bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Inhibitory Effects of Fluoxetine on Secretion of Inflammatory Mediators and Genes Expression of JAK/STAT3 and JNK/TLR4
Authors: forushani Hoda Mojiri , Khajehali Elham , Adelipour Maryam , Mohammadi Asma
Published: September 2022

Background
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as the commonest therapeutic option are used to treat major depression. Recent studies have reported an association between depression and inflammation as well as the significant effect of SSRIs on inflammatory processes.
Methods
The current research was done to evaluate the impact of fluoxetine as a SSRI on the level of key inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), in rat serum and RAW264.7 macrophages using ELISA sandwich assays. We also assessed the expression of inflammatory genes, JAK/STAT3 and TLR4/ JNK, in macrophages using quantitative real-time RT-PCR to elucidate the potential mechanism of fluoxetine on inflammation process. Rats received fluoxetine (10, 20, 40 mg/kg), 30 minutes before treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 90 minutes and cells received different doses (5, 10, 20 µg/ml) of fluoxetine prior to 24 or 48 h stimulation with LPS.
Results
The serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α reduced in rats and cells pre-treated with fluoxetine. The expression of JAK/STAT3 and TLR4/ JNK genes was significantly decreased by fluoxetine in RAW264.7 cells treated for 24 h with LPS. However, fluoxetine failed to reduce the elevated expression of JAK and JNK but significantly decreased the gene expression of STAT3 and TLR4 after 48 h treatment with LPS.
Conclusions
Our data demonstrates that fluoxetine has anti-inflammatory properties, mainly due to reduction of inflammatory cytokines and the inhibition of JAK/STAT3 and TLR4/ JNK genes expression in macrophages.
Binocular Stereo Matching Based on SGM and Flood Filling Algorithm
Authors: Song Kun , YI Huaian , Shu Aihua , Song Xinru , Huang Jiefeng
Published: September 2022

The SGM algorithm was weak in matching the occluded area and parallax discontinuity area in stereo matching, and it was easy to produce more voids. To address this question, the paper proposes a parallax optimizati-on algorithm based on SGM algorithm combined with flood filling and median smoothing. The algorithm fills the missing parallax values based on the parallax values at the edges of the voids and achieves the repair of the missing parallax in the parallax map without raising a large computational effort. The proposed algorithm has also been qua-ntitatively analyzed on the Middlebury stereo matching dataset using three evaluation metrics: root mean square error (RMSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity (MSSIM). The experimental results show that the improvement and optimization of the SGM algorithm can effectively fill the voids in the parallax map and reduce the noise of the image, and the matching accuracy of parallax maps is improved by an average of 9%.
Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio as an Inflammatory Marker in Perthes disease
Authors: Wang TianTian , Luo XiaoLin , Li BoXiang , Huang Qian , Liu JianHong , Tang ShengPing , Liu Yun , Lu RongBin , Liao ShiJie , Ding XiaoFei.
Published: September 2022

Objective: To investigate the relationship between NLR(lymphocyte ratio), PLR(platelet to lymphocyte ratio), LMR(lymphocyte to monocyte ratio) and PNS(platelet to neutrophil ratio) and the lateral pillar classificationof Perthes disease, and to provide an alternative index for clinical diagnosis and prognosis.
Methods: 59 children with Perthes disease and 60 children in the healthy control group without femoral head necrosis in our hospital from 2012 to 2021 were collected. The general data were collected. The modified herring lateral pillar classification was collectedfor the case group, and the inflammatory factors NLR, PLR, LMR and PNS were collected. The cases were divided into three groups, herring A and B were group I, herring B/C and C were group II, and the healthy control group was group III. The hematological indexes (NLR, PLR, LMR, PNS) of children at different stages were statistically analyzed.
Results: Group I consisted of 36 patients, with an average age of 7.4 ± 2.0 years (3–11 years). Group II consisted of 23 patients, with an average age of 7.4 ± 1.9 years (4–12 years). Group III consisted of 60 patients, with a mean age of 7.4 ± 2.7 years (4–13 years). The average values of PLR in groups I, II and III were 131.98 ± 47.44, 122.19 ± 37.88 and 102.46 ± 30.68, respectively. It's worth noting that there was statistically significant difference among these groups (P=0.003). The optimal threshold of PLR was 130.25, the sensitivity was 45.8% and the specificity was 85%.
Conclusion: PLR has certain value in the diagnosis of Perthes disease. The higher the value of PLR, the higher the risk of Perthes disease.
Revision of the fall risk self-assessment scale for community-dwelling older adults and assessment of reliability and validity
Authors: Guo Aixin , Gu Li , Yang Yanyan , Dai Hongle , Wang Zhizhuo , Wen Chang , Zhou Mouwang
Published: September 2022

