bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methamphetamine Augments HIV-1 gp120 Inhibition of Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity in Rat Hippocampal Slices: Implications for Methamphetamine Exacerbation of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders.
Authors: Zheng Ya , Reiner Benjamin , Liu Jianuo , Xu Linda , Xiong Huangui
Published: October 2021

Background: Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse and human immunodeficiency virus type 1(HIV-1) infection are two major public health problems worldwide. Being frequently comorbid with HIV-1 infection, Meth abuse exacerbates neurocognitive impairment in HIV-1-infected individuals even in the era of combined antiretroviral therapy. While a large body of research have studied the individual effects of Meth and HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) in the brain, far less has focused on their synergistic influence. To uncover the underlying mechanisms for increased incidence and severity of HIV-1-associate neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in HIV-1-infected patients with Meth abuse, we investigated acute individual and combined effects of Meth and gp120 on synaptic transmission and plasticity in CA1 region of rat hippocampus, a brain region known to be vulnerable to HIV-1 infection. Methods: Experiments were conducted on the hippocampal slices prepared from 15-30 d-old male Spraque-Dawley rats. Field excitatory postsynaptic potentials were generated by electric stimulation of Schaffer collateral fibers and recorded in the CA1 region. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was induced by high frequency stimulation (HFS) or theta-burst stimulation (TBS). The individual and combined effects of acutely applied methamphetamine and HIV-1 gp120 synaptic physiology and underlying mechanisms were examined via electrophysiology, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. One-way and two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons tests were employed for statistical analyses. Results: Acute and localized application of Meth and gp120 each alone reduced short-term dynamics of input-output responses and frequency facilitation, and LTP induced by either HFS or TBS. A synergistic augmentation on activity-dependent synaptic plasticity was observed when Meth and gp120 were applied in combination. Paired-pulse facilitation results exhibited an altered facilitation ratio, suggesting a presynaptic site of action. Further studies revealed an involvement of microglia NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Meth augmentation of gp120-mediated attenuation of LTP. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated Meth augmented gp120 attenuation of LTP in the hippocampus via microglial inflammasome activation. Since LTP is the accepted experimental analog of learning at the synaptic level, such augmentation may underlie Meth exacerbation of HAND observed clinically.
Minocycline Alleviates Abnormal Phagocytosis of Synapses by Microglia in a Mouse Model of Depression
Authors: Han Qiu-Qin , Shen Shi-Yu , Chen Xiao-Rong , Pilot Adam , Liang Ling-Feng , Zhang Jia-Rui , Li Wen-Hui , Fu Yi , Le Jia-Mei , Chen Pei-Qing , Yu Jin
Published: October 2021

Background

Depression is an affective disorder characterized by low mood and loss of interest. So far, the mechanism of antidepressants commonly used in clinical practice has proved problematic, thus it is urgent to gain an updated understanding of the pathogenesis of depression and find potential therapeutic targets. As both functional brain imaging studies and autopsy reports indicated that there is indeed a loss of synapses in depressed patients, it is necessary to explore the mechanism of this process.
Methods

We firstly investigated the effect of CSDS (a mouse model of depression) on behaviors, synapses, microglia, and phagocytosis of synapses by microglia in mice. Then, to confirm the role of microglia in depression, we used minocycline, a microglial activation inhibitor, to study its effect on behaviors and phagocytosis of synapses in stressed mice.
Results

Our results show that the expression levels of PSD-95 in the hippocampus of CSDS-induced depression mice are significantly reduced, while the microglia are significantly activated. We co-labeled the synaptic protein PSD-95 with the microglia marker Iba-1, and found that the microglia in the hippocampus of stressed mice contained significantly more PSD-95 engulfed puncta, which revealed that microglia in stressed mice abnormally phagocytized synapses. Moreover, our results indicated that minocycline treatment dampened microglial activation, reduced synaptic loss, alleviated behavioral impairment, and reduced abnormal phagocytosis of synapses by microglia in stressed mice.
Conclusions

Under depressive pathological conditions, the activated microglia may abnormally engulf neuronal synapses causing synaptic loss. Our findings are important for the discovery of novel drugs for the treatment of depression.
Synergic Role of Dexamethasone And Lianhua Qingwen Capsule Accelerate Nucleic Acid Negative Conversion In Severe COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Fang Xin , Zhu Meng’en , Zhang Kemeng , Wang Zhaohui , He Ping
Published: October 2021

Background:Corticosteroids were recommended by guidelines in severe or critical COVID -19 patients likely to have acute respiratory distress syndrome. In the treatment strategies of COVID -19 in China, corticosteroids were generally combined with some traditional Chinese medicine, especially Lianhua Qingwen Capsule (LHQW). We aimed to investigate the correlation between dexamethasone with or without LHQW and the nucleic acid negative conversion in severe patients with COVID-19.Methods:The clinical course and nucleic acid negative conversion time of 452 consecutive symptomatic COVID-19 patients admitted to the west campus of Union Hospital in Wuhan from January 31, 2020, to March 13, 2020, were evaluated retrospectively. Results:The duration of virus RNA from positive to negative in the participants was 28 days (interquartile range 21-34 days). Of the 452 patients, 105 (23.23%) subjects received dexamethasone, and 347 (76.77%) did not. Among patients receiving LHQW treatment, the nucleic acid negative conversion time in the dexamethasone group was shorter than that in the no dexamethasone group (𝛽, -4.77; 95% CI, -9.41, -0.12). Although among those who were receiving no LHQW treatment, the effect on shortening nucleic acid negative conversion time of dexamethasone was not observed (𝛽, 5.37; 95% CI,-4.88, 15.62; p interaction = 0.038). Additional multivariable propensity-score analyses yielded consistent results with the unmatched participants (β, -8.61; 95% CI, -16.73, -0.50).Conclusions：In patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the use of dexamethasone resulted in shortening nucleic acid negative conversion time among those who were receiving LHQW, suggesting that LHQW synergic with dexamethasone accelerated the SARS-CoV-2 clearance in severe patients. Trial registration：ECUH 2020-0212, a retrospective study.
Comparison between External Locking Plate Fixation and Conventional External Fixation for Extraarticular Proximal Tibial Fractures: A Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Blažević Dejan , Kodvanj Janoš , Adamović Petra , Vidović Dinko , Trobonjača Zlatko , Sabalić Srećko
Published: October 2021

