bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Heterogeneity and Tumor-Promoting Role of SPP1/CD44-Mediated Intratumoral Crosstalk in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Xie Wen , Cheng Jia , Hong Zhijun , Cai Wangyu , Zhuo Huiqin , Hou Jingjing , Lin Lingyun , Wei Xujin , Wang Kang , Chen Xin , Song Yucheng , Wang Zhenfa , Cai Jianchun
Published: December 2022

GC is a fatal disease with high heterogeneity and invasiveness. Recently, SPP1 has been reported to be involved in the tumor progression of multiple human cancers; however, the role of SPP1 in GC heterogeneity and whether it is associated with the invasiveness and mortality of GC remain unclear. Here, we combined multiple RNA sequencing approaches to evaluate the impact of SPP1 on GC. Through bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), we found that SPP1 was highly expressed in GC, and high levels of SPP1 were associated with macrophage infiltration, an advanced tumor stage, and higher mortality for advanced GC patients. Furthermore, through simultaneous single-cell and spatial analysis, we demonstrated that SPP1+ macrophages are tumor-specific macrophages unique to cancer and enriched in the deep layer of GC tissue. Cell—cell communication analysis revealed that SPP1/CD44 interactions between SPP1+ macrophages and their localized tumor epithelial cells could activate downstream target genes in epithelial cells to promote dynamic changes in intratumor heterogeneity. Moreover, these activated genes were found to be closely associated with poor clinical GC outcomes and with cancer-related pathways that promote GC progression, as shown by survival analysis and enrichment analysis, respectively. Collectively, our study reveals that tumor-specific SPP1+ macrophages drive the architecture of intratumor heterogeneity to evolve with tumor progression and that SPP1 may serve as a prognostic marker for advanced GC patients, as well as a potential therapeutic target for GC.
Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases: The Impact of the Results of PROPHYLOCHIP, COLOPEC, and PRODIGE 7 Trials on Peritoneal Disease Management
Authors: Sommariva Antonio , Tonello Marco , Coccolini Federico , De Manzoni Giovanni , Delrio Paolo , Pizzolato Elisa , Gelmini Roberta , Serra Francesco , Rreka Erion , Pasqual Enrico Maria , Marano Luigi , Biacchi Daniele , Carboni Fabio , Kusamura Shigeki , Sammartino Paolo
Published: December 2022

HIPEC is a potentially useful locoregional treatment combined with cytoreduction in patients with peritoneal colorectal metastases. Despite being widely used in several cancer centers around the world, its role had never been investigated before the results of three important RCTs appeared on this topic. The PRODIGE 7 trial clarified the role of oxaliplatin-based HIPEC in patients treated with radical surgery. Conversely, the PROPHYLOCHIP and the COLOPEC were designed to chair the role of HIPEC in patients at high risk of developing peritoneal metastases. Although all three trials demonstrated the relative ineffectiveness of HIPEC for treating or preventing peritoneal metastases, these results are not sufficient to abandon this technique. In addition to some criticisms relating to the design of the trials and their statistical value, the oxaliplatin-based HIPEC was found to be ineffective in preventing or treating peritoneal colorectal metastases, especially in patients already treated with systemic platinum-based chemotherapy. Several studies are ongoing investigating further HIPEC drugs and regimens. The review deeply discussed all the aspects and relapses of this new evidence.
The Role of CXC Chemokines in Cancer Progression
Authors: Wu Tiantian , Yang Wannian , Sun Aiqin , Wei Zhixiao , Lin Qiong
Published: December 2022

CXC chemokines are small chemotactic and secreted cytokines. Studies have shown that CXC chemokines are dysregulated in multiple types of cancer and are closely correlated with tumor progression. The CXC chemokine family has a dual function in tumor development, either tumor-promoting or tumor-suppressive depending on the context of cellular signaling. Recent evidence highlights the pro-tumorigenic properties of CXC chemokines in most human cancers. CXC chemokines were found to play pivotal roles in promoting angiogenesis, stimulating inflammatory responses, and facilitating tumor metastases. Enhanced expression of CXC chemokines is always signatured with inferior survival and prognosis. The levels of CXC chemokines in cancer patients are in dynamic change according to the tumor contexts (e.g., chemotherapy resistance and tumor recurrence after surgery). Thus, CXC chemokines have great potential to be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Currently, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of CXC chemokines on tumor inflammation and metastasis remain unclear and application of antagonists and neutralizing antibodies of CXC chemokines signaling for cancer therapy is still not fully established. This article will review the roles of CXC chemokines in promoting tumorigenesis and progression and address the future research directions of CXC chemokines for cancer treatment.
Predicting Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Miyagi Hiroko , Kwenda Elizabeth , Ramnaraign Brian H. , Chatzkel Jonathan A. , Brisbane Wayne G. , O’Malley Padraic , Crispen Paul L.
Published: December 2022

