bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Study on EOR in Shale Oil Cores during Associated Gasflooding: A Case Study from Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin
Authors: Xiao Wenlian , Yang Yubin , Bernabé Yves , Lei Qihong , Li Min , Xie Qichao , Zheng Lingli , Liu Shuaishuai , Huang Chu , Zhao Jinzhou , Ren Jitian
Published: May 2023

A significant amount of associated gas has been produced from shale oil reservoirs in the Ordos Basin, northern China, in recent years, which has provided an opportunity for using low-cost, associated gas in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects. However, there are few other reports of EOR projects in shale oil reservoirs using associated gas, and a quantitative evaluation of the technique is needed. Therefore, we conducted associated gas and waterflooding experiments in shale oil samples at constant and gradually increasing injection pressure while monitoring the spatial distribution of movable and residual oil by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. Before the injection experiments, we performed mercury intrusion tests and measured the NMR transverse relaxation time, T2, of fully saturated samples to characterize the pore-throat size distribution of rock samples. Furthermore, we established a novel and robust mathematical model based on a fractal description of the pore space and a capillary tube model to determine the lower limit of the pore radius of movable oil, rc, during gas- and waterflooding. We observed that the oil recovery factor at a low injection pressure (i.e., 0.6 MPa) during the associated gasflooding was lower than that during waterflooding under both constant pressure injection mode and gradually increasing pressure injection mode. However, the performance of associated gasflooding was greatly improved by increasing the injection pressure. High injection pressure indeed produced a higher oil recovery factor, thinner residual oil film thickness, and smaller rc during associated gasflooding than during waterflooding under both injection modes. These differences in behavior appear to be linked to dissimilarities in flooding mechanisms at high and low injection pressures. Our main conclusion is that associated gasflooding at high injection pressure (i.e., 6 MPa) has a better potential for enhancing the oil recovery factor than waterflooding in shale oil reservoirs.
Ophiocordyceps megala sp. nov (Ophiocordycepitaceae) enriches the species diversity of the O. sinensis-affined lineage
Authors: dai yong-dong , Chen Siqi , Wang Yuanbing , Wang Yao , Yang Zhuliang , Yu Hong
Published: May 2023

Ophiocordyceps is a species-rich genus in the order Hypocreales (Ascomycota) including large numbers of invertebrate-pathogen. Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a famous traditional Chinese medicine that adapts to the alpine environment in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent region. The diversity of Ophiocordyceps sinensis affined species could expand the traditional medicinal resources and provide insight to the adaptation to different ecological environments. In this study, a new species O. megala was reported from the Hengduan Mountains, one of biodiversity hotspot area. O. megala differed considerably from related species mainly in having massive stromata, long phialides, single big conidia and the huge-sized host. Phylogenetic analyses based on five genes of nrSSU, nrLSU, tef, rpb1 and rpb2 clarified that O. megala was in the O. sinensis Clade and closed to O. sinensis. The combined morphological, ecological and phylogenetic evidences supported its distinctiveness from allied O. sinensis, O. xuefengensis and O. macroacicularis. Meanwhile, the prediction of the suitable distribution of seven O. sinensis -affined species revealed that their potential suitable distribution extends from the southeastern QTP to the Xuefeng mountains with non-sporadically fragmented regions. The specific biodiversity corridor hypothesis was put forward in this paper, i.e., the O. sinensis-affined species might have an entire suitable distribution area from west to east, which could provide an excellent ecological environment for the spread and evolution of this unique group. Our results should have positive significance for the diversity and adaptive evolution of the O. sinensis-affined phylogenetic lineage.
Comparative study of the sequential methodologies for fractionation analysis of mercury in coal allonge with proximate and ultimate analysis
Authors: Ali Jamshed , Tuzen Mustafa , Razaq Abdul , Ali Meher
Published: May 2023

In this work, BCR-sequential methods were used for the fractionation analysis of mercury in coal. Extraction methodologies BCR-SM, SSM and SS-UM were designed for fractionation analysis. The SSM and SS-UM are easy methods in term of operational time 36 h and 2 h respectively, from 51 h operational time of BCR-SM. Validations of applied methods were carried out by using SRM-1635A and spiking method to fractionation analysis of mercury in coal. Extraction efficiency of total mercury by pseudo method was checked by SRM-1635A, and obtained 97.1%. Total mercury was obtained 0.60–2.34 µg g− 1 in coal of four different coal seams from block-VII of Thar coalfield. Meanwhile, mercury level was decreased with increased depths it may be mineralogical composition changes. The highest mercury level was obtained in 200–203 m depth while the lowest was obtained in 152–154 m depth. Concentration of mercury in fractions was observed in the range of (32–60, 1.72–4.92, 9.58–50.8) %age with respectively in the acid-soluble, reducible and oxidizable fractions. Proximate, ultimate, and elemental analyses were also performed and Elemental Analyzer, respectively. The Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used to measure extracted fractional concentration of mercury in coal.
Mapping the landscape of product models in embodiment design
Authors: Paehler Lukas , Matthiesen Sven
Published: May 2023

