bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying the Requirements of Visually Impaired Users for Accessible Mobile E-book Applications
Authors: Hashim Nor Laily , Ba Matraf Munya Saleh , Hussain Azham
Published: May 2021

Books are a medium for communicating information and in recent years have taken the electronic form called e-books. This shift has opened new opportunities for the visually impaired in overcoming their struggles with books in the traditional paper format. Yet, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) claimed that many e-book applications do not meet needs of the visually impaired. Very few studies had investigated this subject matter hence paving the way for this current study to address the above research gap. As a result, equitable access to e-books for the visually impaired is still limited. Hence, there is now a necessity to design usable and accessible e-book interfaces for the visually impaired. To achieve this goal, it is important to identify the e-book requirements of the visually impaired into their e-book applications. An online survey was conducted involving seven visually impaired students at a local Malaysian university. The target participantsâ€™ ages are between 21 and 27 years old. The outcomes of this study identified ten requirements for accessible e-book applications for the visually impaired. Among these requirements are features that enable users to zoom, read aloud, and search for book contents. Besides that, screen reader strategy and text-to-speech are also mandatory. Other requirements include clear text and sound, ease of navigation, high contrast, and high brightness. These requirements will involve the field of Human-Computer Interaction design which is applied particularly in the development of usable and accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired.
Role Comparison between Deep Belief Neural Network and NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies to Detect Diabetes
Authors: Wijaya A.B.M. , Ikawahyuni D.S. , Gea Rospita , Maedjaja Febe
Published: May 2021

Diabetes in Indonesia has been perceived as a grave health problem and has been a concern since the early 1980â€™s [2]. The prevalence of diabetes in adults in Indonesia, as stated by IDF, was 6.2% with the total case amounting to 10.681.400. Moreover, Indonesia is also in the top ten global countries with the highest diabetes case in 2013. This research will investigate the role of Deep Belief Network (DBN) and NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topology (NEAT) in solving regression problems in detecting diabetes. DBN works by processing the data in unsupervised network architectures. The algorithm puts Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBM) into a stacked process. The output of the first RBM will be the input for the next RBM. On the other hand, the NEAT algorithm works by investigating the neural network architecture and evaluating the architecture using a multi-layer perceptron algorithm. Collaboration with a Genetic Algorithm in NEAT is the key process in architecture development. The research results showed thatÂ DBN could be utilized as the initial weight for Backpropagation Neural Network at 22.61% on average. On the other hand, the NEAT algorithm could be used by collaborating with a multi-layer perceptron to solve this regression problem by providing 74.5% confidence. This work also reveals potential works in the future by combining the Backpropagation algorithm with NEAT as an evaluation function and by combining it with DBN algorithms to process the produced initial weight.
Uts hukum administrasi negara
Authors: Aiska Sitti Nur
Published: May 2021

Hukum administrasi negara
Differential expression of cysteine and serine rich nuclear protein 3 in cancers of the breast.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: May 2021

Breast cancer affects women at relatively high frequency (1). We mined published microarray datasets (2, 3) to determine in an unbiased fashion and at the systems level genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of patients with breast cancer. We report here significant differential expression of the gene encoding cysteine and serine rich nuclear protein 3, CSRNP3, when comparing primary tumors of the breast to the tissue of origin, the normal breast. CSRNP3 was also differentially expressed in the tumor cells of patients with triple negative breast cancer. CSRNP3 mRNA was present at significantly lower quantities in tumors of the breast as compared to normal breast tissue. Analysis of human survival data revealed that expression of CSRNP3 in primary tumors of the breast was correlated with distant metastasis-free survival in patients with luminal A subtype cancer and in patients with HER2+ cancer, demonstrating a complex relationship between primary tumor expression of a differentially expressed gene and patient survival outcomes influenced by molecular subtype. CSRNP3 may be of relevance to initiation, maintenance or progression of cancers of the female breast.
Differential expression of mastermind like transcriptional coactivator 2 in cancers of the breast.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: May 2021

Breast cancer affects women at relatively high frequency (1). We mined published microarray datasets (2, 3) to determine in an unbiased fashion and at the systems level genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of patients with breast cancer. We report here significant differential expression of the gene encoding mastermind like transcriptional coactivator 2, MAML2, when comparing primary tumors of the breast to the tissue of origin, the normal breast. MAML2 mRNA was present at significantly lower quantities in tumors of the breast as compared to normal breast tissue. Analysis of human survival data revealed that expression of MAML2 in primary tumors of the breast was correlated with recurrence-free survival in patients with luminal A subtype cancer and in patients with HER2+ cancer, demonstrating a relationship between primary tumor expression of a differentially expressed gene and patient survival outcomes influenced by molecular subtype. MAML2 may be of relevance to initiation, maintenance or progression of cancers of the female breast.
Interactions with fallacious robots
Authors: Polakow Torr , Laban Guy , Teodorescu Andrei , Busemeyer Jerome R , gordon goren
Published: May 2021

