bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transfer of literature data to virtual patient cases: Development and implementation of a method to generate categorical data using Bernoulli-distributed random values
Authors: Schmidt Christian , Kesztyüs Dorothea , Haag Martin , Wilhelm Manfred , Kesztyüs Tibor
Published: August 2022

Background: Teaching medicine is a complex task because medical teachers are also heavily involved in clinical practice. Automatic creation of virtual patient cases would be a great benefit to them, saving them time and providing a wider choice of virtual patient cases for student training. Our aim was to develop and test a computer program which simulates clinical case scenarios based on information about the occurrence of specific symptoms in certain diagnoses from the literature.Methods: Medical literature was searched for suitable diagnoses with information on the respective probabilities of specific symptoms. We developed a computer program that generates virtual patient cases with symptons whose occurrence is randomly generated by Bernoulli experiments, according to probabilities reported in the literature. The number of runs and thus the number of patient cases generated is arbitrary.Results: We illustrate the function of our generator with the exemplary diagnosis “brain abscess” with the related symptoms and the respective probabilities from the literature. With a growing number of repetitions of the Bernoulli experiment, the relative frequencies of occurence increasingly converge with the probabilities from the literature. E.g., the relative frequency for headache after 10.000 repetitions was 0.7267 and, after rounding, equals the mean value of the probability range of 0.73 reported in the literature. The same applies to the other symptoms. Conclusion: The results suggest that an automated creation of virtual patient cases is possible, but with regard to the limitation to symptom constellations, it is not yet suitable for professional use. Based on additional information provided in the literatur, an extension of the generator can be implemented in further research.
Money or ingots? Metrological research on pre-contact Ecuadorian ‘axe-monies’
Authors: Puente Carlos E. Montalvo , Lago Giancarlo , Cardarelli Lorenzo , Molina Juan C. Pérez
Published: August 2022

The Axe-monies, trapezoidal sheet objects made of arsenical copper, are associated with graves and hoards of the Manteño-Huancavilca (600–1532 A.D) and Milagro-Quevedo (400–1532 A.D.) cultures, both located in the coast of Ecuador. Historically, scholars identified these artifacts as monies, relating them to a currency system. This paper aims to test this hypothesis by searching for standardization analyzing an important sample of these objects. Metrological analyses on dimensions (length, width) and weight show that the currency hypothesis is flawed because neither apparent clustering of dimensions nor a tendency to a single (range of) weight value(s) is found. We suggest ‘axe-monies’ were used as ‘ingot-objects’ and copper was a commodity in the framework of exchanges involving different cultures throughout America's Pacific coast.
The Clinical Significance of Radiological Changes Associated with Gliadel® Implantation in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma
Authors: Haim Oz , Agur Ariel , Efrat Or-Tal , Valdes Pablo , Ram Zvi , Grossman Rachel
Published: August 2022

Objective: Gliadel® occasionally induces edema following its implantation. We aimed to correlate such post-surgical radiological changes to its efficacy and subsequent survival.Methods: Fifty-six patients with recurrent glioblastoma were treated between 2005-2016 with Gliadel® implantation. Volumetric measurements of MRI features, including FLAIR abnormalities, tumor bulk (volume of gadolinium enhancement on T1) and resection cavity volumes over time were conducted. To assess dynamics over time, linear regression trendlines for each of these were calculated and examined to correlate with survival.Results: Median follow-up after resection was 21.5 months. Median survival post-Gliadel® implantation and overall survival since diagnosis were 12 months and 22 months, respectively. A subgroup of patients (n=6) with a transient increase in FLAIR changes volume over time survived significantly longer post-Gliadel® compared to those who did not demonstrate such change (36 vs 12 months, p=.03). Positive trends, representing overall growth in volume over time, of tumor bulk and resection cavity predicted survival in multivariate analyses (hazard ratios 7.9 and 84, p=.003 and .002, respectively).Conclusions: Increase in tumor bulk and resection cavity over time were associated with decreased survival, while transient FLAIR increase was a favorable prognostic factor. This may represent a transient inflammatory process in the tumor, possibly stemming from a presumed immune-mediated anti-tumor response.
Isolation of lectin from Musa acuminata for evaluation of antibacterial activity against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the interaction of banana proteins with certain Enterococcus species
Authors: Ahmed Summra , Baloch Muneera Naz , Moin Syed Faraz , Bilal Hafiz Muhammad , Musa Hina
Published: August 2022

