bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trends in hospital admissions and mortality rates for asthma in Ecuador: a joinpoint regression analysis of data from 2000 to 2018
Authors: Cabrera Angelita , Rodriguez Alejandro , Romero-Sandoval Natalia , Barba Sergio , Cooper Philip J
Published: April 2021

Background

Although asthma has emerged as an important public health problem over recent decades in Latin America, there are limited published data on national hospital admission and mortality rates for asthma from countries in the region.

Objective

To analyse trends in asthma hospitalisation and mortality rates in Ecuador over a 19-year period from 2000 to 2018.

Methods

Hospital discharge and death certificates listing asthma, as defined in the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision codes (J45 and J46), were used to analyse time trends in rates of hospital admissions and mortality for asthma. The data were obtained from the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census. Crude and age-standardised rates were estimated for the entire population. Additionally, specific rates by sex, age and region were estimated. We used joinpoint analysis to identify national trends.

Result

During 2000–2018, a total of 58 250 hospitalisations and 1328 deaths due to asthma were identified. The average annual rates for hospitalisation and mortality attributed to asthma were estimated to be 21 (95% CI 19.3 to 22.8) and 5.2 (95% CI 4.4 to 6.0) per 100 000 population, respectively, over this period. Asthma hospital admissions decreased from 28 to 13.7 per 100 000 population between 2000 and 2018, and asthma mortality decreased from 0.8 to 0.3 per 100 000 population over the same period. Based on jointpoint analysis, two temporal trends were identified for hospital admissions. Between 2000 and 2011, hospital admissions decreased 0.8% per year and between 2011 and 2018 decreased 6.6% per year (p<0.05). On average, hospitalisation rates decreased 3.1% per year (p<0.05) over the entire study period. Mortality rate decreased 5.6% per year (p<0.05) over the 19-year period. Hospitalisation rates were higher among females, those aged 5 to 19 years and those living in the Coast region.

Conclusions

Our analysis shows a temporal trend of reduction in rates of hospitalisations and deaths attributed to asthma between 2000 and 2018 in Ecuador, consistent with similar trends elsewhere in the Latin American region. Health registration systems in Latin America need to be improved to provide reliable data for future between and within country comparisons of trends in asthma hospitalisations and deaths.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to hanging: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Turner Jake , Brown Aidan , Boldy Rhiannon , Lumley-Holmes Jenny , Rosser Andy , James Alex
Published: April 2021

Background

There has been little research into the prehospital management of cardiac arrest following hanging despite it being among the most prevalent methods of suicide worldwide. The aim of this study was to report the characteristics, resuscitative treatment and outcomes of patients managed in the prehospital environment for cardiac arrest secondary to hanging and compare these with all-cause out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods

Data from a UK ambulance service cardiac arrest registry were extracted for all cases in which treatment was provided for OHCA due to hanging between 1 January 2013 and 30 June 2018. Cases were linked to outcome data obtained from the Trauma Audit and Research Network. Comparison of the cohort was made to previously published data from a UK study of all-cause OHCA with 95% CIs calculated for the proportional difference between the studies in selected presentation and outcome variables.

Results

189 cases were identified. 95 patients were conveyed to hospital and four of these survived to discharge. 40 patients were conveyed despite absence of a spontaneous circulation and none of these patients survived. While only three patients were initially in a shockable rhythm, DC shocks were administered in 20 cases. There was one case of failed ventilation prompting front-of-neck access for oxygenation. By comparison with all-cause OHCA the proportion of patients with a spontaneous circulation at hospital handover was similar (27.0% vs 27.5%; 0.5% difference, 95% CI −5.9% to 6.8%, p=0.882) but survival to hospital discharge was significantly lower (2.2% vs 8.4%; 6.2% difference, 95% CI 4.1% to 8.3%, p=0.002).

Conclusion

Clinical outcomes following OHCA due to hanging are poor, particularly when patients are transported while in cardiac arrest. Failure to ventilate was uncommon, and clinicians should be alert to the possibility of shockable rhythms developing during resuscitation.
Effectiveness of community interventions for protecting and promoting the mental health of working-age adults experiencing financial uncertainty: a systematic review
Authors: McGrath Michael , Duncan Fiona , Dotsikas Kate , Baskin Cleo , Crosby Liam , Gnani Shamini , Hunter Rachael Maree , Kaner Eileen , Kirkbride James Bowes , Lafortune Louise , Lee Caroline , Oliver Emily , Osborn David P , Walters Kate R , Dykxhoorn Jennifer
Published: April 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a period of global economic uncertainty. Financial strain, personal debt, recent job loss and housing insecurity are important risk factors for the mental health of working-age adults. Community interventions have the potential to attenuate the mental health impact of these stressors. We examined the effectiveness of community interventions for protecting and promoting the mental health of working-age adults in high-income countries during periods of financial insecurity.