The role of social robots as advisors for decision making is investigated. We examined how robot advisors, one with logical reasoning and one with cognitive fallacies, affected participants' decision making under different contexts. The participants were asked to make multiple decisions, while advice from both robots interleaved the decision making process. Participants had to choose which robot they agreed with, and in the end of the scenario, rank the possible options presented to them. After the interaction, participants were asked to assign roles to the robots, e.g. detective, bartender. Our results show that the robots had an effect on the participants' responses, wherein participants changed their decisions based on the robot they agreed with more. Moreover, the context, presented as two different scenarios, also had an effect on preferred robots, wherein an art auction scenario resulted in significantly increased agreement with the fallacious robot, whereas a detective scenario did not. Finally, personality traits, e.g. agreeableness and neuroticism, and attitudes towards robots, had an impact on which robot was assigned to these roles. Taken together, the results presented here shows that social robot's effects on participants' decision making are a complex interaction between context, robots' cognitive fallacies and participants' attitudes and personalities, and could not be considered as a single psychological construct.
The effect of uncertainty and outcome probability on non-instrumental information seeking
Authors: Embrey Jake Ryan , Liew Shi Xian , Ghai Ishaan , Newell Ben R
Published: May 2021

People’s desire to seek or avoid information is not only influenced by the possible outcomes of an event, but the probability of those particular outcomes occurring. There are competing explanations however as to how and why people’s desire for non-instrumental information is affected by factors including expected value, probability of outcome, and a unique formulation of outcome uncertainty. Over two experiments, we find that people’s preference for non-instrumental information is positively correlated with probability when the outcome is positive (i.e., winning money) and negatively correlated when the outcome is negative (i.e., losing money). Furthermore, at the aggregate level, we find the probability of an outcome to be a better predictor of information preference than the expected value of the event or its outcome uncertainty.
Public attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative study
Authors: Williams Simon Nicholas , Dienes Kimberly
Published: May 2021

OBJECTIVE: To explore public attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines in the UK, focused on intentions and decisions around taking vaccines, views on ‘vaccine passports’, and experiences and perspectives on post-vaccination behaviour.DESIGN: Qualitative study consisting of 6 online focus groups conducted between 15th March – 22nd April 2021. SETTING: Online video conferencingPARTICIPANTS: 29 adult UK-based participantsRESULTS: Three main groups regarding participants’ decision or intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine were identified: (1) Accepters, (2) Delayers and (3) Refusers. Two reasons for vaccine delay were identified: delay due to a perceived need more information and delay until vaccine was “required” in the future. Three main facilitators (Vaccination as a social norm; Vaccination as a necessity; Trust in science) and six barriers (Preference for “natural immunity”; Concerns over possible side effects; Distrust in government; Perceived lack of information; Conspiracy theories; “Covid echo chambers”) to vaccine uptake were identified. For some delayers, 'vaccine passports' were perceived to be a reason why they would get vaccinated in the future. However, vaccine passports were controversial, and were framed in four main ways: as “a necessary evil”; as “Orwellian”; as a “human rights problem”; and as a source of confidence”. Participants generally felt that receiving a vaccine was not changing the extent to which people were adhering to COVID-19 measures. CONCLUSIONS: Overall positive sentiment around vaccines is high. However, there remains a number of potential barriers which might be leading to vaccine delay in some. ‘Vaccine delay’ might be a more useful and precise construct than vaccine hesitancy in explaining why some may initially ignore or be uncertain about vaccination invitations. Vaccine passports may increase or ‘nudge’ uptake in some delayers but may be unpopular in others. Earlier concerns that vaccination might reduce adherence to social distancing measures are not borne out in our data, with most people reporting adherence and caution.
Inferring Actions, Intentions, and Causal Relations in a Neural Network
Authors: Juechems Keno , Saxe Andrew
Published: May 2021

From a young age, we can select actions to achieve desired goals, infer the goals of other agents, and learn causal relations in our environment through social interactions. Crucially, these abilities are productive and generative: we can impute desires to others that we have never held ourselves. These abilities are often captured by only partially overlapping models, each requiring substantial changes to fit combinations of abilities. Here, in an attempt to unify previous models, we present a neural network underpinned by the linearly solvable Markov Decision Process (LMDP) framework which permits a distributed representation of tasks. The network contains two pathways: one captures the desirability of states, and another encodes the passive dynamics of state transitions in the absence of control. Interactions between pathways are bound by a principle of rational action, enabling generative inference of actions, goals, and causal relations supported by gradient updates to parts of the network.
ПРОГРЕСИВНІ НАПРЯМИ ІНФОРМАТИЗАЦІЇ БІБЛІОТЕК ЗАКЛАДІВ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ (2015-2020 рр.)
Authors: Барабаш Вікторія , Глєбова Людмила
Published: May 2021

