bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of brucellosis disease burden and ecological influencing factors of working-age population in Inner Mongolia, 2015–2020
Authors: Yu Lei , Zheng Huiqiu , Wang Yanling , Wang Xinyan , Wang Xuemei
Published: June 2024

Backgrounds:
Brucellosis is a major public health problem globally, with cases concentrated in working-age populations, but there are few studies on the burden of brucellosis disease in working-age populations. This study estimated the disease burden and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of brucellosis in Inner Mongolia's working-age population from 2015 to 2020 and explored the ecological influences on its disease burden.
Methods
The study described the incidence of brucellosis in Inner Mongolia's working-age population from 2015 to 2020. It calculated years of life lost with disability (YLD) and the YLD rate. Spatiotemporal Bayesian modeling was utilized; thus, the spatiotemporal variation pattern of brucellosis disease burden was analyzed. Using the geographically weighted regression analysis (GWR), the study explored the ecological influencing factors of the burden of brucellosis in the working-age population.
Results
The incidence rate increased from 30.74/100,000 to 77.29/100,000 in Inner Mongolia's working-age population from 2015 to 2020. The YLD of brucellosis in the working-age population of Inner Mongolia between 2015 and 2020 was 1533.98 person-years, with a YLD rate of 0.091 per 1,000, and the YLD rate exhibited an upward trend with time. The Bayesian spatiotemporal distribution model revealed that the disease burden of Inner Mongolia's working-age population was at high risk and increasing rapidly: areas including Hinggan, Tongliao, and Chifeng. Bayan Nur exhibited a low risk of brucellosis disease burden but a rapid rate of increase. A considerably high number of cattle at year-end (β: 0.011284–0.011290, P < 0.05), low number of beds (β: -0.007465-0.007436, P < 0.05), and high rainfall (β: 0.010495–0.010520, P < 0.05) are ecological influences on the brucellosis disease burden in the working-age population of Inner Mongolia.
Conclusion
From 2015 to 2020, the YLD rate of brucellosis among Inner Mongolia's working-age population exhibited an increasing trend and spatial aggregation. Medical practitioners should dedicate more research attention to areas where the risk of disease burden is growing at a fast rate, and cities with a low risk of disease burden but a fast rate of increase also merit urgent research attention. The number of cattle at year-end, high rainfall, and low number of beds are ecological influences on the brucellosis disease burden among the working-age population.
Experimental investigation into the physical properties of mixed soil within sliding zones and landslide slip zone evolution process analysis
Authors: Zhang Jian , Wu Yihang , Ye Yuke , Chen Cong , Zhu David Z.
Published: June 2024

The formation of slip zone is a key process for the landslide disasters occurrence. This study aims to investigate the physical properties of a complex multicomponent sliding zone soil within a typical large landslide, shedding light on the mechanisms behind sliding zone formation. Various physical testing methods were employed to analyze the mixed sliding zone soil, which is comprised of several components. The primary constituents of the sliding zone soil, including fully weathered tuff soil and silty clay, were combined in different proportions using materials sourced from a representative landslide site. Analyses methods encompassed liquid-plastic limit tests, unconfined compressive strength tests, direct shear tests, and water retention capacity assessments. Experimental findings underscore the substantial alteration of physical properties in the sliding zone soil due to the intermixing of multiple soil components during the slope's sliding zone formation. This alteration is chiefly characterized by a reduction in shear strength and water retention capacity. Consequently, mixed sliding zone soil is more susceptible to waterlogging and saturation phenomena. Based on the experimental data, the formation process of a typical landslide slip zone was revealed.
Myricetin suppressed DSS-induced colitis and promoted the therapeutic success of Infliximab in TNBS-induced colitis
Authors: Camlibel Mine , Ferah Sena , Gurbuz Melisa , Tekin Cagla , Ercelik Melis , Tezcan Gulcin , Aktas Ahmet Ali , Acar Irem Zehra , Isik Ozgen , Ugras Nesrin , Bozkurt Ozlem , Aksoy Secil Ak , Aksoy Fuat , Yilmazlar Tuncay , Tunca Berrin
Published: June 2024

Infliximab (IFX) is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Still, long-term use may be ineffective or suggest some side effects. This study investigated the role of Myricetin, a flavonoid, alone and its complementary therapeutic potential in combination with IFX against UC, CH, and cancerization. DSS triggered the development of acute UC syndromes in Wistar albino rats, while TNBS treatment triggered some of the symptoms seen in CD. The effectiveness of IFX, Myricetin, and their combination against UC and CD was determined by the disease activity index and changes in TNF-α secretion. The effect of IFX and Myricetin on tumor aggressiveness was evaluated by in vitro wound healing and colony formation analysis and expression of NF-κB and COX2 genes in a colon cancer cell line. Myricetin strongly reduced NF-κB expression in the DSS-induced UC model (p < 0.0001), but this effect was weaker in the TNBS-induced CD model, while COX2 expression was the opposite. Myricetin was beneficial as a complement to IFX in the CD model, while also promoting the improvement of clinical symptoms of the acute UC model (p < 0.05). Myricetin slowed down wound healing and colony formation of HT-29 cells and attenuated NF-κB expression. Myricetin may promise an alternative treatment approach in acute UC. Additionally, CD cases may benefit from Myricetin only when used in conjunction with IFX.
Lactic acid produced by optimal vaginal Lactobacillus species potently inactivates HIV-1 by several mechanisms including promoting inhibition of virion-associated reverse transcriptase activity and viral RNA degradation
Authors: Aldunate Muriel , Tyssen David , Johnson Adam , Latham Catherine L , Cowieson Nathan , Hayward Joshua A , Center Rob J , Ramsland Paul A , Hearps Anna C , Tachedjian Gilda
Published: June 2024

