bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diets Supplemented with Probiotics Improve the Performance of Broilers Exposed to Heat Stress from 15 Days of Age
Authors: Ribeiro Jéssica C. das D. , Drumond Mariana M. , Mancha-Agresti Pamela , Guimarães João P. F. , Ferreira Daiane da C. , Martins Maria I. A. , Murata Pedro M. de M. , de Carvalho Andressa C. , Pereira Raquel T. , Júnior Valdir Ribeiro , Azevedo Vasco A. de C. , Naves Luciana de P. 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
The poultry sector demands alternative additives to antibiotics that can be used as performance enhancers. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the probiotics effects on performance, intestinal health and redox status of 720 broilers exposed to heat stress from 15 days of age. Eight dietary treatments were evaluated: basal diet (BD) without antibiotic and probiotic (T1); BD supplemented with antibiotic zinc bacitracin (T2), BD supplemented with commercial probiotic of Bacillus subtilis DSM 17299 (T3); BD supplemented with non-commercial probiotic of Lactococcus lactis NCDO 2118, Lactobacillus delbrueckii CNRZ 327, Escherichia coli CEC15 or Saccharomyces boulardii (T4 to T7), and BD simultaneously supplemented with the four non-commercial probiotics (T8). Feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion were determined in the period from 1 to 42 days of age. Carcass and cuts yield, abdominal fat deposition, cloacal temperature, weight and length of intestine, activity of myeloperoxidase and eosinophilic peroxidase enzymes in the jejunum, jejunal histomorphometry, relative gene expression in the jejunum (occludin, zonulin, interleukin-8, cholecystokinin, ghrelin and heat shock protein-70) and liver (heat shock protein-70), in addition to malondialdehyde level and superoxide dismutase activity in the intestine, liver and blood were measured in broilers at 42 days old. As a main results, broilers fed T1 diet exhibited lower weight gain (3.222 kg) and worse feed conversion (1.70 kg/kg). However, diets containing non-commercial probiotics resulted in up to 3.584 kg of weight gain and improved feed conversion by up to 10%, similar to that observed for broilers of the T2 and T3 groups.
Alginate Magnetic Graphene Oxide Biocomposite for Removal of Aromatic Amines from Aqueous Samples
Authors: Zeb Muhammad Amir , Shah Jasmin , Muhammad Rasul Jan 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
In the present work, alginate magnetic graphene oxide biocomposite was synthesized for the removal and extraction of aromatic amines (aniline, p-chloroaniline and p-nitroaniline) from water samples. The biocomposite were investigated for its physiochemical characteristics such as surface morphology, functional groups, phase determination and elemental composition. The results revealed that the functional groups of graphene oxide and alginate retained in biocomposite with magnetic properties. The biocomposite was applied to water samples for the removal and extraction of aniline, p-chloroaniline and p-nitroaniline through adsorption process. The adsorption process was studied under various experimental conditions like time, pH, concentration, dose and temperature and all the parameters were optimized. The maximum adsorption capacities at room temperature with an optimum pH = 4 for aniline = 18.39 mg/g, for CA = 17.13 mg/g and for NA = 15.24 mg/g. Kinetic and isotherms models showed that the experimental data is best fitted to pseudo second order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic study suggested that the adsorption process is exothermic and spontaneous. Ethanol was found to be the best eluent for the extraction of all the three analytes suggested by the extraction study. The maximum percent recoveries from spiked water samples were calculated for aniline = 98.82%, PCA = 96.65% and PNA = 93.55% which showed that alginate magnetic graphene oxide biocomposite could be useful and ecofriendly adsorbent for the removal of organic pollutants in water treatment processes.
