bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of an optimal intensity measure for isolated bridges based on the geometric mean of the response spectrum
Authors: Dai Jian-Cheng , Wang Dongsheng , Chen Xiao-Yu , Zhang Rui , Sun Zhi-Guo
Published: October 2022

The ground motion intensity measure (IM) is an important part of probabilistic seismic demand analysis and is used to predict the seismic response of structures. In this study, two typical seismic isolation bridges were selected as cases, and 80 far-fault records and 40 near-fault records are used as inputs for the time-history analysis. By performing a comparison with 19 common IMs, it is proved that the IM based on the geometric mean of the response spectrum is an optimal IM for isolated bridges in terms of efficiency, practicality, proficiency, and sufficiency. The effects of response spectrum type and period range on this form of IM are investigated. The results show that the response spectrum type has a slight effect on the IM based on the geometric mean of the response spectrum, and the period range has a greater impact on the IM. Finally, the applicability of the IM to the far-fault ground motions and the near-fault ground motions is discussed. The research results show that when only near-fault ground motions are considered, the period range of the IM should be appropriately increased.
Direct simulation on the dynamics of liquid films flowing down a fiber
Authors: chen xiaoyong , Liu rong , Zhou Dejian , She yulai
Published: October 2022

Direct simulations on the dynamics of a liquid film coating on the outer surface of a vertical fiber are performed in the present paper. A domain mapping technique has been used on solving the Navier-Stokes problem in stream function form and predicts the dynamics of the various flow regimes with remarkable accuracy. We investigated the morphologies that develop in the coating flow down fiber and analyze the effects of Bond number and fiber diameter on the maximum liquid film height and drop speed. The results showed that the Bond number and fiber diameter have a significant effect on the instability. The transition between the Plateau-Rayleigh and convective regimes occurs at the conditions when the flow transitions from absolutely to convectively unstable.
Adélie penguins north and east of the ‘Adélie gap’ continue to thrive in the face of dramatic declines elsewhere in the Antarctic Peninsula region
Authors: Wethington Michael , Flynn Clare , Borowicz Alex , Lynch Heather
Published: October 2022

While population declines among Adélie penguins and population increases among gentoo penguins on the Western Antarctic
Peninsula are well established, the logistical challenges of operating in the sea ice-heavy northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula have prohibited reliable monitoring of seabirds in this region. Here we describe the findings of an expedition to the northern and eastern sides of the Antarctic Peninsula - a region at the nexus of two proposed Marine Protected Areas - to investigate the distribution and abundance of penguins in this region. We discovered several previously undocumented penguin colonies, completed direct surveys of three colonies initially discovered in satellite imagery, and re-surveyed several colonies last surveyed more than a decade ago. Whereas our expectation had been that the Peninsula itself would divide the areas undergoing ecological transition and the apparently more stable Weddell Sea region, our findings suggest that the actual
transition zone lies in the so-called "Adélie gap," a 400-km stretch of coastline in which Adélies are notably absent. Our findings suggest that the region north and east of this gap represents a distinct ecoregion whose dynamics stand in sharp contrast to surrounding areas and is likely to be impacted by future conservation measures.
A Cost of Illness Study of Saudi Healthcare System Spending on Quarantining Patients with Monkeypox Virus
Authors: Alshararni Ali
Published: October 2022

Quarantine is a popular public health intervention often used to curb pandemics involving infectious diseases that threaten to spread across a population. However, the economic implications of enforcing quarantine have sparked debate on its justifiability, particularly with less severe infectious viruses. This research seeks to estimate the direct and indirect costs needed to set up a quarantine facility to curb the spread of the Monkey Pox virus. To do so, the study simulates a quarantine facility housing 100 Monkey Pox virus patients in Saudi Arabia for the incubation period (14 days). The direct costs include accommodation expenses and treatment costs. On the other hand, the indirect costs of implementing a quarantine are measured in terms of lost productivity after the infected population fails to attend work. The direct and indirect costs of the quarantine were almost similar, $152,500 and $129,500, respectively. However, most of the direct costs ($150,000) include accommodation expenses. Hence, if a patient were to self-isolate at home, the indirect costs of quarantine would by far surpass the direct costs. Thus, the study concludes that enforcing quarantine would adversely affect the economy due to job absenteeism. Hence, considering that the Monkey Pox virus poses a low risk to the public and can be cured with no or affordable prescriptions, other strategies such as mass vaccinations, remote working, and routine hygiene practices should instead be used to tame the spread of the virus.
Breast cancer patients from the Midwest region of the United States have reduced levels of short-chain fatty acid-producing gut bacteria
Authors: Shrode Rachel , Knobbe Jessica , Cady Nicole , Yadav Meeta , Hoang Jemmie , Cherwin Catherine , Curry Melissa , Garje Rohan , Vikas Praveen , Sugg Sonia , Phadke Sneha , Filardo Edward , Mangalam Ashutosh
Published: October 2022

