bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of Neighborhood-Level Wastewater-Based Epidemiology to Measure and Mitigate Inequities in SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Boston, Massachusetts
Authors: Cowger Tori L. , Sharp Madeline T. , Hart Justin D. , Ojikutu Bisola O. , Nair Shoba , Hall Kathryn T.
Published: August 2024

Starting October 2022, the Boston Public Health Commission implemented a neighborhood-level wastewater-based epidemiology program to inform strategies to reduce COVID-19 inequities. We collected samples twice weekly at 11 neighborhood sites, covering approximately 18% of Boston, Massachusetts’s population. Results from the program’s first year revealed inequities unobservable in regional wastewater data both between the City of Boston and the greater Boston area and between Boston neighborhoods. We report program results and neighborhood-specific recommendations and resources to help residents interpret and use our findings. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(11):1217–1221. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307749 )
Experimental Study on CO2 Flooding Characteristic in Low-Permeability Sandstone Considering the Influence of In-Situ Stress
Authors: Zhang Tong , Zhu Min , Zhou Guoliang , Wu Jun , Yang Xin , Li Ruilong
Published: August 2024

The pore network controlled by in-situ stress significantly influences the CO2 flooding in low-permeability reservoirs. In this study, the CO2/oil distribution and response of pore structure were monitored online using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), and the in-situ stress dependence of oil recovery was analyzed. The results show that the pore structure consists of adsorption pore (AP < 1 millisecond), percolation pore (1 millisecond < PP < 10 milliseconds), and migration pore (10 milliseconds < MP). Oil recovery was primarily influenced by AP and MP at lower in-situ stress, while PP and MP are the main contributors at higher in-situ stress. The matrix experienced compression deformation, microfracture generation, and shrinkage of pore, combined with an increase and followed by a decrease in oil recovery, responding to the increase of in-situ stress from 5 MPa to 15 MPa and from 15 MPa to 20 MPa. The reduction in gas channels promotes a piston-like advancement of oil displacement, resulting in an initial increase in oil recovery, while subsequent decline is linked to heightened pore heterogeneity caused by high in-situ stress. Increased heterogeneity reduces gas displacement stability, hampers CO2 sweep efficiency, and results in a granular distribution of residual oil. The findings provide insight on CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in low-permeability reservoirs.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Nano-Silica Solutions in Narrow Flow Paths Applied to Sealing Cement Cracks
Authors: Mahmood Md Nahin , Nguyen Vu V. , Guo Boyun
Published: August 2024

A cement crack is a typical cause of oil and gas well failure. Cracks weaken cement, reducing zonal isolation and fluid leakage. Nanoparticle (NP) gels are being tested for fracture treatment. When crushed into cracks, the flow behavior of NP problem solutions should be predicted. The potential efficacy of utilizing NP gels as a remedial measure for fractures is currently under investigation. It would be advantageous to determine if the flow behavior of solutions for NP problems can be anticipated when they are compressed into crevices. This study aimed to analyze the behavior of nano-silica solutions as they flow through ducts with rectangular cross-sections and varying crack dimensions. The introduction of NP solutions into the core leads to a decrease in pressure, which suggests that the nano-silica has been effectively transported through the crack. As the size of the fracture decreases, there is a corresponding increase in pressure drops, while the flow rate experiences a concurrent increase. This study presents responses of a pressure gradient to fluid concentration for a range of fracture widths, heights, and flow rates. The prediction of laminar flow in ducts is based on the linear correlation between the flow rate and the pressure gradient. Furthermore, the reduced pressure gradient indicates enhanced fluid flow within the fracture because of the amplified slot width. The fluid flow model proposed by Guo et al. (2022) was utilized to conduct a comparative analysis with the experimental data. Compared with test data, the model differs by roughly 90%. The technical cause of the flow model-observed data discrepancies is unknown. The flow model did not account for friction between NPs-NPs and NPs-walls in rough ducts. An empirical correlation has been found that quantifies the ratio as a function of nonsilica solution flow rate, cross-sectional geometry parameters, and nano-silica concentration. The correlation was calculated using nonlinear regression. The empirical relation and actual ratio have a significant correlation, as shown by R2 = 0.8965. In practice, Guo et al.’s (2022) hydraulic model’s pressure drops should be multiplied by the empirical correlation’s ratio to reduce errors.
High-Frequency Carbon Emission Monitoring for Power Generation Enterprises Based on ICEEMDAN- Inception-Transformer
Authors: Jiang Yuqiong , Mao Zhaofang
Published: August 2024

