bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children’s emotion regulation strategies in facing the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) World: A systematic narrative review
Authors: Yob Fatin Syamilah Che , Ghani Afiq Azri Mohd , Pek Lim Seong , Mee Rita Wong Mee , Ismail Md Rosli , Tazli Uzzairah Nabilah Ahmad , Shahdan Tengku Shahrom Tengku
Published: May 2023

Despite an increasing number of studies conducted on emotion regulation strategies, there is, however, a limited resource that acknowledges it as a whole due to an inclination towards children’s well-being development. Thus, this research aims to produce a synthesis review of children’s emotion regulation strategies in preparation to encounter a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world. The articles for systematic narrative review were retrieved through a rigorous database search from 2015 until current. Thirteen relevant articles were retrieved through a systematic search that concentrated on children’s emotion regulation strategies. Five different families of emotion regulation strategies were identified from finalised articles including: (1) situation selection; (2) situation modification; (3) attentional deployment; (4) cognitive change; and (5) response modulation. The findings from the articles were synthesised into a literature matrix and added as supporting statements when all five strategies were further discussed. The systematic narrative review indicated that children from various age groups used the five emotion regulation strategies differently. The situational context was also considered when children used the strategies, as the were they were studies focused on different social contextual factors. Besides, in certain age groups, children are keen to use one of the emotion regulation strategies frequently.
Examination of the Event Horizon and Internal Geometry of the Schwarzschild Metric in Kruskal-Szekeres Coordinates
Authors: Laforet Christopher
Published: May 2023

It is demonstrated mathematically that the Schwarzschild radius is the end point of gravitational collapse using the definitions of the Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates and their relationship to the Schwarzschild coordinate basis vectors over the coordinate chart. The extrinsic nature of the Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates obscures the asymptote that separates the internal and external spacetimes at the horizon. It is proven that all observers that hypothetically reach the horizon are coincident with each other at the horizon, regardless of where or when they began falling relative to each other. It is also proven that all worldlines become null geodesics at the event horizon in Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates and intersect the point T=X=0 there. In the frame of falling observers, the event horizon relativistically contracts to zero size as the horizon is approached. The internal solution is describing a spherically symmetric vacuum surrounded by an infinitely dense shell that is infinitely far away in space and exists a finite time in the past relative to an observer in the vacuum.
Misinformation about the COVID-19 Vaccine in the Online Catholic Media
Authors: Israel-Turim Verónica , Laferrara Valentina , Rego Ana Regina , Micó-Sanz Josep Lluís
Published: May 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online media were the most widely used source of scientific information. Often, they are also the only ones on science-related topics. Research has shown that much of the information available on the Internet about the health crisis lacked scientific rigor and that misinformation about health issues can pose a threat to public health. In turn, millions of Catholics were found to be demonstrating against vaccination against COVID-19 based on "false" and misleading religious arguments. This research analyses publications about the vaccine in Catholic online media with the aim of understanding the presence of information (and misinformation) in this community. An algorithm designed for each media outlet collected COVID-19 vaccine-related publications from 109 Catholic media outlets in five languages. In total, 970 publications were analysed for journalistic genres, types of headlines and sources of information. The results show that most publications are informative and most of their headlines are neutral. However, opinion articles have mostly negative headlines. Also, a higher percentage of the opinion authors come from the religious sphere and most of the sources cited are religious. Finally, 35% of the publications relate the vaccine to the framing issue of abortion.
The Impact of Marketing Communication and Islamic Financial Literacy on Islamic Financial Inclusion and MSMEs Performance : Evidence from Halal Tourism in Indonesia
Authors: Mujiatun Siti , Trianto Budi , Cahyono Eko Fajar , Rahmayati Rahmayati
Published: May 2023

Development of Halal Tourism in Indonesia is the focus of the Indonesian government and MSMEs have an important role in supporting the development of halal tourism in Indonesia. This study aims to examine the relationship between marketing communication and Islamic financial literacy on Islamic financial inclusion and MSMEs performance in the halal tourism sector. A covariance-based SEM technique utilizing LISREL software was used to analyze the data from this investigation. Non-probability sampling was employed to collect the data, and the sample consists of 152 halal tourism entrepreneurs. We find that positive and significant association between Islamic financial inclusion and business performance. We also find that there are a positive and significant association between Islamic Financial Literacy and Islamic Financial Inclusion. Marketing communication and Islamic financial inlcuon a positive relationship but insignificant. This studi implies that to establish a halal tourist ecosystem for long-term development in Indonesia, commercial actors must lend their full support. This study demonstrates that they can thrive when MSMEs in the halal tourist ecosystem are backed by Islamic banking and Islamic rural banks. As a result, a more accommodating approach from Islamic banking is required to provide access to halal finance for business actors in Indonesia’s halal tourism ecosystem.
Upconversion Nanoparticle-Based Fluorescent Film for Distributed Temperature Monitoring of Mobile Phone Integrated Chips
Authors: Li Hanyang , Yu Miao , Dai Jichun , Zhou Gaoqian , Sun Jiapeng
Published: May 2023