As geographical location can impact the gut microbiome, it is important to study region-specific microbiome signatures of various diseases. Therefore, we profiled the gut microbiome of breast cancer (BC) patients of the Midwestern region of the United States. The bacterial component of the gut microbiome was profiled utilizing 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Additionally, a gene pathway analysis was performed to assess the functional capabilities of the bacterial microbiome. Alpha diversity was not significantly different between BC and healthy controls (HC), however beta diversity revealed distinct clustering between the two groups at the species and genera level. Wilcoxon Rank Sum test revealed modulation of several gut bacteria in BC specifically reduced abundance of those linked with beneficial effect such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Machine learning analysis confirmed the significance of several of the modulated bacteria found by the univariate analysis. The functional analysis showed a decreased abundance of SCFA (propionate) production in BC compared to HC. In conclusion, we observed gut dysbiosis in BC with the depletion of SCFA-producing gut bacteria suggesting their role in the pathobiology of breast cancer. Mechanistic understanding of gut bacterial dysbiosis in breast cancer could lead to refined prevention and treatment.
Secretome derived from mesenchymal stromal cells primed with neurotrophic factors rescues Neuro-2a cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated loss of neurogenesis.
Authors: Teli Prajakta , Nachanekar Aditya , Kale Vaijayanti , Vaidya Anuradha
Published: October 2022

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated accumulation of misfolded protein is a plausible stimulus for the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Under physiological conditions, ER stress activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) that repairs the misfolded proteins. Hence, to develop a physiologically relevant in vitro model system, we exposed Neuro-2a cells to an ER stress inducer which significantly affected the neurite outgrowth parameters and expression of neuronal markers without causing cell death in them. Here, we demonstrate that ER stress triggers early apoptosis, inflammation, and stress kinase activation in Neuro-2a cells. We have previously reported the regenerative potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)-derived secretome in reversing the oxidative stress-induced loss of neurogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether priming of MSCs with neurotrophic factors would enhance their neuroprotective potential, for which we used two distinct approaches. In the first approach, the ER-stressed Neuro-2a cells were subjected to a single exposure of conditioned medium (CM) derived from both naïve (naïve CM) and primed MSCs (primed CM), while in the second approach, the ER-stressed cells were subjected to multiple exposures of both naïve and primed CM. We observed that exposure of ER stress-induced Neuro-2a cells to primed CM significantly restored the neurite outgrowth parameters along with the expression of neuronal markers and also suppressed the induction of early apoptosis, inflammation, and activation of stress kinases. These results clearly underscore the importance of priming the MSCs with neurotrophic factors for developing more effective therapeutic strategies to combat ND.
Clustering Honey Samples with Unsupervised Machine Learning Methods using FTIR Data
Authors: Avcu Fatih Mehmet
Published: October 2022

Honey is a food item that people consume because of its taste and positive effects on health. The importance of honey is increasing day by day because of the difficulties in production, the threat of the bee population due to environmental conditions and climate changes, and the increasing population. In this work, data obtained from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of honey samples were used for clustering of honey data. First of all, the number of clusters was determined by applying elbow method to the spectrum data obtained from the samples. After this process, the data was divided into 5 clusters. The data were reduced to 2 dimensions with principal components analysis (PCA), clusters of samples were determined by applying Hierarchical clustering (HCA). 20% of the data whose clusters were determined were randomly selected to be used as test data. The rest of the data was used as training data in Deep Learning. After the training, the test data was checked and the accuracy was found to be 96.15%. The proposed method gives reliable results in clustering of honey samples with the advantages of being fast, cheap and not requiring preprocess procedure.
Status and Influencing Factors of Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior in Children's Palliative Care Among Pediatric Healthcare Workers: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Zhu Lihui , Zhang Na , Hu Yaojia , Xu Yi , Luo Tingwei , Xiang Yuqiong , Jiang Sishan , Zhang Zhiqiang , Chen Muhua , Xiong Yuee
Published: October 2022

Background
Palliative care has become a key medical field worldwide. Although research relating to adult palliative care is well-established, less is known about children's palliative care (CPC). Therefore, this study investigated the knowledge, attitude and behavior of pediatric healthcare workers (PHWs) regarding CPC and analyzed the influencing factors for the implementation and development of CPC.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey of 407 PHWs was carried out in a Chinese province from November 2021 to April 2022. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: a general information form and questions on the knowledge, attitude and behavior of PHWs about CPC. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis.
Results
A total of 412 questionnaires were distributed in this survey, of which 407 were valid, with a valid return rate of 98.79%. The total score of the PHWs’ knowledge, attitude and behavior about CPC was 69.98, which was at a moderate level. The most important influencing factors were working years, highest education, professional title, job position, marital status, religion, grade of hospital (I, II or III), type of medical institution, experience of caring for a terminally ill child/kinsfolk and total hours of CPC education and training received.
Conclusions
In this study, PHWs in a Chinese province had the lowest scores on the knowledge dimension of CPC, with moderate attitude and behavior and various influencing factors. In addition to professional title, highest education and working years, it is also worth noting that the type of medical institution and marital status also affected the score. Continuing education and training of PHWs in CPC should be emphasized by the administrators of relevant colleges and medical institutions. Future research should start with the above-mentioned influencing factors and focus on setting up targeted training courses and evaluating the post-training effects.
Risk assessment of rectal anastomotic leakage (RAREAL) after DIXON in non-emergency patients with rectal cancer: a retrospective study
Authors: Zheng Xue-Cong , Su Jin-Bo , Zheng Jin-Jie
Published: October 2022

