bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ketamine Cystitis in a Female Patient Ketamine Therapy for Treatment Resistant Depression – Case Report
Authors: Chang Minna
Published: July 2023

Ketamine has been shown to be a novel and exciting antidepressant medication in patients with treatment-resistant depression. A complication commonly seen in frequent and heavy recreational use of ketamine is ulcerative cystitis, which presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and upper renal tract damage, seen in over 25% of regular users (3, 4). Although KIC is a recognised complication in recreational use of ketamine, its occurrence in therapeutic use for depression has so far not been reported. The exact pathogenesis of ketamine induced cystitis is currently unknown, making treatment and prevention much more difficult. Early diagnosis of ketamine induced cystitis and immediate cessation of ketamine use has been shown to improve adverse urinary tract symptoms and prevent further damage. We present a case of a 28-year-old female who was started on ketamine treatment for depression, who developed symptoms of cystitis, which was confirmed by urine microscopy, culture and analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ketamine-induced cystitis in a patient receiving treatment-dose ketamine for antidepressant therapy.
Rural air temperatures show significant urban heat island effects
Authors: Spencer Roy W. , Christy John R.
Published: July 2023

While the urban heat island (UHI) impact on air temperature is largest in densely populated cities, it also substantial at low population densities. A novel method for quantifying UHI warming as a function of population density using thousands of weather stations in the Northern Hemisphere shows that rural locations have average urbanization-related warming effects equivalent to twenty years of observed global warming. This is important because previous comparisons of warming at urban locations to presumed unaffected rural locations have likely underestimated the UHI warming of both. It also suggests that adaptation to, and mitigation of, increasing urbanization is more important for smaller towns and cities than for densely populated urban centers, the latter having already experienced saturation of UHI warming.
Evaluation of the ability to measure morphological structures of plants obtained from tissue culture applying image processing techniques
Authors: Aliabad Fahime Arabi , aliabad Kazem - kamali , Habbab Elmira , Bello Aminu Mallam
Published: July 2023

Biotechnological approaches, for instance, plant tissue culture, can be used to improve and accelerate the reproduction of plants. A single portion of a plant can produce many plants throughout the year in a relatively short period of laboratory conditions. Monitoring and recording plant morphological characteristics such as root length and shoot length in different conditions and stages are necessary for tissue culture. These features were measured using graph paper in a laboratory environment and sterile conditions. This research investigated the ability to use image processing techniques in determining the morphological features of plants obtained from tissue culture. In this context RGB images were prepared from the plants inside the glass, and different pixel-based and object-based classification methods were applied to an image as a control. The accuracy of these methods was evaluated using the kappa coefficient, and overall accuracy was obtained from Boolean logic. The results showed that among pixel-based classification methods, the maximum likelihood method with a kappa coefficient of 87% and overall accuracy of 89.4 was the most accurate, and the Spectral angle mapper method (SAM) method with a kappa coefficient of 58% and overall accuracy of 54.6 was the least accurate. Also, among object-based classification methods, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes, and K-nearest neighbors algorithm (KNN) techniques, with a Kappa coefficient of 88% and overall accuracy of 90, can effectively distinguish the cultivation environment, plant, and root. Comparing the values of root length and shoot length estimated in the laboratory culture environment with the values obtained from image processing showed that the use of the SVM image classification method, which is capable of estimating root length and shoot length with RMSE 2.4, MAD 3.01 and R2 0.97, matches the results of manual measurements with even higher accuracy.
Access to Primary Health Care: Perspectives of Primary Care Physicians and Community Stakeholders
Authors: Toal-Sullivan Darene , Dahrouge Simone , Tesfaselassie Johanna , Olejnik Laura
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND: Action on the social determinants of health is important to strengthen primary health care and promote access among underserved populations. We report on findings from stakeholder consultations undertaken at one of the Canadian sites of the Innovative Models Promoting Access-to-Care Transformation (IMPACT) program, as part of the development of a best practice intervention to improve access to primary health care. The overarching objective of this qualitative study was to understand the processes, barriers, and facilitators to connect patients to health enabling community resources (HERs) to inform a patient navigation model situated in primary care.
METHODS: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with primary care physicians, and community health and social service providers to understand their experiences in supporting patients in reaching HERs. Current gaps in access to primary health care and the potential of patient navigation were also explored. We applied Levesque et al., (2013) access framework to code the data and four themes emerged: 1) Approachability and Ability to Perceive, 2) Acceptability and Ability to Seek, 3) Availability and Accommodation, and Ability to Reach, and 4) Appropriateness.
RESULTS: Determinants of access included patient and provider awareness of HERs, the nature of the patient-provider relationship, funding of HERs, integration of primary and community care services, and continuity of information. Participants’ perspectives about the potential scope and role of a patient navigator provided valuable insight for the development of the Access to Resources in the Community (ARC) navigation model and how it could be embedded in a primary care setting.
CONCLUSION: Additional consultation with key stakeholders in the health region is needed to gain a broader understanding of the challenges in caring for primary care patients with social barriers and how to support them in accessing community-based primary health care to inform the design of the ARC intervention.
Motivation and perception of farmers on the benefits and challenges of agroforestry in Sweden (Northern Europe)
Authors: Schaffer Christina , Elbakidze Marine , Björklund Johanna
Published: July 2023

