bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carcinogenesis of the Human Scalp. An Immunometabolic Centered View
Authors: Kaplan Baruch , von Dannecker Rebecca , Arbiser Jack
Published: September 2024

The human scalp is a common site of skin cancer in humans, with non-melanoma skin cancer being exceedingly common. In this review, two dermatologists with extensive experience in cutaneous oncology will discuss unique features of the epidemiology of cancer of the scalp. Clinical observations on these common skin cancers lead to insight into the pathogenesis and potential prevention and treatment of cutaneous scalp neoplasia. Our hypothesis is that the presence of hair protects against the development of skin cancer, but not by serving as a physical shield, but rather by providing a continuous IL-17 biased immunosurveillance. Loss of hair allow release from immunosurveillance, resulting in expansion of neoplastic cells towards skin cancer. Both hair follicles and metabolic changes in stroma allow permissiveness for tumor promotion.
Development and Validation of a Combined RT-LAMP Assay for the Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Dengue Virus in Clinical Samples from Colombia
Authors: Escorcia-Lindo Katherine , Hurtado-Gómez Leidy , Rosero Juan Sebastian , Solano Llanos Nataly , Barrios Sánchez Camilo , Diaz Pérez Anderson , Díaz-Olmos Yirys , García Jennifer , Bello-Lemus Yesit , Pacheco-Londoño Leonardo C , Acosta-Hoyos Antonio J. , Pacheco-Lugo Lisandro A
Published: September 2024

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) infection is a significant public health concern in many trop-ical and subtropical regions, where early and rapid detection is crucial for effective patient man-agement and controlling the spread of the disease. Particularly in resource-limited, rural healthcare settings where dengue is endemic, there is a need for diagnostic methods that are both easy to perform and highly sensitive.
Objective: This study focuses on the development and validation of a single-tube reverse tran-scription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of DENV.
Methodology: The RT-LAMP assay designed in this work combines two sets of primers targeting the 5' and 3'-UTR regions of the dengue virus, aiming to increase the sensitivity of detection.
Results: The clinical validation of this COMB-RT-LAMP in samples from febrile individuals with a serological or antigenic diagnosis showed a sensitivity of over 95%. The assay's perfor-mance was statistically compared to standard diagnostic method quantitative reverse transcrip-tion-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
Conclusions: The findings support the potential of RT-LAMP as a rapid, sensitive, and specific tool for dengue diagnosis and surveillance, particularly suitable for field use in low-resource set-tings.
Shedding Light on tRNA-Derived Fragment Repertoire in Facs Blood Cells
Authors: Artamonov Alexander Andreevich , Kondratov Kirill , Bystritsky Egor , Nikitin Yuriy , Velmiskina Anastasiya , Mosenko Sergei , Polkovnikova Irina , Asinovskaya Anna , Apalko Svetlana , Sushentseva Natalya , Ivanov Andrej Mixajlovich , Shcherbak Sergey
Published: September 2024

tRNA-derived fragments function as markers additionally to playing the role key of signalling molecules in a number of disorders.  It is known that the repertoire of these molecules differs greatly in different cell types and varies depending on the physiological condition. The aim of our research was to compare the pattern of tRF expression in the main blood cell types and to determine how the composition of these molecules changes during COVID-19-induced cytokine storm. Erythrocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils from control donors and patients with severe COVID-19 were obtained by fluorescence sorting. We extracted RNA from FACS sorted cells and performed NGS of short RNAs. The composition of tRNA-derived fragments was analysed applying a semi-custom bioinformatic pipeline. In this study, we assessed the length and type distribution of TRFs and reported the 150 most prevalent TRF sequences across all cell types. Additionally we demonstrate a significant (p<0.05, fold change>16) change in the pattern of tRFs in erythrocytes (21 downregulated, 12 upregulated), monocytes (53 downregulated, 38 upregulated) and lymphocytes (49 upregulated) in patients with severe COVID-19. Thus, different blood cell types exhibit a significant variety of TRFs and react to cytokine storm by dramatically changing their differential expression patterns. We suppose that the observed phenomenon occurs due to the regulation of nucleotide modifications and alterations in activity of various Rnases.
Synthesis Process and Nutritional Evaluation of Plantain as a Supplementary Food for Toddlers in Sierra Leone: A Study Utilizing Biuret’s, Benedict’s, and Iodine Solution Test
Authors: Koroma Lahai , Senesie James Kuiva , Baion Florence Wuyah , Lukulay Baindu Miata , Kallon Massah Badiwuloi
Published: September 2024

