bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MAIN POLITICAL TRENDS OF STATE ABOLITION UNDER CONDITIONS OF STRATEGIC INSTABILITY
Authors:   Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, KAFTAN  VITALY , MOLODTSOV  IGOR
Published: January 2023

The purpose of the research. The article is about the issues of ensuring the state security of the Russian Federation at the strategic level. There were analyzed main socio-political trends aimed at the usurpation of state power in various spheres of modern society, within which the most significant threats to the formation of strategic instability were identified. Conclusions. As a result of the study, the authors conclude that the main actors in the implementation of the “abolition of statehood” trends are representatives of transnational corporations, international non-governmental organizations, non-profit structures, as well as extremist-terrorist groups and various radical religious entities that are making various attempts to limit the power of state structures and on the organization on the territory of the Russian Federation of centers of socio-political tension.
RESULTS OF THE APPLICATION OF FUNCTIONAL CERAMICS IN COMPOSITION OF THE FE3O4-CAO2-TIO2 SLAG SYSTEM FOR WELDING ELECTRODE COATINGS
Authors: SAIDOV  RUSTAM , RAKHIMOV  RUSTAM , RAKHIMOVA  FATIMA
Published: January 2023

This article presents the results of research on the influence of the combined effect of nanostructured functional ceramics (NFC) of the ZKHM brand in the composition of coatings of welding electrodes of the Fe3O4-CaO2-TiO2 oxide system and electrode calcination using standard technology in electric furnaces and in furnaces using NFC radiation on the welding and technological properties of welding electrodes. According to the research results, the combined effect of additives of nanostructured functional ceramics ZKHM in the slag of electrode coatings and calcination of welding electrodes by the method using pulsed radiation ИК favorably affects such welding and technological properties of welding electrodes as the breaking length of the arc Lbla and the formation of the deposited metal ødp. The positive effect of nanostructured functional ceramics ZKHM on the losses factor for waste and splashing ψ, regardless of the methods of heat treatment of welding electrodes, the value of which is reduced by 2 times, has also been established.
SIMULATION OF AGGREGATION PROCESS IN CERIUM AND ZIRCONIUM DIOXIDE NANOPARTICLES
Authors:   Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation, VORONIN  MIKHAIL , GAVRILOVA  NATALIA , KOLTSOVA ELEONORA , ZHENSA ANDREY
Published: January 2023

A study of the aggregative stability of the CeO2-ZrO2 system was carried out in various pH ranges of the medium. To create a mathematical model of the stability of aggregates, the generalized DLVO theory was taken. The parameters of the structural component of the potential energy of particle interaction are determined using the principle of minimum entropy production. The limiting particle sizes of an an aggregatively stable system are determined.
activismo de Marca desde la óptica del sector académico, profesional y consultor
Authors: Asenjo McCabe Susana , Del Pino Romero Cristina
Published: January 2023

El Activismo de Marca es un conjunto de técnicas centradas en los esfuerzos empresariales para promocionar, impedir o dirigir la reforma o el estancamiento social, político, económico y/o ambiental con el deseo de promover o impedir mejoras sociales (Sarkar y Kotler, 2018). En esta investigación, se pretende arrojar luz sobre esta herramienta a través de la óptica de tres sectores: el académico, el profesional y el consultor, con una metodología basada en la técnica de la entrevista en profundidad aplicada a 28 profesionales, y el uso del programa ATLAS.ti. Las conclusiones a las que se han llegado son reveladoras y escalables a la práctica: el activismo de marca es una estrategia largoplacista, transversal y estratégica, con impacto externo e interno, de carácter reactivo (pretende solucionar un problema que ya existe), y dirigido a los consumidores, por cuanto desea posicionar la marca favorablemente ante ellos a partir de su activismo, pero también a la sociedad en general. Una potente herramienta cuyo uso aún tiene un amplio recorrido por delante en nuestro país.
A dual-amplification strategy-intergated SERS biosensor for ultrasensitive hepatocellular carcinoma-related telomerase activity detection
Authors: Shen Kang , Hua Weiwei , Ge Shengjie , Mao Yu , Gu Yuexing , Chen Gaoyang , Wang Youwei
Published: January 2023

Telomerase has been considered as a biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while the highly sensitive and specific methods remain challenging. To detect telomerase, a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensor was constructed using the dual DNA-catalyzed amplification strategy composed of strand displacement amplification (SDA) and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA). This strategy relies on the extension reaction of telomerase primer induced by telomerase, forming long-stranded DNAs with repetitive sequence to catalyze the follow-up SDA event. Subsequently, the SDA products can trigger the CHA reaction between the SERS probes (Au-Ag nanocages (Au-AgNCs) modified with hairpin DNA1 and Raman reporters) and capture substrate (Au@SiO2 array labeled with hairpin DNA2), resulting in the formation of numerous “hot spots” to significantly enhance the SERS signal. Results are promising that the established biosensor presented excellent reproducibility, specificity and sensitivity. Moreover, ELISA was applied as the golden standard to verify the application of the proposed biosensor in real samples and the results confirmed the satisfactory accuracy of our method. Therefore, the proposed SERS biosensor has the potential to be an ideal tool for the early screening of HCC.
Celsr1 and Celsr2 exhibit distinct adhesive interactions and contributions to planar cell polarity
Authors: Basta Lena P. , Sil Parijat , Jones Rebecca A. , Little Katherine A. , Hayward-Lara Gabriela , Devenport Danelle
Published: January 2023