Accurate carbon accounting is essential for power generation enterprises to participate in carbon markets and implement carbon reduction strategies. However, due to excessive reliance on detailed energy data and manual calculations, carbon emission accounting in power generation enterprises suffers from low frequency, significant lag, and poor reliability. Some evidences suggest a strong correlation between internal carbon emissions and electricity consumption in power generation enterprises. Inspired by them, this paper proposes a novel model, named ICEEMDAN-Inception-Transformer, to thoroughly explore the relationship between power data and carbon emissions, providing precise hourly carbon emission acquisition for power enterprises. This model first utilizes ICEEMDAN to extract the significant characteristics of power data, then employs advanced Inception and Transformer structures to capture the complex high-dimensional features of the "electricity-carbon" correlation, thereby realizing enterprise carbon emissions monitoring. The model was extensively validated on three datasets from three different types of power enterprises. The average performance on indicators of RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and R2 of the model on the three datasets reached 11.69 tCO2, 9.58 tCO2, 2.44%, and 96.42%, respectively. The results demonstrate that the proposed monitoring model possesses certain advantages in terms of the accuracy and robustness of acquiring enterprise carbon emissions, providing valuable insights for high-frequency accurate carbon monitoring in power generation enterprises.
Pollution characteristics and risk assessment of 15 organic phosphorus flame retardants in the Ili River Basin
Authors: hu feng , WANG Xinglei , WANG SiYu , EPTIHAR•Jappar EPTIHAR•Jappar , LIU Shihui
Published: August 2024

A solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography-pulsed flame photometric detector (SPE-GC-PFPD) was developed to determine 15 organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in surface water of the Ili River basin. The recovery ranged from 76.4% to 98.6%, showing a good linear relationship. Four OPFRs were identified among them, with mean concentrations of 20, 28, 36, and 21 ng/L. The ecological risk of flame retardants in water was assessed using the risk entropy method. The ecological risk quotient (RQ) was calculated as 0.1, indicating a moderate to low level of risk. The noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks associated with the four OPFRs were found to be below their respective risk thresholds, suggesting negligible health risks from drinking water intake. The frequent detection of TiBP, TCEP, TCPP, and TDCPP warrants further attention.
Persistence of wildfire-related school disruptions
Authors: Clark Ransi , Alvarez R. Michael
Published: August 2024

Do wildfires affect the educational outcomes of elementary and middle school students? Are these effects immediate and transitory, or do they persist over time? As wildfire seasons across the globe grow longer and more severe, these questions are becoming increasingly important. Here, we use student testing data from Colorado to investigate immediate and persistent causal impacts of the destructive 2020 wildfire season on elementary and middle school test participation and competency rates from 2021 to 2023. School disruptions are proxied using near real-time satellite observations of smoke plumes on school days. We demonstrate that recovery of educational outcomes to pre-pandemic levels is hindered by disasters, with affected schools reporting test participation rates about 2-3 percentage points below those of their peers even two years after the disaster. We also show that students at all grade levels are affected immediately by wildfire-induced school disruptions, but effects are most persistent for younger students in urban settings.
An Experimental Study on Deuterium Production from Titanium Hydride Powders Subjected to Thermal Cycles
Authors: Gamberale Luca , Modanese Giovanni
Published: August 2024

An extensive multi-year experimental study was conducted to investigate the potential production of deuterium from titanium hydride (TiHx) powders subjected to specific thermal cycles. The results reveal an anomaly in the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratios. Mass spectrometry analyses show an increase in deuterium abundance, with three independent methods confirming the excess deuterium. This study was motivated by theoretical predictions suggesting the generation of slow neutrons within metal hydrides when exposed to coherent excitations. Our findings align with direct measurements of neutron emission by TiHx powders under cavitation in liquid water, as recently published by Fomitchev-Zamilov.
Maternal-Foetal Complications in Pregnant Women with Obesity: a predictive model
Authors: Díez-Ibarbia Alba , Odriozola-Feu Juan Manuel , Díez-Paz Eva , Sarabia-Cobo Carmen
Published: August 2024

Background
Obesity is a recognised global epidemic with serious consequences, including increased risk of morbidity and reduced life expectancy. It is a chronic, multifactorial disease defined by a Body Mass Index ≥ 30 kg/m2. It also imposes a significant economic burden on individuals, families and countries. During pregnancy, maternal obesity is a significant risk factor, making pregnancy a vulnerable period for obese women, potentially worsening its course and having adverse effects on both mother and foetus. In addition, the offspring of obese pregnant women are at increased risk of obesity in childhood and adulthood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the maternal and neonatal consequences and morbidity associated with maternal obesity in pregnant women in the community of Cantabria, northern Spain, in the post-pandemic era.
Methods
This was achieved through a retrospective observational descriptive study of pregnant women who gave birth at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital in Cantabria during the years 2021 and 2022. STROBE's COREQ recommendations were followed.
Results
No significant differences were found in the incidence of diseases during pregnancy and postpartum between 2021 and 2022. However, a significant difference was found in the need for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission, with a higher proportion of newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2022. The classification model suggests that diseases during pregnancy, especially Hypertension arterial, complications during labor (with hemorrhage as the main one), and the reason for cesarean section, Risk of Foetal Well-being Loss, are significant predictors of the type of delivery. A significant increase in the frequency of all treatments was observed during the puerperium compared to gestation.
Conclusions
Obesity increases the risk of presenting diseases and complications during pregnancy, childbirth and neonatal risks. Therefore the pregnancy is a conflict for public health because it increases obstetric.
Efficacy and Safety of Emotion-to-Emotion Therapy Versus Virtual Reality-based Emotion to Emotion Therapy for Treatment of Hwabyung: A protocol for a single-center, randomized, assessor-blind, parallel-group clinical trial
Authors: KooK Hye-Jeong , Kang Dong-Hoon , Park Yang-Chun , Kim NamKwen , Kang Hyung Won , Jung In Chul
Published: August 2024

