bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Eight Weeks of High Intensity Interval Training on Tissue Changes and Gene Expression of APP and Tau Indices in the Hippocampus of Rats Addicted to Methamphetamine
Authors: Bahrami Mina , Haghighi Amir Hossein , Asadi-Shekaari Majid , Shahrabadi Hadi , Shafiei Ahad 
Published: December 2023

Introduction: The use of methamphetamine (METH) can cause neurotoxicity. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of high intensity interval training on tissue changes and gene expression of neurodegeneration indicators in the hippocampal tissue of methamphetamine-dependent rats.
Methods: In this experimental research, 32 male rats were divided into four equal groups of saline, primary methamphetamine (METH-1), methamphetamine+training (METH+HIT) and secondary methamphetamine (METH-2). METH was injected at the dose of 5 mg/kg body weight for 21 days. The exercise program (5 sessions per week) included interval training (4 sets of 2 minutes with high intensity and 2 to 4 minutes of active rest between sets) on a treadmill. At the end of the injection and training period, the hippocampus tissue of the rats was extracted to evaluate the pathological changes and gene expression of related indicators. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test at the significance level of (P≥0.05) by GraphPad software.
Results: The results of gene expression in the hippocampal tissue showed that along with METH injection, the expression of α-syn, GSK-3β, CDK5, APP, Tau and p-Tau indicators increased significantly; nevertheless the exercises (HIT) decreased the expression of the genes of the current research. Pathological studies showed that METH injection caused a significant increase in the destruction of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and performing intense intermittent exercise had significantly reduced the destruction of neurons.
Conclusion: Methamphetamine has caused intoxication and neurodegeneration, and HIT training has been able to improve these conditions to some extent. More research is needed in this field to reach general conclusions.
THE STUDY of SOME BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES of CUSCUTA CHINENSIS and ITS TWO HOSTS
Authors: Asadi Samaneh , Moradkhani Shirin 
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Cuscuta, (Ces as Persian name) is a parasitic plant with different biological effects and applications. The metabolic profile and effects of the Ces depend on the host on which it grows. Its main components are phenols and flavonoids. Considering the antioxidant effects of these compounds, the purpose of this research was to investigate the antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of Cuscuta as well as Mellissa officinalis and Alhaji murarum as hosts.
Methods: Aqueous, hydroalcoholic extracts of the Cuscuta grown on two hosts were prepared separately. Hydroalcoholic extracts of host plants were also prepared. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated using Folin- Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride colorimetric assays, respectively. In order to investigate the antioxidant activity, the ability of extracts to scavenge DPPH free radical (DPPH 2, 2-(diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and their capacity to reduce iron 3+ion were measured by FRAP method.
Results: The results showed that all the examined extracts have significant phenolic and flavonoid contents. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in hydroalcoholic extracts, which was proportional to the amount of phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts. In addition, the extracts of host plants were richer than the parasite extracts. The extract of Mellissa officinalis showed better effects than Alhaji murarum in all of four investigated factors.
Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, the hydroalcoholic extracts of the Cuscuta plants are rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which may be the cause of the antioxidant activity. Of course, the compounds and effects of Cuscuta depend on the host. In future studies, the plant can be grown in different hosts.
Exploring high school students’ attitudes towards digital game-based learning: A perspective from Indonesia
Authors: Irwanto Irwanto , Cahyana Ucu , Ayuni Ni Putu Sri , Wijayako Rudi Suhartono 
Published: December 2023

Students’ attitudes towards Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in developing countries such as Indonesia are rarely investigated despite the fact that digital games are being used in secondary education increasingly. This research aims to explore students’ attitudes towards DGBL in chemistry. We used a quantitative study method using a self-reported survey questionnaire. The study included 480 high school students (203 males and 277 females) from various public and private high schools in Indonesia. The present study employed a cross-sectional survey design to collect data in July and August 2023. The DGBL attitude scale was adapted to evaluate students’ attitudes. The questionnaire comprised 22 items assessing students’ attitudes towards digital game-based learning. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as t-tests and a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). As a result, students expressed a slightly positive attitude towards digital games in chemistry learning particularly for learning opportunities. The results also showed that there was a significant gap in students’ attitudes with regard to gender and the daily duration of smartphone use. However, there was no significant gap regarding students’ attitudes towards digital game-based learning. The findings provide valuable insights for game designers and teachers to design and implement educational games that meet student needs and expectations in order to improve learning outcomes. The results are also useful for educators and educational researchers on how demographic factors influence students’ DGBL attitudes in chemistry education in developing countries such as Indonesia.
Downstream Morphological and Sedimentary Transformations in Modern Continental-Scale Rivers
Authors: Wahbi Abdullah M. , Blum Michael D. 
Published: December 2023