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an emerging pathogen posing a considerable burden on the healthcare system due to its involvement in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins found ubiquitously in animals, plants and microorganisms. Extraction and isolation of proteins from Musa acuminata (banana) were performed by using Affinity chromatography with Sephadex G 75 to determine antibiofilm activity of banana proteins against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Enterococcus strains obtained from dairy products, beans and vegetables were also screened for its potential to inhibit growth and subsequently biofilm formation of MRSA by using 96 well microtitre plates. Synergistic effect of cell free supernatant of Enterococcus with proteins from ripe banana were also tested. BanLec was successfully isolated and appeared as 15 KDa band after SDS-PAGE (15%) while multiple bands of unbound protein fractions were observed. The unbound fractions showed inhibition of pathogenic growth and biofilm but BanLec exhibited no significant effect. All the identified Enterococcus strains showed inhibition of biofilm as well as of planktonic cells. The CFS of Enterococcus faecium (LCM002), Enterococcus lactis (LCM003) and Enterococcus durans (LCM004 and LCM005) displayed antagonistic effects against pathogen. The synergistic effect of CFS from E. lactis (LCM003) and unbound proteins showed inhibition of biofilm and reduction in pathogenic growth. This study demonstrates the use of Enterococcus species and plant proteins with several variations in treatment of MRSA biofilm. Results suggested that plant proteins and probiotics with its constituent inhibit resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and their synergistic effect has opened new ways to tackle emerging resistance of pathogens and to treat severe skin infections furthermore after assessment of Enterococcus as probiotics, this could be used in food industries as well.
Cytogenetic and genomic characterization of a novel tall wheatgrass-derived Fhb7 allele integrated into wheat B genome
Authors: Zhang Wei , Danilova Tatiana , Zhang Mingyi , Ren Shuangfeng , Zhu Xianwen , Zhang Qijun , Zhong Shaobin , Dykes Linda , Fiedler Jason , Xu Steven , Frels Katherine , Wegulo Stephen , Boehm Jeffrey , Cai Xiwen
Published: August 2022

A novel tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum elongatum, genome EE)-derived Fhb7 allele, designated Fhb7The2, was identified and integrated into the wheat B genome through a small 7B-7E translocation (7BS·7BL-7EL) involving the terminal regions of the long arms. Fhb7The2 conditions significant Type II resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat. Integration of Fhb7The2 into the wheat B genome makes this wild species-derived FHB resistance gene usable for breeding in both common and durum wheat. By contrast, other Fhb7 introgression lines involving wheat chromosome 7D can be utilized only in common wheat breeding programs, not in durum wheat. Additionally, we found that Fhb7The2 does not have the linkage drag of the yellow flour pigment gene that is tightly linked to the decaploid Th. ponticum-derived Fhb7 allele Fhb7Thp. This will further improve the utility of Fhb7The2 in wheat breeding. DNA sequence analysis identified 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Fhb7The2, Fhb7Thp, and another Th. elongatum-derived Fhb7 allele Fhb7The1, which led to seven amino acid conversions in Fhb7The2, Fhb7Thp, and Fhb7The1, respectively. However, no significant variation was observed in their predicted protein configuration as a glutathione transferase. Diagnostic DNA markers were developed specifically for Fhb7The2. The 7EL segment containing Fhb7The2 in the translocation chromosome 7BS·7BL-7EL exhibited a monogenic inheritance pattern in the wheat genetic background. This will enhance the efficacy of marker-assisted selection for Fhb7The2 introgression, pyramiding, and deployment in wheat germplasm and varieties.
Cx43 in the damage of iPSC-CM induced by S-band and X-band microwave exposure
Authors: Yin Yue , Xu Xinping , Li Dayan , Yao Binwei , Wang Haoyu , Zhao Li , Wang Hui , Dong Ji , Zhang Jing , Peng Ruiyun
Published: August 2022

Background
The heart is one of the major organs affected by microwave radiation and its effects have been extensively studied. In order to make the research model closer to human, we used iPSC-CM as the cell injury model to explore the biological effect of iPSC-CM injury after microwave radiation.
Results
First, the iPSC-CM was continuously cultured for 7 d after recovery, which was the best state for the cell model establishment. Second, to model the damage, cells were separated into four groups and exposed to single or composite S- and X-band microwave radiation sources with an average power density of 30 mW/cm2. After that, ELISA was used to detect the contents of myocardial enzymes and injury markers in the culture medium, and it was discovered that the contents increased after radiation. TEM and SEM were used to examine the aberrant ultrastructure. The abnormal changes in mitochondrial structure, an increase in the number of autophagosome-like bodies, and cell membrane rupture were discovered to be the most common signs of cell ultrastructural damage. The OCR was used to assess mitochondrial respiration. Mitochondrial function was discovered to be aberrant, with lower respiratory rate and ATP production. Wb, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence were used to detect expression and distribution of Cx43. The results showed that the expression of Cx43 was decreased, and the distribution of Cx43 at the junction of cell-cell was decreased. The composite exposure group was more severely harmed than the single exposure group.
Conclusions
Single or composite exposure to 30 mW/cm2 of S- and X-band microwave caused damage of structure and function of iPSC-CM, primarily mitochondrial damage, with a dose-dependent effect. The iPSC-CM is of great value in the research and treatment of heart diseases, especially in the research of microwave-induced cardiac damage.
The neurocognitive impact of loneliness and social networks on social adaptation
Authors: Franco-O´Byrne Daniel , Sepúlveda Juan Pablo Morales , Ibáñez Agustín , Huepe-Artigas Daniela , Matus Cristián , Manen Ruth , Ayala Jaime , Fittipaldi Sol , Huepe David
Published: August 2022

