bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation and Assessment of the Root Zone Soil Moisture from Near-Surface Measurements over Huai River Basin
Authors: Liu En , Zhu Yonghua , Lü Haishen , Horton Robert , Gou Qiqi , Wang Xiaoyi , Ding Zhenzhou , Xu Haiting , Pan Ying
Published: January 2023

Root zone soil moisture (RZSM) is a vital variable for agricultural production, water resource management and runoff prediction. Satellites provide large-scale and long-term near-surface soil moisture retrievals, which can be used to estimate RZSM through various methods. In this study, we tested the utility of an exponential filter (ExpF) using in situ soil moisture by optimizing the optimal characteristic time length T_opt for different soil depths. Furthermore, the parameter analysis showed that T_opt correlated negatively with precipitation and had no significant correlation with selected soil properties. Two approaches were taken to obtain T_opt: (1) optimization of the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE); (2) calculation based on annual average precipitation. The precipitation-based T_pre outperformed the station-specific T_opt and stations-averaged T_opt. To apply the ExpF on grid scale, the precipitation-based T_pre considering spatial variability was adopted in the ExpF to obtain RZSM from a new soil moisture dataset RF_SMAP_L3_P (Random Forest Soil Moisture Active Passive_L3_Passive) continuous in time and space over Huai River Basin. Finally, the performance of RF_SMAP_L3_P RZSM (0–100 cm) was evaluated using in situ measurements and compared with mainstream products, for instance, Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity Level 4 (SMOS L4) RZSM. The results indicated that RF_SMAP_L3_P RZSM could captured the temporal variation of measured RZSM best with R value of 0.586, followed by SMAP L4, which had the lowest bias value of 0.03, and SMOS L4 significantly underestimated the measured RZSM with bias value of −0.048 in the basin. Higher accuracy of RF_SMAP_L3_P RZSM was found in the flood period compared with the non-flood period, which indicates a better application for ExpF in wetter weather conditions.
Accelerated Solvent Extraction of Phenols from Lyophilised Ground Grape Skins and Seeds
Authors: Mihelčič Alenka , Lisjak Klemen , Vanzo Andreja
Published: January 2023

The efficient extraction of phenols from grapes is an important step for their reliable quantification. The aim was to optimise the lyophilisation process and the extraction of phenols from grape skins and seeds. The phenol extraction yield from lyophilised tissues was investigated with different accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) operating conditions. Skins and seeds were separated from frozen berries and lyophilised without being ground. The weight loss during lyophilisation was followed daily. Phenols were extracted from lyophilised, cryo-ground seeds and skins with ASE at room temperature and 10.3 MPa using 80% aqueous acetone and 60% aqueous methanol. The effects of ASE operational parameters (the number of extraction cycles (ECs) and static time (ST) duration) were investigated. The yield of extracted phenols was evaluated spectrophotometrically by determining total phenolic index at 280 nm (TPI). The weight of skins and seeds significantly dropped after 24 h of lyophilisation and continued to decrease, although not significantly, up until the 9th day. The optimal lyophilisation time was estimated to be 3 days and 5 days for skins and seeds, respectively. The phenol extraction yield was significantly affected after changes of ASE conditions. Based on TPI, the optimal ASE conditions were as follows: (i) lyophilised seeds—eight ECs with 10 min ST using aqueous acetone and then four ECs with 20 min ST using aqueous methanol; (ii) lyophilised skins—eight ECs with 1 min ST using aqueous acetone and then one EC with 20 min ST using aqueous methanol.
Fracture Healing in Elderly Mice and the Effect of an Additional Severe Blood Loss: A Radiographic and Biomechanical Murine Study
Authors: Bundkirchen Katrin , Ye Weikang , Nowak Aleksander J. , Lienenklaus Stefan , Welke Bastian , Relja Borna , Neunaber Claudia
Published: January 2023

