bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experimental and computational investigation on the charge storage performance of a novel Al2O3-reduced graphene oxide hybrid electrode
Authors: Ratha Satyajit , Sahoo Surjit , Mane Pratap , Polai Balaram , Sathpathy Bijoy , Chakraborty Brahmananda , Nayak Saroj Kumar 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe advancements in electrochemical capacitors have noticed a remarkable enhancement in the performance for smart electronic device applications, which has led to the invention of novel and low-cost electroactive materials. Herein, we synthesized nanostructured Al2O3 and Al2O3-reduced graphene oxide (Al2O3-rGO) hybrid through hydrothermal and post-hydrothermal calcination processes. The synthesized materials were subject to standard characterisation processes to verify their morphological and structural details. The electrochemical performances of nanostructured Al2O3 and Al2O3- rGO hybrid were evaluated through computational and experimental analyses. Due to the superior electrical conductivity of reduced graphene oxide and the synergistic effect of both EDLC and pseudocapacitive behaviour, the Al2O3- rGO hybrid shows much improved electrochemical performance (~ 15-fold) as compared to bare Al2O3. Further, a symmetric supercapacitor device (SSD) was designed using the Al2O3- rGO hybrid electrodes, and detailed electrochemical performance was evaluated. The fabricated Al2O3- rGO hybrid-based SSD showed 98.56% capacity retention when subjected to ~ 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. Both the systems (Al2O3 and its rGO hybrid) have been analysed extensively with the help of Density Functional Theory simulation technique to provide detailed structural and electronic properties. With the introduction of reduced graphene oxide, the available electronic states near the Fermi level are greatly enhanced, imparting a significant increment in the conductivity of the hybrid system. The lower diffusion energy barrier for electrolyte ions and higher quantum capacitance for the hybrid structure compared to pristine Al2O3 justify improvement in charge storage performance for the hybrid structure, supporting our experimental findings.
Dental image enhancement network for early diagnosis of oral dental disease
Authors: Khan Rizwan , Akbar Saeed , Khan Ali , Marwan Muhammad , Qaisar Zahid Hussain , Mehmood Atif , Shahid Farah , Munir Khushboo , Zheng Zhonglong 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIntelligent robotics and expert system applications in dentistry suffer from identification and detection problems due to the non-uniform brightness and low contrast in the captured images. Moreover, during the diagnostic process, exposure of sensitive facial parts to ionizing radiations (e.g., X-Rays) has several disadvantages and provides a limited angle for the view of vision. Capturing high-quality medical images with advanced digital devices is challenging, and processing these images distorts the contrast and visual quality. It curtails the performance of potential intelligent and expert systems and disincentives the early diagnosis of oral and dental diseases. The traditional enhancement methods are designed for specific conditions, and network-based methods rely on large-scale datasets with limited adaptability towards varying conditions. This paper proposed a novel and adaptive dental image enhancement strategy based on a small dataset and proposed a paired branch Denticle-Edification network (Ded-Net). The input dental images are decomposed into reflection and illumination in a multilayer Denticle network (De-Net). The subsequent enhancement operations are performed to remove the hidden degradation of reflection and illumination. The adaptive illumination consistency is maintained through the Edification network (Ed-Net). The network is regularized following the decomposition congruity of the input data and provides user-specific freedom of adaptability towards desired contrast levels. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method improves visibility and contrast and preserves the edges and boundaries of the low-contrast input images. It proves that the proposed method is suitable for intelligent and expert system applications for future dental imaging.
Predicting COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization with multi-scale graph neural networks
Authors: Skianis Konstantinos , Nikolentzos Giannis , Gallix Benoit , Thiebaut Rodolphe , Exarchakis Georgios 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe pandemic of COVID-19 is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges for modern healthcare. In order to analyze the spatio-temporal aspects of the spread of COVID-19, technology has helped us to track, identify and store information regarding positivity and hospitalization, across different levels of municipal entities. In this work, we present a method for predicting the number of positive and hospitalized cases via a novel multi-scale graph neural network, integrating information from fine-scale geographical zones of a few thousand inhabitants. By leveraging population mobility data and other features, the model utilizes message passing to model interaction between areas. Our proposed model manages to outperform baselines and deep learning models, presenting low errors in both prediction tasks. We specifically point out the importance of our contribution in predicting hospitalization since hospitals became critical infrastructure during the pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to exploit high-resolution spatio-temporal data in a multi-scale manner, incorporating additional knowledge, such as vaccination rates and population mobility data. We believe that our method may improve future estimations of positivity and hospitalization, which is crucial for healthcare planning.
