bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the burden and trend of injury in Sichuan, China, from 2006 to 2015: results from the national injury surveillance system
Authors: Cai Peng , Wu Xianping , Liu Zhihao , Deng Ying , Chen Xiaofang , Yi Guanghui , Xu Jiang , Huang Shirong , Luan Rongsheng
Published: November 2019

Objective

This study investigates the distribution, burden and trends of injuries in Sichuan, China.

Design

A surveillance study using injury data collected by the National Injury Surveillance System.

Setting and participants

312 511 injury cases reported in the National Injury Surveillance System in Sichuan, China, from 2006 to 2015.

Primary outcome measures

Years of potential life lost (YPLL) were calculated to determine the disease burden from injuries. Trend analysis was performed to assess the trends in specific injuries over time.

Results

A total of 312 511 injury cases were reported in the last 10 years in Sichuan with 192 904 (men: 58.58%) and 119 607 (men: 67.11%) cases from the urban and rural surveillance hospitals, respectively. The annual number of injury cases increased from 21 257 in 2006 to 44 112 in 2015 with an average annual increase of 8.45%. The top three common causes of injury were fall (29.3%), animal-related injury (19.1%) and road-related injury (14.6%) in the urban area and fall (38.4%), road-related injury (17.2%) and blunt injuries (16.0%) in the rural area. YPLLs from injuries accounted for 13% of the total YPLLs in the urban area.

Conclusions

The number of injury cases varied according to rural/urban areas and gender and increased sharply in Sichuan over the last decade. It is necessary to develop targeted prevention and control measures to reduce the disease burden of injuries.
Integrated multisectoral strategy to improve girls’ and women’s nutrition before conception, during pregnancy and after birth in India (Swabhimaan): protocol for a prospective, non-randomised controlled evaluation
Authors: Sethi Vani , Bhanot Arti , Bhattacharjee Sourav , Gope Rajkumar , Sarangi Debjeet , Nath Vikash , Nair Nirmala , Singh Usha , Daniel Abner , Parhi Rabi N , Sinha Sonali , Loomba Avinash , S Somya , Purty Apollo , Ali Naushad , Mohapatra Babita , Agarwal Neeraj , Bhatia Vikas , Ruikar Manisha , Sahu Bharati , R S Reshmi , Pedgaonkar Sarang , Dwivedi Laxmi Kant , Saiyed Farhat , Prajapati Mahendra , Mishra Preetu , Prost Audrey , Kejrewal Nita , De Wagt Arjan , Sachdev Harshpal , Unisa Sayeed
Published: November 2019

Introduction

Swabhimaan is a community-based programme to improve adolescent girls’ and women’s nutrition in the rural areas of three Indian states—Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha with high prevalence of undernutrition.

Methods and analysis

Swabhimaan has a nested prospective, non-randomised controlled evaluation. Since 2017, five intervention sites receive community-led interventions through national government’s livelihood mission supported women’s self-help group federations and five control sites will initiate these activities 36 months later, in 2020. Community-led activities aim to improve coverage of 18 interventions including adequacy of food consumed, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, access to basic health services and special care of nutritionally ‘at risk’ girls and women, improving hygiene and access to water and sanitation services and access to family planning services. The evaluation includes baseline (2016–2017), midline (2018–2019) and endline (2020–2021) surveys covering 6638 adolescent girls, 2992 pregnant women and 8755 mothers of children under 2. The final impact analysis will be by intention to treat, comparing primary and secondary outcomes in five intervention areas and five control areas. The primary outcomes are: (1) a 15% reduction in the proportion of adolescent girls with a body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2; (2) a 15% reduction in the proportion of mothers of children under two with a BMI <18.5 kg/m2and (3) and a 0.4 cm improvement in mean mid-upper arm circumference among pregnant women.

Ethics and dissemination

All procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha and in compliance with guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki. Evidence will inform maternal and preconception nutrition policy at national and state level.

Trial registration number

58261b2f46876 and CTRI/2016/11/007482; Pre-results.
Intervening to prevent a suicide in a public place: a qualitative study of effective interventions by lay people
Authors: Owens Christabel , Derges Jane , Abraham Charles
Published: November 2019

Objectives

Many suicides take place in public locations, usually involving jumping from high places or use of transport networks. Previous research has largely focused on the effectiveness of physical barriers at frequently used locations. There have been no studies of human intervention to prevent suicides in public places. The aim of this study was to identify the core components of an effective intervention by a member of the public.

Design and methods

We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with people who have either been prevented by a stranger from taking their own life in a public location (n=12) or intervened to prevent a stranger from taking their own life in a public location (n=21). Collectively, the two groups narrated 50 incidents of suicide rescue. We analysed interview transcripts using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Suicidal people typically displayed no visible distress, describing themselves as being dissociated or ‘in a bubble’. Intervention was seen to involve three main tasks: ‘bursting the bubble’ (reconnecting with self, others and everyday world); moving to a safer location, and summoning help. We show how interveners accomplished these tasks in a range of ways, using both verbal and non-verbal communication and different degrees of restraint.

