bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic Regulation of Methylation in Determining the Fate of Dental Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Zhang Hui , Fu Hong , Fang Hongzhi , Deng Qing , Huang Hao , Hou Dingyu , Wang Miaomiao , Yao Quanzhou , Si Qiqi , Chen Rui , Li Linke , Weng Jie , Guo Tailin , Wang Mengyuan
Published: September 2022

Dental mesenchymal stem cells (DMSCs) are crucial in tooth development and periodontal health, and their multipotential differentiation and self-renewal ability play a critical role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Methylation modifications could promote the appropriate biological behavior by postsynthetic modification of DNA or protein and make the organism adapt to developmental and environmental prompts by regulating gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. Methylation modifications involved in DMSC fate include DNA methylation, RNA methylation, and histone modifications, which have been proven to exert a significant effect on the regulation of the fate of DMSCs, such as proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation potential. Understanding the regulation of methylation modifications on the behavior and the immunoinflammatory responses involved in DMSCs contributes to further study of the mechanism of methylation on tissue regeneration and inflammation. In this review, we briefly summarize the key functions of histone methylation, RNA methylation, and DNA methylation in the differentiation potential and self-renewal of DMSCs as well as the opportunities and challenges for their application in tissue regeneration and disease therapy.
Biceps Femoris Fascicle Lengths Increase after Hamstring Injury Rehabilitation to a Greater Extent in the Injured Leg
Authors: Whiteley Rod , Hickey Jack T. , Vermeulen Robin , Timmins Ryan , Best Thomas M. , Rio Ebonie , Opar David
Published: September 2022

Objectives. Document changes in fascicle length during rehabilitation from hamstring injury of the injured and uninjured legs and secondarily to describe any association between these changes and reinjury rate. Design. Multicentre case series. Methods. Fifty-two prospectively included hamstring injured athletes had their biceps femoris long head fascicle lengths measured at the start and end of rehabilitation using two-dimensional ultrasound. Absolute and relative changes in fascicle length were compared for each leg using linear mixed models. Participants were followed for six months after being cleared to return to sport for any reinjury. Fascicle lengths and rehabilitation duration were compared for those who reinjured and those who did not. Results. Injured leg fascicle length was shorter at the start of rehabilitation (9.1 cm compared to 9.8 cm,

p
<
0.01
 

) but underwent greater absolute and relative lengthening during rehabilitation to 11.1 cm (18% increase) compared to 10.2 cm (8% increase,

p
<
0.01
 

) for the uninjured leg. There were no significant differences in any fascicle length parameter for the 5 participants who reinjured in the 6 months following their return to sport compared to those that did not reinjure. Conclusions. While both injured and uninjured legs displayed increases in fascicle length during rehabilitation, the larger fascicle length increases in the injured leg suggest that either a different training stimulus was applied during rehabilitation to each leg or there was a different response to training and/or recovery from injury in the injured leg. Reinjury risk appears to be independent of fascicle length changes in this cohort, but the small number of reinjuries makes any conclusions speculative.
Mechanisms of How Random Input Controls Bursting Gene Expression
Authors: Xiao Sijia , Wang Yan , Wang Zhigang , Wang Haohua
Published: September 2022

The process of gene expression is affected by many extracellular stimulus signals, and the stochasticity of these signals reshapes gene expression. To adapt the fluctuation of the extracellular environment, genes have many strategies for augmenting their survival probability, frequency modulation, and amplitude modulation. However, it is unclear how genes utilize the stochasticity of signals to regulate gene expression and which strategy will be chosen to maximize cellular function. Here, we analyze a simple mechanistic model to clarify the effect of extracellular random input on gene expression and burst kinetics at different timescales. We can see that in different contexts, extracellular noise has different effects on downstream gene expression, effects which include the following: (1) extracellular noise will make the ON‐OFF‐state dwell time drift, which will influence the burst frequency and burst size of downstream gene expression under different modulation paradigms; (2) comparing the burst parameter or gene expression products under different modulation paradigms, we can see that the amplitude signal is more sensitive in the case of extracellular noise input, whereas the signal in noiseless conditions is more sensitive when the random input is a fast process, which indicates that the amplitude signal is a superior and common signal in gene expression; and (3) extracellular random input will change the bimodality for gene expression, but its influence is different for gene expression products under different modulation paradigms. These qualitative results reveal that extracellular random input can prompt the gene to achieve its function quickly under different modulation paradigms.
The Outcome of Sutureless in Partial Nephrectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Liu Peng , Li Yan , Shi Benkang , Zhang Qiujie , Guo Hu
Published: September 2022