As one of the most critical parameters to evaluate the quality and performance of mobile phones, real-time temperature monitoring of the mobile phone integrated chips is vitally important in the electronics industry. Although several different strategies for chip surface temperature measurement have been proposed in recent years, distributed temperature monitoring with the high spatial resolution is still a hot issue to be solved urgently. In this work, a fluorescent film material with photothermal properties containing thermosensitive upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is fabricated for chip surface temperature monitor-ing. The presented fluorescent films have thicknesses ranging from 23 to 90 μm and are both flexible and elastic. Using the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique, the temperature sens-ing properties of these fluorescent films are investigated. The maximum sensitivity of the fluo-rescent film was measured to be 1.43% K-1 at 299 K. By testing the temperature at different posi-tions of the optical film, a distributed temperature monitoring with a high spatial resolution down to 10 μm on the chip surface is successfully achieved. It is worth mentioning that the film maintains stable performance even under pull stretch up to 100%. The correctness of the method is verified by taking infrared images of the chip surface with an infrared camera. These results demonstrate that the as-prepared optical film is a promising anti-deformation material for high spatial resolution temperature monitoring on-chip surfaces.
Rapeseed Meal Waste Biomass as Single-Cell Protein Substrate for Nutritionally-Enhanced Feed Component
Authors: Dygas Dawid , Liszkowska Wiktoria , Steglińska Aleksandra , Sulyok Michael , Kręgiel Dorota , Berłowska Joanna
Published: May 2023

Rapeseed meal (RM) is an important agroindustrial by-product produced in large quantities by oil extraction from seeds. However, the efficient utilization of RM as animal feed is limited by its low metabolizable energy, poor palatability, and high levels of fiber and anti-nutritional components. Here, we investigate the potential of enriching RM with single-cell protein by fermentation with conventional and unconventional yeasts, to make a nutritionally improved feed component. The process of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation improved the parameters of the waste biomass, especially the protein content, the amount of crude fiber, and the degree of biotransformation of isoflavone compounds present in the waste material. Fermentation yielded the highest protein gain for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ethanol Red strain (ΔN=2.38%) at a biomass load of 12.5 g and for Scheffersomyces stipitis (ΔN=2.34%) at an enzyme dose of 0.125ml/10g DM. Crude fiber content (CF) was reduced by 2.55–7.18%. The SSF process resulted in the conversion of isoflavones to forms with fewer adverse effects and lower estrogenic activity.
Wastewater Based Epidemiology, Phylogenetic Analysis and Machine Learning Approach to Describe the Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the South-East of Spain
Authors: FEREZ JOSE ANTONIO , CUEVAS-FERNANDO ENRIC , AYALA-SAN NICOLAS MARIA , Simón Andreu PEDRO J , LOPEZ ROMAN , Truchado Pilar , Sánchez Gloria , ALLENDE ANA
Published: May 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant global threat, leading to several initiatives for its control and management. One such initiative involves wastewater-based epidemiology, which has gained attention for its potential to provide early warning of virus outbreaks and real-time information on its spread. In this study, water samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located at the south east of Spain (Region of Murcia) namely Murcia, and Cartagena, were analyzed by RT-qPCR, Phylogenetic Analysis, and Machine Learning Approach. The aim was to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 detection in the WWTPs of these two cities could serve as a proxy for the virus's spread in the population. The results confirmed that the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in these wastewater samples changed concerning the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases detected in the population and variant occurrences were in line with clinical reported data. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis showed that samples obtained in close sampling times exhibited a higher similarity than those obtained more distantly in time. A second analysis using a machine learning approach based on the mutations found in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was also conducted. Hierarchical Clustering (HC) was used as an efficient unsupervised approach for data analysis. Results indicated that samples obtained in October 2022 in Murcia and Cartagena were significantly different, which corresponded well with the different virus variants circulating in the two locations. The proposed methods in this study are adequate for comparing the Accumulated Natural Vector (ANV) of the SARS-CoV-2 sequences as a preliminary evaluation of potential changes in the variants that are circulating in a given population at a specific time point.
The Impact of Government Expenditure on Education in the ESG Models at World Level
Authors: Leogrande Angelo , Costantiello Alberto
Published: May 2023

In this article, we estimate the value of Government Expenditure on Education-GEE in the context of Environmental, Social and Governance-ESG dataset of the World Bank. We use data from 193 countries in the period 2011-2020. We use Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects, Pooled Ordinary Least Squares-OLS, and Weighted Least Squares-WLS. Our results show that the value of GEE is positively associated among others to “Case of Death, by communicable disease and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions”, and “Unemployment”, and negatively associated among others to “Hospital Beds” and “Government Effectiveness”. Furthermore, we apply the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Elbow Method and we find the presence of four clusters. Finally, we confront eight machine learning algorithms for the prediction of the future value of GEE. We found that the Polynomial Regression is the best predictive algorithm. The Polynomial Regression predicts an increase in GEE of 7.09% on average for the analysed countries.
Current Principles, Challenges, and New Metrics in pH-Responsive Drug Delivery Systems for Systemic Cancer Therapy
Authors: Verkhovskii Roman A. , Ivanov Alexey N. , Lengert Ekaterina V. , Tulyakova Ksenia A. , Shilyagina Natalia Yu. , Ermakov Alexey V.
Published: May 2023

