bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Refractive changes in children in the Chicagoland area during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Kim Eugene , Stec Magdalena , Shaikh Noreen , Huang Jonathan , Ranaivo Hanta Ralay , Mets-Halgrimson Rebecca
Published: April 2023

Background
With remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic came behavioral changes such as increased screen time and decreased outdoor time. This unprecedented situation grants itself to the study of the association of environmental factors on the worsening burden of myopia in children. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the association between behavioral changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and myopia progression in children.
Methods
This was a retrospective observational study performed among 2,064 patients ages 2–17 with cycloplegic refractions in the years 2019–2021 at a single tertiary children’s hospital. Exclusion criteria were a medical history of relevant connective tissue diseases, pseudophakia, and aphakia.
Results
The overall cohort (n = 2,064) had a mean spherical equivalent (SE) of 0.12 ± 3.70 D in 2019, -0.07 ± 3.95 D in 2020, and − 0.49 ± 3.85 D in 2021. The change in mean SE (0.42 D) from 2020–2021 was 2.2 times greater than the change (0.19 D) from 2019–2020 at baseline. In the cohort of return patients, there was a significant difference in myopic shift between years (F-ratio = 14.4, p < 0.00001), and a significant change from 2020 to 2021 (p = 0.00008) but not from 2019 to 2020. When observing the prevalence of myopia grouped by age, 8-year-old and 17-year-old patients had the greatest increase compared to baseline. When grouped by refractive error, low myopia children (-0.5 D to -3.00 D) displayed the greatest change in mean SE 2020–2021.
Conclusions
There was a substantial increase in myopia progression for children in the Chicagoland area after the period of COVID-19 changes. These findings may be explained by the behavioral changes of home confinement and online learning during the pandemic.
Towards a global biogeography of the glacier-fed stream benthic microbiome
Authors: Battin Tom , Ezzat Leïla , Peter Hannes , Bourquin Massimo , Michoud Grégoire , Fodelianakis Stilianos , Kohler Tyler , Lamy Thomas , Busi Susheel Bhanu , Daffonchio Daniele , Deluigi Nicola , De Staercke Vincent , Marasco Ramona , Pramateftaki Paraskevi , Schön Martina , Styllas Michail , Tolosano Matteo
Published: April 2023

Nearly 60% of the world’s glaciers are predicted to be lost by the end of the century because of global warming1. The impacts of this environmental change on the glacier-fed stream (GFS) ecosystems are profound, putting their ecological communities at risk2–4. Life in GFSs is dominated by benthic microbial biofilms, which regulate key ecosystem processes and form the basis of the food web5 . However, the biodiversity and biogeography of the biofilm microbiome of the world’s GFSs remain unknown, precluding a mechanistic understanding of its responses to glacier shrinkage. Here, applying metabarcoding to the benthic biofilm bacteria from 148 GFSs draining the world’s major mountain ranges, we unveil their global biodiversity and biogeography. We find that the global GFS benthic microbiome differs from other cryospheric microbiomes and is unexpectedly diverse. A large microbiome fraction (58% of the total amplicon sequence variants) is endemic to single mountain ranges, while 0.4% are disproportionately abundant and form a cosmopolitan core. These microbiome components have overlapping taxonomies, but their compositional turnover is differently shaped by dispersal limitation and environmental selection. Phylogenetic analyses relate prevalent clades to endemicity and microdiversity, the latter potentially buffering the GFS microbiome against climate-change impacts. Our global survey provides the basis for future climate-change microbiology studies6 on a rapidly changing ecosystem.
Improved Range of Motion and Decreased Complications After Total Knee Arthroplasty with Use of Plethy Recupe Remote Patient Monitoring – A Retrospective Study
Authors: Hui Timothy , Greene Hunter , Subramanian Subu , Ayalneh Bereket Sharew , Woldebirhan Yordanos , Sasaura Paul
Published: April 2023

Background
Home exercise plans are key to recovery from surgeries, but poor compliance limits the benefit. Though non-compliance can be up to 70% from previous research, digital health shows promise in improving compliance. This retrospective study compared pain, range of motion (ROM), and manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) complications after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) from a clinic where one group used digital health and another did not. There is little previous research on this topic, so this study could show the benefits of digital health on joint replacement rehabilitation.
Methods
Patients were retrospectively selected from Summit Orthopedics TKA patients from 9/1/21 to 4/30/22. 41 patients used Recupe, a digital app that instructs and monitors home exercises along with live coaching with their TKA rehabillitation. 95 patients did not. Age, sex, and BMI between both groups were very similar.
Results
ROM improved significantly with the use of Recupe, improving to 120 degrees after 1 month - a key ROM level for functional use as indicated by studies. The non-recupe group improved to 112 degrees in the same timeframe.
The need for MUA was significantly better for the Recupe group, where 2% required MUA versus 5% for the other group, indicating a lower risk of major complications.
Pain averaged 2.34/10 for the Recupe group after 1 month versus 2.86/10 for the non-recupe group, though the decrease did not reach statistical significance.
The Recupe group performed their exercises an average of 5.1 times per week.
Conclusions
The Recupe group and the Non-Recupe group both attended medical and physical therapy visits, so the significant differences in results are likely due to non-adherence of HEP by the Non-Recupe group.
These results suggest that lengthened musculoskeletal recovery amongst workers may be due to non-adherence to their prescribed care plan, and that digital health may be an excellent way to improve their compliance.
Clinical Significance
Use of Recupe during rehabilitation after a Total Knee Arthroplasty results in significantly faster ROM improvement and significantly decreased risk of Manipulation Under Anesthesia. Pain was also decreased though not to statistical significance.
Detecting topics and polarity from Twitter: the ETSII-UPM case
Authors: Ruíz Almudena Sánchez , Galan Daniel , García-Beltrán Ángel , Rodríguez-Vidal Javier
Published: April 2023

