bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entropy in Biochemical Failure
Authors: Hallford Randal
Published: May 2022

The ab-initio determination of the thermodynamic properties of the hydrolysis of the GTP gamma-phosphate in normal and abnormal cell functions of the RAS protein mutant Thr (Q61) leads to a description of energy cycle deviations in the abnormal mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. 1 A predictive non-equilibrium probability statement describing the nonlinear changes for these open and finite-lifetime systems follows from reasonable enthalpy and entropy values between the normal and mutated forms based on structures of the GTPase states at the allosteric site. Recent advances in understanding entropy in terms of asymmetric and highly entropic catalysis lead to an investigation of the GTPase entropy, specifically with regard to a failure in catalysis of the phosphate fragment by a water hydrogen positioned by the enzyme. 2 Utilizing a simple atomic metal catalyst surface displacement model, a paradigm that reduces noise from the quantum entanglement plus atomic displacement terms results in the process entropy.

The evaluation of entropies within the mixed ionic, covalent and entangled system requires a nonlinear Markovian approach utilizing von Neumann entropies achieved by a systematic accumulation of entangled potentials in a step-wise method. 3 , 4 Determination of the Hamiltonian for the entangled atomic state includes pure and mixed quantum states solved within the Araki–Leib triangle boundary resulting in only hard-entangled states, and the entanglement of Coulombic and Laughlin-like states can be evaluated by slicing the Hilbert spaces and solving the pure states, or mixed states separately, and then summing them. 5 Incorporating the resulting entanglement potentials as well as the Coulombic atomic displacement states into a derivative of the Fokker–Planck equation results in generated and produced entropy. 6
Computation on Encrypted Data Using Dataflow Authentication
Authors: Fischer Andreas , Fuhry Benny , Kußmaul Jörn , Janneck Jonas , Kerschbaum Florian , Bodden Eric
Published: May 2022

Encrypting data before sending it to the cloud ensures data confidentiality but requires the cloud to compute on encrypted data. Trusted execution environments, such as Intel SGX enclaves, promise to provide a secure environment in which data can be decrypted and then processed. However, vulnerabilities in the executed program give attackers ample opportunities to execute arbitrary code inside the enclave. This code can modify the dataflow of the program and leak secrets via SGX side channels. Fully homomorphic encryption would be an alternative to compute on encrypted data without data leaks. However, due to its high computational complexity, its applicability to general-purpose computing remains limited. Researchers have made several proposals for transforming programs to perform encrypted computations on less powerful encryption schemes. Yet current approaches do not support programs making control-flow decisions based on encrypted data.

We introduce the concept of
dataflow authentication
(DFAuth) to enable such programs. DFAuth prevents an adversary from arbitrarily deviating from the dataflow of a program. Our technique hence offers protections against the side-channel attacks described previously. We implemented two flavors of DFAuth, a Java bytecode-to-bytecode compiler, and an SGX enclave running a small and program-independent trusted code base. We applied DFAuth to a neural network performing machine learning on sensitive medical data and a smart charging scheduler for electric vehicles. Our transformation yields a neural network with encrypted weights, which can be evaluated on encrypted inputs in

\( 12.55 \,\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s} \)

. Our protected scheduler is capable of updating the encrypted charging plan in approximately 1.06 seconds.
Learning Relationship-Based Access Control Policies from Black-Box Systems
Authors: Iyer Padmavathi , Masoumzadeh Amirreza
Published: May 2022

Access control policies are crucial in securing data in information systems. Unfortunately, often times, such policies are poorly documented, and gaps between their specification and implementation prevent the system users, and even its developers, from understanding the overall enforced policy of a system. To tackle this problem, we propose the first of its kind systematic approach for learning the enforced authorizations from a target system by interacting with and observing it as a black box. The black-box view of the target system provides the advantage of learning its overall access control policy without dealing with its internal design complexities. Furthermore, compared to the previous literature on policy mining and policy inference, we avoid exhaustive exploration of the authorization space by minimizing our observations. We focus on learning relationship-based access control (ReBAC) policy, and show how we can construct a deterministic finite automaton (DFA) to formally characterize such an enforced policy. We theoretically analyze our proposed learning approach by studying its termination, correctness, and complexity. Furthermore, we conduct extensive experimental analysis based on realistic application scenarios to establish its cost, quality of learning, and scalability in practice.
Participatory Design, Development, and Testing of Assistive Health Robots with Older Adults: An International Four-year Project
Authors: Gasteiger Norina , Ahn Ho Seok , Lee Christopher , Lim Jongyoon , MacDonald Bruce A. , Kim Geon Ha , Broadbent Elizabeth
Published: May 2022

