bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Grain Carotenoids in Global Sorghum Germplasm to Guide Genomics-Assisted Breeding Strategies
Authors: Cruet-Burgos Clara , Morris Geoffrey P , Rhodes Davina H.
Published: July 2022

BackgroundCrop biofortification is a successful strategy to ameliorate Vitamin A deficiency. Sorghum is a good candidate for vitamin A biofortification, as it is a staple food in regions with high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. β-carotene—the main provitamin A carotenoid—is below the target concentration in sorghum grain, therefore biofortification breeding is required. Previous studies found evidence that sorghum carotenoid variation is oligogenic, suggesting that marker-assisted selection can be an appropriate biofortification method. However, we hypothesize that sorghum carotenoids have both oligogenic and polygenic components of variation. Genomics-assisted breeding could accelerate breeding efforts, but there exists knowledge gaps in the genetics underlying carotenoid variation, as well as appropriate germplasm to serve as donors. ResultsIn this study, we characterized carotenoids in 447 accessions from the sorghum association panel and carotenoid panel using high-performance liquid chromatography, finding high carotenoid accessions not previously identified. Genome-wide association studies confirmed that zeaxanthin epoxidase is a major gene underlying variation for not only zeaxanthin, but also lutein and β-carotene. High carotenoid lines were found to have limited genetic diversity, and originated predominantly from only one country. Potential novel genetic diversity for carotenoid content was identified through genomic predictions in 2,495 accessions of unexplored germplasm. Oligogenic variation of carotenoids was confirmed, as well as evidence for polygenic variation, suggesting both marker-assisted selection and genomic selection can facilitate breeding efforts. ConclusionsSorghum vitamin A biofortification could be beneficial for millions of people who rely on it as a dietary staple. Carotenoid content in sorghum is low, but high heritability suggests that increasing concentrations through breeding is possible. Low genetic diversity among high carotenoid lines might be the main limitation for breeding efforts, therefore further germplasm characterization is needed to assess the feasibility of biofortification breeding. Based on germplasm here evaluated, most countries’ germplasm lacks high carotenoid alleles, thus prebreeding will be needed. A SNP marker within the zeaxanthin epoxidase gene was identified as a good candidate for use in marker-assisted selection. Due to the oligogenic and polygenic variation of sorghum grain carotenoids, both marker-assisted selection and genomic selection can be employed to accelerate breeding efforts.
Modified structural and functional properties of arabinoxylan derived from brewers’ spent grain by ultrasound-assisted extraction
Authors: Liu Liwei , Chen Moutong , Coldea Teodora Emilia , Yang Huirong , Zhao Haifeng
Published: July 2022

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was used to obtain arabinoxylan (AX) from brewers’ spent grain (BSG) with a higher yield, modified structural characteristics, and improved techno-functional properties. Results showed that an UAE procedure working at 400 W for 15 min under a 60% duty cycle could increase the AX yield by 52.41% compared with a traditional alkaline extraction without sonication. Concomitantly, UAE-AX developed a degraded Mw of 2741 kDa, a changed conformation of less molecular asymmetry and a decreased mean particle size from 12.56 µm to 4.993 µm. The rheological properties of UAE-AX aqueous solution were improved, leading to higher viscosity and gel-forming capacity of the AX stabilized emulsions. As a result, UAE-AX addition could reduce the mean droplet size to 6.40 µm and better stabilize the emulsion under various conditions than traditional alkaline extracted AX. Thus, the results proved UAE to be a promising method of extracting AX from BSG with valuable utilization in food processing.
Computational Recognition of LncRNA Signatures in Tumor-associated Neutrophils could have Implications for Immunotherapy and Prognostic Outcome of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhuoran , Wang Qi , Chen Peixin , Guo Haoyue , Shi Jinpeng , Pan Yingying , Li Chunyu , Zhou Caicun
Published: July 2022

Cancer immune function and tumor microenvironment are governed by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Nevertheless, it has yet to be established whether lncRNAs play a role in tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs). Here, a computing framework based on machine learning was used to identify neutrophil-specific lncRNA with prognostic significance in squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma using univariate Cox regression to comprehensively analyze immune, lncRNA, and clinical characteristics. The risk score was determined using LASSO Cox regression analysis. Meanwhile, we named this risk score as “TANlncSig”. TANlncSig was able to distinguish between better and worse survival outcomes in various patient datasets independently of other clinical variables. Functional assessment of TANlncSig showed it is a marker of myeloid cell infiltration into tumor infiltration and myeloid cells directly or indirectly inhibit the anti-tumor immune response by secreting cytokines, expressing immunosuppressive receptors, and altering metabolic processes. Our findings highlighted the value of TANlncSig in TME as a marker of immune cell infiltration and showed the values of lncRNAs as indicators of immunotherapy.
Effects of multi-pass turning on surface properties of AISI 52100 bearing steel
Authors: Xue Huan , Zhang Yansong , Zhang Daode , Xue Jingyu , Zhang Wenqian , Liu Shengnan , Yu Zihang
Published: July 2022

