bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitatively determine the dominant driving factors of the spatial-temporal changes of vegetation-impacts of global change and human activity
Authors: wang shijun , chang ping , wang ning , wen jin , zhang ke , yuan kun , yang jun
Published: February 2022

The differences of spatial-temporal distribution patterns and dominant driving factors of vegetation evolution in different regions and different historical periods were not clearly. Therefore, this study introduced the gravity center model and geodetector to analyze the spatial-temporal change characteristics and dominant driving factors of vegetation NDVI in China during 1981-2019 from the perspective of geographic divisions. Results showed that: (1) During 1981-2019, the average vegetation coverage in China, as a whole, showed an increasing trend and zones with obviously increasing vegetation NDVI were mainly distributed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River basin and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. (2) During 1981-2019, the gravity centers of vegetation NDVI, nationally, were mainly concentrated in Yan'an City and Tongchuan City, showing a southward migration trend as a whole, which indicates that the increment and growth rates of the southern were greater than those of the northern part. (3) The growth of vegetation in southern China was primarily affected by temperature, while that of northern China was largely influenced by precipitation. (4) Specific factors, including land use, precipitation and soil types exerted significant influences on the vegetation NDVI, and their interaction could enhance the influence of single factor.
Rapidly Identifying New Coronavirus Mutations of Potential Concern in the Omicron Variant Using an Unsupervised Learning Strategy
Authors: Zhao Lue Ping , Lybrand Terry , Gilbert Peter , Payne Thomas H. , Pyo Chul-Woo , Geraghty Daniel , Jerome Keith
Published: February 2022

Extensive mutations in the Omicron spike protein appear to accelerate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and rapid infections increase the odds that additional mutants will emerge. To build an investigative framework, we have applied an unsupervised machine learning approach to 4296 Omicron viral genomes collected and deposited to GISAID as of December 14, 2021, and have identified a core haplotype of 28 polymutants (A67V, T95I, G339D, R346K, S371L, S373P, S375F, K417N, N440K, G446S, S477N, T478K, E484A, Q493R, G496S, Q498R, N501Y, Y505H, T547K, D614G, H655Y, N679K, P681H, N764K, K796Y, N856K, Q954H, N69K, L981F) in the spike protein and a separate core haplotype of 17 polymutants in non-spike genes: (K38, A1892) in nsp3, T492 in nsp4, (P132, V247, T280, S284) in 3C-like proteinase, I189 in nsp6, P323 in RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, I42 in Exonuclease, T9 in envelope protein, (D3, Q19, A63) in membrane glycoprotein, and (P13, R203, G204) in nucleocapsid phosphoprotein. Using these core haplotypes as reference, we have identified four newly emerging polymutants (R346, A701, I1081, N1192) in the spike protein (p-value=9.37*10-4, 1.0*10-15, 4.76*10-7 and 1.56*10-4, respectively), and five additional polymutants in non-spike genes (D343G in nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, V1069I in nsp3, V94A in nsp4, F694Y in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and L106L/F of ORF3a) that exhibit significant increasing trajectories (all p-values < 1.0*10-15). In the absence of relevant clinical data for these newly emerging mutations, it is important to monitor them closely. Two emerging mutations may be of particular concern: the N1192S mutation in spike protein locates in an extremely highly conserved region of all human coronaviruses that is integral to the viral fusion process, and the F694Y mutation in the RNA polymerase may induce conformational changes that could impact Remdesivir binding.
A Meta-Analysis of Accuracy and Sensitivity of CRISPR and Chest CT in COVID‑19 Diagnosis
Authors: gao chun , Jiang Jing-Jing , Feng Fu-Juan , Wang Cai-Hong , Wang Rong , Yao Xiao-Wen , Zhou Yu-Xia , Shao Hui-Juan , Ma Xue-Feng , Huang Jun , Zhang Jiu-Cong , Yu Xiao-Hui
Published: February 2022

