bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mild cognitive impairment is associated with effect of uremic toxin on gray matter structural changes in end-stage kidney disease
Authors: Yuan Huijie , Luo Zhaoyao , Yang Jing , Ma Shaohui , Li Peng , Wang Xinyi , Su Hang , He Ronghua , Mu Junya , Zhang Yuchen
Published: November 2024

To investigate the grey matter volume (GMV) changes and uremic toxin in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (ESKD-MCI) and further examine the classification and diagnostic efficacy of these features for ESKD-MCI patients. A total of 65 patients with ESKD, including 34 ESKD-MCI and 31 with non-cognitive impairment (ESKD-NCI), and 55 health controls (HCs) were enrolled. All participants underwent brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) test. Clinical characteristics and GMV differences among these three groups were analyzed. In addition, mediation analysis was performed to determine the mediating effect of GMV changes on the association between clinical risk factors and MCI. Finally, support vector machine were employed to examine the classification and diagnostic efficacy of GMV changes and clinical features for MCI. Both patient groups exhibited widespread structural brain injury compared with the HCs. Moreover, compared with ESKD-NCI, ESKD-MCI patients demonstrated reduced GMV specifically in the left middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. Notably, these GMV changes completely mediates the effect of serum phosphorus levels on MCI. Furthermore, imaging features rather than serum phosphorus levels had good classification and diagnostic efficacy for ESKD-MCI. Our findings underscore the significance of the left temporal gyrus as a pivotal brain region in ESKD-MCI patients, fully mediating the link between uremic toxin and MCI. GMV alterations presents a promising avenue for effectively detecting MCI in individuals with ESKD.
Environmental salinity differentially impacts branchial and hepatic carbohydrate metabolism in tilapia
Authors: Chang Ryan J. A. , Celino-Brady Fritzie T. , Breves Jason P. , Seale Andre P.
Published: November 2024

In response to changes in environmental salinity, euryhaline fishes mobilize energy to support the active transport of ions across osmoregulatory epithelia. Cortisol operates as both a glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid in fishes and supports salinity acclimation, in part, by modulating the energetic pathways that regulate glucose availability. Glycogen synthase (GS) and glycogen phosphorylase (GP) are key controllers of carbohydrate metabolism given their promotion of glycogenesis and glycogenolysis, respectively. Nonetheless, the coordinated responses of GS, GP, and glucose transporters (GLUTs) in the liver and gill to changes in salinity remain unresolved. In the current study, we initially subjected Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) to unidirectional transfers, from either fresh water (FW) to seawater (SW) or from SW to FW. Then, we transferred FW- and SW-acclimated tilapia to a tidal regime (TR) where salinity alternated between FW and SW every 6 h. Whether fish were transferred from SW to FW in a unidirectional fashion or to a TR, glucose increased following transfer to FW or during the FW-phase of the TR (TF) relative to the SW-phase (TS). Conversely, hepatic glycogen was higher in SW- or TS-fish versus fish in TF. In FW and TF, branchial expression of the gill-specific isoform of GP (gpg) was downregulated, whereas gs was upregulated. Branchial gpg was upregulated in fish unidirectionally transferred from FW to SW or sampled during TS. Hepatic gp and gs expression increased following transfer from SW to FW. Moreover, while branchial glut1 was downregulated following transfer from FW to SW, glut1 was transiently upregulated in the liver. In both liver and gill, glut1 was higher in fish in TF versus TS. Gill filament explants incubated with cortisol exhibited diminished glut1 expression irrespective of media osmolality. Our collective data indicate that environmental salinity differentially modulates hepatic and branchial glycogen metabolism in euryhaline tilapia.
Exploring biomarkers in Fabry disease: GDF15, LGALS3, and oxidative stress
Authors: KUŞ Berna , terzi Menderes Yusuf , Turgut Faruk Hilmi , Arpacı Abdullah
Published: November 2024

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked rare lysosomal storage disorder. The absence of alpha-galactosidase-A enzyme activity leads to the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in various cells, causing multi-organ damage. The aim of our study was to explore various parameters that may be clinically valuable in the pathogenesis including growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1), galectin-3 (LGALS3), and oxidative stress parameters in patients with FD. We included 25 Fabry patients along with 28 healthy volunteers. Serum levels of LGALS3, GDF15, and LRG1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) parameters were measured using a colorimetric method, and oxidative stress index (OSI) values were calculated. Additionally, routine biochemical parameters (glucose, ALT, AST, BUN, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid) of both patient and control groups were measured. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to evaluate the discriminatory ability of certain parameters in Fabry patients. Biochemical parameters were similar between the groups. In the patient group, GDF15, LGALS3, and TAS values were significantly higher compared to the control group. The area under the curve (AUC) values obtained from the ROC analysis for LGALS3, GDF15, sodium, TAS, TOS, and OSI parameters were 0.7821, 0.6957, 0.8879, 0.6714, 0.5016, and 0.5699, respectively. Parameters LGALS3, GDF15, and TAS are considered to possess discriminatory characteristics for FD.
Postoperative adjuvant immunotherapy versus standard of care in resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with intermediate- and high-risk factors: a real-world retrospective study
Authors: Shi Xiaoqiong , Zhu Minhui , He Jianqiao , Gao Yingna , Ma Yi , Li Haopu , Yu Guoning , Zhao Lin , Zheng Hongliang , Zhang Caiyun
Published: November 2024

