bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of the transsulfuration pathway in spermatogenesis of vitamin D deficient mice
Authors: Jamshidian-Ghalehsefidi Narges , Rabiee Farzaneh , Tavalaee Marziyeh , Kiani Shaghayegh , Pouriayevali Farnaz , Razi Mazdak , Dattilo Maurizio , Nasr-Esfahani Mohammad Hossein
Published: November 2023

Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem and has been linked to defective spermatogenesis and male infertility. In this study, we aimed to investigate the main enzymes involved in the transsulfuration pathway of 1-carbon metabolism, and spermatogenesis function. Therefore, sixteen male C57 mice were addressed to a control (standard diet) or vitamin D deficient (VDD) diet for 14 weeks. The results show that compared to the standard diet, VDD increased final body weight and reduced sperm quality, caused damage to the testicular structure, and decreased the serum levels of testosterone. In addition, serum concentrations of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and sperm oxidative stress markers increased. In testicular tissues, the CBS and CSE protein levels were down-regulated whereas HO-1 was up-regulated at both mRNA and protein expression levels. Within a mice deprivation model, VDD deeply suppressed testosterone and impaired spermatogenesis with oxidative stress-mediated mechanisms. The effects of the deprivation appeared to be at least in part independent of genomic and receptor-mediated vitamin D actions and suggest a specific impairment of the alternative transsulfuration pathway.
Formation evaluation of Abu Madi reservoir in Baltim gas field, Nile Delta, using well logs, core analysis and pressure data
Authors: Metwally Ahmed M. , Mabrouk Walid M. , Mahmoud Ahmed I. , Eid Amr M. , Amer Mohammed , Noureldin Ahmed M.
Published: November 2023

Baltim Eastern and Northern gas fields in the offshore Nile Delta have very high gas condensate accumulations. Therefore, the present research evaluates Abu Madi and Qawasim Formations and defines the petrophysical parameters for them using various data from five wells composed of wireline logs (gamma-ray, density, neutron, sonic, resistivity), core data, pressure data, and cross-plots. In the current study, the formations of the main reservoirs were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively based on the petrophysical analysis to assess the production potential. Based on the lithological identification, the two main reservoirs (Abu Madi and Qawasim Formations) are composed of sandstone, calcareous shale, and siltstone. The main petrophysical parameters (Shale volume, effective porosity, net thickness, and fluid saturations) were mapped to track the areal petrophysical variations in the field. The results of the petrophysical analysis reveal that the main reservoirs are promising for the hydrocarbon potential with effective porosity of 18%, low shale content with an average value of about 21%, higher gas saturation of average value of nearly 58%, net reservoir thickness ranges from 25.5 to 131.5 m, net pay thickness (effective thickness) ranges from 6 to 61 m. Also, the conventional core analysis affirms that the main reservoirs are of good effective porosity with high horizontal and vertical permeability values. There is a good match between the well-log results and the pressure data with the production data (DST “perforation tests”). Baltim East (BE3) well has the most desired petrophysical characteristics in the Baltim East gas field, while, the Baltim North-1 (BN1) well showed the most favorable petrophysical parameters in the Baltim North gas field. Different fluid contacts (gas water contact GWC) were detected by integrating all reservoir pressures. The integration of different data in our present work (well logs, core measurements, and pressure data) could reduce the drilling risks and help to determine the best locations for future exploration and development, which is considered a big challenge in the petroleum industry.
YKL-40 serum levels are predicted by inflammatory state, age and diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
Authors: Vázquez-Del Mercado Mónica , Pérez-Vázquez Felipe , Márquez-Aguirre Ana L. , Martínez-García Erika-Aurora , Chavarria-Avila Efrain , Ramos-Becerra Carlos G. , Aguilar-Vázquez Andrea , Godínez-Rubí Marisol , Martín-Márquez Beatriz-Teresita , Gómez-Limón Livier , Márquez-De-La-Paz Guillermo , Rubio-Arellano Edy-David , Pizano-Martinez Oscar
Published: November 2023

YKL-40 increase according to the aging process, and its functions have been associated with tissue remodeling and systemic inflammation. In Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) it has been proposed as a possible biomarker of activity and severity, however; in the field of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) the role of YKL-40 in IIM is not clear. Thus, we aimed to evaluate if there is an association between the serum levels and muscle tissue expression of YKL-40 with age, IIM phenotype, muscle strength and myositis disease activity. The main finding was that age is the most important variable that affects the YKL-40 serum levels. In muscle biopsy, we observed that YKL-40 is mainly expressed in infiltrating lymphoid cells than in muscle tissue. Using ANCOVA according to the b-coefficients, YKL-40 serum levels are predicted by inflammatory state, age, and IIM diagnosis.
Using machine learning algorithm to analyse the hypothyroidism complications caused by radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer
Authors: Lee Tsair-Fwu , Lee Shen-Hao , Tseng Chin-Dar , Lin Chih-Hsueh , Chiu Chi-Min , Lin Guang-Zhi , Yang Jack , Chang Liyun , Chiu Yu-Hao , Su Chun-Ting , Yeh Shyh-An
Published: November 2023

