bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance comparison of hybrid active power filter for p-q theory and SVPWM technique
Authors: Thamizh Thentral T. M. , Vijayakumar K. , Jegatheesan R.
Published: September 2020

Harmonic Distortion in many of the industrial applications are occur primarily owing to the enormous utilization of loads with high non-linearity like power converters, speed varying drives and arc furnaces. The power semiconductor is used to achieve the variation in speed and conversion from one source to another. Mostly active filters and tuned filters are utilized to remove the harmonic included in the source current. The tuned passive filters and inductance inserted in the line reduces the harmonics but at the same time induces the resonances in most of the industrial applications. Due to this, harmonic distortion increases in the source current and voltage. This can be reduced by adding hybrid filter in the system with decreased rating of active filter in high power applications. This article deals with the various topology of hybrid filters. The working of the proposed filter design in variable inductance mode based on the pollution created in the source voltage and current is studied. In the proposed hybrid filter passive filter is tuned with seventh harmonic frequency and connected in series with active filters to reduce the harmonic distortion. DC link voltage and the active filter VA rating could be minimized. The control signal to the filter is derived from p-q theory and space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM). The performance of the system under study is simulated and noted for the THD percentage before and after the filter is added to the system and the same model is experimented with reduced voltage level.
Synchrony and Complexity in State-Related EEG Networks: An Application of Spectral Graph Theory
Authors: Ghaderi Amir Hossein , Baltaretu Bianca R. , Andevari Masood Nemati , Bharmauria Vishal , Balci Fuat
Published: September 2020

The brain may be considered as a synchronized dynamic network with several coherent dynamical units. However, concerns remain whether synchronizability is a stable state in the brain networks. If so, which index can best reveal the synchronizability in brain networks? To answer these questions, we tested the application of the spectral graph theory and the Shannon entropy as alternative approaches in neuroimaging. We specifically tested the alpha rhythm in the resting-state eye closed (rsEC) and the resting-state eye open (rsEO) conditions, a well-studied classical example of synchrony in neuroimaging EEG. Since the synchronizability of alpha rhythm is more stable during the rsEC than the rsEO, we hypothesized that our suggested spectral graph theory indices (as reliable measures to interpret the synchronizability of brain signals) should exhibit higher values in the rsEC than the rsEO condition. We performed two separate analyses of two different datasets (as elementary and confirmatory studies). Based on the results of both studies and in agreement with our hypothesis, the spectral graph indices revealed higher stability of synchronizability in the rsEC condition. The k-mean analysis indicated that the spectral graph indices can distinguish the rsEC and rsEO conditions by considering the synchronizability of brain networks. We also computed correlations among the spectral indices, the Shannon entropy, and the topological indices of brain networks, as well as random networks. Correlation analysis indicated that although the spectral and the topological properties of random networks are completely independent, these features are significantly correlated with each other in brain networks. Furthermore, we found that complexity in the investigated brain networks is inversely related to the stability of synchronizability. In conclusion, we revealed that the spectral graph theory approach can be reliably applied to study the stability of synchronizability of state-related brain networks.
The tadpole of Hylodes caete (Anura: Hylodidae), an endemic Atlantic rainforest Torrent frog of Brazil
Authors: MALAGOLI LEO R. , DE SÁ FÁBIO P. , CANEDO CLARISSA , HADDAD CÉLIO F. B.
Published: September 2020

The genus Hylodes Fitzinger currently comprises 26 species of Torrent frogs, organized into four morphological taxonomic groups (Heyer 1982; Frost 2020): Hylodes glaber, H. lateristrigatus, H. mertensi, and H. nasus groups. Hylodes lateristrigatus is the most speciose group, comprising today 20 known species (Frost 2020). Nested in this group, a clade has been recovered based on molecular evidence, gathering the only four Hylodes species that are known to have males with nuptial thumb tubercles (de Sá et al. 2015; Malagoli et al. 2017). This well-supported clade includes H. phyllodes Heyer & Cocroft, Hylodes fredi Canedo & Pombal, H. pipilans Canedo & Pombal, and H. caete Malagoli, de Sá, Canedo & Haddad. Among these four Torrent frogs, tadpoles are unknown only for the most recently described H. caete (see tadpole descriptions in Heyer et al. 1990; Laia et al. 2010; Nogueira-Costa et al. 2019). With important taxonomic and conservation implications for the family Hylodidae (Laia & Rocha 2012), we describe here the tadpole of Hylodes caete, a species endemic to the crests and slopes of Serra do Mar, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil (Malagoli et al. 2017). The present description is particularly important because, in its type-locality, H. caete occurs in sympatry and syntopy with H. phyllodes (Malagoli et al. 2017).
A new species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the C. siamensis group from Tenasserim Mountains, Thailand
Authors: GRISMER L. LEE , YUSHCHENKO PLATON V. , PAWANGKHANANT PARINYA , NAZAROV ROMAN A. , NAIDUANGCHAN MALI , SUWANNAPOOM CHATMONGKON , POYARKOV NIKOLAY A.
Published: September 2020