Social networks have become a powerful communication tool, with millions of people exchanging information, opinions and experiences daily. Companies, organizations and even people have turned this tool into a marketing platform to position themselves and gain popularity. However, not only do companies present products or services to society, but society also provides feedback. This feedback has a significant impact as well. It is impossible to process all this vast information manually in time, but it is crucial. This information is precious even for governmental or state public entities such as universities. Potential future students will use social media to find out about the general feel of the institution. Therefore, this study presents a new dataset called CEIMaT2021, which compiles all the tweets in Spanish related to the Technical School of Industrial Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM). This dataset is designed for two of the main tasks of Online Reputation Management: (I) automatic detection of topics and (II) polarity. In addition, this study shows for these tasks that the SVM algorithm obtains a better performance for topic detection. Meanwhile, XGB obtains better results for polarity detection.
Analysis of news communication strategy in all media era based on data mining
Authors: Ma Wangping , Li Jinlu
Published: April 2023

In the process of information interaction, the information terminal will complete the integration of information in different media forms through conversion technology, including pictures, text, audio and other forms that can be converted into unified standard digital information. Therefore, in today's changing day by day, the material form of media is constantly evolving, and different media are starting to cooperate with each other to exchange information and weaken the industry boundaries, so that the media development has a trend of integration and transformation. In the process of continuous development of news communication technology, the information service structure is optimized according to the actual needs of the audience, so as to improve the user's attention. In the context of all media era, only a few media systems implement event representation based on LDA or n-gram model. In this paper, we introduce data mining technology to express the algorithm through vector space model, and further establish news model. Through the simulation experiment, it is concluded that the news model established in this paper can efficiently represent the target news. After a certain number of pages are retrieved, the original algorithm will arrange and represent irrelevant pages, and the relevance of the optimized algorithm is obviously better than the original algorithm. Therefore, text matching with the original HITS algorithm can perfectly improve the topic shift problem, so as to better achieve news expression, and further analyze the news communication strategy in the all media era. By introducing data mining technology, this paper completes the analysis of news communication strategies in the context of the all media era.
Association between serum urea nitrogen levels and prostate-spe cific antigens (NHANES 2003-2010)
Authors: YANG Meng , Hu HE , Cheng QIAN , Ke YANG , ZHU JIANGUO
Published: April 2023

Background
There is increasing evidence that serum urea nitrogen may be a risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa) and affects serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations, but direct evidence on the association between PSA and serum urea nitrogen levels in the general population is still lacking. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the association between serum urea nitrogen levels and PSA and PCa.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003–2010) database. We performed multifactorial regression to examine the association between serum urea nitrogen levels and PSA and PCa, followed by subgroup analysis.
Results
This study included 5256 subjects, and after adjusting for demographic, biological and immunological variables, we observed that there was a threshold for blood urea nitrogen concentration below which each 1 ng/ml increase in serum urea nitrogen was associated with a 0.0325 ng/mL (log2 transformed) (95% CI: 0.0064, 0.0586) increase in PSA concentration, with a P trend less than 0.05 and the difference was statistically significant. Sensitivity analysis using the generalized additive model (GAM) supported a linear association between serum urea nitrogen and serum PSA concentrations when blood urea nitrogen concentrations ranged from 0ng/ml to 6.78ng/ml.
Conclusion
Serum urea nitrogen was independently and positively correlated with serum PSA concentration when the blood urea nitrogen concentration ranged from 0 ng/ml to 6.78 ng/ml.
Predictive effect and clinical significance of exosome-related genes for Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Ding Xiaoqian , Zhang Jie , Ma Xuefeng , Sun Baokai , Chu Xueru , Liu Shousheng , Zhao Zhenzhen , Chen Lizhen , Xin Yongning , Zhuang Likun
Published: April 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome which could develop into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Exosomes could mediate intercellular communications and play key roles in the occurrence and development of many diseases including NAFLD and HCC. However, expressions and roles of the genes related to exosomes in NAFLD-related HCC remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the expressions and diagnostic values of exosome-related genes in NAFLD-related HCC. Firstly, we identified 15 genes related to exosome secretion by database searching. Two subgroups of patients with NAFLD-related HCC from GEO database were identified on the basis of exosome-related genes. High level of memory CD4 + T cells and low expressions of Immune Checkpoint genes were observed in the group with highly expressed genes which could promote exosome secretion. Subsequently, the logistic regression analysis was used to generate the formula based on three selected exosome-related genes in NAFLD-related HCC cohort. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the good predictive power of formula. Functional analysis showed abundant metabolism-related pathways were screened out in DEGs between the high and low risk-score groups. The risk score from the formula was also positively correlated with memory CD4 + T cells and negatively associated with Immune Checkpoint genes. Finally, prognostic potential of the Exosome-related formula was analyzed in HCC cohort from TCGA database, and patients in the group with highly expressed exosome-promoted genes showed significantly reduced overall survival. We also constructed a nomogram to improve the predictive value of the formula for evaluating the prognosis of patients with HCC. In summary, our study clarified the significance of exosome-related genes in the development of NAFLD-related HCC.
Homoeologous evolution of the allotetraploid genome of Poa annua L.
Authors: Benson Christopher W. , Sheltra Matthew R. , Maughan Jeff P. , Jellen Eric N. , Robbins Matthew D. , Bushman B. Shaun , Patterson Eric L. , Hall Nathan D. , Huff David R.
Published: April 2023