Hard turning is extensively used in the machining of bearings. The turning process has a significant influence on the properties of machined surface. In this paper, multi-pass turning experiments were machined on AISI 52100 bearing steel, and corresponding simulation model was established. The effects of multiple pass turning on micro hardness and residual stress were investigated. The results demonstrate that the machined surface hardness of single, double and triple pass turning is 30.0%, 25.2% and 24.5% higher than the initial surface, respectively, at a turning depth of 0.1mm and a speed of 100m/min. Double pass turning significantly reduces the residual stress of machined surface. With the change of turning speed, the residual stress after double pass turning is 88 MPa lower than single pass on average, while the difference of residual stress is relatively minor after double pass and triple pass turning. At a cutting depth of 0.05 mm, the residual stresses after double pass turning and triple pass turning are 152 MPa lower than those after one-pass turning. As the turning depth increases, the influence of the previous pass turning gradually decreases in terms of residual stress.
Comprehensive analysis to long non-coding RNA-mediated high expression of GNG5 correlates with prognosis and tumor immune infiltration of colon carcinoma
Authors: Zhao Bo , Wang Han , Tang Weizhong
Published: July 2022

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths , and prognosis is poor and the majority of patients are diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic disease.Increasing evidence suggests GNG5 play key roles in several types of human cancer.Methods: The key gating mechanisms in colorecal carcinomal are unclear. In this study, Pan-cancer analyses have been performed for GNG5’s expressionon and prognosis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) data and found that GNG5 might be activated oncogenes in CRC.Results: Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play increasingly appreciated gene-regulatory roles and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) contributing to GNG5 overexpression were identified by a combination in silico computational analyses, we determine candidate regulators controlling colon carcinoma survival analysis and correlation analysis.Finally, the SNHG4/DRAIC-let-7c-5p axis was identifiedas the most potential upstream lncRNA-related pathway of GNG5 in CRC.Conclusion: GNG5 level was significantly positively correlated with tumor immune cell infiltration, immune cell biomarkers and immune checkpoint expression.Collectively, our findings elucidated that lncRNAs-mediated downregulation of GNG5 correlated with better prognosis and tumor immune infiltration in CRC.
NMR Lineshape Analysis: Analytical Solution of Multi-State Chemical Exchange with Applications to Kinetics of Host-Guest Systems
Authors: Březina Václav , Hanyková Lenka , Velychkivska Nadiia , Hill Jonathan P. , Labuta Jan
Published: July 2022

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) lineshape analysis is a powerful tool for the study of chemical kinetics. Here we provide techniques for analysis of the relationship between experimentally observed spin kinetics and corresponding chemical kinetics. The advantages of using analytical solutions for two-, three- or generally N-state exchange lineshapes (without J-coupling) over the widely used numerical calculation for NMR spectral fitting are demonstrated. Several aspects of exchange kinetics including the generalization of coalescence conditions in two-state exchange, the possibility of multiple processes between two states and differences between equilibrium and steady-state modes are discussed. ‘Reduced equivalent schemes’ are introduced for spin kinetics containing fast-exchanging states, effectively reducing the number of exchanging states. The theoretical results have been used to analyze a host-guest system containing an oxoporphyrinogen complexed with camphorsulfonic acid and several other literature examples, including isomerization, protein kinetics, or enzymatic reactions. The theoretical treatment and experimental examples present an expansion of the systematic approach to rigorous analyses of systems with rich chemical kinetics through NMR lineshape analysis.
Comparing the performance of several tool coatings in turning of commercially pure titanium grade 4
Authors: Lemes Carlos Vinicius , Diniz Anselmo Eduardo , Saciotto Victor Rossi
Published: July 2022

The increasing use of titanium and its alloys in the manufacture of implants results from the simultaneous presence of excellent biocompatibility, relatively low density, high mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Unlike the excellent application characteristics, titanium is classified as a difficult-to-machine material. Therefore, one constant challenge for implant manufacturers is to correctly choose turning tools for each application. This work aims to compare the useful life of the uncoated insert with other three types of coatings on carbide tools, titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN), aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN) and titanium nitride / titanium carbonitride multilayer coating (TiN + TiCN). Turning experiments were performed using grade 4 commercially pure titanium (typically used in dental implants), testing two cutting speeds for each tool used. The tests were carried out in a CNC rotary head lathe, using cutting fluid in abundance. The results showed that the uncoated insert achieved the shortest life due to its worst properties (lower surface hardness, higher friction coefficient and lower maximum working temperature), even with its supposedly higher chemical stability with titanium. On the other hand, the tool with the TiN + TiCN multilayer coating obtained the longest tool life among the four tested inserts. This occurred because this is an insert with low coefficient of friction and with multilayer structure coating, what increases its resistance against the wear mechanism that occurred predominantly in this application, which was attrition. Even with the increased cutting speed, this coating also achieved the best result.
Right-sided Weakness in a Rwandan Patient with Unrepaired Tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Tshilombo Sylvain , Bilugan Romeo , Feeney Amanda , Im Jonathan , Kuntz Heather M , Gandhi Kavita , Barcega Besh , Babane Jean Felix , Ndebwanimana Vincent , Guptill Mindi
Published: July 2022

BackgroundTetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease encountered in pediatrics. Long-term survival after surgical repair has improved; however, reported mortality rates in unrepaired TOF are significant. Associated complications include neurological sequelae, most frequently brain abscess and stroke. In countries without early intervention for congenital heart disease including TOF, delayed presentations and complications require recognition by healthcare workers. Case presentationA 22 year old male with a history of unrepaired TOF presented to Rwanda’s tertiary university hospital, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) with acute right-sided hemiparesis. Diagnostic imaging identified a left-sided brain lesion consistent with brain abscess and cardiac mass concerning for an endocardial vegetation. He was managed with intravenous antibiotics, but subsequently died due to complications of septicemia. ConclusionIn countries where surgical repair of TOF is not available, early recognition and medical management are key in temporizing the development of devastating sequelae. Describing the prevalence of CHD in Rwanda is urgent, requiring further research by which effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed.
Dust events affect the occurrence of influenza: A case-crossover study in an arid city of China
Authors: Zhang Ling , Li Sheng , Wang Bo , Liu Ce , He Li , Shan XiaoBin , Zhang Kai , Luo Bin
Published: July 2022

Background
Air aerosol is believed to be an important pathway for infectious disease transmission like COVID-19 as well as influenza. Therefore, we hypothesized that there might be a strong association between dust events and influenza, especially in semi-arid areas. This study aims to explore the effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) and dust events on laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in a semi-arid city.
Methods
A descriptive analysis of daily laboratory-confirmed influenza (influenza) cases, PM (PM10 and PM2.5), meteorological parameters and dust events were conducted from 2014 to 2019 in Lanzhou, China. The Case-crossover design combined with conditional Poisson regression models was used to estimate the lagging effects of PM and dust events on influenza. In addition, a hierarchical model was used to quantitatively evaluate the interactive effect of PM with ambient temperature and absolute humidity on influenza.
Results
We found that PM and dust events had a significant effect on influenza. The effects of PM10 and PM2.5 on influenza became stronger as the cumulative lag days increased, the greatest estimated relative risks (RRs) were 1.018 (1.011,1.024) and 1.06 1(1.034,1.087), respectively. Compared with the non-dust days, the effects of dust events with duration ≥ 1 day and with duration ≥ 2 days on influenza were the strongest at lag0 day, with the estimated RRs of 1.245 (95% CI: 1.061–1.463) and 1.483 (95% CI: 1.232–1.784), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that pre-school children and school-aged children were more sensitive to PM and dust events exposure. Besides, we also found the low humidity and temperature had an interaction with PM, which could aggravate the risk of influenza.
Conclusions
Ambient PM and dust events exposure may increase the risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza, and the risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza increased with the dust events duration. These findings will provide additional epidemiological evidence for future influenza prevention and environmental protection.
Primary lung follicular dendritic cell sarcoma with rare paraneoplastic pemphigus：a case report
Authors: Li Shi-Hao , Dong Bo , Wu Chun-Li , Li Zi-Hao , Qi Yu
Published: July 2022

Background:follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor. The incidence is even lower when the lung is the primary site and combined paraneoplastic pemphigus. The purpose of this report is to present the clinicopathological features of this neoplasm in a 29-year-old man. In our case, this tumor caused the patient to develop a paraneoplastic syndrome as well as systemic symptoms. Although local excision of the primary tumor is the treatment of choice, patient required long-term administration of hormones and immunosuppressants. This case provides a new understanding of FDCS with paraneoplastic syndrome.Case presentation:A 29-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with “intermittent cough and sputum for more than 8 months, oral mucosal erosion for 6 months”. The patient had systemic symptoms, including coughing, genital and eye corneal ulcer, photophobia, decreased vision, multiple oral pseudomembranes , local chickenpox and multiple red papules all over the body. The patient underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy and regional lymphadenectomy and pathological biopsy of oral pseudomembranes was performed. Histopathological findings revealed Primary lung mucosal cell sarcoma with paraneoplastic pemphigus, and postoperatively, patient required long-term administration of hormones and immunosuppressants. Conclusion: Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare tumor associated with paraneoplastic pemphigus, which derived from follicular dendritic cells. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is always associated with neoplasm, including gastric adenocarcinoma and lung cancer. the vast majority of FDCS occurs in lymph nodes, so extranodal FDCS cases remain challenging to diagnose, particularly when it occurs in an uncommon site or the histopathologic morphology is atypical. This article emphasizes the rarity of lung extranodal FDCS, and increases awareness of FDCS with paraneoplastic syndromes.
Sample Reduction Algorithm Based on Classification Contribution
Authors: Chai Zheng , Li Yanying
Published: July 2022

