bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fangchinoline Inhibits Human Esophageal Cancer by Transactivating ATF4 to Trigger Both Noxa-Dependent Intrinsic and DR5-Dependent Extrinsic Apoptosis
Authors: Zhang Yunjing , Wang Shiwen , Chen Yukun , Zhang Junqian , Yang Jing , Xian Jingrong , Li Lihui , Zhao Hu , Hoffman Robert M. , Zhang Yanmei , Jia Lijun
Published: June 2021

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a recalcitrant cancer. The Chinese herbal monomer fangchinoline (FCL) has been reported to have anti-tumor activity in several human cancer cell types. However, the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanism on ESCC remain to be elucidated. In the present study, for the first time, we demonstrated that FCL significantly suppressed the growth of ESCC both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that FCL-induced G1 phase cell-cycle arrest in ESCC which is dependent on p21 and p27. Moreover, we found that FCL coordinatively triggered Noxa-dependent intrinsic apoptosis and DR5-dependent extrinsic apoptosis by transactivating ATF4, which is a novel mechanism. Our findings elucidated the tumor-suppressive efficacy and mechanisms of FCL and demonstrated FCL is a potential anti-ESCC agent.
UBE2D3 Activates SHP-2 Ubiquitination to Promote Glycolysis and Proliferation of Glioma via Regulating STAT3 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Pan Zhenjiang , Bao Jing , Zhang Liujun , Wei Shepeng
Published: June 2021

Glioma is a primary brain cancer with high malignancy and morbidity. Current management for glioma cannot reach optimal remission. Therefore, it is necessary to find novel targets for glioma treatment. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 D3 (UBE2D3) is involved in the pathogenesis of various kinds of cancer. However, its role in glioma remains unclear. Our study aims to explore the function and underlying mechanism of UBE2D3 in the development of glioma. By analysis with The Cancer Genome Atlas-Glioblastoma multiforme (TCGA-GBM) dataset, we found that UBE2D3 was highly expressed in glioma and it is positive correlation with glycolysis, apoptosis, and STAT3 pathway. Then, we explore the effects of UBE2D3 knockdown in the biological functions of glioma cell lines. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were estimated by cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry. Extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate were estimated to determine the level of cell glycolysis. Xenograft experiments were performed to identify in vivo function of UBE2D3. The results showed that the inhibition of UBE2D3 could suppress the proliferation, glycolysis, and STAT3 phosphorylation of GBM both in vitro and in vivo. UBE2D3 could interact with SHP-2 and promoted its ubiquitination, which elevated the activation of STAT3 pathway. Overexpressed SHP-2 could reverse the effect of UBE2D3 and they shared contrary expression patterns in glioma and normal brain tissues. In summary, our study revealed that UBE2D3 could promote the ubiquitination of SHP-2, which activated STAT3 pathway and promoted glioma proliferation as well as glycolysis. UBE2D3 could be a potential target for glioma treatment.
AUCseg: An Automatically Unsupervised Clustering Toolbox for 3D-Segmentation of High-Grade Gliomas in Multi-Parametric MR Images
Authors: Zhao Botao , Ren Yan , Yu Ziqi , Yu Jinhua , Peng Tingying , Zhang Xiao-Yong
Published: June 2021

The segmentation of high-grade gliomas (HGG) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is clinically meaningful in neurosurgical practice, but a challenging task. Currently, most segmentation methods are supervised learning with labeled training sets. Although these methods work well in most cases, they typically require time-consuming manual labeling and pre-trained models. In this work, we propose an automatically unsupervised segmentation toolbox based on the clustering algorithm and morphological processing, named AUCseg. With our toolbox, the whole tumor was first extracted by clustering on T2-FLAIR images. Then, based on the mask acquired with whole tumor segmentation, the enhancing tumor was segmented on the post-contrast T1-weighted images (T1-CE) using clustering methods. Finally, the necrotic regions were segmented by morphological processing or clustering on T2-weighted images. Compared with K-means, Mini-batch K-means, and Fuzzy C Means (FCM), the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering performs the best in our toolbox. We did a multi-sided evaluation of our toolbox in the BraTS2018 dataset and demonstrated that the whole tumor, tumor core, and enhancing tumor can be automatically segmented using default hyper-parameters with Dice score 0.8209, 0.7087, and 0.7254, respectively. The computing time of our toolbox for each case is around 22 seconds, which is at least 3 times faster than other state-of-the-art unsupervised methods. In addition, our toolbox has an option to perform semi-automatic segmentation via manually setup hyper-parameters, which could improve the segmentation performance. Our toolbox, AUCseg, is publicly available on Github. (https://github.com/Haifengtao/AUCseg).
Inflammatory Markers and Procalcitonin Predict the Outcome of Metastatic Non-Small-Cell-Lung-Cancer Patients Receiving PD-1/PD-L1 Immune-Checkpoint Blockade
Authors: Nardone Valerio , Giannicola Rocco , Bianco Giovanna , Giannarelli Diana , Tini Paolo , Pastina Pierpaolo , Falzea Antonia Consuelo , Macheda Sebastiano , Caraglia Michele , Luce Amalia , Zappavigna Silvia , Mutti Luciano , Pirtoli Luigi , Giordano Antonio , Correale Pierpaolo
Published: June 2021