Poa annua (annual bluegrass) is an allotetraploid grass and one of the most widely dispersed plant species on earth. Here, we report the chromosome-scale genome assemblies of P. annua’s diploid progenitors, Poa infirma and Poa supina. We find that the diploids diverged from their common ancestor 5.5–6.3 million years ago and hybridized to form P. annua ≤ 50,000 years ago. The diploid genomes are similar in chromosome structure and most notably distinguished by the divergent evolutionary histories of their transposable elements, leading to a 1.7⋅ difference in genome size. We show that P. annua’s smaller (B) subgenome is preferentially accumulating genes and that its genes are more highly expressed. Whole-genome resequencing of several additional P. annua ecotypes revealed large-scale chromosomal rearrangements characterized by extensive TE-downsizing and evidence supporting the Genome Balance Hypothesis. The findings and genomic resources presented here will enable the development of homoeolog-specific markers for accelerated weed science and turfgrass breeding.
Investigating The Relationship Between Hippocampus:Dentate Gyrus Volume and Hypothalamus Metabolism in Participants with Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Lin Karen , Sunko Daniel , Wang Junying , Yang Jie , Parsey Ramin , DeLorenzo Christine
Published: April 2023

Reduced hippocampal volume occurs in major depressive disorder (MDD), theoretically due to elevated glucocorticoids from an overactivated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To examine this in humans, hippocampal volume, and hypothalamus (HPA axis) metabolism was quantified in participants with MDD before and after antidepressant treatment. 65 participants (n = 24 males, n = 41 females) with MDD were treated in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial of escitalopram. Participants received simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) / magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after treatment. Linear mixed models examined the relationship between hippocampus/dentate gyrus volume and hypothalamus metabolism. Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression examined the association between hippocampus/dentate gyrus volume change direction and hypothalamus activity change direction with treatment. Multiple linear regression compared these changes between remitter and non-remitter groups. Covariates included age, sex, and treatment type. No significant linear association was found between hippocampus/dentate gyrus volume and hypothalamus metabolism. 62% (38 of 61) of participants experienced a decrease in hypothalamus metabolism, 43% (27 of 63) of participants demonstrated an increase in hippocampus size (51% [32 of 63] for the dentate gyrus) following treatment. No significant association was found between change in hypothalamus activity and change in hippocampus/dentate gyrus volume, and this association did not vary by sex, medication, or remission status. As this multimodal study, in a cohort of participants on standardized treatment, did not find an association between hypothalamus metabolism and hippocampal volume, it supports a more complex pathway between hippocampus neurogenesis and treatment response.
Identifying Nœuds de Liaison in Networks
Authors: Simisi Jeremie Kambale , Pabico Jaderick
Published: April 2023

We defined and developed a computational procedure for finding theintermediary nodes in networks we named Nœuds de liaison. A nœud deliaison refers to any cut-vertex v of a graph G but is not a member of anypseudo-clique Qi, ∀ Qi ⊆ G. The pseudo-clique Q is made up of nodesin G that are closely connected to each other, and where the nodes format least a ring C and at most a complete graph K. The computationalprocedure took O(V+E) to print out all the nœuds de liaison. Our majorfinding is that we designed a linear time algorithm and wrote a computerprogram for computing all the nœuds de liaison in undirected graphs.
Droughts dominate ecosystem recovery from fires in the Western U.S.
Authors: Ahmad Shahryar , Holmes Thomas , kumar Sujay , Lahmers Timothy , Liu Pang-Wei , Nie Wanshu , Getirana Augusto , Bindlish Rajat , Guzman Alberto , Melton Forrest , Locke Kim , Yang Yun
Published: April 2023

