bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A centrality measure for quantifying spread on weighted, directed networks
Authors: Fink Christian G. , Fullin Kelly , Gutierrez Guillermo , Omodt Nathan , Zinnecker Sydney , Sprint Gina , McCulloch Sean
Published: March 2023

While many centrality measures for complex networks have been proposed, relatively few have been developed specifically for weighted, directed (WD) networks. Here we propose a centrality measure for spread (of information, pathogens, etc.) through WD networks based on the independent cascade model (ICM). While deriving exact results for the ICM requires Monte Carlo simulations, we show that our centrality measure (Viral Centrality) provides excellent approximation to ICM results for networks in which the weighted strength of cycles is not too large. We show this can be quantified with the leading eigenvalue of the weighted adjacency matrix, and we show that Viral Centrality outperforms other common centrality measures in both simulated and empirical WD networks.
Predictive value of inflammatory burden index in patients with acute myocardial infarction and non-hyperlipidemia
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhou Tian , Ma Chang , Han Xuexue , Zhang Tianxing , Li Qinxue , Xia Jinggang
Published: March 2023

Background
The inflammatory burden index (IBI) is a novel indicator to assess the systemic inflammatory response. Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and non-hyperlipidemia still experience major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). This study aims to investigate the relationship between IBI and in-hospital prognosis in patients with AMI and non-hyperlipidemia.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 835 patients with AMI and non-hyperlipidemia. The receiver operator characteristic curve was used to compare the prognostic predictive value of systemic inflammation biomarkers. Associations between IBI continuous levels or quartile groups and in-hospital outcomes were evaluated by restricted cubic spline and Logistic regression adjusted for clinical factors and cardiovascular biomarkers.
Results
Compared with other systemic inflammation biomarkers, the IBI had the highest accuracy in predicting in-hospital MACE (C-statistic = 0.639, p < 0.001). IBI was positively and significantly associated with MACE risk. For every 50-U change in IBI, the risk of MACE increased by 5.1% (p = 0.046), and the same trend was observed in the restricted cubic spline. In the multivariate model, IBI exhibited an independent risk factor for composite MACE (quartile 4 versus quartile 1 odds ratio, 2.296; 95% confidence interval, 1.262–4.178, p = 0.003). In terms of each specific adverse event, IBI was associated with ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and cardiovascular death.
Conclusion
Inflammation still plays an important role in patients with AMI and non-hyperlipidemia. IBI was closely associated with in-hospital prognosis, might have better predictive value and become a new target for anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with AMI and non-hyperlipidemia.
Goldenhar syndrome complicated with subglottic airway stenosis: a case report.
Authors: Xing Fei , Deng Xiao ming , Yang Dong
Published: March 2023

Background
Goldenhar syndrome is a congenital disease that involves an absence or underdevelopment of structures that arise from the first and second pharyngeal arches and more or less severe extracranial anomalies. A variety of supraglottic malformations may be observed, including mandibular hypoplasia, mandibular asymmetry and micrognathia. Subglottic airway stenosis (SGS), which can cause difficulties in airway management during the perioperative period, is seldom emphasized in literature descriptions of Goldenhar syndrome, but can be clinically significant.
Case presentation
An 18-year-old female with a history of Goldenhar syndrome presented for placement of a right mandibular distractor, right retroauricular dilator, and stage I transfer of a prefabricated expanded flap under general anesthesia. During tracheal intubation, the endotracheal tube (ETT) met resistance unexpectantly when attempting to pass through the glottis. Subsequently, we attempted the procedure with a smaller size ETT but again met resistance. With fiberoptic bronchoscope, we found that the whole segment of the trachea and bilateral bronchi were obvious narrow. Given the finding of unexpected severe airway stenosis and the associated risks with proceeding with the surgery, the operation was cancelled. We removed the ETT once the patient was fully awake.
Conclusions
Anesthesiologists should be aware of this clinical finding when evaluating the airway of a patient with Goldenhar syndrome. Coronal and sagittal measurements on computerized tomography (CT) and three-dimensional image reconstruction can be used to evaluate the degree of subglottic airway stenosis and measure the diameter of the trachea.
Clinical impact of diarrhea during enteral feeding after esophagectomy
Authors: Haneda Ryoma , Hiramatsu Yoshihiro , Kawata Sanshiro , Soneda Wataru , Murakami Tomohiro , Booka Eisuke , Matsumoto Tomohiro , Morita Yoshifumi , Kikuchi Hirotoshi , Takeuchi Hiroya
Published: March 2023