Cadherin EGF LAG seven-pass G-type receptor (Celsr) proteins 1-3 comprise a subgroup of adhesion GPCRs whose functions range from planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling to axon pathfinding and ciliogenesis. Like its Drosophila ortholog, Flamingo, mammalian Celsr1 is a core component of the PCP pathway, which, among other roles, is responsible for the coordinated alignment of hair follicles across the skin surface. Although the role of Celsr1 in epidermal planar polarity is well established, the contribution of the other major epidermally expressed Celsr protein, Celsr2, has not been investigated. Here, using two new CRISPR/Cas9-targeted Celsr1 and Celsr2 knockout mouse lines, we define the relative contributions of Celsr1 and Celsr2 to PCP establishment in the skin. We find that Celsr1 is the major Celsr family member involved in epidermal PCP. Removal of Celsr1 function alone abolishes PCP protein asymmetry and hair follicle polarization, whereas epidermal PCP is unaffected by loss of Celsr2. Further, elimination of both Celsr proteins only minimally enhances the Celsr1−/− phenotype. Using FRAP and junctional enrichment assays to measure differences in Celsr1 and Celsr2 adhesive interactions, we find that compared to Celsr1, which stably enriches at junctional interfaces, Celsr2 is much less efficiently recruited to and immobilized at junctions. As the two proteins seem equivalent in their ability to interact with core PCP proteins Vangl2 and Fz6, we suggest that perhaps differences in homophilic adhesion contribute to the differential involvement of Celsr1 and Celsr2 in epidermal PCP.
Pigs with an INS point mutation derived from zygotes electroporated with CRISPR/Cas9 and ssODN
Authors: Tanihara Fuminori , Hirata Maki , Namula Zhao , Do Lanh Thi Kim , Yoshimura Naoaki , Lin Qingyi , Takebayashi Koki , Sakuma Tetsushi , Yamamoto Takashi , Otoi Takeshige
Published: January 2023

Just one amino acid at the carboxy-terminus of the B chain distinguishes human insulin from porcine insulin. By introducing a precise point mutation into the porcine insulin (INS) gene, we were able to generate genetically modified pigs that secreted human insulin; these pigs may be suitable donors for islet xenotransplantation. The electroporation of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into zygotes is frequently used to establish genetically modified rodents, as it requires less time and no micromanipulation. However, electroporation has not been used to generate point-mutated pigs yet. In the present study, we introduced a point mutation into porcine zygotes via electroporation using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate INS point-mutated pigs as suitable islet donors. We first optimized the efficiency of introducing point mutations by evaluating the effect of Scr7 and the homology arm length of ssODN on improving homology-directed repair-mediated gene modification. Subsequently, we prepared electroporated zygotes under optimized conditions and transferred them to recipient gilts. Two recipients became pregnant and delivered five piglets. Three of the five piglets carried only the biallelic frame-shift mutation in the INS gene, whereas the other two successfully carried the desired point mutation. One of the two pigs mated with a WT boar, and this desired point mutation was successfully inherited in the next F1 generation. In conclusion, we successfully established genetically engineered pigs with the desired point mutation via electroporation-mediated introduction of the CRISPR/Cas9 system into zygotes, thereby avoiding the time-consuming and complicated micromanipulation method.
Investigation of microorganisms in cannabis after heating in a commercial vaporizer
Authors: Sopovski Danielle S. , Han Jing , Stevens-Riley Marla , Wang Qiang , Erickson Bruce D. , Oktem Berk , Vanlandingham Michelle , Taylor Cassandra L. , Foley Steven L.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

There are concerns about microorganisms present on cannabis materials used in clinical settings by individuals whose health status is already compromised and are likely more susceptible to opportunistic infections from microbial populations present on the materials. Most concerning is administration by inhalation where cannabis plant material is heated in a vaporizer, aerosolized, and inhaled to receive the bioactive ingredients. Heating to high temperatures is known to kill microorganisms including bacteria and fungi; however, microbial death is dependent upon exposure time and temperature. It is unknown whether the heating of cannabis at temperatures and times designated by a commercial vaporizer utilized in clinical settings will significantly decrease the microbial loads in cannabis plant material.