Background. An optimal vaginal microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus spp. protects women against acquiring and transmitting HIV in contrast to a nonoptimal vaginal microbiota exemplified by bacterial vaginosis (BV); however, the virucidal activity of carboxylic acid metabolites present in vaginal fluid is not well defined. Here we determined the HIV-1 virucidal activity of lactic acid (LA), short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and succinic acid under conditions observed in women with a Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota compared to women with BV and examined the mechanism by which LA inactivates HIV-1. The ability of LA to inactivate HSV-2 and HPV16 was also examined.
Results: LA was >10-fold more potent at inactivating an HIV-1 transmitted/founder strain than SCFAs (acetic, butyric, and propionic acid) and succinic acid when tested at an equivalent 20 mM of protonated acid at pH 4.2 (p£0.05). While LA decreased HIV-1 infectivity by >103-fold, virions were intact, expressing a similar gp120:p24 ratio, and showed a 2-fold decrease in CD4 binding compared to the untreated control (p£0.05). Treatment of recombinant gp120 with LA revealed no major conformational changes by small angle X-ray scattering. LA treatment of HIV-1 at pH 3.8 resulted in an 80% decrease in virion-associated reverse transcriptase activity compared to untreated virus, which was more potent than acetic acid or HCl-adjusted media at pH 3.8. LA decreased HIV-1 virion-associated RNA levels by ~50% compared to untreated virus (p<0.001), acetic acid or HCl acidified media, with this effect potentiated in the presence of cervicovaginal fluid. In contrast, HSV-2 virucidal activity of LA was similar to acetic acid and HCl-acidified media while HPV16 was acid-resistant.
Conclusions: These findings reveal LA’s potent and specific HIV-1 virucidal activity, mediated by its membrane permeant properties, compared to SCFAs and succinic acid, with implications for the vaginal transmission of HIV-1 to partners and neonates during birth.
Synthesis, theoretical investigation, ADMET studies, antimicrobial activity, and docking analysis of some novel imidazolidinone derivatives
Authors: Khodair Ahmed , Imam Dalia , Kheder Nabila , Fahim Asmaa , El-Barbary Ahmed
Published: June 2024

In this study, we constructed twenty novel imidazolidinone derivatives via the reaction of 2-(methylthio)-3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one derivatives (1a-c) with some active methylene reagents and nitrogen nucleophiles. The synthesized compounds were confirmed through spectral analysis such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR, and MS. Moreover, the synthesized compounds were optimized and utilizing the DFT/B3LYP/6–31(G) basis set to investigate their energies and the presence of two forms of isomers (E and Z). The results confirmed the stability of the E form. ADMET of new imidazolidinones was also studied to investigate their lipophilicity and Lipinski's rule for determination of their physiological biological analysis. Also, the antimicrobial activity of new compounds on Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus Nigar using the inhibition zone technique were evaluated. The results demonstrate that compound 11c showed higher activity rather than other compounds due to the presence of piperazine moiety out of the plane of the benzene ring. Additionally, the docking study showed an electrostatic bonding interaction of the hydrogen of 11c and the amino acids of two proteins such as PDBID: 3t88 and 2wje.
Quality of life after Colectomy and Ileo-Jpouch-anal anastomosis in paediatric patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Wong Michela Cing Yu , Rotondi Giulia , Roso Margherita , Avanzini Stefano , Gandullia Paolo , Arrigo Serena , Mattioli Girolamo
Published: June 2024

INTRODUCTION Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Surgery is required in cases of severe acute colitis, massive hemorrhage, toxic megacolon, and perforation; in such cases colectomy and JpouchIleoanal anastomosis (IPAA) are performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate functional outcome, and patient satisfaction and Quality of Life (QoL) after surgery.
MATERIAL AND METHODS Questionnaires were administered to 24 patients with UC undergoing surgery from 2011 to 2022.
RESULTS Mean age at IPAA was 10.8 years. Twenty patients underwent IPAA in 3 operations, 4 patients in 2. All patients underwent laparoscopic surgery. Six months after surgery mean level of satisfaction was 8.7/10, perception of health status was 7.4. Twenty-three patients (95.8%) recommended IPAA. For 20 patients (83.3%) surgery did not cause delay in education, while 14 patients (58.3%) played sport. The lowest number of evacuations was 9.2 per day, the highest
13.3. Seventeen patients (70.8%) had no incontinence and 15 patients (62.5%) were not affected by pouchitis. After 12 months mean satisfaction level raised up to 9.2/10, perception of health status to 8.5. School absences decreased and no other patients showed any delay in education. Seventeen (70.8%) patients played sports. The number of evacuations decreased: the lowest number was 5.1 per day, the highest 7.5. Twenty patients (83.3%) were continent and 12 (50%) did not use antibiotics.
CONCLUSION Most patients show a good functional outcome in defecation frequency and continence, which has improved through time, number of pouchitis episodes has increased. Patients appear satisfied after surgery.
Level of Evidence: III
Teratoma combined with struma ovarii and sarcomatoid carcinoma：A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Qin Haojie , Chen dan , Jin Shan , Liu Jia , Gao Bo , Wang Yongpeng
Published: June 2024

