bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The potential impact of rising sea levels and subsidence on coastal flooding along the northern coast of Saint-Louis, Senegal.
Authors: CISSE Cheikh Omar Tidjani , Brempong Emmanuel K. , Almar Rafael , Angnuureng Bapentire Donatus , Sy Boubou Aldiouma
Published: April 2024

In today's context of rising sea levels and subsiding land topography, coastal flooding is a major concern for coastal areas, both nationally, regionally, and internationally. The main objective of the present study is to contribute to the understanding of the impact of subsidence and sea-level rise on coastal flooding in Saint-Louis, and in particular the Langue de Barbarie, by producing a vulnerability map of submerged surfaces. To this end, the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry technique is used to process a time series of Sentinel-1 images and estimate land subsidence in the Saint-Louis and Langue de Barbarie area. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) measurements are merged with RCP 2.6 sea-level rise scenarios to identify predicted flooded areas and provide a flood vulnerability map. At the Langue de Barbarie, topographic subsidence is estimated at between -6.4 and -0.4mm/year. In this study, we show that local land subsidence may increase vulnerability to flooding caused by sea-level rise based on 2100 projections. This may represent an increase in the flood zone in the study area. Based on the RCP 2.6 scenario and the subsidence rates obtained, a significant part of the St. Louis coastline and city would be subject to coastal and fluvial flooding for the years 2040 and 2100. For these dates, 29 to and 36 Km2 of the studied area would be occupied by water. Given this situation, research in Saint-Louis needs to focus on adaptation scenarios to coastal risks, to protect coastal communities and safeguard the city's historical heritage.
Physical-Mechanical Properties of Sand from Various Sandpits in the North West Region and Their Recommended Domains of Application
Authors: Mbuh Moses Kuma , Nsahlai Leonard Nyuykongi , Penka Jules Bertrand , Mofor Nelson Alakeh , Ncham Modestus Kukwah
Published: April 2024

Sand is widely used in the Northwest Region of Cameroon and it is over 38% of the total aggregate quantity in concrete and the only aggregate in mortar, thus has a significant impact on their properties. The inability to make alternative sand choices for use in projects and the inability of contractors to attain 25 mega Pascal (MPa) compressive strength among others, call for concern, necessitating this study to classify the sands according to their physical-mechanical properties and suitability for various works. Based in Mezam, the study required identification tests for the sands. Wum, Mbengwi, Ndop, Chomba and Mbatu sands were studied. Concrete was formulated for 25 MPa strength and mortar on a ratio of 3:1:0.75 for sand, cement and water respectively, to assess the contribution of these sands in concrete and mortar and to find their specific qualities. Tests indicated that Wum sand was densest (specific gravity 2.548 t/m3) and Mbatu sand lightest (specific gravity 2.486 t/m3). Gradation showed that Wum sand had the largest grains (Mfs 2.93) while Mbatu sand had the finest (Mfs 2.62). Concrete was formulated with water-cement ratio of 0.56 for the sands and had 26.64, 24.4, 20.59, 21.66 and 17.33 MPa resistance respectively at 28-days of curing. The mortar gave 25.33, 20.62, 13.01, 19.17 and 15.99 MPa respectively for the sources after 14-days of curing cubes of 70 mm sides. These proved that Wum sand was best for structural uses and Ndop sand for light loads. Mbengwi and Chomba sands should be washed while Mbatu sand should at best be mixed with Wum sand.
Evaluation of the Completeness of the American Hospital Association Database for Studying Maternal Risk-Appropriate Care
Authors: Vanderlaan Jennifer , Shen Jay , McDonough Ian K.
Published: April 2024

Background In a prior study we presented a method to identify a hospital level of maternal care using the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database. However incomplete survey data prevented assessment of hospital level of maternal care for 558 hospitals, which may limit use of the data to study state policies to increase use of maternal risk-appropriate care. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which this sample represents the universe of maternity hospitals and the ability to measure hospital level of maternal care for each state; this measurement is necessary to study maternal risk-appropriate care.Methods We compared the number of births reported in the 2021 American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database to the number of births in the 2020 National Vital Statistics Data. The completeness of the sample was measured as the ratio of the number of births reported by hospitals in the state to the number of birth certificates reporting hospital births. Data was considered complete for a state if the ratio was within one standard deviation of the national average of completeness. Completeness of survey data was measured as the proportion of hospitals whose level of maternal care could be evaluated.Results Hospitals in the database were the location for 97.6% of all live hospital births in 2020. The average state level of completeness was 0.99 (SD 0.10); four state ratios were outside one standard deviation of the national average of completeness and one state ratio was outside two standard deviations. We measured hospital level of maternal care for 1,923 (69.1%) of maternity hospitals which were the location for 77.2% of all hospital live births. The average state completeness was 0.75 (SD 0.21); six states were outside one standard deviation and six were outside two standard deviations. We identified wide variation in completeness between states.Conclusions This study demonstrated that the American Hospital Association Database can be used to describe the distribution of maternity hospitals in the United States. The completeness of level of maternal care data for several states allows use of the database to study maternal risk-appropriate care. Improving data completeness would improve the ability to study maternal risk-appropriate care.
Comparison of Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) for nutritional assessment in Hepatocellular carcinoma patients
Authors: Chonmaitree Piyanant , Sudcharoen Asawin , Poonyam Piyakorn , Laoarphasuwong Nutthawut , Khuancharee Kitsarawut , Thititagul Ornicha
Published: April 2024

