bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for Facetogenic Chronic Back Pain
Authors: Rothoerl Ralf , Tomelden Junee , Alt Eckhard Udo
Published: February 2023

Background: Chronic back pain due to facet joint syndrome is a common and debilitating condition. Advances in regenerative medicine have shown that autologous unmodified adipose tissue-derived regenerative cells (ADRC) provide several beneficial effects. These regenerative cells can differentiate into various tissues and exhibit a strong anti-inflammatory potential. ADRCs can be obtained from a small amount of fatty tissue derived from the patient’s abdominal fat. Methods: We report long-term results of 37 patients (age 31–78 years, mean 62.5) suffering from “Facet Joint Syndrome” The pathology was confirmed by clinical, radiological examinations and fluoroscopically guided test injections. Then, liposuction was performed. An amount of 50–100 cc of fat was harvested. To recover stem cells from adipose tissue, we use the CE-certified Transpose RT™ system from InGeneron GmbH. The cells were then injected under fluoroscopic control in the periarticular fat. Follow-up examinations were performed at 1 week, 1 year, and 5 years. Results: Every patient reported improved VAS pain at any follow-up (1 week, 1 year, and 5 years) with ADRCs compared to the baseline. Conclusions: Our observational data indicate that facet joint syndrome patients treated with unmodified adipose tissue-derived regenerative cells experience improved the quality of life in the long term.
Direct Mechanical Thrombectomy vs. Bridging Therapy in Stroke Patients in A “Stroke Belt” Region of Southern Europe
Authors: del Toro-Pérez Cristina , Amaya-Pascasio Laura , Guevara-Sánchez Eva , Ruiz-Franco María Luisa , Arjona-Padillo Antonio , Martínez-Sánchez Patricia
Published: February 2023

The aim of this 4-year observational study is to analyze the outcomes of stroke patients treated with direct mechanical thrombectomy (dMT) compared to bridging therapy (BT) (intravenous thrombolysis [IVT] + BT) based on 3-month outcomes, in real clinical practice in the "Stroke Belt" of Southern Europe. In total, 300 patients were included (41.3% dMT and 58.6% BT). The frequency of direct referral to the stroke center was similar in the dMT and BT group, whereas the time from onset to groin was longer in the BT group (median 210 [IQR 160–303] vs. 399 [IQR 225–675], p = 0.001). Successful recanalization (TICI 2b-3) and hemorrhagic transformation were similar in both groups. The BT group more frequently showed excellent outcomes at 3 months (32.4% vs. 15.4%, p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed that BT was independently associated with excellent outcomes (OR 2.7. 95% CI,1.2–5.9, p = 0.02) and lower mortality (OR 0.36. 95% CI 0.16–0.82, p = 015). Conclusions: Compared with dMT, BT was associated with excellent functional outcomes and lower 3-month mortality in this real-world clinical practice study conducted in a region belonging to the “Stroke Belt” of Southern Europe. Given the disparity of results on the benefit of BT in the current evidence, it is of vital importance to analyze the convenience of its use in each health area.
A Novel Multi Algorithm Approach to Identify Network Anomalies in the IoT Using Fog Computing and a Model to Distinguish between IoT and Non-IoT Devices
Authors: Alzahrani Rami J. , Alzahrani Ahmed
Published: February 2023

Botnet attacks, such as DDoS, are one of the most common types of attacks in IoT networks. A botnet is a collection of cooperated computing machines or Internet of Things gadgets that criminal users manage remotely. Several strategies have been developed to reduce anomalies in IoT networks, such as DDoS. To increase the accuracy of the anomaly mitigation system and lower the false positive rate (FPR), some schemes use statistical or machine learning methodologies in the anomaly-based intrusion detection system (IDS) to mitigate an attack. Despite the proposed anomaly mitigation techniques, the mitigation of DDoS attacks in IoT networks remains a concern. Because of the similarity between DDoS and normal network flows, leading to problems such as a high FPR, low accuracy, and a low detection rate, the majority of anomaly mitigation methods fail. Furthermore, the limited resources in IoT devices make it difficult to implement anomaly mitigation techniques. In this paper, an efficient anomaly mitigation system has been developed for the IoT network through the design and implementation of a DDoS attack detection system that uses a statistical method that combines three algorithms: exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and the cumulative sum algorithm (CUSUM). The integration of fog computing with the Internet of Things has created an effective framework for implementing an anomaly mitigation strategy to address security issues such as botnet threats. The proposed module was evaluated using the Bot-IoT dataset. From the results, we conclude that our model has achieved a high accuracy (99.00%) with a low false positive rate (FPR). We have also achieved good results in distinguishing between IoT and non-IoT devices, which will help networking teams make the distinction as well.
Forecasting Honesty: An Investigation of the Middle Eastern Bicultural Mind
Authors: Pilotti Maura A. E. , Alaoui Khadija El
Published: February 2023

