bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Research on the Disorder Degree of Traditional Settlements - A Case Study of Liangjia Village, Jingxing, Hebei Province
Authors: Peng Peng , Yating Fu , Zhou Xiangyun , Wu Shaopu , Zhao Jiajie , Zhang Yuechen
Published: December 2023

Traditional settlements are important material carriers of Chinese history and culture. After hundreds of years of development, the traditional settlements have survived until now, and the bottom-up construction mode reflects the most direct and original demands of the aborigines of all generations. The degree of disorder of the settlement, that is, the degree of its order, is not only the embodiment of its form, but also the concrete manifestation of its construction intention. To explore the intention behind the construction of settlements since ancient times.By using Delaunay triangulation network, street polar histogram and direction entropy, and comprehensibility of settlements, this paper quantitatively analyzes the degree of disorder in the three levels of architecture, street and local environment of the settlement. The paper, combining the background of the settlement, analyzes and compares the causes of the degree of disorder in the three levels of point, line and plane, and then explores the construction ideas of our ancestors for the settlement, so as to provide a scientific basis for the future planning of the settlements.Discovering the inherent construction principles within traditional settlements helps them maintain relative stability under external interventions. The results of disorder degree analysis serve as a benchmark for future settlement planning, contributing to the scientific basis of future decision-making.
A high-capacity Coverless Image Steganography Based on Rule based Machine Learning
Authors: KANZARIYA NITIN , Jadhav Dhaval
Published: December 2023

Securing private information during its transmission over the internet is of paramount importance, as it safeguards against unauthorized access and guarantees the integrity of data. Steganography serves as a technique for enhancing security by concealing sensitive information within digital content such as images, videos, audio, and textual carriers, thus thwarting unauthorized interception. Current methodologies involve manipulating pixels to create stego-images, effectively embedding confidential messages within the image structure. However, this approach has led to steganalysis experts uncovering these hidden messages. To address this issue, an innovative strategy for covert data concealment is proposed. This method involves integrating the secret message through the establishment of a cover file or secret message mapping. This approach ensures the confidentiality of sensitive data communicated over the internet. This research introduces a novel and highly-capable coverless image steganography technique utilizing RBML-based optical mark recognition. Notably, this approach surpasses previous alternatives in terms of embedding capacity, as substantiated by result analysis. Furthermore, it is adaptable for refinement as needed. Significantly, it exhibits remarkable resilience, safeguarding against a spectrum of attacks including scaling, color space conversion, JPEG compression, thresholding, "salt and pepper" noise, file format conversion, and steganalysis tools, among others.
Mapping the race between crop phenology and climate risks. A case-study for wheat in France under climate change conditions
Authors: Roux Renan Le , Furusho-Percot Carina , Deswarte Jean-Charles , Bancal Marie-Odile , Chenu Karine , Noblet-Ducoudré Nathalie , de Cortàzar-Atauri Iñaki García , Durand Alexis , Bulut Burak , Maury Olivier , Décome Jérémie , Launay Marie
Published: December 2023

Climate change threatens food security by affecting the productivity of major cereal crops. To date, agroclimatic risk projections have focused on expected hazards exposure during the crop’s current vulnerable seasons, without considering the non-stationarity of their phenology under evolving climatic conditions. We propose a new method for spatially classifying agroclimatic risks for wheat, combining high-resolution climatic data with a wheat’s phenological model. The method is implemented for French wheat involving three GCM-RCM model pairs and two emission scenarios. We found that the precocity of phenological stages allows wheat to avoid periods of water deficit in the near future. Nevertheless, in the coming decades under the RCP 8.5 scenario, climatic conditions for wheat cultivation are projected to deteriorate over the French territory, due to the emergence of heat stress and increasing water deficit. Projections show the appearance of combined risks of heat and water deficit up to 4 years per decade. The proposed method provides a deep level of information that enables regional adaptation strategies: the nature of the risk, its temporal and spatial occurrence, and its potential combination with other risks. It’s a first step towards identifying potential sites for breeding crop varieties to increase the resilience of agricultural systems.
Urine Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury and Association with Brain MRI Abnormalities in Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
Authors: Turner Megan , Rumpel Jennifer , Spray Beverly , Stence Nicholas , Neuberger Ilana , Frymoyer Adam , Chock Valerie , Courtney Sherry , Gist Katja
Published: December 2023