Research on developing plantain fruit into juice, jam, ice cream, and fritters as a food supplement for toddlers was conducted in Sierra Leone. The work was done at the Mosoudo section of Daru village, Jawie Chiefdom, in Kailahun District. Four bunches of plantains were harvested from Jawei Chiefdom and stored in Mosoudo. Two bundles of the raw plantain were peeled, dried, and ground into powder, while the other two left to ripen at room temperature for nine days. Test were conducted using Iodine solution, Benedict solution, and Biuret test to check the presence of starch, glucose, and protein, respectively, in both the powdered and ripe plantain. The ripe plantains were then made into juice, jam, ice cream, and fritters. Fifty  mothers/caregivers, along with their children, were randomly selected to evaluate the color, taste, smell, and texture of the four plantain products. The sensory evaluation results showed high acceptance levels: color (53.5%), taste (59.0%), smell (61%) and texture (59.9%). The results suggest that the project could successfully provide nutritious and appealing food supplements for toddlers in Sierra Leone. It was recommended that the government and NGOs promote the cultivation of plantains instead of importing food supplements for children in Sierra Leone.
Gravitational Lensing for A Spherically Symmetric Regular Charged Black Hole in Weak Field Limit
Authors: Shidik M. F. , Ramadhan H.
Published: September 2024

Gravitational lensing is an integral part of the study of general relativity, as it is one of the direct consequences of general relativity. The existence of singularity within the black hole due to gravitational collapse is one of the key properties of the black hole. However, the introduction of non-linear electrodynamics (NLED) offers an intriguing possibility: nonsingular black holes. This work focuses on calculating the deflection angle within the weak field limit. Here, the photon's effective geometry associated with NLED is not incorporated; instead, the regular metric is utilized as it is, without presupposing its origins in NLED. A correction term in the deflection angle to the Reissner-Nordstrom (RN) case was found. This term manifests as a displacement in the position of the third image associated with the black hole.
Factors Affecting Intention of Signing the Advance Directives in Middle Aged Adults in Korea Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Park Hyun Jeong , Lee Kyu Eun
Published: September 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing the intention of middle-aged adults to sign Advance Directives (AD) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).Methods: The study subjects were 230 middle-aged adults in Korea. Data collection was conducted from June 15 to June 20, 2023 using an online survey. Data analysis was performed using percentages, means and standard deviations, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS 28.0.Results: The study found significant correlations between various factors such as perception of physical, psychological, social, spiritual, independent, and autonomous well-being, as well as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and the intention to sign the AD. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that attitudes (β= 0.43, p< 0.001), subjective norms (β= 0.23, p< 0.001), perceived behavioral control (β= 0.16, p= 0.020), and timing for signing up for AD (β= 0.12, p= 0.021) significantly influenced the intention to sign the AD among middle-aged adults. The model explained 52% of the variance (F = 18.47, p< 0.001).Conclusions: Signing up for AD serves the purpose of preparing individuals for a dignified end-of-life experience. Therefore, increasing public awareness and providing education on ADs are essential to encourage more middle-aged adults to engage in the process.
The Association between Musculoskeletal Diseases and Health-related Quality of Life Married Women
Authors: Jeong Yu-Rim , Jeong Seong-Hwa , Han Sam-Sung
Published: September 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between married women’s musculoskeletal diseases and health-related quality of life situation.Methods: A total of 4,198 married women were selected from the 9th Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families (KLoWF) database. Musculoskeletal diseases, Health-related quality of life characteristics were calculated based on responses from KLoWF. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate crude and coordinated associations using PASW 18.0.Results: There was an independently negative association between health-related quality between musculoskeletal diseases (b = -0.009, p< 0.001), relationship with depression (b = 0.002, p< 0.001), unmet medical needs (b = -0.052, p< 0.001), spouse household-labor (b = 0.001, p< 0.001) and association between musculoskeletal diseases and health-related quality of life married women. And positive association between education (middle school: b = 0.014, p< 0.001; high school: b = 0.012, p< 0.001; college: b = 0.012, p< 0.001), occupation status (b = 0.020, p< 0.001), perceived occupation status (b = 0.004, p= 0.012), perceived health status (b = 0.022, p< 0.001), degree of household-labor (b = 0.005, p< 0.001) and between musculoskeletal diseases and health-related quality of life married women.Conclusions: The study suggests musculoskeletal diseases and health-related quality of life in married women. The findings of the study can help policymakers develop strategies to improve proper time distribution at home and in working environments.
Effects of Smartphone Addiction and Intolerance of Uncertainty on Mental Health in Nursing Students: Mediating Effects of Resilience
Authors: Park Jeong Mi
Published: September 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to confirm the mediating effect of resilience in the effects of smartphone addiction and intolerance of uncertainty on mental health of nursing students.Methods: The study subjects were 201 nursing students from Y University, with data collected from November 14 to 27, 2023, and the collected data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0.Results: The results indicated that smartphone addiction, intolerance of uncertainty, resilience, and mental health were all significantly correlated. Smartphone addiction and intolerance of uncertainty had a negative effects on mental health, and resilience had a partial mediating effect in this effect.Conclusions: This study suggested the importance of enhancing resilience as an intervention for improving the mental health of nursing students. In order to prevent mental illness and improve mental health of nursing students, it is suggested to develop and apply a specialized resilience promotion program for nursing students.
Early Active Motion by Suzuki Pins and Rubber Traction After Intramedullary Reduction of an Impaction Fracture
Authors: Aure Arild , Ohlsson Rikard , Bjåland Østerhus Ingvild
Published: September 2024

Case:

A 39-year-old man fell during a mountain hike and injured his left, nondominant ring finger, presenting with swelling, tenderness, and crepitus of the proximal interphalangeal joint. A computed tomography scan demonstrated a displaced intra-articular impaction fracture of the middle phalanx base. Surgery was performed with a combination of intramedullary reduction by K-wire and dynamic external fixation, using a Suzuki frame, to allow early active motion and prevent collapse of the reduced fragments. At 1-year follow-up, the clinical and radiological results were excellent.

