bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Different Carbon Sources on Biomethane Production with Clostridium Cellulovorans and Methanogens
Authors: Sawada Haruki , Tomita Hisao , Okazaki Fumiyoshi , Tamaru Yutaka
Published: February 2023

Methane (CH4) has attracted attention as not only synthetic natural gas, but also one of the hy-drogen carriers in terms of energy density. On the other hand, there exist bacterial ecosystems in nature that can decompose organic compounds to produce CH4 and CO2. In this study, Clostridi-um cellulovorans was first cultivated with pig manure (PM) as an unused biomass. Regarding the measurement of organic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), acetate and butyrate were increased in the C. cellulovorans medium containing 0.5% PM, while formate and lactate were decreased in it. Next, in comparison with carbon sources such as glucose, cellobiose, and acetate, cocultivation of C. cellulovorans and Methanosarcina mazei or microbial flora of me-thane production (MFMP) was performed in the C. cellulovorans medium. These results revealed that 0.5% acetate as the sole carbon source produced CH4 only by cocultivating C. cellulovorans and MFMP. Furthermore, MFMP was only cultivated with 1% acetate or 1% methane as a carbon source after precultivated with 0.5% glucose medium for 12 h. As a result, methane productivity of MFMP with 1% methanol medium was approximately eight times higher than that with 1% acetate medium. Finally, next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of MFMP after cultivation with 1% acetate or 1% methane was carried out. Interestingly, Methanofollis (0.211%) belonging to H2/CO2 -using methanogens (CO2 reduction pathway) was dominant in the 1% acetate medium for 72 h cultivation, whereas Methanosarcina siciliae (1.178%), M. barkeri (0.571%), and Methano-follis (0.490%) were major species in 1% methanol medium for 72 h cultivation. Since Methano-sarcina spp. are belonging to acetoclasts (acetoclastic pathway), methanol could promote to grow Methanosarcina spp. rather than acetate. Therefore, it seemed Methanosarcina spp. may play a key methanogenesis in MFMP. Thus, these results will provide important information for low cost biomethane production.
Mediating Role of Parasocial Relationships on Social Media Influencers' Reputation Signals and Purchase Intention of Beauty Products
Authors: Taher Surug Saleh , Chan Tak Jie , Zolkepli Izzal Asnira , Sharipudin Mohamad Noor Salehhuddin
Published: February 2023

Social media influencer has become an important component of marketing communication. Hence, this research aims to determine the facets of social media influencers’ reputation signals (communication skills, influence, perceived authenticity, and perceived expertise) that contribute to the customers’ purchase intention of X beauty products, mediates by the parasocial relationship. The study applied the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model and used a survey design. The results showed that the communication skills and expertise of the social media influencers have a significant relationship with parasocial relationships, and the parasocial relationship has a significant relationship with purchase intention. In addition, the parasocial relationship was found to mediate the relationship between the expertise of social media influencers and purchase intention. The study provides valuable insights to public relations and marketing practitioners of the beauty industry to be used in building a successful social media marketing strategy.
Sustainable sediment management at US Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs
Authors: Morris Gregory , Dahl Travis , Ramos-Villanueva Marielys , Leech James , Jones Meg
Published: February 2023

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintains and operates 419 reservoirs nationwide for diverse purposes. This infrastructure is essential to the nation’s continued economic progress and provides numerous benefits. Sedimentation in reservoirs causes the loss of storage capacity, leading to interference with operations, reduction of project benefits, and eventual rendering of project operation technically infeasible or uneconomical. All reservoirs trap sediment, and sustainable long-term operation can be achieved only if sedimentation is managed. With many of the USACE reservoirs now reaching 50 years of age, sedimentation is starting to encroach on the beneficial pools. Under the paradigm of sustainable use, it is important to identify and implement strategies to sustain reservoir operation in the long term, beyond the period contemplated in the original project design life. This report outlines the major types of sediment management strategies available for reservoirs. Because the rate of new reservoir construction by USACE is very low, this report focuses on remedial strategies at existing reservoirs and presents a general methodology for the preliminary analysis of such sites. This report examines four example USACE reservoirs with known sedimentation issues to highlight the types of problems encountered and the development of strategies that can lead to sustainable use.
Double-nosed Low-Level Jet in Complex Terrain: a model from Inertial Oscillations
Authors: Barbano Francesco , Leo Laura Sandra , Brogno Luigi , Sabatino Silvana Di
Published: February 2023

In this paper, an analytical model based on inertial oscillations (Van15 De Wiel et al, 2010) is used to replicate the evolution on a LLJ in complex terrain and then modified to diagnose the occurrence of a double-nosed LLJ driven by surface wave activity. Using an already-analysed case study from the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observations (MATERHORN) dataset, we test the performance of the model in capturing (i) the role of the inertial oscillations in the evolution of a nocturnal LLJ in a wide and gentle-sloping valley, and (ii) the shape modification of the wind profile at the occurrence of the double-nosed LLJ. The modifications applied to the model are framed on the wave-driven mechanism theorized by Brogno et al (2021), without losing the simplicity of the original model framework. A unified model integrating the original with the modified versions is proposed, revealing accurate in replicating the nocturnal LLJ and appropriate to approximate the double-nosed shape of the LLJ. Further observational studies will be needed to corroborate the unified model and explore its application potential in different wind and energy sectors.
Maternal Age at Childbirth and the Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disability in Offspring
Authors: Chen Yong , Ma Siyu , Huang Haobin , Duan Weiwei , Mo Xuming
Published: February 2023

