bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges and Coping Mechanism on The Transition from Modular Scheme to Face-To-Face Modality: Implication to Teacher’s Competency
Authors: SOLLESTRE PRINCESS , Ofrin Darwin
Published: January 2025

The purpose of this study is to determine perceived challenges faced by MAPEH teachers during the transition from modular to face-to- face modality in terms of workload, students’ behaviour, teaching learning resources, teacher’s competency and training and supports. Also, to determine their perceived coping mechanism using the problem-focused, emotional-focused, and avoidant- focused.  Additionally, to know the MAPEH teachers’ level of teaching competency in terms of content knowledge and pedagogy and learning environment. Findings revealed that the MAPEH teachers perceived challenges on limited teaching hours (3.64), students’ disruptive behaviour in sitting still, disturbing, and shouting/screaming toward others (3.78), have personal and family problems such as parent separation, financial support, and school pressure (3.82). As well as the absence of a reliable internet connection to support limited learning materials (4.00), limited textbooks, self-learning modules (3.98), and the lack of available electronic devices such as a computer, television, overhead projector, and audio speaker use for teaching learning (3.91). Moreover, respondents experience limited Trainings, seminars, and webinars for MAPEH teachers (3.71). Meanwhile, research result showed that Problem-focused (4.42) and emotional- focused (4.23) often perceived coping mechanism. Therefore, study shows that there is no significant relationship between challenges variables and Content Knowledge and Pedagogy is partially accepted. However, there is a positive significant relationship between the challenges variables and teacher’s competency is partially sustained. Moreover, there is no significant relationship between coping mechanism variables and content knowledge and pedagogy as well as the teaching environment competency.
Withdrawal of Votes of the State Duma Deputies by the Parliamentary Party in the Law Making Process
Authors:   Associate Professor of the Department of Constitutional and International Law of the Law Faculty of the Donetsk State University, PhD (Law), Polyakov Vitaly Yu.
Published: January 2025

The study is devoted to the analysis of mechanisms for the protection of national sovereignty in a representative democracy. Special attention is paid to the institution of revocation of parliamentary mandates as one of the instruments of direct democracy. The author substantiates the need for legislative consolidation of the procedure for revoking the votes of deputies elected on party lists and in single-mandate districts in some cases. The paper examines the role of consolidated voting in ensuring the representativeness of the legislature.
The Main Duty of Deputies of the State Duma, the Problems of Excessive Lawmaking and Clarifications of Federal Laws
Authors:   Professor of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law of the Saint Petersburg State Fire Service University of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Vinokurov Vladimir A.
Published: January 2025

Based on constitutional norms, the article examines the duty of a deputy of the State Duma to work on draft laws so that federal laws adopted by parliament can be implemented, contain unambiguous and understandable requirements and other formulations. To solve the identified problems, it is proposed to reduce the number of laws adopted, eliminating excessive lawmaking, formulate legislative norms in such a way that they do not require any explanations, and also, in order to avoid violating the principle of independence of public authorities, to stop the practice of transferring functions to clarify the provisions of the law from legislative bodies to executive bodies.
As a result of the conducted research, proposals have been formulated to amend the Constitution of the Russian Federation and certain federal laws.
Redistribution of competence as the optimal approach to assurance of access to justice
Authors:   Lecturer of the Department of Civil Procedure of the Saratov State Law Academy  PhD (Law), Karataev Ivan A.
Published: January 2025

The main topic of this study is access to justice in civil cases in view of high judicial load. The author notes that the growth of the load on the judicial system is a consequence of raising the level of access to the right to trial. The means of reduction of the number of disputes filed to court proposed by scientific publications are studied from this standpoint. Based on the performed study, the author concludes that redistribution of competence is the optimal approach to solution of the problem of high load on the judicial system and maintenance of the existing level of access to justice.
Problems of criminal law regulation of the liability for violation of requirements for anti-terrorist protection of facilities (territories)
Authors:   Practicing Lawyer, Gluzdak Gleb N.
Published: January 2025

The article presents a critical assessment of the legal structure of Art. 217.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that introduces the criminal liability for violation of requirements for anti-terrorist protection of facilities (territories).
An administrative investigation: on practicability of existence in administrative offense laws
Authors:   Justice of the Peace of Judicial District No. 1 of the Krasnye Baki Judicial Department  of the Nizhny Novgorod Region  PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Nesvit Evgeny A.
Published: January 2025

The author studies the procedural meaning of an administrative investigation in administrative offense proceedings based on the laws, law enforcement practice and scientific publications. The study is performed based on the interrelation between the criminal procedure and administrative offense proceedings, the content of procedural economy principles and access to justice from the territorial standpoint. It is stated that an administrative investigation fails to speed up or simplify case proceedings or create any additional efficient guarantees for the person involved in case proceedings or expand any authorities of officials in charge of case proceedings. As a result, it is suggested to remove the institution of an administrative investigation from administrative offense proceedings.
Organization of activities of justices of the peace in the Russian Federation and ways of improvement thereof
Authors:   Justice of the Peace of Judicial Subdistrict No. 250 of the Stupino Judicial District of the Moscow Region PhD (Law), Nesterov Vladimir M.
Published: January 2025