An integrative taxonomic analysis recovered the new species Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. of the C. siamensis group as the sister species to C. punctatonuchalis. The new species was discovered in mountain evergreen tropical forests of in Suan Phueng District of Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand. Additionally, the analysis recovered a deep genetic divergence between northern and southern clades within the C. siamensis group that occur on opposite sides of the Isthmus of Kra—a well-known biogeographic region of cladogenic turnover. The description of C. selenolagus sp. nov. brings the total number of species of Cnemaspis in Thailand to 16, 11 of which compose the C. siamensis group—a lineage endemic to the Thai-Malay Peninsula. This underscores the physiographic complexity of this narrow peninsula in that it can support a large number of closely related species in only the northern two-thirds of its length.
The advertisement call of the Colombian endemic glassfrog Rulyrana susatamai (Anura: Centrolenidae)
Authors: GALINDO CARLOS ALBERTO , VIUCHE-LOZANO ANDRES , BERNAL MANUEL HERNANDO
Published: September 2020

Anuran calls are conspicuous, diverse and subject to sexual selection. Many types of calls are described, but the most commonly studied is the advertisement call (Wells 2007; Toledo et al. 2014). Advertisement calls in anurans are emitted by males and some females (Toledo et al. 2014), and have the function of attracting conspecific mates and repelling male competitors. Because the advertisement calls of many species differ by such a magnitude that they serve as premating species (Heyer et al. 1996), it has been demonstrated that advertisement calls play an important role in species recognition, reproductive isolation, and may reflect evolutionary relations among taxa (Wells 2007; Escalona et al. 2018).
Multilevel Intrusion Detection System to Mitigate Denial-of-Service Attack in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ghai Shilpy , Kumar Vijay
Published: September 2020

Malicious activities over WSN is quite hard to detect as sensors operate in an open network environment. Researchers have offered several solutions but still intrusion detection/prevention is an open issue. In this paper, a scheme is introduced that can analyze the malicious behavior
of the nodes over multiple layers. It uses AES algorithm for data encryption and its integrity is insured using SHA512 method. Simulation results show that it outperforms as compared to traditional WatchDog method under QoS constraints. Simulation result show that it outperforms as compared
to traditional watchdog scheme.
A New Secure Ad-Hoc on Demand Distance Vector Routing Protocol to Ensure Less Power Consumption in Mobile Ad-Hoc Network
Authors: Kamboj Nippun , Dalip  , Rai Munishwar
Published: September 2020

Current time represents the era of communication technology and in this revolution MANET is widely used and act as a key star for data communication in real life decisive scenario for e.g., disaster management, traffic control, military services etc. MANET is infrastructureless data
communication network comprising of mobile nodes. For MANET it requires secure and energy efficient framework for the underlying routing protocol. To meet the need of efficient data communication in MANET, an Energy Efficient and Secure AODV (EES-AODV) protocol is proposed. In the projected
routing protocol, first the order of network nodes happen dependent on energy and afterward encryption has been done. Simulation of projected protocol is performed for such as Average Delay, PDR and Throughput. Simulated results shows that modified AODV gives optimized performance and provides
a more secure and energy aware protocol.
Breast Cancer Prediction and Classification Using Supervised Learning Techniques
Authors: Guleria Kalpna , Sharma Avinash , Lilhore Umesh Kumar , Prasad Devendra
Published: September 2020

Approximately 2.1 million women every year are affected due to breast cancer which has become one of the major causes for cancer related deaths among women. World Health Organization’s (WHO) report 2018, reveals that around 15% of deaths among women are due to breast cancer. Lack of awareness is one of the major reason which has led to the detection of breast cancer at the later stage. Another major reason is access to limited health resources which make the problem worse. Early or timely detection of breast cancer is utmost important to increase the survival rate of the patients. World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer awareness guidelines recommend that women aged between 40–49 years of age or 70–75 years of age must be subjected to mammographic screening which will provide the timely detection of the problem, if it persist. This article uses Breast Cancer dataset from UCI machine learning repository to predict and diagnose the class of breast cancer: benign or malignant by using supervised learning. Supervised machine learning algorithms:KNearest Neighbor (K-NN), Naive Bayes, logistic regression and decision tree have been utilized for breast cancer prediction. The performance evaluation of these classification algorithms is done based on various performance measures: accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and F -measure.
Internet of Things and Banking Frauds-Friends or Foes? A Study of Indian Public and Private Sector Banks
Authors: Sharma Neha , Sharma Dhiraj , Aggarwal Arun
Published: September 2020

