bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strengthening of Community Actions for People Living With Diabetes Mellitus in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Utilizing Public Health Facilitators and Redressing Barriers
Authors: Nxedlana Okuhle , Douglas Mbuyiselo , Emmanuel Manu
Published: July 2023

Background
Diabetes Mellitus is the second leading cause of death in South Africa and almost 90 000 people died from diabetes-related causes in the year 2019. The purpose of this study was to investigate facilitators that can be harnessed to strengthen community actions and barriers that should be redressed in structured public health and health promotion programs for people living with diabetes mellitus at a primary health care level.
Methods
Using face to face qualitative approach, an exploratory design was conducted. The Ottawa Charter was adopted as a model to guide health promotion strengthening actions for people living with diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted at Ngangelizwe Community Health Centre. Ngangelizwe is one of the townships located about 2 km east of Mthatha Town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Conveniently, 20 participants living with diabetes mellitus were selected to participate voluntarily in the study. Thematic analysis method with the assistance of Atlas ti version 9.0 software was used to analyse the data and presented under two broad themes.
Results
Five overarching themes were yielded and categorized as facilitators and barriers. Facilitators included enhancing the role of community healthcare workers, strengthening of health education activities. Barriers encompassed lack of support groups, lack of food security, and unavailability of community health promotion programs.
Conclusion
The study concluded with recommendation of designing health promotion program for primary health care prevention of diabetes mellitus at a community level. Engagement of collaborative intervention of relevant key stakeholders working together as a primary health care team, health promotion practitioners and community health care workers is recommended. The public health care team should be motivated to reach out into households and communities to empower people to have control over diabetes and improve their health.
Bridge damage identification with improved HHT and PSD sensitivity method based on vehicle response
Authors: FANG YouLiang , Xing Jie , Zhang Ying
Published: July 2023

A damage identification method combining improved Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) and power spectrum density (PSD) sensitivity analysis is proposed to study the acceleration response signals of a test vehicle and to identify damage in bridge structures. This study uses a single acceleration sensor arranged on the test vehicle to identify single and multiple positions of damage on the bridge and identify the degree of damage. Firstly, the vehicle acceleration response is transformed by HHT to determine the position of damage on the bridge structure using changes in the 3D time-frequency amplitude spectrum, which shows a decrease in the instantaneous frequency and an increase in the instantaneous amplitude at the damage position. Secondly, after determining the damage position on the bridge structure, the PSD sensitivity method is used to identify the damage parameters and determine the damage degree at the damage position. The combination of the two methods solves the problem that the traditional direct use of signal processing technology (such as wavelet transform, Hilbert transform) can only identify the damage location of the bridge and use the power spectrum sensitivity to identify the damage degree of each unit of the structure, which leads to a large amount of sensitivity calculation .The identification capabilities of the proposed technique are studied varying the damage locations, crack depths and velocity of vehicle speed vehicle mass .The effect of ambient noise is also taken into account. Numerical simulations shows that the method presented in this paper could identify damage in bridge structures.
A New Method for Analyzing Multilayer Left-handed Metamaterial Optical Waveguide Structure with a Localized Arbitrary Kerr-type Nonlinear Guiding Film
Authors: Wu Yaw-Dong , Xu Yi-Jun
Published: July 2023

We propose a new method for analyzing a multilayer left-handed metamaterial (LHM) optical waveguide structure with a localized arbitrary Kerr-type nonlinear guiding film. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed method has not been reported before. The available electromagnetic simulation software like FDTD, FEM, BPM cannot be used to analyze the case of the proposed multilayer photonic metamaterial slab optical waveguide structures with a localized arbitrary Kerr-type nonlinear guiding film. It gives detailed modal analyses of TE-polarized waves in the proposed photonic metamaterial slab optical waveguide structures. The analytical results are accompanied by some numerical examples. The method can also be degenerated to analyze planar conventional optical waveguide structures with a localized arbitrary Kerr-type nonlinear guiding film. It can also help researchers to calculate the evolutions of TE waves propagating in the proposed waveguide structures. Based on this new method, the analysis and calculation of planar LHM multilayer slab optical waveguide structure with a localized arbitrary Kerr-type nonlinear guiding film and planar conventional multilayer slab optical waveguide structure with a localized arbitrary Kerr-type nonlinear guiding film can be achieved easily.
Stroke signs knowledge and factors delaying acute stroke patients’ hospital arrival in the absence of stroke care systems. A Kinshasa multicenter cross-sectional study
Authors: KABANDA Igor KAZADI , NGONZO Credo KIANGEBENI , BOWAMOU Christian-Khalifa EMEKA , NZAMBI Jean-Paul DIVENGI , PONTE Nono KIATOKO , MADODA Olivier TUYINAMA , NATUHOYILA Aliocha NKODILA , M’BUYAMBA-KABANGU Jean-René , LONGO-MBENZA Benjamin , BOMBA Degani BANZULU , PHANZU Bernard KIANU
Published: July 2023