Conclusions

This is the first empirical study to examine the role of passing strangers in preventing suicides in public places. It shows that no specialist skills are needed. Interveners were ordinary people, distinguished only by a high level of social awareness, combined with a readiness for social action. The findings also suggest that people do not need a script and should not be afraid of saying ‘the wrong thing.’ What interveners said was much less important than how they made the suicidal person feel, namely safe, connected and validated (‘I matter’). Interveners did this simply by being themselves, responding with authenticity, calmness and compassion. Members of the public need to be encouraged to recognise and reach out to those who may be at risk of suicide in public locations, but should be prepared for a prolonged and intense encounter that may leave them with troubling emotions.
Ali Mehmet Celâl Şengör: A geologist who unravels the histories of continents and oceans
Authors: Polat Ali
Published: November 2019

This special issue is dedicated to Ali Mehmet Celâl Şengör for his outstanding contributions to plate tectonics and history of geology. His studies have unraveled several mysteries on the origin and deformation of continents and formation of orogenic belts in many parts of the world. We received 22 articles for the special issue, 11 of which are published in this issue. The rest of the articles will be published in the next issue. The articles in this issue mainly focus on geological processes in the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt and on the history of the theory of plate tectonics.
Characterization of local regions for wavelet-based image denoising using a statistical approach
Authors: Verma Rajiv , Pandey Rajoo
Published: November 2019

The shape of local window plays a vital role in the estimation of original signal variance, which is used to shrink the noisy wavelet coefficients in wavelet-based image denoising algorithms. This paper presents an anisotropic-shaped region-based Wiener filtering (ASRWF) and BayesShrink (ASRBS) algorithms, which exploit the region characteristics to estimate the original signal variance using a statistical approach. The proposed approach divides the region centered on a noisy wavelet coefficient into various non-overlapping subregions. The Euclidean distance-based measure is considered to obtain the similarities between reference subregion and adjacent subregions. An appropriate threshold value is estimated by applying a statistical approach on these distances and the sets of similar and dissimilar subregions are obtained from a defined region. Thus, an anisotropic-shaped region is obtained by neglecting the dissimilar subregions in a defined region. The variance of every similar subregion is calculated and then averaged to estimate the original signal variance to shrink noisy wavelet coefficients effectively. Finally, the estimated signal variance is utilized in Wiener filtering and BayesShrink algorithms to improve the denoising performance. The performance of the proposed algorithms is analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively on standard images for different noise levels.
External Force Observer for Small- and Medium-Sized Humanoid Robots
Authors: Hawley Louis , Rahem Rémy , Suleiman Wael
Published: November 2019

External force observer for humanoid robots has been widely studied in the literature. However, most of the proposed approaches generally rely on information from six-axis force/torque sensors, which the small or medium-sized humanoid robots usually do not have. As a result, those approaches cannot be applied to this category of humanoid robots, which are widely used nowadays in education or research.

In this paper, we propose a Kalman filter-based observer to estimate the three components of an external force applied in any direction and at an arbitrary point of the robot’s structure. The observer is simple to implement and can easily run in real time using the embedded processor of a small or medium-sized humanoid robot such as Nao or Darwin-OP. Moreover, the observer does not require any changes to the robot’s hardware, as it only uses measurements from the available force-sensing resistors (FSR) inserted under the feet of the humanoid robot and from the robot’s inertial measurement unit (IMU).

The proposed observer was extensively validated on a Nao humanoid robot in both cases of standing still or walking while an external force was applied to the robot. In the conducted experiments, the observer successfully estimated the external force within a reasonable margin of error. Moreover, the experimental data and the MATLAB and C++/ROS implementations of the proposed observer are available as an open source package. https://goo.gl/VkhejY.
Extended State Observer Fuzzy-Approximation-Based Active Disturbances Rejection Control Method for Humanoid Robot with Trajectory Tracking
Authors: Bai Keqiang , Chen Yao , Liu Zhigui , Qian Qiumeng
Published: November 2019

This study aimed to propose an extended state observer fuzzy-approximation-based active disturbances rejection control (FAADRC) method for a dual-arm humanoid robotic system. The purpose of this control system was to provide disturbance estimation and compensation to enable the humanoid robots to track any continuous desired trajectory, even in the presence of environmental disturbances and parametric uncertainties. The proposed active disturbances rejection controller was analyzed using mathematical modeling, and the robot dual-arm motion information of a number of cases when they simulated the trajectory was examined to verify the model. The extended state observer adaptive fuzzy-approximation control strategy was designed combining the synthesis of the robust design, active disturbances rejection control, and Lyapunov function method so that the proposed FAADRC did not need to know the arms model of the humanoid robot precisely. In the control system proposed in this study, once the desired trajectories of the robot’s dual-arm positions were given, the FAADRC system was closed to any unknown functions and to the derivative of the virtual control law of the humanoid robot system. In this case, a robust controller based on an extended state observer was designed to realize the disturbance estimation and compensation. Using the proposed trajectory tracking, not only were the coordinate motions of a humanoid robot’s two arms generated, but the arms could also be controlled to move to the desired positions. The proposed closed-loop system under the FAADRC design was effective, and the asymptotic stability was successfully achieved. The numerical simulation showed the tracking error comparison and the estimated errors of the extended state observer. Two experimental tests were carried out to prove the performance of the algorithm presented in this study. The experimental results showed that the proposed FAADRC exhibited a better performance than the regular proportional integral derivative controller.
Evaluation of Formation of Plastic Hinge and Seismic Behavior of Steel Structures Due to Soil–Structure–Tunnel Interaction
Authors: Rostami Arash , Moghadam Abdolreza S. , Hosseini Mahmood , Asghari Nima
Published: November 2019

