bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LetsTalkShots: personalized vaccine risk communication
Authors: Salmon Daniel A. , Dudley Matthew Z. , Brewer Janesse , Shaw Jana , Schuh Holly B. , Proveaux Tina M. , Jamison Amelia M. , Forr Amanda , Goryn Michelle , Breiman Robert F. , Orenstein Walter A. , Kao Lee-Sien , Josiah Willock Robina , Cantu Michelle , Decea Tori , Mowson Robin , Tsubata Kate , Bucci Lucie Marisa , Lawler Jaqueline , Watkins James D. , Moore Jamie W. , Fugett James H. , Fugal Adriele , Tovar Yazmine , Gay Marie , Cary Aleen M. , Vann Iulia , Smith Lee B. , Kan Lilly , Mankel Magda , Beekun Sumayya , Smith Victoria , Adams Stephanie D. , Harvey Steven A. , Orton Peter Z.
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Vaccine hesitancy is a global health threat undermining control of many vaccine-preventable diseases. Patient-level education has largely been ineffective in reducing vaccine concerns and increasing vaccine uptake. We built and evaluated a personalized vaccine risk communication website called LetsTalkShots in English, Spanish and French (Canadian) for vaccines across the lifespan. LetsTalkShots tailors lived experiences, credible sources and informational animations to disseminate the right message from the right messenger to the right person, applying a broad range of behavioral theories.

Methods

We used mixed-methods research to test our animation and some aspects of credible sources and personal narratives. We conducted 67 discussion groups (n = 325 persons), stratified by race/ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, and White people) and population (e.g., parents, pregnant women, adolescents, younger adults, and older adults). Using a large Ipsos survey among English-speaking respondents (n = 2,272), we tested animations aligned with vaccine concerns and specific to population (e.g., parents of children, parents of adolescents, younger adults, older adults).

Results

Discussion groups provided robust feedback specific to each animation as well as areas for improvements across animations. Most respondents indicated that the information presented was interesting (85.5%), clear (96.0%), helpful (87.0%), and trustworthy (82.2%).

Discussion

Tailored vaccine risk communication can assist decision makers as they consider vaccination for themselves, their families, and their communities. LetsTalkShots presents a model for personalized communication in other areas of medicine and public health.
Thermoplastic molding of silk protein composite plastic toothbrush handles with on-demand degradability
Authors: Wu Junqi , Wiggins Rodrick D. , Weaver Casey H. , Kugel Gerard , Kaplan David L.
Published: June 2023

Toothbrush handles made from synthetic polymers like polypropylene and polyethylene accumulate in the environment at an annual rate of 1 billion devices per year and without significant degradation, resulting in severe burdens particularly in marine environments. Herein, we report a new process to generate these plastic handles using natural, biopolymer-based components using a direct thermoplastic molding approach, that also offers on-demand degradation of the materials. The materials are prepared directly from whole silk cocoons that are thermoplastically transformed into biodegradable plastic parts for consumer needs, here in the form of toothbrush handles; either with silk alone or in combination with other natural sourced materials such as cellulose, chitosan and hydroxyapatite. We demonstrate the on-demand degradation of these bioplastics in different ways, using natural exogenous protease digestion either offered through soil exposure of the silk based plastics or via unique on-demand activation of proteases sequestered in the plastic materials to drive the degradation on-demand (hydration). The approaches described here demonstrate a new approach to bio-plastic formation and degradation from biopolymers that offers widespread options for future consumer materials with a focus on sustainability.
Sensor-based augmented visual feedback for coordination training in healthy adults: a scoping review
Authors: Hegi Heinz , Heitz Jakob , Kredel Ralf
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Recent advances in sensor technology demonstrate the potential to enhance training regimes with sensor-based augmented visual feedback training systems for complex movement tasks in sports. Sensorimotor learning requires feedback that guides the learning process towards an optimal solution for the task to be learned, while considering relevant aspects of the individual control system—a process that can be summarized as learning or improving coordination. Sensorimotor learning can be fostered significantly by coaches or therapists providing additional external feedback, which can be incorporated very effectively into the sensorimotor learning process when chosen carefully and administered well. Sensor technology can complement existing measures and therefore improve the feedback provided by the coach or therapist. Ultimately, this sensor technology constitutes a means for autonomous training by giving augmented feedback based on physiological, kinetic, or kinematic data, both in real-time and after training. This requires that the key aspects of feedback administration that prevent excessive guidance can also be successfully automated and incorporated into such electronic devices.

Methods

After setting the stage from a computational perspective on motor control and learning, we provided a scoping review of the findings on sensor-based augmented visual feedback in complex sensorimotor tasks occurring in sports-related settings. To increase homogeneity and comparability of the results, we excluded studies focusing on modalities other than visual feedback and employed strict inclusion criteria regarding movement task complexity and health status of participants.

Results

We reviewed 26 studies that investigated visual feedback in training regimes involving healthy adults aged 18-65. We extracted relevant data regarding the chosen feedback and intervention designs, measured outcomes, and summarized recommendations from the literature.

