bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence regarding the ecological benefits of payment for ecological services programs from China’s grassland ecological compensation policy
Authors: Wei Cong , Zhou Yingfeng , Kong Jiayang
Published: September 2022

We provide evidence that payment for ecological services programs have had a significant and robust positive impact on grassland quality by focusing on China’s grassland ecological compensation policy (GECP)—the planet’s largest. Our baseline results are obtained from a difference-in-differences estimator, comparing counties which have and have not introduced a GECP. It shows that such a policy increases grassland quality by about four percentage points on average. We found a similar impact of the GECP on grassland quality when we controlled for the estimated propensity of a county to launch this policy based on a series of county characteristics, such as weather and economic conditions. We obtained comparable estimates when we used the propensity score to balance county characteristics between counties which have and have not launched the GECP. Our results also show that the policy has a larger impact on grassland quality in warmer, richer, and in less populated counties than those with the opposite characteristics. We found strong suggestions for the persistent impact of the GECP on grassland quality, implying that Chinese officials should persist with the policy and expand the range of the pilot policy. In addition, we carried out a series of robustness tests, including the leave-one-county-out test, bootstrapping test, and the permutation test, to illustrate the robustness of our results.
The effect of social capital on the career choice of entrepreneurship or employment in a closed ecosystem
Authors: Tang Yong
Published: September 2022

Restricted by China’s “hukou” system, the population in any given area of the country is relatively constant, and its employability and workability are mutually determined, as in a closed ecosystem. Social capital (or “guanxi” in Chinese society) in China has the effects of reducing set-up costs for entrepreneurship or securing the job-seeking for employment. This paper uses equilibrium analysis and makes some modifications to Kihlstrom and Laffont’s model to explore career choice mechanisms in China’s context. It was found that when social capital only reduces the set-up costs for entrepreneurship, there exists one equilibrium point; individuals with more social capital will choose entrepreneurship, and those with less social capital will be workers or unemployed. When social capital simultaneously reduces the set-up costs for entrepreneurship and secures employment, four equilibrium points appear along with the strength of social capital, and the career options occur in the order of entrepreneurship, employment, entrepreneurship, and unemployment. The findings fill the gap that career choice is mainly determined by an individual’s risk-aversion and contribute specifically to China’s entrepreneurship and employment selection.
Color in motion: Generating 3-dimensional multispectral models to study dynamic visual signals in animals
Authors: Miller Audrey E. , Hogan Benedict G. , Stoddard Mary Caswell
Published: September 2022

Analyzing color and pattern in the context of motion is a central and ongoing challenge in the quantification of animal coloration. Many animal signals are spatially and temporally variable, but traditional methods fail to capture this dynamism because they use stationary animals in fixed positions. To investigate dynamic visual displays and to understand the evolutionary forces that shape dynamic colorful signals, we require cross-disciplinary methods that combine measurements of color, pattern, 3-dimensional (3D) shape, and motion. Here, we outline a workflow for producing digital 3D models with objective color information from museum specimens with diffuse colors. The workflow combines multispectral imaging with photogrammetry to produce digital 3D models that contain calibrated ultraviolet (UV) and human-visible (VIS) color information and incorporate pattern and 3D shape. These “3D multispectral models” can subsequently be animated to incorporate both signaler and receiver movement and analyzed in silico using a variety of receiver-specific visual models. This approach—which can be flexibly integrated with other tools and methods—represents a key first step toward analyzing visual signals in motion. We describe several timely applications of this workflow and next steps for multispectral 3D photogrammetry and animation techniques.
Comparison of intercept trap fluids and aerial spore collectors to survey fungal spores
Authors: Bérubé Jean A. , Allison Jeremy D. , Van Rooyen Kate , Hughes Cory , Gagné Patrick N. , Ochoa Isabelle , Sweeney Jon
Published: September 2022

Surveillance for early detection of non-native, invasive pathogens requires simple, sturdy, and easy-to-use collecting devices. In this study, we compared the fungal species detected in wet collection cups of Lindgren trapsvs. those detected on slides with oiled cheesecloth as aerial spore collectors. DNA was extracted and amplified from both using the primers ITS1F and gITS7, and Illumina sequencing was used for the metabarcoding of fungi present in samples. In 90 samples, there were 1,277 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). For fungal OTUs only detected by one collection method, insect traps had three times the number of fungal OTUs compared to slides, and this pattern persisted when analyses were restricted to pathogens and forest pathogens. Annually, thousands of insect traps are deployed in North America and the associated trap fluids have added value to forest disease research and monitoring.
Critical role of guanylate binding protein 5 in tumor immune microenvironment and predictive value of immunotherapy response
Authors: Li Xiang , Song Dan , Su Song , He Xiaobo , Cao Fengyu , Yang Chao , Li Kai , Huang Shuoyang , Li Changhua , Wang Chenhong , Zhang Aikang , Pang Pengcheng , Zheng Yongbin
Published: September 2022

Background: The guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) are the latest potential targets of immunotherapy. However, the role of GBP5 in pan-cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC), remains unclear. This study aims to explore the effect of GBP5 on immunity in pan-cancer.