The present study examines the extent to which models of honesty predict the magnitude of current or future self-serving assessment of performance in Middle Eastern students, a population often neglected in the extant literature. Specifically, the study asks whether Middle Eastern students’ predictions regarding future performance rectify prior self-serving inflated assessment, thereby restoring honesty, or glorify it through enhanced optimism, thereby discounting prior dishonesty. In this study, students believed that their self-assessment of performance would be either anonymous, allowing them to cheat, or identifiable. Before self-assessment, participants were exposed to reminders of honesty or dishonesty (i.e., priming conditions) or neutral reminders (i.e., the control condition). In agreement with the self-concept maintenance model and evidence of earlier studies conducted in the Western world, students inflated their self-assessments very little, and even less when presented with either secular or religious reminders of honesty. However, reminders were ineffective on participants’ predictions of future performance, which were biased in favor of optimism. The study offers concrete evidence on the presumed generality of a theoretical model of ethical conduct while it also adds evidence on its limitations.
The Costs of Agglomeration: Misallocation of Credit in Chinese Cities
Authors: Liu Lu , Tian Yu , Chen Haiquan
Published: February 2023

In comparison to agglomeration economies, the negative externalities of agglomeration have received less attention. Based on the punishment data of illegal loans from Chinese bank branches, this paper focuses on the relationship between density and credit misallocation to enrich the study of the negative externalities of agglomeration. After controlling for city size and a variety of other possible factors, the empirical results suggest that increased density leads to increased credit misallocation, and this result passes a series of robustness tests, including IV estimation. Agglomeration causes credit misallocation primarily through rising house prices, which causes financial institutions to favor housing-related loans. During this process, the government’s reliance on land finance causes higher house prices and, as a result, more severe misallocation. However, agglomeration does not always lead to an increase in credit misallocation. There are also cases where agglomeration does not lead to an increase in credit misallocation, which suggests that we should pay attention to differences in key characteristics between cities when studying the externalities of agglomeration.
Estimating Double Cropping Plantations in the Brazilian Cerrado through PlanetScope Monthly Mosaics
Authors: Sano Edson Eyji , Bolfe Édson Luis , Parreiras Taya Cristo , Bettiol Giovana Maranhão , Vicente Luiz Eduardo , Sanches Ieda Del′Arco , Victoria Daniel de Castro
Published: February 2023

Farmers in the Brazilian Cerrado are increasing grain production by cultivating second crops during the same crop growing season. The release of PlanetScope (PS) satellite images represents an innovative opportunity to monitor double cropping production. In this study, we analyzed the potential of six PS monthly mosaics from the 2021/2022 crop growing season to discriminate double cropping areas in the municipality of Goiatuba, Goiás State, Brazil. The four multispectral bands of the PS images were converted into normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), green–red normalized difference index (GRNDI), and textural features derived from the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). The ten most important combinations of these attributes were used to map double cropping systems and other land use and land cover classes (cultivated pasture, sugarcane, and native vegetation) of the municipality through the Random Forest classifier. Training and validation samples were obtained from field campaigns conducted in October 2021 and April 2022. PS mosaic from February 2022 was the most relevant data. The overall accuracy and Kappa index of the final map were 92.2% and 0.892, respectively, with an accuracy confidence of 81%. This approach can be expanded for mapping and monitoring other agricultural frontiers in the Cerrado biome.
Bacterial Virulence and Prevention for Human Spaceflight
Authors: Wazir Hakim Ullah , Narang Pooja , Silvani Giulia , Mehner Christine , Poole Kate , Burke Catherine , Chou Joshua
Published: February 2023

With the advancement in reusable rocket propulsion technology, space tourist trips into outer space are now becoming a possibility at a cost-effective rate. As such, astronauts will face a host of health-related challenges, particularly on long-duration space missions where maintaining a balanced healthy microbiome is going to be vital for human survival in space exploration as well as mission success. The human microbiome involves a whole list of micro-organisms that reside in and on the human host, and plays an integral role in keeping the human host healthy. However, imbalances in the microbiome have been directly linked to many human diseases. Research findings have clearly shown that the outer space environment can directly affect the normal microbiome of astronauts when the astronaut is exposed to the microgravity environment. In this study, we show that the simulation of microgravity on earth can mimic the outer space microgravity environment. Staphylococus aureus (S. aureus) was chosen for this study as it is an opportunistic pathogen, which is part of the normal human skin microflora and the nasal passages. This study’s results show that S. aureus proliferation was significantly increased under a microgravity environment compared to Earth’s gravity conditions, which complements previous work performed on bacteria in the outer space environment in the International Space Station (ISS). This demonstrates that this technology can be utilised here on Earth to mimic the outer space environment and to study challenging health-related questions. This in return saves us the cost on conducting experiments in the ISS and can help advance knowledge at a faster rate and produce countermeasures to mitigate the negative side effects of the hostile outer space environment on humans.
Miswired Proprioception in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Relation to Pain Sensation (and in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)—Is Piezo2 Channelopathy a Principal Transcription Activator in Proprioceptive Terminals Besides Being the Potential Primary Damage?
Authors: Sonkodi Balázs
Published: February 2023