Background
Malnutrition affects the prognosis and response to treatment in cancer patients. There is no gold standard for nutritional assessment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to compare Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in predicting mortality in HCC patients.
Method
We included HCC patients in outpatient clinic at HRH Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center. The nutritional status was assessed according to PG-SGA and MNA. Patients were followed up 1 year to verify the incidence of death and complications.
Result
Eighty-nine HCC patients were included. Mean age was 62.2 years. Most of the patients were treated with transarterial chemoembolization. Malnutrition identified by PG-SGA and MNA was 53.9% and 51.7%, respectively. Mortality rate was 2.65 cases per 100 persons. Overall survival rate was 90% and 81.5% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Patients with malnutrition assessed by PG-SGA and MNA had significantly higher mortality than patients without malnutrition. PG-SGA had a sensitivity of 80% for predicting mortality. PG-SGA had higher accuracy for predicting mortality of HCC patients than MNA (AUROC PG-SGA 0.7148 and MNA 0.7098).
Conclusion
HCC patients with malnutrition were evaluated by PG-SGA and MNA had higher mortality than HCC patients without malnutrition. PG-SGA had higher accuracy in predicting mortality than MNA.
Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Reinfection: A Retrospective Study in China
Authors: Qiu Chao-Chao , Lin Xiao-Qing , Zhang Qiang , Chen Ya-Long , Su Xiao-Qiao , Zhang Ming-Ying , Zhu Le-Fei , Lin Zhi-Ruo , Cheng Fang , Xie Shang-Ren , Shi Ji-Chan , Jiang Xian-Gao
Published: April 2024

Purpose
The number of patients with COVID-19 reinfection is gradually increasing.In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of individuals who experienced COVID-19 reinfection.
Methods
A retrospective data analysis was conducted involving patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between April 1, 2023, and June 20, 2023. The patients were categorized into two groups: the observation group, consisting of individuals with reinfection, and the control group, comprising those with primary infection.
Results
A Total 905(905/1025) patients were included in the study,with 407 in the observation group and 498 in the control group. The top three clinical symptoms in both groups were fever, cough with expectoration, and dizziness with fatigue (p < 0.001). The clinical classification of patients in the observation group primarily consisted of non-severe cases, (p<0.001). The proportion of hospitalized patients was lower in the observation group than in the control group (p < 0.001). The observation group exhibited a shorter clinical symptom recovery time than that of the control group (median, 5 d vs. 7 d,p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Patients experiencing COVID-19 reinfection were primarily classified as non-severe cases, with lower proportions of occurrence of severe and rare critical conditions. The severity was milder compared to that in patients with primary COVID-19 infections.
A dispensable SepIVA orthologue in Streptomyces venezuelae is associated with polar growth and not cell division
Authors: Sen Beer Chakra , Mavi Parminder Singh , Irazoki Oihane , Datta Susmita , Kaiser Sebastian , Cava Felipe , Flärdh Klas
Published: April 2024

Background
SepIVA has been reported to be an essential septation factor in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a coiled-coil protein with similarity to DivIVA, a protein necessary for polar growth in members of the phylum Actinomycetota. Orthologues of SepIVA are broadly distributed among actinomycetes, including in Streptomyces spp.
Results
To clarify the role of SepIVA and its potential involvement in cell division in streptomycetes, we generated sepIVA deletion mutants in Streptomyces venezuelae and found that sepIVA is dispensable for growth, cell division and sporulation. Further, mNeonGreen-SepIVA fusion protein did not localize at division septa, and we found no evidence of involvement of SepIVA in cell division. Instead, mNeonGreen-SepIVA was accumulated at the tips of growing vegetative hyphae in ways reminiscent of the apical localization of polarisome components like DivIVA. Bacterial two-hybrid system analyses revealed an interaction between SepIVA and DivIVA. The results indicate that SepIVA is associated with polar growth. However, no phenotypic effects of sepIVA deletion could be detected, and no evidence was observed of redundancy with the other DivIVA-like coiled-coil proteins Scy and FilP that are also associated with apical growth in streptomycetes.
Conclusions
We conclude that S. venezuelae SepIVA, in contrast to the situation in mycobacteria, is dispensable for growth and viability. The results suggest that it is associated with polar growth rather than septum formation.
Efficient identification of new small molecules targeting succinate dehydrogenase in non- small cell lung cancer
Authors: Silva Luis , Skiados Nicholas , Murugavel Nikitha , Luna Nastassja , Cover Karen , Gupta Manish K. , Contreras Stephanie C. , O'Brien Terrence E. , Zhang Wen Cai
Published: April 2024

