bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Italian ryegrass desiccation periods on corn performance: is growth inhibition due to the release of plant allelochemicals or nitrogen immobilization?
Authors: Marchese José Abramo , Trezzi Michelangelo M. , Scariotto Silvia , Pagnoncelli Fortunato B. , Brusamarello Antonio P. , Salomão Helis M. , Adami Paulo F. , Sartor Laércio R. , Oldoni Tatiane L.C. , Rogers Craig D. , Junior Marcus V. Talamini
Published: December 2023

There are contradictions among researchers and farmers about the best time between Italian ryegrass desiccation and corn sowing. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate: the effects of different desiccation periods of annual Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and nitrogen fertilization management on corn development; and to determine whether growth inhibition is due to the release of plant allelochemicals or nitrogen immobilization. The results indicated that the presence of ryegrass straw caused a corn yield reduction of approximately 2,128 kg ha-1. Corn seed germination speed and germinability were not significantly different for the aqueous ryegrass extracts collected 15 and 30 days after desiccation, regardless of their concentration. Corn seedling coleoptile length, when subjected to increasing concentrations of ryegrass extract, was reduced by approximately 230 and 320% reduction in comparison with the control. Epicatechin and caffeic acid were identified in ryegrass root and shoot extracts, these substances are known to have an allelopathic effect. Our results showed that Italian ryegrass desiccation periods of less than 30 days before corn sowing had affected the germination and emergence of corn, due to nitrogen immobilization and allelopathic influences of caffeic acid and epicatechin, released as residues decomposed. These resulted in corn plants with a shorter stature at the beginning of their development and decreased grain yield. From this, it can be concluded that nitrogen management on the day of sowing and desiccation 30 days before corn planting can prevent the negative effects of Italian ryegrass on corn development and yield.
The Distance-Decay Law and Circular Differentiation Structure of Coach Transportation Connections from Megacities — Beijing as an Example
Authors: Bo Ai , Wang Chengjin , Gou Yichao
Published: December 2023

The distance-decay law is a foundational and essential rule in the formation and evolution of regional spatial structure. In this paper, the Beijing coach transportation timetable is used to identify the parameter changes and circular structure of the distance-decay law of the overall passenger transportation connections. The distance-decay law and circular structure are discussed in depth based on the hierarchy of nodes and the directional differentiation of transport corridors. In addition, the spatial pattern and distance-decay pattern of passenger transportation connections in megacities are summarized. We found that with an extension of distance, the variation of passenger transportation connections from megacities presents a periodic fluctuation structure, in which peak concentration forms three stages: the growing stage, sharply decreasing stage, and steady stage; and the wave trough coverage presents two stages: continuous stage and discrete stage. The space of passenger interaction from megacities can be divided into five geographical circles. With 35 km and 2625 km as boundaries, the passenger-interaction space forms three circles: the public transport circle, coach circle, and railway aviation circle. With 175 km and 735 km as boundaries, the coach transportation space is further divided into three circles due to the differentiation of distance-decay characteristics. The spatial embeddedness of nodes changes the socio-economic connotation, the depth of space and density of passenger transportation connections in the circle. The trunk and branch structure and corridor nature of the transportation network cause regional heterogeneity in distance decay, generating differences in refinement characteristics such as amplitude differentiation, threshold moving, circle separation, and circle merging. This paper reveals the spatial and geographical response pattern of spatial interactions from megacities to distance, which can provide a theoretical basis for megacities and regions to optimally perform the hub-leading role, build cooperation networks, and configure infrastructure systems.
Effects of a Competitive Season on the Plasma Lipid Profile of Soccer Players
Authors: My Giulia , Marsigliante Santo , Selmi Okba , Hawani Aymen , MUSCELLA Antonella
Published: December 2023

Aims
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a soccer season period on the lipid parameters of professional soccer players. Eighty-seven soccer players participated in the study.
Methods
Blood for determination of lipid profiles was obtained before the beginning of the training period (T0), just after the 4-week training period (T1), at the middle of the season (T2, after 23 weeks from T0), and at the end of the season (T3, after 43 weeks from T0).
Results
During the competitive season, a significant decrease in BMI and in the percentage of body fat and an increase in fat-free mass was observed. The plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC) (in T0: 172.85 ± 22.7, in T3: 154.70 ± 20.3 mg/dl, p = 0.004) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (in T0: 106.87 ± 22.7 mg/dl, in T3: 91.06 ± 20.5mg/dl, p = 0.001) significantly decreased, whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations increased significantly in response to training (in T0: 56.64 ± 10.3 in T3: 63.69 ± 10.7 mg/dl, p = 0.005). Furthermore, the soccer season period significantly decreased triglyceride (TG) levels (in T0: 159.19 ± 38.2, in T1 137.63 ± 34.2 mg/dl, p < 0.0001) as well as TC/HDL ratio (in T0: 3.14 ± 0,6, in T3: 137.63 ± 34.2 mg/dl, p < 0.0001).
Conclusions
the decrement of LDL, TC, and TG, as well as the increment of HDL in soccer players at the end of the season, may suggest a beneficial effect of regular soccer training on atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease risk as well.
Rapid and prolonged response of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in standard acute cuprizone demyelination model revealed by in situ hybridization
Authors: He Yuehua , Xie Hua , Zhang Liuning , Feng Yuanyu , Long Yu , Xu Zhengtao , Zou Yanping , Zheng Wei , Wang Shuming , He Yongxiang , Li Jiong , Xiao Lin
Published: December 2023

