bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An operational matrix method based on scalingfunction of Daubechies wavelet to solve stochastic differential equations
Authors: Shariati Nasim Madah , Yaghouti Mohammadreza , Alipanah Amjad
Published: March 2023

In our joint work, by introducing Quasi Block-Pulse (QBP) functions,we provide integration and stochastic integration operational matricesbased on scaling function of Daubechies wavelet to solve linear and nonlinearstochastic differential equations. Due to interesting properties of theDaubechies wavelet such as orthogonality, compactly support and vanishingmoments, these operational matrices have good properties. The convergenceof the proposed method is presented and in order to verify the accuracy of theproposed method some numerical examples are provided.
Advanced Chemical leaching process of Wadi El Dakhal silica sand to produce a high concentration of SiO 2 for electronic industry
Authors: Mohamed Gaber , Hamed Tamer , Fathy Mahmoud
Published: March 2023

Silica sand used in the manufacture of glass, ceramic and porcelain, as well as the high grade SiO2 used in silicon chips, fiberglass and optical lenses, white cement, foundry sand, filters, detergents and pesticides. Egypt possesses a large quantity of silica sand located in Sinai and along the Red sea coast: Zafarana area (Wadi El Dakhal) with SiO2 ranging from 98.60 to 99.00%. This research aims to contribute and increase the added value to the raw silica sand by chemical leaching process to produce high content of SiO2.The evaluation technique of studied silica sand samples includes XRF, XRD, Sieve analysis, physical properties measuring and chemical leaching process using different acids. The leaching process with HCl, (HCl & H2SO4), (HCl, HF, HNO3), [HCl, HF and (COOH)2 ] acids were conducted to beneficiate the raw silica sand and achieve a very good results of SiO2. Wet sieve analysis was completed before chemical leaching to remove fine particles less than 200 um which include clay minerals. The loose of fine particles percent (< 200 um) is around 0.4% from the original silica sand weight. The obtained results indicate upgrading the SiO2 content from 98.60 to 99.99%, and XRD shows the mineral is composed mainly of quartz.
Adoption and Technical Efficiency of Organic and Fair-Trade Cashew Production in Benin (West Africa)
Authors: Zoundji Gérard C. , Vodouhe Fifanou , Houngbèmè Joël-Franck D. , Yabi Jacob A.
Published: March 2023

As a result of many environmental and health problems related to the use of chemicals, but also due to their marginalization on the international market, some small producers in Africa; particularly in Benin (West Africa) have embarked on the fair-trade, organic production of cashew nuts to meet the ever-increasing global demand. This research identifies factors determining the adoption of fair-trade organic cashew and estimates producers’ technical level efficiency in central Benin. Two-stage random sampling was used to select 160 cashew producers. The study used the student’s “t” test, logistic regression and the method based on stochastic frontiers of type production Cobb-Douglas function to assess data collected from the research sample. Results revealed that sex, field size, cotton production and producer’s secondary activities have negative effects on organic cashew fair-trade adoption while the number of agricultural assets, experience in cashew production, land access and frequency of contacts with extension services positively affect organic cashew fair-trade adoption. The average efficiency indices of organic fair-trade producers is 0.63, suggesting that they are not technically efficient and there are possibilities for improving their production systems using their existing resources.
Electrochemical performance enhancement of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 at high cut-off voltage by aluminum-doped polypyrrole coating
Authors: Li Mingqi , Yu Chunpeng , Li Ying , Zhang Xueqian , Zhang Ruijin , Nan Quanhui , Zhu Mingyuan , Jin Hongming , Li Wenxian , Zhang Jiujun
Published: March 2023

LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) is a kind of high nickel ternary cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and high discharge platform. However, the insufficient electron/ion conductivities and corrosion of hydrofluoric acid has limited its practical usage. In overcoming the challenges, it is particularly important to find a method that can improve both electronic and ionic conductivities of such a material. In this study, aluminum (Al)-doped polypyrrole (Al@PPy) is used to coat NCM to improve its rate and cycling performance. Compared with the uncoated NCM, Al@PPy-NCM has more electron/ion transport channels and much better cycling stability. It has an initial capacity of 224.3 mAh/g at a current density of 20 mA/g, and a capacity retention rate is 91.6 % after 100 cycles in voltage range of 3.0~4.5 V. At a current density of 200 mA/g, the initial capacity can still be 185.1 mAh/g, and the capacity retention rate can maintain 88.1 % after 200 cycles.
WITHDRAWN: DYRK1A-mediated PLK2 phosphorylation regulates proliferation and invasion of glioblastoma cell
Authors: Tan Shichuan , Zhao Juan , Wang Pin
Published: March 2023