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a life-threatening disease best managed with multimodal therapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to cystectomy significantly improves survival with the greatest benefit noted in patients with a complete pathologic response noted at cystectomy. While radical cystectomy is currently an important part of the treatment plan, surgical morbidity remains high. Accurate prediction of complete responses to chemotherapy would enable avoiding the morbidity of radical cystectomy. Multiple clinical, pathologic, molecular, and radiographic predictors have been evaluated. Clinical and standard pathologic findings have not been found to be accurate predictors of complete response. To date, tumor genomic findings have been the most promising and have led to multiple clinical trials to evaluate if bladder preservation is possible in select patients. Radiomics has shown initial promise with larger validation series needed. These predictors can be further characterized as treatment specific and non-treatment specific. With the potential changing landscape of neoadjuvant therapy prior to radical cystectomy and the limitations of individual predictors of a complete response, a panel of several biomarkers may enhance patient selection for bladder preservation. The aim of this review is to summarize predictors of complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Construction of an Immune Escape-Related Signature in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Identification of the Relationship between IFNAR1 and Immune Infiltration by Multiple Immunohistochemistry
Authors: Chang Kun , Xu Fujiang , Zhang Xuanzhi , Zeng Bohan , Zhang Wei , Shi Guohai , Ye Dingwei
Published: December 2022

Background: In the past decade, immunotherapy has been widely used in the treatment of various tumors, such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Although clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been shown to be sensitive to immunotherapy, it is effective only in several cases, which brings great obstacles to anti-tumor therapy for patients. Lawson et al. have successfully identified 182 “core cancer innate immune escape genes” whose deletion makes cancer cells more sensitive or resistant to T-cell attack. Methods: In this research, we sought to explore genes closely associated with ccRCC among the 182 core cancer innate immune escape genes. We used online databases to screen mutated genes in ccRCC, and then used ConsensusClusterPlus to cluster clinical samples to analyze differences in clinical prognosis and immune components between the two subgroups. In addition, the immune escape score was calculated using lasso cox regression, and a stable tumor immune escape-related nomogram was established to predict the overall survival of patients. Results: Higher immune escape score was significantly correlated with shorter survival time. Meanwhile, through the validation of the external cohort and the correlation analysis of the immune microenvironment, we proved that IFNAR1 is the key gene regulating immune escape in ccRCC, and we also found that the function of IFNAR1 in promoting immune activation is achieved by facilitating the infiltration of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. IFNAR1 regulates the malignant behavior of ccRCC by inhibiting the proliferation and migration properties. Conclusions: IFNAR1 may become a key biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of ccRCC immunotherapy and may also be a potential target for immunotherapy.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Pregnancy: Analysis of the VigiBase® Spontaneous Reporting System
Authors: Noseda Roberta , Müller Laura , Bedussi Francesca , Fusaroli Michele , Raschi Emanuel , Ceschi Alessandro
Published: December 2022

In pregnancy, immune checkpoint pathways are involved in the maintenance of fetomaternal immune tolerance. Preclinical studies have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) increase the risk of fetal death. Despite the fact that using ICIs in pregnant women and women of childbearing potential is not recommended, some case reports of ICI exposure in pregnancy have been published showing favorable fetal outcomes. This study aimed to gain further insight into ICI safety in pregnancy by querying VigiBase®, the World Health Organization’s spontaneous reporting system. We performed raw and subgroup disproportionality analyses using the reporting odds ratio and comparing ICIs with the entire database, other antineoplastic agents, and other antineoplastic agents gathered in VigiBase® since 2011. Across 103 safety reports referring to ICI exposure during the peri-pregnancy period, 56 reported pregnancy-related outcomes, of which 46 were without concomitant drugs as potential confounding factors. No signals of disproportionate reporting were found for spontaneous abortion, fetal growth restriction, and prematurity. In light of the expanding indications of ICIs, continuous surveillance by clinicians and pharmacovigilance experts is warranted, along with pharmacoepidemiological studies on other sources of real-world evidence, such as birth records, to precisely assess ICI exposure during the peri-pregnancy period and further characterize relevant outcomes.
Extracellular Vesicle Membrane Protein Profiling and Targeted Mass Spectrometry Unveil CD59 and Tetraspanin 9 as Novel Plasma Biomarkers for Detection of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Dash Srinivas , Wu Chia-Chun , Wu Chih-Ching , Chiang Sum-Fu , Lu Yu-Ting , Yeh Chien-Yuh , You Jeng-Fu , Chu Lichieh Julie , Yeh Ta-Sen , Yu Jau-Song
Published: December 2022

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are valuable sources for the discovery of useful cancer biomarkers. This study explores the potential usefulness of tumor cell-derived EV membrane proteins as plasma biomarkers for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). EVs were isolated from the culture supernatants of four CRC cell lines by ultracentrifugation, and their protein profiles were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Bioinformatics analysis of identified proteins revealed 518 EV membrane proteins in common among at least three CRC cell lines. We next used accurate inclusion mass screening (AIMS) in parallel with iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis to highlight candidate proteins and validated their presence in pooled plasma-generated EVs from 30 healthy controls and 30 CRC patients. From these, we chose 14 potential EV-derived targets for further quantification by targeted MS assay in a separate individual cohort comprising of 73 CRC and 80 healthy subjects. Quantitative analyses revealed significant increases in ADAM10, CD59 and TSPAN9 levels (2.19- to 5.26-fold, p < 0.0001) in plasma EVs from CRC patients, with AUC values of 0.83, 0.95 and 0.87, respectively. Higher EV CD59 levels were significantly correlated with distant metastasis (p = 0.0475), and higher EV TSPAN9 levels were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0011), distant metastasis at diagnosis (p = 0.0104) and higher TNM stage (p = 0.0065). A two-marker panel consisting of CD59 and TSPAN9 outperformed the conventional marker CEA in discriminating CRC and stage I/II CRC patients from healthy controls, with AUC values of 0.98 and 0.99, respectively. Our results identify EV membrane proteins in common among CRC cell lines and altered plasma EV protein profiles in CRC patients and suggest plasma EV CD59 and TSPAN9 as a novel biomarker panel for detecting early-stage CRC.
Glomerular Galactose-Deficient IgA1(KM55) Positive May Predict Poorer Prognosis in Coexisting Primary Membranous Nephropathy and IgA Nephropathy Patients
Authors: Cheng Wenrong , Wang Guoqin , Guo Weiyi , Sun Lijun , Xu Xiaoyi , Dong Hongrui , Ye Suhua , Geng Yanqiu , Cheng Hong
Published: December 2022

