bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Whole-body muscle MRI of patients with MATR3-associated distal myopathy reveals a distinct pattern of muscular involvement and highlights the value of whole-body examination
Authors: Mensch Alexander , Kraya Torsten , Koester Felicitas , Müller Tobias , Stoevesandt Dietrich , Zierz Stephan
Published: May 2020

Objective

MATR3-associated distal myopathy is a rare distal myopathy predominantly affecting lower legs as well as wrist- and finger extensors. Whilst most distal myopathies are clinically and genetically well characterized, diagnosis often remains challenging. Pattern-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approaches offer valuable additional information. However, a consistent pattern of muscular affection is missing for most distal myopathies. Thus, the aim of the present study was to establish a disease-specific pattern of muscular involvement in MATR3-associated distal myopathy using whole-body MRI.

Methods

15 patients (25–79 years of age, 7 female) with MATR3-associated distal myopathy were subjected to whole-body MRI. The grade of fatty involution for individual muscles was determined using Fischer-Grading. Results were compared to established MRI-patterns of other distal myopathies.

Results

There was a predominant affection of the distal lower extremities. Lower legs showed a severe fatty infiltration, prominently affecting gastrocnemius and soleus muscle. In thighs, a preferential involvement of semimembranous and biceps femoris muscle was observed. Severe affection of gluteus minimus muscle as well as axial musculature, mainly affecting the thoracic segments, was seen. A sufficient discrimination to other forms of distal myopathy based solely on MRI-findings of the lower extremities was not possible. However, the inclusion of additional body parts seemed to yield specificity.

Interpretation

Muscle MRI of patients with MATR3-associated distal myopathy revealed a distinct pattern of muscular involvement. The usage of whole-body muscle MRI provided valuable additional findings as compared to regular MRI of the lower extremities to improve distinction from other disease entities.
A multicentre randomized controlled follow-up study of the effects of the underwater traction therapy in chronic low back pain
Authors: Gáti Tamás , Czímer Éva , Cserháti Györgyi , Fehér Judit , Oláh Mihály , Kulisch Ágota , Mándó Zsuzsanna , Bender Tamás
Published: May 2020

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most costly diseases in the developed world. This study aimed to investigate the effects of underwater traction therapy on chronic low back pain. The primary objective was to prove that underwater traction therapy has favorable effects on LBP. Our secondary objective was to evaluate whether it also leads to improvement in the quality of life. This is a prospective, multicenter, follow-up study. A total of 176 patients with more than 3 months of low back pain enrolled from outpatient clinics were randomized into three groups: underwater weight bath traction therapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); weight bath; and only NSAIDs. The following parameters were measured before, right after, and 9 weeks after the 3-week therapy: levels of low back pain in rest and during activity were tested using the visual analogue scale (VAS), the Oswestry Low Back Disability Questionnaire, and the EuroQol-5D-5L Questionnaire.

The VAS levels improved significantly (p < 0.05) in both underwater weight bath traction therapy groups by the end of the treatment, whereas the improvement in the third group was not statistically significant. Furthermore, the improvements measured in the groups receiving traction therapy were persistent during the follow-up period. There were no significant changes in the Oswestry Index or the EuroQol-5D-5L without VAS parameters in any of the groups.

Based on our results, for patients suffering from LBP pain who underwent underwater weight bath traction therapy, there were favorable impacts on the pain levels at rest or during activity. Clinical trial registration ID: NCT03488498, April 5, 2018
A retrospective cohort study to investigate the incidence of cancer-related weight loss during chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients
Authors: Fukahori Masaru , Shibata Masayuki , Hamauchi Satoshi , Kasamatsu Eiji , Machii Koji
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate cancer-related weight loss (WL) after the start of first-line chemotherapy as a surrogate marker for cancer cachexia in patients with advanced gastric cancer. We investigated the incidence of WL and the relationship between WL and overall survival (OS) or adverse events.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 131 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received first-line systemic chemotherapy between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2016, at Kurume University Hospital and Shizuoka Cancer Center Hospital. WL was defined in this study as weight loss of > 5% or weight loss of > 2% with a body mass index of < 20 kg/m2 within the last 6 months after the start of chemotherapy.

Results

Median age and median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of the patients participating in this study were 68 years old and 0, respectively. Incidence of WL was 53% at the first 12 weeks after starting first-line chemotherapy, and increased to 88% after 48 weeks. Overall survival rates were significantly associated with WL at 12, 24, and 48 weeks. Appetite loss and fatigue were more frequent and more severe in patients with WL.

