bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of fatty liver and fibrosis on hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with chronic hepatitis B who received nucleic acid analog therapy
Authors: Keitoku Taisei , Tamaki Nobuharu , Kurosaki Masayuki , Inada Kento , Kirino Sakura , Uchihara Naoki , Suzuki Keito , Tanaka Yuki , Miyamoto Haruka , Ishido Shun , Yamada Michiko , Nobusawa Tsubasa , Matsumoto Hiroaki , Higuchi Mayu , Takaura Kenta , Tanaka Shohei , Maeyashiki Chiaki , Kaneko Shun , Yasui Yutaka , Takahashi Yuka , Tsuchiya Kaoru , Nakanishi Hiroyuki , Asahina Yasuhiro , Okamoto Ryuichi , Izumi Namiki
Published: January 2023

The number of patients with fatty liver has been increasing worldwide; however, the significance of fatty liver in patients with chronic hepatitis B who are receiving nucleic acid analog (NA) therapy remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to determine whether fatty liver affects the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients receiving NA therapy. This study included 445 patients who received NA therapy, and the development of HCC was investigated. Theprimary outcomewas the association between fatty liver and HCC development. During a mean follow‐up period of 7.4 years, 46 patients (10.3%) developed HCC. No significant difference in the cumulative incidence of HCC was observed between patients with fatty liver and those without (p = 0.17). Multivariable analysis for age, gender, platelet count, alanine aminotransferase level at 1 year following NA therapy, and fatty liver revealed that the presence of fatty liver was not a significant factor for HCC development (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5–1.9). In another multivariable analysis for advanced fibrosis, gender, and fatty liver, advanced fibrosis was found to be a significant factor for HCC development (HR: 9.50, 95% CI: 5.1–18) but not fatty liver (HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.5–1.7). In conclusion, in patients with chronic hepatitis B who received NA therapy, advanced fibrosis was found to be an important risk factor for HCC development but not fatty liver, suggesting the importance of providing treatment before the progression of liver fibrosis regardless of the presence of fatty liver.
Investigating phenotypic traits as potential drivers of the emergence of EU_37_A2, an invasive new lineage of Phytophthora infestans in Western Europe
Authors: Puidet Britt , Mabon Romain , Guibert Michele , Kiiker Riinu , Loit Kaire , Le Vinh Hong , Eikemo Håvard , Dewaegeneire Pauline , Saubeau Guillaume , Chatot Catherine , Aurousseau Frédérique , Cooke David E. L. , Lees Alison K. , Abuley Isaac K. , Hansen Jens G. , Corbière Roselyne , Leclerc Melen , Najdabbasi Neda , Andrivon Didier
Published: January 2023

Since the mid‐2010s, Phytophthora infestans clones that have been dominant in Western Europe from the beginning of the 21st century, for example, EU_13_A2, EU_6_A1 and EU_1_A1, are being replaced by several other emerging clones, including EU_37_A2. The objective of this study was to determine whether the main drivers for the success of EU_37_A2 in Western Europe are associated with decreased fungicide sensitivity, increased virulence and/or aggressiveness. Axenic P. infestans cultures were sampled in the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons from potato crops in France and the United Kingdom. Amongst these, four genotypes were identified: EU_37_A2, EU_13_A2, EU_1_A1 and EU_6_A1. Although a wide range of fluazinam sensitivity was found amongst individual isolates, clonal lines EU_13_A2 and EU_37_A2 showed decreased sensitivity to fluazinam. EU_37_A2 overcame the R5 differential cultivar more often than isolates of EU_1_A1 or EU_6_A1. However, this does not explain the competitive advantage of EU_37_A2 over the virulent EU_13_A2. The fittest genotype, as measured by aggressiveness under controlled conditions, was EU_6_A1, followed by EU_37_A2, EU_13_A2 and then EU_1_A1. EU_37_A2 isolates also showed a shorter latent period than either EU_6_A1 or EU_13_A2, which could favour its long‐term persistence. Overall, the data suggest that the emergence of EU_37_A2 in Western Europe was driven by its resistance to a then‐major fungicide and shorter generation time. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that EU_37_A2 emergence was slowed by the progressive reduction in the use of fluazinam as a single active ingredient in the years following its initial detection.
Urban risks due to climate change in the Andean municipality of Pasto, Colombia: A Bayesian network approach
Authors: Ortega Chamorro Luis Carlos , Cañón Barriga Julio Eduardo
Published: January 2023

The
current trends of climate change will increase people's exposure to urban risks related to events such as landslides, floods, forest fires, food production, health, and water availability, which are stochastic and very localized in nature. This research uses a Bayesian network (BN) approach to analyze the intensity of such urban risks for the Andean municipality of Pasto, Colombia, under climate change scenarios. The stochastic BN model is linked to correlational models and local scenarios of representative concentration trajectories (RCP) to project the possible risks to which the municipality of Pasto will be exposed in the future. The results show significant risks in crop yields, food security, water availability and disaster risks, but no significant risks on the incidence of acute diarrheal diseases (ADD) and acute respiratory infections (ARI), whereas positive outcomes are likely to occur in livestock production, influenced by population growth. The advantage of the BN approach is the possibility of updating beliefs in the probabilities of occurrence of events, especially in developing, intermediate cities with information‐limited contexts.
Gendered Economy: Sociality and the Lesbian Consumer Market in China1
Authors: Liu Xingshu
Published: January 2023

