bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GRAP2 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltration in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Song Shimao , Deng Xinzhou , Wang Jincheng , Han Jiahui , Peng Zhen , Lu Ying , Jiang Shan , Shi Mingliang , Yan Yutao , Luo Zhiguo
Published: February 2022

Background: GRAP2 is an adaptor protein involved in leukocyte signal activation; however, the prognostic value of GRAP2 and its correlation with immune cell infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is unclear.Methods: Original data were downloaded from the TCGA database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GRAP2 expression was analyzed with the TCGA and TIMER databases. We evaluated the influence of GRAP2 on clinical prognosis using the Kaplan-Meier plotter, GEO database and GEPIA database. TIMER and TISIDB databases were used to investigate correlations between GRAP2 expression and cancer immune characteristics. Finally, we confirmed the expression of GRAP2 in LUAD by immunohistochemistry staining.Results: Transcription levels of GRAP2 were significantly lower in several human cancers, including LUAD, than in adjacent normal tissues. We also found that tumor tissues have lower protein expression levels of GRAP2 compared with adjacent normal tissues in LUAD by immunohistochemistry staining. The down-regulated GRAP2 was associated with poorer overall survival, pathologic stage, T stage, N stage and primary therapy outcome in LUAD. Mechanically, we found a hub gene set that included a total of 91 genes co-expressed with GRAP2, which were closely related to immune response in LUAD. Expression levels of GRAP2 were positively correlated with infiltrating levels of B cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, eosinophils, macrophages, mast cells, Th2 cells, Th1 cells, Th17 cells, NK cells and neutrophils. GRAP2 expression levels also affected the cumulative survival time of B cells and dendritic cells. GRAP2 expression is positively correlated with multiple immune markers, chemokines, chemokine receptors and MHC molecules of LUAD.Conclusions: These findings suggest that GRAP2 is a tumor suppressor gene and can be used as a prognostic biomarker for assessing prognosis and immune infiltration level in LUAD.
The Ratio of Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) Divided by High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) is A Promising Pre-Treatment Biomarker for Predicting Worse Overall Survival (OS) of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) in the Colorectum: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Zhu Bin , Wu Dan , Yang Yuanyuan , Yu Pingli , Huang Haobo , Cai Haiyan , Cao Yingping
Published: February 2022

Background
free fatty acids (FFAs) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with various malignancy. However, whether FFA, HDL-C and FFA/HDL-C can play a potiential role in predicting patients’ overall survival (OS) with colorectal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) was unclear. Meanwhile, FFA/HDL-C has a superior prognosis ability was unknown, too. And our study aimed to better elucidate their influence on clinical outcomes.
Methods
One hundred patients with pathologically diagnosed colorectal NETs in 2011-2017 were enrolled, and the levels of FFA, HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), cholesterol (CHOL), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) between colorectal NET patients and healthy controls matched by age and sex were compared. In addition, the association of clinicopathological characteristics and follow-up data with FFA, HDL-C and FFA/HDL-C was analysed.
Results
FFA was overexpressed (0.55±0.23 vs. 0.48±0.11, P= 0.006), and HDL-C was underexpressed (1.31±0.41 vs. 1.41±0.29, P=0.046) in colorectal NETs. FFA ≥0.52 mmol/L predicted lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P=0.015), HDL-C ≤1.0 mmol/L predicted tumour size ≥2 cm (P=0.017), and FFA/HDL-C>0.75 predicted tumour grade (P=0.030), LNM (P=0.014), and tumour size(P=0.018). No significant association was found between FFA and tumour grade (P=0.613) or HDL-C and tumour grade (P=0.594) or FFA and tumour size (P=0.142) or HDL-C and LNM (P=0.443). FFA ≥0.52 mmol/L (P=0.014) and HDL-C ≤1.0 mmol/L predicted worse overall survival (OS) (P=0.019). FFA/HDL-C predicted an even worse prognosis in terms of OS (P<0.001).
Conclusion
FFA ≥0.52 mmol/L HDL-C ≤1.0 mmol/L and FFA/HDL-C>0.75 were promising cut-off values in predicting LNM, tumour size and worse OS in colorectal NETs.
Sperm Chromatin Abnormalities and DNA Damage Predict Assisted Reproductive Outcome
Authors: Bibi Riffat , Jehan Sarwat , Razak Suhail , Hammadeh Professor Mohammad Eid , Amor Houda
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sperm chromatin quality and DNA fragmentation of spermatozoa on assisted conception outcomes. Patients with male factor infertility (MFI) were grouped into normozoospermic (N), severe male factor (SMF), and mild male factor (MMF) infertility. DNA fragmentation index (DFI) in spermatozoa was analyzed by sperms chromatin dispersion (SCD), sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), Acridine Orange testing (AOT), chromatin maturation (CM) including CMA3 to measure protamination and Toluidine Blue (TB) to measure chromatin condensation. DFI measured by SCD, SCSA, and AOT while CM checked through protamination chromomycin A3 (CMA3) and chromatin condensation TB, were significantly lower in N compared with infertile groups (MMF and SMF). Embryo aneuploidy was significantly higher in male factor infertile groups (MMF and SMF) compared to N. A positive correlation was observed between fertilization rate (FR) and live birth rate (LBR) with sperm count, motility, vitality, and negative correlation between sperm morphology, sperm DFI, (SCD, SCSA, and AO) sperm CMI (CMA3 and TB). No correlation was observed between embryo aneuploidy and sperm DFI and CMI. Spermatozoa DFI and CMI are associated with low fertilization and live birth rate. The couples undergoing invitro-fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) with male factor infertility; including impaired semen parameters, sperm DNA and chromatin quality could be regarded in the future as an indication and prediction of assisted reproduction techniques (ART), its success.
Modification Effects of Ambient Temperature on Ozone-Mortality Relationships in Chengdu, China
Authors: Zhang Ying , Tian Qiqi , Feng Xinyuan , Hu Wendong , Ma Pan , Xin Jinyuan , Wang Shigong , Zheng Canjun
Published: February 2022

