bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Produced Water Management and Utilization: Challenges and Future Directions
Authors: Eyitayo S. I. , Watson M. C. , Kolawole O.
Published: February 2023

Produced water (PW) is an undesirable byproduct generated from oil and natural gas production. Due to the large volume produced, managing its disposal is challenging. Generally, PW is used internally for oil and gas operations while different types of means dispose of the remaining volumes. Recently, there has been a need to repurpose the volume of water customarily disposed of for other industries’ applications. This presents a potential opportunity to reduce excessive freshwater usage in oil and gas operations and reduce water depletion in other industries, thus aiding water conservation as one of the goals for sustainable development. While the external uses are the viable and logical solution, there are challenges relating to PW characterization, treatment technology, and economics of such a project. Therefore, the effective treatment technology, utilization, and disposal of PW remain critical issues for the petroleum industry with consideration of the environment, technical aspects, and economics. There must be collaboration among all stakeholders to harness the potential opportunities and merits of external reuse of PW for cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solutions in treatment technology and every other aspect of PW management. This review presents a comprehensive overview of PW management, current practices in the petroleum industry, and opportunities to be used in other sectors. A detailed account of each disposal method and possible external uses are enumerated with associated challenges, and how these can be mitigated.
GPX4 is a potential biomarker and is associated with the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse large B lymphoma and B cell immune infiltration
Authors: Li Tong-Yu , Li Yun
Published: February 2023

A large amount of evidence shows that the dysregulated expression of iron death plays a key role in cancer biology. GPX4 is a key gene for iron death and a risk factor for many cancers. However, the role of GPX4 in the genesis, development and immune process of diffuse large B lymphoma (DLBCL) has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to explore the significance of GPX4 in the diagnosis, prognosis and immune correlation of DLBCL. TNMplot, GSCA, TIMER 2.0, GEPIA and GEO databases were used to analyze the expression level of GPX4 and evaluate the prognosis. Metascape was used for enrichment analysis to study potential biological pathways. Finally, we used TIMER to explore the correlation between GPX4 and tumor infiltrating immune cells. GPX4 is expressed differently in various cancers. Compared with normal tissues, it is also significantly up-regulated in DLBCL tissues, and is related to the prognosis of DLBCL. In addition, enrichment analysis shows that GPX4 has a functional relationship with Glutathione peroxidase activity, Arachidonic acid metabolism, Leukotriene metabolic process, and Reactive oxygen species metabolic process. At the same time, we found that GPX4 has a significant correlation with CDCA7.
Stratospheric water vapor affecting atmospheric circulation
Authors: Charlesworth Edward , Ploeger Felix , Birner Thomas , Baikhadzhaev Rasul , Abalos Marta , Abraham Luke , Akiyoshi Hideharu , Bekki Slimane , Dennison Fraser , Jöckel Patrick , Keeble James , Kinnison Douglas , Morgenstern Olaf , Plummer David , Rozanov Eugene , Strode Sarah , Zeng Guang , Riese Martin
Published: February 2023

Water vapor plays an important role in many aspects of the climate system, by
affecting radiation, cloud formation, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics.
Even the low stratospheric water vapor content provides
an important climate feedback, but current climate models show a substantial
moist bias in the lowermost stratosphere.
Here we report crucial sensitivity of the atmospheric circulation in the stratosphere
and troposphere to the abundance of water vapor in the lowermost stratosphere.
We show from a mechanistic climate model experiment and inter-model variability
that lowermost stratospheric water vapor decreases local temperatures, and
thereby causes an upward and poleward shift of subtropical jets, a strengthening of the
stratospheric circulation, a poleward shift of the tropospheric eddy-driven jet and
regional climate impacts. The mechanistic model experiment in combination with atmospheric observations
further shows that the prevailing moist bias in current models is likely caused by the transport scheme, and can be alleviated by employing a less diffusive Lagrangian scheme.
The related effects on atmospheric circulation are of similar magnitude as climate change effects.
Hence, lowermost stratospheric water vapor exerts a first order effect on
atmospheric circulation and improving its representation in models
offers promising prospects for future research.
Optically-boosted planar IBC Solar Cells with Electrically-harmless Photonic Nanocoatings
Authors: Santos Ivan , Alexandre Miguel , Mihailetchi Valentin , Mateus Tiago , Mouquinho Ana , Boane Jenny , Vicente António , Nunes Daniela , Menda Ugur , Águas Hugo , Fortunato Elvira , Martins Rodrigo , Mendes Manuel J.
Published: February 2023