Social adaptation arises from the interaction between the individual and the social environment. However, there is little empirical evidence regarding the relationship between social contact and social adaptation. We propose that loneliness and social networks are key factors explaining social adaptation. Here we recruited 64 subjects to analyze the effects of loneliness, social network and their brain functional correlates on social adaptation. A hierarchical regression model confirmed that loneliness and social network have negative and positive effects on social adaptation respectively. Functional connectivity (FC) analysis showed that loneliness was associated with decreased FC between fronto-amygdalar and fronto-parietal regions, while the social network was positively associated with FC between the fronto-temporo-parietal network. Finally, a multidimensional path model examined the combined effects of behavioral and brain predictors of social adaptation. The model revealed that social networks mediated the effects of loneliness on social adaptation. Further, loneliness-related abnormal brain FC (associated with difficulties in cognitive control, emotion regulation, and sociocognitive processes) emerged as the strongest predictor of poor social adaptation. Findings offer insights into the brain indicators of social adaptation and highlight the role of social networks as a buffer against the maladaptive effects of loneliness. These findings may aid social development approaches.
Effect of posture on anorectal manometric measurements in female patients with fecal incontinence and rectoanal intussusception
Authors: Tsunoda Akira , Takahashi Tomoko , Osawa Ikuko
Published: August 2022

Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the influence of erect position on anorectal manometry in patients with rectoanal intussusception (RAI).
Methods
This was a single center prospective observational study. Eighty female patients with fecal incontinence (FI) who underwent defecography between 1st January 2016 and 30th April 2022 were included. The effect of posture on commonly measured parameters during manometry was assessed in the left-lateral and erect positions. The severity of FI was assessed using FI Severity Index (FISI).
Results
Defecography showed that 30 patients had circumferential RAI (CRAI), and 50 had non-CRAI. There were no significant differences in age, parity, FI type, and FISI scores between the groups. Endo-anal ultrasound showed no significant difference in the incidence of sphincter defects between the groups. Maximum squeeze pressure was significantly lower in the erect position than in the left-lateral position in the CRAI patients [119 cm H2O (59‒454 cm H2O) vs 145 cm H2O (65‒604 cm H2O), P = 0.006] however, this finding was not observed in the non-CRAI group and the subgroup of anterior RAI patients. In either group, maximum resting pressure, defecation desire volume, and maximum tolerated volume were significantly higher, while anal canal length was significantly smaller in the erect position than in the left-lateral position, respectively.
Conclusion
Voluntary contraction in female FI patients with CRAI was suppressed in the erect position, which may have an additional effect on the appearance of FI.
NuText: A Novel Method for Music Encoding and Its Practical Application
Authors: Chen Yi , Chen Chung-Chiang , Tang Li-Chuan , Chieng Wei-Hua
Published: August 2022

NuText is a novel music-encoding technology based on numbered musical notation. This paper outlines the notation principles of numbered musical notation and delineates the conversion relationship and encoding protocol between NuText and numbered musical notation. Furthermore, this study demonstrates NuText's playback software and its practical applications, including digital artwork creation, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and social use, and identifies opportunities to develop it as a music technology. The encoding method proposed herein was implemented on PCs and mobile devices, and the method has been successfully applied to sports-oriented music. The image steganography method used in digital artwork creation, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and social use does not destroy images, and it has been implemented on mobile devices. NuText is a note-level encoding method, which has advantages for interpreting music connotations and a great potential in the development of music information retrieval and artificial intelligence composition. In future work, special musical skills may be added, including the modification of each note velocity, and this may be incorporated into the encoding specification to realize sound in virtual reality.
Robust and conductive cellulose hydrogel generated by liquid metal particles for biomedical application
Authors: Lee Joo Hyung , Kim Seong Hun , Yeo Sang Young , Lim Taehwan
Published: August 2022

Cellulose hydrogels have gained considerable attention compared to other synthetic polymer-based hydrogels due to their eco-friendly and sustainable use. Although the development of the preparation steps enabled the cellulose hydrogels to maintain a three-dimensional network structure with abundant water, overcoming low mechanical strength and limited functionality is still challenging. Here liquid metal particles were introduced as a conductive additive as well as a crosslinking booster, overcoming suggested issues. The liquid metal particles can release gallium ions to the hydrogel nature, offering additional physical crosslinking. The additional crosslinking increases compression stability, electrochemical properties and, cohesion with water molecules, resulting in higher electrical stability after repeated compressions. Also, the liquid metal particles themselves, as chemical crosslinking agents, generate the thicker hydrogel frame. The thickened frame provides higher mechanical and electrical properties. The improved functionalities with biocompatibility allow the liquid metal introduced cellulose hydrogel to use in a biomedical application. We measured electromyography signals using the hydrogel to promote contact quality onto the curvilinear and dynamic skin surface. The measurement results indicate that the robust and conductive hydrogel offers higher signal recording quality and reusable benefit. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the liquid metal is used to cellulose hydrogel to improve mechanical and electrical properties. This study opens up the versatile use of robust and conductive cellulose hydrogels with the aid of liquid metal particles.
Organic Nanomedicine Containing Nonlinear Optical Chromophores for Ultrastable Photo-to-Heat Converting Theranostics in the Near-Infrared Window
Authors: Liu Bei , Feng Weilong , Ge Jiechao , Liu Zechao , Feng Shuai , Chen Zhuo , Bo Shuhui
Published: August 2022