Conclusion:

The impaction fracture of our patient was successfully treated with Suzuki pins and rubber after intramedullary reduction by K-wire.
FOSTERING ORAL PROFICIENCY THROUGH STORY COMPLETION IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT UNIT CLASS
Authors: Nor Hidayah , Aulia Insan , Rahman Muhammad Arinal
Published: September 2024

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to investigate the application of the storycompletion technique to foster students’ speaking proficiency and to pinpoint the difficulties thatarise when doing the activities. An English tutor from Antasari State Islamic University's LanguageDevelopment Unit, group 31, who works with eighteen students of different majors selected basedon the purposive random sampling technique, participated in the study. Semi-structured interviewsand observations were used to gather the data then analyzed by using Miles and Huberman’s theorywhich consisted of data reduction, data display, and drawing the conclusion. The results provide astep-by-step procedure for applying the story completion technique, which includes determining thevocabulary and grammar that students have acquired, choosing an appropriate topic, evaluatingstudents' fluency in the target language, a suitable story topic is chosen, the class is arranged in acircle, the story is started, and it ends after a few sentences. Students then take turns continuing thestory, adding one to three sentences at a time. They are also free to add new characters, events, anddescriptions to the story, and it continues until a logical conclusion or student intervention occurs.Apart from that, the study brought to light several obstacles, including choosing stories that studentscan relate to, handling big class sizes, handling time limits, addressing personal issues, as well asevaluating and giving feedback to students. The knowledge gathered from this study helps to clarifyhow the story completion technique is used to develop speaking skills and offers helpful suggestionsto language teachers on how to deal with the difficulties encountered while applying this technique.All things considered; the study's findings have a great deal to offer language teachers throughoutthe globe in terms of practical advice on how to improve language acquisition using interactivestorytelling techniques while resolving typical challenges that arise in bilingual settings.
ROLE OF DRAMA FOR GAINING LITERATURE KNOWLEDGE IN ENGLISH COURSE
Authors: Tarbiyah Shofwatut , Putri Nizma Amelia , Rohmana Wahyu Indah Mala
Published: September 2024

This article analyzes how drama can affect learning English and make it more interesting to learn.It is useful to ensure that drama as a medium to improve literary knowledge is well implemented.Drama can be used as an application of lessons in the classroom. This study was conducted at theGlobal English Course in East Java. The research methods used in this article are qualitative methodsthrough observation and interviews. An interview with one tutor was carried out as the foundationfor the analysis. The intention of studying drama is to discover how it is used for gaining literatureknowledge. The research results of the study found that drama can improve students’ pronunciation,and speaking skills and enhance confidence. Furthermore, drama can be used as the learningimplementation that has been studied throughout the course
Role of KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency) as been Implemented in the Spread of South Korea Culture by the Means of the Creative Industry
Authors: Siswanto Fadillah nisrina , Amalia Novi Rizka
Published: September 2024

The influence of the Korean wave has influenced the world and created quite a big influence on the international market, looking at the large impact that Korean has had In this wave , the government formed an institution that supports the spread of culture, especially in the creative industry sector, namely KOCCA. KOCCA is a government institution that is directly responsible for the growth of South Korea's creative industry as well as regulating South Korean content so that it is in line with the South Korean cultural values it wishes to convey. This research aims to analyze KOCCA's role in expanding the spread of South Korean culture through the creative industry. The method used in this research is a qualitative method with bibliography data collection techniques. This research examines KOCCA's role in expanding the spread of South Korean culture through the creative industry. The concepts used in this research are the concept of soft diplomacy and multitrack diplomacy track one and track two . The results of the research show that KOCCA's role in spreading South Korea's creative industry is as a liaison between the government and society and the international community, as a promotional and supporting forum for the creative industry, as a supporter of South Korea's positive image in the eyes of the world.
EDITORIAL: Unidade na Diversidade: Alinhamento Político e Institucional para a Retomada do SNCTI e para a Superação das Desigualdades
Authors: ZAAK SARAIVA Illyushin , Antonello Ricardo , Butzen Eduardo
Published: September 2024

