bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tumor-derived KLK8 predicts inferior survival and promotes an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment in lung squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Tian He , Yang Zhenlin , Xiao Chu , Wei Ran , Fan Tao , Che Yun , Liu Tiejun , Zheng Bo , Li Chunxiang , He Jie 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the second most common lung cancer worldwide, leading to millions of deaths annually. Although immunotherapy has expanded the therapeutic choices for LUSC and achieved considerable efficacy in a subset of patients, many patients could not benefit, and resistance was pervasive. Therefore, it is significant to investigate the mechanisms leading to patients’ poor response to immunotherapies and explore novel therapeutic targets. Using multiple public LUSC datasets, we found that Kallikrein-8 (KLK8) expression was higher in tumor samples and was correlated with inferior survival. Using a LUSC cohort (n = 190) from our center, we validated the bioinformatic findings about KLK8 and identified high KLK8 expression as an independent risk factor for LUSC. Function enrichment showed that several immune signaling pathways were upregulated in the KLK8 low-expression group and downregulated in the KLK8 high-expression group. For patients with low KLK8 expression, they were with a more active TME, which was both observed in the TCGA database and immune marker immunohistochemistry, and they had extensive positive relations with immune cells with tumor-eliminating functions. This study identified KLK8 as a risk factor in LUSC and illustrated the associations between KLK8 and cancer immunity, suggesting the potentiality of KLK8 as a novel immune target in LUSC.
A Gist of an Obscure Neoplasm in Ghana: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours
Authors: Yorke Joseph , Brenu² Samuel Gyasi , Awoonor-Williams Ronald , Tabiri Stephen , Seidu Anwar , Yamoah² Francis Akwaw , Akpaloo¹ Joseph , Der Edmund Muonir , Adjei Ernest , Buckman Tonnies Abeku , Okyere¹ Isaac , Ihekanandu Kenneth Kelechi , Bonsu Ernest Bawuah Osei , Kyei¹ Ishmael , Mensah¹ Samuel , Adinku¹ Michael Ofoe , Yorke Dennis Afful , Agyapong Akwasi Opoku , Kwao Francis Somiah , Agyei Martin Kofi , Oppong-Nkrumah Nana Akosua , Annan Kwasi Dadzie , Ellis Theodora-Ann Fremponma , Danso Patrick , Acheampong Emmanuel 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour is a rare but potentially curable tumour of the gastrointestinal tract accounting for up to 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. The discovery of Imatinib mesylate, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor has improved the chances even for unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic diseases.
Methods
This study sought to document the clinical and pathological characteristics of GISTs from two tertiary hospitals in Ghana that have undergone immunohistochemistry confirmation between 2014 and 2021.
Results
The median age of the subjects was 50 years with most of them (28.0%) being above 61 years. There were more females than males (64.0% vs 36.0%). Abdominal mass and abdominal pain made up the majority of the clinical presentations. The majority of the subjects had partial gastrectomy (32.0%) which was followed by wedge resection (28.0%). Appendectomy and sleeve gastrectomy were the least performed procedures (8% each). Four of the 25 patients (16.0%) had resections of involved contiguous organs done with splenectomy being the most common procedure. The majority of GISTs were found in the stomach (68.0%) followed by the appendix (12.0%) and small bowel (12.0%). Gastrointestinal bleeding (55.8%) and abdominal pain (38.5%) were the most reported symptoms. Free resection margins were observed in 84.0% of the subjects and only 3/25 (12.0%) experienced tumour recurrence.
Conclusion
GIST is a potentially curable tumour that once was obscure but currently gaining popularity. Surgical resection offers the hope of a cure for localized disease while targeted therapies is a viable option for recurrent, metastatic, or unresectable tumours.
