bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ACE2andTMPRSS2expression by clinical, HLA, immune, and microbial correlates across 34 human cancers and matched normal tissues: implications for SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19
Authors: Bao Riyue , Hernandez Kyle , Huang Lei , Luke Jason John
Published: July 2020

Background

Pandemic COVID-19 by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is facilitated by the ACE2 receptor and protease TMPRSS2. Modestly sized case series have described clinical factors associated with COVID-19, whileACE2andTMPRSS2expression analyses have been described in some cell types. Patients with cancer may have worse outcomes to COVID-19.

Methods

We performed an integrated study ofACE2andTMPRSS2gene expression across and within organ systems, by normal versus tumor, across several existing databases (The Cancer Genome Atlas, Census of Immune Single Cell Expression Atlas, The Human Cell Landscape, and more). We correlated gene expression with clinical factors (including but not limited to age, gender, race, body mass index, and smoking history), HLA genotype, immune gene expression patterns, cell subsets, and single-cell sequencing as well as commensal microbiome.

Results

Matched normal tissues generally display higherACE2andTMPRSS2expression compared with cancer, with normal and tumor from digestive organs expressing the highest levels. No clinical factors were consistently identified to be significantly associated with gene expression levels though outlier organ systems were observed for some factors. Similarly, no HLA genotypes were consistently associated with gene expression levels. Strong correlations were observed betweenACE2expression levels and multiple immune gene signatures including interferon-stimulated genes and the T cell-inflamed phenotype as well as inverse associations with angiogenesis and transforming growth factor-β signatures.ACE2positively correlated with macrophage subsets across tumor types.TMPRSS2was less associated with immune gene expression but was strongly associated with epithelial cell abundance. Single-cell sequencing analysis across nine independent studies demonstrated little to noACE2orTMPRSS2expression in lymphocytes or macrophages.ACE2andTMPRSS2gene expression associated with commensal microbiota in matched normal tissues particularly from colorectal cancers, with distinct bacterial populations showing strong associations.

Conclusions

We performed a large-scale integration ofACE2andTMPRSS2gene expression across clinical, genetic, and microbiome domains. We identify novel associations with the microbiota and confirm host immunity associations with gene expression. We suggest caution in interpretation regarding genetic associations withACE2expression suggested from smaller case series.
Safety of diagnostic spinal angiography in children
Authors: Gautam Ayushi , Motaghi Mina , Gailloud Philippe
Published: July 2020

Background

Spinal angiography (SA) is associated with low complications in adults but its safety in children has not been properly analyzed. The goal of our study is to assess the safety of pediatric SA.

Methods

This study is the retrospective analysis of a series of 36 consecutive SA procedures performed in 27 children over a 5-year period. Parameters including neurological complications, non-neurological complications requiring additional management, contrast volume, and radiation exposure were analyzed via univariate and bivariate methods.

Results

Our cohort included 24 diagnostic and 12 combined therapeutic cases in children with an average age of 11.1 years. No neurological or non-neurological complication requiring additional management was recorded. The average volume of contrast administered was 1.6 mL/kg in the diagnostic group and 0.9 mL/kg in the combined group. The average air kerma was 186.9mGy for an average of 36.8 exposures in the diagnostic group, and 264.5mGy for an average of 21 exposures in the combined group. Patients in the combined group had lower contrast load (45% lower on average) and higher air kerma (1.6 times higher on average). The difference in air kerma was due to a higher live fluoroscopy-related exposure.

Conclusions

This study reports the largest pediatric SA cohort analyzed to date and the only one including radiation dose and contrast load. It confirms that pediatric SA is a safe imaging modality with low risk of complications, and demonstrates that SA can be performed in children with low radiation exposure and contrast load.
Capitated pricing model for stroke thrombectomies: a single center experience across three companies
Authors: Shah Kavit , Brown Merritt , Desai Shashvat M , Jovin Tudor G , Jadhav Ashutosh P , Gross Bradley A , Jankowitz Brian Thomas
Published: July 2020

Background

With a continued rise in healthcare expenditures, there is a demonstrable focus on curbing expenses. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of treatment for large vessel occlusions (LVOs); however, considerable costs are associated with devices utilized in each procedure. We report our institution’s experience with capitation pricing models negotiated with three different companies.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively maintained database from February 2018 to August 2019 identifying cases performed under capitation models. We calculated the cost of equipment for each thrombectomy using the cost for individual devices utilized (virtual) and compared this sum to the total derived from cost-negotiated bundled equipment packages. This was compared with real-world cases that did not meet capitation criteria during this study period.

Results

107 cases met the criteria for capitation; 39 cases used company A’s models (28 with stentrievers), 44 cases used company B’s models (3 with stentrievers), and 24 cases used company C’s models (14 with stentrievers). Overall, there was a net savings of $202 370.50 utilizing the capitated model ($689 435 vs $891 805.50), amounting to $1891.31 savings per case. Mean capitation was lower ($6972±2774) compared with virtual ($8794±4614) and real-world non-capitation costs ($7176±3672).

