bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural Language Processing method to Unravel Long COVID's clinical condition in hospitalized patients
Authors: Smaili Soraya , Veras Pilar , Araújo Vinícius , Zatti Henrique , Luis Caio Vinícius , Cavalcanti Célia Regina , de Oliveira Matheus Henrique , Leao Anderson Henrique , Junior Juracy Bertoldo , Barbosa George , Ravera Ernesto , Cebukin Alberto , David Renata , de Melo Danilo , Machado Tales , Bellei Nancy , Boaventura Viviane , Barral-Neto Manoel
Published: April 2024

Long COVID is characterized by persistent symptoms beyond established timeframes, presenting a significant challenge in understanding its clinical manifestations and implications. In this study, we present a novel application of natural language processing (NLP) techniques to automatically extract unstructured data from a Long COVID survey conducted at a prominent university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Our phonetic text clustering (PTC) method enables the exploration of unstructured EHR data to unify different written forms of similar terms into a single phonemic representation. We use n-gram text analysis to detect compound words and negated terms in Portuguese-BR, focusing on medical conditions and symptoms related to Long COVID. By leveraging NLP, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of this chronic condition and its implications for healthcare systems worldwide. The model developed in this study has the potential for scalability and applicability in other healthcare settings, facilitating broader research efforts and informing clinical decision-making for Long COVID patients.
Blockchain-Enabled Diploma Traceability and Fraud Detection: The BlockDipls Framework
Authors: MILI khaled
Published: April 2024

In the contemporary landscape, higher education institutions play a vital role in shaping societal values and progress. However, the reliability of accreditation systems can vary, especially in regions where the demand for skilled professionals surpasses the available supply. This imbalance has given rise to the proliferation of "certificate factories," which produce counterfeit diplomas to exploit this gap. Tackling this challenge necessitates the digitalization of diploma issuance and verification processes to uphold credential integrity and facilitate accurate hiring decisions. This paper introduces the "BlockDiplos" framework, leveraging Blockchain technology to bolster diploma traceability and combat counterfeiting and fraud through smart contract functionalities. By doing so, it fosters transparency and trust in information management practices. Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of the BlockDiplos framework in enhancing the security and reliability of diploma verification systems, thereby mitigating the risks associated with counterfeit diplomas and bolstering confidence in credential verification processes.
Monthly trends in under-5 malaria cases in Guinea: Comparative analysis between a seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and a non-SMC health district
Authors: Keita Kaba Saran , Camara Bienvenu Salim , Camara Sadan , Barry Fanta , Sidibe Tiany , Kourouma Karifa , Diallo Ramata , Toure Madeleine , Camara Alioune , Balde Mamadou Dioulde
Published: April 2024

Background
In Guinea, where malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is deployed to prevent malaria transmission in children during the rainy season. However, the effect of this intervention remains under-documented. The aim of this study was to analyse monthly trends in malaria cases among under-5 children in Guinea.
Methods
This was a quasi-experimental study using routine data from the National Health Information System. The two districts (Mamou and Kindia) were selected to compare monthly trends in malaria cases in under-5 children from July to October, covering the years 2015 to 2020. Interrupted time series were used to estimate the effects of SMC.
Results
The implementation of the SMC contributed to a significant average reduction of 225 cases per month in the intervention district (95% CI -362 to -88; p = 0.002), compared with the control district. However, the effect of the SMC varied according to its monthly cycles.
Conclusions
This study suggests that the seasonal malaria chemoprevention should be extended to other health districts not yet covered, in order to accelerate the elimination of malaria in Guinea.
A Global Database to Monitor Annual Mangrove Forest Change, 2000-2020 (GMC-21)
Authors: Hamilton Stuart , Presotto Andrea
Published: April 2024

The absence of a high-resolution, long-term annual global database for monitoring mangrove forests has created a gap in researchers’ ability to analyze mangrove forest change rates. To address this gap, we present a new global database that tracks annual global mangrove forest change rates at high spatial and temporal resolutions since 2000. By synthesizing several remotely sensed databases such as Mangrove Forests of the World, Global Mangrove Watch, and High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Mangrove Forest Cover Change, this database provides mangrove forest change information at approximately 30 m annually and globally. It is a consistent and systematic mangrove forest change database across all years. Between 2000 and 2020, mangrove forests lost 3.42 percent of their original global area, shrinking from approximately 139,716 km2 in 2000 to 134,383 km2 in 2020, resulting in an annual loss rate of 0.17 percent. As of 2020, Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Nigeria, and Malaysia are the top five mangrove-holding countries, containing slightly over 50 percent of the global mangrove holdings. Indonesia alone contains 22 percent of global mangrove forests. Countries or regions with high loss rates and substantial mangrove holdings are Puerto Rico, Madagascar, and Cuba.
Trade-in program in online platforms considering network externalities and recycling services
Authors: Yu Zhaoqing , Li Jing , Ji Xue
Published: April 2024