Gold Nanowire Mesh Electrode for Electromechanical Device
Authors: Ikeda Taichi 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators were prepared with Nafion film as the ionic polymer and gold nanowire (Au-NW) film as the metal electrodes by hot-pressing, which shorten manufacturing time within one hour. As a reference, IPMC actuator consisting of Nafion film and gold foil (Au-foil) was also prepared. Au-NW film afforded the mesh electrode with thinner and lower surface resistivity than the conventional electrode prepared by electroless plating. Larger contact area of the Au-NW mesh electrode than the Au-foil electrode resulted in better actuation performance. It was confirmed that the transformation behavior of Au-NWs differs depending on the external stimuli condition. Namely Au-NWs transformed to Au nanoparticles in the case of the heat stimulus only. Meanwhile, Au-NWs transformed to plates in the case of the heat and pressure stimuli. While higher temperature improved the adhesion of Au-NW mesh electrode to the Nafion surface, it induced the transformation of nanowire to plates. Therefore, the best preparation temperature was 90 ºC. This research expanded the application field of gold nanowires to the electromechanical devices.
Clinical correlates of diagnostic certainty in children with autism
Authors: Rødgaard Eya-Mist , Rodríguez-Herreros Borja , Zeribi Abderrahim , Jensen Kristian , Courchesne Valérie , Douard Elise , Gagnon David , Huguet Guillaume , Jacquemont Sebastien , Mottron Laurent 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Background
Clinicians diagnosing autism rely on diagnostic instruments and criteria in combination with an implicit knowledge of the specific signs and presentations associated with the condition, based on clinical expertise. This implicit knowledge influences how diagnostic criteria are interpreted but cannot be directly observed. Instead, insight into clinicians’ understanding of autism can be gained by investigating their diagnostic certainty. Modest correlations between the certainty of an autism diagnosis and symptom load have been previously reported. Here, we investigated the associations of diagnostic certainty with specific items of the ADOS as well as other clinical features including head circumference.
Methods
Phenotypic data from the Simons Simplex Collection was used to investigate clinical correlates of diagnostic certainty in individuals with autism. Participants were stratified by the ADOS module used to evaluate them. We investigated how diagnostic certainty was associated with total ADOS scores, age, and ADOS module. We calculated the odds-ratios of being diagnosed with the highest possible certainty given the presence or absence of different signs during the ADOS evaluation. Associations between diagnostic certainty and other cognitive and clinical variables were also assessed.
Results
Some ADOS items showed a larger association with diagnostic certainty than others. Head circumference was significantly higher for individuals with the highest certainty rating across all three ADOS modules. In turn, head circumference was positively correlated with some of those ADOS items that were associated with diagnostic certainty, particularly in ADOS module 2.
Limitations:
The investigated cohort was heterogeneous, possibly impeding the identification of associations that only exist in a subgroup of the population. The scoring of diagnostic certainty may vary between clinicians.
Conclusion
Some ADOS items may better capture the signs that are most associated with clinicians’ implicit knowledge of autism. If replicated in future studies, new diagnostic instruments with differentiated weighting of signs may be needed to better reflect this, possibly resulting in better specificity in standardized assessments.
Client-Based Web Attacks Detection Using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Hong Jiwon , Kim Hyeongmin , Oh Suhyeon , Im Yerin , Jeong Hyeonseong , Kim Hyunmin , Kim Kyounggon 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

The prevalence of client-based web attacks, which exploit web vulnerabil- ities, has been increasing with the growth of web sites. Although pattern detection has been widely used to protect against web attacks, it has a high probability of failing to detect new types of attacks. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach for responding to three typical client- based web attacks (JavaScript malware, phishing attacks, and script- based web attacks) using machine learning algorithms. Our approach involves extracting relevant features from source code and URLs, and then training and testing various machine learning models (including Random Forest, Deep Neural Network, and Convolutional Neural Net- work) to determine the final model. Our experimental results indicate that our Random Forest model achieved high accuracy rates, with 99.99% for JavaScript malware, 95.11% for phishing attacks, and 94.77% for script-based web attacks. Furthermore, we developed a Chrome extension that uses the learned models to block client-based web attacks.