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal neurodegenerative multisystem disease, with an unknown pathomechanism, resulting in progressive motoneuron loss. In 90–95% of cases, ALS is sporadic, but close to 10% of ALS is familial with inherited gene mutations from family members. Recently, a non-contact dying-back injury mechanism theory of ALS postulated that irreversible intrafusal proprioceptive terminal degeneration induces the non-resolving progressive impairment of the proprioceptive circuitry, leading to motoneuron loss, progressive overloading and depletion of the central nervous system, and eventually to death. The current manuscript proposes that irreversible Piezo2 channelopathy of this proprioceptive terminal degeneration induces constantly activated and dysregulated transcription process in ALS, providing access to underlying pathogenic gene variants and letting the cell-type-specific noncoding DNA mutations become more apparent. This opinion piece proposes that ALS genes are associated with the Piezo2 channelopathy mechanism both downstream and upstream, and their mutations, along with the aging process, could explain the non-contact dying-back injury mechanism theory of ALS. Moreover, irreversible microinjury of the Piezo2 ion channel could be the primary damage or the root cause of death in ALS. Finally, the current manuscript also depicts the pathomechanism as to why ALS is considered a painless disease.
Diversity and Differential Expression of MicroRNAs in the Human Skeletal Muscle with Distinct Fiber Type Composition
Authors: Zhelankin Andrey V. , Iulmetova Liliia N. , Ahmetov Ildus I. , Generozov Eduard V. , Sharova Elena I.
Published: February 2023

The ratio of fast- and slow-twitch fibers in human skeletal muscle is variable and largely determined by genetic factors. In this study, we investigated the contribution of microRNA (miRNA) in skeletal muscle fiber type composition. The study involved biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis muscle from 24 male participants with distinct fiber type ratios. The miRNA study included samples from five endurance athletes and five power athletes with the predominance of slow-twitch (61.6–72.8%) and fast-twitch (69.3–80.7%) fibers, respectively. Total and small RNA were extracted from tissue samples. Total RNA sequencing (N = 24) revealed 352 differentially expressed genes between the groups with the predominance of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Small RNA sequencing showed upregulation of miR-206, miR-501-3p and miR-185-5p, and downregulation of miR-499a-5p and miR-208-5p in the group of power athletes with fast-twitch fiber predominance. Two miRtronic miRNAs, miR-208b-3p and miR-499a-5p, had strong correlations in expression with their host genes (MYH7 and MYH7B, respectively). Correlations between the expression of miRNAs and their experimentally validated messenger RNA (mRNA) targets were calculated, and 11 miRNA–mRNA interactions with strong negative correlations were identified. Two of them belonged to miR-208b-3p and miR-499a-5p, indicating their regulatory links with the expression of CDKN1A and FOXO4, respectively.
Thirty-Days versus Longer Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Treatment after Percutaneous Coronary Interventions with Newer Drug-Eluting Stents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tsigkas Grigorios , Apostolos Anastasios , Chlorogiannis David-Dimitrios , Bousoula Elena , Vasilagkos Georgios , Tsalamandris Sotirios , Tsiafoutis Ioannis , Katsanos Konstantinos , Toutouzas Konstantinos , Aminian Adel , Alexopoulos Dimitrios , Davlouros Periklis
Published: February 2023

Abbreviation of the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (one or three months) has been recently proposed, especially for high bleeding risk patients, after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES). Three databases were screened for eligible randomized control trials. The primary endpoint was the incidence of net adverse clinical events (NACE). Secondary endpoints consisted of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent-thrombosis, repeat revascularization and major bleeding. We included four RCTs with a total of 26,576 patients; 13,282 patients were grouped in 30-days DAPT, while the remaining 13,294 were allocated in a longer period of DAPT. One month of DAPT did not significantly reduce NACE (odds ratio [OR]: 0.87, 95% confidence intervals [Cl]: 0.74–1.03); however, major bleedings were significantly reduced by 22% (OR: 0.78, 95% Cl: 0.65–0.94). Mortality or ischemic events (stroke, myocardial infarction, revascularization and stent thrombosis) were not affected. Thus, 30-days DAPT could be considered as safe and feasible after PCI with DES in selected patients, especially those with high bleeding risk. Forthcoming RCTs could shed light on the optimal duration of DAPT.
Phase Transformation Behaviors of Medium Carbon Steels Produced by Twin Roll Casting and Compact Strip Production Processes
Authors: Li Shaohua , Feng Haibo , Wang Shuize , Gao Junheng , Zhao Haitao , Wu Honghui , Xu Shuai , Feng Qingxiao , Li Hualong , Liu Xinyuan , Wu Guilin
Published: February 2023

