bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ghanaian Women’s Experiences of Unsuccessful In-Vitro Fertilisation Treatment. Unravelling their Meanings: A Heideggerian Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study
Authors: Amoah Vida Maame , Fouche Nicola
Published: July 2023

Background
Women having experienced infertility over a period usually decide on an option for an invitro fertilization treatment. However, in the quest to seek help and to be part of motherhood, they sometimes become unsuccessful in their fertility journey. The researchers aimed to explore the meanings and emotions attached to infertility and unsuccessful IVF treatment among Ghanaian women, as this area of inquiry is less explored in Africa and specifically in the Ghanaian context.
Methods
The study followed a qualitative approach and drew inspiration from the Heideggerian phenomenological philosophy and design. Six (6) women, aged between 29 and 40 years, who had experienced at least one unsuccessful IVF cycle, were purposefully selected from a private specialist fertility hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. One-on-one interviews were conducted with the participants, and the interviews were transcribed verbatim. The collected data was analyzed using Van Manen six-step framework, which helped to uncover the participants' phenomenological conversations, i.e., their lived experiences and subjective perspectives.
Results
The results of the study revealed four main themes that were deemed essential aspects of meaning for the participants. These themes were: (1) Experiencing an Existential Faith and Hope. (2) Facing up to the Angst, (3). Non-disclosedness and (4), Endured feelings of inadequacy of being-in-the-world-of-motherless.
Conclusion
In summary, this study sheds light on the experiences and meanings attributed to infertility and IVF treatment failure among Ghanaian women. It contributes to the nursing literature in this area and has implications for improving support and care for women undergoing infertility treatments.
AIM2 Regulates Autophagy to Mitigate Oxidative Stress in Aged Mice with Acute Liver Injury
Authors: Li Mengjing , Hu Chao , Chen Yongzhen , Cheng Wei , Wang Haining , Zhou Yiming , Teng Fengmeng , Ling Tao , Pan Jinshun , Xu Haozhe , Zheng Yanan , Ji Guozhong , Zhao Ting , You Qiang
Published: July 2023

Background: The cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptor absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) detects cytosolic DNA and activates the inflammasome, resulting in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inducing pyroptotic cell death. Recent research has highlighted AIM2's role in PANoptosis and host defence. Acute liver injury resulting from acetaminophen (APAP) overdose involves various critical events such as APAP metabolite protein adduct formation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidant stress, peroxynitrite formation, and nuclear DNA fragmentation. However, the role of AIM2 in APAP-induced hepatoxicity remains unclear.
Results: we discovered that AIM2 negatively regulates the pathogenesis of liver damage induced by APAP in aged mice, independent of inflammasome activation. AIM2-deficient aged mice displayed increased lipid accumulation and hepatic triglycerides compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, AIM2 knockout mice with APAP overdose experienced more severe liver injury, worse mitochondrial stability, greater glutathione depletion, reduced autophagy, and higher levels of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Additionally, we found that AIM2 localizes in mitochondria and its overexpression in mouse hepatocytes enhances autophagy while reducing JNK phosphorylation. Notably, induction of autophagy through rapamycin administration reduced serum alanine aminotransferase levels and the necrotic liver area in AIM2-deficient aged mice with APAP overdose. Mechanistically, AIM2 deficiency promoted acute liver damage induced by APAP and an inflammatory response by increasing oxidative stress and the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK in aged mice.
Conclusions: AIM2 regulates autophagy and lipid peroaxidation, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of age-related acute liver damage.
Determinants of Successive Birth Interval Among Reproductive Age Women in Ethiopia; Application of Poisson Regression Model
Authors: Endris Emam Adem , Mustefu Nuru Muhammed , Asfaw Fasiledes Fetene , Yerie Shumye Tamrie
Published: July 2023

The period of time between two subsequent live births is known as the birth interval. The goal of this study is to use a Poisson Regression Model to discover related risk variables of the spacing between births among Ethiopian women of reproductive age. The Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS, 2016) databases were used to gather the data. Descriptive & Poisson Regression Model analysis were performed. Data were analyzed using SPSS V-26 and STATA V-14. Successive birth interval was used as dependent variable. Level of significance was 0.05 From a total of 9147 reproductive age mother, 5459(59.7% ) of them has understanding of ovulatory cycle and 3688(40.3 %) have not understanding of ovulatory cycle. 1682(18.4 %) of them have been lived in urban area and the remaining 7465(81.6%) of mothers’ have been lived in rural area. The average birth intervals of mothers’ in month’s were 36.77 months. Based on the result of the Model; location of residence, father’s educational level, occupational status of mother and father, religion of mother, household wealth index, marital status of the mother, contraception use before the last pregnancy, age of the mother at first birth, understanding of the ovulation cycle, birth type of mother, and access to mass media were significantly associated with number of successive birth intervals. Stakeholders and decision-makers in law enforcement need to consider factors that affect the number of successive birth intervals in a month during planning and developing policies to promote adequate successive birth intervals. Specific programs should be designed to deliberately target young women with family planning services and awareness of the use of contraceptives.
A Circularly Polarized Light Phototransistor Detector with Large Anisotropy Factor and Giant Gains
Authors: Jiang Chongyun , Bai Ruixue , Xiao Nanhai , Liu Yulun , Cheng Xiaoyu , Xie Chenxue , Ren Yanbo , Zhang Xilin , Ma Hui , Gao Weibo
Published: July 2023