У статті досліджуються особливості інформатизації бібліотек закладів вищої освіти міста Кропивницький. Проаналізовано сучасні напрями діяльності книгозбірень Центральноукраїнського національного технічного університету та Центральноукраїнського державного педагогічного університету імені Володимира Винниченка. Розглянуто прогресивні напрями інформатизації бібліотек ЗВО: інформатизація та автоматизація роботи бібліотечної установи; консультативна допомога щодо розміщення наукових публікацій у наукометричних базах рекомендованих МОН, зокрема Scopus або Web of Science Core Collection; удосконалення вебсайту бібліотеки; генерування та постійне наповнення університетського депозитарію; реалізація заходів, спрямованих на формування культури академічної доброчесності.
Визначено ряд факторів, які впливають на процес інформатизації бібліотечної установи, зокрема підпорядкованість інституціям вищого рівня, фінансова спроможність, кваліфікаційний рівень працівників, потреби користувачів, взаємодія з книгозбірнями регіону. Проаналізовано основні етапи інформатизації сучасних бібліотек ЗВО.
Здійснено аналіз вебсайтів бібліотек Центральноукраїнського національного технічного університету та Центральноукраїнського державного педагогічного університету імені Володимира Винниченка за низкою позицій, зокрема наявність необхідної інформації щодо організаційних питань, неактивних посилань, електронного архіву наукових праць, електронних каталогів, бібліографічних покажчиків, версії іноземною мовою, статистики, а також зворотній зв’язок, послуги бібліотечного абонементу та інші.
Засвідчено високий рівень інформаційного наповнення вебсайтів аналізованих бібліотек та представлено пропозиції щодо удосконалення процесу інформатизації.
Доведено, що розв’язання зазначених проблем є головним рушієм у процесі формування професійної компетентності.
To the question of lexical and semantic characteristics of fiction text
(based on material of H.P. Lovecraft’s work «The Outsider»)
Authors: Busyga Ivan Vadimovich , Babak Oleg Valentinovich
Published: May 2021

The research is devoted to the identification of lexical and semantic relations and the establishment of similarities and differences of H.P. Lovecraft’s work «The Outsider» in English and Russian. A comprehensive analysis of the studied words and phrases was done. In the present work, the methods of comparative and statistical analysis which allowed to identify discrepancies between the English and Russian versions of words and phrases were used.
Microbiological assessment of meadow-chernozem carbonated soil with different fertilization systems
Authors:   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Motruk H.V. , Tonkha O.L. ,   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Hryshchenko O.V. ,   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Pikovska O.V. ,   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Likar Ya. O. ,   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
Published: May 2021

Microorganisms play an important role in the formation of soil fertility, ensure their functioning as biological bodies of nature and are an indicator of qualitative soil changes. Due to the effect of anthropogenic activity on the soil there is a decrease in the number and depletion of the species composition of the microbiota. The aim of the research was to estimate the number of different physiological groups of microorganisms on meadow-chernozem carbonate soil under different fertilizer systems. Determination of the number of different groups of soil microorganisms was carried out according to the method of Zvyagintsev by sowing the soil suspension on solid nutrient media. It was established that the most favorable indicators of microbiocenosis and the highest yield of peas of Tsarevich variety were formed by the aftereffects of organic fertilizers and N45P45K45. The variant without fertilizers causes the development of mineralization of organic matter in meadow-chernozem carbonate soil by the content of pedotrophic and humatizing organisms and formed the lowest yield of peas. Application of only mineral fertilizers for growing peas formed a high rate of accumulation of humus at the level of Kak. = 1,6-1,9.
Changes in antideflation resistance of chernozem typical under different tillage and fertilizers
Authors:   National University of Life and Enviromental Sciences of Ukraine, Pikovska O.V.
Published: May 2021

The scale wind erosion is increasing in Ukraine in connection with the arid climate and intensive agricultural land use. Deflation causes significant damage not only to the soil cover, but also to the environment. Research has shown that the resistance of soils to deflation depends on their structural state. The aim of our work was to establish the influence of different tillage systems and fertilizers on agrophysical parameters of the soil. According to the method of dry sieving according to Savvinov, the content of particles larger than 1 mm and the number of agronomically valuable particles per 1% of humus according by V. V. Medvedev were determined in the soil. The research was conducted on a stationary experiment of the Department of Soil Science and Soil Conservation named prof. M. K. Shikula in Separated subdivision of NULeS of Ukraine “Oleksandr Muzychenko Velykosnytinske Educational and Research Farm” of Fastiv district of Kyiv region. The soil of the experimental site is chernozem typical. It was found that in the variant with the application of straw, green manure and mineral fertilizers for reduced tillage, the content of particles larger than 1 mm was the highest and amounted to 75.1-77.5 %. Conservation tillage systems provided a deflation-resistant soil surface, as the content of particles over 1 mm was greater than 60%. Reduced tillage together with the fertilizer variant "Straw 1.2 t / ha + N12 + N78P68K68" creates the best conditions for aggregation in a layer of 0-30 cm of chernozem typical. On non-plowing tillage, more favorable aggregation conditions were on the variant "Straw 1.2 t / ha + green manure N12 + N78P68K68". On variant with plowing, the indicators of the structural state of chernozem typical deteriorated.
Phytopathogenic mycobiom of raspberry varieties (Rubus idaeus L.) Joan J and Himbo-top in the conditions of organic production
Authors:   Institute of Agroecology and Nature Management of NAAS, Mineralova V.O. , Parfeniuk A.I. ,   Institute of Agroecology and Nature Management of NAAS, Mineralov O.I. ,   Institute of Agroecology and Nature Management of NAAS
Published: May 2021