Advanced light management via front-coated photonic nanostructures is a promising strategy to enhance photovoltaic efficiency through wave-optical light-trapping effects, avoiding the conventional texturing processes that induce the degradation of electrical performance due to increased carrier recombination.
Here, TiO2 honeycomb arrays with different geometry were engineered through a highly-scalable colloidal lithography method on flat crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers and tested on standard planar c-Si interdigitated back-contact solar cells (pIBCSCs). The photonic-structured wafers achieved an optical photocurrent of 36.6 mA/cm2, mainly due to a broad anti-reflection effect arising from the 693 nm thick nanostructured coatings; whereas the pIBCSC test devices reached 14% efficiency with 705 nm thick TiO2 nanostructures, which corresponds to ~30% efficiency gain relative to uncoated pIBCSCs. In addition, several designed structures showed unmatched angular acceptance enhancements in efficiency (up to 63% gain) and photocurrent density (up to 68% gain).
The high-performing (yet electrically harmless) light-trapping scheme, here presented, entails a highly promising alternative to conventional texturing for c-Si technological improvement, with straightforward integration in the established photovoltaic industry.
A Kernel Search Algorithm for Virtual Machine Consolidation Problem in Cloud Computing
Authors: Luo Jiang-Yao , Yuan Jian-Hua
Published: February 2023

Virtual machine consolidation describes the process of reallocation of virtual machines (VMs) on a set of target servers. It can be formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem which is proven to be an NP-hard problem. In this paper, we propose a kernel search (KS) heuristic algorithm based on hard variable fixing to quickly obtain a high-quality solution for large-scale virtual machine consolidation problems (VMCPs). Since variable fixing strategies in existing KS works may make VMCP infeasible, our proposed KS algorithm employs a more efficient strategy to choose a set of fixed variables according to the corresponding reduced cost. Numerical results on VMCP instances demonstrate that our proposed KS algorithm significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art mixed integer linear programming solver in terms of CPU time, and our proposed strategy of variable fixing significantly improves the efficiency of the KS algorithm as well as the degradation of solution quality can be negligible.
Assessment of rehabilitation following subarachnoid haemorrhage in China: Findings from the Chinese Stroke Center Alliance
Authors: Chen Yi-Tong , Wu Mei-Ru , Li Zi-Xiao , Gu Hong-Qiu , Zhou Qi , Wang Dan-Dan , Wang Yong-Jun , Zhao Xing-Quan
Published: February 2023

Background: Rehabilitation improves functional recovery in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients, and assessing patients for rehabilitation is the first step in this process. However, little is known about clinical practice in China regarding the assessment and provision of rehabilitation for patients with SAH.
Methods: To identify patients hospitalized with SAH and to analyze rehabilitation assessment rates, we used data for 11,234 SAH patients admitted to 861 hospitals from the China Stroke Center Alliance from August 2015 to July 2019. We examined factors for rehabilitation assessment and analyzed the relationship between rehabilitation assessment and outcomes in these patients.
Results: Among 11,234 patients with SAH, 6,513 (58.0%) were assessed for rehabilitation. Assessed patients had an increased length of stay (mean±SD days: 17.3±12.5 versus 11.6±10.5, P=49.4), a higher Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission (mean±SD GCS score: 12.3±3.8 versus 11.8±4.4, P=12.2), and were more likely to be admitted to the stroke unit (19.6% versus 13.8%, P=15.6). In multivariable analysis, factors associated with an increased likelihood of a rehabilitation assessment (p < 0.05) included a longer length of stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04 to 1.05) and care such as dysphagia screening (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.73 to 2.04), DVT prophylaxis (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.41 to 1.72) and vessel evaluation (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.63 to 1.98). For the multivariate analysis of outcomes, patients undergoing rehabilitation assessment had a longer length of stay (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.81 to 2.12), a higher modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.36 to 1.64), and higher rates of discharge to a rehabilitation center (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.81-5.75).
Conclusion: More than two-fifths of SAH patients were not assessed for rehabilitation. Rates vary considerably among hospital grades, and there is a need to improve adherence to recommended care for SAH patients.
Extrapedicular vs transpedicular percutaneous kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: WU Fan , Huang Zhi-hui , Li Zhi-gang , Liang De , Jiang Xiaobing
Published: February 2023