Consumers trade their used products for new ones through online platforms, thereby integrating internet shopping and recycling. Two trade-in models are developed, i.e., the platform model where the manufacturer cooperates with an online retail platform to sell products and the online retail platform introduces trade-in program and manufacturer model where the manufacturer's own platform introduces trade-in program. This study examines the trade-in program offered by online platforms with a consideration of network externalities and heterogeneous consumers, and analyzes the decisions of pricing and recycling service. The research indicates that heightened network externalities can enhance recycling services, promote trade-in program development, and increase the demand for trade-in. The trade-in recycling service gets higher in the manufacturer model, whereas the sales price in the platform model is elevated due to sales commission rates. However, the manufacturer model does not always have higher market demand than the platform model, when both the commission rate and recycling revenue are high, the platform model have higher market demand. Although the manufacturer profits more than the online retail platform in the platform model, it is suggested that the manufacturer should introduce the trade-in program on the self-owned platform since the profit of manufacturer is larger under the manufacturer model.
Dynamic forecasting module for chronic graft-versus-host disease progression based on a disease-specific subpopulation of B cells
Authors: Xiang Andy , Ma Yuanchen , Chen Jieying , Fan Zhiping , Shi Jiahao , Li Gang , Li Xiaobo , Wang Tao , Xu Na , Liu Jialing , Li Zhishan , Zhang Xiaoran , Liu Qifa , Huang Weijun , Chen Xiaoyong
Published: April 2024

Due to its dynamic nature and the absence of reliable real-time monitoring tools, predicting chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) progression was challenging. This caused a significant investment of both time and financial resources to ensure good management of cGVHD. In response to this challenge, we identified a distinct B-cell subpopulation characterized by CD27+CD86+CD20-, which could precisely distinguish cGVHD from healthy donors. Leveraging this discovery, we developed cGPS, a user-friendly tool based on marker distribution, which demonstrated exceptional efficacy in tracking cGVHD progression. Its validation, conducted through retrospective and prospective studies involving 91 patients (25 non-GVHD and 66 cGVHD cases), confirmed cGPS's predictive prowess. Remarkably, our retrospective analysis revealed an impressive area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9773 for identifying non-GVHD patients at risk of cGVHD and 0.8846 for predicting disease progression in cGVHD patients. Subsequent validation in an independent prospective study yielded equally promising results, with cGPS accurately predicting all instances of cGVHD development or progression within a three-month observation window. With three independent cohorts, cGPS underscores its robust ability for sensitive and dynamic monitoring of cGVHD progression, provides a solution for early diagnosis and assessment of treatment effectiveness for cGVHD.
Long-term effects of COVID-19 on endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and blood pressure in college students: a pre-post-controlled study
Authors: Peng Jianwei , Guo Wenhuang , Li Peilun , Leng Lu , Gao Dongdong , Yu Zhendong , Huang Jinglin , Guo Jinghui , Wang Shen , Hu Min , Huang Junhao
Published: April 2024

BackgroundThe COVID-19 has been shown to have negative effects on the cardiovascular system, but it is unclear how long these effects last in college students. This study aimed to assess the long-term impact of COVID-19 on arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and blood pressure in college students.MethodsWe enrolled 37 college students who had been infected with COVID-19 for more than 3 months. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was used to assess endothelial function, while arterial stiffness was evaluated using the ABI Systems 100, including variables such as ankle-brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP).ResultsOur results showed that FMD was significantly impaired after COVID-19 infection (p < 0.001), while cfPWV and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Simple linear regression models revealed a significant negative correlation between post-COVID-19 measurement time and baPWV change (p < 0.01), indicating an improvement in arterial stiffness over time. However, there was a significant positive correlation between post-COVID-19 measurement time and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) change (p < 0.05), suggesting an increase in BP over time. There were no significant differences in ABI and HR between pre- and post-COVID-19 measurements, and no significant correlations were observed with other variables (p > 0.05).ConclusionOur study demonstrated that COVID-19 has long-term detrimental effects on vascular function in college students. However, arterial stiffness tends to improve over time, while BP may exhibit the opposite trend.
Crohn's disease with intracranial Mycobacterium Iranian infection in children with gastrointestinal bleeding as the first symptom: a case report
Authors: Wang Fengge , Liu Qin , Wu Daiqin , Hu Chijun , Zhu Zhenni
Published: April 2024