Purpose. To compare the effect of sutureless versus standard suture (double‐layer suture) during renorrhaphy in laparoscopic or robotic‐assisted partial nephrectomy on perioperative and renal function outcomes. Methods. PubMed, Embase, and other sources were searched for randomized controlled trials or retrospective studies comparing sutureless partial nephrectomy versus standard suture partial nephrectomy. A systematic review and meta‐analysis were performed by two reviewers independently. Results. Five retrospective studies were included with a total of 634 patients. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (I2 = 98.5%; WMD, ‐4.19 ml/min; 95% CI, ‐7.64 to ‐0.73; P < 0.001) and no significant difference in postoperative complications (I2 = 0; RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.61 to 2.81; P = 0.623). A significant advantage in terms of operating time (I2 = 53.9%; WMD, ‐29.08 min; 95% CI, ‐33.06 to ‐25.10; P = 0.069) and warm ischemia time (I2 = 38.5%; WMD, ‐6.17 min; 95% CI, ‐6.99 to ‐5.36; P = 0.165) favored sutureless, while there was no significant difference in blood loss (I2 = 58.1%; WMD, 3.10 ml; 95% CI, ‐39.18 to 45.38; P = 0.049). Conclusion. Sutureless during renorrhaphy is feasible and safe compared with standard suture. Sutureless can shorten the operating time and warm ischemia time without increasing postoperative complications, and thus, it protects renal function.
Electroacupuncture Treats Myocardial Infarction by Influencing the Regulation of Substance P in the Neurovascular to Modulate PGI2/TXA2 Metabolic Homeostasis via PI3K/AKT Pathway: A Bioinformatics-Based Multiomics and Experimental Study
Authors: Zhang Ping , Wang Yanyan , Xing Xiaomin , Li Hu , Wang Xiaojing , Zhang Hanlin , Wang Xin , Li Xiubin , Li Yanju , Wang Qian
Published: September 2022

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most severe form of coronary heart disease caused by ischemia and hypoxia. The study is aimed at investigating the role of neuropeptides and the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treatment. Compared with the normal population, a significant increase in substance P (SP) was observed in the serum of patients with AMI. PGI2 expression was increased in the SP-treated AMI mouse model, and TXA2 expression was decreased. And PI3K pathway-related genes, including Pik3ca, Akt, and Mtor, were upregulated in myocardial tissue of SP-treated AMI patients. Human cardiomyocyte cell lines (HCM) treated with SP increased mRNA and protein expression of PI3K pathway-related genes (Pik3ca, Pik3cb, Akt, and Mtor). Compared to MI control and EA-treated MI rat models, Myd88, MTOR, Akt1, Sp, and Irak1 were differentially expressed, consistent with in vivo and in vitro studies. EA treatment significantly enriched PI3K/AKT signaling pathway genes within MI-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) according to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Furthermore, it was confirmed by molecular docking analysis that PIK3CA, AKT1, and mTOR form stable dockings with neuropeptide SP. PI3K/AKT pathway activity may be affected directly or indirectly by EA via SP, which corrects the PGI2/TXA2 metabolic imbalance in AMI. MI treatment is now better understood as a result of this finding.
Dynamics Analysis and Intermittent Energy Feedback Control of m‐HR Neuron Model under Electromagnetic Induction
Authors: Peng Jiankui , Li Suoping
Published: September 2022

It is of great practical significance to fully reveal the global discharge characteristics of neurons in electromagnetic environment and design effective energy feedback strategy for accurate prediction of neural information. Considering the effect of electromagnetic induction, a four‐dimensional modified Hindmarsh–Rose (m‐HR) neuron model is established, and its discharge mechanism is revealed by analyzing the existence and stability of equilibrium point of the model. Extensive numerical results confirm that the model has classical period‐doubling bifurcation, period‐adding bifurcation, and comb‐shaped chaotic structure. Importantly, a new intermittent energy feedback controller is designed by improving the traditional energy feedback control strategy, which can effectively modulate the desired discharge modes under the cost‐optimal energy consumption. Meanwhile, it should be emphasized that the intermittent control scheme has a wider range of regulation and robustness, which can be applied to other dynamical systems to obtain the desired oscillation modes. This will improve the beneficial discussion for the construction of brain‐like intelligent network and efficient regulation.
Design and Implementation of an Improved K-Means Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Zhao Huiling
Published: September 2022

Aiming at the problems of the traditional K-means clustering algorithm, such as the local optimal solution and the slow clustering speed caused by the uncertainty of k value and the randomness of the initial cluster center selection, this paper proposes an improved KMeans clustering method. The algorithm first uses the idea of the elbow rule based on the sum of squares of errors to obtain the appropriate number of clusters k, then uses the variance as a measure of the degree of dispersion of the samples, and selects k data points with the smallest variance and the distance greater than the average distance of the samples as the initial clustering center of the data set. Finally, combined with the “triangular inequality principle,” the unnecessary distance calculation of the KMeans algorithm in the iterative process is reduced, and the algorithm operation efficiency is improved. The results show that the improved KMeans clustering algorithm is tested on the UCI data set. Compared with the traditional k-means algorithm and Canopy-KMeans algorithm, the accuracy and speedup ratio of the improved KMeans clustering algorithm are significantly improved, and the clustering quality is improved.
Machine Learning-Based Decision-Making for Stock Trading: Case Study for Automated Trading in Saudi Stock Exchange
Authors: Alsulmi Mohammad , Al-Shahrani Nourah
Published: September 2022