A multitude of epidemiological studies have demonstrated that both ambient temperatures and air pollution are closely related to health outcomes. However, whether temperature has modification effects on the association between ozone and health outcomes is still debated. In this study, Three parallel time-series Poisson generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to examine the effects of modifying ambient temperatures on the association between ozone and mortality (including non-accidental, respiratory, and cardiovascular mortality) in Chengdu, China, from 2014 to 2016. The results confirmed that the ambient high temperatures strongly amplified the adverse effects of ozone on human mortality; specifically, the ozone effects were most pronounced at >28°C. Without temperature stratification conditions, a 10-µg/m3 increase in the maximum 8-hour average ozone (O3−8hmax) level at lag01 was associated with increases of 0.40% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15%, 0.65%), 0.61% (95%CI: 0.27%, 0.95%) and 0.69% (95%CI: 0.34%, 1.04%) in non-accidental, respiratory, and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. On days during which the temperature exceeded 28°C, a 10-µg/m3 increase in O3−8hmax led to increases of 2.22% (95%CI: 1.21%, 3.23%), 2.67% (95%CI: 0.57%, 4.76%), and 4.13% (95%CI: 2.34%, 5.92%) in non-accidental, respiratory, and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. Our findings validated that high temperature could further aggravate the health risks of O3−8hmax, thus mitigating ozone exposure will be brought into the limelight especially under the context of changing climate.
Evaluation of association studies and a systematic review and meta-analysis of XRCC1 polymorphisms in breast cancer risk
Authors: Zhao Lin , Yin Xiang-xiongyi , Qin Jun , Ye Xiang-Hua , Zhou Yan , Wang Wei , He Xiao-feng
Published: February 2022

Background
To investigate the association between XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln polymorphisms and breast cancer (BC) risk, fifteen previous meta-analyses and large amounts of original articles had been published but drew conflicting conclusions. Because of lacking credibility analysis, the positive results of the previous meta-analyses were quite suspicious.
Objectives
We performed an updated meta-analysis to solve the controversy in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).
Methods
All results of the current meta-analysis were evaluated comprehensively based on concerning credibility.
Results
With 74 studies including 31,166 cases and 34,669 controls, XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism significantly increased BC risk in overall and subgroups (Asians, Indians, Africa, Asia and North America), and it was again demonstrated in Asians and Asia by further sensitivity analyses. As 45 studies with 17,239 cases and 19,026 controls pooled to explore the role of Arg194Trp polymorphism in BC risk, no significant results were found in overall and any ethnicity and geographic region, and there was a decreased BC risk in post-menopausal and an increased BC risk in pre-menopausal. The Arg280His polymorphism analyses, involving 18 studies with 9,571 cases and 10,108 controls, did not find an association with BC risk in overall and any ethnicity and region, but an increased BC risk was found in overall and Asians living in Asia in sensitivity analyses. However, all significant results were taken for less credible after we comprehensively analyzed with heterogeneity characteristics, the quality of involved studies and Bayesian false-discovery probability (BFDP) to evaluate the credibility of significant results.
Conclusion
The issue about false-positive results should be taken seriously and more high-quality original studies still have plenty of value to be significantly developed.
Automatic definition of tool life under heavy roughing five-axis milling process in production environment
Authors: Lacerda Rafael Segantin , Diniz Anselmo Eduardo
Published: February 2022