Background
The routine establishment of a diverting stoma (DS) remains controversial in every patient undergoing Dixon operation. We aimed to establish a model for the risk assessment of rectal anastomotic leak (RAREAL) after Dixon in non-emergency patients with rectal cancer, using routinely available variables, by which surgeons could individualize their approach to DS.
Methods
413 patients who underwent Dixon operation for rectal cancer from January 2015 to December 2018 were taken as the model group for retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors associated with anastomotic leakage(AL). The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and the Youden index were used to evaluate the RAREAL score. We constructed the RAREAL model. 191 patients who underwent Dixon operation due to rectal cancer from January 2019 to December 2020 were collected according to the uniform criteria as a validation group to validate the RAREAL model. The RAREAL score was performed on the patients in the modeling group, the ROC curve was used for analysis, and the Z test was used to evaluate the consistency of the ROC curve between the modeling group and the validation group.
Results
In the model group, multivariate analysis identified the following variables as independent risk factors for AL: HbA1c (odds ratio (OR) = 7.831; P = 0.004), Left colic artery (LCA) non preservation (OR = 7.035; P = 0.003), Tumor distance from the anal margin (TD) (OR = 14.246; P = 0.000). In the model group, the AUC of the ROC for evaluating AL with RAREAL was 0.764, and when RAREAL score = 4.5, its sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were 0.419, 0.995, 0.415, respectively. The AUC was 0.757 in the validation group and its sensitivity and specificity were 0.471 and 0.989, respectively, when RAREAL score = 4.5.
Conclusion
The RAREAL score can be used to assess the risk of AL after Dixon operation for rectal cancer, and prophylactic DS should be proactively done when the score is greater than 4.5.
Evaluation of Long-term Outcomes after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Chinese Patients with AL Amyloidosis
Authors: Huang Xianghua , Guo Jinzhou , Ren Guisheng , Zhao Liang , Chen Wencui , Xu Weiwei , Miao Fujia , Caihong Zeng , Ge Yongchun , Liu Zhihong
Published: October 2022

Treatment of AL amyloidosis is still a challenge, especially the long-term outcomes of patients with AL amyloidosis. Although autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) exhibited excellent efficacy, the long-term benefit needs to be evaluated. This study included a total of 240 patients with AL amyloidosis who underwent ASCT at our center and were followed up for more than 3 years. The median age for this cohort was 52 years, and 49% of them were male. The treatment-related mortality of this cohort was 1.7%. After a median follow-up of 66 months, the overall 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year estimated overall survival (OS) rates were 94%, 90%, 79%, and 66%, respectively, and the median OS has not been reached. The 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 89%, 77%, 55%, and 33%, respectively, and the median PFS was 83 months. On multivariable analysis, the difference between involved and uninvolved free light chains (dFLC) > 50 mg/L, melphalan dose, hematologic CR/VGPR, and bortezomib induction therapy were independent predictors of survival. This study shows that ASCT has a very good long-term effect on AL amyloidosis and ASCT will remain an important option in eligible patients.
The molecular markers of immune cell infiltration in ischemic stroke
Authors: Zhao Qingqing , Zhang Shifei , Chang Xiaolong , Wang Dan , Ai Qinglong , Han Yanbing
Published: October 2022