A steady rise in fires in the Western United States, coincident with intensifying droughts, imparts significant modifications to the underlying vegetation, hydrology, and overall ecosystem. Relationships between droughts and fire properties have been explored; however, it remains uncertain the extent to which compounding disturbances from droughts influence post-fire hydrologic and ecosystem recovery. Here, we use remote sensing-derived high-resolution evapotranspiration estimates to show that ecoregions dominated by grasslands and savannas are more susceptible to drought stresses, which amplify fire-induced ET decline and, subsequently, shift water flux partitioning. In contrast, severely burned forests respond with slow or incomplete recovery, but with a lower sensitivity to dry extremes. We conclude that the dynamics of water balance recovery in post-fire regimes is dominated by moisture-limited conditions. This explains why moderate to extreme droughts aggravate impacts to the water balance in grasslands and savannas, while moisture accessed by deeper roots in forests helps meet evaporative demands unless severe burns disrupt internal tree structure and deplete fuel load availability. Our results highlight the dominant control of drought on altering the resilience of vegetation to fires, with critical implications for terrestrial ecosystem stability in the face of anthropogenic climate change in the western U.S.
A Housing Society Prestige Perspective of Greenness and Socio-Economic Amenities: Exploring the Links with Pricing Premium Using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: KOWALEWSKI Oskar , Wahid Abdul , Mumtaz Muhammad Zubair
Published: April 2023

Does the construction of green spaces, parks, greenbelts and socio-economic amenities helps in creating reasonable identity and prestige before customers which further nurtures premium and pricing advantages in return? For this purpose, we construct prestige based on composite pollution index, greenness score, and socio-economic amenities which further validated through artificial intelligence using Python. We test the composite pollution index, greenness and socio-economic amenities in hedonic model using OLS and SFA separately. We find out that greenness score, and socio-economic amenities have significant impact on value and cause premium and pricing advantages. Pollution index cause underpricing and pricing disadvantages. Furthermore, these amenities and preferences have vital role in constructing identity and prestige before customers. The study’s findings have practical implications for investors interested in the real estate markets of emerging and developing economies where urban climate is serious concern.
JEL Codes : R20, R30, R39
Evaluation of the degradation of plastics PET and PE type under composting conditions using coffee pulp as substrate
Authors: Dussan Mariana , García Andrés A. , López-Gonzalez Mar , M. Christhy V. Ruiz
Published: April 2023

The indiscriminate use, the alarming accumulation of plastic, and its subsequent poor well-disposal and management have generated the current environmental problem. As an environmentally friendly and effective strategy, composting processes arise like a method for waste treatment. This study explored the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and low-density polyethylene (PE) plastic types under composting conditions for 90 days using coffee pulp as substrate into the compost. The degradation was estimated from weight variation over time, the thermal stability of the PET and PE samples was carried out using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA) whereas the chemical and morphological changes on the samples were assessed by FT-IR and SEM. The bacterial communities of composting were also investigated by 16S rRNA gene clone analysis. The results showed a partial degradation of PET and PE samples under composting conditions for the period of time considered. However, a strong adhesion effect was observed for PE samples which give place to a variation on the thermal stability of the samples. 16S RNA gene clone analysis showed that Sphingobacterium was the dominant bacteria, which is not related with the degradation of plastic material on composting. This result could be related with a reduced degradation during the composting treatment.
Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes Indicate Photophysiology and Calcification Mechanisms of Macroalgae on Little Cayman Reefs
Authors: Koch Marguerite S. , McNicholl Conall , Manfrino Carrie , Lapointe Brian
Published: April 2023

Tropical macroalgae serve importance ecological roles on coral reefs but can supplant corals in phase shifts as shown worldwide. Thus, it is important to understand their fundamental photophysiology and calcification mechanisms. We examined organic d13C, organic+inorganic d15N, inorganic CaCO3 d13C and d18O, and organic %C, %N, C:N of abundant macroalgae on Little Cayman Island (LCI) reefs across irradiance gradients (5-2,000 mmol m-2 s-1). We hypothesized macroalgae utilize greater CO2 in low light as carbon concentration mechanisms (CCMs) for HCO3- uptake have higher energetic costs. We proposed that calcification mechanisms are influenced by light and Ci-use strategy in addition to taxonomy. LCI macroalgae had organic d13C values (-12‰ to -25‰) indicative of CCMs and exhibited only 1-3‰ 13C depletion in irradiances <5 mmol photons m-2 s-1. Ochrophyte d13C values were enriched in 13C at low nitrogen indicative of efficient CCMs. Macroalgae exhibited four clusters of thalli CaCO3 d13C that were distinctly taxon-specific. Rhodophytes exhibited the most negative inorganic d13C and d18O values (-4.1‰ ± 0.7‰; -3.7‰ ± 0.4‰) an indication of high calcifying space pH and rapid calcification, potentially reliant on active ion transport. Relatively higher organic C fractionation when utilizing greater CO2 for photosynthesis was reflected in depleted thalli carbonates in species/genus with positive d13C values. Increasing ocean CO2 is not likely to enhance dominant LCI macroalgal photosynthesis as these reef macroalgae utilize CCMs across a broad range of irradiances; however, effects on calcification may be taxon specific based on the degree of biotic control elucidated in thalli carbonate isotopes.
The influence of power posture in negotiation: an Ultimatum Game study
Authors: Ferracci Sara , Manippa Valerio , Giuliani Felice , Palumbo Riccardo , Pietroni Davide
Published: April 2023