This is a rare case of struma ovarii combined with sarcomatoid carcinoma. Whether it's struma ovarii or ovarian sarcomatoid carcinoma, the incidence of both is extremely low and rarely reported, so there are no clear guidelines for either disease and to our knowledge this may be the first case of combined occurrence of both. Therefore, this report describes its clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment, analyzes the pathogenesis, and summarizes the previous literature in the hope that it can be helpful to other tumor-related medical personnel and provide material support for the formation of guidelines in this disease.
Association analysis of immunophenotypes with ulcerative colitis: A two- sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Cai Longjiao , Wang Chao , Liu Ting
Published: June 2024

Background
Immune cells change in Ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the causal relationship between the immunophenotypes and UC is not clear.
Methods
731 immunophenotype databases and the UC database with 463,010 participants were utilized. Five Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis methods were used, with inverse variance weighted (IVW) as the main method and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as the instrumental variable (IV), to explore the causal relationship. False discovery rate (FDR) correction and sensitivity analysis were used to examine the MR hypothesis. Next, the MR results were cross-verified in FinnGen Consortium R9 with 369,652 participants to confirm the reliability. Finally, reverse MR is performed.
Results
At the significance level of p < 0.05, 71 immunophenotypes associated with UC were screened. After FDR correction, 7 immunophenotypes were still associated. Cross-analysis of the MR analysis results from the UC database with the MR results from the external IBD (FinnGen) database confirmed that CX3CR1 on CD14 + CD16- monocyte (OR = 1.001, pFDR = 0.075) and CX3CR1 on CD14 + CD16 + monocyte (OR = 1.001, pFDR = 0.002) immunophenotypes were significantly associated with an increased risk of UC. Reverse MR revealed no significant correlations.
Conclusion
This study verified the causal link between immunophenotypes and UC, which may provide a theoretical basis for developing new targeted drugs.
nip-type Sn-based perovskite solar cells with metal chalcogenide electron extraction layers
Authors: Liang Jia , Li Tianpeng , Li Bin , Yang Yingguo , Jin Zuoming , Zhang Zhiguo , Wang Peilin , Deng Liangliang , Zhan Yiqiang , Zhang Qinghong
Published: June 2024

nip-type lead-based perovskite solar cells (LPSCs) swept nearly all record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) since the advent of perovskite-based photovoltaic technology. In contrast, nip-type tin-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs) are not satisfied and lag far behind their pin-type counterparts. A key contributing factor is the indiscriminate adoption of metal oxide electron transport layers (ETLs) from nip-type LPSCs to nip-type TPSCs. Here, we reveal the origin and underlying mechanism of metal oxide ETLs on the poor performance of the nip-type TPSC and propose a novel metal chalcogenide ETL, specifically Sn(S0.92Se0.08)2, to replace them. This newly developed metal chalcogenide ETL not only circumvents the oxygen molecules desorption and impedes the Sn2+ oxidation, but also exhibits a tailored band structure, improved morphology, heightened conductivity, and increased electron mobility. As a result, TPSCs with Sn(S0.92Se0.08)2 ETLs demonstrate significant increase in open-circuit voltage, rising from 0.48 to 0.73V, and a noteworthy enhancement in PCE, soaring from 6.98 to 11.78%, representing a more than 65% improvement. Additionally, TPSCs with Sn(S0.92Se0.08)2 ETLs exhibit improved operational stability, retaining over 95% of their initial efficiency after 1632 h. Our findings underscore a substantial advancement in nip-type TPSC performance and stability, showcasing metal chalcogenides as promising candidates for future nip-type TPSC applications.
Serum-derived exosomal circENC1 inhibits SMC phenotypic switching to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques by interacting with miR-513a-5p and inhibiting MYH9 degradation
Authors: He Xiang , Yan Wen , Zhang Huanji , Si Xiaoyun , Li Huilan , Hu Xingwei , Guo Yihai , Wang Yingyun , Zheng Lingxiao , Liao Wangjun , Liao Yulin , Bin Jianping
Published: June 2024

