bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detecting Outliers in Data Streams Based on Minimum Rare Pattern Mining and Pattern Matching
Authors: Li Yun , Cai Saihua
Published: June 2022

Outliers are the major factors to influence the accuracy of data-based processing, thus, they must be discovered from collected datasets to guarantee data security. With the widely use of sensors and other monitoring equipment, data streams are becoming the main form of data. However, the huge scale of data streams results in the number of mined rare patterns very large, which makes it hard to effectively detect outliers through pattern-based outlier detection methods. Since minimal rare patterns (MRPs) can represent rare patterns and the number is much smaller, therefore, the use of MRPs on outlier detection can short the time consumption. Based on this idea, this paper proposes an outlier detection approach based on minimal rare pattern, called ODMRP, which is composed of pattern mining phase and pattern matching phase. Specifically, in the pattern mining phase, an improved minimal rare pattern mining algorithm, namely MRPM, is proposed to mine the MRPs from data streams; It first constructs two matrix structures to store information of transactions and frequent 2-patterns, and then apply “pattern extension” operations to extend frequent 2-patterns to longer patterns, at the same time, rare patterns are removed to prevent them participating into “pattern extension” operation to reduce meaningless time cost; In the pattern matching phase, we use the IM-Sunday algorithm to match the mined MRPs with the patterns stored in outlier pattern library, to find potential outliers. Extensive experimental studies show that the proposed ODMRP method can accurately detect outliers from data streams in less overhead.
GATSum: Graph-Based Topic-Aware Abstract Text Summarization
Authors: Jiang Ming , Zou Yifan , Xu Jian , Zhang Min
Published: June 2022

The purpose of text summarization is to compress a text document into a summary containing key information. abstract approaches are challenging tasks, it is necessary to design a mechanism to effectively extract salient information from the source text, and then generate a summary. However, most of the existing abstract approaches are difficult to capture global semantics, ignoring the impact of global information on obtaining important content. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a Graph-Based Topic Aware abstract Text Summarization (GTASum) framework. Specifically, GTASum seamlessly incorporates a neural topic model to discover potential topic information, which can provide document-level features for generating summaries. In addition, the model integrates the graph neural network which can effectively capture the relationship between sentences through the document representation of graph structure, and simultaneously update the local and global information. The further discussion showed that latent topics can help the model capture salient content. We conducted experiments on two datasets, and the result shows that GTASum is superior to many extractive and abstract approaches in terms of ROUGE measurement. The result of the ablation study proves that the model has the ability to capture the original subject and the correct information and improve the factual accuracy of the summarization.
Antarktis im Wandel: Vom Vorbild zum Auslaufmodell internationaler Kooperation?
Authors: Flamm Patrick
Published: June 2022

Das Antarktische Vertragssystem (AVS) wird oft als Vorbild für internationale Kooperation jenseits des „westfälischen Systems“ gesehen. So hat das AVS über Jahrzehnte den antarktischen Kontinent als einen dem Frieden und der Wissenschaft gewidmeten Naturschutzpark geschützt, wobei alle territorialen Gebietsansprüche „eingefroren“ wurden. Dennoch dominiert nationalstaatliche Logik seit jeher auch antarktische Politik: Nur die bereits bestehenden Gebietsansprüche dürfen per Antarktisvertrag betrieben werden, die einzig legitimen politischen Akteure sind Nationalstaaten, antarktische Forschung wird von nationalen Programmen koordiniert und die Errichtung der ausnahmslos nationalen Forschungsstationen erfolgte selten nur nach wissenschaftlichen Gesichtspunkten. Durch globale Machtverschiebungen, neue Regulierungsherausforderungen sowie den Klimawandel stellt sich allerdings die Frage, ob dieses Vertragssystem, das bisher als exklusiver Club weitgehend isoliert von internationalen Normen und Institutionen wie zum Beispiel den Vereinten Nationen oder dem Seerechtsübereinkommen fungierte, bei sich verschlechternder planetarer ökologischer Lage weiterhin als Vorbild internationaler Kooperation taugt oder aber nur durch weitreichende institutionelle Weiterentwicklung vermieden werden könnte, dass es zum Auslaufmodell wird.
Seuchen, öffentliche Gesundheit und Sozialpolitik
Authors: Butterwegge Christoph
Published: June 2022

Angst und Schrecken verbreiten epidemisch gewordene Infektionskrankheiten nicht erst seit der Covid-19-Pandemie. Sie haben vielmehr sehr oft Not, Elend und Verderben für die davon unmittelbar oder mittelbar Betroffenen mit sich gebracht, aber auch die ökonomische, soziale und politische Entwicklung ganzer Kontinente beeinflusst. Krankheiten, die von Mensch zu Mensch übertragen werden können und extrem ansteckend sind, zerstören deren Zusammenleben, treffen Gesellschaften ins Mark und bewirken häufig einen grundlegenden Wandel der Sozialstruktur. Sie gehören zusammen mit größeren Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrisen, schweren Naturkatastrophen sowie Kriegen und Bürgerkriegen zu den einschneidendsten Erlebnissen für die betroffenen Menschen.
Reformbedarf im patentfreien Markt – Wettbewerb und Versorgungssicherheit
Authors: Jablonka Sabine , Wolf Constanze
Published: June 2022