Conclusion

The negotiated capitated pricing model yielded total cost savings associated with equipment from each company. Overall mean capitation costs were lower than virtual and real-world cases. This may serve as a model for other centers in controlling costs for patients undergoing MT for LVO.
Model-independent test of the parity symmetry of gravity with gravitational waves
Authors: Zhao Wen , Liu Tan , Wen Linqing , Zhu Tao , Wang Anzhong , Hu Qian , Zhou Cong
Published: July 2020

Gravitational wave (GW) data can be used to test the parity symmetry of gravity by investigating the difference between left-hand and right-hand circular polarization modes. In this article, we develop a method to decompose the circular polarizations of GWs produced during the inspiralling stage of compact binaries, with the help of stationary phase approximation. The foremost advantage is that this method is simple, clean, independent of GW waveform, and is applicable to the existing detector network. Applying it to the mock data, we test the parity symmetry of gravity by constraining the velocity birefringence of GWs. If a nearly edge-on binary neutron-stars with observed electromagnetic counterparts at 40 Mpc is detected by the second-generation detector network, one could derive the model-independent test on the parity symmetry in gravity: the lower limit of the energy scale of parity violation can be constrained within$$\mathcal {O}(10^4\mathrm{eV})$$O(104eV).
Structured Risk Modelling of Naval Aviation Program Life Cycle Integration and Operation
Authors: Cook Matthew , Mo John P. T.
Published: July 2020

A strategic capability of contemporary naval ships is the ability to launch and recover embarked aircraft such as helicopters in a maritime environment. Such operations are enormously challenging due to deck motion, limited landing space, visibility, ship’s superstructure, etc. This places extreme pressure on the pilot, ship’s crew and the platforms alike, making such shipboard operations the most dangerous of all helicopter flight missions. Therefore, the design and integration of equipment, systems and aids to ensure such operations are done as safely as is practicably possible presents ship builders, aircraft manufacturers, engineers and pilots with some extremely demanding and complex problems. Major naval ship design/build programmes that include an aviation capability will inevitably need to engage resources across multiple disciplines that include, but not limited to, engineering, design, logistics, administration, procurement, legal, alliance partners and the customer to manage project risks from the outset. This research highlights the need for a holistic/Systems Engineering approach that recognises risks across the wider ship programme, which can only be managed/resolved by cross-discipline collaboration. This paper presents a novel methodology to elicit risks qualitatively and models the relative risk profile of an aviation project throughout the ship programme life cycle. The use of an enterprise model based on the three “P” element methodology (3PE), product, process, people within an environment, has been developed. Furthermore, the research outlines a continuous management and visualisation approach that enables a process of dynamic analysis to both reduce and mitigate residual risks progressively throughout the project lifecycle to acceptable levels.
Central sagging of a giant mafic intrusion: the Ediacaran Sept Îles Layered Intrusion (Québec, Canada)
Authors: Bolle O. , Diot H. , Fransen W. , Higgins M. D.
Published: July 2020

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data validated by image analysis were acquired on the Sept Îles Layered Intrusion. Most data come from the mafic Layered Series of the intrusion, although the overlying anorthositic Upper Border Series and felsic Upper Series were also investigated. In the Layered Series, Type 1 magnetic fabric defined by gently to moderately dipping foliations and horizontal to moderately plunging lineations dominates over Type 2 fabric characterized by steeply dipping magnetic foliations and lineations of variable plunge, although steep on average. The inverse relationship holds true for the Upper Border Series and only Type 1 fabric occurs in the Upper Series. Several observations, mainly centripetal disposition of the igneous layering, and inclination of the mean Type 1 foliation and lineation towards the deepest point of the intrusion, near its centre, demonstrate post-cumulus, central sagging of the Layered Series. The Type 2 fabric recorded the effect of synmagmatic discontinuities, possibly shear zones, in the Layered Series, its origin being speculative in the Upper Border Series. The mean Type 1 lineations of the Layered Series and the Upper Series are discordant, suggesting that the latter was slightly affected by the sagging of the underlying cumulates, possibly owing to its rapid waning.

Supplementary material:
Analytical methods (Appendix 1) and equal-area projections of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility principal axes (Appendix 2) are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5057499.v1
Free-Standing Large-Area Nanoperforated Gold Membranes Fabricated by Hopping Electrodeposition
Authors: Monaico Eduard V. , Monaico Elena I. , Ursaki Veaceslav V. , Tiginyanu Ion M.
Published: July 2020

A room-temperature two-step cost-effective electrochemical technology is proposed for the preparation of free-standing Au nanomembranes. A thin Au film with the thickness less than 100 nm was deposited by pulsed electroplating on a GaAs substrate in the first step, while electrochemical etching was applied in the second technological step to introduce porosity into the GaAs substrate underneath the Au film. It has been shown that detachment of the film from the substrate occurs at optimized parameters of anodic etching. Scanning electron microscopy imaging of the deposited Au film revealed its nanoparticulate structure generated via the mechanism of hopping electrodeposition, i.e. the film proved to consist of a monolayer of Au nanoparticles with the mean diameter around 20–30 nm. It was found that nanoholes with the diameter controlled by the duration of negative voltage pulses can be introduced into the Au film during electroplating. The purity of the detached Au nanomembranes was demonstrated by the energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The flexibility, nanoparticulate structure along with possibilities to transfer the prepared nanomembranes to various substrates make them promising for new optical, plasmonic and electronic applications.
Middle-aged endurance athletes exhibit lower cerebrovascular impedance than sedentary peers
Authors: Sugawara Jun , Tomoto Tsubasa , Repshas Justin , Zhang Rong , Tarumi Takashi
Published: July 2020

