bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Industry-University Cooperation on Economic Development: A Mathematical Statistical Analysis
Authors: Xu Xiaodi , Zhu Yongfeng , Xu Liuyang , Wang Zilong
Published: December 2021

Technical innovation is an important means to achieve sustainable development. Industry-university cooperation is a new form of technological innovation. Most of the existing researches on industry-university cooperation focus on the analysis of industry-university cooperation models, but there are few researches on the examination of the relationship between industry-university cooperation and economic development. Using the spatial autocorrelation and spatial measurement model, the relationship between China’s industry-university cooperation and economic development was empirically investigated. The results indicate that, first, the nighttime light data could be used as a proxy variable for GDP data to characterize China’s economic development. Second, industry-university cooperation had a positive effect on China’s economic development. Third, industry-university cooperation affected China’s economic development through technological innovation.
Research on Community Public Service Information Collaborative Governance Based on Deep Learning Model
Authors: Liu Yajing
Published: December 2021

The communities have significantly increased in number and the environment has become complex. There are problems such as poor information collection in community public service information governance, lack of relevant analysis standards and models, and unreliable prediction results. In order to forecast and manage the risk information of the community, this research analyzes the public information of the community through the collaborative deep learning model. First of all, the information characteristic factors are selected that affect social risks based on the correlation analysis theory. Secondly, the convolutional neural network is used in deep learning for simulation of the community risk prediction model. Finally, through the comparative analysis of the model prediction results, it can be concluded that the accuracy rate of the proposed prediction model reaches 92.5%. An effective collaborative deep learning model is used to govern community public service information.
Clinical Effect of Suture Anchor and Double-Pulley Technique in the Treatment of Inferior Patellar Fracture
Authors: Yu Hang , Dong Hui , Ruan Binjia , Xu Xiaohang , Wang Yongxiang , Hu Le
Published: December 2021

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of suture anchor combined with double-pulley technique for subpatellar comminuted fractures compared with wire vertical suture and Krachow in the treatment of subpatellar fractures. Methods. Retrospectively selected 48 patients with subpatellar pole comminuted fracture admitted in our hospital from February 2013 to July 2019, 25 patients with double-pulley technique (group A), and 23 patients with vertical wire suture with Krachow suture. Patient age, gender, AT/OTA typing, injury mechanism, follow-up time, surgical time, bleeding volume, mean fracture healing time, and postoperative complications were recorded. The Insall-Salvati index immediately and 6 weeks after surgery. Bostman scores and knee activity were recorded at each follow-up, and month 12 was taken as the final result. Results. Time of surgery in group A (46.52 min) was significantly shorter than in group B (76.30 min). Intraoperative bleeding in group 15.1 ml, B, group 15.9 ml. Both incisions healed in stage I, averaging clinical healing of patella fracture within 10 weeks. There was no significant difference in mean Bostman score and knee activity at month 12 (group A: 28.4, 124.8°; group B: 28.1, 125.7°). There was no significant statistical difference in the Insall-Salvati index immediately or 6 weeks between the two groups. Group B patients had two wire fractures, fracture healing and the wire removed one year after surgery, and the remaining patients had no complications such as internal fixation loosening, fracture, delayed healing, or nonhealing of fracture. Conclusion. Compared with the treatment of subpatellar fracture with wire vertical suture and Krachow method, suture anchor with double-pulley technique has short operation time, reliable fixation, and less complications. Patients can have early functional exercise and good knee function recovery without secondary surgery. It can be considered as an alternative therapy for this fracture and deserves clinical adoption and promotion.
Clinical Efficacy of Conventional Heparin Anticoagulation Combined with Apixaban in the Treatment of Patients with Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Its Effect on Serum D-Dimer and FIB Expression
Authors: Dong Xiaohui , Liu Xiaohui , Liu Yanqing , Jiang Lili , Zhang Huiping , Liu Bofeng
Published: December 2021

Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical efficacy of conventional heparin anticoagulation in combination with apixaban in the treatment of patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and its influence on serum D-dimer (D-D) and fibrinogen (FIB). Methods. One hundred and fifty-seven consecutive CVT patients admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2013, were allocated into two groups according to the different treatment methods, of which 95 cases received standard anticoagulation therapy (standard group (SG)) and the remaining 62 cases were given apixaban therapy (research group (RG)). The curative effects and the changes of coagulation function during the treatment, as well as the incidence of adverse reactions, were analyzed in the two groups. The changes of D-D and FIB levels before treatment and at days 1, 4, and 7 posttreatment were detected. Results. In treatment efficacy, RG was superior to SG. No evident difference was observed in the incidence of adverse events or coagulation function between the two groups. At day 1 posttreatment, D-D level was increased largely in both SG and RG, but the increase was much more significant in RG. However, D-D level was decreased gradually with time in both groups, and the reduction was more notable in RG. The FIB level in SG declined gradually with time after treatment and was higher than that in RG at the same time point. In RG, FIB was decreased gradually at day 1 and day 4 posttreatment, and its level at day 7 posttreatment showed no difference compared with that at day 4 posttreatment. Spearman’s analysis identified that the higher the D-D level or the lower the FIB level at day 1 posttreatment was, the better the treatment efficacy was. After seven-day treatment, the lower the level of D-D and FIB was, the better the therapeutic effect was. Logistic analysis indicated that age, time of diagnosis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, infection, Apixaban, D-D, and FIB all independently affect the treatment effect of patients. Conclusions. The combined use of Apixaban with heparin is high-performing and safe in the treatment of CVT. The changes of D-D and FIB levels during the treatment are strongly linked to the therapeutic effect, which can be used as plausible evaluation indexes for the efficacy of CVT.
A Batch Authentication Design to Protect Conditional Privacy in Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Yang Yuhao , Huang Xiujie , Hu Jinyu
Published: December 2021