Im Arzneimittelmarkt richteten sich zuletzt die Blicke vor allem auf das Segment der neuen Arzneimittel, denn die Ausgabensteigerungen durch neue Präparate mit immer höheren Einstiegspreisen belasten die knappen Kassen der Kostenträger sehr. Nicht nur angesichts der anstehenden Substitution von Biologika in Apotheken, mit der erhebliche Wirtschaftlichkeitsreserven für die GKV erschlossen werden können, verdient auch der patentfreie Markt eine kritische Analyse.
Planung und gesundheitliche Versorgung in sozialen Brennpunkten
Authors: Gibis Bernhard , Fix Elisabeth
Published: June 2022

Schieflagen erkennen, Maßnahmen auswählen und ergreifen sind Grundelemente einer Planung, die auch für die Verbesserung von medizinischen Versorgungsverhältnissen in sozialen Brennpunkten sinnvoll sein kann. Ein Mehr an bestehender Versorgung ist dabei selten ausreichend. Menschen in sozialen Brennpunkten werden mit dem bestehenden medizinischen Angebot häufig nicht erreicht. Notwendig sind Versorgungsansätze, die Daseinsvorsorge und medizinische Versorgung besser als bisher verbinden.
Goethes Bibliothek
Authors: Höppner Stefan
Published: June 2022

Stefan Höppner's book is dedicated to Goethe's most important working tool - his library. It is not just one of the most prominent collections of books by a German-language author, but also one of the few authors' libraries from the time around 1800 to have been almost completely preserved. Moreover, its development since Goethe's death is exceptionally well documented. On the basis of partly unpublished archival records, the digital re-cataloging of the books, and Goethe's writing traces in the volumes, this book provides completely new insights into the poet's working methods and networks. The history of his library, however, is also about the later treatment of Weimar Classicism, both in research and in political and cultural institutions from the German Empire to the present.
Symbolik und Geschichte des Buddhistischen Hauses in Berlin-Frohnau
Authors: Liebrich Winfrid , Rambukwelle Devananda
Published: June 2022

This volume examines and describes the significance of the stone structures in the park of the Buddhistisches Haus in Berlin-Frohnau. For the first time in the Western world, the German Buddhist Paul Dahlke and his architect Max Meyer created new architectural elements for Eastern Buddhist doctrines and practice there in the 1920s. This religious-cultural adaptation was and is unique and has not been attempted by “Western” Buddhists since. The Buddhist missionary societies and missionaries who later came to the Western world brought their own symbols and sometimes their church language with them. Especially onsite, this book can serve as an explanation of the symbolism for lay people and as a practical guide for Buddhists.
Bone Marrow Histology in Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Authors: Yu Shan-Chi , Cheng Chieh-Lung , Huang Huai-Hsuan , Lo Hsiao-Ting , Liu Yu-Jung , Hsieh Han-Peng , Chao Hsiao-Ling , Wang Yi-Hua , Hsu Cheng-An , Teng Shu-Chun
Published: June 2022

Context.—

Bone marrow (BM) samples are obtained through aspiration and trephine biopsy. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has been largely studied in BM aspirate smears.

Objective.—

To investigate the histologic features of HLH in trephine biopsy.

Design.—

Patients with hemophagocytosis in BM aspirate smears were assigned to HLH (n = 127) and non-HLH (n = 203) groups. We quantified hematoxylin-eosin and CD68 immunohistochemical staining of their trephine biopsies.

Results.—

No significant correlation was noted in the hemophagocytosis count between aspirate smears and trephine biopsies. Compared with the non-HLH group, the HLH group had a higher hemophagocytosis count (13 versus 9 per tissue section, P = .046), lower percentage of the adipocytic area (36.7% versus 50.3%, P < .001), and higher percentage of the foamy area (19.1% versus 14.5%, P < .001). The HLH group had more histiocyte infiltrates (total histiocyte density, 9.2% versus 7.3%; P < .001) and more fat-infiltrating histiocytes (histiocyte density of the fat-associated part [HD-FA], 7.6% versus 6.2%; P < .001). We identified the following poor prognostic factors in the HLH group: age 50 years or older (median overall survival [mOS], 95 versus 499 days; P = .04), Epstein-Barr virus–positive T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV+TLPDs) (mOS, 51 versus 425 days; P < .001), hemophagocytosis count of 6 or higher per tissue section (mOS, 66 versus 435 days; P = .02), and HD-FA of 9% or greater (mOS, 61 versus 359 days; P = .02). Multivariate analysis revealed that age 50 years or older (hazard ratio [HR], 2.38; P < .001), EBV+TLPDs (HR, 2.07; P < .001), and hemophagocytosis count of 6 or higher per tissue section (HR, 2.07; P = .002) were independent prognostic factors for HLH.

