bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of a stress management intervention based on self-efficacy theory for enriching marital relationships and sleep quality in pregnant women
Authors: Alizadeh Zeinab , Noroozi Farzaneh , Kaveh Mohammad Hossein , Cousins Rosanna , Ghahremani Leila
Published: August 2023

Anxieties related to pregnancy and childbirth are common in the first pregnancy.To evaluate the effect of a stress management intervention based on self-efficacy theory in primigravida women,as indicated by sleep quality,relationship quality and marital satisfaction.A quasi-experimental longitudinal design and a control group. Inclusion criteria were 14–18 weeks gestation, no concomitant illness, and attending one of the four healthcare centers in South Iran in 2022.Two centers were randomly allocated as the intervention group and the other two centers as the control group.From the 128 eligible pregnant women who consented,39 were randomly allocated to each condition.The intervention group completed eight weekly one-hour stress management training sessions delivered using a blended learning approach.Data were collected using a survey before the intervention,and immediately after the intervention.The survey included a demographic information and questionnaires measuring self-efficacy,marital satisfaction,relationship quality and sleep quality.Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests to determine the efficacy of the intervention through a comparison of changes in mean scores between the two groups pre- and post-intervention.Self-efficacy,sleep quality,intimate relationship quality,and marital satisfaction were significantly improved at post-test in the intervention group (p < 0.01).There were no meaningful changes in the control group.Stress management training can improve self-efficacy,sleep quality,relationship quality,and marital satisfaction in primigravida women.
Proteomic interrogation of the meninges reveals the molecular identities of structural components and regional distinctions along the CNS axis
Authors: Santorella Elise , Balsbaugh Jeremy L. , Ge Shujun , Saboori Parisa , Baker David , Pachter Joel S.
Published: August 2023

The meninges surround the brain and spinal cord, affording physical protection while also serving as a niche of neuroimmune activity. Though possessing stromal qualities, its complex cellular and extracellular makeup has yet to be elaborated, and it remains unclear whether the meninges vary along the neuroaxis. Hence, studies were carried-out to elucidate the protein composition and structural organization of brain and spinal cord meninges in normal, adult Biozzi ABH mice. First, shotgun, bottom-up proteomics was carried-out. Prominent proteins at both brain and spinal levels included Type II collagen and Type II keratins, representing extracellular matrix (ECM) and cytoskeletal categories, respectively. While the vast majority of total proteins detected was shared between both meningeal locales, more were uniquely detected in brain than in spine. This pattern was also seen when total proteins were subdivided by cellular compartment, except in the case of the ECM category where brain and spinal meninges each had near equal number of unique proteins, and Type V and type III collagen registered exclusively in the spine. Quantitative analysis revealed differential expression of several collagens and cytoskeletal proteins between brain and spinal meninges. High-resolution immunofluorescence and immunogold-scanning electronmicroscopy on sections from whole brain and spinal cord – still encased within bone –identified major proteins detected by proteomics, and highlighted their association with cellular and extracellular elements of variously shaped arachnoid trabeculae. Western blotting aligned with the proteomic and immunohistological analyses, reinforcing differential appearance of proteins in brain vs spinal meninges. Results could reflect regional distinctions in meninges that govern protective and/or neuroimmune functions.
Nondestructive Damage Evaluation of Composites Based on X-ray and Ultrasonic Image Fusion
Authors: Wang Jie , Han Dongxue , Zheng Teng , Peng Liang , Yang Xiuwei , Zhang Jin
Published: August 2023

Proper utilization of non-destructive testing (NDT) methods is crucial for ensuring the engineering safety of composites. Ultrasonic testing (UT) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) are two commonly used NDT methods for inspecting glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites, each with its unique advantages and limitations. In our previous study, we found that UT has lower resolution in detecting delamination and inclusion defects compared to X-ray CT, which has a lower contrast. Both methods also lack the ability for automated quantitative testing. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a fusion algorithm that combines data from UT and X-ray CT imaging to detect hidden delamination and inclusion defects in GFRP composites. The proposed fusion method based on significant region enhancement and block fusion combines the strengths of ultrasonic testing (UT) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) to enhance the precision and efficiency of material detection. By further utilizing image segmentation method, defects can be automatically quantified. This method not only aids scholars in characterizing composite materials more comprehensively but also has the potential to facilitate the development and application of novel composite materials. It serves as a valuable supplement to traditional inspection techniques and has the capability to promote the advancement of material science.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Digital Therapeutics for Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation for Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Model Development and Data Analysis
Authors: Liu Tianyi , Zhan Yiyang , Chen Silei , Zhang Wenhong , Jia Jian
Published: August 2023

