bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Default mode network mechanisms of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation in heroin addiction
Authors: Jin Long , Yuan Menghui , Zhang Wei , Wang Lei , Chen Jiajie , Wang Fan , Zhu Jia , Liu Tao , Wei Yixin , Li Yunbo , Wang Wei , Li Qiang , Wei Longxiao
Published: July 2022

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been found could reduce the craving of heroin dependent (HD) individuals, but the underlying mechanisms of the anti-craving effect of rTMS is unknown. It has been shown that abnormalities in the default mode network (DMN) are consistent findings in HD individuals, in which the craving was involved. We assessed the effect of rTMS on the activity of the DMN and the relation to treatment response. Thirty HD individuals were included in this self-controlled study. All HD participants received a 7-times 10Hz rTMS during a week. The craving, withdrawal symptom and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after the rTMS treatment. Thirty demographically matched healthy subjects who did not receive rTMS were included as controls. We focused on the change of coupling seeded from the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and bilateral inferior parietal lobe (IPL) which are core regions of the DMN. The craving and withdrawal symptom score of the HD individuals significantly decreased after rTMS treatment. The left IPL-left middle frontal gyrus coupling and the left IPL-right inferior occipital gyrus coupling significantly decreased, and the change of the left IPL-left middle frontal gyrus coupling positively correlated with the change of the drug-cue induced craving. The rTMS could modulate the coupling between the DMN and ECN. The alteration of the left IPL-left middle frontal gyrus coupling may play an important mechanistic role in reducing the drug-cue induced craving.
Bandpass and bandstop plasmonic filters based on Wilkinson power divider structure
Authors: Korani Nastaran , Danaie Mohammad , Abbasi Abdollah
Published: July 2022

The plasmonic bandpass and bandstop filter based on the Wilkinson power divider structure with the nanoring resonators are proposed and demonstrated. we find that the resonance wavelengths can be manipulated by adjusting the inner radius and outer radius of the nanoring resonator. Using the manipulation of the gap size between the ring resonators and rectangular stubs the bandpass and bandstop filters were designed. When the angle between the input waveguide and ring resonators is changed, the first mode is suppressed. The propagating modes of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are investigated in this filter. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is utilized to investigate and analyze the transmission characteristics of the proposed filter. The proposed plasmonic filter is of a compact size that has potential application for integrated optics. The proposed technique can suppress the modes. The results show that the filtering wavelength can be manipulated by changing the stubs and rings parameters.
Mapping and characterization of a novel adult-plant leaf rust resistance gene Lr16G216 via BSA and conventional linkage method
Authors: Zhao Renhui , Liu Bingliang , Wan Wentao , Jiang Zhengning , Chen Tiantian , Wang Ling , Shou Lulu , Bie Tongde
Published: July 2022

Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) is one of the most devastating fungal diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Discovery and identification of new resistance genes is essential to develop disease-resistant cultivars. An advanced breeding line Yang16G216 was previously identified to confer adult plant resistance (APR) to leaf rust. In this research, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was constructed from the cross between Yang16G216 and a highly susceptible line Yang16M6393, and genotyped with exome capture sequencing and 55K SNP array. Through bulked-segregant analysis (BSA) and genetic linkage mapping, a stable APR gene, designated as Lr16G216, was primarily detected and mapped to the distal region of chromosome arm 6BL with a genetic interval of 2.8-cM. For further verification, another RIL population derived from the cross between Yang16G216 and a susceptible wheat variety Yangmai 29 were analyzed using the enriched markers in the target interval, and Lr16G216 was further narrowed to a 0.59-cM genetic interval flanked by the KASP markers Ax109403980 and Ax95083494, corresponding to the physical position 712.34–713.94 Mb in the Chinese Spring reference genome, in which twenty-six disease resistance-related genes were annotated. Based on leaf rust resistance spectrum, mapping data and physical location, Lr16G216 is identified to be a novel and effective APR gene. The Lr16G216 with linked markers will be useful for marker-assisted selection in wheat resistance breeding.
Moderators of Physical Activity and Quality of Life Response to a Physical Activity Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: Schleicher Erica , McAuley Edward , Courneya Kerry S , Anton Phillip , Ehlers Diane K. , Phillips Siobhan M. , Oster Robert A. , Pekmezi Dorothy , Rogers Laura Q
Published: July 2022