Impedance modulus in the range of first harmonic oscillations (0.78–1.56 Hz), which reflects heart rate at rest, was lower in middle-aged endurance athletes than in age-matched sedentary peers and was similar to young individuals. Prolonged endurance training is associated with the improved cerebrovascular dampening function in middle-aged adults. Lower cerebrovascular impedance modulus may contribute to maintaining brain perfusion in midlife.
Clinical Features of Four West Nile Virus Cases and Its Molecular Characterization from a South Indian Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Mammen Shoba , Nair Aiswarya , Kumar Santhosh , Zonderveni Zayina , Prabhakar A. T. , Vijay Prakash Turaka , Aaron Sanjith , Alexander Mathew , Zachariah Anand , Abraham Asha Mary
Published: July 2020

West Nile virus (WNV) is currently a significant reemerging virus of the 21st century. It belongs to the family Flaviviridae and genusFlavivirus. Although it is primarily transmitted by theCulexspp of mosquitoes, other routes of transmission are also well defined. Of eight lineages described, Lineage 1a has been reported from many parts of South India and is known to cause neuroinvasive illness. Many tests and serological techniques have been described to diagnose WNV infection such as complement fixation, neutralization, heamagglutination inhibition, ELISA, and PCR for molecular confirmation. The latter far outweighs the limitations inherent in the other tests. WNV infection is being reported from Vellore for the first time after 1968. This paper aims to describe four cases of WNV infection causing central nervous system manifestations with its molecular characterization. West Nile virus infection was diagnosed with the available molecular techniques such as PCR and sequencing, which emphasizes the need for considering West Nile virus in the differential diagnosis of acute meningoencephalitis and the wider availability of molecular diagnostic tests.
Deep Q-Network with Predictive State Models in Partially Observable Domains
Authors: Yu Danning , Ni Kun , Liu Yunlong
Published: July 2020

While deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has achieved great success in some large domains, most of the related algorithms assume that the state of the underlying system is fully observable. However, many real-world problems are actually partially observable. For systems with continuous observation, most of the related algorithms, e.g., the deep Q-network (DQN) and deep recurrent Q-network (DRQN), use history observations to represent states; however, they often make computation-expensive and ignore the information of actions. Predictive state representations (PSRs) can offer a powerful framework for modelling partially observable dynamical systems with discrete or continuous state space, which represents the latent state using completely observable actions and observations. In this paper, we present a PSR model-based DQN approach which combines the strengths of the PSR model and DQN planning. We use a recurrent network to establish the recurrent PSR model, which can fully learn dynamics of the partially continuous observable environment. Then, the model is used for the state representation and update of DQN, which makes DQN no longer rely on a fixed number of history observations or recurrent neural network (RNN) to represent states in the case of partially observable environments. The strong performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a set of robotic control tasks from OpenAI Gym by comparing with the technique with the memory-based DRQN and the state-of-the-art recurrent predictive state policy (RPSP) networks. Source code is available at https://github.com/RPSR-DQN/paper-code.git.
Photoaging Skin Therapy with PRP and ADSC: A Comparative Study
Authors: Charles-de-Sá Luiz , Gontijo-de-Amorim Natale , Sbarbati Andrea , Benati Donatella , Bernardi Paolo , Borojevic Radovan , Carias Rosana Bizon Vieira , Rigotti Gino
Published: July 2020

Background. Stem cells from adipose tissue (ADSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are innovative modalities that arise due to their regenerative potential. Objective. The aim of this study was to characterize possible histological changes induced by PRP and ADSC therapies in photoaged skin. Methods. A prospective randomized study involving 20 healthy individuals, showing skin aging. They underwent two therapeutic protocols (protocol 1: PRP; protocol 2: ADSCs). Biopsies were obtained before and after treatment (4 months). Results. PRP protocol showed unwanted changes in the reticular dermis, mainly due to the deposition of a horizontal layer of collagen (fibrosis) and elastic fibers tightly linked. Structural analyses revealed infiltration of mononuclear cells and depot of fibrotic material in the reticular dermis. The ADSC protocol leads to neoelastogenesis with increase of tropoelastin and fibrillin. There was an improvement of solar elastosis inducing an increment of macrophage polarization and matrix proteinases. These last effects are probably related to the increase of elastinolysis and the remodeling of the dermis. Conclusions. The PRP promoted an inflammatory process with an increase of reticular dermis thickness with a fibrotic aspect. On the other hand, ADSC therapy is a promising modality with an important antiaging effect on photoaged human skin.
Safety Management in Sea Reclamation Construction: A Case Study of Sanya Airport, China
Authors: Ma Jinchao , Zhong Wei , Zhu Xiaoliu
Published: July 2020

