bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Five Regions, Five Retinopathy Screening Programmes: a Systematic Review of How Portugal Addresses the Challenge
Authors: Pereira Andreia Marisa Penso , Laureano Raul Manuel Silva , Neto Fernando Buarque Lima
Published: May 2021

Background: The implementation of a population-based screening programme for diabetic retinopathy involves several challenges, often leading to postponements and setbacks at high human and material costs. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to promote the sharing of experiences, successes and difficulties. However, factors such as the existence of regional programmes, specificities of each country's health systems, organizational and even linguistic barriers, make it difficult to create a solid framework that can be used as a basis for future projects. Methods: Web of Science and PubMed platforms were searched using appropriate key words. The review process resulted in 423 articles adherent to the search criteria, 28 of which were accepted and analysed. Web sites of all Portuguese governmental and non-governmental organizations, with a relevant role on the research topic, were inspected and 75 official documents were retrieved and analysed.Results: Since 2001, five regional screening programmes were gradually implemented under the guidelines of Portuguese General Health Department. However, complete population coverage was still not achieved. Among the main difficulties reported are the complex articulation between different levels of care providers, the low number of orthoptic technician in the national health system, the high burden that images grading and treatment of positive cases represents for hospitals ophthalmology services, and low adherence rates. Yet, the comparison between strategies adopted in the different regions allowed the identification of potential solutions: hire orthoptic technician for primary health care units, eliminating the dependence of hospital professionals; use artificial intelligence algorithms for automatic retinographies grading, avoiding ophthalmologists overload; adoption of proximity strategies, as the use of portable retinographers, to promote adherence to screening.Conclusion: Access to diabetic retinopathy screening remains remarkably variable in Portugal and needs urgent attention. However, several characteristics of effective screening programmes were found in Portuguese screening programmes, what seems to point toward promising outcomes, especially if each other highlights are considered. The findings of this research could be very useful for the other countries with similar socio-political characteristics.Registration: PROSPERO registration ID CRD42020200115.
Cell-free DNA comparative analysis of genomic landscape of first-line hormone-receptor positive metastatic breast cancer from US and China
Authors: Liu Xiao-Ran , Andrew Davis , Xie Feng , Gui Xinyu , Chen Yifei , Zhang Qiang , Gerratana Lorenzo , Zhang Youbin , Shah Ami N , Behdad Amir , Wehbe Firas , Huang Yong , Yu Jianjun , Du Pan , Jia Shidong , Li Huiping , Cristofanilli Massimo
Published: May 2021

Purpose: Comparison of mutation landscape across ethnics using the identical detecting platform is important. We explored the differential genomic landscape of patients with hormone-receptor positive (HR+), HER2-negative MBC of first line recurrence or Stage IV at diagnosis from the United States (US) and China (CN).Methods: Twenty-seven US patients and 65 CN patients had circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing from plasma using the harmonized CLIA-certified, 152-gene PredicineCareTM liquid biopsy assay. Clinical outcomes were correlated with ctDNA variants. Progression-free survival (PFS) was performed for patients and compared using log-rank test. Results: All patients from CN cohort received chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy, while 85.2% (23/27) patients of US cohort hormonal plus CDK4/6 inhibitor. Mutations were detected in 23 of 27 (85%) US patients and 54 of 65 (83%) CN patients. Prevalence of AKT1(18.5% vs. 3.1%, P = 0.008) and CDH1 were higher in US cohort (18.5% vs. 1.5%, P = 0.021), and gain of FGFR1 was higher in the CN cohort (7.4% vs. 24.6%, P = 0.048). PTEN deletion (5.7 months vs. 13.2 months, P = 0.03) and ESR1 alterations (9.0 months vs. 13.2 months, P = 0.02) were associated with significantly shorter PFS in CN cohort. However, the similar result was not found in US cohort. Conclusions: Differential prevalence of FGFR1, AKT1, and CDH1 in HR+ MBC were found between US and CN, which indicates a slight difference in a genomic setting. Meanwhile, certain genes such as PTEN and ESR1 shows varied predictive value across US and CN cohort regarding PFS.
Polarity symmetry of leaders in moist air
Authors: Huang Shengxin , Chen Weijiang , Fu Zhong , Shi Weidong , Xiang Nianwen , Fu Yufei , Cheng Dengfeng , Zhang Zhiyuan
Published: May 2021

The most important physics underlying lightning is the leader discharge. The presence or absence of space stems/leaders in leader steps is the key to the polarity asymmetry of leaders, which describes the difference in macroscopic behavior between positive and negative leaders and is a long-term consensus among lightning physicists. It is generally believed that negative leader steps are led by space stem, and there is no space stem/leader in positive leader discharges. Here we report the emergence of the space stem and the bidirectional development of the space leader in positive leader steps in moist air, using a high-speed camera with unprecedented spatial-temporal resolution. The lifetime of space stem/leader in positive leader steps is shorter than that in negative leader steps, causing the uncover of space stem/leader in previous studies. The bidirectional development of space leaders in positive leader steps may be an important source for VHF radiations, illuminating insight into the outstanding problem that how positive lightning leaders produce VHF radiation.
Modelling infectious diseases with herd immunity in a randomly mixed population
Authors: Law Kian Boon , Peariasamy Kalaiarasu M. , Ibrahim Hishamshah Mohd. , Abdullah Noor Hisham
Published: May 2021