Methods: Based on the RNA sequencing data of 33 cancers obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we analyzed the clinical significance of GBPs and focused on the correlation between GBP5 and tumor microenvironment (TME). Immunotherapy cohort IMvigor210 was used to explore the relationship between treatment response and GBPs. Then, we further analyzed the expression of GBP5 in immune cells using single-cell transcriptome cohort GSE146771 and GSE132465 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Finally, a prognostic model based on GBP5 expression was established and validated.

Results: We found that the expression of GBP3/4/5 is higher in colorectal cancer than in normal tissues, and GBP5 is a better predictor of good treatment response to immune checkpoint blockade than other GBPs. In most other cancers, GBP5 is also elevated in tumors compared with normal tissues and is associated with a better prognosis. As for TME, GBP5 is generally positively correlated with immune score, the level of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune-related genes. Single-cell analysis showed that GBP5 was mainly expressed in myeloid cells and T cells. The GBP5-related prognostic model we constructed in CRC can predict the survival of patients and propose some genes for subsequent research.

Conclusion: This study revealed a strong correlation between GBP5 and immunity in generalized cancer and provided evidence that CRC may be a suitable cancer type for anti-GBP5 therapy.
Case report: Autoimmune nodopathy with concurrent serum and CSF IgG4 anti-neurofascin 155 antibodies
Authors: Wang Wanyu , Liu Lingchun , Zhang Mingzhi , Yang Ruihan , Liu Da , Yang Shunyu , Meng Qiang
Published: September 2022

Objective

To report a case of autoimmune nodopathy (AN) with concurrent serum and CSF immunoglobulin (Ig)G4 anti-neurofascin 155 (NF155) and anti-GD1b antibodies.

Methods

A 20-year-old male presented distal weakness of the 4 limbs, hypoesthesia, absent tendon reflexes and sensory ataxia. Nerve conduction studies (NCS), MRI, and autoantibody tests were performed.

Results

NCS revealed a diffuse demyelinating neuropathy in the peripheral nerve with motor and sensory involvement. MRI of the cervical and lumbar plexus showed diffuse enlargement. IgG4 anti-NF155 antibodies in both serum and CSF and IgG anti-GD1b antibodies in serum were positive. After treatment with IVIg, rituximab, and plasma exchange, the titer of the patient’s anti-NF155 antibodies decreased, but symptoms did not significantly improve.

Discussion

This patient presented a typical clinical feature of AN with serum and CSF anti-NF155 antibodies and serum anti-GD1b antibodies coexistent but poor response to IVIg, rituximab and plasma exchange. Early detection of antibodies may be helpful in both diagnosis and therapy of the disease. And prospective studies are necessary to demonstrate the potential role of anti-NF155 antibodies in CSF and help further understand this complex and heterogeneous disease.
Systems biology and artificial intelligence analysis highlights the pleiotropic effect of IVIg therapy in autoimmune diseases with a predominant role on B cells and complement system
Authors: Segú-Vergés Cristina , Caño Silvia , Calderón-Gómez Elisabeth , Bartra Helena , Sardon Teresa , Kaveri Srini , Terencio José
Published: September 2022

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is used as treatment for several autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, but its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. Herein, we aimed to evaluate, using systems biology and artificial intelligence techniques, the differences in the pathophysiological pathways of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that show diverse responses to IVIg treatment. We also intended to determine the targets of IVIg involved in the best treatment response of the evaluated diseases. Our selection and classification of diseases was based on a previously published systematic review, and we performed the disease characterization through manual curation of the literature. Furthermore, we undertook the mechanistic evaluation with artificial neural networks and pathway enrichment analyses. A set of 26 diseases was selected, classified, and compared. Our results indicated that diseases clearly benefiting from IVIg treatment were mainly characterized by deregulated processes in B cells and the complement system. Indeed, our results show that proteins related to B-cell and complement system pathways, which are targeted by IVIg, are involved in the clinical response. In addition, targets related to other immune processes may also play an important role in the IVIg response, supporting its wide range of actions through several mechanisms. Although B-cell responses and complement system have a key role in diseases benefiting from IVIg, protein targets involved in such processes are not necessarily the same in those diseases. Therefore, IVIg appeared to have a pleiotropic effect that may involve the collaborative participation of several proteins. This broad spectrum of targets and ‘non-specificity’ of IVIg could be key to its efficacy in very different diseases.
Change in adverse event reporting following immunization of hepatitis B vaccine among infants between 2013 to 2020 before and after the vaccine administration law in China
Authors: Wang Chao , Huang Ninghua , Lu Qing-Bin , Black Steven , Liang Xiaofeng , Cui Fuqiang
Published: September 2022

Background

Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) has been routinely recommended as part of the immunization program in China and has had a satisfactory safety and effectiveness profile in protecting infants from hepatitis B virus infection. We evaluated the surveillance sensitivity and changes over time of AEFI reports related to HepB among infants based on the consistent national data before and after the introduction of vaccine administration law (LAW) from 2013 to 2020 in China.