Peripheral-immune-checkpoint blockade (P-ICB) with mAbs to PD-1 (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) or PD-L1 (atezolizumab, durvalumab, avelumab) alone or combination with chemotherapy represents a novel active treatment for mNSCLC patients. However, this therapy can be associated to immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and high cost. Therefore, finding reliable biomarkers of response and irAEs is strongly encouraged to accurately select patients who may potentially benefit from the immuno-oncological treatment. This is a retrospective multi-institutional analysis performed on ninety-five mNSCLC patients who received real-world salvage therapy with nivolumab or atezolizumab between December 2015 and April 2020. The outcome of these patients in term of PFS and OS was evaluated in comparison with different serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimention Rate (ESR) and Procalcitonin (PCT) by performing Kaplan–Meier and Log-rank test and multivariate analysis. We found that high baseline levels of CRP, ESR, and PCT were strongly predictive of poor outcome (P <0.05) with the worse prognosis detected in those patients with a baseline levels of both ESR and PCT over the pre-established cut off (median OS recorded in patients with no marker over the cut off vs. those with just one marker over the cut off vs. those with both markers over the cut off: 40 ± 59 vs. 15.5 ± 5.5 vs. 5.5 ± 1.6 months, respectively; P <0.0001). Our results suggest the predictive value of systemic inflammation and suggest a potential role of PCT in predicting a poor outcome in mNSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1 blocking mAbs. This finding also suggests a potential role of subclinical bacterial infections in defining the response to PD-1/PD-L1 blocking mAbs that deserves further and more specific investigations.
Case Report: Corneal Leucoma as a Novel Clinical Presentation of Nail-Patella Syndrome in a 5-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Hou Ling , Du Yue , Wu Yubin , Zeng Yue , Zhao Chengguang
Published: June 2021

Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by the classic tetrad of absent or hypoplastic finger and toe nails, absent or hypoplastic patella, skeletal deformities involving the elbow joints, and iliac horns. This disease is caused by heterozygous pathogenic variations in the LMX1B gene, which encodes the LIM homeodomain transcription factor protein (LMX1B). We report a case of corneal leucoma and dysplasia prior to overt steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) in a patient with NPS. At presentation, the parents of a 5-year-old female patient reported their daughter had corneal leucoma, psychomotor delay and speech defect. We also noted the presence of bilateral edema of the lower extremities, hypertension, nail dystrophy, and the bilateral absence of patella. She developed steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Lowe oculocerebrorenal syndrome and NPS were the conditions considered in differential diagnosis. Trio-based whole genome sequencing indicated a heterozygous de novo likely pathogenic variation in the LMX1B gene (c.805A>C [p.Asn269His]). Patients with NPS often develop nail, ocular, or orthopedic symptoms prior to nephrotic syndrome. Corneal leucoma may be a novel clinical presentation of NPS.
TMT-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Effect of Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell on Hair Follicle Regeneration
Authors: Zhang Chao , Li YuanHong , Qin Jie , Yu ChengQian , Ma Gang , Chen HongDuo , Xu XueGang
Published: June 2021

Hair loss (HL) is a common chronic problem of poorly defined etiology. Herein, we explored the functionality of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) and conditioned medium (MSC-CM) as regulators of hair follicle proliferation and regeneration, and the mechanistic basis for such activity. BMSC were cultured and identified in vitro through the induction of multilineage differentiation and the use of a CCK-8 kit. The dorsal skin of mice was then injected with BMSC and MSC-CM, and the impact of these injections on hair cycle transition and hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) proliferation was then evaluated via hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunofluorescent (IF) staining. We then conducted a tandem mass tags (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic analysis of control mice and mice treated with BMSC or MSC-CM to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) associated with these treatments. Parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) was utilized as a means of verifying our proteomic analysis results. Herein, we found that BMSC and MSC-CM injection resulted in the transition of telogen hair follicles to anagen hair follicles, and we observed the enhanced proliferation of HFSCs positive for Krt15 and Sox9. Our TMT analyses identified 1,060 and 770 DEPs (fold change＞1.2 or＜0.83 and p ＜ 0.05) when comparing the BMSC vs. control and MSC-CM vs. control groups, respectively. Subsequent PRM validation of 14 selected DEPs confirmed these findings, and led to the identification of Stmn1, Ncapd2, Krt25, and Ctps1 as hub DEPs in a protein-protein interaction network. Together, these data suggest that BMSC and MSC-CM treatment can promote the proliferation of HFSCs, thereby facilitating hair follicle regeneration. Our proteomics analyses further indicate that Krt25, Cpm, Stmn1, and Mb may play central roles in hair follicle transition in this context and may represent viable clinical targets for the treatment of HL.
Piper sarmentosum Roxb. Attenuates Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Nicotine-Induced Rats
Authors: Md. Salleh Muhd Fakh Rur Razi , Aminuddin Amilia , Hamid Adila A. , Salamt Norizam , Japar Sidik Fadhlullah Zuhair , Ugusman Azizah
Published: June 2021

