bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Formulation of the Ensemble History-Matching Problem
Authors: Geir Evensen
Published: March 2023

This paper revisits the formulation of the history-matching problem solved using state-of-the-art ensemble methods. It shows how the standard problem formulation is flawed and ignores crucial components, including a stochastic forcing of the ensemble realizations to account for errors in the historical rates and the apparent dependency of the rate data meaning they have correlated errors in time. Also, the paper shows how we can use iterative ensemble smoothers to solve a consistent formulation for the history-matching problem where we augment the rate-control errors to the state vector and estimate them together with the uncertain geologic model parameters. Updating these errors and then using them to force the reservoir simulations leads to an improved posterior ensemble of prediction models that better cover the observations with more substantial and realistic uncertainty. The new formulation derives directly from the sampling of the Bayes’ posterior. The proposed formulation leads to a weaker but more realistic update of the reservoir model parameters. We avoid overfitting, and have a more realistic representation of the ensemble-prediction uncertainty that better covers the historical rates within their errors.
Experimental and Simulation Studies of Cryogenic Effects in the Near-Wellbore Region
Authors: Winterfeld Philip H. , Yao Bowen , Wu Yu-Shu
Published: March 2023

We modified our parallel thermo-hydraulic-mechanical simulator of fully coupled multiphase fluid and heat flow and geomechanics in porous and fractured media to simulate cryogenic fracturing with liquid nitrogen. This included developing a physical property module for nitrogen-water systems and formulating fracture initiation and extension criteria.

We simulated cryogenic fracturing experiments on small concrete blocks to verify the simulator modifications. Then, we simulated two field cases, one with an injector-producer pair with cryogenic fracturing that enhanced the permeability in a vertical plane around the wellbore and extending in the direction of the producer. The second case was cryogenic fracturing and cooling of the near-wellbore region in a shallow, heated reservoir. The induced fractures were horizontal but their lengths were non-uniform due to the pressure and temperature gradients.
An Enriched Galerkin Discretization Scheme for Two Phase Flow on Non-Orthogonal Grids
Authors: Jammoul M. , Alpak F. O. , Wheeler M. F.
Published: March 2023

The representation of faults and fractures using cut-cell meshes often results in irregular non-orthogonal grids. Simple finite volume approaches fail to handle complex meshes because they are highly prone to grid orientation effects and only converges for K-orthogonal grids. Wide stencil approaches and higher order methods are computationally expensive and impractical to adopt in commercial reservoir simulators. In this work, we implement an Enriched Galerkin (EG) discretization for the flow and transport problems on non-orthogonal grids. The EG approximation space combines continuous and discontinuous Galerkin methods. The resulting solution lies in a richer space than the the two-point flux approximation (TPFA) method and allows a better flux approximation. It also resolves the inconsistencies that are usually associated with TPFA scheme. The method is tested for various non-orthogonal mesh configurations arising from different fault alignments. The performance of the scheme is also tested for reservoirs with strong anisotropy as well as reservoirs with heterogeneous material properties.
Matrix Formulation for Simultaneous Calculations of Pressure and Temperature in Wells and Pipelines
Authors: Alves Ibere N. , Islam Raka , de Sousa Segundo José Savio Alves
Published: March 2023

This paper presents a novel approach to calculate pressure and temperature profile in a pipe. An implicit formulation is implemented in this model using a combined system of the three conservation equations (mass, momentum, and energy), and using the change of enthalpy and pressure to calculate the change of temperature.

The derivation of the equations for temperature and pressure profile calculation uses the traditional approach of applying the mass, momentum and energy balance equations to a control volume of the pipe. For a pipe, usually the pressure and temperature values at one end are known. Due to the non-linearity of balance equation, an iterative process is required to calculate the values at the other end of the pipe. In the model proposed in this paper the system of equations was arranged in a matrix and vector form, all pressure and temperature for all the nodes are calculated in one calculation step, different from the traditional approach.

The proposed model is used with both Black oil table correlations and a fully compositional model for calculating P-T profiles. It can be applied over the entire inclination angle range from horizontal to vertical. Conventionally, marching algorithm is used to calculate pressure from first cell to second cell until the end of the pipe is reached. The final form of energy balance is expressed in terms of enthalpy; therefore, P-H flash is used to calculate temperature profile. The calculation process is faster as all of it is done in one step and more accurate than the traditional approach.