The results of researches of influence of raspberry plant varieties on the species composition of micromycetes in rhizospheric soil and on vegetative organs of plants in the conditions of organic production are given. The mycobiota of raspberry varieties Joan J and Himbo-Top during plant ontogenesis was analyzed and the species composition of phytopathogenic micromycetes in the rhizosphere and on plant leaves was established. It was found that the population is dominated by fungi of following species: Septoria rubi, West, Botrytis cinerea, Pers, Aspergillus niger, V. Tiegh, Alternaria alternata, (Fr.) Keissl., Fusarium graminearum, Schwabe, regardless of the phase of ontogenesis of plants that produce mycotoxins, and can cause disease in animals and humans. According to the results of research, it can be assumed that in the phase of inflorescence growth in the mycobiota of rhizospheric soil and on the vegetative organs of raspberry plants of Joan J and Himbo-Top the greatest competitiveness can be characterized by isolates of fungi Septoria rubi and Alternaria alternata. The obtained results indicate a significant differentiation of the studied varieties by the reaction of interaction between plants, microorganisms and the environment. Thus, while in the mycobiota of rhizospheric soil and vegetative organs of raspberry plants of the Joan J variety during intensive fruiting of plants the isolates of Aspergillus flavus fungi were characterized by the greatest competitiveness, in Himbo-Top cultivar the highest rates of radial growth were shown by isolates of Aspergillus oryzae and Alternaria alternata
ANALISIS JUMLAH MUATAN LISTRIK SERTA ENERGI PADA KAPASITOR BERDASARKAN KONSTANTA DIELEKTRIK SUATU MATERIAL
Authors: Siagian Sinta Marito , Jaya Gede Wiratma , Nurhidayati Indah
Published: May 2021

ABSTRAKPenelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui nilai muatan listrik, nilai kapasitor yang dirangkai secara seri dan paralel kemudian nilai energi yang tersimpan pada kapasitor berdasarkan jenis-jenis material dengan konstanta dielektrik yang telah ditentukan. Metode yang dilakukan adalah mengkaji masing-masing nilai tersebut berdasarkan konstanta dielektrik dengan perhitungan matematis berbantuan Microsoft excel untuk menghasilkan grafiknya. Adapun tegangan yang digunakan pada metode ini adalah 20, 40, 60 dan 100 volt dan material yang dianalisis antara lain kaca, udara, mika, kertas dan polystiren. Analisis dilakukan menggunakan analisis kuantitatif yang memanfaatkan data berupa angka yang dipresentasikan melalui grafik. Ditemukan hasil perhitungan matematis bahwa kaca memiliki jumlah muatan yang lebih besar dibandingkan dengan material yang lainnya. pada saat dirangkaiakan secara seri dan paralel diperoleh bahwa jumlah muatan kapasitor yang dirangkaiakan secara paralel jauh lebih besar dibandingkan seri, energi yang tersimpan pada kapasitor yang dirangkaikan secara paralel juga memiliki nilai yang besar dari pada kapasitor yang dirangkai secara seri. Kata kunci: kapasitor; konstata dielektrik; tegangan. ABSTRACTThis research aims are to analyze the value of the electric charge, the value of the capacitor connected in series and paralel then the energy value stored in the capacitor based on the types of materials with determined a dielectric constant. The method used  to examine each of these values based on the dielectric constant with mathematical calculations assisted by Microsoft Excel to produce the graph. The voltages used on this methode are 20, 40, 60, and 100. The analysis using quantitative analysis that utilizes data in the form of numbers presented through graphs. It has been studied based on the physical formulation of the value of an electric charge against the dielectric constant of glass, air, mica, paper and polystyrene. It was found that the results of mathematical calculations show that glass has a greater amount of charge compared to other materials. When assembled in series and paralel, it is found that the amount of charge on the capacitor connected in paralel is much greater than in series, the energy stored in the capacitor connected in paralel also has a greater value than the capacitor connected in series. Keywords: capasitor; dielectric constant; voltage.
Interacting Models of Amyloid-β and Tau Proteins: An Approach to Identify Drug Targets in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Priya Khadgawat , Siddesha J.M. , Dharini Shashank , Shashanka K. Prasad
Published: May 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the primary cause of dementia affecting millions each year across the world, though still remains incurable. This might be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the associated proteins, their cellular and molecular mechanisms, and the genesis of the disease. The discovery of drugs that earlier revolved around targeting the amyloid-β cascade has now been reformed with the upgraded knowledge of the cross-seeding ability of tau protein which opens new gateways for therapeutic targets. This article provides a comprehensive review of various direct and indirect connecting pathways between the two main proteins involved in development and progression of AD, enabling us to further expand our repertoire of information regarding the etiology of AD. The current review indicates the need for extensive research in this niche, thus considerable advances can be made in understanding AD which eventually helps to improve the current therapeutics against AD.
Baseline Neurodegeneration Influences the Longitudinal Effects of Tau on Cognition
Authors: Ng Kok Pin ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Cheng Grand H.-L. , Yatawara Chathuri , Rosa-Neto Pedro , Gauthier Serge , Kandiah Nagaendran
Published: May 2021