Background:
Hwa-Byung is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder in South Korea, where accumulated anger and associated symptoms significantly impair family, work, and personal relationships. Given the limitations of pharmacological treatments, there is a need for effective non-pharmacological alternatives. Emotion-to-Emotion Therapy (ETE) has shown promise in managing the psychological and physical symptoms of Hwa-Byung. Additionally, virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a beneficial adjunct to psychotherapy. This study compares the efficacy and safety of VR-based ETE with ETE alone.
Methods:
This single-center, randomized, assessor-blind, parallel-group clinical trial will enroll 96 participants, divided equally among two experimental groups and one control group. Over eight weeks, each participant will undergo 12 intervention sessions. Experimental Group 1 will receive conventional ETE, Experimental Group 2 will receive VR-based ETE and the control group will receive Hwa-Byung management training materials. The primary outcome will measure changes in the Likert Scale for Major Symptoms of Hwa-Byung from baseline to 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes will include the Core Seven-Emotions Inventory Short Form, Physical Health Questionnaire, Stress Response Index, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy, and Heart Rate Variability.
Discussion:
ETE is known as effective oriental psychotherapy that enhances symptom management, self-regulation, and stress coping. VR is anticipated to enrich treatment immersion. These strengths being combined, this study will explore VR-based ETE's potential to ameliorate Hwa-Byung symptoms, assessing its clinical effectiveness relative to conventional ETE.
Trial registration number:
KCT0007871 (Registered in Clinical Research Information Service of the Republic of Korea); registered on 2022/11/03(https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/27510))
Response of fluorescent boron difluoride β-diketonates to X-rays
Authors: Lifanovsky Nikita S. , Yablontsev Nikita A. , Belousov Alexandr V. , Klimovich Mikhail A. , Mirochnik Anatolii G. , Fedorenko Elena V. , Lyubykh Nikita A. , Kolyvanova Maria A. , Kuzmin Vladimir A. , Morozov Vladimir N.
Published: August 2024

This paper reports the results of a detailed study of the optical response of boron difluoride curcuminoids to radiation exposure. Two lines of the dyes fundamentally different in structure (namely, symmetrical and asymmetrical) were tested. If the absorption responses of their solutions in chloroform to X-rays turns out to be quite close quantitatively (note that it has a very indicative visual manifestation – a gradual discoloration is observed in the dose range up to 300 Gy), the fluorescence ones differ notably: among other things, the former demonstrate much more sensitive reactions (the corresponding limit of detection values ​​differ by up to 2.36-fold). Nevertheless, in both parameters, these dyes generally show good linearity of the response as in classical coordinates (up to ≈ 100–150 Gy), as in semi-logarithmic ones (up to 1000 Gy). Since the main reason for such behavior seems to be the radiation-induced decomposition of the dyes, its possible scheme and corresponding “weak links” in the structure of the molecules (in other words, radiosensitive elements) are proposed for each case. For example, these include N(CH3)2 fragments at the ends of dimethylaminostyryl groups. It is precisely their detachment that determines the observed optical response of asymmetrical dyes. Thus, the results obtained provide some insight into the possibilities of controlling the sensitivity of organic dyes to irradiation by changing their structure.
Tailored impact of dietary fibers on gut microbiota: a multi-omics comparison on the lean and obese microbial communities
Authors: Dell’Olio Andrea , Scott William T. , Taroncher-Ferrer Silvia , Onofre Nadia San , Soriano Jose Miguel , Rubert Josep
Published: August 2024