Purpose
Polo-like kinases are a family of serine-threonine kinases that exert regulatory effects on diverse cellular processes. Dysregulation of PLKs has been implicated in multiple cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). Notably, PLK2 expression in GBM tumor tissue is lower than that in normal brains. Interestingly, high PLK2 expression is significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Thus, it can be inferred that PLK2 expression alone may not be sufficient for accurate prognosis evaluation, and there should be unknow mechanism underlying PLK2 regulation.
Methods
The analysis of differentially expression of PLK2 in various cancers was performed using TIMER2.0. Protein and transcript expression of both PLK2 and DYRK1A were accessed by WB and qRT-PCR, respectively. Colocalization of PLK2 and DYRK1A was determined using immunofluorescence. The binding of PLK2 and DYRK1A was validated using co-immunoprecipitation. The protein stability of wild type PLK2 and PLK2 mutants was evaluated using cycloheximide chase assay. In addition, the role of PLK2 phosphorylation induced by DYRK1A was investigated through a series of functional assays, including cell proliferation and viability assay, transwell-invasion assay, wound healing assay, and colony formation.
Results
Here we have demonstrated that DYRK1A interacts with and phosphorylates PLK2 at Ser358. DYRK1A-mediated phosphorylation of PLK2 increases its protein stability. Moreover, DYRK1A-induced promotion of PLK2 kinases activity was observed, as indicated by the upregulation of alpha-synuclein S129 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we found that phosphorylation of PLK2 by DYRK1A contributes to proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells. Besides, DYRK1A further enhances the inhibition of GBM cells malignancy already induced by PLK2.
Conclusion
The findings of this study suggest that PLK2 may play a partial role in glioblastoma pathogenesis in a manner dependent on DYRK1A, suggesting that PLK2 Ser358 may serve as the therapeutic target for GBM.
Pan-African Charnockites in the Shillong-Meghalaya Gneissic Complex, Northeast India and its implications
Authors: Borah Pritom , Mazumdar Amulya Chandra , Bhagabaty Balen , Khonglah Medard Augustine , Bardoloi Abhijit , Bhattacharya Abhijit
Published: March 2023

Metamorphic to magmatic ortho/clinopyroxene bearing, massive to foliated charnockites sensu lato are exposed in the central part of the Shillong-Meghalaya Gneissic Complex (SMGC), Northeast India. The two pyroxene bearing metamorphic (group-1) charnockites are tonalitic to granodioritic in composition and together with associated high grade rocks pre-date all deformational episodes and successive metamorphic events. On the contrary, the orthopyroxene bearing (group-2) and fayalite + quartz bearing (group-3) magmatic charnockites post-date all deformational and metamorphic episodes. Both group-2 and-3 charnockites are granitic in composition. Thermobarometric estimations and quantitative P-T pseudosection modeling constrain the peak metamorphism of Group-1 charnockites at 900°C/6–6.5 kbar indicating a clockwise P-T trajectory. The ferroan to magnesian charnockites are calc-alkalic to calcic, and weakly peraluminous/metaluminous. The A2-type charnockites with strongly fractionated REE patterns [(La/Lu)N : 3.95‒27.87] and negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*: 0.28‒0.46) are depleted in Nb, Ta, Sr and Ti abundances that correspond with a post-collisional setting. By comparison, in the associated mafic granulites as enclaves/bands, the REEs are 10-60 times enriched relative to chondrite, have flat patterns, and with no negative Eu anomalies. The charnockite suite is derived by the partial melting of varied protoliths including garnet-bearing amphibolites and crustal sources. Tightly-constrained chemical dates in chemically-zoned monazites, hosted within recrystallized grains of pyroxenes and plagioclase in three charnockites samples vary between 463±40 and 526±37 Ma (mean: 503±4 Ma). The magmatic to metamorphic charnockites attest to the prevalence of high-T during the period of post-collisional East Gondwana assembly related accretion at a late stage of Pan-African orogenic cycle, arguably continuous with the Pan-African Prydz Bay suture (East Antarctica) within the East Gondwanaland.
A Kho-Kho optimization based parameter estimation of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine
Authors: Srivast Abhishek
Published: March 2023

Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) are among the popular motors used in industrial applications. Designing an appropriate control scheme to obtain the desired output for these motors depends on the motor parameters. In this aspect, this paper presents the application of a well-known meta-heuristics optimization scheme, i.e, Kho-Kho optimization (KKO) to estimate the parameters of PMSM. KKO introduced in [1] is a population-based meta-heuristic optimization scheme that replicated the chasing strategy of a defending team in a Kho-Kho game. To show the supremacy of the KKO scheme in determining the unknown parameters of the PMSM, a PMSM with known coefficients is considered and the parameter of the model is estimated using KKO.
Organizational Culture as a Need Fulfillment System: Implications for theory, methods, and practice
Authors: Pincus J. David
Published: March 2023