Objective: Determine whether urine biomarkers NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin), KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule 1) and IL-18 (interleukin 18) are associated with abnormal MRI findings in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) who underwent therapeutic hypothermia (TH).
Study Design: Secondary analysis of a multicenter, prospective study of neonates with HIE requiring TH. Urine biomarkers were obtained at 12 and 24 hours of life (HOL). Brain MRI was scored per NICHD criteria. Association between biomarkers and MRI stage was determined.
Results: In 57 neonates with HIE, only IL-18 at 24 HOL was significantly increased in neonates with MRI Stage 2B or greater, compared to Stage 2A or less (mean 398.7 vs. 182.9 pg/mL, p=0.024.) A multivariate model including IL-18 at 24 HOL and 5-minute APGAR performed best, with an AUC of 0.84 (SE=0.07, p=0.02).
Conclusions: Elevated urine IL-18 at 24 HOL was associated with more severe brain MRI abnormalities among neonates with HIE.
Biofloc system avoid the negative effects of diets with suboptimal protein levels on zootechnical performance, intestinal histomorphometry and protein metabolism of Nile tilapia juvenile fed Spirulina biomass (Arthrospira platensis) as alternative protein source
Authors: Picoli Fernanda , de Oliveira Alana D. , Marques Suelyn O. , Terhorst Deise C. , Serafini Suélen , Nora Luísa , Neves Fabio F. , Emerenciano Maurício G. C. , Lopes Diogo L. A. , Silva Aleksandro S. da , Fabregat Thiago E. H. .P.
Published: December 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the production system (clear water x bioflocs) and the replacement of fish meal with Spirulina biomass (Arthrospira platensis) on productive performance, intestinal histomorphometry, serum biochemistry, and oxidative stress of Nile tilapia juveniles (Oreochromis niloticus) fed suboptimal levels of protein. The design was completely randomized in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme with four replications, four treatments, and two cultivation systems. Four isoproteic (28% crude protein) and isoenergetic (4,000 crude energy kcal kg -1) diets were formulated with 0, 33, 66 and 100% replacement levels of fish meal by Spirulina biomass, supplied for 48 days. Juveniles (0.23 ± 0.01 g) were distributed in 16 circular tanks (70 L) with seven fish per tank. The tanks were divided into two independent recirculation systems (clear water x bioflocs) connected to larger tanks (850 L) equipped with a heating and aeration system. No interaction was observed between the evaluated systems and treatments. Rearing in the BFT system avoided the negative effects of diets with suboptimal protein levels on performance, intestinal histomorphometry and protein metabolism. Lower values lower lipid peroxidation and higher antioxidant capacity were observed in fish reared in the BFT system, showing evidence of improvements in antioxidant responses and lower levels of physiological oxidative stress. Spirulina biomass completely replaced fish meal in the diets of Nile tilapia juveniles without negative effects in intestinal morphometry, protein metabolism and antioxidant response. Replacing 66% of fish meal with Spirulina biomass improved the performance, regardless of the rearing system.
Evaluating binaural hearing capabilities in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss through bilateral bone conduction stimulation
Authors: Stenfelt Stefan , Zeitooni Mehrnaz , Mäki-Torkko Elina
Published: December 2023

This study investigated the impact of bilateral bone conduction (BC) stimulation and sensorineural hearing loss on spatial release from masking, binaural intelligibility level difference, and lateralization. The study involved two groups of adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss: one group of 21 participants with symmetric hearing loss and another group of nine participants with asymmetric hearing loss. All tests were conducted through BC and air conduction (AC) headsets with non-individualized virtual positions of the sound sources and linear amplification based on individual hearing thresholds. The findings revealed a bilateral benefit for both groups of hearing-impaired individuals, with symmetric hearing loss yielding better results than asymmetric hearing loss. AC stimulation provided approximately twice the benefit in terms of dB compared to BC stimulation. A large part of this benefit originated from a favorable signal-to-noise ratio due to noise reduction from the head shadow. However, binaural processing was present in both hearing-impaired groups with bilateral BC stimulation. The ability to lateralize sounds based on interaural time delays was significantly impaired in participants with both types of hearing loss when stimulation was by BC. Despite these challenges, the study underscores the benefits of bilateral fitting of BC hearing aids, even in individuals with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, whether symmetric or asymmetric.
Study on Carrying Capacity of Water Resources of Mountain Cities Based on Potential Evaluation
Authors: Liu Yali , Lu Tao , Cao Chunxia , Liu Fang , Zhang Zhen , Xu Xu , Meng Qing
Published: December 2023

As regional strategic reserve of water resources, mountain cities shoulder multiple missions of protection and development, which is very important for building regional security barrier. This paper combines the ideas of sustainable development and ecological civilization, based on the concept, connotation, subject and object, evaluation objective and constraint conditions of carrying capacity of water resources, establishes the basic theory of quantitative evaluation of water resources carrying capacity of mountain cities; uses the concept of system planning and space balance, coordinating factors such as physical geography, climate and hydrology, ecological environment, economy and society, etc., to develop a model for predicting the carrying capacity of water resources in mountain cities based on the potential analysis method, provide basic method guidance and key technical support to scientifically support the top-level design of the master plan, to scientifically promote prediction and evaluation of population size, to scientifically safeguard the sound development of the ecological environment.
EPR Dosimetry in Human Fingernail: Ultraviolet-Induced Signals
Authors: Tkatchenko Nicolas , Romanyukha Alex , Reyes Ricardo A. , Swarts Steven G. , Gourier Didier , Trompier François
Published: December 2023