The gay consumer market is often treated as a homogeneous entity, and Anglophone scholarship has given scant attention to lesbian consumers. This paper examines gendered distinctions within the Chinese gay market by asking how the lesbian consumer market is organized differently from its gay male counterpart and why some types of businesses thriving in the gay male market are likely to fail in the lesbian market. Based on interviews with entrepreneurs and business professionals, supplemented with ethnographic and media data, this study indicates that certain types of commerce existing in the gay male consumer market do not dovetail with lesbians' preferred ways of socializing associated with women's risk perception. Unlike previous scholarship that simply characterized the lesbian market as “underdeveloped,” this research demonstrates that opportunities for the lesbian and gay male markets exist in different types of trade and business. Although the concept of the pink economy is theoretically grounded in sexual orientation, China's pink market demonstrates how gender plays a key role in shaping the lesbian consumer market.
The effect of different types of social norms on children's sharing behavior: The roles of parents, teachers, and peers
Authors: Wei Bingying , Zhang Xuran , Xiao Xue , Li Yanfang
Published: January 2023

As children develop, they are exposed to social norms that help them adapt to society. Here, the current study used an adapted dictator game to investigate whether exposure to a generous norm (sharing 80 yuan) or a selfish norm (sharing 20 yuan) would influence the sharing behavior of children. Participants were 1983 third‐ to fifth‐graders from five primary schools in mainland China (two in Beijing and three in Shandong). Norms were presented in the written format in which children were told the amount of personal resources that most of their parents/teachers/peers shared with a recipient (descriptive norms) or thought they should share with a recipient (injunctive norms). The results showed that children were more affected by generous norms than selfish norms. Moreover, when presented with generous norms, children were more sensitive to descriptive norms than to injunctive norms and they shared more when they were exposed to selfish descriptive norms than selfish injunctive norms. Additionally, children shared more and were more likely to comply with norms from teachers and peers in the generous condition, but they were less likely to comply with peers and deviated more from the undesirable norm from peers in the selfish condition. Together, our findings indicate the crucial importance of social norm information for the promotion of children's sharing behavior in China.
Species identification and population genetics of the Antarctic fish genera Lepidonotothen and Nototheniops (Perciformes, Notothenioidei)
Authors: Schiavon Luca , Negrisolo Enrico , Battistotti Alessandra , Lucassen Magnus , Damerau Malte , Harms Lars , Riginella Emilio , Matschiner Michael , Zane Lorenzo , La Mesa Mario , Papetti Chiara
Published: January 2023

Accurate species identification is essential to assess biodiversity and species richness in ecosystems threatened by rapid and recent environmental changes, such as warming in most Antarctic waters. The Lepidonotothen species complex comprises demersal notothenioid fishes which inhabit the shelf areas of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Scotia Arc and sub‐Antarctic islands with a circum‐Antarctic distribution. Species determination in this group has often been problematic. In particular, whether Lepidonotothen squamifrons and Lepidonotothen kempi are valid as separate species has been questioned. In this study, we analysed the genetic variation among four nominal southern polar species within this complex (L. kempi, L. squamifrons, Nototheniops larseni, Nototheniops nudifrons) by means of three different markers (ND2 and tRNA mitochondrial genes and a panel of 16 nuclear microsatellites). We tested whether individuals morphologically assigned to L. kempi showed genetic separation from L. squamifrons. Our analyses indicated a lack of differentiation between L. kempi and L. squamifrons. However, a genetically distinct population was found for L. squamifrons at the Shag Rocks islands near South Georgia. Antarctic and sub‐Antarctic islands are known to be home to many cryptic species and further studies will elucidate if the genetically differentiated population we found potentially originated from this context and can be considered an incipient species. Our analysis contributes to further characterize the species composition of the most abundant fish suborder in the Southern Ocean, which is among the regions most threatened by climate change.
Effects of natural compounds and commercial antibiotics on Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing
Authors: Rúgeles Diego , Gámez-Castillo Brayan , Gómez Vanessa , Hernández Rodríguez Patricia
Published: January 2023

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium designated by the WHO as a critical priority microorganism due to its virulence, controlled by a quorum sensing (QS) system. QS is regulated} through specific subsystems: LasI/LasR, RhlI/RhlR, and PQS/MvfR. Several natural compounds can inhibit these QS mechanisms. In this study, we determined the effect of curcumin, reserpine, and their mixtures with two commercial antibiotics (gentamicin and azithromycin) on P. aeruginosa QS mechanisms: mvfR gene expression and the production of pyocyanin and rhamnolipids. Antibiotic and natural compounds’ minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined via microdilution assays. Gentamicin, azithromycin, curcumin, reserpine, and their mixtures exerted variable effects on mvfR gene expression, as assessed via semi-quantitative RT-PCR assays. Curcumin, reserpine, and gentamicin inhibited mvfR gene expression better than azithromycin, and the mixtures curcumin-gentamicin and reserpine-gentamicin outperformed gentamicin alone in inhibiting mvfR gene expression and decreasing pyocyanin and rhamnolipids production, revealing the synergistic effect of these mixture components. The mixtures of curcumin and gentamicin and reserpine and gentamicin may become alternatives to complement or enhance conventional methods currently used to treat P. aeruginosa infections.
Osteoclast-like activity of U937 cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and periodontal ligament fibroblasts subjected to mechanical stress by centrifugal force
Authors: Guerrero-Fonseca Carlos , Moreno-Beltrán Pedro , Bedoya-Rodriguez Angie , Pazos-Valencia Bibiana , Bedoya-Trujillo Juan Sebastián , Acosta Orlando
Published: January 2023

