bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sorting Out Where the Sand Flows During Fracturing
Authors: Rassenfoss Stephen
Published: June 2022

The message from a single chart’s data from the first full-scale hydraulic fracturing surface test is simple: Far less proppant flows out of the first clusters passed in a stage than the last ones.

The likely explanation drawn from a surface test created by GEODynamics is that the momentum of those relatively large sand grains prevents them from making that turn early on, leaving a lot of sand for later stages where the slowing flow will make the turn easier.

“The flow is going 45 miles an hour; sand particles have to turn in three-eighths of an inch,” said Jack Kolle, senior technical advisor at a sister company, Oil States Energy Services. He made the comment during a presentation about modeling fracturing test data to create an engineering model of proppant flows during at the recent SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition (SPE 209178).

When he first heard about the test results, Kolle thought he could create a model by using basic fluid mechanics concepts. After he started working on a model, though, he realized that proppant flow was more complex than expected. “It quickly became apparent we could not explain it without CFD modeling,” he said.

He was referring to computational flow dynamics (CFD) which requires massive amounts of computing power to model complex flows such as the flow of air around an aircraft wing. In the past it has been used in studies that concluded that the fast-moving flow of water and sand during fracturing resulted in uneven distribution of water and sand.

The model he created based on data from GEODynamic’s unique surface testing setup and subsurface fracturing analysis evolved into the company’s fracturing-flow advisor program, StageCoach.

Based on a quick look at four charts in a paper about the testing, it appears that larger-grained proppant is far more likely to slip past early clusters than smaller grains, which tend to be distributed evenly among clusters. And fracturing designs that more evenly distribute the slurry among the clusters can further flatten the distribution (SPE 209141).

The results favor some established trends. The industry has embraced 100 mesh proppant for fracturing and limited-entry designs which, to varying degrees, ensure more-even distribution.

What constitutes limited entry has evolved. A 2019 paper on the first two rounds of testing preceded current stage designs using clusters with only one perforation per cluster, often at the top of the hole.

The test work supported the rule of thumb that shooting perforations at the bottom of the casing is a bad idea. The thinking has been that a perf gun lying on the bottom of the casing and shooting at point-blank range will create a larger hole than shots made from a distance. When fracturing begins, bottom holes will take in far more of the fluid and proppant, causing rapid wear which is magnified by the force of gravity.
Feasibility of Middle East-to-India Pipeline Examined in Study
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: June 2022

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 202396, “Middle East to India Pipeline,” by Ian Nash and Matthew Rawlings, SPE, Peritus International. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The complete paper addresses the conceptualization and planning of a Middle East-to-India deepwater pipeline (MEIDP), which is planned to reach a record water depth of 3450 m and cross two continental slopes, an earthquake subduction zone [the Owen Fracture Zone (OFZ)], and outfall debris of the Indus River Fan in 2500-m-deep water. The authors examine the techniques, analysis, and technology development available at the time of writing to make such challenging routes increasingly feasible.

Introduction

India relies on regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) with terminals at major port locations. The Middle East has ready supplies of gas; however, significant challenges exist for a long-distance, ultradeepwater pipeline. South Asia Gas Enterprise (SAGE) has been developing the MEIDP as a transnational gas infrastructure project to deliver 1.1 billion scf/D from Oman to the Gujarat coast of India by a deepwater route across the Arabian Sea (Fig. 1). The pipeline will be laid as a common carrier pipeline wherein SAGE would be the gas transporter and pay a tariff for pipeline use. Gas buyers and gas sellers will negotiate long-term gas-supply contracts in a tripartite framework agreement.

The current work builds on the extensive study of a potential deepwater route of the Oman-to-India pipeline performed in the early 1990s. Economic and political drivers for the project, including project economics, are detailed in the complete paper.
Application of temporary immersion system RITA® for efficient biomass multiplication and production of somatic seeds for ex situ conservation of Linnaea borealis L.
Authors: Kikowska Małgorzata Anna , Danek Kamil , Gornowicz_Porowska Justyna , Thiem Barbara
Published: June 2022

Linnaea borealis L., belonging to the Linnaeaceae family, in some European countries including Poland, is a protected species. Phytochemical studies indicate the presence of pharmacologically important secondary metabolites, which may indicate undiscovered biological activity and untapped therapeutic potential of this species. Harvesting the raw material from natural sites is impossible due to the protection status of this glacial relict in many countries. The aim of the current work was to develop an efficient protocol of Linnaea borealis L. var. borealis shoot multiplication via the development of axillary buds in an agitated culture and a temporary immersion system as well as to establish the production of somatic seeds via alginate encapsulated nodes for short-time storage. The highest results of growth parameters were obtained for shoots agitated in a liquid medium enriched with cytokinin, auxin and gibberellin (18.26 ± 0.35 shoots per explant and 2184.95 ± 98.12% biomass increase, respectively). The growth of shoots in the RITA® bioreactor was highly efficient, especially when hormone supplementation in the medium was used, the amount of medium in the culture vessel was 100 or 150 ml, and the immersion time of the shoots was 1 or 2 min. The survival and recovery rates of L. borealis somatic seeds, regardless of encapsulation matrix used, subsequently decreased with the increased storage duration (from 100–60% at 4°C and from 100–54% at -18 ºC, respectively). This is the first report on twinflower shoot multiplication in a temporary-immersion system and somatic seeds production of this species.
Topological Insulator as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxidative Carbonylation of Amines
Authors: Hosono Hideo , Li Jiang , Wu Jia-Zhen , Park Sang-Won , Ye Tian-Nan , Lu Yangfan , Miyazaki Masayoshi , Yokoyama Toshiharu , Tada Tomofumi , Kitano Masaaki
Published: June 2022