Discussion

Based on these findings and the theoretical background on motor learning, we compiled a set of considerations and recommendations for the development and evaluation of future sensor-based augmented feedback systems in the interim. However, high heterogeneity and high risk of bias prevent a meaningful statistical synthesis for an evidence-based feedback design guidance. Stronger study design and reporting guidelines are necessary for future research in the context of complex skill acquisition.
Physical activity when riding an electric-assisted bicycle with and without cargo
Authors: Martnes Jørgen Jerstad , Bere Elling
Published: June 2023

Background

Regular physical activity provides several health benefits, and active transport is a convenient way to implement physical activity in everyday life. However, bikes’ lack of possibilities to carry cargo is a limitation. E-cargo bikes can help overcome barriers to cycling and increase levels of active transport while still providing the option to carry cargo such as groceries and children. As such, E-cargo bikes have a greater potential for being a substitute for cars, but relevance is not known as no study has assessed the energy expenditure and time used using E-cargo bikes with considerable cargo.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to compare time spent riding and exercise intensity when (1) riding an electric-assisted bicycle with cargo (30 kg) and without cargo and (2) driving a car.

Method

This study has a randomised crossover design. Eleven participants (six women) were recruited through convenience sampling. The participants traversed through a 4.5 km route with three different forms of transportation: an electric-assisted bicycle (E-bike) with 30 kg cargo, an E-bike without cargo, and a car. Oxygen uptake was measured with a portable oxygen analyser (Metamax 3B), and time spent cycling was measured on site by the test leader using a stopwatch.

Results

Riding an E-bike with cargo was slightly slower than riding an E-bike without cargo (11.8 vs. 11.1 min,p = 0.017) and driving a car (8.8 min,p = 0.002). There was no significant difference in exercise intensity between E-bikes with and without cargo but riding an E-bike with cargo entailed significantly higher exercise intensity compared to driving a car [4.9 metabolic equivalents of task (METs) vs. 1.4 METs,p ≤ 0.001].

Conclusions

E-biking with cargo was rather similar in time spent and exercise intensity to E-biking without cargo, and not much slower than driving a car. Using E-cargo bikes, therefore, appears a good alternative to driving a car when in need of carrying things such as grocery bags and children, resulting in increasing physical activity and, at the same time, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Genomic analysis and identification of potential duplicate accessions in Burkina Faso cassava germplasm based on single nucleotide polymorphism
Authors: Soro Monique , Pita Justin S. , Somé Koussao , Otron Daniel H. , Yéo Edwige , Mutuku J. Musembi , Néya James B. , Tiendrébéogo Fidèle , Koné Daouda
Published: June 2023

Cassava adaptation to climate change and its resistance to diseases are essential prerequisites for achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The accessions collected from farmers’ fields are very important because they can provide new sources of genetic variability that are essential to achieve this goal. In this study, a panel of 184 accessions collected in Burkina Faso was genotyped using 36 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The accessions and markers that presented with more than 6% missing data were removed from the dataset and the remaining 34 markers and 166 accessions were retained for genetic diversity and population structure assessment. The average values of expected heterozygosity (0.46), observed heterozygosity (0.58), and polymorphic information content (0.36) indicated high genetic diversity within accessions. A complex genetic structure of 166 accessions was observed through the formation of 17 clusters using discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and two clusters using Bayesian analysis. Out of the 166 accessions, 79 were unique multilocus genotypes (MLGs) and 87 were potentially duplicates. From the 79 MLGs, DAPC suggested eight clusters while the Bayesian analysis suggested seven clusters. Clusters shaped by DAPC appeared to be more consistent with a higher probability of assignment of the accessions within the clusters. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) showed a lack of clustering according to geographical origin. Information related to breeding patterns and geographic origin did not allow for a clear differentiation between the clusters according to the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). The results of this study will be useful for cassava germplasm conservation and breeding programs.
Modified Oxford technique of colpopexy for the treatment of uterine and vaginal vault prolapse: a retrospective pilot cohort study
Authors: Devassy Rajesh , Naem Antoine , Krentel Harald , De Wilde Rudy Leon
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Pelvic organ prolapse is a common health issue that affects 30.8% of women. Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy and colpopectopexy are two of the most common procedures to restore the pelvic anatomy. Mesh application on the other hand carries an increased complications risk over the short and long terms. The aim of this study is to provide a basis for meshless sacrocolpopexy and colpopectopexy.

Methods

This study is a retrospective cohort pilot study that analyzed the data of patients with a pelvic organ prolapse according to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification system and underwent the modified technique for sacrocolpopexy and colpopectopexy. Descriptive statistics were used to express the different variables.

Results

A total of 36 patients met the inclusion criteria and provided consent for the participation in this study. The majority of patients were postmenopausal. 22 out of 36 patients received a previous prolapse surgery. All patients presented with reducible vaginal lump. Dyspareunia and sexual dysfunction were the most commonly reported symptoms. The intraoperative complications rate was 0%. Only one patient had a postoperative persistent urinary retention that was managed medically.