Traditionally the coupling of the mechanical energy and heat balance equation, uses a marching algorithm to determine pressure and temperature profile in a pipe, using a nested pair of loops, usually the external one for temperature and an internal for pressure. The proposed method applies a novel matrix formulation using a vectorized procedure to determine simultaneously pressure and temperature using their natural connection the enthalpy through the balance equations. This method aims to determine pressure-temperature profiles in a fast and accurate way. Vector and matrices approach is a tool that improves the performance of a code and utilizing it for pipeline calculation is unique, it opens a door for also coupling with reservoir simulators in an integrated approach. Since most flow assurance problems i.e. paraffin, hydrate are related to pressure and temperature dependent, the proper calculation of the P-T profile is a must. The proposed model provides a fast and precise calculation organizing the problem in a structured manner.
Multi-Band Flexible UWB Antenna for Flexible Electronics and Biomedical Applications
Authors: R PRASANNA , G Thamarai Selvi , K Annaram , K Venkatalakshmi
Published: March 2023

This article, proposes a flexible ultra-wide band (UWB) antenna for wearable electronics and biomedical applications. The antenna presented for this work is fabricated on kapton polyimide substrate and the operating frequency band ranges from 2.4GHz to 7.1GHz. The proposed antenna has elliptical radiating element and achieves improved impedance matching characteristics through coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed. A detailed study on choice of substrate is performed and the kapton substrate make the antenna less susceptible for degradation in antenna performance that arises due to bending effects. The measurement and simulated results of the fabricated antenna shows good degree of agreement. The return loss performance of the proposed antenna is greater than − 10dB in all the operating bands with improved gain and directivity. The flexible nature with multiple frequency band of operation and good bending performance makes the proposed antenna appropriate for wearable electronic and biomedical applications.
SNR based Adaptive Quantized Iterative Thresholding for Sparse Approximation
Authors: afkari shabnam , tinati mohammad ali , yusefi tohid
Published: March 2023

Compressed sensing could be considered as one of the most effective compression methods in terms of compression ratio that requires the underlying signal to be sparse or have a sparse representation in an appropriate domain. Sparse coding aims to ﬁnd a sparse set of coefﬁcients that accurately represents a signal from a ﬁxed overcomplete dictionary. In practical signal processing, it is necessary to quantize the sampled signals, therefore quantization is considered as a necessary step to digitize signals and realize the high-efficiency transmission of digital signals. In this paper we present a new method that combines the problems of approximating sparse signals with coefﬁcient quantization. Here we propose a novel Adaptive Quantized Iterative Thresholding (AQIT) method based on SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) derived as an extension of classical iterative thresholding methods to ﬁnd sparse representations of signals. The simulation results compare this method to Quantized Iterative Thresholding (QIT) methods and show a significant improvement in operational SNR performance.
Development of A master teleoperated manipulator for A hydraulic rescue robotic arm
Authors: Zhong Jun , Yi Yongbin , Gong Jin
Published: March 2023

The teleoperated rescue robot system has significant practical value and realistic significance in light of the complicated and hazardous environment following the seismic tragedy. In this study, a master-end manipulator system for teleoperation is conceived and built based on the self-created large-load seven-degree-of-freedom (7-DOFs) hydraulic robotic arm, to give users a simple and practical method of dragging control. First, the master manipulator of the hydraulic rescue robotic arm is designed as a homogeneous seven-axis linkage structure in accordance with the master hand design principle, and the corresponding degrees of freedom are configured in accordance with the configuration and performance index of the redundant degrees of freedom of the slave end hydraulic manipulator arm. Next, we construct the synovial mode impedance control method after analyzing the motion of the actual main-end manipulator arm. The feasibility of the synovial-mode impedance algorithm and the operability of the joystick functioning as the main end of the teleoperation system are next tested through testing. The results demonstrate that, in comparison to the general impedance control, the suggested main-end manipulator may ensure a better traction effect and decrease torque output errors, which in turn enhances operation accuracy.
Beam Steering-Switching Array with Dual-Band Operation for 5G S-Band Adaptive Antenna Applications using SLPS and E-Shape Slot Antenna
Authors: Kodgirwar Vidya Pramod , Joshi Kalyani R. , Deosarkar Shankar B.
Published: March 2023

The proposed research work presents a design of dual-band, 4-element, planer beam-steering antenna array with feed network. The proposed design is carried out with two different schemes for 5G (Lower Band) applications. A design procedure is derived in detail, and a prototype, including the array and a planar feeding network, is built and tested for the second scheme. The array is capable of generating number of beams in different directions based on the ON/OFF state of PIN diodes (MA4SPS402) used in Switched Line Phase Shifters (SLPS). But it is tested for 22 combinations of the SLPSs. The scanning range covered by this array is -45o to + 45o. To cover the entire 360o range, four such array prototypes are sufficient. Inter-element spacing is optimized with D1 = 86mm and D2 = 40mm to achieve maximum directive gain, which is 14.4dBi at 3.6GHz and 11.7dBi at 2.4GHz. Return Loss obtained is -24.89dB at 3.6GHz and − 13.79dB at 2.4GHz. In order to operate the array in two bands, the Slot antenna is designed using Quarter Wave Transformer (QWT) with directive gain of 7.6dBi and 7.39dBi at 3.6 and 2.4GHz respectively. For Designing of feed network, Wilkinson Power Dividers and Switched Line Phase Shifters are used. When the frequency of the excitation signal is 3.6GHz, the direction of maxima is positive and when it is 2.4GHz, the direction of maxima is negative for the E-Plane. Beam switching, based on the phase shift applied to array elements, will be in the H-Plane for both frequency regions.
Vertical Handover-based Hybrid RF/VLC Scheme for e-Health Applications (VHO-HeA)
Authors: SAMARJI NIVINE , Salamah Muhammed
Published: March 2023