Background The conventional susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model tends to overestimate the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases and ends up with total infections and total immunized population exceeding the threshold required for control and eradication of infectious diseases. The study aims to overcome the limitation by allowing the transmission rate of infectious disease to decline along with the reducing risk of contact infection. Methods Two new SIR models were developed to mimic the declining transmission rate of infectious diseases at different stages of transmission. Model A mimicked the declining transmission rate along with the reducing risk of transmission following infection, while Model B mimicked the declining transmission rate following recovery. Then, the conventional SIR model, Model A and Model B were used to simulate an infectious disease with a basic reproduction number (r0) of 3.0 and a herd immunity threshold (HIT) of 0.667 with and without vaccination. The infectious disease was expected to be controlled or eradicated when the total immunized population either through infection or vaccination reached the level predicted by the HIT. Outcomes of simulations were assessed at the time when the total immunized population reached the level predicted by the HIT, and at the end of simulations. Findings All three models performed likewise at the beginning of the transmission when sizes of infectious and recovered were relatively small as compared with the population size. The infectious disease modelled using the conventional SIR model appeared completely out of control even when the HIT was achieved in all scenarios with and without vaccination. The infectious disease modelled using Model A appeared to be controlled at the level predicted by the HIT in all scenarios with and without vaccination. Model B projected the infectious disease to be controlled at the level predicted by the HIT only at high vaccination rates. At lower vaccination rates or without vaccination, the level at which the infectious disease was controlled cannot be accurately predicted by the HIT. Conclusion Transmission dynamics of infectious diseases with herd immunity can accurately be modelled by allowing the transmission rate of infectious disease to decline along with the combined risk of contact infection. Model B provides a more credible framework for modelling infectious diseases with herd immunity in a randomly mixed population.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of Chalcone derivatives with antimalarial activity in New Zealand White Rabbits
Authors: Sinha Shweta , Prakash Ajay , Medhi Bikash , Sehgal Alka , Batovska Daniela I , Sehgal Rakesh
Published: May 2021

Objective: Malaria is a major global health concern with the urgent need for new treatment alternatives due to the alarming increase of drug-resistant Plasmodium strains. Chalcones and its derivatives are important pharmacophores showing antimalarial activity. Substandard pharmacokinetic variables are often responsible for insufficient therapeutic effect. Determination of the pharmacokinetic variables at the preliminary step of drug development for any drug candidates is an essential component of in vivo antimalarial efficacy tests. Therefore, three chalcone derivatives, 1, 2, and 3, having antimalarial potency were studied further for potential therapeutic efficacy. Results: In vivo pharmacokinetic studies of these three derivatives were performed on New Zealand White rabbits. The three derivatives were administered intra-peritoneally or orally at effective dose concentration and blood samples at different time points were collected. The determination of drug concentration was done through reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography. The peak plasma concentration of derivative 1, 2, and 3 were 1.96 ± 0.46 µg/mL, 69.89 ± 5.49 µg/mL, and 3.74 ± 1.64 µg/mL. The results indicate a very low bioavailability of these derivatives. The present study gives a benchmark to advance the investigation of more derivatives in order to revamp the pharmacokinetic variables while maintaining both potency and metabolic constancy.
Complete tumor response in a patient with locally advanced lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma treated with Sintilimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy: a case report
Authors: Huang Jinpeng , Wang Feiye , Du Xiaohua , Li Yongfen , Zhuang Yuanyuan , Gan Ziyan , Long Shunqin , Wu Wanyin , Yang Xiaobing
Published: May 2021

Background

pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare subset of lung cancer with a poor prognosis. As LCNEC is an uncommon malignancy, the optimal treatment for LCNEC has not been established.
Case presentation

: we report a case of a 66-year-old man diagnosed with unresectable, locally advanced LCNEC who presented a partial radiographic response to immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Salvage surgery was performed after 4 cycles of docetaxel and cisplatin (DP) regimen plus sintilimab, which is a highly selective, fully human antiprogrammed death-ligand 1 monoclonal antibody. Moreover, a pathologic analysis of the resected piece revealed the absence of residual viable tumor cells.
Conclusion

this case suggests that patients with locally advanced LCNEC may benefit from neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy, it is worthy for further study.
A semi coupled shallow water model for vertical velocity distribution in an open channel with submerged flexible vegetation
Authors: Baruah Anupal , Sarma Arup Kumar , Hinge Gilbert
Published: May 2021