Conclusion

WL was especially observed in more than half the patients within 12 weeks after starting chemotherapy. WL appeared to relate to adverse events or reduced survival. These results suggest the importance of monitoring WL or providing nutritional support at the beginning of chemotherapy.
A scalable and effective rough set theory-based approach for big data pre-processing
Authors: Chelly Dagdia Zaineb , Zarges Christine , Beck Gaël , Lebbah Mustapha
Published: May 2020

A big challenge in the knowledge discovery process is to perform data pre-processing, specifically feature selection, on a large amount of data and high dimensional attribute set. A variety of techniques have been proposed in the literature to deal with this challenge with different degrees of success as most of these techniques need further information about the given input data for thresholding, need to specify noise levels or use some feature ranking procedures. To overcome these limitations, rough set theory (RST) can be used to discover the dependency within the data and reduce the number of attributes enclosed in an input data set while using the data alone and requiring no supplementary information. However, when it comes to massive data sets, RST reaches its limits as it is highly computationally expensive. In this paper, we propose a scalable and effective rough set theory-based approach for large-scale data pre-processing, specifically for feature selection, under the Spark framework. In our detailed experiments, data sets with up to 10,000 attributes have been considered, revealing that our proposed solution achieves a good speedup and performs its feature selection task well without sacrificing performance. Thus, making it relevant to big data.
Geophysical water flows with constant vorticity and centripetal terms
Authors: Martin Calin Iulian
Published: May 2020

We consider here three-dimensional water flows governed by the geophysical water wave equations exhibiting full Coriolis and centripetal terms. More precisely, assuming a constant vorticity vector, we derive a family of explicit solutions, in Eulerian coordinates, to the above-mentioned equations and their boundary conditions. These solutions are the only ones under the assumption of constant vorticity. To be more specific, we show that the components of the velocity field (with respect to the rotating coordinate system) vanish. We also determine a formula for the pressure function and we show that the surface, denoted $$z=\eta (x,y,t)$$

z
=
η
(
x
,
y
,
t
)

, is time independent, but is not flat and can be explicitly determined. We conclude our analysis by converting to the fixed inertial frame, the solutions we obtained before in the rotating frame. It is established that, in the fixed frame, the velocity field is non-vanishing and the free surface is non-flat, being explicitly determined. Moreover, the system consisting of the velocity field, the pressure and the surface defining function represents explicit and exact solutions to the three-dimensional water waves equations and their boundary conditions.
Efficiency of Mobile Video Sharing Application (WhatsApp®) in Live Field Image Transmission for Telepathology
Authors: Das Rituparna , Manaktala Nidhi , Bhatia Tanupriya , Agarwal Shubham , Natarajan Srikant , Lewis Amitha Juanita , Yellapurkar Shweta
Published: May 2020

Telepathology is in its nascent stages in India. Video calling applications in mobile phones can be efficiently used to transmit static and live field microscopic images hastening low cost telepathology. To evaluate the efficiency of WhatsApp® Video Calling for dynamic microscopy in distant diagnosis. Thirty haematoxylin and eosin stained slides of common pathologies were retrieved from the archives of Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, coded with relevant history and given to three untrained investigators. The investigators then connected a mobile phone with VOIP facility to a microscope using a custom adaptor. Dynamic fields were transferred to three independent pathologists via WhatsApp® video call. The pathologists attempted to diagnose the lesion based on the live field video over their display screen (phone). Audio quality was found to be better than that of video. In 70% of the cases, pathologists could render a diagnosis (13% gave a confirmed diagnosis, 57.7% gave a probable diagnosis). The average time taken for connecting the adaptor, connecting the call to the pathologist and then receiving the diagnosis was 9:30 min. In addition, proper history taking and staining of the tissue slides were critical to arrive at the diagnosis. WhatsApp® free VOIP facility helped untrained investigators to send the live-field pathologic fields to a specialist rendering histopathological diagnosis. The factors affecting the diagnosis included network stability, clarity of images transmitted, staining quality and contrast of nuclear details of the stain. The history, clinico-pathologic correlation, transmission of static images, training of the person transmitting the images plays a vital role in rendering accurate diagnosis. Telepathology over WhatsApp® video calling could be used as an efficient screening tool to identify suspicious lesions and follow-up critical cases.
Directivity analysis of the 2017 December Kerman earthquakes in Eastern Iran
Authors: Amini Samar , Roberts Roland , Lund Bjorn
Published: May 2020

Using an empirical Green’s function (EGF) approach and data from local to regional distances we analyzed rupture propagation directivity in the three mainshocks (ML 6.0–6.1) and in six of the largest aftershocks (ML 5.0 – 5.5) of the 2017 Kerman, Iran, seismic sequence. The EGF procedure was based on data from smaller events (ML 4.0 – 4.8). Deconvolution was applied separately to P and S phases. Using the P-wave data, we calculated relative source-time functions and examined azimuthal variations in rupture duration. In the S-wave analysis, we investigated along strike rupture directivity of the mainshocks and the largest aftershocks by evaluating azimuthal variation of the amplitude spectra. Two of the mainshocks and four of the aftershocks clearly showed rupture propagation from the south-east toward the north-west. The third mainshock and one of the aftershocks suggested almost bilateral rupture propagation, and one aftershock showed rupture directivity to the southeast. It seems that the rupture propagation direction in the area is generally to the north-west and the events which have different propagation directions are located within the NW and SE ends of the faulting area. We suggest that the general rupture propagation direction in the area is steered by regional tectonic stress field regarding the faulting orientations which have been affected by stress redistribution around a restraining bend.
Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Contain a Transcriptional Network
Authors: Hicks David A. , Jones Alys C. , Corbett Nicola J. , Fisher Kate , Pickering-Brown Stuart M. , Ashe Mark P. , Hooper Nigel M.
Published: May 2020

