bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Impact of Caspase-8, CDK9 and Phospho-CDK9 (Thr 186) Expression in Patients with Uterine Cervical Cancer Treated with Definitive Chemoradiation and Brachytherapy
Authors: Fleischmann Maximilian , Mandal Ranadip , Kostova Izabela , Raab Monika , Sanhaji Mourad , Hehlgans Stephanie , Diefenhardt Markus , Rödel Claus , Fokas Emmanouil , Strebhardt Klaus , Rödel Franz
Published: November 2022

Introduction: After primary platinum-based chemoradiation of locally advanced uterine cervical cancer, a substantial proportion of women present with persistent, recurrent or metastatic disease, indicating an unmet need for biomarker development. Methods: We evaluated the clinical records of 69 cervical cancer patients (Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, FIGO Stage > IB3) who were subjected to definitive CRT. Immunohistochemical scoring of caspase-8, cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) and phosphorylated (phospho-)CDK9 (threonine (Thr) 186) was performed on pretreatment samples and correlated with the histopathological and clinical endpoints, including relapse-free survival (RFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Lower levels of caspase-8 were more prevalent in patients with a higher T-stage (p = 0.002) and a higher FIGO stage (p = 0.003), and were significantly correlated with CDK9 expression (p = 0.018) and inversely with pCDK9 detection (p = 0.014). Increased caspase-8 levels corresponded to improved RFS (p = 0.005), DMFS (p = 0.038) and CSS (p = 0.017) in the univariate analyses. Low CDK9 expression was associated with worse RFS (p = 0.008), CSS (p = 0.015) and OS (p = 0.007), but not DMFS (p = 0.083), and remained a significant prognosticator for RFS (p = 0.003) and CSS (p = 0.009) in the multivariate analyses. Furthermore, low pCDK9 staining was significantly associated with superior RFS (p = 0.004) and DMFS (p = 0.001), and increased CSS (p = 0.022), and remained significant for these endpoints in the multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Increased caspase-8 and CDK9 levels correlate with improved disease-related outcomes in cervical cancer patients treated with CRT, whereas elevated pCDK9 levels predict worse survival in this patient population.
Gambogic Acid Induces Pyroptosis of Colorectal Cancer Cells through the GSDME-Dependent Pathway and Elicits an Antitumor Immune Response
Authors: Xu Hanjie , Zhang Danya , Wei Rui , Zhou Ying , Dai Geyang , Li Jie , Sun Yue , Li Fei , Xi Ling
Published: November 2022

Pyroptosis is a recently identified form of programmed cell death (PCD) that exerts a vital influence on the antitumor immune response. GA, a xanthone structure isolated from gamboge resin, is a naturally occurring bioactive ingredient with several anticancer activities, such as activities that affect cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy. Here, we found that GA decreased the viability of the CRC cell lines, HCT116 and CT26, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and multiple pores and large bubbles in the membranes, which are morphological characteristics of pyroptosis, were observed by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the cleavage of gasdermin E (GSDME) was observed after exposure to GA, along with concomitant activation of caspase-3. Additionally, GSDME-dependent pyroptosis triggered by GA could be attenuated by siRNA-mediated knockdown of GSDME and treatment with the caspase-3 inhibitor. Moreover, we found that GA induced pyroptosis and significantly inhibited tumor growth in CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Strikingly, significantly increased proportions of CD3+ T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and dendritic cells (DCs) were observed in the tumor microenvironment in the GA-treated groups. Moreover, significantly increased proportions of CTLs and effector memory T cells (TEM) (CD8+ CD44+ CD62L−) were also detected in the spleens of the GA-treated groups, suggesting that the pyroptosis-induced immune response generated a robust memory response that mediated protective immunity. In this study, we revealed a previously unrecognized mechanism by which GA induces GSDME-dependent pyroptosis and enhances the anticancer immune response. Based on this mechanism, GA is a promising antitumor drug for CRC treatment that induces caspase-3-GSDME-dependent pyroptosis. This study provides novel insight into cancer chemoimmunotherapy.
Integrated Analysis of Single-Cell and Bulk RNA-Sequencing Reveals a Tissue-Resident Macrophage-Related Signature for Predicting Immunotherapy Response in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Xia Zi-An , Zhou You , Li Jun , He Jiang
Published: November 2022

Immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is among the widely used treatments for breast cancer (BC), but most patients do not respond to ICT and the availability of the predictive biomarkers is limited. Emerging evidence indicates that tissue-resident macrophages (RTMs) inhibit BC progression, suggesting that their presence may predict immunotherapy response. A single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of BC samples was performed to identify five RTM clusters with a mixed phenotype of M1-M2 macrophages. The comprehensive results showed that a high score of each RTM cluster was associated with a high infiltration of CD8+ T cells, M1 macrophages, and dendritic cells, and improved overall survival. In addition, a low score of each RTM cluster was associated with a high infiltration of M0 macrophages, naïve B cells and Tregs, and poor overall survival. Gene signatures from each RTM cluster were significantly enriched in responders compared with nonresponders. Each RTM cluster expression was significantly higher in responders than in nonresponders. The analyses of bulk RNA-seq datasets of BC samples led to identification and validation of a gene expression signature, named RTM.Sig, which contained the related genes of RTM clusters for predicting response to immunotherapy. This study highlights RTM.Sig could provide a valuable tool for clinical decisions in administering ICT.
Unsupervised Analysis Based on DCE-MRI Radiomics Features Revealed Three Novel Breast Cancer Subtypes with Distinct Clinical Outcomes and Biological Characteristics
Authors: Ming Wenlong , Li Fuyu , Zhu Yanhui , Bai Yunfei , Gu Wanjun , Liu Yun , Liu Xiaoan , Sun Xiao , Liu Hongde
Published: November 2022

