bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An ensemble scheme for the numerical solution of a random transient heat equation with uncertain inputs
Authors: Yao Tingfu , Ye Changlun , Luo Xianbing , Xiang Shuwen
Published: December 2022

An ensemble-based time stepping scheme is applied to solving a transient heat equation with random Robin boundary and diffusion coefficients. By introducing two ensemble means of Robin boundary and diffusion coefficients, we propose a new ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) scheme for the a transient heat equation. The EMC scheme solves a single linear system including several right-side vectors at each time step. Stability analysis and error estimates are derived. Two numerical examples verify the theoretical results and the validity of the EMC method.
MSC Classification: 65C05 , 65C20 , 65M60
Contribution of alcohol use to the global burden of cirrhosis and liver cancer from 1990 to 2019 and projections to 2044
Authors: Liu Yang , Sun Zhouyi , Wang Qianwen , Wu Kangze , Tang Zhe , Zhang Bo
Published: December 2022

Background
Identifying the temporal trends of cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to alcohol use in both the past and the future can formulated the control strategies.
Methods
Data on cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to alcohol use from 1990 to 2019, including mortality and disability adjusted life year (DALY) rates were collected from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. In order to analysis the temporal trends, the average annual percentage change (AAPC) was calculated and the Bayesian age-period-cohort model was applied.
Result
The deaths and DALY of cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to alcohol use increased year by years, but the ASDR and age-standardized DALY rate declined or remained stable from 1990 to 2019 in most regions of the world. The burden of cirrhosis attributable to alcohol increased in low-middle social-development index (SDI) regions, while the burden of liver cancer increased in high SDI region. Deaths and DALYs are mainly distributed in people aged 40 + years, but there is a growing trend in people aged under 40 years. New deaths from cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to alcohol use are predicted to increase in the next 25 years, but the ASDR of cirrhosis in males will increase slightly.
Conclusions
Although the age-standardized rate of cirrhosis and liver cancer due to alcohol use have declined, the absolute burden increased and will continue to increase. Therefore, steps against alcohol use should be further strengthened and improved through effective national policies.
Crossover design in triage education: the effectiveness of simulated interactive vs routine training on student nurses' performance in a disaster situation
Authors: Hosseini Mohsen Masoumian , Hosseini Toktam Masoumian , Ahmady Soleiman , Qayumi Karim
Published: December 2022

Introduction.
One aspect of successful triage is the proper diagnosis of the injured person. For this reason, triage guidelines speed up recognition times and increase services. Therefore, this study aims to develop an interactive triage guideline simulator that can reduce the execution time of the procedure.
Method.
This study was a crossover design with pre- and posttests for two groups. Each group consisted of 60 students selected using the census method. SIG and teacher training sessions were conducted as a crossover design. Triage knowledge questionnaires were used in the pretest to assess triage knowledge. An OSCE test was administered in the posttest to assess student performance, followed by a triage skills questionnaire. Both questionnaires were highly reliable, as indicated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients (0.9 and 0.95, respectively). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software at a significance level of 0.05.
Result.
The chi-square test showed that the two groups were homogeneous regarding age. Regarding knowledge level, both groups were homogeneous before the intervention (P = 0.99). Nevertheless, the results of the OSCE test showed that the students in group A had a higher level of skill than the students in group B (93% versus 70%). Also, 18% of the students in group B had low skills.
Discussion.
This study found that student outcomes improved in both groups receiving SIG, suggesting that interaction and simulation improve learning. However, gamification is an ideal precursor to learning and not a substitute for education. Therefore, gamification should not be used as a stand-alone teaching method.
Conclusions.
This crossover study found that simulators and games should not be considered stand-alone teaching methods but can contribute to learning sustainability when used alongside instruction.
Emotions online: Exploring knowledge workers’ emotional labour in a digital context in an agile IT company
Authors: Pultz Sabina , Dupret Katia
Published: December 2022

Digital technologies and new ways of organizing transform the way we experience work. Thus, this paper seeks to contribute to organizational behavior research by enhancing our understanding of the role of digital emotional labour (EL) among knowledge workers. We investigate the EL involved in digital communication practices among co-located knowledge workers employed in an agile IT-consultancy firm with a relatively flat hierarchy. Based on rich qualitative data, we analyse how the specific socio-material infrastructures of a democratic communication technology called ‘Flowdock’ give rise to EL (Hochschild, 1979, 1983). The study contributes theoretically by developing work on EL in a digital context by engaging with Oudshoorn’s (2009) term ‘digital proximity’. This implies opening up EL to a more dynamic and situated approach and contributing to the organizational research scrutinizing the EL of backstage professionals. The paper concludes that online communication creates new demands of managing emotions in relation to 4 themes key to agile organizing: 1) working as whole persons, 2) creating partnerships, 3) unclear decision making, and lastly 4) informal power dynamics. We discuss implications of the overall finding that knowledge workers face increased demands mixing social and technical skills.
Temporal Trends and Barriers for Inpatient Palliative Care Referral in Metastatic Gynecologic Cancer Patients Receiving Specific Critical Care Therapies
Authors: Shen Li , Chen Longpei , Zhou Yun , Chen Tianran , Han Hedong , Xia Qiuyan , Liu Zhanguo
Published: December 2022