Background: Fall is a common accidental injury of the older people, which seriously threatens their physical and mental health. The occurrence of fall often due to the interaction of multiple risk factors. The Fall Risk Self-Assessment Scale (FRSAS) is a multi-dimensional fall risk assessment tool. Pre-experiments have shown that the first version of FRSAS can be used for assessing the fall risks of the older people in communities, with strong operability and good reliability and validity. This study aims at further optimizing the items of the Scale through large sample survey, and assessing the reliability and validity of the revised FRSAS.
Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study, using the convenient sampling method. A total of 500 older adults aged 65 and above were recruited from four health service centers in Beijing from October 2021 to March 2022. Among whom, 489 subjects completed FRSAS as required, and the effective response rate of the Questionnaire was 97.8%; 44 subjects completed the repeated survey with the repeated measurement rate of 8.8%. The items of FRSAS were analyzed and screened to form the final version of the Scale with the comprehensive screening method, and the reliability and validity of the final version of the Scale were tested.
Results: The items of the Scale were compared and analyzed with the comprehensive screening method, of which, six items, namely D1, P12, C3, C9, C10 and H11, with two or more screening methods prompt to be deleted. After discussion by the experts, they agreed to delete the above 6 items and adjust the structure of the final FRSAS to 35 items and 4 dimensions. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the final FRSAS was 0.783 and the test-retest reliability was 0.98. Taking whether the subjects had a history of fall in the past year as the grouping variable, the total score of the Scale was tested by T test, and the difference between both groups was statistically significant (P =0.000).
Conclusion: The revision of the final version of FRSAS meets the actual needs of the older people in communities, with simple items and better reliability and validity. FRSAS can be used as an important reference tool for assessing the risks of fall in the older people in communities.
Trial registration: Registration number: ChiCTR2000038856; Date of registration:7 Oct 2020.
Children with severe enterovirus 71 infection
Authors: Wu Wenjuan , Li Baoguang , Xie Tao
Published: September 2022

Background
There are few reports on the timing of onset and characteristics of the symptoms of enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection, which can easily be misjudged by clinicians. This study is aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of children with severe EV71 infection.
Methods
This retrospective observational study included children with severe EV71 infection who were admitted to Hebei Children’s Hospital between January 2016 and January 2018.
Results
A total of 101 patients were enrolled, with 57 males (56.4%) and 44 females (43.6%). They were 1–13 years of age. The symptoms were fever in 94 patients (93.1%), rash in 46 (45.5%), a susceptible mood in 70 (69.3%), and lethargy in 56 (55.4%). There were 19 (59.3%) cases with abnormal neurological magnetic resonance imaging [pontine tegmentum (n = 14, 43.8%), medulla oblongata (n = 11, 34.4%), midbrain (n = 9, 28.1%), cerebellum and dentate nucleus (n = 8, 25.0%), basal ganglia (n = 4, 12.5%), cortex (n = 4, 12.5%), spinal cord (n = 3, 9.3%), and meninges]. There was a positive correlation between the ratio of neutrophil count and white blood cell count in CSF in the first 3 days of the course of the disease (r = 0.415, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
The clinical symptoms of EV71 infection are fever and/or skin rash, easy convulsion, and lethargy. Some patients were with abnormal neurological magnetic resonance imaging. The white blood cell count in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with EV71 infection may increase with the ratio of peripheral blood neutrophils in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with EV71 infection.
Novel Platform Assays for the Diagnosis of Hemostatic Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Alzahrani Faisal
Published: September 2022

Background
In hemostasis research the novel platform assays for the diagnosis of hemostatic disorders were limited. The purpose of the present review study would be to make a comparison between several assays for assessing the novel hemostatic techniques used in the diagnosis of coagulation disturbance and to point out the most advantageous and disadvantageous aspects of each method as a predictor of morbidity and mortality to determine hemostatic efficacy as well as biological safety.
Methods
The current systematic review follows the guidelines for observational studies in epidemiology and the PRISMA guidelines. The keywords were used to search the electronic databases (PubMed) (a novel platform to evaluate hemostasis). Searches were restricted to articles published between December 2016 and December 2021; original articles were written in English. To summarize, we collected bibliographies of abstract articles published on a novel platform to evaluate hemostasis studies,
Results
Following the removal of duplicates, articles were determined by examining the titles and abstracts. Disagreements were resolved through consensus and the application of novel hemostatic analysis methods. The researchers independently reviewed the relevant studies of the recognized records (n = 503), excluding duplicates (n = 9) and irrelevant studies (249). The remaining 254 studies were read in their entirety, and the data from the seven included studies had been extracted
Conclusion
Nanotechnology-Based Published study formulations discovered it is more optimal for some lab tests when expressed as an anticoagulant for the in vivo evaluation of nanoparticle implications on the complement system, and flow cytometer evaluation could be a promising platform approach for use in hemostasis managers.
Establishment of a risk prediction model for prolonged mechanical ventilation after lung transplantation: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Gao Peigen , Li Chongwu , Wu Junqi , Ning Ye , Zhang Pei , Liu Xiucheng , Li Yuping , Ding Junrong , Su Yiliang , Zhu Yuming , He Wenxin , Chen Chang
Published: September 2022

