bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inoculation with native soil improves seedling survival and reduces non‐native reinvasion in a grassland restoration
Authors: Duell Eric B. , O'Hare Anna , Wilson Gail W. T.
Published: March 2022

Losses of grasslands have been largely attributed to widespread land‐use changes, such as conversion to row‐crop agriculture. The remaining tallgrass prairie faces further losses due to biological invasions by non‐native plant species, often with resultant ecosystem degradation. Of critical concern for conservation, restoration of native grasslands has been met with little success following eradication of non‐native plants. In addition to the direct and indirect effects of non‐native invasive plants on beneficial soil microbes, management practices targeting invasive species may also negatively affect subsequent restoration efforts. To assess mechanisms limiting germination and survival of native species and to improve native species establishment, we established six replicate plots of each of the following four treatments: (1) inoculated with freshly collected prairie soil with native seeds; (2) inoculated with steam‐pasteurized soil with native seeds; (3) noninoculated with native seeds; or (4) noninoculated/nonseeded control. Inoculation with whole soil did not improve seed germination; however, addition of whole soil significantly improved native species survival, compared to pasteurized soil or noninoculated treatments. Inoculation with whole soil significantly decreased reestablishment of non‐native invasive Bothriochloa bladhii (Caucasian bluestem); at the end of the growing season, plots receiving whole soil consisted of approximately 30% B. bladhii cover, compared to approximately 80% in plots receiving no soil inoculum. Our results suggest invasion and eradication efforts negatively affect arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal and spore abundances and soil aggregate stability, and inoculation with locally adapted soil microbial communities can improve metrics of restoration success, including plant species richness and diversity, while decreasing reinvasion by non‐native species.
Diagnosis and radiation therapy of an extensive myxoma in the retropharyngeal region infiltrating the cranial cervical vertebral canal in a dog
Authors: Schmid David , Körner Maximilian , Bley Carla Rohrer
Published: March 2022

An 8‐year‐old, intact Rottweiler‐female dog presented due to an acute onset of lethargy, abnormal gait, and wheezing. Physical examination revealed stridor, cervical pain, and ambulatory tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging‐examination displayed a lobulated, fluid‐filled mass extending from the sphenoid bone to C5, infiltrating the cranial vertebral canal causing extradural compression of the spinal cord and narrowing of the pharynx. An emergency debulking‐surgery around the pharynx was performed. Histopathological findings were consistent with a myxoma. The remaining tumor was irradiated resulting in stable disease 6 months later. The dog died 18 months later due to aspiration pneumonia without clinical signs of neurologic or respiratory compromise.
Developing Taiichi Ohno’s Mental Model for Waste Identification in Nontraditional Applications
Authors: Yarbrough Ashley C. , Harris Gregory A. , Purdy Gregory T. , Loyd Nicholas
Published: March 2022

The growth of technology in the manufacturing domain is compelling industry to digitally transform with little to no guidance on what constitutes value-added and nonvalue-added data and information. However, the Toyota production system (TPS) approach, which has proven successful for decades in identifying wastes in physical manufacturing processes, can provide some insights. Extensive research has been conducted on the history of Toyota and the concepts and tools of the TPS, but there is no documentation of how Taiichi Ohno approached problems and developed the classification of wastes (the 7 Wastes) which led to the concepts and tools for continuous improvement that are collectively called the TPS. This article deconstructs literature on Ohno and the Toyota story to reconstruct the mental model that Ohno used to identify and categorize physical production waste in Toyota’s manufacturing operations. The mental model attributed to Ohno proposed in this work is then generalized into a framework for identifying and eliminating both physical and nonphysical wastes in systems. Manufacturing companies and researchers can utilize the framework to foster the same thinking that Ohno used to identify nonvalue-added activities in production processes. Applying the described framework to data and information flows will allow for the discovery of wastes that were once hidden and will lead to the development of tools for improving the data and information needed to support manufacturing in a Smart Manufacturing environment.
The glucocorticoid receptor associates with RAS complexes to inhibit cell proliferation and tumor growth
Authors: Caratti Bozhena , Fidan Miray , Caratti Giorgio , Breitenecker Kristina , Engler Melanie , Kazemitash Naser , Traut Rebecca , Wittig Rainer , Casanova Emilio , Ahmadian Mohammad Reza , Tuckermann Jan P. , Moll Herwig P. , Cirstea Ion Cristian
Published: March 2022