Aiming at the disadvantages of exponential growth of time required by KNN algorithm on data sets containing a large number of samples and low classification performance, this paper proposes a sample reduction method based on classification contribution ranking (SRCCR), which not only greatly reduces the storage demand and execution time, but also significantly improves the classification effect of KNN algorithm. Firstly, SRCCR denoises the initial training set, and expands the smooth decision boundary to a certain extent by removing the noise points in the data set; Secondly, the denoised samples are sorted in ascending order based on the classification contribution strategy. The lower the score, the closer the sample is to the class boundary, and the higher the score, the closer it is to the center of the same kind of samples; Finally, the selection process based on local set is used to select a certain representative boundary samples and a small number of central samples to form the final subset. Although the boundary samples contribute the most to the classification accuracy, appropriate retention of central samples can greatly improve the classification effect. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conduct comparative experiments on 24 real data sets from UCI and KEEL databases. Compared with several classical instance selection algorithms, the proposed SRCCR algorithm has certain advantages in accuracy and simplification rate. The results on the two-dimensional data set `Banana' show that SRCCR algorithm not only selects more representative boundary points and center points, but also retains the distribution of the original data set to a great extent.
Dental caries prevalence status in Saudi Arabia and neighboring eastern countries in the last decade – a review
Authors: Souror Yasser , Gharote Harshkant
Published: July 2022

The global prevalence of dental caries and decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) is variable in developed and developing countries. Reviews show that dental caries is also adversely affecting the oral health of children in Arab countries. The present review was planned for the data published from 2011 to 2021 to know the current status of the caries prevalence and dmft among children. The review showed an overall prevalence rate of 65.24% in a total of 15319 children with mean dmft score of 3.81 ± 2.97. Four prevalence studies showed average dmft of 5.21 ± 4.01 and 5.29 ± 4.09 for males (988) and females (1060) respectively. The mean dental caries prevalence for the last decade was found to be found decreased compared to the previous two decades but there is no variation in the prevalence rate.
Inhibitory effect of anti-Scg3 on corneal neovascularization: A preliminary study
Authors: Jin He , Yang Binbin , Jiang Dongdong , Ding Zhixiang , Xiong Yu , Zeng Xinsheng
Published: July 2022

Background
Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is an important disease that causes blindness. Scg3 has emerged as a new influencing factor of neovascularization. This study analyzed the effect of Secretogranin III (Scg3) antibody treatment on rabbit corneal neovascularization and explore its inhibitory effect on corneal neovascularization.
Methods
Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with Scg3 and anti-Scg3. Cell proliferation, wound healing migration and tube formation assays were performed. Healthy adult New Zealand rabbits were randomly selected to be alkali burned and establish the corneal neovascularization (CNV) model. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups (a high concentration group, low concentration group and control group). Different doses of anti-Scg3 and PBS were administered to the rabbits. Clinical examinations, immunostaining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting analyses were performed postoperatively.
Results
In the in vitro study, the Scg3 antibody mixture inhibited Scg3-induced endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. In the in vivo study, significant CNV was observed in the control group. Confocal microscopy also revealed considerable active neovascularization in the control group. There was no obvious CNV growth in the high concentration group. Additionally, CD31, LYVE1 and CD45 expression was significantly inhibited after treatment with a high concentration of Scg3 antibody. The qPCR and western blotting analyses revealed that the levels of ERK in the low concentration group and high concentration group were higher than those in the control group at 7 days and 14 days. The levels of VEGF in the control group were significantly increased compared with those in the high concentration group. In all three groups, the levels of Akt were not significantly different at any time point.
Conclusion
The expression of Scg3 could affect the growth of HUVECs in vitro. Treatment with a high concentration (0.5 µg/mL) of Scg3 antibody reduced the inflammatory response and inhibited the growth of corneal neovascularization after corneal alkali burn injury in rabbits. The MEK/ERK pathway might play an important role in the inhibitory effect of anti-Scg3.
Beyond challenges and enrichment: a qualitative account of cross-cultural experiences of nursing ethnic minority patients in Norway
Authors: Alkhaled Tariq , Rohde Gudrun , Lie Birgit , Johannessen Berit
Published: July 2022

