bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Status and Influence Factors of Sleep Quality in Adolescents with Mixed Anxiety and Depression Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: He Yunling , Liao Rong , Wang Dongxue , Wu Yunlian , Ren Kai
Published: June 2023

Background: Adolescence represents a vulnerable and critical turning point for sleep quality, especially in adolescents with mixed anxiety and depression disorder (MADD). It’s particular interest for the incidence and influence factors.
Methods: The characteristics and their sleep quality by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were measured, respectively. Single-factor analysis and multiple stepwise liner regression analysis were carried out to explore the independent influence factors of sleep quality in adolescents with MADD.
Results: The PSQI scores of MADD adolescents was (10.31±3.92). The following variables influenced the PSQI scores of adolescents with MADD: phase of study, sex, smoking, depressive symptoms, loneliness, emotion regulation strategies as expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal of MADD adolescents. The model was able to explain 56.5% of variance in sleep quality of adolescents with MADD (F = 2.956, P =0.003, R2 = 0.576, adjusted R2 = 0.565).
Conclusion: The sleep quality in adolescents with MADD is important. Psychologists are suggested to pay more attention to their sleep quality, which can aggravate their current emotional problems, leading to more serious psychiatric disorders. Support programme in order to guide adolescents with MADD to adopt more positive emotion regulation strategies and less negative emotion regulation strategies, reduce negative emotions such as depression and loneliness can effectively improve their sleep quality.
A web-based Probabilistic Medical Computation platform based on Bayesian network
Authors: Li Xuemeng , Li Mei , Zhao Dongsheng
Published: June 2023

Objective
The objective of this study was to develop a medical service platform utilizing Bayesian networks for medical modeling and risk inference, with minimal configuration requirements. The platform was designed to provide accurate and efficient disease diagnosis and treatment plans for medical professionals.
Methods
The platform consists of four layers: database layer, Bayesian network construction layer, Bayesian network inference layer, and client layer. The database layer accepts user data uploads. The Bayesian network construction and inference layers are implemented for Bayes network learning and inference based on the bnlearn package of Python. The client layer allows users to define Bayesian network learning parameters and presents inference results in the form of bar charts.
Results
The code for our prototype system is available on Github (https://github.com/rose1203/BayesNet-platform-for-medical-computation.git). Our user-friendly and flexible platform allows professionals and IT experts to easily configure appropriate parameters for network structure and parameter learning. User-specified Bayesian networks can be saved for inference. Additionally, the platform supports data visualization for medical staff, which provides doctors with an intuitive understanding of patients' potential disease progression. Based on this information, doctors can formulate corresponding treatment plans and care measures.
Conclusion
Our interactive online platform, which is based on Bayesian networks, provides healthcare professionals and researchers with a valuable tool to make informed decisions. Combined with models based on real-world data and individual patient cases, our platform can promote personalized healthcare and enhance the quality of healthcare services.
Single-Pixel THz imaging using mechanical SLM and compressive sensing
Authors: Roueinfar Mohammad , Aghakasiri Ali , Salmanian Mahdi , Bashiri Abbas , Babanezhad Saeed
Published: June 2023

We propose a single-pixel terahertz (THz) imaging system at a frequency of 100 GHz using a mechanical spatial light modulator (SLM). In this method, the THz beam passes through the object and masks and then is received by a single-pixel THz detector. The masks donot allow the THz beam to pass through all points of the target, so for each mask, an incomplete image of the target is focused in thedetector by a lens. To recover the image with N pixels, N different measurements are required by the detector. Masks, using their unique pattern, allow some THz beams to pass through and radiate to the object and not allow someTHz beams to pass through. To create a complete image of the object, we need to masks as many as the number of pixels, which we achieved mechanically. To increase the imaging speed, we use fewer masks, so the number of measurements will be less than the number of pixels, which leads to the formation of an incomplete image per mask. In order to form a complete image of the object and compensate for the number of measurements per mask, we use a compressive sensing (CS) algorithm. Applying the CS algorithm, the object image with dimensions of 10 cm and a resolution of 20 × 20 pixels is reconstructed. The reconstruction results of the object image indicate the superiority of TV norm method compared to L1-magic and SL0 methods in terms of RMSE criteria.
The Research About Morphometric Characteristics on Leptograpsus Crabs
Authors: GENCER Övgü
Published: June 2023

The process of this research includes the morphometric characteristics of 200 Leptograpsus crabs emphasized in the data set handled by Campbell and Mahon. To determine the meat composition, differences such as gender, color, and other variables were investigated by considering the frontal lobe, posterior width, shell width, body depth, and shell lengths. As a consequence of the study, it was finalized that the meat ratios of Leptograpsus crabs, which were previously separated into two different colors, differ according to their colors. Simultaneously, when the nutritional ratios of crabs with high protein are concerned, it is seen that the ratio of midline length to the maximum width of orange crabs is higher. Moreover, it was supposed that the ratio of posterior region width to anterior region width of blue crabs was higher than that of orange crabs.
Trade is improving global aquatic food consumption patterns
Authors: XU Jun , Zhao Kangshun , Gaines Steven , Molinos Jorge , Zhang Min
Published: June 2023