Ever since the introduction of banking business in this complex structure of human living, banks are believed to be one of the institutions which are recommended for trustworthiness and treasure repositories for the general public. These are the institutions which were and are still
trusted for their veracity by the civilians of every nation. However, with the passage of time the increase in the technology results in the virtue of banking organization which seems to be under a big question mark and the main reason of this integrity loss of banking organizations in the
present era is an epidemic known as fraud. Moreover, bank frauds are one of the crucial areas to be resolved from the angle of internet of things which includes many of the technological loopholes. Therefore, the present study aims to provide an appropriate solution to the problem of fraud
in the present scenario of increasing trends of Internet of things in the banking industry especially in Indian context. The study discussed about the present fraud preventive measures used by the public and private sector banks in India and has also provided an elaborated model for fraud
risk management which gives a comprehensive structure to be utilized in regard to the fraud prevention in banks.
An Application of Machine Learning in Plant Leaves Disease Detection and Classification
Authors: Dahiya Sachin , Gulati Tarun
Published: September 2020

Plant disease severely affects the crop production. Food security is always a challenge because the population of the world is increasing at a rapid rate. Diseases in plants can be controlled at the initial stage with the help of automatic system that can be able to detect the wide
variety of diseases before its spreading to the whole cultivation area. With the development of various machine learning and deep learning algorithms it is now possible to design such an automatic system. Deep neural network like convolution neural network are able to detect the plant disease
with high accuracy. In this paper we have discussed about the deep learning techniques, CNN and its parameters, data augmentation, transfer learning and various factor that affects the performance of DL model. Recent studies that apply the machine intelligence in plant leaf disease detection
are also discussed.
A Hybrid Encryption Model to Lower the Complexity of Securing the Data in Cloud
Authors: Goyal Mani , Sharma Avinash
Published: September 2020

Remote Cloud services are very efficient to overcome the deficiency of native resources. This kind of facility and assets availability which depends on the quality of link to the remote server, and this arrangement may fail due to poor connectivity scenarios. For requests demanding
large data trans- fers to the remote host, performing the computation on the device can have well performance than relying on processing by the remote host when the device’s Internet connection is extremely poor. Attaining good performance is conditional and depends on an optimal dividing
of the application mechanism among the device and cloud platforms depends on runtime conditions. A cloud structure with dynamic checking on bunch of cloud facility sources for optimum distributing of the submission built on runtime situations is implemented. The framework consists of hybrid
encryption (DES and Blowfish) before uploading the customer records to cloud loading in vision to safely distribute data between several clouds.
Toward Improving Secret Sharing Scheme Based on Encryption in Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Kamboj Minakshi , Rana Sanjeev
Published: September 2020

Flexibility, acceptance of hire of Cloud Computing, control facilities originates a number of challenges. In precise, safety has been widely conveyed to create the key issues which stop movement to the cloud. Shamir’s Secret Sharing Scheme splits the secret message into n
shares with threshold k and distribution of shares to n participants and each participant has unique share of secret message. For reconstructing the secret message, minimum k fragments are required. Threshold scheme which requires only k shares to re-construct the
secret message is implemented, as collection of shares from all the n participants to reconstruct the secret message may be unfeasible. AES encryption turns out to be totally inappropriate if a password is used as an alternative of providing the key. The attacker finds file, downloads
Ax crypt, and brute force/dictionary attacks it until it’s cracked. An additional security can provided to user password which of varying length by splitting the password into n shares. Advance Encryption Standard (AES) procedure is implemented to encipher the produced shares.
AES with 256-bit key is applied to encode the share for every member. Covering arrangement alternative to Boolean masking established on Shamir’s Secret Sharing arrangement is suggested.
A Comprehensive Study on the Recognition of Gurmukhi Script
Authors: Sharma Sandhya , Gupta Sheifali , Kumar Neeraj
Published: September 2020

Nowadays, we process all the important information of our lives electronically. Due to the involvement of computers in every sphere there may be a need to develop some efficient and fast techniques so that records can be easily transferred between people and computer systems. Offline text recognition provides an interface between humans and computers. Many researchers are working to recognize the text of Indian scripts like Bangla, Devanagari, Gurmukhi etc. but it is still a challenge to exchange data between people and computers due to the different writing style of the people and very little work has been done for Gurmukhi. In this article different accuracy results are reviewed which are achieved by different researchers using different classification techniques. Various classifiers for the recognition of characters like Support Vector Machine (SVM) based classifier (Upper zone classifier and Lower zone classifier), Hidden Markov Model (HMM) by using a set of features of the normalizedx–ytraces of the stroke, DCT2 feature set using Linear SVM classifier, Polynomial SVM with iDCT2 features, Multi layered perceptron (MLP) neural network andKnearest neighbor (KNN) etc. classifiers have been used.
Localization Schemes and Its Challenges in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gupta Osho , Kumar Manni , Mushtaq Aadil , Goyal Nitin
Published: September 2020

An underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) consists of numerous sensor nodes deployed below the water to monitor physical and environmental changes. But to locate the deployed sensor nodes is an issue. Global positioning system (GPS) doesn’t work below the water because of water depth and dense medium. Also manual and stable configuration of sensor nodes is not possible in case of UWSN due to water drift of 3 m/s. This gives the challenge of locating the sensor node to fetch data from that node. So, localization plays a vital role in many applications wherein the absence of GPS and manual configuration. Various localization schemes widespread motivation for the purpose of data tagging, node tracking and target detection. Here we are classifying various localization methods by which we can deploy various sensors under the deep sea water. Here, the authors have also compared some existing UWSN techniques with the help of network simulator to guide the research fraternity.
Differential diagnosis for suspected cases of coronavirus disease 2019: a retrospective study
Authors: Chi Qiong , Dai Xinjian , Jiang Xiangao , Zhu Lefei , Du Junyan , Chen Yuxi , Zheng Jiyang , Huang Jianping
Published: September 2020

Background

Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 12,322,000 people and killed over 556,000 people worldwide. However, Differential diagnosis remains difficult for suspected cases of COVID-19 and need to be improved to reduce misdiagnosis.

Methods

Sixty-eight cases of suspected COVID-19 treated in Wenzhou Central Hospital from January 21 to February 20, 2020 were divided into confirmed and COVID-19-negative groups based on the results of real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) nucleic acid testing of the novel coronavirus in throat swab specimens to compare the clinical symptoms and laboratory and imaging results between the groups.

Results

Among suspected patients, 17 were confirmed to COVID-19-positive group and 51 were distinguished to COVID-19-negative group. Patients with reduced white blood cell (WBC) count were more common in the COVID-19-positive group than in the COVID-19-negative group (29.4% vs 3.9%, P = 0.003). Subsequently, correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant inverse correlation existed between WBC count and temperature in the COVID-19-positive patients (r = − 0.587, P = 0.003), instead of the COVID-19-negative group. But reduced lymphocyte count was no different between the two groups (47.1% vs 25.5%, P = 0.096). More common chest imaging characteristics of the confirmed COVID-19 cases by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) included ground-glass opacities (GGOs), multiple patchy shadows, and consolidation with bilateral involvement than COVID-19-negative group (82.4% vs 31.4%, P = 0.0002; 41.2% vs 17.6% vs P = 0.048; 76.5% vs 43.1%, P = 0.017; respectively). The rate of clustered infection was higher in COVID-19-positive group than COVID-19-negative group (64.7% vs 7.8%, P = 0.001). Through multiplex PCR nucleic acid testing, 2 cases of influenza A, 3 cases of influenza B, 2 cases of adenovirus, 2 cases of Chlamydia pneumonia, and 7 cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were diagnosed in the COVID-19-negative group.

Conclusions

WBC count inversely correlated with the severity of fever, GGOs, multiple patchy shadows, and consolidation in chest HRCT and clustered infection are common but not specific features in the confirmed COVID-19 group. Multiplex PCR nucleic acid testing helped differential diagnosis for suspected COVID-19 cases.
Comparisons of cardiovascular dysautonomia and cognitive impairment between de novo Parkinson’s disease and de novo dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Oka Hisayoshi , Umehara Tadashi , Nakahara Atsuo , Matsuno Hiromasa
Published: September 2020

Background

Cognitive impairment may be correlated with cardiovascular dysautonomia, including blood pressure (BP) dysregulation, in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the association between these factors in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is uncertain. This study aimed to clarify whether cardiovascular dysautonomia had an influence on cognitive function in Lewy body disease or not.

Methods

Ninty-nine patients with de novo PD (n = 75) and DLB (n = 24) were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy, orthostatic hypotension (OH), supine hypertension (SH), postprandial hypotension (PPH), nocturnal BP fall in 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and constipation were estimated. Associations of these factors with cognitive and executive dysfunction were examined.

Results

In DLB, MIBG uptake was reduced and OH, PPH and SH were severely disturbed, compared to PD. The nocturnal BP fall in ABPM was lower in DLB, and the failure of nocturnal BP fall in PD was associated with MMSE, after adjustment for other clinical features. FAB was significantly associated nocturnal BP fall, age and SH in PD, but no significant correlations among factors were found for DLB.

Conclusion

The significant association between nocturnal BP dysregulation and cognitive or executive decline in PD might be due to impaired microvascular circulation or invasion of α-synuclein in the CNS. The lack of a correlation of BP insufficiency with cognitive impairment in DLB suggests initial involvement of Lewy body pathology in the neocortex, regardless of Lewy body invasion of the autonomic nervous system.
Long-term analysis of multimodality treatment outcomes and prognosis of esthesioneuroblastomas: a single center results of 138 patients
Authors: Sun Meng , Wang Kai , Qu Yuan , Zhang Jianghu , Zhang Shiping , Chen Xuesong , Wang Jingbo , Wu Runye , Zhang Ye , Yi Junlin , Xiao Jianping , Xu Guozhen , Huang Xiaodong , Luo Jingwei
Published: September 2020

Background

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of different treatment strategies and the potential prognostic factors of esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB).