At the time of this writing, the business concept most vigorously championed by management consultants is the construct of organizational culture. Despite the tremendous attention focused on organizational culture, the concept lacks theoretical consensus among its proponents. Like the concepts of employee engagement and employee well-being, this field cries out for clearly stated definitions that embed the concept within a theoretical framework, allowing theory and measurement to productively develop. This paper argues for a more grounded approach to the concept of organizational culture, setting it within the psychological literature on human motivation. We review the leading definitions of organizational culture in the literature and find that they are reducible to a core set of human motives, each backed by full research traditions of their own, which populate a comprehensive model of twelve human motivations. We propose that there is substantial value in adopting a comprehensive motivational taxonomy over current approaches, which have the effect of “snowballing” ever more dimensions and elements. We consider the impact of setting the concepts of organizational culture within existing motivational constructs for each of the following: (a) theory, especially the development of culture frameworks and particularly how the concept of culture relates to the concepts of employee engagement and employee well-being; (b) methods, including the value of applying a comprehensive, structural approach; and (c) practice, where we emphasize the practical advantages of clear operational definitions.
Text summarization of News Articles based on named entity recognition using Spacy library
Authors: Alshibly Ibrahim , Al-Shorfat Sabreen , Otair Mohammad , Shehab Mohammad , Tarawneh Omar , Daoud Mohammad Sh.
Published: March 2023

The study discusses the importance of summarization in dealing with a large amount of data available on the internet. The study used a deep-learning algorithm based on functions from the spacy library in Python to summarize news articles and evaluated the impact of named entity recognition on the summarization process. The study assessed different datasets from CNN-DailyMail and the BBC (entertainment articles) and found that the proposed method based on named entity recognition showed significant improvement in recall, precision, and F-score compared to the word frequency method. The study also observed that the articles from CNN-DailyMail were longer, with an average of 551 words and 28 sentences, compared to the BBC (entertainment articles), which had an average of 190 words and 12 sentences. The evaluation results showed that the proposed method based on named entity recognition performed better on the shorter articles from the BBC, indicating that the method was more effective in summarizing shorter texts. In summary, the study highlighted the importance of summarization in dealing with a large amount of data available on the internet. It showed that named entity recognition can significantly improve the effectiveness of the summarization process. The study also observed that the proposed method was more effective in summarizing shorter texts.
Mean annual temperature mainly drives spatial pattern of plant functional traits in inland arid and semi-arid areas
Authors: Li Menglin , Tong Yao , Cao Zhe , Huang Jihong , Zhang Shichen , Xu Shuyi , Ding Yi , Wang Wendong , Maimaiti Alim , Wang Liping , Zang Runguo
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study is to elucidate the spatial distribution patterns of four key plant functional traits and the effects of environmental factors on their variation in inland arid and semi-arid areas and thus provide a reference for the prediction of species distribution and biodiversity conservation in this region. The county-level distribution data sets of 3,953 seed plants species, traits data sets, and environmental variables data sets were collected in Xinjiang, China. We focused on four plant functional traits: maximum plant height, leaf size, first flowering time and flowering duration. The spatial distribution patterns of plant traits in 50 × 50 km grid cells were detected. The spatial variation in different functional traits was explored and environmental drivers were identified. The results showed that there were significant latitudinal and altitudinal gradient patterns of plant functional traits, and there were significant spatial correlations between different traits. These four traits showed a significant and strong effect of environmental interpretation. Among the three types of environmental factors (climate, soil and habitat heterogeneity), climate factors played the most pronounced role in explaining functional traits. Mean annual temperature (MAT) being the most important driver of the spatial distribution patterns of each trait, and its effect on different traits varies. Overall, vegetative and reproductive growth of plants is more favorable in areas with higher temperatures, abundant precipitation, fertile soils and high habitat heterogeneity, which is mainly reflected in higher plant height, larger leaves, earlier flowering time and longer flowering duration.
Predictive assessment of the ultrasonic shearing quality of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet based on coupled vibration-thermal model
Authors: Meng Yue , Ma Lifeng , Jia Weitao , Xie Hongbo , Lu Liwei
Published: March 2023

Introducing ultrasonic vibration into the shearing process of hard-to-deform magnesium alloy sheets shows the potential to solve the problems of poor-quality sheet sections and excessive burrs. In this paper, for the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet, the method of constructing a converter to connect the displacement and vibration reference points is used to establish an ABAQUS three-dimensional ultrasonic vibration shearing simulation analysis model. Furthermore, the processing characteristics of ultrasonic shearing are described by analyzing the equivalent stress. Subsequently, the influence weight coefficients of three factors, sheet temperature, shear edge clearance, and ultrasonic amplitude, and the influence law of the above factors on the change of stress in ultrasonic shearing processing, are studied using the orthogonal test method. The results show that, since ultrasonic vibration can produce intermittent contact and ultrasonic energy softening effect on magnesium alloy sheets, shear processing equivalent stress appears as the phenomenon of stress superposition and fluctuation. Therefore, the equivalent stress of ultrasonic shearing under the same process parameters is less than that of conventional shearing. Moreover, ultrasonic shearing processing of magnesium alloy sheets through the plastic deformation phase for an extended time improves the quality of the shear section. The process parameter with the most significant influence factor in ultrasonic shearing is the sheet temperature, followed by the shear edge clearance and the smallest ultrasonic amplitude. This paper can provide quantitative guidance for the predictive assessment of the ultrasonic shearing quality of the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet.
The cross-talk between leptin and circadian rhythm signaling proteins in physiological processes: a systematic review
Authors: Ansarin Atefeh , Mahdavi Aida Malek , Javadivala Zeinab , Shanehbandi Dariush , zarredar habib , Ansarin khalil
Published: March 2023