Background: Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures(OVCFs) is one of the most common health problems in the elderly population. Percutaneous kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive technique that has gained widespread recognition. Transpedicular and extrapedicular are two approaches for kyphoplasty. But over the last decade, the safety and effect of two approaches remain unclear, and there is still a lack if evaluation of their therapeutic effects.
Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of the two approaches as a treatment for patients with OVCF.
Search strategy: We searched CENTRAL; MEDLINE; EMBASE; Chinese Biological Medicine Database; VIP Journals Database; Wan-fang database; CNKI and Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Database from the their inception to December 2020 in both English and Chinese.We hand searched Chinese language journals and conference proceedings.
Selection criteria: Randomised-controlled trials that compared any form of the transpedicular approachto any form of the extrapedicular approach control intervention in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture patients were included.
Data collection and analysis: Two review authors(Wu F,Huang ZH)independently determined the studies to be included in the review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and the exracted data were analysed by RevMan 5.3, and the level of evidence was assessed by the GRADE system.
Results: Six randomised controlled trials with a total sample size of 395 patients were included, all of them were from Asian countries. Meta-analysis showed that the extrapedicular approach kyphoplasty is superior to the transpedicular approach kyphoplasty for the less radiology exposure time, less cement volume and a lower leakage rate. But there is no difference between the extrapedicular approach kyphoplasty and the transpedicular approach kyphoplasty with postoperative VAS scores and ODI scores.
Limitations: Only 6 randomized controlled trials were selected for analysis, all of studies all published in Chinese, so there may be difficult for English readers to assess. Heterogeneity was detected among the studies when we pooled the outcomes.
Conclusion: Based on the evidence of 6 RCTs, the effectiveness of extrapedicular kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture patients is suggestive. Extrapedicular kyphoplasty have less radiology exposure time, cement volume and a lower leakage rate than transpedicular kyphoplasty, and there is no significant different in VAS and ODI after surgery. With the methodological quality and the small number of the included studies taken into consideration, further more high quality and large scale randomized controlled trials are needed.
Daily Scale Streamflow Forecasting Based-Hybrid Gradient Boosting Machine Learning Model
Authors: kilinc huseyin cagan , Ahmadianfar Iman , Demir Vahdettin , Heddam Salim , Al-Areeq Ahmed M. , Abba Sani I. , Tan Mou Leong , Halder Bijay , Marhoon Haydar Abdulameer , Yaseen Zaher Mundher
Published: February 2023

Hybrid model selection built with models based on machine learning (ML) and Deep learning (DL) has a significant impact on river flow predictions. Sustainable use of water resources is possible with the evaluation of basin management principles, effective natural resource management and correct water resources planning. These conditions require accurate estimation of the flows of rivers in the basin. In this study, river flow estimation was made with daily streamflow data from E12A057 (Adatepe), E12A24 (Aktaş) and E12A22 (Rüstümköy) flow measurement stations (FMSs) determined on the critical points of Sakarya Basin, which is among the important basins of Turkey. For three stations, 10 years of flow data obtained from EIEI (General Directorate of Electrical Works Survey Administration) were used. In addition, a method combining the GA-CatBoost model was proposed, which aimed to improve the performance of flow estimation. The performance of the hybrid model was compared to the CatBoost, Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) and Linear Regression (LR) models. To analyze the performance of the model, the first 80% of the data was used for training and the remaining 20% ​​for testing the three FMS. The results revealed that the proposed hybrid model can adapt nicely with the high nonlinearity of the river flow estimation. It has been observed that the hybrid model was superior to other models in statistical measurement metrics used in the study.
Effects of exposure to incense smoke associated with impaired lung function and respiratory disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Adnyana I Made Dwi Mertha , Utomo Budi , Dewanti Linda , Fauziyah Shifa , Eljatin Dwinka Syafira , Setyawan Muhamad Frendy , Sumah Lesty Helda Marsel , Karina Citra Al
Published: February 2023

Incense (bakhour) is used by the community through ceremonies, traditional health practices, and aromatherapy. Nevertheless, evidence from experiments and studies of populations suggests that a habit of burning incense makes the lungs work less well. The study investigated the relationship between exposure to incense smoke and impaired lung function and respiratory diseases. Data tracing was carried out systematically by following PRISMA guidelines and establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria for filtering, selecting, and including articles registered in the PROSPERO database. This study describes respiratory symptoms/ diseases, home use of incense, and lung function measurement.Six articles were included; 6 articles (100%) reported using incense indoors, and five (83%) reported using incense outside the home. Respiratory symptoms and diseases caused by exposure to incense sticks are 5 (83%) shortness of breath, 6 (100%) wheezing, asthma, and inflammation of the lungs, 2 (33%) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 4 (67%) allergic rhinitis. Incense smoke particles decrease lung function based on FVC, FEV, PEFR, and FEF values of 25-75%. The results indicate that smoking incense adversely affects lung function and leads to respiratory diseases. The community and related parties can minimize and conduct education and prevention related to simultaneous incense exposure in the community to reduce the burden of diseases and disorders due to respiratory incense smoke in areas that use it daily.
Approximate Solutions of Spray-induced Stress and its Characteristic Analysis in High Winds
Authors: Zhang Ting
Published: February 2023

A great number of spray droplets comprising liquid droplets produce in high winds, which may play a significant role in meteorological and oceanographical processes. In this study, the approximate solutions of the spray-induced stress are calculated based on three different sea-spray generation functions. It’s revealed that there is no evident difference among the calculated results in conditions of both the 10-m wind speed less than 18 m s− 1 and wave age less than 0.6. However, as wind enforces and waves develop, the sea-spray generation function fitted by the field observational data could make the calculated spray-induced stress much larger than the others. It’s also indicated that the wind speed more effectively determines the magnitude of the spray-induced stress compared with wave ages. Then, considering a super typhoon that occurred in the northwest Pacific Ocean, the calculation for the temporal and spatial characteristics of the spray-induced stress is conducted using the fifth-generation ECMWF (i.e., European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) reanalysis datasets. The results show that both the magnitude and gradient of the spray-induced stress near the cyclone centre reached the maximum during the super typhoon. At this moment, the spray-induced stress quickly decreased in the area far away from the cyclone centre. It’s also found that the spray-induced stress could reduce the air-turbulent stress for 10-m wind speeds exceeding 18 m s− 1.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 inhibits the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm in mice:The earlier the better
Authors: Zhao Xinghan , Cheng Zhang , Zhang Hongbo , Guo Yingkun , Zhao Lei , Zhang Chen , Ye Pengfei , Zhang Kun , Ma Xiaohai , Wu Qihong
Published: February 2023