Medium carbon steels have been widely used in the fields of tool and die manufacturing due to their outstanding hardness and wear resistance. In this study, microstructures of 50# steel strips fabricated by twin roll casting (TRC) and compact strip production (CSP) processes were analyzed to investigate the influences of solidification cooling rate, rolling reduction, and coiling temperature on composition segregation, decarburization, and pearlitic phase transformation. The results show that a partial decarburization layer with a thickness of 13.3 μm and banded C-Mn segregation were observed in the 50# steel produced by CSP, leading to the banded distributions of ferrite and pearlite in the C-Mn poor regions and C-Mn rich regions, respectively. For the steel fabricated by TRC, owing to the sub-rapid solidification cooling rate and short processing time at high temperatures, neither apparent C-Mn segregation nor decarburization was observed. In addition, the steel strip fabricated by TRC has higher pearlite volume fractions, larger pearlite nodule sizes, smaller pearlite colony sizes and interlamellar spacings due to the co-influence of larger prior austenite grain size and lower coiling temperatures. The alleviated segregation, eliminated decarburization and large volume fraction of pearlite render TRC a promising process for medium carbon steel production.
The Effect of Liquid–Solid Interactions upon Nucleate Boiling on Rough Surfaces: Insights from Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Guo Chang , Ji Can , Kong Yalong , Liu Zhigang , Guo Lin , Yang Yawei
Published: February 2023

Despite the fact that engineered surface enabling remarkable phase change heat transfer have elicited increasing attention due to their ubiquitous applications in thermal management, the underlying mechanisms of intrinsic rough structures as well as the surface wettability on bubble dynamics remain to be explored. Therefore, a modified molecular dynamics simulation of nanoscale boiling was conducted in the present work to investigate bubble nucleation on rough nanostructured substrates with different liquid–solid interactions. Specifically, the initial stage of nucleate boiling was mainly investigated and the bubble dynamic behaviors were quantitively studied under different energy coefficients. Results shows that as the contact angle decreases, the nucleation rate increases, because liquid obtains more thermal energy there compared with that on less wetting surfaces. The rough profiles of the substrate can provide nanogrooves, which can enhance initial nucleate embryos, thereby improving thermal energy transfer efficiency. Moreover, atomic energies are calculated and adopted to explain how bubble nuclei are formed on various wetting substrates. The simulation results are expected to provide guidance towards surface design in state–of–the art thermal management systems, such as the surface wettability and the nanoscale surface patterns.
Reuse of Textile Waste in the Production of Sound Absorption Boards
Authors: Vėjelis Sigitas , Vaitkus Saulius , Kremensas Arūnas , Kairytė Agnė , Šeputytė-Jucikė Jurga
Published: February 2023

Textile waste is formed in various stages, from the preparation of raw materials to the utilisation of textile products. One of the sources of textile waste is the production of woollen yarns. During the production of woollen yarns, waste is generated during the mixing, carding, roving, and spinning processes. This waste is disposed of in landfills or cogeneration plants. However, there are many examples of textile waste being recycled and new products being produced. This work deals with acoustic boards made from waste from the production of woollen yarns. This waste was generated in various yarn production processes up to the spinning stage. Due to the parameters, this waste was not suitable for further use in the production of yarns. During the work, the composition of waste from the production of woollen yarns was examined–namely, the amount of fibrous and nonfibrous materials, the composition of impurities, and the parameters of the fibres themselves. It was determined that about 74% of the waste is suitable for the production of acoustic boards. Four series of boards with different densities and different thicknesses were made with waste from the production of woollen yarns. The boards were made in a nonwoven line using carding technology to obtain semi-finished products from the individual layers of combed fibres and thermal treatment of the prepared semi-finished product. The sound absorption coefficients in the sound frequency range between 125 and 2000 Hz were determined for the manufactured boards, and the sound reduction coefficients were calculated. It was found that the acoustic characteristics of soft boards made from woollen yarn waste are very similar to those of classic boards or sound insulation products made from renewable resources. At a board density of 40 kg/m3, the value of the sound absorption coefficient varied from 0.4 to 0.9, and the noise reduction coefficient reached 0.65.
Nonlinear Optical Properties in an Epitaxial YbFe2O4 Film Probed by Second Harmonic and Terahertz Generation
Authors: Yu Hongwu , Okimoto Yoichi , Morita Atsuya , Shimanuki Shuhei , Takubo Kou , Ishikawa Tadahiko , Koshihara Shin-ya , Minakami Ryusei , Itoh Hirotake , Iwai Shinichiro , Ikeda Naoshi , Sakagami Takumi , Nozaki Mayu , Fujii Tatsuo
Published: February 2023

An epitaxial film of YbFe2O4, a candidate for oxide electronic ferroelectrics, was fabricated on yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate by magnetron sputtering technique. For the film, second harmonic generation (SHG), and a terahertz radiation signal were observed at room temperature, confirming a polar structure of the film. The azimuth angle dependence of SHG shows four leaves-like profiles and is almost identical to that in a bulk single crystal. Based on tensor analyses of the SHG profiles, we could reveal the polarization structure and the relationship between the film structure of YbFe2O4 and the crystal axes of the YSZ substrate. The observed terahertz pulse showed anisotropic polarization dependence consistent with the SHG measurement, and the intensity of the emitted terahertz pulse reached about 9.2% of that emitted from ZnTe, a typical nonlinear crystal, implying that YbFe2O4 can be applied as a terahertz wave generator in which the direction of the electric field can be easily switched.
FRP-Reinforced/Strengthened Concrete: State-of-the-Art Review on Durability and Mechanical Effects
Authors: Ortiz Jesús D. , Khedmatgozar Dolati Seyed Saman , Malla Pranit , Nanni Antonio , Mehrabi Armin
Published: February 2023

