bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome instability underlies an augmented DNA damage response in familial and sporadic ALS human iPSC-derived motor neurons
Authors: Ziff Oliver , Neeves Jacob , Mitchell Jamie , Tyzack Guilia , Ruiz Carlos , McGranahan Nicholas , Luisier Raphaelle , Chakrabarti Anob , Boulton Simon , Kelly Gavin , Humphrey Jack , Patani Rickie
Published: September 2022

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is characterised by progressive motor neuron degeneration, but there is marked genetic and clinical heterogeneity1. It has been challenging to identify common ALS mechanisms among this diversity; however, a systematic framework examining motor neurons across the ALS spectrum may reveal unifying insights. Here, we present the most comprehensive compendium of ALS human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons (iPSNs) from 429 donors, spanning 10 ALS mutations and sporadic ALS, from 15 datasets, including Answer ALS and NeuroLINCS. Using gold-standard reproducible bioinformatic workflows, we identified that ALS iPSNs show a common increase in the DNA damage response, which is characterised by activation of p53 signalling. The strongest p53 activation was observed in C9orf72 repeat expansions but was also found in TARDBP, FUS and sporadic subgroups. p53 activation was replicated in an ALS postmortem spinal cord cohort of 203 samples, indicating that the p53-dependent DNA damage response in ALS begins early and persists into the later stages of the disease. ALS iPSNs showed extensive genomic instability, as evidenced by enrichment of splicing alterations, single nucleotide variants, insertions, deletions and gene fusions, which may contribute to their p53 signature. In summary, by integrating the global landscape of ALS iPSNs, we reveal genome instability and p53 activation as common hallmarks of ALS motor neurons and provide a resource for identifying future ALS drug targets.
Two-dimensional anisotropic vortex-bright soliton and its dynamics in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattice
Authors: Zhong Honghua , Tan Zhi , Gong Huilin , Zhu Bo , Hu Shufang
Published: September 2022

We study construction and dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) anisotropic vortex-bright (VB) soliton in spinor dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates confined in a 2D optical lattice (OL), with two localized components linearly mixed by the spin-orbit coupling and long-range dipole-dipole interaction (DDI). It is found that the OL and DDI can support stable anisotropic VB soliton in the present setting for arbitrarily small value of norm N. We then present a new method via examining the mean square error of norm share of bright component to implement stability analysis. It is revealed that one can control the stability of anisotropic VB soliton only by adjusting OL depth for a fixed DDI. In addition, the dynamics of the anisotropic VB soliton was studied by applying the kick to them. The mobility of the single kicked VB solition is Rabbi-like oscillation. However, for the collision dynamics of two kicked anisotropic VB solitons, their properties mainly depend on their initial distance and OL, and they can realize the transition from the bright component to the vortex component. Our work may provides a convenient way to prepare and manipulate anisotropic VB soliton in high dimensional space.
Decadal trend of synoptic temperature variability over the Northern Hemisphere in winter
Authors: Cui Zhenyuan , He Chao
Published: September 2022

Synoptic temperature variability gives rise to cold waves and extreme cold events in winter. Based on four reanalysis datasets, this study investigates the decadal trend of synoptic temperature variability in boreal winter during the period from 1980 to 2019, with particular focus on the sharp drops in synoptic-scale temperature, which are associated with cold waves. The result shows that the synoptic-scale standard deviation of temperature decreases significantly with a trend of − 0.15K/decade (− 0.09 to − 0.21 K/decade among reanalysis datasets) over continental regions in mid to high latitudes. Correspondingly, the rapid cooling events (RCEs), defined based on the day-to-day temperature decrease exceeding 6 K, also shows a general decreasing trend in terms of its frequency and intensity, and the strongest decreasing trend occurs over the eastern North America (ENA) and western Eurasia (WE). The weakening of the RCEs is closely connected to the decreased trend of eddy kinetic energy (EKE), suggesting that the weakened transient eddy activities may have mitigated the synoptic-scale temperature variability and the associated RCEs over mid to high latitudes. This study highlights that the decreased synoptic temperature variability leads to fewer and weaker RCEs at synoptic scale over mid to high latitudes in winter, in addition to the warming trend of mean state.
The relationship between triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and coronary microvascular disease
Authors: Liao Li ping , Lei Wu , Yang Yang
Published: September 2022

