bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐short speculator sentiment in agricultural commodity markets
Authors: Borgards Oliver , Czudaj Robert L.
Published: March 2022

This paper tests the hypothesis that long‐short speculators are able to generate short‐term investment returns based on their sentiment for 12 agricultural commodity futures. For this purpose, we dynamically model the equidirectional trading of long and short commodity futures of long‐short speculators as a proxy for their market sentiment. We find evidence that the sentiment period returns are considerably positive and differ significantly from neutral sentiment periods for all commodities, which underlines the sentiment's relevance. In line with the empirical literature, we can reject the argument of price manipulation as the price continues to develop into the direction of the sentiment period although long‐short speculators trade non‐directionally in the following. We rather indicate the existence of a short‐term time‐series momentum effect, which can be robustly identified without the requirement to define an external model parameter. From the superior sentiment‐based momentum returns, we conclude that long‐short speculators have valuable, exclusive information, which cannot be replicated by observing their trading activity with a time lag of eight trading days. We also find that a sentiment‐based momentum strategy generates significantly higher returns than the long‐short speculators have realised in the 15‐year sample period which we attribute to the complexity of the long‐short speculators' investment strategies.
Mild thrombocytopenia and the risk for postpartum hemorrhage in twin pregnancies
Authors: Attali Emmanuel , Epstein Danny , Lavie Michael , Lavie Anat , Reicher Lee , Yogev Yariv , Ashwal Eran , Hiersch Liran
Published: March 2022

Objective

We aimed to investigate the association of mild thrombocytopenia with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and blood transfusion among women with twin gestations.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study (Jan 2015 to May 2019) was performed. Women with twin pregnancies and pre‐delivery mild thrombocytopenia were compared to those with normal platelet count. The primary outcome was the rate of PPH, defined as a composite of one or more of the following: (1) need for packed red blood cell transfusion; (2) postpartum hemoglobin decline of ≥3 g/dL; and (3) the use of postpartum uterotonics agents in addition to oxytocin.

Results

Of 1085 women who were included in final analysis, 315 (30.9%) had mild thrombocytopenia (and 770 (69.1%) served as controls. The rate of PPH was increased in the study group (14% vs. 9.4%, P = 0.03), as was the use of uterotonic agents (3.8% vs. 1.3%, respectively, P = 0.02). The rate of blood product transfusion and hemoglobin decline >3 g/dL was not significantly different between the groups. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, mild thrombocytopenia was associated with a higher risk for PPH (OR 1.55 [95% CI 1.02–2.35], P = 0.02).

Conclusion

Mild thrombocytopenia in twin pregnancies is associated with an increased risk of interventions such as the use of uterotonic agents.
Risk management, diversification, and profitability of commercial banks in Central Africa
Authors: Zogning Félix , Lenga Serge Didier
Published: March 2022

This article examines the impact of bank risks and diversification on the profitability of commercial banks in Central Africa. The results indicate that the credit risk and liquidity risk have a negative impact on the profitability of these banks. Moreover, credit risk is reduced more through credit rationing than through an in‐depth examination of the borrowers’ profile. Lastly, banks use diversification to compensate for revenues lost because of credit rationing.
Kinesin family member 2A links with advanced tumor stage, reduced chemosensitivity and worse prognosis in gastric cancer
Authors: Bai Fei , He Zhuo , Zhou Huijun , Gan Wei
Published: March 2022

Background

Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A) induces gastric cancer (GC) growth and invasion, while its clinical relevance in GC patients is not reported. This study aimed to investigate the linkage of KIF2A with clinicopathological features, prognosis, and chemosensitivity of GC.

Methods

A total of 160 surgical GC patients were reviewed, with their tumor and adjacent tissues acquired for immunohistochemical (IHC) assay to measure KIF2A expression, then scored by a semi‐quantitative method (IHC score: 0–12). KIF2A siRNA or nonsense‐siRNA were transfected into HGC‐27 and NCI‐N87 cells underwent various concentrations of capecitabine or oxaliplatin treatment followed by chemosensitivity assessment.

Results

Kinesin family member 2A expression was elevated in the tumor tissue compared to the adjacent tissue (IHC score: 5.6 ± 3.1 vs. 2.9 ± 1.7, p < 0.001). Besides, tumor KIF2A expression was related to larger tumor size (p = 0.014), higher N stage (p = 0.004) and TNM stage (p = 0.011); however, it was not linked with other clinicopathological features (all p > 0.05). Signally, tumor KIF2A high expression predicted poor overall survival (p = 0.037). After adjustment via multivariate Cox's regression, tumor KIF2A high expression independently linked with worse disease‐free survival (p = 0.033). Finally, KIF2A knockdown improved the oxaliplatin chemosensitivity vastly but only slightly affected capecitabine chemosensitivity in HGC‐27 and NCI‐N87 cells.