Exposure to cigarette smoke is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Nicotine is an addictive compound in cigarette smoke that triggers oxidative stress, which leads to vascular dysfunction. Piper sarmentosum Roxb. is a herb with antioxidant and vascular protective effects. This study evaluated the potential protective effect of the aqueous extract of P. sarmentosum leaf (AEPS) on vascular dysfunction in rats induced with prolonged nicotine administration. A total of 22 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (normal saline, oral gavage [p.o.]), nicotine (0.8 mg/kg/day nicotine, intraperitoneally [i.p.]), and nicotine + AEPS groups (250 mg/kg/day AEPS, p.o. + 0.8 mg/kg/day nicotine, i.p.). Treatment was given for 21 days. Thoracic aortae were harvested from the rats for the measurement of vasorelaxation, vascular nitric oxide (NO) level, and antioxidant level and the assessment of vascular remodeling. Rats treated with AEPS had improved vasorelaxation to endothelium-dependent vasodilator, acetylcholine (ACh), compared with the nicotine-induced rats (p < 0.05). The presence of endothelium increased the maximum relaxation of aortic rings in response to ACh. Compared with the nicotine group, AEPS enhanced vascular NO level (p < 0.001) and increased antioxidant levels as measured by superoxide dismutase activity (p < 0.05), catalase activity (p < 0.01), and reduced glutathione level (p < 0.05). No remarkable changes in aortic histomorphometry were detected. In conclusion, P. sarmentosum attenuates vascular endothelial dysfunction in nicotine-induced rats by improving vasorelaxation and enhancing vascular NO and antioxidant levels.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervenes in Vascular Dementia: Traditional Medicine Brings New Expectations
Authors: Bai Xue , Zhang Meng
Published: June 2021

Vascular dementia (VD) is one of the most common forms of dementia, referring to a group of symptoms that mainly manifest as advanced neurocognitive dysfunction induced by cerebrovascular disease (CVD). A significant number of studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a clinical impact on VD and thus has promising prospects. There have been many discussions regarding the pharmacological mechanisms involved in treatment of the kidney, elimination of turbidity, and promotion of blood circulation. TCM has a prominent effect on improving patients’ cognitive function and quality of life. In this review, we summarize the pathogenesis of VD in modern medicine and TCM, traditional prescriptions, single-agent effective ingredients and their pharmacological mechanisms for treating VD, highlight TCM’s characteristics, and discuss TCM’s multi-targeted mechanism for the treatment of VD.
Pathophysiologic Role of Neurotransmitters in Digestive Diseases
Authors: Yang Xiaoxu , Lou Jun , Shan Weixi , Ding Jianhong , Jin Zhe , Hu Yanxia , Du Qian , Liao Qiushi , Xie Rui , Xu Jingyu
Published: June 2021

Neurotransmitters are special molecules that serve as messengers in chemical synapses between neurons, cells, or receptors, including catecholamines, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters, which play an important role in both human physiology and pathology. Compelling evidence has indicated that neurotransmitters have an important physiological role in various digestive diseases. They act as ligands in combination with central or peripheral receptors, and transmits signals through chemical synapses, which are involved in regulating the physiological and pathological processes of the digestive tract organs. For instance, neurotransmitters regulate blood circulation and affect intestinal movement, nutrient absorption, the gastrointestinal innate immune system, and the microbiome. In this review, we will focus on the role of neurotransmitters in the pathogenesis of digestive tract diseases to provide novel therapeutic targets for new drug development in digestive diseases.
Comparison of Digestive Enzyme Activities and Expression of Small Intestinal Transporter Genes in Jinhua and Landrace Pigs
Authors: Liu Xiuting , Lyu Wentao , Liu Lei , Lv Kaikai , Zheng Fen , Wang Yuanxia , Chen Jinggang , Dai Bing , Yang Hua , Xiao Yingping
Published: June 2021