Application of novel nanomaterials labeled molecular imprinting technique in the detection and adsorptive removal of fluoroquinolones
Authors: Hu Gaoshuang , Wu Tianqi , Gao Shan , Hao Jianxiong 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Fluoroquinolones are a new class of synthetic antimicrobials, which have been widely used in clinical treatment. However, their irrational use can lead to allergic reactions, adverse reactions of the heart system and damage of the liver system. Due to the urgency of the safety risk of fluoroquinolones, it is of great significance to establish rapid, sensitive and accurate detection methods for fluoroquinolones. Molecularly imprinted polymers with specific structures synthesized by molecular imprinting technology are widely used for the detection of fluoroquinolones due to their high specificity, high sensitivity and stable performance. Besides, new functional nanomaterials with different morphology and size can provide rich sites for surface chemical reactions, thus greatly promoting the sensitivity and innovation of molecular imprinted polymer. This review summarizes the application status and development prospects of molecular imprinting technology based on novel nanomaterials labeling in the adsorption and detection of fluoroquinolones, in order to provide references for the future research on the adsorption and removal of fluoroquinolones, analysis and detection fluoroquinolones.
Plant Growth and Phosphate uptake of leafy vegetable - Methi and Palak as influenced by Phosphate Solubilizing Fungi
Authors: V Jyothi , S Akarsh , D Manjunatha , G Nandish , Basaiah Thippeswamy 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

The present study is focused on improving the growth and phosphate uptake of leafy vegetables by supplying phosphate bioinoculants. For the study of plant growth and phosphate uptake in leafy vegetables, a total of 41 PSF were isolated, from the 50 rhizosphere soil samples through a serial dilution method using Pikovskaya’s medium. Among them, 6 PSF were selected with maximum solubilization index (3.08 to 3.86) and further evaluated their phosphate solubilization ability under laboratory and field conditions. The selected 6 PSF showed good results in decreased pH (4.0 to 3.1 from initial pH of 6.89), titrable acidity (30.16g/L to 38.08g/L), and concentration of phosphate in culture broth was (60µg to 25µg). With these results, the PSF bio inoculants were prepared and treated with selected seeds of methi and palak under field trials. Among the selected six PSF, PSF 39 (Penicillium oxalicum) showed maximum plant growth and yield in methi, the parameters including plant height and number of leaves (7.8cm, 15 leaves at 15 days after sowing and 10.1cm, 21 leaves at harvest), root length (5.5cm), biomass (2.11g of fresh weight and 1.01g of dry weight) and yield of leafy vegetable (2.01g). The maximum plant phosphorus uptake was recorded in plants (0.393%) and maximum P (Kg/ha) available in the rhizosphere soil was recorded (346.96Kg/ha). PSF 38 (Aspergillus japonicus) showed maximum plant growth and yield in palak, the parameters including plant height and number of leaves (15.7cm, 8 leaves at 15 days after sowing and 30.6cm, 11 leaves at harvest), root length (10.9cm), biomass (11.23g of fresh weight and 3.82g of dry weight) and yield of leafy vegetable (10.32g). The maximum plant phosphorus uptake was recorded in plants (0.369%) and maximum P (Kg/ha) available in the rhizosphere soil was recorded (346.29 Kg/ha).
Hemorrhage Segmentation in Mobile-Phone Retinal Images Using Multi-Region Contrast Enhancement and Iterative Nick Thresholding Region Growing
Authors: Chandhakanond Patsaphon , Aimmanee Pakinee 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Hemorrhages segmentation in retinal images is challenging because the sizes and shapes vary for each hemorrhage, the intensity is close to the blood vessels and macula, and the intensity within each hemorrhage is often non-uniform for the large ones. Hemorrhage segmentation in mobile-phone retinal images is even more challenging because mobile-phone retinal images usually have poorer contrast, more places of shadows, and uneven illumination compared to those obtained from the table-top ophthalmoscope. In this work, the proposed KMMRC-INRG method enhances the performance of the segmentation of the hemorrhages with the nonuniform intensity in poor lighting conditions on mobile-phone images. It improves the uneven illumination of mobile-phone retinal images using a proposed method, K-Mean Multi-Region Contrast Enhancement (KMMRC). It also enhances the segmentation of the boundary of the hemorrhage blobs using a novel Iterative Nick Thresholding Region Growing (INRG) method before applying an SVM classifier based on hue, saturation, and brightness features. We find this approach can achieve as high as 80.18%, 91.26%, and 85.36% for recall, precision, and F1-measure, respectively. The F1-measure score improves up to 19.02% compared to a state-of-the-art method DT-HSVE tested on the same full dataset and as much as 58.88% when considering only images with large-size hemorrhages.