Background: Studies have shown that young maternal age at childbirth can increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, but a study of the U.S. population has not been reported. Moreover, there is no reported research on young and advanced maternal age at childbirth and whether it can contribute to the risk of learning disability (LD) in offspring.
Methods: This study evaluated the association between young and advanced maternal age at childbirth and offspring risk of ADHD and LD in the U.S. population. Using data from 8,098 participants included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted in 1999–2004, we analyzed the association between maternal age at childbirth and ADHD and LD risk in offspring. Oddsratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal age at childbirth in association with ADHD and LD risk in offspring were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models after adjustment for age, sex, race, body massindex (BMI), poverty income ratio, smoking status during pregnancy, and NHANES cycle. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to evaluate potential nonlinear relationships. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the reliability of the results.
Results: Among all participants, the offspring of subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 18–24 years had an increased risk of ADHD (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.79) and LD (OR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.79) or either ADHD or LD (OR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.81). Additionally, compared with subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 25–29 years, subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 35–39 years had lower odds of having offspring with ADHD (OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.36, 1.00) and higher odds of having offspring with LD (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.78). The relationship between maternal age at childbirth and LD risk presented a U-shaped curve.
Conclusions: These results provide epidemiological evidence showing that young and advanced maternal age at childbirth are associated with ADHD and LD risk.
Linking hydrological connectivity to gully erosion in the lateritic badland of sub-tropical environment: An in-situ experimental study within the Grand Canyon of Bengal, Eastern India
Authors: Roy Paramita , Pal Subodh Chandra , Chakrabortty Rabin , Chowdhuri Indrajit , Saha Asish , I Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul , Islam Aznarul , Costache Romulus
Published: February 2023

Geomorphological processes that occur on the surface structure of the region are included in badland geomorphology. Rapid soil erosion and the production of various geomorphic characteristics are related to badland development. The expansion of their main channels is inextricably tied to the formation of gullies. The “degree of badland formation” inside that catchment and the characteristics of the substrate may both be learned from an analysis of the longitudinal shape of these channels. In this work the mechanism and trend of erosion has been done with help of cross section analysis and prominent geomorphic process. The very high resolution DEM has been prepared in this perspective. Finding out how large-scale erosion occurs and how it contributes to the deterioration of the land is the main objective of the research. According to this viewpoint, the nature of erosion may be measured using the connectivity index and gullies. In this region, the early “rills and minor gullies emerge over the high duricrust escarpment”, where it is discovered that the ambient lateritic hardpan has a substantial impact on the gully channel character, with the majority of them having steeper portions in the middle of their course. Apart from this there is an increasing tendency of erosion from the previous period to present time.
Somatic Embryogenesis and Plantlet Regeneration in Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus Santalinus)
Authors: Chakraborty Tanushree , Chaitanya K. Viswanatha , Akhtar Nasim
Published: February 2023

Cotyledonary segments from the germinated immature zygotic embryos were used for somatic embryogenesis of red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus). It was established on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 5% sucrose and amalgamation of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). All treatments were responsive for callus induction with the frequency range between 36–97%. The maximum embryogenic frequency (69.44%) was obtained when 0.1 mg/l BAP + 2 mg/l 2,4-D and 0.1 mg/l BAP + 4 mg/l 2,4-D combinations were used. When explants were treated individually with growth regulators, the maximum embryogenic frequency (58.33%) was produced by 4 mg/l 2,4-D. BAP was completely ineffective for somatic embryogenesis when used individually. The average number of globular-staged somatic embryos ranged between 1–5 (irrespective of the treatments). The maximum number of the cotyledonary-staged somatic embryos (2.85) were obtained with treatment 0.1 mg/l BAP and 2 mg/l 2,4-D. The maximum plantlets were developed (1.30) when the cotyledonary-staged embryos from 0.1 mg/l BAP and 2 mg/l 2,4-D were transferred to MS basal medium. The plantlets obtained were acclimatized and showed 100% survival in the greenhouse condition. The embryonic cells have been histologically distinguished from non-embryonic cells with dense cytoplasm and a long suspensor. The induction, maturation and germination of somatic embryos were challenging, suggesting the need for molecular approaches through proteomic expression for mass production and understanding the evolution, structure, and genetic organization of the plant species.
A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of oral dexamethasone in combination with docetaxel plus ramucirumab therapy for previously treated lung cancer
Authors: Hamai Kosuke , Katsura Ryo , Miyake Shinya , Fujita Suguru , Tada Shinpei , Hirakawa Tetsu , Ueno Sayaka , Tanimoto Takuya , Ishikawa Nobuhisa
Published: February 2023