The seismic design of the structures is carried out by technical regulations and codes in free-field conditions (regardless of underground cavities). With the availability of tunnels and the complex interaction between the tunnel and the aboveground structures, which may be contemplated wrongly, it could be dangerous for over ground buildings and structures. Consequently, the examination of the underground tunnels and their impact on the land surface and adjacent buildings seismic response seems to be significant. The present research focuses on formation of the plastic hinges in steel structures due to underground cavities and the soil–tunnel–structure interaction of underground structures. First, an existing model was verified by finite element method and the results were compared with a sample specimen. Thus, several effective parameters were considered and studied such as soil type, multi-story structures (4, 8 and 12 stories) and dynamic load type. Then the models were evaluated under real earthquake records. As a result, the seismic response of the structures and plastic conditions of plastic hinge conditions were obtained. The results indicate that the underground cavities have affected the formation of plastic hinges in the structure. They increased the input energy to the structure and had an impact on the total behavior of the structures. Also, the high-rise structures were much more vulnerable to underground tunnels. Therefore, the structures which are located above the underground cavities should be retrofitted and rehabilitated.
Quantifying CDS sortability of permutations by strategic pile size
Authors: Gaetz Marisa , Flanagan Bethany , Scheepers Marion , Shanks Meghan
Published: November 2019

The special purpose sorting operation, context directed swap (CDS), is an example of the block interchange sorting operation studied in prior work on permutation sorting. CDShas been postulated to model certain molecular sorting events that occur in the genome maintenance program of some species of ciliates. We investigate the mathematical structure of permutations not sortable by the CDSsorting operation. In particular, we present substantial progress towards quantifying permutations with a given strategic pile size, which can be understood as a measure of CDSnon-sortability. Our main results include formulas for the number of permutations in [Formula: see text] with maximum size strategic pile. More generally, we derive a formula for the number of permutations in [Formula: see text] with strategic pile size [Formula: see text], in addition to an algorithm for computing certain coefficients of this formula, which we call merge numbers.
Usability testing for oppression
Authors: Bartolotta Joseph
Published: November 2019

This study examines a document produced by the United States Department of Homeland Security handed out to immigrant parents during the "Family Separation Policy" crisis of 2018. The article examines whether such a document could be ethically tested for usability. Ultimately, the text argues that by the standards of the Belmont Report and the best practices in usability research, such a document would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to test ethically. It argues that, while usability testing is an excellent tool for exploring how users interact with texts that can have life-changing consequences, it may also be used as a tool to perpetuate injustice and marginalize potential users.
Review of "Network sense: methods for visualizing a discipline," by Mueller, D. N. (2017). Fort Collins, Colorado: WAC Clearinghouse.
Authors: Zobel Gregory
Published: November 2019

Derek N. Mueller's
Network Sense: Methods for Visualizing a Discipline
(2017) presents a compelling argument for adding distant reading and thin description to the Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing Studies (RCWS) research methods portfolio. Not only can these methods help professionals address information overload, but the methods also support disciplinary wayfinding and network awareness for veteran and initiate practitioners and scholars alike.
Network Sense
's explicit goal is to help current and new members in RCWS avoid information overload and better understand their discipline and where it is going. Mueller's presentation and evidence builds upon lived academic experience of ever-expanding growth in research, conferences, publications, and professional activities in RCWS. Similarly, his detailing the dearth of non-local, reliable, and consistently gathered data articulates the experience and lived frustration of many scholars. Finally, his presentation and analysis regarding the increasing number of scholars cited at the end of the long tail as opposed to having more repeatedly cited authors explains the felt experience of sharing or disciplinary niching or potential diffusion. Winning the 2018
Computers and Composition
Distinguished Book Award, as well as the 2019 Research Impact Award by the Conference on College Composition and Communication, underscores this book's value to its fields.
Mapping Medieval Christianity. CARE-GIS
Authors: Cofrancesco Pacifico , Capolupo Consuelo , Frisetti Alessia
Published: November 2019