Neste primeiro semestre de 2024, a comunidade científica brasileira assistiu pela primeira vez, num intervalo de 14 anos, à realização de dezenas de reuniões e conferências prévias à 5ª Conferência Nacional de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação.
Fruto de um esforço coletivo sem precedentes por parte das Instituições de Ciência e Tecnologia, dos Governos nas esferas Municipal, Estadual e Federal, além das Empresas brasileiras, e de um sem número de Associações e Colegiados de pesquisadores das mais diversas áreas do conhecimento, a realização deste evento marca, sobretudo, a mudança de ares vivenciada no cenário brasileiro da CT&I a partir de janeiro de 2023, com aumentos sem precedentes nos investimentos federais na atividade científica e no fomento à inovação mas, sobretudo, uma mudança verificada quotidianamente, na volta da institucionalidade aos parâmetros da racionalidade e do respeito ao conhecimento científico, e da ação governamental pautada na busca pela verdade baseada em evidência científica.
Como se não bastasse o imenso investimento de recursos e de pessoal envolvidos na realização da 5ª CNCTI, a recomposição dos investimentos em CT&I e dos gastos federais com as Universidades(que haviam caído R$10 bilhões entre 2014 e 2022), além da realização de novos concursos e reajustes para os servidores, sinalizam em conjunto que nosso país finalmente pode voltar a pensar em saltos mais altos sobre seus resultados científicos, sociais e econômicos, a partir do retorno do Brasil em janeiro de 2023 aos trilhos do desenvolvimento sustentável e da retomada da Ciência Tecnologia e Inovação Socialmente Comprometidas.
Dispersing Settled Barite: An Approach to Improve Performance and Safety of Cut and Pull in Plug and Abandonment Operations
Authors: Yousuf Hazzaz Bin , Khalifeh Mahmoud , Saasen Arild , Gasparotto Luiz H. S. , Godøy Rune
Published: September 2024

Settled barite is a known challenge in well construction and well control activities. This phenomenon creates operational and safety challenges during cut and pull operations in well abandonment activities. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to mitigate these challenges by dispersing settled barite particles using chelating agents, specifically ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), commonly utilized in the oil industry to dissolve barite scales. Laboratory tests were conducted to assess the impact of these two chelating agents across varying concentrations, weight-to-volume ratios, pH levels, and durations. Settled barite samples retrieved from a plug and abandonment (P&A) operation were used in this test. Initially, visual inspection suggested some action of chelating agents in fragmenting settled barite materials into smaller particles. Afterward, a sequence of sieves was used to assess the particle-size distribution (PSD) and quantify the dispersion, revealing an increase in particle dispersion correlating with higher concentrations of chelating agents and weight-to-volume ratios. Contrary to scale-dissolving experiments, the dispersion of settled barite manifests across a broad pH spectrum. Furthermore, an initial increase in dispersion was observed over time, while the introduction of an activator such as potassium chloride (KCl) displayed no discernible effect on the overall dispersion process. This work shows the potential resolution of settled barite issues through the application of conventional chelating agents, such as EDTA and DTPA, commonly used within the oil field. It suggests methodologies for optimizing their performance in addressing barite settlement concerns. In addition, the study proposes the broader applicability of chelators within the EDTA and DTPA family for dispersing settled barite, thereby enhancing performance and augmenting oilfield safety in chelator use.
The role of fuel treatments during incident management
Authors: Greiner S. Michelle , Schultz Courtney , Novak Katie McGrath , Lohman Adam
Published: September 2024

The United States Forest Service, with partners, implements fuel reduction treatments on National Forests and surrounding landscapes to mitigate negative impacts from wildfire, facilitate climate adaptation, and protect communities. Understanding fuel treatment effectiveness is important for evaluating treatments against objectives to inform the strategic planning and application of treatments. An understudied aspect of fuel treatments is how existing fuel treatments are incorporated into tactical decision-making during wildfire incident response, including in cases where the fire did not directly overlap with treatments. Through interviews with fire and forest personnel (e.g., Incident Commanders, Agency Administrators, and Fuels Planners) seven different wildfires during 2020 and 2021, we investigated how fuel treatments are evaluated and considered in an incident management context. We found that treatments were considered and used during incidents in various ways including tactically as access points, for contingency planning, and to increase efficiencies related to operations and firefighter safety. The decision to use a fuel treatment was based on several conditions, including the time since the treatment was implemented or maintained, treatment location, incident conditions, and personnel dynamics within the Incident Management Team or local forest unit. We situate the implications of these findings within the complexity of problem definition for fire and wildfire decision-making literature and provide recommendations for using fuel treatments to support wildfire incident management.
Can motion onset VEPs see through the blur?
Authors: Kordek David , Young Laura , Voda Petr , Kremláček Jan
Published: September 2024

Motion-onset visual evoked potentials (MO VEPs) are robust to dioptric blur when low contrast and low spatial frequency patterns are used for stimulation. To reveal mechanisms of MO VEPs robustness, we studied whether the resistance to defocus persists even when using a high-contrast checkerboard using digital defocus in the emmetropic eyes of 13 subjects (males 20–60 years). We compared the dominant components of MO VEPs to pattern-reversal VEPs (PR VEP), which are sensitive to the blur. For stimulation, we used checkerboard patterns with 15´ and 60´ checks. To defocus the checkerboard, we rendered it with a second-order Zernike polynomial (\({Z}_{2}^{0}\)) with an equivalent defocus of 0, 2, or 4 D. For PR VEP, the checkerboards were reversed in terms of their contrast. To evoke MO VEP, the checkerboard of 60´ checks moved for 200 ms with a speed of 5 or 10 deg/s in the cardinal directions. The MO VEP did not change in peak time (P ≥ 0.0747) or interpeak amplitude (P > 0.0772) with digital blur. In contrast, for PR VEP, the results showed a decrease in interpeak amplitude (P ≤ 6.65ˑ10 − 4) and an increase in peak time (P ≤ 0.0385). Thus, we demonstrated that MO VEPs evoked by checkerboard, structure containing high spatial content, can be robust to defocus.
The Orphan Nuclear Receptor Nr4a1 Contributes to Interstitial Cardiac Fibrosis via Modulation of Cardiac Fibroblast and Macrophage Phenotype
Authors: Widiapradja Alexander , Connery Heather , Bullock Martyn , Kasparian Ainsley , Clifton-Bligh Roderick , Levick Scott Peter
Published: September 2024

