bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic investigation on the influence of coating weights on the corrosion behaviour of hot-dip-galvanised Zn-Mg-Al coatings.
Authors: Malla Amar , Sullivan James , Penney David , Goldsworthy Mathew , Britton Daniel , Williams Geraint , Goodwin Frank , Cardoso Ana Paula Domingos 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Time-lapse Microscopy, scanning vibrating electrode technique and potentiodynamic methods were used to study the influence of increasing coating weight (80-310 gm-2) on microstructure, cut-edge and surface corrosion of Zn-Mg-Al coatings in 0.17 M NaCl. Cut-edge corrosion was similar for all coating weights due to the ORR becoming diffusion-limited. A 64% reduction in surface corrosion was observed for high coating weights through increases in eutectic volume fraction. Spatial and temporal corrosion mechanisms were controlled by microstructural morphological differences as coating weight varied. 80 g.m-2 coatings demonstrated lateral anodic spreading potentially reducing coating penetration rates despite their higher surface corrosion rate.
Pangenome Analyses of Pyrus Unravel the Mechanism of Ethylene-Dependent and Ethylene-Independent Fruit Formation
Authors: Ji Yinglin , Wang Yi , Hu Hongju , Jin Juntong , Yuan Hui , Zhang Jingguo , Wang Yuqing , Wang Mingqian , Yin Shaobo , Lin Shijiao , Liang Yuling , Wei Shipeng , Liu Weiting , Li Bin , Wang Aide 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Fleshy fruits are classified as ethylene dependent or ethylene independent according to the ethylene production rate at the onset of ripening. However, the mechanism regulating ethylene production in fruits is unclear. Pears (Pyrus spp.) contain both types of fruits. Analyses of 5 Pyrus genomes and 109 resequenced pear accessions revealed an important chromosomal locus closely associated with ethylene-producing phenotype. This locus was closely linked to a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Interestingly, the expression of this lncRNA showed an opposite pattern to ethylene production. Fruits overexpressing this lncRNA displayed extremely low ethylene production and a late ripening phenotype, which was observed for both tomatoes and pears. Therefore, this lncRNA was termed Ethylene Inhibiting Factor (EIF). Variable deletions of 3.8 kb and 1.1 kb regions altered EIF expression and enabled the categorization of pears into six genotypes. The huge number of transposable elements (TEs) were observed and they probably drove fragment rearrangement, generating the EIF, which repressed the ethylene production, resulting in ethylene-independent pear fruit. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of ethylene-producing phenotype in Maloideae fruits.
Theoretical and simulation assessment of shielding features of the B2O3-PbO-SiO2-Dy2O3 glass system using GEANT4 and MCNP codes, and online software for X-ray energy range
Authors: Isazadeh Farzad , Saray Akbar Abdi 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Study the shielding properties of materials against charged and non-charged particles is a vital issue in the present era. In this paper, GEANT4, MCNP, XCOM, Phy-X/PSD, EpiXS, and NGCal programs were applied to evaluated shielding characterization of the B2O3-PbO-SiO2-Dy2O3 glass system against photons with the energy range of 10–100 keV. LAC, MAC, HVL, TVL, MFP, Zeff, Neff, and Zeq parameters were computed using the mentioned software. The simulated values were compared to each other, which the good compatibility between them was shown. As can be seen from the figures and tables, with increasing the amount of Dy2O3, MAC and LAC values rise. Therefore, dy5 with the most values of MAC was selected as the most favorable shield against X-ray photons.
FT3/FT4 ratio in a certain range identified as an independent protective factor for glycemic variability in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Li Ying , Pan Tianrong , Wang Lingyu , Wang Yue , Gong Yu , Wang Guojuan , Zhang Qianqian 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Context: Thyroid hormone (TH) plays an important role in regulating glucose metabolism, but if TH in normal range could influence the glycemic variability in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has not been reported.
Objective: To determine the relationship between TH and glycemic variability in type 2 diabetes.
Methods: In this retrospective analysis, 468 inpatients with T2DM received continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for 6-14 days. Baseline clinical characteristics, laboratory tests and CGM parameters were recorded to analyze the relationships between TH and CGM parameters.
