bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a sustainable waste to eco-friendly grease pathway: A biorefinery proposal for the silk and food industries
Authors: Coroliano Romulo Dutra , Couto Gabriel O. , Péres Eduardo Ulisses , Saraiva Jefferson , Suarez Paulo Anselmo Ziani , GHESTI GRACE
Published: May 2024

The concerning related to climate change, sustainability and residue destination, as evidenced by the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals, fosters among others the biorefinery application development. Amidst such circular economy possibilities is the implementation of residual oil biorefineries, imbuing higher value into residues and resulting in eco-friendly products. One of the most abundant residual oils, with very low reusage ratio, is the waste cooking oil, a food industry residue. While other residual oil can be extracted from lipid rich silkworm pupae, a residue from the silk processing industry. Thereby, in this work we propose a biorefinery for the usage and modification of waste cooking oil and silkworm pupae oil into eco-friendly greases based on circular economy concepts. The silkworm pupae oil was modified through epoxidation and hydrolysis, yielding a dense polyol which was used in grease compositions without further modifications (common for this sort of materials). The prepared compositions were elaborated using partial saponification (simplifying the process), under two distinct methodologies, with LiOH and NaOH. The prepared greases were also compared against simple soybean oil and ricin oil greases to identify the polyol addition effect and the frying oil reusage effect. All the greases prepared using methodology B were stiffer with overall higher values for yield point (15.7-56.9 Pa) and flow point (259.2-810.95 Pa), while the thixotropic hysteresis area fluctuated with greater time dependency for polyol containing compositions (1.85-9.16 104 Pa s-1). The ion change from lithium to sodium using methodology A on polyol compositions resulted in diminished flow points (from 457.35 to 70.31 Pa). The same change on waste cooking oil, on methodology A, resulted in increased values of flow point (from 32.06 to 96.90 Pa). The addition of polyol effect resulted in flow point increase (from 259.2 to 810.95 Pa), while the frying oil reusage effect resulted in increased yield (from 1.19 to 2.02 Pa) and flow points (from 38.44 to 96.90 Pa). The obtained results are on par with other eco-friendly grease examples and therefore corroborate the proposed value enhancing of our tested residual oils. The main perspective for this biorefinery proposal is the usage of the two residual oils together into a blend composition, chaining the silk and the food industries and thereby resulting in a single biorefinery applicable to any machinery dependent industry.
Aqueous extract of Enantia chlorantha Oliv. demonstrates antimalarial activity and improves redox imbalance and biochemical alterations in mice
Authors: Evbuomwan Ikponmwosa Owen , Adeyemi Oluyomi Stephen , Oluba Olarewaju Michael
Published: May 2024

Background: Malaria is an infectious oxidative disease, which has continued to cause inconceivable loss of lives every year, almost unabatedly. Currently, it has become more difficult to treat the disease due the emergence and spread of resistance to recommended antimalarial drugs including ACTs, necessitating an urgent search for antimalarial compounds with unique modes of action. Here, we investigated the antimalarial activity, antioxidant and antiinflammatory capacity of Enantia chlorantha aqueous stem bark extract (EcASBE) in vivo.
Methods: The extract was screened for selected phytoconstituents including alkaloids and flavonoids. We evaluated the antimalarial activity of EcASBE against Plasmodium berghei NK65 infection in mice, using curative, prophylactic, and suppressive antimalarial test models, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of the extract were assessed.
Results: The EcASBE significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited parasitaemia dose-dependently, with the highest inhibition (80.4%) and prolonged survival (MST=20) observed in the curative test. Our findings reveal significant (p < 0.05) improvement of serum ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, and levels of TNF-α, creatinine and urea following extract administration. Furthermore, the extract led to a significant (p < 0.05) rise in the levels of CAT, SOD, GPx, and GSH, with a concomitant reduction in NO and MDA levels.
Conclusion: The antimalarial, antioxidative, antiperoxidative, and inflammatory-inhibiting properties of the plant in infected mice demonstrate its great value for therapeutic intervention, and substantiate its use in traditional medicine for malaria treatment. Hence, further investigation to identify the repertoire of the active antimalarial components is warranted.
Evaluation of exit gradient of hydraulic structures with cut-off walls in explainable machine learning surrogate based on numerical models
Authors: Rath Prayas , Zhu Jianting , Befus Kevin M.
Published: May 2024

