bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IDENTIFYING IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES FOR A NEW COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN RURAL WESTERN REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Northrup, PE Astrid K , Burrows Andrea C. , Slater Timothy F.
Published: May 2022

Like much of the world, the United States is rapidly implementing the teaching of computer science into both primary and secondary school curricula. Uncovering what challenges U.S. schools in general—and rural U.S. schools in the unique environment of more mountainous regions of the U.S. in particular—face in implementing new curricula is not well established in the scholarly literature base. If reform advocates are able to anticipate implementation challenges, they might be more effective in facilitating needed changes. In response, the overarching research question is addressed: What are the challenges of delivering multi-age computer science in the rural, mountain regions of the western U.S.? This two-phase research project first identifies the anticipated challenges to implementing the curriculum by curriculum designers (Phase 1), and then goes on to compare those anticipated challenges to those identified by classroom teachers after completing a teacher training program (Phase 2). Thirteen teachers completed the training program in May and July of 2021, and five were selected to be interviewed. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed in open, axial, and selective coding to identify recurrent and dominant themes. First, a qualitative methodology through the lens of the constructivist theory was used. Then, conventional narrative inquiry methods were employed to investigate the narratives using thematic analysis. The Phase 1 concerns of adhering to curriculum standards and using appropriate programming languages were contrasted to the Phase 2 themes of the future importance of coding for all students, confidence in pedagogy, the difficulty of coding, and issues of approval and safety. The results of this study serve as a bridge between the mandates created by education leaders and the actual experiences of the participating teachers tasked with delivering the curriculum.
Keywords: computer science education, teacher education, fidelity of implementation, STEM, professional development
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EMPOWERMENT OF REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER TEACHERS DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Osmanović Zajić Jelena , Maksimović Jelena , Milanović Nedeljko M.
Published: May 2022

Reflective practitioner teachers should critically review their own work and introduce innovations that should improve everyday educational practice. For this reason, the focus of the research is on the personal and professional empowerment of reflective practitioner teachers during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. 355 teachers from the Republic of Serbia participated. The empirical research used descriptive methods and techniques of scaling and surveying with an instrument specially constructed for the needs of this research - Questionnaire with assessment scale (RP-COV-19). The results show that the most common form of empowerment is attending online seminars, while teachers rarely attended online classes of colleagues from the school where they work and colleagues from other schools. Teachers' perceptions on the use of the Internet in the aspect of personal and professional empowerment are very positive. Teachers generally rate their training and engagement during the pandemic with the highest marks (four and five), while there were no negative marks at all. Reflexivity accompanied by personal and professional empowerment must be given priority by teachers, because in today's process of education, reflective practitioners are considered successful teachers.
Keywords: teacher reflective practitioner, professional empowerment, the Covid-19 pandemic, empirical research, improvement of educational practice.
Psoriasis at the time of COVID-19: results of an Italian survey on patients and caregivers
Authors: Dealessi Valeria , Gigante Giovanni , Leporati Claudia , Viora Ugo G.
Published: May 2022

Methods: A multiple-choice survey, addressing the first and the second waves of COVID-19 pandemic, was administered to psoriatic patients and their caregivers, to evaluate demographics, clinical data, patient’s perception and psychological impact with respect to the assistance received. Patient’s engagement was evaluated through Social Media interactions (reach and engagement of Facebook and Instagram about the website “La pelle conta”, lapellaconta.it).
Results: Preliminary results of the survey spanned in the time period from 30/9/2020 to 11/3/2021. Out of 852 patients, 83% were women. Seventy-three percent of patients declared that living with the disease worsened during the pandemic, with the onset or exacerbation of anxiety, stress, sense of helplessness, sadness and distress. A worsening in the assistance from the healthcare system was reported by 54% of the psoriatic patients. Two hundred fifteen caregivers took part to the survey and 84% were women. During the pandemic, a worsening in the symptoms of the patients was noted by 69% of the caregivers, and they also experienced sense of helplessness, anxiety, stress, sadness and distress themselves.
Conclusions: Although both the patients and the caregivers registered a worsening of symptoms and of quality of assistance and an increase of anxiety during the pandemic, in most of the cases the patients and their families were able to face difficulties, improving their relationship. The caregivers are central for patient assistance but they cannot be left alone.
Pedal Sets of Unitals in Projective Planes of Order 16
Authors: GEZEK Mustafa
Published: May 2022

In this article, we perform computer searches for pedal sets of all known unitals in the known planes of order 16. Special points of unitals having at least one special tangent are studied in detail. It is shown that unitals without special points exist. Open problems regarding the computational results presented in this study are discussed. A conjecture about the numbers of line types of an unital $U$ and its dual unital $U^\perp$ is formulated.
Fixed Point Theorems in $\mathscr{G}$ - Fuzzy Convex Metric Spaces
Authors: V Pazhanı , JEYARAMAN M.
Published: May 2022