The orphan nuclear receptor Nr4a1 has complex biological functions and has been implicated in numerous diseases, including cardiovascular disease. While protective in atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia, Nr4a1 has been shown to cause cardiac fibrosis in non-ischemic adverse remodelling of the heart. However, mechanisms underlying these actions are still poorly understood. Accordingly, we sought to: 1) understand the contribution of Nr4a1 to the inflammatory environment including macrophage phenotype; and 2) determine the contribution of Nr4a1 to cardiac fibroblast phenotype in the fibrotic heart. Wild type and Nr4a1-/- mice were infused with angiotensin II (1500 ng/kg/min) to induce cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction. Nr4a1 deletion prevented cardiac fibrosis and maintained normal diastolic function. We determined that macrophages lacking Nr4a1 had distinctly different phenotypes to wild type macrophages, with Nr4a1 deletion preventing the induction of a pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype, instead promoting an anti-inflammatory phenotype. This had functional consequences in that macrophages lacking Nr4a1 showed a reduced ability to induce cardiac fibroblast migration. Interestingly, deletion of Nr4a1 in isolated cardiac fibroblasts also had profound effects on their phenotype and function, with these cells not able to produce excess extracellular matrix proteins, convert to a myofibroblast phenotype, or respond to macrophage stimuli.
Conclusions: Nr4a1 causes cardiac fibrosis and subsequent diastolic dysfunction by inducing a pro-inflammatory phenotype in macrophages and by pushing cardiac fibroblasts towards a pro-fibrotic phenotype in response to pro-fibrotic stimuli. Nr4a1 is also critical for macrophage/fibroblast interactions.
Evaluation of Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery Who Required Hospitalization Due to Covid-19
Authors: PAIVA AMANDA , FERRAZ ALVARO , MERTEN BRUNA , CRUZ FERNANDO SANTA
Published: September 2024

Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic, anthropometric, and clinical profile of patients undergoing bariatric surgery who required hospitalization due to COVID-19.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis from February 2021 to October 2022, involving individuals aged 20 to 59 years. These individuals were under the care of a bariatric surgery outpatient clinic, had previously undergone the surgical procedure, and tested positive for COVID-19. The study focused on those who had laboratory tests conducted six months before and after contracting the disease. The primary objective was to examine changes in laboratory test results six months before and after COVID-19 infection, considering hospitalization occurrences and symptoms manifested post-positive diagnosis. Additionally, secondary outcomes included exploring the correlation between laboratory test results and hospitalization for COVID-19, categorized by nutritional status.
Results
A total of 49 individuals actively participated in the study, with a notable predominance of females (87.8%). A significant majority, accounting for 73.5%, underwent sleeve gastrectomy. The study observed a prevalence of obese individuals who had recently undergone surgery. Common symptoms among hospitalized patients included fever, dry cough, tiredness, pain and discomfort, as well as difficulties in breathing, speaking, or moving. Individuals requiring hospitalization exhibited higher average levels of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (Gamma GT) in the six months preceding the diagnosis of COVID-19 compared to those who did not require hospitalization. The timeframe between bariatric surgery and COVID-19 contamination was less than three years. Among those hospitalized for COVID-19, 27.3% had trouble breathing.
Conclusion
With a significance level set at 95%, it was observed that hospitalized patients exhibited elevated levels of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (Gamma GT) compared to non-hospitalized patients in the six months leading up to the onset of the disease. Consequently, it can be deduced that heightened levels of TG, LDL, and Gamma GT are indicative factors that contribute to the likelihood of hospitalization.
Single Image Dehazing using Alternate Pooling Fused Transformer Block with Attention Network
Authors: M Suganthi , C Akila
Published: September 2024

Haze decreases contrast and limit sight in both outdoor and indoor images. Each pixel's deterioration is unique and is influenced by how far the scene point is from the camera. The transmission coefficients, which regulate the scene attenuation and degree of haze in each pixel, express this dependence. Previous techniques used a variety of patch-based priors and transformers to solve the single image dehazing problem. Although various researches had demonstrated the effectiveness of vision Transformers, our image dehazing method has been able to surpass the state-of-the-art image dehazing networks. As a result, we proposed a novel image dehazing network named Alternate Pooling Fused Transformer Network (APF_TRANS_NET) with Locally Grouped Self Attention. Compared to earlier deep learning-based methods, it performs far better. The proposed approach enhances the ability of vision transformer in Dehazing progress with an efficient transformer along with the dual weighted deep channel and spatial attention mechanism. To show the efficiency of our model, we trained it on five different datasets, including i-Haze dataset, O-Haze dataset, SOTS dataset, RESIDE-6K, and RS-Haze. The proposed our immense model outperforms the prior state-of-the-art techniques, with a significant improvement in its performance. .
Construction of Soybean Drought Indicators based on Catastrophic Processes and Its Risk Assessment in Northeast China
Authors: Cheng Xihan , Li Hainan , Gao Xining , Wang Liwei , Xu Mingjie , Yin Hong
Published: September 2024