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have gained increasing recognition and application in the field of civil engineering in recent decades due to their notable mechanical properties and chemical resistance. However, FRP composites may also be affected by harsh environmental conditions (e.g., water, alkaline solutions, saline solutions, elevated temperature) and exhibit mechanical phenomena (e.g., creep rupture, fatigue, shrinkage) that could affect the performance of the FRP reinforced/strengthened concrete (FRP-RSC) elements. This paper presents the current state-of-the-art on the key environmental and mechanical conditions affecting the durability and mechanical properties of the main FRP composites used in reinforced concrete (RC) structures (i.e., Glass/vinyl-ester FRP bars and Carbon/epoxy FRP fabrics for internal and external application, respectively). The most likely sources and their effects on the physical/mechanical properties of FRP composites are highlighted herein. In general, no more than 20% tensile strength was reported in the literature for the different exposures without combined effects. Additionally, some provisions for the serviceability design of FRP-RSC elements (e.g., environmental factors, creep reduction factor) are examined and commented upon to understand the implications of the durability and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the differences in serviceability criteria for FRP and steel RC elements are highlighted. Through familiarity with their behavior and effects on enhancing the long-term performance of RSC elements, it is expected that the results of this study will help in the proper use of FRP materials for concrete structures.
Interfacial Shear Strength of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes-Cement Composites from Molecular Dynamics and Finite Element Studies
Authors: Talayero Carlos , Lado-Touriño Isabel , Aït-Salem Omar , Ramos Ismael Sánchez , Páez-Pavón Alicia , G. Merodio-Perea Rosario
Published: February 2023

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nanometer-sized structures that can be used to reinforce cement matrices. The extent to which the mechanical properties are improved depends on the interfacial characteristics of the resulting materials, that is, on the interactions established between the CNTs and the cement. The experimental characterization of these interfaces is still impeded by technical limitations. The use of simulation methods has a great potential to give information about systems lacking experimental information. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular mechanics (MM) were used in conjunction with finite element simulations to study the interfacial shear strength (ISS) of a structure formed by a pristine single-walled CNT (SWCNT) inserted in a tobermorite crystal. The results show that, for a constant SWCNT length, ISS values increase when the SWCNT radius increases, while for a constant SWCNT radius, shorter lengths enhance ISS values.
Marginal Fit, Mechanical Properties, and Esthetic Outcomes of CAD/CAM Interim Fixed Dental Prostheses (FDPs): A Systematic Review
Authors: Al-humood Hussain , Alfaraj Amal , Yang Chao-Chieh , Levon John , Chu Tien-Min Gabriel , Lin Wei-Shao
Published: February 2023

This systematic review aimed to study the outcomes of CAD-CAM (milled and 3D-printed) interim dental prostheses when compared to conventional ones. The focused question of “In natural teeth, what are the outcomes of CAD-CAM interim FDPs compared to the conventionally-manufactured ones regarding marginal fit, mechanical properties, esthetics, and color stability” was formulated. The systematic search was conducted electronically in the PubMed/MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Web of Science, New York Academy of Medicine Grey Literature Report, and Google Scholar databases by using the MeSH keywords and keywords associated with the focused question and limiting articles to those published between 2000 and 2022. A manual search was conducted in selected dental journals. The results were analyzed qualitatively and are presented in table format. Of the included studies, 18 studies were in vitro and 1 was a randomized clinical trial. Of the eight studies analyzing the mechanical properties, five studies favored the milled interim restorations, one study favored both 3D-printed and milled interim restorations, and two studies reported better mechanical properties in conventional interim restorations. Among four studies evaluating the marginal discrepancies, two studies favored the marginal fit in milled interim restorations, one study reported a better marginal fit in both milled and 3D-printed interim restorations, and one study found conventional interim restorations have a better marginal fit and smaller marginal discrepancy when compared to both milled and 3D-printed restorations. Among five studies that evaluated both the mechanical properties and marginal fit, 1 study favored 3D-printed interim restorations and four studies favored milled interim restorations over the conventional ones. Two studies analyzing the esthetics outcomes demonstrated better results with milled interim restorations compared to conventional and 3D-printed interim restorations in terms of their color stabilities. The risk of bias was low for all the studies reviewed. The high level of heterogeneity within the studies excluded meta-analysis. Most of the studies favored the milled interim restorations over the 3D-printed and conventional restorations. The results suggested that milled interim restorations offer a better marginal fit, higher mechanical properties, and better esthetic outcomes in terms of color stabilities.
Dilatation of New Progressive Hybrid Sand and Its Effect on Surface Structure, Roughness, and Veining Creation within Grey Cast Iron
Authors: Bašistová Martina , Radkovský Filip , Kroupová Ivana , Lichý Petr
Published: February 2023