Background: Previous studies have shown that microbial communities differ in obese and lean individuals, and dietary fiber can help reduce obesity-related conditions through diet-gut microbiota interactions. However, the mechanisms by which dietary fibers shape the gut microbiota still need to be elucidated. In this in vitro study, we examined how apple fibers affect lean and obese microbial communities on a global scale. We employed a high-throughput micro-matrix bioreactor system and a multi-omics approach to identify the key microorganisms and metabolites involved in this process.
Results: Initially, metagenomics and metabolomics data indicated that obese and lean microbial communities had distinct starting microbial communities. We found that obese microbial communities had different characteristics, including higher levels of Ruminococcus bromii and lower levels of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, along with an increased Firmicutes:Bacteroides ratio. Afterward, we exposed obese and lean microbial communities to an apple as a representative complex food matrix, apple pectin as a soluble fiber, and cellulose as an insoluble fiber. Dietary fibers, particularly apple pectin, reduced Acidaminococcus intestini and boosted Megasphaera and Akkermansia in the obese microbial community. Additionally, these fibers altered the production of metabolites, increasing beneficial indole microbial metabolites. Our results underscored the ability of apple and apple pectin to shape the obese gut microbiota.
Conclusion: We found that the obese microbial communities had higher branched-chain amino acid catabolism and hexanoic acid production, potentially impacting energy balance. Apple dietary fibers, especially pectin, influenced the obese microbial community, altering both species and metabolites. Notably, the apple pectin feeding condition affected species like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bifidobacteriumlongum. By using genome-scale metabolic modeling, we discovered a mutualistic cross-feeding relationship between Megasphaera sp. MJR8396C and Bifidobacterium adolescentis. This in vitro study suggests that incorporating apple fibers into the diets of obese individuals can help modify the composition of gut bacteria and improve metabolic health. This personalized approach could help mitigate the effects of obesity.
Characterizing the association between asthma and clinical outcomes in emergency department patients with symptomatic COVID-19
Authors: Mazloum Bachar Al , Hohl Corrine , Richardson Harriet , Peng Yingwei , Rowe Brian H , Latiu Vlad , Chadwick Dryden , Chandra Kavish , Brooks Steven
Published: August 2024

Few studies have investigated the risks of developing intubation and death in patients seen in the ED with COVID-19 and pre-existing asthma. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CCEDRRN) from March 1st, 2020, to December 31st, 2021. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 and a positive SARS CoV-2 test. The primary outcome was a composite of intubation or death, and the secondary outcome was severe COVID-19 as defined by the World Health Organization. Multivariable modified Poisson regression was used to assess the association between asthma and outcomes, adjusted for possible confounding. Out of 38,139 patients, 2,826 (7.41%) had asthma, and 17.1% were using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). The study found no significant evidence suggesting an association between asthma and intubation or death in the hospital (RR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.86, 1.1). The highest risk group for the primary outcome was patients aged 80+ years (RR: 10.54; 95% CI: 7.01, 15.85), compared to the reference group 18-29 years. Users of ICS agents had a slightly higher risk of the primary outcome compared to non-ICS users (RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.25).
Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04702945
Azole Fungicides: Potential Endocrine Disrupting Effects and Impact on Placental Steroidogenesis via Inhibiting Human and Rat 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase
Authors: Yan Jingyun , Chen Huan , Ji Zhongyao , Tang Yunbing , Wang Shaowei , Zheng Jingyi , Li Huitao , Li Linxi , Ge Ren-shan , Dong Yaoyao
Published: August 2024

Azole fungicides have been found to inhibit the activity of human 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (3β-HSD1), a key enzyme involved in steroid synthesis during normal pregnancy. However, the specific azole fungicides that exert this inhibitory effect and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) involved have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to analyze the inhibitory potency, mode of action, SAR, and docking parameters of 9 azole fungicides on human 3β-HSD1 and its rat homolog 3β-HSD4. The results revealed that bromuconazole, climbazole, cyproconazole, and etaconazole A varying inhibitory potency against human 3β-HSD1, with IC50 values ranging from 6.21 µM (climbazole) to 104.83 µM (cyproconazole). These fungicides were identified as mixed/noncompetitive inhibitors of human 3β-HSD1. Among them, climbazole and bromuconazole were found to inhibit progesterone secretion by human JAr cells at 20 and 40 µM. It was also observed that these fungicides significantly inhibited the activity of rat placental 3β-HSD4, although with reduced potency compared to their effect on human 3β-HSD1. Furthermore, docking analysis indicated that the azole fungicides bind to the NAD+/steroid binding site via hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, and van der Waals interactions. The study demonstrated a negative correlation between LogP and IC50 value for 3β-HSD1, indicating that the lipophilicity of the chemicals plays a critical role in their inhibitory effect. Additionally, 3D-QSAR analysis highlighted the significance of hydrogen bond donor and acceptor in the binding process. In conclusion, it was shown that certain azole fungicides exhibit inhibitory effects on human 3β-HSD1, and this inhibition is dependent on their lipophilicity. These findings suggest that these fungicides could potentially act as potential endocrine disruptors in the context of steroid synthesis during pregnancy.
Trade coupled with aquaculture is sustaining growth and improving stability in global aquatic food supply
Authors: Zhao Kangshun , Gaines Steven D. , Molinos Jorge García , Zhang Min , Xu Jun
Published: August 2024

