bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of General Anesthetic Drug Selection in Cancer Outcome
Authors: Yuki Koichi
Published: October 2021

Cancer remains to be the leading cause of death globally. Surgery is a mainstay treatment for solid tumors. Thus, it is critical to optimize perioperative care. Anesthesia is a requisite component for surgical tumor resection, and general anesthesia is given in the vast majority of tumor resection cases. Because anesthetics are growingly recognized as immunomodulators, it is critical to optimize anesthetic regimens for cancer surgery if the selection can affect outcomes. Here, we reviewed the role of volatile and intravenous anesthesia used for cancer surgery in cancer recurrence.
Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura following Administration of mRNA-Based SARS-CoV-2 and MMR Vaccinations: A Cautionary Tale
Authors: Thomas Whitney , Albano Adam , Kirkel Dean , Rouhizad Nason , Arinze Folasade
Published: October 2021

We report a case of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in an otherwise healthy 31-year-old man following coadministration of the live measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The patient was hospitalized briefly and treated for ITP with glucocorticoids, IVIG, and platelet transfusion. Although our patient’s clinical presentation and subsequent course are similar to those of other cases of ITP in association with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ITP following MMR and mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine coadministration. It would be impossible to conclusively prove that the patient’s thrombocytopenia was secondary to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine alone, the MMR vaccine, or an additive effect of both vaccines. However, with the CDC guidelines recommending the coadministration of the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine without regards to timing with other vaccines, we urge further caution as there is limited evidence to inform practice. This case highlights the need for further safety data regarding the coadministration and timing of the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine with other vaccines.
TFE3 Regulates the Function of the Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway to Drive the Invasion and Metastasis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Lu Hongsheng , Zhu Chumeng , Ruan Yanyun , Fan Lilong , Wei Kena , Yang Zhaohui , Chen Qi
Published: October 2021

Background. Accumulating evidence shows that autophagy plays a vital role in tumor occurrence, development, and metastasis and even determines tumor prognosis. However, little is known about its role in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) or the potentially oncogenic role of TFE3 in regulating the autophagy-lysosome system. Methods. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to examine the expression of TFE3, P62/SQSTM1, and LC3 in PTC and paracancerous tissues. TFE3, P62/SQSTM1, LC3, cathepsin L (CTSL), and cathepsin B (CTSB) were evaluated using Western blot analysis. After inducing TFE3 overexpression by plasmid or TFE3 downregulation by small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection, MTT, wound healing, and cell migration and invasion assays were used to verify the effects on invasion, migration, and the levels of autophagy-lysosome system-related proteins such as P62/SQSTM1, LC3, CTSL, and CTSB. Results. TFE3 was overexpressed in PTC tissues compared with paracancerous tissues. Analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics of PTC patients showed that high TFE3 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. TFE3 overexpression in the PTC cell lines KTC-1 and BCPAP promoted proliferation, invasion, and migration, while TFE3 knockdown had the opposite effects. Furthermore, we identified a positive relationship among the expression levels of TFE3, P62/SQSTM1, LC3, CTSL, and CTSB. We found that silencing TFE3 inhibited the expression of P62/SQSTM1, LC3, CTSL, and CTSB in PTC cells. However, TFE3 overexpression had the opposite effects. Conclusions. The present study provided evidence for the underlying mechanisms by which TFE3 induces autophagy-lysosome system activity in PTC.
Impact of Incretin-Based Therapies on Adipokines and Adiponectin
Authors: Yaribeygi Habib , Maleki Mina , Atkin Stephen L. , Jamialahmadi Tannaz , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: October 2021

Adipokines are a family of hormones and cytokines with both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects released into the circulation to exert their hormonal effects. Adipokines are closely involved in most metabolic pathways and play an important modulatory role in lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis as they are involved in the pathophysiology of most metabolic disorders. Incretin-based therapy is a newly introduced class of antidiabetic drugs that restores euglycemia through several cellular processes; however, its effect on adipokines expression/secretion is not fully understood. In this review, we propose that incretin-based therapy may function through adipokine modulation that may result in pharmacologic properties beyond their direct antidiabetic effects, resulting in better management of diabetes and diabetes-related complications.
Right Transverse Testicular Ectopia: A Nonclassified Variant Confirmed on Laparoscopy
Authors: Mbouché Landry , Njuma Tamufor E. , Fossi K. G. , Salihou A. S. , Dikongue D. E. C. , Fadi Salihou , Binwe Bienvenu , Mouafo Tambo F. F.
Published: October 2021

Transverse testicular ectopia is a rare anomaly characterized by testicular descent into the scrotum through the same inguinal canal. Here, we report the case of a 15-year-old boy diagnosed with transverse testicular ectopia wherein both testes descended through separate inguinal canals. He underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy which helped to identify both spermatic cords entering both inguinal canals separately. During scrotal exploration, both testes were found in the same side. Transseptal orchidopexy was performed. The short-term follow-up is uneventful.
Electroacupuncture Promotes the Survival of the Grafted Human MGE Neural Progenitors in Rats with Cerebral Ischemia by Promoting Angiogenesis and Inhibiting Inflammation
Authors: Li Juan , Chen Luting , Li Danping , Lu Min , Huang Xiaolin , Han Xiaohua , Chen Hong
Published: October 2021