The constant effort of all metal alloy manufacturing technologies and processes is to improve the resulting quality of the processed part. Not only the metallographic structure of the material is monitored, but also the final quality of the cast surface. In foundry technologies, in addition to the quality of the liquid metal, external influences, such as the behaviour of the mould or core material, significantly affect the cast surface quality. As the core is heated during casting, the resulting dilatations often lead to significant volume changes causing stress foundry defects such as veining, penetration and surface roughness. In the experiment, various amounts of silica sand were replaced with artificial sand and a significant reduction in dilation and pitting of up to 52.9% was observed. An important finding was the effect of the granulometric composition and grain size of the sand on the formation of surface defects from brake thermal stresses. The specific mixture composition can be considered as an effective prevention against the formation of defects instead of using a protective coating.
Estimating Financial Fraud through Transaction-Level Features and Machine Learning
Authors: Alwadain Ayed , Ali Rao Faizan , Muneer Amgad
Published: February 2023

In today’s world, financial institutions (FIs) play a pivotal role in any country’s economic growth and are vital for intermediation between the providers of investable funds, such as depositors, investors and users. FIs focus on developing effective policies for financial fraud risk mitigation however, timely prediction of financial fraud risk helps overcome it effectively and efficiently. Thus, herein, we propose a novel approach for predicting financial fraud using machine learning. We have used transaction-level features of 6,362,620 transactions from a synthetic dataset and have fed them to various machine-learning classifiers. The correlation of different features is also analysed. Furthermore, around 5000 more data samples were generated using a Conditional Generative Adversarial Network for Tabular Data (CTGAN). The evaluation of the proposed predictor showed higher accuracies which outperformed the previously existing machine-learning-based approaches. Among all 27 classifiers, XGBoost outperformed all other classifiers in terms of accuracy score with 0.999 accuracies, however, when evaluated through exhaustive repeated 10-fold cross-validation, the XGBoost still gave an average accuracy score of 0.998. The findings are particularly relevant to financial institutions and are important for regulators and policymakers who aim to develop new and effective policies for risk mitigation against financial fraud.
On the Construction of Pandiagonal Magic Cubes
Authors: Liao Fucheng , Xie Hao
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the construction method of pandiagonal magic cube. First, we define a pandiagonal Latin cube. According to this definition, the cube can be constructed by simple methods. After designing a set of orthogonal pandiagonal Latin cubes, the corresponding order pandiagonal magic cube can be constructed. In addition, we give the algebraic conditions of the universal diagonal Latin cube orthogonality and the strict theoretical proof. Based on the proposed method, it can be shown that at least 6(n!)3 pandiagonal magic cubes of order n is formed through a pandiagonal Latin cube. Moreover, our method is easy to implement by computer program.
Cationised Fibre-Based Cellulose Multi-Layer Membranes for Sterile and High-Flow Bacteria Retention and Inactivation
Authors: Kokol Vanja , Kos Monika , Vivod Vera , Gunde-Cimerman Nina
Published: February 2023

Low-cost, readily available, or even disposable membranes in water purification or downstream biopharma processes are becoming attractive alternatives to expensive polymeric columns or filters. In this article, the potential of microfiltration membranes prepared from differently orientated viscose fibre slivers, infused with ultrafine quaternised (qCNF) and amino-hydrophobised (aCNF) cellulose nanofibrils, were investigated for capturing and deactivating the bacteria from water during vacuum filtration. The morphology and capturing mechanism of the single- and multi-layer structured membranes were evaluated using microscopic imaging and colloidal particles. They were assessed for antibacterial efficacy and the retention of selected bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus), differing in the cell envelope structure, hydrodynamic biovolume (shape and size) and their clustering. The aCNF increased biocidal efficacy significantly when compared to qCNF-integrated membrane, although the latter retained bacteria equally effectively by a thicker multi-layer structured membrane. The retention of bacterial cells occurred through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, as well as via interfibrous pore diffusion, depending on their physicochemical properties. For all bacterial strains, the highest retention (up to 100% or log 6 reduction) at >50 L/h∗bar∗m2 flow rate was achieved with a 4-layer gradient-structured membrane containing different aCNF content, thereby matching the performance of industrial polymeric filters used for removing bacteria.
Analysis on Bonding Interface during Solid State Additive Manufacturing between 18Cr-8Ni and 42CrMo4 High Performance Alloys
Authors: Moinuddin Syed Quadir , Machireddy Venkata Varalakshmi , Raghavender Vadla , Kaniganti Tejonadha Babu , Sarila Venukumar , Ponnappan Shankar Madhuraveli , Shanmugam Ragavanantham , Cheepu Muralimohan
Published: February 2023

