bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dendritic cell-intrinsic PTPN22 negatively regulates antitumor immunity and impacts anti-PD-L1 efficacy
Authors: Acero-Bedoya Santiago , Higgs Emily F , Martinez Anna C , Tonea Ruxandra , Gajewski Thomas F
Published: October 2024

Background

Individuals with a loss-of-function single-nucleotide polymorphism in the gene encoding PTPN22 have an increased risk for autoimmune diseases, and patients with cancer with such alleles may respond better to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Studies in PTPN22 knockout (KO) mice have established it as a negative regulator of T cell responses in cancer models. However, the role of PTPN22 in distinct immune cell compartments, such as dendritic cells (DCs), remains undefined.

Methods

We developed a novel PTPN22 conditional KO (cKO) mouse model that enables specific deletion in CD11c+DCs by crossing to CD11c-Cre transgenic mice. Antitumor immunity was characterized using the B16.SIY and MC38.SIY cancer models and immune profiles of relevant tissues were evaluated by spectral flow cytometry. Antigen uptake, processing, and presentation, as well as DC proliferation to Flt3L, were characterized ex vivo.

Results

Deletion of PTPN22 in DCs resulted in augmented antitumor immunity in multiple syngeneic tumor models. Tumor antigen-specific CD8+T cells were increased in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of PTPN22 cKO mice and improved tumor control was CD8+T cell-dependent. Augmented T cell priming was also detected at early time points in the draining lymph nodes, and these effects were correlated with an increased number of proliferating CD103+DCs, also seen in the TME. In vitro studies revealed increased DC proliferation in response to Flt3L, as well as increased antigen processing and presentation. PTPN22 cKO mice bearing MC38 parental tumors showed combinatorial benefit with anti-PD-L1 therapy.

Conclusions

Deletion of PTPN22 in DCs is sufficient to drive an augmented tumor antigen-specific T cell response, resulting in enhanced tumor control. PTPN22 negatively regulates DC proliferation and antigen processing and presentation. Our work argues that PTPN22 is an attractive therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy and highlights the potential to modulate antitumor immunity through the manipulation of DC signaling.
TGF-β trap of AdAPT-001 turns up the heat on tumors and turns down checkpoint blocker resistance
Authors: Reid Tony R , Oronsky Bryan , Williams Jeannie , Caroen Scott , Conley Anthony
Published: October 2024

At the ASCO 2024 meeting, Anthony P Conley, coauthor on this editorial, presented promising data from the phase 1/2 clinical trial called BETA PRIME (ClinicalTrials.govNCT04673942) with AdAPT-001 plus a checkpoint inhibitor (CI). All participants gave informed consent to participate in BETA PRIME before taking part. AdAPT-001 is an oncolytic adenovirus that expresses a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) trap to neutralize active TGF-β. This editorial proposes that the TGF-β trap of AdAPT-001 reverses the immunosuppressive environment of tumor cells, and thus makes these tumors susceptible to CIs like the anti-PD-1 agent, nivolumab, and potentially other therapies as well.
Correspondence on “Dating apps as health allies? Examining the opportunities and challenges of dating apps as partners in public health” by Garcia-Iglesiaset al
Authors: Wohlfeiler Dan , Hecht Jen
Published: October 2024

For public health, any partnership with the private sector raises ethical issues. While programmes to prevent HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infections) have focused on understanding the priorities and cultural mores of diverse communities, they need to develop a similar understanding of how private businesses work. In this commentary, we identify our successes, and challenges, in building ongoing collaborations with dating apps in order to reduce HIV/STI transmission among their users. We have conducted multiple surveys to determine which strategies are most likely to be accepted by both dating app owners and users, and which of those strategies public health experts believe will have the greatest benefit. This research has helped us prioritise strategies to bring to app owners. We have made significant progress in seeing apps and users adopt many of these strategies, particularly in developing optional personal profile fields which allow users to exchange information and make informed choices about their sexual health strategies. Our efforts have also helped apps implement tools to reduce stigmatisation among their users.
Axillary nerve: what anesthesiologists and pain physicians should know
Authors: Chong Michelle , Rojas Gomez Maria Fernanda , Peng Philip
Published: October 2024

Innervation of the shoulder joint is complex and remains poorly understood among regional anesthesiologists and chronic pain specialists. Current literature supports the important contribution of the axillary nerve to the total innervation of the shoulder, as well as its blockade for perioperative pain and denervation for chronic shoulder pain. However, a description of the entire course of the axillary nerve, the corresponding optimal targets, and the sonoanatomy pertinent to pain intervention is lacking. This educational article discusses in detail the functional anatomy and sonographic identification of possible windows for axillary nerve intervention. We discuss the contribution, extent, and type of innervation the axillary nerve provides to the shoulder joint, which is often misunderstood. Ultimately, this article serves to stimulate thoughts and ideas for future research in an area where literature is scarce.
Tobacco control policies discussed on social media: a scoping review
Authors: Dobbs Page , Kong Grace , Lovett Kylie , Henriksen Lisa
Published: October 2024

Objective

To describe the scope of published literature about tobacco-related policy discussions from social media data and discuss implications for tobacco control policy and future research.

Data sources

PubMed, Medline, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched on 20 November 2023, using search terms for social media, tobacco, and policy. The search was limited from 2005 to 2023.