Background
Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), mostly defined as mechanical ventilation > 72 hours after lung transplantation (LuTx) with or without tracheostomy, is associated with increased mortality. Nevertheless, the predictive factors of PMV after LuTx remain unclear. The present study aimed to develop a novel scoring system to identify PMV after LuTx.
Methods
A total of 141 patients who underwent lung transplantation were investigated in this study. The patients were divided into PMV and non-prolonged ventilation (NPMV) groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with PMV. A risk nomogram was then established based on the multivariate analysis, and model performance was further examined regarding its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness.
Results
Eight factors were finally identified to be significantly associated with PMV by the multivariate analysis and therefore were included as risk factors in the nomogram as follows: the body mass index (BMI, P = 0.036);primary diagnosis as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF, P = 0.038); pulmonary hypertension (PAH, P = 0.034); primary graft dysfunction grading (PGD, P = 0.011) at T0; cold ischemia time (CIT P = 0.012); and three ventilation parameters (peak inspiratory pressure [PIP, P < 0.001], dynamic compliance [Cdyn, P = 0.001], and P/F ratio [P = 0.015] ) at T0. The nomogram exhibited superior discrimination ability with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.895. Furthermore, both calibration curve and decision-curve analysis (DCA) indicated satisfactory performance.
Conclusion
A novel nomogram to predict individual risk of receiving PMV for patients after LuTx was established, which may guide preventative measures for tackling this adverse event.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Remote ISchemic Preconditioning in Children Having Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Law Yuk M. , Hsu Christine , Katz Ronit , Hingorani Sangeeta R. , Richards Michael , McMullan David M. , Jefferies Howard , Himmelfarb Jonathan
Published: September 2022

Background
Children undergoing cardiac surgery are at risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) and cardiac dysfunction. Opportunity exists in protecting end organ function with remote ischemic preconditioning. We hypothesize this intervention lessens kidney and myocardial injury.
Methods
We conducted a randomize, double blind, placebo controlled trial of remote ischemic preconditioning in children undergoing cardiac surgery. Pre-specified end points are change in creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, development of AKI, B-type natriuretic peptide and Troponin I at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours post separation from bypass.
Results
There were 45 in the treatment and 39 patients in the control group, median age of 3.5 and 3.8 years, respectively. There were no differences between groups in creatinine, cystatin C, eGFR at each time point. There was a trend for a larger rate of decrease, especially for cystatin C (p=0.042) in the treatment group but the magnitude was small. AKI was observed in 21 (54%) of control and 16 (36%) of treatment group (p=0.094). Adjusting for baseline creatinine, the odds ratio for AKI in treatment vs. control was 0.31 (p=0.037); adjusting for clinical characteristics, the odds ratio was 0.34 (p=0.056). There were no differences in natriuretic peptide or troponin levels between groups. All secondary end points of clinical outcomes were not different.
Conclusions
There is suggestion of RIPC delivering some kidney protection in an at-risk pediatric population. Larger, higher risk population studies will be required to determine its efficacy.
Trial registration and date: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01260259; 2021.
Impact of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy on activity of daily living and performance status in progressive/recurrent glioblastoma: a retrospective study.
Authors: Demogeot Nicolas , Salleron Julia , Rech Fabien , Taillandier Luc , Royer Philippe , Vogin Guillaume
Published: September 2022

Background
The prognosis of recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) is poor, with limited options of palliative localized or systemic treatments. Survival can be improved by a second localized treatment; however, it is not currently possible to identify which patients would benefit from this approach. This study aims to evaluate which factors lead to a lower Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score after fractionated stereotactic RT (fSRT).
Methods
We retrospectively collected data from patients treated with fSRT for recurrent GBM at the Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine between October 2010 and November 2017 and analyzed which factors were associated with a lower KPS score.
Results
59 patients received a dose of 25 Gy in 5 sessions spread over 5–7 days (80% isodose). The median time from the end of primary radiotherapy to the initiation of fSRT was 10.7 months. The median follow-up after fSRT initiation was 8.8 months. The incidence of KPS and ADL impairment in all patients were 51.9% and 37.8% respectively with an adverse impact of PTV size on KPS (HR = 1.57 [95%-CI, 1.19–2.08], p = 0.028). Only two patients showed early grade 3 toxicity and none showed grade 4 or late toxicity. The median overall survival time, median overall survival time after fSRT, median progression-free survival and institutionalization-free survival times were 25.8, 8.8, 3.9 and 7.7 months, respectively. Initial surgery was associated with better progression-free survival (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.48 [95%-CI, 0.27–0.86], p = 0.013).
Conclusions
A larger PTV should predicts lower KPS in the treatment of recurrent GBM using fSRT.
Small targets detection in dual-energy X-ray images of coal and gangue based on APSO-C_Otsu
Authors: Zhao Yanqiu , Wang Shuang , Guo Yongcun , He Lei , Wang Wenshan
Published: September 2022

