bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Brand Crisis on Consumer Negative Emotions: Focused on Crisis Causes and Brand Personality
Authors:   The Korea International Trade Research Institute, Zheng Naying , Cho Seong-Do
Published: July 2023

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of brand crisis causes and brand personality types on negative emotions. This research investigates the different impacts of intentional and unintentional crisis causes on anger and disappointment. Furthermore, the differential impacts of sincere and exiting brands on anger and disappointment are analyzed. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study tests four hypotheses through experimental designs using different scenarios. In order to make a sincere brand personality an expression, ‘innocent and faithful’ is used in describing a company, and words such as challenging, liberal, and creative are used for making an existing brand personality. 249 participated, and 201 responses were analyzed, excluding unfaithful questionnaires. Findings – The results of the study show that an intentional cause brings about anger more strongly than disappointment. By contrast, an unintentional cause led to disappointment more than anger. A sincere brand’s crisis was associated more strongly with anger than disappointment, and an exciting brand’s crisis influenced disappointment more greatly than anger. Research Implications – In intentional brand crisis and sincere brand situations wherein anger was greater than disappointment, a prompt apology may be necessary before implementing specific compensation tactics. This is because it is crucial to rapidly mitigate the negative impact of intense anger. On the other hand, disappointment is a slower-moving emotion that arises from suboptimal performance. Therefore, compensatory tactics may be required to meet consumer expectations.
Productive agglomerations in Paraná and their determinants
Authors: Raiher Augusta Pelinski , Souza do Carmo Alex Sander , Stege Alysson Luiz
Published: July 2023

This paper aims to analyze the determinants of productive agglomerates in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil, mainly focusing on the effects of economies of specialization and diversification. To achieve its aim, ten industrial sectors (the most representative in terms of job offer) were selected and through panel data (using spatial panel), regressions were estimated, one for each industry, considering the 399 towns and the period between 2000 and 2015. The results from all sectors showed statistically significant externalities originated in the productive specialization, affecting positively the dynamics of industrial growth in the Paraná towns. Moreover, in many sectors, a spatial effect was observed, with spillover of the industrialization dynamics to neighboring towns.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy as a Method for Analyzing the Correlation of Local Resistive and Ferroelectric Properties in Memristive Compositions
Authors:   St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University ", Andreeva N.V. ,   LETI",   named after V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin), St. Petersburg, 197022, Russian Federation, Petukhov A.E. ,   St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation, Ryndin E.A. ,   St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI" named after V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin), St. Petersburg, 197022, Russian Federation, Luchinin V.V. ,   St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI" named after V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin), St. Petersburg, 197022, Russian Federation, Aivazyan V.M. ,   St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI" named after V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin), St. Petersburg, 197022, Russian Federation
Published: July 2023

The creation of multilayer resistive memory devices based on nanolayer memristive compositions with thin ferroelectric (FE) films, in which resistance switching is caused by a combination of effects related to the influence of interface regions, polarization states, charge transport mechanisms, and microscopic features of nanostructures, requires the development of new experimental approaches to the study of local electrophysical properties. One of the most common ways to investigate local electrophysical properties is the use of various atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques, including the Kelvin probe microscopy, tunneling AFM, and piezoresponse AFM. The main reason for switching from AFM to scanning tunneling microscopy techniques when studying the local resistive properties of memristive compositions with FE films is the need to stabilize the probe-sample contact. The main obstacle to the effective use of AFM techniques to study the local ferroelectric properties in nanolayer memristive compositions with thin FE films is the occurrence of a strain gradient during scanning, which leads to the contribution of the flexoelectric effect and direct piezoelectric effect in the measurement results. In this work, we have developed a method of investigating the local FEproperties using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) techniques under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The essence of the proposed approach is to identify the contribution of polarization charges, as well as the features of their screening on the free surface of the FE film, to the results of STS measurements at different polarization orientations in the FE film. In combination with STM measurements of local morphological features, the analysis of experimental results makes it possible to identify the state of FE polarization, determine the contribution of the surface screening of polarization charges to the manifestation of memristive effects, and investigate the correlation between the local resistive and FE properties in nanolayer memristive compositions with thin FE films.
CREATING SMART CITIES – A STRATEGIC CONCEPT OF INNOVATIVE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Authors:   Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, Berdanova Olha
Published: July 2023