Purpose: Existing evidence suggests that palliative care (PC) is highly underutilized in metastatic gynecologic cancer (mGCa). This study aims to explore temporal trends and predictors for inpatient PC referral in mGCa patients who received specific critical care therapies (CCT).
Methods: The National Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2015 was used to identify mGCa patients receiving CCT. Basic characteristics between patients with and without PC were compared. Annual percentage change (APC) was estimated to reflect the temporal trend in entire cohort and subgroups. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to explore potential predictors of inpatient PC referral.
Results: In total, 10,380 mGCa patients receiving CCT were identified, among which 1208 (11.64%) received inpatient PC. Overall, rate of PC referral increased from 1.81% in 2003 to 26.30% in 2015 (APC: 29.08%). Higher increase in PC use was found in White (APC: 30.81%), medium bedsize hospitals (APC: 31.43%), Midwest (APC: 33.84%) and ovarian cancer (APC: 31.35%). Multivariable analysis suggested that medium bedsize, large bedsize, Midwest region, West region, uterine cancer and cervical cancer were related to increased PC use, while metastatic sites from lymph nodes and genital organs were related to lower PC referral.
Conclusion: Although PC referral has increased over time, the absolute rate remains low. PC referral in mGCa patients receiving CCT varies among sociodemographic and clinical factors. Further efforts are warranted to better characterize the specific barriers and optimize end-of-life care for mGCa patients receiving CCT, especially for those diagnosed with ovarian cancer or admitted to small scale and Northeast hospitals.
Question-based computational language assessment shows higher validity than rating scales in the categorization of emotional state narratives
Authors: Sikström Sverker , ̇ Ieva Valavicˇiu ̄te , Kuusela Inari , Evors Nicole
Published: December 2022

Psychological constructs are commonly quantified with closed-ended rating scales, however, recent advances in natural language processing (NLP) have been shown to allow for the quantification of open-ended language responses with unprecedented accuracy. Here, we showed that emotional events analysed by NLP show higher accuracy in categorizing emotional states than rating scales. One group of participants (N = 297) was asked to generate narratives related to four emotions – depression, anxiety, satisfaction, or harmony and to rate them on four standardized rating scales (i.e., PHQ-9, GAD-7, SWLS, and HILS). The second group of participants (N = 400 controls and N = 34 healthcare professionals), read the narratives produced by the first group, summarized them in five descriptive keywords, and rated the narratives on the same four emotional states. The descriptive words were quantified by NLP methods, and machine learning was used to categorize the responses into the corresponding emotional categories. The results showed a substantially more accurate categorization of the narratives based on descriptive words (64 %) than on rating scales (44 %), indicating that semantic measures have significantly higher predictive accuracy than the corresponding four rating scales. In conclusion, our results show that semantic responses can have a higher validity in categorizing narratives of emotions than validated Likert scales.
Imagery in the Entropic Associative Memory
Authors: Pineda Luis A. , Morales Rafael
Published: December 2022

The Entropic Associative Memory is a novel computational model of memory that uses a standard array or table as its medium. The system defines three memory operations in relation to a cue, which are called λ-register, η-recognition and β-retrieval. The memory is declarative, abstractive, distributed, productive, constructive and cues not included in the memory are rejected directly without search. λ-register and η-recognition are cell-to-cell operations, and β-retrieval is a column-to-column operation, and the three operations can be performed in parallel. The content of the memory is indeterminate and has an entropy. The β-retrieval operation renders determinate objects on the basis of complete and incomplete cues and the indeterminate memory content. The distributive and indeterminate character of the memory makes the stored objects opaque for direct inspection on the memory medium, and yet they can be made readily available when the memory is queried with an appropriate cue. The indeterminacy also allows that a very large amount of objects can be stored and retrieved effectively with very limited computing resources. In our previous work we explored the auto-associative properties of the memory and performed experiments to store, recognize and retrieve manuscript digits and letters with complete and incomplete cues, and also to recognize and learn phones, with satisfactory results. In such experiments a designated memory register was used to store all the objects of the same class, whereas in the present study we remove such restriction and use a single memory register to store all the objects in the domain. In this novel setting we explore the production of emerging objects and relations, such that cues are used not only to retrieve remembered objects, but also related and imaged objects, and to produce associations chains. The present model supports the view that memory and classification are independent functions both conceptually and architecturally. The memory system can store images of the different modalities of perception and action, possible multimodal, and offers a novel perspective on the imagery debate and computational models of declarative memory.
Assessment and development of a novel reduced mechanism for methane combustion in computational fluid dynamics modeling
Authors: Kamma Panit , Suvanjumrat Chakrit
Published: December 2022

