bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Space-time multibody dynamics
Authors: Hesch C. , Glas S. , Schuß S.
Published: March 2023

In this contribution we apply space-time formulation on constrained multibody dynamics. In particular, we discretize directly Hamilton’s principle using appropriate space-time approximation spaces for the variational problem. Moreover, we make use of a rotationless formulation for the rigid bodies and thus, we have to define appropriate approximation spaces in for the Lagrange multipliers as well. Moreover, we make use of Livens’ principle, introducing independent quantities for the position, velocity and momentum, where the latter can be considered as Lagrange multipliers and apply this concept to the space-time rigid body formulation. Finally, we demonstrate the convergence of the different approaches and the superiority in terms of computational effort and thus, total energy consumption of dynamical simulations.
Report of epibiotic suctorian ciliate Acineta karamani on calanoid copepod from the southeastern Arabian Sea
Authors: Purushothaman Aishwarya , Padmakumar K. B.
Published: March 2023

Acineta karamani, a suctorian ciliate, previously known from the freshwater shrimp in Yogoslavia and southwestern Bay of Bengal was discovered in shelf waters off Kochi, Southeastern Arabian Sea. The report briefs the observation of epibiotic suctoria on calanoid copepod Labidocera acuta. The ciliate was represented by its feeding trophont stage and infested the dorsal posterior cephalothorax of the host at a rate of ~ 1–13 numbers per host. The report expands the geographical distribution of the suctoria to the southeastern Arabian Sea.
The South America Low-Level Jet: form, variability and large-scale forcings
Authors: Jones Charles , Mu Ye , Carvalho Leila , Ding Qinghua
Published: March 2023

Northerly low-level jets along the eastern Andes are important conduits of moisture transport and play central roles in modulating precipitation in South America. This study further investigates the South American Low-Level Jet (SALLJ) variability during extended austral summers. A new method characterizes the spatial extent of the low-level jets and finds four distinct SALLJ types: Central, Northern, Andes and Peru. We show the existence of specific evolutions such that the SALLJ initiates in the central region, expands along the Andes and terminates in the northern region. Conversely, the SALLJ initiates in the northern branch, expands to both branches and terminates in the central Andes. The spatiotemporal evolution of the SALLJ is remotely forced by tropical convective anomalies associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation and El Niño/Southern Oscillation. The evolution of different SALLJ types is controlled by the longitudinal location of equatorial convective anomalies and the phases of Rossby wave trains propagating into South America.
Optimization of GMAW Process Parameters for Weld Overlay of Inconel 686 Superalloy on Low-Carbon Steel
Authors: Tabaie Seyedmohammad , Greene Trevor , Benoit Michael J.
Published: March 2023

Weld overlays of Ni-based superalloys provide high-temperature corrosion, oxidation, and wear resistance for industrial applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microstructure of Ni-Cr-Mo superalloy Inconel 686 overlays fabricated using automatic gas metal arc welding (GMAW) with three different levels of voltage, travel speed, and wire feed speed. The variation of these parameters and their effects on the weld quality, dilution, and microsegregation were analyzed. The weld surface quality was assessed by visual examination. The weld dilution was measured by both geometric and chemical composition definitions. The maximum dilution was measured at 13.63%, induced by the highest weld heat input (5.97 kJ.cm− 1) and lowest wire feed speed (6 m.min− 1). The overlay dilution and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) size decreased by increasing the wire feed speed. However, increasing the wire feed speed and the heat input reduced the weld quality and even resulted in noncomplete joints. Microsegregation of elements was evaluated using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and it was found that microsegregation of Mo and Cr and the volume fraction of secondary phases in the interdendritic areas increased with increasing the weld heat input. According to the visual examination results and macro- and microscopic evaluation, the weld overlay parameters were found to be optimized for the mid-level heat inputs (4–5 kJ.cm− 1) and wire feed speeds between 6 and 8 m.min− 1.
Photophysical, antioxidant, antibacterial and NBO, LOL, ELF analysis of alkyl groups substituted calix[4]resorcinarenes
Authors: Kasi Sathiyaseelan , Albert Antony Muthu Prabhu
Published: March 2023

In our work to investigate the photophysical, antibacterial, theoretical and topological analysis of four C-alkyl calix[4]resorcinarenes (C4RAs). The solvatochromism and photophysical properties of C4RAs in different solvents were recorded in both UV-Visible and fluorescence spectral studies. The total antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity of four C4RAs were evaluated by phosphomolybdate assay and kirby-bauer method. Theoretical parameters such as HOMO, LUMO, energy gap and Mulliken atomic charges and NBO were optimized by DFT B3LYP 6-311G method. From the results of HOMO and LUMO energies were used to determine the theoretical parameters of four C4RAs. The nucleophilic and electrophilic substitution reactivity of four C4RAs were analyzed by molecular electrostatic potential map analysis. Natural bonding orbital analysis was used to determine the intramolecular charge transfer within the energy difference between acceptor and donor orbitals. The non-covalent interactions of four C4RAs were characterized by LOL and ELF topological analysis.
Regression Test Selection in Test-Driven Development
Authors: mafi Zohreh , Mirian-Hosseinabadi Seyyed-Hassan
Published: March 2023