Objective To clarify the accuracy of clusters of regularly spaced short palindrome repeats (CRISPR) technology and chest CT in the diagnosis of Corona Virus Disease2019(COVID-19). Methods The term "Corona Virus Disease " "clustered regularly spaced short palindromic repeats" "CRISPR", "chest CT", "sensitivity and specificity" as the subject words or keywords were searched in databases such as Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wiley and Scopus and Chinese academic databases (such as CNKI, Wanfang and Chongqing VIP data) for relevant literature on the use of CRISPR technology and chest CT for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Meta-analysis was performed after literature screening, quality assessment and data extraction .Results A total of 418 articles were retrieved, and 17 articles were finally included. The results showed that the combined sensitivity of CRISPR technology for diagnosing new coronary pneumonia infection was 0.96 [95% CI (0.93, 0.98)], and the combined specificity was 1.00 [95% CI (0.92, 1.00)], the combined positive likelihood ratio is 458.69 [95%CI (11.51, 18280.8)], the combined negative likelihood ratio is 0.04 [95% CI (0.02, 0.07)], the area under the SROC curve is 0.99 [95%CI(0.97,0.99)]. The combined sensitivity of chest CT in diagnosing new coronary pneumonia infection was 0.94 [95%CI (0.83, 0.98)], combined specificity was 0.55 [95% CI (0.22, 0.83)], combined diagnostic odds ratio was 19.90 [95% CI (7.88, 50.25)], the combined positive likelihood ratio is 2.08 [95%CI (1.00, 4.32)], the combined negative likelihood ratio is 0.10 [95% CI (0.05, 0.23)], the area under the SROC curve is 0.91 [95% CI (0.88, 0.93)]. The Deek funnel chart indicates that there is no potential publication bias among the included studies (PCRISPR = 0.03, P chest CT = 0.55). Conclusion CRISPR technology has a better ability to detect infections in patients with COVID-19, and is better than chest CT in disease diagnosis. CRISPR technology, especially non-SHERLOCK type and multi-target gene detection, can be used to diagnose COVID-19 with higher accuracy ,and can be used for large-scale population screening.
Topical Antibiotics Reduce CD11c+ Cell Numbers in the Healthy Murine Cornea and Modulate their Response to Contact Lens Wear
Authors: Datta Ananya , Lee Justin , Truong Tiffany , Evans David J. , Fleiszig Suzanne M. J.
Published: February 2022

Previously we reported contact lens-induced CD11c + cell responses in healthy mouse corneas, a phenomenon that also occurs in humans. To test involvement of ocular-associated bacteria, we examined the impact of topical antibiotics on corneal CD11c + cell populations during 24 h of lens wear. Corneas were treated with gentamicin and ofloxacin (0.3%) or gentamicin alone, some also treated prior to lens wear (24 h). Contralateral PBS-treated eyes served as controls. CD11c-YFP mice allowed CD11c + cell visualization. Viable ocular- or lens-associated bacteria were labeled using FISH (16S rRNA-targeted probe) or click-chemistry (alkDala). Antibiotic treatment reduced baseline CD11c + cell numbers without lens wear and suppressed CD11c + cell responses to lens wear if corneas were both pretreated and treated during wear. Few bacteria colonized corneas or lenses under any circumstances. Conjunctival commensals were significantly reduced by antibiotics with or without lens wear, but minimally impacted by lens wear alone. Deliberate inoculation with conjunctival commensals triggered CD11c + cell responses irrespective of antibiotic pretreatment. These results suggest that while lens wear does not necessarily increase quantifiable numbers of conjunctival commensals, those neutralized by antibiotics play a role in lens-associated CD11c + cell responses and maintaining baseline CD11c + cell populations.
Optimization of preparation conditions of a novel low-cost natural bio-sorbent from olive pomace and column adsorption processes on the removal of phenolic compounds from olive oil mill wastewater
Authors: HAYDARI Imane , LISSANEDDINE Amina , AZIZ Khalid , Ouazzani Naaila , MANDI Laila , GHADRAOUI Ayoub El , Aziz Faissal
Published: February 2022

Olive oil mill wastewater (OMWW) poses an undeniable environmental problem due to its high organic loads and phenolic compounds (PCs) content. This study determined the optimal conditions for preparing a new bio-sorbent from olive pomace (OP) and the adsorptive treatment of OMWW by this bio-sorbent. The activation reaction was performed with hydrogen peroxide. The results of the combination effect optimization of the three preparation variables: the activation temperature (°C) X1, the activation time (min) X2 and the impregnation ratio X3, are presented by the response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at activation time 300 min, temperature 80 °C and ratio equal to 6.2:1. The bio-sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The adsorption process performance of this bio-sorbent was examined in batch and fixed-bed columns. An adsorption capacity of 446 mg g-1 has been achieved for 4000 mg L-1 concentration of PCs. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics were consistent with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models. Therefore, the Thomas model best fit the fixed bed column experimental data. The bio-sorbent gave a high desorption percentage of PCs, which was above 70% using HCl (0.1M).
Recanalization of thrombosed aneurysmal hemodialysis arterovenous fistulas using a hybrid technique based on data from a single center
Authors: Wu Yong-gui , Liu Wei , Wu Meng , Wang Xu , Huang Xiao-kang , Cai Wen-jiao , Ding Teng-yun , Duan Liang-liang , Qiao Rui
Published: February 2022