Stem cells have the potential as a regenerative therapy for cerebral ischemia by improving functional outcomes. However, cell transplantation has some limitations, including a low rate of the grafted cell survival. There is still a major challenge of promoting the harmonious symbiosis between grafted cells and the host. Acupuncture can effectively improve the functional outcome after cerebral ischemia. The present study evaluated the therapeutic effects and explored the mechanism of combined medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) neural progenitors differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with electroacupuncture (EA) in a bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) rat model. The results showed that EA could promote the survival of the grafted MGE neural progenitors differentiated from hESCs and alleviate learning and memory impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia. This may have partially resulted from inhibited expression of TNF-α and IL-1β and increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and blood vessel density in the hippocampus. Our findings indicated that EA could promote the survival of the grafted MGE neural progenitors and enhance transplantation therapy’s efficacy by promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting inflammation.
Classification of Markov Encrypted Traffic on Gaussian Mixture Model Constrained Clustering
Authors: Yi Junkai , Gong Guanglin , Liu Zeyu , Zhang Yacong
Published: October 2021

In order to solve the problem that traditional analysis approaches of encrypted traffic in encryption transmission of network application only consider the traffic classification in the complete communication process with ignoring traffic classification in the simplified communication process, and there are a lot of duplication problems in application fingerprints during state transition, a new classification approach of encrypted traffic is proposed. The article applies the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to analyze the length of the message, and the model is established to solve the problem of application fingerprint duplication. The fingerprints with similar lengths of the same application are divided into as few clusters as possible by constrained clustering approach, which speeds up convergence speed and improves the clustering effect. The experimental results show that compared with the other encryption traffic classification approaches, the proposed approach has 11.7%, 19.8%, 6.86%, and 5.36% improvement in TPR, FPR, Precision, and Recall, respectively, and the classification effect of encrypted traffic is significantly improved.
The research into the propagation law of the shock wave of a gas explosion inside a building
Authors: Lin Shu-Chao , Xu You-Chun , Yang Pei-Dong , Gao Shan , Zhou Yi-Jun , Xu Jin
Published: October 2021

Based on the dissipation rate conservation equations of turbulent kinetic energy in the k‐ε turbulence model, a complicated three‐dimensional finite element model of a kitchen filled with gas mixture is developed by using the open source field operation and manipulation (OpenFOAM). Two representative kitchens were used to investigate the propagation law of the shock wave of a gas explosion inside a building by considering the key characteristics of the blast shock wave. The influence of some crucial parameters, such as initial conditions and kitchen parameters, on the properties of the blast shock wave is investigated. The basic steps to predict the peak pressure of the blast shock wave are given in consideration of the initial condition and the kitchen whilst the injury effect of the blast shock wave on the humans and animals is evaluated. The research results indicate that the pressure time history and the peak pressure space distribution are greatly influenced by the kitchen design layout. The coupled interaction between the initial temperature and gas volume concentration, especially at the upper and lower explosion limits of the gas, significantly affects the peak pressure. The peak pressure varies significantly with the opening and the buffer; however, it has little relation with the width, length, and height of the kitchen. The proposed method can accurately and effectively predict the peak pressure of the blast shock wave inside buildings. In terms of the peak pressure space distribution of the explosion shock wave, the peak pressure is much higher than the threshold of the killing pressure, which is unsafe for the humans and animals in the building.
Minibatch Recursive Least Squares Q‐Learning
Authors: Zhang Chunyuan , Song Qi , Meng Zeng
Published: October 2021

The deep Q‐network (DQN) is one of the most successful reinforcement learning algorithms, but it has some drawbacks such as slow convergence and instability. In contrast, the traditional reinforcement learning algorithms with linear function approximation usually have faster convergence and better stability, although they easily suffer from the curse of dimensionality. In recent years, many improvements to DQN have been made, but they seldom make use of the advantage of traditional algorithms to improve DQN. In this paper, we propose a novel Q‐learning algorithm with linear function approximation, called the minibatch recursive least squares Q‐learning (MRLS‐Q). Different from the traditional Q‐learning algorithm with linear function approximation, the learning mechanism and model structure of MRLS‐Q are more similar to those of DQNs with only one input layer and one linear output layer. It uses the experience replay and the minibatch training mode and uses the agent’s states rather than the agent’s state‐action pairs as the inputs. As a result, it can be used alone for low‐dimensional problems and can be seamlessly integrated into DQN as the last layer for high‐dimensional problems as well. In addition, MRLS‐Q uses our proposed average RLS optimization technique, so that it can achieve better convergence performance whether it is used alone or integrated with DQN. At the end of this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of MRLS‐Q on the CartPole problem and four Atari games and investigate the influences of its hyperparameters experimentally.
A Liver Segmentation Method Based on the Fusion of VNet and WGAN
Authors: Ma Jinlin , Deng Yuanyuan , Ma Ziping , Mao Kaiji , Chen Yong
Published: October 2021