The conceptual views on the development of the SMART-cities, which are characterized by ambiguity, are examined in the article. On the one hand, the SMART-city concept is a logical continuation of the penetration of information and communication technologies into our lives. On the other hand, cities are gradually becoming effective robots, and people are under constant surveillance, which to some extent violates their right to privacy. At the same time, it is determined that SMART-cities are characterized by innovative use of information and communication technologies to ensure diverse, comfortable and sustainable urban development. Under conditions of democratic governance in the city, establishing close feedback with citizens and involving them in decision-making of ICT-based innovations can significantly improve the functioning of urban services and help create a safe environment and a favorable business climate in the city. Therefore, the implementation of the SMART-city concept is becoming increasingly popular and covers both large and medium and small cities. Approaches to the evaluation of SMART-cities are outlined. The spheres of urban development and indicators by which it is possible to investigate the degree of implementation of the SMART-city concept in different cities are described. The world experience of application of information and communication technologies in the city management system is investigated. It is revealed that there are no uniform approaches to the essence of necessary innovations and ways of their implementation. SMART-city strategies are very different, they take into account the specific problems and opportunities of urban communities. The experience of Ukrainian cities in the context of SMART-city is studied, which testifies to significant successes in this direction. It is determined that SMART-city should be an instrument of realization of the strategic vision of the city development, developed by the city authorities in close cooperation with the public, and not be separate business projects.
Intensive training of specialists in the technical direction of professional English-language terminology within the framework of innovative development of economic sector
Authors: Terpak M. A. , Sarycheva S. A.
Published: July 2023

This research project considers a specific way of studying English vocabulary. The authors believe that the use of a specialized dictionary developed by them will help to quickly and efficiently master foreign language material, which, in turn, will provide more effective training in professional English for future specialists in the technical industry.
History of demographic development of the Chinese province of Heilongjiang (1970–2020)
Authors: Makeeva S. B.
Published: July 2023

The article presents the history of the demographic development of one of the Chinese northeastern provinces. Various processes of socio-political, trade, economic, foreign policy and spatial-regional transformations of the PRC in the second half of the XX century influenced the demographic processes of the Chinese border province of Heilongjiang. The purpose of the article is to consider the historical features, factors and reasons for the depopulation of the population of the Heilongjiang province bordering Russia. As a result of studying the natural-climatic, institutional-political and modernization-industrial factors of the historical evolution of Heilongjiang Province, it has been established that the current decline and aging of the population, the decline in the birth rate, the migration of labor resources from the province to other regions of China is a consequence of the reduction of state-owned enterprises, the implementation of a strategy of regional uneven development in 19781999, low investment attractiveness, long-term innovation and technological adaptation of Heilongjiang Province to the rapid pace of Chinas economic development. In the early 1990-ies, when the Soviet Union collapsed and the economy of a neighboring state was in difficult conditions, proximity to Russia did not bring economic growth to Heilongjiang. On the contrary, it was the heavy industry that provided the leading positions for Northeast China in the middle of the XX century that became an obstacle to the economic development of Heilongjiang. In the 1990-ies the reform of state-owned enterprises led to the dismissal of workers who, having lost their jobs, left Heilongjiang province. The decline in the growth rate of the old industrial base in the Northeast of the PRC has had an impact on the fact that Heilongjiang Province has gradually turned from the territory of the main influx of population (19501960-ies) into the territory of the largest outflow of population (2010-ies to the present).
Development of critical thinking skills of students of non-linguistic specialties
Authors: Zhurbenko N. L. , Sheypak O. A. , Sudilina E. V.
Published: July 2023

Critical thinking skills are as mandatory for a modern young competitive specialist, a graduate of a non-linguistic university, as the ability to conduct professional activities in a foreign language and computer literacy. The lack of critical thinking skills development methods determines the relevance of the research related to the development of methodological support of the critical thinking skills development in the framework of professionally oriented foreign-language education/ESP teaching in non-linguistic universities. Critical thinking is a special kind of cognitive activity that is closely related to the use of practical reasoning and intelligence. This is the possession of a system of assumptions that is used to analyze phenomena, information and events, and allows you to make grounded assessments and interpretations, to use extrapolation, to draw conclusions, and to correctly apply the obtained results to various situations and solve specific problems. The authors propose to consider critical thinking as a set of skills such as making assumptions, analyzing arguments, drawing inferences, deduction, interpreting information and making hypotheses. We assume that the development of each skill separately should lead to the formation of a complex skill of critical thinking. The formation of the development of the above-mentioned skills can be integrated into the foreign languages teaching in the process of training technical specialists, as part of the formation of foreign language communicative competence. After testing, which revealed the level of formation of various skills that make up the complex skill of critical thinking, the authors developed a set of exercises aimed at the formation and development of critical thinking skills. The approbation showed students interest in new types of exercises in foreign language classes. The results of this work can be used in the framework of teaching foreign languages (ESP) in non-linguistic universities.
Creación de legitimidad en el capitalismo: el Parásito-Rey
Authors: Bandera López Noel
Published: July 2023

El artículo se aproxima al sistema capitalista desde la perspectiva nunca suficientemente transitada de la ocultación ideológica y su creación de legitimidad, presentándose al capitalismo como Parásito-Rey. Apoyándose en autores como Arrighi y Braudel, el objeto histórico analizado es el sistema hegemónico que nace cuando la economía se convierte en racionalidad última. Se propone un esquema interpretativo por estadios que contiene la evolución del Parásito-Rey a través de continuas variaciones: 1) elección de sucesivos organismos principales colonizados; 2) procesos de enmascaramiento antigénico-ideológico; 3) transformaciones provocadas en el cuerpo social; 4) propagación mediante estructuras vehiculares; 5) declive del organismo principal, y 6) crisis y reorganización del sistema.
A LUTA PELA IDENTIDADE INDÍGENA E EDUCAÇÃO ESCOLAR NA COMUNIDADE PORTO PRAIA DE BAIXO (TEFÉ-AM).
Authors: Oliveira Nelma Catulino , Rapozo Pedro Henrique Coelho
Published: July 2023

