bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of water quality index and geochemical characteristics of surfacewater from Tawang India
Authors: Gaur Nisha , Sarkar Arpan , Dutta Dhiraj , Gogoi B. J. , Dubey Rama , Dwivedi Sanjai Kumar 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIn this study,the water samples were collected from 31 sites of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India (North-Eastern Himalaya), during the winter season to check the suitability of water for drinking and irrigation purposes.The study scientifically demonstrates the estimation of Water quality index (WQI) andhydrogeochemical characteristics of surface water samples by utilizing multivariate statistical methods. The main water quality parameters considered for this study were TDS, conductivity, salinity, pH, hardness, cations and anions. WQI was calculated in order to find out the deviation in the water quality parameters particularly with respect to BIS permissible limits.The major influencing factors responsible for the variation in these parameters were derived by using Principal component analysis (PCA) and Correlation matrix.To check the suitability of water for drinking purpose, hydrogeochemical facies and rock water interaction was derived by using well established methods such as Piper Plot (determine water type), WQI (Quality monitoring), and saturation index (for mineral dissolution). The results revealed that the silicate weathering was the main ionic source in comparison to carbonate weathering which is due to the higher dissolution capacity of silicate minerals.The results of the scattered plot between (Ca2+ + Mg2+)–(HCO3ˉ + SO42ˉ) versus (Na+ + K+)–Clˉ (meq/L) highlighted thation exchange occurs between Mg2+ and Ca2+ofsurface water with Na+ and K+of rock /soil. This means that calcium ion was getting adsorbed, and sodium ion was getting released. The Ca2+–Mg2+–HCO3ˉ, Na+–HCO3ˉand Na+–Clˉ type of surface water suggested permanent and temporary hardness respectively in the studied region. The dominant cations of this study were Na+ and Ca2+ while the dominant anions were HCO3ˉ and SO42ˉ. In order to check the suitability of water sources for irrigation, parameters like, Magnesium hazard (MH), Total hardness (TH), Permeability Index (PI), Kelly Index (KI), Sodium adsorption rate (SAR), Sodium percentage (Na%), and Residual sodium carbonate (RSC) were determined. The results showed that 93% of the samples had PI score < 75, which indicates the suitability of the water for irrigation. Also the WQI calculation showed an average WQI value of 82.49, amongst which 61% samples were in the range of 0–50 being considered as good for drinking, while 39% were catageorised as unsuitable for drinking showing a value of > 50. Hence the above findings reveal that geogenic activities play a major role in influencing the water quality of Tawang region. Hence suitable water treatment technologies or methods might be used to eliminate thenon desirable elements and minerals present in surface water.
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine effectiveness and barriers to vaccination in Germany
Authors: Nygren Teresa M. , Pilic Antonia , Böhmer Merle M. , Wagner-Wiening Christiane , Wichmann Ole , Harder Thomas , Hellenbrand Wiebke 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccination coverage remains low in Germany. Our case–control study (2018–2020) aimed to examine reasons for low vaccine uptake, vaccine effectiveness (VE), and vaccine breakthrough infections (VBIs). Telephone interviews (581 cases, 975 matched controls) covered vaccinations, vaccination barriers, and confounders identified with directed acyclic graphs. Multivariable logistic regression determined VE as 1—odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We additionally calculated VE with the Screening method using routine surveillance and vaccination coverage data. Main vaccination barriers were poor risk perception and fear of adverse events. VE was 96.6% (95% CI 93.7–98.2) for ≥ 3 doses and manufacturer-recommended dosing intervals. Without boosters, VE after ≥ 3 doses at ≤ 10 years was 91.2% (95% CI 82.7–95.6). VE was similar for homologous/heterologous vaccination. Utilising routine surveillance data, VE was comparable (≥ 3 doses: 92.8%). VBIs (n = 17, 2.9% of cases) were older, had more comorbidities and higher severity than unvaccinated cases. However, only few VBIs were diagnostically confirmed; 57% of re-tested vaccinated cases (≥ 1 dose, n = 54) proved false positive. To increase TBE vaccine uptake, communication efforts should address complacency and increase confidence in the vaccines’ safety. The observed duration of high VE may inform decision-makers to consider extending booster intervals to 10 years.