Topological materials have received much attention because of their intriguing nontrivial physical properties. Their robust topological surface states (TSSs) afford a stable electron bath that facilitates surface reactions, which has been successfully used to promote reactions on transition metals (TMs). As emergent heterogeneous catalysts, TSS-TMs have introduced new catalytic effects. However, the direct application of TSSs to catalysis has thus far remained elusive. In the present study, we show that Bi2Se3, one of the most representative topological insulators, functions as an excellent catalyst for the oxidative carbonylation of amines with CO and O2 to synthesize urea derivatives, showing superior activity compared with conventional TM-containing heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. For example, when Bi2Se3 nanoparticles were used as catalysts, the carbonylation of butylamine was completed in 4 h at 20 °C with a yield of 99%, whereas noble-metal-based catalysts do not function at such a low temperature. In addition, the turnover frequency (TOF) of Bi2Se3 (41 h−1) is five times greater than that for BiSe, which has a crystal structure similar to that of Bi2Se3 but with substantially weakened TSSs. Density functional theory calculations further reveal that the TSSs facilitate the activation of O2 through a triplet-to-singlet spin-conversion reaction, which is the key step for the generation of urea derivatives from amines. These findings indicate a new application area of topological insulators in heterogeneous catalysis.
Efficacy of cabazitaxel and androgen splicing variant-7 status in circulating tumor cells in Asian patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Authors: Ashizawa Takeshi , Nagata Masayoshi , Nakamura So , Hirano Hisashi , Nagaya Naoya , Lu Yan , Horie Shigeo
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND: Androgen receptor splice variant-7(AR-V7) expression in circulating tumor cells(CTCs) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is associated with resistance to abiraterone and enzalutamide. We had objectives to determine whether cabazitaxel(CBZ) was equally effective in AR-V7 positive and negative CRPC, and if AR-V7 positive patients retained CBZ sensitivity.METHODS: This study was first-of-a-kind, Asian validation, prospective, open-label study: CBZ in Japanese mCRPC patients after docetaxel. 48 patients completed 4 CBZ cycles (recruited: 2017–2020, Juntendo University Hospitals). Primary endpoint was prostate-specific antigen response rate(PSA-RR), and secondary endpoints were overall survival(OS), Bone Scan Index[BSI]-change rate of bone metastases by bone scintigraphy, and safety assessments. PSA-RR(≥50% decline from baseline) for: CTC-/ARV7-, CTC+/ARV7-, CTC+/AR+ groups. RESULTS: PSA-RR shown ≥30% was 38%(18/48) and ≥50% was 26%(12/48). BSI-change rate shown ≥-30% was 19%(9/41) and ≥-50% was 17%(8/41). Median OS was 13.7(12.2–18.9) months. PSA decline in early CBZ treatment associated with OS(p=0.00173). BSI decline associated with OS(p=0.0194). PSA-RR(≥50%) was 21%(3/14) in CTC-/ARV7- group, 16%(4/25) in CTC+/ARV7- and 12%(1/8) in CTC+/ARV7+. No statically significant differences between groups. AR-V7 in CTCs at baseline not associated with OS. CONCLUSIONS: AR-V7 in CTCs was not associated with resistance to CBZ. BSI and PSA reducing responses in early CBZ may predict OS.
Learning tolerance specification of shaft part based on CNN-BiLSTM-CRF
Authors: Xiong Wei , LI Haolin
Published: June 2022

Determining reasonable tolerance patterns requires much knowledge and experience to balance the conflicting requirements. In previous studies, the process of tolerance specification has been based on the engineer’s experience and empirical data handed down from earlier projects. This paper proposes a learning model of tolerance specification of shaft part using deep learning architecture named CNN-BiLSTM-CRF, which is a combination of a Convolutional Neural Network, BiDirection Long Short-Term Memory network, and Conditional Random Field model. The CNN layer extracts the features from the CAD model; the Bi-LSTM layer composes the nonlinear relationship between tolerance specification and the features embedded by the CNN layer; the CRF layer predicts the tolerance sequence of the whole shaft part by jointly considering relations between neighbor tolerances. The proposed method directly takes the CAD model as the input and learns the tolerance specification from previous successful cases. Therefore, it does not require engineers to have any empirical knowledge.
Application of Infrared Thermography for Estimating Residual Stress in Ground Anchors for Maintenance
Authors: Min Dae-Hong , Jang Byeong-su , Yoon Hyung-Koo
Published: June 2022

