bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Features of life-meaning orientations among convicts sentenced for different types of crimes
Authors: Bulko Natal'ya
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the relationship between the type of crime for which the convicted person is serving a sentence, the level of education, the presence of socially useful connections, the age of the convicted person and the level of his life orientation, which includes such indicators as: the general indicator of the meaningfulness of life, goals in life, the process of life, the effectiveness of life, the locus of control – I, the locus of control – life. The attitude of convicts to such vital components as: health, family, future, self-realization in work was also studied. The study used the "Test of life-meaning orientations" by D. Crambo, A. Maholik in the adaptation of D. A. Leont'ev, and the color test of relations by A. M. Etkind. In order to study life-meaning orientations and preferences in different spheres of life, 93 convicts serving sentences for various crimes were examined. The results of the study of convicts’ personality characteristics can be used by correctional officers to identify problematic aspects in the development of convicts’ personality, develop programs aimed at solving these problems and develop the strengths of convicts’ personality.
WEB ANALYTICS AS A TOOL FOR MONITORING STUDY PROCESS OF HIGH SCHOOL ONLINE COURSE
Authors: ČERNÝ MICHAL
Published: July 2021

The paper analyzes the possibilities of using Google Analytics in the study of students' learning behaviour and for the design of online courses. Specifically, it analyzes data from an information literacy course for high school students. The paper use data from an online course for high school students between 1 February 2020 and 16 September 2020. There are a total of 785 unique visitors whose behavior on the web was the basis for our analysis. We also use information from 7 semi-structured interviews with teachers and from 2 focus groups with students (14 students) to interpret the data.
Predicting Financial Distress in Companies Using the Original CCB Bankruptcy Model
Authors: Hálek Vítězslav
Published: July 2021

This publication is focused primarily on the possible modifications / applications of financial analysis methods. Author's adjustments / adaptations of the procedures for financial and analytical assessment of data reported by business entities are accompanied by the presentation of his own model. The present text provides an analysis / description of the model called Come Clean Bankruptcy (CCB for short). The construction of the model is a result of the author’s personal belief that there is a need for such model. The conclusions resulting from the application of the CCB indicator have not yet been comprehensively presented in the professional literature. In its basic form, the publication is able to connect three (3) primary domains: 1/ Analytical assessment of economic variables reported by the companies, 2/ Mathematical-statistical methods of financial analysis, 3/ Corporate accounting, representing the primary source of data. The author assumes that the number of analysis of reported data corresponds directly to the number of successful / unsuccessful individuals doing business at a given time / place. The central topic of this publication therefore corresponds to the contemporary practical requirements for an effective evaluation of the financial situation of economic entities. The main reason / motivation for discussing this topic is the fact that the author doubts about the applicability of commonly proposed creditworthy / bankruptcy models in today's corporate world. Possible modifications of commonly used methods of financial analysis and their application to economic entities in the Czech Republic are the core theme of this book.
Adaptaciones en la realización televisiva del deporte en directo por la COVID-19
Authors: Marín Montín Joaquín
Published: July 2021

La irrupción del COVID-19 ha afectado a la producción televisiva de contenidos en directo. Los eventos deportivos televisados han alterado sus calendarios y su reanudación ha sido condicionada a la evolución de la pandemia. En la mayoría de los casos, se suprime la presencia del público en los recintos deportivos. Las principales competiciones han desarrollado modificaciones en su cobertura televisiva sujeta a las disposiciones de las autoridades sanitarias. Este artículo tiene como objetivo examinar las adaptaciones desarrolladas en la realización televisiva de un conjunto representativo de eventos deportivos durante la crisis sanitaria. También tiene como objetivo identificar cómo las innovaciones aportadas afectan a la recepción de los contenidos. La metodología aplicada combinó el estudio de caso y el análisis de contenido. Mediante el primero, se buscó tomar como referencia dos casos específicos de adaptaciones televisivas: competiciones europeas de fútbol y la NBA. En cuanto al segundo, el tratamiento de los datos seleccionados fue organizado en categorías a partir de las innovaciones encontradas en su retransmisión televisiva.  Los resultados obtenidos indican cómo la incorporación de nuevos elementos durante la emisión televisiva de los grandes eventos deportivos permitió reforzar la experiencia de la audiencia, sobre todo con un incremento de recursos virtuales.
Propuesta metodológica para el análisis de la videodanza a partir del lenguaje audiovisual
Authors: Llerena Fernández Alma
Published: July 2021

Esta aportación surge como resultado de una investigación cuyo objetivo es identificar un modelo de análisis para el estudio de la videodanza. Para ello se han analizado todas las piezas seleccionadas en el festival Fiver (International Screendance Movement), uno de los festivales más representativos de este género que está caballo entre las artes plásticas y visuales y el lenguaje cinematográfico. El periodo analizado incluye desde 2013, año en el que se crea este festival, hasta 2018, habiendo obtenido un total de 67 documentos. Para su análisis hacemos una propuesta metodológica que aúna variables del lenguaje audiovisual, del lenguaje coreográfico y variables creadas específicamente basadas en la praxis de la videodanza. Del análisis cabe concluir, como rasgos más sobresalientes, el uso significativo de los planos objetivos, la predominancia de planos medios y generales y un amplio uso de la cámara fija y planos con poco movimiento de la cámara.
Design and Evaluation of the Initial 50th Percentile Female Prototype Rear Impact Dummy, BioRID P50F – Indications for the Need of an Additional Dummy Size
Authors: Carlsson Anna , Davidsson Johan , Linder Astrid , Svensson Mats Y.
Published: July 2021

