bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conserved Function of Bat IRF7 in Activating Antiviral Innate Immunity Insights into the Innate Immune Response in Bats
Authors: Cheng Yuqiang , Wang Jie , Liu Qiuju , Xu Caixia , Fu Feiyu , Shao Qi , Fu Yapeng , Wang Zhaofei , Wang Hengan , Sun Jianhe , Yan Yaxian , Ma Jingjiao 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Bats are natural hosts for various highly pathogenic viruses, these viruses pose a huge threat to humans and animals. Yet they rarely display signs of disease infection from these viruses. The expression of IRF7-induced IFN-β plays a crucial role in against viral infections. However, the role of batIRF7 during viral infection remains unclear. In this study, we cloned the Tadarida brasiliensis IRF7 and discovered that its amino acid sequence showed poor conservation among species. Next, we investigated the expression of bat IRF7 mRNA in TB1 Lu cells infected with RNA viruses such as Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza virus (AIV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) analogs poly (I: C) and demonstrated that these viral infections significantly upregulated the expression of bat IRF7 mRNA. Furthermore, the overexpression of IRF7 in TB1 Lu cells activated the expression of bat innate immune-related genes and inhibited virus replication. Importantly, we observed that bat IRF7 function is highly conserved in avian and mammalian species. Structurally, we identified that the IRF domain of bat IRF7 was essential for activating IFN-β. In summary, our findings indicate that bat IRF7 possesses a conserved ability to activate bat antiviral innate immunity. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further understanding the innate immune response in bats.
Spatial analysis of depression and anxiety among frontline health workers during Nigeria’s COVID-19 pandemic – Cross sectional study
Authors: Goson Piwuna Christopher , Osuagwu Uchechukwu Levi , Ekpenyong Bernadine N , Miner Chundung Asabe , Ojeahere Margaret , Ishaya Tanko , Mashige Khathutshelo P , Ovenseri-Ogbomo Godwin , Envuladu Esther Awazzi , Abu Emmanuel Kwasi , Timothy Chikasirimobi G , Langsi Raymond , Amiebenomo Onyekachukwu M , Oloruntoba Richard , Charwe Deborah Donald , Basak Palash , Agho Kingsley Emwinyore 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable panic and anxiety among health workers in all countries of the world, including Nigeria. This study aimed to identify the spatial clustering for prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression among frontline health workers (FHWs) during COVID-19 in the 36 states of Nigeria.
Methods
This was a cross sectional study conducted in COVID-19 hospital treatment centres (one in each state) across 36 Nigerian states and Federal Capital Territory. A total of 3,353 FHWs were recruited using convenient sampling technique. The main outcomes were depression and anxiety symptoms examined using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and categorised into binary. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with anxiety and depression. Additionally, spatial distribution for anxiety and depression was analysed, and a series of maps were generated using ArcGIS Desktop
Results
FHWs in the Southeastern States of Anambra, Enugu, Abia, and Imo, experienced higher odds of depression and anxiety compared with other states. For anxiety alone, higher odds were observed among FHWs in Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, and Edo states. Logistic regression analyses revealed higher odds for anxiety and depression among Nurses, while FHWs who have practiced for 1–6 years had significantly higher odds for depression (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 3.21, 95%CI: 1.90, 5.43 for 5–6 years; and AOR = 2.33, 95%CI: 1.27, 4.26 for 1–4 years). The odds for anxiety and depression were significantly lower among FHWs who had a previous history of psychological distress compared with those with no previous history.
Conclusions
Findings can be applied to public health policy that focuses on reducing levels of anxiety and depression during the pandemic and other future pandemics and should target FHWs with limited years of experience. Regional disparities emphasise the critical need for targeted interventions to safeguard healthcare workers' mental well-being, especially in high-risk regions.