Este artigo é resultado da pesquisa de mestrado, intitulada “Educação escolar indígena: processos de implementação e efetividade das politicas educacionais na comunidade Porto Praia de Baixo (Tefé/AM), apresentada ao Programa de Pós Graduação Interdisciplinar em Ciências Humanas (PPGICH), da Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA). Tem por objetivos apresentar a contextualização do processo histórico de mobilização étnica do povo indígena Kokama, que vivem na comunidade Porto Praia de Baixo, município de Tefé, estado do Amazonas e identificar e caracterizar os agentes sociais que contribuíram para a implementação da educação escolar indígena neste lugar. Utiliza-se como metodologia a revisão bibliográfica, a análise de fontes documentais, assim como, entrevistas com moradores e professores da comunidade em questão. Verificamos como resultado desta pesquisa, o papel crucial dos agentes sociais para a implantação de políticas educacionais em Porto Praia de Baixo.
A MARISCAGEM: A HERANÇA DOS MANGUEZAIS AMAZÔNICOS
Authors: Eyzaguirre Indira Angela L. , Ferreira da Silva Assis Luciane , Fernandes Marcus E. B.
Published: July 2023

Este vídeo faz parte da série “Vozes das mulheres do mangue” e é um dos produtos audiovisuais do projeto “Observatório do Mangue” que retrata os serviços ecossistêmicos de provisão utilizados por mulheres marisqueiras que residem na comunidade Vila do Bonifácio dentro da Reserva Extrativista Marinha de Caeté-Taperaçu no município de Bragança. Esta pesquisa foi realizada no âmbito de três projetos: “Redes de conhecimento socioecológico das florestas de mangue”, “Ciência cidadã e comunidades tradicionais do litoral na adaptação às mudanças climáticas: construindo uma rede brasileira de observação” e da equipe “Usos y Derechos” do projeto “Mangues da Amazônia”, realizados na região norte pelo Laboratório de Ecologia de Manguezal (LAMA) da Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Campus de Bragança.Assista aqui.
Using Hygge to Promote Wellness and Coping With a Chronic Illness
Authors: Ladores Sigrid , Billings Rebecca , Polen Morgan
Published: July 2023

Hygge is a Nordic practice and mindset of creating warmth and comfort from within to improve one's wellness. Hygge has not been explored well in the scientific literature, especially in the context of a chronic illness. This article describes the experiences of an adult woman with cystic fibrosis, a progressive, incurable genetic disease primarily affecting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, as she uses hygge to cope with the daily challenges of her illness. She also uses hygge as a framework for an online support group she founded to encourage other women with CF in their quest for optimal physical and emotional health. Hygge offers practical self-care behaviors that have the potential to make positive impacts on quality of life across healthy communities and those with chronic conditions, especially in the current setting of a global pandemic.
Xylem water transport is influenced by age and winter pruning characteristics in grapevine (Vitis vinifera)
Authors: Claverie Marion , Lecomte Pascal , Delorme Gaël , Dumot Vincent , Jacquet Olivier , Cochard Herve
Published: July 2023

In order to investigate the effect of age and pruning characteristics on grapevine hydraulic conduction, a study was carried out between 2017 and 2020. Two pruning regimes (respecting or not sap flow pathways) and two vine age levels (older and younger vine plants) were considered and compared on two different vineyard plots located in French north-east Jura region and in south-west Bordeaux one. The assessment of pruning characteristics in relation to sap flow pathway was based on a visual characterization of the external wood aspect of the trunk and arms and consisted of a set of criteria involving the number, size and position of pruning wounds.Sap flow measurements of entire vine plants were carried out using the Xyl’em® tool, as well as an assessment of the necrotized, living and conductive xylem area in the trunks and arms after Phloxine staining. The biomass of the vegetation was also assessed.Results showed that vines pruned without considering the sap flow pathways had a 40-to-50% less conductive sap flow than vines pruned taking into account the sap pathway. No difference was observed with vine age within each pruning regime. However, for the vineyard plot where the amount of conductive xylem area was assessed, older vines that were not pruned to respect the sap pathways showed a smaller area of living wood as well as conductive wood than the older ones pruned to respect the sap flows. The amount of living and conductive areas of these vines was equivalent to that of younger vines pruned to respect sap pathways. These older vines also showed less vegetative biomass.These results show that pruning without taking into account the sap pathways has a negative impact on the conduction of xylem sap pathways in grapevines, both in terms of hydraulic efficiency and quantity of living and conducting tissues. However, the possible consequences of these reductions on grapevine physiological functions still need to be further investigated.
Primary Reference Procedure for Measuring the Mass Fraction and Molar Concentration of Copper and Zinc in Biological Materials by Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Vostroknutova E. V. , Tabatchikova T. N. , Migal P. V. , Lebedeva E. L. , Sobina E. P. , Sobina A.  V. , Kuznetsova M. F.
Published: July 2023

