bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Value of Urine Ribonuclease 7 (RNase 7) to Creatinine Ratio for Detecting Urinary Tract Infection in Children with Pyuria
Authors: Cetin Nuran , Kiraz Zeynep Kusku , Gencler Aylin 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Objective Ribonuclease 7 (RNase 7) is one of the members of the antimicrobial peptides playing a role in maintaining urinary tract sterility. We aimed to investigate the predictive value of the urine RNase 7 levels in children with pyuria and associations between RNase 7 and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and renal scarring.
Methods This study included 109 children with pyuria (46 febrile urinary tract infections [UTIs], 38 nonfebrile UTIs, and 25 sterile pyuria) whose RNase 7 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay. The results for urine RNase 7 concentrations were expressed as micrograms per milligrams creatinine.
Results RNase 7/Cr levels were higher in patients with both febrile and nonfebrile UTIs than the patients with sterile pyuria (p = 0.001). RNase 7/Cr had predictive values of diagnosis of febrile and nonfebrile UTIs (cut-off value: 2.92 µg/mg, p = 0.003; cut-off value: 3.67 µg/mg, p < 0.001, respectively). RNase 7/Cr had higher levels in the patients with VUR than without VUR (cut-off value: 4.28 µg/mg, p = 0.037). The patients with renal scarring had higher urine RNase 7/Cr than those without scarring (cut-off value: 4.54 µg/mg, p = 0.041).
Conclusion The evaluation of RNase 7/Cr may help prevent unnecessary and/or inappropriate antibiotic use in children with pyuria. The higher RNase 7 levels in patients with VUR and renal scarring may reflect long-term inflammation or greater inflammatory response during acute infection.
Prospective Elective Neurosurgical Theater Utilization Audit in Pakistan: Problems in a Public Tertiary Care Hospital and Proposed Solutions from Lower-Middle-Income Country
Authors: Ashraf Mohammad , Kamboh Usman Ahmad , Raza Muhammad Asif , Khan Muhammad Irfan , Sultan Kashif Ali , Choudhary Nabeel , Hussain Syed Shahzad , Ashraf Naveed 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Background In lower-middle-income countries such as Pakistan, public hospitals provide free healthcare but suffer from poor management and misgovernance, negatively impacting service provision. One aspect of this is operating theater time (OTT) utilization. In a 1,600-bed hospital with a 22 million catchment population, we noticed significant delays and inadequate OTT efficiency at the neurosurgery department of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. This audit aimed to analyze the neurosurgical OTT utilization, identify delays, and highlight managerial deficiencies and areas for improvement while comparing our workflow with contemporary international literature.
Materials and Methods We prospectively audited OTT utilization at the neurosurgical department. All elective surgeries from January to April 2021 were included to identify delays concerning patient transfer, anesthesia team arrival, preparation and intubation time, operative time, and anesthesia extubation time.
Results Fifty-six per cent of OTT was utilized operating. Sources of delay included the delayed arrival of anesthesia team (4.7%) and the delay in transferring patients to OT (9.7%). Anesthesia intubation and preparation time accounted for 23% of OT utilization and was significantly longer than the comparable international studies. Extubation time accounted for 5.7% of OT utilization. The issues surrounding transfer delays and prolonged anesthesia time were discussed, with strategies to address them developed with close vital input from our anesthesia colleagues and ward staff.
Conclusion Gross delays relatively simple in nature were identified due to poor management and less than ideal interspecialty coordination. Most delays were avoidable and can be addressed by proper planning, optimization of patient transfer and resources, and, most importantly, improved communication between surgeons, anesthetists, and ward staff. This can ensure optimal use of theater time and benefit all specialties, including ancillary staff, and, most importantly, the patient. A reaudit is warranted to assess the impact of interventions on OTT utilization.
Microcosm based bio-efficacy evaluation of biologically produced nano-Zn–Fe fertiliser
