bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Breastfeeding Practices Among Mothers Attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic at Pumwani Hospital Nairobi
Authors: Kibiru* Sospeter N , Onyango Prof. Rosebella , Okoth Ronnie midigo
Published: December 2022

Despite growing evidence that supports the importance of exclusive breastfeeding of infants below six months, few mothers adhere to this. Early weaning to infant formula and solids is a common practice. This study aimed to ascertain the determinants of breastfeeding practices among mothers at maternal and child health clinics at Pumwani hospital in Nairobi County, Kenya. The theory of reasoned action guides this study. It was designed as an institutional-based cross-sectional analytical study. A total of 307 mothers and 12 community health workers were sampled to participate in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools were administered to the sampled respondents. Data analysis was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods. All data are presented in tables, graphs, and verbatim. Throughout the study period, strict adherence to ethical principles was strictly observed. The study established that 67% of the mothers-initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of delivery. However, only 37% of the mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding. Demographic factors established to be influencing exclusive breastfeeding included the age of both the mother and the father, levels of education for both the mother and the father, religion, and marital status (p < 0.05). Family size did not influence exclusive breastfeeding practices (p > 0.05). The study also established that up to 83% of the mothers had high levels of knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding practices. However, this knowledge did not translate to practice as there was no significant statistical relationship between knowledge and practice (p > 0.05). The study also established that most mothers (69.2%) had a negative attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding. This attitude was found to have a significant statistical association with exclusive breastfeeding practices (p < 0.05). Therefore, recommendations are made to develop county-specific policy amendments to ensure adequate facilitation in the health facilities towards the realization of exclusive breastfeeding requirements. Awareness drives could also be organized in the study area to address negative attitudes and their causes in the study area.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) filler effects on some physical properties of PCL/PMMA blend films
Authors: Elashmawi I. S. , Abdelrazek E. M. , Hezma A. M. , Elzayat Asmaa M.
Published: December 2022

A PCL/PMMA blend system with low contents of multi-walled carbon nanotubes was prepared using a high prop sonicator with casting techniques. The X-ray analysis revealed that adding MWCNTs to the polymer blend did not affect crystallinity but had little effect on d space. Some changes in the positions of IR bands were observed due to the interaction between MWCNTs and the polymer blend. SEM images revealed that the grain size formed and became a definite shape after adding MWCNTs. Mechanical analysis shows that incorporating MWCNTs in the polymeric matrices improves the mechanical properties of both tensile stress and elastic modulus Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that adding MWCNTs enhances the thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposites. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed a significant weight loss from 357–440 °C for all the prepared samples.
Stormwater and flood simulation of sponge city and LID mitigation benefit assessment
Authors: Li Chaochao , Zhang Yadong , Wang Chong , Shen Ruozhu , Gisen Jacqueline Isabella Anak , Mu Jie
Published: December 2022

In the context of global climate changing and the influence of human activities, "sponge city" is put forward to realize the purification, collection and reuse of rainwater. The effective evaluation of LID facilities in sponge cities is of great guiding significance for the promotion and construction of sponge cities. IFMS (Integrated Flood Modeling System) Urban was selected to construct the rainstorm simulation. LID parameters were added to simulate the improvement of urban waterlogging after the construction of sponge city. A reasonable disaster loss assessment method was used to calculate the disaster mitigation benefit brought by the construction of sponge city. Through the comparison of the inundation situation before and after LID facilities construction, it can be concluded that the mitigation effect of LID facilities on the overall inundation area of the city decreases with the increase of rainfall recurrence period, with the maximum reduction rate reaching 13.63% in the 5-year recurrence period and the minimum reduction rate of 11.06% in the 50-year recurrence period. LID facilities have a better disaster reduction effect for rainfall events with a small recurrence period than for rainfall events with a large recurrence period.
Renewable energy generating technologies from solid waste improve urban waste management system in Asella town, Arsi zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia
Authors: Eshete Amde , Haddis Alemayehu , Mengistie Embialle
Published: December 2022

Solid waste management in low-income and medium countries is a critical issue because of financial problems and a lack of practice in appropriate technology. The practice used for solid waste disposal in the majority of Ethiopian towns was a traditional approach such as dumping into river water, roadside diversion ditches, and open field disposal. The main objective of this research project was to determine the technology for solving urban solid waste management problems in the case of Asella, Arsi, and Oromia, Ethiopia. A longitudinal study design was selected for the field community survey data collection process. The sampling techniques designed for data collection were systematic and random sampling methods implemented on 423 households. Multiple logistic regression statistical analysis was selected to formulate an equation used for calculating the quantity of energy produced from solid wastes. The results of the solid waste management system were 86(20.6%) open field disposal, 87(20.8%) dumping to river water, 135(32.3%) open burning, 57(13.6%) composting and 53(12.7%) other methods of solid waste disposal. The solid waste collection activities were handled by municipality 281(9.6%), private partnership 92(22%), and 35(8.4%) waste scavengers from households. The maximum frequency of municipal office solid waste collection was 154 (36.8%) once per month from households. The public dissatisfaction rate with solid waste collection was 59.8%. The final collected solid waste was transported and ended up in open field disposal. Thus the practice of the solid waste management system in Asella was poor so which result in environmental pollution and create adverse health impacts. The solid waste generation rate was 0.55kg/person/day. The amount of energy generated from solid waste is 4.72443E + 11KWH per week. In conclusion, energy processing technologies of anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis, and incineration in addition to composting were recommended solutions for solid waste management problems in the case of Asella town.
Cybersecurity Enhancement to Detect Credit Card Frauds in Healthcare Using New Machine Learning Strategies
Authors: E Jayanthi , T Ramesh , Kharat Reena S , M.R.M Veeramanickam , Bharathiraja N , Venkatesan R , Marappan Raja
Published: December 2022

