bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anemia and Iron Dosing Supplementation Using Reticulocyte-Hemoglobin (Ret-He) in the NICU
Authors: Ali Sara , Fuenmayor Maria Franco , Huff Monica , Burdine Jordan , Meaux Katelyn Harris
Published: March 2023

Preterm infants are at high risk for iron-deficiency anemia necessitating treatment with a blood transfusion. Research regarding iron utilization and blood transfusions in the NICU has centered on the incidence, physiology, effects, and prevention of anemia in high-risks neonates and the potential to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. Predictors of blood transfusion in the premature and very or extremely low birth weight infant include gestational age, initial hemoglobin level, phlebotomy losses and low endogenous erythropoietin. Enteral supplementation with iron is the standard of care. Several studies have addressed the ideal iron supplementation dosing for preterm infants comparing 2 to 4mg/kg/day of enteral iron until 8 weeks postnatal age. Higher iron dosing has been utilized in trials using erythropoietin supplementation. Ret-Hemoglobin (Ret-He) has emerged as a marker for iron sufficiency in preterm infants. With supplementation, there appears to be improved iron storage, less anemia, and a potential positive effect on neurodevelopment.
Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with MET-amplified contained excellent response to Crizotinib: a case report.
Authors: Gu Yangjun , Xiao Min , Chen Zhitao , Li Qiyong
Published: March 2023

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal tumors all over the world. It’s considered with extensive heterogeneity and lacks therapeutic decision-making biomarkers. There are many novel therapeutic strategies tried to prolong the survival of advanced HCC. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is generally used for helping treatment decision which help patient benefit from genome-directed targeted.
Case presentation:A 56 years-old male with more than 20 years of type-B hepatitis was admitted to our department who underwent laparoscopic hepatic left lateral lobectomy because hepatocellular carcinoma. Unfortunately, tumor recurrence 1 year later. Though multiple treatments were taken, including interventional therapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, the tumor invaded his 5th thoracic vertebras and leaded to hypoesthesia and hypokinesia below the nipple line plane 2 years later. NGS was used to find potential therapeutic biomarkers. As the met amplification was identified, Crizotinib, the inhibitor of the C-Met was recommended. Tumor reduction and decreased tumor marker were observed immediately in 1 month later. And the patient has remained on remission since then.
Conclusions: We reported a patient with high MET amplification benefited from MET inhibitors which recommended by NGS. It indicated the potential clinical decision support value of NGS and the satisfactory treatment effect of C-met inhibitor.
Effects of pyrolyzing and phosphiding on dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization of MOF-derived Ni2P
Authors: Liu Yanyan , Wang Zhiheng , Li Xin , Gao Ruiyao , Sun Jiong , Yao Songdong
Published: March 2023

MOF template, MOF-derived Ni, and MOF-derived Ni2P were characterized by XRD, TG, SEM, TEM, XPS and Raman. Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene of MOF-derived Ni2P suggests that its catalytic performance depends on the active center number of Ni2P (111), the size of Ni2P clusters, the phosphiding degree of Ni and the intervals between Ni2P clusters. Reducing the pyrolyzing temperature of MOF template can slow down particle aggregation and change the morphology of Ni and Ni2P from closely packed polyhedron to loosely packed petal-like. At the same time, the cluster size of Ni2P was significantly reduced, resulting in a higher HDS activity. Prolonging pyrolyzing time at low pyrolyzing temperature leads to the gradual removal of MOF framework and makes nickel aggregates more susceptible to phosphiding. This increases the ratio of Ni2P to Ni of the phosphidized material, resulting in higher HDS activity of MOF-derived Ni2P. In situ phosphiding of crystalline nickel with PH3 did not change the shape of aggregates, but change the surface morphology of MOF derivied Ni. Low-temperature phosphiding can generally form pure Ni2P species, while high-temperature phosphiding will form a variety of impurities including Ni5P4. This will lead to a decrease in HDS reaction performance of MOF-derived Ni2P catalyst.
False Position Method for Solving Fuzzy Non-Linear Equation Using Triangular and Trapezoidal Fuzzy Number
Authors: Akter Mst. Monjuara , Hossain Md. Sahadat
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we derive the false position method for solving fuzzy non-linear equations using triangular and trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. In particular, two techniques for obtaining the roots of a fuzzy nonlinear equation using a triangular fuzzy number are shown, and the optimal solution is determined by comparing the two methods which are best between them. Included are numerical examples with graphical representations to show the efficacy of the proposed method. Finally, we used this best method to solve fuzzy non-linear equations using trapezoidal fuzzy numbers.
Learning and adaptation：A comparison of traditional plant knowledge between Daman people and Tibetans in Gyirong River Valley, Tibet, China
Authors: Guo Chang-An , Ding Xiaoyong , Hu Huabin , Zhang Yu , Wang Yuhua
Published: March 2023