Globalization of fishery products is playing a significant role in shaping the harvesting and use of aquatic foods, but the vigorous debate has focused on whether the trade is a driver of the inequitable distribution of aquatic foods. Here, we develop species-level mass balance and trophic level identification datasets for 174 countries and territories to analyze global aquatic food consumption patterns, trade characteristics, and impacts from 1976 to 2019. We find that per capita consumption of aquatic foods has increased significantly at the global scale, but the human aquatic food trophic level (HATL), i.e., the average trophic level of aquatic food items in the human diet, is declining (from 3.42 to 3.18) because of the considerable increase in low-trophic level aquaculture species output relative to that of capture fisheries since 1976. Moreover, our study finds that trade can improve food security by contributing to increasing the availability and quality of aquatic foods in >60% of the world’s countries. Trade has also reduced geographic differences in the quality of aquatic food consumption among countries over recent decades. We suggest that there are important opportunities to widen the current focus on productivity gains and economic outputs to a more equitable global distribution of aquatic food quantity and quality.
Quantifying the effects of practicing a semantic task according to subclinical schizotypy
Authors: Diao Mingyi , Demchenko Ilya , Asare Gifty , Chen Yelin , Debruille J. Bruno
Published: June 2023

Greater adaptability of patients should go with easier psychosocial rehabilitation. Medications should thus also be chosen according to their impact on practice effects, as they measure adaptability. We are thus developing a pre-treatment test aimed, in fine, at assessing the impact of medications on these effects. Here, we report the practice effects observed across the two sessions of a semantic categorization task. Participants (n = 47) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and performed this task twice, 1.5 hours apart. Practice was found to reduce reaction times in both low- and high-SPQ scorers. It was also found to decrease the amplitudes of the N400 event-related brain potentials elicited by semantically matching words in low SPQ scorers only, which showed the sensitivity of the task to schizotypy. Both RTs and N400 amplitudes were also found to have a good test-retest reliability across the two sessions. This task could thus be a valuable tool. On-going studies are assessing the impacts of fully deceptive placebos and of real antipsychotic medications on these effects of practice. This should, later, help psychiatrists to choose the best medication for the psychosocial rehabilitation of a patient.
Prognostic role of CRABP2 in lung cancer：A meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Guang , Yin Qifan , Wang Wenhao , Xu Siwei , Liu Huining
Published: June 2023

Background
The prognostic value of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2), in lung cancer patients remains to be uncertained. Therefore, our research attempted to assess the relationship between CRABP2 and survival analysis in lung cancer patients through meta-analysis.
Method
Related literature retrieved from Cochrane Library, Ovid, Embase, PubMed, the CNKI, and the Web of Science. The latest update of the search was May 1, 2023. The outcome indicators included as effective measures in the study were hazard ratio (HR), and 95% confidence interval (CI). The Stata 12.0 software was used to analyze the data.
Results
A total of 4 studies were finally enrolled in our meta-analysis. The increased plasma level of CRABP2 predicted poor OS in lung cancer patient with a combined HR of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.00–1.30), and were not associated with poor PFS with combined HR:1.15% CI: 0.63–2.09) in lung cancer patients.
Conclusions
Our meta-analysis found the increased plasma level of CRABP2 was associated with poor OS independently in NSCLC patients. The plasma CRABP2 level may be an indicator of biological aggressiveness of the tumor. Our research was promising regarding the feasibility and utility of plasma CRABP2 as a novel prognostic biomarker in NSCLC, and the findings warrant further investigation.
Frailty assessment to individualize treatment in older patients with lymphoma
Authors: SANCHEZ ANA ISABEL HORMIGO , Garcia Alberto Lopez , Fernandez Ignacio Mahillo , Askari Elham , Morillo Daniel , SAEZ MARIA ANGELES PEREZ , Riesco Miriam , Urrutia Celia , Peromingo Francisco Javier Martinez , Cordoba Raul , Montalvo Juan Ignacio Gonzalez
Published: June 2023

Purpose We present a study analyzing the application of a systematic protocol for specialized comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in patients with lymphoma over 70 years of age, permitting frailty-based patient classification, individualized care recommendations, and treatment personalization.Methods Lymphoma patients over 70 years of age referred to the Geriatric Hematology clinic at Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (Madrid, Spain) for specialized CGA between 1 May 2016 and 31 March 2021 were included in the study. Patients were referred us a part of our clinical care practice for assessment using a systematic CGA protocol by a qualified geriatrician.Results Ninety-three patients (55.9% women) were included, with a median age of 81.1 years (+/- 5.7). 23 patients (24.7%) were classified as robust (type I), 30 patients (32.3%) as pre-fragile (type II) with potentially reversable deficits, 38 patients (40.9%) as fragile (type III), and only 2 patients (2.2%) as presenting with a poor overall prognosis or requiring palliative care (type IV). All patients received oncospecific treatment, with treatment modifications carried out in 64.5% of patients based on CGA results. Statistically significant differences in overall survival (p 0.002), response to treatment (p < 0.001) and likelihood of increased frailty at the end of treatment (p 0.024) were observed, with type III-IV patients showing worse overall survival, lower response rates, and higher incidence of frailty.Conclusion Performance of standardized, systematic CGA by geriatricians permits older patients with lymphoma to be classified according to frailty, with significant differences in terms of clinical outcomes across groups.
Epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7 in the Chinese mainland during December 2022 based on three online questionnaire surveys involving 211,093 participants.
Authors: Zhu Ke-Wei , Liao Qian-Qian
Published: June 2023