We develop machine learning surrogate models based on XGBoost to predict the exit gradients that are critical in optimizing hydraulic structure design and overcoming limitations of analytical methods regarding anisotropy and boundary effects. For the XGBoost model, we use 8000 MODFLOW numerical simulations covering diverse parameters affecting groundwater flow under hydraulic structures, including anisotropy, head differentials, structure width, cut-off wall depth, aquifer thickness, and uninterrupted riverbed length. We train 60% of the MODFLOW models with a coefficient of determination above 0.99. Upon cross validating, the coefficient of determination across ten splits of training data was 0.71 indicating minimal overfitting. The coefficient of determination for test data is 0.88 demonstrating reliable exit gradient prediction by the XGBoost. For explainability of the XGBoost model, we implement the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) framework. Feature selection using the SHAP values identify the anisotropy and the ratio of cut-off wall depth to aquifer thickness as the primary influencers on the exit gradients. Notably, anisotropy's impact is more pronounced when the cut-off wall is relatively smaller compared to the hydraulic structure's width. Additionally, the influence of cut-off wall depth diminishes with higher vertical anisotropy. This analysis enhances understanding of exit gradient control factors and establishing subsurface anisotropy as a crucial factor in hydraulic structure designs regarding the exit gradient.
Mapping Vulnerability Description to MITRE ATT&CK Framework by LLM
Authors: Rafiey Pasha , Namadchian Amin
Published: May 2024

As the number and complexity of cybersecurity threats continue to increase, security professionals must augment their knowledge by utilizing resources that provide insights into the attack patterns and techniques employed by attackers. This understanding allows them to better comprehend the potential impact of a vulnerability and prioritize the development of effective mitigation strategies within their organizations. Given the frequent generation of CVEs and the impossibility of manually mapping them to MITRE ATT&CK techniques, relying on automation methods such as BERT, a language model requiring training and fine-tuning becomes both expensive and time-consuming. To address this issue, our paper proposes a cost-effective approach using a general-purpose chatbot like GPT-3 to perform CVE to ATT&CK mapping, which yields similar results with lower costs and greater expandability.
Evaluating Arsenic and Lead Contamination in Itata Valley Agricultural Soils, Chile: Integration of Slurry-TXRF and Machine Learning Technique for Efficient Monitoring
Authors: Medina-González Guillermo , Medina Yelena , Muñoz Enrique , Andrade Paola , Cruz Jordi
Published: May 2024

A machine learning method was applied to improve the accuracy of the determination of Arsenic and Lead by Slurry - Total Reflection X-ray fluorescence (Slurry-TXRF) with the idea of being applied to the ecological assessment of agricultural soils. Due to TXRF's relatively low resolution, a particular and well-known overlapping of arsenic signal Kα at 10.55 keV with Lαsignal at 10.54 keV of the lead can compromise its determination. Applying a multivariate calibration method based on a machine learning algorithm, for example, Partial Least Squares, could reduce variations due to interference and, consequently, improve the selectivity and accuracy in arsenic and lead determination.
In this work the X-Ray fluorescence emission signals was evaluated for a set of 26 different synthetic calibration mixtures and a significant accuracy improvement for arsenic and lead determination was observed, overcoming the problems associated with spectral interferences. Furthermore, with these models, arsenic and lead were quantified from soils of a viticultural subregion of Chile, allowing the estimation of ecological indices in a fast and reliable way. The results report that the level of contamination of these soils concerning arsenic and lead is moderate to considerable.
An inovative regional frequency analysis approach for robust extreme precipitation assessment in data-rich and climatically diverse regions
Authors: Mahbod Mehdi , Ebrahimiat Azade , Mahmoodi-Eshkaftaki Mahmood , Rafiee Mohammad Rafie
Published: May 2024

This study addresses regional frequency analysis (RFA) uncertainties caused by difficulties in identifying homogeneous subregions and choosing the best regional frequency distributions. The study modifies Hosking and Wallis (1997)'s approach to improve regionalization, especially in regions with many gauge stations. The proposed method uses 512 Iranian gauges to identify three primary regions based on annual precipitation patterns. Examining data uniformity, regional variations, frequency distributions, and quantiles for exceptional events are crucial. L-moments are important in the analysis because they estimate distribution parameters and help evaluate heterogeneity and choose distributions. The study emphasizes the importance of considering distributional characteristics beyond the mean to ensure homogeneous clusters. The findings indicate that annual precipitation patterns in Iran are spatially heterogeneous. Despite challenges, the proposed regionalization approach finds homogeneous regions that can be represented by fitted distributions. The approach's ability to accommodate spatial intricacies and tailor analysis to specific climates is shown by disaggregated area fit assessments. Thus, the study illuminates Iran's hydrological conditions-specific RFA methodology. This improves extreme precipitation estimates and aids water resource management and strategic planning. The methodology can meet different user needs and be implemented in comparable regions worldwide.
A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Hot Water Foot Bath Therapy on the Quality of Sleep Among Elderly People at Selected Old Age Home, Dehradun
Authors: LUFINA
Published: May 2024