Purpose
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can improve quality of life (QoL) for breast cancer survivors (BCS); yet most do not achieve 150 + weekly minutes of MVPA. This study investigated moderators of response to a physical activity (PA) behavior change intervention for BCS.
Methods
BCS (N = 222) were randomized to the 3-month intervention (BEAT Cancer) or usual care. Measurements occurred at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention. Measures included accelerometry, self-reported MVPA, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-General, FACT-Breast, physical well-being [PWB], social well-being [SWB], emotional well-being [EWB], functional well-being [FWB], additional concerns [AC], and Trial Outcome Index (TOI).
Results
Adjusted linear mixed-model analyses indicated individuals ≤ 24 months post-diagnosis who were single reported smaller increases in weekly MVPA than those > 24 months (44.07 vs 111.93) and partnered (-16.24 vs. 49.16 min), all p’s < 0.05. As for QoL, participants < 12 months post-diagnosis who received chemotherapy experienced smaller improvements than those ≥ 12 months in FACT-General, FACT-Breast, PWB, SWB scores. Survivors with a history of chemotherapy had smaller improvements in FACT-General, FACT-Breast, PWB, SWB, TOI, and AC scores, all p’s < 0.05.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that being < 2 years post-diagnosis, single, and having history of chemotherapy may limit MVPA and QOL responses to a physical activity intervention. Further studies are needed to determine if and/or what additional PA supports and resources these subgroups of BCS might find beneficial and effective.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00929617
Planning preclinical confirmatory multicenter trials to strengthen translation from basic to clinical research – a multi-stakeholder workshop report
Authors: Drude Natascha , Martinez-Gamboa Lorena , Danziger Meggie , Collazo Anja , Kniffert Silke , Wiebach Janine , Nilsonne Gustav , Konietschke Frank , Piper Sophie , Pawel Samuel , Micheloud Charlotte , Held Leonhard , Frommlet Florian , Segelcke Daniel , Pogatzki-Zahn Esther , Voelkl Bernhard , Friede Tim , Brunner Edgar , Dempfle Astrid , Haller Bernhard , Jung Marie Juliane , Riecken Lars Björn , Kuhn Georg , Tenbusch Matthias , Higuita Lina Maria Serna , Remarque Edmond J. , Grüninger Servan , Manske Katrin , Kobold Sebastian , Rivalan Marion , Wedekind Lisa , Wilcke Juliane C. , Boulesteix Anne-Laure , Meinhardt Marcus W. , Spanagel Rainer , Hettmer Simone , von Lüttichau Irene , Regina Carla , Dirnagl Ulrich , Toelch Ulf
Published: July 2022

Clinical translation from bench to bedside often remains challenging even despite promising preclinical evidence. Among many drivers like biological complexity or poorly understood disease pathology, preclinical evidence often lacks desired robustness. Reasons include low sample sizes, selective reporting, publication bias, and consequently inflated effect sizes. In this context, there is growing consensus that confirmatory multicenter studies -by weeding out false positives- represent an important step in strengthening and generating preclinical evidence before moving on to clinical research. However, there is little guidance on what such a preclinical confirmatory study entails and when it should be conducted in the research trajectory. To close this gap, we organized a workshop to bring together statisticians, clinicians, preclinical scientists, and meta-researcher to discuss and develop recommendations that are solution-oriented and feasible for practitioners. Herein, we summarize and review current approaches and outline strategies that provide decision-critical guidance on when to start and subsequently how to plan a confirmatory study. We define a set of minimum criteria and strategies to strengthen validity before engaging in a confirmatory preclinical trial, including sample size considerations that take the inherent uncertainty of initial (exploratory) studies into account. Beyond this specific guidance, we highlight knowledge gaps that require further research and discuss the role of confirmatory studies in translational biomedical research. In conclusion, this workshop report highlights the need for close interaction and open and honest debate between statisticians, preclinical scientists, meta-researchers (that conduct research on research), and clinicians already at an early stage of a given preclinical research trajectory.
Nomogram for predicting food allergy in infants with feeding problems and malnutrition
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhou Chunyan , Wang Xirui , Wang Bin , Hu Yabin , Zhang Yue , Chen Chen , Li Juan , Li Luanluan , Yu Xiaodan
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to diagnose food allergy in infants in General Outpatient Department of Pediatrics as oral food challenge (OFC) cannot be performed routinely.OBJECTIVE: To construct a nomogram to screen for a high probability of food allergy in infants with feeding problems and malnutrition. METHODS: From August 2018 to December 2021, 289 infants with feeding problems and malnutrition from 7 hospitals in Shanghai, China were recruited. Food allergy was defined as positive response of skin prick test or OFC with gastrointestinal, dermatologic, or respiratory symptoms. Demographic characteristics, the cow's milk-related symptom scores (CoMiSS) and blood eosinophils (EOS) were obtained for evaluating their correlation with food allergy. Variables identified by multivariate logistic regression were included to develop the nomogram model with the bootstrapped-concordance index as an assess index.RESULTS: Altogether, 249 of 289 infants with feeding problems and malnutrition had food allergy (86.2%). After analyzing, feeding pattern (Odds ratio (OR) = 5.284; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.133-13.086), family history of allergy (OR=1.793; 95%CI: 0.713-4.508), CoMiSS score (OR=1.450; 95%CI: 1.187-1.771) and EOS percentage (OR=1.332; 95%CI: 1.111-1.598) were included to develop the model, which had a good performance with an area under the curve of 0.868 (95% CI: 0.792-0.944) and a bootstrapped-concordance index of 0.868. Among them, EOS percentage was the strongest factor producing a highly probability in the model. CONCLUSION: Nomogram model can be a useful tool to screen infants with high probability of food allergy among infants with feeding problems and malnutrition for further food allergy diagnosis.
Ectopic over-expression of HaFT-1, a 14-3-3 Protein from Haloxylon ammodendron, leads to enhanced acquired thermotolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis
Authors: Pan Rong , Ren Wenjing , Zhang Hua , Deng Xin , Wang Bo
Published: July 2022