Internet of vehicles (IoV), a novel technology, holds paramount importance within the transportation domain due to its ability to increase traffic efficiency and safety. Information privacy is of vital importance in IoV when sharing information among vehicles. However, due to the openness of the communication network, information sharing is vulnerable to potential attacks, such as impersonation, modification, side-channel and replay attacks, and so on. In order to resolve the aforementioned problem, we present a conditional privacy-preserving batch authentication (CPPBA) scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). The proposed scheme avoids the certificate management problem, conducing to efficiency improvement. When a message is transmitted by a vehicle, its pseudo identity rather than the real identity is also broadcasted along with the shared message, which protects the privacy of the vehicle’s identity. But this privacy is conditional because TA and only the TA can reveal the real identity of the vehicle by tracing. The proposed scheme is batch verifiable, which reduces the computation costs. In addition, our scheme does not involve bilinear pairing operations and does not use the map-to-point hash function, thus making the verification process more effective. An exhaustive efficiency comparison has been carried to show that the proposed CPPBA scheme has lower computation, communication, and storage overheads than the state-of-the-art ones. A relatively comprehensive security analysis has also been carried, which not only shows that the signature design in the CPPBA scheme is unforgeable under the random oracle model but also illustrates that the CPPBA scheme is resistant to various potential attacks. The security is also verified by a popular automated simulation tool, that is, AVISPA.
Deep Learning to Predict EGFR Mutation and PD-L1 Expression Status in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on Computed Tomography Images
Authors: Wang Chengdi , Xu Xiuyuan , Shao Jun , Zhou Kai , Zhao Kefu , He Yanqi , Li Jingwei , Guo Jixiang , Yi Zhang , Li Weimin
Published: December 2021

Objective. The detection of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression status is crucial to determine the treatment strategies for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently, the rapid development of radiomics including but not limited to deep learning techniques has indicated the potential role of medical images in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Methods. Eligible patients diagnosed/treated at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2013 to April 2019 were identified retrospectively. The preoperative CT images were obtained, as well as the gene status regarding EGFR mutation and PD-L1 expression. Tumor region of interest (ROI) was delineated manually by experienced respiratory specialists. We used 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) with ROI information as input to construct a classification model and established a prognostic model combining deep learning features and clinical features to stratify survival risk of lung cancer patients. Results. The whole cohort (N = 1262) was divided into a training set (N = 882, 70%), validation set (N = 125, 10%), and test set (N = 255, 20%). We used a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) to construct a prediction model, with AUCs of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94–0.98), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72–0.88), and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63–0.83) in the training, validation, and test cohorts, respectively. The combined prognostic model showed a good performance on survival prediction in NSCLC patients (C-index: 0.71). Conclusion. In this study, a noninvasive and effective model was proposed to predict EGFR mutation and PD-L1 expression status as a clinical decision support tool. Additionally, the combination of deep learning features with clinical features demonstrated great stratification capabilities in the prognostic model. Our team would continue to explore the application of imaging markers for treatment selection of lung cancer patients.
Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Reduces Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Authors: Feng Xiangjun , Niu Lili , Long Meng , Luo Kaixuan , Huang Xiaowei , Chen Moxian , Lin Zhengrong , Zhou Wei , Yi Shasha , Ao Lijuan
Published: December 2021

Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a potential tool for treating chronic pain by modulating the central nervous system. Herein, we aimed to determine whether transcranial FUS stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) effectively improved chronic pain in the chronic compress injury mice model at different stages of neuropathic pain. The mechanical threshold of pain was recorded in the nociceptive tests. We found FUS stimulation elevated the mechanical threshold of pain in both short-term (

p
<
0.01

) and long-term (

p
<
0.05

) experiments. Furthermore, we determined protein expression differences in ACC between the control group, the intervention group, and the Sham group to analyze the underlying mechanism of FUS stimulation in improving neuropathic pain. Additionally, the results showed FUS stimulation led to alterations in differential proteins in long-term experiments, including cellular processes, cellular signaling, and information storage and processing. Our findings indicate FUS may effectively alleviate mechanical neuropathic pain via the ACC’s stimulation, especially in the chronic state.
Evaluation and Construction of College Students’ Growth and Development Index System Based on Data Association Mining and Deep Learning Model
Authors: Li Yanjie , Mao He
Published: December 2021