Background
Organic agents that are active in the near-infrared (NIR) bio-window for photo-to-heat energy-converting theranostics have attached much attention in cancer therapy. However, current organic NIR-absorbing agents are still suffering from the inefficient non-radiative decay or serious photobleaching under light irradiation. Herein, we design a convenient strategy to load a new kind of NIR-absorbing nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores with a biocompatible polymer of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactideco-glycolide) (mPEG-PLGA).
Results
The resulted NLO/PLGA nanoparticles showed excellent stability, high photothermal conversion efficiency (∼51.11%) and good photoacoustic performance. Moreover, in vitro anticancer experiments demonstrated that the NLO/PLGA nanoparticles possess a high PTT efficiency under NIR laser illumination.
Conclusions
This work thus provides an insight into the exploration of versatile organic NIR-absorbing nanoparticles toward future practical PTT application.
Anti-urolithiatic effect of a polyherbal formulation against sodium oxalate-induced urolithiasis in rats
Authors: Sayed Amany A. , Soliman Amel M. , Fahmy Sohair R. , Hosny Rasha
Published: August 2022

The present study assesses the role of polyherbal formula (LACTN) against sodium oxalate (NaOx) - stimulated urolithiasis prophylactic and curatively. Forty eight rats were separated into the following regimen’s groups. Groups I, II, III, and IV (prophylactic groups) divided as follows; Group I (control group) received saline as vehicle. Group II (urolithiatic group) received 70 mg NaOx / kg b.wt, i.p. Groups III and IV received LACTN and Cystone prophylactic (500 and 750 mg/kg b.wt, respectively) from 1st day to 7th day of urolithiasis induction. Groups V, VI, VII, and VIII (curative groups); these divided as the prophylactic regimes but LACTN and Cystone administered from 7th day to 14th day of urolithiasis induction. Urolithiatic rats co/post treated with LACTN and Cystone elevated the urinary volume significantly (P<0.05). Also, significant decreased (P<0.05) were observed in the serum and urine calcium and phosphate concentrations beside the increased magnesium value in urolithiatic rats co/post treated with LACTN. LACTN significantly (P<0.05) ameliorate serum and urine creatinine, urea, and uric acid concentration. Moreover, urolithiatic rats co/post treated with LACTN significantly (P<0.05) diminished MDA and increase GSH, GST, SOD, and CAT compared with urolithiatic rats. In conclusion, LACTN has anti-lithogenesis effect that may be due to its ability to remove the already presented stone and/or preventing the generation of extra calcium oxalate crystals. This action may be due to its components’ synergetic action that may provide encouraging combined formula to prevent/treat urolithiasis.
Collaborative Filtering Recommendation model Based on Graph Neural Network and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Dahl Matt , Ivan Vessela , Patko Dora , Georgi Steve
Published: August 2022

With the popularity and development of the internet and mobile terminals, people can access a lot of information through them every day. Recommender systems have become one of the important technologies for various online platforms that aim to predict whether a user will interact with an item or not. Among them, collaborative filtering-based models have made effective progress in learning user and item representations by modeling historical user-item interactions. Recently, models based on GCN have been effective in recommendation, and the main function of GCN models is to improve the embedding representation of users and items by iteratively aggregating feature information from neighbors using graph connectivity to extract additional information. However, in previous works, dividing users into subgraphs without intersection only leads to a partial loss of information, ignoring the potential connections that may exist between different groups of users; and because only users are divided, the influence of commodity factors on the purchase outcome at the time of purchase is ignored in the learning process. Based on the above considerations, in this paper we propose a message-passing recommendation model. The model uses intersects users and items in separate subgraphs and uses an optimized attention mechanism to obtain the final node embedding to optimize the embedding representation by introducing multiple embedding propagation layers that encode higher-order connectivity relationships. We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the proposed model. The results show that our model can effectively improve the performance of the recommendation.
Use of guidelines, checklists, frameworks, and recommendations in behavioral intervention preliminary studies: A scoping bibliometric review
Authors: Pfledderer Christopher D , von Klinggraeff Lauren , Burkart Sarah , Bandeira Alexsandra da Silva , Armstrong Bridget , Weaver R. Glenn , Adams Elizabeth L. , Beets Michael W.
Published: August 2022

Background

Guidelines, checklists, frameworks, and recommendations (GCFRs) related to preliminary studies serve as essential resources to assist behavioral intervention researchers in reporting findings from preliminary studies, but their impact on preliminary study quality is unknown. The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping bibliometric review of recently published preliminary behavioral-focused intervention studies to 1) examine the prevalence of GCFR usage and 2) determine the associations between GCFR usage and reporting feasibility-related characteristics.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted for preliminary studies of behavioral-focused interventions published between 2018-2020. Studies were limited to the top 25 journals publishing behavioral-focused interventions, text mined to identify usage of GCFRs, and categorized as either not citing GCFRs or citing ≥2 GCFRs (Citers). A random sample of non-Citers was text mined to identify studies which cited other preliminary studies that cited GCFRs (Tertiary Citers) and those that did not (Never Citers). The presence/absence of feasibility-related characteristics was compared between Citers, Tertiary Citers, and Never Citers via univariable logistic regression.

