bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic Investigation of Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
Authors: Tripathi Anand Kumar , Choudhury Debittree , Joy Miji E , Neergat Manoj
Published: April 2022

The kinetics of redox reactions relevant to vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is investigated using voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a three-electrode configuration and in a VRFB setup (two-electrode configuration). Impedance spectra are recorded in the VRFB setup with equimolar concentration of V5+/V4+and V3+/V2+solutions as positive and negative electrolytes, respectively (full-cell; asymmetric feed system); with an equimolar V5+/V4+electrolyte on both sides (symmetric feed system 1); and also with V3+/V2+electrolyte on both sides (symmetric feed system 2). Impedance of the full-cell VRFB (recorded with asymmetric feed system) is comparable to the sum of the half of the impedance of symmetric feed systems (of V5+/V4+and V3+/V2+electrolytes) at open circuit potential (OCP). Impedance and voltammograms recorded in the three-electrode configuration using Vulcan XC-72 modified rotating disk electrode, and the impedance recorded in the two-electrode full-cell configuration unequivocally confirms that the V5+/V4+redox reaction limits the VRFB performance. The optimal performance of the VRFB with the in situ treated carbon felt compressed to 47% is ∼389 and ∼336 mW cm−2with 5 and 25 cm2cell area, respectively.
Arousal elevation drives the development of oscillatory vocal output
Authors: Zhang Yisi S. , Alvarez John L. , Ghazanfar Asif A.
Published: April 2022

The development of motor behaviors, and the influence of energetic and social factors on it, has long been of interest, yet we lack an integrated picture of how these different systems may interact. Through the lens of vocal development in infant marmosets, this study offers a solution for social behavior development by linking motor production with arousal states. Increases in arousal can drive the system out of stochastic states toward oscillatory dynamics ready for communication.
Angiopoietin-Like 8 in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Reduced Levels in Third Trimester Maternal Serum and Placenta, Increased Levels in Cord Blood Serum
Authors: Yuan Junhua , Zhang Di , Wang Yunyang , Zhu Zhen , Lin Qian , Li Manwen , Zhong Weizhen , Han Jing , Xu Fengsen , Dong Jing
Published: April 2022

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses a significant health risk to pregnant women, and thus exploring the potential underlying mechanism is highly desirable. The aim of the study was to compare maternal serum, cord blood serum, and placental angiopoietin-like 8 (ANGPTL8) levels in the third trimester of pregnancy in women with and without gestational diabetes and explore the potential underlying mechanism. A total of 42 pregnant women (23 with GDM and 19 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT)) along with 29 age-matched non-pregnant healthy females were enrolled. All pregnant subjects were in the late third trimester. Maternal serum and cord blood serum ANGPTL8 levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the protein levels of ANGPTL8 in placentas were assessed with western blotting. The associations between maternal serum and cord blood serum ANGPTL8 levels and metabolic parameters were investigated with the Spearman correlation analysis. Significantly lower levels of maternal serum and placental ANGPTL8 levels were observed in GDM patients compared to NGT pregnant women, while remarkably higher ANGPTL8 levels were present in the cord blood serum samples. The maternal serum ANGPTL8 level was positively correlated with BMI, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and AUC for OGTT and birthweight. Additionally, the cord blood serum ANGPTL8 level was positively correlated with insulin and the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. Both maternal serum and cord blood serum ANGPTL8 levels seemed to correlate with GDM and has the potential to be used as a biomarker for GDM and birthweight prediction.
Some Weakly Singular Integral Inequalities and Their Applications to Tempered Fractional Differential Equations
Authors: Ben Makhlouf Abdellatif , Boucenna Djalal , Nagy A.M. , Mchiri Lassaad
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we establish several new weakly singular integral inequalities that generalize several previously known ones. Several applications for fractional differential equations in the Caputo context have been derived using tempered fractional differential equations.
Manipulator Mechanical System Design and Operation Algorithm Based on Multisensor Fusion
Authors: Jiao Jian , Li Chengdong
Published: April 2022

With the advancement of modern technology and the improvement of the level of social productivity, people are paying more and more attention to the reduction of labor intensity and the change of working environment. At the same time, in order to explore the application of multisensor fusion in the design and operation algorithm of manipulator mechanical system, we first introduced the big data fusion, proposed the multisensor data fusion algorithm, and analyzed the gradient descent method, auxiliary filtering method, and Kalman filter. Finally, the rated motion parameters of each axis motor of the manipulator are analyzed, and at the same time, the motion state of each axis motor of the manipulator under nonrated speed is analyzed. The research proposal in this paper is aimed at contributing to improving productivity.
Parameter Estimation for Dynamical Systems Using a Deep Neural Network
Authors: Dufera Tamirat Temesgen , Seboka Yadeta Chimdessa , Fresneda Portillo Carlos
Published: April 2022