Aging is a normal process that happens throughout the life of a person and brings various changes. Age has an effect on the sleep cycle, increasing the amount of light sleep and decreasing the amount of deep sleep. This change to lighter sleep leads to a raise in brief awakenings, and more disturbance in sleep. In order to improve the quality of sleep, nurses must be vigilant in identifying and treating sleep problems by using interventions like hot water foot bath therapy. It enhances elderly people’s sleep quality and helps them in preventing them from various sleep disorders.
Methodology: Quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design was used by using PSQI Scale.
Settings and Design: A quasi-experimental design was adopted to fulfil the purpose of the study. The study was conducted at a selected Old Age Home in Dehradun.
Results: The findings of the study reveals that the mean post-test sleep quality of the control group (8.95 ± 2.80) was higher than the mean post-test experimental group (4.00 ± 0.97). This implies that there was a significant improvement in the quality of sleep in the experimental group as compared to the control group (tcal = 7.468), p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The present study concluded that warm water foot bath was highly beneficial for improving sleep quality among elderly people.
MobiPower: Scheduling Mobile Charging Stations for UAV-Mounted Edge Servers in Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Huang Aiwen , Li Xianger , Chen Xuyang , Song Wei , Tang Zhihai , Chang Le , Wang Tian
Published: May 2024

Recently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been proposed as the carriers of mobile edge servers. Such UAV-mounted edge servers can offer computation offloading service to users more efficiently due to their fast movement. However, the limited battery endurance of the UAVs places a real challenge. In this paper, we propose MobiPower: a two-layer UAV-based edge computing and charging scheme for Internet of Vehicles (IoVs). The UAV-mounted edge servers fly in the air to serve the IoV nodes, while the Mobile Charging Stations (MCSs) move on ground to charge these UAVs. As the mobile charging stations are low-speed trucks which are difficult to respond to the realtime traffic change, we predict the future traffic based on the historical data to facilitate obtaining the offline scheduling strategies in advance. Moreover, we use hierarchical clustering to analyze the traffic patterns and classify the regions with same pattern into the same cluster. Mobile charging stations will only be scheduled between different clusters to reduce the complexity. Finally, we design an auction-based mobile charging station scheduling algorithm to maximize the amount of offloaded tasks and reduce the moving distance of the mobile charging stations. We perform the analysis and experiments on a popular trace, i.e., the TaxiBJ trace, and the experimental results show that our heuristic strategies effectively schedule the mobile charging stations over the entire map and demonstrate superior performance compared with existing popular methods, e.g., up to 36.46% improvement in terms of task offloading ratio and 39.06% less scheduling distance of the mobile charging stations under typical scenarios.
Investigation of Geometrical Parameters on Heat Transfer Performance in Pillow Plate Heat Exchangers Across Varied Reynolds Numbers
Authors: Rikandeh Seyedmozafar. Samadi , Jamei Mehran Khaki , Abbasi Morteza
Published: May 2024

This numerical simulation study investigates a pillow plate heat exchanger, exploring the influence of changes in pillow channel height, longitudinal, and transverse distances of welding points on Nusselt number, friction factor, and thermal performance across a range of Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 7000. The fluid inlet temperature is held constant at 298 K, with a heat flux of 5000 W/m² applied to both upper and lower plates in all simulations, providing a consistent basis for comparison. Firstly, the analysis delves into the effects of varying pillow channel height on heat transfer efficiency and fluid flow dynamics within the heat exchanger. Transitioning from a Reynolds number of 1000 to 7000, the friction factor is decreased by 43.2%, 45.7%, and 41.9% for channel heights of 3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm, respectively. Secondly, the study examines the impact of different longitudinal distances of welding points on key performance indicators such as Nusselt number, friction factor, and thermal performance. According to the acquired data, the Nusselt numbers for the highest Reynolds number are 175.439, 163.3, and 154.579 for models with longitudinal distances of the welding points ranging from 50 to 70 mm, respectively. Lastly, the research investigates how alterations in the transverse distances of welding points affect Nusselt number, friction factor, and overall thermal performance of the heat exchanger.
Minibioreactor arrays to model microbiome response to alcohol and tryptophan in the context of alcohol-associated liver disease
Authors: Cassard Anne-Marie , Hu Wanchao , Naimi Sabrine , Trainel Nicolas , Moal Vanessa Liévin-Le , Perlemuter Gabriel , Chassaing Benoit , Ciocan Dragos
Published: May 2024

Intestinal microbiota (IM) plays a role in the severity of alcohol-associated liver disease. Hence, modifying severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) dysbiosis improves liver injury through tryptophan (Trp) metabolites and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). However, the effect of Trp on IM in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients remains unclear. Here, we used an in vitro microbiota modeling system named Minibioreactor arrays (MBRAs) to study IM in continuous and controlled-flow cultures. Feces from AUD patients with or without AH were transferred to MBRAs and treated with low, normal, or high Trp concentrations and in the presence of alcohol or not. 16s IM sequencing and AhR activity were studied. We showed that microbial communities from donors were maintained in MBRA. High and low Trp increased the abundance of pathogen Escherichia/Shigella in AH and AUD IM. High Trp decreased the Shannon index in AH IM. In the absence of alcohol, Trp changed more bacteria in AUD IM compared to AH IM. Compared to low Trp, normal Trp increased the AhR activity, whereas high Trp activated AhR only in AUD IM. Overall, it appears that maintaining normal Trp levels is relevant to prevent dysbiosis in AUD or AH, which should be confirmed through in vivo experimentation.
Epigenetic signature of human vitamin D3 and IL-10-conditioned regulatory DCs
Authors: Liu Silvia , Zahorchak Alan F. , Dobrowolski Steven F. , Metes Diana M. , Abdelsamed Hossam A. , Thomson Angus
Published: May 2024