Primary membrane nephropathy (PMN) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) are the most common glomerular diseases in China. Because of different pathogenesis, prognosis is significantly different. When the two diseases coexist (PMN/IgAN), the clinicopathological manifestations and prognosis remain unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of PMN/IgAN patients, with only IgA deposition (PMN/IgA deposition) patients as controls. Galactose-deficient IgA1(KM55) and M-type Phospholipase A2 Receptor(PLA2R), both in circulation and renal tissues, were detected. Furthermore, prognosis of PMN/IgAN was explored. We found that PMN/IgAN also had some clinical features of IgAN in addition to PMN, such as higher serum albumin, along with a similar heavy proteinuria and lower titers of serum anti-PLA2R antibody. The positive rate of glomerular KM55 in PMN/IgAN was 23.5% (20/85), and 0% (0/29) in PMN/IgA deposition. Among those glomerular KM55 positive patients, KM55 and IgA colocalized mainly along the glomerular mesangial and capillary areas. Unfortunately, there was no significant difference in serum level of Gd-IgA1 between KM55+ and KM55− subgroups in PMN/IgAN patients, similar to the PMN/IgA deposition group. Notably, glomerular KM55 positive may predict a poorer prognosis in PMN/IgAN patients. In conclusion, our study suggested that, when glomerular KM55 staining was positive, this special coexisting PMN/IgAN disorder was prone to have more characteristics of IgAN besides PMN, and may predict poorer prognosis, while the mechanism requires further investigation.
The Role of Iron and Cobalt in Gynecological Diseases
Authors: Ćwiertnia Adrianna , Kozłowski Mateusz , Cymbaluk-Płoska Aneta
Published: December 2022

Iron and cobalt are micronutrients that play an important role in the regulation of cellular processes, being part of the centre of catalases, peroxidases, cytochromes and metalloproteins such as hemoglobin and myoglobin (Fe). Cobalt primarily functions as a component of hydroxycobalamin, which is essential for regulating red blood cell production. Maintaining normal levels of cobalt and iron in the human body is important, as a deficiency can lead to anaemia. These elements are also involved in reactions during which oxidative stress occurs and are therefore considered to be a cause of tumor formation. This paper will discuss aspects of the influence of cobalt and iron on mechanisms that may contribute to the growth of gynecological tumors, as well as other obstetric-gynecological disease entities, by altering the conditions of the microenvironment. In addition, the following review also highlights the role of cobalt and iron in the treatment of gynecological tumors.
The Cooperative Spirit of Nature in the Kalevala Creation Myth: An Argument for Modern Animism
Authors: Gant Christina M.
Published: December 2022

The Finnish Kalevala epic contains a world-creation myth that exemplifies the essential cooperation between humans and the nature spirits that inhabit the land. These stories not only reflect the culture’s animistic worldview, they also contain a remarkable awareness of how humans depend on the wisdom of nature to survive and illustrate how that coexistence benefits both humans and nature—a perspective that can be increasingly valuable in the modern era.
Carboxy Bodipy-Based Fast Trigger Fluorescent Probe for Imaging Endogenous Hypochlorous Acid
Authors: Zhang Hao , Feng Qincong , Hou Ji-Ting , Li Zhipeng , Shen Jianliang
Published: December 2022

Although hypochlorous acid (HClO/ClO−) is regarded as a harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, it plays an essential role in many physiological and pathological processes, such as an innate immunity and metabolic balance. In this paper, we developed a new carboxy Bodipy-based probe for rapid, sensitive, and specific monitoring of ClO−. Bp-S produces bright fluorescent Bp-COOH based on the selective recognition of ClO− to thiocarbamate groups. Bp-S exhibits high selectivity, high sensitivity, and high resistance to photobleaching in the recognition of ClO−. Fluorescence imaging of this probe in Hela cells and RAW264.7 cells also successfully detected changes in exogenous/endogenous ClO−, respectively, suggesting that Bp-S has high potential for future disease diagnosis and research.
Advances in the Treatment of Pediatric Brain Tumors
Authors: Kulubya Edwin S. , Kercher Matthew J. , Phillips H. Westley , Antony Reuben , Edwards Michael S. B.
Published: December 2022

Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid malignancies in children. Advances in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors have come in the form of imaging, biopsy, surgical techniques, and molecular profiling. This has led the way for targeted therapies and immunotherapy to be assessed in clinical trials for the most common types of pediatric brain tumors. Here we review the latest efforts and challenges in targeted molecular therapy, immunotherapy, and newer modalities such as laser interstitial thermal therapy.
Identifying Common Trees and Herbaceous Plants to Mitigate Particulate Matter Pollution in a Semi-Arid Mining Region of South Africa
Authors: Adhikari Sutapa , Struwig Madeleen , Siebert Stefan John
Published: December 2022

Plants provide long-term and sustainable solutions to mitigate particulate matter (PM) pollution in urban environments. We evaluated total, fine, coarse and large particle trapping abilities of an equal number of common trees (Carica papaya, Citrus limon, Moringa oleifera, Ozoroa paniculosa, Peltophorum africanum, Psidium guajava) and herbaceous species (Argemone ochroleuca, Catharanthus roseus, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Ipomoea batatas, Senna italica, Tribulus terrestris) to identify dust accumulators for Sekhukhuneland, a mining–smelting region of South Africa where desertification is becoming problematic. Scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to count and measure particles and relate leaf surface micromorphology to dust accumulation. Three tree and three herbaceous species showed superior dust collection capacity (G. fruticosus > P. guajava > I. batatas > O. paniculosa > C. roseus > M. oleifera). Variations in accumulation of PM sizes were noted among these six species and between adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Compared with large PM, all plants accumulated more fine and coarse fractions which are respirable and thus hazardous to human health. Leaf surface roughness, epicuticular wax and epidermal glands improved dust accumulation. The six preferred plants may serve as forerunner species to abate PM pollution in Sekhukhuneland and other arid regions facing similar climate change and pollution challenges.
Nanostructured Semi-Transparent TiO2 Nanoparticle Coatings Produced by Magnetron-Based Gas Aggregation Source
Authors: Hanková Adéla , Kuzminova Anna , Kylián Ondřej
Published: December 2022

A novel strategy to produce semi-transparent TiO2 nanoparticle-based coatings is investigated. This two-step strategy utilizes a magnetron-based gas aggregation source of Ti nanoparticles that are subsequently annealed in air at the temperature of 450 °C. It is shown that by using this technique, it is possible to fabricate highly porous and patterned TiO2 nanoparticle coatings with an optical band gap of around 3.0 eV on the substrate materials commonly used as transparent electrodes in photovoltaic applications or for water-splitting. In addition, it is shown that the morphology of the resulting coatings may be varied by changing the angle between the direction of the substrate and the incoming beam of nanoparticles. As demonstrated, the tilting of the substrate leads to the formation of columnar nanoparticle films.
An IoT-Based Deep Learning Framework for Real-Time Detection of COVID-19 through Chest X-ray Images
Authors: Karmakar Mithun , Choudhury Bikramjit , Patowary Ranjan , Nag Amitava
Published: December 2022

Over the next decade, Internet of Things (IoT) and the high-speed 5G network will be crucial in enabling remote access to the healthcare system for easy and fast diagnosis. In this paper, an IoT-based deep learning computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) framework is proposed for online and real-time COVID-19 identification. The proposed work first fine-tuned the five state-of-the-art deep CNN models such as Xception, ResNet50, DenseNet201, MobileNet, and VGG19 and then combined these models into a majority voting deep ensemble CNN (DECNN) model in order to detect COVID-19 accurately. The findings demonstrate that the suggested framework, with a test accuracy of 98%, outperforms other relevant state-of-the-art methodologies in terms of overall performance. The proposed CAD framework has the potential to serve as a decision support system for general clinicians and rural health workers in order to diagnose COVID-19 at an early stage.
Resource Partitioning by Corallivorous Snails on Bonaire (Southern Caribbean)
Authors: Verboom Lukas , Hoeksema Bert W.
Published: December 2022

A biodiversity survey on three corallivorous snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) was performed at 28 sites around the island of Bonaire to assess their distribution patterns and associated host corals. The snails and their hosts were identified and counted in three depth zones: 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30 m. The snails were Coralliophila galea and C. salebrosa (Muricidae: Coralliophilinae), and Cyphoma gibbosum (Ovulidae: Simniinae). All three species were widespread around the island without apparent interspecific geographical variation. Coralliophila galea was found exclusively on scleractinian corals, Coralliophila salebrosa almost exclusively on octocorals, and Cyphoma gibbosum only on octocorals. Coralliophila salebrosa showed more dietary overlap with Cyphoma gibbosum than with Coralliophila galea. Coralliophila galea was the most commonly encountered species with the largest number of host species. Owing to its hosts distribution, this species also showed a greater maximum depth and a wider bathymetrical range than the other two snails. The other two snails were shallower and their depth ranges did not differ significantly. Host-coral size did not seem to have influence on the number of snails per host. Coral damage caused by the snails was visible but appeared to be low, causing no mortality in Bonaire, which suggests that the relation with their hosts is more parasitic than predatory. Because these three corallivores have occasionally been reported to occur as outbreaks in other Caribbean localities and may act as vectors in the dispersal of coral diseases, it is recommended that future studies should focus on their population dynamics.
Aggregation of Multimodal ICE-MS Data into Joint Classifier Increases Quality of Brain Cancer Tissue Classification
Authors: Sorokin Anatoly A. , Bormotov Denis S. , Zavorotnyuk Denis S. , Eliferov Vasily A. , Bocharov Konstantin V. , Pekov Stanislav I. , Nikolaev Evgeny N. , Popov Igor A.
Published: December 2022