Dietary administration of a copper chelator, cuprizone (CPZ), has long been reported to induce intense and reproducible demyelination of several brain structures such as the corpus callosum (CC) in mice, followed by spontaneous remyelination after drug withdrawal. Despite the widespread use of CPZ as an animal model for demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), the mechanism by which it induces demyelination and then allows robust remyelination is still unclear. An intensive mapping of the oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage cell dynamics during the de- and remyelination course would be of particular importance for a deeper understanding of this model. Here, using a panel of OL lineage cell markers as in situ hybridization (ISH) probes, including Pdgfra, Plp, Mbp, Mog, Enpp6, combined with immunofluorescence staining of CC1, SOX10, we provide a detailed dynamic profile of OL lineage cells during the entire course of the model from 3.5 days, 1, 2, 3, 4,5 weeks of CPZ treatment, i.e. the demyelination period, as well as after 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks of recovery (drug withdrawal) from 5 weeks of CPZ treatment, i.e. the remyelination period. The result showed an unexpected early death of mature OLs and response of OL progenitor cells (OPCs) in vivo upon CPZ challenge, and a prolonged upregulation of myelin-forming OLs compared to the intact control even 4 weeks after CPZ withdrawal. These data may point to the need to optimize the timing windows for the introduction of pro-remyelination therapies in demyelinating diseases such as MS, and may serve as a basic reference system for future studies of the effects of any intervention on demyelination and remyelination using the CPZ model.
Caerin 1.1/1.9-mediated antitumor immunity depends on IFNAR-Stat1 signalling of tumour infiltrating macrophage by autocrine of IFNα and is enhanced by CD47 blockade
Authors: Li Junjie , Luo Yuandong , Fu Quanlan , Tang Shuxian , Zhang Pingping , Fanzer Ian H. , Liu Xiaosong , Wang Tianfang , Ni Guoying
Published: December 2023

Background
Immunotherapy has greatly changed the landscape of cancer therapy; however, only a subset of patients responds to immune checkpoint blockade or to CAR-T based therapy. Previously, we demonstrated that natural host-defence peptide caerin1.1/caerin1.9 (F1/F3) increases the efficacy of anti-PD-1 and therapeutic vaccine, in a HPV16 + TC-1 tumour model, but the anti-tumor mechanism of F1/F3 is still unclear.
Methods
In this study, we explored the impact of F1/F3 on the tumor microenvironment in a transplanted B16 melanoma model, and further investigated the mechanism of action of F1/F3 using monoclonal antibodies to deplete relevant cells, gene knockout mice and flow cytometry.
Results
we show that F1/F3 is able to inhibit the growth of melanoma B16 tumour cells both in vitro and in vivo. Depletion of macrophages, blockade of IFNα receptor, and Stat1 inhibition each abolishes F1/F3-mediated antitumor responses. Subsequent analysis reveals that F1/F3 increases the tumour infiltration of inflammatory macrophages, upregulates the expression of IFNα receptor, and promotes the secretion of IFNα by macrophages. Interestingly, F1/F3 upregulates CD47 expression on tumour cells; and blocking CD47 increases F1/F3-mediated antitumor responses. Furthermore, F1/F3 intratumor injection, CD47 blockade, and therapeutic vaccination significantly increases the survival time of B16 tumour-bearing mice. These results indicate that F1/F3 may be effective to improve the efficacy of ICB and therapeutic vaccine-based immunotherapy for human epithelial cancers and warrants consideration for clinical trials.
Best treatment option for secondary mitral regurgitation surgery: a network meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized controlled studies.
Authors: Nappi Francesco , Salsano Antonio , Dimagli Arnaldo , Santini Francesco , Gambardella IvanCarmine , Ellouze Omar
Published: December 2023

This study aims to determine whether subvalvular papillary muscle (PMs) repair (SPM-r) plus restrictive mitral valve (MV) annuloplasty (RMA) is the most effective treatment for patients with secondary ischemic mitral regurgitation. A network meta-analysis was conducted to investigate outcomes of randomized controlled trials, propensity-matched studies, and observational studies, comparing various treatments for secondary ischemic mitral regurgitation. The average follow-up duration for late mortality was 4.4 years. CABG without mitral valve surgery had a late mortality incidence of 3.7%. RMA demonstrated a rate of 6.5%, while RMA + CABG resulted in a rate of 4.1%. SPM-r plus RMA ± CABG and MV-rpl + CABG had rates of 4.4% and 5.1%. SUCRA analysis showed that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was the most effective treatment for reducing late mortality (70.0%). This was followed by SPM-r plus RMA with or without CABG (62.4%). The top strategy for decreasing early death, reoperation, and readmission to the hospital for heart failure is SPM-r plus RMA with or without CABG, based on SUCRA probabilities (84.6%, 85.54%, and 86.3%, respectively). SPM-s plus RMA ± CABG has potential to reduce the risks associated with early mortality, reoperation, and re-hospitalization for heart failure. However, further research is required to substantiate these findings.
Characteristics and Risk Factors of Hypertension among Residents on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Qi Shenggui , Li Li , Wei Kai , Liu Chang , Meng Jian , Huo Chengjuan , Ma Xiaofeng , Gengdeng Gengdeng , Fan Hongguang , Zhu Fangyi , Wang Xiaozhou
Published: December 2023