Methods

To assess this question, bulk cannabis plant material supplied by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was used to assess the impact of heating by a commercial vaporizer. Initial method development studies using a cannabis placebo spiked with Escherichia coli were performed to optimize culture and recovery parameters. Subsequent studies were carried out using the cannabis placebo, low delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency and high THC potency cannabis materials exposed to either no heat or heating for 30 or 70 seconds at 190°C. Phosphate-buffered saline was added to the samples and the samples agitated to suspend the microorganism. Microbial growth after no heat or heating was evaluated by plating on growth media and determining the total aerobic microbial counts and total yeast and mold counts.

Results and discussion

Overall, while there were trends of reductions in microbial counts with heating, these reductions were not statistically significant, indicating that heating using standard vaporization parameters of 70 seconds at 190°C may not eliminate the existing microbial bioburden, including any opportunistic pathogens. When cultured organisms were identified by DNA sequence analyses, several fungal and bacterial taxa were detected in the different products that have been associated with opportunistic infections or allergic reactions including Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Aspergillus.
Therapeutic effect of oral quercetin in hamsters infected with Leishmania Viannia braziliensis
Authors: Santos Rosiane Freire dos , Da Silva Thayssa , Brito Andréia Carolinne de Souza , Inácio Job Domingos , Ventura Bianca Domingues , Mendes Michely Aparecida Polido , Azevedo Bruno Fonseca , Siqueira Larissa Moreira , Almeida-Amaral Elmo Eduardo , Dutra Patrícia Maria Lourenço , Da-Silva Silvia Amaral Gonçalves
Published: January 2023

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania that present manifestations ranging from cutaneous ulcers to the fatal visceral form. Leishmania Viannia braziliensis is an important species associated with American tegumentary leishmaniasis and the main agent in Brazil, with variable sensitivity to available drugs. The search for new therapeutic alternatives to treat leishmaniasis is an urgent need, especially for endemic countries. Not only is quercetin well known for its antioxidant activity in radical scavenging but also several other biological effects are described, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and pro-oxidant activities. This study aimed to investigate the flavonoid quercetin’s therapeutic potential in L. (V.) braziliensis infection. Quercetin showed antiamastigote (IC50 of 21 ± 2.5 µM) and antipromastigote (25 ± 0.7 µM) activities and a selectivity index of 22. The treatment of uninfected or L. (V.) braziliensis–infected macrophages with quercetin increased reactive oxygen species (ROS)/H202 generation without altering Nitric Oxide (NO) production. Oral treatment with quercetin of infected hamsters, starting at 1 week of infection for 8 weeks, reduced the lesion thickness (p > 0.01) and parasite load (p > 0.001). The results of this study suggest that the antiamastigote activity of the flavonoid quercetin in vitro is associated, at least in part, with the modulation of ROS production by macrophages. The efficacy of oral quercetin treatment in hamsters infected with L. (V.) braziliensis was presented for the first time and shows its promising therapeutic potential.
Role of peptidoglycan recycling enzymes AmpD and AnmK in Acinetobacter baumannii virulence features
Authors: Tajuelo Ana , Terrón María C. , López-Siles Mireia , McConnell Michael J.
Published: January 2023

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important causative agent of hospital acquired infections. In addition to acquired resistance to many currently-available antibiotics, it is intrinsically resistant to fosfomycin. It has previously been shown that AmpD and AnmK contribute to intrinsic fosfomycin resistance in A. baumannii due to their involvement in the peptidoglycan recycling pathway. However, the role that these two enzymes play in the fitness and virulence of A. baumannii has not been studied. The aim of this study was to characterize several virulence-related phenotypic traits in A. baumannii mutants lacking AmpD and AnmK. Specifically, cell morphology, peptidoglycan thickness, membrane permeability, growth under iron-limiting conditions, fitness, resistance to disinfectants and antimicrobial agents, twitching motility and biofilm formation of the mutant strains A. baumannii ATCC 17978 ΔampD::Kan and ΔanmK::Kan were compared to the wild type strain. Our results demonstrate that bacterial growth and fitness of both mutants were compromised, especially in the ΔampD::Kan mutant. In addition, biofilm formation was decreased by up to 69%, whereas twitching movement was reduced by about 80% in both mutants. These results demonstrate that, in addition to increased susceptibility to fosfomycin, alteration of the peptidoglycan recycling pathway affects multiple aspects related to virulence. Inhibition of these enzymes could be explored as a strategy to develop novel treatments for A. baumannii in the future. Furthermore, this study establishes a link between intrinsic fosfomycin resistance mechanisms and bacterial fitness and virulence traits.
Evolutionary dissection of monkeypox virus: Positive Darwinian selection drives the adaptation of virus–host interaction proteins
Authors: Zhan Xiao-Yong , Zha Gao-Feng , He Yulong
Published: January 2023

