bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping cultural ecosystem services in the hyper arid environment of south of Jordan
Authors: Albalawneh Abeer , Al-Assaf Amani , Sweity Amer , Hammour Wafa’a Abu , Kloub Khawla , Hjazin Amgad , Kabariti Rabab , Abu Nowar Lana , Tadros Maher J. , Aljaafreh Safaa , Diab Mai , Alwidyan Jafar , Albashbsheh Ghadeer , Haddad Nizar
Published: September 2022

Cultural ecosystem services (CESs) refer to the non-monetary benefits that nature provides humans. This study aimed to allocate and map the CESs in the hyper arid region at the southern part of Wadi Araba as a unique ecosystem in Jordan. 296 residents were participated in a structured questionnaire. The respondents were prompted to indicate CES by drawing dots on a geo-referenced landscape map corresponding to any areas they considered as CES. The results showed that (81.1%) of the locals practice hiking (71.3%) of locals practice walking, and (66.2%) of the locals visit sand dunes which are all among the most CESs the locals engage with. Moreover, respondents expressed that these activities are not related to their primary source of income. The results were mapped and subjected to hot-spot and statistical analyses using a geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial evaluation and statistical analysis using the kernel density estimation (KDE) and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics with inverse distance weight (IDW) interpolation. Overall, the CESs provided by their region were appreciated by most residents. The hot-spot analysis revealed that those core hot-spots (Getis-Ord-Gi* values equal top= 0.01) covered 19.6% while core cold spots covered 21.2% of the study area. The respondents expressed eagerness to contribute to a constant flow of CESs if the restoration plans are fully supported by the local community. The CES maps generated using the data collected in the present study can serve as baseline measures of the CES provisions subject to change based on the parameters of each development scenario. Furthermore, these maps could help support current and future management efforts by integrating communities’ preferences into development and conservation initiatives, thereby ensuring more efficient and effective utilization of CESs.
Does the growth of the digital economy boost the efficiency of synergistic carbon-haze governance? evidence from China
Authors: Zhou Bin , Zhao Haoxiang , Yu Jingyue , He Taiyi , Liu Jiawei
Published: September 2022

As global urbanization continues to accelerate, so does the amount of harm to the natural ecological environment caused by excessive resource extraction. In several Chinese cities, haze and excessive greenhouse gas emissions have become crucial to the development of an ecological society. To break the previous energy-intensive development model, the data element has emerged as a key driver of the new cycle of high-quality development. Therefore, additional investigation into the synergistic influence of the digital economy as a new factor on air pollution and CO2 emissions is warranted. This study examines the effects, spatial effects, and transmission mechanisms of the digital economy on the synergistic control of carbon and haze using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2019. The study concludes that the digital economy has an overall significant inhibiting effect on carbon dioxide emissions and haze pollution levels (the regression coefficients are -1.090 and -0.714 respectively), a significant driving effect on the efficiency of synergistic carbon and haze management, a spatial spillover effect, and a positive effect on neighboring regions (the regression coefficient is more than 0.239). By region, the digital economy in the eastern region has a greater impact on the effectiveness of carbon and haze management, whereas the digital economy in the western region has a greater impact on CO2 emission reduction, and the digital economy in the central region has an effect that is more consistent with the overall situation. Moreover, the digital economy may successfully encourage technical innovation, which in turn supports synergistic carbon and haze governance, and technological innovation plays a very important mediating role in this transmission mechanism, a finding that is resilient to geographical interaction effects. Consequently, relevant policy recommendations are presented.
Protective effect of tertiary lymphoid structures against hepatocellular carcinoma: New findings from a genetic perspective
Authors: Jia Weili , Yao Qianyun , Wang Yanfang , Mao Zhenzhen , Zhang Tianchen , Li Jianhui , Nie Ye , Lei Xinjun , Shi Wen , Song Wenjie
Published: September 2022

Background

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) have an effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Methods

Intratumoral TLS (iTLS) was classified in the Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) cohort using pathological sections from the Cancer Digital Slide Archive. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to validate the effect of iTLS on overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The genes differentially expressed between the iTLS-negative and iTLS-positive groups were analyzed in combination with sequencing data. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the signaling pathways affected by these differentially expressed genes. The random forest algorithm was used to identify genes with the highest correlation with the iTLS in the training set. Multivariate logistic regression was used to build a model to predict iTLS in tissue samples. Spearman’s correlation was used to analyze the relationship between TLS-associated chemokines and signature genes, and CIBERSORT was used to calculate immune infiltration scores. Copy number variation and its relationship with immune cell infiltration and signature genes were assessed using the gene set cancer analysis (GSCA). The Correlation R package was used for gene ontology (GO), disease ontology (DO), and gene mutation analyses. The GSCA was used for drug sensitivity analysis. LASSO regression was used to build prognostic models, and external data were used to validate the models.