The paradigm of drug delivery via nano- and microcarriers is one of the leading ideas that enable overcoming the limitations of traditional chemotherapy. The trend toward more complex drug carriers capable of multifunctionality is observed in the literature. To date, prospects of stimuli-responsive systems to control the cargo release in the lesion nidus are widely accepted. Both endogenous and exogenous stimuli are employed for this purpose, however, endogenous pH is one of the most common triggers. Unfortunately, scientists face difficulties in the implementation of this idea since a range of biological barriers, drug bioavailability issues, and challenges in the synthesis of carriers with required properties have arisen. Here, we discuss fundamental strategies of pH-responsive drug delivery as well as limits in its application and reveal the main problems, weak sides, and reasons for poor clinical results. Also, we have made an attempt to formulate the profiles of "ideal" drug carrier in the frame of different strategies and considered recently published studies through the lens of these profiles. This approach enables the identification of current trends and promising vectors in the development of pH-responsive drug delivery systems, as well as challenges to be resolved in the next generation of carriers.
Multiomics Data Analysis Identified CpG Sites That Mediate the Impact of Smoking on Cardiometabolic Traits
Authors: Nikpay Majid
Published: May 2023

Understanding epigenome paths through which smoking contributes to cardiometabolic traits is important for downstream applications. In this study, I used a SNP-based analytical pipeline to integrate several publicly available datasets and identify CpG sites that mediate the impact of smoking on cardiometabolic traits. After applying stringent statistical criteria, 11 CpG sites were detected that showed significant association (P<5e-8) with cardiometabolic traits at both discovery and replication stage. By integrating eQTL data, I identified genes behind a number of these associations. cg05228408 was hypomethylated in smokers and contributed to higher blood pressure by lowering the expression of CLCN6 gene. cg08639339 was hypermethylated in smokers and lowered metabolic rate by increasing the expression of RAB29; furthermore, I noted TMEM120A mediated the impact of smoking-cg17325771 on LDL, and LTBP3 mediated the smoking-cg07029024 effect on heart rate.

This study provides a list of CpG sites that mediates the impact of smoking on cardiometabolic traits and a framework to investigate epigenome path through which a lifestyle habit modifies disease risks.
THE EFFECTS OF RETURN ON ASSETS, CAPITAL ADEQUACY RATIO, AND FINANCING ON LIQUIDITY RISK IN SHARIA BPRS IN INDONESIA
Authors: Winda Yulias Tuti  , Maizul Rahmizal  , Khairil Aswan
Published: May 2023

This study aimed to analyze the effects of return on assets (ROA), capital adequacy ratio (CAR), and financing on liquidity risk in Sharia Rural Banks/Bank Perkreditan Rakyat Syariah (Sharia BPRs) in Indonesia. The samples of the study were 40 banks registered in the Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan/OJK) selected using the purposive sampling technique. A panel regression model was used for data analysis. Data were examined using Eviews software (version 9). The research results showed that CAR had a positive and noteworthy effect on liquidity risk, while ROA and financing had a significant and negative influence on liquidity risk.
PERANAN POLRI DALAM PENANGGULANGAN TINDAK PIDANA SIBER OLEH DESK COLLECTOR PINJAMAN ONLINE
Authors: Nurwahridya Meingga Mahening , Hartiwiningsih '
Published: May 2023

Abstrak
Tujuan penelitian ini mendeskripsikan dan mengkaji permasalahan, mengapa Polri dalam melaksanakan  tugasnya untuk menanggulangi tindak pidana dalam penagihan pinjaman online oleh desk collector belum optimal. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian hukum empiris bersifat deskriptif. Jenis data sekunder meliputi bahan hukum primer dan bahan hukum sekunder. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah wawancara dan studi kepustakaan, selanjutnya teknis analisis yang digunakan adalah metode kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Polri dalam melaksanakan tugasnya untuk menanggulangi tindak pidana dalam penagihan pinjaman online (cyber crime) oleh desk collector belum optimal dikarenakan adanya hambatan-hambatan, baik hambatan dari undang-undang perbankan, tidak adanya alat untuk membuktikan tindak pidana ITE, kesulitan mendatangkan saksi dan ahli, dan minimnya SDM kepolisian yang paham pembuktian ITE dan masyarakat yang belum bisa kooperatif.
Kata Kunci : Hambatan kepolisian; penanggulangan kejahatan; tindak pidana ITE; Pinjaman Online.