The establishment and control of the metrological characteristics of the determination of trace elements in biological materials is an urgent task due to the wide application of these measurements in medical laboratory diagnostics. In the course of the research, the process of developing a primary reference procedure for measuring the mass fraction and molar concentration of copper and zinc in biological materials by isotope dilution mass spectrometry is presented. The optimal conditions for sample preparation and measurements by isotope dilution and mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma are determined in order to increase the accuracy. The sources of uncertainty are studied; the contribution of each source to the uncertainty budget is estimated. During the certification of the developed measurement procedure, the following metrological characteristics were determined: the measurement range of the mass fraction of copper and zinc is from 1 ∙ 10–6 to 1,5 ∙ 10–3 %, the measurement range of the molar concentration of copper and zinc is from 2 to 20 µmol/dm3, the relative expanded measurement uncertainty of the mass fraction of copper is (7.1–7.5) %, the relative expanded uncertainty of the mass fraction of zinc is (8.9–9.2) %, the relative expanded uncertainty of the molar concentration of copper is 8.8 %, the relative expanded uncertainty of the molar concentration of zinc is 8.6 %.

The developed procedure is intended to establish the metrological characteristics of reference materials for the composition of lyophilized blood serum and reconstituted lyophilized blood serum, control the accuracy of the measurement results obtained using other procedures (methods) of measuring similar values, perform high-precision measurements of mass fractions and molar concentrations of copper and zinc in lyophilized blood serum and reconstituted lyophilized blood serum for referee purposes.
Algorithm for taking into account back-reaction of gravitational waves emission during the merger of neutron stars
Authors: Potashov Marat Shamilevich , Yudin Andrey Viktorovich
Published: July 2023

The stripping model of stripping in a pair of contact binary neutron stars is one of the promising explanations for short gamma-ray bursts. For correct modeling of the mass transfer stage, a self-consistent accounting for the loss of angular momentum due to the emission of gravitational waves is required. The paper presents a new algorithm for calculating the back-reaction force of gravitational radiation in a pair of binary neutron stars. The calculation is implemented by the smoothed-particle hydrodynamics method (SPH).
Fire Detection Based on Image Using MATLAB GUI Programme
Authors: Mu'afa Muhammad Dhafier , Silalahi Mark Reindhard Joyakin , Julitama Hanif Wisti , Hariyono Joko
Published: July 2023

Computer vision-based fire detection systems overcome this limitation in that they do not identify flammability on a product-by-product basis. In this study, fire detection was carried out using the YCbCr, RGB, and HSV map approach. The offered system uses color segmentation as a component of fire detection analysis. These three colors space segments will then be extracted to determine the presence of fire in the image used. A rule which consists of five rules based on color space condition had been constructed for classification of a pixel classified as fire. If a pixel satisfies these five rules, the pixels belong to fire class.This paper consists of 6 steps, including image acquisition, image pre-processing, image segmentation, feature extraction, image classification, and GUI creation. GUI provides a visual interface that is intuitive and easy for the user to understand the proposed system. By using button and another visual elements, users can interact with the system efficiently. Based on the tests carried out, the proposed system can detect images of fire in dark and light conditions. Performance testing is done by collecting a set of fire images on the internet. Performance is judged based on how many errors are generated when detecting fire. Performance is categorized into five types, including very good, good, fair, poor, and very poor.
Altered purinergic signaling in women undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Cassavaugh Jessica , Khan Adnan A. , Qureshi Nada , Valencia Juan , Mahmood Eitezaz , Russ Elizabeth , Sohail Ahmed , Poulin Marie-France , Bose Ruma , Khabbaz Kamal , Mahmood Feroze , Robson Simon C. , Matyal Robina
Published: July 2023

Despite recent advances in cardiac surgery, adverse outcomes remain more prevalent in females as compared to males. Our study aimed to further understand whether purinergic signaling plays a role in the discrepancy in outcomes of females presenting for cardiac surgery. Right atrial tissue was harvested from 80 patients undergoing cardiac surgery before and after and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Human tissue experimentation was complemented by experiments in 40 mice subject to a high fat diet and ovariectomy. Females had clinically significant increased incidence of diastolic dysfunction, length of stay, and fibrosis as well as significantly increased markers of inflammation (IL-6, leptin), apoptosis, and oxidative stress. Western blotting demonstrated that CD39, responsible for the enzymatic lysis of inflammatory extracellular ATP, was significantly decreased in women post-bypass when compared to men (P < 0.05). CD73 expression was significantly higher pre-bypass with decreased expression of adenosine deaminase post-bypass in women, suggestive of perturbed adenosine homeostasis (p < 0.05). Our experimental mice model demonstrated cardiac dysfunction and changes in purine-adenosine signaling pathways correlating to significantly decreased adenosine levels in high-fat diet and ovariectomy groups compared to control (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the imbalance of pro-inflammatory ATP and adenosine may play a role in sex-specific outcomes in cardiac surgery.
CReToNeXt-YOLOv5: A study on the construction of pig face expression recognition
Authors: Nie Lili , Jiao Fan , Song Xinyue , Du Yihan , Liu Zhenyu
Published: July 2023