The article reviews organization of activities of justices of the peace, concludes that organizational functions of justices of the peace need to be enshrined in laws. It is also suggested to enshrine in laws the position of a senior justice of the peace; its authorities and the appointment mechanism are analyzed.
Theoretical and applied problems of declaring citizens as missing or deceased (in relation to individuals put on the search list as missing or declared wanted for crimes)
Authors:   Senior Assistant Prosecutor of Makhachkala, PhD (Law), Ismailov Chintir M.
Published: January 2025

The article identifies the gaps in the legal framework governing the declaration of citizens as missing or deceased
in accordance with the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, particularly in cases where they are put on
the search list as missing or declared wanted for crimes. It supports the conclusion that the placement of the accused
on the wanted list should not impede the recognition of such individuals as missing and validates the necessity for
amendments to the relevant laws. Considering the correlation between the expressions "search for a missing person"
and "search for a person wanted for a crime", the author demonstrates that the latter is a legal confirmation of the
missing person's disappearance through criminal procedure and investigative means. The analysis of judicial practice
yields the conclusion that court decisions to dismiss missing person applications, in cases of deliberate concealment of
absence and/or in cases of persons declared wanted for crimes, demonstrate the absence of pertinent grounds in the
law. Consequently, the motivation of court decisions is not without flaws and necessitates improvement.
Studying the morphological structures of starch granules in potato cells (Solanum tuberosum L.) using the method of confocal laser scanning microscopy
Authors: Kim I. V. , Volkov D. I. , Klykov A. G.
Published: January 2025

Relevance. Potato are one of the main sources of starch. Potato starch is widely used in human economic activities. The starch content in tubers, including the number of starch granules and their size and shape, are varietal characteristics. For this reason, it is important to identify potato varieties with starch grains suitable for starch production already at the early stages of breeding process.

Materials and Methods. The Aim was to study the morphological structure of starch granules in cells of potato tubers belonging to varieties from different maturity groups. Eighteen potato varieties (Solanum tuberosum L.) of various breeding origin and from different maturity groups were used as the research object. The granulometric composition was determined by the method of fluorescent microscopy. The research was conducted using a CLSM 800 confocal laser scanning microscope (Zeiss, Germany) with a laser wavelength of 488 nm.

Results. The research allowed us to obtain data on the morphology of variously-shaped starch granules in cells: round, oval, elongated, and irregular. The research established a direct correlation between the number of large starch grains in a cell and the time required for a given potato genotype to mature. Mid-season and medium late potato varieties were observed to have a higher starch content than varieties from the groups with earlier maturity. On average, the difference in the starch content between these groups was 1.97%. The highest number of starch grains was found in 40-70 μm cells and larger. The research identified Solanum tuberosum L. genotypes with large and small starch granules. These genotypes might be recommended for further use in the practical breeding to create high-quality varieties.
Comparative analysis of Daesh* and “Azov”**: methods and ideology
Authors: Sevidova V.
Published: January 2025

A comparison of Daesh (“Islamic State in Iraq and Syria”) and Azov Battalion – and violent Salafist–jihadist and white suprematist/ultranationalist extremism in general – may seem non-trivial, as they are not typically paired in the mainstream research or expert analysis. However, it provides an interesting angle for exploring not only potential parallels and similarities, but also divergences between them. The two terrorist organisations – Daesh and “Azov” – have been selected as some of the most notorious in their respective ideological–motivational categories and as the phenomena standing out in many other respects in their respective regions – the broader Middle East and (Eastern) Europe. Both Daesh and “Azov” also turned into the leading regional hubs for foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) attracting the largest influxes of FTFs in the 2010s. Roughly simultaneously, both became extremely politicised internationally. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of two organizations and compare them by identifying aspects and areas of convergence and divergence by examining the historical background, both domestic and regional, that gave rise to these organizations, as well as their ideologies and the use of foreign fighters. It is concluded that it is the scope of their goals, agenda and activity where the two groups differ most: while Daesh was guided by and promoted a supranational, religiously-based imperative and ideology, “Azov” focuses on the national and regional levels through the lens of ultranationalism. While in Daesh’s envisioned “caliphate”, the population was to be comprised of equal “brothers and sisters in Islam” regardless of race, nationality, age, etc., “Azov”, in contrast, advances a clear societal and racial hierarchy at the core of which lies the belief that men are naturally unequal. However, the two groups display interesting similarities in several respects, including some ideological parallels. In both cases, a group of “the chosen ones” is “to lead by example”, “enlighten” and mobilise the masses, and the concept of perpetual battle without an option of possible defeat lies at the core of both ideological systems. While the two groups’ ultimate political-ideological goals diverge completely, they have also both actively engaged foreign terrorist fighters and employed many similar terrorist tactics, e. g. abductions, killings, torture, and the use of civilians as a human shield. * Daesh (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State (IS)) is an organization recognized as terrorist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the Supreme Court dated 29.12.2014, no. АКПИ 14-1424С, which entered into force on 13.02.2015. ** The Azov Battalion is an organization recognized as terrorist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the Supreme Court dated 02.08.2022, no. АКПИ22-411С, which entered into force on 10.09.2022.
Aplicaciones didácticas de la cianotipia en la educación artística. Un proceso compatible con el medio ambiente = Educational appliations with cyanotype in art education. A photographic process compatible with environment
Authors: Moreno Sáez María del Carmen
Published: January 2025