Background: Some studies have revealed that immune regulation can delay Ischemic Stroke (IS) progression and improve neurological function and prognosis. Therefore, the molecular markers of immune cell infiltration in stroke deserves further investigation.
Methods: The proportion of immune cells in the GSE58294 and GSE16561 datasets were calculated by Cell type Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm. Then, Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was performed to screen the key module genes related to immune cells. The overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between IS and healthy control (HC) samples were obtained from the GSE58294 and GSE16561 datasets. Differential immune cell-related DEGs were screened by overlapping DEGs and key module genes of WGCNA. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were used to investigate the functions of immune cell-related DEGs. Subsequently, machine learning algorithms were used to identify diagnostic genes. Then, GSE58294, GSE1656 and GSE54992 datasets were used to screen diagnostic genes by the Received Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Subsequently, the Pearson correlation between immune cells and diagnostic genes were analyzed. Moreover, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the functions of diagnostic genes, and the Comparative Toxicology Genomics (CTD) database was used to predict potential drugs for diagnostic genes. Finally, the quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to explore the expression of diagnostic genes.
Results: Three common differential immune cells in the GSE58294 and GSE16561 datasets were obtained, and 25 differential immune cell-related DEGs were obtained. Functional enrichment revealed that these genes were mainly associated with immune response activation and immunocytes. Moreover, 3 diagnostic genes (CD79B, ID3 and PLXDC2) with good diagnostic value were obtained. Subsequently, Pearson correlation analysis between immune cells and 3 diagnostic genes showed that the 3 genes were strong correlation with immune cells. Furthermore, GSEA revealed that CD79B, ID3 and PLXDC2 were mainly involved in immune response. Additionally, 20 CD79B-related, 73 ID3-related and 19 PLXDC2-related drugs were predicted. Finally, the mRNA expression of CD79B, ID3 and PLXDC2 were different in IS and HC.
Conclusion: CD79B, ID3 and PLXDC2 were identified as biomarkers of IS, which might provide a research basis for further understanding the pathogenesis of IS and contribute to the treatment of IS.
Vertical transport of microplastics by rising bubbles
Authors: Lehmann Moritz , Häusl Fabian , Gekle Stephan
Published: October 2022

Microplastic particle concentration on the sea surface is critical for quantifying microplastic transport across the water-air interface. Previous studies indeed suggest that the concentration at the sea surface is enhanced compared to bulk concentration, yet little is known about the detailed mechanisms behind this enhancement. In this work, we study one particular process that may contribute to this enhanced surface concentration: bubble scavenging. Using Lattice-Boltzmann Volume-of-Fluid simulations we find that rising bubbles indeed generate a net flow of particles toward the surface. The efficiency of the process, however, highly depends on the microplastic particle surface properties. Clean, hydrophobic particles adhere much better to the bubble surface and are therefore transported significantly better than weathered, hydrophilic particles that are only entrained in the flow around a bubble.
Opposite modulation of functional recovery following contusive spinal cord injury in mice with oligodendrocyte-selective deletions of Atf4 and Chop/Ddit3
Authors: Gao Yonglin , Wei George , Forston Michael D. , Hodges Emily R. , Burke Darlene , Andres Kariena , Morehouse Johnny , Armstrong Christine , Glover Charles , Slomnicki Lukasz P. , Ding Jixiang , Chariker Julia H. , Rouchka Eric C. , Ohri Sujata Saraswat , Whittemore Scott R , Hetman Michal
Published: October 2022

The integrated stress response (ISR)-activated transcription factors ATF4 and CHOP/DDIT3 may regulate oligodendrocyte (OL) survival, tissue damage and functional impairment/recovery in white matter pathologies, including traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Accordingly, in OLs of OL-specific RiboTag mice, Atf4, Chop/Ddit3 and their downstream target gene transcripts were acutely upregulated at 2, but not 10, days post-contusive T9 SCI coinciding with maximal loss of spinal cord tissue. Unexpectedly, another, OL-specific upregulation of Atf4/Chop followed at 42 days post-injury. However, wild type vs. OL-specific Atf4-/- or Chop-/- mice showed similar white matter sparing and OL loss at the injury epicenter, as well as unaffected hindlimb function recovery as determined by the Basso mouse scale (BMS). In contrast, the horizontal ladder test revealed persistent worsening or improvement of fine locomotor control in OL-Atf4-/- or OL-Chop-/- mice, respectively. Moreover, chronically, OL-Atf4-/- mice showed decreased walking speed during plantar stepping despite greater compensatory forelimb usage. Therefore, ATF4 supports, while CHOP antagonizes, fine locomotor control during post-SCI recovery. No correlation between those effects and white matter sparing together with chronic activation of the OL ISR suggest that in OLs, ATF4 and CHOP regulate function of spinal cord circuitries that mediate fine locomotor control during post-SCI recovery.
Generalized Mori-Tanaka approach in peridynamic micromechanics of multilayered composites of random structure
Authors: Buryachenko Valeriy
Published: October 2022

The basic feature of peridynamics is a continuum description of material behavior as the integrated nonlocal force interactions between material points. Besides the conventional local theory, the peridynamic equation of motion introduced by Silling (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 2000; 48: 175-–209)has no spatial derivatives of displacement. A linearized bond-based peridynamic model is used to analyze random structure CMs subjected to the remote volumetric homogeneous boundary conditions. Effective properties are expressed through the local stress polarization tensor averaged over the external interaction interface of inclusions rather than in an entire space. Any spatial derivatives of displacement fields are not required. Inclusions are considered as identical aligned layers with a statistically homogeneous distribution in the space. For one infinite layer in the infinite homogeneous matrix,3D peridynamic equilibrium equation is reduced to the 1D integral equation with 1D micromodulus obtained by integrations of the original 3D micromodulus over the cross-sections (parallel to layers) of a horizon region. One estimates the average strain and stress fields in the extended layer by the use of averaging displacement and traction over the external interaction interface. Effective moduli for peridynamic multilayered CM are estimated in the matrixform representations usually used in locally elastic multilayered CM and basedon the consideration of the normal and tangential parts of the effective moduli matrix.
Tumors after kidney transplantation: a population study
Authors: Ietto Giuseppe , Gritti Mattia , Pettinato Giuseppe , Carcano Giulio , Gasperina Daniela Dalla
Published: October 2022