Maximizing spectral efficiency and capacity of the conventional radio frequency (RF) systems are critical challenges occurring especially in RF-based indoor wireless communications where high data rate demands arise. Hence, the urge for finding an alternative wireless carrier is the key for exploiting the visible light communication (VLC) bands. However, the main issue incorporated with the usage of VLC band is the high dependency of connectivity on line of sight (LOS). Therefore, hybrid RF/VLC system has been top-hot topic in wireless communication where RF is capable of offering wide-area coverage and VLC has the ability to provide high transmission data rate. This paper presents vertical handover-based hybrid RF/VLC intra-software defined wireless body area network architecture to guarantee the different QoS requirements. Our proposed scheme maintains network reliability by prioritizing the processing of the emergency data. The proposed hard switching algorithm is formulated as multi-objective optimization problem aiming at minimizing the outage and blocking probabilities, worst-case latency, packet error rate, and maximizing the throughput and system fairness. To solve such multi-optimization problem, we have used Pareto simulated annealing to efficiently select either VLC link or RF link satisfying the system constraints. Simulation results show that the proposed hybrid RF/VLC scheme satisfies QoS for WBANs. In comparison with the standalone VLC system, hybrid RF/VLC scheme outperforms the latter for smaller values of signal to interference plus noise ratio. Better network performances were recorded in comparison with other state-of-the-art schemes.
PDI augments kainic acid-induced seizure activity and neuronal death by inhibiting PP2A-GRIA2-PICK1-mediated AMPA receptor internalization in the mouse hippocampus
Authors: Lee Duk-Shin , Kim Tae-Hyun , Park Hana , Kim Ji-Eun
Published: March 2023

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a redox-active enzyme and also serves as a nitric oxide (NO) donor causingS-nitrosylation of cysteine residues in various proteins. Although PDI knockdown reducesα-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-mediated neuronal activity, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In the present study, we found that under physiological condition PDI knockdown increased CaMKII activity (phosphorylation) in the mouse hippocampus. However, PDI siRNA inhibited protein phosphatase (PP) 2A-mediated GRIA2 S880 dephosphorylation by increasing PP2A oxidation, independent ofS-nitrosylation. PDI siRNA also enhanced glutamate ionotropic receptor AMPA type subunit 1 (GRIA1) S831 and GRIA2 S880, but not GRIA1 S845 and GRIA2 Y869/Y873/Y876 phosphorylations, concomitant with the enhanced protein interacting with C kinase 1 (PICK1)-mediated AMPAR internalization. Furthermore, PDI knockdown attenuated seizure activity and neuronal damage in response to kainic acid (a non-desensitizing agonist of AMPAR). Therefore, these findings suggest that PDI may regulate surface AMPAR expression through PP2A-GRIA2-PICK1 signaling pathway, and that PDI may be one of the therapeutic targets for epilepsy via AMPAR internalization without altering basal neurotransmission.
Effect of Environmental Factors on Expression of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins Genes
Authors: LI Hong na , KANG Zhao di , WANG Tao , LI Tao , YANG Yan ge , ZHOU Wei e , YUAN Fei
Published: March 2023

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) secreted by S. aureus can cause foodborne disease, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and even death. Regulation of SEs Expression is related to accessory gene regulators (Agr). It is important that revealing which environmental factors influencing on regulation of SEs expression to prevention of SEs food poisoning outbreak. Hence, natural environment factors which may be impact on SEs expression were selected, such as Temperature, food types, strains and competing strains. Seven strains of S. aureus carrying different SEs genes were collected from CAIQ strain bank for study. Strains were cultured with different conditions. Temperature, 8℃, 22℃, and 30℃. Food type, milk powder, and nutrient broth. Competing strains, V. parahaemolyticus, E. coli and B. cereus. The expression culture solution was pretreated by centrifugation, then determined by using SDS-PAGE, and distinguished SEs apart from each other by HPLC-ESI-TOF. There are 168 samples collected from SEs expression culture, the result of SDS-PAGE suggests 23 samples were positive for SEs, the other 145 samples were negative for SEs. The result of HPLC-ESI-TOF suggests that SEs with similar molecular weight can be distinguished by in term of m/z. The most important factor contributing to regulate expression of SEs was estimated by regressive analysis. The result shows that R2 was 0.14, F was 6.631 (p＜0.05), this result illustrates that at least one of the factors, strains, food types, temperature, and competing strains was responsible for SEs expression. The regression coefficients of four factors were -0.060 (p＜0.05), -0.074 (p＜0.05), 0.170 (p＜0.05) and 0.060 (p＞0.05). According to regression coefficients, competing strains is not significant influencing on SEs expression, and temperature is key factor for stimulating SEs expression, and had high expression at 30℃. Consequently, food easy contaminated with S. aureus should be monitored intensively at early and late summer, when proper temperature for expressing SEs may results in S. aureus food poisoning prevalence.
Providers’ insight into quality mental health services– Context- Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) approach
Authors: Badu Eric , O’Brien Anthony Paul , Mitchell Rebecca , Osei Akwasi
Published: March 2023