Materials and methods

Between April 1984 and December 2018, 138 patients with non-metastatic ENB were retrospectively analyzed. The treatment modalities mainly included surgery alone (n = 7), radiotherapy alone (n = 33), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (n = 17), surgery combined with current chemoradiotherapy (n = 32), and surgery plus radiotherapy (n = 49).

Results

The median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 61 months (range, 4–231 months). The 5-year overall survival (OS), locoregional failure-free survival (LRFFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate were 69.6, 78.0 and 73.9%, respectively. Surgery combined with radiotherapy elicited superior survival results, and the combination of surgery and current chemoradiotherapy achieved the best prognoses for all patients, patients with advanced Kadish disease, patients receiving intensity modulated radiation therapy and those with positive surgical margin. Univariate analysis identified orbital invasion and treatment modalities were predictors for OS, LRFFS and DMFS. Lymph node metastasis was associated with OS and DMFS, but not LRFFS. Intracranial invasion, advanced Kadish stage and not receiving concurrent chemotherapy were also predictive of lower OS. Multivariate analyses indicated that lymph node metastasis was an independent prognostic factor affecting DMFS, whereas treatment modalities was independent prognostic factors for OS and LRFFS.

Conclusion

Orbital invasion, intracranial invasion, lymph node metastasis and advanced Kadish disease at initial diagnosis were significantly associated with inferior prognosis. Regarding the treatment modality, the optimal strategy remined surgery with radiotherapy-based multimodality treatment. The concurrent chemoradiotherapy may play a more beneficial role.
Expression of the pacemaker channel HCN4 in excitatory interneurons in the dorsal horn of the murine spinal cord
Authors: Nakagawa Taku , Yasaka Toshiharu , Nakashima Noriyuki , Takeya Mitsue , Oshita Kensuke , Tsuda Makoto , Yamaura Ken , Takano Makoto
Published: September 2020

In the central nervous system, hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN1–4) channels have been implicated in neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. It has been reported that HCN channels are expressed in the spinal cord, but knowledge about their physiological roles, as well as their distribution profiles, appear to be limited. We generated a transgenic mouse in which the expression of HCN4 can be reversibly knocked down using a genetic tetracycline-dependent switch and conducted genetically validated immunohistochemistry for HCN4. We found that the somata of HCN4-immunoreactive (IR) cells were largely restricted to the ventral part of the inner lamina II and lamina III. Many of these cells were either parvalbumin- or protein kinase Cγ (PKCγ)-IR. By using two different mouse strains in which reporters are expressed only in inhibitory neurons, we determined that the vast majority of HCN4-IR cells were excitatory neurons. Mechanical and thermal noxious stimulation did not induce c-Fos expression in HCN4-IR cells. PKCγ-neurons in this area are known to play a pivotal role in the polysynaptic pathway between tactile afferents and nociceptive projection cells that contributes to tactile allodynia. Therefore, pharmacological and/or genetic manipulations of HCN4-expressing neurons may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the pain relief of tactile allodynia.
YTHDF2, a protein repressed by miR-145, regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and migration in ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Li Jie , Wu Lei , Pei Meili , Zhang Yun
Published: September 2020

RNA methylation can reverse the methylation modification at the RNA level, which is an extremely important epigenetic modification. The function and mechanism of YTHDF2, as a reader of m6A modification, in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have not been elucidated so far. This study aimed to investigate how YTHDF2 and miR-145 modulated EOC progression through m6A modification. It demonstrated that YTHDF2 was significantly upregulated in EOC tissues compared with normal ovarian tissues. Further functional studies confirmed that YTHDF2 significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of EOC cell lines and reduced the global 6-methyladenine (m6A) mRNA levels. Next, the expression levels of miR-145 and YTHDF2 were found to be inversely correlated in ovarian cancer tissues and cells, and YTHDF2 was the direct target gene of miR-145. A crucial crosstalk occurred between miR-145 and YTHDF2 via a double-negative feedback loop. The overexpression of YTHDF2 rescued miR-145-induced reduction of the proliferation and migration of EOC cells. Hence, YTHDF2 and miR-145, as two crucial m6A regulators, were involved in the progression of EOC by indirectly modulating m6A levels. The findings of this study on YTHDF2 and miR-145 might provide new insights into carcinogenesis and new potential therapeutic targets for EOC.
Total colonic aganglionosis and cleft palate in a newborn with Janus-cysteine 618 mutation of RET proto-oncogene: a case report
Authors: Schierz Ingrid Anne Mandy , Cimador Marcello , Giuffrè Mario , Aiello Claudia Maria , Antona Vincenzo , Corsello Giovanni , Piro Ettore
Published: September 2020

Background

Hirschsprung disease, the most important congenital colonic dysmotility in children results from neural crest migration, differentiation, proliferation, or apoptosis defects where the rearranged during transfection (RET)-Protooncogene pathway has a central role. Although palatal and retinal anomalies in the context of chromosomopathies and some mono−/oligogenic syndromes are reported associated with Hirschsprung disease the role of inactivating RET mutations in these cases is not clarified.