During differentiation of precursor cells into their destination cell type, cell-fate
decisions are enforced by a broad array of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, which is reflected by the transcriptome. Thus, regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs) acquire specific epigenetic
programs and immunomodulatory functions during their differentiation from monocytes. To define the
epigenetic signature of human DCregs generated in vitamin D3 (vitD3) and IL-10 compared to immune
stimulatory DCs (sDCs), we measured levels of DNA methylation by whole genome bisulfite
sequencing (WGBS). Distinct DNA methylation patterns were acquired by DCregs compared to sDCs.
These patterns were located mainly in transcriptional regulatory regions. Associated genes were
enriched in STAT3-signaling and valine catabolism in DCregs; conversely, pro-inflammatory pathways,
e.g. pattern recognition receptor signaling, were enriched in sDCs. Further, DCreg differentially-
methylated regions (DMRs) were enriched in binding motifs specific to the immunomodulatory
transcription factor Krueppel-like factor 11 (KLF11), while activator protein-1 (AP-1) (Fos:Jun)
transcription factor-binding motifs were enriched in sDC DMRs. Using publicly-available data-sets, we
defined a common epigenetic signature shared between DCregs generated in vitD3 and IL-10, or
dexamethasone or vitD3 alone. These insights may help pave the way for design of epigenetic-based
approaches to enhance the production of DCregs as effective therapeutic agents.
Integrated Care for People Experiencing Homelessness: Changes in Emergency Department Use and Behavioral Health Symptom Severity
Authors: Grove Lexie R. , Benzer Justin K. , McNeil Maria F. , Mercer Tim
Published: May 2024

Background
Health care for individuals experiencing homelessness is typically fragmented, passive, reactionary, and lacks patient-centeredness. These challenges are exacerbated for people who experience chronic medical conditions in addition to behavioral health conditions. The objective was to evaluate an innovative healthcare delivery model (The Mobile, Medical, and Mental Health Care [M3] Team) for individuals experiencing homelessness who have trimorbid chronic medical conditions, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders.
Methods
We assessed changes in study measures before and after M3 Team enrollment using multi-level mixed-effects generalized linear models. Data sources included primary data collected as part of the program evaluation and administrative records from a regional health information exchange. Program participants continuously enrolled in the M3 Team between August 13, 2019 and February 28, 2022 were included in the evaluation (N = 54). The M3 Team integrates primary care, behavioral health care, and services to address health-related social needs. Outcome measures included number and probability of emergency department (ED) visits and behavioral health symptom severity measured using the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24) and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI).
Results
M3 Team participants experienced a decrease of 2.332 visits (SE = 1.051, p < 0.05) in the predicted number of ED visits in a 12-month follow-up period, as compared to the 12-month pre-enrollment period. M3 Team participants also experienced significant reductions in multiple domains of mental health symptoms and functioning and alcohol and drug use severity.
Conclusions
Individuals experiencing homelessness who received integrated, patient-centered care from the M3 Team saw reductions in ED use and improvements in aspects of self-reported psychosocial functioning and substance use symptoms after enrollment in this novel healthcare delivery model.
Fossil record misconstrued: Sponge-like fabrics reflect incipient carbonate metamorphism
Authors: Neuweiler Fritz , Mueller Mathias , Walter Benjamin , Landing Ed , Beranoaguirre Aratz , Sendino Consuelo , Amati Lisa , Kershaw Stephen
Published: May 2024