The main objective of this work is to obtain the reduced reaction mechanism, which is consistent with a benchmark case in modeling a 0-D ignition delay, 1-D laminar flame speed, and 2-D simulated flame result and spent less processing time. In achieving this, the ten reduced reaction mechanisms developed for methane combustion were assessed, whereas the GRI-Mech 3.0 is considered a Benchmark. The result showed that only a reaction mechanism named SK30 was satisfactory. Still, the processing time in simulating the simple 2-D of a premixed model at the microscale was overly substantial. Subsequently, SK30 was further lessened using the two reduction steps. Firstly, the automatic algorithm based on a direct relation graph with the error propagation aided sensitivity analysis using ignition delays as a criterion in automatic reduction was applied. By doing this, the accuracy of ignition delays was maintained, and the flame speed was distorted. Accordingly, sensitivity analysis was employed to obtain the influential reaction in the benchmarking mechanism in the second step. The significant species and reactions on flame speed but less in ignition delay, which was missing in the current development, were considered to retrieve back manually as few as possible. Finally, the novel mechanism consisting of 25 species 132 reactions was proposed for methane-air combustion. In validation, the 1-D flame speed and the 2-D premixed flame model were agreement with the benchmark model. In addition, the processing time of this reduced mechanism was 50% faster than the SK30.
The effects of individual music therapy in nursing home residents with dementia to improve general well-being: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Caramel Vanusa M. Baroni , Steen Jenny T. van der , Vink Annemieke C. , Janus Sarah I.M. , Twisk Jos W.R. , Scherder Erik J.A. , Zuidema Sytse U.
Published: December 2022

Background: Dementia is often associated with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) such as agitation, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, that can cause distress for the resident with dementia in long-term care settings and can impose emotional burden on the environment. NPS are often treated with psychotropic drugs, which, however, frequently cause side effects. Alternatively, non-pharmacological treatments approaches can improve well-being and maintain an optimal quality of life (QoL) of those living with dementia. Other outcomes associated to QoL, such as pain, discomfort and sleep disruption are relevant outcomes in trials as well. Music therapy is a non-pharmacological treatment that can reduce NPS and improve wellbeing, and its associated symptoms in dementia.
Methods: The research is conducted at eight facilities of one nursing home organization in the Netherlands. The participants in the intervention group receive 30 minutes of individual music therapy (MT) in their own room by a music therapist twice a week for 12 weeks. The participants in the control group receive 30 minutes of individual attention in their own room by a volunteer twice a week for 12 weeks. Assessments will be done at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. An independent observer, blinded for the intervention or control condition, assesses directly observed wellbeing (primary outcome) and pain before and after the sessions. Nurses assess other secondary outcomes unblinded, i.e., perceived quality of life and NPS assessed with validated scales. The sleepy duration will be indirectly assessed by a wrist device called MotionWatch. Information about psychotropic drug use is derived from electronic medical chart review.
Discussion: The main purpose of this study is to assess the effects of individual music therapy on directly observed wellbeing controlled for individual attention in nursing home residents with dementia with NPS. The outcomes refer to both short-term and long-term effects consistent with therapeutic goals of care for a longer term. We hope to overcome limitations of previous study designs such as not blinded designs and music facilitators that were not only music therapists but also occupational therapists and nurses. This study should lead to more focused recommendations for practice and further research into non-pharmacological interventions in dementia.
Trial registration: The trial is registered at the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal in the Netherlands Trial Registration number NL7708, registration date 04-05-2019.
Post craniotomy pain management in Copenhagen rat by intraperitoneal or oral dosage of Tramadol: A comparative evaluation
Authors: Samal Sasmita , Barik Debyashreeta , Jena Sarita
Published: December 2022

Calvarial craniotomy in animal models involves pain and distress. However, due to their immense significance in studying the bone regeneration capabilities of various biomaterials, these animal models are extensively needed in the field of bone tissue engineering. Moderate to severe pain in laboratory animals requires adequate pain management strategies. According to previous studies, the options available for suitable analgesia for rat calvarial craniotomy are very few. For most analgesic treatments, either subcutaneous or intraperitoneal routes of administration are predominantly used. However, both routes require restraining of the animals, which may cause unnecessary pain, distress and suffering. As a well fare measure, we focused on pain management by oral administration of analgesia. In this particular study, which is a sub-study of a major experiment on bone regeneration with different polymeric scaffold materials, we have compared the analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal (I/P) and oral administration of tramadol (10mg/kg) over a period of 96h post-surgery in rat craniotomy models. The focus of our study is to evaluate the potential pain reduction efficacy of orally administered Tramadol without any restraining involved. We have used various non-invasive methods to assess the pain-alleviating efficacy of tramadol administered through different methods.
Impact of the combined effect of diode laser (976 nm) and Sodium Fluoride gel in the Treatment of Dentin Hypersensitivity: An Ex Vivo Study
Authors: Siddig Reem Esam , Ellateef Abd Ellateef Abbass Abd , Awooda Elhadi Moheildin
Published: December 2022