Mutations that activate members of the RAS family of GTPases are associated with various cancers and drive tumor growth. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a member of the nuclear receptor family, has been proposed to interact with and inhibit the activation of components of the PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathways downstream of RAS. In the absence of activating ligands, we found that GR was present in cytoplasmic KRAS-containing complexes and inhibited the activation of wild-type and oncogenic KRAS in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human lung cancer A549 cells. The DNA binding domain of GR was involved in the interaction with KRAS, but GR-dependent inhibition of RAS activation did not depend on the nuclear translocation of GR. The addition of ligand released GR-dependent inhibition of RAS, AKT, the MAPK p38, and the MAPKK MEK. CRISPR-Cas9–mediated deletion of GR in A549 cells enhanced tumor growth in xenografts in mice. Patient samples of non–small cell lung carcinomas showed lower expression ofNR3C1, the gene encoding GR, compared to adjacent normal tissues and lowerNR3C1expression correlated with a worse disease outcome. These results suggest that glucocorticoids prevent the ability of GR to limit tumor growth by inhibiting RAS activation, which has potential implications for the use of glucocorticoids in patients with cancer.
The ocean-continent transition of late synrift salt basins: Extension and evaporite deposition in the southern Gulf of Mexico and global analogs
Authors: Rowan Mark G.
Published: March 2022

Two-dimensional depth-migrated seismic data were used to interpret and analyze extension and salt deposition in the ocean-continent transition (OCT) along 720 km of the southern Gulf of Mexico rifted margin. The OCT is characterized by alternating areas of salt-filled, fault-bounded outer troughs overlying a shallow Moho and salt perched at a level above the top of oceanic crust. Normal faults and the limit of oceanic crust are both offset by two sets of transfer faults and paleo–transform faults, respectively, that trend NNW-SSE and N-S. The patterns define five OCT segments that show propagation of both rifting and spreading to the NE, an abrupt jump in pole location, and rifting/spreading nuclei that link up laterally. Salt was deposited during outer trough formation to the SW but prior to it in the NE, where salt consequently flowed from proximal locations into the growing trough during decoupled thick-skinned extension. The salt was deposited at least 0.5–1.5 km below global sea level, with precipitation initially confined to the oldest troughs (in the west) and subsequently spreading to cover the entire basin in a deep brine over a period of at least 5 m.y. Possible siliciclastic strata interbedded with the salt were likely sourced from the south and southeast, and hypersaline conditions waned gradually during punctuated marine flooding over another 5–10 m.y. The Gulf of Mexico was thus a giant evaporite basin formed in a deep depression during late-synrift mantle exhumation in a magma-poor setting, analogous to the South Atlantic salt basins and possibly the Red Sea and southern Moroccan/Scotian margins.
Supplemental Material: Metastable olivine within oceanic lithosphere in the uppermost lower mantle beneath the eastern United States
Authors: Kong Fansheng , al. et
Published: March 2022

Tables S1 and S2 (the SKS and SKKS splitting pairs in the anomalous zone of Figure 1 and the pairs outside the zone) and Figures S1–S6 (earthquake distribution; examples of discrepant SKS-SKKS splitting measurements; discrepancy and number distributions in epicentral distance and back azimuth; estimation of anisotropy depth; and a schematic diagram showing the determined anisotropy depth based on the width of the discrepant region).
Supplemental Material: Infaunalization and resource partitioning during the Mesozoic marine revolution
Authors: Buatois Luis A. , al. et
Published: March 2022

Supplemental text, Tables S1 and S2, and Figures S1–S6.
Head injuries in early childhood in the UK; is there a social gradient?
Authors: Letelier Alejandra , Watt Richard G , Heilmann Anja
Published: March 2022

Objectives

To examine if there is a social gradient in early childhood head injuries among UK children.

Methods

Cross-sectional study, using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). The second, third and fourth sweeps of the MCS were analysed separately, when children were 3, 5 and 7 years old. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between head injuries and family socioeconomic position (social class, household income, maternal education and area deprivation).

Results

The unadjusted analyses showed different associations with socioeconomic indicators at different ages. At age 3 and 5 years, head injuries were associated with higher area deprivation, lower household income and parents not being in work or in the routine social class. At age 5 years head injuries were also associated with lower maternal education. At age 7 years only associations with area deprivation and maternal education were found. In adjusted analyses (mutually adjusted for all four socioeconomic indicators, maternal age, child age and child sex), the following associations were observed: at ages 3 and 5 years, higher levels of area deprivation were related to higher odds of head injuries. At age 3 years only, lower levels of maternal education were related to lower odds of head injuries. No social gradients were observed. At age 7 years, there were no significant associations between head injuries and any of the SEP measures.

Conclusion

We observed no social gradients in early childhood head injuries. However, at ages 3 and 5 years, head injuries were more frequently reported for children living in more deprived areas.
Massless charged wormhole solution in Einstein–Maxwell-Scalar theory
Authors: Mazharimousavi S. Habib
Published: March 2022

A new exact wormhole solution in Einstein–Maxwell-Scalar theory is introduced. The wormhole solution is accompanied by a non-black hole naked singular branch solution. Both of the solutions are massless such that with charge zero the spacetime coincides with the vacuum Minkowski flat spacetime. In addition to that, the wormhole solution seems to be the missing part of the class of solutions in the standard Einstein–Maxwell-Dilaton theory with an arbitrary dilaton parameter.
$$m_{\mathrm {b}}(m_{\mathrm {Z^0}})$$revisited with Zedometry
Authors: Kluth S.
Published: March 2022