Case presentation

We report on a dysmorphic newborn with cleft palate and palatal synechia, who showed intestinal obstruction after 24 h of life. Transient ileostomy and surgical biopsies were performed to diagnose aganglionosis of the colon and last ileal loop. No chromosomal anomalies or copy number variations were found. We identified a paternal heterozygous germline mutation c.1852 T > C, which results in the substitution of cysteine by arginine in the RET-receptor tyrosine kinase (p.C618R mutation). There was no family history of Hirschsprung disease, but the father underwent surgery for medullary thyroid carcinoma and was affected by retinal dystrophy.

Conclusions

The occurrence of Hirschsprung disease and carcinoma shows how a single mutation may be responsible for adverse effects: gain and loss of function of the same receptor. Furthermore, it would be interesting to study its dual role in face and retina embryology, and to extend targeted investigations of RET hotspots in these developmental abnormalities to facilitate counselling, follow-up, and tumor prevention. Complex surgical procedures and genetic testing as well as socio-economic impact are a challenge for familiar compliance.
Assessment of cyclic fatigue resistance of Protaper Next and WaveOne Gold in different kinematics
Authors: Ismail Amira Galal , Galal Manar , Roshdy Nehal Nabil
Published: September 2020

Background

The purpose of the current study was to inspect and compare the influence of applying continuous rotation and reciprocation motions on the cyclic fatigue resistance of Protaper Next (PTN) file (X2) and WaveOne Gold (WOG) Primary file in simulated canals. Twenty Protaper Next files(X2) and 20 WaveOne Gold Primary files were included in this study. A cyclic fatigue testing device was employed to test the cyclic resistance of each file in different motions. The testing device has an artificial custom-made stainless-steel canal with a 60° angle of curvature and a 2-mm radius of curvature. The files were randomly divided into 4 groups; group 1: PTN in continuous rotation, group 2: PTN in reciprocation, group 3: WOG in continuous rotation and group 4: WOG in reciprocation. All the instruments were rotated until fracture occurred, and the time to fracture was recorded in seconds using a digital chronometer. The number of cycles to fracture (NCF) was calculated. The data were analyzed statistically (p < .05).

Results

Results represented that when using either continuous rotation motion or reciprocating motion, WOG files showed a significantly longer time until failure than PTN files (p < 0.001). The time till fracture increased significantly, when using both types of files with a reciprocating filing motion.

Conclusion

Within the confinement of this study, WOG file in reciprocation showed higher cyclic fatigue resistance than PTN in both continuous rotation and reciprocating motion. The reciprocating motion enhances both files behavior in terms of cyclic fatigue resistance.
Relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, total antioxidant capacity and pneumonia incidence, severity and outcome in Nigerian children
Authors: Kuti Bankole Peter , Akinwumi Alex Ifeoluwa , Kuti Demilade Kehinde , Amoo Kazeem Olanrewaju
Published: September 2020

Background

The pathologic basis of childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) involves the generation of reactive oxygen species by immune cells leading to cellular damage and lung congestion. Serum antioxidants and vitamin D with immunomodulatory properties therefore hold prospects in the prevention and management of pneumonia in children. This case–control study set out to compare the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in Nigerian children with CAP and age- and sex-matched controls and to relate these parameters with pneumonia severity and outcome—length of hospital stay (LOH).

Results

A total of 160 children (80 each for CAP and controls) were recruited. The median (IQR) age was 1.8 (0.6–4.0) years, male:female 1.7:1, 63 (78.8%) and 11 (13.8%) of CAP group had severe pneumonia and parapneumonic effusions, respectively. Serum 25-OHD (33.8 (18.3) ng/ml vs. 41.9 (12.3) ng/ml; p = 0.010) and TAC (6.1 (4.4–8.1) ng/dl vs. 7.2 (4.7–17.5) ng/dl; p = 0.023) were lower in children with CAP than controls. Lower serum 25-OHD was observed in severe than non-severe pneumonia (30.5(17.1) ng/ml vs. 46.3 (17.6) ng/ml; p = 0.001) but LOH did not correlate with serum 25-OHD and TAC.