Background
In recent years, numerous guidelines and expert consensus have recommended the inclusion of digital technologies and products in cardiac rehabilitation. Digital therapeutics (DTx) is an evidence-based medicine that uses digital means for data collection and monitoring of indicators to control and optimize the treatment, management, and prevention of disease.
Objective
This study collected and reviewed real-world data and built a model using health economics assessment methods to analyze the potential cost-effectiveness of DTx applied to home-based cardiac rehabilitation for patients with chronic heart failure. From the perspective of medical and health decision-makers, the economic value of DTx is evaluated prospectively to provide the basis and reference for the application decision and promotion of DTx.
Methods
Markov models were constructed to simulate the outcomes of DTx for home-based cardiac rehabilitation (DT group) compared to conventional home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CH group) in patients with chronic heart failure. The model input parameters were clinical indicators and cost data. Outcome indicators were quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). The robustness of the evaluation methods and results was tested using sensitivity analyses. Clinical indicators, cost data, and health utility values were obtained from real-world data, including clinical study data, published literature, and public website information.
Results
The Markov model simulated a time span of 10 years, with a cycle set at one month, for 120 cycles. The results showed that the per capita cost of the CH group was 38,442.11 CNY /year, with a QALY of 0.7196 per person per year. The per capita cost of the DT group was 42,300.26 CNY /year, with a QALY of 0.81687 per person per year. The ICER per person was 39,663.5 CNY /QALY each year, which was below the willingness-to-pay threshold of 85,698 CNY (China's GDP per capita in 2022).
Conclusions
DTx for home-based cardiac rehabilitation is an extremely cost-effective rehabilitation option compared with conventional home-based cardiac rehabilitation. DTx for home-based cardiac rehabilitation is potentially valuable from the perspective of healthcare decision-makers.
Present-day crustal deformation based on an interpolated GPS velocity field in the oblique collision zone of the Arabia-Eurasia tectonic plates
Authors: Rastbood Asghar , Salmaniyan Milad , Hossainali Masoud Mashhadi
Published: August 2023

This study utilized biharmonic splines to interpolate sparse GPS velocity data independently and in a coupled manner by altering Poisson's ratio. This method is an effective means of interpolating sparse vector data in cases where deformation mechanics can be explained by elasticity principles. The research focused on the oblique collision zone of the Arabia-Eurasia tectonic plates, where the GPS velocity field is sparsely distributed. The interpolation process included fitting trends to the input GPS velocity data, calculating residuals, and analyzing them using a biharmonic spline. The prediction process consisted of trend fitting and spline fitting stages. Interpolation methods were employed to interpolate horizontal GPS velocities onto a standard geographic grid with a 30-minute interval, excluding data points with significant deviation. The data was partitioned into training and testing subsets, with the training set used for calibration and the testing set for evaluation of the interpolation method. The article discusses the irregular spatial distribution of crustal movement in the collision zone. The northern component of the velocity field is greater than the eastern component and consistently points towards Eurasia. In the collision zone, the eastern component changes direction, moving westward in the western half of Iran and eastward in the eastern half, with a reversed trend in the north. This change in direction helps identify solid blocks, while the amplitude of the northern component decreases from south to north and from west to east. Undeformed regions, major faults, convergence deformation, and compressing high-elevation regions are also observed in the collision zone.
The Amphiregulin/EGFR axis has limited contribution in controlling autoimmune diabetes
Authors: Raugh Arielle , Jing Yi , Bettini Matthew L. , Bettini Maria
Published: August 2023

Conventional immunosuppressive functions of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis have been well described, but whether Tregs have additional non-immunological functions supporting tissue homeostasis in pancreatic islets is unknown. Within the last decade novel tissue repair functions have been ascribed to Tregs. One function is production of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand, amphiregulin, which promotes tissue repair in response to inflammatory or mechanical tissue injury. Whether such pathways are engaged during autoimmune diabetes and promote tissue repair is undetermined. Previously, we observed upregulation of amphiregulin at the transcriptional level was associated with functional Treg populations in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of T1D. We postulated that amphiregulin promoted islet tissue repair and slowed the progression of diabetes in NOD mice. Here, we report that islet-infiltrating Tregs have increased capacity to produce amphiregulin and both Tregs and beta cells express EGFR. Moreover, we show that amphiregulin can directly modulate mediators of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in beta cells. Despite this, NOD amphiregulin deficient mice showed no acceleration of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes. Taken together, the data suggest that the ability for amphiregulin to affect the progression of autoimmune diabetes is limited.
E3H2O-LE-TDR Algorithm for Optimizing Solar PV Cell Models and Solving Real-World Engineering Problems
Authors: Akl Dalia T. , Saafan Mahmoud M. , Haikal Amira Y. , El-Gendy Eman M.
Published: August 2023