The large number of unit tests produced in the test-driven development (TDD) method and the iterative execution of these tests extend the regression test execution time in TDD. This study aims to reduce test execution time in TDD. We propose a TDD-based approach that creates traceable code elements and connects them to relevant test cases to support regression test selection during the TDD process. Our proposed hybrid technique combines text and syntax program differences to select related test cases using the nature of TDD. We use a change detection algorithm to detect program changes. Our experience is reported with a tool called RichTest, which implements this technique. In order to evaluate our work, seven TDD projects have been developed. The implementation results indicate that the RichTest plugin significantly decreases the number of test case executions and also the time of regression test. The test suite effectively enables fault detection because the selected test cases are related to the modified partitions. Moreover, the test cases cover the entire modified partitions; accordingly, the selection algorithm is safe. The concept is particularly designed for the TDD method. Although this idea is applicable in any programming language, it is already implemented as a plugin in Java Eclipse.
Early-onset colorectal cancer: a retrospective study of demographic, clinicopathological, and molecular characteristics in China
Authors: Chen ZongYao , Deng ShuangYa , Jin XiaoXin , Lin YuHang , Xiao Wang , Chen WeiDong
Published: March 2023

Background: The global incidence and mortality rate of early-onset CRC has gradually increased. The clinicopathological features and pathogenesis of early-onset CRC were still not fully elucidated, and relative data were lacking in China. This research aims to examin the demographic, clinicopathological characteristics of early-onset CRC in China.
Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 509 patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2019 to 2021 in the General Surgery Department of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.
Results: Early-onset CRC patients had significantly longer median symptom durations (90 vs 60 days, P < 0.001). There was no direct relationship between the symptoms duration and the stage of the disease at presentation in early-onset CRC patients (p = 0.750). Early-onset CRC patients showed a more advanced disease stage than late-onset CRC patients (65.7% VS 52.9%, P = 0.005). Additionally, early-onset CRC patients were more likely to have poorly differentiated (30.2% vs 16.7%, p = 0.001), mucinous or signet-ring tumors than late-onset CRC patients (22.4% vs 15.0%, P = 0.048). The d-MMR tumors were more common in early-onset CRC patients (15.9% vs 5.8%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in age, gender, BMI, or pathology between patients with right- and left-sided CRC in early-onset CRC patients.
Conclusions: Early-onset CRC has different epidemiology, pathology, and molecular features compared to late-onset CRC in China. More research is required to understand better the pathophysiology of early-onset CRC and why there are different characteristics between the two types of CRC.
Effects of the Intermittent Intrapulmonary Deflation Technique on Expiratory Flow Limitation: an in Vitro Study
Authors: de Macedo Juliana Ribeiro Fonseca Franco , Reychler Gregory , Poncin William , Liistro Giuseppe
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The intermittent intrapulmonary deflation (IID) technique is a recent airway clearance technique that intends to delay the onset of expiratory flow limitation (EFL) during exhalation. We showed in a previous study that IID increased the expiratory volume of COPD patients compared to quiet breathing and positive expiratory pressure (PEP) therapy. We hypothesized that it was due to the attenuation of the EFL.
Objectives: To verify the physiologic effects of IID and PEP techniques on EFL with a mechanical lung model.
Methods: A mechanical lung model was created to assess the effects of IID and PEP techniques. The thorax was simulated by a plexiglas box in which an adult test lung was connected. A calibration syringe simulated the inspiratory phase. Later, with activation of the IID, the expiratory phase was driven by the deflation generated by the device. With PEP, the expiration occurred maintaining an expiratory pressure between 5-10 cmH2O. A pneumotachograph and a pressure transducer were placed in series for flow, volumes and pressure measurements.
Results: The model reproduced physiological characteristics of EFL. However, the deflation of the model was slowed by IID and PEP, and flow remained almost constant, so flow limitation was reduced.
Conclusion: The IID and PEP attenuate EFL and increase exhaled volume in the in vitro model.
Highly efficient and green micro/nano cellulose preparation with micro-nano bubbles from mild alkaline pretreated bagasse
Authors: Yu Qian , Tiantian Ping , He Huang , Huiying Xing , Mengke Liu , Xin Feng , Xiaohua Lu , Lilong Zhang , Jiahua Zhu
Published: March 2023