During an engineering design process, designers create sequences of product models by switching between product models with different purposes. To enable an efficient use of these product models, researchers are to provide designers with compatible product models. This is necessary as the information in an existing product model may not be usable for a subsequent product model. However, the corresponding information on compatibility was not accessible to researchers as it was scattered across various publications. Hence, the objective of this contribution was to develop a structured overview, a landscape of linkable and non-linkable product models in embodiment design to merge the information. For this purpose, a literature review containing a grounded theory based analysis was conducted and the results were visualized using the network visualization software Gephi. The key learnings of the visualized landscape of 52 product models can be summarized as follows: (1) There are some models that are already closely linked to each other by compatible inputs and outputs; (2) Other product models are noticeable with mostly unknown linking possibilities due to incompatible inputs and outputs or insufficient descriptions in the literature. 14 product models offer two linking possibilities or less. In these cases, it is unclear how they interact with other product models in an engineering design process. In conclusion, the product model landscape provides insight into the compatibility of product models to support the development of existing and new product models for sequential use by designers.
Adding to the family of resistance factors against last resort antibiotics: Identification and characterization of a novel carbapenemase, CIM-1
Authors: Wang Yu , Sapula Sylvia , Whittall Jon , Blaikie Jack , Lomovskaya Olga , Venter Henrietta
Published: May 2023

The increasing rate of carbapenem-resistant bacteria within healthcare environments is an issue of great concern that needs urgent attention. This resistance is driven by metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), which can catalyse the hydrolysis of almost all clinically available β-lactams and are resistant to all the available β-lactamase inhibitors. In this study, a novel MBL was identified in a multidrug resistant isolate of the opportunistic pathogen, Chryseobacterium indologenes. Sequence analysis predicted this MBL (CIM-1) to be a lipoprotein with an atypical lipobox. Characterization of CIM-1 revealed it to be a membrane-associated, high-affinity carbapenemase with a broad spectrum of activity that includes all cephalosporins and carbapenems. This is the first report of the identification and characterisation of an MBL with an atypical lipobox and only the second lipidated MBL to be characterised after critically important NDM-1. We also identified more lipidated MBLs with non-canonical lipoboxes highlighting the necessity in further investigation of lipidated MBLs.
Environmental effects following a seismic sequence: the 2019 Cotabato - Davao del Sur (Philippines) earthquakes
Authors: Ferrario Maria Francesca , Perez J.S. , Dizon M. , Livio F. , Rimando J.
Published: May 2023

In the period of October – December 2019, the Cotabato – Davao del Sur region (Philippines) was hit by a seismic sequence comprising four earthquakes with magnitude MW > 6.0 (EQ1-4; max magnitude MW 6.8). The earthquakes triggered widespread environmental effects, including landslides and liquefaction features. We documented such effects by means of field surveys, which we supplemented with landslide mapping from satellite images. Field surveys allowed us to gather information on 43 points after EQ1, 202 points after EQs2-3 and 87 points after EQ4. Additionally, we built a multi-temporal inventory of landslides from remote sensing, comprising 190 slope movements triggered by EQ1, 4737 after EQs2-3, and 5666 at the end of the sequence. We assigned an intensity value to each environmental effect using the Environmental Seismic Intensity (ESI-07) scale. Our preferred estimates of ESI-07 epicentral intensity are VIII for the first earthquake and IX at the end of the sequence, which is in broad agreement with other events of similar magnitude globally. This study, which is the first case of the application of the ESI-07 scale to a seismic sequence in the Philippines, shows that repeated documentation of environmental damage and the evaluation of the progression through time may be useful for time-dependent susceptibility assessment and for investigating the role played by ground shaking and by other mechanisms (e.g., rainfall).
Assessment and comparison of the antimicrobial and clinical efficacy of copper nanoparticles gel with scaling and root planing (SRP) against chlorhexidine gel with scaling and root planing (SRP) as a local drug delivery agent in patients with periodontitis –A randomized interventional clinical trial.
Authors: Mahale Swapna Arunkumar , Dhadse Prasad
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND: Nanotechnology provides a novel approach for delivering and stopping alveolar infections. Nano-materials have improved and distinctive physicochemical properties like ultra-small sized ranging from 1–100 nm tiny solid molecules, substantial ratio of mass to surface area and increased chemical responsiveness makes it encouraging antibacterial therapy. Cu NPs exhibits excellent antiviral behavior which inactivates virus by inhibiting its RNA replication while its protein shell remains intact, which suggests that ions penetrated into the virus to act against the RNA. In addition to direct killing, NPs modulates immune responses, and enhances innate antimicrobial immune defenses. Phagocyte-derived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species remain vital for the host to fight against infective pathogens. Nitric oxide gets oxidized to Cu, present in protective proteins in microbes, to free Cu ions, which boosts toxicity to microbial cells.The aim of the study is to appraise physical properties, antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, time kill assay, anti-biofilm formation of Cu nanoparticles gel against periodontal pathogens (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans , Porphyromonas gingivalis , Fusobacterium nucleatum , Prevotella intermedia and Tannerella forsythia ).In-vivo analysis to compare clinical efficacy of copper nanoparticle gel +SRP against chlorhexidine gel+SRP as a local drug delivery agent in patients with periodontitis .
METHODS: Copper nanoparticles were procured from Nano research Laboratory. Gel was prepared and assessed for Minimum InhibitoryConcentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration(MIC,MBC), MTT assay to find out its cytotoxicity against periodontal and mouse fibroblasts ,Time Kill Assay at different time intervals against periodontal pathogens. Antibiofilm formation was done by cell culture method.
DISCUSSION:
The pH of the prepared CU-NP gel was 5.76, viscosity was 322.5 cPs and spread diameter of 425% IC50 value of CUNP against mouse fibroblast was 49.12±1.67 whereas against periodontal fibroblast at 3.12μg/ml , displaying 98 % of cell viability. At 1hr interval, time kill assay had revealed no growth of periodontal pathogens when carried out for 48 hrs . MIC value was within the range of 0.4-3.12μg/ml ,whereas MBC value was 0.8-3.12μg/ml. Anti-biofilm activity did not demonstrate promising result as compared to control.
Since the results of Copper nanoparticles gel were promising which encouraged us to evaluate in -vivo analysis of gel as a local drug delivery in the treatment of periodontal pocket in periodontitis patients.
Trial registration: CTRI/2022/07/044047 ( Clinical Trial Registry of India www.ctri.nic.in)
Production of Alginate Biofilm Added With Vanillin for Application as a Biocurative
Authors: Silveira Letícia , Naves Fabiano Luiz , Santos Igor José Boggione , Sarrouh Boutros , Lofrano Renata Carolina Zanetti
Published: May 2023

