bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Markov Model and Dynamic Model in Economic Evaluations for Infectious Diseases: A case of Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir Treatment-native adults of HIV-1 in China
Authors: wang wenjuan , Zhou Dachuang , Zhou Kejia , Zhang Di , Li Hao , Zhang Hongliu , Jiang Xin , Wang Ruihua , Wang Xi , Tang Wenxi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to compare the performances between Markov model and dynamic model in economic evaluations for antiretroviral therapy (ART) of HIV, using a case of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir (B/F/TAF) for treatment-native adults of HIV-1 infection in China.
Methods: A Markov model was used to simulate in detail the lifetime treatment of HIV among adult patients with ART with a cycle of one month. A dynamic model was used to consider the effects of ART on preventing transmission among all Chinese adults, with a time frame of 30 years and a cycleof one year. The primary outcomes were total costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Sensitivity analyses were conducted for result validation, and the model precision was tested using relative standard deviation (RSD).
Results: In Markov model and dynamic model, compared with dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC), B/F/TAF incurred higher per-person expenses ($44,381.33 and $30.94 versus $42,160.13 and $29.28) but yielded superior QALYs (12.7788 and 17.9423 vs 12.6310 and 17.9420), resulting in higher ICER for Markov model compared to dynamic model (14,081.23 vs 6,524.03 USD/QALY). The robustness of the results was confirmed in uncertainty analyses, and Markov model exhibited a lower RSD.
Conclusion: B/F/TAF is deemed cost-effective in China according to both models, presenting a valuable treatment option despite its higher price in the era of optimized HIV care. The choice of the economic evaluation model influences the ICERs of ART, with dynamic model advantageous for incorporating externality and Markov model noted for its precision.
A fast spectral recovery does not necessarily indicate post-fire forest recovery
Authors: Celebrezze Joe V. , Franz Madeline C. , Andrus Robert A. , Stahl Amanda T. , Steen-Adams Michelle , Meddens Arjan J. H. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background Climate change has increased wildfire activity in the western USA and limited the capacity for forests to recover post-fire, especially in areas burned at high severity. Land managers urgently need a better understanding of the spatiotemporal variability in natural postfire forest recovery to plan and implement active recovery projects. In burned areas, post-fire ‘spectral recovery’, determined by examining the trajectory of multispectral indices (e.g., normalized burn ratio) over time, generally corresponds with recovery of multiple post-fire vegetation types, including trees and shrubs. Field data are essential for deciphering the vegetation types reflected by spectral recovery, yet few studies validate spectral recovery metrics with field data or incorporate spectral recovery into spatial models of post-fire vegetation recovery. We investigated relationships between spectral recovery and field measurements of post-fire recovery (16 to 27 years post-fire) from 99 plots in mixed-conifer forests of the Blue Mountains, USA. Additionally, using generalized linear mixed effects models, we assessed the relative capacities of multispectral, climatic, and topographic data to predict field measurements of post-fire recovery.
Results We found that spectral recovery did not necessarily coincide with field measurements of forest recovery (e.g., density of regenerating seedlings, saplings, and young trees and % juvenile conifer cover). Instead, rapid spectral recovery often coincided with increases in % shrub cover. We primarily attributed this relationship to the response of snowbrush ceanothus, an evergreen shrub that vigorously resprouts post-fire. However, in non-trailing edge forests – where it was cooler and wetter and fast-growing conifers were more common – rapid spectral recovery coincided with both increases in % shrub cover and forest recovery. Otherwise, spectral recovery showed potential to identify transitions to grasslands, as grass-dominated sites showcased distinctly slow spectral trajectories. Lastly, field measurements of post-fire forest recovery were best predicted when including post-fire climate and multispectral data in predictive models.
Conclusions Despite a disconnect between a faster spectral recovery and forest recovery, our results suggest that including multispectral data improved models predicting the likelihood of post-fire forest recovery. Improving predictive models would aid land managers in identifying sites to implement active reforestation projects.