Machine learning algorithms were used to analyze the odds and predictors of complications of thyroid damage after radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer. This study used decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms to evaluate predictors for the data of 137 head and neck cancer patients. Candidate factors included gender, age, thyroid volume, minimum dose, average dose, maximum dose, number of treatments, and relative volume of the organ receiving X dose (X: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 Gy). The algorithm was optimized according to these factors and tenfold cross-validation to analyze the state of thyroid damage and select the predictors of thyroid dysfunction. The importance of the predictors identified by the three machine learning algorithms was ranked: the top five predictors were age, thyroid volume, average dose, V50 and V60. Of these, age and volume were negatively correlated with thyroid damage, indicating that the greater the age and thyroid volume, the lower the risk of thyroid damage; the average dose, V50 and V60 were positively correlated with thyroid damage, indicating that the larger the average dose, V50 and V60, the higher the risk of thyroid damage. The RF algorithm was most accurate in predicting the probability of thyroid damage among the three algorithms optimized using the above factors. The Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.827 and the accuracy (ACC) was 0.824. This study found that five predictors (age, thyroid volume, mean dose, V50 and V60) are important factors affecting the chance that patients with head and neck cancer who received radiation therapy will develop hypothyroidism. Using these factors as the prediction basis of the algorithm and using RF to predict the occurrence of hypothyroidism had the highest ACC, which was 82.4%. This algorithm is quite helpful in predicting the probability of radiotherapy complications. It also provides references for assisting medical decision-making in the future.
Varicella‐zoster virus infection and primary membranous nephropathy: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Li Lin , Fu Lixin , Zhang Liwen , Feng Yanyan
Published: November 2023

Primary membranous nephropathy (MN) is a rare autoimmune cause of kidney failure. Observational studies have suggested some relationship between virus infection and primary MN, but the association remains unclear. The current study performed a two‑sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal association between varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) infection (chickenpox and shingles) and primary MN using genome‑wide association studies (GWASs) summary statistics. The exposure datasets containing chickenpox and shingles were obtained from the GWASs conducted by the 23andMe cohort. And summary‐level statistics for primary MN were used as the outcome dataset, comprising 2150 cases and 5829 controls from European Ancestry. The inverse variance weighted method was adopted as the main analysis. As a result, we found that both genetically determined chickenpox (odds ratio [95% confidential interval] = 3.61 [1.74–7.50], p = 5.59e−04) and shingles (p = 7.95e−03, odds ratio [95% confidential interval] = 2.49 [1.27–4.91]) were causally associated with an increased risk of developing primary MN. In conclusion, our MR findings provided novel genetic evidence supporting the causal effect of VZV infection on primary MN. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms mediating the causal association.
Characterizing post-branching nephrogenesis in the neonatal rabbit
Authors: Schuh Meredith P. , Yarlagadda Sunitha , Alkhudairy Lyan , Preusse Kristina , Kopan Raphael
Published: November 2023

Human nephrogenesis ends prior to birth in term infants (34–36 week gestation), with most (60%) nephrons forming in late gestation in two post-branching nephrogenesis (PBN) periods: arcading and lateral branch nephrogenesis. Preterm infants, however, must execute PBN postnatally. Extreme prematurity is associated with low nephron counts. Identifying additional model(s) that undergo PBN postnatally will help support postnatal PBN in preterm infants. The rabbit exhibits longer postnatal nephrogenesis than the mouse but whether it forms nephrons through PBN has not been determined. We performed morphologic and immunohistological assessments of rabbit nephrogenesis from birth (post-conceptual day 31 or 32) to PC49 using H&E and antibodies against SIX1, SIX2, WT1, ZO-1, and JAG1 in the postnatal period. We performed 3D rendering of the nephrogenic niche to assess for PBN, and supplemented the staining with RNAScope to map the expression of Six1, Six2 (nephron progenitors, NPC), and Ret (ureteric bud tip) transcripts to determine the nephrogenic niche postnatal lifespan. Unlike the mouse, rabbit SIX2 disappeared from NPC before SIX1, resembling the human niche. Active nephrogenesis as defined by the presence of SIX1 + naïve NPC/tip population persisted only until PC35–36 (3–5 postnatal days). 3D morphologic assessments of the cortical nephrons identified an elongated tubule with attached glomeruli extending below the UB tip, consistent with PBN arcades, but not with lateral branch nephrogenesis. We conclude that the rabbit shows morphologic and molecular evidence of PBN arcades continuing postnatally for a shorter period than previously thought. The rabbit is the first non-primate expressing SIX1 in the progenitor population. Our findings suggest that studies of arcading in postnatal nephrogenic niche should be performed within the first 5 days of life in the rabbit.
Synthesis of an efficient MOF catalyst for the degradation of OPDs using TPA derived from PET waste bottles
Authors: Yarahmadi Hossein , Salamah Sultan K. , Kheimi Marwan
Published: November 2023