The deep neural network (DNN) was applied for estimating a set of unknown parameters of a dynamical system whose measured data are given for a set of discrete time points. We developed a new vectorized algorithm that takes the number of unknowns (state variables) and number of parameters into consideration. The algorithm, first, trains the network to determine weights and biases. Next, the algorithm solves the systems of algebraic equations to estimate the parameters of the system. If the right hand side function of the system is smooth and the system have equal numbers of unknowns and parameters, the algorithm solves the algebraic equation at the discrete point where absolute error between the neural network solutions and the measured data is minimum. This improves the accuracy and reduces computational time. Several tests were carried out in linear and non-linear dynamical systems. Last, we showed that the DNN approach is more successful in terms of computational time as the number of hidden layers increases.
Effects of Pit-Bottom-Soil Reinforcement on the Deformation of Subway Deep Foundation Pits Based on an Improved Model
Authors: Wang Yan , Zhang Fei
Published: April 2022

Reinforcement of pit bottom soil has been utilized in subway deep foundation-pit engineering in soft-soil areas. This study proposes an improved foundation-pit excavation model to better investigate the effect of soil reinforcement at the bottom of a pit on the deformation of a subway’s deep foundation pits. The strength parameters of the reinforced soil utilized in the improved model could be obtained through a cone penetration test before and after the pit-bottom-soil reinforcement. The results show that the enveloped structure’s lateral displacement and the surface settlement outside the pit were reduced by 37% and 23% after soil reinforcement, respectively. The uplift suppression in the centre of the base exhibited a significant effect, and the uplift suppression exceeded approximately 50%. Thus, the foundation reinforcement could effectively reduce the subway foundation-pit support structure’s horizontal deformation, ground settlement, and the pit bottom soil’s uplift deformation. The bending moment of the diaphragm wall was mainly affected near the excavation surface at the bottom of the pit. The closer the support position to the surface, the smaller the effect on the axial force.
Emerging Roles of FTO in Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Authors: Chang Rui , Huang Zeyi , Zhao Size , Zou Ju , Li Yukun , Tan Sijie
Published: April 2022

FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) is a recently discovered gene related to obesity and expressed in various tissues of the human body, especially with high expression in the brain. Earlier studies have found that FTO is involved in several biological processes, including brain development and function. In particular, recent studies have found that FTO is a demethylase of N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) and it can affect neurological function through the m6A modification of mRNA. At present, a number of studies have shown that FTO is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders. This paper reviews the discovery, structure, function, and tissue expression of FTO followed by discussing the relationship between FTO and neuropsychiatric diseases. In addition, the potential roles of FTO gene in drug addiction, major depression (MDD), and schizophrenia (SCZ) through regulating m6A modification of dopamine related genes were also highlighted.
Learning Attentional and Gated Communication via Curiosity
Authors: Sun Chuxiong , Zhou Kaijie , Cong Cong , Li Kai , Wang Rui , Hu Xiaohui
Published: April 2022

Due to the partial observability in decentralized multi-agent systems, communication is critical for cooperation. Furthermore, the ability to decide when and whom to communicate is important to achieve efficient communication. However, the existing methods are typically driven by extrinsic rewards. Hence, when the reward from environment is sparse, delayed, or noisy, the communication performance of these methods would be restricted. Furthermore, it would introduce additional difficulty named credit assignment when using extrinsic reward to train communication and sample policies together. To tackle these difficulties, we introduce the mechanism of intrinsic motivation from psychology to multi-agent communication. We hold the view that the observations with more uncertainty and curiosity are more valuable for communication. It can help agent find useful information from observations. It is a good complement to existing extrinsic driven methods. Concretely, at sending end, we learn a curiosity from local observations to model the communication importance. Then, we design a heuristic mechanism to prune unnecessary messages. It can solve the problem of when to communicate. Then, the ability to gate unnecessary message can reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of communication, which is important to apply to real-world scenarios. Furthermore, at receiving end, we utilize the intrinsic importance to differentiate information, which can be helpful for local decisions. It could solve the problem of whom to communicate. The ability to pay attention to useful information can efficiently improve the performance of communication behaviors. At last, we evaluate our method on a variety of multi-agent scenarios. The experiments of full communication demonstrate that the curiosity is capable to model the communication importance, and the results of gated communication further prove the conclusion.
Research on Dynamic Simulation Technology of Urban 3D Art Landscape Based on VR-Platform
Authors: Cao Yulu , Li Zonghan
Published: April 2022

With the rise of some concepts such as “Digital Earth” and “digital city,” how to realize the three-dimensional reconstruction and visualization of the urban art landscape is becoming a current research hotspot. This study takes the VR-Platform as the development platform and combines it with 3dsMax technology to study the dynamic simulation technology of urban 3D art landscapes. Additionally, this study combines the dynamic simulation technology of urban three-dimensional artistic landscape, designs the urban three-dimensional artistic landscape dynamic simulation system from the aspects of landscape modeling, texture mapping, drive integration, and so on, and finally realizes the basic functions such as roaming interaction, map navigation, information measurement, and visual display of the urban three-dimensional artistic landscape dynamic simulation system, which has a certain practical application value.
Identification of Bioactive Components of Stephania epigaea Lo and Their Potential Therapeutic Targets by UPLC-MS/MS and Network Pharmacology
Authors: Li Xingyu , Li Minyue , Mao Zichao , Du Yue , Brown Sylvia , Min Xiaoyu , Zhang Ruiqi , Zhong Yun , Dong Yumei , Liu Zhengjie , Lin Chun
Published: April 2022