Against the background of global warming, drought has become a prominent agrometeorological disaster affecting soybean production in Northeast China (NEC). The development of soybean drought indicators in NEC, based on comprehensive analysis of disaster processes, would greatly enhance dynamic monitoring and early warning systems for soybean drought. This research has significant implications for regional drought prevention and effective disaster mitigation strategies. In this study, the spatial variability of the water surplus and deficit index (\(\:{D}_{n,i}\)) was eliminated, the new index \(\:{CD}_{50,i}\) was constructed, and the initial discriminant value of drought was determined by inverting the historical drought disaster processes of soybean drought. The Kolmogorov‒Smirnov (K–S) test was conducted to determine the optimal distribution model of the sample sequence, and the t-distribution interval estimation method was used to obtain the indicator level threshold. Based on the newly constructed soybean drought indicators, soybean drought risk assessments were carried out. The findings demonstrated that the drought duration days (\(\:D\)) estimated according to \(\:{CD}_{50,i}\ge\:0.56\) as the dominant factor and the daily cumulative value (\(\:CV\)) with \(\:{CD}_{50,i}\ge\:0.56\) as the auxiliary factor could be used to monitor soybean drought in NEC more accurately, and the accuracy rate of the indicators reached 82.4%. There were spatial differences in the probability of each drought level. In terms of the drought risk level, the high-risk area was distributed mainly in the eastern part of Heilongjiang Province, and the low-risk area was distributed mainly in the central and western parts of the East Four Leagues, the western part of Liaoning Province, and a small part of Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces. The results of this study can be used to dynamically monitor early warning signs of soybean drought so that drought assessment has greater pertinence and provides a technical guarantee for high, stable and efficient soybean production.
From Problem to Solution: Bio-inspired 3D Printing for Bonding Soft and Rigid Material via Underextrusion
Authors: Goshtasbi Arman , Grignaffini Luca , Sadeghi Ali
Published: September 2024

Vertebrate animals benefit from a combination of rigidity for structural support and softness for adaptation. Similarly, integratingrigidity and softness can enhance the versatility of soft robotics. However, the challenges associated with creating durablebonding interfaces between soft and rigid materials have limited the development of hybrid robots. Existing solutions requirespecialized machinery, such as polyjet 3D printers, which are not commonly available. In response to these challenges, wehave developed a 3D printing technique that can be used with almost all commercially available FDM printers. This techniqueleverages the common issue of underextrusion to create a strong bond between soft and rigid materials. Underextrusiongenerates a porous structure, similar to fibrous connective tissues, that provides a robust interface with the rigid part throughlayer fusion, while the porosity enables interlocking with the soft material. Our experiments demonstrated that this methodoutperforms conventional adhesives commonly used in soft robotics, achieving nearly 200% of the bonding strength in bothlap shear and peeling tests. Additionally, we investigated how different porosity levels affect bonding strength. We testedthe technique under pressure scenarios critical to soft and hybrid robots and achieved three times more pressure than thecurrent adhesion solution. Finally, we fabricated various hybrid robots using this technique to demonstrate the wide range ofcapabilities this approach and hybridity can bring to soft robotics.
An investigation into the Performance of Apple Genotypes: A Parametric Assessment of Fruit Setting in the Orchards of Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Mishra Neha , Gupta Rakesh , Chandel Ashu , Sharma Subhash , Verma Pramod , Sharma Hukam , Verma Geeta , Rana Diksha , Pathania Samriti , Laishram Chinglembi , Rajput Tanvi , Sharma Shubham
Published: September 2024

Climate change continues to alter the traditional apple-growing environments. This change in environment prompts a thorough examination of fruit setting behavior, which is a key component in productivity. The study aimed to identify suitable high density apple genotypes with stable fruit setting behavior. The apple genotypes are evaluated over a duration of two years, 2021–2023 in different environments. The stable apple genotypes for percent fruit set were identified using Eberhart and Russell and AMMI Model. The stability parameters of Eberhart and Russell stability model indicates jeromine as a stable genotype. The interaction items in AMMI (additive main effects and multiplicative interactions) analysis of variance cut across interaction principal components IPC1 and IPC2. The recommended genotypes for each region include Redlum Gala for Zone I; Gale Gala for Zone II; and Jeromine, Red Velox, and Super Chief have stability in Zone III. Based on AMMI Stability Value, Jeromine and Red Velox are the most stable genotypes with a minor role in G × E interaction. Fruit Setting of the genotypes should be given higher attention that would help optimize the apple production. Therefore, Jeromine and Red velox comes to be the most stable and high fruit set performance genotypes among others. This study contributes to the understanding of genotype stability under varying climatic conditions, offering substantial recommendations for apple breeding and cultivation strategies in Himachal Pradesh.
NaHS Mediates Astrocytic EAAT2 Expression to Alleviate SNI-Induced Neuropathic Pain and Depressive-Like Behaviors
Authors: Qi Man-Man , Peng Heng-Yue , Zhang Tian-Ge , Li Yan , Gao Meng-Ya , Sun Wen-Bo , Wang Xu-Peng
Published: September 2024

