bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deployment of Resilient Foods Can Greatly Reduce Famine
in an Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenario
Authors: Rivers Morgan , Hinge Michael , Martínez Juan García , Tieman Ross , Jaeck Victor , Butt Talib , Denkenberger David
Published: April 2022

In a nuclear war, volcanic eruption, asteroid or comet impact that causes an abrupt sunlight reduction scenario (ASRS), agricultural yields would plummet. Global society is currently unprepared for such an event, implying an urgent need for evaluation and prioritization of solutions. We show effective deployment of resilient food solutions appears sufficient to fulfill global energy and macronutrient food requirements, potentially saving billions from famine. A Monte Carlo analysis of resilient food outcomes, using a linear optimization model, shows a 95% probability of global food availability between 2,100 and 3,500 Kcals per capita per day in a nuclear winter scenario involving 150 Tg of soot in the stratosphere. Our analysis indicates nutritionally sufficient diets from resilient foods would be widely affordable, costing US$1.73 daily, though subsidization could be needed across Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Post-disaster conflict or insufficient international cooperation could increase costs and reduce output, hampering effective resilient food deployment.
Sysmex UC-3500 and UF-5000 urine pipeline can quickly and effectively exclude bacterial urinary tract infection
Authors: Chen Yabin , Zhang Zhishan , Diao Yanjun , Wang Wanni , Zhu Yan , Li Jiaming , Wang Gangqiang , Zhao Yuan , Lin Zhenzhong , Wu Yibo , Jing Jing
Published: April 2022

ObjectAim to study the role of urine pipeline composed of Sysmex urine dry chemistry analyzer UC-3500 and urine particle analyzer UF-5000 in screening bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI).MethodsWe analyzed 2600 urine specimens from patients with suspected UTI using a urine dry chemistry analyzer (UC-3500) and a fully automated sediment analyzer (UF-5000). After the instruments test, all specimens were sent to our clinical microbiology laboratory with a culture request.ResultsThe consistency of UF-5000 bacterial classification and bacterial culture was fair(kappa = 0.3387). The level of WBC, NIT, was raised with sequential group designs(P<0.001). The cut-off value of BACT was 104.80/µ L for males (AUC,0.956, 95%CI,0.936–0.976) and 705.50/µL for females (AUC,0.940, 95%CI,0.920–0.959). The Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity of BACT were relatively high, which were sufficient for diagnosing infection. All six schemes had good negative predictive value (NPV), and coincidence rate. The NPV of strategy② was 97.54%.ConclusionUF-5000 classification of bacteria can’t be used as a practical reference. 163.25/µL(male), 50.20/µL(female) for WBC and 104.80 /µL(male), 705.50 /µL(female) for BACT were used as cut off values, which could effectively determine whether UTI occurred. The single index BACT parameter is suitable for the rapid and effective exclusion of bacterial UTI.
Effectiveness of ozone generated by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor against multidrug-resistant pathogens and Clostridioides difficile spores
Authors: Bong Cheolwoo , Choi Ji Young , Bae Jinseung , Park Sungsu , Ko Kwan Soo , Bak Moon Soo , Cheong Hae Suk
Published: April 2022

Background
The contaminated healthcare environment plays an important role in the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and Clostridioides difficile. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of ozone generated by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor on various materials that were contaminated by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRE), carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and C. difficile spores.
Methods
Various materials contaminated by VRE, CRE, CRPA, CRAB and C. difficile spores were treated with different ozone concentrations and exposure times. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrated bacterial surface modifications following ozone treatment.
Results
When an ozone dosage of 500 ppm for 15 minutes was applied to VRE and CRAB, about 2 or more log10 reduction was observed in stainless steel, fabric and wood, and a 1–2 log10 reduction in glass and plastic. Spores of C. difficile were more resistant to ozone than were all other tested organisms. On AFM, the bacterial cells, following ozone treatment, were swollen and distorted.
Conclusions
The ozone generated by the DBD plasma reactor provided a simple and valuable decontamination tool for the MDROs and C. difficile spores, which are known as common pathogens in healthcare-associated infections.
Molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus Pneumoniae isolated from children with community-acquired pneumonia under 5 years in Chengdu, China
Authors: Liu Chenggui , Chen Haojun , Li Hong
Published: April 2022

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. Pneumoniae) is one of the most common community-associated pathogens responsible for pneumonia in children. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics of S. Pneumoniae isolated from children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) under 5 years in Chengdu, China. Methods: Molecular characteristics of S. Pneumoniae included serotype and virulence factor performed by using PCR method and sequence types (STs) determined by sequencing seven housekeeping genes. In addition, the potential relationships between molecular characteristics were depicted by minimum spanning tree and correspondence analysis.Results: The prevailing serotypes were 19F (18.52%), 6B (17.59%), 19A (13.89%), 6A (6.48%) and 23F (5.56%) among 108 isolates. The overall coverage rates of 7-valent, 10-valent, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) were 47.32%, 48.1%, 75%, respectively. Meanwhile, the coverage rates of PCV13 among the isolates from CAP patients aged <1 year were high up to 84.2%. MLST analysis results showed that there were 56 different STs identified, of which the dominant STs were ST271 (22.22%) and ST320 (12.04%). Additionally, most of the isolates carried ply, psaA, nanA, pavA, piaA, and CC271 isolates expressed more of nanA than non-CC271 isolates. Moreover, there were strong relevant relationships among STs, serotypes, virulence factors.Conclusion: Considering serotypes and virulence factors together can be used as the foundation for the formulation of vaccine strategy.
QSAR Based Pharmacophore Modeling, Design, Molecular Simulation and Computational ADME/Pharmacokinetics Validation
Authors: Adeniji Shola Elijah , Ajala Abduljelil , Areguamen Omole Isaac
Published: April 2022