Background: Nontuberculosis mycobacteria are prone to infect patients with immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive diseases. There have been reports of Crohn's disease in the intestine combined with gastrointestinal bleeding, but there have been no reports of gastrointestinal bleeding in Crohn's children with intracranial Mycobacterium Iranian infection.
Patient presentation: A 10-year-old Chinese boy developed fever and gastrointestinal bleeding. A continuous decrease in hemoglobin leads to shock. Surgical pathology confirmed Crohn's disease. In addition, Mycobacterium Iranian infection was detected in his cerebrospinal fluid through metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). Therefore, after surgical resection of the bleeding intestine, the patient received antituberculosis treatment for intracranial infection, followed by full screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and regular treatment with biological agents.
Conclusion: A boy with Crohn's disease and gastrointestinal bleeding was diagnosed with intracranial Mycobacterium Iranian infection. It is emphasized that when Crohn's disease is complicated by gastrointestinal bleeding, surgery combined with biological agent therapy should be considered to save lives and reduce the risk of recurrent bleeding. Postoperative caution should be exercised against opportunistic infections and the appropriate use of anti-tuberculosis drugs.
Gradient Boosting Machine based prediction of chemotherapy response and role of p53 mutational and smoking status for progression free survival in metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Yıldız Oğuzhan , Gürbüz Ali Fuat , Eryılmaz Melek Karakurt , Araz Murat , Yıldırım Mahmut Selman , Bozcuk Hakan Şat , Artaç Mehmet
Published: April 2024

Background: Identifying predictors of response or progression after first-line chemotherapy for stage 4 colorectal cancer remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between patient outcomes and the p53 mutational status and smoking status of tumors using various machine learning methods.
Material and methods: We consecutively recruited all patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer at an academic center within a specified time period. Response to first-line chemotherapy and associated factors were assessed using various machine learning models. The most accurate model was further optimized. Additionally, common clinical features, MMR, p53, and RAS status were tested for correlation with the outcome. Feature importance and calibration plots were generated, and univariate and multivariate Cox models were utilized to analyze associates of progression-free survival (PFS).
Results: A total of 101 newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer patients initiating first-line chemotherapy were included. The median age was 62, and 69% of the cases were male. We evaluated 15 machine learning models to predict the binary outcome of best response to chemotherapy, among which LightGBM demonstrated the highest baseline accuracy of 0.71. Further tuning of the LightGBM model improved accuracy to 0.79, with a macro average AUC value of 0.82. Age at diagnosis, maximum metastatic dimension of cancer, and metastatic status at diagnosis were identified as the three most important features. Genetic variables did not establish significant feature importance for response analysis. Survival analysis revealed an association between PFS and p53 mutation status (Exp(B) = 0.52, Wald = 6.98, P = 0.008) and smoking pack years (Exp(B) = 0.99, Wald = 4.28, P = 0.039).
Discussion: Utilizing LightGBM as a machine learning method, we developed a predictive model with good accuracy for assessing response to first-line treatment. If confirmed and further improved, such a model could aid in identifying responders to first-line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer patients and suggesting alternative chemotherapy options for non-responders. Furthermore, our findings highlight the prognostic importance of genetic features, particularly p53 mutation status, and smoking pack years for PFS duration in this context.
A healthcare data management system: Blockchain enabled IPFS providing algorithmic solution for increased privacy preserving scalability and interoperability
Authors: Tiwari Kajal , Kumar Sanjay
Published: April 2024

Finding a feasible and effective approach to sharing a large volume of healthcare data has been the focus of recent studies. Several techniques evolved over the years for healthcare data management can be categorized into three distinct categories. The first category mainly focused on deploying the centralized structure utilizing the cloud-based system, however, central system failure, the privacy of the data, and interoperability remain the major concerns of this approach. Later, in the second category, these limitations were addressed by implementing a decentralized system based on blockchain technology. The increased complexity of the healthcare data and the need for the inclusion of medical imaging restricted the scalability and storage efficiency of this decentralized method. Eventually, this led to the development of an integrated approach combining techniques such as InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) with blockchain. Even with the tremendous advancements, challenges like interoperability, scalability, and privacy still exist. This paper primarily focuses on increasing the privacy and security of healthcare data sharing by combining the authentication algorithm with the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) key exchange keeping the parameters such as interoperability, scalability, and storage efficiency intact. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed system, performance monitoring along with a novel benchmarking technique was utilized. Also, the proposed system has been compared with the existing frameworks on different parameters such as access control, cryptographic algorithms, decentralized framework, scalability, performance evaluation, benchmarking, etc. The obtained results suggest that the proposed system provides an integrated solution for efficient healthcare data management that is secured, decentralized yet interoperable and scalable.
Perceived and expected quantity constraints in inventory dynamics
Authors: Ogawa Shogo
Published: April 2024

