bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Large deflection analysis of circular piezoelectric micro-actuator with flexoelectric effect
Authors: Ji Xue 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAt micro/nano scale, the stiffening effect and flexoelectric effect of strain gradient play important roles in the electromechanical coupling response of piezoelectric micro-components. In this paper, the large deflection bending problem of circular piezoelectric micro-actuator is studied based on the extended linear dielectric theory. In addition to the piezoelectric effect, the flexoelectric effect, the stiffening effect of strain gradient and the high-order electric field effect of polarization gradient are introduced. According to the variational principle, a size-dependent model of circular piezoelectric micro-actuator is established to investigate its electromechanical coupling response. The contributions of piezoelectric effect and flexoelectric effect on large deflection behaviors of piezoelectric micro-actuator are revealed. It is hoped that the research results will be helpful to further understand the electromechanical coupling properties of piezoelectric micro-components and improve the control precision of piezoelectric micro-actuator.
Characterization of the microbiome and volatile compounds in anal gland secretions from domestic cats (Felis catus) using metagenomics and metabolomics
Authors: Rojas Connie A. , Marks Stanley L. , Borras Eva , Lesea Hira , McCartney Mitchell M. , Coil David A. , Davis Cristina E. , Eisen Jonathan A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMany mammals rely on volatile organic chemical compounds (VOCs) produced by bacteria for their communication and behavior, though little is known about the exact molecular mechanisms or bacterial species that are responsible. We used metagenomic sequencing, mass-spectrometry based metabolomics, and culturing to profile the microbial and volatile chemical constituents of anal gland secretions in twenty-three domestic cats (Felis catus), in attempts to identify organisms potentially involved in host odor production. We found that the anal gland microbiome was dominated by bacteria in the genera Corynebacterium, Bacteroides, Proteus, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus, and showed striking variation among individual cats. Microbiome profiles also varied with host age and obesity. Metabolites such as fatty-acids, ketones, aldehydes and alcohols were detected in glandular secretions. Overall, microbiome and metabolome profiles were modestly correlated (r = 0.17), indicating that a relationship exists between the bacteria in the gland and the metabolites produced in the gland. Functional analyses revealed the presence of genes predicted to code for enzymes involved in VOC metabolism such as dehydrogenases, reductases, and decarboxylases. From metagenomic data, we generated 85 high-quality metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). Of importance were four MAGs classified as Corynebacterium frankenforstense, Proteus mirabilis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Bacteroides fragilis. They represent strong candidates for further investigation of the mechanisms of volatile synthesis and scent production in the mammalian anal gland.
Suboptimal multisensory processing in pediatric migraine without aura: a comparative, cross-sectional study
Authors: Braunitzer Gábor , Tót Kálmán , Eördegh Gabriella , Hegedűs András , Kiss Ádám , Kóbor Jenő , Pertich Ákos , Nagy Attila 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAlterations of sensory processing in migraine are well known. There is some evidence to suggest that multisensory processing is altered in migraine as well, but the area is underexplored, especially regarding pediatric migraine. A visual and an audiovisual version of the Rutgers Acquired Equivalence Test paradigm was administered to pediatric patients with migraine without aura (aged 7–17.5 years) and to age- and sex-matched controls. The application of audiovisual stimuli significantly facilitated associative pair learning in migraine-free children and adolescents, but not in pediatric migraine patients. The results of this study corroborate the hypothesis that multisensory processing is altered in pediatric migraine without aura.
Utilizing mobile robotics for pelvic perturbations to improve balance and cognitive performance in older adults: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Adeniyi Adedeji , Stramel Danielle M. , Rahman Danish , Rahman Montaha , Yadav Arihant , Zhou Jingzong , Kim Grace Y. , Agrawal Sunil K. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractLate-life balance disorders remain a severe problem with fatal consequences. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT), a form of rehabilitation that intentionally introduces small, unpredictable disruptions to an individual's gait cycle, can improve balance. The Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (TPAD) is a cable-driven robotic trainer that applies perturbations to the user's pelvis during treadmill walking. Earlier work showcased improved gait stability and the first evidence of increased cognition acutely. The mobile Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (mTPAD), a portable version of the TPAD, applies perturbations to a pelvic belt via a posterior walker during overground gait, as opposed to treadmill walking. Forty healthy older adults were randomly assigned to a control group (CG, n = 20) without mTPAD PBT or an experimental group (EG, n = 20) with mTPAD PBT for a two-day study. Day 1 consisted of baseline anthropometrics, vitals, and functional and cognitive measurements. Day 2 consisted of training with the mTPAD and post-interventional cognitive and functional measurements. Results revealed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in several cognitive (SDMT-C and TMT-B) and functional (BBS and 4-Stage Balance: one-foot stand) measurements while showcasing increased confidence in mobility based on FES-I. To our knowledge, our study is the first randomized, large group (n = 40) clinical study exploring new mobile perturbation-based robotic gait training technology.