The study focused on the significance of facial expressions in pigs as a mode of communication for assessing their emotions, physical status, and intentions. To address the challenges of recognizing facial expressions due to the simple facial muscle group structure of pigs, a novel pig facial expression recognition model called CReToNeXt-YOLOv5 was proposed. Several improvements were made to enhance the accuracy and detection ability of the model. Firstly, the CIOU loss function was replaced with the EIOU loss function to optimize the training model and achieve more accurate regression. This change improved the overall performance of the model. Secondly, the model was equipped with the Coordinate Attention mechanism, which improved its sensitivity to expression features, making it more effective in recognizing facial expressions. Lastly, the CReToNeXt module was integrated into the model to enhance its detection capability for subtle expressions. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the CReToNeXt-YOLOv5 model. It achieved a mean average an mAP of 89.4%, showing a significant improvement of 6.7% compared to the original YOLOv5 model. Overall, the experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the optimized YOLOv5 model, CReToNeXt-YOLOv5, in accurately recognizing facial expressions in pigs.
Why rivers disappear - analysis of postmining factors using the example of the Sztoła River, Poland.
Authors: Lupa Michał , Pełka Aleksandra , Młynarczuk Mariusz , Adamek Katarzyna
Published: July 2023

This study examines the drought in the Olkusz region using satellite imagery and remote sensing indices. The analysis reveals that the region experienced multiple types of drought, including hydrogeological drought due to groundwater level lowering caused by mining activities, agricultural drought resulting from insufficient soil moisture, hydrological drought characterized by reduced water flow in rivers, and meteorological drought linked to decreased precipitation and high temperatures. The study demonstrates the usefulness of optical imaging and remote sensing indices such as NDVI, MSAVI2, MSI, NDWI, and NMDI in monitoring and assessing drought conditions. The results indicate significant changes in vegetation health and water content, as well as alterations in the natural environment within the region. The research highlights the importance of considering both human-induced and natural factors when evaluating drought phenomena. Continued monitoring and expansion of the study area would provide valuable insights into the long-term effects of weather conditions and the broader impacts on the ecosystem.
High-resolution downscaled climate variables spatiotemporal variation and drought projected in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China
Authors: Huang Peng , Xie Hua , Li Dan , Hu Xuhua , Liu Chaoli , Xu Yang , Song Changhong , Dai Chunsheng , Khan Shahbaz , Cui Yuanlai , Luo Yufeng
Published: July 2023

Drought is greatly impacted by climate variables, and high-resolution downscaled climate variables are valuable for precisely identifying drought characteristics. Due to Sanjiang Plain’s crucial strategic position and drastic climate changes, we analyze its spatiotemporal variation in climate variables and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). Two sharing economy pathway scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) during the early (2023–2030), middle (2050–2060), and late periods (2090–2100) are projected. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) are used for downscaling to simulate temperature and precipitation, respectively. WRF model is driven by the bias-corrected CMIP6 dataset, the ensemble of CMIP6 daily predictor variables are applied to SDSM, which generate high-resolution downscaled data named SSP-DS scenario. The SPEI computed from precipitation and reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is adopted to identify drought characteristics. The results indicate that downscaled results accurately reflect the CMIP6 original outputs change trend, but increase ET0 and reduce precipitation. The average temperature, total ET0, total precipitation manifests an increasing trend over time, and SSP585-DS scenario increases more significantly. High radiative forcing contributes to increasing temperature and ET0. Seven stations dry and wet characteristics have no obvious spatial heterogeneity; accumulated16 to 23 (17 to 24) drought events are captured, mild drought is the most frequent and extreme drought is the least under the SSP245-DS and SSP585-DS scenario. This study predicts the spatiotemporal variation in climate variables and drought characteristics based on high-resolution downscaled data, which contributes to Sanjiang Plain management strategy against drought risk and climate change.
The Value of Advanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologies in Detecting the Characteristics of Cardiac Involvement in Anderson-Fabry Disease
Authors: Yang Junlan , Wei Zhiyuan , Li Zuolin , Yang Yan , Shi Xuan , Cao Jingyuan , Yu Weiwei , Zhang Shijun , Zhang Aihua , Zhang Xiaoliang , Wang Bin
Published: July 2023