Background: Persistent resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis towards anti-tubercular drugs have raised global concern to cure tuberculosis. Recent advancements of the chemical world particularly that of computational chemistry, has given the scientists, a new dimension to curtail the challenges of drug development and discovery. This has become necessary to develop efficient anti-tubercular agents against the multi-drug resistant strain.Aim: In this research, we aimed to build in-silico an anti-tubercular model to predict reported experimental activities via Genetic Function Algorithm, use the model to design novel hypothetical compounds, carryout virtual docking screening and compute the ADME properties, pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness for the designed compounds.Results: Confirmed molecular descriptors ‘‘MATS7s, SpMin4_Bhv, SM1_DzZ, TDB3v and RDF70v’’ were selected via the Genetic Function Algorithm for model development. Three prominent hypothetical compounds; 6a, 6b and 6c having enhanced activities against tuberculosis were successfully designed with efficient binding affinities which ranged from -13.34 to -15.36Kcal/mol. These compounds demonstrate good binding pose and efficient interactions with the protein binding pocket via virtual docking screening. ADME, pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness prediction suggested that the compounds are orally soluble, have a good lipophilicity index for lipid environments with high gastrointestinal absorption and show zero violation to be considered as drug candidates. Conclusion: Our finding revealed that the designed compounds are founds to be orally bioavailable and demonstrate good drugs candidates. Hence,in-vitro and an in-vivo test for these compounds are strongly recommended to determine their toxicities and biological assay.
HER2 overexpression/amplification status in colorectal cancer: a comparison between immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization using five different immunohistochemical scoring criteria
Authors: Sun Qi , Li Qi , Gao Fuping , Wu Hongyan , Fu Yao , Yang Jun , Cui Xiaobin , Fan Xiangshan , Pu Xiaohong
Published: April 2022

Objective: Although HER2 has gradually become an important therapeutic target for colorectal cancer (CRC), a unified and standard HER2 scoring system was still not established in CRC, and the debatable results of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in CRC requires further exploration.Methods: In this study, we use five immunohistochemical (IHC) scoring criteria (i.e., IRS-p, IRS-m, GEA-s, GEA-b and HERACLES) and two FISH criteria to evaluate HER2 status. And further evaluate thecorrelation between HER2 status and clinicopathological features,survival in a large, unselected Chinese cohort of 664 CRCs. Results: Finally, we set HER2/CEP17 ratio ≥2.0, or an average HER2 copy number ≥6.0 as FISH positive threshold and the amplification rate of HER2 gene was 7.08% (47/664).The HER2 positivity (IHC 3+) were 2.71%, 3.16%, 2.56%, 2.71% and 3.16%, according to the IHC scoring criteria of IRS-p, IRS-m, GEA-s, GEA-b and HERACLES, respectively. Set FISH results as the golden standard, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that IRS-p had both high sensitivity and specificity than other IHC scoring systems to evaluate HER2 status. Based on IRS-p criterion, There were significant differences in tumor differentiation (p=0.038), lymphatic vascular invasion (p=0.001), pN stage (p value=0.043), and overall survival (p<0.001) among IHC score 0-3+ groups. Meanwhile, there were significant differences in pT stage (p=0.031), pN stage (p=0.009) and overall survival (p<0.001) among FISH subgroups.Conclusion: The IRS-p criterion was more suitable for assessing the HER2 status in CRC patients than other IHC criteria. Whereas for FISH scoring system, only HER2/CEP17 ˂2.0 meanwhile HER2cn ˂4.0 and HER2cn ≥6.0 were subgroups with unique clinicopathological characteristics.
Therapeutic level of valproic acid in epileptic patients taking authorized or unauthorized valproic acid marketed in Yemen: A cross-sectional comparative study
Authors: AL-Dhuraibi Abdullah Mohammed , Shantier Shaza W. , Gadkariem Elrasheed A. , Abdoon Iman Hassan
Published: April 2022