As the usage of credit cards has become more common in healthcare application of everyday life, banks have found it very difficult to detect the credit card frauds systematically. The fraudulent activities should be identified and detected using new techniques. As a result, machine learning (ML) can help detect credit card fraud in transactions while also reducing the strain on financial institutions. This research aims to improve cybersecurity by detecting fraudulent transaction in data set using the new classifier strategies such as cluster & classifier based decision tree (CCDT), cluster & classifier based logistic regression (CCLR), and cluster & classifier based random forest (CCRF). The proposed strategies are applied to detect the healthcare fraudulent activities. This research implemented data analysis, pre-processing, and the deployment of these strategies to find the better results. The performance of the method is compared with other methods in terms of metrics and CCRF and CCLR perform better than other methods.
Investigating factors affecting the quality of e-learning in Islamic Azad University Tehran Medical Sciences
Authors: Ghasemi Ziba , pour Yassin Ramezan , Karimloo Masoud , Ebadian Ehsan
Published: December 2022

Following the ever-increasing growth of technology, education also went towards using this development, and virtual education replaced traditional face-to-face education as a part of education. With the sudden outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, in many countries of the world, virtual education has completely replaced face-to-face education, and the opinion of users is very important for the continuation of this type of education, at least as a part of the educational system. In this study, the opinions of users of virtual education were investigated in two parts, teachers and learners in Tehran Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences. In general, users were satisfied with virtual training and believed that this type of training is economical and time-saving. Also, the students believed that the existence of the recorded videos of the class is very helpful in their understanding of the lessons and in the exams.
Faculty Members’ Perception, Implementation, and Challenges of Formative Assessment in Undergraduate Medical Education: A cross-sectional study
Authors: AlAskari Ali , Alsharif Abdulaziz , AlSairafi Ali , Abbad Komail Al , Mohamed Eman , Almulhem Manahel , Elq Abdulmohsen Al , Zeeshan Muhammed
Published: December 2022

Background Medical curriculum reform requires quality assurance in all curricular activities including assessment. Such reform necessitates a shift of focus from summative assessment (SA) to formative assessment (FA). However, the implementation of FA confronts several challenges that hinder its proper application, especially with the increased number of students and the diversity of activities required from faculty members. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perception, implementation, and challenges facing faculty members during the application of FA to undergraduate medical students. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey to collect data from the pre-clinical and clinical faculty members of the College of Medicine (CoM) at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU). The survey consisted of 2 sections. The first section focused on the demographic and academic-related data while the second section consisted of a validated self-administered questionnaire related to formative assessment. The questionnaire comprised six domains regarding the level of perception, implementation, and challenges facing FA applications. Results 132 out of 347 faculty members (38%) responded to the survey. Regarding awareness, 68.9% and 67.4% of the faculty members respectively were aware of two subdomains namely, ‘Functions of formative evaluation and understanding of its usefulness and ‘Sharing and addressing educational attentions and success criteria’. However, with respect to the application of FA, only one-third of the members (33.3%) implemented the FA into their teaching process. Regarding barriers to apply FA, the majority of the participants agreed on the major barriers which included required activities from the instructors (93.2%), the number of students (87.1%), and the students’ engagement (84.1%). Conclusions There is a fair overall awareness regarding the concept and importance of FA. Despite that, the application of such an assessment method was limited. This may attribute to several challenges including a large number of students and the required activities from the faculty. Further studies are recommended to investigate the implementation of a formative assessment feedback system and its impact on the learning process in the CoM at IAU.
Systematic analysis of RNASET2 gene as a potential prognostic and immunological biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Zhicheng , Liu Yifu , Xi Ping , Chen Ru , Cheng Xiaofeng , Liu Ji , Zhu Qiqi , Nie Yechen , Sun Ting , Gong Binbin , Wang Siyuan
Published: December 2022