Participatory design includes stakeholders in the development of products intended to solve real-life challenges. Involving end users in the design of robots is vital for developing effective, useful, acceptable and user-friendly products that meet expectations, needs, and preferences. This four-year international project developed and evaluated a home-based robot for mood stabilization and cognitive improvement in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and age-related health needs. The daily-care robot was developed in collaboration with experts, carers, relatives, and older adults, through six phases. Two phases were dedicated to cognitive stimulation games. This paper provides a summary of the participatory design and mixed-methods evaluation processes undertaken to develop, refine, and test the robot. The final robot and games were acceptable to older adults, and useful for delivering stimulating activities and providing reminders for medication, health and wellbeing checks. Personalization is required to optimize human-robot interaction, and imagery and speech should be consistent with local users. Functions should be personalizable to accommodate individual health needs and preferences. This project highlights the importance of participatory design and testing robotics in end-user environments, as technical issues associated with long-term use were uncovered. Recommendations for future development and the design of assistive health robots are made.
Review—Nanostructured Materials for Sensing pH: Evolution, Fabrication and Challenges
Authors: Jamal Mamun , Dey Thuhin K. , Nasrin Tahamina , Khosla Ajit , Razeeb Kafil M.
Published: May 2022

pH sensors with broad applications are in high demand in a variety of fields, including agriculture, healthcare, food processing, textiles, leathers, wet laboratories, and environmental remediation. The majority of pH-related reviews have concentrated on various polymers and metal oxide-based sensing materials, as well as fabrication techniques. However, considerations regarding the context of subsequent pH-sensing platform advancements in terms of materials and technologies with commercial viability must be addressed. Furthermore, the rapid advancement of traditional pH sensors toward nanostructured sensing configurations provides a number of advantages over traditional pH sensors, such as increased sensitivity with larger surface-to-volume ratio, improved stability, faster reaction time, and consistent stability. As a result, we reviewed the evolution of nanostructured pH sensing materials as well as their fabrication methodologies in this paper. Additionally, the inherent challenges and future work required for commercially viable nanostructured pH-sensing platforms are discussed.
Rare Case of a Young Male Presented with Abdominal Pain, Solid Colon Tumors, and Eosinophilia, Followed by Tremendous Thromboembolic Complications and Eventually Diagnosed with Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome
Authors: Zemleduch Tomasz , Czapla Anna , Kimla Piotr , Kudliński Bartosz
Published: May 2022

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a rare condition characterized by profound peripheral eosinophilia and various organ dysfunction. Diagnostic criteria and classification of this challenging medical entity changed over time. Elevated absolute eosinophil count with extensive tissue infiltration and signs of organ damage of unknown origin is termed idiopathic HES. Hypereosinophilia is a highly hypercoagulable state; thus, a variety of thromboembolic complications may occur. Only a few reports of idiopathic HES patients with different forms of thrombosis are being published. We document a case of a young male presented with persistent abdominal pain with two eosinophilic colon tumors. The patient suffered from phlegmasia cerulea dolens and portal vein thrombosis, followed by pulmonary embolism and overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Corticosteroids successfully reduced and controlled eosinophil level while skilled anticoagulation and supportive management overcome DIC-associated complications.
Study on Measuring and Evaluating the Synergy Effect of Regional Coal Mine Emergency Management in China Based on the Composite System Synergy Model
Authors: Hao Yu , Sun Chaolun , Wei Jianping , Gu Sasa
Published: May 2022

Emergency management of coal mines requires enhanced synergy among departments, institutions, and enterprises, which means overall efficiency in management. In this study, a regional coal mine emergency (CME) management synergy system was established; the synergy theory was adopted to construct the order parameter index system of the regional CME management synergy subsystems. Moreover, the order degrees and synergistic degrees of the regional CME management synergy subsystems in Henan Province, China, in the period 2015-2019 were quantitatively measured and analyzed using the composite system synergy model. The results show that the order degrees of regional CME management synergy subsystems and the synergistic degree of the composite system increase overall during the inspection period. With the gradual formation of the regional CME management synergy mechanism, this period has witnessed a steady improvement in both the synergy value and the considerable synergistic effect.
Experimental Research on Fracture Characteristics of Reactive Powder Concrete in Different Volume Content of Steel Fiber
Authors: Wang Wenzhen , Lin Haixiao , Wu Xiaogang , Zhao Yuyao , Hu Ziyu , Wang Pengshuai , Zhou Menglong
Published: May 2022