Methods

Eight electronic databases were systematically screened for experimental and observational studies published since 2000 measuring the effectiveness of community interventions on mental health outcomes. We included any non-clinical intervention that aimed to address the financial, employment, food or housing insecurity of participants. A review protocol was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42019156364) and results are reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Results

From 2326 studies screened, 15 met our inclusion criteria. Five categories of community intervention were identified: advice services colocated in healthcare settings; link worker social prescribing; telephone debt advice; food insecurity interventions; and active labour market programmes. In general, the evidence for effective and cost-effective community interventions delivered to individuals experiencing financial insecurity was lacking. From the small number of studies without a high risk of bias, there was some evidence that financial insecurity and associated mental health problems were amenable to change and differences by subpopulations were observed.

Conclusion

There is a need for well-controlled studies and trials to better understand effective ingredients and to identify those interventions warranting wider implementation.
Overlap of immunotherapy-related pneumonitis and COVID-19 pneumonia: diagnostic and vaccine considerations
Authors: Abid Muhammad Bilal
Published: April 2021

The clinically indistinguishable overlap between pneumonitis caused due to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) and pneumonia associated with COVID-19 has posed considerable challenges for patients with cancer and oncologists alike. The cancer community continues to face the challenges that lay at the complex immunological intersection of immune-based cancer therapy and immune dysregulation that results from COVID-19. Is there compounded immune dysregulation that could lead to poor outcomes? Could ICIs, in fact, ameliorate SARS-CoV-2-driven T-cell exhaustion?

A little more is known about the kinetics of the viral replication in immunocompromised patients now as compared with earlier during the pandemic. Working knowledge of the diagnostic and therapeutic nuances of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with active cancers, issues related to viability and replication potential of the virus, unclear role of corticosteroids among those with diminished or dysfunctional effector T-cell repertoire, and the type of immunotherapy with differential risk of pneumonitis will inform decision making related to immunotherapy choices and decision for ICI continuation in the era of COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 serological assay and viral testing: a report of professional football setting
Authors: Hassanmirzaei Bahar , Haratian Zohreh , Ahmadzadeh Amiri Ali , Ahmadzadeh Amiri Amir , Moghadam Navid
Published: April 2021

Purpose of the study

PCR is the current standard test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, due to its limitations, serological testing is considered an alternative method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 exposure. In this study, we measured the level of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies of male professional football players and compared the results with the standard PCR test to investigate the association between the two tests.

Study design

Participants were male professional football players and team officials. Nasopharyngeal swabs and peripheral blood samples were collected for the PCR and serological tests, respectively. Also, previous records of COVID-19 testing and symptoms were gathered. Those with previous positive PCR tests who tested negative for the second time were considered to be recovered patients.

Results

Of the 1243 subjects, 222 (17.9%) were seropositive, while 29 (2.3%) tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Sixty percent of symptomatic cases with a negative PCR were found to be seropositive. The mean level of IgM was significantly higher in PCR-positive and symptomatic subjects, whereas the recovered cases showed significantly higher levels of IgG.

Conclusion

Our study revealed an inconsistency of results between the two tests; therefore, although application of serological assays alone seems insufficient in diagnosing COVID-19 disease, the findings are beneficial in the comprehension and the management of the disease.
CLEC5A knockdown protects against cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction by suppressing macrophage polarization, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis
Authors: Wang Xin , Hu Yu , Wang Yaguang , Shen Dapeng , Tao Guizhou
Published: May 2021

Increasing evidence has shown that the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and pyroptotic cell death play vital roles in the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction (MI), a common cardiovascular disease characterized by cardiac dysfunction. C-type lectin member 5A (CLEC5A) has been reported to be strongly associated with activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. In this study, an in vivo MI model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in male C57BL/6 mice, and CLEC5A knockdown was further achieved by intra-myocardial injection of adenovirus delivering shRNA-CLEC5A. CLEC5A was found to be highly expressed in the left ventricle of MI mice, while CLEC5A knockdown alleviated cardiac dysfunction in MI mice. In addition, MI-induced classical activation of macrophages was significantly inhibited after CLEC5A silencing. Additionally, CLEC5A knockdown dramatically inhibited MI-triggered activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, pyroptosis, and NF-κB signaling in the left ventricle of mice. In vitro experiments further validated that CLEC5A knockdown suppressed M1 polarization in LPS/IFNγ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and inhibited the polarized RAW264.7-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis signaling in co-cultured cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, CLEC5A knockdown protects against MI-induced cardiac dysfunction by regulating macrophage polarization, NLRP3 inflammasome, and cell pyroptosis.
S-allylcysteine inhibits chondrocyte inflammation to reduce human osteoarthritis via targeting RAGE, TLR4, JNK, and Nrf2 signaling: comparison with colchicine
Authors: Elmazoglu Zubeyir , Aydın Bek Zehra , Sarıbaş Sanem Gulistan , Özoğul Candan , Goker Berna , Bitik Berivan , Aktekin Cem Nuri , Karasu Çimen
Published: April 2021