Accurate segmentation of liver images is an essential step in liver disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and prognosis. In recent years, although liver segmentation methods based on 2D convolutional neural networks have achieved good results, there is still a lack of interlayer information that causes severe loss of segmentation accuracy to a certain extent. Meanwhile, making the best of high-level and low-level features more effectively in a 2D segmentation network is a challenging problem. Therefore, we designed and implemented a 2.5-dimensional convolutional neural network, VNet_WGAN, to improve the accuracy of liver segmentation. First, we chose three adjacent layers of a liver model as the input of our network and adopted two convolution kernels in series connection, which can integrate cross-sectional spatial information and interlayer information of liver models. Second, a chain residual pooling module is added to fuse multilevel feature information to optimize the skip connection. Finally, the boundary loss function in the generator is employed to compensate for the lack of marginal pixel accuracy in the Dice loss function. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on two datasets, LiTS and CHAOS. The Dice coefficients are 92% and 90%, respectively, which are better than those of the compared segmentation networks. In addition, the experimental results also show that the proposed method can reduce computational consumption while retaining higher segmentation accuracy, which is significant for liver segmentation in practice and provides a favorable reference for clinicians in liver segmentation.
Premenopausal Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Associations with Molecular Subtypes: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Ntirenganya Faustin , Twagirumukiza Jean Damascene , Bucyibaruta Georges , Rugwizangoga Belson , Rulisa Stephen
Published: October 2021

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer in women and the leading cause of women’s cancer-related deaths and morbidity worldwide. In Rwanda, BC incidence is increasing with an unacceptably high mortality rate in premenopausal women. Objectives. The purpose was to identify modifiable BC risk factors and assess associations between common breast cancer risks factors and molecular subtypes in premenopausal women in Rwanda. Methods. This was a case-control study. Premenopausal women with histological confirmation of BC and frequency-matched for age controls were recruited. A preestablished questionnaire was administered to both cases and controls for sociodemographics, BC probable risk factors, and clinical and pathological characteristics. BC was classified into luminal A, luminal B, HER2-type, basal-like (triple negative), and unclassified molecular subtypes by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. 340 participants were recruited into the study (170 cases vs. 170 controls). The median age was 39 years. The majority of cases presented at advanced stages of the disease (51.2% in stages III and IV) and had invasive ductal carcinoma (98.2%). 60.6% had subtypes of poor prognosis (HER2 enriched 14.7%, triple negative 12.9%, and unclassified 32.9%). Alcohol intake

AOR
=
3.73
,
95
%
C
I
 
2.19
−
6.32
,
p
<
0.001

, obesity/overweight in adolescence or early adulthood

AOR
=
10.86
,
95
%
C
I
 
4.82
−
24.4
,
p
<
0.001

, history of primary infertility

AOR
=
33.8
,
95
%
C
I
 
3.5
−
321.5
,
p
=
0.002

, nulliparity

AOR
=
3.75
,
95
%
C
I
 
1.61
−
8.75
,
p
=
0.002

, and a history of benign breast disease

AOR
=
6.06
,
95
%
C
I
 
1.19
−
30.73
,
p
=
0.03

were associated with the occurrence of premenopausal breast cancer. There was no significant difference between risk factor stratification per molecular subtype. Conclusion. Several reproductive, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors have been identified to be associated with premenopausal BC. Among them, alcohol intake and obesity/overweight during adolescence/early adulthood can be modified. Interventions targeting alcohol consumption and obesity/overweight in adolescents and young adults may decrease the incidence of premenopausal breast cancer.
Adhesion Behavior of Escherichia coli Strains on Glass: Role of Cell Surface Qualitative and Quantitative Hydrophobicity in Their Attachment Ability
Authors: Elfazazi Kaoutar , Zahir Hafida , Tankiouine Safae , Mayoussi Btissam , Zanane Chorouk , Lekchiri Souad , Ellouali Mostafa , Mliji El Mostafa , Latrache Hassan
Published: October 2021

Microbial adhesion to surfaces is thought to involve physicochemical interactions between the substrate and microbial cells. Understanding the physicochemical aspects involved in the adhesion phenomenon, as a critical step in biofilm formation, is essential to finding ways to prevent their formation and control biocontamination risks. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between the adhesion behavior of 12 Escherichia coli strains isolated from food and their surface hydrophobicities using qualitative (

θ

w

) and quantitative (ΔGiwi) approaches. The surface physicochemical properties of both bacterial cells and glass material were estimated through contact angle measurements. The adhesive behavior of E. coli strains on a glass surface was assessed. The results showed a good logarithmic relation between the percentage of the adhered cells and their surface hydrophobicity with the quantitative approach ΔGiwi; however, qualitative hydrophobicity (