Acetovanillone augmented the cardioprotective effect of carvedilol against cadmium-induced heart injury via suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation signaling pathways
Authors: Hassanein Emad H. M. , Bakr Adel G. , El-Shoura Ehab A. M. , Ahmed Lamiaa Khalaf , Ali Fares E. M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractCardiac toxicity is a public health issue that can be caused by both environmental and occupational exposures. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of carvedilol (CV), Acetovanillone (ACET), and their combination for ameliorating cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and necroptosis. Rats were assigned to; the normal group, Cd group (2 mg/kg; i.p., single dose), and the other three groups received orally CV (10 mg/kg), ACET (25 mg/kg), and CV plus ACET, respectively and a single dose of Cd. Oral administration of CV, ACET, and their combination significantly dampens cardiac oxidative injury by increasing antioxidants GSH and SOD levels, while it decreases MDA and NADPH oxidase levels mediated by decreasing cardiac abundance of Nrf2, HO-1, and SIRT1 and downregulating KEAP-1 and FOXO-3 levels. Also, they significantly attenuated inflammatory response as indicated by reducing MPO and NOx as well as proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 mediated by downregulating TLR4, iNOS, and NF-κB proteins expression as well as IκB upregulation. Moreover, they potently counteracted cardiac necroptosis by downregulating RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL, and caspase-8 proteins expression. Of note, the combination of CV and ACET have marked protection that exceeded each drug alone. Conclusively, CV ad ACET potently mitigated Cd-induced cardiac intoxication by regulating NADPH oxidase, KEAP-1/Nrf2/HO-1, SIRT1/FOXO-3, TLR4/NF-κB/iNOS, and RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signals.
Genetic correlations between Alzheimer’s disease and gut microbiome genera
Authors: Cammann Davis , Lu Yimei , Cummings Melika J. , Zhang Mark L. , Cue Joan Manuel , Do Jenifer , Ebersole Jeffrey , Chen Xiangning , Oh Edwin C. , Cummings Jeffrey L. , Chen Jingchun 
Published: March 2023

AbstractA growing body of evidence suggests that dysbiosis of the human gut microbiota is associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) via neuroinflammatory processes across the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The gut microbiota affects brain health through the secretion of toxins and short-chain fatty acids, which modulates gut permeability and numerous immune functions. Observational studies indicate that AD patients have reduced microbiome diversity, which could contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Uncovering the genetic basis of microbial abundance and its effect on AD could suggest lifestyle changes that may reduce an individual’s risk for the disease. Using the largest genome-wide association study of gut microbiota genera from the MiBioGen consortium, we used polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses with the “best-fit” model implemented in PRSice-2 and determined the genetic correlation between 119 genera and AD in a discovery sample (ADc12 case/control: 1278/1293). To confirm the results from the discovery sample, we next repeated the PRS analysis in a replication sample (GenADA case/control: 799/778) and then performed a meta-analysis with the PRS results from both samples. Finally, we conducted a linear regression analysis to assess the correlation between the PRSs for the significant genera and theAPOEgenotypes. In the discovery sample, 20 gut microbiota genera were initially identified as genetically associated with AD case/control status. Of these 20, three genera (Eubacterium fissicatenaas a protective factor, Collinsella,andVeillonellaas a risk factor) were independently significant in the replication sample. Meta-analysis with discovery and replication samples confirmed that ten genera had a significant correlation with AD, four of which were significantly associated with theAPOErs429358 risk allele in a direction consistent with their protective/risk designation in AD association. Notably, the proinflammatory genusCollinsella,identified as a risk factor for AD, was positively correlated with theAPOErs429358 risk allele in both samples. Overall, the host genetic factors influencing the abundance of ten genera are significantly associated with AD, suggesting that these genera may serve as biomarkers and targets for AD treatment and intervention. Our results highlight that proinflammatory gut microbiota might promote AD development through interaction withAPOE. Larger datasets and functional studies are required to understand their causal relationships.