Agroforestry systems provide multiple benefits for human wellbeing and biodiversity; however, their diversity and spatial distribution sharply decline across Europe. This study focuses on agroforestry farms in Sweden. The aim of the study was to explore farmers' motivations to start agroforestry, what benefits farmers attributed to their agroforestry farms and perceived challenges to practicing agroforestry in Sweden. In total, 13 farms that practice various agroforestry forms were selected as case studies. A focus group, semi-structured interviews and field observations were used for data collection. We identified four types of agroforestry systems such as silvopasture, silvoarable, forest farming and forest gardens established on different land such as forested or agricultural land. All studied agroforestry farms were small but had complex spatial and temporal arrangements of crops, trees and animals, which were crucial to generating multiple benefits. Our results show that the multifunctionality of agroforestry systems resulted from farmers' desire to design such systems. Farmers’ intentions to get foods and materials from their farms were always intentionally unified with multiple ecosystem services. We argue that agroforestry farmers are designers of multifunctional landscapes as they deliberately organized their farming activities to get a bundle of ecosystem services belonging to all four categories – provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural. However, the complexity of agroforestry management, lack of technologies suitable for small-scale agroforestry farms, plant materials, including seedlings and knowledge about how to do agroforestry challenged the scaling up of agroforestry practices.
QuantIoT Novel Quantum Resistant Cryptographic Algorithm for Securing IoT Devices: Challenges and Solution
Authors: Farooq Mansoor , khan Rafi , Khan Prof. Mubashir Hassan
Published: July 2023

With the emergence of quantum computing, traditional cryptographic algorithms face the threat of being compromised, necessitating the development of quantum-resistant alternatives. The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm presents unique security challenges due to its vast scale and resource-constrained devices. This research aims to address these challenges by proposing a novel quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithm QuantIoT specifically designed for securing IoT devices. The research begins by evaluating the vulnerabilities of existing cryptographic algorithms against quantum attacks and identifying the need for post-quantum solutions in the IoT context. Various families of post quantum cryptographic algorithms, including lattice based and hash based schemes, are examined to assess their suitability for securing IoT devices. Based on the analysis, a novel quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithm tailored for IoT devices is proposed. The algorithm takes into account the limited computational capabilities, power constraints, and communication requirements of IoT devices while offering strong defence against both conventional and quantum threats. The proposed algorithm is evaluated through simulations and practical experiments on a representative IoT platform. Performance metrics, including computation time, memory usage, and communication overhead, are measured and compared against traditional cryptographic algorithms. The results show that the suggested quantum-resistant technique for protecting IoT devices is workable and effective. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on post-quantum cryptography and provides valuable insights for the design and implementation of secure IoT systems in the face of quantum threats.
Beagle dogs living in household or controlled environments show different gut microbiome profiles when fed an identical diet or diet type
Authors: Tanprasertsuk Jirayu , Jones Roshonda , Tate Devon , Oba Patricia , Belchik Sara , Swanson Kelly , Shmalberg Justin , Honaker Ryan
Published: July 2023

Most canine microbiome trials are conducted in a controlled environment, with an unverified assumption that identical findings can be extrapolated to household dogs. In this study, the fecal microbiome of healthy beagles living in household or controlled environments was characterized with shotgun metagenomic sequencing and compared. Beagles were recruited from U.S. households (Pet, n = 54), a private kennel (Kennel, n = 39), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, n = 34). Dogs were fed an identical diet (fresh chicken, non-extruded and cooked) or diet type (kibble, various brands) for ≥ 7 days. Shannon diversity index was significantly higher in Kennel than Pet when fed both fresh and kibble, and significantly higher than UIUC when fed fresh only. β-Diversity was significantly different among the three cohorts on both diets. Mainly, species belonging to Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes_A, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were differentially abundant among the cohorts. Likewise, significant discriminant features in the functional data were observed among the cohorts after controlling for diet type. The findings demonstrate the living environment as an important factor in microbial composition, and further draw attention to possible limitations in the translation of findings between dogs in controlled versus free-living environments.
Changes in host liver transcriptome and rumen microbiota community in fattening goats fed different type of forages
Authors: Wu Zhou-lin , Xu Maoqin , He Wei , Li Xiaoyu , Luo Qian , Zhang Jiamin , Wang Wei , Liu Dayu , Chen Yaying , Yang Xue
Published: July 2023