Conclusion

Kinesin family member 2A reflects larger tumor size, advanced TNM stage, improved chemosensitivity, and predicts unfavorable survival in GC.
Sialylated N‐glycans mediate monocyte uptake of extracellular vesicles secreted from Plasmodium falciparum‐infected red blood cells
Authors: Ben Ami Pilo Hila , Khan Khilji Sana , Lühle Jost , Biskup Karina , Levy Gal Bar , Rosenhek Goldian Irit , Alfandari Daniel , Revach Or‐Yam , Kiper Edo , Morandi Mattia I. , Rotkopf Ron , Porat Ziv , Blanchard Véronique , Seeberger Peter H. , Regev‐Rudzki Neta , Moscovitz Oren
Published: March 2022

Glycoconjugates on extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a vital role in internalization and mediate interaction as well as regulation of the host immune system by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. During their intraerythrocytic life‐cycle stages, malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) mediate the secretion of EVs by infected red blood cells (RBCs) that carry a diverse range of parasitic and host‐derived molecules. These molecules facilitate parasite‐parasite and parasite‐host interactions to ensure parasite survival.

To date, the number of identified Pf genes associated with glycan synthesis and the repertoire of expressed glycoconjugates is relatively low. Moreover, the role of Pf glycans in pathogenesis is mostly unclear and poorly understood. As a result, the expression of glycoconjugates on Pf‐derived EVs or their involvement in the parasite life‐cycle has yet to be reported.

Herein, we show that EVs secreted by Pf‐infected RBCs carry significantly higher sialylated complex N‐glycans than EVs derived from healthy RBCs. Furthermore, we reveal that EV uptake by host monocytes depends on N‐glycoproteins and demonstrate that terminal sialic acid on the N‐glycans is essential for uptake by human monocytes. Our results provide the first evidence that Pf exploits host sialylated N‐glycans to mediate EV uptake by the human immune system cells.
Changes in extreme precipitation events in the Zambezi River basins based on CORDEX‐CORE models: Part I—Evaluation of historical simulation
Authors: Samuel Sydney , Wiston Modise , Mphale Kgakgamatso , Faka Dieudonne Nsadisa
Published: March 2022

This study evaluates the ability of the Coordinated Output for Regional Evaluations (CORE) initiated under the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) to reproduce austral summer extreme precipitation indices over the Zambezi River basin (ZRB) from 1983 to 2005. The ability of the RCMs to simulate the spatial distributions of observed extreme precipitation was assessed using multiple datasets. The spatially averaged performance of the CORDEX‐CORE ensemble mean (CORE‐ENS) and RCM ensembles (RCM‐ENSEMBLES developed from different combinations of CORE‐ENS ensemble members) was evaluated using statistical metrics. The results showed similarities in the spatial distribution of extreme precipitation among the observations. However, there were considerable differences in the magnitude of extreme precipitation among the observations. The frequency of days with very heavy precipitation (R20) showed the largest differences in magnitude among the observations. Although there are differences in magnitude, CORE‐ENS, its ensemble members, and RCM‐ENSEMBLES can capture the spatial distribution of extreme precipitation. Specifically, CORE‐ENS, its ensemble members, and RCM‐ENSEMBLES overestimated (underestimated) the frequency of rainy days (RR1) and maximum consecutive wet days (CWD) (maximum consecutive dry days [CDD]). In contrast, some members of CORE‐ENS overestimate, while others underestimate, the simple daily intensity index (SDII), the frequency of days with heavy precipitation (R10), and R20, depending on the choice of reference data. The Consortium for Small‐scale MOdelling in CLimate Mode (CCLM) and Regional MOdel (REMO) performed better than the Regional Climate Model (RegCM4.7) in simulating the spatial distributions of extreme precipitation. The regionally averaged uncertainties (biases) of the CORE‐ENS, its ensemble members, and RCMENSEMBLES were within the range of those in the observational datasets, except for CWD (CWD and RR1). Overall, CORE‐ENS performed better than its ensemble members in simulating extreme precipitation.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum fermented barley extracts ameliorate high‐fat‐diet‐induced muscle dysfunction via mitophagy
Authors: Gu Yaoguang , Bai Juan , Zhang Jiayan , Zhao Yansheng , Pan Ruirong , Dong Ying , Cui Henglin , Meng Ranhui , Xiao Xiang
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND

A reduced level of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) by skeletal muscle leads to the accumulation of intermuscular fat (IMF), which is linked to impaired exercise capacity. Previously, we have reported that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum fermented barley extract (LFBE) has effective anti‐obesity properties. In this study, the effects of LFBE on muscle were investigated.

RESULTS

LFBE improved running endurance and muscle strength, which was caused by the elevation of FAO in muscle. In addition, LFBE renovated muscle regeneration through the upregulation of paired box 7 and myogenic differentiation 1 expression avoiding the injury of skeletal muscle fibers. Furthermore, total polyphenol isolated from LFBE (FTP) reinforced mobility and showed a significant protective effect on maintaining muscle fiber morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Transmission electron microscope observation suggested FTP induced mitophagy in C. elegans body wall muscle, which was strongly connected with enhanced FAO in mitochondria.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlighted the beneficial bioactivities of FTP and its potential application for stimulating mitophagy and muscle function in obese individuals. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Chronic Rhinosinusitis: T2r38 Genotyping and Nasal Cytology in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Authors: Piatti Gioia , Ambrosetti Umberto , Aldè Mirko , Girotto Giorgia , Concas Maria P. , Torretta Sara
Published: March 2022

Objectives

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a major hallmark of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). We investigated the possible correlation between some severity markers of CRS and several clinical features of the disease. We further studied the bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 polymorphisms to identify the genotypes associated with more severe disease.