Revealing inherent quantum interference and entanglement of a Dirac Fermion
Authors: Ning Wen , Zheng Ri-Hua , Xia Yan , Xu Kai , Li Hekang , Zheng Dongning , Fan Heng , Yang Zhen-Biao , Zheng Shi-Biao , Wu Fan 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The Dirac equation is critical to understanding the universe, and plays an important role in technological advancements. Compared to the stationary solution, the dynamical evolution under the Dirac Hamiltonian is less understood, exemplified by Zitterbewegung. Although originally predicted in relativistic quantum mechanics, Zitterbewegung can also appear in some classical systems, which leads to the important question of whether Zitterbewegung of Dirac Fermions is underlain by a more fundamental and universal interference behavior without classical analogs. We here reveal such an interference pattern in phase space, which underlies but goes beyond Zitterbewegung, and whose nonclassicality is manifested by the negativity of the phase-space quasiprobability distribution, and the associated pseudospin-momentum entanglement. We confirm this discovery by numerical simulation and an on-chip experiment, where a superconducting qubit and a quantized microwave field respectively emulate the internal and external degrees of freedom of a Dirac particle. The measured quasiprobability negativities well agree with the numerical simulation. Besides being of fundamental importance, the demonstrated nonclassical effects are useful in quantum technology.
Perioperative Characteristics and Postoperative Complications of Pediatric Clitoral Reconstruction
Authors: Levy Lior , Nathaniel Sarah , Oleru Olachi , Seyidova Nargiz , Taub Peter , Horesh Elan 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Pediatric clitoral reconstruction is performed in cases of hypertrophy to return clitoral form and function. The optimal timing and type of surgical reconstruction procedure in children with Disorders of Sex Development are highly debated. There are no previous nationwide cohort studies of pediatric clitoral reconstruction. We aim to describe the perioperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes of patients that underwent pediatric clitoral reconstruction in the United States. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric (NSQIP-P) database from 2012 to 2020. All patients who underwent clitoral reconstruction using the CPT code 56805 were analyzed. 111 female patients underwent clitoral reconstruction. The median patient age was 2.7 years (IQR 1.0–7.3). The mean (SD) length of total hospital stay was 1.9 days (1.7), and the total operation time was 210.9 minutes (112.3). The most common diagnosis at the time of surgery was congenital adrenal hyperplasia (48.6%). The complication rate was 0.9% and was due to bleeding/transfusions. The readmission rate was 5.6%. Overall, pediatric clitoral reconstruction is a safe procedure with low 30-day post-operative complication rates and an acceptable perioperative course. Further research into postoperative complications is essential to inform decision-making regarding the operative management approach.
Bio-fencing as Promising Solution for Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC): Responses of Elephants and Underlying Leaf Chemistry of Polyalthia longifolia
Authors: Perera A.A.L.C , Abhayapala K.M.R.D , Dharmarathne N. , Nugara R.N. , Kumarasinghe U. 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Bio-fencing could be used as an effective tool for human-elephant conflict mitigation, yet the plant species currently used need to be more viable.Polyalthia longifoliais reported to be having antifeedant properties against herbivores and is repellent to them. Accordingly, two cases were studied to evaluate the antifeedant and repellency nature of the plant by offeringP. longifolia; (1) to wild elephants in 03 locations in Mahaweli System D, Sri Lanka and (2) to tamed elephants of 03 age groups. The preference of tamed elephants were further evaluated giving leafy materials; coconut, fishtail palm, grass mixture, andP. longifoliasimultaneously. As a necessary consequence, this study was intended to (3) assess the relative levels of moisture, ash, crude fat, crude fiber, crude protein and (4) organic volatile compounds responsible for the odor of offered plant materials using a PEN3 electronic nose, and to (5) determine the relationship between leaf proximate parameters with palatability responses and (6) organic volatile compounds. Results showed that the wild elephants prevent their movement through their routes by placing bunches ofP. longifolialeaf branches. Tamed elephants showed abnormal responses againstP. longifoliaparticularly movements of their body compared to the rest of feeding materials implying that the leaves ofP. longifoliaare antifeedant and repellant to them, suggesting the greater potential as an effective bio-fence against elephants. However, estimated differences in leaf proximate parameters and relative levels of organic volatile compounds did not reveal the witnessed contrasting repellency ofP. longifolia.