Background: To explore the effects of different forages on rumen flora and expression of genes related to liver metabolism in fattening goats, Boer crossbred male goats were fed three experiment diets lasts for 97 days, including an adaptation period of seven days. The diets were composed of same commercial concentrate, but supplemented with different forages (Hemarthria altissima (HA), Pennisetum sinese (PS), or forage maize (FG)). The liver transcriptome changes along with its correlation with the rumen microbiome changes were investigated in these animals.
Results: Transcriptome results revealed a total of 73 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between FG and HA groups, and biological pathways enriched by these DEGs included circadian regulation of gene expression, transforming growth factor beta receptor signaling pathway, lipid metabolic process, and multiple KEGG pathways related to energy metabolism, such as AMPK signaling pathway, Choline metabolism in cancer, Insulin resistance, cAMP signaling pathway, and Insulin signaling pathway. Furthermore, our 16S rRNA gene sequencing results revealed a remarkable difference in rumen microbiota composition due to different dietary treatment, and the correlations between the relative abundances of bacteria at the genus level and the expression levels of DEGs were analyzed. By which, nine bacteria genera exhibited at least a strong correlation to at least one of these DEGs. Among these bacteria genera, the Muribaculaceaewas reported with involvement in fat metabolism, which exhibited the highest number of associations overall with 18 strong correlations with DEGs, implying the direct relationship between rumen Muribaculaceaeabundance and liver gene expression changes.
Conclusions: Our study provides insight into the physiological axis linking the rumen microbiome and liver genes to forage utilization in goats, which may facilitate future studying the underlying molecular mechanism of how forages lead to the improvement of the nutritional value through the microbiota-gut-liver axis in ruminants.
The voices of breast cancer survivors with chronic pain: A qualitative thematic analysis of patients’ challenges to pain management
Authors: Filipponi Chiara , Masiero Marianna Agnese , Mazzoni Davide , Chichua Mariam , Marceglia Sara , Ferrucci Roberta , Fragale Elisa , Didier Florence , Pravettoni Gabriella
Published: July 2023

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors commonly experience chronic pain following surgery. Despite the existence of treatment guidelines for cancer pain, a significant number of patients do not achieve satisfactory relief with available therapies. To fill this gap, this study aimed to explore the experience of chronic pain further, focusing on needs and obstacles related to its management in breast cancer survivors.
Methods: We conducted four focus groups with 17 breast cancer patients (Mage=51, SD=7.99) with chronic pain from mild to severe intensity. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed through qualitative thematic analysis.
Results: The thematic analysis of the focus group discussions identified three key themes: (1) The challenges to pain management (with subthemes: (1.1) “Doctor-patients communications barriers” and (1.2) “Contextual and societal barriers”); (2) The self-management needs (subthemes: (2.1) “Psycho-social support”, (2.2) “Care-related needs”, and (2.3) “Shared decision-making”); (3) Treatment preferences and perceptions of pain management (subthemes: (3.1) "Treatment preferences", (3.2) "Institution preference", and (3.3) "Decision role perception”).
Conclusions: This study emphasizes the interconnectedness of challenges, self-management needs, and treatment preferences in managing chronic breast cancer pain. It highlights the importance of addressing patients' reluctance to report pain, the normalization of pain, and the role of health providers' attitudes. These findings aid the development of personalized support systems to enhance breast cancer pain management and improve cancer survivors' quality of life. Healthcare provider education, multidisciplinary and biopsychosocial approaches, and the use of eHealth tools are highlighted as important factors in achieving better pain management outcomes.
Two-dimensional polymeric cobalt phthalocyanine synthesized by microwave irradiation and its use for continuous glucose monitoring
Authors: Jeon Sieun , You Hobin , An Heeyeon , Chung Yongjin
Published: July 2023

Two-dimensional polymeric cobalt phthalocyanine (poly-CoPc) was synthesized using a microwave-assisted process, and its feasibility for use in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was investigated. The CNT/poly-CoPc composite showed 18% higher Co content than using commercial CoPc (c-CoPc/CNT) and synthesized CoPc (s-CoPc/CNT) composites, due to its intrinsic polymeric structure. In the cyclic voltammetry test, the bioelectrode incorporating glucose oxidase (GOx) based upper enzyme layer ([poly-CoPc/CNT]/PEI/[GOx-TPA]) demonstrated 1.51 times higher current densities than monomeric CoPc used bioelectrode ([CoPc/CNT]/PEI/[GOx-TPA]). This improvement is attributed to the higher biocompatibility with the enzyme layer of poly-CoPc, which prevents the blocking of hydrophobic sites near the co-factor of GOx. As a glucose sensor, [poly-CoPc/CNT]/PEI/[GOx-TPA] exhibits a sensitivity of 55.4 μA mM−1 cm−2 and a response time of 2.4s in the chronoamperometric response test. Furthermore, the proposed bioelectrode showed 95.6% performance maintenance during 24 h and 81.4% stability over 20 days. These findings demonstrate the suitability of [poly-CoPc/CNT]/PEI/[GOx-TPA] for implantable and low-invasive patch-type glucose sensors offering high sensitivity, durability, and a linear response within the physiological glucose concentration range (0.1-20.0 mM) of both average individuals and diabetic patients.
Work-related stressors in nurses, a mixed method study
Authors: Imani-goghary Zahra , Moqaddasi Mohammad , Mohseni Mina , Izadabadi zahra , Mahmoodabadi Fatemeh
Published: July 2023