The objective of this study was to present the design of a prototype rear impact crash test dummy, representing a 50th percentile female, and compare its performance to volunteer response data. The intention was to develop a first crude prototype as a first step toward a future biofidelic 50th percentile female rear impact dummy. The current rear impact crash test dummy, BioRID II, represents a 50th percentile male, which may limit the assessment and development of whiplash protection systems with regard to female occupants. Introduction of this new dummy size will facilitate evaluation of seat and head restraint (HR) responses in both the average sized female and male in rear impacts. A 50th percentile female rear impact prototype dummy, the BioRID P50F, was developed from modified body segments originating from the BioRID II. The mass and rough dimensions of the BioRID P50F is representative of a 50th percentile female. The prototype dummy was evaluated against low severity rear impact sled tests comprising six female volunteers closely resembling a 50th percentile female with regard to stature and mass. The head/neck response of the BioRID P50F prototype resembled the female volunteer response corridors. The stiffness of the thoracic and lumbar spinal joints remained the same as the average sized male BioRID II, and therefore likely stiffer than joints of an average female. Consequently, the peak rearward angular displacement of the head and T1, and the rearward displacement of the T1, were lesser for the BioRID P50F in comparison to the female volunteers. The biofidelity of the BioRID P50F prototype thus has some limitations. Based on a seat response comparison between the BioRID P50F and the BioRID II, it can be concluded that the male BioRID II is an insufficient representation of the average female in the assessment of the dynamic seat response and effectiveness of whiplash protection systems.
Development and Characterization of a Biomimetic Totally Implantable Artificial Basilar Membrane System
Authors: Chung Juyong , Jung Youngdo , Hur Shin , Kim Jin Ho , Kim Sung June , Kim Wan Doo , Choung Yun-Hoon , Oh Seung-Ha
Published: July 2021

Cochlear implants (CIs) have become the standard treatment for severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Conventional CIs have some challenges, such as the use of extracorporeal devices, and high power consumption for frequency analysis. To overcome these, artificial basilar membranes (ABMs) made of piezoelectric materials have been studied. This study aimed to verify the conceptual idea of a totally implantable ABM system. A prototype of the totally implantable system composed of the ABM developed in previous research, an electronic module (EM) for the amplification of electrical output from the ABM, and electrode was developed. We investigated the feasibility of the ABM system and obtained meaningful auditory brainstem responses of deafened guinea pigs by implanting the electrode of the ABM system. Also, an optimal method of coupling the ABM system to the human ossicle for transducing sound waves into electrical signals using the middle ear vibration was studied and the electrical signal output according to the sound stimuli was measured successfully. Although the overall power output from the ABM system is still less than the conventional CIs and further improvements to the ABM system are needed, we found a possibility of the developed ABM system as a totally implantable CIs in the future.
Current Strategies for Microbubble-Based Thrombus Targeting: Activation-Specific Epitopes and Small Molecular Ligands
Authors: Wang Zhaojian , Huang Huaigu , Chen Yuexin , Zheng Yuehong
Published: July 2021

Microbubbles with enhanced ultrasound represent a potentially potent evolution to the administration of a free drug in the treatment of thrombotic diseases. Conformational and expressional changes of several thrombotic biological components during active coagulation provide epitopes that allow site-specific delivery of microbubble-based agents to the thrombus for theranostic purpose. Through the interaction with these epitopes, emerging high-affinity small molecular ligands are able to selectively target the thrombi with tremendous advantages over traditional antibody-based strategy. In this mini-review, we summarize recent novel strategies for microbubble-based targeting of thrombus through epitopes located at activated platelets and fibrin. We also discuss the challenges of current targeting modalities and supramolecular carrier systems for their translational use in thrombotic pathologies.
PSMC5 Promotes Proliferation and Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer by Activating Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Signaling and Modulating Immune Infiltrating Cells
Authors: He Zirui , Yang Xiao , Huang Ling , Zhou Leqi , Zhang Sen , Sun Jing , Zheng Minhua , Ma Junjun , Feng Bo , Zang Lu
Published: July 2021