Results: The levels of HBA, MG, SD, CV, LAGE, MODD, TAR2Scale were all higher and TIR was lower in FT3/FT4Q1 compared with FT3/FT4Q2, FT3/FT4Q3 and FT3/FT4Q4 (all P<0.01). Linear regression showed that FT3/FT4 ratio was negatively related with HBA (β=-2.056, P=0.034), MG (β=-2.461, P=0.045), SD (β=-1.365, P=0.038), MAGE (β=-2.718, P=0.041), MODD (β=-1.32, P=0.024) and TAR2Scale (β=-23.307, P=0.001). Smooth curve fitting and Saturation effect analysis showed that there were curve-like relationships between FT3/FT4 ratio and SD, MAGE, MODD and TAR2Scale, and the inflection points of the fitted curves were FT3/FT4=0.279, 0.237, 0.253 and 0.282 respectively (P<0.05), while there were linear relationship between FT3/FT4 ratio and HBA, MG and TIR (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression showed that FT3/FT4 ratio was independent related with HBA (P=0.001), MG (P=0.01), TAR2Scale (P=0.003), LAGE (P=0.014) and MAGE (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The level of FT3/FT4 ratio in a certain range (FT3/FT4 ≤ 0.282) is a protective factor for glycemic variability in patients with T2DM, meaning better glycemic control and less glucose fluctuation.
Impacts of Combining PD-L1 inhibitor and Radiotherapy on the Tumour immune microenvironment in a Mouse Model of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Yin Zihao , Deng Qinghua , Zhang Ke , Yue Jing , Wang Yaping , Yu Qingqing , Zhang Hongfang , Tang Rongjun 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background：The combination of radiation with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has been demonstrated to display synergistic effects in solid cancers. Nevertheless, the anti-tumor effect of combining radiation with programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Therefore, the objectives of our study were to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of PD-L1 inhibitors combined with radiotherapy in ESCC mouse model and to depict the immune landscape within the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Methods: A syngeneic C57BL/6 subcutaneous xenograft mouse model was applied to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy of different treatment protocols according to tumor growth curve and survival time. Tumour immune microenvironment was assessed by flow cytometry including CD4+T cells, CD8+T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), tumor-derived macrophage (TAM), myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC), and the expression of CD8+T cell activation, exhaustion, and memory state markers. In addition, transcriptomic analysis was used to examine the immune gene expression changes in tumor microenvironment.
Results: Radiotherapy combined with anti-PD-L1 inhibitors synergistically enhanced anti-tumor immune response via boosted the infiltration of CD8+ T cells, increased the ratio of CD8+ T cells to Tregs and population of central memory CD8+ T cells (TCM), enhanced interferon gamma (IFN-γ) secretion by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, and reduced the accumulation of M2-type TAMs and Tregs in the TME in mouse model. In addition, radioimmunotherapy also induced a better immunophenotype in spleen and tumor draining lymph node (TDLN). Consequently, radioimmunotherapy appeared greater benefit in antitumor effects and mice survival. Moreover, our transcriptomic analysis suggested that radioimmunotherapy promoted the expression of immunostimulation-related regulatory pathways and cytokines that shape the immunoinflammatory tumor microenvironment.
Conclusions: Our research indicated that anti-PD-L1 inhibitors combined with RT promotes systemic anti-tumor immunity by improving the immune microenvironment in a mouse model of ESCC.
Insights Into Adherence and Attitudes toward Medication In Child And Adolescent Psychiatry: The Influence Of Patient And Medication-Related Factors
Authors: Bayraktar İzgi , Yalçın Nadir , Nalbant Kevser , Karabulut Erdem , Kültür Ebru Çengel , Demirkan Kutay 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of perception on adherence and determine the influence of patient- and medication-related factors on both adherence and attitudes toward medication in adolescents with psychiatric disorders receiving medication.