Background Today modern lifestyles and especially disrupted sleep patterns cause circadian clock rhythm impairments that may be linked with the leptin signaling pathway which subsequently alter a wide range of metabolic processes and have significant health burdens on societies. Nevertheless, there is not any systematic review regarding circadian clock genes and proteins, leptin, and the related signaling pathways.
Methods Accordingly, we systematically reviewed circadian clock proteins, leptin, and molecular mechanisms between them by searching Pubmed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Sciences, and also Google Scholar until September 2022. After considering inclusion and exclusion criteria, twenty animal model studies were selected as there were not any clinical trial articles about the related molecular pathways. Then the risk of bias for each paper was assessed.
Results The results clarified the reciprocal interconnected relationship between the circadian clock genes and leptin and more profoundly, revealed engaged molecular mechanisms and factors. Also, the role of these molecular mechanisms was explained in different physiological processes such as metabolism in the hypothalamus and corresponding peripheral organs.
Conclusions All this may demonstrate that these signaling pathways and affecting elements should be considered in the prevention and choosing of new therapeutic targets for related disorders especially obesity and metabolic impairments.
A case of acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) caused by acute severe hepatitis E: successfully treated by plasma exchange and rituximab
Authors: ou Yingwei , Xu Yifan , Tan Zhaowang , Pang Lingxiao , Li Shengqin , li Qian , Cai Wenwei , Nan Yong , Tu Jianfeng
Published: March 2023

With low morbidity and high mortality, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) has brought critical physical and economic burden to society and individual. Thrombocytopenia is very common in severe liver failure, and a variety of hepatitis viruses can induce immune thrombocytopenic purpura. However, it is extremely rare in HEV infection. We hereby report the case of a 53-year-old man who present with TTP caused by severe hepatitis E, and the patients recovered well after treatment. Thus, we propose considering that for patients with severe hepatitis or infection with notable platelet decline, AMAMTS13 testing is very necessary and beneficial for the accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Effects of Crosswind on Pantograph–Catenary Wear Using Nonlinear Multibody System Dynamic Algorithms
Authors: Daocharoenporn Siripong , Mongkolwongrojn Mongkol
Published: March 2023

In this study, a multibody system (MBS) computational framework is developed to determine the exact location of the contact point and wear prediction resulting from the pantograph–catenary interaction. The railroad vehicle models in the MBS computational framework comprise rigid-body railroad vehicles, rigid-body pantograph systems, and flexible catenary systems. To avoid the incremental rotation and cosimulation processes, the nonlinear finite element absolute nodal coordinate formulation is used to model a flexible catenary system in the MBS computational framework and to integrate the rigid-body railroad vehicle and the pantograph and flexible catenary systems into the MBS algorithms. The pantograph–catenary interaction is modeled using an elastic contact formulation developed to include the effect of pantograph–catenary separation and sliding contact. The proposed MBS approach evaluates the location of the contact point, contact force, and normal wear rate (NWR) from the mechanical and electrical contributions. In particular, this investigation considers the vibration caused by a crosswind scenario, the numerical result in the case of a steady crosswind scenario, which contains the advantage of the pantograph–catenary aerodynamic design, and the vibration of the catenary system remains significant after the excitation of steady crosswind. In the case of a steady crosswind, the higher value of the steady crosswind effect significantly increases the mean contact force and NWR from the mechanical contribution. After crosswind load disturbances, the mean contact force decreases, but the standard deviation of the contact force increases. Therefore, the NWR from the electrical contribution increases significantly. However, the total NWR increases with the crosswind velocity.
Neurobiological and psychological impact of acute war stress on Ukrainian refugees
Authors: Rektor Ivan , Fnaskova Monika , Berezka Sofia , Gajdos Martin , Riha Pavel , Evmenova Tetyana , Preiss Marek
Published: March 2023