Study selection

After removing duplicates, 2 authors reviewed 1118 articles. Those found to be irrelevant based on title (1078) and abstract (18) review were removed.

Data extraction

Data included study descriptions (eg, policy discussed, social media platform and number of posts), study characteristics (eg, methodology, sentiment analysis (propolicy, antipolicy, neutral policy and unclear policy)), and major and additional findings.

Data synthesis

Of the 22 articles, most examined discussions about USA (n=18) federal regulations (n=17) via human annotation (n=18), using Twitter (X; n=20). Of the 14 papers that discussed sentiment, 4 collected data at different time points; frequency of positive posts typically decreased after policy announcements. Policies discussed in articles included flavour restrictions; USA ban of Puff Bar; Tobacco 21; tobacco taxes; e-cigarette regulation; UK’s standardised packaging; product authorisation; regulating e-cigarettes as a medical product; WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control regulatory actions; Australia’s import restrictions on vaping products and smoke-free and tobacco-free college campus policies.

Conclusions

Social media data can be leveraged to examine timely discourse regarding tobacco control policies. Identified methods of circumventing proposed tobacco control laws and enforcement challenges should be considered by regulatory agencies to close policy loopholes and inform implementation practices.
Comparisons of data-driven models for detecting slip occurrence and direction based on simulations of tactile sensing
Authors: Wu Hao , Liu Chaowen , Ling Jiaxin , Xu Rongqing , Shen Jingjin
Published: October 2024

Slip detection based on tactile sensing plays a crucial role for a robot to achieving stable grasps by promptly adjusting its grasping state. Detecting the occurrence of slippage has been a focus of previous research, but identifying the direction of slippage can provide richer reference information for correcting grasp issues. Due to the variations of experiment setup, the performances of these data-driven models have not been sufficiently compared. In this study, we compared the performance of three traditional machine learning algorithms—random forest, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbors—with four deep learning models—gated recurrent unit, convolutional gated recurrent unit, convolutional long short-term memory, and 3D convolution—in detecting slippage states and directions. We conducted experiments using a simulated dataset collected in Gazebo. Additionally, we compared the noise resistance capability of each model and their generalization performance when facing new objects. The results show that when facing known grasped objects, all models can effectively detect slippage occurrences and their directions. However, as noise increases, Conv3D exhibits the strongest robustness. When generalized to unknown grasped objects, the deep learning models outperforms the three traditional learning algorithms, with CNN-GRU showing the best performance.
Quantum nature of black hole and the superposition of fermionic field
Authors: An Jinshan , Zhang Li , Xiao Lulu , Wang Jieci
Published: October 2024

The operational framework for the superposition of spacetime is fundamentally important in developing a comprehensive description of quantum gravity (Foo et al. in Phys Rev Lett 129:181301, 2022). As a “bottom-up” unifying theory of quantum gravity, it allows us to investigate how mass superposition of spacetime influences the performance of quantum information processing. In this paper, we study how the quantum-gravitational effects produced by the mass superposition of a black hole influence the quantum coherence of fermionic fields. It is shown that the spacetime effects associated with a classical black hole lead to inevitable decoherence. Notably, compared to classical black hole spacetime scenarios, fermionic fields near a black hole with superposed masses can retain more quantum coherence. This suggests that the quantum properties of spacetime may serve as resources to mitigate coherent degradation caused by gravitational effects. The bottom-up perspective on spacetime superposition proposed in this work serves as an indication of quantum-gravitational effects and holds significant theoretical implications.
Application-Level Evaluation of IEEE 802.1AS Synchronized Time and Linux for Distributed Real-Time Systems
Authors: Perez Tijero Hector , García J. Javier Gutiérrez , García Prieto Diego
Published: October 2024

The use of Ethernet and Linux is becoming common in industrial applications, even for those with real-time requirements, although neither of them were originally designed for this purpose. The emergence of Industry 4.0 (also known as Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT) has encouraged the evolution of these technologies to better handle real-time issues. On the one hand, Linux now supports mechanisms to configure certain real-time parameters, as well as core isolation and interrupt allocation facilities in multicore processors. On the other hand, the set of Ethernet standards IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) includes a high precision clock synchronization protocol (IEEE 802.1AS). The purpose of this work is to outline an execution framework for distributed systems based on TSN and Linux, which allows the execution of time-aware applications. We have studied and evaluated different configurations available for the proposed execution framework. In particular, a detailed characterization of the clock synchronization mechanism, from the application point of view, has been performed. Some conclusions about the current real-time capabilities of these technologies are also presented.
WTDUN: Wavelet Tree-Structured Sampling and Deep Unfolding Network for Image Compressed Sensing
Authors: Han Kai , Wang Jin , Shi Yunhui , Cai Hanqin , Ling Nam , Yin Baocai
Published: October 2024