ObjectivesGlucagon‑like peptide‑1 (GLP-1) has a cardiovascular-protective effect in preventing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) formation. However, the administration time to maximize the optimal effect has not been determined. We conducted this study to determine whether the GLP-1 receptor agonist, liraglutide, inhibited AAA progression of mice more efficiently during the earlier stages.
Methods Mice were treated with 300ug/kg/day liraglutide 7, 14 and 28 days after aneurysm preparation. The morphology of abdominal aorta were followed up with 7.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the liraglutide administration. 28 days after administration, the AAA dilatation ratio calculation and histopathological examination were then conducted. Oxidative stress levels were evaluated by the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA). The inflammatory responses were also determined.
Results Treatment with liraglutide decreased AAA formation. Specifically, expansion of the abdominal aorta, elastin lamina degradation and vascular inflammation by leukocyte infiltration decreased. Additionally, MDA expression and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity reduced. Furthermore, the dilatation rate of aortic, MDA expression, leukocyte infiltration, and MMPs activity in the vascular wall decreased significantly in early stage.
Conclusions GLP-1 treatment inhibited AAA progression in mice through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, especially during the earlier stages of AAA formation. Thus, GLP-1 may be a potential pharmacological target for AAA treatment.
CarboCell combinatorial immunotherapy orchestrates curative anticancer immune activation of the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Jensen Sophie , Serrano-Chávez Elizabeth , Halldórsdóttir Hólmfridur , Engel Trine , Jørgensen Jennifer , Kostrikov Serhii , Scheeper Marouschka , Ringgaard Lars , Bruun Linda , Stavnsbjerg Camilla , Jæhger Ditte , Christensen Esben , Bak Martin , Thuroczy Julianna , Balogh Lajos , Jensen Andreas , Melander Fredrik , Kjaer Andreas , Henriksen Jonas , Hansen Anders , Andresen Thomas
Published: February 2023

Cancer curing immune responses against heterogeneous solid cancers require that a coordinated immune activation is initiated in the antigen avid but immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). The plastic, immunosuppressive TME, and the poor systemic tolerability of immune activating drugs are, however, fundamental barriers to generating curative anticancer immune responses. Here, we introduce the CarboCell technology to overcome these barriers by forming a sustained drug release depot at the injection site that provides high payloads of immune stimulatory drugs selectively within the TME. The CarboCell thereby induces a hot spot for immune cell training and polarization and further drives and maintains the tumor-draining lymph nodes in an anticancer and immune activated state. Mechanistically, this transforms cancerous tissues to allow infiltration of T cells, consequently generating systemic anticancer immunoreactivity. The CarboCell technology can release multiple small molecule drugs - each with tailored release profiles - rendering it active across the broad composition of TME backgrounds. In the current study, impressive therapeutic performance is presented for a dual-drug CarboCell providing sustained release of a Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist and a transforming growth factor-β inhibitor. CarboCell can be injected through standard clinical thin-needle technologies. Its inherent magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound visibility, and optional radiographic contrast, make it possible to validate and plan CarboCell injections across clinical imaging modalities. These features, in combination with attractive injection intervals, secure optimal patient compliance and open new possibilities for intratumoral immunotherapy accurately across basically all anatomical locations.
Impact of Temperature on the Rheological Properties with Shear Stress limit of Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Modified Drilling Fluid of Dibella, Oil Field
Authors: mahamadou abdoulaye seyni , ALEHEMER EINAS MOHAMMED SLAMA
Published: February 2023