The need for additive manufacturing (3D printing) to create near net shape components from a wide variety of materials has grown in recent years. There are several additive manufacturing methods to build various parts by different materials. However, it is challenging to construct, the components with incompatible materials combination for high temperature and creep resistance using conventional methods. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to investigate the use of solid state welding (friction welding) in additive manufacturing (SSAM) of incompatible materials, namely alloy Cr18-Ni8 and 42CrMo4 low alloy alternative layers. The interface bonding strength must be strengthened to achieve the desired isotropic characteristics and high strength for the components. Due to the low temperature at the bonding interface, secondary phases cannot develop when solid state welding is used. In order to obtain the highest bonding strength, optimal process parameters were examined using design of experiments (DOE) with Box–Behnken design model and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The major process parameters of upset pressure, friction pressure and burn-off length were varied to obtain the optimal conditions. In addition, the bonded interfaces were examined by the microstructural characteristics as well as mechanical properties such as micro-hardness and bonding strength. The interface is made up of alloys intermixed with different zones such as a dynamically recrystallized zone and a thermomechanical affected zone. The intermixed layers revealed the migration of C and Mo to Cr18-Ni8 alloy and separated the Fe and Ni bands. The fractography analysis revealed ductile and slightly brittle fracture surfaces with a mixed mode. The relationship between bond strength and interface thickness was determined by studying the impact of interface thickness on bond strength.
Effects of Zn Addition on the Microstructure, Tensile Properties and Formability of As-Extruded Mg-1Sn-0.5Ca Alloy
Authors: Wang Shaozhu , Chai Yanfu , Jiang Bin , Yang Lixiang , Zhang Yuhui , He Yingjie , Liang Liping
Published: February 2023

In the present study, the influence of the Zn content (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt.%) on the microstructure, texture, tensile mechanical properties and formability of Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Ca-based alloys after extrusion were investigated via extrusion of Mg sheets and analysis of the extruded materials. Adding Zn improved the microstructure uniformity and accelerated the formation of more CaMgSn and the Ca2Mg6Zn3 phase. In addition, after the addition of Zn, the texture evolved from the initial extrusion direction tilted bimodal texture to a weakened and symmetrical texture. Compared with the Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Ca alloy, the average tensile yield strength and elongation values were simultaneously improved after 0.5 wt.% Zn addition due to the synergistic effect of the solid solution of elemental Zn, the decreased amount of coarse unrecrystallized grains, and the existence of an additional tilted direction texture component. The formability first increased and then decreased with increasing Zn content. In contrast, the deterioration of formability after the further addition of Zn was closely associated with the increased volume fractions of the coarse CaMgSn and Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases.
Dynamics of the Lipidome in a Colon Simulator
Authors: Kråkström Matilda , Dickens Alex M. , Alves Marina Amaral , Forssten Sofia D. , Ouwehand Arthur C. , Hyötyläinen Tuulia , Orešič Matej , Lamichhane Santosh
Published: February 2023

Current evidence suggests that gut microbiome-derived lipids play a crucial role in the regulation of host lipid metabolism. However, not much is known about the dynamics of gut microbial lipids within the distinct gut biogeographic. Here we applied targeted and untargeted lipidomics to in vitro-derived feces. Simulated intestinal chyme was collected from in vitro gut vessels (V1–V4), representing proximal to distal parts of the colon after 24 and 48 h with/without polydextrose treatment. In total, 44 simulated chyme samples were collected from the in vitro colon simulator. Factor analysis showed that vessel and time had the strongest impact on the simulated intestinal chyme lipid profiles. We found that levels of phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, triacylglycerols, and endocannabinoids were altered in at least one vessel (V1–V4) during simulation. We also found that concentrations of triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, and endocannabinoids changed with time (24 vs. 48 h of simulation). Together, we found that the simulated intestinal chyme revealed a wide range of lipids that remained altered in different compartments of the human colon model over time.
Identification of a Biomarker Panel for Diagnosis of Early Childhood Caries Using Salivary Metabolic Profile
Authors: Kim Seonghye , Song Yuri , Kim Seyeon , Kim Siyeong , Na Heesam , Lee Sujin , Chung Jin , Kim Suhkmann
Published: February 2023

Several studies have demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolic profiles can differentiate patients with caries from healthy individuals; however, these studies only identified individual metabolites. The present study aimed to identify a salivary metabolite biomarker panel for the diagnosis of early childhood caries (ECC). Saliva samples from children with and without caries were analyzed using NMR spectroscopy. Multivariate and univariate analyses were performed to identify the discriminating metabolites. Selected metabolites were further evaluated and used to detect ECC. The saliva samples of children with ECC were characterized based on the increased levels of formate, glycerophosphocholine, and lactate and reduced levels of alanine, glycine, isoleucine, lysine, proline, and tyrosine. The levels of these metabolites were significantly different from those in the control in the ECC subgroup according to caries severity and correlated with the number of decayed and filled teeth or surfaces. Subsequently, an optimal salivary metabolite biomarker panel comprising formate, lactate, proline, and glycine was developed. This panel exhibited a better diagnostic performance for ECC than a single metabolite. These results demonstrate that salivary metabolic signatures can reflect oral conditions associated with dental caries, thereby emphasizing the importance of distinct salivary metabolic profiles as potential biomarkers of ECC.
LC-QToF-Based Metabolomics Identifies Aberrant Tissue Metabolites Associated with a Higher-Fat Diet and Their ‘Reversion to Healthy’ with Dietary Probiotic Supplementation
Authors: Dailey Allyson , Solano-Aguilar Gloria , Urban Joseph F. , Couch Robin D.
Published: February 2023