Results

There were 218 positive and 146 negative samples for iTLS. iTLS was significantly associated with better RFS and DFS according to Cox regression analysis. Twenty signature genes that were highly associated with iTLS positivity were identified. GO and mutation analyses revealed that the signature genes were associated with immunity. Most signature genes were sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Risk scores calculated using a characteristic gene-based prognostic model were found to be an independent prognostic factor for OS.

Conclusions

The improvement of RFS in HCC by iTLS was not limited to the early period as previously reported. iTLS improved DFS in patients. Characteristic genes are closely related to the formation of iTLS and TLS chemokines in HCC. These genes are closely related to immunity in terms of cellular infiltration, biological functions, and signaling pathways. Most are sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and their expression levels can affect prognosis.
Engineering the common cold to be a live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
Authors: Kasman Laura M.
Published: September 2022

According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people in all age groups catch two or more “colds” per year, at least half of which are caused by human rhinoviruses. Despite decades of effort, there are no vaccines or drugs against rhinovirus infections and even social distancing measures that were effective in reducing the spread of the pandemic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, did not reduce the rate of rhinovirus detection. Fortunately, most rhinovirus strains are naturally attenuated in that they are not associated with serious illness, hospitalization or mortality. Instead, rhinoviruses are one of the most frequent viruses found in nasal swabs of asymptomatic, healthy people. Since rhinovirus infections cannot be avoided, a rational approach would be to engineer them for the benefit of their human hosts. Rhinovirus infections naturally induce robust mucosal and serum immune responses to all virus-expressed proteins. Several replication-competent, human rhinovirus vaccine vectors able to express protective antigens for other pathogens have already been designed and tested in animal models. With this strategy, the inevitable common cold would be able to induce immunity not just to a specific rhinovirus serotype but to other more pathogenic respiratory viruses as well. This article reviews existing rhinovirus vaccine vector technology and describes the characteristics that make live-attenuated rhinoviruses attractive vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogenic respiratory viruses in the future.
Mesenchymal stromal cells induced regulatory B cells are enriched in extracellular matrix genes and IL-10 independent modulators
Authors: Garcia Sergio G. , Sandoval-Hellín Noelia , Clos-Sansalvador Marta , Carreras-Planella Laura , Morón-Font Miriam , Guerrero Dolores , Borràs Francesc E. , Franquesa Marcella
Published: September 2022

Regulatory B cells (Breg) are essential players in tolerance and immune homeostasis. However, lack of specific Breg markers limit their potential in clinical settings. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) modulate B cell responses and are described to induce Bregin vitro.The aim of this work was to characterize MSC induced Breg (iBreg) and identify specific Breg biomarkers by RNAseq. After 7-day coculture with adipose tissue-derived MSC, B cells were enriched in transitional B cell populations, with increased expression and secretion of IL-10 and no TNFα. In addition, iBreg showed potential to modulate T cell proliferation at 2 to 1 cell ratios and their phenotype remained stable for 72h. RNAseq analysis of sorted IL-10 positive and negative iBreg populations identified over 1500 differentially expressed genes (DEG) among both populations. Analysis of biological processes of DEG highlighted an enrichment of immune regulation and extracellular matrix genes in IL-10-iBreg populations, while IL-10+iBreg DEG were mostly associated with cell activation. This was supported by T cells modulation assays performed in the presence of anti-IL-10 neutralizing antibodies showing the non-essential role of IL-10 in the immunomodulatory capacity of iBregs on T cells. However, based on RNAseq results we explored the role of TGF-β and found out that it plays a major role on iBreg induction and iBreg immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, we report that MSC induce B cell populations characterized by the generation of extracellular matrix and immune modulation independently of IL-10.
KECANet: A novel convolutional kernel network for ocean SAR scene classification with limited labeled data
Authors: Ma Ming , Bai Chengzu , Zhang Shuo , Qian Longxia , Yan Hengqian
Published: September 2022

The ability of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to capture maritime phenomena is widely acknowledged. However, ocean SAR scene automatic classification remains challenging due to speckle noise interference, the nonlinearities and poor distinguishability of different geophysical phenomena. Kernel entropy component analysis (KECA) was recently proposed as a feature extraction approach. It is capable of handling nonlinear data and revealing different structures of interest. However, KECA suffers from high computational complexity, meaning it cannot penetrate deep for finer feature extraction. To address this issue, this paper proposes an efficient multilayer convolutional kernel network (denoted as KECANet) equipped with KECA for ocean SAR scene classification. The pivoted Cholesky decomposition is employed to accelerate KECA filtering in the network. KECA was trained on hand-labeled but limited samples describing ten oceanic or atmospheric phenomena. Several conventional and state-of-the-art deep learning methods were also included for comparison. According to the classification experiments, KECANet can greatly improve the classification precision of geophysical phenomena, considering that the precision, recall and F-score values increased by 13.3%, 2.3% and 12.2% in average. Overall, the results suggest that KECA is a promising approach for various applications in remote sensing image recognition.
Inherent Optical Properties based Vulnerability Assessment of Euphotic Zone Compression in peatland influenced Southeast Asian coastal waters
Authors: Sanwlani Nivedita , Wong Elizabeth Wing-See , Morgan Kyle , Liew Soo Chin , Martin Patrick
Published: September 2022