Digestive enzyme activity is involved in the regulation of growth performance because digestive enzymes function to improve the feed efficiency by digestion and in turn to modulate the process of nutrient metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences of the digestive enzyme activities and expression of nutrient transporters in the intestinal tract between Jinhua and Landrace pigs and to explore the potential breed-specificity in digestion and absorption. The pancreas segments and the digesta and mucosa of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were collected from 10 Jinhua pigs and Landrace pigs, respectively. The activities of trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase, maltase, sucrase, and lipase were measured and the expression levels of PepT1, GLUT2, SGLT1, FABP1, FABP2, and FABP4 were examined. Results showed that the trypsin activity in the pancreas of Jinhua pigs was higher than that in Landrace pigs, but was lower in the small intestine, except for in the jejunal mucosa. The chymotrypsin activity in the small intestine of Jinhua pigs was higher than that in Landrace pigs, except for in jejunal mucosa and contents. Compared with Landrace pigs, the amylase and maltase activity in the small intestine of Jinhua pigs was lower, except for in ileal mucosa. The sucrase activity in the small intestine of Jinhua pigs was also lower than Landrace pigs, except for in jejunal mucosa. Furthermore, the lipase activity in the small intestine of Jinhua pigs was higher than that in Landrace pigs. The mRNA levels of PepT1 and GLUT2 in duodenal, jejunal and ileal mucosa showed no difference between Jinhua and Landrace pigs, whereas SGLT1 in ileal mucosa was lower in Jinhua pigs. The mRNA levels of FABP1, FABP2 and FABP4 in the small intestinal mucosa of Jinhua pigs were higher than in Landrace pigs. These findings indicate that there is a certain difference in the digestibility and absorption of nutrients in small intestine of Jinhua and Landrace pigs, partially resulting in their differences in growth development and fat deposition.
Ras-Related C3 Botulinum Toxin Substrate 1 Combining With the Mixed Lineage Kinase 3- Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 7- c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Signaling Module Accelerates Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Ying Changjiang , Dai Jiao , Fan Gaoxia , Zhou Zhongyuan , Gan Tian , Zhang Yusheng , Song Yuanjian , Zhou Xiaoyan
Published: June 2021

Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1) activation plays a vital role in diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the precise mechanism of how RAC1 aggravates DN through cellular and animal experiments. In this study, DN was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 150mg/kg), and the RAC1 inhibitor NSC23766 was administered by tail vein injection. Biochemical indicators, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and morphological changes in the kidney were detected. The expression of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and cleaved caspase-3 and the interaction between RAC1 and the mixed lineage kinase 3 (MLK3)-mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 (MKK7)-JNK signaling module were determined. Furthermore, the colocalization and direct co-interaction of RAC1 and MLK3 were confirmed. Our results showed that RAC1 accelerates renal damage and increases the expression of p-JNK, NF-κB, and cleaved caspase-3. However, inhibition of RAC1 ameliorated DN by downregulating p-JNK, NF-κB, and cleaved caspase-3. Also, RAC1 promoted the assembly of MLK3-MKK7-JNK, and NSC23766 blocked the interaction between RAC1 and MLK3-MKK7-JNK and inhibited the assembly of the MLK3-MKK7-JNK signaling module. Furthermore, RAC1 was combined with MLK3 directly, but the RAC1 Y40C mutant inhibited the interaction between RAC1 and MLK3. We demonstrated that RAC1 combining with MLK3 activates the MLK3-MKK7-JNK signaling module, accelerating DN occurrence and development, and RAC1 Y40 is an important site for binding of RAC1 to MLK3. This study illustrates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how RAC1 accelerates DN and provides evidence of DN-targeted therapy.
Construction of a High-Density Genetic Map and Identification of Leaf Trait-Related QTLs in Chinese Bayberry (Myrica rubra)
Authors: Zhang Shuwen , Yu Zheping , Qi Xingjiang , Wang Zhao , Zheng Yuanyuan , Ren Haiying , Liang Senmiao , Zheng Xiliang
Published: June 2021

Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) is an economically important fruit tree that is grown in southern China. Owing to its over 10-year seedling period, the crossbreeding of bayberry is challenging. The characteristics of plant leaves are among the primary factors that control plant architecture and potential yields, making the analysis of leaf trait-related genetic factors crucial to the hybrid breeding of any plant. In the present study, molecular markers associated with leaf traits were identified via a whole-genome re-sequencing approach, and a genetic map was thereby constructed. In total, this effort yielded 902.11 Gb of raw data that led to the identification of 2,242,353 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 140 F1 individuals and parents (Myrica rubra cv. Biqizhong × Myrica rubra cv. 2012LXRM). The final genetic map ultimately incorporated 31,431 SNPs in eight linkage groups, spanning 1,351.85 cM. This map was then used to assemble and update previous scaffold genomic data at the chromosomal level. The genome size of M. rubra was thereby established to be 275.37 Mb, with 94.98% of sequences being assembled into eight pseudo-chromosomes. Additionally, 18 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with nine leaf and growth-related traits were identified. Two QTL clusters were detected (the LG3 and LG5 clusters). Functional annotations further suggested two chlorophyll content-related candidate genes being identified in the LG5 cluster. Overall, this is the first study on the QTL mapping and identification of loci responsible for the regulation of leaf traits in M. rubra, offering an invaluable scientific for future marker-assisted selection breeding and candidate gene analyses.
The Representation of Roma in the Romanian Media During COVID-19: Performing Control Through Discursive-Performative Repertoires
Authors: Chiruta Ionut
Published: June 2021