Healthy brain function is mediated by several complementary signalling pathways, many of which are driven by extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are heterogeneous in both size and cargo and are constitutively released from cells into the extracellular milieu. They are subsequently trafficked to recipient cells, whereupon their entry can modify the cellular phenotype. Here, in order to further analyse the mRNA and protein cargo of neuronal EVs, we isolated EVs by size exclusion chromatography from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. Electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering revealed that the isolated EVs had a diameter of 30–100 nm. Transcriptomic and proteomics analyses of the EVs and neurons identified key molecules enriched in the EVs involved in cell surface interaction (integrins and collagens), internalisation pathways (clathrin- and caveolin-dependent), downstream signalling pathways (phospholipases, integrin-linked kinase and MAPKs), and long-term impacts on cellular development and maintenance. Overall, we show that key signalling networks and mechanisms are enriched in EVs isolated from human iPSC-derived neurons.
Loss and Damage and limits to adaptation: recent IPCC insights and implications for climate science and policy
Authors: Mechler R. , Singh C. , Ebi K. , Djalante R. , Thomas A. , James R. , Tschakert P. , Wewerinke-Singh M. , Schinko T. , Ley D. , Nalau J. , Bouwer L. M. , Huggel C. , Huq S. , Linnerooth-Bayer J. , Surminski S. , Pinho P. , Jones R. , Boyd E. , Revi A.
Published: May 2020

Recent evidence shows that climate change is leading to irreversible and existential impacts on vulnerable communities and countries across the globe. Among other effects, this has given rise to public debate and engagement around notions of climate crisis and emergency. The Loss and Damage (L&D) policy debate has emphasized these aspects over the last three decades. Yet, despite institutionalization through an article on L&D by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the Paris Agreement, the debate has remained vague, particularly with reference to its remit and relationship to adaptation policy and practice. Research has recently made important strides forward in terms of developing a science perspective on L&D. This article reviews insights derived from recent publications by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and others, and presents the implications for science and policy. Emerging evidence on hard and soft adaptation limits in certain systems, sectors and regions holds the potential to further build momentum for climate policy to live up to the Paris ambition of stringent emission reductions and to increase efforts to support the most vulnerable. L&D policy may want to consider actions to extend soft adaptation limits and spur transformational, that is, non-standard risk management and adaptation, so that limits are not breached. Financial, technical, and legal support would be appropriate for instances where hard limits are transgressed. Research is well positioned to further develop robust evidence on critical and relevant risks at scale in the most vulnerable countries and communities, as well as options to reduce barriers and limits to adaptation.
The first evaluation of a Mobile application to encourage social participation for community-dwelling older adults
Authors: Jansen-Kosterink S. M. , Bergsma J. , Francissen A. , Naafs A.
Published: May 2020

Both loneliness and social isolation are linked to numerous negative health outcomes and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to reduce that loneliness and social isolation. Therefore, a new social technology (mobile application) which encourages social participation for community-dwelling older adults was developed and deployed. The objective of this study was to assess the usability, end-user experience, and potential added value of this mobile application among community-dwelling older adults. After recruitment and after the weeks of use participants were asked to complete a range of questionnaires, and log-data was gathered to provide information on actual use. Of the 91 older adults who started using the mobile application 41 (80% female, age 73.4 years (SD 7.8)) were willing to participate in this study. On average the application was used for 11 weeks. The usability was acceptable (SUS score of 65.3 (SD18.0)) and 59% of the participants were willing to continue using the application. To conclude, the mobile application to encourage social participation was accepted by community-dwelling older adults and the measured change in quality of life was positive and clinically meaningful. After improving the technology a next step is to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Neural Progenitor Cells––a Preclinical Evaluation for Stroke Treatment in Mice
Authors: Zheng X. , Zhang L. , Kuang Y. , Venkataramani V. , Jin F. , Hein K. , Zafeiriou M. P. , Lenz C. , Moebius W. , Kilic E. , Hermann D. M. , Weber M. S. , Urlaub H. , Zimmermann W.-H. , Bähr M. , Doeppner Thorsten R.
Published: May 2020

Stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) enhance neurological recovery in preclinical stroke models by secreting extracellular vesicles (EVs). Since previous reports have focused on the application of MSC-EVs only, the role of the most suitable host cell for EV enrichment and preclinical stroke treatment remains elusive. The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of EVs derived from neural progenitor cells (NPCs) following experimental stroke. Using the PEG technique, EVs were enriched and characterized by electron microscopy, proteomics, rt-PCR, nanosight tracking analysis, and Western blotting. Different dosages of NPC-EVs displaying a characteristic profile in size, shape, cargo protein, and non-coding RNA contents were incubated in the presence of cerebral organoids exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), significantly reducing cell injury when compared with control organoids. Systemic administration of NPC-EVs in male C57BL6 mice following experimental ischemia enhanced neurological recovery and neuroregeneration for as long as 3 months. Interestingly, the therapeutic impact of such NPC-EVs was found to be not inferior to MSC-EVs. Flow cytometric analyses of blood and brain samples 7 days post-stroke demonstrated increased blood concentrations of B and T lymphocytes after NPC-EV delivery, without affecting cerebral cell counts. Likewise, a biodistribution analysis after systemic delivery of NPC-EVs revealed the majority of NPC-EVs to be found in extracranial organs such as the liver and the lung. This proof-of-concept study supports the idea of EVs being a general concept of stem cell–induced neuroprotection under stroke conditions, where EVs contribute to reverting the peripheral post-stroke immunosuppression.
“Touching” services: tangible objects create an emotional connection to services even before their first use
Authors: Nägele Nora , von Walter Benjamin , Scharfenberger Philipp , Wentzel Daniel
Published: May 2020

Although research suggests that physical elements of the servicescape play an important role in the service process, there is little research on the impact of tangible objects that companies give to consumers such as membership cards, pens, mugs, or fashion articles. Drawing on research about embodied cognition, this paper investigates how and under which conditions the provision of tangible service objects affects consumers. Three experimental studies were conducted, in which participants received different objects they could either touch or just see. These studies indicate that touching a service object metaphorically translates into a perceived mental connection towards the service. More specifically, physically connecting to a service object leads to a stronger psychological connection to the corresponding service, which, in turn, increases behavioral intentions. The results also demonstrate that providing a tangible object only has an impact when the object is of high aesthetic appeal. These findings suggest that providing tangible service objects is an effective way for service providers to build an emotional connection with potential customers and to strengthen the emotional connections of existing customers.
Cowardice and Military Security: Some Heuristic Reflections
Authors: Vasilache Andreas
Published: May 2020

While cowardice is sanctioned by military law in most countries, the impact of cowardice on modern warfare and security politics is low. This might be the reason why cowardice—as notion, phenomenon, and topic—has widely been neglected in security studies. However, for quite some time, we have witnessed a revival of the word as an accusation and pejorative term that is frequently applied by Western government representatives to describe the enemy in armed conflicts. The expression of a “cowardly attack” has become quite common in political communication after attacks against Western forces in violent confrontations. Thereby, cowardice is transformed from a possible weakness of the own forces to a particular strength of the enemy. This article aims at presenting some reflections on the notion, meaning, and functional role of cowardice in situations of violent international conflict, as well as on the use of the term as a speech act in recent governmental security communication. A particular focus will be put on the normative implications of the revival of the governmental cowardice-rhetoric.
Do direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) cause delayed surgery, longer length of hospital stay, and poorer outcome for hip fracture patients?
Authors: Leer-Salvesen Sunniva , Dybvik Eva , Ranhoff Anette H. , Husebø Bjørn Liljestrand , Dahl Ola E. , Engesæter Lars B. , Gjertsen Jan-Erik
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The perioperative consequences of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in hip fracture patients are not sufficiently investigated. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether DOAC-users have delayed surgery compared to non-users. Secondarily, we studied whether length of hospital stay, mortality, reoperations and bleeding complications were influenced by the use of DOAC.

Methods

The medical records of 314 patients operated for a hip fracture between 2016 and 2017 in a single trauma center were assessed. Patients aged < 60 and patients using other forms of anticoagulation than DOACs were excluded. Patients were followed from admission to 6 months postoperatively. Surgical delay was defined as time from admission to surgery. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, transfusion rates, perioperative bleeding loss, postoperative wound ooze, mortality and risk of reoperation. The use of general versus neuraxial anaesthesia was registered. Continuous outcomes were analysed using Students t test, while categorical outcomes were expressed by Odds ratios.

Results

47 hip fracture patients (15%) were using DOACs. No difference in surgical delay (29 vs 26 h, p = 0.26) or length of hospital stay (6.6 vs 6.1 days, p = 0.34) were found between DOAC-users and non-users. DOAC-users operated with neuraxial anaesthesia had longer surgical delay compared to DOAC-users operated with general anaesthesia (35 h vs 22 h, p < 0.001). Perioperative blood loss, transfusion rate, risk of bleeding complications and mortality were similar between groups.