Authors: Bedi Ankita , Singh Braj Raj 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Chemical fertilisers are a significant component of agricultural inputs needed to achieve the highest possible yield and productivity. Fertilisers, on the other hand, change the nutrient balance and health of the soil. Furthermore, because of its low usage efficiency, this widespread use has a negative impact on ecosystems. In this study, nano-Zn–Fe fertiliser was synthesised in a microbial bioreactor and its key properties were determined, including actual particle size, elemental composition, zeta potential, and bioactive content. A microcosm plant bioassay system developed in-house was used to assess the bio-efficacy of biologically generated nano-Zn–Fe fertiliser. The fertiliser was applied to maize (at a rate of 1500 μg g−1 seeds) using a polymer-based seed coating technique and compared to commercial bulk and nano-fertilisers. The results indicate that nano-Zn–Fe fertiliser considerably improves seed germination, plant growth, and nutrient uptake in plants when compared to controls (polymer and feedstock material coated seeds) and commercial goods (bulk and nano-fertilisers). Additionally, we calculated the lead content of the plant system to verify that the produced material is non-toxic in accordance with global fertiliser permissible limit standards. As a result, nano-Zn-Fe fertilisers may be a more viable option for supplying an alternative source of zinc and iron fertilisers to balance global agricultural productivity constraints.
Investigation on anti-penetration capability of water filled aluminum alloy cell structure to the shaped charge jet
Authors: Zhao Changfang , Zhang Kebin 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Passive protective armor is reliable and cheap, and is favored by many armored weapons and equipment. However, reports on metal-liquid composite armor are not sufficient and systematic. Based on the shaped charge jet (SCJ), the anti-penetration capabilities of water filled aluminum alloy cell structure were studied. The hourglass cell structure (HCS) was designed according to the shock wave propagation characteristics in liquid, and the expansion-convergence cell structure (E-CCS) was derived. Based on the virtual origin theory, the residual tip velocity of jet after SCJ penetrated the cell structure was calculated. According to the theory of supersonic disturbance propagation, the Mach cone half angle of SCJ shock wave propagation in liquid was defined and corrected. The propagation and reflection behavior of shock wave were discussed to analysis the radial convergence of liquid. Via the Van Leer Arbitrary Lagrangian Euler finite element simulation model verified by experiments, the simulation studies of SCJ penetrated the circular cell structure (CCS), HCS, E-CCS and convergence/expansion multi-cell structure were performed. The results show that HCS has better effect of interfering with SCJ than that of CCS and E-CCS. An important discovery is that when the liquid composite multi-cell structure is penetrated by SCJ, the attacked cell will not affect other cells due to the shock wave has been trapped in a single cell.
Simultaneous Separation and Tumescence: A New Paradigm for Liposuction Donor Site Preparation
Authors: Del Vecchio Daniel , Wall Simeon , Stein Michael J , Jovic Thomas H , Whitaker Iain S 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBackgroundAn ever-increasing demand for liposuction and fat transplantation procedures in the United States reflects their continued safety and clinical effectiveness. Technical breakthroughs, such as the utilization of tumescent infiltration and fat separation techniques, have been instrumental in optimizing outcomes but add time to the surgical procedure. Simultaneous separation and tumescence (SST) is a new technique combining these innovations to further improve safety and efficiency in liposuction.ObjectivesThe authors describe their technique for utilizing SST on more than 1200 patients spanning a 6-year period. A split abdomen study was designed to compare the vasoconstrictive effectiveness of SST with traditional Klein infiltration techniques.MethodsA quantification perfusion analysis utilizing indocyanine green angiography was performed on 4 patients to illustrate the vasoconstrictive effectiveness of SST over traditional Klein infiltration techniques. A mean relative vasoconstriction score was calculated relative to the umbilicus for each technique.ResultsCompared with traditional Klein tumescence techniques, SST has a similar complication rate, utilizes similar infiltrative volumes, and increases vasoconstriction (mean 89.6% SST hemiabdomen vs 48.1% Klein hemiabdomen at 2 minutes, P &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsSST represents a novel, long-overdue departure from Klein tumescence, which has been a valuable mainstay for donor site preparation for over 3 decades. SST will pave the way for more efficient operative times and potentially higher volumes of fat being safely extracted.Level of Evidence: 4
Efficacy and Tolerability of Topical Platelet Exosomes for Skin Rejuvenation: Six-Week Results
Authors: Proffer Sydney L , Paradise Christopher R , DeGrazia Emily , Halaas Yael , Durairaj K Kay , Somenek Michael , Sivly Angela , Boon Andrea J , Behfar Atta , Wyles Saranya P 
Published: June 2022