Based on our research on the impact of extreme stress on Holocaust survivors, we questioned whether the neurobiological and psychological impact of stress could be observed during an ongoing war. We investigated Ukrainian refugee women (UG, n=43) who had been living in the Czech Republic for 2 to 6 months and compared to control group (n=20).
Psychological testing: level of posttraumatic stress, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Anxiety Inventory, Intellectual Potential, and Digit Span Wechsler-III. MR imaging: voxel-based morphometry, functional MR, seed-based connectivity, and Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). MRI showed enlargement of the posterior and central parts of the thalamus. The thalamus is connected with the frontal orbital gyrus and insula; the MIST revealed an impact on the parahippocampal gyrus.
Conclusion: Acute and ongoing war stress had a significant neurobiological impact on refugees from war-torn Ukraine. The UG scored significantly higher in posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. The thalamus modulates activity in the limbic circuitry. Correlations between MRI activation and levels of posttraumatic stress and anxiety were found in the UG. The data show the impact of acute and ongoing war-related stress on psychological features as well as on the cerebral structure and connectivity of stress-related cortical areas.
The analysis of the photogravitational R4BP under the combined effect of Stokes drag and oblateness within a frame of variable mass
Authors: Mittal Amit , Pal Krishan , Aggarwal Rajiv
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we have studied the existence, locations and stability of the equilibrium points as well as zero velocity curves (ZVCs) under the combined effect of oblateness, radiation pressure and the dissipative force (Stokes drag) in the restricted four-body problem (R4BP) with variable mass when the bigger primary (m 1) is a source of radiation and second primary (m 2) is an oblate or prolate spheroid. An equilateral triangle has been constructed by the three primaries and known as Lagrangian configuration. Jeans’ law and space time transformations of Meshcherskii have been used to derive the equations of motion of the infinitesimal body whose mass is varying. The dynamical behaviour of an infinitesimal body has been investigated under the influences of radiation pressure of bigger primary and oblateness of second primary with Stokes drag. The numerical investigation shows that all the equilibrium points are non-collinear and the collinear equilibrium points do not exist due to the presence of Stokes drag. The effect of parameters like oblateness A, radiation parameter q (0 < q < 1), α (0 < α ≤ 2.2), γ (0 < γ < 1) and dissipative constant k (0 < k < 1) have been investigated on the locations of equilibrium points and their stability. It is found that the regions of motion increase for the increasing values of the parameters A, q and α whereas these regions decrease for the increasing values of the dissipative constant k. We have also observed that all the equilibrium points are unstable for all values of the parameters used.
Deep Learning Based Object Tracking in Walking Droplet and Granular Intruder Experiments
Authors: Kara Erdi , Zhang George , Williams Joseph , Ferrandez-Quinto Gonzalo , Rhoden Leviticus J. , Kim Maximilian , Kutz J. Nathan , Rahman Amin
Published: March 2023

We present a deep-learning based tracking objects of interest in walking droplet and granular intruder experiments. In a typical walking droplet experiment, a liquid droplet, known as walker, propels itself laterally on the free surface of a vibrating bath of the same liquid. This motion is the result of the interaction between the droplets and the surface waves generated by the droplet itself after each successive bounce. A walker can exhibit a highly irregular trajectory over the course of its motion, including rapid acceleration and complex interactions with the other walkers present in the bath. In analogy with the hydrodynamic experiments, the granular matter experiments consist of a vibrating bath of very small solid particles and a larger solid called intruder. Like the fluid droplets, the intruder interacts with and travels the domain due to the waves of the bath but tends to move much slower and much less smoothly than the droplets. When multiple intruders are introduced, they also exhibit complex interactions with each other. We leverage the state-of-art object detection model YOLO and the Hungarian Algorithm to accurately extract the trajectory of a walker or intruder in real-time. Our proposed methodology is capable of tracking individual walker(s) or intruder(s) in digital images acquired from a broad spectrum of experimental settings and does not suffer from any identity-switch issues. Thus, the deep learning approach developed in this work could be used to automatize the efficient, fast and accurate extraction of observables of interests in walking droplet and granular intruder experiments. Such extraction capabilities are critically enabling for downstream tasks such as building data-driven dynamical models for the coarse-grained dynamics and interactions of the objects of interest.
Second Primary Lung Cancer after Breast Cancer: A Case Series
Authors: Sua Luz Fernanda , Osorio Alvaro , Zuñiga-Restrepo Valeria , Castrillón Ana Isabel , Ibarra Ciro , Quintero Natalia , Fernandez-Trujillo Liliana
Published: March 2023

Background: Breast cancer (BC) accounts for approximately 24.2% of all malignant tumours in women. Due to advances in chemotherapeutic agents and targeted treatment, survival of BC patients is increasing. Second primary cancers (SPC) are becoming more common, among which lung cancer (LC) has a latency of approximately ten years and may be related to risk factors such as exposure to BC radiotherapy. We present a case series of nine patients with SPC of the lung after BC (BC-LC), highlighting the clinical and molecular findings in a tertiary care hospital in Colombia.
Case presentation: This is a retrospective case series report describing demographic, diagnostic, therapeutic and molecular profile data of patients with SPC of the lung diagnosed between 2014 and 2019 with a history of BC in a referred tertiary care hospital.
Nine women with BC-LC were included. The mean age at BC diagnosis was 56.2 ± 10.8 years. All cases were ductal carcinoma, seven were triple negative, one was HER2 positive, and one was estrogen and progesterone positive. Adenocarcinoma was the only histological type of LC. All patients had received radiotherapy for BC, and the mean latency between the two diagnoses was 8.1 years.
Conclusion: Our case series provides preliminary data on patients with BC-LC and contributes to the local epidemiology. Histology (ductal BC, adenocarcinoma of the lung) has a role in BC-LC patients and radiotherapy for BC. Adequate histological diagnosis of lung lesions in patients with BC is essential for appropriate approach and treatment.
Investigating the Use of Different Recurrent Neural Networks for Natural Language Inference in Arabic
Authors: Bensghaier Mabrouka , Bakari Wided , Neji Mahmoud
Published: March 2023