BackgroundThe global burden of stroke is overwhelming. Rapid recognition and early medical intervention are essential to reduce stroke-related mortality and long-term disability. This study aimed to evaluate awareness of stroke symptoms/signs and determine factors delaying the hospital arrival of patients with acute stroke in Kinshasa.MethodsThis multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted in all medical facilities in the city of Kinshasa, where medical imaging facilities for stroke diagnosis were available and operational 24 h a day. Patients with stroke and/or accompanying family members were interviewed using a standard questionnaire, and their medical records were reviewed. Factors independently associated with a late arrival (≥ 4.5 h) to the hospital were identified using the logistic regression test in forward multivariate analysis.ResultsOverall, 202 patients aged 57.9 ± 13.1 years (of whom 106 (52.5%) were men and 96 (47.5%) were women) were included in this study. Only 13% of the patients immediately associated the first symptoms with a stroke episode, and only 29% had the initiative to consult a hospital immediately. Only 10% consulted the recruitment hospital within 4.5 h. Factors independently associated with delayed arrival were age < 60 years (p = 0.014, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.2), being unmarried (p < 0.043, aOR 2.1), low educational level (p = 0.026, aOR 3.4), attending revival churches (p = 0.037, aOR 2.1), lack of stroke awareness (p = 0.002, aOR 2.4), awake consciousness (p = 0.014, aOR 6.5), history of hypertension (p = 0.016, aOR 3.8), history of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.047, aOR 4.3), excessive alcohol consumption (p = 0.038, aOR 2.9), ischemic stroke (p = 0.045, aOR 5.0), and low NIHSS score (p = 0.037, aOR 3.3 ).ConclusionsThis study depicted a low stroke awareness rate and a much longer prehospital delay than evidence-based guidelines recommend and identified 12 factors that public health actions could target to promote the earliest management of stroke.
Effect of video feedback combined with peer role-playing teaching method in medical students adopting OSBC and PBL teaching mode
Authors: Wang Jiwu , Wang Birong , Zhou Yiqun , Xing Xin , Wang Xianggui , Gao Wei
Published: July 2023

Objective
To investigate the application effect of video feedback combined with peer role-playing teaching method in medical students adopting OSBC and PBL teaching mode.
Methods
The undergraduates of OSBC reform experimental class for five-year clinical medicine who get enrollment of Wuhan local university were selected to be the research objects. The same grade level is randomly divided into several groups to carry out PBL, with 6–10 students in each group. Following the principle of voluntary participation, 34 students were enrolled in the study group and 33 students in the control group finally. The research regards group as the unit, and study report in group should be carried out to fulfilled the research. In the study group, the students were asked to perform peer role play report, and the report videos were used for feedback. At the same time, the control group reported by PPT, and the feedback was carried out according to the PPT. The "Ability Improvement Questionnaire", Arizona Clinical Interview Score (ACIR) and theory test, were performed for both groups at the end of the study.
Results
The results show that the study group is superior to the control group in improving the interest of learning and the ability of independent learning, interpersonal communication and active problem solving. Although it is in terms of the confidence in becoming a real doctor and the ability of teamwork, language expression, clinical thinking cultivated, active knowledge acquired and understood that study group are better than the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. ACIR shows that the study group is significantly better than the control group in organization, timeline planning, and transition statements, openly questioning, smooth progress, and avoiding repetition, summarizing, understandable language, documentation and total score. There is no significant difference in eye contact and no interruption. The differences between the two groups are not statistically significant in terms of responsing to concerns, positive feedback, and additional questions. The theoretical test scores of the study group are significantly higher than those of the control group.
Conclusion
Video feedback combined with peer role-playing teaching method shows obvious advantages in medical students adopting OSBC + PBL teaching mode, which is worthy of further research and promotion.
Characterization of a Novel Glutaminase-free L-asparaginase from Bifidobacterium Thermophilum
Authors: Jin Jie , Liu Qingqing , zhengyu zhang
Published: July 2023

L-asparaginase (ASNase), as a pivotal amidohydrolase enzyme, has been used in removing acrylamide in food processing and treating acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in clinic. In this study, a novel ASNase from Bifidobacterium thermophilum (BtASNase) was successfully cloned and heterologously expressed in E. coli host. BtASNase was identified to share maximum 40% structural similarity with other ASNases in PDB database. The purified BtASNase with monomeric size about 35 kDa had the highest specific activity (554.82 IU/mg) at 55℃ and pH 8.0. Further investigation indicated that BtASNase showed great stability at wide pH range (6.0–11.0), and retained more than 85% of its activity for 50 min at 37℃. To be noted, BtASNase exhibited high L-asparaginase specificity and zero glutaminase activity. To our knowledge, this is the first time to explore ASNase from Bifidobacterium thermophilum, and explored BtASNase could be a potential candidate with desirable advantages for unraveling glutaminase activity, narrow pH range stability, and low thermostability restrict in industry applications of ASNase.
Sliding off or Supervising for real? Supervision of Junior Doctors in Medical Hospital Departments: a Qualitative Study
Authors: Jeppesen Bolette Frydendal
Published: July 2023