Discussion

Sacrocolpopexy and colpopectopexy seems to be a safe alternative to the mesh-based pelvic surgeries with a very low rate of intraoperative complications and favorable follow up outcomes.
Effects of Long-Term Grazing on Feed Intake and Digestibility of Cattle in Meadow Steppe
Authors: Hou Lulu , Xin Xiaoping , Shen Beibei , Qin Qi , Altome Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed , Hamed Yousif Mohamed Zainelabdeen , Yan Ruirui , Nurlan Serekpaev , Adilbek Nogayev , Balzhan Akhylbekova , Kussainova Maira , Amarjargal Amartuvshin , Fang Wei , Pulatov Alim , Zhou Wenneng , Sun Haixia
Published: June 2023

(1) Estimation of grazing livestock intake is the basis for studying animal–plant relationships and the nutritional status of grazing livestock and has important implications for grassland composition and productivity. (2) We used the saturated alkanes method to determine the feed intake and vegetation nutrient digestibility of livestock at different grazing intensities and in different months. (3) We found that C31 had the highest concentration in both pasture and fecal output, and the average recovery of C31 was 77.99%. The different grazing intensities significantly affected livestock intake. As the grazing intensity increased, there was a decreasing trend of livestock intake and the highest livestock feed intake was 6.11 kg DM/day in light grazing. With the increase in grazing season months, the highest livestock intake was 6.67 kg DM/day in the cold period in September. The month also had a significant effect on the digestibility of livestock for all nutrient variables when compared to the grazing intensity. Livestock weight and medium palatability species are more important for livestock intake. (4) Our study provides a more accurate measurement of grazing livestock intake, which can be used as a reference for the scientific management of grazing livestock and the rational use of grazing pastures.
The Nitrogen Cycling Key Functional Genes and Related Microbial Bacterial Community α−Diversity Is Determined by Crop Rotation Plans in the Loess Plateau
Authors: Liu Rui , Liu Yang , Gao Yuan , Zhao Fazhu , Wang Jun
Published: June 2023

Soil nitrogen cycling microbial communities and functional gene α−diversity indicate soil nitrogen cycling ecological functions and potentials. Crop rotation plans affect soil nitrogen fractions and these indicators. We sequenced soil samples from four crop rotation plans (fallow, winter wheat monoculture, pea-winter wheat-winter wheat-millet rotation, and corn-wheat-wheat-millet rotation) in a long-term field experiment. We examined how microbial communities and functional gene α−diversity changed with soil nitrogen fractions and how nitrogen fractions regulated them. Planting crops increased the abundance and richness of nitrogen cycling key functional genes and bacterial communities compared with fallow. The abundance and richness correlated positively with nitrogen fractions, while Shannon index did not. The abundance increased with soil total nitrogen (STN) and potential nitrogen mineralization (PNM), while Shannon index showed that nitrogen cycling key functional genes increased and then decreased with increasing STN and PON. Introducing legumes into the rotation improved the α−diversity of nitrogen cycling key functional genes. These results can guide sustainable agriculture in the Loess Plateau and clarify the relationship between nitrogen fractions and nitrogen cycling key functional genes.
Assessment of the Effect of Climate Change on Wheat Storage in Northwestern Tunisia: Control of Rhyzopertha dominica by Aeration
Authors: El Melki Mohamed Nejib , Al-Khayri Jameel Mohammed , Aldaej Mohammed Ibrahim , Almaghasla Mustafa Ibrahim , El Moueddeb Khaled , Khlifi Slaheddine
Published: June 2023

This study focuses on the assessment of the impact of climate change on the efficiency of ambient air aeration and the dynamics of Rhyzopertha dominica, which is a major pest that infests wheat stored in Tunisia. To project future climate conditions for the period 2041–2070, two climate models, namely MPI-ESM1.2 and CNRMCM5.1, were used under two representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The study examined the historical and projected feasibility of aeration in six natural regions located in northwestern Tunisia, where wheat is the main crop, and investigated the potential consequences of climate change on the dynamics of R. dominica. Using a heat and mass transfer model in an unaerated wheat silo, the temperature and moisture distributions in the grain mass were used to predict the development, reproduction, and survival of R. dominica. The results revealed a decline in favorable aeration hours due to climate change, resulting in an average reduction of 25% across the six regions. This reduction in aerated hours could significantly affect the effectiveness of aeration as a means of pest control. The mean difference comparisons, based on Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test, revealed a significant effect of climate change on the developmental parameters of R. dominica for the period 2041–2070 compared to the period 1970–1997. According to the insect dynamic model, future climate scenarios are expected to induce changes in the development duration, reproduction, and survival rates of R. dominica. The model predicts a (i) 10–15% extension in the development duration, (ii) 20–30% decrease in reproduction, and (iii) 5–10% decrease in survival relative to the historical period. These results underscore the critical importance of implementing adaptive pest management strategies for stored wheat.
A Lightweight Crop Pest Detection Algorithm Based on Improved Yolov5s
Authors: Zhang Jing , Wang Jun , Zhao Maocheng
Published: June 2023