This work introduces a new three-step iteration process and shows that the same leads to a unique fixed point with the help of theorems under different conditions of contractive mappings over-generalized $\mathscr{G}$ - fuzzy metric spaces in the convex structure. Also, we investigate the data dependence result of this iterative process in the generalized $\mathscr{G}$ - fuzzy convex metric spaces.
Mimetic Neural Networks: A Unified Framework for Protein Design and Folding
Authors: Eliasof Moshe , Boesen Tue , Haber Eldad , Keasar Chen , Treister Eran
Published: May 2022

Recent advancements in machine learning techniques for protein structure prediction motivate better results in its inverse problem–protein design. In this work we introduce a new graph mimetic neural network, MimNet, and show that it is possible to build a reversible architecture that solves the structure and design problems in tandem, allowing to improve protein backbone design when the structure is better estimated. We use the ProteinNet data set and show that the state of the art results in protein design can be met and even improved, given recent architectures for protein folding.
What can AI-TENG do for Low Abundance Biosensing?
Authors: Jiang Min , Zheng Shaoqiu , Zhu Zhiyuan
Published: May 2022

Biosensing technology helps prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases and has attracted more and more researchers in recent years. Artificial intelligence-based triboelectric nanogenerators (AI-TENG) are promising for applications in biosensors due to their myriad of merits, including high efficiency and precision, low cost, light weight, and self-powered. This article aims to show how artificial intelligence and triboelectric nanogenerators have been combined to develop biosensors. We first focus on the working principle of triboelectric nanogenerators and the method of combining them with artificial intelligence. Secondly, we highlight the representative research work of AI-TENG in biomolecules sensing, organic compounds, and complex mixture of cells. Finally, this paper concludes with a summary and prospect on the existing challenges and possible solutions in the application of AI-TENG to the field of biosensors.
Age Dependent Changes in Corneal Epithelial Cell Signaling
Authors: Segars Kristen L. , Azzari Nicholas A. , Gomez Stephanie , Machen Cody , Rich Celeste B. , Trinkaus-Randall Vickery
Published: May 2022

The cornea is exposed daily to a number of mechanical stresses including shear stress from tear film and blinking. Over time, these stressors can lead to changes in the extracellular matrix that alter corneal stiffness, cell-substrate structures, and the integrity of cell-cell junctions. We hypothesized that changes in tissue stiffness of the cornea with age may alter calcium signaling between cells after injury, and the downstream effects of this signaling on cellular motility and wound healing. Nanoindentation studies revealed that there were significant differences in the stiffness of the corneal epithelium and stroma between corneas of 9- and 27-week mice. These changes corresponded to differences in the timeline of wound healing and in cell signaling. Corneas from 9-week mice were fully healed within 24 h. However, the wounds on corneas from 27-week mice remained incompletely healed. Furthermore, in the 27-week cohort there was no detectable calcium signaling at the wound in either apical or basal corneal epithelial cells. This is in contrast to the young cohort, where there was elevated basal cell activity relative to background levels. Cell culture experiments were performed to assess the roles of P2Y2, P2X7, and pannexin-1 in cellular motility during wound healing. Inhibition of P2Y2, P2X7, or pannexin-1 all significantly reduce wound closure. However, the inhibitors all have different effects on the trajectories of individual migrating cells. Together, these findings suggest that there are several significant differences in the stiffness and signaling that underlie the decreased wound healing efficacy of the cornea in older mice.
How Aseismic Ridges Modify the Dynamics of Free Subduction: A 3-D Numerical Investigation
Authors: Suchoy Lior , Goes Saskia , Chen Fangqin , Davies D. Rhodri
Published: May 2022

The subduction of positively buoyant features has been implicated in the development of flat and shallow dipping slabs, the formation of cusps in trench geometry, and the cessation of associated arc magmatism. However, how such buoyant anomalies influence subduction dynamics to produce these different tectonic expressions remains debated. In this paper, using a series of multi-material 3-D simulations of free subduction, we investigate how linear buoyant ridges modify subduction dynamics, in particular downgoing plate velocities, trench motions and slab morphology. We examine the sensitivity of results to downgoing plate age (affecting buoyancy and strength), ridge buoyancy and ridge location along the trench, finding that buoyant ridges can locally change slab sinking and trench retreat rates, in turn modifying the evolution of slab morphology at depth and trench shape at the surface. In all cases examined, trench retreat is reduced, or switches to trench advance, where the ridge subducts. These effects depend strongly on downgoing plate age: on young, weak plates, the change in trench shape is more localised than on old, strong plates. Slab shallowing at the ridge only occurs for young plates, while the stronger and more negatively buoyant older plates pull down the ridge at a steeper angle than the rest of the slab. On old plates, ridges located near regions of trench stagnation or advance, which typically develop in wide slabs, have a stronger effect on trench and slab shape. The combined effects of buoyant feature location, subducting plate age and overriding plate properties can result in a range of responses: from mainly trench deformation, through local slab shallowing, to the formation of a flat slab, a variation in expressions also observed on Earth.
Discovery of Early Mesozoic Magmatism in the Northern Muglad Basin (Sudan): Assessment of Its Impacts on Basement Reservoir
Authors: Zhao Jian , Dou Lirong
Published: May 2022