Over 33% of Americans are labeled as obese, leading the World Health Organization to designate obesity as a major public health problem. One consequence of obesity is the development of metabolic syndrome, a condition which has been correlated to an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Prolonged ingestion of a higher-fat diet, one cause of obesity, results in alterations to the gut microbiome. These alterations are implicated to have a profound role in the evolution and progression of obesity-linked diseases. Probiotics are associated with positive health effects such as limiting pathogen colonization, aiding in digestion, and vitamin synthesis. Using Ossabaw pigs as a model for obesity, and in conjunction with our previous research, we performed an in-depth, nontargeted, metabolomic analysis on select organs to elucidate the effects of dietary supplementation with the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. We focused our analysis on the effects of probiotic supplementation on a higher-fat (obesogenic) diet and a nutritionally balanced diet. Notably, our findings reveal that the brain cortex is highly sensitive to dietary influencers, and with probiotic supplementation, several aberrant metabolites associated with a higher-fat diet revert to healthy levels, thus demonstrating the potential for a probiotic intervention for obesity-linked disease.
Cetyl Alcohol Polyethoxylates Disrupt Metabolic Health in Developmentally Exposed Zebrafish
Authors: LeFauve Matthew K. , Bérubé Roxanne , Heldman Samantha , Chiang Yu-Ting Tiffany , Kassotis Christopher D.
Published: February 2023

Alcohol polyethoxylates (AEOs), such as cetyl alcohol ethoxylates (CetAEOs), are high-production-volume surfactants used in laundry detergents, hard-surface cleaners, pesticide formulations, textile production, oils, paints, and other products. AEOs have been suggested as lower toxicity replacements for alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEOs), such as the nonylphenol and octylphenol polyethoxylates. We previously demonstrated that nonylphenol polyethoxylates induced triglyceride accumulation in several in vitro adipogenesis models and promoted adiposity and increased body weights in developmentally exposed zebrafish. We also demonstrated that diverse APEOs and AEOs were able to increase triglyceride accumulation and/or pre-adipocyte proliferation in a murine pre-adipocyte model. As such, the goals of this study were to assess the potential of CetAEOs to promote adiposity and alter growth and/or development (toxicity, length, weight, behavior, energy expenditure) of developmentally exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio). We also sought to expand our understanding of ethoxylate chain-length dependent effects through interrogation of varying chain-length CetAEOs. We demonstrated consistent adipogenic effects in two separate human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell models as well as murine pre-adipocytes. Immediately following chemical exposures in zebrafish, we reported disrupted neurodevelopment and aberrant behavior in light/dark activity testing, with medium chain-length CetAEO-exposed fish exhibiting hyperactivity across both light and dark phases. By day 30, we demonstrated that cetyl alcohol and CetAEOs disrupted adipose deposition in developmentally exposed zebrafish, despite no apparent impacts on standard length or gross body weight. This research suggests metabolic health concerns for these common environmental contaminants, suggesting further need to assess molecular mechanisms and better characterize environmental concentrations for human health risk assessments.
Simulation of Prandtl Nanofluid in the Mixed Convective Flow of Activation Energy with Gyrotactic Microorganisms: Numerical Outlook Features of Micro-Machines
Authors: Zafar S. S. , Alfaleh Ayman , Zaib A. , Ali Farhan , Faizan M. , Abed Ahmed M. , Elattar Samia , Khan M. Ijaz
Published: February 2023

The physiological systems and biological applications that have arisen during the past 15 years depend heavily on the microscale and nanoscale fluxes. Microchannels have been utilized to develop new diagnostic assays, examine cell adhesion and molecular transport, and replicate the fluid flow microenvironment of the circulatory system. The various uses of MHD boundary flow in engineering and technology are extensive, ranging from MHD power generators and the polymer industry to MHD flow meters and pumps and the spinning of filaments. In this investigation, the (Magnetohydrodynamic) MHD flow of Prandtl nanofluid is investigated along with mixed convection, energy activation, microorganism, and chemical reaction. The flow model is considered through partial differential equations in dimensionless form which is then integrated numerically via considering the Bvp4c technique. The outcome is numerous emerging physical parameters over velocity profile, temperature, mass concentration, and microorganism with the separate pertinent quantities such as the Prandtl fluid parameter, elastic fluid parameter, magnetic field, mixed convection parameter, activation energy, chemical reaction, Brownian motion, thermophoretic force, Prandtl number, and Schmidt number. The friction factor, rate of heat transfer and Sherwood number, and density of microbes are revealed numerically and graphically. The outcomes indicate that the Prandtl fluid parameter and elastic fluid parameter tend to enhance the velocity profile. It is also noted that the Prandtl fluid parameter depreciates the thermal rate with the addition of the concentration profile while the opposite trend is recorded for activation energy. Obtained numerical outcomes are correspondingly compared with the current statistics in limiting cases and a close match is obtained.