This article investigates the narratives employed by the Romanian media in covering the development of COVID-19 in Roma communities in Romania. This paper aims to contribute to academic literature on Romani studies, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, by adopting as its case study the town of Ţăndărei, a small town in the south of Romania, which in early 2020 was widely reported by Romanian media during both the pre- and post-quarantine period. The contributions rest on anchoring the study in post-foundational theory and media studies to understand the performativity of Roma identity and the discursive-performative practices of control employed by the Romania media in the first half of 2020. Aroused by the influx of ethnic Romani returning from Western Europe, the Romanian mainstream media expanded its coverage through sensationalist narratives and depictions of lawlessness and criminality. These branded the ethnic minority as a scapegoat for the spreading of the virus. Relying on critical social theory, this study attempts to understand how Roma have been portrayed during the Coronavirus crisis. Simultaneously, this paper resonates with current Roma theories about media discourses maintaining and reinforcing a sense of marginality for Roma communities. To understand the dynamics of Romanian media discourses, this study employs NVivo software tools and language-in-use discourse analysis to examine the headlines and sub headlines of approximately 300 articles that have covered COVID-19 developments in Roma communities between February and July 2020. The findings from the study indicate that the media first focused on exploiting the sensationalism of the episodes involving Roma. Second, the media employed a logic of polarization to assist the authorities in retaking control of the pandemic and health crisis from Romania. The impact of the current study underlines the need to pay close attention to the dynamics of crises when activating historical patterns of stigma vis-à-vis Roma communities in Eastern Europe.
The Effect of the Intensity of Happy Expression on Social Perception of Chinese Faces
Authors: Li Yaning , Jiang Zhongqing , Yang Yisheng , Leng Haizhou , Pei Fuhua , Wu Qi
Published: June 2021

Numerous studies have shown that facial expressions influence trait impressions in the Western context. There are cultural differences in the perception and recognition rules of different intensities of happy expressions, and researchers have only explored the influence of the intensity of happy expressions on a few facial traits (warmth, trustworthiness, and competence). Therefore, we examined the effect of different intensities of Chinese happy expressions on the social perception of faces from 11 traits, namely trustworthiness, responsibility, attractiveness, sociability, confidence, intelligence, aggressiveness, dominance, competence, warmth, and tenacity. In this study, participants were asked to view a series of photographs of faces with high-intensity or low-intensity happy expressions and rate the 11 traits on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = “not very ××,” 7 = “very ××”). The results indicated that high-intensity happy expression had higher-rated scores for sociability and warmth but lower scores for dominance, aggressiveness, intelligence, and competence than the low-intensity happy expression; there was no significant difference in the rated scores for trustworthiness, attractiveness, responsibility, confidence, and tenacity between the high-intensity and low-intensity happy expressions. These results suggested that, compared to the low-intensity happy expression, the high-intensity happy expression will enhance the perceptual outcome of the traits related to approachability, reduce the perceptual outcome of traits related to capability, and have no significant effect on trustworthiness, attractiveness, responsibility, confidence, and tenacity.
The Effect of Modeling on Self-Efficacy and Flow State of Adolescent Athletes Through Role Models
Authors: Lee Seungjoo , Kwon Sungho , Ahn Jihoon
Published: June 2021

This study aimed to verify the effects of role modeling on adolescent athletes’ self-efficacy and flow state. The subjects were middle school and high school athletes registered with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. From the collected data, descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis were performed. To verify the mediating effects of self-efficacy in the relationship between modeling and flow state, structural equation modeling analysis was conducted. The direct effects of adolescent athlete modeling on flow state (β = 0.416, B = 0.244, p < 0.01) and self-efficacy (β = 0.479, B = 0.500, p < 0.01) were all significant, and the direct effects of self-efficacy on flow state (β = 0.404, B = 0.227, p < 0.01) were also significant. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the indirect effect of modeling on flow state (β = 0.194, B = 0.114, p < 0.01) was significant, and that the partial mediated effects of self-efficacy were significant. Thus, we confirmed that when adolescent athlete use modeling through a role model, their self-efficacy increased which in turn led to a positive effect on the ability to achieve a flow state.
Psychosocial Impact of Cancer Care Disruptions in Women With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Soriano Emily C. , Perndorfer Christine , Otto Amy K. , Fenech Alyssa L. , Siegel Scott D. , Dickson-Witmer Diana , Clements Lydia , Laurenceau Jean-Philippe
Published: June 2021

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in cancer care, and preliminary research suggests that these disruptions are associated with increased levels of psychosocial distress among cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to offer a descriptive report of the psychosocial functioning, perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, and COVID-19 pandemic impact and experiences in a unique, high-risk patient cohort: breast cancer survivors whose cancer treatment was delayed and/or changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 50 women with dual carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ, or invasive breast cancer whose cancer surgery was postponed due to the pandemic. As they awaited delayed surgery or shortly after they received delayed surgery, participants completed questionnaires on psychosocial functioning (depression, anxiety, sleep, and quality of life), their perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, patient-provider communication about disruptions in their care, personal impact of the pandemic, worry/threat about COVID-19, and COVID-19 symptoms/diagnoses. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were computed among continuous study variables. Independent samples t-tests explored group differences in psychosocial functioning between survivors who were still awaiting delayed surgery and those who had recently received it.

Results: Overall, the sample denied that the pandemic seriously negatively impacted their finances or resource access and reported low-to-moderate levels of psychosocial distress and fear about COVID-19. Twenty-six percent had clinically significant levels of fear of cancer progression, with levels comparable to other recent work. About a third were still awaiting delayed cancer surgery and this group reported lower satisfaction with communication from oncology providers but overall did not seem to report more psychosocial difficulties than those who already had surgery.