BackgroundGood clinical outcomes for locking plates as an external fixator to treat tibial fractures have been reported. However, external locking plate fixation is still generally rarely performed. This study aimed to compare the stability of external locking plate fixator with that of conventional external fixator for extraarticular proximal tibial fractures, using finite element analysis. MethodsThree models were constructed: (1) external locking plating of proximal tibial fracture with lateral proximal tibial locking plate and 5-mm screws (ELP), (2) conventional external fixation of proximal tibial fracture with an 11-mm rod and 5-mm Schanz screws (EF-11), and (3) conventional external fixation of proximal tibial fracture with a 7-mm rod and 5-mm Schanz screws (EF-7). The stress distribution, displacement at the fracture gap, and stiffness of the three finite element models at 30-, 40-, 50-, and 60-mm plate–rod offset from the lateral surface of the lateral condyle of the tibia were determined. ResultsThe conventional external fixator showed higher stiffness than did the external locking plate fixator. In all models, the stiffness decreased as the distance of the plate–rod from the bone surface increased. The maximum stiffness was 121.06 N/mm in the EF-11 model with 30-mm tibia–rod offset. In the EF-7 model group, the maximum stiffness was 40.00 N/mm in the model with 30-mm tibia–rod offset. In the ELP model group, the maximum stiffness was 35.79 N/mm in the model with 30-mm tibia–plate offsetConclusionsExternal locking plate fixation is more flexible than conventional external fixation, which can influence secondary bone healing. External locking plate fixation requires the placement of the plate as close as possible to the skin, which allow low-profile design, because the increased distance of the plate from bone can be too flexible for bone healing.
Functional comparison of Clostridium butyricum and sodium butyrate​ supplementation on growth, intestinal health, and the anti-inflammatory response of broilers
Authors: Liu Ling , Ling Huayun , Zhang Wei , Zhou Ying , Li Youguo , Peng Nan , Zhao Shumiao
Published: October 2021

Background: Butyrate has been reported to promote proliferation of colonic epithelial cells and maintain intestinal barrier integrity in broilers. Although supplementation of Clostridium butyricum and sodium butyrate have been shown to confer benefits on broilers, their effects and mechanisms have not been compared.Results: In this study, C. butyricum and sodium butyrate were added into the basal diet of broilers and their effects on growth performance, intestinal health, and anti-inflammatory response were analyzed. It was found that both C. butyricum and sodium butyrate showed good probiotic effects on broilers. Their effects on growth rate and expression of inflammation related genes were even superior to that of antibiotic. Besides, the two dietary supplements improved intestinal structure integrity and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, although the antibiotic had negative effects. Comparison of the two supplements revealed that sodium butyrate more effectively improved the growth and intestinal structure of broilers than C. butyricum. On the contrary, C. butyricum was superior to sodium butyrate in promoting tight junction protein expression, SCFAs production, and anti-inflammatory response.Conclusions: In summary, this study demonstrates the positive effects of C. butyricum and sodium butyrate on broilers, and will serve as a reference for selection of appropriate butyrate supplementation for broilers in the breeding industry.
Identification of Tumor Mutation Burden, Microsatellite Instability, and Somatic Copy Number Alteration derived 9-gene Signatures to Predict Clinical Outcomes in STAD
Authors: Chen Chuanzhi , Chen Yi , Jin Xin , Ding Yongfeng , Jiang Junjie , Wang Haohao , Yang Yan , Lin Wu , Chen Xiangliu , Huang Yingying , Teng Lisong
Published: October 2021

Background: Genomic features including tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI) and somatic copy number alteration (SCNA), had been demonstrated to be involved with the tumor microenvironment (TME) and outcome of gastric cancer (GC). Methods: We obtained profiles of TMB, MSI and SCNA by processing 405 GC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), then conducted a comprehensive analysis though “iClusterPlus”. Another independent Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) contained specimens from 109 GC patients was designed as an external validation. Results: Two subgroups were generated, with distinguished prognosis, somatic mutation burden, copy number changes and immune landscape. We revealed that Cluster1 was marked by a better prognosis, accompanied by higher TMB, MSIsensor score, TMEscore, and lower SCNA burden. Based on these clusters, we screened 196 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were subsequently projected into univariate Cox survival analysis. Thus, we constructed a 9-gene immune risk score (IRS) model using lasso penalized logistic regression. Moreover, the prognostic prediction of IRS was verified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and nomogram plot.Conclusions: Our works suggested that the 9‐gene‐signature prediction model, which derived from TMB, MSI, SCNA was a promising predictive tool for clinical outcome in GC patients. This novel methodology may help clinicians uncover the underlying mechanisms and guide future treatment strategies.
Extraction and characterization of fungal chitosan and voriconazole loaded chitosan antifungal nanoformulations
Authors: Khawaja Faheem , Shah Zia Ullah , Nadeem Muhammad
Published: October 2021