Background
"Diaspora" refers to a specific group of immigrants that have settled in different regions throughout history. In Gyirong town, Tibet, China, there exists such an ethnic group known as the "Daman people". In 2003, they were granted Chinese citizenship. The objective of this study is to document the traditional knowledge of plant use by the Daman people in Gyirong town. It aims to explore the extent to which the Daman people have incorporated local Tibetan plant use practices and whether they maintain their own distinct knowledge of plant use.
Methods
During fieldwork, ethnobotanical data were collected using various methods including free listings, key informant interviews, and semi-structured interviews. To quantify the importance of plant species in the Daman people's culture, the culture importance index (CII), informant consensus factor index (FIC), and The Index of Agreement on Species consensus (IASc) were used. To more comprehensively compare the differences in plant use between the Daman and Tibetan, this study constructed a knowledge network to compare the knowledge differences between the two groups.
Results
In this study, traditional knowledge was collected from 32 Daman informants and 126 Tibetan informants, resulting in a total of 68 species belonging to 39 families mentioned by Daman people and 111 species mentioned by Tibetans. Of these, 58 plants were used by both populations. The plants were classified into 3 first categories and 28 second categories, with 22 identical classes in both groups. The majority of use categories showed a high degree of sharing in both groups, and the Tibetan people had more plant use categories than the Daman people. Five plants with IASc value > 0.5 were identified in both groups: Rhododendron anthopogon D. Don, Artemisia japonica Thunb., Juniperus indica Bertol., Gastrodia elata Blume, and Rheum australe D. Don. The analysis of the knowledge network revealed a 66% overlap between the knowledge of the Daman and the knowledge of the Tibetans. Additionally, the plant knowledge of Tibetan people was found to be richer and more complex than that of the Daman people. However, the Daman people possess 30 unique knowledge items.
Conclusions
From the perspective of plant use, the history of the Daman people's discrete migration on the border between China's Tibet and Nepal allows them to retain their own knowledge of plant use. The status quo of joining Chinese nationality and settling in Gyirong town allows them to gradually integrate into the local Tibetan society. In constant communication with the Tibetan culture, the Daman acquired a great deal of traditional plant knowledge, so that they could better adapt to the natural environment of Gyirong.
Highly Active, Ultra-Low Loading Single-Atom Iron Catalysts for Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation
Authors: An Zhidong , Yang Piaoping , Duan Delong , Li Jiang , Wan Tong , Kong Yue , Caratzoulas Stavros , Xiang Shuting , Liu Jiaxing , Huang Lei , Frenkel Anatoly , Jiang Yuan-Ye , Long Ran , Li Zhenxing , Vlachos Dionisios
Published: March 2023

Highly effective and selective noble metal-free catalysts attract significant attention. Here, a single-atom iron catalyst is fabricated by saturated adsorption of trace iron onto zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) followed by pyrolysis. Its performance toward catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural is comparable to state-of-the-art catalysts and up to four orders higher than other Fe catalysts. Isotopic labeling experiments demonstrate an intermolecular hydride transfer mechanism. First principles simulations, spectroscopic calculations and experiments, and kinetic correlations reveal that the synthesis creates pyrrolic Fe(I)-plN3 as the active center whose flexibility manifested by being pulled out of the plane, enabled by defects, is crucial for collocating the reagents and allowing the chemistry to proceed. The catalyst catalyzes chemoselectively several substrates and possesses a unique trait whereby the chemistry is hindered for more acidic substrates than the hydrogen donors. This work paves the way toward noble-metal free single-atom catalysts for important chemical reactions.
Endophytic colonization of tomato by Beauveria bassiana decreased the fitness and altered the feeding behaviour of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci
Authors: Wang Xian , Wang Ziying , Yuan Qian , Yan Ganwei , Qin Yang , Li Guangyun , Liu Huai
Published: March 2023

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a cosmopolitan, polyphagous agricultural pest that poses serious threats to agricultural production globally. Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), cannot only directly kill a variety of pests but also inhibit the occurrence of pests as fungal endophytes within plants. In this study, we explored how the introduction of B. bassiana as endophytes into tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) affected the fitness and feeding behaviour of whiteflies. The results showed a significant difference in the fertility of B. tabaci on tomatoes treated with B. bassiana by root irrigation, B. bassiana by local leaf spraying, and 0.05% Tween 80 solution, among which the number of eggs laid was the lowest on tomatoes treated with B. bassiana by root irrigation. Furthermore, B. tabaci fed on tomatoes treated with EPF by root irrigation showed a significantly higher mortality rate in each stage than control plants treated with 0.05% Tween 80 by constructing an age-stage, two-sex life table. In addition, the intrinsic rate of increase (r), the finite rate of increase (λ) and the net reproductive rate (R0) of the B. tabaci population on tomatoes treated with EPF by root irrigation were all significantly lower than those of the control. Moreover, tomatoes treated by root irrigation had a significant negative effect on the feeding behaviour of B. tabaci by shortening the duration of watery salivation and phloem ingestion. Our results indicated that B. bassiana effectively inhibited the occurrence of whitefly as endophytes. These findings enhanced our understanding of the inhibition of endophytic EPF on pests.
Evaluation of 17 years of MERIN (Meningitis and Encephalitis register in Lower Saxony, Germany) surveillance system: participants acceptability survey, completeness and timeliness of data
Authors: Luczynska Anna , Beyrer Konrad , Holle Ina , Baillot Armin , Monazahian Masyar , Dreesman Johannes , Mertens Elke , Rettenbacher-Riefler Sophie
Published: March 2023