Background: Enteral feeding (EF) is recommended to enhance nutritional status after esophagectomy; however, diarrhea is a common complication of EF. We investigated the clinical and prognostic impact of diarrhea during EF after esophagectomy.
Methods: One hundred and fifty-two patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy were enrolled. The King's stool chart was used for stool characterization. The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between a non-diarrhea (Group N) and diarrhea group (Group D).
Results: A higher dysphagia score (≥ 1) was observed more frequently in Group D than in Group N (45.7% vs. 19.8%, p = 0.002). Deterioration of serum total protein, serum albumin, serum cholinesterase, and the prognostic nutritional index after esophagectomy was greater in Group D than in Group N (p = 0.003, 0.004, 0.014, and 0.001, respectively). Patients in Group D had significantly worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS)than those in Group N (median survival time (MST): OS, 21.9 vs. 30.6 months, p = 0.001; RFS, 12.4 vs. 27.7 months, p < 0.001). In stratified analysis due to age, although there was no difference in OS with or without diarrhea in young patients (MST: 24.1 months in a diarrhea group vs. 33.6 months in a non-diarrhea group, p = 0.218), patients in a diarrhea group had significantly worse OS than those in a non-diarrhea group in elderly patients (MST: 17.8 months vs. 27.9 months, p< 0.001).
Conclusions: Diarrhea during EF can put elderly patients at risk of postoperative malnutrition and a poor prognosis after esophagectomy.
Tuning the acidity of halloysite by polyionic liquid to develop an efficient catalyst for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
Authors: Sadjadi Samahe , Yaghoubi Soheila , Zhong Xuemin , Yuan Peng , Heravi Majid M.
Published: March 2023

In attempt to prepare a low-cost and efficient acidic heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural under mild reaction conditions, the acidity of halloysite was improved by covalently grafting of an acidic polyionic liquid. More precisely, halloysite was first vinyl functionalized and then polymerized with vinyl imidazole and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. The tangling imidazole rings were further converted to acidic ionic liquids by treating with chlorosulfuric acid. UV-Vis spectroscopy and Hammett equation confirmed that conjugation of acid polyionic liquid resulted in the increase of the acidity of halloysite. Investigation of the efficiency of the catalyst for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and optimization of reaction variables showed that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural was yielded in 97.8% after 30 min under the optimum conditions, i.e. catalyst loading of 20 wt% at 70°C. Notably, the catalyst was highly reusable and it could be reused for at least seven reaction runs with insignificant loss of its activity. Furthermore, this catalyst could also promote the conversion of sucrose and maltose to give moderate yields of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.
Tuberculoma masquerading as an en plaque Meningioma leading to a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Dilemma; a Case Report and a Multidisciplinary Perspective
Authors: Mohammed Salhadin , Abebe Fasil Tesfaye , Negash Hanna Assefa , Megersa Thomas Bogale , Guyolla Yabello Hirbo , Nedi Addisu , Bonger Mulugeta Temesgen , Ayele Christian , Hailemariam Fekadu
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Reports of an imaging or pathological diagnosis of en-plaque tuberculoma are limited. To our knowledge, descriptions of en-plaque tuberculoma are limited to a cluster of few cases, and this is the only reported case from Ethiopia. This report includes a follow-up course of the patient after neurosurgical intervention and admission to our neurology ward.
Case Presentation: We present a 40-year-old Ethiopian woman, who came to our hospital with a complaint of a one-year history of global-type headache, projectile vomiting, blurring of vision, and diplopia, followed by a change in behavior of four months duration. Apart from obesity, the patient had no family or personal history of chronic illness and denied constitutional symptoms. Her neurological examination was notable for CN VI Palsy and was otherwise unremarkable. Brain MRI done at the time revealed a right frontoparietal dural-based ill-defined contrast-enhancing non-restricting mass likely representing en plaque tumor (meningioma) (with dural and leptomeningeal involvement) while CNS Tuberculosis and Sarcoidosis were considered as differential diagnoses. After evaluation by our neurosurgical team, the patient underwent craniotomy and gross total resection (GTR), after which the excised mass was sent for a neuropathologic diagnosis. The pathologic section showed fragments of large areas of necrosis, multinucleated giant cells, and well-formed epithelioid granulomas, suggestive of Tuberculosis. Her postoperative course was complicated by hospital-acquired infections, drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and renal failure, culminating in her demise.
Conclusion: The present case describes a patient with CNS Tuberculosis having an atypical presentation, leading to the entertainment of an alternate diagnosis. This case highlights the fact that TB continues to masquerade as other diseases, even in the 21st century. Beyond the high index of suspicion needed to rightly diagnose our patients, appropriate interventional diagnostic tools (like stereotactic brain biopsy) are required for a subsequent management plan.
Sound signal analysis in Japanese speech recognition based on deep learning algorithm
Authors: Xiaoxing Yang
Published: March 2023