OBJECTIVE
Supervision is an essential part of the postgraduate medical training of junior doctors but can be a challenge in real-life clinical settings. This qualitative study explores factors affecting supervision in medical departments and the attempt to implement of a simple supervision (S-light) method.
METHODS
This qualitative study used a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data was collected at four different medical departments in Danish hospitals, where the “S-light” method was introduced. We enrolled eight junior doctors and eight senior doctors. Informants were interviewed about how they act in a supervised situation, what they believed to be both difficult and successful in supervision, and about their use of the “S-light” method.
RESULTS
We found four essential factors affecting supervision: 1) an organization structured pro supervision; 2) a culture of supervision; 3) the individual’s stress resilience and 4) the individual’s idealistic mindset. None of the informants had implement the s-light method. We found that lack of the four resources very often lead to a social pattern we named ‘sliding’, describing doctors' evasion of potential supervisory events.
CONCLUSION
We suggest a conceptual framework towards understanding supervision involving four factors important to maintaining healthy supervision and we describe the social pattern ‘sliding’ away from supervision. Strong implementation procedures seem necessary to implement new supervision methods.
Hα and X-ray Surface Brightness Correlation of
Filaments in Cooling Flow Clusters
Authors: Olivares Valeria , Picquenot Adrien , Su Yuanyuan , Gendron-Marsolais Marie-Lou , Polles Fiorella , Gaspari Massimo , Nulsen Paul
Published: July 2023

Massive galaxies in cooling flow clusters display clear evidence of feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Joint X-ray and radio observations have shown that AGN radio jets push aside the surrounding hot gas and form cavities in the hot intracluster medium (ICM). These systems host complex, kiloparsec-scale, multiphase filamentary structures, from warm ionized (10,000 K) to cold molecular (<100 K). These striking clumpy filaments are believed to be a natural outcome of thermally unstable cooling from the hot intracluster medium (ICM), likely triggered by AGN feedback. These structures can also serve as fuel for supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, the details behind the formation mechanism of the filaments are still unknown, and the relationship between the gas phases of different temperature is poorly understood. By using a novel method of blind image decomposition, we have isolated the hot phase of the X-ray filaments, which was blended with the bright diffuse ICM (and contaminated by cavities and fronts), to unveil its relation with the warm phase.
We have discovered a tight positive correlation between the X-ray surface brightness and the H\alpha surface brightness of the filaments, in a sample of seven X-ray bright cooling-flow clusters, covering scales of 5--70 kpc. This discovery provides major evidence supporting theoretical models of Chaotic Cold Accretion and precipitation, in which the turbulent multiphase condensation and excitation mechanisms shape the tight co-evolution of the hot and warm filaments.
An investigation of the financial feasibility and technical differences among Shell Sintering Technology (SST), Subtractive, Casting Manufacturing, and Slurry Vat Photopolymerisation for the fabrication of ceramic dental crowns.
Authors: Cocco Lilian Cristina , Cunico Marlon Wesley Machado
Published: July 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate the economical effects of manufacturing dental prostheses using five alternative techniques: one subtractive manufacturing known as CAD/CAM casting, vat photopolymerisation casting, two slurry vat photopolymerisation techniques, and shell sintering technology (SST). Deterministic bottom-up economic models were employed for this work, and the inputs used included the cost of the materials, equipment, and labour, as well as the time needed to finish each stage of the porcelain crown manufacture. The results from the CAD/CAM and Vat photopolymerisation casting procedures were classified in the average when total overhead costs were taken into account. With payback periods of 2.9 and 3.2 years and ROI values of about 35% and 31%, respectively, the financial returns are comparable and are, from an economic standpoint, quite acceptable. On the other hand, the Slurry 1 and 2 vat photopolymerisation techniques performed poorly to demonstrate a profit or payback, with negative ROIs of -40 and − 52, respectively, indicating that they are unsuitable for this type of application, though they are useful for other applications that traditional techniques cannot solve. In contrast, SST technology has the most affordable equipment, labour, and material expenses. This has a favourable effect on overall production costs, which are much lower when compared to available methods. All overhead median metrics, such as annual profit (US$ 770100.00), 0.5 years of payback, and an ROI of 187%, displayed especially tempting results, demonstrating that this technique has great performance, low operating costs, and outstanding financial returns. In conclusion, the SST technique has the potential to disrupt the dental prosthesis production sector because of its great economics.
Epidemiological investigation and fiber gene genetic analysis of fowl adenovirus serotype 4 from 2017 to 2021 in Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Xue Xiaoyan , Yang Qinhong , Zhang Zhenxing , Wang Wei , Li Suhua , Song Jianling
Published: July 2023