CARE-GIS is a mapping application with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) functionalities that gives a geographic dimension to the important and valuable Corpus Architecturae Religiosae Europeae (CARE) dataset, useful not only for the scientific community but also for a larger public of non-specialists, who can easily access the CARE information from a map. The CARE-GIS application makes it possible to select and display CARE sites’ information (only for Italy, in the current version), by means of query forms, which allows one to cross several fields of the recorded data, to create thematic maps with the selected data. Moreover, the flexible nature of the application, by means of GeoJSON files and the QGIS software, allows one to add more layers, and map historical/archaeological data vs. other types of data, such as geomorphological ones or the analysis of the construction materials, or any other data related to the CARE sites. The displayed CARE data are extracted from the WikiCARE web pages by means of PHP “scraping” functions. A light-weight database is used by the CARE-GIS application, mainly to handle the connection to the WikiCARE website and fasten up the CARE sites’ search functions. The responsive CARE-GIS user interface allows accessing the maps from any kind of digital device, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, making it a useful web application to get online information, when visiting the CARE mapped historical sites.
Automated Selection and Quality Assessment of Primary Studies
Authors: Shakeel Yusra , Krüger Jacob , Nostitz-Wallwitz Ivonne Von , Saake Gunter , Leich Thomas
Published: November 2019

Researchers use systematic literature reviews (SLRs) to synthesize existing evidence regarding a research topic. While being an important means to condense knowledge, conducting an SLR requires a large amount of time and effort. Consequently, researchers have proposed semi-automatic techniques to support different stages of the review process. Two of the most time-consuming tasks are (1) to select primary studies and (2) to assess their quality. In this article, we report an SLR in which we identify, discuss, and synthesize existing techniques of the software-engineering domain that aim to semi-automate these two tasks. Instead of solely providing statistics, we discuss these techniques in detail and compare them, aiming to improve our understanding of supported and unsupported activities. To this end, we identified eight primary studies that report unique techniques that have been published between 2007 and 2016. Most of these techniques rely on text mining and can be beneficial for researchers, but an independent validation using real SLRs is missing for most of them. Moreover, the results indicate the necessity of developing more reliable techniques, providing access to their implementations, and extending their scope to further activities to facilitate the selection and quality assessment of primary studies.
B
it
SAD v2
Authors: Daruwalla Kyle , Zhuo Heng , Shukla Rohit , Lipasti Mikko
Published: November 2019

Computer vision and machine learning algorithms operating under a
strict
power budget require an alternate computing paradigm. While bitstream computing (BC) satisfies these constraints, creating BC systems is difficult. To address the design challenges, we propose compiler extensions to B
it
SAD, a DSL for BC. Our work enables bit-level software emulation and automated generation of hierarchical hardware, discusses potential optimizations, and proposes compiler phases to implement those optimizations in a hardware-aware manner. Finally, we introduce population coding, a parallelization scheme for stochastic computing that decreases latency without sacrificing accuracy, and provide theoretical and experimental guarantees on its effectiveness.
Tissue-dependent DNA methylation of carp uncoupling protein 1 promoter
Authors: Hayashi K. , Funaba M. , Murakami M.
Published: November 2019

DNA methylation of enhancers and promoters generally inhibits gene transcription. DNA methylation occurs predominantly at the dinucleotide CpG, a methyl group that is covalently bonded to cytosine. We have previously demonstrated tissue-restricted expression of the uncoupling protein 1 ( Ucp1) in common carp. Here, we characterized the methylation status of the upstream region of the transcriptional initiation site of the carp Ucp1 gene in the liver, brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, and scales. In addition, we explored the direct role of methylation on Ucp1 transcription. Ucp1 expression was higher in the liver than that in other tissues including the kidney, skeletal muscle, and scales. The extent of methylation at nt −2178 and nt −2103 was lower in the liver and kidney than that in the brain, skeletal muscle, and scales. In addition, methylation at the upstream proximal-region of the Ucp1 gene was generally less frequent in the liver compared with that in the other organs. The transcriptional activation assay using the CpG-free luciferase-based reporter suggested that the methylation of the distal and proximal regions of the carp Ucp1 gene did not affect Ucp1 transcription. Unexpectedly, mutation of cytidylic acid to guanylic acid at nt −108 decreased Ucp1 promoter activity. The present results reveal that the status of DNA methylation of the upstream region of the carp Ucp1 gene is different among different tissues, but suggest that the DNA methylation do not directly repress the transcription of Ucp1.
Hand Gesture Classification Based on Nonaudible Sound Using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Kim Jinhyuck , Choi Sunwoong
Published: November 2019

Recognizing and distinguishing the behavior and gesture of a user has become important owing to an increase in the use of wearable devices, such as a smartwatch. This study is aimed at proposing a method for classifying hand gestures by creating sound in the nonaudible frequency range using a smartphone and reflected signal. The proposed method converts the sound data, which has been reflected and recorded, into an image within a short time using short-time Fourier transform, and the obtained data are applied to a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to classify hand gestures. The results showed classification accuracy for 8 hand gestures with an average of 87.75%. Additionally, it is confirmed that the suggested method has a higher classification accuracy than other machine learning classification algorithms.
Interleukin-17: Potential Target for Chronic Wounds
Authors: Hadian Yasmin , Bagood Michelle D. , Dahle Sara E. , Sood Apra , Isseroff R. Rivkah
Published: November 2019