Abstract
This study describes and examines why the Indonesian Police Department is not optimal while there’s on  duty for prevention Desk Collector crime. This research is empiric legal research which is descriptive. In nature the data used in this research is secondary data including primary legal materials and secondary. Data collection techniques used is interview and library study. Technical analysis is qualitative method. The results shows that Indonesian Police Department is not optimal while there’s on duty for preventing Desk Collector crime (cyber crime) to online lending costumer is because there’s many obstacles, such as banking regulation, there is no tool for cyber crime evidence, difficulty in bringing witness and expert witness, lack of personnel Indonesian police department who understand the cyber crime evidence, and many people doesn’t cooperative with the police.
Keywords : Police obstacles; crime prevention; cyber crime; online lending.
Trends in Female Authorship in Orthopaedic Literature from 2002 to 2021
Authors: Ghattas Yasmine S. , Kyin Cynthia , Grise Alison , Glasser Jillian , Johnson Taylor , Druskovich Katherine , Cannada Lisa K. , Service Benjamin C.
Published: May 2023

Background:

Significant gender disparity exists in orthopaedic surgery. While women have increasingly entered the field, we are short of the critical mass needed to drive change, including in authorship. This study aimed to characterize trends in authorship in peer-reviewed orthopaedic journals in the context of gender.

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional bibliometric study of orthopaedic journals in the United States. Articles that were indexed in the orthopaedic category of the Clarivate Journal Citation Report (JCR) and the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) were analyzed (n = 82). Journals not originating from the U.S. (n = 43) or not considered primarily orthopaedic journals (n = 13) were excluded. The 2020 impact factors (IFs) of the remaining 26 journals were recorded. The articles underwent automated data collection from PubMed for January 2002 to December 2021 using R software to collect the title, the journal, the publication year, the first and senior author names, and the country of origin. Gender was determined by Gender API (https://gender-api.com). Names with <90% accuracy were excluded.

Results:

Overall, 168,451 names were studied, with 85,845 and 82,606 first and senior authors, respectively. Of the first and senior authors, 13.6% and 9.9%, respectively, were female. The proportion of female first authors was significantly greater than the proportion of female senior authors. The average IF was significantly higher for male authors compared with female authors (p < 0.005). Articles with female first authors were significantly more likely to have a female senior author. Orthopaedic subspecialty journals had a smaller proportion of manuscripts authored by female first and senior authors than general journals (p < 0.0001). There were 4,451 articles written by a single author, of which 92% (4,093) were written by a man and 8% (358) were written by a woman. Over the 20-year study period, the proportion of female first authorship exhibited a significant positive trend; however, there was a non-significant increase in female senior authorship.

Conclusions:

Female representation in orthopaedics has been growing over the past decade. Increasing publication rates of female authors reveal steps toward positive gender equity in the field and present an opportunity for female leadership visibility, illustrating the capabilities of women in orthopaedics and encouraging more women to join the field.
Arthroscopic Pectoralis Minor Release After Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty
Authors: Stern Elinor , Karzon Anthony L. , Hussain Zaamin B. , Khawaja Sameer R. , Cooke Hayden L. , Pirkle Sarah , Bowers Robert L. , Gottschalk Michael B. , Wagner Eric R.
Published: May 2023

Case:

A 74-year-old male patient presenting with chronic radiating shoulder pain, paresthesias, and weakness had previously undergone reverse shoulder arthroplasty and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for an irreparable cuff tear and cervical radiculopathy, respectively. After being diagnosed with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome and undergoing physiotherapy, the patient's recalcitrant condition was surgically managed with arthroscopic pectoralis minor tenotomy, suprascapular nerve release, and brachial plexus neurolysis.

Conclusion:

This ultimately led to complete pain relief and improved function. By sharing this case, we aim to shed light on this overlooked pathology and help prevent unnecessary procedures for others suffering from similar conditions.
Numerical Study on Simultaneous Propagation of Multiple Fractures: A Method to Design Nonuniform Perforation and In-Stage Diversion
Authors: Yunpeng Wang , Tiankui Guo , Ming Chen , Zhanqing Qu , Zunpeng Hu , Jinhao Cao , Dingwei Weng
Published: May 2023

The uneven propagation of multifractures is a key factor restricting production growth due to stress shadow and heterogeneity. To date, limited-entry fracturing techniques, nonuniform perforation, and in-stage diversion have been commonly used to promote even multifracture growth. In this study, a fully coupled multiple pseudo-3D (P3D) fracture simulator has been developed to examine the competitive propagation of multifractures during multicluster fracturing in a horizontal well. The present model considers stress interaction among multiple fractures, perforation erosion, fluid distribution among clusters, and in-stage diversion. The results of the model are validated against the reference data. Using the model, a series of numerical simulations are performed to investigate multifracture propagation with nonuniform perforation and in-stage diversion fracturing. We estimate the value of stress interaction for different fractures and time based on the approximate solution of Perkins-Kern-Nordgren (PKN) fracture in the viscosity-dominated regime and improve the dimensionless parameter that characterizes the competition between stress interaction and perforation friction. The fluid distributes evenly when the dimensionless parameter is less than unity (perforation friction is larger than stress interference). Based on this dimensionless parameter, a method to design nonuniform perforation and in-stage diversion is proposed. Results show that in the case of homogeneous in-stage stress, the perforation parameters should be selected under the condition that the dimensionless parameter is less than unity. In the case of heterogeneous in-stage stress and based on the perforation parameters selected under homogeneous stress conditions, the perforation holes in the high-stress cluster should be increased, making the reduction of perforation friction equal to the value of the in-stage stress heterogeneity. The stress heterogeneity can be balanced by decreasing the perforation friction of the high-stress clusters. In this way, nonuniform perforation under heterogeneous in-stage stress conditions can be designed quantitatively without numerical simulation. For in-stage diversion treatment, a method to design the number of ball sealers is proposed based on the results of nonuniform perforation, and only several or even zero groups of simulation are necessary to find the optimal number of ball sealers. A series of numerical simulations shows that the proposed design method is reliable and achieves a satisfactory result in an actual field case. The results can be helpful for nonuniform perforation and in-stage diversion design for multicluster fracturing in a horizontal well.
Effectiveness of a Heart Disease Blended Learning Program in Future Physiotherapy Professionals: A Prospective Study
Authors: Marques-Sule Elena , Hernández-Guillén David , Cezón-Serrano Natalia , Arjona-Tinaut Laura , Sillero-Sillero Amalia , Sánchez-González Juan Luis , Cobos-Rincón Ana , Juárez-Vela Raúl , Tejada-Garrido Clara Isabel , Muñoz-Gómez Elena
Published: May 2023