This study aimed at preparing chitosan nanoparticles (C.N.P.s) from fungal Chitosan for the purpose of producing nano-drug delivery systems for antifungal drugs. Chitosan was extracted from mycelia of Aspergillus niger using modified methods of George et al., (2011) and (Naghdi et al., 2014). For confirmation, the FTIR spectrum of the isolated Chitosan was compared with standard. A nanoformulation for Voriconazole antifungal drug was synthesized via ionic gelation method and characterized for their particle size, polydispersity index, surface charge, functional group composition using and Malvern Zeta Sizer ZS-90, P.C.S., FTIR, S.E.M. The prepared nanoformulation was also checked for its antifungal activity using Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus as an indicator organism. Voriconazole showed maximum growth with no mycelial growth while CNPS showed minimum growth of about 70 percent, and Voriconazole loaded CNPS showed inhibitory growth effects on the mycelial growth of A. niger and A. fumigatus. Our results indicated that Chitosan Nanoparticles have huge potential against fungal diseases caused by Aspergillus species.
Perception, Attitude, and Practice Toward Community Research Among Medical Students in Hadhramout University, Yemen
Authors: Bin-Ghouth Abdullah , Batarfi Suha Ali , Abonemi AbdulRahman Hashim , Maknoon Ahmed Sadeq , Alkhanbashi Ahmad Sa'ad , Khred Alwi Abobaker , Bawazer Amal Abdullah , Ba-Jaber Areej Abdullah , Resq Aymen Abdullah , Maknoon Isra'a Alwi , Badheeb Khadija Ahmed , Alkathiri Maha Salah , Ba-Rbaa Majedah Ahmed , Dhaiban Mustafa , Bagumaish Omar Ali , Basalasel Omar Saleh , Ba-rady Roua'a Abdullah , Algadry Souha , Bazanboor Tagwa Omar
Published: October 2021

Background
Research is an important element in the improvement of the quality health services provided to the public. It is documented that, globally, medical students apply research in their school life. This study aimed to assess perception, attitude, and practice toward community research among medical Students at Hadhramout University.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among medical students in Hadhramout University in Al-Mukalla district, Yemen during the academic year 2016-2017. A self-administered pilot-tested questionnaire was used for data collection to assess perception, attitude, and practice toward the community research during the educational year 2016-2017.
Result
A total of 265 completed responses were received. The majority had a low Knowledge score (72%). However, the majority had a positive attitude toward research (90.9%). Eighty-three reported participations in research work. However, (44.4%) expressed research interest. Many barriers were highlighted by students including; lack of time (78.4%) and lack of training in statistics (75.9%).
Conclusion
the majority of students had a positive attitude toward research. However, the majority of them had low knowledge scores. Also, some barriers need to be evaluated to improve the involvement of students in research activities. Lack of time was seen to be the most significant barrier to pursuing research.
Pan-cancer Analysis Identifies LMNB1 as a Target to Redress Th1/Th2 Imbalance and Enhance PARP Inhibitor Response in Human Cancers
Authors: Qin Haixiang , Lu Yingqiang , Du Lin , Shi Jingyan , Yin Haoli , Jiang Bo , Chen Wei , Diao Wenli , Ding Meng , Cao Wenmin , Qiu Xuefeng , Zhao Xiaozhi , Guo Hongqian
Published: October 2021

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that LMNB1 is involved in the development of multiple cancer types. However, there is no study reporting the potential role of LMNB1 in a systematic pan-cancer manner.Methods: The gene expression level and potential oncogenic roles of LMNB1 in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed with Tumor Immune Estimation Resource version 2 (TIMER2.0), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis version 2 (GEPIA2), UALCAN and Sangerbox tools. Pathway enrichment analysis was carried out to explore the possible mechanism of LMNB1 on tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The therapeutic effects of LMNB1 knockdown combined with PARP inhibition on human cancers were further investigated in vitro. Results: LMNB1 upregulation is generally observed in the tumor tissues of most TCGA cancer types, and is verified in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma using clinical specimens of our institute. High level of LMNB1 expression usually predicts poor overall survival and disease free survival for patients with tumors. Mechanically, LMNB1 level is positively correlated with CD4+ Th2 cell infiltration and DNA homologous recombination repair gene expression. In vitro experiments reveal that targeting LMNB1 has a synergistic effect on prostate cancer with PARP inhibitor treatment. Conclusions: LMNB1 is a biomarker of CD4+ Th2 cell infiltration and DNA homologous recombination repair in human cancers. Blockage of LMNB1 combined with PARP inhibitor treatment could be a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with cancers.
Early treatment with inhaled GM-CSF improves oxygenation and anti-viral immunity in COVID-19 induced lung injury – a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Bosteels Cedric , Damme Karel Van , De Leeuw Elisabeth , Declercq Jozefien , Maes Bastiaan , Bosteels Victor , Hoste Levi , Naesens Leslie , Debeuf Nincy , Deckers Julie , Weiskopf Daniela , Sette Alessandro , Weygaerde Yannick Vande , Malfait Thomas , Vandecasteele Stefaan , Demedts Ingel , Slabbynck Hans , Allard Sabine , Depuydt Pieter , Braeckel Eva Van , De Clercq Jozefien , Martens Liesbet , Dupont Sam , Seurinck Ruth , Vandamme Niels , Haerynck Filomeen , Roychowdhury Debasish , Vandekerckhove Linos , Guilliams Martin , Tavernier Simon , Lambrecht Bart
Published: October 2021