Flow-vegetation interactions modify the instream roughness and flow characteristics in the river and estuaries. This study proposes a new quasi three-dimensional hydrodynamic framework to compute the vertical velocity profile in an open channel having submerged flexible vegetation. A modified form of two-dimensional depth-averaged shallow water equations coupled with vegetal drag forces is derived and applied in the simulation. The explicit second-order accurate TVD McCormack predictor-corrector finite difference method with operator splitting technique is used to solve the governing equations in MATLAB. The TVD approach is robust and gives accurate results free from numerical oscillations. The bending profile of the flexible stems under various flow events is calculated from the cantilever beam theory. The vertical velocity profile in the vegetation layer and the free water layer is estimated from Reynold's stress equation and Shannon's entropy theory. The present model is used to replicate some popular experimental test cases. Results indicate a conservative and robust model performance under different flow conditions and patch density. Quantitative analysis of the predicted results is carried out using two statistical indices and found satisfactory.
Air Quality Forecasting with Hybrid LSTM and Extended Stationary Wavelet Transform
Authors: Zeng Yongkang , Ma Xiang , Jin Ning , Zhou Xiaokang , Yan Ke
Published: May 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology-enhanced air quality forecasting is one of the most promising directions in the field of smart environment development. Despite recent advances in this area, two difficulties remain unsolved. First, multiple factors influence forecasting results, such as weather conditions, fuel usage and traffic conditions. These factors are usually unavailable in air quality sensor data. Second, traditional predicting models typically use the most recent training data, which neglects the historical data. In this study, we propose a hybrid deep learning model that embraces the merits of the stationary wavelet transform (SWT) and the nested long short term memory networks (NLSTM) to improve the prediction quality in the problem of hour-ahead air quality forecasting. The proposed method decomposes the original PM2.5 data into several more stationary sub-signals with different resolutions using an extended SWT algorithm. A framework that leverages several NLSTM recurrent neural networks is constructed to output forecasting results for different sub-signals, respectively. The final forecasting result is obtained by combining all sub-signal forecasting results using the inverse wavelet transform. Experiments on real-world data show that, accuracy-wise, our proposed method outperforms most of the existing prediction models in the literature. And the resulting forecasting curves of the proposed method are much closer to the real values without any lags, comparing with existing prediction models.
Mechanism of magnesium transport in spinel chalcogenides
Authors: Sotoudeh Mohsen , Dillenz Manuel , Groß Axel
Published: May 2021

In the area of sustainable energy storage, batteries based on multivalent ions such as magnesium have been attracting considerable attention due to their potential for high energy densities. Furthermore, they are typically also more abundant than, e.g., lithium. However, as a challenge their low ion mobility in electrode materials remains. This study addresses the ionic conductivity in spinel host materials which represent a promising class of cathode and solid-electrolyte materials in Mg-ion batteries. Based on periodic density functional theory calculations, we identify the critical parameters which determine the mobility and insertion of ions. We will in particular highlight the critical role that trigonal distortions of the spinel structure play for the ion mobility. In detail, we will show that it is the competition between coordination and bond length that governs the Mg site preference in ternary spinel compounds upon trigonal distortions. This can only be understood by also taking covalent interactions into account. Furthermore, our calculations suggest that anionic redox plays a much more important role in sulfide and selenide spinels than in oxide spinels. Based on our theoretical study, we rationalize the impact of the metal distribution in the host material and the ion concentration on the diffusion process. Furthermore, cathode-related challenges for practical devices will be addressed. Our findings shed light on the fundamentional mechanisms underlying ionic conductivity in solid hosts and thus may contribute to improve ion transport in battery electrodes.
Ecosystem Health of the Beiyun River Basin (Beijing, China) as Evaluated by the Analytic Hierarchy Process Method
Authors: Yuan Qianhui , Wu Huihui , Zhao Yunqiang , Zhang Yuhang , Yao Ruihua , Zhao Yue , Yang Wenjie
Published: May 2021

Ecosystem services provided by river ecosystems rely on healthy ecosystem structure and ecological processes. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban is a typical water-deficient area. As an important part of the urban-rural integration construction, evaluating the health status of the Beiyun River Basin and discovering the weak links in the water environment is the basis for improving the health of the basin. In this study, Analytic Hierarchy Process was used to establish an evaluation index system for the Beiyun River Basin from 5 aspects including water quality, biology, habitat, hydrology, and social functions, and to assign weights to the index layer. The evaluation results showed that the health evaluation results of the Beiyun River Basin in 2019 are “sub-healthy”, and the overall health status is gradually worsening from northwest to southeast. In the middle reaches of the region, the evaluation result is "healthy", followed by the upstream, and the downstream is the worst. The results showed that areas with less human interference are in better health. The factors that affect the overall health evaluation status in the basin are the level of nutrition, biodiversity, and vegetation coverage. For the comprehensive management of the Beiyun River, the improvement of water quality and habitat ecological restoration is the key to the health of the upstream ecosystem health status. The improvement of the health status of the downstream should focus on equal emphasis on water quality and quantity, restoration of biodiversity, and improvement of the quality of the riparian ecological environment.
Assessing the Nexus Between Stock Market Performance and Covid-19: Evidence from Global Perspective
Authors: Latif Yousaf , Shunqi Ge , Bashir Shahid , Iqbal wasim , Ali Salman , Ramzan Muhammad
Published: May 2021