Stock markets are becoming the center of attention for many investors and hedge funds, providing them with a wide range of tools and investment opportunities to grow their wealth and participate in the economy. However, investing in the stock market is not trivial. Stock traders and financial advisors are required to frequently monitor market actions, search for profitable companies, and analyze stock price movements to generate various trading ideas (e.g., selecting a stock symbol and making the decision when to enter or exit a trade), potentially leading to investment returns. Therefore, this study aims to address this challenge through exploring the adaptation of machine learning methods combined with risk management techniques to develop a framework for automating the task of stock trading. We evaluated our framework by creating a diverse portfolio containing several companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) and using the simulated trading actions (executed by the framework) to estimate the portfolio’s returns for 3.7 years. The findings show that in terms of investment returns, the proposed framework is very promising; it has generated over 86% returns and outperformed almost all hedge funds by the top investment banks in Saudi Arabia.
Learning-Based Virtual Machine Selection in Cloud Server Consolidation
Authors: Li Huixi , Xiao Yinhao , Shen YongLuo
Published: September 2022

In cloud data center (CDC), reducing energy consumption while maintaining performance has always been a hot issue. In server consolidation, the traditional solution is to divide the problem into multiple small problems such as host overloading detection, virtual machine (VM) selection, and VM placement and solve them step by step. However, the design of host overloading detection strategies and VM selection strategies cannot be directly linked to the ultimate goal of reducing energy consumption and ensuring performance. This paper proposes a learning-based VM selection strategy that selects appropriate VMs for migration without direct host overloading detection, thereby reducing the generation of SLAV, ensuring the performance, and reducing the energy consumption of CDC. Simulations driven by real VM workload traces show that our method outperforms the existing methods in reducing SLAV generation and CDC energy consumption.
Performance Evaluation of Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) Variety for Registration in the Lowland Areas of Ethiopia
Authors: Simion Tariku , Ersulo Dembele , Fikre Asnake
Published: September 2022

There were few released pigeon pea varieties in Ethiopia. This study was primarily conducted to diversify the availability of varieties, thus addressing socioeconomic cross-cutting issues. From eight pigeon pea genotypes after continuous evaluation, one variety, including the local check, was promoted with the objectives of evaluating the agronomic performance and registering a new variety in lowland areas of Ethiopia. The study was carried out during the main rain seasons of 2018-2019 to enhance pigeon pea productivity in the study area. A plot size of 10 meters by 10 meters was used in six locations. The spacing between rows and plants was 1.2 and 0.5 meters, respectively. Accordingly to the simple descriptive statistics, there were variabilities in the studied traits among the tested pigeon pea genotypes. The yield advantage of 39% was recorded for the test variety, Ashenafi (ICEAP00554), over the local check, which gave an opportunity to select the best-adapted material for the test and similar agroecologies. From the current study, an average yield of 1.83 t/ha was recorded across locations for a candidate variety, Ashenafi (ICP00554). The grain yield of the local cultivar had a mean of 1.04 t/ha. As a variety, Ashenafi (ICP00554) took the shortest duration to 75% flowering and 90% maturity (115 days and 171 days), respectively. In contrast, the local cultivar (Humbo local) took a long duration to 75% flowering and 90% maturity (164 days and 221 days), respectively. As a variety, Ashenafi (ICP00554) had superior performance over the local cultivar in terms of grain yield and earliness for flowering and maturity. Based on the overall performance, Ashenafi (ICP00554) was selected and registered. Therefore, this variety is recommended to popularize and thereby enhance pigeon pea production.
Experimental Study on Microbial Solidification of Gravel-Containing Silty Clay under Different Calcium Sources
Authors: Hu Qizhi , Wang Zekai
Published: September 2022

Crushed silty clay is widely distributed in engineering foundations. Because of its local hardness and uneven soil distribution, it is not a good foundation material. Based on microbial solidification technology, microbial solidification tests of silty clay containing crushed stone were carried out by selecting cementing liquids with different calcium sources to study the effect of the calcium source on the solidification effect. With Pasteurella as the main solidified bacterial solution, calcium chloride, calcium acetate, and calcium gluconate were mixed into urea to prepare cementing solutions with different calcium sources at concentrations of 0.6, 1.0, and 1.4 mol/L. Microbial solidification tests were carried out under different calcium source concentrations, the calcium carbonate formation of the samples after solidification was examined, and unconfined compressive strength and triaxial tests were conducted. When calcium chloride and calcium acetate were used to solidify the clay, the solidification strength gradually decreased with the increase in the concentration, while the solidification strength of calcium gluconate was the highest at 1.0 mol/L. When calcium chloride with a concentration of 0.6 mol/L was used as the calcium source, the curing effect was the best. The internal friction angle and cohesion of the triaxial test were increased by 35.19% and 99.1%, respectively, and the unconfined compressive strength was increased by 37.94%. The yield ratio was 3.76%. The concentration of 1.0 mol/L was the best concentration of calcium gluconate as the calcium source, and the reinforcement effect was slightly less than that of 0.6 mol/L calcium chloride.
Extraction of Municipal Sewage Sludge Lipids Using Supercritical CO2 for Biodiesel Production: Mathematical and Kinetics Modeling
Authors: Alsaedi Alyaa Abdulhussein , Hossain Md. Sohrab , Balakrishnan Venugopal , Ahmad Yahaya Ahmad Naim , Ismail Norli , Naushad Mu. , Bathula Chinna , Ahmad Mardiana Idayu
Published: September 2022