Engineering and science have increasingly used metaheuristic algorithms to solve actual optimization problems. One of the challenging problems is the proper selection of the parameters of photovoltaic cells since these cells are a great source of clean energy. For such difficult situations, the Harris Hawks Optimization method can be a useful tool. However, HHO is susceptible to the local minimum. This study suggests a novel optimizer called Enhanced Exploration and Exploitation Harris Hawks Optimization using Logarithms, Exponentials, and Travelled Distance Rate (E3H2O-LE-TDR) algorithm, which is a modified version of HHO. The algorithm proposed in this study emphasizes the utilization of random location-based habitats during the exploration phase and the implementation of strategies 1, 3, and 4 during the exploitation phase. In the proposed algorithm, Harris hawks in the wild will change their perch strategy and chasing pattern according to updates in both the exploration and exploitation phases. Therefore, the cons of the original HHO have been solved. Furthermore, E3H2O-LE-TDR was also tested across multiple benchmarks to prove its credibility and efficacy. The approach was tested on the CEC2017, CEC2019, CEC2020, and 27 other benchmark functions with different modalities. The suggested approach is also evaluated on six traditional real-world engineering situations. E3H2O-LE-TDR is compared to state-of-the-art algorithms, as well as other modifications of HHO. The numerical results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms all its competitors, which is visually proven using different convergence curves. Furthermore, the results of the mean Friedman rank statistical test proved the superiority of the proposed algorithm. The results for the single and double diode pv cell model, E3H2O-LE-TDR presented the best performance as indicated by the absolute error in both the current and power values for different operating conditions.
New Analysis of the Laffer Tax Curve and Determination of the Optimal Performance Tax Rate in Triangular Distribution Conditions (Game Theory Approach)
Authors: Salimian Salah
Published: August 2023

Today, financing the government's expenses through taxes is the most important and at the same time the most stable and with the least negative consequences on the economy and by adopting optimal policies in recession and inflation conditions, it can stabilize the economic conditions. Due to the extent of the government's obligations in the economic and social fields, the costs for the government have also increased and obtaining resources to cover these costs requires the implementation of ways to increase tax revenues. This paper deals with the modeling of the game between the taxpayers and the tax administration in order to achieve the factors affecting the optimal performance tax rate and also to determine the optimal performance tax rate. It is assumed that the income of the tax affairs organization (government) is distributed triangularly in the interval [0, 1] and the quality of the investigating group is not known to the taxpayers, then by solving the proposed game, the theorems have been presented. The results showed that the income of the tax affairs organization has an inverse relationship with the costs of the investigating and a direct relationship with the fines received from the taxpayers. Also, under certain conditions, the income of the tax affairs organization increases with the increase in the quality of the assessment groups and finally, the relationship between the optimal tax rate and the variables of investigating quality and diagnostic tax is inverse.
JEL Classification: C70, O11, C63, H21.
Neurological Complications and Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: Results from International Neurological Study Group from the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium
Authors: Ahmad Syed Ameen , Mayasi Yunis , Kelly Lan , Suen Jacky , Battaglini Denise , Bassi Gianluigi Li , Fraser John F. , Premraj Lavien , Arora Rakesh C. , Bastos Diego , Whitman Glenn , Griffee Matthew , Fanning Jonathon P. , Robba Chiara , Cho Sung-Min
Published: August 2023

Abstract (300/300)
Background: In this COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium (CCCC) sub-study, we qualified neurological complications associated with COVID-19 infection, including incidence and outcomes across many countries.
Methods: The CCCC is an international, multicenter study. Eligible patients were COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) in hospitals across 23 centers between January 7th, 2020, to June 23rd, 2022. Incidence of neurological complications was estimated as the number of events per hospital days and per admission using Poisson regression. Associations between neurological complications and clinical risk factors were assessed using multivariable Poisson regression.
Results: 713 patients were included, with a median age of 56 years (interquartile range (IQR)=45-65), of which 272 (38.1%) were female. Median ICU days was 14 (IQR=7-25). Neurological complications were reported in 61/480 patients (12.7%) with the most common being ischemic stroke (2.9%), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) (2.8%), and seizures (2.6%). After adjusting for sex, age, pandemic era, country income status, comorbid neurological conditions, and mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), multivariable analysis for neurological complications per admitted days showed comorbid neurological conditions (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=6.35, 2.57-15.7) were an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. ECMO (IRR=5.32, 1.52-18.6), low-middle income countries (LMIC) vs high income countries (HIC) (IRR=4.70, 1.62-13.7), and age >55 (IRR=3.66, 1.23-10.9) were independent risk factors for ICH. Co-morbid neurological conditions (IRR=3.43, 1.11-10.6), LMIC vs HIC (IRR=8.69, 2.15-35.2), July-December 2020 vs January-June 2020 (IRR=0.17, 0.04-0.69) and age >55 (IRR=4.05, 1.15-14.3) were independent risk factors for seizure. 6.8% of patients with neurological complications had favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Score (mRS) < 3) at discharge compared to 13.2% of patients without complications.
Conclusions: Neurological complications were not uncommon in patients with COVID-19 infection. Being from an LMIC was an independent risk factor for neurological complications. Decision-making should incorporate salient risk factors to inform the management of severe COVID-19 infection.
New solitary wave solutions of generalized fractional Tzitzéica-type evolution equations using Sardar sub-equation Method
Authors: Rehman Hamood , Amer Aamna , Amer Aatika
Published: August 2023

