bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does genomic profiling improve clinical outcome in carcinoma of unknown primary? - A systematic review
Authors: Derrick Anna , de Vries Sara , Morgan Claire 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The lack of adequate diagnostic pathways and treatment options remains an unmet clinical need for patients with cancer of unknown primary origin (CUP). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate whether genomic profiling improves clinical outcome for CUP patients versus those who receive standard of care. The PRISMA guidelines were followed and research articles were systematically searched on: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Trip database and Epistemonikos, yielding 232 papers. Eligible studies had to be (i) original research trials; (ii) patients diagnosed with CUP; (iii) cohort groups of more than thirty participants; and (iv) studies with available survival data. After removal of duplicates and application of in- and exclusion criteria, six studies were included. A manual citation search identified five additional studies. The modified Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the included articles. An emerging theme was the predominance of single-arm non-randomised controlled trials (RCT) along with considerable heterogeneity in study design. Nine out of the 11 studies (82%) showed a trend towards improved overall & progression-free survival in the molecularly-tailored site-specific treatment groups. Survival benefit was less promising in one double-arm RCT and in a second agnostic study. Whilst this analysis shows a trend towards improved clinical outcome in molecularly-guided treatment groups, it is still uncertain whether genomic profiling contributes substantially to the management of CUP.
Remote picometric acoustic sensing via ultrastable laser homodyne interferometry
Authors: Jang Yoon-Soo , Lee Dong-IL , Flores Jaime Flor , Wang Wenting , Wong Chee Wei 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Acoustic detection has many applications across science and technology, from medical to imaging and communications. However, most acoustic sensors have a common limitation in that the detection must be near the acoustic source. Alternatively laser interferometry with picometer-scale motional displacement detection can rapidly and precisely measure sound-induced minute vibrations on remote surfaces. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of sound detection up to 100 kHz at remote sites with ~ 30 m standoff distances via laser homodyne interferometry. Based on our ultrastable Hz-linewidth laser with 10-15 fractional stability, our laser interferometer achieves 1.5 pm/Hz1/2 displacement sensitivity near 10 kHz, bounded only by laser frequency noise over 10 kHz. Between 140 Hz to 15 kHz, we achieve a homodyne acoustic sensing sensitivity of sub-nm/Pa across our conversational frequency overtones. The minimal sound pressure detectable over 30 meter distances is ~ 2 mPa, with dynamic ranges over 100 dB. With the demonstrated standoff picometric distance metrology, we successfully detected and reconstructed musical scores of normal conversational volumes with high fidelity. The acoustic detection via this precision laser interferometer could be applied to selective area sound sensing for remote acoustic metrology, optomechanical vibrational motion sensing and ultrasensitive optical microphones at the laser frequency noise limits.
On the issue of protecting the cities of the southern aral sea region from salt winds and on their green development (based on the example of the city of Nukus)
Authors: Aimbetov Izzet , Bekimbetov Ruslan , Iskenderov Bakhtiyar , Dospanov Rakhim 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This article addresses the problem of improving the ecological situation in the cities of the Southern Aral Sea based on the example of the city of Nukus and its surroundings and the methods of protection from salt dust, which is carried out from the dried bed of the Aral Sea and salt marshes by wind. The analysis of existing studies, aimed at solving problems associated with salinization of the soil structure, is provided. The aim of this work is to assess the salinity of the groundwater of the city of Nukus and adjacent territories for implementing effective landscaping measures in the studied territory and creating a protective zone against salty dust around the city of Nukus. The data from engineering and geological surveys necessary for the design of buildings and structures along with the results of the research of the article’s authors were used to assess the salinity of the studied area. With the help of these results, schematic maps of groundwater salinization in the city of Nukus and its surroundings were made. The maps are compiled using the ArGIS computer program. It has been established that an increase in the groundwater level leads to additional salinization of soils, which further deteriorates the ecological situation in Nukus and adjacent territories and negatively affects green spaces. The ground waters of Nukus are mainly salted with chloride and sulfate salts. The results of studies of soil salinization in the Nukus District, which is located on the wind side of the city of Nukus, are also presented. Studies have shown that the groundwater of the cities of Nukus and Nukus District is subjected to salinization with chloride and sulfate salts. Therefore, when landscaping the city, it is necessary to take into account the nature of salinization of groundwater. In addition, to protect the territory of the city of Nukus, it is necessary to develop regulatory documents that will allow more efficient landscaping of the city territory, taking into account the salt content of groundwater. This will reduce the amount of salty dust that forms on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.