Results

Studies (n=4,143) were identified and 1,316 were text mined to identify GCFR usage (n=167 Citers). A random sample of 200 studies not citing a GCFR were selected and categorized into Tertiary Citers (n=71) and Never Citers (n=129). Compared to Never Citers, Citers had higher odds of reporting retention, acceptability, adverse events, compliance, cost, data collection feasibility, and treatment fidelity (OR range =2.62-14.15, p <0.005). Citers also had higher odds of mentioning feasibility in purpose statements, providing progression criteria, framing feasibility as the primary outcome, and mentioning feasibility in conclusions (OR range =6.31-17.04, p <0.005), and lower odds of mentioning efficacy in purpose statements, testing for efficacy, mentioning efficacy in conclusions, and suggesting future testing (OR range =0.13-0.50, p <0.05). Tertiary Citers had higher odds of reporting acceptability and treatment fidelity (OR range =2.12-2.39, p <0.05), but lower odds of testing for efficacy (OR=0.36, p <0.05) compared to Never Citers.

Conclusion

The citation of GCFRs is associated with greater reporting of feasibility-related characteristics in preliminary studies of behavioral-focused interventions. Researchers are encouraged to use and cite literature that provides guidance on design, implementation, analysis, and reporting to improve the quality of preliminary studies.
A Reliable CoAP Protocol for IoT Communication
Authors: Bansal Sharu , Kumar Dilip
Published: August 2022

The request-response model for constrained devices is achieved via RESTful architecture of Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) in IoT. An enhanced CoAP is proposed to address the limitations of CoAP to achieve an efficient IoT network. Unlike existing protocols that operate on instantaneous Round-Trip Time (RTT) in IoT, it also makes use of CoAP options, payload, and node distance for defining the network state in a better way. Various new parameters viz. timestamps, priority, message path, device status is introduced and CoAP payload is defined using SenML representation of data. The processing unit at the network level is used for data analysis of the integrated parameters that are timely communicated to this unit from the network nodes. The algorithm with varying data rates is used in homogeneous and mixed traffic to calculate the performance. The significant improvement in terms of delay, priority, congestion, retransmissions ensure reliable communication in the network.
Deep Learning Estimation of the Industrial Wood Production Level with Respect to the Natural Harm Factors
Authors: Sevinç Volkan
Published: August 2022

Protection and sustainability of forest assets are possible with planned production of the forest products. Among these products, industrial wood is the most important raw material for various sectors. Thus, the estimation of the industrial wood production level is important to use this product optimally, without disturbing the balance of forest assets. This article aims to estimate the industrial wood production level based on four natural harm factors, which are forest fires, outbreaks of insects, outbreaks of diseases, and severe weather events. The estimation model was built by using a deep learning method, which is an artificial neural network model based on the multilayer perceptron architecture. The study shows that the most harmful factor decreasing the industrial wood production level is outbreaks of diseases. The second effective factor, however, appears to be severe weather events. The third and the fourth factors were determined to be outbreaks of insects and burned forest areas, respectively.
Liver abscess after transarterial chemoembolization combined with molecular targeted drugs and immunotherapy in the treatment of liver cancer: A case series report
Authors: Song Songlin , Chen Lei , Feng Gansheng , Liu Yiming , Zheng Chuansheng
Published: August 2022

PurposeThere has been no study on the complications of liver abscess in patients treated with Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with molecular targeted drugs and immunotherapy (TACE-M-I). The aim of this study was to examine the complications of liver abscess in patients treated with TACE alone, TACE-M, or TACE-M-I.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed data on patients with liver cancer who received TACE in our institution between January 2016 and November 2020. A total of 2203 patients received 5286 TACE: 78 patients received TACE-M, 28 patients received TACE-M-I, and 68 patients received TACE. ResultsIn this study, a total of 12 patients developed liver abscess after TACE; among them, 1 patient developed liver abscess after TACE-M, and 2 patients developed liver abscess after TACE-M-I. The incidence of liver abscess was 0.43% (9/2097) among all patients who received TACE and 1.3% (1/78) among patients who received TACE-M. The incidence of liver abscess in patients who received TACE-M-I was 7.1% (2/28). After infection, ALT, AST, creatine, leukocyte, and neutrophil were higher than those before TACE. After drainage of the abscess and the application of antibacterial agents, the ALT, leukocyte, and neutrophil decreased to normal levels. All patients recovered and were discharged after liver abscess treatment.ConclusionLiver abscess is a rare complication after TACE, but molecular targeted drugs and immunotherapy might increase the incidence of liver abscess for patients who received TACE. Clinicians should focus on caring for these patients. Abscess drainage and antibacterial agents are good treatment choices for these patients.
N6-methyladenosine modified AFAP1-AS1 accelerates hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and migration via miR-195-5p/KIAA1429 feedback loop
Authors: Fan Xiwen , Ahati Yeermaike , Gu Peng
Published: August 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) acts as a dominating malignant tumor with high-mortality rate and poor prognosis. Emerging evidence suggests that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays critical roles in HCC progression. However, function of m6A and lncRNA in HCC progression requires further clarification. In our study, we found that AFAP1-AS1, a m6A-modified lncRNA, substantially elevated in the HCC cells and correlated with poor prognosis. Interestingly, AFAP1-AS1 had m6A modification site and m6A writer KIAA1429 bound with the m6A site to enhance AFAP1-AS1 stability. Functionally, AFAP1-AS1 promoted HCC migration/ proliferation and knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 repressed the tumor growth. Mechanistically, AFAP1-AS1 up-regulated KIAA1429 expression through sponging miR-195-5p, forming positive feedback of KIAA1429/m6A/AFAP1-AS1/miR-195-5p. In summary, our study reveals a new mechanism for AFAP1-AS1-promoted HCC progression, contributing to overcoming HCC tumorigenesis.
A Comprehensive Data Fusion to Evaluate the Impacts of COVID-19 on Passenger Travel Demands: Application of a Core-Satellite Data Collection Paradigm
Authors: Hossain Sanjana , Loa Patrick , Wang Kaili , Ma Sk. Md. , Dianat Alireza , Habib Khandker Nurul
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered travel patterns in cities across the world. Previous studies have found that travel choices during the pandemic are affected by attitudes and perceptions of risk in addition to transportation system level-of-service attributes. However, traditional travel demand models often rely on household travel survey data, which rarely include information on attitudinal factors. Conversely, specialized surveys are often lengthy, so they offer the ability to collect detailed attitudinal information but suffer from limited sample sizes. This study demonstrates the feasibility of fusing a “core” household travel survey with three specialized “satellite” surveys to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 on passenger travel demand in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study uses a non-parametric implicit data fusion method to generate multiple synthetic datasets that contain observed travel diaries and socioeconomic attributes of the trip-makers from the core survey, along with imputed attitudinal statements based on the satellite surveys. The results highlight the ability of the method to sufficiently reproduce the distribution of the attitudinal variables and the ability of the imputed variables to support the estimation of an advanced econometric model. The proposed method can reduce the risk of potential biases in the imputed data that can adversely impact subsequent data analysis. This method can be used to capitalize on the benefits of specialized surveys while still being able to utilize data from large-scale household travel surveys.
Preparation method of marine microplastic model in a short degradation time
Authors: Nakatani Hisayuki , Ohshima Yuina , Uchiyama Taishi , Suguru Motokucho , Yagi Mitsuharu , Kyozuka Yusaku
Published: August 2022