Introduction:
Evaluation frameworks are relevant to understanding health service providers’ views regarding existing services and possible improvements, but their application to mental health services is limited, particularly in Low Middle-Income Countries.
Aim/Question:
To identify program theory for understanding contextual factors and mechanisms that could enhance mental health service outcomes in Ghana.
Method
A three-phase approach was followed: initial theory and assumption, analysis, and CMO configuration. Systematic reviews were used to develop a middle-range theory and assumptions in phase 1. A purposive sample of 30 mental health professionals was recruited to participate in in-depth interviews in phase 2. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data and further configure the CMO in phase 3.
Results
The analysis identified five CMO configurations: ripple effects and financing source sustainability; unavailability of modern equipment and logistics to support holistic services; promoting inclusivity and geographical proximity of services; information, sensitization, and awareness encourage mental health quality; and monitoring and evaluating improve mental health service quality.
Discussion/Implications for Practice:
This study concludes that government stakeholders should integrate mental health services into the ongoing insurance policy and provide adequate modern equipment and logistics. Moreover, mechanisms and priorities given to vulnerable consumers should be integrated into policies.
CrebH protects against liver injury associated with colonic inflammation via modulation of exosomal miRNA
Authors: Lee Sang-Hee , Moon Sung-Je , Woo Seung Hee , Ahn Gwangsook , Kim Won Kon , Lee Chul-Ho , Hwang Jung Hwang
Published: March 2023

Background
Hepatic liver disease, including primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), is a serious extraintestinal manifestations of colonic inflammation. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-responsive element-binding protein H (CrebH) is a transcription factor expressed mostly in the liver and small intestine. However, CrebH’s roles in the gut–liver axis remain unknown.
Methods
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and PSC disease models were established in wild-type and CrebH-/- mice treated with dextran sulfate sodium, dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, and diethoxycarbonyl dihydrocollidine diet, respectively. RNA sequencing were conducted to investigate differential gene expression. Exosomes were isolated from plasma and culture media. miRNA expression profiling was performed using the NanoString nCounter Mouse miRNA Panel. Effects of miR-29a-3p on adhesion molecule expression were investigated in bEnd.3 brain endothelial cells.
Results
CrebH-/- mice exhibited accelerated liver injury without substantial differences in the gut after administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and had similar features to PSC, including enlarged bile ducts, enhanced inflammation, and aberrant MAdCAM-1 expression. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing analysis showed that differentially expressed genes in the liver of CrebH-/- mice after DSS overlapped significantly with genes changed in PSC-liver. Analysis of plasma exosome miRNA isolated from WT and CrebH-/- mice indicates that CrebH can contribute to the exosomal miRNA profile. We also identified miR-29a-3p as an effective mediator for MAdCAM-1 expression. Administration of plasma exosome from CrebH-/- mice led to prominent inflammatory signals in the liver of WT mice with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Conclusions
CrebH deficiency led to increased susceptibility to IBD-induced liver diseases via enhanced expression of adhesion molecules and concomitant infiltration of T lymphocytes. Exosomes can contribute to the progression of IBD-induced liver injury in CrebH-/- mice. These study provide novel insights into the role of CrebH in IBD-induced liver injury.
Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte predicts the prognosis of stage I non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Chen Fangjun , Zhang Jin , Liu Deruo , Liang Chaoyang , Qiang Guangliang
Published: March 2023

Objective

To investigate the correlation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) with prognosis of stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods.

Clinical data from 567 stage I NSCLC patients who received surgical treatment in our hospital from May 2007 to May 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. According to preoperative peripheral blood NLR values, patients were divided into low- and high-NLR groups. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation of preoperative NLRs with postoperative survival.

Results.

NLRs ranged from 0.48 to 47.25 (median 2.19). The five-year survival for patients in the high-NLR (NLR > 2.19) and low-NLR (NLR < 2.19) groups were 75.7% and 87.3%, respectively, showing significant difference (P = 0.004). Univariate analysis confirmed that age, gender, smoking history, histological tumor type and tumor size, vascular and visceral pleural invasion, and NLRs were prognostic factors for stage I NSCLC. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that age, gender, tumor size, vascular and visceral pleural invasion, and NLRs were independent prognostic risk factors for stage I NSCLC.

Conclusion.

NLR may be an independent prognostic factor for stage I NSCLC and elevated NLR is associated with poor prognosis.
Multiple Roads to Success: A Latent Class Analysis on Successful Aging in Hong Kong Near-Centenarians and Centenarians (NCC) Amidst COVID-19
Authors: Shum Eric Ngai-Yin , Lau Bobo Hi-Po , Cheung Karen Siu-Lan , Chan Cecilia Lai-Wan , Siu Joey Chung-Yue , Luk James Ka-Hay , Kwan Joseph Shiu-Kwong , Chan Grace Man‐Yee , Pat Lian Ying-Chun , Martin Peter
Published: March 2023