The crystalline basement in the Central African Rift System (CARS) has been confirmed as a good unconventional reservoir in the surrounding basins of the Muglad area, Sudan. This study has recognized at least five Early Mesozoic intrusions for the first time at the northern margin of the Muglad Basin. Field and petrographic investigations show that they are mainly granite, syenite, diorite, and monzonite, with dominant alkali feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, and minor hornblende, biotite, and magnetite. Zircon internal structures, Th/U ratios, and rare earth element (REE) patterns indicate their magmatic origin. A total of 210 zircons from five samples were analyzed using LA-ICP-MS and they yielded U-Pb ages from 195.0 ± 6 to 225.0 ± 3 Ma, belonging to the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. These results suggest that the Muglad Basin basement is not universally Precambrian as previously considered. The older basement was intruded and modified by Early Mesozoic magmas as evidenced by field contacts and our dating results. These magmatic events produced diverse Mesozoic igneous rocks prior to the formation of the Muglad Basin (Early Cretaceous), becoming new members of the crystalline basement. This composite basement then experienced prolonged weathering and fracturing for 65–95 Ma, resulting in porous and permeable weathered layers or fractured zones, making the basement a good unconventional reservoir for oil and gas.
Capturing the Extreme in Volcanology: The Case for the Term “Supervolcano”
Authors: de Silva Shanaka , Self Stephen
Published: May 2022

Although evocative, the term supervolcano has a checkered history of hyperbole and misuse to the point that it seems unprofessional. However, “supervolcano” is firmly embedded in volcanological discourse and we make the case that it is useful if defined and used correctly. To this end we examine the etymology of supervolcano and demonstrate its’ dependence on the term supereruption. We build on the work of colleagues to propose that supervolcano be restricted to a volcano that has been the site of at least one silicic explosive eruption of Magnitude of 8 (M 8) or greater. Based on this, nine active supervolcanoes are found on the Earth today and although all are calderas, we contend that referring to them simply as large calderas or caldera complexes obviates clear magmatic, volcanological, and structural extremes that distinguish supervolcanoes from other caldera complexes. Such supervolcanoes may produce eruptions that exceed M 9 but we stress that most eruptions from supervolcanoes are actually small effusive eruptions. Basaltic explosive supereruptions remain enigmatic on Earth and therefore we advise against the use of supervolcano for any basaltic volcano or province on Earth.
Climatic Impacts of Wind-Wave-Wake Interactions in Offshore Wind Farms
Authors: Fischereit Jana , Larsén Xiaoli Guo , Hahmann Andrea N.
Published: May 2022

Accurate wind resource assessments are necessary for cost effective offshore wind energy developments. The wind field offshore depends on the sea state. In coastal areas, where wind farms are usually built today, wind and waves are often not in full balance. In addition, wind farms modify their surrounding wind and turbulence field, especially downwind. These wind farm wakes, in turn, interact with the wave field, creating a complex dynamical system. To fully capture the dynamics in such a system in a realistic way, a coupled atmosphere-wave modelling system equipped with a wind farm parameterization should be applied. However, most conventional resource assessment relies on standalone atmosphere model simulations. We compare the wind-wave-wake climate predicted from a coupled modelling system, to one predicted from a standalone atmosphere model. Using a measurement-driven statistical-dynamical downscaling method, we show that about 180 simulation days are enough to represent the wind- and wave-climate, as well as the relation between those two, for the German Bight. We simulate these representative days with the atmosphere-wave coupled and the uncoupled modelling system. We perform simulations both without wind farms as well as parameterizing the existing wind farms as of July 2020. On a climatic average, wind resources derived from the coupled modelling system are reduced by 1% in 100 m over the sea compared to the uncoupled modelling system. In the area surrounding the wind farm the resources are further reduced. While the climatic reduction is relatively small, wind speed differences between the coupled and uncoupled modelling systems differ by more than ±20% on a 10-min time-scale. The turbulent kinetic energy derived from the coupled system is higher, which contributes to a more efficient wake dissipation on average and thus slightly smaller wake-affected areas in the coupled system. Neighbouring wind farms reduce wind resources of surrounding farms by up to 10%. The wind farm wakes reduce significant wave height by up to 3.5%. The study shows the potential of statistical-dynamical downscaling and coupled atmosphere-wave-wake modelling for offshore wind resource assessment and physical environmental impact studies.
Advanced Control for Grid-Connected System With Coordinated Photovoltaic and Energy Storage
Authors: Zhu Yujie , Chen Guanhua
Published: May 2022

The large-scale new energy sources such as photovoltaic power generation reduces the original damping and inertia of the power system, resulting in the oscillation of the system. Self-adaptive virtual synchronous generator (SDVSG) controlled grid-connected inverters can provide virtual damping and inertia to support the frequency and voltage of the grid. Combining SDVSG control with stand-alone PV systems, a mainstream solution is to configure energy storage systems for them. In this paper, a grid-connected PV storage system with SDVSG is proposed with coordination control; an adaptive variable-step conductivity increment method is adopted to achieve the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for PV array, and variable domain fuzzy logic control methods of DC-DC converter are implemented as well. Finally, the simulation results prove the system has strong robustness and could handle the perturbations.
Effects of Population Age on the Annual Net Primary Productivity and Seed Yield of Artificial Grasslands on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Cong , Ren Yanmei , Wu Lin , Wang Xinchuan , Liang Defei , Zhou Huakun , Ma Zhen , Zhang Chunhui
Published: May 2022