Stephania epigaea, an important traditional folk medicinal plant, elucidating its bioactive compound profiles and their molecular mechanisms of action on human health, would better understand its traditional therapies and guide their use in preclinical and clinical. This study aims to detect the critical therapeutic compounds, predict their targets, and explore potential therapeutic molecular mechanisms. This work first determined metabolites from roots, stems, and flowering twigs of S. epigaea by a widely targeted metabolomic analysis assay. Then, the drug likeness of the compounds and their pharmacokinetic profiles were screened by the ADMETlab server. The target proteins of active compounds were further analyzed by PPI combing with GO and KEGG cluster enrichment analysis. Finally, the interaction networks between essential compounds, targets, and disease-associated pathways were constructed, and the essential compounds binding to their possible target proteins were verified by molecular docking. Five key target proteins (EGFR, HSP90AA1, SRC, TNF, and CASP3) and twelve correlated metabolites, including aknadinine, cephakicine, homostephanoline, and N-methylliriodendronine associated with medical applications of S. epigaea, were identified, and the compounds and protein interactions were verified. The key active ingredients are mainly accumulated in the root, which indicates that the root is the main medicinal tissue. This study demonstrated that S. epigaea might exert the desired disease efficacy mainly through twelve components interacting via five essential target proteins. EGFR is the most critical one, which deserves further verification by biological studies.
Ethnopharmacological Study of the Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia in the West Region of Cameroon
Authors: Yembeau Natacha Lena , Biapa Nya Prosper Cabral , Pieme Constant Anatole , Tchouane Kevin Dedjam , Kengne Fotsing Christian Bernard , Nya Nkwikeu Prudence Josela , Feudjio Alfloditte Flore , Telefo Phelix Bruno
Published: April 2022

Background. Sickle cell anemia (SCA) or sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disease associated with increased morbidity and mortality in Africa and other developing nations. Therefore, modern and traditional remedies are being introduced for use in the treatment and management of this disease. This is because safe, effective, and inexpensive therapeutic agents are urgently needed for the treatment of this disease in Africa and other developing nations. Objective. The purpose of this study is to identify medicinal plant species commonly used by traditional healers in the treatment of sickle cell patients across some localities in the west region of Cameroon. Material and Methods. The ethnopharmacological survey was carried out in several districts within some localities of the western region of Cameroon. The survey was based on a semistructured questionnaire that was administered to 17 traditional healers and 62 sickle cell patients. It took place between November 2018 and March 2019. Personal information of participants and plant therapy data were gathered. Plants were identified at the National Herbarium of Cameroon. Literature review determined pharmacological effects and phytochemical compounds of the identified plants. Data were generally analysed using Epi Info 7 software for Windows. Results. Twelve medicinal plant species belonging to 10 families are being used in the treatment of sickle cell anemia across the study sites. Euphorbiaceae is the dominant family with three plant species. Bark (39.3%) and seeds (35.7%) are the most used plant parts, which get administered through maceration, decoction, and chewing in water. According to the literature review, the identified plants have pharmacological effects and phytochemical compounds (especially polyphenols and alkaloids) that signify the presence of antioxidant compounds, which may possess an antisickling activity. There is therefore a need to conduct another study to scientifically validate (in vitro) antisickling properties of these plants. Conclusion. This study has revealed promising medicinal plants that are currently applied in the traditional treatment of sickle cell anemia. Although still inconclusive, the association of pharmacological effects and phytochemical compounds with these medicinal plants justifies their use in traditional pharmacopoeia.
Use of Platelet Parameters in the Differential Diagnosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma-Associated Malignant Pleural Effusion and Tuberculous Pleural Effusion
Authors: Ai Ling , Li Jingyuan , Ye Ting , Wang Wenjun , Li Yuying
Published: April 2022

Background. Both malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) are common etiologies of pleural effusion; the present study was conducted to establish the diagnostic value of platelet parameters in the differential diagnosis of MPE and TPE. Methods. This retrospective study enrolled patients with lung adenocarcinoma-associated MPE and TPE. Platelet parameter data, including platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet-larger cell ratio (P-LCR), were collected. Principal component analysis and multiple logistic regression modelling were carried out to assess the diagnostic value of these platelet parameters. Results. The MPE group and the TPE group enrolled 270 and 433 patients, respectively. Demographic characteristics of patients were more female and higher age in the MPE group. MPV, PDW, and P-LCR were significantly higher in MPE patients, while PLT and PCT were significantly higher in TPE patients. Principal component analysis generated two principal components (PCs) based on above platelet parameters. After adjusting for confounding factors including gender and age, multiple logistic regression showed positive association between PC1 and MPE. Conclusion. Platelet parameters were potential biomarkers in distinguishing lung adenocarcinoma-associated MPE from TPE. A patient with lower PLT and PCT and higher MPV, PDW, and P-LCR was more likely to be diagnosed as the former. Principal component analysis and multiple logistic regression performed well in improving multicollinearity, adjusting confounding factors, and identifying important risk factors for MPE.
Construction of the Human-Computer Interaction Model of Hybrid Course Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Lou Yingying
Published: April 2022