The earliest named stromatolite Cryptozoon Hall, 1884 (Late Cambrian, ca. 490 Ma, eastern New York State), was recently re-interpreted as interlayered microbial mat and non-spiculate (keratosan) sponge deposit. This “classic stromatolite” has come to be central to a fundamental debate concerning the significance or even existence of non-spiculate sponges in carbonate rocks of the Neoproterozoic (Tonian) onward. We determine herein that Cryptozoon has three types of primary carbonate layers: clotted-pelletoidal micrite with microbial filaments, clotted-pelletoidal micrite with vesicular structure, and dense microcrystalline laminae. Using contextual fabric analysis, elemental mapping, cathodoluminescence microscopy, fluid inclusions, electron backscatter diffraction, U–Pb carbonate dating, and regional burial history, the sponge interpretation is rebutted. We conclude that suspect fabric elements are secondary in nature and best explained as products of deep burial alteration. Incipient carbonate metamorphism is early Carboniferous in age (Mississippian, terminal Acadian orogeny). Key petrographic observations include heterogenous recrystallization (aggraded Ostwald ripening) associated with interfingering reaction fronts typical for partially miscible fluids, a granoblastic calcite texture exhibiting preferred crystallographic orientation, and subsequent authigenic white mica (deepest burial; late Carboniferous and Permian Appalachian orogeny). Topotype Cryptozoon is a sub-greenschist metacarbonate stromatolite. The published Tonian to Phanerozoic record of non-spiculate sponges needs to be reassessed.
Intraoperative fluid management is not predictive of AKI in major pancreatic surgery: A single center 200 patient retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lydon Kerri , Shah Saurin J. , Mongan Kai L. , Mongan Paul D. , Cantrell Michael Calvin , Awad Ziad
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND Pancreatic surgery is associated with a significant risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) and clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). This investigation evaluated the impact of intraoperative volume administration, vasopressor therapy, and blood pressure management on the primary outcome of AKI and the secondary outcome of a CR-POPF after pancreatic surgery.METHODS This retrospective single-center cohort investigated 200 consecutive pancreatic surgeries (January 2018- December 2021). Patients were categorized for the presence/absence of AKI (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes) and CR-POPF. After univariate analysis, multivariable models were constructed to control for the univariate cofactor differences in the primary and secondary outcomes.RESULTS AKI was identified in 20 patients (10%) with significant univariate differences in demographics (body mass index and gender), comorbidities, indices of chronic renal insufficiency, and an increased AKI risk score. Surgical characteristics, intraoperative fluid, vasopressor, and blood pressure management were similar in patients with and without AKI. Patients with AKI had increased blood loss, lower urine output, and packed red blood cell administration. After multivariate analysis, male gender (OR = 7.9, 95% C.I. 1.8–35.1) and the AKI risk score (OR = 6.3, 95% C.I. 24-16.4) were highly associated with the development of AKI (p < 0.001). Intraoperative and postoperative volume, vasopressor administration, and intraoperative hypotension had no significant impact in the multivariate analysis. CR-POPF occurred in 23 patients (11.9%) with no significant contributing factors in the multivariate analysis. Patients who developed AKI or a CR-POPF had an increase in surgical complications, length of stay, discharge to a skilled nursing facility, and mortality.CONCLUSION Factors such as gender and an AKI RISK score were associated with an increased likelihood of AKI. The development of AKI or a CR-POPF was associated with longer length of stay, discharge to a skilled nursing facility, or death. However, no modifiable volume, vasopressor, or blood pressure targets were identified to decrease the risk of AKI or CR-POPF.
Smoke Management Characteristics in a Road Tunnel with Different Scenarios of Exhaust Fans and Solid Curtains
Authors: Elsaid Ashraf Mimi , Ali Hashim , Wahba M. A. , Abd-Raboo M. F.
Published: May 2024

The continued condensation of the smoke emitted from the fire arising through the road tunnels leads to many dangers, the most important of which is a loud explosion that may extend outside the tunnels and be a fatal factor for innocent people due to poor design that leads to loss of safety. Also, the increased concentration and level of smoke inside the long tunnels lead to poor visibility for vehicle drivers, in addition to a lack of oxygen and more CO2, causing a catastrophe to increase the number of deaths of tunnel occupants. Also, increasing the concentration and level of smoke inside the long tunnels leads to a lack of visibility, in addition to a lack of oxygen, which is a cause of a catastrophe with the death of the tunnel’s occupants. To overcome these risks, controlling the smoke generated while directing them away from the level of visibility of tanker truck drivers has become an urgent necessity to save lives and reduce the level of environmental pollutants to achieve safety. The present research aims to conduct a numerical investigation of smoke management due to solid curtains and a transverse ventilation system on smoke condensation leading to blowouts inside a road tunnel with tanker trucks. The FDS version 2018 code is used for modeling the numerical simulations with model validation performed through open literature studies. Different important parameters of temperature distribution, visibility level, and carbon monoxide concentration through tunnels have been studied. Four suggested scenarios are developed, simulated numerically, and discussed at a horizontal road tunnel for 600 seconds when achieving steady-state conditions. The road tunnel is a rectangular cross-section area with a 10 m width and 5 m height. A release heat rate of 100 MW fire is considered equivalent to a burning tanker, while a fixed position of generated fire at 300 m from the road tunnel entrance is supposed. Increasing the volumetric flow rate of exhaust fans with the use of solid curtains (Scenario-D) leads to enhancing the visibility level, decreasing the concentration level of CO, and accordingly safe people through tunnels during a fire with a rate of 100 MW.
Terahertz Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton Structure for High-precision Gas Sensor Technology
Authors: NAJAFY VAHID , ABBASI-ARAND BIJAN , HESARI-SHERMEH MARYAM
Published: May 2024