The fracture characteristics of reactive powder concrete in different volume content of steel fiber are researched in this paper, combining with the photoelastic coating method and the mathematical analytical software MATLAB. More precisely, the wholly integrated initiation, stable propagation, and final failure stages of precast cracks in three-point bending specimens of reactive powder concrete in different volume content of steel fiber are directly recorded and systematically analyzed. Besides, the photoelastic fringe distribution graphs from the vicinity of the precast cracks of specimens are obtained. Based on the experimental results and fracture mechanics theory, the mechanical property of reactive powder concrete, fracture energy, ductility index, initial fracture toughness, and unstable fracture toughness are quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The research achievements indicate that there is a stable crack propagation process before the instability failure of the three-point bending beam specimen of reactive powder concrete. The fracture process of the structure includes three stages, namely, the crack initiation, stable propagation, and instability failure. The order of the photoelastic fringe, critical effective crack length, crack initiation load, and maximum load of test parameters in the three-point bending beam specimen of reactive powder concrete increases with the increase of the fiber volume ratio. Based on the numerical treatment for the whole curves of each specimen group, the softening curve and the double fracture parameters of reactive powder concrete are obtained. Besides, the calculated critical effective joint length, initiation toughness, toughness increment, and unstable fracture toughness increase with the increase of the steel fiber volume ratio, by analyzing the measured initiation load, maximum load, and critical effective joint length. The research results can be treated as an important basis and reference for the engineering design and safety assessment of reactive powder concrete.
Design of an Effective Evaluation System for English Fragmented Learning Based on Mobile Information Environment
Authors: Yang Hua
Published: May 2022

In recent years, the fragmented learning mode of college English is the product of the integration of English teaching reform and information technology. Because of the mobile information environment, how knowledge is presented and distributed has altered significantly. As research on current college students continues to expand, the concept of fragmented learning is being utilized more and more frequently. Fragmented learning is defined as having features of fragmentation in time, space, content, and method of learning. Although fragmented learning makes it easier for college students to study, besides it also has several drawbacks, such as fragmented knowledge being scattered, no structure is developed, fragmented content being jumbled, and fragmented learning being flashy and merely a formality. To overcome these issues, this research work examines the evaluation system for the fragmented learning effect. In addition, it studies the effect evaluation of fragmented English learning in the mobile information environment and uses the integrated BPNN and genetic algorithm to evaluate the effect of fragmented English learning. The results show that this method has a strong effect on the evaluation of fragmented English learning in colleges and universities.
Comprehensive Analysis of DNA Methylation and Transcriptome to Identify PD-1-Negative Prognostic Methylated Signature in Endometrial Carcinoma
Authors: Cao Lu , Ma Xiaoqian , Rong Pengfei , Zhang Juan , Yang Min , Wang Wei
Published: May 2022

Background. Epigenetic mechanism plays an important role in endometrial carcinoma (EC). This study was designed to analyze the epigenetic mechanism between DNA methylation-driven genes (DEDGs) and drugs targeting DEDGs and to develop a DEDG score model for predicting the prognosis of EC. Methods. Expression profile and methylation profile data of PD-1-negative EC samples were obtained from TCGA. To obtain intersected DEDGs, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially methylated genes from tumor tissues and normal tissues were analyzed by limma. A linear discriminant classification model was constructed using the gene expression profile of DMDGs, methylation profile of TSS1500, TSS200, and gene body regions. Principal component analysis (PCA) and ROC analysis were conducted. The protein-drug interactions analysis of DMDGs was performed using Network Analyst 3.0 tool. Lasso Cox regression analysis was used to screen prognostic DNA methylation driving gene and to build a risk score model. The ROC curve and Kaplan-Meier survival curve were plotted to evaluate the model prediction capability. Results. A total of 96 DMDGs were screened from the three regions, distributed on 22 chromosomes, with consistent methylation patterns in different gene regions. Both the expression profile and methylation profile of the three regions can neatly distinguish tumor samples from normal ones, with a high classifying performance. A gene signature, which consisted of ELFN1-AS1 and ZNF132, could classify EC patients into a high-risk group and low-risk group. Prognosis of the high-risk group was significantly worse than that of the low-risk group. The risk model showed a high performance in predicting the prognosis of EC. Conclusion. We successfully established a risk score system with two DMDGs, which showed a high prediction accuracy of EC prognosis.
Endothelial Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Target TLR4 via miRNA-326-3p to Regulate Skin Fibroblasts Senescence
Authors: Yang Xinni , Tan Jiyong , Shen Jiqing , Zhang Xin , Huang Gaoxiang , Su Xiaoxue , Li Jing
Published: May 2022