ResumenEste artículo comprende una propuesta didáctica basada en una técnica fotográfica que tuvo su máximo auge en el siglo XIX, denominada Cianotipia y que en la actualidad está siendo recuperada por diversos artistas, quienes consideran que esta técnica abre nuevas vías de expresión artística. Dicha propuesta responde a la demanda de encontrar diferentes recursos en el ámbito de la educación artística, que propicien la creatividad y fomenten el respecto por la naturaleza y el reciclaje por parte de los alumnos, sumergidos en la vorágine de las nuevas tecnologías. El bajo índice de toxicidad de esta técnica, al no ser necesario revelador o fijador en su proceso, hacen de esta técnica el procedimiento perfecto para ser aplicado en diferentes contextos, especialmente en todas las etapas de la Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria. AbstractThis article includes a didactic proposal based on a photographic techniquethat boompeaked in the nineteenth century, called cyanotype which currently isbeing recovered by various artists, who believe that this opens up new ways of artisticexpression. This proposal responds to the demand to find many different resourcesin the field of art education that will foster creativity, respect for natureand recycling by students, immersed in the maelstrom of new technologies. The lowtoxicity of this technique, not being necessary developer or fixer in its process,makes it the most perfect procedure to be applied in different contexts, especiallyin all stages of secondary education.
Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with samarium hexaboride surface
Authors: Goswami Partha , Tyagi Udai Prakash
Published: January 2025

We propose a time-dependent, surface Hamiltonian for samarium hexaboride based on the slave boson protocol-linked version of the periodic Anderson model Hamiltonian reported earlier. Utilizing the Floquet theory, we demonstrate that access to the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state is feasible due to the incidence of circularly polarized radiation (CPR) on the system surface. The underlying reasons are the emergence of a pseudo-magnetic field breaking time-reversal symmetry and the existence of a bandgap, between the bands closer to the Fermi energy, in the single-particle excitation spectrum of the irradiated surface. The gap appears when the dimensionless intensity (I) of CPR exceeds a threshold value (I > 1). Conversely, for lower intensity, the surface state is found to be conducting, manifesting the unique metal-to-QAH insulator transition of the system in the quasi-two-dimensional limit.
The Urban Building Energy Retrofitting Tool: An Open-Source Framework to Help Foster Building Retrofitting Using a Life Cycle Costing Perspective. First Results for Montréal
Authors: Gavaldà Torrellas Oriol , Monsalvete Pilar , Ranjbar Saeed , Eicker Ursula
Published: January 2025

Building decarbonization is a major challenge for cities. Deciding what, when, and how to retrofit a building is difficult, given the complex interaction between energy costs and investment requirements. Several tools have been developed in the last years to help public and private stakeholders with these decisions, but none cover aspects the authors think are fundamental. For this reason, an urban building retrofit tool was developed and is presented in this article. This new tool is based on a bottom-up approach, with all buildings simulated individually, considering aspects such as shading or adjacencies. As a second step, three scenarios with different levels of ambition have been implemented in the tool, and the energy demand and emissions resulting from these scenarios have been calculated. As a third step, the retrofitting scenarios' initial investment and operational costs have been implemented via a detailed Life Cycle Costs (LCC) approach. The authors describe the robust and scalable structure that has been developed and the application of this structure to calculate the LCCs of different retrofitting scenarios in Montréal.
Probiotic-Derived Metabolites from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OC01 Reprogram Tumor-Associated Macrophages to an Inflammatory Anti-Tumoral Phenotype: Impact on Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration
Authors: Garavaglia Beatrice , Vallino Letizia , Ferraresi Alessandra , Amoruso Angela , Pane Marco , Isidoro Ciro
Published: January 2025