Comparing DNA isolation methods for forest trees: quality, plastic footprint, and time- efficiency
Authors: Guillardín Laura , MacKay John 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Genetic and genomic studies are seeing an increase in sample sizes together with a wider range of species investigated in response to environmental change concerns. In turn, these changes may come with challenges including the time and difficulty to isolate nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), the sequencing cost and environmental impacts of the growing amount of plastic waste generated in the process. Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirbel) Franco (PM), Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. (TH) and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don (TP) are conifer species found in diverse woodlands both as natives and naturalized exotics. Our study was carried out whilst investigating their genetics to understand their population structure and potential for adaptation.
Results
In the present study, we compared two different DNA isolation methods, i.e., spin-column DNeasy plant mini kit (QIAGEN), and temperature-driven enzymatic cocktail Plant DNA Extraction (MicroGEM). The quantity of recovered DNA and the quality of DNA were assessed along with the plastic footprint and time needed for three tree species. Both methods were optimised and proven to provide enough DNA for each studied species. The yield of DNA for each method depended on the species: QIAGEN showed higher yield in PM and TH, while TP recovered similar amount of DNA for both methods. The DNA quality was investigated using DNA barcoding techniques by confirming species identity and species discrimination. No difference was detected on the PCR amplification of the two barcoding loci, (rbcL and trnH-psbA), and the recovered sequences between DNA isolation methods. Measurement of the plastic use and the processing time per sample indicated that MicroGEM had a 52.64% lower plastic footprint and was 51.8% faster than QIAGEN.
Conclusions
QIAGEN gave higher yields in two of the species although both methods showed similar quality results across all species. However, MicroGEM was clearly advantageous to decrease the plastic footprint and improve the time efficiency. Overall, MicroGEM recovers sufficient and reliable DNA to perform common downstream analyses such as PCR and sequencing. Our findings illustrate the benefits of research and efforts towards developing more sustainable methods and techniques to reduce the environmental footprint of molecular analyses.
Dysfunction, oxidative stress markers and cytokine expression in the placentae of mice experimentally infected with Neospora caninum
Authors: Mendoza-Morales Luisa Fernanda , Lagorio Valentina , Corigliano Mariana G. , Sánchez-López Edwin , Ramos-Duarte Victor A. , Legarralde Ariel , Ganuza Agustina , Clemente Marina , Sander Valeria A. 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Neosporosis is the major cause of abortion and reproductive failures in cattle, leading to important economic losses. In this study, we evaluated the impact of Neospora caninum infection on oxidative stress (OS) markers and local cytokine mRNA expression at the placenta, as well as its effect on the progesterone (P4) serum levels and systemic cytokine profile in a pregnant mouse model. Infected pregnant mice (NC-1 group) showed increased percentages of foetal losses and IFN-γ serum levels, decreased serum progesterone, increased mRNA expression levels of both Th1 (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4) cytokines and inhibited expression of TGF-β1 (Treg) compare to control dams (CONTROL group). In addition, lipid peroxidation and ROS were increased, whereas the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) showed impairment in their activities in the placentae from infected mice compared to control mice. These findings demonstrate that multiple factors, including OS, are involved in foetal losses associated with N. caninum infection in mice, thus OS contribution to the placental physiopathology of neosporosis in other hosts must not be ruled out.
Heavy Metal Pollution in Ganga basin: A Risk Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis
Authors: Mishra Bhargawi , Patil Sooraj , Gautam Geeta J. , Gautam Priyanka , Srivast Niraj Kumar , Singh Vineeta , Pathak Abhishek , Singh Varun Kumar , Kumar Anand , Chaurasia R. N. , Joshi Deepika , Mishra Vijaya Nath 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The association between heavy metals and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients was explored with respect to the longest and pious Indian river Ganga. This study is designed to investigate the severity and heavy metal contamination in the blood of Gangetic (within 25 km from river Ganga) and non-Gangetic (> 25 km from river Ganga) ALS patients. Out of 65 recruited ALS patients, 36 from the Gangetic belt and 29 from the Non-Gangetic belt. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis functional rating Scale (ALSFRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) were calculated to study disease progression. Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn) and Cadmium (Cd) concentrations were estimated in the whole blood of 23 subjects from Gangetic belt, 19 subjects from Non Gangetic belt and 23 heathy controls via Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique. A significantly lower FAB score was obtained in Gangetic patients. Pb concentration was significantly higher in both the diseased group than control and Cd concentration was detected significantly higher in Gangetic ALS patients than non Gangetic patients and control group.