To establish a marine microplastic (MP) model, the sizes and O/C molar ratios of MP particles retrieved from the sea were measured using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analysis. Most of the MP particles exhibit a diameter of <20 mm and O/C molar ratios of 0.1–0.2, indicating that they are mainly composed of polyethylene, polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene. An O/C ratio of 0.1 for PP was reached after being degraded for 75 days via an advanced oxidation process (AOP) in distilled water. The usage of SO4•− initiator overcame the inhibiting effect that seawater had on PP degradation and accelerated the process. The O/C molar ratio of a PP sample degraded via AOP for 15 days in seawater is the same as that of marine MP retrieved from the sea. The combination of seawater and SO4•− initiator thus led to excellent acceleration of the degradation process. Nanosized PP particles were obtained over 15 days of AOP degradation, showing that the size of the MP could be controlled according to the degradation time.
10-year Trends in Diagnostic Stability and Distribution among Psychiatric Inpatients in a General Hospital in China
Authors: Liu Furu , Gao Menghui , Wu Renrong
Published: August 2022

Purpose： To evaluate the diagnostic stability between admission and discharge of psychiatric inpatients in a general hospital, as well as to assess the distribution of diseases in the sample over the past decade. Methods: A total of 20,359 psychiatric inpatients were included in this retrospective study from June 2011 to December 2020. The short-term diagnostic consistency was evaluated by comparing their first admission and discharge diagnoses. Readmission patients' first and last discharge diagnoses were also compared to analyze the relatively long-term diagnostic stability. Demographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed to identify predictors of diagnostic discrepancy during hospitalization. Results: From 2011-2020, for all psychiatric inpatients, the average length of stay decreased from 22 days to 17 days. The hospitalization rate decreased from 42.4% to 20.7% for schizophrenia and grew from 13.8% to 25.5% for depression. Diagnoses were retained by 92.6% of patients at their first discharge diagnosis, ranging from 100% for disorders of psychological development to 16.3% for unspecified mental disorders. Most diagnostic conversions were to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However, among rehospitalizations, the diagnostic stability notably dropped to 71.3%. For rehospitalizations, mood disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders were relatively stable diagnoses categories, with 72.7%-76.7% of patients receiving the same diagnosis, although results of specified diagnoses within these categories ranged from 5.9% to 91%. Length of hospitalization and age were associated with the diagnosis alterations. Conclusion: Even though the diagnosis of mental disorders was stable in short hospitalizations, maintaining longitudinal and long-term consistency of diagnosis still requires more effort.
jVMC: Versatile and performant variational Monte Carlo leveraging automated differentiation and GPU acceleration
Authors: Schmitt Markus , Reh Moritz
Published: August 2022

The introduction of Neural Quantum States (NQS) has recently given a new twist to variational Monte Carlo (VMC). The ability to systematically reduce the bias of the wave function ansatz renders the approach widely applicable. However, performant implementations are crucial to reach the numerical state of the art. Here, we present a Python codebase that supports arbitrary NQS architectures and model Hamiltonians. Additionally leveraging automatic differentiation, just-in-time compilation to accelerators, and distributed computing, it is designed to facilitate the composition of efficient NQS algorithms.
The ITensor Software Library for Tensor Network Calculations
Authors: Fishman Matthew , White Steven , Stoudenmire Edwin
Published: August 2022