θ

w

) appeared to demonstrate no effect regarding adhesion behavior. This work lays the foundation for future studies and opens an important debate on the mechanisms underlying the adhesion behavior of E. coli strains by using the thermodynamic approach (ΔGiwi) as an important model of hydrophobicity that could explain and predict better bacterial adhesion ability.
circ-SIRT1 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Proliferation and EMT by Recruiting and Binding to eIF4A3
Authors: Wang Xiangjie , Liu Shuang , Xu Bin , Liu Yabin , Kong Peng , Li Changlin , Li Binghui
Published: October 2021

Circular RNA (circRNA), a recently identified type of endogenous noncoding RNA, has been implicated in the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors; however, whether circ-SIRT1, derived from pre-mRNA of the parental SIRT1 gene, is involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown, as do the potential underlying mechanisms. The expression of circ-SIRT1 in CRC cells and tissue was detected by RT-qPCR. Colony formation and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays were used to evaluate the effect of circ-SIRT1 knockdown on the proliferative ability of CRC cells. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to assess the effect of circ-SIRT1 knockdown on the migratory and invasive capacity of CRC cells. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays were employed to validate the binding of circ-SIRT1 to EIF4A3. Western blot was used to identify the changes in the expression of EIF4A3 and EMT-related proteins. The RT-qPCR results showed that circ-SIRT1 was highly expressed in CRC cells and tissue and was positively correlated with the depth of tumor invasion. Knocking down circ-SIRT1 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of CRC cells and EMT. We further found that EIF4A3 could bind to circ-SIRT1, and that overexpressing circ-SIRT1 decreased the abundance of EIF4A3 at the mRNAs of the EMT marker proteins N-cadherin and vimentin. Combined, our findings suggested that circ-SIRT1 regulates the expression of EMT-related proteins by preventing EIF4A3 recruitment to the respective mRNAs. Our results further indicate that circ-SIRT1 functions as an oncogene in CRC by promoting the proliferation, invasion, and EMT of CRC cells through the circ-SIRT1/EIF4A3/N-cadherin/vimentin pathway.
Influence of Fiber Volume and Fiber Length on Thermal and Flexural Properties of a Hybrid Natural Polymer Composite Prepared with Banana Stem, Pineapple Leaf, and S‐Glass
Authors: Prakash K. B. , Fageehi Yahya Ali , Saminathan Rajasekaran , Manoj Kumar P. , Saravanakumar S. , Subbiah Ram , Arulmurugan B. , Rajkumar S
Published: October 2021

There is more demand for natural fiber‐reinforced composites in the energy sector, and their impact on the environment is almost zero. Natural fiber has plenty of advantages, such as easy recycling and degrading property, low density, and low price. Natural fiber’s thermal properties and flexural properties are less than conventional fiber. This work deals with the changes in the thermal properties and mechanical properties of S‐glass reinforced with a sodium hydroxide‐treated pineapple leaf (PALF) and banana stem fibers. Banana stem and pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) were used at various volume fractions, i.e., 30%, 40%, and 50%, and various fiber lengths of 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm with S‐glass, and their effects on the thermal and mechanical properties were studied, and their optimum values were found. It was evidenced that increasing the fiber volume and fiber length enhanced the flexural and thermal properties up to 40% of the fiber volume, and started to decrease at 50% of the fiber volume. The fiber length provides an affirmative effect on the flexural properties and a pessimistic effect on the thermal properties. The PALF S‐glass combination of 40% fiber load and 40 cm fiber length provides maximum flexural strength, flexural modulus, storage modulus, and lowest loss modulus based on hybrid Taguchi grey relational optimization techniques. PALF S‐glass hybrid composite has been found to have 7.80%, 3.44%, 1.17% higher flexural strength, flexural modulus, and loss modulus, respectively, and 15.74% lower storage modulus compared to banana S‐glass hybrid composite.
Synthesis of a New Type of Trans-Decalin Vitamin D Analogue through a Dyotropic Ring Expansion
Authors: Santalla Hugo , Gómez-Bouzó Uxía , Sánchez-Sanz Irene , Fall Yagamare
Published: October 2021

A new vitamin D analogue with a trans-fused decalin as the CD-ring system and containing a sulphur atom in the side chain has been synthesized in our research group. The obtention of this analogue is based on a recently discovered transformation of hydrindane cores into decalins through a dyotropic ring expansion in very mild conditions.
The Anti sliding Mechanism of Adjacent Pile‐Anchor Structure considering Traffic Load on Slope Top
Authors: Li Danfeng , Zhang Zhuojie
Published: October 2021