Backgrounds. Skin aging could be regulated by the aberrant expression of microRNAs. In this manuscript, we explain that endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles could act as supporters to deliver exogenous miR-326-3p to accelerate skin fibroblasts senescence. Methods. β-galactosidase senescence staining assay, Hoechst 33258 apoptosis staining assay, and Ki67 staining assay were used to evaluate the biological function of mouse skin fibroblasts. Real-time PCR was applied to assay miRNAs and mRNAs expressions. Western blot was used to detect TLR4 protein expression. The target gene of miRNA were identified using a double luciferase reporter assay. miR-326-3p mimic/inhibitor and siRNA-TLR4 can demonstrate a nonnegligible link between miR-326-3p-TLR4 and skin aging. Results. In coculture experiment, senescence endothelial cells could promote the skin fibroblasts senescence and apoptosis via extracellular vesicles pathway. In contrast, miR-326-3p mimics accelerated senescence and apoptosis of skin fibroblasts, while miR-326-3p inhibitor could dramatically delay skin fibroblasts senescence and apoptosis. TLR4 was proved to be a miR-326-3p directly target gene via double luciferase assay. After skin fibroblasts transfected with siRNA-TLR4, cellular senescence and apoptosis were significantly increased. Furthermore, the skin tissues of aging mice were shown with overexpression of miR-326-3p and decrease of TLR4 gene and protein expression levels. Conclusions. Endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles delivery of miR-326-3p was found to have a function in skin fibroblasts via target TLR4. Therefore, endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles in antiaging therapies might be a new treatment way for delaying skin aging.
Research on Intelligent Vehicle Detection and Tracking Method Based on Multivision Information Fusion
Authors: Lv Caixia , Liu Jia , Zhang Xuejing
Published: May 2022

With the development of the world economy and the acceleration of the urbanization process, the automobile has brought great convenience to people’s life and production activities and has become an essential means of transportation. Intelligent vehicles have the significance of reducing traffic accidents and improving transportation capacity and broad market prospects and can lead the development of the automotive industry in the future. Therefore, they have been widely concerned. In the existing intelligent vehicle system, lidar has become the leading role due to its excellent speed and accuracy and is an indispensable part of the realization of high-precision positioning. However, to some extent, the price is the main factor that hinders its marketization. Compared with the lidar sensor, the vision sensor has the advantages of fast sampling rate, light weight, low energy consumption, and low price; so, many domestic and foreign research institutions have listed it as the focus of research. However, the current visual-based intelligent vehicle environment perception technology is still prone to be affected by factors such as illumination, climate, and road type, resulting in the lack of accuracy and real-time performance of the algorithm. In this paper, the environment perception of intelligent vehicles is taken as the research object, and the problems existing in the existing road recognition and obstacle detection algorithms are deeply studied. Firstly, due to the complexity of texture feature extraction and voting calculation process of existing detection methods, and the influence of local strong texture feature interference inconsistent with road direction, a road image vanishing point detection algorithm based on combined 4-direction Gabor filter and particle filter technology was proposed. Then, aiming at the problem that the existing road image segmentation methods based on vanishing point constraint are too dependent on the edge features of road, which leads to oversegmentation easily, a method is proposed to improve the segmentation accuracy of road image by integrating road texture, road surface, and nonroad surface color features. Finally, the application of 3D reconstruction of road scene and obstacle detection technology based on binocular vision and visual navigation algorithm in intelligent vehicle trajectory tracking control is studied. Results show that the visual navigation algorithm can guide the vehicle routes along the road without a barrier, and compared with Wang Ren and two kinds of algorithm, the results show that this control algorithm effectively solves the traditional sliding mode control that is chattering phenomenon, overcomes the model matching, and does not match the interference problems, if used in the intelligent vehicle systems, it can reduce the thermal loss of electronic components and wear of actuator parts and improve the tracking accuracy.
Behavior of Steel‐Fiber‐Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) Slab‐on‐Grade under Impact Loading
Authors: Tekleab Essetemariam , Wondimu Temesgen
Published: May 2022

Structures such as industrial pavements, roads, parking areas, and airport runways are often slab‐on‐grade where steel‐fiber reinforcement can substitute conventional steel reinforcement. Due to the dynamic nature of loading while in service, these structures are exposed to the damaging effects of impact loading, such as strength and stiffness deterioration in materials or structural elements. In this study, the behavior of concrete slab‐on‐grade with steel‐fiber‐reinforced concrete under impact load has been investigated by considering different parameters. Nonlinear finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit is used to simulate the system. The accuracy of the nonlinear finite element models is verified using experimental work available in the literature. A total of 108 specimens are simulated by varying the volume fraction of steel fiber by 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% coupling with the impact mass and velocity from the control specimen and variation of load location, thickness, and aspect ratio. The analysis results revealed that the addition of 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% volume fraction of steel fiber in concrete could effectively accommodate up to 0%, 10%, and 26% reduction of thickness, respectively. These results confirmed that the appropriate use of steel fiber in concrete can be a feasible solution to improve the overall performance of slab‐on‐grade. Moreover, an increase in the aspect ratio of steel fiber improves the crack resistance of steel‐fiber‐reinforced concrete slab‐on‐grade, but a further increase in aspect ratio reduces the performance due to local crushing of concrete.
Crosstalk between Body Microbiota and the Regulation of Immunity
Authors: Rojas Carolina , Gálvez-Jirón Felipe , De Solminihac Javiera , Padilla Cristina , Cárcamo Ignacio , Villalón Natalia , Kurte Mónica , Pino-Lagos Karina
Published: May 2022