Chloroquine exerts antiepileptic and neuroprotective effects through the P62-Keap1-Nrf2-GPX4-ferroptosis pathway in pentatetrazone-induced epileptic rat model
Authors: Li Jianmin , Zhang Zhao , Wu Shuhua , Guo Chong , Peng Jiangtao , Hu Zhongbo , Wang Zi , Ning Rui 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common brain disease. Increasing studies have revealed that ferroptosis plays a significant role in the development of epilepsy. Choloroquine(CQ) can release P62 by inhibiting the fusion of autophagosomes with lysomes in the process of autophagy. Our study aimed at investigating the antiepileptic and neuroprotective benefits of CQ via the P62-Keap1-Nrf2-GPX4-ferroptosis pathway in epilepic rats and illustrating the possible connection between autophagy and ferroptosis preliminarily.Methods: 45 male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, pentylenetetrazol(PTZ; 35mg/kg), CQ(40mg/kg)+PTZ groups, all the rats were injected 15 times every other day in a total of 29 days. The EEG changes and behavioral manifestations(epileptic score, latency, and number of seizures in 30 minutes) were recorded. Patch clamp technique was applied to evaluating the excitability of hippocampal neurons. Nissl staining was utilized to observe the neurons in hippocampus. Spectrophotometry was used to evaluate the expression levels in hippocampus of Fe2+, glutathione(GSH) and malondialdehyde(MDA). The expression of P62, LC3, Keap1, Nrf2, GPX4 and PTGS2 was determined by Immunohistochemistry and Western-blot.Results: CQ intervention reduced the level and number of seizures, as well as the latency of seizures, in the PTZ-induced epileptic model. Furthermore, as compared to the PTZ group, CQ reduced the excitability of hippocampus neurons according to patch clamp technique. And the number of pathological neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region decreased based on nissl staining. CQ therapy also prevented MDA and iron accumulation while increasing the expression of GSH, according to spectrophotometry..The expression of P62, LC3, Nrf2, GPX4 increased significantly and the level of Keap1 and PTGS2 decreased significantly based on immunohistochemistry and western-blot.Conclusion: CQ could reduce neuronal ferroptosis and seizures via the P62-Keap1-Nrf2-GPX4-ferroptosis pathway, and we preliminary investigated the possible link between autophagy and ferroptosis.
A novel application of acrylic resin UV-Curing methodology for Radioactive surface Decontamination
Authors: Kaushal Simran , Oommen Sibi , Bhushan Shivanand 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
The facilities dealing with radiation technology face the brunt of Radioactive decontamination. A unique UV-Curing method is provided for decontamination of radioisotopes on the surfaces which has radiation dealing facilities. In this method acrylic UV-Curing resin was poured on a contaminated surface followed by exposure under the UV light of 365nm wavelength from a UV irradiation chamber. Upon UV irradiation, the UV-Curing resin interacted with the radioactively contaminated surface and after polymerization, the solidified resin was then stripped off, leaving behind a précised clean surface. The present study is the proof-of-concept of a novel application of acrylic resin UV-Curing methodology for Radioactive surface contamination removal to create a economical clean, effective and safe environment with minimal waste generation post processing ready for environment friendly incineration.