Objective: To explore the technical specifications and clinical outcomes of thrombosed aneurysmal haemodialysis arteriovenous fistula (AVF) treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty combined with minimal aneurysmotomy.Methods: This case series study included 11 patients who had thrombosed aneurysmal AVF and underwent salvage procedures over a 13-month period. All procedures were performed under duplex guidance. Minimal aneurysmotomy was performed, along with manual thrombectomy and thrombolytic agent infusion, followed by angioplasty to macerate the thrombus and sufficiently dilate potential stenoses. A successful procedure was defined as immediate restoration of flow through the AVF. Results: The 11 patients (four males and seven females) had a mean age of 49.6 years ± 11.9 years. Six patients (54.5%) had two or more aneurysms. The mean aneurysm maximal diameter was 21.5 mm (standard deviation: ± 5.0 mm), and the mean thrombus length was 12.9 cm (8–22 cm). Ten (83.3%) of the 12 procedures were technically successful. The mean duration of operation was 150.9 minutes (standard deviation: ± 34.2 minutes), and mean postoperative AVF blood flow was 728.6 ml/min (standard deviation: ± 53.7 mi/min). The resumption of hemodialysis was successful in all 11 cases, with a clinical success rate of 100%. The primary patency rates were 90.0% over a mean follow-up time of 6.3 months (3–12 months) and 75.0% at three and four months. The secondary patency rates were 90.4% at three and four months. Conclusion: A hybrid approach combining ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and minimal aneurysmotomy might be a safe and effective method for thrombosed aneurysmal AVF salvage.
Targeted Exonic Sequencing Identifies Novel Causes of Disease in a Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Cohort
Authors: Dunn Paul , Maksemous Neven , Smith Robert , Sutherland Heidi , Haupt Larisa , Griffiths Lyn
Published: February 2022

Cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVDs) are a set of conditions that affect the small blood vessels in the brain and can cause severe neurological pathologies such as stroke and vascular dementia. The most common monogenic CSVD is cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) which is caused by mutations in NOTCH3. However, only 15-20% of CADASIL cases referred for genetic testing have pathogenic mutations in NOTCH3. Investigation of other monogenic forms of CSVD caused by HTRA1, COL4A1, COL4A2, CTSA, TREX1 and GLA were rarely requested as follow-up to CADASIL diagnostic testing. We performed whole exome sequencing for 50 individuals suspected of having CADASIL, but did not exhibit a disease-causing mutation in NOTCH3, and applied targeted analysis of all monogenic forms of CSVD including NOTCH3, HTRA1, COL4A1, COL4A2, CTSA, TREX1 and GLA to look for rare, protein-altering mutations. We identified three mutations affecting the Collagen type IV genes in three individuals likely to be causative of CSVD. This suggests that screening for all monogenic forms of CSVD when one monogenic form is clinically suspected may improve diagnosis in clinically suspected monogenic CSVD. However, despite these findings, the majority of NOTCH3 negative CSVD cases did not have candidate mutations in known CSVD genes, suggesting that additional genetic factors contributing to the disease are yet to be identified.
Post-Partum Abdominal Wall Insufficiency Syndrome (PPAWIS): Lessons learned from a single surgeon’s experience based on 200 cases
Authors: Śmietański Maciej , Śmietańska Anna , Zamkowski Mateusz
Published: February 2022

BackgroundPost-partum abdominal wall insufficiency with rectus diastasis is present in over 30% of women after pregnancy. Little is known about how PPAWI affects the social, sexual life and self-esteem of patients. This study was designed to evaluate the safety of onlay mesh combined with abdominoplasty and its impact on the well-being of the patients.MethodTwo hundred patients with PPAWI underwent surgery with onlay mesh and abdominoplasty. The safety of the procedure was assessed by postoperative complications, time of hospitalization and time of drainage. Before the operation and 6 months later, a questionnaire asking about the patient’s sexual and social life and the presence of back pain was completed. The cosmetic effect was assessed separately.ResultsThe onlay procedure with abdominoplasty was found to be safe and fast. The mean operation time was 82 min, and the drainage time was 2.1 days. In this group <2% postoperative complications were noted. There were no recurrences within the 6 month. Significant improvements in social and sexual life and the level of self-esteem were noted. Back pain was relieved or minimalized in all patients. The cosmetic effect was insufficient for 2 patients (1%).Conclusion:PPAWI can be treated safely with onlay mesh and abdominoplasty. The patients’ symptoms were strongly correlated with the morphological status of the front abdominal wall and improved after the procedure. The authors are the first to propose PPAWI syndrome as a complex disorder with a disease classification, which can help patients with their choice of proper surgical intervention.
A general framework for selecting work participation outcomes in intervention studies among persons with health problems.
Authors: Ravinskaya Margarita , Verbeek Jos H. , Langendam Miranda W. , Madan Ira , Verstappen Suzanne M.M. , Hulshof Carel T.J. , Hoving Jan L. , Kunz Regina
Published: February 2022

Background: Work participation is important for health and can be considered as engagement in a major area of life which is of significance for most people, but it can also be thought of as fulfilling or discharging a role. Currently, academic research lacks a comprehensive classification of work participation outcomes. The International Classification of Functioning is the foremost model in defining work functioning and its counterpart work disability, but it does not provide a critical (core) set of outcomes. It is important to standardize the definitions and the nomenclature used in the research of work participation, so that the outcomes of studies are comparable, and practitioners and guideline developers can better decide what works best. As work participation is a broad umbrella term including outcome categories which need unambiguous differentiation, a framework needs to be developed first.Aim: To propose a framework which can be used to develop a generic core outcome set for work participation.Methods: First, we performed a systematic literature search on the concept of (work) participation, perspectives on how to measure it, and existing classifications for outcome measurements. Next, we derived criteria for the framework and proposed a framework based on the criteria. Last, we applied the framework to six case studies as a proof of concept. Results: Our literature search provided 2106 hits and we used 59 studies for full-text analysis. Based on the literature and the developed criteria we propose four overarching outcome categories: (1) initiating employment, (2) having employment, (3) increasing or maintaining productivity at work and (4) return to employment. These categories appeared feasible in our proof-of-concept assessment with six different case studies. Conclusion: We propose to use the framework for work participation outcomes to develop a core outcome set for intervention studies to improve work participation.
Gender Recognition Of Avalokitesvara In China Based On Vggnet
Authors: Huang Yongwen , Chen Dingding , Wang Haiyan , Wang Lulu
Published: February 2022

