bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sufficient Status of Vitamin D, Cobalamin and Folate in Healthy and Active German Home-Dwelling People Over 70 Years of Age
Authors: Kerlikowsky Felix , Schuchardt Jan Philipp , Hahn Andreas
Published: March 2023

Background: Ageing is characterised by physiological changes that can affect the nutrient availability and requirements. In particular, the status of vitamin D, cobalamin and folate has often been found to be critical in older people living in residential care. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the status of these nutrients in healthy and active home-dwelling elderly people.
Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the status of vitamin D based on serum concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25-(OH)D], cobalamin based on serum concentrations of holotranscobalamin (holoTC) and folate based on red blood cell (RBC) folate in unsupplemented, healthy and active German home-dwelling subjects ≥70 years of age (n=134, mean±SD: 75.8±4.5 years). Dietary intake was assessed by 3-day food recalls. The study was conducted between March and November of 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic).
Results: The mean 25-(OH)D concentration was unexpectedly high at 85.1±26.0 nmol/L, while the majority of women (63%) and men (84%) had 25-(OH)D concentrations ≥75 nmol/L. Less than 10% of men and women had 25-(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L. The mean holoTC concentration was 88.9±33.7 pmol/L. Women had significantly higher holoTC concentrations (94.8±34.6 pmol/L) than men (73.6±25.6 pmol/L), despite lower consumption of meat, eggs and meat products. Only 8% of the women were cobalamin deficient (<50 pmol/L holoTC) compared to 22% of the men. The mean RBC folate concentration was 831±244 nmol/L, while the prevalence of folate deficiency was 10%. Linear regression analysis showed that age (range: 70 to 100 years) was not associated with the nutrient status.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that healthy, independently living older people with high levels of education, physical activity, and health awareness are not necessarily at higher risk of vitamin D, folate and cobalamin deficiency. However, it should be noted that about 10 % of the study collective were deficit in these vitamins. Further studies are needed to verify these findings and to identify lifestyle and dietary patterns that can predict adequate nutrient status for healthy ageing.
Trial registration: This study is officially recorded in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00021302).
Patients with postprandial distress syndrome have problems with their interoceptive process limited to the gastric region: a case control study
Authors: Yoshida Kohei , Abe Tetsuya , Kanbara Kenji , Ueda Kento , Kouchi Yukie Saka , Hasuo Hideaki
Published: March 2023

Background

Visceral hypersensitivity in functional dyspepsia can be localized or widespread, and there is no simple method of assessment. Measuring interoceptive accuracy at different sites provides an assessment of perceptual hypersensitivity to specific ecological phenomena. The purpose of this study was to characterize visceral hypersensitivity by comparing gastric sensory and cardiac perceptual tests in patients with postprandial distress syndrome and in healthy volunteers.

Methods

Sixteen patients with postprandial distress syndrome (age = 47.5 ± 17.4, all female) and 16 healthy volunteers (age = 43.3 ± 16.1, all female) participated in the study after a six-hour fast. Each participant answered questionnaires about physical and mental quality of life, depression and anxiety, tendency of alexithymia, and somatosensory amplification. After completing the questionnaire, the participants took the heartbeat tracking task and the five-minute water load test. We performed statistical analysis using the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.

Results

Subjects with postprandial distress syndrome had a lower drinking capacity than healthy volunteers (postprandial distress syndrome = 360.9 ± 170.0 mL, healthy volunteers = 644.1 ± 297 mL, P = .009), but there was no significant difference in the heartbeat perception score (postprandial distress syndrome = 0.599 ± 0.175, healthy volunteers = 0.623 ± 0.181, P = .647). There was a negative correlation (r = − .509, P < .05) between drinking capacity and the heartbeat perception score in healthy volunteers, but no correlation in postprandial distress syndrome (r = − .156, P = .564). Heartbeat perception score did not correlate with psychological measures.

Conclusions

Compared with healthy volunteers, only the five-minute water load test values were reduced in patients with postprandial distress syndrome, and no difference was observed in the heartbeat tracking task. The cross-organ perceptual relationships observed in healthy volunteers were not present in patients with postprandial distress syndrome. Combining the five-minute water load test and heartbeat tracking task revealed visceral hypersensitivity confined to the stomach in patients with postprandial stress syndrome, suggesting that the problem may be limited to sensory processing in the stomach. Performing sensory examinations at two different sites may be useful in clarifying whether visceral hypersensitivity is localized.
Trial registration: UMIN000057586. Registered11 March 2023（retrospectively registered）.
The Influence of War and Global Economy on Article Publication (Bibliometric Analysis using Biblioshiny-R)
Authors: Buyamin Buyamin , Rahayu Budi , Suradi Suradi , Herawaty Istiana , Suryadi Suryadi , Syaifullah Dian Hafit , Kurniawati Ardhian , Syahr Zulfia Hanum Alfi
Published: March 2023