The currently existing circularly polarized light detectors mainly rely on chiral organic semiconductors or metal metamaterials, but they have shortcomings on low visibility of circular dichroism and no integrated signal amplification units. Here, we utilize the unique structure of one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) hybrid vertical MoS2/ZrGeTe4/MoS2 and achieved tremendous anisotropy factor up to 1.25, representing the highest value so far. Furthermore, the triode with amplification function is integrated into the device, with photocurrent gains of about 80 at 633 nm and 40 at 1064 nm. Besides, the PTD displays high circularly-polarized-light-sensitive detecting performance over a wide range of incident angles. The findings in the manuscript pave the way for the component in the future of circularly polarized light detection, providing a new approach to the miniaturization and integration of optoelectronic devices.
CSTB gene replacement improves neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and ataxia in murine Type 1 Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy
Authors: Minassian Berge , Gumusgoz Emrah , Kasiri Sahba , Verma Mayank , Wu Jun , Acha Daniel Villarreal , Marriam Ummay , Fyffe-Maricich Sharyl , Lin Amy , Chen Xin , Gray Steven
Published: July 2023

Unverricht-Lundborg disease (ULD) is the most common form of Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy characterized by late-childhood onset, ever-worsening and severely disabling myoclonus, seizures, ataxia, psychiatric disease, dementia and shortened lifespan. This disease is caused by recurrent expansions of an expansion-prone human genome specific dodecamer repeat sequence in the promoter of CSTB (cystatin B), which dramatically reduces, but does not eliminate, expression of the gene. The relatively late onset of symptoms and consistent presence of at least a minimal amount of protein product makes this disease a favourable target for gene replacement therapy. Treated early, these children’s normally developed brains could be rescued from the neurodegeneration that otherwise follows, and their cross-reactive immunological material (CRIM) positive status greatly reduces transgene product concerns. We performed a proof-of-concept CSTB gene replacement study in Cstb knockout mice using intrathecal administration of human CSTB-encoding AAV9 at postnatal days 21 and 60, with mice sacrificed at 2 or 9 months of age, respectively. We observed significant improvement of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, as well as amelioration of motor coordination. The data suggest that gene replacement is a promising therapeutic modality for ULD and could spare affected children and families the ravages of this otherwise catastrophic epilepsy.
Modification and characterization of a novel and fluorine-free nanocellulose material with hydrophobic and oleophobic properties.
Authors: Yan Zhongyu , Sun Qianyu , Yuan Tianzhong , Fang Chian , Li Xiang , Huang Yike , Guo Daliang , Sha Lizheng , Li Jing , Xu Yinchao , Zhao Huifang
Published: July 2023

In this study, a brand-new, easy, and environmentally friendly approach for chemically functionalizing 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNFs) to produce modified cellulose nanofibers (octadecylamine (ODA)-citric acid (CA)-CNFs) was proposed. The effects of the ODA/TOCNF mass ratio on the chemical structure, morphology, surface hydrophobicity and oleophobicity were studied. According to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, ODA was successfully grafted onto the TOCNFs by simple CA esterification and amidation reactions. The water contact angle (WCA) of the ODA-CA-CNFs reached 139.6°, and the castor oil contact angle (OCA) reached 130.6°. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that a new rough structure was formed on the ODA-CA-CNF surface. Thus, the strategy chosen herein is recognized as being ecologically benign for the mass production of modified CNFs without the use of hazardous chemicals. The ODA-CA-CNFs with excellent water/oil-resistance properties and fluorine-free properties can replace petrochemical materials and can be used in the fields of fluorine-free oil-proof paper, food packaging paper, packaging materials and so on, which is of great significance to human health and environmental protection.
Three-dimensional numerical simulation of magnetically confined plasma cutting arc
Authors: Liu Xiaoguang , Wang Zhenmin , Wu Jing , Tian Jiyu
Published: July 2023

At present, the existing researches on magnetic confinement of arc mainly focus on the influence of traditional free welding arc, while the researches on magnetic re-confinement of plasma cut arc which has been constrained by mechanical structure are relatively lacking. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic model of the confinement device and a 3D plasma cutting arc model based on magneto-hydrodynamics were established. Maxwell and ANSYS co-simulation were adopted to study the distribution of the longitudinal magnetic field (LMF), and the influence of the LMF on the characteristics of the plasma cutting arc was emphasized. The temperature field, velocity field, flow field and arc pressure distribution of plasma cut arc under different LMF intensity in the range of 0 ~ 200 mT were simulated. The results show that the application of LMF is helpful to increase the current density of plasma cutting arc, improve the temperature and straightness of the arc, and thus improve the cutting effect of plasma cutting arc. The research results have guiding significance for the rational design of magnetic re-constraint plasma arc cutting device and process in practical engineering applications.
Myocardial Work Combined with a Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test is a Useful Prognostic Assessment of Patients with Non-obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Lin Yufen , Hou Shuhong , Lin Jianting , Zhang Tingting , Wu Bo , Qiu Sihua , Chen Jinghui , Chen Dongping , Huang Junlong
Published: July 2023