Drug counterfeiting is an under-recognized problem and reliable information on the impact of counterfeit medications on public health is sparse, particularly in developing countries. A cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted at neurology clinics in Aden, Yemen, to compare plasma levels of valproic acid in epileptic patients using authorized or unauthorized valproic acid marketed in Yemen. Blood samples were collected from patients and the plasma levels of valproic acid were analyzed using Chemiluminescent Micro-Particle Immunoassay. Chi-square test and independent-samples T-test were used to determine the association between variables. Out of 51 epileptic patients, 56.9% used unauthorized valproic acid. All patients using authorized valproic acid had attained the recommended therapeutic level of valproic acid, with plasma levels of 64.3±10.9 µg/ml. In patients taking unauthorized brands of valproic acid, no patient had attained the recommended therapeutic level, whereas 96.6% of the patients remained in the sub-therapeutic level and 3.4% reached the toxic level, with plasma levels of 30.9±22.2 µg/ml. Valproic acid levels in patients taking unauthorized brands were significantly reduced when compared to authorized brand (P=0.000). Alarmingly, more than half of valproic acid samples did not fulfill the recommended therapeutic level, with sub-therapeutic and toxic levels.
Maternal Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection Enhances Spatial Memory of Uninfected Juvenile Mouse Pups
Authors: Noel Sophia Clara , Fortin-Hamel Liana , Haque Manjurul , Scott Marilyn Elizabeth
Published: April 2022

The developing brain is particularly vulnerable to factors including maternal infection during pregnancy. Establishment of neural networks critical for memory and cognition begins during the perinatal period, when Heligmosomoides bakeri, a gastrointestinal (GI) nematode restricted to the maternal mouse intestine, has been shown to upregulate expression of long-term potentiation genes in the young rodent pup brain. We explored the impact of maternal infection during pregnancy and early lactation on the spatial behavior of uninfected male and female juvenile mice. Pre-weaned pups of H. bakeri infected dams exhibited less exploratory behaviour compared to pups of uninfected dams on postnatal day (PD) 16 but not PD 17, possibly reflecting a transient fear of an unfamiliar environment and/or a brief neurodevelopmental delay. Our two spatial memory tests show for the first time an enhancement of spatial memory in response to maternal nematode infection regardless of pup sex. At PD 17, pups of infected dams expressed object location memories after 3 hours in the Object Location Test whereas offspring of uninfected mothers did not. In addition, at PD 34, juveniles of infected mothers retained their ability to find the escape hole in the Barnes Maze Test for one week whereas offspring from uninfected mothers did not. This finding is even more striking given that spatial memory was positively associated with pup length, yet this maternal infection impaired linear growth of pups. Thus, the positive impact of maternal infection on spatial memory countered any impairment associated with the shorter length of the pups. Overall, these novel findings indicate that a maternal GI nematode infection during pregnancy and lactation positively influences the spatial memory of uninfected juvenile offspring with potential fitness implications for the next generation.
Suppressing thermoacoustic instability: targeting local dynamics to prevent a global transition
Authors: George Nitin Babu , Raghunathan Manikandan , Unni Vishnu R , Sujith R. I. , Kurths Jürgen , Surovyatkina Elena
Published: April 2022

The burning of fossil fuels to generate power produces harmful emissions. Lowering such emissions in gas turbine engines is possible by operating them at fuel-lean conditions. However, such strategies often fail because, under fuel-lean conditions, the combustors are prone to catastrophic high-amplitude oscillations known as thermoacoustic instability. We reveal that, as an operating parameter is varied in time, the transition to thermoacoustic instability is initiated at specific spatial regions before it is observed in larger regions of the combustor. We use two indicators to discover such inceptive regions: the growth of variance of fluctuations in spatially resolved heat release rate and its spatiotemporal evolution. In this study, we report experimental evidence of suppression of the global transition to thermoacoustic instability through targeted modification of local dynamics at the inceptive regions. We strategically arrange slots on the flame anchor, which, in turn, reduce the local heat release rate fluctuations at the inceptive regions and thus suppress the global transition to thermoacoustic instability. Our results open new perspectives for combustors that are more environmental-friendly.
Study the Effects of Gathering Multi conditions on D-shaped Optical Fiber Sensor-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance
Authors: Alwahib Ali Abdulkhaleq , hasan Shatha mezher , Saleh Mohammed A.
Published: April 2022

Plasmonic performance is subjected to physical property variations. Fiber-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is investigated in terms of the light source, polarization, and temperature effects on the plasmonic coupling efficiency. Initially, a side-polished D-shaped optical fiber is coated with a plasmonic gold (Au) layer to evaluate the plasmonic performance under different light sources and optical spectrometers. The collimated optical signal is polarized at three different angles: 0°, 45°, and 90°, concerning the fast axis, using free space three-wave plates before being directed to the multimode D-shaped fiber. A water chamber is used to discover the effect of water temperature on the stability of the plasmonic absorption curve in optical fiber and prism-based SPR. The repeatability and stability of two different designs are examined under Hg ions' influence. The results showed that the light source behaves differently according to minimum absorption and resonance wavelength. This research focused intensely on tuning plasmonic curves for the best output results. The main features of sesnor are reputability, stability using reduced graphene maghemite with polyvinyl chloride (rGO/γ-Fe2O3/PVC) for Hg ions, and the transmitted power shift at 40ºC. This paper highlights the plasmonic wave coupling and studies plasmonic coupling efficiency under different applied conditions. The effect of light polarization within a D-shaped fiber for SPR has not yet been thoroughly explored, nor has it been published under different conditions in any literature thus far.
Chronology of Late Carboniferous Pillow Lava Assemblages In Xiaopinggou, Dabancheng, Xinjiang
Authors: Li Xuewei , Feng Qiao , Luo Zhenjiang , Zhou Xiaohu , Jie Mingqian
Published: April 2022