The discovery of new pharmacological agents is needed to control the progression of osteoarthritis (OA), characterized by joint cartilage damage. Human OA chondrocyte (OAC) cultures were either applied to S-allylcysteine (SAC), a sulfur-containing amino acid derivative, or colchicine, an ancient anti-inflammatory therapeutic, for 24 h. SAC or colchicine did not change viability at 1 nM–10 µM but inhibited p-JNK/pan-JNK. While SAC seems to be more effective, both agents inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), lipid hydroperoxides (LPO), advanced lipoxidation end-products (ALEs as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, HNE), advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and type-II-collagen (COL2). IL-1β, IL-6, and osteopontin (OPN) were more strongly inhibited by SAC than by colchicine. In contrast, TNF-α was inhibited only by SAC, and COX2 was only inhibited by colchicine. Casp-1/ICE, GM-CSF, receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), and toll-like receptors (TLR4) were inhibited by both agents, but bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) was partially inhibited by SAC and induced by colchicine. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was induced by SAC; in contrast, it was inhibited by colchicine. Although they exert opposite effects on TNF-α, COX2, BMP7, and Nrf2, SAC and colchicine exhibit anti-osteoarthritic properties in OAC by modulating redox-sensitive inflammatory signaling.
Experimental and numerical study of axially loaded reinforced concrete columns and frame columns under lateral impact loading
Authors: Luo Zheng , Wang Yinhui
Published: May 2021

Pendulum impact tests were conducted on a reinforced concrete (RC) frame column and four RC free-standing columns. The effects of the axial compression ratio and reinforcement ratio on the impact resistance of the columns were compared using the dynamic time curves of framed and freestanding columns under impact. The test results show that for the same impact load, although the presence of axial loads can play a positive role (e.g., reducing the residual displacement), it may lead to more severe local damage. In addition, compared with free-standing columns, frame columns can be considered as a protective structure because of their greater lateral stiffness and stronger crashworthiness. The corresponding finite element models are developed, and the influence of the axial loads on the cross-section force responses under impact excitation was deeply explored. Axial loads can significantly affect the distribution of moment, shear force, and damage to the column.
Teleparallel axions and cosmology
Authors: Hohmann Manuel , Pfeifer Christian
Published: April 2021

We consider the most general teleparallel theory of gravity whose action is a linear combination of the five scalar invariants which are quadratic in the torsion tensor. Since two of these invariants possess odd parity, they naturally allow for a coupling to pseudo-scalar fields, thus yielding a Lagrangian which is even under parity transformations. In analogy to similar fields in gauge theories, we call these pseudo-scalar fields teleparallel axions. For the most general coupling of a single axion field, we derive the cosmological field equations. We find that for a family of cosmologically symmetric teleparallel geometries, which possess non-vanishing axial torsion, the axion coupling contributes to the cosmological dynamics in the early universe. Most remarkably, this contribution is also present when the axion is coupled to the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, hence allowing for a canonical coupling of a pseudo-scalar to general relativity. For this case we schematically present the influence of the axion coupling on the fixed points in the cosmological dynamics understood as dynamical system. Finally, we display possible generalizations and similar extensions in other geometric frameworks to model gravity.
Uniform-in-time error estimate of the random batch method for the Cucker–Smale model
Authors: Ha Seung-Yeal , Jin Shi , Kim Doheon , Ko Dongnam
Published: April 2021

We present a uniform-in-time (and in particle numbers as well) error estimate for the random batch method (RBM) [S. Jin, L. Li and J.-G. Liu, Random batch methods (RBM) for interacting particle systems, J. Comput. Phys. 400 (2020) 108877] to the Cucker–Smale (CS) model. The uniform-in-time error estimates of the RBM have been obtained for various interacting particle systems, when corresponding flow generates a contraction semigroup. In this paper, we derive a uniform-in-time error estimate for RBM-approximation to the CS model in which the corresponding flow does not generate contractive semigroup. To derive uniform error estimate, we use asymptotic flocking estimate of the RBM-approximated CS model which yields the decay of relative velocities to zero, at least in the order of [Formula: see text], while velocities of the original system decay exponentially. Here, [Formula: see text] is the decay rate of the communication weight with respect to the distance between particles in the CS model. We also provide several numerical simulations to confirm the analytical results.
Petrogenesis and U–Pb zircon dating of the Chaitma Alkaline Complex from the southern margin of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone: geodynamic implications
Authors: Mahapatro Satya Narayana , Renjith M. L. , Martha Ranjit Kumar , Patel Rakesh Kumar , Upadhyay Dewashish , Sarma D. Srinivasa
Published: May 2021