Iron deficiency in sepsis patients managed with divided doses of iron dextran: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Czempik Piotr F. , Wiórek Agnieszka 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIron deficiency (ID) impairs hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis and immune function, both crucial for sepsis patients. We assessed the impact of iron dextran on reticulocyte (Ret) Hb equivalent (Ret-He) and Ret subpopulations in iron-deficient sepsis patients. In this prospective clinical study we enrolled patients with sepsis or septic shock with procalcitonin concentration > 0.5 ng/mL, diagnosed with ID based on Ret-He. Study subjects received divided doses of iron dextran until normalization of Ret-He. The study population included 35 subjects. The median Ret-He increase after 2 doses of iron dextran was 3.0 (IQR 1.9–6.1) pg (p < 0.01) with median time to normalization 4 (IQR 3–5) days. Although no change in Ret percentage [Me 1.5 (IQR 1.1–2.1) vs. Me 1.4 (IQR 1.1–2.4) %, p = 0.39] and number [Me 0.05 (IQR 0.04–0.07) vs. Me 0.05 (IQR 0.03–0.06) 106/µL, p = 0.88] was noted, Ret subpopulations changed significantly (p for all < 0.01). Divided doses of iron dextran relatively quickly normalize Ret-He in iron-deficient sepsis patients. Changes in Ret subpopulations suggest increased erythropoietic activity. Further research is needed to explore the role of intravenous iron in this clinical setting.
Three types of bidirectional leader development in triggered lightning flashes
Authors: Su Rui , Wang Fukun , Wang Jianguo , Cai Li , Cao Jinxin , Wang Junlin 
Published: March 2023

AbstractEight cases of bidirectional leader (BL) development in artificially triggered lightning flashes are reported with synchronous high-speed camera images and electric field signals. Based on optical progressing characteristics, the eight cases can be divided into three types: a reflection type, a discontinuity type, and an inducement type. For the reflection type, the tail of a dart leader may begin to extend backward when the leader’s head reaches a branch point, or the top of the exploded triggering wire. For the discontinuity type, the initiation of a bidirectional leader below a decayed attempted leader may occur more than once preceding one return stroke. For the inducement type, the approach of another leader with the same polarity will turn a dart leader into a bidirectional leader. The reflection type and inducement type are first observed here. Two cases of the discontinuity type are observed, and both are multiple-bidirectional leaders observed for the first time. For the reflection type and inducement type, there are fluctuations in the electric field related to the BL development. The dissipation of the downward leader slows down the negative increase of the electric field. Once the BL development starts, the downward negative end of the BL moves towards the ground with the E-field negatively increasing. For the discontinuity type, the close electric field result shows no fluctuations. The BL development has a much longer duration than the other two BL types.
Passive atomic-scale optical sensors for mapping light flux in ultra-small cavities
Authors: Andričević Pavao , Sellwood Elaine L. , Eppes Martha-Cary , Kook Myungho , Jain Mayank 
Published: March 2023

AbstractUnderstanding light propagation and attenuation in cavities is limited by lack of applicable light sensing technologies. Here we demonstrate the use of light-sensitive metastable states in wide bandgap aluminosilicates (feldspar) as passive optical sensors for high-resolution mapping of light flux. We develop non-destructive, infrared photoluminescence (IRPL) imaging of trapped electrons in cracks as thin as 50 µm width to determine the spatio-temporal evolution of light sensitive metastable states in response to light exposure. Modelling of these data yields estimates of relative light flux at different depths along the crack surfaces. Contrary to expectation, the measured light flux does not scale with the crack width, and it is independent of crack orientation suggesting the dominance of diffused light propagation within the cracks. This work paves way for understanding of how light attenuates in the minutest of cavities for applications in areas as diverse as geomorphology, biology/ecology and civil engineering.