Mass spectrometry fingerprinting combined with multidimensional data analysis has been proposed in surgery to determine if a biopsy sample is a tumor. In the specific case of brain tumors, it is complicated to obtain control samples, leading to model overfitting due to unbalanced sample cohorts. Usually, classifiers are trained using a single measurement regime, most notably single ion polarity, but mass range and spectral resolution could also be varied. It is known that lipid groups differ significantly in their ability to produce positive or negative ions; hence, using only one polarity significantly restricts the chemical space available for sample discrimination purposes. In this work, we have developed an approach employing mass spectrometry data obtained by eight different regimes of measurement simultaneously. Regime-specific classifiers are trained, then a mixture of experts techniques based on voting or mean probability is used to aggregate predictions of all trained classifiers and assign a class to the whole sample. The aggregated classifiers have shown a much better performance than any of the single-regime classifiers and help significantly reduce the effect of an unbalanced dataset without any augmentation.
Novel CSF Biomarkers Tracking Autoimmune Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Aspects of CNS Diseases
Authors: Kapaki Elisabeth , Vakrakou Aigli G. , Boufidou Fotini
Published: December 2022

The accurate diagnosis of neuroinflammatory (NIDs) and neurodegenerative (NDDs) diseases and the stratification of patients into disease subgroups with distinct disease-related characteristics that reflect the underlying pathology represents an unmet clinical need that is of particular interest in the era of emerging disease-modifying therapies (DMT). Proper patient selection for clinical trials and identifying those in the prodromal stages of the diseases or those at high risk will pave the way for precision medicine approaches and halt neuroinflammation and/or neurodegeneration in early stages where this is possible. Towards this direction, novel cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker candidates were developed to reflect the diseased organ’s pathology better. Μisfolded protein accumulation, microglial activation, synaptic dysfunction, and finally, neuronal death are some of the pathophysiological aspects captured by these biomarkers to support proper diagnosis and screening. We also describe advances in the field of molecular biomarkers, including miRNAs and extracellular nucleic acids known as cell-free DNA and mitochondrial DNA molecules. Here we review the most important of these novel CSF biomarkers of NIDs and NDDs, focusing on their involvement in disease development and emphasizing their ability to define homogeneous disease phenotypes and track potential treatment outcomes that can be mirrored in the CSF compartment.
Mucopolysaccharidosis: What Pediatric Rheumatologists and Orthopedics Need to Know
Authors: Costi Stefania , Caporali Roberto Felice , Marino Achille
Published: December 2022

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) is a group of disorders caused by the reduced or absent activity of enzymes involved in the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) degradation; the consequence is the progressive accumulation of the substrate (dermatan, heparan, keratan or chondroitin sulfate) in the lysosomes of cells belonging to several tissues. The rarity, the broad spectrum of manifestations, the lack of strict genotype-phenotype association, and the progressive nature of MPS make diagnosing this group of conditions challenging. Musculoskeletal involvement represents a common and prominent feature of MPS. Joint and bone abnormalities might be the main clue for diagnosing MPS, especially in attenuated phenotypes; therefore, it is essential to increase the awareness of these conditions among the pediatric rheumatology and orthopedic communities since early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to reduce the disease burden of these patients. Nowadays, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are available for some MPS types. We describe the musculoskeletal characteristics of MPS patients through a literature review of MPS cases misdiagnosed as having rheumatologic or orthopedic conditions.
Early Diagnosis of COVID-19 Images Using Optimal CNN Hyperparameters
Authors: Saad Mohamed H. , Hashima Sherief , Sayed Wessam , El-Shazly Ehab H. , Madian Ahmed H. , Fouda Mostafa M.
Published: December 2022

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a worldwide epidemic that poses substantial health hazards. However, COVID-19 diagnostic test sensitivity is still restricted due to abnormalities in specimen processing. Meanwhile, optimizing the highly defined number of convolutional neural network (CNN) hyperparameters (hundreds to thousands) is a useful direction to improve its overall performance and overcome its cons. Hence, this paper proposes an optimization strategy for obtaining the optimal learning rate and momentum of a CNN’s hyperparameters using the grid search method to improve the network performance. Therefore, three alternative CNN architectures (GoogleNet, VGG16, and ResNet) were used to optimize hyperparameters utilizing two different COVID-19 radiography data sets (Kaggle (X-ray) and China national center for bio-information (CT)). These architectures were tested with/without optimizing the hyperparameters. The results confirm effective disease classification using the CNN structures with optimized hyperparameters. Experimental findings indicate that the new technique outperformed the previous in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, recall, F-score, false positive and negative rates, and error rate. At epoch 25, the optimized Resnet obtained high classification accuracy, reaching 98.98% for X-ray images and 98.78% for CT images.
Phoenix: Aerial Monitoring for Fighting Wildfires
Authors: Çoğay Sultan , Seçinti Gökhan
Published: December 2022