The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and high altitude is still controversial. Few studies have compared the prevalence of hypertension between plateau-native group (PNG) and non-plateau-native group (nPNG) populations at the same altitude. We explored the characteristics and risk factors for hypertension among residents on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
From 2014 to 2019, the blood pressure of 6987 PNG and nPNG ≥ 18 years of age in Qinghai, China, was analyzed. Participants were divided into three groups by altitude: the 2000~2999-meter, 3000~3999-meter and ≥4000-meter groups. The association between altitude and BP was assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The prevalence of hypertension among residents on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was approximately 30.53%. We found a V-shaped association between altitude and blood pressure and an inverted V-shaped association between altitude and the prevalence of sinus bradycardia (SB). Both systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels in the 3000~3999-meter PNG group were lower than those in the nPNG group at the same altitude (P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the hypertension risk factors at high altitudes were age, altitude, body mass index (BMI), abnormal total cholesterol (TC) levels, abnormal high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, abnormal hemoglobin levels, alcohol consumption and sinus bradycardia. We concluded that the relationship between hypertension prevalence and altitude among residents living at high altitudes had a V-shaped distribution. Risk factors for hypertension varied with altitude. Participants in the PNG exhibited better adaptation at 3000~3999 meters; at altitudes above 4000 meters, the adaptation advantages of the PNG disappeared.
Assessing Predictive Capability of Selected Bed Load Equations Using Experimental and Flume Data
Authors: Jiten Vankar Jitendrakumar Pravinbhai , Sanjay Sanjay M. Yadav
Published: December 2023

Bed load transport in alluvial rivers is the principle link between river hydraulics and river form and is responsible for building and maintaining the channel geometry. Bed load prediction is of primary importance for river engineering, fluvial geomorphology, ecohydrology, environmental surveys & management and hazard prediction. In this study, for bed load transport analysis data sets and experimental data were used. The data sets of Casey, Graf & Suszka, HPY, Mavis, Paintal and MPM were used to compute bed load transport. Experimental work was carried out in advanced hydraulic laboratory in Civil Engineering Department. The bed load was measured for three mixtures. The measured bed load was compared with computed bed load using MPM, Einstein, Soulsby, Van Rijn, Parker, Ashmore and Wong & Parker approaches. The analysis of measured and computed bed load is in good agreement for MPM, Ashmore & Soulsby. At the same time for MPM data set the measured and predicted bed load is in good agreement. For all data sets and experimentally measured bed load Van Rijn approach under predicts the bed load.
Occurrence of vertical bone loss in molar furcation of adult rural population
Authors: Menk Flávia Letícia Bueno , Ferreira Ticiane de Góes Mário , Oliveira Leandro Machado , Liedke Gabriela Salatino , Moreira Carlos Heitor Cunha
Published: December 2023

Objectives
The aim of this study was to report the occurrence and severity of the vertical subclassification of furcation involvement (FI) in the first and second molars and evaluation of risk indicators associated with vertical bone loss in the furcation area.
Material and methods
This study is nested to a representative sample of individuals who participated in an epidemiologic survey in a rural area of South Brazil. Individuals with at least one first and/or second molar with horizontal furcation involvement class II or III (n = 167) were included. Complete periodontal examinations were performed in six sites per tooth. FI was evaluated with Nabers probe. Periapical radiographs were performed with a digital sensor. Radiograph subclassification of the vertical component of FI was established according to the bone loss until the coronal third of the root (Subclass A), until the medium third (subclass B), or apical third (subclass C).
Results
89 individuals with 139 teeth were evaluated. The maxilla molars showed a higher occurrence of vertical bone loss associated with FI. 48% of these teeth had infrabony defects in the furcation area. Dental plaque, gingival bleeding, Probing deep > 4mm and former and smokers were associated with a greater percentage of the vertical bone loss in the furcation area.
Conclusion
Upper molars showed more occurrence of vertical subclass more severe compared with mandibular molars, which may be associated with poor prognosis for maintenance of these teeth in follow-up. Dental plaque, gingival bleeding, deep pockets and smoker status were associated with more severity in vertical bone loss inside furcation area.
Clinical relevance
: Vertical subclassification defined by periapical radiographs can evaluate residual attachment, prognosis, select appropriate treatment, and personal support needs to retain teeth for a long period after treatment.
STNG (Synthetic Tabular Neural Generator): A Novel and Fully Automated Platform for Synthetic Tabular Data Generation and Validation
Authors: Rashidi Hooman , Albahra Samer , Rubin Brian , Hu Bo
Published: December 2023