This descriptive qualitative research uses Bibliometric Analysis by utilizing the Biblioshiny-R tool. This research is to determine the influence of an author, document, affiliation, source, and country in article publication with war and global economy themes. The source of the analysis data with the theme of war and global economy comes from the Scopus database without any restrictions. Weiss MA is the most influential author, at the same time Liu Y has the highest h index. The University of California is the most influential affiliate, and at the same time, the Cambridge Journal of Economics has the highest h index. The economy is the most influential keyword in the publication, at the same time, the war keyword also appears the most. Gössling S, 2020, J Sustainable Tour and USA are the most influential documents and country publications. Until now, no bibliometric research has been found that discusses the Scopus database on war and the global economy. What is new from this research is the use of Biblioshiny-R in the Scopus database analysis on war and the global economy which has never been done before. It is hoped that in the future more scientists, students, lecturers, and researchers will be interested in researching the effects of war on the global economy, especially wars that use nuclear and chemical weapons. As a result, the Government can develop policies to anticipate/avoid wars using nuclear weapons and chemical weapons.
Improving user satisfaction by analysing users’ subjective cognitive types in smart home systems
Authors: Zhang Na , Wang Shuyi , Li Hesen
Published: March 2023

This research aims to identify the types of users' subjective preferences in smart home systems and build respective strategies to improve user satisfaction. Forty-one Q samples were collected and screened using the entropy weight method, and Q sorting on 30 P samples was performed. Three types of user preference cognition of smart home systems and their characteristics are obtained and analysed. The results showed that the smart home system design strategy comprised 5 design features and 15 design contents. This provides implications for research and development of the smart home system from the user's subjective preferences and needs.
Association between uveitis onset and economic development in mainland China
Authors: Tan Handan , Feng Xiaojie , Yang Peizeng
Published: March 2023

Background
Economic prosperity has fostered numerous changes that may translate into better or worse outcomes across all domains of health. This study aims to explore the associations of economic development with uveitis onset in mainland China.
Methods
We used Poisson regression with generalized estimated equations to quantify the associations of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) with uveitis onset in 31 provinces of mainland China from 2006 to 2017. We further estimated the effects mediated by economic growth on the temperature-uveitis and PM2.5-uveitis associations established in our previous studies.
Results
A total of 12,721 uveitis patients from 31 provinces of mainland China were studied. Overall, every 10,000 Chinese yuan ($ 1491.278, 2006–2017) increase in per capita GDP, with no weighted value or weighted by population, corresponded to a 1.84% (95% confidence interval, 2.49%~1.12%) and a 1.42% (95% confidence interval, 0.37 ~ 2.84%) decrease in the risk ratio (RR) of uveitis onsets, respectively. Stratified analysis showed this negative association between per capita GDP and uveitis onset, only existed in male patients (P < .001), individuals aged 20–50 years (P < 0 .05), non-infectious uveitis, uveitis with systemic disease, and Bechet’s disease (all P < 0 .05). Moreover, the increased per capita GDP, if above the national level, could reinforce both temperature-uveitis and PM2.5-uveitis association (both P < 0.001).
Conclusions
The findings suggest that economic development is negatively associated with uveitis onset. However, it may facilitate the uveitis onset mediated by both increased temperature and PM2.5 exposure if the per capita GDP is above national level.
Targeting Nano-regulator based on Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Immunotherapy of Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Authors: Huang Shu , Yuan Jun , Xie Yong , Qing Kai , Shi Zeya , Chen Guanyu , Gao Jie , Tan Haoxiang , Zhou Wenhu
Published: March 2023

Bone metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with prostate cancer (PCa), but there lacks effective treatment method. Immunotherapy shows new hopes for bone metastatic PCa patients, while the efficacy is still unsatisfactory and limited by the unique immunosuppressive microenvironment in metastatic bone site. Here, we developed a bone-targeted nano delivery system as a nano-regulator to enhance the immunotherapy of bone metastatic PCa. The nanosystem was assembled via coordination between phytic acid (PA) and Fe3+ to form nano-sized metal-organic-framework (MOF), through which mitoxantrone (MTO) was encapsulated. At cellular level, the nanosystem showed selective cytotoxicity towards RM-1 PCa cells over immune cells, and could induce tumor cells immunogenic cell death (ICD) to improve the immunogenicity of the tumor. Moreover, the nanosystem was able to induce ubiquitination of TGFβ receptor (TβR) on immune cells to promote its degradation, thus serving as a nano-regulator to block the functions of TGF-β, an abundant cytokine that has a systematically immunosuppressive effect in the tumor microenvironment. Upon intravenous injection, the nanoparticle showed pro-longed blood circulation and targeting accumulation into bone metastatic site, and imposed robust anti-tumor effect in combination with αCTLA-4. In addition, bone destruction was significantly alleviated after treatment to reduce the skeletal-related events. Overall, this work provides a biocompatible nanomedicine to restore immune sensitivity of bone metastatic tumor for enhanced immunotherapy by blocking TGF-β signaling pathway.
Prediction of malaria outcomes using patients’ demographical, environmental and clinical features
Authors: Ojurongbe taiwo Adetola , Afolabi Habeeb Abiodun , Akinde S.B , Bashiru kehinde Adekunle , Sule Waidi Folorunso , Ojurongbe Olusola , Adegoke Nurudeen Adedayo
Published: March 2023