Methods

AEFI records were extracted from the Chinese National AEFI Surveillance System from 2013 to 2020. According to the proportion of different kinds of HepB vaccines distributed, the annual administration data of the most distributed HepB produced by Bio-Kangtai and its corresponding adverse reaction reports were collected and analyzed. We categorized the time interval into the pre-LAW period (2013 to 2017), transition period (2018 to 2019), and LAW period (2020) to demonstrate the impact of LAW on the surveillance patterns of AEFIs.

Results

The annual AEFI rates increased from 3.1/100,000 to 14.8/100,000 over this period in total. The rate ratio for the post-LAW period and pre-LAW period was 2.19 (95%CI: 2.10, 2.29). Common reactions occupied 87.6% of the total reported AEFIs whose rate was recorded as 7.9/100,000. Rare reactions occupied 9.1% of the total AEFIs showing an average rate of 0.8/100,000, of which anaphylaxis accounted for over 80%, with the rate ratio of the transition period and LAW period as 1.36 (95%CI:1.22, 1.52) and 1.14 (95%CI:0.95, 1.35), respectively. Children receiving more than one vaccine showed a higher proportion of fever, anaphylaxis, and febrile convulsions, which were suggested to be a result of vaccine co-administration vaccines, such as the DPT and Polio vaccine.

Conclusion

Most reactions were mild and self-limited and the rates of rare more serious events remained stable. The LAW has largely increased the surveillance capability and sensitivity on AEFIs of HepB and also contributes to enhancing public confidence in HepB immunization. Hepatitis B vaccination is a safe and effective means of preventing the complications of hepatitis B disease and continuous standardized AEFI investigation and assessment of causal association should be maintained.
A temporal assessment of anthropogenic marine debris on sandy beaches from Ecuador’s southern coast
Authors: Salazar Juliana A. , González Roger , Navarrete Alba L. , Calle Paola , Alava Juan José , Domínguez Gustavo A.
Published: September 2022

Anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) is an environmental pollution that affects marine life, human health, wellbeing, and the economy. This marine litter can deposit in the coastlines, particularly on tidal zones and beaches. To pursue future mitigation strategies to reduce AMD is important to monitor the amount, type and frequency of litter being dumped on shores. This study presents the composition, temporal distribution, abundance and size of AMD on three sandy beaches from Guayas province, Ecuador. The field data was recollected from December 2018 to February 2020. A total of 12,362 items of AMD were collected with an abundance of 1.95 macro-litter items/m2. The composition of AMD was marked by the predominance of plastic items (91.8%), followed by wood and cloth (1.9%), while cigarettes were only present in village beaches. Our results suggest that sites with more AMD abundance are beaches nearby small coastal villages and fishing communities. Also, the AMD abundance is slightly higher at the beginning of the dry season than in the rainy season. Our findings indicate that it is necessary to implement concerted solid waste management measures and proactive environmental education programs to empower the local population, as well as investigate the anthropogenic sources and other variables influencing the AMD abundance coming onto sandy shores.
Reduced renal function is associated with prolonged hospitalization in frail older patients with non-severe pneumonia
Authors: Kanno Atsuhiro , Kimura Ryo , Ooyama Chika , Ueda Juri , Miyazawa Isabelle , Fujikawa Yuko , Sato Shigeru , Koinuma Nobuo , Ohara Takahiro , Sumitomo Kazuhiro , Furukawa Katsutoshi
Published: September 2022

Objective

Pneumonia is a disease with high morbidity and mortality among older individuals in Japan. In practice, most older patients with pneumonia are not required ventilatory management and are not necessarily in critical respiratory condition. However, prolonged hospitalization itself is considered to be a serious problem even in these patients with non-critical pneumonia and have negative and critical consequences such as disuse syndrome in older patients. Therefore, it is essential to examine the factors involved in redundant hospital stays for older hospitalized patients with non-severe pneumonia, many of whom are discharged alive.

Method

We examined hospitalized patients diagnosed with pneumonia who were 65 years and older in our facility between February 2017 and March 2020. A longer length of stay (LOS) was defined in cases in which exceeded the 80th percentile of the hospitalization period for all patients was exceeded, and all other cases with a shorter hospitalization were defined as a shorter LOS. In a multivariate logistic regression model, factors determining longer LOSs were analyzed using significant variables in univariate analysis and clinically relevant variables which could interfere with renal function, including fasting period, time to start rehabilitation, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score of 2 or higher, bed-ridden state.