Purpose
Recent studies have explored the effect of specific body postures on dominance perception. We investigated whether the high-power posture (i.e. an open and expansive posture) and the low-power posture (i.e. a closed and contracted posture) can influence the decision-making process involved in the Ultimatum Game (UG). Specifically, we considered the effect that the posture assumed by the counterpart can have on the participants.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were shown images that presented avatar opponents in a high-power or low-power posture while they played the role of the responder (Experiment 1) or the proposer (Experiment 2).
Findings
In Experiment 1 results show that the responders’ decision was strongly driven by the fairness of the offer rather than the posture of the proposer (avatar). Offers perceived as fair were much more often accepted than unfair ones regardless of the counterparts’ posture. An additional result also shows that among the unfair offers, those formulated by low power posture proposers were more accepted than those formulated by the high-power posture proposer. For Experiment 2 results show instead that the proposers modulated their offers based on the posture of the responders (avatar). Specifically, responders with high power-posture were proposed more generous offers than those with low power-posture.
Originality/value
As far as we know, our study is the first one that takes into account the posture of the counterpart and the effect that the conveyed power can have on the participants’ decision-making processes. Another novelty element is that we compare the high-power posture and the low-power posture considering both the effects of responders’ postures on proposers’ allocation and the effects of proposers’ postures on the responders’ decision to accept the offer.
Further norm inequalities for positive semidefinte matrices
Authors: Kittaneh Fuad , Matharu Jagjit
Published: April 2023

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.
Let A and B be n×n positive semidefinite matrices, and let ∥·∥2 be the Hilbert-Schmidt norm. Bhatia and then Hayajneh and Kittaneh, usingdi¤erent techniques, proved that
∥AvB1−v + BvA1−v∥2 ≤ ∥A + B∥2
for v ∈ [1/4, 3/4], which gives an affirmative answer to an open problem posed by Bourin for the special case of the Hilbert-Schmidt norm.
In this paper, we prove that
∥A v/2B1−v/2 + Bv/2 A1−v/2∥22 ≤1/2(∥A + B∥22 + ∥Bv/2 A1−vBv/2 + Av/2B1−vAv/2∥22)
for v ∈ [0, 1]. As a consequence of the this inequality, we give a new proof of the above inequality. We also prove that if r ≥ 1, then
|||AvB1-v + BvA1−v||| ≤ |||(A1/r + B1/r)r|||
for 1/2r ≤ v ≤ 2r−1/2r , where ||| · ||| denotes any unitarily invariant norm.
2020 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 15A60; Secondary 15B57; 47A30; 47B15.
Determination of zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese in human milk using acid digestion by ICP-MS and its application in biological trace element monitoring
Authors: Taufek Nor Hidayah Mohd , Sabere Awis Sukarni Mohmad , Jamahari Ummi Syahidah Mohamad , Amran Nur Balkhis , Nahas Abdul Rahman Fata , Bidai Joseph
Published: April 2023

Human milk contains essential trace elements which support healthy development of infants. Previous studies have reported various analytical methods using different instruments to measure trace elements in human milk. This study aimed to determine the trace element concentration in human milk using a validated acid digestion method and its application in biomonitoring. Human milk samples were collected from three postpartum mothers and prepared using acid digestion method. All samples were analyzed using ICP-MS and all validation parameters were measured. Four trace elements which were zinc, copper, manganese and selenium were found to have good linearity (r² > 0.99), limit of detection in µg/L (0.06, 0.0001, 0.005, 0.00003, respectively) and limit of quantification in µg/L (0.18,0.0003, 0.02, 0.0001, respectively). The accuracy (83.4–112.7%), inter-day, and intra-day repeatability were within the acceptable limit. The method application on one case study showed the median levels of zinc, copper and selenium in human milk gradually decreased during the early six months, whereas manganese remained stable. Positive significant correlations were observed for most of the elements (r > 0.40, p < 0.001) except for copper-manganese. Acid digestion method is sensitive, accurate and precise to analyze and quantify zinc, copper, manganese and selenium concentrations in human milk simultaneously by ICP-MS. It can be applied in future studies to monitor trace elements concentration in human milk in future studies with larger sample size.
Modelling monthly trends in frost days for the United Kingdom and its regions
Authors: Mills Terence C.
Published: April 2023

Since 2019 the U.K. Met Office has provided monthly observations, beginning in 1960, on the number of days in the month experiencing air frost for the U.K. and its regions. The multivariate regression model with common trends is found to provide an excellent representation of this data set. A variety of common trends are observed across the regions, the most notable of these being an ‘extended winter’ common trend for the months from November through to March. All regions have seen trend declines in frost days per winter month, these ranging from three to five days over the sample period, but the non-Scottish regions have experienced the largest percentage declines, ranging from 29% to 39%. These percentage declines have been smaller for the Scottish regions, ranging from 21% to 27%. The English regions and Northern Ireland have experienced no declines in trend frost days during spring and autumn, but the regions of Scotland have seen declines of between 18 and 23%.
Could lipocalin 2 be involved in the effects of iron overload and a high-fat diet on neuronal death? An exploratory study
Authors: Passos Maiara Priscila , Freitas Betânia Souza , Nascimento Filipe Valvassori , Kleverston Luisa , Santos Cristophod Souza dos , Schröder Nadja , Bromberg Elke
Published: April 2023