Modulation of cytotoxic amyloid fibrillation and mitochondrial damage of α-synuclein by catechols mediated conformational changes
Authors: Zohoorian-Abootorabi Toktam , Meratan Ali Akbar , Jafarkhani Saeed , Muronetz Vladimir , Haertlé Thomas , Saboury Ali Akbar 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe interplay between α-synuclein (α-syn) and catechols plays a central role in Parkinson’s disease. This may be related to the modulating effects of catechols on the various aspects of α-syn fibrillization. Some of these effects may be attributed to the membrane-binding properties of the protein. In this work, we compare the effect of some catechols, including dopamine, epinephrine, DOPAL, and levodopa in micromolar concentrations, on the in vitro cytotoxicity of α-syn fibrils on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The study was followed by comparing the interactions of resulting structures with rat brain mitochondria used as an in vitro biological model. The obtained results demonstrate that catechols-induced structures have lost their cytotoxicity mimicking apoptotic cell death mediated by α-syn aggregates in different proportions. Moreover, α-syn fibrils-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, evaluated by a range of biochemical assays, was modulated by catechols-modified α-syn oligomers in different manners, as levodopa and DOPAL demonstrated the maximal and minimal effects, respectively. The plausible mechanism causing the inhibition of α-syn cytotoxic fibrillization and mitochondrial dysfunction by catechols is discussed. Taken together, we propose that catechols can prevent the cytotoxic assembly of α-syn and its destructive effects on mitochondria at various stages, suggesting that decreased levels of catechols in dopaminergic neurons might accelerate the α-syn cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction implicating Parkinson’s disease.
Versatile magnetic configuration for the control and manipulation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Surpi Alessandro , Shelyakova Tatiana , Murgia Mauro , Rivas José , Piñeiro Yolanda , Greco Pierpaolo , Fini Milena , Dediu Valentin Alek 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe control and manipulation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SP-MNP) is a significant challenge and has become increasingly important in various fields, especially in biomedical research. Yet, most of applications rely on relatively large nanoparticles, 50 nm or higher, mainly due to the fact that the magnetic control of smaller MNPs is often hampered by the thermally induced Brownian motion. Here we present a magnetic device able to manipulate remotely in microfluidic environment SP-MNPs smaller than 10 nm. The device is based on a specifically tailored configuration of movable permanent magnets. The experiments performed in 500 µm capillary have shown the ability to concentrate the SP-MNPs into regions characterized by different shapes and sizes ranging from 100 to 200 µm. The results are explained by straightforward calculations and comparison between magnetic and thermal energies. We provide then a comprehensive description of the magnetic field intensity and its spatial distribution for the confinement and motion of magnetic nanoparticles for a wide range of sizes. We believe this description could be used to establish accurate and quantitative magnetic protocols not only for biomedical applications, but also for environment, food, security, and other areas.
Application of a tuning-free burned area detection algorithm to the Chornobyl wildfires in 2022
Authors: Hu Jun , Igarashi Yasunori , Kotsuki Shunji , Yang Ziping , Talerko Mykola , Landin Volodymyr , Tyshchenko Olha , Zheleznyak Mark , Protsak Valentyn , Kirieiev Serhii 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe wildfires in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) have caused widespread public concern about the potential risk of radiation exposure from radionuclides resuspended and redistributed due to the fires in 2020. The wildfires were also confirmed in ChEZ in the spring of 2022, and its impact needed to be estimated accurately and rapidly. In this study, we developed a tuning-free burned area detection algorithm (TuFda) to perform rapid detection of burned areas for the purpose of immediate post-fire assessment. We applied TuFda to detect burned areas in the ChEZ during the spring of 2022. The size of the burned areas in February and March was estimated as 0.4 km2 and 70 km2, respectively. We also applied the algorithm to other areas outside the boundaries of the ChEZ and detected land surface changes totaling 553 km2 in northern Ukraine between February and March 2022. These changes may have occurred as a result of the Russian invasion. This study is the first to identify areas in northern Ukraine impacted by both wildfires and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Our algorithm facilitates the rapid provision of accurate information on significant land surface changes whether caused by wildfires, military action, or any other factor.