Deep unfolding networks have gained increasing attention in the field of compressed sensing (CS) owing to their theoretical interpretability and superior reconstruction performance. However, most existing deep unfolding methods often face the following issues: (1) they learn directly from single-channel images, leading to a simple feature representation that does not fully capture complex features; and (2) they treat various image components uniformly, ignoring the characteristics of different components. To address these issues, we propose a novel wavelet-domain deep unfolding framework named WTDUN, which operates directly on the multi-scale wavelet sub-bands. Our method utilizes the intrinsic sparsity and multi-scale structure of wavelet coefficients to achieve a tree-structured sampling and reconstruction, effectively capturing and highlighting the most important features within images. Specifically, the design of tree-structured reconstruction aims to capture the inter-dependencies among the multi-scale sub-bands, enabling the identification of both fine and coarse features, which can lead to a marked improvement in reconstruction quality. Furthermore, a wavelet domain adaptive sampling method is proposed to greatly improve the sampling capability, which is realized by assigning measurements to each wavelet sub-band based on its importance. Unlike pure deep learning methods that treat all components uniformly, our method introduces a targeted focus on important sub-bands, considering their energy and sparsity. This targeted strategy lets us capture key information more efficiently while discarding less important information, resulting in a more effective and detailed reconstruction. Extensive experimental results on various datasets validate the superior performance of our proposed method.
Backdoor Attacks against Voice Recognition Systems: A Survey
Authors: Yan Baochen , Lan Jiahe , Yan Zheng
Published: October 2024

Voice Recognition Systems (VRSs) employ deep learning for speech recognition and speaker recognition. They have been widely deployed in various real-world applications, from intelligent voice assistance to telephony surveillance and biometric authentication. However, prior research has revealed the vulnerability of VRSs to backdoor attacks, which pose a significant threat to the security and privacy of VRSs. Unfortunately, existing literature lacks a thorough review on this topic. This paper fills this research gap by conducting a comprehensive survey on backdoor attacks against VRSs. We first present an overview of VRSs and backdoor attacks, elucidating their basic knowledge. Then we propose a set of evaluation criteria to assess the performance of backdoor attack methods. Next, we present a comprehensive taxonomy of backdoor attacks against VRSs from different perspectives and analyze the characteristic of different categories. After that, we comprehensively review existing attack methods and analyze their pros and cons based on the proposed criteria. Furthermore, we review classic backdoor defense methods and generic audio defense techniques. Then we discuss the feasibility of deploying them on VRSs. Finally, we figure out several open issues and further suggest future research directions to motivate the research of VRSs security.
Mitigation of High Photovoltaic Penetration Effects in Electrical Grid Systems Using a Hybrid Particle Swarm and Grey Wolf Optimization Approach
Authors: Yenealem Mezigebu Getinet
Published: October 2024

The rising integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems into electrical grids has introduced significant challenges allied with voltage stability, power quality, and grid reliability, particularly beneath high PV penetration scenarios. This work presents a hybrid optimization approach combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and grey wolf optimization (GWO) to mitigate these challenges effectively. The hybrid PSO–GWO method is not only applied to optimize the position and sizing of PV systems, but also the configuration of grid‐supportive devices like static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs), in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Institute (IEEE) 14‐test bus system. The proposed hybrid system led to a 42.2% power loss reduction, from 18.5 to 10.7 MW effectively enhancing efficiency of the grid, improves voltage profiles, all bus voltages maintained with in the acceptable range of 0.95–1.05 p.u. The study also identified optimal locations for PV units, with placements at bus 3, 6, and 9, where PV sizes were adjusted to 10, 12, and 8 MW, respectively. Additionally, the optimal placement of STATCOMs at bus 4, 7, and 10 provided reactive power support of up to 9 MVAR, further enhancing system stability. The findings suggest that the hybrid PSO–GWO optimization technique is a promising tool for managing the complexities of high PV penetration in modern electrical grids, ensuring proficient and reliable grid operation.
Is Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction “Silva Technique” Equal to All‐Inside Techniques? A Prospective Single‐Center Study
Authors: Karampinas Panagiotis , Vlamis John , Galanis Athanasios , Vavourakis Michail , Sakellariou Evangelos , Varsamos Iordanis , Spyrou Ioannis , Pneumaticos Spiros
Published: October 2024

Background: The development of less invasive all‐inside techniques regarding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery has been associated with various advantages, including fewer complications and reduced postoperative pain. Silva et al. described a quadruple semitendinosus graft construct and suspensory button fixation for ACL reconstruction as an alternative technique. At the end of this technique, the tibial tunnel is filled with a bone autograft plug. This paper aims to examine the incorporation of the autograft and thus evaluate whether the “Silva technique” provides the same benefits as all‐inside techniques.

Methods: A prospective study assessed 31 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery using the “Silva technique.” The cases involved in the study were skeletally mature patients with no previous history of ACL surgery or multiligamentous instability. All patients followed the same rehabilitation program and were examined at three standardized follow‐up visits: 4 months, 8 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Tegner–Lysholm knee score (TLKS), visual analog score (VAS) for pain, and the IKDC subjective knee score were completed at every visit. A knee MRI scan was performed at every scheduled visit to assess bone graft incorporation and remodeling.

Results: TLKS scores revealed a considerable improvement compared to preoperative figures, from 57.2 points preoperatively to an average of 99.4 at the 12‐month follow‐up (p < 0.0001). VAS scores were substantially ameliorated after the operation and until the second follow‐up visit, from 5 before surgery to zero 8 months after the operation, with no noteworthy alterations afterward (p < 0.0001). IKDC subjective knee score outcomes were found to have increased at the last follow‐up, from 59.3 prior to surgery to 99.8 12 months postoperatively (p < 0.0001). Regarding the MRI features of the bone autograft, the tibial tunnel was entirely filled by bone formation at the last MRI scan, suggesting complete integration of the autograft in all patients.