The real-time target detection of crop pests can help detect and control pests in time. In this study, we built a lightweight agricultural pest identification method based on modified Yolov5s and reconstructed the original backbone network in tandem with MobileNetV3 to considerably reduce the number of parameters in the network model. At the same time, the ECA attention mechanism was introduced into the MobileNetV3 shallow network to meet the aim of effectively enhancing the network’s performance by introducing a limited number of parameters. A weighted bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) was utilized to replace the path aggregation network (PAnet) in the neck network to boost the feature extraction of tiny targets. The SIoU loss function was utilized to replace the CIoU loss function to increase the convergence speed and accuracy of the model prediction frame. The updated model was designated ECMB-Yolov5. In this study, we conducted experiments on eight types of common pest dataset photos, and comparative experiments were conducted using common target identification methods. The final model was implemented on an embedded device, the Jetson Nano, for real-time detection, which gave a reference for further application to UAV or unmanned cart real-time detection systems. The experimental results indicated that ECMB-Yolov5 decreased the number of parameters by 80.3% and mAP by 0.8% compared to the Yolov5s model. The real-time detection speed deployed on embedded devices reached 15.2 FPS, which was 5.7 FPS higher than the original model. mAP was improved by 7.1%, 7.3%, 9.9%, and 8.4% for ECMB-Yolov5 compared to Faster R-CNN, Yolov3, Yolov4, and Yolov4-tiny models, respectively. It was verified through experiments that the improved lightweight method in this study had a high detection accuracy while significantly reducing the number of parameters and accomplishing real-time detection.
Predicting Suitable Areas for African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Wild Boars in South Korea and Their Implications for Managing High-Risk Pig Farms
Authors: Choi Ju Hui , Namgung Hun , Lim Sang Jin , Kim Eui Kyeong , Oh Yeonsu , Park Yung Chul
Published: June 2023

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars, with no effective vaccine or treatment available. In South Korea, extensive measures have been implemented to prevent ASF transmission between wild boars and ASF spillover from wild boars to pig farm sectors, including the search for ASF-infected carcasses in mountainous forests and the installation of fences across wide areas of these forests. To determine the priority search range for infected carcasses and establish pig farm-centered quarantine measures, it is necessary to predict the specific path of ASF outbreaks in wild boars and identify pig farms at high risk of ASF spillover from wild boars. Here, we aimed to predict suitable areas and geographical paths for ASF outbreaks in wild boars using the MaxEnt model and shortest-path betweenness centrality analysis. The analysis identified a high frequency of ASF outbreaks in areas with a suitability value ≥0.4 on the suitability map and in areas within a 1.8 km range from the path on the shortest-path map, indicating these areas were high-risk zones for ASF outbreaks. Among the 5063 pig farms analyzed, 37 were in the high-risk zone on the suitability map, 499 were in the high-risk zone on the shortest-path map, and 9 were in both risk zones. Of the 51 pig farm sectors with a dense distribution of pig farms (kernel density ≥ 8), 25 sectors were in contact with or partially overlapped the high risk zone on the suitability map, 18 sectors were located within the high risk zone on the shortest-path map, and 14 sectors were located within both risk zones. These findings aided in determining the priority range for searches for wild boar carcasses and enabled the establishment of preemptive ASF prevention measures around the pig farming sectors that are at risk of ASF spillover from wild boars.
A Postmortem Case Study—An Analysis of microRNA Patterns in a Korean Native Male Calf (Bos taurus coreanae) That Died of Fat Necrosis
Authors: Lee Sang-Joon , Cho Ho-Seong , Noh Sanghyun , Kim Young Hun , Seo Hwi-Won , Oh Yeonsu
Published: June 2023

Korean native cattle are highly valued for their rich marbling and flavor. Nonetheless, endeavors to enhance marbling levels can result in obesity, a prevalent contributor to fat necrosis. Fat necrosis is characterized by the formation of necrotic fat masses in the abdominal cavity, which physically puts pressure on affected organs, causing physical torsion or obstruction, resulting in death and consequent economic loss. Pancreatic injuries or diabetes mellitus were reported as factors of fat necrosis in humans; however, the pathogenesis in animals has not been established. In this study, we identified fat necrosis in a 6-month-old Korean native cow and investigated its potential underlying causes. Serum samples were utilized for a microarray analysis of bovine miRNA. Comparative examination of miRNA expression levels between cattle afflicted with fat necrosis and healthy cattle unveiled notable variances in 24 miRNAs, such as bta-miR-26a, bta-miR-29a, bta-miR-30a-5p and bta-miR-181a. Upon conducting miRNA-mediated KEGG pathway analysis, several pathways including the prolactin signal pathway, insulin resistance, autophagy, the insulin-signaling pathway and the FoxO-signaling pathway were found to be significantly enriched in the calf affected by fat necrosis. As a result, this study potentially indicates a potential connection between fat necrosis and diabetes in Korean native cattle.
Analysis, Occurrence and Exposure Evaluation of Antibiotic and Anthelmintic Residues in Whole Cow Milk from China
Authors: Chang Liming , Du Sishi , Wu Xiaojiao , Zhang Jian , Gan Zhiwei
Published: June 2023