Underwater light availability is a crucial aspect for the ecological functioning of shallow water bodies. Light extinction from terrestrial inputs is a growing threat to these coastal habitats. The blended quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA) was extended for the derivation of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficient along with other inherent optical properties (IOPs) from satellite observations for Southeast Asian waters. The contribution of these IOPs to diffuse attenuation of light (Kd) and penetration depth (Zd) was investigated. A vulnerability assessment was performed to identify locations potentially threatened by poor light quality in Southeast Asian waters. Advection of peatland-influenced Sumatran coastal waters rich in organic matter (ag(400nm): 1.0-2.0m-1) and sediments (bbp(400nm): 0.5-1m-1) drive the spatial heterogeneity of Sunda shelf seawater. Photic zone depth, Zd(490nm), is year-round restricted to ≤5m for critically vulnerable Sumatran coastal waters (vulnerability index, VI>0.8). This critically vulnerable state is further extended towards the southern Malacca Strait, influencing the eastern Singapore Strait from June to September. The areas harbouring marine ecosystems in the shelf waters attain a higher threshold (VI=0.6-0.8), constraining the photosynthesis to depths ≤10m. A transformation of central Malacca Strait from not vulnerable (VI<0.2) to highly vulnerable (VI=0.6-0.8) state from June to September indicates poor light conditions. Further increases in CDOM and sediment inputs into these water columns, therefore, constitute a clear risk of reducing light availability, which may have damaging effects on the functioning of coastal habitats. This study underscores the need for a complete ecological risk assessment for Southeast Asia to aid in the effective management of marine ecosystems.
Awareness of ocean literacy principles and ocean conservation engagement among American adults
Authors: O’Halloran Chris , Silver Mary
Published: September 2022

Ocean literacy influences ocean conservation and might have an impact on sustainable development practices. We investigated the knowledge American adults possess concerning ocean literacy principles and ocean conservation behaviors by asking participants (N=1226) to complete an online survey on ocean literacy principles, health and well-being benefits of time spent in or by the ocean, emotions that result in behavioral change for conservation, and conservation actions. We used a representative sample of the US population by age, gender, and location. The majority of participants were aware of the ocean literacy principle, that the ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems (82%). Calmness, stress reduction, reduced depression, awe, connection with nature, greater life satisfaction, improved happiness, and a feeling of a spiritual connection or refuge were all associated with the ocean environment’s emotional health benefits. Monthly beach trips were associated with the physical health benefits of spending time near the ocean. Engagement in ocean conservation action was associated with multiple factors, including awareness of ocean literacy principles (the ocean is largely unexplored, ocean health and human health are connected, and the ocean regulates our climate and weather), monthly visits to the ocean, emotions of sadness and awe, feeling a connection to nature, living 10 miles or less to the ocean, and viewing nature documentaries and Instagram. Findings from this study may provide ideas how to engage the American public in understanding, valuing, and caring for our shared life sustaining ocean.
Adaptive biomineralization in two morphotypes of Sternaspidae (Annelida) from the Northern China Seas
Authors: Ge Meiling , Mo Jing , Ip Jack Chi-Ho , Li Yixuan , Shi Wenge , Wang Zongling , Zhang Xuelei , Xu Qinzeng
Published: September 2022

Polychaetes are segmented annelid worms that play a key role in biomineralization in modern oceans. However, little is known about the underlying processes and evolutionary mechanisms. The ventro-caudal shield of Sternaspidae is a typical phosphate biomineral in annelids. Here, we investigated two sternaspids from the northern China Seas, Sternaspis chinensis and Sternaspis liui syn. n, which evolved diverse shield characteristics as local adaptation. Genetic distances, phylogenetic analyses of nuclear markers (18S and 28S genes), and mitochondrial genomes revealed that the latter is a junior synonym of the former. The integration of elemental composition and the transcriptomic analysis provided insights into phenotypic shield differences. The electron probe microanalysis showed that shields in S. chinensis were more biomineralized (i.e., with higher iron, phosphorus, and calcium contents) than those in S. liui syn. n. Transcriptomes of the body wall around shields determined 17,751 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in two morphotypes of the synonymous species. Function enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that S. chinensis has an enrichment of the putative biomineralization pathways (i.e., ion transport and calmodulin binding), while S. liui syn. n consumed more energy and produced more proteins (i.e., oxidative phosphorylation and ribosome). DEGs allowed to identify seven shell matrix proteins expressed differentially in the two morphotypes, especially calponin, filamin, chitinase, and protease inhibitor BPTI/kunitz, which might contribute to shield evolutionary plasticity response to their living habitats. Overall, this study 1) revealed an environmental biomineralization adaptation in two polychaete morphotypes of one species by integrating shield chemical composition of shields and transcriptome analyses and 2) provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying polychaete biomineralization.
Surface ocean CO2 concentration and air-sea flux estimate by machine learning with modelled variable trends
Authors: Zeng Jiye , Iida Yosuke , Matsunaga Tsuneo , Shirai Tomoko
Published: September 2022