Introduction: Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is a genetic disorder associated with cardiac involvement. Advanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) technologies, including T1 mapping and gadolinium-enhanced CMR, have been used to detect and evaluate cardiac involvement in AFD patients. However, there is limited information on the characteristic CMR manifestations of cardiac involvement in Chinese AFD patients.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, clinical data were collected from patients with AFD diagnosed at this center from January 2022 to March 2023. Compared with echocardiography, CMR was used to evaluate cardiac function, the degree of cardiac structural lesions, and to analyze characteristic CMR findings of cardiac involvement in AFD.
Results: 20 patients with AFD from nine families were included. This study showed that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was detected in 85% of patients (18.41 ± 4.56 mm) by CMR, whereas echocardiography identified LVH in only 65% of patients (16.86 ± 2.74 mm), suggesting that echocardiography may underestimate the severity of LVH in AFD patients (P=0.001). Moreover, all patients exhibited characteristic CMR findings of cardiac involvement in AFD, including decreased T1 values (95% of patients) and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) associated with myocardial fibrosis (55% of patients).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CMR is a valuable tool for detecting and assessing cardiac involvement in AFD patients, providing characteristic CMR findings, including LVH, decreased T1 values, and LGE associated with myocardial fibrosis. Moreover, this study highlighted the diagnostic superiority of CMR over echocardiography in assessing LVH in AFD patients.
Neuropeptide W Facilitates Chronic Gastric Ulcer Healing by the Regulation of Cyclooxygenase and NF-κB Signaling Pathways
Authors: Tamer Sevil Arabacı , Mermer Sezen , Erdoğan Ömer , Çevik Özge , Ercan Feriha , Bağcı Cahit , Yeğen Berrak Ç. , Yeğen Berrak Ç.
Published: July 2023

Putative beneficial effects of NPW in the early phase of gastric ulcer healing process and the involvement of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes were investigated in an acetic acid-induced gastric ulcer model. In anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats, acetic acid was applied surgically on the serosa and then a COX inhibitor (COX-2-selective NS-398, COX-1-selective ketorolac, or non-selective indomethacin; 2 mg/kg/day, 3 mg/kg/day or 5 mg/kg/day; respectively) or saline was injected intraperitoneally. At 1-h of ulcer induction, omeprazole (20 mg/kg/day), NPW (0.1 µg/kg/day) or saline was intraperitoneally administered. Injections of NPW, COX inhibitors, omeprazole or saline were continued for the following 2 days until they were decapitated at the end of the third day. NPW treatment depressed the gastric PGI2 level, but not PGE2 level. Similar to omeprazole, NPW treatment significantly reduced the gastric and serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels and depressed the upregulation of NF-κB and COX-2 expressions due to ulcer. In parallel with the histopathological findings, treatment with NPW suppressed ulcer-induced increases in myeloperoxidase activity and malondialdehyde level and replenished glutathione level. However, the inhibitory effect of NPW on myeloperoxidase activity and NPW-induced increase in glutathione were not observed in the presence of COX-1 inhibitor ketorolac or the non-selective COX-inhibitor indomethacin. NPW facilitated the healing of gastric injury in rats via the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine production, oxidative stress and neutrophil infiltration as well as the downregulation of COX-2 protein and NF-κB gene expressions.
Identification of Shared Pathogenetic Genes in Parkinson’s Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Chen Lin , Wang Yong , Hu Binbin , Huang Juan , Huang Wei
Published: July 2023

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Increasing evidence suggests that PD patients have alterations in glucose metabolism and that type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for PD. Although extensive literature has shown that there is a close linkage between PD and T2D, the molecular and genetic mechanisms of these two diseases are still unclear.
Object: The aim of this study was to explore the shared pathogenetic genes in PD and T2D. Method: We downloaded microarray data for PD and T2D from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The RNA microarray data of human postmortem substantia nigra samples were accessed from the GSE49036, GSE20141 and GSE7621 datasets. The RNA microarray data of human pancreatic islet samples were from the GSE76896 dataset. The differentially expressed genes between the PD/control and T2D/control groups were analyzed. Gene coexpression modules related to PD and T2D were constructed by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Then, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed on the common genes between the PD and T2D key modules. Finally, through protein‒protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, four shared pathogenetic genes were identified.
Result: There were 348 downregulated differentially expressed genes and 221 upregulated differentially expressed genes between PD patients and healthy controls. There were 218 downregulated differentially expressed genes and 65 upregulated differentially expressed genes between T2D patients and healthy controls. Thirty-six common differentially expressed genes with consistent fold change directions were obtained from the overlapping differentially expressed genes between the PD and T2D datasets. In the PD datasets, the turquoise module was the key module related to the pathogenesis of PD and included 3735 genes. In the T2D dataset, the turquoise module was the most significant module related to the pathogenesis of T2D and included 790 genes. The common genes between the PD and T2D key modules were primarily enriched in synaptic transmission and insulin signaling. After the construction of the PPI network, we identified four shared pathogenetic genes, namely, TAGLN3, STMN2, SYT4 and GAP43.
Conclusion: In conclusion, TAGLN3, STMN2, SYT4 and GAP43 were the shared pathogenetic genes of PD and T2D, which might provide new therapeutic targets for PD and T2D.
Expression profiles of nintedanib-targeting molecules in progressive fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (non-IPF-PF) and IPF
Authors: Zhang Lanlan , Wang Pengbo , Mo Yan , Zhang Yuansheng , Tong Xia , Zhang Xin , Li Shasha
Published: July 2023