An optimized QuEChERS method for the simultaneous extraction of 26 antibiotics and 19 anthelmintics in whole cow milk was established, followed by UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. Briefly, 20 mL acetonitrile with 1 g disodium hydrogen citrate, 2 g sodium citrate, 4 g anhydrous MgSO4, and 1 g sodium chloride were added to 10 g milk for target chemical extraction, followed by 50 mg anhydrous MgSO4 for purification. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained using the modified QuEChERS method, with recoveries of the antibiotics ranging from 79.7 to 117.2%, with the exception of norfloxacin, which was at 53.4%, while those for anthelmintics were in the range of 73.1–105.1%. The optimized QuEChERS method presented good precision, with relative standard deviations ranging from 7.2 to 18.6% for both antibiotics and anthelmintics. The method was successfully applied to analyze the antibiotics and anthelmintics in 56 whole cow milk samples from China. Briefly, the detection frequencies and concentrations of most of the antibiotics and anthelmintics were low in the whole cow milk samples, with concentrations ranging from below LOD to 4296.8 ng/kg. Fenbendazole, febantel, enrofloxacin, levofloxacin, sulfadiazine, and sulfamethoxazole were the predominant drug residues in the whole cow milk samples. Spatial distribution was found for those antibiotics and anthelmintics with detection frequency higher than 50%, especially for the antibiotics, indicating regional differences in drug application. Based on the current study, exposure to antibiotics and anthelmintics through whole cow milk consumption are lower than the acceptable daily intake values suggested by the China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control. However, long-term exposure to low doses of antibiotics and anthelmintics still needs attention and merits further study.
Interference with Bacterial Conjugation and Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics: Bridging a Gap
Authors: Guidotti-Takeuchi Micaela , Melo Roberta Torres de , Ribeiro Lígia Nunes de Morais , Dumont Carolyne Ferreira , Ribeiro Rosanne Aparecida Capanema , Brum Bárbara de Araújo , de Amorim Junior Tanaje Luiz Izidio Ferreira , Rossi Daise Aparecida
Published: June 2023

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in food matrices has been investigated under conditions that favor gene exchange. However, the major challenge lies in determining the specific conditions pertaining to the adapted microbial pairs associated with the food matrix. HGT is primarily responsible for enhancing the microbial repertoire for the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance and is a major target for controlling pathogens of public health concern in food ecosystems. In this study, we investigated Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) and Escherichia coli (EC) regarding gene exchange under conditions mimicking the industrial environment, with the coproducts whey (SL) and chicken juice (CJ). The S. Heidelberg strain was characterized by antibiotic susceptibility standards and PCR to detect the blaTEM gene. A concentration of 0.39 mg/mL was determined to evaluate the anti-conjugation activity of nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLCs) of essential oils to mitigate β-lactam resistance gene transfer. The results showed that the addition of these coproducts promoted an increase of more than 3.5 (whey) and 2.5 (chicken juice) orders of magnitude in the conjugation process (p < 0.01), and NLCs of sage essential oil significantly reduced the conjugation frequency (CF) by 74.90, 90.6, and 124.4 times when compared to the transfers in the absence of coproducts and the presence of SL and CJ, respectively. For NLCs from olibanum essential oil, the decrease was 4.46-fold for conjugations without inhibitors and 3.12- and 11.3-fold in the presence of SL and CJ. NLCs associated with sage and olibanum essential oils effectively control the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes and are a promising alternative for use at industrial levels.
Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Properties of CholesteroNitrone ChN2 and QuinolylNitrone QN23 in an Experimental Model of Cerebral Ischemia: Involvement of Necrotic and Apoptotic Cell Death
Authors: Chamorro Beatriz , Izquierdo-Bermejo Sara , Martín-de-Saavedra María Dolores , López-Muñoz Francisco , Chioua Mourad , Marco-Contelles José , Oset-Gasque María Jesús
Published: June 2023

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide. However, current therapeutic strategies are scarce and of limited efficacy. The abundance of information available on the molecular pathophysiology of ischemic stroke has sparked considerable interest in developing new neuroprotective agents that can target different events of the ischemic cascade and may be used in combination with existing treatments. In this regard, nitrones represent a very promising alternative due to their renowned antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we aimed to further investigate the neuroprotective effects of two nitrones, cholesteronitrone 2 (ChN2) and quinolylnitrone 23 (QN23), which have previously shown great potential for the treatment of stroke. Using an experimental in vitro model of cerebral ischemia, we compared their anti-necrotic, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant properties with those of three reference compounds. Both ChN2 and QN23 demonstrated significant neuroprotective effects (EC50 = 0.66 ± 0.23 μM and EC50 = 2.13 ± 0.47 μM, respectively) comparable to those of homo-bis-nitrone 6 (HBN6) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and superior to those of α-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). While primarily derived from the nitrones’ anti-necrotic capacities, their anti-apoptotic effects at high concentrations and antioxidant powers—especially in the case of QN23—also contribute to their neuroprotective effects.
Quantitative Chemical Composition, Anti-Oxidant Activity, and Inhibition of TNF Release by THP-1 Cells Induced by Extracts of Echinodorus macrophyllus and Echinodorus grandiflorus
Authors: Rocha Marina Pereira , da Silva Lyandra Maciel Cabral , Silva Laura Paulino Maia , Gomes José Hugo de Sousa , Pádua Rodrigo Maia de , Batista João Aguiar Nogueira , Sena Marcelo Martins , Campana Priscilla Rodrigues Valadares , Braga Fernão Castro
Published: June 2023