Background: Triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL-C) is a novel marker of insulin resistance. Recently, it has been documented that this index is related to the occurrence of coronary artery diseases. However, no research has reported whether TG/HDL-C is associated with the occurrence of coronary microvascular disease (CMVD).
Aim: This study set out to investigate the association betweentriglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio(TG/HDL-C) and occurrence of coronary microvascular disease(CMVD).
Methods: 175 patients with CMVD diagnosed in the department of cardiology in our hospital from October 2017 to October 2021 were selected as the study group and 175 patients without chest pain and history of cardiovascular disease who underwent physical examination in the medical examination center of our hospital were selected as the
non-CMVD group. The clinical data were compared between the two groups. The risk factors of CMVD were analyzed using logistic regression, and the efficacy of independent risk factors in predicting CMVD was analyzed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results: Compared with healthy group, the proportion of female, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, platelet count, total cholesterol, C-reactive protein and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio were increased in CMVD group (P < 0.05), but albumin level and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis suggested that C-reactive protein, female, albumin and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein were independent risk factors for CMVD, with the area under the curve of 0.754, 0.651, 0.722 and 0.789 the 95% confidence interval of (0.681-0.827), (0.571-0.730), (0.649-0.794) and (0.718-0.859) (P< 0.001), respectively.
Conclusion: Triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein(TG/HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for occurrence of CMVD.
A novel hemispherical visible light transmitter design for multi-user beamforming in wireless communication
Authors: Delwar Tahesin Samira , Siddique Abrar , Ryu Jee Youl
Published: September 2022

This article presents a novel hemispherical visible light transmitter design for multi-user using optical beamforming (OB) in VLC communication. OB is a technique that uses specific selectivity to focus LED light on a specific point. By raising the SNR, OB helps to improve the VLC's data rate. We demonstrated the layout of a hemispherical visible light transmitter design. We developed a µGOA optimization technique for power optimization and created a look-up table. The work is progressed by training the signal using µGOA. µGOA helps to find suitable LEDs to get maximum signal strength in any user position. We provide an efficient fully adaptive VLC system that can increase the receiver signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and minimize the time necessary to estimate the VLC user position. Furthermore, we have tested the feasibility and robustness of the proposed system for various user positions. Simulation results show the bit error rate (BER) performance and high SNR characteristics of VLC. We can observe that the SNR at the 61 segment increases by 3 dB after beamforming. Furthermore, beamforming enhances the SNR at segments 1 and 121 by 4 dB and, 4.7 dB respectively. The VLC-based OB can benefit from smarter communication for multi-user beamforming in wireless communication.
AT1R gene polymorphism contributes to MACCEs in Hypertension patients
Authors: Luo Jun-Yi , Du Guo-Li , Hao Yang-Min , Liu Fen , Zhang Tong , Fang Bin-Bin , Li Xiao-Mei , Gao Xiao-Ming , Yang Yi-Ning
Published: September 2022

OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the possible association between AT1R gene polymorphisms and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in hypertension patients combined with or without coronary heart disease (CHD) in Xinjiang.
METHODS:
374 CHD patients and 341 non-CHD individuals were enrolled as study participants and all of them have a hypertension diagnosis. AT1R gene polymorphisms were genotyped by SNPscan™ typing assays. During the follow-up in the clinic or by telephone interview, MACCEs were recorded. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox survival analyses were used to explore the association between AT1R gene polymorphisms and the occurrence of MACCEs.
RESULTS:
AT1R gene rs389566 was associated with MACCEs. The TT genotype of the AT1R gene rs389566 had a significantly higher probability of MACCEs than the AA+AT genotype (75.2% vs 24.8%, P=0.033). Older age (OR=1.028, 95% CI: 1.009-1.0047, P=0.003) and TT genotype of rs389566 (OR=1.770, 95% CI: 1.148-2.729, P=0.01) were risk factors of MACCEs. AT1R gene rs389566 TT genotype may be a predisposing factor for the occurrence of MACCEs in hypertensive patients.
CONDLUSION:
AT1R SNP rs389566 may be a common genetic loci and optimal genetic susceptibility marker for MACCEs in hypertension patients.
Deciphering the role of codon usage bias on gene expression and pathogen colonization in Crocus sativus
Authors: Nisa Shamsun , Gupta Suruchi , Ahmed Waqas , Singh Ravail
Published: September 2022

Codon usage bias (CUB) is a ubiquitous phenomenon perseveres in genome of all the organisms. It impinges the gene expression and other genetic intricacies within a genome. The present study explicates the pattern of codon usage in the protein coding sequence of Crocus sativus and its relation with gene expression. Gene expression analysis in C. sativus showed genes with high expression had a preference of G base at third position. CUB had an inverse relation with gene expression. Coding sequences with ENC < 50 had low FPKM value while low codon bias group (ENC > 50) possessed high FPKM value. The low tAI values showed the low translation efficiency of genes in C. sativus. The non-significant MELP and ENC correlation analysis suggested that expression of genes might not be associated with CUB. ENC and PR-2 plot revealed mutation pressure and natural selection played role in shaping CUB. However, neutrality plot conclusively depicted the dominance of natural selection in regulating the configuration of codons in all three species. In addition, the role of CUB regarding the predilection of fungal pathogens Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum towards host plant C. sativus has also been expounded. We found a similar trend of codon usage pattern operative in plant and fungal pathogens as both the fungal pathogens and host plant showed similar GC rich genomic content as well as preference for GC ending codons at third codon position. This concurrence might be attributed for the colonization of fungal pathogens in C. sativus. Overall, different CUB indices reflected a weak codon bias in the C. sativus, F. oxysporum and A. fumigatus genome.
Steric Confinement Modulation and High-Tc Realization of Lead-Free Halide Hybrid Ferroelectrics via Halogen Substitution
Authors: Chen Qin , Jiang Haidong , Fan Yipeng , Li Zhou , Huang Ye , Yao Yunpeng , Chen Shuang , ji chengmin , Zhang Shuhua , Luo Junhua
Published: September 2022