The Pediatric Medication Adherence Scale (PMAS)- 9 questions and the Pediatric Attitude toward Medication Scale (PAMS)- 18 questions, two reliable self-report scales designed for this population, were used to assess negative adherence behaviors and patients' perceptions of medication. Data were collected from a sample of adolescents (12-18 years) undergoing psychotropics for 2 months. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine correlations between adherence, attitudes, and patient characteristics.
The scales were administered to 288 patients (67% female) and significant correlations were found between anxiety scores and attitudes toward medication (p<0.05). Patients receiving monotherapy showed lower anxiety scores and more positive attitudes (p<0.05). Side effects were associated with reduced adherence and negative attitudes. Patients diagnosed with an eating disorder had more negative attitudes, while those using antidepressant-antipsychotic combinations had more negative attitudes compared to stimulants. This study highlights the importance of considering influential factors in medication adherence and attitudes in clinical practice for adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Addressing anxiety perception, managing side effects, and evaluating polypharmacy were found important for pharmacotherapy optimization.
Association of 24-hour movement behaviors and non-communicable diseases among adults of Udupi, Karnataka, India
Authors: Reddy Manaswi , Chandrasekaran Baskaran , Govindasamy Karppasamy , TPM Eswaran , Rao Chythra R 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Optimizing 24-hour movement behaviors (physical activity, sleep, and sedentary time) is crucial for prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, the association between the aforementioned 24-hour movement behaviors and the risk of NCDs remains largely obscured in low-middle income countries. The present study aimed to explore the association between 24-hour movement behaviors and the occurrence of NCDs.
Methods
An online survey was administered among 310 community dwelling adults (age 34.3 ± 11.3 years) of coastal Karnataka, enquiring sociodemographic profiles, 24-hour movement behaviors (physical activity levels, sedentary time and sleep time) and presence of NCDs’. Linear and logistic regression models were employed to explore the association.
Results
While spending 7.5 hours (33%) on sleep, the respondents spend 30% (425 min/day) in LIPA, 19% (270 min/day) of typical day sedentary and 18% (264 min/day) of day involved in MVPA. Higher sleep time was associated with higher odds of NCDs (estimate, β = 0.20, odds ratio = 0.82, p = 0.025). Subgroup analyses showed age and body mass were positively associated with NCDs, while lower socio-economic status was associated with lower sitting time (β = -3.84, p = 0.009) and lower light physical activity time (-318.49, p = 0.018).
Conclusion
High 24-hour movement behaviors and lower odds of NCDs were found among inhabitants of Udupi. Higher age, body mass index and long sleep hours were associated with higher risk of NCDs. The study warrants the need of addressing body mass and sleep levels along with physical activity levels in the prevention of NCDs.
Clinical efficacy of ureteroscopy-assisted laparoscopic ureteroplasty in the treatment of ureteral stricture after pelvic surgery
Authors: Xiao Jiansheng , Liu Tairong , Zhu Qiuhua , Qiu Linling , Ge Jiaqi , Chen Hua 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Objective
This study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of ureteroscope-assisted laparoscopic ureteroplasty in treating ureteral stricture after pelvic surgery.
Methods
A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 95 patients treated for ureteral stricture at Ganzhou People's Hospital from June 2017 to March 2023 after pelvic surgery. In this group, 49 patients underwent ureteroscope and laparoscopic ureteroplasty under lithotomy position. The control group consisted of 46 patients who underwent simple laparoscopic ureteroplasty in a supine position. Postoperative data from both groups were collected and compared, including operation time, amount of blood loss during surgery, postoperative hospital stay, incidence of complications, success rate of ureteroplasty, and effectiveness of the operation.
Results
The success rate of end-to-end ureteral anastomosis in the observation group was 93.88%, and the operation effectiveness rate was 100%. The success rate in the control group was 78.26% and the operation effectiveness rate was 89.1%.The average operation time and intraoperative blood loss in the observation group were (121.3±44.6) min and (137.5 ±34.2) ml, respectively, while in the control group they were (151.2±52.3) min and (165.6±45.8) ml. The difference were statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of perioperative complications in the observation group was 2%, significantly lower than that in the control group (19.6%) (P<0.05).