We designed the present study to access the roles and mechanisms of PSMC5 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Transcriptomic and clinical data from public datasets and our center were retrospectively analyzed. Functional assays were performed to investigate the effects of PSMC5 on CRC cells. The results showed that PSMC5 was significantly higher in cancer than normal tissues. Moreover, patients with higher expression of PSMC5 showed poorer prognosis. Silencing of PSMC5 dramatically suppressed the proliferation and invasion of CRC cells, while overexpression led to the opposite. In addition, we screened downstream targets and found that PSMC5 regulates multiple pathways including epithelial–mesenchymal transition, hypoxia, and immune response. Consistently, we found that PSMC5 was negatively correlated with levels of CD8 + T cells and B cells while promoting infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils. Collectively, these findings suggested that PSMC5 was a promising biomarker and target for immune therapy for CRC.
Type II Collagen Sponges Facilitate Tendon Stem/Progenitor Cells to Adopt More Chondrogenic Phenotypes and Promote the Regeneration of Fibrocartilage-Like Tissues in a Rabbit Partial Patellectomy Model
Authors: Wang Wen , Qin Shengnan , He Peiliang , Mao Wei , Chen Liang , Hua Xing , Zhang Jinli , Xiong Xifeng , Liu Zhihe , Wang Pengzhen , Meng Qingqi , Dong Fei , Li Aiguo , Chen Honghui , Xu Jiake
Published: July 2021

Objective

Fibrocartilage transition zone (FC) is difficult to regenerate after surgical re-attachment of tendon to bone. Here, we investigated whether type II collagen-sponges (CII-sponges) facilitated tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) to adopt chondrogenic phenotypes and further observed if this material could increase the FC areas in bone-tendon junction (BTJ) injury model.

Methods

CII-sponges were made as we previously described. The appearance and pore structure of CII-sponges were photographed by camera and microscopies. The viability, proliferation, and differentiation of TSPCs were examined by LIVE/DEAD assay, alamarBlue, and PKH67 in vitro tracking. Subsequently, TSPCs were seeded in CII-sponges, Matrigel or monolayer, and induced under chondrogenic medium for 7 or 14 days before being harvested for qPCR or being transplanted into nude mice to examine the chondrogenesis of TSPCs. Lastly, partial patellectomy (PP) was applied to establish the BTJ injury model. CII-sponges were interposed between the patellar fragment and tendon, and histological examination was used to assess the FC regeneration at BTJ after surgery at 8 weeks.

Results

CII-sponges were like sponges with interconnected pores. TSPCs could adhere, proliferate, and differentiate in this CII-sponge up to 14 days at least. Both qPCR and immunostaining data showed that compared with TSPCs cultured in monolayer or Matrigel, cells in CII-sponges group adopted more chondrogenic phenotypes with an overall increase of chondrocyte-related genes and proteins. Furthermore, in PP injured model, much more new formed cartilage-like tissues could be observed in CII-sponges group, evidenced by a large amount of positive proteoglycan expression and typical oval or round chondrocytes in this area.

Conclusion

Our study showed that CII-sponges facilitated the TSPCs to differentiate toward chondrocytes and increased the area of FCs, which suggests that CII-sponges are meaningful for the reconstruction of FC at bone tendon junction. However, the link between the two phenomena requires further research and validation.
Genetic Polymorphisms of Long Non-coding RNA Linc00312 Are Associated With Susceptibility and Predict Poor Survival of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Guo Zhen , Bao Mei-Hua , Fan Yun-Xia , Zhang Yan , Liu Hai-Yan , Zhou Xiao-Long , Wu Ben , Lu Qing-Qing , He Bin-Sheng , Nan Xu-Ying , Lu Jiao-Yang
Published: July 2021

Background

Linc00312 is dysregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and participates in the initiation and progression of NPC. Our previous studies suggested that linc00312 was able to enhance the sensitivity of NPC cells to irradiation and NPC patients with higher expression of linc00312 was associated with better short-term curative effect and overall survival. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of lncRNAs may influence the disease course and outcome by affecting the expression, secondary structure or function of lncRNAs. However, the role of SNPs in linc00312 on the occurrence and survival of NPC remains unknown.

Methods

We recruited 684 NPC patients and 823 healthy controls to evaluate the association between linc00312 SNPs and NPC susceptibility by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were applied to assess the effect of linc00312 SNPs on the survival of NPC patients. The relative expression of linc00312 in NPC tissues was determined by real-time PCR. The interaction between linc00312 and mir-411-3p was explored by luciferase reporter assay. In silico prediction of the changes on linc00312 folding structure was conducted by RNAfold WebServer.

Result

We demonstrated that rs12497104 (G > A) GA genotype carriers had a higher risk than others for suffering from NPC (GA vs GG, OR = 1.437, P = 0.003). Besides, patients with rs12497104 AA genotype showed a poorer overall survival in contrast to GG genotype (AA vs GG, HR = 2.117, P = 0.011). In addition, the heterozygous carriers of rs15734 (G > A) and rs164966 (A > G) were correlated with decreased risk of NPC (GA vs GG, OR = 0.778, P = 0.031; GA vs AA, OR = 0.781, P = 0.033, respectively). We found that the three SNPs might influence the expression of linc00312 in a genotype specific feature. The local centroid secondary structure as well as the minimum free energy of linc00312 were changed following the candidate SNPs alterations. Besides, we revealed that the G to A alteration at rs12497104 disrupted the binding between mir-411-3p and linc00312.