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite (HOIP) ferroelectrics with high Curie temperature (Tc), typified by the lead halide hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics, are developing rapidly owing to their maneuverable ferroelectricity at high temperature. However, acquiring high-Tc lead-free HOIP ferroelectrics via rational strategy still needs development. In this work, we first proposed a brand-new program by modulating the steric confinement in a cuplike cavity to design high-Tc bismuth-halide ferroelectrics [H2mdap]BiX5 (H2mdap = N-Methyl-1,3-Propanediamine, X = Cl (1), Br (2), I(3)). Emphatically, the Tc enhanced dramatically from 264 K of 3 to 318 K of 2 and 377 K of 1, induced by the substitution of Br and Cl to I, accompanied with a interesting transition from second-order phase transition (for 3) to the first-order one (for 1 and 2). The extent of Tc increase is up to 113 K, which far outweighs that of reported Pb-halide hybrid ferroelectrics. Structural and computational analyses elucidate that this unprecedented improvement of Tc is due to the higher phase transition energy barriers induced by modulating the steric confinement of cuplike cavity via halogen substitution. These results will provide new inspiration for designing high-Tc lead-free HOIP ferroelectrics.
Vibration Compensation of Delta 3D Printer with Position-varying Dynamics using Filtered B-Splines
Authors: Edoimioya Nosakhare Ekpen , Chou Cheng-Hao , Okwudire Chinedum
Published: September 2022

The delta robot is becoming a popular choice for the mechanical design of fused filament fabrication 3D printers because it can reach higher speeds than traditional serial-axis designs. Like serial 3D printers, delta printers suffer from undesirable vibration at high speeds which degrades the quality of fabricated parts. This undesirable vibration has been suppressed in serial printers using linear model-inversion feedforward control methods like the filtered B-splines (FBS) approach. However, techniques like the FBS approach are computationally challenging to implement on delta 3D printers because of their coupled, position-dependent dynamics. In this paper, we propose a methodology to address the computational bottlenecks by (1) parameterizing the position-dependent portions of the dynamics offline to enable efficient online model generation, (2) computing real-time models at sampled points (instead of every point) along the given trajectory, and (3) employing QR factorization to reduce the number of floating-point arithmetic operations associated with matrix inversion. In simulations, we report a computation time reduction of up to 23x using the proposed method, while maintaining high accuracy, when compared to a controller using the computationally expensive exact LPV model. In experiments, we demonstrate significant quality improvements on parts printed at various positions on the delta 3D printer using our proposed controller compared to a baseline alternative, which uses an LTI model from one position. Through acceleration measurements during printing, we also show that the print quality boost of the proposed controller is due to vibration reductions of more than 20% when compared to the baseline controller.
The Mental Health of Medical Students in Daegu during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Yeo Sanghee , Choi Eunkyung , Kim Jungmin , Won Seunghee
Published: September 2022

Background: In February 2020, a local outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Daegu, South Korea. It was the first outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea and confirmed cases increased sharply, sparking intense anxiety among residents. In circumstances like this, it is important to assess the effect of an infectious disease pandemic on medical students’ mental health, develop mental health intervention materials at schools, and set the direction for future medical education. This study analyzed the data of a mental health survey on students enrolled at a medical school located in Daegu in 2020.
Methods: An online survey was administered to 654 medical school students (pre-medical course: 220 students, medical course: 434 students) from August to October 2020, with 61.16% (n = 400) valid responses. The questionnaire included items about COVID-19 related experiences, stress, stress resilience, anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II))
Results: Of the survey participants, 15.5% had experienced unbearable stress, with the most significant stress factors (in descending order) being limited leisure activities, unusual experiences related to COVID-19, and limited social activities. Approximately 28.8% reported psychological distress, and their most experienced negative emotions were helplessness, depression, and anxiety (in descending order). The mean BAI and BDI-II scores were 2.44 and 6.08, respectively, both within normal ranges. Approximately 8.3% had mild or greater anxiety, and 15% had mild or greater depression. For students under psychological distress, the experience of unbearable stress before COVID-19 affected anxiety (OR 0.198, p<0.05), and having an underlying condition affected depression (OR 0.190, p<0.05). With respect to their psychological distress during August–October 2020 compared with that during February–March 2020 (two months from the initial outbreak), anxiety stayed the same while depression increased and resilience decreased at a statistically significant level.
Conclusions: It was found that some medical students were suffering from psychological difficulties related to COVID-19, and there were several risk factors for them. This finding suggests that medical schools need to not only develop academic management systems but also provide programs that can help students manage their mental health and emotions in preparation for an infectious disease pandemic.
Local Variations of the Geomagnetic Field Components as Possible Precursors of the Paravan and Spitak Earthquakes
Authors: Grigorian Alina , Baranov Aleksey
Published: September 2022