Background
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using myocardial work combined with a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). The association between myocardial work and CPET parameters and left ventricular wall thickness was investigated. To achieve the study aim, 55 patients with non-obstructive HCM and 55 healthy control participants were enrolled. Echocardiographic data were collected and compared, and a CPET was performed separately for patients with HCM and controls. Differences in CPET and myocardial work parameters and changes in myocardial work parameters from before to after the CPET were compared between the two groups.
Results
Global longitudinal strain, global work index, global constructive work (GCW), and global work efficiency parameters were significantly reduced and longitudinal strain peak time dispersion (PSD) was prolonged in patients with HCM compared to controls (P < 0.001). No difference in global wasted work was observed between the two groups (P > 0.05). Regarding CPET parameters, peak oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold, oxygen pulse, and metabolic equivalents were significantly lower in the HCM group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The slope of carbon dioxide ventilation equivalent was higher in patients with HCM, but the between-group difference was not significant (P > 0.05). After the CPET, there was a significant increase in PSD, but not GCW, in the HCM group, while there was a significant increase in GCW, but not PSD, in the control group. Maximal wall thickness showed a significant positive correlation with PSD (r = 0.84, P < 0.001), a significant negative correlation with GCW (r =-0.84, P < 0.001), and a weak negative correlation with peak oxygen uptake (r =-0.45, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Myocardial work combined with a CPET can provide a valid assessment of the prognosis of patients with HCM. The effective myocardial work and CPET parameters are negatively correlated with left ventricular wall thickness.
Research on a new SLAM system based on tightly coupled binocular camera and IMU
Authors: Sun Wei , Ren Guohua , Chu Yuchuan , Li Zheng , Sun Lichen , Pan Ying
Published: July 2023

A new SLAM system based on tightly coupled binocular camera and IMU is developed in this paper. In this system, line and point features are extracted from the front end of the system. Meanwhile, the camera poses and the positions of Key-Points are calculated with the optimization method at the back end of this system. In this paper, Key-Points and descriptor are extracted from point features for system tracking, relocation and loop-detection. For line features, we only extract points from line features for calculating the line direction in the image. Optical flow method is adopted for tracking line features and line features are only used in the tracking parts. In the back end optimization of the system, tightly coupled method is used for optimizing vision and IMU constrain. The tightly coupled binocular camera and IMU SLAM system in this paper improves the accuracy and robustness compared with traditional SLAM systems.
On a Rate of Convergence of a Binomial Law to a Gaussian Law
Authors: Abdushukurov Fazikhuddin , Chuprunov Aleksey
Published: July 2023

In the paper symmetric and nonsymmetric estimates of the convergence rate of binomial random variables to a gaussian random variable was obtained.
Biopestcidal Potentials of Erythrophleum Africanum (Benth.) Harms Stembark and Leaf Extracts for the Management and Control of Termites
Authors: Joshua John Israila , Gushit John Stephen , Ior Lydia Doosuur , Ali Ahmed Difa , Dogo Goni Abraham
Published: July 2023

Background
Environmental concerns over the use of large quantities of synthetic insecticides for termite control owing to the huge pollution burdens and modern environmental health hazards (MEHH) of such chemicals on non-target living beings and other environmental element. To reduce the burden of such chemicals on the environment, the use of plant-based extracts to control termites could be an effective alternative if properly explored. One such plant with potential for anti-termite activity was assessed in this study.
Result
The phytochemical evaluation indicated high presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids and steroids in the stem-bark, while anthraquinones, saponins, tannins and terpenes were observed in the leaf extract. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of twenty-five compounds and thirty-four compounds in the leaf and stem bark extract respectively. On the other hand, the termiticidal activity of the leaf and stembark extracts was more against Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (Subterranean) termites than Reticulitermes tibialis (Arid Land Subterranean) termites. Further study revealed that a concentration of 30.35 mg/L and 183.31 mg/L of the leaf extract was required to knock-off 50% and 90% of the Reticulitermes tibialis termites respectively, while a concentration of 40.76 mg/L was required to knock-off 50% and 66.19 mg/L is needed to knock-off 90% of the Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar termites Similarly, for 50% of the Reticulitermes tibialis termites to be knocked-off, 48.20 mg/L of the stembark extract was required. To achieve higher mortality of the termites (90%) of the Reticulitermes tibialis termites, 243.26 mg/L of the stembark was required. Concentrations of 33.24 mg/L and 54.35 mg/L of the stembark were required to knock-off 50% and 90% of the Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar termites respectively. E. africanum ethanol leaf and stembark extracts can be classified as Category 4 which gives the indication of moderate acute toxicity hazard.
Conclusion
E. africanum extract will therefore, serve as a safe, efficacious and environmentally friendly pesticide for use against termites.
Biomechanical study of pedicle screw construct and locking compression plate fixation for the treatment of posterior pelvic ring injuries: A finite element analysis
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wei Yan , Li Guoding , Wang Jian , Yu Baoqing
Published: July 2023

