bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
More axions from strings
Authors: Gorghetto Marco , Hardy Edward , Villadoro Giovanni
Published: February 2021

We study the contribution to the QCD axion dark matter abundance that is produced by string defects during the so-called scaling regime. Clear evidence of scaling violations is
found, the most conservative extrapolation of which strongly suggests a large number
of axions from strings. In this regime, nonlinearities at around the QCD scale are shown
to play an important role in determining the final abundance.
The overall result is a lower bound on the QCD axion mass in the post-inflationary scenario
that is substantially stronger than the naive one from misalignment.
Biopolitics: Context and text of philosophy
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Pogonyaylo Alexander G.
Published: February 2021

The article focuses on the process of conceptualizing biopolitics within the framework of philosophy, which is developing in the context of modern biopolitics. The text of “biopolitical philosophy” becomes part of its own context — the real biopolitical situation, thereby changing it. In addition, it correlates with the general philosophical context of the Western philosophical tradition, namely, denying it, deconstructing, and overcoming it in different senses, which are far from being reduced to Hegel’s Aufhebung. In this manner, the text of biopolitical philosophy is integrated into the current post-metaphysics with its well-known “turns” (practical, linguistic, ethical, etc.). As a political philosophy, biopolitics is a radical rethinking of the political philosophy of modernity, caused by the collapse of the “project” of the Enlightenment and the crisis of bourgeois representative democracy. This relationship of biopolitics with philosophical classics is analyzed in the article on the example of the two most significant biopolitical concepts created by Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben. Agamben’s ambition is to complete what Foucault had begun; but the way he “develops” the ideas of his predecessor is at a fundamental departure from Foucault’s version of biopolitics. Despite the fact that both begin with criticism of traditional political philosophy, turning from the “essential” formulation of the question of power and government (the problem of the source of power, its legitimation and sovereignty) to the question of how power is exercised. In this context, the problem of dispositive arises. For Foucault it is a historically defined type of ruling rationality (gouvernementalité). Agamben understands dispositive as a universal structure, thanks to which the animal is “humanized” through the exclusion of “naked life”. A different understanding of dispositive gives rise to two different “archaeologies”. Foucault is wary of philosophical universalism, while Agamben is enthusiastic about immersion into “beginnings”, albeit conceivable “event-wise”.
Human brain and ambiguity of cognitive information: A convergent approach
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Chernigovskaya Tatiana V. , Allakhverdov Viktor M. ,   St. Petersburg State University, Korotkov Alexander D. ,   N. P. Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gershkovich Valeria A. ,   St. Petersburg State University, Kireev Maxim V. ,   St. Petersburg State University, Prokopenya Veronika K. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: February 2021

The article analyses the implementation of the convergent approach on the example of studying mechanisms for selecting meanings in situations of ambiguity by the methods of cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neurophysiology. We describe the rationale of the problem statement for convergent research and the necessary prerequisites for implementing an interdisciplinary approach. We consider that in case of ambiguity resolution the special mechanism provides the choice: which meaning would enter consciousness (and he / she becomes aware of it), and which — is rejected. That being said, the unselected meaning is not simply ignored, but rather actively suppressed. Such suppression results in its negative after-effect; more precisely the difficulty of retrieving the previously suppressed information. In our research the fMRI method made it possible to study brain mechanisms involved in the selection of a word’s meaning while behavioral methods allowed for the study of the after-effects of this selection. Thanks to the mutual development of a design by representatives of cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neurophysiology, it is possible to overcome the considerable methodological incompatibility of those methods. The results discovered in behavioral psychological research demonstrated negative after-effects of the rejected meaning. However, without the neurophysiological approach the data would remain unclear due to two possible interpretations. As a result of the analysis of the brain functional activity, the decrease in the localized hippocampal activity during the selection of meaning for an ambiguous word was revealed. This supports the hypothesis that the involvement of suppression processes in ambiguity resolution exists. Our work once again illustrates how important forethought and a philosophical foundation of the question posed is for interdisciplinary research regarding the processes of brain mechanisms. Unification of the efforts of representatives of various sciences provides qualitative new knowledge, which would not be possible to achieve in a different experimental situation.
Rethinking democracy in twenty-first century Europe: The role of ancient democracy
Authors:   University of Belgrade, Koljević Griffith Bogdana N.
Published: February 2021

In this article, the author discusses how the crisis of the contemporary European Union appears not merely as a crisis of the so-called “democratic deficit”, the way in which Habermas has most notably articulated this argument, but rather as a structural and original crisis of political subjectivity and democracy per se. In other words, the crisis of the EU is systemic and refers to the concept of the political — especially in the context of twenty-first century Europe. In this framework, the differentiation between the concepts of Europe and the EU particularly discloses the neoliberal and postmodern character of the latter, i. e., at the same time the struggle for self-governance and autonomy of the former. Moreover, it is argued how it is precisely the return to ancient democracy that reveals the path for rethinking true democracy of contemporary Europe. This is especially emphasized in reference to both practices and the concept of the polis. In conclusion, it is claimed that new politics of emancipation, which first and foremost go back to the meaning of isonomia and isegoria and as such presents the project of autonomy, presents a reappearance of ancient democracy in contemporary times. Finally, this project is articulated as one of politics of time and likewise politics of locality.
“Slavic club in Krakow”: Scientific-educational work in 1901–1912
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Dianova Valentina M. , Skoczynski Yan H. ,   The Jagiellonian University
Published: February 2021