Background RNASET2 has been identified as an oncogene with anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory effects in a variety of cancers, but its function in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unknown. Methods The RNASET2 expression matrix was extracted from the The Tumor Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and analysed for diagnostic and prognostic value. RNASET2 mRNA expression was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in ccRCC patients and renal cancer cell lines. Wound healing assay, transwell assay, western blotting, and tube formation assays were used to evaluate the function of RNASET2 in renal cancerin vitro. In addition, transcriptome sequencing was performed on knockdown RNASET2 kidney cancer cells to analyze their potential signaling pathways. Finally, the immune microenvironment and mutational status were evaluated to predict the potential mechanisms of RNASET2 involvement in renal cancer progression. Sensitivity to common chemotherapeutic and targeted agents was assessed according to the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database. Results RNASET2 expression was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues and renal cancer cell lines, predicting poor prognosis for patients.In vitroexperiments showed that silencing RNASET2 inhibited the migration and pro-angiogenic ability of renal cancer cells. Transcriptome sequencing suggested its possible involvement in the remodelling of the immune microenvironment in renal cell carcinoma. Finally, the results of public databases demonstrated that RNASET2-associated immune cell infiltration and gene mutations may lead to a poor prognosis of ccRCC and have some predictive power for drug sensitivity. Conclusions These finding suggests that RNASET2 is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis and immunology of ccRCC and that it may be a novel target for immunotherapy of ccRCC.
Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma of the stomach: a retrospective study
Authors: Li Lamei , Yang Xinle , Ji Wei , Zhu Qi , Yang Xin , Niu Junqi , Li Wanyu
Published: December 2022

Background: Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS) is a highly malignant and rare extrahepatic tumor. The prognosis is controversial because of its rarity and the lack of multi-center cohort studies, especially on the influence of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level on prognosis. We aimed to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of HAS, particularly the effect of serum AFP on the prognosis of HAS.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of one HAS patient treated at our institution in 2019 and of 252 patients reported between 1984 and 2020 in research databases.
Results: Among these patients, 60.1% were >60 years, 51% had lesions in the gastric antrum, and 51.0% (73/143) had the ulcerative lesion type. The preoperative elevated levels of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were detected in most patients (76.7%). Lymph-node (84.6%) and preoperative liver metastasis (39.1%) were often found. The high-AFP group was characterized by a higher rate of stage IV (P = 0.000682) and liver metastasis (P = 0.000068). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year progression-free survival(PFS) rates were 41%, 18%, and 0%, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 64%, 26%, and 21%, respectively. The survival analysis showed that OS was significantly shorter for HAS with high-AFP (>300 ng/ml) than with low-AFP (≤300 ng/ml) (P = 0.023). Univariate analysis indicated that tumor location, pTNM stage, lymph-node metastasis, surgical resection, and serum AFP >300 ng/ml were prognostic factors for OS. Prognostic factors for PFS were pTNM stage and surgical resection. Cox regression found that pTNM staging [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.404, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.085–1.822, P = 0.010] and surgical resection (HR = 2.289, 95% CI: 1.341–3.905, P = 0.002) were independent risk factors affecting OS of HAS.
Conclusions: Liver metastasis was increasingly more likely with increasingly higher serum AFP, but the prognosis of HAS is not necessarily poor. Serum AFP level is an important prognostic indicator in HAS and should be monitored.
β‐arrestin 2 negatively regulates lung cancer progression by inhibiting the TRAF6 signaling axis for NF-κB activation and autophagy induced by TLR3 and TLR4
Authors: LEE Ki-Young , Kim Ji Young , Shin Ji Hye , Kim Mi-Jeong , Kang Yeeun , Lee Ji Su , Son Juhee , Jeong Soo-Kyung , Kim Daesik , Kim Duk-Hwan , Chun Eunyoung
Published: December 2022

β-arrestin 2 (ARRB2) is functionally implicated in cancer progression via various signaling pathways. However, its role in lung cancer remains unclear. To obtain clinical insight on its function in lung cancer, microarray data from lung tumor tissues (LTTs) and matched lung normal tissues (LNTs) of primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (n = 37) were utilized.ARRB2expression levels were markedly decreased in all 37 LTTs compared to those in matched LNTs of NSCLC patients. They were significantly co-related to enrichment gene sets associated with oncogenic and cancer genes. Importantly, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) between three LTTs with highly down-regulated ARRB2 and three LTTs with lowly down-regulated ARRB2 revealed significant enrichments related to toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and autophagy genes in three LTTs with highly down-regulated ARRB2, suggesting that ARRB2 was negatively involved in TLR-mediated signals for autophagy induction in lung cancer. Biochemical studies for elucidating the molecular mechanism revealed that ARRB2 interacted with TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and Beclin 1 (BECN1), thereby inhibiting the ubiquitination of TRAF6-TAB2 to activate NF-κB and TRAF6-BECN1 for autophagy stimulated by TLR3 and TLR4, suggesting that ARRB2 could inhibit the TRAF6-TAB2 signaling axis for NF-κB activation and TRAF6-BECN1 signaling axis for autophagy in response to TLR3 and TLR4. Notably, ARRB2-knockout (ARRB2KO) lung cancer cells exhibited marked enhancements of cancer migration, invasion, colony formation, and proliferation in response to TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation. Altogether, our current data suggest that ARRB2 can negatively regulate lung cancer progression by inhibiting TLR3- and TLR4-induced autophagy.
Gender-Differentiated Labor and Adaptation Effects of Climate Change in Rural Areas: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Jain Vaishali , Tewathia Nidhi , Barik Kaustuva
Published: December 2022