The massive open online course (MOOC) is a large-scale open online course teaching method with many advantages such as abundant resources, open access, social interaction, and learning freedom. However, there are also flaws such as low completion rate, lack of personalized consultation, mechanical inspection, and unity. In order to resolve these shortcomings of MOOC, this study proposes a hybrid course model consisting of MOOC and small private online courses (SPOC) based on machine learning. This integrates deterministic rules into our machine learning pipeline in a variety of ways, gradually adding rules as data preprocessing steps and then using object-oriented programming (OOP) to generate novel ML model classes. Finally, it includes data in all deterministic rules through a hybrid model so that we can train it like any other machine learning model. Through experimental analysis, it can be observed that the MOOC + SPOC hybrid teaching mode can effectively integrate MOOC, SPOC, and physical classrooms and make full use of the advantages of the three to provide learners with a unified interactive interface for implementation.
Application of Traditional Culture in Intelligent Advertising Design System in the Internet Era
Authors: Sun Dan
Published: April 2022

This paper focuses on the application of traditional culture in the intelligent advertising design system in the internet era. The existence form of traditional culture is abstract and vivid. It is extremely charming when used in advertising design. It is unique and subtle and has the beauty of holding a pipa half-covered. The classic colors reveal the splendor of history, which is fascinating, and it seems to want people to integrate into it and appreciate its beauty. This paper, firstly, introduces the background of traditional culture and intelligent advertising design and discusses its significance and innovation. Combined with the research methods and experiments put forward by the related work, the advertising system model is, firstly, proposed. The process of ad request processing, system hardware topology, and ad real-time bidding process are introduced. It will talk about the feature association algorithm in advertising design, explain the linear logistic regression and nonlinear algorithms, and describe the GBDT feature processing process. It combines stochastic gradient descent, decision trees, etc., to calculate ad click-through rates. It also explained the allocation algorithm of traffic and quality and market competition in advertising design. It is guided by a probabilistic filtering mechanism that tests ad spend, bidding, and market competition. Finally, the effect evaluation experiment of intelligent advertising system based on traditional culture fusion is carried out. It displays the application of traditional culture, such as Dunhuang Feitian and blue and white porcelain, Huizhou architecture, and Miao embroidery. It uses pictures to show its beauty, and it compares the advertising situation in the perspective of traditional culture and modern fashion. It is concluded that the introduction of traditional culture into advertisements is more attractive. Through the establishment of an outdoor advertising evaluation system based on face gesture recognition to calculate the pedestrian parking viewing rate, it is concluded that the system has a very high accuracy rate and a very small error, only 3.76%, which can be effectively applied to actual scenarios.
Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapies in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lavín-Pérez Ana Myriam , Collado-Mateo Daniel , Caña-Pino Alejandro , Villafaina Santos , Parraca Jose Alberto , Apolo-Arenas María Dolores
Published: April 2022

This systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of the effects of equine-assisted therapies (EAT) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. PubMed and Web of Science databases were employed in the search, which ended in February 2022. The risk of bias analysis was performed using the Evidence Project tool. After removing duplicates, thirty-nine studies were identified. However, only ten fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Therefore, a total of 195 PwMS, aged between 40.3 and 51.3, were included in this systematic review. EAT-based interventions had a mean length of 13.6 weeks with a session´s frequency ranging from ten to once a week. All sessions involved real horses and lasted a mean of 34.4 min. Among the included articles, four were randomized controlled trials (RCT), four did not perform randomization, and two employed a prepost design without a control group. RCTs showed positive effects on quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasticity, and gait speed. Furthermore, non-RCT showed improvements in balance, spasticity, and postural control (postural control was not assessed in RCT studies). Importantly, significant effects were only observed when the comparison group was inactive or followed usual care. Therefore, EAT is a promising and effective therapy to improve quality of life, fatigue, balance, spasticity, and gait speed in PwMS. However, since comparison groups are heterogeneous, results could vary depending on the research design. Moreover, the inclusion of noncontrolled studies (in order to have a wide perspective of the state of art) could increase the risk of bias and make the results be taken with caution.
Some Geometric Characterizations of
f
-Curves Associated with a Plane Curve via Vector Fields
Authors: Alghanemi Azeb , AlGhawazi Abeer
Published: April 2022