Femoral fractures and severe bleeding frequently occur in old patients showing a delayed healing. As there are no studies investigating the combined effect of high age and severe blood loss on fracture healing, this was examined radiographically and biomechanically in this study. Therefore, young and old male mice were randomly assigned to three operation groups. In the fracture group (Fx), external fixator and osteotomy were applied to the femur. The combined trauma group (THFx) additionally received a pressure-controlled hemorrhage. Sham animals were only implanted with arterial catheter and external fixator. Sacrifice was performed after three weeks and bone healing was evaluated radiologically via µCT, as well as biomechanically using a three-point bending test. A decreased share of callus/total bone volume was observed in old mice with blood loss compared to old Fx. Hemorrhagic shock also reduced the trabecular number in old mice compared to Fx and young THFx. Moreover, a lower elastic limit in old Sham mice without fracture was revealed. Fracture combined with a high loss of blood further reduced the elastic limit in old mice compared to isolated Fx in old animals. In conclusion, this study showed that severe blood loss has a higher negative effect in old mice compared to young ones.
“Imagine Your Career after the COVID-19 Pandemic”: An Online Group Career Counseling Training for University Students
Authors: Zammitti Andrea , Russo Angela , Ginevra Maria Cristina , Magnano Paola
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced the psychological well-being of people around the world; university students have experienced feelings of fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the intolerance of uncertainty, and a worsened quality of life, related to the reduction of social contacts. Scholars all around the world widely suggest the need to take care of this issue, proposing solutions to support students’ adjustment in the post-pandemic period. The literature on positive psychology and the life design approach has identified multiple psychological resources, the character strengths, that can sustain people’s life satisfaction and well-being in changing contexts, including their university experience. We proposed an online group career counseling intervention for 30 Italian university students (experimental group) to promote university students’ psychological resources and mitigate the long-term negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on life satisfaction. The other 30 students formed the control group. We found that the students engaged in the online group career counseling intervention evidenced, at the post-test, higher levels than the pre-test of (a) resilience, (b) subjective risk intelligence, (c) career adaptability, (d) self-efficacy, (e) optimism, (f) hope, (g) life satisfaction, and lower levels than the pre-test of (h) fears of COVID-19 pandemic. No differences at Time 1 and Time 2 were found in the control group. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.
Perceived Information Overload and Intention to Discontinue Use of Short-Form Video: The Mediating Roles of Cognitive and Psychological Factors
Authors: Chung Donghwa , Chen Yuanxin , Meng Yanfang
Published: January 2023

The current study investigated the effects of Chinese young adult users’ perceived information overload (i.e., the daily perception of exposure to excessive information) on their intention to stop using short-form video applications. Specifically, this study accomplished this by measuring the direct and indirect effects of social media fatigue, maladaptive coping, and life dissatisfaction in relation to users’ intention to discontinue their use of short-form video applications. The data were collected using a web-based survey and validated questionnaire, with a sample of 340 young adult (18–26 years old) respondents. The results indicated that perceived information overload had a direct effect on the intention to discontinue the use of short-form video applications. Moreover, short-form video fatigue, maladaptive coping, and life dissatisfaction all played mediating roles in the relationship between perceived information overload and the intention to discontinue the use of short-form video applications among young adults in China.
The Temporal Alignment of Speech-Accompanying Eyebrow Movement and Voice Pitch: A Study Based on Late Night Show Interviews
Authors: Gast Volker
Published: January 2023

Previous research has shown that eyebrow movement during speech exhibits a systematic relationship with intonation: brow raises tend to be aligned with pitch accents, typically preceding them. The present study approaches the question of temporal alignment between brow movement and intonation from a new angle. The study makes use of footage from the Late Night Show with David Letterman, processed with 3D facial landmark detection. Pitch is modeled as a sinusoidal function whose parameters are correlated with the maximum height of the eyebrows in a brow raise. The results confirm some previous findings on audiovisual prosody but lead to new insights as well. First, the shape of the pitch signal in a region of approx. 630 ms before the brow raise is not random and tends to display a specific shape. Second, while being less informative than the post-peak pitch, the pitch signal in the pre-peak region also exhibits correlations with the magnitude of the associated brow raises. Both of these results point to early preparatory action in the speech signal, calling into question the visual-precedes-acoustic assumption. The results are interpreted as supporting a unified view of gesture/speech co-production that regards both signals as manifestations of a single communicative act.
The Role of PET Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis between Radiation Necrosis and Recurrent Disease in Irradiated Adult-Type Diffuse Gliomas: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ninatti Gaia , Pini Cristiano , Gelardi Fabrizia , Sollini Martina , Chiti Arturo
Published: January 2023

Adult-type diffuse gliomas are treated with a multimodality treatment approach that includes radiotherapy both in the primary setting, and in the case of progressive or recurrent disease. Radiation necrosis represents a major complication of radiotherapy. Recurrent disease and treatment-related changes are often indistinguishable using conventional imaging methods. The present systematic review aims at assessing the diagnostic role of PET imaging using different radiopharmaceuticals in differentiating radiation necrosis and disease relapse in irradiated adult-type diffuse gliomas. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using the PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for original research studies of interest. In total, 436 articles were assessed for eligibility. Ten original papers, published between 2014 and 2022, were selected. Four articles focused on [18F]FDG, seven on amino acid tracers ([18F]FET n = 3 and [11C]MET n = 4), one on [11C]CHO, and one on [68Ga]Ga-PSMA. Visual assessment, semi-quantitative methods, and radiomics were applied for image analysis. Furthermore, 2/10 papers were comparative studies investigating different radiopharmaceuticals. The present review, the first one on the topic in light of the new 2021 CNS WHO classification, highlighted the usefulness of PET imaging in distinguishing radiation necrosis and tumour recurrence, but revealed high heterogeneity among studies.
Turning Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLS) into Hot Spots: Values of TLS in Gastrointestinal Tumors
Authors: Cai Daming , Yu Heng , Wang Xingzhou , Mao Yonghuan , Liang Mengjie , Lu Xiaofeng , Shen Xiaofei , Guan Wenxian
Published: January 2023