Gravitational perturbations correlated with the asteroid kinetic impact deflection technique
Authors: Chagas B. S. , Prado A. F. B. A. , Winter O. C. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis paper presents the use of the kinetic impact technique to deflect asteroids that may present some risk of collision with Earth. Within the work to be developed here, we intend to evaluate in more detail the possibility to deflect the orbit of the asteroid 101955 Bennu by applying variations in its velocity ($$\Delta$$Δv) at different positions along its orbital period and measuring effects of close encounters with planet Earth. We will see that, in a relatively long period of time, the asteroid has several close encounters with the planet, thus suffering a natural gravitational perturbation. With the application of the impulses, the relative distances change, causing variations in the energy of the asteroid and a large variation in the relative distance between the asteroid and Earth over a long period after the impulse. We present results related to the magnitude of the impulse applied, which is important because its defines the mass and velocity of the impactor to be considered. Then, we mapped the positions of the impulses along a period of the orbit of the asteroid. We finish by explaining what happens to the orbit of the asteroid during the periods of gravitational perturbation, since the close encounters amount to “Swing Bys” that intensify the variations of the relative distances between the bodies after the impulse is applied.
Age group prediction with panoramic radiomorphometric parameters using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Lee Yeon-Hee , Won Jong Hyun , Auh Q.-Schick , Noh Yung-Kyun 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of 18 radiomorphometric parameters of panoramic radiographs based on age, and to estimate the age group of people with permanent dentition in a non-invasive, comprehensive, and accurate manner using five machine learning algorithms. For the study population (209 men and 262 women; mean age, 32.12 ± 18.71 years), 471 digital panoramic radiographs of Korean individuals were applied. The participants were divided into three groups (with a 20-year age gap) and six groups (with a 10-year age gap), and each age group was estimated using the following five machine learning models: a linear discriminant analysis, logistic regression, kernelized support vector machines, multilayer perceptron, and extreme gradient boosting. Finally, a Fisher discriminant analysis was used to visualize the data configuration. In the prediction of the three age-group classification, the areas under the curve (AUCs) obtained for classifying young ages (10–19 years) ranged from 0.85 to 0.88 for five different machine learning models. The AUC values of the older age group (50–69 years) ranged from 0.82 to 0.88, and those of adults (20–49 years) were approximately 0.73. In the six age-group classification, the best scores were also found in age groups 1 (10–19 years) and 6 (60–69 years), with mean AUCs ranging from 0.85 to 0.87 and 80 to 0.90, respectively. A feature analysis based on LDA weights showed that the L-Pulp Area was important for discriminating young ages (10–49 years), and L-Crown, U-Crown, L-Implant, U-Implant, and Periodontitis were used as predictors for discriminating older ages (50–69 years). We established acceptable linear and nonlinear machine learning models for a dental age group estimation using multiple maxillary and mandibular radiomorphometric parameters. Since certain radiomorphological characteristics of young and the elderly were linearly related to age, young and old groups could be easily distinguished from other age groups with automated machine learning models.