The process of transformation and development of our planet has accelerated much more sharply than in previous years. This fact is fully noticeable in our daily routine, in which the digital media and social networks bring an immense amount of information every minute. Being more specific with focus in the manufacturing process and talking about milling, which is a very important machining process for many industry fields, several studies were carried out mainly during the 80’s and 90’s, seeking to establish criteria for the end of tool life, as well, methods that could indicate the ideal time for tool change in real production. Nevertheless, according to an extensive literature review based on publications in manufacturing technology journals, university research and benchmarks with industry developments, it was not possible to find out publications that confirms the usage of automatic definition for the end of tool life under heavy roughing five-axis milling in a production environment. Based on this context, the relevance, originality and contribution of the present work for the scientific community is grounded in developing an automatic tool change process completely independent of the cutting parameters inside a production environment, that can be replicate for many other machining operations by using state of art technologies (Industry 4.0 - The Digital Age), in order to take out of the machine operator's hands the important decision to establish the end of tool life. Aiming this goal, several rough milling experiments were conducted in a real production of hydraulic turbines. The main conclusion was that, in rough milling process, where the admissible flank wear is very high, both, the power consumption of the machine and the cutting temperature at the end of tool life are independent of the cutting conditions (vc and fz) and, consequently, a specific value of power and temperature can be established to determine tool life end.
Apigenin attenuates molecular, biochemical, and histopathological changes associated with renal impairments induced by gentamicin exposure in rats
Authors: ‎ Manal M. Hussein , Althagafi Hussam A. , Alharthi Fahad , Albrakati Ashraf , Alsharif Khalaf F. , Theyab Abdulrahman , Kassab Rami B. , Mufti Ahmad H. , Algahtani Mohammad , Oyouni Atif Abdulwahab A. , Baty Roua S. , Moneim Ahmed E. Abdel , Lokman Maha S.
Published: February 2022

Gentamicin (GM) is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. However, its application is accompanied by renal impairments. Apigenin is a flavonoid found in many edible plants with potent therapeutic values. This study was designed to elucidate the therapeutic effects of apigenin on GM-induced nephrotoxicity. Animals were injected orally with three different doses of apigenin (5, 10 and 20 mg kg-1 day-1). Apigenin administration abolished the alterations in the kidney index and serum levels of kidney-specific functions markers, namely blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, and KIM-1, NGAL, and cystatin C following GM exposure. Additionally, apigenin increased levels of enzymatic (glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase), and non-enzymatic antioxidant proteins (reduced glutathione) and decreased levels of lipid peroxide, nitric oxide, and downregulated nitric oxide synthase-2 in the kidney tissue following GM administration. At the molecular scope, apigenin administration was found to upregulate the mRNA expression of Nfe2l2 and Hmox1 in the kidney tissue. Moreover, apigenin administration suppressed renal inflammation and apoptosis by decreasing levels of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nuclear factor kappa-B, Bax, and caspase-3, while increasing B-cell lymphoma-2 compared with those in GM- administered group. The recorded data suggests that apigenin treatment could be used to alleviate renal impairments associated with GM administration.
Analysis of the Risk Factors for Intraoperative Acute Diffuse Brain Swelling in Patients With Isolated Traumatic Acute Subdural Haematomas
Authors: Wu Ruhong , Liu Chunbo , Ma Tao , Jia Geng , Qin Huaping
Published: February 2022

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the risk factors for intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling in patients with isolated traumatic acute subdural haematomas (ASDH).Methods: A total of 256 patients who underwent decompressive craniotomy for isolated traumatic ASDH between April 2013 and December 2020 were included. We evaluated the risk factors for intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling using a multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: The incidence of intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling in patients with isolated traumatic ASDH was 21.88% (56/256). Dilated pupils (OR=24.78), subarachnoid haemorrhage (OR=2.41), and the time from injury to surgery (OR=0.32) were independent predictors of the risk factors for intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling, while no independent associations were observed between the risk factors and sex, age, the Glasgow Coma Scale score, site of haematoma, thickness of haematoma, midline shift and the status of the basal cistern, although the Glasgow Coma Scale score and the status of the basal cistern were correlated with the incidence of intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling in the univariate analyses.Conclusions: This study identified the risk factors for intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling in patients with isolated traumatic ASDH. An increased risk of intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling occurs in patients with bilaterally dilated pupils, subarachnoid haemorrhage and a shorter time from injury to surgery. These findings should help neurosurgeons obtain information before surgery about the intraoperative acute diffuse brain swelling in patients with isolated traumatic ASDH.
The Role of CPT1A as a Biomarker of Breast Cancer Progression – A Bioinformatic Analysis
Authors: Das Mitali , Giannoudis Athina , Sharma Vijay
Published: February 2022

Background
Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy of women and with its incidence on the rise, the need to identify new targets for treatment is imperative. There is a growing interest in the role of lipid metabolism in cancer. Carnitine palmitoyl-transferase-1 (CPT-1); the rate limiting step in fatty acid oxidation, has been shown to be overexpressed in a range of tumours. There are 3 isoforms of CPT-1; A, B and C. It is CPT-1A that has been shown to be the predominant isoform which is overexpressed in breast cancer.
Methods
We performed a bioinformatic analysis using readily available online platforms to establish the prognostic and predictive effects related to CPT-1A expression. These include the KM plotter tool, the Human Protein Atlas, the cBioPortal tool, the G2O tools, the MethSurv tool, the ROC plotter tool. A Network analysis was performed using the Oncomine platform and the gene concepts for the cancer hallmarks, including immune regulation, were based on the NanoString concepts. The gene concepts for the epigenetic pathways were obtained from the EpiFactor website. Spearman correlations (r) to determine the relationship between CPT-1A and the immune response were obtained using the TISIDB portal.
Results
Overexpression of CPT-1A largely confers a worse prognosis and that CPT-1A progressively recruits a range of pathways as breast cancer progresses. The scope of this gene’s interactions with cancer pathways is far wider than previously realised and includes associations with epigenetic regulation and immune evasion pathways, as well as wild-type moderate to high penetrant genes involved in hereditary breast cancer. CPT-1A genomic alterations are detected in 9% of breast carcinomas and both the alteration and the metagene associated with it, confers a poor prognosis.
Conclusions
CPT-1A expression can be utilised as a biomarker of disease progression and as a potential therapeutic target.
Anaerobic Digestion Process - A Computational Tool to Estimate the Digester Volume and Biogas.
Authors: Bhave Prashant , Patil Pankaj
Published: February 2022