Results

We analyzed 104 eligible participants, and the median age was 86 (interquartile range, 82–91) years. Overall, 31 patients (30.7%) were bed-ridden, and 37 patients (35.6%) were nursing-home residents. Patients with a Clinical Frailty Scale score of 4 or higher, considered clinically frail, accounted for 93.2% of all patients. In multivariate analysis, for a decrease of 5 ml/min/1.73m2 in eGFR, the adjusted odds ratios for longer LOSs were 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.44) after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusion

Reduced renal function at admission has a significant impact on prolonged hospital stay among older patients with non-severe pneumonia. Thoughtful consideration should be given to the frail older pneumonia patients with reduced renal function or with chronic kidney disease as a comorbidity at the time of hospitalization to prevent the progression of geriatric syndrome associated with prolonged hospitalization.
Severe skin and subcutaneous pythiosis in China: Metagenomic identification and characterization of Pythium insidiosum
Authors: Zhang Haiyan , Zhou Fengli , Huang Jiabao , Liu Xiaoyun , Xu Hui , Liang Jiayin , Wang Jun , Chen Jing , Liu Lingling , Li Yiting , Hu Xuan , Chen Xuanrong , Liu Chao , Zhang Kouxing
Published: September 2022

Pythium insidiosum is a rare fungus-like pathogen that is known to cause pythiosis in mammals with high morbidity and mortality. Identification of the pathogen is essential for timely treatment and rational use of antibiotics. However, Pythium insidiosum is difficult to detect via conventional microbiological tests. The current gold standard is polymerase chain reaction, which is lacking in most hospitals since human pythiosis is rare in China. In this study, we used metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing and identified Pythium insidiosum in a 56-year-old Chinese male who was hospitalized due to severe edema in the right lower limb with scattered darkening indurations. The patient had a history of cirrhosis and occupational exposure to swamp water. Serological level of immune biomarkers indicated immunodeficiency, and Proteinase 3-Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody was positive. Surgical incision of the lesions revealed radiating and reticular cutaneous ulcers. Microbial infections were suspected but conventional tests failed to discover the etiology. Empirical use of penicillin, vancomycin, and ceftriaxone had no effect. As a result, the peripheral blood and tissue biopsies were sent for metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing, which reported Pythium insidiosum. This finding was corroborated by pathological staining, whole-genome sequencing, and internal transcribed spacer sequencing. Notably, antifungal treatment was ineffective, but the patient responded well to oral trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, which may be due to the folp gene found in Pythium insidiosum genome. Our study prompts future studies to determine the optimal treatment of skin pythiosis.
Bacterial glycosylation, it’s complicated
Authors: Szymanski Christine M.
Published: September 2022

Each microbe has the ability to produce a wide variety of sugar structures that includes some combination of glycolipids, glycoproteins, exopolysaccharides and oligosaccharides. For example, bacteria may synthesize lipooligosaccharides or lipopolysaccharides, teichoic and lipoteichoic acids, N- and O-linked glycoproteins, capsular polysaccharides, exopolysaccharides, poly-N-acetylglycosamine polymers, peptidoglycans, osmoregulated periplasmic glucans, trehalose or glycogen, just to name a few of the more broadly distributed carbohydrates that have been studied. The composition of many of these glycans are typically dissimilar from those described in eukaryotes, both in the seemingly endless repertoire of sugars that microbes are capable of synthesizing, and in the unique modifications that are attached to the carbohydrate residues. Furthermore, strain-to-strain differences in the carbohydrate building blocks used to create these glycoconjugates are the norm, and many strains possess additional mechanisms for turning on and off transferases that add specific monosaccharides and/or modifications, exponentially contributing to the structural heterogeneity observed by a single isolate, and preventing any structural generalization at the species level. In the past, a greater proportion of research effort was directed toward characterizing human pathogens rather than commensals or environmental isolates, and historically, the focus was on microbes that were simple to grow in large quantities and straightforward to genetically manipulate. These studies have revealed the complexity that exists among individual strains and have formed a foundation to better understand how other microbes, hosts and environments further transform the glycan composition of a single isolate. These studies also motivate researchers to further explore microbial glycan diversity, particularly as more sensitive analytical instruments and methods are developed to examine microbial populations in situ rather than in large scale from an enriched nutrient flask. This review emphasizes many of these points using the common foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni as the model microbe.
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitory potentials of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and its bioactive compounds licochalcone A and licochalcone B: An in silico and in vitro study
Authors: Shaikh Sibhghatulla , Ali Shahid , Lim Jeong Ho , Chun Hee Jin , Ahmad Khurshid , Ahmad Syed Sayeed , Hwang Ye Chan , Han Ki Soo , Kim Na Ri , Lee Eun Ju , Choi Inho
Published: September 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing global public health issue, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) is a potential therapeutic target in T2DM. Several synthetic anti-DPP-4 medications can be used to treat T2DM. However, because of adverse effects, there is an unmet demand for the development of safe and effective medications. Natural medicines are receiving greater interest due to the inherent safety of natural compounds. Glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice) is widely consumed and used as medicine. In this study, we investigated the abilities of a crude water extract (CWE) of G. uralensis and two of its constituents (licochalcone A (LicA) and licochalcone B (LicB)) to inhibit the enzymatic activity of DPP-4 in silico and in vitro. In silico studies showed that LicA and LicB bind tightly to the catalytic site of DPP-4 and have 11 amino acid residue interactions in common with the control inhibitor sitagliptin. Protein-protein interactions studies of LicA-DPP4 and LicB-DPP4 complexes with GLP1 and GIP reduced the DPP-4 to GLP1 and GIP interactions, indicated that these constituents might reduce the degradations of GLP1 and GIP. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations revealed that LicA and LicB stably bound to DPP-4 enzyme. Furthermore, DPP-4 enzyme assay showed the CWE of G. uralensis, LicA, and LicB concentration-dependently inhibited DPP-4; LicA and LicB had an estimated IC50 values of 347.93 and 797.84 μM, respectively. LicA and LicB inhibited DPP-4 at high concentrations, suggesting that these compounds could be used as functional food ingredients to manage T2DM.
Sonochemical synthesis of a copper reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite using honey and evaluation of its antibacterial and cytotoxic activities
Authors: Ismail Nur Afini , Shameli Kamyar , Mohamad Sukri Siti Nur Amalina , Hara Hirofumi , Teow Sin-Yeang , Moeini Hassan
Published: September 2022