Characterizing the integrity of ground anchors is essential for examining their usability in the maintenance of soil structure. However, the lift-off test, which is generally used for this purpose, has limitations when applied to covering all installed ground anchors. The objective of this study is to assess the possibility of using infrared thermography to measure the residual stress in ground anchors as a noncontact technique that bypasses the disadvantages associated with existing techniques. A preliminary experiment is performed to determine the exact emissivity of the tested materials. Both passive and active methods, as representative techniques in infrared thermography, are applied. In the large-scale experiment, infrared images of four installed strands with growing stress in the range of 0-400 kPa at 100 kPa intervals are used in the passive method of measurement. For the active method, these same stress ranges are applied to a heated anchor head using a UTM machine. The results of the passive method show that the temperature increased and decreased according to load and unload steps. Values for the cooling rate index are deduced through the active method results, and reliable behavior are observed at 10 and 15 min. The number of pixels also changed with the loading step in both passive and active methods. This study demonstrates that infrared thermography is a suitable alternative method for assessing the residual stress in ground anchors as a type of noncontact technique.
Estimation of epidemiological parameters and ascertainment rate from early transmission of COVID-19 across Africa
Authors: Han Qing , Bragazzi Nicola , Asgary Ali , Orbinski James , Wu Jianhong , Kong Jude Dzevela
Published: June 2022

Country reported case counts suggested a slow spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. However, due to inadequate public awareness, unestablished monitoring practices, limited testing, ineffective diagnosis, stigmas attached to being infected with SARS-CoV-2, self-medication, and the use of complementary/alternative medicine that are common among Africans for social, economic, and psychological reasons, there might exist extensive under-ascertainment and therefore an underestimation of the true number of cases, especially at the beginning of the novel epidemic. We developed a compartmentalized epidemiological model based on an augmented susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model to track the early epidemics in 54 African countries. Data on the reported cumulative number of cases and daily confirmed cases were used to fit the model for the time period with no or little massive national interventions yet in each country. We estimated that the mean basic reproduction number is 2.02 (SD 0.7), with a range between 1.12 (Zambia) and 3.64 (Nigeria), whereas the mean basic reproduction number for observed cases was estimated to be 0.17 (SD 0.17), with a range between 0 (Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Tanzania, South Sudan, Mozambique, Liberia, Togo) and 0.68 (South Africa). It was estimated that the mean overall report rate is 5.37% (SD 5.71%), with the highest 30.41% in Libya and the lowest 0.02% in Sao Tomé and Príncipe. An average of 5.46% (SD 6.4%) of all infected cases were severe cases and 66.74% (SD 17.28%) were asymptomatic ones, with Libya having the most (39.45%) fraction of severe cases and Togo the most (97.38%) fraction of asymptomatic cases. The estimated low reporting rates in Africa suggested a clear need for improved reporting and surveillance system in these countries.
Effects of different growth patterns of Tamarix chinensis on saline-alkali soil: Implications for coastal restoration and management
Authors: Gu Chen , Huang Weibin , Shao Qing , Shi Jiyan , Rui Jianliang , Yu Yanming , Lu Zhinai , Chen Yao , Chen Xiaojun , Dong Shudi , Ye Chenghua , Tuo Ya
Published: June 2022

Objective: To better understand the wetland restoration, the physicochemical properties and microbial community in different compartments (rhizosphere and bulk soil) of the status of living and death T. chinensis covered soil zones were studied in a restored coastal tidal flat located on the Zhoushan island.Results: There were differences between growth conditions in the levels of soil pH, salinity, SOM, and nutrient. The living status of T. chinensis exhibited higher capacity of decreasing saline-alkali soil than the death condition of plants, and the living condition of T. chinensis showed higher uptake of N, P, and K as compared with the death samples. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Chloroflexi were the predominant bacterial communities as revealed via high-throughput sequencing. This study contributed to our understanding of halophyte growth on coastal phytoremediation, and guide theoretically for management of T. chinensis population.
Safety and Efficacy of Ayurveda compound formulations (Kantakaryavaleha and Eladi Gutika) in the management of Mild Stable Bronchial Asthma (Tamaka Shwasa): Result from a prospective, open-label, multicenter, single-arm feasibility clinical trial.
Authors: Singh Harbans , Babu G , Sharma BS , Khanduri Shruti , Prasad Anjali , Anumol K , Mahajon Bidhan , Rao BCS , Rana Rakesh , Tripathi Arunabh , Srika Narayanam
Published: June 2022