Urbanization has increased the burden on land resources. Artificial island construction has been proven as an effective method for addressing these land resource problems; however, few studies have been conducted on the safety of sea reclamation construction. This paper proposes a systemic approach to the complete safety management process in sea reclamation engineering, including safety system design, analysis, control, and assessment, using the Sanya Sea Reclamation Airport, Hainan Province, China, as a case study. A total of 145 steel cylinders must be vibrated and sunk into the seafloor to create a 9 km quay wall. Owing to their large size, the steel cylinders have been divided into different segments, and an assembly jig is employed to ensure a safe production process. Considering the hazardous working environment in sea reclamation construction, a numerical analysis is conducted to investigate the safe repertory of these steel cylinders and verify the reliability of the selected scheme for their transportation. Finally, control measures are adopted to ensure a safe vibration and sinking procedure for the steel cylinders. The proposed approach could be used to provide safety management guidelines for artificial island engineering and construction.
Profit Maximization for Waste Furniture Recycled in Taiwan Using Cradle-to-Cradle Production Programming
Authors: Lin Chun-Wei Remen , Chen Min-Tsung , Tseng Ming-Lang , Chiu Anthony S. F. , Ali Mohd Helmi
Published: July 2020

This study proposes the use of cradle-to-cradle production programming for waste furniture and aims to achieve optimal efficiency by reusing waste furniture and maximizing the corresponding benefits so that the furniture industry is in line with cradle-to-cradle manufacturing. This study is increasingly important to manage products through a comprehensive green reverse logistics system that consists of three procedures, i.e., recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing of waste items. This study proposes a mathematical formula to establish a cradle-to-cradle production programming model for waste furniture. The fuzzy set theory is used to define the attributes that reflect production and market demands such as degree of damage, technical feasibility, market demands, environmental protection laws and regulations, and environmental performance. In addition, particle swarm optimization is adopted to ascertain the optimal profit from waste furniture sales. Through situational simulations and analyses, the fuzzy set information from Taiwan, Germany, and China is compared. The result reveals that the qualitative information proposed has a significant impact on the profit of waste furniture reuse. The production model can effectively assist in the production programming of waste furniture, thereby optimizing profit for cradle-to-cradle production planning.
On New Unified Bounds for a Family of Functions via Fractionalq-Calculus Theory
Authors: Xu Li , Chu Yu-Ming , Rashid Saima , El-Deeb A. A. , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy
Published: July 2020

The present article deals with the new estimates inq-calculus and fractionalq-calculus on a time scaleTt0=0∪t:t=t0qn,n is a nonnegative integer,wheret0∈ℝand0<q<1.The role of fractional time scaleq-calculus can be found as one of the prominent techniques to generate some variants for a class of positive functionsn n∈ℕ.Finally, our work will provide foundation and motivation for further investigation on time-fractionalq-calculus systems that have an intriguing application in quantum theory and special relativity theory.
MCAF: Developing an Annotation-Based Offloading Framework for Mobile Cloud Computing
Authors: Zhou Yilian , He Ligang , Wang Bin , Su Yi , Chen Hao
Published: July 2020

Offloading computation from mobile to remote cloud servers is a promising way to reduce energy consumption and improve the performance of mobile applications. However, a great challenge arises as automatic integration of powerful computing resources in remote cloud infrastructure and the portability of mobile devices. In this paper, we develop a Java annotation-based offloading framework, called MCAF, for android mobile devices. This framework is designed and committed to simplifying the development of android applications enabled with the offload capability. All the developers need to do is to import the SDK library of our MCAF and annotate the computation-intensive methods. MCAF can automatically extract the annotated source code and generate the code that will be run in the Cloud. Moreover, the codes of making the offloading decisions are automatically inserted into the original source code. We also conducted the real experiments to show the applicability of our MCAF.
A Critical Review of Proteomic Studies in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Zhou Tao , Huang Lu , Wang Min , Chen Daozhen , Chen Zhong , Jiang Shi-Wen
Published: July 2020

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a progressive and complex pregnancy complication, which threatens both maternal and fetal health. It is urgent to screen for specific biomarkers for early diagnosis and precise treatment, as well as to identify key moleculars to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms. In the present review, we comprehensively summarized recent studies of gestational diabetes using mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies. Focused on the entire experimental design and proteomic results, we showed that these studies have covered a broad range of research contents in terms of sampling time, sample types, and outcome associations. Although most of the studies only stayed in the stage of initial discovery, several proteins were further verified to be efficient for disease diagnosis. Functional analysis of all the combined significant proteins also showed that a small number of proteins are known to be involved in the regulation of insulin or indirect signaling pathways. However, many factors such as diagnostic criteria, sample processing, proteomic method, and statistical method can greatly affect the identification of reproducible and reliable protein candidates. Thus, we further provided constructive suggestions and recommendations for carrying out proteomic or follow-up studies of gestational diabetes or other pregnancy complications in the future.
Treatment of Diabetic Foot with Autologous Stem Cells: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Studies
Authors: Dai Jiezhi , Jiang Chaoyin , Chen Hua , Chai Yimin
Published: July 2020