Conclusion

Our results indicated genetic polymorphisms of linc00312 might serve as potential biomarkers for NPC carcinogenesis and prognosis.
Gut–Liver Axis: Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells Function as the Hepatic Barrier in Colitis-Induced Liver Injury
Authors: Wang Yang , Zhang Yifan , Liu Yun , Xu Jun , Liu Yulan
Published: July 2021

Background

Based on the gut–liver axis theory, a leaky gut can aggravate liver injury. However, clinical studies suggest that although gut mucosa damage is commonly observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), it seldom leads to severe liver injury. We hypothesize that there is a hepatic barrier in the gut–liver axis, which protects the liver against gut-derived invasive factors.

Methods

Colitis was induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in eight different liver injury models in Sprague–Dawley rats. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC) injury was evaluated by a scanning and transmission electron microscope. Neutrophils were depleted by injection of anti-rat polymorphonuclear serum. Two pneumonia models were also induced to investigate the mechanism of neutrophil recruitment and activation. LSECs isolated from rat liver were used to investigate the effect on neutrophil recruitment and activation.

Results

Among eight liver injury models, DSS colitis had no effect on liver injury in three models with normal LSECs. In the other five models with LSEC rupture, liver injury was significantly exacerbated by colitis, and increased hepatic neutrophil accumulation was observed. When neutrophils were depleted, colitis-induced liver injury was significantly attenuated. In pneumonia, liver injury, and colitis models, the level of CXCL1 correlated with the recruitment of neutrophils in different tissues, while DSS colitis and LSEC injury synergistically contributed to increased CXCL1 expression in the liver. In colitis-induced liver injury, neutrophils were activated in the liver. Injured LSECs showed both structural and functional changes, with significantly increased expression of CXCL1 and TNF-α under the stimulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The combination of gut-derived LPS and LSEC-derived TNF-α led to the activation of neutrophils, characterized by enhanced production of reactive oxygen species, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps.

Conclusion

LSECs constitute a vitally important barrier in the gut–liver axis, defending the liver against colitis-induced injury. When LSECs are damaged, they can turn into a pro-inflammatory pattern under the stimulation of LPS. LSEC injury and colitis-derived LPS synergistically contribute to the recruitment and activation of hepatic neutrophils. Neutrophils play a pivotal role as a downstream effector in colitis-induced liver injury.
Identification of a Novel Prognostic Signature of Genome Instability-Related LncRNAs in Early Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Peng Bo , Li Huawei , Na Ruisi , Lu Tong , Li Yongchao , Zhao Jiaying , Zhang Han , Zhang Linyou
Published: July 2021

Background

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial part in maintaining genomic instability. We therefore identified genome instability-related lncRNAs and constructed a prediction signature for early stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) as well in order for classification of high-risk group of patients and improvement of individualized therapies.

Methods

Early stage LUAD RNA-seq and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were randomly divided into training set (n = 177) and testing set (n = 176). A total of 146 genomic instability-associated lncRNAs were identified based on somatic mutation profiles combining lncRNA expression profiles from TCGA by the “limma R” package. We performed Cox regression analysis to develop this predictive indicator. We validated the prognostic signature by an external independent LUAD cohort with microarray platform acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO).

Results

A genome instability-related six-lncRNA-based gene signature (GILncSig) was established to divide subjects into high-risk and low-risk groups with different outcomes at statistically significant levels. According to the multivariate Cox regression and stratification analysis, the GILncSig was an independent predictive factor. Furthermore, the six-lncRNA signature achieved AUC values of 0.745, 0.659, and 0.708 in the training set, testing set, and TCGA set, respectively. When compared with other prognostic lncRNA signatures, the GILncSig also exhibited better prediction performance.

Conclusion

The prognostic lncRNA signature is a potent tool for risk stratification of early stage LUAD patients. Our study also provided new insights for identifying genome instability-related cancer biomarkers.
Transition-Metal-Free [3+2] Dehydration Cycloaddition of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes With 2-Naphthols
Authors: Zhao Hua , Shen Peng , Sun Dongru , Zhai Hongbin , Zhao Yufen
Published: July 2021

A Brønsted acid-catalyzed domino ring-opening cyclization transformation of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes and 2-naphthols has been developed. This formal [3+2] cyclization reaction provided novel and efficient access to the naphthalene-fused cyclopentanes in the absence of any transition-metal catalysts or additives. This robust procedure was completed smoothly on a gram-scale to afford the corresponding product with comparable efficiency. Furthermore, the synthetic application of the prepared product has been demonstrated by its transformation into a variety of synthetically useful molecules.
Meta-Analysis of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Microbiota Reveals Distinct Microbial Community Structures Associated With Lesions
Authors: Caddey Ben , De Buck Jeroen
Published: July 2021