Abstract

Background
Exosomes are regenerative mediators for skin rejuvenation. Human platelet extract (HPE) is an allogeneic exosome product derived from US-sourced, leukocyte-reduced apheresed platelets with consistent purity and potency.

Objectives
The authors sought to better characterize the safety and tolerability of novel HPE (plated) Intensive Repair Serum (Rion Aesthetics, Rochester, MN) and its maximal effects on skin rejuvenation at 6 weeks.

Methods
This prospective, single-arm, non-randomized, longitudinal study investigated the safety and efficacy of HPE. Structured sub-analysis evaluated multifactorial improvement in skin health following standardized skin care regimen to determine the maximal effect. Evaluation at baseline and 6 weeks included participant questionnaires and photo documentation with VISIA-CR Generation 5 3D PRIMOS (Canfield Scientific Inc, Fairfield, NJ).

Results
VISIA-CR imaging yielded quantifiable and statistically significant improvements in overall skin health (skin health score). A greater score correlated to greater overall skin health, and there was a statistically significant mean delta improvement of 224.2 ± 112.8 (mean ± standard deviation, P ≤ 0.0001) in skin health score at 6 weeks compared with baseline. This correlated to reduction in redness, wrinkles, and melanin production across all cosmetic units (P = 0.005, P = 0.0023, P ≤ 0.0001, respectively) and significant improvements in luminosity and color evenness (P ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions
A topically applied platelet-derived exosome product, HPE, induced normalization to skin health at 4 to 6 weeks with improved various clinical measures of facial photodamage and cutaneous aging. It is safe, well-tolerated, and well-liked by participants.

Level of Evidence: 4
Cucurbitacin B alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation and reducing oxidative stress
Authors: Chu Xiuli , Zhang Lin , Zhou Yajun , Fang Qi 
Published: June 2022

ABSTRACT
Cucurbitacin B (CuB) has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. However, the effect of CuB on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was unclear. In this work, we found that CuB significantly elevated cell viability, decreased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and proinflammatory factor levels in oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-exposed PC12 cells, reduced cerebral infarction volume and neuronal apoptosis, inhibited oxidative stress and inflammation, and improved neurological function in mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced cerebral I/R injury. Meanwhile, CuB decreased levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, and cleaved interleukin-1β, which were upregulated by I/R injury. Moreover, upregulation of NLRP3 dramatically reversed the effects of CuB on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, cell viability, and levels of proinflammatory factors in vitro. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that CuB attenuated cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation and reducing oxidative stress.
Grid-connected microgrid: design and feasibility analysis for a local community in Bangladesh
Authors: Mahmud Dewan Mahnaaz , Ahmed S M Masum , Hasan Sayeed , Zeyad Mohammad 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Global demand for electricity is growing significantly in developing nations. Renewable energy accounts for barely 3% of total energy consumption in Bangladesh. Sources of renewable energy, e.g. solar, are increasingly being acknowledged as viable supply-side choices for microgrids. This article presents a grid-connected microgrid design based on meteorological data for a local community situated in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. This study presents a feasible design of a system that gives the lowest cost of energy production and emissions that is evaluated using software named Hybrid Optimization Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER Pro). Comparison and assessment of the net present cost, cost of energy, operating cost and environmental emission for five different feasible microgrids are analysed concerning real-time data. Also, a suitable case is sorted out and proposed for the local community for electrification. The proposed case offers a $0.0442/kWh cost of energy, which is ~32% cheaper than the current rate with a 57.5% renewable fraction and a payback period of 16.86 years. People of this local community will have access to considerably more clean energy at a lower price by this study; also this design could sell the excess energy to the grid to avoid frequent electricity outages.
Solar energy technology and its roles in sustainable development
Authors: Maka Ali O M , Alabid Jamal M 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSolar energy is environmentally friendly technology, a great energy supply and one of the most significant renewable and green energy sources. It plays a substantial role in achieving sustainable development energy solutions. Therefore, the massive amount of solar energy attainable daily makes it a very attractive resource for generating electricity. Both technologies, applications of concentrated solar power or solar photovoltaics, are always under continuous development to fulfil our energy needs. Hence, a large installed capacity of solar energy applications worldwide, in the same context, supports the energy sector and meets the employment market to gain sufficient development. This paper highlights solar energy applications and their role in sustainable development and considers renewable energy’s overall employment potential. Thus, it provides insights and analysis on solar energy sustainability, including environmental and economic development. Furthermore, it has identified the contributions of solar energy applications in sustainable development by providing energy needs, creating jobs opportunities and enhancing environmental protection. Finally, the perspective of solar energy technology is drawn up in the application of the energy sector and affords a vision of future development in this domain.
Nestling sex ratio is unaffected by individual and population traits in the griffon vulture
Authors: Gómez-López Guillermo , Martínez Félix , Sanz-Aguilar Ana , Carrete Martina , Blanco Guillermo 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Variation in offspring sex ratios is a central topic in animal demography and population dynamics. Most studies have focused on bird species with marked sexual dimorphism and multiple-nestling broods, where the offspring sex ratio is often biased due to different individual or environmental variables. However, biases in offspring sex ratios have been far less investigated in monomorphic and single-egg laying species, and few studies have evaluated long-term and large-scale variations in the sex ratio of nestling vultures. Here, we explore individual and environmental factors potentially affecting the secondary sex ratio of the monomorphic griffon vulture Gyps fulvus. We used information collected at three breeding nuclei from central Spain over a 30-year period (1990–2020) to analyse the effects of nestling age, parental age, breeding phenology, conspecific density, population reproductive parameters, and spatial and temporal variability on nestling sex. Sex ratio did not differ from parity either at the population or the nuclei level. No significant between-year differences were detected, even under highly changing conditions of food availability associated with the mad-cow crisis. We found that tree nesting breeders tend to have more sons than daughters, but as this nesting behavior is rare and we consequently have a small sample size, this issue would require additional examination. Whereas further research is needed to assess the potential effect of breeder identity on nestling sex ratio, this study contributes to understanding the basic ecology and population dynamics of Griffon Vultures, a long-lived species with deferred maturity and low fecundity, whose minor deviations in the offspring sex ratio might imply major changes at the population level.
Machine learning of source spectra for large earthquakes
Authors: Ma Shang , Li Zefeng , Wang Wei 
Published: June 2022