In this study, a method for degrading PET-waste plastic bottles using ZnCl2:Urea as a catalyst was developed, resulting in high conversion (87%). The terephthalic acid obtained from the degradation of Waste PET Bottles (WPTs) was combined with copper and zinc salts to synthesize bimetallic metal–organic frameworks (MOF). The effectiveness of a bimetallic Cu-Zn(BDC)-MOF in catalyzing the reduction reaction of organic pollutant dyes (OPDs) was investigated, and the degradation efficiency of individual dyes was optimized, achieving over 95% degradation within 6–12 min under optimal conditions. Various techniques, including FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, and TEM were used to characterize the synthesized MOF. Results showed that the catalytic activity of Cu-Zn-MOF in reduction reaction of OPDs was enhanced by increasing the copper content. The reaction kinetics were investigated following pseudo-first-order kinetics with rate constants of 0.581, 0.43, 0.37, and 0.30 min−1 for Methylene Blue (MB), Methyl Orange (MO), 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP), and 4-Nitroaniline (4-NA), respectively. The investigations revealed that the produced catalyst exhibited excellent stability and recoverability, while its activity remained well-preserved even after undergoing three reuse cycles.
The benefits of haptic feedback in robot assisted surgery and their moderators: a meta-analysis
Authors: Bergholz Max , Ferle Manuel , Weber Bernhard M.
Published: November 2023

Robot assisted surgery (RAS) provides medical practitioners with valuable tools, decreasing strain during surgery and leading to better patient outcomes. While the loss of haptic sensation is a commonly cited disadvantage of RAS, new systems aim to address this problem by providing artificial haptic feedback. N = 56 papers that compared robotic surgery systems with and without haptic feedback were analyzed to quantify the performance benefits of restoring the haptic modality. Additionally, this study identifies factors moderating the effect of restoring haptic sensation. Overall results showed haptic feedback was effective in reducing average forces (Hedges’ g = 0.83) and peak forces (Hedges’ g = 0.69) applied during surgery, as well as reducing the completion time (Hedges’ g = 0.83). Haptic feedback has also been found to lead to higher accuracy (Hedges’ g = 1.50) and success rates (Hedges’ g = 0.80) during surgical tasks. Effect sizes on several measures varied between tasks, the type of provided feedback, and the subjects’ levels of surgical expertise, with higher levels of expertise generally associated with smaller effect sizes. No significant differences were found between virtual fixtures and rendering contact forces. Implications for future research are discussed.
Accurate exclusion of kidney regions affected by susceptibility artifact in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) images using deep-learning-based segmentation
Authors: Ni Chang , Mu Xin , Wu Mingyan , Li Yanbin , Zhang Yuyao , Qi Haikun , Zhang Jeff L.
Published: November 2023

Susceptibility artifact (SA) is common in renal blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) images, and including the SA-affected region could induce much error in renal oxygenation quantification. In this paper, we propose to exclude kidney regions affected by SA in gradient echo images with different echo times (TE), based on a deep-learning segmentation approach. For kidney segmentation, a ResUNet was trained with 4000 CT images and then tuned with 60 BOLD images. Verified by a Monte Carlo simulation, the presence of SA leads to a bilinear pattern for the segmented area of kidney as function of TE, and the segmented kidney in the image of turning point’s TE would exclude SA-affected regions. To evaluate the accuracy of excluding SA-affected regions, we compared the SA-free segmentations by the proposed method against manual segmentation by an experienced user for BOLD images of 35 subjects, and found DICE of 93.9% ± 3.4%. For 10 kidneys with severe SA, the DICE was 94.5% ± 1.7%, for 14 with moderate SA, 92.8% ± 4.7%, and for 46 with mild or no SA, 94.3% ± 3.8%. For the three sub-groups of kidneys, correction of SA led to a decrease of R2* of 8.5 ± 2.8, 4.7 ± 1.8, and 1.6 ± 0.9 s−1, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method is capable of segmenting kidneys in BOLD images and at the same time excluding SA-affected region in a fully automatic way, therefore can potentially improve both speed and accuracy of the quantification procedure of renal BOLD data.
A new high-pressure polymorph of K2MoO2F4
Authors: Zimmerhofer Fabian , Huppertz Hubert
Published: November 2023

This paper reports on the high-pressure/high-temperature synthesis of a new modification of the oxyfluoride K2MoO2F4. A detailed description and evaluation of its unique crystal structure is presented.
One-step electrodeposition of V-doped NiFe nanosheets for low-overpotential alkaline oxygen evolution
Authors: Kong Qingxiang , Wang Junli , Liu Zhenwei , Wu Song , Tong Xiaoning , Zong Naixuan , Huang Bangfu , Xu Ruidong , Yang Linjing
Published: November 2023

This paper reports the construction of a V-doped NiFe nanosheet electrolytic water oxygen evolution catalyst (NiFeV/NF) by one-step electrodeposition. The catalyst has excellent reaction kinetics and amazing oxygen evolution performance.
Mechanism of synergistic removal of NO and SO2 by sodium bicarbonate
Authors: Shu Song , Huang Yiqi , Zou Longhua , Zhang Xinyi , Li Jianjun
Published: November 2023

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is considered to be an effective alkaline adsorbent for SO2 removal and surprisingly, the concentration of NO is significantly reduced along with the generation of NO2 during its desulfurization.
Design, synthesis and antiproliferative screening of newly synthesized coumarin-acrylamide hybrids as potential cytotoxic and apoptosis inducing agents
Authors: Abd El-Lateef Hany M. , Abdel Ghany Lina M. A. , Saleem Rasha Mohammed , Ahmed Maghrabi Ali Hassan , Yahya Alahdal Maryam Abdulrahman , Khalifa Ali Eman Hussain , Beshay Botros Y. , Zaki Islam , Masoud Reham E.
Published: November 2023