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid t-tau (CSF t-tau) is a measure of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and has been increasingly demonstrated to be a non-specific biomarker within the AD continuum. Objective: We sought to test whether t-tau influences the longitudinal effects of amyloid-β (Aβ) and phospho-tau (p-tau) on memory and executive function (EF) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: 319 MCI individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) with baseline and 2-year CSF Aβ, p-tau, t-tau, and neuropsychological assessments were studied. Mediation and moderation analyses evaluated the role of t-tau in the effects of Aβ and p-tau on memory and EF over 2 years. Results: We found that high baseline p-tau but not Aβ was associated with higher t-tau and lower memory scores at 2 years follow-up. The association between p-tau and memory impairment was partially mediated by t-tau, whereby higher p-tau was indirectly associated with lower memory via higher t-tau. t-tau also moderated the association between p-tau and memory. When t-tau level was relatively lower, higher p-tau was associated with lower memory scores at 2 years. When t-tau level was higher, the memory scores were low regardless of the p-tau level. Conclusion: Tau-induced neurodegeneration is one key pathway by which AD pathology (p-tau) affects memory impairment. Furthermore, in individuals with lower levels of tau-induced neurodegeneration, higher levels of p-tau were required for memory impairment. Our findings suggest that t-tau plays a significant role in how early AD pathology affects cognitive outcomes.
Facilitators, Challenges, and Messaging Strategies for Hispanic/Latino Populations Participating in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Clinical Research: A Literature Review
Authors: Massett Holly A. , Mitchell Alexandra K. , Alley Leah , Simoneau Elizabeth , Burke Panne , Han Sae H. , Gallop-Goodman Gerda , McGowan Melissa
Published: May 2021

Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) disproportionally affect Hispanic and Latino populations, yet Hispanics/Latinos are substantially underrepresented in AD/ADRD clinical research. Diverse inclusion in trials is an ethical and scientific imperative, as underrepresentation reduces the ability to generalize study findings and treatments across populations most affected by a disease. This paper presents findings from a narrative literature review (N = 210) of the current landscape of Hispanic/Latino participation in clinical research, including the challenges, facilitators, and communication channels to conduct culturally appropriate outreach efforts to increase awareness and participation of Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD clinical research studies. Many challenges identified were systemic in nature: lack of culturally relevant resources; staffing that does not represent participants’ cultures/language; eligibility criteria that disproportionately excludes Hispanics/Latinos; and too few studies available in Hispanic/Latino communities. The paper also details facilitators and messaging strategies to improve engagement and interest among Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD research, starting with approaches that recognize and address the heterogeneity of the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and then, tailor outreach activities and programs to address their diverse needs and circumstances. The needs identified in this article represent longstanding failures to improve engagement and interest among Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD research; we discuss how the field can move forward learning from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Association Between Homocysteine and Vitamin Levels in Demented Patients
Authors: Hoffmann Jessica , Busse Stefan , von Hoff Franz , Borucki Katrin , Frodl Thomas , Busse Mandy
Published: May 2021

Background: Although it is known that the nutritional status among elderly persons and, in particular, patients with dementia, is compromised, malnutrition that results in insufficient uptake of several vitamins is often not diagnosed. Objective: An elevated homocysteine level is a known strong risk factor for vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several B vitamins are involved in the metabolism of homocysteine. Therefore, we investigated the serum levels of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 in 97 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or different forms of dementia and 54 elderly control persons without dementia. Results: Compared to aged non-demented people, vitamins B1, B6, B12, and folate were decreased in serum of patients with AD, and patients with Lewy body dementia had reduced vitamin B12 level. Vitamin B6 was diminished in VaD. Patients with frontotemporal dementia showed no alterations in vitamin levels. Age was identified as an important factor contributing to the concentrations of vitamin B1 and B6 in serum, but not vitamin B12 and folate. Increased levels of total homocysteine were detected especially in MCI and AD. Homocysteine correlated negatively with levels of vitamins B6, B12, and folate and positively with Q Albumin. Conclusion: Our data suggest that despite increased homocysteine already present in MCI, vitamin levels are decreased only in dementia. We propose to determine the vitamin levels in patients with cognitive decline, but also elderly people in general, and recommend supplementing these nutrients if needed.
Expanded Exploration of the Auditory Naming Test in Patients with Dementia
Authors: Hirsch Joseph A. , Cuesta George M. , Fonzetti Pasquale , Comaty Joseph , Jordan Barry D. , Cirio Rosanna , Levin Leanne , Abrahams Alex , Fry Kathleen M.
Published: May 2021