Conclusions.—

The HLH group had higher hemophagocytic activity, higher cellularity, a more foamy appearance, more histiocyte infiltrates, and more fat-infiltrating histiocytes. High hemophagocytic activity and marked histiocyte infiltrates in the BM fat were associated with poorer prognosis.
Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Oxidized LDL Levels in Familial Mediterranean Fever
Authors: UĞURLU Serdal , NEMMEZİ KARACA Sanem , DEMİREL Yeltekin , SEYAHİ Emire
Published: June 2022

Objective: To investigate markers of carotid atherosclerosis and oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) levels in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) who have no risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Method: It was included 44 patients (25 F/19 M; mean age: 33.5±7.5) with FMF in attack free period and gender and age matched 44 healthy subjects (25 F/19 M; mean age: 33.4±7.0). The patients with clinical coronary artery disease, chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, history of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, cerebrovascular disease, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, active infection, those in postmenopausal period, and those using anti-lipid drugs were excluded. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (C-IMT) was measured and investigated atherosclerotic plaques in the carotids by using doppler ultrasound. Serum lipid and OxLDL levels were also assessed. Data were analyzed with the SPSS program and p
Del modelo al bloque. El ‘sacado de puntos’ en los talleres escultóricos españoles del Renacimiento
Authors: Vasallo Toranzo Luis
Published: June 2022

La presencia cada vez más abundante de modelos tridimensionales en los talleres escultóricos españoles del último tercio del XVI y su utilización documentada como prototipos de las imágenes definitivas, obligan a reflexionar sobre la introducción en nuestro país del sistema mecánico del “sacado de puntos”. Tras analizar las aportaciones de los principales escultores de la primera mitad del XVI, se concluye que fue Gaspar Becerra quien generalizó ese método, pronto conocido por los clientes y adoptado por los principales talleres.
Circadian programming of the ellipsoid body sleep homeostat in Drosophila
Authors: Andreani Tomas , Rosensweig Clark , Sisobhan Shiju , Ogunlana Emmanuel , Kath William , Allada Ravi
Published: June 2022

Homeostatic and circadian processes collaborate to appropriately time and consolidate sleep and wake. To understand how these processes are integrated, we scheduled brief sleep deprivation at different times of day in Drosophila and find elevated morning rebound compared to evening. These effects depend on discrete morning and evening clock neurons, independent of their roles in circadian locomotor activity. In the R5 ellipsoid body sleep homeostat, we identified elevated morning expression of activity dependent and presynaptic gene expression as well as the presynaptic protein BRUCHPILOT consistent with regulation by clock circuits. These neurons also display elevated calcium levels in response to sleep loss in the morning, but not the evening consistent with the observed time-dependent sleep rebound. These studies reveal the circuit and molecular mechanisms by which discrete circadian clock neurons program a homeostatic sleep center.
Cognitive experience alters cortical involvement in goal-directed navigation
Authors: Arlt Charlotte , Barroso-Luque Roberto , Kira Shinichiro , Bruno Carissa A , Xia Ningjing , Chettih Selmaan N , Soares Sofia , Pettit Noah L , Harvey Christopher D
Published: June 2022

Neural activity in the mammalian cortex has been studied extensively during decision tasks, and recent work aims to identify under what conditions cortex is actually necessary for these tasks. We discovered that mice with distinct cognitive experiences, beyond sensory and motor learning, use different cortical areas and neural activity patterns to solve the same navigation decision task, revealing past learning as a critical determinant of whether cortex is necessary for goal-directed navigation. We used optogenetics and calcium imaging to study the necessity and neural activity of multiple cortical areas in mice with different training histories. Posterior parietal cortex and retrosplenial cortex were mostly dispensable for accurate performance of a simple navigation task. In contrast, these areas were essential for the same simple task when mice were previously trained on complex tasks with delay periods or association switches. Multiarea calcium imaging showed that, in mice with complex-task experience, single-neuron activity had higher selectivity and neuron–neuron correlations were weaker, leading to codes with higher task information. Therefore, past experience is a key factor in determining whether cortical areas have a causal role in goal-directed navigation.
Rapid and specific degradation of endogenous proteins in mouse models using auxin-inducible degrons
Authors: Macdonald Lewis , Taylor Gillian C , Brisbane Jennifer Margaret , Christodoulou Ersi , Scott Lucy , von Kriegsheim Alex , Rossant Janet , Gu Bin , Wood Andrew J
Published: June 2022

Auxin-inducible degrons are a chemical genetic tool for targeted protein degradation and are widely used to study protein function in cultured mammalian cells. Here, we develop CRISPR-engineered mouse lines that enable rapid and highly specific degradation of tagged endogenous proteins in vivo. Most but not all cell types are competent for degradation. By combining ligand titrations with genetic crosses to generate animals with different allelic combinations, we show that degradation kinetics depend upon the dose of the tagged protein, ligand, and the E3 ligase substrate receptor TIR1. Rapid degradation of condensin I and II – two essential regulators of mitotic chromosome structure – revealed that both complexes are individually required for cell division in precursor lymphocytes, but not in their differentiated peripheral lymphocyte derivatives. This generalisable approach provides unprecedented temporal control over the dose of endogenous proteins in mouse models, with implications for studying essential biological pathways and modelling drug activity in mammalian tissues.
Heroes in Miniature
Authors: Hemkendreis Anne
Published: June 2022

This paper examines the five different Thule postal stamps which circulated from 1935 to 1936 between the trading post of Thule (which is the Danish name for the settlement of Uummannaq in Northwest Greenland, today Thule Air Base) and the Cape York post office in Copenhagen. The images on the stamps not only concentrate and visualize the complex colonial history between Greenland and Denmark. Instead, they also dynamize and preserve historical power relations by making them physically and visually tangible to this day. The stamps bear witness to infra-structures of cultural exchange, which were strongly controlled by the Danish side. They are often overlooked testimonies of everyday communication and mark colonial relations as ongoing and still powerful forces. What is more, the stamps provide their own agency as cultural-creating forces which sheds a new light to the history of Western modernization and its heritage.
«Det absurde ved å være fanget i blodbankende materie»
Authors: Jager Benedikt
Published: June 2022