China announced 10 new measures to end the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy on December 7, 2022. Thereafter, mass nucleic acid testing in terms of administrative regions was discontinued. This work is a re-analysis of published COVID-19 data. The COVID-19 surveillance data were derived from the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hainan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The information of the main endemic strains of SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron wave obtained from the RCoV19 database. In order to investigate the actual infection rate of COVID-19, the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Hainan Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued online questionnaires to local residents via the WeChat APP. A total of 211,093 residents participated in these online questionnaire surveys. This report revealed the results to summary the epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron wave after the end of the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy.
Expanding the Clinical and Genetic Features Associated with Combined Oxidative Phosphorylation Deficiency 11 Short Title: RMND1 Overview: A case report and review of the literatures
Authors: Bayrak Harun , Sezer Abdullah , Kılıç Mustafa
Published: June 2023

Mutations in the RMND1 gene that cause defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain result in a very variable phenotypic clinic. We present a new patient from a consanguineous family who was severely affected by a previously identified combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency 11 and was treated promptly due to early diagnosis. At the 24th hour of her birth, she did not pass the cardiac pulse oximetry screening and presented with significant plasma creatinine and lactic acid elevation in laboratory findings. This case is the first patient of Turkish origin reported in the literature. RMND1-related mitochondrial disease was described for the first time in a patient who failed the neonatal cardiac examination. We also included patients with RMND1 mutation in the literature. Up-to-date, forty-eight patients have been reported. We analyzed the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and genetic data of 49 patients (98 alleles). We summarized all previously published patients and focus on the importance of early diagnosis. The most common variant in patients with RMND1 mutation was c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser). Mortality was statistically significantly lower in patients with homozygous and compound heterozygous c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser) mutations (p:<0.001). The second most common mutation was c1349G > C (p.*450Serext*31) and was reported in 11 patients (22.4%). Cardiac involvement and mortality were more common in patients with homozygous c.1349G > C (p.*450Serext*32) mutation (p:0.008 and 0.008 respectively). In this study, the effect of cardiac involvement on mortality in RMND1 mutation has been shown for the first time. We reported that mortality was lower in the c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser) mutation. Additionally, mortality was more common in the c.1349G > C (p.*450Serext*32) mutation. These findings have not been previously reported in the literature.
4D‐CT Based CPD‐Demons Hybrid Image Registration for Pulmonary Functional Analysis
Authors: Wong Jing‐Xiang , Hung Shih‐Kai , Yang Eileen Chih‐Ying , Zheng Yin‐Xuan , Chen Liang‐Cheng , Lee Moon‐Sing , Lin Hon‐Yi , Chiou Wen‐Yen , Chuang Tzyy‐Ling , Hsieh Hui‐Ling
Published: June 2023

Purpose: Pulmonary function analysis is essential for implementing functional avoidance in modern radiotherapy treatment planning. The gold standard for pulmonary function analysis is the SPECT V-Q scan. However, additional radiation exposure introduced and dynamic image fusion remains obstacles in treatment planning.
Methods and Materials: This study proposes a hybrid deformable image registration method for pulmonary ventilation functional analysis. The proposed method separates the deformation of the human lung into two parts, deformation of the outer boundaries and the inner lung tissue. In reality, the deformation of the lung boundaries is constrained by adjacent organs such as the heart, parietal pleura, and diaphragm, where the lung boundaries exhibit non-linear, anisotropic deformation behavior, especially near the diaphragm; the inner lung tissue exhibit a more fluid-like, viscous deformation behavior. Therefore, in this study, the lung boundaries are modeled using the coherent point drift (CPD) registration method, while the inner lung tissue is registered using the Demons registration method. The proposed hybrid DIR method establishes the correspondence between exhalation and inhalation 3D-CT images of a 4D-CT data set.
Finally, a ventilation functional map is then constructed based on the difference in Hounsfield Units (HU) and compared to the ventilation of SPECT.
Results: For all 4D-CT SPECT data sets, the ventilation of the corresponding functional maps was found to deviate by no more than 7.92%. In addition, the lowest correlation between the corresponding functional maps is found to be 0.68, and the highest is 0.87.
Conclusion: With the results of this study, the basic feasibility of the proposed DIR for pulmonary functional analysis is confirmed. Furthermore, the 4D-CT-based ventilation functional maps have higher resolution compared to SPECT ventilation maps and give evidence of the former as a replacement for the
latter.
Screening of tumor antigens and immunogenic cell death landscapes of prostate cancer for exploration of mRNA vaccine
Authors: Yu Guopeng , Lin Yuansheng , Wang Jianqing , Zhou Lin , Lu Yingying , Fei Xiang , Gu Xin , Song Shangqing , Wang Jiangyi , Liu Yushan , Yang Qing , Seo Seung-Yong , Zhan Ming , Xu Bin
Published: June 2023