Comparative study by the finite element method of three activities of a wearer of total hip prosthesis during the postoperative period
Authors: Moulgada Abdelmadjid , Zagane Mohammed El Sallah , Yaylacı Murat , Djafar Ait Kaci , Abderahmane Sahli , Öztürk Şevval , Yaylacı Ecren Uzun 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
An Algorithm for Automatic Text Annotation for Named Entity Recognition using spaCy Framework
Authors: Kumar Murari , Chaturvedi Krishna Kumar , Sharma Anu , Arora Alka , Farooqi Mohammad Samir , Lal Shashi Bhushan , Lama Achal , Ranjan Rajeev 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Text Annotation is the process of adding metadata in the text and used in various tasks like natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning models. Named entity recognition (NER) is one of the interesting and challenging tasks of NLP and is being used extensively in many domains. The application of NER will also be useful in handling documents, queries, reports and research articles related to agriculture in identifying pests affecting crops. SpaCy, a free and open source library is being used for NER that requires the text data in a complex annotated format. The process of manual annotation is difficult and time-consuming task. Therefore, to streamline the process of text annotation, we developed an algorithm and a tool for automatic annotation of text data. Approximately 3.6 million queries were collected from “Kisan Call Centre”, a helpline service to farmers by Government of India and plant protection queries of Paddy and Wheat crops were extracted from this database. These queries were annotated with the help of developed tool and annotated corpus was created. The annotated corpus is used to develop NER models and trained for crops and associated pests identification in agriculture domain. Further, the performance of the model is enhanced by reducing features using plural to singular conversion and synonym substitution. The model achieved an F1-score of 97.20%, demonstrating a significant improvement of 3.01% compared to the performance with original queries.
Application of endophytic bacteria isolated from root nodules of Sulla aculeolata L. and Rhizobium sullae KS6 consortium in the growth of legume Sulla flexuosa L
Authors: Samia Hamane , Anass El yemlahi , Mounir Hassani Zerrouk , Ouiam Elgaliou , Amin Laglaoui , Mohammed Bakkali , Abdelhay Arakrak 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Legume plants rely upon multipartite interactions between rhizobia and bacterial endophytes within root nodules to facilitate plant growth. This study sought to isolate and identify indigenous endophytic bacteria from root nodules of Sulla aculeolata L. in Northeast Morocco. Based on their tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) solubilization capacity, five endophytes were chosen for further evaluation of their plant growth activities. All isolates were hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and siderophore producers, while only BCH24 tested positive for ACC deaminase activity. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis ranged from 1.27 mg L− 1 to 2.89 mg L− 1, with soluble phosphate concentrations between 7.99 mg L− 1 and 110.58 mg L− 1. Additionally, all the endophytes were able to produce more than two lytic enzymes. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the five isolates as Enterobacter sp (BCH13, BCH2), Pseudomonas sp (BCH16, BCH24), and Serratia sp (BCH10). The strains inhibited the growth of three phytopathogenic fungi, with BCH13 exhibiting the highest rate against Aspergillus ochraceus (45%), followed by BCH24 against Fusarium oxysporum (40%) and Botrytis cinerea (35%), respectively. In vivo inoculation of halotolerant strains Enterobacter hormaechei (BCH13) and Pseudomonas moraviensis (BCH16) under chamber conditions revealed that co-inoculation with Rhizobium sullae KS6 improved plant development compared to single inoculation, making it a promising eco-friendly bio-inoculant for legume Sulla flexuosa L. production.