Aquatic food security is closely interconnected with multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs). Although assessing aquatic food security relies on understanding global trends in per capita production and consumption, there has been no comprehensive index to evaluate these trends in a country or regional context. Here, we develop a novel framework based on a comprehensive scoring system to assess changes in contemporary per capita aquatic food production and consumption trends (tendency, magnitude, and stability) across 177 countries in two time periods (1961–1990 and 1991–2019). Globally, over 50% of countries scored positive in production and consumption trends from 1961 to 1990. However, between 1991 and 2019, over half of the countries achieved negative production trend scores, while 68.4% of countries maintained positive consumption trend scores, accompanied by higher stability in the trends. Meanwhile, while global overall aquatic food production trend scores decreased significantly across both periods, the consumption trend scores did not decline substantially. This caused a notable overall increase in the positive disparity between consumption and production trend scores. We highlight an increasing disjunction between per capita consumption and production comprehensive trends while underscoring the collaborative synergy between aquaculture and trade as crucial factors that sustain the increase and improve stability of aquatic food consumption for most countries worldwide. The scores of global production and consumption trends of aquatic foods can provide valuable indicators for managers and policymakers to promote sustainable development and more equitable distribution of aquatic products, thereby improving future food security.
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 marks distinct subtypes of human adipose stromal/stem cells with different hepatocyte differentiation and immunoregulatory properties
Authors: Zhang Yu , Hua Mingxi , Ma Xuqing , Li Weihong , Cao Yuqi , Han Xueya , Huang Xiaowu , Zhang Haiyan
Published: August 2024

Background
Human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (hASCs) play important roles in regenerative medicine and numerous inflammatory diseases. However, their cellular heterogeneity limits the effectiveness of treatment. Understanding the distinct subtypes of hASCs and their phenotypic implications will enable the selection of appropriate subpopulations for targeted approaches in regenerative medicine or inflammatory diseases.
Methods
hASC subtypes expressing dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) were identified via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. DPP4 expression was knocked down in DPP4+ hASCs via DPP4 siRNA. The capacity for proliferation, hepatocyte differentiation, inflammatory factor secretion and T-cell functionality regulation of hASCs from DPP4−, DPP4+, and control siRNA-treated DPP4+ hASCs and DPP4 siRNA-treated DPP4+ hASCs were assessed.
Results
DPP4+ hASCs and control siRNA-treated DPP4+ hASCs presented a lower proliferative capacity but greater hepatocyte differentiation capacity than DPP4− hASCs and DPP4 siRNA-treated DPP4+ hASCs. Both DPP4+ hASCs and DPP4− hASCs secreted high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6), whereas the levels of other factors, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, eotaxin-3, fractalkine (FKN, CX3CL1), growth-related oncogene-alpha (GRO-alpha, CXCL1), monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1beta, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), were significantly greater in the supernatants of DPP4+ hASCs than in those of DPP4− hASCs. Exposure to hASC subtypes and their conditioned media triggered changes in the secreted cytokine profiles of T cells from healthy donors. The percentage of functional T cells that secreted factors such as MIP-1b and IL-8 increased when these cells were cocultured with DPP4+ hASCs. The percentage of polyfunctional CD8+ T cells that secreted multiple factors, such as IL-17A, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and TNF-β, decreased when these cells were cocultured with supernatants derived from DPP4+ hASCs.
Conclusions
DPP4 may regulate proliferation, hepatocyte differentiation, inflammatory cytokine secretion and T-cell functionality of hASCs. These data provide a key foundation for understanding the important role of hASC subpopulations in the regulation of T cells, which may be helpful for future immune activation studies and allow them to be customized for clinical application.
Construction of Improved Substitution-box With Mobius Transformation on Gf (2 8 ) and Its Application in Image Encryption
Authors: . GULRAIZ , JAMIL MUHAMMAD KAMRAN , ALNEFAIE KHOLOOD , ALI JAVED , ALI RASHAD
Published: August 2024

S-boxes are designed to be computationally efficient, compact and resistant to attacks, making them critical to the overall security of block ciphers. Therefore, a well-designed S-box can significantly increase the strength and robustness of block ciphers against various cryptanalytic attacks. As a result, the researchers continue to explore new and improved S-box designs to enhance the security of block ciphers. In this article the substitution matrix is assembled using the elements of Galois field of order 256 with the help of Mobius transformation. In order to increase its invulnerability an appropriate permutation is used. The proposed S-box is then used to encrypt different images after their security evaluation. At the end the results are compared with the different renowned S-boxes.
AMS subject classification: Primary: 94A60; Secondary: 68P25
Quantum Representation for Deterministic Pushdown Automata
Authors: Puram Varun teja , George K M , Thomas Johnson P
Published: August 2024

There are many papers presenting quantum computing models. The definitions parallel the classical definitions of finite state automata, push down automata, context-free grammars etc. Classical computing model definitions define languages precisely. We can state that a string belongs to a language or does not belong to it with no room for error. Quantum definitions do not possess this certainty. Sacrificing the certainty and adopting a quantum definition of a computing model does not appear to provide any concrete power to the model. Therefore, the path of this paper is to begin from the classical definition and end in a quantum circuit. In this paper we start from a Deterministic Push-Down Automaton (DPDA). We present circuit for state transition and stack operations. The circuits presented can be viewed as independent algorithms. As an example, the approach used to construct the circuit for state transition can be utilized to build the circuit for a function presented as a Boolean matrix.
Induction and genetic verification of homologous haploid plants obtained through the anther culture of Citrus cultivars
Authors: Jin Seong Beom , Park Jee Soo , Lee Dong Hoon , Park Suk Man , Moon Young Eel
Published: August 2024