Improving the prognosis of patients with LA-HNSCC who have intermediate- and high-risk factors has long been a priority for head and neck surgeons. Immunotherapy, particularly programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor, has shown promise. However, there are currently no reports on the use of PD-1 inhibitors for postoperative adjuvant treatment of these patients. This retrospective study included 59 postoperative intermediate- and high-risk patients with LA-HNSCC. These patients were divided into two groups: a standard therapy group, consisting of patients who received only postoperative risk-adapted adjuvant (chemo)radiation (n = 34), and an adjuvant immunotherapy group, consisting of patients who received adjuvant immunotherapy as a follow-up maintenance regimen after the standard of care (n = 25). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors was the main outcome. The 2-year PFS and OS rates in the adjuvant immunotherapy group were 80.0% and 95.0%, respectively, compared to 62.1% (χ2 = 2.465, P = 0.116) and 79.3% (χ2 = 2.434, P = 0.119) in the standard therapy group. Stratified analysis showed that the 2-year PFS rate for patients in the adjuvant immunotherapy group with programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 20 significantly improved compared to the standard therapy group (92.9% vs. 62.1%, χ2 = 4.644, P = 0.031). No serious immune-related adverse events were detected in the adjuvant immunotherapy group. Our study suggests administering PD-1 inhibitor as adjuvant therapy after standard of care shows a trend towards improving 2-year PFS in postoperative intermediate- and high-risk patients with LA-HNSCC. This trend is more pronounced in patients with a CPS of 20 or higher. Future clinical trials are needed to verify these results.
Spatial Prioritization for the Implementation of Payments for Ecosystem Services Programs in the Feijão River Basin, São Carlos-Sp, Brazil
Authors: Cunha Tiago Pedro Silva da , de Sousa Matheus Natan Ferreira Alves , Ramalho José Arthur do Nascimento , Pereira Caio Víctor Macêdo , Costa Carlos Wilmer
Published: November 2024

Essential for maintaining life on Earth, ecosystem services also have economic value as scarce goods subject to human appropriation. However, the value of these services may be lost because landholders generally receive no compensation for the benefits their land provides for others. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are an alternative solution to this problem, whereby the beneficiaries of ecosystem services reward the providers of these services with a view to producing positive externalities. Based on this concept, the study aimed to develop and apply a methodological approach to identify priority areas for the implementation of PES programs in the Feijão River Basin (FRB), São Carlos, São Paulo state (SP), Brazil. To that end, a soil erosion vulnerability map was developed by reinterpreting information available in thematic maps characterizing the physical, biotic, and anthropic environments of the Feijão River Basin, using the methodology of Crepani et al. (2001) in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. Additionally, economic valuation of the productive activities carried out on each property listed in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) was performed based on land cover mapping and the Net Present Value (NPV) and Equivalent Annual Value (EAV) methods. Finally, spatial prioritization of the watershed for PES program implementation was achieved by cross-referencing information on environmental vulnerability and economic value. This resulted in a priority area of ​​1,382.97 ha, with an EAV of $97,887.54, corresponding to the intersection between areas most vulnerable to soil erosion and pasture areas, which have the lowest opportunity cost.
Strong impact of orally administered BCR4 defensin on aphid survival, embryo development and symbiotic cells in three Acyrthosiphon pisum parthenogenetic lines
Authors: Terrasson Hugo , Gaget Karen , Lapetoule Garance , Rahioui Isabelle , Renoz François , Benhamou Sylvain , Jouve Chrystele , Sivignon Catherine , Duport Gabrielle , Aucagne Vincent , Simon Jean-Christophe , Ribeiro-Lopes Mélanie , Calevro Federica , Silva Pedro Da
Published: November 2024

Aphids are major crop pests capable of colonizing the main plants grown for human consumption. They have specialized cells, the bacteriocytes, which house the obligatory symbionts Buchnera aphidicola that provide them with essential nutrients missing from their diet. Bacteriocyte-specific cysteine-rich peptides (BCRs) are encoded by a defensin gene family exclusively present in aphids and specifically expressed in bacteriocyte. One BCR family member, BCR4, has been shown to have insecticidal properties against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum(Hemiptera: Aphididae). In the present study, we exposed the pea aphid to different doses of BCR4 and examined the impact on aphid survival, mass, anatomy, fecundity, as well as on bacterial symbiosis. As different pea aphid lines with various symbiotic status may be differently affected by stress, we investigated the effect of BCR4 ingestion on three different A. pisum lines: LL01 and YR2-amp, that are mono-infected with B. aphidicola, and YR2-Ri, that is genetically identical to YR2-amp but also contains the extracellular facultative symbionts Regiella insecticola. Our results show a strong dose-response effect of BCR4 on LL01 survival and a more moderate effect on both YR2 lines, while an impact on the mass was observed in the three lines. Histological analyses revealed severe embryonic developmental defects due to the treatment. Finally, BCR4 treatment reduced symbiont quantity, with B. aphidicola being more affected than R. insecticola. This study supports the idea that BCR4 could act as a key regulator of aphid symbiosis and development, and highlights its potential as a candidate bioinsecticide for pest control.
Leveraging Large Language Models to Build a Cutting-Edge French Word Sense Disambiguation Corpus
Authors: Mehdoui Mouheb , Fraisse Amel , Zrigui Mounir
Published: November 2024