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) instructs monocytes to differentiate into alveolar macrophages (AM) that preserve lung homeostasis. By comparing AM development in mouse and human, we discovered that COVID-19 patients showed marked defects in GM-CSF-dependent AM instruction. The multi-center, open-label, randomized, controlled SARPAC-trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of 5 days of inhalation of rhu-GM-CSF (sargramostim, Leukine®) in 81 non-ventilated patients with COVID-19 and hypoxemic respiratory failure identified by PaO2/FiO2 ratio < 350mmHg. At day 6, more patients in the sargramostim group experienced at least 25% improvement in oxygenation compared with the standard of care group. Higher numbers of circulating class-switched B cells and effector virus-specific CD8 lymphocytes were found in the sargramostim group. Treatment adverse events, including signs of cytokine storm, were not different between active and control group. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of inhaled GM-CSF in restoring alveolar gas exchange, while simultaneously boosting anti-COVID-19 immunity. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04326920).
A High-precision Forest Fire Smoke Detection Approach Based on DRGNet to Remote Sensing Through Uavs
Authors: Zhan Jialei , Hu Yaowen , Zhou Guoxiong , Wang Yanfeng , Cai Weiwei , Li Liujun
Published: October 2021

The occurrence of forest fires can lead to ecological damage, property loss, and human casualties. Current forest fire smoke detection methods do not sufficiently consider the characteristics of smoke with high transparency and no clear edges and have low detection accuracy, which cannot meet the needs of complex aerial forest fire smoke detection tasks. In this paper, we propose Dual-ResNet50-vd with SoftPool based on a recursive feature pyramid with deconvolution and dilated convolution and global optimal nonmaximum suppression (DRGNet) for high-accuracy detection of forest fire smoke. First, the Dual-ResNet50-vd module is proposed to enhance the extraction of smoke features with high transparency and no clear edges, and SoftPool is used to retain more feature information of smoke. Then, a recursive feature pyramid with deconvolution and dilated convolution (RDDFPN) is proposed to fuse shallow visual features and deep semantic information in the channel dimension to improve the accuracy of long-range aerial smoke detection. Finally, global optimal nonmaximum suppression (GO-NMS) sets the objective function to globally optimize the selection of anchor frames to adapt to the aerial photography of multiple smoke locations in forest fire scenes. The experimental results show that the DRGNet parametric number on the UAV-IoT platform is as low as 53.48 M, mAP reaches 79.03%, mAP50 reaches 90.26%, mAP75 reaches 82.35%, FPS reaches 122.5, and GFLOPs reaches 55.78. Compared with other mainstream methods, it has the advantages of real-time detection and high accuracy.
Human Capital Impacts of Income Inequality: An Extensive Empirical Analysis From The African Continent
Authors: Sengupta Swapnanil
Published: October 2021

This paper evaluates the impacts of income inequality on life expectancy in the African countries. The empirical analysis has been performed on a panel dataset of 52 African nations covering the period of 1995-2018. For estimating the relationship, I have employed Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) technique and a Panel Error Correction Model (PECM). The long-run cointegrating relationship was estimated using a Panel Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (PDOLS) estimator. The outputs of both static and dynamic estimation models suggest that income inequality has negatively affected life expectancy at birth in the African continent overall. Though a positive short-run causal relationship was established, in the long-run, income inequality had deleterious effects. A series of steps had been followed to check the soundness of the result of the main empirical examination and it was confirmed that the results are robust.
Effect of interfacial friction on wear behavior and microstructure during extrusion of Pure Nickel N6
Authors: Jia Zhi
Published: October 2021

This paper combines field extrusion and finite element simulation to study the influence of the friction state on the extrusion deformation of pure nickel. The use of lubricant reduces the shearing force of the billet-die interface, resulting in lower heat generation at the interface, greater forming stress and strain, and reduced uneven deformation of the billet. As a result, the surface quality of the workpiece is relatively good, but uneven lubrication is the main cause of tearing damage on the surface of the billet. The grain morphology, grain boundary distribution, and geometrically necessary dislocations distribution on the surface of the lubricating extruded bar are uniform, the microtexture strength is weak, and the Schmidt factor is large.
Association of circulating oxidized LDL-C/LDL-C ratio with severity of coronary atherosclerosis and other emerging biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Feng Bo
Published: October 2021

Background

Atherosclerosis cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with diabetes. But there are still no simpler and more effective biomarkers which can predict the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in diabetic patients. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) is a novel CVD biomarker that also increase in diabetic patients. The aim of present study was to evaluate the associations of circulating oxLDL/LDL-C ratio with severity of coronary atherosclerosis and other emerging biomarkers of cardiovascular disease such as fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), interleukin 33 (IL33) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods

152 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited in our study. Plasma levels in oxLDL, FGF21, IL33 and VCAM-1 were measured by ELISA. oxLDL/LDL-C ratio was calculated. Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) was performed in all patients. Patients were allocated into four groups according to CCTA findings and Gensini score: normal, mild, moderate and severe coronary atherosclerosis group. Association between the oxLDL/LDL-C ratio and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis were evaluated using logistic regression models and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.
Results

Correlation analysis showed that oxLDL/LDL-C ratio was positively associated with severity of coronary atherosclerosis (p < 0.05). After adjusted for age, duration of diabetes, the positive correlation between severity of coronary atherosclerosis and oxLDL/LDL-C ratio still existed (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.31- 3.14, p < 0.01). OxLDL/LDL-C ratio in severe group was significantly higher than which in the other three groups respectively (p< 0.001). The cut-off value of oxLDL/LDL-C ratio in predicting severe coronary atherosclerosis was more than 0.091 with specificity of 66.5% and sensitivity of 75%. Only IL33 correlated positively with oxLDL/LDL-C ratio (r = 0.274, p<0.01). However, VCAM-1 had a similar trend with oxLDL/LDL-C ratio in these four groups.
Conclusions