Conclusion: Shortly before or after primary breast cancer surgery that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this sample of survivors appears to be generally managing well psychosocially. However, many psychosocial difficulties (e.g., fear of cancer recurrence/progression) typically have an onset after the completion of treatment, therefore, research should continue to follow this cohort of cancer survivors as the pandemic’s direct impact on their care likely increases their risk for these difficulties later in survivorship.
Forensic-Psychiatric Risk Evaluations: Perspectives of Forensic Psychiatric Experts and Older Incarcerated Persons From Switzerland
Authors: Wangmo Tenzin , Seaward Helene , Pageau Felix , Hiersemenzel Lutz-Peter , Elger Bernice S.
Published: June 2021

Background: Forensic-psychiatric risk assessments of persons in prisons aim to provide treatment for their mental health disorders to prevent risk of recidivism. Based on the outcomes of such evaluations, it is decided, for instance, whether the person can be released or be assigned to further treatment with or without privileges. A negative evaluation would mean that the assessed person must remain in prison or in a forensic institution until his or her mental health has improved to live safely in the community. This paper highlights the process of forensic-psychiatric evaluations and the challenges faced by the two parties directly involved in this process in Switzerland.

Methods: Data for this manuscript are gathered using semi-structured one-to-one interviews. The study participants included a purposive sample of 41 older incarcerated persons under measures (i.e., mandated by court order to psychotherapeutic and psychiatric treatment), and 23 expert participants working in Swiss prisons or forensic institutions. We analyzed data using thematic analysis.

Results: Study findings within four themes are reported. First we describe the standards and procedures that expert participants use to carry out adequate risk assessments and conditions under which they refuse to perform such assessments. Thereafter, we present expert participants' concerns associated with predictive risk assessments and highlight the need to be cautious in drawing conclusion from them. We then reveal older incarcerated participants' reports on the inconsistencies with the forensic expertise and their belief that these reports tend to be negative toward them. The final theme concerns older participants' experiences of how these evaluations negatively impact their lives and their perspectives of a different future.

Conclusion: The study findings about forensic-psychiatric risk assessments point to the need for a clearer communication on how these evaluations take place and how decisions are taken based on them. As incarceration under measures denotes the necessity to continue therapy and reduce dangerousness, it is important that accused person understands his or her real progress, feel that the decisions are objective and justified, and are aware of the progress needed to achieve the goal of eventual release. Such clarity will not only be valuable for those under measures, but also the justice system.
Stanniocalcin-1 Overexpression Prevents Depression-Like Behaviors Through Inhibition of the ROS/NF-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Chao Bin , Zhang Lili , Pan Juhua , Zhang Ying , Chen Yuxia , Xu Manman , Huang Shijing
Published: June 2021

Background: Depression is a burdensome psychiatric disorder presenting with disordered inflammation and neural plasticity. We conducted this study with an aim to explore the effect of stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) on inflammation and neuron injury in rats with depression-like behaviors.

Methods: A model of depression-like behaviors was established in Wistar rats by stress stimulation. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-packaged STC1 overexpression sequence or siRNA against STC1 was introduced into rats to enhance or silence the STC1 expression. Moreover, we measured pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. An in vitro model was induced in hippocampal neurons by CORT to explore the effect of STC1 on the neuron viability, toxicity and apoptosis. RT-qPCR and Western blot assay were employed to determine the expression of STC1 and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway-related genes.

Results: STC1 was under-expressed in the hippocampus of rats with depression-like behaviors, while its overexpression could reduce the depression-like behaviors in the stress-stimulated rats. Furthermore, overexpression of STC1 resulted in enhanced neural plasticity, reduced release of pro-inflammatory proteins, elevated SOD and CAT and diminished MDA level in the hippocampus of rats with depression-like behaviors. Overexpressed STC1 blocked the ROS/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby enhancing the viability of CORT-treated neurons while repressing their toxicity and apoptosis.

Conclusion: Collectively, overexpression of STC1 inhibits inflammation and protects neuron injury in rats with depression-like behaviors by inactivating the ROS/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Use of Alcohol and Addictive Drugs During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Norway: Associations With Mental Health and Pandemic-Related Problems
Authors: Bonsaksen Tore , Ekeberg Øivind , Schou-Bredal Inger , Skogstad Laila , Heir Trond , Grimholt Tine K.
Published: June 2021

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a major impact on people's daily life. This study aimed to examine use of alcohol and addictive drugs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Norway and examine their association with mental health problems and problems related to the pandemic.

Methods: A sample of 4,527 persons responded to the survey. Use of alcohol and addictive drugs were cross-tabulated with sociodemographic variables, mental health problems, and problems related to COVID-19. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the strength of the associations.

Results: Daily use of alcohol was associated with depression and expecting financial loss in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak. Use of cannabis was associated with expecting financial loss in relation to COVID-19. Use of sedatives was associated with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Use of painkillers was associated with insomnia and self-reported risk of complications if contracting the coronavirus.