The article aims to study Slavic cultures as well as their breakthroughs and focuses on the analysis of the work of the “Slavic club” intellectual community created on the territory of Austro-Hungarian Empire. The club consisted of 45 members who held positions as university professors, grammar school teachers and were scholars in liberal arts and humanities, as well as cultural and art figures. The founders of the club saw their goal as creating a strong community of Slavic culture experts who would be free of any political commitment. The political indifference of the club was stated on the pages of its print media, the monthly journal “Slavic World”, published in Krakow and sponsored by Polish philanthropists. The article highlights the work of the club’s chairman, philosopher, linguist and cultural theoretician M. Zdziechowski and mentions the most significant works of competent journal correspondents, such as professor J. Baudouin de Courtenay, sociologist L. Gumplowicz, and writer A. Grzymała-Siedlecki. The journal kept Polish academic readers informed about the latest developments and phenomena of social life in the Slavic world and provided them with high-level expertise and evaluation. The scientific-educational activities of the journal are thoroughly demonstrated in the paper. The wide range of interests and topics discussed in the journal is illustrated. Authors of the journal analysed works by L. Tolstoy, B. Chicherin, M. Bakunin, ideas of S. Sharapov, as well as works of Russian Slavophiles. The whole period of the club’s activity until it was renamed as the “Slavic community” in 1912 is widely covered in the article. The article shows the importance of this international project for the consolidation of Slavic peoples.
Aggiornamento of anthropology: Bridging the border between nature and culture
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Rostova Natalya N.
Published: February 2021

The article analyzes modern western projects to update anthropology. The projects are united by the idea of the end of human exclusiveness, which is a modern form of the concept of human death. According to idea of the end of human exclusiveness, a person has no ontological privileges in the world, and he must be thought of as a part in the totality of other parts of the whole — nature, space, objects, etc. It is possible to allocate four forms of the realization of this idea: overcoming the oppositions “nature-culture”, “man-animal”, “man-technician”, and “man-objects”. In the article the first form of this idea, projects of anthropology beyond nature and culture, is analyzed. Within the framework of these projects, two tendencies are observed — naturalization of man and anthropomorphization of the world. Both directions are investigated on the example of works, on the one hand, of Jean-Marie Schaeffer, on the other, Philippe Descola and Ernesto B. Viveiros de Castro. Schaeffer’s anthropology becomes anti-anthropology the moment he starts speaking of man in the language of evolutionary biology. Man fits them into an evolutionary process, within which the cause of a person’s actions appears beyond him. The anthropomorphization of the world is based on ethnographic data on the so-called “primitive peoples”. If naturalism concerns the reduction of the anthropological to the biological, then here it is possible to speak of an intellectual forgery. Descola and de Castro identify the ideas of weak philosophy on the bases where the life of the mystery community is constructed. In this case, the mystery is described in social categories, and the exotic content of representations of the studied peoples serves as an argument for the chaotization of our own ideas. The author of the article believes that modern anti-anthropologists are trying to interpret the truly human, contained in mysteries, in terms of the inhuman.
Governmentality of new digital public feedback services: Technologies for motivating user behavior
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Kondratenko Konstantin
Published: February 2021

The article is devoted to the concept of “governmentality”, a term introduced by Michel Foucault, as well as the form of its implementation on feedback services implemented today in Russian regions within the framework of the national program “Digital economy of the Russian Federation”. The governmentality of regional portals is expressed in the structure of user motivation, the most powerful component of which, in terms of its impact on the audience, is the construction of an image of the future and the strengthening of the imbalance between the present and the future. Such a mechanism for artificially breaking time continuums is also used to strengthen the role and significance of citizens’ identity. In addition, new digital channels of participation actively en- courage citizens to promote and interact with public authorities, i.e. to create or maintain declared institutions of interaction. Finally, portal motivation technologies are presented as a range of gamification methods that are also used to engage citizens. The described structure of motivation of regional portals is presented in the article as a “motivation funnel”. At the same time, the behavior of users is determined not so much by the structure of motivation presented on the portals, but by their consent to participate and trust in the communicant, i.e., in actors and institutions of power. The basic component of user engagement is agreement with at least one component of the governmentality of digital feedback services. Increasing user activity is possible by agreeing with the eco-urban theme of sites, as well as by increasing confidence in federal authorities, while increasing confidence in the authorities may occur due to trust in the “organizers” of new services — the actors responsible for the development, implementation and support of portals. The article presents a diagram of user behavior in the form of a graph and an epistemic matrix.
Evaluation of five complementary relationship models for estimating actual evapotranspiration during soil freeze-thaw cycles
Authors: Yang Yong , Chen Rensheng , Song Yaoxuan , Han Chuntan , Liu Zhangwen , Liu Junfeng
Published: February 2021