This manuscript reports on the effect of ultraviolet (UV) and sunlight irradiated fingernail samples by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in Q-band. Two UV-induced signals were identified and studied in detail. The first one labeled as UVIS2, was measured shortly after UVA radiation. The parameters of the UVIS2 are very similar to those from the previously identified radiation-induced signal RIS2. The second identified UV-induced signal, labelled UVIS5, is similar in behavior to the radiation-induced signal RIS5 and superimposed on the background signal labelled BKS. UVIS5 is stable over time and is induced by UV irradiation and sunlight. This signal is similar to the BKS endogenous signal that is attributed to anionic semiquinone radicals generated by degradation of the dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) molecules. The uncontrolled sunlight exposure of fingernails can be responsible for contributing to the known interpersonal variability of the BKS, resulting from different exposures times to sunlight. The endogenous signal BKS and the UVIS5 are two components of the same signal, but of different origins. The origin of the BKS has not yet been fully identified. In principle, UVIS5 can potentially be used as an individual biomarker of the dose from UV-irradiation.
Neotropical Realm Distribution of Spodoptera frugiperda Under Climate Change and Implications for Future Food Security, Pest Management and Biodiversity
Authors: Ragab Sanad H. , Tyshenko Michael G.
Published: December 2023

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E.Smith) in combination with climate change impacts poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, ecoregion habitat, and biodiversity in the Neotropical Realm. This study presents an assessment of the fall armyworm distribution in the Neotropics under the influence of climate change. To conduct this analysis our methodology used 19 bioclimatic variables, altitude, and land cover to evaluate the habitat suitability of fall armyworm across the Neotropics. By comparing four future climate scenarios against the current baseline scenario, we determined the potential changes in Gain, Unsuitability, Stability, and Loss of habitat for fall armyworm within the eight Neotropic ecoregions. The results have implications for both agricultural food security and biodiversity as the fall armyworm will continue to be a pest within the Neotropical Realm. Our findings emphasize the ongoing habitat suitability that is expected to persist and potentially expand in some Neotropic areas under the climate change scenarios. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies can be used to mitigate agricultural losses and combat food insecurity arising from this crop pest. FAW is an indiscriminate defoliator and its control will help reduce biodiversity loss from synergistic impacts of climate change altered habitats and pest insect defoliation.
Indocyanine Green Angiography Guidance for Vascular Preservation in Skin and Nipple Sparing Mastectomy
Authors: Stead Thor S. , Lu Connie Y. , Geletzke Abby , Butler Elizabeth , Stuckey Ashley , Edmonson David A. , Gass Jennifer S.
Published: December 2023

Purpose
The skin and/or nipple-sparing approach has become an oncologically sound and desirable choice for women choosing mastectomy. Indocyanine green (ICG) perfusion imaging has been shown to reduce ischemic complications in mastectomy skin flaps. Immediate reconstruction requires a well-vascularized skin flap capable of tolerating full expansion. Identification of the perforating subcutaneous vessels to the skin envelope may allow for better and more consistent blood vessel preservation and flap perfusion.
Methods
The authors conducted an institutional review board-approved prospective study with 41 patients to assess the feasibility of using ICG perfusion imaging to visualize, cutaneously map, and preserve the vessels that supply the skin flap and nipple-areolar complex. For each patient, the number of vessels initially mapped, the number of vessels preserved, the extent to which each vessel was preserved, and the proportion of the flap with adequate perfusion (as defined by the SPY-Q > 20% threshold) were recorded and analyzed.
Results
Vessels were able to be identified and marked in a high majority of patients (90%). There was a moderate linear relationship between the number of vessels marked and the number preserved. Successful mapping of vessels was associated with lower rates of wound breakdown (p = 0.036). Mapping and preserving at least one vessel led to excellent flap perfusion (> 90%). No increase in complications was observed from utilizing ICG angiography preoperatively.
Conclusion
This prospective study using preoperative ICG perfusion mapping demonstrated safety, feasibility, and good prognostic outcomes.
Level of evidence: III
Neural Basis of Self-Esteem: Social Cognitive and Emotional Regulation Insights
Authors: Aki Morio , Shibata Mami , Fujita Yoshihisa , Spantios Michael , Kobayashi Kei , Ueno Tsukasa , Miyagi Takashi , Yoshimura Sayaka , Oishi Naoya , Murai Toshiya , Fujiwara Hironobu
Published: December 2023