Background: This study aimed to reveal the heterogeneity of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) of breast cancer (BC) and identify its prognosis values and molecular characteristics. Methods: Two radiogenomics cohorts (n = 246) were collected and tumor regions were segmented semi-automatically. A total of 174 radiomics features were extracted, and the imaging subtypes were identified and validated by unsupervised analysis. A gene-profile-based classifier was developed to predict the imaging subtypes. The prognostic differences and the biological and microenvironment characteristics of subtypes were uncovered by bioinformatics analysis. Results: Three imaging subtypes were identified and showed high reproducibility. The subtypes differed remarkably in tumor sizes and enhancement patterns, exhibiting significantly different disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) in the discovery cohort (p = 0.024) and prognosis datasets (p ranged from <0.0001 to 0.0071). Large sizes and rapidly enhanced tumors usually had the worst outcomes. Associations were found between imaging subtypes and the established subtypes or clinical stages (p ranged from <0.001 to 0.011). Imaging subtypes were distinct in cell cycle and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction pathways (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.25) and different in cellular fractions, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The imaging subtypes had different clinical outcomes and biological characteristics, which may serve as potential biomarkers.
Insight into Classification and Risk Stratification of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Era of Emerging Biomarkers with Focus on Histopathologic Parameters
Authors: Mäkitie Antti A. , Agaimy Abbas , Almangush Alhadi
Published: November 2022

Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system is the cornerstone for treatment planning of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Many prognostic biomarkers have been introduced as modifiers to further improve the TNM classification of HNSCC. Here, we provide an overview on the use of the recent prognostic biomarkers, with a focus on histopathologic parameters, in improving the risk stratification of HNSCC and their application in the next generation of HNSCC staging systems.
Targeting CAM-DR and Mitochondrial Transfer for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Suzuki Rikio , Ogiya Daisuke , Ogawa Yoshiaki , Kawada Hiroshi , Ando Kiyoshi
Published: November 2022

The prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has improved dramatically with the introduction of new therapeutic drugs, but the disease eventually becomes drug-resistant, following an intractable and incurable course. A myeloma niche (MM niche) develops in the bone marrow microenvironment and plays an important role in the drug resistance mechanism of MM. In particular, adhesion between MM cells and bone marrow stromal cells mediated by adhesion molecules induces cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR). Analyses of the role of mitochondria in cancer cells, including MM cells, has revealed that the mechanism leading to drug resistance involves exchange of mitochondria between cells (mitochondrial transfer) via tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) within the MM niche. Here, we describe the discovery of these drug resistance mechanisms and the identification of promising therapeutic agents primarily targeting CAM-DR, mitochondrial transfer, and TNTs.
Evaluation of the Compressive Strength of CFRP-Wrapped Circular Concrete Columns Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques
Authors: Onyelowe Kennedy C. , Jayabalan Jagan , Ebid Ahmed M. , Samui Pijush , Singh Rahul Pratap , Soleymani Atefeh , Jahangir Hashem
Published: November 2022

The wrapping of concrete structures with fiber polymers has been an essential part of concrete technology aimed at the improvement of concrete performance indices during the construction and lifelong usage of the structures. In this paper, a universal representative database was collected from multiple literature materials on the effect of different fiber-reinforced polymers on the confined compressive strength of wrapped concrete columns (Fcc). The collected data show that the Fcc value depends on the FRP thickness (t), tensile strength (Ftf), and elastic modulus (Ef), in addition to the column diameter (d) and the confined compressive strength of concrete (Fco). Five AI techniques were applied on the collected database, namely genetic programming (GP), three artificial neural networks (ANN) trained using three different algorithms, “back Propagation BP, gradually reduced gradient GRG and genetic algorithm GA”, and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR). The results of the five developed predictive models show that (t) and Ftf have a major impact on the Fcc value, which presents the effect of confinement stress (t. Ftf/d) on the confined compressive strength (Fcc). Comparing the predicted values with the experimental ones showed that the GP model is the least accurate one, and the EPR model is the next least accurate, while the three ANN models have almost the same level of high accuracy, with an average error percentage of 5.8% and a coefficient of determination R2 of 0.961. The ANN model is more accurate than the EPR and GP predictive models, but they are suitable for manual calculation because they are closed-form equations.
Uncertainty Propagation of Fission Product Yields from Uranium and Plutonium in Pebble-Bed HTGR Burnup Calculation
Authors: Cui Menglei , Wang Yizhen , Guo Jiong , Zhang Han , Li Fu
Published: November 2022