Background: Auditory naming tests are superior to visual confrontation naming tests in revealing word-finding difficulties in many neuropathological conditions. Objective: To delineate characteristics of auditory naming most likely to reveal anomia in patients with dementia, and possibly improve diagnostic utility, we evaluated a large sample of patients referred with memory impairment complaints. Methods: Patients with dementia (N = 733) or other cognitive impairments and normal individuals (N = 69) were evaluated for frequency of impairment on variables of the Auditory Naming Test (ANT) of Hamberger & Seidel versus the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Results: Naming impairment occurred more frequently using the ANT total score (φ= 0.41) or ANT tip-of-the tongue score (TOT; φ= 0.19) but not ANT mean response time compared to the BNT in patients with dementia (p < 0.001). Significantly more patients were impaired on ANT variables than on the BNT in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), mixed AD/VaD, and multiple domain mild cognitive impairment (mMCI) but not in other dementias or amnestic MCI (aMCI). This differential performance of patients on auditory versus visual naming tasks was most pronounced in older, well-educated, male patients with the least cognitive impairment. Impaired verbal comprehension was not contributory. Inclusion of an ANT index score increased sensitivity in the dementia sample (92%). Poor specificity (41%) may be secondary to the inherent limitation of using the BNT as a control variable. Conclusion: The ANT index score adds diagnostic utility to the assessment of naming difficulties in patients with suspected dementia.
Temperature effect on mechanical and tribological properties of WNiCoFe alloy powder for cutting tools
Authors: Ge Xinfeng
Published: May 2021

In order to improve the wear resistance of WNiCoFe alloy for cutting tools, WNiCoFe alloy powder is prepared by multiple metals electrolysis, alloy powder and its sintered morphology is observed and phase is analyzed using X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM), the effect of sintering temperature on its physical mechanics and friction properties was studied. The results show that the prepared WNiCoFe alloy powder is alloyed to some extent, irregular and finer particle size, the diffraction peaks of Co3Fe7 and Fe19Ni are formed in addition to the elemental Fe; the maximum hardness of the sintered is 107.6HRB, the maximum bending strength at three points is 1638.3 mpa, the maximum density is 96.2%, and wear loss is 0.498–0.555 g when WNiCoFe alloy powder is sintered at 800∘C. Diamond tools are made with WNiCoFe alloy powder as the main matrix composition, and cut hard stone, cutting velocity is 8.6 m2/h and life is 11.3 m2/m, which has a good comprehensive performance.
Extracting relational facts based on hybrid Syntax-Guided transformer and pointer network
Authors: Liu Luping , Wang Meiling , He Xiaohai , Qing Linbo , Zhang Jin
Published: May 2021

Joint extraction of entities and relations from unstructured text is an essential step in constructing a knowledge base. However, relational facts in these texts are often complicated, where most of them contain overlapping triplets, making the joint extraction task still challenging. This paper proposes a novel Sequence-to-Sequence (Seq2Seq) framework to handle the overlapping issue, which models the triplet extraction as a sequence generation task. Specifically, a unique cascade structure is proposed to connect transformer and pointer network to extract entities and relations jointly. By this means, sequences can be generated in triplet-level and it speeds up the decoding process. Besides, a syntax-guided encoder is applied to integrate the sentence’s syntax structure into the transformer encoder explicitly, which helps the encoder pay more accurate attention to the syntax-related words. Extensive experiments were conducted on three public datasets, named NYT24, NYT29, and WebNLG, and the results show the validity of this model by comparing with various baselines. In addition, a pre-trained BERT model is also employed as the encoder. Then it comes up to excellent performance that the F1 scores on the three datasets surpass the strongest baseline by 5.7%, 5.6%, and 4.4%.
From granulation-degranulation mechanisms to fuzzy rule-based models: Augmentation of granular-based models with a double fuzzy clustering
Authors: Xu Kaijie , E Hanyu , Quan Yinghui , Cui Ye , Nie Weike
Published: May 2021

In this study, we develop a novel clustering with double fuzzy factors to enhance the performance of the granulation-degranulation mechanism, with which a fuzzy rule-based model is designed and demonstrated to be an enhanced one. The essence of the developed scheme is to optimize the construction of the information granules so as to eventually improve the performance of the fuzzy rule-based models. In the design process, a prototype matrix is defined to express the Fuzzy C-Means based granulation-degranulation mechanism in a clear manner. We assume that the dataset degranulated from the formed information granules is equal to the original numerical dataset. Then, a clustering method with double fuzzy factors is derived. We also present a detailed mathematical proof for the proposed approach. Subsequently, on the basis of the enhanced version of the granulation-degranulation mechanism, we design a granular fuzzy model. The whole design is mainly focused on an efficient application of the fuzzy clustering to build information granules used in fuzzy rule-based models. Comprehensive experimental studies demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.
Optimum criterion for lightweight nonlinear confusion component with multi-criteria decision making
Authors: Abughazalah Nabilah , Khan Majid , Munir Noor , Zafar Amna
Published: May 2021