The differential geometry of plane curves has many applications in physics especially in mechanics. The curvature of a plane curve plays a role in the centripetal acceleration and the centripetal force of a particle traversing a curved path in a plane. In this paper, we introduce the concept of the

f

-curves associated with a plane curve which are more general than the well-known curves such as involute, evolute, parallel, symmetry set, and midlocus. In fact, we introduce the

f

-curves associated with a plane curve via its normal and tangent for both the cases, a Frenet curve and a Legendre curve. Moreover, the curvature of an

f

-curve has been obtained in several approaches.
Redirecting T-cell Activity with Anti-BCMA/Anti-CD3 Bispecific Antibodies in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Other B-cell Lymphomas
Authors: Martens Anne W.J. , Rietveld Joanne M. , de Boer Renate , Peters Fleur S. , Ngo An , van Mil Lotte W.H.G. , de Heer Koen , Spaargaren Marcel , Verkleij Christie P.M. , van de Donk Niels W.C.J. , Adams Homer C. , Eldering Eric , van Noesel Carel J.M. , Verona Raluca , Kater Arnon P.
Published: April 2022

T-cell redirecting bispecific antibodies hold high promise for treatment of B-cell malignancies. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) exhibits high expression on normal and malignant mature B cells including plasma cells, which can be enhanced by inhibition of γ-secretase. BCMA is considered a validated target in multiple myeloma but whether mature B-cell lymphomas can be targeted by the BCMAxCD3 T-cell redirector teclistamab is currently unknown. BCMA expression on B-cell non–Hodgkin lymphoma and primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells was assessed by flow cytometry and/or IHC. To assess teclistamab efficacy, cells were treated with teclistamab in presence of effector cells with/without γ-secretase inhibition. BCMA could be detected on all tested mature B-cell malignancy cell lines, while expression levels varied per tumor type. γ-secretase inhibition universally increased BCMA surface expression. These data were corroborated in primary samples from patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, CLL, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Functional studies with the B-cell lymphoma cell lines revealed teclistamab-mediated T-cell activation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity. This was independent of the level of BCMA expression, but generally lower in mature B-cell malignancies compared with multiple myeloma. Despite low BCMA levels, healthy donor T cells and CLL-derived T cells induced lysis of (autologous) CLL cells upon addition of teclistamab. These data show that BCMA is expressed on various B-cell malignancies and that lymphoma cell lines and primary CLL can be targeted using teclistamab. Further studies to understand the determinants of response to teclistamab are required to identify which other diseases might be suitable for teclistamab targeting.

Significance:

Besides reported BCMA expression on multiple myeloma, we demonstrate BCMA can be detected and enhanced using γ-secretase inhibition on cell lines and primary material of various B-cell malignancies. Furthermore, using CLL we demonstrate that low BCMA-expressing tumors can be targeted efficiently using the BCMAxCD3 DuoBody teclistamab.
Co-Occurring Atypical Galactosemia and Wilson Disease
Authors: Doğulu Neslihan , Kose Engin , Tuna Kirsaçlioğlu Ceyda , Ezgü Fatih S. , Kuloğlu Zarife , Kansu Aydan , Eminoglu Fatma T.
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Classic galactosemia is a disorder of the galactose metabolism and is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. It is caused by a complete or severe deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT), and in rare cases, atypical galactosemia can manifest at older ages. Wilson disease (WD) is a disorder of the copper metabolism that, like galactosemia, is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. Hepatic, neurological, or psychiatric symptoms can be seen, independently or in combination, and symptoms vary from family to family. We present here a patient diagnosed with both WD and galactosemia. Case Presentation: A 6-year-old girl was referred to our center with elevated transaminase levels and hepatosplenomegaly. The child, birthweight of 2,200 g, was born to first-degree consanguineous parents after a full-term uneventful pregnancy and was hospitalized in the neonatal period due to indirect hyperbilirubinemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea lasting 2 weeks, and elevated liver enzymes. Hepatosplenomegaly was evident at the time of admission, a cataract was detected, and a neuropsychiatric evaluation revealed borderline mental capacity, as well as cognitive and speech retardation. Metabolic investigations revealed no specific findings other than trace positivity of reducing substances in the urine. A liver biopsy revealed copper accumulation in hepatocytes and low ceruloplasmin levels. Although WD was suspected in the patient, this diagnosis did not explain the intellectual disability, behavioral disorder, or cataract findings. A genetic analysis revealed homozygous mutations in the ATP7B and GALT genes. The galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase enzyme level was found to be low, and the patient was diagnosed with coexisting WD and galactosemia. Conclusion: Coexistences of rare genetically transmitted diseases can be seen in countries where consanguineous marriages are common (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, etc.), as in our country, Turkey.
Association between Cognitive Decline and Altered Cerebral Perfusion in Adults with Moyamoya Disease after Revascularization
Authors: Bao Yiwen , Yu Fei , Wei Liang , Zhu Wenxia , Wang Lufeng , Ding Hao , Yang Jie , Huang Dongya
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Certain studies have observed that patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) have cognitive decline after revascularization. Thus, this study analyzed the relationship between cognitive decline and altered cerebral perfusion after revascularization. Methods: Here, 313 adult patients with MMD underwent single unilateral revascularization. First, cognitive function was scored using a Mini-Mental Scale (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive function scale (MoCA) before and 3 months after the operation (superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomosis with encephalo-myo-synangiosis). Then, computed tomography perfusion was performed before and 1 week after the operation to assess the cerebral perfusion. Results: Our data showed that cognitive function decreased in 55 cases (17.6%) after revascularization. Furthermore, the incidence of cerebral hyperperfusion (CHP) was significantly higher in the cognitive decline group (49/55) than in the cognitive nondecline group (89.1% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001). Results also showed that although all 55 patients had postoperative cognitive decline, 47 experienced relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) decrease at a relatively distant area of the anastomosis compared with that before the operation, which was significantly higher than in patients without cognitive decline (85.5% vs. 1.94%, p < 0.001). In addition, 41 patients had a simultaneous occurrence of local CHP and paradoxical CBF decrease at a relatively distant anastomosis area, which indicated the incident of watershed shift (WS). As observed, WS occurred in 74.5% of patients with cognitive decline, significantly higher than in patients without cognitive decline (74.5% vs. 0%, p < 0.0001). Through multiple logistic regression analysis, WS was also observed to be a strong independent risk factor for predicting postoperative cognitive decline 3 months after revascularization (odds ratio 17.780, 95% confidence interval 1.668–18.564; p = 0.017). Conclusion: Therefore, cognitive decline in patients with MMD after revascularization is related to WS, leading to an uneven distribution of CBF.
Immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 Vaccine in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis Is Associated with Medical Conditions
Authors: Guinault Damien , Bernier Matthieu , Delarche Antoine , Neuville Sylvie , Milioto Olivier , Molinari Nicolas , Dahan Philippe
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives: Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis have an attenuated immune response to vaccination. The aim of our study was to determine the predictive factors for humoral response to vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Design, Setting, Participants, and Measurements: In this retrospective, single-center study, we included patients on maintenance hemodialysis already vaccinated with two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) and with a post-vaccination serological follow-up. Results: 252 patients were included for study with a mean age of 71.9 (±14.4) years. Twelve patients (4.7%) were under immunosuppressive therapy (calcineurin inhibitors: n = 4; chemotherapy for myeloma: n = 3; last infusion of rituximab over the previous 4 years: n = 2; abatacept: n = 2; adalimumab n = 1). Three of these patients were under immunosuppressive therapy for nonrenal solid organ transplantation. Multivariate analysis identified immunosuppressive therapy (OR 4.73 [1.38–16.17], p = 0.013) and lower baseline albumin levels (OR 1.23 [1.09–1.38], p < 0.001) as independent predictive factors of nonresponse to vaccination. Older age (β = −0.59 ± 0.21, p = 0.006) and immunosuppressive therapy (β = 40.33 ± 13.33, p = 0.003) were significantly associated with lower humoral response to vaccination. Conclusions: Approximately 90% of patients under maintenance hemodialysis developed specific antibodies to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Immunosuppressive therapy, malnutrition, and older age were associated with a higher risk of nonseroconversion or lower humoral response to mRNA-based vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. We strongly recommend serological monitoring after vaccination to determine booster timing, especially for patients with malnutrition or on immunosuppressive therapy.
Autosomal Recessive Primary Microcephaly (MCPH) and Novel Pathogenic Variants in ASPM and WDR62 Genes
Authors: Bolat Hilmi , Sağer Safiye G. , Türkyılmaz Ayberk , Çebi Alper H. , Akın Yasemin , Onay Hüseyin , Özkınay Ferda , Ünsel-Bolat Gül
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a disorder characterized by congenital microcephaly and intellectual disability without extra-central nervous system malformation. MCPH is a disease with heterogeneity in genotype and phenotype. For this reason, it is important to determine the genetic causes and genotype-phenotype relationship in MCPH, which causes lifelong impairment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical, genetic, and brain imaging findings of cases diagnosed with MCPH. Methods: Electroencephalogram and brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed for all cases. We evaluated genetic results of the 39 families including cases with suspected MCPH diagnosis. Results: Genetic diagnosis related to MCPH was provided in 11/39 (28.2%) of these families including 13/41 cases (31.7%). Variants of the WDR62 gene were the most common (61.5%) cause, and variants of the ASPM gene were the second most common cause (38.5%). We have found 6 novel variants and 4 previously reported variants in ASPM and WDR62 genes. Main brain imaging findings in our cases were lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, schizencephaly, pachygyria, and cortical dysplasia. Genetic counseling in 2 families whose genetic diagnosis was determined prevented them from having another child with MCPH. Discussion/Conclusion: Detection and reporting of novel variants is an important step in eliminating this disorder by providing families with appropriate genetic counseling.
Estudiantes universitarios en tiempos de covid-19: clases en línea y vida cotidiana
Authors: Saucedo-Ramos Claudia Lucy , Pérez-Campos Gilberto , Canto-Maya Claudia Elisa
Published: April 2022