Background

A Meningitis and Encephalitis Surveillance (MERIN) was implemented in 2003 in Lower Saxony, Germany as an alternative to acute flaccid paralyses surveillance, as the latter did not reach WHO sensitivity criteria. The system provides information on circulating enterovirus (EV) serotypes by focussing on patients with suspected aseptic meningitis, encephalitis or acute flaccid paralysis and contributes to the national surveillance in documenting polio free status. MERIN is based on voluntary participation of hospitals. Therefore, our evaluation focusses on acceptability of the system’s objectives and performance, and identifying areas for improvement.

Methods

To assess acceptability, 32 contributing hospitals were invited to an online-based survey (11/2021 to 01/2022) to rate the MERIN objectives, laboratory’s performance, their workload, modes of processes and communication. Ideas for improvement were collected in open fields. In addition, data completeness and timeliness of laboratory diagnostics were assessed.

Results

We received 30 questionnaires, 25 from pediatric and 5 from neurological departments, of 21 hospitals (66% response rate). High levels of satisfaction with the communication (≥ 96%), timeliness (≥ 81%), and distribution of the results (≥ 85%) were reported, 97% of participants judged the required workload as adequate. The median proportion of eligible patients included in MERIN was 75%. Participants gave rapid and reliable diagnostic testing the highest priority (96%), while monitoring of Germany’s polio-free status was rated the lowest (61%). Providing medical reports digitally as well regular as updates about circulating EV serotypes were identified as areas for improvement. Data completeness of selected variables ranged from 78.3 to 99.9%. Median time between sample collection and arrival at laboratory was 2 days [IQR 1–3], EV diagnostics via PCR took one day [IQR 0–6] and EV isolation on cell culture 11 days [IQR 10–13].

Conclusion

MERIN is a highly accepted surveillance system. Its quality was enhanced further by addressing the suggested improvements such as regular reports on circulating EV serotypes and facilitating digital access to laboratory results.
Our results emphasise the importance of recognizing and considering participants’ motivations and expectations, and addressing their priorities, even if this is not the surveillance system’s main focus.
This approach can be applied to surveillance systems of other non-mandatory notifiable diseases.
The Role of Cultivar Mixtures and Intercropping on Cereal Aphid Populations and Crop Yield in Mediterranean Organic Winter Wheat
Authors: Fandos Alba Tous , Chamorro-Lorenzo Lourdes , Caballero-López Berta , Blanco-Moreno José M. , Bragg Daniel , Casiraghi Alice , Pèrez-Ferrer Alejandro , Sans F. Xavier
Published: March 2023

Crop diversification has been proposed as a sustainable strategy for pest control in organic cereal fields. In this study aims at improving our understanding of the ecological processes related to aphid control in real farming conditions to enhance functional agrobiodiversity. We assessed the effect of genotypic (cultivar mixture) and interspecific (burclover undersowing) diversity and its stacking on cereal aphid populations, beneficial arthropods and yield. We analyzed several variables related to aphid population, parasitism rate and abundance of predators. We established 10 treatments differing in crop diversity: three single-cultivar wheat crops (Florence-Aurora (FA), Montcada (MO) and Forment (FO)) and two cultivar mixtures (FAMO and FAFO) duplicated with a burclover undersowing in five organic fields. Polycultures had a positive effect on yield. Wheat cultivars differed in aphid abundance, with FA being the most infested. The influence of genotypic diversity on aphid control was cultivar specific. FAFO significantly lowered aphid abundance and aphid density on Florence-Aurora tillers, whereas FAMO did not provide pest control. Further, a higher burclover ground cover was negatively associated with aphid abundance, particularly in the FA treatment. Therefore, the stacking of the two diversity treatments did not out-perform the implementation of a single diversity treatment. Planned diversity did not affect the abundance or richness of predators nor parasitism. Thus, our results suggest that aphid control in polycultures was related to bottom-up effects. To conclude, our study shows the potential of field research as a promising tool for designing functional multiple crop systems in real farming scenarios.
How do coalitions break down? An alternative view *
Authors: Boucekkine Raouf , Camacho Carmen , Ruan Weihua , Zou Benteng
Published: March 2023