We analyze variable geomagnetic field δΤ which characterizes the change in electrical conductivity in the Earth's crust for the Armenia from 1986 to 1993. Clear geomagnetic precursors of the Paravan (13.05.1986, М=5.4) and Spitak (07.12.1988, М=7.0) earthquakes are obtained. About half a year before the Spitak earthquake, the parameters of the ratios of bay-like variations (30–60 and 5–25 min) of the horizontal and vertical components of the geomagnetic field δΤ decreased by about 30%. An analysis of the data two months before the Paravan earthquake also shows a sharp drop in the values ​​of this parameter by 20–25%. In the interval between two earthquakes, the ratios of bay-like variations lie in the range of ± 10% with an average value of 1. For the Sq variations of the δD, δH, and δZ components of the geomagnetic field δΤ, a sharp drop was observed about a month before the Paravan earthquake from 1.2 to 0.8. After the Paravan earthquake, all three components partially returned to their pre-earthquake parameters (~ 1.2) within a few months. Further, a monotonous decrease in all three components of the geomagnetic field was observed up to the Spitak earthquake from 1.2 to 0.54. After this earthquake, the bay-like and Sq variations returned to normal values ​​between 1 and 1.2 within a few months. The difference in the behavior for the bay-like and Sq variations in the period between two earthquakes is possibly associated with the beginning of the preparation of the Spitak earthquake a few months after the Paravan earthquake.
Quantitative assessment of radiotherapy-induced myocardial damage using MRI: A systematic review
Authors: Omidi Alireza , Weiss Elisabeth , Trankle Cory R. , Rosu-Bubulac Mihaela , Wilson John S.
Published: September 2022

Purpose: To determine the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based metrics to quantify myocardial toxicity following radiotherapy (RT) in human subjects through review of current literature.
Methods: 21 MRI studies published between 2011-2022 were identified from available databases. Patients received chest irradiation with/without other treatments for various malignancies including breast, lung, esophageal cancer, Hodgkin’s, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 11 longitudinal studies, the sample size, mean heart dose, and follow-up times ranged from 10-81 patients, 2.0-13.9 Gy, and 0-24 months after RT (in addition to a pre-RT assessment), respectively. In 10 cross-sectional studies, the sample size, mean heart dose, and follow-up times ranged from 5-80 patients, 2.1-22.9 Gy, and 2-24 years from RT completion, respectively. Global metrics of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) and mass/dimensions of cardiac chambers were recorded, along with global/regional values of T1/T2 signal, extracellular volume (ECV), late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and circumferential/radial/longitudinal strain.
Results: LVEF tended to decline at >20 years follow-up and in patients treated with older RT techniques. Changes in global strain were observed after shorter follow-up (13±2 months) for concurrent chemoradiotherapy. In concurrent treatments with longer follow-up (8.3 years), increases in left ventricle (LV) mass index were correlated with LV mean dose. In pediatric patients, increases in LV diastolic volume were correlated with heart/LV dose at 2 years post-RT.
Regional changes were observed earlier post-RT. Dose-dependent responses were reported for several parameters, including: increased T1 signal in high-dose regions, a 0.136% increase of ECV per Gy, progressive increase of LGE with increasing dose at regions receiving >30 Gy, and correlation between increases in LV scarring volume and LV mean/V10/V25 Gy dose.
Conclusion: Global metrics only detected changes over longer follow-up, in older RT techniques, in concurrent treatments, and in pediatric patients. In contrast, regional measurements detected myocardial damage at shorter follow-up and in RT treatments without concurrent treatment and had greater potential for dose-dependent response. The early detection of regional changes suggests the importance of regional quantification of RT-induced myocardial toxicity at early stages, before damage becomes irreversible. Further works with homogeneous cohorts are required to examine this matter.
Outer nuclear layer recovery as a predictor of visual prognosis in type 1 choroidal neovascularization of neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Lee Seungheon , Kim Kyung Tae , Kim Dong Yoon , Chae Ju Byung , Seo Eoi Jong
Published: September 2022