Artikkelen undersøker Ingvar Ambjørnsens novelle «Skogens hjerte» fra novellesamlingen Natt til mørk morgen (1997) og fokuserer på fremstillingen av ruserfaringer som står sentralt i teksten. Utgangspunktet for lesningen er Peter Sloterdijks beskrivelse av den historiske utviklingen av ruserfaringer fra antikken til det moderne. Hans forståelse finner man også i Ambjørnsens korttekst, men denne omfatter dessuten en bestemt bruk av intertekstualitet. Herved fokuseres det både på litterære (f.eks. Vesaas) og idéhistoriske referanser (Huxley). «Skogens hjerte» ble i tillegg det intertekstuelle forelegget for deler av Ambjørnsens roman Natten drømmer om dagen (2012). På en måte ‘sampler’ forfatteren sin egen novelle, som får en mer pessimistisk omfortolking.
Exploring richness in design spaces as a multi-level defined construct
Authors: Kersten Wouter , Diehl Jan Carel , Van Engelen Jo M.L.
Published: June 2022

It seems relevant that designers who are dealing with complex societal issues need to be able to assess whether the complexity of the design task has been captured sufficiently. We put forward that assessing the “richness” of intermediate results of a design process can be used for this. We explore the introduction of richness as a multi-level defined construct to create a shared language for this assessment. We created a three-part definition and tested its workability and value for designers. The results demonstrate the workability of considering richness as a multi-level defined construct, and value of using it to assess the richness of an intermediate result of a design process, to inform the decision whether to continue the design process. This exploration can be built upon in various ways.
A multi-stage heuristic method for service caching and task offloading to improve the cooperation between edge and cloud computing
Authors: Chen Xiaoqian , Gao Tieliang , Gao Hui , Liu Baoju , Chen Ming , Wang Bo
Published: June 2022

Edge-cloud computing has attracted increasing attention recently due to its efficiency on providing services for not only delay-sensitive applications but also resource-intensive requests, by combining low-latency edge resources and abundant cloud resources. A carefully designed strategy of service caching and task offloading helps to improve the user satisfaction and the resource efficiency. Thus, in this article, we focus on joint service caching and task offloading problem in edge-cloud computing environments, to improve the cooperation between edge and cloud resources. First, we formulated the problem into a mix-integer nonlinear programming, which is proofed as NP-hard. Then, we proposed a three-stage heuristic method for solving the problem in polynomial time. In the first stages, our method tried to make full use of abundant cloud resources by pre-offloading as many tasks as possible to the cloud. Our method aimed at making full use of low-latency edge resources by offloading remaining tasks and caching corresponding services on edge resources. In the last stage, our method focused on improving the performance of tasks offloaded to the cloud, by re-offloading some tasks from cloud resources to edge resources. The performance of our method was evaluated by extensive simulated experiments. The results show that our method has up to 155%, 56.1%, and 155% better performance in user satisfaction, resource efficiency, and processing efficiency, respectively, compared with several classical and state-of-the-art task scheduling methods.
Pocillopora spp. growth analysis on restoration structures in an Eastern Tropical Pacific upwelling area
Authors: Combillet Lisa , Fabregat-Malé Sònia , Mena Sebastián , Marín-Moraga José Andrés , Gutierrez Monica , Alvarado Juan José
Published: June 2022

Coral reefs in Culebra Bay (North Pacific of Costa Rica) are threatened by multiple anthropogenic disturbances including global warming, overfishing, eutrophication, and invasive species outbreaks. It is possible to assist their recovery by implementing ecological restoration techniques. This study used artificial hexagonal steel structures, called “spiders” to compare growth of Pocillopora spp. coral fragments of different sizes. Three initial fragment class sizes were used: 2, 5 and 8 cm, with each class size having 42 initial fragments. Changes in fragment length, width and area were measured monthly from January to December 2020. Results showed an overall survivorship of 70.21%, and no significant differences in survivorship and linear growth rate were detected between class sizes. The linear growth rates are 4.49 ± 1.19 cm year−1, 5.35 ± 1.48 cm year−1 and 3.25 ± 2.22 cm year−1 for the 2, 5 and 8 cm initial class sizes, respectively. Our results do not show significant differences in growth rates between the different initial fragment sizes. However, since small fragments (2 cm) present higher mortality during the first month, we recommend using larger fragments. In addition, coral fragments grew 48% more during the non-upwelling season, which may suggest that it might be more effective and safer to start the restoration efforts during this period.
Natural selection plays a significant role in governing the codon usage bias in the novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC)
Authors: Tyagi Neetu , Sardar Rahila , Gupta Dinesh
Published: June 2022