background
Nurses experience a notable level of stress due to the complex job demands, exacerbating the likelihood of diminished performance and compromising their mental and physical well-being. The primary objective of this study is to pinpoint the sources of work-related stress experienced by nurses employed in Sirjan hospitals as an initial step towards establishing effective stress management strategies for nurses.
Method
The study used a parallel mixed-method design, collecting and analyzing data separately before integrating them. In the quantitative phase, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the Toft & Anderson Nursing Stress Scale questionnaire with 125 out of 180 eligible nurses. SPSS software version 25 was used for analysis. In the qualitative phase, 12 participants with higher stress scores were selected through purposive sampling, and interviews were conducted until data saturation was achieved. The qualitative data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method with MAXQDA 2020 software.
Results
The average score of the Stress Questionnaire among nurses was, 21.42 ± 93.53, indicating a moderate level of stress. The data analysis also reveals that only 6.4% experienced low levels of stress, while the majority experienced moderate to high levels of work-related stress. The main theme of the interview analyses was identified as “stressors”. This theme consists of three main categories: " The nature of a Profession", "organizational factors", and "individual factors", which represent the different sources of stress that nurses face in their workplace.
Conclusion
The study found that most nurses face significant work-related stress due to various factors such as the nature of their profession, ethical concerns, caring for critically ill patients, conflicts with colleagues, long and inflexible working hours. To address this, hospitals should prioritize creating a supportive environment, and implementing flexible programs based on nurses’ needs. These measures will help reduce stress, burnout, and improve job satisfaction and overall hospital efficiency.
The Association between Resilience and Cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort study (KFACS)
Authors: Kim Sunwoo , Won Chang Won , Kim Miji , Kim Sunyoung , Park Jungha
Published: July 2023

Objective: Chronic stress is associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The objective of this study is to assess whether better stress coping is associated with slower rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults.
Design: Longitudinal cohort study
Setting: Community-dwelling older adults were recruited from 10 centers in South Korea
Participants: 1826 older adults who completed the Korean version of Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and CERAD-K (Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery) and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)
Measurements: Resilience was measured by BRS. Cognitive function was assessed by using scores from CERAD-K and FAB from 2018/2019 and 2-year follow-up. Cognitive function change was calculated by subtracting the scores of CERAD-K and FAB in 2018/2019 from scores of CERAD-K and FAB in 2020/2021. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association between resilience and cognitive function change.
Results: Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with lesser decline in MMSE score after adjusting for age, sex, education years, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes and depression (B,0.175; 95%CI, 0.025 - 0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (word list memory, word list recall, world list recognition, digit span, trail making test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly in association with BRS score at baseline.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that better stress coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.
Facile Synthesis of La-modified CeO2 with Microwave Method for CO2 Adsorption
Authors: Kuznetsova Svetlana A. , Khalipova Olga S. , Malchik Alexandra G. , Chen Yu-Wen
Published: July 2023

Background
CO2 capture in air is an important issue nowadays. Cerium oxide has been reported to be a good adsorbent for CO2. However, its adsorption capacity and adsorption strength are not high enough. La-modified CeO2 was used in this study.
Methods
In this study, a new adsorbent of La-modified CeO2 solid solution were prepared from aqueous solution of cerium and lanthanum hydroxides by microwave method with radiation power 539 W and frequency 2.45 Hz. These hydroxides were prepared by precipitation of Ce(NO3)3 and La(NO3)3 solution, The materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen sorption.
Genomic characteristics of clinical carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in a tertiary hospital, 2013–2021
Authors: xie hui , han mei , li jia , liu chang , zheng jie , zhou hui , li chuchu , shen han , cao xiaoli
Published: July 2023