The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) estimated models based on the complementary relationship (CR) theory have been applied in various climatic conditions around the world. However, in cold regions, the evaluation of the adaptability of the CR models was performed through complete freeze-thaw cycles, and the adaptability during various periods of soil freeze-thaw cycles has not been evaluated separately. Daily ETa was measured by lysimeters on alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountains from 2010 to 2017, and the measurements were used to evaluate five CR models during the thawing, thawed, freezing, and frozen periods, respectively. The five models comprised the advection-aridity (AA) model of Brutsaert and Stricker, the GG model proposed by Granger and Gray, Morton's CR areal evapotranspiration (CRAE) model, the Han model, and Brutsaert model. The results show that all five CR models were only able to estimate daily ETa during the thawed period. None of the models could estimate the daily ETa during the thawing, freezing, or frozen periods. The basic assumptions of the CR may not be suitable for non-thawed periods with complex energy processes, and no complementary behavior was shown in the non-thawed periods. The CR models must be applied with caution during freeze-thaw cycles in cold regions.
Analysis of diurnal, seasonal, and annual distribution of urban sub-hourly to hourly rainfall extremes in Germany
Authors: Haacke Nasrin , Paton Eva Nora
Published: February 2021

The timing of short extreme rainstorm, which was usually thought to occur on midsummer afternoons, was investigated to improve future mitigation options for infrastructure and safety from localised flash flooding. Using a peak-over-threshold approach, the timing of 10- and 60-min extreme events was filtered from high-resolution rainfall series assessing diurnal, seasonal, and annual distributions and analysed for spatial variations and prevailing atmospheric circulation types (CTs). The diurnal distribution showed a clear deviation from that of the entire rainfall regime. A complex spatial pattern was identified with distinct timing signatures of storms in the northern (mostly afternoon) and southern regions (a bimodal distribution with a second peak in the early morning) of Germany and a more homogenous diurnal distribution of events across the central regions. Most storms occurred in summer, but 42% of 10-min events occurred outside the summer months (June–July–August). A distinct annual clustering of extremes was identified, which varied distinctly between the 10- and 60-min extremes, indicating that the sub-hourly and hourly events were far from running conterminously. The timing of extreme events on the investigated time scales was not dominated by the occurrence of specific CTs in most cases, suggesting that other factors control these extremes.
Advances in efficient desalination technology of capacitive deionization for water recycling
Authors: Tong Yuhao , Zhou Shuang , Zhou Jun , Zhang Guanteng , Li Xiaolin , Zhao Chunxia , Liu Pengyan
Published: February 2021

Available freshwater resources are becoming harder to obtain due to climate change, population growth, industrial development, and water pollution. The main technologies in the field of wastewater desalination include reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, thermal distillation, and adsorption etc. Capacitive deionization technology (CDI) belongs to a novel electrochemical desalination technology with low energy consumption and low environmental impact, simple equipment structure and convenient operation. With the importance of wastewater desalination highlighted, some great technological progress of CDI has been made in electrode materials, reactor structure and the hybrid process. In this paper, the development of CDI technology was expounded from three aspects to achieve the goal of strong adaptability, low cost and strong adsorption capacity by analysis of the latest research papers. Corresponding improved methods of CDI are summarized to solve the main technology bottlenecks such as the inefficient and vulnerable electrode materials, low selectivity and unreasonable unit structure, and limitations of single CDI unit for promoting the continuous development of CDI technology.
Transferability of a lumped hydrologic model, the Xin'anjiang model based on similarity in climate and geography
Authors: Liu Yue , Zhang Jian-yun , Elmahdi Amgad , Yang Qin-li , Guan Xiao-xiang , Liu Cui-shan , He Rui-min , Wang Guo-qing
Published: February 2021

Hydrological experiments are essential to understanding the hydrological cycles and promoting the development of hydrologic models. Model parameter transfers provide a new way of doing hydrological forecasts and simulations in ungauged catchments. To study the transferability of model parameters for hydrological modelling and the influence of parameter transfers on hydrological simulations, the Xin'anjiang model (XAJ model), which is a lumped hydrologic model based on a saturation excess mechanism that has been widely applied in different climate regions of the world, was applied to a low hilly catchment in eastern China, the Chengxi experimental watershed (CXEW). The suitability of the XAJ model was tested in the eastern branch catchment of CXEW and the calibrated model parameters of the eastern branch catchment were then transferred to the western branch catchment and the entire watershed of the CXEW. The results show that the XAJ model performs well for the calibrated eastern branch catchment at both daily and monthly scales on hydrological modelling with the NSEs over 0.6 and the REs less than 2.0%. Besides, the uncalibrated catchments of the western branch catchment and the entire watershed of the CSEW share similarities in climate (the precipitation) and geography (the soil texture and vegetation cover) with the calibrated catchment, the XAJ model and the transferred model parameters can capture the main features of the hydrological processes in both uncalibrated catchments (western catchments and the entire watershed). This transferability of the model is useful for a scarce data region to simulate the hydrological process and its forecasting.
Challenges and Opportunities of Nanotechnological based Approach for the Treatment of Tuberculosis
Authors: Rath Goutam , Pradhan Deepak , Ghosh Goutam , Goyal Amit K.
Published: February 2021