Background:Dentin Hypersensitivity (DH) is a painful condition with challenging treatment options.Aims:This study aims to evaluate the effects of the diode laser on dentinal tubules by a diode laser, as well as the mechanism of the diode laser (976 nm) and chemical agent (sodium fluoride gel) in occluding the dentinal tubules in vitro.Materials and Methods:Ten extracted human premolars were utilized in the current in vitro experimental SEM study. Using a diamond saw at a coronal dentin, disks of 1.0 mm thickness were cut perpendicular to the long axis of each tooth. Ten dentin disks were selected, and each disk was divided into four equal parts, pre-treated with Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid 17%, then divided into four groups; (Group 1) control, (Group 2) diode laser 976 nm of 1 watt, (Group 3) Sodium fluoride only and (Group 4) combined laser and sodium fluoride varnish. The samples were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope at different magnifications (100µm, 50µm, 20µm, and 2µm). ANOVA Test was used to compare the diameter of the tubules and area between the four groups, with the level of significance set at a p-value of ˂0.05.Results:Group 1 (control, no treatment) showed an opening of all the dentinal tubules. Both samples of Group 2 (laser) and Group 3 (Sodium Fluoride) demonstrated partial occlusion and narrowing of most dentinal tubules, while Group 4 (combined) showed total occlusion of almost all the dentinal tubules. There is a statistically significant difference between the four groups regarding the diameter of the dentinal tubules and the area of 5×5 mm diameter on the dentin disks.Conclusions:The combination of Diode laser (976 nm) 1W and sodium fluoride varnish significantly affected the dentinal tubule occlusion, thus preventing DH.
TMEM100 Regulates Neuropathic Pain by Reducing the Expression of Inflammatory Factors
Authors: guo zhaoyang , Guo Zhu , Fan Zuoran , Shen Nana , Qi Xiaoying , Ma Yuanye , Zhu Youfu , Wu Xiaolin , Chen Bohua , Xiang Hongfei
Published: December 2022

There is no effective treatment for peripheral nerve injury-induced chronic neuropathic pain (NP), which profoundly impacts the quality of life of those affected. Transmembraneprotein100 (TMEM100) is considered to be a pain regulatory protein and is expressed in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of rats. However, the mechanism of pain regulation and the expression of TMEM100 following various peripheral nerve injuries are unclear. In this study, we constructed two pain models of peripheral nerve injury: tibial nerve injury (TNI) and chronic constriction injury (CCI). This study found that the Paw Withdrawal Mechanical Threshold (PWMT) and Paw Withdraw Thermal Latency (PWTL) of the rats in the two pain models decreased significantly, and the expression of TMEM100 in the DRG of two groups also decreased significantly. Furthermore, the decrease in the CCI group was more obvious than in the TNI group. There was no significant statistical significance (P > 0.05). We constructed an adeno-associated virus 6 (AAV6) vector expressing recombinant fluorescent TMEM100 protein and injected it into the sciatic nerve (SN) of two pain models: CCI and TNI. PWMT and PWTL were significantly increased in the two groups, along with the expression of TMEM100 in the spinal cord and DRG. It also significantly inhibited the activation of microglia, astrocytes, and several inflammatory mediators (TNF- α, IL-1 β, and IL-6). In summary, the results of this study suggested that TMEM100 might be a promising molecular strategy for the treatment of NP, and its anti-inflammatory effects might play an important role in pain relief.
A lightweight neural network designed for fluid velocimetry
Authors: Manickathan Lento , Mucignat Claudio , Lunati Ivan
Published: December 2022