Methods

We included 39 adult PCD patients with (CRSwNP) and without nasal polyposis (CRSsNP); a sample for nasal cytology was obtained and clinical cytological grading (CCG) was determined. The SNOT‐22 and Lund‐Mackay scores were recorded. A sample of DNA was extracted from peripheral blood to investigate TAS2R38 polymorphisms.

Results

CRSwNP patients had features of more severe disease: indeed, they had statistically significantly higher frequency of previous sinus surgery, higher SNOT‐22, LM scores, and CCG than CRSsNP patients. Upon genotyping of TAS2R38 polymorphisms, we observed that the AVI–AVI genotype, associated to homozygous nonfunctional bitter TAS2R38 receptor, was more prevalent among CRSwNP (100%) than in CRSsNP patients (0%); furthermore, AVI–AVI subjects showed statistically significantly worse SNOT‐22 and CCG scores than PAV–PAV and PAV–AVI subjects. The group of AVI–AVI patients also had more frequent respiratory exacerbations, Gram‐negative infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization than PAV–PAV and PAV–AVI patients.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate for the first time that PCD patients with CRSwNP display a more severe disease than those with CRSsNP. Genotyping of TAS2R38 polymorphisms demonstrated that in PCD patients, the AVI–AVI genotype is strikingly more prevalent among CRSwNP than in CRSsNP, while the PAV–PAV genotype might be protective against Gram‐negative infections and respiratory exacerbations.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 133:248–254, 2023
Cowpea leaf width correlates with above ground biomass across diverse environments
Authors: Digrado Anthony , Gonzalez‐Escobar Emmanuel , Owston Nicole , Page Rhiannon , Mohammed Saba Baba , Umar Muhammad Lawan , Boukar Ousmane , Ainsworth Elizabeth A. , Carmo‐Silva Elizabete
Published: March 2022

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) yields within the dry savannahs of Sub‐Saharan Africa are low. Given the contribution of cowpea to food security in this region, it is essential that high‐yielding varieties are developed to improve crop productivity in a sustainable manner. Identifying morphological or physiological traits that correlate with biomass could assist breeders with rapid screening of diverse germplasm. This study investigated 23 diverse Nigerian cowpea lines in an environmentally controlled greenhouse and 50 diverse lines from a Multiparent Advanced Generation Intercross (MAGIC) population in the field to identify easily measurable traits associated with high above ground biomass. Correlation analyses found that leaf traits were significantly and positively correlated with above ground biomass, and the leaf width of the youngest fully expanded leaf was the best indicator of biomass yield. Analysis of variance identified significant differences among the genotypes for all measured traits, indicating that there is genetic variation among these varieties and opportunity for selection. These results from the greenhouse and the field indicate that the leaf width of the youngest fully expanded leaf can be used to rapidly select cowpea lines with high biomass production potential.
Classifying freshwater salinity regimes in central and western U.S. streams and rivers
Authors: Bolotin Lauren A. , Summers Betsy M. , Savoy Philip , Blaszczak Joanna R.
Published: March 2022

Freshwater salinization of rivers is occurring across the globe because of nonpoint source loading of salts from anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and resource extraction that accelerate weathering and release salts. Multidecadal trends in river salinity are well characterized, yet our understanding of annual regimes of salinity in rivers draining diverse central and western U.S. landscapes and their associated catchment attributes is limited. We classified annual salinity regimes in 242 stream locations through dynamic time warping and fuzzy c‐medoids clustering of salinity time series. We found two dominant regimes in salinity characterized by an annual summer–fall peak or spring decline. Using random forest regression, we found that precipitation amount, stream slope, and soil salinity were the most important predictors of salinity regime classification. Advancing our understanding of salinity regimes in rivers will improve our ability to predict and mitigate the effects of salinization in freshwater ecosystems through management interventions.
Strategic management practices in Central American micro family enterprises: The case of the commercial sector in El Salvador
Authors: Flores‐Hernández Edwin R. , García‐Alonso Carlos R. , Hervás‐Martínez César
Published: March 2022

This paper analyses the characteristics of family microenterprises (San Salvador, El Salvador) regarding competitiveness, entrepreneurship, strategic design, decision‐making process, and corporate governance practices. By applying clustering algorithms, it was possible to identify company profiles based on their strategic, entrepreneurial, and decision‐making practices. Variables not used for clustering were analyzed to explain a microenterprise's inclusion in a profile. The goal of this research are to help policy makers and managers understand the behavior of family microenterprises in a very complicated socioeconomic environment and to guide policy design to promote more organized and competitive business structures in compromised socioeconomic situations.
FY 22 spending bill appropriates largest increase for MH block grant
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2022

President Joe Biden signed into law March 15 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471). The president's $1.5 trillion bill, which funds the government through Sept. 30, 2022, contains a number of strong investments in mental health programs and services, representing plenty of good news for the field.
Package of MH reforms clears hurdle in Georgia legislature
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: March 2022