Conclusions: Bone autograft employed to seal the tibial tunnel was completely incorporated in all cases 1 year postoperatively. The “Silva technique” appears to feature all the avails of all‐inside techniques, whilst it seems to be simpler and easier than them after the surgeon is familiarized with its particular aspects. It is a robust option in orthopedic surgeons’ arsenal. However, further large‐scale pertinent research is requisite to confirm the findings of this study.
Toward Answering Federated Spatial Range Queries Under Local Differential Privacy
Authors: Feng Guanghui , Wang Guojun , Peng Tao
Published: October 2024

Federated analytics (FA) over spatial data with local differential privacy (LDP) has attracted considerable research attention recently. Existing solutions for this problem mostly employ a uniform grid (UG) structure, which recursively decomposes the whole spatial domain into fine‐grained regions in the distributed setting. In each round, the sampled clients perturb their locations using a random response mechanism with a fixed probability. This approach, however, cannot encode the client’s location effectively and will lead to ill‐suited query results. To address the deficiency of existing solutions, we propose LDP‐FSRQ, a spatial range query algorithm that relies on a hybrid spatial structure composed of the UG and quad‐tree with nonuniform perturbation (NUP) probability to encode and perturb clients’ locations. In each iteration of LDP‐FSRQ, each client adopts the quad‐tree to encode his/her location into a binary string and uses four local perturbation mechanisms to protect the encoded string. Then, the collector prunes the quad‐tree of the current round according to the clients’ reports and shares the pruned tree with the clients of the next round. We demonstrate the application of LDP‐FSRQ on Beijing, Landmark, Check‐in, and NYC datasets, and the experimental results show that our approach outperforms its competitors in terms of queries’ utility.
Objective and Subjective Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Indices: Characterization of Mediterranean Climate Archetypal Schools After the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Llanos-Jiménez Jesús , Suárez Rafael , Alonso Alicia , Sendra Juan José
Published: October 2024

The COVID‐19 pandemic has prompted renewed interest in indoor air quality (IAQ). Poor ventilation habits, energy obsolescence, and the lack of cooling equipment in schools, combined with increasing temperatures due to climate change, are leading to situations of thermal stress in classrooms. Changes in school operation, following the COVID pandemic, have made it necessary to establish an accurate understanding of the current situation. This research work presents an assessment of winter and summer IAQ and thermal comfort (TC) for a sample of 7 archetypal secondary schools in 5 Mediterranean climate variants in southern Spain in a postpandemic situation. IAQ was assessed through CO2, PM2.5, PM10, and CH2O, while static and adaptive models were used in the case of TC. Surveys were also used to assess both of these. The main novelty is the use of IAPI (indoor air pollution index) and IDI (indoor dissatisfaction index) objective global dimensionless indices to optimize the joint assessment of both variables. Poor objective IAQ results, especially for CO2 and PM2.5, were obtained for both seasons and all climate variants. Global IAPI is between 6.2 and 8.1, with an index of 10 considered unacceptable, while time percentages exceeding established limits are more variable in winter, ranging from 7% to 31.9%, than in summer, ranging from 14.3% to 20.9%. TC objective results varied, and the summer percentage of hours outside the comfort bands reached 40%–47% due to excess heat in the hottest regions. This discomfort was reported by 58.3% of users.
Yield, Physicochemical Properties, and Fatty Acid Profile of Vegetable Oil Extracted From Seed Coats of Strychnos pungens Soler. Fruits Collected in Chikomba, Zimbabwe
Authors: Zimudzi Clemence , Zharare Godfrey E.
Published: October 2024

The study examined Strychnos pungens Soler. (family LOGANIACEAE) fruit as a potential source of vegetable oil. Ripe fruits collected from a forested site in Zimbabwe were processed to determine the partitioning of fresh and dry fruit biomass. The oil was extracted from the seed coat using a hand–operated screw press, and its physiological properties were analyzed. Seeds contributed the most to the fresh weight of the fruit, followed by the shell and pulp. The seed coat was a significant component of the seeds. The seed coat, but not the pulp of the fruit, was found to contain screw press‐extractable oil, the yield of which was substantial, amounting to around 39% of the dry weight of the seed coat. The oil was found to have a high free fatty acid content and a moderate iodine value (83 gI2/100 g), indicating a degree of unsaturation. Furthermore, the oil contained carotenoids and tocols, which serve as antioxidants that help to protect the oil from oxidation. The oil had a high content of monounsaturated oleic acid (78.3%), which is known for its stability and health benefits. The low levels of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids make it a high oleic oil. The volatile profile of the oil included compounds with pleasant fruity aromas that enhance its flavour and fragrance. The results highlighted the need for waste management strategies if S. pungens is industrialized as an oil crop. Significant waste, including shells, pulp, cake residue, and seed kernels, would need proper handling and valorisation. In summary, the research showed that S. pungens has the potential to be a valuable source of high‐quality vegetable oil with good oxidative stability and health benefits, primarily due to its high content of oleic acid and antioxidant compounds.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Among Hospital Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Sharaf Sharaf E. , Dahlawi Abdulhamid , Alhajjaji Abdulrahman , Alqurashi Afnan , Albarakati Mmyada , Badawi Mustafa , Alhassani Nouf , Alshareef Omar , Bajawi Sultan , Alsufyani Walid , Alfahmi Widad , Qudus Yomna , Shamsi Anas
Published: October 2024