Background
Bronchial asthma (BA) is a significant health problem and harms the quality of life, and better healthcare strategies are still needed for BA. Therefore, the scope of complementary and traditional medicine therapies on this concern must be explored. Thus the present study aimed to determine the efficacy and the safety of Kantakaryavaleha and Eladi Gutika in mild, stable bronchial asthma
Method
This prospective, open-label, multicenter clinical feasibility trial executed at two different OPD under Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). In this study, 83 diagnosed cases of mild stable BA, 18–60 years age, were evaluated to assess the efficacy and safety of Kantakaryavaleha and Eladi Gutika. Eladi Gutika 1 gm thrice daily and Kantakaryavaleha 20 ml twice daily with an equal quantity of water were administered for 84 days. Primary outcome measures were done by changes in Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) scores and frequency of need for control medication. The secondary outcome measures were assessed by changes in FEV1, serum CRP, serum IgE, frequency of need for rescue medication, and any adverse events.
Results
Significant (p < 0.05) improvement was observed in clinical features viz. paroxysm of breathlessness, wheezing, cough, expectoration of sputum, tightness in the chest, skin allergy, worsening of breathlessness at night, awakening in the night. In Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score and FEV1 parameters also, significant (p < 0.05) changes were observed. In this present study no need for rescue medication, and no adverse events were observed.
Conclusions
Kantakaryavaleha and Eladi Gutika are effective and safe in managing mild, stable bronchial asthma. A multicentric, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) may be planned with a more extended follow-up period to aid in the present findings.
Trial registration:
The clinical trial has been registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2018/06/014425) /http://ctri.nic.in.
Evaluating the Effects of Supplementing Ward Nurses on Quality of Newborn Care in Kenyan Neonatal Units: Protocol for a Prospective Workforce Intervention Study
Authors: IMAM ABDULAZEEZ , Gathara David , Aluvaala Jalemba , Maina Michuki , English Mike
Published: June 2022

Introduction : Data from High Income Countries have now linked low nurse staff to patient ratios to poor quality patient care. Adequately staffing hospitals is however still a challenge in resource-constrained Low-middle income countries (LMICs) and poor staff-to-patient ratios are largely taken as a norm. This in part relates to limited evidence on the relationship between staffing and quality of patient care in these settings and also an absence of research on benefits that might occur from improving hospital staff numbers in LMICs. This study will determine the effect on the quality of patient care of prospectively adding extra nursing staff to newborn units in a resource constrained LMIC setting and describe the relationship between staffing and quality of care. Methods and Analysis: This prospective workforce intervention study will involve a multi-method approach. We will conduct a before and after study in newborn units of 4 intervention hospitals and a single time-point comparison in 4 non-intervention hospitals to determine if there is a change in the level of missed nursing care, a process measure of the quality of patient care. We will also determine the effect of our intervention on routinely collected quality indicators using interrupted time series analysis. Using three nurse staffing metrics (Total nursing hours, nursing hours per patient day and nursing hours per patient per shift), we will describe the relationship between staffing and the quality of patient care. Discussion: There is an urgent need for the implementation of staffing policies in resource constrained LMICs that are guided by relevant contextual data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the prospective addition of nursing staff in resource-constrained care settings. Our findings are likely to provide the much-needed evidence for better staffing in these settings. Trial registration: This study was retrospectively registered in the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/Default.aspx?Logout=True) database on the 10th of June 2022 with a unique identification number -PACTR202206477083141.
An exploratory study on the design of an integrated healthcare organization structure from the demand side perspective of health services
Authors: Wang Bing , Gao Li , Yang Xiaohong , Pan Yongliang , Feng Wenming , Pei Xuedan , Fan Yanfang
Published: June 2022

Background
China has entered a severely aging society, and the elderly have an increasing demand for health care. The current medical policy can no longer meet the growing demand for health services for the elderly.
Objective
To analyze the unmet needs of the elderly in Chinese communities, and put forward a plan from the perspective of health service demand side to make full use of health service resources and ensure the balance between the supply and demand of health service.
Methods
A questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the unmet needs of 1527 elderly people in N district of H city, Zhejiang province, China.
Results
The unmet health needs of the elderly in this community were mainly related to chronic diseases, and the top three diseases in terms of chronic disease prevalence were hypertension (40.2%), dyslipidemia (8.4%), and diabetes (7.0%).
Conclusions
We propose that in the context of integrated medical policy, chronic disease management of the elderly in the community should break the concept of the original three-level medical system hierarchy and build an integrated chronic disease service system with general practitioners as the core.
Zero-Augmentation Pseudo Entropy for Video Unsupervised Domain Adaptation
Authors: Chen Zhi , Fan Zijun , Li Yongjie , Lin Shan
Published: June 2022

This work focuses on the problem of video unsupervised domain adaptation (VUDA) for the task of human action recognition. Although there exist some methods for VUDA, however, most current methods exhibit ambient light bias. Transferring models from light environment to the dark will lead to a decline in performance due to inevitable domain shift. Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) methods are able to alleviate the performance decline by aligning source and target domains utilizing methods such as adversarial training. However, these methods do not enhance images for the dark environment, leading to the loss of information and weak contribution to model performance in the dark environment. In this work, we enhance images by specific approach as an auxiliary task for VUDA in addition to unsupervised adver-sarial alignment as our proposed method, Zero-Augmentation Pseudo Entropy (Z-APE). We test our method on the HMDB-ARID datasets and empirically show that our VUDA method improves the performance by average 6.3% compared to other typical VUDA baseline models.
A model for ribosome translocation based on the alternated displacement of its subunits
Authors: González-García José S.
Published: June 2022