Conclusion
Ureteroscope-assisted laparoscopic ureteroplasty for ureteral stricture after pelvic surgery has the advantages of shortened operation time, increased success rate, and reduced incidence of complications, making it an optional surgical scheme in clinical practice.
A Case Study on the trend of poverty and its impact on the economic growth of Indian Economy
Authors: Gupta Aryan Gupta , Rathore Bhanu Pratap Singh Rathore , Srivast Mukund Srivastava , Jha Divyansh Jha 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Education is a multidimensional process, on one side, it enhances economic growth and on the other side, it reduces poverty by increasing productivity. Poverty has strong connections with education and economic growth. This study utilizes time series data from 1975 to 2022 on physical capital, poverty, education, and its subsequent impact on economic growth.
The primary objective of this study is to explore how variations in poverty rates, levels of education, and investments in physical infrastructure influence GDP growth in developing nations. Through the use of secondary data from reputable sources such as the World Development Indicators (WDI) database and the World Bank, we conduct detailed regression analyses, correlation tests, and Granger causality tests to examine the impact of these factors on economic performance.
This study delves deeply into the complex relationship between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and key socioeconomic factors—poverty, education, and physical capital—in India. Education and physical capital affects economic growth positively and significantly. And, poverty and economic growth are inversely and significantly related.
Additionally, the study incorporates elasticity analysis to quantify the responsiveness of GDP to changes in education, physical capital, and poverty levels. These elasticity measures provide valuable insights into the potential outcomes of policy interventions aimed at promoting education, infrastructure development, and poverty alleviation strategies.
The implications of this research are significant for policymakers and stakeholders in the development community. By gaining a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving economic growth in developing countries, decision-makers can formulate more effective and targeted policies to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
Understanding the effects of weather parameters on the population dynamics of an endangered geophyte supports monitoring efficiency
Authors: Kiss Réka , Lukács Katalin , Godó Laura , Tóth Ágnes , Miglécz Tamás , Szél László , Demeter László , Deák Balázs , Valkó Orsolya 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Due to their complex life-cycles geophytes are often neglected or mistreated during monitoring and conservation activities, despite they are important elements of early-spring communities. Their life-cycle is often strongly affected by weather parameters, i.e. temperature, precipitation, and light, but the main and combined effects of these parameters are often contradictory and show high intra-annual variability even within species. Deeper knowledge about the biotic and abiotic factors affecting the population dynamics of geophytes is needed to support the designation of evidence-based effective conservation plans. In our study we aimed to explore the link between weather parameters and population dynamics of Colchicum bulbocodium Ker-Gawl., an endangered and strictly protected geophyte. We monitored three phenological phases (flowering, assimilation, fruiting) of in total 1,069 individuals in Hungary, in permanent plots for six consecutive years. The effects of temperature- and precipitation-related weather parameters, as well as plot characteristics on the response variables were studied with generalized linear mixed models. Our results showed that phenology of C. bulbocodium was more strongly related to the actual weather than to the lagged effect of weather parameters of the previous year. Increasing temperature and lack of cold periods had negative effect on all phenophases. We highlighted that population estimation based on the number of flowering individuals in a single year can underestimate population size by 40–83%. Monitoring in years following wet and cold springs and cold winters could increase the accuracy of population estimations of the flowering individuals, while surveys in cold springs can estimate reproduction success the most accurately.
Associations between Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers and Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Findings from NHANES
Authors: Qiu Xin , Shen Shuang , Lu Donghong , Jiang Nizhen , Feng Yifei , Li Jindu , Yang Chenglei , Xiang Bangde 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) represents the most prevalent form of chronic liver disease and can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While systemic inflammatory biomarkers have been linked to various liver diseases, their roles in MASLD remain uncertain. This cross-sectional study enrolled 6613 adults aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2017 to March 2020. The study incorporated 10 inflammatory biomarkers, including ALI, SIRI, SII, SIPS, IBI, NLR, PLR, CAR, LMR, and PNI. Logistic regression, RCS regression, segmented regression, and subgroup analyses were implemented to explore the relationship between systemic inflammatory biomarkers and MASLD. After adjusting for vital confounders, half of the examined markers exhibited a significant association with MASLD, especially ALI, IBI, PLR, and CAR (P < 0.001). Most of these systemic inflammatory biomarkers, including ALI, SIRI, IBI, CAR, LMR, and PNI, demonstrated an obvious non-linear correlation with MASLD (P < 0.05). Moreover, the majority of these markers (SIRI, SII, IBI, NLR, PLR, and PNI) displayed notable variations in their associations with MASLD among various BMI categories (P < 0.05). In conclusion, systemic inflammatory biomarkers demonstrated a significant association with MASLD risk. Further large-scale prospective studies may be warranted to validate this relationship.