In this study, Sardar sub-equation method (SSM) is employed to obtain the solitary wave solutions for generalized fractional Tzitzéica type equations. By utilizing this method, novel solutions are derived for Tzitzéica, Tzitzéica Dodd-Bullough-Mikhailov (TDBM) and Tzitzéica-Dodd-Bullough (TDB) equations in terms of fractional derivatives. The benefit of SSM is that it offers a wide variety of soliton solutions, consisting of dark, bright, singular, periodic singular as well as combined dark-singular and combined dark-bright solitons. These solutions provide valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of generalized fractional Tzitzéica type evolution equations. Our findings reveal that the proposed method presents a comprehensive and efficient approach to explore exact solitary wave solutions for generalized fractional Tzitzeica type evolution equations.
Adolescents’ Social well-being modeling based on solving social problem and cognitive flexibility: The mediating role of emotional self-awareness
Authors: Izadi Fatemeh , Farrokhzad Farnaz
Published: August 2023

This research was conducted with the aim of modeling the social well-being of adolescents based on social problem solving and cognitive flexibility, considering the mediating role of emotional self-awareness. The research method of this study is descriptive-correlation; Statistical population of the research consisted of adolescents aged 15 to 18 years studying in high schools in Isfahan in the academic year 2022–2023. In order to determine the sample size, according to Klein (2010) in structural models, a sample size of at least 200 people is defensible. A total of 228 adolescent boys and girls were selected by available sampling method. They responded to Keyes and Magyar-Mae (2003) social well-being questionnaires, D’Zurilla et al. (2002) social problem solving, Riefee et al. (2007) emotional awareness, Dennis and Vander wall (2010) cognitive flexibility questionnaires. The direction of the data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using path analysis technique in structural equations in SPSS-26 and Amos-23 software. The results of direct paths indicated that the regression coefficient of social problem solving to the social well-being of adolescents is significant (P < 0.01), while the direct regression path of cognitive flexibility to social well-being is not significant (P > 0.05). Also, the results demonstrated that social problem solving (P < 0.05) and cognitive flexibility (P < 0.05) can indirectly influence the social well-being of adolescents through emotional self-awareness. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that emotional self-awareness can play a mediating role in the relationship between solving social problems and the social well-being of adolescents.
Macrophage reprogramming—rather than depletion—is efficacious in a specific subset of colorectal tumor models
Authors: Mohamed Noha-Ehssan , Amirkhah Raheleh , Lavaud Xabier-Cortes , Gilroy Kathryn , Bartolini Robin , Mulholland Eoghan J. , Garg Abhishek D. , Pennel Kathryn , Jackstadt Rene , Ridgway Rachel A. , Nixon Colin , Hatthakarnku Phimmada , Campbell Andrew D. , Leedham Simon J. , Edwards Joanne , Dunne Philip D. , Barry Simon T. , Graham Gerard J. , Sansom Owen J.
Published: August 2023

Despite the abundance of macrophages in colorectal cancer (CRC), macrophage-targeted therapy has not demonstrated significant clinical benefit. Here, we show that macrophage populations differ across the consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) of CRC and report the first preclinical study of macrophage targeting using mouse models stratified by CMS class. Whereas pan-macrophage ablation, using a CSF1R-inhibitor, lacked efficacy across CMS classes, genetic deletion of inflammatory chemokine receptors (iCCRs) reprogrammed macrophages towards an anti-tumorigenic phenotype, curtailing tumorigenesis in models of CMS1 CRC. We identify an iCCR-independent anti-tumorigenic antigen-presenting macrophage population necessary for therapeutic efficacy. We further show that individual targeting of the CCR1, CCR2, and CCR5 receptors on CRC macrophages lacks benefit, whereas their combined targeting holds promise. We propose that selective targeting of immunosuppressive macrophage populations, whilst sparing antigen-presenting subsets, should be considered when trialling macrophage-targeted therapies.
Fetal Health Prediction Using Bio-Signal Cardiotocography Empowered with Blockchain Technology and Federated Machine Learning
Authors: Lee Sang-Woong , Nasir Muhammad Umar , Shahzad Tariq , Khan Muhammad Adnan , Ouahada Khmaies
Published: August 2023

Cardiotocography measures the fetal heart rate in the fetus during pregnancy to ensure physical health because cardiotocography gives data about fetal heart rate and uterine shrinkages which is very beneficial to detect whether the fetus is normal or suspect or pathologic. Various cardiotocography measures infer wrongly and give wrong predictions because of human error. The traditional way of reading the cardiotocography measures is the time taken and belongs to numerous human errors as well. Fetal condition is very important to measure at numerous stages and gives proper medications to fetuses for their well-being. In the current period Machine learning (ML) is a well-known classification strategy used in the biomedical field on various issues because ML is very fast and gives appropriate results which are better than traditional results. This research article Federated machine learning (FML) and ML techniques to classify the condition of fetal. The proposed model for the detection of bio-signal cardiotocography uses FML and ML techniques to train and test the data. So, the proposed model of FML achieves 99.06% and 0.94% of prediction accuracy and misprediction rate respectively and the proposed model of ML uses K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and achieved 82.93% and 17.07% of prediction accuracy and misprediction accuracy respectively. So, by comparing both models FML outperformed the KNN technique and achieve the best and most appropriate prediction results.
Hybrid Solar PV–Hydro Controller for an Autonomous DC Microgrid
Authors: Nkundukize Prime , Adonis Marco
Published: August 2023