Several in vitro models have investigated the consequences of mechanical stimuli on osteoclasts (OCs). However, the mechanisms whereby mechanical forces trigger osteoclast responses remain poorly understood, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their relationship with bone resorption in OCs under the influence of mechanical forces require investigation. The present work examined the role of centrifugal force application on ROS production and its effect on osteoclast activity and differentiation. Human U937 macrophage cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts treated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) were subject to centrifugal force. Osteoclast markers such as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and bone resorption activities were measured. ROS levels and actin ring formation were determined. Also, U937 cell responses to centrifugal force and PEG-induced fusion were studied. Individual cells subjected to centrifugal exertion increased their ROS levels, formed actin-like rings, revealed TRAP expression and bone resorption activities, and expressed typical osteoclast markers. Control PEG-fused U937 cells also showed these effects, and cell treatment with NAC stopped all these responses. Centrifugal force, as well as PEG-induced cell fusion, can promote osteoclast-like features, including oxidative stress. The present experimental model allowed us to understand the mechanisms underlying the osteoclast differentiation associated with ROS production stimulated by mechanical compressive force, where NAC can contribute to reducing this oxidative stress condition.
The Role of Culture in Using Social Media in Sport: The Case of Australian and Singaporean Elite Sportswomen
Authors: Sotiriadou Popi , Brokmann Leah , Doyle Jason
Published: January 2023

The use of social media is reflective of an individual’s culture. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the cultural context on Australian and Singaporean sportswomen’s uses of social media. In-depth interviews with 12 elite sportswomen from both countries combined with supplementary information collected through the participating athletes’ Instagram profiles showed that social media uses are influenced by uncertainty avoidance, individualism or collectivism, masculinity or femininity, and long- or short-term orientations. By applying Hofstede and Bond’s cultural dimensions framework, the study presents new knowledge on three cultural dimensions (i.e., uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs. femininity, and long-term vs. short-term orientation) and broadens the field of sport and social media by comparing the use of social media between athletes from diverse cultures. The study offers significant insight for designing a branding strategy that encompasses cultural contexts to guide athletes on their use of social media.
Methenamine is as effective as antibiotics at preventing urinary tract infections
Authors: Saul Helen , Deeney Brendan , Cassidy Samantha , Kwint Jemma , Harding Chris
Published: January 2023

The study

Harding C, Mossop H, Homer T, et al. Alternative to prophylactic antibiotics for the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections in women: multicentre, open label, randomised, non-inferiority trial.
BMJ
2022;376:e068229.

To read the full NIHR Alert, go to:
https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/methenamine-as-good-as-antibiotics-preventing-urinary-tract-infections/
Chudakov effect for the most probable value of high-energy electron–positron pair ionization loss in thin targets
Authors: Trofymenko S. V.
Published: January 2023

The ionization loss of a high-energy electron–positron pair in thin targets is considered. The targets not thinner than about 10 $$\upmu $$
μ
m are discussed. The analogue of the Landau distribution function is derived for this loss under the condition when the Chudakov effect of the pair ionization loss suppression is manifested. Expression for the most probable value of the pair ionization loss $$E_{MP}$$

E

MP

is obtained. It is shown that the magnitude of Chudakov effect for $$E_{MP}$$

E

MP

can be noticeably different from the magnitude of this effect for the restricted mean value of the pair ionization loss.
RansomShield: A Visualization Approach to Defending Mobile Systems Against Ransomware
Authors: Lachtar Nada , Ibdah Duha , Khan Hamza , Bacha Anys
Published: January 2023

The unprecedented growth in mobile systems has transformed the way we approach everyday computing. Unfortunately, the emergence of a sophisticated type of malware known as ransomware poses a great threat to consumers of this technology. Traditional research on mobile malware detection has focused on approaches that rely on analyzing bytecode for uncovering malicious apps. However, cybercriminals can bypass such methods by embedding malware directly in native machine code, making traditional methods inadequate. Another challenge that detection solutions face is scalability. The sheer number of malware variants released every year makes it difficult for solutions to efficiently scale their coverage.