The study systematically reviews sixty recent publications on the impact of climate change on gender-differentiated labour market by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. While focusing on the effect of climate shocks on rural areas in general and the farming sector in particular, the study is organised around three main themes: (i) agricultural labor market vulnerability, (ii) gender-specific effects, and (iii) adaptation mechanisms. Evidence suggests that women face unique challenges in disaster recovery due to their role as caregivers, unequal access to resources, labor market discrimination and cultural restrictions. The response of household labor supply to climatic stress is different in the short-run and the long-run. While the long-term strategy is contingent on their ability to diversify into non-farm livelihood alternatives and migration to distant places, rural households cope with climate shocks in the short run by relying on affirmative government actions, remittance income and participating in agricultural wage labor.
Mechanical and microstructural characterization of aluminium micro-pins realized by cold metal transfer
Authors: Schneider-Bröskamp Christian , Schnall Martin , Birgmann Alois , Ucsnik Stephan
Published: December 2022

Advanced and reliable joining technologies for ultra-light weight structures combining aluminium with carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) are of great interest for aerospace industries. The combination of superior mechanical properties and low density offer a wide range of possible application. The European collaborative research project ADALFIC (Advanced Aluminium Fittings in CFRP tubes) focuses on the design, analysis, manufacturing and testing of ultra-lightweight CFRP tubes with integrated aluminium end fittings. These aluminium end fittings are equipped with very small, minimum-mass, spike-head pins realized by Fronius' cold-metal-transfer (CMT) Print welding technology. These pins are optimized for form-locked joints between aluminium and CFRP components. In this work the aluminium pins are characterized on a macroscopic and microscopic level using light optical microscopy and hardness testing. To evaluate the behavior of the pins under mode II load conditions a new shear testing method for pins was developed and implemented. With this test equipment the maximum shear force and ultimate shear strength of individual pins was measured at different temperatures and heat treatment conditions. The failure modes and fracture surfaces were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that CMT aluminium pins are a viable, flexible and lightweight option for form-locked aluminium-CFRP joints.
Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Inventory of Infidelity in Jordanian Society
Authors: Aldahadha Basim
Published: December 2022

The concept of infidelity is one of the basics of marital life, and on it depends the satisfaction, compatibility and happiness of the spouses. Therefore, there is an urgent need in Arab countries to develop tools that contribute to dealing with this problem and its painful consequences. Infidelity is a problem that affects a person psychologically and physically, and it is important to develop a measure to identify this problem. This study aimed to verify the validity and reliability of the Multidimensional Infidelity Inventory (IMIN) on a Jordanian sample. For this purpose, the Spanish version of the Romero-Palencia et al. (2007) questionnaire was translated and applied to a Jordanian sample of 732 persons (291 men, 441 women). The results showed that three factors explained 70.28% of the total variance of the infidelity trend subscale, and seven factors explained 68.43% of the total variance of the reasons for infidelity subscale. Five factors explained 61.21% of the total variance of the infidelity beliefs subscale, and two factors explained 57.45% of the total variance for the infidelity consequences subscale. All of them had confirmatory models with adequate levels of goodness of fit, adequate Cronbach alpha indicators, item-item and item-test correlations, in addition to concordance with the original proposal of the instrument. This instrument can assess, diagnose, and overcome infidelity.
Topology-mediated molecule nucleation anchoring enables high-throughput printing of organic semiconducting single crystals
Authors: Ren Xiaobin , Tan Yuan , Deng Wei , Fang Xiaochen , Wu Yiming , Lu Zhengjun , Liu Xinyue , Grigorian Souren , Shi Jialin , Jie Jiansheng , Zhang Xiao-Hong , Zhang Xiujuan
Published: December 2022

Printable organic semiconducting single crystals (OSSCs) offer tantalizing opportunities for next-generation wearable electronics, but their development has been plagued by a long-standing yet inherent problem—spatially uncontrolled and stochastic nucleation events, which usually causes the formation of polycrystalline films and hence limited performance. Here, we report a convenient approach to precisely manipulate the elusive molecule nucleation process for one-step inkjet printing of OSSCs with record-high mobility. By engineering curvature of contact line with a teardrop-shaped micropattern, molecule nucleation is elegantly anchored at the vertex of the topological structure, enabling formation of a single nucleus for the subsequent growth of OSSC. Using this approach, we achieve patterned growth of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1] benzothiophene single crystals, yielding a breakthrough for organic field-effect transistor array with high average mobility of 12.5 cm2 V-1 s-1. These findings not only provide keen insights into controlling molecule nucleation kinetics, but also offer unprecedented opportunities for high-performance printed electronics.
ASPP2 deficiency attenuates lipid accumulation through the
PPARγ pathway in alcoholic liver injury
Authors: Zhang Ying , Miao Xingzhong , Liu Fang , Shi Honglin , Chen Dexi , Ma Yingmin , Shi Hongbo
Published: December 2022