Cellulose extraction accounts for 70% of the total production cost required for the preparation of micro/nano cellulose. Conventional pretreatment methods cause equipment corrosion and generate non-recyclable waste liquids. Thus the industrial-scale preparation of micro/nano cellulose is limited. To overcome this limitation, herein, a method is proposed, where in a mild alkaline pretreatment is combined with the micro-nano bubble (MNB) treatment, for the extraction of cellulose from bagasse. A delignification rate of >92% was attained, micro/nano cellulose was exposed on the pulp surface owing to the MNB treatment; the 4-h MNB treatment resulted in the complete exposure of micro/nano fibers. The production cost for this process was only 3.19 USD/kg CNFs, about 70.9 times lower than that for TEMPO oxidation. An appropriate MNB treatment time (1 h, 2 h) allowed the retention of moderate micro-fibers, which enhanced the maximum tensile force and tensile strength of micro/nano cellulose paper by about 50%. The results revealed that the proposed method serves as an efficient, green, and sustainable strategy for the large-scale and low-cost production of micro/nano cellulose.
Integrative analysis of a four-component competing endogenous RNA network reveals potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in gastric cancer
Authors: Salehi-Mazandarani Sadra , Nikpour Parvaneh
Published: March 2023

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common and deadly cancer in the world. Molecular changes underlying the development of GC are not thoroughly understood. Therefore, we constructed and analyzed a novel four-component competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network to introduce plausible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in GC. Transcriptomics and circular RNA (circRNA) data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, respectively. After batch effect correction, differential expression analysis, and interaction prediction, a ceRNA network including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) was established. Enrichment analyses were performed and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Furthermore, A sub-network was extracted and using qRT-PCR method, the expression changes of two hub ceRNAs were examined. Finally, survival analysis was performed to identify potential prognostic RNAs. A four-component ceRNA network containing 822 nodes and 1365 edges was constructed. Enrichment analyses unveiled important signaling pathways and gene ontologies such as neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and axonogenesis relating to the network. PPI network showed the interactions among mRNAs of the ceRNA network. qRT-PCR indicated downregulation of EPHA5 and SNAP91 mRNAs in GC compared to control tissues. Survival analyses revealed eight mRNAs and one lncRNA as potential prognostic biomarkers in GC. The established ceRNA network in GC reveals a comprehensive view of the molecular and cellular characteristics of GC progression which can be considered as a basis to examine and validate potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets.
Simulation of the adsorption – desorption hysteresis
Authors: Lovrić Milivoj
Published: March 2023

A model of desorption from the surface of rotating disk into the solution of surface active substance is developed for Frumkin isotherm. The time needed to approach the first equilibrium within 1% of error is investigated. For desorption this means to acquire the highest surface coverage, and for adsorption the lowest coverage that is in the equilibrium with the bulk of solution. If the equilibrium isotherm is S shaped, the near equilibrium isotherms are characterised by big changes of coverage that are caused by small increments of bulk concentrations. These changes require very long near equilibrating times because they are driven by small fluxes of dissolved surfactant. These times are the second component of the hysteresis.
The electron-induced trimerization of acrylic acid anion radical in the gas phase
Authors: Tavakol Hossein , Shafieyoon Parvaneh
Published: March 2023

In this work, the electron-induced reaction of acrylic acid was studied using an FT-ICR-Mass spectrometer and DFT calculations at M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. The experiments showed the formation of acrylic acid trimer after 40 seconds as the major product. In the theoretical part, the structures and energies of various intermediates, transition states, and products were found via 4 different routes in five steps, consisting of electron transfer, proton transfer, dimerization, trimerization, and cyclization. The highest barriers belonged to the proton-transfer step, which defined the kinetic of the process and the kinetic product. The reactions were only possible up to the formation of the acyclic trimer and the cyclization process in the studied routes was kinetically and thermodynamically impossible. The calculated relative energies showed the possibility of two acyclic trimer structures as the major products. The first (I5-1), was the most stable and thermodynamic product with − 67.63 kcal/mol relative energy with a 12.38 kcal/mol overall barrier. The second (I5-2), was the kinetic product with a 10.55 kcal/mol barrier and − 55.21 kcal/mol relative energy versus the reactant. Because of the completion of the reaction in 40 s and at room temperature, the kinetic product was selected as the major product.
Study on the diffraction-like and interference-like mechanisms of particle flow
Authors: Zeng Jiqing , Zeng Tianhe
Published: March 2023

The Young's double slit experiment and the electron double slit experiment are generally considered to prove the wave nature of light and electrons. The most obvious sign of the double-slit experiment is that there are bright and dark stripes on the screen. However, people have not carefully studied the causes of the light and dark stripes. Here, we demonstrates that the light and dark fringe in Young's double-slit experiment is not actually the diffraction and interference pattern of light wave, and tries to reveal the real reason for its formation. We have studied the scattering phenomenon of particle flow after passing through the gap, and found that the scattering type and scattering degree of freedom of particle flow are determined by the physical parameters of particles and the gap, and the uniform scattering of particle flow can form a "yes" and "no" discrete distribution pattern on the receiving screen. Based on the "diffraction like" and "interference like" mechanism of particle flow, this paper explains the electron diffraction and interference experiment, as well as the Young's double-slit interference experiment and the diffraction of light through circular holes and plates. This paper negates the wave-particle duality and the de Broglie material wave hypothesis, fundamentally shaking the foundation of modern quantum mechanics, and has great scientific significance.
Right and Left Ventricular Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Derived Peak Systolic Strain is Abnormal in Children with Myocarditis
Authors: Rhee Elisa , Dobrila Julija , Kaur Harmanpreet , Patel Mehul D. , Uppu Santosh C.
Published: March 2023