Self-esteem (SE) can significantly affect individual well-being and has been linked to various psychiatric conditions. SE involves cognitive and emotional regulation within a social context. Prior research focusing on young adults has indicated neural correlations in prefrontal cortex areas but presented inconsistent findings. Our study expanded this to a broader age range and covariated the influence of subthreshold depression, emphasizing the functional role of the dorsolateral (dlPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices (vlPFC) in social cognition and emotional regulation of social exclusion. With resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses of 114 participants, we found that high SE correlated with stronger functional connectivity between the left dlPFC, anterior PFC, and posterior cerebellum and between the left dlPFC and right lingual gyrus. Associations between the right vlPFC and insula were robust, along with diminished connectivity between the left vlPFC, angular gyri, and thalamus. These results not only support our hypothesis regarding the dual role of SE, which is its social cognitive role in avoiding social exclusion and its emotional resilience in enduring such exclusion, but also suggest a potential link with rumination.
Biotoxicity of paraquat to lung cells mediated by endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria interactionMitochondrial dysfunction exposure mediates paraquat biotoxicity to lung tissue cells: The role of endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Xiao Ping , Wu Shaohua , Wang Zhiyong , Shen Guoqiang , Shi Xiaofeng
Published: December 2023

Paraquat (PQ) has attracted much attention in public and human health due to its high toxicity and lethality. Apoptosis is one of the numerous biotoxin mechanisms of action of PQ, which was confirmed in our previous study with increased fibrosis of lung tissue induced by ferroptosis.However, the understanding of the mechanism of PQ-induced apoptosis from the perspective of organelles, especially inter-organelle interactions, is still scarce. In this study, we observed that a certain dose of PQ gavage induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress in rat lung tissue cells.Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR showed that PQ toxicity activated the expression of Bcl-2 on the outer mitochondrial membrane and inhibited the expression of Bax. Bcl-2 increased the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane and led to the release of a number of apoptotic factors, thereby inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptotic cell death. CHOP produced by endoplasmic reticulum stress also regulates Bcl-2 expression, triggering mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interactions that mediate biotoxicity. In addition, 10 differential proteins were screened and validated by proteomics that may act as upstream and downstream active factors of mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interaction-mediated biotoxicity. Our findings provide new perspectives for researchers to explore the toxicity mechanisms of PQ to reduce their adverse effects.
Preparation and Characterization of Novel Polyvinyl Alcohol-Alginate Beads for Quorum Quenching Application in Membrane Bioreactors
Authors: Mideksa Ermias , Teychene Johanne , Sartor Valerie , Claparols Catherine , Guigui Christelle , Tourrette Audrey
Published: December 2023

Quorum quenching (QQ) has emerged as an effective biofouling mitigation approach in membrane bioreactors. This study presents new approaches for preparing and characterizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and alginate beads for QQ applications. The effects of change in concentration of PVA, crosslinking solution composition, and the impact of mixture dissolution method on physicochemical, acyl homoserine lactones incorporation (AHLs), and mechanical properties were investigated. Comparisons between evaporative, freeze, and supercritical CO2 drying techniques were followed to characterize textural and structural properties. Beads' structure, mechanical, chemical modification, and textural properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, texture profile analysis, Nitrogen physisorption, and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Changes in the concentration of PVA and mixture dissolution method impact the bead pore structure, swelling properties, and AHL incorporation. Changes in the composition of the primary crosslinking solution cause modifications in the beads’ chain and pore structure. Beads crosslinked using a primary crosslinking solution composed of boric acid and calcium chloride possess internal structures with high chain interconnection and hardness. Meanwhile, beads prepared by blending the boric acid and calcium chloride's primary crosslinking solution with sodium nitrate (named SN-BA) provided new bead types with pores resembling fingers. Nitrogen physisorption analysis revealed the beads have a surface area between 16.8 m2/g and 24 m2/g with dominating mesopores. The finger-like pores enhanced the AHL permeation compared to beads with interconnected polymer chains. SN-BA beads incorporated more than 30% of C6-HSL, 24% of C8-HSL, and 23% of C10-HSL.
Effects of Graphene Far-Infrared and Social Network Interventions on Depression, Anxiety and Dementia in Older Adults: The Role of Social Contact
Authors: Zhao Yuqing , Chen Yaru , Yu Feifei , Dai Chenyi , Zhang Chengyuan , Liu Minxue , Zheng Nanfeng , Liu Zhengkui
Published: December 2023

Background
Five-guaranteed elderly individuals are a special group of the elderly Chinese population faced with unique challenges; these individuals lack any financial resources (including support by relatives), and are solely reliant on the government to provide food, clothing, medical care, and housing as well as burials.
Methods
To address the emotional and cognitive difficulties experienced by this special group, we designed this study, which is the first to apply a graphene far-infrared radiation intervention (GFII; an exploratory and noninvasive technique) in this population. We also administered a social network intervention (SNI) given the social isolation of these individuals, in addition to a corresponding control group.
Results
The results showed that GFII led to immediate improvements in depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment in the five-guaranteed elderly individuals, and the improvement in cognitive function was sustained over time. Moreover, even the control group showed significant improvements in depression and cognitive function after the intervention period.
Conclusions
The GFII is a promising intervention that can be applied to intervene in cognitive and mood disorders in older adults. Beyond that, although five-guaranteed elderly individuals may be a subset of the elderly Chinese population in extreme distress, the appearance of "people" and the attention and resources it implies can effectively improve negative emotions and cognitive deficits, which may have substantial practical significance for social work given worldwide population aging.
Analyzing the six-year malaria prevalence trends at Metehara Health Center, Central Ethiopia (2017/18–2022/23): Unveiling the resurgence and its impact on malaria elimination goals by 2030—A retrospective study
Authors: Mandefro Aynalem , Tadelle Geletta , Mekonen Bacha , Golassa Lemu
Published: December 2023