Background
Although the mRNA vaccine is effective against many kinds of cancers, its efficacy against prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) is still unclear. In this study, effective antigens of mRNA vaccine were excavated from the perspective of immunogenic cell death (ICD), and ICD subtypes of PRAD were further distinguished to establish an ICD landscape, thereby determining suitable vaccine recipients.
Methods
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) databases were applied to acquire RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical data of 554 and 131 patients, respectively. GEPIA was employed to measure prognostic indices. Then comparison of genetic alterations was performed utilizing cBioPortal, and correlation of identified ICD antigens with immune infiltrating cells was analyzed employing TIMER. Moreover, ICD subtypes were identified by means of consensus cluster, and ICD landscape of PRAD was depicted utilizing graph learning-based dimensional reduction.
Results
In total, 4 PRAD antigens were identified in PRAD, including FUS, LMNB2, RNPC3 and ZNF700, which had association with adverse prognosis and infiltration of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). PRAD patients were classified as two ICD subtypes based on their differences in molecular, cellular and clinical features. Patients in subtype ICDS2 had immune “hot” phenotype, whereas those in ICDS1 had an immune “cold” phenotype. Furthermore, ICD modulators and immune checkpoints were also differentially expressed between two ICD subtype tumors. Finally, ICD landscape of PRAD showed substantial heterogeneity among individual patients.
Conclusions
FUS, LMNB2, RNPC3 and ZNF700 are identified as antigens with potential to develop anti-PRAD mRNA vaccine, particularly for patients in subtype ICDS2. In summary, the research may provide a theoretical foundation for developing mRNA vaccine against PRAD as well as determining appropriate vaccine recipients.
Toripalimab combined with anlotinib as the second-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a prospective, single arm phase II clinical study
Authors: Wei Wei , Chen Xiyun , Zeng Tianmei , Yang Guang , Dong Yulong , Tao Chenjie , Han Qin , Lou Cheng , Shang Peipei , Cheng Zhuo , Hong Weipeng , He Yuange , Shen Weidong , Yuan Zhengang , Guo Lieping
Published: June 2023

Background
The most part of primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma having a poor prognosis. The treatment strategies including multitarget inhibitors, ICIs, and new options are being explored. Recently studies demonstrated the synergistic effect of anti-angiogenesis-targeted drugs combined with immunotherapy. In this study, we explored toripalimab combined with anlotinib as second-line therapy to evaluate the safety and efficacy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Patients and methods:
Twenty-six patients diagnosed with HCC and experienced disease progression or drug intolerance after first-line targeted therapy were included in this study. All enrolled patients received toripalimab combined with anlotinib. The primary endpoint of this study was the objective response rate (ORR), secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and disease control rates (DCR).
Results
Finally 22 patients met the protocol were included in the data analysis. The ORR was 7.69%, the mPFS was 3.12 months, mOS was 10.89 months, and DCR was 42.31%, among which 1 patient achieved CR, 1 patient achieved PR, and 9 patients achieved SD. By the last follow-up, the duration of CR in patients had been more than 2 years. No treatment-related deaths occurred, generally this combination therapy is well tolerated.
Conclusion
In patients who experience disease progression with first-line sorafenib or lenvatinib, toripalimab combined with anlotinib may be a good choice for second-line treatment and is well tolerated. TP53 mutations may serve as biomarkers for this treatment and larger sample size is required for further confirmation.
Imitation Learning for Mean Field Games with Correlated Equilibria
Authors: Zhao Zhiyu , Xu Renyuan , Zhang Haifeng , Wang Jun , Yang Yaodong
Published: June 2023

Imitation learning (IL) is a powerful approach for acquiring optimal policies from demonstrated behaviors. However, applying IL to a large group of agents is arduous due to the exponential surge in interactions with an increase in population size. Mean Field Theory provides an efficient tool for analyzing multi-agent problems by gathering information at the population level. Although the approximation is tractable, restoring mean field Nash equilibria (MFNE) from demonstrations is challenging. Furthermore, many real-world problems, including traffic network equilibrium induced by public routing recommendations and pricing equilibrium of goods on E-commerce platforms, cannot be explained by the classic MFNE concept. In both cases, the intervention of the platform introduces correlation devices to the equilibrium. To address this issue, we propose a novel solution concept called Adaptive Mean Field Correlated Equilibrium (AMFCE) that generalizes MFNE. We establish a framework based on IL and AMFCE that recovers the AMFCE policy from real-world demonstrations. Our framework characterizes mean-field evolution using signatures from the rough path theory, and it has the significant benefit of recovering both the equilibrium policy and correlation device from data. We test our framework against state-of-the-art IL algorithms for mean field games (MFGs) on several tasks, including a real-world traffic flow prediction problem. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method and its potential for predicting and explaining large population behavior under correlated signals.
Exact simulation of classical heat engine cycles using single-ion phonon laser
Authors: Zhang Jian-Qi , Yuan Quan , Wei Ya-Qi , Dai Shuang-Qing , Li Pei-Dong , Li Ji , Cui Tai-Hao , Zhou Fei , Chen Liang , Feng Mang , Lin Ji
Published: June 2023