OxLDL/LDL-C ratio is considered as a potential biomarker in diabetic patients for early recognition and intervention of severe coronary atherosclerosis, and will be more effective if tested IL33 and VCAM-1 at the same time.
Regional disparities in information-seeking response to the COVID-19 pandemic in China
Authors: Wang Zhicheng , Xiao Hong , Lin Leesa , Tang Kun , Unger Joseph
Published: October 2021

The emergence of the COVID-19 virus and the subsequent official announcement of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 alarmed the public and initiated the uptake of preventive measures. We conducted interrupted time-series analyses using Baidu Search Index from Jan 1, 2017 to Mar 15, 2021 to investigate how information seeking changed over time and how changes in information seeking varied across regions in China. Our findings show that changes in the patterns of search interest in COVID-19 in each province of China occurred in a synchronous fashion during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent local outbreaks, irrespective of the location and severity of each outbreak. However, inequalities in the magnitude of public response to and awareness of COVID-19 were evident, with lower-levels of information seeking regarding COVID-19 in less developed areas compared with developed areas.
A Novel Interaction-based Methodology Towards Explainable AI with Better Understanding of Pneumonia Chest X-ray Images
Authors: Lo Shaw-Hwa , Yin Yiqiao
Published: October 2021

In the field of eXplainable AI (XAI), robust “black-box” algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are known for making high prediction performance. However, the ability to explain and interpret these algorithms still require innovation in the understanding of influential and, more importantly, ex-plainable features that directly or indirectly impact the performance of predictivity. A number of methods existing in literature focus on visualization techniques but the concepts of explainability and interpretability still require rigorous definition. In view of the above needs, this paper proposes an interaction-based methodology – Influence Score (I-score) – to screen out the noisy and non-informative variables in the images hence it nourishes an environment with explainable and interpretable features that are directly associated to feature predictiv-ity. We apply the proposed method on a real world application in Pneumonia Chest X-ray Image data set and produced state-of-the-art results. We demonstrate how to apply the proposed approach for more general big data problems by improving the explainability and in-terpretability without sacrificing the prediction performance. The contribution of this paper opens a novel angle that moves the community closer to the future pipelines of XAI problems.
Soil carbon and nitrogen regulation using organic and inorganic fertilizers for leaf physiological activity, grain yield and nutritional quality improvements in rice
Authors: Iqbal Anas , He Liang , Yuan Pengli , Ali Izhar , Khan Ahmad , Zhao Quan , Zeeshan Muhammad , Ahmad Shakeel , Muhammad Ihsan , Adnan Muhammad , Ullah Saif , Wei Shangqin , Cheng Fengwei , Jiang Ligeng
Published: October 2021

Organic fertilizers are widely used in agriculture production and change the soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, thus improving crop production. The increased amount of soil C and N exhibit a greater potential to improve the leaf physiological activity, yields and grain quality of rice by improving soil fertility indices. To understand the relationship between soil C and N contents with leaf physiological activity and grain quality; organic fertilizers (i.e., cattle manure (CM) and poultry manure (PM)) coupled with chemical fertilizer (CF) was applied at the different proportion. The recommended rate of N 150 (kg ha−1) was provided from manure and CF using six treatments, i.e., T1— CF0; T2—100% CF; T3—60% CM + 40% CF; T4—30% CM + 70%CF; T5—60% PM + 40% CF, and T6—30% PM + 70% CF. Results showed that soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn), SPAD values, grain yield and grain quality attributes were significantly increased with combined organic and inorganic fertilizer application. Averaged over the years, T6 treatment significantly improved SOC, TN, Pn, starch content (SC), amylose content (AC), and grain yield by 16%, 12%, 9%, 7%, 12%, and 24%, respectively, compared to CF-only. However, no significant differences among T4 and T6 were observed for studied parameters. In addition, the linear regression exhibited that SOC (R2= 0.70** & R2=0.50*) and TN (R2= 0.62* & R2=0.58*) were positively correlated with grain SC and AC, respectively. Likewise, Pn (R2= 0.51* & R2=0.62*) were also positively associated with SC and AC, respectively. The correlation analysis showed that improving SOC and TN played a key role in enhancing leaf physiological activity and grain nutritional quality. Thus, the combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers at a 30:70 ratio is a promising option for the improvement of soil fertility and grain yield of rice as well as grain nutritional traits.
Cosmic Gas Thermodynamics at z = 1089
Authors: Johnson Martin Reid
Published: October 2021

The Universe at z = 1089 is treated as an expanding ideal gas. Its internal kinetic energy loss exceeds the amount absorbed by gravity and drives further expansion. A Hubble relation (Hg) is derived and compared to the value found by the ΛCDM model (HΛ) over the range z = 1089 to 0. The results suggest that the adiabatic release of energy from cosmic gas accounts for about half of present-day Universal expansion.
Pilotstudie zur Evaluation der Anwendbarkeit eines DICOM-basierten Datenanalyseprogrammes in Bezug auf das Fusionsverhalten eines interkorporellen Titancages bei Spondylodesen-Operationen an der Lendenwirbelsäule
Authors:   , Wehner Diana
Published: October 2021