We propose an alternative dynamic theory of coalition breakdown. Motivated by recent coalition splitting events through unilateral countries’ withdrawals, we assume that: i) the payoff sharing rule within coalitions is not necessarily set according to any optimality and/or stability criterion, and, ii) players initially behave as if the coalition will last forever. If the sharing rule is non-negotiable or if renegotiation is very costly, compliance to these rules may become unbearable for a given member because the rule, being too rigid, would make exit preferable as time passes. We examine this endogenous exit problem in the case of time-invariant sharing rules. Assuming a Nash non-cooperative game after (potential) splitting where players play Markovian, we characterize the solutions of the endogenous exit problem in a linear-quadratic frame with endogenous splitting time. We find that splitting countries are precisely those which use to benefit the most from the coalition. Suitable sharing rules should be used to prevent coalition splitting. When initial pollution is high, all shares should be low enough and none of the players should detain a payoff share larger than 1/2. If initial pollution is small, we provide with an explicit interval for the sharing rule values preventing the collapse of the coalition.
Approximate Q-Learning-based (AQL) Network Slicing in Mobile Edge-Cloud for Delay-sensitive Services
Authors: Khani Mohsen , Jamali Shahram , Sohrabi Mohammad Karim
Published: March 2023

Network slicing (NS) technology promises to provide a variety of services based on diverse latency-sensitive over shared infrastructure in Mobile Edge-Cloud (MEC) by creating customized slices for each application. However, to process users' dynamic slice requests, the infrastructure provider (InP) must be the online slice acceptance check and scaled if required. Based on a business model, network revenue is dependent on the acceptance of slices and the provision of infrastructure for them. If an InP does not provide more resources for an active slice, the network is penalized and its revenues are degraded. A proper solution to the aforementioned problem is to use reinforcement learning methods. But most of these methods have challenges in continuous spaces. This work presents a reinforcement learning-based method called approximate Q-learning (AQL) to intelligently slice acceptance control (SAC) to maximize utility in MEC for latency-sensitive services. The core idea of AQL is based on Q-learning, so we have developed some of its functions to adapt to a large area of spaces and actions. We have evaluated the performance of AQL in terms of coverage, cumulative rewards, resource utilization, and revenue. The results show the proposed approach has an acceptable performance.
High levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increase all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in critically ill patients: a cohort study on the eICU database
Authors: Li Shan , Zhang Wei , Liu Hongbin
Published: March 2023

Background Emerging evidence suggests that extremely high levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) may increase the risk of adverse outcomes. However, the association between HDL-C levels and all-cause and cause-specific mortality has never been investigated in critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).
Methods An observational cohort study was conducted using data from the eICU Collaborative Research Database. Individuals were divided into seven groups according to HDL-C concentrations (≤20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70 and >70 mg/dL). Multivariable adjusted logistic models were conducted with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). To further investigate the association between HDL-C and the risk of mortality, spline curves based on the generalized additive model, stratified analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed.
Results Among 27,719 individuals included in the analysis, a total of 1713 (6.2%) all-cause deaths, 963 (3.5%) cardiovascular deaths and 750 (2.7%) noncardiovascular deaths were recorded within 30 days of ICU admission. Among the overall population, those with very high HDL-C levels (70 mg/dL) had an increased risk of all-cause mortality (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.03-1.79) and cardiovascular mortality (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.13-2.36) compared with those with HDL-C levels in the range of 51 to 60 mg/dL. These results were replicated among men and among women. The spline analysis revealed a U-shaped association between HDL-C levels and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among the overall population and among men, with higher risk at both very high and low HDL-C levels. A nearly U-shaped association was observed among women, with a slightly attenuated risk at very high HDL-C levels. Sensitivity analysis also supported a U-shaped association between HDL-C levels and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Conclusions Results of this cohort study suggest that extremely high HDL-C levels are paradoxically associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in critically ill patients.
Petrography of Badabagh Member (Bathonian) Sandstone of Jaisalmer Formation (Western Rajasthan, India): Implications for provenance and tectonic setting
Authors: Ahmed Taskin , Khan Abdullah
Published: March 2023