The ongoing prevailing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is becoming one of the major global health concerns worldwide. The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes spike (S) glycoprotein that plays a very crucial role in viral entry into the host cell via binding of its receptor binding domain (RBD) to the host angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The continuously evolving SARS-CoV-2 genome results in more severe and transmissible variants characterized by the emergence of novel mutations called ‘variants of concern’ (VOC). The currently designated alpha, beta, gamma, delta and omicron VOC are the focus of this study due to their high transmissibility, increased virulence, and concerns for decreased effectiveness of the available vaccines. In VOC, the spike (S) gene and other non-structural protein mutations may affect the efficacies of the approved COVID-19 vaccines. To understand the diversity of SARS-CoV-2, several studies have been performed on a limited number of sequences. However, only a few studies have focused on codon usage bias (CUBs) pattern analysis of all the VOC strains. Therefore, to evaluate the evolutionary divergence of all VOC S-genes, we performed CUBs analysis on 300,354 sequences to understand the evolutionary relationship with its adaptation in different hosts, i.e., humans, bats, and pangolins. Base composition and RSCU analysis revealed the presence of 20 preferred AU-ended and 10 under-preferred GC-ended codons. In addition, CpG was found to be depleted, which may be attributable to the adaptive response by viruses to escape from the host defense process. Moreover, the ENC values revealed a higher bias in codon usage in the VOC S-gene. Further, the neutrality plot analysis demonstrated that S-genes analyzed in this study are under 83.93% influence of natural selection, suggesting its pivotal role in shaping the CUBs. The CUBs pattern of S-genes was found to be very similar among all the VOC strains. Interestingly, we observed that VOC strains followed a trend of antagonistic codon usage with respect to the human host. The identified CUBs divergence would help to understand the virus evolution and its host adaptation, thus help design novel vaccine strategies against the emerging VOC strains. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for identifying the evolution of CUBs pattern in all the currently identified VOC.
Good Governance Attributes in Terms of Adequacy and Effectiveness of Public Works
Authors: Bernaldez Pedro B.
Published: June 2022

Good governance is an antidote to graft and corruption in the implementation of government projects. In public works, gauging the adequacy and effectiveness of program/project evaluation may reflect the absence of graft in the disbursement of funds and imposition of relevant administrative rules and procedures. This study was conducted to describe good governance through adequacy and effectiveness of program implementation of the “Operation Baklas Billboards” in Region V, Philippines. This formed a basis for implying the low level of graft and corruption in public works. The study was conducted in the entire Bicol Region using respondents from the local offices of public works and highways. Correlation of the two variables was done. The findings revealed high levels of adequacy and effectiveness in the components of the “Operation Baklas Billboards” which were also correlated positively. Nonetheless, the respondents advanced strategies for further enhancement of the program in road safety management. It was implied that low level of graft and corruption could have been possible surmised.
A Blockchain-Based Conceptual Model for Curbing Institutional Academic Certificate Fraud
Authors: Nzaro Esther Kabibi , Ondimu Kennedy , Mwakondo Fullgence
Published: June 2022

There is need of certificate authentication mechanism in Africa, specifically in Kenya that will solve internal fraud activities. This is because there are many fake certificates in circulation that appear to be genuine but were obtained illegal from accredited universities. This is caused by the assumption that certificates being issued at the university are authentic. While authentication of the final academic certificate has been studied in previous research, many researchers focused on securing the final academic certificate and assumed that all certificates issued by universities are genuine thus creating a loophole for institutional certificate fraud. It’s possible for clients looking to get an academic certificate illegally to collude with university staff, who are responsible for generating the certificates, to acquire a legitimate academic certificate without going through the academic process. The purpose of this research is to develop a blockchain based model that solves the current problem of institutional certificate fraud. The research targets only Kenya public universities. Sampling will be done using simple random sampling to identify a few universities that will participate in the study. A combination of secondary data and primary data will be used in the research. Secondary data will be used to test the model while primary data will be used to construct the data mapping structure/model. Primary Data will be collected from the registry department using questionnaires and interviews while the sample will be obtained using stratified sampling. The model will be deployed using permissioned blockchain. The proposed model will have controls to ensure a student goes through the entire learning process before he is awarded an academic certificate.
An Undiagnosed Case of Mucous Retention Cyst of Maxillary Sinus- A Case Report of a 10-year-old Lesion
Authors: Sanjay CJ , Sreeshyla HS , Doggalli Nagabhushana , Patil Karthikeya , Suresh Namrata
Published: June 2022

Mucous Retention Cyst of paranasal sinuses is rare. In comparison with the other paranasal sinuses, its incidence in the maxillary antrum is very less. Anatomically the maxillary sinus is in close vicinity to the maxillary alveolus and dentition of the oral cavity. Pathologies involving these anatomical regions can manifest in both the sites or either of the site leading to diagnostic dilemmas. Maxillary sinus pathologies most often produce oral symptoms and hence may be misdiagnosed initially thereby causing delayed treatment. Hence, careful evaluation and management are highly essential. This article reports a case of mucous retention cyst of maxillary sinus mimicking maxillary tooth pathology leading to delayed management. The described case is a 38-year-old male patient having well-defined firm swelling on the middle 1/3rd of the face, with obliteration of buccal vestibule in the region of missing left maxillary first molar (26) mimicking residual cyst. The left maxillary first molar tooth had been extracted 10 years back due to its misdiagnosis as tooth pathology. Orthopantomograph showed loss of floor of the maxillary sinus with well-defined dome-shaped radiolucency with sclerotic borders extending into the sinus. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of maxillary sinus pathology
Laboratory Biomarkers as a Predictor of COVID-19 Disease Progression
Authors: Pitla Sandhya , Diddi Ranga Rao , Damera Naveen Chandra Rao , Bhavaraju Savithri
Published: June 2022