The combination of graphene-based materials and inorganic nanoparticles for the enhancement of the nanomaterial properties is extensively explored nowadays. In the present work, we used a sonochemical method to synthesize a copper/reduced graphene oxide (Cu/RGO) nanocomposite using Australian honey and vitamin C as capping and reducing agents, respectively. The honey-mediated copper/reduced graphene oxide (H/Cu/RGO) nanocomposite was then characterized through UV-visible, XRD, HRTEM, and FTIR analysis. The copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) in the nanocomposite formed uniform spherical shapes with a size of 2.20 ± 0.70 nm, which attached to the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) layers. The nanocomposite could suppress bacterial growth in both types of bacteria strains. However, in this study, the nanocomposite exhibited good bactericidal activity toward the Gram-positive bacteria than the Gram-negative bacteria. It also showed a cytotoxic effect on the cancer colorectal cell line HCT11, even in low concentrations. These results suggested that the H/Cu/RGO nanocomposite can be a suitable component for biomedical applications.
Robot location privacy protection based on Q-learning particle swarm optimization algorithm in mobile crowdsensing
Authors: Ma Dandan , Kong Dequan , Chen Xiaowei , Zhang Lingyu , Yuan Mingrun
Published: September 2022

In the recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, robot location-based service (RLBS) has become the main application service on mobile intelligent devices. When people use location services, it generates a large amount of location data with real location information. If a malicious third party gets this location information, it will cause the risk of location-related privacy disclosure for users. The wide application of crowdsensing service has brought about the leakage of personal privacy. However, the existing privacy protection strategies cannot adapt to the crowdsensing environment. In this paper, we propose a novel location privacy protection based on the Q-learning particle swarm optimization algorithm in mobile crowdsensing. By generalizing tasks, this new algorithm makes the attacker unable to distinguish the specific tasks completed by users, cuts off the association between users and tasks, and protects users' location privacy. The strategy uses Q-learning to continuously combine different confounding tasks and train a confounding task scheme that can output the lowest rejection rate. The Q-learning method is improved by particle swarm optimization algorithm, which improves the optimization ability of the method. Experimental results show that this scheme has good performance in privacy budget error, availability, and cloud timeliness and greatly improves the security of user location data. In terms of inhibition ratio, the value is close to the optimal value.
A hybrid learning framework for fine-grained interpretation of brain spatiotemporal patterns during naturalistic functional magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Yu Sigang , Shi Enze , Wang Ruoyang , Zhao Shijie , Liu Tianming , Jiang Xi , Zhang Shu
Published: September 2022

Naturalistic stimuli, including movie, music, and speech, have been increasingly applied in the research of neuroimaging. Relative to a resting-state or single-task state, naturalistic stimuli can evoke more intense brain activities and have been proved to possess higher test–retest reliability, suggesting greater potential to study adaptive human brain function. In the current research, naturalistic functional magnetic resonance imaging (N-fMRI) has been a powerful tool to record brain states under naturalistic stimuli, and many efforts have been devoted to study the high-level semantic features from spatial or temporal representations via N-fMRI. However, integrating both spatial and temporal characteristics of brain activities for better interpreting the patterns under naturalistic stimuli is still underexplored. In this work, a novel hybrid learning framework that comprehensively investigates both the spatial (via Predictive Model) and the temporal [via convolutional neural network (CNN) model] characteristics of the brain is proposed. Specifically, to focus on certain relevant regions from the whole brain, regions of significance (ROS), which contain common spatial activation characteristics across individuals, are selected via the Predictive Model. Further, voxels of significance (VOS), whose signals contain significant temporal characteristics under naturalistic stimuli, are interpreted via one-dimensional CNN (1D-CNN) model. In this article, our proposed framework is applied onto the N-fMRI data during naturalistic classical/pop/speech audios stimuli. The promising performance is achieved via the Predictive Model to differentiate the different audio categories. Especially for distinguishing the classic and speech audios, the accuracy of classification is up to 92%. Moreover, spatial ROS and VOS are effectively obtained. Besides, temporal characteristics of the high-level semantic features are investigated on the frequency domain via convolution kernels of 1D-CNN model, and we effectively bridge the “semantic gap” between high-level semantic features of N-fMRI and low-level acoustic features of naturalistic audios in the frequency domain. Our results provide novel insights on characterizing spatiotemporal patterns of brain activities via N-fMRI and effectively explore the high-level semantic features under naturalistic stimuli, which will further benefit the understanding of the brain working mechanism and the advance of naturalistic stimuli clinical application.
Altered intrinsic brain activity and connectivity in unaffected parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a resting-state fMRI study
Authors: Zhu Xiang-Wen , Zhang Li-Li , Zhu Zong-Ming , Wang Luo-Yu , Ding Zhong-Xiang , Fang Xiang-Ming
Published: September 2022

Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a juvenile onset neurodevelopmental disorder with social impairment and stereotyped behavior as the main symptoms. Unaffected relatives may also exhibit similar ASD features due to genetic factors. Although previous studies have demonstrated atypical brain morphological features as well as task-state brain function abnormalities in unaffected parents with ASD children, it remains unclear the pattern of brain function in the resting state.