In this article, we have designed a new scheme for the construction of the nonlinear confusion component. Our mechanism uses the notion of a semigroup, Inverse LA-semigroup, and various other loops. With the help of these mathematical structures, we can easily build our confusion component namely substitution boxes (S-boxes) without having specialized structures. We authenticate our proposed methodology by incorporating the available cryptographic benchmarks. Moreover, we have utilized the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to select the best nonlinear confusion component. With the aid of this multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), one can easily select the best possible confusion component while selecting among various available nonlinear confusion components.
Thigh and Leg Muscle MRI Findings in GNE Myopathy
Authors: Fatehi Farzad , Advani Soroor , Okhovat Ali Asghar , Ziaadini Bentolhoda , Shamshiri Hosein , Nafissi Shahriar
Published: May 2021

Background:

Muscle MRI protocols have been developed to assess muscle involvement in a wide variety of muscular dystrophies. Different muscular dystrophies can involve muscle groups in characteristic patterns. These patterns can be identified in muscle MRI in the form of fatty infiltration.

Objective:

This study was conducted to add the existing knowledge of muscle MRI in GNE myopathy and evaluate the correlation of muscular involvement with different gene mutations.

Methods:

The MRI scans of the 18 GNE patients were analyzed retrospectively. Cluster analysis was done for grouping the muscles and patients.

Results:

The four muscles with the highest fat infiltration were adductor magnus, tibialis anterior, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. Furthermore, three clusters of muscle involvement were found, including cluster 1, typical muscle involvement indicating muscles with the highest infiltration: extensor digitorum longus, gracilis, biceps femoris, soleus, gastrocnemius medial, adductor longus, tibialis anterior, adductor magnus, semimembranosus, semitendinosus; cluster 2, less typical muscle involvement indicating muscles with intermediate fat infiltration, peroneus longus, gastrocnemius lateral, and minimal fat infiltration in most of the patients, i.e., tibialis posterior; and cluster 3, atypical muscle involvement with low-fat infiltration: rectus femoris, sartorius, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis.

Conclusions:

This study found three clusters of muscle involvement and three groups of patients among GNE patients. Hamstring muscles and the anterior compartment of the lower leg were the muscles with the highest fat infiltration. Moreover, a weak genotype-muscle MRI association was found in which tibialis posterior was more involved in patients with the most frequent mutation, i.e., C.2228T > C (p.M743T) mutation; however, this finding may be related to longer disease duration.
Twitter as a Tool to Spread Communication Regarding Genitourinary Cancers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Salgia Sabrina , Salgia Nicholas , Prajapati Sweta , Seghal Ishaan , Bautista Frank , Ruel Nora , Salgia Meghan , Salgia Deborah A. , Salgia Ravi , Pal Sumanta K.
Published: May 2021

OBJECTIVES:

To better characterize the relay of information about prostate, kidney, and bladder cancer on Twitter in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Tweets containing the joint hashtags “#COVID-19” and either “#bladder cancer”, “#kidney cancer”, or “#prostate cancer” were identified on the Twitter platform from January 1, 2020 to July 30, 2020. The Twitter handle responsible for each tweet was categorized as an Academic, Medical Education, Patient Advocacy Groups/Non-Profits, Pharmaceutical, or Other entity based on content domain. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data on Twitter handle characteristics stratified by disease category (bladder, kidney, and prostate). Median/interquartile range and percentages were used to summarize continuous and categorical data, respectively. Number of tweets containing the relevant joint hashtags were tracked over time in relation to the cumulative United States case count of COVID-19.

RESULTS:

The content of 730 total tweets containing the joint hashtags “COVID-19” and either “#bladder cancer” (138 tweets), “#kidney cancer” (137 tweets), or “#prostate cancer” (455 tweets) from January 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020 were analyzed. We identified 326 unique Twitter handles across all disease states (62 bladder, 47 kidney, and 217 prostate-related). Academic Twitter handles accounted for the greatest number of tweets containing the joint hashtags (31%). Temporal tracking of tweets with regard to monthly U.S. COVID cases revealed that communication surged in March of 2020 and peaked in April for both bladder and kidney cancer, whereas related prostate cancer Twitter communication peaked in May of 2020.

CONCLUSIONS:

As COVID-19 case counts rose in the United States initially, so too did communication surrounding COVID-19 and genitourinary cancers on Twitter. Many of these conversations were driven by academically-associated Twitter accounts.
A novel heterocyclic compound inhibits human breast tumor cells via ROS mediated apoptosis
Authors: Huang Xia-Qian , Ye Wen-Hui , Wu Na-Ping , Fang Qi
Published: May 2021