Petrographic, and petrofacies investigations were performed on thirty-three samples of medium to fine grained (mostly fine), moderately to well-sorted sandstone from Bathonian Badabagh Member, Jaisalmer Formation, western Rajasthan. The grains are sub-angular to sub-rounded in shape, with some well-rounded quartz grains. The framework composition of sandstone consists mostly of monocrystalline and polycrystalline quartz, low- to high-grade metamorphic and sedimentary rock fragments, as well as subordinate feldspar with low plagioclase to total feldspar ratios and accessory minerals. Petrographic investigations reveal that sandstones from the Badabagh Member of the Jaisalmer Formation are dominantly quartz-arenite with subordinate amount of sub-litharenite to sub-arkose. The sandstones have abundance of metamorphic and sedimentary rock fragments having former supersede the latter, which derived from a continental block, recycled orogen provenance of quartzose lithic terrains under tropical humid climate as indicated by weathering index which signifies the moderate hills to low plains relief. The majority of the quartz in the sandstones is undulatory, indicating provenance with lower and middle-upper rank metamorphic affinity. Corroboration of palaeocurrent data along with petrographical and sedimentological studies suggests that the Badabagh Member sandstone was predominantly derived from the rocks of Aravalli Delhi Fold Belt (ADFB) and Malani Igneous Suites, which is located to the south and southeast of the basin.
Longitudinal analysis of the relationship between religiosity and individual well- being in Poland before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kiszkiel Łukasz , Sowa Paweł , Laskowski Piotr Paweł , Łowicki Paweł , Alimowski Maciej , Moniuszko-Malinowska Anna , Szczerbiński Łukasz , Sołomacha Sebastian , Talomt-Kaminski Konrad , Kamiński Karol
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic shook up societies, leaving a stigma on the health and well-being of many individuals. How big this stigma was depended on individual factors, which researchers are now trying to relate. One aspect affecting well-being during the pandemic may have been religiosity. In our longitudinal study of a representative sample of Poles, we took two measurements, in March 2021 and April 2022, obtaining a sample of N=622 repeated respondents out of 1000. We categorized participating individuals as religious, fuzzy or secular and, partly using retrospective questions, we compared their levels of well-being (WHO-5 index, Q-LES-Q-SF) before the outbreak as well as one and two years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that in the general population, despite a decline in well-being one year after the pandemic outbreak (2021), there was an improvement in the following year (2022), with religiosity proving to have a positive impact on well-being. The religious category achieved higher well-being values than the secular, especially in March 2021, when the effects of the pandemic were strongly felt in society in the form of lockdowns and the highest number of deaths.
Estimation of the quality factor of earthquake shear waves in the Seismic Province of Central and Eastern Iran
Authors: Mousavi Samin Sadat , Saffari Hamid
Published: March 2023

Having the seismic quality factor for each area and observing its changes due to occurrence of earthquake one could obtain some information concerning the inner structure of the earth and type of the soil in the area. Also the seismicity of the area could be acquired and using it the other parameters of an earthquake such as the velocity, magnitude etc. could be estimated. Recently the Q factor has been introduced as a pre-indicator for an earthquake and any changes of it could be a sign of earthquake occurrence in a place. Another application is generation of artificial accelerograms with higher accuracy.
The aim of this article is calculation of the parameter of loss in Q factor in the seismic province of central-east Iran. In this respect first the previous research works were collected and studied and then by returning to the seismography and geology data banks of Iran and obtaining the needed information such as the seismic provinces of Iran and considering the accelerograms, the preliminary stages of the research were completed. In continuation, a total number of 419 earthquake records were employed for the central-east Iran zone. Baseline correction was first applied to the records and then the loss in the seismic quality factor was calculated using different methods. The research shows that loss in the seismic quality factor is to a large extend dependent upon the geological structure of the considered area. Also by increase in the shear wave velocity, the value of Q is decreased and by increase in the frequency, it would increase. Finally, the obtained relationships in this research were compared to other relationships in Iran and around the world. The proposed relationships in this research have a high efficiency with respect to other relationships for the central-east Iran zone.
Intrusion Detection for IoT Network Security with Deep Neural Network
Authors: Morshedi Roya , Matinkhah S Mojtaba , Sadeghi Mohammad Taghi
Published: March 2023

one of the most important challenges of the Internet of Things is security. Today, the Internet of Things has found an important place in information technology and human daily life. One of the main challenges of the Internet of Things is security. One of the common methods to intervene in Internet of Things services is Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Therefore, intrusion detection systems or IDSs are currently the main and most complete parts of a network monitoring system. This paper uses the CICIDS 2017 data set to present an intrusion detection model in software-driven Internet of Things networks based on deep neural networks to detect distributed denial of service attacks and several other cyber attacks. In addition, we explored effective deep learning models to represent cyber security knowledge in Internet of Things networks, including CNN, DenseNet, CNN and LSTM hybrid models, and our proposed model.
Median artery bilateral persistence in coexistence with a bifid median nerve and a communication with the ulnar nerve and vice-versa
Authors: Piagkou Maria , Tsakotos George , Triantafyllou George , Koutserimpas Christos , Totlis Trifon , Karampelias Vasilios , Natsis Konstantinos
Published: March 2023

Purpose The current report describes the bilateral coexistence of a persistent median artery (PMA) of ulnar origin and asymmetrical termination, with a bifid median nerve (MN) and an interconnection of the median with the ulnar nerve (MN-UN). Unilaterally the “reverse” interconnection (MN-UN) was identified. Emphasis was given to the artery’s developmental background.
Methods The PMA was identified in an 80-year-old formalin-embalmed male cadaver, derived from a body donation program after a signed informed consent.
Results In the right forearm, the PMA of antebrachial type, terminated at the wrist, posterior to the palmar aponeurosis. Two neural communications (-) were identified: the UN-MN deep branch, at the forearm’s upper third, and the MN deep stem-UN palmar cutaneous branch, at the lower third (9.7cm distally to the 1st communication). In the left forearm, the PMA of palmar type, ended in the palm giving off the 3rd and 4th proper palmar digital arteries. An incomplete superficial palmar arch was identified by the PMA, radial and ulnar arteries’ contribution. After MN bifurcation into superficial and deep branches, the deep branches formed a loop, through which coursed the PMA. The MN deep branch communicated with the UN palmar cutaneous branch.
Conclusions The PMA should be evaluated, as a causative factor of carpal tunnel syndrome. The modified Allen's test, and the Doppler ultrasound may detect the arterial flow and the angiography may depict the vessel thrombosis in complex cases. PMA could also be a "salvage" vessel for the hand supply, in radial and ulnar artery trauma.
Tumor necrosis as a predictor of early tumor recurrence after liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yen Yi-Hao , Kuo Fang-Ying , Eng Hock-Liew , Liu Yueh-Wei , Lin Chih-Che , Yong Chee-Chien , Li Wei-Feng , Wang Chih-Chi , Lin Chih-Yun
Published: March 2023