Inventory dynamics play a significant role in business cycles, as inventory tends to be more sensitive to excess demand fluctuations than it is to production. This study addresses the decision-making problem of firms and households under possible quantity-constrained trade using a simple model based on Keynesian unemployment in disequilib-rium economics. In the presented model, production and consumption are determined by the firm and household, respectively. In particular , they solve intertemporal optimizations under expected future constraints that depend on current states such as sales and income. Their independent decisions cause disequilibrium in goods: the gaps between production and sales and between planned and actual trade. While the former gap is buffered by inventory, we use United States data to show that the existence of inventory holdings cannot moderate the disequilibrium. Our simple model contributes to the body of knowledge on this topic as it endogenizes the firm’s objective value of the inventory–sales ratio in Metzlerian dynamics, reproduces the qualitative inventory dynamics, and reveals how stock disequilibrium affects flow disequilibrium dynamics.
JEL code:C60, E12, E32
Multi-PVO for Reversible Data Hiding Based onFull Homomorphic Encryption
Authors: Ge Bin , Shen Yaqing , Xia Chenxing , Sun Rui
Published: April 2024

To enhance the embedding performance of reversible data hiding algorithms and bolster the security of data transmission processes, a novel pixel value ordering method based on full homomorphic encryption is proposed in this paper. First, we propose a multi-PVO method to improve the fidelity of images with equal embedding capacity. In addition, we propose a double layer encryption method and achieve Paillier's fully homomorphic encryption. In practice, the sender encrypts the original image and then transmits the ciphertext to the embedding side. The embedding side performs a multi-PVO method and data hiding based on homomorphism to seamlessly embed the data into the ciphertext. This implementation offers dual functionality. On the one hand, users with no private keys can directly embed or extract the secret data without decryption keys. On the other hand, users with private keys can decrypt the marked ciphertext and help retrieve the marked plaintext. Finally, utilizing multi-PVO for extraction or recovery, additional data or original image can be retrieved from the marked image at receiver. With 20,000 bits embedded, the PSNR of the image Lena is as high as 59.60 dB, which demonstrates great image quality with the same embedding capability.
Intrinsic structural disorder on proteins is involved in the interactome evolution
Authors: Bustos Diego M , Moyano Luis G
Published: April 2024

New mathematical tools help understand cell functions, adaptability, and evolvability to discover hidden variables to predict phenotypes that could be tested in wet labs in the future. Different models have been successfully used to discover the properties of the protein-protein interaction networks or interactomes. We found that in the hyperbolic Popularity-Similarity model, cellular proteins with the highest contents of structural intrinsic disorder cluster together in many different eukaryotic interactomes and not the prokaryotic E. coli, where proteins with high levels of intrinsic disorder are very low. We also found that the normalized theta variable from the Popularity-Similarity model for a protein family correlate to the seniority of the organisms under analysis.
Statin Therapy in Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy: evidence from a Population Based Cohort and Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Authors: zheng Xinpeng , Luo Dongling , Li Hezhi , Fei Hongwen , Zhang Caojin
Published: April 2024

Aims Statin therapy is widely used for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, evidence of benefits in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) remains controversial. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between statin use and mortality risk in NICM patients and investigate the causal role of statin therapy on NICM.
Methods and Results We included NICM patients from a heart failure (HF) surveillance cohort abstracted from ARIC study. Kaplan-Meier estimates and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the associated risk. In mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, summary-level GWAS data for statins SNPs were obtained through UK Biobank while data for NICM were obtained from FinnGen GWAS. Five MR methods were used to investigate the potential causality between statin therapy and NICM. 372 NICM patients were included in the population-based cohort, with 44% (164/372) reported as statin users. Overall, the 28-day and 1-year mortality rate were 5.11% (19/372) and 27.96% (104/372), respectively. In logistic regression analysis, statin use was associated with lower risk of 28-day (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.14, P=0.009) and 1-year mortality (OR 0.81, P=0.37) in the non-adjusted models. In MR analysis, estimates were concordant and similar in size in all MR methods, supporting a protective effect of statin use against NICM. The Cochran’s Q test suggested no evidence of heterogeneity in the instrumental variables while MR-Egger test showed no sign of directional pleiotropy.
ConclusionThis study provides evidence of a beneficial effect of statin use on NICM. This could have significant implications for current HF management in NICM patients.
Comparative in Vitro Dissolution Studies of Selected Generic Essential Medicines in Tanzania
Authors: Zihirwa Nampenda M , Nyondo Goodluck G. , Manyanga Vicky , Hipolite Danstan , Kaale Eliangiringa
Published: April 2024