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, because of its unique biochemical behavior and a complex host relationship,
successfully evades the host immune system. Therefore, chemotherapy appears to be the first-line option
for patients with tuberculosis. However, poor patient compliance with anti-tubercular treatment and variability
in anti-tubercular drug pharmacokinetics are among the major driving factors for the emergence of drug
resistance. The rising cases of extrapulmonary TB, cross-resistance patterns, high prevalence of tuberculosis
and HIV co-infections make tuberculosis treatment more complicated than conventional multidrug therapy.
Due to their distinct advantages like higher solubility, increased payload, controlled release profiles, tissue-specific
accumulation, and lack of toxicity, nanoscale materials have immense potential for drug delivery applications.
An appropriate selection of polymer and careful particle engineering further improves therapeutic outcomes
with opportunities to overcome conventional anti-tubercular drugs' challenges. The present review introduces
the prospect of using nanotechnology in tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy and provides a comprehensive
overview of recent advances in nanocarriers implied for delivering anti-tubercular drugs.
Organoboron Compounds in Visible Light-driven Photoredox Catalysis
Authors: Kliś Tomasz , Kublicki Marcin
Published: February 2021

The increasing importance of visible light photoredox catalysis as a powerful strategy for the activation of small molecules require the development of new effective radical sources and photocatalysts. The unique properties of organoboron compounds have contributed significantly to the rapid progress of photocatalysis. Since the first work on the topic in 2005, many researchers have appreciated the role of boron-containing compounds in photocatalysis, and this is reflected in several publications. In this review, we highlight the utility of organoboron compounds in various photocatalytic reactions enabling the construction of carbon- carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. The dual role of organoboron compounds in photocatalysis is highlighted by their applications as reactants and as well as organic photocatalysts.
The Impact of Cell-free Plasma DNA on Metastatic and Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer
Authors: Abonar Abdelraouf A. , Ayoub Shymaa E. , Tagreda Ibrahim A. , Abdelhafez Marwa N. , Khamiss Mohammed M. , Abdelaziz Mohamed I. , Gaber Sylvana N. , Amin Amal , Mohammed Shereen R.
Published: February 2021

:

Increased cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is observed in many diseases such as
cancer, myocardial infarction, and autoimmune diseases. It has the ability to alter the
receptor cell phenotype, triggering events related to malignant transformation. Our study
aims at assessing the use of cell-free plasma DNA in the diagnosis of metastatic and
non-metastatic prostate cancer. The study included 180 subjects who were classified
into four groups: Group I (GI) included 50 perfect health subjects as the control group,
Group II (GII) included 40 patients with prostatitis, group III (GIII) included 40 patients
with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and Group IV (GIV) included 50 patients with
pre-operative prostate cancer (PC). Evaluation of the plasma level of circulating cell-free
DNA by real-time PCR and measurement of total PSA (tPSA) and free to total PSA
percent (f/tPSA%) were carried out for all groups. Our study revealed that the level of
tPSA was significantly higher in prostate cancer patients, while levels of f/t PSA were
found to be significantly lower. The level of cfDNA was significantly higher in prostate
cancer patients (399.9±88.6ng/ul) when compared to that of group I (12.1±1.5ng/ul)
(p<0.01), group II (14.7±2.4 ng/ul) (p<0.01), and group III (26.6±45.6 ng/ul) (p<0.01)
respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in yields of cfDNA between
metastatic and non-metastatic groups (P=0.03) with a higher level in the metastatic
group.
Association between HbA1C (Glycated Hemoglobin) and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage After Neuro-intervention
Authors: Park Chan W. , Yi Ho J. , Lee Dong H. , Sung Jae H.
Published: February 2021

Objective:

Our study investigated the association between the level of HbA1c (glycated
hemoglobin) at admission and the prognosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Methods:

A total of 510 patients treated with neuro-intervention for aneurysmal SAH and with data
for admission HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) were included. Favorable clinical outcome was
defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-2 at 3 months. Receiver operating characteristic
(ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the optimal cutoff value of HbA1C for unfavorable
clinical outcomes. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between HbA1C level
and outcomes.