Objective
The pedicle screw construct and locking compression plate have been clinically investigated for the treatment of posterior pelvic ring injuries. However, few studies are available that evaluate the biomechanical performance of these two pelvic fixation techniques. The aim of this study was to compare the construct stability, model displacement and stress distribution of two implants with a finite element (FE) method.
Methods
A three-dimensional FE model of spine-pelvis-femur complex with ligaments was reconstructed from computed tomography images. The unstable posterior pelvic ring injury was created, which was fixed with the pedicle screw construct or locking compression plate. A follower load of 400 N was applied to the upper surface of the vertebrae to simulate upper body weight, while the ends of the proximal femurs were fixed.
Results
The construct stiffness of the pedicle screw model was 2 times that of the plate fixation. The maximum displacement of the pedicle screw model decreased by 51.2% compared with the plate fixation. The peek stresses of the implant and pelvis in the pedicle screw model decreased by 80.4% and 25% when compared with the plate model (44.57 MPa and 34.48 MPa in the pedicle screw model, and 227.47 MPa and 45.97 MPa in the plate model).
Conclusions
The study suggested that the pedicle screw construct could provide better fixation stability compared with locking compression plate, and serves as the recommended fixation method for the treatment of posterior pelvic ring injuries.
Exploring the Association between Rosacea and Acne by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Liang Jingchen , Chen Ying , Wang Zihao , Wang Yawen , Mu Shengzhi , Zhang Dewu , Zeng Weihui , Wang Zhao
Published: July 2023

Clinically, rosacea occurs frequently in acne patients, which hints the existence of shared signals. However, the connection between the pathophysiology of rosacea and acne are not yet fully understood. This study aims to unveil molecular mechanism in the pathogenesis of rosacea and acne. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by limma and weighted gene co-expression network analysis and screened hub genes by constructing a protein-protein interaction network. The hub genes were validated in different datasets. Then, we performed a correlation analysis between the hub genes and the pathways. Finally, we predicted and validated transcription factors of hub genes, performed the immune cell infiltration analysis using CIBERSORT, and calculated the correlation between hub genes and immune cells. A total of 169 common DEGs were identified. which were mainly enriched in immune-related pathways. Finally, hub genes were identified as IL1B, PTPRC, CXCL8, MMP9, CCL4, CXCL10, CD163, CCR5, CXCR4, and TLR8. 9 transcription factors that regulated the expression of hub genes were identified. The infiltration of γδT cells was significantly increased in rosacea and acne lesions and positively linked with almost all hub genes. These identified hub genes and immune cells may play a crucial role in the development of rosacea and acne.
Blood glucose estimation using third person continuous glucose monitoring data via complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise and long-short-term memory networks
Authors: Wing-Kuen Bingo , Liang Junjian , Zhao Weiren , Li Rui , Liu Jiaqi
Published: July 2023

Background Blood glucose estimation is critical for monitoring the health of patients with diabetes. Traditionally, it has been performed invasively, via pricking a fingertip to draw a small amount of blood for analysis. However, this type of approach causes pain to patients in the long-term. More recently, micro-invasive approaches have been proposed as alternatives; however, these new methods can be quite costly.
Methods To address this issue, we proposed a minimally invasive approach for obtaining blood glucose measurements. In our proposed approach, the continuous glucose monitoring data of a third person are mapped to more sparse data from a particular user, acquired through traditional invasive means. The complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) method is then applied to the mapped glucose data. The first six intrinsic mode functions are discarded, and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network is used to perform non-invasive blood glucose estimation. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, a loss function was used as a performance metric. Our approach was compared to the LSTM network, both with and without an empirical mode decomposition (EMD) approach.
Results Numerical simulation results showed that our approach achieved a higher accuracy than either of these two popular methods.
Conclusions Our method can be used to improve the accuracy of blood glucose prediction.
Study on the Characteristics of Overburden Rock Structure and Support System of the Retraction Channel in Layered Fully Mechanized Caving Face
Authors: Song Weihua , Yu Shiqi , Rong Hai , Jiao Huice , Xu Xiaotian
Published: July 2023