Quantifying fission product yield uncertainty contribution to reactor burnup calculation is an important aspect of pebble-bed High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (pebble-bed HTGR) uncertainty analysis. In this work, uncertainty propagation of fission product yield to pebble-bed HTGR burnup calculation is conducted. Uncertainty of fission product yields from four fissile isotopes, namely 233U, 235U, 239Pu and 241Pu, are considered. The stochastic sampling-based uncertainty analysis method is adopted and fission product yield covariance matrices are estimated from ENDF/B-VII.1. The covariance matrix for each fissile actinide is estimated based on the Bayesian method and fission product yields are assigned with log-normal distribution in the sampling process with the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) method. Since the fission fraction from 239Pu plays an important role in fissions of fuels with high burnup value in pebble-bed HTGR, the fission product yield uncertainty contribution from 239Pu is highlighted in this work. The result shows that, in the burnup equilibrium state of pebble-bed HTGR, fission product yield uncertainty contributions from 235U and 239Pu to relative uncertainty of keff are 0.027% and 0.026%, respectively. The overall uncertainty contribution from four fissile isotopes (233U, 235U, 239Pu and 241Pu) to relative uncertainty of equilibrium core keff is 0.038%. Furthermore, fission product yield uncertainty has an important contribution to the nuclide density uncertainty of fission products. The most relative uncertainty, 10.82%, is observed in 109Ag contributed from the fission product yield uncertainty of 239Pu at the burnup equilibrium state. This indicates the uncertainty contribution from the fission product yield of 239Pu cannot be neglected in pebble-bed HTGR burnup uncertainty analysis.
Study on Top Hierarchy Control Strategy of AEBS over Regenerative Brake and Hydraulic Brake for Hub Motor Drive BEVs
Authors: Yang Yu , Wang Chao , Yang Shujun , Tang Xianzhi
Published: November 2022

A hub motor is an effective drive system for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). However, due to limitations on packaging and cost, there are few applications in which hub motors are taken as the only actuators for a brake vehicle. Most applications involve a Regenerative Braking System (RBS) combined with a Hydraulic Braking System (HBS). In this paper, a top hierarchy Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) controller is designed in Matlab/Simulink and State-flow, including functionalities of basic emergency braking, brake force distribution between front and rear wheels, anti-lock braking and coordination between RBS and HBS based on Model Predictive Control (MPC); a Seven Degrees of Freedom (DOF) BEV chassis model is constructed and rear-end crash test scenarios are created in Carsim with a high and low road adhesion coefficient. A series of comparison tests show that not only are the stopping distances between the ego vehicle and target vehicle shorter, but also the braking torques, longitudinal slip ratio and rotation speed of each wheel are well controlled without wheel locking. To sum up, in addition to meeting the AEBS requirements of avoiding a rear-end collision, the control strategy developed in this paper also levels up braking performance and enhances vehicle stability on both high-mu and low-mu roads for BEVs driven by a hub motor independently.
Hybrid Reluctance Machine with Skewed Permanent Magnets and Zero-Sequence Current Excitation
Authors: Huang Ziqi , Zhao Xing , Wang Weiyu , Niu Shuangxia
Published: November 2022

The reluctance machine is a potential candidate for electrical vehicle propulsion because of its reliable structure, low cost, flexible flux regulation ability, and wide speed range. However, the torque density is unsatisfactory because of the poor excitation ability and low stator core utilization factor. To solve this problem, in this paper, a novel hybrid reluctance machine (HRM) with the skewed permanent magnet (PM) and the zero-sequence current is proposed for electric vehicles. The skewed PM has two magnetomotive force (MMF) components with different functions. The radial MMF component provides extra torque by the flux modulation effect. The tangential MMF component can generate a constant biased field in the stator core to relieve the saturation caused by the zero-sequence current and thus improve the utilization factor of the stator core. Therefore, torque improvement and the relief of stator core saturation can be simultaneously achieved by the skewed PM. In this paper, the machine structure and principle of the proposed machine are introduced. And ultimately, the machine’s electromagnetic performances are evaluated under different PM magnetization directions and zero-sequence current angles by using finite element analysis (FEA).
Integrated Harvesting of Medium Rotation Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Systems Compared
Authors: De Francesco Fabio , Magagnotti Natascia , Kováč Barnabáš , Heger Patrik , Heilig Dávid , Heil Bálint , Kovács Gábor , Zemánek Tomáš , Spinelli Raffaele
Published: November 2022