Background
Lung cancer treatment efficacy remains a challenge due to limited therapeutic targets. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) enzyme, a crucial enzyme linking the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain, is implicated in cancer metabolism. While existing compounds target metabolic diseases in vitro, SDH-targeted therapy for lung cancer remains elusive.
Methods
We assessed SDH expression levels in non-small cell lung (NSCLC) tissues and cell lines. Leveraging AtomNet® technology for compound identification, coupled with mitochondria- and cell-based enzyme activity assays, we discovered new SDH inhibitors. Using 2D monolayer, 3D organoid culture, and assays for cell viability, migration, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, oxygen consumption rate, succinate accumulation, and apoptosis, we elucidated their mechanism targeting lung malignancy.
Results
SDH subunits were found to be overexpressed in NSCLC tissues compared to tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Two new SDH inhibitors were identified from 96 predicted candidates. Cellular thermal shift assay confirmed direct binding of these small molecules to SDH subunits in lung cancer cells. Mechanistically, treatment increased cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, succinate accumulation, and induced apoptosis by damaging mitochondria and DNA, while modulating SDH protein expression. Functionally, these molecules reduced growth, migration, and 3D organoid formation in lung cancer cell lines in vitro, both short and long term.
Conclusions
Our SDH inhibitors halt tumor growth and migration by targeting key substrate binding sites, showing superior efficacy over existing treatments. They also modulate SDH protein expression, suggesting a promising dual-targeting strategy for cancer therapy. This study sheds light on SDH function in cancer-related metabolic dysfunction and underscores the potential of SDH modulation as a therapeutic strategy for lung cancer and beyond.
Engineering Properties of Sand Derived from Kawkaban Member (Tawilah Group) NE Sana'a, Yemen
Authors: Al-Akhaly Ibrahim Abdulhamid , Al-Anweh Ahmed Mohammed
Published: April 2024

The purpose of this study is to assess the engineering properties of crushed sandstone sand from the Kawkaban Member (Tawilah Group) exposed in the area NE Sana'a city. This was achieved by conducting several laboratory techniques on the sand samples to determine their grain size, water absorption, water content, specific gravity, unit weight, and nature of deleterious materials. The results satisfied the ASTM and AASHTO requirements. For mortar mixes, the component materials were grouped by weight and 1:2:4 mix ratio was designated. The mortar specimens were immersed in water for 2, 7, 28, 56, 70 and 90 days. The standard sand (SS) mortar revealed good results and higher values of flexural strength (FS) and compressive strength (CS) than those for Zigan sand (ZS) mortar for all immersed periods. The CS values of SS mortar are higher than the required values by 9.65%, while those of the ZS mortar were less than the limit of CS by 20.59% at 28th day curing time. The CS values for SS and ZS mortars at the 7th day of curing were 70 and 80% of those for the CS at the 28th day of curing, respectively. The FS values for ZS mortar at 28th day of curing was less than that of the SS mortar by 8.70%. For the designated water to cement and mix percentages the ZS mortar was found to be appropriate for structural applications wherever high strength is a requirement.
Fabrication of Natural Filler Encapsulated Rigid Polyurethane Composite Foams Using Hemp-Seed Oil and its Enhanced Flame Retardancy
Authors: Ahir Mansi , Bodhak Chandan , Gupta Ram K.
Published: April 2024

Over the past few decades, polymer composites have been receiving significant interest and become a protagonist due to their enhanced properties and wide range of applications. Herein, we examined the impact of filler and flame-retardant in hemp seed oil-based rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) composite performance. Firstly, the hemp-seed oil (HSO) was converted to a corresponding epoxy analog, followed by a ring-opening reaction to synthesize hemp bio-polyols. The hemp polyol was then reacted with diisocyanate in the presence of commercial polyols and other foaming components to produce RPUF in a single step. In addition, different fillers like microcrystalline cellulose, alkaline lignin, titanium dioxide, and melamine (as a flame-retardant) were used in different wt.% ratio to fabricate composite foam. The mechanical characteristics, thermal degradation behavior, cellular morphology, apparent density, flammability, and closed cell content of the generated composite foams were examined. Initial screening of different fillers reveals that microcrystalline cellulose significantly improves the mechanical strength up to 318 kPa. The effect of melamine as a flame-retardant in composite foam was also examined which shows the highest compression strength of 447 kPa. Significantly better anti-flaming qualities than neat foam based on HSO have been reflected using 22.15 wt.% of melamine with the lowest burning time of 4.1 sec and weight loss of 1.88 wt.%. All the composite foams showed about 90% of closed-cell content. The present work illustrates the assembly of filler-based polyurethane foam composite with anti-flaming properties from biobased feedstocks with high-performance applications.
Effect of initial temperature on cutting speed in liquid nitrogen assisted abrasive suspension jet machining of tungsten steel
Authors: Qiang Chiheng , Teng Wenxiang , Fei Shuhui , Guo Chuwen , Shen Gang
Published: April 2024