One of the main causes of post-transplant-associated morbidity and mortality is cancer. The aim of the project was to study the neoplastic risk within the kidney transplant population and identify the determinants of this risk. A cohort of 462 renal transplant patients from 2010 to 2020 was considered. The expected incidence rates of post-transplant cancer development in the referenced population, the standardized incidence ratios (SIR) taking the Italian population as a comparison, and the absolute risk and the attributable fraction were extrapolated from these cohort of patients. Kidney transplant recipients had an overall cancer risk approximately three times that the one of the local population (SIR 2.8). A significantly increased number of cases were observed for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) (SIR 195) and hematological cancers (SIR 6.8). In the first 3 years post-transplant, the risk to develop either KS or hematological cancers was four times higher than in the following years; in all cases of KS, the diagnosis was within 2 years from the transplant. Post-transplant immunosuppression represents the cause of 99% of cases of KS and 85% of cases of lymphomas, while only 39% is represented by solid tumors. Data related to the incidence, the percentages attributable to post-transplant immunosuppression and the time of onset of neoplasms, particularly for KS and hematological tumors, could help improving the management for the follow-up in these patients.
Effects of Lateral Cerebellar Nucleus Stimulation on Seizures in Rats Kindled to Different Levels of Seizure Severity with PTZ
Authors: Godlevsky Leonid S. , Pervak Mykhailo P. , Poshyvak Olesya B. , Hathal Suliman N.A. , Yehorenko Olha S. , Doganyigit Zuleyha , Akyuz Enes
Published: October 2022

BackgroundIn recent years, the cerebellum and its nuclei have become important targets for understanding and suppressing the mechanisms of seizures. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) applied to the lateral cerebellar nucleus (LCN) in rats with early and fully developed pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindled seizures.MethodsThe experimental groups were represented by rats kindled with PTZ (35.0 mg/kg, i.p.) to myoclonus (9-11 PTZ injections) and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (21 PTZ injections). Unilateral ES (100 Hz, 0.25 ms, 4.5-5.0 duration) was delivered daily for five days after the last kindled PTZ administration with PTZ seizure testing after the last ES.ResultsES of LCN performed at the early stage of kindling facilitated the appearance of myoclonus and increased seizure severity by 30.2% - up to 2.25+0.46 scored points compared to the control group (P<0.05). In fully developed kindling, ES prevented generalized seizure and reduced seizure severity by 27.5% - to 3.11+0.31 scored points (P<0.02). In both groups,spikes in the frontal and ventral hippocampus corresponding to myoclonuswere noticed. The linear density of PC in the cerebellar hemisphere cortex was reduced to 9.67±1.12in fully kindled rats, while in the control group, it was 20.17±2.10 per mm (P<0.05).ConclusionThe data obtained showed that repeated ES of the LCN at the early kindling stage facilitates myoclonus appearance, while in fully PTZ-kindled rats causes suppression of generalized seizure fits, which were substituted with myoclonus.
Early outcomes of a triple-branched stent graft implantation in elderly patients with acute type A aortic dissection
Authors: Dong Yi , Wang Xuefei , Chen Liangwan , Wu Qingsong , Li Qianzhen
Published: October 2022

Purpose:
Older patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) have higher risk of mortality than that of younger patients when a total arch reconstruction (TAR) is required. Triple-branched stent graft (TBSG) implantation is a novel technique for TAR. However, early outcomes of a TBSG implantation in older patients have not been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the early outcomes of the TBSG technique in older patients with ATAAD.
Methods:
From February 2015 to December 2020, 640 patients who simultaneously underwent an emergent open aortic surgery and TBSG implantation for ATAAD were enrolled in this study. They were categorized into the younger (age < 70 years old, n=573) and older groups (age > 70 years, n=67). Clinical data of all patients were retrospectively reviewed.
Result:
The mean ages of the patients in the younger and older groups were 45.3 ± 9.6 years old and 73.5 ± 3.0 years old, respectively. Preoperative characteristics were similar between the two groups, except for weight and incidence of moderate or greater aortic regurgitation, which were lower in the older group than those in the younger group. Surgical procedure and duration (i.e., duration for cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamp, selected cerebral perfusion, and total circulation arrest) were comparable between the two groups (p>0.05). Patients in the older group had higher incidence of dialysis for acute kidney injury and longer ICU stay compared with those in the younger group. However, the incidences of 30-day mortality (5.1% in younger group vs. 7.5% in older group, p=0.407) and other major complications (i.e., neurological adverse events) were similar between the two groups.
Conclusion:
TBSG implantation for ATAAD resulted in an acceptable mortality rate in patients above 70 years old; thus, it could be a feasible surgical procedure to perform in older patients with ATAAD when a TAR is required.
Characterization of The Heterogeneity of Bone Marrow in NK-AML (M4/M5) Based on Single Cell RNA Sequencing
Authors: Wu Wenqi , Shi Zeyan , Tang Zhongyuan , Li Huiqun , Huang Xiaoke , Liang Xiaolin , Li Jing , Yao Yibin , Zhao Weihua , Wu Meiqing , Luo Jun , Liu Zhenfang
Published: October 2022

Normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (NK-AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy that composes a minor of self-renewing leukemia stem cells (LSC), complicating efforts to achieve long-term survival. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing to profile 39288 cells from 6 bone marrow aspirates, including 5 NK-AML(M4/M5) patients and 1 healthy donor. The single cell transcriptome atlas and the gene expression characteristics of each cell population in NK-AML (M4/M5) and healthy bone marrow (BM) were obtained. Besides, we identify a distinct LSC-like cluster with possible biomarkers in NK-AML(M4/M5)and verified 6 genes using qRT-PCR analysis and bioinformatics analysis. In conclusion, we provide single-cell technologies and an atlas of NK-AML(M4/M5) cell heterogeneity, composition, and biomarkers with implications for precision medicine and target therapies.
A high-trans fat, high-carbohydrate, high-cholesterol diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis mouse model and its hepatic immune response
Authors: Zhang Qian , Jin Yue , Xin Xin , An Ziming , Hu Yi-yang , Li Ya-juan , Feng Qin
Published: October 2022

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic progressive disease that can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Animal models are important tools for basic NASH research. Immune activation plays a key role in liver inflammation in patients with NASH. We established a high-trans fat, high-carbohydrate, and high-cholesterol diet-induced (HFHCC) mouse model. C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal or HFHCC diet for 24 weeks, and the immune response characteristics of this model were evaluated. The results showed that mice treated with HFHCC diet exhibited remarkably increased hepatic triglycerides (TG)content, and the increase in plasma transaminases resulted in hepatocyte injury. Biochemical results showed that HFHCC induced glucose and lipid metabolism disorders; marked hepatocyte steatosis, ballooning, inflammation, and fibrosis. The proportion of innate immunity-related cells, including Kupffer cells (KCs), neutrophils, dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer T cells (NKT), and adaptive immunity-related CD3 + T cells increased; interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-9, and chemokines, including CCL2, CCL3, and macrophage colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) increased. The constructed model closely approximated the characteristics of human NASH and evaluation of its immune response signature, showed that the innate immune response was more pronounced than adaptive immunity. Its use as an experimental tool for understanding innate immune responses in NASH is recommended.
A 3-4 hour oocyte retrieval-ICSI interval optimizes clinical outcomes for women over 40 years: A retrospective analysis of 1476 ICSI cycles.
Authors: Chen Jingbo , Guo Yingchun , Wang Yanfang , Fang Cong , Li Tingting
Published: October 2022

Purpose
To explore an appropriate time interval between oocyte retrieval and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for optimal embryological and clinical outcomes in ICSI cycles over 40 years of maternal age.
Methods
A retrospective analysis of 1476 ICSI fresh cycles from women aged over 40 years, was performed at the Reproduction Medicine Research Center of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, between December 2013 and August 2020. The fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate were the main outcomes.
Results
Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression analysis of factors showed that fertilization rate (P = 0.024) and clinical pregnancy rate (P = 0.011) were significantly associated with oocyte pick up (OPU)-ICSI interval. A longer OPU-ICSI interval (no more than 6h) was associated with a higher fertilization rate but significantly decreased the clinical pregnancy rate when the OPU-ICSI interval was over 4h (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
The optimal OPU-ICSI interval is between 3h and 4h for excellent embryological and clinical outcomes in ICSI cycles over 40 years of maternal age.
The effect of corruption in steering the business-government relationship: evidence from 13 African countries.
Authors: Gebrehans MEBRAHTU , Chang Li , Tuo Siele Jean , Qian Yu
Published: October 2022

A strong Business-government relationship is one method of rent-seeking. We study the response behavior of 7733 firms from 13 African countries to their government policy and regulations. Using two novel proxies of political connectivity from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES), we find that, policies and business regulations trigger the inevitable alliance introspects of a firm’s strategic choices. Our results using the robust Tobit and Probit model indicate that corruption level is among the fundamental factors that drive the relations exponentially. Thus, witnessing strong alliances in more corrupt countries. Moreover, the impact of corruption exacerbates when the firm is bigger. This study provides some empirical contribution to the study of the business-government relationship, and, at the same time provides insightful implications for policymakers to amend their business policies and regulations as it activates the illicit business-government relationship.
WITHDRAWN: Diagnostic value of ultrasonography and computed tomography in pathology-confirmed acute appendicitis in children
Authors: Baykara Aziz Serhat , Kılıç Murat Özgür
Published: October 2022