In this study, the authors provide a direct comparison made between whole tree-harvesting (WTH) and cut-to length (CTL) methods, which was conducted in two sites in the Slovak Republic and applied to poplar plantations. Both systems, WTH and CTL, have been employed at the highest mechanization level in two sites: “Nivky” and “Skalica”. Two different strategies, namely, “mass handling” and “small-scale mechanization”, have been used for WTH and CTL, respectively. The study results showed that the level of productivity (ODT SMH−1) in the felling operation was almost double for WTH than for the CTL method in Nivky (+84%) and more than double in Skalica (+113%). The extraction operation under WTH showed a productivity increase from one fifth (+20%) to more than double (104%) that of the CTL method in the Nivky and Skalica sites, respectively. Regarding cost-efficiency (EUR ODT−1), the WTH system offers a similar trend except with respect to extraction in Nivky (higher productivity site), in which the CTL extraction was 4.5% less expensive than the WTH extraction. The study results show that the mass-handling technique deployed in the WTH system offers very good performance in poorer plantations since the very small tree size and low-growing stock challenge the CTL system more than the WTH system. The total operation (felling, bucking, and extraction) costs (EUR ODT−1) recorded by the study in commercial conditions (as contractors perform for revenue purposes) were 32.50 and 45.80 EUR ODT−1 for CTL and 43.30 and 53.60 EUR ODT−1 for WTH for the higher-yield site (Nivky) and lower-yield site (Skalica), respectively. Regarding the WTH System, the researchers found that the drop in efficiency (and the consequent rise in the costs-per-ton of product) depends largely on the bucking phase conducted using the harvester at the landing of the stacked piles of interlocked trees. The main results of this study demonstrate the promising strategy of mass handling associated with the WTH system in medium rotation coppice (MRC) harvesting and shows that bucking is the weaker phase. Future efforts must be made to ensure feasibility of the “mass handling” strategy alongside the entire workflow by means of finding suitable mobile machinery that can delimb, debark, and crosscut tree bunches instead of single trees.
Study on the Moisture Content Diagnosis Method of Living Trees Based on WASN and CTWGAN-GP-L
Authors: Wu Yin , Yang Nengfei , Liu Yanyi
Published: November 2022

Water is an important component of tree cells, so the study of moisture content diagnostic methods for live standing trees not only provides help for production management in agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry but also provides technical guidance for plant physiology. With the booming development of deep learning in recent years, the generative adversarial network (GAN) provides a method to solve the problem of insufficient manual sample collection and tedious and time-consuming labeling. In this paper, we design and implement a wireless acoustic sensor network (WASN)-based wood moisture content diagnosis system with the main objective of nondestructively detecting the water content of live tree trunks. Firstly, the WASN nodes sample the acoustic emission signals of tree trunk bark at high speed then calculate the characteristic parameters and transmit them wirelessly to the gateway; secondly, the Conditional Tabular Wasserstein GAN-Gradient Penalty-L (CTWGAN-GP-L) algorithm is used to expand the 900 sets of offline samples to 1800 sets of feature parameters to improve the recognition accuracy of the model, and the quality of the generated data is also evaluated using various evaluation metrics. Moreover, the optimal combination of features is selected from the expanded mixed data set by the random forest algorithm, and the moisture content recognition model is established by the LightGBM algorithm (GSCV-LGB) optimized by the grid search and cross-validation algorithm; finally, real-time long-term online monitoring and diagnosis can be performed. The system was tested on six tree species: Magnolia (Magnoliaceae), Zelkova (Ulmaceae), Triangle Maple (Aceraceae), Zhejiang Nan (Lauraceae), Ginkgo (Ginkgoaceae), and Yunnan Pine (Pinaceae). The results showed that the diagnostic accuracy was at least 97.4%, and the designed WASN model is fully capable of long-term deployment for observing tree transpiration.
Insights into the Novel FAD2 Gene Regulating Oleic Acid Accumulation in Peanut Seeds with Different Maturity
Authors: Zhao Shuzhen , Sun Jie , Sun Jinbo , Zhang Xiaoqian , Zhao Chuanzhi , Pan Jiaowen , Hou Lei , Tian Ruizheng , Wang Xingjun
Published: November 2022

AhFAD2 is a key enzyme catalyzing the conversion of oleic acid into linoleic acid. The high oleic acid characteristic of peanut mainly comes from the homozygous recessive mutation of AhFAD2A and AhFAD2B genes (aabb). However, even in high-oleic-acid varieties with the aabb genotype, the oleic acid content of seeds with different maturity varies significantly. Therefore, in addition to AhFAD2A and AhFAD2B, other FAD2 members or regulators may be involved in this process. Which FAD2 genes are involved in the regulatory processes associated with seed maturity is still unclear. In this study, four stable lines with different genotypes (AABB, aaBB, AAbb, and aabb) were used to analyze the contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid at different stages of seed development in peanut. Three new AhFAD2 genes (AhFAD2–7, AhFAD2–8, and AhFAD2–9) were cloned based on the whole-genome sequencing results of cultivated peanuts. All peanut FAD2 genes showed tissue preference in expression; however, only the expression level of AhFAD2-7 was positively correlated with the linoleic acid concentration in peanut seeds. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of oleic acid accumulation by maturity, and AhFAD2-7 plays an important role in the maturity dependent accumulation of oleic acid and linoleic acid in peanut.
Radiosensitization-Related Cuproptosis LncRNA Signature in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Xu Qiushi , Liu Tong , Wang Junjie
Published: November 2022