Zielsetzung: Ziel dieser Studie war die Überprüfung der Machbarkeit einer softwaregestützten radiologischen Evaluation der Cageposition und Quantifizierung einer möglichen Cagemigration und -sinterung anhand computertomographisch gewonnener DICOM-Daten im Rahmen des Heilungsprozesses interkorporell fusionierter Patienten. Zusätzlich dazu wurde eine mögliche Korrelation zum Fusionsverhalten des Cages sowie zum klinischen Outcome der Patienten analysiert. Material und Methoden: In den postoperativen CT Datensätzen von 67 Patienten nach monosegmentaler, dorsal instrumentierter TLIF wurde mithilfe der Software VGStudio Max die Cageposition bestimmt. Eine im postoperativen Verlauf eingetretene Lageänderung ≥ 1 mm bzw. ≥ 3° wurde hierbei als minimale Migration / Sinterung, eine Lageänderung ≥ 3 mm bzw. ≥ 10° als deutliche Migration / Sinterung des Cages gewertet. Um zu prüfen, ob das Migrations- und Sinterungsverhalten einen Einfluss auf die Osteogenese hat, erfolgte auf Basis der von Bridwell et al publizierten Fusionskriterien in den 12 Monate postoperativen CT-Aufnahmen eine Evaluation des Fusionstatus‘. Zur klinischen Beurteilung wurden der Oswestry Disability Index, die Visuelle Analogskala, der Schmerzmittelbedarf und der modifizierte Pationnaire Questionnaire der Patienten ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Die Messung der Cageposition mittels VGStudio Max ist eine präzise und reliable Methode zur Quantifizierung einer Cagemigration und -sinterung. Insgesamt war bei 85,1% der Patienten eine Migration (61,2% minimal, 23,9% deutlich) und bei 58,2% der Patienten eine Sinterung (32,8% minimal, 25,4% deutlich) des Cages nachweisbar. Radiologische Zeichen einer Pseudarthrose fanden sich bei 5 Patienten (7,5%). Die übrigen 92,5% der Patienten wiesen eine Grad I bzw. II Fusion auf. Cagemigration und -sinterung hatten keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf das Fusionsverhalten und das klinische Outcome. Eine Korrelation zwischen Fusionsergebnis und klinischem Outcome bestand ebenfalls nicht. Schlussfolgerung: Die Inzidenz der Cagemigration ist - unter Berücksichtigung auch geringfügiger Lageänderungen der Cages - deutlich höher als vorbeschrieben. Auf Basis des Migrations- bzw. Sinterungsverhaltens von Cages können jedoch keine Rückschlüsse auf das Fusionsergebnis gezogen werden. Als Kriterium in der Fusionsbeurteilung eignet sich der Nachweis einer Cagemigration bzw. -sinterung daher nicht in dem Ausmaß wie bisher vermutet.
Software Defined (SDN) Based Internet of Things (IoT) networks
Authors: S. BÎRLEANU
Published: October 2021

The exponential growth of IoT devices connected to the Internet has led to the need to develop a new technology for managing them. The challenges posed by the implementation of IoT networks have emerged in the control and management of IoT applications and networks that become difficult to maintain, the programming of IoT devices. In addition, IoT devices are not designed to allow centralized management and control. Things get even more complicated when the IoT administrator has to manually configure all distributed IoT devices to add each new feature to the network. Software-Defined Networking - SDN solves existing network-level problems by providing the ability to build increasingly complex IoT-based systems in a simpler and more flexible manner. The paper aims to detail the evolution of SDN and IoT networks and an analysis of the benefits and challenges of SDN and IoT integration.
Automatic organization of a set in a heap
Authors: Paul VASILIU
Published: October 2021

The organization of a set in the form of a heap is the basis for the construction of binary search trees. The algorithm for organizing a set in the form of a pile is laborious and requires a high volume of resources. In this paper we have automated the algorithm for organizing a set in the form of a heap. We developed a program in the C++ programming language that implements the heap generation algorithm and I analyzed a numerical example.
Review of electric propulsion for small boats/drones
Authors: Nicolae-Silviu POPA
Published: October 2021

Nowadays, electric propulsion is one of the main fields of research (whether we are talking about the automotive field or the naval field). This paper presents the electric propulsion used on small boats (drones): the advantages of using electric propulsion, storage mode and possible methods of obtaining electricity (renewable sources of electricity).
REFLEXIONES EN TORNO A MI EXPERIENCIA DOCENTE EN PROGRAMAS FORMATIVOS PARA PADRES Y MADRES DE FAMILIA
Authors: Carreras Lomelí María Teresa
Published: October 2021

En este escrito, comparto mi experiencia y reflexiones respecto al trabajo realizado durante más de doce años con padres y madres de familia en diversas instituciones escolares y en centros comunitarios que impulsan la educación familiar. Empecé impartiendo pláticas y conferencias sobre los temas que me solicitaban pero, a pesar del interés que los asistentes mostraban en el tema, no lograba una participación entusiaste dde buena parte del auditorio. Esto me llevó a la búsquedad de otras alternativas más didácticas y al uso de metodologías activas hasta descrubrir las posibilidades formativas de los talleres compementados con apoyo tutorial. De esta manera, los padres reflexionan sobre su situación concreta y encuentran respuetas, que casi siempre brotan de ellos, a los problemas relacionados con la interación familiar y la educación de sus hijos; se fijan metas y objetivos de mejora y reciben asesoría y seguimiento.
EL CONSTRUCTIVISMO EN EL AULA
Authors: López de Llergo Ana Teresa
Published: October 2021

Son siete capítulos y cada uno termina con su respectiva bibliografía.
LA ESCUELA DE PADRES, UN TESTIMONIO DE MODELO DE ÉXITO
Authors: Barreiro González Jaime Marcolino
Published: October 2021

Es mi deseo compartir algunas reflexiones iniciales sobre los orígenes de las escuelas de padres y sus contenidos propuestos con la finalidad de poseer un panorama previo a la esencia de este escrito: la presentación de un modelo de escuela de padres que inició su operación en 1995 y que sigue operando con éxito en varias ciudades de la República Mexicana y en otras de América Latina.
PREGUNTANDO POR EL CORAZÓN. EL MUNDO DE LA AFECTIVIDAD
Authors: Villalobos Torres Marveya
Published: October 2021