Introduction:
The function of serum-derived exosomes (serum-exos) that suppress smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic switching-related genes in plaque stabilization is unclear. We aimed to determine the functional role of serum-exos, which are pivotal molecular regulators, in plaque stabilization and the underlying mechanism.
Methods and results
RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses of human serum-exos were used to identify circENC1, which is involved in SMC phenotypic switching and plaque stabilization. qRT‒PCR assays further confirmed that the circENC1 level was substantially lower in the unstable plaque (UP)-exo group than in the stable plaque (SP)-exo group. In mice treated with serum-exos from patients with SPs, the expression of the SMC contractile phenotype indicators ACTA2 and SM22 and the plaque stability increased. In contrast, in the group treated with serum-exos from patients with UPs, CD68 expression and the vulnerability index were increased. Moreover, circENC1 expression was negatively correlated with the plaque vulnerability index in the UP-exo group and the sham group. Mechanistically, single-cell analysis, chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays indicated that circENC1 suppressed SMC phenotypic switching by inhibiting the degradation of MYH9 and acting as a miR-513a-5p sponge to release MYOCD.
Conclusion
Serum exosomal circENC1 inhibits SMC phenotypic switching to stabilize plaques by binding to miR-513a-5p and inhibiting MYH9 degradation, indicating that this molecule may play an important role in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerotic plaques.
Epipolar resampling for Satellite Linear Pushbroom Images Using Block-wise Affine Transformation Parallel Method
Authors: Liu Chen , Chen Bingsun , Wen Zhang , Li Linyi , Meng Lingkui , Zhao Shuangming
Published: June 2024

Epipolar resampling is an essential step for 3D reconstruction and Digital Surface Moeld(DSM) generation from satellite images. However, with improved satellite image resolutions and larger image size, the time required for epipolar resampling increases exponentially. While the polynomial fitting methods based on Piecewise Projection Trajectory Method (PPTM) is commonly employed for epipolar resampling, its effectiveness and efficiency diminish when confronted with large and high-resolution images. To tackle this challenge, we propose a novel parallel block-wise epipolar resampling method designed to expedite the resampling process without compromising accuracy. This method leverages PPTM and fixed elevation plane to establish the relationship between left and right epipolar points. Local affine transformations and image partitioning replace polynomial transformations applied across the entire image to approximate the correspondence between original and epipolar images. Furthermore, parallel computation was employed for block-wise pixel resampling acceleration. Experimental analysis using IKONOS-2, ZY-3, and GF-7 images confirms the efficacy and accuracy of our method. We achieve subpixel y-disparities comparable to polynomial fitting methods, while reducing resampling time by 10 to 20 percent through single-core serialization. Moreover, multi-core parallelism approach achieves a parallel efficiency exceeding 80%.
Vanadyl porphyrin – efficient spin probe to study the alumina surface of supported catalysts in situ
Authors: Chetkova Anna , Trukhan Sergey , Martyanov Oleg
Published: June 2024

The EPR method and vanadyl tetraphenylporphyrin complex (VOTPP) as a spin probe were employed to study the transformation of the γ-Al2O3 surface during temperature treatment. It has been shown that VOTPP complex is stable at least up to a temperature of 450°C and \({P}_{{\text{O}}_{2}}\) ≲ 3 Pa. Four distinct forms of vanadyl complex were identified on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface, depending on the annealing temperature. The intensity ratio between these forms, exhibiting significantly different spin-Hamiltonian parameters, depend on the degree of surface hydration, which in turn determines the ratio between sites with different acidity on the γ-Al2O3 surface. It has been shown that VOTPP complex demonstrate reversible transitions between different adsorption forms on the alumina surface during dehydration/hydration cycles. The observed phenomenon can be explained by the coordination vanadyl spin probe along the axial axis to the surface centers of different polarity/acidity.
Evaluation of the usability of ancient hulled wheat in saline soil cultivation based on enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense responses
Authors: Temizgül Rıdvan
Published: June 2024

Soil salinization is the second most crucial factor causing soil degradation after soil erosion, which reduces crop yields by severely restricting plant growth and development. In this study, the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses of four different ancient hulled wheat against exogenously administered glycine-betaine (0.5 mM) along with sodium and potassium-based individual (0-200 mM) and combined (50–100 mM) salt stresses. According to the results obtained here, we tried to predict the tolerance of these varieties to salt stress and the extent to which they can be used in saline/sodic soils. According to the study results, sodium and potassium chloride-based salts above 100 mM cause high stress levels in hulled wheat. When sodium and potassium chloride salts are given together, this stress decreases by approximately 20–30%. When supplemented with exogenous glycine-betaine, almost all the adverse effects of stress disappear, especially in the T. boeoticum variety, and the plant regains normal growth functions. Especially in soils where salinity is caused by sodium, ancient hulled wheat is grown rather than modern cultivated wheat, and if potassium fertilizers are given to the plants in addition to nitrogenous fertilizers, the plant can control the ingress of salt into the cell and cope with salinity stress by maintaining the intracellular K+/Na+ balance. As a result, successful results can be achieved in terms of food safety by increasing the product yield.
Investigating cross-organism prediction of prokaryotic essential proteins using unsupervised language model and ensemble strategy
Authors: Liu Zhikang , Wang Han , Li Chang , Wan Jing , Gao Jingyang
Published: June 2024