To investigate the changes in outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness during anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in type 1 choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and its impact on vision. Type 1 CNV eyes (n = 94) were retrospectively compared to normal control eyes (n = 35). Along with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the location of CNV, foveal ONL thickness, and subretinal fluid height were measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and analyzed. Visual outcome and OCT biomarkers were compared. As a result, the CNV group had thinner foveal ONL and worse BCVA compared to the control group. ONL thickness recovered partially along with visual improvement following 3 monthly initial loading doses of aflibercept injections, and it correlated with the final BCVA during the 1-year follow-up. Eyes achieved foveal ONL recovery over + 10 µm had lower subfoveal CNV (45.5%) and showed better visual outcomes than eyes with stationary ONL or suboptimal ONL recovery (76.0%, p = 0.012). In conclusion, type 1 CNV eyes that recovered foveal ONL thickness at initial loading of anti-VEGF demonstrated good final visual outcome during the 1-year follow-up. Monitoring the foveal ONL thickness during early anti-VEGF treatment can give information about the visual outcomes in type 1 CNV.
Corrosivity relationship for management of buried pipelines: A case study of Rivers state, Nigeria
Authors: Amadi Azubuike , Ajienka Joseph , Akaranta Onyewuchi , Elijah Kehinde , Okafor Paul , Oluigbo Chiedozie
Published: September 2022

Control and management of corrosion have always been the concern of oil and gas asset management teams due to the challenging outcomes of failed facilities in service due to corrosion. Corrosion has an impact on human safety, environmental safety, and productivity; thus, it is important to know how corrosive an environment is in order to make the best investment decisions for facilities that are prone to corrosion. There are various ways of identifying environmental corrosivity, but there is no distinct map or relation with combined soil pH and resistivity impact unique to an environment that suggests the corrosion severity of such an environment, which could be due to the complexities of variables involved in defining the extent of corrosivity. This research aims to create a corrosion map using the MATLAB computing environment for Rivers State, a mega oil-producing state in the Niger Delta, based on soil resistivity and pH across different parts of the state with ongoing oil and gas activities for the purpose of a quick look decision-making guide. To determine corrosivity, such a map should only need to identify the soil resistivity and pH of a certain site. The pilot test conducted using 40-point soil pH and resistivity data suggested that it is feasible to develop a unique corrosivity map for a region since the result showed an R-square value of 70.03%. However, possible constraints of the mapping process were discussed, as well as suggestions for a wider survey and improvement.
Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Ras El-Ain basin, Tyr, Lebanon
Authors: Khatib Milad , Daoud Mohamad , Arairo Wahib , Saba Marianne , Mortada Hussein
Published: September 2022

Lebanon's natural water resources are facing serious problems related to quality and quantity. One of these issues is its deteriorating properties that is related to unregulated resource planning and rising demand. Water resources are used in many different applications such as residential, industrial, and irrigation. However, due to the over-exploitation, random use of surface water resources such as rivers, lakes, natural ponds the country is facing pressure related to the water demand and accessibility. This study focused on the Ras El-Ain area located in the South of Lebanon.. The Lebanese state dedicated it, along with other reservoirs, to supply potable water for Tyr and the surrounding villages. Today, these basins' water quality has deteriorated significantly because of unrestricted liquid and soil waste dumping. As a result, contaminants developed in these ponds. Aside from laboratory testing for water quality, contamination can be seen through direct observations, odors, watercolor, and patterns. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of pollution in the Ras El-Ain reservoirsThese natural pond have been progressively subjected to a variety of quality degradation characteristics. This includes the basic physiochemical characterization. As a result, the physicochemical and microbiological water characteristics of five selected samples from each pond were tested. These tests were performed following the European Standard Methods and World Health Organization guidelines (WHO). The effect of pollutant disposal in the Ras El-Ain was studied using multivariate approaches. The obtained results were then used to evaluate the extent of pollution in the several ponds.
Ecological network analysis of the carbon metabolism system in mountainous cities based on land-carbon nexus: A case study in the main urban area of Chongqing, China
Authors: Xiang Shujiang , Wang Ying , Deng Hua , Yang Chunmei , Wang Zifang , Gao Ming
Published: September 2022