Haloxylon ammodendron, an important shrub for desert afforestation, can adapt to harsh ecological environments such as drought, saline and extreme high temperature. Therefore, the study of H. ammodendron stress adaptation mechanism is of great practical significance for ecological improvement in desert areas. Previously, a heat stress (HS) responsive H. ammodendron 14-3-3 protein gene HaFT-1 with HS memory characteristics found in transcriptome was cloned and its transgenic Arabidopsis lines were obtained. In this study, its role in HS tolerance was further investigated. qRT-PCR analysis showed that HS priming enhanced the expression of HaFT-1 under the second HS and subsequent recovery treatment, indicating expression of HaFT-1 had transcriptional memory to HS. Subcellular localization showed that YFP-HaFT-1 fusion protein located in the cytoplasm of protoplasts. The survival rates of HaFT-1 overexpression seedlings were higher than that of WT after priming-and-triggering and non-primed control treatments. Cell death staining showed that cell death in HaFT-1 overexpression lines was more significantly inhibited than that in WT seedlings when treated with HS. Transcriptome analysis showed that energy generation, protein metabolism, signal transduction, biosynthesis, proline metabolism, autophagy, chlorophyll metabolism, and peroxisome were related to resistance of HaFT-1 transgenic plants to the second HS. Growth physiology analysis showed that priming-and-triggering treatment in HaFT-1 overexpression Arabidopsis promoted regulation on proline content and strengthened reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity. These results demonstrated that overexpression of HaFT-1 strengthened not only HS priming but also tolerance to the second HS of transgenic Arabidopsis, suggesting HaFT-1 as a positive regulator in acquired thermotolerance.
LncRNA NALT1 promotes colorectal cancer progression via targeting PEG10 by sponging microRNA-574-5p
Authors: Ye Menling , Zhao Lu , Zhang Lu , Wu Siyi , Li Zhao , Qin Yi , Lin Fei , Pan Linghui
Published: July 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently one of the commonest tumors and the main reason of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It has been reported that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) acts as important indicators and regulators in various cancers. New lncRNA biomarkers in CRC need to be discover urgently, as well as their functions and molecular mechanisms. NALT1 has been implicated in the occurrence of gastric cancer (GC). However, the detailed function and mechanism of NALT1 in CRC progress has not been reported. In this study, RT-qPCR was conducted to detect the expression of NALT1 in 76 CRC patients ranging from stages I through IV. To assess the biological function of NALT1, loss- and gain-of-function experiments were conducted both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, RNA-seq, bioinformatics analysis, RNA pulldown assay, dual-luciferase reporter, Ago2-RIP, quantitative PCR, Western blot assays, and rescue experiments were performed to reveal the molecular mechanisms of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). It was observed that high expression of NALT1 was markedly correlated with advanced cancer stage in clinic. Functionally, NALT1 downregulation inhibited cell proliferation and migration, whereas NALT1 overexpression exhibited an opposite trend both in vivo and in vitro. Bioinformatics analysis, RNA pulldown, Ago2-RIP, and luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miRNA-574-5p was a direct target of NALT1. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter assays, Ago2-RIP, and rescue experiments indicated that miRNA-574-5p could target the PEG10 gene directly. Our results indicated that NALT1 promoted CRC proliferation and migration by sponging miRNA-574-5p to upregulate PEG10 expression, and implied that NALT1 might act as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for CRC.
The quantified analysis of the impact of medical humanities courses on medical student’s performance
Authors: Ho Chao-Chung , Chu Yeong-Ruey , Wu Jr-Wei , Huang Shiau‑Shian , Yang Ying-Ying
Published: July 2022

Background
A high-quality medical humanities education program is essential to developing a successful medical practitioner and can influence clinical performance. It is also vital to improve the evaluation of medical humanities education to restore harmonious mutual relationships in medical care. The study aimed to assess the impact of the quantity of medical humanities courses (MHC) on medical students’ academic and clinical performance.
Methods
The study included six- and seven-year medical school students (n = 354) at National Yang-Ming University who graduated between 2012 and 2014. We analyzed the correlation between these students’ performance in medical humanities courses and academic performance.
Results
Based on multivariable regression analyses and after controlling for confounding factors (gender, residential area, age at enrollment, type of administration, and length of schooling), the number of adjusted MHCs was significantly correlated with the weighted average mark (p < 0.001), performance in clinical courses (p < 0.05), and clerkship performance (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
An appropriate number of better-quality medical humanities courses were related to medical students' clinical and academic performance.
Clamping Force Model Application on the Aircraft Structural Assembly
Authors: de Mello Joao Marcos Gomes , TRABASSO Luís Gonzaga , Silva André Vinícius Santos , de Oliveira Wesley Rodrigues
Published: July 2022