A set of pillow lava volcanic rock assemblages with complete outcrops have been exposed in the Xiaopinggou area in the northeast of Dabancheng. The geological implications of the single-grain zircon U-Pb age are explained based on magmatic differentiation crystallization and statistical principles, which provide important clues for the tectonic background of the Bogda tectonic belt and the geological age of its evolution. The Xiaopinggou pillow lava assemblage includes pillow basalt, dacite, pyroclastic rock, and normal sedimentary rocks. The harmonized age of the LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating data of 21 single-grain zircon in its dacite is 325±2.7Ma, and the weighted average age is 326.0±2.8Ma. This age represents only the most dominant zircon crystallization age in the magma chamber. According to the youngest 4 single-grain zircon age groups, the concordant age is 315.4±1.3Ma. This age limits the diagenetic age of the Xiaopinggou pillow lava assemblage no earlier than the early Late Carboniferous (late Bashkirian stage), which is consistent with the geological age determined by the fossils contained in the Liushugou Formation.
Isobavachalcone Activates Antitumor Immunity on Orthotopic Pancreatic Cancer Model: A Screening and Validation
Authors: Zhang Hongbo , Liu Xuanming , Cao Jianlin , Zhuo Yuzhen , Jin Jiahui , Gao Qiaoying , Yuan Xiangfei , yang Lei , Li Dihua , Wang Yan
Published: April 2022

Pancreatic cancer accompanies poor prognosis and accounts for a significant number of deaths every year. Due to possessing a broad spectrum of bioactivities such as antioxidant and antitumor activity, Psoralea corylifolia L. (PCL) is widely used in clinical Chinese medicine. In the present work, we explored potential antitumor agents of PCL and underlying mechanisms in vivo and vitro experiments. Based on the integration of network pharmacology, protein-protein interaction network, the expression profile of gene, survival analysis, multivariate Cox regression model, and molecular docking, we considered Isobavachalcone (IBC) as a candidate compound. Subsequently, we confirmed that IBC could inhibit Panc 02 cells proliferation and induce apoptosis via increasing ROS production in vitro. Meanwhile, IBC could attenuate the weight of orthotopic pancreatic cancer in mice, increase CD8+ cells and reduce M2 macrophages polarization in the tumor tissue and spleen. IBC also alleviated the proportion of MDSCs in the tumor tissue but had no change in the spleen. In addition, IBC restrained the polarization of RAW 264.7 cells into M2 macrophages by inhibiting the expression of ARG1 and MRC1 and suppressed the expression of ARG1 and TGF-β in BM-derived MDSCs. Thus, IBC can attenuate orthotopic pancreatic cancer growth via activating immune activity and inducing cell apoptosis. This research could be a reference for the antitumor ability of IBC and the treatment of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer.
Safety and efficacy of the Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Blood Filter to remove bacteria from the blood stream – results of the first in human study
Authors: Eden Gabriele , Schmidt Julius , Büttner Stefan , Kümpers Philipp , Hafer Carsten , Rovas Alexandros , Koch Benjamin Florian , Schmidt Bernhard M. W , Kielstein Jan T.
Published: April 2022

Background: The outcome of patients with bacteremia depends on both, the bacterial burden as well as the duration of bacteremia. Promptly decreasing bacterial load in the blood by using extracorporeal devices in addition to anti-infective therapy has recently been explored. Preclinical studies with Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph® 100), which consists of heparin that is covalently bound to polymer beads, have demonstrated an effective binding of bacteria and viruses. Pathogens adhere to the heparin coated polymer beads in Seraph® 100 as they would normally do to heparan sulfate on cell surfaces. Using this biomimetic principle, the Seraph® 100 could help to decrease bacterial burden in vivo.Methods: This first in human, prospective, multicenter, non-randomized interventional study included patients with blood culture positive bloodstream infection and the need for renal replacement therapy as an adjunctive treatment for bloodstream infection. We performed a single four-hour hemoperfusion treatment with the Seraph® 100 in conjunction with a dialysis procedure. Post procedure follow up was 14 days.Results: Fifteen hemodialysis patients (3F/12M, age 74.0 [68.0 - 78.5] years, dialysis vintage 28.0 [11.0 - 45.0] months) were enrolled. Seraph® 100 treatment started 66.4 [45.7 - 80.6] hours after the positive initial blood culture was drawn. During the treatment with the Seraph® 100 with a median blood flow of 285 [225 - 300] ml/min no device or treatment related adverse events were reported. Blood pressure and heart rate remained stable while peripheral oxygen saturation improved during the treatment from 98.0 [92.5 - 98.0] to 99.0 [98.0 - 99.5] %; p = 0.0184. Four patients still had positive blood culture at the start of Seraph® 100 treatment. In one patient blood cultures turned negative during treatment. The time to positivity (TTP) was reduced between inflow and outflow blood cultures by 36 [-7.2 – 96.3] minutes. However, overall TTP reduction was not significant.Conclusions: Seraph® 100 treatment was well tolerated. Adding Seraph® 100 to antibiotics early in the course of bacteremia might result in a faster resolution of bloodstream infections, which has to be evaluated in further studies.Trail registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02914132
Expanded geographic distribution and host preference of Anopheles gibbinsi (An. species 6) in northern Zambia
Authors: Gebhardt Mary E , Krizek Rachel S. , Coetzee Maureen , Koekemoer Lizette L , Dahan-Moss Yael , Mbewe David , Lupiya James Sichivula , Muleba Mbanga , Stevenson Jennifer C. , Moss William J. , Norris Douglas E.
Published: April 2022