Development and validation of a community acquired sepsis-worsening score in the adult emergency department: a prospective cohort. The CASC score
Authors: Saget François , Maamar Adel , Esvan Maxime , Gacouin Arnaud , Bouget Jacques , Levrel Vincent , Tadié Jean-Marc , Soulat Louis , Reuter Paul Georges , Peschanski Nicolas , Laviolle Bruno 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background
Sepsis is a leading cause of death and serious illness that requires early recognition and therapeutic management to improve survival. The quick-SOFA score helps in its recognition, but its diagnostic performance is insufficient. To develop a score that can rapidly identify a community acquired septic situation at risk of clinical complications in patients consulting the emergency department (ED).
Methods
We conducted a monocentric, prospective cohort study in the emergency department of a university hospital between March 2016 and August 2018 (NCT03280992). All patients admitted to the emergency department for a microbiologically proven community-acquired infection were included. Predictor variables of progression to septic shock or death within the first 90 days were selected using backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression to develop a clinical score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine the discriminating power of the area under the curve (AUC). We also determined the threshold of our score that optimized the performance required for a sepsis-worsening score.
Results
Among the 21,826 patients admitted to the ED, 786 met the sepsis criteria and 496 had a microbiologically proven infection; therefore, these patients were included in the analysis. The median [interquartile range] age was 72 [54–84] years, 248 (54%) were males, and 244 (53%) had respiratory symptoms. The clinical score ranged from 0 to 90 and included 8 variables with an area under the ROC curve of 0.85 (confidence interval [CI] 95% 0.81–0.89). A cut-off of 26 yields a sensitivity of 88% (CI 95% 0.79–0.93), a specificity of 62% (CI 95% 57–67), and a negative predictive value of 95% (CI 95% 91–97).
Conclusions
Our study provides an accurate clinical score for identifying septic patients consulting the ED early at risk of worsening disease. This score could be implemented at admission.
Hydrogeochemical characterization and water quality evaluation for drinking and irrigation purposes of coastal aquifers of Middle Andaman
Authors: Kumar Pardeep , Vishwakarma Chandrashekhar Azad , Singh Priyadarshini , asthana Harshita , Rena Vikas , mate Carolyne chinneikim , Mukherjee Saumitra 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

A comprehensive study to characterize the hydrogeochemistry of the region and the impact of saltwater intrusion on groundwater was conducted along the eastern coast of Middle Andaman of Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands. The escalating population growth and intensified tourism activities have resulted in the over-extraction of groundwater. Seismic activities led to the opening of lineaments to the sea and dissolution of limestone in influence of seawater. 24 groundwater samples and 1 reference sample from sea were taken from various locations of middle Andaman. The analysis involved the determination of major cations, anions, and heavy metals using ICP, spectrophotometry, and flame photometry. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction analysis, binary diagrams, Chloro-alkaline indices (CAI), Gibbs Plot, correlation matrix, Piper plot, Chadha's plot and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the major ions data indicated rock-water interactions, strong correlations among alkali and alkaline earth metals, and interactions between seawater and carbonate minerals respectively. The water quality index indicated “very poor to unsuitable for drinking purposes” in 24% of the samples. Additionally, indices for irrigation suitability; total hardness (TH), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and Magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR) were found to be detrimental for irrigation in 80%, 08%, and 12% of the water samples, respectively.
What does the data analysis of 7,048 environmental articles tell us about the quality of Wikipedia?
Authors: Petiška Eduard , Kuběna Aleš , Dressler Michal 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Wikipedia articles are categorized into different levels of quality, so we analyzed all 7,048 environmental articles in the Environment Assessment project on English-language Wikipedia. Based on a review of literature, we selected indicators of information quality (number of editors, number of edits, article length, number of references, and the ratio of references to words) and tested the correlation between these indicators and quality perception in the Wikipedia Assessment project. We found that articles perceived as higher quality typically have more editors and edits, are longer, and contain more references, as well as a higher ratio of references to words.