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key players in the colorectal cancer (CRC) tumor microenvironment (TME), representing the most abundant immune cells within it. The interplay between the intestinal microbiota, macrophages, and cancer cells significantly impacts tumor progression by driving macrophage polarization. Particularly, the polarization into the pro-tumoral M2-like TAM phenotype promotes the extracellular matrix remodeling, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, immune suppression, and therapy resistance. Probiotic metabolites can disrupt this crosstalk, possibly reverting the TAM polarization toward a pro-inflammatory anti-tumoral phenotype thus potentially benefiting the intestinal mucosa and opposing CRC progression. Previously, we showed that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OC01 metabolites counter interleukin (IL)-6-induced CRC proliferation and migration. Here, we explore how probiotics affect TAM polarization, and their influence on CRC malignancy. The conditioning medium (CM) from CRC cells indeed promoted the polarization of macrophage toward the M2-like phenotype, whereas the CM from CRC pre-treated with L. plantarum OC01 metabolites induced a pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype, characterized by NLRP3 inflammasome activation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and by decreased expression of the M2 phenotype markers CD206 and CD163. Consistently, the expression of tumor growth factor (TGF)-β, a promoter of M2 macrophage polarization, was reduced in CRC cells treated with L. plantarum OC01. The pro-inflammatory macrophages inhibited CRC proliferation and migration. Overall, our study highlights the potential of metabolites from L. plantarum OC01 to reshape the TME by shifting TAMs towards a more inflammatory and anti-tumoral phenotype, emphasizing the promise of probiotics in advancing novel therapeutic approaches for CRC.
Reusing ML Models in Dynamic Data Environments: A Data Similarity-Based Approach for Efficient MLOps
Authors: Peixoto Eduardo , Torres Diogo , Carneiro Davide , Silva Bruno , Marques Ruben
Published: January 2025

The rapid integration of Machine Learning (ML) in organizational practices has driven demand for substantial computational resources, incurring both high economic costs and environmental impact, particularly from energy consumption. This challenge is amplified in dynamic data environments, where ML models must be frequently retrained to adapt to evolving data patterns. To address this, more sustainable MLOps pipelines are needed that reduce environmental impacts while maintaining model accuracy. In this paper, we propose a model reuse approach based on data similarity metrics, allowing organizations to leverage previously trained models where applicable. We introduce a tailored set of meta-features to characterize data windows, enabling efficient similarity assessment between historical and new data. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated across multiple ML tasks using cosine and Bray-Curtis distance functions, evaluating both model reuse rates and the performance of reused models relative to newly trained alternatives. The results indicate that the proposed approach can significantly reduce the frequency of model retraining while maintaining or even improving predictive performance, contributing to more resource-efficient and sustainable MLOps practices.
Trilostane: Beyond the Cushing’s Syndrome
Authors: Olaimat Ali R. , Jafarzadehbalagafsheh Parastoo , Gol Mohammad , Costa Anna-Maria , Biagini Giuseppe , Lucchi Chiara
Published: January 2025

Trilostane is a drug able to block the synthesis of progesterone from pregnenolone, dependent on the enzyme 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ5-4 isomerase. As a consequence of this effect, it is used to treat endocrinological diseases such as Cushing’s syndrome, especially in dogs. Because of the modulatory effects of trilostane on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, trilostane administration causes an increase in brain levels of neurosteroids with anticonvulsant properties, as in the case of allopregnanolone. Allopregnanolone is of interest also in curing depression, suggesting that trilostane might represent a tool to address neurological and psychiatric disorders. In this review, we investigated the historical development of this drug, its current use, mechanisms, and possible developments. By searching the literature from 1978 to 2025, we identified 101 papers describing studies with trilostane. Precisely, 55 were about dogs and trilostane, 3 on cats, and 23 with other animals. Some studies (15) were also designed with human patients. The main disease treatment with trilostane was hyperadrenocorticism. However, we also found two preclinical papers on trilostane's potential use in psychiatric diseases and three on trilostane in neurological disorders. Moreover, few clinical and preclinical studies suggested the involvement of neurosteroids modulated by trilostane in different neurological disorders, thus opening a possible new perspective for the use of this drug.
Characteristics and Optimization of Transient Process of Pump Turbine Units in Power Generation Mode
Authors: Zhang Minglu , Liu Jie , Yu Junqin , Nie Changhua
Published: January 2025

Pumped storage power is considered an ideal regulated power source for new energy. However, pulsating pressure caused by the reverse ‘S’ characteristic of pump-turbine has become a hot issue, the traditional one-dimensional characteristic line method cannot predict it. In this paper, a variable step Euler algorithm is presented to calculate the hydraulic transient process of pumped storage units, the interval time of start-up and load regulation between two pump-turbine units are investigated by using the method of peak staggering and valley filling, and the closure law of guide vanes in the transient process of load rejection is optimized. The results show that the presented method is valid, pulsating pressure is accurately captured during the transient process of load rejection. The water level fluctuation amplitude in surge chamber is greatly reduced by the sequential start-up mode; The rotational speed fluctuation amplitude by the sequential load reduction is also reduces; After the load of two pump-turbine units is rejected at the same time, the duration of pulsating pressure in the spiral case is shortened by 45% by using the quick-then-slow closure law compared with the straight-line closure law. Moreover, the pulsating pressure amplitude and the second peak value of rotational speed are also reduced accordingly, and the transient characteristics of the pump-turbine units has been greatly improved.
Synthesis and Evaluation of 68Ga- and 177Lu-Labeled [diF-Pro14]Bombesin(6−14) analogs for Detection and Radioligand Therapy of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor-Expressing Cancer
Authors: Wang Lei , Chen Chao-Cheng , Chapple Devon , Wong Antonio A. W. L. , Kurkowska Sara , Lau Wing Sum , Uribe Carlos F. , Bénard François , Lin Kuo-Shyan
Published: January 2025