The positioning accuracy of coal and gangue is related to the discharge accuracy of gangue, which will affect the utilization rate of coal. But the detectability of the small coal and gangue is poor due to the fewer number of pixels and texture information in coal and gangue dual-energy X-ray images. So, the Otsu with crotch structure based on Adaptive Partical Swarm Optimization (APSO) for small targets detection is proposed, called after APSO-C_Otsu. Firstly, the Otsu with crotch structure is used to perform multi-threshold segmentation of coal and gangue dual-energy X-ray images to increase the contrast between small target and background. Meanwhile, the APSO algorithm was used to optimize the Otsu algorithm with crotch structure in order to improve its convergence speed and reduce its calculation amount. Finally, the processed image is binarized, and the location of the target was labeled based on the bwlabel algorithm. The experimental results revealed that the APSO-C_Otsu algorithm could effectively detect the small pixel size (less than 8 × 8 pixels) of coal and gangue with a particle size of 6 ~ 30 mm, and was also applicable to the coal and gangue with the particle size larger than 30 mm, which was of great significance for accurate separation of coal and gangue and the improvement of coal utilization.
Preoperative computed tomography-guided transscapular Sens-cure needle localization for pulmonary nodule located behind the scapula
Authors: Lu Zi-Wei , Liu Yue-Yue , Li Yong-Gang , Lv Lu-Lu
Published: September 2022

Background
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is an approach that is commonly used to treat pulmonary nodules (PNs). However, when these PNs are located behind the scapula, a transscapular access approach is generally required. In this study, the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of preoperative computed tomography (CT)-guided Sens-cure needle (SCN) localization was assessed for PNs located behind the scapula.
Methods
From January 2020 - June 2022, a total of 122 PN patients in our hospital underwent preoperative CT-guided SCN localization and subsequent VATS resection, of whom 12 (9.8%) exhibited PNs behind the scapula necessitating a transscapular approach for this localization procedure.
Results
This study included 12 patients, each of whom had one PN located behind the scapula. The CT-guided transscapular SCN localization approach was successful in all patients, and no complications near the operative site were observed. The median localization time was 12 min, and 2 (16.7%) and 1 (8.3%) patients respectively developed pneumothorax and pulmonary hemorrhage after the localization procedure was complete. Wedge resection procedures for these PNs achieved technical success in all cases. Four patients were diagnosed with invasive adenocarcinomas and subsequently accepted lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection. The median VATS duration and the median blood loss was 10 mL. In total, 3, 5, and 4 PNs were respectively diagnosed as benign, mini-invasive adenocarcinomas, and invasive adenocarcinomas.
Conclusion
Preoperative CT-guided transscapular SCN localization represents a safe, straightforward, and effective means of localizing PNs present behind the scapula.
The influence of astrocytic leaflet motility on ionic signalling and homeostasis at active synapses.
Authors: Toman Marinus , Wade John , Verkhratsky Alexei , Dallas Mark , Bithell Angela , Flanagan Bronac , Harkin Jim , McDaid Liam
Published: September 2022

Astrocytes display a highly complex, spongiform morphology, with their fine terminal processes (leaflets) exercising dynamic degrees of synaptic coverage, from touching and surrounding the synapse to being retracted from the synaptic region. In this paper, a computational model is used to reveal the effect of the astrocyte-synapse spatial relationship on ionic homeostasis. Specifically, our model predicts that varying degrees of astrocyte leaflet coverage influences concentrations of K+, Na+ and Ca2+, and results show that leaflet motility strongly influences Ca2+ uptake, as well as glutamate and K+ to a lesser extent. Furthermore, this paper highlights that an astrocytic leaflet that is in proximity to the synaptic cleft loses the ability to form a Ca2+ microdomain, whereas when the leaflet is remote from the synaptic cleft, a Ca2+ microdomain can form. This may have implications for Ca2+-dependent leaflet motility.
Assortativity in cognition
Authors: Bilancini Ennio , Boncinelli Leonardo , Vicario Eugenio
Published: September 2022

In pairwise interactions assortativity in cognition means that pairs where both decision-makers use the same cognitive process are more likely to occur than what happens under random matching. In this paper, we study both the mechanisms determining assortativity in cognition and its effects. In particular, we analyze an applied model where assortativity in cognition helps explain the emergence of cooperation and the degree of prosociality of intuition and deliberation, which are the typical cognitive processes postulated by the dual process theory in psychology.Our findings rely on agent-based simulations, but analytical results are also obtained in a special case. We conclude with examples showing that assortativity in cognition can have different implications in terms of its societal desirability.
The Effect of Anti-coagulation Dosage on the Outcome of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Ethiopia: A multi-center retrospective cohort study
Authors: Tessema Abel Girma , Mengiste Zekarias Masresha , Hundie Tsegaye Gebreyes , Yosef Hailemichael Getachew , Huluka Dawit Kebede , Seyoum Abebaw Bekele , Abate Hannibal Kassahun , Howe Rawleigh Craig
Published: September 2022