The rise of big data in the field of education provides an opportunity to solve college students’ growth and development. The establishment of a personalized student management mode based on big data in universities will promote the change of personalized student management from the empirical mode to the scientific mode, from passive response to active warning, from reliance on point data to holistic data, and thus improve the efficiency and quality of personalized student management. In this paper, using the latest ideas and techniques in deep learning such as self-supervised learning and multitask learning, we propose an open-source educational big data pretrained language model F-BERT based on the BERT model architecture. Based on the BERT architecture, F-BERT can effectively and automatically extract knowledge from educational big data and memorize it in the model without modifying the model structure specific to educational big data tasks so that it can be directly applied to various educational big data domain tasks downstream. The experiment demonstrates that Vanilla F-BERT outperformed the two Vanilla BERT-based models, Vanilla BERT and BERT tasks, by 0.0.6 and 0.03 percent, respectively, in terms of accuracy.
Retinal Degeneration in a Murine Model of Retinal Ischemia by Unilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion
Authors: Lee Deokho , Nakai Ayaka , Miwa Yukihiro , Tomita Yohei , Serizawa Naho , Katada Yusaku , Hatanaka Yusuke , Tsubota Kazuo , Negishi Kazuno , Kurihara Toshihide
Published: December 2021

Retinal degeneration is a progressive retinal damage in ocular vascular diseases. There are several reasons for this, such as occlusion of arteries or veins, diabetic retinopathy, or hereditary retinal diseases. To study pathological mechanisms of retinal degeneration, it is required to develop experimentally reproducible and clinically relevant models. In our previous studies, we developed a murine model of retinal hypoperfusion by unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) which mimics the pathophysiology of ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) in humans, and described broad pathological mechanisms in the retina after UCCAO. However, there still remain missing pieces of the ocular pathologic process by UCCAO. In this study, we examined those unfound mechanisms. UCCAO was performed on adult mice. Ocular dysfunctions, histological deficits, and inflammation were examined after UCCAO, compared with sham‐operated mice. Evaluation values were analyzed by electrophysiological, histological, and molecular biological methods. Eyelid drooping was permanently seen after UCCAO. Induction time point of acute reversible cataract under anesthesia was shortened. Retinal/visual dysfunctions were detected 2‐4 weeks after UCCAO. Specifically, scotopic b‐wave was more affected than a‐wave, with the dysfunction of photopic b‐wave. Impaired oscillatory potentials and visual evoked potential were constantly observed. Pathological Müller gliosis/inflammation was featured with NeuN‐positive cell loss in the ganglion cell layer. Axial length, intraocular pressure, pupillary light reflex, and retinal pigment epithelium/choroidal thickness were not changed by UCCAO. A murine model of retinal ischemia by UCCAO can be useful for studying a series of degenerative process in the ischemic retina.
Tanshinone I Mitigates Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head and Activates the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway in Rats
Authors: Xu Xilin , Shen Yiwei , Lv Hang , Zhao Jun , Li Xiaodong , Gao Lu , Ren Shujun , Zhang Xiaofeng
Published: December 2021

Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SIONFH) is a frequent orthopedic disease caused by long-term or high-dose administration of corticosteroids. Tanshinone I (TsI), a flavonoid compound isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has been reported to inhibit osteoclastic differentiation in vitro. This study aimed to investigate whether TsI can ameliorate SIONFH. Herein, SIONFH was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 20 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide every 24 h for 2 days, followed by an intramuscular injection of 40 mg/kg methylprednisolone every 24 h for 3 days. Four weeks after the final injection of methylprednisolone, the rats were intraperitoneally administrated with low-dose (5 mg/kg) and high-dose (10 mg/kg) TsI once daily for 4 weeks. Results showed that TsI significantly alleviated osteonecrotic lesions of the femoral heads as determined by micro-CT analysis. Furthermore, TsI increased alkaline phosphatase activity and expressions of osteoblastic markers including osteocalcin, type I collagen, osteopontin, and Runt-related transcription factor 2 and decreased tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity and expressions of osteoclastic markers including cathepsin K and acid phosphatase 5. TsI also reduced inflammatory response and oxidative stress and activated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway in the femoral heads. Taken together, our findings show that TsI can relieve SIONFH, indicating that it may be a candidate for preventing SIONFH.
circITGA7 Acts as a miR-370-3p Sponge to Suppress the Proliferation of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Luo Gang , Li Guohao , Wan Zhihua , Zhang Yuanjie , Liu Dong , Guo Yonglian
Published: December 2021