BACKGROUND: The use of generic drugs is steadily increasing internationally because of economic pressure on drug budgets. When principles and practice of Health Technologies Assessments (HTA) are well applied, generic drugs provide the opportunity for major savings in healthcare expenditure since they are usually substantially lower in price than the innovator brands. However, physicians, pharmaceutical personnel and the community in general are apprehensive regarding the quality of generic drugs. There are concerns about their pharmaceutical equivalence and if they can interchange between one generic and the other without affecting therapeutic outcomes.
AIM:The objective of this study was to evaluate the biopharmaceutical equivalence of different brands of selected essential medicines by using comparative invitro dissolution profile technique.
METHOD: Dissolution testing using three different dissolution media at various pH (1.2, 4.5, and 6.8) was used by employing dissolution testing apparatus II. Samples were withdrawn at specified time intervals and analyzed for the released drug content by UV/VIS spectrophotometer. Drug released at each time interval were calculated and data obtained were used for comparison against a reference product.
RESULTS:
In this study five medicines (Ibuprofen, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Furosemide, Griseofulvin) _ were tested to determine their equivalence to the innovator brand. After conducting comparative dissolution testing and analyzed the similarity (f2) factor all brands of Ibuprofen, erythromycin, and ciprofloxacin were confirmed to be equivalent to their innovator brands. While one brand of Griseofulvin and all the brands of furosemide showed marked difference from innovator brands. Hence the findings revealed that of all the tested samples 70% showed similarity with innovator brand while 30% was not similar and cannot used interchangeably.
CONCLUSION:
The finding indicated that three is a need for continuous market surveillance to ensure that the quality of drug in the market always complies with specifications. But also, to sensitize manufactures to evaluate and improve the pharmaceutical characteristics of their formulation. There is need for careful evaluation of the various generics manufactured worldwide, to ensure the compliance to official standards.
Development of the methodology for the Detection and Quantification of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and dissolved Zinc by Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Santos Lisia Maria Gobbo dos , Barata-Silva Cristiane , Vicentini-Neto Santos Alves , Bazilio Fabio Silvestre , Silva André Luiz O. , Jacob Silvana Couto , Moreira Josino Costa
Published: April 2024

The increasing production of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their use in products of sanitary interest make the analysis and characterization extremely important from the point of view of public health and environmental risk. This work aimed to validate the methodology using SP-ICP-MS to measure and quantify nanoparticles of ZnONPs and dissolved zinc -Zn(i). This study pointed out that the method was suitable for the purpose, presenting satisfactory results for the recovery and precision test for Zn (i) and size of NPs. The limits of detection size, dissolved zinc concentration, and particle concentration were 67 nm, 0.4 µg L-1, 1.08 × 105 particles mL-1, respectively. Thus, the results obtained demonstrate that the technique can be used to determine the size and concentration of Zn(i) in different products.
Hybrid Fragment-SMILES Tokenization for ADMET Prediction in Drug Discovery
Authors: Aksamit Nicholas , Tchagang Alain , Li Yifeng , Ombuki-Berman Beatrice
Published: April 2024

Background: Drug discovery and development is an extremely costly and time-consuming processing of identifying new molecules as therapeutics that can interact with a biomarker target to interrupt the disease pathway of interest. In addition to binding the target, a drug candidate needs to satisfy multiple properties affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET). Computational and artificial intelligence approaches provide an opportunity to improve each step of the drug discovery and development process, in which the first question faced by us is how a molecule can be informatively represented such that the in-silico solutions are optimized.
Results: This study introduces a novel hybrid SMILES-fragment tokenization method, coupled with two pre-training strategies, utilizing a Transformer-based model. We investigate the efficacy of hybrid tokenization in improving the performance of ADMET prediction tasks. Our approach leverages MTL-BERT, an encoder-only Transformer model that achieves state-of-the-art ADMET predictions, and contrasts the standard SMILES tokenization with our hybrid method across a spectrum of fragment library cutoffs.
Conclusion: The findings reveal that while an excess of fragments can impede performance, using hybrid tokenization with high frequency fragments enhances results beyond the base SMILES tokenization. This advancement underscores the potential of integrating fragment- and character-level molecular features within the training of Transformer models for ADMET property prediction.
Seed priming with Parachlorella microalgae mitigates the effect of salt stress on soybean
Authors: Santos Cleberton Correia , Ozório João Pedro Assis , Martins Luiz Otávio Montera , Silva Obadias Alves da , de Alencar Davi Lucas Bertolino , Silva Otávio Augusto Sabino , Neto Kiichi Kodama , Ribeiro Dágon Manoel , Scalon Silvana de Paula Quintão
Published: April 2024

Salinity can be stressful and impair water relations and the germination of soybean seeds, making it necessary to establish sustainable solutions to overcome this situation. We hypothesized that seed priming (SP) with Parachlorella sp. microalgae can reduce the stressful effects of salinity and contribute to seed germination and seedling growth, inducing tolerance. We aimed to evaluate the constituents of Parachlorella sp. biomass and potential of SP in soybean to mitigate the effect of salinity on germination and vigor. Seeds were subjected to the following priming: i) without priming, ii) priming with 5 mL, and iii) 10 mL kg seed-1. Then, seeds were subjected to four osmotic potentials: 0.0 (control), –0.4, –0.8 and –1.2 MPa, induced by KCl. Parachlorella sp. biomass contained several metabolites such amino acids, carnitines, lipids, and phytohormones. The maximum percentage of normal seedlings was in –0.79 MPa. Seed without and with 5 and 10 mL of Parachlorella sp. showed higher root protrusion at –0.71, –0.37 and –0.30 MPa, respectively. Priming with 5 and 10 mL of Parachlorella sp. resulted in greater root protrusion in seeds not exposed to salinity. Seedlings from seed that received Parachlorella sp. showed greater growth even under salt stress. Priming with 10 mL of Parachlorella sp. resulted in seedlings with greater biomass accumulation at –1.2 MPa. Priming contributed to the lower electrolyte leakage in –1.2 MPa. Although soybean is sensitive to –1.2 MPa, SP with 10 mL of Parachlorella sp. microalgae demonstrated to be a sustainable and efficient alternative to mitigate the stressful effect of salinity on seedling vigor.
AI-Infused Cloud Storage Management: Structured, Secure, Interactive and Efficient Retrieval System
Authors: Swathika P. , Buvaneshkumaar A. , Vimal P.
Published: April 2024