Background. Blended learning is a novel learning methodology.
Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of a heart disease blended learning program in future physiotherapy professionals.
Methods. 124 participants (average age 21.20 (SD=4.67) years, 58.87% female) performed an 8-week heart disease blended learning program that included face-to-face classes and online resources. Knowledge was assessed at baseline, at 4, 8, 12 and 20 weeks. Motivation and engagement were assessed at 4 and 8 weeks. Design of the instructions and learning behaviors were measured at 8 weeks.
Results. Knowledge significantly increased mid-program (p=0.02), at the end of the program (p<0.001), at 12 weeks (p<0.001) and 20 weeks (p=0.001). After the intervention, a high intrinsic motivation was shown (5.60 (SD=0.80)) over 7), whilst extrinsic motivation scored 4.24 (SD=0.97) over 7. Finally, engagement (3.98 (SD=0.52) over 5), design of the instructions (4.15 (SD=0.62) over 5) and learning behaviors (70.51 (SD=36.08) downloads, 28.97 (SD=16.09) topics visited, and online questionnaires scored 7.67 (SD=1.60) over 10) reported adequate scores.
Conclusion. This program seems to be an appropriate methodology in future physiotherapy professionals, since it improved knowledge and participants exhibited a high motivation and an adequate engagement, design of the program instructions and learning behaviors.
Use of flower strips to attract pollinator insects and natural enemies in tomato crops
Authors: Ladeia Sarah Cavalari , Santos Milaine Fernandes , Júnior Ernandes Sobreira Oliveira , Santos Alexandre dos , Galbiati Carla
Published: May 2023

The goal of this research was to analyze the effect of flower strips and the proximity of corn fields on the environmental services of regulation by insects (pollination and biological control) in tomato crops (Solanum lycopersicum). The study was conducted using commercial tomatoes (6.200 m²) in the Brazilian Cerrado. The experimental outline was completely randomized with 15 plots of 5 x 4 meters, constructed with 16 tomato plants, in two treatments: 1) tomato plants without attractive flower strips (control) and 2) tomato plants with attractive flower strips of cilantro and sorghum. The sampling of pollinator insects and natural enemies was performed using trap-type bee bowls and active collection. Data were analyzed by generalized linear models (GLM) to compare insect diversity and abundance between treatments. As a result, the richness (p = 0.040) and abundance (p = 0.030) of pollinating insects were significantly higher in tomatoes with sorghum flowers than in the control. The effect of mixing strips of intercropped flowers (cilantro and sorghum) increased the abundance (p = 0.007) and richness (p = 0.005) of the total natural enemies and pollinators in richness (p = 0.030) and abundance (p = 0.020) in the tomato plants with the flower strips compared to the tomato plants without the strips. Our results clearly show that the use of attractive flower strips of the mix of cilantro and sorghum in interleaved periods with tomato plants contributes to the permanence of the services provided by insects to the crop field.
Independent transcriptional patterns reveal biological processes associated with disease-free survival in early colorectal cancer
Authors: Fehrmann Rudolf , Knapen Daan , Lopez Sara Hone , de Groot Derk Jan , de Haan Jacco , de Vries Elisabeth , Dienstmann Rodgrigo , de Jong Steven , Bhattacharya Arkajyoti
Published: May 2023

Bulk transcriptional profiles of early colorectal cancer (CRC) can fail to detect biological processes associated with disease-free survival (DFS) if the transcriptional patterns are subtle and/or obscured by other processes’ patterns. Consensus independent component analysis (c-ICA) can dissect such transcriptomes into statistically independent transcriptional components (TCs), capturing both pronounced and subtle biological processes. Here, we applied c-ICA to 4,268 transcriptomes and identified 191 TCs, 43 of which were associated with DFS, revealing transcriptional diversity among DFS-associated biological processes. A prominent example is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), for which we identified an association with eight independent DFS-associated TCs, each with coordinated upregulation or downregulation of various sets of genes. This finding indicates that early CRC may have eight distinct routes to achieve EMT, each requiring a specific peri-operative treatment strategy. Finally, we stratified patients into DFS patient subgroups with distinct transcriptional patterns associated with stage 2 and stage 3 CRC.
ISG20L2: an RNA nuclease regulating T cell activation
Authors: Rodríguez-Galán Ana , Dosil Sara , Hrčková Anna ,   Lola Fernández-Messina1, Feketová Zuzana , Pokorná Julie , Fernández-Delgado Irene , Camafeita Emilio , Gómez Manuel , Huesca Marta Ramírez- , Gutiérrez-Vázquez Cristina , Sánchez-Cabo Fátima , Vázquez Jesús , Vaňáčová Štěpánka , Sanchez-Madrid Francisco
Published: May 2023