The aeronautic manufacturing industry has been seeking to enhance competitiveness and product quality by applying the Industry 4.0´s technologies. Particularly, on the roadmap of the digital twin era, a way to achieve a reduction in manufacturing time and thus production cost is to obtain prediction models of the main elementary assembly operations and functions within aircraft manufacturing process, such as the clamping force applied by the temporary fasteners on the aircraft's structural parts. Besides being a mandatory operation, it affects multiple tasks along the product's assembly lifecycle. This work focuses on the role of the clamping force in the assembly process, establishing its functional model by means of an experimental approach based upon resources used on a real shop floor of a major aircraft manufacturer. To evince the main requirements that the clamping force tools can achieve, this work employs the Taguchi Design method, Design of Experiments and process capability analysis. The model resulted from the aforementioned methods and tools allows the assembly behavior prediction and thus the control of the manufacturing process, ultimately yielding a better geometry quality.
Coal Country Supports Climate Policy in Exchange for Transition Assistance∗
Authors: Gazmararian Alexander
Published: July 2022

Decarbonization to mitigate climate change will require a reduction in fossil fuel consumption. The economic effects of moving away from fossil fuels motivates communities that produce coal, oil and gas to obstruct climate policy. How could climate policy be designed to win support for decarbonization in fossil fuel communities? Answering this question requires public opinion data from these crucial regions, but national surveys often fail to recruit respondents from these areas. To overcome this limitation, we deploy a novel sampling strategy -- fielding surveys at Appalachian county fairs -- to access this hard-to reach population (N=248). Employing a multi-attribute policy experiment, we find that policies reducing transition costs, such as investments in worker healthcare and pensions and income compensation, increase support for transition assistance. In turn, respondents report willingness to back climate policy coupled with assistance for workers and community members. The findings suggest that smart policy design can build climate coalitions for decarbonization, even in the places most impacted by moving away from fossil fuels.
System identification of photovoltaic system based on fractional-order model
Authors: ebead rabiaa , Abou-Zalam Belal , Nabil Essam
Published: July 2022

A fractional-order model of a photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed in this paper. The system identification method is used to construct an accurate dynamical model for a PV system, a real PV module and boost converter are used to collect experimentally input-output data for the identification process. A black box modeling is considered for system identification to obtain a transfer function, without needing to make mathematical analysis. the input-output data which is measured is fitted by the least-square curve fitting method, and the parameters of the curve fitting are optimized by the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. the proposed fractional-order model is employed with the MATLAB and Simulink software to obtain a fractional order PID controller, which is used to extract maximum power from the PV system.
Hybrid Optical Diffractive Neural Networks (HODNNs) for Speckle Reconstruction and Physical Auto-encoding
Authors: Xiang Peng , Huang Zihao , Lan Botian , Wang Hao , Wang Yangyundou
Published: July 2022

All-optical Diffractive Deep Neural Network (D2NN) architecture can learn to implement various functions after the deep learning-based design of passive diffractive layers. D2NN offers unique advantages for parallel processing, speed of light processing, and low power consumption. Here, we extend by proposing Hybrid Optical Diffractive Neural Networks (HODNNs) for speckle reconstruction and physical auto-encoding. HODNNs include an all-optical Diffractive Deep Neural Network (D2NN) for light-speed, energy-efficient phase information extractions and electrical convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for high-performance feature extraction with less hardware complexity. The performance of HODNNs for speckle reconstruction and lens imaging is very comparative with NPCC, SSIM, and PSNR reach -0.98, 0.98, and 27dB, respectively. In the future, the presented frameworks can be used for deep tissue imaging and lensless microscopic imaging.
Enhancement of human bladder carcinoma cell chemosensitivity to Mitomycin C through quasi-monochromatic blue light (λ=453 nm)
Authors: Hegmann Lisa , Sturm Sofia , Niegisch Günter , Windolf Joachim , Suschek Christoph V.
Published: July 2022