Conclusion

Hip fracture patients using DOAC did not have increased surgical delay, length of stay or risk of reported bleeding complications than patients without anticoagulation prior to surgery. The increased surgical delay found for DOAC-users operated with neuraxial anaesthesia should be interpreted with caution.
Ein Feld in Bewegung: Friedens- und Konfliktforschung in herausfordernden Zeiten
Authors: Niemann Holger , Schröder Ursula
Published: May 2020

Wie kann die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung eine orientierende Funktion für den Umgang mit zunehmend komplexen und dynamischen Herausforderungen übernehmen? Der Wissenschaftsrat betont in seiner Evaluation des Felds, dass die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung wichtige Beiträge zur Bearbeitung aktueller gesellschaftlicher und politischer Herausforderungen leistet und der Bedarf an Expertise aus der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung zunehmen wird. Dieser Beitrag diskutiert aus der Perspektive der außeruniversitären Einrichtungen der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, wie das Feld diese Funktion angesichts wachsender Herausforderungen ausüben kann. Hierzu beschreibt der Beitrag zunächst die Rolle außeruniversitärer Forschungseinrichtungen in einem komplementär strukturierten wissenschaftlichen Feld. Im zweiten Teil diskutieren wir, an welchen Stellen die Forschungsergebnisse der außeruniversitären Einrichtungen wichtige Impulse im Umgang mit neuen Herausforderungen setzen können. Wir argumentieren, dass es gilt, multiperspektivische Forschungszugänge zu stärken, Orientierungswissen für die gesellschaftliche und politische Praxis bereitzustellen und normative Positionen aufzuzeigen, um die orientierende Funktion der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung auch zukünftig zu erhalten und weiterzuentwickeln.
What Are the Key Drivers Controlling the Quality of Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts?
Authors: Pechlivanidis I. G. , Crochemore L. , Rosberg J. , Bosshard T.
Published: May 2020

Recent technological advances in representation of processes in numerical climate models have led to skillful predictions, which can consequently increase the confidence of hydrological predictions and usability of hydroclimatic services. Given that many water‐related stakeholders are affected by seasonal hydrological variations, there is a need to manage such variations to their advantage through better understanding of the drivers that influence hydrological predictability. Here we analyze the seasonal forecasts of streamflow volumes across about 35,400 basins in Europe, which lie along a strong gradient in terms of climatology, scale, and hydrological regime. We then link the seasonal volumetric errors to various physiographic‐hydroclimatic descriptors and meteorological biases in order to identify the key drivers controlling predictability. Streamflow volumes over Europe are well predicted, yet with some geographic and seasonal variability; however, the predictability deteriorates with increasing lead time particularly in the winter months. Nevertheless, we show that the forecast quality is well correlated to a set of descriptors, which vary depending on the initialization month. The forecast quality of seasonal streamflow volumes is strongly dependent on the basin's hydrological regime, with limited predictability in relatively flashy basins. On the contrary, snow and/or baseflow dominated regions with long recessions show high streamflow predictability. Finally, climatology and precipitation forecast biases are also related to streamflow predictability, highlighting the importance of developing robust bias adjustment methods. Overall, this investigation shows that the seasonal streamflow predictability can be clustered, and hence regionalized, based on a priori knowledge of local hydroclimatic conditions.
MdMYB6 regulates anthocyanin formation in apple both through direct inhibition of the biosynthesis pathway and through substrate removal
Authors: Xu Haifeng , Zou Qi , Yang Guanxian , Jiang Shenghui , Fang Hongcheng , Wang Yicheng , Zhang Jing , Zhang Zongying , Wang Nan , Chen Xuesen
Published: May 2020

Anthocyanin biosynthesis and sugar metabolism are important processes during plant growth, but the molecular interactions underlying these pathways are still unclear. In this work, we analyzed the anthocyanin and soluble sugar contents, as well as the transcript levels of transcription factors that are known to be related to the biosynthesis of anthocyanin in ‘Hongcui 1’ apple flesh during fruit development. Overexpression of MdMYB6 in red-fleshed calli was found to reduce anthocyanin content and result in downregulated expression of the MdANS and MdGSTF12 proteins. Yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift analyses showed that MdMYB6 could directly bind to the promoters of MdANS and MdGSTF12, indicating that MdMYB6 could inhibit anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating MdANS and MdGSTF12. Overexpression of MdTMT1 in the Arabidopsis tmt1 mutant restored the glucose and fructose contents to the wild-type levels, while overexpression of MdTMT1 in red-fleshed calli increased the contents of glucose and fructose but reduced the contents of UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, and anthocyanin. Using a GUS reporter system, yeast one-hybrid, chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR and electrophoretic mobility shift analyses, we found that MdMYB6 could bind to the promoter of MdTMT1, resulting in increased promoter activity. Overexpression of MdMYB6 in calli overexpressing MdTMT1 increased the expression of MdTMT1, which led to reduced contents of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose and decreased anthocyanin content compared to those of the calli that overexpressed MdTMT1. This finding suggested that MdMYB6 could also inhibit anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating MdTMT1 to decrease the contents of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose. Taken together, these results showed that MdMYB6 and MdTMT1 play key roles in both anthocyanin biosynthesis and sugar transport.
Phosphorus-doped inverse opal g-C3N4 for efficient and selective CO generation from photocatalytic reduction of CO2
Authors: Huang Xiaoyue , Gu Wenyi , Hu Songchang , Hu Yan , Zhou Liang , Lei Juying , Wang Lingzhi , Liu Yongdi , Zhang Jinlong
Published: May 2020