In response to the frequent disturbance of the dynamic pressure of the regenerated roof and the technical problems of controlling the stability of the roadway in the process of forming a large cross-section support withdrawal channel during the expansion of the layered fully mechanized caving working face under layered mining, taking the 1200-2 fully mechanized caving working face of Baiyinhua No.4 Mine as the engineering background,analyzed the load characteristics of the overlying rock structure and the top plate of the retractable passage after the expansion of the lower layered fully mechanized top coal caving face, and studied the combined support scheme of anchor rod, metal mesh, steel ladder belt, I-steel inserted beam, suspension beam, anchor cable, and single pillar, forming a safe and efficient construction support technology system,Practice has shown that this plan can effectively reduce the subsidence of the roof, narrow the range of plastic failure zone, ensure the stability of the surrounding rock of the tunnel during the support withdrawal period, and successfully complete the efficient withdrawal of the hydraulic support. The research results can provide good reference for roof management and the smooth production of coal resources after slope expansion under similar conditions.
Three times more than money: generativity, relational goods and life satisfaction
Authors: Becchetti Leonardo , Cermelli Massimo , Rosa Dalila
Published: July 2023

Generativity and the quality of relational goods are two key drivers of subjective well-being traditionally neglected in the economic literature. By using two different data sources (European Social Survey and EU-Silc), we investigate their impact on life satisfaction of two large samples of Italian individuals. Our findings show that their impact is positive and significant and, in both estimates from the two different data sources, a change from the lowest to the highest level of relational life has an impact three times higher than the change from the lowest to the highest income decile.
Relationship between Psycho-physiological Indicators and Task Performance under Various Indoor Space Designs for Telecommuting Environment by Introducing Mixed-Reality
Authors: Lee Kyung-Tae , Kim Ju-Hyung
Published: July 2023

The increase in telecommuting during COVID-19 and advances in digital technology have necessitated the establishment of guidelines for maximizing productivity through indoor space design for telecommuters. Additionally, understanding the physiological response of individuals working in indoor spaces has attracted attention. This study applied mixed-reality environment to alter the design of the indoor space in real-time, while monitoring the task performance and representative psycho-physiological indicators (electroencephalogram and heart rate variability) of 30 individuals with telecommuting experience. To this end, four tasks, including spatial memory, attention, execution, and working memory, were conducted, and the psycho-physiological data from these tests were statistically analyzed. The results revealed that the design of the indoor space did not affect the spatial memory; however, the parasympathetic nerves were stimulated in visually non-preferred spaces, thus reducing mental stress and leading to high efficiency in short-term work. According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, the working memory of an individual is generally efficient and physically stable over time if they adjust to a preferred or decision-making space. Thus, the future design of telecommuting spaces must consider the type of work being done, and guidelines for spatial design should be developed by recognizing the psycho-physiological status of users, while increasing efficiency.
Establishment of amygdalin antitumor efficacy against human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP‐1) with antimicrobial investigations, in vitro Study
Authors: Abdel-Gawad Doaa R.I. , Ibrahim Marwa A , El-Banna Hossny A. , Hassan Walid H. , Abdel-Gawad Ismail
Published: July 2023

Leukemia is an incurable disease; it exhibits strong resistance to chemotherapy and other therapies, its seriousness is not only in this fact but also, it represents the most common childhood cancer, and mortality. In this study, the cytotoxic of amygdalin (AMG) against the cell line of human monocytic leukemia (THP-1) was recoded in attempting for providing a cure for such monster cancerous type, be siding determining other pharmacological effects as anti-microbial activity. The cells were exposed to Vit b17 for 24 hr at 37°C at different concentrations, the cytotoxic effect was determined via the MTT assay. The cells and the supernatant were collected for analyzing the oxidant/antioxidant status, apoptotic markers, and anti-microbial activity. The results showed a marked anti-proliferative cytotoxic effect of Vit b17 which is concentration and time-dependent, the lipid peroxidation content was significantly decreased while the total thiol was significantly increased in the treated cell line, significant up-regulation of the transcript level of Caspase-3 (Cas-3) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and down-regulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2). Furthermore, The bacterial activity was detected via Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), and Disc Diffusion assays, while the antifungal evaluation was done by the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). Antimicrobial experiments revealed that AMG exerted potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects towards a diversity of dangerously infected pathogens. In conclusion, the prevailing research suggests that AMG is an effective antibacterial substance against a wide range of microbial pathogens that cause disease, in addition to its anticancer activity against human monocytic leukemia.
A Simply Derived Rational Approximation for e
Authors: Boucher Chris
Published: July 2023

A sequence of rational approximations to e that has a particularly simple form and which can be motivated using only algebraic properties of the exponential function and its linearization is introduced. This sequence is one of a family of rational approximations to e with simple forms and appears to be the best in the family.
Influence of Advanced Glycation End-Products on Salivary Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 Levels in Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: AHSAN AREESHA , SHAHID ABDUL MANAN , Qureshi Ali Waqar , Rehman Ambreen , Hassan Sobia , Shafiq Seema , Ismail Waleed Ahmed , Alam Mohammad Khursheed
Published: July 2023