Conclusion: The occurrence of mental health problems is more important for an understanding of the use of alcohol and addictive drugs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Norway, compared to specific pandemic-related worries.
COVID-19 Testing Experience in a Resource-Limited Setting: The Use of Existing Facilities in Public Health Emergency Management
Authors: Assefa Nega , Hassen Jemal Yousuf , Admassu Desalegn , Brhane Mussie , Deressa Mersen , Marami Dadi , Teklemariam Zelalem , Dessie Yadeta , Oundo Joseph
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a public health emergency with little testing and treatment experiences at its occurrence. Diagnostic and treatment rapidly changed in the world including Ethiopia. Haramaya University has strived to change its diagnostic capacity using existing facilities in response to the national call to the pandemic.

Objective: This summary aims to detail experiences of setting up COVID-19 testing in Haramaya University laboratories, Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods: Desktop exercise was conducted to understand the start-up and implementations of COVID-19 testing in two Haramaya University laboratories, Hararghe Health Research Partnership and Campylobacter Genomics and Environmental Enteric Dysfunction laboratories. Communication, formats, guidelines, and standards were reviewed and summarized. Discussion with those involved in the start-up and implementation of the testing were also held. Ideas were summarized to learn the experiences the COVID-19 testing exercises.

Lesson Learned: This is a huge experience for Haramaya University to participate in the national call to increase the testing platform in the management of COVID19. Close work relationship with the public health authorities at all levels demonstrated the university's commitment to public service. The university has used the opportunity to advance its molecular testing capability by training its staff and students. The University has also contributed to the capacity development for laboratories in the surrounding areas of Harar, Somali, Oromia, and Dire Dawa. The pandemic has been an opportunity in harnessing existing resource for the benefit of the public during such times of dire needs to provide critical public health laboratory interventions.
Characterising Online News Comments: A Multi-Dimensional Cruise Through Online Registers
Authors: Ehret Katharina , Taboada Maite
Published: June 2021

News organisations often allow public comments at the bottom of their news stories. These comments constitute a fruitful source of data to investigate linguistic variation online; their characteristics, however, are rather understudied. This paper thus contributes to the description of online news comments and online language in English. In this spirit, we apply multi-dimensional analysis to a large dataset of online news comments and compare them to a corpus of online registers, thus placing online comments in the space of register variation online. We find that online news comments are involved-evaluative and informational at the same time, but mostly argumentative in nature, with such argumentation taking an informal shape. Our analyses lead us to conclude that online registers are a different mode of communication, neither spoken nor written, with individual variation across different types of online registers.
Omnidirectional Walking Pattern Generator Combining Virtual Constraints and Preview Control for Humanoid Robots
Authors: Ruscelli Francesco , Laurenzi Arturo , Mingo Hoffman Enrico , Tsagarakis Nikos G.
Published: June 2021

This paper presents a novel omnidirectional walking pattern generator for bipedal locomotion combining two structurally different approaches based on the virtual constraints and the preview control theories to generate a flexible gait that can be modified on-line. The proposed strategy synchronizes the displacement of the robot along the two planes of walking: the zero moment point based preview control is responsible for the lateral component of the gait, while the sagittal motion is generated by a more dynamical approach based on virtual constraints. The resulting algorithm is characterized by a low computational complexity and high flexibility, requisite for a successful deployment to humanoid robots operating in real world scenarios. This solution is motivated by observations in biomechanics showing how during a nominal gait the dynamic motion of the human walk is mainly generated along the sagittal plane. We describe the implementation of the algorithm and we detail the strategy chosen to enable omnidirectionality and on-line gait tuning. Finally, we validate our strategy through simulation experiments using the COMAN + platform, an adult size humanoid robot developed at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Finally, the hybrid walking pattern generator is implemented on real hardware, demonstrating promising results: the WPG trajectories results in open-loop stable walking in the absence of external disturbances.
Exploring Residential Rooftop Solar Potential in the United States by Race and Ethnicity
Authors: Reames Tony G.
Published: June 2021

Over the last decade, the United States has experienced continued growth in residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption. However, solar adoption disparities have been shown across household income, homeownership status, and more recently racial and ethnic demographics. A key component to ensuring a just clean energy transition is understanding the existing landscape to establish realistic goals. Motivated by studies on solar adoption disparities, this descriptive study aims to evaluate the distribution of estimated single-family rooftop potential across racial and ethnic majority census tracts to discern whether rooftop potential disparities may justify solar adoption disparities. Across all census tracts, the median rooftop potential was 80%. Three-fourths of all census tracts had a rooftop potential >72%, regardless of racial/ethnic majority. Compared to majority-white census tracts, majority-Black, majority-Hispanic, and majority-Asian census tracts had slightly lower rooftop potential, 6, 7, and 9%, respectively, while majority-American Indian census tracts had an 11% higher rooftop potential. The slightly lower rooftop potential in communities of color compared to majority-white and non-racial/ethnic majority census tracts, alone, was not of the magnitude to justify documented racial/ethnic disparities in solar adoption. This study concludes, that while a majority of homes in communities of color are solar suitable, an equitable clean energy transition is only possible with policies, programs, and incentives that center on racial equity while recognizing the interplay between race, income, and homeownership status.
The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Particulate Matter Emissions in Lombardy and Italian Citizens' Consumption Habits
Authors: Rovetta Alessandro
Published: June 2021