The anaerobic digestion process results in the formation of biogas, which serves as a renewable source of energy. Different types of feedstocks produce varying amounts of biogas. Many models have been programmed for the estimation of the volume of biogas produced during anaerobic digestion. This study develops a computational tool for the estimation of the volume of the anaerobic digester and the volume of the biogas produced. The computational tool utilizes three inputs, namely Retention time, daily feed, and type of feedstock, for the estimation. The estimation of biogas of this tool was compared to the model from the design procedures as provided in the literature. An overall gap of 10% (in the prediction of the biogas production) was shaved off from two of the three reported values of the case studies. The estimation of the volume of the digester (for the same case studies) was observed to be within ±10% of the reported values. These outputs can be critical for the evaluation of an anaerobic digestion plant as early as in the planning phase.
Expression Of Inflammatory Markers In The Muscles Of Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy According To The Presence Of Interstitial Lung Disease
Authors: Lee Jung Sun , Ghang Byeongzu , Choi Wonho , Hong Seokchan , Kim Yong-Gil , Lee Chang-Keun , Nam Soo Jeong , Yoo Bin
Published: February 2022

Objective. Several studies have identified factors associated with the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). However, few have assessed the association between ILD and muscle biopsy findings including inflammatory marker expressions analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC). We investigated the muscle biopsy findings that were associated with the presence of ILD.Methods. Muscle biopsies from patients who were newly diagnosed with IIMs between 2000 and 2017 were reviewed. ILD was diagnosed based on high-resolution computed tomography findings at the time of diagnosis of IIMs. IHC staining was performed for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, CD163, MX1, MHC class I, and HLA-DR. The factors associated with the presence of ILD were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results. Of the 129 patients with IIM, 49 (38%) had ILD. In muscle biopsy findings, CD4 expression (47% vs. 29%, P = 0.036), MX1 expression on immune cell (29% vs. 13%, P = 0.023), and expression of MHC class I (67% vs. 41%, P = 0.004) and HLA-DR (37% vs. 11%, P = 0.001) on myofiber were more common in patients with ILD than those without. In logistic regression analysis, HLA-DR expression on myofiber was significantly associated with the risk of ILD (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.24–4.90, P = 0.012) after adjusting for pathologic findings, clinical features, and autoantibodies.Conclusion. Expression of HLA-DR on myofibers was associated with the presence of ILD in patients with IIM.
Enhanced Magneto-Optical Effect in Three Layer Based Magnetoplasmonic Structures
Authors: khaghani Zeinab , Farzad Mahmood Hosseini , Asgari Asghar
Published: February 2022

In this article we introduce a magnetoplasmonics (MP) planar nanostructure with enhanced transverse magneto-optical (MO) activity. For this goal MO characteristics of magneto-structures comprising both metal layer and linear array of (metal) nanorods are analyzed. We explore three types of structures with nanorods and compare their features based on transvers magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) with the corresponding one for conventional three layers MO structure. Comparison between the values of TMOKE signals in two structures (proposed and conventional) shows more than one order of magnitude improvement. Due to this feature the refractive index sensitivity of the offered structures, specially with one and three types of Au nanorod arrays, appearance more than 2 order of magnitude larger than the conventional Au/Co/Au three layer MO structures. This notable response enhancement becomes serious affair in MP biosensing applications. We believe that our idea in these proposed nanostructures can be used in any other three layer based MO structures in the literature. In this basis, we apply this scenario to other types of such MO structures which leads to improvement in their MO activities and accordingly in their refractive index sensitivities.
Single-axillary-incision Endoscopic Nipple/Skin-sparing Mastectomy With Immediate Implant-based Breast Reconstruction of Day Surgery: Preliminary Results, Complications and Patient-reported Outcome From Preliminary 68 Procedures
Authors: Feng Yu , Xie Yanyan , Zhou Jiao , Wen Nan , Qin Xiangquan , Liu Xinran , Li Juan , Yang Huanzuo , Qiu Mengxue , Liang Faqing , Du Zhenggui
Published: February 2022