Purpose: CMR derived left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential strain is known to be abnormal in myocarditis. CMR strain is an useful additional tool that can identify subclinical myocardial involvement and may help with longitudinal follow-up. Right ventricular strain derived by CMR in children has not been studied. We sought to evaluate CMR derived biventricular strain in children with acute myocarditis.
Methods: Children with acute myocarditis who underwent CMR 2016 - 2022 at our center were reviewed, this group included subjects with COVID-19 myocarditis. Children with no evidence of myocarditis served as controls Those with congenital heart disease and technically limited images for CMR strain analysis were excluded from final analysis. Biventricular longitudinal, circumferential, and radial peak systolic strains were derived using Circle cvi42. Data between cases and controls were compared using an independent sample t-test. One-way ANOVA with post hoc analysis was used to compare COVID-19, non-COVID myocarditis and controls.
Results: 38 myocarditis and 14 controls met inclusion criteria (14.4 ± 3 years). All CMR derived peak strain values except for RV longitudinal strain were abnormal in myocarditis group. One-way ANOVA revealed that there was a statistically significant difference with abnormal RV and LV strain in COVID-19 myocarditis when compared to non-COVID-19 myocarditis and controls.
Conclusion: CMR derived right and left ventricular peak systolic strain using traditionally acquired cine images were abnormal in children with acute myocarditis. All strain measurements were significantly abnormal in children with COVID-19 even when compared to non COVID myocarditis.
Lecture Preparation of Fluorescence Quantum Dots-Molecularly Imprinted Polymers and Detection of Teflubenzuron from Cabbage Samples
Authors: Feng Tian , Chen Zhenkun , cheng Xiaoming
Published: March 2023

A novel and sensitive quantum dots-molecularly imprinted polymer (MIPs-capped ZnS:Mn QDs) was synthesized for the rapid and specific recognition of teflubenzuron (TBZ) in water samples. Based on the fluorescence quenching via template analytes(TBZ) rebinding into the specific recognition cavities in the polymer, which allowed the TBZ to be sensed optically. Under optimal conditions, MIPs-capped ZnS:Mn QDs was applied to detection of TBZ, and a linear relationship was obtained over the concentration range 0-100mg/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9981. Four structurally similar compounds were used for the selectivity test of MIPs-capped ZnS:Mn QDs. It was observed that the obtained composites can selectively rebind the template molecules(TBZ). In addition, MIPs-capped ZnS:Mn QDs were successfully applied to the detection of TBZ in cabbage samples. The recovery is between 90.35 and 97.09% with relative standard deviations in the range of 2.45–3.17%. The polymer developed in this work has the advantages of simple preparation and processing, fast response, low toxicity and good optical stability, which is very promising for the detection of TBZ.
Three-wavelength PPG and support vector machine for non-invasive estimation of blood glucose
Authors: Castro-Pimentel Luis Alfredo , Téllez-Anguiano Adriana del Carmen , Coronado-Reyes Oscar Iván , Diaz-Huerta Jorge Luis
Published: March 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized by producing abnormal levels of blood glucose concentration. Currently, the most widely accepted method for glucose monitoring is invasive, however, despite its great reliability, it can be uncomfortable and traumatizing for the youngest users. The objective of this study is to provide an alternative method that allows a non-invasive estimation of blood glucose levels with an elevated level of confidence. In this work, 187 records were performed on people without any declared pathology; the concentration of blood glucose and the amplitude of the PPG signals of 525 nm, 660 nm and 940 nm were measured simultaneously. 70% of the data was used to train a regression model based on a fine Gaussian support vector machine, while the remaining 30% is used to validate the results. The regression model using the support vector machine was able to locate 95.38% of the estimates with an error of less than 15%, showing a standard error of 7.01 mg/dL and a MARD of 6.99%. The model presented here allows non-invasive estimation of blood glucose levels with reliability comparable to minimally invasive devices currently on the market.
Identifying characteristic genes of ferroptosis in osteoarthritis based on machine learning and analysis of immune infiltration
Authors: Xu Wenfei , Mei Qijie , Yuan Changshen , Ming chunyu , Yue xing , Guo Jinrong , Zeng chao , Duan kan
Published: March 2023