With the increasing amount of data circulating over the Web, there is a growing need to develop and deploy tools aimed at unraveling semantic nuances within text or sentences. The challenges in extracting precise meanings arise from the complexity of natural language, while words usually have multiple interpretations depending on the context. The challenge of precisely interpreting words within a given context is what the task of Word Sense Disambiguation meets. It is a very old domain within the area of Natural Language Processing aimed at determining a word’s meaning that it is going to carry in a particular context, hence increasing the correctness of applications processing the language. Numerous linguistic resources are accessible online, including WordNet [1], thesauri[2], and dictionaries, enabling exploration of diverse contextual meanings. However, several limitations persist. These include the scarcity of resources for certain languages, a limited number of examples within corpora, and the challenge of accurately detecting the topic or context covered by text, which significantly impacts word sense disambiguation.This paper will discuss the different approaches to WSD and review corpora available for this task. We will contrast these approaches, highlighting the limitations, which will allow us to build a corpus in French, targeted for WSD.
Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi): A metabolomics and network pharmacology approach highlighting BACE1 and MAO-B as potential targets
Authors: Amrutha S , Parvaje Ravishankar , Abhinand Chandran S. , Prasad Thottethodi Subrahmanya Keshava , Modi Prashant Kumar
Published: November 2024

Tinospora cordifolia has been used for thousands of years to treat various health conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. The study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action and protein targets of T. cordifolia in the context of Alzheimer’s disease through untargeted metabolomics and network pharmacology. LC-MS/MS analysis resulted in 1186 metabolites, including known bioactive compounds such as liquiritin, Plastoquinone 3, and Shoyuflavone A, to name a few. The network pharmacology analysis highlighted the metabolite-protein interaction with the enrichment of 591 human proteins, including neurotransmitter receptors and other regulatory proteins. Pathway analysis highlighted the enrichment of cAMP, mTOR, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways along with cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, glutamatergic synapse, and apoptosis. The docking results suggest that T. cordifolia metabolites could interact with key Alzheimer's disease targets BACE1 and MAO-B, suggesting its role in neuroprotection. These findings provide insights into the biochemical pathways underlying T. cordifolia's therapeutic effects and provides a foundation for future exploration of T. cordifolia in the context of translational research.
Exploring the efficacy of eco-friendly flame-retardant finish for cotton fabric using Banana Pseudostem saps and phytic acid
Authors: Islam Tarikul , Rasel Sm Mahiuddin , Roy Raktim , Hossen Md. Tanvir , Hossain Shahin , Rahman Mahbubur , Kabir Mohashin , Repon Md. Reazuddin , Maurya Sandeep Kumar , Jalil M. Abdul
Published: November 2024

This study investigated the potential of eco-friendly substances, namely Banana PseudostemSap (BPS) and phytic acid (PA), to enhance the flame-retardant properties of cotton fabric. The process involved applying various concentrations of BPS to pre-mordanted bleached cotton fabric. The treated fabrics were then analyzed for vertical flammability and LOI (Limiting Oxygen Index). Notably, fabrics treated with a 400% concentration of BPS showed exceptional flame-retardant properties. They achieved a Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) of 27.5, while the control fabric had an LOI of 18.0, with a significant increase of 1.5 times. In the vertical flammability test, the BPS-treated fabric burned briefly and self-extinguished. In contrast, the control fabric exhibited sustained burning, with the treated fabric burning nearly 5 times slower, propagating at 30 mm/min. SEM results revealed the deposition of flame-retardant finishes on the fabric surfaces. FTIR and EDX were employed to identify chemical entities in the fabric. Importantly, post-treatment evaluation of tensile strength and breaking elongation revealed no significant changes in the cotton fabrics, reassuring the quality of the fabric. These findings underscore the potential utility of BPS and phytic acid as effective flame-retardant agents for cotton fabrics, offering promising avenues for sustainable textile manufacturing.
Discordance Between Clinical and Pathologic Findings on Post-Induction Kidney Biopsy in Pediatric Patients with Proliferative Lupus Nephritis
Authors: Raschke Robin , Crane Clarkson , Sheets Robert , Nourbakhsh Noureddin , Benador Nadine , Ingulli Elizabeth , Shayan Katayoon , Yorgin Peter , Carter Caitlin
Published: November 2024