Introduction: On December 2019, Wuhan city in China, became the epicentre of unexplained cases of pneumonia. Later in January 2020, scientists identified this as a novel coronavirus, temporarily labelled as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Its name was then changed to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in February 2020 as the disease spread worldwide. Aim: To investigate the association of different biomarkers in the COVID-19 disease progression and assess how their levels vary with presence and absence of co-morbid conditions. Materials and Methods: The present study was a retrospective cohort study conducted in November 2020 on laboratory confirmed 82 COVID-19 positive patients admitted in Dr. Pinnamaneni Sidhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Chinnaoutpally, Gannavaram, from July 12, 2020 to September 30, 2020. A confirmed case with COVID-19 was defined as patients getting a positive result to real-time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assay for nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens. Only laboratory confirmed cases were included in the study. Suspected cases and clinically diagnosed cases were not part of this study. Data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Independent t-test was used to analyse the data. Results: The 82 COVID-19 patients (age range (15-80 years), 52 males and 30 females), were confirmed by RT-PCR method. On admission, 57 and 25 were divided into non severe and severe groups, respectively. Severe COVID-19 patients had high leucocyte count (3.54-21.3×109/L), neutrophil count (2.59-18.33×109/L), D-dimer (0.08-2.55 μg/mL, p-value <0.0001), C-Reactive Protein (1.47-151.84 mg/L p-value 0.001) and they had significantly lower levels of lymphocyte count (0.17-5.79×109/L, p-value <0.0001). Conclusion: To conclude, dynamically monitoring haematological and coagulation parameters association with comorbid conditions such as diabetes may provide a reliable and convenient method for classifying and predicting the severity and outcomes of patients with COVID-19. This information will be a useful tool for physicians to categorise COVID-19 patients and manage critically ill patients.
Enhancement in Photocatalytic Efficiency of Commercial TiO2 Nanoparticles by Calcination: A Case of Doxycycline Removal
Authors: Tien Nguyen Thi Cam , Nhut Chau Hong , Thuy Vo Thi Thanh , Huyen Trinh Thi Bich , Hien Lam Pham Thanh , Huy Nguyen Nhat
Published: June 2022

In this study, the pure and calcined forms of Degussa TiO2 were applied for photocatalytic removal of doxycycline - a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic. The calcination of TiO2 at 500 °C enhanced the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2 under optimal operational conditions of 5 ppm of doxycycline, 0.25 g/L of TiO2, pH 6.5, 120 min, and room temperature. In addition, the changes in morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties of the materials before and after calcination were observed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The reaction kinetics of the doxycycline removal was also investigated based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model with a correlation coefficient R2 of >80%. Results showed that the photocatalytic ability of TiO2 is stable and enhanced after being calcined at a suitable temperature of 500 °C. This opens up the potential application of TiO2 in the treatment of emerging organic pollutants in water. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
The cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 interacts with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and negatively regulates its transcriptional activity
Authors: Elson Daniel J. , Nguyen Bach D. , Wood Rhand , Zhang Yi , Puig‐Sanvicens Veronica , Kolluri Siva K.
Published: June 2022

p27Kip1 functions to coordinate cell cycle progression through the inhibition of cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) complexes. p27Kip1 also exerts distinct activities beyond CDK‐inhibition, including functioning as a transcriptional regulator. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand‐activated transcription factor with diverse biological roles. The regulatory inputs that control AhR‐mediated transcriptional responses are an active area of investigation. AhR was previously established as a direct regulator of p27Kip1 transcription. Here, we report the physical interaction of AhR and p27Kip1 and show that p27Kip1 expression negatively regulates AhR‐mediated transcription. p27Kip1 knockout cells display increased AhR nuclear localisation and significantly higher expression of AhR target genes. This work thus identifies new regulatory cross‐talk between p27Kip1 and AhR.
Ubiquitin receptors play redundant roles in the proteasomal degradation of the p53 repressor MDM2
Authors: Sparks Alison , Kelly Christopher J. , Saville Mark K.
Published: June 2022

Much remains to be determined about the participation of ubiquitin receptors in proteasomal degradation and their potential as therapeutic targets. Suppression of the ubiquitin receptor S5A/PSMD4/hRpn10 alone stabilises p53/TP53 but not the key p53 repressor MDM2. Here, we observed S5A and the ubiquitin receptors ADRM1/PSMD16/hRpn13 and RAD23A and B functionally overlap in MDM2 degradation. We provide further evidence that degradation of only a subset of ubiquitinated proteins is sensitive to S5A knockdown because ubiquitin receptor redundancy is commonplace. p53 can be upregulated by S5A modulation while degradation of substrates with redundant receptors is maintained. Our observations and analysis of Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) screens show S5A depletion/loss substantially reduces cancer cell line viability. This and selective S5A dependency of proteasomal substrates make S5A a target of interest for cancer therapy.
Linking agri‐environment scheme habitat area, predation and the abundance of chick invertebrate prey to the nesting success of a declining farmland bird
Authors: McHugh Niamh M. , White Patrick J. C. , Moreby Steve , Szczur John , Stoate Chris , Leather Simon R. , Holland John M.
Published: June 2022

1. Across Europe, farmland bird populations have continued to decline since the 1970s owing to the intensification of farming practices. Studies of such declines have tended to focus specifically on either the impacts of habitats (nesting and foraging), nest predators or prey availability on bird demographics. The study presented here provides new insights into the relative effects of each of these factors on yellowhammer nest survival. The yellowhammer was selected for this study as it is a UK Red‐Listed bird species whose population is in decline across much of Europe.