To address these concerns, this work presents RansomShield, an energy-efficient solution that leverages CNNs to detect ransomware. We evaluate CNN architectures that have been known to perform well on computer vision tasks and examine their suitability for ransomware detection. We show that systematically converting native instructions from Android apps into images using space-filling curve visualization techniques enable CNNs to reliably detect ransomware with high accuracy. We characterize the robustness of this approach across ARM and x86 architectures and demonstrate the effectiveness of this solution across heterogeneous platforms including smartphones and chromebooks. We evaluate the suitability of different models for mobile systems by comparing their energy demands using different platforms. In addition, we present a CNN introspection framework that determines the important features that are needed for ransomware detection. Finally, we evaluate the robustness of this solution against adversarial machine learning (AML) attacks using state-of-the-art Android malware dataset.
Detection and Cross-domain Evaluation of Cyberbullying in Facebook Activity Contents for Turkish
Authors: Coban Onder , Ozel Selma Ayse , Inan Ali
Published: January 2023

Cyberbullying refers to bullying and harassment of defenseless or vulnerable people such as children, teenagers, and women through any means of communication (e.g., e-mail, text messages, wall posts, tweets) over any online medium (e.g., social media, blogs, online games, virtual reality environments). The effect of cyberbullying may be severe and irreversible and it has become one of the major problems of cyber-societies in today’s electronic world. Prevention of cyberbullying activities as well as the development of timely response mechanisms require automated and accurate detection of cyberbullying acts. This study focuses on the problem of cyberbullying detection over Facebook activity content written in Turkish. Through extensive experiments with the various machine and deep learning algorithms, the best estimator for the task is chosen and then employed for both cross-domain evaluation and profiling of cyber-aggressive users. The results obtained with fivefold cross-validation are evaluated with an average-macro F1 score. These results show that BERT is the best estimator with an average macro F1 of 0.928, and employing it on various datasets collected from different OSN domains produces highly satisfying results. This article also reports detailed profiling of cyber-aggressive users by providing even more information than what is visible to the naked eye.
Activation of Most Toll-Like Receptors in Whole Human Blood Attenuates Platelet Deposition on Collagen under Flow
Authors: Liu Y. , Diamond S. L.
Published: January 2023

Platelets have toll-like receptors (TLRs); however, their function in thrombosis or hemostasis under flow conditions is not fully known. Thrombin-inhibited anticoagulated whole blood was treated with various TLR agonists and then perfused over fibrillar collagen using microfluidic assay at venous wall shear rate (100 s-1). Platelet deposition was imaged with fluorescent anti-CD61. For perfusion of whole blood without TLR agonist addition, platelets rapidly accumulated on collagen and eventually occluded the microchannels. Interestingly, most of the tested TLR agonists (Pam3CKS4, MALP-2, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid HMW, imiquimod, and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides) strongly reduced platelet deposition on collagen, while only the TLR4 agonist endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enhanced deposition. Following 90 sec of deposition under flow of untreated blood, the addition of various TLR-7 agonists (imiquimod, vesatolimod, and GSK2245035) all caused immediate blockade of further platelet deposition. Since TLR signaling can activate nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), the IKK-inhibitor (IKK inhibitor VII) and NF-

κ

B inhibitor (Bay 11-7082) were tested. The IKK/NF-κB inhibitors strongly inhibited platelet deposition under flow. Furthermore, addition of Pam3CSK4 (TLR1/2 ligand), MALP-2 (TLR2/6 ligand), and Imquimod (TLR7 ligand) reduced phosphotidylserine (PS) exposure. Activation of TLR1/2, TLR2/6, TLR3, TLR7, and TLR9 in whole blood reduced platelet deposition under flow on collagen; however, LPS (major Gram negative bacterial pathogenic component) activation of LTR4 was clearly prothrombotic.
A Qualitative Exploration of Causes of Depression among Persons Living with HIV Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Uganda: Implications for Policy
Authors: Rutakumwa Rwamahe , Tusiime Christine , Mpango Richard Stephen , Kyohangirwe Leticia , Kaleebu Pontiano , Patel Vikram , Kinyanda Eugene
Published: January 2023

Introduction. Depression is the fourth leading cause of the global disease burden and worsens the outcome of comorbidities including HIV/AIDS. Depression is particularly problematic among persons living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa where scarcity of cost-effective interventions is compounded by inadequate understanding of the disease. We examine risk factors for depression among persons living with HIV undergoing antiretroviral treatment in Uganda and discuss policy implications. Methods. A qualitative study using a narrative approach was conducted, the formative phase of a large study to develop a model for integrating depression management into routine HIV care in Uganda. Participants were purposively sampled at four public health facilities in Mpigi District. In-depth interviews were conducted with four clinicians, three supervisors, and 11 persons living with HIV and suffering from depression, as were three focus group discussions with lay health workers. Exit interviews were conducted with 17 persons living with HIV who completed/interrupted depression treatment but had not been interviewed. Only data collected from persons living with HIV and lay health workers were analysed for the purpose of this paper. A narrative thematic approach was used in data analysis. Findings. There were several pathways through which lack of family social support reportedly led to depression: worries about disclosure in discordant relationships, false perceptions of social support, stigmatisation and discrimination, and domestic violence. Economic/poverty and other causes were identified, but their role was less significant or moderated by family social support. Conclusion. Family social support plays a dominant role—both directly and indirectly—in influencing depression risk. We propose the mainstreaming of formal psychosocial support and a shift from individual to family-focused counselling that targets both persons living with HIV and their family.
Stability of China’s Stock Market: Measure and Forecast by Ricci Curvature on Network
Authors: Wang Xinyu , Zhao Liang , Zhang Ning , Feng Liu , Lin Haibo
Published: January 2023