Prostate cancer (PCa) refers to one of the most common tumors in male’s genitourinary system. Emerging research has confirmed that circRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, the correlation between circular RNA circITGA7 and PCa still remains unclear. Here, the role of circITGA7 in PCa was explored and the underlying mechanism was investigated as well. The circRNA expression profiles in PCa and the paracancerous tissues were established by high-throughput sequencing. The expression levels of circITGA7 in PCa tissues and cells were detected by qRT-PCR. Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, EdU, and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the effects of circITGA7 on PCa cell proliferation. To further explore the underlying mechanisms, bioinformatics analysis on downstream target genes was carried out. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the direct relationship between miR-370-3p and circITGA7 or P21CIP1. The present results demonstrated that circITGA7 was downregulated in PCa tissues and cells. Gain- or loss-of-function assays showed that circITGA7 inhibited the proliferation of PCa cells in vivo and in vitro. Mechanically, circITGA7 served as a sponge for miR-370-3p, and miR-370-3p could target P21CIP1 in PCa cells. The inhibition of cell proliferation induced by circITGA7 could be reversed by transfecting miR-370-3p mimic. Collectively, our data indicated that circITGA7 played an important role in inhibiting tumor proliferation in PCa and might be a potential therapeutic target.
Protein Subcellular Localization Based on Evolutionary Information and Segmented Distribution
Authors: Jin Danyu , Zhu Ping
Published: December 2021

The prediction of protein subcellular localization not only is important for the study of protein structure and function but also can facilitate the design and development of new drugs. In recent years, feature extraction methods based on protein evolution information have attracted much attention and made good progress. Based on the protein position-specific score matrix (PSSM) obtained by PSI-BLAST, PSSM-GSD method is proposed according to the data distribution characteristics. In order to reflect the protein sequence information as much as possible, AAO method, PSSM-AAO method, and PSSM-GSD method are fused together. Then, conditional entropy-based classifier chain algorithm and support vector machine are used to locate multilabel proteins. Finally, we test Gpos-mPLoc and Gneg-mPLoc datasets, considering the severe imbalance of data, and select SMOTE algorithm to expand a few sample; the experiment shows that the AAO + PSSM

∗

method in the paper achieved 83.1% and 86.8% overall accuracy, respectively. After experimental comparison of different methods, AAO + PSSM

∗

has good performance and can effectively predict protein subcellular location.
Overlapping Community Detection Based on Node Importance and Adjacency Information
Authors: Wang Ping , Huang Yonghong , Tang Fei , Liu Hongtao , Lu Yangyang
Published: December 2021

Detecting the community structure and predicting the change of community structure is an important research topic in social network research. Focusing on the importance of nodes and the importance of their neighbors and the adjacency information, this article proposes a new evaluation method of node importance. The proposed overlapping community detection algorithm (ILE) uses the random walk to select the initial community and adopts the adaptive function to expand the community. It finally optimizes the community to obtain the overlapping community. For the overlapping communities, this article analyzes the evolution of networks at different times according to the stability and differences of social networks. Seven common community evolution events are obtained. The experimental results show that our algorithm is feasible and capable of discovering overlapping communities in complex social network efficiently.
Behavioral Intentions of Urban Rail Transit Passengers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tianjin, China: A Model Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Theory
Authors: Zhang Xinyuan , Liu Diyi , Wang Yuning , Du Huibin
Published: December 2021

Understanding the behavioral intentions of public transit passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic is important for transmission control interventions oriented towards public transport system travel behavior. This paper studies the relationship between passengers’ intentions to use public transport, a set of psychological variables, and the influence of transport management policies (POLs) under COVID-19. Specifically, this study presents a framework integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and customer satisfaction (CS) theory and uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) applied to the survey responses of 983 residents of Tianjin, China. The empirical results support the validity of this integrated model of public transit use intentions by confirming several hypothesized relationships among the psychological variables studied. Moreover, POLs under COVID-19 are shown to enhance commuters’ intentions primarily via subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavioral control (PBC), perceived service quality (PSQ), and CS. These findings reveal the psychological mechanism through which passengers adjust their public transport travel intentions during the COVID-19 period. Based on the results, some feasible suggestions are proposed to help restore confidence in public transport after the pandemic.
Constructions and Necessities of Some Permutation Polynomials over Finite Fields
Authors: Liu Xiaogang
Published: December 2021

Let

F

q

denote the finite field with

q

elements. Permutation polynomials over finite fields have important applications in many areas of science and engineering such as coding theory, cryptography, and combinatorial design. The study of permutation polynomials has a long history, and many results are obtained in recent years. In this paper, we obtain some further results about the permutation properties of permutation polynomials. Some new classes of permutation polynomials are constructed, and the necessities of some permutation polynomials are studied.
Hollow Effect of Ground Vibration Induced by Electronic Detonator in Shallow Tunnel
Authors: Ding Weijie , Jia Bei , Liu Dianshu
Published: December 2021