Healthcare data accessibility for machine learning (ML) is encumbered by a range of stringent regulations and limitations. Using synthetic data that mirrors the underlying properties in the real data is emerging as a promising solution to overcome these barriers. To address this, we introduce a novel approach: a fully automated Synthetic Tabular Neural Generator (STNG). This innovative tool not only generates synthetic data that closely mirrors the characteristics of actual data but also incorporates an Auto-ML module for rigorous validation and comparison of datasets synthesized using various methodologies. To showcase STNG's efficacy, we conducted an extensive empirical study across twelve distinct datasets. The results highlight STNG's robustness and its pivotal role in enhancing the accessibility of validated synthetic healthcare data, thereby offering a promising solution to a critical barrier in ML applications in healthcare.
Identification of hypoxia- and immune- based prognostic signature and validation of TFRC as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in bladder cancer
Authors: Tang Runhua , Wang Haoran , Liu Jianyong , Song Liuqi , Hou Huimin , Liu Ming , Wang Jianye , Wang Jianlong
Published: December 2023

Background
Bladder cancer is a common malignancy of the urinary system, and the survival rate and recurrence rate of patients with muscular aggressive (MIBC) bladder cancer are not ideal. Hypoxia is a pathological process in which cells acquire special characteristics to adapt to anoxic environment, which can directly affect the proliferation, invasion and immune response of bladder cancer cells. Understanding the exact effects of hypoxia and immune-related genes in BLCA is helpful for early assessment of the prognosis of BLCA. However, the prognostic model of BLCA based on hypoxia and immune-related genes has not been reported.
Purpose
Hypoxia and immune cell have important role in the prognosis of bladder cancer (BLCA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether hypoxia and immune related genes could be a novel tools to predict the overall survival and immunotherapy of BLCA patients.
Methods
Firstly, we downloaded transcriptomic data and clinical information of BLCA patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. A combined hypoxia and immune signature was then constructed on the basis of the training cohort via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis and validated in test cohort. Afterwards, Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate Cox and subgroup analysis were employed to assess the accuracy of our signature. Immune cell infiltration, checkpoint and the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm were used to investigate the immune environment and immunotherapy of BLCA patients. Furthermore, we confirmed the role of TFRC in bladder cancer cell lines T24 and UMUC-3 through cell experiments.
Results
A combined hypoxia and immune signature containing 8 genes were successfully established. High-risk group in both training and test cohorts had significantly poorer OS than low-risk group. univariate and multivariate Cox analysis indicated our signature could be regarded as an independent prognostic factor. Different checkpoint was differently expressed between two groups, including CTLA4, HAVCR2, LAG3, PD-L1 and PDCD1. TIDE analysis indicated high-risk patients had poor response to immunotherapy and easier to have immune escape. The drug sensitivity analysis showed high-risk group patients were more potentially sensitive to many drugs. Meanwhile, TFRC could inhibit the proliferation and invasion ability of T24 and UMUC-3 cells.
Conclusion
A combined hypoxia and immune-related gene could be a novel predictive model for OS and immunotherapy estimation of BLCA patients and TFRC could be used as a potential therapeutic target in the future.
Native T1-mapping as a Predictor of Progressive Renal Function Decline in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Shi Zhaoyu , Sun Chen , Zhou Fei , Yuan Jianlei , Chen Minyue , Wang Xinyu , Wang Xinquan , Zhang Yuan , Pylypenko Dmytro , Yuan Li
Published: December 2023

Background: To investigate the potential of Native T1-mapping in predicting the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Methods: We enrolled 119 CKD patients as the study subjects and included 20 healthy volunteers as the control group, with follow-up extending until October 2022. Out of these patients, 63 underwent kidney biopsy measurements, and these patients were categorized into high (25–50%), low (<25%), and no renal interstitial fibrosis (IF) (0%) groups. The study's endpoint event was the initiation of renal replacement therapy, kidney transplantation, or an increase of over 30% in serum creatinine levels. Binary logistic regression analysis determined factors influencing unfavorable kidney outcomes. We employed Kaplan-Meier analysis to contrast kidney survival rates between the high and low T1 groups. Additionally, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis assessed the predictive accuracy of Native T1-mapping for kidney endpoint events.
Results: T1 values across varying fibrosis degree groups showed statistical significance (F=4.772, P<0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression pinpointed diabetes, cystatin C（CysC）, hemoglobin（Hb）, and T1 as factors tied to the emergence of kidney endpoint events. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a markedly higher likelihood of kidney endpoint events in the high T1 group compared to the low T1 value group (P<0.001). The ROC curves for variables (CysC, T1, Hb) tied to kidney endpoint events demonstrated area under the curves(AUCs) of 0.83 (95%CI: 0.75-0.91) for CysC, 0.77 (95%CI: 0.68-0.86) for T1, and 0.73 (95%CI: 0.63-0.83) for Hb. Combining these variables elevated the AUC to 0.88 (95%CI: 0.81-0.94).
Conclusion: Native T1-mapping holds promise in facilitating more precise and earlier detection of CKD patients most at risk for end-stage renal disease.
Effects of different ionic liquids on microbial growth, enzyme activity and microbial community structure of soil
Authors: Chu Linglong , Zheng Wenli , Zhao Xiaoxiang , Song Xinshan
Published: December 2023