Demand for determining renewable lipids feedstock for the production of biodiesel is increasing with the rapid depletion of petroleum diesel. The present study was conducted to assess the feasibility of utilizing municipal sewage sludge (MSS) as a potential lipids feedstock for biodiesel production. The lipids’ extraction and separation from MSS were conducted using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) with varying treatment time (15–120 min), temperature (30–80°C), pressure (10–50 MPa), and addition of cosolvents (1–10 wt.%). The modified Gompertz equation and Arrhenius equation were employed to evaluate lipids’ extraction and kinetics behavior from municipal sewage sludge using scCO2. About 27% of lipids were extracted from MSS with scCO2 at a temperature of 60°C, pressure of 30 MPa, treatment time of 60 min, and 5 wt.% of ethanol (EtOH) as cosolvent. The modified Gompertz equation was adequately fitted with experimental data of the lipids’ extraction from MSS using scCO2. The kinetics properties analyses revealed that the scCO2 extraction technology was highly dependent on pressure than the temperature for the extraction of the lipids from MSS. The physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid contents of the scCO2 extracted lipids from MSS and sewage sludge biodiesel were determined using a variety of analytical techniques. The physicochemical properties of the sewage sludge biodiesel were compared with the international standard specifications of biodiesel, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials specifications for diesel fuel (ASTM D6751) and European Standard (EN 14214) specifications.
Replacement of Dietary Fishmeal Protein with Degossypolized Cottonseed Protein on Growth Performance, Nonspecific Immune Response, Antioxidant Capacity, and Target of Rapamycin Pathway of Juvenile Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea)
Authors: Chen Sheng , Tang Yuhang , Zhang Zhou , Zheng Jichang , He Yuliang , Wang Zhen , Mai Kangsen , Ai Qinghui
Published: September 2022

A 70-day feeding experiment was carried out to assess the replacement of dietary fishmeal (FM) protein with degossypolized cottonseed protein (DCP) on large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) with initial body weight (

13.09
±
0.50
 
g

). Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets replaced fishmeal protein with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% DCP were formulated and named as FM (the control group), DCP20, DCP40, DCP60, and DCP80, respectively. Results displayed that weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) in the DCP20 group (263.91% and 1.85% d-1) were significantly increased compared with the control group (194.79% and 1.54% d-1) (

P
<
0.05

). Furthermore, fish fed the diet with 20% DCP significantly increased the activity of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) compared with the control group (

P
<
0.05

). Meanwhile, the content of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) in the DCP20, DCP40, and DCP80 groups was significantly lower than that in the control group (

P
<
0.05

). The activity of intestinal trypsin in the DCP20 group was significantly degraded compared with that in the control group (

P
<
0.05

). The transcription of hepatic proinflammatory cytokine genes (interleukin-6 (il-6); tumor necrosis factor-α (tnf-α); and interferon-γ (ifn-γ)) in the DCP20 and DCP40 groups was significantly upregulated compared with that in the control group (

P
<
0.05

). As to the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway, the transcription of hepatic target of rapamycin (tor) and ribosomal protein (s6) was significantly up-regulated, while the transcription of hepatic eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4e-bp1) gene was significantly downregulated in the DCP group compared with the control group (

P
<
0.05

). In summary, based on the broken line regression model analysis of WGR and SGR against dietary DCP replacement levels, the optimal replacement level was recommended to be 8.12% and 9.37% for large yellow croaker, respectively. These results revealed that FM protein replaced with 20% DCP could promote digestive enzyme activities and antioxidant capacity and further activate immune response and the TOR pathway so that growth performance of juvenile large yellow croaker was improved.
Research on Value Co-Creation New Business Model of Import Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform Ecosystem
Authors: Peng Cheng , Jing Xi , Tie Jing , Tian Yue , Kong Jiyu , Xue Ke , Zhou Yu
Published: September 2022

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the cross-border e-commerce platform has been rising rapidly because of its unique advantages. However, with the widespread application of information technologies such as mobile Internet and big data, fundamental changes have taken place in consumer preferences, consumption patterns, and marketing channels in cross-border e-commerce platforms. They also change the logic of value co-creation (VCC). The platform can achieve survive, expansion, and sustainable development by realising the value co-creation of the whole platform ecosystem. Based on the perspective of the platform ecosystem, this paper uses the grounded theory analysis method and NVivo 11.0 software carries out three-level coding on the obtained original data, and finally summarises and extracts four core categories of value co-creation mechanism: connection and interaction of value co-creators, demand mining, resource integration, and system support. The first two categories reflect stakeholders’ internal connection and interaction mechanism, and the last two categories reflect the external support mechanism in value co-creation.
Research on Synchronized Data Acquisition System Based on Distributed Clock
Authors: Hao Yuyu , Li Shugang , Zhang Tianjun , Wei Zongyong
Published: September 2022