Blasting excavation is extensively used in tunnel construction, and the adverse effect of ground vibration induced by blasting on surrounding structures and inhabitants is a critical problem. This study aims to investigate the tunnel hollow effect on triaxial peak particle velocities (PPV) and dominant frequencies induced by electronic detonator. Field experiments were conducted in a shallow tunnel construction site and the ground vibration waveforms were recorded. Variational mode decomposition (VMD) was applied to denoise and correct the zero‐drift phenomenon, and the proposed method of selecting the optimal parameter was verified. A series of statistical analyses and tests were performed to evaluate the differences of peak particle velocity and dominant frequency among various monitoring points. The results showed that the hollow effect on Z‐axis PPV is significant, and triaxial PPV is also affected when the horizontal distance exceeds 30 m. The hollow effect on dominant frequency could not be identified since the hollow of tunnel is a free face, and the dominant frequency of reflected wave remains unchanged. An augmented factor of 1.229 is determined carefully as the hollow effect factor on PPV. Therefore, blasting vibration induced by electronic detonator of the excavated zone should be attached with greater importance, and hollow effect on PPV should be considered in the blasting design of tunnel excavation.
Application of a Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography‐Based Index for Evaluating Surgical Sites Prior to Sinus Lift Procedures—A Pilot Study
Authors: Shetty Shishir Ram , Arya Satyavrat , Kamath Vinayak , Al-Bayatti Saad , Marei Hesham , Abdelmagyd Hossam , El-Kishawi Mohamed , Al Shehadat Saaid , Al Kawas Sausan , Shetty Raghavendra
Published: December 2021

Objectives. Radiography‐based indices can help surgeons perform detailed examinations of the surgical site and predict the surgical difficulty of cases. We aimed to develop and validate a novel CBCT‐based index that can predict the surgical difficulty of sinus‐augmentation procedures. Materials and Methods. In the first stage, five experienced dental specialists performed a review of the literature and closed group discussions and designed the novel index. In the next stage, the index was validated. CBCT scans of 30 patients scheduled for sinus‐augmentation procedures were evaluated and assigned presurgical CBCT evaluation scores (PSCESs) by five examiners. Subsequently, one oral surgeon performed sinus augmentation using the lateral antrostomy technique and assigned surgical difficulty scores (SDSs) to each of the 30 cases along with 2 observers. The PSCESs and SDSs were statistically analysed to determine the interrater reliability and validity of the index. Results. The interrater agreement of the PSCES among the five presurgical evaluators was 0.85. The PSCES of the five evaluators had highly significant correlation (P < 0.001, r = 0.68 to 0.76) with the SDS. Regression analysis revealed that for every unit increase in the PSCES, there is 0.46 to 0.57 increase in the SDS value. Conclusion. The results of this pilot study revealed that a novel CBCT‐based index can be used as a reliable tool for predicting the surgical difficulty of sinus‐augmentation procedures. However, the novel index needs to be tested on a larger sample of patients and evaluators for a more concrete validity and reliability.
Database Padding for Dynamic Symmetric Searchable Encryption
Authors: Du Ruizhong , Zhang Yuqing , Li Mingyue
Published: December 2021

Dynamic symmetric searchable encryption (DSSE) that enables the search and update of encrypted databases outsourced to cloud servers has recently received widespread attention for leakage-abuse attacks against DSSE. In this paper, we propose a dynamic database padding method to mitigate the threat of data leakage during the update operation of outsourcing data. First, we introduce an outlier detection technology where bogus files are generated for padding according to the outlier factors, hiding the document information currently matching search keywords. Furthermore, we design a new index structure suitable for the padded database using the bitmap index to simplify the update operation of the encrypted index. Finally, we present an application scenario of the padding method and realize a forward and backward privacy DSSE scheme (named PDB-DSSE). The security analysis and simulation results show that our dynamic padding algorithm is suitable for DSSE scheme and PDB-DSSE scheme maintains the security and efficiency of the retrieval and update of the DSSE scheme.
Reaction of the Liver upon Long-Term Treatment of Fluoxetine and Atorvastatin Compared with Alcohol in a Mouse Model
Authors: Chen Zhiliang , Chow Tony C. H. , Wang Shicong , Leung Gigi C. T. , Wu Sharon L. Y. , Yew David T.
Published: December 2021