A control method for an off-grid hybrid DC microgrid that consists of solar PV and pumped hydro storage was developed to provide sustainable, reliable, flexible and accessible energy. The developed off-grid DC microgrid system (DCMGS) consists of a solar PV system of 100 kWp as a distributed energy resource and a pumped hydro storage system as energy storage system (ESS). An energy management system (EMS) was developed using a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. The pumped hydro storage system (PHSS) is used as an ESS to improve the DCMGS stability and also operates as a backup power system. A load shedding scheme is part of the system to bring support to the supply by automatically disconnecting or re-connecting the secondary load to ensure reliability and continuous supply of power to the primary load and secondary load based on the available power and the water level in the reservoir. A DC-DC boost converter connects the solar PV to the rest of the DCMGS thereby improving the quality of power generated and allow the flow of power in the system. The performance analysis of the research design considered the intermittent power supply of the solar PV and the flexibility of the load demand under different circumstances and time of the day. The results showed that the adopted EMS ensured DC microgrid stability, improved reliability, increased system flexibility and effective power distribution. Again, the developed algorithm provided adequate power distribution between the solar PV and the PHSS and maintained the charging and discharging of the reservoir within acceptable level. The PHSS was able to augment power shortage in the system based on the different scenarios that were implemented. The developed EMS also provides an opportunity to remodel and change any parameter within the DCMGS.
MNASreID: Grasshopper Optimization based Neural Architecture Search for Motorcycle re-IDentification
Authors: Rampavan Medipelly , Ijjina Earnest Paul
Published: August 2023

Object re-IDentification (reID) is the process of matching the same object across multiple cameras. An approach for object reID is crucial for identifying objects like people, cars, motorcycles etc., in video surveillance systems. This is an active area of research in both industry and academia due to the ever-growing population and need for smart surveillance, public safety and traffic management. This work proposes an approach for automatically designing a deep convolutional neural network, named MNASreID, for motorcycle re-identification task. Most current reID methods use deep convolutional neural networks as the backbone that are manually designed, which does not have the optimum settings as the network complexity increases. MNASreID uses Neural Architecture Search (NAS) to search for the backbones of the Deep Neural Network (DNN) model. In addition, the designed search space includes parameters of the architecture and its hyperparameters to find the optimum architecture for the reID task. This work uses Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm (GOA) based NAS to find the optimal DNN model. The outcomes of experiments on two motorcycle datasets demonstrate that our method can automatically find the efficient DNN model for motorcycle reID.
Identification of ferroptosis related genes and pathways in prostate cancer cells under erastin exposure
Authors: Wu Fan , Huang Fei , Jiang Nili , Su Jinfeng , Yao Siyi , Liang Boying , Li Wen , Yan Tengyue , Zhou Sufang , Zhou Qingniao
Published: August 2023

Few studies are focusing on the mechanism of erastin acts on prostate cancer(PCa) cells, and essential ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) that can be PCa therapeutic targets are rarely known. In the current study, in vitro assays were performed to evaluate the ferroptotic levels of PCa cells under erastin treatment. RNA-sequecing was used to measure the expression of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in erastin-induced PCa cells. A series of bioinformatic analyses were applied to analyze the pathways, modules, transcription factors, and expression levels of DEGs. Erastin inhibited the expression of SLC7A11 and cell survivability in LNCaP and PC3 cells. After treatment with erastin, the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and Fe2+ significantly increased, whereas the glutathione (GSH) and the oxidized glutathione (GSSG) significantly decreased in both cells. A total of 295 overlapping DEGs were screened and identified in two cells under erastin exposure and significantly enriched for association with several pathways, including DNA replication, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and cell cycle, et al. For four hub FRGs, TMEFF2 in PCa tissue is higher than in normal tissue and the expression levels of CLU, NRXN3, and UNC5B were lower in PCa tissue. The expression levels of SLC7A11 and cell survivability were inhibited after the knockdown of TMEFF2 in LNCaP cells but not in PC3 cells. The concentration of Fe2+ only significantly increased in TMEFF2 downregulated LNCaP cells. This study extends our understanding of the molecular mechanism in erastin-affected PCa cells, and provides potential treatment ideas for PCa therapy.
Advanced Skin Cancer Classification Using Yet Another Hill Climbing
Authors: Takefuji Yoshiyasu
Published: August 2023