Methods: A total of 42 unaffected parents of ASD children (pASD) and 39 age-, sex-, and handedness-matched controls were enrolled. Multiple resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) analyzing methods were applied, including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), degree centrality (DC), and functional connectivity (FC), to reveal the functional abnormalities of unaffected parents in ASD-related brain regions. Spearman Rho correlation analysis between imaging metric values and the severity of ASD traits were evaluated as well.

Results: ALFF, ReHo, and DC methods all revealed abnormal brain regions in the pASD group, such as the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and rectal gyrus (ROI-1), bilateral supplementary motor area (ROI-2), right caudate nucleus head and right amygdala/para-hippocampal gyrus (ROI-3). FC decreasing was observed between ROI-1 and right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), ROI-2, and bilateral precuneus. FC enhancing was observed between ROI-3 and right anterior cerebellar lobe, left medial temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus in pASD. In addition, ALFF values in ROI-1, DC values in ROI-3 were positively correlated with AQ scores in pASD (ρ1 = 0.298, P1 = 0.007; ρ2 = 0.220, P2 = 0.040), while FC values between ROI-1 and right ACC were negatively correlated with AQ scores (ρ3 = −0.334, P3 = 0.002).

Conclusion: rsfMRI metrics could be used as biomarkers to reveal the underlying neurobiological feature of ASD for unaffected parents.
Bovine milk with variant β-casein types on immunological mediated intestinal changes and gut health of mice
Authors: Liu Bin , Qiao Weicang , Zhang Minghui , Liu Yanpin , Zhao Junying , Chen Lijun
Published: September 2022

Dietary proteins provide bioactive peptides, which are important for host gastrointestinal functions. We hypothesized that A2-type β-casein could provide gastrointestinal benefits and improve the immune and gut health. This study was conducted to investigate those effects and mechanisms. Thirty BALB-c mice (3–4 weeks old) were fed with either a control diet (control), a diet supplemented with bovine milk containing A1 and A2 type β-casein (A1A2, contains 63.62% A2 β-casein of total β-casein) or a diet containing A2 type β-casein (A2A2, contains 95.96% A2 β-casein of total β-casein) (10 ml/kg body weight) for 4 weeks. Immunoglobulin and inflammation factors were measured in serum, and histological variations were measured in duodenal and ileum, and stool 16S rRNA and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) contents were measured in fecal samples. Results showed that consumption of A2-type β-casein milk could improve proximal small intestine villus and crypt morphology (p < 0.05), increase IgG and IgE responses, and modulate the composition and diversity of gut microbiota by increase the relative abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, class Clostridia, family Ruminococcaceae and species Lactobacillus animalis (p < 0.05). There were also significant associations between gut microbes, immune response, and SCFAs, especially isobutyric acid (p < 0.05), which may potentially regulated gastrointestinal benefits. Moreover, intake of A2-type β-casein milk had no impact on inflammation. These findings explained potential benefits of consumption of A2-type β-casein milk on host immune system and gut health outcomes, and provide insights to the future application of nutritional modulation.
Effects of alfalfa levels on carcass traits, meat quality, fatty acid composition, amino acid profile, and gut microflora composition of Heigai pigs
Authors: Li Jie , Zhang Shu , Gu Xin , Xie Jintang , Zhu Xiaodong , Wang Yizhen , Shan Tizhong
Published: September 2022

Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the demand for healthy and high-quality pork. Alfalfa, one of the most popular perennial forages, is considered a rich source of highly nutritional forage for livestock feed, as it contains over 90% insoluble dietary fiber. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data confirming the effects of adding alfalfa on pork quality, amino acid composition, and intestinal microbiota composition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different dietary levels of alfalfa on carcass traits, meat quality, amino acid and fatty acid composition, and the intestinal microbiota of Heigai pigs. A total of 72 finishing Heigai pigs were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 36), with six replicate groups and six pigs per replication. The two experimental diets were formulated to include graded levels of alfalfa, 20% (AM20) and 30% (AM30). The results showed that adding 30% alfalfa meal did not affect the growth performance of Heigai pigs but significantly reduced backfat thickness (P < 0.05), pH (P < 0.05), increased the a* value, b* value, and flavor amino acid and essential amino acid contents in longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM). In addition, AM30 didn't affect colonic microbiota abundance but significantly reduced the relative abundances of three phyla, such as Verrucomicrobia, and 43 genera, such as Akkermansia, and significantly increased the relative abundances of 47 genera, such as Prevotella-2. Overall, these results advocate for a diet containing 30% alfalfa to improve meat quality by changing the intestinal microflora composition without affecting the growth performance of Heigai pigs, which provides compelling evidence for the use of alfalfa to relieve the pressure on corn and soybean meal demand and produce high-quality pork.
Inadvertent radical nephrectomy leads to worse prognosis in renal pelvic urothelial carcinoma patients: A propensity score-matched study
Authors: Wu Feixiang , Zhang Pan , Li Lingxun , Lin Shiqing , Liu Jianhong , Sun Yi , Wang Yuanlong , Luo Chengjun , Huang Yu , Yan Xiao , Zhang Meng , Liu Guixi , Li Kun
Published: September 2022