Background: In recent years, the prevalence of fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) has caused huge economic losses to the Chinese poultry industry. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of FAdV-4 in Yunnan Province through an epidemiological investigation of poultry and wild birds from 2017 to 2021 and phylogenetic analysis of the isolated fiber genes.
Results: The results showed that the FAdV-4 positive rate in poultry and migratory birds was 11.34% and 0.3%, respectively. The infection rate of the poultry tissue samples was high in central and west-ern Yunnan Province, and the infected hosts were mainly local chickens. Via the detection of common poultry infectious diseases prone to co-infection, it was found that the birds were mainly co-infected with pathogens such as infectious laryngotracheitis, chicken infectious anemia virus, and avian influenza virus. Five poultry-source strains and one wild bird-source strain were isolated, and phylogenetic analysis of these strains using the fiber gene showed that they all had high homology with the early Chinese highly pathogenic strains and clustered with the same genetic and evolutionary clade as the Chinese reference strain. The fiber protein is characterized by loci that indicate highly pathogenic strains (G219D, P307A, V319I, and A308T).
Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrate that FAdV-4 continues to exhibit a high prevalence rate among poultry populations in Yunnan Province, China. Notably, we report the first detection of FAdV-4 in the feces of black-necked cranes. Our statistical analysis reveals that central Yunnan and western Yunnan experience a high incidence rate of FAdV-4, often accompanying co-infections with ILT, CIAV, and AIV.
A combined case-control and cohort study design: When to start alert for Cerebrovascular disease, Heart disease, and Hypertension (CHH)-specific death associated with lung cancer treatment?
Authors: Wang Yuhao , Liu Rong , Zhang He , Tong Lianni , Wu Di
Published: July 2023

Background: During the early stages after diagnosis, the time impact of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on the occurrence of fatal cardiac disease in lung cancer patients has received limited research attention.
Patients and methods: Lung cancer patient data was obtained from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Propensity-score matching methods were employed to equalize baseline confounding. The training set was utilized to construct a time-dependent (time cut = 6 months) Cox regression model and a Random survival forest model, whereas the test set was employed for model validation. The discrimination and accuracy of the model were assessed using the Concordance Index and the Integrated Brier score.
Results: A total of 49,294 patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2018 and 2019 were included in the analysis. Propensity score-matched analyses, accounting for important confounding covariates, demonstrated that patients who received CT only, RT only, or CT plus RT had significantly improved CHH-specific survival compared to those who did not receive CT and RT (P <0.001). Cox regression analysis indicated that within the first 6 months, RT and CT (P <0.001) independently acted as protective factors against CHH-specific mortality, while RT plus CT (P <0.001) was identified as an independent risk factor. At 6 months or later, RT (P <0.05) emerged as an independent risk factor, while the impact of CT on CHH-specific mortality became statistically insignificant compared to the initial six months. The results of the Rsf analysis indicated that the variables in descending order of importance were CT, RT, and CT plus RT. Additionally, independent risk factors included the year of diagnosis, T4, Stage Group, and Msite brain (P <0.05).
Conclusions: These findings establish a critical time frame to raise awareness regarding the risk of CHH-specific death in lung cancer during the early post-diagnostic period.
Detection of genetic diversity and population structure in Iranian Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) using SCoT markers and Phytochemical traits
Authors: Ochi-Ardabili Mehran , Nourafcan Hassan , Badi Hassanali Naghdi , Mohebalipour Nasser , Qaderi Ardeshir
Published: July 2023

Corylus avellana L. is one of the valuable nuts of the world, which grows wild in the natural forests of Fandoguloo in Ardabil province of Iran and has a high diversity in this region. To evaluate the genetic diversity within and between populations, 78 genotypes from different regions of Iran, including Ardabil, Arasbaran, and Miyaneh, were analyzed using targeted start codon polymorphism (SCoT) method. Also, phytochemical traits of C. avellana, such as Ash,Taxol, Total phenol, Palmitic acid, Fibre, Palmitoleic acid, carbohydrate, Stearic acid, flavonoid, Oleic acid, Linoleic acid, Fat, Antioxidant compounds, and ethanolic phenol were evaluated. The result indicated that, from the 15 SCoT primrs used, the genotypes contained 165 polymorphic bands with the highest and lowest Polymorphic Information Content related to SC3 and SC21, respectively. The Marker index (MI) for the primer sets varied from 2.6 to 6.1. The highest allele frequency was related to the Ardabil population. Also, 100% polymorphism rate was obtained from all primers studied. The highest polymorphic rates corresponded to the primers SC21, SC20, SC5 (14 bands), with SC9 showing the most uniformity (six bands) among the populations. The gene flow between and within populations was 0.4 and 0.7, respectively, and the stabilization index was 0.4. The current research showed the effectiveness of the SCoT marker to estimate the genetic diversity of C. avellana, مwhich can be considered as a starting point for further study on the population and evolutionary genetics of this economically important species.
Assessing the Influence of Climate Change and Anthropogenic actions on Water Resources in the Wami River Catchment, Tanzania
Authors: Lalika Christossy B.C. , Mujahid Aziz Ul Haq , Lalika Makarius C.S.
Published: July 2023