Microbial Association with Adenoid Hypertrophy in Nasal Cavity and Adenoid Tissues
Authors: jiang He , Ye Ping , Sun Qian , Zhao Juan , Chen Long , Chen Shuai , Jia Wenming , Liu Heng , Feng Xin 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Nasal cavity and Nasopharynx are habitats for both the pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is the main cause in children, with a high incidence, for the airflow reduction in the upper airways. However, limited research exposed the impact of AH on the nasal microbial compositions. To determine the association between nasal microbiota and AH, total DNAs were collected and extracted from the nasal cavity and the hypertrophic adenoid of the donors, and the 16 S rRNA gene region was sequenced. Microbial diversity was compared between the healthy and AH groups and the enriched functional pathways were predicted. Although the alpha-diversity of microbial communities did not show statistically significant difference between the groups, principal Co-ordinates Analysis (PCoA) revealed that the microbiota component in the nasal cavity as well as in the hypertrophic adenoid tissues of children with AH was significantly different from the healthy children. Genera Alloiococcus, Moraxella, Streptococcus, and Bacteroidesce were specifically enriched in the AH group’s samples, among which, Moraxella spp. was significantly enriched in both nasal cavity and adenoid tissues, indicating a potential association of it with AH. In addition, Tax4fun prediction revealed disordered microbial functions in AH children. Nutrient metabolism, signaling system, chemotactic reaction, genetic replication, and reproduction related pathways all significantly decreased in the AH group, but increased after adenoidectomy treatment. The findings in this study revealed a high association between specific microorganisms and AH disease. Future work is needed to investigate the role of Moraxella spp. in AH development.
Methodology for Identifying Mesoscale Weather Patterns from High-dimensional Climate Datasets
Authors: Nevat Ido , Acero Juan Angel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We develop a new methodology to solve the problem of identifying and selecting Mesoscale Weather Patterns (MWPs) from high-dimensional spatio-temporal climate datasets.This problem is important and topical and has many implications for decision-makers across multiple sectors, such as urban design, urban climate, agriculture, transportation, energy, disaster management and more. This problem involves selecting a small subset of data (specific days) from the original large dataset (decades long), such that it captures the essential information and characteristics of the large dataset, while minimizing redundancy. This is useful as it makes the dataset more manageable for processing, analysis and insight gathering without degrading the overall quality of the information content.We develop a novel algorithm that is based on advanced machine learning and optimization techniques, and consists of two stages: 1) Spatial Dimensionality Reduction (SDR) to reduce the number of spatial cells analyzed while preserving as much relevant information as possible; 2) Representative Subset Selection (RSS) to find a small subset of days in the dataset that captures the essential patterns, relationships and information present in the full dataset - these are the Mesoscale Weather Patterns.We demonstrate our methodology by applying it to a spatio-temporal dataset of atmospheric observations, the ERA5 dataset, in Singapore. The MWPs offer valuable insights into the region's diverse weather conditions and help researchers, climatologists and policymakers comprehend the complex interactions between atmospheric elements.
Vitamin C induced DNA cleavage using curcumin loaded Fe3O4-silane magnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Prabakaran Natarajan , Mareeswaran Paulpandian Muthu , Shanmugavelan Poovan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
The loading and unloading of a drug into a nanoparticle is the first stage in the delivery of a nanodrug. This work investigates the loading of curcumin via soft hydrolysis of silane using iron oxide-silane core-shell nanoparticles. Additionally, the study examines the sustained release of curcumin from the core-shell nanoparticles over a period of 70 hours at a physiological pH. The release ability is studied using absorption spectral technique. The interaction of DNA is studied using emission spectral technique. Drug delivery applications should involve interactions between the released drug and the biomolecules of the biological systems. Therefore, this system is used to study the interaction between curcumin and DNA and vitamin C-induced cleavage.
Contrasting Effects of Endogenous and extracellular PCSK9 on Inflammation, Lipid alteration and Cell death.