As an important carrier of information, since sound can be collected quickly and is not limited by angle and light, it is often used to assist in understanding the environment and creating information. Voice signal recognition technology is a typical speech recognition application. This article focuses on the voice signal recognition technology around various deep learning models. By using deep learning neural networks with different structures and different types, information and representations related to the recognition of sound signal samples can be obtained, so as to further improve the detection accuracy of the sound signal recognition detection system. Based on this, this paper proposes an enhanced deep learning model of multi-scale neural convolutional network and uses it to recognize sound signals. The CCCP layer is used to reduce the dimensionality of the underlying feature map, so that the units captured in the network will eventually have internal features in each layer, thereby retaining the feature information to the maximum extent, which will form a convolutional multi-scale model in network deep learning Neurons. Finally, the article discusses the related issues of Japanese speech recognition on this basis. This article first uses the font (gra-phonem), that is, all these Japanese kana and common Chinese characters, using a total of 2795 units for modeling. There is a big gap between the experiment and the (BiLSTM-HMM) system. In addition, when Japanese speech is known, it is incorporated into the end-to-end recognition system to improve the performance of the Japanese speech recognition system. Based on the above-mentioned deep learning and sound signal analysis experiments and principles, the final effect obtained is better than the main effect of the Japanese speech recognition system of the latent Markov model and the long-short memory network, thus promoting its development.
Implication of machine learning for relapse prediction after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in adults with Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Afanaseva Kseniia S. , Bakin Evgeny A. , Smirnova Anna G. , Barkhatov Ildar M. , Gindina Tatiana L. , Moiseev Ivan S. , Bondarenko Sergey N.
Published: March 2023

The posttransplant relapse in Ph-positive ALL increases the risk of death. There is an unmet need for instruments to predict the risk of relapse and plan prophylaxis treatments. In this study we analyzed posttransplant data by machine learning algorithms. Seventy-four Ph-positive ALL patients with median age of 30 (range, 18–55) years, who previously underwent allo-HSCT were retrospectively enrolled. Ninety-three percent of patients received prophylactic/preemptive TKIs after allo-HSCT. The values ​​of the BCR::ABL1 level at serial assessments and over variables were collected in specified intervals after allo-HSCT and were used to model relapse risk with several machine learning approaches. GBM proved superior to the other algorithms utilized and provided maximal AUC score of 0.91. BCR::ABL1 level before and after allo-HSCT, prediction moment and chronic GvHD had the highest value in the model. It was shown that after Day + 100 both error rates don’t exceed 22%, while before D + 100 the model fails to make accurate prediction. After day + 100 patients with chronic GVHD, BCR::ABL1 level more than 0.11% post-transplant and current BCR::ABL1 above 0.06% can be classified as high risk group of relapse. At the same time, if the patient had no chronic GVHD after allo-HSCT till the prediction moment, he should be classified to a high risk group already with a BCR::ABL1 level more than 0,05% at any time point. GBM model with posttransplant laboratory values of BCR::ABL1 provides high prediction of relapse in the era of TKIs prophylaxis. Validation of this approach is warranted.
Feasibility of ICU mobilisation within the first 48-72 hours: A multi-centre point prevalence study of mobility practices in the United Kingdom
Authors: Black Claire , Sanger Helen , Battle Ceri , Eden Allaina , Corner Evelyn
Published: March 2023

Background:
Early mobilisation in critical care is recommended within clinical guidance however prevalence across the United Kingdom (UK) is unknown. The study aimed to determine the proportion of patients mobilised within 48-72 hours, to describe their physiological status, and to compare this to published consensus safety recommendations for out-of-bed activity.
Methods:
A UK cross-sectional, multi-centre, observational study of adult critical care mobility practices was conducted. Demographic and physiological data, mobility level, and rationale for not mobilising were collected for all patients on one day. Patients were analysed in one of 3 groups;mobilised; not mobilised; or excluded. Regression analysis was used to compare the physiological parameters of the mobilised versus not-mobilised groups. Patients were stratified using published safety criteria; ‘low-risk’ of an adverse event, ‘potential-risk’, ‘high-risk’. Rationale for the decision to not mobilise was collected qualitatively.
Results: Data were collected for 960 patients across 84 UK critical care units. Of these 393 (41%) mobilised, 416 (43%) were not mobilised and 151 (16%) were excluded. A total of 371 patients had been admitted for ≤3 days, of whom 180 (48%) were mobilised, 140 (38%) were not mobilised and 51 (14%) were excluded. Of the 809 patients included, 367 (45%) had a green rating and 120 (15%) were rated amber, of whom 309 (84%) and 78 (65%) mobilised respectively. Mobility was associated with a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale of -1 to +1, lower doses of vasoactive agents, a lower inspired oxygen requirement.
Conclusion:
Although only 40% of patients mobilised out-of-bed, 89% of those defined ‘low-risk’ did so. There is significant overlap in physiological parameters for mobilisation versus non-mobilisation groups, suggesting a comprehensive physiological assessment is vital in decision making rather than relying on arbitrary time points.
Clinical Trials registration:
NCT05281705 Registered March 16, 2022. Retrospectively registered.
Investigation on a new compound-forming method of flanging and bulging with rubber flexible die
Authors: Wei Chuang , Han Zhi-ren , Liu Bao-ming , Jia Zhen
Published: March 2023