Land use/cover change (LUCC) under rapid urbanization has led to a sharp increase in urban carbon emissions, an imbalance in carbon budgets, and climate warming. Therefore, the development of urban carbon metabolism research has become key to mitigating global warming and achieving China’s “Dual Carbon” targets. Taking the main urban area of Chongqing, a typical mountainous city in China, as an example, this study accounted for the carbon release and carbon absorption in the main urban area of Chongqing, constructed an urban carbon flow model based on the land-carbon nexus, and finally evaluated the urban carbon metabolic system from 2000 to 2020 by using the ecological network analysis method. The results show that: 1) During the study period, the carbon release of the main urban area of Chongqing was 31.43 times, 31.53 times, 49.43 times, 51.99 times, and 51.58 times that of the carbon absorption in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, respectively. The main urban area of Chongqing is dominated by a “carbon source” effect, and the carbon budget imbalance has increased. 2) The net carbon flow in the main urban area of Chongqing has been negative in the past 20 years, showing a fluctuating downward trend. The negative carbon flow mainly comes from the conversion of cultivated land to construction land, and the positive carbon flow mainly comes from the conversion of construction land to cultivated land and woodland. 3) From the flow analysis, it can be seen that the H-index of the main urban area of Chongqing was 0.287, 0.189, 0.094, and 0.330, in respective chronologically ordered 5-year intervals, during the 20-year study period, showing a “V-shaped” change trend. From the perspective of structure analysis, it is clear that the carbon flow contribution level of each component is ranked as follows: cultivated land ＞construction land ＞ woodland ＞ water ＞ grassland ＞unused land. The utility analysis shows that the K-index of the main urban area of Chongqing was1.40, 0.80, 0.57, and 1.40, in respective 5-year intervals, during the study period, showing a “U-shaped” change trend. From the function relationship analysis, it can be seen that the ecological relationship of carbon metabolism in the main urban area of Chongqing is dominated by exploitation and control relationships, which mainly exist in the ecological relationship between construction land and cultivated land, and the spatial distribution is concentrated in the central and western areas of the main urban area of Chongqing. Our research results can provide a reference for Chongqing’s green and low-carbon sustainable development as a means toward the realization of the “Dual Carbon” targets, and provide a reference for other similar mountainous cities in western China.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following inactivated COVID-19 vaccine: A case report
Authors: Sazgarnejad Saharnaz , Haghdoost Bahar , Molaei Mohammad Mahdi , Kordipour Vida , Amirifard Hamed
Published: September 2022

Background
Neurological involvement including CNS demyelination syndromes following SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported as extra-pulmonary involvement in patients with COVID-19. Besides, immune-mediated central nervous system involvement is a rare phenomenon that is considered to be one of the most important and serious complications of vaccines as well. While regarding the recent pandemic and worldwide use of the COVID-19 vaccines investigating serious life-threatening side effects is worth considering.
Case presentation:
This article reported a young male Iranian patient without any past medical history and neurological problems who presented acute disorientation due to acute central nervous system demyelination approximately one month after receiving the first dosage of Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine. Based on extended clinical investigations the patient had undergone the treatment with the highly probable diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis syndrome.
Conclusion
In this article clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the patient with the diagnosis of ADEM following COVID-19 vaccine administration have been discussed. It seems for timely diagnosis and access to a safer state in our global immunization, reporting and evaluating the diagnosis approach and challenges in treatment and patient recovery regarding rare and adverse effects is worth considering.
Is there a Subnational Resource Curse? Evidence from Households in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Authors: Animashaun Jubril , Emediegwu Lotanna
Published: September 2022

The local effect of extractive industries on households’ living standards is viewed in this study as a signal of non-homothetic preferences for education. Hydrocarbonbased industries are intensive in capital and high-skilled labor; our theory predicts that further development could increase investment in education due to local employment opportunities. However, investment in education can generate surplus skilled labor. Under imperfect markets, these constitute dynamic social costs with weak backward integration and ambiguous implications on welfare. Using annual household data from the Niger Delta between 2010 to 2016, we employ a geographic difference-in-difference estimation that exploits spatial and temporal variation in oil production and locations. We find that costs of living are higher by proximity to oil fields but find that the mechanism is via non-homothetic preferences for education. We find inconclusive evidence on other welfare indicators; limited employment opportunities in non-oil sectors may explain the weak backward linkages and potential positive spillovers. JEL Codes: O13, O18, Q32, J24, I2, R20
Profifitability of Ichimoku-based trading rule in Vietnam stock market in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Che-Ngoc Ha , Do-Thi Nga , Nguyen-Trang Thao
Published: September 2022

Ichimoku Kinkohyo or Ichimoku Cloud Chart is one of the most popular technical indicators used by traders all over the world. However, its profitability is heavily influenced by the market environment, to which it is applied. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak may have an impact on the market environment as well as the performance of all technical indicators. This study is the first to look into the profitability of Ichimoku-based trading rules in the Vietnamese stock market in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. More particularly, the COVID-19 outbreak has a positive influence on the performance of this strategy when considering the entire market as well as a variety of industries including real estate industry, food and beverage industry, resource industry, and automotive and electronic components industry. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the return on investment obtained per each transaction using the Ichimoku-based strategy increased by roughly 8-9% in the pandemic period. Compared to the Buy-and-hold method, the Ichimoku-based strategy could slightly increase Accumulated return while posing a lower risk. The findings indicate that the Ichimoku-based strategy is applicable to the Vietnam stock market, regardless of the adverse effects of the pandemic on the industries.
Accuracy and clinical application of transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring in patients with sepsis
Authors: 林 婉 , 刘 勤富 , 杨 晓军
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND: Repeated procurement of a blood gas specimen in patients with sepsis is likely to increase the risk of infection and iatrogenic anemia. Non-invasive transcutaneous carbon dioxide pressure (PtcCO2) as a surrogate of invasive arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2)，which is increasingly suggested for its accuracy and sustainability in recent years. The objective of this study was to explore the accuracy and clinical application of PtcCO2 in patients with sepsis.
METHODS: After approval of the local ethics committee PtcCO2 and PaCO2 were determined in n = 65 ICU patients with sepsis and n = 32 ICU non-sepsis patients. Bland–Altman method was used for statistical analysis, p＜0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed good correlation between PtcCO2 and PaCO2 in septic patients (r=0.591, P<0.0001) as well as in non-sepsis patients (r=0.642, P<0.0001). Bland–Altman analysis revealed a bias and precision of 3.4±8.7 mmHg for the septic patients and 2.2 ± 5.7 mmHg for the non-sepsis patients, both of them indicated good accuracy. During the first 6 hours of standardized treatment in septic shock patients, lactate clearance was linearly correlated with PtcCO2 difference (r=0.479, P=0.005<0.05), suggesting that early changes in PtcCO2 levels may be associated with tissue perfusion.
CONCLUSIONS: PtcCO2 was a good alternative to PaCO2 in septic patients, and early changes in PtcCO2 may indicate changes in lactate clearance.
A novel nanocomposite based zeolite for efficient remediation of Cd- contaminated industrial wastewater
Authors: Elkhatib Elsayed A. , Moharem Mohamed L. , Saad Ahmed F. , Abdelhamed Safa
Published: September 2022