BackgroundNchelenge District in northern Zambia suffers from holoendemic malaria transmission despite a decade of yearly indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide treated net (ITN) distributions. One hypothesis for this lack of impact is that some vectors in the area may forage in the early evening or outdoors. Anopheles gibbinsi specimens were identified in early evening mosquito collections performed in this study area, and we gleaned further insight into this taxon, including characterizing its genetic identity, feeding preferences, and potential role as a malaria vector.MethodsMosquitoes were collected in July and August 2019 by CDC light traps in Nchelenge District in indoor sitting rooms, outdoor gathering spaces, and animal pens from 16:00-22:00. Host detection by PCR, COI and ITS2 PCR, and circumsporozoite (CSP) ELISA were performed on all samples morphologically identified as An. gibbinsi, and a subset of specimens were selected for COI and ITS2 sequencing. To determine risk factors for increased abundance of An. gibbinsi, a negative binomial generalized linear mixed-effects model was performed with household-level variables of interest.ResultsComparison of COI and ITS2 An. gibbinsi reference sequences to the NCBI database revealed >99% identity to “An. sp. 6” from Kenya. More than 97% of specimens were morphologically and molecularly consistent with An. gibbinsi. Specimens were primarily collected in animal pen traps (59.2%), followed by traps outdoors near where humans gather (24.3%), and traps set indoors (16.5%). Host DNA detection revealed a high propensity for goats, but 5% of specimens with detected host DNA had fed on humans. No specimens were positive for Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. Animal pens and inland households >3 km from Lake Mweru were both associated with increased An. gibbinsi abundance. ConclusionsThis is the first report of An. gibbinsi in Nchelenge District, Zambia. This study provided a species identity for unknown “An. sp. 6” in the NCBI database, which has been implicated in malaria transmission in Kenya. Composite data suggest that this species is largely zoophilic and exophilic, but comes into contact with humans and the malaria parasites they carry. This species should continue to be monitored in Zambia and neighboring countries as a potential malaria vector.
Clinical Assessments and Gait Performance in Patients with Trimalleolar Fractures
Authors: Zhu Ting , Wang Ya , Tian Fei , Wang Wenjin , Zhong Rongzhou , Zhai Hua , Wang Shaobai
Published: April 2022

Background: Trimalleolar fracture is a common ankle fracture with serious complications and costly healthcare problem. Most studies used clinical assessments to evaluate the functional status of the patients. Although clinical assessments are valid, they are static and subjective. Dynamic, objective and precise evaluations such as gait analysis are needed. Ankle biomechanics studies on gait in patients with trimalleolar fractures are still rare. This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and gait biomechanics in patients with trimalleolar fractures and compared to healthy controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. 12 patients with trimalleolar fractures were recruited, and 12 healthy people served as controls. All patients underwent clinical assessments: Olerud and Molander ankle score (OMAS), ankle swelling and passive range of motion (ROM) of ankle, and completed gait biomechanical analysis: temporal-spatial parameters, plantar pressure distributions, and surface electromyography (sEMG). The control group only performed gait test. Results: Patients had poor outcomes of clinical assessments. During gait analysis, patients presented compromised gait patterns: shorter step length, larger step width, slower walking speed and shorter single support compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001), and patients showed asymmetrical gait. Symmetry index of step width and walking speed were mainly correlated with the difference of ankle inversion ROM between two sides (R=-0.750, P=0.005; R=-0.700, P=0.011). During walking, patients showed abnormal dynamic plantar pressure features (mainly in the hindfoot and forefoot regions), and the IEMG (integrated electromyography) of tibial anterior muscle (TA) and peroneal longus muscle (PL) were larger than healthy controls (P=0.002, 0.050). Conclusions: Patients with trimalleolar fractures showed physical impairments of the ankle, and presented altered gait parameters compared to healthy subjects. The ankle stability of patients declined, and deficits in TA and PL muscle ability might contribute to it. Restoring complete muscle functions and improving passive ankle ROM are significant to promote the recovery of a normal gait pattern.
Artificial Neural Networks Model in the Prediction of Pancreas Transplantation Recipient Survival
Authors: G Raji C , S.N Induja
Published: April 2022