Background:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other types of progressive fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (non-IPF-PF), such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (cHP), systemic sclerosis (SSc), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), and sarcoidosis, are common interstitial lung diseases. Nintedanib is one of the two approved therapies that can significantly slow the progression of IPF. However, the potential of nintedanib in non-IPF-PF has not been fully evaluated.
Methods:
We reanalyzed the single-cell data of IPF and non-IPF-PF and identified the main target genes of nintedanib (FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FLT1, FLT4, KDR, and PDGFRA) by subgroup classification and functional analysis of gene expression profiles in both IPF and non-IPF-PF.
Results:
We found that the main target genes of nintedanib were upregulated in IPF and various cell subpopulations of non-IPF-PF, including cHP, SSc, NSIP, and sarcoidosis, with Fgfr1 being the most elevated subpopulation. In fibroblasts, Fgfr1 was found to be elevated in both IPF and cHP. We identified nintedanib-sensitive cell subpopulations by analyzing the expression profiles of fibroblasts after nintedanib treatment. We also found that nintedanib could inhibit the nintedanib-sensitive gene set in mice treated with nintedanib in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that key regulatory genes of nintedanib were positively correlated with survival in lung adenocarcinoma, providing further support for the potential anti-tumor activity of nintedanib in vivo.
Conclusion:
Our findings provide comprehensive evidence of the target expression of nintedanib in non-IPF-PF and IPF, highlighting the potential of nintedanib for the treatment of non-IPF-PF.
Investigation of Supercapacitor Properties using Iron Tungsten Porous Electrode in Neutral Aqueous Electrolyte
Authors: Costa Maria Joseíta dos Santos , Costa Gilson dos Santos , Santos Reginaldo da Silva
Published: July 2023

Porous supercapacitors (SCs) materials are great interesting for energy storage system. Electrolyte contributes for enhancement supercapacitor perform. This paper, iron tungstate mixed oxides electrode was prepared by polymeric precursor method and deposited onto conductor substrate by drop casting heat-treated at 500 ºC for 2 h. The thermal, structural, and morphological characterization was realized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman, emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Crystallization process of polymeric resin occurred at 454°C. Synergistic effect of monoclinic FeWO4 and monoclinic Fe2W3O12 phases were confirmed with Fe/W mixed oxides. An irregular shape of condensed spherical-like particles aggregated with rough and porous nanostructures were observed. Neutral electrolytes were employed in electrochemical measurement as lithium nitrate (LiNO3) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). SC electrochemical analyses of Fe-W electrode accomplishes a capacitance of 75 F g–1 at 5 mV s–1, energy density of 3.73 Wh kg–1, power density of 582.1 W kg− 1and long-term electrochemical cycling with a capacity retention of 94.04% after 6000 cycles in 0.1 mol L− 1 Na2SO4. Therefore, Fe-W based electrode demonstrates a potential supercapacitor device with excellent stability in a nontoxic aqueous electrolyte.
Towards Task Mapping Approaches in Network on Chips: A Comprehensive Survey
Authors: masdari Mohammad
Published: July 2023

One of the main stages of Network on Chip (NoC) is task mapping where the application tasks are mapped to the processing resources. Task mapping decisions have a direct impact on the NoC performance and can be classified as static or dynamic mapping methods. In this paper, we carry out a comprehensive systematic study of task mapping schemes in various NoCs. For this purpose, firstly, an overview of the task mapping's main concepts is presented. Then, a taxonomy of the mapping schemes regarding their objectives and applied mapping factors is presented and the studied schemes are categorized into fault-tolerant schemes, congestion-aware schemes, communication-aware approaches, temperature-aware methods, and energy-aware schemes. Afterward, their main contributions, provided services, and drawbacks of the proposed studies in the literature are illustrated. Moreover, a comprehensive discussion of various features of the investigated mapping methods is presented and issues such as the applied algorithms, simulators, datasets, and evaluation metrics are discussed. Finally, the concluding issues and open research areas are highlighted.
Trends and impacts of climate change on crop production in Burkina Faso
Authors: Sanou Charles Lamoussa , Neya Oblé , Agodzo Sampson Kwaku , Antwi-Agyei Philip , Bessah Enoch , Belem Mahamadou , Balima Larba Hubert
Published: July 2023

Understanding past climate trends and their impacts in the Sahel region is fundamental for climate change (CC) adaptation and mitigation. This study analyses climate trends from 1961 to 2020 in three climatic zones in Burkina Faso and the impacts of CC on five major crops production. Long time series of daily rainfall and temperature data from National Meteorology Agency for the period 1961 to 2020 has been compiled. Crop production data (1984–2020) were retrieved from the agriculture department. Climate temporal variations in each climatic zone were analyzed using extreme climate indices and principal component analysis. Linear regression was used to assess climate impacts on crop production. The results showed a high rainfall variability and changes in temperature extremes in the three zones. The climate window, 1991–2020, was hotter than 1961–1990, while the last decade (2011–2020) was the wettest. Most climate indices (67%) showed significant correlations with crop yields. Dry spells, cool days, cold nights, average daily wet days and rainfall intensity showed positive and negative effects on maize, cowpea, millet and sorghum yields. This study highlights the importance of climate-smart policy promoting drought-resistant and short-duration varieties in addressing the adverse effects of CC on crop production.
Gradient-Boosted Decision Tree with used Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA) for wastewater treatment systems
Authors: Chauhan Jyoti , Rani R. M. , Prashanthi Vempaty , Almujibah Hamad , Alshahri Abdullah , Rao Koppula Srinivas , Radhakrishnan Arun
Published: July 2023