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosed during childhood is associated with higher rates of mortality and lupus nephritis compared to adult-onset SLE. Lupus nephritis (LN) itself is independently associated with higher mortality and proliferative lupus nephritis (ISN/RPS Class III and Class IV) is associated with an increased risk of progression to end stage kidney disease. Once a diagnosis of LN has been confirmed on initial kidney biopsy, the utility and optimal timing for subsequent biopsies in LN has not been established. There is known discordance between the clinical parameters used to diagnose LN and the histopathologic classification. Often clinicians are uncertain about the impact of titration in immunosuppression when relying solely on clinical parameters. Purpose To explore the utility of a subsequent kidney biopsy in guiding treatment of LN after induction therapy and to determine if the standard clinical signs of kidney disease can be used to target repeat kidney biopsy to the patients most likely to benefit from the information obtained.
Methods This study was a single center retrospective cohort study of SLE patients who underwent kidney biopsy for lupus nephritis at Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego (RCHSD). Subjects were stratified based on their Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) renal response into complete renal response (CRR) and incomplete renal response (IRR) groups at the time of the second biopsy. Demographic data were not distributed normally, therefore a non-parametric Wilcoxon paired t-test was used for comparison of continuous variables. The Chi squared test was used for categorical data between remission groups. Single predictor and multiple predictor logistic regression models were utilized to assess the relationship between clinical factors and histologic findings on second biopsy.
Results At the time of second biopsy, both groups had lower SLEDAI scores compared to first biopsy, and CRR group had significantly lower SLEDAI scores compared to IRR group. Of the other clinical markers assessed at time of second biopsy, including age, dsDNA, serum C3, change in C3 between biopsies, and serum C4, none were found to be significantly different between the two groups. Findings on second biopsy influenced immunosuppressive therapy decisions in both CRR and IRR groups.
Conclusions Currently available clinical markers of disease remission in lupus nephritis after induction therapy are insufficient to identify children with ongoing evidence of persistent proliferative nephritis. Follow up kidney biopsy is low risk and can be used to guide therapy in children with SLE and nephritis.
Efficient Classification and Wireless Communication for Electrooculography Signals Based on Internet of Things and Machine Learning (IoT-ML) Algorithms
Authors: El-Gindy Saly Abd-Elateif , El-Samie Fathi E. Abd
Published: November 2024

In this paper, we investigate an Internet of Things (IoT)-based platform utilizing Electrooculography (EOG) to assist, control, and monitor a smart home environment in real-time for patients with motor disabilities. Users can interact with the intelligent environment through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that offers predefined options for controlling doors, windows, lights, air conditioning, temperature, and TV functions. The proposed approach is based mainly on utilization of two transforms namely Stockwell (S-transform) and Wavelet transforms respectively for detection of abrupt changes EOG signals. Several signal statistical features including maximum, minimum, mean, median, Root Mean Square (RMS), standard deviation, Zero Crossing Rate (ZCR), Mean Curve length (MCL), kurtosis and skewness of the processed signals are utilized to characterize the EOG signals which have been applied for the classification stage to detect one of eye movement directions including: up, down, right, left, no movement or blinking. Two different wavelet families including Daubechies (db4) and Symlets (Sym4) wavelets are considered. The proposed approach was conducted on a data set which acquired by a custom device to measure and record EOG signals. Then, the decomposed horizontal and vertical signals are grouped into a vector to be the inserted as an input to the classification models. Finally, the data are classified using three types of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Kernel Neural Network (KNN) and Ensemble Tree (ET) classifiers. The result of the proposed method outperforms the results of the other previous published methods when using different evaluation metrics. A high average accuracy of 97.7% is achieved from SVM using db4 which demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method
Antiviral siRNA Delivered Using Attenuated, Anthrax Toxin Protects Cells from the Cytopathic Effects of Zika Virus
Authors: Feron Benedita K. L. , Gomez Timothy , Youens Natalie C. , Mahmoud Nourhan A. M. , Abdelrahman Hadeer K. S. , Bugert Joachim J. , Richardson Simon C. W.
Published: November 2024

Curative drugs are needed for the treatment of viral infections. Small interfering (si)RNA offer such a prospect but require the development of safe, effective and non-hepatotropic subcellular delivery systems. Here, 5 candidate siRNA molecules targeting defined sequences within the Zika virus (ZIKV) genome were assayed for their ability to reduce ZIKV induced cytopathic effects in vitro. The protection of Huh7 cells from ZIKV cytopathic effects was recorded after electroporation and the siRNA Feron-Zv2, resulted in 122.7 ± 5.3% cell viability (n = 3 ± standard error of the mean (SEM), 100nM siRNA) after exposure to ZIKV relative to a virus treated control (35.2 ± 7.1% cell viability (n = 3 ± SEM)). Protection of BHK cells was recorded after transfection with an attenuated anthrax toxin containing an RNA binding domain. Treatment with Feron-Zv4, resulted in 75.1 ± 2.9% cell viability (n = 3 ± SEM, 25nM siRNA) after exposure to ZIKV. This protection was mirrored by a system containing octameric PA where a maximum of 86.2 ± 4.4% cell viability was reported (n = 3 ± SEM, 75nM siRNA)) after treatment with Feron-Zv2. Scrambled siRNA afforded no measurable protection. Here we report for the first time that siRNA delivered by either attenuated anthrax toxin or octamer forming ATx can protect mammalian cells from ZIKV cytopathic effects.
In-Vitro Study of Co-Electrospun PCL/Gelatin/Chitosan Scaffolds Enhanced with Carbon Nanotube for Cartilage Regeneration
Authors: Irani Mohammad , Nasirtabrizi Mohammad Hossein , Ezzatzadeh Elham , Sadeghianmaryan Ali
Published: November 2024