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) controls iron levels, inflammation, cell death and is associated with neurodegenerative conditions. Moreover, obesity and insulin resistance modulate LCN2 expression. In this study we explored the effects of neonatal iron overload and a high-fat diet (HFD) after weaning on gene expression of LCN2, its receptor 24p3R, and the pro-apoptotic BCL-2-interacting mediator of cell death (BIM), besides evaluating the levels of LCN2 and of the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2). Male Wistar rats received vehicle or carbonyl iron (30mg/kg) from the 12th to the 14th postnatal day. After weaning animals were treated with a HFD or a standard diet. At 9 months animal were euthanized and the hippocampus collected for RT-qPCR analysis of gene expression and Western Blot analysis of protein levels. The results indicate that iron overload during the neonatal period induced an increase in the gene expression for LCN2, its receptor 24p3R, and BIM, besides an increase of LCN2 protein levels. The exposure to a HFD throughout life, increased animals’ body weight and led to the decrease on BIM mRNA and BCl2 protein levels. Moreover, the combination of iron overload and HFD exacerbated the increase in LCN2 levels. In conclusion, the results of this study give support to the hypothesis that early life iron overload and a high fat diet are potential risk factors (each one alone and together) for neuronal death mediated by LCN2.
Analysis of droplet size and distribution for micro-sprinkling hose based on LPM
Authors: Wang Wenjuan , Wang Hui , Wang Shelei , Wang Wene , Hu Mingyu , Hu Xiaotao
Published: April 2023

A micro-sprinkling hose has been a promising type of equipment for water-saving irrigation, due to the cheap, easy to lay and pack up when working. The performance of the micro-sprinkling hose depends on the kinetic energy in the process of field irrigation. The intensity of kinetic energy is determined by the droplet distribution of spraying water in the air. This paper aims to explore the droplet diameter distribution of the micro0sprinkling hose to find out the drop characteristics and the effect of the pressure and spraying angle on the droplet diameter distribution. Therefore, an indoor experiment aimed to explore the drop diameter distribution of micro-sprinkling hose with different pressures (20 kPa, 24 kPa, 28 kPa, and 32 kPa) and different spraying angles (20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70° and 80°) were conducted. The droplet characteristic parameters were measured and collected using a laser precipitation monitor (LPM). The results show that: (1) The diameter of single-hole spraying water droplets of micro-sprinkling hose increased with the increase of pressure, and the distribution range also increases. The diameter of single-hole spraying water droplets of micro-sprinkling hose increases first and then decreases with the increase of spraying angle. The peak value of the droplet diameter appears at the spraying angle of 40°. (2) The farther away from the ground, the larger the percentage of water droplets increased from 0.50 mm to 0.75-1.00 mm. The overall distribution range of water droplet diameter is 0–2.00 mm. The results clarified the droplet diameter distribution characteristics of the micro-sprinkling hose under different four pressures and seven spraying angles. The study has a guiding significance for the structure design of micro-sprinkling hose.
NeuroD1 improved neurocognitive function in a mouse model of subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: chen ping , Lin Mou-Hui , Chen Ruo-Fan , Lin Peng-Tao , Li Yu-Xi , Kang De-Zhi , Ye Zu-Cheng , Lin Qing-Song
Published: April 2023

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) causes significant long-term neurocognitive dysfunction, which is associated with neuronal death in the hippocampus. Microglia can activate A1 astrocytes by secreting toxins. However, whether NeuroD1 application ameliorates M1microglial polarization through the reduction of A1 astrocyte remains unknown. Methods: 80 adult male C57BL/6 mice were used in this study. SAH was established by pre-chiasmatic injection of 100µl blood. AAV-NeuroD1-GFP virus was injected to the hippocampus 3 days post-SAH. Neurocognitive function, brain water content, In vivo electrophysiology, Golgi staining, western blot and immunofluorescent staining were assessed at day 14 post virus injection. Results: NeuroD1 application dramatically attenuated SAH-induced neuroinflammation by reducing the number of reactive astrocytes and microglia, reversing the transformation of neurotoxic A1 astrocytes and decreasing the secretion of neuroinflammatory cytokines. Interestingly, NeuroD1 significantly boosted the endogenous neurogenesis at the late phase of SAH, likely benefited from the improvement of microenvironment by NeuroD1 treatment after SAH. Notably, hippocampus subgranular zone was one of the brain regions most severely affected by SAH and also the region benefited significantly from NeuroD1 treatment. Above all, NeuroD1 treatment significantly alleviated neurocognitive dysfunction by directly reduction A1astrocytes, followed by the amelioration of M1micorglia, and then restoring endogenous neurogenesis impaired by SAH. Conclusions: NeuroD1 efficiently improved neurocognitive function after SAH by modulating astrocytic and microglial polarization. Moreover, NeuroD1 boosted endogenous neurogenesis at the late phase of SAH, likely thanks to the alleviation of neuroinflammatory microenvironment.
Application of network pharmacology and bioinformatics to study the effective components and mechanisms of Xuebijing in the treatment of acute pancreatitis
Authors: Li Li , Li Chunman , Huang ChenChen , Gao Jianmei , Zhang Wen , Wang Jinli , Li Xisha , Wan Lilan , Wang Wenxue , Liu Zhongjian
Published: April 2023