Explores the symbiotic relationship between cloud computing and AI-based chat models in revolutionizing document management. Emphasizing scalability, flexibility, and accessibility, the cloud enables streamlined operations and innovation across industries. Leveraging standardized formats and structured data organization enhances document management efficiency within cloud environments. Digital signature techniques and AI-driven verification algorithms ensure document authenticity, while access control strategies, employing encryption with private keys managed through AI authentication mechanisms,security. The integration of AI-based chat models enriches user experience by enabling dynamic document organization, retrieval, and content creation. Together, these technologies redefine document management, promising unprecedented efficiency, security, and user-centric functionalities.
Spatial-temporal variation and source analysis of heavy metal in urban and peri-urban soils：The case study of Beilun District (Ningbo, China) from 2015 to 2022
Authors: Zhang Pengwei , Hu Lanfang , Gao Bo , Gao Feng , Zhu Xuchu , Li Yaying , Yao Huaiying
Published: April 2024

The soil environment plays an important role in urban ecosystems. To study the heavy metal contamination of soil in Beilun District, Ningbo, we collected soil samples from 60 points in urban and peri-urban areas of Beilun District and analyzed the spatiotemporal variation and sources of heavy metal pollution in various land-use types. The contents of heavy metals in green belts and woodland in 2022 were higher than those in 2015, while there was no significant change in agricultural land. The heavy metal contents in both years were mainly in the order green belts > agricultural land > woodland. The spatiotemporal analysis showed that heavy metal pollution in Beilun District was concentrated in five industrial areas, and there was a trend toward the disappearance of highly polluted points. The single-factor pollution index, pollution load index (PLI), and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that there was no significant heavy metal pollution in Beilun District, and individual elements at specific points showed slight pollution. The source analysis results showed that the main source of Hg is chemical, As is mainly derived from agricultural, Cr, Ni and Cu are mainly derived from natural, the main sources of Zn and Cd are electroplating and machinery activities, and the main source of Pb is traffic. This results specify a reference for future investigation on urban soil heavy metals, and the source apportionment results provide a scientific foundation for subsequent soil heavy metal pollution treatment.
High performance multifunction integrated optic circuits base on thin- film lithium niobate
Authors: GuoHongjie Guo , Haifeng Liu , zhiguo Yu , Wenbin Chen , Yongkang Yang , Baiang Qu , Manqing Tan , Wentao Guo
Published: April 2024

This paper introduces a revolutionary Multifunction Integrated Optic Circuit (MIOC) design utilizing thin-film lithium niobate, surpassing traditional bulk waveguide-based MIOCs in terms of size, half-wave voltage requirements, and integration capabilities. By implementing a sub-wavelength grating structure, we achieve a Polarization Extinction Ratio (PER) exceeding 29 dB. Furthermore, our electrode design facilitates a voltage-length product (VπL) below 2 V·cm, while a double-tapered coupling structure significantly reduces insertion loss. This advancement provides a pivotal direction for the miniaturization and integration of optical gyroscopes, marking a substantial contribution to the field
Identification of key industries of provincial carbon emissions in China based on inter-layer association of multi-layer network
Authors: xu lipeng , Wang wenping
Published: April 2024

It is crucial for China to achieve the dual-carbon goal by precisely identifying key industries of carbon emissions and achieving orderly and coordinated synergistic emission reduction across provinces. Unlike the existing research and practice on key industries of carbon emissions, which ignore provincial differences, this paper takes into account the flow characteristics of products and services in industries within provinces as well as the differential characteristics in the level of economic development and social factors among provinces and constructs a multi-layer network model of carbon emissions based on the provincial-level input-output data of China in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Moreover, we improve the PageRank algorithm to rank the importance of nodes in the multi-layer network. The empirical results indicate that China’s top-ranking industries of carbon emission include high-carbon industries such as metal smelting and chemical industry, which are mainly distributed in provinces such as Hebei and Liaoning. Meanwhile, the production and supply industries of electric power and heat has gradually evolved into key industries of carbon emissions in most provinces of China due to its distinctions in fundamentals, livelihood, and high technology content. In addition, unlike provinces with relatively lower carbon emission intensity, such as Beijing and Shanghai, provinces with comparatively higher carbon emission intensity, such as Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, have key industries of carbon emissions such as electronics, machinery manufacturing industry and transportation. The conclusions of this research provide theoretical support for precise synergistic emission reduction strategies in various Chinese provinces.
Novel Comparative Analysis of Fuzzy C-Mean and Region Growing in Spine Image Segmentation
Authors: Waykule J. M. , Udupi V. R.
Published: April 2024