The pancreas transplantation is always a risky procedure, so that the number of transplantation suggesting by doctors are less. Also doctors have no method to predict the survival of patient after pancreas transplantation. So it is necessary to have a system to predict the survival of patients after pancreas transplantation. Mostly Type 1 diabetes are treated through pancreas transplantation. Yet, it is commonly held for those with genuine diabetes difficulties, on the grounds that the reactions of a pancreas transplant are huge. Consequently the requirement for this investigation is basic. Pancreas transplantation is constantly dangerous in light of it’s eventual outcomes, so the proposed framework anticipating the odds of survival of patients by breaking down their wellbeing conditions. This investigation will be useful to specialists for understanding careful results and expands the believability of specialists. From our research, we can see that the chosen model have given greater survival rate. Pancreas transplantation is definitely not a standard procedure yet a seldom happening procedure, since it is an exceptionally unsafe technique and has numerous eventual outcomes. Need an exact model to foresee the survival after transplantation. We proposed three models which are suitable for pancreas survival prediction. From that, with Multilayer Perceptron we obtained 99.5% accuracy in survival prediction. The result was compared with existing research work to ensure that it is the only accurate method now existing to predict the patients survival in pancreas transplantation.
WITHDRAWN: The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Hibiscus sinosyriacus
Authors: KWON SOON-HO , Jang You Lim , Kwon Hae-Yun
Published: April 2022

Hibiscus sinosyriacus is a deciduous broad-leaved shrub belonging to the Malvaceae family that is distributed in the temperate southern regions of China. Studying the chloroplast genome of H. sinosyriacus is necessary to distinguish evolutionary and genetic differences among allied species. In this study, the chloroplast genome sequence assembly of H. sinosyriacus was completed, and the genome size was 160,892 bp. The large single copy was 89,747 bp, the two inverted repeats were 25,742 bp, and the small single copy was 19,661 bp long. There were 131 genes, 86 coding sequences, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs, of which 7 genes were replicated in the inverted region. The complete genome sequence can be used for evolutionary comparative studies of related species.
Digital body mapping of pain quality and distribution in athletes with longstanding groin pain.
Authors: Serner Andreas , Reboul Gilles , Lichau Olivier , Weir Adam , Heijboer Willem , Vuckovic Zarko , Boudreau Shellie Ann
Published: April 2022

Groin pain is common in athletes, but remains a challenge to diagnose. Self-reported pain quality distribution may facilitate differential diagnoses. We included 167 athletes with groin pain (≥ 4 weeks). All athletes received a standardized clinical examination. Athletes could choose multiple quality descriptors and intensity, and drew these on a digital body map. Overlay images were created to assess distribution and area visually. Intensity, duration, and qualities were compared between each clinical entity and multiple entities. Top three quality descriptors were electric (22%), pain (19%), and dull/aching (15%). There were no differences in the frequencies of quality descriptors (p = 0.893) between clinical entities. Areas of the mapped qualities were similar between the single clinical entities (χ2(3) = 0.143, p = 0.986 ) and independent of symptom duration (ρ = 0.004, p = 0.958). Despite a considerable overlap, the mapped pain qualities’ distributions appear to differ visually between single clinical entities and align with the defined clinical entities of adductor-related, inguinal-related, and pubic-related groin. In iliopsoas-related groin pain, pain extended more medially. The overlap between the drawn areas underscores a challenge in differentiating groin pain classifications based only on self-reported pain. The prevalence of pain quality descriptors varied and individually do not associate with one particular clinical entity of groin pain.
Surface profile and milling force prediction for milling thin-walled workpiece based on equivalent 3D undeformed chip thickness model
Authors: Li Xiang , Gong Yadong , Zhao Jibin
Published: April 2022

Based on the relative geometric relationship between the real motion trajectory of the milling cutter and the workpiece, the undeformed chip thickness equation and the two-dimensional surface contour feature algorithm are established. By introducing the parameters of milling cutter critical height, milling cutter helix angle and lag angle parameters, the three-dimensional surface profile prediction model and the equivalent three-dimensional model considering the chip formation process are derived. And the calculation equations of the instantaneous chip cross-sectional area and the blade-workpiece contact length of the three phases of chip formation are established respectively. The multiple linear regression method was used to fit the orthogonal test results of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, so as to complete the dynamic milling force identification, and finally establish the milling force prediction model. The accuracy of the prediction model was verified by the single factor method, and the influence of different parameters on the milling process of thin-walled parts was observed. The results show that the established model has high accuracy in predicting the surface profile and milling force of thin-walled parts.
Evaluation of Salt-tolerant Traditional Rice Varieties in Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Duy Pham Vu Khuong , Lien Quan Thi Ai
Published: April 2022

Background: This study evaluated seedling stages’ salt tolerance in nutrient solution using three electrical conductivity (EC) salt concentrations of 9,38, 12,50, and 15,63 dS/m with fifteen traditional rice varieties. Methods and Results: Five traditional salt-tolerant rice varieties at the seedling stage (level 5) at 15,63 dS/m were selected. Furthermore, we evaluated salt tolerance at EC 9,38, 12,50, and 15,63 dS/m in the vegetative and reproductive stages of seven rice varieties (a tolerant variety, Doc Phung, a sensitive variety, IR28, and five rice salt-tolerant varieties were selected at seedling stage). Doc Phung was found to be salt tolerant, and IR28 was sensitive. This study showed that an increase in EC concentrations in the soil significantly reduced plant height, panicle/plant, panicle length, a 1000 grain weight, and yield. The addition of 9,38 dS/m EC can distinguish tolerance and sensitive genotypes. The grain yield of sensitive genotypes decreased by 90%–100% at 9,38 dS/m EC, whereas the tolerant genotypes showed <60% in grain yield reduction. Selected traditional rice varieties of Nang Cha Ran, Nep Than, Trang Lun, Gie Hanh, and Nang Tich were salt tolerant at their seedling stage. Vegetative and reproductive stages were at EC 9,38 dS/m. Conclusion: Salt inhibited the growth of five traditional rice varieties from vegetative to reproductive stages, thereby reducing plant height, panicle/plant, panicle length, and a 1000-grain weight and yield.
An endogenous CCL21-Ser deficiency reduces melanoma growth by an enhanced antitumor immunity
Authors: Fujie Ryonosuke , Kurowarabe Kaoru , Yamada Yuki , Fujiwara Kakeru , Hayashi Ryota , Kawahata Hinami , Miyamoto Megumi , Takahama Yousuke , Ohigashi Izumi , HAYASAKA HARUKO
Published: April 2022