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a liver disease caused by long-term heavy alcohol consumption, the initial stage of which is hepatic steatosis. Recent studies have highlighted a possible role for apoptosis-stimulating protein 2 of p53 (ASPP2) in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism. However, the role of ASPP2 in the disease progression of ALD remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of ASPP2 in regulating lipid metabolism in ALD. In the present study, we found that both ASPP2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) expression were increased in patients with ALD and ethanol-fed mice. To further determine the role of ASPP2 in the development of ALD, we used hepatocyte-specific ASPP2 knockout mice (ASPP2-LKO) to establish an alcoholic liver injury model. We found that deletion of hepatic ASPP2 significantly alleviated hepatic steatosis and injury in a mouse model of ALD. The expression levels of fatty acid oxidation-related genes (AOX, CPT1) and very low-density lipoprotein secretion-related genes (ApoB, MTTP, LFABP) were increased; the expression levels of fatty acid synthesis-related genes (ACC1, FAS) and fatty acid transporter-related genes (CD36) were decreased in ASPP2-LKO mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ASPP2 promotes the accumulation of alcohol-induced hepatocyte lipids via HL-7702 cell lines transfected with ASPP2 adenovirus (adv-ASPP2) and ASPP2 short hairpin RNA lentivirus (LV-ASPP2shRNA) under ethanol treatment. Additionally, we found that ASPP2 promoted the expression of PPARγ in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone reversed the protective effect of ASPP2 downregulation on lipid accumulation and liver injury, while the opposite was observed for PPARγ inhibitor T0070907. Collective, ASPP2 exacerbates ethanol-induced hepatic injury and lipid accumulation by upregulating the PPARγ signaling pathway, thus promoting the progression of ALD.
An Artificial Neural Network-based Radiomics model for Predicting Radiotherapy response of Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients: A multi-center Study
Authors: Xie Yuchen , Liu Qiang , Ji Chao , Sun Yuchen , Zhang Shuliang , Hua Mingyu , Liu Xueting , Pan Shupei , Zhang Xiaozhi
Published: December 2022

Radiotherapy benefits patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) on symptom relief and long-term survival. Contrarily, a substantial proportion of ESCC patients have not benefited from radiotherapy. This study aimed to establish and validate an artificial neural network-based radiomics model for the pre-treatment predicting radiotherapy response of advanced ESCC by using integrated data combined with feasible baseline characteristics of computer tomography. The 248 patients with advanced ESCC patients who underwent baseline CT and received radiotherapy were enrolled in this study and were analyzed by two types of radiomics models, including machine learning and deep learning. As a result, the Att. Resnet50 pretrained network model indicated a superior performance, with AUCs of 0.876, 0.802 and o.732 in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohort. Similarly, our Att. Resnet50 pretrained network model showed excellent calibration and significant clinical benefit according to the C index and the decision curve analysis.Herein, a novel pre-treatment radiomics model was established based on deep learning methods and could be used for radiotherapy response prediction in advanced ESCC patients, thus providing reliable evidence for therapeutic decision-making.
Synthesis of superhydrophobic coatings based on silica nanostructure modified with organosilane compounds by sol-gel method for glass surfaces
Authors: Ghodrati Mohammad , Mousavi-Kamazani Mehdi , Bahrami Zohreh
Published: December 2022

In the present study, the superhydrophobic coating was synthesized by spherical silica nanostructures modified with organosilane compounds for glass surfaces. To optimize the conditions in terms of cost-effectiveness and to create a super-hydrophobic coating with a high contact angle, the design of the central composite (CCD) method was performed for the StÖber method and the contact angle was defined as the response. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was used as a precursor and dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used to modify the surface of a spherical silica nanostructure synthesized by a one-step sol-gel method using a base catalyst. The accuracy of the research was checked by the contact angle measurement test and an angle of 162 degrees was obtained. XRD, FT-IR, EDS, SEM, DLS, and AFM analyzes were performed to investigate the synthesis of silica nanostructure. chemical resistance was performed in acidic, neutral, and alkaline environments and the contact angles were 127°, 134°, and 90°, respectively, which indicates that the coating created on the surface glass has good chemical resistance in acidic and neutral environments.
Research on chip mechanism of Inconel 718 with ultrasonic assisted drilling by step drill
Authors: Wang Qi , Wang Dazhong , Fang Yu
Published: December 2022

Nickel-based high-temperature alloys (Inconel 718) are considered to be difficult-to-machine materials with high yield strength and high-temperature strength properties and are widely used in the aerospace industry. Due to the low thermal conductivity of Inconel 718 material, it tends to cause severe tool wear. In this paper, three step drills with different second point angles are proposed and compared with common twist drills to analyze the effect of spindle speed on torque and thrust. The thrust and torque models of twist drill and step drill bits are firstly established, and then the critical burr generating state of the drill bit is analyzed. The experimental and finite element simulation analyses of the four types of drills show that the step drill has the advantages of lower drilling torque, lower thrust, less exit burr, less effective stress, and higher chip flow rate compared with the common twist drill, and the thrust and torque decrease as the second point angle of the step drill decreases. In addition, the step drill is then compared with conventional drilling (CD) and ultrasonic-assisted drilling (UAD) to analyze the differences in temperature and chip morphology, and the results show that the machining temperature is lower and chip breaking performance is better under ultrasonic-assisted drilling.
Radiotherapy Enhances Efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in Advanced Liver Cancer: A Real-world Data
Authors: Hsu Shu-jung , Chao Yen-cheng , Hu Yong , Zhang Yang , Hong Wei-feng , Chen Yi-xing , Chen Rong-xin , Zeng Zhao-chong , Du Shi-suo
Published: December 2022