A sequence of novel coumarin-acrylamide hybrids has been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against HepG2 liver cancer cells.
Rheology and dispensing of real and vegan mayo: the chickpea or egg problem
Authors: Nikolova Nadia N. , Martínez Narváez Carina D. V. , Hassan Lena , Nicholson Reed A. , Boehm Michael W. , Baier Stefan K. , Sharma Vivek
Published: November 2023

Real mayonnaise and vegan mayo display striking differences in dispensing behavior, manifested in the size and shape of drops, neck shape, and pinching dynamics often not revealed by the characterization and analysis of shear rheology.
Piezocatalysis: a promising alternative route for CO2 reduction
Authors: Sudrajat Hanggara , Rossetti Ilenia , Colmenares Juan Carlos
Published: November 2023

This perspective discusses the prospects of piezoelectrics exploited as heterogeneous catalysts for CO2 reduction and provides guidelines to design potentially active catalysts for such a challenging endergonic reaction.
Hierarchically spring nanofibrous and wrinkled-structured electrode for highly comfortable wearable triboelectric nanogenerators
Authors: Haghayegh Marjan , Cao Ran , Zabihi Fatemeh , Bagherzadeh Roohollah , Miao Yue-E. , Yang Shengyuan , Zhu Meifang
Published: November 2023

Fabrication of textile-based wrinkled stretchable TENGs (WS-TENGs) using spring wrinkled nylon 6/6, hierarchically wrinkled PEDOT:PSS, and wrinkled AgNWs-SWCNTs/PET-Lycra.
Vapor phase synthesis of metal–organic frameworks on a nanofibrous aerogel creates enhanced functionality
Authors: Rahmanian Vahid , Ahmad Ebrahim Muhammed Ziauddin , Razavi Seyedamin , Abdelmigeed Mai , Barbieri Eduardo , Menegatti Stefano , Parsons Gregory N. , Li Fanxing , Pirzada Tahira , Khan Saad A.
Published: November 2023

Vapor-phase synthesis of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) on nanofibrous aerogels provides a hierarchically porous and mechanically robust material platform for use in a multitude of applications, from carbon dioxide capture to heavy metal removal.
Synthesis of barium hexaferrite nano-platelets for ethylene glycol ferrofluids
Authors: Ahmed Y. , Paul A. , Hribar Boštjančič P. , Mertelj A. , Lisjak D. , Zabek D.
Published: November 2023

The exchange of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant with barium hexaferrite magnetic nanoparticles enables the synthesis and dispersion of a new generation of permanent magnetic ferrofluids.
Effectiveness of Television Streaming on Hearing Aid User Performance and Satisfaction in Quiet and in Noise
Authors: Plyler Patrick N. , Razavi Sarah , Hausladen Jennifer , Humphrey Elizabeth
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of television (TV) streaming on hearing aid user performance and satisfaction in quiet and in noise.

Method:

Twenty experienced hearing aid users were evaluated in quiet and in noise (5 dB SNR) under three hearing aid conditions: hearing aids, streaming with hearing aid microphones attenuated by 6 dB, and streaming with hearing aid microphones muted. The audiovisual Connected Speech Test served as the signal, and the ipsilateral competing message from the Synthetic Sentence Identification—Ipsilateral Competing Message (SSI-ICM) served as the noise. Measures of speech understanding, satisfaction with sound quality and clarity, and preference were obtained.

Results:

Speech understanding was significantly better in quiet than in noise, and streaming improved performance in noise when the hearing aid microphones were muted. Sound quality satisfaction was significantly better in quiet than in noise but was not impacted significantly by the hearing aid settings. Speech clarity satisfaction was significantly better in quiet than in noise, and streaming improved satisfaction in noise when the hearing aid microphones were muted. More participants preferred streaming with the microphones muted in quiet, in noise, and overall; however, results did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions:

Hearing aid users did not benefit from TV streaming with the microphones attenuated or muted when listening in quiet. TV streaming was more beneficial to hearing aid users when listening in noise with the microphones muted. Hearing aid users should be counseled on the impact of the hearing aid microphone settings when using a TV streamer, particularly in noise.
The Impact of Modifiable Preoral Factors on Swallowing and Nutritional Outcomes in Healthy Adults: A Scoping Review
Authors: Burdick Ryan , Bayne David , Hitchcock Mary , Gilmore-Bykovskyi Andrea , Shune Samantha , Rogus-Pulia Nicole
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

Swallowing has previously been characterized as consisting of four phases; however, it has become apparent that these four phases are not truly discrete and may be influenced by factors occurring prior to bolus entrance into the oral cavity (i.e., preoral factors). Still, the relationship between these factors and swallowing remains poorly understood. The aim of this review was to synthesize and characterize the literature pertaining to the influence of preoral factors on swallowing and nutritional outcomes in healthy individuals.

Method:

We performed a scoping review, searching the databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Scopus. Search terms included those related to swallowing, experience of preoral factors, and exclusionary terminology to reduce animal and pediatric literature. Our initial search revealed 5,560 unique articles, of which 153 met our inclusionary criteria and were accepted into the review.

Results:

Of the accepted articles, 78% were focused exclusively on nutritional outcomes, 17% were focused on both swallowing and nutritional outcomes, and 5% were focused on solely swallowing outcomes. Of the preoral factors examined, 99% were exteroceptive in nature (17% olfactory, 44% visual, 21% auditory, 7% tactile, 11% other), while 1% were proprioceptive in nature.