This study explores the impact of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in treating neuropathic pain. Utilizing the Spared Nerve Injury (SNI) model in mice, the research investigates the role of astrocytes and the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in chronic pain. The findings reveal that sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), an H2S donor, effectively enhances the mechanical pain threshold and thermal pain escape latency in SNI mice. The study further demonstrates NaHS's potential in reducing glutamate levels in the spinal cord and the discharge frequency of neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex hindlimb region (S1HL) brain area, suggesting a novel therapeutic approach for neuropathic pain through the modulation of astrocyte function and EAAT2 expression.
RETRACTED: Measuring the efficiency of hospital based on regional heterogeneity: a meta-frontier DEA approach
Authors: Huang Hongxin , Jiang Kuanlie , Xuan Yan , Liu Weixia , Lu Wei
Published: September 2024

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Application of Adiposity Indices for Body Fat and Metabolic Health Assessment Before and After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
Authors: Luna Mariana , Pereira Silvia , Saboya Carlos , Ramalho Andrea
Published: September 2024

Background
Visceral fat is determinant for obesity metabolic disturbances. Gold standard methods for its assessment are unfeasible in clinical practice. Adiposity indices have been proposed to provide a more feasible evaluation. The study aims to assess body fat distribution through adiposity indices, before and 6 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass(RYGB), and their correlation with body and biochemical variables.
Methods
prospective longitudinal study with adults undergoing RYGB, evaluated before(T0) and 6 months after surgery(T1). Weight, height, waist circumference(WC), BMI, waist-to-height ratio(WHtR), total cholesterol(TC), HDL-c, LDL-c, triglycerides(TG), insulin, glucose, HbA1c and HOMA-IR were evaluated. Visceral adiposity index(VAI), conicity index(CI), lipid accumulation product(LAP), Clinica Universidad de Navarra-Body adiposity estimator(CUN-BAE) and a body shape index(ABSI) were calculated.
Results
62 individuals, 80% women, mean age 42.8 ± 11.13 years. There was significant improvement in adiposity and all biochemical variables, even with more than 90% still in overweight/obesity class and/or inadequate WC and WHtR. Only 40% of individuals had VAI inadequacy at T1. Individuals with elevated VAI had higher HOMA-IR, TG and LAP at T0, compared to those with adequate VAI. Although this difference was not maintained at T1, after surgery, VAI was the only index that correlated with HOMA-IR. Pre-surgical ABSI, CI, WC and WHtR correlated with post-surgical HOMA-IR, insulin and TC. Only the post-surgical variation in ABSI correlated with HOMA-IR reduction.BMI did not correlate with post-surgical metabolic outcome.
Conclusion
The findings reinforce the ability of RYGB to reduce visceral adiposity, and the applicability of the indices to assess metabolic health, with emphasis on VAI and ABSI.
Utilizing machine learning for nerve conduction velocity analysis
Authors: Sadeghi Hossein , Seif Fatemeh , Khanmohammadi Soraya , khanmohammadi sima
Published: September 2024

Nerve conduction (NC) studies often utilized electrodiagnostic tests for assessing the conduction of both motor and sensory nerves. In a cohort study of 216 individuals within the age range of 20 to 59 years, from the findings of the Poursina Electrodiagnostic Center, Rasht, Iran, healthy subjects underwent machine learning (ML) techniques to evaluate the conduction of nerves situated in the upper extremities, specifically the median, ulnar, and radial nerves. Through this investigation, normal values were successfully set up. There are multiple variables, such as gender, age, weight, and height that can influence NC. Given the historical background and thorough medical assessment, assuming the absence of any NC agents or underlying medical conditions. The results showed the successful establishment of normal values for NC and the favorable performance of the ML models in predicting NC values.
Exogenous Methyl Jasmonate Mediated Physiological and Transcriptomic Network Improves Thrips tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago Sativa. L)
Authors: Shuang Shuang , Xiaowei Huo , chen qi , Rui Dai , li Jianwei , yan Jiaxin , jiang xiaohong , tan yao , zhang zhiqiang
Published: September 2024