Precision measurements of $$\mathrm {Z^0}$$

Z
0

boson properties could enable a determination of the mass of the b quark at the scale of the $$\mathrm {Z^0}$$

Z
0

boson mass $$m_{\mathrm {b}}(m_{\mathrm {Z^0}})$$

m
b

(

m

Z
0

)

. The dependence of Standard Model predictions on the b quark mass using the program Gfitter is studied. The precision of the currently available measurements by the LEP experiments and SLD, together with measurements from the LHC experiments of the mass of the top quark and the Higgs boson, is not sufficient for a relevant determination. The predicted precision of $$\mathrm {Z^0}$$

Z
0

boson resonance measurements at future $$\mathrm {e^+e^-}$$

e
+

e
-

colliders will allow a competitive direct determination of $$m_{\mathrm {b}}(m_{\mathrm {Z^0}})$$

m
b

(

m

Z
0

)

.
GASSER: A Multi-Objective Evolutionary Approach for Test Suite Reduction
Authors: Coviello Carmen , Romano Simone , Scanniello Giuseppe , Antoniol Giuliano
Published: March 2022

Regression testing is a practice that ensures a System Under Test (SUT) still works as expected after changes have been implemented. The simplest approach for regression testing is Retest-all, which consists of re-executing the entire Test Suite (TS) on the changed version of the SUT. Retest-all could be expensive in case a SUT and its TS grow in size and, if resources are insufficient, its application could be impracticable. A Test Suite Reduction (TSR) approach aims to overcome these issues by reducing the size of TSs, while preserving their fault-detection capability. In this paper, we introduce and validate an approach for TSR based on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, namely, Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). This approach seeks to reduce TSs by maximizing both statement coverage and diversity of test cases of the reduced TSs, while minimizing the size of the reduced TSs. We named this approach Genetic Algorithm for teSt SuitE Reduction (GASSER). To assess GASSER, we conducted an experiment on 19 versions of four software systems from a public dataset—i.e. Software-artifact Infrastructure Repository (SIR). We compared GASSER with nine baseline approaches. The comparison was based on the size of the reduced TSs and their fault-detection capability. The most important take-away result is that GASSER, as compared with the baseline approaches, reduces more the size of the TSs with a non-significant effect on their fault-detection capability. The results of our empirical assessment suggest that the application of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms and, in particular, NSGA-II might represent a viable means to deal with TSR.
An Overview of Metaphor Computation
Authors: Huo Kairui , Li Bin , Xie Yuanyuan , Feng Minxuan , Qu Weiguang
Published: March 2022

Metaphor is very common in natural language, which conveys deep meaning beyond the literal meaning. Metaphor computation is still a challenge in NLP tasks. In this paper, we introduce the conventional metaphor theories, and the computational models and approaches, as well as resource constructions. Meanwhile, we find that metaphor theories fail to explain metaphor from the perspectives of language generation and understanding. Besides, linguistic features are not fully utilized in metaphor computation and metaphor corpus lacks deeper meaning annotation. Then we put forward a novel approach of building metaphor corpus based on Abstract Meaning Representation (AMR), which will supply deep representation for Chinese metaphor computation.
Label-Free Super-Resolution Imaging Techniques
Authors: Leighton Ryan E. , Alperstein Ariel M. , Frontiera Renee R.
Published: March 2022

Biological and material samples contain nanoscale heterogeneities that are unresolvable with conventional microscopy techniques. Super-resolution fluorescence methods can break the optical diffraction limit to observe these features, but they require samples to be fluorescently labeled. Over the past decade, progress has been made toward developing super-resolution techniques that do not require the use of labels. These label-free techniques span a variety of different approaches, including structured illumination, transient absorption, infrared absorption, and coherent Raman spectroscopies. Many draw inspiration from widely successful fluorescence-based techniques such as stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). In this review, we discuss the progress made in these fields along with the current challenges and prospects in reaching resolutions comparable to those achieved with fluorescence-based methods.
The Next Frontier in Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnostics: Cell-Free Fetal DNA Analysis for Monogenic Disease Assessment
Authors: Zhong Lilian Pok Wa , Chiu Rossa W.K.
Published: March 2022

With the widespread clinical adoption of noninvasive screening for fetal chromosomal aneuploidies based on cell-free DNA analysis from maternal plasma, more researchers are turning their attention to noninvasive prenatal assessment for single-gene disorders. The development of a spectrum of approaches to analyze cell-free DNA in maternal circulation, including relative mutation dosage, relative haplotype dosage, and size-based methods, has expanded the scope of noninvasive prenatal testing to sex-linked and autosomal recessive disorders. Cell-free fetal DNA analysis for several of the more prevalent single-gene disorders has recently been introduced into clinical service. This article reviews the analytical approaches currently available and discusses the extent of the clinical implementation of noninvasive prenatal testing for single-gene disorders.
Hierarchical FeOOH@NiCo2S4 Core-Shell Heterostructure Supported on Nickel Foam as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Li Huixi , Zhao Wen , Chai Pengcheng , Zhang Yifan , Zhu Xiaoyan , Wang Shengping
Published: March 2022