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are ectopic lymphocyte aggregation structures found in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Emerging evidence shows that TLSs are significantly correlated with the progression of gastrointestinal tumors, patients’ prognosis, and the efficacy of adjuvant therapy. Besides, there are still some immunosuppressive factors in the TLSs that may affect the anti-tumor responses of TLSs, including negative regulators of anti-tumor immune responses, the immune checkpoint molecules, and inappropriate tumor metabolism. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of TLSs’ responses in gastrointestinal tumors is essential to fully understand how TLSs can fully exert their anti-tumor responses. In addition, targeting TLSs with immune checkpoint inhibitors and vaccines to establish mature TLSs is currently being developed to reprogram the TME, further benefiting cancer immunotherapies. This review summarizes recent findings on the formation of TLSs, the mechanisms of their anti-tumor immune responses, and the association between therapeutic strategies and TLSs, providing a novel perspective on tumor-associated TLSs in gastrointestinal tumors.
Patient-Derived In Vitro Models of Ovarian Cancer: Powerful Tools to Explore the Biology of the Disease and Develop Personalized Treatments
Authors: Battistini Chiara , Cavallaro Ugo
Published: January 2023

Epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy worldwide due to a late diagnosis caused by the lack of specific symptoms and rapid dissemination into the peritoneal cavity. The standard of care for OC treatment is surgical cytoreduction followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. While a response to this frontline treatment is common, most patients undergo relapse within 2 years and frequently develop a chemoresistant disease that has become unresponsive to standard treatments. Moreover, also due to the lack of actionable mutations, very few alternative therapeutic strategies have been designed as yet for the treatment of recurrent OC. This dismal clinical perspective raises the need for pre-clinical models that faithfully recapitulate the original disease and therefore offer suitable tools to design novel therapeutic approaches. In this regard, patient-derived models are endowed with high translational relevance, as they can better capture specific aspects of OC such as (i) the high inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity, (ii) the role of cancer stem cells (a small subset of tumor cells endowed with tumor-initiating ability, which can sustain tumor spreading, recurrence and chemoresistance), and (iii) the involvement of the tumor microenvironment, which interacts with tumor cells and modulates their behavior. This review describes the different in vitro patient-derived models that have been developed in recent years in the field of OC research, focusing on their ability to recapitulate specific features of this disease. We also discuss the possibilities of leveraging such models as personalized platforms to design new therapeutic approaches and guide clinical decisions.
Exposure to Commonly Used Drugs and the Risk of Gastric Cancer: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses
Authors: Bai Xiao , Ding Si-Qi , Zhang Xue-Ping , Han Ming-Hao , Dai Dong-Qiu
Published: January 2023

Recently, attention has been paid to some medications and gastric cancer (GC) risk. This review aimed to evaluate associations between commonly used drugs and GC risk and to grade evidence from published systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This umbrella review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022320276). The systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies were retrieved by searching Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science. The evidence strength of commonly used drugs and GC risk was categorized into four grades: weak, suggestive, highly suggestive, and strong. Of 19 associations between commonly used drugs and GC risk and its subtypes, none was supported by convincing or highly suggestive evidence. The risk of GC related to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), non-aspirin NSAIDs, and acid-suppressive drugs, as well as the risk of non-cardia GC related to NSAIDs and aspirin, was supported by suggestive evidence. The results showed that a reduced GC risk was associated with two drug types (NSAIDs and non-aspirin NSAIDs), and an increased GC risk was associated with acid-suppressing drugs at the suggestive evidence level. Moreover, NSAIDs and aspirin reduced non-cardia GC risk as supported by suggestive evidence. However, the evidence supporting statins or metformin in reducing GC risk was weak, and thus future studies are required to clarify these associations.
Fabrication and Characterization of Dextranase Nano-Entrapped Enzymes in Polymeric Particles Using a Novel Ultrasonication–Microwave Approach
Authors: Bashari Mohanad , Ahmed Hani , Mustafa Ayman , Riaz Asad , Wang Jinpeng , Saddick Salina , Omar Abdulkader , Afifi Mohamed , Al-Farga Ammar , AlJumaiah Lulwah , Abourehab Mohammed , Belal Amany , Zaky Mohamed
Published: January 2023

In the current study, a novel method to improve the nano-entrapment of enzymes into Ca-alginate gel was investigated to determine the synergistic effects of ultrasound combined with microwave shock (UMS). The effects of UMS treatment on dextranase enzymes’ loading effectiveness (LE) and immobilization yield (IY) were investigated. By using FT-IR spectra and SEM, the microstructure of the immobilized enzyme (IE) was characterized. Additionally, the free enzyme was used as a control to compare the reusability and enzyme-kinetics characteristics of IEs produced with and without UMS treatments. The results demonstrated that the highest LE and IY were obtained when the IE was produced with a US of 40 W at 25 kHz for 15 min combined with an MS of 60 W at a shock rate of 20 s/min for 20 min, increasing the LE and the IY by 97.32 and 78.25%, respectively, when compared with an immobilized enzyme prepared without UMS treatment. In comparison with the control, UMS treatment dramatically raised the Vmax, KM, catalytic, and specificity constant values for the IE. The outcomes suggested that a microwave shock and ultrasound combination would be an efficient way to improve the immobilization of enzymes in biopolymer gel.
A Comprehensive Study on the Electrostatic Properties of Tubulin-Tubulin Complexes in Microtubules
Authors: Guo Wenhan , Ale Tolulope Ayodeji , Sun Shengjie , Sanchez Jason E. , Li Lin
Published: January 2023