Many people are confused with Avalokitesvara’s ambiguous gender. Can we use computer vision to help us recognize it objectively and efficiently? In this paper, VGGNet is applied to propose an automatic gender recognition system. To validate the efficiency of the proposed method, abundant experiments are implemented on Buddhist images of Dazu Rock Carvings, Mogao Caves, and Yungang Grottoes. The experimental results demonstrate its efficiency. Firstly, it is effectively applied to gender recognition on both non-Buddhist and Buddhist images. Compared with five classical feature extraction methods, the VGG-based system performs not much better on non-Buddhist image recognition, but superior on Buddhist image recognition. Furthermore, the experiments are also carried out on three different training datasets, real-world facial datasets as CUHK, IMFDB and CAS-PEAL. The unsatisfactory results based on IMFDB indicate that it is not valid for Indian facial images applied as a training set in gender recognition on Buddhist image in China. With the sinicization of Buddhism, there were more Chinese rather than Indian characteristics for Buddhist image in China. The results based on CAS-PEAL are more robust than those based on CUHK, as the former is mainly composed of adult facial images, and the latter consists of student facial images. It gives the evidence that Buddha and Bodhisattva (Avalokitesvara included) were adult image in Buddhist art. The last but the most meaningful is that besides the time factor, the geographical impact should not be ignored when we talk about the gender transformation of Avalokitesvara in China. The gender of Avalokitesvara frescoes in Mogao Caves drawn in the Sui, Tang, Five, Song and Yuan dynasties were always with prominent male characteristics (tadpole-like moustache), while bodhisattvas in Yungang Grottoes engraved in the Northern Wei Dynasty were feminine even though they were made earlier than those in Mogao Caves. It is quite different from the common idea that the feminization of Avalokitesvara occurred in the early Tang Dynasties and completely feminized in the late Tang Dynasty. Both the quantitative results and image analysis indicate that it is quite a complicated issue for the feminization of Avalokitesvara in China.
Health Risks and Musculoskeletal Problems of Smartphone-game Elite eSport Players: a Cross-sectional Descriptive Study
Authors: Lam Wing-Kai , Liu Rui-Tan , Chen Bob , Huang Xin-Zhou , Yi Jie , Wong Duo Wai-Chi
Published: February 2022

Background: Smartphone eSports athletes sit in the same posture for a prolong period, contributing to significant health risks. This study investigated the health profile, fatigue, pain and complaints, and musculoskeletal problems among full-time smartphone eSports athletes.Methods: We recruited 50 participants from the ten teams of a top-tier league tournament, with each team for five players. A survey was conducted to evaluate the fatigue pattern, pain level, and complaints. Physical assessment was also conducted by physiotherapists. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the health profile (BMI, fat ratio), fatigue, number of complaints and musculoskeletal problems. The associations of career duration with BMI, fat ratio, and the total number of confirmed injuries were then performed using a Spearman’s rank correlation test. Results: About 46% and 44% of participants felt tired, while 34% and 58% experienced eyestrain frequently and occasionally. More than 30% of the participants reported headache, neck pain, trigger finger and rhinitis. Physiotherapists confirmed head-and-trunk injuries on 90% of the participants, with a quarter of them suffering at least one of these four pains. Longer career duration of eSports may be associated with a reduction in BMI (r=-0.272, p=0.056). The duration of career has no significant association with smoking habit (p=0.666), alcohol habit (p=0.655), coffee habit (p= 0.946), rounds of game that can maintain concentration (p=0.253), ease of eyestrain (p=0.569), tiredness (p=0.510), dizziness (p=0.071), and leg numbness (p=0.318).Conclusion: The findings of this study stressed the significance of eSports injuries and implicated preventive measures for both athletes and phubbers.
TBM Tunneling Problems through Subterranean Rivers: An Evaluation of Nowsud Tunnel in the Iran
Authors: Taherian Abdolreza
Published: February 2022