Background
Docetaxel plus ramucirumab (DTX + RAM) therapy is a standard treatment for previously treated lung cancer, but many adverse events has been reported. Therefore, this retrospective study was conducted to examine if the side effects of DTX + RAM therapy can be minimized by the combined use of oral dexamethasone and to assess the therapeutic effect of DTX + RAM in patients with recurrent lung cancer.
Methods
Forty patients with relapsed non-small cell lung cancer who underwent DTX + RAM therapy were divided into two groups based on the concomitant use of oral dexamethasone and compared the therapeutic effects and toxicities of the two groups.
Results
The objective response and tumor shrinkage rates were significantly better in the dexamethasone group (p = 0.0203 and 0.0238, respectively). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.20 months vs. 2.87 months (p = 0.064). On the other hand, the median overall survival (OS) was significantly better in the dexamethasone group (15.17 months vs. 7.37 months, p = 0.0317). Febrile neutropenia (FN) was more common in the dexamethasone group, but other side effects were not significantly different between the groups. The frequency of fluid retention within six months of the start of treatment was 10.0% vs. 42.5%, and the fluid retention rate was significantly higher in the non-dexamethasone group (p = 0.039).
Conclusion
Concomitant use of oral dexamethasone during DTX + RAM therapy may facilitate the long-term continuation of treatment and contribute to OS prolongation.
lncRNA HCG11 regulates the expression level of SP1 as a potential prognostic biomarker of BC during the polymerase II transcription process in an HCG11/miR-106a-3p/SP1 axis: integrated bioinformatics and experimental investigation
Authors: Sichani Adel Rezvani , Ghaedi Kamran , Fazilati Mohammad , Sichani Ziba Rezvani , Azadeh Mansoureh
Published: February 2023

Background
Breast cancer (BC), one of the ten most common diseases in the world, is a common malignant tumor that forms from the women's breast epithelial tissue. According to Cancer Statistics 2020, over 1.7 million new cancer cases are detected yearly. In this research, we aimed to evaluate the expression level and interaction network of the SP1 gene, and it’s regulatory non-coding RNAs in the BC samples.
Method
High-throughput microarray data analysis was performed on GSE42568 (27 control and 31 tumors) to find the up and down-regulated genes in BC patients. Reactome performed pathway enrichment analysis. Enrichr performed gene ontology analysis. Comprehensive protein-protein (STRING), miRNA-mRNA (miRWalk), and miRNA-lncRNA (lncBase 3) was performed to find the RNA regulatory network of SP1. Cytoscape performed visualization of RNA network. The qRT-PCR experiment was performed to validate the changes in the expression level of SP1 and related non-coding RNAs in the BC samples.
Results
Microarray analysis revealed that SP1 has a significantly low expression in the BC samples. lncRNA HCG11 regulates SP1 in direct interaction and ceRNA axis (binding affinity to hsa-miR-106a-3p). hsa-miR-106a-3p regulates the expression level of SP1 during regulating the transcriptional activity of the SMAD2/SMAD3:SMAD4 heterotrimer process. qRT-PCR experiment revealed that SP1 (logFC: -4.174, p-value: 0.0007) and lncRNA HCG11 (logFC: -4.223, p-value: 0.0003) have significant low-expression in the BC samples. ROC analysis revealed that SP1 (AUC: 0.7312, p-value: 0.07074) HCG11 (logFC: 0.7312, p-value: 0.07505) could be the two potential diagnostic biomarkers of BC.
Conclusion
SP1 and lncRNA HCG11 have significantly low expression in the BC samples as the two potential diagnostic biomarkers. Has-miR-106a-3p regulates the expression level of HCG11 and SP1 in a ceRNA axis. This axis might be a novel regulatory factor in response to the hydroperoxide process.
Necroptosis-related lncRNAs signature predicts prognosis and influences immune microenvironment in patients with colon adenocarcinoma
Authors: Xu Zijie , Liu Jingya , Wang Yiwen , Shen Haoyang , Zhu Lingjun , Shu Yongqian
Published: February 2023