Wildfires have become a global problem in recent years. Authorities are looking for various technological and auxiliary solutions to deal with this environmental crisis. One of the advances being utilized in the forest fire field and its aftermath is unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs play a fundamental role in wildfire-fighting solutions due to their ease of use and high accessibility. However, the energy constraints of a single UAV and the fire areas make monitoring challenging. Therefore, to address these issues, we propose a monitoring application called Phoenix. We make three main contributions with the Phoenix application. Firstly, we implement a monitoring application consisting of path planning, graph engine, and modified TSP algorithms to help the UAV’s fire tracking and shorten its route. Secondly, we develop a network architecture to transfer the tracking data we obtained to provide information to the fire brigade and other firefighting units. Thirdly, we provide energy optimization for a single UAV mission. The first part of the application uses the elliptical fire model and simulation. In addition, Phoenix utilizes fuel moisture content (fmc) data of the fire zone to analyze the critical fire regions. The simulation results show that our Phoenix application reduces energy consumption by 38 % and enhances coverage by up to 51%.
Soft Fault Diagnosis of Analog Circuit Based on EEMD and Improved MF-DFA
Authors: Lu Xinmiao , Lu Zihan , Wu Qiong , Wang Jiaxu , Yang Cunfang , Sun Shuai , Shao Dan , Liu Kaiyi
Published: December 2022

Aiming at the problems of nonlinearity and serious confusion of fault characteristics in analog circuits, this paper proposed a fault diagnosis method for an analog circuit based on ensemble empirical pattern decomposition (EEMD) and improved multifractal detrended fluctuations analysis (MF-DFA). This method consists of three steps: preprocessing, feature extraction, and fault classification identification. First, the EEMD decomposition preprocesses (denoises) the original signal; then, the appropriate IMF components are selected by correlation analysis; then, the IMF components are processed by the improved MF-DFA, and the fault feature values are extracted by calculating the multifractal spectrum parameters, and then the feature values are input to a support vector machine (SVM) for classification, which enables the diagnosis of soft faults in analog circuits. The experimental results show that the proposed EEMD-improved MF-DFA method effectively extracts the features of soft faults in nonlinear analog circuits and obtains a high diagnosis rate.
Performance Analysis of Dual-Hop AF Cognitive Relay Networks with Best Selection and Interference Constraints
Authors: Alhulayil Moawiah , Al-Mistarihi Mamoun F. , Shurman Mohammad M.
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a dual-hop underlay cognitive relay network (CRN) with a best-relay selection (BRS) scheme under spectrum-sharing constraints from the primary user (PU) is investigated. The system model in this work consists of one PU, one secondary user (SU) and a few SU relays. Both users exchange the information using a half-duplex mode through amplify-and-forward (AF) SU relays. Moreover, all channels are modelled using the Nakagami-m fading model. In this work, the outage probabilities (OPs) are derived for the proposed system model under several scenarios to investigate the network performance under interference power constraint Ip at the PU receiver. In addition, the impacts of the number of relays and the channel fading severity parameters are investigated as well. Furthermore, the system performance is investigated for several PU locations. The various numerical results are verified using a Monte Carlo simulation. Overall, the obtained results show that several factors such as the number of relays, channel fading severity parameters and PU location have a major impact on the outage performance of the SU. The simulation and analytical results are perfectly matched, confirming the accuracy of the analytical derivations.
On the Architecture and Key Technology for Digital Twin Oriented to Equipment Battle Damage Test Assessment
Authors: Song Mingchang , Shi Quan , Hu Qiwei , You Zhifeng , Chen Lei
Published: December 2022

To overcome the technical bottleneck faced by the traditional equipment battle damage assessment method by analyzing the application status of digital twins in battle damage assessment, the application needs and the existing problems of current digital twin technology in damage assessment were summarized. Relying on battle damage tests, based on combing the current status of equipment battle damage test evaluation and digital twin technology research, the connotation and application features of digital twinning technology-oriented to equipment battle damage test assessment were explored. The architecture and implementation plan of the digital twin oriented to equipment battle damage test assessment were structured. The key technology and realization of digital twin oriented to battle damage test assessment were proposed. This study provided a theoretical reference and method guidance for the application of digital twins in battle damage assessment, which is of great reference significance for the development of digital twin battlefield construction and battle damage assessment.
Analysis of Hybrid Spectrum Sensing for 5G and 6G Waveforms
Authors: Kumar Arun , Venkatesh J , Gaur Nishant , Alsharif Mohammed H. , Jahid Abu , Raju Kannadasan
Published: December 2022

More spectrum bands are needed as the number of wireless applications rises. The spectrum band, though, is now very difficult to adapt to new applications. Because of this, the spectrum is getting more crowded, which also affects quality of service (QoS). One of the most promising technologies to address the issue of spectrum scarcity is cognitive radio (CR). Spectrum sensing (SS) is thought to be essential to CR. It determines that when primary users (PUs) are not using the spectrum, the spectrum can be allocated to secondary users (SUs). In this paper, a novel 5G spectrum sensing technique was implemented using a hybrid matched filter (HMF) algorithm based on the fusion of two matched filters (MF). In addition, we compared the performance of the HMF and traditional MF in Rayleigh and Rician channels. It has been observed that the HMF performs more effectively than the conventional MF in both channels.
Effect of Electrical Accelerated Aging on DC Resistivity of Mineral Oil Used in Power Transformers
Authors: Manea Andrei , Gorjanu Teodora , Lazeanu Andreea , Dumitran Laurentiu Marius
Published: December 2022