The chemokine CCL21 regulates immune and cancer cell migration through its receptor CCR7. The Ccl21a gene encodes the isoform CCL21-Ser, predominantly expressed in the thymic medulla and the secondary lymphoid tissues. In this study, we used Ccl21a-knockout (KO) mice to examine the roles of CCL21-Ser in the antitumor immune response. We found that the KO mice had significantly decreased melanoma growth and increased CD8 T cell infiltration compared with the wild-type mice. The tumor in KO mice had a higher number of Tregs but no positive correlation existed between tumor weight and Treg/activated CD8 T cell ratio. The enhanced CD8 T cell antitumor immunity in the Ccl21a-KO mice demonstrates a functional contribution of endogenous CCL21-Ser to melanoma proliferation in vivo.
Psychological complications in patients with acromegaly: relationships with sex, arthropathy, and quality of life
Authors: Cangiano Biagio , Giusti Emanuele , Premoli Caterina , Soranna Davide , Vitale Giovanni , Grottoli Silvia , Cambria Valeria , Mantovani Giovanna , Mungari Roberta , Maffei Pietro , Dassie Francesca , Giampietro Antonella , Chiloiro Sabrina , Tanda Maria Laura , Ippolito Silvia , Cannavò Salvatore , Ragonese Marta , Zambon Antonella , Persani Luca , Fatti Letizia Maria , Scacchi Massimo
Published: April 2022

Purpose
Current treatment of acromegaly restores a normal life expectancy in most cases. So, the study of persistent complications affecting patients’ quality of life (QoL) is of paramount importance, especially motor disability and depression. In a large cohort of acromegalic patients we aimed at establishing the prevalence of depression, to look for clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with it, and to investigate the respective roles (and interactions) of depression and arthropathy in influencing QoL.
Methods
One hundred and seventy-one acromegalic patients (95 women and 76 men, aged 20–85 years) among those recruited in a cross-sectional Italian multicentric study were investigated. Each patient filled in three validated questionnaires: AcroQoL, WOMAC (measuring articular pain, stiffness and functionality), and AIMS (evaluating articular symptoms and depression).
Results
a very high (up to 28%) depression rate was detected in acromegalic subjects. Two patients showing pathological AIMS depression scores, committed suicide during the three years observational period. In our population poor psychological status was significantly associated with female sex. Furthermore, a significant strong correlation was found between AIMS depression score and WOMAC score. Both depression and arthropathy-related motor disability turned out to independently contribute with similar strength to the impairment of QoL.
Conclusions
We report a high prevalence of depression in acromegaly, which is associated with female sex and arthropathy. Both depression and arthropathy strongly and independently contribute to the impaired QoL of patients. Our study shows that assessment and monitoring of psychological status is mandatory in acromegaly, also suggesting an inexpensive tool for this assessment.
Global Burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and Attributable to Risk factors, 1990–2019: An Analysis Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Authors: cui yiran , yang wenyan , shuai jingliang , ma yulan , yan yan
Published: April 2022

Background
The exposure to risk factors (Smoking, High fasting plasma glucose and High BMI) are considered a major health concern. However, previous studies focused on changes in the global age-specific incidence and mortality, failed to distinguish between cohort and period effects, and did not discuss risk factors separately.
Methods
This study to estimate the burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias stratified by gender, age, locations, and social-demographic status for 21 regions across the world from 1990 to 2019. Besides, trend analyzes were conducted for major regions and risk factors for DALYs were also analyzed using age-period-cohort model and Join-point model.
Results
Globally, the age standardized incidence rate(ASIR), age standardized death rate(ASDR), and age standardized DALY rates for Alzheimer's disease have an upward trend from 1990 to 2019.(percentage change: 1.5%,3.0%,3.5%, respectively) with average annual percent change. In most regions, indicators (incidence, mortality, and DALYs) increased steadily with SDI increased. By APC analysis, substantially increasing age effects were presented for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias from 40 to 95 years. The cohort effects RRs had a rapid reduction attribute to Smoking, High fasting plasma glucose and High BMI.
Conclusions
As the burden of Alzheimer's disease remains high in areas with low SDI. Therefore, rapid and effective government responses are needed to tackle and control dementia risk factors to reduce the disease burden in middle-low and low SDI countries.
Optical properties and complex refractive index of Co doped ZnO waveguide thin films elaborated by spray pyrolysis
Authors: DJAABOUBE Halima , MAMMERI Abdelouadoud , Bouachiba Yassine ,   Adel TAABOUCHE1, BOUABELLOU Abderrahmane ,   Hacene SERRAR3, Sekhri Ilyes , RAHAL Badis
Published: April 2022