Objective: Machine learning was used to identify the characteristic genes associated with ferroptosis in osteoarthritis (OA) and immune infiltration analysis.
Methods: Microarray datasets were downloaded from the GEO database, while genes associated with ferroptosis were retrieved from the FerrDb website. R language was used to batch correct data, extract OA ferroptosis genes, and analyze the differences between them. GO、KEGG、DO and PPI analysis was performed on DEGs, and machine learning techniques were utilized for the selection of characteristic genes associated with ferroptosis in OA. Further PCR assay validation and relevant immune infiltration analysis were carried out.
Results: 24 DEGs related to ferroptosis in OA were obtained, which included 21 down-regulated and 3 up-regulated genes. It mainly involves the reaction to oxidative stress, apical cell , IL17 and TNF signaling pathways. Ferroptosis is also associated with female genital tumors and other diseases. WGCNA, SVM-RFE, and LASSO regression analyses were utilized to select 12, 9, and 4 genes. The characteristic gene KLF2 was obtained after the intersection. After verification, it was found that KLF2 was more accurate as a disease-characteristic gene; It was further confirmed that the expression of KLF2 was lower in the test group than in the control group using PCR assay. Immune infiltration analysis showed that activated mast cells were closely related to resting dendritic cells, and KLF2 was closely related to T cells follicular helper. Conclusion: Machine learning methods can be used to obtain KLF2, a gene characteristic of OA Ferroptosis, and effectively elucidate its pathogenesis.
Common clinical presentations and antimicrobial resistance pattern among burn patients, at Addis Ababa Burn and Emergency Trauma Hospital (AaBET), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Menjeta Abeje Brhanu , Gize Addisu , Feleke Surafel Tadesse , Hassen Ibsa Kedir , Muleta Mahteme Bekele
Published: March 2023

Background: Burn is a very devastating form of trauma, which is responsible for a significant percentage of morbidities and mortalities caused by injury and accidents worldwide. Thermal injury destroys the skin barrier that normally prevents invasion of microorganisms and makes burn wounds susceptible site for colonization by microorganisms of endogenous and exogenous origin.
Methods:A prospective cross-sectional study was held at Addis Ababa Burn, Emergency and Trauma (AaBET) Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from December 01, 2020 to November 30, 2021. Data collected using structured and pretested questionnaire through face-to-face interview. Then, by observing standard procedures wound swabs collected from all consented participants and evaluated for possible microbial isolates and their antibiotic resistance and sensitivity pattern. The extracted data analyzed using SPSS 20.1. This study was conducted following approval of the Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College Institutional Review Board.
Result: From a total of 75 patients who consented for the study, males account 53.3% (n=42), and age ranged from 6 months to 76 years, with the median age being 19 years. Children less than 15 years old account 42.7% (n=32). Flame burn was the leading cause (n=30, 40%) followed by a scald burn (n=22, 29.3%) and high voltage electric burn (n=21, 28%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the commonest isolate (42 isolates; 61.7%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (18 isolates; 26.4%). A significant percentage of the positive swab results were monomicrobial (84.7%) as compared to those polymicrobial isolates (15.3%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be highly sensitive to Meropenem, Tobramycin, Gentamycin, and Ciprofloxacillin, while it showed high resistance to ceftriaxone and ceftazidime, Cotrimoxazole, Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.
Conclusion: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common bacteria isolate from burn wounds of the study participants and it is sensitive to Meropenem, Tobramycin, Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacillin; but resistant to Ceftriaxone and Ceftazidime.
A novel approach to PAAD patient care: A 9-cuproptosis-related differential expression lncRNAs model for prognosis prediction
Authors: Xu Chao , Feng Yanzhi , Yan Yong , Liang Litao , Kong Lianbao , Zhou Yongping
Published: March 2023

Cuproptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death that is being linked to varied malignancy activities. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are demonstrating an increasing ability to influence the progression of cancer and the immune microenvironment. As a result, using the TCGA database, we attempted to construct a cuproptosis-related lncRNAs risk model to predict the prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) and identify the relationship between the risk model and the tumor immune microenvironment (TME). The Cox proportional hazards model and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) determined a 9-CuRDEPLs (Cuproptosis-related differential expression prognostic lncRNAs) prognostic risk model. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves validate the accuracy of the model. Multivariate Cox analysis employing a risk score as well as patients' clinical parameters shows that a risk score can independently predict the prognosis of PAAD. A nomogram was created, exhibiting that the risk model was capable of accurately predicting the overall survival of PAAD patents for 1, 3, and 5 years. The link between the immunological features and 9-CuRDEPL's model was also investigated further. The findings suggest that TME, particularly CD8+ cells, differs from high to low risk groups. The drug correlation assay reveals that nine CuRDEPLs have a strong relationship with the sensitivity of certain drugs. All of these suggest that 9-CuRDEPL's model could be utilized to forecast the prognosis of PAAD and will help guide clinical therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Long-term changes in observed soil temperature over Poyang Lake Basin, China during 1960-2016
Authors: Lou Dan , Shi Xiao , Ullah Waheed , Shi Dawei , Li Chao , Chai Yuanfang , Jinping Xu , Zhou Hao
Published: March 2023