Results:

The optimal cutoff value of HbA1C was identified as 6.0% (P < 0.001), and patients with
a high HbA1C (≥ 6.0%) had a lower prevalence of favorable clinical outcomes than patients with
low HbA1C (< 6.0%) (P < 0.001). High HbA1C (≥ 6.0%) was independently associated with unfavorable
clinical outcome (OR 2.84; 95% CI: 1.52-5.44; P = 0.004). The risk of unfavorable clinical
outcome was significantly increased in patients with HbA1C (≥ 7.0%, < 8%) and HbA1C (≥ 8.0%)
compared with lower baseline HbA1C (≥ 6.0%, < 7%) values (OR 2.17; 95% CI: 1.87-5.13; P =
0.011 and OR 4.25; 95% CI: 3.17-8.41; P = 0.005).

Conclusions:

Our study showed that HbA1C could be an independent predictor of worse outcomes
following neuro-intervention for aneurysmal SAH. High HbA1C (≥ 6.0%) was associated with unfavorable
clinical outcomes, and gradual elevation of HbA1C contributed to an increase in the risk
of worse clinical outcomes after SAH.
Novel Synthetic and Natural Therapies for Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Battaglini Denise , Siwicka-Gieroba Dorota , Rocco Patricia RM , Cruz Fernanda Ferreira , Silva Pedro Leme , Dabrowski Wojciech , Brunetti Iole , Patroniti Nicolò , Pelosi Paolo , Robba Chiara
Published: February 2021

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and death worldwide. The initial
mechanical insult results in tissue and vascular disruption with hemorrhages and cellular necrosis
that is followed by dynamic secondary brain damage that presumably results in additional destruction
of the brain. In order to minimize deleterious consequences of the secondary brain damage-
such as inflammation, bleeding or reduced oxygen supply. The old concept of the -staircase approach-
has been updated in recent years by most guidelines and should be followed as it is considered
the only validated approach for the treatment of TBI. Besides, a variety of novel therapies
have been proposed as neuroprotectants. The molecular mechanisms of each drug involved in the
inhibition of secondary brain injury can result as a potential target for the early and late treatment
of TBI. However, no specific recommendation is available on their use in the clinical setting. The
administration of both synthetic and natural compounds, which act on specific pathways involved
in the destructive processes after TBI, even if usually employed for the treatment of other diseases,
can show potential benefits. This review represents a massive effort towards current and novel therapies
for TBI that have been investigated in both pre-clinical and clinical settings. This review
aims to summarize the advancement in therapeutic strategies based on specific and distinct -target
of therapies-: brain edema, ICP control, neuronal activity and plasticity, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory
effects, cerebral autoregulation, antioxidant properties, and future perspectives
with the adoption of mesenchymal stromal cells.
Central Neural Circuits Orchestrating Thermogenesis, Sleep-Wakefulness
States and General Anesthesia States
Authors: Wu Jiayi , Liu Daiqiang , Li Jiayan , Sun Jia , Huang Yujie , Zhang Shuang , Gao Shaojie , Mei Wei
Published: February 2021

:

Great progress has been made in specifically identifying the central neural circuits (CNCs) of the core body temperature (Tcore), sleep-wakefulness states (SWs), and general anesthesia states (GAs), mainly utilizing optogenetic or chemogenetic manipulations. We summarize the neuronal populations and neural pathways of these three CNCs, which gives evidence for the orchestration within these three CNCs, and the integrative regulation of these three CNCs by different environmental light signals. We also outline some transient receptor potential (TRP) channels that function in the CNCs-Tcore and are modulated by some general anesthetics, which makes TRP channels possible targets for addressing the general-anesthetics-induced-hypothermia (GAIH). We suggest this review will provide new orientations for further consummating these CNCs and elucidating the central mechanisms of GAIH.
Interaction between Zinc, GPR39, BDNF and Neuropeptides in Depression
Authors: Mlyniec Katarzyna
Published: February 2021

As one of the most important elements in our body, zinc plays a part in both the pathophysiology
of depression and the antidepressant response. Patients suffering from major depression show
significantly reduced zinc levels, which are normalized following successful antidepressant treatment.
Recent studies have shown the interaction between zinc, GPR39 and neuropeptides, including galanin
and neuropeptide Y (NPY). The zinc-sensing receptor GPR39 forms heterotrimers with 5-HT1A and
the galanin receptor GalR1 upon their co-expression in mammalian cells. The oligomerization of these
heterotrimers is regulated by the zinc concentration, and this may have an influence on depressive-like
behavior. The antidepressant-like effect of zinc is linked to elevated levels of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) in brain structures associated with emotion, such as the hippocampus and the
amygdala. BDNF regulates neuropeptides, including NPY, cholecystokinin (CCK), and substance P or
galanin, which are also implicated in mood disorders. This review focuses for the first time on the interaction
between zinc, the GPR39 zinc receptor, BDNF and selected neuropeptides in terms of depression
in order to determine its possible role in the neuropharmacology of that illness.
Serine Proteases and Chemokines in Neurotrauma: New Targets for Immune Modulating Therapeutics in Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Beladi Roxana N. , Varkoly Kyle S. , Schutz Lauren , Zhang Liqiang , Yaron Jordan R. , Guo Qiuyun , Burgin Michelle , Hogue Ian , Tierney Wesley , Dobrowski Wojciech , Lucas Alexandra R.
Published: February 2021