Background:
Studies have indicated that hospitalized COVID-19 patients benefit from anticoagulation therapy in terms of survival; however, there is an ongoing controversy over the optimum anticoagulant dosage. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes between patients who received prophylactic anticoagulation and those who received therapeutic anticoagulation.
Methods:
A multi-center retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the impact of anticoagulation dosage in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Ethiopia. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality, and it was assessed using multivariable binary logistic regression and covariate-adjusted Cox Proportional Hazard model. For critical and severe COVID-19 patients, subgroup analyses were performed using multivariable binary logistic regression model and multivariable Cox regression models.
Result:
A total of 472 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were included in this study, of whom 235 (49.8%) received therapeutic anticoagulation and 237 (50.2%) received prophylactic dose. The demographic and baseline clinical characteristics were roughly similar between the groups. After adjustment for several confounders, in critical COVID-19 subgroup, therapeutic dose of anticoagulation was significantly associated with a higher inpatient mortality (AOR 2.27, 95% CI, 1.18 - 4.35, p = 0.013), whereas in severe COVID-19 subgroup, anticoagulation dosage was not associated with inpatient mortality (OR, 1.02, 95% CI, 0.45 – 2.33, p = 0.958). In severe COVID-19 patient group however, the incidence of thrombosis was slightly lower in the therapeutic group as compared with prophylactic group although the difference was not statistically significant (AOR 0.15, 95% CI, 0.02 – 1.20, p =0.073). Although there were only six major bleeding events in this study, all these were recorded from patients in the therapeutic subgroup, making the difference statistically significant (p = 0.013).
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that, in critical COVID-19 patients, when compared to prophylactic anticoagulation, therapeutic anticoagulation may offer no survival advantage, no improved protection against thrombosis and pose a higher risk of bleeding. In severe COVID-19 subgroup, therapeutic anticoagulation may prolong hospital stay and not improve survival, although it may offer a slight protection against thrombosis. These findings suggest that the benefit of therapeutic anticoagulation for hospitalized COVID-19 patients should be further studied, if possible, with a randomized control trial in this setting.
Robust Self-Supervised Learning for Source-Free Domain Adaptation
Authors: Tian Liang , Zhou Lihua , Zhang Hao , Wang Zhenbin , Ye Mao
Published: September 2022

Source-Free Domain Adaptation (SFDA) is from Unsupervised Domain Adaptation (UDA) and do apply to the special situation in reality that the source domain data is not accessible. In this subject, self-supervised learning is widely used in previous works. However, inaccurate pseudo labels are hardly avoidable which degenerates the adapted target model. In this work, we propose an effective method, named RS2L (Robust Self-Supervised Learning), to reduce the negative impact by inaccurate pseudo-labels. Two strategies are adapted. The first is called structure-preserved pseudo-labelling strategy which generates much better pseudo labels by stored predictions of $k$-closest neighbors. Another is self supervised learning with mask. We using threshold masks to select samples for different operations, i.e., self-supervised learning and structure-preserved learning. For different masks, the threshold values are different. So it is not excluded that some samples participate in both two operations. Experiments on three benchmark datasets show that our method achieves the state-of-the-art results.
Time-Dependent Rheological Behavior of Flow-plastic Bentonite: Effect of solid concentration and salt solution
Authors: CHEN Bao , DENG Rong-sheng , LU Xiaoshen
Published: September 2022

Effects of NaCl solution and solid concentration were investigated for time-dependent rheological properties of flow-plastic bentonite. Under constant bentonite concentration, flow curves of five groups added with the NaCl concentration range of 0.01–0.1 mol/L were obtained by rheometer over a range of aging time from 0h up to 120h. As solid concentration increases, the shear stress increased significantly in the initial stage of aging time under the same shear rate, and the growth rate gradually slowed down and became stable with the increase of aging time. This phenomenon was attributed to this period being enough for full hydration, and the development of flow-plastic bentonite structure was relatively limited after 48h. While the addition of NaCl solution significantly reduced the shear stress of flow-plastic bentonite regardless of aging time. Besides, all flow curves were found to be well fitted with the Herschel-Bulkley model, the flow behavior index, which characterizes the rheological properties of the fluid-plastic bentonite in the model, gradually decreases with increasing NaCl concentration, indicating that the higher the NaCl concentration, the more obvious the shear-thinning behavior. Finally, the proposed stretched exponent model for predicting the time-dependent behavior of yield stress is consistent with experimental results by data extrapolation of full rheograms using the Herschel-Bulkley model. These findings will be beneficial for revealing further reliable information for future engineering reality.
Is pathogen disgust increased on days of the menstrual cycle when progesterone is high? Evidence from a between-subjects study using estimated progesterone levels
Authors: Rafiee Yasaman , Jones Benedic C. , Shiramizu Victor
Published: September 2022