Background
To address the need for immunotherapy in patient with advanced primary liver cancer, combination with radiotherapy (RT) has emerged as a promising strategy. In preclinical studies, irradiated tumors released tumor antigens to synergistically increase the antitumor effect of immunotherapy. Hence, we investigated whether RT enhances efficacy of anti-programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor in advanced liver cancer in real world practice.
Methods
Between August 2018 and June 2021, 180 patients with advanced primary liver cancer were enrolled, 87 were treated with a combination of RT and the inhibitor of programmed death receptor (RT-PD1 cohort) and 93 were administered anti-PD-1 therapy (PD1 cohort). The first cycle of PD-1 inhibitors was administered within 60 days or concurrently with RT. Propensity score matching for bias reduction was used to evaluate the clinical outcomes.
Results
Among 49 propensity-matched pairs after PSM, median progression-free survival was 8.1 months in the RT-PD1 cohort versus 3.0 months in the PD1 cohort (P < 0.001). Median overall survival was 21.7 months in the RT-PD1 cohort versus 13.3 months in the PD1 cohort (P = 0.023). Compared with patients in the PD1 cohort, patients in the RT-PD1 cohort had a significantly higher objective response rates (49.0% versus 22.4%, P = 0.006) and disease control rates (71.4% versus 32.7%, P < 0.001). The incidences of toxic effects were not significantly different between the two cohorts.
Conclusions
RT plus anti-PD-1 therapy is well tolerated. RT enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with advanced liver cancer by improving survival outcomes without increased toxic effects.
Transgenerational memory of the effect of drought stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield
Authors: Becheran Daniela E , Abeledo Gabriela , Beznec Ailin , Bossio Ezequiel , Faccio Paula , Miralles Daniel
Published: December 2022

Water deficit is one of the main abiotic stresses that affect wheat production worldwide. Plants exhibit phenotypic variations to mitigate the negative effects of water stress on grain yield. The objective of the work was to evaluate whether wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants showed transgenerational inheritance of environmental adaptation when exposed to water deficit around flowering (i.e. the critical phenological stage for the definition of grain yield). During the first experimental year, plants from three genotypes (PIF: commercial cultivar; TR1 and TR4: transgenic genotypes derived from PIF containing the transcription unit pSARK::IPT --associated with the cytokinin-induced enhanced drought tolerance--) were cultivated under well-watered (WWm) or water deficit from Z3.2 to Z6.9+5 days (WDm). Offspring of this first year were then grown under well-watered (WWo) or water deficit from Z3.2 to Z6.9+5 days (WDo) during the next two years, following a crop arrangement. Plants from seeds exposed to WDm tended to have a poor grain yield for both water regimes of the progeny (i.e. WWo and WDo) in both years. The number of grains per unit area was the numerical component that best explained grain yield (r2=0.98; p<0.05), due to variations in the number of grains per ear. Grain weight was a highly conservative trait. Aboveground biomass and harvest index reduced in response to WDo compared to WWo and followed similar responses to grain yield. In conclusion, a restrictive maternal water environment worsened yield response in the following generation, independent of the water condition to which the offspring were exposed, due to reductions in the number of grains per spike, in total aboveground biomass at maturity, and in its partitioning to the grain.
Rebalancing global nitrogen management in response to a fertilizer and food security crisis
Authors: Snapp Sieglinde , Sapkota Tek , Chamberlin Jordan , Cox Cindy , Gameda Samuel , Jat Mangi , Marenya Paswel , Mottaleb Khondoker , Negra Christine , Senthilkumar Kalimuthu , Sida Tesfaye , Singh Upendra , Stewart Zachary , Tesfaye Kindie , Govaerts Bram
Published: December 2022

Vulnerabilities of the global fuel-fertilizer-food nexus have been revealed by a regional geopolitical conflict causing sudden and massive supply disruptions. Across over- and under-fertilized agricultural systems, nitrogen (N) fertilizer price spikes will have very different effects and require differentiated responses. For staple cereal production in India, Ethiopia, and Malawi, our estimates of N-fertilizer savings show the value of integrated organic and inorganic N management. N-deficient systems benefit from shifting to more cost-effective, high-N fertilizer (such as urea), combined with compost and legumes. N-surplus systems achieve N savings through better targeted and more efficient N-fertilizer use. Globally, there is a need to re-balance access to N-fertilizers, while steering the right fertilizer to the right place, and managing N in combination with carbon through near-term interventions, while striving for longer-term sustainable management. Nationally, governments can invest in extension and re-align subsidies to enable and incentivize improved N management at the farm level.
Incidence of Occult Hepatitis B virus infection among Sudanese patient with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Liver Cirrhosis in the absence of Hepatitis C virus
Authors: Mohamed Osama , Ibrahim Sabah A. E. , Mohamed Sofia B. , Kambal Sumaya , hamedelnile Yasser , Hassan Mohamed , Almofti Yassir A. , kafi Shamsoun
Published: December 2022