Background Cross-organism prediction of essential proteins significantly improves the discovery of new drugs and the ability to re-engineer microorganisms. Despite the proficiency of current methodologies in machine learning and deep learning for predicting essential proteins, most of them do not address the applicability of such methods to cross-organism prediction. Such applicability is important because a useful predictor must perform well outside the organisms on which it is trained.
Results In this study, we develop a large language model-and bidirectional long short-term memory-based approach called 'DeepPEP' that reliably transfers essential protein annotations between distantly related organisms. We curate 66 prokaryotic datasets and utilize these datasets to systematically investigate DeepPEP's capability in cross-organism prediction. Initially, we explore pair-wise prediction, wherein a model trained on data from one organism is utilized to predict outcomes for another organism. Our findings reveal a correlation between prediction performance and evolutionary distance, prompting us to consider utilizing species with closer evolutionary relationships for cross-species prediction tasks. However, subsequent investigations indicate that integrating training sets from multiple organisms yields superior performance. Subsequently, we devise a scenario closely resembling real-world cross-organism applications. In this scenario, the performance of DeepPEP is comparable to the state-of-the-art tool: Geptop 2.0, with DeepPEP demonstrating more sensitivity in predicting species-specific essential proteins. Finally, we conduct a case study to exemplify DeepPEP's efficacy in predicting essential proteins in novel genomes.
Conclusions Our proposed model represents a valuable strategy for cross-organism prediction of prokaryotic essential proteins. Moreover, the scenario we establish, which closely resembles real-world applications, can serve as a benchmark for evaluating the performance of future models.
Validation of Collision Detection and Avoidance Methods for Urban Air Mobility through Simulation
Authors: Panchal Isha , Armanini Sophie F. , Metz Isabel C.
Published: June 2024

Urban Air Mobility is a new concept of regional aviation that has been growing in popularity as a solution to the issue of ever-increasing ground traffic. Electric vehicles with vertical take-off and landing capabilities are being developed by numerous market companies as a result of the push toward environmentally sustainable aviation. The next stage in this development process would be to define the concept of operation of these conceptual aircraft and then to integrate them with the existing airspace once they are airborne. In addition to coordinating with conventional air traffic and other Urban Air Mobility vehicles, collision avoidance with uncooperative airspace users has to be addressed. Birds and drones of all sizes pose a serious risk to these low-flying aircraft. Innovative collision detection and avoidance techniques need to be employed due to the uncooperative nature of these airspace users and different performance characteristics of Urban Air Mobility vehicles compared to classical fixed-wing aircraft. The aim of this study is to validate the concept of one such system by means of fast-time simulations. This system builds, similarly to the Airborne Collision Avoidance System, on safety envelopes and rule-based collision-avoidance to prevent collisions with non-cooperative airspace members. The system is designed to work with all aircraft configurations used for Urban Air Mobility operations. To assess its influence on safety and capacity, different scenarios are modelled by varying parameters such as intruder type, location, flight path. The parameters assessed are differences in flight time and closest point of approach with and without the collision avoidance system in place. Moreover, the influence of different configurations of Urban Air Mobility aircraft on these parameters is analysed. The results show that the separation between the ownship and intruder is increased substantially which leads to safe operations at bearable delay costs.
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Tangerine and Mandarin Citrus Accessions from Indonesia using SSR and SCoT Markers
Authors: Nugroho Kristianto , Santoso Tri Joko , Kosmiatin Mia , Sukma Dewi , Purwito Agus , Husni Ali , Reflinur Reflinur , Lestari Puji
Published: June 2024

Citrus is one of prominent horticultural crops that highly consumed by people around the world. Indonesia, as a country being located near the equator, has several local accessions of tangerine and mandarin citrus that remain poorly characterized. Thus, assessment of their genetic diversity will facilitate us in adequately identifying accessions conferring important traits suitable for breeding program. The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity of Indonesia’s local accessions of tangerine and mandarin citrus using SSR and SCoT markers. Fifty three citrus genotypes representing 8 tangerine accessions, 28 mandarin accessions, and 17 outgroup accessions were subjected to genetic diversity analysis using 20 SSR and SCoT markers. The number of alleles detected by SCoT markers was higher than by SSR markers accounted for 137 and 107, respectively, while the number of alleles at each locus detected by ScoT and SSR markers varied from 6 to 12 and 2 to 10, respectively. Additionally, 19 SCoT and 18 SSR markers with PIC value greater than 0.5 were identified, indicating their potential as highly informative markers in citrus breeding programs. The phylogenetic tree and PCoA plot constructed from both SSR and SCoT markers revealed clearly discrimination of tangerine, mandarin, and outgroup accessions. The AMOVA results showed a higher genetic variation observed within populations in comparison to that among populations, indicating high cross-pollination in the citrus accessions used in the study. The population structure, represented by the highest delta K value of K = 2 in SSR markers and K = 3 in SCoT markers, also revealed evidence of genes flow occurred among citrus populations. The results of this study would beneficially provide an important information for citrus breeding strategies in the future.
Enhanced Real-Time Computer Vision and Intelligent Decision-Making for Autonomous Vehicle Applications
Authors: Sharma Neerav , Garg Rahul Dev , Bhattacharjee Shubham , Dash Prajna Parimita
Published: June 2024