Molecular-scale complexes of IL-2/15 receptors and MHC molecules persist but become more mobile, while microdomain-level aggregates are dispersed on actin-free membrane blebs of T cells
Authors: Vámosi György , Mocsár Gábor , Vereb György , Zubánics-Nagy Áron , Volkó Julianna , Farkas Attila , Wieser Stefan , Bodnár Andrea , Tóth Katalin , Schuetz Gerhard 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Earlier we found that interleukin-2 and -15 receptors (IL-2R, IL-15R) and MHC I and II, all proteins essential in T cell activation, form co-clusters at different hierarchic levels in lipid rafts of T cells. To investigate whether the membrane-associated actin cytoskeleton has a role in organizing these clusters, we used membrane blebs formed spontaneously on starved human T lymphoma cells for comparison, as they have a smooth surface without cytoskeletal connections. STED microscopy showed that the patchy cell surface distribution of IL-2Rα, IL-15Rα, MHC I and the lipid raft marker GM1 ganglioside observed on intact cell membranes became more homogenous on blebs. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed that cluster sizes diminished. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single molecule tracking showed a two- to four-fold increase in the mobility of the investigated proteins. FRET efficiencies between homo- or hetero-associated proteins remained constant or decreased moderately and the associated fractions of protein pairs determined by fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy remained unchanged or increased. Our results show that the higher-order organization of the membrane becomes more homogeneous, clusters become smaller and the mobility of molecules increases on actin-free membrane blebs, but the investigated protein-protein interactions are preserved and do not depend on the actin cytoskeleton.
Numerical study on the damped oscillation of effusive eruption: a case study of the 1991-1995 Mt. Unzen eruption (Japan)
Authors: Nishikawa Sora , Tanaka Ryo 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Geophysical observations have detected damped oscillations in chamber pressure and discharge rate during effusive eruptions. This behavior is caused by the interaction between the chamber, which acts as an elastic capacitance, and the variable flow resistance of the conduit. Previous numerical approaches have shown that conduit deformation during eruptions causes damped oscillatory changes in the discharge rate and pressure. However, the change in the conduit radius due to the influence of irrational modeling, which does not consider changes in the physical properties of the magma, is overestimated. Therefore, to overcome this limitation, in this study, we constructed a new mathematical model that incorporates changes in the physical properties of ascending magma into a mathematical model of magma-supplying systems that consider conduit deformation. The proposed model revealed that changes in the physical properties of magma during ascent affect the flow resistance by influencing the efficient viscosity and bulk density, which in turn affect the amplitude of damping oscillation and scale of the conduit radius. The model was applied to the 1991-1995 eruption of Mt. Unzen, which showed two peaks of pulsating lava extrusion within a consistent size of conduit radius with the petrological studies. As an application, the model estimates the chamber volume to be [[EQUATION]], which is slightly smaller than that of the potential magma chamber zone detected by geophysical observations beneath Mt. Unzen, indicating that the proposed numerical model might constrain the mechanical size of the elastic chamber. Moreover, the estimated crustal viscosity is approximately 4 - 5 orders of magnitude smaller than typical values reported by geodetic observations. The underestimation may be caused by the effects of partial melting of the host rock and/or the dike-shaped conduit. Our results suggest that the effects of conduit deformation and changes in magma properties must be taken into account when considering the temporal changes in eruptions.
Birds do not use social learning of landmarks to locate favorable nest sites
Authors: Slagsvold Tore , Wiebe Karen L. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Experiments since the classic studies of Niko Tinbergen have provided evidence that animals use visual landmarks to navigate. We tested whether birds use visual landmarks to relocate their nest sites by presenting two species of cavity nesting birds with a dyad of nest boxes with different white markings around the entrance, a circle or a triangle. When the two boxes were erected in close proximity on the same tree, pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus confused the entrance of their nest both when the boxes had different external markings and when they were unmarked. Most females added nest material to both boxes of a dyad and one third of the flycatchers laid eggs in both boxes although a female can only incubate the eggs in one nest at a time. Thus, the birds did not use external markings around cavity entrances for orientation. We also tried to replicate a previous study purporting to show that migratory birds use social learning of the external appearance of nests from other species. However, pied flycatchers did not choose boxes with the same painted markings as those applied to nests of resident great tits Parus major which were judged to be high quality "demonstrators" from their large clutch sizes. We argue that conclusions from previous studies on social learning based on external markings as landmarks on nest cavities in birds need to be reconsidered.