We devise a novel Lightweight Image Matching Architecture (LIMA), which is designed and optimized for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). LIMA is a convolutional neural network (CNN) that performs symmetric image matching and employs an iterative residual refinement strategy, which allows us to optimize the total number of refinement steps to balance accuracy and computational efficiency. The network is trained on kinematic datasets with a loss function that penalizes larger gradients. We consider a six- (LIMA-6) and a four-level (LIMA-4) version of the network and demonstrate that they are considerably leaner and faster than a state-of-the-art network designed for optical flow (PWCIRR). LIMA-6 reconstructs the velocity field from synthetic and experimental PIV images with an accuracy comparable or superior both to PWCIRR as well as to state-of-the-art cross-correlation methods (i.e., a commercial implementation of WIDIM). Although less accurate, LIMA-4 allows a significant reduction of the computational costs with respect to any other method considered. All CNNs prove more robust than WIDIM with respect to particle loss and allow effective error reduction by increasing the particle seeding density. Thanks to reduced computational cost and memory requirement, we envision the deployment of LIMA on low-cost devices to provide affordable, real-time inference of the flow field during PIV measurements.
Anti relaxation coating induced velocity dependent population alignment in electromagnetically induced transparency
Authors: Sharma Nayan , Singh Ranjit Kumar , Subba Indra Hang , Chatterjee Souvik , Tripathi Ajay
Published: December 2022

In an uncoated vapor cell, transmission spectra obtained for electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) for D2 line of 87Rb shows asymmetry and (or) absorption in the presence of magnetic field. In this study, complete conversion from asymmetry/absorption to transmission is found by using octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) as an anti-relaxation coating. The experimental results were interpreted as velocity dependent population alignment in the ground states induced by the coating which results in the conversion from absorption to transmission. A simple theoretical model based on density matrix is presented for qualitative interpretation of the results.
Impact of Covid-19 lockdown on trap fishery in Olaikuda Region of Palk Bay, South India
Authors: Mariasingarayan Yosuva , Singaravelu Velvizhi , Alagarsamy Sakthivel , Julius Arockia Kevikumar , bai Abdul Salam Kather
Published: December 2022

The present work analysed the fish catches and associated prices of trap fisheries during the regular and COVID-19 lockdown along the Olaikuda fishing village, Palk Bay region. The main target fishery in this region is coral associated fishes. A total of 713 kg of fishes harvested from the trap for eight months of study. The higher and lower average catch was recorded in May and April during 2020 lockdown respectively. But in the regular fishing months, the higher and lower average catch was recorded in July and March 2020 respectively. The total value of harvested fishes during the regular fishing months was ₹ 66,137 and in lockdown months ₹ 54,583 with the cumulative value of ₹ 1,20,720 as against the operation cost of ₹70,750 excluding the cost of craft. Thus, COVID-19 lockdown influenced the price of export quality fishes belonging to the family Scaridae due to which the fishes were sold at lower prices leading to low income of trap fishers. Data on this type of work is not available to compare the present situation. Therefore, long term study will be conducted in different trap fishing areas to compare the catch data along with market value for better understanding.
The Opposite Effects of Estradiol and Progesterone on Woman’s Disgust Processing
Authors: Liu Mei , Zhang Xia , He Zhengming , Liang Yuan , Zou Bihong , Gu Simeng , Wang Fushun
Published: December 2022

Ovarian hormones play a critical role in emotion processing, which might be the major reason for the high rates of major depressive disorders in women. However, the exact roles of estradiol and progesterone on the basic emotions remain unclear. To this end, we performed a behavioral and an rs-fMRI study. Experiment 1 examines the specific influence of these two ovarian hormones on pathogen disgust and moral disgust processing across the menstrual cycle using the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT) and explicit measures of disgust intensity task. In experiment 2, we used the amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex(dACC), and insula as a seed to explore the menstrual cycle effects on intrinsic connectivity networks related to emotion processing. The behavioral results showed that women during the luteal phase had higher D scores and shorter response times (RTs) to disgust stimuli (both for pathogen disgust and moral disgust stimuli) compared to the menses phase and follicular phase. Instead, women during the follicular phase had fewer disgust feelings and longer response time (RTs) to pathogen stimuli compared to the menses phase and luteal phase, but this effect was moderated by the intensity of the stimuli. Furthermore, there was no difference in subject moral disgust feelings between the three cycle phases. The rs-fMRI studies showed that luteal phase women have higher functional connectivity in the salience network compared to the follicular phase. And compared to the menstrual phase, follicular phase women have lower functional connectivity in the anterior insula and amygdala. In summary, the more negative attitude to disgust stimuli and the enhanced functional connectivity of the salience network shown during the luteal phase may be associated with high progesterone levels, whereas the lower disgust feelings and reduced functional connectivity of the amygdala shown during the follicular phase may be associated with high estradiol levels.
Visual tracking of viral infection dynamics reveals the synergistic interactions between cucumber mosaic virus and broad bean wilt virus 2
Authors: Kwon Min-Jun , Kwon Sun-Jung , Kim Myung-Hwi , Choi Boram , Byun Hee-Seong , Kwak Hae-Ryun , Seo Jang-Kyun
Published: December 2022