2. We use a long‐term dataset of 147 nests, monitored between 1995 and 2007, to provide an insight into how yellowhammer nest survival is influenced by nesting habitat (nest concealment and nest height), foraging habitats (habitat coverage within 100 m of nests), the removal of nest predators (magpiePicaabundance as an inverse measure of avian predator removal through gamekeeping) and food availability (measured with a D‐vac invertebrate suction sampler).

3. Our results indicated that yellowhammer hatching success was negatively related to the coverage of spring agri‐environment scheme habitats, a group which represents invertebrate‐rich agri‐environment habitats, but hatching success increased with nest height. Fledging success was positively related to the coverage of the seed‐rich habitat wild bird seed mixture. The farm‐level abundance of yellowhammer chick‐food invertebrates declined over the study period.

4. Our results highlight the importance of simultaneously considering multiple agents that shape avian breeding success, that is their ability to produce offspring, to inform conservation management. Our key finding for land managers relates to the positive relationship between the proportion of seed rich foraging habitat within the yellowhammer's average foraging range and yellowhammer fledging success, which shows that a habitat intended primarily to provide winter food resources is also important to breeding birds. Chick food abundance in this habitat was, however, similar to broadleaf and cereal crops. We recommend that this habitat should be provided near to potential yellowhammer nesting sites and adjacent to invertebrate‐rich agri‐environment scheme habitats such as beetle banks and conservation headlands to further boost invertebrate resources for a declining farmland bird.
A survey of knowledge‐based sequential decision‐making under uncertainty
Authors: Zhang Shiqi , Sridharan Mohan
Published: June 2022

Reasoning with declarative knowledge (RDK) and sequential decision‐making (SDM) are two key research areas in artificial intelligence. RDK methods reason with declarative domain knowledge, including commonsense knowledge, that is either provided a priori or acquired over time, while SDM methods (probabilistic planning [PP] and reinforcement learning [RL]) seek to compute action policies that maximize the expected cumulative utility over a time horizon; both classes of methods reason in the presence of uncertainty. Despite the rich literature in these two areas, researchers have not fully explored their complementary strengths. In this paper, we survey algorithms that leverage RDK methods while making sequential decisions under uncertainty. We discuss significant developments, open problems, and directions for future work.
Impact of systematic MLC positional uncertainties on the quality of single‐isocenter multi‐target VMAT‐SRS treatment plans
Authors: Prentou Georgia , Pappas Eleftherios P , Prentou Eleni , Yakoumakis Nikolaos , Paraskevopoulou Chryssa , Koutsouveli Efi , Pantelis Evaggelos , Papagiannis Panagiotis , Karaiskos Pantelis
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To study the impact of systematic MLC leaf positional uncertainties (stemming from mechanical inaccuracies or sub‐optimal MLC modeling) on the quality of intracranial single‐isocenter multi‐target VMAT‐SRS treatment plans. An estimation of appropriate tolerance levels is attempted.

Methods

Five patients, with three to four metastases and at least one target lying in close proximity to organs‐at‐risk (OARs) were included in this study. A single‐isocenter multi‐arc VMAT plan per patient was prepared, which served as the reference for dosimetric impact evaluation. A range of leaf offsets was introduced (±0.03 mm up to ±0.30 mm defined at the MLC plane) to both leaf banks, by varying the leaf offset MLC modeling parameter in Monaco for all the prepared plans, in order to simulate projected leaf offsets of ±0.09 mm up to ±0.94 mm at the isocenter plane, respectively. For all offsets simulated and cases studied, dose distributions were re‐calculated and compared with the corresponding reference ones. An experimental dosimetric procedure using the SRS mapCHECK diode array was also performed to support the simulation study results and investigate its suitability to detect small systematic leaf positional errors.

Results

Projected leaf offsets of ±0.09 mm were well‐tolerated with respect to both target dosimetry and OAR‐sparing. A linear relationship was found between D95% percentage change and projected leaf offset (slope: 12%/mm). Impact of projected offset on target dosimetry was strongly associated with target volume. In two cases, plans that could be considered potentially clinically unacceptable (i.e., clinical dose constraint violation) were obtained even for projected offsets as small as 0.19 mm. The performed experimental dosimetry check can detect potential small systematic leaf errors.