Enhanced DGA Detection in BotNet Traffic: Leveraging N-Gram, Topic Modeling and Attention BiLSTM
Authors: S HARISHKUMAR , S Bhuvaneshwaran R 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

This abstract introduces a novel approach for detecting Domain Generation Algorithm (DGA) in BotNet traffic through the integration of N-Gram analysis, Topic Modeling, and Attention-based Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) networks. The escalating sophistication of cyber threats necessitates advanced methods to identify malicious activities, particularly those involving DGAs in BotNet communication. The proposed model begins with N-Gram analysis, capturing sequential patterns in domain names, thereby enhancing the detection of algorithmically generated domains. Topic Modeling is employed to extract latent themes within the network traffic data, providing a deeper understanding of the semantic context associated with potentially malicious domains. To harness the contextual nuances, an Attention mechanism is integrated into a BiLSTM network, allowing the model to selectively focus on critical segments of the input data. This attention-driven BiLSTM network proves effective in capturing long-range dependencies and intricate temporal dynamics inherent in BotNet communication. Experimental evaluations on diverse datasets demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach in outperforming existing methods, showcasing its ability to adapt to evolving adversarial strategies. The fusion of N-Gram, Topic Modeling, and Attention BiLSTM offers a comprehensive solution for DGA detection, providing a robust defense against sophisticated cyber threats in the continually evolving landscape of network security. This research contributes to advancing the field of intrusion detection and cyber threat mitigation by presenting a holistic and adaptive approach tailored to the challenges posed by modern BotNet traffic.
Constructing prognostic models for colorectal cancer through dynamic profiling of tumor-associated neutrophils via single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing
Authors: Su Yang , Yang Dashuai , Yang Wangshuo , Liu Mengdie , Liu Lu 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background: This study elucidates tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) role in the colorectal cancer (CRC) microenvironment and develops a predictive risk model.
Methods:Single-cell sequencing data from CRC patients in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was utilized to identify subgroups of TANs and their marker genes. These subgroups' prognostic and diagnostic abilities were assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Additionally, CIBERSORT and TIDE scores were employed to evaluate tumor immune cell infiltration and predict the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Pseudotime analysis and CellChat were used to explore the roles of TANs within the tumor microenvironment. Molecular docking of candidate genes with PD-L1 inhibitors was performed using PyMOL software. Candidate gene expression in CRC and adjacent tissues was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR.
Results: We identified 26 cell clusters and 226 TAN markers, establishing a six-gene prognostic model (CD36, SLC2A3, YBX3, ZFB36L1, TIMP1, ASAH1). The immune infiltration differences between risk groups were notable, suggesting better immunotherapy outcomes for the low-risk group. Cell communication analysis showed TANs affecting monocytes, epithelial, and endothelial cells via ANNEXIN, MIF, and VISFATIN pathways. Molecular docking revealed strong PD-L1 inhibitor affinity to SLC2A3.
Conclusion: Our study highlights TANs' intricate interactions within the CRC microenvironment and the effectiveness of a TAN-based prognostic gene model in predicting immunotherapy responses, offering new directions for targeted CRC treatments and overcoming immune resistance.
Antimicrobial peptide AP2 ameliorates Salmonella Typhimurium infection by modulating gut microbiota
Authors: Li Lianglan , Fu Aikun , Mo Qiufen , Wan Yi , Zhou Yuanhao , Zeng Zihan , Shan Anshan , Zhang Xiaoping , Li Weiqin , Li Weifen 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Endogenous antimicrobial peptides/proteins contribute to reshape a healthy gut microbiota which play benefit roles in anti-inflammation and pathogen colonization resistance. Salmonella infection is one of the most frequently reported bacterial diseases worldwide. Manipulation of the gut microbiota through exogenous antimicrobial peptide may protects against Salmonella enterica colonization and improve clinical outcomes. In this study, results showed that oral administration of antimicrobial peptide AP2, an optimized version of native apidaecin IB (AP IB) had a protective effect against ST infections in mice indicated by alleviated ST-induced body weight loss and reduced the serum inflammatory cytokines. 16S rRNA-based analysis of microbiota from the cecum content showed that AP2 altered gut microbiota by significantly increasing the proportion of Bifidobacterium and decreasing Akkermansia at the genus level. Furthermore, the transplantation of fecal microbiota from AP2-treated donor mice, instead of control mice, significantly reduced caecal damage caused by ST. In conclusion, these findings hightlighted one of novel action mechanisms of exogenous antimicrobial peptide on ameliorating Salmonella Typhimurium infection by modulating gut microbiota.