Exogenous methyl jasmonate is widely acknowledged for its role in triggering plants' defense systems against pest invasions. Nonetheless, there has been a dearth of research exploring the elicitation of defense mechanisms by jasmonic acid in alfalfa. In order to investigate the effect of methyl jasmonate on thrips resistance in alfalfa, Medicago sativa L.cv. Caoyuan No. 4 was exogenously sprayed with different concentrations of methyl jasmonate, and thrips and Orius strigicolli (natural enemies) behavioral choice, physiological and transcriptomic analyses were performed. The results revealed a concentration-dependent inducible effect of methyl jasmonate on the behavioral choice, feeding and oviposition of thrips mediated by volatile organic compounds. Moreover, methyl jasmonate treatment at varying concentrations significantly influenced the activity levels of defense enzymes and secondary metabolites in alfalfa. Notably, the most pronounced induction effect of methyl jasmonate was observed at a concentration of 0.1 mmol/L, particularly evident in the enhanced activity of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, lipoxygenase and tannins. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes between methyl jasmonate treatment and CK were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways and plant hormone signal transduction pathways such as terpenoid biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism and jasmonate signal transduction. Subsequent pathway analysis elucidated the potential of methyl jasmonate treatment to elevate endogenous jasmonic acid levels and instigate the activation of the jasmonate signaling pathway.
Rice cultivars and non-synthetic phytosanitaries screening for rice blast control in Ebro Delta
Authors: Serrat Xavier , Manikan Brigen , Palma-Guillén Alfred , Pérez-Méndez Néstor , Nadal Ariadna , Nogués Salvador
Published: September 2024

Rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea (Herbert) Barr, anamorph Pyricularia grisea Sacc.) represents one of the worst rice diseases. The application of synthetic fungicides is the main method for blast control, yet not allowed for organic rice farming. As an alternative, non-synthetic sulphur and silica-based commercial fungicides might effectively control rice blast in organic farming without contributing to adverse effects on rice growth, yet their efficacy evidence on a broad range of japonica rice cultivars is still scarce. The objective of this study is to screen blast resistance in six temperate japonica rice cultivars while assessing the efficacy of sulphur and silica-based non-synthetic fungicides on them. A two-years field trial was performed following a completely randomized block design arranged in a single factor with 4 replications. The most blast-sensitive cultivar was Bomba, followed by Argila, Guara, J. Sendra and Montsianell, while V.exp.1 was exceptionally blast tolerant. The only effective non-synthetic fungicide for medium blast sensitivity rice cultivars was sulphur at high doses. In contrast, none of the treatments resulted in blast contol improvement in either the most blast-resistant (V.Exp.1) or the most blast-sensitive (Bomba) cultivars. We conclude that sulphur (Thiopron, 82.5% a.i. L− 1, SC, UPL Iberica) at a 7.5 L·ha− 1 dose has potential to help organic farmers control rice blast. Thiopron is registered and commercialized in Spain for rice cultivation.
A 128 Steps Phase Interpolator Implementation using Coarse and Fine Control Technique
Authors: Arenas Erick Jesús , Espinosa Guillermo , González Víctor Rodolfo , Fuente Gisela De la
Published: September 2024

In modern transmission systems, a critical block used not only in the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) feedback path but also as a crucial circuit in the receiver of a serial link for clock data recovery is the phase interpolator (PI). Its implementation allows for the fine adjustment of phase in very small increments through a digital or analog control code. In this paper, a new phase interpolator topology is presented using a current control circuit that incorporates a fine current control system to improve linearity and reduce control error codes. Besides, the proposed topology was proven over corner process simulations and Montecarlo mismatch in order to demonstrate the robustness added by the fine current control. This circuit was designed in UMC 65nm CMOS Technology, operating at 2.5GHz with 128 steps, providing an angular resolution of 2.8125º per code and a standard delay of 3.125ps.
Improvement of RT-DETR model for ground glass pulmonary nodule detection
Authors: Tang Siyuan , Bao Qiangqiang , Ji Qingyu , Wang Tong , Wang Naiyu , Yang Min , Gu Yu , Wang Siriguleng , zhao jinliang
Published: September 2024

Currently, pulmonary nodules detection work mostly focus on recognition and diagnosis of solid nodules. However,ground glass nodules have higher probability of malignancy, posing greater identification challenges and thus greater value for detection. To achieve rapid and accurate detection of ground glass nodules, This article proposed an algorithm based on RT-DETR model with the following enhancement: 1) optimize the backbone network with FCGE blocks to increase the detection accuracy of small-sized and blurred edge nodules. 2) replace the AIFI module with HiLo-AIFI module to reduce redundant computation and improve the detection accuracy of pure ground glass pulmonary nodules and mixed ground glass pulmonary nodules. 3) replace the DGAK module with CCFF module to address the issue of capturing complex features and recognition of irregularly shaped ground glass nodules.To obtain a more lightweight model, modules are designed for smaller number of parameters and higher computational efficiency. Model are tested on on mixed dataset composed of LIDC-IDRI data and clinical data from cooperating hospitals. Compared to the baseline model, it shows an average precision improvement (mAP50/mAP50:95) of 2.1% and 1.7%, with a reduction parameters by 5.2 million. On a specialized dataset containing both pure and mixed ground glass nodules, our model outperformed the baseline model in all evaluation metrics. In general, the model proposed in this paper achieves improvement on lightweightness and detection accuracy. However, the model exhibits poor noise resistance and robustness, suggesting optimization in future work.