Background. This meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of autologous stem cell administration for the treatment of diabetic foot. Methods. The electronic databases included PubMed, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Cochrane central, and Google Scholar internet, last updated on May 30, 2019. Evaluated outcomes included the rate of wound healing and amputation. Dichotomous outcomes were described as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical analysis was performed with RevMan 5.0 software and STATA 10.0 software. Results. Eight randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed a lower amputation (RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.54, I2=0) and a higher wound healing rate (RR 2.05, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.51, I2=4) in the cell therapy group compared with control. Conclusion. This meta-analysis supports the effective role of stem cell therapy in promoting wound healing and decreasing rate of amputation in diabetic foot. In the future, more high quality and well-designed studies are need.
The MUC5B Mucin Is Involved in Paraquat-Induced Lung Inflammation
Authors: Sun Hao , Jiang Yunfei , Song Yang , Zhang Xiaomin , Wang Jun , Zhang Jinsong , Kang Jian
Published: July 2020

Objective. Paraquat (PQ), a widely used toxic herbicide, induces lung inflammation through mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. In a previous study, we found that the plasma MUC5B mucin level was implicated in PQ poisoning in patients. Here, we hypothesize that MUC5B is a critical mediator in PQ-induced cell inflammation. Methods. A mouse model of PQ-induced lung injury was used to examine the MUC5B expression level. A549 cells (alveolar epithelial cells line) were exposed to PQ in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assays. The expression levels of MUC5B were examined by dot blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-qPCR. Western blotting was used to detect the levels of proteins in the MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Inflammatory factors in the cell culture medium were measured by ELISA. NF-κB and MAPK pathway inhibitors and MUC5B siRNA (siMUC5B) were used to determine the function of MUC5B. Finally, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) was added and its regulatory effect on the MAPK-NF-κB-MUC5B pathway was examined in PQ-induced cell inflammation. Results. MUC5B was significantly upregulated accompanying the increases in TNF-α and IL-6 secretion following PQ treatment in mouse and also in A549 cells after treatment with 50 μM PQ at 24 hours. Furthermore, MAPK and NF-κB pathway inhibitors could dramatically decrease the expression of MUC5B and the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6. Importantly, siMUC5B could significantly attenuate the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by PQ. As expected, the addition of NAC efficiently suppresses the TNF-α and IL-6 secretion stimulated from PQ and also downregulated ERK, JNK, and p65 phosphorylation (ERK/JNK MAPK and NF-κB pathways) as well as MUC5B expression. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that MUC5B participates in the process of PQ-induced cell inflammation and is downstream of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. NAC can attenuate PQ-induced cell inflammation at least in part by suppressing the MAPK-NF-κB-MUC5B pathway. These results nominate MUC5B as a new biomarker and therapeutic target for PQ-induced lung inflammation.
Efficient Searchable Symmetric Encryption Supporting Dynamic Multikeyword Ranked Search
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Yin , Wang Yifan
Published: July 2020

Searchable symmetric encryption that supports dynamic multikeyword ranked search (SSE-DMKRS) has been intensively studied during recent years. Such a scheme allows data users to dynamically update documents and retrieve the most wanted documents efficiently. Previous schemes suffer from high computational costs since the time and space complexities of these schemes are linear with the size of the dictionary generated from the dataset. In this paper, by utilizing a shallow neural network model called “Word2vec” together with a balanced binary tree structure, we propose a highly efficient SSE-DMKRS scheme. The “Word2vec” tool can effectively convert the documents and queries into a group of vectors whose dimensions are much smaller than the size of the dictionary. As a result, we can significantly reduce the related space and time cost. Moreover, with the use of the tree-based index, our scheme can achieve a sublinear search time and support dynamic operations like insertion and deletion. Both theoretical and experimental analyses demonstrate that the efficiency of our scheme surpasses any other schemes of the same kind, so that it has a wide application prospect in the real world.
The Inhibition of miR-873 Provides Therapeutic Benefit in a Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammatory Model of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Wu Jinhua , Yu Xuming , Xue Ke , Wu Juan , Wang Rongyan , Xie Xianfei , Li Ke , Yang Zheqiong , Yue Jiang
Published: July 2020