Palliative Biliodigestive Bypass for Unresectable Pancreatic Malignancy at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre: a Retrospective Cross-sectional Study
Authors: MUTOMBO Fabrice LELE , TSANDIRAKI Justin KAMBALE , MCHIHIYO Tumaini , WAMPEMBE Elisabeth , KENNEDY Misso , LODHIA Jay , Chilonga Salum Kondo 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Pancreatic cancer is a common and deadly cancer, ranking as the 14th most common cancer worldwide and the 7th leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Advanced pancreatic malignancy frequently presents with biliary and gastric outlet obstruction and palliative open interventions are often required, especially in low-income countries where endoscopic surgical bypass methods are often unavailable. This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing biliodigestive bypass for pancreatic malignancy.
Methods
This was a hospital-based retrospective observational study at the tertiary hospital in northern Tanzania. We included 53 patients who underwent double or triple bypass surgery for pancreatic malignancy between January 2019 to December 2022 at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Tanzania. Data was collected from medical records, analyzing demographics, comorbidities, pre-surgery and surgery details, and post-surgery outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize continuous variables as mean with standard deviation and categorical variables as percentages.
Results
53 patients were analyzed, with a mean age of 63.2 years and a male to female ratio of 1.03:1. Jaundice was the most common presentation (77.4%). Of the patients, 74.5% had comorbidities, and the majority (81.1%) were uninsured. 50.9% of patients had a length of hospital stay shorter than 5 days, and 88.3% resumed normal oral intake. Palliation failure was observed in 22.6% of patients. The mean overall 30-day survival for all patients was 27.6 days.
Conclusion
Bypass surgery remains a treatment of choice for palliating symptoms in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. This study highlights the importance of prompt diagnosis of pancreatic tumors, especially in low-income countries, to achieve better outcomes.
Optimizing Fault Tolerance of RAM cell through MUX based Modeling and Design using symmetries of QCA Cells
Authors: Naz Syed Farah , Ahmed Suhaib , Mughal Shafqat Nabi , Asger Mohammed , Das Jadav Chandra , Mallik Saurav , Shah Mohd Asif 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Extensive research is now being conducted on the design and construction of logic circuits utilizing quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) technology. This area of study is of great interest due to the inherent advantages it offers, such as its compact size, high speed, low power dissipation, and enhanced switching frequency in the nanoscale domain. This work presents a design of a highly efficient RAM cell in QCA, utilizing a combination of a 3-input and 5-input Majority Voter (MV) gate, together with a 2×1 Multiplexer (MUX). The proposed design is also investigated for various faults such as single cell deletion, single cell addition and single cell displacement or misalignment defects. The circuit under consideration has a high degree of fault tolerance. The functionality of the suggested design is showcased and verified through the utilization of the QCADesigner tool. Based on the observed performance correlation, it is evident that the proposed design demonstrates effectiveness in terms of cell count, area, and latency. Furthermore, it achieves a notable improvement of up to 76.72% compared to the present configuration in terms of quantum cost. The analysis of energy dissipation, conducted using the QCAPro tool, is also shown for various scenarios. It is seen that this design exhibits the lowest energy dispersion, hence enabling the development of ultra-low power designs for diverse microprocessors and microcontrollers.
A pre-averaged pseudo nearest neighbor classifier
Authors: Li Dapeng 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
K nearest neighbor rule is a powerful classification method. However, its classification performance will be affected in the situation of small-size samples with existing outliers. To address this issue, a pre-averaged pseudo nearest neighbor classifier (PAPNN) is proposed to improve classification performance. In the PAPNN rule, pre-averaged categorical vectors are calculated by taking the average of any two points of the training sets in each class, and then k pseudo nearest neighbors are chosen from the preprocessed vectors of every class to determine the category of a query point. The pre-averaged vectors can reduce the negative impact of outliers in some degree. Extensive experiments are carried out on nineteen numerical real data sets and three artificial data sets by comparing PAPNN to other five KNN-based methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed PAPNN rule is effective for classification task in the case of small-size samples with existing outliers.
Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Analysis of Flow Characteristics of Aerostatic Bearings based on Large Eddy Simulation
Authors: Zhao Ming , Zhao Zhihui , Cheng Cheng , Liu Zhengxian , Hou Weijie , Yan Lijia , Li Zhanxin , Xu Lianchao 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
The driving mechanism of the microvibration of aerostatic bearings is still unclear. Although there are several interpretations, none of them is conclusive. The difficulty lies in the complicated information concealed beneath the turbulence flow. To this end, the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method was systematically implemented in the aerostatic bearing flow field analysis in the present study, and some new findings have been proposed. First, the accuracy of our large eddy simulation (LES) has been validated through quantitative comparison with the experimental reference. Then, the mode decomposition has been conducted at a circumferential symmetry plane and the influence of supply pressure has been uncovered. It turns out that the vortices within the recess dominate the flowfield when the supply energy Ps=3atm, while the shear flow in the vicinity of the recess inlet becomes intense and corresponding vortices become predominant in the case of Ps=5atm. Meanwhile, the 4atm case could be regarded as an intermediate state between the 3atm and 5atm cases and both of the above flow features could be observed. Eventually, the influences of film thickness have also been discussed when Ps=4atm. Different from the case of h=10μm, the vortices near the recess outlet could be detected when the film thickness is increased to 20μm. The control of corresponding flow structures might be helpful for the microvibration suppression.
GLUT3-mediated cigarette smoke-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through the NF-kB/ZEB1 pathway
Authors: Ding Yu , Wang Ziteng , zhang Zheming , You Rong , Wu Yan , Bian Tao 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Airway remodelling plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Epithelial–mesenchymal transition(EMT) is a signnificant process during the occurence of airway remodelling. Increasing evidence suggests that glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) is involved in the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of various diseases. However, the role of GLUT3 in EMT in the airway epithelial cells of COPD patients remains unclear.
Methods
We detected the levels of GLUT3 in the peripheral lung tissue of COPD patients and cigarette smoke (CS)-exposed mice. Two Gene Expression Omnibus GEO datasets were utilised to analyse GLUT3 gene expression profiles in COPD. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect GLUT3 expression. In addition, we used the AAV9-GLUT3 inhibitor to reduce GLUT3 expression in the mice model.Masson’s staining and lung function measurement were used detect the collagen deposition and penh in the mice.A cell study was performed to confirm the regulatory effect of GLUT3. Inhibition of GLUT3 expression with siRNA, Western blot, and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, p65, and ZEB1.
Results
Based on the GEO data set analysis, GLUT3 expression in COPD patients was higher than in non-smokers. Moreover, GLUT3 was highly expressed in COPD patients, CS exposed mice, and BEAS-2B cells treated with CS extract (CSE). Further research revealed that down-regulation of GLUT3 significantly alleviated airway remodelling in vivo and in vitro. Lung function measurement showed that GLUT3 reduction reduced airway resistance in experimental COPD mice. Mechanistically, our study showed that reduction of GLUT3 inhibited CSE-induced EMT by down-regulating the NF-κB/ZEB1 pathway.
Conclusion
We demonstrate that CS enhances the expression of GLUT3 in COPD and further confirm that GLUT3 may regulate airway remodelling in COPD through the NF-κB/ZEB1 pathway; these findings have potential value in the diagnosis and treatment of COPD. The down-regulation of GLUT3 significantly alleviated airway remodelling and reduced airway resistance in vivo. Our observations uncover a key role of GLUT3 in modulating airway remodelling and shed light on the development of GLUT3-targeted therapeutics for COPD.