Vascular injury of immature epiphyses impair stem cell engraftment in cartilage defects
Authors: Rashidi Ali , Theruvath Ashok J. , Huang Ching-Hsin , Wu Wei , Mahmoud Elhussein E. , Jesu Raj Joe Gerald , Marycz Krzysztof , Daldrup-Link Heike E. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe purpose of our study was to investigate if vascular injury in immature epiphyses affects cartilage repair outcomes of matrix-associated stem cell implants (MASI). Porcine bone marrow mesenchymal stromal stem cells (BMSCs) suspended in a fibrin glue scaffold were implanted into 24 full-thickness cartilage defects (5 mm ø) of the bilateral distal femur of six Göttingen minipigs (n = 12 defects in 6 knee joints of 3 immature pigs; age 3.5–4 months; n = 12 defects in 6 knee joints of 3 mature control pigs; age, 21–28 months). All pigs underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2, 4, 12 (n = 24 defects), and 24 weeks (n = 12 defects). After the last imaging study, pigs were sacrificed, joints explanted and evaluated with VEGF, H&E, van Gieson, Mallory, and Safranin O stains. Results of mature and immature cartilage groups were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Quantitative scores for subchondral edema at 2 weeks were correlated with quantitative scores for cartilage repair (MOCART score and ICRS score) at 12 weeks as well as Pineda scores at end of the study, using linear regression analysis. On serial MRIs, mature joints demonstrated progressive healing of cartilage defects while immature joints demonstrated incomplete healing and damage of the subchondral bone. The MOCART score at 12 weeks was significantly higher for mature joints (79.583 ± 7.216) compared to immature joints (30.416 ± 10.543, p = 0.002). Immature cartilage demonstrated abundant microvessels while mature cartilage did not contain microvessels. Accordingly, cartilage defects in immature joints showed a significantly higher number of disrupted microvessels, subchondral edema, and angiogenesis compared to mature cartilage. Quantitative scores for subchondral edema at 2 weeks were negatively correlated with MOCART scores (r =  − 0.861) and ICRS scores (r =  − 0.901) at 12 weeks and positively correlated with Pineda scores at the end of the study (r = 0.782). Injury of epiphyseal blood vessels in immature joints leads to subchondral bone defects and limits cartilage repair after MASI.
Comparative estimation of nitrogen in urea and its derivative products using TKN, CHNS and hand-held refractometer
Authors: Bhati Vijendra Singh , Raliya Ramesh 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIn this paper, a comparative analysis between the hand-held refractometer and other methods (TKN and CHNS) was accomplished for the estimation of nitrogen percentage (N%) in urea, nano urea fertilizer, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) solution. In order to compare the performance of all methods/devices, the detection of N% in different concentrations of urea, nano urea, and DEF were evaluated in terms of their linearity. The most important finding of this study was that the refractometer-based device revealed a good linear coefficient up to 40% urea solution (R2 = 0.99918) among other approaches, which means the estimation of N% is more close to the theoretical value. Moreover, the refractometer has detected the urea, nano urea, and DEF samples within 3 s which were quite fast as compared to other tested methods and no requirement of any chemicals during the sample preparation and analyses. Thus, the finding of this study suggests that a hand-held urea refractometer-based portable device can be used for onsite N% determination by the fertilizer and DEF manufacturing industries and their customers due to its low cost, low power requirement, reliable estimation, rapid N% detection, and its environmental suitability.
Genetic diversity and population structure of critically endangered Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo from North-Western Himalayas and implications for conservation
Authors: Sharma Shilpa , Chhabra Meenu , Singh Sunil Kumar , Parmar Rajni , Kapila R. K. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo is medicinally important herb, which is widely used in ayurveda, unani, and folk/traditional medicine system to cure diseases. Due to its immense ethno-botanical properties, the trade of D. hatagirea is estimated to be USD 1 billion/year in India. Unfortunately, due to overexploitation of the herb from the wild, has resulted in dwindling of its populations in their natural habitats, which has led to its critically endangered status. Molecular genetic studies are still scarce in D. hatagirea, therefore, in current study, genetic diversity and population structure analysis was carried out of 10 populations (48 individuals) collected from three cold desert regions (2527 m–3533 m amsl) of Himachal Pradesh. Mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) was recorded 0.185 and 0.158. The maximum values for Fst (fixation index) and Nm (gene flow) were recorded 0.945 at locus KSSR14 and 1.547 at locus KSSR 4 respectively. Mean genetic differentiation (Fst) coefficient was estimated to 0.542. Overall, low levels of genetic diversity was recorded in the populations of D. hatagirea, might be due to habitat specificity (alpine meadows ecosystem; humid laden undulating habitat), restricted distribution and high anthropogenic activities. However, two populations viz., Bathad and Rangrik were recorded with high diversity and largest number of private alleles, stipulates that these populations might have high evolutionary significance and response to selection. Dendrogram analysis revealed that the populations of D. hatagirea were clustered into four major clusters, which was supported by Bayesian based STRUCTURE predictions. Clustering pattern of majority individuals of different populations revealed consistency with their geographic origin. Outcomes of current study reveals the status of genetic diversity and population structure of endangered D. hatagirea, which can be futuristically utilised for appropriate planning of conservation strategies.