Amorphous FeOOH nanosheets were electrodeposited onto nickel foam (NF)-supported NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays to form a three-dimensional FeOOH@NiCo2S4/NF core–shell heterostructure, which is a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting (OWS). FeOOH@NiCo2S4/NF pre-catalyst showed a good electrocatalytic activity and stability for the oxygen evolution reaction in a 1 M KOH solution, with an overpotential of 228 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a Tafel slope of 44.03 mV dec−1 and a durability of more than 50 h. The overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction was 112 mV at 10 mA cm−2. The OWS performance was very good because it only required a voltage of 1.56 V at 10 mA cm−2. The 3D core–shell structure with a large electrolyte contact interface, the good electronic conductivity, the large surface exposure of active sites by the NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays, and the strong electron interaction at the heterogeneous interface between FeOOH and NiCo2S4 are the key factors for the excellent performance.
Galvanic Coupling of Copper and Carbon Steel in the Presence of Bentonite Clay and Chloride
Authors: Braithwaite Lindsay , Albrechtas Katarina , Zagidulin Dmitrij , Behazin Mehran , Shoesmith David , Noël James J.
Published: March 2022

The long-term containment plan for Canada’s used nuclear fuel employs copper-coated carbon steel (CS) containers encased in compacted bentonite clay buffer boxes. In the hypothetical case of a through-coating defect, galvanic interactions between the Cu coating and the CS vessel are dependent on the conditions at the container surface. A zero-resistance ammeter was used to measure the galvanic current between Cu and CS electrodes at various area ratios in the presence of aerated 1 M NaCl and obstructive layers of bentonite slurry. The presence of bentonite resulted in an order of magnitude decrease in the corrosion rate of the steel. As shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Raman spectroscopy, the extent of steel corrosion decreased significantly in the presence of bentonite slurry, favouring mild surface etching over oxide growth. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements showed that the total impedance on carbon steel generally increased with bentonite layer thickness, but the total impedance on Cu plateaued when the layer exceeded 6 mm, consistent with trends in galvanic current density on carbon steel. The benign conditions produced by the bentonite slurry are attributed to the slightly alkaline pH and the hindrance of O2 diffusion.
Analysis of the Reform Effectiveness of Vocational Skill Identification Based on the New Social Training Model in the New Era under Deep Learning Assessment
Authors: Wang Yeming , Ran Yong
Published: March 2022

In order to be able to make full use of domain knowledge to improve the performance of skill word extraction, this paper proposes a skill word extraction method based on a combination of deep learning and corpus features. Skill word extraction is transformed into a sequence annotation problem, and based on the basic model of sequence annotation, Bi-LSTM-CRF, corpus features are added to the input layer, and the output of the input layer is connected with the Bi-LSTM output as the input of the CRF layer. The experimental results show timely updating of the question bank, paying attention to the quality of vocational skill identification, and strictly managing the issuance of vocational qualification false certificates.
Study on Numerical Simulation of Seismic Collapse of RC Frame Structure with Infilled Wall
Authors: Xu Defeng , Dai Junwu , Yang Yongqiang , Weng Xuran , Sun Gang
Published: March 2022

The infilled wall plays an important role in the formation of the survival space and life‐saving passage of the seismic collapse of reinforcement concrete (RC) frame structure. Here, with the numerical modeling method of the infilled wall, the connection between infilled wall and RC frame was primarily investigated. The combined finite element (FE) and finite‐discrete element (F‐DE) method is proposed to simulate the multispan and multistory RC frame structure with infilled wall. The reliability of the numerical simulation method was verified by the shaking table test; the evaluation criterion includes the collapse mechanism and mode. The results show that the numerical simulation is highly consistent with the shaking table test; it is easy for RC frame structure to form short columns due to the influence of the low or half‐height infilled wall, and the structural collapse is caused by the shear failure of columns; the overall structure shows pancake type of collapse; the survival space becomes smaller and smaller on the direction of structural collapse. The proposed numerical simulation method can be valuable in simulating RC frame structure with infilled wall for postearthquake rescue.
[Retracted] Fuzzy Logic‐Based Systems for the Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: G. Murugesan , Ahmed Tousief Irshad , Bhola Jyoti , Shabaz Mohammad , Singla Jimmy , Rakhra Manik , More Sujeet , Samori Issah Abubakari
Published: March 2022