Purpose: Tumor necrosis is a significant risk factor affecting patients’ prognosis after liver resection (LR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only one previous study has used a model incorporating tumor necrosis to predict tumor recurrence after LR in patients with a solitary HCC of ≤ 3.0 cm. We aimed to develop a model with tumor necrosis as a variable to predict early tumor recurrence in HCC patients undergoing LR.
Methods: Patients who underwent LR between 2010 and 2018 for newly diagnosed HCC but did not receive neoadjuvant therapy were enrolled in this retrospective study. Six predictive factors based on pathological features—tumor size > 5 cm, multiple tumors, high-grade tumor differentiation, tumor necrosis, microvascular invasion, and cirrhosis—were chosen a priori based on clinical relevance to construct a multivariate logistic regression model. The variables were always retained in the model. The impact of each variable on early tumor recurrence within one year of LR was estimated and visualized using a nomogram. The nomogram’s performance was evaluated using calibration plots with bootstrapping.
Results: Early tumor recurrence was observed in 161 (21.3 %) patients. The concordance index of the proposed nomogram was 0.722. The calibration plots showed good agreement between nomogram predictions and actual observations of early recurrence.
Conclusion: We developed a nomogram incorporating tumor necrosis to predict early recurrence of HCC after LR. Its predictive accuracy is satisfactory.
Boosting Deep Neural Networks with Geometrical Prior Knowledge: A Survey
Authors: Rath Matthias , Condurache Alexandru Paul
Published: March 2023

Deep Neural Networks achieve state-of-the-art results in many different problem settings by exploiting vast amounts of training data. However, collecting, storing and - in the case of supervised learning - labelling the data is expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, assessing the networks' generalization abilities or predicting how the inferred output changes under input transformations is complicated since the networks are usually treated as a black box. Both of these problems can be mitigated by incorporating prior knowledge into the neural network. One promising approach, inspired by the success of convolutional neural networks in computer vision tasks, is to incorporate knowledge about symmetric geometrical transformations of the problem to solve that affect the output in a predictable way. This promises an increased data efficiency and more interpretable network outputs. In this survey, we try to give a concise overview about different approaches that incorporate geometrical prior knowledge into neural networks. Additionally, we connect those methods to 3D object detection for autonomous driving, where we expect promising results when applying those methods.
Extraction of functional natural products employing microwave-assisted aqueous two-phase system: Application to anthocyanins extraction from mulberry fruits
Authors: WANG Da-quan , ZONG Kai-li , CUI Hai-peng , HU Hong-chao , HU Jin-peng , YANG Jian-ting
Published: March 2023

Microwave-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction (MAATPE) was applied to obtain anthocyanins from mulberry using ethanol/ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) as the biphasic extractant. The optimal conditions for anthocyanins extraction were determined by response surface methodology (RSM), which included 39% ethanol (w/w), 13% (NH4)2SO4 (w/w), a liquid-to-solid ratio of 45:1, and microwave exposure for 3 min at 32°C and 480 W, resulting in a maximum extraction recovery of 86.35 ± 0.32%. The main components of mulberry-extracted anthocyanin were effectively enriched through MAATPE extraction, as analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra analysis indicated that hydrogen bonding was the primary mechanism causing the extraction behavior of MAATPE. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that MAATPE was more conducive to the dissolution of mulberry anthocyanins than ethanol and ATPE extraction. Moreover, antioxidant experiments showed that the mulberry anthocyanin extract obtained employing the MAATPE method exhibited better antioxidant activity in scavenging DPPH and ABTS free radicals. These results demonstrate that the MAATPE is a promising approach for the extraction of anthocyanins from mulberry. Moreover, mulberry-derived anthocyanins may serve as novel natural antioxidants for functional food ingredients and additives.
Study on the inhibitory effect of cystine, cysteine and glutamate as inhibitors on X100 pipeline steel in 1 M HCl
Authors: Zhang Pandong , He Liang , Sun Xiaolu , Liu Xinran , Li Ping
Published: March 2023

