bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Distribution Characteristics of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Pollution and Related Moving Factors in the Main Facility Agricultural Soils in Liaoning Province
Authors: Wu Yi , Zhang Xun , Wang Baiyu , Wang Ying , Gao Yuzhu , Chen Xiaoxue
Published: September 2021

To understand the distribution characteristics of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in vegetable soil in the main facility agriculture distribution centres of Liaoning Province, 13 soil samples from seven sites including Chaoyang Yandu Xincheng, Zhuanghe, and Fushun were collected to detect the species and abundance of ARGs and MGEs, and analyse their correlation. The results showed that the ARGs were mainly tetracycline and macrolide antibiotic resistance genes, the transportable elements were transposases, and the cell protection and cell discharge pump was the main resistance mechanism. The detection rate of tetm-02, oprj, sul2, blaTEM, fox5, ermX, ermB, and ermF was 100%. The detection rate of integron IntΙ-1 and transposable enzyme tnpA-01 was 100%. The highest content of antibiotic resistance genes was found in Qiandangpu Village, Daying Town, and Zhuanghe City, followed by Wutun Village, Miaojia Village, Daying Town, and Dalian. Correlation analysis showed a correlation between the abundance of ARGs and the abundance of MGEs in agricultural soil. There was a significant positive correlation between the abundance of ARGs and integron (P < 0.05). The results of this study provide data support for the assessment of soil ARG pollution levels and the effective prevention and control of ARG transmission risk in the main protected vegetable fields in Liaoning Province.
Simulation of an Electric Arc in Metal Welding
Authors: Petrović Ivan , Razl Vinko , Stojkov Marinko , Samardžić Mijat
Published: September 2021

This paper describes the proces of electric arc welding in the zone of protective gas, with an emphasis on transmitting metal dropelts via a short ciruit.Parameters of the welding proces and of an electric arc are described, and a mathemacal model for the MIG system is sugessted. Model simulation is completed used Matlab/Simulink package. The proces is simulated using real parameters in order for the output values of the process to corespond to real values obtained by the means of mesasurement.
Hydrodynamic manipulation of nano-objects by optically induced thermo-osmotic flows
Authors: Fränzl Martin , Cichos Frank
Published: September 2021

The manipulation of nano-objects at the microscale is of great technological significance to construct new functional materials, to manipulate tiny amounts of liquids, to reconfigure sensorial systems or to detect minute concentrations of analytes in medical screening. It is commonly approached by the generation of potential energy landscapes, for example, with optical fields or by using pressure driven microfluidics. Here we show that strong hydrodynamic boundary flows enable the trapping and manipulation of nano-objects near surfaces. These thermo-osmotic flows are induced by modulating the van der Waals interaction at a solid-liquid interface with optically generated temperature fields. We use a thin gold film on a glass substrate to provide localized but reconfigurable point-like optical heating. Convergent boundary flows with velocities of tens of micrometres per second are observed and substantiated by a quantitative physical model. The hydrodynamic forces acting on suspended nanoparticles and attractive van der Waals or depletion induced forces enable precise positioning and guiding of the nanoparticles. Fast multiplexing of flow fields further provides the means for parallel manipulation of many nano-objects and the generation of complex flow fields. Our findings have direct consequences for the field of plasmonic nano-tweezers as well as other thermo-plasmonic trapping schemes and pave the way for a general scheme of nanoscopic manipulation with boundary flows.
Th-MOF showing six-fold imide-sealed pockets for middle-size-separation of propane from nature gas
Authors: Luo Feng , Wang Li , Gong Lele , Jia Wansheng , Krishna Rajamani , Ran Youyuan , Chen Lan
Published: September 2021

Separation of propane from nature gas is of great importance to industry. However, in light of size-based separation, there still lacks effective method to directly separate propane from nature gas, due to the comparable physical properties for these light alkanes (C1-C4) and the middle size of propane. In this work, we found that a new Th-MOF could be an ideal solution for this issue. The Th-MOF takes UiO-66-type structure, but with the pocket sealed by six-fold imide groups; this not only precisely reduces the size of pocket to exactly match propane, but also enhances the host-guest interactions through multiple supramolecular interactions. As a result, highly selective adsorption of propane over methane, ethane, and butane was observed, implying unique middle-size separation. The actual separation was confirmed by breakthrough experiments, and it is found that both relatively smaller molecules (methane and ethane) and relatively bigger molecules (butane) break through the Th-MOF column within 10 min/g, whereas propane with middle size can maintain very long retention time up to 80 min/g, strongly suggesting middle-size separation and its superior application in direct separation of propane from nature gas. The separation mechanism, as unveiled by both theoretical calculation and comparative experiments, is due to the six-fold imide-sealed pockets that could effectively distinguish propane from other light alkanes through both size effect and host-guest interactions.
Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing and species identification for mixed infections
Authors: Kandavalli Vinodh , Karempudi Praneeth , Larsson Jimmy , Elf Johan
Published: September 2021