Ionic liquids (ILs) are widely used “green solvent” as they have a low vapor pressure and can replace volatile solvents in industry. However, ILs are difficult to biodegrade and are potentially harmful to the environment. This study, herein, investigated the toxicity of three imidazole ILs ([C8MIM]Cl, [C8MIM]Br, and [C8DMIM]Br) towards soil microorganisms. The results showed that the ILs inhibited the growth of soil culturable microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes) and affected the activity of soil enzyme. In addition, microbial community species and abundance in soil were altered, with significant differences between the control and experimental groups. Alpha diversity analysis showed that the community abundance tended to increase and then decrease with increasing ILs concentrations. The decrease in species abundance implied that the soil microbial system was less resilient to disturbance. Finally, functional prediction analysis revealed that ILs mainly affected the carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolic processes of the microorganisms. ILs with single methyl substituent had a more pronounced effect than those with double methyl substituents. This study contributes to a better understanding of the environmental safety and ecological risks of ILs.
Innovative planting designs for oil palm-based agroforestry
Authors: RIVAL Alain , ANCRENAZ Marc , GUIZOL Philippe , LACKMAN Isabelle , BURHAN Sampe , ZEMP Clara , FIRDAUS Muhammad , DJAMA Marcel
Published: December 2023

Southeast Asia is home to 20% of the remaining tropical forests, yet it suffers from the highest rates of deforestation globally due to the expansion of agroindustrial and smallholder tree crop plantations, particularly oil palm plantations. This development has led to the decline of emblematic species such as orangutans, but also of critical functional groups, including soil fauna and fungi. Through the loss of structurally complex habitats, biodiversity is drastically reduced in oil palm-dominated landscapes and deforestation impairs key ecosystem services. Despite its commercial success, intensive oil palm monoculture has now reached its social and environmental limits. The TRAILS Project has established an international consortium linking a research organization (CIRAD), a community-based environmental NGO (HUTAN), a Malaysian University (Universiti Putra Malaysia), and a commercial oil palm plantation (Melangking Oil Palm Plantations). The consortium has set up experimental oil palm-based agroforestry plots in a commercial plantation located in Sabah, Malaysia, a global hotspot of biodiversity. TRAILS has planted a series of field experiments aimed at: i) evaluating the feasibility of intercropping, associating oil palms and forest trees, ii) assessing the potential for agroforestry of 17 native forest species and, iii) characterizing biological interactions between oil palm plants and some of these tree species. Our overarching goal is to ascertain synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and sustainable palm oil production. This article describes three original planting designs, paving the way for a new generation of climate-smart and resilient plantations.
Sustained SREBP-1 Activation Mediates Cardiac Lipotoxicity to Statins Therapy in Diabetic Mice
Authors: Cai Weibin , Huang Tongsheng , Wu Teng , Fu Xinlu , Ren Honglin , He Xiaodan , Zheng Dinghao , Tan Jing , Xiong shi , Qian Jiang , Zou Yan , Zheng Huiting , Ji Yuanjun , Liu Mengying , Wu Yandi , Li Xing , Li Hui , Yan Li , Ren Meng
Published: December 2023

Under diabetes conditions, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) activation could cause lipid dysfunction, leading to cardiac lipotoxicity. Here, we sought to investigate the effects of long-term statins use on cardiac lipid accumulation in diabetes and to elucidate whether the potential mechanism is related to SREBP1. Surprisingly, in three kinds of preclinical diabetic mouse model, long-term statins treatment induced cardiac dysfunction in diabetic mice, via accelerated fibrosis and inflammation. We confirmed that endogenous fatty acids (FA) synthesis in cardiomyocytes was increased by 13C-glucose metabolic flux analysis in vitro, and increased lipid deposition in the myocardium. Mechanistically, statins-induced increased cardiac glucose accumulation, further promoted N-glycosylation of SREBP1 cleavage-activating protein (SCAP). Glycosylation stabilized SCAP and reduced its association with insulin-induced gene 1(Insig1), allowing movement of SCAP/SREBP1 to the Golgi and consequent proteolytic activation of SREBP1. Genetic knockdown or L-carnitine inhibition of SREBP1 alleviated statins-induced cardiac dysfunction in diabetic mice. Collectively, these results suggest long-term statins therapy was associated with diabetes myocardial lipotoxicity. This effect was mediated through sustained SREBP-1 activation mediates cardiac endogenous fatty acid synthesis.
Isomerizations of C 6 H 6 .+ radical cations: A computational study
Authors: Kharnaior Kiew S. , Chandra Asit K. , Lyngdoh R. H. Duncan
Published: December 2023