Background and Aims The aim of this study is to present a day surgery protocol that minimizes resource utilization to enable hospitals to increase inpatient capacity and maximize treatment efficiency for breast cancer patients undergoing endoscopic nipple/skin-sparing mastectomy(E-N/SSM) with breast reconstruction through a single invisible axillary incision. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 60 consecutive patients(68 breasts) who underwent day surgery of E-N/SSM with implant-based reconstruction from July 2020 to November 2021 in West China Hospital. Postoperative complications, cost-effectiveness, and oncological safety were retrospectively analysed in patients. The SCAR-Q, BREAST-Q reconstruction module and photography were used to evaluate the breast satisfaction and quality of life(QoL). Results Sixty patients(68 breasts)with a mean age of 41.8±9.7 years were examined, with a median follow-up time of 6.5 months. Overall, the major complication rate and minor complication rate was 0% and 10.29%(7/68), respectively. Mean operation time was 123.94±24.26min(Surgeon A) and 180.64±16.68min (Surgeon B and C). The mean score of appearance scale of SCAR-Q was 60.9±12.7 at 3 months after operation. Breast satisfaction scores at 3 and 6 months after operation were significantly better than those before operation and at 1 month after operation (P<0.05); QoL scores (except for Physical Well-being: chest) at 6 months after operation were significantly better than those before operation(P<0.05). No local recurrence or distant metastasis developed. Conclusions Day surgery of E-N/SSM with immediate endoscopic breast reconstruction is safe and feasible in practice.
Phase Angle Research Study in NeoplastIc Patients Treated with Standard Chemotherapy (PARSNIP)
Authors: Vignini Arianna , Copparoni Cecilia , Pelati Elisa , Crocetti Sonia , Mobili Aurora Anna , Pistelli Mirco , Alia Sonila , Paolo Alice Di , Taus Marina , Berardi Rossana , Giampieri Riccardo
Published: February 2022

Purpose
This study evaluated whether a series of analyses that are associated with physical state decay, such as phase angle (PhA), obtained by bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) performed before the first cycle (t0) and after 1-2 months (t1) of chemotherapy, might be associated with differences in a series of clinical factors.
Methods
In this monocentric, prospective, observational study we enrolled patients affected by solid tumors (breast or gastrointestinal cancers) treated with chemotherapy at our Institution between February and July 2019. We calculated whether a series of clinical factors (age, sex, type of chemotherapy regimen, metastatic vs not-metastatic disease involvement and different tumor type) might be associated with changes in PhA. BIA analysis was performed with DF50 Body Composition Analyzer. Statistical analysis was performed with statistical software R (4.1.0) and MedCalc® Statistical Software version 19.7.2.
Results
Thirty patients were enrolled, treated with chemotherapy in neoadjuvant, adjuvant or first line metastastic setting. In the whole cohort of patients, it was observed a reduction of PhA (p=0.02) between t0 and t1. Stratifying by clinical variables, female patients (p=0.02), younger patients (p=0.02), predominantly with not-metastatic involvement (p=0.03), affected by breast cancer (p<0.01) and who received taxane-based chemotherapy (p=0.01) were those a statistically significant difference in PhA between t0 and t1 was observed.
Conclusion
Our study suggest that PhA decrease is frequent as neoplastic disease worsens. BIA is an effective method for detecting PhA that seems to be a good indicator of patient’s malnutrition state. Selected subgroups of patients might be at higher risk of PhA decrease (females, breast cancer patients, younger patients, those treated with taxanes) and should be offered prompt nutritional assessment and support. Further studies in these subgroups of patients are recommended.
State Estimation of Drive-by-wire Chassis Vehicle Based on Dual Unscented Particle Filter Algorithm
Authors: Wang Zixu , Chen Chaoning , Jiang Quan , Zheng Hongyu , Kaku Chuyo
Published: February 2022

Vehicle dynamic state parameter information plays an important role in vehicle driving safety, and accurate vehicle dynamic information can improve the dynamic performance of the controlled vehicle. This paper proposes a state estimation method for drive-by-wire chassis vehicle based on the dual unscented particle filter algorithm, which make full use of the known advantages of the four-wheel drive torque and steer angle parameters of the drive-by-wire chassis vehicle. In the dual unscented particle filter algorithm, two unscented particle filter transfer information to each other, observe the vehicle state information and the tire force parameter information of the four wheels respectively, which reduce the influence of parameter uncertainty and model parameter changes on the estimation accuracy during driving. Dual unscented particle filter algorithm is verified through both simulation and experiment. The performance with the proposed algorithm is analyzed in terms of the time-average square error in double lane change as compared to the case where unscented Kalman filter is utilized. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Fine Unwrapping Phase for Deformation Control
Authors: omar Hadj Sahraoui
Published: February 2022

Earth observation and environmental control are becoming more important where the realization of DEM by the technique of interferometry of RSO images facilitates the control of terrestrial deformations, which is the subject of this paper. The unwrapping phase is a very important step in the interferometry process, especially to treat it carefully in steep degraded and mountainous ground. We have focused on the reduction and sometimes the elimination of the residues in flat terrains and otherwise to keep the maximum of the residues in the very steep sites. For this purpose, the methods developed and proposed are based on a transformation by the ISODATA which is based on KMEANS and the double passage of the median filter, and this in order to limit the creation of the brunch-Cut for the progress of the filtered interferogram (elimination of large black spot on The Brunch-Cut image).The tests of this method were carried out on several sites, and showed good results.
Tuneable Magnetic Nanocomposites for Remote Self-Healing
Authors: Gupta Ranjeetkumar , Gupta Priya , Footer Charles , Darr Jawwad , Pancholi Ketan , Stenning Gavin
Published: February 2022