The T-shaped tube is a common component in aviation pipeline systems and has broad application prospects. However, the severe wall thickness thinning has been the bottleneck problem restricting the application of T-shaped tubes. In order to avoid rupture due to excessive thinning and improve the forming quality, a new rubber compound-forming method combined with the flanging and bulging of the T-shaped tube using a prefabricated hole is proposed. The optimization model of the prefabricated hole is established based on the geometric analysis method and the incremental finite element method. The optimal prefabricated hole is achieved through two iteration optimizations. The experiments for the compound-forming method are carried out to reveal the forming height and the wall thickness distribution mechanism. Both the simulation and experiment results are in good agreement, and the experimental results with the optimal prefabricated are that the maximum thickening rate is 38% and the maximum thinning rate is 14.67% which are satisfied with the requirements of practical production. Compared with the traditional rubber compound bulging forming with the same process parameters, the rupture occurs before the axial feed reaches the ideal feed. The new compound forming method using the prefabricated hole could effectively avoid fracture on the branch’s top. The comparison results are further verified to be the correctness of the prefabricated hole optimization model and the effectiveness of the new compound forming method.
Antimicrobial Resistance profiles of staphylococcus aureus in farming communities of Isingiro and Kamuli districts, Uganda
Authors: Kungu Joseph M , Tegule Sarah S , Awke Ilyas A , Namayanja Josephine , Namyalo Edity , Oposhia Joseph , Olum William , Nyakarahuka Luke , Kankya Clovice , Dahourou Dieudonné , Odoi Agricola
Published: March 2023

Background: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is fast becoming a big challenge as resistance to multiple drugs is rising rapidly. The emergence of resistant Staphylococcus aureus worldwide is life-threatening in both humans and animals and yet little is known about the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in developing countries including Uganda. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: (a) determine the prevalence of AMR in S. aureus among humans and animals in two districts of Uganda; (b) assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) of farmers in Uganda regarding AMR of S. aureus.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between July and September 2020 in 147 randomly selected cattle keeping households in Isingiro and Kamuli districts. A structured questionnaire uploaded in Kobocollect online data collection tool was used to assess farmers’ perceptions and practices pertaining to AMR in each of the selected households. Nasal swab samples were collected from both animals and humans (farmers), placed in Stuart Transport medium and taken to the laboratory for processing. Bacterial isolation and confirmation was done using gram-staining and biochemical tests. This was followed by Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. A cleaned Ms excel data file from Kobocollect tool was imported into STATA version 14 to generate descriptive statistics of the AMR patterns, farmers’ perceptions of AMR as well as the practices associated with AMR occurrence in the two districts.
Results: Only 14/147 (9.5%) cattle samples and 45/147(30.6%) human samples tested positive for S. aureus and, were assessed for AMR. All (100%) cattle S. aureus isolates were resistant to Nitroimidazoles while 92.9% were resistant to Penicillins. None of the isolates were resistant to Fluoroquinolones (0.0%) and Aminoglycosides (0.0%). All the 14 isolates exhibited antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to at least one of the assessed antibiotics and 92.9% (13/14) showed evidence of multidrug resistance (MDR). Likewise, S. aureus human isolates showed high levels of resistance to Nitroimidazoles (100%) and Penicillins (93.3%), with none of the isolates having resistance to Aminoglycosides (0.0%), and only 1 exhibiting resistance to Fluoroquinolones (2.2%). All the 45 human isolates exhibited AMR to at least a one antibiotic while 93% (42/45) had MDR. Most farmers had good perceptions about AMR, with a significantly higher proportion of respondents from Isingiro showing a better understanding of AMR than those from Kamuli.
Conclusion: This study provides evidence of occurrence of AMR to antibiotics commonly used in both humans and livestock in Isingiro and Kamuli districts. There is a need to promote appropriate stewardship of antibiotics to minimize the risk of AMR.
Frogs reveal the global importance and interplay of colour-based protective and thermoregulatory functions
Authors: Laumeier Ricarda , Brändle Martin , Rödel Mark-Oliver , Brunzel Stefan , Brandl Roland , Pinkert Stefan
Published: March 2023

Recent small-scale and experimental studies have shown that colour lightness variation can have important physiological implications, with darker species having greater heating rates, as well as protection against pathogens and photooxidative damage. Using data for 41% (3,059) of all frog and toad species (Anura) from across the world, we reveal ubiquitous and strong clines of decreasing colour lightness towards colder regions and regions with higher pathogen pressure and UVB radiation. The relative importance of pathogen resistance was higher in the tropics and that of thermoregulation was higher in temperate regions. These functions strongly influenced colour lightness evolution in anurans and filtered for more similarly coloured species under climatic extremes, while concurrent mechanisms resulted in high within-assemblage variation in productive regions. The findings establish three fundamentally important functions of colour lightness that were previously unknown in anurans, and they substantially broaden support for colour lightness–environment relationships in ectotherms.
Age-dependent divergent interactions between CX3CR1 absence and MK- 801 neonatal administration in a novel “dual hit” schizophrenia model
Authors: Méndez Felipe A. , Torres-Flores Mayra Itzel , Ordaz Benito , Peña-Ortega Fernando
Published: March 2023