Conclusion

Children with CAP had lower serum vitamin D and antioxidants than controls, and severe pneumonia was significantly associated with suboptimal serum vitamin D. They however were not related to pneumonia outcome. Optimal serum vitamin D and antioxidants may play a role in reducing the incidence of childhood CAP in Nigerian children.
How Pictures Make Bodies and Bodies Make Pictures
Authors: Beroiza Alanna
Published: September 2020

This article examines the visual dynamics underlying wrong-body narratives of gender through Lacanian psychoanalytic readings of Annie Leibovitz’s photographs of Caitlyn Jenner for Vanity Fair (2015) and Pedro Almodóvar’s film La piel que habito (Spain/France, 2011). Leibovitz’s photographs, seen as the public culmination of Jenner’s gender transition, and Almodóvar’s fictional film, centered on the forced surgical sex reassignment of one of its characters, both comment on the role of technically produced images in constructing visually articulated bodily materiality as central to gender. Staged in Jenner’s domestic space, often before mirrors that reflect the camera alongside its subject, Lei-bovitz’s photos portray Jenner at the center of complex scenarios of mastery over her image. These images demonstrate an awareness of their constructed nature at the same time as they offer themselves as the optical proof of Jenner’s transition; they reveal and, ostensibly, dominate what Lacan refers to as the fundamental misrecognition at the heart of all scopic scenarios of recognition. Almodóvar’s film imagines the reverse scenario in which the body-as-image exerts violent control over the individual, not only erasing the apparent sex of one of its characters, Vicente, but also, and less tolerably, attempting to erase the absence, or misrecognition, of his body in its status as what Lacan calls “objet a,” or object of desire. The distinct ways in which Leibovitz’s images and Almodóvar’s film theorize the relationship between bodies and images with regard to misrecognition and absence point to the continued necessity of considering the influence of scopic relations in formations of gender identity.
“Sometimes It Seems You’re in Another World”
Authors: Rogers Jamie Ann
Published: September 2020

This article traces the development of Afrocentric feminist aesthetics within the LA Rebellion, a film movement made up primarily of Black film students at UCLA from 1970 to the late 1980s. It argues that these aesthetics are integral to the movement’s heterogeneous but radical politics, even as the filmmakers express them through widely different means. The article focuses primarily on three films that span the final decade in which Rebellion filmmakers were active at UCLA: Barbara McCullough’s Water Ritual #1: An Urban Rite of Purification (1979), Alile Sharon Larkin’s A Different Image (1982), and Zeinabu irene Davis’s Cycles (1989). Each of these films’ renderings of Afrocentric feminist aesthetics—through attention to African oral and mythical traditions, African and Pan-African-inflected mise-en-scène, rich col-oration and film stock, and play with nonlinear, nonteleological time—register at once the sedimented condition of patriarchal anti-Blackness in the United States and Black feminists’ ongoing projects of freedom that perdure within and despite that condition. In many ways, such representations anticipate contemporary Black feminist grapplings with recent Black studies scholarship that orbit around Afro-pessimist theories of Black ontology and social death. Through their expressions of Afrocentric feminist forms of communal, caring, and creative living, the films represent a form of Black social life that expresses value systems and ways of being that are incompatible with social death, even when they are inevitably moored within its ontological structure.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Authors: Loreck Janice , Mitchell Sian , Monaghan Whitney , Stevens Kirsten
Published: September 2020

The Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) is a four-day event in Melbourne, Australia, that supports and celebrates the work of Australian women filmmakers. Launched in 2017, the festival emerged from our desire as screen academics to increase the visibility of both professional and amateur women filmmakers and their work. Despite a strong history of grassroots and state-supported women’s creative cultures in Australia, women have remained marginal within the domestic screen industry. Women filmmakers are also underrepresented within the global festival circuit. This article traces the curatorial practices underpinning MWFF since its inception. We describe our approach to running a locally based, women-centered film festival; how we define “women” and “women’s filmmaking”; and how our programing choices support our festival ethos. We also contextualize our event as one that both continues and is in dialogue with women’s screen culture in Australia, particularly the one-off Women’s International Film Festival held in 1975. Locating our festival in this historical context, we argue that retrospective screenings play a particularly vital role at MWFF in achieving our festival aims. We recount our inaugural festival in 2017 and explain the significance of retrospectives in building a legacy for women filmmakers and making their achievements visible to the next generation.
Screening as a method of early effective diagnostics of gastric cancer
Authors: Domanchuk Tatyana
Published: September 2020

One of the most common forms of malignant neoplasms in the world for more than a decade is gastric cancer. It ranks 2nd in the structure of overall cancer and tends to grow steadily. According to the latest data, the WHO registers 750-850 thousand new cases of gastric cancer every year and more than 600 thousand people die from this disease [1]. Almost the only preventive method today, aimed at early detection of tumors is cancer screening. Its use helps to reduce mortality rate from certain types of malignant neoplasms including gastric cancer. Reasonability to perform screening of the population for malignant neoplasms in Ukraine today remains a matter of debate due to lack of awareness of the population and doctors, lack of clear understanding of the concept and process of screening, complexity and relatively high cost of screening methods, insufficient convincing evidence of its need for certain nosology of malignant tumors [3]. But at the same time, there is an urgent need inUkraine to introduce a gastric cancer screening program to determine its type, as well as to substantiate its reasonability.
Optimization of prediction of morphological disorders of skeletal muscles in experimental acute ischemia-reperfusion on the basis of combined changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection by neural network clustering
Authors: Selskyy P. R. , Vastyanov R. S. , Klishch I. M. , Televiak A. T. , Volska A. S. , Kurylo Kh. B. , Selskyy B. P.
Published: September 2020