In eastern Niger, a very complex rift system, whose sediment superfluity varies in age from Upper Jurassic to Lower Tertiary, has real and sure petroleum potential. Basin rocks are essentially Cretaceous to Eocene sandstones, arising from Cretaceous marine shales and Oligocene lacustrine shale; The Paleogene lacustrine mudstone is one of the most important sets of source rocks in the Termit Basin. The Agadem Oil Field in Niger holds distinct types of reservoirs and several sets of oil layers. There are large differences in the physical properties of the reservoir, the pressure system, and the fluid properties in the different layers, and the contradiction of inter-layer interference is large, which requires layered production. Micro and nanotechnologies have already made a particular contribution to technological progress in several industries, including electronics, biomedical, pharmaceutical, materials and manufacturing, aerospace, photography, and most recently energy. Micro and nanotechnologies have the potential to introduce agitating mutations in various uses of the oil and gas industries such as exploration, drilling, production, refining, and distribution. nanosensors could provide more precise and concise information on smart reservoirs and fluids for enhanced oil recovery and drilling. These experiments carried out in the laboratory aim to the influence of iron oxide nanoparticles and shear rates on the shear stress of the drilling fluid. We find that the plastic viscosity (PV), threshold (YP) and freeze resistance of the water-based mud-water system (WBM) lessen with increasing temperature until failure. of the mud system. It is therefore mandatory to continue our work to stabilize the failures of the sludge system using nanoparticles. In this study, six water-based sludge samples were prepared at different concentrations (0.5 g, 1 g, 1.5 g, 2 g, 2.5 g, 3 g) of iron oxide Fe2O3, the results showed that a diligent rheological property was completed with an optimal nanoparticle concentration of 2.5 g of iron oxide at temperatures of 300OF and a pressure of 10.00 psi, we achieved diligent rheological characteristics by 14.78%, 9.57%, 14.78% and 16.59% reduction in the strength of freezing PV, YP, 10 seconds and 10 minutes.
Structural variation across 138,134 samples in the TOPMed consortium
Authors: Jun Goo , English Adam , Metcalf Ginger , Yang Jianzhi , Chaisson Mark , Pankratz Nathan , Menon Vipin , Salerno William , Krasheninina Olga , Smith Albert , Lane John , Blackwell Thomas , Kang Hyun Min , Salvi Sejal , Meng Qingchang , Shen Hua , Pasham Divya , Bhamidipati Sravya , Kottapalli Kavya , Arnett Donna , Ashley-Koch Allison , Auer Paul , Beutel KAthleen , Bis Joshua , Blangero John , Bowden Donald , Brody Jennifer , Cade Brian , Chen Yii-Der Ida , Cho Michael , Curran Joanne , Fornage Myriam , Frredman Barry , Fingerlin Tasha , Gelb Bruce , Hou Lifang , Hung Yi-Jen , Kane John P , Kaplan Robert , Kim Wonji , Loos Ruth , Marcus Gregory , Mathias Rasika , McGarvey Stephen , Montgomery Courtney , Naseri Take , Nouraie Seyed , Preuss Michael , Palmer Nicholette , Peyser Patricia , Raffield Laura , Ratan Aakrosh , Redline Susan , Reupena Muagututia , Rotter Jerome , Rich Stephen , Rienstra Michiel , Ruczinski Ingo , Sankaran Vijay , Schwartz David , Seidman Christine , Seidman Jonathan , Silverman Edwin , Smith Jennifer , Stilp Adrienne , Taylor Kent , Telen Marilyn , Weiss Scott , Williams L. Keoki , Wu Baojun , Yanek Lisa , Zhang Yingze , Lasky-Su Jessica , Gingras Marie-Claude , Dutcher Susan , Eichler Evan , Gabriel Stacey , Germer Soren , Kim Ryan , Martinez Karine , Nickerson Deborah , Luo James , Reiner Alexander , Gibbs Richard , Boerwinkle Eric , Abecasis Goncaol , Sedlazeck Fritz
Published: February 2023

Ever larger Structural Variant (SV) catalogs highlighting the diversity within and between populations help researchers better understand the links between SVs and disease. The identification of SVs from DNA sequence data is non-trivial and requires a balance between comprehensiveness and precision. Here we present a catalog of 355,667 SVs (59.34% novel) across autosomes and the X chromosome (50bp+) from 138,134 individuals in the diverse TOPMed consortium. We describe our methodologies for SV inference resulting in high variant quality and >90% allele concordance compared to long-read de-novo assemblies of well-characterized control samples. We demonstrate utility through significant associations between SVs and important various cardio-metabolic and hematologic traits. We have identified 690 SV hotspots and deserts and those that potentially impact the regulation of medically relevant genes. This catalog characterizes SVs across multiple populations and will serve as a valuable tool to understand the impact of SV on disease development and progression.
Shared genetic etiology and causal relationships among NAFLD, obesity and glycemic traits: A large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis.
Authors: Wang Xinpei , Song Jieyun , Wang Youxin , Wang Hai-Jun , Jia Jinzhu , Wang Hui
Published: February 2023

Background: The shared genetic etiology among nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), three closely related diseases, has not yet been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to explore the shared genetic etiology and causal relationships between the 3 diseases.
Methods: Using public large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, the shared genetics between NAFLD (case=8,434, control=770,180) and 5 obesity traits (n= 224,459~700,000)/5 glycemic traits (n=281,416~659,316) were conducted with linkage disequilibrium score regression and cross-phenotype association (CPASSOC). The causal associations were explored with Mendelian Randomization (MR).
Results: We revealed 20 shared loci between NAFLD and obesity traits and 10 loci between NAFLD and glycemic traits (P<5×10-8). Among them, 10 loci were not reported previously in any association with NAFLD/obesity/glycemic traits. Ten out of 11 reported variants [after removing the high LD (r2≥0.8)] were missense variants. Most shared loci with known function were involved in the metabolism of lipids. Positive causal effects of obesity traits (particularly abdominal obesity) on NAFLD were detected, while NAFLD negatively impacted general obesity (BMI) and positively impacted abdominal obesity. Intriguingly, only fast insulin had a positive causal association with NAFLD and vice versa.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that NAFLD, obesity and glycemic traits have shared genetic etiologies, particularly in the metabolism of lipids. The present work advances our understanding of the genetic basis of these 3 closely related diseases and sheds light on a new method for drug design.
Tumor dosimetry in the presence of background activity – a phantom study using 177Lu.
Authors: Staanum Peter Frøhlich
Published: February 2023