Isomerization reactions of various C6H6•+ radical cation (RC) species are studied using the B3LYP and M06-2X functionals with the CBS-QB3 method. 18 such concerted reactions are found to proceed via well-defined transition states, whose relative positions along the reaction pathway generally agree with Hammond’s postulate. From the barrier heights, the rate coefficients of these reactions are estimated by using transition state theory, and the activation energies are computed. Through combination among themselves, these 18 isomerizations yielded 15 multi-step conversion routes of various C6H6•+ species to the lowest energy benzene radical cation isomer 1.
Diagnostic performance of plasma pTau 217 , pTau 181 , Aβ 1-42 and Aβ 1-40 in the LUMIPULSE automated platform for the detection of Alzheimer disease
Authors: Arranz Javier , Zhu Nuole , Rubio-Guerra Sara , Rodríguez-Baz Íñigo , Ferrer Rosa , Carmona-Iragui María , Barroeta Isabel , Illán-Gala Ignacio , Santos-Santos Miguel , Fortea Juan , Lleó Alberto , Tondo Mireia , Alcolea Daniel
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND
Recently developed blood markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection have high accuracy but usually require ultra-sensitive analytic tools not commonly available in clinical laboratories, and their performance in clinical practice is unknown.
METHODS
We analyzed plasma samples from 290 consecutive participants that underwent lumbar puncture in routine clinical practice in a specialized memory clinic (66 cognitively unimpaired, 130 participants with mild cognitive impairment, and 94 with dementia). Participants were classified as amyloid positive (A+) or negative (A-) according to CSF Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40 ratio. Plasma pTau217, pTau181, Aβ1–42 and Aβ1–40 were measured in the fully-automated LUMIPULSE platform. We used linear regression to compare plasma biomarkers concentrations between A + and A- groups, evaluated Spearman’s correlation between plasma and CSF and performed ROC analyses to assess their diagnostic accuracy to detect brain amyloidosis as determined by CSF Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40 ratio. We analyzed the potential of pTau217 to predict amyloidosis in CSF.
RESULTS
Plasma pTau217 and pTau181 concentration were higher in A + than A- while the plasma Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40 ratio was lower in A + compared to A-. pTau181 and the Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40 ratio showed moderate correlation between plasma and CSF (Rho = 0.66 and 0.69, respectively). The areas under the ROC curve to discriminate A + from A- participants were 0.94 (95% CI 0.92–0.97) for pTau217, and 0.88 (95% CI 0.84–0.92) for both pTau181 and Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was related to increased plasma biomarker concentrations, but ratios were less affected. Plasma pTau217 had the highest fold change (x4.2) and showed high predictive capability in discriminating A + from A-, having 4–7% misclassification rate. The global accuracy of plasma pTau217 using a two-threshold approach was robust in symptomatic groups, exceeding 90%.
CONCLUSION
The evaluation of blood biomarkers on an automated platform exhibited high diagnostic accuracy for AD pathophysiology, and pTau217 showed excellent diagnostic accuracy to identify participants with AD in a consecutive sample representing the routine clinical practice in a specialized memory unit.
A process-oriented hesitant fuzzy linguistic decision field theory: Application to the selection of new energy vehicles
Authors: Xue Wenting , Lu Wuhui , Xu Zeshui , Zhang Chonghui
Published: December 2023

The new energy vehicle industry is thriving with high energy efficiency and environment friendly characteristic and how to select them is a significant comprehensive assessment problem. In the new energy vehicle assessment, the decision makers often encounter some qualitative evaluations which contain several adjacent linguistic terms, that is the hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set, to express their opinions with indicators. The existing hesitant fuzzy linguistic decision-making methods are mainly result-oriented which neglect the dynamic process of information processing. Therefore, we propose a process-oriented hesitant fuzzy linguistic decision field theory to modify the process-oriented decision-making methods combining the decision makers’ preference evolution processes. First, we introduce the BoD method which highlights the advantage indicator and maximizes the comprehensive score of each alternative to endow the weight. Next, the decision field theory is expanded to the hesitant fuzzy linguistic environment combining the normalized carbon emissions. The carbon emission-based preference and time constraint are taken into account to make the decision-making process conform to human decision-making behavior. Finally, the process-oriented decision-making method is applied to select the optimal new energy vehicle. The sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
The impact and correlation of running landing methods on leg movement ability
Authors: Chen Chao-Fu , Wu Hui-Ju , Wang Yu-Shih , Hsieh Hung-Sheng , Wang Ting-Yao , Wang Soun-Cheng
Published: December 2023

This study explores the impact of different landing methods on leg movement ability and the relationship between leg movement ability parameters. This work parameters including stride, contact time, flight time, duty factor, stride angle, vertical stiffness, leg stiffness, and peak vertical ground reaction force. Thirty healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. In this experiment, each subject was required to perform two tests on a treadmill (using a speed of 10 km/h and 160 spm) (The interval between two experiments was more than seven days). In the first test, subjects used RFS. In the second test, FFS was used. A high-speed video camera was used to collect the images and the Kwon3D motion analysis suite was used to process the images in this experiment. The results of this study show that compared with the RFS method, runners using the FFS method have several positive characteristics, including short contact times, extended flight times, reduced duty factor, increased stride angle, and increased leg stiffness. This study did not show a significant difference in the peak vertical ground reaction force, but the FFS approach is generally ac-companied by greater vertical reaction force, further emphasizing its positive advantages in improving overall athletic ability.
Short-term wind power generation point and interval prediction based on a novel seasonal multivariable grey model
Authors: Gao Mingyun , Lv Yichen , Wu Xinyu
Published: December 2023