Metal corrosion can cause massive economic losses and many safety hazards; thus, metal corrosion inhibition has been a major research direction worldwide. Among the many methods to stop metal corrosion, the addition of corrosion inhibitors is a common method. The use of amino acids as metal corrosion inhibitors not only has the advantage of being economical and efficient but also meets the long-term concept of being environmentally friendly. In this study, the effect on the corrosion behavior of a mild steel (X100 pipeline steel) in 1 M HCl containing the same concentration of the amino groups of cystine (Cys-Cys), cysteine (Cys) and glutamate (Glu) was investigated via density functional theory (DFT) and various characterization methods. These methods include the weightlessness method, electrochemical tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the contact angle test. The results show that the inhibition efficiency increased with increasing inhibitor concentration; Cys-Cys showed the best inhibition and Glu showed the poorest inhibition for X100 pipeline steel at the same amino group concentration. Furthermore, the results obtained from various characterization methods were generally consistent.
Investigation of Groundwater Potential within the Coastal and the Orontes Basins in Syria by Using Remote Sensing, Analytical Hierarchy Processes (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Authors: BEKRI Samah , HOSKAN Nihan
Published: March 2023

Water is the basis of human life. The importance of water is increasing in regions with limited water resources such as Mediterranean basin countries. But unfortunately water is the most important natural resource at risk today. This is due to industrial development, climate change, population growth, continued agricultural expansion aimed at increasing production to meet the permanent demand for food products. So sustainable use of groundwater resources in an area is required and the development of a sensible groundwater potential model is needed. Such studies can provide information about the groundwater potential area and the determination of productive well locations in the study area. This can reduce the extra labor and time required. This study used remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and analytical hierarchy processes (AHP) in order to map the Orontes and Coastal basins in Syria and investigate their groundwater potential. For this purpose, five groundwater occurrence and movement controlling parameters (Geology, rainfall, slope, drainage density and soil) were prepared and transformed into raster data using QGIS software. These five thematic layers were allocated weights proportional to their importance according to the expert’s opinions. Furthermore, the final normalized weights of these layers were estimated using a pairwise comparison matrix of the AHP. Weights were determined to be 22.22% for geology, 49.93% for precipitation, 10.49% for slope, 8.83% for drainage density, and finally 8.53% for soil. Using ArcGIS software, weighted overlay technique was used to combine layers to create a groundwater potential zones map of study area. Four regions were identified on the final map: very good, good, moderate, and poor, representing 6.61%, 43.97%, 35.01% and 14.41% of the study area, respectively.
Synthetic Control and Comparative Studies on Covid-19 Vaccines Enrollment and Hesitancy in Africa
Authors: LANGAT AMOS KIPKORIR , Ofori Michael , Ishag Mohamed , Bouzir Youssouf
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of vaccines in the fight against infectious diseases. However, the rollout of vaccines in Africa has been slow and uneven. This study uses synthetic control and comparative analysis to examine the factors that have contributed to differences in vaccine enrollment in African countries. Using data from the World Health Organization and other sources, we constructed a synthetic control group of countries that were similar in African countries in terms of demographic, economic, and health characteristics. We then used a difference-in-differences approach to compare the vaccine enrollment rates of each African country with its synthetic control group. Our analysis showed that government support, health infrastructure, and access to vaccines were significant factors that contributed to differences in vaccine enrollment rates in African countries. Countries with stronger government support and better health infrastructure tended to have higher vaccine enrollment rates. Access to vaccines, including availability, affordability, and distribution, was also a significant factor. Additionally, the use of synthetic control and comparative analysis can provide valuable insights into the factors that contribute to differences in vaccine enrollment rates in different countries. In conclusion, the slow and uneven rollout of vaccines in Africa has been a significant challenge in the fight against COVID-19. Policymakers and public health officials should prioritize efforts to strengthen health infrastructure, provide greater government support for vaccine rollout efforts, and improve access to vaccines. The use of synthetic control and comparative analysis can provide valuable insights into the factors that contribute to differences in vaccine enrollment rates in different countries, and should be considered in future research.
Landscape configuration modulates the presence of leaf-cutting ants in eucalypt plantations
Authors: Cavigliasso Pablo , Gonzalez Ezequiel , Scherf Abel , Villacide Jose
Published: March 2023

Leaf-cutting ants (LCAs) are herbivorous insects endemic to the Neotropical region that cause considerable problems in agricultural and forestry production. In particular, LCAs are a major threat for non-native forest plantations in tropical and subtropical Americas. Here we evaluate the presence and abundance of LCA nests in different spatial contexts associated with young Eucalyptus plantations in the littoral region of Argentina: land uses, interfaces (pairs of neighboring land uses), agroecosystems and landscapes. We selected 30 sites representing 3 types of land uses neighboring Eucalyptus plantations: adult eucalypt plantations, citrus plantations and semi-natural habitats. At each site, we quantified and identified LCA nests on two transects (50x4 m) during the fall of 2022. In addition, we quantified landscape composition and configuration in circular landscapes of 250m radius. We found that LCA nests abundance and presence was similar across different land uses, interfaces, and agroecosystems, although semi-natural land uses and the plantation forest agroecosystem tend to have more nests. Nest presence decreased in landscapes with increasing mean perimeter/area ratio and LCAs abundance showed a similar trend, meaning that small-grain landscapes were less likely to have LCA nests. Despite that LCAs seem to be resistant to human disturbance, our results suggest that decreasing patch size within productive landscapes by planting small plots of trees surrounded by other habitats could be the simplest way to decrease damage by LCAs. Understanding the dynamics of ant populations and their complex associations with landscape components will help promoting a successful environmental management plan for eucalypts forest plantations.
A Deep Learning Approach of Blood Glucose Predictive Monitoring for Women with Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Lu Huiqi , Clifton David , Lu Ping , Hirst Jane , MacKillop Lucy
Published: March 2023