In this study, we constrain the petrogenesis and U–Pb zircon age of a newly discovered alkaline complex, christened the Chaitma Alkaline Complex at the southern margin of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone in central India. The Chaitma Alkaline Complex comprises syenites and gabbros, emplaced coevally, and show features consistent with magma mixing. Geochemically, syenites are potassic–ultrapotassic (K
2
O/Na
2
O: 0.79–3.42), and contain high Ba (
c.
800–2700 ppm) and Sr (
c.
1400–3200 ppm). They show enrichment of the light rare earth elements (LREEs) relative to the heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) (La/Yb: 32–103) and do not display any Eu anomaly. Based on their geochemical signatures, such as low MgO (<0.87 wt%), Ni (8–16 ppm) and Cr (7–44 ppm) contents and prominent Zr–Hf negative anomaly, the syenites are inferred to have been derived by partial melting of a carbonated/metasomatized thickened lower crustal source. The coeval gabbros are undersaturated in silica (41–44 wt%), with relatively high total alkalis (Na
2
O + K
2
O: 3.7–5.1 wt%), Fe
2
O
3
(17–19 wt%), P
2
O
5
(3.1–4.9 wt%), Sr (1600–3400 ppm) and Ba (300–3500 ppm) contents. These have low MgO (<4.8 wt%), Ni (13–30 ppm) and Cr (18–84 ppm). Their chemistry is interpreted to be the result of interaction with the syenitic magma. These geochemical characters along with the high LREE/HREE ratio, negative trough in Nb–Ta, Zr–Hf, Ti, Sr and Rb, and positive spike of Pb in a multielement diagram, and enrichment of LILEs over HFSEs indicate their derivation from a metasomatized subduction-modified garnet–peridotite mantle source. Our study indicates that syenites and gabbros of the Chaitma Alkaline Complex were formed from genetically unrelated parental magmas derived from distinct sources. U–Pb dating of zircon yielded a magmatic emplacement age of 1626 ± 15 Ma for the syenites. The Chaitma Alkaline Complex was presumably formed during a short period of crustal extension in the midst of a protracted period of continent–continent collision and granulite-grade metamorphism (
c.
1.71–1.58 Ga) at the southern margin of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone.
Product Quality Monitoring in Hydraulic Presses Using a Minimal Sample of Sensor and Actuator Data
Authors: Weiss Iris , Vogel-Heuser Birgit , Trunzer Emanuel , Kruppa Simon
Published: May 2021

Machine learning and artificial intelligence provide methods and algorithms to take advantage of sensor and actuator data in automated production systems. Product quality monitoring is one of the promising applications available for data-driven modeling, particularly in cases where the quality parameters cannot be measured with reasonable effort. This is the case for defects such as cracks in workpieces of hydraulic metal powder presses. However, the variety of shapes produced at a powder press requires training of individual models based on a minimal sample size of unlabeled data to adapt to changing settings. Therefore, this article proposes an unsupervised product quality monitoring approach based on dynamic time warping and non-linear regression to detect anomalies in unlabeled sensor and actuator data. A preprocessing step that isolates only the relevant intervals of the process is further introduced, facilitating efficient product quality monitoring. The evaluation on an industrial dataset with 37 samples, generated in test runs, shows a true-positive rate for detected product quality defects of 100% while preserving an acceptable accuracy. Moreover, the approach achieves the output within less than 10 seconds, assuring that the result is available before the next workpiece is processed. In this way, efficient product quality management is possible, reducing time- and cost-intensive quality inspections.
Efficient and High-Quality Seeded Graph Matching: Employing Higher-order Structural Information
Authors: Zhang Haida , Huang Zengfeng , Lin Xuemin , Lin Zhe , Zhang Wenjie , Zhang Ying
Published: May 2021

Driven by many real applications, we study the problem of seeded graph matching. Given two graphs

and

, and a small set

of pre-matched node pairs

where

and

, the problem is to identify a matching between

and

growing from

, such that each pair in the matching corresponds to the same underlying entity. Recent studies on efficient and effective seeded graph matching have drawn a great deal of attention and many popular methods are largely based on exploring the similarity between local structures to identify matching pairs. While these recent techniques work provably well on random graphs, their accuracy is low over many real networks. In this work, we propose to utilize higher-order neighboring information to improve the matching accuracy and efficiency. As a result, a new framework of seeded graph matching is proposed, which employs Personalized PageRank (PPR) to quantify the matching score of each node pair. To further boost the matching accuracy, we propose a novel postponing strategy, which postpones the selection of pairs that have competitors with similar matching scores. We show that the postpone strategy indeed significantly improves the matching accuracy. To improve the scalability of matching large graphs, we also propose efficient approximation techniques based on algorithms for computing PPR heavy hitters. Our comprehensive experimental studies on large-scale real datasets demonstrate that, compared with state-of-the-art approaches, our framework not only increases the precision and recall both by a significant margin but also achieves speed-up up to more than one order of magnitude.
Loss of growth hormone signaling in the mouse germline or in adulthood reduces islet mass and alters islet function with notable sex differences
Authors: Duran-Ortiz Silvana , Corbin Kathryn L. , Jahan Ishrat , Whitticar Nicholas B. , Morris Sarah E. , Bartholomew Ania N. , Slepchenko Kira G. , West Hannah L. , Max Harry Ibiagbani Mercy , List Edward O. , Kopchick John J. , Nunemaker Craig S.
Published: May 2021

Growth hormone (GH) is important for more than just growth. GH helps to maintain pancreatic islet mass and insulin secretion throughout life. Sex-specific adaptations to the loss of GH signaling allow mice to maintain normal glucose regulation despite losing islet mass.
Effects of Totum-63 on glucose homeostasis and postprandial glycemia: a translational study
Authors: Chavanelle Vivien , Otero Yolanda F. , Le Joubioux Florian , Ripoche Doriane , Bargetto Maxime , Vluggens Aurore , Montaurier Christophe , Pickering Gisèle , Ducheix Gilles , Dubray Claude , Dualé Christian , Boulliau Sylvia , Macian Nicolas , Marceau Geoffroy , Sapin Vincent , Dutheil Frédéric , Guigas Bruno , Maugard Thierry , Boisseau Nathalie , Cazaubiel Murielle , Peltier Sébastien L. , Sirvent Pascal
Published: May 2021