A new treatment modality targeting cuproptosis is gradually entering the public horizon. Cuproptosis is a new form of regulated cell death distinct from ferroptosis, apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis. Previous studies have discovered that the copper level varies considerably in various cancers and that an increase in copper content is directly associated with the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after radiation, the potential utility of cuproptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is still unclear. This research aimed to develop a prediction signature based on lncRNAs associated with cuproptosis to predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients following radiation. Methods: Expression data of primary tumors and adjacent solid tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, along with the corresponding clinical and mutational data. Univariate and multivariate COX analyses and LASSO regression analyses were performed to obtain a predictive signature of lncRNAs associated with cuproptosis. The data were randomly grouped into a training group used for model construction and a test group used for model validation. The model was validated by drawing a survival curve, risk curve, independent prognostic analysis, ROC curve PFS analysis, etc. Results: The lncRNA signature consisting of six cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (AC104088.1, PPP4R3B-DT, AC006042.3, LUCAT1, HHLA3-AS1, and LINC02029) was used to predict the prognosis of patients. Among them, there were three high-risk lncRNAs (LUCAT1, HHLA3-AS1, and LINC02029) with HR > 1 and three protective lncRNAs (AC104088.1, PPP4R3B-DT, and AC006042.3), with an HR < 1. Data analysis demonstrated that the cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures could well predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients after radiation. Patients in the high-risk category receive a worse prognosis than those in the low-risk group. Cuproptosis-related risk prediction demonstrated better predictive qualities than age, gender, and pathological stage factors. Conclusion: The risk proposed model can independently predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients after radiotherapy, provide a foundation for the role of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in NSCLC after radiotherapy, and provide a clinical strategy for radiotherapy combined with cuproptosis in NSCLC patients.
Paralogous Genes Involved in Embryonic Development: Lessons from the Eye and other Tissues
Authors: Drobek Michaela
Published: November 2022

During evolution, gene duplications lead to a naturally increased gene dosage. Duplicated genes can be further retained or eliminated over time by purifying selection pressure. The retention probability is increased by functional diversification and by the acquisition of novel functions. Interestingly, functionally diverged paralogous genes can maintain a certain level of functional redundancy and at least a partial ability to replace each other. In such cases, diversification probably occurred at the level of transcriptional regulation. Nevertheless, some duplicated genes can maintain functional redundancy after duplication and the ability to functionally compensate for the loss of each other. Many of them are involved in proper embryonic development. The development of particular tissues/organs and developmental processes can be more or less sensitive to the overall gene dosage. Alterations in the gene dosage or a decrease below a threshold level may have dramatic phenotypic consequences or even lead to embryonic lethality. The number of functional alleles of particular paralogous genes and their mutual cooperation and interactions influence the gene dosage, and therefore, these factors play a crucial role in development. This review will discuss individual interactions between paralogous genes and gene dosage sensitivity during development. The eye was used as a model system, but other tissues are also included.
On the Rarity and Peculiarity of the Early Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) Leukadiellinae Ammonites—Systematic Review and Insights on the Interplay of Environmental Stress, Evolution and Biodiversity
Authors: Ridente Domenico
Published: November 2022

The subfamily Leukadiellinae Macchioni and Venturi, 2000 includes the two rare genera Leukadiella Renz, 1913 and Renziceras Arkell, 1953. Genus Leukadiella is characterised by ornamental and structural features unusual to the family Hildoceratidae Hyatt, 1867; for this reason, it has been occasionally grouped with other “odd” representatives of this family, as, for instance, Frechiella Prinz, 1904 and Paroniceras Bonarelli, 1893. While Renziceras comprises only one species, the eleven species currently recognised within Leukadiella show a noticeably discontinuous variability field; together with rarity of findings, the interpretation of this variability represents a renowned obstacle to their classification and phylogenetic reconstruction. Following an analysis of the morphological characters commonly used for defining Leukadiella species, a revised taxonomic scheme is herein proposed. Two clusters of characters are defined, based on which two morphologically distinct groups of species are distinguished, referred to as Helenae Group and Ionica Group. The genus name Leukadiella is maintained for species of the Helenae Group, which are restricted via synonymy to Leukadiella helenae Renz, 1913 and Leukadiella jeanneti Renz, 1927. The new genus name Neoleukadiella gen. nov. is proposed for species of the Ionica Group, which, by analogous limitation, are Neoleukadiella ionica Renz and Renz, 1946 and Neoleukadiella gallitellii Pinna, 1965. The reduction in the number of species from eleven to four is consistent with their rarity and limited paleogeographic distribution. The closely related Renziceras is considered the direct progenitor of Leukadiella; in turn, the Apennine genus Cingolites Sassaroli and Venturi, 2010 is proposed as transitional between Hildaites Buckman, 1921 and Renziceras. Conversely, the progenitor of Neoleukadiella remains uncertain, although a possible relationship between Leukadiella and Neoleukadiella species is tentatively traced. Finally, some challenging assumptions are made by emphasizing the role of environmental stress in controlling developmental dynamics that may drive striking phenotypic modification, of the kind observed in the Leukadiellinae species.
Nationwide Long-Term Evaluation of Polypharmacy Reduction Policies Focusing on Older Adults in Japan
Authors: Ishida Takehiro , Suzuki Asuka , Nakata Yoshinori
Published: November 2022