Background: The current malaria diagnosis methods, which rely on microscopy and Histidine Rich Protein2 (HRP2) based RDT, have drawbacks that necessitate the development of improved and complementary malaria diagnostic methods to overcome some or all the limitations. Consequently, automated detection and classification of malaria can provide patients with a faster and more accurate diagnosis. This study, therefore, used a machine learning model to predict the occurrence of malaria based on socio-demographicbehaviour, environment, and clinical features.
Methods:Data from 200 Nigerian patients were used to develop predictive models using nested cross-validation and sequential backward features selection (SBFS), with 80% of the dataset randomly selected for training and optimisation and the remaining 20% for testing the models.
Results: Among the three machine learningmodels examined, penalised logistic regression model had the best area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve performance for the training set (84%; 95% confidence interval (CI) =75–93%) and test set (83%; 95% CI =63–100%). The model included age, BMI, body temperature, bushes in surroundings, body weight, dizziness, fever, headache, mosquito repellant, muscle pain, sex, sore throat, stagnant water in the home, and vomiting. An increased odd of patients having malaria was associated with high body weight (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 4.50, 95% CI =2.27-8.01, p-value <0.0001). Even though the association between the odds of having malaria and body temperature was insignificant, patients who had body temperature had higher odds of having malaria than those who did not have body temperature (AOR = 1.40, CI =0.99-1.91, p-value = 0.068). Also, patients who had bushes in the surroundings (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI =1.30-4.66, p-value = 0.006) or experienced fever (AOR = 2.10, CI =0.88–4.24, p-value = 0.099), headache (AOR = 2.07; CI =0.95–3.95, p-value = 0.068), muscle pain (AOR =1.49; CI =0.66–3.39, p-value = 0.333) and vomiting (AOR = 2.32; CI =0.85–6.82, p-value = 0.097) were more likely to experience malaria compared to those without bushes in the surrounding or those who did not experience fever, headache, muscle pain and vomiting. In contrast, decreased odds of malaria were associated with age (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI= 0.41-0.90, p-value = 0.012) or BMI (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI= 0.26-0.80, p-value =0.006).
Conclusion:Newly developed routinely collected baseline socio-demographical, environmental, and clinical features topredict malaria types and may serve as a valuable tool for clinical decision making.
Characterising resting patterns of mother-calf humpback whale groups in a semi-enclosed embayment along the Australian east coast migration pathway
Authors: Jones Alexandra , Bruce Eleanor , Cato Douglas H.
Published: March 2023

Humpback whales undertake extensive annual migrations between high latitude feeding grounds and low-latitude breeding grounds. On the migration back to feeding grounds, mothers and their newborn calves rest in coastal embayments for the energetic benefits provided. Unlike other areas where resting has been documented, Jervis Bay, on Australia’s east coast, is remote from both breeding and feeding grounds, and provides a unique opportunity to compare resting behaviour observed within a semi-enclosed embayment to observations offshore. Land-based, boat-based, and UAV surveys were conducted in Jervis Bay in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We show that (i) a disproportionately high percentage of groups with a calf enter Jervis Bay during the southbound migration, (ii) travelling speeds are significantly slower in the Bay compared to offshore, indicating resting behaviour, and (iii) aerial observations highlight resting and nurturing behaviour. Subsequently, we conclude that Jervis Bay is an important area for resting mother-calf humpback whale groups. With improved understanding of their behaviour and movement in the Bay, there is a need to monitor and manage increased anthropogenic activities during the southern migration season.
Determination of IC Age through Laser Irradiation
Authors: Sayed Munazza , Amrouch Hussam
Published: March 2023

This work demonstrates an innovative methodology that utilizes laser irradiation to deduce the age of SRAMs within an Integrated Circuit (IC). Our proposed approach broadens the horizon for effective counterfeit IC detection– with the supplemental capability of approximating the age of ICs. This is momentous for sectors with highly prioritized safety standards, such as automotives. Our analysis is initiated by validating the nMOS and pMOS transistors within a 6-T SRAM cell against measurements of 22 nm FDSOI industrial transistors. Using accurate multi-physics Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulations, we investigate the minimum laser energy at which bit-flip occurs in SRAM cells that are fresh and aged to varying extents. TCAD-based simulations capture the complex interactions of the underlying transistor physics, accounting for 1) aging-induced defects and 2) the electron-hole pairs generated by incident laser photons. Aging phenomena such as Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) and Hot-carrier Injection (HCI) manifest themselves as a shift in transistor electrical characteristics like threshold voltage (ΔVth) and carrier mobility (μ). As a result, SRAM reliability is seriously diminished. Simultaneously, laser irradiation creates electron-hole pairs that temporally decrease the transistor ON current. The combined effect of these processes further degrades SRAM reliability and considerably heightens the probability of bit-flip occurrence. Therefore, to test for bit-flip susceptibility, laser characteristics can be feasibly fine-tuned in accordance to the relation between 1) aging-induced ΔVth and 2) the minimum laser energy required to cause a bit-flip. Hence, our proposed methodology emerges as a facile yet effective solution to the problem of widespread counterfeit proliferation that is further aggravated by the current chip famine. This work presents the first step toward realizing a counterfeit detection technique that merely entails shining laser light on an IC and calculating the resulting SRAM bit-flip probability. Accordingly, the newness of an IC can be ascertained, else, if it is used (as is the case of a counterfeit), its operational lifetime can be estimated.
Indigenous fire stewardship omitted from savanna burning emissions abatement schemes in East and Southern African savanna-protected areas
Authors: Croker Abigail Rose , Woods Jeremy , Kountouris Yiannis
Published: March 2023