Totum-63 is a novel polyphenol-rich natural composition developed to reduce the risk of T2D. Totum-63 showed beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis in HFD-fed mice, presumably through a multitargeted action on different metabolic organs. Totum-63 was well tolerated in humans and improved postprandial glucose and insulin responses to a high-carbohydrate breakfast test.
Barth syndrome-related cardiomyopathy is associated with a reduction in myocardial glucose oxidation
Authors: Greenwell Amanda A. , Gopal Keshav , Altamimi Tariq R. , Saed Christina T. , Wang Faqi , Tabatabaei Dakhili Seyed Amirhossein , Ho Kim L. , Zhang Liyan , Eaton Farah , Kruger Jennifer , Al Batran Rami , Lopaschuk Gary D. , Oudit Gavin Y. , Ussher John R.
Published: April 2021

Barth syndrome (BTHS) is a rare genetic disorder due to mutations in tafazzin that is frequently associated with infantile-onset cardiomyopathy and subsequent heart failure. Although previous studies have provided evidence of perturbed myocardial energy metabolism in BTHS, actual measurements of flux are lacking. We now report a complete energy metabolism profile that quantifies flux in isolated working hearts from a murine model of BTHS, demonstrating that BTHS is associated with a reduction in glucose oxidation.
Mogroside V Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation via Inhibition of TLR4-MyD88 and Activation of AKT/AMPK-Nrf2 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Liu Yuanyuan , Zhang Boxi , Liu Jiahe , Qiao Chunyu , Xue Nianyu , Lv Hongming , Li Shize
Published: April 2021

As innate immune effector cells in the central nervous system (CNS), microglia not only are essential for the normal development of nervous system but also act on different neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), and other neuroinflammatory diseases. Mogroside V (Mog), a natural plant active ingredient and isolated form of Momordica grosvenori, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory action, but few studies were carried out to investigate the effects of Mog on neuroinflammation. This study aimed to investigate the role of Mog in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced neuroinflammation and neuronal damage, revealing the underlying mechanisms. Our data indicated that Mog significantly inhibited the LPS-induced production of proinflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-18, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in BV-2 cells. We found that Mog also suppressed toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), adenosine 5′-monophosphate- (AMP-) activated protein kinase (AMPK), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), and protein kinase B (AKT). Moreover, Mog also enhanced the expression of γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase catalytic subunit (GCLC), modifier subunit (GCLM), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) proteins, mostly depending on the nuclear translation of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). In contrast, pretreatment with inhibitors of AKT can suppress the phosphorylation of AMPK, Nrf2, and its downstream proteins expression. In summary, Mog might play a protective role against LPS-induced neurotoxicity by inhibiting the TLR4-MyD88 and activation of AMPK/AKT-Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Analysis of Surface Deformation in East Dongting Lake Based on 2016‐2019 Sentinel‐1A Dataset
Authors: Zhang Heng , Sun Qian , Hu Jun
Published: May 2021

In this study, 84 scenes Sentinel‐1A satellite datasets from October 2016 to September 2019 were used to analyze surface deformation in East Dongting Lake, China, by employing the small baseline subset interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SBAS‐InSAR) method. The data are divided into two seasons, i.e., the flood and dry seasons. It was suggested that the surface deformation is related to the distribution of the river network and water flow activities. During the dry season, the water flow is active along the internal river, scouring the surrounding soil. During the flood season, the water flow basically occurs around the external drainage network. By qualitatively comparing surface deformation and precipitation changes as well as changes in soil erosion, it is found that the deformation was highly related to soil erosion and seasonal precipitation. The precipitation in the flood period is heavy than that in the dry season. Therefore, the runoff with amount silt will scour the soil in the passing area, resulting obvious surface deformation. During the dry period, surface deformation is smaller due to the less precipitation.
β‐Sitosterol Alters the Inflammatory Response in CLP Rat Model of Sepsis by Modulation of NFκB Signaling
Authors: Kasirzadeh Sara , Ghahremani Mohammad Hossein , Setayesh Neda , Jeivad Fereshteh , Shadboorestan Amir , Taheri Ali , Beh-Pajooh Abbas , Azadkhah Shalmani Armin , Ebadollahi-Natanzi Alireza , Khan Alamgir , Sabzevari Samin , Sabzevari Omid
Published: April 2021