Background:Notwithstanding successful aging being a multidimensional construct, measuring successful aging in adults of advanced age, such as nonagenarians and centenarians, has often been challenging. First, over reliance on physical health criteria could be unrealistic, considering most of these older adults are living with multimorbidity and disability. Second, enumerating the number of criteria fulfilled may not reflect the diversity of how they attain (partial) successful aging through soliciting different resources in their daily lives. Hence, this study investigated the subphenotypes of successful aging using the data from Hong Kong Centenarian Study 2 by referencing to two models which have been adopted in previous centenarian studies.Method:Between April 2021 and September 2022, we interviewed the family caregivers of 146 community dwelling older adults aged 95 or above by phone. A structured questionnaire with items on the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the older adults was administered. Latent class analysis was used to identify the classes of successful aging based on eleven dichotomized indicators - good health, happiness, good perceived economic status, absence of dementia diagnosis, ambulation, resistance, indoor transfer, dressing, vision and hearing impairment and weekly social activities.Results:Among the 146 older adults aged between 95 to 106 (mean (SD): 97.5 (2.5); 76.0% female), 13.0% fulfilled all successful aging criteria based on caregivers’ judgments of happiness, health, and economic status, and 2.1% fulfilled all criteria based on caregivers’ observation of their physical functions and social activities. LCA identified three latent classes: Class 1 (46.6%) characterized by poor cognitive and functional health, Class 2 (37.0%) with good functional health but poor mobility, and Class 3 (16.4%) with overall good health. Class membership was unrelated to gender, age, living arrangement, and education status of the older adults.Conclusions:Although we found a relatively low occurrence of successful aging among Hong Kong adults of advanced age, possibly due to the adverse impact of COVID on their physical, psychological, and social well-being, understanding how successful aging was (partially) attained by these long-lived individuals will enable social and health care professionals to encourage late-life productive involvement, especially in the post-COVID era. (349 words)
magnum.np - A PyTorch based GPU enhanced Finite Difference Micromagnetic Simulation Framework for High Level Development and Inverse Design
Authors: Bruckner Florian , Koraltan Sabri , Abert Claas , Suess Dieter
Published: March 2023

magnum.np is a micromagnetic finite-difference library completely based on the tensor library PyTorch. The use of such a high level library leads to a highly maintainable and extensible code base which is the ideal candidate for the investigation of novel algorithms and modeling approaches.
On the other hand magnum.np benefits from the devices abstraction and optimizations of PyTorch enabling the efficient execution of micromagnetic simulations on a number of computational platforms including GPU and potentially TPU systems. We demonstrate a competitive performance to state-of-the art micromagnetic codes such a mumax3 and show how our
code enables the rapid implementation of new functionality. Furthermore, handling inverse problems becomes possible by using PyTorch's autograd feature.
Burning of Municipal solid waste : An invitation for aerosol black carbon and PM2.5 over mid – sized city in India
Authors: Mahato Dilip Kumar , Sankar Tapan Kumar , Ambade Balram , Mohammad Faruq , Soleiman Ahmed A. , Gautam Sneha
Published: March 2023

Waste management is the main concern of most cities in developing countries. The proper procedure is needed to reduce Municipal solid waste, that’s why burning is the cheaper way to decrease solid waste. The main aim of this study is to assess the concentration of Black Carbon and PM2.5 during the MSW burning sites in Jamshedpur. The continuous measurement was taken during the burning period in three phases at Industrial, Urban, and Rural waste burning sites having respective average BC concentrations observed as 145 ± 46, 101 ± 33 & 95 ± 33 μg m-3, and PM2.5 as 1391 ± 358, 998 ± 319, 957 ± 313 μg m-3. BC and PM2.5 concentrations show significant diurnal variations with maximum average concentration at the midnight phase due to large temperature fluctuation (lower mixed layer height) in the atmosphere. This evaluation during burning period exceeds regular day estimates by around 5-6 times. The rate distinction of BC by the Aethalometer model indicates that source apportionment of BC is more sensitive in assessing BCBB with an average fraction of 82 % at 880 nm because waste trash burn in the dump yard was mostly solid. Pearson correlation analysis shows strong correlations between BC and PM2.5 concentration that is primarily attributable to well-known nearby sources such as vehicular emissions.
Responding to the crisis on the fossil fuel market as a source of Russia’s hostile narratives towards European Union countries
Authors: Cetera Wiesław , Żołnierski Aleksander , Jaruga Dariusz , Celiński Piotr , Grzegorek Jan
Published: March 2023

Fossil fuels helped Putin build military power and attack Ukraine. Coal, gas and oil are being used by Putin’s regime as weapons against the countries that are contractors and consumers of Russian fuels. The aim of this paper is to present a methodology using Big Data analysis and to demonstrate the results, as well as to show trends and developments in relation to the response to the crisis on the fossil fuel market. At the same time, the EU institutions have taken on the burden of conducting energy policy in Europe. The research carried out, including the cluster analysis and the analysis of the variability of trends in relation to the real conditions in the market for strategic energy resources, indicates that the European Union (as an institution) has taken over the burden of policy-making in this area and national policies are far less important (indicating their weakness).
Irradiation and lithium treatment alter the global DNA methylation pattern and gene expression underlying a shift from gliogenesis towards neurogenesis in human neural progenitors
Authors: Neofytou Christina , Backlund Alexandra , Blomgren K , Hermanson Ola
Published: March 2023