Natural language inference (NLI) is a subfield of natural language processing (NLP) that involves determining the logical relationship between two pieces of text, usually a premise and a hypothesis. The goal of an NLI system is to classify the inference relationship between the premise and the hypothesis into one of three categories, namely, entailment, contradiction and neutral. An understanding of this relationship is useful for performing several NLP tasks, such as, summarization, question-answering, information retrieval, etc. Given the potential of neural networks to handle complex natural language tasks, and the absence of prior research on their application to NLI in Arabic. In this context, we propose the investigation of different neural network models for the NLI task in Arabic language. Particularly, we carried out experiments using various types of recurrent neural networks, such as, Simple RNN, LSTM, GRU, Bi-LSTM, and BiGRU to find the one that performs best on the NLI task in Arabic. We performed our experiments using the existing datasets for Arabic NLI namely, ArbTE, XNLI, and ArNLI.
Molecular detection of pathogens from ticks collected from dogs and cats at veterinary clinics in Finland
Authors: Zakham Fathiah , Korhonen Essi M , Puonti Petteri T , Castrén Robert S , Uusitalo Ruut , Smura Teemu , Kant Ravi , Vapalahti Olli , Sironen Tarja , Kinnunen Paula M
Published: March 2023

Background: Ticks carry microbes, some of which are pathogenic for humans and animals. To assess this One Health challenge, 342 ticks were collected from pet dogs and cats at 10 veterinary clinics in Finland as part of the European project “Protect Our Future Too”.
Methods: The tick species were identified and ticks were screened with quantitative PCR (qPCR) for tick-borne pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato, Borrelia miyamotoi, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma spp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and Babesia spp. For comparison, a subset of tick DNAs (20 qPCR positive samples) was analysed with 16S next-generation sequencing (NGS).
Results: Most ticks were Ixodes ricinus (289, 84.5%), followed by I. persulcatus (51, 14.9%). One hybrid tick (I. ricinus/I. persulcatus, 0.3%) and one Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick (0.3%) were identified. We found one or more of the analysed pathogens in 17% (59/342) of the ticks. The most prevalent pathogen was B. burgdorferi s.l. (36, 10.5%), followed by Anaplasma phagocytophilum(12, 3.5%), B. miyamotoi (5, 1.5%), Babesia venatorum(4, 1.2%), and TBEV (1, 0.3%). Ca. N. mikurensis DNA was amplifiable from 3 (0.9%) ticks. Ehrlichia canis was not detected. In the 16S NGS, six samples produced enough reads for the analysis. In these six samples, we confirmed all the positive qPCR findings of Borrelia spp. and Ca. N. mikurensis.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in the ticks of this study emphasize the importance of awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases and prevention. Furthermore, the results show that veterinary surveillance can facilitate early detection of tick-borne pathogens and new tick species and draw attention to possible co-infections that should be considered both in symptomatic humans and animals after tick bites.
Aso volcano, Japan: assessing the 100-year probability of a new caldera-forming eruption based on expert judgements with Bayes Net and Importance Sampling uncertainty analysis
Authors: Aspinall Willy , Sparks R. Stephen J. , Hill Brittain E , Costa Antonio , Connor Charles , Inakura Hirohito , Hasenaka Toshiaki , Miyoshi Masaya , Kiyosugi Koji , Tsuji Tomohiro , Ushioda Masashi
Published: March 2023