Background: Substantial mass migrations to the Scandinavian countries have made them heterogeneous and multicultural societies. Migration has also influenced the workforce, especially the healthcare system that has had to accommodate a culturally diverse population. This qualitative study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences in caring for ethnic minority patients.Methods: Focus group interviews with a total of 21 nurses were conducted. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcribed and translated interviews.Results: The finding of this study revealed three major themes: communicational challenges, cultural challenges, and perks and perils of cross-cultural care.Conclusions: Caring for culturally diverse patients offers both challenges and opportunities to enhance cultural competence and cultural sensitivity among nurses. Various culturally divergent needs of patients such as family visits, food preferences, expression of pain, and gender sensitivity are interlinked and depend on effective communication during encounters with nurses and the healthcare system at large.
Does Nursing Home Health Information Technology Adoption Improve Financial Performance? A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Dayama Neeraj , Felix Holly , Pradhan Rohit , Morris Michael , Karim Saleema
Published: July 2022

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal impact of nursing home Health Information Technology (HIT) adoption on their financial performance. Although nursing homes are an important part of the US healthcare system providing care to the sick and fragile elderly, they were not included in the HITECH incentives for HIT adoption, unlike other hospitals and physicians. As HIT systems are expensive, nursing homes often face uncertainty whether the investment is justifiable.
Methods:
To examine this relationship, we merged existing data from five sources between 2009–2013–Health Information and Management Systems Society, LTCFocus, Online Survey Certification and Reporting/Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting, Area Health Resource Files, and Medicare Cost Reports.
Results:
We found that nursing homes with higher HIT adoption had 2 percentage points higher operating margin and 7 percentage points lower operating cost per resident day. nursing homes that adopted HIT applications improved their financial performance mainly via reduced operating costs.
Conclusions:
Improved practice efficiency, reduced paperwork, reduced redundant tests, better coordination of care, and reduced medical errors due to HIT may play a role in reducing operating costs. From policy standpoint, our study indicates that by increasing financial performance, HIT adoption may help nursing homes offset efforts to reduce federal and state healthcare spending and increasing costs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For nursing home administrators, our findings suggest a potential business case—there may be long-term financial returns for the initial financial burden of HIT implementation.
Association between albumin or prealbumin levels at different stages and prognosis in severe acute pancreatitis: a 5-year retrospective study
Authors: Ni Tongtian , Wen Yi , Wang Yihui , Jiang Weisong , Sheng Huiqiu , Chen Erzhen , Mao Enqiang , Lan Zhixin , Huang Yaguo , Zhou Yuhua
Published: July 2022

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a common abdominal disorder contributing to high mortality and open laparotomy rates. The role of exogenous infused albumin in fluid resuscitation or continuous therapy has always been an unanswered question. In early stage after onset, SAP patients with higher serum albumin or prealbumin show a better prognosis. In this study, we tried to disclose the linkage between albumin/prealbumin and SAP prognosis and establish a new goal-directed therapy involving albumin and prealbumin. Pearson’s chi-squared test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare the descriptive data between surviving and non-surviving patients. Three days, 4–7 days, 8–14 days and 15–28 days after SAP onset were defined as stages 1 to 4. The average concentrations of albumin and prealbumin were calculated, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to screen out the best cutoff values associated with poor prognostic outcomes, including laparotomy and failure to survive. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests were used to validate the effect of the cut-off values. A total of 199 admitted patients were enrolled in this study. According to the analysis of the ROC curve, the serum albumin value should be raised to 35, 37, 40 and 42 g/L in the 1–4 stage after onset. Serum prealbumin values should be raised to 108, 180, and 181 g/L in stages 2–4 after onset. The validity of the above data was confirmed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Serum albumin and prealbumin levels in the early stage of SAP are significantly relevant to prognosis. Albumin should be infused from the fluid resuscitation stage to continuous therapy in order to reach the targets mentioned above. The increase in prealbumin depends on the early initiation of enteral nutrition and this also helps to ameliorate the prognosis.
The role of artificial neural networks in prediction of severe acute pancreatitis associated acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Zou Kang , Ren Wensen , Huang Shu , Jiang Jiao , Xu Huan , Xia Huifang , Zeng Xinyi , Zhang Han , Peng Yan , Lü Muhan , Tang Xiaowei
Published: July 2022

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious and common complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and the early identification and intervention of ARDS are particularly important. This study aimed to construct predictive models for ARDS using early indicators of inpatients. Methods: The 214 SAP patients included were randomly divided into training set and test set, and the back propagation artificial neural networks (BP ANNs) and logistic regression (LR) models were trained by the training set, and then the performance of the two models was examined by the test set. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy and area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) value of BP ANNs were 68.0%, 87.5%, 77.3%, 81.4%, 80.0%, 0.853 ± 0.054 (95%CI: 0.749-0.958). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy and AUC value of logistic regression were 48.7%, 85.3%, 65.5%, 74.4%, 72.0%, 0.799 ± 0.045 (95%CI: 0.710-0.888). There were no significant differences between the BP ANNs and LR models in these parameters. Conclusion: Compared to the LR model, the BP ANNs model showed only a mild improvement in predictive performance in our study without significant differences. However, we still believe BP ANNs models have a bright future in clinical outcome prediction.
Coupling sub-nanoliter BDPA organic radical spin ensembles with YBCO inverse anapole resonators
Authors: Bonizzoni Claudio , Maksutoglu Maksut , Ghirri Alberto , Tol Johan van , Rameev Bulat , Affronte Marco
Published: July 2022