The microbiome corresponds to the genetic component of microorganisms (archaea, bacteria, phages, viruses, fungi, and protozoa) that coexist with an individual. During the last two decades, research on this topic has become massive demonstrating that in both homeostasis and disease, the microbiome plays an important role, and in some cases, a decisive one. To date, microbiota have been identified at different body locations, such as the eyes, lung, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, and skin, and technological advances have permitted the taxonomic characterization of resident species and their metabolites, in addition to the cellular and molecular components of the host that maintain a crosstalk with local microorganisms. Here, we summarize recent studies regarding microbiota residing in different zones of the body and their relationship with the immune system. We emphasize the immune components underlying pathological conditions and how they interact with local (and distant) microbiota.
Controlled Release of Ibuprofen by Using Morphologically Modified Mesoporous Silica
Authors: Ahmad Sana , Javaid Javariah , Fatima Wajeeha
Published: May 2022

The synthesis of mesoporous silica with variable pore sizes was carried out for the purpose of controlled drug release study. Mesoporous silica containing three-dimensional cagelike structures was prepared by the simple hydrothermal method using triblock copolymer Pluronic F-127 as the template and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica source. The synthesized samples of plain and modified mesoporous silica were compared to measure the drug release ability of ibuprofen. The effect of cosurfactants, temperature, and different salts on the pore structure of the materials were also observed. The surface property enhancement of mesoporous silica was contributed by controlling its pore morphology. The materials were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, TGA, and UV-Visible spectroscopy and later used for the ibuprofen release study. The results indicated that the modified mesoporous silica with increased pore diameter showed increased storage capacity and high pH-responsive release behavior as compared to the plain mesoporous silica.
A Sports Digital Training System Based on Middle and Bottom Visual Information
Authors: Luo Le
Published: May 2022

Physical exercise has become increasingly popular in China in recent years, and the number of individuals participating in physical activities is growing year after year. Therefore, they are facing the problem of a serious shortage of sports resources, especially in the central and western regions where a complete physical education teaching system has not been established yet. The introduction of sports digital training alleviates this problem to a great extent. This approach uses advanced computer technology for digital training, collects people’s sports information, and formulates suitable sports programs for different groups. The system can collect people’s action videos at the same time by two cameras, analyze the athletes’ actions from the side and face by using the software, and compare the professional athletes’ actions with the collected video action for in-depth analysis. The sports digital training system proposed in this study focuses on collecting the bottom visual information of sports. The visual information in the middle and low levels is mainly used to describe the content of video segments, i.e., key primitives, including motion trajectory, motion action, and tracking motion, and establishes a sports digital training system based on the bottom visual information. In addition to the completion of basic functions of a sports digital training system, the system also adds the functions of video segmentation, action freezing, speed calculation, table display, local locking, and tracking, which can accurately collect the bottom visual information of people’s sports and realizes the digital sports training.
New Fractional Mercer–Ostrowski Type Inequalities with Respect to Monotone Function
Authors: Butt Saad Ihsan , Nosheen Ammara , Nasir Jamshed , Khan Khuram Ali , Matendo Mabela Rostin
Published: May 2022

This research focuses on Ostrowski type inequality in the form of classical Mercer inequality viaψ-Riemann–Liouville fractional integral (F-I) operators. Using theψ-Riemann–Liouville F-I operator, we first develop and demonstrate a new generalized lemma for differentiable functions. Based on this lemma, we derive some fractional Mercer–Ostrowski type inequalities by using the convexity theory. These new findings extend and recapture previous published results. Finally, we presented applications of our work via the known special functions of real numbers such as q-digamma functions and Bessel function.
Genetic Algorithm Application on the Risk Assessment for Accounting Resource Sharing Management
Authors: Chen Rui , Lu Yuanling , Wang Yan
Published: May 2022

A risk assessment model of accounting resource sharing management based on genetic algorithm is proposed. By selecting the risk assessment indicators of accounting resource sharing management, the weight of risk assessment indicators is determined by the Delphi method, and the quantitative model of risk assessment of accounting resource sharing management is constructed. On this foundation, a genetic algorithm is utilised to compute the best solution of parameters, design risk degree assessment criteria to evaluate risk degree, and implement risk evaluation of accounting resource sharing management using a genetic algorithm. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional accounting resource sharing management risk evaluation model, the constructed accounting resource sharing management risk evaluation model greatly reduces the evaluation time and can accurately evaluate the accounting resource sharing management risk, which fully shows that the model has better evaluation performance.
miR-142-5p Encapsulated by Serum-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Protects against Acute Lung Injury in Septic Rats following Remote Ischemic Preconditioning via the PTEN/PI3K/Akt Axis
Authors: Zhu Wenliang , Huang Xiaopei , Qiu Shi , Feng Lingxiao , Wu Yue , Shao Huanzhang
Published: May 2022