Overexpressed in various solid tumors, gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is a promising target for cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, high pancreas uptake of current clinically evaluated GRPR-targeted radiopharmaceuticals limits their applications. In this study, we replaced the Pro14 residue in our previously reported GRPR-targeted LW02056 and ProBOMB5 with 4,4-difluoroproline (diF-Pro) to obtain an agonist LW02060 (DO-TA-Pip-[D-Phe6,Tle10,NMe-His12,diF-Pro14]Bombesin(6-14)) and an antagonist LW02080 (DO-TA-Pip-[D-Phe6,NMe-Gly11,Leu13(ψ)diF-Pro14]Bombesin(6-14)), respectively. The binding affinities (Ki) of Ga-LW02060, Ga-LW02080, Lu-LW02060, and Lu-LW02080 were measured by in vitro competition binding assays using PC-3 cells and were 5.57 ± 2.47, 21.7 ± 6.69, 8.00 ± 2.61, and 32.1 ± 8.14 nM, respectively. The 68Ga- and 177Lu-labeled ligands were obtained in 36 - 75% decay-corrected radiochemical yields with > 95% radiochemical purity. PET imaging, SPECT imaging, and ex vivo biodistribution studies were conducted in PC-3 tumor-bearing mice. Both [68Ga]Ga-LW02060 and [68Ga]Ga-LW02080 enabled clear tumor visualization in PET images at 1 h post-injection (pi). Tumor uptake values of [68Ga]Ga-LW02060 and [68Ga]Ga-LW02080 at 1 h pi were 16.8 ± 2.70 and 7.36 ± 1.33 %ID/g, respectively, while their pancreas uptake values were 3.12 ± 0.89 and 0.38 ± 0.04 %ID/g, respectively. Compared to [177Lu]Lu-LW02080, [177Lu]Lu-LW02060 showed higher tumor uptake at all time points (1, 4, 24, 72 and 120 h pi). However, fast tumor clearance was observed for both [177Lu]Lu-LW02060 and [177Lu]Lu-LW02080. Our data demonstrate that [68Ga]Ga-LW02060 is promising for clinical translation for the detection of GRPR-expressing tumor lesions. However, further optimizations are needed for [177Lu]Lu-LW02060 and [177Lu]Lu-LW02080 to prolong tumor retention for therapeutic applications.
Extended Finite Element Method for Analyzing Hydraulic Fracturing of Rock Cracks under Compression
Authors: Zheng Anxing
Published: January 2025

In this paper, a numerical model for solving the problems of hydraulic fracturing and frictional contact of rock cracks using the extended finite element method (XFEM) is established. By considering the water pressure distribution on the crack surfaces and the virtual work principle of frictional contact on the crack surfaces, the governing equations for analyzing hydraulic fracturing and frictional contact problems using the XFEM are derived, and the implementation method of the XFEM with frictional contact and water pressure distribution on the crack surfaces is presented. Taking a flat plate with a single-edge crack as an example, the interaction integral method is used to calculate the stress intensity factor when there is water pressure distribution on the crack surface, and its results are compared and analyzed with the exact solutions. This method can give accurate calculation results. Taking a flat plate with a through crack as an example, the nonlinear complementary method is adopted to solve the frictional contact problem. This contact algorithm can effectively prevent the crack surfaces from interpenetrating, and its results are consistent with those calculated by the finite element penalty function method. Based on the XFEM, the hydraulic fracturing analysis of a flat plate with a central crack under uniaxial compression is carried out. The critical water pressure decreases as the crack length increases, and the critical water pressure increases as the external axial pressure increases. Taking a gravity dam with an initial crack as an example, the calculation results show that hydraulic fracturing will increase the Mode I stress intensity factor at the crack tip and reduce the stability of the crack at the foundation of the gravity dam.
Computed Tomographic Analysis of Mandibular Tori and Its Relationship to Remaining Teeth
Authors: Shibaguchi Kai , Morinaga Kenzo , Magori Yuki , Kagawa Toyohiro , Matsuura Takashi
Published: January 2025

Mandibular tori (bilateral, asymptomatic, lingual mandibular protuberances) often remain untreated. When considering surgical resection, understanding the shape, size, and position of the tori at bone level is crucial. However, collecting accurate information regarding these characteristics is challenging in cases where the oral mucosa is prominent on the floor of the mouth. We conducted retrospective surveys at Fukuoka Dental College Medical and Dental General Hospital using computed tomographic (CT) image analysis software. The specific aims of this study were to evaluate the appearance rate of mandibular tori by morphological type, size, location, and CT values, and their relationship with the remaining teeth in 1,176 patients. These patients underwent simple mandibular CT tomography. We used t-tests to analyze the data. Approximately 10% of the identified tori were pedunculated and difficult to diagnose by visual inspection alone. In all age groups > 30 years, patients with mandibular tori had a lower rate of tooth loss and a higher rate of remaining occlusal support than healthy subjects. The mean CT value of the mandibular tori was > 1,350 Hounsfield units (HU). These findings provide insights into future classification and treatment planning for mandibular tori, such as mandibular ridge resection and factors that may contribute to mandibular torus development or progression, and validate the use of excised bone tissue as a bone graft material.
Interaction of the Antibiotic Rifampicin with Lipid Membranes
Authors: Santos Rui M. S. , Samelo Jaime , Oliveira Alexandre C. , Cordeiro Margarida M. , Mora Maria Julia , Granero Gladys E. , Filipe Hugo A. L. , Loura Luís M. S. , Moreno Maria João
Published: January 2025