ISG20L2, a 3’ to 5’ exoribonuclease previously associated with ribosome biogenesis, is identified here in activated T cells as an enzyme with a preferential affinity for uridylated miRNA substrates. This enzyme is upregulated in T lymphocytes upon TCR and IFN type I stimulation, and appears to be involved in regulating T cell function. ISG20L2 silencing leads to an increased basal expression of CD69, and induces greater IL2 secretion. However, ISG20L2 absence impairs CD25 upregulation, CD3 synaptic accumulation and MTOC translocation towards the antigen-presenting cell during immune synapsis. Remarkably, ISG20L2 controls the expression of immunoregulatory molecules, such as AHR, NKG2D, CTLA-4, CD137, TIM-3, PD-L1 or PD-1, which show increased levels in ISG20L2 knockout T cells. The dysregulation observed in these key molecules for T cell responses support a role for this exonuclease as a novel RNA-based regulator of T cell function.
Attitudes to alcohol and consumption of alcohol in UK residents aged 50 and above
Authors: Webster Bobbie , Thelu Madeleine , Orrell Martin , Jones Katy A
Published: May 2023

Background Many people aged 50 and over are increasing their alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol use, combined with aging, can have a detrimental effect on health and wellbeing. This study aimed to measure alcohol consumption and explore attitudes to alcohol in this age group. Attitudes to ageing and demographic factors were explored as predictors.Methods Cross-sectional survey data were gathered from 2,675 UK residents aged 50 or over (mean age = 66) through the Join Dementia Research platform. Demographic data, alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), attitudes to alcohol and ageing were collected. Two-tailed bivariate Spearmen correlation was used, and two linear and hierarchical regression models were conducted.Results A total of 34.8% (n = 931) of participants were classed as ‘at-risk’ drinkers. Majority (n = 1,671 63.5%) stated they knew the UK Government guidelines for alcohol intake, and most agreed drinking over this limit would affect their physical (n = 2,177 82.7%), and mental health (n = 1,961 74.5%). Younger people, those with higher levels of education, in better overall health had higher AUDIT-C scores, with age the only significant block in the hierarchical regression model. Less risky attitudes to alcohol were predicted by more positive attitudes to ageing and better self-reported health in the regression model.Conclusions There is a need for more information about alcohol limits and health effects in this age group. Variables shown to influence alcohol consumption and attitudes to alcohol could be used when designing targeted information to reduce alcohol consumption. Future research should identify other risk factors in this age group.
Laser mode speckle ghost imaging of underwater environments
Authors: Feng Guoying , Yang Mochou , Wu Yi , Wang Peng
Published: May 2023

Absorption, scattering, noise, and low-sensitivity detector lead to poor quality in conventional underwater imaging. In response, Ghost imaging (GI) has emerged as an effective anti-interference underwater imaging method based on the relationship between illumination speckle patterns and a non-spatial-resolution detector. Conventional speckle patterns are distributed based on mathematical models such as the random, Hadamard, or Walsh models. In this study, we apply novel speckle patterns based on a physical model of M2 ordered laser modes to GI. The laser mode speckle pattern GI (LMS-GI) system achieves perfect imaging quality at a sampling rate of 5% or less; good imaging quality persists even below 0.64%. Despite relative random noise of 1.0%~ 5.0%, it outperforms the other GIs. Furthermore, at a low sampling rate of 2.48%, LMS-GI is effective not only in inclement weather, but also in complex liquid environments such as turbid liquids and biological tissue fluids.
Declines of peatland water table forces climate warming despite methane emission drawdown
Authors: Butterbach-Bahl Klaus , Ma Lei , Gettel Gretchen , Werner Christian , Kiese Ralf , Zuo Hongchao , Niu Shuli , Wang Jinsong , Chen Xiangyue , Xia Longlong , Zhu Yuhao , Ciais Philippe
Published: May 2023