Conclusions

Plan quality indices and dose–volume metrics are very sensitive to systematic sub‐millimeter leaf positional inaccuracies, projected at the isocenter plane. Acceptable and tolerance levels in systematic MLC uncertainties need to be tailored to VMAT‐SRS spatial and dosimetric accuracy requirements.
Pyrrolic N‐Stabilized Monovalent Ni Single‐Atom Electrocatalyst for Efficient CO2 Reduction: Identifying the Role of Pyrrolic–N and Synergistic Electrocatalysis
Authors: Boppella Ramireddy , Austeria P Muthu , Kim Yujin , Kim Eunhyo , Song Inae , Eom Yaeeun , Kumar D. Praveen , Balamurugan Mani , Sim Eunji , Kim Do Hwan , Kim Tae Kyu
Published: June 2022

Engineering the electronic structure of metal, N‐doped carbon catalysts is a potential strategy for increasing the activity and selectivity of CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2RR). However, establishing a definitive link between structure and performance is extremely difficult due to constrained synthesis approaches that lack the ability to precisely control the specific local environment of MNC catalysts. Herein, a soft‐template aided technique is developed for the first time to synthesize pyrrolic N4Ni sites coupled with varying N‐type defects to synergistically enhance the CO2RR performance. The optimal catalyst helps attain a CO Faradaic efficiency of 94% at a low potential of −0.6 V and CO partial current density of 59.6 mA cm−2 at −1 V. Results of controlled experimental investigations indicate that the synergy between NiN4 and metal free defect sites can effectively promote the CO2RR activity. Theoretical calculations revealed that the pyrrolic N coordinated NiN4 sites and C atoms next to pyrrolic N (pyrrolic NC) have a lower energy barrier for the formation of COOH* intermediate and optimum CO* binding energy. The pyrrolic N regulate the electronic structure of the catalyst, resulting in lower CO2 adsorption energy and higher intrinsic catalytic activity.
Tuning Organic Electrochemical Transistor Threshold Voltage using Chemically Doped Polymer Gates
Authors: Tan Siew Ting Melissa , Lee Gijun , Denti Ilaria , LeCroy Garrett , Rozylowicz Kalee , Marks Adam , Griggs Sophie , McCulloch Iain , Giovannitti Alexander , Salleo Alberto
Published: June 2022

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have shown promise as transducers and amplifiers of minute electronic potentials due to their large transconductances. Tuning the OECT threshold voltage is important to achieve low‐powered devices with amplification properties within the desired operational voltage range. However, traditional design approaches have struggled to decouple channel and materials properties from threshold voltage, thereby compromising on several other OECT performance metrics, such as electrochemical stability, transconductance, and dynamic range. In this work, simple solution‐processing methods are utilized to chemically dope polymer gate electrodes, thereby controlling their work function, which in turn tunes the operation voltage range of the OECTs without perturbing their channel properties. Chemical doping of initially air‐sensitive polymer electrodes further improves their electrochemical stability in ambient conditions. Thus, OECTs that are simultaneously low‐powered and electrochemically resistant to oxidative side reactions under ambient conditions are demonstrated. This approach shows that threshold voltage, which is once interwoven with other OECT properties, can in fact be an independent design parameter, expanding the design space of OECTs.
Innovations and Challenges in Electroanalytical Tools for Rapid Biosurveillance of SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: Ardalan Sina , Ignaszak Anna
Published: June 2022

Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, preventive social paradigms and vaccine development have undergone serious renovations, which drastically reduced the viral spread and increased collective immunity. Although the technological advancements in diagnostic systems for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) detection are groundbreaking, the lack of sensitive, robust, and consumer‐end point‐of‐care (POC) devices with smartphone connectivity are conspicuously felt. Despite its revolutionary impact on biotechnology and molecular diagnostics, the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique as the gold standard in COVID‐19 diagnosis is not suitable for rapid testing. Today's POC tests are dominated by the lateral flow assay technique, with inadequate sensitivity and lack of internet connectivity. Herein, the biosensing advancements in Internet of Things (IoT)‐integrated electroanalytical tools as superior POC devices for SARS‐CoV‐2 detection will be demonstrated. Meanwhile, the impeding factors pivotal for the successful deployment of such novel bioanalytical devices, including the incongruous standards, redundant guidelines, and the limitations of IoT modules will be discussed.
Computer‐Aided Analysis of the Corrosion Inhibition by Carbon‐Based Thin‐Film Coating on Vascular Bare Metal Stent Models
Authors: Akdogan Gulsen , Istanbullu Omer Burak
Published: June 2022

A simulation study of inhibiting the corrosion and corrosion‐based restenosis is presented by diamond‐like carbon (DLC) thin‐film coating on bare‐metallic intravascular stent models. The stents are designed and placed in a blood vessel model including a fatty‐plaque layer in the study. 316L‐stainless steel, CoCr‐alloy, and nitinol are assigned to the stent models considering stent manufacturing. Modeled stents are coated with a carbon‐based structure that mimics the DLC thin film. The electrochemical simulations are performed under the dynamic non‐Newtonian blood flow condition for a 1 year period. Electrolytic current densities, corrosion, and restenosis rates of the bare and coated stents are simulated using time‐dependent laminar flow and corrosion modules in multiphysics analysis software. Among the bare‐stent models, the highest corrosion rate is observed for 316L with 79 µm year−1and the minimum corrosion rate is observed for nitinol with 9 µm year−1. Restenosis rates increase up to 36 µm year−1due to the charged‐particle adhesion on the bare stent surfaces. However, DLC‐thin‐film coating reduces corrosion and in‐stent restenosis (ISR) rates down to 0.94 and 0.2 µm year−1respectively. It can be concluded that surface passivation by thin‐film DLC coating may be considered a promising candidate for novel stent designs having lower corrosion‐based issues and ISR risks.