The present work presents the results of the production of vanillin-doped alginate biofilm. Alginate dressings are already a therapeutic reality, but they act only by maintaining the appropriate environment for healing. With the intention of improving their properties, the incorporation of vanillin was proposed due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. Different biofilms were produced employing experiment planning through response surface analysis, which allowed determining the best region for a medium value of solubility and high degree of intumescence. This region refers to values above 0.07 g of CaCl2 and concentrations above 0.024 g of vanillin, triggering a solubility between 25% and 30% and a degree of intumescence above 100% and with fixed values of alginate (0.85 g). As for the optimization of the process, the Normal Boundary Intersection (NBI) method was able to analyze concave regions, predicting the optimal points and generating the Pareto chart with equidistant limits The antimicrobial test allowed the observation of antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa microorganisms from the biofilms, as well as a solution of vanillin with calcium chloride and glycerol obtaining a halo of inhibition only in the presence of vanillin. Thermal analysis of thermogravimetry and differential exploratory calorimetry showed that the material has thermal stability, in the temperature range ideal for application as a biomaterial, for example as biocuratives.
Qualitative evaluation and economic assessment of Dal-lake aquatic weed vermicompost prepared in conventional vermi-bed and smart vermicomposting bin
Authors: Kumar Amit , Muzamil Mohammad , Rashid Saqib , Banday Rizwan Ul Zama
Published: May 2023

The study emphasized in understanding the dynamics of vermicomposting in conventional vermi-bin and smart vermicomposting bin using Dal Lake aquatic weed as substrate with turning frequency of 10 days and 20 days and 20, 40 and 60 days degradation period. In vermi-bed method, the materials were turned manually and a spiral mixer was used in smart vermicomposting bin. The results showed that pH, organic carbon and C: N ratio dwindled by 3.28%, 16.36% and 5.57% and there was an increase in EC by 22.39%, N 14.03%, P 37.78% and K 5.85% with 10 days turning frequency in vermi-bed vermicomposting system. In 20 days turning frequency, the values were 3.02%, 22.58%, 13.96%, 42.86%, 6.92%, 11.81%, respectively. When the dal lake aquatic weed was degraded in smart vermicomposting bin, it was observed that pH, organic carbon and C:N ratio shrunk by 5.63%, 14.94% and 24.88% with an increase in 11.23% N, 26% P, 10.4% K in 10 days turning frequency and 60 days degradation period. In 20 days turning interval, the values recorded were 6.23%, 14.29%, 24.56%, 10.99%, 20%, 16.77%, respectively. The cost of preparation of 1 kg of vermicompost was Rs. 20 and Rs. 13 in vermi-bed and smart vermicomposting bin. The benefit cost ratio of smart vermicomposting bin was higher (1.78) than vermi-bed process in the second year. The study can help to shift from conventional to smart vermicomposting system to automate the system, reduce the dependence on manual labour and achieve the dream of organic agriculture.
Salt tolerance mechanisms in five Asteraceae species: Seed germination and seedling growth, cellular damage, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants
Authors: Ghiasy-Oskoee Mehdi , AghaAlikhani Majid
Published: May 2023

Exploring the saline-adapted species and the mechanisms by which they have evolved in saline conditions would be a feasible way to utilize saline soils. Based on this approach, this study aimed to evaluate the seed germination and seedling responses of the five abundant Asteraceae species to salinity stress and determine the antioxidant defense strategies by which these species demonstrated variations in the tolerance of salinity. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus), pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), and cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) were subjected to 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 Mm NaCl concentrations. Calendula officinalis (CO) showed the highest, Silybum marianum (SM) and Cnicus benedictus (CB) moderate, and Carthamus tinctorius (CT) followed by Cynara cardunculus (CC) the least inhibition of seed germination and seedling growth at all given salinity levels. Each species utilized different antioxidant mechanisms in response to salinity. Peroxidase (POX) was the major antioxidative enzyme in resistance species, CT and CC, while catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were more pronounced in moderate, SM and CB, and susceptible, CO, species, respectively. Besides, all species expressed a great ability to accumulate considerable amounts of proline in response to salinity, which was more evident in the 150 and 200 Mm NaCl concentrations. From the results, it can be concluded that CT and CC with longer seedling roots, higher POX activity and proline accumulation coupled with lower cellular damage under increased salinity demonstrated a more saline-tolerance capacity in comparison to other species.
Free weight resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial study
Authors: Isenmann Eduard , Kaluza Dominik , Havers Tim , Elbeshausen Ana , Geisler Stephan , Hofmann Katharina , Flenker Ulrich , Diel Patrick , Gavanda Simon
Published: May 2023