After years of frustration over not seeing a mental health reform agenda advance in the state legislature, Georgia behavioral health advocates appear to have a good chance to experience a better outcome in 2022. The state House of Representatives this month overwhelmingly approved a comprehensive bill that includes provisions for stepped‐up enforcement of insurance parity and relief for a crippling behavioral health workforce shortage.
RAND embarks on probe of structural racism in dementia risk
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2022

Does structural racism contribute to the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline among African Americans? That is the question researchers aim to answer in a new research project conducted by the RAND Corporation and the University of Pittsburgh.
Medical lesion segmentation by combining multimodal images with modality weighted UNet
Authors: Zhu Xiner , Wu Yichao , Hu Haoji , Zhuang Xianwei , Yao Jincao , Ou Di , Li Wei , Song Mei , Feng Na , Xu Dong
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Automatic segmentation of medical lesions is a prerequisite for efficient clinic analysis. Segmentation algorithms for multimodal medical images have received much attention in recent years. Different strategies for multimodal combination (or fusion), such as probability theory, fuzzy models, belief functions, and deep neural networks, have also been developed. In this paper, we propose the modality weighted UNet (MW‐UNet) and attention‐based fusion method to combine multimodal images for medical lesion segmentation.

Methods

MW‐UNet is a multimodal fusion method which is based on UNet, but we use a shallower layer and fewer feature map channels to reduce the amount of network parameters, and our method uses the new multimodal fusion method called fusion attention. It uses weighted sum rule and fusion attention to combine feature maps in intermediate layers. During training, all the weight parameters are updated through backpropagation like other parameters in the network. We also incorporate residual blocks into MW‐UNet to further improve segmentation performance. The comparison between the automatic multimodal lesion segmentations and the manual contours was quantified by (1) five metrics including Dice, 95% Hausdorff Distance (HD95), volumetric overlap error (VOE), relative volume difference (RVD), and mean‐Intersection‐over‐Union (mIoU); (2) Number of parameters and flops to calculate the complexity of the network.

Results

The proposed method is verified on ZJCHD, which is the data set of contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CECT) for Liver Lesion Segmentation taken from Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China. For accuracy evaluation, we use 120 patients with liver lesions from ZJCHD, of which 100 are used for fourfold cross‐validation (CV) and 20 are used for hold‐out (HO) test. The mean Dice was and for HO and CV tests, respectively. The corresponding HD95, VOE, RVD, and mIoU of the two tests are 1.95 ± 1.83 and 2.67 ± 3.35 mm, 13.11 ± 15.83 and , 12.20 ± 18.20 and , and 83.79 ± 15.83 and . The parameters and flops of our method is 4.04 M and 18.36 G, respectively.

Conclusions

The results show that our method performs well on multimodal liver lesion segmentation. It can be easily extended to other multimodal data sets and other networks for multimodal fusion. Our method is the potential to provide doctors with multimodal annotations and assist them with clinical diagnosis.
Consider the benefits of responsive search ads for recruitment marketing
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: March 2022

Earlier this year, our marketing column highlighted a few trends predicted for 2022. This round‐up of trends included Google's responsive search ads. This month, we'll take a closer look at the benefits and best practices of RSAs.
Research shows impact of COVID‐19 on students with disabilities, other groups
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: March 2022

“This Report bears witness to the many ways that COVID‐19, with all of its tragic impacts on individuals, families, and communities, appears to be deepening divides in educational opportunity across our nation's classrooms and campuses,” states the opening message from Acting Assistant Secretary of Education Suzanne B. Goldberg in Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID‐19 on America's Students.
The alkoxylation effects on the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer behaviors for 2,6‐bis(benzothiazolyl‐2‐yl)phenol fluorophore: A theoretical research
Authors: Shi Lijuan , Yang Dapeng
Published: March 2022

Given the unique luminescent properties, the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) materials have attracted lots of eyes in recent years. In view of the promising highly efficient red‐emitting material, the 2,6‐bis(benzothiazolyl‐2‐yl)phenol (DBTP) under alkoxy groups at the 4‐position reveals important properties. In this work, modification of DBTP fluorophore, that is, DBTP‐OMe (methoxy), DBTP‐OEt (ethoxy), DBTP‐OPr (propoxy), and DBTP‐OBt (butoxy) derivatives, have been explored theoretically. Based on the analyses of chemical structural variations and infrared (IR) vibrational spectra in both S0 and S1 states, the enhanced intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions could be clearly found, which will promote the ESIPT tendency. Particularly, the DBTP‐OMe with stronger hydrogen bond reveals the easier PT tendency upon photo‐induced excitation. Paying attention to the changes of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), it could be found the charge transfer happens in the excited‐state molecules, and the reorganization of charge densities should be conducive to promoting the ESIPT process. Simulated potential energy curves indicated the ultrafast ESIPT reaction occurs for DBTP‐OMe, DBTP‐OEt, DBTP‐OPr, and DBTP‐OBt derivatives. The searched transition state (TS) structures in S1‐state reaction path suggested the derivatives with few alkyl groups might be more probe to occur the ESIPT reaction than the more alkyl ones for DBTP system.
A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of clopidogrel in populations of European and Japanese ancestry: An evaluation of CYP2C19 activity
Authors: Duong Janna K. , Nand Romina A. , Patel Aarti , Della Pasqua Oscar , Gross Annette S.
Published: March 2022