Fault induced subterranean rivers create a major challenge of tunnel construction. They arises serious problems such as TBM performance, structural stability of segmental rings, destruction of TBM components, large water inflow and regional drawdown. Since, the faulted cavity is one of the infrequent adverse geological conditions, not much executive experience has been provided. The TBM of Nowsud tunnel encountered the fault cavities in three places wherein groundwater inrushes from 4.0 to 0.36 m3/s and delayed for 8 months. In each cavity, the main items such as prospecting methods, water inrush and drawdown, type of TBM damages, TBM performance, managing of TBM advance in relation to water discharge, estimation of rockfall impact force and method of segments strengthening were considered. It is found that the fault cavities create in extension part of strike slip faults. In large faults, the TBM could encounter with accessory cavities which hydraulically interconnected to main cavity. Based on gained experiences, TBM excavation along with probe drillings, TSP and appraisal of water discharge, eliminates the hazard of adverse condition. The TBM submerging and damage of other equipment occurs in short term transient part of flow regime while the need to run and capacity of the pumping system are controlled by steady state part. Since, the most of active and passive forces, acting on the TBM, were absent, the re-advancement carried out by quasi-single mode. In this case, the excessive pressures cause the damage stepping of segmental rings. The rockfall impact load was calculated by analytical and numerical methods.
Work Impairment in Patients with Depression: A Descriptive Cross Section Study
Authors: Elmetwaly Miada , El-Gilany Abdel-Hady , Elwasify Mohamed , Elkalla Ibrahem
Published: February 2022

Background
Depression significantly impairs all aspects of the patient’s life. Work comes on top of the list. This greatly affects productivity nationally and internationally. This study aimed to determine work impairment among patients with depression, and its associated factors.
Methods
This is an observational descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 380 patients with depression who attended Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt. Depression diagnosis was based on structured clinical interview using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Data were collected using a questionnaire. Sociodemographic, occupational, and clinical factors were inquired about. Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale (LEAPS) was used to calculate work impairment in patients with depression.
Results
more than half of the study participants (52.4%) had moderate, severe, or very severe work impairment. Independent predictors of moderate to very severe impairment are insufficient income, morning shift work, missed 5 or more work hours during the past 2 weeks, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) of 25 or more, 2 or more depressive episodes, 5 or more depressive symptoms, and death thoughts.
Conclusions
Depression greatly impacts patients’ ability to work. Periodic screening for work impairment especially among high-risk groups allows for early detection and timely intervention to reserve quality of life and work performance.
Food Information Traceability for the Supply Chain of Online Ordering Platform Based on Commercial IoT
Authors: Zhang Xin
Published: February 2022

As more and more people pay attention to food safety, the research on food traceability is becoming popular. The information traceability of the food supply chain is made more difficult by the fact that the online shopping platform comprises not only a big number of merchants, but also a high number of users, raising the chance of misunderstanding between different parties. To ensure food safety, this article proposes and analyzes a commercial IoT-based food supply chain information traceability system. Users need just to scan the traceability source code with the APP device to acquire information about the food's origin, processing, and merchants. They can also order uniform food ingredients for dispersed small merchants to assure food safety. The developed system consists of two components: a purchase system for food and a processing system for food. A database connects the two systems, and they are then incorporated into the food traceability system. The numerical results reveal that our proposed system has a more than 90% accuracy rate for source code traceability as well as a satisfying performance robustness with a large number of concurrently logged-in users.
Implementation of online video consultations in a regional health network: A management feasibility analysis from an orthopedic perspective
Authors: Back David Alexander , Estel Katharina , Pförringer Dominik , Tsitsilonis Serafeim , Bachner Johann , Willy Christian , Becker Horst-Peter
Published: February 2022

Background: Regional health care networks with interfaces between clinics, general practitioners and patients can act faster when utilizing digital measures. This manuscript describes the establishment of an online video consultation service in a clinic and its broad health care region to exemplify challenges and solutions for potential future approaches from a management perspective.Methods: The underlying pilot project was planned and implemented for follow-up monitoring and consultative presentation of orthopedic and trauma patients within the Bundeswehr Medical Service from 2018 to 2020. With predominantly positive evaluation results regarding quality and acceptance among users, this research investigated aspects of organizational and process management within total quality management, strategic control and change management approaches.Results: The affected main and subprocesses of patient treatment could be streamlined by the project, as physician recommendations and arrangements could be accelerated and patient travel could be significantly reduced. A SWOT and portfolio analysis showed a high potential for improving existing patient treatment processes for health care enterprises via the use of digital technology. The involved staff should be strategically included at an early stage and continuously involved. By means of a PDCA cycle, the processes of the given project could be exemplarily illustrated with an outlook in the future.Conclusions: It has proven successful to consciously use management approaches to establish telemedical integrated care structures in a health region. Recommendations for the strategic introduction of an online video consultation for regional network strengthening and care development for a patient-oriented increase in efficiency could be compiled.
2-Phenyl Substituted Benzimidazole Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Ersan Ronak Haj , Kuzu Burak , Yetkin Derya , Alagoz Mehmet Abdullah , Dogen Aylin , Burmaoglu Serdar , Algul Oztekin
Published: February 2022