A pilot study of nailfold capillaroscopy in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis
Authors: Kim Dayoung , Oh Jeeyoung , Min Hong Ki , Kim Hae-Rim , Choi Kyomin 
Published: July 2022

AbstractNailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a safe and non-invasive imaging tool for evaluating microvascular abnormalities. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the NFC outcomes and clinical characteristics in patients and an asymptomatic carrier with transthyretin (TTR) gene mutation. The participants consist of eight patients with genetically and clinically confirmed hereditary amyloidogenic transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis and one asymptomatic carrier. The TTR gene mutant forms of six male and three female participants from six families were Asp38Ala (five patients), Lys35Asn (three patients), and Ala36Pro (one patient). All participants showed decreased capillary density, dilatated capillaries, and destructed architecture in NFC. Early progression identification of a carrier to patients with symptoms is a major concern from a therapeutic viewpoint in ATTRv amyloidosis. Therefore, further studies with a larger number of subjects will be needed to determine the use of NFC as an early detection tool.
Synthesis of nano-sized lead sulfide thin films from Avocado (Glycosmis cochinchinensis) Leaf extracts to empower pollution remediation
Authors: Saka Abel , Gudata Lamessa , Jule Leta Tesfaye , Seeivasan Venkatesh , N Nagaprasad , Ramaswamy Krishnaraj 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe translucent and nano-crystalline PbS films were equipped with the CBD techniques on metal substrates by the temperature of 90 °C through aqueous solutions of Lead Nitrate and Thiourea. The XRD phases verify the crystalline property of synthesized thin films that the shape falls in the cubic structures with favourite orientations. It revealed that the prepared material is cubic crystal oriented as (111), (110), (100) and (101) crystal planes. The crystalline size varied between 0.4 and 0.7 nm. The band gap was assessed using UV–vis captivation spectra and Tau relations. The average energy band gap was found to be 2.43 eV which is greater than bulk materials of PbS; because of quantum confinements of Lead Sulfide Nano Crystalline thin films, and PL also confirms this result. The variation in band gap with Leaf extracts and particle sizes displayed blue shifts characteristic of electrons quantum confinements. SEM micrograph shows extremely uniform and adherent PbS films are found at higher PH values. It was evidently observed that the viscosity of the synthesized thin films reduced from 563 to 111 nm with a rise in pH value. The sample prepared at pH 4 shows good performance, and thin films deposited from Avocado (Glycosmis cochinchinensis) leaf extracts are a promising method to empower pollution remediation and future energy.