We report the development and test of planar microwave Inverse Anapole Resonators (IARs) made of superconducting Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) for electron spin resonance spectroscopy on small samples. We first characterize our resonators in zero field and then by carrying out transmission spectroscopy on a diluted α, γ-bisdiphenylene-β-phenylally (BDPA) organic radical spin ensemble in an applied magnetic field. These IARs allow us to carry out electron spin resonance spectroscopy both in Continuous-Wave and Pulsed-Wave mode, and to estimate the spin memory time of BDPA. The comparison with the results obtained for the same sample on typical linear coplanar resonators shows an improvement by ≈ 2 - up to 3 - orders of magnitude in spin sensitivity, with effective sensing volumes below 1 nanoliter. The best sensitivity we achieved is S ≈ 107 spin/√Hz in the Pulsed-Wave regime. These results compare well with similar experiments reported in literature.
Addressing global hotspots of climate-related crop production losses
Authors: Tuninetti Marta , Davis Kyle
Published: July 2022

Meeting future food demand will require transformations toward sustainable and resilient food systems that simultaneously increase production, minimize environmental impacts, and adapt to climate change. With fluctuations in temperature and precipitation exercising a growing influence on production stability across the planet, a detailed understanding of where cropping patterns are vulnerable to climatic stresses is a missing yet critical step for developing solutions that enhance the climate resilience of crop production. Here we address this urgent need by combining gridded climate data, spatially-explicit agricultural statistics, and process-based crop modeling to quantify global patterns of rainfed and irrigated crop climate sensitivity (measured as the percent reduction in median yield under extreme climate conditions) and climate-associated production losses for 17 major crops, accounting for 75% of global primary production. This climate sensitivity metric is ideally suited for identifying locations where each crop tends to be subject to high climate variability and where crop production may be susceptible to high climate-related production losses. We estimate -10.1% and -6.8% losses in global rainfed and irrigated production (respectively) under historically observed extreme climate conditions - enough calories to feed 2.1 billion people - and find hotspots of climate sensitivity in the central US, eastern Brazil, the Mediterranean basin, and South Asia, among other regions. We then focus on monsoon cereals (rice, maize, millet, sorghum) to illustrate how sustainable irrigation expansion and targeted crop switching could reduce climate sensitivity, finding that 62% of production losses could be avoided while increasing overall production by 14%. Our new scalable and universal approach to measuring the climate sensitivity of crops enables the assessment of where climate-related production losses tend to be largest and where mitigating actions and investments can be proactively targeted to better ensure the stability and increased supply of global crop production.
Eco-evolutionary feedback as a driver of periodic state shifts in tri-trophic food chains
Authors: Tanaka Yoshinari , Yoshino Masafumi
Published: July 2022

Eco-evolutionary feedback can result in periodic shifts with long intervals between alternative community states. Simulations using a linear food chain model, namely the resource-prey-predator system with prey evolution have shown such an ecologically unfeasible pattern of long-term dynamics. The alternative community states are characterized by stable internal equilibria and fast synchronized perturbations at the lower two trophic levels. This trait-mediated community shift was governed by the evolution of the anti-predator trait of prey and is referred to as “eco-evolutionary oscillation (EEO)”. The observed EEO was interpreted to be because of the interaction between community ecological dynamics and trait evolution. We further examined the effects of genetic variation on the trait-performance relationship on the global stability of the community. The rapid evolutionary rate with high genetic variance and the strong relationship between trait values and predator avoidance tended to stabilize eco-evolutionary dynamics and cause the EEO to vanish.
A novel DNA methylation marker to identify lymph node metastasis of colorectal cancer
Authors: Yu Yingdian , Xue Wenyuan , Liu Zefeng , Chen Shang , Wang Jun , Peng Quanzhou , Xu Linhao , Liu Xin , Cui Chunhui , Fan Jian-bing
Published: July 2022