Medical image segmentation plays a crucial role in various clinical applications, including disease diagnosis and treatment planning. In the context of spine imaging, accurate segmentation is essential for precise analysis and intervention. This study presents a comparative analysis of two prominent segmentation algorithms: fuzzy c-means (FCM) and region growing, applied to spine image segmentation. The dataset consists of spine images obtained from medical imaging modalities, preprocessed to enhance clarity and remove noise. Both FCM and region-growing algorithms are implemented with appropriate parameter settings and evaluated using quantitative metrics such as the Dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, and specificity. Additionally, qualitative assessments are conducted through visual inspection of segmented images. The results reveal distinct performance characteristics of each algorithm, highlighting their respective strengths and weaknesses in spine image segmentation tasks. Through comprehensive analysis and discussion, this study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of FCM and region-growing algorithms, aiding clinicians and researchers in selecting suitable segmentation approaches for spine imaging applications.
The Effect of the Beech Wood Steaming Condensate on Curing Behaviour of Urea-formaldehyde Adhesive
Authors: Rančić Milica , Popović Mlađan , Milić Goran , Todorović Nebojša , Veizović Marko , Gavrilović-Grmuša Ivana
Published: April 2024

This study explores the potential of using condensate generated during beech wood steaming (BSC) as an eco-friendly additive in urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives for wood-based panel (WBP) production. The research aimed to assess the hardening behavior of pure commercial UF resin and UF with added condensate (UFC), investigating the potential catalytic effect of BSC on the hardening characteristics of UF adhesives. Changes in chemical structure after the curing process were observed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The curing kinetics was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under a dynamic scanning regime with heating rates of 5, 10, and 20°C/min. Obtained data were analyzed using Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Friedman (FR) kinetic iso-conversional methods to estimate the activation energy (Ea) of the curing reaction in the investigated UF adhesive systems. The results of DSC analysis imply that BSC lowers the temperature of the curing reaction of UF adhesive along with the prolongation of the curing reaction. The obtained kinetic data supported by FTIR and chemical analysis suggest that phenolic compounds present in BSC interfere with the main curing reactions leading to lower peak temperatures but higher activation energy. Тhis suggests that BSC increased the number of active sites involved in the reaction and, consequently, the number of collisions. BSC, as wastewater of the wood processing industry, can be efficiently utilized as an environmentally friendly, inexpensive substitute for deionized water in UF adhesive formulations for WBP manufacturing.
Elevated Blood Pressure: A Genetically Determined Risk Factor for Cerebral Artery Dissection
Authors: Xu Xinchun , Chen Qiuping , Wang Haibo , Yuan Lili , Wu Chuchu , Yue Chaoyan
Published: April 2024

Objectives
We aim to investigate the potential causal link between blood pressure (BP) levels and cerebral artery dissection (CAD) risk employing a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) framework.
Methods
Utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-retrieved data, we employed various MR techniques, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and weighted mode, to ascertain BP's causal impact on CAD. The MR-Egger intercept was calculated to assess pleiotropy presence, determining heterogeneity by Cochran's Q statistic.
Results
The findings highlighted a significant association between elevated systolic BP (SBP; IVW: OR = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.11–8.61, p = 0.031) and increased diastolic BP (DBP; IVW: OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.14–6.21, p = 0.023) with CAD risk. Sensitivity analyses reinforced the robustness and reliability of these results.
Conclusions
The results from this TSMR study suggest a causal link between high SBP and DBP and the increased likelihood of CAD, underscoring the importance of effective BP control.
Protonation of enniatin B: Experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Vaňura Petr , Böhm Stanislav
Published: April 2024

On the basis of extraction experiments, the exchange extraction constant corresponding to the equilibrium H3O+(aq) + 1.Na+(nb) 1.H3O+(nb) + Na+(aq) occurring in the two–phase water–nitrobenzene system (1 = enniatin B; aq = aqueous phase, nb = nitrobenzene phase) was evaluated as log Kex (H3O+, 1.Na+) = 0.9 ± 0.1. Further, the stability constant of the 1.H3O+ complex in nitrobenzene saturated with water was calculated for a temperature of 25 oC: log βnb (1.H3O+) = 6.4 ± 0.2. Finally, by using quantum mechanical DFT calculations, the most probable structure of the cationic complex species 1.H3O+ was derived. In the resulting complex, the “central” cation H3O+ is bound by three relatively strong hydrogen bonds to the corresponding three carbonyl oxygens of the parent enniatin B ligand. The interaction energy, E(int), of the considered complex 1.H3O+ was found to be -424.8 kJ/mol, confirming also the formation of this investigated complex.
Air-film coupling in prefilming airblast atomisers and the implications for subsequent atomisation
Authors: Wetherell Jack R. J. , Garmory Andrew
Published: April 2024