Investigation on Forced Vibration Characteristics of Nitinol Tracheal Stente
Authors: Bao Yudong , Qu Shengqian , Wei Wen , Li Xun 
Published: August 2022

AbstractBackground:Tracheal stents can be placed in a narrow position in the human trachea to ensure smooth breathing. And the stent will deform during service by the influence of the physiological environment or random excitations such as coughing.Methods:This paper divides the vibration into periodic and random vibrations according to the different pressures. And a coupling vibration model was established by analyzing the contact relationship between the stent and the trachea tissue. And this study discusses the influence of tracheal diameter, respiratory pressure and frequency on the stent vibration characteristics through Ansys simulation. In addition, the nonlinear equations were solved by the Matlab numerical analysis method, which could help to analyze the influence of cough intensity on the stability of the tracheal stent system.Results:The results showed that when tracheal stenosis occurred in the trachea's more significant grade, the trachea stent was more likely to fall off when treated with a tracheal stent. With the increase in respiratory frequency and pressure, the deformation of the tracheal stent is more considerable. Moreover, the frequency of normal cough hardly affects the stability of the stent system, while the excitation force and damping coefficient value greatly influence the system. When the excitation force of the cough exceeds the critical importance of 20N, the tracheal stent is prone to fall off. This study comprehensively obtained the forced vibration characteristics of the stent under service conditions, which could make up for the shortage of the vibration theory of the stent.Conclusion:The results can provide a theoretical basis for predicting the possibility of stent loss in clinical treatment.
Magnetite-Silver Core-Shell Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterizes and Optical Properties
Authors: Huyeh Majid Rashidi , Balouchzahi Saeideh , Afarani Mahdi Shafiee , Khajegi Parisa 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Ag core-shell nanocomposite powders were synthesized via the co-precipitation method. Structure, microstructure, magnetic, and optical properties of Fe3O4/Ag and Fe3O4 were studied. XRD patterns and Uv-Vis spectra showed that nanostructure Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Ag particles were successfully synthesized. AFM and MFM mode micrographs of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Ag powders confirm the formation of Fe3O4 particles in the nano-scale range. Both Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Ag composite powders represented the superparamagnetic behavior due to the formation of nano-sized Fe3O4 particles. Furthermore, in-situ synthesis of Ag on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles increased the particle size, resulting in a decrease in the saturation magnetization. Moreover, based on the Maxwell-Garnet effective medium theory, a theoretical model was developed to determine the optical properties of suspended core-shell nanoparticles. A very good agreement may be found between the theoretical and experimental results. In addition, the local electric field in the particles, evaluated using the numerical Finite Element Method, showed that the electric field in the magnetite core may be amplified up to 20 times at the symmetrical SPR wavelength mode, depending on the silver shell thickness.
Factors predictive of functional outcomes in patients with fragility hip fracture
Authors: Kang Mun Jeong , Kim Bo Ryun , Lee Sang Yoon , Beom Jaewon , Choi Jun Hwan , Lim Jae-Young 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background: To determine the predictors of functional outcomes of patients with surgically treated for fragility hip fracture Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study performed in the three tertiary rehabilitation facilities. A total of 165 patients (43 males and 122 females; average age 81.1±6.8 years) who had undergone surgery for fragility hip fracture were followed up from immediately after surgery to 6 months postoperatively. The factors expected to be related to the functional outcomes at 6 months post-surgery were as follows: Baseline demographics, fracture site, operation type, fall characteristics including fall location and fall direction, comorbidities, initial functional status. Comorbidities referred to a summary of the following conditions: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dementia, cerebrovascular accident, and osteoporosis. Functional outcome measures were represented using the Koval’s grade, Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC), Berg balance scale (BBS), 4-meter walking speed test (4MWT), Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), EuroQol five-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire, Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) and Korean version of instrumental activities of daily living (K-IADL). For all tests, each patient was assessed immediately after transfer and at 6 months post-surgery. In addition, since it was a multicenter study, hospital factors were also included as independent variables. Results: Multivariable regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, hospital, fracture site, operation type, fall location, fall direction, initial variables of the functional outcomes and comorbidities were as follows. Old age led to significantly less favorable outcome on FAC and K-IADL at 6 months. Intertrochanteric fracture had a significantly positive impact on Koval at 6 months compared to femur neck and intertrochanteric fractures. Total hip replacement arthroplasty had a significantly positive impact on EQ-5D at 6 months compared to bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BPH) and reduction and internal fixation. BPH had a significantly positive outcome on FAC at 6 months compared to other operation types. Fall characteristics didn’t reveal any significant impact on functional outcomes. Patients with hypertension had a significantly negative outcome on EQ-5D and patients with diabetes mellitus had a significantly less favorable outcome on K-IADL. Among Initial functional assessments, initial 4MWT was an independent predictor of Koval, BBS, 4MWT, K-MMSE and K-MBI at 6 months. Initial K-MMSE was significantly associated with BBS, K-MMSE and K-MBI 6 months. Initial K-IADL was an independent predictor of Koval and 4MWT at 6 months and Initial K-MBI was an independent predictor of K-IADL at 6 months.Conclusion: This study confirmed that age, fracture site, operation type, comorbidities and initial function significantly influenced functional recovery at 6 months in patients with fragility hip fracture.