Liquid nitrogen assisted abrasive suspension jet (LN2-ASJ) is a combined machining method of cooling before cutting, which can greatly improve the efficiency of ASJ machining tungsten steel (hard alloy). The reduction in machining temperature changes the mechanical properties of the material, thereby affecting the fracture mode and failure speed. This paper focused on YG8/YG20 tungsten steel, analyzed its failure process at low temperatures, established a mathematical model for cutting speed, elucidated the effect of initial temperature on cutting speed, and conducted LN2-ASJ cutting experiments. The results showed that ductile fracture always occurs at the initial kerf. As the kerf depth increases, tungsten steel may begin to undergo brittle fracture, with the occurrence coordinates of brittle fracture depending on the initial temperature. The cutting speed in the brittle fracture area (18.88-21.21mm/s) is approximately 8 times that in the ductile fracture area (2.39-3.87mm/s), with the optimal cutting performance achieved when the initial temperature is controlled at -80°C. Compared to room temperature, LN2-ASJ increased the average cutting speed of YG8 by 32% (from 3.71mm/s to 4.90mm/s) and that of YG20 by 37% (from 3.95mm/s to 5.43mm/s).
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound-guided biopsy improved diagnostic accuracy in patients with hepatitis: A prospective multicenter study of 2056 patients
Authors: Jiang Binbin , Jing Xiang , Wang Yuxiang , Zhu Xiao-lin , Wang Jing , Du Rui-qing , Lv Bin , Wang Ke-feng , Gao Zhixiang , Yan Kun
Published: April 2024

Background
Although ultrasound-guided biopsy of focal liver lesions is safe and has high diagnostic accuracy, the factors affecting the results of biopsy are unclear. To investigate factors affecting the accuracy of ultrasound-guided biopsy of liver focal lesions and developed a decision model for the management of biopsy results.
Methods
This study enrolled participants with focal hepatic lesions who underwent biopsy between March 2016 and August 2019 in nine hospitals in China. The frequency of accurate diagnosis was calculated. The variables were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Chi-squared automatic interaction detection was used to construct the prediction model.
Results
2056 participants (1297 men, 376 women; mean age, 67.8 ± 10.8 years) were enrolled in the study with 2056 lesions (mean: 4.0±2.8 cm; range: 0.7-17.7 cm). 94.2% (1936/2056) of patients were accurately diagnosed. The accurate diagnosis rate of 2-3 passes was significantly higher than that of one pass (95.1% vs. 87.3%, P < 0.001) and comparable to the accuracy of >3 passes (95.1% vs. 93.2%, P=0.408). The multivariate logistic regression showedthat no hepatitis [2.493 (1.512-4.110), P<0.001], CEUS-guided [1.884 (1.278-2.777), P=0.001], and biopsypass >1 [(1.811 (1.131-2.901), P=0.013] were independent predictors of accurate diagnoses.
The decision tree model showed that in patients with hepatitiswho underwent CEUS-guided biopsy, the probability of an accurate diagnosis may be increased from 88.1% to 94.8% in patients with hepatitis who underwent US-guided biopsy. A 97.5% probability of diagnostic accuracy was obtained from patients without hepatitis who underwent US-guided biopsy.
Conclusions
CEUS-guided biopsy improves diagnostic accuracy in patients with hepatitis. 2-3 passes can achieve 95% accuracy, and a continued increase in the number of punctures did not improve diagnostic accuracy.
Efficacy and safety of gasless single-port laparoscopic-assisted radical rectal cancer surgery: A single-center prospective observational study
Authors: Liu Hang , Gu Haitao , Zhu Peng , Wang Yaxu , Li Yang , Zhu Daihua , Li Tong , Wang Jijian , Zhang Jianbo
Published: April 2024

Purpose
Gasless single-port laparoscopic-assisted surgery (GSLR) has more applications in gynecologic surgery, but its safety and efficacy still need to be explored in rectal cancer surgery.
Methods
Patients who underwent GSLR surgery and carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum laparoscopic surgery (LR) from June 2017 to June 2022 were collected. General information data of the patients were collected along with the relevant central venous pressure (CVP), peak airway pressure (PIP), postoperative pain scores, T-cell subpopulations and postoperative complications.
Results
In this study, a total of 186 patients were enrolled, including 90 patients in the GSLR and 96 patients in the LR groups, and no significant differences were observed in the general data of the two groups. The results of the study showed that the CVP and PIP of the GSLR group were significantly lower than those of the LR group during and at the end of the operation (P < 0.05). Also, the GSLR group had lower postoperative pain scores and smaller abdominal incisions than LR (P < 0.05). Similarly, on postoperative day 7, CD3+, CD4 + and CD8 + cell levels resumed more rapidly in the GSLR group than in the LR group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of postoperative lung infection was also lower in the GSLR group than in the LR group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that the GSLR procedure is a favorable safety and efficacy profile in rectal cancer and can be used as a new surgical treatment option for rectal cancer patients.
Ocean’s largest chlorophyll-rich tongue is extending westward
Authors: Shang Shaoling , Peng Shuaixing , Yu Xiaolong , Lee Zhongping , Lin Hongyang , Liu Xin , Dai Minhan
Published: April 2024