Objective: Optimal therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), including clinical pharmacokinetics, appropriate interpretation, and dose adjustment of drugs, is required to effectively monitor specific therapeutic drugs. Hospital pharmacists (HPs), being the most qualified healthcare professionals to implement TDM, must understand its applications to determine and adjust drug doses and avoid adverse drug reactions and toxicity. Therefore, in this knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) study, we assessed TDM level among HPs in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted with 414 HPs in the Makkah region with a valid pharmacy license from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. An overall score of 50% or higher of the total responses in each section was considered good, whereas an overall score lower than 50% was considered poor. Categorical data are expressed as frequency and percentage. Correlations were measured using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r).

Results: The TDM‐KAP levels of the participants were 50%, 80%, and 62% for KAP, respectively. Significant positive linear correlations were found between knowledge and attitude, knowledge and practice, attitude and practice, knowledge and classification, practice and classification, practice and experience, and knowledge and experience. The participants showed acceptable knowledge and practice of TDM levels with elevated attitude levels.

Conclusion: As a lack of TDM knowledge directly contributes to reduced practice levels, increasing TDM knowledge and practice by introducing more intensive pharmaceutical programs that illustrate TDM clinical applications in hospitals is recommended, which will enhance HP integration.
Electrochemically Preplated Lithium on Silver Nanoparticle‐Decorated Three‐Dimensional Vertically Aligned Graphene Foam for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
Authors: Shin Hyun Jung , Park Sangbaek , Kim Dong-Wan
Published: October 2024

Graphene‐based materials, which exhibit large surface areas and superior electrical properties, are promising materials as anodes in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the large surfaces of these electrodes causes the loss of active lithium, leading to a severe reduction in coulombic efficiency and cycle retention. In this study, we combined an electrochemical lithium deposition (ELD) strategy, wherein active lithium was inserted into an electrode to minimize lithium loss during cycling, with the use of a vertically aligned three‐dimensional (3D) graphene foam. This foam, which was created via freeze‐casting, facilitated uniform lithium distribution during ELD, enhancing active lithium utilization. Consequently, the lithium preplated vertically aligned graphene foam anode could improve charge transfer and stabilize the SEI. It exhibited a superior cycle retention of 86% at a current density of 0.5 C for 200 cycles in LIBs, which is superior to that of preplated film‐type anodes and lithium foils. Moreover, it enabled the easy infiltration of polymer electrolyte through aligned graphene sheets while maintaining its original cell performance with a liquid electrolyte. Furthermore, it exhibited a higher discharge capacity than that of lithium foil anodes with the same negative/positive ratio in high‐areal‐capacity lithium–sulfur batteries. Therefore, this paper indicates the potential of preplated vertically aligned graphene foam as a high safety, high‐areal‐capacity anode for various next‐generation rechargeable lithium batteries.
Results of XEN45 Gel Stent Implantation in the Treatment of Primary Open‐Angle Glaucoma Using 5, 10 or 20 μg Mitomycin C: A Pilot Study
Authors: Reichel Felix F. , Guggenberger Vanessa , Faber Hanna , Neubauer Jonas , Voykov Bogomil
Published: October 2024

Background: No consensus has been reached on the adequate dose of mitomycin C (MMC) in XEN45 gel stent implantation. Lower doses have the potential to reduce MMC‐linked side effects. This study aimed to evaluate treatment efficacy of ab interno XEN45 gel stent in primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG) with three different MMC doses.

Methods: This retrospective single‐centre nonrandomised trail included 54 patients (56 eyes) who underwent XEN45 gel stent implantation for POAG with above‐target intraocular pressure (IOP) under medical therapy. Eyes were grouped according to the received MMC dose: Group 1 (20 μg; n = 21), Group 2 (10 μg; n = 14) and Group 3 (5 μg; n = 21). The primary endpoint was the mean IOP change in the three MMC dose groups after 6, 12 and 24 months. Secondary endpoints included the success rate defined as lowering of baseline IOP ≥ 20% and below a cut‐off IOP set at three different levels: ≤ 18, ≤ 16 and ≤ 14 mmHg (Criteriums 1, 2 and 3), the mean number of ocular hypotensive medications and the frequency of needling procedures.

Results: After 24 months, the overall mean (standard error) IOP was significantly reduced from 24.7 (0.9) mmHg to 15.2 (0.7) mmHg (p < 0.0001). The average IOP change (standard error) in MMC dose groups 1, 2 and 3 was −8.6 (2) mmHg, −10.1 (2.1) mmHg and −10.4 (2.8) mmHg. Complete success (Criterium 1) was achieved in 50%, 62% and 43% of the eyes in groups 1, 2 and 3. No statistically significant difference was found within the first 24 months between the three MMC dose groups for IOP change, success rate, number of ocular hypotensive medications and the frequency of needling procedures.