Background: Genomic characterization of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) isolates is necessary to understand its transmission and implement infection control measures, given its potential threat to public health.
Method：A total of 100 CREC isolates collected from 2013–2021 at a Nanjing tertiary hospital were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The distribution of resistant determinants (RTs), virulence factors (VFs), multi-locus sequence type (MLST), and FimH types was determined. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to investigate the genetic relationships.
Result:All CREC strains (n=100) carried at least one carbapenem hydrolyzing ß-lactamase (CHßL)-encoding gene, with blaNDM (n=83, 83.0%) being the most common. Multiple RTs were detected with blaCTX (n=83, 83.0%) and blaTEM (n=78, 78.0%) being the most dominant ones. MLST identified 37 distinct STs, with ST167 (n=18, 18.0%) and ST410 (n=13, 13.0%) being the most predominant clones. Multiple plasmid replicons were found. The strains displayed 64 different virulence factors, with terC (n=98, 98.0%) and traT (n=76, 76.0%) being the most frequent. Genetic diversity was observed between the 100 CREC isolates, with clonal dissemination of ST167, ST361, ST2179, ST410, and ST131 being observed.
Conclusion: The prevalence of blaNDM-5, a major blaCHßLs, is concerning due to its distribution of various co-carried resistance genes and their potential to spread through multiple plasmid replicons. The isolates exhibit genetic diversity based on STs, Fim typing, serotyping, and phylogenetic tree analysis. ST167, ST361, ST2179, ST410, and ST131 are linked to clonal dissemination, highlighting the need for effective infection control measures to prevent their spread.
Predicting the impact of climate change on the area of wetlands using remote sensing
Authors: Heidarzadeh Nima , Eghbal Mahdiyeh , Esmaeili Negar , Panaghi Kaveh
Published: July 2023

Climate change has been the main environmental challenge in recent years. In this research, the impact of climate change on the Arjan Wetland, Iran, has been investigated. The global climate models of canESM2 and hadGEM2 were used to predict the air temperature and precipitation for 2025-2066 in scenarios of RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5. Temperature and precipitation data were downscaled using SDSM and LARS-WG software, respectively. Then, the wetland area was measured by processing the Landsat satellite images using the MNDWI algorithm. Forecast data were applied to estimate the wetland area for 2025-2066 and the scPDSI drought index. The results indicate that the estimated areas of the future period will slightly decrease; as a result, 90% of the areas in the years 2045-2066 are less than 800 hectares, and more than1100 hectares have not been dried in these years. The reduction of the area compared to the observation period is due to climate change and it shows the Arjan wetland is going towards drought. In 2039-2036, 2042, 2052, 2056-2058, and 2062, severe droughts will occur in wetlands under three scenarios with an area of less than 200 ha. Furthermore, the wetland will experience severe wet years in 2025, 2044, and 2045.
Charge qubits in the USC regime for quantum state transfer
Authors: Cárdenas-López Francisco , Yu Jing ,   Christian Andersen3, Solano Enrique , Parra-Rodriguez Adrián
Published: July 2023

We study the feasibility of reaching the ultrastrong (USC) and deep-strong coupling (DSC) regimes of light-matter interaction, in particular at resonance condition, with a superconducting charge qubit, also known as Cooper-Pair box (CPB). We numerically show that by shunting the charge qubit with a high-impedance LC-circuit, one can maximally reach both USC and DSC regimes exceeding the classical upper bound |g| ≤ √ωqωr/2 between two harmonic systems with frequencies ωq and ωr. As an application, we propose a hybrid system consisting of two CPBs ultrastrongly coupled to an LC-oscillator as a mediator device that catalyzes a quantum state transfer protocol between a pair of transmon qubits, with all the parties subjected to local thermal noise. We demonstrate that the QST protocol maximizes its efficiency when the mediator operates in the USC regime, exhibiting comparable times with proposals relying on highly coherent and controllable mediators requiring state-preparation or post-selection. This work opens the door for studying light-matter interactions beyond the quantum Rabi model at extreme coupling strengths, providing a new building block for applications within quantum computation and quantum information processing.
The Role of Interface Geometry and Appendages on the Mesoscale Mechanics of the Skin
Authors: Moreno-Flores Omar , Rausch Manuel K. , Tepole Adrian B.
Published: July 2023

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and serves various functions, including mechanical protection and mechanosensation. Yet, even though skin's biomechanics are attributed to two main layers -epidermis and dermis- computational models have often treated this tissue as a thin homogeneous material or, when considering multiple layers, have ignored the most prominent heterogeneities of skin seen at the mesoscale. Here we create finite element models of representative volume elements (RVEs) of skin, including the three-dimensional variation of the interface between the epidermis and dermis as well as considering the presence of hair follicles. The sinusoidal interface, which approximates the anatomical features known as Rete ridges, does not affect the homogenized mechanical response of the RVE but contributes to stress concentration, particularly at the valleys of the Rete ridges. The stress profile is three-dimensional due to the skin’s anisotropy, leading to high-stress bands connecting the valleys of the Rete ridges through one type of saddle point. The peaks of the Rete ridges and the other class of saddle points of the sinusoidal surface form a second set of low-stress bands under equi-biaxial loading. Another prominent feature of the heterogeneous stress pattern is a switch in the stress jump across the interface, which becomes lower with respect to the flat interface at increasing deformations. These features are seen in both tension and shear loading. The RVE with the hair follicle showed strains concentrating at the epidermis adjacent to the hair follicle, the epithelial tissue surrounding the hair right below the epidermis, and the bulb or base region of the hair follicle. The regions of strain concentration near the hair follicle in equi-biaxial and shear loading align with the presence of distinct mechanoreceptors in the skin, except for the bulb or base region. This study highlights the importance of skin heterogeneities, particularly its potential mechanophysiological role in the sense of touch and the prevention of skin delamination.
Using Geographic Rescue Time Contours, Point-of-care Strategies, and Spatial Care Paths to Prepare Island Communities for Global Warming, Rising Oceans, and Weather Disasters
Authors: Kost Gerald J. , Füzéry Anna K , Caratao Louie Kim R. , Tinsay Samantha , Zadran Amanullah , Ybañez Adrian P.
Published: July 2023