Chronic wounds exhibit persistent inflammation with markedly delayed healing. The significant burden of chronic wounds, which are often resistant to standard therapy, prompts further research on novel therapies. Since the interleukin-17 family has been implicated as a group of proinflammatory cytokines in immune-mediated diseases in the gut and connective tissue, as well as inflammatory skin conditions, we consider here if it may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic wounds. In this review, we discuss the interleukin-17 family’s signaling pathways and role in tissue repair. A PubMed review of the English literature on interleukin-17, wound healing, chronic wounds, and inflammatory skin conditions was conducted. Interleukin-17 family signaling is reviewed in the context of tissue repair, and preclinical and clinical studies examining its role in the skin and other organ systems are critically reviewed. The published work supports a pathologic role for interleukin-17 family members in chronic wounds, though this needs to be more conclusively proven. Clinical studies using monoclonal interleukin-17 antibodies to improve healing of chronic skin wounds have not yet been performed, and only a few studies have examined interleukin-17 family expression in chronic skin wounds. Furthermore, different interleukin-17 family members could be playing selective roles in the repair process. These studies suggest a therapeutic role for targeting interleukin-17A to promote wound healing; therefore, interleukin-17A may be a target worthy of pursuing in the near future.
Mitochondrial D-loop Sequence Variability in Three Native Insular Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) Populations from the Mediterranean Basin
Authors: Mereu Paolo , Pirastru Monica , Satta Valentina , Frongia Gian Nicola , Kassinis Nicolaos , Papadopoulos Minas , Hadjisterkotis Eleftherios , Xirouchakis Stavros , Manca Laura , Naitana Salvatore , Leoni Giovanni Giuseppe
Published: November 2019

The islands of Sardinia, Crete, and Cyprus are hosting the last native insular griffon populations in the Mediterranean basin. Their states have been evaluated from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered”. The sequence analysis of molecular markers, particularly the mtDNA D-loop region, provides useful information in studying the evolution of closely related taxa and the conservation of endangered species. Therefore, a study of D-loop region sequence was carried out to estimate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship within and among these three populations. Among 84 griffon specimens (44 Sardinian, 33 Cretan, and 7 Cypriot), we detected four haplotypes including a novel haplotype (HPT-D) that was exclusively found in the Cretan population with a frequency of 6.1%. When considered as a unique population, haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) were high at 0.474 and 0.00176, respectively. A similar level of Hd and π was found in Sardinian and Cretan populations, both showing three haplotypes. The different haplotype frequencies and exclusivity detected were in accordance with the limited matrilineal gene flow (FST = 0.07097), probably related to the species reluctance to fly over sea masses. The genetic variability we observe today would therefore be the result of an evolutionary process strongly influenced by isolation leading to the appearance of island variants which deserve to be protected. Furthermore, since nesting sites and food availability are essential elements for colony settlement, we may infer that the island's colonization began when the first domestic animals were transferred by humans during the Neolithic. In conclusion, our research presents a first contribution to the genetic characterization of the griffon vulture populations in the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia, Crete and Cyprus and lays the foundation for conservation and restocking programs.
Downregulating Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase 2 Deteriorates Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury through ROS/JNK/P53 Signaling in Mice
Authors: Wu Hao , Bai He , Duan Shigang , Yuan Fangchao
Published: November 2019

Background. Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) activity ensures that cells have a survival advantage in ischemic conditions and regulates redox homeostasis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of SHMT2 after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR), which involves hypoxia, ischemic conditions, and cell apoptosis. Methods. A 70% IR model was established in C57BL/6J mice with or without SHMT2 knockdown. H&E staining, liver weight/body weight, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and cell apoptosis were tested to analyze liver damage and function. Then, the related cellular signals were probed. Results. The level of SHMT2 protein was significantly increased at 24 h and 48 h after IR (p<0.001). Mice in the shSHMT2 group showed more necrotic areas and histological damage at 24 h (p<0.01) after IR and higher levels of serum ALT and AST (p<0.05) compared with those of mice in the scramble group. After IR for 24 h, the expression of TUNEL in the shSHMT2 group was significantly higher than that in the scramble group, as shown by histological analysis (p<0.01). Mechanistically, the JNK/P53 signaling pathway was activated by IR, and knockdown of SHMT2 exacerbated hepatocyte apoptosis. Conclusions. Knockdown of SHMT2 worsens IR injury through the ROS/JNK/P53 signaling pathway. Our discovery expands the understanding of both molecular and metabolic mechanisms involved in IR. SHMT2 is a possible therapeutic target to improve the prognosis of liver transplantation (LT) and subtotal hepatectomy.
Nontraumatic Anterior Thigh Pain in a NCAA Lacrosse Athlete: A Case Report and Description of a Rectus Femoris Degloving Injury
Authors: Krebs Paul A. , Borchers James R. , Brayfield Patrick
Published: November 2019