This study intends to investigate the effects of miR-142-5p encapsulated by serum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) on septic acute lung injury (ALI) following remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) through a PTEN-involved mechanism. ALI was induced in rats by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection, 24 h before which RIPC was performed via the left lower limb. Next, the binding affinity between miR-142-5p and PTEN was identified. EVs were isolated from serum and injected into rats. The morphology of lung tissues, pulmonary edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration into lung tissues were then assessed, and TNF-α and IL-6 levels in serum and lung tissues were measured. The results indicated that RIPC could attenuate ALI in sepsis. miR-142-5p expression was increased in serum, lung tissues, and serum-derived EVs of ALI rats following RIPC. miR-142-5p could target PTEN to activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. miR-142-5p shuttled by serum-derived EVs reduced pulmonary edema, neutrophil infiltration, and TNF-α and IL-6 levels, thus alleviating ALI in LPS-induced septic rats upon RIPC. Collectively, serum-derived EVs-loaded miR-142-5p downregulated PTEN and activated PI3K/Akt to inhibit ALI in sepsis following RIPC, thus highlighting potential therapeutic molecular targets against ALI in sepsis.
EBUS-TBNA: A 2-Year Experience from a Tertiary Pathology Centre with Cyto-Histological Correlation
Authors: Vuorisalo Antti , Pöyry Emilia , Kholová Ivana
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) methods are expanding due to their minimally invasive nature using real-time image guidance, a low incidence of complications, and a diagnostic rate ranging from 89% to 93.6%. The application of EBUS-TBNA was able to downgrade 40% of patients with suspicion of stage III lung cancer on PET scan. Methods: In the present study, we analysed the diagnostic outcomes of EBUS cytology at the Laboratory of Pathology, Fimlab Laboratories, Tampere, Finland, during a 2-year period. In our analysis, 1176 EBUS samples from 486 patients that underwent EBUS-TBNA in Tampere University Hospital (TAYS) from January 2017 to December 2018 were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 64 ± 14 (SD) years with the age range from 19 to 90 years. Cytospin cytology slides stained by Papanicolaou stain and cell blocks were performed in each sample. Further immunohistochemical stains were ordered by the pathologist on demand. Results: The diagnostic yield was 89.5% and the diagnostic accuracy was 77.9% in the present study. The sensitivity for malignancy in EBUS-TBNA diagnosis was 95.69% and the negative predictive value 96.75%. Cyto-histopathological diagnosis correlation was 54.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 40.6%–66.4%, p < 0.001), and the histological accuracy compared to the exact original diagnosis was 43.5%. When considering the histological diagnoses that support the original diagnosis, the correlation was 61.3% (95% CI: 48.4%–71.5%, p < 0.001) and the accuracy was 72.2%. The overall inadequate rate of EBUS-TBNA samples in this study was 10.5%. Conclusions: The EBUS-TBNA diagnostic yield, diagnostic accuracy, and inadequate rate in the present study are in line with previously published studies.
Risk Factors for Wound Infections after Vascular Surgery: Kuwait Experience
Authors: AlFawaz Abdullah A. , Safar Ali H. , Al-Mukhaizeem Ali , Kamal Emad , Alloush Mohammed , Hanbal Ebrahim
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Wound infections represent a serious complication after vascular surgery particularly after vascular reconstructive procedures. We aimed to identify risk factors predisposing patients to these complications. Methods: This was a retrospective review of open vascular surgical procedures performed between April 2014 and March 2019 in Kuwait. Patient demographics, procedures performed and their indications, and post-operative outcomes were collected and analyzed. Patients with pre-operative active infections were excluded from the analysis. Statistical analysis was performed, and odds ratios (ORs) and relative risks were calculated for the outcomes of interest. Fisher’s exact test and two-tailed t test were used where appropriate. Results: 391 patients were identified. The majority (54%) presented with chronic limb threatening ischemia. The mean age was 58 (±10) years, with a male predominance (76%). Wound infection occurred in 53 (14%) patients. The most commonly isolated organism was Staphylococcus aureus (47%). Diabetes (OR 8.03, 95% CI: 1.9142–33.7439, p = 0.0044), hypertension (OR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.2960–4.3684, p = 0.0052), ischemic heart disease (OR 2.30, 95% CI: 1.4349–4.6987, p = 0.0016), hyperlipidemia (OR 2.12, 95% CI: 1.0305–4.3620, p = 0.0412), and chronic renal failure (OR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.0181–6.4115, p = 0.0457) were all found to be significantly associated with the development of post-operative wound infections in vascular surgery patients. Conclusion: Diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and chronic renal failure were associated with post-operative wound infections. Anticipation of wound complications in patients with these risk factors may aid early diagnosis and treatment.
O impacto da movimentação passiva contínua no tratamento de pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total do joelho
Authors: Teixeira-Salmela Luci Fuscaldi , Macedo Bárbara Gazolla de , Aguiar Cristina Mendes de , Bahia Lenise Aparecida
Published: May 2022