The systemic stability of a stock market is one of the core issues in the financial field. The market can be regarded as a complex network whose nodes are stocks connected by edges that signify their correlation strength. Since the market is a strongly nonlinear system, it is difficult to measure the macroscopic stability and depict market fluctuations in time. In this article, we use a geometric measure derived from discrete Ricci curvature to capture the higher-order nonlinear architecture of financial networks. In order to confirm the effectiveness of our method, we use it to analyze the CSI 300 constituents of China’s stock market from 2005 to 2020 and the systemic stability of the market is quantified through the network’s Ricci-type curvatures. Furthermore, we use a hybrid model to analyze the curvature time series and predict the future trends of the market accurately. As far as we know, this is the first article to apply Ricci curvature to forecast the systemic stability of China’s stock market, and our results show that Ricci curvature has good explanatory power for the market stability and can be a good indicator to judge the future risk and volatility of China’s stock market.
Salmonella Typhimurium Infection Reduces the Ascorbic Acid Uptake in the Intestine
Authors: Teafatiller Trevor , Subramanya Sandeep B. , Lambrecht Nils , Subramanian Veedamali S.
Published: January 2023

Salmonella Typhimurium infection of the gastrointestinal tract leads to damage that compromises the integrity of the intestinal epithelium and results in enterocolitis and inflammation. Salmonella infection promotes the expression of inflammasome NLRP3, leading to activation and release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, and the infected host often displays altered nutrient levels. To date, the effect of Salmonella infection and proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β on the intestinal uptake of ascorbic acid (AA) is unknown. Our results revealed a marked decrease in the rate of AA uptake in mouse jejunum infected with Salmonella wild type (WT). However, the nonpathogenic mutant (Δ invA Δ spiB) strain did not affect AA uptake. The decrease in AA uptake due to Salmonella WT infection is accompanied by significantly lower expression of mouse (m)SVCT1 protein, mRNA, and hnRNA levels. NLRP3 and IL-1β expression levels were markedly increased in Salmonella-infected mouse jejunum. IL-1β-exposed Caco-2 cells displayed marked inhibition in AA uptake and significantly decreased hSVCT1 expression at both protein and mRNA levels. Furthermore, the activity of the SLC23A1 promoter was significantly inhibited by IL-1β exposure. In addition, GRHPR (a known SVCT1 interactor) protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly reduced in Salmonella-infected mouse jejunum. These results indicate that Salmonella infection inhibits AA absorption in mouse jejunum and IL-1β-exposed Caco-2 cells. The observed inhibitory effect may partially be mediated through transcriptional mechanisms.
S2 Stream Surface Approximation Approach for Quasi Three-Dimensional Turbine Time-Marching Design Method
Authors: Jiang Zhuyu , Fan Zhaolin , Qiu Ming , Gong Cheng
Published: January 2023

A fast and reliable turbine design method is necessary in aeroengine development practice. As Q3D time-marching method iteration process can be time consuming and unstable, a novel S2 stream surface approximation approach coupled with flow tangential condition is proposed to reduce the computation requirement. The surface approximation uses a quadratic function of axial coordinate

x

to formulate distribution of circumferential coordinate

θ

. The flow tangential condition inherently represents inviscid blade force effect, and the formulation of inviscid blade force is not needed. A corresponding personal Q3D turbine computer code was developed, which was suitable for both design and analysis applications. The Q3D design method solves Euler’s equation through third-order Godunov’s scheme with TVD property in finite volume method. Semi-implicit Crank-Nicolson’s temporal scheme is implemented. Profile, secondary, and tip clearance energy loss models are added to predict viscous losses. Blade row exit swirl is required as the convergence target for Q3D design. A two-stage turbine and a single-stage high-pressure turbine were designed and analyzed by the Q3D method. Viscous 3D CFD was utilized to check design performances. The results showed that the Q3D method could finish a design case within 1 min. At design point, Q3D mass flow rate error was no more than 1.25%, expansion ratio error was no less than -0.022, and isentropic efficiency error was no more than 0.37 percentage points. The Q3D design method is fast and accurate. The stream surface approximation approach is suitable for Q3D design and analysis.
Use of Silica Fume, Bentonite, and Waste Tire Rubber as Impermeable Layer Construction Materials
Authors: Şenol Ahmet , Guner Arzu
Published: January 2023

To avoid the potential risks associated with all hazardous wastes, it is important that containment methods are intended to prevent the migration of liquid hazardous wastes or leaks containing hazardous components. Therefore, impermeable barriers were used to prevent contamination. In this study, geotechnical tests were performed on samples by mixing rubber and bentonite with silica fume at certain percentages. The aim of the experimental studies is to evaluate the applicability of certain proportions of silica fume, rubber, and bentonite mixtures as impermeable liner material. Possible cracks in bentonite during drying are reduced by the use of silica fume. Absorption of dynamic effects that may occur on the impermeable barrier layer is achieved by adding waste rubber in a uniform size. Several geotechnical tests were performed to examine the mixed rubber and bentonite with silica fumes. Looking at the results of the whole that mixed rubber and bentonite with silica fume yielded usable results and a blend for construction of a liner.
Analysis of Function Role and Long Noncoding RNA Expression in Chronic Heart Failure Rats Treated with Hui Yang Jiu Ji Decoction
Authors: Zhang Huan , Zhang Li , Yin Kejing , Zhang Miao , Hao Yanjiao , Zhou Hongwei , Ren Huifeng
Published: January 2023