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem globally. Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is urgently needed in the clinic to enable personalized prescription in high-resistance environments and limit the use of broad-spectrum drugs. Previously we have described a 30 min AST method based on imaging of individual bacterial cells. However, current phenotypic AST methods do not include species identification (ID), leaving time-consuming plating or culturing as the only available option when ID is needed to make the sensitivity call. Here we describe a method to perform phenotypic AST at the single-cell level in a microfluidic chip that allows subsequent genotyping by in situ FISH. By stratifying the phenotypic AST response on the species of individual cells, it is possible to determine the susceptibility profile for each species in a mixed infection sample in 1.5 h. In this proof-of-principle study, we demonstrate the operation with four antibiotics and a mixed sample with four species.
Policy design: Perspectives of innovation from Digital Bangladesh
Authors: Zaman Hasanuzzaman
Published: September 2021

Despite recording high-levels of corruption persistently, some governments in least developed countries have recently achieved impressive online transformation level, through electronic or e-Governance implementation. What explains the digital transformation of these governments? In particular, how did such governments with little or no knowledge on digital governance policies, embark upon the e-Governance path? The article analyzes how Bangladesh, a least developed country, is experimenting with design thinking policies for e-Governance implementation. It combines survey data from a design thinking led empathy training program with secondary literature and interviews with top-level bureaucrats and representatives from international donor agencies. The results support the thesis regarding the importance of design thinking policies and strategies in motivating public sector managers to engage in digital transformation efforts. We discuss the policy implications for practitioners and scholars working in the area of designing policies such as capacity building training programs, for public sector managers to implement citizen-centric innovations.
Circular economy approach for rice husk modification: Equilibrium, kinetic, thermodynamic aspects and mechanism of Congo red adsorption
Authors: Mladenovic Nina , Petkovska Jovana , Dimova Vesna , Dimitrovski Dejan , Jordanov Igor
Published: September 2021

Equilibrium, kinetic, thermodynamic aspects and mechanism of Congo red adsorption onto rice husk treated with effluent from cotton pre-treatment are examined by altering the initial dye concentration, contact time, temperature, and adsorbent mass. When a lower mass is applied, the treated rice husk adsorbs the Congo red following the Langmuir model, while at a higher mass, the adsorption follows the Freundlich model. А maximum of 149.1 mg/g Congo red is adsorbed with 10 g/L rice husk at 70oC. This capacity of the chemically modified rice husk is one of the better ones found in the literature. The calculated Dubinin–Radushkevich activation energy indicates the physical nature of Congo red adsorption adsorbed under the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic analysis confirmed spontaneous and endothermic adsorption with physically created Congo red-rice husk bonds. These results showed the applicability of the circular economy concept in the effort to obtain an efficient adsorbent without wasting additional chemicals and energy that could be used to create a continuous column-mode process of rice husk modification and purification of colored effluent from the textile industry.
Pre-Cerclage Cervical Length—A Reliable Predictor of Long-Term Pregnancy Sustenance After Therapeutic Cervical Cerclage: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Kondo Emi , Shibata Eiji , Sakuragi Toshihide , Aiko Yukiyo , Kawakami Takeshi , Takashima Takeshi , Yoshino Kiyoshi , Okura Naofumi
Published: September 2021

Background: The indication of therapeutic cerclage is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess pregnancy outcomes after cervical cerclage in women with shortened cervical length (CL) during pregnancy and/or with a medical history of cervical insufficiency. Methods: We included pregnant women who underwent cerclage in four perinatal medical centers between January 2009 and December 2010. We compared the outcomes of cerclage in terms of non-term and term births, as well as successful and unsuccessful cerclages. Cervical cerclage was defined as successful if pregnancy was continued for more than 13 weeks post-cerclage. Therapeutic and prophylactic cerclages were performed in pregnant women with pre-cerclage CL < 25 mm and ≥ 25 mm, respectively.Results: We screened 114 pregnant women, of whom 91 were included; 15 and 8 women were excluded for unknown pregnancy outcomes and multiple gestation, respectively. The rate of therapeutic cerclage was significantly higher in the non-term birth (68% vs. 38%, p <0.01; non-term group vs. term birth group), unsuccessful cerclage (79% vs. 43%, p =0.01; unsuccessful cerclage vs. successful cerclage) groups. Inflammatory marker levels (white blood cell count and C-reactive protein) were normal in both group sets, albeit no significantly different between-group differences. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that 87% of patients with pre-cerclage CL ≥ 17 mm sustained their pregnancies for more than 13 weeks post-cerclage. However, 64% of patients with pre-cerclage CL < 17 mm did not sustain their pregnancies for more than 13 weeks post-cerclage.Conclusions: Therapeutic cerclage should be performed in patients with cervical insufficiency having CL ≥ 17 mm, for long-term pregnancy sustenance.
Clinical Evaluation of a New Rapid Immunochromatographic Test for Detection of Bordetella Pertussis Antigen
Authors: Okada Kenji , Horikoshi Yuho , Nishimura Naoko , Ishii Shigeki , Nogami Hiroko , Motomura Chikako , Miyairi Isao , Tsumura Naoki , Mori Toshihiko , Ito Kenta , Honma Shinichi , Nagai Kensuke , Tanaka Hiroshi , Hayakawa Toru , Abe Chiharu , Ouchi Kazunobu
Published: September 2021