Background. Alcoholism is known to cause liver toxicity and is extensively researched. On the other hand, stress, depression, and obesity are interrelated conditions with alcoholism, and their medications would affect the liver itself. In this study, we investigated the effects of the drugs fluoxetine and atorvastatin on the liver and compared with those of alcohol in a mouse model. Methods. Comparisons of animals treated with the three drugs were carried out: serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and albumin were measured; liver tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta-1) levels were evaluated; proliferative cells were detected via immunohistochemistry (IHC) targeting on proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (MCM2); for apoptosis, IHC targeting on activated caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were employed; and histopathology was also documented in all groups. Results. For ALT, AST, albumin, and liver TNF alpha, only the ethanol group surged to significantly higher levels. For TGF beta-1, both ethanol and atorvastatin groups reached a significantly higher level. PCNA and MCM2 showed increased proliferation in the livers of all three groups, with the ethanol group having the highest number of positive cells followed by atorvastatin and then the fluoxetine group. As for cell death, both ethanol and fluoxetine groups showed significantly more apoptosis than control in TUNEL and activated caspase-3, while in the atorvastatin group, activated caspase-3 positive cells increased significantly, but the increase in TUNEL-positive cells did not reach statistical significance.
Comparison of Synergistic Effect of Nisin and Monolaurin on the Inactivation of Three Heat Resistant Spores Studied by Design of Experiments in Milk
Authors: Kmiha Souhir , Aouadhi Chedia , Aziza Khouloud , Bejaoui Awatef , Maaroufi Abderrazak
Published: December 2021

Spore forming bacteria are special problems for the dairy industry. Heat treatments are insufficient to kill the spores. This is a continuously increasing problem for the industry, but we should be able to control it. In this context, we investigated the combined effect of nisin, monolaurin, and pH values on three heat resistant spores in UHT milk and distilled water and to select an optimal combination for the maximum spore inactivation. The inhibitory effect of nisin (between 50 and 200 IU/ml), monolaurin (ranging from 150 to 300 µg/ml), and pH (between 5 and 8) was investigated using a central composite plan. Results were analyzed using the response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained data showed that the inactivation of Bacillus spores by the combined effect of nisin-monolaurin varies with spore species, acidity, and nature of the medium in which the bacterial spores are suspended. In fact, Terribacillus aidingensis spores were more resistant, to this treatment, than Paenibacillus sp. and Bacillus sporothermodurans ones. The optimum process parameters for a maximum reduction of bacterial spores (∼3log) were obtained at a concentration of nisin >150 IU/ml and of monolaurin >200 µg/ml. The current study highlighted the presence of a synergistic effect between nisin and monolaurin against heat bacterial spores. So, such treatment could be applied by the dairy industry to decontaminate UHT milk and other dairy products from bacterial spores.
Repensando el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la morfología en el mundo post-pandemia
Authors: Garrido Cisterna Francisco Javier , Barriga Ana , Leiva-Ordóñez Ana María , Inzunza Óscar
Published: December 2021

Las ciencias morfológicas incluyen el estudio de tres disciplinas que analizan el cuerpo humano: la anatomía macroscópica, la histología y la embriología, las cuales forman parte central del ciclo básico en todas las carreras de la salud. El aprendizaje morfológico ocurre en el laboratorio y se basa en el estudio de disecciones cadavéricas, preparaciones histológicas o muestras del desarrollo embrionario, con el propósito de lograr una adecuada compresión de las características morfoestructurales del cuerpo humano. Sin embargo, la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 significó un cambio profundo en la forma de enseñar, incorporando métodos de enseñanza-aprendizaje utilizados durante la pandemia que incluyen estrategias como los microscopios virtuales, atlas interactivos o videos de disecciones, lo que ha llevado a algunos a cuestionar la necesidad de utilizar los laboratorios de morfología. La educación virtual ha aparecido como una alternativa factible de mantener post-pandemia, sin embargo, el paso por el laboratorio es irreemplazable en la formación de profesionales de la salud, permitiendo el desarrollo de otras competencias más allá de la aplicación del conocimiento. La morfología seguirá siendo la piedra angular en la formación de profesionales de la salud. El desafío es como a través de la innovación y la creatividad incorporamos las nuevas tecnologías digitales, agregando un nuevo valor al estudio de esta disciplina.
Relationship Between Myocardial Injury During Index Hospitalization for SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection and Longer‐Term Outcomes
Authors: Weber Brittany , Siddiqi Hasan , Zhou Guohai , Vieira Jefferson , Kim Andy , Rutherford Henry , Mitre Xhoi , Feeley Monica , Oganezova Karina , Varshney Anubodh S. , Bhatt Ankeet S. , Nauffal Victor , Atri Deepak S. , Blankstein Ron , Karlson Elizabeth W. , Di Carli Marcelo , Baden Lindsey R. , Bhatt Deepak L. , Woolley Ann E.
Published: December 2021

Background

Myocardial injury in patients with COVID‐19 is associated with increased mortality during index hospitalization; however, the relationship to long‐term sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 is unknown. This study assessed the relationship between myocardial injury (high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T level) during index hospitalization for COVID‐19 and longer‐term outcomes.