Understanding the trend, extent, and effect of climate change and anthropogenic activities are globally important for monitoring river catchments water resources. Due to the majority of river catchment from developing countries like Tanzania experiencing insufficient time series data, the long-term ERA5-Land (1960–2021) reanalysis was used to assess the influence of climate change and anthropogenic actions on water resource in the Wami river catchment. The Mann-Kendal Sneyer test revealed a change that reflects the effect of anthropogenic actions on runoff in 1992, hence the mean annual runoff, precipitation, and actual evapotranspiration decreased by 19%, 9.7%, and 8.9%, respectively, while potential evapotranspiration increased by 5% after the change. Budyko decomposition and climate elasticity methods illustrated that climate change caused a notable contribution to the reduction of Wami River runoff. Hydrological sensitivity analysis revealed that variability of climate is a primary factor that reduced runoff with a contribution of 69%, while anthropogenic actions are 31%, this illustrates runoff in the Wami River catchment is more vulnerable to climate variability than anthropogenic actions by considering that the majority of the catchment are classified as arid or semi-arid. Our study emphasizes the significance of adopting a Nature-based Solution (NbS), participatory integrated planning (PIP) approach for sustainable water resources within the Wami river catchment.
Assessment of current and future trends in water resources in the Gambia River Basin in a context of climate change
Authors: Séne Serigne Mory Khouma , Faye Cheikh , Pande Chaitanya B.
Published: July 2023

The accurate assessment of water resources at the catchment level is crucial for effective integrated river basin management. While semi-distributed/distributed models require complex structures and large amounts of input data, conceptual models have gained attention as an alternative for watershed modeling. In paper, the performances of the GR4J conceptual model for the runoff simulation in the Gambia catchment at the Simenti station are analyzed over the calibration (1981-1990) and validation (1991-2000 and 2001-2010) period. The primary inputs for conceptual models like GR4J are daily precipitation data and potential evapotranspiration (PET) measured from the same catchment or a nearby location. Calibration of these models is typically carried out using the Nash-Sutcliffe daily efficiency with bias penalty as the objective function. In this case, the GR4J model is calibrated using four optimization parameters. To assess the effectiveness of the model's runoff predictions, various statistical measures such as the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, coefficient of determination, bias, and linear correlation coefficient are calculated. The results obtained in the Gambia watershed at the Simenti station indicate satisfactory performance of the GR4J model in defined of prediction accuracy and computational efficiency. However, this study is significant to observe that the investigation shows an extensive dispose of changes in all measurements across the watershed sample under different scenarios, specifically the SSP 245 and SSP 585 scenarios. These changes recomamnde a decreasing trend in flows, which would pose significant challenges for water management. Consequently, it is clear that sustainable water management would require substantial adaptation measures to cope with these changes.
Comparison of Microstructure, Density and Shrinkage Porosity for Casting and Rheocasting of AlSi7Mg alloy
Authors: Abdulrahman Kawan , Gonda Viktor , Réger Mihály , Varga Péter
Published: July 2023

With the increasing application of aluminum foundry alloys for automotive and aerospace components, the aluminum industry must pay close attention to component quality and dependability. This article focuses on the interpretation of the relative density and porosity of Al foundry casting and rheocasting alloys AlSi7Mg. The most popular Al-Si alloy grain refinement utilized in the casting and rheocasting processes is AlSi7Mg. The limitations are using comparable density findings to determine the quality of a component of casting or rheocasting state. Two approaches are employed to attain this goal, first the theoretical analysis using the JMatPro software, which offers density distribution results depending on the chemical composition of the aluminum alloy. Second,the experimental Archimedes method, which provides density data on actual aluminum castings alloy. This study advances substantial research on microstructure, grain sizes, form shape factors, theoretical and practical density, shrinkage porosity, casting and rheocasting application samples alloy, and potential industrial applications of AlSi7Mg. The results show that the average grain size is significantly more uniform in the rheocasting comparing to casting average grain size results. In addition, the results from the metallographic image analysis of casting and rheocasting application shows five different zones from the bottom to the top of the sample. Finally, the study observed that the shrinkage porosity in the casting application sample is higher than those of rheocasting application sample.
A Dynamic C-V2X anonymous authentication and group keyagreement protocol
Authors: Cui Beibei , He Wei , Cui Yan
Published: July 2023

At present, the communication of the Internet of vehicles relies on the LTE or 5G wireless communicationchannel of the cellular network. To address the most common security threats in the communication of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network in the 5G Era, this paper proposes a dynamic group authentication and key agreement protocol based onC-V2X (vehicle to everything based on the cellular network), which is called V2X-GKA for short here. The scheme isbased on the difficulty of ECDLP (Elliptic curve discrete logarithmic problem), which makes it impossible for an attackerto forge a certificate to pass security authentication; based on the difficulty of DBDH (Decisional Bilinear Diffie-HellmanProblem), secure key agreement in the group is realized, so that the attacker cannot obtain the shared key. It guarantees thesecurity of the key and solves the problem of key escrow. This scheme combines authentication and group key agreement torealize the dynamic group member management. The session key can be updated safely and dynamically without executingall the protocols when a group member is revoked or a new member is added. It not only assures the group’s forwardand backward security, but also reduces the algorithm’s complexity, making it suitable for a real-time high-speed mobileapplication environment. Through security analysis, it is proved that the V2X-GKA scheme in this paper meets the existingsecurity objectives, and because the protocol is configured on the open channel, it has a certain completeness and superioritycompared with similar schemes.
Synthesize Multiple V/H Directional Beams for High Altitude Platform Station Based on Deep-Learning Algorithm
Authors: Mahmoud Korany R. , Montaser Ahmed M.
Published: July 2023