Upwelling in the Equatorial Pacific nurtures an expansive and westward-stretching chlorophyll-rich tongue (CRT), supporting half of the annual global new production. Surrounding the CRT are the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north and south, which are suggested to be expanding under global warming. Yet, how this productive CRT has changed—expanding or contracting—remains unknown. By applying the empirical mode decomposition method to 20-year monthly measurements of chlorophyll concentration from MODIS-Aqua (2002-2022), a significant westward extension of the CRT is found, with its area expanding at a rate of 8.46 × 104 km2/yr. The westward extension of the CRT is attributed to strengthened equatorial upwelling and the Southern Equatorial Current from 2002 to 2022, driven by intensified easterly trade winds as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation predominantly remains in its negative phase during this period. Our results imply a broader cover of productive water along the equator, while its impact on tropical climate, ecosystems and carbon cycle deserves further investigation.
A Novel Strategy to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade Based on Tripartite Evolutionary Game Theory
Authors: Qi Diqin , Shen Xinda , Li Jiaming , Li Siman , Wang Xuanbo , Zhu Jingyan , Kong Qingbao
Published: April 2024

The illicit trade in wildlife can precipitate a decline in border stability, the spread of diseases, and environmental degradation, thus impacting the gover-nance of governments. Consequently, governments are committed to combating the illegal wildlife trade. This paper investigates the impact of illegal wildlife trade on governance, proposing a tripartite evolutionary game model involving poachers, buyers, and governments. It analyzes strategic choices and benefits, suggesting dynamic enforcement adjustments guided by data prediction. Therefore , we conlude that: (1) A sustained high enforcement intensity coefficient leads to diminishing marginal benefits. (2) There is an inverse relationship between the enforcement intensity coefficient and the probability of buyers purchasing illegal wildlife and related products. (3) The trend in the probability of governments opting to combat the illegal wildlife trade mirrors that of enforcement efficiency. (4) The impact of reputational gains on combating illegal wildlife trade is minimal. (5) The higher the cost of combating the illegal wildlife trade, the better the effectiveness of the efforts, showing results in the short term once a certain threshold is reached; when the cost is lower, it may lead to a short-term rebound in the volume of illegal wildlife trade, but a long-term decreasing trend is still observed.
Physical and Chemical Degradation of Bacterial Cellulose via Rearranging Fibers
Authors: Şahin Fulya , Kayra Neslihan , Aytekin Ali Özhan
Published: April 2024

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has unique properties such as high tensile strength, high crystallinity, and high purity. Fiber length of BC causes different attributes. Therefore, degradation of BC has been studied deeply. In this study, fibers of BC were rearranged via DMAc-LiCl solvent and BC was degraded in wet state. Two different degradation methods, milling with liquid nitrogen and autoclave treatment, were applied. Degraded BCs were characterized by FTIR, TEM, AFM, TGA, and XRD. The solvent helps to align the fibers, making it more crystalline. Degraded BCs had lower crystalline ratio than BC, because of increasing hydrogen bonding during degradation in wet state. Degradation with autoclave made two different degraded BCs as nanofibrils and spherical nanocrystals with no pretreatment and solvent pretreatment, respectively. The nanofibril lengths were between 312 – 700 nm depending on applied method and spherical nanocrystal size was 56 nm. The rearrangement via solvent causes an important difference in degradation of BC. Nanofibrils and nanocrystals can be obtained, depending on the rearrangement of fibers before degradation process.
How Do Environmental Protection Awareness, Attitudes, Behaviors and Pollution Perceptions Affect the Healthiness of Rural Residents: Evidence from the Mountainous Areas of Sichuan, China
Authors: Shui Yue , Yang Yingjie , Liu Shaoquan
Published: April 2024

Purpose - Environmental pollution and health issues are hot topics for discussion in modern society. However, there is a shortage of research on the influence of environmental pollution on health from the perspective of subjective factors such as environmental protection.
Design/methodology/approach - Firstly, the 396 data were collected through a field study in Sichuan Province’s mountainous rural areas. hen, based on the KAP model, an interactive impact mechanism model on the health of rural residents was established. The relationship between background characteristics and environmental protection of rural residents was tested using chi square test and T-test. The impact mechanism of environmental protection awareness, attitude, behavior, and perception of environmental pollution on the health of rural residents was explored through a multiple linear regression model.
Findings – The findings indicate that: (1) All core observation variables can be classified as strong or weak. Stronger environmental awareness is more likely to be found among younger village official with higher educational levels. (2) The health degree of rural residents is significantly affected by their attitude towards environmental protection in a positive way and by environmental protection behavior in a negative way. (3) Age, gender, marital status, and party member, have a significant impact on the health of rural residents.
Originality - The study’s findings can serve as a scientific foundation for enhancing rural residents’ environmental protection and health degree.
Neddylation-related gene signature predicts the prognosis and is associated with immune infiltration of glioma
Authors: Jiang Zhipeng , Yin Wen , Tang Guihua , Guo Youwei , Huang HaiLong , Wang Zihan , Wang Lei , Liu Weidong , Jiang Xingjun , Ren Caiping
Published: April 2024