A 21-year-old female lacrosse player complained of anterior thigh pain with no known mechanism of injury and failed to improve with conservative therapy. An MRI was obtained showing a closed degloving injury of the rectus femoris, an injury only previously reported in a small case series of soccer players. After a brief period of rest, she was progressed conservatively through therapy and did well, with progression back to the level of competition at 56 days. This case highlights a rare injury not previously described in sports outside of soccer and is the first case described in a female athlete. In addition, the discussion of this case focuses on the unique anatomy of the rectus femoris.
NADPH Oxidase 4 Contributes to Myoblast Fusion and Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
Authors: Youm Tae Hyun , Woo Sun-Hee , Kwon Eun-Soo , Park Sung Sup
Published: November 2019

Myoblast fusion is an essential step in skeletal muscle development and regeneration. NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) regulates cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and survival by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Insulin-like growth factor 1 induces muscle hypertrophy via Nox4, but its function in myoblast fusion remains elusive. Here, we report a ROS-dependent role of Nox4 in myoblast differentiation. Regenerating muscle fibers after injury by cardiotoxin had a lower cross-sectional area in Nox4-knockout (KO) mice than myofibers in wild-type (WT) mice. Diameters and fusion index values of myotubes differentiated from Nox4-KO primary myoblasts were significantly lower than those of myotubes derived from WT myoblasts. However, no difference was observed in the differentiation index and expression of MyoD, myogenin, and myosin heavy chain 3 (MHC) between KO and WT myotubes. The decreased fusion index was also observed during differentiation of primary myoblasts and C2C12 cells with suppressed Nox4 expression. In contrast, in C2C12 cells overexpressing Nox4, the fusion index was increased, whereas the differentiation index and MHC and myogenin protein expression were not affected compared to control. Interestingly, the expression of myomaker (Tmem8c), a fusogenic protein that controls myoblast fusion, was reduced in Nox4-knockdown C2C12 cells. The myomaker expression level was proportional to the cellular ROS level, which was regulated by of Nox4 expression level. These results suggests that Nox4 contributes to myoblast fusion, possibly through the regulation of myomaker expression via ROS production, and that Nox4-dependent ROS may promote skeletal muscle regeneration and growth.
Dry Powder and Budesonide Inhalation Suspension Deposition Rates in Asthmatic Airway-Obstruction Regions
Authors: Murayama Norihide , Asai Kei , Murayama Kikuno , Doi Satoru , Kameda Makoto
Published: November 2019

Steroid inhalation is the standard bronchial asthma therapy and it includes powdered metered doses, dry powder, and nebulizer suspension. However, particle sizes vary widely. The research goal was to demonstrate that different budesonide administration forms and devices have various deposition rates in the airway obstruction region. Here, we compared relative inhalation therapy efficacies and identified therapies that delivered the highest drug doses to the airway obstruction region. Weibel’s anatomy data were used to identify the airway obstruction region in asthma. Based on European Standardization Committee data, we investigated the diameters of the drug particles being deposited there and evaluated the average particle size and distribution of the budesonide dosage forms and application devices. Drug dose depositions were measured by HPLC at each stage of a Cascade Impactor. Weibel’s anatomy data indicated that the 1st–4th bronchial generations comprised the airway obstruction region and corresponded to the tracheobronchial area. According to the European Standardization, particles 2–6 µm in diameter were readily deposited there. The proportions of particles in this size range were 33.0%, 32.0%, 59.0%, and 78.0% for Turbuhaler, Symbicort, mesh-type NE-U22 suspension, and jet-type NE-C28 suspension, respectively. We localized the airway obstruction regions of bronchial asthma and identified the optimal inhalation therapy particle size. An electric nebulizer was more efficacious for budesonide administration than dry powder delivery. The NE-C28 treatment deposited 2.36x more budesonide in the airway obstruction region than dry powder delivery systems.
Measurement of Annular Flow for Drilling Engineering by Electromagnetic Flowmeter Based on Double-Frequency Excitation
Authors: Ge Liang , He Yang , Tian Guiyun , Wei Guohui , Ahmed Junaid , Deng Hongxia , Huang Qi
Published: November 2019

Using downhole annular electromagnetic flow measurement to obtain annular flow in real-time is a foundation of microflow control drilling technology. The existing annular flow electromagnetic measurement method based on low-frequency rectangular excitation is affected by slurry interference and formation fluid invasion, which results in large noise generated on the electrode output signal. These noise causes the instability of the flow measurement system output and lower accuracy. Double-frequency rectangular wave excitation has the advantages of excellent zero-point stability attributed to low-frequency rectangular wave excitation and fast response speed with great ability to suppress slurry interference. First, the double-frequency rectangular wave excitation for annular flow electromagnetic measurement is researched, and its corresponding electromagnetic induction signal process is investigated. In order to verify the feasibility of downhole annular electromagnetic flow measurement, a flow verification platform for comparison of standard and detected parameters is established for simulation experiment, and the ability to suppress slurry interference and response speed of the technology in downhole slurry flow measurement are analyzed. The test results show that the downhole annular electromagnetic flow measurement based on double-frequency rectangular wave excitation can not only satisfy the requirements of regular electromagnetic flow measurement but also suppress the annular slurry interference effectively.
Shear Mechanical Behaviours and Multistrength Parameter Characteristics of Fault Gouge
Authors: Bao Han , Qi Qun , Lan Hengxing , Yan Changgen , Xu Wei , Liu Xin , Li Langping
Published: November 2019