Background: The present study aimed to identify an NRLs (necroptosis-related long noncoding RNAs [lncRNAs]) signature for the prognosis of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and to investigate its potential relationship with clinical characteristics and immune microenvironment.
Methods:Clinical information of patients with COAD and RNA sequence data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) were obtained from the GeneCards website. Co-expression analysis was performed to identify NRLs. By using the “limma” package in R software, differentially expressed NRLs (DE-NRLs) were screened from the identified NRLs. A prognostic NRLs signature was established based on the results of univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO algorithm, and multivariate Cox analysis. Survival analysis and area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were used to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of this signature. Clinical correlation and independent prognostic factors were then assessed, and a predictive nomogram was then constructed. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to determine the potential molecular mechanisms. Immune analysis was performed to analyze the tumor microenvironment and to predict the immune response of patients with COAD. Lastly, experiments were conducted to validate the expression and function of NRLs involved in the prognostic signature.
Results: Three NRLs were identified, and a prognostic signature was constructed from them. According to the risk score calculated using this signature, patients were classified into high-risk and low-risk groups. The signature exhibited a strong ability to predict survival, and the risk score was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor. GSEA showed differences in specific molecular pathways involved in immune response, mitochondrial function, and energy metabolism. The two groups also showed significant differences in immune cell infiltration, immune function, and immune checkpoint gene expression. The high-risk group showed higher immunogenicity and may benefit from immunotherapy. Lastly, in vivo experiments validated the expression and function of NRLs involved in the prognostic signature.
Conclusions:The prognostic signature of NRLs developed in this study can facilitate the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with COAD and may serve as a valuable reference for in-depth studies of functional mechanisms of NRLs in the immune microenvironment.
FGS-Net: A Visibility Estimation Method Based on Statistical Feature Stream in Fog Area
Authors: Liu Jiawei , Zhong Jiandan , Li Yingxiang , Ji Yulin , Fu Junjie , Chang Xianjie
Published: February 2023

Low visibility always leads to serious traffic accidents worldwide, and it remains a tough problem despite the extensive work researched in the field of meteorology. Therefore, we propose a novel end-to-end network, FGS-Net, for visibility estimation, combining "engineered features" and "learned features" to achieve higher accuracy. Specifically, we propose a novel and effective fog region segmentation method, named ASRS(Auto Seed Region Segmentation), to segment the fog regions in the input image. Subsequently, two "specific features" (transmittance matrix, dark channel matrix) and three "common features" (contrast, average gradient, brightness) are extracted from the fog region. Next, the feature information of the fog region is statistically calculated as "engineering features" for visibility estimation. In addition, our approach uses Transformer, a classical model commonly used in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to obtain the "learned features" for visibility estimation. Furthermore, in order to obtain more efficient "learned features", we embed the Coordinate Attention (CA) module in FGS-Net. Finally, to verify the effectiveness and superiority of our method, We evaluate our approach on two visibility datasets: Visibility Image Dataset Ⅰ (VID I) and Visibility Image Dataset Ⅱ (VID II), where VID I is a real scene visibility dataset and VID II is a synthetic visibility dataset. The experimental results show that our method has better performance than the classical one on these two datasets. And compared with the runner-up, it has 2.2% and 0.9% higher accuracy in VID I and VID II, respectively.
Urban scaling of air pollutants in Israel
Authors: Yatzkan Or , Omer Itzhak , Burg David
Published: February 2023

Cities have been shown to exhibit empirical scaling behavior where numerous variables of urban performance are allometric, like greenhouse gas emissions. Polluting emissions have negative environmental and health impacts. Therefore, recently, this methodology of urban scaling has been implemented to study the dynamics of vehicle and industrial emissions into the environment. It has been shown that cities may be environmentally efficient with CO2 emissions that seem to be sublinear, so the large cities may be more "green". However, a number of reports suggest a superlinear relationship with respect to city size, so the larger cities may be less "green". We report here the results of the nonlinear allometric power-law scaling properties of multiple air pollutants in the Israel urban system, expanding the analysis to include electricity consumption and atmospheric emissions of CO2, NOx, SO2, CO, NMVOC, PM10, PM2.5, benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The results show the recurring mathematical patterns of cities similar to those reported elsewhere. Electricity usage is superlinear. Pollutant emissions of these greenhouse gases tend to exhibit significant superlinear dynamics (β > 1), though NMVOC and Benzene were linear. The superlinear result was conserved when regressing against the number of vehicles. This evidence supports the hypothesis that large cities may be less "green". However, different urban characteristics such as geography, local climate and weather conditions, population density, may also affect the pollution levels of cities. Taken together these results give evidence to the effect of urban agglomerations on the environment. With this perspective it may be possible to implement sustainable policy to improve the environment and increase human wellbeing.
Synthesize evaluation method of characteristic defects in hole drilling of carbon fiber reinforced polymer
Authors: Liang Siyu , Liu Guangjun , Guan Zhongguo
Published: February 2023

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are widely used in various fields because of their high strength, good toughness, and low density. However, owing to their unique forming process, some complex structures such as holes and grooves cannot be formed directly. Therefore, traditional machining procedures are also required. The drilling process is one of the most common machining methods for CFRP material holes, but owing to the complex structure and difficulty in processing CFRP composite material, the quality of the drilling process is often challenging to guarantee. Moreover, the hole-forming defects also have complex forms and lack uniform evaluation indexes. This study summarizes the common orifice defects in the process of CFRP drilling, establishes a comprehensive evaluation method of orifice defects by introducing the relevant theory of the fuzzy complementary judgment matrix, and experimentally verifies the accuracy and reliability of this method. Then, based on the experimental results, a non-linear cutting parameter optimization model is established, which effectively suppresses the orifice defects to ensure the accuracy of the hole size, roundness, and hole wall roughness. The hole-forming quality is subsequently improved. The hole quality evaluation method proposed in this study reduced the dimension of the evaluation index to ensure relevance and effectiveness and improved the convenience of quality inspection and parameter optimization in actual production.
Torsion Behavior of Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Box Girders with Openings
Authors: Eltaly Boshra , EL_Sayed Medhat , Meleka Nageh , kandil Kamel
Published: February 2023