ITensor is a system for programming tensor network calculations with an interface modeled on
tensor diagrams, allowing users to focus on the connectivity of a tensor network without manually bookkeeping tensor indices. The ITensor interface rules out common programming errors and enables rapid prototyping of algorithms. After discussing the philosophy behind the ITensor approach, we show examples of each part of the interface including Index objects, the ITensor product operator, tensor factorizations, tensor storage types, algorithms for matrix product state (MPS) and matrix product operator (MPO) tensor networks, quantum number conserving block sparse tensors, and the NDTensors library. We also review publications that have used ITensor for quantum many-body physics and for other areas where tensor networks are increasingly applied. To conclude we discuss promising features and optimizations to be added in the future.
Experimental and numerical analysis for improving the suction capacity of the manufactured water jet ejectors
Authors: Ayna Tuncer , Dilibal Savaş
Published: August 2022

Water jet ejectors are the silent pumping fluid devices which doesn’t have any rotating parts in functional industrial applications. The dimensionless geometrical parameters effects ejector suction capacity. In this study, it is found that optimum design intervals have been determined by using the Response Surface Method (RSM). Design ranges determined in the dimensionless study have been used in the improvement of the suction capacity of an existing ejector. The suction capacity of the existing ejector is investigated via numerical and experimental analysis. Two new water jet ejector designs (D1 and D2) are built to improve the suction capacity of the initial water jet ejector (D0). The generated design parameters have been analyzed by using SolidWorks flow analysis and optimization software. The suction capacity of the ejector has been determined through the iterative numerical analysis for the selected geometrical parameters under the applied design conditions. The effect of design parameters on the suction capacity of the water jet ejectors is unveiled through numerical and experimental analysis. The established designs were produced as two novel bronze water jet ejectors. The suction capacities of the produced bronze water jet ejectors have been investigated experimentally. The numerical results have been validated using the experimental results. It is achieved that the suction capacity of the manufactured water jet ejector with the improved design (D2) is suddenly increased from 52.05 m3/h to 103.4 m3/h.
Corrosion behavior of Graphene reinforced Al-12Si coated 7075 Aluminium alloy
Authors: Achutarao Bharatish , Roy Indira , Murthy H. N. Narasimha , Rao Srilatha , Shastry Karthik
Published: August 2022

This paper aims at investigating the effect of graphene reinforced Al-Si coatings on the corrosion behavior of AA7075 aluminium alloy. Al - 12Si alloy powder reinforced with 0.5 and 1 wt.% graphene was plasma sprayed on AA7075 substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements were performed using CHI660E-CH electrochemical workstation. It was observed that 0.5 wt.% graphene reinforced Al-Si coating enhanced the corrosion potential from –0.893 to –0.761 V and reduced the corrosion current density from 1.3×10-4 to 9.78×10-6 A/m2. The atmospheric galvanic corrosion was simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics finite element package. It was observed that AA7075 aluminium electrode potential with respect to AISI 4340 steel increased from –0.76 to –0.59 V. The least average current density of 0.95 A/m2 was observed at 95 % relative humidity and 0.0035 kg/m2 salt load density indicating the minimum corrosion rate for 0.5 wt.% graphene reinforced Al-Si coated AA7075 substrate. The simulation also confirmed that 0.5 wt.% graphene reinforcement in Al-Si coatings enhanced the corrosion behavior of AA7075 when compared with 1 wt.% graphene reinforcement.
Işığa Duyarlı n-tipi Katkılı Metal oksit/p-tipi Si Heteroekleminin Elektriksel Karakterizasyonu
Authors: ÜNAL Fatih , AKTAŞ Sitki
Published: August 2022

n-tipi %1.5 Ge katkılı WOx tabakası Al/p-tipi Si üzerine Fiziksel Buhar Biriktirme (FBB) yöntemi kullanılarak büyütülmüştür ve Al/Si/WOx(%1.5Ge) p-n eklemi elde edilmiştir. İnce film tabakasının yüzey özellikleri SEM ile incelenmiş ve tabakanın genel olarak pürüzsüz bir yapıya sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca tabakayı oluşturan elementlerin dağılımı Enerji dağılımlı X-ray spektroskopisi (EDX) ile incelenmiş %96.4 W, %1.5 Ge ve %2.2 O oranlarında homojen bir şekilde dağılım gösterdikleri görülmüştür. Üretilen heteroeklemin elektriksel özelliklerinin incelenebilmesi için aktif tabaka yüzeyine yine FBB yöntemiyle Ag doğrultucu kontakları alınmıştır. Sonuç itibariyle Al/Si/WOx(%1.5Ge)/Ag p-n ekleminin ±4V potansiyel aralığında, karanlık ve farklı ışık şiddetlerinde I-V ölçümleri yapılmış, seri direnç, diyot idealite faktörü, engel yüksekliği, ters doyma akımı gibi diyot parametreleri farklı yöntemler kullanarak incelenmiştir. Seri direnç değerlerinin 70-10Ω arasında, diyot idealite faktörünün 14.1 ile 3.9 arasında, engel yüksekliğinin 0.54-0.15eV ve ters doyma akımının 1.34x10-4A-1.1x10-3A arasında değerler aldığı görülmüştür. Işık şiddetinin artmasıyla ürettiğimiz diyotun seri direnci azalmış diyot ideale yaklaşmıştır. Ayrıca ters doyma akımının ışık şiddetiyle on kat artması ürettiğimiz heteroeklemin tipik fotodiyot davranışı sergilediğinin göstergesidir.
Follow-Up of Newborns with Neural Tube Defects: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Tandircioglu Umit Ayse , Ensert Cihan Cansu Kethuda , Celik Hasan Tolga , Bilginer Burcak , Yigit Sule
Published: August 2022