Polypharmacy is a serious health issue for older adults worldwide, including in Japan, which has a rapidly aging society. The “Proper Medication Guideline for Older Adults” was published for healthcare providers in May 2018, and polypharmacy reduction incentives were initiated for medical facilities in April 2016 and April 2018. This study identified the long-term reduction in polypharmacy prescriptions focusing on older adults aged 75 years and above from April 2015 to March 2019. The national health insurance claims database, which covers most reimbursement claims in Japan, was selected as the primary data source. In this study, polypharmacy was defined as the simultaneous prescription of seven or more medications or multi-psychotropic medications. The primary outcome was the polypharmacy reduction ratio, which indicates the decrease in polypharmacy proportion based on the number of medications on an outpatient prescription. A total polypharmacy reduction of 19.3% for the “75–89 years” subgroup and 16.5% for the “90 years and above” subgroup was observed over four years. Based on prefecture analysis, the mean values of polypharmacy proportion showed a statistically significant reduction over four years. This study showed a successful nationwide reduction in polypharmacy prescriptions after implementing the polypharmacy management guidelines for older adults and incentive-based policies.
Research on Vehicle Trajectory Deviation Characteristics on Freeways Using Natural Driving Trajectory Data
Authors: Dai Zhenhua , Pan Cunshu , Xiong Wenlei , Ding Rui , Zhang Heshan , Xu Jin
Published: November 2022

Lateral driving behavior analysis is the foundation of freeway cross-section design and the focus of road safety research. However, the factors that influence vehicle lateral driving behavior have not been clearly explained. The dataset of the natural driving trajectory of freeways is used in this study to analyze vehicle lateral driving behavior and trajectory characteristics. As vehicle trajectory characteristic indicators, parameters such as preferred trajectory deviation and standard deviation are extracted. The effects of lane position, speed, road safety facilities, and vehicle types on freeway trajectory behavior are investigated. The results show that lane width and lane position significantly impact vehicle trajectory distribution. As driving speed increases, the lateral distance between vehicles in the inner lane and the guardrail tends to increase. In contrast, vehicles in the outside lane will stay away from the road edge line, and vehicles in the middle lane will stay away from the right lane dividing line when the speed increases. Statistical analysis shows that the preferred trajectory distribution of the same vehicle type in different lane positions is significantly different among groups (Cohen’s d > 0.7). In the same lane, the lateral position characteristics of the center of mass of different vehicle types are basically the same (Cohen’s d < 0.35). This work aims to explain what variables cause trajectory deviation behaviors and how to design traffic safety facilities (guardrail and shoulder) and lane width to accommodate various vehicle types and design speeds.
Cumulative Health Drivers of Overnight Hospitalization for Australian Working-Age Adults Living Alone: The Early Warning Potential of Functionality
Authors: Rodwell John
Published: November 2022

There is a need to better understand the drivers of hospital utilization for the large and growing number of adults living alone. The cumulative effect of health drivers can be assessed by initially considering clinically advised information, then considering issues that a general practitioner or the person themselves may know. Logistic regression analyses were conducted on longitudinal data from the Household, Income, and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey with three time points over four years (n = 1019). The significant predictors of overnight hospitalization were the presence of a long-term health condition (Time 1), hospitalization severity and comorbidity (Time 1), work ability (Time 2), physical functioning (Time 2), being separated/divorced and having one or more health care cards. Health issues were predictive up to four years before the hospitalization window. That baseline risk of hospitalization was modified as symptoms and relatively salient changes in functionality accumulated. Specific sub-groups of hospital users had access due to insurance or special coverage. The impact of living alone on hospitalization may be able to be partly addressed through interventions such as improving access to primary care and using early warning triggers such as decreasing functionality to seek primary care before seeking hospitalization.
Optimal Insertion Depth of Gastric Decompression Tube with a Thermistor for Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Surgery in Trendelenburg Position
Authors: Jong Hwa Song , Lim Tae Won , Jung Ki Tae
Published: November 2022

Monitoring core temperature is crucial for maintaining normothermia during general anesthesia. Insertion of a gastric decompression tube (GDT) may be required during laparoscopic surgery. Recently, a newly designed GDT with a thermistor for monitoring esophageal temperature has been introduced. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the optimal insertion depth of a GDT with a thermistor. Forty-eight patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery in the Trendelenburg position were included in the study. The GDT was inserted to a depth of nose–earlobe–xiphoid distance (NEX) + 12 cm and withdrawn sequentially, 2 cm at a time, at 5-min intervals. Temperatures of the GDT thermistor were compared with the core temperature of the tympanic membrane (TM) using Bland and Altman analysis. The correlation between optimal insertion depth of the GDT and anatomical distance (cricoid cartilage to the carina, CCD; carina to the left hemidiaphragm, CLHD) was evaluated, and a mathematical model to predict the optimal insertion depth of the GDT with a thermistor was calculated. Temperatures of TM and GDT thermistor at NEX + 4 cm showed good agreement and strong correlation, but better agreement and stronger correlation were seen at the actual location with the most minor temperature differences. The optimal insertion depth of the GDT was estimated as −15.524 + 0.414 × CCD − 0.145 × CLHD and showed a strong correlation with the actual GDT insertion depth (correlation coefficient 0.797, adjusted R2 = 0.636). The mathematical formula using CCD and CLHD would be helpful in determining the optimal insertion depth of a GDT with a thermistor.
Physical and Quality of Life Changes in Elderly Patients after Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer—A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mey Rochelle , Casaña José , Díaz-Cambronero Óscar , Suso-Martí Luis , Cuenca-Martínez Ferran , Mazzinari Guido , López-Bueno Rubén , Andersen Lars L. , López-Bueno Laura , Selva-Sarzo Francisco , Calatayud Joaquín
Published: November 2022