Microtubules are key players in several stages of the cell cycle and are also involved in the transportation of cellular organelles. Microtubules are polymerized by α/β tubulin dimers with a highly dynamic feature, especially at the plus ends of the microtubules. Therefore, understanding the interactions among tubulins is crucial for characterizing microtubule dynamics. Studying microtubule dynamics can help researchers make advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In this study, we utilize a series of computational approaches to study the electrostatic interactions at the binding interfaces of tubulin monomers. Our study revealed that among all the four types of tubulin-tubulin binding modes, the electrostatic attractive interactions in the α/β tubulin binding are the strongest while the interactions of α/α tubulin binding in the longitudinal direction are the weakest. Our calculations explained that due to the electrostatic interactions, the tubulins always preferred to form α/β tubulin dimers. The interactions between two protofilaments are the weakest. Thus, the protofilaments are easily separated from each other. Furthermore, the important residues involved in the salt bridges at the binding interfaces of the tubulins are identified, which illustrates the details of the interactions in the microtubule. This study elucidates some mechanistic details of microtubule dynamics and also identifies important residues at the binding interfaces as potential drug targets for the inhibition of cancer cells.
Implication of Oxysterols in Infectious and Non-Communicable Inflammatory Diseases
Authors: Lizard Gérard , Mackrill John J. , Willinger Tim
Published: January 2023

Oxysterols, derived from cholesterol oxidation, are formed either by autoxidation, via enzymes, or by both processes [...]
Influence of SARS-CoV-2 on Adult Human Neurogenesis
Authors: Stępień Tomasz , Tarka Sylwia , Chmura Natalia , Grzegorczyk Michał , Acewicz Albert , Felczak Paulina , Wierzba-Bobrowicz Teresa
Published: January 2023

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with the onset of neurological and psychiatric symptoms during and after the acute phase of illness. Inflammation and hypoxia induced by SARS-CoV-2 affect brain regions essential for fine motor function, learning, memory, and emotional responses. The mechanisms of these central nervous system symptoms remain largely unknown. While looking for the causes of neurological deficits, we conducted a study on how SARS-CoV-2 affects neurogenesis. In this study, we compared a control group with a group of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Analysis of the expression of neurogenesis markers showed a decrease in the density of neuronal progenitor cells and newborn neurons in the SARS-CoV-2 group. Analysis of COVID-19 patients revealed increased microglial activation compared with the control group. The unfavorable effect of the inflammatory process in the brain associated with COVID-19 disease increases the concentration of cytokines that negatively affect adult human neurogenesis.
Evolution of Subclinical Hypothyroidism Diagnosed in the First 3 Months of Life in Newborns Living in North Italy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mancioppi Valentina , Antoniotti Valentina , Solito Arianna , Mingoia Elisabetta , Monzani Alice , Genoni Giulia , Rabbone Ivana , Prodam Flavia , Bellone Simonetta
Published: January 2023

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) management in neonatal age opens important questions. We aimed to describe the evolution over time of subclinical hypothyroidism diagnosed in the first three months of life in a population of full-term neonates. Methods: A single-center longitudinal retrospective cohort study in a tertiary care center was conducted. We recruited 32 subjects with SH diagnosed within the first three months of life. We collected clinical, biochemical, and ultrasound data for every subject at the first examination and every six months until four years of age. Results: A total of 43.8% of subjects showed stimulating thyroid hormone (TSH) levels over the limit of 10 mUI/L and underwent treatment (Group 1). Eleven subjects started therapy at the first visit, while three subjects started it after a period of observation; 15.6% (Group 2A) showed a trend of TSH decrease and were finally discharged from the follow-up, while 40.6% (Group 2B) showed a TSH level slightly increased, changeless over time. Conclusions: We demonstrated that more than half of newborns with hyperthyrotropinemia did not require substitutive therapy showing a positive trend toward normalization or a remaining slight increase compared to normal levels. Moreover, our study suggests the need for a follow-up over time to check the TSH levels course.
The Expression of Testin, Ki-67 and p16 in Cervical Cancer Diagnostics
Authors: Popiel-Kopaczyk Aneta , Grzegrzolka Jedrzej , Piotrowska Aleksandra , Olbromski Mateusz , Smolarz Beata , Romanowicz Hanna , Rusak Agnieszka , Mrozowska Monika , Dziegiel Piotr , Podhorska-Okolow Marzenna , Kobierzycki Christopher
Published: January 2023