O objetivo desta revisão bibliográfica foi avaliar evidências da eficácia da movimentação passiva contínua para o ganho de amplitude de movimento em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total de joelho (ATJ). A movimentação passiva contínua (MPC) tem sido empregada no pós-operatório de ATJ com vários objetivos dentre eles, o aumento da amplitude de movimento do joelho, controle da dor e do edema, redução de incidência de trombose venosa profunda e manipulações do joelho. Na metodologia deste estudo foram selecionados somente ensaios clínicos randomizados que abordassem a utilização da MPC no pós-operatório de ATJ. Os resultados desta revisão foram controversos com relação à utilização da MPC, devido a metodologia de intervenção muito variada dos estudos dificultando a análise da eficácia e de evidência científica. Porém, os resultados foram positivos para o ganho da flexão do joelho, a curto prazo, quando a MPC foi aplicada no pós-operatório imediato. Não houve evidência científica quanto ao ganho de extensão do joelho pela MPC. Portanto, se faz necessário uma sistematização da metodologia dos trabalhos de MPC para avaliar a força de evidência científica deste método.
Sbk2, a Newly Discovered Atrium-Enriched Regulator of Sarcomere Integrity
Authors: van Gorp Pim R.R. , Zhang Juan , Liu Jia , Tsonaka Roula , Mei Hailiang , Dekker Sven O. , Bart Cindy I. , De Coster Tim , Post Harm , Heck Albert J.R. , Schalij Martin J. , Atsma Douwe E. , Pijnappels Daniël A. , de Vries Antoine A.F.
Published: May 2022

Background:

Heart development relies on tight spatiotemporal control of cardiac gene expression. Genes involved in this intricate process have been identified using animals and pluripotent stem cell-based models of cardio(myo)genesis. Recently, the repertoire of cardiomyocyte differentiation models has been expanded with iAM-1, a monoclonal line of conditionally immortalized neonatal rat atrial myocytes (NRAMs), which allows toggling between proliferative and differentiated (ie, excitable and contractile) phenotypes in a synchronized and homogenous manner.

Methods:

In this study, the unique properties of conditionally immortalized NRAMs (iAMs) were exploited to identify and characterize (lowly expressed) genes with an as-of-yet uncharacterized role in cardiomyocyte differentiation.

Results:

Transcriptome analysis of iAM-1 cells at different stages during one cycle of differentiation and subsequent dedifferentiation identified ≈13 000 transcripts, of which the dynamic changes in expression upon cardiomyogenic differentiation mostly opposed those during dedifferentiation. Among the genes whose expression increased during differentiation and decreased during dedifferentiation were many with known (lineage-specific) functions in cardiac muscle formation. Filtering for cardiac-enriched low-abundance transcripts, identified multiple genes with an uncharacterized role during cardio(myo)genesis including Sbk2 (SH3 domain binding kinase family member 2). Sbk2 encodes an evolutionarily conserved putative serine/threonine protein kinase, whose expression is strongly up- and downregulated during iAM-1 cell differentiation and dedifferentiation, respectively. In neonatal and adult rats, the protein is muscle-specific, highly atrium-enriched, and localized around the A-band of cardiac sarcomeres. Knockdown of Sbk2 expression caused loss of sarcomeric organization in NRAMs, iAMs and their human counterparts, consistent with a decrease in sarcomeric gene expression as evinced by transcriptome and proteome analyses. Interestingly, co-immunoprecipitation using Sbk2 as bait identified possible interaction partners with diverse cellular functions (translation, intracellular trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, chromatin modification, sarcomere formation).

Conclusions:

iAM-1 cells are a relevant and suitable model to identify (lowly expressed) genes with a hitherto unidentified role in cardiomyocyte differentiation as exemplified by Sbk2: a regulator of atrial sarcomerogenesis.
Aristolochia thotteaeformis, a distinct new species from southern Vietnam
Authors: LUU HONG TRUONG , NGUYEN TRAN QUOC TRUNG , NGUYEN QUOC DAT , NGUYEN THANH TRUNG , NGUYEN THANH TRUNG , DO TRUONG VAN
Published: May 2022