The Aso-4 explosive eruption on Kyushu, Japan, 89,500 years ago was one of the biggest eruptions in the last one hundred millennia, with a magnitude of approximately M8. Modern society requires the likelihood of natural events with potentially disastrous consequences to be evaluated, even if probabilities of occurrence are diminishingly small. For some situations, it is not satisfactory to assert an event scenario probability is “negligible” or can be “ignored”. Judicial hearings or litigation may require risk levels to be quantified, in which case, statements of scientific confidence could be decisive. Internationally, e.g. for nuclear site safety evaluations, event likelihoods on order of 10− 7/year are often considered for quantitative assessment. At such hazard levels, this might include evaluating the proposition that a particular volcano can deliver a future super-eruption, a supposition that could be attached to Aso volcano. But, simplistically taking the average recurrence interval between past caldera-forming eruptions at a given volcano is an unreliable guide to the likelihood of a future repeat: each past event represented a unique set of tectonic and magmatic conditions within a continually evolving volcanic system. Such processes are not temporally stationary nor statistically uniform. To evaluate the probability of a new M8 event at Aso, within the next 100 years, we performed a comprehensive stochastic probability uncertainty analysis using a model implemented with advanced computational Bayes Net (BN) software. Our eruption process model is informed by multiple strands of evidence from volcanology, petrology, geochemistry and geophysics, together with estimates of epistemic (knowledge) uncertainty, adduced from reviews of published data, modelling and from expert judgement elicitation. Several lines of evidence characterise the likely structure, magmatic composition and eruptive state of the present-day Aso volcano, which has had numerous smaller eruptions since Aso-4. To calculate the probability of another M8 eruption of Aso, we implemented probabilistic ‘Importance Sampling’ in our model. With this approach, we find the chance of an Aso-4 scale eruption (characterised by mean volume 500 km3DRE and approximate 90% credible interval [210 ‥ 1200] km3DRE) is less than 1–in–1 billion in the next 100 years (i.e., < 10− 9probability). Based on current volcanological understanding and evidence, we believe this probability estimate is secure and robust to better than an order of magnitude. 373 words
Assessment of Trace Elements in Commercially Packaged Forms of Tobacco Using Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Authors: A Kripa Adlene Edith , Ongole Ravikiran , K. Unnikrishnan V. , K. Adarsh U.
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is the most common malignancy in many developing countries such as India due to increased consumption of smokeless tobacco. Elemental components in commercially packaged forms of tobacco can play a significant role in the causation of oral cancer.
AIM: Assess trace elements in various types of commercially packaged forms of tobacco using LASER-induced breakdown spectroscopy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two types of ‘Paan masala’ and four types of packaged tobacco were obtained from local ‘paan’ shops. The contents in the packets were made into pellets respectively using a hydraulic press and subjected to elemental analysis using Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.
RESULTS: A ten-trial experiment was carried out in all six pellets. The National Institute of Standards and Design (NIST) database was used to assess the emission lines. The elements obtained in both commercially packaged tobacco and ‘paan masala’ were similar. The elements are Calcium, Iron, Aluminium, Nickel, and Chromium.
CONCLUSION:It is known that substances that cause DNA damage and carcinogenesis, are inorganic elements such as nickel and Chromium. It is clear in our study that these carcinogens are present in the commercially packaged form of tobacco and ‘paan masala’ samples.
Bone Ingrowth Simulation within a Novel Microstructure Scaffold
Authors: Wang Yuheng , Wang Luping , Soro Nicolas , Li Zhiyong , Tetsworth Kevin , Erbulut Deniz
Published: March 2023

The utilization of bone scaffold implants represents a promising approach for repairing substantial bone defects. In recent years, various traditional scaffold structures have been developed and, with the advancements in materials biology and computer technology, novel scaffold designs are being evaluated. This study investigated the effects of a novel scaffold unit cell design (Hexnaoid) through a computational framework, comparing its performance to that of four well-known scaffold designs. A finite element analysis (FEA) numerical simulation and mechanical testing were conducted to analyse the dynamic bone ingrowth process and the mechanical strength of the scaffold designs, respectively. The bone formation within the Ti-6Al-4V metal scaffolds was modelled based on the theory of bone remodelling. The results indicated that the novel scaffold design (Hexnaoid) outperforms conventional unit-cell designs, achieving a high final bone occupancy (~27%) and comparable mechanical strength to that of human compact bone tissue. While the design is not optimal in every category, it presents a satisfactory overall performance in both crucial aspects of bone scaffolds among the five scaffold structures evaluated. Although limitations exist in this project, similar methodologies can still be applied in the primary evaluation of new scaffold structures, providing improved efficiency and effectiveness. In future research, the results of this project may be integrated with clinical rehabilitation processes and offering a crucial evaluation and optimization of the novel scaffold unit-cell structure design.
Potential of acetic acid to restore methane production in anaerobic reactors critically intoxicated by ammonia as evidenced by metabolic and microbial monitoring
Authors: Lemaigre Sébastien , Gerin Patrick A. , Adam Gilles , Klimek Dominika , Goux Xavier , Herold Malte , Frkova Zuzana , Calusinska Magdalena , Delfosse Philippe
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND
Biogas and biomethane production from the on-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) of animal manure and agri-food wastes could play a key role in transforming Europe’s energy system by mitigating its dependence on fossil fuels and tackling the climate crisis. Although ammonia is essential for microbial growth, it inhibits the AD process if present in high concentrations, especially under its free form, thus leading to economic losses. In this study, which includes both metabolic and microbial monitoring, we tested a strategy to restore substrate conversion to methane in AD reactors facing free ammonia critical intoxication.
RESULTS
The AD process of three mesophilic semi-continuous 100L reactors critically intoxicated by free ammonia (> 3.5 g_N L_slurry− 1; interrupted hydrolysis and methanogenesis) was restored by applying a strategy that included pH correction using acetic acid, washing out total ammonia with water, re-inoculation with active microbial flora and the progressive re-introduction of sugar beet pulp, a complex organic substrate. After five weeks, two intoxicated reactors restarted the production of CH4 from the pulp hydrolysis and via hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. The acetoclastic methanogenesis remained inhibited, probably due to the transient dominance in the slurry of a strictly methylothrophic methanogen of the archaeal genus Candidatus Methanoplasma, to the detriment of a versatile methanogen belonging to the Methanosarcina genus. Concomitantly, the third intoxicated reactor, in which the Methanosarcina members remained permanently dominant, faced transient hydrolysis inhibition but produced CH4 from restored acetoclastic methanogenesis. After eight weeks, the AD process was functional in all formerly intoxicated reactors with a pulp to CH4 conversion ratio of 0.41 ± 0.10 LN_CH4 g_VS− 1, analogous to the pulp biochemical methane potential (0.38 ± 0.03 LN_CH4 g_VS− 1).
CONCLUSIONS
Despite a particularly extreme free ammonia intoxication, the proposed process recovery strategy allowed the hydrolysis and methane production to be restored in three intoxicated reactors within eight weeks, a period during which reinitiating the feedstock supply appeared to be crucial to sustain the process. The initial introduction of acetic acid allowed substantial CH4 production during the recovery period and could enable the agronomic valorization of the effluents produced by full-scale reactors recovering from ammonia intoxication.
Isolation, characterization and In-vitro evaluation of potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from chicken gut
Authors: Melese Kasech , Alemu Tesfaye , Desalegn Asnake
Published: March 2023