Objective and aim:
Acute appendicitis (AA), the most common cause of acute abdomen in childhood, can cause high morbidity and mortality if not diagnosed and treated on the time. Diagnosis of AA is more difficult in children due to the limited communication skills, in comparison to adults. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of abdominal ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of AA in children.
Materials and methods
Pediatric patients who were operated on the diagnosis of AA between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative abdominal US and CT findings of the patients and postoperative pathology results were recorded.
Results
A total of 251 patients with a mean age of 11.3 years were included in the study. There were 154 (61.4%) males and 97 (38.6%) females. Histopathology revealed AA in 215 (85.7%) patients. Preoperatively, US and CT were performed in 139 (55.3%) and 137 (54.5%) patients, respectively. US had a sensitivity and specificity rate of 77.2% and 52.6%, respectively. Pozitive predictive value (PPV) was found to be 81.2% whereas negative predictive value (NPV) was 46.5% for US. Diagnostic accuracy rate of US was found as 70.5%. CT had a sensitivity and specificity rate of 88.1% and 57.1%, respectively. PPV was found to be 88.8% whereas NPV was 55.1% for CT. Diagnostic accuracy rate of CT was found as 81.8%.
Conclusion
In case of suspicion of AA, US may be the first choice because it is inexpensive, and easily accessible. However, considering the patient incompatibility and subjective factors in children, US may sometimes be unsufficient. We think that CT should be performed as an advanced examination method in cases where US is not compatible with the patient's clinic.
Effects of best land management practices on the characteristics of woody vegetation in agroforestry parklands: case of Dan Saga and Tabofatt villages in Niger republic
Authors: Saidou Salifou , Iro Dan Guimbo , Karimou Ambouta Jean-Marie , Mahaman Larwanou
Published: October 2022

The large-scale use of best land management practices has been instrumental in the accession of recent regreening in certain Sahelian areas. This study therefore aimed at highlighting the effect of the wide use of these practices on the structural and ecological parameters of the woody flora agroforestry parklands. To this end, an inventory of ligneous vegetation was carried out on radial transects in an East-West and North-South direction in the village clusters of Dan Saga and Tabofatt in Niger Republic. A variance comparison test was applied on the values from plots with practice compare to those from plots without practice (controls). In Dan Saga site, the results obtained show the significant effect of the practice of assisted natural regeneration on the density of trees (97 against 58 plants/ha for the control plots), on the basal area (3.04 against 1.98 m2/ha for the control plots), on regeneration (61.96% against 40.91% for the controls) and on floristic diversity (2.93 against 2.41 bits for the control plots) with a clear dominance of Combretaceae. On the other hand, this effect is relatively less significant in the case of Tabofatt site’s where the practice of planting trees coupled with water and runoff collection structures induced positive effect particularly on the basal area (2.29 against 1.90 m2/ha for plots controls), on the structure of the vegetation stood by the abundance of plants with average diameter (class from 5 to 10 cm) as well as the species diversity (2.54 against 2.18 bits for the controls) with a dominance of species of the Mimosaceae family. These results can be used as decision support tools to guide actions to scale up regreening in the Sahelian context.
Few-Shot Named Entity Recognition with Hybrid Multi-Prototype Learning
Authors: Liao Zenghua , Fei Junbo , Zeng Weixin , Zhao Xiang
Published: October 2022

Information extraction provides the basic technical support for knowledge graph construction and Web applications. Named entity recognition(NER) is one of the fundamental tasks of information extraction. Recognizing unseen entities from numerous contents with the support of only a few labeled samples, also termed as few-shot learning, is a crucial issue to be studied. Few-shot NER aims at identifying emerging named entities from the context with the support of a few labeled samples. Existing methods mainly use the same strategy to construct a single prototype for each entity or non-entity class, which has limited expressiveness power and even biased representation. In this work, we propose a novel hybrid multi-prototype class representation approach. Specifically, for entity classes, we first insert labels after entities in support sentences to enrich the learned token and label embeddings with more contextual information. Then, for each entity span, the contextual token embeddings are averaged to form its entity-level prototype, while the contextual label embedding is considered as its label-level prototype. The set of prototypes for all entities in a class constitute the multi-prototype of this entity class. For non-entity class, we directly use the set of token embeddings to represent it, where multi-prototype refers to the multiple token embeddings. By treating the entity and non-entity classes differently, our hybrid strategy can extract more precise class representations from the support examples. Furthermore, we establish a harder and more reasonable experimental setting of few-shot NER by offering a rigorous sampling strategy. Extensive empirical results show that our proposal improves F1 scores by 3%∼10% absolute points over prior models on popular benchmark Few-NERD under both loose and our proposed rigorous sampling constraints, achieving state-of-the-art performance.
Lactococcus intestinalis sp. nov., a new lactic acid bacterium isolated from intestinal contents in Alzheimer’s disease mice
Authors: Sun Peilin , Li Xue , Shi Weixiong , Zhang Ling , Su Lei , Qin Chuan
Published: October 2022

A gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, and coccoid or ovoid-shaped bacterium designated M2458T was isolated from the intestinal contents of APPswe/PSΔE9 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. With the polyphasic approach, the taxonomic position of the novel isolate was confirmed. Strain M2458T grew well at 37°C on YCFA agar. Strain M2458T belongs to the family Streptococcaceae and class Bacilli, and it is related to Lactococcus formosensis NBRC 109475T (97.59% sequence similarity) according to its 16S rRNA gene sequence. In a comparison of two housekeeping genes, rpoA and rpoB, strain M2458T was found to be well separated from Lactococcus formosensis NBRC 109475T. On the basis of whole genome sequences, the DNA G + C content was 38.29 mol%. In terms of average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization, strain M2458T was identified as a novel species of the genus Lacococcus. The major fatty acids (> 10% of the total fatty acids) were C18:1ω9c (39.68%), C16:0 (13.26%) and C18:1ω7c (11.52%). The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and an unidentified phospholipid. As a result of its genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, strain M2458T was considered to be a new species within the genus Lactococcus; the name Lactococcus intestinalis sp. nov. has been proposed, with type strain M2458T (= JCM 35706 = CGMCC 1.60066).
Multiple rectal carcinomas successfully treated by intersphincteric resection with neoadjuvant therapy without radiation therapy: A case report
Authors: Watanabe Hidetaka , Yoshida Takefumi , Fujita Fumihiko , Nakano Masahiko , Nakayama Masamichi , Koushi Kenichi , Yoshida Naohiro , Shigaki Takahiro , Fujiyoshi Kenji , Sudou Tomoya , Akagi Yoshito
Published: October 2022

Background
In recent years, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) followed by total mesorectal resection has been the standard of care to prevent recurrence of locally advanced rectal cancer. However, radiotherapy is associated with several serious side effects in rectal cancer patients, including fecal incontinence, dysuria, sexual, dysfunction, and secondary cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has demonstrated comparable efficacy to NACRT for advanced rectal cancer without these problematic side effects. Here, we present a case of advanced lower rectal cancer with multiple tumors that was successfully treated with NAC and intersphincteric resection.
Case presentation
A 56-year-old man presented with bloody stools and was diagnosed with lower rectal cancer cT3N1aM0 cStage IIIB and rectosigmoid cancer cT4aN1aM0 cStage IIIB following investigations by colonoscopy, whole-body contrast-enhanced computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Abdominoperineal resection was recommended but the patient refused, and thus NAC was proposed. Genetic testing revealed negativity for RAS and BRAF mutations, and hence five courses of mFOLFOX6 (fluorouracil, levofolinate, and oxaliplatin) and panitumumab regimen were administered. Subsequent imaging revealed a yellow clinical partial response for rectosigmoid cancer and a yellow clinical complete response for lower rectal cancer. Hospital tests showed no abnormal data, and the preoperative diagnosis was lower rectal cancer ycT0N0M0 ycStage 0 and sigmoid rectal cancer ycT2N0M0 ycStage I. Therefore, laparoscopic intersphincteric resection and a diverting stoma were performed at our institution 39 days after NAC was completed. The postoperative period was mostly uneventful apart from suture failure on postoperative day 12, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 43. No cancer cells or lymph node metastasis were evident in postoperative pathology. Five months after surgery the colostomy was closed, and the patient had good anal function and no fecal incontinence 9 months after surgery. No recurrence had occurred 1 year after surgery.
Conclusions
NAC is efficacious in patients with multiple advanced rectal cancers and negates the requirement for abdominoperineal resection.
Influence of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and perpendicular anisotropy on spin waves propagation in stripe domain patterns and spin spirals
Authors: Gruszecki Pawel , Kisielewski Jan
Published: October 2022

Texture-based magnonics focuses on the utilization of spin waves in magnetization textures to process information. Using micromagnetic simulations, we study how (i) the dynamic magnetic susceptibility, (ii) dispersion relations, and (iii) the equilibrium magnetic configurations in periodic magnetization textures in ultrathin ferromagnetic films in remanence depend on the values of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and the perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy. We observe that for large Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction values, spin spirals with periods of tens of nanometers are the preferred state; for small Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and large anisotropies, stripe domain patterns with over a thousand times larger period are preferable. We observe and explain the selectivity of the excitation of resonant modes by a linearly polarized microwave field. We study the propagation of spin waves along and perpendicular to the direction of the periodicity. For propagation along the direction of the periodicity, we observe a band gap that closes and reopens, which is accompanied by a swap in the order of the bands. For waves propagating in the perpendicular direction, some modes can serve as unidirectional channels for spin waves. Overall, our findings are promising in sensing and signal processing applications and explain the fundamental properties of periodic magnetization textures.