Background: Resistance training (RT) is effective in counteracting the age- and menopause-related loss of muscle mass (MM) and strength in middle-aged women (40-60 years). Research on RT with free weights in this population is limited in pre- and postmenopausal women. Based on this, a 20-week training intervention was conducted with middle-aged women to investigate the effects of systematic strength training with free weights on strength capacity and body composition.
Method: Forty-one healthy women (52.0±3.6 years) participated in this study. A 10-week control phase (no strength training, T0-T1) was followed by a 10-week intervention phase (T1-T2) with RT twice a week and 6-8 sets of each muscle per week. Subjects were randomly assigned to a low-intensity (50% 1-RM) or moderate-intensity (75% 1-RM) RT group and divided into pre-menopausal (PreMeno) and post-menopausal (PostMeno) according to their hormone profile. Fat-free mass (FFM), MM, fat mass (FM), muscle thickness (Vastus lateralis (VL), Rectus femoris (RF), Triceps brachii (TB), grip strength, 1-RM squat and bench press were assessed before and after each phase. Statistical analysis was used a linear mixed model to account for fixed (time and group) and random effects (individual).
Results: A total of 31 women successfully completed the study. No injuries occurred during the intervention. Significant increases in 1-RM were observed in all groups. No interaction effect was observed for the strength parameters. In premenopausal women, FFM, MM and RF muscle thickness increased significantly, while VL showed a trend. These effects were not present in postmenopausal women regardless of RT intensity.
Conclusion: RT with free weight is safe and effective for middle-aged women to increase 1-RM. Hypertrophy effects were found exclusively in premenopausal women. To achieve hypertrophy and/or body composition changes in postmenopausal women, larger training volumes (>6-8 sets/muscle per week) are likely required.
Patient Perspectives and Experiences Regarding Pre-surgery Weight Loss Requirements For the Morbidly Obese Seeking Hip and Knee Replacement
Authors: Holub Meaghan , Edelstein Adam , Hooyer Katinka
Published: May 2023

Objective
Achieving recommended pre-surgery weight loss prior to elective hip and knee replacement is challenging for many morbidly obese patients despite available weight loss programs and education. This study aimed to identify 1) barriers and facilitators to weight loss, and 2) patient perceptions of helpful interventions. Willingness to participate in future clinical trials not requiring weight loss was also discussed.
Methods
18 patients with morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m2) with advanced hip and/or knee arthritis seeking arthroplasty care were recruited for one of three virtual semi-structured focus groups. Nine patients at different weight loss stages attended the focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify barriers and facilitators to weight loss and helpful interventions.
Results
Patients reported physical, social, and environmental factors impacting their ability to remain motivated and disciplined to obtain their weight loss goals. Barriers and facilitators to pre-surgery weight loss included: 1) desperation; 2) food culture; 3) weight loss as a “lonely journey” requiring social and clinical support; and 4) uncontrollable factors of everyday life. Ideal weight loss interventions were described as sustainable, simple, and including clinical and peer support. There was low interest in a clinical trial that does not require weight loss prior to arthroplasty.
Conclusion
Approaches to weight loss for morbidly obese patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis may be most effective if they provide explicit, simple directions for dieting that minimize required meal-prep time, coupled with periodic clinician follow-ups and the opportunity for peer support for those that desire it.
The Encke Comet Impact/Airburst and the Younger Dryas Boundary: Testing the Impossible Hypothesis (YDIH)
Authors: Mahaney William C. , Somelar Peeter
Published: May 2023

Many have tagged the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, (YDIH) an ethereal expression to explain the Younger Dryas (YD) climatic reversal, namely the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB), a theory, deniers state, lacking convincing evidence in support. The core of the hypothesis lies squarely on anti-uniformitarianism, that is, uniform processes moving uniformly with no room for catastrophic events, specifically cosmic catastrophic forces. Beyond philosophically based aversion to the YDIH, specific criticism comes from megafauna and archaeologic corners, related to the near coeval disappearance of specific Late Pleistocene species on the one hand, and relation to disruption and temporary disappearance of the Clovis people on the other. Coupled to all this, breakup of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and resultant Lake Agassiz-Mackenzie River floods, disrupting the thermohaline circulation of the North Atlantic, all meltwater induced marine coupled atmospheric cooling is at the heart of the Late Glacial/Younger Dryas transition. In short, deniers of the cosmic link—the black mat----use geohydrologic explanations to explain the foremost climatic reversal of the Late Pleistocene. The geologic paradigm, firmly in place with meltwater release into the Atlantic in tow, attention slowly drifted to explanation of an innocuous looking, thin (~ 1–2 cm), black sediment bed found in lacustrine and fluvial deposits of the American southwest, and other places. Thus, with thin dark beds of Gubbio in mind, the quest to explain black mat (BM) beds took on a cosmic aspect, one with growing, supporting evidence on several continents. The impossible hypothesis, now the probable explanation of the YD climatic reversal, is at center stage, set at 12.8 ka, with a burgeoning corpus of undeniable evidence its cornerstone. It is this undeniable evidence that is the subject of this paper.
Impacts of seasonality on the phenology of three grapevine cultivars in the semi-arid climate
Authors: Evangelista Thamyres Yara Lima , Santos Adaniel Sousa dos , Cunha Jenilton Gomes da , Pereira Gustavo Alves , Miranda Rafael de Souza
Published: May 2023