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors account for almost a third of pediatric cancers and are the largest contributor to cancer-related death in children. Cranial radiation therapy (CRT) is, often in combination with chemotherapy and surgery, effective in the treatment of high-grade childhood brain cancers, but it has been associated with late complications in 50–90% of survivors, such as decline in cognition and mood, decreased social competence, and fatigue. A leading hypothesis to explain the decline in cognition, at least partially, is injury to the neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs), which leads to apoptosis and altered fate choice, favoring gliogenesis over neurogenesis. Hence, treatments harnessing neurogenesis are of great relevance in this context. Lithium, a well-known mood stabilizer, has neuroprotective and antitumor effects and has been found to reverse irradiation-induced damage in rodents, at least in part by regulating the expression of the glutamate decarboxylase 2 gene (Gad2) via promoter demethylation in rat NSPCs. Additionally, lithium was shown to rescue irradiation-induced cognitive defects in mice26. Here, we show that irradiation (IR) alone or in combination with lithium chloride (LiCl) caused major changes in gene expression and global DNA methylation in iPS-derived human NSPCs (hNSPCs) compared to untreated cells, as well as LiCl-only-treated cells. The pattern of DNA methylation changes after IR-treatment alone was stochastic and observed across many different gene groups, whereas differences in DNA methylation after LiCl-treatment of irradiated cells were more directed to specific promoters of genes, including genes associated with neurogenesis, for example GAD2. Interestingly, IR and IR + LiCl treatment affected the promoter methylation and expression of several genes encoding factors involved in BMP signaling, including the BMP antagonist gremlin1. We propose that lithium in addition to promoting neuronal differentiation, also represses glial differentiation in hNSPCs with DNA methylation regulation being a key mechanism of action.
Retro-miRs: Novel and functional miRNAs originating from mRNA retrotransposition
Authors: Mercuri Rafael L. , Conceição Helena B. , Guardia Gabriela D. A. , Goldstein Gabriel , Vibranovski Maria D. , Hinske Ludwig C. , Galante Pedro A F
Published: March 2023

Background. Reverse-transcribed gene copies (retrocopies) have emerged as major sources of evolutionary novelty. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and highly conserved RNA molecules that serve as key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. The origin and subsequent evolution of miRNAs have been addressed but not fully elucidated.
Results.In this study, we performed a comprehensive investigation of miRNA origination through retroduplicated mRNA sequences (retro-miRs). We identified 17 retro-miRs that emerged from the mRNA retrocopies. Four of these retro-miRs had de novo origins within retrocopied sequences, while 13 retro-miRNAs were located within exon regions and duplicated along with their host mRNAs. We found that retro-miRs were primate-specific, including five retro-miRs conserved among all primates and two human-specific retro-miRs. All retro-miRs were expressed, with predicted and experimentally validated target genes except miR-10527. Notably, the target genes of retro-miRs are involved in key biological processes such as metabolic processes, cell signaling, and regulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Additionally, we found that these retro-miRs play a potential oncogenic role in cancer by targeting key cancer genes and are overexpressed in several cancer types, including liver hepatocellular carcinoma and stomach adenocarcinoma.
Conclusions. Our findings demonstrated that mRNA retrotransposition is a key mechanism for the generation of novel miRNAs (retro-miRs) in primates. These retro-miRs are expressed, conserved, have target genes with important cellular functions, and play important roles in cancer.
Postpartum Depression: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Childbirth Experiences in Palestine
Authors: Mattar Batoul , Abu-Rmeileh Niveen ME , Wahdan Yasmeen
Published: March 2023

Background: Worldwide mothers are suffering from postpartum depression (PPD) which impairs mothers' well-being, children, and families, and lead to adverse outcomes for mother and their growing newborns. Low and middle-income countries have a higher prevalence of PPD and limited studies about it. This study will assess the prevalence of PPD among Palestinian women nationally, identify mothers at a higher risk of PPD, and study the correlation between PPD and mistreatment during childbirth. Methods: The study is based on a secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional study in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). 745 telephone-based interviews with mothers were done within 2-4 weeks post-childbirth. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used as a screening tool for PPD. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used. Results: PPD prevalence among Palestinian mothers is 12.6%, with a higher prevalence among mothers living in the Gaza strip, a politically and economically unstable region in Palestine. Older mothers are two times more likely to develop PPD compared to young mothers. And regarding the correlation between PPD and mistreatment of mothers during childbirth, mothers who experienced disrespectful behaviors (any abuse, negligence, abandonment, ineffective communication, or poor pain management) in childbirth settings are more likely to report PPD than those who were not exposed to any form of disrespect. Conclusion: A high prevalence of postpartum depression was found among Palestinian mothers, especially among mothers who experienced mistreatment in childbirth settings. It is essential to support healthcare providers to improve their practice and attitudes to eliminate mistreatment and abusive behaviors of mothers during childbirth.
Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Children under 6 Years Old Following Cesarean Delivery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies
Authors: Zhou Chuhui , Tang Linghong , Retnakaran Ravi , Krewski Daniel , Wen Shi Wu , Zhou Lepeng , Xie Ri-hua
Published: March 2023