Human urothelial bladder carcinoma (uBC) is the second most tumor entity of the urogenital tract. As far as possible, therapy for non-muscle invasive uBC takes place as resection of the tumor tissue, followed by intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Because of the high recurrence rate of uBC, there is a need for improved efficiency in the treatment. In the present in vitro study we have evaluated a new approach to enhance the cytotoxic efficiency of Mitomycin C (MMC), which is commonly used for intravesical treatment of uBC on the relevant urothelial cancer cell line RT112. For that we used quasi-monochromatic blue light (453±10 nm) at non-toxic dose of 110 J/cm2 as an additive stimulus to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of MMC (10 µg/ml). We found, that blue light exposure of RT112 cells led to a very strong increase in intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to a significant reduction of all function parameters of mitochondrial respiration, including basal activity and ATP production. Although not being toxic when used as a single impact, together with MMC blue light strongly enhanced the therapeutic efficiency of MMC in the form of significantly enhanced cytotoxicity via apoptosis and secondary necrosis. Our results clearly show that blue light, most likely due to its ability to increase intracellular ROS production and reduce mitochondrial respiration, increased the cytotoxic efficiency of MMC and therefore might represent an effective, low-side-effect, and success-enhancing therapy option in the local treatment of bladder cancer.
Design of intelligent decorative bracelet based on the concept of bionic design
Authors: liu yajuan , chen yanling
Published: July 2022

Objective Committed to the development of a new type of bracelet that integrates bionics , intelligence and decoration , to fill the vacancy of the current smart bracelet decoration function is not strong, to relieve the pressure of traditional bracelets due to accurate time, and to enhance the audience's happiness index. Method By analyzing the bionic design concept , simplify and optimize the 24 flowers that open at different times of the day as the decoration of the bracelet dial , learn from the composition techniques of Chinese paintings , and refer to the design interface of Tai Chi Yin-Yang Diagram to convey the design concept of advocating nature and returning to nature ; the lights are on to indicate the time The connection method adopts an improved tenon-and-mortise structure; the circuit uses the PADS software to design the circuit schematic diagram, and the Rhino software to construct the three-dimensional model of the product ; the product evaluation system is designed by the analytic hierarchy process and the network questionnaire survey is carried out to make the data more scientific and effective. Conclusion Through the design and research of this bracelet, the audience can get rid of the precise time limit, get time service and achieve the effect of relaxation.
QUARE: Towards a Question-Answering Model for Requirements Elicitation
Authors: Calle Johnathan , Zapata Carlos
Published: July 2022

Requirements elicitation is a stakeholder-centered approach; therefore, natural language remains an effective way of documenting and validating requirements. As the scope of the software domain grows, software analysts process a higher number of requirements documents, generating delays and errors while characterizing the software domain. Natural language processing is key in such a process, allowing software analysts for speeding up the requirements elicitation process and mitigating the impact of the ambiguity and misinterpretations coming from natural-language-based requirements documents. However, natural-language-processing-based proposals for requirements elicitation are mainly focused on specific domains and still fail for understanding several requirements writing styles. In this paper, we present QUARE, a question-answering model for requirements elicitation. The QUARE model comprises a meta-ontology for requirements elicitation, easing the generation of requirements-elicitation-related questions and the initial structuration of any software domain. In addition, the QUARE model includes a named entity recognition and relation extraction system focused on requirements elicitation, allowing software analysts for processing several requirements writing styles. Although software analysts address a software domain at a time, they use the same kind of questions for identifying and characterizing requirements abstractions such as actors, concepts, and actions from a software domain. Such a process may be framed into the QUARE model workflow. We validate our proposal by using an experimental process including real-world requirements documents coming from several software domains and requirements writing styles. The QUARE model is a novel proposal aimed at supporting software analysts in the requirements elicitation process.CCS CONCEPTS • Information systems~Information retrieval~Retrieval tasks and goals~Question answering • Software and its engineering~Software creation and management~Designing software~Requirements analysis • Information systems~Information retrieval~Retrieval tasks and goals~Information extraction
Reliability analysis of dynamic accuracy for the heavy-duty machine tool segmented beam
Authors: Tian Yang , Cheng Qian , Sun Yong
Published: July 2022

The dynamic reliability of heavy-duty CNC machine tool beam is directly related to the machining accuracy which is challenging to maintain because of the gantry machine structure. It is important to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of gantry machine components, especially the tool beam. This research investigated the dynamic accuracy of a segmented beam of gantry heavy machine tool by studying the surface morphology of the joint surface. The mechanical model of a single asperity is established based on the finite element method. The elastic and the plastic stage deformation boundary values are obtained, and the contact model of the full joint surface is established by using the Gaussian distribution characteristics. The finite element model of the sectional beam is developed by transforming the contact parameters of the joint surface. The accuracy of the model is verified by the field modal experiment. Additionally, the proposed model is used to analyze the impact of vibration on machining accuracy. The results revealed that the proposed model is highly reliable.
Point of Care Platelet Function Testing for Guided Transfusion in Neurosurgical Management of Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review
Authors: Xu Flora Wen Xin , Lim Nicole-Ann , Sim Ming Ann , Lean Lyn Li , Loh Ne-Hooi Will , Ng Ka Ting , Chua Vanessa Tze Yuh , Chew Sophia Tsong Huey , Ti Lian Kah
Published: July 2022