Bovine digital dermatitis (DD) is a significant cause of infectious lameness and economic losses in cattle production across the world. There is a lack of a consensus across different 16S metagenomic studies on DD-associated bacteria that may be potential pathogens of the disease. The goal of this meta-analysis was to identify a consistent group of DD-associated bacteria in individual DD lesions across studies, regardless of experimental design choices including sample collection and preparation, hypervariable region sequenced, and sequencing platform. A total of 6 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Raw sequences and metadata were identified on the NCBI sequence read archive and European nucleotide archive. Bacterial community structures were investigated between normal skin and DD skin samples. Random forest models were generated to classify DD status based on microbial composition, and to identify taxa that best differentiate DD status. Among all samples, members of Treponema, Mycoplasma, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium were consistently identified in the majority of DD lesions, and were the best genera at differentiating DD lesions from normal skin. Individual study and 16S hypervariable region sequenced had significant influence on final DD lesion microbial composition (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that members of Treponema, Mycoplasma, Porphyromonas, and/or Fusobacterium may have significant roles in DD pathogenesis, and should be studied further in respect to elucidating DD etiopathogenic mechanisms and developing more effective treatment and mitigation strategies.
Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Payments and Property Rights on Forest User Decisions
Authors: Rakotonarivo O. Sarobidy , Bell Andrew , Dillon Brian , Duthie A. Bradley , Kipchumba Adams , Rasolofoson Ranaivo Andriarilala , Razafimanahaka Julie , Bunnefeld Nils
Published: July 2021

Clearing forests for swidden agriculture, despite providing food to millions of farmers in the tropics, can be a major driver of deforestation. Payments for ecosystem services schemes can help stop swidden agriculture-induced forest loss by rewarding forest users for maintaining forests. Clear and secure property rights are a key prerequisite for the success of these payment schemes. In this study, we use a novel iterative and dynamic game in Madagascar and Kenya to examine farmer responses to individual and communal rights to forestlands, with and without financial incentives, in the context of swidden agricultural landscapes. We find that farmer pro conservation behaviour, defined by the propensity to keep forests or fallows on their lands, as well as the effects of land tenure and conservation incentive treatments on such behaviour, differ across the two contexts. The average percentages of land left forest/fallow in the game are 65 and 35% in Kenya and Madagascar, respectively. Individual ownership significantly improves decisions to preserve forests or leave land fallow in Madagascar but has no significant effect in Kenya. Also, the effect of the individual tenure treatment varies across education and wealth levels in Madagascar. Subsidy increases farmers' willingness to support conservation interests in both countries, but its effect is four times greater in Kenya. We find no interaction effects of the two treatments in either country. We conclude that the effectiveness of financial incentives for conservation and tenure reform in preserving forestland vary significantly across contexts. We show how interactive games can help develop a more targeted and practical approach to environmental policy.
Predictive Added Value of Selected Plasma Lipids to a Re-estimated Minimal Risk Tool
Authors: Bodini Antonella , Michelucci Elena , Di Giorgi Nicoletta , Caselli Chiara , Signore Giovanni , Neglia Danilo , Smit Jeff M. , Scholte Arthur J.H.A. , Mincarone Pierpaolo , Leo Carlo G. , Pelosi Gualtiero , Rocchiccioli Silvia
Published: July 2021

Background: Lipidomics is emerging for biomarker discovery in cardiovascular disease, and circulating lipids are increasingly incorporated in risk models to predict cardiovascular events. Moreover, specific classes of lipids, such as sphingomyelins, ceramides, and triglycerides, have been related to coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and plaque characteristics. To avoid unnecessary testing, it is important to identify individuals at low CAD risk. The only pretest model available so far to rule out the presence of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with chest pain, but normal coronary arteries, is the minimal risk tool (MRT).

Aim: Using state-of-the-art statistical methods, we aim to verify the additive predictive value of a set of lipids, derived from targeted plasma lipidomics of suspected CAD patients, to a re-estimated version of the MRT for ruling out the presence of coronary atherosclerosis assessed by coronary CT angiography (CCTA).

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-six subjects with suspected stable CAD recruited from five European countries within H2020-SMARTool, undergoing CCTA and blood sampling for clinical biochemistry and lipidomics, were selected. The MRT was validated by regression methods and then re-estimated (reMRT). The reMRT was used as a baseline model in a likelihood ratio test approach to assess the added predictive value of each lipid from 13 among ceramides, triglycerides, and sphingomyelins. Except for one lipid, the analysis was carried out on more than 240 subjects for each lipid. A sensitivity analysis was carried out by considering two alternative models developed on the cohort as baseline models.

Results: In 205 subjects, coronary atherosclerosis ranged from minimal lesions to overt obstructive CAD, while in 51 subjects (19.9%) the coronary arteries were intact. Four triglycerides and seven sphingomyelins were significantly (p < 0.05) and differentially expressed in the two groups and, at a lesser extent, one ceramide (p = 0.067). The probability of being at minimal risk was significantly better estimated by adding either Cer(d18:1/16:0) (p = 0.01), SM(40:2) (p = 0.04), or SM(41:1) at a lesser extent (p = 0.052) to reMRT than by applying the reMRT alone. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the relevance of these lipids. Furthermore, the addition of SM(34:1), SM(38:2), SM(41:2), and SM(42:4) improved the predictive performance of at least one of the other baseline models. None of the selected triglycerides was found to provide an added value.