When polymer composites containing magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are exposed to an alternating magnetic field, heat is generated to melt the surrounding polymer locally, partially filling voids across any cracks or deformities. Such materials are of interest for structural applications; however, structural polymers with high melting temperatures pose the challenge of generating high localised temperatures enabling self-healing. A method to prepare a multiferroic-Polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposite with tuneable magnetocaloric properties is reported. Tunability arises from varying the MNP material (and any coating, its dispersion, and agglomerate sizes in the nanocomposite). The superparamagnetic MNPs (SMNPs) and iron oxide MNPs with and without surface functionalization were dispersed into PA6 through in situ polymerization, and their magnetic properties were compared. Furthermore, computer simulations were used to quantify the dispersion state of MNPs and assess the influence of the interaction radius on the magnetic response of the self-healable magnetic nanoparticle polymer (SHMNP) composite. It was shown that maintaining the low interaction radius through the dispersion of the low coercivity MNPs could allow tuning of the bulk magnetocaloric properties of the resulting mesostructures. An in-situ polymerization method improved the dispersion and reduced the maximum interaction radius value from ca. 806 to 371 nm and increased the magnetic response for the silica-coated SMNP composite. This sample displayed ca. three orders of magnitude enhancement for magnetic saturation compared to the unfunctionalized Fe3O4 MNP composite.
Got Coke? Self-Limiting Poisoning Makes an Ultra Stable and Selective Sub-nano Cluster Catalyst.
Authors: Li Guangjing , Poths Patricia , Masubuchi Tsugunosuke , Morgan Harry , Alexandrova Anastassia , Anderson Scott L.
Published: February 2022

Supported sub-nano clusters hold great promise as economical and highly active catalysts. However, they tend to deactivate rapidly by poisoning and sintering, impeding their widespread use. We find that self-limiting poisoning can stabilize and promote cluster catalysis, i.e., poisoning is not always detrimental, but can sometimes be exploited. Specifically, Pt-Ge alloy clusters supported on alumina undergo slow coking (carbon deposition) under conditions of thermal dehydrogenation, yet preserve strong binding sites. For the case of Pt4Ge/alumina, theory shows a number of thermally populated isomers, one of which catalyzes carbon deposition. Because the clusters are fluxional at high temperatures, this isomer acts as a gateway, slowly converting all the clusters to Pt4GeC2. The surprising result is that Pt4GeC2 is highly catalytically active and selective against further coking, i.e., coking produces functional, stable catalytic clusters. Ge and C2 have synergistic electronic effects, leading to efficient and highly selective catalytic dehydrogenation that stops at alkenes, and improving stability. Thus, under reaction conditions, the clusters develop into a robust catalyst, suggesting an approach to practicable cluster catalysis.
Comprehensive Characterization and Screening of Different Trichoderma Isolates as Plant Growth Promoters: Insight to Metal Solubilization, Enzymatic Activity, and Antagonistic Effect
Authors: Hewedy Omar A. , Mansour Abdelaziz , Ali Mostafa G. , Lateif Khalid S. Abdel , Ismaiel Mohamed H. , El-Meihy Rasha M.
Published: February 2022

The present study aimed to isolate a Trichoderma species with dual action as a plant growth promoter in conjunction with antagonistic activity against the plant pathogen Colletotrichum lagenarium. Using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences and inter simple sequence repeat markers (ISSR), eight strains of Trichoderma were identified, and their diversity was studied. In addition, some plant growth promoters such as indole acetic acid (IAA) and element solubilization were evaluated. Moreover, the activity of amylase, pectinase, cellulase, and chitinase was studied in the isolated species. Results showed that Trichoderma viride (T27) and Trichoderma atrobrunneum (T40) produced the highest IAA (80.36, 61.39 µg/mL), respectively and K solubilization efficiency (KE) (12.2 and 14.4, respectively). In contrast, Trichoderma afroharzianum (T31) and Trichoderma atrobrunneum (T40) had the highest zinc (Zn) solubilizer (7.1 and 7.2 cm), respectively. Strains T. viride (T27) and T. atrobrunneum (T41) showed the highest antagonistic activity against anthracnose fungi; therefore, they were examined under scanning electron microscopy. The SDS-PAGE protein pattern and its antigenicity analysis ranged between 40 and 180 kDa. The results of SDS-PAGE indicated that with chitin, both T27 and T40 presented different bands in their protein profile compared to the control (without chitin). The results suggest that T. viride (T27) and T. atrobrunneum (T40) could be used as eco-friendly bio-fungicides with a high potential plant growth promoter production.
The association between sleep duration and risk of abdominal obesity in Taiwanese adults: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Su Yan-Jhu , Lee Po-Fu , Lin Chi-Fang , Chen Yun-Tsung , Lo Kai-Yang , Chen Hui-Ling , Lin I-Tung , Ho Chien-Chang
Published: February 2022