The new heterocyclic compound 2-((6-chloro-2-methylpyrimidin-4-yl)amino)-N-(2-chloro-6-methylphenyl) thiazole-5-carboxamide (1), designed using 2-chloro-N-(2-chloro-6-methylphenyl)thiazole-5-carboxamide (2) as start material, was successfully obtained via multistep synthesis route and finally characterized by IR (infrared radiation), 1H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The inhibitory effect of compound 1 on human breast tumor cell line BS524 was further explored. The MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values suggested that compound 1 has significant anti-proliferation activity on BS524 cells and with low side effect. Then, serial experiments, such as the Annexin V-FITC/PI assay, TUNEL staining and autophagy detection revealed that compound 1 could inhibit cell proliferation via induce cells apoptosis, and the apoptosis is induced by (reactive oxygen species) ROS generation in BS524 cells.
A facile and industrial method for synthesis of modified magnetic lipophilic graphene as a super oil additive
Authors: Rezaii Ebrahim , Nazmi Leila , Mahkam Mehrdad , Ghaleh Assadi Mohammad
Published: May 2021

Friction and wear are the two major reasons for energy and material losses in mechanical processes. In this research, a simple, industrial and fast exfoliation technique for the production of graphene using sodium azide and graphite in a water solvent without the need for a specific device has been presented following by lipophilizing with octylamine and only with Fe (II). Magnetic nanoparticles were applied on graphene surface, and simultaneously the graphene surface was both lipophilic and magnetic. The method used for graphene production is unique up to now and also it does not oxidize in production procedure. Performed analyzes demonstrate non-destructive properties without any changes in surface functional groups.
Complex formation of titanocene dichloride anticancer and Al12N12 nano-cluster: A quantum chemical investigation of solvent, temperature and pressure effects
Authors: Ghiasi Reza , Rahimi Maryam
Published: May 2021

This study investigated the interaction between Al12N12 nano-cluster and titanocene dichloride anticancer drug complex using B3P86 functional in gas and solution phases. Non-covalent interaction (NCI) analysis of this complex was employed for illustration of the Cl⋯Al weak non-covalent interaction. The self-consistent reaction field theory (SCRF) based on the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) was applied for testing the solvent effects. The solvent effect on the interaction energy, dipole moment, frontier orbital energy, and global reactivity parameters was examined as well. The changes in the dipole moment, polarizability and electronic spatial extent (ESE) with solvent polarity were analyzed by applying different solvent polarity parameters based on Lippert-Mataga, Bakhshiev and Bilot-Kawski models. In addition, temperature and pressure effects on the thermodynamic parameters of this interaction were illustrated.
Are biomechanical strategies to perform functional activities different between individuals with subacute and chronic stroke?
Authors: Ribeiro Tatiana S. , Silva Emília M.G. , Vasconcellos Liliane S. , Souza Aline A. , Lindquist Ana Raquel R.
Published: May 2021

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the capacity to perform functional mobility activities change within the first year post-stroke using the Timed “Up and Go” Assessment of Biomechanical Strategies (TUG-ABS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with thirty-eight stroke individuals. A motion analysis system was used during the Timed “Up and Go” (TUG) test to evaluate the following activities: sit-to-stand, gait, turn, and stand-to-sit. Kinematic variables related to each activity were obtained in addition to TUG-ABS scores. The ability to perform the activities was compared between subacute (up to 3 months post-stroke, n = 21) and chronic participants (4 to 12 months post-stroke, n = 17) using Mann-Whitney U tests (α= 5%). RESULTS: Results were expressed as median difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). TUG-ABS scores: Sit-to-stand (MD = 0, 95% CI = 0.0 to 1), gait (MD = 0, 95% CI = 0.0 to 1), stand-to-sit (MD = 0, 95% CI = 0.0 to 1), and total score (MD = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.0 to 6) were not different between groups. Subacute participants presented significant better scores during turn activity (MD = 2.0, 95% CI 0.0 to 2.0). All kinematic variables were not different between participants. CONCLUSIONS: Capacity to perform functional activities was not different within the first year post-stroke, suggesting that biomechanical strategies are developed within the first three months following stroke.
Protective effect of caffeine and/or taurine on the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced rat model of Parkinson’s disease: Behavioral and neurochemical evidence
Authors: Abuirmeileh Amjad N. , Abuhamdah Sawsan M. , Ashraf Asser , Alzoubi Karem H.
Published: May 2021

Background:

Caffeine and taurine, which possess neuro-modulatory activity happen to be consumed together as part of the constituents of energy drinks, could have beneficial effects and prevent neuronal deterioration in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate behavioral and neurochemical effects of these two agents in an animal model of PD at two time points to evaluate possible neuro-protective or neuro-modulatory effects.

Methods:

Stereotaxic injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in rat striatum was used to model PD-like behavior in animals. Motor behavior was assessed by a characteristic rotation behavior response to the apomorphine challenge and dopamine levels in the striatum were quantified using HPLC-ED.

Results:

A reduction in apomorphine induced rotations following administration of caffeine and/or taurine as compared to the untreated lesioned group (controls) was shown. Significant decreases in dopamine levels were also seen in the ipsilateral side of 6-OHDA group, this effect was not significantly reversed in caffeine and taurine treated groups. Treatments partially restored the content of DA levels in the lesioned striatum.

Conclusions:

Current results demonstrated beneficial effects for the combination of caffeine and taurine in PD animal model, suggesting that consumption of both agents could be a new added therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease prevention and treatment.