The forage yield and quality of artificial grasslands typically decline rapidly over time after planting. Moreover, the reason for this decline of artificial grassland remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the relationship between years since planting and annual net primary productivity (ANPP), seed yield, and reproductive allocation (ie., the ratio of seed yield to annual net primary productivity) for eight common gramineous species separately planted in monoculture artificial grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We utilized T50 values (the time when ANPP or seed yield drop to 50% of their maximum values) to quantify the decline rates of eight artificial grasslands respectively, and additionally evaluated the influence of evolutionary history and other plant attributes on T50 (ANPP) and T50 (seed yield). We found that both ANPP and seed yield decreased linearly over time following planting for all species. ANPP generally declined more rapidly than did seed yield. The reproductive allocation of Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca kirilowii, Festuca kryloviana, and Festuca sinensis increased significantly over time after planting. We did not observe any association of evolutionary history, seed mass, plant height, reproductive allocation, ANPP (second year), seed yield (second year) with T50 (ANPP) and T50 (seed yield). In addition, clonal propagation mode may influence declines of artificial grassland, and evolutionary history may shape shifts in reproductive allocation with plant population aging. This study was the first to utilize T50 values for the study of artificial grassland declines. Our research framework thus has the potential to guide future quantitative studies of artificial grassland declines.
A Comparison of Methods for Gene-Based Testing That Account for Linkage Disequilibrium
Authors: Cinar Ozan , Viechtbauer Wolfgang
Published: May 2022

Controlling the type I error rate while retaining sufficient power is a major concern in genome-wide association studies, which nowadays often examine more than a million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) simultaneously. Methods such as the Bonferroni correction can lead to a considerable decrease in power due to the large number of tests conducted. Shifting the focus to higher functional structures (e.g., genes) can reduce the loss of power. This can be accomplished via the combination ofp-values of SNPs that belong to the same structural unit to test their joint null hypothesis. However, standard methods for this purpose (e.g., Fisher’s method) do not account for the dependence among the tests due to linkage disequilibrium (LD). In this paper, we review various adjustments to methods for combiningp-values that take LD information explicitly into consideration and evaluate their performance in a simulation study based on data from the HapMap project. The results illustrate the importance of incorporating LD information into the methods for controlling the type I error rate at the desired level. Furthermore, some methods are more successful in controlling the type I error rate than others. Among them, Brown’s method was the most robust technique with respect to the characteristics of the genes and outperformed the Bonferroni method in terms of power in many scenarios. Examining the genetic factors of a phenotype of interest at the gene-rather than SNP-level can provide researchers benefits in terms of the power of the study. While doing so, one should be careful to account for LD in SNPs belonging to the same gene, for which Brown’s method seems the most robust technique.
The Association Between Vitamin C and Cancer: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Chen Hanxiao , Du Ze , Zhang Yaoyao , Li Mengling , Gao Rui , Qin Lang , Wang Hongjing
Published: May 2022

In recent years, many studies have indicated that vitamin C might be negatively associated with the risk of cancer, but the actual relationship between vitamin C and cancer remains ambivalent. Therefore, we utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the causal associations of genetically predicted vitamin C with the risk of a variety of cancers. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with vitamin C at a significance level of p < 5 × 10–8 and with a low level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) (r2 < 0.01) were selected from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of plasmid concentration of vitamin C consisting of 52,018 individuals. The data of the GWAS outcomes were obtained from United Kingdom Biobank, FinnGen Biobank and the datasets of corresponding consortia. In the inverse-variance weight (IVW) method, our results did not support the causal association of genetically predicted vitamin C with the risk of overall cancer and 14 specific types of cancer. Similar results were observed in sensitivity analyses where the weighted median and MR-Egger methods were adopted, and heterogeneity and pleiotropy were not observed in statistical models. Therefore, our study suggested that vitamin C was not causally associated with the risk of cancer. Further studies are warranted to discover the potential protective and therapeutic effects of vitamin C on cancer, and its underlying mechanisms.
Comprehensive Analysis of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs in Mouse Hippocampus With Hepatic Encephalopathy
Authors: Zhang Huijie , Zhang Wenjun , Yu Guangyin , Li Fang , Hui Yuqing , Cha Shuhan , Chen Meiying , Zhu Wei , Zhang Jifeng , Guo Guoqing , Gong Xiaobing
Published: May 2022

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) often presents with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. However, the molecular mechanism of its cognitive impairment has not been fully elucidated. Whole transcriptome analysis of hippocampus between normal and HE mice was performed by using RNA sequencing. 229 lncRNAs, 49 miRNAs and 363 mRNAs were differentially expressed in HE mice. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction networks were established, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. Dysregulated RNAs in interaction networks were mainly involved in synaptic plasticity and the regulation of learning and memory. In NH4Cl-treated hippocampal neurons, the dendritic spine density and maturity decreased significantly, the amplitude and frequency of mIPSC increased, while the amplitude and frequency of mEPSC decreased. These manifestations can be reversed by silencing SIX3OS1. Further research on these no-coding RNAs may lead to new therapies for the treatment and management of brain dysfunction caused by HE.
First-Principles Study on the Interaction of H2O and Interface Defects in A-SiO2/Si(100)
Authors: Zhang Wenli , Zhang Jinli , Liu Yang , Zhu Haoran , Yao Pei , Liu Xin , Liu Xuehua , Zuo Xu
Published: May 2022