This study aimed to investigate the impacts of the growing season on the physiological performance, phenological cycle, and yield of grapevines grown in a semiarid climate. Thus, we established a field experiment in two growing seasons using cultivars with intermediate cycles (BRS Magna and BRS Núbia), and early cycles (BRS Violeta) in Bom Jesus, Piauí, Brazil. Our results suggest that vines cultivated during the second season (September-December) anticipated the phenology from sprouting to berry maturation (BBCH01-BBCH89) of all studied cultivars. The vines cultivated in the 2nd season had an average duration of 109 days after pruning. The growing season within each cultivar level showed that the 2nd season was the best for all studied cultivars. In all cases, plants from the second growing season showed higher rates of CO2 assimilation, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, and the relationship between internal, and external CO2 concentrations (Ci/Ca ratio). BRS Magna had the highest production (3563.5 kg/plant), the highest number of berries per bunch (34.5), longitudinal diameter (35.1 mm), and transverse diameter, universal of the berry (15.3 mm), fruit mass (61.83 g), berries (2.4 g), and total soluble solids (14.9 °Brix). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the studied cultivars differed from each other, highlighting alterations in the analyzed variables as affected by growing season. Our findings provide relevant information for the growing season, and behavior of vine cultivars to be used as a basis for viticulture cultivation in semiarid environments.
MgO-Based Composites for High Pressure CO2 Capture: A First-Principles Theoretical and Experimental Investigation
Authors: Kwon Sung Hyun , Hiremath Vishwanath , Nanoti Anshu , Kang Sung Gu , Seo Jeong Gil , Lee Seung Geol
Published: May 2023

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is an interesting material with tunable acido-basic properties. MgO-based composite sorbents (MgAl2O4, MgSiO3, and MgTiO3) have drawn much attention based on their high temperature CO2 sorption. In this study, the theoretical and experimental investigation by phonon calculations and high-pressure CO2 sorption were conducted to identify a potential candidate to achieve CO2 capture under pre-combustion conditions. The divergence of the physico-chemical properties of the various sample materials was found to be the determining factor for the enhanced CO2 sorption. From the high-pressure CO2 sorption experiment at 200 oC, MgAl2O4 shows high chemisorption capacity of CO2 compared to the other systems such as MgO, MgSiO3, and MgTiO3. However, the thermodynamic properties of MgAl2O4 for CO2 capture were found to be less favorable than those of other compounds in our phonon calculations. In other words, the carbonation of MgAl2O4, producing MgCO3 is not a favorable reaction at the experimental condition in our phonon calculations due to the formation of Al2O3 as a byproduct. On the other hand, MgO was experimentally found to have low adsorption capacity under similar conditions. Contrarily, the carbonation of MgO, which has a large number of basic sites at pre-combustion conditions and produces MgCO3, is found to be favorable in our calculations clearly defining the existence of tradeoff properties under practical CO2 sorption conditions.
Optimal detumbling guidance and control of plasma plume for tumbling spacecraft
Authors: Zhao Hongqian , Dai Honghua
Published: May 2023

Detumbling is a crucial first step for on-orbit service and space debris removal. Recently, plume has become an efficient medium for detumbling failed spacecraft, which can avoid direct contact to improve operation safety. However, the traditional molecular plume may lead to an unaffordable fuel consumption, so it is necessary to propose a novel strategy to solve this problem. The Hall effect thruster is a common high specific impulse engine, which can generate high-speed plasma plume for contactless detumbling. The traditional plume models present difficulties for practical implementation due to the contradiction between the requirement of real-time computation and the limited computing capability of the spaceborne computer. To address the challenge of calculating the impact force, a fully analytical plasma plume model is proposed to substantially enhance the computing efficiency without loss of accuracy. A guidance law for optimal detumbling is proposed to mitigate the spin angular velocity while stabilizing nutation under multiple complex constraints. To facilitate the development of the detumbling control, a terminal non-singular sliding mode controller based on the saturation function (TSM-sat) is proposed, which can converge in finite time and avoid the chattering phenomenon. The Numerical results indicate that the proposed plasma plume model can significantly improve the computing efficiency and the optimal guidance law can stabilize the target within a reasonable time.
QTL mapping for Zinc accumulation in a barley doubled haploid population: R/qtl vs common software packages
Authors: Mohammadi Seyyed Abolghasem , Sadeghzadeh Behzad
Published: May 2023