Background
Late dry-season wildfires in Sub-Saharan Africa’s savanna-protected areas are intensifying, increasing carbon emissions, and threatening ecosystem functioning. Addressing these challenges requires local community engagement and support for wildfire policy. Savanna burning emissions abatement schemes first implemented in Northern Australia have been proposed as a communitybased fire management strategy for East and Southern Africa’s (ESA) protected areas. Here we critically examine the application of savanna burning emissions abatement schemes in ESA, characterizing their contextual and implementation challenges. We argue that the effective transfer of the Northern Australian fire management model in ESA savannas is limited by political and institutional barriers, and hindered by the region’s recent colonial history, population growth, and consequences of rapid climatic change.
Results
We show that the application of Northern Australian savanna burning methodologies in ESA tend to adopt centrally determined objectives and market-based approaches, prescribe early dry season burns, and assume biodiversity co-benefits. These features restrict opportunities for indigenous leadership in fire management and income generation through carbon trading, and present multiple biogeophysical inconsistencies that jeopardize emissions mitigation potential. We suggest that future feasibility and scoping assessments address asymmetries between policy-relevant institutions and local land governance systems, explicitly acknowledging colonial legacies in institutional arrangements across protected areas and hierarchies in agrarian politics that threaten processes of equitable decentralisation in natural resource management.
Conclusions
To provide a community-based strategy, savanna burning schemes need to establish context specific legal frameworks and implement free, prior, and informed consent to safeguard the roles and responsibilities of indigenous and local peoples and their distribution of carbon benefits.
Comparison of magnetic susceptibility probes commonly used in soil contamination applications
Authors: Ji Meiying , Ling Hongying , Liu Liang , Yang Yuying , Chen Ming , Yang Deyu , Liu Hongyuan
Published: March 2023

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) technology can achieve the efficient rough measurement, mapping, and pollution assessment of soil heavy metal concentrations in topsoil due to atmospheric dust contamination. However, previous studies of commonly used MS field probes (MS2D, MS2F, and MS2K) have not dealt with the range of magnetic signal detection and the attenuation characteristics of the signal with respect to distance. In this study, the vertical and horizontal measurement ranges of the MS2D, MS2F, and MS2K probes were explored through laboratory and field experiments, and the intensity of their magnetic signals was further compared and analyzed in the field. The results showed that the magnetic signal intensity of the three probes decreased exponentially with distance. The penetration depths of the MS2D, MS2F, and MS2K probes were 8.5, 2.4, and 3.0 cm, respectively, and the horizontal detection boundary lengths of their magnetic signals were 32, 8, and 6.8 cm, respectively. In the field surface soil MS detection, the magnetic measurement signals of the MS2F and MS2K probes showed a weak linear correlation with the MS2D probe (R2 of 0.43 and 0.50, respectively), while the MS2F and MS2K probes had a significantly better correlation (R2 = 0.68) with each other. In general, the MS2D probe and MS2K probe correlation had a slope close to unity, meaning MS2K probes had good mutual substitution. Furthermore, results of this study improve the effectiveness of the MS evaluation of heavy metal pollution in urban topsoil.
Identification of the mitochondrial-Related Prognostic Biomarkers in patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: wei mei , wang wei , lin peng
Published: March 2023

Mitochondria play an essential role in the malignant development of tumors. The purpose of this study was to reveal the vast landscape in mitochondria of head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC), establish a new prognosis model of mitochondrial-related genes (Mito-RGs), and explore its clinical potential and predictive value for treatment response. In this study, using HNSCC data in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we constructed a classifier containing 13 Mito-RGs risk models for predicting the prognosis of HNSCC by the univariate Cox regression analysis and a minor absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression analysis, and then verified in both internal and external validation cohort. According to the risk score calculated by the classifier, the samples were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. Survival analysis showed that the survival outcome of high-risk group patients was significantly worse (p < 0.001). We used the Nomogram model to further predict the prognosis of patients. The results showed that the Mito-RGs-related prognostic model had good prediction performance. Identification of metabolic pathways with significant differences between high-risk and low-risk groups by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA). We also evaluated the infiltration of immune cells and used the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithm to estimate the potential response of immunotherapy in different risk groups. Our study constructed and validated a promising 13 Mito-RGs classifier for monitoring outcomes, which may provide potential indicators for metabolic therapy and therapeutic response prediction in HNSCC.
T18/S19 diphosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain impairs pulmonary artery relaxation in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertensive rats
Authors: Cho Suhan , Oh Seung Beom , Kim Hae Jin , Kim Sung Joon
Published: March 2023