The defects contained in amorphous SiO2/Si (a-SiO2/Si) interface have a considerable impact on the efficiency and stability of the device. Since the device is exposed to the atmospheric environmental conditions chronically, its performance will be limited by water diffusion and penetration. Here, we simulated the interaction of H2O and interface defects in a-SiO2/Si(100) by using the first-principles method. Our results suggest that H2O penetrated into Pb0 defect is more inclined to interact with the network in the form of silanol (Si-OH) group, while H2O incorporated into Pb1 defect is more likely to remain intact, which can be attributed to the location of Pb1 defect closer to the interface than that of Pb0 defect. Our research provides a powerful theoretical guidance for the interaction of H2O and interface defects in a-SiO2/Si(100).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Detection Using Conventional PCR and Quantitative Real-Time PCR Based on Species-Specific Novel Gene Targets Identified by Pangenome Analysis
Authors: Wang Chufang , Ye Qinghua , Jiang Aiming , Zhang Jumei , Shang Yuting , Li Fan , Zhou Baoqing , Xiang Xinran , Gu Qihui , Pang Rui , Ding Yu , Wu Shi , Chen Moutong , Wu Qingping , Wang Juan
Published: May 2022

Mining novel specific molecular targets and establishing efficient identification methods are significant for detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can enable P. aeruginosa tracing in food and water. Pangenome analysis was used to analyze the whole genomic sequences of 2017 strains (including 1,000 P. aeruginosa strains and 1,017 other common foodborne pathogen strains) downloaded from gene databases to obtain novel species-specific genes, yielding a total of 11 such genes. Four novel target genes, UCBPP-PA14_00095, UCBPP-PA14_03237, UCBPP-PA14_04976, and UCBPP-PA14_03627, were selected for use, which had 100% coverage in the target strain and were not present in nontarget bacteria. PCR primers (PA1, PA2, PA3, and PA4) and qPCR primers (PA12, PA13, PA14, and PA15) were designed based on these target genes to establish detection methods. For the PCR primer set, the minimum detection limit for DNA was 65.4 fg/μl, which was observed for primer set PA2 of the UCBPP-PA14_03237 gene. The detection limit in pure culture without pre-enrichment was 105 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml for primer set PA1, 103 CFU/ml for primer set PA2, and 104 CFU/ml for primer set PA3 and primer set PA4. Then, qPCR standard curves were established based on the novel species-specific targets. The standard curves showed perfect linear correlations, with R2 values of 0.9901 for primer set PA12, 0.9915 for primer set PA13, 0.9924 for primer set PA14, and 0.9935 for primer set PA15. The minimum detection limit of the real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was 102 CFU/ml for pure cultures of P. aeruginosa. Compared with the endpoint PCR and traditional culture methods, the qPCR assay was more sensitive by one or two orders of magnitude. The feasibility of these methods was satisfactory in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency after evaluating 29 ready-to-eat vegetable samples and was almost consistent with that of the national standard detection method. The developed assays can be applied for rapid screening and detection of pathogenic P. aeruginosa, providing accurate results to inform effective monitoring measures in order to improve microbiological safety.
Integrative Analyses of Transcriptomics and Metabolomics in Sex Differentiation of Mulberry Flowers
Authors: Liu Pei-Gang , Xu Zi-Long , Zhu Yan , Lin Tian-Bao , Lv Zhi-Qiang , Yang Sheng , Wang Jin-Wang , Hu Wen-Jun , Chen Lin , Wei Jia
Published: May 2022

Sex determination and sex differentiation of plants are important physiological processes of plant development. Mulberry (Morus indica L.) is an important economic tree being cultivated in sericulture countries, and mulberry leaf is commonly used for sericulture. The transcriptomic and metabolomic differences between the staminate flowers (SFs) and pistillate flowers (PFs) of mulberry were investigated by RNA sequencing and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Overall, we uncovered 4,230 genes and 209 metabolites are significantly differentially expressed between the SFs and PFs of mulberry. The combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) are involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, plant–pathogen interaction, and starch and sucrose metabolism, and these detected DEGs and DEMs may be associated with sex differentiation of mulberry through the regulation of the enrichment pathways, such as the MAPK pathway, flavonoid biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, plant–pathogen interaction, and starch and sucrose metabolism. This study will provide a rich source for the analysis of the molecular mechanism of mulberry sex differentiation processes.
LLRHNet: Multiple Lesions Segmentation Using Local-Long Range Features
Authors: Liu Liangliang , Wang Ying , Chang Jing , Zhang Pei , Liang Gongbo , Zhang Hui
Published: May 2022