This study described an empirical link between COVID-19 fear and stock market volatility. Studying COVID-19 fear with stock market volatility is crucial for planning adequate portfolio diversification in international financial markets. The study used AR (1) – GARCH (1,1) to measure stock market volatility associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 fear is the ultimate cause driving public attention and is a stock market volatility. The results demonstrate that stock market performance and GDP growth decreased significantly through average increases during the pandemic. Further, a 1% increase in COVID-19 cases the stock return and GDP decrease with a 0.8%, 0.56%, respectively. However, GDP growth demonstrated a slight movement with stock exchange. Moreover, public attention to the attitude of buying or selling was highly dependent on the COVID-19 pandemic reported cases index, death index, and global fear index. Consequently, investment in the gold market, rather than in the stock market, is recommended. The study also suggests policy implications for key stakeholders.
Endoscopic Two-Port Technique for Orbital Tumors, A Combined Transnasal and Sublabial Approach: A Retrospective Case Study
Authors: Matousek Petr , Masárová Michaela , Lubojacký Jakub , Kopecký Adam , Němčanský Jan , Misiorzová Eva , Krejčí Tomáš , Kominek Pavel , Lipina Radim
Published: May 2021

Background: We investigated the indications for a combined endoscopic transnasal and sublabial transantral approach for the surgical treatment of orbital lesions. Methods: This case study enrolled 10 patients scheduled for endoscopic transnasal surgery for treating orbital lesions from 2009 to 2020. When the tumor was localized to the medial part of the orbit, patients underwent endoscopy with a transnasal mononostril approach. Alternatively, when the tumor was localized to the mediocaudal part of the orbit, and when instrument maneuverability was limited, the transnasal approach was combined with a sublabial transantral approach. This two-port surgery approach was preferred over a trans-septal approach (binostril approach), because the two-port approach could expand the operating field in the medial part of the orbit. Here, we evaluated the indications, complications, and advantages of monoportal and combined two-portal approaches. Results: Among the 10 patients enrolled, 8 (80.0%) underwent surgery with the transnasal mononostril approach, and 2 (20.0%) underwent surgery with the combined transnasal mononostril and sublabial transantral approach. In the two latter cases, visualization of the operation field was excellent, and there was adequate room for manipulating instruments. No dysesthesia in the region of infraorbital nerve was observed postoperatively.Conclusion: The combination mononostril-transantral approach provided the space necessary to maneuver instruments and to visualize the surgical field in treating mediocaudal orbital lesions. This two-portal approach enabled extensive resections of intraconal lesions; thus, it could be considered a suitable alternative to the binostril approach.
Effects of Linear and Non-periodized Combined Training on Health-related Quality of Life of Adults With Obesity: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Tozetto Willen Remon , Leonel Larissa dos Santos , Turnes Tiago , Duca Giovani Firpo Del
Published: May 2021

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is impaired by obesity and can be improved by combined training, even the effects of training periodization on HRQoL are not clear. The study aimed to compare combined training with the non-periodized and the linear periodization on HRQoL of obese adults. Methods: This is a blinded, controlled clinical trial involving adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), randomized into control (CG), non-periodized (NG) and linear periodization (PG) group. Three times a week for 16 weeks, NG and PG performed combined training for 60 minutes. The NG performed aerobic exercises between 50-59% of the reserve heart rate (HRres) and strength at 10-12 maximum repetitions (MR). The PG started with 40-49% of HRres and 12-14 MRs and progressively increased the intensity (50-59% and 10-12 MRs; 60-69% and 8-10 MRs) with total volume equalized with NG. HRQoL was investigated through the SF-36 questionnaire, according to its components and domains. In statistics, Generalized Estimation Equations and mean differences (∆) were used. Results: Of the 69 participants (23 in each group), 36 completed the intervention (CG=13, NG=9 and PG=14). A significant difference was observed in time of physical function, with superiority in training groups (CG:∆=1.2 vs NG and PG, respectively: ∆=10.0). The mental component and mental health domain showed a significant difference for NG (∆=30.2 and ∆=23.1, respectively). Conclusion: The combined training was able to bring benefits to the physical functioning of adults with obesity and, specifically, the non-periodized training improved mental health indicators effectively.Clinical Trial Registry: RBR-3c7rt3 Date of Registration: 07/02/2018
IL-6 Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Rat Tendon Stem Cells through the STAT3/Wnt5a Signalling Pathway
Authors: Liu Xiangzhou , Jin Ying , Liu Xiuqi , Peng Jiachen
Published: May 2021