Heat engines are essential devices in modern industry, converting heat energy into useful mechanical work via their working substances. Here we experimentally simulate the conventional heat engine by employing the vibrational mode of a single trapped ion as the working substance. In contrast to simply employing the ion in thermal motion, we consider to coherently stimulate the ion's vibrational motion as the phonon laser, which helps acquiring clearer results by effectively suppressing the thermal fluctuation. As such, we demonstrate in exact and high signal-to-noise way the standard steps of both the Otto and Carnot cycles in a single ion, and compare their maximum efficiencies by monitoring the amplitude and frequency of the vibration. Our work witnesses an interesting single-atom thermal engine using coherently controlled phonons. It would be the smallest platform for simulating or demonstrating classical thermodynamic laws and phenomena at a single ion scale via optical manipulation techniques for phonon lasers.
Compost as green adsorbent for the azo dyes - structural characterization and dye removal mechanism
Authors: Kyziol-Komosinska Joanna , Dzieniszewska Agnieszka , Pasieczna-Patkowska Sylwia , Kołbus Anna , Czupioł Justyna
Published: June 2023

The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of using compost as a 'green adsorbent' for the removal of five anionic azo dyes belonging to the monoazo, disazo and trisazo classes: Direct Red 81 (DR-81), Direct Blue 74 (DB-74), Reactive Blue 81 (RB-81), Reactive Red 198 (RR-198) and Acid Black 194 (ABk-194) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of the compost was determined using a batch method with initial dye concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 mg/L. The kinetics of dye removal followed a pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. The monoazo dyes RB-81, RR-198 and ABk-194 with the smaller molecule size were adsorbed the fastest. The Langmuir and Sips models best fit the adsorption system with maximum adsorption capacities in the range of 12.64 mg/g (RR-198) − 20.92 mg/g (ABk-194) and 12.57 mg/g (RR-198) − 25.43 mg/g (ABk-194), respectively. The adsorption depended on the dye structure, especially on the ratio of the numbers of proton donor to proton acceptor locations in functional groups. The differences in adsorption mechanism could be explained by thermodynamic properties such as dipole moments, HOMO-LUMO energy gap, polarisability, electron affinity, ionisation potential, electronegativity and chemical hardness obtained by Density Functional Theory.
Seedling Potential Attributing Ecological Variables: Trees Species Diversity along an Elevational Gradient in the Temperate Hill Forest, Central Nepal
Authors: Dani Ram Sharan , Baniya Chitra Bahadur
Published: June 2023

Present research examined the tree diversity and their regeneration patterns along an elevation gradient in the temperate hilly forest, Central Nepal. Data were collected from 300 sample plots of 10 x 10 m2 each. A total of 10 elevation bands of 100 m difference sampled from 1365 to 2450 m asl. A random sampling method was used to collect information in three seasons, winter, pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons. Circumference at breast height (CBH) was used to broadly categorize the plant species into trees, saplings and seedlings. Present study found nearly ninety percent tree species were at regenerating stage. The tree species richness ranged from 12 to 25 with density of 350 to 1200 individuals per hectare. Species richness of tree and sapling showed statistically significant unimodal pattern, peaked at mid-elevation. Elevation showed a strong and positive linear relationship with the seedling density (Deviance = 0.99, p < 0.001) and significant hump shaped relationship with sapling density (Deviance = 0.95, p < 0.001). Similarly, elevations showed statistically significant negative hump shaped relationship with all tree, sapling and seedling's Simpson indices (Deviances = 0.89, 0.87 and 0.57). The highest values of the Shannon-Weiner index and lowest value of the Simpson index were found at mid-elevation for all growth forms. In the study area, 49% tree species found in a good renewal status, 32% were in fair renewal, and 11% at a poor regenerating condition. Nevertheless, 4.3% tree species were reported as non-regenerating stage and 4.3% were newly introduced species. Hence, the regeneration status of the study area was considered as fairly good since sapling (78.5%) > seedling (10.6%) ≤ mature (10.9%). Among tested environmental variables elevation, annual mean rainfall, aspect, slopes, pH, N and annual mean temperatures were the most influential factors in regeneration of trees species.
Effect of DMPEI coating against biofilm formation on PVC catheters nanotopography surface
Authors: Tarabal Vinícius Souza , Abud Yuri Komatsu Damas , Silva Flávia Gontijo da , Cruz Luisa Ferreira da , Fontes Giselle Nogueira , Silva Jose Antônio da , Filho Celso Barbosa de Sant’Anna , Sinisterra Ruben Dario , Granjeiro Jose Mauro , Granjeiro Paulo Afonso
Published: June 2023