Testin is a protein expressed in normal human tissues, being responsible, with other cytoskeleton proteins, for the proper functioning of cell–cell junction areas and focal adhesion plaques. It takes part in the regulation of actin filament changes during cell spreading and motility. Loss of heterozygosity in the testin-encoding gene results in altered protein expression in many malignancies, as partly described for cervical cancer. The aim of our study was the assessment of the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of testin in cervical cancer and its analysis in regard to clinical data as well the expression of the Ki-67 antigen and p16 protein. Moreover, testin expression was assessed by Western blot (WB) in commercially available cell lines. The IHC analysis disclosed that the expression of testin inversely correlated with p16 (r = −0.2104, p < 0.0465) and Ki-67 expression (r = −0.2359, p < 0.0278). Moreover, weaker testin expression was observed in cancer cases vs. control ones (p < 0.0113). The WB analysis of testin expression in the cervical cancer cell lines corresponded to the IHC results and showed a weaker expression compared to that in the control cell line. When we compared the expression of testin in cervical cancer cell lines, we found a weaker expression in HPV-negative cell lines. In summary, we found that the intensity of testin expression and the number of positive cells inversely correlated with the expression of Ki-67 (a marker of proliferation) and p16 (a marker of cell cycle dysregulation). This study shows that the combined assessment of testin, Ki-67 and p16 expression may improve cervical cancer diagnostics.
Fabrication of Composites of Sodium Alginate with Guar Gum and Iron Coated Activated Alumina for the Purification of Water from Direct Blue 86
Authors: Kanwal Samia , Irfan Ali , Al-Hussain Sami A. , Sharif Gulnaz , Mumtaz Amina , Batool Fozia , Zaki Magdi E. A.
Published: January 2023

This study aims to purify water from hazardous dyes and for this purpose, a novel adsorbent is developed that was synthesized by using sodium alginate, guar gum and iron coated activated alumina (SA@GG@ICAA Composites) with the Ion Gelation Method. The novel composites were characterized by using SEM, XRD, DSC, FTIR, BET, EDX, zeta potential and zeta sizer. These novel composites were used for the removal of Direct Blue 86 (DB86). The surface area of the adsorbent was found to be 5.606 m2/g. Zeta size and zeta potential was found to be 169.9 nm and −47.7 mV, respectively. Optimized parameters were achieved for best adsorption of the selected dye. For DB86, the removal efficiency was found to be 97% at 40 ppm (dye concentration), 150 min (contact time), 3 (pH) and 150 mg (adsorbent concentration) at λmax of 620 nm. Linear and non-linear forms of adsorption isotherms are applied on the experimental data to check the adsorption methodology and its chemistry. The non-linear form of the Freundlich isotherm was found to be best fitted for the current work (0.942) as compared with the linear form (0.76). The first order kinetics model and second order kinetics model are applied in both linear and non-linear forms, and results with a high R2 value were obtained for the non-linear form of pseudo-first order kinetics. The adsorption mechanism was found to be electrostatic based on the interaction of the adsorbent and dye. Synthesized adsorbent can be successfully applied for the removal of DB86 dye from waste water.
Controllable Low-Bias Rectifying Behaviors Induced by AA-P2 Dopants in Armchair Silicene Nanoribbons with Different Widths
Authors: Cheng Caiping , Zhang Haibo , Zhang Haifeng , Yao Hui
Published: January 2023

The electronic transport properties and rectifying behaviors of armchair silicene nanoribbons (ASiNRs) were investigated by using first-principles density functional theory, in which the left lead was pristine ASiNR and the right lead was doped ASiNR where two phosphorus (P) atoms replaced a pair of adjacent silicon atoms in the same sublattice A (AA-P2). Two types of AA-P2-doped models were considered for P dopant-substitute silicon atoms at the center or edges. The results showed that the rectification behavior of the system with a large rectifying ratio could be found, which could be modulated by changing the width of the silicene nanoribbons or the position of the AA-P2 dopant. Mechanisms were revealed to explain the rectifying behaviors and provide a theoretical basis for semiconductor rectifier devices.
Application of Orthogonal Functions to Equivalent Linearization Method for MDOF Duffing–Van der Pol Systems under Nonstationary Random Excitations
Authors: Younespour Amir , Ghaffarzadeh Hosein , Cheng Shaohong
Published: January 2023

Many mechanical systems manifest nonlinear behavior under nonstationary random excitations. Neglecting this nonlinearity in the modeling of a dynamic system would result in unacceptable results. However, it is challenging to find exact solutions to nonlinear problems. Therefore, equivalent linearization methods are often used to seek approximate solutions for this kind of problem. To overcome the limitations of the existing equivalent linearization methods, an orthogonal-function-based equivalent linearization method in the time domain is proposed for nonlinear systems subjected to nonstationary random excitations. The proposed method is first applied to a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) Duffing–Van der Pol oscillator subjected to stationary and nonstationary excitations to validate its accuracy. Then, its applicability to nonlinear MDOF systems is depicted by a 5DOF Duffing–Van der Pol system subjected to nonstationary excitation, with different levels of system nonlinearity strength considered in the analysis. Results show that the proposed method has the merit of predicting the nonlinear system response with high accuracy and computation efficiency. In addition, it is applicable to any general type of nonstationary random excitation.
Magnetic Studies of Iron-Doped Probable Weyl Semimetal WTe2
Authors: Khachatryan Andranik S. , Charnaya Elena V. , Likholetova Marina V. , Shevchenko Evgeniy V. , Lee Min Kai , Chang Lieh-Jeng , Naumov Sergey V. , Perevalova Alexandra N. , Marchenkova Elena B. , Marchenkov Vyacheslav V.
Published: January 2023