Phosphorylation of Ser19 (S19-p) on the myosin regulatory light chain (MLC2) is critical for arterial contraction. It has shown that elevated rho A-dependent kinase (ROCK) activity or decreased MLC phosphatase (MLCP) activity leads to further phosphorylation of Thr18 (T18/S19-pp), which has been linked to vasospastic diseases. However, this phenomenon has not yet been studied in the context of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In monocrotaline-induced PAH (PAH-MCT) rat model, we observed a significant delay in pulmonary artery (PA) relaxation following high potassium-induced contraction, which persisted even with the use of a L-type calcium channel blocker or in a calcium-free solution. Immunoblot analysis showed increased levels of both S19-p and T18/S19-pp in unstimulated PAs from PAH-MCT rats. Proteomics analysis revealed a reduction in soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) and protein kinase G (PKG) levels, and immunoblotting confirmed decreased levels of MYPT1 (a component of MLCP) and increased ROCK in PAH-MCT. In the control PAs, the pharmacological inhibition of sGC with ODQ resulted in a prominent delay of relaxation and increased T18/S19-pp as like PAH-MCT. The delayed relaxation and the T18/S19-pp in PAH-MCT was reversed by ROCK inhibitor, Y27632, while not by membrane permeable 8-Br-cGMP. The delayed relaxation and T18/S19-diP in the ODQ-treated control PA were also reversed by Y27632. Taken together, the increased T18/S19-pp leads to the decreased ability of PA to relax in PAH-MCT rats. This is caused by the decreased sGC and MLCP, and increased ROCK. Targeting and inhibiting ROCK may therefore be an effective strategy for pharmacological treatment of PAH.
Biosynthesis, Characterization and Anthelmintic Activity of Silver Nanoparticles of Clerodendrum infortunatum Isolate
Authors: Majumdar Rima , Kar Pradip Kumar
Published: March 2023

Over the past few decades, the green synthesis of nanoparticles has gained importance for their therapeutic efficacy and eco-friendly nature. Integrating green chemistry principles into multidisciplinary nanoscience research has paved the way for developing environmentally benign and sustainable methods for synthesizing gold and silver nanoparticles. In the present study, the flowers obtained from Clerodendrum infortunatum (L.), belonging to the family Verbenaceae, have been used for biosynthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to evaluate the anthelmintic potential. UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR and TEM analyses were performed to ascertain the formation of AgNPs. Clerodendrum-derived AgNP (CLE-AgNP) has significantly affected the normal physiological functions of the poultry parasite Raillietina spp., a menace to the livestock industry. Our study manifests that CLE-AgNPs cause considerable distortion of the surface tegument of this cestode parasite leading to changes in the host-parasite interface. The histochemical localization studies of the tegument-associated enzymes viz. AcPase, AlkPase, ATPase and 5’-Nu, exposed to the drug, showed a substantial activity decline, thus establishing the anthelmintic potential of the CLE-AgNPs.
A panel of blood-based circulatory miRNAs with diagnostic potential in Psoriasis patients
Authors: Madaan Priyanka , Sharma Uttam , Tyagi Nipanshi , Brar Balvinder kaur , Bansal Shivani , Kushwaha Hemant R. , Kapoor Harmanpreet Singh , Jain Aklank , Jain Manju
Published: March 2023

Objective To explore a set of inflammation associated circulatory miRNAs with potential role in etiopathology of psoriasis as differential disease biomarker/s.
Subjects and Methodology: Expression profiling of 15 immunologically relevant miRNA candidates was done on plasma samples from psoriasis vulgaris patients compared to healthy subjects by qRT-PCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was analyzed for significantly altered miRNAs to evaluate their disease diagnostic potential. Correlation analysis among significantly altered miRNAs and their association with disease severity (PASI) was done to validate the candidates as robust disease biomarker/s. Downstream targets and the pathways for each of the significant miRNAs were deciphered using miR target prediction tools and pathway enrichment to elucidate their functional relevance in disease pathogenesis.
Results: 5 miRNAs exhibited a significant change in their expression level among the 15 candidates tested viz miR-215, miR-148a, miR-125b, miR-223 and miR-142-3p. ROCs for all the 5 miRNAs individually as well as in combination exhibited a significant disease discriminatory area under the curve, AUC = 0.762 and p< 0.0001 for all the miRNAs taken together. Statistically, all 5 miRNAs in combination depicted a robust model as disease severity correlate compared to individual miRNAs with highest R2 value = 0.94 and least AIC score =131.8. Each of the miRNA also exhibited a significant association with at least one of the other miRNAs in the panel. All the 5 miRNAs exhibited functional role in psoriasis immune-pathogenesis in terms of their downstream targets and signaling pathways.
Conclusion: In summary our findings identify a panel of blood-based circulatory miRNAs comprising miR-215, miR-148a, miR-125b-5p, miR-223 and miR-142-3p that can differentiate psoriasis vulgaris patients from healthy individuals. In light of the role of each of these miRNAs in modulating immune-inflammatory pathways, the panel provides a rationalized combination of biomarkers that can be tested further on an expanded cohort of patients for its diagnostic value.
The Ganga around Kolkata: How safe is the river on bio-physical criteria?
Authors: Nayek Sayan , Das Pritom , Pati Anshuman , Safui Debjit , Sahoo Praptinanda , Prusty Arpan , Das Amlan
Published: March 2023