A meaningful dilemma in ribosome translocation arising from experimental facts is that, although the ribosome-mRNA interaction force always has a significant magnitude, the ribosome still moves to the next codon on the mRNA. How does the ribosome manage to move to the next codon in the sequence while holding the mRNA tightly? The hypothesis proposed here is that ribosome subunits alternate the grip of the ribosome on the mRNA to allow the other subunit to be free of such interaction for a while, thus moving to the following codon in the chain. Based on this assumption, a single-loop cycle of ribosome configurations involving the relative position of its subunits is elaborated and, when its dynamics is modeled as a Markov network, gives expressions for the average ribosome translocation speed and stall force as functions of the equilibrium constants among the ribosome configurations. The calculations show a reasonable agreement with experimental results, and the succession of molecular events considered here is consistent with current biomolecular concepts of the ribosome translocation process. The above shows the feasibility of the alternated displacements hypothesis proposed in this work to explain ribosome translocation.
Extracts from Argentinian native plants reverse fluconazole resistance in Candida species by inhibiting the efflux transporters Mdr1 and Cdr1
Authors: Gil Florimar , Laiolo Jerónimo , Bayona-Pacheco Brayan , Cannon Richard D. , Ferreira-Pereira Antonio , Carpinella María Cecilia
Published: June 2022

Background: The development of multidrug resistance (MDR) associated with the overexpression of the efflux transporters Mdr1 and Cdr1 in Candida species impedes antifungal therapies. The urgent need for novel agents able to inhibit the function of both pumps, led us to evaluate this property in 137 extracts obtained from Argentinian plants. Methods: The ability of the extracts to reverse efflux pump-mediated MDR was determined with an agar chemosensitization assay using fluconazole (FCZ) resistant Mdr1- and Cdr1-overexpressing clinical isolates of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains selectively expressing Mdr1 (AD/CaMDR1) or Cdr1 (AD/CaCDR1). The resistance-reversing activity of the most potent extracts was further confirmed using a Nile Red accumulation assay. Results: Fifteen plant extracts overcame the FCZ resistance of Candida albicans 1114, which overexpresses CaMdr1 and CaCdr1, and AD/CaMDR1, with those from Acalypha communis and Solanum atriplicifolium being the most effective showing 4- to 16-fold reversal of resistance at concentrations ≥ 25 µg/mL. Both extracts, and to a lesser extent that from Pterocaulon alopecuroides, also restored FCZ sensitivity in CgCdr1-overexpressing C. glabrata 109 and in AD/CaCDR1 with fold reversal values ranging from 4 to 32 and therefore demonstrating a dual effect against Mdr1 and Cdr1. Both, A. communis and S. atriplicifolium extracts at concentrations ≥ 12.5 and ≥ 25 µg/mL, respectively, increased the intracellular Nile Red accumulation in all yeast strains overexpressing efflux pumps. Conclusions: The non-toxic and highly active extracts from A. communis and S. atripicifolium, provide promising sources of compounds for potentiating the antifungal effect of FCZ by blocking the efflux function of Mdr1 and Cdr1 transporters.
Model Selection for Survival Individualized Treatment Rules Using the Jackknife Estimator
Authors: Honvoh Gilson , Cho Hunyong , Kosorok Michael
Published: June 2022

Background: Precision medicine is an emerging field that involves the selection of treatments based onpatients’ individual prognostic data. It is formalized through the identification of individualized treatment rules(ITRs) that maximize a clinical outcome. When the type of outcome is time-to-event, the correct handling ofcensoring is crucial for estimating reliable optimal ITRs. Methods: We propose a jackknife estimator of the value function to allow for right-censored data for a binarytreatment. The jackknife estimator or leave-one-out-cross-validation approach can be used to estimate thevalue function and select optimal ITRs using existing machine learning methods. We address the issue ofcensoring in survival data by introducing an inverse probability of censoring weighted (IPCW) adjustment inthe expression of the jackknife estimator of the value function. In this paper, we estimate the optimal ITR byusing random survival forest (RSF) and Cox proportional hazards model (COX). We use a Z-test to comparethe optimal ITRs learned by RSF and COX with the zero-order model (or one-size-fits-all). Through simulationstudies, we investigate the asymptotic properties and the performance of our proposed estimator underdifferent censoring rates. We illustrate our proposed method on a phase III clinical trial of non-small cell lung cancer data. Results: Our simulations show that COX outperforms RSF for small sample sizes. As sample sizes increase,the performance of RSF improves, in particular when the underlying distribution of the failure times follows anon-linear pattern. The estimator is fairly normally distributed across different combinations of simulationscenarios and censoring rates. When applied to a non-small-cell lung cancer data set, our method determinesthe zero-order model (ZOM) as the best performing model. This finding highlights the possibility that tailoringmay not be needed for this cancer data set. Conclusion: The jackknife approach for estimating the value function in the presence of right-censored datashows satisfactory performance when there is small to moderate censoring. Winsorizing the upper and lowerpercentiles of the estimated survival weights for computing the IPCWs stabilizes the estimator.
Spectroscopic and chemical properties of biochar and water treatment residual nanoparticles and their effects on canola growth and biological activity
Authors: El-shahawy Asmaa , Ibrahim Mahmoud , AbdEl-Halim AbdEl-Halim , Talha Naser , Mahmoud Esawy
Published: June 2022