Background
Lymph node metastasis (LNM) in colorectal cancer (CRC) is closely related to the choice of treatments. Given the deficiencies of conventional tests, we aim to discover novel DNA methylation markers to efficiently identify LNM status.
Methods
Genome-wide methylation sequencing was performed in a cohort (n = 30) using fresh CRC tissue to discover differentially methylated markers. These markers were subsequently validated with fluorescence quantitative PCR in a cohort (n = 221), and the optimal marker was singled out to compare with conventional diagnostic methods. Meanwhile, immunohistochemistry was used to verify the effectiveness of the antibody corresponding to this optimal marker in a cohort (n = 56).
Results
LBX2 achieved an AUC of 0.87, specificity of 87.3%, sensitivity of 75.7%, and accuracy of 81.9%, which outperformed conventional methods including imaging (CT, PET-CT) with an AUC of 0.52, CA199 with an AUC of 0.58, CEA with an AUC of 0.56. LBX2 was also superior to clinicopathological indicators including the depth of tumor invasion and lymphatic invasion with an AUC of 0.61and 0.63 respectively. Moreover, the AUC of LBX2 antibody was 0.84 in immunohistochemical validation, which was also better than these conventional methods.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a novel DNA methylation marker LBX2 could be used as a simple, cost-effective, easy-to-implement, and reliable diagnostic method for LNM of CRC compared to traditional methods, it holds the potential to provide a better clinical diagnosis for the precise treatment of CRC.
Comparative Dosimetric Study of Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy and Volumetric-modulated Arc Therapy Techniques with Hypofractionated Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy after Modified Radical Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
Authors: Lin Hongxiao , Sheng Xuren , Liu Haowu , Zhang Peng , Yin Li , Xu Chengsheng , Ke Xue , Ni Jin , Liu Ke , Yin Yachao , Jiang Xiaoxia , Zhang Yufei , Dai Ying , Liu Yunqin , Zang Chunbao
Published: July 2022

Background
This study aimed to compare the advantages and disadvantages of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), in left-sided breast cancer patients who underwent hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy after a modified radical mastectomy.
Methods
For the study, 20 patients with left-sided breast cancer who required adjuvant radiotherapy after a modified radical mastectomy were selected randomly. The specified dose of 43.5Gy/15f was adopted to plan for the IMRT and the VMAT. Dose volume histograms (DVH) were employed to evaluate the dose distribution of planning target volumes and organs at risk in both plans.
Results
The homogeneous index (HI) and conformity index (CI) of the VMAT group were found to be better than those of the IMRT group (P < 0.05). VMAT showed better and more uniform dose distribution in the planning target volumes as well as a lower monitor unit (MU).No significant difference was found in V5 of the affected lung and heart between the two groups (P > 0.05). V10, V20, V30, and Dmean of the affected lung and whole heart V10, V20, V30, V40, Dmean, and Dmax of the VMAT group were better than those of the IMRT group (P < 0.05). Dmean and Dmax of the left anterior descending (LAD) of the heart in the VMAT group were better than those in the IMRT group (P < 0.05), and the VMAT program was effective in reducing cardiopulmonary dose. A significant advantage of V30 and Dmean was found in the VMAT group over the IMRT group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Compared with the IMRT program, the VMAT program achieved a higher clinical value since it improved the dose distribution in the target area, reduced the cardiopulmonary dose, protected organs at risk (OAR) (e.g., the thyroid), and shortened the treatment time.
Inter-Cloud Data Security Framework, Compliance And Trust
Authors: Akhtar Syed Imran , Rauf Abdul , Amjad Muhammad Faisal , Abbas Haider
Published: July 2022

Prospects of cloud computing as a technology which optimizes resources, reduces complexity and provides cost effective solutions to its consumers is well established. Future of cloud is ‘cloud of clouds’ where cloud service providers (CSPs) collaborate with each other to provide ever scalable solutions to their customers. However, one most restricting factor towards use of cloud by its consumers is their concerns about data security. Most sensitive to any organization is its data, which thus necessitates a trustworthy framework which could give confidence to these organizations to put their sensitive data on cloud. This paper, therefore, proposed a data security framework which is based on data security controls, driven against the possible data related threats emerging from various inter-cloud use cases. It is a very systematic derivation of data security controls, consolidated as a data security framework. Further in this study, is a proposed mechanism, which can enable CSPs to view compliance to data security controls and overall trustworthiness of other CSPs; thus, enabling them to decide level of interaction that they might feel appropriate to undertake depending upon their data security commitments to their consumers. A Data Security Compliance Monitor service is proposed which measures the compliance to data security framework. This service is also connected with Data Trust as a Service, which measures the trustworthiness of a cloud based on its Total Compliance Value, Users’ Feedback Rating, SLA Rating, Cloud Security Auditor Rating and Incidents History Value. CSPs who subscribe to Cloud Trust as a Service would be able to view Trustworthiness of other CSPs, yet they would be bound to provide access to the service to measure theirs as well. This new approach to data security in inter-cloud is a mix of data security controls, their measure of compliance and based on this, a service, which recommends how much trust can be placed on a CSP for handling data. The proposed solution thus promotes use of inter-cloud for data related requirements.
The relationship between serum level of interleukin-6 and pulmonary involvement in progressive systemic sclerosis
Authors: Piroozmand Ahmad , Zamani Batool , Kashani Hamed Haddad
Published: July 2022