The emerging and ongoing outbreak of human monkeypox (hMPX) in 2022 is a serious global threat. An understanding of the evolution of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) at the single-gene level may provide clues for exploring the unique aspects of the current outbreak: rapidly expanding and sustained human-to-human transmission. For the current investigation, alleles of 156 MPXV coding genes (which account for >95% of the genomic sequence) have been gathered from roughly 1,500 isolates, including those responsible for the previous outbreaks. Using a range of molecular evolution approaches, we demonstrated that intra-species homologous recombination has a negligible effect on MPXV evolution. Despite the fact that the majority of the MPXV genes (64.10%) were subjected to negative selection at the whole gene level, 10 MPXV coding genes (MPXVgp004, 010, 012, 014, 044, 098, 138, 178, 188, and 191) were found to have a total of 15 codons or amino acid sites that are known to evolve under positive Darwinian selection. Except for MPXVgp138, almost all of these genes encode proteins that interact with the host. Of these, five ankyrin proteins (MPXVgp004, 010, 012, 178, and 188) and one Bcl-2-like protein (MPXVgp014) are involved in poxviruses’ host range determination. We discovered that the majority (80%) of positive amino acid substitutions emerged several decades ago, indicating that these sites have been under constant selection pressure and that more adaptable alleles have been circulating in the natural reservoir. This finding was also supported by the minimum spanning networks of the gene alleles. The three positive amino acid substitutions (T/A426V in MPXVgp010, A423D in MPXVgp012, and S105L in MPXVgp191) appeared in 2019 or 2022, indicating that they would be crucial for the virus’ eventual adaptation to humans. Protein modeling suggests that positive amino acid substitutions may affect protein functions in a variety of ways. Further study should focus on revealing the biological effects of positive amino acid substitutions in the genes for viral adaptation to humans, virulence, transmission, and so on. Our study advances knowledge of MPXV’s adaptive mechanism and provides insights for exploring factors that are responsible for the unique aspects of the current outbreak.
Epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and mortality risk factors of carbapenem resistant gram-negative bacteria in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients
Authors: Jia Yan , Li Yun , Liu Yi , Yang Ziyue , Chen Xuefeng , Liu Yanfeng
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Carbapenem resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) infection is more and more frequent in patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and the prognosis is very poor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality with CRGNB infection in HSCT recipients, and to provide useful information for guiding the application of antibiotics and improving the prognosis in the future.

Methods

Electronic medical records of CRGNB infected patients who underwent HSCT in Xiangya Hospital from January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2022 were collected. At the same time, 1:1 case-control matching was performed according to gender, age and disease type. The epidemiological characteristics and drug resistance of patients with CRGNB infection and non-CRGNB infection were compared. Logistic regression and Cox regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors for CRGNB acquisition and death respectively, and a prediction model of overall survival was constructed by R language.

Results and Discussion

The crude infection rate of CRGNB in HSCT recipients was 7.42%, and the mortality rate was 47.1%. CRGNB was resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. Time interval from diagnosis to transplantation >180 days (HR=7.886, 95% CI 2.624-23.703, P=0.000), septic shock (HR=6.182, 95% CI 2.605-14.671, P=0.000), platelet count < 20 × 109/L (HR=2.615, 95% CI 1.152-5.934, P=0.022) and total bilirubin > 34.2 μmol/L (HR=7.348, 95% CI 2.966-18.202, P=0.000) at the initial stage of infection were 4 independent risk factors associated with mortality. CRGNB infection has become a serious threat to HSCT recipients. Clinicians should pay high attention to it and actively seek personalized treatment strategies suitable for local medical conditions.
Effects of sacubitril/valsartan on cardiac reverse remodeling and cardiac resynchronization in patients with acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Yang Pei , Li Xiaokang , Wang Lijin , Wu Xinlei , Wang Chiyao , Li Tian , Wang Haiyan
Published: January 2023

Introduction

In 2014, the PARADIGM-HF trial (Prospective Comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure) has shown that sacubitril/valsartan can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from cardiovascular causes more effectively than enalapril (an ACEI) in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Similarly, the PARADIGM-HF trial (Comparison of Sacubitril-Valsartan vs. Enalapril on Effect on NT-proBNP in Patients Stabilized from an Acute Heart Failure Episode) came to similar conclusions and extended the PARADIGM-HF trial results in 2019. Since then, numerous new studies have provided further insight in HFrEF, sacubitril/valsartan can reduce N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, increase left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), reverse ventricular remodeling, and reduce other non-fatal manifestations of clinical deterioration as compared to ACEI/ARB. However, few trials have compared the effects of these drugs in patients shortly after AMI. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the clinical efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan vs. valsartan in patients with AMI.

Methods

We conducted an open-label, prospective, randomized controlled trial to determine the superiority in ameliorating ventricular remodeling and preventing of heart failure in patients with AMI after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), 148 patients were randomly assigned (85 to sacubitril/valsartan and 63 to valsartan).

Results

LAV, LVDV, and LVSV were all decreased in the sacubitril/valsartan group when compared with before treatment, but there was no difference between the sacubitril/valsartan group and the valsartan group. In addition, compared with before treatment in the sacubitril/valsartan group, the heart global work index (GWI) and the global work efficiency (GWE) increased, while the heart global wasted work (GWW) decreased. Patients in the sacubitril/valsartan group have similar MACE and adverse side effects to those in the valsartan group.