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess whether advanced glycation end-products had any influence on the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in patients with type-II diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis.
Material & Methods: It was a case-control study. 30 subjects were recruited in test group, who had chronic periodontitis and known cases of type-II diabetes mellitus. 30 subjects were kept in control group, who had chronic periodontitis but no systemic diseases. Periodontal parameters were recorded, samples of saliva were collected for all the subjects, and assessment of matrix metalloproteinase-1 levels was undertaken via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 26.
Results: The levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 showed a significant elevation in test group in comparison to the controls (p<0.001). Likewise, all the periodontal parameters had greater readings in the test group as compared to the controls (p<0.05).
Conclusions:As there is a significant increase in the levels of salivary matrix metalloproteinase-1 due to advanced glycation end-products, as released in diabetic subjects, the destruction of periodontal apparatus was also, in return, greater in the diabetic subjects as compared to non-diabetic ones. This proves that advanced glycation end-products further elevate the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in humans, resulting in greater destruction of periodontium.
Clinical Relevance:This study observes that if MMP-1 is inhibited by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), the periodontal destruction in patients of type-II diabetes mellitus can be controlled and vice versa.
Building a Relevance Feedback Corpus for Legal Information Retrieval in the Real-Case Scenario of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies
Authors: Vitório Douglas , Souza Ellen , Martins Lucas , Silva Nádia F. F. da , de Carvalho André Carlos Ponce de Leon , Oliveira Adriano L. I. , de Andrade Francisco Edmundo
Published: July 2023

The proper functioning of judicial and legislative institutions requires the efficient retrieval of legal documents from extensive datasets. Legal Information Retrieval focuses on investigating how to efficiently handle these datasets, enabling the retrieval of pertinent information from them.
Relevance Feedback, an important aspect of Information Retrieval systems, utilizes the relevance information provided by the user to enhance document retrieval for a specific request. However, there is a lack of available corpora containing this information, particularly for the legislative scenario. Thus, this paper presents Ulysses-RFCorpus, a Relevance Feedback corpus for legislative information retrieval, built in the real-case scenario of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. To the best of our knowledge, this corpus is the first publicly available of its kind for the Brazilian Portuguese language. It is also the only corpus that contains feedback information for legislative documents, as the other corpora found in the literature primarily focus on judicial texts. We also used the corpus to evaluate the performance of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies' Information Retrieval system. Thereby, we highlighted the model's strong performance and emphasized the dataset's significance in the field of Legal Information Retrieval.
Improved DV-Hop Model Based on theApplication of Variable Scenarios
Authors: Wang Zhongsheng , Shen Han , Zhou Zhou
Published: July 2023

This work proposes an improved DV-Hop model based on function analysisand simulation parameter determination (named FuncDV-Hop) to address theproblems of low positioning accuracy and strong scene dependence of the DV-Hop localization model. The undetermined coefficient optimization, step functionsegmentation experiment, weight function strategy with equivalent points, andmaximum likelihood estimation correction are introduced to reduce the positioning error by analyzing the error reasons in the average hop distance, distanceestimation, and least square calculation of the DV-Hop model. The experiment isdesigned using the control variable method. The total number of nodes, the ratioof beacon nodes, the communication radius, the number of beacon nodes, and thenumber of unknown nodes are designed as variables to control the experiment.Finally, the experiments of two stages of simulation parameter determinationand integration optimization are carried out. The simulation optimization rateof all scenes is between 23.70% and 75.76%, and the average optimization rateis 57.23%. Experimental results show that the FuncDV-Hop model has the highest optimization rate of more than 50% in all experimental scenarios comparedwith the other models, the localization error is reduced by more than 0.1, andthe optimization rate is increased by more than 10% in the record parameters ofthe existing wireless sensor network system.
Tea grounds inspiration for a renewable biomass-based carbon aerogel with CMC and PVA reinforcements: Dye adsorption and supercapacitor prospects
Authors: Buu Ton That , Tu Phan Minh , Cong Che Quang , Hai Nguyen Duy , Minh Dang Thanh Cong , Nam Nguyen Thanh Hoai , Quan Vo Minh , Ngoc Bo Khanh , Han Le Gia , Ha Huynh Ky Phuong , Son Nguyen Truong , Hieu Nguyen Huu
Published: July 2023

In this study, tea grounds-carbon aerogel (TG-CA) was successfully synthesized and applied effectively in organic dye adsorption and supercapacitor applications. Interestingly, the prepared material has unique properties due to the synthesis process with the combination of carboxymethyl cellulose and poly(vinyl alcohol), which can improve the mechanical properties, strengthen the three-dimensional structure, and increase the specific surface area. Besides, the fabricated carbon aerogel also demonstrated excellent adsorption capacity for rhodamine B (RhB), crystal violet (CV), and methyl orange (MO) of 158.4, 143.2, and 132.9 mg/g for 2 h, respectively. Wherein, the adsorption efficiency of RhB dye was evaluated according to the pseudo-second-order kinetic (PSO) and the Langmuir isotherm model with R2 = 0.9947. Besides, the thermodynamic investigation of RhB adsorption using TG-CA800 reveals that the process is endothermic and the negative values of Gibb's free energy (ΔG°) demonstrate that the process was spontaneous. Regarding the electrochemical properties, the tea grounds-carbon prepared at 800oC (TG-CA800) indicated the highest specific capacitance of 291 F/g at the current density of 10 A/g with the potential window of −1.0 to 0 V in phosphate buffer (pH 7). Additionally, the great stability of the material was also confirmed with high capacitance retention of 97.53% after 500 cycles. These results suggest that the carbon aerogel materials prepared from green precursor sources, particularly tea grounds, could be considered a potential and promising approach to tackle organic dye elimination and supercapacitor applications.
Distribution, Etiology and Myocardial deformation imaging by speckle-tracking echocardiography in Valvular heart disease: A sub-analysis from a Clinical Registry
Authors: Nayak Asmitha G , Nayak Krishnananda , Manjoosha M , Ashwal A J
Published: July 2023