Background
Cesarean delivery is considered as a potential risk factor for childhood overweight/obesity; however, its risk magnitude remains unknown. To estimate the risk of being overweight/obese in children under 6 years old following cesarean delivery.
Methods
Three English and two Chinese databases were searched. The quality of studies was appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the pooled rates and relative risk (RR) of overweight/obesity, with RR estimates to compare the risks between children delivered by cesarean section and children delivered vaginally under 6 years old.
Results
Eighteen cohort studies with a total of 125,042 children under 6 years old were included. Of them, 33,551 children were delivered by cesarean section. The rates of pooled estimate of overweight combined with obesity, overweight alone, and obesity alone in children delivered by cesarean section were 18.2%, 14.1%, and 8.6%, respectively, while corresponding rates in children delivered vaginally were 14.0%, 12.5%, and 6.6%. Cesarean delivery was associated with significantly increased risks of childhood overweight combined with obesity (RR 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–1.23), overweight alone (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.17), and obesity alone (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13–1.40) as compared with vaginal delivery. Subgroup analyses showed a low degree of heterogeneity among all subgroups. Sensitivity analysis showed that overall estimates remained essentially the same when omitting one study at a time.
Conclusion
Children delivered by cesarean section may have an increased risk of overweight and / or obesity than children delivered vaginally in the first 6 years of life.
Determination of cultural humility levels of nursing students studying in a city where different cultures live intensely
Authors: Berse Soner , Dirgar Ezgi , Tosun Betül , Tanrıverdi Derya
Published: March 2023

Aims: This study was conducted to determine the cultural humility levels of nursing students.
Method: The descriptive study was carried out with nursing students in two universities located in the Southeastern Anatolia region, where immigrant population is dense, in Turkey.
Results: A significant difference was found between the Cultural Humility scale mean scores of the students and their gender, nationality, mother language, experience of going abroad, desire to live in another country and enjoying spending time with people from different cultures (p<0.05). It was found that there was a positive correlation between the mean scores given by the students between 0-10 for the importance of cultural diversity in nursing education and the total score of the Cultural Humility Scale and the mean score of its sub-dimensions (p<0.01)
Conclusion: This study contributed to the emergence of factors that affect and are related to Cultural Humility.
Haploidentical Donor Blood or Marrow Transplantation for Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Overlap Neoplasms: Results from a North American Collaboration
Authors: Jain Tania , Tsai Hua-Ling , Elmariah Hany , Vachhani Pankit , Karantanos Theodoros , Wall Sarah , Gondek Lukasz , Bashey Asad , Keyzner Alla , Tamari Roni , Grunwald Michael , Abedin Sameem , Nadiminti Kalyan , Iqbal Madiha , Gerds Aaron , Viswabandya Auro , McCurdy Shannon , Malki Monzr Al , Varadhan Ravi , Ali Haris , Gupta Vikas , Jones Richard John , Otoukesh Salman
Published: March 2023

Haploidentical donors offer a potentially readily available donor, especially for non-White patients, for blood or marrow transplantation (BMT). In this collaboration across North America, we retrospectively analyzed outcomes of first BMT using haploidentical donor and posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in MDS/MPN-overlap neoplasms (MDS/MPN), an otherwise incurable hematological neoplasm. We included 120 patients, 38% of non-White/Caucasian ethnicity, across 15 centers with median age at BMT 62.5 years. The median follow-up is 2.4 years. Graft failure was reported in 6% patients. At 3-years, nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 25%, relapse 27%, grade 3-4 acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) 12%, chronic GVHD requiring systemic immunosuppression 14%, progression-free survival (PFS) 48% and overall survival (OS) 56%. On multivariable analysis, statistically significant associations included older age at BMT (per decade increment) with NRM (sdHR 3.28, 95%CI 1.30-8.25), PFS (HR 1.98, 95% 1.13-3.45) and OS (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.11-3.63), presence of mutation in EZH2/RUNX1/SETBP1 with relapse (sdHR 2.61, 95%CI 1.06-6.44), and splenomegaly at BMT/prior splenectomy with OS (HR 2.20, 95%CI 1.04-4.65). Haploidentical donors are a viable option for BMT in MDS/MPN, especially for those disproportionately represented in the unrelated donor registry. Disease-related factors including splenomegaly and high-risk mutations dominate outcomes following BMT.
Altering Students’ Attitude towards Math Learning Through Project-Based Learning: A Math Project
Authors: Rehman Nadia , Zhang Wenlan , MAHMOOD AMIR , Andleeb Irum , Kong Weijun
Published: March 2023