Prefilming airblast atomisers are commonly used in gas turbine combustion system fuel injectors. As the film propagates across the prefilmer it interacts with the high velocity gas stream above it. In this paper a numerical investigation into this interaction is presented. A Coupled Level Set \& Volume of Fluid method is used to simulate the development of the film along the KIT-ITS planar prefilmer (Gepperth et al., 2010). Initial results showed the importance of correctly specifying the contact angle as too high a value leads to the formation of rivulets instead of a continuous film. An analysis of the film and air showed two-way coupling. The presence of the film increases the growth rate of the gas phase boundary layer, and the strength and size of the turbulent structures within it. Surface waves form in the film, initially driven by the turbulent fluctuations, but developing into transverse waves. These waves are shown to be independent, stochastic events instead of a periodic wave system. At the trailing edge of the prefilmer the increased turbulence level in the air, the variations in the film thickness and the associated change in fuel mass flow and momentum will have large implications for the atomisation process and subsequent fuel spray. These will also impact simulation of the atomisation, as the boundary condition complexity is much greater than commonly used, and the variations will require larger domains and longer simulation times to obtain fully converged atomisation statistics.
Prevalence, patterns, and determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior in women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Shabu Sherzad A. , Saka Mariwan H. , Boya Manhal N. , Saleh Abubakir M. , Ahmed Hamdia M. , Zaki Sahar M. , Shabila Nazar P. , Shakely Delér
Published: April 2024

Background
Understanding the prevalence and determinants of physical activity among women is crucial for developing effective interventions to promote physical activity and improve health outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, patterns, and determinants of physical activity, leisure-time exercise, and sedentary behavior among women in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Method
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 540 women in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We used the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess the prevalence of work- and transportation-related physical activity, leisure-time physical exercise, and sedentary behavior.
Results
The prevalence of sufficient physical activity related to work and transportation was 31.5%. Physical activity was significantly associated with employment status, residence area, and chronic diseases. The prevalence of engagement in regular leisure-time physical exercise was 14.8%. Approximately 33% of the participants had a high level of sedentary behavior, which was significantly associated with the participants' age, marital status, education level, employment status, and economic status. The area of residence and chronic disease status were independently associated with physical activity. Age was significantly associated with leisure-time physical exercise. Marital and employment status were significantly associated with high levels of sedentary behavior.
Conclusion
The prevalence of sufficient physical activity was relatively low in the female population. The very high level of sedentary behavior, especially among students, is alarming. The prevalence of physical exercise was very low. There is a clear need to adopt proper strategies to promote physical activity, especially regular leisure-time physical exercise, and reduce sedentary behavior.
Enabling CV-MDI-QKD for weakly squeezed states using non-Gaussian operations
Authors: Ahmad Farsad , Li Jian , Khalique Aeysha
Published: April 2024

We propose a new non-Gaussian version of the continuous variables measurement device independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI-QKD) protocol by utilizing a photon added-then-subtracted (PAS) state. We report that our single and two-mode PAS-CV-MDI-QKD protocols outperform pure state CV-MDI-QKD protocol when considering weak squeezing and high noise, which is the practical regime. With such resources, CV-MDI-QKD is inaccessible when using a pure TMSV state, while PAS-CV-MDI-QKD can generate a useful key rate in this regime. We also compare PAS-CV-MDI-QKD with a two-mode photon replaced (2PR) state, which was not studied in low squeezing for MDI-QKD before.
Modifying the radiation ratio of tonewoods through wood degradation
Authors: Nefdt Keenan , Meincken Martina
Published: April 2024

This work investigates different wood modification techniques to modify the acoustical properties of tonewoods, in particular the sound radiation ratio (R). The treatments used were heat- and fungal exposure, as well as immersion into NaOH and Na2SO3 solution and a combination of the most successful treatments. All initial experiments were performed on pine (Pinus patula) due to cost factors, before replicating the best performing treatment on high quality spruce tonewood (Picea abies). The main objective was to reduce the hemicellulose content without severely degrading cellulose, which results in a reduction of density, while maintaining, or even improving the elasticity (MOEL), which results in an increase of R. Overall, the combined heat-fungal and heat-sodium treatments performed best and increased R by up to 20%. Sodium treatment led to the best increases in R, but compromised the wood structure in spruce and the treatment protocol needs to be developed further. Consequently, the most successful wood treatment to improve acoustical properties was determined to be exposure to white rot combined with heat treatment.