Background: Tendinopathy is currently the common clinical condition related to sports injury. The main pathological change in tendinopathy is ectopic ossification in tendon tissue, but the mechanisms have remained elusive. Studies have found that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a major inflammatory mediator in chronic tendinopathy, and osteogenic differentiation of tendon stem cells (TSCs) is believed to be closely related to ectopic ossification of tendons. Methods: Rat tendon-derived stem cell (rTDSC) culture model, Lentivirus transfection, Alkaline phosphatase staining, Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed in this study.Results: We showed that after IL-6 induction, the mRNA expression of Runx2, Alpl, Dlx5, and Wnt5a and the protein expression of phosphorylated STAT3, Runx2, and Wnt5a were increased in rTDSCs. Wnt5a shRNA and cDNA induced silencing and overexpression of Wnt5a inhibited and promoted osteogenic differentiation of rTDSCs, respectively. The addition of a STAT3 inhibitor inhibited osteogenic differentiation and Wnt5a mRNA and protein expression in rTDSCs, and this inhibition was reversed by cDNA induced Wnt5a overexpression. Conclusion: We concluded that IL-6 promotes osteogenic differentiation of rTDSCs through the STAT3/Wnt5a signalling pathway.
Thinking Outside the Field: Two Cases of RT+ICI Synergy in Melanoma
Authors: Davidson Tara , Zhang Henan , Dong Haidong , Grams Michael P. , Park Sean S. , Yan Yiyi
Published: May 2021

While combination radiotherapy (RT) and immunotherapy is not novel there is still much to learn about this approach. Some initial pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests triple therapy with RT and dual immune checkpoint blockade (anti-CTLA-4 + anti-PD-1/PD-L1) is a complimentary technique. We present two cases using the same novel regime of combination RT plus nivolumab and ipilimumab to treat metastatic melanoma. In both cases the burden of disease was significant within a lower extremity. Additionally, in both cases using this treatment plan, we were able establish sustained local disease control with additional systemic benefit which allowed both patients to avoid significant debility from surgical amputation. Given the response and safety we observed, this technique could be used as a potentially safe approach for future patients who are not eligible for traditional RT palliation or clinical trials.
NAP1L1 Interacts with Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor to Recruit C-Jun Inducing Breast Cancer Growth
Authors: Liu Shu , Zhang Yewei , Cui Shien , Li Bo , Chen Qian , Yao Guangyu , GONG BIN
Published: May 2021

Background：Breast cancer is the top cancer in women in the world. However, its pathogenesis is still to be determined. The role and molecular mechanism of NAP1L1 in breast cancer have not been reported. Elucidation of molecular mechanism might provide a novel therapeutic target for glioma treatment.Methods：A bioinformatics analysis was conducted to determine the differential expression of NAP1L1 in breast cancer and find the potential biomarker that interacts with NAP1L1 and HDGF. The expression of NAP1L1 in tissues was detected by using immunohistochemistry. Breast cancer cells were transfected with the corresponding lentiviral particles and siRNA. Then, MTT, Edu, plate clone formation, and subcutaneous tumorigenesis in nude mice were used to detect the cell proliferation in breast cancer. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay and confocal microscopy were performed to explore the detailed molecular mechanism of NAP1L1 in breast cancer.Results：In this study, Nucleosome Assembly Protein 1 Like 1 (NAP1L1) protein was upregulated based on the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) database. Consistent with the prediction, immunohistochemistry staining showed that NAP1L1 protein expression was significantly increased in breast cancer tissues. Its elevated expression was an unfavorable factor for breast cancer clinical progression and poor prognosis. Stably or transiently knocking down NAP1L1 reduced the cell growth in vivo and in vitro via repressing the cell cycle signal in breast cancer. Furthermore, the molecular basis of NAP1L1-induced cell cycle signal was further studied. NAP1L1 interacted with the hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), an oncogenic factor for tumors, and the latter subsequently recruited the key oncogenic transcription factor c-Jun, which finally induced the expression of cell cycle promoter CCND1 and thus the cell growth of breast cancer. Conclusions：Our data demonstrated that NAP1L1 functions as a potential oncogene via interacting with HDGF to recruit c-Jun in breast cancer.
Tight–Binding Analysis of Electronic Structure of Germanene Sheet and Nanoribbons Including Stone-Wales Defect
Authors: Rahmani Komeil , Mohammadi Saeed
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we investigate the electronic characteristics of germanene using the tight binding approximation. Germanene as the germanium-based analogue of graphene has attracted much research interest in recent years. Our analysis is focused on the pristine sheet of germanene as well as defective monolayer. The Stone-Wales defect, which is one of the most common topological defects in such structures, is considered in this work. Not only the infinite sheet of germanene but also the germanene nanoribbons in different orientations are analyzed. The obtained results show that applying the Stone–Wales defect into the germanene monolayer changes the energy band structure; the E-k curves around the Dirac point are no longer linear, a band gap is opened, and the Fermi velocity is reduced to half of that of defect-free germanene. In the case of nanoribbon structures, the armchair germanene nanoribbons with nanoribbon widths of 3p and 3p+1 reveal the semiconductor behaviour. However, armchair germanene nanoribbon with width of 3p+2 is semi-metal. After applying the Stone–Wales defect, the band gap of armchair germanene nanoribbons with widths of 3p and 3p+1 is reduced and it is increased for the width of 3p+2. Furthermore, there is no band gap in the energy band structure of zigzag germanene nanoribbon and the metallic behaviour is obvious.
How Do Energy Demand and Socioeconomic Factors Drive Localities Towards Deforestation and Carbon Emissions in Pakistan?
Authors: Tufail Muhammad , Alvi Shahzad , Khayam Umer , Ahmed Ather Maqsood
Published: May 2021