:

Progressive neurological damage after brain or spinal cord trauma causes loss of motor
function and treatment is very limited. Clotting and hemorrhage occur early after spinal cord (SCI)
and traumatic brain injury (TBI), inducing aggressive immune cell activation and progressive neuronal
damage. Thrombotic and thrombolytic proteases have direct effects on neurons and glia, both
healing and also damaging bidirectional immune cell interactions. Serine proteases in the thrombolytic
cascade, tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activators (tPA and uPA), as well as the clotting
factor thrombin, have varied effects, increasing neuron and glial cell growth and migration
(tPA), or conversely causing apoptosis (thrombin) and activating inflammatory cell responses. tPA
and uPA activate plasmin and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that break down connective tissue
allowing immune cell invasion, promoting neurite outgrowth. Serine proteases also activate chemokines.
Chemokines are small proteins that direct immune cell invasion but also mediate neuron and
glial cell communication. We are investigating a new class of therapeutics, virus-derived immune
modulators; One that targets coagulation pathway serine proteases and a second that inhibits chemokines.
We have demonstrated that local infusion of these biologics after SCI reduces inflammation
providing early improved motor function. Serp-1 is a Myxomavirus-derived serine protease inhibitor,
a serpin, that inhibits both thrombotic and thrombolytic proteases. M-T7 is a virus-derived
chemokine modulator.

:

Here we review the roles of thrombotic and thrombolytic serine proteases and chemoattractant proteins,
chemokines, as potential therapeutic targets for SCI. We discuss virus-derived immune modulators
as treatments to reduce progressive inflammation and ongoing nerve damage after SCI.
Genotyping and Drug Susceptibility Patterns of M. Tuberculosis Isolated from HIV Seropositive Patients in Tehran Iran
Authors: Feyisa Seifu Gizaw , Rasoolinejad Mehrnaz , Hasan-Nejad Maliheh , Amini Siroos , Hamzelou Gholamreza , Kardan-Yamchi Jalil , Kazemian Hossein , Karami-Zarandi Morteza , Feizabadi Mohammad Mehdi
Published: February 2021

Aim:

To investigate the prevalence and drug-resistance M. tuberculosis isolated from HIV seropositive individuals in Tehran, Iran.

Background:

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most important risk factors for developing active tuberculosis (TB).

Objective:

To determine the rate of transmission and drug resistant M. tuberculosis (MTB) strains isolated from HIV seropositive patients in Tehran province, Iran.

Methods:

This study consecutively enrolled 217 TB/HIV coinfected patients from April 2018 to
August 2019 at Emam Khomeini referral hospital and 5 other health centers in Tehran province.
The isolates were genotyped using 15 loci Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number
tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for
6 drugs. In addition, mutations were assessed in rpoB, katG, inhA, and ahpC genes using Reverse
Blot Hybridization Assay System.

Results:

A 20 (9.2%) patients were culture-positive for M. tuberculosis and typed by MIRU-VNTR,
13 (65%) strains formed 5 clusters, but 6 (30%) isolates had a unique pattern. The total Hunter–
Gaston discrimination index (HGDI) for all 15 loci was 0.846, and the cluster size was 2 to 4
patients. The estimated proportion of recent transmission was 45%. The mutation was identified in
1 isolate, lost inhAW1 and mutation in MT1 loci, which was resistant to isoniazid (INH). Moreover,
1 (5%) and 3 (15%) isolates were resistant to INH and ethambutol (EMB), respectively, of
which 1 was resistant to INH and EMB.

Conclusion:

The transmission rate of TB in HIV patients was relatively high; however, the prevalence of drug-resistant strains and TB infection in females was insignificant in this study (p<0.05); none of the isolates was MDR strains.
Withdrawal Notice: Green Organic Films and Coatings: Developments and Future Challenges
Authors: Seidi Farzad , Jouyandeh Maryam , Ganjali Mohammad Reza , Habibzadeh Sajjad , Saeb Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2021

The article has been withdrawn at the request of the authors and editor of the journal Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry; due
to incoherent content.

Bentham Science apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Bentham Editorial Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://benthamscience.com/editorial-policies-main.php

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Analysis of Missed Diagnosis of Gastric Lipomas by CT
Authors: Xu Long , Zhang Xiao Dong , Zeng Chen , Yang Han Feng
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

Although Computed Tomography (CT) is the most convenient technology
for the diagnosis of gastric lipoma, it also has a high rate of missed diagnosis of gastric lipoma.

Objective:

To analyze the causes of missed diagnosis of gastric lipomas by CT.

Methods:

We retrospectively studied the CT images and CT diagnosis reports of 25 cases of gastric
lipoma confirmed by surgery or clinical follow-up at the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan
Medical College and Nanchong Central Hospital from 2016 to 2020 and analyzed the causes of
missed diagnosis of gastric lipomas.