The Ganga River basin is home to a diverse range of benthic flora and fauna. The Ganga River's health is deteriorating due to anthropogenic activities such as untreated garbage disposal, detergent and chemical contaminations, animal bathing, idol immersion, etc. The current study looks at the variations of zooplankton community assemblage in the Ganga River with diverse physical qualities from twelve locations along the river's southernmost stretch. Both banks of the river basin in the Indian state of West Bengal were considered for the study locations. All physical characteristics, such as water PH, conductivity, TDS, and salinity, except for the temperature, differ significantly between the study locations. There was an inverse relationship between physical factors and zooplankton abundance along the river. Cyclops and Daphnia were the most prevalent organisms identified in our study. The presence of industrial belts, large sewage systems, and human activities in the study sites was responsible for the fluctuating zooplankton diversity indices.
The prevalence of misophonia in a representative population-based survey in Germany
Authors: Pfeiffer Elisa , Allroggen Marc , Sachser Cedric
Published: March 2023

Purpose
Misophonia is a new disorder, currently defined as significant emotional and physiological distress when exposed to certain sounds. Although there is a growing body of literature on the characteristics of the disorder, the prevalence in the general population is still relatively unknown. This study therefore aims at determining the prevalence and symptom severity of misophonia in a large and representative general population sample in Germany.
Methods
To examine the prevalence of misophonic sounds, misophonic reactions and misophonia severity, a cross-sectional population representative survey in Germany has been conducted. Participants (N = 2.522) were questioned retrospectively about misophonic symptoms using the Amsterdam Misophonie Scale – Revised (AMISOS-R).
Results
Overall 33.3% reported to be sensitive to at least one specific misophonic sound. Within the total sample, subthreshold symptoms were reported by 21.3%, mild symptoms were reported by 9.9%, moderate to severe symptoms were reported by 2.1%, and severe to extreme symptoms were reported in 0.1% of participants.
Conclusion
Based on the diverging presentations and prevalence rates of misophonic sounds, reactions and symptoms according to the severity, it seems worthwhile to conceptualize misophonia as a continuous spectrum disorder (subthreshold, mild, moderate to severe) instead of a categorical diagnosis.
Optimal Load Frequency Control of Multi-Area Multi-Source Deregulated Power System with Electric Vehicles Using Teaching Learning-Based Optimization: A Comparative Efficacy Analysis
Authors: Kumar Rajan , Prasad Lal Bahadur
Published: March 2023

This article aims to present the efficacy analysis of electric vehicle (EV) charging/discharging process as a sink or a distributed energy source (DES) in the framework of LFC problem of multi-area multi-source deregulated power system (MAMS-DPS). The energy storage/extraction of EVs acts a noteworthy role in mitigation of deviation frequency of DPS. A problem of AGC system for two-area DPS having two thermal power generators of non-reheat type and aggregated fleet of EVs in each area is considered for study here. The electric power contract between the distribution (DISCOs) and generation (GENCOs) companies in the restructured environment of DPS is specified through a contract participation matrix named as the DPM. In DPS area deviation frequency, generated and tie-line powers fluctuate in case of variation of load. To resolve these problems the efficacy of EV is accessed applying the optimal control scheme using TLBO algorithm and compared performances with the control schemes based on the optimization algorithms of GA as well as PSO, and PI, PID control schemes. The comparative performance of responses of system variables of the deviation frequency, generated power, and tie-line power are analysed applying the control schemes as PI control for without/with EV cases, and PID control, and the GA/PSO/TLBO tuned-PI/PID control schemes for with EV case. The TLBO-PID control scheme outperforms to mitigate the deviations observing the steady-state error, undershoot, overshoot, and settling time performance indices.
Speech Emotion Recognition Based on Simultaneously Fusing and Transferring of Multi-level Speech Features
Authors: zha cheng , tang yu zang
Published: March 2023

To improve the speech emotion recognition accuracy with availability of multi-level features, it is natural to fuse the emotion information and reduce the distribution mismatch of multi-level features simultaneously. To address the above issues, based on two constraints, we propose a novel transfer multiple kernel learning for fusing multi-level features (MFF-TMKL) . The first constraint aims at fusing the emotion information from multi-level features. Correspondingly, a weighted collaborative representation constraint is proposed to learn the similarity and distinctiveness of multi-level features by a space induced by the multiple kernel functions The second one aims at reducing the Maximum Mean Discrepancy of multi-level features also in this multiple kernel induced space. Experimental results on the Aibo emotional speech database show that:(1) MFF-TMKL achieves significant improvement than MKL, TMKL and MFF-TMKL with only one constraint. Specifically, using the utterance-level and unvoiced-level features, MFF-TMKL achieve the optimal recognition accuracy with 43.4% (2 ) using the utterance-level and unvoiced-level features, the recognition rate of MFF-TMKL is higher than the several state-of-the-art algorithms methods.
The Cytotoxic Effect of Cysteamine and its Combinations with Various Endodontic Intracanal Medications on Fibroblast Cells; in Vitro Study
Authors: Elgammal Esraa , Mahran abeer , elashry salma , Fahmy sarah
Published: March 2023