Objectives To perform geographic contour analysis of sea and land ambulance rescue times in an archipelago subject to super typhoons; to design point-of-care testing strategies for medical emergencies and weather disasters made more intense by global warming and rising oceans; and to assess needs for prehospital testing on spatial care paths that accelerate decision making, increase efficiency, improve outcomes, and enhance standards of care in island nations.Methods We performed needs assessment, inspected healthcare facilities, and collected ambulance rescue times from professionals in the Bantayan Archipelago, Philippines. We mapped sea/land ambulance rescue routes and time contours. To reveal gaps, we statistically compared the fastest and slowest patient rescue times from islands/islets and barangays to the District Hospital on Bantayan Island. We developed spatial care paths (the fastest routes to care) for acute myocardial infarction, community care, and infectious diseases. We generated a compendium of prehospital diagnostic testing and integrated outcomes evidence, diagnostic needs, and public health goals to recommend point-of-care strategies that build geographic health resilience.Results We observed limited access to COVID-19 assays, absence of blood gas/pH testing for critical care support, and spatial gaps in land and airborne rescues that worsened during inclement weather and sea swells. Mean paired differences (slowest-fastest) in ambulance rescue times to the District Hospital for both islands and barangays were significant (P < 0.0001). Spatial care path analysis showed where POC cardiac troponin testing should be implemented for expedited care of acute myocardial infarction. Geospatial strengths comprised distributed primary care that can be facilitated by point-of-care testing, logical interisland transfers for which decision making and triage could be accelerated with onboard diagnostics, and healthcare networks amenable to medical advances in prehospital testing that accelerate treatment.Conclusions Point-of-care testing should be positioned upstream close to homes and island populations that have prolonged rescue time contours. Geospatially optimized point-of-need diagnostics and distributed prehospital testing have high potential to improve outcomes. These improvements will potentially decrease disparities in mortality among archipelago versus urban dwellers, help improve island public health, and enhance resilience for increasingly adverse and frequent climate change weather disasters that impact vulnerable coastal areas. [350 words]
Amino Acid Distribution in Blood Following High-Intensity Interval Exercise: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Borges Nattai Ricardo , Doering Thomas Michael , Murphy Grace , Macdonald Margaret , Dunstan Hugh
Published: July 2023

This study investigated the effect of high-intensity interval exercise on total and individual amino acid concentrations in red blood cells (RBC) and plasma. Seven males (30.7 ± 13.3 year) provided venous blood samples at rest, immediately, 15 min and 30 min following an 8 min high-intensity exercise bout. The high-intensity exercise was 16x15s cycle efforts at 40% body mass (N) and 90 rpm, interspersed with 15s passive recovery. Total and individual amino acid concentrations of RBC and plasma and blood cell parameters were analysed. No significant differences for total amino acid concentrations RBC and plasma were found, however an inverse trend response was noted. Individual amino acid analyses showed significant interaction effects for alanine and α-aminoadipic acid (P < 0.05), with plasma alanine significantly increased from baseline across the recovery period (P < 0.001). Group effects show greater concentrations of glycine, serine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, α-aminoadipic acid and ornithine in RBC, while greater concentrations of alanine, α-aminobutyric acid, valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, proline, phenylalanine, glutamine, tryptophan and cystine were found in plasma (P < 0.05). Comparable levels of histidine, lysine and tyrosine were observed between blood fractions. High variation for baseline RBC amino acids which decreased following exercise was observed. Haemoglobin, pack cell volume and white blood cell count significantly increased immediately following exercise (P < 0.05) but returned to baseline after 15 min recovery. The RBC amino acid characteristics following high-intensity exercise support the notion of individualised transportation roles for RBC and plasma may exist.
Kernel Adversarial Learning for Real-world Image Super-resolution
Authors: Wang Hu , Ma Congbo , Zhang Jianpeng , Zhang Wei Emma , Carneiro Gustavo
Published: July 2023