Background: Previous studies examining the association of sleep duration with general obesity among adults are from western countries, where the patterns of adulthood sleep (shorter or longer sleep durations) and abdominal obesity may be different from Taiwan. Furthermore, the negative associations between sleep duration and abdominal obesity among adults in the existing literature remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sleep duration and risk of abdominal obesity in Taiwanese adults.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 58,238 adults who participated in Taiwan’s National Physical Fitness Survey 2014-2015. Data from a standardized structured questionnaire and anthropometric measures were analyzed. Individuals’ sleep durations were categorized as very short (≤5.0 h), short (5.1–6.0 h), optimal (6.1–7.0 h), long (7.1–8.0 h), or very long (>8.0 h). Abdominal obesity was classified according to waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm for men and WC ≥ 80 cm for women. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for abdominal obesity.Results: The multiple logistic regression, using the optimal sleep duration as a baseline, indicated significant associations between very short (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02-1.27), short (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.04-1.19) and very long (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.18) sleep durations and abdominal obesity after adjusting for potential confounding factors.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that subjects with shorter or longer sleep durations have a much higher risk of abdominal obesity than those with optimal sleep durations. Shorter sleep durations may result in higher risk for abdominal obesity than longer sleep durations.
COVID-19 vaccine: factual reporting, dynamic preferences, and gender hesitancy
Authors: Rinaldi Anna , Dellino Pierfranceso
Published: February 2022

At different rates in different countries, one can observe the phenomenon of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. In June 2021, we surveyed 1,068 people in France and Italy to inquire about individual potential acceptance, focusing on time preferences, in a risk-return framework: getting the jab today, in a month, and in 3 months; perceived risks of vaccination and COVID-19; and expected benefit of the vaccine. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to understand the impact of daily stimuli, such as factual news about vaccines, on audience acceptance of vaccination. In the main experiment, participants were asked to read two different articles extracted from two Italian newspapers about vaccine-related thrombosis, one using a more abstract description and language and the other using a more anecdotical description and concrete language. We find that individual preferences for vaccination are variable and unstable over time, and individual choices of accepting, refusing, or delaying may be affected by the way news is written. To understand these dynamic preferences, we propose a new model based on seven categories of human behaviours that was validated by a neural network. We observe a treatment effect: participants who red the articles significantly shifted to vaccine hesitancy categories. Furthermore, we detect a peculiar gender effect, showing that the type of language that results in a higher vaccination rate for men is correlated with women’s lower vaccination rate and vice versa. This outcome should be taken into consideration for an appropriate gender-based communication campaign to achieve herd immunity.
Strengthening of Surface Urban Heat Island Effect Driven Primarily by Urban Size Under Rapid Urbanization: Empirical Evidence From China
Authors: Guo Yujie , Ren Zhibin , Dong Yulin , Hu Nanlin , Wang Chengcong , Zhang Peng , Jia Guangliang , He Xingyuan
Published: February 2022

Context
Surface urban heat islands (SUHIs) have received worldwide attention owing to their significant adverse impacts on socio-economic and environmental conditions. Although SUHI patterns have been studied previously, how the SUHIs change across cities with different sizes and whether there is a threshold of city size for affecting SUHIs remains poorly understood.
Objectives
The primary objective is to facilitate more appropriate and effective planning of SUHI mitigation in urbanized areas of different sizes.
Methods
The SUHI effects were deployed to surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII). we systematically analyzed the spatio-temporal patterns of SUHIs at the national scale under the conditions of China’s rapid urbanization, and explored the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on SUHI by spatial error model.
Results
Intense urbanization occurred in China between 2000 and 2015, primarily dominated by the expansion of petty and mega urbanized areas. The SUHII gradually increased at the national scale from 2000–2015, and SUHIs also appeared in petty urbanized areas. We also found that the size of urbanized areas contributed the most to the increase in SUHII. In addition, the size of the urbanized areas had a positive non-linear relationship with SUHIIs, and when the size was larger than 400 km2, the growth of SUHIIs maintained an equilibrium state.
Conclusions
Urban expansion is occurring rapidly. This study highlights the importance of impervious surface expansion for increasing heat island intensity. To confront SUHI effects, it is necessary to reduce the fragmented distribution of small towns and increasing green infrastructures.
Self-sealing MEMS spray-nozzles to prevent bacterial contamination of portable inhalers for aqueous drug delivery
Authors: Last Torben Sebastian , Winkler Thomas E. , Stemme Göran , Roxhed Niclas
Published: February 2022