A regional analysis of soil temperature (ST) is essential for improving our understanding of the soil thermal regime and its link with the atmosphere. This study attempts to assess trends in the Poyang Lake Basin (PLB) ST magnitude during 1960–2016 from station observations at multiple depths. The Mann-Kendall, Thiel-Sen, linear regression and probability density statistics (PDF) are used for ST trend assessment with a significance level of 95%. The ST seasonal variability shows minimum values in winter (8℃) and maximum in the summer season (32 ℃). On an interannual scale, spring and winter seasons exhibited a significant increase in both land surface temperature (LST) (0.4℃, 0.4℃) and ST (0.3ºC, 0.15℃) magnitude than summer (LST − 0.1℃, ST 0.2℃) and autumn seasons (LST 0.3℃, ST 0.2℃). The northern basin exhibited a significant increase in LST, and ST magnitude, especially during the cold seasons (spring, winter) than the warm seasons. The maximum and minimum temperature trend and their diurnal difference infer an increase in the minimum temperature, especially during the summer, autumn, and winter seasons. The PDF further inferred that extreme cold events' frequency decreased, and a significant increase in extreme warm events is obvious in the recent decade. The increasing trend in soil temperature magnitude is more in the northern basin than the high-altitude southern basin. Large-scale global warming and regional water and energy cycle changes can be the leading factors of such a warming trend.
Sentiments Analysis of COVID-19 Subvariant XBB.1.5 using machine learning
Authors: Olanipekun Ayorinde , Mashao Daniel
Published: March 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a significant impact on society, with discussions about the virus taking place on various social media platforms. In this study, different machine learning techniques for sentiment analysis of COVID-19 Subvariant XBB.1.5 were explored. The datasets of tweets containing hashtags related to Covid-19 Subvariant XBB.1.5 were collected and natural language processing techniques were used as processing techniques to pre-process the text. In this research, all tweets related to COVID-19 Subvariant XBB.1.5 from October 15th, 2022 are collected using the Twitter API. Different machine learning algorithms were later used to classify the tweets as positive, neutral, or negative in sentiment. The different algorithms used includes Stochastic Gradient Descent, Logistic regression, Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and Extreme Gradient Boosting Our results showed that Logistic Regression achieved the highest accuracy, with an overall accuracy of 89% testing accuracy and 100% training accuracy, with positive sentiments having 0.95 Precision, 0.9 recall, and 0.93 F1-Score. The higher percentage of Positive tweets sentiments about COVID-19 Subvariant XBB.1.5, showed that most people were not disturbed about the negative impact the virus could have on them in comparison to the first and other previous Covid variants. The statistical performance of the different machine learning algorithms is measured using Accuracy, F1-Score, recall, precision, and ROC. The accuracy of the different classifiers applied is high.
The role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in stress-induced metabolic disorders
Authors: Bhadra Sukanta , Chen Daling , Li Jianning , Chen Siyu , Liu Chang
Published: March 2023

Depression is considered the second leading cause of the global health burden after cancer. Depression doubles the risk of metabolic syndrome in the overall population. Depressed people are more vulnerable to metabolic syndrome because of their poor health-related practices. The regulatory key factors between metabolic diseases and depression are poorly understood in terms of dysregulation of genes affected in depressive disorder. We employed in silico analysis and quantitative framework to understand the molecular mechanism of depression and its related metabolic diseases. According to the previous studies, the key regulator of tryptophan metabolism, IDO-1, plays an important role in the pathophysiology of depression. In the present study, molecular docking and simulation analyses were performed to determine the interaction kinetics of Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO-1) with drugs, including metformin, pioglitazone and alpha- tocopherol, which are widely used in the treatment of diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Our study aims to outline the effect of IDO1 on hepatic lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. We found that stressed mice showed the improved glucose and insulin tolerance compared to the control group. IDO-1 expression robustly increased in the serum of high-fat diet-induced stressed mice. In vitro study confirms that knocked down of IDO-1 aggravated lipid droplets in AML-12 hepatocytes treated with free fatty acids and upregulated the mRNA expression of lipid metabolic genes. Hence, IDO-1 may contribute a significant role in hepatic lipid metabolism. Taken together, our findings suggest that IDO-1 may inhibit the of lipid accumulation in the liver and can serve as a potent drug target for pioglitazone to combat metabolic abnormalities along with stress prevention.
A pH/Enzyme Dual Responsive PMB Spatiotemporal Release Hydrogel Promoting Chronic Wound Repair
Authors: Dong Lanlan , Huang Can , Zhao Baohua , Hu Guangyun , Huang Yong , Zhang Xiaorong , Hu Xiaohong , Wang Ying , Qian Wei , Luo Gaoxing
Published: March 2023