Conclusion

Sacubitril/valsartan has the same performance as valsartan in inhibiting ventricular remodeling and preventing heart failure after PCI in patients with AMI, and its clinical application is safe. It provides a clinical foundation for the application of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with AMI.
CSESnet: A deep learning P-wave detection model based on UNet++ designed for China Seismic Experimental Site
Authors: Li Boren , Fan Liping , Jiang Ce , Liao Shirong , Fang Lihua
Published: January 2023

Accurate detection of P-wave arrivals has important applications in real-time seismic data processing, such as earthquake monitoring and earthquake early warning. The Sichuan and Yunnan regions, where the China Seismic Experimental Site (CSES) is located, has frequent strong earthquakes and large amount small earthquakes, resulting in serious earthquake disasters. In this paper, we modify the UNet++ network structure and use 490,000 event waveform data and 78,000 noisy data from the CSES as the data set, and analyze the effects of the training set quality, labeled data and loss function on the model performance to obtain a new P-wave detection model-CSESnet. The recall, precision and F1 score of this model are 94.6%, 85.4% and 89.7%, respectively. The tests in Beijing Capital Circle (BCC) indicates the performance of the CSESnet decrease little and has good generalization. The test in Luxian M6.0 earthquake shows that CSESnet can also predict the P-wave arrival times of large earthquakes and process strong motion data very well. CSESnet provides a new detection model to improve the earthquake detection capability in CSES.
A new species of Decimoconularia (Cnidaria, Medusozoa) from the Lower Cambrian of South China
Authors: Song Zuchen , Guo Junfeng , Han Jian , Van Iten Heyo , Qiang Yaqin , Peng Jiaxin , Sun Jie , Zheng Yajuan , Huang Xinyao , Zhang Zhifei
Published: January 2023

Hexangulaconulariids, a family of biradially symmetrical medusozoan cnidarians, have been widely reported from the Lower Cambrian of South China. The four currently recognized genera of hexangulaconulariids differ from each other mainly in the number of faces in the abapical region of the periderm. However, previously published illustrations of the monospecific type genus, Hexangulaconularia, clearly show two distinct morphotypes, one with six faces and the other with 10. Specimens with 10 faces are herein reassigned to the genus Decimoconularia. In addition, the new species D. anisfacialis is described from the Kuanchuanpu Formation (Cambrian Fortunian Stage) in the Kuanchuanpu and Shizhonggou sections in Ningqiang County, southern Shaanxi Province, China. Also described are additional specimens of H. formosa from the same formation in the Zhangjiagou section in Xixiang County, southern Shaanxi Province, and from Member 2 of the Yanjiahe Formation (Cambrian Fortunian Stage) in western Hubei Province. The discovery of D. anisfacialis extends the known stratigraphical range of Decimoconularia, now composed of two species, downward from Cambrian Stage 2 into the Fortunian Stage. Additionally, certain specimens previously assigned to H. formosa are reassigned to D. anisfacialis. The diagnoses of Hexangulaconularia, Decimoconularia, and Hexangulaconulariidae are emended accordingly. In accordance with the rule of time priority, the previously designated type genus and species, Hexaconularia He and Yang, 1986 and Hexaconularia sichuanensis He and Yang, 1986, are replaced herein by Hexangulaconularia He, in Xing et al., 1983.
Estimation of broadband ground motion characteristics considering source parameter uncertainty and undetermined site condition in densely populated areas of Pingwu
Authors: Ji Zhiwei , Li Zongchao , Sun Jize , Gao Mengtan , Li Tiefei , Huang Ting , Li Na , Guo Xiangyun
Published: January 2023