Conclusions: XE45 was effective in all three dose groups. As the success rate did not significantly differ between the MMC doses, these results may support the use of the lowest dose.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: 559/2016BO2
Performance Analysis of DP‐QAM‐Based Optical OFDM PON Employing Optical Multicarrier
Authors: Luay Ibrahim , Mansour Tahreer Safa’a
Published: October 2024

This work proposes a new hybrid bidirectional standard single mode fiber (SSMF)/free space optical (FSO) dual polarization quadrature amplitude modulation (DP‐QAM) employing optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). An optical multicarrier generator (OMG) source is utilized. The suggested model is simulated using VPI photonics software. Thirty‐two optical OFDM channels are used; each carrier’s 30 Gbps information data with DP‐QAM are employed to improve the performance of the fifth‐generation passive optical network (5G‐PON) for downstream and upstream transmission. In addition, 16‐QAM signals are used in DP. The impact of continuous wavelength (CW) lasers and high data rates in the proposed 5G‐PON has been investigated for DP‐QAM‐OFDM. The results reveal 0.96 Tb/s and 0.1 Tb/s for the downstream and upstream directions, respectively, under different turbulence effects. Furthermore, the simulation results show that the proposed model can achieve an SSMF length and FSO propagation ranges of 20 km and 2 km, respectively, with the symbol error rate (SER) (<10−9) and error vector magnitude (EVM) (<0.186).
Anticorrosion Protection of Low‐Carbon Steel by the Eco‐Friendly Composition Based on Gum Arabic
Authors: Danyliak Mariia-Olena , Lavrys Serhii , Rizun Yuliia , Korniy Sergiy
Published: October 2024

Inhibitory properties of an eco‐friendly composition based on gum arabic polysaccharide and citric acid salt–sodium citrate for corrosion prevention of low‐carbon steel in neutral environment was investigated. Corrosion resistance of low‐carbon steel in a 0.1% NaCl solution with and without composition after 3 and 24 h immersion was investigated by electrochemical and weight loss methods. The inhibitory composition with 0.5 g/L concentration was obtained by adding 0.25 g/L of gum arabic and 0.25 g/L of sodium citrate in 1L 0.1% NaCl solution. It was established that the inhibitory efficiency of the composition is enhanced with increasing concentration (0; 0.25; 0.50; 0.75; 1; 1.50; 2.0 g/L) and reaches a maximum at 2.0 g/L of each component. The protective effect of the composition is determined by the combination of two compounds of different natures, which have hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups. The inhibitory ability of the composition is due to the dominant competitive adsorption between citrate anions with gum arabic and chloride ions on the steel surface. Adsorption of citrate and gum arabic on the steel surface corresponds to the Frumkin isotherm, and the Gibbs energy value was −12.25 kJ/mol, which indicates physical adsorption. The morphology and chemical content of the steel surface after immersion in a solution with an inhibitory composition were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX analysis. The formation of a protective film based on gum arabic and citrate probably occurs by chelation, which effectively blocks the access of corrosively active Cl− ions. It was shown that the corrosion rate Km was 0.42·10−5 g/cm2·h and the inhibitory efficiency for protection of the steel was 80.4% after 24 h immersion in a 0.1% NaCl solution with composition.
Exercise Attenuates Doxorubicin‐Induced Myocardial Injury by Inhibiting TSHR and Regulating Macrophage Polarization Through miR‐30d‐5p/GALNT7
Authors: Wu Haiyan , Zhou Ruoyu , Kong Hanxin , Yang Jieqiong , Liu Suijuan , Wei Xiaolin , Li Kunzhi , Zhang Yunmei
Published: October 2024

Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) is an extensively used chemotherapeutic agent that induces cardiotoxicity. Studies have reported that exercise (EXE) can alleviate DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the mechanism by which EXE attenuates DOX‐induced myocardial injury.

Methods: In this study, cell and animal models of DOX‐induced myocardial injury were constructed. The animal model was subjected to EXE intervention.

Results: In this study, in vitro experiments revealed that miR‐30d‐5p negatively regulated polypeptide N‐acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 7 (GALNT7) and that GALNT7 negatively regulated the expression of thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR). miR‐30d‐5p downregulated the expression of GALNT7, promoted the expression of TSHR, and promoted macrophage M1 polarization, thus aggravating cardiomyocyte injury. In vivo experiments revealed that EXE intervention significantly downregulated miR‐30d‐5p and TSHR expression, upregulated GALNT7, reduced inflammation, and promoted M2 macrophage polarization, thereby alleviating DOX‐induced myocardial injury. In addition, overexpression of miR‐30d‐5p or knockdown of GALNT7 weakened the intervention effect of EXE, whereas overexpression of GALNT7 or knockdown of TSHR promoted the effect of EXE.