The global ocean is a major sink of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere. Machine learning has been actively used in the past decades to estimate the oceanic sink, but it is still a challenge to obtain an accurate estimate due to scarcely available CO2 measurements. One of the methods to deal with data scarcity was normalizing multiple years’ CO2 values to a reference year to increase the spatial coverage. The practice assumed a constant CO2 trend for the normalization. Here, we used three machine learning models to extract variable ocean CO2 trends on a decadal scale and proposed a method to use the extracted ocean CO2 trends to correct the decadal atmospheric CO2 trends for data normalization. The method minimizes assumptions of using the extracted ocean CO2 trends directly. Comparisons of our CO2 flux estimate with machine learning products included in Global Carbon Budget 2021 indicates that using the variable trends improved the bias resulted from using a constant trend and that the trends are a critical factor for machine learning methods. Our dataset includes monthly distributions of surface ocean CO2 concentration and air-sea flux in 1980-2020 with a spatial resolution of 1×1 degree.
Low sensitivity of the COVID-19 antigen test (PANBIO™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test) to detect asymptomatic infections in health personnel of the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases
Authors: Becerril Vargas Eduardo , Cojuc-Konigsberg Gabriel , Alberto Mujica Sánchez Mario , García Colín María Del Carmen , Alfredo Camacho Corral Daniel , Hansel Chávez Morales Hugo , Aguirre Pineda José Nicolas , Martínez Bravo Eduardo , Ortiz Martínez Alejandro , Martínez Orozco José Arturo , Rodríguez-Sánchez Victor Manuel , Ochoa Jesús Ariel Mariscal , Pantoja Jiménez Brian , Morales Lozada Israel A. , Cuevas Rodriguez Andrea Iraís
Published: September 2022

Background

COVID-19 requires an early diagnosis to optimize management and limit transmission. SARS-CoV-2 is able to spread effectively. Infected asymptomatic individuals have been found to be contagious. RT-qPCR is the currently recommended laboratory method for diagnosing acute infection. However, rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests are not only fast, but require less specialized training. The possibility of using RAD tests to identify asymptomatic patients is attractive, as it could effectively contribute to minimizing the hospital spread of SARS-CoV-2. The objective of the study was to determine the performance of RAD vs. RT-qPCR for the detection of asymptomatic cases in INER health personnel.

Methods

In order to follow WHO guidelines, generalized tests, a test station for health care workers was implemented on demand. A rapid test was carried out and a second sample was taken to be processed by RT-qPCR. With the results of both tests we conducted a retrospective study. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and negative likelihood ratios were calculated.

Results

A total of 1640 RAD tests were performed in health care workers (mean age was 39, 69, 47% with a self-reported comorbidity). Participants provided 1,640 valid RAD/RT-qPCR test pairs with 2% testing positive via RT-qPCR. 12 RAD samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Overall sensitivity of the PANBIO ™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test test was 35.2%.

Conclusions

RADs are not recommended for the detection of asymptomatic cases due to low performance.
An enhancer RNA-based risk model for prediction of bladder cancer prognosis
Authors: Xu Zhicheng , Xu Chao , Wang Qionghan , Ma Shanjin , Li Yu , Liu Shaojie , Peng Shiyuan , Tan Jidong , Zhao Xiaolong , Han Donghui , Zhang Keying , Yang Lijun
Published: September 2022

Background

Bladder cancer patients have a high recurrence and poor survival rates worldwide. Early diagnosis and intervention are the cornerstones for favorable prognosis. However, commonly used predictive tools cannot meet clinical needs because of their insufficient accuracy.

Methods

We have developed an enhancer RNA (eRNA)-based signature to improve the prediction for bladder cancer prognosis. First, we analyzed differentially expressed eRNAs in gene expression profiles and clinical data for bladder cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Then, we constructed a risk model for prognosis of bladder cancer patients, and analyzed the correlation between this model and tumor microenvironment (TME). Finally, regulatory network of downstream genes of eRNA in the model was constructed by WGCNA and enrichment analysis, then Real-time quantitative PCR verified the differentiation of related genes between tumor and adjacent tissue.