Background
Glioma is the most prevalent malignant tumor that originates from central nervous system. Neddylation, a post-translational modification similar to ubiquitination, is involved in tumorigenesis and progression. However, there were limited studies focused on the neddylation in glioma. Therefore, we aimed to explore the potential role of neddylation in glioma.
Methods
In this study, neddylation-related genes (NRGs) were identified and were used to construct a prognostic signature for glioma patients. Based on this prognostic index, we also explored the differences in clinical features, mutational landscape, immune cell infiltration between high-risk and low-risk groups. Next, single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was further performed to verify the expression of these genes in NRG signature. At last, one gene selected from the NRG signature were validated by in vitro experiments.
Results
Seven genes (TOP2A, F2R, UST, HSPA1B, LGALS3BP, UROS, and OSBPL11) were identified to construct the NRG signature, which was able to successfully classify glioma patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. A nomogram based on the NRG signature and other prognostic factors were developed to accurately predict the prognosis of glioma. Significant differences in prognosis, mutational landscape, immune cell infiltration were found between distinct groups. Moreover, in vitro experiments illustrated that knockdown of HSPA1B could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells and also inhibit the polarization of M2 macrophages.
Conclusion
These findings provide new insights into understanding the relationship between NRGs and glioma development and identify novel biomarkers may help to guiding precise treatments to glioma.
Research case study of the Discovery Museum and Tyne & Wear Archives in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (United Kingdom).
Authors: Hui Yann , Mak Michael
Published: April 2024

The Discovery Museum [(built in 1899, Grade II listed) (Science & Technology Museum category)] underwent a major renovation (2004 completion), with the addition of the Tyne & Wear Archives (2008 completion) situated within the museum’s basement level. The Discovery Museum and the Tyne & Wear Archives project (Atkins, 2023) is re-visited as a research case study, via the conceptual framework lens of International Council of Museum’s (ICOM) & Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development’s (OECD) “Culture and Local Development: Maximising the Impact (ICOM & OECD, 2019)” guide for local governments, communities and museums and the “Management of Archive & Museum Collections” lecture series (Alici, 2023). The research paper seeks to question the functional and social role of the museum within society and it’s constantly evolving identity and image, for example Cole’s vision of “museums as a schoolroom for everyone” (Hallemann, 2019). A new metaphor for the Discovery Museum’s near future vision [post COVID-19 pandemic era] will be provided within the conclusion of the paper.
Photobacterium mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mud sediment
Authors: Jiang Wanli , Shan Dapeng , Li Xu , Li Guangyu , Shao Zongze
Published: April 2024

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped strain, named S-FG-1T, was isolated from mud sediment samples collected from mangroves in Zinian Town. The novel strains, S-FG-1T, was abled to grow at 0.5–7% NaCl (optimum, 0.5–2%), 10–42°C (optimum, 28°C) and pH 6–8 (optimum, pH 6). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain S-FG-1T was a member of the genus Photobacterium with high similarity to Photobacterium ganghwense FR 1311T (97.91%), Photobacterium arenosum CAU 1568T (97.09%) and Photobacterium atrarenae M3-4T (96.18%). The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and aminophospholipid. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c/16:1ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω5c/18:0). The whole genome size of strain S-FG-1T was 5.04Mb with 53.6mol% G + C content.These taxonomic data support S-FG-1T as representing a novel Photobacterium species, for which the name Photobacterium mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of this novel species is S-FG-1T (= KCTC 8388T = MCCC 1A19761T ).
Marathi Sign Language Recognition using MediaPipe and Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Giri Shraddha , Patil Ashwini
Published: April 2024

Sign language is the hand gesture-based manual way of communication for mute and deaf people. The majorityof other people do not know this sign language, so it creates isolation among physically disabled people. The majority of research is already done for sign language recognition using machine and deep learning techniques for the English language. The attention needs to focus on regional sign language recognition as some of the signs vary according to region. We have considered the regional language, i.e., Marathi, for our recognition work.
In this paper, we proposed the real-time method for hand gesture detection for sign language recognition using the Media Pipe along with a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network model for the recognition of Marathi sign language. The system is built for the automatic recognition of Marathi sign language. The implemented model is trained and tested over our own dataset designed for 15 different Marathi words that are used in day-to-day communication by physically disabled people. The dataset contains a total of 37500 frames. With 97.50% accuracy, we can successfully recognize Marathi sign language.
Clinical significance of zoledronic acid in combination with calcium tablets and calcitriol for hip biomechanics and bone mineral density after total hip replacement: a prospective randomized controlled trial
Authors: 徐 贞东 , 杜 庄 , 里 清 , 王 辛 , 王 紫 , 邵 华 , 胡 宇通 , 刘 莫真
Published: April 2024