In the realm of sensor technology, it is a significant challenge to accurately identify and differentiate sample materials in the gas phase, especially when they have closely similar refractive indices. A promising solution in the THz range is the use of plasmonic spoof surface structures configured in an Otto arrangement. This configuration increases sensitivity by amplifying the trapped fields within the periodic structure and the sample material. This represents a remarkable improvement over the conventional binary-grating structure (CBGS) model with the proposed multilevel meta-grating structure (MMGS) sensor. An in-depth analysis of gas samples shows a remarkable increase in sensitivity to a small refractive index change up to by 11.4 (TH/RIU). The refractive index of gas sample is more sensitive to both pressure and molecular density. The proposed setup has been meticulously designed to maximize reflectance within the sensor's reflectance spectrum. This has been achieved by precisely adjusting the air gap distance, effectively minimizing the impact of sample material density. The new proposed design proves to be particularly suitable for effectively detecting different gas with closely spaced refractive indices. An investigation of four common and well-known gas shows a minimum resolution of 5 GHz for resonance peak positions. The results are validated by simulating the reflection spectrum using the semi analytical rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) method. Moreover, the eigenmode solver in the CST-Studio software is used to generate dispersion curves. The proposed structure is very useful for high precision sensors with a small refractive index change.
Effects of different doses of antenatal betamethasone alone or in combination with magnesium sulfate exposure on hearing in preterm infants: A retrospective case–control study
Authors: Wang Yuji , Chang Jing , Huang Yan
Published: May 2024

Introduction:
Hearing impairment is highly prevalent worldwide, and the proportion of preterm infants with severe or worse is as high as 50%. At present, there is a lack of effective prevention preventive measures and drug treatments for hearing impairment. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different doses of antenatal betamethasone alone or in combination with magnesium sulfate exposure on hearing in preterm infants. And provides a reference for hearing prevention in preterm infants.
Methods
This was a retrospective case‒control study of preterm infants who diagnosed hearing loss. According to the principles of “similar gestational age (± 7 days)” and “diagnosis of sepsis”, each infant with hearing loss was matched 4 infants with normal hearing (control group). Multivariate conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of antenatal betamethasone and magnesium sulfate treatment on hearing in preterm infants.
Results
In total, 72 preterm infants were diagnosed with hearing loss. The results of multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis of the effects of different betamethasone doses on hearing in preterm infants (Model 1) showed that the risk of hearing loss was 0.29 times lower in preterm infants who received 2 doses of betamethasone than without use. There was no significant difference in the risk of hearing loss between preterm infants who received 1 dose or > 2 doses (P > 0.05). The results of multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis of the effects of different doses of antenatal betamethasone alone or combined with magnesium sulfate on hearing in preterm infants (Model 2) showed that the risk of hearing loss in preterm infants treated with 2 doses of betamethasone combined with magnesium sulfate was 0.21 times lower than without use. The risk of hearing loss was 4.46 times greater in preterm infants treated with > 2 doses of betamethasone combined with magnesium sulfate than without use. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the effect of other medication doses on the hearing outcome of preterm infants (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
The effect of antenatal betamethasone treatment on the hearing of preterm infants is related to medication doses and the usage of magnesium sulfate.
Contrastive Learning for Next-basket Recommendation
Authors: Zhu Shaoqiang , Wang Qiang , Zhang Kejia , Pan Haiwei
Published: May 2024

Next-basket recommendation (NBR) aims to recommend items to a user based on his/her historical basket sequence. Existing methods typically employ neural networks to model a user's historical basket sequence. While achieving promising results, these methods overlook the data sparsity problem inherent in NBR. Data sparsity problem prevents models from obtaining sufficient training. To alleviate the data sparsity problem in NBR, we propose a multi-task learning framework named Contrastive Learning for Next-basket Recommendation (CL4NBR). CL4NBR introduces a contrastive learning task alongside the original next-basket prediction task, leveraging self-supervised signals from users' historical basket sequences. This approach enables the generation of more effective user representations, leading to more accurate recommendation results. To obtain self-supervised signals from users' basket sequences, three data augmentation methods for basket sequences are designed in this study. Furthermore, CL4NBR utilizes the repeated purchase information of users when predicting their next baskets. Experimental evaluations conducted on four public datasets demonstrate that CL4NBR outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
Numerical Analysis of Slip Phenomena on Heat and Mass Transfer in a Vertical Channel with immiscible Micropolar and Viscous Fluids with variable viscosity
Authors: Srin G. , Gosty Vanaja , Babu B. Suresh
Published: May 2024

This research delves into the intricate dynamics of heat and mass transfer within a vertical channel comprising immiscible micropolar and viscous fluids. The study incorporates the influence of slip phenomena, specifically examining velocity, thermal, and diffusion slips, which significantly impact the overall transport processes. The investigation employs a rigorous numerical approach, employing the Runge-Kutta numerical method to simulate and analyze the complex interactions within the system. The integration of slip effects adds an additional layer of complexity to the analysis, offering insights into how these phenomena influence the overall heat and mass transfer characteristics. The findings of this research enrich our comprehension of fluid dynamics, offering insights for enhancing processes across diverse engineering applications that entail Microscopic-scale fluids and sticky fluids in a vertical channels. Through analysis, dimensionless velocity, angular velocity, thermal energy, and diffusion are scrutinized beyond the pertinent parameters and visually represented to enable meaningful insights. Bar charts also depict important elements of heat and mass transfer, such as shear stress, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number values, making it easier to evaluate the rates of transfer across the channel's surface.
Nanoparticle encapsulation to enhance seed treatment efficacy against Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Marcos Fernando , Narasimhan Balaji , Mullis Adam , Munkvold Gary
Published: May 2024