An experimental test program consisting of eleven reinforced concrete box girders with a length of 1300 mm, a cross-section of 350 x 350 mm and 200 x 200 mm an inner cross-section was carried out. Four control specimens were tested: two as box girders, one solid beam and one box girder with an opening. Two specimens with openings were retrofitted with steel plates and CFRP around the opening and two specimens without openings were retrofitted longitudinally with steel plates and CFRP sheets. Two specimens were strengthened with U-shaped steel plates and CFRP sheets. One specimen was strengthened with longitudinal and U-shaped CFRP sheets. All the specimens were tested under pure torsion up to failure. To validate the finite element model, numerical models were used and their results were compared to experimental results. After verification, different variables were studied such as the influence of the opening location, number of openings, area of the opening, change in longitudinal and transverse steel amount, and strengthening around the opening. The comparative study revealed that the number of openings and their dimensions are the most important factors influencing the torsional moment. Also, the strengthening around the opening compensates the torsional strength that was lost due to the opening.
A prospective, multicenter, cohort study to evaluate the long-term quality of life and psychological factors among patients with breast cancer, 5-year follow-up: a study protocol
Authors: Lahiji Mahsa Raji , Sajadian Akram , Hashemi Elahe , Montazeri Ali , Anbiaee Robab , Omranipour Ramesh , Nafissi Nahid , Heydari Leila , Rasouli Mohsen , Kazemnejad Anoshirvan , Alaeddini Farshid
Published: February 2023

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer among women worldwide. Quality of life and psychological status of patients with breast cancer could be affected after diagnosis, especially during treatment. The main objective of this study is investigation of long-term influence of breast cancer on quality of life’s dimensions and mental health status.
Methods: This is a multicenter, ongoing longitudinal prospective cohort study which administered in national institute for medical research development in May 2018 in Iran. 1250 patients with breast cancer who were completed their treatments, will be recruited from 5 referral medical centers located in Tehran, to be followed for 5 years. Questionnaires for evaluating the primary and secondary outcomes will be complete by trained investigators during face-to-face interviews with each participant in three phases: immediately after treatment, 1 year and 5 years later. Data will be collected on socio-demographic, quality of life, body image, hope, psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and mood, also sexual function and physical activity. Data will be analyzed in each phase and at the end of the project by SPSS version 22.
Discussion: It is the first nationwide, prospective, cohort study with large sample size, long-term follow-up and broad research aims which will evaluate quality of life-related factors in Iranian breast cancer population to justify the existing gap in literature.
Trial registration number: National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD) (IR.NIMAD.REC.1397.322) July 1th, 2018.
Multiclass Classification of Thyroid gland data employing Linear Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Murali M.
Published: February 2023

With the advent of internet, complex data is tremendously increased. It is essential to analyze the data. Multiclass classification, has been an important problem for a long time in supervised learning. In multiclass classification the independent variables are used to map it with k number of classes. Linear discriminant analysis is a supervised learning method to classify k number of classes. We consider applying Fisher’s Linear Discriminant Analysis(LDA) procedure to the multiclass classification. In this work, we used thyroid gland dataset to classify state of the thyroid gland. The experiments were conducted to evaluate the Fisher’s LDA method using four metrics: precision, recall, F1-score and accuracy. As the results indicated by the experiments, the Fisher’s LDA shown the best classification accuracy. Further, the Fisher’s LDA method is compared with multiclass linear regression and multiclass support vector machine.
Genome-wide association analysis of resistance to frogeye leaf spot China race 7 in soybean based on high-throughput sequencing
Authors: Na Chen , Miao Huanran , Jiang Haipeng , Ma Jinglin , Liu Hongliang , Lv Suchen , Zhou Jinghang , Yang Yuming , Zhan Yuhang , Teng Weili , Li Yonguang , Zhao Xue , Han Yingpeng
Published: February 2023

Frogeye leaf spot (FLS) causes severe yield loss in soybean and has been found in several countries worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to select and utilize FLS-resistant varieties for the management of FLS. In the present study, 335 representative soybean materials were assessed for partial resistance to FLS race 7. Quantitative trait nucleotide (QTN) and FLS race 7 candidate genes were identified using genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) based on a site-specific amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) approach. A total of 23,156 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to evaluate the level of linkage disequilibrium with a minor allele frequency ≥ 5 and deletion data < 3%. These SNPs covered about 947.01 MBP, nearly 86.09% of the entire soybean genome. In addition, a compressed mixed linear model was utilized to identify association signals for partial resistance to FLS race 7. A total of 15 QTNs associated with resistance were found to be novel for FLS race 7 resistance. A total of 217 candidate genes located in the 200 kb genomic region of these peak SNPs were identified. Based on gene association analysis, qRT-PCR, haplotype analysis and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) systems were used to further verify candidate genes Glyma.16G176800, Glyma.16G177300, Glyma.16G177400 and Glyma.16G182300. This indicates that these four candidate genes may participate in FLS race 7 resistance responses.
Hygiene Practices and Associated Factors Among Meat Handlers at Butcher Houses and Restaurants in Gambela Town, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Gil Ruot Gatwech , Siraj Shuayib Shemsu , DONACHO DEREJE OLJIRA
Published: February 2023