Conclusions:

This review supports the influence of preoral factors on swallowing and nutritional outcomes. However, there is a large emphasis on the visual modality and on nutritional outcomes. Nearly none of the literature found in this review directly measured swallowing safety, efficiency, or physiology. Future work will benefit from a larger focus on proprioceptive preoral factors as they relate to swallowing outcomes.
How Inclusive Practice Increases the Educational Relevance of Individualized Education Programs
Authors: Heilmann John J. , Bertone Andrea , Wojtyna Alyssa
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guidelines for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) require that students with disabilities should, to the fullest extent appropriate, receive services that promote academic achievement that are delivered within the general educational environment. In this clinical focus article, we will demonstrate how the inclusive practice service delivery model can assist speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with the development of educationally relevant IEPs.

Method:

Twelve SLPs who saw at least 30% of their students in a general education context shared their perspectives on inclusive practice. Their responses were transcribed and coded using deductive qualitative analysis. Their insights were combined with relevant literature to demonstrate how inclusive practice promotes educationally relevant IEPs.

Results:

We provided practical examples of using curriculum-based assessments and academic standards to gauge students' present levels of academic and functional performance. We next described how engaging with the school community and observing students in the educational environment assists with determining the effects of a student's disability on academic achievement and functional performance. We concluded by describing how an inclusive mindset helps to align services to meet students' needs.

Conclusion:

An inclusive framework can help create IEPs that promote students' access, engagement, and progress in age or grade-level curriculum, instruction, and environments by highlighting the impact of a disability on academic achievement and functional performance.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24354319
The activity of Muntingia calabura leaf extract against pathogenic bacteria in fish
Authors: Setiaji Jarod , Melati Hisra , Achmad Muchtar , Heriyanto  , Febian Prokoso Valentio , Said Raza’i Tengku , Huluan Rahmat , Pramadani Reyza
Published: November 2023

Bacterial diseases have emerged as a significant issue within the fish ecosystem, and the use of antibiotics to treat these diseases has detrimental effects on both fish and the environment. Therefore, it is imperative to seek out natural products that are safe for combating fish diseases. This research aims to assess the antibacterial properties of an extract derived from Muntingia calabura against various bacteria, including A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida, E. ictaluri, P. aeruginosa, E. tarda, and V. alginolyticus. M. calabura extract was obtained by soaking with ethanol solvent. This extract has been tested for phytochemical content and characterized by FT-IR. The antibacterial activity of the M. calabura extract was evaluated using the agar diffusion method, employing concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg mL-1. The phytochemical analysis of the M. calabura extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, and terpenoids. The results of the FT-IR characterization of M. calabura extract contained O-H, C=O, C=C aliphatic, C=C aromatic and C-O groups. The inhibition tests demonstrated that the M. calabura extract effectively hindered the growth of A. hydrophila bacteria by a range of 8.1 mm to 14.2 mm, A. salmonicida by 9.2 mm to 10.9 mm, E. ictaluri by 8.8 mm to 11.5 mm, P. aeruginosa by 8.1 mm to 12.1 mm, E. tarda by 9.6 mm to 11.4 mm, and V. alginolyticus by 8.2 mm to 12.2 mm. In summary, the extract from M. calabura has the potential to effectively on paper plates and incubated at 30°C for 24 hours.
Local Government Organizational Response for Realizing the Maritime-Oriented Development Sustainability in Riau Island
Authors: Armauliza Septiawan , Rezal Hadi Basalamah
Published: November 2023

The rural coastal development in the Riau Islands still shows stagnation for achieving its arrangement. To maximize the sustainable development benefits on rural coastal with maritime recognition in the Riau Islands, it is crucial to align the rural government responses with the specific needs and challenges faced by each rural area. This approach can help minimize the tendency for such initiatives to fail. Through the use of qualitative descriptive research design, researchers emphasize the technicality of primary data collection with key in-depth interviews from the rural community, local businesses and also empower academics which expertise relevantly. Gradually and systematically, information was collected and managed to produce a valid and reliable conclusion. The research results illustrate that each rural characteristic shows a different picture of citizen trust conditions. However, there is a major node of citizen trust vulnerability which includes aspects concerning, the plan for allocating needs and using rural development budgets that are misperceptions both shown by the citizen and the rural government itself. Thus strengthening the social learning process through the support of relevant in-depth inquiry from the sociology disciplines and anthropology concerning rural development will complement the efforts which fostering the sustainable citizens trust towards their rural government.
The Low level of Sustainability of Fishing Households Livelihood Assets Around Marine Conservation Areas
Authors: Ismail Khodijah , Vitasari H. , Habibah Sayyidah N.
Published: November 2023