CoxZn1-xO (x = 0.00, 0.04, 0.08 and 0.10) thin films were sprayed pyrolysis onto ordinary glass substrates. The micro Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of wurtzite structure in all films. The UV-Vis investigation showed good optical transmittance in the visible region with the increase in the absorption bands related to internal Co+2 d-d transitions over Co concentration. The optical gap energy decreased by 0.34 eV as Co doping increased, contrary to Urbach energy which increased by 230 meV. The SEM observation indicated obvious modification in the morphology of the films. M-lines spectroscopy measured the ordinary refractive index which was found to increase by 0.0156 as the Co doping increased. Cobalt doping provoked the extinction of light coupling and propagation in the films manifested as an increase in full width at the half maximum of the guided peaks and a decrease in the reflected intensity. This was due to the increase in the extinction coefficient measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy.
SMART - A Tool Kit for Sustainable Method of Agriculture Using Root Transition
Authors: Acharya Aniruddha
Published: April 2022

The rapid increase in global population along with urbanization will continue to increase the challenge of food security and environmental sustainability. Agriculture is essential for food security, however, is an expensive process both financially and environmentally. Estimation of crop performance before investing in field would substantially benefit agricultural output and environmental sustainability. A simple, easy to use, portable, and inexpensive prototype of a device is described that can be successfully used to estimate plant performance and help tailor fertilizer formulations and microbial consortium for optimal agronomic output. The device can also be used for agriculture by farmers and for plant research by students and scientists.
RETRACTED: Neurological and neuromuscular manifestations in SARS-CoV-2: Review of Literature and Case Series
Authors: Warner Robin
Published: April 2022

22 March, 2024. Editorial note correction. Research Square has removed this preprint due to concerns regarding patient consent.
20 January, 2023. Please see corrected editorial note above regarding this retraction.
WHY HEROES FAIL: NATIONAL IDENTITY IN JIN YONG'S MARTIAL ARTS NOVEL THE BOOK AND THE SWORD
Authors: Fedosova Maria
Published: April 2022

Martial arts fiction presents a number of signs that define Chinese cultural separateness and reflect national identities of Chinese communities around the world. In this paper, we select the novel The Book and the Sword of Jin Yong, the most celebrated martial arts author, to analyze how the wuxia conventions can be applied to represent the formation of a new emigrant identity under the foreign rule and under the influence of abandoned Mainland China. Setting his novels in the mythical past allows Jin Yong to freely discuss the cultural, social and political circumstances of his present that contribute to the configuration of this new national identity. Examining comparative studies on martial arts fiction, we note that moral codes of Chinese chivalrous swordsmen and Western knights-errant do not differ significantly; moreover, these heroic images remain similar in different cultures and pertain to the universal mythic structure. We argue that the modified hero myth expressed in a work of national fiction always represents a cultural identity of a particular nation, a certain symbol through which the nation perceives itself and introduces itself to others. Although national identity is an imaginary construction that does not comprehensively reflect reality, each member of the nation (a native or diasporic resident) recognizes values and truths communicated through mythic storytelling. We show that national identity in the analyzed novel is not a stable concept and individuals can change their political loyalties depending on the circumstances or their preferences, but regardless of their ethnical origin. We conclude that the novel relates the failure of the nationally aware elite to establish self-governing within the state in order to defend their national identity from the foreign politically dominant group.
Tapping into Futuristic Imagination: Are We Ready for Digital Medical Education in Malaysia?
Authors:   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia, Yeoh Boon Seng
Published: April 2022

In recent years, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has been the new buzzword in Malaysia following governmental policies for integrating digital technologies into the administrative and socioeconomic aspects of life. With the enrolment of new generations of digitally endowed students, the waves of the digital revolution will soon hit the shore of medical education. This commentary proposes the concept of a medical education system that fully adopts the 4IR agenda in teaching and learning basic medical and clinical sciences. The deliberation in this article offers novel avenues for medical teachers to reflect on their roles and preparedness in steering Malaysian medical education towards the foreseeable digitalised future.
Earnings management and impression management: European evidence
Authors: Goncalves Tiago , Gaio Cristina , Ramos Pedro
Published: April 2022

This study explores the relationship between Earnings Management and Impression Management in the context of some European listed companies. The analysis focuses on the readability of annual reports, measured by the file size. Earnings management is assessed using the modified Jones model. The sample consists of 2,953 listed companies from 17 industries of 24 European countries between 2012 and 2018 resulting in 13,020 firm-year observations. It has been found that one standard deviation increase in financial reports file size increases discretionary accruals in around 4%. These results are robust across different sample specifications in terms of firms’ size, industry and country. The findings show that increased intensity in the use of discretionary accruals is obfuscated by the disclosure of less readable annual reports, implying that Earnings Management and Impression Management are used complementarily. The conclusions have impact both for investment management and for policy, preventing inefficient allocation of capital budgeting and providing additional information that improves regulation on financial reporting transparency.
AcknowledgmentThe authors are grateful to financial support from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal), national funding through research grant (UID/SOC/04521/2020).