Purpose Valvular Heart Disease (VHD) has been a major contributor of global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with increasing need of percutaneous/surgical cardiac intervention. Strain echocardiography has been widely recognizable tool to guide the timings of interventions in these patients. The purpose of this study was to document the demographic, clinical signs and symptoms, Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic parameters in different groups of VHD as well as to assess Left ventricular and right ventricular function in specific groups of VHD.Methods All patients with valvular heart disease who visited a tertiary care hospital in Karnataka during the study period were included in the registry. However, for the study purpose VHD with a severity of at least more than or equal to moderate and with preserved Left ventricle ejection fraction (LV EF) were included for the analysis. Basic demographic, clinical, electrocardiographic, standard echocardiographic and strain parameters were obtained and evaluated.Results During the study period of 10 month a total number of 5,271 subjects had VHD (excluding the presence of trivial or mild functional regurgitant lesion). The most commonly occurring single valvular disease was mitral regurgitation (31%) followed by aortic stenosis (15%) and aortic regurgitation (13%). Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) was the dominant etiology (32.8%) for VHD followed by degenerative heart disease (31.3%). Deformation imaging by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography was preserved for left ventricle (LV) but mildly reduced for right ventricle (RV).Conclusion MR was the most common valvular lesion followed by AS and AR. Rheumatic disease still prevails as the major precursor. Ventricular remodelling varied depending on the lesion type.
New approach to estimate effectiveness of vaccination against COVID - 19: a proportional case vaccinated-based model
Authors: Joghatayi Marzieh , Mirahmadizadeh Alireza , Hassanzadeh Jafar
Published: July 2023

Background
Over the past decades, Outbreaks of numerous infectious diseases have become international emergencies; one of the epidemics of the 21st century was the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the corona virus, mass vaccination has been proposed as one of the most effective ways to end this epidemic. Yet, even after vaccination, re-infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2) may occur which is called breakthrough infections, because the Covid-19 vaccines do not offer 100% protection. For this reason, our goal is to investigate the effectiveness of the covid-19 vaccination in reducing cases of infection and mortality
Methods
In this study, Proportional Vaccinated Case (P.V.C) was used to calculate the effectiveness of vaccination in the city of Shiraz and the cities covered by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences between August 23 and December 21, 2022. Our data is gathered from electronic collection systems, including the Sib system, the CORONA LAB system, and the MCMC system.
Result
the Effectiveness of all vaccines were studied in reducing morbidity and mortality in people who had injected their second dose of vaccine and 14 days or more had passed since their injection was 48.17% and 97.47%, respectively. In contrast, for BIBP-CorV vaccine these numbers are estimated to be 49.58% and 92.88% respectively.
Conclusion
Finally, the aim of this study was to use a new approach to calculate the effectiveness of the vaccine in reducing mortality and infection. Our study showed that vaccination has been effective in reducing deaths caused by covid-19، although the effective results of vaccination in our study in reducing cases of infection wasn't very high .Yet, more and more extensive studies on different strains of the Covid-19 virus are required to prove this issue.
Design Structure Matrix (DSM) Approach to Design a Surgery Robot
Authors: Zamani Forough , Beigzadeh Borhan
Published: July 2023

The product development process (PD) can be viewed as an optimization problem to minimize design loops. Nowadays, the complexity of the system components has increased due to technological progress. These complex interconnections between the different components of the system can complicate and prolong the design process. In such cases, the decision on the sequence of design steps can depend heavily on the experience of the designer. But, other methods can systematize the design process, and help designers and engineers to design more reliably and faster. In this study, we used the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) approach to design and develop a surgical robot mainly used in spine surgery. The main 50 parameters of the robot such as the number of degrees of freedom, motor torque, length of the links, and their relationships described by the kinematics and dynamics of the robot, were inserted into the matrix. These parameters are the minimum parameters required for the initial design of the mechanical structure of a robot. DSM determined the main design loops of our desired system. The most challenging loop of the robot was the one related to choosing motors whose parameters were tightly connected to other robot's parameters. After rearranging the order of parameters and simplifying, and decreasing the loops, a more rational and doable design road map was obtained. The result of the final model showed that it fully met the criteria and constraints of the simulation test for spine surgery.
Tensorial Multi-view Subspace Clustering with Side Constraints for Elevator Security Warning
Authors: Xu Huangzhen , Ruan Licheng , Ni Yuzhou , Yin Hongwei , Yu Pu , Chen Xinmin
Published: July 2023