Background
Meat is subjected to contamination from a variety of sources during slaughter and sale. Globally, an estimated 600 million people per year are affected by illness from poor meat handling, of which 420,000 result in deaths. However, evidence on the magnitude and factors associated with hygienic practice in low-income countries limits the extent of this underestimation of the problem. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of meat hygiene practices and factors associated with poor practices among food handlers in Gambela, Ethiopia.
Methods
This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gambela town. Systematic sampling at random was used to select workers from butchers’ houses, meat-selling shops, and restaurants in Gambela. A sampling frame of 1,080 workers was obtained from the total number of restaurants, meat-selling shops, and restaurants in the town. A sampling interval (K) was calculated. Finally, a participant was selected for every two individuals until the final 422 individuals were sampled. Data were collected using structured questions through interviews and observations. Data collectors were trained and oriented on the questionnaires before data collection, and they were supervised throughout the data collection period.
Results
This study showed a low prevalence of good hygiene practices of 40.6% (36.0–45.6) among meat handlers at butcher houses and restaurants in Gambela, southwest Ethiopia. Low levels of good hygiene practices were significantly related to education (i.e., having a secondary education) (AOR: 95% C.I., 2.51: 1.17–5.41) and food hygiene training (i.e., receiving training on general safe food hygiene) (AOR: 95% C.I., 5.11: 2.55–10.23).
Conclusion
This study finds evidence of a low level of hygiene practices among meat handlers at butcher houses and restaurants in Gambela, Ethiopia. Low hygiene practices were significantly associated with the education level of food handlers and meat hygiene training. Intensive food safety training and providing a comfortable work environment will help them attract educated workers.
Effectiveness assessment of paraloid B-72 enhanced with Nano materials to improve of mortars properties for conservation of Seti I temple in Al-Qurna, Thebes west bank, Egypt
Authors: Mohamed Essam H.
Published: February 2023

This paper presents an experimental study to assessment of the potential effectiveness of four consolidation treatments performed with: Nano silica 5% dissolved in water, Nano lime 5% dissolved in ethanol, Paraloid B72 3% dissolved in toluene enhanced with Nano silica 5%, and Paraloid B72 3% dissolved in toluene enhanced with Nano lime 5% to improve the physical and mechanical properties of proposed completion mortars that will use to compensation of the missing parts of the sandstone. The experimental samples were exposed to artificial ageing cycles and investigated by several scientific techniques such as; X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Polarized light microscope (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with X-ray energy dispersive system (EDS), and the physical and mechanical properties tests to determine the appropriate mortar for the completion process. Results of this study indicated that the mortar which consolidated by 3% of paraloid B72 enhanced with 5% of Nano silica and 3% of paraloid B72 enhanced with 5% of Nano lime achieved the best results.
Use of life cycle assessment for estimating impacts of waste-to-energy technologies in solid waste management systems: The case of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Authors: Galván S. Luciana , Bielsa Raquel Ofelia
Published: February 2023

Analysing municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios is relevant for planning future policies and actions toward a circular economy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is appropriate for evaluating technologies of MSW treatment and their environmental impacts. However, in developing countries, advanced assessments are difficult to introduce due to the lack of technical knowledge, data, and financial support. This research aims to assess the main potentialities of the introduction of waste-to-energy (WtE) systems in a developing Argentinean urban area taking into account the existing regulations about MSW recycling goals. The study was conducted with WRATE software and the proposed scenarios were: current management, grate incineration of raw MSW, incineration of solid recovered fuel (SRF). In addition, a sensitivity analysis on the energy matrix was included. It was found that the production of SRF allows increasing the energy generation from waste by 200% and reducing the environmental impact of about 10% regarding the current MSW management system. Acidification Potential and Abiotic Depletion Potential were sensitive to changes in electricity mix. Results showed that if MSW reduction goals are achieved, changes in MSW composition will affect the performance of WtE plants and, in some cases, they will be not technically feasible. The outcomes of this study can be of interest for developing countries stakeholders, and practitioners interested in LCA and sustainable MSW management.
c-MYC-dependent transcriptional inhibition of autophagy is implicated in Cisplatin sensitivity in HPV-positive Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Medda Alessandro , Spini Giorgio , Compagnoni Micaela , Citro Simona , Croci Ottavio , Campaner Stefano , Tagliabue Marta , Ansarin Mohssen , Chiocca Susanna
Published: February 2023