Conclusions: Plasma lipidomics can be a promising source of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cardiovascular disease, exploitable not only to assess the risk of adverse events but also to identify subjects without coronary atherosclerosis, thus reducing unnecessary further testing in normal subjects.
Lipoprotein-Induced Increases in Cholesterol and 7-Ketocholesterol Result in Opposite Molecular-Scale Biophysical Effects on Membrane Structure
Authors: Ayee Manuela A.A. , Levitan Irena
Published: July 2021

Under hypercholesterolemic conditions, exposure of cells to lipoproteins results in a subtle membrane increase in the levels of cholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol, as compared to normal conditions. The effect of these physiologically relevant concentration increases on multicomponent bilayer membranes was investigated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Significant changes in the structural and dynamic properties of the bilayer membranes resulted from these subtle increases in sterol levels, with both sterol species inducing decreases in the lateral area and inhibiting lateral diffusion to varying extents. Cholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol, however, exhibited opposite effects on lipid packing and orientation. The results from this study indicate that the subtle increases in membrane sterol levels induced by exposure to lipoproteins result in molecular-scale biophysical perturbation of membrane structure.
Application of Bayesian Hyperparameter Optimized Random Forest and XGBoost Model for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping
Authors: Wang Shibao , Zhuang Jianqi , Zheng Jia , Fan Hongyu , Kong Jiaxu , Zhan Jiewei
Published: July 2021

Landslides are widely distributed worldwide and often result in tremendous casualties and economic losses, especially in the Loess Plateau of China. Taking Wuqi County in the hinterland of the Loess Plateau as the research area, using Bayesian hyperparameters to optimize random forest and extreme gradient boosting decision trees model for landslide susceptibility mapping, and the two optimized models are compared. In addition, 14 landslide influencing factors are selected, and 734 landslides are obtained according to field investigation and reports from literals. The landslides were randomly divided into training data (70%) and validation data (30%). The hyperparameters of the random forest and extreme gradient boosting decision tree models were optimized using a Bayesian algorithm, and then the optimal hyperparameters are selected for landslide susceptibility mapping. Both models were evaluated and compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve and confusion matrix. The results show that the AUC validation data of the Bayesian optimized random forest and extreme gradient boosting decision tree model are 0.88 and 0.86, respectively, which showed an improvement of 4 and 3%, indicating that the prediction performance of the two models has been improved. However, the random forest model has a higher predictive ability than the extreme gradient boosting decision tree model. Thus, hyperparameter optimization is of great significance in the improvement of the prediction accuracy of the model. Therefore, the optimized model can generate a high-quality landslide susceptibility map.
Mineral and Bone Consequences of High Dose Denosumab Therapy to Treat an Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, a Child Case Report
Authors: Del Sindaco Giulia , Berlanga Pablo , Brugières Laurence , Thebault Eric , Mantovani Giovanna , Wicart Philippe , Linglart Agnès
Published: July 2021

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are rare benign pseudotumoral bone lesions with potential aggressive behavior due to the extensive destruction of surrounding bone. Traditionally, these tumors were treated with open surgery, but there is more and more a shift to less invasive procedures. In particular, treatment for spinal ABCs is generally unsatisfactory due to the risk of morbidity, neurological impairment and recurrence, and there is a need for innovative therapies. Denosumab has been reported as a useful treatment in giant cell tumors of bone (GCTB), so its efficacy has been tested also in other fibro-osseus lesions affecting children and adolescents, such as spinal aneurysmal bone cysts. The pediatric literature is limited to case reports and small series, all of which highlight the efficacy of this treatment on lesions growth and associated bone pain. Some of these reports have already reported well known side effects associated with denosumab, such as hypocalcemia at the beginning of the treatment, and rebound hypercalcemia at the discontinuation. The latter seems to be more frequent in children and adolescents than in adults, probably due to the higher baseline bone turnover in children. In addition, the use of denosumab in young patients could affect both bone modeling and remodeling, even if the consequences on the growing skeleton have not been reported in detail. Here we describe the case of a spinal ABC diagnosed in an 8-year old young boy which was not accessible to surgery but responded favorably to denosumab. Our aim is to describe the rapid changes in mineral and bone homeostasis in this patient, that required advice from the experts of the European Reference Network (ERN) for rare bone and endocrine diseases.
Report From the 6th International Meeting on Bone Marrow Adiposity (BMA2020)
Authors: Scheller Erica L. , McGee-Lawrence Meghan E. , Lecka-Czernik Beata
Published: July 2021