Conclusion: EXE can modulate the miR‐30d‐5p/GALNT7 axis to inhibit the expression of TSHR, thereby regulating the polarization of macrophages to the M2 phenotype and ultimately alleviating DOX‐induced myocardial injury, which provides new targets and strategies for the clinical treatment of myocardial injury.
Estimates of Soil Organic Carbon in the Ojos de Agua and El Quinillal Forests in the Central Huallaga of Peru
Authors: Mendoza-Lopez Karla , Ordoñez-Sánchez Luis , Valdez-Andía Manuel Jesús , Lozano-Chung Andi , García-Gonzales Patricia E. , Saavedra-Ramírez Jorge , Macedo-Córdova Wilder , Baselly-Villanueva Juan R. , Reategui Keneth , Gaona-Jimenez Nery , Vallejos-Torres Geomar
Published: October 2024

The Peruvian Amazon has experienced large losses of forest cover due to changes in land use, contributing to increases in CO2 in the atmosphere. This study estimated the organic carbon content of forest soil in two forests “Ojos de Agua” and “El Quinillal” in the Central Huallaga of Peru, establishing three types of cover: (i) primary, (ii) intervened, and (iii) deforested. For this purpose, 24 plots of 100 m2 were established and samples were extracted at a depth of 0–20 cm. The effect of the type of forest cover on soil carbon (Organic Carbon‐SOC, Inorganic Carbon‐SIC, Saturated Carbon‐SC, Critical Carbon‐CC, Saturated Carbon Deficit‐SCD, and Organic Carbon‐OC) was analyzed by means of an Analysis of Variance, correlation. Likewise, the relationship between carbon (C) and soil properties was evaluated by principal component analysis and correlation network. The results indicated that the highest SOC averages were found in the primary forests of Ojos de Agua and El Quinillal with 3.54% and 2.51%. The lowest values were found in the deforested forests with 1.34% and 1.46%. The calculation of the saturated C levels of the soil showed an average of 28.63% ± 2.14% and the saturated carbon deficit of 26.63% ± 2.45%, whereas the critical threshold of C showed an average of 2.21% ± 0.18%. The highest SOC content found in the Ojos de Agua primary forest is due to the presence of dominant forest species such as Manilkara bidentata and Brosimum alicastrum. Likewise, the C deficit in the soils of the study area is very alarming because it is very close to saturation levels, especially in deforested forests.
Mental Health Nurses’ Self‐Efficacy and Quality of Professional Life Toward Inpatient Violence in Mental Health Hospitals in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alissa Nawal A. , Hazazi Ashwaq Mohammed
Published: October 2024

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceived self‐efficacy toward adult inpatient violence and the quality of professional life status among mental health nurses. The study was conducted in mental health and psychiatric hospitals in Central Region in Saudi Arabia. The study used cross‐sectional, descriptive, and quantitative approaches. Data were collected by self‐administrative, and five Likert‐scaled questionnaires. The study findings revealed that there was a positive relationship between the nurses’ perceived self‐efficacy and quality of professional life. Also, the study findings declared that there were no statistically significant differences between self‐efficacy in the theme of gender, qualification, and experience‐associated demographic factors. The study recommended that mental health nursing staff receive additional training on violence and self‐efficacy to deal with workplace violence. Moreover, the study recommended carrying out studies on a wide range to investigate the factors behind aggression and violence. Also, the study recommended a rigorous review for nurses’ policy toward violence management.
Influence of Environmental Factors and Aggregates on Concrete Elasticity: Ultrasonic and Strength Testing
Authors: Hadidi Mohammad Reza , Mohammadi Yaghoub
Published: October 2024

This study investigates the effects of recycled aggregates (RAs), temperature, humidity, and freeze–thaw cycles on the modulus of elasticity in concrete, using a comparative approach between ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and compressive strength tests. A range of RA proportions (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) was explored. These mixes were subjected to environmental conditions, including temperatures of 25, 0, and −18°C in both dry and wet states, to assess their impact on the mechanical properties of concrete rigorously. The findings reveal that the modulus of elasticity decreases by up to 35% with higher recycled content and more severe environmental exposure, with significant variations observed under different temperatures (25, 0, and −18°C) and moisture conditions. Notably, samples with 25% recycled content maintained higher elasticity, suggesting an optimal threshold for incorporating recycled materials. The study also validates using UPV as a nondestructive method to efficiently evaluate concrete’s structural integrity. These insights advocate for the tailored use of RA concrete (RAC) in construction, enhancing durability and sustainability in varying climatic conditions. This research contributes to the development of concrete formulations that are both durable and environmentally adaptive, promoting sustainable construction practices.
Vehicle Lane Change Multistep Trajectory Prediction Based on Data and CNN_BiLSTM Model
Authors: Gao Shijie , Zhao Zhimin , Liu Xinjian , Jiao Yanli , Song Chunyang , Zhao Jiandong
Published: October 2024