On-chip wavelength division multiplexing filters using extremely efficient gate-driven silicon microring resonator array
Authors: Hsu Wei-Che , Nujhat Nabila , Kupp Benjamin , Conley John F. , Wang Alan X. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractSilicon microring resonators (Si-MRRs) play essential roles in on-chip wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems due to their ultra-compact size and low energy consumption. However, the resonant wavelength of Si-MRRs is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations and fabrication process variation. Typically, each Si-MRR in the WDM system requires precise wavelength control by free carrier injection using PIN diodes or thermal heaters that consume high power. This work experimentally demonstrates gate-tuning on-chip WDM filters for the first time with large wavelength coverage for the entire channel spacing using a Si-MRR array driven by high mobility titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO) gates. The integrated Si-MRRs achieve unprecedented wavelength tunability up to 589 pm/V, or VπL of 0.050 V cm with a high-quality factor of 5200. The on-chip WDM filters, which consist of four cascaded ITiO-driven Si-MRRs, can be continuously tuned across the 1543–1548 nm wavelength range by gate biases with near-zero power consumption.
Bullseye dielectric cavities for photon collection from a surface-mounted quantum-light-emitter
Authors: Hekmati Reza , Hadden John P. , Mathew Annie , Bishop Samuel G. , Lynch Stephen A. , Bennett Anthony J. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractCoupling light from a point source to a propagating mode is an important problem in nano-photonics and is essential for many applications in quantum optics. Circular “bullseye” cavities, consisting of concentric rings of alternating refractive index, are a promising technology that can achieve near-unity coupling into a first lens. Here we design a bullseye structure suitable for enhancing the emission from dye molecules, 2D materials and nano-diamonds positioned on the surface of these cavities. A periodic design of cavity, meeting the Bragg scattering condition, achieves a Purcell factor of 22.5 and collection efficiency of 80%. We also tackle the more challenging task of designing a cavity for coupling to a low numerical aperture fibre in the near field. Finally, using an iterative procedure, we study how the collection efficiency varies with apodised (non-periodic) rings.
Covid-19 pandemic induced traumatizing medical job contents and mental health distortions of physicians working in private practices and in hospitals
Authors: Ladwig Karl-Heinz , Johar Hamimatunnisa , Miller Inna , Atasoy Seryan , Goette Andreas 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic during its early phases posed significant psychological threats particularly for medical frontline personal. It is unclear whether the medical workforce with the passage of time has adapted to these threats or have generalized to wider medical settings. An online survey was conducted reaching 1476 physicians in Germany with valid data from 1327 participants. Depression and anxiety were screened with the PHQ-2 and the GAD-2. Among a subtotal of 1139 (86.6%) physicians reporting personal treatment experiences with Covid-19 patients, 553 (84.8%) worked in a private practice (PP) and 586 (88.3%) in a hospital (HP). Covid-19 provoked profound conflicts between professional and ethical values: more physicians in PPs than HPs reported external constraints on their medical care being in conflict with the code of medical ethics (39.1 vs. 34.4%, p < 0.002) and significantly more HPs failed to maintain the dignity of their patients during the pandemic (48 vs. 27%, p < 0.0001). Comparison with reference groups among physicians with comparable size and settings during the first wave of Covid-19 revealed a significant increase in the prevalence of depression (23.0%) and anxiety (24.16%). Feelings of helplessness (63.3% in HPs and 53.4% in PPs) were associated with female sex, minor years of medical experience, sleeping problems and being encountered to unsettling events. Exposure to unsettling events and helplessness was significantly mediated by sleep disturbances (ß = 0.29, SE = 0.03, p < 0.0001). Covid-19 induced stress job content issues have broadened to medical disciplines beyond frontline workers. Emotional perturbations among physicians have attained a critical magnitude.