The nanostructured water treatment residuals (nWTR) were obtained through ball milling of bulk water treatment residuals (WTR) and then coated with zeolite (Ze). The prepared nanocomposite (Ze-nWTR) was characterized before and after Cd adsorption using SEM-EDX, XRD and FTIR analyses. Cadmium adsorption study was conducted in batch system at various conditions of solution pH, coexist competing ions, sorbent dose, temperature and contact time. Langmuir and power function models well fitted to Cd adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) value of the nanocomposite (147.9 mgg-1) was 3 and 5.9 times higher than those of nWTR and Zeolite sorbents, respectively. Increasing temperature from 287K to 307K caused increasing in qmax value from 147.9 mgg-1 to 270 mgg-1. The pH of point of zero charge (pHzpc) for nanocomposite was 7.2. Thermodynamic Parameters of Cd adsorption by nanocomposite were calculated at different initial Cd concentration and pH values. The high value range of ΔH° (123292 − 18600 J mol− 1) for Cd adsorption on nanocomposite reflects different forces governing the adsorption reaction. Furthermore, FTIR, XRD, and EDX analysis confirmed that combination reactions (nonspecific/specific interaction) are responsible for Cd adsorption on the nanocomposite. The reusability study revealed that (Ze-nWTR) nanocomposite could be reused effectively for up to 6 consecutive cycles. The results from this study confirmed the nanocomposite excellent removal ability (98%) of Cd from industrial wastewater.
Risk prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus in women with polycystic ovary syndrome based on a nomogram model
Authors: Ouyang Peilin , Duan Siqi , You Yiping , Jia Xiaozhou , Yang Liqin
Published: September 2022

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are prone to develop gestational diabetes mellitus, a disease which may have significant impact on the postpartum health of both mother and infant. We performed a retrospective cohort study to develop and test a model that could predict gestational diabetes mellitus in the first trimester in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Our study included 434 pregnant women who were referred to the obstetrics department between December 2017 and March 2020 with a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Of these women, 104 were diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus in the second trimester. Univariate analysis revealed that in the first trimester, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), age, total cholesterol(TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), SBP (systolic blood pressure), family history, body mass index (BMI), and testosterone were predictive factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (P < 0.05). Logistic regression revealed that TC, age, HbA1C, BMI and family history were independent risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus. The area under the ROC curve of the gestational diabetes mellitus risk prediction model was 0.937 in this retrospective analysis, demonstrating a great discriminatory ability. The sensitivity and specificity of the prediction model were 0.833 and 0.923, respectively. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test also showed that the model was well calibrated.
Atomic-scale interlayer friction of gibbsite is lower than brucite due to interactions of hydroxyls
Authors: Okuda Hanaya , Kawai Kenji , Sakuma Hiroshi
Published: September 2022

To investigate the role of atomic-scale structure on the frictional properties of gibbsite, a dioctahedral-type aluminum hydroxide, we calculated the atomic-scale interlayer shear properties using the first-principles method based on density functional theory. We found that the presence of vacant sites within the octahedral sheet of gibbsite enables hydroxyls to move to more stable positions and reduce the repulsive force, leading to a lower atomic-scale shear stress of gibbsite compared with brucite, a trioctahedral-type magnesium hydroxide. We also estimated the macroscopic single-crystal friction coefficient of gibbsite with the assumption that only the atomic-scale interlayer friction controls macroscopic friction. The estimated single-crystal friction coefficient for gibbsite is 0.36(6), which is clearly lower than the experimentally obtained friction coefficient of the powdered gouge of gibbsite (0.74). This difference between the interlayer friction coefficient and gouge friction coefficient suggests the presence of additional mechanisms that affect the frictional strength, such as microstructures within a fault gouge.
Topological to magnetically ordered quantum phase transition in antiferromagnetic spin ladders with long-range interactions
Authors: Yang Luhang , Weinberg Phillip , Feiguin Adrian
Published: September 2022