Pakistan, the 6th most populous country in the world is also classified as the 7th most-affected by climate change. To blame is the ever-rising population growth, leading to higher energy demand that is dragging the rural communities towards forest resource depletion in order to meet household energy needs. It is impacting an already limited 4% of the country’s forest reserves and excessive carbon emissions. This research has analyzed deforestation rate, biomass and carbon losses, and CO2 emissions in the Malakand Division, Pakistan. The data sources and models used were Landsat (8), GIS, and Remote Sensing, coupled with self-administered 521 household questionnaires deployed in 23 villages in the proximity of forest land. The results confirmed deforestation at the rate of 0.74%yr-1, corresponding to the total emission of 1352055.64 MgCO2eqyr-1 over a period of 17 years (2000-17). The risk of losing forest resources stands at 8141 species yr-1. The drivers behind deforestation found were fuelwood collection up-to 8501720 kg to meet the energy needs of households and commercial activities. The reasons behind this exhaustive deforestation and carbon emissions as per the household survey were abridged formal sector, low off-farm wages, and non-availability of credits to shift to other sources of income which has also affected the affordability of the social services. The study calls for the provision of alternative livelihood opportunities and effective forest management on the REDD+ mechanism to protect forest resources and address global warming.
Functional Architecture of Executive Control and Associated Event-Related Potentials
Authors: Sajad Amirsaman , Errington Steven , Schall Jeffrey
Published: May 2021

Medial frontal cortex enables executive control by monitoring relevant information and using it to adapt behavior. In macaques performing a saccade countermanding (stop-signal) task, we recorded EEG over and neural spiking across all layers of the supplementary eye field (SEF). We report the laminar organization of concurrently activated neurons monitoring the conflict between incompatible responses and the timing of events serving goal maintenance and executive control. We also show their relation to coincident event-related potentials (ERP). Neurons signaling response conflict were largely broad-spiking found across all layers. Neurons signaling the interval until specific task events were largely broad-spiking neurons concentrated in L3 and L5. Neurons predicting the duration of control and sustaining the task goal until the release of operant control were a mix of narrow- and broad-spiking neurons confined to L2/3. We complement these results with the first report of a monkey homologue of the N2/P3 ERP complex associated with response inhibition. N2 polarization varied with error likelihood and P3 polarization varied with the duration of expected control. The amplitude of the N2 and P3 were predicted by the spike rate of different classes of neurons located in L2/3 but not L5/6. These findings reveal important, new features of the cortical microcircuitry supporting executive control and producing associated ERP.
Alteration of Gene Expression in Reactive Astrocytes Induced by Aβ1-42 Using Low Dose of Methamphetamine
Authors: Soltanian Bita , shasaltaneh marzieh dehghan , Riazi Gholam Hossein , Masoudian Nahid
Published: May 2021

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered as a degenerative brain disorder. Since functional loss of astrocytes is associated with AD, therefore, we investigated the effects of low dose of methamphetamine (METH) on primary fetal human astrocytes under a stress paradigm as a possible model for AD. Methods and Results: Our assessed groups include Aβ (Group 1), METH (Group 2), Ab + METH (METH after adding Aβ for 24 h: Treated group; Group 3), METH + Ab (Aβ after adding METH for 24 h: Prevention group; Group 4), and control group. The gene expression of Bax, Bcl-X, PKCα, GSK3β, and Cdk5 was evaluated. Phosphorylated tau, p-GSK3β, GSK3β, and GSK3α proteins were assessed by western blotting. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were checked by flow cytometry and Hoechst staining. The expression of GSK3β, Cdk5, and PKCα genes decreased in the prevention group, while GSK3β and Cdk5 were amplified in the treatment group. The level of GSK3α and GSK3β proteins in the treatment group increased, while it decreased in the prevention group. A decrease occurred in the percentage of necrosis and early apoptosis in the treatment and prevention groups. The results of cell cycle indicated that G1 increased, while G2 decreased in the prevention group. Conclusions: The pure form of METH can prevent from activating GSK-3β and CDK-5, as well as enhanced activity of PKCa to inhibit phosphorylated tau protein. Therefore a low dose of METH may have a protective effect or reducing role in the pathway of tau production in reactive astrocytes.
Physiological, Photochemical and Antioxidant Responses of Wild and Cultivated Carthamus Species Exposed to Nickel Toxicity and Evaluation of Their Usage Potential in Phytoremediation
Authors: Baran Uğurcan , Ekmekci Yasemin
Published: May 2021