In view of the fact that the anti sliding effect analysis of the current anchor cable and anti slide pile structure is not yet complete, research on the synergy mechanism of adjacent pile‐anchor composite structures under traffic load is carried out. Firstly, a free vibration analysis for the slope dynamic model is carried out by using a three‐dimensional finite element numerical simulation method. By improving the slope boundary conditions of time‐domain analysis, the time‐domain equation of the dynamic model of traffic load acting on the top of the slope is solved accurately, and the response law of the internal force of the pile anchor composite structure is also described. The mechanism by which the pile anchor composite structure resists against the slope sliding through the internal force increment is proposed: this internal force increment is estimated to be 73.4%, while that of anchor cable is 26.6%. The composite structure presents the coordinated sharing for sliding force. The internal force of the lower row of anchor cables is 89.48 kN larger than that of the upper row, and the internal force increment is four times larger, indicating that the lower anchor cable is more effective in slope reinforcement. As the deformation at the top of the slope is greater, the prestress of the upper anchor cable should be increased to avoid the “chain failure” caused by excessive deformation. As a result, the coordination law of internal force of pile anchor is revealed, and the anti sliding sharing mechanism is clarified. A design idea of the adjacent pile‐anchor composite structure is proposed, which takes 0.2‐0.3 times the remaining sliding force as the design value of prestressed anchor cable. The idea fully considers the anti sliding effect of prestressed anchor cables and reduces the design size of anti slide pile section, providing a theoretical support for optimization design of combined anti slide structure and saving project investment.
Ethnic Differences in Family Childcare Providers’ Nutrition- and Activity-Related Attitudes and Barriers
Authors: Jiang Qianxia , Tovar Alison , Risica Patricia M. , Cooksey Stowers Kristen , Schwartz Marlene , Lombardi Caitlin , Kang Augustine , Mena Noereem Z. , Gans Kim M.
Published: October 2021

Objective. The aim of the study is to examine family childcare providers’ (FCCPs) attitudes and perceived barriers related to nutrition, physical activity (PA), and screen time (ST) behaviors of preschool children, exploring differences by provider ethnicity. Design. Baseline survey data from a cluster-randomized trial. Participants. Around 168 FCCPs completed a telephone survey, and 126 completed both telephone and in-person surveys. Main Outcome Measures. Phone and in-person surveys include 44 questions to assess FCCPs attitudes and perceived barriers regarding nutrition, PA, and ST in the family childcare home. Analysis. Associations by ethnicity (Latinx vs. non-Latinx) were assessed by ANOVA, adjusting for provider education and Bonferroni correction. Results. Some FCCP attitudes were consistent with national obesity prevention guidelines; for example, most FCCPs agreed that they have an important role in shaping children’s eating and PA habits. However, many FCCPs agreed with allowing children to watch educational TV and did not agree that children should serve themselves at meals. Adjusting for education, there were statistically significant differences in attitude and perceived barrier scores by provider ethnicity. For example, Latinx FCCPs were more likely to agree that they should eat the same foods as children

p
<
.001

but less likely to agree that serving the food at meal and snack time is the adult’s responsibility

p
<
.001

. Latinx FCCPs were more like to perceive barriers related to children’s safety playing outside

p
<
.001

. Conclusions and Implications. While FCCPs hold some nutrition-, PA-, and ST-related attitudes consistent with national guidelines, training opportunities are needed for FCCPs to improve knowledge and skills and overcome perceived barriers related to nutrition and PA. Latinx FCCPs, in particular, may need culturally tailored training and support to overcome misperceptions and barriers.
Feature Extraction Processing Method of Medical Image Fusion Based on Neural Network Algorithm
Authors: Song Tianming , Yu Xiaoyang , Yu Shuang , Ren Zhe , Qu Yawei
Published: October 2021

Medical image technology is becoming more and more important in the medical field. It not only provides important information about internal organs of the body for clinical analysis and medical treatment but also assists doctors in diagnosing and treating various diseases. However, in the process of medical image feature extraction, there are some problems, such as inconspicuous feature extraction and low feature preparation rate. Combined with the learning idea of convolution neural network, the image multifeature vectors are quantized in a deeper level, which makes the image features further abstract and not only makes up for the one‐sidedness of single feature description but also improves the robustness of feature descriptors. This paper presents a medical image processing method based on multifeature fusion, which has high feature extraction effect on medical images of chest, lung, brain and liver, and can better express the feature relationship of medical images. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed method is more than 5% higher than that of other methods, which shows that the performance of the proposed method is better.
Study of the Peak to Background (P/B) Method Behavior as a Function of Take-Off Angle, Tilt Angle, Particle Size, and Beam Energy
Authors: Bayazid Seyed Mahmoud , Yuan Yu , Gauvin Raynald
Published: October 2021

Monte Carlo simulations were performed to investigate the behavior of the peak to background ratio (P/B) of particles on a substrate as a function of different variables such as take-off angle, tilt angle, particle size, and beam energy. The results showed that the P/B highly depends on the beam energy, the size of particles, and the composition of the substrates. Results showed that the rate of intensity reduction of the peak is less than the background for a high tilt angle (60 degrees), and thereby, the P/B increases at a high tilt angle. It was shown that by increasing the take-off angle, the P/B initially reduces and then reaches a plateau. Results showed that the P/B highly depends on the size of particles. Analyses showed that by moving the electron beam from the center to the side of the particle, the P/B increases. Finally, the spherical particles have higher sensitivity of the P/B to the beam position than the cubical particles.
Accessorial Locating for Internet of Vehicles Based on DOA Estimation in Industrial Transportation
Authors: Lv Yingnan , Zhen Jiaqi , Guo Baoyu
Published: October 2021