Given the rising prevalence of antiplatelet therapy, rapid preoperative identification of patients with bleeding diathesis is necessary for the guidance of blood product administration. This is especially relevant in neurosurgery for intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), where indiscriminate transfusions may lead to further hemorrhagic or thromboembolic injury. Point-of-care (POC) testing of platelet function is a promising solution to this dilemma, as it has been proven effective in cardiac surgery. However, to date, POC platelet function testing in neurosurgery has not been extensively evaluated. This systematic review appraises the use of POC platelet function test (PFT) in emergency neurosurgery in terms of its impact on patient outcomes. A comprehensive search was conducted on four electronic databases (Pubmed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane) for relevant English language articles from their respective inceptions until 1 June 2022. We included all randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (i) involved adult patients undergoing neurosurgery for ICH; (ii) evaluated platelet function via POC PFT; (iii) reported a change in perioperative blood loss; and/or (iv) reported data on treatment-related adverse events and mortality. Assessment of study quality was conducted using the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for Cohort Studies and Case-Control Studies, and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Case Series. The search yielded 2,835 studies, of which seven observational studies comprising 849 patients met the inclusion criteria for this review. Overall, there is evidence that the use of POC PFT to assess bleeding risk reduced bleeding events, thromboembolic adverse outcomes, and the length of hospitalization. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that using POC PFT improves blood product use, functional outcomes or mortality.
Apprehension of Spurious Information - A Hybrid Architecture to Detect COVID Fake News
Authors: Mahalakshmi G S , Srih S , Shakthiprarthana V , Sendhilkumar S
Published: July 2022

Propagation of false information has an enduring effect on the economy and can lead to political tensions. In order to counterattack this unexpected repercussion, a system has to be modelled to distinguish the hoax from the real. This paper proposes a deep learning based hybrid model that can determine if the news is veracious. The performance of the model is tested on four datasets including COVID fake news to ensure that it is able to generalise across different domains and achieve best results. Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Units emerges to be the ideal decoder to work along with the Convolutional Neural Network in this hybrid architecture while the words being represented using the glove.6B.50D embeddings provided to be the best representation when juxtaposed with Word2Vec, BERT Embeddings, glove.6B.100D and keras embedding layer. Experiments on the datasets show promising results with an overall accuracy of 80.17% on Disaster Tweets, 99% on ISOT dataset, 59.86% on LIAR and 90.05% on COVID Fake News dataset.
Sleep patterns correlates with the efficacy of tDCS on post-stroke patients with chronic disorders of consciousness
Authors: Yu Jie , Wu Yuehao , Wu Biwen , Xu Chuan , Cai Jiaye , Wen Xinrui , Meng Fanxia , Zhang Li , He Fangping , Hong Lirong , Gao Jian , Li Jingqi , Yu Jintai , Luo Benyan
Published: July 2022

Background: The subclassification of chronic disorders of consciousness (DoC) based on sleep patterns is important for the evaluation and treatment of the disease. This study evaluates the correlation between polysomnographic patterns and the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with chronic DoC due to stroke. Methods: In total, 33 patients in the vegetative state (VS) with sleep cycles or without sleep cycles were randomly assigned to either active or sham tDCS groups . Polysomnography was used to monitor sleep changes before and after intervention. Additionally, clinical scale scores and electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis were performed before and after intervention to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS on the patients subclassified according to their sleep patterns. Results: The results suggest that tDCS improved the sleep structure, significantly prolonged total sleep time (TST) (95%CI:14.387-283.527, P =0.032) and NREM sleep stage 2 (95%CI:3.157-246.165, P =0.045) of the VS patients with sleep cycles. It also significantly enhanced brain function of patients with sleep cycles, which were reflected by the increased clinical scores (95%CI: 0.340-3.440, P =0.02), the EEG powers and functional connectivity in the brain and the 6-month prognosis. Moreover, the changes in NREM sleep stage 2 had a significant positive correlation with each index of the β band. Conclusion: This study reveals the importance of sleep patterns in the prognosis and treatment of chronic DoC and provides new evidence for the efficacy of tDCS in post-stroke patients with VS patients subclassified by sleep pattern. Trial registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03809936. Registered 18 January 2019.
“This is really something: same place, same day result, same day treatment” Women’s experiences of testing positive for HPV and receiving same-day treatment in Papua New Guinea: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Camara Hawa , Nosi Somu , Munnull Gloria , Badman Steven G , Bolgna John , Kuk Joseph , Mola Glen DL , Guy Rebecca , Vallely Andrew J. , Kelly-Hanku Angela
Published: July 2022