SUMMARYThe shape of earthquake source spectra, traditionally fit by physics-based models, contains important parameters to constrain rupture dimension, duration and geometry. Here we apply machine learning (ML) to derive single- and double-variable data-driven models of source spectra from 3675 Mw &gt; 5.5 global earthquakes, assuming that the Fourier transform of source time functions represent earthquake source spectra below 1 Hz. The single-variable ML model, in the same degree of freedom as the Brune model, improves the goodness of fit by 8.5 per cent. Specifically, the ML model fits the data without systematic bias, whereas the Brune model tends to underestimate at intermediate frequencies and overestimate at high frequencies. The latter discrepancy cannot be modelled by increasing the fall-off exponent in the Brune- or the Boatwright-type models. The double-variable ML model is compared to existing double-corner-frequency models and is found to capture the second-order features such as the subtle curvature differences around the corner. Our results demonstrate that unsupervised ML can extract hidden global characteristics of high-dimensional data and provide observational evidence to amend existing physical models.
Spatio-temporal variation in the zooplankton prey of lesser sandeels: species and community trait patterns from the Continuous Plankton Recorder
Authors: Olin Agnes B , Banas Neil S , Johns David G , Heath Michael R , Wright Peter J , Nager Ruedi G 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
The phenology, distribution, and size composition of plankton communities are changing rapidly in response to warming. This may lead to shifts in the prey fields of planktivorous fish, which play a key role in transferring energy up marine food chains. Here, we use 60 + years of Continuous Plankton Recorder data to explore temporal trends in key taxa and community traits in the prey field of planktivorous lesser sandeels (Ammodytes marinus) in the North Sea, the Faroes and southern Iceland. We found marked spatial variation in the prey field, with Calanus copepods generally being much more common in the northern part of the study area. In the western North Sea, the estimated amount of available energy in the prey field has decreased by more than 50% since the 1960s. This decrease was accompanied by declining abundances of small copepods, and shifts in the timing of peak annual prey abundances. Further, the estimated average prey community body size has increased in several of the locations considered. Overall, our results point to the importance of regional studies of prey fields, and caution against inferring ecological consequences based only on large-scale trends in key taxa or mean community traits.
Myeloid immune checkpoint ILT3/LILRB4/gp49B can co-tether fibronectin with integrin on macrophages
Authors: Itoi So , Takahashi Naoyuki , Saito Haruka , Miyata Yusuke , Su Mei-Tzu , Kezuka Dai , Itagaki Fumika , Endo Shota , Fujii Hiroshi , Harigae Hideo , Sakamoto Yuzuru , Takai Toshiyuki 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
LILRB4 (B4, also known as ILT3/CD85k) is an immune checkpoint of myeloid lineage cells, albeit its mode of function remains obscure. Our recent identification of a common ligand for both human B4 and its murine ortholog gp49B as the fibronectin (FN) N-terminal 30 kDa domain poses the question of how B4/gp49B regulate cellular activity upon recognition of FN in the plasma and/or the extracellular matrix. Since FN in the extracellular matrix is tethered by FN-binding integrins, we hypothesized that B4/gp49B would tether FN in cooperation with integrins on the cell surface, thus they should be in close vicinity to integrins spatially. This scenario suggests a mode of function of B4/gp49B by which the FN-induced signal is regulated. The FN pull-down complex was found to contain gp49B and integrin β 1 in bone marrow-derived macrophages. The confocal fluorescent signals of the three molecules on the intrinsically FN-tethering macrophages were correlated to each other. When FN-poor macrophages adhered to culture plates, the gp49–integrin β 1 signal correlation increased at the focal adhesion, supporting the notion that gp49B and integrin β 1 become spatially closer to each other there. Adherence of RAW264.7 and THP-1 cells to immobilized FN induced phosphorylation of spleen tyrosine kinase, whose level was augmented under B4/gp49B deficiency. Thus, we concluded that B4/gp49B can co-tether FN in cooperation with integrin in the cis configuration on the same cell, forming a B4/gp49B–FN–integrin triplet as a regulatory unit of a focal adhesion-dependent pro-inflammatory signal in macrophages.