OBJECTIVES: Neural tube defects, defined as the developmental malformations of the central nervous system, are seen in our country at a rate of three per thousand on average. Our study aims to retrospectively evaluate patients with neural tube defects hospitalized in our intensive care unit for the last decade.
STUDY DESIGN: Demographic data, prenatal-maternal characteristics, surgical operation time, intensive care follow-up, and long-term neurological-developmental results of these patients were also evaluated.
RESULTS: Eighty-six percent (n=31) of the patients were diagnosed prenatally. Arnold Chiari type 2 and type 3 malformation was 64% (n=23) and 3% (n=1), respectively. Eighty-nine (n=32) percent of these patients had meningomyelocele, whereas 90% (n=27) of them had defects in the lumbosacral region. The patients were operated on the median postnatal 9th day (4-27). Compared patients who were operated on in the 1st week to the patients operated on following the first week, any difference was not detected in terms of neuromotor and cognitive development, and urinary/stool incontinence frequency. Of 28 patients whose long-term follow-up was questioned, 7 (25%), 25 (89%), and 16 (57%) were able to walk, talk, and go to school along with being compatible with their peers, respectively.
CONCLUSION: We presented our center's experience to make a significant contribution to the decrease of the neural tube defect frequency, which is commonly seen in our country compared to developed countries.
Corrección de fractura oblicua corta de calcáneo en una hembra juvenil de Puma concolor, utilizando una aguja de Steitnmann y placa de compresión
Authors: Medina Diego , Armas Ariza Juan Carlos , Ortega Ojeda Andrés , Camacho Martha , Astudillo Vallejo Kevin
Published: August 2022

El tráfico de vida silvestre es uno de los negocios ilícitos más lucrativos y es uno de los principales problemas que enfrenta la fauna silvestre del Ecuador. Una cachorra hembra de puma, víctima de comercio ilegal fue retenida por la Fundación Big Mammals Conservation en la provincia de Loja, en el sur de Ecuador y fue trasladada al centro de Rescate Ilitío, bajo cuidado de la Fundación Cóndor Andino. Posteriormente fue movilizada al Hospital Veterinario de fauna silvestre Planeta Vida para su examinación y tratamiento. El espécimen presentó fractura del hueso calcáneo, dermatitis de contacto en la región del cuello y mala condición corporal (2/5). Se realizó la corrección de la fractura, rehabilitación y plan alimenticio, con lo que se logró reestablecer su bienestar animal.
Simulation of chain of tanks to augment water supply: a case study from Tamil Nadu
Authors: Abraham Marykutty , Venugopal K. , Arunkumar R. , Pramada S. K.
Published: August 2022

The application of system dynamics techniques is gaining significance and is much needed for an effective management of the depleting water resources in a dynamically complex region and considers it as the feedback from the system. The present study deals with the application of a system dynamic approach to simulate a chain of four tanks in the Guduvanchery watershed, Tamil Nadu, India. Standard data-driven models cannot be effectively used due to a lack of quality data for ungauged basins. VENSIM was used for the system dynamic simulation to assess water availability for the sustainable management of water resources. Inflow into the four tanks, net losses in each tank, and crop water requirement were given as inputs into VENSIM. Along with different models, an extensive field survey was carried out to quantify each input component. Based on system dynamics simulation, only 28% of the total available water is used for irrigation and the rest is wasted due to evaporation, transition loss, and spill from the tanks. It was found that there was approximately 5.46 MCM of surface water available in the watershed, and it will be able to supply the domestic demand of the watershed of 0.672 MCM in addition to the irrigation requirement.
Visible light responsive Cu-N/TiO2 nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A
Authors: Krishnan Sukanya , Karim Ansaf V. , Shriwastav Amritanshu
Published: August 2022

Visible light active co-doped Cu-N/TiO2 photocatalyst was synthesized by the sol-gel method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission transmission electron microscope (FE-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (UV-vis DRS). The co-doping with Cu-N reduced the bandgap (∼2.83 eV) and extended the optical absorption range of TiO2 catalysts to the visible region. The incorporation of Cu and N on TiO2 lattice results in sub-conduction and valence band formation, which enhanced the photoactivity and electron-hole generation rate. The visible light activity of Cu-N/TiO2 was evaluated via photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) under blue LED illumination. The maximum BPA degradation of 42.7% was observed at 0.5 g L−1 catalyst dosage, initial pH of BPA solution = 8.2, and initial BPA concentration of 10 ppm. Further, a possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of BPA was also established.