The diathesis–stress model of schizophrenia posits that a constitutive factor increases the vulnerability to secondary stressors. Alterations in neuron–microglia communication through the fractalkine pathway is a potential predisposing factor. Wild-type (WT) and Cx3cr1−/− (KO) mice of both sexes randomly received either a low (0.5 mg/kg) or high dose (1 mg/kg) of MK-801 or saline during early postnatal development. Neuronal apoptosis was assessed at a midpoint of the pharmacological protocol. Survival and growth rates were determined up to adulthood when innate behaviors, unconditioned anxiety, contextual memory and seizure susceptibility were evaluated, as well as hippocampal local field potential and sensory gating. Fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) depletion and MK-801 treatment had a synergistic effect, increasing neuronal apoptosis and overall mortality. Both factors independently induced long-lasting cognitive impairments in the wide array of tasks assessed. Low MK-801 dose treatment greatly augmented the mortality of pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in WT mice, an effect prevented by CX3CR1 depletion. MK-801 treatment induced a shift in the power spectrum of the hippocampal local field potential towards higher frequencies that was averted in Cx3cr1−/− mice by an opposite shift. CX3CR1 depletion severely increases the vulnerability to neonatal NMDA antagonism with additional complex interactions regarding cognitive and neurophysiological effects.
Factors influencing the cerebrospinal fluid antibodies to aquaporin-4: a study of 87 patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
Authors: Xie Chong , Peng Jing , Yu Feifei , Wang Kan , Bai Shuwei , Ding Jie , Gao Li , Zhao Nan , Wang Ze , Wang Yishu , Zhu Desheng , Guan Yangtai
Published: March 2023

Background:
Serum AQP4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) is the causative antibody of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). AQP4-IgG in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of NMOSD patients were seldom studied. In this study, we measured antibody titers in time-matched paired CSF and serum samples and explored the relation between CSF AQP4-IgG and patient’s clinical features.
Methods:
A total of 137 NMOSD patients admitted in the department of Neurology of Renji Hospital from January 2016 to July 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. 87 patients with complete results of paired serum and CSF AQP4-IgG assay were included. Their demographic, clinical, laboratory data and MRI images were collected and analyzed.
Result:
In this study, 77 patients were seropositive for AQP4-IgG and 10 patients were seronegative. Among the 77 patients seropositive for AQP4-IgG, 47 were CSF-positive and 30 were CSF-negative, while no patients were CSF-positive in the 10 seronegative patients. Between the CSF-positive and CSF-negative groups, there were significant difference in expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, relapse proportion, CSF IgG, and CSF IgM, and these indicators were higher in CSF-positive group. We also found a positive correlation between the serum and CSF titer (rs: 0.629, p<0.001). Further logistic multi-factor regression analysis of CSF AQP4-IgG titer revealed that only serum AQP4-IgG titer was ultimately included in the regression model (OR 1.004, 95% CI: 1.001-1.007, p<0.01).
Conclusion:
AQP4-IgG titer in CSF is mainly affected by serum AQP4-IgG titer. Higher EDSS and a higher presence of relapse status are more common in patients with positive CSF AQP4-IgG.
GABAergic neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens are involved in the general anesthesia effect of propofol
Authors: Yan Jing , Hang Bei-Ning , Ma Lin-Hui , Zhou Yue , Jiao Xin-Hao , Yuan Ying-Xuan , Shao Ke-Jie , Zhang Le-Meng , Xue Qi , Li Zi-Yi , Zhang Hong-Xing , Cao Jun-Li , Zheng Hui , Zhou Cheng-Hua , Wu Yuqing
Published: March 2023

Introduction:
The mechanism by which general anesthetic drugs modify the state of consciousness remains unidentified. In essence, the Nucleus Accumbens(NAc)may be directly engaged in the principle of general anesthesia. However, it is uncertain whether NAc GABAergic neurons play a role in the propofol-induced general anesthesia effect.
Methods
We used immunofluorescence and Western blotting to access the activities of NAc GABAergic neurons during propofol anesthesia, and then we utilized chemogenetic and optogenetic methods to investigate the necessity of NAc GABAergic neurons in the change of consciousness. Moreover, we also conducted behavioral tests to analyze anesthetic induction and emergence.
Results
We found out that c-Fos expression was considerably dropped in NAc GABAergic neurons after propofol injection. Notably, chemically selective stimulation of NAc GABAergic neurons during propofol anesthesia lowered propofol sensitivity, prolonged the induction of propofol anesthesia, and facilitated recovery; the inhibition of NAc GABAergic neurons exerted opposite effects. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of NAc GABAergic neurons promoted emergence whereas the result of optogenetic inhibition was the opposite.
Conclusions
Our results demonstrate that NAc GABAergic neurons modulate induction and emergence of propofol anesthesia.
Selective Hash-based Approach for Multicast Source Authentication in SDMN
Authors: Eltaief Hamdi , Kamel Ali El , Youssef Habib
Published: March 2023