Power transformers are still equipment of primary importance within power grids. The recent paradigm changes registered in the field of energy require the interconnection of electrical grids of much larger areas, even up to the level of an entire continent. In this context, knowing the state of the electrical equipment and that of the power transformers is an essential aspect to ensure safe operation conditions. The present work is related to the vulnerability of the oil–paper insulation systems of power transformers to different aging factors and their quick degradation under certain conditions. In this regard, the study proposed in this paper considers the measurement of DC resistivity on mineral oil samples contaminated with small amounts of accelerated aging oil under the action of high-strength electric field and partial discharges. In the absence of standardized procedures for accelerated electrical aging of mineral oil, an original method presented and discussed in previous articles is used. The obtained results clearly indicate that under the action of electrical stress, the mineral oil resistivity decreases significantly, showing that the oil’s electric properties worsen.
Responses to Solar UV-B Exclusion and Drought Stress in Two Cultivars of Chestnut Rose with Different Leaf Thickness
Authors: Luo Dapeng , Li Jielin , Luo Jianxun , Ma Yan , Wang Yongzhi , Liu Wei , Rodriguez Lucas Gutierrez , Yao Yinan
Published: December 2022

Plants adopt a series of strategies to tolerate solar UV-B radiation (with the side effects of growth reduction), but the positive effects of solar UV-B radiation have not been yet clarified. In this study, two cultivars with different leaf thickness for Chestnut rose (Rosa roxburghii Tratt), a pioneering species for ecological restoration in Karst region of Southwest China, were employed to investigate its responses to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exclusion, moderate drought, and their combination in an outdoor experiment. Thin-leaf cultivars (Gui 2) adopt an opportunistic growth strategy, growing better than Gui 7 under UV-B exclusion combined with well-watered conditions. To avoid the penetration of solar UV-B wavelengths into the underlying leaf tissues, Gui 2 exhibited higher enhancements in leaf thickness, palisade/spongy tissue ratio, antioxidant responses such as the leaf concentration of flavonols compounds catalyse activity under solar UV-B exposure. Moreover, ambient solar UV-B radiation alleviated the adverse impact caused by drought in both cultivars, improving total biomass and reducing membrane penetration. This alleviation may be related with two potential explanations. First, solar UV-B radiation primes chestnut rose plants with increased antioxidative capacity against drought stress, shown in both antioxidative enzyme activity and non-enzyme antioxidants (in particular, with total flavonols and flavonol ratio [(quercetin+myricetin)/kaempferol]). Second, to avoid nutrition insufficiency, solar UV-B radiation and drought endows chestnut rose plants with complementary effects on nutrition balance. Overall, solar UV-B radiation helps the chestnut tolerate drought stress that occurs frequently in the Karst region by modulating its antioxidative capacity and nutrition balance.
Carnivorous Plant Algorithm and BP to Predict Optimum Bonding Strength of Heat-Treated Woods
Authors: Wang Yue , Wang Wei , Chen Yao
Published: December 2022

In this study, the CPA algorithm was used to optimize a BP neural network model to predict the bond strength and surface roughness of heat-treated wood. The neural network model was trained and optimized using MATLAB software. The results of the BP neural network, random forest algorithm, and optimized CPA-BP model were compared. The results show that the CPA-optimized BP neural network model has a better R2 compared to the conventional BP neural network model. After using the CPA-optimized BP neural network model, the R2 value increased by 8.1%, the MAPE value decreased by 3.74%, and the MAE value decreased by 33.91% in the prediction of the surface bond strength. The R2 values increased by 3.02% and 20.47%, respectively, in predicting the mean and maximum values of surface roughness. The results indicate that the model is reliable in predicting wood bond strength and wood surface roughness. Using this model to predict wood bond strength and surface roughness can also reduce the required experimental cost.
Transcriptome Analysis Provides an Overview of Genes Involved in the Peculiar Food Preference at First-Feeding Stage in Mandarin Fish (Siniperca chuatsi)
Authors: Li Ling , Tang Shu-Lin , He Shan , Liang Xu-Fang
Published: December 2022

The mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) is an important economic fish species in China. Many carnivorous fish larvae feed on zooplankton or microdiets. However, the mandarin fish larvae feed on live prey fish exclusively, while refusing zooplankton or microdiets. A stable supply of palatable live prey fish results in high costs. Moreover, the application of live prey fish might bring the risk of pathogens. However, little is known about the genes underlying the food preference of mandarin fish larvae. Partial offspring of the domesticated strain could feed brine shrimp from three days post-hatching (dph), the open mouth day. In the present study, the mandarin fish larvae were randomly divided into three groups, then treated differently at 3 dph: (1) unfed; (2) fed with live prey fish; (3) fed with brine shrimp (Artemia). Differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA-seq. The differential expression of the transcription factors involved in retinal photoreceptor development and differentiation might contribute to the intake of brine shrimp in mandarin fish larvae. Meanwhile, the digestive enzyme genes involved in protein, fat, and carbohydrate digestion have been expressed in mandarin fish larvae at 3 dph, contributing to the digestion of ingested food. Our study provides an overview of genes and biological processes involved in the peculiar food preference at the first-feeding stage in mandarin fish larvae and has critical importance to the future application of non-fish live feeds in the culture of mandarin fish larvae.
Effects of Dietary Eucommia ulmoides Leaf Extract on Growth, Muscle Composition, Hepatopancreas Histology, Immune Responses and Microcystin-LR Resistance of Juvenile Red Claw Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus)
Authors: Lu Yao-Peng , Zheng Pei-Hua , Xu Jia-Rui , Cao Yan-Lei , Li Jun-Tao , Hao Chen-Guang , Zhang Ze-Long , Xian Jian-An , Zhang Xiu-Xia , Wang An-Li
Published: December 2022