The 6th International Meeting on Bone Marrow Adiposity (BMA) entitled “Marrow Adiposity: Bone, Aging, and Beyond” (BMA2020) was held virtually on September 9th and 10th, 2020. The mission of this meeting was to facilitate communication and collaboration among scientists from around the world who are interested in different aspects of bone marrow adiposity in health and disease. The BMA2020 meeting brought together 198 attendees from diverse research and clinical backgrounds spanning fields including bone biology, endocrinology, stem cell biology, metabolism, oncology, aging, and hematopoiesis. The congress featured an invited keynote address by Ormond MacDougald and ten invited speakers, in addition to 20 short talks, 35 posters, and several training and networking sessions. This report summarizes and highlights the scientific content of the meeting and the progress of the working groups of the BMA society (http://bma-society.org/).
BESS as a UPS to Power Systems With High Solar Penetration
Authors: Aluthge C. Devin , Hemapala K. T. M. Udayanga , Lucas J. Rohan
Published: July 2021

This study analyzes the primary and secondary frequency controls of the power system. Further, the article discusses the high-level understanding of keeping a selected feeder’s power supply during an upstream fault condition. The Sri Lankan power system is taken as a case study. Due to the high penetration of wind and solar injection to the Sri Lankan power system, the inertia of the system has been reduced drastically. Simulations have been carried out on a single feeder as it is impracticable to install a large battery energy storage system (BESS). The problems of dynamic stability of the current system due to high solar power penetration are analyzed. The repercussions of these problems to the power system are then discussed related to the stability of the system where there is severe machine tripping. Remedial action needed to be taken to increase the power quality of the power system, namely, BESS and supercapacitors are presented. A comparison of the inertia of the current system and the system when conventional power replaces solar power is also analyzed. The article addresses on how fast-active power injection could be used as an uninterrupted power supply to the selected feeder. It also states the fact that in the case of underfrequency load shedding, the feeder will not experience a power outage due to the BESS. However, BESS limitation and cost analysis are not discussed extensively. The results of analysis show that the selected feeder has uninterrupted power even though the grid was disconnected. Further, an approach is also taken to establish the required reactive power to the feeder as well. Method of combining virtual inertia with inverters is discussed here. All simulations conducted were based on real feeders and data.
Effects of Fiscal Decentralization on Garbage Classifications
Authors: Ma Qiuzhuo , Huang Diejun , Li Hua , Hu Yimei , P. Paudel Krishna , Zhang Sijin , Zhang Jianfeng
Published: July 2021

China has been promoting garbage classification in its rural areas, yet it lacks financial appropriation and fiscal decentralization to support waste processing projects. Though the existing literature has suggested fiscal decentralization strategies between different local government levels, few of the studies ascertain garbage classification efficiency from a quantitative perspective. To bridge the gap, this study examines the optimal fiscal decentralization strategies for garbage classification. It uses an optimization model while considering decision makers’ requirements regarding the fund allocation amounts at different government levels and the classification ratios in villages as constraints and decisions, respectively. A three-stage heuristic algorithm is applied to determine optimal landfill locations and efficient classification ratios for the garbage processing system in rural China, with an analytical discussion on the propositions and properties of the model. Our analytical results suggest that 1) the theoretically optimal solution is conditionally achievable, 2) the applied algorithm can achieve the optimal solution faster when the relationship between governance costs and classification ratios reaches some mathematical conditions, and 3) there is always a potential for increasing the retained funds between different government levels or for reducing the total appropriation from the county government. The numerical experiment on a primary dataset from 12 towns and 143 villages in the Pingyuan county of Guangdong province, China, does not only affirm the qualitative results, but it also provides insights into the difficulties encountered during the implementation of the garbage classification policy in China’s rural areas.
The Composition and Distribution of Volatile Organic Compounds in Sediments of the East Taijinar Salt Lake in Northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Authors: Lu Xiaohang , Ma Zhe , Yi Lei , Zhang Guangwu , Chen Fuhong , Han Fengqing
Published: July 2021

The main objective of this study was to explore the composition and distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the factors that affect their distribution in the salt lake sediments. Thirteen sediment samples were collected from a depth profile in the East Taijinar Lake, China. VOCs of different samples were extracted by headspace solid phase microextraction. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the VOCs, n-alkanes, and minerals present in samples. Thirty-four VOCs were identified and classified into seven types, including terpenes, furans, esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and acids, apart from six contaminants. It was found that 24 of the most prevalent compounds in clay were on average 101.45% higher than those in sandstone and halite because of the sedimentary environment, while the remaining ten (2-acetylfuran, 2-pinene D, etc.) were on average 13.27% higher in sandstone and halite sediments than in clay. This can be attributed to their different biological sources, porosity, and higher salinity. Based on the Q-cluster analysis, the 13 sediment samples were split into two groups, including the group according to composition and the group based on distribution of VOCs. In this study, it was found that the VOCs correlate positively with detrital minerals, with Group I exhibiting a high content of detrital minerals (>25%), while Group II showed the opposite characteristics. The consumption of organic matter (OM) by microorganisms leads to the formation of VOCs in sediment. The values of carbon preference index and n-alkane further demonstrate that the organic matter of the two groups came from different sources, exogenous and endogenous. Pr/Ph ratios, Pr/C17, and Pr/C18 also suggest that the OM in all sediments was strongly affected by microorganisms in an anoxic environment. Together, these results demonstrate that the OM from different biological sources and microbial activities played a critical role in deciding the composition and distribution of VOCs in the sediment. This study also shows that the proportion of VOCs in halite was discernably higher than that in clay and sandstone and that the content of VOCs should be considered when studying OM in salt lake sediments.
Interaction Effects of Temperature, Light, Nutrients, and pH on Growth and Competition of Chlorella vulgaris and Anabaena sp. Strain PCC
Authors: Meng Shun Long , Chen Xi , Wang Jing , Fan Li Min , Qiu Li Ping , Zheng Yao , Chen Jia Zhang , Xu Pao
Published: July 2021