The importance of seed treatments has increased rapidly in the past decade, mainly due to their high efficacy controlling early-season pests and diseases, and their limited environmental impact. Chemical seed treatments require a smaller amount of pesticide use and reduce environmental spread compared to foliar or soil applications; similarly, selection pressure for the development of resistance in the pest population is reduced. However, the rapid dissipation of seed treatment active ingredients after planting is associated with unpredictable duration of control, limiting the performance of seed treatment technology. Polyanhydrides are synthetic biodegradable polymers that can be used to deliver active ingredients or pharmaceuticals in pathological systems. They can provide a steady and sustained release of active compounds, enhancing the treatment of diseases caused by pathogens. Our study consists of experiments using polyanhydride nanoparticle-encapsulated fludioxonil and thiabendazole (two fungicides commonly used against Fusarium graminearum) at different rates on maize and soybean. We employed both rolled-towel assays (simulating a seedborne infection) and delayed emergence assays (simulating a soilborne infection). In the rolled-towel assay, nanoparticle-encapsulated fungicides performed similarly to standard formulations. However, when emergence was delayed for one week by low temperature, nanoparticle-encapsulated fungicides showed superior control over standard formulations. For longer emergence delay treatments, nanoparticle and conventional fungicide formulations showed similar levels of control. Polyanhydride encapsulated seed treatments showed the potential to prolong effectiveness of active ingredients when emergence is delayed due to cold temperatures, a very common situation in temperate maize production areas, such as the American Midwest.
Effects of some anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory natural products on cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes: insights from in silico analysis
Authors: Metuge Jonathan A. , Betow Jude Y. , Bekono Boris D. , Tjegbe Mathieu Jules Mbenga , Ndip Roland N. , Ntie-Kang Fidele
Published: May 2024

Gastric and duodenal ulcers are increasingly becoming global health burdens. The side effects of conventional treatments such as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), antibiotics, histamine H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), and cytoprotective agents have necessitated the search for new medications. Plants are a rich source of active metabolites and herbal medicines have been used in the treatment of ulcers and cancers. In this study, we used in silico methods to evaluate the effects of some anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals on some key enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX), and lipoxygenase (LOX) which are implicated in the protection and destruction of the gastric mucosa. Five compounds, rhamnetin, kaempferol, rutin, rosmarinic acid, and chlorogenic acid were identified to putatively bind to cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) but not to cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1). The interaction mechanisms between these phytochemicals and the target proteins are discussed. The drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of the compounds have been evaluated to assess their suitability as potential next-generation anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Changes in the Chemical Composition of Polyethylene Terephthalate Under UV Radiation in Various Environmental Conditions
Authors: Rostampour Sara , Cook Rachel , Jhang Song-Syun , Li YueJin , Fan Chunlei , Sung Li-Piin
Published: May 2024

Polyethylene terephthalate has been widely used in the packaging industry. Degraded PET micro-nano plastics could pose public health concerns following release into various environments. This study focuses on PET degradation under ultraviolet radiation using the NIST SPHERE facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in saturated humidity (i.e., ≥ 95 % relative humidity) and dry conditions (i.e., ≤ 5 % relative humidity) with varying temperatures (30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C) for up 20 days. ATR-FTIR was used to characterize the chemical composition change of degraded PET as a function of UV exposure time. The results showed that the cleavage of the ester bond at peak 1713 cm-1 and the formation of the carboxylic acid at peak 1685 cm-1 are significantly influenced by UV radiation. Furthermore, the formation of carboxylic acid was considerably higher at saturated humidity and 50 °C conditions compared to dry conditions. The ester bond cleavage was also more pronounced in saturated humidity conditions. The novelty of this study is to provide insights into the chemical degradation of PET under environmental conditions, including UV radiation, humidity, and temperature. The results can be used to develop strategies to reduce the environmental impact of plastic pollution.
Exploring Linux Algorithmic Approach as a Standard Network Configuration Language Model for Network Devices
Authors: Kaniwa Freeson
Published: May 2024

Network device configuration is a complex task that relies on vendor-specific command languages, resulting in a steep learning curve for network engineers. This paper proposes adopting Linux networking commands as a standard configuration language across hardware vendors. We examine the background and precedent for this approach, analyze the benefits and challenges, and present a detailed architecture. We demonstrate the feasibility through rigorous implementation examples and experimental evaluation. Results show that the Linux-based approach can significantly reduce configuration complexity and errors while providing performance comparable to vendor-specific Command Line Interfaces (CLIs). We discuss the implications of these findings and call for further research and standardization efforts around Linux-based network configuration. Widespread adoption of Linux networking commands could accelerate network automation, improve operational efficiency, and simplify engineer training.
Improved Computing Performance for Algorithm Finding the Shortest Path for all-pair in the MapReduce architectures
Authors: Lau Nguyen Dinh , tuan Le Thanh
Published: May 2024