Developing wind farms is a promising approach to reduce pollution emissions in the electrical power system. Wind power generation prediction plays a key role in emission reduction and energy conservation of wind farms. Considering the distribution information and seasonal meteorological characteristics in wind power generation system, this paper proposes a novel seasonal multivariable grey model. This novel model is proven to provide unbiased prediction on short-term wind power generation. Based on this model, the interval prediction is designed using an intelligent optimization algorithm and the Bootstrap method. For illustration and verification purposes, Belgian onshore and offshore wind farm generation sets are studied. Empirical results indicate that the proposed model achieves higher accuracy compared with six existing models, yielding the lowest MAPE of 1.74% and 1.76% in point prediction, and the best performance of coverage width-based criterion and average interval score in interval prediction.
Effects of a calcium-deficient diet and resistance exercise on bone in male and female rats of different biological maturity
Authors: Kawata Yukiko , Kitaguchi Mizuki , Fujii Takako , Okamura Koji
Published: December 2023

We investigated the effects of resistance exercise, sex, and biological maturity on bone in rats fed a calcium (Ca)-deficient diet. Growing (age: 4–7 weeks) and mature (age: 12–15 weeks) rats were divided into four groups: sedentary and climbing exercise groups on a Ca-sufficient diet (5 g Ca/kg), and sedentary and climbing exercise groups on a Ca-deficient diet (1 g Ca/kg). Exercise increased the muscle weight in both sexes of the growing rats, but not in both male and female mature rats. In rats fed a Ca-deficient diet, the weight, central axis width, breaking energy, and stiffness of the femur were significantly lower in both sexes of growing rats and were not affected by exercise. In mature rats, neither a Ca-deficient diet nor exercise had any effect on these measurements in either sex. The rupture energy and stiffness of the femur were decreased by the Ca-deficient diet in growing rats of both sexes, but exercise did not suppress this weakening. In mature rats of both sexes, the Ca-deficient diet did not induce fragility of the femur.
Regional Economic Resilience Enhancement Effect and Mechanism of Digital Financial Inclusion --Analysis Based on the Perspective of Entry and Exit of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Business Entities
Authors: Ding Jianjun , Zhou Chuanhui
Published: December 2023

Micro, small and medium-sized market business entities are more sensitive to shocks and are subject to more prominent financial constraints, and the development of digital inclusive finance can help micro, small and medium-sized business entities to obtain financial support to cope with various shocks, thus enhancing the resilience of the regional economy. Taking the panel data of 288 prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020 as samples, based on the perspective of entry and exit of micro, small and medium-sized business entities, the mediation effect model is applied to test the effect of digital financial inclusion on regional economic resilience and its mechanism. It is found that: (i) The development of digital inclusive finance significantly contributes to the enhancement of regional economic resilience, and this conclusion still holds after endogeneity treatment and robustness test. (ii) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the promotion effect of digital inclusive finance on regional economic resilience decreases sequentially from eastern, central to western regions. Digital financial inclusion in smart cities and small and medium-sized cities contributes more to regional economic resilience than in non-smart and large cities. (iii) Mechanism analysis shows that digital inclusive finance enhances regional economic resilience by strengthening the entry and exit mechanisms for micro, small and medium-sized business entities. In order to better utilize the regional economic resilience effect of digital inclusive finance, the construction of digital inclusive financial facilities, the innovation of digital inclusive financial products and the strengthening of digital inclusive financial training should be improved.
Reliability analysis of Optical Neural Networks with non-ideal signal transmission
Authors: Fu Pengju , Su Ye , Ye Yichen , Chai Junxiong , Jiang Xiao , Yang Hongyu , Xie Yiyuan
Published: December 2023

Machine learning plays a significant role in various fields. As a fundamental part of machine learning, matrix operations are one of the most important computational parts of neural networks. However, the advancement of Moore’s law is hindered by limitations in the number and size of transistors on electronic chips. Therefore, the implementation of optical neural network (ONN) using photonic devices to accomplish matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) has attracted significant attention. Compared with traditional electrical on neural networks, ONN exhibits faster computational speed, higher parallel input capability and greater energy efficiency. Nevertheless, crosstalk and signal loss are inevitable characteristics in optical signal transmission, which can degrade the performance of ONN. In this paper, we present analysis models and simulations to assess the effects of crosstalk and loss on optical computing systems. We have observed that the accuracy of ONN degrades when crosstalk and loss are present. In severe cases, ONN is unable to complete the classification task. To mitigate the interference of crosstalk, we have designed a novel double-layer structure to reduce the number of optical devices required for signal transmission and optimize the impact of crosstalk on ONN performance. For the identical classification task, the ONN based on a double-layer structure exhibits better interference immunity than the generic ONN, with a 10% performance improvement. In particular, performance is improved by 50% when only crosstalk is considered.
Storage scalability oriented segment allocation based on cost clustering in sharding blockchains
Authors: Tao Liping , Lu Yang , Fan Yuqi , Shi Lei , Wei Zhen
Published: December 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Efficacy and safety of conversion therapy with Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin and Docetaxel (FLOT) in unresectable advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Zheng Lijun , Jiang Xun , Liu Zhongcheng , Lu Liesheng
Published: December 2023