The responses of growth, photochemical and antioxidant defence of safflower species (Carthamus oxyacantha M. Bieb. and Carthamus tinctorius L. exposed to nickel (Ni) toxicity were investigated in the study. Fourteen-day-old seedlings were treated with excessive Ni levels [control, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 mM] for 7 days. The results of chlorophyll a fluorescence indicated that toxic nickel exposure led to changes in specific, phenomenological energy fluxes and quantum yields in thylakoid membranes, and activities of donor and acceptor sides of photosystems. These changes resulted in a significant decrease in the photosynthetic performance of the species, but these negative effects of Ni were not in a level to destroy the functionality of the photosystems. At the same time, toxic Ni affected membrane integrity and the amount of photosynthetic pigments in the antenna and active reaction centers. Additionally, the accumulation of Ni was higher in roots than in stem and leaves for both species. Depending on Ni accumulation, a significant reduction in dry biomass of root and shoot was observed in both species. Two species could probably withstand deleterious Ni toxicity with better upregulating own protective defence systems such as antioxidant enzymes. Among of them, SOD and POD activities were increased with increasing Ni concentrations. The POD activities of both species were most prominent and consistently increased in toxic Ni levels and may be protected them from damaging effect of H2O2. When all results are evaluated as a whole, Carthamus species produced similar responses to toxicity and also both species have Bioconcentration (BCF) and Bioaccumulation factors (BF) > 1 and Translocation factor (TF) < 1 under Ni toxicity may be regarded a good indication of Ni tolerance. Consequently, it is possible to use the Carthamus species in the remediation (phytostabilization) of soils contaminated with nickel, because of their roots accumulating more nickel.
Deep Learning Implementation of Autonomous Driving using Ensemble-M in Simulated Environment
Authors: Gupta Meenu , Upadhyay Vikalp , Kumar Prince , Al-Turjman Fadi
Published: May 2021

Making Autonomous Driving a safe, feasible and better alternative is one the core problems the world is facing today. The horizon of the applications of AI and Deep Learning has changed the perspective of the human mind. Initially, what used to be thought as subtle impossible task is applicable today and that too in the feasibly efficient way. Computer vision tasks powered with highly tuned CNNs are outperforming humans in many fields. Introductory implementations of autonomous vehicle were merely achieved using raw image processing and hard programmed rule-based logic systems along with machine/deep Learning used as secondary objective handlers. With the autonomous driving method proposed by NVIDIA, the usability of CNNs is more adequate, adaptable and applicable. In this paper, we propose, the ensemble implementation of CNN based regression models for autonomous-driving. We have taken simulator generated driving view image dataset along with mapped file of steering angle in radians. After applying image pre-processing and augmentation, we have used two CNN models along with their ensemble and compared their performance as to minimize the risks of unsafe driving. We have compared Nvidia proposed CNN, MobileNet-V2 as regression model and Ensemble-M results for comparison their respective performance, MSE scores and compute time to process. In result analysis, the MobileNet-V2 model performs better in densely-featured roads and Nvidia model performs better in sparsely-featured roads whereas Ensemble-M normalizes the performance of both models and efficiently result in the least MSE score (0.0201) with highest computation time utilization.
Phenylalanine Impairs Insulin Signaling and Inhibits Glucose Uptake by Modifying IRβ
Authors: Zhou Qian , Sun Wan-Wan , Chen Jia-Cong , Zhang Huilu , Liu Jie , Lin Yan , Lin Peng-Cheng , Wu Bai-Xing , An Yan-Peng , Huang Lin , Sun Wen-Xing , Zhou Xin-Wen , Li Yi-Ming , Yuan Yiyuan , Zhao Jian-Yuan , Xu Wei , Zhao Shi-Min
Published: May 2021

Although elevated circulating amino acids are associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D), how amino acids act on cell insulin signaling and glucose uptake remains unclear. Herein, we report that phenylalanine modifies insulin receptor beta (IRβ) and inactivates insulin signaling and glucose uptake. Mice fed phenylalanine-rich chow or overexpressing human phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (hFARS) developed insulin resistance and symptoms of T2D. Mechanistically, FARS phenylalanylated lysine 1057/1079 of IRβ (F-K1057/1079) inactivated IRβ and prevented insulin from generating insulin signaling to promote glucose uptake by cells. SIRT1 reversed F-K1057/1079 and counteracted the insulin-inactivating effects of hFARS and phenylalanine. F-K1057/1079 and SIRT1 levels of white cells of T2D patients’ blood samples were positively and negatively correlated with T2D onset, respectively. Blocking F-K1057/1079 with phenylalaninol sensitized insulin signaling and relieved T2D symptoms in hFARS-transgenic and db/db mice. We revealed mechanisms of how phenylalanylation inactivates insulin signaling that may be employed to control T2D.
Ecological Efficiency of Hog Scale Production under Environmental Regulation in China: Based on an Optimal Super Efficiency SBM-Malmquist–Tobit Model
Authors: Wu Qianrong , Xu Lanzhuang , Geng Xianhui
Published: May 2021