The non-trivial topology of electronic bands in Weyl semimetals originates from band inversion due to strong spin–orbit coupling. The Weyl semimetals have pairs of Weyl gap-less nodes in the bulk Brillouin zone. The tungsten ditelluride WTe2 likely belongs to type II Weyl semimetals. Doping WTe2 with magnetic ions could induce magnetic ordering in this crystal, which provides prospects for practical applications. We studied the magnetic properties of the iron-doped single crystals Fe0.03W0.97Te2, annealed and unannealed, in comparison with the undoped WTe2. Measurements of the dc magnetization were carried out from 1.8 to 400 K. We revealed pronounced ferromagnetic ordering that was affected by annealing. Anomalies associated with antiferromagnetism and paramagnetism were also found. The magnetic order was suppressed by a field of 60 kOe. The rise in susceptibility with increasing temperature was observed at high temperatures in all samples and was treated using a model developed for Weyl semimetals. The Curie–Weiss law fit at 60 kOe showed that the effective magnetic moment was close to that of Fe2+. Metamagnetism was demonstrated for the unannealed doped WTe2 crystal. The data for the heat capacity of the iron-doped sample agreed with results for the undoped WTe2.
Spatial Mapping of Genes Implicated in SARS-CoV-2 Neuroinvasion to Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Gray Matter
Authors: Batchu Sai , Diaz Michael , Tran Jasmine , Fadil Angela , Taneja Kamil , Patel Karan , Lucke-Wold Brandon
Published: January 2023

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is the newest beta coronavirus family member to demonstrate neuroinvasive capability in severe cases of infection. Despite much research activity in the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 space, the gene-level biology of this phenomenon remains poorly understood. In the present analysis, we leveraged spatial transcriptomics methodologies to examine relevant gene heterogeneity in tissue retrieved from the human prefrontal cortex. Methods: Expression profiles of genes with established relations to the SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion process were spatially resolved in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue (N = 4). Spotplots were generated with mapping to six (6) previously defined gray matter layers. Results: Docking gene BSG, processing gene CTSB, and viral defense gene LY6E demonstrated similar spatial enrichment. Docking gene ACE2 and transmembrane series proteases involved in spike protein processing were lowly expressed across DLPFC samples. Numerous other findings were obtained. Conclusion: Efforts to spatially represent expression levels of key SARS-CoV-2 brain infiltration genes remain paltry to date. Understanding the sobering history of beta coronavirus neuroinvasion represents a weak point in viral research. Here we provide the first efforts to characterize a motley of such genes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Adherence to Oral Chemotherapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia during Maintenance Therapy in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zeng Xiaopei L. , Heneghan Mallorie B. , Badawy Sherif M.
Published: January 2023

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in children and young adults. Treatment is long and involves 2–3 years of a prolonged maintenance phase composed of oral chemotherapies. Adherence to these medications is critical to achieving good outcomes. However, adherence is difficult to determine, as there is currently no consensus on measures of adherence or criteria to determine nonadherence. Furthermore, there have been few studies in pediatric B-ALL describing factors associated with nonadherence. Thus, we performed a systematic review of literature on oral chemotherapy adherence during maintenance therapy in ALL following PRISMA guidelines. Published studies demonstrated various objective and subjective methods of assessing adherence without generalizable definitions of nonadherence. However, the results of these studies suggested that nonadherence to oral maintenance chemotherapy was associated with increased risk of relapse. Future studies of B-ALL therapy should utilize a uniform assessment of adherence and definitions of nonadherence to better determine the impact of nonadherence on B-ALL outcomes and identify predictors of nonadherence that could yield targets for adherence improving interventions.
Body Composition to Define Prognosis of Cancers Treated by Anti-Angiogenic Drugs
Authors: Decazes Pierre , Ammari Samy , De Prévia Antoine , Mottay Léo , Lawrance Littisha , Belkouchi Younes , Benatsou Baya , Albiges Laurence , Balleyguier Corinne , Vera Pierre , Lassau Nathalie
Published: January 2023