In recent years, using clustering technology to realize equipment security warning is a research hotspot in the field of data mining applications. However, due to the lack of data fusion mechanism and prior knowledge guidance, the performance of most existing methods is limited when applied to complex equipment such as elevator. In this paper, a novel Tensorial Multi-view Subspace Clustering with Side constraints (TMSCS) is proposed for elevator security warning, which first introduces tensorial multi-view subspace learning to achieve data fusion based on high-order correlation. Secondly, the prior knowledge is formalized as side constraints between samples through adaptive graph learning, where certain elevators is forced to have similar or dissimilar operation status. Thirdly, a unified model combining tensorial multi-view subspace learning and adaptive graph learning is constructed to eliminate the instability caused by phased learning. Furthermore, an efficient optimization algorithm is designed to solve this model. Extensive experiments on several benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of our method, and the experimental results on real elevator status datasets demonstrate that our method accurately identifies the operating status of each elevator equipment.
Dysregulation of the miRNA-30a-5p/B4GALT5 axis leads to cell proliferation and is associated with M1 Macrophage Polarization in PNH
Authors: zeng lijie , Wang Chaomeng , Li Liyan , Liu Zhaoyun , Wang Honglei , Chen Yingying , Wu Junshu , Wang Guanrou , Li Lijuan , Liu Hui , Fu Rong
Published: July 2023

Background：MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play diverse roles in various biological processes. However, their role in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) is not well understood. To investigate the involvement of miRNAs in PNH, we conducted a re-analysis of the GEO database and identified miRNA-30a-5p as the most promising candidate for further mechanism research.
Methods: We have constructed a PIGA knock-out K562 cell line and PIGAconditional knock-out mice model by CRISPR/cas9 technology. Furthermore, FACS and colony formation assays were used to clarify proliferative and apoptosis abilities of PNH cells. FACS was used to clarify M1 Macrophage Polarization in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Luciferase assay was used to indicate miRNA target gene. RT-PCR and western blot were used to verify the relationship between miR-30a-5p, B4GALT5 and PI3K/AKT signaling.
Results: Our study revealed a significant upregulation of miR-30a-5p in Flaer negative cells compared to Flaer positive cells, in a cohort of 10 PNH patients. Cell colony formation and cell cycle analysis demonstrated that the miRNA-30a-5p mimics group exhibited a higher capacity for proliferation, while the miRNA-30a-5p inhibitor group showed opposite effects. Subsequent luciferase assay results confirmed that miRNA-30a-5p targeted the B4GALT5 gene, which was found to be significantly downregulated in Flaer negative cells from 15 PNH patients. In vitro assays showed that the miRNA-30a-5p/B4GALT5 axis significantly promoted cell proliferation by activating PI3K/AKT signaling. Additionally, our study is the first to describe the polarization state of macrophages in the bone marrow microenvironment of PNH patients, where we observed a higher mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD80 and CD86, markers of M1 macrophages, on macrophages from PNH patients compared to normal controls. Furthermore, siB4GALT5 increased the markers of M1 macrophages in BMDMs, and miRNA-30a-5p inhibitor induced M2-like macrophage polarization, which was markedly reversed in the miRNA-30a-5p inhibition+siB4GALT5 group.
Conclusion: Our study has identified that the miRNA-30a-5p targets the B4GALT5 gene, and miRNA-30a-5p/B4GALT5 axis facilitates the proliferation of PNH clones via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Additionally, our findings provide initial evidence that the miRNA-30a-5p/B4GALT5 axis may play a potential role in M1 macrophage polarization in the bone marrow of PNH patients.
Operational Efficiency Improvements in the Portuguese Electricity Sector
Authors: Hou Zheng , Roseta-Palma Catarina , Ramalho Joaquim
Published: July 2023

Efficiency has long been an issue of concern in the electricity sector. Most existing studies relate technical efficiency in electricity generation to policy factors while that in transmission and distribution is associated with environmental factors. Although firm operation is also a relevant perspective on this topic, its explicit impact upon technical efficiency has rarely been studied. In order to analyze the evolution and operational determinants of productive and cost efficiency in the Portuguese electricity sector (including generation from different sources, trade, transmission and distribution), this study estimates Stochastic Frontier models using firm-level panel data from 2006 to 2019, covering the period of liberalization of the Portuguese electricity market. The evidence is consistent with the expectation on efficiency gains from the market reform. However, such improvement is likely to slow down and needs to be consolidated. Results on the inefficiency determinants suggest that it is possible to improve productive technical efficiency by encouraging investment in fixed assets, higher average hourly wage and moderate average working hours.
JEL classification: D24, L23, O25, Q40