The inability to meet the desired outcomes of anticancer treatment and decrease in treatment success of bacterial and fungal infections accelerated research in these areas. Our research group has conducted numerous studies, especially on benzimidazole ring systems’ antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities. In this study, the antiproliferative activity of benzimidazole compounds was tested against A549, A498, HeLa, A375, and HepG2 cancer cell lines by MTT assay. All compounds exhibited good to potent antiproliferative activity against all tested cancer cell lines. Compounds 30 and 46 were especially active against HeLa and A375 cancer cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 0.02-0.04 µM. In contrast, compounds 67 and 68 were active against A549 and A498 cancer cell lines with an IC50 value of 0.08 µM. These compounds (30, 46, 67, and 68) were less toxic to normal human cells than the positive control compound methotrexate, which was screened to determine its toxicity against normal cell lines (HEK293). In the second part of the study, all compounds were tested to demonstrate their antimicrobial properties. All compounds exhibited moderate activity against all tested bacteria and fungi. However, some phenoxymethyl derivatives (69 and 74) were most active against Candida (<3.90 µg/mL).
One-component quantum mechanics and dynamical leakage-free paths
Authors: Wu Lian-Ao , Jing Jun
Published: February 2022

We derive an exact one-component equation of motion for the probability amplitude of a target time-dependent state, and use the equation to reformulate quantum dynamics and control for both closed and open systems. Using the one-component equation, we show that an unexpected time-dependent leakage-free path can be induced and we capture the essential quantity in determining the effect of decoherence suppression. Our control protocol based on the nonperturbative leakage elimination operator provides a unified perspective connecting some subtle, popular and important concepts of quantum control, such as dynamical decoupling, quantum Zeno effect, and adiabatic passage. The resultant one-component equation will promise significant advantages in both quantum mechanics and control.
Monitoring of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis by Indocyanine Green (ICG) enhanced Fluorescence Optical Imaging Treated with anti-TNFα Therapy
Authors: Hertrampf Simon , Klotsche Jens , Schefer Quirino , Glimm Anne-Marie , Burmester Gerd-Rüdiger , Hoff Paula , Schmittat Gabriela , Häupl Thomas , Hermann Sandra , Backhaus Marina , Ohrndorf Sarah
Published: February 2022

Background:Fluorescence Optical Imaging (FOI) enables visualization of inflammation in both hands in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Objective:To investigate FOI in treatment monitoring under anti-TNFα therapy with Certolizumab pegol (CZP) in patients with RA in comparison to clinical and laboratory outcome parameters.Methods:CZP-naïve patients with RA were eligible for this open-label study with an observational period of 52-week. Disease activity was monitored by the clinical score DAS28, tender/swollen joint count (TJC-28/SJC-28) and laboratory outcomes for systemic inflammation (CRP and ESR). FOI results were analyzed in three different phases (P1-3) and PrimaVistaMode (PVM) by the FOI activity score (FOIAS). Results:Twenty-eight RA patients (median age 52.5 years, 26 females, thirteen with a history of other biologic therapy) were included. DAS28(CRP) decreased from moderate disease activity at baseline (median 4.6, IQR 1.8) to low disease activity at week (w)52 (median 2.7, IQR 2.1; p<0.001). Statistically significant decreases could also be demonstrated for SJC-28 and TJC-28. CRP/ESR were reduced numerically from baseline to w52. FOIAS in P1 (early phase) showed a continuous decrease of enhancement during the course of treatment period: from baseline (median 1.5, IQR 9.3) over w6 (median 1.0, IQR 3.0; p= 0.069), w12 (median 0.5, IQR 3.0; p= 0.171), w24 (n=27, median 0.0, IQR 3.0; p= 0.004), until w52 (n=18, median 0.0, IQR 2.8; p= 0.091), which could not be presented for FOIAS in P2, P3 and PVM. Conclusion:FOI in P1 appears to be a valuable tool for fast and easy monitoring of treatment response to certolizumab in a clinical setting.
Association Between IVIG Dose And Outcomes In Patients With Acute Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Michihata Nobuaki , Suzuki Takanori , Yoshikawa Tetsushi , Saito Kazuyoshi , Matsui Hiroki , Fushimi Kiyohide , Yasunaga Hideo
Published: February 2022

Purpose: The most effective dosage of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to prevent coronary artery abnormalities (CAAs) in patients with acute Kawasaki disease (KD) remains unknown. This study aimed to identify the appropriate dose of IVIG to be administered to patients with acute KD, using a national inpatient database in Japan.Methods: We used the Diagnostic Procedure Combination database to identify KD patients treated with IVIG between 2010 and 2020. The primary outcome was the proportion of CAAs upon discharge. Secondary outcomes included IVIG resistance, length of stay, and medical costs.Results: Data from 88,223 patients were extracted from the database. We found a U-shaped association between IVIG dose and the proportion of CAA, with the bottom of the curve at approximately 2.0 g/kg; the odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 1.34 (1.26–1.43) for 1.8 g/kg and 1.79 (1.28–2.50) for 2.4 g with reference to 2.0 g/kg for CAA. Similarly, IVIG dose had a U-shaped association with the proportion of IVIG resistance, with the bottom of the curve at approximately 2.0 g/kg; the odds ratio (95% CI) was 1.38 (1.35–1.41) for 1.8 g/kg and 8.87 (8.08–9.74) for 2.4 g with reference to 2.0 g/kg for IVIG resistance. Additionally, IVIG dosage was found to have U-shaped associations with the length of stay and medical costs, with the bottom of the curve at approximately 2 g/kg.Conclusions: IVIG with a dose of 2 g/kg was considered appropriate for the initial treatment of KD.
Trifluoromethyl stabilized 2D nitrogen clusters. A theoretical study
Authors: Narváez Wilmer Esteban Vallejo , Garza Cesar Gabriel Vera de la , Rodríguez Luis Daniel Solís , Fomina Lioudmila , Fomine Serguei
Published: February 2022