Authors: Ghalali Aram , Alhamdan Fahd , Upadhyay Swapna , Ganguly Koustav , Larsson Kjell , Palmberg Lena , Rahman Mizanur 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is one of the major regulators of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). While information on role and regulation of PCSK9 in lung is very limited, recent discovery of PCSK9 in A549 highlights a potential function of PCSK9 in lung. Our study focuses on understanding the role and regulation of PCSK9 in the lung. Experiments involved measurement of PCSK9 in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), single cell sequencing analysis, and exposure of lung epithelial cells to PCSK9, cigarette smoke extract (CSE), and staurosporine. Inhibition of endogenous PCSK9 expression was followed by bulk RNA sequencing. PCSK9 levels were higher in BALF of smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) compared to BALF of nonsmokers. PCSK9-stimulated cells induced proinflammatory cytokines and activation of MAPKp38. PCSK9 transcripts were highly expressed in healthy individuals compared to COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary systemic sclerosis. CSE reduced PCSK9 levels in undifferentiated PBEC but induced in differentiated PBEC. PCSK9 inhibition affected biological pathways, inducing lipid peroxidation, and higher level of apoptosis in response to staurosporine. Our results suggest that higher levels of PCSK9 in BALF acts as an inflammatory marker. Furthermore, extracellular and endogenous PCSK9 play different roles.
Unravelling the Absence of Testosterone Peak in Niosomes Using DSC; Insights from FTIR and HRTEM Investigations
Authors: WIDODO RIYANTO , Mawazi Saeid Mezail 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) are a crucial analytical tool in pharmaceutical technology, enabling the characterization of drug molecules and excipients, facilitating the optimization of dosage design and development. Causes of the testosterone peak absence in the DSC spectra of niosome formulations were discussed and evidenced using DSC, FTIR and HRTEM. The niosomes formulations were fabricated using 1% testosterone powder and different quantities of Span60 powder, Tween60 semisolid, and cholesterol powder utilizing solvent evaporation method with a slight modification. The possible factors were discussed and highlighted in the current article leading to the disappearance of the peak include solid-state transitions, interaction between components (by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces), encapsulation of testosterone, and dilution effect. Solid-state transitions can involve polymorphism or the conversion of the crystalline form to an amorphous state. This was supported by a crystalline structure, can be seen at the center of the HRTEM image, whereas the surrounding area confirms the amorphous state. Interactions between components can be due to hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, or even covalent bonding. Encapsulation of testosterone can affect heat transfer and molecular mobility. Dilution effect can affect the signal-to-noise ratio or overlap with other peaks. The FTIR data confirm the encapsulation of testosterone in the prepared niosomes based on the chemical structure and functional group. This understanding could potentially be used to design stable niosome formulations for testosterone, assuring their applications in drug delivery and dosage design.
Azine Based Oligoesteric Chemosensors for Cu2+ Ion Detection: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Theoretical Investigations
Authors: Manigandan Subramani , Muthusamy Athianna , Anand Siddeswaran 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Synthesized monomer and its three oligoester were characterized by technique such as 1H, 13C, IR,UV, GPC and applied to chemosensor applications. A series of metal ion was studied with fluorophores to evaluate the sensitivity towards Cu2+ ion. The fluorophores results exhibit the selective and sensitive “turn off” fluorescence response with Cu2+ ion in DMF/H2O (1:1, pH: 7.4, fluorophore: 5µM) solution. Binding stoichiometry and binding constant of fluorophores were calculated using Stern-Volmer equation and Benesi–Hildebrand plots respectively. Structure of fluorophores were studied using DFT, B3LYP/6–311 + + G(d,p) level basis set. Quenching mechanism and electrical properties of fluorophores were explained with theoretical outcomes. Iodine doped and undoped oligoesters electrical conductivity were studied in solid-state and the conductivity was gradually increase with increase the contact time of iodin with oligoesters. At different frequencies and temperatures, the dielectric measurement was calculated using the two-probe method. Among all oligoesters, DMDAP exhibited high electrical conductivity and DMDMP has high dielectric constant value than other oligoesters.