Cartilage tissue regeneration is a significant challenge in orthopedics, especially with the aging population. This study introduces a novel co-electrospun scaffold composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), gelatin, chitosan, and carbon nanotubes (CNT) for cartilage tissue engineering. The scaffold was doped with varying CNT concentrations to optimize its properties. In-vitro tests were performed to assess scaffold morphology, chemical composition, water-scaffold interaction, mechanical properties, and cell viability. Scaffolds with 0.1 and 0.2% CNT (0.2 CNT) showed homogenous morphology, while the 0.4% CNT resulted in non-homogeneity. The 0.2 CNT scaffold demonstrated hydrophilicity (64.5° contact angle), adequate swelling, favorable biodegradation, and suitable mechanical properties for cartilage regeneration. It supported cell viability, and no dead cells were detected in the live/dead test. Additionally, it showed 95.5 ± 1.5% cell viability after seven days in MTT assay. Therefore, the 0.2 CNT scaffold is a promising candidate for cartilage tissue engineering and is proposed for further in-vivo investigation.
Mammalian diversity in the relict semi-natural forest in the campus of Jimma Institute of Technology (JIT), southwester
Authors: Serbesa Debere Hailu , Gadisa Tsegaye , Natea Gadisa , Habitamu Tadese
Published: November 2024

Mammals in small fragmented habitats, particularly those in or adjacent to cities and towns could serve as population stock source with significant economic, ecological, social, cultural and conservation values. This study was conducted to assess the diversity, habitat preference and relative abundances of medium and large sized mammals in the fragmented semi-natural forest and the surrounding wetland and farmland habitats in the Jimma Institute of Technology (JIT) campus, Jimma city, from December 2018 to August, 2019. Three habitat types (forest, wetland and farmland) were identified. Line transect, sensor camera traps and indirect methods were used to collect data from all the three habitat types. A total of 15 species of medium and large sized mammals from six orders and 10 families were recorded from the area. Order Carnivora was represented by five species, Artiodatayla by four, primates by three species, while, orders Lagomorpha, Hyracoidea and Rodentia were represented by a single species each. Comparatively, species diversity was high in the farmland during the wet season (H’ = 2.52) and the least diversity was from the wetland (H’ = 1.4) during the same season. While Chlorocebus aethiopis was the most abundant (26.21%) species in all habitats, Canis aures was the least (1.4%). Despite the dominating human disturbance the small fragmented natural forest and its surrounding wetland and farmland in JIT campus still hosted diverse wildlife species signifying the value of such habitats in cities. Therefore, the authorities of JIT campus are recommended to give special attention and protect the area from any future development activities.
Retinal Bionic Super-Resolution Reconstruction Network: Enhancing Image Details through Hierarchical Feature Fusion
Authors: Jia Xiaofen , Liu Junjun , Zhao Baiting , Liang Zhenhuan
Published: November 2024

Utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for image super-resolution reconstruction has emerged as a pivotal technology to enhance image quality. However, existing deep learning models often lack fine details, resulting in unnaturally appearing reconstructed images. Drawing inspiration from the retinal information processing mechanism, we propose a novel super-resolution reconstruction method named RBSRNet. This method employs a lateral inhibition module (LIM) to mimic the regulatory mechanism of horizontal cells, enabling local inhibition and enhancement of shallow extracted features, thereby efficiently extracting high-frequency information. Furthermore, by simulating the information integration mechanism of bipolar cells, we design an enhanced hierarchical feature fusion block (EHFFB) and a hierarchical fusion network (HFN). These components facilitate effective fusion and enhancement of features at different levels, improving the model's representational capacity. Experimental results on four datasets demonstrate that RBSRNet significantly outperforms advanced methods, particularly in texture detail recovery. Specifically, RBSRNet achieves an average PSNR that is 0.26dB higher than IRN on the Urban100 dataset, with reconstructed images exhibiting superior visual effects and richer texture details. The source code is available at https://github.com/Ljjsisr/RBSRNet.
A Robust Image Forgery Detection and Localization Approach based on Context-Aware Attention Pooling and Convolutional Block Attention Module for Improved Detection Performance
Authors: Ghosh Debolina , Naskar Ruchira , Chakraborty Bidesh
Published: November 2024

Image manipulation technology has emerged and developed quickly, posing a threat to many facets of our society. Consequently, the identification of picture alteration has become more crucial. Though considerable progress has been made, past approaches to forgery detection did not account for the differences in the size of the tampered areas in each fake image. In this research, we argue that the primary cause of the low precision is the network’s incapacity to handle tampering regions of different sizes. We suggest Context-Aware Attentional pooling-based U-Net structures because of their simplicity in implementation, ease of integration , emphasis on feature relevance, scalability, noise reduction, and computing efficiency. It extends the capabilities of the U-Net by incorporating residual propagation and feedback, an attention gate, and Context-aware Attentional pooling (CAP) with Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM). The concept of channel mixing is larger in CBAM, which may indicate a more integrated method of managing spatial information and channel dependencies. In order to maximise 1 feature extraction, multiscale context understanding, and ultimately more accurate and dependable forensic analysis, spatial attention, channel attention, and Context-Aware Attentional Pooling (CAP) are integrated into image forensics. This model’s inclusion of Context-Aware Attentional Pooling (CAP) and Channel Attention (CA) improves its robustness against noise and compression, and improves detection accuracy and localisation with both global and local context, making it perform better than other state-of-the-art models. This combination is a potent method in the field of image forensics since it is very good at identifying subtle and intricate image manipulation.
Multiscale Modelling of European Beech Decline: The Role of Long-Term Climate Deviations and Local Environmental Factors
Authors: Lemaire Jean , Vennetier Michel , Prévosto Bernard , Cailleret Maxime
Published: November 2024