Long-term change of summer benthic macroinvertebrates driven by multiple stresses in the Changjiang Estuary
Authors: Tang Yanbin , Wang Bin , Li Dewang , Ma Xiao , Jiang Zhibing , Liao Yibo , Liu Qinghe , Zhang Rongliang , Zeng Jiangning , Chen Jianfang , Li Chenghua , Shou Lu 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Both human activities and climate change influence benthic macroinvertebrates in the Changjiang Estuary. We investigated long-term variations in benthic macroinvertebrates and related them to changes in depth, salinity, temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen in bottom water off the Changjiang Estuary from 10 summer cruises during 2006–2021. The bi-monthly multivariate ENSO index and summer runoff rate of Changjiang were used to estimate the climate change during this period. The abundance and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates increased significantly from 2006 to 2014 owing to a series of environmental protection measures. Intensive El Niño promoted diluted water discharge and hypoxia in summer in the Changjiang Estuary since 2015. We noted changes in the macrobenthic community following these events, including a dramatic decrease in abundance and biomass, alterations in dominant species, and a decline in benthic diversity. Canonical correspondence and redundancy analyses revealed that depth, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were the main factors influencing the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates. Owing to the ubiquitous pressure caused by human activities and climate change in estuaries, we conclude that international cooperation is required to protect estuarine ecosystems under the scenario of global climate change.
Distribution characteristics of endophytic bacteria and endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria in Vicia faba root nodules in rocky desertification areas of Southwest China
Authors: Wang Jinhua , Liu Zichang , Yang Ziyun , Yang Bo , Zhang Wuxian 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We conducted an experiment to explore the community structure and distribution characteristics of endophytic bacteria and endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria in wild Vicia faba root nodules in rocky desertification area of Honghe Prefecture Southwest China, determine the related soil physical and chemical properties, and explore the key influencing factors of microbial groups, so as to provide a scientific basis for the screening and utilization of functional microorganisms in Vicia faba root nodules. Wild Vicia faba nodule samples were collected from four different rocky desertification areas in Honghe. The 16S rDNA gene and nifH gene of Vicia faba nodule endophytic bacteria were sequenced based on high-throughput sequencing technology. The diversity and community structure of endophytic bacteria and endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria were analyzed by bioinformatics. The results show that: (1) A total of 451 endophytic bacteria OTU were obtained after annotation and classification of four groups of samples of Vicia faba root nodules, and the dominant phylum of endophytic bacteria was Proteobacteria; The dominant bacteria were Pseudomonas and Rhizobium. The composition of bacterial community in the four rocky desertification areas based on species classification was significantly different (R = 0.577, P = 0.001). Rhizobium was significantly positively correlated with soil available phosphorus content and soil rocky desertification degree, and negatively correlated with soil water content, indicating that soil available phosphorus content, soil rocky desertification degree and soil water content were the main physical and chemical factors affecting the composition of endophytic bacterial community in Vicia faba nodules; (2) A total of 309 endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria OTU were obtained from four groups of samples of Vicia faba nodules after annotation and classification. The dominant bacteria of endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria was Proteobacteria; The dominant bacteria are Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium. There were significant differences in the composition of nitrogen fixing bacteria community among the four groups (R = 0.194, P = 0.054). Soil total phosphorus, total nitrogen content and soil pH were the main physical and chemical factors affecting the composition of endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria community in Vicia faba nodules. The diversity study can reveal the differences in the community structure of endophytic bacteri and the relationship with related species, so as to reveal the diversity of endophytic bacteria in rocky desertification legume nodules, and analyze the relationship between soil physical and chemical properties and the composition and nutrients of endophytic microbial community in nodules, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the governance and restoration of rocky desertification areas.
APANet: Adaptive Prototype Aggregation Network for Few-shot Segmentation
Authors: Li Chen , Chen Mo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Few-shot Segmentation (FSS) aims to achieve object segmentation in images with extremely a few labeled samples, such as one or five samples. Currently, most of the FSS methods are based on prototype representations. Prototype-based methods for FSS are simple yet effective, but overlook a crucial problem that is the intra-class variation. To address this problem, we propose an Adaptive Prototype Aggregation Network (APANet), which can adaptively alleviate the intra-class discrepancy for FSS by enhancing the prototype representation. Specifically, we design a cross-attention module for visual-text alignment that is associated by support pseudo mask and text embedding, and further generate text-visual aligned prototypes by making full use of class-specific support and query information. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed APANet achieves superior performance on both PASCAL-5i and COCO-20i datasets, surpassing the state-of-the-art FSS models.