Hui Yang Jiu Ji (HYJJ) decoction has been applied as a prescription of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). However, its comprehensive molecular mechanism remains unclear now. Our study aimed to explore the possible function and lncRNA-miRNA regulation networks of HYJJ on CHF induced by doxorubicin (DOX) in rats. Our study showed that HYJJ could recover cardiac function and alleviate myocardial injury of DOX-induced CHF. Besides, HYJJ had an effect on restraining myocardial apoptosis in CHF rats. Moreover, RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis indicated that among a total of 548 significantly up- and down-regulated differentially expressed (DE) long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), 511 up- and down-regulated DE miRNAs were identified. Cushing’s syndrome and Adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes were common pathways between DE-lncRNAs-enriched pathways and DE-miRNAs-enriched pathways. Finally, we observed a new pathway-MSTRG.598.1/Lilrb2 pathway with the HYJJ treatment; however, it needs further studies. In conclusion, this study provided evidence that HYJJ may be a suitable medicine for treating CHF. Moreover, several pivotal miRNAs may serve important roles in these processes by regulating some key miRNAs or pathways in CHF.
Influence of Partially Substituting Wheat Flour with Tiger Nut Flour on the Physical Properties, Sensory Quality, and Consumer Acceptance of Tea, Sugar, and Butter Bread
Authors: Kizzie-Hayford Nazir , Akanson Joshua , Ampofo-Asiama Jerry , Abano Ernest Ekow
Published: January 2023

Tiger nut is a valuable source of fiber, lipids, minerals, and carbohydrates. However, avenues for incorporating tiger nuts into food remain underexplored, especially in several tropical countries where the plant grows well. The current study investigated the effects of partially substituting wheat flour (WF) with tiger nut flour (TNF) on the physical and sensory properties of different bread types to evaluate the more amenable system for tiger nut incorporation. The substitution was done at WF:TNF ratio of 100 : 0, 90 : 10, 85 : 15, 80 : 20, 75 : 25, and 70 : 30 for butter bread (Bb), tea bread (Tb), and sugar bread (Sb). The results show that WF substitution with TNF increased bread brownness and color saturation and decreased lightness, showing the highest impact on Sb, followed by Tb and Bb. Additionally, bread-specific volume decreased significantly after 20% (Bb), 25% (Tb), and 30% (Sb) TNF substitution. Furthermore, substituting WF with 30% TNF increased crumb hardness from approx. 1.87 N to 3.64 N (Bb), 3.46 N to 8.14 N (Tb), and 6.71 N to 11.39 N (Sb) and caused significant increases to 17.80 N (Tb) and 21.08 N (Sb) after 3 d storage. Only a marginal effect on storage hardness (4.32 N) was observed for Bb. Substituting WF with 10% TNF for Bb or 25% TNF for Tb led to significantly higher consumer (

N
=
56

) scores for all attributes and overall acceptability. However, no significant effect on the overall acceptability of Sb was observed. Flash profiling showed frequently used descriptors for Bb as firm, moist, buttery, smooth, and astringent. After 10% TNF substitution, descriptors were chewy, firm, sweet, porous, dry, and caramel, and that of 30% TNF were grainy, chocolate, brown, nutty, and flaky. Substituting WF with TNF increased the lipids, fiber, and minerals content but decreased the protein and carbohydrate contents of bread. TNF substitution led to different physical and sensory effects depending on bread type, showing that Bb with 10% or Tb with 25% TNF is more comparable with the overall acceptance quality of 100% WF. The study is relevant for utilizing tiger nuts as an ingredient in bread products.
Genetic Diversity and Cryptic Species Identification of Genus Triplophysa from River Swat in Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Authors: Dad Omer , Khan Muhammad Fiaz , Rasool Akhtar , Akhtar Naveed , Attaullah Mohammad
Published: January 2023

Fish are cold blooded vertebrates’ identification on the bases of morphology is not more precise and required high taxonomic expertise therefore molecular identification is used as an alternative and more accurate technique for the identification of fishes. In the current investigation 39 fish specimens were collected from May 2021 to February 2022. With this aim, the recent study was conducted in the freshwaters of River Swat in Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan to explore the genetic diversity of genus Triplophysa. DNA was extracted and amplified using gene specific primers. The PCR products carefully were sequenced and Phylogenic analysis was performed using neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood through MEGA software. Nucleotide composition and genetic pairwise distance recommend that the calculated species of the subfamily Nemacheilinae are organically dissimilar. The River Swat is the study area and it is inhabited by three Triplophysa species, Triplophysa naziri, Triplophysa microps, and Triplophysa choprai. The evolutionary tree shows that these species are clearly separated. The mean of total length calculated in the three species of the genus Triplophysa such as 8.175 ± 0.198 cm for Triplophysa naziri, 10.14 ± 0.35 cm for Triplophysa microps, 11.052 ± 0.23 cm for Triplophysa choprai. This study provides a model for the improvement of identification in cryptic diversity and field of ichthyofauna.
Situación del mercado laboral: Un balance del 2022
Authors: Tejada Mauricio
Published: January 2023