Zinc deficiency is one of the important malnutrition globally. For identification of the genomic regions associated with seed Zn concentration in barley, 149 doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between Clipper and Sahara 3771 were characterized for the shoot and seed Zn concentration and content, as well as single plant grain yield under greenhouse conditions. The linkage map consisted of 246 SSRs, and EST-SSRs, 238 RFLPs, and 33 IRAP and REMAP markers spanned 1502.40 cM of the barley genome with an average distance of 2.9 cM between two adjacent markers. A total of 36, 32, and 39 QTLs for the six traits under study were detected using the composite interval mapping method implemented in QTL IciMapping, QGene, and QTL Cartograph, respectively. The custom-made R-script revealed the most powerful ability to find QTL, which mapped 39 QTLs underlying the six traits on all barley chromosomes. Out of 89 QTLs identified, 30 QTLs were commonly detected at least by two packages. The majority of the common QTLs were major QTLs, explaining more than 15% of the trait’s phenotypic variation. The most of QTLs mapped by R-script for the studied traits except single plant grain yield were confirmed by other programs.
Modeling the growth kinetics of cell suspensions of Randia echinocarpa and characterization of their bioactive phenolic compounds.
Authors: Aguilar-Camacho Miguel , Gómez-Sánchez Carlos Eduardo , Cruz-Mendivil Abraham , Guerrero-Analco José Antonio , Monribot-Villanueva Juan Luis , Gutiérrez-Uribe Janet
Published: May 2023

The fruit of Randia echinocarpa is commonly used in the Mexican tradicional medicine to treat different diseases and ailments. So, the establishment of cell suspension cultures (CSC) is a required alternative to obtain bioactive compounds from this plant. Moreover, good kinetic models are necessary good processes control and simulation of plant cell cultures. Therefore, the objective of this study was to model and estimate the growth kinetics of the CSC of R. echinocarpa, as well as characterize their phenolic profile by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. During the 34 d of culture, CSC of R. echinocarpa reached a dry cell biomass concentration of 15.16 g/L at day 20. The maximum specific growth rate (\({\mu }_{max}\)) was 0.15 d− 1, with a duplication time (\({t}_{d}\)) of 4.62 d. The Logistic model proposed adequately predicts the cell growth changes during the culture and the maximum dry cell content the culture medium can sustain (≈ 13.63 g/L). Ten phenolic compounds were identified in the biomass and four in the supernatants. The major phenolic compound in the biomass was chlorogenic acid (CA), with a concentration of 828.6 µg/g at day 20. In the lyophilized supernatant, the major phenolic compound was salicylic acid (SA) with a concentration of 172.7 µg/g at day 30. The production of CA was a growth-dependent process in contrast to the concentration of SA in the media. Our results indicate CSC of R. echinocarpa could be a sustainable source for the production of bioactive compounds such as CA and SA.
MOLE: Multi-Omics Learning to Extrapolate Proteome Expression
Authors: Pichugin Ilya , Kruglov Dmitrii , Ilgisonis Ekaterina , Ponomarenko Elena
Published: May 2023

Background
Complex multi-omics data requires interpretation on different levels of molecular biology processes. However, genomics and transcriptomics methods are more sensitive than proteomic methods because of PCR reaction and ability to multiply molecules to level enough for a successful detection. This forms the gap between thousands of genes with known RNA expression and hundreds of detected proteins.
Results
To predict a protein abundance by known RNA level in the sample we have used a 10-channels input convolutional model to store label-free LC-MS/MS data, amino acids sequence and database annotations in one tensor. The solution was designed as an extrapolating tool for online public web-usage as only light-weighted deep neural architectures with fast inference were used. The validation set was once created by 20% of proteins in used datasets. Validation results for the healthy human tissues dataset showed 0.58 R2 coefficient of determination and 0.71 Spearman correlation for all samples and up to 0.67 R2 per tissue. For the tumor cell lines dataset 0.54 R2 coefficient of determination and 0.71 Spearman correlation for all validation samples and up to 0.62 R2 per cell line.
Conclusion
The solution allows a researcher to use any annotation collections and modifiable amino acids sequence to extrapolate protein abundances with known RNA quantity in the sample. A one model – many datasets pipeline with comparable metrics was implemented.
WITHDRAWN: Long noncoding RNA Glis2 regulates podocyte apoptosis by mediating mitochondrial function in diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Wang Ting , Chen Yanxia , Liu Zhihong , Li Na , Shan Yue , He Yinxi
Published: May 2023