In this study, an anther culture system was developed for two Citrus varieties known for their genetic value: blood orange (Moro) and mandarin (Lee). Anthers were inoculated on N6 solid medium containing thidiazuron (TDZ, 0.44 mg/L), 6-benzylaminopurine (0.8 mg/L), zeatin (0.43 mg/L), kinetin (0.44 mg/L), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (0.2 mg/L), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (0.2 mg/L), and malt extract (500 mg/L). The inoculated anthers were treated with N6 liquid medium containing spermidine (200 µM) and gibberellic acid (GA3, 1 mg/L) and cultured for six weeks. Thereafter, the swollen anthers were transferred to Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium enriched with malt extract (500 mg/L), sucrose (50 g/L), TDZ (0.5 mg/L), GA3 (1 mg/L), and gelrite (0.2 %), which induced callus and somatic embryos. These somatic embryos from both varieties were then transferred to a germination medium (MS basal medium containing sorbitol [0.05 M], galactose [0.05 M], malt extract [500 mg/L], GA3 [0.5 mg/L], and gelrite [2 g/L]) to develop into normal plants. However, Lee exhibited significantly slower shoot and root growth compared to Moro. Genetic analysis using barley microsatellite-derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence markers indicated that Lee likely originated from haploid plants, whereas Moro retained heterozygosity similar to the parent. Ploidy analysis confirmed Lee as diploid, identical to the control. Internal transcribed spacer region analysis confirmed that Lee was an anther-cultured haploid-derived plant, estimated to be a homozygous diploid carrying recessive genes. These findings highlight potential applications in marker development and cultivar breeding enhancement focused on recessive trait-associated phenotypes and genotypes.
YOLOv9-LSBN: An improved YOLOv9 model for cotton pest and disease identification method
Authors: He Ruohong , Li Ping , Zhu Jikui , Zhang Fengkui , Wang Yulong , Zhang Ting , Yang Daorina , Zhou Bao
Published: August 2024

In order to achieve accurate identification of cotton pests and diseases in a natural complex environment, a cotton pest and disease detection method based on an improved You Only Look Once version 9(YOLOv9) model was proposed.The RepLanLsk module was constructed and replaced with RepNCSPELAN4 of YOLOv9 to enhance the diversity of feature extraction and establish a larger receptive field network; a weighted bidirectional feature pyramid network(BIFPN) was added to achieve bidirectional connections between feature pyramids, ensure optimal feature fusion, and strengthen key pest and disease features in the target area.The results showed that the model had an accuracy of 93\%, a recall rate of 92.4\%, and an average precision of 96.4\% for detecting pest and disease cotton, which were 1.6\%, 0.3\%, and 1\% higher than the original YOLOv9 network model, respectively;Through comparative experiments, it is concluded that the accuracy of this model is higher than that of YOLOv7, YOLOv8x and other models, and YOLOv9-LSBN can better extract subtle features in cotton pest images, and the misjudgment rate is lower than other models. This model can effectively reduce the interference of complex backgrounds, accurately and quickly detect cotton pest targets in images, and can provide a reference for crop pest detection research with complex backgrounds in natural environments.
RETRACTED: A Study on the Mechanisms by Which Reclaimed Water Usage Affects Water Resource Utilization Efficiency in Water-Scarce Areas -Empirical evidence from 15 northern provinces and municipalities
Authors: zhou ying , Wu Fengping , Li Gen , Feng Chen
Published: August 2024

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Local Adaptive Mapping of Karyotype Fitness Landscapes
Authors: Andor Noemi , Beck Richard
Published: August 2024

Aneuploidy is prevalent in most solid tumors and can significantly alter cellular phenotype and fitness. Despite its critical role in tumor evolution, a detailed quantitative understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of aneuploidy remains elusive. To bridge this gap, we developed a novel method to infer the fitness landscape of chromosome-level karyotypes. This method utilizes longitudinal single-cell karyotype data from evolving cell populations to estimate the fitness of thousands of karyotypes proximal to the observed data in karyotype space, enabling the emergence of karyotypes not-yet seen in the input data to be predicted. We validated the predictive capability of our approach using both synthetic data from an agent-based model and empirical data from in vitro and in vivo passaged cell lines. Our analysis of the fitted landscapes suggests several key insights: (1) Whole genome doubling promotes aneuploidy by increasing the spectrum of potentially beneficial copy number alterations; (2) Cisplatin treatment alters the fitness impact of these alterations; (3) The fitness consequences of a copy number alteration (CNA) vary depending on the parental karyotype; (4) The rate of chromosome missegregation can dictate the predominant karyotypes in an evolving population.
Differential Diagnosis of Pulmonary Diseases using Convolutional Neural Network with LSTM Architecture
Authors: Shekar B. H. , Mannan Shazia
Published: August 2024

