV1 activation induces Ca2+ efflux and mitochondrial cooling, without modification of mitochondrial respiration and ATP production. Notably, the loss of function mitoTRPV1-G684V isoform, responsible for exertional heat stroke predisposition in humans, abolished mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux and cooling. These findings reveal a new thermolysis function for TRPV1 in preventing mitochondrial overwarming while not affecting the OXPHOS efficiency. They also highlight the potential implications of mitoTRPV1 in human diseases related to temperature dysregulation.