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most prevalent plant viruses in the world, and causes severe damage to various crops. CMV has been studied as a model RNA virus to better understand viral replication, gene functions, evolution, virion structure, and pathogenicity. However, CMV infection and movement dynamics remain unexplored due to the lack of a stable recombinant virus tagged with a reporter gene. In this study, we generated a CMV infectious cDNA construct tagged with a variant of the flavin-binding LOV photoreceptor (iLOV). The iLOV gene was stably maintained in the CMV genome after more than four weeks of serial passages between plants. Using the iLOV-tagged recombinant CMV, we visualized CMV infection and movement dynamics in living plants in a time course manner. We also examined whether CMV infection dynamics is influenced by co-infection with broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2). Our results revealed that both the viruses infected the same cells, with BBWV2 having a synergistic effect on the dynamics of CMV infection. Our findings suggest that iLOV-tagged CMV is a useful tool for in planta visual tracking of the virus in functional analyses of viral and host genes involved in viral infection and pathogenicity.
Comprehensive RNA-Seq-based study and metabolite profiling to identify genes involved in podophyllotoxin biosynthesis in Linum album Kotschy ex Boiss. (Linaceae)
Authors: Danaeipour Zahra , Garoosi Ghasemali , Tohidfar Masoud , Bakhtiarizadeh Mohammad Reza , Mirjalili Mohammad Hossein
Published: December 2022

Linum album is a well-known rich source of anticancer compounds, i.e., podophyllotoxin (PTOX) and other lignans, which play an important role in the plant defensive system. In the present study, the RNA-Seq data of flax (L. usitatissimum) under aluminum toxicity, zinc and K+ deficiency, drought stress, ABA, and Fusarium treatments were analyzed to identify common DEGs and then examined in L. album, using HPLC and qRT-PCR. Commonly DEGs analysis identified EP3 with a significant increase in all stresses. The highest expression increase was found for laccase )LAC11(, lactoperoxidase )POD(, 4-coumarate-CoA ligase )4CL(, and secoisolariciresinol (SECO) dehydrogenase )SDH(. A quantitative expression showed that the SDH gene had an increasing trend in L. album root and its expression trend was different in the plant shoot. The gene expressions of deoxyPTOX synthase (2-ODD), excluding drought stress, and 5'-desmethyl-yatein O-methyltransferase (OMT1) revealed a rising trend. HPLC analysis confirmed the results of gene expression. SECO content increased under drought stress, and 6-metoxyPTOX content was more than PTOX in both tissues. Identified modifications of critical genes related to PTOX biosynthesis in response to multiple stresses can provide a baseline for improving PTOX content.
Fabrication of a liquid scintillator based on 7-Diethylamino-4- methylcoumarin for radiation detection
Authors: Min Su Jung , Park Yong Dae , Yoon Seon Kwang , Lee Chae Hun , Seo Bum Kyoung , Cheong Jae Hak , Roh Changhyun , Hong Sang Bum
Published: December 2022

Organic scintillation detectors are widely used to measure the presence or absence of radiation. With these devices, there are advantages in that they are easy to manufacture, large in size, and have a short fluorescence decay time. However, they are not suitable for gamma measurements because they are composed of a low-atomic-number material. In this regard, alternative materials for the secondary solute used in basic organic scintillators have been investigated, and the applicability of alternative materials, the detection characteristics, and neutron/gamma identification tests were all assessed. 7-Diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin (DMC), selected as an alternative material, is a benzopyrone derivative in the form of colorless crystals with high fluorescence, a high quantum yield in the visible region, and excellent light stability. In addition, it has a large Stokes shift, and solubility in a solvent is good. Through an analysis in this study, it was found that the absorption wavelength range of DMC coincides with the emission wavelength range of PPO, which is the primary solute used with DMC. Finally, it was confirmed that the optimal concentration of DMC was 0.08 wt%. As a result of performing gamma and neutron measurement tests using a DMC-based liquid scintillator, it was found to perform well (FOM = 1.42) compared to a commercial liquid scintillator, BC501A.
Association of A1AT genetic polymorphism and NSCLC: a case- control study in Egyptian population
Authors: El-dawa Aliaa , Elsaid Afaf , refaat Sherif , El-khawaga omali
Published: December 2022

Lung cancer mortality is higher than other forms of cancer. Genetic tendency in cancer sufferers has long been known. Given the link between AATD and numerous lung disorders, it is worth investigating if this genetic trait is linked to a higher risk of developing LC, as the lung is the most afflicted organ in individuals with severe AATD. Methods: a case-control study was performed on 124 (NSCLC) cases with 124 healthy controls from 2021 to 2022, in the oncology center of Mansoura university. Peripheral blood was used to obtain genomic DNA. ARMS-PCR was used to genotype SNPs and other chemical parameters. Result: Molecular study for A1AT rs17580 and rs8004738 genotypes showed that NSCLC cases were significantly associated with a higher proportion of mutant S (T) and mutant Z (A) allele (p = 0.042, 0.041 respectively). Different A1AT genotypes MS, MZ, SS, SZ, ZZ investigated no significant association with NSCLC or NLR. Conclusion: significant impact of S and Z alleles on NSCLC risk and potential benefit for identifying and protecting these individuals who may be vulnerable to carcinogens.
Predicting the potential suitable distribution area of Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province based on the MaxEnt model
Authors: Li Sheng , Wang Zesheng , Zhu Zhixin , Tao Yizhou , Xiang Jie
Published: December 2022