Pulmonary drug delivery by portable inhalers is the gold standard in lung disease therapy. An increasing focus on environmentally friendly inhalation currently spurs the development of propellant-free devices. However, the absence of propellants in the drug creates a need for suitable sealing systems that can ensure the pathogenic safety of devices. Traditionally, liquid drug inhalers incorporate a spray nozzle and a separate check valve. Here we show a fully integrated MEMS-based spray system for aqueous drug solutions and demonstrate its bacterial safety. The device comprises a thin silicon membrane with spray orifices, which self-seal against a compliant parylene valve seat underneath. This sealing system prevents bacterial ingrowth in its default closed state, while actuation lifts the membrane from the valve seat upon pressurization and sprays an inhalable aerosol from the nozzles. To seal against bacterial contamination effectively, we found that a contact force between the valve seat and the membrane (featuring the spray nozzles) is needed. In our testing, both self-sealing and an otherwise identical unvalved version of the spray chip can be bacterially safe in continued use when thoroughly cleaned of excess fluids and subjected to low bacterial loads for brief periods. However, when directly exposed
The Strategy of Precise Targeting and In Situ Oxygenating for Enhanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Chemophototherapy
Authors: Wu Manxiang , Chen Tianxiang , Wang Lianfu , Akakuru Ozioma Udochukwu , Ma Xuehua , Xu Jinshan , Hu Jiapeng , Chen Jia , Fang Qianlan , Wu Aiguo , Li Qiang
Published: February 2022

The absence of effective therapeutic targets and tumor hypoxia are the main causes of failure in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Biomimetic nanotechnology and tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsiveness bring hope and opportunity to address this problem. Here, we develop a core membrane nanoplatform (HM/D-I-BL) using hollow mesoporous manganese dioxide (HM) coated with biomimetic cancer cell membrane for enhanced chemotherapy/phototherapy via the strategy of precise drug delivery and hypoxia amelioration. Cancer cell membrane modification endows HM/D-I-BL with excellent homologous targeting and immune escape performance. The cellular uptake and fluorescence imaging studies confirmed that HM/D-I-BL can be accurately delivered to tumor sites. HM/D-I-BL also features efficient in situ O2 generation in tumor upon laser irradiation, and subsequently enhanced chemotherapy/phototherapy, pointing to its usefulness as a TME-responsive nanozyme to alleviate tumor hypoxia in the presence of H2O2. In addition, HM/D-I-BL showed good fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging performances, which offers a reliable multimodal image-guided combination tumor therapy for precision theranostics in the future. In general, this intelligent biomimetic nanoplatform with its homotypic tumor targeting, in situ alleviation of tumor hypoxia and synergetic chemophototherapy would open up a new dimension for the precision treatment of TNBC.
An improved workflow for accurate and robust healthcare environmental surveillance using metagenomics
Authors: Shen Jiaxian , McFarland Alexander , Blaustein Ryan , Rose Laura , Perry-Dow K. , Hayden Mary , Young Vincent , Hartmann Erica
Published: February 2022

Effective surveillance of microbial communities in the healthcare environment is increasingly important in infection prevention. However, current workflows are insufficient for proper risk assessment. Upon evaluating and optimizing techniques, we recommend best practices and introduce a well-structured workflow for metagenomics-based environmental surveillance that is appropriate for low-biomass samples, distinguishes viability, and is quantitative. The workflow was developed using a representative microbiome sample, which was created by aggregating 120 surface swabs collected from a medical intensive care unit. We recommend liquid-liquid extraction, propidium monoazide treatment coupled with internal standards and absolute abundance profiling (e.g., using qPCR), and a machine learning-based model for sequencing depth calculation. In addition, whole-cell filtration and cultivation may be valuable under particular circumstances. This workflow will contribute to more accurate and robust environmental surveillance and infection prevention. Lessons gained from this study will also benefit the continuing development of methods in relevant fields.
Ensemble of Deep Learning Enabled Modulation Signal
Authors: N Senthil Kumaran V , G Indumathi , M Vijay
Published: February 2022

Automated classification of underwater acoustic signals allows to effectively utilize the acoustic spectrum by certain actions such as interference circumvention and marine mammal protections. The commonly utilized modulation techniques for underwater acoustic communication are MPSK (BPSK, QPSK, and 8PSK) and MQAM. Detection of modulation type of a received waveform enables sonar and communication in a similar bandwidth with least collision and it can determine the system functioning exterior to the permitted regime. Automated modulation classification models can make utilize of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques, particularly for underwater acoustic communication. With this motivation, this study designs a new ensemble of deep learning based modulation signal classification (EDL-MSC) models for underwater acoustic communication. Initially, an impulsive noise pre-processor was used for eliminating the impulse from the target signal. Besides, three deep learning models namely bi-directional long short term memory (BiLSTM), gated recurrent unit (GRU), and stacked sparse autoencoder (SSAE) models are used to derive features in the temporal waveform and square spectra of the pre-processed signal. In addition, black widow optimization (BWO) is applied for the optimal hyperparameter tuning of the DL models. Lastly, an ensemble of voting schemes is applied to integrate the outcome of the three DL models. The proposed model has the ability to perform effective modulation classification process in underwater acoustic communication. The performance validation of the EDLMSC technique takes place under several aspects and the comprehensive comparative analysis ensured the supremacy of the EDL-MSC technique over the recent approaches.