The Mixture Assessment or Allocation Factor: conceptual background, estimation algorithms and a case study example
Authors: Backhaus Thomas 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Current approaches for the prospective regulatory assessment of chemicals do not account sufficiently for elevated mixture risks. The Mixture Assessment Factor (MAF, better labelled a Mixture Allocation Factor) has been suggested in the EU’s chemical strategy for sustainability as a pragmatic tool to account for potential mixture risks already during the risk and safety assessment of individual chemicals. The aim is to reduce the need for dedicated and data-demanding scenario-specific mixture risk assessments. Several approaches and algorithms for calculating a MAF have been suggested in the literature. This paper provides a comparative overview and argues that the so-called MAFexact is the most promising approach in the context of chemical registration and authorization under regulatory frameworks such as REACH. The MAFexact, which is a member of the larger MAFceiling class, is defined as the maximum fraction of the risk quotient of each chemical that is still acceptable to occur in a mixture, without the sum of risk quotients exceeding 1. This approach ensures a protection level that is similar to the protection level used in the current safety assessment of individual chemicals under REACH. Other MAF approaches either disproportionally impact low-risk substances, without leading to any appreciable risk reduction, or hamper risk communication because they lead to fluctuating residual risks after the MAF application. The paper also presents a case study comparing the different MAF approaches and finally discusses the MAF concept in the wider context of chemical regulation.
Transporting results in an observational epidemiology setting: purposes, methods, and applied example
Authors: Scelo Ghislaine , Zugna Daniela , Richiardi Lorenzo 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

In the medical domain, substantial effort has been put in generating internally valid estimates in experimental/observational studies, but limited effort has been made in testing generalizability, or external validity. Testing the external validity of scientific findings is nevertheless crucial for the application of knowledge across populations. In particular, transporting estimates obtained from observational studies requires the combination of methods for causal inference and methods to transport the effect estimates in order to minimize biases inherent to observational studies and to account for differences between the study and target populations. In this paper, the conceptual framework and assumptions behind transporting results from a population-based study population to a target population is described in an observational setting. An applied example to life-course epidemiology, where internally validity was constructed for illustrative purposes, is shown by using the targeted maximum likelihood estimator.
Prevalence of Social Phobia among Medical Students at Syrian Private University
Authors: Mohsen Norman , Ajloni Naeem , Latifeh Youssef 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIntroduction: Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia, is an uncontrollable fear of social situations, which involve fear of observation or making contact with strangers. So, helping individuals with social anxiety, which is among the factors affecting mental health, can significantly influence a students’ mental health and prevent other problems. Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling method among medicine college students at the Syrian Private University (SPU). Using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Test (LSAS) students were tested for possible social anxiety disorders and divided into four subcategories. Chi- square test was applied to assess the relationship between social phobia and socio- demographic variables. (p < 0.05) was adopted as statistical significance. Results: A total of 492 medicine college students participated in this study, 52% were males, and 48% were females. Most of the students were at their final years of study. 65% studied at private schools, and 62.6% at unmerged schools. 62.6% were non-smokers and 66.7% were from good economic background. The prevalence of possible social phobia was 49.6%, of them 28.5% moderate social phobia, 14.6% marked social phobia, 4.1% severe social phobia, and 2.4% very severe social phobia. Socio- demographic factors and previous mental trauma were significantly associated with social phobia. Conclusion: Social phobia is prevalent among the sampled population, and different associated factors were identified. Current results could raise the awareness of faculty members and healthcare providers towards early detection and management of these cases.