Background
Despite Ethiopia's concerted efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030, the disease continues to pose a significant public health and socioeconomic challenge in the country. The year 2021 witnessed 2.78 million malaria cases and 8041 associated deaths, emphasizing the persistent threat. Monitoring the prevalence trend of malaria is crucial for devising effective control and elimination strategies. This study aims to assess the trend of malaria prevalence at the Metehara Health Center in the East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia.
Methods
A retrospective study, spanning from February to September 2023, utilized malaria registration laboratory logbooks at Metehara Health Center to evaluate the prevalence of malaria from 2017/18 to 2022/23. Malaria and related data were collected using a pre-designed data collection sheet. Descriptive statistics were employed for data summarization, presented through graphs and tables.
Results
Out of 59,250 examined blood films, 17.4% confirmed the presence of Plasmodium species. Among the confirmed cases, 74.3%, 23.8%, and 1.84% were attributed to P. falciparum, P. vivax, and mixed infections, respectively. The trend of malaria exhibited a steady decline from 2017/18 to 2021/22, reaching 9.8% prevalence. However, an abrupt increase to 26.5% was observed in 2022/23. Males accounted for a higher proportion (66%) of cases compared to females (34%). The age group 15–24 years experienced the highest malaria incidence at 42%. Notably, malaria cases peaked during autumn (September to November) at 43% and reached the lowest percentage during spring (March to May) at 13%.
Conclusion
Malaria persists as a significant health challenge in and around Metehara, central Ethiopia, predominantly driven by P. falciparum. The five-year declining trend was interrupted by a notable upsurge in 2022/23, indicating a resurgence of malaria in the study area. It is imperative to adopt a reversed strategy to sustain the progress achieved by the national malaria control plan.
A novel role of AIM2 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: He Feifan , He Zhongming , Wang Caoye
Published: December 2023

Background
Hepatic inflammation and inflammasome-mediated mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) protein triggers activation of the inflammasome cascade. It currently remains unclear whether AIM2 plays a role in HCC and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which uses radiofrequency waves to treat tumors. This study aimed to investigate whether RFA can induce pyroptosis, also known as cell inflammatory necrosis, in HCC through AIM2-inflammasome signaling in vivo and in vitro.
Methods
BALB/c nude mice were used to generate HepG2 or SMMC-7721 cell-derived tumor xenografts. HCC cells with knockdown or overexpression of AIM2 were created using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and expression vector transfection, respectively, for functional and mechanistic studies. Downstream effects were examined using flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, ELISAs, and other molecular assays.
Results
RFA could significantly suppress tumor growth in mice bearing HCC cell xenografts. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that RFA could induce pyroptosis. Furthermore, AIM2, NLRP3, caspase-1, γ-H2AX, and DNA-PKc had significantly greater expression levels in the liver tissues from mice treated with RFA compared with those of the controls. Additionally, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 expression levels were significantly higher in the HCC cell-derived xenograft mice treated with RFA compared with those without RFA. Notably, a significantly greater effect was achieved in the RFA complete ablation group versus the partial ablation group. Moreover, knockdown or overexpression of AIM2 in HCC cells demonstrated that AIM2 exerted a role in RFA-induced pyroptosis.
Conclusions
These data indicate that RFA can suppress HCC tumor growth by inducing pyroptosis via AIM2, which serves as an important cell death mechanism. Therefore, therapeutically intervening with AIM2-mediated inflammasome signaling may help improve RFA treatment outcomes for HCC patients.
The prognostic value of bioinformatics analysis of ECM receptor signaling pathways and LAMB1 identification as a promising prognostic biomarker of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Liu Tingjun , Hu Ankang , Chen Quangang , Wu lianlian , Zhang Lingzhi , Qiao Dandan , Huang Zhutao , Lu Tianyuan , Wang Jie
Published: December 2023