The clock synchronization of mine distributed acquisition system is the key to its normal operation, and the realization of a unified time benchmark is the premise of subsequent data processing. To capture a more accurate gas migration process, in the physical similarity simulation experiment of coal and natural gas, a synchronous data acquisition system based on SQL database and distributed clock is developed to obtain synchronous real-time data. SQL database is used to establish a data collection center to solve the data exchange problem between the three units of storage, collection, and display in the system. The three units are connected in parallel, which simplifies the data flow structure in the system and improves the communication efficiency. In addition, the security and reliability of data storage are greatly improved. Based on the distributed clock, the communication structure of the data acquisition unit is constructed. In a distributed way, the data are aggregated according to the object and finally uploaded to the data acquisition center through TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). It meets the requirements of synchronous communication between acquisition boards and provides a reliable data acquisition scheme for the physical simulation system of simultaneous exploitation of coal and natural gas. The physical similarity simulation experiment takes a mine in Shanxi Province as the simulation object. On the basis of this system, the physical similarity simulation experiments of gas emission under different mining conditions are carried out. In this process, the distribution maps of mining stress changes in overlying strata and gas concentration changes in different mining areas are obtained. The results of data acquisition are verified by numerical simulation. The results show that the system can effectively maintain the data acquisition of various areas in the mine.
Environmental Monitoring and Restoration of Ecological Cycle Index System Based on IoT Agriculture
Authors: Hou Aixia
Published: September 2022

Environmental factors have a direct impact on the development of agriculture, so it is particularly important to detect the environment of the agroecological cycle index system. Although there are some plans for environmental monitoring, most of them are environmental monitoring for a larger concept, but this study is specific to the actual object. This article takes farmland as the research object and comprehensively uses embedded technology, information monitoring technology, and network technology based on the analysis of the research status and system application of the farmland environmental monitoring system. This article studies and designs a real-time online remote monitoring system for farmland ecological environment based on embedded architecture and GPRS technology. By using sensors to obtain farmland information, it is displayed on the monitoring center and mobile client, and data information is obtained in real time. It manages and protects the farmland environment in advance. This article measures and analyzes the data from the final experiment. The experimental results show that the monitoring system can accurately collect farmland data in real time. And through the embedded server and the Internet, the data can be remotely transmitted in real time and displayed on the monitoring center and mobile client software. The results showed that PM2.5 was 30 μg/m3 at 20:00. The experimental data have the characteristics of real time and stability, which can meet the requirements of real-time network remote monitoring and transmission of data.
Opium Use and the Risk of Liver Cancer: A Case–Control Study
Authors: Marzban Maryam , Mohebbi Elham , Haghdoost AliAkbar , Aryaie Mohammad , Zahedi Mohammad Javad , Khazaei Zaher , Gholizade Mohamad , Naghibzadeh-Tahami Ahmad
Published: September 2022

Limited evidence is available to acknowledge the association between opium use and liver cancer. In a case–control study, we recruited 117 cases of primary liver cancer (PLC) and 234 age and sex-matched neighborhood controls from 2016 to 2018. We calculated odds ratios (OR) for opium use and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), using conditional logistic regressions. Compared with non-users the adjusted OR (AOR, 95% CI) for opium use was 6.5 (95% CI, 2.87–13.44). Compared with people who had no history of use, a strong dose–response effect of opium use was observed by amount of use (AOR, 10.70; 95% CI, 3.92–28.70). Cumulative use of opium also indicated that using over 30 gr-year could increase the PLC risk dramatically (AOR, 11.0; 95% CI, 3.83–31.58). Those who used opium for more than 21 years were highly at risk of PLC (AOR, 11.66; 95% CI, 4.43–30.67). The observed associations were significant even among never tobacco smokers (including cigarette and water-pipe smoking).

Prevention Relevance:

The results of this study indicate that opium use dramatically increased the risk of liver cancer. Because opioids are increasing for medical and non-medical use globally; accordingly, severe health consequences such as liver cancer have to be investigated widely.
test item
Authors: aacr figshare admin
Published: September 2022

test
A case of discrepant laboratory results in samples obtained from a central venous catheter and peripheral veins: when solving a pre-analytical mystery could improve patient care
Authors: Brugnoni Duilio , Portesi Nicola , Serana Federico , Micheletti Moira , Carini Mattia , Martellosio Giovanni , Caravaggi Elisa , Biasiotto Giorgio , Marini Monica
Published: September 2022