Xuebijing injection (XBJ), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP). However, the chemical composition and potential therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. Here, we used network pharmacology, bioinformatics analysis and molecular docking to investigate the main effective components, potential therapeutic targets and the molecular mechanisms of XBJ in treating AP. TCMSP and HERB database were used to identify components and potential targets of XBJ. GEO database were used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AP and normal samples. Genecards, DisGeNet, NCBI and CTD databases were used to search AP-related therapeutic targets. Then, the overlapped genes between potential targets of XBJ, DEGs and therapeutic targets of AP were selected and conducted for bioinformatics analysis. Finally, the binding activity between XBJ’s main effective components and the core potential therapuetic targets of AP were analyzed by molecular docking. As a result, 122 potential therapeutic targets of XBJ for AP treatment were selected. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the mechanism of XBJ in AP treatment might be associated with IL-17 and TNF signaling pathway. Molecular docking demonstrated that the effective components of XBJ had the good binding activity to the 5 core potential therapeutic targets of AP. Further studies found that quercetin and luteolin were the main effective components of XBJ in AP treatment.In conclusions, our outcomes demonstrate that XBJ treated AP depending on quercetin and luteolin, and mainly through IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways.
Clinical, microbiological characteristics and predictors of mortality in patients with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales bloodstream infections: a multicentre study
Authors: Anton-Vazquez Vanesa , Evans Terry John , Fernando Samitha , Somasunderam Donald , David Kate , Melzer Mark , Hawkins Lois , Pallett Scott , Morris-Jones Stephen , Arias Mauricio , Drazho Borana , Dall’Antonia Martino , Planche Timothy
Published: April 2023

Objectives
To investigate the microbiological characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE).
Methods
A multicentre retrospective service evaluation of patients with BSIs due to CPE admitted to six UK hospitals was conducted between 2011 and 2021. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors predicting 30-day case fatality rate (CFR).
Results
There were 84 episodes of CPE-BSIs, 37 (44%) due to OXA-48, 35 (42%) to metallo-betalactamases (MBL) and 12 (14%) to KPC. 63% of patients were male with a median age of 64 years. Common organisms included Klebsiella spp. (61%), Escherichia coli (20%) and Enterobacter spp. (13%). Urinary devices were more often involved in OXA-48 BSIs (12/37; 32%) compared to infections caused by MBL and KPC (4/35; 11% and 1/12; 8%; p 0.046). In contrast, central venous catheters were more frequently present in KPC-BSIs (10/12; 92%) compared with OXA-48 and MBL (11/37; 30% and 20/35; 57%; p 0.002). Effective definitive antimicrobials were received by 72/84 (86%) patients – either empirically or following microbiology results – comprising monotherapy (32/72; 44%) or combination therapy (40/72; 56%). Overall, 30-day case fatality rate (CFR) was 38%. Sepsis or septic shock was associated with death [OR 3.81 (CI 1.19–12.14), p 0.024].
Conclusion
CFR of CPE-BSI remains relatively high. We identified risks from urinary devices and intravenous catheters, but further larger studies are needed to characterise and compare the clinical and microbiological profile of BSIs due to different types of carbapenemases.
Multiple Optimized Ensemble Learning for High-Dimensional Imbalanced Credit Scoring Datasets
Authors: Lenka Sudhansu R. , Bisoy Sukant Kishoro , Priyadarshini Rojalina
Published: April 2023

Banks determine the financial credibility or the credit score of the applicants before allocating loans to them. In recent decades, several machine learning algorithms have been developed to automate the decision-making process by constructing an effective credit scoring models. However, the high-dimensional and imbalanced credit datasets significantly degrade the models' classification ability. In this study to overcome these issues, a novel multiple-optimized ensemble learning (MOEL) is proposed to build a reliable and accurate credit scoring model. MOEL, first generates multiple diverse optimized subsets from various weighted random forests (WRFs), and from each subset more effective and relevant features are selected. A new evaluation measure is then applied to each subset to determine which subsets are more effectively optimized for the ensemble learning process. The subsets are then applied to a novel oversampling strategy to provide balanced subsets for the base classifier, which lessens the detrimental effects of imbalanced datasets. Finally, to further improve the performance of the base classifier, a stacking-based ensemble method is applied to the balanced subsets. Six credit-scoring datasets were used to evaluate the model's efficacy using the F1 score and G-mean metrics. The empirical results on these datasets demonstrate that MOEL achieves the best value of F1_score and G-mean with a mean ranking of 1.5 and 1.333, respectively.
Chemical structures of phlorotannins from abundant brown seaweeds along tropical and temperate Atlantic coasts and their associated activities
Authors: Kergosien Nolwenn , Cérantola Stéphane , Simon Gaëlle , Connan Solène , Brébion Jérémy , Hennequart Franck , Stiger-Pouvreau Valérie
Published: April 2023