Probiotics are live microorganisms or cultures that can benefit host health, maintain and enhance the production and growth of animals, and prevent and control enteric pathogens when given in sufficient doses. They are also one of the alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in poultry. The current study was to isolate, characterized and evaluate lactic acid bacteria from chicken gut towards use as potential probiotics. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from broilers and free range chickens, characterized and evaluated for their probiotic properties including antimicrobial activity against pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Listeria monocytogenes (clinical isolate) and Enterococus faecalis (clinical isolate), survivability in different acidic environment, tolerance to bile salts, adhesion to chicken intestinal cell, temperature and sodium chloride tolerance. Potential lactic acid bacteria isolated from chickens with outstanding probiotic ability were identified by MALD-TOF mass spectrometer as Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 20016T (B3I13), Pediococcus pentosaccus DSM 20206(B12CA), Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 20016T(B6I3), Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 20016T(F6I8), Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 20016T (B7I05) and Pediococcus pentosaccus DSM 20206(B1I8). The selected strains inhibited all the five pathogens tested with inhibition zone ranging between 11 ± 1 to 20.33 ± 3.055mm, survived in acidic pH and 0.3% bile salt with survival rates of 94.00 to 100.00% and above (100.00%), respectively. The selected lactic acid bacteria were found to have probiotic properties that can be useful in chickens as a supplement for enteric pathogen control and performance improvement.
Association of rheumatoid arthritis with aqueous deficient dry eye development
Authors: Pena-Verdeal Hugo , Garcia-Queiruga Jacobo , Sabucedo-Villamarin Belén , Garcia-Resua Carlos , Giraldez Maria J. , Yebra-Pimentel Eva
Published: March 2023

Purpose: to evaluate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a potential risk factor for the development of aqueous deficient dry eye (ADDE) compared to evaporative dry eye (EDE).
Study Design: The study design was observational and cross-sectional.
Methods: Two hundred volunteer participants with dry eye disease (DED) were recruited based on the TFOS DEWS II criteria, which included tear film osmolarity, Fluorescein Break-Up Time, and ocular surface damage assessment. To obtain OSDI scores, demographics, and RA diagnosis by their medical doctor, participants were recruited using QR codes linked to designated mobile Forms. Tear meniscus height and lipid layer pattern were measured in all participants to differentiate between ADDE, EDE, or Mixed dry eye in addition to the DED diagnostic criteria.
Results: after the initial recruitment, a total of 113 eligible participants were included in the final analysis. The ADDE group had a higher likelihood of having RA (OR 5.65, 95% CI 1.20-26.55) compared to the EDE group. Additionally, the number of participants with RA in the ADDE group was statistically higher than those in the EDE group (Fisher's exact test, all p = 0.020). Furthermore, a correlation was obtained between RA and an ADDE differential diagnosis (Cramer's V = 0.227, p = 0.026).
Conclusion: the present study supports the hypothesis that RA could be a risk factor for the development of ADDE over EDE type.
Investigation of time dependent growth of HepG2 cancerous cells using deep learning and shape metrics
Authors: Ronickom Jac Fredo Agastinose
Published: March 2023

Study of growth of Human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) cells provide useful information for clinical study of megestrol acetate for the treatment of Hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we analyzed the growth of HepG2 liver cancerous cells using image processing methods. Initially, the HepG2 cells were cultured and microscopic images were captured in bright field mode at time of seeding (00 h) followed by 06 h and 18 h. We segmented the cells using Tsallis and deep learning methods and the average size of colonies were calculated using shape metrics. Finally, we correlated the cell density obtained using MTT assay with the average size of colonies calculated from the Tsallis and deep learning segmented images. Results show that deep learning methods were able to segment the cells more precisely than Tsallis method. The average colony area calculated from the deep learning segmented images increases with time and concentration. The cell growth and adhesion pattern measured by deep leaning method showed good consistency with spectroscopic observations. The process pipeline provides a new way to assess cell adhesion and proliferation with capabilities in measuring their occupied surface area. The framework documented can be a promising tool to automate cancerous cell growth by evaluating average colony size for studying normal and pathological conditions.