Results

We first constructed a risk model composed of eight eRNAs, and found the risk model could be an independent risk factor to predict the prognosis of bladder cancer. Then, the log-rank test and time-dependent ROC curve analysis shown the model has a favorable ability to predict prognosis. The eight risk eRNAs may participate in disease progression by regulating cell adhesion and invasion, and up-regulating immune checkpoints to suppress the immunity in TME. mRNA level change in related genes further validated regulatory roles of eRNAs in bladder cancer. In summary, we constructed an eRNA-based risk model and confirmed that the model could predict the prognosis of bladder cancer patients.
Corynebacterium accolens inhibits Staphylococcus aureus induced mucosal barrier disruption
Authors: Huang Shuman , Hon Karen , Bennett Catherine , Hu Hua , Menberu Martha , Wormald Peter-John , Zhao Yulin , Vreugde Sarah , Liu Sha
Published: September 2022

Background

Corynebacterium accolens (C. accolens) is a common nasal colonizer, whereas Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is typically regarded a pathogenic organism in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study aims to evaluate the interaction of the two bacteria in vitro.

Methods

Clinical isolates of C. accolens and S. aureus from sinonasal swabs, as well as primary human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) cultured from cellular brushings of both healthy and CRS patients were used for this study. The cell-free culture supernatants of all isolates grown alone and in co-cultures were tested for their effects on transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), FITC-Dextran permeability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and IL-6 and IL-8 secretion of HNECs. Confocal scanning laser microscopy and immunofluorescence were also used to visualize the apical junctional complexes. C. accolens cell-free culture supernatants were also tested for antimicrobial activity and growth on planktonic and biofilm S. aureus growth.

Results

The cell-free culture supernatants of 3\C. accolens strains (at 60% for S. aureus reference strain and 30% concentration for S. aureus clinical strains) inhibited the growth of both the planktonic S. aureus reference and clinical strains significantly. The C. accolens cell-free culture supernatants caused no change in the TER or FITC-Dextran permeability of the HNEC-ALI cultures, while the cell-free culture supernatants of S. aureus strains had a detrimental effect. Cell-free culture supernatants of C. accolens co-cultured with both the clinical and reference strains of S. aureus delayed the S. aureus-dependent mucosal barrier damage in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion

Corynebacterium accolens cell-free culture supernatants appear to inhibit the growth of the S. aureus planktonic bacteria, and may reduce the mucosal barrier damage caused by S. aureus.
Initialization of latent space coordinates via random linear projections for learning robotic sensory-motor sequences
Authors: Nikulin Vsevolod , Tani Jun
Published: September 2022

Robot kinematic data, despite being high-dimensional, is highly correlated, especially when considering motions grouped in certain primitives. These almost linear correlations within primitives allow us to interpret motions as points drawn close to a union of low-dimensional affine subspaces in the space of all motions. Motivated by results of embedding theory, in particular, generalizations of the Whitney embedding theorem, we show that random linear projection of motor sequences into low-dimensional space loses very little information about the structure of kinematic data. Projected points offer good initial estimates for values of latent variables in a generative model of robot sensory-motor behavior primitives. We conducted a series of experiments in which we trained a Recurrent Neural Network to generate sensory-motor sequences for a robotic manipulator with 9 degrees of freedom. Experimental results demonstrate substantial improvement in generalization abilities for unobserved samples during initialization of latent variables with a random linear projection of motor data over initialization with zero or random values. Moreover, latent space is well-structured such that samples belonging to different primitives are well separated from the onset of the training process.
The Alberta Infant Motor Scale: A tool for the assessment of motor aspects of neurodevelopment in infancy and early childhood
Authors: Eliks Małgorzata , Gajewska Ewa
Published: September 2022

According to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the surveillance of motor development should accompany systematic appointments with medical professionals in infancy and early childhood. One of the standardized tools for evaluating motor development is the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). This paper aims to present assumptions and psychometric properties of the AIMS, the methodology of assessment of an infant's performance with the AIMS, and research on the validation and standardization of the AIMS as well as the use of the scale as an outcome measure. We conducted a non-systematic literature review using three electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase (from June 1992 to February 2022). We included original research with a full-text manuscript in English. No geographical restrictions were applied. The search terms “alberta infant motor scale” AND “reliability” OR “validity” and “alberta infant motor scale” AND “norms” OR “reference” OR “standardization” were used for literature review on the validation and standardization of the AIMS in other non-Canadian populations. This narrative review also focuses on how the AIMS is applied as an outcome measure in research by presenting studies on the AIMS conducted over the last decade. Our review found that the AIMS is widely used for both research and clinical purposes. The AIMS has been used as an outcome measure in both interventional and observational studies conducted on both neurotypical infants and those with conditions affecting motor development. The advantages of the scale are its infant-friendliness, time duration of the examination, and relative ease of application for an examiner. The scale has been validated and standardized in many countries.
Neuromorphic artificial intelligence systems
Authors: Ivanov Dmitry , Chezhegov Aleksandr , Kiselev Mikhail , Grunin Andrey , Larionov Denis
Published: September 2022