Three destructive earthquakes occurred in Pingwu and Songpan, Sichuan Province, China, between August 16 and 23, 1976. Due to the seismic monitoring capability at that time, the ground motion characteristics of these earthquakes are very vague. Realistc and reliable strong ground motion input plays an important role in seismic building design and urban-scale earthquake damage simulation. This study reproduces the main broadband ground motion characteristics of the 1976 Ms7.2 Songpan earthquake in densely populated areas of Pingwu. The empirical Green’s function method and finite difference method are used to simulate high-frequency and low-frequency ground motion, respectively, and the broadband ground motion is obtained by superposition within the frequency range. In addition, in combination with the “Recipe” source parameter scheme, various uncertainties in the source parameters are considered, including the source mechanism, source depth, asperity parameters, etc. We obtain 36 kinds of broadband ground motion at six typical locations in the Pingwu area. Moreover, we test the rationality of the obtained broadband ground motion by ground motion prediction equations(GMPEs), and the broadband ground motions are consistent with the local ground motion characteristics. The results show broadband ground motions obtained from the scenario earthquake in this paper can meet the destructive capacity of earthquakes of this magnitude. The hybrid method can effectively compensate for the lack of long-period components of the original empirical Green function method. This research also proves that the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of ground motion is mainly contributed by high-frequency ground motion components. Long-period ground motion contributes most to the peak ground velocity (PGV), and about twice the contribution of high-frequency ground motion. Concerning the Chinese seismic intensity scale (GB/T 17742-2020) and China Seismic Ground Motion Parameter Zoning Map (GB18306-2015), the basic fortification intensity in the Pingwu area is VIII. In this paper, the seismic intensity of PWN is VI-VII, indicating that the buildings at this location are less likely to be damaged after the earthquake. The seismic intensity of other regions is VII-IX and buildings are more likely to be damaged during the earthquake at these locations. There are many mountains and valleys in the Pingwu area, and the probability of landslides, debris flows, and other disasters after an earthquake is very high, and we should give special attention to the impact of secondary disasters caused by earthquakes. It is necessary to prevent dammed lakes and other disasters caused by landslides and debris flows.
Spatial heterogeneity of the lithospheric destruction of the North China Craton: Evidence from an extended magnetotelluric sounding profile
Authors: Ji Leizhe , Ye Gaofeng , Jin Sheng , Ma Xingzhi , Wei Wenbo , Wang Shuo , Qi Jialin , Lei Qing , Gu Jiangfan
Published: January 2023

To study the spatial heterogeneity of the North China Craton (NCC) destruction, this paper used a magnetotelluric sounding (MT) profile that passes through almost the entire NCC from west to east. Three-dimensional inversion is used to obtain a lithospheric resistivity model of the NCC. The results show that the upper crust of the Ordos Block is characterized by high resistivity. The lower crust to the upper mantle is characterized by low resistivity. The resistivity structure below the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) has stratification features; The Shanxi Graben shows high-low-high-low resistivity features from the upper crust to the asthenosphere; The lithosphere of the Lüliang and Taihang uplifts show high-resistivity features, and only some local relatively low-resistivity areas appear at the crust-mantle boundary. The upper crust on both sides of the Tan-Lu Fault Zone is characterized by high resistivity, but the resistivity structures of the lower crust and the lithospheric mantle are significantly different; The lower crust and the lithospheric mantle of the Sulu Orogenic Belt on the east are characterized by high resistivity; The Luxi Uplift on the west is represented by low resistivity. We propose that the mantle low-resistivity bodies (C1 and C4) of the Western and Eastern blocks may be related to the upwelling of partial melting materials along the ancient structurally weak zones in the lithosphere. The TNCO still has a typical Archean cratonic lithosphere, and the low-resistivity body C2 may be the remnant of the subducted oceanic crust. The Tan-Lu Fault Zone is structurally weak in the Eastern Block, while its western branch is a channel for the asthenospheric upwelling. We propose that the lithosphere of the northwestern Ordos Block and the Yinchuan-Hetao area is being destructed, and the TNCO is in the initial stage of being destructed. In contrast, the lithosphere of the Eastern Block has been severely destructed. In conclusion, affected by the subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate and the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, the ancient structures in the NCC were reactivated in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, resulting in the spatial heterogeneity of the NCC destruction.
Differentially expressed tRNA-derived fragments and their roles in primary cardiomyocytes stimulated by high glucose
Authors: Zhao Yongting , Wang Ruxin , Qin Qi , Yu Jiaojiao , Che Hui , Wang Lihong
Published: January 2023

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that can cause malignant arrhythmia and sudden death and is associated with cardiomyocyte dysfunction induced by hyperglycemia. Emerging evidence has revealed that transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs), a novel class of noncoding RNAs, play a crucial role in a variety of pathophysiologic processes, including cell death, cell growth and proliferation. However, it remains unknown whether and how tRFs are involved in cardiomyocyte dysfunction during the progression of DCM. In this study, we found that cardiomyocyte abnormalities were induced by high glucose (HG) treatment, as demonstrated by a decrease in cell viability and autophagy activation as well as an increase in cell death and proinflammatory cytokine release. Moreover, HG treatment resulted in differential expression of tRFs in cardiomyocytes, of which 4 upregulated and 1 downregulated tRFs were observed compared with the control group. The differential expression of 4 upregulated tRFs was primarily involved in cardiac dysfunction-related processes, such as autophagy, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, MAPK signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, insulin resistance and peroxisome pathways based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Furthermore, we found that tRF-5014a, the most significantly upregulated tRF among all tested tRFs, negatively regulated the expression of the autophagy-related protein ATG5. Importantly, inhibition of tRF-5014a not only abolished autophagy inactivation but also attenuated the decrease in cell viability and increase in cell death as well as proinflammatory cytokine release under HG conditions. These findings suggest that tRFs may contribute to HG-induced cardiomyocyte injury during DCM progression.
Longitudinal trends in lipid profiles during pregnancy: Association with gestational diabetes mellitus and longitudinal trends in insulin indices
Authors: Shen Lixia , Wang Dongyu , Huang Yihong , Ye Lisha , Zhu Caixia , Zhang Shaofeng , Cai Shiqin , Wang Zilian , Chen Haitian
Published: January 2023