Hepatic Runx1t1 improves body fat index after endurance exercise in obese mice
Authors: Jiang Ning , Wang Zhe , Guo Xiangying , Peng Zifu , He Yimin , Wang Qian , Wu Huaduo , Cui Yunlong 
Published: November 2023

AbstractEndurance exercise could attenuate obesity induced by high fat diet (HFD). Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the crucial targets that play key roles in the improvement of body fat index (BFI) in obese mice by endurance exercise. Firstly, we constructed murine obesity models: High fat diet control (HFD) group, HFD exercise (HFE) group, normal chow diet control (NC) group, and normal chow diet exercise (NE) group. Next, we identified the BFI improvement related genes using differential gene analysis, and investigated these genes’ functional pathways using functional enrichment analysis. The qRT-PCR and western blot assays were used to determine the gene expression and protein expression, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to explore the potential pathways associated with endurance exercise in obese mice and Mitochondrial respiratory control ratio (RCR) assay was applied to determine the RCR in the liver tissues of mice. We discovered that endurance exercise remarkably reduced the body weights and BFI of HFD-induced obese mice. Runx1t1 was related to the improvement of BFI by endurance exercise in HFD-induced obese mice. Runx1t1 mRNA and protein levels in liver tissues were observably decreased in HFD mice compared to mice in HFE, NC and NE groups. Moreover, Glucagon signaling pathway that was associated with mitochondrial function was significantly activated in HFE mice. The Runx1t1 expression exhibited an observable negative correlation with Acaca in HFD mice. Moreover, the mitochondrial RCR level was significantly increased in HFE mice than that in HFD mice. In HFD-induced obese mice, Runx1t1 was implicated in the improvement of BFI via endurance exercise. Endurance exercise could improve mitochondrial dysfunction in obese mice by activating the Runx1t1.
Detecting desertification in the ancient oases of southern Morocco
Authors: Rayne Louise , Brandolini Filippo , Makovics Jen Lavris , Hayes-Rich Emily , Levy Jackson , Irvine Hope , Assi Lima , Bokbot Youssef 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnderstanding what led to desertification in the long-term is crucial for adaptation to climate change and pressures on resources in North Africa, but existing maps do not accurately show the extent of degraded land or the traditional water systems which underpinned cultivation. These products rely on recent vegetation trends and hindcasted statistical data. Desertification which occurred prior to the later twentieth century is poorly represented, if at all. However, large areas of abandoned fields are distinctive in satellite imagery as brightly reflectant and smooth surfaces. We present a new and open-source machine-learning workflow for detecting desertification using satellite data. We used Google Earth Engine and the random forest algorithm to classify five landcover categories including a class representing desertified fields. The input datasets comprised training polygons, a 12-band Sentinel-2 composite and derived tasselled cap components, and a Sentinel-1 VV-polarisation composite. We test our approach for a case study of Skoura oasis in southern Morocco with a resulting accuracy of 74–76% for the desertification class. We used image interpretation and archaeological survey to map the traditional irrigation systems which supply the oasis.
Detection of Wuchereria bancrofti in human blood samples and mosquitoes in Matayos, Busia County-Kenya
Authors: Kinyatta Nancy , Wachira Dorcas , Githae Rosemary , Lusweti Japheth , Ingonga Johnstone , Ichugu Christine , Maina Caroline , Haji Rukiya , Kimani Francis , Musili Rael , Muli Jacinta , Kamau Luna 
Published: November 2023

AbstractLymphatic filariasis is a mosquito borne disease which leads to abnormal painful enlarged body parts, severe disability and social stigma. We screened Wuchereria bancrofti in Matayos constituency in Busia County. Blood samples were collected from 23 villages selected purposively based on clinical case reports. Finger prick and/or venous blood sampling and mosquito collections was carried out. Antigenaemia and filarial DNA prevalence were determined. Infection rates on mosquito pools were estimated and SPSS version 26 was used for descriptive statistics analysis. A total of 262 participants were recruited, 73.3% (n = 192) of the participants had no symptoms, 14.1% (n = 5.3) had swollen legs, 5.3% (n = 14) had painful legs and 3.8% (n = 10) with scrotal swellings. Average antigenemia prevalence was 35.9% (n = 94) and DNA prevalence was at 8.0% (n = 21). A total of 1305 mosquitoes were collected and pooled into 2–20 mosquitoes of the same species and from the same village. Two pools out of 78 were positive for filarial DNA with a minimum infection rate of 0.15%. From this study, antigenaemia and infected mosquitoes are an indication of active transmission. The clinical signs are evidence that filarial infections have been in circulation for over 10 years. The global climate change phenomenon currently happening has been shown to adversely affect the transmission of vector borne diseases and is likely to increase lymphatic filariasis transmission in the area. This study therefore recommends further screening before Mass Drug Administration, morbidity management and enhanced mosquito control Programmes are recommended in the study area.