Results:

Among the 25 cases of gastric lipomas included in this study, 17 cases (68.0%) were correctly
diagnosed by CT, and 8 cases (32.0%) were missed, but there was no case of misdiagnosis.
Eighteen cases (72.0%) of gastric lipomas were located in the gastric antrum, 2 cases (8.0%) at the
junction of the gastric body and antrum, 5 cases (20.0%) at the fundus of the stomach, 23 cases
(92.0%) under the gastric mucosa, and 2 cases (8.0%) under the gastric serous membrane. All gastric
lipoma cases were manifested as round or oval-shaped low-density shadows with clear boundaries
on CT. 22 cases (88.0%) showed homogeneous low-density shadows while 3 cases (12.0%)
mainly showed low-density shadows containing medium-density strips. There was no obvious enhancement
in the contrast-enhanced CT scan. The gastric lipoma cases missed by CT were all located
under the gastric mucosa of the gastric antrum. When reading the CT images on the default upper
abdominal window width and window level, all the missed lesions were similar to the gas image.
And the straight meridian of the three lesions was less than 2 cm.

Conclusion:

Fat density shadow in gastric antrum area was mistaken for gastrointestinal gas. Improper
CT image window width and window levels and small gastric lipoma volume, along with insufficient
knowledge of gastric lipomas imaging by the clinician, might be the main causes of
missed diagnosis of gastric lipomas by CT. Familiarity with the CT manifestations of gastric lipomas
and rich clinical experience can improve the rate of correct diagnosis of gastric lipomas by
CT.
Fe3O4@SiO2-Propyl Covalent Dapsone-Copper Complex: Synthesis,
Characterization and Application for the Synthesis of New Derivatives of
Azo-Linked Thiazolidinones and their Solvatochromism Evaluation
Authors: Fekri Leila Zare
Published: February 2021

Background:

Thiazolidinone-4-ones belong to an important heterocyclic compounds because of their broad spectrum of biological activities. Several methods for the synthesis of 4-thiazolidinones were reported in the literature. The main synthetic routes to synthesize 1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones is the three component reaction between amine, a carbonyl compound and a mercapto-acid.

Objective:

Dapsone-Cu supported on silica coated Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@SiO2-pr@dapsone-Cu) as a new heterogeneous nanoparticle catalyst was synthesized and the structure and morphology of this catalyst were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Xray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), zeta potential, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The new synthesized catalyst was applied as an effective nanocatalyst for the synthesis of new derivatives of azo-linked thiazolidinones through one-pot multi-component reaction of various aromatic aldehydes, thioglycolic acid and 4-aminoazobenzene under solvent-free condition.

Methods:

A mixture of aldehyde, thioglycolic acid, 4-aminoazobenzene (1 mmol) and 0.05 g Fe3O4@SiO2@dapsone-Cu MNPs were stirred at room temperature under solvent-free condition.

Results:

We report a facile, green, new and efficient method for the synthesis of thiazolidine-4-ones through three component reaction of various aldehydes, thioglycolic acid and 4-aminoazobenzene in the presence of Fe3O4@SiO2-propyl@dapsone-Cu complex under solvent-free reaction.

Conclusion:

This new procedure has the notable advantages such as excellent yields, short reaction time, operational simplicity, easy work-up, eco-friendly and using a non-toxic catalyst. Also, the catalyst is easily recoverable in the presence of an enourmous magnet and reused for six consecutive reaction cycles without significant loss of activity.
Ventilatory Response to Hypercapnia as Experimental Model to Study Effects
of Oxycodone on Respiratory Depression
Authors: Webster Lynn R. , Hansen Erik , Stoddard Gregory J. , Rynders Austin , Ostler David , Lennon Harley
Published: February 2021

Background:

Opioid analgesics used to treat pain can cause respiratory depression. However, this effect has not been extensively studied, and life- threatening, opioid-induced respiratory depression remains difficult to predict. We tested the ventilatory response to hypercapnia for evaluating the pharmacodynamic effect of a drug on respiratory depression.

Methods:

We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover, study in 12 healthy adult males. Subjects received 2 treatments (placebo and immediate-release oxycodone 30 mg) separated by a 24-hour washout period. Subjects inhaled a mixture of 7% carbon dioxide, 21% oxygen, and 72% nitrogen for 5 minutes to assess respiratory depression. Minute ventilation, respiratory rate, tidal volume, flow rate, end-tidal CO2, and oxygen saturation were recorded continuously at pre-dose and 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes post-dose. The primary endpoint was the effect on ventilatory response to hypercapnia at 60 minutes post-dose, as assessed by the slope of the linear relationship between minute ventilation and end-tidal CO2.

Results:

At 60 minutes post-dose, subjects had a mean slope of 2.4 in the oxycodone crossover period, compared to 0.1 in the placebo period (mean difference, 2.3; 95%CI: 0.2 to 4.5; p = 0.035). Statistical significance was likewise achieved at the secondary time points (30, 120, and 180 minutes post-dose, p <0.05).