High-altitude platform stations (HAPS) have captured a great deal of attention as a leading candidate for the coverage extension. As usual, the HAPS station coverage is limited to the circle, whose radius is tens of kilometers. However, in this paper, a concentric circular array (CCA) with 60 antenna elements resonating at 2.1 GHz is proposed for synthesizing multiple vertical/horizontal (V/H) directional beams, affording the path of the road to be covered. A modified version of the gravitational search algorithm and particle swarm optimization (MGSA-PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the suggested antenna's dimensions. The application of a deep neural network (DNN) with a back-propagation algorithm and weighted MGSA-PSO algorithm was used for multi-V/H beamforming patterns directed to cover different road paths by estimating the appropriate feeding phases of the CCA elements. The Earth Explorer (EE) user interface tool is used to create real roads that exist in reality on the MWS-CST program. To verify the validity of the technique, several descriptive scenarios are placed to beam-form the pattern toward the desired covered area, including the rugged desert areas with mountain chains in addition to other roads in forests where trees abound.
Encapsulation of a novel peptide derived from histatin-1 in liposomes against initial enamel caries in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Zhang Yinmo , Chen Yue , Liu Zhenqi , Peng Xiu , Lu Junzhuo , Wang Kun , Zhang Linglin
Published: July 2023

Objectives: Biomimetic mineralization mediated by proteins and peptides is a promising strategy for enamel repair, and its specific application model needs more research. In this work, we exploited a liposomal delivery system for a novel peptide (DK5) derived from histatin-1 (DK5-Lips) as a new biomimetic mineralization strategy against initial enamel caries.
Materials and methods: The DK5-Lips was prepared using calcium acetate gradient method and then the in vitro release, salivary stability and cytotoxicity were studied. Initial enamel caries was created in bovine enamel blocks and subjected to pH-cycling model treated with DK5-Lips. Surface microhardness testing, polarized light microscopy (PLM), and transverse microradiography (TMR) were analyzed. Then the biocompatibility of DK5-Lips was evaluated in the caries model of Sprague-Dawley rats, and the anti-caries effect was assessed using Micro-CT analysis, Keyes scores and PLM in vivo.
Results: DK5-Lips provided a mean particle size of (97.63±4.94)nm and encapsulation efficiency of (61.46±1.44)%, exhibiting a sustained release profile, excellent stability in saliva, and no significant toxicity on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). DK5-Lips group had higher surface microhardness recovery, shallower caries depth and less mineral loss in bovine enamel. Animal experiments showed higher volume and density values of residual molar enamel, lower Keyes score, and shallower lesions depth of DK5-Lips group with good biocompatibility.
Conclusion: As a safe and effective application model, DK5-Lips could significantly promote the remineralization of initial enamel caries both in vitro and in vivo.
Clinical relevance: The potential of liposomes utilization as vehicle for oral delivery of functional peptides may provide a new way for enamel restoration.
Post-bone metastasis survival and performance status in lung cancer patients with bone metastasis
Authors: Tamiya Hironari , Nishino Kazumi , Kato Yuji , Nakahashi Reina , Kosuga Yurika , Kinoshita Shota , Nakai Sho , Watanabe Makiyo , Wakamatsu Toru , Kakunaga Shigeki , Takenaka Satoshi
Published: July 2023

Lung cancer is one of the most frequent primary origins to develop bone metastases that deteriorate physical function and quality of life. Antitumor agents, including molecular-targeted drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have been developed in the past few decades, causing longer overall survival (OS). However, the effects of these drugs on the physical function of patients with lung cancer with bone metastases remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the factors involved in post-bone metastasis survival and performance status (PS) in such patients. The result revealed that the best PS after bone metastasis was an independent significant factor for post-bone metastasis survival. Moreover, the best overall response (BOR) of the first line after bone metastasis (post-bone mets first BOR) was significantly related to PS improvement in patients with PS 2 or poorer. Additionally, molecular target drug for driver molecular alterations was significantly involved in partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) of post-bone mets first BOR. Conclusively, an effect of drug-induced antitumor response was significantly associated with PS as well as post-bone metastasis survival. Managing bone metastases by antitumor pharmacotherapy, particularly molecular-targeted drugs, is crucial for better physical function and survival in patients with lung cancer with bone metastases.
Novel fatty acid metabolism biomarkers reveal prognosis and immune microenvironment in cervical cancer
Authors: Ran Zhihong , Chen Lulu , Zhang Lei , Song Qibin
Published: July 2023