Sonochemical synthesis of heterostructured ZnO/Bi2O3 for photocatalytic desulfurization
Authors: Mahmoud Rawan M. A. , Sayed Fatma N. , Shehata Mohamed R. , El Naggar Ahmed M. A. , Mohamed Gehad G. , Abdelaal Ahmad M. , Morshedy Asmaa S. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn this study, metal oxides nanoparticles heterogeneous photocatalysts prepared by coprecipitation and ultrasonic techniques were used for diesel desulfurization. They were characterized by scanning electron microscope, powder X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive analysis, diffused reflectance spectra, photoluminescence analysis and BET surface area. The surface area of catalyst B is larger than catalyst A confirming its higher reactivity. X-ray reflectance spectroscopy was used to analyze the sulfur contents in feed. Thiophene was used as a model fuel to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of catalysts A and B. Using the Scherrer equation, sharp and intense signals suggesting their higher degrees of crystallinity, with average crystal sizes for ZnO, Bi2O3, catalysts A and B, respectively; of 18, 14.3, 29.7, and 23.8 nm. The operational parameters of the desulfurization process were optimized and have been studied and the maximum sulfur removal was achieved via a further solvent extraction step. A diesel fuel with a 24 and 19 ppm sulfur content and hence a total sulfur removal of 94.6% and 95.7% was acquired for catalysts A and B, respectively (sulfur compounds concentration in diesel fuel feedstock was 450 ppm). These findings demonstrated that photocatalysts A and B are good and effective catalysts for desulfurization of diesel fuel.
Real-time 4K computer-generated hologram based on encoding conventional neural network with learned layered phase
Authors: Zhong Chongli , Sang Xinzhu , Yan Binbin , Li Hui , Xie Xinhui , Qin Xiujuan , Chen Shuo 
Published: November 2023

AbstractLearning-based computer-generated hologram (CGH) demonstrates great potential for real-time high-quality holographic displays. However, real-time 4K CGH generation for 3D scenes remains a challenge due to the computational burden. Here, a variant conventional neural network (CNN) is presented for CGH encoding with learned layered initial phases for layered CGH generation. Specifically, the CNN predicts the CGH based on the input complex amplitude on the CGH plane, and the learned initial phases act as a universal phase for any target images at the target depth layer. These phases are generated during the training process of the coding CNN to further optimize the quality. The CNN is trained to learn encoding 3D CGH by randomly selecting the depth layer in the training process, and contains only 938 parameters. The generation time for a 2D 4K CGH is 18 ms, and is increased by 12 ms for each layer in a layered 3D scene. The average Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) of each layer is above 30dB in the depth range from 160 to 210 mm. Experiments verify that our method can achieve real-time layered 4K CGH generation.
Prostate cancer treatment in Portugal: a nationwide analysis
Authors: Botelho Francisco , Lopes Rui , Pina Francisco , Silva Carlos , Pacheco-Figueiredo Luís , Lunet Nuno 
Published: November 2023

AbstractDifferent treatment options exist for localized prostate cancer. Treatments performed in high-volume hospitals are associated with better results. Our objective was to describe time trends in prostate cancer treatments in Portugal and case volume per hospital. We used the national database of diagnosis-related group of the Portuguese Central Administration of the Health System to describe the number of radical prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy (BT) and external radiotherapy (eRT) treatments performed in all National Health System hospitals. There was a rapid increase in the annual number of RP until 2006 and then a deceleration; BT treatments augmented significantly until 2011. The utilization of eRT also increased, surpassing RP after 2010. From the 46 hospitals performing RP, only eight had a case-volume > 50 treatments/year, and from the nine hospitals performing BT, only four accomplished > 15 treatments/year. In the 11 hospitals with eRT, nine performed > 50/year. Regarding RP, there was negative correlation between the hospital volume and length of stay (r = − 0.303; p = 0.041). In the Portuguese National Health Service there was a steep increase in the number of prostate cancer treatments, and there is an ample margin for concentration of RP and BT treatments, for improvement of the hospitals case volume.