Objective: The Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis proposes that women will show increased pathogen disgust at points in the menstrual cycle when progesterone is high, compensating for the immunosuppressive effects of progesterone. However, evidence for the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis from studies that used longitudinal designs to investigate whether pathogen disgust tracks changes in progesterone is mixed. It was recently proposed that longitudinal designs may be poorly suited to testing the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis because carry-over effects when women are tested repeatedly in within-subject designs might obscure the effects of progesterone and pathogen disgust. Consequently, we used a between-subjects design to test for a positive relationship between scores on the pathogen disgust subscale of the Three Domain Disgust Scale and progesterone levels imputed from menstrual cycle data using actuarial tables.
Methods: We employed a between-subject design on N = 1346 healthy women using the Three Domains of Disgust Scale (TDDS).
Results: We found no evidence for a positive effect of progesterone on pathogen disgust, suggesting that null results for the hypothesized relationship between progesterone and pathogen disgust are not limited to studies using designs that may be subject to carry-over effects caused by repeated testing.
Conclusions: Our results add to a growing body of research that does not support the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis.
What acceleration data from wildlife collars and animal body mass tell us about seed dispersal
Authors: Buchmann Carsten M. , Dreyling Lukas , Constantin Mihaela , Schurr Frank M.
Published: September 2022

Background: Animals are very important for plant seed dispersal in light of global change. The study of seeds transport on the exterior of animals’ bodies (epizoochory) is particularly challenging due to the difficulty to describe and quantify the process of seed release. Shaking movement of fur has been shown to cause seed release and can hence determine seed retention times, necessary to assess dispersal distances. Such information on shaking movements is, however, only available on the neck of animals thanks to wildlife collars containing accelerometers.
Methods: In order to quantify shaking forces on the main body of mammals where most plant seeds attach, and to predict this body acceleration from (known) neck acceleration, we simultaneously measured acceleration at the neck, the breast and the upper hind leg of mammals spanning a large range of body masses. We quantify shaking strength as the 95%-quantile of the resultant acceleration (of all measured values in data subsections of five seconds).
Results: While, compared to the neck, acceleration had a similar range of values at the breast and was considerably higher at the leg, neck acceleration in combination with animal body mass proved to be a very valuable predictor: 81 and 63% of variation in breast and leg acceleration could be explained, respectively.
Conclusions: These results enable the use of available acceleration data from animals’ necks to predict body acceleration for mammals with known body mass. In combination with i) further lab experiments to determine seed release in dependence of fur acceleration for specific seed-fur combinations, and ii) animal movement data, this information can be used to predict probability and spatial distributions of seed dispersal. Besides seed dispersal, we believe that the ability to predict body acceleration on mammals should also benefit other ecological fields like parasitology.
Evaluation of the productive, economic, and ecosystem potential of fruit species in urban settings
Authors: Fornaciari Marco , Marrapodi Silvia , Proietti Chiara , Ruga Luigia , Orlandi Fabio
Published: September 2022

In the following paper, the possibility of using fruit tree species, including minor fruit trees, in an urban area of Perugia (Italy), was represented, considering their possible productive, ecosystem and economic contribution. The simulated food forest, created through the use of a web app, can be regarded as an "organic green area" in which different fruit trees grow without resorting to the use of synthetic chemicals, respecting the ecosystem and minimizing soil exploitation. Among the four chosen species (Arbutus unedo, Morus nigra, Prunus avium, Ficus carica), bothFicus caricaandMorus nigrashowed good potential fruit production and storage of CO2from the environment, in particular, the speciesMorus nigrahad the highest potential economic value, considering fruit selling in a 50-year time frame.
Patterns in the Development of Postoperative Diabetes Insipidus after Pituitary Adenoma Resection: A 2016-2019 National Analysis
Authors: Vasan Vikram , Dullea Jonathan T. , Devarajan Alex , Nichols Noah , Ali Muhammad , Chaluts Danielle , Henson Phil , Porras Christian , Lopez Christine , Luna Diego , Liou Lathan , Bederson Joshua , Shrivastava Raj K.
Published: September 2022