With the improvement of living standard and the development of science and technology, Internet of Vehicle (IOV) will play an important part in industrial transportation as a main research field of Internet of Things. As a result, it is very necessary to grasp the location of vehicle. However, the traditional single global position system is easily affected by the external environment, so an accessorial locating approach based on wideband direction of arrival (DOA) estimation in intelligent transportation is proposed. First, model the array received signal on the road infrastructure. Then, by means of random forest regression (RFR) in the supervised learning, upper triangle elements of the covariance matrix of each frequency and the actual DOA are, respectively, extracted as the input features and output parameters; thus, the corresponding prediction coefficients are solved by training. After that, the trained RFR model can be used to calculate the final direction using test samples. Finally, these vehicles can be located according to the geometrical relation between the vehicle and the infrastructure. The proposed algorithm is not only suitable for uncorrelated signals but also for uncorrelated and correlated mixed signals without wideband focusing. The simulations show that compared with some sparse recovery algorithm, the prediction accuracy and resolution are effectively improved.
Insights into the Role of Oxidative Stress in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Ding Dan-Ni , Xie Liang-Zhen , Shen Ying , Li Jia , Guo Ying , Fu Yang , Liu Fang-Yuan , Han Feng-Juan
Published: October 2021

Oxidative stress (OS) arises when the body is subjected to harmful endogenous or exogenous factors that overwhelm the antioxidant system. There is increasing evidence that OS is involved in a number of diseases, including ovarian cancer (OC). OC is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, and risk factors include genetic factors, age, infertility, nulliparity, microbial infections, obesity, smoking, etc. OS can promote the proliferation, metastasis, and therapy resistance of OC, while high levels of OS have cytotoxic effects and induce apoptosis in OC cells. This review focuses on the relationship between OS and the development of OC from four aspects: genetic alterations, signaling pathways, transcription factors, and the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, strategies to target aberrant OS in OC are summarized and discussed, with a view to providing new ideas for clinical treatment.
Experimental Research on Wind‐Induced Flag‐Swing Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters
Authors: Liu Jianjun , Chen Xianghua , Chen Yujie , Zuo Hong , Li Qun
Published: October 2021

Piezoelectric cantilever beams, which have simple structures and excellent mechanical/electrical coupling characteristics, are widely applied in energy harvesting. When the piezoelectric cantilever beam is in a wind field, we should consider not only the influence of the wind field on piezoelectric beam but also the electromechanical coupling effect on it. In this paper, we design and test a wind‐induced flag‐swing piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH). The piezoelectric cantilever beam may vibrate in the wind field by affixing a flexible ribbon to the free end as the windward structure. To fulfill the goal of producing electricity, the flexible ribbon can swing the piezoelectric cantilever in a wind‐induced unstable condition. The experimental findings demonstrate that the flag‐swing PEH performs well in energy harvesting when the wind field is excited. When the wind speed is 15 m/s, the peak‐to‐peak output AC voltage may reach 13.88 V. In addition, the voltage at both ends of the closed‐loop circuit’s external resistance is examined. The maximum electric power of the PEH may reach 43.4 μW with an external resistance of 650 kΩ. After passing through the AC‐DC conversion circuit, the flag‐swing PEH has a steady DC voltage output of 1.67 V. The proposed energy harvester transforms wind energy from a wind farm into electrical energy for supply to low‐power electronic devices, allowing for the creation and use of green energy to efficiently address the issue of inadequate energy.
Effects of Curcumin Supplementation on Inflammatory Markers, Muscle Damage, and Sports Performance during Acute Physical Exercise in Sedentary Individuals
Authors: Dias Kelly Aparecida , da Conceição Aline Rosignoli , Oliveira Lívya Alves , Pereira Stephanie Michelin Santana , Paes Stefany da Silva , Monte Larissa Farias , Sarandy Mariáurea Matias , Novaes Rômulo Dias , Gonçalves Reggiani Vilela , Della Lucia Ceres Mattos
Published: October 2021

Exhaustive and acute unusual physical exercise leads to muscle damage. Curcumin has been widely studied due to the variety of its biological activities, attributed to its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it has shown positive effects on physical exercise practitioners. However, there is no literature consensus on the beneficial effects of curcumin in acute physical activities performed by sedentary individuals. Therefore, we systematically reviewed evidence from clinical trials on the main effects of curcumin supplementation on inflammatory markers, sports performance, and muscle damage during acute physical exercises in these individuals. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases, and only original studies were analyzed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The included studies were limited to supplementation of curcumin during acute exercise. A total of 5 studies were selected. Methodological quality assessments were examined using the SYRCLE’s risk‐of‐bias tool. Most studies have shown positive effects of curcumin supplementation in sedentary individuals undergoing acute physical exercise. Overall, participants supplemented with curcumin showed less muscle damage, reduced inflammation, and better muscle performance. The studies showed heterogeneous data and exhibited methodological limitations; therefore, further research is necessary to ensure curcumin supplementation benefits during acute and high‐intensity physical exercises. Additionally, mechanistic and highly controlled studies are required to improve the quality of the evidence and to elucidate other possible mechanisms. This study is registered with Prospero number CRD42021262718.
Single-Stage Microwave-Assisted Coconut-Shell-Based Activated Carbon for Removal of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) from Aqueous Solution: Optimization and Batch Studies
Authors: Aziz Azrina , Nasehir Khan Mohamad Nasran , Mohamad Yusop Mohamad Firdaus , Mohd Johan Jaya Erniza , Tamar Jaya Muhammad Azan , Ahmad Mohd Azmier
Published: October 2021