This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of Occult HBV Infection (OBI) in Sudanese patients living with LC and HCC in absence of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The plasma of 200 recruited patients were tested for HBsAg, anti HBcAg and HBeAg using ELISA kits. The DNA and RNA were extracted from the samples which tested negative for HBsAg and positive for HBcAg by using viral DNA and RNA extraction kit. Real time PCR was performed for detection of HBV and HCV followed by Multiplex Nested PCR with specific HBV genotype primers. Only 2% HCC patients and 3% LC patients were seronegative for both HBsAg. However, high seroprevalence of HBsAg and HBeAg were recorded in HCC patients group compared to LC group with no statistical significant differences. In regards to HBV genotypes, D, E and mixed D/E genotypes were detected in all positive samples with absence of HCV. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 20.0 OBI was detected in hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis patients. These results highlighted the importance of integrating effective OBI screening techniques such as real time PCR and multiplex nested PCR for proper diagnosis and clinical management of liver diseases.
Investigation of the stray corrosion of Inconel 718 at low current density in NaNO3 solution
Authors: Guo Jianwei , Zhu Dong , Zhu Di , Hou Zhenhao
Published: December 2022

Surface integrity and machining accuracy have important effects on the fatigue life of blisk. During the electrochemical machining (ECM) of blisk, the blade is processed piece by piece. The machined blade profile is exposed to the electric field under low current density and is corroded when the next blade is processed. To investigate stray corrosion during the ECM of blisk, we analyzed the ηω–icurve of Inconel 718 and found that Inconel 718 continues to dissolve at very low current density. We then established a mathematical model of the stray corrosion of blisk in consideration of the electric field factor. Numerical simulations demonstrated that stray corrosion occurs during the ECM of blisk when the machining gap is large (> 1 mm). In a basic experimental investigation of the stray corrosion of Inconel 718, when the machining gap reached 40 mm, the machining time was 220 s, and the amount of corrosion was 0.033 mm. We also carried out ECM experiments with and without protecting the blade from attack by stray current using electrical insulation tape. The maximum corrosion amount of the machined blade was 0.035 mm without protection. In contrast, the protected machined blade was not corroded, and protection enhanced the accuracy and quality of the blisk blade ECM profile.
Survival and cause-specific mortality in adult females of a northern migratory ungulate
Authors: Pöllänen Antti , Pakanen Veli-Matti , Paasivaara Antti
Published: December 2022

Survival of migratory species, such as ungulates, can vary seasonally due to changing environmental conditions, e.g., weather or predation pressure. Female wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus, ‘WFR’) migrate between calving and wintering grounds. Their annual cycle includes four main seasons (wintering, calving, rut and autumn migration) during which they are subject to different conditions, but nothing is known about their survival or mortality patterns. We tracked two separated WFR subpopulations in Kainuu and Suomenselkä in Finland with GPS-collars. Using histories from 271 WFR females followed during 2009–2020, we examined annual and seasonal patterns in survival and cause-specific mortality (predation, traffic and unknown causes) with known-fate models. Annual, seasonal and population variation in survival were negligible (annual mean = 0.85). Predation was the primary cause of mortality (56% of all cases) and wolves (Canis lupus) killed the majority of predated individuals (59% of predation mortality). Importantly, predation rates were higher in Kainuu where the wolf density was 3.7 times higher. In line with this, seasonal variation was not clear in Suomenselkä whereas predation varied across the annual cycle in Kainuu being lower during autumn migration (1.4% / 2 months) and calving (1.7% / 4 months) but higher during rutting (2.8% / 2 months) and wintering (5.3% / 4 months) season. Our results warrant research on the mechanisms (climate, habitat, movement patterns etc.) affecting predation rates during these periods of higher mortality.
Transdisciplinary transformative change: An analysis of some best practices and barriers and the role of critical social science in getting us there
Authors: Deutsch Sierra , Keller Roger , Krug Cornelia , Michel Annina
Published: December 2022