Kidney failure occurs whenever the kidney stops to operate properly and would be unable to cleanse or refine the bloodstream as it should. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a potentially fatal consequence. If this condition is diagnosed early, its progression can be delayed. There are various factors that increase the likelihood of developing kidney failure. As a consequence, in order to detect this potentially fatal condition early on, these risk factors must be checked on a regular basis before the individual’s health deteriorates. Furthermore, it lowers the cost of therapy. The chronic kidney or renal disease will be recognized in this work utilizing fuzzy and adaptive neural fuzzy inference systems. The fundamental purpose of this initiative is to enhance the precision of medical diagnostics used to diagnose illnesses. Nephron functioning, glucose levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, maturity level, weight and height, and smoking are all elements to consider while developing a fuzzy and adaptable neural fuzzy inference system. The output variable describes a specific patient’s stage of chronic renal disease based on input factors such as stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, and stage 5. The outcome will show the present stage of a patient’s kidney. As a result, these methods can assist specialists in determining the stage of chronic renal disease. MATLAB software is used to create the fuzzy and neural fuzzy inference systems.
Chinese Translation Errors in English Machine Translation Based on Wireless Sensor Network Communication Algorithm
Authors: Long Jinshun , He Jun
Published: March 2022

Globalization is a trend in the future, and the exchanges among countries in the world in economy, politics, and culture are becoming more and more frequent. In order to overcome the increasingly prominent language barriers, translation has become an indispensable “bridge” for communication between countries. Manual translation has long been unable to meet the growing needs of translation. So, machine translation came into being, especially in recent years, machine translation has developed rapidly. Compared with manual translation, machine translation has unique advantages, that is, fast translation speed and free access. With the gradual improvement of the quality of machine translation, the quality of translation has basically met the requirements of rough reading, which makes machine translation one of the hotspots in recent years. However, to achieve the level of intensive reading, the quality of machine translation needs to be further improved. A thorough study of translation error analysis is an important step to improve the quality of machine translation. At present, there are few studies on error analysis of business English in academic circles, and most of them are just simple classification of translation errors, lacking in in-depth empirical research. This study aims to study the advantages and disadvantages of machine translation in translation practice based on wireless sensor network communication algorithms, analyze the typical errors in machine translation, put forward the idea that posttranslation editing can make up for the shortcomings of machine translation, treat English machine translation more objectively, make full use of machine translation tools, combine machine translation with post-manual editing perfectly, improve translation speed, and guarantee translation quality at the same time.
Investigation of Bus Special Lane Performance Using Statistical Analysis and Optimization of the Signalized Intersection Delay by Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Najafi Moghaddam Gilani Vahid , Ghanbari Tamrin Mohammad Reza , Hosseinian Seyed Mohsen , Nikookar Mohammad , Safari Daniel , YektaParast Soheil
Published: March 2022

Nowadays, the performance analysis and evaluation of public transportation systems have great importance in traffic engineering science. So far, the bus system has not been very effective in some cities in Iran, and many management approaches such as the allocation of special lanes and regular bus scheduling, which are needed to increase the efficiency of this system, have not been sufficiently considered. The purpose of the present study is to optimize the delay of the signalized intersection of bus lane and investigate the factors affecting the urban bus usage by citizens in public transportation of Rasht city and especially their satisfaction. Therefore, the intersection delay was optimized by gathering the traffic volume data in peak hour time of a signalized intersection along the bus lane and using machine learning methods. In addition, by collecting two different questionnaires, taking 84 samples (first questionnaire) and 374 samples (second questionnaire), the satisfaction of citizens and business people on the boundary of the bus lane was considered. The results indicated that about 95% of the businesses around this route believe that the construction of the bus lane led to a decrease in the income of more than 110 dollars per month. Further to this, despite the lack of facilities, poorly designed routes, and lack of the bus system fleet, the bus lane of Imam Khomeini had a high degree of satisfaction among the citizens. The result of various models showed that the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) had the highest R2 and the lowest amount of root mean square error (RMSE). In fact, this model had a better performance to predict and optimize the delay of signalized intersection than the fuzzy model. The optimum amount of intersection delay was determined as 56 seconds. With this value, the delay of bus movements in the bus lane had a higher possibility of being reduced.
Rural Financial Mobile Service Management System Based on Big Data
Authors: Liu Yan
Published: March 2022

Aiming at the problems of poor functionality, low resource utilization, and long response time in the currently designed rural financial mobile service management system, a rural financial mobile service management system based on big data is designed. This paper discusses the ideas and characteristics of big data, as well as the functional needs and development viability of rural financial mobile services. Based on Hadoop’s big data technology and Map Reduce and Spark, a big data analysis service management system architecture that is suitable for the field of rural finance is designed. Based on the overall system architecture, which is combined with linear discriminant analysis and data mining algorithms, the system software architecture is designed to realize system functions. Model the database in the system design process through power designer, and then realize the design of the rural financial mobile service management system based on big data. The experimental results show that the proposed method design system has better functionality, can effectively improve the utilization of system resources, and shorten the system response time.
Prospective Assessment of Intraoperative Facial Nerve Monitoring in Patients Undergoing Partial Parotidectomy
Authors: Zieliński Maciej , Sowa Paweł , Adamczyk-Sowa Monika , Szlęzak Michał , Misiołek Maciej
Published: March 2022