Methods and Results

This is a prospective cohort of patients who were hospitalized at a single center between March and May 2020 with SARS‐CoV‐2. Cardiac biomarkers were systematically collected. Outcomes were adjudicated and stratified on the basis of myocardial injury. The study cohort includes 483 patients who had high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T data during their index hospitalization. During index hospitalization, 91 (18.8%) died, 70 (14.4%) had thrombotic complications, and 126 (25.6%) had cardiovascular complications. By 12 months, 107 (22.2%) died. During index hospitalization, 301 (62.3%) had cardiac injury (high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T≧14 ng/L); these patients had 28.6%, 32.2%, and 33.2% mortality during index hospitalization, at 6 months, and at 12 months, respectively, compared with 4.1%, 4.9%, and 4.9% mortality for those with low‐level positive troponin and 0%, 0%, and 0% for those with undetectable troponin. Of 392 (81.2%) patients who survived the index hospitalization, 94 (24%) had at least 1 readmission within 12 months, of whom 61 (65%) had myocardial injury during the index hospitalization. Of 377 (96%) patients who were alive and had follow‐up after the index hospitalization, 211 (56%) patients had a documented, detailed clinical assessment at 6 months. A total of 78 of 211 (37.0%) had ongoing COVID‐19–related symptoms; 34 of 211 (16.1%) had neurocognitive decline, 8 of 211 (3.8%) had increased supplemental oxygen requirements, and 42 of 211 (19.9%) had worsening functional status.

Conclusions

Myocardial injury during index hospitalization for COVID‐19 was associated with increased mortality and may predict who are more likely to have postacute sequelae of COVID‐19. Among patients who survived their index hospitalization, the incremental mortality through 12 months was low, even among troponin‐positive patients.
Association of Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index and Its Dynamic Change With Risk of Carotid Plaque in a Large Cohort in China
Authors: Bi Haoran , Zhang Yanyan , Qin Pei , Wang Changyi , Peng Xiaolin , Chen Hongen , Zhao Dan , Xu Shan , Wang Li , Zhao Ping , Lou Yanmei , Hu Fulan
Published: December 2021

Background

We aimed to evaluate the association between the Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) and its dynamic change and risk of carotid plaque based on a large Chinese cohort.

Methods and Results

This cohort included 23 522 participants aged 20 to 80 years without elevated carotid intima‐media thickness and carotid plaque at baseline and who received at least 2 health checkups. CVAI was calculated at baseline and at every checkup. The dynamic change in CVAI was calculated by subtracting CVAI at baseline from that at the last follow‐up. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. The restricted cubic spline was applied to model the dose‐response association between CVAI and carotid plaque risk. During the 82 621 person‐years of follow‐up, 5987 cases of carotid plaque developed (7.25/100 person‐years). We observed a significant positive correlation between CVAI and carotid plaque risk (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.48–1.59 [
P
<0.001]) in a nonlinear dose‐response pattern (
P
nonlinearity
<0.001). The sensitivity analyses further confirmed the robustness of the results. The association was significant in all subgroup analyses stratified by sex, hypertension, and fatty liver disease except for the diabetes subgroup. The association between CVAI and carotid plaque risk was much higher in men than in women. No significant association was identified between change in CVAI and carotid plaque risk.

Conclusions

CVAI was positively associated with carotid plaque risk in a nonlinear dose‐response pattern in this study. Individuals should keep their CVAI within a normal level to prevent the development of carotid plaque.
Climate Change and Disappearing Island States: Pursuing Remedial Territory
Authors: Allen Emma
Published: December 2021

As at the start of 2018, at least eight low-lying Pacific islands have been found to have disappeared as a result of climate change induced rising sea levels and more seem likely in future to suffer the same fate. Because international law demands territory as a requirement of statehood, this could have implications for the affected states’ continuation and the livelihood of the populations displaced. Scholars in recent years have therefore pointed to various strategies for the disappearing island community to maintain a territorial dimension. This article examines in particular the as yet largely uninvestigated option of pursuing remedial territory, i.e. territory transferred from responsible to injured states as redress for climate change induced deterritorialisation. Applying the rules on state responsibility, it considers whether at least some emitting third states may be obliged to provide a portion of their territory as reparation for the commission of an internationally wrongful act.
Music, Theatre, and Diplomacy: The Paris Opéra during the Second Empire
Authors: Everist Mark
Published: December 2021

One of the first accomplishments of the Second Empire (1852–70) was to bring the Opéra under the control of a committee of the most highly placed politicians in the land. While this had far-reaching consequences for the development of repertory in the capital and beyond, it also opened up the possibility of using the Opéra as a locus of diplomatic activity, and major works and productions were made to work for diplomatic purposes. The Opéra emerged as a site of four types of diplomatic activities: the spectacle of state visits, the celebration and monumentalizing of military victories, the restoration and maintenance of good relations, and the promotion of Napoléon’s imperial project. Occasionally, as at the end of the “Crimean war,” the Opéra served as one of the sites for a series of prolonged negotiations that would lead to formal treaties.
The lifespans of the potential biological control agents in the family Blattisociidae (Acari: Mesostigmata)
Authors: ZHANG NA , XIE LIXIA
Published: December 2021