Introduction:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is transforming cervical screening globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends same-day HPV screen-and-treat for primary cervical screening in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) but there is a lack of evidence on women’s lived experience of testing positive for oncogenic HPV and receiving same-day treatment. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap among women participating in a same-day HPV screen-and-treat (HPV S&T) program in Papua New Guinea.
Methods
As part of a larger qualitative study, this paper explores the lived experiences of 26 women who tested positive for oncogenic HPV and were treated the same day. We analysed the data using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. All data were managed using Nvivo 12.5.
Results
The interpretative phenomenological analysis led to three superordinate themes: 1) alleviating initial worries, (2) transforming the disclosure process, and (3) connecting to their faith. Women’s experiences of the same day HPV screen-and-treat were framed by initial emotional reactions to their positive HPV test result, and having access to treatment on the same day, which helped address their worries and fears, and transformed their experience of disclosing their test result and subsequent treatment to family and friends.
Conclusion
This study shows that, while women experience similar initial emotional reactions, undergoing same day treatment quickly resolved the women’s worries, making this program highly acceptable. Overall, women’s engagement in the program confirmed its high acceptability and cultural congruence, leaving women feeling empowered and hopeful about their future, and the future of all Papua New Guinea women.
Design and manufacturing of a hip joint motion simulator with a novel modular design approach
Authors: Torabnia Shams , Mihcin Senay , Lazoglu Ismail
Published: July 2022

In vitro motion stimulation of the hip-joint prosthesis helps predict the critical parameters of the products more realistically than in silico investigations. For the joint prosthesis, Wear, the size of debris, fatigue life, and range of motion are some of the essential parameters to investigate. This study designs and develops a hip joint wear simulator using novel approaches. The simulator dynamics were modeled. The forces are calculated from the dynamic loading used for weight optimization, which reduces the forces acting on each joint and improves the quality of the motion transferred to the femoral head. The concept design compared with the topology-optimized shape, gravitational and dynamic forces due to the arm weights.
The prognostic value and immune correlation of IL18 expression and promoter methylation in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Xiaonan , zhu wancui , Chen Enni , Long Qian , Sun Haohui , Li Xiaodi , Xu Hailin , Li Weizhao , Dong Pei , He Liru , Chen Miao , Deng Wuguo
Published: July 2022

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not sensitive to immunotherapy and have poor prognosis. DNA methylation regulates gene expression, and its abnormal changes are related to many human diseases. Recently, DNA methylation has been found to participate in immune infiltration in various cancers. However, its pattern in RCC remains poorly understood. Results: We found that IL18 was significantly over-expressed in RCC tumor tissues compared to normal adjacent tissues. The IL18 promoter region was hypomethylated, which was strongly correlated with elevated IL18 mRNA expression, and predicted advanced clinicopathological characteristics and shorter overall survival. Furthermore, we found that IL18 promoter methylation was significantly related to the down-regulation of immune checkpoint molecules and increase of CD8+ T cell infiltration in RCC tumor tissues.Conclusions: We have identified the important role of IL18 promoter methylation and expression, which are associated with clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival, immune cell infiltration and expression of immune checkpoint molecules in RCC. We present the rationale for IL18 promoter methylation as a molecular biomarker for predicting the response of RCC to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Practices, beliefs, and attitudes of clinicians in prescribing direct oral anticoagulants for obese adults with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Shaikh Fahad , Wynne Rochelle , Castelino Ronald L , Inglis Sally C , Davidson Patricia M , Ferguson Caleb
Published: July 2022

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and obesity affect over 60 and 650 million people, respectively. Aim: To explore clinician practices, beliefs, and attitudes towards the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in obese individuals with AF.Methods: An exploratory qualitative interview study of clinicians, with expertise in DOAC use in individuals with AF. Data was analysed in NVIVO using thematic analysis.Results: Fifteen clinicians including cardiologists (n=5), hospital pharmacists (n=5), general practitioners (n=2), a haematologist, a neurologist and a clinical pharmacologist participated. Interviews lasted for an average of 31 ± 9 minutes. Key themes revealed were: (1) Health system factors in decision-making: Disparities between rural and metropolitan geographic areas, with regards to access, availability of health services, and time limitations for in-patient decision making, were described. (2) Condition related factors in decision-making: Clinicians questioned the significance of obesity as part of decision-making due to the practical limitations of dose modification, and the rarity of the extreme obese cohort.(3) Decision-making in the context of uncertainty: Clinicians reported limited availability, reliability and awareness of primary evidence including limited guidance from clinical guidelines for DOAC use in obesity. Conclusion: The interplay between obesity and AF, in the context of a challenging healthcare environment, impacts DOAC prescription decision-making. This study highlights limitations in availability, reliability, and awareness of evidence. The intrinsic complexity of the obese cohort coupled with limited guidance from clinical practice guidelines, equates to an urgent need for contemporary research to improve the quality of evidence to guide informed shared decision-making.
Vessel size as a marker of survival in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer
Authors: Milosevic Vladan , Edelmann Reidunn J. , Winge Ingeborg , Strell Carina , Mezheyeuski Artur , Knutsvik Gøril , Askeland Cecilie , Wik Elisabeth , Akslen Lars A. , Östman Arne
Published: July 2022