The encoder-decoder-based deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made great improvements in medical image segmentation tasks. However, due to the inherent locality of convolution, CNNs generally are demonstrated to have limitations in obtaining features across layers and long-range features from the medical image. In this study, we develop a local-long range hybrid features network (LLRHNet), which inherits the merits of the iterative aggregation mechanism and the transformer technology, as a medical image segmentation model. LLRHNet adopts encoder-decoder architecture as the backbone which iteratively aggregates the projection and up-sampling to fuse local low-high resolution features across isolated layers. The transformer adopts the multi-head self-attention mechanism to extract long-range features from the tokenized image patches and fuses these features with the local-range features extracted by down-sampling operation in the backbone network. These hybrid features are used to assist the cascaded up-sampling operations to local the position of the target tissues. LLRHNet is evaluated on two multiple lesions medical image data sets, including a public liver-related segmentation data set (3DIRCADb) and an in-house stroke and white matter hyperintensity (SWMH) segmentation data set. Experimental results denote that LLRHNet achieves state-of-the-art performance on both data sets.
Association of Obesity and Luminal Subtypes in Prognosis and Adjuvant Endocrine Treatment Effectiveness Prediction in Chinese Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Tong Yiwei , Zhu Siyi , Chen Weiguo , Chen Xiaosong , Shen Kunwei
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the influence of obesity on clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer; to explore the effect of obesity on the prognosis and performance of endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients.

Methods

Patients with luminal/HER2-negative early breast cancer were included and categorized into the non-obese (BMI<28kg/m2) and obese (BMI≥28kg/m2) groups according to body mass index (BMI). Clinicopathological characteristics and treatment modalities were compared between groups. Interaction of adjuvant endocrine therapy with obesity was analyzed.

Results

A total of 2,875 patients were included: 2,598 non-obese and 277 obese. A higher rate of patients with comorbidities (OR: 2.83, 95%CI 2.13-3.74, P<0.001) or PR-positive tumor (OR: 1.63, 95%CI 1.03-2.58, P=0.037) were identified in the obese group. Obesity was not associated with disease recurrence (P=0.839) or overall survival (P=0.140) in the whole population. Subgroup analysis did show an association with worse relapse-free survival (RFS, HR 3.48, 95%CI 1.31-9.22, P=0.012) and overall survival (OS, HR 4.67, 95%CI 1.28-16.95, P=0.019) in luminal A breast cancer. These results could not be reproduced in the luminal B subtype with a RFS (HR 0.78, 95%CI 0.41-1.49, P=0.454) or OS (HR 1.17, 95%CI 0.50-2.74, P=0.727). Furthermore, obesity did not impact endocrine therapy effectiveness in Tamoxifen or the aromatase inhibitor group (RFS: interact P=0.381; OS: interact P=0.888).

Conclusions

The impact of obesity on prognosis interacted with luminal subtype status in Chinese breast cancer patients which was not related with endocrine treatment modality.
ZKSCAN5 Activates VEGFC Expression by Recruiting SETD7 to Promote the Lymphangiogenesis, Tumour Growth, and Metastasis of Breast Cancer
Authors: Li Jingtong , Yan Zhifeng , Ma Jianli , Chu Zhong , Li Huizi , Guo Jingjing , Zhang Qingyuan , Zhao Hui , Li Ying , Wang Tao
Published: May 2022

The growth of lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis) plays a pivotal role in breast cancer progression and metastasis and the immune response. Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) has been demonstrated to accelerate cancer metastasis and modulate the immune system by enhancing lymphangiogenesis. However, it remains largely unclear how transcription factors physically regulate VEGFC expression by interacting with histone-modifying enzymes. Like many histone-modifying enzymes, SETD7 plays a key role in cell proliferation and inhibits tumour cell differentiation. In this study, we identified the role of the transcription factor zinc finger with KRAB and SCAN domains 5 (ZKSCAN5) in interacting with histone methyltransferase SETD7 and mediating VEGFC transcription and tumour lymphangiogenesis. ZKSCAN5 interacts with and recruits SETD7 to the VEGFC promoter. By regulating breast cancer-secreted VEGFC, ZKSCAN5 could induce the tube formation of lymph endothelial cells, which promotes tumour proliferation, migration, and metastasis. Clinically, the expression of ZKSCAN5 was frequently upregulated in patients with breast cancer and positively correlated with the expression of VEGFC and the number of lymphatic microvessels. ZKSCAN5 is a poor prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer. Our results characterise the role of ZKSCAN5 in regulating VEGFC transcription and predict ZKSCAN5 as a breast cancer therapeutic target.
Current Treatment Approaches and Global Consensus Guidelines for Brain Metastases in Melanoma
Authors: Tan Xiang-Lin , Le Amy , Lam Fred C. , Scherrer Emilie , Kerr Robert G. , Lau Anthony C. , Han Jiali , Jiang Ruixuan , Diede Scott J. , Shui Irene M.
Published: May 2022

Background

Up to 60% of melanoma patients develop melanoma brain metastases (MBM), which traditionally have a poor diagnosis. Current treatment strategies include immunotherapies (IO), targeted therapies (TT), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), but there is considerable heterogeneity across worldwide consensus guidelines.

Objective

To summarize current treatments and compare worldwide guidelines for the treatment of MBM.