Purpose: Postoperative diabetes insipidus (DI) is a known occurrence after pituitary adenoma (PA) resection. It is reported in up to 30% of procedures with associated postsurgical morbidity and prolonged length of stay. This study aimed to evaluate preoperative factors that may be associated with postoperative DI after pituitary tumor resection.
Methods: Data from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was analyzed. Diagnosis related group code was used to identify the hospitalizations for PA resection. Comorbidities were defined by the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index given ICD-10 codes. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models, accounting for sampling design, were built to determine factors associated with postoperative DI.
Results: 61,105 PA patients were included; 55,125 patients did not develop DI, whereas 5,980 patients did. Compared to White patients, Black patients (OR=1.47;p<0.001) and Hispanic patients (OR=1.34;p=0.003) experienced increased odds of postoperative DI. Older age was associated with decreased odds of postoperative DI (OR 1-year increase in age=0.98;p<0.001). Hypertension (OR=0.65;p<0.001) was associated with decreased odds of postoperative DI. Neurological disorders (OR=2.65;p<0.001), paralysis (OR=2.38;p<0.001), and hypothyroidism (OR=2.39;p<0.001) were associated with increased odds of postoperative DI. Endoscopic surgery provided no significant advantage to avoiding postoperative DI (p=0.127).
Conclusions: Black and Hispanic patients had significantly increased odds of postoperative DI. Further investigation is needed to uncover the source of these disparities. Hypothyroidism and neurological conditions, likely due to tumor characteristics, increased odds of postoperative DI. Finally, this study contributed to the argument that endoscopic approach does not improve postoperative DI risk in the ongoing debate in the literature.
Development of an on-line two-dimensional normal phase liquid chromatography system for analysis of weakly polar samples by
Authors: Zhu Li-Wen , Xie Bao-Ying , Liu Shun-Zhi , Wu Yi-Hong , Zhang Guo-Gang , Qiu Ying-Kun
Published: September 2022

In this study, a novel on-line two-dimensional (2D) normal phase × normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC × NPLC) was developed for the separation of weakly polar samples. The 2D NPLC was integrated by a unique designed solvent evaporation (SE) interface, including a 6-port 2-position valve and a 10-port 2-position valve in conjunction with two silica gel-packed enrichment columns. The enrichment columns played a pivotal role in evaporating normal phase (NP) solvent from the first-dimensional NPLC under vacuum and elevated temperature condition. The working parameters of the interface were evaluated comprehensively. To demonstrate the resolving powerful 2D system, we analyzed three natural-sourced weakly polar compounds from the extracts of toad venom, dammar resin, and propolis. To this end, we studied the effects of mobile phase combinations, the second dimensional column length for separation of the extracts from toad venom, and propolis respectively. In general, we have found that excellent separation can be obtained with diversity of NP solvent combinations and longer NPLC column (150 mm long). Moreover, compared with the generally used 2D reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC × RPLC), the NPLC × NPLC method exhibited better separation orthogonality. In conclusion, the new NPLC × NPLC separation method provides potential advantages for analysis of weakly polar samples.
Cardiac Safety Profile of First Dose of Fingolimod for Chinese Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis patients in Real-World Settings
Authors: Yu Hai , Zhang Xiang , Li Zhenxin , Liu Xiaoni , Ma Chunlai , Chen Xiangjun
Published: September 2022

Background and objective: Fingolimod was the first oral therapy approved to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Due to its mechanism on sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors, fingolimod can cause a transient decrease in heart rate (HR) and the occurrence of self-limited atrioventricular blocks（AVB）. We aimed to assess the cardiac safety profile in Chinese RRMS patients at least 6 hours after the initial treatment of fingolimod in real-world settings.
Methods: According to the analysis of first dose observation (FDO) data of 14 RRMS patients treated with fingolimod from Jan.2020 to Jun.2020 in the neurology department of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, the patients all met the 2017 McDonald diagnostic criteria and without a history of heart disease. Each patient performed an electrocardiogram (ECG) before taking medicine to confirm that there was no conduction block or QTc interval significantly prolonged. The blood pressure(BP) and HR were measured every hour and observed for a total of 6 hours’ period. At last hour, another ECG was performed to confirm the corresponding cardiac abnormalities. Recorded the data for statistical analysis.
Results: A total of 14 patients underwent the first fingolimod monitoring. There was no patient with a history of cardiovascular disease or taking cardiovascular-related medications. 13 of the 14 patients passed the 6-hour medication monitoring without any abnormality. One patient extended the monitoring because the HR at the 6th hour was the lowest value after administration. The patient passed the monitoring at the 8th hour. No patient had a HR lower than the standard for bradycardia; no patient had symptomatic bradycardia; no patient needed overnight monitoring or required medication. No patients stopped fingolimod due to the first-dose effect of the heart. During the monitoring period, no new-onset I, II, III atrioventricular block was seen or QTc interval was prolonged than 500ms. Collected the HR and BP records of 10 patients. The baseline average HR is 88.3±7bpm, and the average HR reaches the lowest value at the 4th hour (75.7±7bpm), compared with the baseline average HR after a drop of 12.6bpm, the average HR began to recover at the 5th hour. At the same time, the BP of 10 patients was stable throughout the testing period.
Conclusion: Oral fingolimod was safe for the initial treatment of multiple sclerosis populations in China. Neurologists needed to formulate FDO observation procedures and strictly implement them. More safety data and efficacy data will need to be collected and summarized so that more Chinese MS patients can receive standard treatment safely.
Prediction to the prognosis of children with neuroblastoma by nomogram based on the first-diagnosed inflammatory markers
Authors: Zhang Yunlong , Zhang Chenghang , Ma Yue , Li Changchun , Zhao Zhenzhen , Peng Liang , Deng Xiaobin , Zhou Jianwu , Wang Shan
Published: September 2022