(analítico)Se abordan los ajustes que hicieron estudiantes de psicología en su vida cotidiana para continuar con sus clases en línea. Desde un enfoque de psicología cultural y una investigación de corte cualitativo, se analizan los significados que las y los estudiantes plasmaron en cuestionarios abiertos respondidos en línea. Los resultados muestran el trabajo de reelaboración práctico y simbólico que realizaron las y los participantes para redefinir qué significa ser estudiante en tiempos de pandemia. Se exponen las emociones que tuvieron, las estrategias empleadas para responder a las clases en línea y las experiencias con el servicio de psicología brindado a adolescentes de secundaria. Concluimos que durante la pandemia por covid-19 las clases en línea implicaron para las y los estudiantes retos nuevos en el reacomodo de sus vidas cotidianas.
Palabras clave: Vida cotidiana; estudiantes; universidad; psicología; clases en línea; covid-19.
Intramural Needle Ablation for Refractory Premature Ventricular Contractions
Authors: Dukkipati Srinivas R. , Nakamura Tomofumi , Nakajima Ikutaro , Oates Connor , Narui Ryohsuke , Tanigawa Shinichi , Sljapic Tatjana , Whang William , Koruth Jacob S. , Choudry Subbarao , Schaeffer Benjamin , Fujii Akira , Tedrow Usha B. , Sapp John L. , Stevenson William G. , Reddy Vivek Y.
Published: April 2022

Background:

Frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are often amenable to catheter ablation. However, a deep intramural focus may lead to failure due to inability of standard ablation techniques to penetrate the focus. We sought to assess the efficacy and safety of infusion needle ablation (INA) for PVCs that are refractory to standard radiofrequency ablation.

Methods:

Under 2 Food and Drug Administration approved protocols, INA was evaluated in patients with frequent PVCs that were refractory to standard ablation. Initial targets for ablation were selected by standard mapping techniques. INA was performed with a deflectable catheter equipped with an extendable/retractable needle at the tip that can be extended up to 12 mm into the myocardium and is capable of pacing and recording. After contrast injection for location assessment, radiofrequency ablation was performed with the needle tip using a temperature-controlled mode (maximum temperature 60 °C) with saline infusion from the needle. The primary end point was a decrease in PVC burden to <5000/24 hours at 6 months. The primary safety end point was incidence of procedure- or device-related serious adverse events.

Results:

At 4 centers, 35 patients (age 55.3±16.9 years, 74.2% male) underwent INA. The baseline median PVC burden was 25.4% (interquartile range, 18.4%–33.9%) and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 37.7±12.3%. Delivering 10.3±8.0 INA lesions/patient (91% had adjunctive standard radiofrequency ablation also) resulted in acute PVC elimination in 71.4%. After a mean follow-up of 156±109 days, the primary efficacy end point was met in 73.3%. The median PVC burden decreased to 0.8% (interquartile range, 0.1%–6.0%;
P
<0.001). The primary safety end point occurred in 14.3% consisting of 1 (2.9%) heart block, 1 (2.9%) femoral artery dissection, and 3 (8.6%) pericardial effusions (all treated percutaneously).

Conclusions:

INA is effective for the elimination of frequent PVCs that are refractory to conventional ablation and is associated with an acceptable safety profile.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01791543 and NCT03204981.
Intuitive Sociology: Children Recognize Decision-Making Structures and Prefer Groups With Less-Concentrated Power
Authors: Thomas Ashley J. , Mitchell Vivian , Sumner Emily , Terrizzi Brandon F. , Piff Paul K. , Sarnecka Barbara W.
Published: April 2022

From an early age, children recognize that people belong to social groups. However, not all groups are structured in the same way. The current study asked whether children recognize and distinguish among different decision-making structures. If so, do they prefer some decision-making structures over others? In these studies, children were told stories about two groups that went camping. In the hierarchical group, one character made all the decisions; in the egalitarian group, each group member made one decision. Without being given explicit information about the group’s structures, 6- to 8-year-old children, but not 4- and 5-year-old children, recognized that the two groups had different decision-making structures and preferred to interact with the group where decision-making was shared. Children also inferred that a new member of the egalitarian group would be more generous than a new member of the hierarchical group. Thus, from an early age, children’s social reasoning includes the ability to compare social structures, which may be foundational for later complex political and moral reasoning.
Projected Changes in Atmospheric Ridges over the Pacific–North American Region Using CMIP6 Models
Authors: Loikith Paul C. , Singh Deepti , Taylor Graham P.
Published: April 2022

Projected changes in atmospheric ridges and associated temperature and precipitation anomalies are assessed for the end of the twenty-first century in a suite of 27 models contributing to phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) under a high-end emissions scenario over the Pacific–North American region. Ridges are defined as spatially coherent regions of positive zonal anomalies in 500-hPa geopotential height. The frequency of ridge days in the historical period varies by geography and season; however, ridge days are broadly more common over the region in winter and least common in summer. The CMIP6 models are credible in reproducing key features of reanalysis-derived ridge climatology. The CMIP6 models also reproduce historical temperature and precipitation anomalies associated with ridges. These associations include positive temperature anomalies over and to the west/northwest of the ridge peak and negative precipitation anomalies southeast of the ridge peak. Future projections show a general decrease in ridge days across most of the region in fall through spring, with considerable model agreement. Projections for summer are different, with robust projections of increases in the number of ridge days across parts of the interior western United States and Canada. The CMIP6 models project modest decreases in the probability of stronger ridges and modest increases in the probability of weaker ridges in fall and winter. Future ridges show similar temperature and precipitation anomaly associations as in the historical climate period, when future anomalies are computed relative to future climatology.