Background
Our study attempts to investigate the impact of genes related to the extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction pathway on immune-targeted therapy and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) prognosis.
Methods
This study obtained LUAD chip data (GSE68465, GSE31210, GSE116959) from NCBI GEO. Moreover, we downloaded the gene data associated with the ECM receptor interaction pathway from the MsigDB database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using GEO2R, followed by analyzing their correlation with immune cell infiltration. Univariate Cox regression analysis screened out ECM-related genes significantly related to the survival prognosis of LUAD patients. Additionally, Lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis helped construct a prognostic model. Patients were stratified by risk score and survival analyses. The prognostic models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves, and risk scores and prognosis associations were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. We selected a core gene for GSEA and CIBERSORT analysis to determine its function and tumor-infiltrating immune cell proportion, respectively.
Results
The most abundant pathways among DEGs in LUAD primarily involved the cell cycle, ECM receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, p53 signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascade, and tyrosine metabolism. Two ECM-associated subtypes were identified by consensus clustering. Besides, we validated an ECM-related prognostic model to predict LUAD survival, and it was associated with the tumor immune microenvironment (TME). Additional cross-analysis screened LAMB1 for further research. The results indicated that the survival time of LUAD patients with elevated LAMB1 expression was longer than those with low LAMB1 expression. GSEA and CIBERSORT analyses revealed that LAMB1 expression correlated with TME.
Conclusions
According to the GEO and TCGA databases, a prognostic model of LUAD patients depending on the ECM receptor interaction pathway was constructed. Screening out LAMB1 can become a prognostic risk factor for LUAD patients or a potential target during LUAD treatment.
Impact of a teat disinfectant based on Lactococcus cremoris on the cow milk proteome
Authors: Addis Maria Filippa , Maffioli Elisa Margherita , Gazzola Alessandra , Santandrea Federica , Tedeschi Gabriella , Piccinini Renata
Published: December 2023

Background.
Dairy cow milking practices require cleaning and disinfection of the teat skin before and after milking to ensure the safety and quality of milk and prevent intramammary infections. Antimicrobial proteins of natural origin can be valuable alternatives to traditional disinfectants. In a recent field trial, we demonstrated that a teat dip based on a nisin A-producing Lactococcus cremoris (L) had comparable efficacy to conventional iodophor dip (C) in preventing dairy cow mastitis. Here, we present the differential shotgun proteomics investigation of the milk collected during the trial.
Methods.
Four groups of matched quarter milk with low (LSCC) and high somatic cell count (HSCC) collected at the beginning (T0) and end (TF) of the trial were selected, for a total of 28 LSCC and 12 HSCC samples. Milk proteins were digested into peptides, separated by nanoHPLC, and analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on an Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer. The proteins were identified with MaxQuant and interaction networks of the differential proteins were investigated with STRING. The proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD045030.
Results.
In healthy mlk (LSCC), we detected 90 and 80 differential proteins at T0 and TF, respectively. At TF, the Lactococcus group showed higher levels of antimicrobial proteins. In mastitis milk (HSCC), we detected 88 and 106 differential proteins at T0 and TF, respectively. In the Lactococcus group, 14 proteins with antimicrobial and immune defense functions were enriched at TF vs. 4 proteins at T0. Cathelicidins were among the most relevant enriched proteins. Western immunoblotting validation confirmed the differential abundance.
Conclusions.
At T0, the proteomic differences observed in healthy milk of the two groups were most likely dependent on physiological variation. On the other hand, antimicrobial and immune defense functions were higher in the milk of cows with mammary gland inflammation of the Lactococcus-treated group. Among other factors, the additional immunostimulatory action of nisin A might play a role in the observed changes.
miR199a represses the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting SGK3 through Akt/mTOR pathway
Authors: Wu Ting , Qi Guilin , Liu Pan , Li Jing , Guo Min , Yu Hui , Yang Huidongfang , Jin Yuyin , Zhou Wen , Hu Wangheng , Yu Han , Duan Peng
Published: December 2023

Purpose
Previous studies have suggested that some microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in carcinogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As one of these newly found miRNAs, miR-199a-3p (miR199a), has been shown to be highly involved in the regulation of HCC growth. However, the mechanism underlying miR199a regulation in HCC remains unclear.
Methods
In this study, the evaluation of miR199a expression in HCC cells (HCCs) and tissues was evaluated by RT-qPCR. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay were performed to prove the regulation effect of miR199a on SGK3. CCK-8 assay was performed to assess the proliferation of HCCs (HepG2 and HuH7) after transfection. Subsequently, the biological function of miR199a/SGK3 axis in HCCs was investigated.
Results
Herein, we found that miR199a is usually underexpressed in the HCC tissue and cell lines (HepG2 and HuH7) compared with their corresponding control. The expression pattern of SGK3, as a direct target of miR199a, was opposite that of miR199a. shRNA-mediated silencing of SGK3 decreased the proliferation of HCC cells (HCCs) in vitro; however, these phenotypes were promoted by miR199a mimics. Mechanistically, miR199a inhibited the proliferation of HCCs through the downregulation Akt/mTOR signalling by targeting SGK3.
Conclusion
our findings demonstrated an important role for SGK3 as a miR199a target and a mediator of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings highlight the miR199a/SGK3 axis as a potential therapeutic target for managing HCC.
Assessment of hippocampal-related behavioral changes in adolescent rats of both sexes following voluntary intermittent ethanol intake and noise exposure: a putative underlying mechanism and implementation of a non-pharmacological preventive strategy
Authors: Buján Gustavo Ezequiel , D’Alessio Luciana , Serra Héctor Alejandro , Guelman Laura Ruth , Molina Sonia Jazmín
Published: December 2023