Interaction effects of temperature, light, nutrients, and pH on growth and competition of Chlorella vulgaris and Anabaena sp. strain PCC were evaluated using an orthogonal design method to elucidate how these environment factors promote the growth of beneficial algae and limit the growth of harmful algae. The optimal conditions for the growth of C. vulgaris in the mono-culture system were as follows: temperature, 35°C; light, 660 lx; N concentration, 0.36 mg L−1; P concentration, 0.1 mg L−1; and pH, 9.0; and those for Anabaena were as follows: temperature, 30°C; light, 6,600 lx; N concentration, 0.18 mg L−1; P concentration, 0.1 mg L−1; and pH, 7.0. The optimal conditions for the growth of C. vulgaris in the co-culture system were as follows: temperature, 25°C; light, 4,400 lx; N concentration, 0.18 mg L−1; P concentration, 0.5 mg L−1; and pH, 6.0; and those for Anabaena were as follows: temperature, 35°C; light, 4,400 lx; N concentration, 0.36 mg L−1; P concentration, 0.5 mg L−1; and pH, 6.0. Both competition-inhibition parameters of Anabaena against C. vulgaris and those of C. vulgaris against Anabaena were the largest under the following conditions: temperature, 30°C; light intensity, 6,600 lx; N concentration, 0.36 mg L−1; P concentration, 0.025 mg L−1; and pH, 8.0. According to the Lotka–Volterra competition model, Anabaena won in the competition in the co-culture system with the following conditions: 1) temperature, 15°C; light, 660 lx; total N (TN), 0.18 mg L−1; total P (TP), 0.025 mg L−1; pH, 6; 2) temperature, 15°C; light, 2,200 lx; TN, 0.36 mg L−1; TP, 0.025 mg L−1; pH, 7; 3) temperature, 15°C; light, 6,600 lx; TN, 3.6 mg L−1; TP, 0.5 mg L−1; pH, 9; 4) temperature, 30°C; light, 4,400 lx; TN, 0.18 mg L−1; TP, 0.05 mg L−1; pH, 9; 5) temperature, 35°C; light, 660 lx; TN, 3.6 mg L−1; TP, 0.05 mg L−1; pH, 8; and 6) temperature, 35°C; light, 2,200 lx; TN, 0.72 mg L−1; TP, 0.025 mg L−1; pH, 9. However, C. vulgaris could not win in the competition in the co-culture system under all conditions tested.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Non-invasive Prenatal Screening to Detect Fetal Copy Number Variations
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Bin , Zhou Lingna , Zhou Qin , Chen Yingping , Yu Bin
Published: July 2021

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) in prenatal screening of fetal pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs).

Materials and Methods

We evaluated the prenatal screening capacity using traditional and retrospective approaches. For the traditional method, we evaluated 24,613 pregnant women who underwent NIPS; cases which fetal CNVs were suggested underwent prenatal diagnosis with chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). For the retrospective method, we retrospectively evaluated 47 cases with fetal pathogenic CNVs by NIPS. A systematic literature search was performed to compare the evaluation efficiency.

Results

Among the 24,613 pregnant women who received NIPS, 124 (0.50%) were suspected to have fetal CNVs. Of these, 66 women underwent prenatal diagnosis with CMA and 13 had true-positive results. The positive predictive value (PPV) of NIPS for fetal CNVs was 19.7%. Among 1,161 women who did not receive NIPS and underwent prenatal diagnosis by CMA, 47 were confirmed to have fetal pathogenic CNVs. Retesting with NIPS indicated that 24 of these 47 cases could also be detected by NIPS, representing a detection rate (DR) of 51.1%. In total, 10 publications, namely, six retrospective studies and four prospective studies, met our criteria and were selected for a detailed full-text review. The reported DRs were 61.10–97.70% and the PPVs were 36.11–80.56%. The sizes of CNVs were closely related to the accuracy of NIPS detection. The DR was 41.9% (13/31) in fetuses with CNVs ≤ 3 Mb, but was 55.0% (11/20) in fetuses with CNVs > 3 Mb. Finally, to intuitively show the CNVs accurately detected by NIPS, we mapped all CNVs to chromosomes according to their location, size, and characteristics. NIPS detected fetal CNVs in 2q13 and 4q35.

Conclusion

The DR and PPV of NIPS for fetal CNVs were approximately 51.1% and 19.7%, respectively. Follow-up molecular prenatal diagnosis is recommended in cases where NIPS suggests fetal CNVs.