Background
Angiogenesis is crucial for tumor growth and is one of the hallmarks of cancer. In this study, we analyzed microvessel density, vessel median size, and perivascular a-SMA expression as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer.
Methods
A set of dual IHC staining was performed where alpha-SMA antibodies were used together with antibodies against the endothelial cell marker CD34. Digital images of stainings were analyzed to extract quantitative data on vessel density, vessel size and perivascular alpha-SMA status.
Results
The analyses in the discovery cohort (n = 108) revealed a statistically significant relationship between large vessel size and shorter disease specific survival (p = 0.007, log-rank-test; p = 0.01, HR 3.1; 95% CI: 1.3–7.4, Cox-regression analyses). Subset analyses indicated that the survival association of vessel size was enriched in ER + breast cancer. To consolidate these findings, additional analyses were performed on the validation cohort (n = 267) where a significant poor prognosis association of large vessel size was also detected in ER + breast cancer (p = 0.016, log-rank-test; p = 0.02; HR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1–4.7, Cox-regression analyses).
Conclusions
Alpha-SMA/CD34 dual IHC staining revealed breast cancer heterogeneity regarding vessel size, vessel density and perivascular a-SMA status. Large vessel size was linked to shorter survival in ER + breast cancer.
CT scanner quality control using a quality assurance phantom and a PMMA phantom
Authors: Sisay Tadelech
Published: July 2022

Background: The American Association of Physics in Medicine recommends using a specific phantom for quality control and to evaluate the operation of the CT scanner. The current studies' objectives were to determine the multi- slice Philips CT scanner's performance through rigorous quality control testing. Image quality was estimated using a quality assurance CT phantom and radiation dose was assessed using a PMMA head and a PMMA body phantom with a 100mm pencil chamber. The image quality performance parameters that were tested were CT image noise, uniformity, CT number accuracy, and resolution. The radiation dose performance parameters that were evaluated were volume computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), and dose length product (DLP).Result: The results of the present study were all image quality and CT dose index parameters tested within the acceptable standard limits. The CT radiation dose parameter and image quality test were accepted because they were within the tolerance values. Conclusion: All CT scanners must pass the CT quality control test in order for their performance to be improved.
YTHDF1-TRAF6 pathway regulated neuroinflammation response contributed morphine tolerance and hyperalgesia in periaqueductal gray
Authors: Zhang Jianxing , Ouyang Handong , Chi Dongmei , Zhang Kun , Huang Yongtian , Huang Wan , Bai xiaohui
Published: July 2022

Opioids like morphine have negative side effects such analgesia tolerance and morphine induced hyperalgesia (MIH), which is why their usage is restricted. Raising the dosage of morphine counteracts analgesic tolerance and MIH. Here, we discover that YTHDF1 and TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) expression, which are crucial for morphine analgesic tolerance and MIH. The m6A reader YTHDF1 positively controls the translation of TRAF6 mRNA, and chronic morphine treatments can enhance the m6A modification of TRAF6 mRNA. TRAF6 protein is drastically reduced by YTHDF1 knockdown, although TRAF6 mRNA level is unaffected. By reducing inflammatory markers such TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β and NF-κB, targeted reduction of YTHDF1 or suppression of TRAF6 activity in ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) slows the development of morphine analgesia tolerance and MIH. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which YTHDF1 participates in morphine analgesia tolerance and MIH by regulating the inflammatory response involved in the expression of TRAF6 protein.
Experimental study on ultrasonic assisted electrolyte plasma polishing of SUS304 stainless steel
Authors: Chen Yangjian , Yi Jun , Wang Zongwei , Zhou Wei , Deng Hui
Published: July 2022

A new method of ultrasonic assisted electrolyte plasma polishing (UEPP) is proposed to solve the problem that the oxidation layer generated on the anode workpiece surface in the process of Electrolytic Plasma and Polishing (EPP) cannot be removed completely, which affects the polishing efficiency and surface quality of the workpiece. Firstly, the polishing mechanism of UEPP is described and set up an experimental platform. Taking SUS304 stainless steel as the experimental object, comparative experiments of UEPP and EPP polishing are carried out to verify the beneficial effect of ultrasonic vibration on improving polishing efficiency and polishing quality. The results show that under the same polishing parameters, the introduction of ultrasonic vibration can improve the polishing efficiency by nearly 30%. After UEPP process, the workpiece has better surface texture, the number of surface scratches is greatly reduced, and lower surface roughness can be obtained. In addition, 40KHz is the best ultrasonic vibration parameter. The optimization experiments of UEPP polishing process parameters are further carried out. For SUS304 stainless steel, the optimal polishing process parameters are power supply voltage of 250V, polishing solution concentration of 4%wt, polishing solution temperature of 80℃ under 40KHz ultrasonic assisted conditions. The surface roughness of the experimental workpiece can be reduced from the initial Sa0.5μm to Sa0.02μm after 40 minutes of polishing under the optimized process parameters.