Purpose. Sepsis originates from the host inflammatory response, especially to bacterial infections, and is considered one of the main causes of death in intensive care units. Various agents have been developed to inhibit mediators of the inflammatory response; one prospective agent is β‐sitosterol (βS), a phytosterol with a structure similar to cholesterol. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of βS on the biomarkers of inflammation and liver function in cecal ligation and puncture‐ (CLP‐) induced septic rats. Methods. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided equally into six groups as follows: sham, CLP, CLP+dexamethasone (DX, 0.2 mg/kg), CLP+βS (1 mg/kg), CLP+imipenem (IMI, 20 mg/kg), and CLP+IMI (20 mg/kg)+βS (1 mg/kg). Serum levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, AST, ALT, and liver glutathione (GSH) were assessed by ELISA. Liver expression levels of TNF‐α and NF‐κBi mRNAs were evaluated by RT‐qPCR. Results. Serum concentrations of IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, ALT, and AST and mRNA levels of TNF‐α and NF‐κBi were all significantly higher in septic rats than in normal rats (p < 0.05). Liver GSH content was markedly lower in the CLP group than that in the sham group. βS‐treated rats had remarkably lower levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, NF‐κBi, AST, and ALT (51.79%, 62.63%, 41.46%, 54.35%, 94.37%, 95.30%, 34.87%, and 46.53% lower, respectively) and greater liver GSH content (35.71% greater) compared to the CLP group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. βS may play a protective role in the septic process by mitigating inflammation. This effect is at least partly mediated by inhibition of the NF‐κB signaling pathway. Thus, βS can be considered as a supplementary treatment in septic patients.
A Lightweight Intelligent Intrusion Detection Model for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Pan Jeng-Shyang , Fan Fang , Chu Shu-Chuan , Zhao Hui-Qi , Liu Gao-Yuan
Published: May 2021

The wide application of wireless sensor networks (WSN) brings challenges to the maintenance of their security, integrity, and confidentiality. As an important active defense technology, intrusion detection plays an effective defense line for WSN. In view of the uniqueness of WSN, it is necessary to balance the tradeoff between reliable data transmission and limited sensor energy, as well as the conflict between the detection effect and the lack of network resources. This paper proposes a lightweight Intelligent Intrusion Detection Model for WSN. Combining k-nearest neighbor algorithm (kNN) and sine cosine algorithm (SCA) can significantly improve the classification accuracy and greatly reduce the false alarm rate, thereby intelligently detecting a variety of attacks including unknown attacks. In order to control the complexity of the model, the compact mechanism is applied to SCA (CSCA) to save the calculation time and space, and the polymorphic mutation (PM) strategy is used to compensate for the loss of optimization accuracy. The proposed PM-CSCA algorithm performs well in the benchmark functions test. In the simulation test based on NSL-KDD and UNSW-NB15 data sets, the designed intrusion detection algorithm achieved satisfactory results. In addition, the model can be deployed in an architecture based on cloud computing and fog computing to further improve the real-time, energy-saving, and efficiency of intrusion detection.
An Improved Finite Element Model Updating Method Based on the Singular Values of Frequency Response Functions
Authors: Yin Hong , Wang Zenghui , Cao Mingming , Peng Zhenrui , Dong Kangli
Published: April 2021

Aiming at the problems that Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is not easy to converge, has high rejection rate, and is easy to be disturbed by the noise when the parameter dimension is high, an improved model updating method combining the singular values of frequency response functions and the beetle antennae search algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the Latin hypercube sampling is used to extract the training samples. The Hankel matrix is reconstructed using the calculated frequency response functions and is decomposed by singular value decomposition. The effective singular values are retained to represent the frequency response functions. Secondly, according to the training samples and the corresponding singular values, the support vector machine surrogate model is fitted and its accuracy is tested. Then, the posterior probability distribution of parameters is estimated by introducing the beetle antennae search algorithm on the basis of standard Metropolis–Hastings algorithm to improve the performance of Markov chains and the ergodicity of samples. The results of examples show that the Markov chains have better overall performance and the acceptance rate of candidate samples is increased after updating. Even if the Gaussian white noise is introduced into the test frequency response functions under the single and multiple working damage conditions, satisfactory updating results can also be obtained.
Structural and Evolutionary Adaptation of NOD‐Like Receptors in Birds
Authors: Ma Xueting , Liu Baohong , Gong Zhenxing , Yu Xinmao , Cai Jianping
Published: April 2021

NOD‐like receptors (NLRs) are intracellular sensors of the innate immune system that recognize intracellular pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and danger‐associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Little information exists regarding the incidence of positive selection in the evolution of NLRs of birds or the structural differences between bird and mammal NLRs. Evidence of positive selection was identified in four avian NLRs (NOD1, NLRC3, NLRC5, and NLRP3) using the maximum likelihood approach. These NLRs are under different selection pressures which is indicative of different evolution patterns. Analysis of these NLRs showed a lower percentage of codons under positive selection in the LRR domain than seen in the studies of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs), suggesting that the LRR domain evolves differently between NLRs and TLRs. Modeling of human, chicken, mammalian, and avian ancestral NLRs revealed the existence of variable evolution patterns in protein structure that may be adaptively driven.
PPANet: Point‐Wise Pyramid Attention Network for Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Elhassan Mohammed A. M. , Chen YuXuan , Chen Yunyi , Huang Chenxi , Yang Jane , Yao Xingcong , Yang Chenhui , Cheng Yinuo
Published: April 2021