Multicast services offer a significant advantage of resource conservation for multicast senders and increase network efficiency by reducing network traffic. However, treating security concerns such as source authentication is important, especially for applications like online news, IPTV, video streaming, and stock quote distribution. Despite extensive research efforts to provide source authentication for multicast applications, there is no efficient approach that can effectively handle the requirements of the dynamic nature of multicast mobile receivers and networks. This paper provides an analysis of 22 years of research on source authentication mechanisms with non-repudiation. The majority of these mechanisms do not consider the dynamic nature of mobile users and networks. In response to this, we propose a new selective hash-based approach for multicast source authentication in Software Defined Mobile Network (SDMN). Using the advantages of the controller global view in SDMN, our approach is designed to operate in mobile and dynamic environments, provide non-repudiation, and tolerate packet loss. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism utilizes resources effectively, reduces communication and delay overhead, and works well in dynamic scenarios.
Sex differences in response to obesity and caloric restriction on cognition and hippocampal markers of autophagic-lysosomal pathway function
Authors: Baer Sadie B , Dorn Adrianah D , Osborne Danielle M
Published: March 2023

Obesity rates in the U.S. continue to increase, with nearly 50% of the population being either obese or morbidly obese. Obesity, along with female sex, are leading risk factors for sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Animal and clinical studies both indicate that autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) dysfunction is among the earliest known cellular systems to become perturbed in AD, preceding cognitive decline, yet little is known about how obesity and sex affects these cellular functions in an AD susceptible brain region, like the hippocampus. We hypothesized that obesity would negatively affect key markers of ALP in the hippocampus, effects would vary based on sex, and that caloric restriction would counteract obesity effects. Female and male mice were placed on an obesogenic diet for 10 months, at which point half were switched to caloric restriction. Cognitive function in female mice responded differently to caloric restriction based on whether they were on a normal or obesogenic diet; male cognition was only mildly affected by obesity or caloric restriction. Significant male-specific changes occurred in cellular markers of autophagy, including pAkt, pRPS6, Slc38a9, Atg7, and Atg12. In contrast females experienced changes due to diet/caloric restriction predominately in lysosomal markers including TFE3, folliculin, folliculin interacting protein 2, and pAMPK. Results support that hippocampal ALP is a target of obesity and that sex shapes molecular responses to dietary manipulation, while supporting the need to pivot beyond late-stage pathological markers and focus on earlier etiological events of AD that begin decades prior to cognitive decline.
Novel Score to Predict Immunoglobulin Resistance in Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Natarajan Rupesh Kumar , Bhoopalan Senthil Velan , Cross Chad , Shah Rita , Rothman Abraham
Published: March 2023

Objective:
To evaluate existing scoring systems and develop a new model to predict intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD).
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study performed between 2004 and 2017 identified 115 patients treated with IVIG for classic or incomplete KD. IVIG resistance was defined as fever for >24 hours and patients were divided into responders and non-responders. A univariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of IVIG resistance. The predictors were combined into a new scoring system and compared with existing scoring systems.
Results:
Sixty-five patients had classic KD and 50 had incomplete KD. Among the 115 patients, 80 (69.6%) responded and the remaining 35 were resistant (30.4%) to IVIG. Of the 35 resistant patients, 16 patients had incomplete KD. Hispanic children comprised 43% of our sample population. Coronary artery abnormalities developed in 14 of the 35 IVIG resistant patients (39%). Univariate analysis showed that IVIG resistant patients were older, and present with lower platelets, potassium, and creatinine (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis used platelets, potassium, body surface area (BSA) and creatinine to devise the Las Vegas Scoring System (LVSS), which demonstrated a sensitivity of 76.2 % and a specificity of 68.6 %.
Conclusion:
Compared to published data, we observed a higher rate of IVIG resistance and coronary artery abnormalities in our patient population. The LVSS (using platelets, potassium, BSA, and creatinine) showed higher specificity and comparable sensitivity to other scoring systems devised to predict IVIG resistance.
SVMCTI: Support Vector Machine-based Cricket Talent Identification Model
Authors: Reyaz Nahida , Ahamad Gulfam , Khan Naveed Jeelani , Naseem Mohd , Ali Javed
Published: March 2023

Recognizing sports talent is one of the intensively discussed topics in this day and age. Cricket is a sport of keen interest and has fascinated researchers all over the world to ponder and work in this domain. In this era of technological competence, incorporating technology in cricket talent identification is an incumbent task. Also, early-age talent identification is considered to be more beneficial as instead of wasting time and other resources on random performers, we can limit the training and spending on the talented performers that could yield better results. In this article, a machine learning-based approach is proposed for Cricket Talent Identification using SVM (RBF kernel) to classify a dataset of performers into talented performers (possessing cricketing talent) and non-talented performers (not possessing cricketing talent). The dataset has been collected from early-age performers taking into consideration the benefits of talent identification at early ages. The data have been gathered concerning various physical/motor, anthropometric, and cognitive abilities. Using the feature selection technique, the best-contributing parameters were determined and supplied to the model. After performing experimentation, the results were evaluated based on various evaluation metrics like Accuracy, precision, and f1-Score. we achieved an accuracy score of 96.42%, a precision of 0.94, and an f1_score of 0.96. The results obtained have been cross-validated using the 10-cross validation technique.
An In-depth Genomic Investigation to Design a Multi-Epitope Based Vaccine against Brucellosis
Authors: Hameed Alaa R. , Mohammed Bassam Qasim , Jassim Tabarak Sabah , Ahmad Sajjad
Published: March 2023