Rifampicin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, active against several bacterial infections such as tuberculosis. It is a relatively large and structurally complex molecule, including numerous polar groups. Although violating several of Lipinski’s rules for efficient intestinal absorption, rifampicin permeates through cell membranes of its target organisms and shows good oral bioavailability. Some hypotheses have been proposed for its efficient membrane permeation, but the details are mostly unknown. In this work, the interaction of rifampicin with POPC lipid bilayers is studied using experimental biophysics methodologies and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations considering the two most prevalent ionic species at physiological pH, the anionic and the zwitterionic forms. The results show that both ionization forms of rifampicin establish favorable interactions with the membrane lipids, in agreement with the relatively high partition coefficient obtained experimentally. Results from MD simulations and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry using different pH buffers show that the piperazine group inserts deeply in the membrane and is accompanied by a stabilization of its neutral form. The bulky nature of rifampicin and its deep insertion in the membrane lead to a strong perturbation in the lipids local order, decreasing the membrane barrier properties as evaluated from the rate of carboxyfluorescein leaching. Altogether, the comparison between the experimental and MD simulations results provides important insight regarding the rifampicin molecular features responsible for its relatively fast membrane permeation.
Cohort-Based Evaluation of the Risk of Low Back Pain After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Long-Term Study
Authors: Gallego-Peñalver Francisco José , Chaure-Pardos Armando , Romero-de-la-Higuera Silvia Beatriz , Gómez-Trullén Eva María
Published: January 2025

Low back pain (LBP) is a potential complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, some studies suggest that THA not only alleviates joint pain but also resolves LBP in up to 88.2% of patients. Most of these observations are limited to short-term follow-up. This study investigates the long-term relationship between THA and LBP, challenging the notion that THA resolves LBP. A retrospective review was conducted on 236 patients who underwent THA (2010–2020). Multiple statistical models were applied, including unadjusted unmatched, adjusted unmatched, adjusted matched, and target trial emulation with 7887 subjects, to evaluate LBP incidence. Of the 236 patients, 119 developed postoperative LBP. The unadjusted unmatched analysis showed a relative risk (RR) of 2.23(95%CI:1.5–3.2). Adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and recruitment period reduced the RR to 1.64(95%CI:1.0–2.6). Adjusted matched analysis showed an RR of 1.09(95%CI:0.4–3.0), while the target trial emulation simulated an RR of 1.03(95%CI:0.7–1.8), indicating no significant differences. Despite an apparent initial association, adjusted analyses do not support a significant long-term relationship between THA and LBP. No reduction in postoperative LBP incidence was observed, suggesting THA is safe regarding LBP risk but lacks a curative effect. Rigorous confounding adjustment is essential in retrospective studies.
Incremental Hemodialysis: Review of Clinical Trials Comprising Patients Undergoing Once-Weekly Hemodialysis
Authors: Bolasco Piergiorgio
Published: January 2025

Background. The implementation of appropriate hemodialysis treatment in the transition from end-stage kidney disease to reduced frequency schedules represents a major challenge. In selected patients, the prescription of Incremental Hemodialysis (IHD) based on initial once-weekly-hemodialysis (1WHD) sessions may be linked to a deceleration of residual kidney function (RKF) and lower mortality rate.
Methods. The benefits and risks of 1WHD were explored in this systematic review. A search of MEDLINE, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register was conducted to identify publications relating to once-weekly hemodialysis trials performed between June 1981 and December 2024 and assess clinical impact, duration, safety and mortality. Items including age, causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD), creatinine levels, Blood Urea Nitrogen and GFR values, diuresis, nutritional supplementation, drop-out, survival, clinical benefit or drawbacks and data from eventual control groups relating to higher frequency weekly HD sessions were included. Outcome at the end of a 1WHD regimen was represented by death, transition to twice/thrice-weekly HD rhythms.
Results. A total of 1238 articles focused on IHD were included in the review. 1226 trials were excluded as they referred either to twice-weekly-hemodialysis (2WHD) schedules or failed to meet eligibility criteria, whilst another two were excluded based on incomplete outcome or patient recruitment issues. A total of eight articles comprising 254 patients undergoing 1WHD schedules were ultimately identified and evaluated. Only three studies had focused on a comparison with a 1WHD schedule, whilst 107 referred to thrice-weekly-HD (3WHD) and 15 2WHD). This choice demonstrated the possibility of slowing down the progression of CKD in the patients studied. Daily amino acid supplementation also proved to be beneficial. However, the milestone on which the 1WHD protocol is based is a low-protein diet.
Conclusions. 1WHD has been shown to be safe and may result in an improved clinical outcome, particularly in appropriately selected patients. Large-scale randomized controlled trials should be carried out to confirm these potential advantages. However, the standard recruitment techniques applied tended to prevent suitably selected patients from transitioning into less frequent and potentially long-lasting 1WHD schedules.
Fidex and FidexGlo: From Local Explanations to Global Explanations of Deep Models
Authors: Bologna Guido , Boutay Jean-Marc , Boquete Damian , Leblanc Quentin , Köprülü Deniz , Pfeiffer Ludovic
Published: January 2025