In order to accurately predict the lane‐changing trajectory of the vehicle and improve the driving safety of the vehicle, a lane‐changing trajectory prediction model based on the combination of convolutional neural network (CNN) and bidirectional long short‐term memory (BiLSTM) neural network is proposed by comprehensively considering the historical driving behavior, the spatial characteristics of surrounding vehicles and the bidirectional time sequence information of the vehicle trajectory. Firstly, the vehicle trajectory data are filtered and smoothed, and it is divided into three categories: left lane change, right lane change, and straight driving, and a lane change trajectory sample set is constructed. Secondly, CNN‐BiLSTM model is constructed to identify the sample set of lane‐changing trajectory. Considering the interaction between vehicles in the driving process, the information of predicted vehicle, and surrounding vehicles is taken as the input of the model. The extracted feature vector is input to the BiLSTM layer for prediction after the CNN layer feature extraction, and the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the target vehicle at the next time are output. Thirdly, the trajectory data of the US‐101 dataset in NGSIM is selected to verify the performance of the CNN‐BiLSTM model, and at the same time, it is compared with models such as CNN‐LSTM, long short‐term memory (LSTM), BiLSTM, and CNN‐GRU‐Att. Finally, the verification result shows that the overall fitting degree of the vehicle lane change trajectory prediction of the proposed model reaches 99.50%, and the mean square error and mean absolute error are 0.0003076 and 0.01417, which are improved compared with other models. In the meanwhile, the research on multistep trajectory prediction in different prediction time domains is carried out. It was found that the longer the prediction time domain is, the lower the prediction performance of the model decreases, but the prediction accuracy still reached more than 96%, and it was able to accurately predict the lane change trajectory.
Tribological and Corrosion Analysis of TiO2 and C–Based HVOF‐Sprayed Hybrid Composite Coatings
Authors: Khare Bhuwan , Yashpal  , Sharma Ratnesh Kumar
Published: October 2024

Currently, there is a significant need for affordable coatings that are both authentic and ecofriendly, with the goal of reducing pollution. In order to mitigate frictional loss, researchers have produced hybrid coating based on carbon through the utilization of the high‐velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray technique. The results showed that the coefficients of friction (COFs) varied in the range of 0.1–0.5, and the wear rates ranged from 40 to 115 μm. The experiments were performed under different situations, encompassing temperatures ranging from 50°C to 200°C, loads ranging from 40 to 55 N, and sliding speeds ranging from 0.3 to 1.2 m/s. The corrosion tests showed a decrease in mass loss from 0.15 to 0.02 g after 1 h of immersion and from 0.20 to 0.04 g after 5 h of immersion. The tribological testing revealed significant improvements in various properties. The microhardness increased by 78.7%, residual stress decreased by 78%, mass loss due to corrosion decreased by 60% after 1 h and 62.5% after 5 h, coefficient of friction decreased by 76.9%, and wear rate reduced by 62.5%.
A checklist of avian fauna of Suang Reserve Forest, Nagaon, Assam, India with notes on some species of interest
Authors: Bora Chiranjib , Bora Neeraj , Bhuyan Chandan , Das Rajkumar , Das Raktim Jyoti
Published: October 2024

This study presents the first avian checklist from the Suang Reserve Forest of Nagaon, Assam, India. The study conducted between 2018 and 2023 documented 228 bird species belonging to 18 orders and 64 families of which four are globally threatened according to the IUCN Red List. Passeriformes was the most dominant order, with 128 species. Among non-passerines, Piciformes exhibited the highest richness (15 species), followed by Cuculiformes and Accipitriformes (13 species each). The family Muscicapidae had the greatest species diversity (21 species), followed by Accipitridae (13 species), Phylloscopidae (11 species), and Picidae (11 species). We also documented 38 winter visitors and seven summer migrants in the reserve forest. Noteworthy findings included rare sightings of the White-cheeked Partridge and Grey Peacock-Pheasant, and unusual sightings of Wreathed Hornbill and Pacific Golden Plover. The results showed the healthy condition of the forest and its high biodiversity value, despite the study limitations due to inaccessible terrain. We recommend extensive documentation of avifauna and other biodiversity for this region for future conservation planning.
New photographic and distribution records of the Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa (Blyth, 1843) and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (Horsfield, 1821) from the Tsirang District landscape in Bhutan
Authors: Birkha Bahadur Mongar  , Bishal Mongar  , Chhimi Dorji  , Phuentsho Tobgay  , Tshering Wangchuk  , Jigme Tenzin
Published: October 2024

The distribution records with photographic evidence of the Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa (Blyth, 1843) and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (Horsfield, 1821) from the Tsirang District landscape in Bhutan. S. formosa, under Sittidae family, was first described in 1843 and is native to the eastern Himalaya, northeastern India, and extending into southeastern Asia. L. javanicus being widely distributed is rare and faces threats from deforestation, leading to its vulnerable status. The largest wading bird in the Ciconiidae family, found mainly in southern and southeastern Asia, with a recent sighting in Tsirang District establishing new distribution records for Bhutan. The district’s ecological diversity, including broadleaved forests, and riverine landscapes, supports a rich avifauna, making it a hotspot for bird enthusiasts. Separate studies are required to ensure the long-term conservation of Beautiful Nuthatch, and to confirm whether Lesser Adjutant is a regular visitor in Tsirang.
First sighting record of a Ruddy Mongoose Urva smithii Gray, 1837 feeding on a pipistrelle bat in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, India
Authors: Chikkanaragund Harshakumar  , Puttaswamaiah Rajesh , Nag K.S. Chetan
Published: October 2024

Bats are predated regularly by mammals like cats, birds, and snakes. However, bats are rarely observed to be predated by mongooses. Herein we document and describe a Ruddy Mongoose opportunistically predating on a pipistrelle bat at its roosting site inside a tree crevice at Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Karnataka in December 2022. Our observation may indicate that the Ruddy Mongoose Urva smithii could be an opportunistic but not a selective hunter of bats.