Background: Body composition could help to better define the prognosis of cancers treated with anti-angiogenics. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of 3D and 2D anthropometric parameters in patients given anti-angiogenic treatments. Methods: 526 patients with different types of cancers were retrospectively included. The software Anthropometer3DNet was used to measure automatically fat body mass (FBM3D), muscle body mass (MBM3D), visceral fat mass (VFM3D) and subcutaneous fat mass (SFM3D) in 3D computed tomography. For comparison, equivalent two-dimensional measurements at the L3 level were also measured. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) was used to determine the parameters’ predictive power and optimal cut-offs. A univariate analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier on the overall survival (OS). Results: In ROC analysis, all 3D parameters appeared statistically significant: VFM3D (AUC = 0.554, p = 0.02, cutoff = 0.72 kg/m2), SFM3D (AUC = 0.544, p = 0.047, cutoff = 3.05 kg/m2), FBM3D (AUC = 0.550, p = 0.03, cutoff = 4.32 kg/m2) and MBM3D (AUC = 0.565, p = 0.007, cutoff = 5.47 kg/m2), but only one 2D parameter (visceral fat area VFA2D AUC = 0.548, p = 0.034). In log-rank tests, low VFM3D (p = 0.014), low SFM3D (p < 0.0001), low FBM3D (p = 0.00019) and low VFA2D (p = 0.0063) were found as a significant risk factor. Conclusion: automatic and 3D body composition on pre-therapeutic CT is feasible and can improve prognostication in patients treated with anti-angiogenic drugs. Moreover, the 3D measurements appear to be more effective than their 2D counterparts.
Percutanous Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in Primary and Secondary Liver Malignancies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Granata Vincenza , Fusco Roberta , D’Alessio Valeria , Simonetti Igino , Grassi Francesca , Silvestro Lucrezia , Palaia Raffaele , Belli Andrea , Patrone Renato , Piccirillo Mauro , Izzo Francesco
Published: January 2023

The aim of the study was to analyse papers describing the use of Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in local treatment of primary and secondary liver tumours located at different sites and with different histologies. Other Local Ablative Therapies (LAT) are also discussed. Analyses of these papers demonstrate that ECT use is safe and effective in lesions of large size, independently of the histology of the treated lesions. ECT performed better than other thermal ablation techniques in lesions > 6 cm in size and can be safely used to treat lesions distant, close, or adjacent to vital structures. ECT spares vessel and bile ducts, is repeatable, and can be performed between chemotherapeutic cycles. ECT can fill the gap in local ablative therapies due to being lesions too large or localized in highly challenging anatomical sites.
A New Image Encryption Algorithm Based on DNA State Machine for UAV Data Encryption
Authors: Alawida Moatsum , Teh Je Sen , Alshoura Wafa’ Hamdan
Published: January 2023

Drone-based surveillance has become widespread due to its flexibility and ability to access hazardous areas, particularly in industrial complexes. As digital camera capabilities improve, more visual information can be stored in high-resolution images, resulting in larger image sizes. Therefore, algorithms for encrypting digital images sent from drones must be both secure and highly efficient. This paper presents a novel algorithm based on DNA computing and a finite state machine (FSM). DNA and FSM are combined to design a key schedule with high flexibility and statistical randomness. The image encryption algorithm is designed to achieve both confusion and diffusion properties simultaneously. The DNA bases themselves provide diffusion, while the random integers extracted from the DNA bases contribute to confusion. The proposed algorithm underwent a thorough set of statistical analyses to demonstrate its security. Experimental findings show that the proposed algorithm can resist many well-known attacks and encrypt large-sized images at a higher throughput compared to other algorithms. High experimental results for the proposed algorithm include correlation coefficients of 0.0001 and Shannon entropy of 7.999. Overall, the proposed image encryption algorithm meets the requirements for use in drone-based surveillance applications.
Network Delay and Cache Overflow: A Parameter Estimation Method for Time Window Based Hopping Network
Authors: Fang Zhu , Xu Zhengquan
Published: January 2023

A basic understanding of delayed packet loss is key to successfully applying it to multi-node hopping networks. Given the problem of delayed data loss due to network delay in a hop network environment, we review early time windowing approaches, for which most contributions focus on end-to-end hopping networks. However, they do not apply to the general hopping network environment, where data transmission from the sending host to the receiving host usually requires forwarding at multiple intermediate nodes due to network latency and network cache overflow, which may result in delayed packet loss. To overcome this challenge, we propose a delay time window and a method for estimating the delay time window. By examining the network delays of different data tasks, we obtain network delay estimates for these data tasks, use them as estimates of the delay time window, and validate the estimated results to verify that the results satisfy the delay distribution law. In addition, simulation tests and a discussion of the results were conducted to demonstrate how to maximize the reception of delay groupings. The analysis shows that the method is more general and applicable to multi-node hopping networks than existing time windowing methods.
Multilevel and Multiregional Analysis of the Electricity Metabolism of Mexico across Sectors
Authors: Ortiz-Guerrero Natalie , González-López Rafael
Published: January 2023

This paper presents a novel tool for electricity planning, based on an improvement of MuSIASEM (Multiscale Integrated Analysis of the Societal and Ecological Metabolism) by incorporating a new regional analysis of the electricity metabolism across levels. An analysis of Mexico illustrates this toolkit and shows that the industry sector has economic energy intensity (EEI) with 40.3 MWh/MMXN reaching a higher value than the commerce and services sector with 0.84 MWh/MMXN. Regarding the economic labor productivity (ELP) indicator (AV/h), the industrial sector with 208.5 TMXN/Kh reached a higher value than the commercial and services sector with 114.3 TMXN/Kh. Regarding the exosomatic metabolic rate (EMR), the household sector obtained 59.3 KWh/Kh, whereas the economic sector reached 2486.4 KWh/Kh. Disaggregation of the EMR indicator into economic sectors shows that the industrial sector reached 8.4 KWh/Kh and the commercial and services sector reached 0.10 KWh/Kh. The lack of complete data for the agricultural sector does not allow us to calculate EEI, ELP, and EMR indicators accurately. This innovative approach is useful for governance because it helps us to understand and reduce asymmetries across regions in terms of electricity consumption, resulting in more social equality and a better economic equilibrium across sectors and regions.
Behavior-Based Herding Algorithm for Social Force Model Based Sheep Herd
Authors: Cai He , He Yaqi , Wu Jinye , Gao Huanli
Published: January 2023