The Impact of Boardroom Diversity on Company Performance Using Propensity Score-Based Estimators (PSM)
Authors: Uwizeye Clement 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of boardroom diversity on firm performance utilizing propensity score-based estimators (PSM). Drawing from a comprehensive literature review, it is established that gender diversity in boardrooms positively influences firm performance, particularly in the financial sector. Using panel data from 503 UK firms over the period of 2015-2017, the analysis focuses on key performance indicators such as market capitalization and leverage. Employing various econometric models, including binary treatment and augmented inverse-probability weighting, the study reveals significant positive effects of female boardroom participation on firm performance. Specifically, an increase in female representation is associated with higher market capitalization and an increased leverage ratio, indicating a propensity for riskier investments. Furthermore, the study explores the nuanced effects of different levels of female director representation, highlighting the importance of substantial gender diversity for optimal firm performance. Despite potential limitations such as treatment selection bias and omitted variable bias, the models demonstrate robustness and contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence supporting the positive impact of boardroom diversity on company performance.
JEL classification: M14; L20; J16; G30
Developing a culture-based Indonesian language textbook for non-native speakers for academic purposes
Authors: Syamsi Kastam , Zuchdi Darmiyati , Kusmiatun Aris , Purbani Widyastuti , Harun Aletah 
Published: February 2024

Language and culture could not be learned and taught separately. Therefore, a learning material based on culture should be considered for a meaningful instructional process. This study is aimed to develop a culture based textbook for academic purpose using a model of teaching language and culture. This model includes language knowledge, language awareness, culture awareness, and culture experience. The first step (need assessment) concerning the need to develop a culture based textbook was done in the previous study by Zuchdi and Nurhadi (2019), while the level of students language competence and their cultural interest was done in the beginning of this study. This study was the development of an intercultural based textbook through these following procedures: defining objectives, identifying culture topics, developing materials and media of instruction, content layout and graphic design, internal and external review, try out for product validation, and developing final draft. Based on the survey, the majority of respondents were in level 3 and 4 of Indonesian language competence, so this textbook was developed for that levels. The respondents were students taking Indonesian language program in Ahmad Dahlan University in Yogyakarta. The data were collected using pretest-postest and instructor’s reflection, and then analyzed by finding out the difference between the scores category. Almost half of the pretest scores were in the low and medium category, while all of the postest scores were in the high category. Based on the the instructor’s reflection, the students were really involving to study using this textbook. It can be concluded that the culture based Indonesian language textbook for academic purpose is effective for teaching and learning Indonesian as a foreign language.
El capital constitutivo dentro de la Seguridad Social en México
Authors: Tavera Ramírez Flor de María , Oseguera Méndez Jaime Darío , Hernández Silva Virginia 
Published: February 2024

La figura del capital constitutivo contenida en la Ley del SeguroSocial reviste tal importancia como un medio para asegurar la atencióndel trabajador y sus beneficiarios en caso de riesgo de trabajo o enfermedad general, que garantice las prestaciones en especie y en dineroa que tienen derecho a pesar del incumplimiento de aseguramiento, paraposteriormente ejercer su cobro sobre el patrón omiso. El objetivo delpresente documento es analizar dicha figura mediante una investigacióndocumental descriptiva que busca crear conciencia entre patrones sobrela conveniencia de asegurar a sus trabajadores. Concluimos que si bien lafigura del capital constitutivo podría ser considerara como un medio coactivo de aseguramiento, se trata más bien de una figura de resarcimiento del daño
Effect of Some Metals Ions on Hemolysin Production from Clinical Isolates of Escherichia Coli
Authors: Juda Eman Khadum , Khalaf Khawlah Jebur 
Published: February 2024

Objective:This study aimed to determine effect of some ions metals (Ca+2, Mn+2, Mg+2, Fe+2, K+, Na+, Zn+2) on hemolysin production was performed.
Methods: Eighty Three (83) E. coliisolates collected from different clinical sources from Baghdad Hospitals, performed by using cultural traits, morphological features and biochemical tests, confirmation of identification was done by Vitek 2 system.And it was detected on ability these isolates to production hemolysin by two methods liquid media and agar media.
Results: The results showed that: In agar medium revealed that 6 (7.23 %) isolates of E. coli had the ability for producing this enzyme and 77 (92.77%) did not produce hemolysin. The same results were found in liquid medium. Used the microtitration plate method to study the effect these ions metals on hemolysin production.According to the effect of ions metals, the results also showed that MIC value of ions metals was 500μg/mL, hemolysin production was increased after addition each of(Ca+2,Mn+2, Mg+2,Fe+2,K+,Na+) the percentage of hemolysis (96.0 %, 93.4 %, 93.2 %, 93.3%,94.2%, 93.7%) respectively while hemolysin production decreased after addition of Zn+2 with the percentage of hemolysis 0.3%.
Conclusion: Based on the influence of metal ions, the findings indicated that hemolysin production exhibited an increase following the addition of each of Ca2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, K+, and Na+ when compared to the control group. Conversely, the introduction of Zn2+ led to a decrease in hemolysin production.