Drainage and reduction in precipitation due to climate change have led to global declines in the water table (WT) of pristine peatlands, which have increased ecosystem releases of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and decreased emissions of methane (CH4). However, the trade-offs in these changes on net greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of peatlands globally remains unknown. Using meta-analysis and bootstrapped upscaling approaches, we assessed the global effect of WT decline on net GHG balances in peatlands, considering both on- and off-site (e.g., biomass removal, hydrological export, ditch emission) ecosystem fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O. We found that drainage caused a significant increase in net emissions of CO2 by 0.90 (95% confidence interval: 0.72–1.08) Pg CO2 yr–1 and of N2O by 0.09 (0.05–0.12) Pg CO2-eq. yr–1, while emissions of CH4 decreased by 0.30 (0.13–0.48) Pg CO2-eq. yr–1. The overall GHG balance significantly increased by 0.68 (0.43–0.94) Pg CO2-eq. yr–1. Climate, land use, and time since drainage introduced variability, with the conversion of (sub)tropical peatlands to agriculture and forestry dominating net global increases in peatland emissions (105%, range: 63–147%). In contrast, forestry in boreal peatlands reduced global GHG emissions by –4% (–8~–1%). Conversion of temperate and boreal peatlands to agriculture and forestry land uses was climate neutral overall, as increases in CO2 and N2O emissions were offset by reductions in CH4 emissions. Drained (sub)tropical peatlands for agriculture and forestry are global GHG emission hotspots. Conserving pristine peatlands and restoring degraded peatlands are needed particularly in the (sub)tropics for climate change mitigation.
Development of an MTB39A protein-based Mycobacterium tuberculosis nanoparticle vaccine candidate
Authors: Wang Pu , Zhang Gang , Jiang Lingling , Cai Yurong , Zhang Sinong , Gao Weifeng , Li Yong
Published: May 2023

Tuberculosis (TB), a human and animal disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), has the highest global mortality rate after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and poses a major public health threat to China and several countries worldwide. Since 1890, vaccine candidates for various forms of TB have been developed for different age groups, but these vaccine candidates have not provided good protection in adolescents and adults in clinical trials. To help prevent and control the spread of TB, the development of a safe and effective TB vaccine is important. Studies conducted in recent years have shown that MTB39A has good immunogenicity and that the baculovirus expression vector systems have promising applications in vaccine development. Accordingly, in this study, we expressed the MTB39A protein via an insect-baculovirus surface display expression system, and the obtained recombinant baculovirus surface-displayed particles were used as subunit vaccines for the immunization of BALB/c mice. The results showed that the rvAc-71cA/rvAc-MTB39A recombinant baculovirus surface-displayed particles exhibited good immunogenicity in mice and could be considered potential candidates for further development of more effective genetically engineered vaccines based on the MTB39A protein, providing a solid experimental foundation for the further development of vaccines against TB and for the development of vaccines for other associated diseases using the baculovirus expression system.
Liraglutide attenuates post-cardiac arrest brain injury by inhibiting autophagy and ferroptosis
Authors: Xing Chengjun , Tang Lu , Li Shiwei , Yang Chengjie , Feng Jianguo , Jia Jing , Chen Ye , Wang Maohua , Zhou Jun
Published: May 2023

Post-cardiac arrest brain injury (PCABI) is the leading cause of death and disability in survivors of cardiac arrest (CA), where autophagy and ferroptosis are believed to play a pivotal role. Liraglutide, a synthetic, long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, can exert organ-protective effects through regulating autophagy and ferroptosis. This study aimed to investigate whether liraglutide had a neuroprotective after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and explore its potential mechanisms. We used the 8-min asphyxial cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation model in Sprague–Dawley rats to determine the possible mechanism. The histological changes, proinflammatory factors, apoptosis, autophagy and ferroptosis in hippocampal tissues were detected. Furthermore, the neurologic deficits scores (NDS) and 7-day survival rate was observed respectively. Our results showed that autophagyand apoptosis were activated and the expressions of proteins reached significance at 24h after CA/ROSC. Moreover, rapamycin enhanced apoptosis, ferroptosis and aggravated neuro-pathological damage while 3-methyladenine reduced that. Furthermore, liraglutide treatment improved the 7-day survival rate and NDS, reduced histology injury and inhibited apoptosis, ferroptosisand inflammatory cytokines released after cardiac arrest, and these effects were offset by autophagy agonist. These results suggested that liraglutide could exert a protective role against post-cardiac arrest brain injury, which could be partially mediated by partially inhibiting autophagy and ferroptosis.
Closing the Patient-Provider Gap Along the Surgical Journey One Click at a Time: Results of a Phase I Pilot Trial of a Patient Navigation Tool
Authors: Shoucair Sami , Downing Gregory , O’Rourke Jacqueline , Greenberg Liza , Yea Mike , Vatas Gunjan , Kim Paula , Fishbein Thomas , Unger Keith , Winslow Emily R.
Published: May 2023