Human activities, including urbanization, industry, agricultural pollution, and land use, have contributed to the increased fragmentation of natural habitats and decreased biodiversity in Zhejiang Province as a result of socioeconomic development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the protection of ecologically significant species can play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity. Emeia pseudosauteri, for instance, is recognized as an outstanding environmental indicator species, umbrella species, and flagship species due to its distinctive biological characteristics and high public appeal. Assessing and projecting the potentially suitable regions of Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province can aid in the conservation of the province's biodiversity in its entirety. In this study, the MaxEnt ecological niche model was utilized to assess the habitat suitability of Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province and comprehend the potential distribution pattern and environmental characteristics of suitable habitats for Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province. (1) The mean value of area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for the MaxEnt model was 0.985, with a standard deviation of 0.011, and the model prediction results were excellent and credible. (2) Among the 11 environmental variables used in modeling, seasonal changes in temperature, elevation, and distance to rivers contributed more to the prediction of the potentially suitable distribution area of Emeia pseudosauteri. (3) According to the results of the comprehensive prediction model, Emeia pseudosauteri was mainly distributed in Zhejiang Province in areas with elevations of 50–300 m, seasonal changes in temperature of 7.7°C to 8°C, and proximity to rivers. This study provides a scientific basis for the future conservation of Emeia pseudosauteri habitat and population rebreeding and offers corresponding suggestions for the resource management and industrialization of Emeia pseudosauteri.
Metabolomics Study of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Juan Sun , MaheMuti Ailiman , Abudouwayiti Aihaidan , Abuduhalike Refukaiti
Published: December 2022

Objective: To determine the metabolic changes accompanying heart failure and identify novel diagnostic biomarkers.
Methods: Plasma samples were collected from 100 healthy controls and 200 heart failure patients who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2021 to January 2022. The samples were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The differential metabolites among the three groups were identified by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), and the correlation between metabolite concentration and heart failure was evaluated.
Results: Compared to the healthy control group, the serum levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate, alanine, citrulline and acetone were significantly higher in the HFmrEF and HFrEF groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, these metabolites were present in significantly higher concentrations in the HFrEF compared to the HFmrEF group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The heart failure patients have a distinct metabolome, and 3-hydroxybutyric acid, alanine, citrulline and acetone are potential biomarkers of cardiac dysfunction. Metabolomics can provide a reliable diagnostic method for heart failure.
Speech Emotion Recognition using Sub-Band Spectrogram fusion and Deep Convolutional Neural Network transfer learning
Authors: Mansouri Bibi Zahra , Ghaffary Hamid Reza , Harimi Ali
Published: December 2022

Speech emotion recognition (SER) is a challenging field of research that has attracted research during the last two decades. Successful performance of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DNNs) in various difficult pattern recognition problems motivates researchers to develop SER systems based on deep learning algorithms. The most essential requirement in training a deep model is the presence of a large-scale dataset. However, in many cases, such an amount of data is not available. Transfer learning approaches provide a practical solution to this problem. In this paper, we proposed an SER system based on AlexNet, the well-known deep model trained on the large-scale ImageNet dataset. In this way, the novel enriched spectrogram calculated based on the fusion of wide-band and narrow-band spectrograms is developed as a proper input for such a model. The proposed fused spectrogram benefited from both high temporal and spectral resolution. These images have been applied to the pre-trained AlexNet. All the experiments were performed on the popular Emo-DB, IEMOCAP, and eNTERFACE05 datasets based on 10-fold cross-validation and Leave-One-Speaker-Group-Out known as speaker-dependent and speaker-independent techniques, respectively. The proposed approach gains competent performance in contrast to other state-of-the-art methods.
A case report of COVID-19 associated with AIDS-related pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Bereda Gudisa
Published: December 2022