We study a generalized quantum spin ladder with staggered long range
interactions that decay as a power-law with exponent
\alphaα.
Using large scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) and density matrix
renormalization group (DMRG) simulations, we show that this model
undergoes a transition from a rung-dimer phase characterized by a
non-local string order parameter, to a symmetry broken N'eel phase. We
find evidence that the transition is second order. In the magnetically
ordered phase, the spectrum exhibits gapless modes, while excitations in
the gapped phase are well described in terms of triplons – bound states
of spinons across the legs. We obtain the momentum resolved spin dynamic
structure factor numerically and find a well defined triplon band that
evolves into a gapless magnon dispersion across the transition. We
further discuss the possibility of deconfined criticality in this
model.
Hierarchical Approaches to Solve Optimization Problems
Authors: ARICI Ferda Nur , KAYA Ersin
Published: September 2022

Optimization is the operation of finding the most appropriate solution for a particular problem or set of problems. In the literature, there are many population-based optimization algorithms for solving optimization problems. Each of these algorithms has different characteristics. Although optimization algorithms give optimum results on some problems, they become insufficient to give optimum results as the problem gets harder and more complex. Many studies have been carried out to improve optimization algorithms to overcome these difficulties in recent years. In this study, six well-known population-based optimization algorithms (artificial algae algorithm - AAA, artificial bee colony algorithm - ABC, differential evolution algorithm - DE, genetic algorithm - GA, gravitational search algorithm - GSA, and particle swarm optimization - PSO) were used. Each of these algorithms has its own advantages and disadvantages. These population-based six algorithms were tested on CEC’17 test functions and their performances were examined and so the characteristics of the algorithms were determined. Based on these results, hierarchical approaches have been proposed in order to combine the advantages of algorithms and achieve better results. The hierarchical approach refers to the successful operation of algorithms. In this study, eight approaches were proposed, and performance evaluations of these structures were made on CEC’17 test functions. When the experimental results are examined, it is concluded that some hierarchical approaches can be applied, and some hierarchical approaches surpass the base states of the algorithms.
Modelling of Factors Influencing the Citation Counts in Statistics
Authors: ALPAY Olcay , DANACIOĞLU Nazan , ÇANKAYA Emel
Published: September 2022

Citation is considered as the most popular quality assessment metric for scientific papers, and it is thus important to determine what factors promote the citation count of a paper in comparison to the others in the same field. The main aim of this study is to model the citation counts of the research published in SCI or SCI-Expanded journals of Statistics field with the growing number of scientific works in Turkey. It is well known that the right-skewed nature of the counts makes the classical regression modelling inappropriate, even if the log transformation of counts is applied [1]. Due to the fact that distribution of citation counts involves a great number of zeros, this study serves for an additional aim that is to model the counts with advanced discrete regression models for a more precise prediction [2]. Data collected for this study consist of the citation counts of all scientific papers produced by 261 Statisticians in between 2005-2017. Discrete models varying from Poisson to Zero-Inflated or Hurdle were constructed by possible influential factors, such as the publication age, the number of references, the journal category etc. Predictive performances of alternative discrete models were compared via AIC and Vuong test [3]. Results suggested that Zero Inflated Negative Binomial and Hurdle Negative Binomial mixture models are the best forms to predict the zero inflation of citation counts [4]. In addition, the influential factors of the final model were interpreted to make some suggestions to Statisticians to increase the citation counts of their work.
Optimal Control of Automatic Voltage Regulator System with Coronavirus Herd Immunity Optimizer Algorithm-Based PID plus Second Order Derivative Controller
Authors: EMİROGLU Selcuk , GÜMÜŞ Talha Enes
Published: September 2022

Optimal control of the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) system can improve the system behavior with the optimal parameters obtained based on optimization. The design of proposed Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) and Proportional Integral Derivative Plus Second Order Derivative (PIDD2) controllers are stated as an optimization problem including objective and constraint. The optimization problem is solved by using Coronavirus herd immunity optimizer (CHIO) algorithm to find the best controller parameters. In this paper, optimal design of PID and PIDD2 controllers for AVR system are presented with different objectives. The optimal design of controllers modeled as an optimization problem is solved with the help of the CHIO Algorithm. CHIO is inspired herd immunity against COVID-19 disease by social distancing. The performances of CHIO-based controllers in AVR system are compared with some well-known algorithms. Also, the obtained results demonstrate that the CHIO algorithm yields the least objective value in comparison with the other algorithms. When the results of the proposed approach are compared to those of some modern heuristic optimization algorithms, such as the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm, Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm etc. and the superiority of the proposed approach is demonstrated.