This study investigated the similarities between Echinodorus macrophyllus and Echinodorus grandiflorus, plant species that are traditionally used in Brazil to treat rheumatism and arthritis, whose anti-inflammatory effects are supported by scientific evidence. The contents of cis- and trans-aconitic acid, homoorientin, chicoric acid, swertisin, caffeoyl-feruloyl-tartaric acid, and di-feruloyl-tartaric acid were quantified by UPLC-DAD in various hydroethanolic extracts from the leaves, whereas their anti-oxidant activity and their effect on TNF release by LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells were assessed to evaluate potential anti-inflammatory effects. The 50% and 70% ethanol extracts showed higher concentrations of the analyzed markers in two commercial samples and a cultivated specimen of E. macrophyllus, as well as in a commercial lot of E. grandiflorus. However, distinguishing between the species based on marker concentrations was not feasible. The 50% and 70% ethanol extracts also exhibited higher biological activity, yet they did not allow differentiation between the species, indicating similar chemical composition and biological effects. Principal component analysis highlighted comparable chemical composition and biological activity among the commercial samples of E. macrophyllus, while successfully distinguishing the cultivated specimen from the commercial lots. In summary, no differences were observed between the two species in terms of the evaluated chemical markers and biological activities.
Medium- and Long-Term Load Forecasting for Power Plants Based on Causal Inference and Informer
Authors: Yang Kaiyu , Shi Fanhuai
Published: June 2023

Accurate forecasting of power plant loads is critical for maintaining a stable power supply, minimizing grid fluctuations, and enhancing power market trading mechanisms. However, the data on power plant generation load (hereinafter abbreviated as load) are non-stationary. The focus of existing load forecasting methods has been on continuously improving the ability to capture the dependent coupling between outputs and inputs, while research on external factors, which are the causes of non-stationary load data, has been neglected. The identification of the causal relationship between external variables and load is a significant factor in accurately predicting load. In the present study, the causal effects of various external variables on load were identified and then quantitatively calculated using various methods. Based on the improved Informer model, a long-time series forecasting model, a hybrid forecasting method was proposed called causal inference-improved Informer (hereinafter abbreviated as Causal–Informer). In the present study, the mutual information method was used to remove insignificant external variables. Subsequently, external factors such as GDP, holidays, ambient temperature, wind speed, power plant maintenance status, and rainfall were selected as input features of the proposed forecasting model. Finally, the proposed Causal–Informer method was evaluated using the historical load of a power plant in East China. Compared with four popular forecasting models, measurements on Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) for the proposed method were reduced by 89.8 million kwh–672.3 million kwh, 56.8 million kwh–637.9 million kwh, and 5.1–25.4%. The proposed method achieved the most accurate and stable results. The MAPE reached 10.4% and 24.8% in 30 time steps ahead and 90 time steps ahead of forecasts, respectively.
Research on Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Bearings Based on MBCNN-BiLSTM
Authors: Li Jian , Huang Faguo , Qin Haihua , Pan Jiafang
Published: June 2023

For safe maintenance and to reduce the risk of mechanical faults, the remaining useful life (RUL) estimate of bearings is significant. The typical methods of bearings’ RUL prediction suffer from low prediction accuracy because of the difficulty in extracting features. With the aim of improving the accuracy of RUL prediction, an approach based on multi-branch improved convolutional network (MBCNN) with global attention mechanism combined with bi-directional long- and short-term memory (BiLSTM) network is proposed for bearings’ RUL prediction. Firstly, the original vibration signal is fast Fourier transformed to obtain the frequency domain signal and then normalized. Secondly, the original signal and the frequency domain signal are input into the designed MBCNN network as two branches to extract the spatial features, and then input into the BiLSTM network to further extract the timing features, and the RUL of bearings is mapped by the fully connected network to achieve the purpose of prediction. Finally, an example validation was performed on a publicly available bearing degradation dataset. Compared with some existing prediction methods, the mean absolute and root mean square errors of the predictions were reduced by “22.2%” to “50.0%” and “26.1%” to “52.8%”, respectively, which proved the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Estimation of Driving Direction of Traffic Accident Vehicles for Improving Traffic Safety
Authors: Cho MinJe , Park JeongMin , Kim Siyoon , Lee Yonggeol
Published: June 2023