Persistent MDR bacterial infection and excessive inflammation are stricken issues in chronic wounds. Currently, developing a microenvironment-responsive hydrogel with good biodegradability, drug-loading, anti-infection, and anti-inflammatory properties is desired to boost the wound-healing process, but remains a challenge using ordinary assembly. Herein, we propose a pH/enzyme dual responsive PMB spatiotemporal release hydrogel (GelMA/OSSA/PMB), including polymer drug conjugate (Schiff's base reaction between aldehyde groups in OSSA and amino groups in PMB) and photo-crosslinked GelMA. The ingenious combination of novel polymer conjugates (OSSA/PMB) in the GelMA/OSSA/PMB hydrogel shows better bio-safety than equivalent free PMB and is contributes to relase PMB controlly, which helps to kill planktonic bacteria and inhibit biofilm activity in vitro. Notably, it performs better bio-safety on encapsulating hydrophilic active PMB than equivalent free PMB. Simulataneously, GelMA/OSSA/PMB exhibits excellent antibacterial properties and anti-inflammatory activities. MDR P.a-caused infection was effectively cured by the GelMA/OSSA/PMB hydrogel in vivo, and thereby the wound closure at the inflammatory phase was promoted significantly. Further, GelMA/OSSA/PMB accelerated the sequential phases in wound repair progress. GelMA/OSSA/PMB hydrogel showed the potential of microenvironment-responsive hydrogels in chronic wound dressings.
A Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation Method based on Local Superpixel Transformation
Authors: Ma Zhiming , Chen Dali , Mo Yilin , Chen Yue , Zhang Yuming
Published: March 2023

Weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) can obtain pseudo-semantic masks through a weaker level of supervised labels, reducing the need for costly pixel-level annotations. However, the general class activation map (CAM)-based pseudo-mask acquisition method suffers from sparse coverage, leading to false positive and false negative regions that reduce accuracy. We propose a WSSS method based on local superpixel transformation that combines superpixel theory and image local information. Our method uses a superpixel local consistency weighted cross-entropy loss to correct erroneous regions and a post-processing method based on the adjacent superpixel affinity matrix (ASAM) to expand false negatives, suppress false positives, and optimize semantic boundaries. Our method achieves 73.4% mIoU on the PASCAL VOC 2012 validation set and 73.9% on the test set, and the ASAM post-processing method is validated on several state-of-the-art methods. If our paper is accepted, our code will be published.
Grazing exclusion on capacity of symbiotic nitrogen fixation estimated with natural 15N abundance and the 15 N dilution techniques
Authors: Li Runfu , Kong Qian , Liu Qiang , Niu Haishan
Published: March 2023

Grazing exclusion is the commonest degradation-recovering practice for alpine grasslands on Qing-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). A general response of legumes is the reduction in abundance, cover or biomass (esp. in relative scale), which is supposed to decrease in biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Here, we want to estimate whether the capacity of BNF in legumes (measured by unit biomass) would be changed by grazing exclusion. Two 15N isotope techniques were adopted to compare the BNF capacity of Astragalus arnoldii (a legume) between inside and outside animal-exclusion fence. For natural abundance (NA) method, plants were sampled at three timepoints, while for isotope dilution (ID) method, plants were collected after one day (24h), one month and one year of labeling. The two consistent in estimating percentage of N derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) (77.52 ± 1.96% in NA vs. 72.39 ± 2.59% in ID), except an underestimation in ID for the first-time sampling (24h after labeling), seemingly owing to insufficient recovery time for reference plants. No significant difference in %Nfda inside (74.36 ± 2.36%) and outside (75.57 ± 2.26%) of the fence was found. Given that the biomass of legumes inside the fence (33.96 ± 2.71 g m-2) was significantly lower than that outside (19.62 ± 1.25 g m-2), we conclude that if total BNF were reduced by grazing exclusion, it would be due to the population size of legumes rather than the capacity.
Risk factor analysis of the incidence of adjacent vertebral compression fracture following PKP surgery in postmenopausal women
Authors: Fan Wu , Dawei Sang , Bin Xu , Gongwu Yuan , Zhigang Li , Shaokang Qiu
Published: March 2023

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for adjacent vertebral compression fracture following PKP surgery in postmenopausal women.

Methods

A total of 297 patients who received PKP surgery between January 2016 and December 2020 were divided into two groups according to whether the adjacent vertebral body was fractured. The covariates recorded were age, bone mineral density (BMD), the number of surgical vertebral body, the VAS scores of back, the surgical site (thoracic spine/lumbar spine), the surgical method (unilateral/bilateral), the single section of bone cement volume, the height and the kyphosis angle of the change before and after surgery, the leakage of bone cement. A one-way ANOVA was performed with the above mentioned parameters and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relative risk factors.

Results

A total of 297 patients were followed-up at a mean of 2.1 ± 0.4 years (range,2–3years). Sixty-seven patients demonstrated fractures in the adjacent vertebral body following surgery. Analysis by one-way ANOVA demonstrated that the age(p = 0.001), the bone mineral density (BMD)(p = 0.000), the number of surgical vertebral body(p = 0.014), the VAS scores of back(p = 0.000), the surgical site (thoracic spine/lumbar spine)(p = 0.001), the single section of bone cement volume(p = 0.034), the height of change after surgery(p = 0.000) and the kyphosis angle of change after surgery(p = 0.000) were potential risk factors (all parameters, p<0.05). Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis showed that the age(OR = 4.022, 95%CI 1.348–12.002, p = 0.013), the BMD(OR = 2.008, 95%CI 1.465–2.754, p = 0.000), the VAS scores of back(OR = 1.472, 95%CI 1.135–1.909, p = 0.004), the change of height after operation(OR = 0.181, 95%CI 0.089–0.367, p = 0.000) and the change of kyphosis angle after operation(OR = 0.806, 95%CI 0.689–0.943, p = 0.007) were also risk factors for adjacent vertebral compression fractures following PKP surgery in postmenopausal women.