The problem of finding All Pair Shortest Path (APSP). APSP is performed on many structures such as: MPI, OpenMP, Cuda, …. When the input data is large, we need to find ways to improve computing power to reduce calculation time for the APSP algorithm. In this paper, we present a contribution for the All-Pair Shortest Path algorithm (APSP) in the MapReduce architectures. The MapReduce algorithm has two functions Map and Reduce. There receive key/value pairs based on an adjacency list. Algorithm perform in MapReduce and our results prove that the proposed approach improved Computing Performance for Algorithm Finding the Shortest Path for all-pair.
Selective Cytotoxicity of Anthocyanins on Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Catacutan Mary Krystelle , Kim Tae-Yeon , Lee Sungmun
Published: May 2024

Background Anthocyanins, one of the subclasses of flavonoids, are water-soluble phytochemicals and essential pigments in vegetables or fruits, and there is significant interest due to their potential health benefits. Anthocyanins have demonstrated anticancer effects such as inhibition of cell proliferation, and stimulation of apoptosis. Here, we investigated that anthocyanins could selectively inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Methods Anthocyanins were extracted from four different vegetables (red cabbage, red onion, black bean, and eggplant), and five different fruits (pomegranate, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and red grape), and cytotoxicity of all anthocyanins were measured. Results Among nine anthocyanins, blueberry anthocyanins were the best candidate to be toxic to only breast cancer cell lines such as MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, but not to be toxic to other type of cells such as THP-1 and Caco-2 cell lines. From transwell cell migration assay, blueberry anthocyanins reduced the migration of MDA-MB-231 by 31.7%. 3D-cultured spheroid experiment demonstrated that blueberry anthocyanins reduced the cell density of spheroids, and enhanced the cell toxicity of spheroids. Conclusions The results of this research enhanced the understanding of the selective anticancer effect of blueberry anthocyanins on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines.
Motion-induced blindness shows spatial anisotropies of conscious perception
Authors: Sárközy András , Robinson Jonathan , Kovács Gyula
Published: May 2024

Polar angle asymmetries (PAAs), the differences in perceptual experiences and performance across different regions of the visual field are present in various paradigms and tasks of visual perception. Currently, research in this area is sparse, particularly regarding the influence of PAAs during perceptual illusions, highlighting a gap in visual cognition studies. We aim to fill this gap by measuring PAAs across the visual field during an illusion applied to test conscious vision widely. Motion-induced blindness (MIB) is an illusion when a peripheral target disappears from consciousness as the result of a continuouslymoving background pattern. During MIB we separately measured the average disappearance time of peripheral targets in eight equidistant peripheral visual field positions. Our results indicate a significant variation in MIB disappearance times as a function of peripheral target position. Specifically, we found shorter disappearance times along cardinal compared to oblique directions, and along the horizontal compared to the vertical meridian. Our results suggest specific consistencies between visual field asymmetries and conscious visual perception.
Network pharmacology based virtual screening of active constituents of moringa oleifera and the molecular mechanism against breast cancer.
Authors: pisal Harshad , Badhe Pravin , Mali Prashant D.
Published: May 2024

Moringa oleifera extract consists of active phytoconstituent which can have potential to produce therapeutic effects against cancer. In the study we investigated the molecular mechanism of chemical constituents of moringa against targets in Breast Carcinoma using network pharmacology and virtual screening Network pharmacology is a systematic approach to identify potential targets and pathway networks associated with disease pathology. The steps in network pharmacology includes text mining in which we retrieve multiple genes/proteins associated with disease from different bioinformatics databases. Then enrichment analysis to obtain top pathways and associated targets with those pathways in disease pathway and construction of the network and its analysis using software and web based tools. The obtained targets were further screened by molecular docking for their binding characteristics. In the study, moringa extract was studied for antimitotic activity against meristematic cells.
A systematic review and meta-analysis on the Nephroprotective activity of Naringin based on pre-clinical experimental evidence
Authors: Das Akanksh , Bhardwaj Vibhu , Viswanatha Gollapalle Lakshminarayanashastry , H Shylaja , S Hemavathi
Published: May 2024

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize and conclude on the therapeutic benefits of naringin in various kidney diseases based on preclinical evidence. Online searches were conducted using electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar, focusing primarily on the role of naringin in various experimental animal models of kidney diseases. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 27 studies were selected. The meta-analysis revealed that naringin could significantly alleviate experimental models of nephrotoxicity induced by drugs, chemotherapy, chemicals, and oxidative stress through multiple mechanisms such as antioxidant (ROS/RNS pathways), anti-inflammatory (COX-2, IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB pathways), and suppression of apoptotic factors (BCL-2, BAX, Caspases). Furthermore, these changes at the cellular and molecular levels were observed as improvements in the structure, function, and physiology of the kidney following naringin treatment. In conclusion, this systematic review and meta-analysis support the available scientific evidence regarding the therapeutic benefits of naringin in the management of drug-induced, chemotherapy-induced, chemical-induced, and oxidative stress-induced kidney diseases.