Treatment response to clopidogrel is associated with CYP2C19 activity through the formation of the active H4 metabolite. The aims of this study were to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of clopidogrel and its metabolites for populations of European ancestry, to predict the pharmacokinetics in the Japanese population by CYP2C19 phenotype, and to investigate the effect of clinical and demographic factors. A PBPK model was developed and verified to describe the two metabolic pathways of clopidogrel (H4 metabolite, acyl glucuronide metabolite) for a population of European ancestry using plasma data from published studies. Subsequently, model predictions in the Japanese population were evaluated. The effects of CYP2C19 activity, fluvoxamine coadministration (CYP2C19 inhibitor), and population‐specific factors (age, sex, BMI, body weight, cancer, hepatic, and renal dysfunction) on the pharmacokinetics of clopidogrel and its metabolites were then characterized. The predicted/observed ratios for clopidogrel and metabolite exposure parameters were acceptable (twofold acceptance criteria). For all CYP2C19 phenotypes, steady‐state AUC0‐τ of the H4 metabolite was lower for the Japanese (e.g., EM, 7.69 [6.26–9.45] ng·h/ml; geometric mean [95% CI]) than European (EM, 24.8 [20.4–30.1] ng·h/ml, p < .001) population. In addition to CYP2C19‐poor metabolizer phenotype, fluvoxamine coadministration, hepatic, and renal dysfunction were found to reduce H4 metabolite but not acyl glucuronide metabolite concentrations. This is the first PBPK model describing the two major metabolic pathways of clopidogrel, which can be applied to populations of European and Japanese ancestry by CYP2C19 phenotype. The differences between the two populations appear to be determined primarily by the effect of varying CYP2C19 liver activity.
Metabolomics analysis highlights Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)‐mediated neuroprotection in a rotenone‐induced cellular model of Parkinson's disease by restoring the mTORC1‐AMPK1 axis in autophagic regulation
Authors: Karthikkeyan Gayathree , Behera Santosh Kumar , Upadhyay Shubham Sukerndeo , Pervaje Ravishankar , Prasad Thottethodi Subrahmanya Keshava , Modi Prashant Kumar
Published: March 2022

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age‐associated progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder, and its management strategies are known to cause complications with prolonged usage. We aimed to explore the neuroprotective mechanism of the Indian traditional medicine Yashtimadhu, prepared from the dried roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) in the rotenone‐induced cellular model of PD. Retinoic acid–differentiated IMR‐32 cells were treated with rotenone (PD model) and Yashtimadhu extract. Mass spectrometry‐based untargeted and targeted metabolomic profiling was carried out to discover altered metabolites. The untargeted metabolomics analysis highlighted the rotenone‐induced dysregulation and Yashtimadhu‐mediated restoration of metabolites involved in the metabolism of nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids, and citric acid cycle. Targeted validation of citric acid cycle metabolites showed decreased α‐ketoglutarate and succinate with rotenone treatment and rescued by Yashtimadhu co‐treatment. The dysregulation of the citric acid cycle by rotenone‐induced energetic stress via dysregulation of the mTORC1‐AMPK1 axis was prevented by Yashtimadhu. Yashtimadhu co‐treatment restored rotenone‐induced ATG7‐dependent autophagy and eventually caspases‐mediated cell death. Our analysis links the metabolic alterations modulating energy stress and autophagy, which underlies the Yashtimadhu‐mediated neuroprotection in the rotenone‐induced cellular model of PD.
Financial risk analysis system and supervision based on big data and blockchain technology
Authors: Wang Liping
Published: March 2022

Financial risk is closely related to the risk of finance. For both institutions and financial industry, once financial risk occurs, it will bring great harm. It is very necessary to forewarn financial risks before they occur. Through the analysis and supervision of financial risk can effectively control the occurrence of financial crisis. In the current Internet era, blockchain technology has been widely used in various aspects. In finance, in particular, blockchain has brought great convenience to the analysis and supervision of its risks. This paper aims to study financial risk analysis and related regulatory research through the relevant technologies of big data and blockchain. This paper puts forward the way of combining theory and model to study financial risk. The risk value is obtained through the study of risk‐related attributes. Experimental results show that the risk rate of financial risks under big data and blockchain technology has been reduced by 10%–15%. This degree of risk reduction is of great application in actual financial risk control. Financial security is closely related to financial risks and financial crises. Both risks and crises can be used to explain and measure the degree of security, and security can also be used to explain and measure risks and crises. The higher the degree of security, the lower the risk; conversely, the greater the risk, the lower the degree of security; a crisis is the result of a large‐scale accumulation of risks, and a crisis is serious insecurity, which is an extreme of financial security.
Das Mikrobiom bei juveniler idiopathischer Arthritis, Teil 2
Authors: Köll Theresa , Brunner Jürgen
Published: March 2022