In this work, inverse opal (IO) structure construction and phosphorus doping were combined to modify carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2.
An intriguing intermediate state as a bridge between antiferroelectric and ferroelectric perovskites
Authors: Liu Hui , Zhou Zhengyang , Qiu Yi , Gao Botao , Sun Shengdong , Lin Kun , Ding Lei , Li Qiang , Cao Yili , Ren Yang , Sun Junliang , Xing Xianran , Chen Jun
Published: May 2020

An intriguing intermediate state is revealed as a bridge between conventional antiferroelectric and ferroelectric states in PbZrO3-based perovskites
Biomimetic immunomagnetic gold hybrid nanoparticles coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the detection of circulating tumor cells
Authors: Chang Zhi-min , Zhou Hang , Yang Chao , Zhang Rui , You Qiannan , Yan Ruhong , Li Li , Ge Mingfeng , Tang Yuguo , Dong Wen-fei , Wang Zheng
Published: May 2020

Immunomagnetic beads are important tools for the isolation and detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
Multi-stimuli responsive polymeric prodrug micelles for combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy
Authors: Hu Cheng , Zhuang Weihua , Yu Tao , Chen Liang , Liang Zhen , Li Gaocan , Wang Yunbing
Published: May 2020

The strategy of novel multi-stimuli response and synergistic chemo–photodynamic therapy nanoplatform will be helpful for exploiting intelligent cancer therapy.
Priority, network and energy‐aware placement of IoT‐based application services in fog‐cloud environments
Authors: Hassan Hiwa Omer , Azizi Sadoon , Shojafar Mohammad
Published: May 2020

Fog computing is a decentralised model which can help cloud computing for providing high quality‐of‐service (QoS) for the Internet of Things (IoT) application services. Service placement problem (SPP) is the mapping of services among fog and cloud resources. It plays a vital role in response time and energy consumption in fog–cloud environments. However, providing an efficient solution to this problem is a challenging task due to difficulties such as different requirements of services, limited computing resources, different delay, and power consumption profile of devices in fog domain. Motivated by this, in this study, we propose an efficient policy, called MinRE, for SPP in fog–cloud systems. To provide both QoS for IoT services and energy efficiency for fog service providers, we classify services into two categories: critical services and normal ones. For critical services, we propose MinRes, which aims to minimise response time, and for normal ones, we propose MinEng, whose goal is reducing the energy consumption of fog environment. Our extensive simulation experiments show that our policy improves the energy consumption up to 18%, the percentage of deadline satisfied services up to 14% and the average response time up to 10% in comparison with the second‐best results.
Mitigation of transient overvoltages in microgrid including PV arrays
Authors: Awad Eman Ahmed , Badran Ebrahim A.
Published: May 2020

This study investigates the mitigation of transient overvoltages (TOVs) in a microgrid supplied by renewable distributed generation resources, which include photovoltaic (PV) generators, hydro generation unit, and wind power generators. ATP/EMTP is used in this study as electromagnetic transient software. Accurate simulation models are needed to carry out the study. Therefore, a three‐phase PV system model based on the equivalent Newton–Raphson circuit is used, and the efficiency of the PV system components is studied. Then, the use of the PV generation system model for switching studies is investigated using two different electrical systems. The use of different mitigation methods for TOVs at the microgrid is investigated. Three different mitigation methods are considered. First, a device to compensate reactive power such as static var compensator (SVC) is represented as a TOVs mitigation method. Then, adding a supercapacitor as TOVs mitigation method is evaluated. After that, a combination of active and reactive power simultaneously to mitigate TOV, by the addition of SVC to a supercapacitor, is investigated. The grid‐connected mode and isolated mode of the microgrid are considered. The results show that the usage of SVC with supercapacitor has the ability to mitigate the transient overvoltage and the waveforms are more regular.
Distribution network operational risk assessment and early warning considering multi‐risk factors
Authors: Chen Lijuan , Liu Li , Peng Yan , Chen Wenjin , Huang Hongyang , Wu Tiantian , Xu Xiaohui
Published: May 2020