Hill-climbing is a heuristic search or informed search technique having different weights or variants used for mathematical optimization problems in the field of artificial intelligence. This paper proposes a new hill-climbing technique to achieve the highest prediction accuracy in the skin cancer benchmark. Changing the termination condition forces the system state to escape from the local minima and reach a better solution. The effect of the termination condition changes is similar to the hill-climbing function. The termination conditions using baseline and epochs significantly play a key role in improving prediction accuracy. This paper demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed hill-climbing method with data augmentation. Data augmentation can convert a severe imbalanced dataset to a balanced dataset. The proposed method achieves the highest prediction accuracy, more than 0.99 prediction accuracy in classification of seven skin cancers using an imbalanced HAM10000 dataset. This paper shows the effectiveness of epoch-baseline termination management and data augmentation in machine learning. With HAM10000 dataset, the proposed advanced skin classification achieved the highest prediction accuracy in the world. The robustness of the proposed algorithm was justified by repetitive random validation and the confusion matrix. The proposed hill climbing can be used for deep learning in general.
Engineering microbial fermentation-based delivery carriers capable of controlling drug release for inflammatory bowel disease therapy
Authors: Qiu Lei , Shen Renbin , Wei Lei , Xu Shujuan , Xia Wei , Hou Yan , Cui Jinxin , Qu Rong , Luo Jiale , Cao Jian , Yang Jie , Sun Jing , Ma Ronglin , Yu Qiang
Published: August 2023

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) always suffer from severe abdominal pain and appear to be at high risk for colorectal cancer. Recently, the co-delivery of targeted drugs and gut microbiota has developed into an attractive strategy. A new strategy using gut microbiota fermentation to overcome the interspace diffuse resistance from the mucus layer to control drug release in inflammatory bowel sites (IBS sites) has not yet been available. Here, we designed an alginate hydrogel microsphere encapsulating bifidobacterium (Bac) and drug-modified nanoscale dietary fibers (NDFs). The hydrogel microsphere is responsible for protecting drugs from acidic and multi-enzymatic environments and delivering drugs to the colorectum. Subsequently, the fermentation of Bac by digesting NDFs and proteins as carbon and nitrogen sources can promote drug release and play a probiotic role in the gut microbiota. The in vitro evidence indicated that small-sized NDF (NDF-1) could significantly promote short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) expression. Notably, NDF-1 hydrogel microspheres showed a boost release of 5-ASA in the IBS sites, resulting in the amelioration of gut inflammation and remodeling of gut microbiota in chronic colitis mice. This study developed a novel controlled release system based on microbial fermentation for the treatment of IBD.
Identification of a Lipid Homeostasis Related Genes Signature in Predicting the Prognosis, Immunity, and Chemotherapeutic Effect for Patients With Gastric Cancer
Authors: Li Chao , Xiong Zhen , Han JinXin , Nian WeiQi , Wang Zheng , Cai KaiLin , Gao JinBo , Wang GuoBin , Tao KaiXiong , Cai Ming
Published: August 2023

Purpose Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers which causes millions of deaths annually. Lipids homeostasis is essential for the development of tumor because lipids metabolism is one of the most important metabolic reprogramming process within tumor. Elucidating the mechanism of lipids homeostasis in GC might significantly improve the treatment strategies and prognosis.Methods GSE62254 was applied to construct lipids homeostasis related genes signature (HGS) by multiple bioinformatic algorithms. HGS was successfully validated in TCGA-STAD and GSE84437. Besides, the correlations between HGS, immune/stromal cells infiltration and chemotherapeutic effect were analyzed as well.Result HGS was constructed based on eighteen lipids homeostasis related genes by WGCNA. Additionally, HGS was strongly associated with advanced TNM stages and it showed satisfactory value in predicting GC prognosis in three independent cohorts. Furthermore, we found HGS was associated with tumor mutation burden (TMB) and immune/stromal cells infiltration which were related with GC prognosis, indicating that lipids homeostasis had impact on the formation of tumor microenvironment (TME). In GSCAlite platform, PLOD2 and TGFB2 was proved to be positively related with chemotherapeutic resistance while SLC10A7 was a favorable factor for chemotherapy. Finally, CCK8 assay showed that disrupted lipids homeostasis could attenuate GC cell viability and specific genes expression levels were evaluated by RT-qPCR.Conclusion We identified a lipids homeostasis related genes signature which was correlated with the survival, clinical characteristics, TME, and chemotherapeutic of GC. This research provided a new perspective in improving prognosis and guiding individual chemotherapy for patients with GC.
Two novel GFAP mutations and genotype-phenotype associations in Alexander disease
Authors: Cao Lanxiao , Zhao Guohua , Zhou Huidan
Published: August 2023