La actividad económica fue de más a menos durante 2022. En efecto, luego de mostrar tasas de crecimiento en 12 meses sobre 10% durante los últimos meses de 2021, la economía chilena fue paulatinamente desacelerando su ritmo de crecimiento desde un 7,4% en el primer trimestre hasta un 0,3% en el tercero. Continuar leyendo...
Ste20-Like Kinase TAOK1 Positively Regulates Antiviral Responses by Controlling the TBK1-IRF3 Signaling Axis
Authors: Luo Xiaogang , Ji Ruihua , Liu Qianru , Xiao Xiaoxue , Song Wengang , An Huazhang , Li Yingke , Zhou Jun
Published: January 2023

The cytosolic viral nucleic acid-sensing pathways converge on the protein kinase TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and the transcription factor interferon (IFN)-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) to induce type I IFN production and antiviral immune responses. However, the mechanism that triggers the binding of TBK1 and IRF3 after virus infection remains not fully understood. Here, we identified that thousand and one kinase 1 (TAOK1), a Ste20-like kinase, positively regulated virus-induced antiviral immune responses by controlling the TBK1-IRF3 signaling axis. Virus invasion downregulated the expression of TAOK1. TAOK1 deficiency resulted in decreased nucleic acid-mediated type I IFN production and increased susceptibility to virus infection. TAOK1 was constitutively associated with TBK1 independently of the mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein MAVS. TAOK1 promoted IRF3 activation by enhancing TBK1-IRF3 complex formation. TAOK1 enhanced virus-induced type I IFN production in a kinase activity-dependent manner. Viral infection induced TAOK1 to bind with dynein instead of microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4), leading to the trafficking of TBK1 to the perinuclear region to bind IRF3. Thus, the depolymerization of microtubule impaired virus-mediated IRF3 activation. Our results revealed that TAOK1 functioned as a new interaction partner and regulated antiviral signaling via trafficking TBK1 along microtubules to bind IRF3. These findings provided novel insights into the function of TAOK1 in the antiviral innate immune response and its related clinical significance.
Systematic Client Feedback in Youth Mental Health and Addiction Care: A Controlled Study Comparing Two Treatment Cohorts
Authors: van Benthem Patty , Spijkerman Renske , Blanken Peter , Boon Albert , Vermeiren Robert , Hendriks Vincent
Published: January 2023

Introduction: We investigated the value of systematic client feedback in youth mental health and addiction care. In the present study, we examined whether a client feedback intervention would result in improved therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes. Methods: Two hundred and four adolescents participated in the study using a – non-randomized – between-group A/B design. In the first study group, 127 patients were offered 4 months of treatment as usual (TAU), and in the second study group, 77 patients received the client feedback intervention as an add-on to TAU during 4 months. Results: Youths who received systematic client feedback in addition to TAU did not show better treatment outcomes or better alliance ratings after 4 months than youths receiving TAU only. Sensitivity analyses, in which we compared the more adherent patients of the second study group with patients receiving TAU, did not show significant beneficial effects of client feedback either. Also, the client feedback intervention did not result in lower rates of early treatment drop-out. Discussion/Conclusion: Our results cautiously suggest that client feedback does not have incremental effects on alliance and the treatment outcome for youth in mental health and addiction treatment. Moreover, our study highlights the challenges of implementing client feedback in clinical practice and the need for additional research addressing these challenges.
Global Actions on Climate Change: The Health System Focus – A Systematic Review
Authors: Dinar Hisham Hassan Ali
Published: January 2023

Introduction: It is now crystal clear that weather change is not just a fact but a circumstance that threatens to be extremely destructive. It has a quantifiable negative impact on human well-being, physical and mental health. Therefore, this review was conducted with an aim to study the global actions on climatic changes with a special focus on health of the population, health systems, and their preparedness. Methods: The writing of this systematic review followed the guidance of PRISMA checklist. Extensive literature research was conducted at the sources of information which included MEDLINE (PubMed interface), and Google Scholar, to identify articles discussing the role of climatic change and its impacts. Results: It was found that many challenges to health sector are posed by the climatic changes; therefore, public health preparedness and response should be upgraded through strategy adaptation, risk mitigation, and assessment measures. Conclusion: Discoveries on key health changes and climatic indicators aimed toward informed decisions by policy makers about policy programs implementation, detect evidence gaps, and better recognition of the barriers in achieving the health system adaptability and resilience, thereby maximizing the health problems caused by climate change around the globe.
IoT-based smart monitoring and management system for fish farming
Authors: Al-Mutairi Abdallah Waddah , Al-Aubidy Kasim Mousa
Published: January 2023