Conclusions:

This model for testing ventilatory response to hypercapnia discriminated the effect of 30 mg of oxycodone vs. placebo for up to 3 hours after a single dose. It may serve as a method to predict the relative effect of a drug on respiratory depression.
Prevalence of Genes Encoding Aminoglycoside-Modifying Enzymes and
armA among Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates in Alexandria,
Egypt
Authors: ELsheredy Amel , Yousif Zainab , Elghazzawi Ebtesam , Elmenshawy Ahmed , Ghazal Abeer
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

Acinetobacter baumannii (A.baumannii) is a ubiquitous pathogen responsible
for serious infections in hospitalized patients with a high propensity to develop resistance to
antimicrobial agents. The study aimed to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns and the
prevalence of aminoglycoside resistance genes among A. baumannii clinical isolates from patients
in different intensive care units (ICUs) in Alexandria, Egypt.

Methods:

A total of 100 A. baumannii isolates collected from ICU patients were confirmed as A.
baumannii by VITEK 2 and the presence of the blaOXA-51 gene has been reported. Antimicrobial
susceptibility testing was performed and Multiplex PCR was done for the detection of aminoglycoside
resistance genes.

Results:

Most of the isolates (82%) were resistant to all tested aminoglycosides; resistance was
higher for kanamycin and neomycin, followed by amikacin. The predominant AMEs were aphA6
and aphA1 in 86% and 67% of the isolates, respectively; aacA4 and aacC1 were detected in 37%
and 8%, respectively, while aadA1 and aadB were present in 34% and 4%, respectively. Furthermore,
the armA gene was detected in 83% of the isolates.

Conclusion:

The results of this study revealed a high level carriage of armA and AMEs, which limit
the usage of aminoglycoside as a treatment option for A. baumannii and make treatment extremely
difficult.
Novel Variants of DOCK8 Deficiency in a Case Series of Iranian Patients
Authors: Momtazmanesh Sara , Rayzan Elham , Zoghi Samaneh , Shahkarami Sepideh , Molatefi Rasol , Mohammadzadeh Iraj , Ghaffari Javad , Mahmoudi Hamidreza , Dmytrus Jasmin , Segarra-Roca Anna , Somekh Ido , Witzel Maximilian , Hauck Fabian , Boztug Kaan , Klein Christoph , Rezaei Nima
Published: February 2021

Background:

Dedicator of Cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) deficiency, the most frequent cause of autosomal recessive hyper immunoglobulin (Ig)E syndrome, is a rare combined immunodeficiency.

Objective:

In this study, we report seven patients with consanguineous parents with five novel variants within the DOCK8 gene.

Methods:

For genetic analysis, we performed Whole Exome Sequencing (WES), or targeted sequencing by means of Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for some of the patients. For others, Sanger sequencing, Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used.

Results:

We report five novel variants within the DOCK8 gene: three deletions (deletion of exons 4-12, 24-30, and 22-27), one frameshift (LRG_196:g.189315dup;p.(Leu1052Profs*7)), and a splice region variant (LRG_196t1:c.741+5G>T). Patients presented with skin lesions, food allergy, candidiasis, otitis, recurrent respiratory infections, short stature, aortic aneurism, gynecomastia, and coarse facial features. Patients had leukocytosis, eosinophilia, lymphopenia, and monocytosis, elevated IgE, IgG, IgA , reduced IgM and IgA levels. Patients had a low percentage of CD3+ and CD4+ cells, and a high percentage of CD19+, CD27+CD19+, and recent thymic emigrants T cells. The percentage of natural killer cells was increased in one of the patients while it was decreased in another patient. One patient died due to disseminated intravascular coagulation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Conclusion:

We reported novel variants within the DOCK8 gene and highlighted risk of aneurysms in these patients, which have been rarely reported in these patients.
Dynamic approach to minimize overhead and response time in scheduling periodic real-time tasks
Authors:   Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia, Alsheikhy Ahmed A.
Published: February 2021

In real-time systems, a task or a set of tasks needs to be executed and completed successfully within a predefined time. Those systems require a scheduling technique or a set of scheduling methods to distribute the given task or the set of tasks among different processors or on a processor. In this paper, a new novel scheduling approach to minimize the overhead from context switching between several periodic tasks is presented. This method speeds up a required response time while ensuring that all tasks meet their deadline times and there is no deadline miss occurred. It is a dynamic-priority technique that works either on a uniprocessor or several processors. In particular, it is proposed to be applied on multiprocessor environments since many applications run on several processors. Various examples are presented within this paper to demonstrate its optimality and efficiency. In addition, several comparison experiments with an earlier version of this approach were performed to demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness too. Those experiments showed that this novel approach sped up the execution time from 15% to nearly around 46%. In addition, it proved that it reduced the number of a context switch between tasks from 12% to around 50% as shown from simulation tests. Furthermore, this approach delivered all tasks/jobs successfully and ensured there was no deadline miss happened.