Die Entstehung der juvenilen idiopathischen Arthritis (JIA), der häufigsten rheumatischen Erkrankung im Kindesalter, wird durch genetische Prädisposition, umweltbezogene Faktoren und immunologische Mechanismen beeinflusst. Eine entscheidende Rolle wird der humanen Mikrobiota zugeschrieben, die sich in den Epithelzellen des Darms, der Haut und des Respirationstrakts befindet. Für die Entwicklung und Funktion einer gesunden Immunabwehr ist ein komplexes Zusammenspiel zwischen Immunsystem und Mikrobiota essenziell. Durch eine Störung des Gleichgewichts kommt es zur sogenannten Dysbiose, einer pathologisch veränderten Zusammensetzung des Mikrobioms, die durch überschießende Immunreaktionen zu Entzündungsprozessen führt und damit die Entstehung immunmediierter Erkrankungen begünstigt. Ein pathologisch verändertes Mikrobiom rechtzeitig zu erkennen und das physiologische Gleichgewicht wiederherzustellen, könnte in der Prävention und in der Therapie mikrobiomassoziierter Erkrankungen neue Möglichkeiten eröffnen.
Tachibana-type theorems and special Holonomy
Authors: Petersen Peter , Wink Matthias
Published: March 2022

We prove rigidity results for compact Riemannian manifolds in the spirit of Tachibana. For example, we observe that manifolds with divergence-free Weyl tensors and "Equation missing"-nonnegative curvature operators are locally symmetric or conformally equivalent to a quotient of the sphere. The main focus of the paper is to prove similar results for manifolds with special holonomy. In particular, we consider Kähler manifolds with divergence-free Bochner tensors. For quaternion Kähler manifolds, we obtain a partial result towards the LeBrun–Salamon conjecture.
Challenges in eDNA detection of the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas
Authors: Danziger Ariella M. , Frederich Markus
Published: March 2022

The early detection of invasive species is essential to cease the spread of the species before it can cause irreversible damage to the environment. The analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a non-harmful method to detect the presence of a species before visual detection and is a promising approach to monitor invasive species. Few studies have investigated the use of eDNA for arthropods, as their exoskeleton is expected to limit the release of eDNA into the environment. We tested published primers for the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas, in the Gulf of Maine and found them not species-specific enough for reliable use outside of the area for which they were designed for. We then designed new primers, tested them against a broad range of local faunal species, and validated these primers in a field study. We demonstrate that eDNA analyses can be used for crustaceans with an exoskeleton and suggest that primers and probe sequences must be tested on local fauna at each location of use to ensure no positive amplification of these other species.
On the generalization of the construction of quantum codes from Hermitian self-orthogonal codes
Authors: Galindo Carlos , Hernando Fernando
Published: March 2022

Many q-ary stabilizer quantum codes can be constructed from Hermitian self-orthogonal $$q^2$$

q
2

-ary linear codes. This result can be generalized to $$q^{2 m}$$

q

2
m

-ary linear codes, $$m > 1$$

m
>
1

. We give a result for easily obtaining quantum codes from that generalization. As a consequence we provide several new binary stabilizer quantum codes which are records according to Grassl (Bounds on the minimum distance of linear codes, http://www.codetables.de, 2020) and new q-ary ones, with $$q \ne 2$$

q
≠
2

, improving others in the literature.
Noticing student thinking under pressure in primary mathematics and science lessons
Authors: Jazby Dan , Widjaja Wanty , Xu Lihua , van Driel Jan H.
Published: March 2022

Teacher noticing of student thinking represents a key aspect of teacher expertise as it informs teachers’ actions ‘on the fly’ during a lesson. In science and mathematics education, teacher noticing has been conceptualised as being driven by attending to and making sense of student thinking. A range of models of noticing developed in professional fields such as aviation posit that perceptual interaction is also a key driver of noticing. This paper presents an alternate, ecological model of teacher noticing that begins with the premise that teachers have limited capacity to make sense of noteworthy events mid-lesson. Multimodal data collected from a primary science and mathematics lesson, taught by the same teacher, is analysed using the ecological lens. The analysis draws research attention to aspects of teacher/classroom interaction such as attention deployment and the role that classroom environments play in facilitating mid-lesson noticing of student thinking. Differences in teacher noticing between the science and mathematics lesson can be accounted for in terms of variance in environmental structure rather than solely in terms of teacher cognition.
Noble metals Pt, Au, and Ag as nucleating agents in BaO/SrO/ZnO/SiO2 glasses: formation of alloys and core–shell structures
Authors: Thieme Christian , Vladislavova Liliya , Thieme Katrin , Patzig Christian , Höche Thomas , Rüssel Christian
Published: March 2022

Noble metals such as Ag can be used as nucleation agents in glass ceramics. In glasses, it is incorporated predominantly as AgI. At temperatures slightly above the glass transition temperature, Tg, AgI reacts with SbIII to SbV and metallic Ag. Usually, face-centered cubic Ag particles are nearly spherical and get facetted during crystal growth. By contrast, in the case of BaO/SrO/ZnO/SiO2 glasses, silver has, in comparison to other noble metals, another significant, yet different effect. It forms metallic particles (hexagonal phase) with plate-like morphology during thermal treatment at 675 °C. In the second step of thermal treatment at 760 °C, this phase most probably expels some metallic Sb, which is oxidized by SbV (present in the surrounding glass phase) to SbIII. As a result, the plate-like morphology is maintained and a crystalline shell around the metallic core is formed, mainly consisting of ZnO with some SiO2 and antimony oxide, as proved by scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This shell triggers the volume crystallization of Ba0.5Sr0.5Zn2Si2O7, a phase with low thermal expansion. By comparison, alloying of Au with Sb does not occur according to the phase diagram. Instead, a thermal treatment at temperatures slightly above Tg leads to nanocrystalline, spherical Au particles. Hence, alloying and subsequent decomposition of the alloy is a prerequisite for the formation of plate-like noble metal particles.
The universal algebra of the electromagnetic field III. Static charges and emergence of gauge fields
Authors: Buchholz Detlev , Ciolli Fabio , Ruzzi Giuseppe , Vasselli Ezio
Published: March 2022