Isolation and Identification of Postharvest Rot Pathogens in Tangelo and their Potential Inhibition with Acidic Electrolyzed Water
Authors: Ji Ying , Wang Jieqiong , Liu Ye , Liu Shaoyan , Jiang Xuanjing , Huang Huaming 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This study focused on the identification of rot-causing fungi in tangelo, with a particular emphasis on investigating the inhibitory effects of acidic electrolyzed water on the identified pathogens. The dominant strains responsible for postharvest decay were isolated from infected tangelo fruits and characterized through morphological observation, molecular identification, and pathogenicity detection. Two strains were isolated from postharvest diseased tangelo fruits, cultured and morphologically characterized, and had their gene fragments amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4. The results revealed the rDNA-ITS sequence of TF1 and TF2 were 100% homologous with those of Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii. These isolated fungi were confirmed to induce tangelo disease, and subsequent re-isolation validated their consistency with the inoculum. Antifungal tests demonstrated that acidic electrolyzed water exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii, with EC50 values of 85.4 µg/mL and 60.12 µg/mL, respectively. The inhibition zones of 150 µg/mL acidic electrolyzed water to 2 kinds of pathogenic fungi were over 75 mm in diameter. Furthermore, treatment with acidic electrolyzed water resulted in morphological changes such as bending and shrinking of the fungal hyphae surface. In addition, extracellular pH, conductivity, and absorbance at 260 nm of the fungi hypha significantly increased post-treatment with acidic electrolyzed water. Pathogenic morphology and IST sequencing analysis confirmed Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus sydowii as the primary pathogenic fungi, with their growth effectively inhibited by acidic electrolytic water.
Thrombopoietin mimetic stimulates bone marrow vascular and stromal niches to mitigate acute radiation syndrome
Authors: Vercellino Justin , Małachowska Beata , Kulkarni Shilpa , Bell Brett I. , Shajahan Shahin , Shinoda Kosaku , Eichenbaum Gary , Verma Amit K. , Ghosh Sanchita P. , Yang Weng-Lang , Frenette Paul S. , Guha Chandan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) manifests after exposure to high doses of radiation in the instances of radiologic accidents or incidents. Facilitating the regeneration of the bone marrow (BM), namely the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), is a key in mitigating ARS and multi-organ failure. JNJ-26366821, a PEGylated thrombopoietin mimetic (TPOm) peptide, has been shown as an effective medical countermeasure (MCM) to treat hematopoietic-ARS (H-ARS) in mice. However, the activity of TPOm on regulating BM vascular and stromal niches to support HSPC regeneration has not yet been elucidated.
Methods
C57BL/6J mice (9–14 weeks old) received sublethal or lethal total body irradiation (TBI), a model for H-ARS, by 137Cs or X-rays. At 24 hours post-irradiation, mice were subcutaneously injected with a single dose of TPOm (0.3 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg) or PBS (vehicle). At homeostasis and on days 4, 7, 10, 14, 18, and 21 post-TBI with and without TPOm treatment, BM was harvested for histology, BM flow cytometry of HSPCs, endothelial (EC) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), and whole-mount confocal microscopy. For survival, irradiated mice were monitored and weighed for 30 days. Lastly, BM triple negative cells (TNC; CD45−, TER-119−, CD31−) were sorted for single-cell RNA-sequencing to examine transcriptomics after TBI with or without TPOm treatment.
Results
At homeostasis, TPOm expanded the number of circulating platelets and HSPCs, ECs, and MSCs in the BM. Following sublethal TBI, TPOm improved BM architecture and promoted recovery of HSPCs, ECs, and MSCs. Furthermore, TPOm elevated VEGF-C levels in normal and irradiated mice. Following lethal irradiation, mice improved body weight recovery and 30-day survival when treated with TPOm after 137Cs and X-ray exposure. Additionally, TPOm reduced vascular dilation and permeability. Finally, single-cell RNA-seq analysis indicated that TPOm increased the expression of collagens in MSCs to enhance their interaction with other progenitors in BM and upregulated the regeneration pathway in MSCs.