Background and Purpose.Alterations in cholesterol homeostasis have been reported in cell and animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD), although there are inconsistent data about the association between serum cholesterol levels and risk of PD. Here, we investigated the effects of miR-873 on lysosomal cholesterol homeostasis and progressive dopaminergic neuron damage in a lipopolysaccharide-(LPS) induced model of PD.Experimental Approach. To evaluate the therapeutic benefit of the miR-873 sponge, rats were injected with a LV-miR-873 sponge or the control vector 3 days before the right-unilateral injection of LPS into the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta, or 8 and 16 days after LPS injection. Normal SH-SY5Y cells or SH-SY5Y cells overexpressingα-synuclein were used to evaluate the distribution ofα-synuclein and cholesterol in lysosomes and to assess the autophagic flux after miR-873 transfection or ABCA1 silencing. The inhibition of miR-873 significantly ameliorated the LPS-induced accumulation ofα-synuclein and loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SN at the early stage. miR-873 mediated the inhibition of ABCA1 by LPS. miR-873 transfection or ABCA1 silencing increased the lysosomal cholesterol andα-synuclein levels, and decreased the autophagic flux. The knockdown of ABCA1 or A20, which are the downstream target genes of miR-873, exacerbated the damage to LPS-induced dopaminergic neurons.Conclusion and Implications. The results suggest that the inhibition of miR-873 may play a dual protective role by improving intracellular cholesterol homeostasis and neuroinflammation in PD. The therapeutic effects of the miR-873 sponge in PD may be due to the upregulation of ABCA1 and A20.
Complex Network of Scientific Talent Migration in Discrete Dynamics from 2001 to 2013
Authors: Wang Yinqiu , Luo Hui , Shi Yunyan
Published: July 2020

Scientific talents can make great contributions, including scientific breakthrough innovations and discoveries, and coordinate and guide the actions of many others, propelling the scientific knowledge frontier. We investigate international scientific talent migration from 2001 to 2013 with the quantitative method. The relationship between complex network and international talent migration is introduced. Considering most of talents migrate between some countries with good economy and innovation, the migration network including 37 countries is analysed. The countries are noted by nodes of the migration network, and the migratory flow of talents from one country to another country is viewed as the directed weight edge between the corresponding nodes. The discrete dynamics of talent migration under complex network is proposed. The unknown parameters of the proposed model are identified. The overall situation and time evolution of international talent migration from 2001 to 2013 are given from the discussion on the indicators of complex network. Furthermore, we study the talent migration flows in the view of obstacle factors. It is found that the great majority of talents migrate between developed countries and emerging economies from 2001 to 2013, and this phenomenon becomes more significant. The USA has attracted a great number of talents all over the world, and the country is also the ideal destination for talents who want to live or work in another country for more job opportunities, attractive payment, and better innovation environment. China and India begin to attract talents. Talents emigrate from more and more original countries. It becomes more convenient for talents to immigrate to other countries. The effectiveness of obstructs to migration has become weakening. For immigrating to a certain country, the obstacles have a relationship with the country’s innovation.
Additive Hazard Regression for the Analysis of Clustered Survival Data from Case-Cohort Studies
Authors: Liu June , Zhang Yi
Published: July 2020

The case-cohort design is an effective and economical method in large cohort studies, especially when the disease rate is low. Case-cohort design in most of the existing literature is mainly used to analyze the univariate failure time data. But in practice, multivariate failure time data are commonly encountered in biomedical research. In this paper, we will propose methods based on estimating equation method for case-cohort designs for clustered survival data. By introducing the event failure rate, three different weight functions are constructed. Then, three estimating equations and parameter estimators are presented. Furthermore, consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators are established. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed estimation procedure has reasonable finite sample behaviors.
Triphala Ameliorates Nephropathy via Inhibition of TGF-β1 and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Suryavanshi Sachin V. , Garud Mayuresh S. , Barve Kalyani , Addepalli Veeranjaneyulu , Utpat Sachin V. , Kulkarni Yogesh A.
Published: July 2020

Introduction: Advanced glycation end products, oxidative stress, and TGF-β expression play a crucial role in pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. Inhibition of oxidative stress and TGF-β expression by natural traditional medicines may give an economic and safe alternative treatment option. Triphala churna, a traditional medicine, has been proved to have potent antioxidant activity, and individual components of it have shown significant antidiabetic activity. Hence, the present study was designed to study the effect of Triphala churna in diabetic nephropathy in rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced in rats by administration of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg i.p.). Four weeks after induction of diabetes, the animals were treated with Triphala churna at the doses of 250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg for next 4 weeks. Various biochemical and urine parameters such as glucose, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total protein, and albumin were assessed at the end of study. Creatinine clearance, BUN clearance, and glomerular filtration rate were determined. Oxidative stress parameters such as malondialdehyde, catalase, reduced glutathione, and superoxide dismutase were determined in kidney tissues. TGF-β1 expression was measured with ELISA, immunohistochemistry, and western blot techniques. Histopathology study was carried out with haemotoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, and Masson’s trichrome staining to determine histological changes. Results: Treatment with Triphala churna significantly improved urine parameters. Triphala churna treatment also improved plasma proteins, albumin, creatinine, and BUN levels. The oxidative stress was reduced in the kidney with the treatment of Triphala churna. Histopathological studies revealed that Triphala churna reduced kidney damage. Immunohistochemistry, ELISA, and western blotting study revealed that treatment with Triphala decreased the expression of TGF-β in kidney tissues. Conclusion: From the results, it can be concluded that Triphala churna has a significant nephroprotective effect because of its capability of inhibiting oxidative stress and TGF-β in diabetes.
Lost in Transition: Is Early Respiratory Support in Newborn Infants the Best Option?
Authors: Buckmaster Adam , Arnolda Gaston , Owen Louise , Roberts Calum , Davis Peter , Manley Brett
Published: July 2020