Ethanol (EtOH) intake and noise exposure are particularly concerning among human adolescents because the potential to harm brain. Unfortunately, putative underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Moreover, although neuroprotection tools could aid to prevent individuals from injury, limited data are available. Using an adolescent animal model, present study aims to explore a possible mechanism that could underlie the altered hippocampus-dependent behaviors induced by EtOH intake and/or noise exposure, as well as the neuroprotective impact of an environmental challenge. Adolescent Wistar rats of both sexes were subjected to an intermittent voluntary EtOH intake paradigm for one week. A subgroup of animals was exposed to white noise for two hours after the last session of EtOH intake. Some animals of both groups were housed in EE cages. Hippocampal-dependent behavioral assessment and hippocampal oxidative state evaluation were performed. Present results show that different behavioral alterations might be induced in animals of both sexes after EtOH intake, with or without sequential exposure to noise, that in some cases are sex-specific. Moreover, hippocampal oxidative imbalance seems to be one of the potential underlying mechanisms. Additionally, most behavioral and oxidative alterations were prevented by EE. These findings suggest that two recreational agents may impact behavior via oxidative pathways, in both sexes, in an animal model. In addition, improved housing resulted an effective neuroprotective strategy. Therefore, it could be suggested that a non-pharmacological approach might potentially provide neuroprotective advantages against other challenges. Finally, it might be worth considering its potential for translational human benefit.
Starch-cellulose-gelatin hydrogels obtained by reactive extrusion aiming an ecologically friendly perspective
Authors: MARIM BEATRIZ , Pereira Jessica , Andrello Avacir , Mali Suzana
Published: December 2023

Biopolymeric hydrogels represent a versatile class of materials with a wide range of potential applications, including their use in agricultural materials, drug delivery systems, biosensors, and food packaging. This investigation primarily centered on the synthesis and characterization of biodegradable hydrogels based on starch, cellulose, and gelatin, acting as a polymeric matrix intended for water retention in agricultural contexts. Prior to their incorporation into the hydrogels formulations, cassava starch and cellulose extracted from oat hulls underwent modification via reactive extrusion involving reaction with citric acid (CA) and sodium trimetaphosfate (STMP) as crosslinking agents, respectively. The hydrogels were obtained through a reactive extrusion process to produce porous pellets. These pellets were characterized according to their porosity, thermal properties, degree of swelling at different times and pHs, and water adsorption capacities. The hydrogel sample formulated with both CA-modified starch and STMP-modified cellulose, and gelatin, presented the highest values of porosity (> 45%) and open pores (> 5%), and the higher degree of swelling (607%). These materials as promising candidates for application in agriculture to increase water and/or fertilizers retention capacity in soil, with important advantages, including their biodegradability and low toxicity. It is worth mentioning that the reactive extrusion process used is a continuous process, with low effluent generation and scalable for large-scale production.
Ki-67 index as a predictive marker of meningioma clinicopathologic course and recurrence following surgical resection: a retrospective study
Authors: Mizrachi Mark , Hartley Benjamin , Saleem Shahzaib , Hintz Eric , Ziemba Yonah , Li Jianyi , Schulder Michael
Published: December 2023

Purpose
Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults. Although benign in a majority of cases, they have a variable clinical course and may recur even after a thorough surgical resection. Ki-67, a nuclear protein involved in cell cycle regulation, has been widely studied as a marker of cellular proliferation in various cancers. However, the prognostic significance of Ki-67 in meningiomas remains controversial. Here, we investigate the Ki-67 index, as a predictive marker of meningioma recurrence following surgical resection and compare it to established prognostic markers such as WHO grade and degree of resection.
Methods
The medical records of 451 consecutive patients with previously untreated cranial meningiomas who underwent resections from January 2011 to January 2021 at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) were reviewed. Collected data included WHO grade, Ki-67 proliferative index, degree of resection — gross (GTR) vs subtotal (STR) — as judged by the surgeon, and meningioma recurrence. This study was approved by the NSUH Institutional Review Board IRB 21-1107
Results
There were 290 patients with grade I, 154 with grade II, and 7 with grade III meningiomas. The average post-resection follow-up period was 4 years, and 82 tumors (18%) recurred. Higher WHO grades were associated with higher rates of recurrence, with rates of 11.4%, 27.9%, and 71.4% for grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and subtotal resection corresponded to a higher rate of recurrence than gross resection (34.3% and 13.4%, respectively). Higher WHO grades also correlated with higher Ki-67 scores (2.59, 10.01, and 20.71) for grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression model identified Ki-67 and degree of resection as independent predictive variables for meningioma recurrence.
Conclusion
Our 10-year retrospective study suggests that the Ki-67 index is an important predictive marker for recurrence of intracranial meningiomas following surgical resection, particularly among patients with WHO grade 2 tumors. Our findings add to a growing body of data which supports inclusion of Ki-67 index in the WHO grading criteria for patients with meningiomas.
Suppression of noise in SEM images using adaptive anisotropic partial differential equations
Authors: Pang Shuiquan , Wu Shihuang , Wang Zhizhe , Luo Jun , Li Hai , Zhang Xianmin
Published: December 2023