The trends of autonomous driving and intelligent transportation systems are increasing exponentially in the global context and sooner or later, it will overtake the existing transport sector. Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a paramount role in its strengthening and deployment. Computer vision and decision-making are some of the primitive tasks executed by AI techniques. The prominent challenge arises when the detection contains false alarms which leads to inaccurate computer vision and correspondingly, wrong and imprecise decision-making. This paper presents an enhanced computer vision and decision-making framework for real-time intelligent transportation system applications and assisting the scenario of autonomous driving with minute false alarms. Existing technologies are unable to detect animals in real-time which is a major fallback for autonomous vehicle applications. The system involves a developed computer vision technique based on deep learning YOLO v6 and optimized with stochastic variance reduced gradient approach capable of detecting bike, car, mini truck, cow, dog and pedestrians with minimal false alarms. The developed technique was tested on real-world road networks using 50 set of vehicles. The mean average precision (mAP) scores for all classes accounts to 0.9783 with a frame rate of 87 frames per second deployed on NVIDIA GPU. The developed system showed precise detections in both day and night time and presents a strong baseline for advanced autonomous vehicle applications for real-world transportation scenarios.
Risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with multiple as opposed to single pathogens detected on the gastrointestinal disease polymerase chain reaction assay
Authors: Mannstadt Insa , Choy Alexa , Li Jianhua , Green Daniel A , Freedberg Daniel E
Published: June 2024

Background
The use of gastrointestinal disease multiplex polymerase chain reaction (GI PCR) testing has become common for suspected gastrointestinal infection. Patients often test positive for multiple pathogens simultaneously through GI PCR, although the clinical significance of this is uncertain.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with detection of multiple (as opposed to single) pathogens on GI PCR. We included adult patients who underwent GI PCR testing from 2020 to 2023 and had one or more pathogens detected. We compared patients with multiple versus those with single pathogens and hypothesized that immunosuppression would be a risk factor for detection of multiple pathogens. We further hypothesized that, during the 90 days after GI PCR testing, patients with multiple pathogens would have worse clinical outcomes such as increased rates of ED visits, death, hospitalization, or ambulatory care visits.
Results
GI PCR was positive in 1,341 (29%) of tested patients; 356 patients had multiple pathogens and 985 had one pathogen. The most common pathogens included Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC, 27%), norovirus (17%), and Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC,14%) in both multiply and singly positive patients. Immunosuppression was not associated with multiple pathogens (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.35, 95% CI (0.96, 1.86). The factors most associated with multiple pathogens were Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.42, 2.45) and chronic kidney disease (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.13, 2.49). Patients with multiple pathogens were more likely to have ED visits during the 90 days after GI PCR testing (40% vs. 32%, p<0.01), but they were not more likely to die, be hospitalized, or to have ambulatory medical visits.
Conclusions
Immunosuppression was not associated with detection of multiple as opposed to single pathogens on GI PCR testing. There were worse clinical outcomes associated with detection of multiple pathogens, although these effects were modest.
Particle size sets the carbon penetration depth during ocean bloom export events
Authors: Lacour Léo , Briggs Nathan , Petiteau Louis , Bressac Matthieu , Guidi Lionel , Castro Bieito Fernández , Picheral Marc , Catalano Camille , Schmechtig Catherine , Leymarie Edouard , Poteau Antoine , Claustre Hervé , Boyd Philip
Published: June 2024

Sinking biogenic particles are central to transporting carbon to depth. To date, studies have focused on quantifying the downward export flux from the epipelagic (0-100 m), often neglecting particle fate in the mesopelagic (100–1000 m) due to sampling issues. Particle fate is set by sinking speed and flux attenuation which determine penetration depth. Characterising particle penetration depth is essential to quantify atmospheric return times for biologically-fixed carbon, hence the influence of the biological pump on climate. Here, a profiling float-based imaging sensor, measuring particle abundance over 14 size-classes (0.1–2.58 mm), revealed conspicuous particle export pulses, from two annual phytoplankton blooms, with size-dependent sinking speeds from 3 to 136 m d− 1. Penetration depth of small slow-sinking particles (< 0.6 mm) was < 200 m, accounting for 66% of POC attenuation across all size-classes over the mesopelagic. Larger particles, penetrating to > 900 m, resulted in only a small increase in POC attenuation to 77% at 200 m. This attenuation exceeded that from respiration (42%), derived from float-based oxygen measurements, suggesting that POC attenuation was jointly controlled by remineralisation and fragmentation. This float-based approach can assess the downward and return pathway of the biological pump.
Evaluating trends in damage to Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits deployed during the second year of a two-year Phase III trial in Western Zambia
Authors: Kyomuhangi Irene , Yukich Joshua , Saili Kochelani , Orange Erica , Masuzyo Mundia H. , Mwenya Mwansa , Mambo Patricia , Hamainza Busiku , Wagman Joe , Miller John , Chanda Javan , Silumbe Kafula , Littrell Megan , Eisele Thomas P. , Ashton Ruth A.
Published: June 2024