Background: Late preterm and term newborns with respiratory distress are increasingly treated with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) including nasal high-flow or continuous positive airway pressure. For infants with mild distress, NIV may be unnecessary. Objectives: We speculated that treatment with supplemental oxygen (SO) prior to NIV could help clinicians select infants for NIV treatment, and examined this hypothesis using data from a recently completed trial. Method: Post hoc analysis of data from a subset of infants enrolled in the HUNTER trial. Infants born at ≥36 weeks’ gestation were categorized by whether they were receiving SO prior to randomization. The 2 groups were compared for illness severity (indicated by treatment failure at 72 h, mechanical ventilation, need for up-transfer, SO requirement post-randomization, and length of time receiving respiratory support), use of selected medical interventions (antibiotics, intravenous fluids), and breastfeeding at discharge. Results: Analysis included 380 infants. Infants not receiving SO had less severe illness; lower rates of treatment failure (7.3 vs. 17.2%), mechanical ventilation (0.6 vs. 5.9%), need for transfer (6.8 vs. 13.8%), and more often did not receive any SO post-randomization (75.1 vs. 3.0%). Most infants in both groups received intravenous fluids (93 and 98%) and antibiotics (81 and 93%); the rate of full breastfeeding was low in both groups (51 and 45%). Conclusions: Late preterm and term newborn infants without SO requirement at the time of commencing NIV for respiratory distress are at lower risk of requiring treatment escalation. Close observation of these infants (watch and wait strategy) may avoid unnecessary treatment.
Phase II Study of Weekly Nanoparticle Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel as Second- or Third-Line Therapy in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Kotake Mie , Kuwako Tomohito , Imai Hisao , Tomizawa Yoshio , Kaira Kyoichi , Yoshii Akihiro , Ochiai Mai , Miura Yosuke , Osaki Takashi , Sakurai Reiko , Takei Kousuke , Minato Koichi , Saito Ryusei
Published: July 2020

Introduction: Treatment outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are poor due to limited treatment options. Objective: We conducted a multicenter, single-arm phase II study to prospectively assess the efficacy and safety of weekly nab-PTX in patients with advanced NSCLC with failed cytotoxic chemotherapy. Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC having adequate organ functions with a performance status of 0–1 were enrolled. A 100 mg/m2 dose of nab-paclitaxel was administered on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR), toxicity profile, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: Between September 2013 and May 2016, 35 patients were enrolled. The ORR was 31.4%, and the DCR was 74.3%. The median PFS was 3.6 months, and the median OS was 11.4 months. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities included neutropenia (54.3%), leukopenia (42.9%), and anemia (11.4%). Two patients discontinued chemotherapy due to pneumonitis. Conclusions: Nab-PTX may be a later-line chemotherapeutic option for previously treated advanced NSCLC.
Bewegungstraining bei Patienten mit chronischen Atemwegserkrankungen: Werden kardiovaskuläre Komorbiditäten und Outcomes berücksichtigt? Eine systematische Übersichtsarbeit
Authors: Machado Ana , Quadflieg Kirsten , Olveira Ana , Keytsman Charly , Marques Alda , Hansen Dominique , Burtin Chris
Published: July 2020

Patienten mit chronisch-obstruktiver Lungenerkrankung (COPD), Asthma und interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen (ILD) weisen häufig kardiovaskuläre Komorbiditäten (KVK) auf. Bewegungstraining ist eine tragende Säule bei der Behandlung dieser Erkrankungen, doch existieren kaum Empfehlungen zur maßgeschneiderten Anpassung von Programmen für Patienten mit Atemwegserkrankungen und KVK. Ziel der vorliegenden systematischen Übersichtsarbeit war es, die Eignungskriterien zu identifizieren, die für die Auswahl von Patienten mit COPD, Asthma oder ILD und KVK für Bewegungsprogramme herangezogen werden, und die Auswirkungen von Bewegung auf die kardiovaskulären Outcomes zu bewerten. Darüber hinaus sollte festgestellt werden, wie Bewegungsprogramme auf Patienten mit KVK zugeschnitten wurden. Es erfolgte eine Suche in den Datenbanken PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science und Cochrane. Drei Reviewer extrahierten die Daten, und zwei Reviewer bewerteten unabhängig voneinander die Qualität der Studien mithilfe des Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Bei der Berechnung der individuellen und gepoolten Effektstärken (ES) kam MetaXL 5.3 zur Anwendung. In den meisten Studien (58,9 %) waren Patienten mit stabiler und instabiler KVK ausgeschlossen. Insgesamt berichteten 26 von 42 Studien kardiovaskuläre Outcomes. Das am häufigsten berichtete Outcome-Maß war die Herzfrequenz in Ruhe (n = 13), und es zeigte sich ein geringer statistisch signifikanter Effekt (ES = -0,23) des Bewegungstrainings auf die Herzfrequenz in Ruhe bei COPD-Patienten. Es wurden keine speziellen Anpassungen für die verordneten Bewegungstrainings beschrieben. Wenige Studien schlossen Patienten mit KVK ein. Ein individueller Zuschnitt der Bewegungsprogramme fehlte und die beobachteten Effekte waren begrenzt. Zukünftige Studien sollten den Effekt maßgeschneiderter Bewegungsprogramme auf relevante Outcome-Maße bei Patienten mit Atemwegserkrankungen und KVK untersuchen.
Integrating daylight simulation in the design process: comparative analysis between two computational platforms
Authors: Garcia Marina Da Silva , Souza Roberta Vieira Gonçalves de , Freitas Maíra Louise Martins de , Veloso Ana Carolina De Oliveira
Published: July 2020