This review summarized the duration of immature stages (egg to adult) and adult lifespans of the mites in the family Blattisociidae based on literature published from 1965 to 2021. We found 57 articles with information on the ecology and biology of the blattisociids. The lifespan and duration of immature stages were only reported in 16 out of 400 species. Most of the experiments were conducted in the laboratory, which may not accurately reflect their lifespans in nature. Temperatures, diets, and pesticides are the main factors that affect the lifespan of blattisociids. Low temperature could significantly prolong the lifespan and duration of immature stages of blattisociids. Different prey species or stages also affect the development time and lifespan of blattisociids significantly.
Introducing a survey of mite lifespans: How long do Acari live?
Authors: ZHANG ZHI-QIANG
Published: December 2021

How long do animals live and why are some long-lived whereas others short-lived? These questions have long fascinated scholars, including Aristotle. Incidentally, it is also Aristotle who first named mites “Acari” according to new research on the Greek origin of acarology by Zaborowski & Daszkiewicz (2017)
A survey of lifespans in Oribatida excluding Astigmata (Acari)
Authors: PFINGSTL TOBIAS , SCHATZ HEINRICH
Published: December 2021

This contribution provides an update on the duration of life cycles and lifespans of oribatid mites based on a literature review. The total lifespan is the sum of the immature developmental time (egg to adult) and the longevity of the adult. Most investigations were carried out in the laboratory, few were performed in the field, under field conditions and/or compared with field data. Many life cycles were investigated under different environmental influences. The life cycles of 144 oribatid species are listed. Compared with the total number of known oribatid species, this number is very low. Data for the total lifespan are given for 52 species, either from observations in the laboratory or estimated in comparison with field studies, but can only be guesses of the real lifespan. The typical lifespan of an oribatid species in temperate or boreal regions lasts between 1 and 2 years, rarely 3 years. The few investigated tropical species from laboratory experiments show generally faster development and shorter lifespans as species from temperate regions; no field studies have been carried out in the tropics yet. Long lifespan periods of 5 to 8 years are particularly characteristic of species in polar regions and in mountainous temperate regions. Some examples of species with different longevity in distinct climate regions, very long lifespans and change of life parameters under stressful laboratory conditions are presented.
How long do eriophyoid mites live?
Authors: OZMAN-SULLIVAN SEBAHAT K. , SULLIVAN GREGORY T.
Published: December 2021

The eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) are extremely small, highly specialized and obligately phytophagous, and ~ 80% of the ~ 5,000 known species are monophagous. They include pests of more than 50 important food and industrial crops and ornamental plants. Conversely, other species have been investigated for their potential role in the biological control of weeds. In this literature review, the data on the development time, adult longevity and lifespan of eriophyoid species generated in 74 studies from 1930 to 2021 was compiled. The eriophyoids were from three families, Eriophyidae, Diptilomiopidae and Phytoptidae, 24 genera and 47 species that included 43 eriophyids, two phytoptids and two diptilomiopids. The most studied genus was Aceria (13 species), followed by Aculus (4) and Calacarus (3). The host plants were in a range of vegetative forms, including grasses, a climber, shrubs and trees, in different families that included Poaceae, Rosaceae and Rutaceae. Almost all the investigations were carried out in laboratory settings under numerous combinations of species, gender, diet/host plant, temperature, relative humidity and photoperiod. These variables all affected the development time, adult longevity and lifespan of eriophyoid mites, with temperature consistently a major influence and relative humidity consistently important. Male life stages were always shorter than female life stages. Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead) males had the shortest lifespan of 7.1 d at 32 °C on green orange fruit and Aculops lycopersici (Massee) females had the longest lifespan of 46.4 d at 11 °C on young tomato leaves. Biological studies on the duration of their life stages are required to develop models that predict the dynamics of eriophyoid populations in the field to support IPM programs and organic farming. Moreover, these studies are becoming increasingly valuable as globalization and climate change facilitate the spread of invasive eriophyoid mite species.
How long do whirligig mites live? A survey of lifespan in Anystidae (Acari: Trombidiformes)
Authors: ZHANG ZHI-QIANG
Published: December 2021

The Anystidae are a family of over 100 species of predatory mites commonly seen in soils and on plants worldwide. A few species of genus Anystis have potential as biocontrol agents against some insect and mite pests. Herein I provide a review of the lifespan of the Anystidae as part of a series on the lifespans in the Acari. The full life cycle in this family includes six immature stages (the egg, prelarva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and tritonymph) and adult males/females. Life history data are only available for a few species. Developmental times from eggs to adults (44 to 82 days at 21 or 22 °C) were reported for three Anystis species. The total lifespan was measured for only one species (Anystis agilis): 66 days at 21 °C. There are two to three generations per year for Anystis species in the field. Summer aestivation was reported for Anystis baccarum, either as eggs or tritonymphs; aestivating tritonymphs may have a developmental time and total lifespan of over 200 and 300 days, respectively.