Background—The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing among elderly people, where postoperative complications are frequent. Methods—We evaluated postoperative physical and quality of life changes in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. A prospective cohort study was performed in 31 colorectal cancer patients ≥60 years who were scheduled for laparoscopic surgery due to colorectal cancer. Outcomes were measured one month preoperative (T1), three days postoperative (T2) and one month postoperative (T3). Results—The largest early postoperative (from T1 to T2) declines were observed for isometric knee extension strength (33.1%), 30 s Chair Stand Test (27.9%) and handgrip strength (16.9%). Significant reductions in quality of life measured with the QLQ-C30 summary score and the EQ 5D index score were found between T1–T3 and T1–T2, respectively. Conclusions—A decline in isometric knee extension strength, 30 s Chair Stand Test, handgrip strength and quality of life is evident in elderly patients in the days following laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. Preoperative values are recovered one month after surgery for all the outcomes, except for isometric knee extension, which should receive especial attention.
Evaluation and Optimization Model of Rural Settlement Habitability in the Upper Reaches of the Minjiang River, China
Authors: Mei Hao , Yang Jin , Xiang Mingshun , Yang Xiaofeng , Wang Chunjian , Li Wenheng , Yang Suhua
Published: November 2022

Rural settlements are the spatial carriers of rural multifunctionality, and various issues related to livability are the main manifestations and causes of unbalanced and insufficient rural development. In the new era, it is imperative to promote the livability of rural settlements with the implementation of rural revitalization. However, compared with urban settlements, there are still fewer studies on the livability of rural settlements, especially those in disaster-prone areas; thus, this paper takes the upper reaches of the Minjiang River as the study area. It adopts GIS spatial analysis and the model of minimum cumulative resistance, etc., to conduct a livability evaluation and construct an optimization model by innovatively taking five aspects into account including site security and resource endowment. The results show that: (1) The overall livability of the region is relatively good, and the main factors affecting the livability are site security and economic affluence; (2) The location of rural settlements was highly livability-oriented, and the area of rural settlements in the moderate- and high-livability zones accounted for more than 90%; and (3) The key to improving the livability of rural settlements lies in the construction of development synergy, disaster management, cultural preservation and industrial upgrading, and thus, four types of settlement livability enhancement are proposed. The research results provide theoretical support for the construction of livable villages in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River and similar mountainous areas.
Study on Risk Assessment Methods and Zoning of Hazardous Chemicals Leaking into Seas
Authors: Wu Jiangyue , Xu Guodong , Guo Haoshuang , Zhang Yao , Xia Fang , Fang Gang
Published: November 2022

In China, studies on the regional risk assessment of hazardous chemicals have been carried out for only a few years, and there are few studies on hazardous chemicals leaking into seas. Previous regional-risk-assessment methods considered a single risk factor for most assessment targets, and comprehensive considerations of risk sources and sensitive resources for a study area are not sufficiently included. Based on previous work, this study established a regional-risk-assessment method for hazardous chemicals leaking into seas. This method considered the hazards of hazardous chemicals and the tolerance of the regional environment by means of a case study in Tianjin. The results showed that the risk level of the enterprise was Grade I, classified as a high-risk source of hazardous chemicals; the main reasons were the strong toxicity and large quantity of hazardous chemicals. This method provides technical support for scientifically assessing marine-environmental-risk levels for hazardous-chemical-leakage areas and for carrying out risk-prevention and restoration assessments of hazardous chemicals leaking into seas.
How Does Teachers’ Psychological Capital Influence Workplace Well-Being? A Moderated Mediation Model of Ego-Resiliency and Work-Meaning Cognition
Authors: Sun Binghai , Guo Hongteng , Xu Luyun , Ding Fujun
Published: November 2022

Previous studies found that teachers’ psychological capital positively affects their workplace well-being. However, the underlying internal mechanism behind this relationship remains ambiguous. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of ego-resiliency and work-meaning cognition on this relationship among Chinese teachers. The questionnaire, including the psychology capital scale (PCS), workplace well-being subscale (WWBS), Psychological Empowerment Scale (PESS), and Ego-Resiliency Scale (ERS), was used to collect data points from 1388 primary and secondary school teachers. The results reveal that: (1) teachers’ psychological capital positively predicts workplace well-being; (2) work-meaning cognition mediates the relationship between teachers’ psychological capital and workplace well-being; (3) the influence of work-meaning cognition on the relationship between teachers’ psychological capital and workplace well-being is moderated by ego-resiliency. These findings explore the factors that affect well-being and point to potential ways to enhance teachers’ workplace well-being.
Detection of Relevant Heavy Metal Concentrations in Human Placental Tissue: Relationship between the Concentrations of Hg, As, Pb and Cd and the Diet of the Pregnant Woman
Authors: Molina-Mesa Soledad , Martínez-Cendán Juan Pedro , Moyano-Rubiales Daniel , Cubillas-Rodríguez Inmaculada , Molina-García Jorge , González-Mesa Ernesto
Published: November 2022