Objective

To compare overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in renal pelvic urothelial carcinoma (RPUC) patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (NU) and inadvertent radical nephrectomy (RN).

Patients and methods

In this retrospective study, patients with RPUC who underwent NU or RN diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. To adjust the confounders, the propensity score-matched analysis was conducted. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were performed to explore the effect of different surgical methods on OS and CSS.

Results

A total of 2197 cases were finally included in this analysis, among which, 187 (8.5%) patients were treated with RN and 2010 (91.5%) patients were treated with NU. Before matching, the survival analysis revealed that the OS (HR: 1.444, 95%CI: 1.197, 1.741) and CSS (HR: 1.522, 95%CI: 1.211, 1.914) of patients who received RN were worse than that of patients who received NU (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively). After matching, the RN group had a worse OS (HR: 1.298, 95%CI: 1.002, 1.682) than the NU group (p = 0.048). No significant difference was observed in CSS between the RN and NU groups (p = 0.282). The hierarchical analysis showed that there was no significant difference observed in OS and CSS in patients with tumor size ≤4.2 cm (p = 0.884 and p = 0.496, respectively). In tumor size >4.2 cm, both OS (HR: 1.545, 95%CI: 1.225, 1.948) and CSS (HR: 1.607, 95%CI: 1.233, 2.095) of patients who received RN were worse than those of patients who received NU (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.0005).

Conclusion

RN could lead to worse oncological outcomes than NU in patients with renal pelvis urothelial carcinoma. Accurate diagnosis of renal pelvis urothelial carcinoma is extremely important.
The utility of low-iodine diet in preparation for thyroid cancer therapy with radioactive iodine—A cohort study
Authors: Luo Hongxiu , Tobey Andrew , Auh Sungyoung , Cochran Craig , Behairy Noha , Merino Maria , Zemskova Marina , Klubo-Gwiezdzinska Joanna
Published: September 2022

Objective: A low-iodine diet (LID) of <50μ iodine/day is recommended as preparation for radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The 24-h urinary iodine excretion (UIE) is utilized to evaluate the iodine-depleted status. The aim of this study was to test the association between UIE and progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients and methods: In total, 70 patients with intermediate- or high-risk DTC, post-total thyroidectomy, adhered to 2 weeks of LID and had UIE measured before RAI therapy. A Cox regression model was performed to study the contribution of UIE to PFS.

Results: The study group consisted of 68% (48/70) of women, aged 41.5 [IQR 31.0, 54.0] years, with tumor size 2.8 [IQR 1.8–4.5] cm, and presence of distant metastases in 22.9% (16/70) of patients. Patients were treated with 1–5 RAI dosages with the median cumulative activity of 150 [IQR 102–314] mCi (5.5 [IQR 3.8–11.6] GBq). During the follow-up of 3.7 [IQR 1.5–6.5] years, 21.4% (15/70) of patients had disease progression. The risk of progression was significantly higher in patients with UIE ≥200 µg/day at the time of RAI administration than in those with UIE <200 µg/day (HR 3.35, 95% CI 1.09–10.34, and p = 0.02). However, the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis adjusted for age, tumor size, and presence of distant metastases suggested that only distant metastases were independently significantly associated with the risk of progression (HR 5.80 (1.17–28.67), p = 0.03).

Conclusions: Although UIE ≥200 µg/day might be associated with worse PFS in RAI-treated DTC patients, the presence of distant metastases is a strong independent predictor of progression. Less stringent LID might be sufficient to achieve a UIE of <200 µg/day.
The first case series analysis on efficacy of esmolol injection for in-hospital cardiac arrest patients with refractory shockable rhythms in China
Authors: Lian Rui , Zhang Guochao , Yan Shengtao , Sun Lichao , Gao Wen , Yang Jianping , Li Guonan , Huang Rihong , Wang Xiaojie , Liu Renyang , Cao Guangqing , Wang Yong , Zhang Guoqiang
Published: September 2022

Background: This study assessed the effects of esmolol injection in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) with refractory ventricular fibrillation (VF)/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pVT).

Methods: From January 2018 to December 2021, 29 patients with IHCA with refractory shockable rhythm were retrospectively reviewed. Esmolol was administered after advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS)-directed procedures, and outcomes were assessed.