Objective: This study was established to assess cysteamine’s cytotoxic effect alone and in combination with various intracanal medications on fibroblast cells. Because the biocompatibility of intracanal medication is considered one of the main factors that affect the selection of specific medication for usage near vital periodontal tissues.
Materials and Methods: All tested medications were prepared in a solution form. Cysteamine preparation was prepared at 200mg/ml concentration in distilled water. Chlorhexidine Cysteamine combination was prepared by dissolving 10 mg/ml of Cysteamine in CHX. Calcium hydroxide Cysteamine combination was prepared by dissolving 10 mg/mL of Cysteamine in a saturated solution of CaOH. TAP Cysteamine combination was prepared by dissolving 10 mg/mL of Cysteamine in TAP. BHK cells were seeded in well-microtiter plates. The testing materials were filtrated using a 0.22 μm syringe filter. BHK-21 cells precultured well plates were treated with descending 12-fold serially diluted medications at 37 °C for 24 h. Residual living cells were treated with 25 μl of MTT dye. MTT was discarded, then Dimethyl sulfoxide was added as 50 μl/well. The absorbance was conducted at 570nm. The mean optical density and 50 % cell growth inhibition (IC50) were calculated. The significance level was set at p≤0.05.
Results: Viability % and IC50 results showed that TAP Cysteamine combination had the lowest cytotoxicity level compared to other intracanal combinations followed by Cysteamine and the highest cytotoxicity was with Chlorhexidine Cysteamine combination.
Conclusion: TAP Cysteamine combination was the safest drug compared to other drug combinations with cysteamine, so it needs more research to detect its acceptance with stem cells and its effect on defense mechanisms during healing.
Archaeology on the Limit: A Phenomenological Perspective on the Ontological Turn.
Authors: Horáček Stanislav , Timingeriu Filip , Maliukov Hryhorii , Stejskalová Johana
Published: March 2023

Emerging ontological approaches in archaeology have been seeking to provide a new basis for the future orientation of the discipline. This inspired us to problematise one of the metaphysical assumptions of the field—the phenomenon of prejudice. Owing to the modern origins of archaeology, prejudice may still be perceived as a negative element that we should, ideally, eliminate. Our interpretative phenomenological research inquired into how prejudice is experienced by archaeologists, aiming to reveal its ontological significance. This means that archaeologists themselves, from diverse national and personal contexts, have become the source of our data. We uncovered the phenomenon in interviews, focus group discussions, and during field observations. In an effort to promote interdisciplinary dialogue in the humanities, this article also provides individual scholarly and professional perspectives of each author on the phenomenon under question. Finally descending deep into the metaphysical origins of the field suggested a possible applied direction for future archaeological–ontological research.
Playgrounds Location and Patterns of Use
Authors: Young Deborah , McKenzie Thomas L , Eng Sarah , Talarowski Meghan , Han Bing , Williamson Stephanie , Galfond Emily , Cohen Deborah A
Published: March 2023

Playgrounds have features that benefit visitors, including opportunities to engage in outdoor physical activity. We surveyed 1350 adults visiting 60 playgrounds across the U.S. in Summer 2021 to determine if distance to the playground from their residence was associated with weekly visit frequency, length of stay, and transportation mode to the site. About 2/3 of respondents living within ½ mile from the playground reported visiting it at least once per week compared with 14.1% of respondents living more than a mile away. Of respondents living within ¼ mile of playgrounds, 75.6% reported walking or biking there. After controlling for socio-demographics, respondents living within ½ mile of the playground had 5.1 times the odds (95% CI: 3.68, 7.04) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with those living further away. Respondents walking or biking to the playground had 6.1 times the odds (95% CI: 4.23, 8.82) of visiting the playground at least once per week compared with respondents arriving via motorized transport. For public health purposes, city planners and designers should consider locating playgrounds ½ mile from all residences. Distance is likely the most important factor associated with playground use.
High Precision Modeling of Power Demand for Electricity Distribution Companies with frequent load shedding
Authors: Oladeji Lawrence , Fasogbon S. K
Published: March 2023

Globally, electricity forecast plays a critical role in ensuring the stability of the national grid. However, developing counties are challenged with a lack of data infrastructure for continuous data capture, storage, and process that ensure quality data are available for short-term power forecasting, a critical requirement for maintaining grid stability but at the same time utilizing loading scheduling for unbalanced power distribution and grid stability. This led to a huge gap and significant paucity in existing historical power demand. This research provides a mythological framework for modeling and missing value imputation of mean, median, and interpolation while combining meteorological data set from NASA and Power demand datasets from Distribution companies, an approach for improved short-term forecasting accuracy. This research considered Linear machine learning algorithms which include Linear regression, Lasso Linear Regression, Elastic Linear Regression, and nonlinear machine learning algorithms which are Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Decision Tree, and K- Nearest Neighbor and deep learning algorithms like Artificial Neural Networks and Long Short Term Memory. Among these algorithms, the Deep learning method outperformed all of them with a performance accuracy of above 82.2% for ANN and with 91.2% performance which is prone to overfitting. Hyperparameter tuning with a batch size of 50 and an epoch of 5 gives the best performance for the deep learning methods.
Implementing standardized medication plans in ambulatory care – Are they correct and do patients follow their plan?
Authors: Eickhoff Christiane , Müller Uta , Thomas Sophie , Schmidt Christian , Hartling Lisa-Sophie , Michael Sebastian , Schulz Martin , Bertsche Thilo
Published: March 2023