Gestational diabetes is a subtype of diabetes that develops during pregnancy.Managing blood glucose (BG) within the healthy physiological range can reduce clinical complications for women with gestational diabetes. In this paper, we developed a Stacked Long and Short-Term Memory (Stacked-LSTM) model to predict before- and after-meal BG levels for women with gestational diabetes. A total of 190396 BG readings from 1110 patients were used for model development, validation and testing under three different prediction schemes: 7 days of BG readings to predict the next 7 or 14 days, and 14 days to predict 14 days. Our results show that the optimized BG schedule uses a 7-day observational window to predict the BG of the next 14 days, achieved accuracies of RMSE = 0.958±0.007, 0.876±0.003, 0.898±0.003, 0.622±0.003, 0.814±0.009, and 0.845±0.005 for the after-breakfast, after-lunch, after-dinner, before-breakfast, before-lunch and before-dinner predictions, respectively. The performance of our models is on par withthe prediction accuracies (RMSE) in benchmark BG prediction models using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) readings. In conclusion, the Stacked-LSTM model is a promising approach for capturing the patterns in time series data, resulting in accurate predictions of BG levels. Using a deep learning model with routine fingerstick glucose collection is a promising, predictable and low-cost solution for BG monitoring for women with gestational diabetes.
Bioinspired synthesis, characterization of molybdenum (Mo5O14) nanoparticles and their impact on the germination growth of green gram (Vigna radiate)
Authors: Paulraj Suganya , Raman Krishnamoorthi , Ulagan Mahalingam Pambayan
Published: March 2023

In this present study, the green synthesized molybdenum (Mo5O14) nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized using the co-precipitation method using Eisenia fetida vermiwash extract and their application to the seed germination of Vigna radiata. UV visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirm the formation of molybdenum nanoparticles and their interaction with the functional group of enzymes present in the vermiwah. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study reveals that the crystallinity has a tetragonal shape and is 35 nm in size. A SEM study shows the formation of Mo5O14 NPs. The TEM and SAED patterns also exhibit a spherical shape with a size of 210.85 nm and polycrystalline Mo5O14 NPs. In order to evaluate the bio-potential properties of Mo5O14 NPs, seed germination studies were carried out with green gram (V. radiata) with different concentrations of Mo5O14 NPs and showed a positive influence on the germination of green gram. However, Mo5O14 NPs are being them as nanofertilizer in agriculture.
Development and Evaluation of a Simple Load Lifting Technique Applying Japanese Ancient Martial Arts
Authors: Shiraishi Hajime , Sakaki Taisuke , Iwamura Makoto , Shiraishi Haruhiro
Published: March 2023

Conventional ergonomics utilizes second-order control systems and three-dimensional models, but their complexity makes them unsuitable for practical development. In this paper, a simple mechanism for lifting objects by temporarily setting the load to zero was devised by applying basic techniques of kobujutsu (Japanese ancient martial arts). The accuracy of this mechanism was confirmed by simulation and experiment. This mechanism reveals that the speed of reflection of signals by the brain is important to essentially increase the output of human muscles, enabling efficient and simple movements. It is suggested that the method of lifting objects revealed in this paper is not limited to martial arts and other sports fields but could be applied to a wide range of fields such as nursing care and agricultural work. The development and evaluation of the simple object lifting technique demonstrated in this paper is expected to activate and improve the motor skills of the public and have a positive impact on health maintenance activities.
Ultra-High-Dimensional Multi-Level Optimization Strategies for Electrical Machines
Authors: Liu Chengcheng , Zhang Hongming , Lei Gang , Zhang Shiwei , Wang Youhua , Zhu Jianguo
Published: March 2023

Electrical machine optimization is normally a high-dimensional nonlinear multi-objective optimization problem. To improve the efficiency, multi-level optimization strategy is currently used, where sensitivity analysis is required for dividing design parameters into different groups. However, the conventional multi-level optimization strategy cannot handle ultra-high-dimensional optimization problems. To attempt this challenge, this paper proposes a sensitivity analysis method with variable weighted intervals to calculate the sensitivity coefficient in the parameter design range. Three improved multi-level optimization strategies based on different optimization algorithms and sequential sensitivity strategy are proposed, analyzed, and compared with the conventional multi-level optimization strategy. Through a case study of a synchronous reluctance machine, it can be seen that the proposed optimization strategies can improve the optimization results and efficiency of ultra-high-dimensional optimization of electrical machines.