Under the impact of various uncertainties, the potential operation risk of the distribution network is gradually gaining more and more attention in both security and economy. To comprehensively determine the risk level, an operational risk assessment method considering multiple risk factors is proposed. Firstly, probabilistic models are established including temporal distributions of electric vehicles and uncertainties of renewable energy. Secondly, a time‐sequential security risk assessment method with several security indicators including overvoltage risk, undervoltage risk, line‐overload risk and load‐loss risk is established using probabilistic load flow and dynamical sensitivity weight analysis method. Thirdly, conditional value at risk model is presented for time‐varying economic risk considering line‐loss risk and operational profit or loss risk of distributed generations. Finally, a risk early warning standard is proposed to realise the visualisation of risk warning by defining the risk level and risk area. Simulations of different scenarios are conducted on the modified IEEE 34‐bus radial test system and the results reveal that the proposed strategy is effective and practical.
Classification of magnetic resonance images for brain tumour detection
Authors: Kurmi Yashwant , Chaurasia Vijayshri
Published: May 2020

Image segmentation of magnetic resonance image (MRI) is a crucial process for visualisation and examination of abnormal tissues, especially during clinical analysis. Complexity and variations of the tumour structure magnify the challenges in the automated detection of a brain tumour in MRIs. This study presents an automatic lesion recognition method in the MRI followed by classification. In the proposed multistage image segmentation method, the intent region initialisation is performed using low‐level information by the keypoint descriptors. A set of the linear filter is used to transform low‐level information into higher‐level image features. The set of features and filter training data are accomplished to track the tumour region. The authors adopt a possibilistic model for region growing, and disparity map for the refinement process to grave consist boundary. Further, the features are extracted using the Fisher vector and autoencoder. A set of handcrafted features is also extracted using a segmentation‐based localised region to train and test the support vector machine and multilayer perceptron classifiers. The experiments that are performed using five MRI datasets confirm the superiority of proposal as that of the state‐of‐the‐art methods. It reports 94.5 and 91.76%, average accuracy of segmentation and classification, respectively.
Control strategy for optimising the thrust of a high‐speed six‐phase linear induction motor
Authors: Han Yi , Nie Ziling , Xu Jin , Zhu Junjie , Sun Jun
Published: May 2020

In this study, a short primary six‐phase linear induction motor (LIM) operating in high‐speed non‐periodic transient conditions is used as an object of study. In consideration of the coupling terms related to the dynamic end effect, the motor model is simplified and the vector control equation is deduced. A vector control strategy for the real‐time modification of slip‐frequency and torque current is proposed for dynamic thrust compensation. On this basis, considering the problems of thrust decay caused by dynamic end effect and dc‐link voltage drop, this study puts forward a field‐weakening control method to keep thrust constant before its decrease in the field‐weakening region. The method makes it possible for the LIM to overcome the thrust decay and the narrowing of voltage limits under the high‐speed operating conditions. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed control strategies are useful for optimising the thrust in the transient process thus to realise the high‐speed operation of the motor.
Improvements to the H5 inverter topology for transformer‐less grid‐photovoltaic interface applications
Authors: Datta Asim , Sarker Rishiraj
Published: May 2020

Incorporation of transformer in grid‐photovoltaic (PV) interfaces makes the systems bulky and expensive, and reduces the system efficiency. Consequently, in recent years, researchers have proposed many transformers‐less inverter topologies for grid‐PV interface applications. Among them, the H5 topology is one with the simplest structure, least switches, and higher efficiency. However, its ground‐leakage current repression property is unsatisfactory due to its asymmetry structure and switch‐junction capacitance effects. From the aspect of single‐phase transformer‐less grid‐PV interface applications, this study proposes an improved H5 topology, namely 2D‐H5 topology, by incorporating a capacitor divider with a clamp branch consisting of two blocking diodes in the basic H5 structure in order to maintain constant common‐mode (CM) voltage. The constant CM voltage will cause no CM (i.e. ground‐leakage) current through the stray capacitance between the PV array and the ground. Besides, the proposed topology provides the same differential‐mode characteristic as good as in a unipolar modulation full‐bridge (H4) inverter for ensuring quality of grid injected power. The proposed topology has been analysed in detail, and verified with satisfactory simulation and experimental results in comparison to the existing transformer‐less H5 topology. The proposed improvement enables a reduction in the ground‐leakage current in conformity with PV interface standards.
Prognostic alternative splicing signature in cervical squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wu Hua‐yu , Li Qi‐qi , Liang Liang , Qiu Lan‐lan , Wei Hong‐wei , Huang Bing‐ying , Gang‐ Chen , He Rong‐quan , Huang Zhi‐guang , Hou Wei , Hu Qi‐ping , Pan Shang‐ling
Published: May 2020

Basing on alternative splicing events (ASEs) databases, the authors herein aim to explore potential prognostic biomarkers for cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC). mRNA expression profiles and relevant clinical data of 223 patients with CESC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Correlated genes, ASEs and percent‐splice‐in (PSI) were downloaded from SpliceSeq, respectively. The PSI values of survival‐associated alternative splicing events (SASEs) were used to construct the basis of a prognostic index (PI). A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of genes related to SASEs was generated by STRING and analysed with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Consequently, 41,776 ASEs were discovered in 19,724 genes, 2596 of which linked with 3669 SASEs. The PPI network of SASEs related genes revealed that TP53 and UBA52 were core genes. The low‐risk group had a longer survival period than high‐risk counterparts, both groups being defined according to PI constructed upon the top 20 splicing events or PI on the overall splicing events. The AUC value of ROC reached up to 0.88, demonstrating the prognostic potential of PI in CESC. These findings suggested that ASEs involve in the pathogenesis of CESC and may serve as promising prognostic biomarkers for this female malignancy.
Gambling Problems in Patients with Psychotic Disorders in Rural Greece
Authors: Peritogiannis Vaios , Gioti Panagiota , Gogou Afroditi
Published: May 2020