Morphological characteristics in river systems, including channel dimensions and river gradients, scale to drainage basin area, which provides the means for such elements to be predicted, measured and modeled. Moreover, recent studies interpret downstream changes in channel morphological and sedimentary characteristics to be the product of changing flow hydraulics as rivers transit from the normal flow to the backwater reach and approach the coastal ocean. This paper quantifies how large modern rivers undergo morphological and sedimentary transformations in response to normal flow to backwater transition. Morphologies adapting to such backwater hydraulic conditions is a potential for further investigation. With applications in modeling of modern river systems, this also provides the means for paleoenvironment reconstructions based on changing morphological characteristics since such quantitative framework is grounded by similar depositional processes. Building on previous studies, we construct river-long profiles, estimate backwater lengths, measure the ratio between channel-belt and channel widths (BChB/BCh), and measure the ratio between sand-rich to mud-dominated environments of deposition (S/M ratio) in five large modern river systems. We use results from >55,000 measurements of morphological and lithological characteristics from ~3,850 valley cross-sections over ~5,500 river kilometers to show that: (a) channel gradients decrease by ~30-50% as the channel goes through the normal flow to backwater transition, whereas (b) BChB/BCh decreases by >~60% and (c) S/M ratios decrease by ~35-90% within the upper backwater reach. These values further decrease in the lower backwater reach and approach unity (BChB/BCh = 1; S/M = 0) as the gradient reaches zero (sea level). Such systematic transformations in morphologic and sedimentary characteristics indicate they are both inherent and predictable, and can be used to interpret normal flow vs. backwater hydraulics in ancient fluvial deposits.
Comparison of carcass and meat sensory quality of Bandjock local and Crossbred Pigs.
Authors: GHOMSI OLIVIA SANDRA MAGNE , Maafo Regine Sandra , Pechangou N.S. , Eyenga Flore Eliane , Mouafo Hippolyte Tene , Etchu Kinglsey Agbor , Moundipa Paul Fewou 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The study aimed to investigate the impact of breed on the carcass, meat quality, and sensory properties of two pig breeds, the Bandjock Local Pig (BLP) and crossbred Duroc X Large White (DLW) pigs. The experiments involved dividing 24 eight-week-old weaners into two groups, each randomly assigned to six two-pig units. The animals received similar feeding and management, while the study lasted for 120 days. The study found that carcass weight and backfat thickness were greater in DLW in comparison to BLP (p<0.05). DLW demonstrated significantly higher values in fat content and cooking loss than BLP (p<0.05). Both BLP and DLW displayed similar levels of lightness, redness, and yellowness in the meat (p>0.05). Furthermore, BLP exhibited decreased pH levels at 45 minutes and 24 hours compared to DLW (p<0.05). Significant high scores in meat quality (loin, ham, and shoulder) were achieved by sensory panelists for BLP compared to DLW, respectively (p<0.05). However, other sensory traits did not differ between breeds. These results imply that carcass characteristics improved in DLW than BLP, but BLP had better sensory properties. This study provides fundamental data on the meat quality of BLP and DLW.
Mitigating Cadmium Contamination in Rice: Insights from a Large-Scale Meta-Analysis on Amendments Effects
Authors: Ge Yining , Huang Xin , Lu Lingli 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background and aims
Cadmium (Cd) pollution in rice is a health hazard to humans. The application of amendments decreases Cd bioavailability in soil and Cd accumulation in rice plants. However, a complete and quantitative understanding of the effects of soil amendments on soil properties, Cd availability, rice yield, and Cd accumulation in rice is lacking.
Methods
This study conducted a meta-analysis using data obtained from 436 peer-reviewed papers to evaluate the impact of amendments on different variables involved in a soil-rice system polluted with Cd.
Results
Ten amendments significantly reduced the Cd content in rice. Brown rice Cd concentrations decreased by 33.4%, and crop yields increased by 12.1% on average with the application of amendments. Available Cd in soil content decreased by 26.4% because of amendments. Amendments influenced Cd forms in the soil by increasing pH (7.94%), CEC (14.73%), and SOC (11.97%). Various factors considerably influenced the effects of amendments. The selection of amendments principally determined the inhibiting effect of amendments on Cd in brown rice. Various factors influenced the regulation of available soil and rice Cd in a similar manner. For intense precipitation (> 2000 mm), amendments were observed to be more efficient in decreasing the presence of Cd in brown rice. However, their effectiveness was diminished in loamy soils. According to the regression analysis, soil pH was essential in regulating accessible Cd in acidic soils.
Conclusion
The application of amendments can successfully lower Cd levels in rice grains and enhance soil quality while maintaining rice yield.
Molecular identification of succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit B in sarcopenia
Authors: Chen Fenqin , Yang XinWen , Zheng Yirui , Zhou ZhiKe 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
We aim to investigate the roles of succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit B (SDHB) in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia. We identified 1554 differentially expressed genes from 33824 background genes in sarcopenia versus non-sarcopenia control as well as SDHB-low group versus high group. The 1365 genes of the turquoise module were most strongly associated with sarcopenia and those with low SDHB expression, which were enriched in oxidative phosphorylation, thermogenesis, ribosome and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The cross-talking pathways of SHDB in sarcopenia were determined, including oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle and thermogenesis. Low expressions of SDHB may be a potential pathogenic factor of sarcopenia, and may be related to oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle and thermogenesis.
The effect of different drugs on the ablation of subcutaneous insulinoma in nude mice
Authors: Yi Nan , Chen Fengping , Zheng Biaolin , Guo Wenwen , Wei Dafu , Qin Shanyu , Jiang Haixing 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided local ablation therapy stands as one of the most important approach for the treatment of insulinomas. We aimed to compare the effects of four drugs (anhydrous ethanol, lauromacrogol, polidocanol, and paclitaxel) as local ablative agents on subcutaneous insulinomas in nude mice. Additionally, we aimed to determine the diffusion rate of these drugs within tumors by utilizing methylene blue as a tracer.
Methods
Insulinoma cells were inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice, and the successful construction of an animal model of insulinoma was confirmed by testing blood glucose, insulin levels, and transplantation tumor pathology. The tumor-forming nude mice were ablated with different doses of saline, anhydrous ethanol, lauromacrogol, polidocanol and paclitaxel. The tumor necrosis percentages were determined to assess the therapeutic efficacy. Methylene blue was added to the ablative drug solution at a concentration of 10% to follow ablation treatments, and the diffusion rates in tumors were estimated by calculating the diffusion area of the drug.
Results
The tumor necrosis percentages in each group were paclitaxel: 93.20%, ethanol: 86.51%, polidocanol: 70.48%, lauromacrogol: 34.26%, and saline: 3.29%. The paclitaxel and ethanol group percentages were significantly higher than the rest of the groups, but there was no significant difference between them. In tumors, paclitaxel was the fastest to disperse, followed by ethanol and polidocanol, while lauromacrogol was the slowest.
Conclusions
Paclitaxel and polidocanol may potentially serve as local ablative agents for the treatment of insulinomas.
Deep Learning-Based Classification of Dysgraphia Severity in Children from Handwriting Images
Authors: Anand Satyajit , Sharma Purnima , Sharma Manvinder , Talwar Rajneesh , Mongia Chirag 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
This study focused on the design and testing of a deep learning model which could be used to distinguish between 'Low Potential Dysgraphia' and 'High Potential Dysgraphia', based upon using these handwriting image samples for children at school age. One of the methodologies was to create a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) by using augmented samples of handwriting image data for training. These samples were divided into separate training and testing batches. All the handwriting samples were resized to 150x150 pixels and pre-processed. The CNN was made up of different convolutional and max-pooling layers, with dropout regularization included. At the end came a dense layer with sigmoid activation for binary classification. Training lasted for 10 epochs, with an emphasis placed on tracking accuracy at both the training and testing phases. Testing accuracy was about 84%; the training score also increased steadily, so the model is learning well without overfitting because its testing and training accuracies are similar. The model's performance in identifying 'High Potential Dysgraphia', was reflected by a precision of 0.76, a recall rate of 0.96, and an F1-score (the geometric mean between them)of respectively: On the contrary, 'Low Potential Dysgraphia' was identified, with a precision of 0.95 and falling recall at 0.74 giving an F1-score of 83 %.
Exploring Crime Rate Trends and Forecasting Future Patterns in Toronto City using Police MCI Data and Deep Learning
Authors: Esfahani Hamed Nasr , Esfahani Zahra Nasr 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Crime trеnds arе an essential area of study for citiеs and law еnforcеmеnt agеnciеs. The Toronto Policе Sеrvicе's major crimе indicator (MCI) data for thе yеars 2014 to 2022 is thе subjеct of invеstigation in this papеr. Yеar, month, wееk, day, and hour tеmporal scalеs wеrе еxaminеd in thе data. This rеsеarch rеvеalеd a numbеr of significant long-tеrm trеnds in crimе ratеs, including sеasonal pattеrns and variations basеd on thе mеntionеd tеmporal scalеs. Thе data was analyzed thoroughly and dееp lеarning modеls wеrе built and trainеd to predict thе numbеr of monthly crimе incidents in thе datasеt, and also forеcast thеm in futurе (2023 and 2024). Exploratory data analysis and outcomеs of thе dееp lеarning modеls arе dеpictеd in thе next sеctions. The findings show that crime incidents in Toronto City have increased from 2014 to 2022. Future events are expected to follow this pattern. The results showed that the deep learning model outperforms the naive and weights moving average model. City plannеrs and law еnforcеmеnt agеnciеs intеrеstеd in anticipating and rеsponding to changеs in crimе pattеrns ovеr timе, will bеnеfit from this study's valuablе information and rеsults.
In Vitro Probiotic Evaluation of Yeasts from Coconut and Raffia Juices
Authors: Irokanulo Emenike O. , Yadung Queen-Esther M. , Orotayo Dolapo E. , Nwonuma Charles O. , Alonge Oreoluwa S. 
Published: December 2023