Daylighting presents an important role for high performance buildings. Currently, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has excelled in the Architecture and Engineering (A&E) industry as a collaboration and information exchange methodology that generates integrated computational models. Simulation plug-ins for BIM tools capable of performing daylighting simulations in a semi-automated way have been developed, thus presenting a more simplified simulation process and favoring the adoption of performance analysis since initial design stages; being a little explored subject. This article aims to investigate the Insight plug-in for Revit, focusing on its daylighting features. The workflow, input-output structure and results of Insight dynamic (sDA) and static (illuminance levels) daylighting metrics were analyzed, comparatively to the plug-in DIVA-for-Rhino, which simulation engines were considered validated by literature. Simulations on both software used the same model of a reference office space for the city of Belo Horizonte. Results indicate that Insight’s favors the daylighting analysis in the initial phases of the design process and allows the verification of code compliances, however determining materials optical properties presents some degree of complexity. Low sensitivity to glasses with low and medium values of light transmittance was noticed in the case study. Evidence of consideration of internal reflections of light rays (ambient bounces) close to 7 may leed to overestimated results in the case of low complexity models. This study intends to contribute to the understanding of the potentials and limitations of both analyzed tools, especially in regard to the specificities of BIM daylight simulation with Insight.
Lógica algorítmica-paramétrica e urbanismo: uma revisão teórica e de modelos computacionais para projetos urbanos
Authors: Lima Fernando , Costa Frederico Ribeiro , Rosa Ashiley
Published: July 2020

A utilização de recursos algorítmico-paramétricos no contexto do pensamento urbano constitui uma perspectiva relativamente nova para o planejamento e o projeto das cidades. No campo do urbanismo, estas aplicações, apesar de estarem em franca ascensão, ainda se encontram ou em menor quantidade, ou não tão desenvolvidas quanto aquelas voltadas ao campo da arquitetura. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste artigo é abordar diferentes modelos de aplicações computacionais orientados para contextos urbanísticos, de maneira a estabelecer um enquadramento sobre a aplicação destes recursos e de modelos computacionais orientados a soluções de questões urbanas, organizando um cenário de pesquisas já desenvolvidas nesta área e sistematizando-os por meio de um quadro comparativo. A análise comparativa dos modelos permitiu identificar as limitações, bem como as potencialidades e os contextos de aplicação de cada modelo. Assim, pode-se concluir a partir desta abordagem que os modelos analisados têm um grande potencial a ser explorado para gerir questões complexas do planejamento urbano, uma vez que permitem a construção de cenários e modificações no ambiente construído de forma paramétrica, ou seja, permitem a análise e a retroalimentação do projeto ainda no ambiente virtual.
Diretrizes para projeto de ambiente construído inclusivo (pessoas com deficiência auditiva)
Authors: Vasconcelos Bianca Maria , Oliveira Vanessa Santana
Published: July 2020

A Organização Mundial da Saúde – OMS estima que, até 2050, uma em cada dez pessoas, ou seja, mais de 900 milhões no mundo, apresentará quadros de perda auditiva incapacitante. Entretanto, os espaços públicos e privados existentes dificilmente estão preparados para absorver e atender essa parcela considerável da população. Para a construção de um ambiente acessível, verifica-se a necessidade da incorporação dos conceitos do Desenho Universal desde a concepção, mas a literatura oferece pouco suporte para isso. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desse estudo foi realizar uma revisão sistemática da literatura com o intuito de coletar e organizar informações acerca das particularidades das pessoas com deficiência auditiva, e assim, definir diretrizes de projetos destinadas ao projeto de espaços inclusivos para pessoas com deficiência auditiva. A revisão sistemática foi realizada de acordo com as diretrizes Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Inicialmente, foram encontrados 572 artigos na base de dados e, após a aplicação dos filtros, 8 artigos foram lidos e incluídos na revisão sistemática. Os resultados quantitativos mostraram a escassez de estudos sobre o tema e os resultados qualitativos foram compilados em uma tabela que apresentou as diretrizes de projetos sugeridas pelos artigos revisados, segundo os Cinco Preceitos do DeafSpace (BAUMAN, 2010). Por fim, um quadro-resumo foi idealizado a fim de servir de guia prático na concepção de futuros projetos arquitetônicos acessíveis para as Pessoas com Deficiência Auditiva.