Background
Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) are a proposed new vector control tool for malaria that contain sugar and an ingestion toxicant, and are designed to attract and kill sugar-feeding mosquitoes. During a two-arm cluster randomized Phase III trial conducted in Zambia to test the efficacy of ATSB stations on malaria incidence, ATSB stations deployed in intervention clusters were routinely monitored to ensure their good physical condition and high coverage. This study investigates trends in prevalence and rate of damage to ATSB stations during year 2 of the two-year trial.
Methods:
A secondary analysis was conducted using monitoring data collected in year 2. Data included types of damage observed, location, and date of removal and/or replacement of ATSB stations. In this study we evaluate temporal trends in the prevalence of overall damage and different damage types among 68,299 ATSB stations deployed. A profile of all ATSB stations installed on each structure was constructed, and spatial analyses conducted on overall damage and different damage types observed on 18,890 structures. Mixed effects regression analyses were conducted to investigate drivers of damage to ATSB stations on these structures.
Results:
Prevalence of overall damage and different damage types was temporally and spatially heterogeneous. Among damaged ATSB stations observed during monitoring, tears and mold had the highest prevalences on average, with tears maintaining above 50.0% prevalence through most of the monitoring period, while mold prevalence increased steadily during the first few months, peaking in February. Overall, 45.6% of structures had at least one damaged ATSB station, however this varied spatially across the trial site. Both structure characteristics and environmental factors significantly impacted the odds and rate of damage to ATSB stations on structures, including: ATSB stations’ level of protection from rainfall and sunshine; roof and wall material of the structure; night-time temperature; rainfall; enhanced vegetation index, and land cover.
Conclusion:
Damage to ATSB stations in this setting was temporally and spatially heterogeneous; and has implications on operational feasibility, sustainability, and cost of future deployment. Further research is required to understand the mechanisms of damage, and to minimize prevalence and rate of damage to ATSB stations.
Wafer-scale vertical injection III-nitride deep-ultraviolet light emitters
Authors: Xu Fujun , Wang Jiaming , Ji Chen , Lang Jing , Zhang Lisheng , Kang Xiangning , Qin Zhixin , Yang Xuelin , Tang Ning , Wang Xinqiang , Ge Weikun , Shen Bo
Published: June 2024

A ground-breaking roadmap of III-nitride solid-state deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light emitters is demonstrated to realize the wafer-scale fabrication of devices in vertical injection configuration, from 2 to 4 inches, and expectably larger. The epitaxial device structure is stacked on a GaN template instead of conventionally adopted AlN, where the primary concernof the tensile strain for Al-rich AlGaN on GaN is addressed via an innovative decoupling strategy, making the device structure decoupled from the underlying GaN template. Moreover, the strategy provides a protection cushion against the stress mutation during the removal of substrates. As such, large-sized DUV light-emitting diode (LED) wafers can be obtained without surface cracks, even after the removal of the sapphire substrates by laser lifted-off. Wafer-scale fabrication of 280 nm vertical injection DUV-LEDs is eventually exhibited, where a light output power of 65.2 mW is achieved at a current of 200 mA, largely thanks to the significant improvement of light extraction. This work will definitely speed up the application of III-nitride solid-state DUV light emitters featuring high performance and scalability.
Apoptotic: In-silico and In-vitro Study on Alzheimer’s Marker, and Bioactive Derived from Benincasa hispida using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy
Authors: RC Pooja , DR Bharathi
Published: June 2024

Purpose: Molecular docking is a viable and useful method to develop new herbal therapies to fulfill different therapeutic needs. One of the biggest issues is the lack of understanding of the processes underlying the common use of herbs. Method: Potential binding sites between the different ligands and the target protein were loaded using Schrodinger software, which also predicts protein-ligand interactions. The forty (40) molecules of Benincasa hispida with Apoptosis and Acetylcholine targets were carried out so, as to evaluate their theoretical binding affinities. The chemical structure was predicted from gas-chromatography (GC-MS), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library (2014). Molecule 40 (M40) with the highest binding affinity of -10 kcal/mol was observed. In-silico ADME and drug-likeness prediction of the molecules showed good pharmacokinetic properties having high gastrointestinal absorption, orally bioavailable, and less toxic.
Results: Phytochemical screening, In-vitro analysis free radical scavenging assay (DPPH, ABTS, H2O2, and FRAP). Phytochemical screening showed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, Phenols, sterols, and glycosides was observed in the preliminary test. In the scavenging assay, Ascorbic acid showed regression values DPPH (R2=0.9746), ABTS (R2=0.9865), H2O2 (R2=0.988), and FRAP (R2=0.9834).
Conclusion: The outcome of the present research strengthens the relevance of these compounds as promising lead candidates for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Alzheimer's disease which could help medicinal chemists and pharmaceutical professionals in further designing and synthesis of more potent drug candidates. Moreover, the research also encouraged the in-vivo and in-vitro evaluation study for the proposed designed compounds to validate the computational findings.
Improving patients' accessibility to primary care services: the Italian reorganization of territorial medicine
Authors: Diglio Antonio , Morlotti Chiara , Bruno Giuseppe , Cattaneo Mattia , Paleari Stefano , Piccolo Carmela
Published: June 2024