This research aims to optimize preparation conditions of coconut-shell-based activated carbon (CSAC) and to evaluate its adsorption performance in removing POP of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The CSAC was prepared by activating the coconut shell via single-stage microwave heating under carbon dioxide, CO2 flow. The total pore volume, BET surface area, and average pore diameter of CSAC were 0.420 cm3/g, 625.61 m2/g, and 4.55 nm, respectively. The surface of CSAC was negatively charged shown by the zeta potential study. Response surface methodology (RSM) revealed that the optimum preparation conditions in preparing CSAC were 502 W and 6 min for radiation power and radiation time, respectively, which corresponded to 84.83% of DDT removal and 37.91% of CSAC’s yield. Adsorption uptakes of DDT were found to increase with an increase in their initial concentration. Isotherm study revealed that DDT-CSAC adsorption system was best described by the Langmuir model with monolayer adsorption capacity, Qm of 14.51 mg/g. The kinetic study confirmed that the pseudo-second-order model fitted well with this adsorption system. In regeneration studies, the adsorption efficiency had slightly dropped from 100% to 83% after 5 cycles. CSAC was found to be economically feasible for commercialization owing to its low production cost and high adsorption capacity.
Electrochemical Properties and Ex Situ Study of Sodium Intercalation Cathode P2/P3-NaNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2
Authors: Le Nguyen Minh , Van Nguyen Hoang , Van Tran Man , My Loan Le Phung
Published: October 2021

In recent work, P2/P3-NaNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NaNMC) was obtained by the sol-gel process followed by calcination of the precursor at 900°C for 12 h. The electrochemical properties of NaNMC were investigated in the voltage range of 2.0–4.0 V. The material exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 107 mAh·g−1 and good capacity retention of 82.2% after 100 cycles. Ex situ XRD performance showed that the P3-phase transformed from the P3- to O1-phase and vice versa, while the P2-phase remained stable during the sodium intercalation. The kinetic of sodium intercalation of NaNMC upon reversible Na+ insertion/deinsertion was evaluated via a Galvanostatic Intermittence Titration Technique (GITT) and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The diffusion coefficients of Na+ ion deduced from the GITT curve have a broad distribution ranging from 10−10 to 10−11 cm2·s−1 for the charging/discharging process. Besides, the evolution of diffusion coefficient and charge transfer resistance is consistent with the complex phase transition generally observed in sodium layered oxides.
A Reliable Prognostic Model for HCC Using Histological Grades and the Expression Levels of Related Genes
Authors: Zhang Hao , Liu Renzheng , Sun Lin , Hu Xiao
Published: October 2021

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This study aimed to establish a reliable prognostic model for HCC using histological grades and the expression levels of related genes. The histological grade of a tumor provides prognostic information. The expression data of HCC samples were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We employed the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, as well as the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to establish the prognostic model. After verification of the proposed model using data downloaded from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database, we found that the model was highly reliable, and it was revealed that the prognosis in the high-risk group was significantly worse than that in the low-risk group. Next, we explored the correlation of RiskScore with patients’ clinicopathological characteristics, and we found that the RiskScore could be used as an independent prognostic factor, which further confirmed the reliability of our model. In summary, the proposed model could accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients, assisting clinicians to study the roles of different histological grades of HCC.
Meta-Analysis of miRNA Variants Associated with Susceptibility to Autoimmune Disease
Authors: Zhang Jun , Tan Handan , Cao Qingfeng , Su Guannan , Yang Peizeng
Published: October 2021

Purpose. Various studies have shown an association between miRNA polymorphisms and susceptibility to autoimmune disease (AD); however, the results are inconclusive. To evaluate whether miRNA polymorphisms account for a significant risk of AD, a total of 87 articles, including 39431 patients and 56708 controls, were identified to estimate their association with 12 AD subtypes. Methods. Several electronic databases were searched to analyze population-based studies on the relationship between miRNA variants and AD risk. Fixed effects or random effect models were used in the meta-analysis for the risk assessment. Results. In our meta-analysis, miR-146a rs2910164/rs57095329 conferred a marginally elevated risk for AD (allele model,

OR
=
1.08

, 95% CI: 1.01-1.15,

P
=
0.019

; allele model,

OR
=
1.09

, 95 CI: 1.05-1.15,

P
<
0.001

, respectively). Furthermore, miR-196a2 rs11614913 was also associated with AD risk (allele model,