The sustainability of coastal community livelihood assets is very relevant to efforts to develop the blue economy. This research aims to determine the sustainability of fishing household livelihood assets on the coast of marine conservation areas. The research locations are in three coastal villages in the marine conservation area of the eastern region of Bintan Island, Riau Island Province of Indonesia. This research uses a survey method with a quantitative descriptive approach. The research results show that, in general, the development of marine conservation areas in the eastern region has not had a significant impact on increasing the sustainability of the livelihood assets of the surrounding community. Of the five assets measured, only physical assets showed the best level of sustainability, namely 83%. Meanwhile, the other four assets indicate a low level of sustainability, namely human resource assets (42%), social assets (42%), financial assets (23%) and natural assets (29%). The low level of sustainability of the four livelihood assets has implications for increasing pressure on natural resources and conflicts of interest in conservation areas, as well as increasing community vulnerability to climate change. It is necessary to study management models that can increase the sustainability of community livelihood assets.
Congenital Sodium Diarrhea: Antenatal Diagnosis May Prevent Unnecessary Surgery in the Neonate
Authors: Berger Dana S. , Tancioco Virginia , Shrivastava Vineet K.
Published: November 2023

Congenital sodium diarrhea (CSD) is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by intractable diarrhea, hyponatremia, and metabolic acidosis. It presents similarly to other congenital disorders and, therefore, is often misdiagnosed and mistreated.

We present a case of CSD that presented with dilated loops of bowel and polyhydramnios at 18 weeks and was thought to be a congenital bowel obstruction. The patient was therefore managed surgically after birth with a diverting ileostomy, however was later found to have elevated stool sodium levels and metabolic derangements consistent with CSD.

Our case demonstrates the need for high index of suspicion for congenital diarrheal disorders to prevent unnecessary surgery and a delay in appropriate medical management of this rare condition.
Climate change or tree disease: challenges for diagnosing causes of forest die-off
Authors: Matusick George , Ruthrof Katinka X. , Scott Peter , Hardy Giles E. S. J.
Published: November 2023

Context Forest ecosystems experience compositional and structural changes as species’ environmental envelopes shift with climate change. Extreme climate events and pests/pathogens are driving these ecosystem changes. Determining which of the two potential drivers is causing a particular forest die-off can be challenging. In south-western Australia, widespread forest die-off in 2011 coincided with extremely hot and dry conditions. It occurred in a forest ecosystem that has historically experienced Phytophthora cinnamomi root disease (Phytophthora dieback). Aims To determine whether the causal agent of Phytophthora dieback, P. cinnamomi, was associated with forest die-off in the Northern Jarrah Forest. Methods A combination of direct (isolation of pathogen) and indirect (survey of susceptible indicator plant species) measurements were taken inside and outside patches of forest experiencing the die-off. Key results There was no consistent association between die-off patches and the presence of P. cinnamomi. P. cinnamomi was isolated from 3 of 33 control plots and 3 of 33 die-off plots. Although several plant species susceptible to P. cinnamomi were absent from die-off plots, the findings were inconsistent across species. This may be explained by plant tolerance to high temperatures and drought. Conclusions P. cinnamomi was not the proximate cause of the observed die-off in the Northern Jarrah Forest in 2011. Implications Novel disturbance caused by extreme climate events can mimic damage caused by certain pests/pathogens. More research is needed to determine the tolerances of plants to extreme temperature and drought conditions to disentangle abiotic and biotic drivers of tree die-off.
Isotopic clumping in wood as a proxy for photorespiration in trees
Authors: Lloyd Max K. , Stein Rebekah A. , Ibarra Daniel E. , Barclay Richard S. , Wing Scott L. , Stahle David W. , Dawson Todd E. , Stolper Daniel A.
Published: November 2023

Photorespiration can limit gross primary productivity in terrestrial plants. The rate of photorespiration relative to carbon fixation increases with temperature and decreases with atmospheric [CO
2
]. However, the extent to which this rate varies in the environment is unclear. Here, we introduce a proxy for relative photorespiration rate based on the clumped isotopic composition of methoxyl groups (
R
–O–CH
3
) in wood. Most methoxyl C–H bonds are formed either during photorespiration or the Calvin cycle and thus their isotopic composition may be sensitive to the mixing ratio of these pathways. In water-replete growing conditions, we find that the abundance of the clumped isotopologue
13
CH
2
D correlates with temperature (18–28 °C) and atmospheric [CO
2
] (280–1000 ppm), consistent with a common dependence on relative photorespiration rate. When applied to a global dataset of wood, we observe global trends of isotopic clumping with climate and water availability. Clumped isotopic compositions are similar across environments with temperatures below ~18 °C. Above ~18 °C, clumped isotopic compositions in water-limited and water-replete trees increasingly diverge. We propose that trees from hotter climates photorespire substantially more than trees from cooler climates. How increased photorespiration is managed depends on water availability: water-replete trees export more photorespiratory metabolites to lignin whereas water-limited trees either export fewer overall or direct more to other sinks that mitigate water stress. These disparate trends indicate contrasting responses of photorespiration rate (and thus gross primary productivity) to a future high-[CO
2
] world. This work enables reconstructing photorespiration rates in the geologic past using fossil wood.
A pan-cancer analysis implicates human
NKIRAS1
as a tumor-suppressor gene
Authors: Postler Thomas S. , Wang Anqi , Brundu Francesco G. , Wang Pingzhang , Wu Zikai , Butler Kelly E. , Grinberg-Bleyer Yenkel , Krishnareddy Suneeta , Lagana Stephen M. , Saqi Anjali , Oeckinghaus Andrea , Rabadan Raul , Ghosh Sankar
Published: November 2023