It is now generally accepted that laboratory errors or inaccurate results are mainly due to deficiencies in the pre-analytical phase. In this report, we describe the case of a 64-year-old male affected by a relapsing follicular lymphoma, who has been treated with chemotherapy through a central venous catheter (CVC). Four different samples were collected alternatively through peripheral venipuncture and CVC sampling. Unexpectedly, the samples collected from the two different sources showed contrasting results, with the presence of unusual macrophage-like cells in the samples obtained from CVC. It was later found that the CVC was displaced into the pleural space. This case report shows how the sampling process can sometimes influence test results and how it can help clinicians identify clinical conditions that have not yet manifested.
Increased structural connectivity in high schizotypy
Authors: Messaritaki Eirini , Foley Sonya , Barawi Kali , Ettinger Ulrich , Jones Derek K.
Published: September 2022

The link between brain structural connectivity and schizotypy was explored in two healthy participant cohorts, collected at two different neuroimaging centres, comprising 140 and 115 participants, respectively. The participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), through which their schizotypy scores were calculated. Diffusion-MRI data were used to perform tractography and to generate the structural brain networks of the participants. The edges of the networks were weighted with the inverse radial diffusivity. Graph theoretical metrics of the default mode, sensorimotor, visual, and auditory subnetworks were derived and their correlation coefficients with the schizotypy scores were calculated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that graph theoretical measures of structural brain networks are investigated in relation to schizotypy. A positive correlation was found between the schizotypy score and the mean node degree and mean clustering coefficient of the sensorimotor and the default mode subnetworks. The nodes driving these correlations were the right postcentral gyrus, the left paracentral lobule, the right superior frontal gyrus, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the bilateral precuneus, that is, nodes that exhibit compromised functional connectivity in schizophrenia. Implications for schizophrenia and schizotypy are discussed.
Identification and expression pattern of three sex-related genes in the shrimp Neocaridina denticulata sinensis (Decapoda, Caridea)
Authors: Lin Dawei , Wang Moran , Yu Feifei , Shi Wenhui , Luo Fuli , Wu Chao , Yang Jingwen , Ma Wenming
Published: September 2022

The sex determination and differentiation process of economically important crustaceans have been regarded as the focus of aquaculture for a long time, because of the sex-related weight differences. Neocaridina denticulata sinensis makes a suitable animal model for studying crustaceans because it can reproduce many times under artificial control and has a short reproductive cycle. Male and female sex characteristics of the adult rice shrimp Neocaridina d. sinensis are morphologically obvious, but not in embryos and juvenile stages. At present, sex-specific DNA markers have not yet been developed. To produce a reliable molecular marker for sex in Neocaridina and to investigate molecular sex differentiation, we therefore focused on identifying sex-specific transcriptomic differences. In this study, we found three sex-specific expression genes, NDM, Sushi, and NDF, after screening a large number of transcriptome data. NDM and Sushi are male-specific expression genes, and NDF is a female-specific expression gene. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that NDM and NDF can act as molecular markers for the sex identification of Neocaridina in different developmental stages, especially sex identification for embryos and juveniles with the same morphological characteristics. However, Sushi can only act as a molecular marker for the sex identification of Neocaridina in adult stages. Furthermore, in situ hybridization showed that a strong positive signal of NDM was detected in the male testis. At the same time, we explored the relationship between these three genes and sex differentiation. The results of RNA interference treatment show that knockdown of nd-IAG (Neocaridina denticulata sinensis insulin-like androgenic gland hormone) can change the expression of NDM and NDF. On the basis of the expression of the male-specific gene NDM and the female-specific gene NDF, we developed a molecular test that for the first time allows the unambiguous sex determination of Neocaridina samples lacking external sex-specific features from juvenile stages onward.
Grassroots Student Diplomacy: The Junior Diplomat Initiative (JDI) in Prague, Geneva, Paris and Tbilisi
Authors: Zemanová Štěpánka
Published: September 2022

The democratisation of diplomacy in recent years has opened up new opportunities for non-state actors’ engagement and activities in the public interest or on behalf of governments. Scholarly literature has broadly reflected the inclusion of civil society into governance frameworks, non-state public diplomacy and non-governmental institutions. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of these issues, as well as their dynamics and rapid innovations, many blind spots remain. This article focuses on the neglected topic of the engagement of future practitioners, students in diplomacy-related undergraduate and graduate university programmes, in people-to-people diplomatic communication. Drawing on the concept of grassroots diplomacy, it examines the activities of the Junior Diplomat Initiative. It deconstructs the effect of student organisations’ diplomacy projects by showing how they translate into innovative interactions with domestic and foreign youth communities. Lessons for diplomatic practice are also addressed.
The Relationship Between Teaching Experiences and Teacher Burnout in China: The Mediating Role of Emotional Labor
Authors: Tsang Kwok Kuen , Li Guanyu , Wang Li , Wang Guangqiang , Wu Hongyan
Published: September 2022