BackgroundPatients diagnosed with complex hepato-pancreaticobiliary (HPB) conditions experience a complex journey through the health care system. Patient navigation is commonly offered to patients and their caregivers throughout this complex journey. We developed and tested a prototype web-based dual (patient and provider) navigation application ‘PatientNav’. We report on phase I of the study, which evaluated the app in multiple domains: usability, functionality, and reliability.MethodsEvidence-based recommendations determined throughout a needs assessment.PatientNavapp was designed to be a highly customizable tool based both on needs of the patient, care team and characteristics of the institution. Our phase I pilot trial targeted individuals aged 18 years or older who reported the capacity to use a mobile app or desktop website presenting to our HPB transplant clinic at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital/Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center over a 2-month period. Usability, functionality, and reliability testing was conducted by applying multiple strategies that include biometric data analysis, task completion, questionnaires, and interviews.ResultsThe usability rate ofPatientNav among patient app users was 95.4%. Out of 22 patients, 18 (81.8%) completed the in-app survey whose responses were included in the analysis. Among patient app users who completed the in-app survey questionnaire, 66.6% reported that content inPatientNavapp was relevant. In terms of reliability of the app, none of the patient app users reported issues with technical issues with accessingPatientNavthroughout the study period. To further elucidate the characteristics of individuals who exhibited high usage of thePatientNavassigned task functions, we divided our cohort based on median number of tasks used (N = 75 total tasks). Univariable comparison showed that high function users were older with a median (IQR) of 61.5 (57.8, 71.3) compared to 52.2 (34.5, 65.7) years among low function users. No differences were observed based on gender, racial distribution, living condition or occupation. However, 41.7% of low function users had Medicare/Medicaid insurance whereas all high function users had private or combined insurance.ConclusionOur phase I pilot study showed thatPatientNavis a feasible, usable and functional technological tool that enables patients with complex HPB diagnoses and their care team to interface in real time using PROMs.PatientNavis a reliable tool that can be used by clinical and support staff to help navigate patients through surgery and aftercare, and by patients to assist in navigation and self-management.Trial Registration: The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov; Registration number: NCT04892927; date of registration: 5/19/2021.
ECG-based Human Identification System by Adaptive SVD Algorithm
Authors: WANG WEIBO , XIONG WEI , FANG YU , ZHENG YONGKANG
Published: May 2023

At present, people have higher requirements for the security of biometric technology. Therefore, ECG-based human identification is attracting more attention. In this paper, we designed a portable ECG acquisition device and proposed an adaptive SVD algorithm for ECG signal feature extraction in identity recognition. Compared with the classical singular value decomposition-total least square (SVD-TLS) algorithm, the adaptive SVD algorithm can automatically select the model and order of the parameterized power spectrum by the correlogram. It makes up for the defect of SVD-TLS algorithm that it isn’t easy to select an appropriate threshold in normalized ratio. In addition, due to the characteristics of ECG signals in frequency domain, this method can reduce the number of features and further increase the execution efficiency of identification network. The research of this paper is as follows: First, multiple cardiac cycles are segmented from the ECG signal. Second, the feature of each cardiac cycle is obtained by the adaptive SVD algorithm. Then, features are applied to the convolutional neural network (CNN) to realize the identification of ECG signals. Finally, we also developed ECG signal analysis software, which can obtain various ECG signal analysis results more conveniently. We tested the proposed method in MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database and the identification performance is reported to 99.59%. At the same time, ECG data of 40 healthy people were collected by the designed portable ECG acquisition device, and achieved a rate of 95.03% for the self-built database. Experimental results show that this method has better performance than the existing methods.
Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy in Central and Peripheral Disorders of Tinnitus
Authors: Montazeri Katayoon , Farhadi Mohammad , Majdabadi Abbas , Akbarnejad Zainab , Fekrazad Reza , Mahmoudian Saeid
Published: May 2023

Tinnitus is a common annoying symptom without effective accepted treatment. In this study, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), which has modulating and restorative effects, was used in the treatment of peripheral and central tinnitus defects in the rat animal model. The laser parameters included a wavelength of 808 nanometer, a power density of 165 milli-watts/cm2, and an energy density of 99 Joules/cm2. Tinnitus was induced by sodium salicylate (SS) injection and confirmed by behavioral test. In tinnitus rats, although the hearing status remained normal in the behavioral test, the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test threshold was increased, indicating the occurrence of hidden hearing loss. In the tinnitus group, there was also a significant increase in the expression of doublecortin (DCX), which is a marker of neural plasticity, in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus and parafloccular lobe (PFL) of the cerebellum. In the treatment group, a significant improvement in the behavioral test and ABR threshold and a significant reduction of DCX expression in the DG were observed. Based on our findings, PBMT has the potential to treat SS-induced tinnitus and hidden hearing loss in rat animal model.
Forest wildfire risk mapping, performance comparison of machine learning algorithms
Authors: Jalilian Shadi , Jouibary Shaban Shataee
Published: May 2023

Mapping wildfire risk using proper models and algorithms is one of the top execution priorities for forest managers to prevent wildfires before fires occur. This study evaluates the abilities of the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) machine learning methods for the prediction and mapping of fire risk across the forests of Golestan Province, Iran. For modeling, the area was first gridded into 1 ha grids, and then pixel values ​​of influential factors were extracted and standardized based on the point shape file of grid centers. The nonparametric algorithms were implemented using 70% of fire points as training samples. The obtained forest fire risk maps were classified into three zones, including low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk classes. The classification accuracy of the obtained risk maps was evaluated using 30% of the remained fire points. The results showed that the RF algorithm, with an overall accuracy of 75%, had the best performance in fire risk predictions compared to other algorithms. Forest managers can use this methodology to predict areas of most significant fire risk to prevent future fires through land use management, strategic decision-making, and planning. The results enable forest managers to find the best way to monitor, manage, and control fire outbreaks based on fire risk maps of forests in northeastern Iran or other regions with similar conditions.