Traffic accidents are widely recognized as being a significant societal disaster that causes severe human, economic, and social damage. While various factors, such as environmental, road, and human factors are commonly associated with traffic accidents, this study proposes a novel approach to consider the directionality of traffic accidents. It examines its impact on traffic safety in Chungcheongnam-do province, South Korea. Using police reports, we estimated the directionality of each accident by calculating the angle between its occurrence site and destination. Our experimental results revealed a statistically significant association between the directionality of traffic accidents and their incidence rates in Chungcheongnam-do province, with a higher frequency of accidents occurring in a Southbound direction. These findings suggest that considering the directionality of traffic accidents could enhance the effectiveness of traffic safety policies and interventions. Further research is needed to explore this approach’s underlying mechanisms and potential applications. Nevertheless, this study provides important insights for policy makers and practitioners to develop targeted and practical measures for improving traffic safety.
Image-Based Classical Features and Machine Learning Analysis of Skin Cancer Instances
Authors: Almutairi Aeshah , Khan Rehan Ullah
Published: June 2023

Skin conditions influence people of all ages and genders and impose an enormous strain on worldwide public health. For efficient management and medical treatment, skin disorders must be accurately categorized. However, the conventional method of classifying skin conditions can be arbitrary and time-consuming, delaying diagnosis and treatment. In this research, we examine the application of traditional machine learning models and conventional image characteristics for the classification of skin cancer based on picture features. Specifically, we employ six feature extraction approaches, which we model using six classical classifiers. To evaluate our approach, we address skin cancer detection as both a seven-class problem and a two-class problem comprising 21 permutations of skin cancer instances. Our experimental results demonstrate that Random Forest achieves the highest performance, followed by Support Vector Machines. Additionally, our analysis reveals that the Edge Histogram and Fuzzy Opponent Histogram feature sets perform best in learning the skin cancer model. Our comprehensive evaluation of various models provides practitioners with valuable insights when selecting appropriate models for similar problems. Our findings demonstrate that acceptable detection performance can be achieved even with simple feature extraction and non-deep classifiers. We argue that classical features are not only easier and faster to extract than deep features but can also be combined with classical machine learning models to save time and valuable resources.
An Updated Review: Opuntia ficus indica (OFI) Chemistry and Its Diverse Applications
Authors: Shoukat Rizwan , Cappai Marta , Pia Giorgio , Pilia Luca
Published: June 2023

The beneficial nutrients and biologically active ingredients extracted from plants have received great attention in the prevention and treatment of several diseases, including hypercholesterolemic, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, edema, joint pain, weight control, eye vision problems, neuroprotective effects, and asthma. Highly active ingredients predominantly exist in fruit and cladodes, known as phytochemicals (rich contents of minerals, betalains, carbohydrates, vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, and taurine), which are renowned for their beneficial properties in relation to human health. Polyphenols are widely present in plants and have demonstrated pharmacological ability through their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant capacity, and the multi-role act of Opuntia ficus indica makes it suitable for current and future usage in cosmetics for moisturizing, skin improvement, and wound care, as healthful food for essential amino acids, as macro and micro elements for body growth, in building materials as an eco-friendly and sustainable material, as a bio-composite, and as an insulator. However, a more comprehensive understanding and extensive research on the diverse array of phytochemical properties of cactus pear are needed. This review therefore aims to gather and discuss the existing literature on the chemical composition and potential applications of cactus pear extracts, as well as highlight promising directions for future research on this valuable plant.
Computerized Ionospheric Tomography Based on the ADS-B System
Authors: Dong Xiang , Yuan Zhigang , Zhu Qinglin , Wang Haining , Sun Fang , Zhu Jiawei , Liu Yi , Zhou Chen
Published: June 2023

The broadcast automatic dependent surveillance (ADS-B) system is a new-generation air traffic control system designed to avoid the waste of resources in secondary radars. The establishment of the spaceborne ADS-B system provides a broad prospect for ionospheric tomography. In this paper, the external observation information of the ionosphere is obtained by measuring the Faraday rotation angle, that is, the total electron content (TEC). Tomography research can be carried out all over the world to conduct large-scale ionospheric electron density research. The experiment selected two different regions and had a time resolution of two hours, a height resolution of 200 km, a latitude resolution of 2°, and a longitude resolution of 5°. Based on the simulated spaceborne ADS-B signal to invert the regional ionospheric electron density, the latitude, longitude, and height distributions of inversion result are basically consistent with those of the actual ionospheric electron density.
Mean-Field Description of Cooperative Scattering by Atomic Clouds
Authors: Piovella Nicola
Published: June 2023

We present analytic expressions for the scattering of light by an extended atomic cloud. We obtain the solution for the mean-field excitation of different atomic spherical distributions driven by a uniform laser, including the initial build up, the steady state and the decay after the laser is switched off. We show that the mean-field model does not describe subradiant scattering due to the negative interference of the photons scattered by N discrete atoms.
Bertrand Offsets of Ruled Surfaces with Blaschke Frame in Euclidean 3-Space
Authors: Nazra Sahar H. , Abdel-Baky Rashad A.
Published: June 2023