Burnout is a common syndrome among teachers across the globe in the recent two decades. Although teacher burnout may be related to years of teaching experiences and emotional labor (surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions), there is no consensus on the mechanisms of how teaching experience affects burnout. Thus, the study aims to examine how teaching experience and emotional labor are associated with teacher burnout. By surveying 417 teachers in China, the study finds that teaching burnout is negative associated with teaching experiences and the expression of naturally felt emotions, while positively associated with surface acting. Moreover, a further analysis suggests surface acting and the expression of naturally felt emotions are mediating roles in the relationship between teacher burnout and teaching experiences respectively.
Beyond Confirmation
Authors: Schroeder Jessica J.
Published: September 2022

While Michael Polanyi’s epistemology is fruitful for considering beauty’s epistemological significance, this article shows that Polanyi’s epistemology lacks explicit development of an important aspect of beauty’s contribution to knowledge formation—as mediator. The treatment unfolds by first assessing how Polanyi does treat beauty, and second by establishing the grounds for beauty to serve as a mediator, as well as its fittingness within a Polanyian epistemology. The article considers an expansion of Polanyi’s epistemology to further and more clearly elucidate beauty as mediator of knowledge. Concluding remarks consider how beauty as mediator of knowledge opens the door to pursuit of questions regarding beauty’s role in theological epistemology—i.e., in mediating knowledge of God specifically.
Matthew 2:7: The Danger of Assuming the Wrong Background
Authors: Pettem Michael
Published: September 2022

Most English translations of the story of the Star of Bethlehem either say explicitly or seem to imply that Herod learns from the magi the point in time at which the star appeared. This translation reflects an unusual understanding of two words in the Greek text, as well as raising the question why he killed children aged over a range of two years if he knew the exact age of the baby. These problems have been raised in the critical literature, yet many modern versions continue to offer a grammatically and logically strange interpretation. This article will argue that this interpretation is based on the assumption of a Hellenistic genethliac astrological background for the text, and that the perceived need for this common translation disappears if a Babylonian astrological background is assumed.
Isotopic Signatures of Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate Measured Using Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Jones Willis B. , Darvin Jason R. , O’Rourke Patrick E. , Fessler K. Alicia Strange
Published: September 2022

Lithium isotopic ratios have wide ranging applications as chemical signatures, including improved understanding of geochemical processes and battery development. Measurement of isotope ratios using optical spectroscopies would provide an alternative to traditional mass spectrometric methods, which are expensive and often limited to a chemical laboratory. Raman spectra of 7Li2CO3, 6Li2CO3, 7LiOH*H2O, and 6LiOH*H2O have been measured to determine the effect of lithium isotope substitution on the Raman molecular vibrations. Thirteen peaks were observed in the spectrum of lithium carbonate, with discernable isotopic shifts occurring in eleven of the 13 vibrations, two of which have not been previously reported in the literature. The spectrum of lithium hydroxide monohydrate contained nine peaks, with discernable isotopic shifts occurring in eight of the nine vibrations, four of which have not been previously reported in the literature. The Raman spectral data reported here for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate are in agreement with the previously reported works in the literature, in which the Raman active modes of these molecules were first identified and assigned. However, due to the stability and resolution of the detection system used in this work, isotopic shifts with a magnitude less than one wavenumber have been identified. Principal component regression was used to evaluate the sensitivity to isotopic content of small Raman peak shifts in Li2CO3 and indicates differences greater than 2 atom% could be reliably determined. These measurements add to the body of work on lithium isotope Raman spectroscopy for these two compounds and increases the number of Raman bands which could be used for lithium isotope content analysis.
Materiality Assessment Is an Art, Not a Science: Selecting ESG Topics for Sustainability Reports
Authors: Garst Jilde , Maas Karen , Suijs Jeroen
Published: September 2022

Materiality assessments play an important role in helping firms to select the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics to include in their sustainability report. This article presents the six main steps of materiality assessments, the methods used, and how the complexity, uncertainty, and evaluative nature of sustainability issues complicate them. This article draws two conclusions: the selected materiality perspective influences how the other steps are conducted, and assessment results should not only focus on selecting win-win scenarios, but also on “tensioned topics,” which indicate material societal impact but lack a business case.
The Wright-Constantine Structured Cultural Interview and Integration of Culture Into Case Conceptualization
Authors: Wright A. Jordan , Vardanian M. Michelle , Constantine Kesia
Published: September 2022

Although multicultural counseling competence is crucial to the field of counseling psychology and clinical assessment, there remains a gap in how cultural data can be collected and used in clinical case conceptualization. The present study evaluated the case conceptualizations of doctoral-level trainees and focused on whether the integration of culture into the conceptualizations/formulations was influenced by the use of the Wright-Constantine Structured Cultural Interview (WCSCI), as compared to the use of one of two other cultural interviews (the Patient Cultural Identity Assessment and the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview). Unsurprisingly, clients with minoritized identities and supervisors (but not trainees) with minoritized identities produced case conceptualizations that integrated culture at higher rates. Further, those conceptualizations that utilized the WCSCI were around 3.5 to 4.5 times more likely to integrate culture than those that used one of the other two cultural interviews. Implications for psychology practice are discussed.
Unraveling the Black Box of Prison Visitation: Incarcerated Individuals’ and Visitors’ Conversations and Feelings During Visitation Hour
Authors: de Jong Ellen W. A. , Palmen Hanneke , Ramakers Anke A. T. , Nieuwbeerta Paul
Published: September 2022