The most significant complication of parotid gland tumor surgery is facial weakness. This study compares the occurrence of transient facial palsy in patients with parotid gland tumors who underwent surgery without monitoring to those who underwent surgery with monitoring. The study’s aim was to investigate facial nerve function in patients undergoing parotidectomy as well as the effect of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring and the effect of certain risk factors on the surgery and onset of postoperative facial palsy. This prospective study included 100 patients who underwent parotidectomy. The study cohort was divided into two groups. Group I included 50 patients who underwent surgery without neuromonitoring and group II included 50 patients who underwent surgery with neuromonitoring. The neurological assessment was conducted using the House–Brackmann scale. Preoperatively and one month postoperatively, electroneuronography (ENoG) and blink reflex tests were done. The analyses showed a significant reduction of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude of the orbicularis oculi and orbicularis oris muscles and prolonged R1 and R2 blink reflex latencies 1 month after surgery. On neurological and electrophysiological studies, the rate of postoperative transient facial nerve dysfunction was significantly different between the groups. Significantly more patients, operated with use of facial nerve monitoring, presented postoperatively normal nerve function (i.e., House–Brackmann grade I) compared to those who underwent surgery without monitoring (78% and 26%, respectively; p < 0.001). Monitoring had a statistically significant impact on the prevalence of facial nerve conduction disorders in patients who underwent surgery, according to the blink reflex and ENoG studies. The duration of the surgical procedure was not affected by monitoring in any way. The clinical evaluation of facial nerve function (House–Brackmann scale) and some ENoG results 1 month after surgery were found to have a significant correlation. To summarize, using monitoring considerably reduced the negative impact of local factors and the prevalence of transient facial nerve palsy.
Analysis of 78 Cases of Primary Gastrointestinal Lymphoma
Authors: Xiang Yu , Yao Lidi
Published: March 2022

This paper studied the pathological features of 78 cases of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma. All patients with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma diagnosed in PET Center of Zhebei Mingzhou Hospital in Huzhou from August 2013 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. In addition, the pathology and immunohistochemistry of these patients were retrieved from the inpatient system of Huzhou Central Hospital. The results showed that the male-female ratio of these 78 patients was about 1.29/1 (including 44 males and 34 females), with a median age of 63 years old (20–90 years old). The most frequent sites in order of its occurrence were the stomach (51.3%), small intestine (34.6%), ileocecal region (9%) and colon (5.1%). T-cell lymphoma accounted for 10.7% of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma, and all of them were found in small intestines, while B-cell lymphoma accounted for 89.3%.
MiR-1270 Suppresses the Malignant Progression of Breast Cancer via Targeting MMD2
Authors: Hu Shaojun , Song Yang , Zhou Yu , Jiao Yu , Wang Song
Published: March 2022

We aimed to detect the clinical significance of microRNA-1270 (miR-1270) in breast cancer (BCa) development and its potential influence on malignant phenotypes of BCa cells. The miR-1270 level in paired BCa and paracancerous tissues was detected. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for the prognosis analysis of miR-1270 in BCa. The biofunctions of miR-1270 in apoptosis and proliferation of breast cancer cells were evaluated. Downstream target of miR-1270 was predicted and confirmed. The involvement of monocyte to macrophage differentiation associated 2 (MMD2) in BCa development was finally illustrated. miR-1270 was lowly expressed in BCa tissues. Lowly expressed miR-1270 was associated with tumor staging, larger tumor size, and also worse prognostic results in patients with BCa. miR-1270 overexpression suppressed proliferation and increased apoptotic rate of BCa cells. Further exploration showed that MMD2 might be the target of miR-1270. MMD2 was upregulated in BCa tissues and negatively correlated to miR-1270 level. Importantly, MMD2 significantly neutralized the above biofunctions of miR-1270 in malignant phenotypes of BCa. Lowly expressed miR-1270 is a hallmark of poor prognosis in patients with BCa. It inhibits proliferative ability and increases apoptosis in BCa by negatively regulating the MMD2 level.
Impact of Left Atrial Appendage Closure Combined with Catheter Ablation on Endocrine and Mechanical Cardiac Function in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Yang Jing , You Ling , Liu Mingqing , Zhang Guangming , Feng Liang , Liu Yue , Geng Xue , Wu Jinglan , Xie Ruiqin
Published: March 2022