Modern artificial intelligence (AI) systems, based on von Neumann architecture and classical neural networks, have a number of fundamental limitations in comparison with the mammalian brain. In this article we discuss these limitations and ways to mitigate them. Next, we present an overview of currently available neuromorphic AI projects in which these limitations are overcome by bringing some brain features into the functioning and organization of computing systems (TrueNorth, Loihi, Tianjic, SpiNNaker, BrainScaleS, NeuronFlow, DYNAP, Akida, Mythic). Also, we present the principle of classifying neuromorphic AI systems by the brain features they use: connectionism, parallelism, asynchrony, impulse nature of information transfer, on-device-learning, local learning, sparsity, analog, and in-memory computing. In addition to reviewing new architectural approaches used by neuromorphic devices based on existing silicon microelectronics technologies, we also discuss the prospects for using a new memristor element base. Examples of recent advances in the use of memristors in neuromorphic applications are also given.
Trait anxiety affects attentional bias to emotional stimuli across time: A growth curve analysis
Authors: Xing Chen , Zhang Yajuan , Lu Hongliang , Zhu Xia , Miao Danmin
Published: September 2022

Many studies have illustrated the close relationship between anxiety disorders and attentional functioning, but the relationship between trait anxiety and attentional bias remains controversial. This study examines the effect of trait anxiety on the time course of attention to emotional stimuli using materials from the International Affective Picture System. Participants with high vs. low trait anxiety (HTA vs. LTA) viewed four categories of pictures simultaneously: dysphoric, threatening, positive, and neutral. Their eye-movements for each emotional stimulus were recorded for static and dynamic analysis. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model and growth curve analysis. Specifically, the HTA group showed a greater tendency to avoid threatening stimuli and more pupil diameter variation in the early period of stimulus presentation (0–7.9 s). The HTA group also showed a stronger attentional bias toward positive and dysphoric stimuli in the middle and late period of stimulus presentation (7.9–30 s). These results suggest that trait anxiety has a significant temporal effect on attention to emotional stimuli, and that this effect mainly manifests after 7 s. In finding stronger attentional avoidance of threatening stimuli and more changes in neural activity, as well as a stronger attentional bias toward positive stimuli, this study provides novel insights on the relationship between trait anxiety and selective attention.
Effects of insufficient serine on health and selenoprotein expression in rats and their offspring
Authors: Liu Yiqun , Wang Jianrong , Wang Qin , Han Feng , Shi Lili , Han Chao , Huang Zhenwu , Xu Liang
Published: September 2022

Objective

To observe the impact of insufficient exogenous and/or endogenous serine on selenoprotein expression and health of pregnant rats and their offspring.

Method

Experiment 1 was conducted in male rats, in which the dose-dependent effects of serine on selenoprotein expression and thyroid hormones (T3, T4 and TSH) were investigated by feeding either a serine adequate diet (20C), serine-deprived diet (20CSD) or 20CSD with different serine levels (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times the amount of serine in 20C). In experiment 2, a PHGDH inhibitor was administrated to pregnant rats fed either 20C or 20CSD. Blood and organ tissues of pregnant rats and offspring were subjected to the analyses of thyroid hormone, serine and homocysteine and GPx3 and SELENOP in plasma and expression of GPx1 and DIO1, 2 in tissues respectively.

Result

In experiment 1, plasma SELENOP and GPx3 levels in adult male rats increased with the increasing dose of serine. Immunohistochemical results showed that GPx1 expression in liver and kidney of male rats also increased with increasing serine supplementation. Amongst all diet groups, only male rats fed 20CSD had significantly lower plasma TSH and T4 levels (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, GPx1 and DIO2 expression in the liver and kidney were suppressed in pregnant rats administered with a PHGDH compared to those who were not (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in plasma T4 and T3 amongst all diet groups (P > 0.05). Also, offspring born to pregnant rats administered with a PHGDH inhibitor exhibited slower growth rates and hyperhomocysteinemia compared to offspring from mothers not administered with the inhibitor (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Insufficient exogenous serine through the diet decreased selenoprotein synthesis in adult male rats. However, this was not observed in pregnant rats, whereby exogenous or endogenous serine deficiency had no effect on the selenoprotein levels. A possible explanation is that dams may have an adaptive mechanism to limit maternal serine utilization and ensure adequate supply to the fetus.
Relationships between plasma fatty acids in adults with mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 and the development of post-acute sequelae
Authors: Stromberg Sophia , Baxter Bridget A. , Dooley Gregory , LaVergne Stephanie M. , Gallichotte Emily , Dutt Taru , Tipton Madison , Berry Kailey , Haberman Jared , Natter Nicole , Webb Tracy L. , McFann Kim , Henao-Tamayo Marcela , Ebel Greg , Rao Sangeeta , Dunn Julie , Ryan Elizabeth P.
Published: September 2022

Background

SARS-CoV-2 has infected millions across the globe. Many individuals are left with persistent symptoms, termed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), for months after infection. Hyperinflammation in the acute and convalescent stages has emerged as a risk factor for poor disease outcomes, and this may be exacerbated by dietary inadequacies. Specifically, fatty acids are powerful inflammatory mediators and may have a significant role in COVID-19 disease modulation.