Nanotechnology is a promising science in the development and improvement of soil, raising its production capacity and recycling waste in a hastily manner. This study aims to investigate the properties of some recycled nanomaterials and their effect on the biological activity and productivity of canola in degraded soils. Measuring the spectroscopic and chemical properties of nanomaterials such as biochar (nB) and water treatment residuals (nWTR) and adding them at different rates to the degraded soil. The results showed that the FTIR and XRD spectra of nWTR and nB contain many functional groups (such as C = O, OH, C = C, C-H, Si-O-Al, and Si-O-Si) and minerals. Zeta potential of the nB and nWTR was − 31.08 mV and − 65.25 mV, respectively. Addition of nB or nWTR at different rates significantly improved canola yield. Seed weight of canola plant increased with increasing nB rate by more than 64%, while it decreased with increasing nWTR rate. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and the activity of dehydrogenase (DHA) and catalase (CLA) increased significantly in the treated pots with the addition of nB and nWTR at different rates. Our results suggested the possibility of adding reused materials in the form of nanomaterials to the degraded soils, which would have the ability to improve their properties and increase their yield.
A sutible model for drying kenitic of wood fiber using halogen moistuer analayzer
Authors: Arabi Mohammad ,   Mohammad Dahmardeh qalehno1
Published: June 2022

Drying wood fiber is a complex, dynamic, highly nonlinear, and energy-intensive process involving simultaneous heat and mass transfer. So, the theoretical modeling of wood fiber drying because wood fiber shrinks anisotropically during a drying process is very complicated. The semi-theoretical and empirical thin-layer drying models developed on a laboratory scale are a suitable option for examining the drying kinetics of lignocellulose materials. In this study, drying kinetics of wood fibers were evaluated using 18 semi-empirical models at three temperatures of 105°C, 120°C, and 135°C, utilizing a halogen moisture analyzer. The findings revealed that raising the temperature increased the drying constant while decreasing the drying time of wood fibers. According to drying curves, no constant drying rate was observed and all the drying process occurred in two falling drying rate periods. More specifically, despite the high initial moisture content of wood fiber about 170% (based on dry weight), the wood fiber drying process was mainly controlled by diffusion mechanism. The fitness of drying curves on semi-theoretical and empirical models based on statistical parameters, including root mean square error (RMSE), sum of square errors (SSE), and coefficient of determination (R2) showed that the Midilli et al. model had the highest coefficient of determination and the lowest error percentage. Also, the moisture content was more accurately predicted by ANN model than the Midilli et al. model.
mRNA-miRNA bipartite network analysis in order to repurpose novel drugs in male infertility
Authors: Samadi Sina , Ghalandari Zahra , MotieGhader Habib , Tabrizi-Nezhadi Parinaz , Nabi Mahsa Najjari , Bagheri Dena Mohammad , Maleki Masoud , Yari Amir Hossein , Nematzadeh Sajjad , Torkamanian-Afshar Mahsa , Kiani Farzad
Published: June 2022

Background: In the current generation, infertility is one of the leading reasons for relationship problems. Infertility is defined as having active intercourse without the use of birth control pills on a yearly basis not resulting in zygote development and fertilization. Methods: In the current study, genes associated to male infertility were collected, and then a PPI network was reconstructed. Next, four protein modules were discovered from the reconstructed PPI network. Afterwards, for every protein module a mRNA-miRNA interaction sub-network was drawn. Finally, based on the degree and importance of these genes, modules were introduced as the main markers of male infertility, followed by naming some drugs involved in the disease.Results: Based on PPI network analysis, five genes including TP53, ESR1, PIK3CA, BRAF, and HIF1A are introduced as key candidates in male infertility disorder. Further, hsa-miR-92a-3p, hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-335-5p, and hsa-miR-106b-5p are probably highlighted among miRNAs. Finally, a drug-gene interaction network was remade for male infertility, and CISPLATIN, DOXORUBICIN, FLUOROURACIL, DOCETAXEL, and PACLITAXEL were found to be the most potent chemotherapy drugs in inducing the illness. Conclusions: According to the findings, it is recommended that young couples, who are having chemotherapy and children, use lower risk treatments rather than the listed medicines as much as possible in their treatment. Given that the steps were computational, it is suggested that these genes and miRNAs be realistically investigated in the laboratory in future research, and it is preferable to offer alternative low-risk medicines in other studies.
Dual-specificity phosphatase 19 alleviates cardiac hypertrophy via inhibiting ASK1 phosphorylation
Authors: Li Ya , Lu Jia , Liu Jing , Liu Baoshan , Zhang Aiyuan , Zuo Caojian , Liu Bei
Published: June 2022

Dual-specificity phosphatase 19 (DUSP19) negatively regulates MAPK pathway and has become a promising target for treating spinal cord injury and osteoarthritis. However, the function and underlying mechanism of DUSP19 in cardiac hypertrophy remain unclear. Our study observed that DUSP19 was significantly upregulated in cardiomyocytes stimulated with angiotensin-II and hypertrophic hearts. In vitro, knockdown of DUSP19 significantly aggravated cardiomyocytes hypertrophy induced by angiotensin-II, whereas DUSP19 overexpression ameliorated hypertrophy. In vivo, overexpression of DUSP19 using AAV9 gene-transfer attenuated cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, ventricular dilation and dysfunction induced by pressure overload. Mechanistically, DUSP19 overexpression blocked the phosphorylation of ASK1 and its downstream pathway (JNK and p38), whereas knockdown of DUSP19 activated the ASK1/p38-JNK pathway. Moreover, we found that DUSP19 directly bound to ASK1. In addition, ASK1 inhibitor reversed the exaggerated cardiomyocytes hypertrophy induced by DUSP19 knockdown. This study suggested that DUSP19 negatively regulate cardiac hypertrophy induced by pressure overload through inactivation of ASK1/p38-JNK and may provide new therapeutic target for myocardial hypertrophy.
Assessing Component Orientation of Total Hip Arthroplasty using the EOS Imaging System
Authors: Ma Zhuyi , Tang Hao , Zhou Yixin , Wang Siyuan , Yang Dejin , Guo Shaoyi
Published: June 2022