China’s hog production is facing the dual pressures of the market and environment. A systematic analysis on the ecological efficiency (eco-efficiency) of hog cultivation is of great significance for the development of sustainability and distribution optimization in the industry. This paper investigates the eco-efficiency of hog production and the determinants of eco-efficiency in China using a panel data (2004–2018). An optimal Super Efficiency SBM-Malmquist–Tobit model is adopted for hog production analysis, and the empirical results show a great variation in eco-efficiency across provinces, ranging from 0.557 to 1.19 with a mean value of 0.937 in 2018. The predominant production area of hogs is found being transferred from north to south, with small- and medium-scale predominant production areas shifted from east China to southwest China, and large-scale predominant production areas shifted from north China to south-central China. Another finding is that eco-efficiency increased by the improvement of technical efficiency. In addition, the Tobit regression results show that, rural economic development, the government’s investment in environmental control, the market advantage index, and transportation conditions had positive effects on the eco-efficiency; meanwhile, the forbidden policy for livestock cultivation in certain areas, the structure of the hog-breeding industry, the density of slaughtered fattened hogs, and the prices of hogs had negative effects on the eco-efficiency.
Biological knowledge-slanted random forest approach for the classification of calcified aortic valve stenosis
Authors: Cantor Erika , Salas Rodrigo , Rosas Harvey , Guauque-Olarte Sandra
Published: May 2021

Background: Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a fatal disease and there is no pharmacological treatment to prevent the progression of CAVS. This study aims to identify genes potentially implicated with CAVS in patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) in comparison with normal valves, using a knowledge-slanted random forest (RF). Results: This study implemented a knowledge-slanted random forest (RF) using information extracted from a protein-protein interactions network to rank genes in order to modify the selection probability of them to draw the candidate split-variables. A total of 1591 genes were assessed in 19 valves with CAVS (BAV, n=10; TAV, n=9) and 8 normal valves. The performance of the model was evaluated using accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity to discriminate cases with CAVS. A comparison with conventional RF was also performed. The performance of this proposed approach reported better accuracy in comparison with conventional RF to classify cases separately with BAV and TAV (Slanted RF: 59.3% versus 40.7%). When patients with BAV and TAV were grouped against patients with normal valves, the addition of prior biological information was not relevant with an accuracy of 92.6%.Conclusion: The knowledge-slanted RF approach reflected prior biological knowledge, leading to better precision in distinguishing between cases with BAV, TAV, and normal valves. The results of this study suggest that the integration of biological knowledge can be useful during difficult classification tasks.
A Novel Patient-Specific Model for Predicting Postoperative SIRS in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Chen Chaojin , Luo Tongsen , Li Xiaoyue , Lu Yaxin , Chen Jingjing , Zhang Qi , Liu Zifeng , Zhou Shaoli , Hei Ziqing
Published: May 2021

Background

Postoperative systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is common in surgical ICU patients especially in elderly patients, and the geriatric population with SIRS is more susceptible to sepsis, MODS, and death. There have been no reliable and accurate methods to predict SIRS in the elderly. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a novel effective model for predicting postoperative SIRS in elderly patients.
Methods

Data of 16141 patients aged ≥ 65 years who underwent surgery in two centers of Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to September 2020 were retrieved and analyzed. We developed a predictive model for postoperative SIRS based on a retrospectively cohort study of 5904 patients spanning from January 2015 to December 2019. The discriminative performance of this model was determined by area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). We also used the model to validate outcomes in 1105 patients who underwent surgery at the same institutions from January 2020 to September 2020, and to perform a stratified analysis.
Results

A total of 5904 patients were enrolled in the training cohort and 1105 patients comprised the validation cohort, in which incidence rates of postoperative SIRS were 24.6% and 20.2%, respectively. Patients with SIRS had more postoperative complications and a worse in-hospital survival rate than patients without SIRS. Six feature variables including preoperative fever, preoperative serum albumin level, ASA classification, total intraoperative infusion volume, surgical duration, and postoperative intensive care unit admission were identified as valuable predictors to construct the nomogram, with high AUCs in both the training and validation cohorts (0.800 [0.787, 0.813] and 0.823 [0.791, 0.855], respectively).
Conclusions

We constructed an effective nomogram using 6 routinely obtained variables to assist clinicians to predict postoperative SIRS in elderly patients.
H∞-dCNN: Enhancing the SNR using Deep Learning Algorithm in Wireless Communication System
Authors: Priya C. , Kumutha D. , Shilpa M. , Jayanthi K. , Baskaran S.
Published: May 2021

In Wireless communication systems, the deep learning-based Convolution Neural Networks (dCNN) is performed to gain a better improvement of Quality of Services(QoS) with higher Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) systems are presented for real-time evaluation from various technologies, which has served the purpose of services in improving the communication performance of the physical layer of the wireless network. By increasing the communication throughput by focusing on resource allocation, the overall efficiency was not up to the market due to the network’s dynamic behavior. This article proposes the system in two different stages to express the analytical solution for decreasing the Bit Error Rate(BER). The first is to employ the Hybrid Infinity (H∞) through the channel for better robustness in wireless network computing. Next is to optimize Bit Error Rate (BER) with carrier detection as well as other criteria for improving service quality by analyzing the network behavior using Deep Learning Algorithm. The deep Convolution Neural Network with Hybrid Infinity (H∞ - dCNN) is implemented and evaluates the low BER values with high SNR for the performance of QoS. Thus, H∞ - dCNN is proved and outperform the simulated results with better characteristics by using the Matlab software. Hence, the mathematical expression for the proposed system is noticed that a significant improvement is obtained in terms of BER lesser than 0.6 e-4. It is observed the SNR lesser than 18dB, which is comparatively best than the baseline method.