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of different doses of dietary Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract (ELE) on juvenile red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus). A total number of 720 red claw crayfish (initial body weight of 0.24 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to six groups and fed diets containing 0 (Diet 1), 0.5 (Diet 2), 1 (Diet 3), 2 (Diet 4), 4 (Diet 5) and 10 (Diet 6) g dry weight (dw) ELE kg (dw)−1 diets for eight weeks and challenged with microcystin-LR stress. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with 1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet could significantly improve the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of crayfish. Muscle crude protein contents of crayfish fed Diet 2, Diet 3, and Diet 4 were significantly higher than those of the control group. Compared with the control group, dietary ELE could increase total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and phenoloxidase (PO) activities and decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) level of crayfish. Dietary ELE significantly increased the relative expression levels of SOD, thioredoxin 1 (TRX1), GPx, selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx), cytochrome P450 (CYP450), anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF) and C-type lysozyme (C-LZM) mRNA of crayfish compared with the control group during the feeding experiment. When subjected to MC-LR stress for 48 h, the mRNA expression levels of SOD, GPx, Se-GPx, glutathione-s-transferase 1 (GST1), ALF, hemocyanin (HEM), and C-LZM in the hepatopancreas could be improved to varying degrees compared with the Diet 1. Supplementation of 1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet could improve the survival rate (SR) of crayfish under MC-LR stress. These results indicated that dietary ELE (1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet) could improve the growth performance, muscle protein, and non-specific immune response and increase the SR of crayfish under MC-LR stress by regulating the mRNA expression levels of the immune- and antioxidant-related genes.
Combined Surface Heating by Laser Beam and Subsonic Nitrogen Plasma Jet
Authors: Chaplygin Aleksey , Kotov Mikhail , Yakimov Mikhail , Lukomskii Ilya , Galkin Semen , Kolesnikov Anatoly , Shemyakin Andrey , Solovyov Nikolay
Published: December 2022

The paper describes new combined heating capability of the IPMech RAS inductively coupled plasma facility VGU-4. A 200 W ytterbium laser was added to the facility as a source of radiative heating. The cylindrical specimen made of the Buran orbital vehicle’s heat-shielding tile material with a black low catalytic coating was exposed to subsonic pure nitrogen plasma jet and laser radiation. The specimen surface temperature reached 1325 ∘C during combined radiative and convective heating. The maximum heat flux obtained in the combined mode for a laser incident power of 47 W and a VGU-4 HF-generator anode power of 22 kW was 32.1 W/cm2. The convective heat flux from the nitrogen plasma jet at the same anode power was 12.6 W/cm2. Adding a laser to an existing inductively coupled plasma facility gives the future opportunity to better simulate entry into the atmospheres of Mars, Venus, the outer planets and their moons.
Addition of Amaranth Flour of Different Particle Sizes at Established Doses in Wheat Flour to Achieve a Nutritional Improved Wheat Bread
Authors: Coțovanu Ionica , Stroe Silviu-Gabriel , Ursachi Florin , Mironeasa Silvia
Published: December 2022

Amaranth is an underutilized pseudocereal that can be used to supplement wheat flour (WF) in order to improve the nutritional quality of bread. Bread digestibility is impacted by particle size which produces different nutritional properties. This research aims to evaluate the baking characteristics of optimal wheat–amaranth composite flour for each studied amaranth flour (AF) particle size at doses previously established based on an optimization process and to characterize from a physical, textural, nutritional, and sensorial point of view the obtained bread. The results revealed that the optimal wheat–amaranth composite flour with medium and small particle size, respectively showed a slightly lower α-amylase activity, while dough development time was significantly higher compared to the WF. A significant (p < 0.05) decrease was observed in the elasticity, deformation energy, and dynamic rheological parameters of the optimal composite dough for all the particle sizes, whereas fermentation parameters showed higher values compared to the control, indicating the ability of the gluten structure in large, medium, and small particle sizes of AF to hold the gas and to expand without collapsing. The physical, textural, and especially nutritional characteristics of the optimal WF-AF bread were enhanced. The sensory evaluation results revealed high scores (8.70) for the acceptability of optimal bread with a medium particle size as compared to wheat bread (8.25). The protein and ash content of the optimal breads with large, medium, and small AF particle sizes, respectively, increased significantly, from 8.92 to 10.58%, and 0.82 to 0.99%, respectively, relative to the wheat flour bread (8.35% and 0.72%, respectively). The mineral content was up to two times higher in the optimal breads compared to wheat flour bread. The findings generated from this study are helpful in bakery industry for designing products with enhanced nutritional properties and for introducing new products to the market.