Objective

The major objective of this project was to pilot an investigation of plasma fatty acid (PFA) levels in adults with COVID-19 and to evaluate associations with disease severity and PASC.

Methods and procedures

Plasma from adults with (N = 41) and without (N = 9) COVID-19 was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to assess differences between the concentrations of 18 PFA during acute infection (≤14 days post-PCR + diagnosis) in adults with varying disease severity. Participants were grouped based on mild, moderate, and severe disease, alongside the presence of PASC, a condition identified in patients who were followed beyond acute-stage infection (N = 23).

Results

Significant differences in PFA profiles were observed between individuals who experienced moderate or severe disease compared to those with mild infection or no history of infection. Palmitic acid, a saturated fat, was elevated in adults with severe disease (p = 0.04), while behenic (p = 0.03) and lignoceric acid (p = 0.009) were lower in adults with moderate disease. Lower levels of the unsaturated fatty acids, γ-linolenic acid (GLA) (p = 0.03), linoleic (p = 0.03), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (p = 0.007), were observed in adults with moderate disease. Oleic acid distinguished adults with moderate disease from severe disease (p = 0.04), and this difference was independent of BMI. Early recovery-stage depletion of GLA (p = 0.02) and EPA (p = 0.0003) was associated with the development of PASC.

Conclusion

Pilot findings from this study support the significance of PFA profile alterations during COVID-19 infection and are molecular targets for follow-up attention in larger cohorts. Fatty acids are practical, affordable nutritional targets and may be beneficial for modifying the course of disease after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Moreover, these findings can be particularly important for overweight and obese adults with altered PFA profiles and at higher risk for PASC.

Clinical trial registration

[ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT04603677].
Biochar combined with organic and inorganic fertilizers promoted the rapeseed nutrient uptake and improved the purple soil quality
Authors: Liu Ming , Linna Cholidah , Ma Shumin , Ma Qun , Song Wenfeng , Shen Mingzhu , Song Lixia , Cui Kaidong , Zhou Yuling , Wang Longchang
Published: September 2022

Biochar is a kind of organic matter that can be added into soil to improve soil quality. To study the effect of biochar combined with organic and inorganic fertilizers on rapeseed growth and purple soil fertility and microbial community, a completely randomized block design was designed with three levels of biochar (B0: no biochar, B1: low-rate biochar, B2: high-rate biochar); two levels of inorganic fertilizers (F1: low-rate inorganic fertilizer; F2: high-rate inorganic fertilizer); and two levels of organic fertilizers (M1: no organic fertilizer; M2: with organic fertilizer). All combinations were repeated three times. The combined application of biochar and organic and inorganic fertilizers could improve soil pH, soil fertility and soil microbial community richness: The pH of B1F2M1 increased 0.41 compared with the control, the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content increased by 103.95, 117.88, and 99.05%. Meanwhile, soil microbial community richness was also improved. Our research showed that biochar could promote the Nutrient Uptake of rapeseed, and the combined application of biochar with organic and inorganic fertilizers could improve soil fertility and increase microbial diversity. Low-rate biochar combined with organic fertilizer and low-rate inorganic fertilizer was the most suitable application mode in rapeseed production in purple soil area of Southwest China.
4-1BB: A promising target for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Kim Alyssa Min Jung , Nemeth Macy Rose , Lim Seung-Oe
Published: September 2022

Immunotherapy, powered by its relative efficacy and safety, has become a prominent therapeutic strategy utilized in the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including cancer. Within this class of therapeutics, there is a variety of drug types such as immune checkpoint blockade therapies, vaccines, and T cell transfer therapies that serve the purpose of harnessing the body’s immune system to combat disease. Of these different types, immune checkpoint blockades that target coinhibitory receptors, which dampen the body’s immune response, have been widely studied and established in clinic. In contrast, however, there remains room for the development and improvement of therapeutics that target costimulatory receptors and enhance the immune response against tumors, one of which being the 4-1BB (CD137/ILA/TNFRSF9) receptor. 4-1BB has been garnering attention as a promising therapeutic target in the setting of cancer, amongst other diseases, due to its broad expression profile and ability to stimulate various signaling pathways involved in the generation of a potent immune response. Since its discovery and demonstration of potential as a clinical target, major progress has been made in the knowledge of 4-1BB and the development of clinical therapeutics that target it. Thus, we seek to summarize and provide a comprehensive update and outlook on those advancements in the context of cancer and immunotherapy.
Enabling factor for cancer hallmark acquisition: Small nucleolar RNA host gene 17
Authors: Zhang Ningzhi , Sun Yuanyuan , Wang Tuo , Xu Xinyuan , Cao Mengru
Published: September 2022