Purpose: To investigate the effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) combined with calcium tablets and calcitriol on bone mineral density (BMD), hip function after total hip arthroplasty (THA).
Methods: 50 elderly patients with THA from January 2022 to December 2022 were included in this study. The ZA group was given ZA combined with calcium tablets and calcitriol, while the control group was only given calcium tablets and calcitriol. The preoperative and postoperative BMD, bone metabolism-related indexes, Harris score, incidence of prosthesis loosening and hip biomechanics between the two groups were compared.
Results: There were no significant differences in age, sex, Body Mass Index. Postoperative systemic BMD and periprosthetic BMDin ZA group were higher than those in the control group. The BMD in Gruen zones 1, 6 and 7 at postoperative 6 months, Gruen zones 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 at postoperative 1 year was significantly higher than that in the control group. Postoperative 1 year, the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, procollagen 1 intact N-terminal and Harris score in ZA group were higher than those in control group, the β-type Ⅰ collagen carboxy-terminal peptide was lower. Acetabular height and acetabular deviation in ZA group were significantly better than those in control group at postoperative 1 year. Only 2 cases of prosthesis loosening in control group.
Conclusion: ZA can effectively restore the loss of BMD, maintain the biomechanical stability of the hip, and reduce the incidence of prosthesis loosening. It is an effective method to prevent osteoporosis after THA.
Trial registration: This study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Registry (registration No.: ChiCTR2200065144, date: January 2022)
A single cell RNA sequence atlas of the early Drosophila larval eye
Authors: Raja Komal Kumar Bollepogu , Yeung Kelvin , Li Yumei , Chen Rui , Mardon Graeme
Published: April 2024

The Drosophila eye has been an important model to understand principles of differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and tissue morphogenesis. However, a single cell RNA sequence resource that captures gene expression dynamics from the initiation of differentiation to the specification of different cell types in the larval eye disc is lacking. Here, we report transcriptomic data from 13,000 cells that cover six developmental stages of the larval eye. Our data show cell clusters that correspond to all major cell types present in the eye disc ranging from the initiation of the morphogenetic furrow to the differentiation of each photoreceptor cell type as well as early cone cells. We identify dozens of cell type-specific genes whose function in different aspects of eye development have not been reported. These single cell data will greatly aid research groups studying different aspects of early eye development and will facilitate a deeper understanding of the larval eye as a model system.
Hybrid Firefly and Particle Swarm Optimization Designed for Xgboosttuning Problem: Intrusion Detection in Network
Authors: Mensah Paul
Published: April 2024

The growing of threads and intrusions on networks make the need for developing efficient and effective intrusion detection systems a necessity. Powerful solutions of intrusion detection systems should be capable of dealing with central network issues such as huge data, high-speed traffic, and wide variety in threat types. This paper proposes a feature selection method that is based on firefly algorithm, particle swarm optimization and xgboost. The proposed method improves the performance of intrusion detection by removing the irrelevant features and reduces the time of classification by reducing the dimension of data. The XGBoost model was employed to evaluate each of the feature subsets produced from firefly and particle swarm optimization technique. The main merit of the proposed method is its ability in modifying the firefly algorithm and particle swarm optimization to become suitable for selection of features. To validate the proposed approach, the popular NSL-KDD dataset was used in addition to the common measures of intrusion detection systems such as overall accuracy, detection rate, and false alarm rate. The proposed method achieved an overall accuracy of 78.89
Multidisciplinary treatment for severe torsion of anterior teeth : a case report
Authors: Tang Qianwei , Chen Wenjin , Zhao Jingjing , Chen Shuolin , Huang Hua , Qin Xiurong
Published: April 2024

Maxillary permanent incisor torsion caused by supernumerary teeth is not frequently encountered in dental practice, but its treatment is challenging because of its importance for facial esthetics and the complexity of treatment. Timely intervention is often required to avoid severe complications. This article presents the case of a 7-year-old male patient with severe torsion of anterior teeth in mixed dentition. Multidisciplinary treatment was proposed to meet the patient’s needs, involving extracting the supernumerary teeth, using an intra-maxillary casting distractor and the 2×4 fixed orthodontic technique to align the severely twisted anterior teeth, and employing a Hawley retainer during the day and a customized silicone guide at night to maintain and guide occlusal development. At the end of treatment, the patient attained molar and canine class I with normal overjet and overbite. The combination of an intra-maxillary casting distractor and the 2×4 fixed orthodontic technique is very effective for treating severe torsion of upper anterior teeth if the patient is cooperative with using a retainer to prevent recurrence.
Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks for Subsurface Modeling: How Good They Really Are?
Authors: Merzoug Ahmed , Pyrcz Michael
Published: April 2024

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are increasingly recognized for their potential in subsurface modeling and uncertainty quantification, thanks to their capability to learn complex geological patterns from spatial training images and their ability to perform rapid local data conditioning in a lower-dimensional latent space compared to the full-dimensional space of the images. However, the performance of these algorithms often receives acceptance based primarily on visual inspection or limited qualitative assessment. To address this, we propose a minimum acceptance criteria workflow designed to quantitatively assess and verify the adequacy of GAN-generated subsurface models. This evaluation is carried out through three key metrics: (1) reproduction of data distribution, (2) reproduction of spatial continuity, and (3) local data conditioning. Our proposed workflow applied to GANs trained on a variety of images from sequential Gaussian simulations demonstrates that while data distribution and spatial continuity are consistently well-reproduced, local data conditioning faces several challenges. These include increasing prediction error and the need for more iterations for conditioning as the number of conditioning data increases. Additionally, the conditioning process at these data locations tends to introduce artifacts near the data locations including high local variogram nugget effects. Our minimum acceptance criteria offer a comprehensive framework for evaluating various models ensuring a higher control on modeling quality acceptance and rejection.
Tolvaptan use in a patient with TSC2 - PKD1 contiguous gene deletion syndrome – a case report
Authors: Iyasere Osasuyi , Jinadu Yusuf , Craft Emily
Published: April 2024