Objective

To investigate the correlation of trends in lipid profiles from first to second trimester with trends in insulin indices and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods

Secondary analysis of an ongoing prospective cohort study was conducted on 1234 pregnant women in a single center. Lipid profiles, glucose metabolism and insulin indices were collected in the first and second trimesters. Trends in lipid profiles were divided into four subgroups: low-to-low, high-to-high, high-to-low and low-to-high group. Insulin indices including homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index were calculated to evaluate insulin resistance (IR). Trends in insulin indices were described as: no IR, persistent IR, first-trimester IR alone and second-trimester IR alone. Pearson correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed to assess the associations of lipid profiles subgroups with insulin indices and GDM.

Results

First- and second-trimester total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were strongly correlated to first- and second-trimester insulin indices. Only TG had a sustained correlation with glucose metabolism indices. High-to-high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was an independent risk factor for GDM. High-to-high TG and high-to-low TG groups were independent risk factors for persistent IR. High-to-high TG and low-to-high TG groups were independent risk factors for second-trimester IR alone.

Conclusion

TG has a sustained correlation with insulin indices and glucose metabolism indices. Persistently high TG is an independent risk factor for persistent IR and second-trimester IR alone. Regardless of whether pregnant women have first-trimester IR, lower TG levels help reduce the risk for persistent IR or subsequent development of IR. These results highlight the benefit of lowering TG levels in early and middle pregnancy to prevent the development of IR.
The clinical outcomes of imaging modalities for surgical management Cushing’s disease – A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Koh Chan Hee , Khan Danyal Z. , Digpal Ronneil , Layard Horsfall Hugo , Ali Ahmad M. S. , Baldeweg Stephanie E. , Bouloux Pierre-Marc , Dorward Neil L. , Drake William M. , Evanson Jane , Grieve Joan , Stoyanov Danail , Korbonits Márta , Marcus Hani J.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Cushing’s disease presents major diagnostic and management challenges. Although numerous preoperative and intraoperative imaging modalities have been deployed, it is unclear whether these investigations have improved surgical outcomes. Our objective was to investigate whether advances in imaging improved outcomes for Cushing’s disease.

Methods

Searches of PubMed and EMBASE were conducted. Studies reporting on imaging modalities and clinical outcomes after surgical management of Cushing’s disease were included. Multilevel multivariable meta-regressions identified predictors of outcomes, adjusting for confounders and heterogeneity prior to investigating the effects of imaging.

Results

166 non-controlled single-arm studies were included, comprising 13181 patients over 44 years.

The overall remission rate was 77.0% [CI: 74.9%-79.0%]. Cavernous sinus invasion (OR: 0.21 [CI: 0.07-0.66]; p=0.010), radiologically undetectable lesions (OR: 0.50 [CI: 0.37–0.69]; p<0.0001), previous surgery (OR=0.48 [CI: 0.28–0.81]; p=0.008), and lesions ≥10mm (OR: 0.63 [CI: 0.35–1.14]; p=0.12) were associated with lower remission. Less stringent thresholds for remission was associated with higher reported remission (OR: 1.37 [CI: 1.1–1.72]; p=0.007). After adjusting for this heterogeneity, no imaging modality showed significant differences in remission compared to standard preoperative MRI.

The overall recurrence rate was 14.5% [CI: 12.1%-17.1%]. Lesion ≥10mm was associated with greater recurrence (OR: 1.83 [CI: 1.13–2.96]; p=0.015), as was greater duration of follow-up (OR: 1.53 (CI: 1.17–2.01); p=0.002). No imaging modality was associated with significant differences in recurrence.

Despite significant improvements in detection rates over four decades, there were no significant changes in the reported remission or recurrence rates.

Conclusion

A lack of controlled comparative studies makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Within this limitation, the results suggest that despite improvements in radiological detection rates of Cushing’s disease over the last four decades, there were no changes in clinical outcomes. Advances in imaging alone may be insufficient to improve surgical outcomes.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42020187751.
A detection model of scaling attacks considering consumption pattern diversity in AMI
Authors: Zhang Xialei , Chang Da , Liao Xuening
Published: January 2023