Pulmonary disorders, including conditions such as Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, and COVID-19, affect millions worldwide, presenting a major global health challenge. Accurate and timely detection of these diseases is crucial for effective treatment and patient care. This research paper introduces a novel CNN-LSTM model for effectively differentiating between and categorizing multiple lung disorders. Leveraging a dataset comprising 4529 chest X-rays (CXRs) collected from Shenzhen, Montgomery, Belarus, and COVID-19 Radiography datasets, the study aims to enhance disease diagnosis accuracy. Contrast-limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization and median filtering techniques have been applied to enhance image quality and reduce noise. Although LSTM networks are typically used for sequential data, this study employed them to capture spatial dependencies within 2D medical images. This approach allowed the model to learn complex representations and retain context from different image regions, enhancing feature extraction and overall performance. LSTM worked by exploiting the neighborhood relationships between pixels in CXRs by treating image patches as sequences. This approach enabled the model to better understand and utilize spatial information, thereby improving accuracy. Furthermore, baseline CNN and CNN-Bi LSTM models were also executed for a comparative study. Among the implemented models, CNN-LSTM emerged as the most effective, achieving an accuracy of 96.26% and precision, recall, F1 score of 96.44%, 96.62%, and 96.49%, respectively. It was followed by CNN-BiLSTM and CNN models with accuracy rates of 95.58% and 94.24%.
Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts induce aggressive stem cell phenotype and chemoresistance in cervical tumoroid-fibroblast co-culture system via upregulating CK17 expression
Authors: Liu Xuemei , Du Xin , Wang Xin , Duan Huimin , Wang Dong , Chen Lu , Yang Zhuang , Yuan Yuncong , Du Hang , Lv Bonan , Deng Rui , Ding Ruyi , Tang Jingyi , Wang Xingran , Ling Shuyu , Chen Shan , Chen Si , Zhou Limin , Shen Chao
Published: August 2024

Cervical cancer is a serious health issue affecting women. Cancer development is the result of co-evolution between tumor cells and tumor stroma microenvironment, and Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) is a significant part of tumor stroma and plays a big role in helping cancer cells grow, spread, and become aggressive. To investigate the biological function of CAFs in the progression of cervical cancer, we developed a novel CAFs-integrated cervical tumoroid model that can mimic the tumor microenvironment. Our cultured cervical organoids successfully reproduced key features of cervical tissue epithelium, including cellular composition, histological properties and biomarker distribution. Within the co-culture model, CAFs were found to stimulate cancer cells to acquire an aggressive, stem cell-like phenotype. Additionally, CAFs induced an elevated secretion of collagen I, which altered the extracellular matrix to facilitate tumor metastasis. Of particular interest, we discovered that CAFs modulate the CK17-related signaling pathway, causing upregulation of a suite of genes involved in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and Cancer Stem Cell (CSC), thus significantly boosting the invasive capacity of tumor cells. Both CK17-overexpressing tumoroids and those co-cultured with CAFs exhibited similar invasive phenotypes in type I collagen matrices, outperforming control tumoroids in terms of invasiveness and proliferation.Our findings indicate that CAFs likely enhance chemoresistance in tumoroid and contribute to malignant progression partly through CK17 upregulation. This implicates CK17 could be a promising clinical target for cervical cancer prevention and treatment.
Monitoring the shelf life of extra virgin olive oil using Fluorescence spectroscopy
Authors: Hafeez Rimsha , Ahmad Naveed , Ansar Areeba , Saleem Muhammad , Ali Hina
Published: August 2024

To maintain the quality of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), one important factor is to resist its oxidation during processing and storage. It is challenging task to prevent oxidation in EVOOs since various physical and chemical factors must be under control. In the present study extra virgin olive oil was stored under normal storage conditions for three months and monitored via quality parameters. A non-destructive fluorescence spectroscopy was performed to monitor the oxidation changes in EVOO from different olive growing regions of Pakistan and Al-Jouf region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Additionally, the impacts of geographic, climatic, and environmental factors on the oxidation of EVOOs were investigated. Two major changes in the fluorescence emission spectra of EVOO samples were mainly observed: a decrease in fluorescence emission intensities in the range between 500 to 600 nm, 650 to 690 nm, as well as a rise in the fluorescence emission intensities in the 365–500 nm region. These two changes were related to a degradation of beta carotene, chlorophyll content and formation of oxidation products. EVOO samples collected from Al-Jouf region, KSA showed low rate of oxidation which might be due to environmental and geographical effect, proper irrigation system, harvesting, processing and storage conditions. In a fast and non-destructive manner, The fluorescence spectroscopy successfully monitored the oxidation changes and deterioration of antioxidants in a rapid and non-destructive manner in the EVOOs.
Genetic information in the decision-making process for the training of a high-performance Brazilian swimmer: A Case Report
Authors: Bottura Ricardo Muller , Dentillo Daniel Blasioli
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Although several genetic variations have been associated with athletic profiles and athletic performance, there is little scientific literature on the incorporation of this information into the planning of daily training, especially in elite athletes. The aim of this study is to present our one-year training experience with a high-performing open water marathon swimmer, integrating insights from genetic information.
Materials & Methods: This is a case study conducted with a 23-year-old open water marathon swimmer aiming to qualify for the Absolute World Championships in Doha, Qatar (2024). The study involves the use of twenty genetic polymorphisms to structure the athlete's training plan.
Results: Training based on genetic polymorphisms proved to be effective in enhancing the athlete's athletic performance, securing his top position among compatriots, and qualifying him for the Absolute World Championships.
Conclusions: Genetic-based training may be an effective strategy to assist sports professionals in making training planning decisions for high performance athletes.
Glutathione attenuates copper levels and alleviates hepatic injury in TX mice
Authors: Wang Mengzhen , Hu Qiang , Wang Ni , Jiang Yuge , Dong Ting , Cao Shijian , Zhou An
Published: August 2024