The TSC2 gene is contiguous to the PKD1 gene on chromosome 16. A large deletion in this region is associated with a clinical phenotype involving features of tuberous sclerosis and polycystic kidney disease (TSC-PKD CGD). While Tolvaptan use in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is well established, it is less so in those TSC-PKD CGD syndrome. Here, we report a case of Tolvaptan use in a 23 year old woman diagnosed with TSC - PKD CGD using micro-array testing. She had a known diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis, but renal imaging had shown enlarged polycystic kidneys and no angiomyolipomas. Following a rapid decline in kidney function, micro-array testing was arranged, which confirmed a large deletion involving the TSC2 and PKD 1 genes respectively. She was subsequently commenced on Tolvaptan therapy, which has been well tolerated, without significant side effects. After 12 months of therapy, the rate of decline in kidney function is slower in comparison to the pre-Tolvaptan phase.
Geospatial Variability of Vegetation Response to Meteorological Drought in North-East and North-West Nigeria
Authors: Oyemitan Suraju Oluwanifemi
Published: April 2024

This research investigated extreme drought variability and future trends in North-East and North-West Nigeria, addressing essential questions regarding the temporal and spatial variations in rainy and dry seasons. Daily and Monthly observation datasets at (0.50 x 0.50) resolution was obtained from the global gridded climatology of Climate Research covering 1981 to 2019. Simulated daily datasets from the Rossby Centre for Atmospheric Regional Climate Model (RCA4-RCM) under two emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for the periods 1976-2005 (historical) and 2020-2100 (projection) were retrieved from CORDEX at a resolution of (0.440 x 0.440) over Africa. The Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI) assessed drought intensities, revealing near normal, moderate, and severe conditions within the range of 1.99 to -1.99. A linear regression model established the relationship between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and rainfall. Spatial analysis of Consecutive dry days (Drought Index) over three 30-year periods (near, mid, and far future) set a critical/threshold level at -0.4 to 1.2, unveiling distinctive drought severity patterns. Findings highlighted regions with low vulnerability (Bornu, Kano, Katsina) and high risk (Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe) during the historical period. Projected trends indicated fewer consecutive dry days between 2020 and 2040 under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, with greater emissions and warming in RCP 8.5 leading to increased dry days between 2041 and 2070. The mid-century outlook suggests a rise in dry days, signalling prolonged drought in the region. SPEI analysis revealed potential future aridity in Northern Nigeria due to rising Potential Evaporation (PET) and continuous Climatic Water Balance (CWB) deficits observed over West Africa, leading to increased evaporation losses and higher irrigation demands for drier soils.
Flux Density Distribution Forecasting in Concentrated Solar Tower Plants: A Data-Driven Approach
Authors: Kuhl Mathias , Pargmann Max , Cherti Mehdi , Jitsev Jenia , Quinto Daniel Maldonado , Pitz-Paal Robert
Published: April 2024

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems, particularly those employing heliostat fields combined with a central tower, demonstrate substantial capacity for producing dispatchable, sustainable energy and fuel. This is achieved by focusing the sunlight with up to thousands of individual heliostats onto a single receiver. Forecasting the focal spot of each heliostat at any solar position becomes imperative to ensure optimal control. Nevertheless, the existing cutting-edge techniques aimed at predicting this flux density distribution either suffer from inaccuracies or entail substantial costs. In response to these challenges, our study introduces a novel approach involving a generative model that learns the shape and intensity patterns of the focal spots directly from images captured of the calibration target. We developed a purely data-driven methodology to generate the focal spots of the heliostats corresponding to various sun positions. The model is based on the StyleGAN architecture with adapted learnable input vectors for each individual heliostat and sun positions as input condition. The methodology’s effectiveness is demonstrated through training and evaluation on data collected from a research power plant, where it achieved a flux prediction accuracy of 89% on the calibration target surface. Our work offers a novel solution for predicting flux density distributions in solar power plants in a fully data-driven way with a neural network. Notably, this method achieves cost efficiency by utilizing data obtained during standard operational procedures. Impressively, this method attains accuracy levels comparable to or exceeding those of current state-of-the-art techniques.
Selective Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 to Formate by Dimeric Cu(II) Complexes
Authors: Kim Jinheung
Published: April 2024

Efficient and selective molecular catalysts for visible-light-driven CO2 conversion to liquid or solid fuels are highly desired to achieve carbon neutralization. Although catalysts utilizing earth-abundant metals have shown some progress for CO and formate production, their conversion efficiency and product selectivity are still quite lacking for practical applications. In this study, we report binuclear Cu complexes of bridging ligands containing two pyridyltriazole units developed during the study of the active sites of related metalloenzymes. Surprisingly, the dimeric complexes with a flexible cavity between two coppers exhibit high activity in catalytic CO2 reduction, converting CO2 to formate with high selectivity and efficiency under visible light irradiation. The turnover number and formate selectivity were 43000 and >99%, respectively. The results of the study suggest that a deep understanding of the effect of the ligand environment and structural factors of metal compounds on catalytic activity when used as a catalyst will be helpful.