Los estoicos explican los actos humanos como operaciones del individuo total, sin diferenciar lo psíquico y lo somático. Sin embargo, a lo largo de toda la doctrina estoica permanece la idea de un dios interior.
EVALUACIÓN DE LOS ESTILOS EDUCATIVOS PARENTALES EN UNA MUESTRA DE ESTUDIANTES FILIPINOS: IMPLICACIONES EDUCATIVAS
Authors: Osorio de Rebellón Yohn Alfonso , Rivas Borrell Sonia , De Irala Estévez Jokin , Calatrava María , López del Burgo Cristina
Published: October 2021

Un cuerpo teórico importante de investigación sugiere que el estilo autoritativo de los padres se asocia con unas mejoras en diversos aspectos de ajuste psicosocial de los adolescentes. Este artículo desarrolla y analiza la tipología de los estilos educativos parentales en el contexto de jóvenes filipinos. Apartir de una muestra de 3.601 estudiantes, se muestra que el estilo autoritativo se asocia con mayor autoestima, menor impulsividad, mayor intención de alcanzar metas positivas en el futuro, mejor rendimiento académico, menor prevalencia de experiencia sexual y mayor rechazo de diversas formas de sexismo.
FORMACIÓN DE LA VOLUNTAD PARA EL EJERCICIO DE LA LIBERTAD
Authors: Rodríguez Flores Josefina
Published: October 2021

No puede entenderse la voluntad, como facultad suprema de la persona humana, sin la acción de los atributos de la inteligencia y la libertad.
¡BASTA DE HISTORIAS! LA OBSESIÓN LATINOAMERICANA CON EL PASADO
Authors: Hefferan Romero Lucía , Sánchez Álvarez Jennifer
Published: October 2021

Andrés Oppenheimer nació en Buenos Aires, Argentina, estudió en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, continuó sus estudios en Macalester College, de St. Paul, Minnesota y obtuvo la maestría en periodismo por la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York, en 1978.

Periodista argentino, editor y columnista de The Miami Herald, conductor del programa televisivo «Oppenheimer Presenta», autor de los best-sellers ¡Basta de Historias!,Cuentos Chinos, y otros cuatro libros sobre política y economía internacional. Fue co-ganador del premio Pulitzer, en 1987.

Oppenheimer fue seleccionado por el Forbes Media Guide como uno de los «500 periodistas más importantes» de Estados Unidos y por la revista Podercomo una de las 100 figuras «más poderosas» en América Latina. El periódico francés Le Monde señaló, en 2003, que Oppenheimer «ocupa un lugar único en la prensa de las Américas», ya que sus trabajos periodísticos «fijan la agenda del debate político inter-americano».
REMEMBRANZAS SOBRE EL PROYECTO CULTURAL DE JOSÉ VASCONCELOS
Authors: Bernal G. María del Carmen
Published: October 2021

EL TRABAJO EDUCATIVO DE JOSÉ VASCONCELOS (1920-1924) SOBRESALEen este campo. Gracias a su intensa sensibilidad estética y al conocimientode la psicología mexicana, promovió un ambicioso proyectode renovación del espíritu a través de las artes, creando un ambienteapropiado para el renacimiento de actividades culturales y artísticasque prácticamente habían desaparecido con la revolución.Vasconcelos sabía que podía utilizar las artes como medios parauna íntima formación del espíritu humano así como la creación deuna identidad nacional.Su proyecto fue eficaz gracias a los artistas e intelectuales mexicanosque se unieron a esta campaña educacional a favor de México.
¿HA PASADO DE MODA EL NOVIAZGO?
Authors: Pliego Ballesteros María
Published: October 2021

LAS IDEAS CLARAS SOBRE EL SIGNIFICADO DEL NOVIAZGO, DETERMINANlas actitudes convenientes en esta hermosa etapa de la vida que se vaconvirtiendo en la base de un matrimonio feliz y una adecuada vidafamiliar.En este trabajo se analizan una serie de virtudes: prudencia, lealtad,templanza, honestidad, sobridad, generosidad, responsabilidad,amistad y justicia para alentar a las personas a esforzarse y cultivarlasen este período.
EL EXAMEN PÚBLICO O LA CEREMONIA DEL PODER DISCIPLINARIO
Authors: Villalpando Hernández Irma
Published: October 2021

La práctica de exámenes públicos en sistemas escolarizados se encuentra documentada en varios países de Europa y México desde hace casi dos siglos. El ensayo se pregunta por esta práctica educativa que exige al sujeto dar cuenta pública de su saber y, con ello, obtener un ascenso de grado o un título académico.

Es posible entender la práctica escolar de presentar exámenes públicos como un legado de los sistemas monárquicos, poder político con facultad soberana que a través de fastuosas ceremonias públicas, se arroga la facultad de asignar títulos o condecoraciones a los sujetos. Sin embargo, la vigencia del examen público actual no se sostiene únicamente por la herencia o legado de dichas prácticas, más bien, su vigencia se actualiza a través del poder de las disciplinas en tanto saberes que construyen sistemas de verdad a los que deben someterse los sujetos. Desde el pensamiento del filósofo francés Michel Foucault, el poder disciplinario se manifiesta a través de la visibilidad y docilidad de los sujetos, en ellos recae su campo de intervención y los efectos de su práctica. En este sentido, el ensayo argumenta que el poder de las disciplinas es el sustrato de fuerza que articula y sostiene el actual mecanismo del examen público.
APRENDIENDO CON TECNOLOGÍAS DE LA INTELIGENCIA EN LA WEB SEMÁNTICA
Authors: Ortega Barba Claudia Fabiola
Published: October 2021