Background: Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) reconstruction is the reference standard for measuring component orientation. However, functional cup orientation in standing position is preferable compared to supine CT scans. The EOS imaging system can analyze standing hip component orientation with low-dose radiation. We aimed to assess validity and reliability of the component orientation using the EOS imaging system compared to the 3D CT reconstruction, and explore the differences between the functional cup orientation in standing images and supine CT scans.Methods: A retrospective study, including 44 patients (50 hips) of total hip arthroplasty, was conducted. CT scans were taken 1 week after surgery and EOS images were taken in the follow-up 6 weeks later. Component orientation measurement was performed using the anterior pelvic plane and the radiographic coronal plane as reference, respectively.Results: The study showed no significant difference between cup anteversion (p = 0.160), cup inclination (p=0.486), and stem anteversion (p=0.219) as measured by the EOS imaging system and 3D reconstruction. The differences calculated by the Bland–Altman analysis ranged between -0.4° to 0.6° for the three measured angles. However, there was an average difference of 4.39 between functional anteversion (p=0.035) and functional inclination (p=0.030), as measured in standing images and supine 3D CT scans. Conclusions: Measurement of the EOS imaging system is reliable and accurate as compared with 3D CT reconstruction. Standing view orthogonal radiographies of the hip are required and preferable for evaluating the functional component orientation, which is significantly different from the supine CT measurement.
Composition Characterization of Ulva Ohnoi Cultivated in a Biofloc System
Authors: Rocha Jamilly Sousa , Santos Daniele , Candia Efrayn Wilker de Souza Candia de Souza , Hayashi Leila , Bauer Claúdia Marlene , Maraschin Marcelo , Vieira Felipe do Nascimento
Published: June 2022

This work evaluated the cultivation of the macroalgae Ulva ohnoi on the performance of algal biomass and changes in its proximate and biochemical composition after cultivation in a biofloc system. U. ohnoi was cultivated in three experimental units with aeration, heating, initial density of 6 g L-1 for 28 days. The water used for cultivation was collected from a biofloc matrix tank and exchanged 90% once a day throughout the experiment. Temperature, salinity and illuminance were measured twice a day. To evaluate the growth of the macroalgae, weekly weighing was performed, and the daily growth rate was calculated. The density of each experimental unit was weekly adjusted to the initial density (6 g L-1), and the remain was saved for the composition analyses. Results showed an average plant growth of 1.15% day-1, totaling 49.5 g of weekly biomass increase. A significant difference was observed when comparing the initial 2.64±0.3% and final 4.62±0.2% ulvan concentration, and an increase of 30.2% in protein concentration at the end of the cultivation. No statistical differences were found regarding the concentration of phenolic compounds and chlorophylls (a and b) during the weeks. An increase in flavonoid concentration was observed on days 7 and 14 (0.41±0.04; and 0.41±0.07 µg g-1 of dry weight), as well as a decrease in carotenoid concentration of approximately 41.3 %. In conclusion, an increase in protein and ulvan concentrations were observed after the macroalgae U. ohnoi was cultivated in the biofloc system.
The predictive role of spring season Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) in Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) variability during the recent decades
Authors: Pillai Prasanth A , Dhakate Ashish R , Ramu D. A , G Kiran V.
Published: June 2022

The present study shows that the weak and out-of-phase relationship between the boreal spring Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) index and ISMR during the 1990–2002 period turned significant and positive after that. During the first period, the positive phase of AMM was co-occurring with the El Nino years and resulted in stronger cold SST anomalies in the south equatorial Atlantic during summer. This pattern is associated with decreased convection in the south Atlantic extending to the western Indian Ocean and India. During the period of positive AMM-ISMR relationship, the warm SST anomalies in the northern Atlantic region are strengthened and the resultant circulation is instrumental for increased convection over India. During the second period, the ENSO-induced anomalies over the tropical Atlantic also strengthen the anomalies in the northern flank of AMM. The major mode of the summer season Atlantic Ocean SST (EOF1) is dominated by ENSO induced pattern during the first period, while the AMM spring mode continued to summer resulting in stronger teleconnection after 2002. Many of the seasonal prediction models that participated in the NMME project capture the phase reversal of AMM-ISMR correlation when initialized during February. The models with a weak AMM-ISMR relationship in the recent period also have feeble AMM-ENSO association, resulting in weak North Atlantic SST anomalies associated with AMM. The study indicates that the spring season AMM index can provide a predictive signal for ISMR in seasonal prediction models, but they need to simulate proper interactions of the tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Synthesis and characterization of crystalline Nano silica from rice husk (agricultural waste) and its magnetic composites
Authors: Hussain Sajid , Singh Rakesh Kumar , Kumar Singh Sonu , Kumar Nishant , Kumar Gaurav
Published: June 2022