Background: Image-based tumor dosimetry after radionuclide therapy, using the isotope 177Lu, finds application e.g. for tumor to organ dose comparison and for dose response evaluation. When the tumor extent is not much larger than the image resolution, and when 177Lu is found in nearby organs or other tumors, an accurate determination of tumor dose is particularly challenging.
Here a quantitative evaluation of three different methods for determining the 177Lu activity concentration in a phantom is performed, and the dependence on a variety of parameters is described. The phantom (NEMA IEC body phantom) has spheres of different size in a background volume, and sphere-to-background 177Lu activity concentration ratios of infinity, 9.5, 5.0 and 2.7 are applied.
Results: The determined activity concentration varies significantly with sphere size, sphere-to-background ratio, SPECT reconstruction method and method for determining the concentration. Criteria are proposed for which a reasonably stable and accurate determination of activity concentration can be obtained for application in tumor dosimetry even in the presence of background activity.
Conclusions: Tumor dosimetry to a reasonable accuracy is feasible in the presence of background activity, provided certain criteria are followed for selecting tumors for dosimetry analysis.
Decoding deceipt: EEG signatures of lying behavior under spontaneous versus instructed lying and truth-telling in a two-player game
Authors: Chen Yiyu , Fazli Siamac , Wallraven Christian
Published: February 2023

Background Is it possible to decode lying behavior from neural signatures of the electroencephalography (EEG)? Existing studies on this topic have methodological limitations: tasks lack the incentive to lie, the act of lying is confounded with memory recollection, there is no sufficient distinction between instructed versus spontaneous decisions, and participants' risk-taking tendency is not controlled for. To address these limitations, we introduce a novel interactive, two-player game, where successful lying is incentivized in the reward scheme and that has both instructed and spontaneous conditions for participants matched by risk-taking tendency.
Methods 24 participants were paired in the game according to their risk-taking tendency scores and measured using 32-channel EEG. Our multi-modal EEG analysis includes event-related potential (ERP), event-related spectral (ERS), and deep-learning-based single-trial decoding.
Results In ERP, two early components (P200 and N200) distinguished instructed truth-telling from other conditions, with a late component (N300) separating instructed lies from spontaneous conditions. Moreover, a late positive potential was indicative of spontaneous lying versus spontaneous truth-telling and was correlated with participants' risk-taking tendencies. In ERS, alpha and low beta were found to discriminate conditions. Importantly, we observed robust single-trial decoding performance under different conditions for the 1D-CNN. A gradient-based analysis further identified significant time-periods compatible with the ERP results from the classifier.
Conclusions Our study represents the first effort to analyze EEG data not only through statistical properties but also with out-of-sample, deep-learning-based classification to decode deceit in the context of an iterative, game-theoretic experiment.
Correlation between abnormal cellular immune and changes of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Zeng Hongmei , Zhang Qifang , Liu Lijie , Deng Feifei , Han Huabo , Meng Fuxue , Bai Hua
Published: February 2023

Neuroinflammation in brain and immune-related cells in peripheral blood may be involved in the occurrence and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aims to explore the correlation between the abnormality of cellular immune function and the changes of neurotransmitters. 32 AD cases and 40 Vascular dementia (VD ) cases were studied. Lymphocyte subsets in plasma were detected by flow cytometry. IL-1β and caspase-1 were detected by ELISA. NLRP3 was detected by Western blot. N-cetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), and inositol (MI) equivalence in bilateral hippocampi of patients were examined by MRS. Single-factor correlation analysis was conducted between NAA/Cr or MI/Cr and the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets or NK cell subsets. The proportion of T lymphocyte subsets in the AD group was significantly decreased than that in the non-dementia elderly control (UDE) group (P < 0.01). Caspase-1 and IL-1β protein in the AD group were significantly increased. NLRP3 protein in the AD group were significantly increase. In terms of NAA/Cr ratio or NAA/Cr ratio in the AD group was lower than that in UDE group. The NAA/Cr ratio was significantly positively correlated with the MMSE score (r = 0.81, P < 0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between NAA/Cr ratio and T lymphocyte ratio. The NAA/Cr ratio was significantly negatively correlated with the proportion of NK cells in the blood. There was a significant negative correlation between the MI/Cr ratio and the ratio of T cells in the blood. Abnormal neuroimmune function may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD and affect the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as aspartic acid and inositol in the brain of AD patients.
Tannic acid-poly ethyleneimine magnetic nanoparticles: an efficient and recyclable catalyst for green synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazole derivatives
Authors: Zirakjou Sahar , Dekamin Mohammad G. , Valiey Ehsan , Dohendou Mohammad
Published: February 2023