Results: Among the 29 cases, the rates of sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 24-h ROSC, and 72-h ROSC were 79%, 62%, and 59%, respectively. Of those patients, 59% ultimately survived to discharge. Four patients with cardiac insufficiency died. The duration from CA to esmolol infusion was significantly shorter for patients in the survival group (SG) than for patients in the dead group (DG) (12 min, IQR: 8.5–19.5 vs. 23.5 min, IQR: 14.4–27 min; p = 0.013). Of those patients, 76% (22 of 29) started esmolol administration after the second dose of amiodarone. No significant difference was observed in the survival rate between this group and groups administered an esmolol bolus simultaneously or before the second dose of amiodarone (43% vs. 64%, p = 0.403). Of those patients, 31% (9 of 29) were administered an esmolol bolus for defibrillation attempts ≤ 5, while the remaining 69% of patients received an esmolol injection after the fifth defibrillation attempt. No significant differences were observed in the rates of ≥ 24-h ROSC (67% vs. 60%, p = 0.73), ≥ 72-h ROSC (67% vs. 55%, p = 0.56), and survival to hospital discharge (67% vs. 55%, p = 0.56) between the groups administered an esmolol bolus for defibrillation attempts ≤ 5 and defibrillation attempts > 5.

Conclusion: IHCA patients with refractory shockable rhythms receiving esmolol bolus exhibited a high chance of sustained ROSC and survival to hospital discharge. Patients with end-stage heart failure tended to have attenuated benefits from beta-blockers. Further large-scale, prospective studies are necessary to determine the effects of esmolol in patients with IHCA with refractory shockable rhythms.
Controlling electron recollision with combined linear and circular polarization
Authors: Ben Shuai , Han Yifan , Yang Weifeng , Yu Weiwei , Hao Xiaolei , Song Xiaohong , Li Weidong , Chen Jing
Published: September 2022

We theoretically investigate the non-sequential double ionization of Ar atoms in the combined fields of linearly polarized laser and circularly polarized laser through 3D semiclassical simulations. By partially overlapping the two time-delayed multicycle laser pulses, we construct an optical waveform whose polarization ellipticity increase slowly for consecutive optical cycles. This composite laser pulses with the time-dependent ellipticity can tunnel-ionize atoms and steer the first tunneling electron to recollision with the second bound electron through different trajectories, in which the recollision occurs with different return times of the first ionized electron. Through tuning delay time between the two laser pulses, the double ionization yields and recollision trajectories with different return times can be controlled. The time-dependent ellipticity with different delay time can enhance or suppress the probability of different return times. This work provides a scheme exploring electron dynamics in few optical cycle or even subcycle time scale in a multicycle laser field without having to be limited to near-single-cycle laser pulses.
Exploring norms indispensable for both emergence and maintenance of cooperation in indirect reciprocity
Authors: Yamamoto Hitoshi , Okada Isamu , Uchida Satoshi , Sasaki Tatsuya
Published: September 2022

Indirect reciprocity is one of the major mechanisms of the evolution of human cooperation. In indirect reciprocity, social norms with which individuals distinguish good people from bad people play essential roles. On the one hand, previous studies have suggested the various different norms which are evolutionarily stable against the invasion of free riders. However, these approaches could not reveal what norms would be selected in the process of evolution of cooperation because they are based on the premise that a single norm is shared in a society. On the other hand, recent studies have tackled the mechanisms of the coevolution of norms and cooperation. However, the norms which are necessary for emergence or sustenance of cooperation have not been revealed. Here, we show some indispensable norms for emergence and sustenance of cooperation using a norm knockout method which has been developed to analyze a function of each norm in the environment of coexistence of many norms. The results revealed that norms known as “shunning” and “image scoring” are indispensable in the emergence of cooperation but they are not required after a cooperative society is achieved. Furthermore, “simple standing” is a unique norm which is necessary to maintain cooperation. We call the former as a pioneer norm and the latter as a keystone norm. The results indicate importance to focus on the dynamics of evolution because the role of indispensable norms has been overlooked by the static analysis of evolutionarily stable norms.
Fourier filter-based physics- information convolutional recurrent network for 2D incompressible flow
Authors: Xiao Chaohao , Zhu Xiaoqian , Yin Fukang , Cao Xiaoqun , Peng Kecheng , Nie Jun
Published: September 2022

Physics-informed convolutional recurrent network (PhyCRNet) can solve partial differential equations without labeled data by encoding physics constraints into the loss function. However, the finite-difference filter makes the solution of 2D incompressible flow challenging. Hence, this paper proposes a Fourier filter-based physics-informed convolution recurrent network (named Fourier filter-based PhyCRNet), which replaces the finite-difference filter in PhyCRNet with the Fourier filter to solve the 2D incompressible flow problem. The suggested network improves the accuracy of the partial derivatives, solves the inverse Laplacian operator, and has similar generalization ability due to inheriting the framework of PhyCRNet. Four examples, including the 2D viscous Burger, FitzHugh–Nagumo RD, vorticity and the two-dimensional Navier- Stokes (N-S) equations, validate the correctness and reliability of the proposed Fourier filter-based PhyCRNet.