Patients immunocompromised by HIV or with TB lung disease could be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious hazard to tuberculosis sufferers. A 67-year-old black African house wife with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis arrived at the emergency room on September 28, 2022. The admitted woman had significant complaints included muscle weakness, a loss of weight about 33 pounds during the preceding week, headache, and a cough. Reduced breath sounds were audible on chest auscultation in the right middle and upper lungs. His electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and anterior-lateral lead ST-depression. She had two nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing, which were positive. For the first five days of her stay in the hospital, the patient needed continuous oxygen delivered through a nasal cannula at a rate of four liters per minute, and she is still taking her ART regimen. For TB treatment, she took rifampicin 150 mg, isoniazid 75 mg, pyrazinamide 400 mg, and ethambutol 275 mg during a two-month intensive phase of her TB therapy, then rifampicin 150 mg and isoniazid 75 mg for a four-month continuous phase.
The Guiding Significance of Intraoperative Frozen Section in Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer Staging Operation
Authors: Guo Hua , Wang Yanhua , Cui Jiao , Ma Yuan , Li Jialing , Wei Meng , Li Ruyue , Rong Hu
Published: December 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the accuracy and consistency between frozensection (FS) and final paraffin sections (PS) in a series of surgically resected early endometrial cancer (EC).
Materials and Methods: Data from 292 patients who underwent surgery for early EC between 2015 and 2021were retrospectively analyzed. The consistency of FS and PS on tumor grade and myometrium invasion (MI) depth of EC were analyzed and compared.
Results: Compared with PS, the consistency test (Ka) of FS in early EC tumor grade was Kappa statistic=0.789(P＜0.001 ). The consistency of MI <50% and ≥50% was 94.96% and 64.81%, respectively (Ka=0.629, P＜0.001 )The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the depth of MI during FS were 94.96%,64.81%,92.24%,74.47%, respectively. In addition, 38 cases were diagnosed as atypical hyperplasia and local canceration (AHLC) before surgery, which was finally confirmed as EC by FS and PS.
Conclusion: The early-stage EC tumor grade and the depth of MI can more accurately be classified based on FS, which can also provide high guiding value for lymph node dissection in early EC surgery.
Quantifying the Energetic Cost Tradeoffs of Photovoltaic Pumping Systems for Sub-Saharan African Smallholder Farms
Authors: Liang ZhiYi , Shorter Amanda L. , V Amos G. Winter
Published: December 2022

As solar technologies have matured, irrigation using photovoltaic pumping systems (PVPSs) has gained popularity in developing markets as an effective means to alleviate poverty and increase food security. Yet there remains a barrier to adoption; the upfront cost of PVPS poses a financial burden for many low-income farmers. In a PVPS, the capital cost of the solar array contributes a large portion of upfront system costs. The solar pump is the largest energy consumer in the system, thus its efficiency directly impacts the size and cost of the solar array. There is limited quantitative understanding about how solar pump efficiency affects the capital cost of the solar array. This study presents a technoeconomic framework to directly quantify the impact of solar pump efficiency on the cost of the solar array in a PVPS for a range of hydraulic operating conditions. New empirical efficiency scaling laws were created by characterizing the efficiencies of 4-inch multistage centrifugal borehole pumps and induction motors. The utility of the technoeconomic framework is demonstrated through a case study comparing solar pump architectures with motors of different efficiencies. Results indicate that, despite increased motor cost, the use of high efficiency motors in solar pumps may lead to an overall cost reduction in a PVPS. Counter to the conventional capital cost-driven process, this work demonstrates that an efficiency-driven design process could improve low-cost, solar-powered system design. Engineers and system designers can leverage the presented framework during the design process to make informed decisions to achieve more cost-effective PVPS.
Taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of forest mammals mainly associated with elevation range
Authors: Feng Lu , Ma Xiaoming , Feng Gang
Published: December 2022

Forest mammal diversity has declined rapidly due to the widely loss and fragmentation of primary forest habitats, further threatening the functioning and biodiversity of forest ecosystems and emphasizes the importance of the research on forest mammal diversity. This study tried to link forest mammal diversity captured by camera traps with elevation range, contemporary climate, paleoclimate change and human activities in China, a country with diverse forest types, high mammal diversity, and massive anthropogenic disturbance on primary forest. The results showed that the camera traps in 72 Chinese forest sites captured 125 mammal species, accounting for 18% of all mammal species in China. In addition, the phylogenetic and functional diversity of these species accounted for 33% and 49% of all mammal species in China. Notably, forest sites with higher elevation range had higher species richness, higher functional diversity, over-dispersed functional structure, but clustered phylogenetic structure. Stable paleoclimate promoted species richness and functional diversity. Higher contemporary temperature and more precipitation promoted phylogenetic diversity and over-dispersed phylogenetic structure. In addition, anthropogenic factors (cropland area and human population size) had weak impacts on forest mammal diversity. These findings suggest that the mammal diversity in Chinese forest ecosystems is mainly associated with natural environmental variables, supporting the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis, history climate stability hypothesis, and tropical conservatism hypothesis. Meanwhile, the weak links between forest mammal diversity with anthropogenic activities may indicate the important role of forest ecosystems in conserving forest mammal diversity in China.