Fagus sylvatica L. is a main forest tree species in Europe but has been subjected to massive decline events over the last decades. This phenomenon has been mainly attributed to the increase in drought frequency and intensity, but it is unclear how the local specificities in stand structure, climatic, soil and topographic conditions interact, and if statistical models are able to capture the high spatial and temporal variability in tree decline. To fulfil this objective, we measured 5380 Fagus sylvatica trees from 308 plots distributed in four regions of France with contrasting environmental conditions, and designed models predicting decline at both regional and national scales. These models aimed at assessing the percentage of stems by plot with at least 50% crown biomass loss based on 229 dendrometric, topographic, soil and climatic variables. The climatic factors explained most of the variability in stand decline, especially the long-term deviations from the 30-years mean in maximal temperature and in hydric deficit. Regional models were the most efficient in predicting beech decline in their calibration areas (Q² varied from 0.26 to 0.42) as they better consider the local environmental factors. They were less effective in the other regions, and the national model was an acceptable compromise on a larger scale. These statistical models provide valuable insights for forest managers and could be improved through a more detailed temporal stand monitoring to control the effects of management and decline dynamics.
Addressing Barriers to Migrant Participation in Research
Authors: Price Kathryn , Lenart Andrew , Taknint Joelle T. , Gellatly Resham , Alshabani Nuha
Published: November 2024

This “Notes from the Field” article discusses implementation strategies used to increase equity and access to research study participation among migrants. Common barriers to research participation for this population (e.g. language access, informed consent) limit the perspective of migrants within immigrant and refugee health scholarship, reducing the applicability of findings to diverse populations. We aimed to characterize barriers and solutions to migrants’ participation in research. Study participants included asylum-seeking patients at the largest safety net hospital in New England. Two researchers analyzed field notes, reflexivity notes, and standard operating procedure adaptations. Four themes emerged including challenges of conducting qualitative interviews with interpreters, technology literacy, reimbursement woes, and role of the researcher. The goal of the study was to uplift the experience of migrant research participants, describe challenges in the research process, and present recommendations to migrant participation in research. We provide lessons learned for immigrant and refugee health scholars.
Keywords: qualitative research, research methods, migrants, minoritized populations, and research ethics
Evaluation of short-middle Earth rotation parameter forecasting: multi-scales effects and multi-data solutions
Authors: Shi Kunpeng , Ding H.D , Chen X.C , Hu X.H , Jiang W.J , Sun H.S
Published: November 2024

Predicting Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP) is crucial for the precise positioning and navigation both on Earth’s surface and space. As complex variations of the Earth's rotation, ranging from high-frequency trembles, inter-annual to -decals oscillations, however, high-precision ERP predictions are rather challenging. For the accurate predictions of these stable signals, we develop an simple, adaptive yet high-precision HSA + AR model improved in muti-scales frequencies: (1) Hankel-z quarter-parameters {A, α, f, θ} (amplitude, damping, frequency, phase) harmonic fit of Chandler, Annual/Semi-annual wobbles over the past 10-years; (2) Multiple-peaks low-frequency fit over the 1962-now; both of step (1)-(2) termed as HSA method and (3) AR modelling of the irregular residual variations. In the secular stability test, our results derived from final IERS C04 ERP solutions can largely reduce the forecast errors beyond 60% in each ERP components (within 1–90 days), compared the LS + AR methods. Considering the superior short-term calibration by ERP high-frequency terms and surface fluid excitation, we determine the rapid GNSS ERP (HSA (rapid) + AR, low latency) and GFZ EAM solutions (HSA (rapid) + AR (EAM)) as predictive ERP basis. In the real experiments, HSA (rapid) + AR (EAM) in short-term (1–20 days) and HSA (rapid) + AR in middle-term (20–90 days) predictions significantly surpass the benchmark from the official IERS Bulletin A predictions and mostly studies in the same predictive epochs. Both rapid ERP and EAM solutions are featured with a shorter latency of 1–2 days. Therefore, our strategy further advanced the real-time ERP predictions greatly compared to the existing predictive solutions, which support various scientific and operational applications in future.
Blockade of TREM-1 alleviates alveolar epithelial cell senescence through Nrf2-mediated antioxidant pathways in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Xiong Jian-Bing , Zhang Chen-Yu , Jin Ling , Yang Nan-Shi-Yu , Sha Han-Xi , Liu Yu-Biao , Duan Jia-Xi , Guan Cha-Xiang , Zhou Yong , Su Feng , Zhong Wen-Jing
Published: November 2024