Genetic potential and diversity of rice land races for grain Fe content
Authors: Deepika K. , Shanmugam A. , Manimaran R. , Pushpa R. , Bama K. Sathya , Umamageswari C. , Suresh R. 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

The study was aimed to identify rice genotypes with high Fe content and to study the extent of genetic divergence based on morphological and grain quality traits in a set of 50 native landraces of rice.Wide variation for grain Fe content was observed among the studied genotypes, which ranged from 9.28–14.45 mgkg− 1and 1.88–4.87mgkg− 1in brown and polished rice respectively. The genotypes viz.,Jaya, Kalanamak, KottaraSamba, Gandakasala and Gopal bhog recorded high grain Fe contentbefore polishing whereas,KottaraSamba, KalapathiBlack, Jyothi, Chinnar and Kalanamakwere found to have high Fe content after polishing.Interestingly, landraces possessing red seed coat color and medium slender grain group were identified to possess high grain Fe content. This was further substantiated by the correlation study where kernel breadth recorded negative association with Fe content after polishing. Clustering resulted into five groups where the high Fe content possessing genotypes were grouped into clustersviz., two and four. Thus, these genotypes could be utilized as donors in further biofortification breeding programmes.
Exploiting Shared and Distinctive Representations for Enhanced Multi-Modality Medical Image Analysis
Authors: Wang Zhixian , Zhang Tao , Huang Wu 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Multi-modality medical image classification aims to combine information from different modalities or devices to generate comprehensive and accurate diagnostic results. Existing research methods have ignored two characteristics of medical images across different phases: the highly redundant background and may exist the low differentiation between different phases. Based on the idea of disentangled representation learning, we introduce a dual-branch network to disentangle images into shared features and modality-specific features. And based on the properties of different features, we propose a prototypical loss and a similar prototypical loss to constrain the two types of features, respectively. Our approach achieves strong performance in classification on LLD-MMRI dataset and fusion on ANNLIB dataset. Extensive ablation studies validate the contribution of each component of our framework.
Trajectory optimization of manipulator based on particle swarm optimization with mutation strategy
Authors: Yi Luo , Yan Shi , Qiang Chen , Xiangjie Dong 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

In order to solve the problems of slow convergence speed and low convergence accuracy of adaptive particle swarm algorithm, a particle swarm optimization algorithm based on the mutation strategy in the differential evolution algorithm was proposed.Based on the adaptive inertia weight update formula with the improved power finger function and the particle swarm optimization with dynamic learning factor, the variation link in the differential evolution algorithm is introduced to enhance the ability of particles to explore the solution space and improve the convergence speed and accuracy of the algorithm.Taking the medium-sized manipulator PUMA560 as the research object, the posture of each joint under the constraint of key points was determined by the robot inverse kinematics, and the spatial pose curve fitting of the six joints of the manipulator was carried out by using the five-order polynomial.Under the constraint of the maximum angular velocity of rad/s, the shortest motion time of the manipulator is the goal to be optimized, and the mutation strategy is introduced in the iteration, and the particle population under the current iteration is used as the parent to mutate and generate a new population, so as to improve the diversity of the population.Simulation experiments on the MATLAB platform show that the convergence speed and convergence accuracy of the particle swarm optimization algorithm with the mutation strategy for the adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm, and the pose curves of each joint change are smooth and continuous.The final optimization time was reduced by 50.01% compared to the initial planning time.