The paper proposes a method for optimizing the prediction of the development of morphological disorders of skeletal muscle in experimental acute ischemia-reperfusion based on combined changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection. The approach is based on the use of neural network clustering.The purpose of the study – to propose a method for optimizing the prediction of the severity of morphological disorders in experimental acute ischemia-reperfusion on the basis of combined changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection by neural network clustering.The experimental model of ischemic-reperfusion lesion was represented by five groups of rats with reperfusion terms of 1 and 2 hours, 1 day, 7 and 14 days (18 animals each). Acute limb ischemia-reperfusion was simulated by applying SWAT rubber tourniquets on the hind right limb of animals for two hours under thiopental-sodium anesthesia. Histological examination was performed at the Department of Pathological Anatomy with a sectional course and forensic medicine of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of Ministry of Health of Ukraine according to generally accepted methods. Determination of  lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection in the blood serum of each experimental group of rats was performed by the Central Research Laboratory of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of  Ministry of  Health of  Ukraine. For in-depth analysis and clustering of the indicators of the studied groups in order to optimize the prediction of the course of ischemic-reperfusion lesion, a neural network approach was used using the NeuroXL Classifier add-in for Microsoft Excel. The greatest prognostic value in relation to the severity of morphological disorders in the early reperfusion period according to the data of neural network clustering have combined changes in the level of TBA-active products and catalase.
Nanoparticles in medicine
Authors: Miziak Paulina Anna , Baran Marzena , Bonio Katarzyna , Piech Piotr
Published: September 2020

Nanotechnology is a new, interdisciplinary field of science, the products of which are nanoparticles, i.e. structures that, thanks to their unique physical and chemical properties conditioned by their nanometric dimensions, have found wide application in medicine, pharmacy and biotechnology. Currently, they play a particularly important role as drug carriers, antibacterial and antiviral substances. They are also used in diagnostics, genetic tests, and increasing the accuracy of biological tests. The enormous possibilities of nanoparticles concern their potential use as drug delivery systems, factors improving the quality of anticancer radiotherapy and supporting molecular imaging, as well as compounds with highly bactericidal, fungicidal and antiviral properties. Therefore, it is crucial to implement therapies based on nanoparticles into clinical trials, as they can be an excellent diagnostic and therapeutic tool for many diseases, including cancer. However, it is necessary to overcome certain barriers due to the nature of some nanoparticles, such as problems with biodegradability and porosity. Despite the benefits of using nanostructures, the possibility of side effects caused by the action of metal nanoparticles absorbed by organisms has not been ruled out.
Psychiatric aspect of most common used cardiological drugs
Authors: Cholewa Krystian , Wysokińska Olga , Siwek Michał , Kozyra Magdalena , Rudziński Gracjan , Milanowska Joanna
Published: September 2020

Introduction: The count of psychiatric patients is growing. The same trend it is observed among cardiovascular diseases and metabolic like diabetes. Many people take drugs which may affect on mental state. On the one hand that drugs could have pleotropic mechanism of action which are beginning to use in treatment of psychiatry. The other hand is showed undiscovered field of impact on brain working.    Methods and Aim: Shown the psychiatric aspect, like side effects and unusual use, of the most used cardiological drugs. To do this, research of articles was done with the help of deta bases such as PubMed and Google Scholar.Results: The most used cardiological drugs are beta blockers, calcium canal blockers, ACE inhibtors, ARBs, nitrats, cilostazol, amiodarone and clonidine In this article it was shown current known about those drugs like mechanism of action and a report of psychiatric clinical trials. Beta-blockers are the most commonly used group of cardiological drugs as the one that significantly affects mental health. Their therapeutic importance has been noted in diseases such as: PTSD or stage fright. It was also long believed that they could make depression worse, but the latest research strongly contradicts this. A positive effect in the treatment of depression can also be obtained by usage of inhibitors of the RAA. Calcium channel blockers are another group of cardiac drugs that are important in the regulation of mood in bipolar disorder. To sum up, a large proportion of cardiac drugs can influence the flow of psychiatric diseases, and the use of them may be clinically desirable in patients with both - cardiac and psychiatric problems.
Multiple sclerosis - an overview of the most commonly used methods of physiotherapy
Authors: Korabiusz Katarzyna , Stecko Monika , Wawryków Agata
Published: September 2020

Multiple sclerosis (Latin sclerosis multiplex, MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease that requires comprehensive and continuous physiotherapy. Its most common symptoms are spasticity, balance disorders, ataxia, tremors, limited range of joint movements, decreased muscle strength, neurogenic bladder dysfunction, dysphagia, and speech disorders. The aim of this study is to describe the most commonly used methods of physiotherapy that are used in multiple sclerosis, based on the available literature.