Eukaryotic probiotics currently attract a lot of scientific attention, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces boulardii being the most widely investigated probiotic yeasts. The range of yeast species with probiotic potential needs to be broadened. In this respect, juice-providing plants may diversify eukaryoti c probiotic sources for organism preference.
This study tested the probiotic potential of Pichia kudriavzevii and Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated from coconut juice and Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Wickherhamomyces anomalus isolated from raffia palm juice in Nigeria. The in vitro tests used the optical density method to assay the tolerance to acid (pH 2, 3, 5), alkaline (pH 7.5, 8.0), gastric juice (30%), bile (1, 2, and 3%), and osmotic pressure (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% gluco se solution).
All four yeasts survived in the test environments, exhibiting varying degrees of probiotic potential. After 96 h in simulated gastric juice, S. pombe outperformed K. marxianus and W. anomalus by 13 and 97.7% (p < 0.05), respectively. W. anomalus appeared to be the least viable in 30% gastric juice. After 96 h in the acid media, all yeasts performed better at pH 3.0 than at pH 2.0, with roughly 89% (1.695/0.185 mean absorbance values) greater growth in pH 3.0 than in pH 2.0. The alkaline media had a better effect on the growth rate. P. kudriavzevii fared best at pH 2.0 and 3.0 for up to 96 h. All yeasts maintained viability in 1, 2, and 3% bile solutions, although the growth rate did not improve significantly in any of the assay periods. Only minimal growth increase was registered in increased bile concentrations. All samples demonstrated sustained viability in 5–30% glucose between 24 and 48 h of incubation. After 48 h of incubation, the yeast concentrations began to fall as the glucose concentration rose from 5 to 30%. P. kudriavzevii was the least affected after 96 h (41.8%) and demonstrated the best survival results by the four criteria tested in this study.
If this species meets all other non-assayed parameters which qualify a microorganism as a probiotic, P. kudriavzevii obtained from Nigerian coconut juice can be recommended as a potential s ource of commercial probiotics.
Biochemical and Preclinical Evaluation with Synthesis and Docking Study of Pyridopyrimidines and Selenium Nanoparticle Drugs for Cancer Targeting
Authors: Alshehri Zafer S. , Alshehri Faez F. , Belasy Sherien F. , El-Hefny Eman A. , Aly Magdy S. , El-Sayed Ahmed A. , Hassan Nasser A. 
Published: December 2023