Fish farming is still controlled and managed in the traditional way where water quality and fish feeding are manually controlled. There is a need to use computer and communication technology in fish farms for remote monitoring and control. This paper deals with the design and implementation of an internet of things (IoT) based system for real-time monitoring, control and management of fish farming. The design of such a system is based on measuring different types of variables and using the information to control fish growth and increase productivity. Each fish pond is a node in a wireless sensor network. The node contains an embedded microcontroller connected to a set of sensors and actuators and a wireless communication module. Two fuzzy controllers are designed to control the water quality in the ponds as well as the environment using five sensors in each pond plus three environmental sensors. Practical results indicate the accuracy of the measurement system compared to the results obtained from commercial devices used on the farm. These results also showed that the proposed approach achieves the best performance of the real-time monitoring and control system in fish ponds.
Protection of images by combination of vernam stream cipher, AES and LSB steganography in a video clip
Authors: Hussein Marwah Kamil , Amintoosi Haleh
Published: January 2023

Visual communication has become more popular in recent years, and because data must be transferred safely over a restricted bandwidth, techniques of data security and preservation, such as masking and encryption, have to be included after the optimization process for the image in question. The two most common methods of data protection are encryption and steganography. Steganography is a way for covering data that is hidden in another medium without leaving any proof of the data being changed, whereas cryptography converts regular data into incomprehensible data, which is known as scrambled data. Using the least significant bit (LSB) technique, the information was scrambled with graphics. The Vernam encryption algorithm and the advanced encryption standard (AES) will have a side in the proposed method in the encryption step, and the three improvement proposals using quality standards and encryption will be compared with the Vernam encryption algorithm and the AES encryption algorithm, and the effect of the improvement ratio and the size of the encrypted data with different threshold values will be investigated.
K-mean clustering and local binary pattern techniques for automatic brain tumor detection
Authors: Baji Faiq Sabbar , Abdullah Saleema Baji , Abdulsattar Fatimah S.
Published: January 2023

Tumors in brains are caused by the unregulated emergence of tissue cells inside the brain. The early diagnosis and determining the precise location of the tumor in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its size are essential for the teams of physicians. Image segmentation is often considered a preliminary step in medical image analyses. K-means clustering has been widely adopted for brain tumor detection. The result of this technique is a list of cluster images. The challenge of this method is the difficulty of selecting the appropriate cluster section that depicts the tumor. In this work, we analyze the influence of different image clusters. Each cluster is then split into the left and right parts. After that, the texture features are depicted in each part. Furthermore, the bilateral symmetry measure is applied to estimate the cluster that contains the tumor. Finally, the connected component labeling is employed to determine the target cluster for brain tumor detection. The developed technique is applied to 30 MRI images. The encouraging accuracy of 87% is obtained.
Comparative analysis of predictive machine learning algorithms for diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kangra Kirti , Singh Jaswinder
Published: January 2023

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious worldwide health issue, and its prevalence is rapidly growing. It is a spectrum of metabolic illnesses defined by perpetually increased blood glucose levels. Undiagnosed diabetes can lead to a variety of problems, including retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and other vascular abnormalities. In this context, machine learning (ML) technologies may be particularly useful for early disease identification, diagnosis, and therapy monitoring. The core idea of this study is to identify the strong ML algorithm to predict it. For this several ML algorithms were chosen i.e., support vector machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes (NB), K nearest neighbor (KNN), random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and decision tree (DT), according to studied work. Two, Pima Indian diabetic (PID) and Germany diabetes datasets were used and the experiment was performed using Waikato environment for knowledge analysis (WEKA) 3.8.6 tool. This article discussed about performance matrices and error rates of classifiers for both datasets. The results showed that for PID database (PIDD), SVM works better with an accuracy of 74% whereas for Germany KNN and RF work better with 98.7% accuracy. This study can aid healthcare facilities and researchers in comprehending the value and application of ML algorithms in predicting diabetes at an early stage.
Bitcoin trading indicator: a machine learning driven real time bitcoin trading indicator for the crypto market
Authors: Rahaman Ashikur , Bitto Abu Kowshir , Biplob Khalid Been Md. Badruzzaman , Bijoy Md. Hasan Imam , Jahan Nusrat , Mahmud Imran
Published: January 2023

As opposed to other fiat currencies, bitcoin has no relationship with banks. Its price fluctuation is largely influenced by fresh blocks, news, mining information, support or resistance levels, and public opinion. Therefore, a machine-learning model will be fantastic if it learns from data and tells or indicates if we need to purchase or sell for a little period. In this study, we attempted to create a tool or indicator that can gather tweets in real-time using tweepy and the Twitter application programming interface (API) and report the sentiment at the time. Using the renowned Python module "FBProphet," we developed a model in the second phase that can gather historical price data for the bitcoin to US dollar (BTCUSD) pair and project the price of bitcoin. In order to provide guidance for an intelligent forex trader, we finally merged all of the models into one form. We traded with various models for a very little number of days to validate our bitcoin trading indicator (BTI), and we discovered that the combined version of this tool is more profitable. With the combined version of the instrument, we quickly and with little error root mean square error (RMSE: 1,480.58) generated a profit of $1,000.71 USD.