Italy has been one of the first nations in the world to be heavily affected by COVID-19. A wide range of containment measures has been adopted from February to December 2020 to mitigate the pandemic. In this regard, the present research sets out to evaluate two aspects: (i) the impact of lockdowns on the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) 10 and 2.5 in the Lombardy region, and (ii) how anti-COVID-19 restrictions influenced Italian citizens' consumption habits. To do this, the average daily concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 during 2020 in all the provinces of Lombardy were compared with those of the previous years through Welch's t-test. The same procedure was adopted to estimate the change in Google relative search volumes of home delivery services and smart working on a national scale. Two mean values were considered statistically confident when t < 1.5, suspiciously non-confident when 1.5 ≤ t < 1.9, and non-confident when t ≥ 1.9. Seasonalities and trends were assessed both graphically and with Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, and Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin tests. Finally, Pearson and Spearman correlations between changes in citizens' behavior and specific key events related to COVID-19 have been dealt with. The P-value threshold was indicatively set at 0.05. Microsoft Excel 2020 and Google Sheets were used as data analysis software. This paper showed: (i) the limited or insufficient effectiveness of lockdowns in reducing PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Lombardy, and (ii) a significant change in the consumption habits of Italian citizens, thus leading to both positive and negative results in terms of sustainability. Therefore, it is high time that both Italian and international environmental protection authorities thoroughly investigated the role of non-mobility-related sources of particulate emissions to impose effective rules on home delivery services. Moreover, further research is required for the understanding of anthropogenic, environmental, and atmospheric phenomena that influence the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5.
Improved Stability and Performance of Surface Acoustic Wave Nanosensors Using a Digital Temperature Compensation
Authors: Balashov S. M. , Rocha J. M. , Hurtado M. R. F. , Prestes J. A. L. , de Campos A. F. M , Moshkalev S. A.
Published: June 2021

Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW) sensors are known to be an excellent choice for the measurement of a small concentration of analytes in gas mixtures. The use of this type of sensor has been limited until now in the industrial environment due to the sensitivity of its response to temperature variations. To overcome this problem, thermal stabilization of equipment is normally used. We propose here a simple procedure of compensation of thermal drift in SAW sensors, allowing the measurements to be performed in temperature intervals of up to 20 degrees without any thermal stabilization of the sensitive element of a sensor. By monitoring the temperature of the key points of the sensor and applying the proposed polynomial compensation, it is possible to reduce the influence of thermal instabilities of the ambient temperature to the response more than four times. The method is illustrated by a temperature compensated SAW humidity sensor with a graphene oxide nanofilm as water molecules’ sensitive element. The results show enhanced performance of the sensor over a large temperature interval.
Effect of 2-Weeks Ischemic Preconditioning on Exercise Performance: A Pilot Study
Authors: Tanaka Daichi , Suga Tadashi , Shimoho Kento , Isaka Tadao
Published: June 2021

An acute bout of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been reported to increase exercise performance. Nevertheless, the ineffectiveness of acute IPC on exercise performance has also been reported. Similarly, the effect of a shot-term intervention of IPC on exercise performance remains controversial in previous studies. In this study, we examined the effects of short-term IPC intervention on whole and local exercise performances and its-related parameters. Ten healthy young males undertook a 2-weeks IPC intervention (6 days/weeks). The IPC applied to both legs with three episodes of a 5-min ischemia and 5-min reperfusion cycle. Whole-body exercise performance was assessed by peak O2 consumption (VO2: VO2peak) during a ramp-incremental cycling test. Local exercise performance was assessed by time to task failure during a knee extensor sustained endurance test. A repeated moderate-intensity cycling test was performed to evaluate dynamics of pulmonary VO2 and muscle deoxygenation. The knee extensor maximal voluntary contraction and quadriceps femoris cross-sectional area measurements were performed to explore the potentiality for strength gain and muscle hypertrophy. The whole-body exercise performance (i.e., VO2peak) did not change before and after the intervention (P = 0.147, Power = 0.09, Effect size = 0.21, 95% confidence interval: −0.67, 1.09). Moreover, the local exercise performance (i.e., time to task failure) did not change before and after the intervention (P = 0.923, Power = 0.05, Effect size = 0.02, 95% confidence interval: −0.86, 0.89). Furthermore, no such changes were observed for all parameters measured using a repeated moderate-intensity cycling test and knee extensor strength and quadriceps femoris size measurements. These findings suggest that a 2-weeks IPC intervention cannot increase whole-body and local exercise performances, corresponding with ineffectiveness on its-related parameters in healthy young adults. However, the statistical analyses of changes in the measured parameters in this study showed insufficient statistical power and sensitivity, due to the small sample size. Additionally, this study did not include control group(s) with placebo and/or nocebo. Therefore, further studies with a larger sample size and control group are required to clarify the present findings.