Autophagy is important for removal, degradation and recycling of damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids through the degradative action of lysosomes. In addition to its catabolic function, autophagy is important in cancer and viral-mediated tumorigenesis, including Human Papillomavirus (HPV) positive cancers. HPV infection is a major risk factor in a subset of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC), for which no targeted therapies are currently available. Herein, we assessed autophagy function in HPV-positive HNC. We showed that HPV-positive HNC cells presented a transcriptional and functional impairment of autophagic process compared to HPV-negative cells, which was reactivated by knocking-down HPV E6/E7 oncoproteins, the drivers of cellular transformation. We found that the oncoprotein c-MYC was stabilized and triggered in HPV-positive cell lines. This resulted in the reduced binding of the MiT/TFE transcription factors to their autophagy targets due to c-MYC competition. Thus, knock-down of c-MYC induced the upregulation of autophagic and lysosomal genes in HPV-positive HNC cells, as well as the increase of autophagic markers at the protein level. Moreover, HPV oncoprotein E7 upregulated the expression of the phosphatase inhibitor CIP2A, accounting for c-MYC upregulation and stability in HPV + HNC cells. CIP2A mRNA expression negatively correlated with autophagy gene expression in tumor tissues from HNC patients, showing, for the first time, its implication in a transcriptional autophagic context. Both CIP2A and c-MYC knock-down, as well as pharmacological downregulation of c-MYC, resulted in increased resistance to Cisplatin treatment. Our results not only show a novel way by which HPV oncoproteins manipulate the host machinery, but also provide more insights on the role of autophagy in chemoresistance, with possible implications for targeted HPV-positive HNC therapy.
Realizing tight-binding Hamiltonians using site-controlled coupled cavity arrays
Authors: Majumdar Arka , Saxena Abhi , Manna Arnab , Trivedi Rahul
Published: February 2023

Analog quantum simulators rely on programmable quantum devices to emulate Hamiltonians describing various physical phenomenon. Photonic coupled cavity arrays are a promising platform for realizing such devices. Using a silicon photonic coupled cavity array made up of \(8\) high quality-factor resonators and equipped with specially designed thermo-optic island heaters for independent control of cavities, we demonstrate a programmable device implementing tight-binding Hamiltonians with access to the full eigen-energy spectrum. We report a \(\tilde50\%\) reduction in the thermal crosstalk between neighboring sites of the cavity array compared to traditional heaters, and then present a control scheme to program the cavity array to a given tight-binding Hamiltonian.
Documentation of phytochemicals, bio-toxicity and haemato-physiological responses at sub-lethal concentrations of Parthenium hysterophorus hydroethanolic extract in Cyprinus carpio: a concept of waste valorization as a phyto-ichthyotoxin
Authors: KHAN MD. IDRISH RAJA , Sharma Monika , Sonkar Parasmani , Komre Priyanka , Kumar Shashank , Barik Pabitra
Published: February 2023

In the present study, phytoextraction was performed through aqueous, alcoholic and hydroethanolic (80%) solvents followed by phytochemical profiling and evaluation of median lethal concentration (LC50) of hydroethanolic extract in Common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The haemato-immunological and biochemical response was evaluated at sub-lethal concentrations (T1: 0.395 mg l-1 and T2: 0.79 mg l-1 and control: devoid of extract) at three intervals (24, 48 and 96 h). The study revealed the presence of toxic constituents in extracts namely saponin, rotenone, tannin and alkaloid. Moreover, phytochemical typing exhibited the superior ability of hydroethanolic solvent and the extract was chosen for further biological activities. The anti-bacterial assay revealed the inhibitory capacity, whereas, phyto-haemagglutination revealed clumping of blood cells due to parthenium extract exposure. The haemagglutination limit test revealed the minimum concentration of extract causes agglutination was 1/96 and the haemolytic activity result exhibited clear lysis of fish RBCs. LC50 of parthenium was found to be 18.99 mg l-1. The study revealed that significant (p < 0.05) reduction in haemato-immunological indices alongside serum biochemical parameters. The results presented in the study emphasise locally available weed plant gajar ghas, P. hysterophorus as a non-chemical phyto-ichthyotoxin.
The recovery of the microbial community after plaque removal depends on periodontal health status
Authors: Wang Jinfeng , Li Xiaoqing , Yu Cheng , Zhang Bing , Shan Xiaogang , Mao Wenjun , Zhang Zicheng , Wang Chunyan , Jin Xiaoxia , Zhao Hui
Published: February 2023

Plaque accumulation and microbial community changes are important causes of periodontal disease. Cleaned plaque microorganisms reattach to form biofilms, but the recovery and outcome of plaque microbial communities in different periodontal health states are still unknown. In this study, we tracked the biofilm remodeling process in 206 dental plaque samples from 40 healthy periodontal, gingivitis and periodontitis volunteers at 6 time points before and after supragingival scaling. We found that microbial communities of different periodontal states changed asynchronously during the process, and the more severe the periodontal disease condition, the more lagged the recovery of plaque microorganisms to their original state after cleaning; this reflected a higher degree of plaque development in periodontitis samples. The plaque index and bleeding index were found to be significantly correlated with plaque recovery, especially the recovery of bacteria such as Abiotrophia and Capnocytophaga. Meanwhile, we found that the microbial community structure of different periodontal health states was most similar at the Day 3 after plaque cleaning, and the communities gradually differentiated and developed in different directions. Abiotrophia and other bacteria might play an important role in determining the development trend of plaque biofilms. The discovery of specific time points and bacteria was of great value in clarifying the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and in seeking targets for prevention and treatment.
IOT Based Wrist Band for Women Safety
Authors: Ebenezer V. , Falicica Uvaana , Baskaran Rithika , Celesty Agatha , Eden Sejal R
Published: February 2023