Globally Project-Based learning is regarded as a replacement for the conventional, instructor-centered mode of education. PBL is an effective instructional strategy to change students’ attitudes toward learning. Yet, in Pakistani public schools, traditional teaching approaches are still employed. Given that these students’ math scores are abysmal and they have a negative attitude toward math, it is reasonable to test whether PBL can improve the attitudes of Pakistani public school children leading to better math scores. In the present study, a quasi-experimental design was used; the experimental group was treated with PBL intervention, while the control group was taught with the traditional teaching method. Before and after the intervention, pre-attitude and achievements were measured in both the experimental and control group. After the intervention, dependent variables were checked using the same instruments. An attitude scale, achievement test, and interview protocol tool were used to collect data. Findings revealed the Z score and p-value (z =-4.570, p = 0.00), supporting that the experimental group students improved their attitude towards Math learning due to PBL intervention. An independent sample t-test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control group (p = 0.00). Teacher and student interviews show that PBL has a positive effect on students’ attitudes and may increase their success. Furthermore, it has favorable impressions of the methodology. The results of this study may improve mathematics instruction and evaluation in the primary education system. Future studies should be done in different schools, grade levels, and ages to see how PBL works in different scenarios.
Assessment of fluid responsiveness using cardiac power index in the prone position: a pilot study
Authors: Min JY
Published: March 2023

Background
Fluid therapy guidelines tend to be evaluated using indicators representative of preload, and they have yet to be assessed from the standpoint of contractility. We hypothesized that the cardiac power index (CPI) might affect fluid responsiveness in settings where postural change triggers hemodynamic changes.
Methods
Twenty-eight patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery in the prone position on a jack’s table were enrolled in this study. Hemodynamic variables were measured before and after the position change and after the colloid bolus (5 mg/kg) in the prone position. Fluid responsiveness was defined as an increase in the stroke volume index (SVI) ≥ 10%.
Results
After a position change, the responder's CPI (mean ± sd) significantly decreased after a change to the prone position (0.45 ± 0.04 W/m2 vs. 0.34 ± 0.02 W/m2, p = 0.024). Cardiac index (CI, mean ± sd) decreased from 2.39 ± 0.15 l/min/m2 to 1.95 ± 0.16 l/min/m2 (p = 0.045). CPI was 0.50 ± 0.04 W/m2 in the non-responders and 0.34 ± 0.02 W/m2 in the responders (p = 0.002) in the prone position. After fluid loading, in the responder, CI increased from 1.95 ± 0.16l/min/m2 to 2.22 ± 0.16l/min/m2 (p = 0.025), and SVI increased from 27.62 ± 2.2 ml/m2 to 34.5 ± 2.06 ml/m2 (p = 0.001). CPI increased from 0.34 ± 0.02 W/m2 to 0.4 ± 0.03 W/m2 (p = 0.045) in the responders. However, CI decreased from 2.5 ± 0.18l/min/m2 to 2.29 ± 0.18 l/min/m2 (p = 0.009), and SVI (mean ± sd) decreased from 31.05 ± 1.78 ml/m2 to 28.55 ± 1.63 ml/m2 (p = 0.004) in the non-responders. CPI decreased from 0.5 ± 0.04W/m2 to 0.42 ± 0.03W/m2 (p = 0.015). The prone's CPI could predict fluid responsiveness under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.60–0.95; p = 0.025). An optimal cut-off value of CPI in the prone was < 0.43 W/m2 (100% sensitivity and 65% specificity).
Conclusion
CPI may support and guide fluid management in the prone position. However, more data are required to confirm these findings.
Living on the Edge: The Impacts of Buffer Zones on Wetland Carnivores in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Huyen T. T. , Willcox Daniel , Gray Russell , MacDonald Ewan , Le Dung V. , Nguyen Tan V. , Pham Thong V. , Cao Long N. , Nguyen Truyen T. , Tran Thang V. , Nguyen Thai V.
Published: March 2023

Wetlands in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam support populations of globally threatened species, including Hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) and, historically, Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). However, protected areas in the southern wetlands have become terrestrial islands, surrounded by aquaculture and agriculture, leading to intensified interactions between humans and wildlife. This research explored different human-wildlife interactions to assess whether they bear potential threats to populations of threatened, wetland-dwelling carnivores such as otters, wild cats, and other small carnivores. 400 semi-structured interviews were conducted in communities living in the buffer zones of two protected areas: U Minh Thuong National Park and U Minh Ha National Park. Our results revealed that fish farmers who live closer to protected area boundaries were more likely to experience conflict with otters, wild cats, and other small carnivores. While the effect of distance to the protected area’s edge on small carnivore impacts were similar in both study sites, prior impacts were found to influence increasingly severe actions of respondents against the impacting wildlife. Overall, most locals had little-to-no knowledge of Fishing cats. This evidence corresponds with other studies which suspect the Fishing cat to be in extremely low densities or potentially extirpated from the wetlands in the last few decades. High prices of wildlife have driven intensive illegal hunting in the region. More people in U Minh Thuong were aware of illegal wildlife trade activities than in U Minh Ha and men tended to have more knowledge and willingness to share about those illicit activities. Our results suggested community engagement activities to tackle human-otter conflict and illegal activities related to wildlife should target mostly men, older villagers, and fish farmers living near the edges of both protected areas. Education and outreach campaigns to improve community awareness of wildlife should target women and young people, who were significantly less aware of wildlife issues in the area overall.