Background. The combined procedure of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) and catheter ablation (CA) is a safe and feasible therapy to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the effect of the combined procedure on cardiac function remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in endocrine and mechanical function of the heart following the combined procedure. Methods. This retrospective study included 62 consecutive patients who underwent the combined procedure of AF ablation and WATCHMAN LAAC and 62 sex and age-matched patients who only received AF ablation. During follow-up, patients were examined for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels to represent endocrine cardiac function. Mechanical cardiac function was assessed during echocardiographic examination by means of the LA ejection fraction, LA strain (Ƹ), and LA strain rate (SR). Results. (1) The BNP levels decreased acutely after the procedure, rose at day 3 postoperation, but trended downwards at 3 months postoperation in both groups. No significant difference was observed between the two groups. (2) LA ejection fraction, LA Ƹ, and SR exhibited a continuous upward trend over a 3-month follow-up in both groups. There was no significant difference in LA ejection fractions, SRe (the parameter of LA conduit function), and SRa (the parameter of LA booster pump function) between the two groups. However, the Ƹ and SRs (the parameters of LA reservoir function) improved in patients treated with CA alone. Conclusions. The combined procedure of LAAC and CA significantly improved the endocrine and mechanical function of the heart. Compared to simple CA, based on CA with LAAC intervention, it does not significantly change LA endocrine function but may lead to a decline in the LA reservoir function.
Efficacy of Buqi Huoxue Decoction Combined with Cardiac Rehabilitation Nursing after Coronary Intervention in Patients with Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Its Influence on Prognosis
Authors: Du Haiping , Fu Hui , Yu Jing , Cheng Zuowang , Zhang Yanhong
Published: March 2022

Objective. To investigate the efficacy of the application of Buqi Huoxue Decoction combined with cardiac rehabilitation nursing for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its influence on the prognosis. Methods. 120 STEMI patients undergoing PCI were randomly divided into control group, cardiac care group, traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine group (TCM + WM group), and comprehensive treatment group. The control group was treated with a conventional antiplatelet therapy. On the basis of the control group, the cardiac care group was combined with cardiac care treatment. The TCM + WM group was combined with Buqi Huoxue Decoction, and the comprehensive treatment group was combined with cardiac rehabilitation care and Buqi Huoxue Decoction. The total clinical effective rate, readmission rate, and adverse reaction rate of the four groups were measured. Moreover, the myocardial injury markers (creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and α-Hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH)), vascular endothelial function indexes (endothelin (ET-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)), cardiac function indexes (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricle shortening rate (LFS), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDd), and left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESd)), and QOL quality of life score (appetite, spirit, sleep, fatigue, and daily life) were measured. Results. The total effective rate of comprehensive treatment group was obviously increased versus to the control group and cardiac care group. The CK-MB, cTnI, α-HBDH, ET-1, LVEDd, and LVESd levels and SAS and SDS scores in the four groups were decreased, and VEGF, LVEF, and FS levels and QOL quality of life scores were increased after treatment. Moreover, the comprehensive treatment group has more significant changes than the other three groups. The readmission rate in comprehensive treatment group was significantly lower than the other three groups, and the difference in the incidence of adverse reactions in the four groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Buqi Huoxue Decoction combined with cardiac rehabilitation after PCI has a significant clinical effect on STEMI patients with PCI postoperative treatment, which can effectively reduce myocardial injury, improve the patient's cardiac function and vascular endothelial function, and improve the patient's quality of life, which can better improve the prognosis of patients.
Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Radioactive Seed Implantation for Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Chen Su , Sheng Zhengzuo , Huang Naixiang
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study is to investigate the value of radiofrequency ablation combined with radioactive seed implantation in nonsmall cell lung cancer treatment. 30 patients with primary nonsmall cell lung cancer were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was treated with radiofrequency ablation combined with radiation seed implantation, and group B was treated with radiofrequency ablation only. We compared the incidence of complications in the two groups and reviewed the effective percentage every 3 months. All patients were treated successfully, and there were no deaths during treatment. There were no deaths and no cases of distant organ metastasis in nine months of follow-up. There were no significant differences in treatment-related complications between the two groups. The early postoperative (three and six months) effective percentage was not significantly different

P
>
0.05

. After 9 months, the postoperative effective rate for group A (9/15) was significantly different from that for group B (radiofrequency ablation) (6/15)

P
<
0.05

. Radiofrequency ablation combined with radiation 125I seed implantation can complement each other in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer.
The Value of DTI Parameters in Predicting Postoperative Spinal Cord Function Fluctuations in Patients with High Cervical Disc Tumors
Authors: Wang Lin
Published: March 2022

Objective. To explore the characteristics of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in patients with high cervical spinal myeloma and the evaluation of postoperative spinal cord function. Methods. In recent years, 42 patients with high cervical spine myeloma were selected as the observation group, and 42 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period. The apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC), the fractional anisotropy (FA), the number of fiber bundles (FT), and the fiber bundle ratio (FTR) were compared between the two groups. The correlation between the ADC, FA, FT, FTR, and the International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) score in the observation group were analyzed. Spinal cord function was evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score (JOA). Logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the recovery of spinal cord function after surgery. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the value of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 in predicting the recovery of spinal cord function. Results. The ADCs of the lesion layer and lower layer of the observation group were higher than the middle and lower layers of the control group, the FA and FT were lower than the middle and lower layers of the control group, and FTR1 and FTR2 were lower than those of the control group (