Our previous study showed that blocking triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1) attenuate bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in mice. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that blockade of TREM-1 during the fibrotic phase attenuated BLM-induced PF in mice, with less expression of the senescence-relative protein, including p16, p21, p53, and γ-H2AX in the lung tissue. Moreover, TREM-1 blockade during the fibrosis stage restored the anti-oxidant levels by increasing the percentage of Nrf2- and HO-1-positive cells in PF mice. Notably, TREM-1 was highly expressed in SFTPC-positive alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) in PF mice. In vitro, blocking TREM-1 activated Nrf2 anti-oxidant signaling, thereby decreasing intracellular ROS and diminishing BLM-induced senescence of AECs. Furthermore, inhibition of the Nrf2/HO-1 partially counteracted the anti-senescence effect of blocking TREM-1 in BLM treated-AECs. In conclusion, our findings elucidate new insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with TREM-1 and AEC senescence in the pathogenesis of PF.
Exploring The Impact Of Asset Diversification On Financial Performance:(An Explanatory Study Of Ethiopian Commercial Banks)
Authors: Yimer Mitku Malede
Published: November 2024

The study was mainly intended to explore the impact of asset diversification on financial performance of thirteen purposely selected Ethiopian commercial banks with seven consecutive years of data for a period 2011–2021 considering the availability of data. An explanatory research design had been employed to determine the impact of asset diversification on financial performance. In the mean time, quantitative approach was used to construct empirical model. banks’ financial performance measured using return on asset and four variables used to measure asset diversification were; cash holding, fixed asset, foreign deposit and NBE Bills which twas predictor variables. Again, Size of the bank was considered as control variable. And then, Pooled panel regression model employed to analyze the collected data. The result pretend that, cash holding has a positive but marginally insignificant effect on financial performance, fixed asset and foreign banks deposit have positive and significant effect on financial performance and NBE Bills has negative and significant effect on banks financial performance. Ultimately, it had been concluded that, asset diversification has a significant effect on financial performance in the Ethiopian commercial banking sector. Hence, a researcher suggest that, banks need to optimize their asset diversification so as to realize maximum profit and minimize cost of fund based on the result of the study.
Positiver Einfluss der elektrischen Pharynx-Stimulation (PES) bei tracheotomierten Patienten mit therapie-refraktärer Dysphagie : eine Fallserie aus der Neurologischen Frührehabilitation
Authors:   , Georgiadi Sofia
Published: November 2024

Neurogene Dysphagie stellt ein klinisches Syndrom mit erhöhter Prävalenz und breitem Komplikationsspektrum dar.

Persistierende Dysphagieformen bedürfen oft der Versorgung mit einer Trachealkanüle und Ernährungssonden. Trotz deren Vorteile als lebensrettende Maßnahmen, ist deren prolongiertes Vorliegen mit schwerwiegenden Folgen und erhöhter Mortalität assoziiert. Daraufhin ist die Entwöhnung von der Trachealkanüle vorrangiges Ziel im Bereich der neurologisch-neurochirurgischen Frührehabilitation (NNFR). Allerdings sind die zur Verfügung stehenden Behandlungsmöglichkeiten deutlich limitiert. Ein innovatives Neurostimulationsverfahren stellt die elektrische Pharynx-Stimulation (PES) dar, wobei durch eine spezielle transnasale Magensonde mit aufgebrachten Elektroden die elektrische Stimulation der pharyngealen Schleimhaut erfolgt. Der therapeutische Nutzen der PES wurde bisher mehrfach gezeigt, insbesondere bei Schlaganfallpatienten. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob PES einen positiven Einfluss auf die Rückbildung von persistierenden Schluckstörungen bei schwer betroffenen, tracheotomierten Patienten in der NNFR zeigt.
История землетрясений в Крыму: Эволюция историографических парадигм
Authors: В.В. Хапаев
Published: November 2024

В статье изучена эволюция гипотез о причинах крымских землетрясений и их возможной связи с сейсмическими событиями, происходившими в других регионах планеты, в первую очередь, в окрестностях Константинополя. Показано, что ошибочные представления первых исследователей Крыма о том, что отдаленные сейсмические события могут иметь разрушительные последствия для Крыма, прочно укоренились в историографии и господствовали вплоть до конца ХХ в., и не только в среде историков и археологов, но и представителей естественных наук. Это приводило к значительным искажениям в описании древней и средневековой истории полуострова. Лишь в начале XXI в. начали формироваться представления о сейсмической истории Крыма, исходящие из того, что только землетрясения, происходившие в крымско-черноморском сейсмическом регионе, могли иметь разрушительные последствия для полуострова.
Epigenética no Desenvolvimento do Câncer Pulmonar
Authors: Rodrigues Vitória Thaisy Cordeiro , Rossi Erik Ferreira Noske , Silva Pedro de Queiroz Schuwartz , Santo Ana Carolina de Paula do Espirito
Published: November 2024