The stability of 2D all nitrogen clusters containing from 6 to 96 nitrogen atoms, terminated with CF3 groups has been explored using two computational models; dispersion corrected B3LYP functional and scaled opposite spin Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (SOS-MP2). Single point domain-based local pair natural orbital coupled-cluster theory calculations (DLPNO-CCSD(T)) was used for further energy refinement. All systems were found to be minima and their stability increases with CF3/N ratio. Larger clusters and anion radicals were not dynamically stable while some of the cation radicals were found to be minima on potential energy surface. The mechanism of cluster stabilization by CF3 groups is related with interaction of orbitals holding lone electron pairs and antibonding sigma orbitals.
Type B2 thymoma invading the superior vena cava and right atrium and with lung metastases: A young case report
Authors: Lu Jia-Ju , Zhao Hong-Lin , Deng Yun-Dan , Ni Jin-Rong , Song Bing
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUNDThymoma is a relatively rare type of tumor. It is more common in middle-aged patients than in children and young adults. We report a 26-year-old patient with advanced giant thymomas. The patient’s tumor have invaded the upper venous vein. There was also a large tumor in the right atrium. The patient had lung metastases. CASE SUMMARYWe report a patient with type B2 thymoma. His image studies showed a mediastinal space-occupying lesion that penetrated through the superior vena cava and extended into the right atrium, with metastases in the right lung and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, mediastinum, and bilateral axillary areas. Biopsy reports suggested type B2 thymoma. Multidisciplinary consultation concluded with a diagnosis of stage IVB thymoma. This patient began a chemotherapy regimen with cisplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (CAP). Subsequent management decisions were made based on the treatment responses. CONCLUSIONAt present, thymoma treatment is mainly surgical. However, for patients with advanced thymoma, surgical treatment may risk the patient's survival. For advanced thymoma patients, we recommend chemotherapy (CAP), which may provide a new treatment option for patients with advanced thymoma.
Awareness of Lifestyle Modifications in the Management of PCOS: A Population-Based Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Kaundal Asmita , Renjhen Prachi , Kumari Rajeshwari
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) is a rapidly emerging endocrine disorder affecting women of all ages. Simple lifestyle modifications can help women to combat the disorder.Objective: To assess the knowledge among reproductive women regarding the risk factors, symptoms, complications, and management of PCOS and their source of knowledge to develop an educational tool to be used at the community level.Results: A total of 334 women participated. The mean age was 28.70±6.29 years. Around 9.3% of the participants were already diagnosed with PCOS. Around 43.4% of women have heard about PCOS. The Source of their information was a doctor (26.6%), internet (6.28%), teachers (5.6%), and friends (4.7%). Knowledge regarding risk factors revealed that obesity (33.5%), unhealthy dietary habits (35%), and genetic predisposition (40.7%) were thought as risk factors. Regarding complications participants were aware that PCOS is associated with increased risk of subfertility (40.1%), abortions (34.4%), diabetes (28.7% ), hypertension (31.7%),cardiovascular disease (33.5%), endometrial carcinoma (35.9%) and psychological (37.1% ) . Total 37.1% were aware that eating healthy and 41% knew that weight reduction can help in the management of PCOS. Around 60.5% of women showed poor knowledge, 14.7% fair knowledge, and 24.9% good knowledge regarding PCOS. Education and occupation status was significantly related to the knowledge score (P≤0.001) about the PCOS. Conclusion: To reduce the burden of PCOS behavioral changes in terms of regular exercise, healthy dietary habits and stress management techniques need to be incorporated from very early life.
A Response Generator with Response-Aware Encoder for Generating Specific and Relevant Responses
Authors: Kim So-Eon , Song Hyun-Je , Park Seong-Bae
Published: February 2022