A novel and recyclable catalytic system was prepared by linking polyethyleneimine (PEI) to tannic acid (TA) using 1,3-dibromopropane, as a cross-linker, to afford (TA-PEI) composite during a convenient and inexpensive procedure. Moreover, to increase the efficacy of the catalyst and to reduce the reaction time, magnetization and sulfonation of the prepared nano-catalyst have been properly performed to afford the final TA/PEI/magnetic/sulfonated (TPMS) supramolecular heterogeneous nonmagnetic composite. The TPMS catalytic system was characterized by various spectrometric and analytical techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Furthermore, the heterogeneous TPMS nanocomposite catalytic sytem demonstrated excellent catalytic activity for the one-pot synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazole derivatives through a green and sustainable procedure to afford desired products in good to excellent yields. The supramolecular TPMS catalytic system have several advantages including easy separation, nature-friendly, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and reduced reaction time. The reusability of TPMS nanocatalyst was also investigated and the results showed that there is not any significant decrease in the efficiency of the catalyst after five reaction cycles.
Determinants of congenital anomalies in neonates admitted to public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia: A Case-Control study
Authors: Belama Nano , Desalew Assefa , Lami Magarsa , Roba Kedir Teji
Published: February 2023

Background
More than 8 million newborns are born with congenital anomalies worldwide, and 3.2 million children are disabled as a result of congenital anomalies. Despite the high prevalence of congenital anomalies in Ethiopia, research on their determinants of congenital anomalies in newborns is limited, particularly in eastern Ethiopia.
Methods
A facility-based unmatched case-control study of 387 participants (129 cases and 258 controls) born in public hospitals in the Harari region and the Dire Dawa administration was conducted. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and a review of medical records were used to collect data. The determinants of congenital malformations were studied using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine a significant association with a p-value of 0.05.
Results
According to this study, the most common type of congenital anomaly was nervous system anomalies (84.6%), followed by musculoskeletal system anomalies (16.4%). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, neonates from anemic mothers (AOR: 4.37, 95% CI: 2.48–7.69), maternal alcohol consumption during index pregnancy (AOR: 4.01, 95% CI: 1.88–8.54), rural residence (AOR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.04–2.85), and antenatal care visits (AOR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22–0.84) were significant predictors of congenital anomalies.
Conclusion
Maternal anemia, substance use during pregnancy, antenatal care visits, and rural residence were risk factors for congenital anomalies. Reducing the burden of congenital anomalies requires addressing modifiable factors such as maternal anemia, alcohol consumption, chewing Khat, and increasing antenatal care follow-up.
INS-YOLOX： Improved YOLOX for Detecting Insulator Defects
Authors: Li Cen , Wang Chensheng , Yang Guang , Dong Liang , Zhang Zhiyue
Published: February 2023

One of the methods for detecting transmission line damage is image defect detection of transmission line insulators. The industrialization of image defect detection has made the construction of detection algorithm models with quick detection times, high accuracy, and compact models into a fundamental issue. In order to efficiently address the issues of accuracy and speed of insulator defect detection, this work offers an enhanced version of the INS-YOLOX model based on a one-stage detector. The history of the insulator defect is complicated, as are its potential targets. The target is tiny, and there is little distinction between the images of a faulty insulator and a lossless insulator. The first step is the proposal of a new loss function, L-SIoU, which not only considers the vector Angle between necessary regressions, redefines the penalty index, but also considers the influence of the aspect ratio between the prediction box and regression box, which increases reasoning accuracy and speed. The detection precision of the imbalanced data set was then increased by switching from BCE Loss to Varifocal Loss. In order to improve the feature point extraction, the CBAM attention mechanism was lastly integrated to the Decoupled Head structure. Additionally, INS-YOLOX adds the SGD optimizer and successfully optimizes the model's training parameters. A total of 6227 photos were gathered as a data set to evaluate the model's validity. The test results demonstrate the real-time detection capabilities of INS-YOLOX. The final map, at 83.2%, is 11.1% higher than the benchmark model of YOLOX-tiny and 6% higher than the most recent Yolov7. This represents a major accomplishment.
Prognostic significance of lymph node count in D’Amico high risk prostate cancer with different lymph node metastasis risks after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Li Xintao , Gao Yu , Liu Yanzhong , Niu Shaoxi , Li Jianye , Zhang Xu , Yang Minghui
Published: February 2023