Objectives
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious microvascular complications of diabetes and the main cause of end-stage kidney disease. Podocyte injury or apoptosis exerts a crucial role in the pathogenesis of DN. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been gradually identified to be functional in a variety of different mechanisms associating with DN. However, the relationship between lncRNAs and podocyte apoptosis in DN is still in its infancy. This study aimed to investigate whether lncRNA Glis2 could regulate podocyte injury via miR-328-5p in DN and uncover the underlying mechanism.
Methods
Normal-glucose or high-glucose cultured podocytes and diabetic db/db mice were used to investigate the exact role and regulatory mechanism of lncRNA Glis2 on podocyte apoptosis in DN. Apoptosis rate of podocyte was detected by flow cytometry. Cell viability was measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8 colorimetric assay (CCK-8). The expressions of lncRNA Glis2 and miR-328-5p were measured by qRT-PCR. The relationship between lncRNA Glis2 and miR-328-5p was examined by dual luciferase reporter assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM) was measured using JC-1 staining. Mitochondrial morphology was detected by MitoTracker Deep Red staining. Then, the histopathological and ultrastructure changes of renal tissues in diabetic mice were observed using periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and transmission electron microscopy. Finally, the effect of lncRNA Glis2 on podocyte mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis through miR-328-5p/Sirt1 was detected by western blot.
Results
We found that lncRNA Glis2 was significantly downregulated in high-glucose cultured podocytes and renal tissues of db/db mice. Furthermore, lncRNA Glis2 overexpression or knockdown was found to regulate podocyte mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. The direct interaction between lncRNA Glis2 and miR-328-5p was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. LncRNA Glis2 overexpression alleviated podocyte mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis via miR-328-5p/Sirt1 pathway in podocytes and diabetic mice.
Conclusion
Taken together, this study demonstrated that lncRNA Glis2, acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miRNA-328-5p, regulated Sirt1 mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and podocyte apoptosis in DN.
Artificial Intelligence and Geographic Analysis of Clinical Genetic Data in California’s Central Valley
Authors: Jackson Suellen , Freeman Rebecca , Noronha Adriana , Jamil Hafsah , Chavez Eric , Carmichael Jason , Ruiz Kaylee M. , Miller Christine , Benke Sarah , Perrot Rosalie , Hockley Maryam , Murphy Kady , Casillan Aimiel , Radanovich Lily , Deforest Roger , Nunes Mark E. , Sidlow Richard , Einhorn Yaron , Woods Jeremy
Published: May 2023

Introduction
Data science methodologies can be utilized to ascertain and analyze clinical genetic data that is often unstructured and rarely used outside of patient encounters.
Methods
Genetic variants from all genetic testing resulting to a large pediatric healthcare system for a five-year period were obtained and variants were reinterpreted utilizing the Franklin© Artificial Intelligence (AI). Utilizing PowerBI©, the data were further matched to patients in the electronic healthcare record and matched to demographic data to generate a variant data table and map variants as a choropleth.
Results
Three thousand sixty-five variants were identified and 98% were matched to patients with geographic data. Franklin© changed the interpretation for 27% of variants. A total of 723 Mendelian genetic disorders were identified with disorder prevalence estimation. Mapping of variants demonstrated hot-spots for pathogenic genetic variation such as PEX6-associated Zellweger Spectrum Disorder. Seven patients were identified with Bardet-Biedl syndrome and seven patients with Rett syndrome amenable to newly FDA-approved therapeutics.
Discussion
Utilizing readily available software we developed a database and Exploratory Data Analysis methodology enabling us to systematically reinterpret variants, estimate variant prevalence, identify patients amenable to new treatments, and localize geographies enriched for pathogenic variants.
Development of 89Zr and 68Ga-anti-CD103 Fab-fragments for PET imaging to non-invasively assess cancer reactive T cell infiltration--- Fab-based CD103 immunoPET
Authors: Fan Xiaoyu , Ważyńska Marta A. , Kol Arjan , Holland Noemi Perujo , Fernandes Bruna , Duijnhoven Sander M. j. van , Plat Annechein , Eenennaam Hans van , Elsinga Philip H. , Nijman Hans W. , de Bruyn Marco
Published: May 2023

Background CD103 is an integrin specifically expressed on the surface of cancer-reactive T cells. CD103 has been linked with better disease-specific survival in patients with ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer. The number of CD103+ T cells significantly increases during successful immunotherapy across human malignancies and therefore might be an attractive biomarker for non-invasive immune PET imaging of T cell infiltration. Indeed, we previously demonstrated that zirconium-89 (89Zr) radiolabeled anti-CD103 antibodies could be used for PET imaging of CD103+ T cells at relevant cell densities. However, the long half-life of antibodies precluded repeat imaging of CD103+ T cell dynamics early in therapy, and is associated with a significant radiation burden.Methods Two different anti-human CD103 Fab fragments radiolabeled with 89Zr or 68Ga were developed, namely 89Zr- hCD103 Fab and 68Ga-hCD103 Fab respectively. In vivo evaluation of these tracers was performed in nude mice (BALB/cOlaHsd-Foxn1nu) with established CD103-expressing CHO (CHO.CD103) or CHO wildtype (CHO.K1) xenografts, followed by serial PET imaging and ex vivo bio-distribution.Results In vivo, both 89Zr- and 68Ga- hCD103 Fab tracers showed high target-to-background ratios, high target site selectivity and high sensitivity in human CD103 positive xenografts.Conclusion We conclude that the two novel human CD103 immuno-PET tracers may be used for future non-invasive assessment of cancer reactive T cell infiltration. Consequently, both 89Zr and 68Ga- hCD103 Fab PET tracers should be explored in the clinical setting for stratification of patients who could benefit from immune checkpoint inhibition therapy.
Does the strategic use of Big Data alter outcomes in degenerative spine surgery? A study protocol for a multicenter clinical trial testing the Swespine Dialogue Support
Authors: Enger Eric Brisby , Valentin-Askman Ludvig , Hägg Olle , Fritzell Peter , Parai Catharina
Published: May 2023

Background

Patients surgically treated for lumbar spinal stenosis or cervical radiculopathy report improvement in approximately two out of three cases. Advancements in Machine Learning and the utility of large datasets have enabled the development of prognostic prediction models within spine surgery. This trial investigates if the use of the postoperative outcome prediction model, the Dialogue Support, can alter patient-reported outcome and satisfaction compared to current practice.