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the major causes of morbidity in the health system. UTIs are directly linked to the use of urethral catheters, especially in surgical cases. PVC is one of the most used materials in catheters. Biofilms are polymeric structures that generate a safe environment for cell replication and the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Strategies to prevent the development of biofilms on medical device surfaces involve molecules with antimicrobial properties, among them N,N-dodecyl, methyl polyethylenimine (DMPEI). This study aims to characterize the PVC and PVC-DMPEI surface morphology by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and hydrophobicity by contact angle measurement. Adhesion assay with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans allowed the analysis of DMPEI efficacy in preventing microorganism adhesion onto PVC. Butanol efficiently solubilized 2 mg.mL− 1 DMPEI without compromising the PVC structure. SEM analysis confirmed the presence of a film of DMPEI on the PVC surface, reducing the roughness of the PVC surface (AFM), but increasing its hydrophilicity (contact angle analysis). The E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans adhesion assay onto PVC-DMPEI presented a significative reduction of 89.33%, 94.26%, and 86.63% in the presence of cells, respectively. SEM images confirmed the cell colonization reduction onto PVC-DMPEI surfaces and the significant change in E. coli morphology. DMPEI films efficiently reduce the adhesion of E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans onto PVC. The DMPEI polymer has the technological potential for coating smart medical devices with biofilm anti-adhesive properties.
Aquaculture of Polychaete annelids and their importance for Latin America
Authors: Herrera-Perez Melissa
Published: June 2023

Interest in using polychaeta annelids as an alternative feed source for aquaculture was generated by providing an alternative to clams and mussels as bait. This has subsequently led to increased interest in their reproduction, with countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Australia and France successfully creating extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive systems of production. Studies have also reported the use of polychaeta annelids in Integrated Multi-trophic Systems (IMTA), their interest as ornamental species, and research at the biotechnological level. In Latin America, Ecuador, Chile and Peru report research on their exploration in culture, their use as shrimp feed and their involvement in IMTA. However, so far, Chile is the only country that has successfully achieved knowledge of the reproductive cycle of two polychaeta species. The polychaeta families that demand greater research include Eunicidae, Onuphidae, Nereididae, Arenicolidae, and Glyceridae. Due to their ecological characteristics, some species are also potential contributors to parasite infections. As such, correct taxonomic identification based on their ecological and physiological characteristics, could increase the potential for their use as an alternative aquaculture feed ingredient, reducing feeding costs through recirculation systems. The present investigation was conducted through research using the bibliographic databases: Elsevier, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus and Google Scholar.
How does Public Transit Serve Post-Secondary Students in Toronto? A Utility- based Analysis of Accessibility by Transit for Discretionary Trips
Authors: Loa Patrick , Habib Khandker Nurul
Published: June 2023

Post-secondary students are a segment of the population whose activity-travel behaviour is not well understood. In particular, there is a relative dearth of studies that have examined the determinants of behaviours related to the participation of out-of-home activities among post-secondary students. This study uses data from a web-based survey administered to students attending universities in Toronto to examine the determinants of the location choices of these individuals when using transit to participate in discretionary activities. Additionally, count- and utility-based measures of accessibility by transit for university students in Toronto are calculated and compared. The specification of the location choice model offers insights into the determinants of location choice decisions made by university students for discretionary trips and highlight the impacts of transit level-of-service and land use attributes on location choice decisions. Moreover, the findings suggest that the impacts of these attributes can differ based on socio-demographic characteristics. The comparison of count- and utility-based accessibility measures underscore the shortcomings of the former, which stem from the treatment of all opportunities as equally attractive. The results of this study aim to contribute to the literature by offering insights into an aspect of the activity-travel behaviour of post-secondary students that has received relatively little attention. Similarly, the results of the study can be used to help inform planning decisions by shedding light on the activity-travel behaviour of a segment of the population that has typically been underrepresented in traditional household travel surveys.
IODnet: Indoor/Outdoor Telecommunication Signal Detection through Deep Neural Network
Authors: Abdollahi Meisam , Mashhadi Sepideh , Sabzalizadeh Ramin , Mirzaei Alireza , Elahi Mohammad , Baharloo Mohammad , Baniasadi Amirali
Published: June 2023

In many Internet of Things (IoT) applications, knowing the device's location can be quite important for some reasons such as asset tracking and inventory management, geolocation services, safety and security, environmental monitoring, and proximity-based interactions. Mobile users often experience mobile services/applications within an indoor or outdoor environment. Operators and other service providers can offer more appropriate services to users if they predict their location. Several attempts have been made to categorize the location of users, but this paper proposes a methodology that increases the accuracy of the predicted values through Deep Neural Networks. Based on the proposed method, the accuracy of operator-side labels can be improved by comparing operator-side labeled datasets with real-world labeled drive-test collected datasets. The goal was to develop an accurate model to correct unassured labels of a dataset with more accurate labels based on three datasets collected with crowd-sourcing and drive-testing approaches. Also, the proposed method was compared with state-of-the-art learning algorithms in order to justify its superiority. The experimental results indicate that the F1-score metric may be as high as 98\% in some datasets.
Bond Strength of Fly Ash and Silica Fume Blended Concrete Mixes
Authors: Babu P. S.S. Anjaneya , kode Venkata Ramesh , Dey Subhashish
Published: June 2023