Background:
Ultrasonic irradiation has the remarkable potential to amplify reactivity
by a factor of approximately one million. The effects of ultrasound on chemical processes can be
categorized as either homogeneous sonochemistry, which takes place in liquids, or heterogeneous
sonochemistry, which occurs in liquid-liquid or liquid-solid systems.

Objectives:
Pyrimidines are a vital group of compounds known for their anticancer activities.
This study delves into investigating the application of ultrasonic irradiation for the synthesis of
pyridopyrimidine derivatives.

Methods:
In our study, we utilized pyrimidine derivatives 1, 2a, and 2b as reducing agents during
the creation of selenium nanoparticles (Het-SeNPs). The characterization of these nanoparticles
was executed through a range of analytical approaches, including ultraviolet-visible spectrometry,
dynamic light scattering (DLS, Zeta), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
Additionally, FTIR and NMR spectroscopic examinations provided proof of the formation of
these nanoparticles within the synthesized molecules 1, 2a, and 2b.

Results:
The impact of the produced heterocyclic derivatives and Het-SeNPs was assessed on
various cancer cell lines, including breast cancer (MCF-7), liver cancer (HepG2), and prostate
cancer (PC-3) cell lines. All tested substances demonstrated a reasonable level of safety in the
HFB4 cell line, which represents normal human skin melanocytes. Noteworthy is the substantial
cytotoxicity exhibited by compound 2b against MCF-7 cell lines.

Conclusion:
Moreover, compound 2b-SeNPs demonstrated even higher cytotoxicity against the
MCF-7 cell line compared to compound 2b, where 5-fluorouracil was used as a reference standard.
Detailed cell division analysis disclosed significant antiproliferative properties in compounds
2b and 2b-SeNPs, leading to the arrest of the cell cycle at the pre-G1 and G2/M phases.