Conclusions
TPOm interacts with BM vascular and stromal niches to locally support hematopoietic reconstitution and systemically improve survival in mice after TBI. Therefore, this work warrants the development of TPOm as a potent radiation MCM for the treatment of ARS.
Nitrogen fixation rate and phosphorus enrichment effects on diazotrophic cyanobacteria in the Gulf of Riga
Authors: Liepiņa-Leimane Ineta , Bārda Ieva , Jurgensone Iveta , Labucis Atis , Baraškova Ļubova , Aigars Juris 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

In eutrophied marine systems such as the Baltic Sea, the diazotrophic cyanobacteria has a capacity to further enhance eutrophication or negate mitigation measures by converting atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms through N2-fixation. This study investigates the response of two cyanobacteria species, Aphanizomenon flosaquae and Nodularia spumigena, collected from the Gulf of Riga under different environmental conditions to a short-period phosphorus enrichment. The samples were collected during the summer cyanobacterial bloom of 2022 in the central region of the Gulf of Riga. Contrary to expectations, neither species demonstrated a significant increase in biomass. The study also established that N2-fixation rates did not correlate directly with the total diazotrophic cyanobacteria biomass, but showed a significant correlation with heterocyst presence in both species addressed during this study. The findings of this study highlights challenges that can be expected in using chlorophyll a or even cyanobacteria biomass as a proxy for N2-fixation rates.
Machine Learning Algorithms for FCB Estimation in PPP-AR Technique
Authors: Karlitepe Furkan , Erdogan Bahattin 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique have shown continuous improvement regarding positioning. The recent developments in PPP-AR (Ambiguity Resolution) have facilitated the resolution of integer ambiguity. Thereby, the observation period needed for the convergence time, which is considered as a disadvantage of PPP, has been shortened. Furthermore, the integer ambiguity is not independent source of error but influenced by the Fractional Cycle Bias (FCB) products. This study aims to investigate the effects of the FCBs in PPP-AR technique, which reduces the convergence time. For FCB estimation, machine learning was applied by modifying the functional model of the Single Difference Between Satellite (SDBS) technique. The incorporation of these algorithms enables estimation of FCB values, even for relatively small values. It can be asserted that the support vector machine performs than both the random forest and the SDBS model regarding success. For the integer ambiguity solution PPP-AR demonstrates superior performance compared to PPP.
Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting lung cancer based on acoustic-clinical features
Authors: Lu Zhou , Sha Jiaojiao , Zhu Xunxia , Shen Xiaoyong , Chen Xiaoyu , Tan Xin , Pan Rouyan , Zhang Shuyi , Liu Shi , Jiang Tao , Xu Jiatuo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Objective
Lung cancer has the highest incidence of all malignant tumors worldwide, and early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving patient survival rates. The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram based on acoustic and clinical features, providing clinical trial evidence for predicting lung cancer.
Methods
We reviewed the voice data and clinical data from 350 individuals: 189 pathologically confirmed lung cancer patients and 161 non lung cancer patients, which included 77 patients with benign pulmonary lesions and 84 healthy volunteers. First of all, acoustic features were extracted from all subjects, and optimal features were selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. Subsequently, combining acoustic features and clinical features to build a nomogram for predicting lung cancer based on multivariate logistic regression model. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the calibration curve, the clinical utility was estimated by decision curve analysis (DCA), and validation set was applied to confirm the predictive value of the nomogram.
Results
The acoustic-clinical nomogram model exhibited good diagnostic performance in the training set, achieving an AUC of 0.774, an accuracy of 0.701, a sensitivity of 0.693, and a specificity of 0.710. In the validation set, the nomogram attained AUC of 0.714, an accuracy of 0.642, a sensitivity of 0.673 and a specificity of 0.611. The DCA curve demonstrated the nomogram had good clinical usefulness.
Conclusions
The acoustic-clinical nomogram constructed in this study exhibited good discrimination, calibration, and clinical application value, providing a tool to predict lung cancer.