Dynamic characterization of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant therapy using biophysical metrics of spatial proliferation
Authors: Bowers Haley J. , Douglas Emily , Ansley Katherine , Thomas Alexandra , Weis Jared A. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCurrent tools to assess breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy cannot reliably predict disease eradication, which if possible, could allow early cessation of therapy. In this work, we assessed the ability of an image data-driven mathematical modeling approach for dynamic characterization of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant therapy. We retrospectively analyzed patients enrolled in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients enrolled on the study received four MR imaging examinations during neoadjuvant therapy with acquisitions at baseline (T0), 3-weeks/early-treatment (T1), 12-weeks/mid-treatment (T2), and completion of therapy prior to surgery (T3). We use a biophysical mathematical model of tumor growth to generate spatial estimates of tumor proliferation to characterize the dynamics of treatment response. Using histogram summary metrics to quantify estimated tumor proliferation maps, we found strong correlation of mathematical model-estimated tumor proliferation with residual cancer burden, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.88 and 0.97 between T0and T2, representing a significant improvement from conventional assessment methods of change in mean apparent diffusion coefficient and functional tumor volume. This data shows the significant promise of imaging-based biophysical mathematical modeling methods for dynamic characterization of patient-specific response to neoadjuvant therapy with correlation to residual disease outcomes.
Activation of the Hepcidin-Ferroportin1 pathway in the brain and astrocytic–neuronal crosstalk to counteract iron dyshomeostasis during aging
Authors: Mezzanotte Mariarosa , Ammirata Giorgia , Boido Marina , Stanga Serena , Roetto Antonella 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDuring physiological aging, iron accumulates in the brain with a preferential distribution in regions that are more vulnerable to age-dependent neurodegeneration such as the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. In the brain of aged wild-type mice, alteration of the Brain Blood Barrier integrity, together with a marked inflammatory and oxidative state lead to increased permeability and deregulation of brain-iron homeostasis. In this context, we found that iron accumulation drives Hepcidin upregulation in the brain and the inhibition of the iron exporter Ferroportin1. We also observed the transcription and the increase of NCOA4 levels in the aged brain together with the increase of light-chain enriched ferritin heteropolymers, more efficient as iron chelators. Interestingly, in cerebral cortex and hippocampus, Ferroportin1 is mainly expressed by astrocytes, while the iron storage protein ferritin light-chain by neurons. This differential distribution suggests that astrocytes mediate iron shuttling in the nervous tissue and that neurons are unable to metabolize it. Our findings highlight for the first time that Hepcidin/Ferroportin1 axis and NCOA4 are directly involved in iron metabolism in mice brain during physiological aging as a response to a higher brain iron influx.
Syntrichia caninervis adapt to mercury stress by altering submicrostructure and physiological properties in the Gurbantünggüt Desert
Authors: Mao Yuqing , Liu Weiguo , Yang Xiaodong , Chang Yaobao , Yang Tao , Wang Xiyuan , Chen Yinguang 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSewage and industrial waste discharges have been found to have a deleterious effect on plant growth and environmental safety through the accumulation of trace metal mercury (Hg) in soils. Although the effects of Hg on vascular plants have been reported in terms of enzyme activity, oxidative damage and physiology, few studies have been done on non-vascular plants. A simulation experiment including 7 Hg concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75 µM) was conducted to investigate the influence of Hg stress on ultrastructure and physiological properties of biocrust moss Syntrichia. caninervis across 7 consecutive days. The results showed that the lowest lethal concentration of S. caninervis was 30 µM Hg. The mortality rate of the plants increased significantly with Hg concentrations. The ultrastructure did not change significantly at Hg concentration ≤ 20 µM, while exceeding which, cell walls began to separate, nuclei began to blur, and chloroplasts began to expand. The soluble sugars (SS), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increased initially and then decreased with the increase of concentration in the time gradient, with the largest values at 20 µM. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (Pro) increased with the increase of Hg concentration, both reached peak value at 50 µM. However, chlorophyll (Chl) contents continued to decrease along both the concentration and time gradients. Pearson correlation and principal component analysis showed that two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained 73.9% of the variance in plant adaptation to Hg stress. SOD, POD, Chl, SS, and Pro all responded well to Hg in S. caninervis. Our study showed that Hg stress caused changes in ultrastructure and physiological metabolism of S. caninervis. 20 µM was the maximum concentration of Hg that biocrust moss S. caninervis can tolerate. S. caninervis mainly adopted two adaptation strategies related to exclusion and accumulation to reduce Hg stress.