Heavy metals can cross the placental barrier and reach the fetal compartment, threatening fetal development. Pregnant women can acquire these through food, drinking water, toxic habits or simply by breathing polluted air. The placenta has been described as a biomarker of maternal and fetal exposure to different toxic elements. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to test the possible existence of heavy metal deposits (Pb, As, Cd and Hg) in the placentas of women who gave birth at term in our setting, analyzing the influence of daily life and dietary habits. Methods: We studied 103 placentas, obtained by consecutive sampling, of women that delivered in the Regional Maternity Hospital of Malaga between March and June, 2021. As, Cd and Pb concentrations were analyzed using mass spectrometry techniques. Hg concentration was studied according to US EPA method 7473. Women also answered a questionnaire with epidemiological variables. Results: Detectable concentrations were found in 14.56% [As], 44.6% [Cd], 81.5% [Pb] and 100% [Hg]. [Pb] and [As] correlated significantly (Spearman’s Rho of 0.91 and <0.001), as did [Hg] and [Cd] (Spearman’s Rho 0.256, p < 0.004). The [Pb] and [AS] concentrations were significantly higher in cases of tap water consumption. [Hg] concentrations predicted the birth weight of female newborns.
Soot Combustion over Cu–Co Spinel Catalysts: The Intrinsic Effects of Precursors on Catalytic Activity
Authors: Zhou Chunlin , Zhu Xinbo , Zhang Fei , Li Xinbao , Chen Geng , Zhou Zijian , Yang Guohua
Published: November 2022

In this work, a series of CuCo2O4-x (x = N, A and C) catalysts were synthesized using different metal salt precursors by urea hydrothermal method for catalytic soot combustion. The effect of CuCo2O4-x catalysts on soot conversion and CO2 selectivity in both loose and tight contact mode was investigated. The CuCo2O4-N catalyst exhibited outstanding catalytic activity with the characteristic temperatures (T10, T50 and T90) of 451 °C, 520 °C and 558 °C, respectively, while the CO2 selectivity reached 98.8% during the reaction. With the addition of NO, the soot combustion was further accelerated over all catalysts. Compared with the loose contact mode, the soot conversion was improved in the tight contact mode. The CuCo2O4-N catalysts showed better textural properties compared to the CuCo2O4-A and CuCo2O4-C, such as higher specific surface areas and pore volumes. The XRD results confirmed that the formation of a CuCo2O4 crystal phase in all catalysts. However, the CuO crystal phase only presented in CuCo2O4-N and CuCo2O4-A. The relative contents of Cu2+, Co3+ and Oads on the surface of CuCo2O4-x (x = N, A and C) catalysts were analyzed by XPS. The CuCo2O4-N catalyst displayed the highest relative content of Cu2+, Co3+ and Oads. The activity of catalytic soot combustion showed a good correlation with the order of the relative contents of Cu2+, Co3+ and Oads. Additionally, the CuCo2O4-N catalyst exhibited lower reduction temperature compared to the CuCo2O4-A and CuCo2O4-C. The cycle tests clarified that the copper–cobalt spinel catalyst obtained good stability. In addition, based on the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism, the process of catalytic soot combustion was described combined with the electron transfer process and the role of oxygen species over CuCo2O4 spinel catalysts.
The Application of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Model to Gambling Urge and Involvement
Authors: Zhou Hui , Hung Eva P. W. , Xie Li , Yuan Zhen , Wu Anise M. S.
Published: November 2022

Background: Drawing on the intolerance of uncertainty model, this study aimed to examine whether intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation difficulties (in terms of impulse control difficulties and limited access to emotion regulation strategies) contributed to individual differences in gambling urge and involvement. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit Chinese adult participants who had engaged in buying lottery tickets and other gambling activities in the past year. They were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire survey, and a total of 580 valid cases (Mage = 34.07, SD = 13.36; 50.4% female) were collected for data analysis. Results: Path analysis showed that the total effect of intolerance of uncertainty on gambling urge and involvement was significant and positive. However, only impulse control difficulties and not limited access to emotion regulation strategies fully mediated the effect of intolerance of uncertainty. Conclusions: As the first study to apply the intolerance of uncertainty model to real-life gambling, it found that individuals’ intolerance of uncertainty and impulse control difficulties contributed to more gambling urge and involvement. Improving emotion regulation skill (e.g., impulse control training) may, therefore, be considered in programs for promoting responsible gambling among Chinese gamblers.
Effect of Differences in Access to Screening, Healthcare, and Treatment on Cancer Disparities
Authors: Ellsworth Rachel E.
Published: November 2022

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease with over 100 recognized types that differ by organ site and cellular origins [...]