Purpose
The standardized medication plan (MP) is a document listing the patients’ entire medication, instructions for use, and indications in a nationally defined format. However, there is currently little data on its practical implementation, comprehensibility, and use at the patient level. We aimed to investigate under routine conditions (i) patients’ competencies in using the MP, (ii) completeness and correctness of the MP including handwritten modifications, and (iii) patients’ reasons for deviating from the MP.
Methods
We conducted face-to-face interviews with patients in community pharmacies. Data was analyzed with qualitative and quantitative methods.
Results
We enrolled 288 patients (median age: 76 years, range: 27–95) with n=2,779 medications actually taken and n=2,539 medications documented on the MPs. 38.5% of the patients used their MP regularly to prepare their medication and 73.3% used it to inform their physician. (i) Overall, patients’ orientation and understanding the MP was good. (ii) No MP was correct and complete. When taking only relevant aspects into account, i.e. active ingredient, strength, dosage, medication missing or listed but not taken, 79.2% (n=228) were incorrect or incomplete. With 25.8% of the total number of handwritten modifications (n=341) most often medications were added. (iii) Almost 60% of all patients deliberately deviated from their MP, “fear of adverse drug reactions” was the most frequently (n=50) mentioned reason.
Conclusion
The patients’ competence in understanding their MP was good. However, important information was often missing or incorrect; therefore, handwritten modifications were frequently added. Patients often deliberately deviated from their MP for various reasons.
Intraprocedural versus next day transthoracic echocardiography following minimalist transfemoral TAVI
Authors: Savvoulidis Panagiotis , Nadir M. Adnan , Moody William E. , Steeds Richard , Ludman Peter F. , Bradley Joseph R. , Singh Aldrin , Lawton Ewa , Doshi Sagar N.
Published: March 2023

Background:
Routine pre-discharge echocardiography (ECHO) is recommended post transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) as a baseline for future comparison. However, there is no clear guidance on the optimal timing of this study.
Aim:
The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the safety and work-force efficiency of intraprocedural same-day ECHO versus next-day ECHO, following transfemoral TAVI.
Methods and results:
In this retrospective study 100 consecutive patients who underwent intraprocedural ECHO only were compared with 100 consecutive patients undergoing both intraprocedural and routine next-day ECHO following elective transfemoral TAVI. All patients received the Sapien 3/Ultra transcatheter heart valve and were treated with a minimalist procedure with conscious sedation. The composite of in-hospital mortality, urgent ECHO and new tamponade after leaving the cath lab and before discharge was not different between the two groups (4% vs. 4%, P = 1). There was no paravalvular leak more than mild in any of the cases. Length of stay was similar (1 day).
Conclusions:
Intraprocedural post-TAVI ECHO appears as safe as next day pre-discharge ECHO and obviates the need for a routine next day study, thereby reducing burden on echocardiography services and allows better utilisation of resources.
DNA barcoding reveals cryptic diversification and taxonomic discordance among bats and birds within sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Mulvaney Jake , Moir Monika , Cherry Michael
Published: March 2023

Cryptic species present a challenge for conservation, as undetected diversity may be lost. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) has become a useful heuristic tool for delimiting species boundaries and detecting cryptic speciation across different animal taxa. Despite concerted efforts to genetically barcode bats and birds, comprehensive assessments have yet to be undertaken across the Afrotropics. We retrieved available DNA barcodes of bat and bird species naturally breeding within the Afrotropics. Using Bayesian phylogenetic modelling, we assessed DNA barcode performance at species identification, and to detect instances of non-monophyly (indicating potential cryptic speciation). Available DNA barcodes represent only 42.3 % and 23.6 % of the relevant bat and bird species diversity, respectively, with only 18.7 % of bat species and 7.2 % of bird species having geographic coverage. DNA barcodes afforded greater taxonomic resolution of Afrotropical bird species than of bats (96.8 % vs 84.0 %), with the bats reporting a higher species non-monophyly (25.5 % vs 4.8 %). Twenty-one bat species and fifteen bird species exhibited well-supported phylogenetic complexity. Additionally, deep intraspecific divergences (>2.0 %) were observed in one bat species and fifteen bird species. These instances of non-monophyly and deep intraspecific divergences may represent cryptic speciation within these volant taxa, suggesting greater hidden diversity of more sedentary African fauna. They also highlight the importance of areas such as the Congo-Guinean lowland forests to endemic vertebrate diversity. The current taxonomic status of birds is better supported by this molecular evidence than that of bats.