The nature of prison visits is likely to explain differences in visitation effects, but has received little research attention. Unique survey data of the Dutch Prison Visitation Study enable us to provide a first systematic account of the nature of visits, by describing the topics of conversation and experienced feelings of both incarcerated individuals ( n = 787) and visitors ( n = 662). Results indicate much variation in feelings (positive and negative) and topics of conversation (emotional and problem-solving topics), a strong link between topics and feelings, and show that visitors have more negative visitation experiences than incarcerated individuals. These insights into the nature of visits help to uncover the black box of prison visitation and provide directions for future research.
A voltage recovered control strategy for microgrid inverters based on Narendra-MRAC
Authors: Shi Hongtao , Zhou Jian , Zhang Jie , Feng Kun , Su Gang
Published: September 2022

Distributed generation (DG) needs to be connected to the microgrid (MG) through an inverter. The power quality of MG is impacted due to the characteristics of DGs and access to many types of loads. Traditionally, robust control or secondary regulation is used in MG inverters to solve power quality problems. However, there are issues in which the controller order is too high or the design is too complicated. A novel adaptive control strategy based on Narendra theory for voltage source inverter in MGs is proposed in this paper to solve the above problems. This strategy improves the control performance by designing an adaptive law. The MG inverter can adjust the parameters adaptively to change the output voltage quality under complex working conditions. The example shows that the inverter with the proposed adaptive control strategy can maintain good voltage control performance under complex conditions of MG, thus ensure the power quality in the MG.
Trajectory tracking control strategy of the gantry welding robot under the influence of uncertain factors
Authors: Sun Hongwei , Wang Haonan , Xu Yicun , Yang Jiong , Ji Yujie , Cheng Lei , Liu Chao , Zhang Benshun
Published: September 2022

In this paper, aiming at the problem of high-precision trajectory tracking of the gantry welding robot system under the influence of uncertain factors, a composite adaptive fuzzy compensation controller based on the computed torque control strategy has been proposed. The controller is composed of an adaptive fuzzy feedback control strategy and a dead zone adaptive fuzzy control strategy, which realizes high-precision trajectory tracking of the gantry welding robot, improves the solving speed of the control algorithm, and its tracking errors has been reduced. Screw theory and Lie group lie algebra are used to solve the problem of high algorithm complexity of controllers in multi-degree-of-freedom robot systems due to Newton-Euler dynamics modeling. Based on the computed torque control, the adaptive fuzzy feedback control strategy is adopted to compensate for the modeling errors and external disturbances in the gantry welding robot system, and the dead zone adaptive fuzzy control strategy is designed to compensate for the nonlinear dead zone structure with unknown parameters. The Lyapunov equation is introduced to prove the stability of the controller. Finally, the controller designed in this paper is compared with the conventional controller through simulation and experiment on the gantry welding robot platform, which verifies the effectiveness and superiority of the controller.
Political Imprisonment and Protest Mobilization: Evidence From the GDR
Authors: Steinert Christoph V. , Dworschak Christoph
Published: September 2022

How does political imprisonment influence anti-regime protest? We argue that political imprisonment facilitates rather than stifles protest. Political imprisonment is a salient indicator of arbitrary rule creating ‘embodied grievances’. It enables the formation of dissident networks within prisons, and serves as a legitimating credential for former inmates to lead resistance. These mechanisms imply that political imprisonment is a self-defeating strategy, making it easier for the opposition to overcome their collective action problem. We test our argument with subnational data from the German Democratic Republic between 1984 and 1989. To account for endogenous latent dissent, we use originally collected archival data on local surveillance operations. Exploiting daily variation in the timing of protests in 1989, we analyze the long-term impact of political imprisonment on mobilization. Results from survival analyses lend support to our hypothesized relationship. Combined with semi-structured interviews to probe our mechanisms, our findings suggest that political imprisonment increases the likelihood of protest mobilization.
Improving biomedical research by automated behaviour monitoring in the animal home cage – action needed for networking
Authors: Hölter Sabine M , Wells Sara , Voikar Vootele ,   on behalf of COST Action 20135
Published: September 2022

The key goal in biomedical research is a better understanding of disease aetiologies, which ideally results in strategies and recommendations for the prevention of diseases before they arise, and in the development of effective therapies. However, many concerns have been expressed about the reproducibility and the translational validity of preclinical research in animal models to inform clinical trials in humans. It has been proposed that improving internal, external and construct validity of animal studies will lead to improved translatability. Automated behaviour monitoring in the animal’s home cage, which allows for longitudinal assessment of individual trajectories over sufficiently long intervals for (chronic) drug treatment or phenotype progression, is a promising solution to these problems.