Methods

This is a prospective, multicenter clinical trial. Patients referred to a spine clinic with cervical radiculopathy or lumbar spinal stenosis will be screened for eligibility. Participants will be assessed at baseline upon recruitment and at 12 months follow-up. The Dialogue Support will be used on all participants, and they will thereafter be placed into either a surgical or a non-surgical treatment arm, depending on the decision made between patient and surgeon. The surgical treatment group will be studied separately based on diagnosis of either cervical radiculopathy or lumbar spinal stenosis. Both the surgical and the non-surgical group will be compared to a retrospective matched control group retrieved from the Swespine register, on which the Dialogue Support has not been used.
The primary outcome measure is global assessment regarding leg/arm pain in the surgical treatment group. Secondary outcome measures include patient satisfaction, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EQ-5D, and Numeric Rating Scales (NRS) for pain. In the non-surgical treatment group primary outcome measures are EQ-5D and mortality, as part of a selection bias analysis.

Discussion

The findings of this study may provide evidence on whether the use of an advanced digital decision tool can alter patient-reported outcomes after surgery.

Trial registration

The trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on April 17th, 2023, NCT05817747.
Cinderella wears hijab: Profiling and clustering the global market for hijabistas via Twitter text analytics
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed M. , Alanadoly Alshaimaa Bahgat
Published: May 2023

Consumer-generated data provides a massive amount of market data that helps improve brands' decision-making processes within a highly demanding marketplace. This paper aims to investigate the dynamics behind Twitter user-generated content in relation to hijab/modest fashion based on a random sample of 144,800 tweets. Sentiment analysis was conducted, while a detection algorithm was implemented to identify the main influencers in relation to the hijab/modest fashion market. Results identify and profile the influencers and opinion leaders in the hijab/modest fashion global market. Results also show a high diversity of emojis usage in hijab-related tweets which highlighted the advantage of using them within hijab fashion brands’ communications. Finally, a partitioning around medoids (PAM) clustering method was applied to define consumer clusters. The clustering algorithm used highlights the heterogeneity and diversity of the global hijab fashion market. This study advances prior literature on the understanding of hijab/modest-fashion consumers and their opinions towards hijab brands. The study also helps marketers and decision-makers to understand consumer trends in this significant and emerging market.
X-Linked Alport Syndrome in girls: Clinicopathology, Genotype-phenotype analysis and Diagnostic Advantage of a5(IV) chain Staining on Paraffin section
Authors: Yang Xiaoqing , Shen Qian , Liu Jiaojiao , Yang Yueli , Ren Xianqing , Zhai Wensheng , Ding Ying , Zhang Xia , Yang Meng , Zhang Jian , Liu Bo , Xu Hong , Huang Yanjie
Published: May 2023

Background
X-linked Alport syndrome (XLAS) has been poorly studied in girls. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of XLAS in girls, and find out whether α5(IV) chain immunofluorescence staining on paraffin sections have a diagnositic advantage than on frozen sections.
Methods
The clinicopathological features and genotype-phenotype correlation were investigated retrospectively in 10 girls with XLAS. The expression of α5(IV) chain was compared between paraffin and frozen sections. The percentage of mosaic-positive glomeruli on paraffin sections was counted, and the correlation with proteinuria and age were evaluated. The literature on females with XLAS was reviewed.
Results
Among 10 girls with XLAS, 6 patients (60%) had intermittent attacks macroscopic hematuria with proteinuria or nephrotic-range proteinuria. Genotype–phenotype correlation was conducted and the results showed that the clinical manifestations of 3 girls with nonsense variants were all severe. Paraffin-embedded sections showed betterpreserved tissue architecture and more glomeruli than frozen sections. The detection rate of mosaic positive glomeruli on the paraffin sections was obviously increased from 60–100% when compared with the frozen section. The glomerular percentage of α5(IV) chain segmental deletion on the paraffin sections varied from 10.53–87.50% in different patients, and the percentage was not related with proteinuria and age.
Conclusions
Severe clinical manifestations can be seen in girls with XLAS, and nonsense mutant genotype may indicate severe clinical phenotypes. For girls with XLAS, α5(IV) chain staining should be done on paraffin sections to increase the detective rate of mosaic-positive glomeruli.
An expert generation model for accident analysis based on text data
Authors: Dongyang Yan , Li Keping , Qiaozhen Zhu , Gu Shuang , Liu Yanyan
Published: May 2023

As the narrative part to extend the accident-related content, text data can help understand the mechanism of accidents, which is always neglected in quantitative accident analysis. This paper presents a novel expert generation model to extract incidents from text reports for accident analysis. By using expert knowledge to complete the text labeling work, this paper uses a supervised text mining method to train the expert generation model. Then, the pre-trained language model is used to train the model for incident and relationship extraction. An application based on text dataset of Beijing metros is implemented to certify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Two lines in Beijing metro are analyzed and the results of path analysis model show that different mechanism exists in the two lines, indicating that the high-order information extracted from text data is significant for understanding the incident, accident analysis, and accident prevention.