In recent years, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been at the centre of the advances and progress of advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving. This paper presents a point‐wise pyramid attention network, namely, PPANet, which employs an encoder‐decoder approach for semantic segmentation. Specifically, the encoder adopts a novel squeeze nonbottleneck module as a base module to extract feature representations, where squeeze and expansion are utilized to obtain high segmentation accuracy. An upsampling module is designed to work as a decoder; its purpose is to recover the lost pixel‐wise representations from the encoding part. The middle part consists of two parts point‐wise pyramid attention (PPA) module and an attention‐like module connected in parallel. The PPA module is proposed to utilize contextual information effectively. Furthermore, we developed a combined loss function from dice loss and binary cross‐entropy to improve accuracy and get faster training convergence in KITTI road segmentation. The paper conducted the training and testing experiments on KITTI road segmentation and Camvid datasets, and the evaluation results show that the proposed method proved its effectiveness in road semantic segmentation.
A Rare Case of Pancreatic Endometriosis Masquerading as Pancreatic Mucinous Neoplasm
Authors: Huang Barton , Mooser Annie , Carpenter Danielle , Montenegro Grace , Luu Carrie
Published: May 2021

Endometriosis is a relatively common condition among women, and pancreatic endometriosis has been reported on rare occasions. Such pancreatic lesions are difficult to diagnose and distinguish from other cystic lesions of the pancreas preoperatively. This report describes a case of pancreatic endometriosis in a 51-year-old female patient. Imaging demonstrated an enlarging cyst with findings concerning for a mucinous neoplasm. The patient underwent robotic distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. Histopathology revealed an endometriotic cyst. Pancreatic endometriosis can be difficult to distinguish from other lesions of the pancreas. Surgical resection should be undertaken in cases where malignancy is suspected.
Facial Expression Recognition of Instructor Using Deep Features and Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Bhatti Yusra Khalid , Jamil Afshan , Nida Nudrat , Yousaf Muhammad Haroon , Viriri Serestina , Velastin Sergio A.
Published: May 2021

Classroom communication involves teacher’s behavior and student’s responses. Extensive research has been done on the analysis of student’s facial expressions, but the impact of instructor’s facial expressions is yet an unexplored area of research. Facial expression recognition has the potential to predict the impact of teacher’s emotions in a classroom environment. Intelligent assessment of instructor behavior during lecture delivery not only might improve the learning environment but also could save time and resources utilized in manual assessment strategies. To address the issue of manual assessment, we propose an instructor’s facial expression recognition approach within a classroom using a feedforward learning model. First, the face is detected from the acquired lecture videos and key frames are selected, discarding all the redundant frames for effective high‐level feature extraction. Then, deep features are extracted using multiple convolution neural networks along with parameter tuning which are then fed to a classifier. For fast learning and good generalization of the algorithm, a regularized extreme learning machine (RELM) classifier is employed which classifies five different expressions of the instructor within the classroom. Experiments are conducted on a newly created instructor’s facial expression dataset in classroom environments plus three benchmark facial datasets, i.e., Cohn–Kanade, the Japanese Female Facial Expression (JAFFE) dataset, and the Facial Expression Recognition 2013 (FER2013) dataset. Furthermore, the proposed method is compared with state‐of‐the‐art techniques, traditional classifiers, and convolutional neural models. Experimentation results indicate significant performance gain on parameters such as accuracy, F1‐score, and recall.
The Effect of Preoperative Biliary Drainage with or without Pancreatic Stenting on Complications after Pancreatoduodenectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Chu Jiangtao , He Shun , Ke Yan , Liu Xudong , Wang Peng , Zhang Wei , Qiu Guotong , Wang Chengfeng , Zhang Jianwei , Wang Guiqi
Published: April 2021

Background. The necessity of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is still controversial. However, in some settings, PBD with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedure is recommended as a preferred management. Meanwhile, pancreatic duct stenting in the drainage procedure is rarely performed for selected indications, and its associated complications after PD remain quite unknown. Methods. A retrospective observational longitudinal cohort study was performed on patients who underwent PBD and PD from a prospectively maintained database at the National Cancer Center from March of 2015 to July of 2019. Patients who underwent biliary stenting alone, biliary and pancreatic stenting, were distributed into two study cohort groups, and their records were scrutinized for the incidence of postoperative complications. Results. A total of 83 patients who underwent successful PD after biliary drainage were identified. 29 patients underwent nasobiliary drainage (ENBD)/plastic or metal bile duct stenting (BS) and pancreatic duct stenting (PS group), and 54 patients underwent only ENBD/BS, without pancreatic duct stenting (NPS group). No differences were found between the two groups with respect to in‐hospital time, overall complication rate, respective rate of serious (grade 3 or higher) complication rate, bile anastomotic leakage, bleeding, abdominal infection, surgical wound infection, organ dysfunction, and pancreatic anastomotic leakage. Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction rates differed significantly, which occurred in 3 (5.56%) cases in the NPS group, compared with 6 (20.7%) cases in the PS group (P = 0.06). In the univariate and multivariate regression model analysis, pancreatic duct stenting was correlated with higher rates of gastrointestinal dysfunction [odds ratio (OR) = 4.25, P = 0.0472]. Conclusion. Our data suggested that PBD and pancreatic duct stenting prior to pancreatoduodenectomy would increase the risk of postoperative delayed gastric emptying, while the overall incidence of postoperative complications and other complications, such as pancreatic leakage and bile duct leakage, showed no statistical difference.
Design Optimization and Parameter Analysis of a Hybrid Rocket Motor-Powered Small LEO Launch Vehicle
Authors: Zhu Hao , Wang Pengcheng , Xu Weile , Zhang Yuanjun , Tian Hui , Cai Guobiao
Published: April 2021