Dual representations of the Bertrand offset-surfaces are specified and several new results are gained in terms of their integral invariants. A new description of Bertrand offsets of developable surfaces is given. Furthermore, several relationships through the striction curves of Bertrand offsets of ruled surfaces and their integral invariants are obtained.
Imaging Plays a Key Role in the Diagnosis and Control of the Treatment of Bone Sarcoidosis
Authors: Błasińska Katarzyna , Jędrych Małgorzata Ewa , Opoka Lucyna , Tomkowski Witold , Szturmowicz Monika
Published: June 2023

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown origin. The most frequent localizations are thoracic lymph nodes and/or parenchymal lung disease, nevertheless any other organ may be involved. Musculoskeletal sarcoidosis, previously considered a rare manifestation of the disease, is presently recognized with increasing frequency, due to the development of modern imaging modalities. The classical X-ray sign of bone sarcoidosis is the image of lace in the phalanges of the hands. Most other locations present with atypical radiological images. Therefore, they may mimic metastatic neoplastic disease, especially when they are the first sign of sarcoidosis not previously recognized. On such occasions, none of the imaging methods will give the correct diagnosis, histopathological verification, monitoring of lesions or clinical data in a patient with confirmed sarcoidosis are indicated. The article summarizes the current status of knowledge concerning the recognition and therapy of bone sarcoidosis. In addition, an illustrative case of patient with bone and bone marrow sarcoidosis is presented.
Event-Related Potentials in Assessing Visual Speech Cues in the Broader Autism Phenotype: Evidence from a Phonemic Restoration Paradigm
Authors: Harwood Vanessa , Baron Alisa , Kleinman Daniel , Campanelli Luca , Irwin Julia , Landi Nicole
Published: June 2023

Audiovisual speech perception includes the simultaneous processing of auditory and visual speech. Deficits in audiovisual speech perception are reported in autistic individuals; however, less is known regarding audiovisual speech perception within the broader autism phenotype (BAP), which includes individuals with elevated, yet subclinical, levels of autistic traits. We investigate the neural indices of audiovisual speech perception in adults exhibiting a range of autism-like traits using event-related potentials (ERPs) in a phonemic restoration paradigm. In this paradigm, we consider conditions where speech articulators (mouth and jaw) are present (AV condition) and obscured by a pixelated mask (PX condition). These two face conditions were included in both passive (simply viewing a speaking face) and active (participants were required to press a button for a specific consonant–vowel stimulus) experiments. The results revealed an N100 ERP component which was present for all listening contexts and conditions; however, it was attenuated in the active AV condition where participants were able to view the speaker’s face, including the mouth and jaw. The P300 ERP component was present within the active experiment only, and significantly greater within the AV condition compared to the PX condition. This suggests increased neural effort for detecting deviant stimuli when visible articulation was present and visual influence on perception. Finally, the P300 response was negatively correlated with autism-like traits, suggesting that higher autistic traits were associated with generally smaller P300 responses in the active AV and PX conditions. The conclusions support the finding that atypical audiovisual processing may be characteristic of the BAP in adults.
Prescription Trends in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Retrospective Case–Control Study
Authors: Shermon Suzanna , Fazio Kimberly M. , Shim Richard , Abd-Elsayed Alaa , Kim Chong H.
Published: June 2023

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate discrepancies in prescription trends for analgesic medications in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) patients based on recommendations in the literature. Design: We conducted a retrospective case–control study. Subjects: A total of 2510 CRPS patients and 2510 demographic-matched controls participated in this study. Methods: The SlicerDicer feature in Epic was used to find patients diagnosed with CRPS I or II between January 2010 and November 2022. An equal number of age-, gender-, and race-matched controls without a CRPS diagnosis were retracted from Epic. General and CRPS-associated prescription frequencies for the following classes were retrieved for both cases and controls: benzodiazepines, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, capsaicin, neuropathic pain medications, NSAIDs, opioids, and steroids. Results: A total of 740 (29%) CRPS patients and 425 (17%) controls were prescribed benzodiazepines (95% CI 0.1–0.15), 154 (6.1%) CRPS patients and 52 (2.1%) controls were prescribed capsaicin (95% CI 0.03–0.05), 1837 (73%) CRPS patients and 927 (37%) controls were prescribed neuropathic pain medications (95% CI 0.05–0.34), 1769 (70%) CRPS patients and 1217 (48%) controls were prescribed opioids (95% CI 0.19–0.25), 1095 (44%) CRPS patients and 1217 (48%) controls were prescribed steroids (95% CI 0.08–0.14), and 1638 (65%) CRPS patients and 1765 (70%) controls were prescribed NSAIDs (95% CI −0.08–0.02), p < 0.001 for all classes. With CRPS-associated prescriptions, (95% CI 0.05–0.16, p < 0.001) more CRPS patients were prescribed opioids (N = 398, 59%) than controls (N = 327, 49%). Conclusions: CRPS is difficult to treat with significant variance in suggested treatment modalities. Based on the results of our study, there is a divergence between some published recommendations and actual practice.