OR
=
0.92

, 95% CI: 0.88-0.97,

P
=
0.001

) as well as miR-499 rs3746444 (allele model,

OR
=
1.16

, 95% CI: 1.03-1.29,

P
=
0.011

). In addition, associations were observed between miR-149 rs2292832/miR-27a rs895819 and AD susceptibility in the overall population (allele model,

OR
=
1.15

, 95% CI: 1.06-1.24,

P
<
0.001

; allele model,

OR
=
1.11

, 95% CI:1.01-1.22,

P
=
0.043

, respectively). Conclusions. Evidence from our systematic review suggests that miR-146a, miR-196a2, miR-499, miR-149, and miR-27a polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to AD.
Algoneurodystrophy in a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Henriques Virgínia , Henriques Sérgio
Published: October 2021

Introduction. Not infrequently, in patients with a psychiatric illness who have concomitant physical symptoms, these symptoms are often wrongly attributed to a psychiatric illness. Consequently, there is a delay in establishing the correct diagnosis, which may have an impact on the prognosis of the disease. The authors aim to present a case report of a patient with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and conversion disorder that was later correctly diagnosed with algoneurodystrophy. The authors intend to draw attention to the importance of a careful medical history and this entity. Case Presentation. A patient went to the emergency department multiple times with complaints of decreased strength and pain in the right upper limb, concomitantly with depressive symptoms. The patient was first diagnosed with conversion disorder and major depressive disorder. After the worsening of the clinical condition with the appearance of neuropathic pain and the exclusion of other organic pathologies, the probable diagnosis of algoneurodystrophy was made. At that time, the patient started treatment and a favorable clinical evolution was observed. Discussion. The clinical case highlights the importance of conducting a careful medical history in a patient with a psychiatric illness, so as not to mistakenly exclude the presence of an organic disease. The absence or delay in making a correct diagnosis can have adverse consequences in terms of the prognosis of the disease.
3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 (3βHSD2) Deficiency due to a Novel Compound Heterozygosity of a Missense Mutation (p.Thr259Met) and Frameshift Deletion (p.Lys273ArgFs*7) in an Undervirilized Infant Male with Salt Wasting
Authors: Leka-Emiri Sofia , Taibi Ludmia , Mavroeidi Vasiliki , Vlachopapadopoulou Elpis A. , Kafetzi Maria , Michalacos Stefanos , de Roux Nicolas
Published: October 2021

Deficiency of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (3βHSD2) is a rare type of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), causing impaired steroid hormone production in both adrenals and gonads. Phenotype ranges, according to the genetic defect, from the salt-wasting form in both sexes to undervirilization in males and virilization in females. We present a 13-month-old male infant who was admitted to the hospital with signs of adrenocortical insufficiency and genital ambiguity. Clinical presentation, hormonal profile, laboratory evaluation, and karyotype were suggestive of the salt-wasting form of CAH due to 3βHSD2 deficiency. Mutational analysis revealed a missense mutation c.776C>T (p.Thr259Met), inherited by the mother, and a frameshift deletion c.818-819delAA (p.Lys273ArgFs*7), inherited by the father. Both mutations are considered pathogenic. To our knowledge this is the first case of an undervirilized male infant with salt wasting bearing this pathogenic frameshift deletion p.Lys273ArgFs*7 in compound heterozygosity with the missense mutation p.Thr259Met.
Effects of Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer and Improving Organic Fertilizer on Crop Yield, Soil Quality and Microbial Community in Five Years Wheat-Rice Rotation Field
Authors: Peng Chenglin , Cheng Jianping , Si Guohan , Zhang Zhisheng , Wang Benfu , Yuan Jiafu , Sha Aihua
Published: October 2021

Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer usually causes contamination of soil and groundwater. In this study, the rice yield and soil quality were investigated under different content of N fertilizer and amending organic compost (OC) or (and) crop residue (CR) in five-year wheat-rice
rotated fields, and the soil microbial communities were inspected by means of Illumina sequencing. The results showed that rice yields were maintained at a high level although the N fertilizer was reduced to 80% of the normal content with amendment of OC and (or) CR. The PH was decreased and
available phosphorus increased whenever the N fertilizer was normally applied or decreased when OC and (or) CR was amended, respectively. Available potassium was significantly increased when N fertilizer was reduced but OC and (or) CR was added. The abundance of bacterial and fungal communities
was affected by OC or CR. Function prediction indicated that bacteria involved in DNA repair, carbohydrate digestion and absorption, amino acid degradation, caffeine metabolites were affected by OC or CR. Some plant growth promoting microbes (bacterial genus Pantoea, fungal gena Talaromyces
and Scolecobasidium) were increased when OC or (and) CR was added. In addition, some nitrification or denitrification related bacteria (Candidatus nitrotoga, Nitrolancea, Noviherbaspirillum, Thioalkalispira) and fermentative metabolite bacteria (Lactobacillus) were increased
when N fertilizer was reduced and OC or (and) CR was amended. These microbes may decompose the complex organic matter and improve nutrient transforming cycle to promote plant growth.