En sus aproximadamente 40 años de existencia, la evolución de Internet ha permitido, por un lado, que los desarrollos tecnológicos relacionados con ésta sean más cercanos a los procesos de enseñanzacomunicación-aprendizaje y, por el otro, que se estén consolidando ideas como la websemántica entendida como el espacio en Internet que se construye en y a través de significados cuyo objetivo es ordenar los contenidos en el ciberespacio.
ESTRATEGIAS COGNITIVAS Y METACOGNITIVAS EN ESTUDIANTES DE EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA CON APTITUDES SOBRESALIENTES
Authors: Márquez Cabellos Norma Guadalupe , Andrade Sánchez Adriana Isabel , Cuevas Romo Julio
Published: October 2021

El presente artículo aborda un estudio realizado a 254 adolescentes de educación secundaria con aptitudes sobresalientes, centrado en la identificación de estrategias cognitivas y estrategias metacognitivas bajo la configuración del Cuestionario de Estrategias de Aprendizaje —CEA— (Beltrán, Pérez y Ortega, 2006). La investigación es de corte cuantitativo. Los resultados identificaron el perfil de aprendizaje, las estrategias cognitivas y metacognitivas implementadas antes, durante y después de la solución a un problema; lo que permitió afirmar la importancia de desarrollar estrategias cognitivas y metacognitivas, encaminadas a adquirir herramientas para el trabajo autónomo, el aprendizaje autorregulado, así como la planeación, evaluación y el control del propio aprendizaje; conduciendo a obtener éxito en diferentes áreas de estudio.
LOS SABERES DE LA PEDAGOGÍA
Authors: Lerma Jasso Héctor
Published: October 2021

LA PEDAGOGÍA, EN SU ESTATUTO ACTUAL, DEBE SER ESTUDIADA EN SUS DIVERsas facetas: como ciencia general de la educación, carrera universitaria, disciplina académica y profesión laboral. En cada una de ellas se expresan sus saberes.
LA PEDAGOGÍA EMPRESARIAL COMO DISCIPLINA
Authors: Meza Mejía Mónica
Published: October 2021

MUCHAS NACIONES ESTÁN ESTUDIANDO LAS ALTERNATIVAS PARA INTEGRAR CON éxito los distintos factores que intervienen en los procesos de globalización. Un ejemplo se observa en la preocupación de nuestro país por vincular la Academia con el sector productivo, con miras a establecer estrategias que aporten beneficios mutuos, incluyendo la formación de personal cualificado que demanda una economía abierta y competitiva.
METODOLOGÍAS ACTIVAS PARA LA ENSEÑANZA Y EL APRENDIZAJE
Authors: Bernal González Ma. del Carmen , Martínez Dueñas Mariel Sarai
Published: October 2021

r se ha vuelto una tarea cada vez más exigente para quienes ejercen la docencia en los diferentes niveles. La experiencia dicta, en palabras de Mark Prensky, que «hoy tenemos alumnos para los que nuestro sistema educativo no fue creado» (Prensky, 2001, 1). Lo anterior manifiesta la urgencia de innovar la labor docente y encontrar mejores metodologías para hacer asequible el aprendizaje a los estudiantes.
LAS REFORMAS CONSTITUCIONALES DEL ARTÍCULO 3°. UNA RELECTURA PEDAGÓGICA A SUS REFORMAS EDUCATIVAS
Authors: Hernández Teresa , Esparza Gustavo
Published: October 2021

En el presente trabajo se analizan las Reformas Constitucionales(RC), realizadas al Artículo 3° (1934-2016), con el fin de valorar si latraducción en Reformas Educativas (RE) ha logrado traducir el conjuntode los ideales constitucionales. El método de trabajo es el siguiente:con la construcción de los conceptos de Pedagogía política y Currículo (como instrumento político), en un segundo apartado, se elabora unalectura crítica de las distintas RC al Art. 3°. Se alcanzan tres resultados:primero, que el Art. 3° es el marco ideal y legal que debe impulsarel Estado mexicano a través de las RE y sus propuestas curriculares.Segundo, las primeras RC (1934-1993) impulsaron un proyecto de nacióna través de una Pedagogía Política. Tercero, la estructura generalde las últimas RE (2002-2016), al privilegiar el carácter internacionalen las distintas propuestas curriculares, ha desatendido el criterio deidentidad nacional.
INVESTIGAR: UNA COMPETENCIA INDISPENSABLE PARA EL PEDAGOGO
Authors: Ochoa García Julián , García Bejar Ligia
Published: October 2021

La formación de los estudiantes universitarios se ha vuelto cada vezmás compleja. No se circunscribe sólo a la formación de especialistasen una de las ramas del conocimiento, también debe desarrollar lascompetencias transversales requeridas en todo egresado universitario.Entre las competencias que, de forma indispensable, debe adquirir unestudiante, se encuentran el desarrollo de habilidades informativas yde investigación.

El concepto de alfabetización informacional ha sido estudiado ampliamenteen los últimos años por varios especialistas, en especial en elcampo de las ciencias de la información y la bibliotecología. Es esencialque alumnos y profesores sean autosuficientes para satisfacer sus necesidadesde información al realizar investigaciones académicas fundamentadasque aporten contenidos al cúmulo de conocimientos yaexistentes.Los estudios a nivel universitario implican un trabajo de mayor profundidady especialización por parte de los alumnos que los cursan,y especialmente en el tema de la investigación que deben realizar enel transcurso de los mismos. Es por eso que en el presente trabajose profundizará en la importancia que guarda, en específico para losestudiantes de Pedagogía, el desarrollar correctamente las competenciasinformacionales, haciendo especial énfasis en las competenciasen investigación.