The bond between steel reinforcing bars and concrete is critical to reinforced concrete's successful functioning as a composite element. Dysfunction of this bond can result in catastrophic building and infrastructure failure. Concrete strength and reinforcement characteristics such as embedment length, ribs, diameter, and confinement in concrete are the factors that influence the steel-concrete bond. This work represents the bond strength of ribbed reinforcing bars in Fly ash (FA), and Silica fume (SF) blended concrete mixes. Binary and ternary blended FA and SF concrete mixes with different combinations of percentage replacements of cement by FA (20%, 30%, 40%) and SF (5%, 7.5%, 10%) were adopted. Different bar diameters (12 mm and 16 mm) and embedment length at full depth of specimen were used to assess the bond strength. A direct pull-out test by IS 2770-1 was used to determine bond strength. The bond strength values exhibited by blended concrete mixes were compared to those of conventional concrete. The findings from the bond strength analysis indicate that incorporating FA and SF in concrete mixtures can be a viable approach for developing environmentally sustainable concrete. The micro structural features obtained in the current study provide a rationale for the performance of these blends.
Triptolide Improves Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-mediated Podocyte Apoptosis under High Glucose Conditions
Authors: Gao Ying , Liu Yingying , Sun Jun , Liu Chong , Yao Haojie , Guo Zhaoan
Published: June 2023

Background
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is an important complication of diabetes in which endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) plays an important role and triptolide (TP) is effective in the treatment of DKD. To investigate the inhibition of ERS-mediated apoptosis in podocytes by TP in a high glucose environment in vivo and in vitro.
Methods
1. DKD rat models were established by a high-fat, high-sugar diet combined with intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection and randomly divided into model group (DKD group), 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) group (DKD + 4-PBA) and TP group (DKD + TP); another 10 rats were routinely maintained as the normal control group (NC group). The DKD + 4-PBA and TP groups were treated with the corresponding drugs by gavage for 4 weeks, and the model and normal groups received equal amounts of saline containing DMSO by gavage daily. Changes in blood glucose, urine microalbumin (UMA), and some liver and kidney function indices were determined before and after treatment. Structural changes in the kidney were observed and GRP78 was detected by Western blot (WB). 2. The human renal podocyte hyperglycemia model and the thapsigargin (TG)-induced ERS model were established and perturbed by TP, respectively. WB, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and qPCR were used to monitor ERS, apoptosis, and changes in key molecules of related pathways in podocytes.
Results
1. Both TP and 4-PBA reduced UMA levels in DKD rats (P < 0.01), alleviated glomerular mesangial expansion and tubular injury in DKD rats, reduced synaptic fusion and deletion, apoptotic vesicle formation and podocyte number in DKD rats, and downregulated overexpression of ERS marker protein GRP78 (P < 0.01). There was no significant effect on blood glucose, liver, or kidney function (P > 0.05). 2. In human podocytes induced by TG or high glucose, TP downregulates gene and protein overexpression of GRP78 and alleviates ER ultrastructural changes and podocyte apoptosis in the ERS state. TP downregulated the expression of marker proteins for ERS and unfolded protein response, including CHOP, IRE1α, P-IRE1α, and P-JNK, and also blocked the nuclear translocation of ATF6, with significant inhibition of the CHOP/GADD153 gene-activated transcription pathway and the c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway among the three pathways induced by ERS, but not observed for the caspase-12 (caspase-4) activation pathway.
Conclusions
Inhibition of ERS improves DKD, and the therapeutic effects of TP in DKD are achieved, at least in part, by inhibiting ERS to protect podocytes.
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Co(II) and Fe(III) Metal Complexes from Precursors in a Single Step without Isolating the Ligand
Authors: Tigineh Getinet Tamiru , Abebe Atakilt
Published: June 2023

The work in this paper presents a one-pot mechanochemical synthesis of Co(II) and Fe(III) complexes of 6,6'-((1E,1'E)-(1,2-phenylenebis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(2-ethoxyphenol) (Salen) and 6,6'-((1E,1'E)-(1,2-phenylenebis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(2-ethoxyphenol) (Salophen) ligands without solvent and catalyst. The reaction was carried out by using ball mill technique starting with 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde(a), 1,2-phenylenediamine(b) or ethylenediamine(c) and metal salts directly without isolating the ligand. Mechanochemical activation enables domino processes that do not require the isolation of the ligand and use of a solvent, in contrast to solution chemistry.
Enhance Arabic Clustering using an Educated Text Stemmer with WordNet as Extraction and Water Cycle Cluster
Authors: alzoubi sharaf , jawarneh malik , bsoul qusay
Published: June 2023