There is a dearth of studies on gambling problems in patients with psychotic disorders. A retrospective chart review of treatment-engaged rural patients was performed. From a total of 79 patients that were included in the study, 6 had a history of gambling problems, whereas the 1-year prevalence was 5%. Most were male and they underreported their problems. The results of the study correspond to other studies that used more rigorous methodology. Gambling problems in psychotic patients in rural Greece are not uncommon. Such problems can be traced by gathering information from all those who are involved in patients’ care.
Endoscopic Intraventricular Atrial Adhesiolysis for the Treatment of Entrapped Temporal Horn after İntraventricular Tumor Surgery
Authors: Abuzayed Bashar , Alawneh Khaled , Al Qawasmeh Majdi , Raffee Liqaa
Published: May 2020

A 21-year-old male patient was operated for third ventricle tumor (central neurocytoma) and showed improvement in the early postoperative period. After 2 weeks of surgery, the patient neurologic status deteriorated with acute decreased level of consciousness. Neuroimaging of the brain revealed entrapped left temporo-occipital horns with adhesion bands at the level of the atrium. Patient was operated with neuronavigation-guided endoscopic approach to the left atrium through the left posterior parietal region. Band adhesiolysis was performed with no complications. The patient showed fast improvement, and follow-up brain magnetic resonance imaging after 2 years showed the release of the ventricular entrapment with significant regression of the left ventricle size.
Predictors of Postthrombolysis Outcome and Symptomatic Postthrombolysis Hemorrhage following Intravenous Thrombolysis with Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Das Suman , Mondal Gourango Prosad , Bhattacharya Ramesh , Ghosh Kartick Chandra , Das Sarbajit , Pattem Hema Krishna , Paul Shabir Ahmed , Patra Chandrakanta
Published: May 2020

Background Thrombolysis improves the outcome in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), albeit with an increased risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Biomarkers to find patients at risk of sICH, and guide treatment and prognosis would be valuable.

Methods Consecutive patients of AIS thrombolysed between February 2017 and September 2019 at Calcutta National Medical College were studied prospectively for sICH and outcome at 6-month follow-up. We identified the independent risk factors for unfavorable outcomes, mortality, and sICH using multivariate analysis. Prethrombolysis and 24-hour postthrombolysis fibrinogen levels were estimated to evaluate its biomarker role.

Results Out of 180 AIS patients admitted during the study period, 60 patients were thrombolysed. Door to needle time was <3 hours among 24 patients and 3 to 4.5 hours among 36 patients. Favorable outcomes occurred among 76.67% and sICH occurred among 13.33% patients. Upper tertile of National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) had the highest adjusted odds for sICH (17.5 [95% confidence intervals=1.7–178.44]). Total anterior circulation stroke had the highest adjusted odds for unfavorable outcome (19.11 [3.9–92.6]). Following thrombolysis, the mean (standard deviation) fibrinogen level of 449.27 (32.87) decreased 7% to postthrombolysis level of 420 (20.5; p< 0.0001). Higher tertiles of fibrinogen levels had progressively increasing odds for morbidity and sICH.

Conclusion Congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke (double weight), i.e., CHADS2 score >2, low ejection fraction, the occurrence of total anterior circulation stroke and higher mean arterial blood pressure, blood glucose level, NIHSS score, and fibrinogen at admission were the common risk factors significantly predicting postthrombolysis sICH and morbidity. Antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy, lower ASPECT (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score), and higher SEDAN scores also predicted sICH . Fibrinogen levels were significantly higher among those developing sICH and having unfavorable outcome. The performance of thrombolysis within 3 hours or between 3 and 4.5 hours after symptom onset did not affect morbidity, mortality, or the occurrence of sICH.
Formation of the load graph for consumers of electric energy for the stabilizing work of electric energy system
Authors: Udintsev D N , Shvedov G V , Milovanov P К , Sergeeva M M
Published: May 2020

Design and operation of electric energy system is being carried out with taking into account probable projected accidents. Thus, there are many prerequisites of developing accidents in electric energy systems, caused by impact of outer factors, which have random nature and can negatively influence the stability of operation of electric energy system. Problematic questions of functioning of electric energy systems in accidents, caused by various factors, which have both predicted and random nature are being considered in this article. There are actual ways of preventing development of accidents provided. A method of flexible regulation of consumption of electric energy had been suggested as one of the possible ways to stabilize the operation of electric energy system.