The role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in human tumors has gradually received increasing attention in recent years. Particularly, the different functions of lncRNAs in different subcellular localizations have been widely investigated. The upregulation of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 17 (SNHG17) has been observed in various human tumors. Growing evidence has proved that SNHG17 plays a tumor-promoting role in tumorigenesis and development. This paper describes the molecular mechanisms by which SNHG17 contributes to tumor formation and development. The different functions of SNHG17 in various subcellular localizations are also emphasized: its function in the cytoplasm as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), its action in the nucleus as a transcriptional coactivator, and its function through the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent epigenetic modifications that regulate transcriptional processes. Finally, the correlation between SNHG17 and human tumors is summarized. Its potential as a novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for cancer is explored especially.
International cohort study indicates no association between alpha-1 blockers and susceptibility to COVID-19 in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients
Authors: Nishimura Akihiko , Xie Junqing , Kostka Kristin , Duarte-Salles Talita , Fernández Bertolín Sergio , Aragón María , Blacketer Clair , Shoaibi Azza , DuVall Scott L. , Lynch Kristine , Matheny Michael E. , Falconer Thomas , Morales Daniel R. , Conover Mitchell M. , Chan You Seng , Pratt Nicole , Weaver James , Sena Anthony G. , Schuemie Martijn J. , Reps Jenna , Reich Christian , Rijnbeek Peter R. , Ryan Patrick B. , Hripcsak George , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Suchard Marc A.
Published: September 2022

Purpose: Alpha-1 blockers, often used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), have been hypothesized to prevent COVID-19 complications by minimising cytokine storm release. The proposed treatment based on this hypothesis currently lacks support from reliable real-world evidence, however. We leverage an international network of large-scale healthcare databases to generate comprehensive evidence in a transparent and reproducible manner.

Methods: In this international cohort study, we deployed electronic health records from Spain (SIDIAP) and the United States (Department of Veterans Affairs, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, IQVIA OpenClaims, Optum DOD, Optum EHR). We assessed association between alpha-1 blocker use and risks of three COVID-19 outcomes—diagnosis, hospitalization, and hospitalization requiring intensive services—using a prevalent-user active-comparator design. We estimated hazard ratios using state-of-the-art techniques to minimize potential confounding, including large-scale propensity score matching/stratification and negative control calibration. We pooled database-specific estimates through random effects meta-analysis.

Results: Our study overall included 2.6 and 0.46 million users of alpha-1 blockers and of alternative BPH medications. We observed no significant difference in their risks for any of the COVID-19 outcomes, with our meta-analytic HR estimates being 1.02 (95% CI: 0.92–1.13) for diagnosis, 1.00 (95% CI: 0.89–1.13) for hospitalization, and 1.15 (95% CI: 0.71–1.88) for hospitalization requiring intensive services.

Conclusion: We found no evidence of the hypothesized reduction in risks of the COVID-19 outcomes from the prevalent-use of alpha-1 blockers—further research is needed to identify effective therapies for this novel disease.
The synergistic compatibility mechanisms of fuzi against chronic heart failure in animals: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Liu Xingyu , Xie Xiaofang , Luo Maozhu , Zhao Yuting , Li Mengting , Peng Fu , Peng Cheng
Published: September 2022

Background: Fuzi’s compatibilities with other medicines are effective treatments for chronic heart failure. Pre-clinical animal experiments have indicated many possible synergistic compatibility mechanisms of it, but the results were not reliable and reproducible enough. Therefore, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis of pre-clinical animal studies to integrate evidence, conducted both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the compatibility and summarized potential synergistic mechanisms.

Method: An exhaustive search was conducted for potentially relevant studies in nine online databases. The selection criteria were based on the Participants, Interventions, Control, Outcomes, and Study designs strategy. The SYRCLE risk of bias tool for animal trials was used to perform the methodological quality assessment. RevMan V.5.3 and STATA/SE 15.1 were used to perform the meta-analysis following the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Result: 24 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. 12 outcomes were evaluated in the meta-analysis, including BNP, HR, HWI, ALD, LVEDP, LVSP, EF, FS, +dP/dtmax, −dP/dtmax, TNF-α and the activity of Na + -K + -ATPase. Subgroup analyses were performed depending on the modeling methods and duration.

Conclusion: The synergistic Fuzi compatibility therapeutic effects against CHF animals were superior to those of Fuzi alone, as shown by improvements in cardiac function, resistance to ventricular remodeling and cardiac damage, regulation of myocardial energy metabolism disorder and RAAS, alleviation of inflammation, the metabolic process in vivo, and inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Variations in CHF modeling methods and medication duration brought out possible model–effect and time-effect relationships.