Aristolochia thotteaeformis, a distinct new species from southern Vietnam, is described here. The new species clearly differs from all the known Aristolochia species in Vietnam by its erect shrubby habit and zig-zag young branches. The vegetative phenotype resembles the genus Thottea (Aristolochiaceae). Morphological characters such as the 1-lipped limb, the 6-lobed gynostemium, and the flower with a stipe between the utricle and ovary place this new species in Aristolochia subgenus Aristolochia section Diplolobus subsection Podanthemum. Morphologically, Aristolochia thotteaeformis is most similar to A. philippinensis and A. humilis by sharing a cuneate to rounded leaf base, a straight perianth in pre-anthesis, then slightly curved upward, an ovoid to ellipsoid utricle, and a 5–10 mm long, cylindrical tube. However, the new species clearly differs from these two species by some morphological characters of young branches, leaves, petiole, inflorescence axis, bracteole, perianth, limb, and seed. In addition to the detailed description, illustrations, information on ecology, conservation status, and comparison with its similar species, a key to all the known species of Aristolochia subsection Podanthemum from Vietnam is provided.
The Impact of Data Latency on Operational Global Weather Forecasting
Authors: Casey Sean P. F. , Cucurull Lidia
Published: May 2022

The impact of low data latency is assessed using observations assimilated into the NCEP Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere Global Forecast System (FV3GFS). Operationally, a full dataset is used to generate short-term (9-h) forecasts used as the background state for the next cycle, and a limited dataset with fewer observations is used for long-term (16-day) forecasts due to time constraints that exist in an operational setting. In this study, the sensitivity of the global weather forecast skill to the use of the full and limited datasets in both the short- and long-term forecasts (out to 10 days only) is evaluated. The results show that using the full dataset for long-term forecasts yields a slight improvement in forecast skill, while using the limited dataset for short-term forecasts yields a significant degradation. This degradation is primarily attributed to a decrease of in situ observations rather than remotely sensed observations, though no individual observation type captures the amount of degradation noted when all observations are limited. Furthermore, limiting individual types of in situ observations (aircraft, marine, rawinsonde) does not result in the level of degradation noted when limiting all in situ observations, demonstrating the importance of data redundancy in an operational observational system.

Significance Statement

Millions of observations are used in global models every day to understand the state of the atmosphere. These observations rely on quick transmission from observation source to weather centers for inclusion in operational models. For this study, we test how different groups of observations, which arrive at the model center at different times, impact the model forecast. We find that by not using the observations that take longer to arrive at the weather centers, the forecast is much worse, showing the importance of quick transmission of observations. Direct observations (those measured within the atmosphere) have a greater impact than remote observations (those viewed from afar, such as by satellites). However, no single observation type by itself causes a poor forecast by being limited, showing the importance of using different types of observations to capture the state of the atmosphere.
Communication of Ethics – Across Cultural Boundaries
Authors: Collste Göran
Published: May 2022

Is it possible to communicate ethics across cultural borders? Not according to representatives of “the incommensurability thesis”, who claim that values and norms are culturally bounded. This article argues against this thesis. A first problem is that cultures and traditions are seen as comprehensive, delimited, and exclusive. Normally, however, a culture develops from and is in dialogue with other cultures. Further, the inner diversity of cultures and traditions opens the possibility of communication and shared understandings across cultural borders. Finally, the teaching and discussion of cross-cultural ethics provide practical evidence of the possibility of dialogue and mutual understanding.
Associations between low parental education, childhood adversities and sickness absence in midlife public sector employees
Authors: Salonsalmi Aino , Rahkonen Ossi , Lahelma Eero , Pietiläinen Olli , Lallukka Tea
Published: May 2022

Aims:

Parental education and childhood adversities are associated with long-term work disability but their contribution to sickness absence is largely unknown. We aimed to examine the associations between parental education, childhood adversities and self-certified and medically-certified sickness absence among midlife employees.

Methods:

The Helsinki Health Study baseline survey data (2000–2002) of 40-to-60-year-old municipal employees were linked with sickness absence data from the employer’s register. Self-certified (1–3 days) and medically-certified (>3 days) sickness absence spells were followed from 2003 until the end of 2008. The study included 5728 employees. The analyses were made by Poisson regression and the results are presented as rate ratios (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results:

Low maternal education was associated with self-certified sickness absence (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.13–1.55) among women only whereas both low maternal (1.49, 1.26–1.77) and low paternal education (1.48, 1.32–1.67) were associated with medically-certified sickness absence. Adjustment for own occupational class mainly abolished these associations. Having experienced any childhood adversity was associated with self-certified (1.18, 1.12–1.25) and medically-certified (1.22, 1.15–1.30) sickness absence. In addition, childhood economic difficulties, childhood illness, parental divorce, parental mental illness, parental alcohol problems and bullying were each associated both with self-certified and with medically-certified sickness absence. The associations mainly remained after adjustments for occupational class, marital status, working condition, body mass index and health behaviours.

Conclusions:

Low parental education and childhood adversities contributed to midlife sickness absence. Promoting well-being of families with children might help sustain adult work ability and prevent sickness absence still in midlife.