Measurement of spin–orbit torque using field counterbalancing in radial current geometry
Authors: Son Jong Wan , Yang Seungmo , Ju Tae-Seong , Hwang Chanyong , Moon Kyoung-Woong 
Published: November 2023

AbstractControlling the direction of magnetization with an electric current, rather than a magnetic field, is a powerful technique in spintronics. Spin–orbit torque, which generates an effective magnetic field from the injected current, is a promising method for this purpose. Here we show an approach for quantifying the magnitude of spin–orbit torque from a single magnetic image. To achieve this, we deposited two concentric electrodes on top of the magnetic sample to flow a radial current. By counterbalancing the current effect with an external magnetic field, we can create a stable circular magnetization state. We measure the magnitude of spin–orbit torque from the stable radius, providing a new tool for characterizing spin–orbit torque.
Research on the construction of weaponry indicator system and intelligent evaluation methods
Authors: Wang Shuai , Du Yuhong , Zhao Shuaijie , Hao Jinhu , Gan Lian 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTo decrease subjective interference and improve the construction efficiency of the traditional weapon and equipment index system, an index system construction method based on target detection is proposed in combination with the equipment test video data. The three-level index system of combat effectiveness of a certain type of equipment is established, and various intelligent assessment methods are proposed. Firstly, an optimaized IPSO-BP network model is proposed, in which dynamic weights are set to improve the particle search network, and adaptive learning factors are introduced to optimize the update speed. Secondly, an improved DS evidence-parallel neural network assessment method is proposed, setting multiple parallel neural networks with different parameters, and improving the angle cosine to weaken the numerical nonlinear attributes in DS evidence fusion and increase the model's assessment operation stability. Thirdly, the three types of view features corresponding to the index item images are extracted to train the base classifiers. The integrated CNN network based multi-view feature integration assessment model is constructed and the improved residual network block is introduced to optimize the network gradient. Comparison with existing evaluation methods shows that the proposed methods achieve efficient and intelligent construction and evaluation of the indicator system and enrich the evaluation of indicator data.
Antifibrotic effect of apremilast in systemic sclerosis dermal fibroblasts and bleomycin-induced mouse model
Authors: Higuchi Tomoaki , Takagi Kae , Tochimoto Akiko , Ichimura Yuki , Hirose Hikaru , Sawada Tatsuo , Shibata Noriyuki , Harigai Masayoshi , Kawaguchi Yasushi 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPhosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitors have been reported to suppress the progression of dermal fibrosis in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc); however, the precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Therefore, we conducted experiments focusing on the antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects of apremilast using dermal fibroblasts derived from patients with SSc and an SSc mouse model. Dermal fibroblasts derived from healthy controls and patients with SSc were incubated with apremilast in the presence or absence of 10 ng/ml transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 for the measurement of intracellular cAMP levels and evaluation of mRNA and protein expression. A bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis mouse model was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of apremilast on the progression of dermal fibrosis. Intracellular cAMP levels were significantly reduced in dermal fibroblasts derived from patients with SSc compared with those derived from healthy controls. Apremilast reduced the mRNA expression of profibrotic markers and the protein expression of type I collagen and Cellular Communication Network Factor 2 (CCN2) in dermal fibroblasts. Additionally, apremilast inhibited the progression of dermal fibrosis in mice, partly by acting on T cells. These results suggest that apremilast may be a potential candidate for treating dermal fibrosis in SSc.
Performance analysis of heterostructure-based topological nanophotonic sensor
Authors: Goyal Amit Kumar , Kumar Ajay , Massoud Yehia 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn this manuscript, a heterostructure-based topological nanophotonic structure is proposed for improved sensing performance. The topological effect is realized by connecting two dissimilar one-dimensional photonic crystal structures having overlapped photonic bandgaps. The structural parameters are optimized to regulate and alter the dispersion characteristics, which results in the opposite Zak phases. This demonstrates a robust topologsical interface state excitation at a 1737 nm operating wavelength. Further, a topological cavity structure having resonance mode at 1659 nm is formed by replacing the interface layers with a defect layer. The mode excitation is confirmed by analyzing the electric field confinement at the interface. The sensing capability of the structure is analytically evaluated by infiltrating different analytes within the cavity. The analytical results demonstrate the device’s average sensitivity of around 774 nm/Refractive index unit (RIU) along with an average high Q-factor and figure of merit of around 5.2 × 104 and 2.6234 × 104 RIU−1, respectively. Because of the higher interface mode field confinement, the proposed structure exhibits a 92% higher sensitivity, 98% improved Quality factor, 206% improvement in figure of merit, and 86% higher interface field confinement than conventional Fabry–Perot resonator structures. Thus, the proposed topological cavity structure shows its broad sensing ability (Refractive Index: 1.3–1.6) along with a low-cost, simple fabrication and characterization process, promoting the development of highly sensitive planner nanophotonic devices.