Image denoising is an effective way to enhance the quality of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, and improve the accuracy of detection analysis and automatic operation. However, most existing denoising methods rely on global parameters and are not suitable for noise removal in all regions of the image. To address this issue, this paper proposes a denoising method based on the adaptive anisotropic partial differential equations (AAPDE), which can adaptively select denoising parameters for different regions according to the gradient amplitude of SEM images and effectively solve the problem of global parameters not being applicable to noise in all regions of the image. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms global denoising methods in terms of denoising performance.
Comparative study on clinical and imaging characteristics between patients with ruptured and large, unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms
Authors: Hoste Xavier , Coudyzer Walter , Laenen Annouschka , Fourneau Inge , Maleux Geert
Published: December 2023

Purpose
to determine potential clinical and computed tomography (CT) imaging predictors for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture based on a comparative analysis of patients presenting with large (> 6.5 cm diameter) unruptured AAA (uAAA) and patients presenting with ruptured AAA (rAAA) respectively.
Methods
consecutive patients presenting with large unruptured or rAAA and having undergone a contrast-enhanced CT at admission between January 2005 and June 2019 were included. Patients’ demographics and CT-imaging characteristics were collected from the institutional electronic medical records. Both patient groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables.
Results
we included 101 patients, of which 57 patients presenting with a rAAA and 44 patients with a large, uAAA. Patients in the large, uAAA group were younger, mean age of 76 years vs 83 years (P < 0.001), had less coronary artery disease (47.6% vs 72.5%; P = 0.026) and had a lower left common iliac artery to maximum aneurysm diameter ratio (0.15 vs 0.18; P = 0.034), a lower sum of right + left common iliac artery to maximum aneurysm diameter ratio (0.31 vs 0.39; P = 0.028) and a lower infrarenal neck to maximum aneurysm diameter ratio (0.29 vs 0.35; P = 0.039).
Conclusion
patients with large, uAAA’s were younger with less coronary artery disease and presented with lower ratio of right + left common iliac artery to maximum aneurysm diameter as well as a lower ratio of infrarenal neck to maximum aneurysm diameter on CT-imaging compared to patients with rAAA.
Intraoperative opioids and disease-free survival in glioblastoma multiforme
Authors: Naufal Rodrigo Ferrari Fernandes , Izadora Lorenna , Reyes Capovilla Martins Gonzalez , Junior Mario Wolak , Pokorny Gabriel , Carvalho Georgea Carneiro , Fukushima Fernanda Bono , Romero Flávio Ramalho
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a primary tumor of the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is one of the most aggressive tumors that can affect humans, with no cure so far and an extremely inverse prognosis, with an average survival ranging from 7 to 15 months. Recently, the role of opioids, either in stopping or stimulating tumor progression, has been demonstrated for both sides. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of intraoperative opioid use on the overall and disease-free survival of these patients.
Methods: This observational and retrospective study analyzed the medical records of 133 patients who underwent 167 surgical procedures for resection of Glioblastoma Multiforme. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were as follows: patients older than 18 years of age, of both sexes, and who had confirmed GBM. Patients who died in the postoperative period from causes unrelated to the underlying disease were excluded, as were those who did not have specific data on the medications used in the perioperative period in their records. The following outcomes were analyzed: age, preoperative and postoperative Karnofsky scale (KPS), duration of the surgical procedure, opioid doses, overall survival, disease-free survival, sex, and race. To verify the existence of a correlation between quantitative variables, the Spearman Test was applied; for categorical (qualitative) variables, the Chi-square Test was used. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to evaluate the variance in means between groups. In addition, the log-rank test was used to evaluate survival between the groups. The significance level adopted for all tests was 5% (p≤0.05).
Results: Analysis of the correlation between total opioid dosage and the investigated variables showed that surgical duration and age at surgery were significantly correlated with total opioid dosage. There was no correlation between total opioid dosage and the overall and disease-free survival times of patients.
Conclusion: This study suggests that there is no relationship between the intraoperative opioid dose and overall and disease-free survival in patients undergoing surgical treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme.
Inverse spectral problems for Dirac-type operators with global delay on a star graph
Authors: Wang Feng , Yang Chuan-Fu , Buterin Sergey , Djuric Nebojsa
Published: December 2023

We introduce Dirac-type operators with a global constant delay on a star graph consisting of $m$ equal edges. For our introduced operators, we formulate an inverse spectral problem that is recovering the potentials from the spectra of two boundary value problems on the graph with a common set of boundary conditions at all boundary vertices except for a specific boundary vertex $v_{0}$ (called the root). For simplicity, we restrict ourselves to the constant delay not less than the edge length of the graph. Under the assumption that the common boundary conditions are of the Robin type and they are known and pairwise linearly independent, the uniqueness theorem is proven and a constructive procedure for solving the proposed inverse problem is obtained.
2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 34A55; 34K29; 34B45.