Methods

Review of global consensus treatment guidelines for MBM patients.

Results

Substantial evidence supported that concurrent IO or TT plus SRS improves progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Guidelines are inconsistent with regards to recommendations for surgical resection of MBM, since surgical resection of symptomatic lesions alleviates neurological symptoms but does not improve OS. Whole-brain radiation therapy is not recommended by all guidelines due to negative effects on neurocognition but can be offered in rare palliative scenarios.

Conclusion

Worldwide consensus guidelines consistently recommend up-front combination IO or TT with or without SRS for the treatment of MBM.
QKI-6 Suppresses Cell Proliferation, Migration, and EMT in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhang Haihua , Li Junqiang , Tian Feng , Su Xuan , Wang Xinxin , Tang Di , Zhang Lei , Zhang Tao , Ni Yunfeng
Published: May 2022

The RNA-binding protein quaking homolog 6 (QKI-6) is a tumor-suppressor gene in several cancers. However, its role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the association between QKI-6 expression and survival and clinicopathological features in patients with NSCLC and identify the related mechanisms. Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect QKI-6 expression in NSCLC. The effect of QKI-6 on NSCLC cells was determined by overexpression and knockdown assays, and label-free quantitative proteomics and Western blot were used to identify the underlying mechanisms. Low QKI-6 expression level was positively correlated with poor overall survival in patients with NSCLC. Furthermore, QKI-6 overexpression inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and migration and induced a block in the G0/G1 phase, and QKI-6 downregulation increased proliferation and migration. QKI-6 inhibited EMT processes via EGFR/SRC/STAT3 signaling by upregulating AGR2. In conclusion, QKI-6 could be used to develop novel strategies for the treatment of NSCLC.
Evidence and Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Coronary Heart Disease Patients With Anxiety or Depression: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review
Authors: Wang Baofu , Teng Yu , Li Yang , Lai Sijia , Wu Yang , Chen Shiqi , Li Tong , Han Xiaowan , Zhou Hufang , Wang Yu , Lu Ziwen , Li Haiyan , Ding Yukun , Ma Liang , Zhao Mingjing , Wang Xian
Published: May 2022

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and potential mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for treating coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with anxiety or depression.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed. Screening studies, extracting data, and assessing article quality were carried out independently by two researchers. The active ingredients of CHM for the treatment of CHD with anxiety or depression were analyzed by the network pharmacology, and the main potential mechanisms were summarized by the database of Web of Science.

Results: A total of 32 studies were included. The results showed that compared with the blank control groups, CHM was more beneficial in treating anxiety or depression in patients with CHD [anxiety: OR = 3.22, 95% CI (1.94, 5.35), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%; depression: OR = 3.27, 95% CI (1.67, 6.40), p = 0.0005, I2 = 0%], and the efficacy of CHM was not inferior to that of Western medicine (WM) [anxiety: OR = 1.58, 95%CI (0.39, 6.35), p = 0.52, I2 = 67%; depression: OR = 1.97, 95%CI (0.73, 5.28), p = 0.18, I2 = 33%,]. Additionally, CHM also showed a significant advantage in improving angina stability (AS) in CHD patients with anxiety or depression compared with blank groups [anxiety: SMD = 0.55, 95%CI (0.32, 0.79), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%; depression: p = 0.004] and WM groups [anxiety: SMD = 1.14, 95%CI (0.80, 1.47), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%; depression: SMD = 12.15, 95%CI (6.07, 18.23), p < 0.0001, I2 = 0%]. Angina frequency (AF) and electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis after using CHM demonstrated similar trends. Based on the network pharmacology, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, beta-sitosterol, puerarin, stigmasterol, isorhamnetin, baicalein, tanshinone IIa, and nobiletin were most closely and simultaneously related to the pathological targets of CHD, anxiety, and depression. The main underlying mechanisms might involve anti-damage/apoptosis, anti-inflammation, antioxidative stress, and maintaining neurotransmitter homeostasis.

Conclusion: CHM exhibited an obvious efficacy in treating CHD patients with anxiety or depression, especially for improving the symptom of angina pectoris. The most active compounds of CHM could simultaneously act on the pathological targets of CHD, anxiety, and depression. Multiple effective components and multiple targets were the advantages of CHM compared with WM.
The Mechanism of Long Non-coding RNA in Cancer Radioresistance/Radiosensitivity: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wu Wenhan , Zhang Shijian , He Jia
Published: May 2022

Background and purpose: Radioresistance remains a significant challenge in tumor therapy. This systematic review aims to demonstrate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in cancer radioresistance/radiosensitivity.

Material and methods: The electronic databases Pubmed, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2000 to December 2021 to identify studies addressing the mechanisms of lncRNAs in tumor radioresistance/sensitivity, each of which required both in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Results: Among the 87 studies identified, lncRNAs were implicated in tumor radioresistance/sensitivity mainly in three paradigms. 1) lncRNAs act on microRNA (miRNA) by means of a sponge, and their downstream signals include some specific molecular biological processes (DNA repair and chromosome stabilization, mRNA or protein stabilization, cell cycle and proliferation, apoptosis-related pathways, autophagy-related pathways, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cellular energy metabolism) and some signaling mediators (transcription factors, kinases, some important signal transduction pathways) that regulate various biological processes. 2) lncRNAs directly interact with proteins, affecting the cell cycle and autophagy to contribute to tumor radioresistance. 3) lncRNAs act like transcription factors to initiate downstream signaling pathways and participate in tumor radioresistance.