O principal objetivo deste estudo é levar informações importantes a respeito de como funciona a associação da epigenética no desenvolvimento de câncer pulmonar. O Câncer pulmonar é o com maior incidência entre homens e o terceiro entre mulheres em escala global, em mortalidade é o primeiro entre os homens e o segundo entre as mulheres em estimativas de 2020 (INCA, 2022). Para realizar este estudo foram empregados artigos de referência e fontes acadêmicas como Scielo, Google Acadêmico, Inca e Pubmed. Também foram utilizados os descritores "Câncer de Pulmão", "Epigenética de Tumores", "Epigenetic", "Epigenomics" e "Lung Pulmonar". Foram utilizados apenas estudos entre 2014 e 2024 assim como apenas materiais que apresentem dados comprovados cientificamente. A partir deste estudo pode-se concluir que quando identificado precocemente o câncer de pulmão pode resultar em uma maior porcentagem de recuperação. Foi possível também traçar um perfil dos pacientes que apresentam câncer pulmonar, sendo esse: mais comum no sexo masculino e estando profundamente associado ao tabagismo.
Nexus between risk factors and financial performance: The case of Ukrainian advertising and marketing companies
Authors: Zavalii Tetiana , Lehenchuk Serhii , Poyda-Nosyk Nina , Ishchenko Yana , Hrabchuk Oleksandr
Published: November 2024

The study aims to examine the impact of risk factors of Ukrainian advertising and marketing companies on their financial performance (ROA and ROE). The study was conducted using ordinary least squares regression analysis based on an examination of the activities of 435 companies in 2022. The total number of risk factors (Risk Total) and the ten most common risk factors (10 fixed risk factors) associated with the activities of Ukrainian advertising and marketing companies, calculated using the YouControl database, were selected as independent variables. 10 fixed risk factors were interpreted as dummy variables, which allowed incorporating qualitative information about risk factors of Ukrainian advertising and marketing companies into regression analysis models. Control variables (company age, company size, financial leverage, population at the place of company registration, and total solvency ratio) were added to enhance the determination level of the models. Of these, the statistically significant ones were Company size, which increases ROA and ROE; Financial leverage, which increases ROE; and Company age, which decreases ROE. Of the 11 independent variables that characterized companies’ risk factors, only three were confirmed to significantly impact financial performance indicators (risk factor “Location in the housing stock” reduces ROA and ROE; risk factor “Frequent institutional changes” increases ROA; risk factor “Found match by full name with a politically exposed person” reduces ROE).
Assessing the foreign economic security of Ukraine
Authors: Yehorova Yuliia , Chorna Svitlana , Petrushenko Yuriy , Zhuravka Fedir , Potapenko Khrystyna , D’yakonova Iryna , Zamora Oksana
Published: November 2024

The study aims to assess the state of Ukraine’s foreign economic security and the challenges associated with its ensuring. The integrated assessment methodology of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine was employed, which is based on a quantitative analysis of indicators that reflect the state of foreign economic security. It involves the characteristics of each indicator in terms of stimulators or destimulators, their normalization, and consideration of weighting coefficients. In order to identify the long-term trends, the official national accounts statistics, data from the World Bank, and the Economic Development Observatory for the period 2004–2023 were employed; the assessment is based on ten indicators. The results demonstrate that the main factors affecting the foreign economic security index are global economic crises, domestic political changes, and a full-scale war with russia. At the same time, the growth of foreign economic security is recorded in the period of stabilization during the implementation of structural reforms: 2005–2008 – the period after the Orange Revolution, 2014–2016 – the period of growth after the Revolution of Dignity, 2021 – post-pandemic recovery. In 2022–2023, the security index declined to 31.5% and 35.7%, respectively, as a consequence of the outbreak of a full-scale russian-Ukrainian war. The findings also emphasize the need to develop domestic capacities to ensure the sustainability of foreign economic activity, as well as the importance of maintaining and planning national export infrastructure in the face of global challenges.
AcknowledgmentThis article is published as an output of the project VEGA 1/0392/23: “Changes in the approach to the development of distribution management concepts of companies influenced by the impact of social and economic crises caused by the global pandemic and increased security risks” and funded by the EU NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under the project No.09103-03-V01-00042.This study was financially supported by the NATO SPS Program “Security of territorial communities: evidence from the Eastern European countries”.In addition, this article is published as an output of the project “Economic bases for managing Ukraine’s debt security during martial law” (No. 0121U112685).
Factors and Determinants of Derivatives Use – An Indian Perspective
Authors: Bhadra Subhajit , Singh Namrata
Published: November 2024

Usage of derivatives have steadily and gradually increased in India by their wide adoption across corporate entities. However, there exist sharp contrast among various segments and sectors. Key factors that are enablers and deterrents of selection and application of such instruments by the business organizations have been assessed in the present paper. Essentially a handful of research publications are used as secondary resources to deal with the topic. Besides some common paper, research works across non-financial segment, IT sector and multiple sectors have been duly reviewed. It is found that usage of derivatives have some critical features in Indian context as against the developed economies. Generally the common risk factors associated with business organization force them to adopt a risk management policy framework, whereas decisions reading derivatives are linked with firms capacity, level of perception, financial performance level usually measured by key ratios, international transactions and currency rate fluctuations, market linked factors ad interest rate, volatility in earnings & cash flows are transaction costs identified to be the primary concerns. Tax burden and policy level issues and regulation are also found to be critical in specific cases. Many such factors are having varied impact across sectors and industries.