Objectives: FLOT protocol has recently been applied in the neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced, resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, while the application of FLOT regimen in conversion therapy of unresectable gastric cancer, especially in comparing the efficacy of FLOT regimen with traditional S-1 and oxaliplatin (SOX) regimen, remains to be explored. We performed a retrospective analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of FLOT regimen in conversion therapy of unresectable advanced gastric cancer.
Methods: A total of 49 patients with unresectable advanced gastric cancer who received conversion therapy of SOX and FLOT was retrospectively analyzed from January 2019 to June 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: SOX (n=23) and FLOT (n=26). Clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, surgical safety and short-time survival of patients was compared between the two groups.
Results: The follow-up time was 24-42 months up to June 2022. No significant difference was
found between the baseline data of SOX group and FLOT group. After conversion chemotherapy, ORR in the FLOT group was significantly higher than that in SOX group (80.8% vs. 47.8%, p=0.016). There were significant differences in surgical conversion rate (52.2% vs. 80.8%, P=0.033) and TRG (P=0.041) between SOX group and FLOT group. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was 100%. The majority of the patients had grade 1 to 2, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of serious adverse reactions of grade 3 to 4. The operative time (213.75±26.41 min vs. 214.91±30.68 min, P=0.914), intraoperative blood loss (263.33±43.24 ml vs. 276.90±81.02 ml, P=0.535), R0 resection rate (83.3% vs. 90.5%, p=0.960) and overall postoperative complication rate (41.7% vs. 38.1%, p=1.000) was not statistically different between the two groups. There were significant differences in 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and overall median survival time between SOX and FLOT group. (2-year OS: 29.8% vs. 61.1%, overall median survival time: 16 months vs. 30 months; P=0.045)
Conclusion: FLOT regimen is safe and effective in the treatment of locally unresectable gastric cancer. Compared with SOX regimen, FLOT regimen in conversion therapy can improve the surgical conversion rate, R0 resection rate and overall survival time of patients.
Lightweight Safflower Cluster Detection Based on Yolov5
Authors: Guo Hui , Wu Tianlun , Gao Guoming , Qiu Zhaoxin , chen Haiyang
Published: December 2023

Safflower detection technology in the field has a crucial role in automated harvesting and the acquisition of row navigation information. Due to the small overall size of safflower clusters, their distribution is relatively dense. The environment between rows is complex, and as a result, uneven lighting severely hinders the detection of clusters. Current safflower bulb detection technology suffers from insufficient detection accuracy and a large amount of computation and complexity, which is not conducive to the deployment of automation and intelligent harvesting robots.
To address the above issues, this study presents an enhanced SF-YOLO model for target detection that substitutes Ghos_conv for the conventional convolutional block in the backbone network, for improved computational efficiency. To improve the model's characterisation ability, the backbone network is embedded with the CBAM attention mechanism. The introduction of a fusion L(CIOU+NWD) loss function enhances the accuracy of feature extraction and expedites loss convergence, thus allowing precise feature extraction and improved adaptive fusion while accelerating loss convergence. Hence, the model becomes more adaptive and faster at feature extraction. The updated K-means clustering algorithm yields anchor frames, which substitute for the original COCO dataset anchor frames. This enhances the model’s ability to adjust to multi-scale safflower information across farmlands. The model’s adaptability to multi-scale information between rows of safflowers on the dataset is enhanced through data augmentation techniques such as Gaussian blur, Gaussian noise, sharpening, and channel disruptions. This ensures better robustness against illumination, noise, and angle changes. SF-YOLO surpasses the original YOLOv5s model in tests on a self-constructed safflower dataset under complex background information, where GFlops decrease from 15.8 G to 13.2 G, and Params from 7.013 M to 5.34 M, for respective reductions of 16.6% and 23.9%, and 𝑚𝐴𝑃0.5 improves by 1.3%, to 95.3%. Safflower detection accuracy is enhanced in complex farmland environments, serving as a reference for the subsequent development of autonomous navigation and non-destructive harvesting equipment.
Application of AccuContour Software for Designing Vertebral Organ at Risk Models of Pediatric Tumors
Authors: Zhao Wenchao , Hu Miwan , Yuan Longhui , Deng Tan
Published: December 2023

Background: The AccuContour software was used to outline the spine and lumbar spine of children with solid tumors separately to evaluate and compare the outline effect, which provided the basis for the subsequent establishment of automatic outline models of the cervical and thoracic spine and further improved the accuracy of vertebral body outline.
Methods: Forty-three children with solid tumors were selected as group A, from which 37 children with solid tumors with intact lumbar vertebrae in the localized CT images were selected as group B, and were respectively imported into the artificial intelligence outlining system for manual outlining. In group A, all vertebrae in the image were outlined, and in group B, only the lumbar vertebrae were outlined, and the outlined images were deep-learnt in the system to establish the automatic outlined model A and model B. Thirteen children with solid tumors were selected, and the same children's vertebrae were automatically outlined based on models A and B, and manually outlined at the same time. The volume difference, position difference and shape consistency of the vertebral bodies were evaluated and compared between the automatic and manual outlining.
Results: Statistical analysis of the data from Model A and B groups showed statistically significant differences in ΔV%, HD95, and DSC （Dice Similarity Coefficient, DSC）values (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The artificial intelligence automatic outlining system has a high accuracy in outlining vertebrae, and the accuracy of outlining lumbar vertebrae alone is higher than that of outlining all vertebrae within the image, and the automatic sketching models of cervical and thoracic vertebrae can be established subsequently to further improve the accuracy of vertebrae sketching.