Background: Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) have a poor prognosis. The prognostic significance of inflammatory biomarker-based nomograms for children with NB has not been previously studied.
Methods: Part of patients diagnosed with NB in our center from January 2016 to March 2022 were included in the study. Inflammatory biomarkers were primary outcome measures, including C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to assess the prognostic value of these indicators for overall survival (OS) in NB children, showing the Kaplan-Meier survival curves and plotting the nomogram. C-index were used to detect predictability.
Results: 93 NB patients were retrospectively analyzed.CRP, ferritin, NLR, PLR, and SII were significantly associated with OS of NB patients, while LMR were found to be not predictive of OS for NB patients. The established nomogram is well-calibrated, and the C-index is 0.731.
Conclusion: Survival analysis found part of inflammatory biomarkers related to the prognosis of NB. The nomogram could be used as a convenient predictive tool in clinical practice to evaluate the prognosis of NB children at first diagnosis.
Global agro-climatic zoning suggests new wheat cultivation areas to counteract future food security crisis
Authors: Dadrasi Amir , Chaichi Mehrdad , Nehbandani Alireza , Sheikhi Abdollatif , Soltani Elias , Neamati Ahmad , Salmani Fatemeh , Bayat Mahnaz. , mirmoghadam Sajad
Published: September 2022

Global food security requires food production to be increased in the future decades. Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZ) methodology is a successful approach used in land evaluation studies to support sustainable agricultural development.This approach can facilitate finding suitable areas for wheat production on a global scale. This study was conducted based on a climate zone map, soil data, wheat cultivation area, yield, and production under irrigated and rainfed conditions, worldwide. The results for irrigated wheat indicated that there is an area of 59.5 Mha with an average yield of 4027 kg/ha which leads to the production of about 239.6 Mt of grain yield. Furthermore, climate zones (CZs) of 8002, 5203, 5302, 5403, and 8102 have the highest wheat production with an average of 20.7, 14.2, 13.3, 11.8, 11.5 Mt, respectively. The highest amount of irrigated wheat production has been achieved in soil type code 17 (Loam LF120), which has a cultivation area of around 23.6 Mha and a production of about 106.8 Mt. Rainfed wheat production is 410 Mt, and the cultivation area is 160.2 Mha. The highest rainfed wheat production with an average of 17 Mt was related to the 3702 CZ, followed by the other CZs (3802, 1303, 1203, 3602, 4602, etc.). The soil codes 11 (Loam HF120), 10 (Loam HF180), and 14 (Loam MF120) showed the highest rainfed wheat production. The findings of this study can be useful for agricultural scientists, authorities, and decision-makers around the world to find suitable lands to expand wheat cultivation and also to find new locations for increasing global wheat production to feed the increasing population in the world.
Reducing design uncertainty through model-based collaborative design methods when introducing new technologies: A Solomon four-groups empirical design study
Authors: Borgue Olivia , Panarotto Massimo , Isaksson Ola
Published: September 2022

When introducing new technologies in product design, failing to identify and address uncertainties regarding technology feasibility, and the way technology introduction impacts the whole product development process, hinder the establishment of appropriate design requirements during conceptual stages. Ill-defined design requirements often lead to unpleasant and expensive surprises that arise late on the product development process, rendering the introduction of a new technology an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Uncertainties about the new technology can be known (information designers know is missing), or unknown (information designers do not know is missing). Previous research by the authors has proposed a digital design platform and respective design methods to support cooperative efforts to identify and model uncertainties during conceptual phases. In this article, the usefulness of such platform is evaluated through an empirical study using a Solomon Four-Groups design study featuring the design of satellite components for additive manufacturing. The results of the study suggest that the proposed digital platform and associated design methods are useful for identifying uncertainties and for proposing measures to address them, through a cooperative modeling environment.
Uncertainty in child custody cases after parental separation: context and decision-making process
Authors: Mendes Josimar Antônio de Alcântara , Ormerod Thomas
Published: September 2022

Context factors (e.g., a family’s developmental crisis) can affect the child custody decision-making process and the child’s best interests after parental separation. But what are these context factors, and how do they vary across different cultures and legal systems? This paper reports a cross-cultural qualitative study funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and was carried under a Naturalistic Decision-making approach. This study addresses factors that impact the decision-making of experienced legal actors in child custody cases. Interviews were conducted with 73 legal actors (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, psychologists and social workers) in Brazil and England. The data gathered were analysed employing a reflexive thematic analysis that generated seven themes addressing how uncertainty is structured by context factors in child custody cases after parental separation. The themes encompass three domains (‘family’, ‘family court’ and ‘legal-psychosocial’) that draw the attention to the sources of uncertainty in child custody cases, especially to the role of contextual players (family and children) in the child custody decision-making process.