Conclusions

The age, the BMD, the VAS scores of back, the change of height after operation and the change of kyphosis angle after operation may be risk factors for fractures in the adjacent vertebral body of postmenopausal women following PKP surgery.
Evaluation and Implementation of Lie Group Integration Methods for Rigid Multibody Systems
Authors: Holzinger Stefan , Arnold Martin , Gerstmayr Johannes
Published: March 2023

As commonly known, standard time integration of the kinematic equations of rigid bodies modelled with three rotation parameters is infeasible due to singular points. Common workarounds are reparameterization strategies or Euler parameters. Both approaches typically vary in accuracy depending on the choice of rotation parameters. To efficiently compute different kinds of multibody systems, one aims at simulation results and performance that are independent of the type of rotation parameters. As a clear advantage, Lie group integration methods are rotation parameter independent. However, few studies have addressed whether Lie group integration methods are more accurate and efficient compared to conventional formulations based on Euler parameters or Euler angles. In this paper, we close this gap using several typical rigid multibody systems. It is shown, that explicit Lie group integration methods outperform the conventional formulations in terms of accuracy. However, it turned out that the conventional Euler parameter-based formulation is the most accurate one in the case of implicit integration, while the average number of Newton iterations required per time step is most often smaller for the Lie group integration method. It also turns out, that Lie group integration methods can be implemented at almost no extra cost in an existing multibody simulation code if the Lie group method used to describe the configuration of a body is chosen accordingly.
Multicenter evaluation of pre-operative feeding in infants with ductal dependent circulation
Authors: Penk Jamie , Cagle Will , Holloway Adrian , Connolly Julie , Miles Alison , Bhakta Rupal , Jain Parag , Prochaska Sarah , Riley Christine , Roddy Dantin Jeramy
Published: March 2023

Introduction
Enteral feeds are often withheld from neonates with ductal dependent cardiac lesions who are receiving prostaglandins. This is despite positive benefits of enteral feeding. We describe a multicenter cohort of these neonates who were fed pre-operatively. We also give a granular description of vital sign measurements and other risk factors prior to feeding.
Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed at seven centers. Inclusion criteria was full-term neonates under one month of age with ductal dependent lesions receiving prostaglandins. These neonates were fed for at least 24 hours during the pre-operative period. Premature neonates were excluded.
Results
Using the inclusion criteria, 127 neonates were identified. While being fed, 20.5% of the neonates were intubated, 10.2% were on inotropes, and 55.9% had an umbilical arterial catheter in place. Median oxygen saturations in the six hours prior to feeding were 92.5% in patients with cyanotic lesions, median diastolic blood pressure was 38 mmHg and median somatic NIRS were 66.5%. The median peak daily feeding volume reached was 29 ml/kg/day (IQ range 15.5-96.8 ml/kg/day). One patient developed suspected necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in this cohort. Only one adverse event occurred, which was an aspiration thought to be related to feeding, but did not result in intubation or cessation of feeds.
Conclusions
NEC was rare among neonates with ductal dependent lesions while receiving enteral nutrition pre-operatively. Umbilical arterial catheters were in place in the majority of these patients. Hemodynamic measures demonstrated a high median oxygen saturation prior to initiation of feeds.
A prognostic biomarker CENPW and its relationship to immune infiltrations in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Qiu Zhengqi , Jia Xueyuan , Fu Yancheng , Yang Yanru
Published: March 2023

This study examined the prognostic role of CENPW in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) using publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). In order to clarify the relationship between clinicopathological features and CENPW expression information obtained from the TCGA database, logistic regression analysis was applied. Moreover, the expression of CENPW was closely associated with multiple immune cell infiltrations, as determined by immune cell infiltration analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the lower the expression of CENPW, the better the prognosis (p < 0.001), indicating that CENPW is an important risk factor for patients with ccRCC. In addition, CENPW expression was also significantly associated with T stage (p < 0.001), N stage (p = 0.011), M stage (p = 0.001), Pathologic stage (p < 0.001) and Histologic stage (p < 0.001). It was found that CENPW could be an independent prognostic factor in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses (p < 0.05). The results of GSEA analysis showed that CENPW was closely associated with several immune-related signaling pathways. Furthermore, in ccRCC, the expression of CENPW was closely associated with the infiltration of various immune cells and the expression of multiple immune cell gene markers. Finally, we verified the expression levels of CENPW using three different datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The results of survival outcomes on GEPIA2 website were similar to the survival curves drawn based on TCGA database (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, we conclude that CENPW is a potential independent prognostic marker for ccRCC and plays an essential role in the tumor microenvironment by regulating immune cell infiltration.