Extended pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is recommended in high risk prostate cancer (PCa). We aim to identify the prognostic significance of removed lymph node count (RLNC) for patients with D’Amico high risk PCa and different lymph node metastasis risk (LNMR). We identified surgically treated D’Amico high risk PCa patients with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) Plus database (2004-2019). Multivariable logistic regression model was established to predict lymph node metastasis risk (LNMR) in patients with RLNC over 6. Multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to assess the impact of RLNC on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). A total of 96875 patients were identified. 5261 patients (5.43%) had LN metastasis. The median and 75th percentile RLNC was 6 and 11. LNMR was calculated for every patients and all the patients were divided into four subgroups: LNMR<0.1, 0.1≤LNMR<0.2, 0.2≤LNMR<0.3, LNMR≥0.3. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that more RLNC was associated with better CSS and OS in LNMR≥0.3 subgroup (CSS: HR 0.78 (0.63, 0.96) p=0.0213 for cutoff 11 RLNC; OS: HR 0.85 (0.72, 0.99) p=0.0407 for cutoff 11 RLNC, HR 0.9891 (0.9796, 0.9987) p=0.0256 for continuous RLNC). More RLNC is associated with better CSS and OS when the LNMR is over 30%.
What kind of foraging behavior do sheep have when confined in a small space? Report from a fenced pasture
Authors: Ying Tian , Hairihan  , Hai Yong , Purevtseren Myagmartseren , Hoshino Buho
Published: February 2023

Understanding the ingestive behavior and daily voluntary intake of grazing livestock is important for sustainable land use and management of pasturelands. Since the 1990s, Inner Mongolia has completely converted from the old nomadic grazing to settled grazing, and many small fences have been built around settled areas, where livestock are placed inside the fences and grazed. Currently, desertification of grasslands is progressing in a mosaic pattern around the fence. There have been few quantitative studies of individual sheep foraging behavior in confined spaces and changes in plant community composition associated with foraging. The study was conducted in Abag Banner (an administrative unit of China equivalent to a county), located in the northern part of the Xilingol Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia, which borders Mongolia. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the impact of livestock ingestive behavior on pasture vegetation in the sedentary grazing area of Inner Mongolia and to provide basic data for the sustainable use of pastureland. Three sites were established in a sedentary grazing area, where tethering grazing experiments (hemp rope length of 6 m) were conducted. Quadrats of 1 × 1 m were established inside (four quadrats) and outside (five quadrats) each site for the vegetation survey, and plant species identification, plant height, vegetation cover, and soil hardness were evaluated. Livestock (sheep) instinctively selected and fed on high-palatability plants instantaneously after the start of the tethering grazing experiment. The increased grazing intensity over 5 days and the grazing of high-palatability plants decreased plant height and aboveground biomass; however, the botanical composition remained unchanged. The Shannon diversity index value reduced from 1.97 to 1.60 on day 4, and the vegetation cover decreased from approximately 80% to ˂10%. For aboveground biomass, only 15%–54% remained. Salsola collina Pall. and Caragana microphylla Pall. shrubs, which had low aboveground biomass from the start, were barely grazed, whereas Agropyron cristatum L., with high palatability, was left with only 15% biomass. The soil hardness increased by 1.25 and 0.25 mm at sites A and B, respectively, and decreased by 0.63 mm at site C. This indicated that the soil was locally bare, and the topsoil was destroyed.
The activity of metal-dependent superoxide dismutase as a predictive factor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xu Yanqiu , Liu Bin , Cheng Shiqing , Zhang Junguo , Cao Xiue , Wang Yong , Luan Fang
Published: February 2023

Background:Oxidative stress is one risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Oxide dismutase (SOD) is an important index to evaluate oxidative stress process. However, the cut-off value of diagnosis and the prediction of mortality in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on serum total SOD activity are unclear.Methods:Serum total SOD activity were analyzed in HCC patients (n = 124) and control subjects (n = 117). Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Se were detected by limiting dilution method using Agilent 7900 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was used to determine cutoff values of serum total SOD activity for the diagnosis of HCC. Overall survival (OS) were determined via the Kaplan-Meier method.Results:In model groups, the cut-off level of total SOD activity for HCC was 169.2 U/mL (Sensitivity:87.23%, Specificity:91.95%), while for HCC (AFP<20 ng/ml) it was 173.4 U/mL (Sensitivity:86.79%, Specificity:88.51%). Additionally, in the validation groups, the true positive rate, the true negative rate and the accuracy rate were all above 90%. According to the cutoff value of SOD, the HCC patients were assigned to an H-SOD and L-SOD group depending on their serum total SOD activity at admission before operation. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of the H-SOD group was 75.00% and that of the L-SOD group 36.59% in HCC patients (p=0.0245). Accompanied by a decrease in SOD activity, the serum levels of Zn (t=3.890, p=0.0003) and Se (t=7.694, p<0.0001) were also signifificantly decreased and correlated positively with SOD activity (both p<0.05) in HCC patients.Conclusions:Low serum total SOD activity may also be a risk factor for HCC. HCC patients with low serum total SOD activity might have poor prognoses for survival. The decrease of SOD activity in HCC patients was partly related to a lack of Zn and Se.