Fault gouge has special mechanical properties and remarkable engineering effects. Using a ring shear test, the strength properties of the differently colored remolded fault gouges of the Shendaogou Fault in Yan’an were studied by changing moisture contents and normal stresses. Chlorite and illite are the main clay minerals in fault gouges; differences in mineral composition make fault gouges appear in different colors. Besides clay minerals, the dried fault gouges disintegration in water is also due to the transformation of gypsum. The gradation of green fault gouge and multicolor fault gouge is better than that of the red fault gouge, while the fault gouges’ strain softening properties become weaker as the coarse grain content increases. Affected by water content and normal stress, the shear planes can be divided into three failure modes: peeling failure, grooved failure, and sliding failure. With the increase of water content, there will be a significant weakening on cohesion and friction angle. A new parameter, the “Normal Stress Threshold (NST),” is introduced as a critical value for the emergence of the strain hardening phenomenon, and the NSTs of different fault gouges are significantly different. The functions obtained from the relation of residual strength, peak strength, and normal stress can be used to calculate shear strength parameters under any normal stresses. In addition, the residual strength of fault gouge is obviously different from clay and loess, which can be qualitatively explained by clay particle contents.
Community Structure and Abundance of Archaea in a Zostera marina Meadow: A Comparison between Seagrass-Colonized and Bare Sediment Sites
Authors: Zheng Pengfei , Wang Chuantao , Zhang Xiaoli , Gong Jun
Published: November 2019

Seagrass colonization alters sediment physicochemical properties by depositing seagrass fibers and releasing organic carbon and oxygen from the roots. How this seagrass colonization-induced spatial heterogeneity affects archaeal community structure and abundance remains unclear. In this study, we investigated archaeal abundance, diversity, and composition in both vegetated and adjacent bare surface sediments of a Zostera marina meadow. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA showed that Woesearchaeota, Bathyarchaeota, and Thaumarchaeota were the most abundant phyla across all samples, accounting for approximately 42%, 21%, and 17% of the total archaeal communities, respectively. In terms of relative abundance, Woesearchaeota and Bathyarchaeota were not significantly different between these two niches; however, specific subclades (Woese-3, Woese-21, Bathy-6, Bathy-18) were significantly enriched in vegetated sediments (P<0.05), while Thaumarchaeota was favored in unvegetated sites (P=0.02). The quantification of archaeal 16S rRNA genes showed that the absolute abundance of the whole archaeal community, Bathyarchaeota, and Woese-3, Woese-10, Woese-13, and Woese-21 was significantly more abundant in vegetated sediments than in bare sediments (P<0.05). Our study expands the available knowledge of the distribution patterns and niche preferences of archaea in seagrass systems, especially for the different subclades of Woesearchaeota and Bathyarchaeota, in terms of both relative proportions and absolute quantities.
Selected Aging Effects in Triaxial MEMS Accelerometers
Authors: Łuczak Sergiusz , Zams Maciej , Bagiński Karol
Published: November 2019

Natural aging of commercial triaxial low-g MEMS accelerometers, manufactured by surface micromachining, was evaluated in terms of changes of their offset voltages and scale factors, assigned to each sensitive axis. Two pieces of two models of triaxial accelerometers (ADXL 330 and ADXL 327 by Analog Devices Inc.) with analog outputs were tested within a period of ca. 4.5 years. Two different computer-controlled test rigs were used for performing relevant experimental studies, employing tilt angles as the reference source. Methodology of determining the proposed indicators of aging was based on cyclic repetition of the calibration procedure for each accelerometer. Changes of the output signals of the tested accelerometers were observed, resulting in respective indication errors of ca. 0.8% or even 2.2% while related to determining tilt. Since the accelerometers were operated under mild conditions while tested, much bigger errors are to be expected in the case of harsh conditions. Both pieces of ADXL 330 accelerometers ceased to operate properly within the testing period, approximately at the same time, for no apparent reason; thus, it is recommended to introduce redundancy in relevant reliable measuring circuits by doubling the number of the applied accelerometers.
Nanophosphorus Fertilizer Stimulates Growth and Photosynthetic Activity and Improves P Status in Rice
Authors: Miranda-Villagómez Erika , Trejo-Téllez Libia Iris , Gómez-Merino Fernando Carlos , Sandoval-Villa Manuel , Sánchez-García Prometeo , Aguilar-Méndez Miguel Ángel
Published: November 2019