Significance Statement

Atmospheric ridges over the Pacific–North American region are a type of atmospheric circulation pattern associated with important weather and climate impacts. These impacts include heatwaves and drought. This study uses climate models to understand how ridges and their impacts may change under future climate warming. The results suggest that ridge days will be less common across parts of the domain in fall, winter, and spring. In summer, an increase in ridge days is projected in a region centered on Montana. Results suggest that temperature and precipitation patterns associated with ridges will change at a similar rate to the overall mean climate. This work provides evidence that continued climate warming will alter atmospheric circulation over the Pacific–North American region in complex ways.
The Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Post-Operative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Authors: Rubel Kolin E. , Rodman Cole P. , Jones Alex , Sharma Dhruv , Campiti Vince , Falls Megan , Bolujo Ife , Ting Jonathan Y. , Illing Elisa A.
Published: April 2022

Background:

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and its associated immune dysfunction are well-studied risk factors for adverse surgical outcomes. The literature regarding endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is less robust and there have been conflicting reports on post-operative complications and surgical results in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of diabetes mellitus on outcomes after ESS via rates of post-operative medical intervention in the first 6 months after surgery.

Methods:

This was a retrospective cohort study of 176 subjects who underwent ESS from 2015 to 2019 at a single institution by 2 fellowship-trained rhinologists. Subjects were divided into 2 groups, those with a documented Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) >6.5 or diagnosis of DM and those with HbA1C < 6.5. Patient age, demographics, 6-month preoperative HbA1c, surgical status and extent, and 6-monthpostoperative need for steroids and/or antibiotics were collected.

Results:

Out of n = 176 total patients, n = 39 (22.2%) were categorized into the DM group, which were older (46.4 vs 53.8 years, P = .004) and higher proportion of white patients (89.7% vs 68.6%, P = .008). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in proportion of revision surgery, surgical extent, and post-operative use of antibiotics or steroids. When including all variables in binary logistic regression for use of postoperative antibiotics or steroids, the only significant variable predicting these outcomes was the extent of surgical resection including sphenoid sinus ( P = .001, OR [95% CI] = 4.02 [1.73-9.34]) or frontal sinus ( P < .001, OR [95% CI = 9.86 [4.00-24.33]).

Conclusions:

Patients with DM do not appear to have worse post-operative outcomes outside of the initial 6-month postoperative period.
When a Child Dies: Racialized Father’s Experiences of Objectification During Hospital Care
Authors: Kongnetiman-Pansa Linda , Haines-Saah Rebecca J.
Published: April 2022

Understanding the meaning of loss for racialized immigrant fathers and addressing their experiences in a culturally competent manner is important in an increasingly ethnoculturally diverse country like Canada. Culture, customs and rituals influence fathers’ grief and culture impacts how individuals discuss death and dying as well as how they perceive the death of a child. This article is part of a qualitative research project, which examined the experiences of racialized immigrant fathers who experienced the death of a child. Guided by Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory, the methodological aim was to develop a theoretical framework grounded in fathers’ experiences of child death within the hospital setting. Findings suggest that for racialized immigrant fathers their migration experience compounds their losses in unexpected ways and that experiences of objectification or ‘othering’ in hospital and by health care staff were significant.
Study on border patrol task planning of heterogeneous UAVs group based on swarm intelligence
Authors: Pan Nan , Zhang Miaohan , Sun Yuxuan , Chen Shiyun , Liu Haishi , Guo Xiaojue
Published: April 2022

Heterogeneous UAVs performing patrol tasks are a new type of border patrol method with high flexibility, high patrol efficiency, and low operating cost In order to improve the ability of heterogeneous UAVs to perform border patrol task, by constructing a three-dimensional complex coordinated planning model, a multi-objective fitness function with the minimum patrol energy consumption and maximum patrol coverage of UAVs in a complex mountain environment is established. Design an improved shuffled frog leaping algorithm (ISFLA) based on spiral search mechanism to solve the problem of task planning in complex mountain environment. The proposed algorithm is verified by simulation experiments. The simulation results show that the ISFLA algorithm for solving the path problem in complex three-dimensional environment has significantly improved the solving efficiency, accuracy and global convergence compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE) and shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA). The experiments show that the proposed algorithm also has excellent solving ability in solving complex planning problems.