In the modern world, women now have tremendous success in every field. They can play, learn, and earn as much as men. But what about safety? Do they have the same secure environment that men and boys do? The answer is ”NO”. Women and girls have been subjected to numerous incidents, including acid throwing, rape, kidnapping, and harassment. It is common to read a lot of news like this in newspapers every day. These incidents make women feel unsafe in this society. Our freedom came a long time ago, but women still lack complete security in this society. All women can’t fight or shout all the time when some danger is happening to them. What can the physically challenged person and Children do? To make women feel safe, we designed ”Wrist Band” using IoT for Women Safety. As the sensors sense information from the body, it will always update the information such as pulse, temperature and vibration to the well wishers through the blynk app.
Tuberculosis Detection Using Chest X-Ray Image Classification by Deep Learning
Authors: Guia Sana Sahar , Laouid Abdelkader , Kara Mostefa , Hammoudeh Mohammad
Published: February 2023

Tuberculosis is a serious and widespread lung disease, not all patients
are usually detected. After the availability of high-resolution
chest x-rays, deep learning can now provide solutions for the successful
detection of this malignant disease and other possible applications
in the health sector. In this manuscript, a new deep learning
model for Tuberculosis detection using chest x-ray image classification,
employing a mixture of two popular pre-trained vgg16 and
vgg19 utilizing the ImageNet dataset, and block attention module
in order to obtain spatial data. We validate the presented method
through experiments on four popular datasets. After evaluating the
model on the test set, we achieve a score of 0.9992 for all metrics
(accuracy, precision, recall, f1-score).
Genetic heterogeneity of cardiomyopathy and its correlation with patient care
Authors: Kim Mi Jin , Cha Seulgi , Baek Jae Suk , Yu Jeong Jin , Seo Go Hun , Kang Minji , Do Hyo-Sang , Lee Sang Eun , Lee Beom Hee
Published: February 2023

Background: Cardiomyopathy, which is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous pathological condition, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Genetic diagnosis of cardiomyopathy enables accurate phenotypic classification and optimum patient management and counseling. This study investigated the genetic spectrum of cardiomyopathy and its correlation with the clinical course of the disease.
Methods: The samples of 72 Korean patients with cardiomyopathy (43 males and 29 females) were subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES). The familial information and clinical characteristics of the patients were reviewed and analyzed according to their genotypes.
Results: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy, and restrictive cardiomyopathy was detected in 41 (56.9%), 25 (34.7%), 4 (5.6%), and 2 (2.8%) patients, respectively. WES analysis revealed positive results in 29 (40.3%) patients. Subsequent familial testing identified nine additional familial cases. Among DCM cases, 15 (36.6%) patients exhibited positive results, with TTNvariations being the most common alteration, followed by LMNA and MYH7 variations. Meanwhile, among HCM cases, 13 (52%) patients exhibited positive results with MYH7 variations being the most common alteration. In six patients with positive results, extracardiac surveillance was warranted based on disease information. The incidence of worse outcomes, such as mortality and life-threatening arrhythmic events, in patients with DCM harboring LMNA variants, was higher than that in patients with DCM harboring TTN or MYH7 variants.
Conclusions: Diverse genotypes were identified in a substantial proportion of patients with cardiomyopathy. Genetic diagnosis enables personalized disease surveillance and management.
Temperature/Pressure/Humidity Coplanar Integrated SAW Sensor Based on LGS
Authors: Tan Qiulin , Liang Xiaorui , Zhang Lei , Cheng Wenhua , Hu Dan , Li Shuang , Xiong Jijun
Published: February 2023

In this paper, a three-parameter coplanar-integrated surface acoustic wave sensor based on Langasite is proposed. The micro-scale multi-parameter coplanar Temperature-Pressure-Humidity (TPH) sensor was developed by Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) techniques such as wet etching, hot pressing bonding, and lifting off. The Mxene@ MoS2@Go (MMG) composite material was used as the humidity-sensitive material to enlarge the range of the humidity test and improve the sensitivity of the sensor test, and the humidity-sensitive unit shows high performance with a fast response time (3.18 s) and recovery time (0.94 s). The TPH sensor has been tested, and the experimental results indicate that the sensor can operate steadily at 25–700°C, 0-700 kPa, and 10–98% RH. Besides, a temperature decoupling approach is presented to address the issue of multi-parameter mutual coupling and improve the measurement accuracy of the sensitive unit while measuring several parameters at the same time. These excellent results are attributed to the coupling between many parameters in complex environments. Also, our work can be applied to the simultaneous measurement of several parameters in challenging conditions.