A universal C*-algebra of gauge invariant operators is presented, describing the electromagnetic field as well as operations creating pairs of static electric charges having opposite signs. Making use of Gauss’ law, it is shown that the string-localized operators, which necessarily connect the charges, induce outer automorphisms of the algebra of the electromagnetic field. Thus they carry additional degrees of freedom which cannot be created by the field. It reveals the fact that gauge invariant operators encode information about the presence of non-observable gauge fields underlying the theory. Using the Gupta-Bleuler formalism, concrete implementations of the outer automorphisms by exponential functions of the gauge fields are presented. These fields also appear in unitary operators inducing the time translations in the resulting representations of the universal algebra.
Effect of Particle Size and Surface Charge on Nanoparticles Diffusion in the Brain White Matter
Authors: Yuan Tian , Gao Ling , Zhan Wenbo , Dini Daniele
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Brain disorders have become a serious problem for healthcare worldwide. Nanoparticle-based drugs are one of the emerging therapies and have shown great promise to treat brain diseases. Modifications on particle size and surface charge are two efficient ways to increase the transport efficiency of nanoparticles through brain-blood barrier; however, partly due to the high complexity of brain microstructure and limited visibility of Nanoparticles (NPs), our understanding of how these two modifications can affect the transport of NPs in the brain is insufficient.

Methods

In this study, a framework, which contains a stochastic geometric model of brain white matter (WM) and a mathematical particle tracing model, was developed to investigate the relationship between particle size/surface charge of the NPs and their effective diffusion coefficients (D) in WM.

Results

The predictive capabilities of this method have been validated using published experimental tests. For negatively charged NPs, both particle size and surface charge are positively correlated with D before reaching a size threshold. When Zeta potential (Zp) is less negative than -10 mV, the difference between NPs’ D in WM and pure interstitial fluid (IF) is limited.

Conclusion

A deeper understanding on the relationships between particle size/surface charge of NPs and their D in WM has been obtained. The results from this study and the developed modelling framework provide important tools for the development of nano-drugs and nano-carriers to cure brain diseases.
Current and future strategies against cutaneous parasites
Authors: Man Ernest , Price Helen P. , Hoskins Clare
Published: March 2022

Cutaneous parasites are identified by their specific cutaneous symptoms which are elicited based on the parasite’s interactions with the host. Standard anti-parasitic treatments primarily focus on the use of specific drugs to disrupt the regular function of the target parasite. In cases where secondary infections are induced by the parasite itself, antibiotics may also be used in tandem with the primary treatment to deal with the infection. Whilst drug-based treatments are highly effective, the development of resistance by bacteria and parasites, is increasingly prevalent in the modern day, thus requiring the development of non-drug based anti-parasitic strategies. Cutaneous parasites vary significantly in terms of the non-systemic methods that are required to deal with them. The main factors that need to be considered are the specifically elicited cutaneous symptoms and the relative cutaneous depth in which the parasites typically reside in. Due to the various differences in their migratory nature, certain cutaneous strategies are only viable for specific parasites, which then leads to the idea of developing an all-encompassing anti-parasitic strategy that works specifically against cutaneous parasites. The main benefit of this would be the overall time saved in regards to the period that is needed for accurate diagnosis of parasite, coupled with the prescription and application of the appropriate treatment based on the diagnosis. This review will assess the currently identified cutaneous parasites, detailing their life cycles which will allow for the identification of certain areas that could be exploited for the facilitation of cutaneous anti-parasitic treatment.
Composition rules in original and cumulative prospect theory
Authors: Gonzalez Richard , Wu George
Published: March 2022

Original and cumulative prospect theory differ in the composition rule used to combine the probability weighting function and the value function. We test the predictive power of these composition rules by performing a novel out-of-sample prediction test. We apply estimates of prospect theory’s weighting and value function obtained from two-outcome cash equivalents, a domain where original and cumulative prospect theory coincide, to three-outcome cash equivalents, a domain where the composition rules of the two theories differ. Although both forms of prospect theory predict three-outcome cash equivalents very well, at the aggregate level, we find small but systematic under-prediction of cash equivalents for cumulative prospect theory and small but systematic over-prediction of cash equivalents for original prospect theory. We also observe substantial heterogeneity across subjects and types of gambles, some of which is accounted for by differences in the curvature and elevation of the weighting function across individuals. We also find differences in prediction related to whether the worst outcome is zero or non-zero.
Pan-cancer analysis of necroptosis-related gene signature for the identification of prognosis and immune significance
Authors: Ma Jincheng , Jin Yan , Gong Baocheng , Li Long , Zhao Qiang
Published: March 2022

Background

Necroptosis is a novel programmed cell death mode independent on caspase. A number of studies have revealed that the induction of necroptosis could act as an alternative therapeutic strategy for drug-resistant tumors as well as affect tumor immune microenvironment.