A cost-effective and environmentally friendly technology was used to make crystalline Nano silica (SiO2) from rice husk. Crystalline Amos Nano silica, ferrites, and PVDF were used to make a magnetic nanocomposite utilising injection moulding technology. The crystalline form of silica is revealed via XRD pattern analysis. SEM studies revealed that the particle size of SiO2 was extremely tiny, implying that crystalline Nano silica was formed from the rice husk. The absorption peaks of the Si–Oi–Si (silanol) functional group are seen in FTIR spectra. The UV-Spectrometer reveals higher absorption of SiO2 in UV region which suggest it uses as catalytic booster while lower absorption in the visible region is seen. Direct and indirect band gap of the sample is obtained using Tauc plot. Magnetic measurement shows nano silica is diamagnetic. Due to the presence of ferrite in the nanocomposite, the crystalline Nano silica-Ferrite-PVDF nanocomposite is ferromagnetic and is also revealed by hysteresis loop. Nanocomposite's magnetic hysteresis loop demonstrates that the materials can be employed as polymer magnets derived from natural source. In this paper, the physical characteristics of crystalline Nano silica and its composites with PVDF and ferrite are investigated. The findings of this study could aid in the utilisation of Nano silica materials that have been developed in various technological applications.
The use of different LEDs wavelength and light intensities on in vitro proliferation of cherry rootstock: influence on photosynthetic pigments, photosystem II photochemistry and leaf anatomy
Authors: Sarropoulou Virginia , Sperdouli Ilektra , Adamakis Ioannis-Dimosthenis , Grigoriadou Katerina
Published: June 2022

Plant growth and development are strongly influenced by light quality conditions in their environment. In this study, shoot proliferation, photosynthetic pigments, leaf anatomy and photosystem II photochemistry of Gisela 6 cherry rootstock (Prunus cerasus x Prunus canescens) were investigated. Initially, three light wavelength absorption spectra including 400–700 nm (mainly blue-green, White Fluorescent Light, WFL), 450–550 nm (mainly blue-red: BR, LED2) and 450–660 nm (blue-green-yellow-orange-red, LED3) under 40 µmol m− 2 s− 1 intensity were studied. Following that, three Light Emitting Diodes (LED) intensities including 20 (LED1), 40 (LED2), and 120 µmol m− 2 s− 1 (LED4) were investigated under BR spectrum. The culture medium used was the MS (Murashige and Skoog) containing 4.4 µΜ 6-benzyladenine (BA), 0.05 µΜ α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 0.3 µM gibberellic acid (GA3) (30 days, 16h photoperiod, 22 ± 2 oC). WFL exhibited non-significant differences with LED2 (shoot number 4.25, proliferation rate 4.30, shoot height 0.91 cm). LED2 displayed higher fresh and dry shoot biomass, better PSII functionality, increased Chl a/b, Chl b and carotenoids content, avoiding oxidative damage as evidenced by the decreased stressed explants (5.36%). Leaf anatomy under LED2 and WFL was similar. LED4 presented the highest rate of stressed explants, with their leaf anatomy being severely affected, as leaves had a reduced mesophyll cell density. In LED4, the proportion of the absorbed energy used in photochemistry (ΦPSII) was decreased whereas the increased quantum yield of non-regulated energy loss in PSII (ΦNO) could not be compensated by the increased photoprotective energy dissipation (ΦNPQ). Therefore, LED2 was the most beneficial for growing Gisela 6 plantlets in vitro.
Association between career adaptability and turnover intention: the mediating role of psychological capital
Authors: Sun Changxian , Xing Yurong , Wen Yuting , Wan Xia , Ding Yaping , Cui Yan , Xu Wenhui , Wang Xiaoxiao , Xia Hongling , Zhang Qian
Published: June 2022

Background
High turnover intention of nursing assistants was detrimental to the sustainability of long-term care. Career adaptability is an important determinant in reducing turnover intention, but little research has explored the mechanism from the perspective of psychological capital. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between career adaptability and turnover intention and to examine the mediating role of psychological capital between career adaptability and turnover intention among nursing assistants in mainland China.
Methods
A cross-sectional online study was conducted among 276 nursing assistants from eight nursing homes in Nanjing, China. The participants’ career adaptability, psychological capital, and turnover intention were obtained. SPSS 26.0 and Amos 24.0 software were employed for statistical analysis.
Results
Career adaptability was positively related to psychological capital and negatively linked to turnover intention (P༜0.01). Psychological capital played a fully mediating role (β=-0.085, P༜0.05) in the relationship between career adaptability and turnover intention, and the largest indirect effect was generated through the curiosity dimension.
Conclusions
The management of long-term care facilities should focus on assessing the level of career adaptability of nursing assistants. The overall improvement of career adaptability and psychological capital is conducive in reducing turnover intention. Targeted interventions are recommended to improve career adaptability and reduce turnover intentions by increasing career curiosity. Online career adaptability programs can be developed for nursing assistant students to improve their psychological capital and facilitate career transitions.