Deep connectionist models are characterized by many neurons grouped together in many successive layers. As a result, their data classifications are difficult to understand. We present two novel algorithms which explain the responses of several black-box machine learning models. The first is Fidex, which is local and thus applied to a single sample. The second, called FidexGlo, is global and uses Fidex. Both algorithms generate explanations by means of propositional rules. In our framework, the discriminative boundaries are parallel to the input variables and their location is precisely determined. Fidex is a heuristic algorithm that establishes at each step where is the best hyperplane that has increased fidelity the most. The algorithmic complexity of Fidex is proportional to the maximum number of steps, the number of possible hyperplanes, which is finite, and the number of samples. We first used FidexGlo with ensembles and support vector machines (SVMs) to show that its performance on three benchmark problems is competitive in terms of complexity, fidelity and accuracy. The most challenging part was then to apply it to Convolutional Neural Networks. We achieved this with three classification problems based on images. We obtained accurate results and described the characteristics of the rules generated, as well as several examples of explanations illustrated with their corresponding images. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the few works showing a global rule extraction technique applied to both ensembles, SVMs and deep neural networks.
A Systematic Study of Popular Software Packages and AI/ML Models for Calibrating in-situ Air Quality Data: An example with Purple Air sensors
Authors: Smith Seren , Trefonides Theodore , Malarvizhi Anusha Srirenganathan , Lagarde Shyra , Liu Jiakang , Jia Xiaoguo , Wang Zifu , Cain Jacob , Huang Thomas , Pourhomayoun Mohammad , Llewellyn Grace , Phyo Wai , Hasheminassab Sina , Roberts Joe , Marlis Kevin M. , Duffy Daniel Q. , Yang Chaowei
Published: January 2025

Accurate air pollution monitoring is critical to understand and mitigate the impacts of air pollu-tion to human health and ecosystems. Due to the limited number and geographical coverage of advanced high accurate sensors to monitor air pollutants, many low-cost but low accuracy sensors have been deployed. Calibrating the low-cost sensors is essential to leverage them for filling this geographical gap in sensor coverage. We examine systematically how different Machine Learning (ML) models and open-source packages could help improve the accuracy of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 data collected by Purple Air sensors. Eleven ML models and five packages are examined. This systematic study found that both models and packages impact the accuracy while the choice of random training/testing split ration (e.g., 80/20 vs 70/30) has minimal impact (0.745% difference for R2). Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models trained in RStudio and TensorFlow excelled, with high R2 scores of 0.856 and 0.857 and low Root Mean Squared Errors (RMSEs) of 4.25 µg/m3 and 4.26 µg/m3, respectively. However, LSTM may be too slow or computation intensive (1.5 hours) in applications with fast response requirements. Tree-boosted models including XGBoost (0.7612, 5.377 µg/m3) in RStudio and Random Forest (RF) (0.7632, 5.366 µg/m3) in TensorFlow, offer good performance at shorter training times (< 1 minute), and may be suitable for such ap-plications. These findings suggest that AI/ML models, particularly LSTM, can effectively calibrate low-cost sensors to produce precise, localized air quality data. This research is the most com-prehensive in comparison to existing literature on AI/ML for air pollutants calibration. We also discussed the limitation, applicability to other sensors and the reason for well performed models. The research can be adapted to enhance air quality monitoring for public health risk assessments and support broader environmental health initiatives and inform policy decisions.
Current Trends in Clinical Trials of Prodrugs
Authors: Boreski Diogo , Schmid Valentine Fabienne , Bosquesi Priscila Longhin , Dos Santos Jean Leandro , Scarim Cauê Benito , Reshetnikov Viktor , Chin Chung Man
Published: January 2025

The development of new drugs is a lengthy and complex process regarding its conception and ideation, passing through in silico studies, synthesis, in vivo studies, clinical trials, approval and commercialization, with an exceptionally low success rate. The lack of efficacy, safety, and suboptimal pharmacokinetic parameters are commonly identified as significant challenges in the discovery of new drugs. To help address these challenges, various approaches have been explored in Medicinal Chemistry, including the use of prodrug strategies. As a well-established approach, prodrug design remains the best option for improving physicochemical properties, reducing toxicity, and increasing selectivity, all while minimizing costs and saving on biological studies. This review article aims to analyze the current advances using prodrug approach that allows the advance of drug candidates to clinical trials in the last 10 years. The approaches presented here aim to inspire further molecular optimization processes and highlight the potential of this strategy to facilitate the advancement of new compounds to clinical study phases.
Maintenance breeding and breeding for yield potential equally contribute to genetic improvement in wheat yield
Authors: Grassini Patricio , Andrade Jose , Man Jianguo , Monzon Juan Pablo , Edreira Juan Ignacio Rattalino , Yuan Shen , Lollato Romulo , Llorens Clara , Peng Shaobing , Cassman Kenneth
Published: January 2025