Methods

Gene expression profiles and clinical data were downloaded from XENA-UCSC (including The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression), Gene Expression Omnibus, International Cancer Genome Consortium and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas. We used non-negative matrix factorization method to conduct tumor classification. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to establish risk models, whose prognostic effectiveness was examined in both training and testing sets with Kaplan–Meier analysis, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves as well as uni- and multi-variate survival analysis. Principal Component Analysis, t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection were conducted to check the risk group distribution. Gene Set Enrichment Analyses, immune infiltration analysis based on CIBERSORT, EPIC, MCPcounter, ssGSEA and ESTIMATE, gene mutation and drug sensitivity between the risk groups were also taken into consideration.

Results

There were eight types of cancer with at least ten differentially expressed necroptosis-related genes which could influence patients’ prognosis, namely, adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC), acute myeloid leukemia (LAML), brain lower grade glioma (LGG), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) and thymoma (THYM). Patients could be divided into different clusters with distinct overall survival in all cancers above except for LIHC. The risk models could efficiently predict prognosis of ACC, LAML, LGG, LIHC, SKCM and THYM patients. LGG patients from high-risk group had a higher infiltration level of M2 macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts. There were more CD8+ T cells, Th1 cells and M1 macrophages in low-risk SKCM patients’ tumor microenvironment. Gene mutation status and drug sensitivity are also different between low- and high-risk groups in the six cancers.

Conclusions

Necroptosis-related genes can predict clinical outcomes of ACC, LAML, LGG, LIHC, SKCM and THYM patients and help to distinguish immune infiltration status for LGG and SKCM.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Performance and Personal Experience Among First-Year Medical Students
Authors: Andersen Shaun , Leon Genesis , Patel Deepal , Lee Cynthia , Simanton Edward
Published: March 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic forced medical education to rapidly transition from in-person learning to online learning. This change came with learning difficulties, social isolation, limited student/faculty relationships, and decreased academic performance.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to determine if academic performance, study habits, student/faculty relationships, and mental health were different in first-year medical students (class of 2024) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID cohorts.

Methods

In April 2021, a survey was sent to first-year medical students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV asking them to reflect on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic including study environment, mental health, and relationships with peers and faculty. A similar survey was sent to second- and third-year medical students (classes of 2023 and 2022) asking them to reflect on similar experiences during their first year of medical school. Exam scores for the first five exams were gathered and compared between first-, second-, and third-year medical students.

Results

One hundred twenty-five students responded to the survey (81% of first-year students, 75% of second-year students, and 55% of third-year students). During the COVID-19 pandemic, first semester students did not score above the national average as much as first semester students pre-COVID (55% vs. 77%). Students during the pandemic studied at home more than previous cohorts. Mental health and relationships were all rated significantly lower among first semester students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Significant differences were found in first semester student experience and academic performance during the pandemic compared to pre-COVID cohorts.
Normalizers of maximal tori and real forms of Lie groups
Authors: Gerasimov Anton A. , Lebedev Dmitrii R. , Oblezin Sergey V.
Published: March 2022

Given a complex connected reductive Lie group G with a maximal torus $$H\subset G$$

H
⊂
G

, Tits defined an extension $$W_G^{\mathrm{T}}$$

W
G
T

of the corresponding Weyl group $$W_G$$

W
G

. The extended group is supplied with an embedding into the normalizer $$N_G(H)$$

N
G

(
H
)

such that $$W_G^{\mathrm{T}}$$

W
G
T

together with H generate $$N_G(H)$$

N
G

(
H
)

. In this paper we propose an interpretation of the Tits classical construction in terms of the maximal split real form $$G(\mathbb {R})\subset G$$

G
(
R
)
⊂
G

, which leads to a simple topological description of $$W^{\mathrm{T}}_G$$

W
G
T

. We also consider a variation of the Tits construction associated with compact real form U of G. In this case we define an extension $$W_G^U$$

W
G
U

of the Weyl group $$W_G$$

W
G

, naturally embedded into the group extension $$\widetilde{U}:=U\,{\rtimes }\, \Gamma $$

U
~

:
=
U

⋊

Γ

of the compact real form U by the Galois group $$\Gamma ={\mathrm{Gal}}(\mathbb {C}/\mathbb {R})$$

Γ
=
Gal
(
C
/
R
)

. Generators of $$W^U_G$$

W
G
U

are squared to identity as in the Weyl group $$W_G$$

W
G

. However, the non-trivial action of $$\Gamma $$
Γ
by outer automorphisms requires $$W^U_G$$

W
G
U

to be a non-trivial extension of $$W_G$$

W
G

. This gives a specific presentation of the maximal torus normalizer of the group extension $${\widetilde{U}}$$

U
~

. Finally, we describe explicitly the adjoint action of $$W_G^{\mathrm{T}}$$

W
G
T

and $$W^U_G$$

W
G
U

on the Lie algebra of G.