Phlorotannins are highly hydroxylated polymeric metabolites produced by brown seaweeds, and known for their wide range of bioactivities, which makes them promising for various fields of applications. It is strongly suspected that the potential of their bioactivities is directly related to their chemical structure. The present study aims to characterize the phlorotannin chemical structure of abundant brown macroalgae: two species were collected in the tropical Atlantic Ocean (Sargassum natans I, S. natans VIII and S. fluitans III), while the others (Sargassum muticum, Ascophyllum nodosum, Laminaria digitata and L. hyperborea) were sampled either on the coasts of Brittany or Normandy (France) and are already valorised by French companies. Phlorotannins were extracted and purified to obtain phlorotannin-rich fractions. These fractions were tested for their radical scavenging activity as well as their antibacterial activity against two bacterial strains of interest for human health and cosmetics. In parallel, the chemical structure of phlorotannins was elucidated through 2-Dimensions Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (2D-NMR). A. nodosum phlorotannin-purified fraction exhibited the highest phenolic content, the highest radical scavenging activity and the highest antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Phlorethol-type phlorotannins were identified in S. natans I and S. muticum, while fucophlorethol-type phlorotannins were identified in S. natans VIII, L. hyperborea and A. nodosum. The levels of activities seem to be linked with the structure and the quantity of phlorotannins which emphasize the need for further investigations in order to sustain the use of algal phlorotannins as bioactive metabolites for the human well-being sector.
Optimization of multiplicity of infection and serum concentration to improve the titer of adenovirus by "design of experiments"
Authors: Zhou Jingxuan , Tang Jie , Han Yingyan , Ji Teng
Published: April 2023

Objective: To improve the adenovirus titer by optimizing the existing adenovirus-dependent HEK293 host cell expansion and replication experiments through a “design of experiments” (DoE) approach.
Methods: Various concentrations of host HEK293 cells were infected with a different multiplicity of infection multiplicity of infection(MOI) of adenovirus using optimal experimental conditions, and the titers were detected using an adenovirus titer detection kit to evaluate the optimization effect.
Results: Using DoE, we found that a serum concentration of 2.2%-2.4% and a MOI of 2.3-2.5 could maximize the adenovirus titers.
Conclusion: Optimization of the experimental system of adenovirus culture using DoE could significantly shorten the production time and improve the titer of adenoviruses, providing an experimental basis for the current study and the subsequent expansion of production experiments.
Cluster Editing for Multi-Layer and Temporal Graphs
Authors: Chen Jiehua , Molter Hendrik , Sorge Manuel , Suchy Ondřej
Published: April 2023

Motivated by the recent rapid growth of research for algorithms to cluster multi-layer and temporal graphs, we study extensions of the classical Cluster Editing problem. In Multi-Layer Cluster Editing we receive a set of graphs on the same vertex set, called layers and aim to transform all layers into cluster graphs (disjoint unions of cliques) that differ only slightly. More specifically, we want to mark at most d vertices and to transform each layer into a cluster graph using at most k edge additions or deletions per layer so that, if we remove the marked vertices, we obtain the same cluster graph in all layers. In Temporal Cluster Editing we receive a sequence of layers and we want to transform each layer into a cluster graph so that consecutive layers differ only slightly. That is, we want to transform each layer into a cluster graph with at most k edge additions or deletions and to mark a distinct set of d vertices in each layer so that each two consecutive layers are the same after removing the vertices marked in the first of the two layers. We study the combinatorial structure of the two problems via their parameterized complexity with respect to the parameters d and k, among others. Despite the similar definition, the two problems behave quite differently: In particular, Multi-Layer Cluster Editing is fixed-parameter tractable with running time kO(k+d) sO(1) for inputs of size s, whereas Temporal Cluster Editing is W[1]-hard with respect to k even if d = 3.
Full-factorial design and mathematical models of fixed-bed column adsorption of hexavalent chromium by S. glauca
Authors: Banchhor Alka , Pandey Madhurima , Pandey Piyush Kant
Published: April 2023

The effective removal of hexavalent chromium is a very important issue for many countries. There is rising interest in the use of inexpensive and widely accessible materials for the adsorption of Cr (VI). Simarouba glauca, a easily available medicinal plant was found to be very effective in removing Cr(VI) from aqueous medium. First part of the study deals with the implementation of 25 Full factorial design technique to investigate adsorption of Cr(VI) onto S. glauca. It aided in the assessment of the main effects and interactions between the dose of S. glauca, pH, temperature, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and time. The adsorption significance was predicted through ANOVA, T-Test, Pareto chart, main effect and interaction plot. The second part of the study deals with the investigating potential of S. glauca by continuous adsorption mode in a fixed-bed column. The effects of Cr(VI) inlet concentration (50,100,150 mg/L), flow rate (13 and 21 mL/min) an S. glauca bed height (30, 36, 40 and 45 cm) on the breakthrough characteristics of the adsorption system were determined. The highest bed capacity of 611.69 mg/g was obtained using 100 mg/L inlet Cr(VI) concentration, 45 cm bed height and 13 mL/min flow rate. Three well-known fixed-bed adsorption models, the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson models and Adam's-Bohart were used to match the adsorption data. With correlation coefficients of 0.99 under various circumstances, the results suit the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models well. According to this study, we may utilise this method to remediate chromium-contaminated water in industrial settings.