Inspired by real-world sheepdog herding behavior, in this paper, four behavior-based herding algorithms have been proposed for the social force model-based sheep herd. First, a basic behavior-based herding algorithm is designed where four types of critical sheep are rigorously defined. The decision of the sheepdog is made by constantly checking the positions of these four critical sheep. Then, on top of this basic herding algorithm, two extra mechanisms are considered to improve the performance of the basic herding algorithm, namely the dynamic far-end mechanism and the pausing mechanism, thus, forming the other three herding algorithms. The dynamic far-end mechanism helps to avoid the undesired circling behavior of the sheepdog around the destination area, while the pausing mechanism can greatly reduce the control cost of the sheepdog. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed herding algorithms, comprehensive tests have been conducted. The performance of the four algorithms is evaluated and compared from three aspects, namely, success rate, completion step, and control cost. Moreover, parameter analysis is provided to examine how different design parameters will affect the performance of the proposed algorithm. Finally, it is shown that when the size of the sheep herd increases, as expected, it takes more time and control effort to complete herding.
A Novel Process of Parsing Event-Log Activities for Process Mining Based on Information Content
Authors: Issahaku Fadilul-lah Yassaanah , Fang Xianwen , Bashiru Danwana Sumaiya , Bankas Edem Kwedzo , Lu Ke
Published: January 2023

Process mining has piqued the interest of researchers and technology manufacturers. Process mining aims to extract information from event activities and their interdependencies from events recorded by some enterprise systems. An enterprise system’s transactions are labeled based on their information content, such as an activity that causes the occurrence of another, the timestamp between events, and the resource from which the transaction originated. This paper describes a novel process of parsing event-log activities based on information content (IC). The information content of attributes, especially activity names, which are used to describe the flow processes of enterprise systems, is grouped hierarchically as hypernyms and hyponyms in a subsume tree. The least common subsume (LCS) values of these activity names are calculated, and the corresponding relatedness values between them are obtained. These values are used to create a fuzzy causal matrix (FCM) for parsing the activities, from which a process mining algorithm is designed to mine the structural and semantic relationships among activities using an enhanced gray wolf optimizer and backpropagation algorithm. The proposed approach is resistant to noisy and incomplete event logs and can be used for process mining to reflect the structure and behavior of event logs.
Deep Learning Model Transposition for Network Intrusion Detection Systems
Authors: Figueiredo João , Serrão Carlos , de Almeida Ana Maria
Published: January 2023

Companies seek to promote a swift digitalization of their business processes and new disruptive features to gain an advantage over their competitors. This often results in a wider attack surface that may be exposed to exploitation from adversaries. As budgets are thin, one of the most popular security solutions CISOs choose to invest in is Network-based Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS). As anomaly-based NIDS work over a baseline of normal and expected activity, one of the key areas of development is the training of deep learning classification models robust enough so that, given a different network context, the system is still capable of high rate accuracy for intrusion detection. In this study, we propose an anomaly-based NIDS using a deep learning stacked-LSTM model with a novel pre-processing technique that gives it context-free features and outperforms most related works, obtaining over 99% accuracy over the CICIDS2017 dataset. This system can also be applied to different environments without losing its accuracy due to its basis on context-free features. Moreover, using synthetic network attacks, it has been shown that this NIDS approach can detect specific categories of attacks.
Adsorption Processes for CO2 Capture from Biogas Streams
Authors: Pevida Covadonga , Rubiera Fernando
Published: January 2023

Anaerobic digestion plays a starring role in the development of a bioeconomy due to the practical advantages that gaseous fuels have over solid fuels (i [...]
Per-Phase Power Controller for Smooth Islanded Transitions in Three-Phase Three-Wire Systems
Authors: Lauri Andrea , Caldognetto Tommaso , Biadene Davide , Abedini Hossein , Mattavelli Paolo
Published: January 2023

This manuscript describes the operation of a droop-based controller for three-phase converters in the case of the absence of a neutral connection to the grid. The controller is capable of output power tracking and smooth transitions into the islanded operation. While independent per-phase control of the converter output power is possible if a neutral connection is present, its absence implies additional constraints to be considered. Focusing on this latter case, the controller described herein allows the independent control of the active power at the output of each phase of the converter and a smooth transition to the islanded operation. These features are paramount in future smart power systems, such as smart microgrids, for implementing demand–response, power-flow management, and uninterrupted power operation.