Current deep image super-resolution (SR) approaches aim to restore high-resolution images from down-sampled images or by assuming degradation from simple Gaussian kernels and additive noises. However, these techniques only assume crude approximations of the real-world image degradation process, which should involve complex kernels and noise patterns that are difficult to model using simple assumptions. In this paper, we propose a more realistic process to synthesise low-resolution images for real-world image SR by introducing a new Kernel Adversarial Learning Super-resolution (KASR) framework. In the proposed framework, degradation kernels and noises are adaptively modelled rather than explicitly specified. Moreover, we also propose a high-frequency selective objective and an iterative supervision process to further boost the model SR reconstruction accuracy. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework on real-world datasets.
Electrochemical Synthesis of 5-(1H-indol-3-yl) N-Substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole- 2-Amines: A Mild and Green Approach
Authors: Patel Tarun M , Patel Khushbu G. , Modhh Parasar
Published: July 2023

The electrochemical method for the synthesis of 5-(1H-indol-3-yl) N-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-amines is a novel and efficient approach that offers several advantages over traditional synthetic methods. This method utilizes aliphatic and aromatic isothiocyanates as starting materials and employs electrochemical techniques to facilitate the reaction. The process begins with the selection of an appropriate electrochemical setup, typically involving a two-electrode system consisting of a working electrode and a counter electrode. The working electrode is made of a conductive material such as carbon. The reaction vessel contains a suitable electrolyte, which can be an organic solvent or an ionic liquid, depending on the specific requirements of the reaction. The reaction proceeds by applying a potential across the electrodes, creating an electric field that promotes the desired electrochemical transformations. The indole substrate and the isothiocyanate reagent are introduced into the reaction vessel, and upon the application of the appropriate potential, they undergo electrochemical oxidation and subsequent nucleophilic substitution to form the desired 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-amines. One of the key advantages of this electrochemical method is its high functional group tolerance. The reaction can accommodate a wide range of functional groups present on both the indole substrate and the isothiocyanate reagents. This allows for the synthesis of diverse compounds with different substituents, providing access to a large substrate scope. Another notable advantage of this method is its good yield of the desired products. The electrochemical conditions can be optimized to ensure high conversion and selectivity, resulting in good overall yields of the 5-(1H-indol-3-yl) N-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-amines. The reaction conditions can be fine-tuned to achieve the desired level of selectivity and efficiency. Furthermore, the facile nature of the electrochemical method makes it a convenient and sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic methods. Additionally, the use of electricity as an energy source can be more environmentally friendly compared to traditional heating methods.
LPM-Net: A Data-Driven Resource-Efficient Predictive Motion Planner for Mobile Robots
Authors: Amirhosseini Fakhreddin , Nilforoushan Zahra
Published: July 2023

A data-driven predictive motion planner for mobile robots, referred to as LPM-Net, has been proposed in this paper. Conventional predictive motion planners are computationally expensive, often resulting in insufficient throughput on mobile robot hardware. LPM-Net is an imitation learning-assisted local predictive non-holonomic motion planner that is capable of learning from conventional motion planners regarded as paradigm models and replicating their behavior while satisfying the same kinodynamic constraints. In addition, LPM-Net is compatible with GPU and TPU hardware, allowing for faster and more efficient processing. LPM-Net uses convolutional and recurrent long short-term memory (LSTM) deep neural networks to predict steering commands. This has improved computational efficiency which allows autonomous vehicles to be equipped with more cost-effective computers. In the present study, LPM-Net was tuned to mimic the behavior of a model predictive controller (MPC) paradigm model. Measurements in this study demonstrate that the proposed mimic planner achieves acceptable performance while consuming approximately half the processing power of the predictive planner.
super twisted products
Authors: Wu Tong , Wang Yong
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we define the W2-curvature tensor on super Riemannian manifolds. And we compute the curvature tensor, the Ricci tensor and the W2-curvature tensor on super twisted product spaces. Furthermore,we investigate the W2-curvature flat super twisted product manifolds. And, we get a result that a mixedRicci-flat super twisted product semi-Riemannian manifold can be expressed as a super warped productsemi-Riemannian manifold.
Green synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles using aqueous extract of the bark of Ficus religiosa and investigation of their role in antibacterial activity
Authors: Yadav Sujit , Prakash Aakriti , Tiwari Punit , Saxena Preeti Suman , Srivast Anchal
Published: July 2023

In this study, the titanium dioxide was synthesized from the aqueous bark extract of Ficus religiosa (Peepal tree). The green-colored nanoparticles were identified by UV-Visible spectroscopy, XRD (X-rays diffraction), TEM (Transmission electron microscopy), SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy- Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry), AFM (Atomic force microscopy), and FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). The green synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles were of varying sizes and shapes. These nanoparticles were analyzed for their antibacterial activity in both the bacteria Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive. Agar disc diffusion has been used to assess antibacterial activity. Against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria), a greater zone of inhibition has been seen in comparison to Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria). Overall, this study is focused on the employment of a green approach for the precise nanoparticle preparation of TiO2 (Titanium dioxide) utilizing an aqueous bark extract of Ficus religiosa for the first time along with the investigation of their potential for antibacterial activity.
Reference tracking of nonlinear airborne systems using stochastic MPC with disturbance observers and actuator chance constraint optimization
Authors: Aryan Suryansh
Published: July 2023