The dialogue data usually consist of the pairs of a query and its response, but no previous response generators have exploited the responses explicitly in their training while a response provides significant information about the meaning of a query. Therefore, this paper proposes a sequence-to-sequence response generator with a response-aware encoder. The proposed generator exploits golden responses by reflecting them into a query representation. For this purpose, the response-aware encoder adds a relevancy scorer layer to the transformer encoder that calculates the relevancy of query tokens to a response. However, golden responses are available only during training the response generator and unavailable at the inference time. As a solution to this problem, the joint learning of a teacher and a student relevancy scorer is adopted. That is, at the training time, both the teacher and the student relevancy scorers are optimized but the decoder generates a response using only the relevancy of the teacher scorer. However, at the inference time, the decoder uses that of the student scorer. Since the student scorer is trained to minimize the difference from the teacher scorer, it can be used to compute the relevancy for a prospective response.
Nutrient input alleviates negative effects of early and subsequent flooding on growth of Polygonum hydropiper with the aid of adventitious roots
Authors: Chen Yu-Han , Wei Guan-Wen , Cui Yuan , Luo Fang-Li , Dong Bi-Cheng
Published: February 2022

Background and aimsRiparian plants are commonly exposed to flooding, which is often accompanied by eutrophication. Flooding and eutrophication at an early developmental stage of riparian species may provide signals that induce plant responses and affect their performance in subsequent severe stress. However, whether early flooding (either with or without eutrophication) acts as a positive or a stress signal on plant seedlings as well as on plants at later developmental stages remains unclear.Methods Polygonum hydropiper plants germinated from seeds collected both at low and high elevations in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region were subjected to shallower and shorter early flooding or eutrophic flooding treatments, and subsequently subjected to deeper and longer flooding treatments.Results Early flooding and eutrophic flooding significantly induced generation of adventitious roots, suggesting morphological adaptation to flooding. At the end of subsequent flooding, stem length, functional leaf length and width, and biomass of plants formerly subjected to early control treatment were significantly higher than early flooding treatment, but had no significant differences compared with early eutrophic treatment, indicating that negative lag-effects of early flooding can be alleviated by nutrient input. Similarly, subsequent eutrophic flooding also enhanced plant growth compared with subsequent flooding, resulting in significantly higher values of leaf traits and adventitious root number. Plants that originated from low elevation had higher functional leaf length and stem biomass compared with plants from high elevation.Conclusions Nutrient input can alleviate negative effects of early and subsequent flooding on P. hydropiper growth with the aid of adventitious roots.
Global positioning by atmospheric pressure retrieved from multi-sensor geolocators
Authors: Nussbaumer Raphaël , Gravey Mathieu , Liechti Felix
Published: February 2022

Background
Knowing about the temporal and spatial use of habitats by wildlife is crucial to understand ecological relationships in nature. Tracking small birds and bats requires tags of less than 2g, such that light-weight geolocators are currently the most affordable and widespread option. Recent multi-sensor geolocators now capture accelerometer and pressure data in addition to light, offering new potential to refine the accuracy of bird positioning. In particular, as atmospheric pressure varies with space and time, pressure timeseries at a single location have a unique signature which can be used for global positioning.
Method
Bird positions are estimated at distinct stationary periods by comparing atmospheric pressure data recorded by the geolocator with reference data from a global weather reanalysis database. The methodology produces a probability distribution map of the position based on (1) a mask of the locations for which the ground level elevation matches the pressure measured by the geolocator and (2) a likelihood of the mismatch between the temporal timeseries measured by the geolocator and the reanalysis dataset. This new method is introduced step by step and applied to 16 tracks from 9 long and short distance migrant species.
Results
Using known positions, we demonstrate that our method is almost three times more precise than light positioning. In contrast to the traditional light-based approach, pressure data can provide location information for short periods on the ground (less than a day) and is not affected by the equinox-problem.
Conclusion
Positioning birds using pressure data can help identify every stopover location along a migratory flyway, with such precision that it can be used to developed targeted conservation actions.
Frailty in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Huq Sakibul , Liu Jiaqi , Romano Robert , Seal Stella , Khalafallah Adham , Walston Jeremy D. , Mukherjee Debraj
Published: February 2022

IntroductionEmerging literature suggests that frailty may be an important driver of postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for brain tumors. We systematically reviewed the literature on frailty in brain tumor patients with respect to three questions: What methods of frailty assessment have been applied to brain tumor patients? What thresholds have been defined to distinguish between different levels of frailty? What clinical outcomes does frailty predict in brain tumor patients? MethodsA literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Included studies were specific to brain tumor patients, used a validated instrument to assess frailty, and measured the impact of frailty upon postoperative outcomes. ResultsOf 753 citations, 21 studies met our inclusion criteria. Frailty instruments studied, in order of frequency reported, included the 5-factor modified frailty index, 11-factor modified frailty index, Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups frailty-defining diagnosis indicator, and Hopkins Frailty Score. Multiple different conventions and thresholds for distinguishing levels of frailty were reported. Clinical outcomes associated with frailty included mortality, survival, complications, length of stay (LOS), charges, costs, discharge disposition, readmissions, and operative time. ConclusionsFrailty is an increasingly popular concept in brain tumor patients that is associated with important clinical outcomes. However, the extant literature is largelycomprised of retrospective studies with heterogeneous definitions of frailty, thresholds for defining levels of frailty, and patient populations. Further work is needed to understand best practices in assessing frailty inbrain tumor patients and applying these concepts to clinical practice.