Accelerated research has increasingly shown that aberrant fatty acid metabolism played an important role in cancer progression and immune microenvironment remodeling. Nevertheless, the role of fatty acid metabolism in cervical cancer is unclear. Here, we downloaded the gene set of fatty acid metabolism from the MSigDB database and classified cervical cancer into three separate genomic stage types - C1, C2 and C3. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed considerable differences in survival rates between the three stages (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MCPcounter analysis demonstrated that CD8 + T-cell infiltration was more frequent in C3, and this stage had the best prognosis. Notably, the C3 stage, with the best prognosis, had a higher frequency of CD8 + T-cell infiltration, whereas the C1 stage, with the worst prognosis, had a higher frequency of fibroblast infiltration (P < 0.05). We conducted weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) on the three molecular types to identify the module with the highest correlation (the blue module), select co-expressed genes with an association greater than 0.3, and determine the intersection of the differential genes of the three molecular types. A new prognostic model of fatty acid metabolism genomics was developed. Survival analysis demonstrated that individuals in the low-risk group had higher immune and stromal scores and better overall survival rates. Six genes within this model displayed a negative correlation with immune checkpoints overall. In the immune efficacy analysis, individuals in the low-risk group exhibited higher immune efficacy than those in the high-risk group in the IPS score, The level of immune dysfunction was higher in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group in the TIDE algorithm. Conversely, the immune escape capacity was higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group, and the level of immunotherapy was higher overall in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (P < 0.05). Mechanistically, the high-risk group exhibited significant enrichment in several pathways such as intercellular interactions, cell-matrix remodeling, angiogenesis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways. In conclusion, the predictive model for cervical cancer based on fatty acid metabolism reveals the possibility of predicting the prognosis and potential efficacy of immunotherapy for patients with cervical cancer.
T-cell-restricted intracellular antigen 1 regulates the expression and alternative splicing of stress-related genes in human renal tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Wang Juan , Liao Wenliang , quan Weili , cao Shengguo , Tu Yafang
Published: July 2023

Understanding the mechanisms mediating secondary nonimmune renal injury in lupus nephritis (LN) is important for therapeutic development. Cytotoxic granule-associated RNA-binding protein 1 (T-cell-resrticted intracellular antigen 1, TIA1) plays potential roles in infiltrating immune cells in LN. However, the regulatory targets and mechanisms underlying TIA1 activity in renal nonimmune cells remain unclear. Here, TIA1 was overexpressed in a human renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2). Then, RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to compare the expression profile and alternative splicing pattern in TIA1-overexpressing (TIA1-OE) and control cells. Additionally, the expression of Tia1 and the genes that it may regulate in the kidney tissues of LN mice was analysed. The results showed TIA1-OE increased and decreased the transcript levels of 101 and 452 genes in HK-2 cells, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO)analysis showed that the downregulated genes were significantly enriched in several terms associated with the cellular response to stress. Moreover, TIA1-OE changed the pattern of 2,035 alternative splicing events that occurred in 1,420 genes in HK-2 cells. GO analysis showed t genes were significantly enriched in DNA repair and cellular response to DNA damage stimulus terms. These results demonstrate that TIA1 mediates secondary nonimmune renal injury by regulating the expression and alternative splicing of stress-related genes in renal tubular epithelial cells, which provides a reference for targeted therapy for renal injury in LN.
Microstructural Impacts on the Oxidation of Multi-Principal Element Alloys
Authors: Pavel Michael J. , Weaver Mark L.
Published: July 2023

The impacts of thermal treatment on the precipitate morphology and oxidation behavior of a dual phase (FCC + L12) MPEA, Ni45Co17Cr14Fe12Al7Ti5, has been studied at 1000°C via nonisothermal-isothermal and cyclic testing. Thermogravimetric analysis and subsequent characterization revealed that smaller precipitates had an increased capacity to form protective sub-surface oxide layers which mitigated total mass gain. The smaller precipitate containing samples exhibited a decrease in thickness of primary Cr2O3 scale and parabolic growth rate. Mechanistically this behavior is believed to stem from the increased growth rate of initial Al2O3 nuclei and decreased inter-precipitate spacing which results in faster lateral diffusion and agglomeration.
Volumetric Assessment of Idiopathic Osteosclerosis in Jawbones Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Authors: Moshfeghi Mahkameh , Arian M Matin , Ranji Paniz , Momeni AmirAli , Naghshbandi Tara
Published: July 2023