The NF-κB family of transcription factors and the Ras family of small GTPases are important mediators of proproliferative signaling that drives tumorigenesis and carcinogenesis. The κB-Ras proteins were previously shown to inhibit both NF-κB and Ras activation through independent mechanisms, implicating them as tumor suppressors with potentially broad relevance to human cancers. In this study, we have used two mouse models to establish the relevance of the κB-Ras proteins for tumorigenesis. Additionally, we have utilized a pan-cancer bioinformatics analysis to explore the role of the κB-Ras proteins in human cancers. Surprisingly, we find that the genes encoding κB-Ras 1 (
NKIRAS1
) and κB-Ras 2 (
NKIRAS2
) are rarely down-regulated in tumor samples with oncogenic Ras mutations. Reduced expression of human
NKIRAS1
alone is associated with worse prognosis in at least four cancer types and linked to a network of genes implicated in tumorigenesis. Our findings provide direct evidence that loss of
NKIRAS1
in human tumors that do not carry oncogenic
RAS
mutations is associated with worse clinical outcomes.
Well-posed evolution of field theories with anisotropic scaling: the Lifshitz scalar field in a black hole space-time
Authors: Rubio M.E. , Kovács Á.D. , Herrero-Valea M. , Bezares M. , Barausse E.
Published: November 2023

Partial differential equations exhibiting an anisotropic scaling between space and time — such as those of Hořava-Lifshitz gravity — have a dispersive nature. They contain higher-order spatial derivatives, but remain second order in time. This is inconvenient for performing long-time numerical evolutions, as standard explicit schemes fail to maintain convergence unless the time step is chosen to be very small. In this work, we develop an implicit evolution scheme that does not suffer from this drawback, and which is stable and second-order accurate. As a proof of concept, we study the numerical evolution of a Lifshitz scalar field on top of a spherically symmetric black hole space-time. We explore the evolution of a static pulse and an (approximately) ingoing wave-packet for different strengths of the Lorentz-breaking terms, accounting also for the effect of the angular momentum eigenvalue and the resulting effective centrifugal barrier. Our results indicate that the dispersive terms produce a cascade of modes that accumulate in the region in between the Killing and universal horizons, indicating a possible instability of the latter.
Magnetogenesis from early structure formation due to Yukawa forces
Authors: Durrer Ruth , Kusenko Alexander
Published: November 2023

Yukawa interactions can mediate relatively long-range attractive forces between fermions in the early universe. Such a globally attractive interaction creates an instability that can result in the growth of structure in the affected species even during the radiation dominated era. The formation and collapse of fermionic microhalos can create hot fireballs at the sites of the collapsing halos which inject energy into the cosmic plasma. In this paper we study a new phenomena which can take place in such models. We show that the injected energy can be partially converted into primordial magnetic fields and we estimate the correlation scale and the power spectrum of these fields. We show that they may be the seeds of the observed astrophysical magnetic fields.
Effect of applied electric fields on supralinear dendritic integration of interneuron
Authors: Fan 樊 Ya-Qin 亚琴 , Wei 魏 Xi-Le 熙乐 , Lu 卢 Mei-Li 梅丽 , Yi 伊 Guo-Sheng 国胜
Published: November 2023

Evidences show that electric fields (EFs) induced by the magnetic stimulation could modulates brain activities by regulating the excitability of GABAergic interneuron. However, it is still unclear how and why the EF-induced polarization affects the interneuron response as the interneuron receives NMDA synaptic inputs. Considering the key role of NMDA receptor-mediated supralinear dendritic integration in neuronal computations, we suppose that the applied EFs could functionally modulate interneurons’ response via regulating dendritic integration. At first, we build a simplified multi-dendritic circuit model with inhomogeneous extracellular potentials, which characterizes the relationship among EF-induced spatial polarizations, dendritic integration, and somatic output. By performing model-based singular perturbation analysis, it is found that the equilibrium point of fast subsystem can be used to asymptotically depict the subthreshold input–output (sI/O) relationship of dendritic integration. It predicted that EF-induced strong depolarizations on the distal dendrites reduce the dendritic saturation output by reducing driving force of synaptic input, and it shifts the steep change of sI/O curve left by reducing stimulation threshold of triggering NMDA spike. Also, the EF modulation prefers the global dendritic integration with asymmetric scatter distribution of NMDA synapses. Furthermore, we identify the respective contribution of EF-regulated dendritic integration and EF-induced somatic polarization to an action potential generation and find that they have an antagonistic effect on AP generation due to the varied NMDA spike threshold under EF stimulation.
Gray code based gradient-free optimization algorithm for parameterized quantum circuit
Authors: Zhang 张 Anqi 安琪 , Wu 武 Chunhui 春辉 , Zhao 赵 Shengmei 生妹
Published: November 2023

A Gray code based gradient-free optimization (GCO) algorithm is proposed to update the parameters of parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) in this work. Each parameter of PQCs is encoded as a binary string, named as a gene, and a genetic-based method is adopted to select the offsprings. The individuals in the offspring are decoded in Gray code way to keep Hamming distance, and then are evaluated to obtain the best one with the lowest cost value in each iteration. The algorithm is performed iteratively for all parameters one by one until the cost value satisfies the stop condition or the number of iterations is reached. The GCO algorithm is demonstrated for classification tasks in Iris and MNIST datasets, and their performance are compared by those with the Bayesian optimization algorithm and binary code based optimization algorithm. The simulation results show that the GCO algorithm can reach high accuracies steadily for quantum classification tasks. Importantly, the GCO algorithm has a robust performance in the noise environment.
Design and fabrication of compound varifocal lens driven by polydimethylsiloxane film elastic deformation
Authors: Miao 缪 Wen-Hao 文浩 , Han 韩 Ze-Feng 泽峰 , Zhao 赵 Rui 瑞 , Liang 梁 Zhong-Cheng 忠诚 , Kou 寇 Song-Feng 松峰 , Xu 徐 Rong-Qing 荣青
Published: November 2023