One way to improve the infrastructure, operations, monitoring, maintenance, and management of wastewater treatment systems is to use machine learning modelling to make smart forecasting, tracking, and failure prediction systems. This method aims to use industry data to treat the wastewater treatment model. Gradient-Boosted Decision Tree (GBDT) algorithms were used gradually to predict wastewater plant parameters. In addition, we used the Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA) for feature extraction and other acceptable tuning procedures. The input and effluent Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) prediction for effluent treatment systems applies to the GBDT approaches employed in this study. GBDT-SMA employs artificial intelligence to provide precise method modelling for complex systems. Several training and model testing techniques were used to determine the best topology for the neural network models and decision trees. The GBDT-SMA model performed best across all methods. With 500 data, GBDT-SMA achieved an accuracy of 96.32%, outperforming other models like Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN), and K-neighbours RF, which reached an accuracy of 82.97, 87.45, 85.98, and 91.45%, respectively.
The Role of CDK20 Protein in Carcinogenesis
Authors: Chivukula Sowmya , Malkhed Vasavi
Published: July 2023

Cancer is a complex disease that develops when abnormal cells divide uncontrollably as
a consequence of unregulated cell cycle protein activity. Therefore, the cell cycle is crucial for
maintaining homeostasis inside the cells during DNA replication and cell division. The presence of
mutations within specific genes can disrupt the equilibrium within cells, ultimately leading to the
growth of cancer. CDK20 (Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 20) is recently identified as a major controller
of cell cycle checkpoints, which regulate cell growth and proliferation and perform a role in
the development of many malignancies. CCRK (Cell-Cycle Related Kinase) has recently been renamed
CDK20. Emerging studies proclaimed that the upregulation of CDK20 was identified in cancers
of the ovary, brain, colon, stomach, liver, and lung. CDK20 was thought to have Cyclin-dependent
activating kinase (CAK) activity for CDK2 when it is complexed with Cyclin H. Furthermore,
recent studies revealed that CDK20 is involved in the Wnt, EZH2/NF-B, and KEAP1-NRF2 signaling
pathways, all of which are interconnected to cancer formation and proliferation. In addition, the
structure of CDK20 was predicted using ColabFold, a powerful software integrating AlphaFold's
advanced AI system. The present review focuses on a systematic overview of the current knowledge
on CDK20 derived from in vitro and in vivo studies and emphasizes its role in carcinogenesis.
The validation comparison of the existing CDK20 AlphaFold structure with the ColabFold was
found to be exceptionally fast and accurate in generating reliable models.
Ex-situ propagation of Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) from an agroecological perspective
Authors: Khoury Elie
Published: July 2023

The pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) in Lebanon is facing random collection and potential extinction risks. To address this conservation concern, we conducted a study to investigate the impact of different agroecological treatments, including substrate type, mycorrhizal application, and mother bulb separation, on the growth and flowering characteristics of the orchid. The primary aim was to propose effective methods for ex-situ propagation of this endangered species. Various substrates were employed, including Own-soil, Pinebark, Pinebark-Peat (1/1 ratio), and Peat-Sand (1/1 ratio). Son bulbs were planted separately (SB) or combined with mother bulbs from the previous season (SB+MB), with or without mycorrhizal application (M: Yes and M: No). The selection of treatments was based on the natural requirements of the Pyramidal orchid in the wild state. The trial was conducted over a two-year period. The control treatment (Own-soil/SB+MB/M: No) yielded the highest plant length (37cm), width of the longest leaf (1.6cm), length of the longest leaf (17cm), width of the shortest leaf (1.4cm), dorsal sepal length (0.9cm), labellum length (0.9cm), petal length (0.9cm), and length of bulbs (3cm). Mother bulb separation resulted in enhanced growth for all indicators except bulb length and width. Mycorrhiza application improved all indicators, except the width of the shortest leaf and lateral sepal length. The combination of mycorrhizal treatment with mother bulb separation yielded the most significant improvements across all indicators compared to the control. Notably, in the Peat+Sand/SB/M: Yes treatment, there was a substantial increase in the width of the longest leaf (by 0.5cm) and the length of the longest leaf (by 3cm) compared to the control. Integrating the three studied factors provided a suitable ex-situ conditioning approach for the orchid, surpassing in-situ conditions. This study provides valuable insights into effective strategies for the conservation and ex-situ propagation of the pyramidal orchid in Lebanon.