Brucella melitensis is a gram-negative coccobacillus that causes brucellosis in humans when they come into contact with infected animal meat or consumed raw milk. The lack of effective treatment and increasing antibiotic resistant patterns shown by B. melitensis warrant the search for novel therapeutic targets. In this study, comprehensive bioinformatics, reverse vaccinology, and biophysics techniques were employed to design a novel multi-epitopes-based vaccine (MEBV) against B. melitensis. Pan-genomics, subtractive proteomics and immunoinformatic studies revealed three core proteins: Flagellar hook protein (FlgE), TonB-dependent receptor, and Porin family protein as promising vaccine targets. The proteins have exposed topology, are antigenic, and are adhesin. Furthermore, B and T cell epitopes were predicted from these target proteins. Highly antigenic, immunogenic, and non-allergenic epitopes were shortlisted and used in the MEBV vaccine design. The designed MEBV also showed stable docked conformation with different immune receptors such as MHC-I, MHC-II, and TLR-4. It was found that all three systems showed robust binding energies with net binding energy < -300 kcal/mol. The van der Waals and electrostatic energies were the dominating energies and were found to be the stabilizing factors of complexes. The designed vaccine contains antigenic epitopes that were filtered using stringent criteria. The vaccine was also predicted to generate promising immunological responses and thus could be an attractive candidate for evaluation in experimental studies.
Results of a follow-up survey on "Russian-Ukrainian war, climate change, Covid-19, and economic worries in relation to current stress symptoms in the general public in Germany."
Authors: Plate Anna , Arnhold Lisa , Schäfer Maria , Heßmann Philipp , Schnell Thomas , Müller Matthias J. , Weierstall-Pust Roland
Published: March 2023

Population stressors, such as the Covid 19 pandemic, climate change, the Russian-Ukrainian war, or a tense economic situation, are putting a strain on the well-being and mental health of Western populations. To examine the impact of such stressors, our group has recently published a study on the impact of current crises on subclinical stress symptoms in the German population. This short communication utilizes data from the latest second wave of this study. It evaluates, as to whether the results from the first study are still valid for the current and rapid changes in these population stressors. As in the first wave, the Russian-Ukrainian war was still rated as the most worrisome. However, the burden of the Covid 19 pandemic remains the most important predictor for subclinical stress symptoms.
Targeted Marketing on Social Media: Utilizing Text Analysis to Create Personalized Landing Pages
Authors: Çetinkaya Yusuf Mücahit , Külah Emre , Toroslu İsmail Hakkı , Davulcu Hasan
Published: March 2023

The proliferation of social media has rendered it a critical arena for online marketing strategies. To optimize conversion rates, the landing pages must effectively respond to a visitor segment's pain points that they need solutions for. A one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate since even if the product meets the needs of all consumers, their priorities may diverge. In this study, we propose a pipeline for creating personalized landing pages that dynamically cater to visiting customers' specific concerns. As a use case, a pipeline will be utilized to create a personalized pharmacy discount card landing page, serving for the particular needs of chronic diabetics users seeking to purchase needed medications at a reduced cost. The proposed pipeline incorporates additional stages to augment the traditional online marketing funnel including acquisition of salient tweets, filtration of irrelevant ones, extraction of themes from relevant tweets, and generation of coherent paragraphs. To collect relevant tweets and reduce bias, Facebook groups and pages relevant to individuals with diabetes were leveraged. Pre-trained models such as BERT and RoBERTa were used to cluster the tweets based on their similarities. GuidedLDA exhibited superior performance in identifying customer priorities. Human evaluations revealed that personalized landing pages were more effective in getting the attention, building attraction by addressing their concerns and engaging the audiences. The proposed methodology offers a practical architecture for developing customized landing pages considering visiting customers' profiles and needs.
Switched diffusion processes for non-convex optimization and saddle points search
Authors: Journel Lucas , Monmarché Pierre
Published: March 2023

We introduce and investigate stochastic processes designed to find local minimizers and saddle points of non-convex functions, exploring the landscape more efficiently than the standard noisy gradient descent. The processes switch between two behaviours, a noisy gradient descent and a noisy saddle point search. It is proven to be well-defined and to converge to a stationary distribution in the long time. Numerical experiments are provided on low-dimensional toy models and for Lennard-Jones clusters.
Predictors of mortality among under-five children in rural Ethiopia: a cross sectional study
Authors: Gebrerufael Gebru Gebremeskel , Hagos Bsrat Tesfay
Published: March 2023