Background
The aim of the present study was to investigate three-dimensional characteristics of idiopathic osteosclerosis also known as dense bone island, in the jawbones and to review the case reports on this subject.
Methods
300 images from patients in dental school were analyzed. Since there is no age limit on getting orthodontic braces, IO prevalence was investigated in different age and sex groups. Furthermore, variables such as number, shape, position, and volume of the mass were studied considering its relation to neighboring teeth and cortical structures. Also, the possible association between IO and root resorption or malposition of the adjacent teeth was evaluated. One-sample chi-squared, Pearson’s chi-squared, Binomial, and independent T-tests were used for statistical analysis utilizing software SPSS version 21.
Results
Fifty-one out of the 300 cases had 75 IOs (17% prevalence), with no discernible difference in age or gender. More than one mass was present in 31.4% of IO patients. IO was more frequent in the mandibular premolar/molar area. The most common shape was irregular. There was no evidence for a relationship between IO and teeth, but a significant association was present with adjacent cortical structures. A mean volume of 206 mm3 was reported for the mass. Age and mass volume had an inverse relationship. No instance of tooth malposition or root resorption related to IO was reported.
Conclusions
IO should be carefully considered by dentists due to potential complications and differential diagnosis purposes. Three-dimensional characteristics of IO can accurately be assessed on CBCT images.
Analysis of influencing factors of hospitalization expenses of HIV/AIDS patients in a public hospital in Shenzhen
Authors: Li Jun , Li Yang , Hao Yanbin
Published: July 2023

Objective: To analyze the influencing factors of hospitalization costs of 700 HIV/AIDS patients in a hospital in Shenzhen.
Methods: Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of hospitalization expenses, distinguish the patients with medicare and those without medicare, gray association was used to analyze the degree of association between various costs and hospitalization costs.
Results: In 700 cases of HIV/AIDS patients, the influencing factor of total hospitalization cost is the length of hospital stay (LOS). The influencing factor of hospitalization cost of medical insurance and self-paying patients includes the LOS and the way of payment, the first three high expenses of hospitalization are western medicine, laboratory and physical therapy expenses. ursing and bed expenses have the highest correlation with hospitalization expenses, while the correlation of other items is high.
Conclusion: To strengthen the supervision and management of hospitals, reduce the proportion of drugs and consumables, shorten the length of hospitalization, can effectively reduce the hospitalization cost and reduce the economic burden of patients' diseases
On-farm conservation of crop diversity: A case study of landraces from Western Ghats of Karnataka, India
Authors: Puneeth Gudihalli Muninarayanappa , Gowthami Ravi , Katral Ashvinkumar , Laxmisha Kerekoppa Manjunatha , Vasudeva Ramesh , Archak Sunil
Published: July 2023

Landraces cultivated in four districts of Karnataka spread across Central Western Ghats, India were systematically documented. A snowball sampling approach was adopted to identify the custodian farmers. As many as 917 landraces belonging to 62 different crops from the target area could be documented. Sites were not uniform with respect to species richness and landrace diversity. The study could identify the critical factors that determine on-farm conservation as (i) suitability to regional conditions, (ii) relevance in regional cuisine and the local medicinal practices, (iii) cultural and traditional significance and (iv) the economic advantage. In order to promote the use of landraces and ensure their availability for future generations, custodian farmers were found to freely share their seeds. Factors unfavorable to on-farm conservation practice included the popularity of high-yielding varieties, inadequate market for native cultivars, inadequate dissemination of knowledge about landraces and their special uses, lack of interest among youth towards traditional agriculture, dearth of genuine seeds and relative low yields. The information documented in this study is expected to promote conservation and marketing of landraces as well as their use in breeding programmes.
Behavior patterns and related factors of seeking infertility health services in China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Ma Yi , Bai Fu , Gao Lina , Zhang Yixin , Li Zhixin
Published: July 2023

Background
Infertility affects an average of 9% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide. There are still gaps in utilizing infertility health care between regions within China. This study attempts to explore different behavior patterns when people utilize infertility treatment services and related factors.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 17 Assisted Reproductive Technology clinics in China in 2020. Using two-step cluster analysis, different behavior patterns of health care utilization of infertile women (3507) and men (721) were identified for each sex. Taking cluster membership as the dependent variable, and age, educational level, ethnicity, etc, as the independent variables, univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for each sex group separately.
Findings:
10.9% of female and 19.3% of male participants had a much longer duration (4-6.9 years) of deciding to take action to seek infertility health care and a longer time (4.5-9 years) in trying to get pregnant. Age (OR 1.128, 95% CI 1.102–1.154 for women and OR 1.082, 95% CI 1.047–1.120 for men), education level (OR 0.360, 95% CI 0.21–0.618 for women and OR 0.193, 95% CI 0.068–0.546 for men), and husband’s annual income (OR 0.545, 95% CI 0.35–0.848 for women and OR 0.585, 95% CI 0.282–1.245 for men) are independent factors associated with the different utilization of health care in China for both infertile women and men. Ethnicity (OR 2.001, 95% CI 1.476–2.713) is a prominent independent factor for infertile women, and obtaining infertility knowledge from doctors (OR 1.882, 95% CI 1.26–2.81) is an independent factor prominent for infertile men in utilizing health care. The female poor utilization group had spent more on treatments, gotten less reimbursement from the health insurance system, and had undergone further treatment regimens.
Conclusion
There are disparities in utilizing health care for infertility and some people are disadvantaged in obtaining treatment at an optimal age. Certain factors influence individuals’ utilization of infertile healthcare services.