The efficiency of nanoparticles covered with type A gel and loaded with KH2PO4, as a source of P, was evaluated on growth, phosphorus concentration and accumulation, and photosynthesis-related parameters in rice plants (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) cv. Morelos A-2010, under greenhouse conditions. Plants were treated for 14 days with P concentrations equivalent to 50 and 100% of those established in the Yoshida nutrient solution. Sources of P were KH2PO4, nano-KH2PO4, and nano-KH2PO4 with trypsin; control treatments were distilled water and nanoparticles with type A gel. The solutions were renewed every 7 d. Rice plants exhibited differential P absorption in function of the P source tested. P supplied by KH2PO4 had a higher uptake rate than P supplied by nano-KH2PO4, alone or with trypsin. Nevertheless, nano-KH2PO4 promoted higher physiological efficiency for P in both roots and shoots, which consequently induced higher biomass accumulation in these organs. P concentration in shoots, as well as P accumulation in shoots and roots, were positively correlated with the photosynthetic rate. Also, nano-KH2PO4 increased instant water use efficiency in rice plants.
Josephson Current through a Quantum Dot Connected with Superconducting Leads
Authors: Kawaguchi Satoshi
Published: November 2019

In this study, we consider the Josephson current in a system composed of a superconductor/quantum dot/superconductor junction. In the model, the Coulomb interaction in the quantum dot is taken into consideration, and the Lacroix approximation is applied to study the electron correlation. We derive Green’s function of the quantum dot by applying the Lacroix truncation. Although the Andreev bound state does not occur in our formulations, the π-junction occurs for a restricted parameter range. On comparing the Kondo temperature with that estimated by another method, it is found that our Lacroix approximation does not capture well the Kondo physics in the superconductor/quantum dot/superconductor junction.
Circulating Cancer Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Biomarker for Clinical Outcome Evaluation
Authors: Brocco D. , Lanuti P. , Simeone P. , Bologna G. , Pieragostino D. , Cufaro M. C. , Graziano V. , Peri M. , Di Marino P. , De Tursi M. , Grassadonia A. , Rapposelli I. G. , Pierdomenico L. , Ercolino E. , Ciccocioppo F. , Del Boccio P. , Marchisio M. , Natoli C. , Miscia S. , Tinari N.
Published: November 2019

The recent introduction of the “precision medicine” concept in oncology pushed cancer research to focus on dynamic measurable biomarkers able to predict responses to novel anticancer therapies in order to improve clinical outcomes. Recently, the involvement of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer pathophysiology has been described, and given their release from all cell types under specific stimuli, EVs have also been proposed as potential biomarkers in cancer. Among the techniques used to study EVs, flow cytometry has a high clinical potential. Here, we have applied a recently developed and simplified flow cytometry method for circulating EV enumeration, subtyping, and isolation from a large cohort of metastatic and locally advanced nonhaematological cancer patients (N = 106); samples from gender- and age-matched healthy volunteers were also analysed. A large spectrum of cancer-related markers was used to analyse differences in terms of peripheral blood circulating EV phenotypes between patients and healthy volunteers, as well as their correlation to clinical outcomes. Finally, EVs from patients and controls were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and their protein cargoes were analysed by proteomics. Results demonstrated that EV counts were significantly higher in cancer patients than in healthy volunteers, as previously reported. More interestingly, results also demonstrated that cancer patients presented higher concentrations of circulating CD31+ endothelial-derived and tumour cancer stem cell-derived CD133 + CD326- EVs, when compared to healthy volunteers. Furthermore, higher levels of CD133 + CD326− EVs showed a significant correlation with a poor overall survival. Additionally, proteomics analysis of EV cargoes demonstrated disparities in terms of protein content and function between circulating EVs in cancer patients and healthy controls. Overall, our data strongly suggest that blood circulating cancer stem cell-derived EVs may have a role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in cancer.
Inhibition of the Nrf2-TrxR Axis Sensitizes the Drug-Resistant Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Line K562/G01 to Imatinib Treatments
Authors: Xu Lianrong , Zhao Yan , Pan Fei , Zhu Mengxia , Yao Liqin , Liu Yan , Feng Jiangfang , Xiong Jie , Chen Xiuhua , Ren Fanggang , Tan Yanhong , Wang Hongwei
Published: November 2019

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is involved in tumor drug resistance, but its role in imatinib resistance of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) remains elusive. We aimed to investigate the effects of Nrf2 on drug sensitivity, thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and apoptosis induction in imatinib-resistant CML K562/G01 cells and explored their potential mechanisms. Stable K562/G01 cells with knockdown of Nrf2 were established by infection of siRNA-expressing lentivirus. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Nrf2 and TrxR were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot, respectively. ROS generation and apoptosis were assayed by flow cytometry, while drug sensitivity was measured by the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Imatinib-resistant K562/G01 cells had higher levels of Nrf2 expression than the parental K562 cells at both mRNA and protein levels. Expression levels of Nrf2 and TrxR were positively correlated in K562/G01 cells. Knockdown of Nrf2 in K562/G01 cells enhanced the intracellular ROS level, suppressed cell proliferation, and increased apoptosis in response to imatinib treatments. Nrf2 expression contributes to the imatinib resistance of K562/G01 cells and is positively correlated with TrxR expression. Targeted inhibition of the Nrf2-TrxR axis represents a potential therapeutic approach for imatinib-resistant CML.