Conclusion: lncRNAs are important regulators involved in tumor radioresistance\sensitivity. Different lncRNAs may participate in the radioresistance with the same regulatory paradigm, and the same lncRNAs may also participate in the radioresistance in different ways. Future research should focus more on comprehensively characterizing the mechanisms of lncRNAs in tumor radioresistance to help us identify corresponding novel biomarkers and develop new lncRNA-based methods to improve radioresistance.
Effects of Gastric Acid Secretion Inhibitors for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Authors: Li Fang , Liu Hui , Zhang Luming , Huang Xiaxuan , Liu Yu , Li Boen , Xu Chao , Lyu Jun , Yin Haiyan
Published: May 2022

Objective: This study analyzed the association of gastric acid secretion inhibitors (GASIs) [including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs)] with the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and in-hospital mortality in patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Method: Patients who received IMV and used GASI were included based on records in the MIMIC-IV database. The relationships of GASIs with VAP and the in-hospital mortality were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Also, the effects of GASIs in some subgroups of the population were further analyzed.

Results: A total of 18,669 patients were enrolled, including 9191 patients on H2RAs only, 6921 patients on PPIs only, and 2557 were on a combination of the two drugs. Applying logistic regression to the univariate and multivariate models revealed that compared with H2RAs, PPIs had no significant effect on the incidence of VAP, and the combination of H2RAs and PPIs was a risk factor for VAP. Compared with H2RAs, univariate logistic regression revealed that, PPIs and combine the two drugs were both risk factors for in-hospital mortality, but multivariate logistic regression showed that they were not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. In subgroup analysis, there were interaction in different subgroups of age, PCO2, myocardial infarct, congestive heart failure (P for interaction<0.05).

Conclusion: Compared with H2RAs, PPIs did not have a significant association with either VAP or in-hospital mortality; the combination of H2RAs and PPIs was risk factor for VAP, but did not have a significantly associated with in-hospital mortality.
Influence of Pore Geometry on Sandstone Pore Analysis Based on a Digital Core
Authors: Liu Xuechao , Ren Dazhong
Published: May 2022

A digital core obtained without damage and contact can provide intuitive and quantitative analysis data for sandstone pore structure analysis. However, pore analysis results based on digital cores are quite different from experimental results due to limitations of scanning resolution, quality, pore extraction method, and experimental errors. In this research, the influence of pore geometry on pore analysis is studied from pore angles and pore resolution. First, sharp angles are extracted by image processing, and the influence of angles on pore radius distribution is analyzed. Then, by up–down sampling, high- and low-resolution digital cores are reconstructed, and the effects of resolution on pore connectivity and throat structure are discussed.
Protective Effect of Nalbuphine Combined With Dexmedetomidine on the Lungs of Children With Atelectasis and Foreign Body in the Bronchus During the Perioperative Period
Authors: Wang Yuan , Han Hong-Yang , Jia Ying-Ping , Zhao Li-Yuan , Li Ying , Zuo Bian-Jing , Zhang Jie
Published: May 2022

Objective: The present study aims to explore the protective effect of nalbuphine combined with dexmedetomidine on the lungs of children with atelectasis who have a foreign body in a bronchus during the perioperative period.

Methods: A total of 180 patients whose computed tomography scan showed atelectasis and a foreign body in a bronchus were randomly divided into three groups: group C (conventional anesthesia group), group D (dexmedetomidine group), and group N + D (nalbuphine combined with the dexmedetomidine group). The following indicators were recorded: 1) heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) prior to induction (T0), at bronchoscope placement (T1), at intubation after surgery (T2), at tube removal (T3), 10 min after tube removal (T4), 20 min after tube removal (T5), and at awaking (T6); 2) monocyte toll-like receptors (TLRs) TLR⁃2, TLR⁃4, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, oxygenation index, and the B-line sum at T0, T3, 2 h (T7), and 24 h (T8) after tube removal; and 3) hospital stay after surgery.

Results: Compared with group C, in group D and group N + D, 1) the HR and MAP at T1∼T6 were lower; 2) the inflammatory factor indicator and B-line sum were lower, and the oxygenation index was higher at T7 and T8; 3) the agitation and cough scores were decreased during tube removal; and 4) the Ramsay sedation score was higher, and ventilator weaning time was shortened at T4∼T6 (p < 0.05). Compared with group D, in group N + D, 1) the inflammatory factor indicator and B-line sum were lower at T8; 2) the oxygenation index was higher (p < 0.05). Compared with groups C and D, in group N + D, the length of hospital stay was decreased (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In patients with atelectasis and a foreign body in a bronchus during the perioperative period, nalbuphine combined with dexmedetomidine may be capable of reducing the oxidative stress response, improving the oxygenation index, decreasing the pulmonary fluid content, protecting the lung, and facilitating postoperative recovery.