Background
Alexander disease (AxD) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the GFAP gene, which encodes glial fibrillary acidic protein and leads to astrocyte dysfunction. This study aims to report two novel GFAP mutations in Chinese AxD patients and summarize genotype-phenotype associations of AxD patients reported in the literature.
Methods and Results
A 65-year-old male presented with gradual weakness in both lower limbs and global mild brain atrophy as well as subtle white matter changes. No lesion was found in the lower brainstem or upper cervical cord. A novel frameshift mutation was identified in the GFAP gene, which is expected to result in the production of a premature truncated protein (p.R11Qfs*16). Another pathogenic mutation, c.1085A > G (p.E362G), was identified as the genetic cause of unsteady gait in an 18-year-old female who presented at age 22. Most of the pathogenic mutations described in literatures were in exons 1, 4 and 6. Mutations causing infantile form were mostly identified in Coil 1A and Coil 2B domain, but some mutations leading to adult form were found in Coil 1B and C-terminal tail domain.
Conclusions
This study further expands the clinical and genetic spectrum of juvenile and adult-onset AxD as well as the knowledge on genotype-phenotype associations.
Cost-effectiveness of Continuous Glucose Monitoring with FreeStyle Libre® in Brazilian Insulin-Treated Patients with Types 1 and 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Bahia Luciana , Mello Karla F. , Lemos Lívia Lovato Pires , Costa Naiane Lima , Molinari Eduardo , malerbi domingos
Published: August 2023

Background:
Hypoglycemia is a barrier to optimal glucose control in the treatment of both type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Blood glucose monitoring is essential in diabetes management. Inappropriate glucose management is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Freestyle Libre® (FSL) is a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system that provides effective, safe, and convenient glucose monitoring, without routine finger pricking. This study aims to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the FSL system in comparison to conventional Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in T1DM and T2DM patients that require intensive insulin therapy.
Methods:
A decision-tree model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness ratio between FSL and conventional SMBG from the perspective of the Brazilian Public Healthcare System (SUS). The model captures the cumulative rates of acute complications such as severe hypoglicemia and diabetic ketoacidosis, per-event costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained over a one-year time horizon in adult and pediatric patients (≥4 years old) with T1DM or T2DM. Inputs from the Brazilian health databases, clinical trials, and real-world data were used in the study.
Results:
The results demonstrated that, regarding solely severe hypoglicemia and diabetic ketoacidosis events, T1DM have a QALY difference of 0.276, a cost difference of R$ 7.255, and an ICER of R$ 26,267.69 per QALY gained for CGM with FSL, when compared to conventional SMBG. T2DM results demonstrated equally a QALY difference of 0.184, a cost difference of R$ 7,290, and an ICER of R$ 39,692.67 per QALY gained, in favour of CGM with FSL.
Conclusion:
Our findings demonstrated that FSL is cost-effective in T1DM and T2DM for acute diabetic complications, from a SUS perspective. CGM with FSL can thus promote safe, convenient, and cost-effective glucose monitoring, contributing therefore to the improvement of both hard outcomes incidence and quality of life.
Inflation Transmission Diagnostics via a Bayesian Graph Vector Autoregressive Model with Markov Switching
Authors: Fu Jiali , Cai Fengjing , Wu Jinran , Zhao Shangrui , Wang You-Gan
Published: August 2023

The transmission of inflation is a widespread occurrence, and managing inflationary pressures is a crucial macroeconomic challenge. Although inflation is a typical macroeconomic variable, its contemporaneous and lagged causal relationships have not been thoroughly investigated, which could result in missing important policy insights. The Bayesian graph vector autoregression (BGVAR) model can identify contemporaneous and lagged causal relationships among economic variables, but it lacks practical research on inflationary inflation. To account for the structural transformation in the inflation transmission process, we propose a Bayesian graph vector autoregressive model with Markov switching (MS-BGVAR), which considers both regime switching and contemporaneous causality among macroeconomic variables. Our study focuses on analyzing the dynamics of inflation transmission relationships among G7 countries under different regimes, as these countries represent developed nations. We use inflation data from 1971-2019, which shows two distinct inflation regimes within the sample period. We conduct simulation experiments to generate moderately dimensional simulated data for both regimes and indicators, demonstrating the theoretical reliability of our model in accurately identifying graph structures. Finally, we apply the proposed model to identify structural breaks and causal transmission relationships in the inflation transmission process of G7 economies, demonstrating that the proposed model has significant economic significance and good explanatory power in the selected target countries.
Knockout CsRBOH5.1 causes global decrease of H3K4me3 on genes during recovery after cold stress acclimation, leading to acclimation failure
Authors: Sun Mintao , Di Qinghua , Li Yansu , Zhou Mengdi , Yan Yan , He Chaoxing , Wang Jun , Wang Xiaoqin , Yu Xianchang
Published: August 2023

Cold stress acclimation (CS-ACC) makes plant acquire CS-memory and enhances cold tolerance. However, the transcriptional mechanism during recovery after CS-ACC is rarely reported. Here, we found thatCsRBOH5.1was essential for global genes to rebuild histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) deposition during recovery after CS-ACC, and the necessity was more obvious with the extension of recovery time.CsRBOH5.1knockout completely destroyed CS transcriptional memory (CS-TM) and disrupted most of cold-responsive gene transcription during recovery after CS-ACC. We also found that deposition pattern of H3K4me3/H3K27me3 on CS-memory genes contributed to CS-TM while that on CS-induction genes (up-down and down-up regulated) went against their transcription pattern formation, showing a natural inherent property even after CS-ACC. Moreover,CsRBOH5.1knockout did not change this conservative property. In summary, we for the first time in plants found thatCsRBOH5.1, a non-typical-histone methylation regulatory gene, regulated global genes’ H3K4me3 during recovery after CS-ACC.
Neuromanagement in WOS and SCOPUS: a guide to the first twenty years of the 21st century, from 2001 to 2020
Authors: González-Morales Antonio , López María Milagro Martín
Published: August 2023