P
<
0.05

). The ADC of the lesion layer in the observation group was negatively correlated with ISNCSCI score, and the FA, FT, FTR1, FTR2, and ISNCSCI scores were positively correlated (

P
<
0.05

). Three months after the operation, JOA was used to evaluate the spinal cord function, which was excellent in 23 cases and poor in 19 cases. Logistic regression model analysis showed that after the ISNCSCI score was controlled, the increase in ADC and the decrease in FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer were independent risk factors for poor postoperative body function recovery (

P
<
0.05

). ROC analysis showed that the combination of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer predicted the AUC of spinal cord functional recovery was 0.941, which was better than the single prediction (

P
<
0.05

). Conclusion. The abnormal DTI parameter values of patients with high cervical spinal myeloma can better reflect the lack of spinal cord function, and they can effectively predict the recovery of the patient’s body function after surgery, providing a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
A Study on the Design and Implementation of an Improved AdaBoost Optimization Mathematical Algorithm Based on Recognition of Packaging Bottles
Authors: Liu Guozhu , Tsai Sang-Bing
Published: March 2022

In this paper, a special design system is developed based on the design of the packaging bottle to achieve the effective acquisition of the image of the cross-section of the packaging bottle to be measured under the condition of limited space size, avoiding the distortion of the object to be measured. At the same time, the image of the area where the target packaging bottle is located is segmented, and the curve features are quickly determined and effectively matched with the template library to realize the recognition of the shape features of the bottle. In this paper, the design of the packaging bottle is first designed by mechanism design and 3D modeling, followed by rapid prototyping methods such as 3D printing, and the prototype is made for functional verification. Finally, the transmission speed and stability of the design system for packaging bottle recognition are improved through structural analysis and optimization methods. To realize the intelligent control of the packaging bottle transmission and identification system, the hardware control circuit is designed and the relevant intelligent control program is prepared based on the embedded system so that the packaging bottles in the transmission process can be quickly and accurately positioned and identified. An improved AdaBoost algorithm is proposed for packaging bottle detection. In the process of algorithm learning, the Haar features are too large and time-consuming, and the training sample is cropped to remove the sample edge pixels, which effectively reduces the number of features, thus reducing the computation. The proposed optical flow method is used to obtain the motion region in the video image as the region of interest, and the canny operator is used in the region of interest for edge detection, and the region of interest is filtered by the edge energy to exclude the noninterest region. Finally, the AdaBoost algorithm is used to detect the region of interest, which reduces the detection area and decreases the detection time. The improved AdaBoost algorithm has a high accuracy improvement over the traditional AdaBoost algorithm for the recognition of various packaging bottles with relatively suitable training set samples, and the system recognition time has reached the requirements of industrial recognition.
A Meta-Analysis of Statin Use and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Yikai , Wang Wenjun , Wang Muqi , Shi Juanjuan , Jia Xiaoli , Dang Shuangsuo
Published: March 2022

Background. The use of statins is a potential protective factor against the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the contribution of statins to the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods. We searched for PubMed and EMBASE through January 2021. Results. Thirty-two studies (eighteen cohort, eleven case-control, and three randomized controlled trials) reporting 56,838 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in 4,963,518 persons were included. Statin users were less likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma than nonusers (adjusted odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.51–0.67). Stratified analysis showed that statins reduced the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Asian and Western populations (odds ratio, 0.54 vs. 0.60). Besides, statins have protective effects against hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis B virus (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% CI: 0.22–0.85) and hepatitis C virus infections (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% CI: 0.49–0.57). Statins have protective effects on people with chronic liver disease (odds ratio, 0.52; 95% CI: 0.40–0.68) and on the general population (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% CI: 0.50–0.72). Lipophilic statins can prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (odds ratio, 0.51, 95% CI: 0.46–0.57), while hydrophilic statins cannot (odds ratio, 0.77, 95% CI: 0.58–1.02). The single-drug analyses showed that simvastatin (odds ratio, 0.53, 95% CI: 0.48–0.59), atorvastatin (odds ratio, 0.54, 95% CI: 0.45–0.64), rosuvastatin (odds ratio, 0.55, 95% CI: 0.37–0.83), lovastatin (odds ratio, 0.30, 95% CI: 0.15–0.62), and pitavastatin (odds ratio, 0.36, 95% CI: 0.17–0.75) had significant benefits. Further studies have shown that those in the high-dose group experienced better effects in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.38 vs. 0.55). Further research found that the combined use of aspirin did not increase the chemoprevention effect of liver cancer (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.40–0.81). In addition, the preventive effect of statins improved with the extension of follow-up time (odds ratio, 0.54 vs. 0.65). Conclusion. Our meta-analysis shows that the use of statins is associated with a lower risk of liver cancer.