Natural language processing represents human language in computational technique, which is to achieve the extraction of important words. The verbs and nouns found in the Arabic language are significantly pertinent in the process of differentiating each class label available for the purpose of machine learning, specifically in 'Arabic Clustering'. This paper implemented the extraction of verbs and nouns sourced from the Qur'an and text clustering for further evaluation by using two datasets. The limitations of conventional clusters were identified, such as k-means clustering on the initial centroids. Therefore, the current work incorporated a novel clustering optimisation technique known as the water cycle algorithm; when combined with k-means, the algorithm would select the optimal initial centroids. Consequently, the experiments revealed the proposed extraction technique to outperform other extraction methods when using an actual Qur’an dataset. The use of Arabic clustering in assessing the proposed water cycle algorithm in combination with k-means as a clustering further depicted superior performance in harmony search, k-means, and the water cycle. By using the Text REtrieval Conference (TREC) 2001 dataset, the proposed water cycle algorithm in combination with k-means yielded the best score of 0.791%.
Metabolomics and transcriptomics joint analysis reveals altered amino acid metabolism in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Chen Yang , Yang Huan , Huang Xiancong , Wang Ruting , Mao Weimin , Chen Zhongjian
Published: June 2023

Introduction:
Metabolic reprogramming plays a crucial role in tumor development by modifying tumor cell metabolism, which was also found in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Objectives
This study aims to explore the altered metabolic pathways for ESCC through joint-pathway analysis of differentially expressed metabolites and genes.
Methods
Differentially expressed metabolites in ESCC were collected from published tissue-based metabolomics studies. Differentially expressed genes in ESCC were obtained using bioinformatic analysis of online ESCC transcriptome data. Then, joint-pathway analysis was performed to explore the altered metabolic pathways in ESCC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and arginine-deprivation experiments were conducted to verified the key enzymes in metabolic pathway and their potential function in ESCC.
Results
A total of 9 tissue-based metabolomics studies revealed 495 differentially expressed metabolites in ESCC. Enrichment analysis of the 69 high-frequency metabolites, defined as reported by over 2 studies, showed that the top enriched pathways were urea cycle, arginine and proline metabolism and ammonia recycling. Besides, bioinformatic analysis of a dataset (GSE53625) showed 2679 differentially expressed genes in ESCC. Joint-pathway analysis illustrated that the top 5 significantly altered metabolic pathways were glycerolipid metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, histidine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism. IHC staining and arginine-deprivation experiments revealed the up-regulating of arginine transporter (CAT1) and characteristic of arginine-dependent proliferation in ESCC.
Conclusions
This study revealed the altered amino acid metabolism, especially arginine and proline metabolism, as the most significant metabolic characteristic in ESCC. However, further functional study is needed.
Response relationship between color and chemical composition and microstructure of heat- treated wood
Authors: Liu Meihong , Zhang Liangliang , Chen Jiang , Chen Shuang , Lei Yafang , Chen Zhangjing , Yan Li
Published: June 2023

The magnitude of the color change of heat-treated wood is closely related to the chemical composition of the wood, and the change in chemical composition is the essential reason for changes in the mechanical properties of heat-treated wood. Exploring the influence and linear correlation of the magnitude of the lightness indicator (L*) of poplar (Populus tomentosa Carr.) and spruce (Picea asperata Mast.) in heat treatment on the chemical composition and cell wall structure of heat-treated wood, and constructing a response relationship between L* values and them. The relative content of cellulose in heat-treated poplar increased gradually and was significantly negatively correlated with the L* value, however, the heat-treated spruce first increased and then decreased, and the correlation with the L* value was insignificant. The L* value of the heat-treated wood was significant positively correlated with the content of hemicellulose and lignin. The CrI and crystalline size of poplar and spruce after thermal modification first increased and then decreased with the decrease of L* value, and the L* values had a superior response relationship with their crystallite size. The shrinkage deformation and radial cracking of the cells of poplar and spruce after thermal modification became increasingly obvious as the L* value gradually decreased, the L* values had an extremely significant positive correlation with their radial thickness of the cell wall. Therefore, the constructed response relationship provides a theoretical basis for accurate and nondestructive testing of the mechanical properties of heat-treated wood using color parameters as a rapid detection indicator.
Polyamide 66/poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) compatibilization with styrene–acrylonitrile–glycidyl methacrylate: rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties
Authors: Zhang Yun , Dai Xinyu , Yang Di , Guo Shaohui , Yang Jinming , Tian Dayong , Wang Kai
Published: June 2023

During the blending process, Styrene–acrylonitrile–glycidyl methacrylate (SAG) was grafted through in-situ formation of PA66 as a compatibilizer for polyamide 66/poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenoxy) (PA66/PPO) composites. The compatibilizer has a obvious advantage on the PA66/PPO blends terminal behavior in the dynamic rheological analysis. Moreover, the gap between the PA66 and PPO glass-transition temperatures decreases with the SAG content increasing, which indicates improved compatibility. The morphology of the PA66/PPO/SAG blends was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed the particles narrower size distributions and became smaller after adding SAG. In addition, the compatibilization improves the mechanical properties of blends significantly when SAG reached 5 by weight per hundred resins (phr). This is attributed to enhanced interfacial adhesion and finer dispersion morphology. However, when 7 phr of SAG are added, the exceeded compatibilizer produces a limitation on the improvement of the mechanical properties. Our results indicate that the optimal concentration of the compatibilizer, SAG, is between 3 and 5 phr for PA66/PPO (60/40).