Biodiversity experts now widely acknowledge that transformative change is best supported through transdisciplinary collaborations. Yet, such collaborations rarely successfully occur in major biodiversity research institutions and those that do rarely achieve the paradigmatic effects they aim to deliver. To gain some insight into this global phenomenon, we surveyed Swiss-based researchers, transdisciplinary collaborators, and other stakeholders addressing global change and biodiversity. In this article, we connect our findings to global patterns in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives (TTCIs) and heuristically divide collaboration barriers into two categories: lack of resources and lack of vital functional elements. Two of the major themes that emerged from this research were the continued difficulties with 1) establishing a common ‘language’, understanding, and goals, and 2) meaningful pluralization of knowledge in transdisciplinary collaborations aimed at addressing global change and biodiversity loss. The former is widely cited in the literature as contributing to the failure of TTCIs in the form of incoherent problem-framing, while the latter is often identified as contributing to the lack of structural transformative change (e.g., paradigmatic shifts) in completed initiatives. Another major theme reflected in TTCI literature was limited time. Moreover, based on our own extensive inter- and transdisciplinary experience, we agree with other experts that there is a persistent lack of understanding of the potential contributions of critical social science (CSS) to TTCIs. We thus argue that enhancing resource availability for TTCIs, especially tools for improving CSS literacy, could save time and support both problem-framing alignment and delivery of the structural/paradigmatic changes we aspire to.
CPW Compact Ultra-Wideband MIMO Antenna for 5G Millimeter Wave Applications
Authors: Chang Rui , Wang Jiayun , Lu Chang , Meng Qingya , Zhang Binzhen , Duan Junping
Published: December 2022

This paper presents the design and development of a multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) compact antenna with coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed for 5G millimeter-wave applications. It can be operated in the C (4-8 GHz), Ku (12-18 GHz), K (18-26.5 GHz), and Ka (27-40 GHz) with full coverage of the millimeter wave 5G New Radio (NR) n257/n258/n261 bands.The proposed antenna is designed with planar geometry with an element size of 14 mm×19 mm, which makes it compact and achieves a wide operating bandwidth. By the arrangement of orthogonal rotation, the 4-port structure is formed to realize good polarization diversity. The result shows that the MIMO antenna has a stable radiation pattern at the low-frequency band and offers an ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) of 5-39 GHz (154.5%), isolation of more than 19 dB, and a total footprint of 40 mm×40 mm. ECC<0.04, DG>9.99, CCL<0.4, and MEG<-5 dB have been achieved. The prototype of MIMO is fabricated and measured, and the measured results are in good agreement with the simulation ones. Moreover, the operating mechanism is analyzed by equivalent RLC circuit and surface current distribution. This antenna can be used in a variety of ultra-wideband applications.
GeneXpert Ultra performance to detect uncommon rpoB mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Rigouts Leen , Keysers Jelle , Reenaers Rabab , Fissette Kristina , Deun Armand Van , de jong Bouke Catherina
Published: December 2022

Objective: To investigate the performance of GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra to accurately detect rifampicin resistance (RR) for less common rpoB mutations that potentially confer phenotypic RR, we tested 28 such Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures with Xpert Ultra. Results: They represented 22 different (combinations of) rpoBmutations. Of 28 isolates tested, one was reported by Xpert Ultra as “No R detected” (RS), 8 yielded an “R Indeterminate” result, and 19 were identified as RR. Overall, our results corroborate previous observations on the “Indeterminate” results for mutations at codon 432, while we add Lys446Gln as additional “Indeterminate” result and Pro439Leu as a false-RS result. Furthermore, we document other uncommon SNPs and indels across the rpoB gene that are mostly correctly identified as RR by Xpert ultra (V3). Taken together, “Indeterminate” results in Xpert Ultra may indicate underlying rpoBmutations within the rifampicin-resistance determining region and thus increase the post-test probability of rifampicin resistance, albeit to an unknown extent.
The Addition of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone to 2-day Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test Provides Additional Case Detection
Authors: Wehbeh Leen , Alwahab Ula Abed , Mikhael Alexandra , Dobri Georgiana , Yogi-Morren Divya , Kennedy Laurence , Hamrahian Amir H
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE:
To assess the diagnostic value of adding a Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Stimulation Test to the 2-day Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test (Dex-CRH Test).
METHODS:
We identified 65 patients with Cushing disease (CD) and 42 patients in whom a diagnosis of Cushing disease could not be confirmed (NCD) after a minimum follow-up of 14 months, all of whom had undergone the Dex-CRH test.
RESULTS:
The female sex ratio, median (range) age, and BMI were similar between the two groups. The follow-up for patients with CD and NCD was 66 (4-146) and 52 (14-146) months, respectively. Among 65 patients with CD, 5 (7.7%) had a cortisol level ≤ 1.4 µg/dl after LDDST but were appropriately classified as CD with a cortisol level >1.4 µg/dL at 15-min post CRH stimulation. In contrast, 3/42 patients (7.1%) in NCD had an abnormal Dex-CRH test. In only one of three patients, the LDDST was marginally normal (cortisol was 1.4 µg/dL and increased to 3.1 µg/dL 15-min post CRH). A cortisol cutoff value of > 1.4 µg/dL during the Dex-CRH test provided a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 93%, and diagnostic accuracy of 97% to diagnose CD. Analysis that included only patients with a Dex level (n=74), the sensitivity did not change, but the specificity and accuracy of the Dex-CRH test increased to 97% and 99%, respectively.
CONCLUSION:
The Dex-CRH Test provided additional case detection in 5/65 (7.7%) patients with CD. It resulted in one false-positive case compared to LDDST. Measurement of dexamethasone improved the diagnostic accuracy of the test.