Studies that quantify the contribution of genetic improvement to crop yields typically rely on comparisons of old cultivars grown side-by-side with more recent ones. This approach, however, does not allow to distinguish gains in yield potential versus maintenance breeding that aims to keep cultivars adapted to the evolving biophysical environment, including pests, diseases, and climate change. Our analysis of long-term wheat trials from Argentina, Europe, and United States revealed an overall genetic yield improvement of 97 kg ha− 1 y− 1 (1.14% per annum) based on comparison of modern cultivars against older ‘check’ cultivars. However, nearly half of the genetic improvement (46 kg ha− 1 y− 1) was attributable to maintenance breeding and the other half (51 kg ha− 1 y− 1) to the higher yield potential of modern cultivars. We conclude that comparison of new versus old cultivars under current conditions leads to an overestimation of genetic gains in yield potential.
One sentence summary: Crop yield potential gains are lower than reported.
Backward translation of circular RNAs
Authors: Yang Yufeng , Lin Zhe , Pi Xiang-You , Lv Ziwei , Liu Tian-Liang , Yin Huajun , Shi Dan-Ni , Li Muxi , Du Juan , Yang Yan-Chao , Wang Shiyu , Wang Peng , Qin Yangmei , Lin Wenbo , Tao Tao , Sun Ling , Ji Zhi-Liang
Published: January 2025

Despite advancements in understanding protein synthesis, numerous eukaryotic proteins might have been overlooked and remain elusive. RNA translation, proceeding in the 5’ end-to-3’ end direction exclusively, has been recognized as the norm for nearly a century. Here, we report a novel translation mode called ‘backward translation’ (BT) of circular RNAs, in which the triplet codons of circular RNAs can be decoded in the 3’ to 5’ direction to synthesize polypeptides/proteins, e.g., 5’-GUA-3’ as the start codon, instead of the conventional 5’-AUG-3’. Backward translation occurs broadly and conservatively as our comprehensive analysis of available transcriptomes, proteomes and translatomes revealed over 990,000 BT polypeptides/proteins across various tissues and species, including over 90,000 human BT proteins with dual experimental evidence from ribosome profile sequencing and mass spectrometry. Intriguingly, these proteins exhibit unique sequences and structural characteristics that distinguish them from conventional proteins. We studied in-depth BT of human hs.circCAPN15 and Drosophila dm.circSCRIB in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Both knock-out/knock-in and overexpression experiments confirmed the endogenous presence of BT proteins and highlighted their biological functions through pronounced phenotypic changes. Moreover, engineered exogenous circRNAs can be successfully backward-translated into proteins in human cells using synthetic Backward Translation Initiator Sequences (BTISs) derived from humans or Drosophila. In conclusion, our findings offer an unprecedented perspective to the genetic code and RNA translation, further unveiling the hidden proteome and elucidating the molecular diversity in living organisms, and potentially opening up a new frontier for exploring protein synthesis with broad practical implications.
Proteomic and Hormonal Insights into Drought Stress Mitigation in Swietenia macrophylla: Role of Jasmonic Acid and Salicylic Acid in Enhancing Resilience
Authors: KC Karthik , P Manju Elizabeth , V Santhoshkumar A , Kamalolbhavan Binu N , MN Ashwath , Rocha Delphy , Bindyalaxmi Keisham
Published: January 2025

Drought stress is a critical abiotic factor limiting plant growth and productivity, particularly in tropical forestry species such as Swietenia macrophylla. This study investigates the physiological, biochemical, and proteomic mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in mahogany seedlings and evaluates the efficacy of Jasmonic Acid (JA) and Salicylic Acid (SA) as mitigative treatments. Drought stress caused significant reductions in photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), pigment contents, and relative water content (RWC), while inducing proline accumulation and altering protein expression patterns. Hormonal treatments markedly improved recovery, with JA demonstrating superior efficacy in restoring Pn, Gs, Tr, RWC, and pigment contents compared to SA. Proteomic analysis revealed drought-induced shifts in protein expression, with increased levels of defense-related proteins, such as heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and sulfiredoxin, and reduced expression of metabolic and photosynthetic proteins, including RuBISCO and DAHP synthase. Recovery with hormonal treatments significantly enhanced the expression of photosynthetic and stress-responsive proteins, highlighting the complementary roles of JA and SA in mitigating stress. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses emphasized the importance of photosynthesis, metabolic reprogramming, and ROS scavenging as key adaptive mechanisms.These findings underscore the potential of JA and SA in enhancing drought resilience and provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying stress adaptation. This study establishes a foundation for utilizing hormonal treatments to improve the resilience and productivity of tropical forestry species under adverse environmental conditions.