Background The under-five children mortality (UFCM) is one of the major significant and sensitive indicators of the health status of the public. Although the world has seen a remarkable and substantial decrease in UFCM since 1990, its progression rate still remains alarmingly high in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, particularly in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess predictors of mortality among under-five children in rural Ethiopia. Methods This study used a secondary data analysis of the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) report. A total of 4,425 under-five children selected at different stages were included in the final analysis. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and Cox proportional hazard (PH) model analyses were utilized to estimate survival time and to investigate the major predictors of mortality under-five children, respectively. An Adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR) along with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was employed to measure the impact size and direction of the association. Results The study showed that 6.2% (95% CI: (5.43, 6.86)) of children died beforehand celebrating their fifth birthday in rural Ethiopia. The multivariable Cox PH regression model analysis revealed, predictors of large spacing preceding birth interval (16–26 months) (AHR = 0.61; 95% CI: (0.402–0.920)), 27–38 months (AHR = 0.72; 95% CI: (0.496–1.03)), and ≥ 39 months, multiple births (AHR = 3.9; 95% CI: (2.77–5.62)), being breastfeeding (AHR = 0.13; 95% CI: (0.099–0.162)), and unvaccinated child (AHR = 11.6; 95% CI: (1.62–83.1)) were significant predictors of under-five children mortality. Conclusions Still now, under-five children mortality remains alarmingly high in rural Ethiopia as compared to the global under-five children mortality rate. In the final multivariable Cox PH regression model analysis, birth type, preceding birth interval, vaccination of child, and breastfeeding were significant predictors of under-five children mortality. Additionally, attention should be given to multiple births, unvaccinated and non-breastfeeding children, as well as households’ better encouragement to having a large spacing preceding birth interval.
The development of an index to quantify mobility options
Authors: Henkel Franziska , Sommer Carsten
Published: March 2023

Mobility is indispensable for carrying out activities outside the home, such as working, shopping and education. Due to the spatial distances between the places where people pursue their activities, mobility is a prerequisite for social participation. From the point of view of transport science, the interaction of three elements primarily determine the restrictions on mobility-related participation. These are land use structure, transport infrastructure and services and also the characteristics of the individual, such as means of transport available to them or their abilities. In transport planning, accessibility is used as a common and widespread measure to determine people's participation opportunities. The assessment of accessibility is based on reachable destination opportunities and is accordingly often expressed in terms of travel time to these destination opportunities. Characteristics of the individual are not usually taken into account when assessing accessibility in the context of transport planning. Mobility options are defined as a person's ability to change location and thus include individual characteristics in addition to objective accessibility (based on transport supply and land use structure). This article discusses an index developed to quantify personal mobility options. This index can be used to show the deficits of previous transport planning, which result from exclusively applying objective accessibility. As an example, the index is applied to the town of Ronnenberg in the Hanover region in Germany. The results show that people at risk of poverty, for example, have significantly fewer mobility options than people not at risk of poverty.
Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval
Authors: Ratigan Heather , Krishnan Seetha , Smith Shai , Sheffield Mark
Published: March 2023

Memory retrieval of fearful experiences is essential for survival, but can be maladaptive if not appropriately suppressed. Fear memories can be acquired through contextual fear conditioning (CFC) which relies on the hippocampus. The thalamic subregion Nucleus Reuniens (NR) is necessary for contextual fear extinction and strongly projects to hippocampal subregion CA1. However, the NR-CA1 pathway has not been investigated during behavior, leaving unknown its role in contextual fear memory retrieval. We implement a novel head-restrained virtual reality CFC paradigm, and show that inactivation of the NR-CA1 pathway prolongs fearful freezing epochs, induces fear generalization, and delays extinction. We use in vivo sub-cellular imaging to specifically record NR-axons innervating CA1 before and after CFC. We find NR-axons become selectively tuned to freezing only after CFC, and this activity is well-predicted by an encoding model. We conclude that the NR-CA1 pathway actively suppresses fear responses by disrupting ongoing hippocampal-dependent contextual fear memory retrieval.
The Impact of Voice and Accountability in the ESG Framework in a Global Perspective
Authors: Costantiello Alberto , Leogrande Angelo
Published: March 2023

We estimate the value of Voice and Accountability-VA in the context of the Environmental, Social and Governance-ESG data of the World Bank using data from 193 countries in the period 2011-2021. We use Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects and Pooled Ordinary Least Squares-OLS. We found that the level of VA is positively associated, among others, to “Maximum 5-Day Rainfall”, and “Mortality Rate Under 5” and negatively associated, among others, to “Adjusted Savings: Natural Resources Depletion”, and “Annualized Average Growth Rate in Per Capita Real Survey Mean Consumption or Income”. Furthermore, we apply the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Elbow Method. We found the k-Means useless due to the low variance of the variable among countries with the result of a hyper-concentration of elements in a unique cluster. Finally, we confront eight machine-learning algorithms for the prediction of VA. Polynomial Regression is the best predictive algorithm according to R-Squared, MAE, MSE and RMSE. The level of VA is expected to growth on average of 2.92% for the treated countries.
JEL Codes: D7, D70, D72, D73, D78.