In this paper, the effects of different grain shapes of a hybrid rocket motor (HRM) and different payload mass/orbit heights on the design of small launch vehicles (SLVs) are systematically discussed. An integrated overall design model for the hybrid rocket motor-powered small launch vehicle (HPSLV) is established, and two groups of three-stage SLVs capable of sending small payloads to the low earth orbit (LEO) are designed and optimized. In the first group, the SLVs with different grain shapes and different numbers of chambers in HRMs at the 1st and the 2nd stages are optimized and analyzed. In the second group, the SLVs capable of sending different payload mass to different orbit heights are optimized and analyzed. Pareto graphs of the design results show that the design of HRM at the 1st stage has the greatest impact on the take-off mass, total velocity increment, and maximum axial overload of the SLV. Self-organizing maps show that the take-off mass, maximum diameter, overall length, and velocity increment of the SLVs have the same variation tendency. For the 1-chamber HRM at the 1st stage, the wheel-shaped grain is better than circle-shaped and star-shaped grains in terms of reducing the total mass and length of the SLV, and the 4-chamber parallel HRM has more advantages over all 1-chamber designs for the same reason. The theoretical velocity increments are calculated by the Tsiolkovsky formula, and the actual velocity increments are obtained based on the trajectory simulation data. The results indicate that the HPSLV has a regular distribution in terms of the ratio of theoretical (actual) velocity increments at three different stages, and the estimated distribution ratio is around 1 : 1.55 : 1.69 (1 : 1.9 : 2.39), which can provide some reference for future development of HPSLV.
Correlation between the Nonperfusion Area on Ultra-Widefield Fluorescein Angiography and Nonflow Area on Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography in Retinal Vein Occlusion
Authors: Huang Jianfeng , Lu Yingyi , Gu Xiaoya , Zheng Bodi , Chen Tong
Published: May 2021

Aims. To compare the relationship between the nonperfusion area (NPA) on ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) and the nonflow area (NFA) on optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) in retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods. Cross-sectional study. 46 eyes of 46 RVO patients who underwent UWFFA and OCTA. NPA and ischemic index (ISI) were quantified on UWWFA. NFA, vessel density (VD) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), the deep capillary plexus (DCP), and the size foveal avascular zone (FAZ) on 3 ∗ 3 mm OCTA were measured. The association of the NPA and ISI on UWWFA and the parameters on OCTA were analyzed. Spearman correlation was used for statistical testing. Results. The NPA and ISI on UWFFA were significantly correlated with the NFA on OCTA in RVO, and r values were 0.688 (

p
<
0.01

) and 0.680 (

p
<
0.01

), respectively. VD in the SCP of the temporal quadrant was negatively correlated with NPA and ISI, and r values were −0.346 (

p
<
0.05

) and −0.337 (

p
<
0.05

), respectively. VD in the DCP of the temporal quadrant was negatively correlated with the NPA, and the r value was −0.246 (

p
<
0.05

). No significant correlation was found between the NPA and ISI on UWFFA and VD of other quadrants in the SCP or DCP and the FAZ area on OCTA. Conclusion. NPA in the peripheral retina was correlated with NFA in macula. NFA detected by OCTA could be an indicator of the ischemic status in RVO.
Predicting Mental Health Problems with Automatic Identification of Metaphors
Authors: Shi Nan , Zhang Dongyu , Li Lulu , Xu Shengjun
Published: April 2021

Mental health problems are prevalent and an important issue in medicine. However, clinical diagnosis of mental health problems is costly, time-consuming, and often significantly delayed, which highlights the need for novel methods to identify them. Previous psycholinguistic and psychiatry research has suggested that the use of metaphors in texts is linked to the mental health status of the authors. In this paper, we propose a method for automatically detecting metaphors in texts to predict various mental health problems, specifically anxiety, depression, inferiority, sensitivity, social phobias, and obsession. We perform experiments on a composition dataset collected from second-language students and on the eRisk2017 dataset collected from Social Media. The experimental results show that our approach can help predict mental health problems in authors of written texts, and our algorithm performs better than other state-of-the-art methods. In addition, we report that the use of metaphors even in nonnative languages can be indicative of various mental health problems.
Neutrosophic Semiopen Hypersoft Sets with an Application to MAGDM under the COVID-19 Scenario
Authors: Ajay D. , Charisma J. Joseline , Boonsatit N. , Hammachukiattikul P. , Rajchakit G.
Published: April 2021

Hypersoft set is a generalization of soft sets, which takes into account a multiargument function. The main objective of this work is to introduce fuzzy semiopen and closed hypersoft sets and study some of their characterizations and also to present neutrosophic semiopen and closed hypersoft sets, an extension of fuzzy hypersoft sets, along with few basic properties. We propose two algorithms based on neutrosophic hypersoft open sets and topology to obtain optimal decisions in MAGDM. The efficiency of the algorithms proposed is demonstrated by applying them to the current COVID-19 scenario.