As an important branch of the Internet of Things, the smart grid has become a crucial field of modern information technology. It realizes the two-way information flow and power flow by integrating the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distributed energy resources, which greatly improves users’ participation. However, owing to smart meters, the most critical components of AMI, are deployed in an open network environment, AMI is a potential target for data integrity attacks. Among various attack types, the scaling attack is the most typical one, because it can be used as a general expression for most of other ones. By launching a scaling attack, adversaries can randomly reduce hourly reported values in smart meters, thereby causing economic losses. A number of research efforts have been devoted to detecting data integrity attacks. Nonetheless, most of the existing investigations focus on all attack types, and little attention has been paid to a detection strategy specially designed for scaling attacks. Our contribution addresses this issue in this paper and hence, developing a detection model of scaling attacks considering consumption pattern diversity (SA2CPD), to ensure that scaling attacks can be effectively detected when users have multiple consumption patterns. To be specific, we leverage Kmeans to distinguish different consumption patterns, and then the consumption intervals can be extracted to binarize the data. We divide time periods in every day into two categories based on the binarization values, and use one of them with the greatest information gain to construct a decision tree for judgment. Both theoretical and simulation results based on the GEFCom2012 dataset show that our SA2CPD model has a higher F1 score than the decision tree model without considering consumption pattern diversity, the KNN model and the Naive Bayes model.
Performance optimization and kinetic analysis of HNO3 coupled with microwave rapidly modified coconut shell activated carbon for VOCs adsorption
Authors: Rong Xing , Cao Qing , Gao Yan , Du Xin , Dou Huawei , Yan Min , Li Shijie , Wang Qian , Zhang Zhanchao , Chen Baoming
Published: January 2023

As a typical carbon-based material, activated carbon (AC) has satisfied adsorption performance and is of great significance in the field of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollutants removal. In order to further reveal the optimization mechanism of AC adsorption performance, coconut shell-based AC was selected as the research object, and different concentrations of HNO3 coupled with microwave were used for rapid modification and activation. The characteristic changes of pore structure and surface chemical of AC before and after rapid modification were analyzed, and the performance changes of VOCs absorption were discussed from the perspective of reaction kinetics. The pore structure and surface chemical properties of before and after modification were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmeta-Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Boehm titration. The results showed that HNO3 coupled with microwave could significantly eliminate impurities in the pores of AC. After impregnation in HNO3 at a concentration of 1.5 mol L−1 and under microwave irradiation of 900 W, the number of micropore on the surface of samples increased slightly. When the impregnation concentration of HNO3 continued to increase, the two adjacent pore structures of the samples merged, which lead to a large decrease in the number of micropore and a corresponding increase in the proportion of mesoporous. Meanwhile, the specific surface area SBET of the modified NAC-6 sample increased to 1,140.40 m2 g−1, and the total acidic oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface increased by 0.459 mmol g−1 compared to that of the unmodified raw carbon. Furthermore, by analyzing the experimental results of formaldehyde adsorption on AC samples, it was concluded that the saturated adsorption capacity of the modified NAC-6 sample was 43% higher than that of the raw carbon. This study provides a more convenient and faster modification method for AC in the field of gas phase pollutants purification, which is helpful to realize the practical engineering application of AC with high efficiency, energy saving and sustainable.
Numerical study on the hydrodynamic performance of a symmetrical dual-chamber oscillating water column wave energy converter
Authors: Li Meng , Yang Zehua , Wu Rukang , Wu Bijun
Published: January 2023

In this study, a novel floating oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter (WEC) with dual chambers is proposed, and its hydrodynamic performance and primary energy conversion characteristics are investigated by numerical calculation. It consists of a floating body and two long vertical pipes opening downward at the bottom, forming dual chambers at the top. These two rectangular pipes are fixed to the front and back ends of the buoyancy tank with the same width, and it can be regarded as an oscillating single floating body as a whole. Under the action of the incident wave, the WEC captures wave power by the heave motion and relative motion of the pipe and the water column in it to form an oscillating water column, outputting pneumatic power. The geometry size of the vertical pipes is optimized by comparing the hydrodynamic performance and capture width ratio (CWR) of the WEC models with several rectangular pipes of different sizes. The calculation results show that increasing the draft, which is positively correlated with the total mass of the WEC model, increases its optimal response period. By comparing the numerical calculation results of the hydrodynamic performance and CWR of the WEC models with three kinds of floater bottom shapes, semi-cylindrical, sharp-bottomed, and flat-bottomed, it is found that the flat-bottomed model has the best capture performance.
Research on the identification method of safety wearing of electric power workers based on deep learning
Authors: Chen Zetao , Ma Cangui , Ren Jie , Hao Fangzhou , Wang Zengyu
Published: January 2023

Aiming at the difficulties of manual monitoring and compliance with the current wear identification of electric power workers, the detection and identification of safety helmets, work clothes, and insulating gloves are used to carry out normative identification and warning, and a deep learning-based power worker safety wear identification method is proposed in this paper. The AlexNet and Inception are introduced to increase the width and depth of the artificial neural network. At the same time, the ReLU activation function with better performance is used to reduce the amount of network computation, and the Global Average Pooling layer is used to replace the fully connected layer with more parameters. The improved convolution neural network model has a total of 13 layers. In order to prevent the network from overfitting, the Early-stopping mechanism and the L2 regularization method are used to improve the performance of the network model. The experimental results show that the algorithm can achieve a good recognition effect on the staff who do not wear safety according to the regulations in the video, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm in practical application are verified.