Background
Primary systemic sclerosis (PSS) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by excessive collagen deposition in the skin and internal organs. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a late demonstration of PSS and cytokines can contribute to the disease pathology. The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship between serum level of interleukin-6 and pulmonary involvement in progressive systemic sclerosis.
Methods and Materials:
After obtaining informed consent, demographic data and serum levels of interleukin-6 were measured in 30 PSS patients with pulmonary involvement (case group) and 30 PSS patients without pulmonary involvement (control group). The disease duration and activity, C-reactive protein (CRP), Chest x-ray and high resolution CT-scan (HRCT) findings, ejection fraction (EF) and echocardiography findings, and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were also determined in both groups.
Results
The age of patients in case and control group were 52.5 ± 9.3 and 43.9 ± 9.7 years, respectively (p = 0.001). No significant difference was found between serum levels of IL-6 in case and control groups (73.1 ± 95.4 vs 46.7 ± 83.6 pg/ml, p = 0.267). However, IL-6 level was significantly higher in male case patients compared to male controls (p = 0.007). The duration of PSS was 11.6 ± 6.4 and 7.4 ± 4.2 years in case and control groups, respectively (p = 0.002). The quantitive CRP and PAP was also significantly higher in case patients (p = 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). There was found reticulonodular pattern in 20 (66.7%) of the cases, whereas 28 (93.3%) of the controls had normal CXR (p < 0.001). EF was significantly lower in case patients compared to control patients (p = 0.001).
Conclusion
The serum level of IL-6 did not appear to have a relationship with pulmonary involvement, hence it could not be regarded as a potential therapeutic target.
Risk factors of active upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with COVID-19 infection and the effectiveness of PPI prophylaxis
Authors: Prasoppokakorn Thaninee , Kullavanijaya Pinit , Pittayanon Rapat
Published: July 2022

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most impactful complications in patients hospitalized from COVID-19 infection. Limited study has focused on patients with upper GI bleeding (UGIB). This study aimed to identify the risk factors of patients who were hospitalized from COVID-19 infection and developed UGIB as well as the effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prophylaxis in those patients. Methods: This study was comprised of two phases. The first phase was the retrospective enrollment of patients who were admitted due to COVID-19 infection and developed UGIB between April and August 2021. The primary outcome was the associated factors of active UGIB. The second phase was a retrospective analysis after PPI prophylaxis protocol from September – October 2021 to assess the benefit of PPI use in those patients. Results: Of 6,373 patients hospitalized, 43 patients (0.7%) had evidence of UGIB. The majority were male 28 (65.1%) with a mean age of 69.1+11.8 years. Twenty-four of 43 patients (55.8%) needed mechanical ventilation, 35 patients (81.4%) received systemic corticosteroids, and 10 patients (23.3%) were taking anticoagulants for venous thromboembolic prophylaxis. Seven of 43 patients (16%) had active UGIB. There was no significant difference in the number of patients taking antiplatelets, anticoagulants, or steroids and the severity of COVID-19 infection between the two groups. An emergency endoscopy or endoscopic hemostasis were performed in 6/7 (85.7%) patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed two significant factors associated with active UGIB including higher of Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) per point (OR=7.89;95%CI 1.03-72.87; p=0.04) and an absence of PPI use (OR 4.29;95%CI 1.04-19.51; p=0.04). After prescribing PPI as a prophylaxis, there was a slightly lower incidence of UGIB (0.6% vs 0.7%) in addition to an absence of active UGIB (0% vs 16%). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the absence of PPI and higher GBS were significant risk factors for active UGIB which required therapeutic endoscopy in patients with COVID-19 infection. We suggest that PPI prophylaxis should be prescribed in those patients once they need hospitalization regardless of the severity of COVID-19 infection and anticoagulant usage to minimize the severity of UGIB.
An Opposition-based Grey Wolf Optimization for Cluster Head Selection in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ramalingam Rajakumar , K Dinesh , M Sreedevi , Jaleel Abdul , Koushal Kadiyala Kundan , G Thanuja , R Reddy Prakash
Published: July 2022

Clustering is considered one of the practical approaches for boosting the lifespan of the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). It involves in gathering the sensor nodes into groups and elects the cluster heads (CHs) in each group. CHs gather the data from cluster members and transfer the aggregate information to Base Station (BS). However, the most significant obligation in WSN is to elect the optimal CH to enhance the network's lifespan. This paper proposes an optimal cluster head election framework in WSN. A novel hybrid technique selects the optimal CHs: an oppositional grey wolf optimization (OGWO) algorithm that collaborates with generic GWO and opposition-based learning techniques. The hybrid OGWO algorithm dynamically balances between intensification and diversification search process in electing optimal CHs. In addition, the parameters like energy, distance, node degree, and node centrality aid in selecting the optimal CHs in the network. This CHs selection framework improves the efficacy of the network capability and enhances the network lifespan. Further, the superiority of the proposed OGWO technique is validated based on the various impacts like energy, alive nodes, BS location, and several packet delivery aspects. Accordingly, the proposed OGWO technique provides a better network lifetime of ~ 20%, ~ 30% and ~ 45% compared with GWO, ABC and LEACH techniques.