Wilson's disease(WD) is an inherited disorder of abnormal copper metabolism, and promotion of copper ion excretion is the focus of its treatment in the clinic. Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide compound whose active group is the sulfhydryl group, which is involved in a number of important biochemical reactions. Thus, its antioxidant and integrative detoxification effects have attracted interest. Whether glutathione promotes copper ion excretion and anti-oxidative stress to alleviate Wilson's disease liver injury is the focus of this study. Here, we used toxic milk(TX) mice as model mice to study Wilson's disease and treated them with glutathione. We observed that glutathione was effective in promoting copper excretion in TX mice. In addition, glutathione has been shown to be effective in attenuating liver injury, including improving the structure and morphology of stem tissue and reducing hepatocyte necrosis. The effects of glutathione on hepatic oxidative stress as measured by catalase, malondialdehyde and total superoxide dismutase. The results showed that glutathione could increase hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities, reduce lipid peroxidation levels and attenuate liver injury. In conclusion, glutathione may exert its hepatic benefits by promoting copper ion excretion and anti-oxidative stress.
Modelling the Response of an Ice Disc to Radial WaterFlow in the Context of Sea Ice Thickening
Authors: Pantling Jacob , Worster M. Grae , Fitzgerald Shaun D.
Published: August 2024

The Arctic is melting rapidly and is likely to experience its first ice-free summer in the next few decades unless action is taken locally. One proposed method of reducing or perhaps reversing Arctic melting is pumping seawater onto the surface of Arctic sea ice where it should freeze faster and thicken the ice. This may in turn enable it to last longer or even survive the summer melting period, reflecting more sunlight and becoming stronger multi-year ice with increased resistance to future melting. Despite appearing to be a relatively simple physical problem the technique has not been researched in depth. Here, the response of ice to water being pumped over its surface is investigated theoretically and experimentally for radial axisymmetric water flow. The dominant heat transfer mechanisms during the period shortly after placement of water onto ice are conduction through the ice away from the water-ice interface and advection from the water to the interface. During this initial period of evolution, advection and radiation to the atmosphere are much smaller in magnitude and hence not included. The advective heat transfer from the water flow to the interface is modelled for three flows: an inviscid flow without a thermal boundary layer; an inviscid flow with a thermal boundary layer; and viscous flow with a thermal boundary layer. Predictions from these models are compared with data from laboratory experiments at various initial water temperatures. The predictions from the viscous, thermal boundary layer model for the evolution of the ice profile were found to be closest to the data obtained from laboratory experiments with water supplied at 0.5, 1.0 & 1.5°C.
Enhancing Shielding Efficiency against Galactic Cosmic Radiation: Secondary Neutron Optimization
Authors: Dribi Yamina , Ounoughi Nabil
Published: August 2024

GCR (Galactic Cosmic Rays) are highly energetic ionizing radiations originating from sources beyond our solar system. During long-duration missions to outer space such as the Moon or Mars, the health hazards posed by these cosmic rays become a pressing concern for astronauts. Consequently, prioritizing the protection of both the spacecraft and its crew becomes of the highest importance, and the materials most frequently used for shielding are aluminum (Al) and polyethylene (PE). The objective of this study is to simulate the effectiveness of shielding against GCR, particularly focusing on secondary neutrons, using a combination of aluminum and polyethylene materials. Monte Carlo simulation (PHITS code) was used in the simulation. The effectiveness shielding of Al and PE is compared. The flux spectra of secondary emitted from the back of the slab shielding was computed. It shows that secondary neutron is produced mainly by GCR-protons and when multi-layer of PE materials is employed, secondary neutron flux has been reduced (about 10%). This reduction is of paramount significance since neutrons are a crucial component of the radiation emanating from GCR. In summary, the utilization of multi-layer polyethylene materials was demonstrated as an efficient approach to enhance the shielding effectiveness against GCR radiation.