Ensuring widespread access to healthcare services is a crucial policy objective. The Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has notably prioritized territorial medicine, channeling post-pandemic investments towards the restructuring of primary care services. A significant change involved the establishment of Community Healthcare Centers (CHCs). This paper investigates how CHCs contribute to accessibility to healthcare in urban and rural areas. By leveraging a comprehensive dataset of general practitioners’ availability and estimating supply and demand future scenarios, we examine the impact of CHCs under two different capacity allocation strategies. Strategy 1—Capacity expansion—involves allocating additional service hours of general practitioners in CHCs to maximize accessibility. Strategy 2—Capacity redistribution—accounts for the persisting shortage of healthcare professionals faced by Italy in recent years, thereby reallocating a portion of general practitioners’ current services from their existing workplace locations to CHCs. Our results indicate that CHCs have the potential to maintain current accessibility levels and even enhance them in the years to come. Moreover, we demonstrate that even redistributing current capacity can improve future accessibility.
School Enhancement: An Alternative to “School Turnaround”
Authors: Irby Beverly J. , McIntush Karen , Villarreal Elsa , Etchells Matthew , Leithwood Kenneth , Meyers Coby , Green Reginald , Reeves Patricia , Lara-Alecio Rafael , Tong Fuhui , Johnson Adrain , Hurst Thyrun , Musik Stu , Ponce Geovanny , Harville J.C. , Loyd Delic , Maza Lidia , Gentry Bobby , Costello Yvonne
Published: June 2024

School accountability measures have resulted in initiatives for school turnaround reform. In an effort to address issues surrounding school turnaround and enhancement, a think tank was conducted by a research center at a Tier 1 research university along with experts and practitioners in the field. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the transcripts to identify key themes that emerged from the discussion. Four themes emerged regarding characteristics of effective school enhancement:  leadership, capacity building, root cause analysis, and unity of purpose. Implications for practice included nurturing unity of purpose across the school community, building capacity of faculty and staff, establishing strong instructional leadership, intentionality in the school improvement process, and implementing a continuous school improvement process.
Aportaciones educacionales del vínculo-familia escuela: una propuesta reflexiva documental
Authors: Rodríguez Bustamante Alexander
Published: June 2024

La maduración de la producción científica con respecto al entendimiento del vínculo familia-escuela se encuentra en curso. Frente a la potencia de información recopilada a propósito de este relacionamiento, este artículo propone una reflexión que identifica aportes educacionales para la sociedad a todo nivel, dando vida a siete aspectos: implicación, ventaja educativa, conectividad/conexión parental, habilidades interpersonales/capacitación emocional, capacidad de agencia, educación para la ciudadanía y sentido de pertenencia. Se concluye que la cooperación familia-escuela humaniza y actúa en procura del bienestar y del buen vivir.
Challenges and opportunities in the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Central and West Asia
Authors: Huseynova Leyla
Published: June 2024

The study aims to analyze the impact of challenges and opportunities related to corruption, regulatory barriers to doing business, innovativeness of the business environment, and development of institutions and policies that ensure economic prosperity on the development of MSMEs in Central-Western Asia countries. The paper chooses seven Central-West Asian countries using Asian Development Bank statistics for 2010–2021. Based on eleven indicators of the Asian Development Bank (the absolute values and dynamics of the number of MSMEs, their employees, their contribution to GDP, financing by banks and non-banking financial institutions) and factor analysis, the composite indicator of MSMEs’ development was calculated. The highest levels of the composite indicator in 2021 were observed for Kazakhstan (1.248), Uzbekistan (1.120), and Azerbaijan (1.043), and the lowest values for the Kyrgyz Republic (0.676). Employing a panel regression analysis with time-fixed effects (for all countries), connections between composite indicators of MSMEs’ development and the Corruption Perceptions Index, Ease of Doing Business Index, Global Competitiveness Index, and Global Innovation Index were explored. The greatest impact was in 2019 – with an increase in the Corruption Perceptions Index by one unit (the higher it is, the less corruption is considered by experts), the MSME development indicator increased by 0.26 units. With an increase in the Ease of Doing Business, Global Competitiveness, and Global Innovation Indices by one unit (growth indicates deterioration of the country’s rating position), the composite indicator of MSMEs’ development decreases by 0.68, 0.69, and 0.67 units, respectively.
PERFORMANCE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LINER AFTER LABORATORY UV EXPOSURE
Authors: Lavoie Fernando Luiz , Kobelnik Marcelo , Valentin Clever , Tirelli Érica Fernanda , Lopes Maria , da Silva Jefferson
Published: June 2024

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes are commonly used as an environmental protection liner due to their good chemical and mechanical resistances and low cost. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an essential issue in durability studies for pond applications. This study evaluated a 1.5-mm thick HDPE geomembrane exposed to ultraviolet fluorescent radiation for 8760 h in a laboratory and thermoanalytical and physical analyses were conducted towards the understanding of its performance after exposure. According to the results, although the geomembrane maintained the ductile behavior, it showed a 52.48% final decrease in stress crack resistance (SCR) compared to virgin SCR. Moreover, a considerable antioxidant depletion occurred after 8760 h exposure shown by the Std. OIT (standard oxidative-induction time) results, demonstrating a Std. OIT value decrease of 89.19% compared to the virgin Std. OIT. Such a behavior contributed to the susceptibility of thermal effects in the DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) curves and the losses observed in the SCR values, attesting the geomembrane’s oxidative degradation mechanism occurred and changed the polymer’s structure.