The objective of this work is to study the scientific papers on neuromanagement published in the WOS and Scopus databases during the last twenty years and to provide a document that helps readers to get a global idea of this area and select those that may be of their own interest. Initially, a search was carried out in both databases with the term neuromanagement. Then, a filter was made using inclusion and exclusion rules in the article. The inclusion criterion or rule was that the article dealt with neuroscience issues applied to the management of companies or organizations.
JEL Classification: M10, M30
A system dynamic modelling and analytical framework for imported dengue outbreak surveillance and risk mapping
Authors: Del-Águila-Mejía Javier , Morilla Fernando , Donado-Campos Juan de Mata
Published: August 2023

Mathematical models have been used to understand complex, multi-faceted dengue transmission dynamics, but a gap persists between research and actionable public health tools for decision-making. We developed a plug-and-play system dynamics framework combining temperature-dependent vector population, transmission parameters, and epidemiological interactions that allows for testing multiple hypotheses and data availability scenarios. Spain is an at-risk country of imported dengue outbreaks, so we explored vector population and outbreak risk maps for the 26 provinces with known presence of A. Albopictus. Under our assumptions, only 15 provinces can sustain annual vector population cycles, mainly along the Mediterranean coast. Málaga and Almería, in the south, face the highest risk with outbreak beginning in spring with low vector density. Risk shifts to the summer in east coastal provinces, while some inner regions experience residual risks. Together, our framework depicts spatiotemporal risk profiles and can effectively assist evidence-based public health planning in various settings and contexts.
Dialogue Performance and Re-Establishment of “Tradition” in the Tầm Vu Vegetarian Festival in Long An, Vietnam Contributors:
Authors:   University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, No. 12, Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Diep Le Thi Ngoc , Thanh Nguyen Ngoc ,   Department of Culture, Sport, and Tourism, Long An Province, Vietnam, No. 3, Vo Van Tan Street, Tan An City, Long An Province, Vietnam
Published: August 2023

After decades of market-based economic reforms, communal festivals in rural Vietnam have undergone profound changes, reflecting the vitality of the local community. The communal festival held in Tầm Vu (Long An, Vietnam) is such a case. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the local heroes and educate youth about the local traditions; to be able to represent a local region, this festival has gradually added more values through the organisation of ceremonies to pray for the wandering deceased without relatives, purification ceremonies or exorcism. After it was “transformed”, the festival, called “the Vegetarian Festival”, incorporated elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Caodaism, hero worship and folk beliefs, and indeed became a significant event. In addition, under the thoughtful organisation of the temple executive board, the local people have been participating in an important “dialogue forum” in which individuals, religious groups, the entire community and local authorities are designated as dialogue partners. The local people, through the Vegetarian Festival, strive to re-establish and develop a local cultural identity, which directly contributes to strengthening their common voice in the dialogic forum. By inheriting the theoretical and practical results of past research, this study further investigates case studies and confirms that, once the common voice of the community is respected, the local people become proactive and responsible for maintaining and modifying the “tradition”.
Resisting Without Violence: KNPB and Transnational Advocacy Network Towards West Papua Referendum
Authors:   Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java 16424, Indonesia, Taliawo Riedno Graal , Subekti Valina Singka ,   Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java 16424, Indonesia, Pasha Julian Aldrin ,   Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java 16424, Indonesia
Published: August 2023

After Indonesia’s authoritarianism collapsed in 1998, the fight for independence in West Papua became diversified, focused on physical resistance and strategic international diplomatic steps. The National Committee for West Papua (Komite Nasional Papua Barat or KNPB) is an organisation that tends to use a non-physical and non-violence approach. The approach garners support from the international community as they fight for the right of self-determination for the people of West Papua. KNPB’s international diplomacy has become a sort of strategic shift in the struggle of the West Papuan people, which initially tended to be instrumental, but eventually became wider by adopting a transnational advocacy network. This study uses the theoretical framework of non-violent resistance from Gene Sharp in explaining KNPB’s movement and the transnational advocacy network from Keck and Sikkink to explain KNPB’s international political relations. This research relies on documentation studies and interviews with key figures in the struggle for Referendum and Papuan independence. KNPB has consistently linked its local actions with independence movements and the global struggle for human rights. KNPB often frames its efforts as a part of their struggle to reject violence against the people of West Papua. The non-violent resistance movements and actions carried out by KNPB are indeed directed to gain public attention, especially from the international public. Their approach aims to show the Referendum’s importance and create an international agenda related to Indonesia’s actions in West Papua.