A compound varifocal lens based on electromagnetic drive technology is designed and fabricated, where the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film acts as a driving component, while the PDMS biconvex lens and the plane-concave lens form a coaxial compound lens system. The plane-concave lens equipped with driving coils is installed directly above the PDMS lens surrounded by the annular magnet. When different currents are applied, the annular magnet moves up and down, driving the PDMS film to undergo elastic deformation, and then resulting in longitudinal movement of the PDMS lens. The position change of the PDMS lens changes the focal length of the compound lens system. To verify the feasibility and practicability of this design, a prototype of our compound lens system is fabricated in experiment. Our proposed compound lens shows that its zoom ability reaches 9.28 mm when the current ranges from −0.20 A to 0.21 A.
Spatial search weighting information contained in cell velocity distribution
Authors: Ma 马 Yikai 一凯 , Li 李 Na 娜 , Chen 陈 Wei 唯
Published: November 2023

Cell migration plays a significant role in physiological and pathological processes. Understanding the characteristics of cell movement is crucial for comprehending biological processes such as cell functionality, cell migration, and cell–cell interactions. One of the fundamental characteristics of cell movement is the specific distribution of cell speed, containing valuable information that still requires comprehensive understanding. This article investigates the distribution of mean velocities along cell trajectories, with a focus on optimizing the efficiency of cell food search in the context of the entire colony. We confirm that the specific velocity distribution in the experiments corresponds to an optimal search efficiency when spatial weighting is considered. The simulation results indicate that the distribution of average velocity does not align with the optimal search efficiency when employing average spatial weighting. However, when considering the distribution of central spatial weighting, the specific velocity distribution in the experiment is shown to correspond to the optimal search efficiency. Our simulations reveal that for any given distribution of average velocity, a specific central spatial weighting can be identified among the possible central spatial weighting that aligns with the optimal search strategy. Additionally, our work presents a method for determining the spatial weights embedded in the velocity distribution of cell movement. Our results have provided new avenues for further investigation of significant topics, such as relationship between cell behavior and environmental conditions throughout their evolutionary history, and how cells achieve collective cooperation through cell-cell communication.
Self-consistent multi-component simulation of plasma turbulence and neutrals in detached conditions
Authors: Mancini D. , Ricci P. , Vianello N. , Van Parys G. , Oliveira D.S.
Published: November 2023

Simulations of high-density deuterium plasmas in a lower single-null magnetic configuration based on a TCV discharge are presented. We evolve the dynamics of three charged species (electrons,

D

+

and

D

2
+

), interacting with two neutrals species (

D

and

D

2

) through ionization, charge-exchange, recombination and molecular dissociation processes. The plasma is modelled by using the drift-reduced fluid Braginskii equations, while the neutral dynamics is described by a kinetic model. To control the divertor conditions, a

D

2

puffing is used and the effect of increasing the puffing strength is investigated. The increase in fuelling leads to an increase of density in the scrape-off layer and a decrease of the plasma temperature. At the same time, the particle and heat fluxes to the divertor target decrease and the detachment of the inner target is observed. The analysis of particle and transport balance in the divertor volume shows that the decrease of the particle flux is caused by a decrease of the local neutral ionization together with a decrease of the parallel velocity, caused by the lower plasma temperature and the increase in momentum losses. The relative importance of the different collision terms is assessed, showing the crucial role of molecular interactions, as they are responsible for increasing the atomic neutral density and temperature, since most of the

D

neutrals are produced by molecular activated recombination and

D

2

dissociation. The presence of strong electric fields in high-density plasmas is also shown, revealing the role of the E × B drift in setting the asymmetry between the divertor targets. Simulation results are in agreement with experimental observations of increased density decay length, attributed to a decrease of parallel transport, together with an increase of plasma blob size and radial velocity.
Filling of missing values of voltage data based on ResIOFNN
Authors: Cai Rong , Tian Jiang , Zhao Qi , Wang Yi , Lv Yang , Wu Haiwei , Ding Hong’en , Yang Guang , Chen Guangyu
Published: November 2023

With the increasing scale of power Systems, the amount of data that needs to be collected increases exponentially, and data collection equipment will inevitably experience different degrees of data loss. Traditional missing data filling algorithms, such as Expectation Maximization Algorithm (EM) and K Nearest Neighbors (KNN), have low accuracy when dealing with missing data. Given the limitations of the current time series data-filling model, this paper combines the idea of deep learning technology. It proposes an improved voltage missing value-filling algorithm based on the Fourier neural network model. The model can combine the future and past information of the missing data to complete the filling work on the missing data set, which improves the precision of voltage data filling. The calculation example adopts the data of the real power grid for simulation analysis, and the calculation outcomes prove the data-filling method’s high level of fill accuracy.