With ever-growing advancements in the field of aerospace technology, there are much wider opportunities and capabilities emerging as a constant demand in terms of speed and accuracy. One of the major segments for any airborne mission is its Guidance-Navigation-Control technique which becomes very crucial for the aspects of speed and accuracy, especially for defense or highly complex missions like missile launches, space missions, airstrikes, and many more. A controller technique that is much more accurate than its traditional counterparts like Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), as well as constantly considering any instantaneous state measurement noises into account, is an irresistible demand and advantageous over other control techniques in use. A Model Predictive Controller (MPC) can smoothly handle actuator constraints, angle-of-attack constraints, and pitch-angle constraints which makes it more versatile and near perfect for practical nonlinear systems. A real-world nonlinear airborne system is mathematically modeled and represented in its nonlinear state space representation. To accurately measure the instantaneous states, the Kalman filter with distinct covariances for both state and control measurements is taken considering noises to be normally distributed. This is followed by the nonlinear model predictive controller which acts based on the system’s guidance requirements on the perturbated states at each time instance for optimal reference path tracking as well as dealing with stochastic actuator values optimized by chance-constraint programming. The performance of the proposed reference tracking technique is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink tool with numerical as well as graphical analysis results.
Improvement of Prebiotic Properties and Resistant Starch Content of Corn Flour (Zea mays L.) Momala Gorontalo Using Physical, Chemical and Enzymatic Modification
Authors: R. Haryo Bimo Setiarto  , Muhammad Isra  , Dimas Andrianto  , Nunuk Widhyastuti  , Masrukhin
Published: July 2023

Probiotics are a non-digestible food ingredient that promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines. One of the functional food ingredients, Momala corn flour, is a source of prebiotics with a resistant starch content of 4.42%. This study aimed to improve the prebiotic properties and resistant starch content of modified corn flour (MCF) Momala Gorontalo by using physical, chemical, and enzymatic modification processes. The research methods include physical modification (heat moisture treatment, annealing, autoclaving-cooling cycling, microwave), chemical modification (acid hydrolysis), and enzymatic modification (debranching pullulanase). The results showed that the modified by heat moisture treatment (HMT) increased RS levels 1-fold, annealing modification (ANN) 8.9-fold, autoclaving-cooling one cycle modification (AC-1C) 2.9-fold, autoclaving-cooling two cycles modification (AC-2C) 2.0-fold, microwave modification (MW) 1.3-fold, acid hydrolysis (HA) modification 5.0-fold, and debranching pullulanase (DP) modification 3.8-fold compared with corn flour control without modification. The value of the prebiotic activity of MCF hydrolysed acid (HA) is 0.03, and debranching pullulanase (DP) is 0.02 against Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). The prebiotic effect value of MCF HA and DP were 0.76 and 0.60, respectively. The prebiotic index value of MCF HA and DP were 0.60 and 0.48, respectively. This study confirms that MCF HA and DP are good prebiotic candidates because they have resistant starch content, low starch digestibility, and resistance to simulated gastric fluid hydrolysis than unmodified corn flour.
Construction of Novel Yeast Strains from Candida tropicalis KBKTI 10.5.1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DBY1 to Improve the Performance of Ethanol Production Using Lignocellulosic Hydrolysate
Authors: Jamaluddin  , Eny Ida Riyanti  , Nisa Rachmania Mubarik  , Edy Listanto
Published: July 2023

Increased consumption of xylose-glucose and yeast tolerance to lignocellulosic hydrolysate are the keys to the success of second-generation bioethanol production. Candida tropicalis KBKTI 10.5.1 is a new isolated strain that has the ability to ferment xylose. In contrast to Saccharomyces cerevisiae DBY1 which only can produce ethanol from glucose fermentation. The research objective is the application of the genome shuffling method to increase the performance of ethanol production using lignocellulosic hydrolysate. Mutants were selected on xylose and glucose substrates separately and using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The ethanol production using lignocellulosic hydrolysate by parents and mutants was evaluated using a batch fermentation system. Concentrations of ethanol, residual sugars, and by-products such as glycerol, lactate and acetate were measured using HPLC machine equipped with Hi-plex H for carbohydrate column and a refraction index detector (RID). Ethanol produced by Fcs1 and Fcs4 mutants on acid hydrolysate increased by 26.58% and 24.17% from parent DBY1, by 14.94% and 21.84% from parent KBKTI 10.5.1. In contrast to the increase in ethanol production on alkaline hydrolysate, Fcs1 and Fcs4 mutants only experienced an increase in ethanol production by 1.35% from the parent KBKTI 10.5.1. Ethanol productivity by Fcs1 and Fcs4 mutants on acid hydrolysate reached 0.042 g/L/h and 0.044 g/L/h. The recombination of the genomes of different yeast species resulted in novel yeast strains that improved resistance performance and ethanol production on lignocellulosic hydrolysates.