A more rapid and less complicated test is required in clinical settings to diagnose pertussis. We need to detect Bordetella pertussis, which mainly causes pertussis, as early as possible, because pertussis is more likely to become severe in infants, and people around them can easily become the source of infection due to its strong infectivity. Nevertheless, methods that can detect B. pertussis rapidly and efficiently are lacking. Therefore, we developed a new immunochromatographic antigen kit (ICkit) for the early diagnosis of pertussis. The ICkit detects B. pertussis antigens in a nasopharyngeal swab without equipment and provides the result in about 15 min with a simple procedure. Additionally, a prospective study to evaluate the ICkit was conducted in 11 medical institutions, involving 195 cases with suspected pertussis. The sensitivity and specificity of the ICkit were 86.4% (19/22) and 97.1% (168/173), respectively, compared with the real-time polymerase chain reaction (rPCR). The ICkit detected the antigen in both children and adults. Furthermore, the ICkit detected the antigen until the 25th day from the onset of cough, when rPCR detected the antigen. Thus, the ICkit demonstrated a high correlation with rPCR and would help diagnose pertussis more rapidly and efficiently.
Fabrication And pH Sensing Characteristics Measurement of Back Gate ZnO Thin Film Planar FET
Authors: Porwal Ankita , Sahu Chitrakant
Published: September 2021

Here in we demonstrate the design of a low- cost zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film planar transistor-based pH sensor controlled by the bottom gate fabricated by a fairly simple fabrication approach. The performance of the fabricated device is evaluated by electrical as well as surface characterization. The surface morphology is analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and it shows surface properties that are essential for a device to function as a pH sensor. The fabricated thin-film FET comprises Zinc Oxide (ZnO) as a channel layer of length 6 µm and thickness 200 nm, Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) as a pas- sivation layer, and Aluminum (Al) as a contact layer. The effect on pH sensitivity for varied channel lengths (6 µm, 12 µm, and 15 µm) is also examined and opti- mum results have been achieved at channel length = 6 µm. The change in threshold voltage (ΔVth) & change in current (ΔImax) are used as a sensing metrics to an- alyze the sensing performance of the device. The device shows excellent pH sensitivity in terms of average cur- rent and average voltage sensitivity 120.97 mA/pH and 97.85 mv/pH respectively at pH ranging from 3.2 to 11.1 with best pH stability (linearity) for pH value 4 to 10. The voltage sensitivity is higher than the Nernstian value (59 mv/pH) at room temperature.
Endothelial integration of mechanosensory signals by the spectrin cytoskeleton
Authors: Mylvaganam Sivakami , Yusuf Bushra , Li Ren , Lu Chien-Yi , Robinson Lisa , Freeman Spencer , Grinstein Sergio
Published: September 2021

Physiological blood flow induces the secretion of vasoactive compounds, notably NO, and promotes endothelial cell elongation and reorientation parallel to the direction of applied shear. How shear is sensed and relayed to intracellular effectors is incompletely understood. We demonstrate that an apical spectrin network is essential to convey the force imposed by shear to endothelial mechanosensors. By anchoring CD44, spectrin modulates the cell surface density of hyaluronan, which senses and translates shear into changes in plasma membrane tension. Spectrins also regulate the stability of apical caveolae, where the mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels are thought to reside. Accordingly, shear-induced Piezo1 activation and the associated calcium influx were absent in spectrin-deficient cells. As a result, cell realignment and flow-induced eNOS stimulation were similarly dependent on spectrin. We concluded that the apical spectrin network is not only required for shear sensing, but transmits and distributes the resulting tensile forces to mechanosensors that elicit protective and vasoactive responses.
AIBP-CAV1-VEGFR3 axis dictates lymphatic cell fate
and controls lymphangiogenesis
Authors: Yang Xiaojie , Kim Jun-dae , Chan Kelvin , Gu Qilin , Astin Jonathan , Crosier Philip , Yu Pengchun , Rockson Stanley ,   Hong 2 Chen, Fang Longhou
Published: September 2021

The lymphatics control tissue fluid homeostasis; its dysfunction contributes to lymphedema. VEGFR3 signaling dictates LEC fate specification and lymphangiogenesis. Cholesterol is essential for cell function and organ development, yet the molecular mechanism by which cholesterol controls lymphangiogenesis is unknown. Here, we show that APOA1 binding protein (AIBP), a secreted protein, enhances LEC specification and increases lymphangiogenesis. Mechanistically, AIBP-mediated cholesterol efflux disrupts LEC caveolae, which abolishes CAV-1-dependent inhibition of VEGFR3 signaling. Loss of Aibp2, the zebrafish paralog of human AIBP, reduces LEC progenitors and impairs lymphangiogenesis; the impairment can be rescued by caveolae disruption. CAV-1 mutant that is deficient in VEGFR3 binding, thereby abolishing its inhibition, enhances VEGFR3 signaling and accelerates lymphatic growth. Furthermore, AIBP expression is reduced in the epidermis of human lymphedema. Administrating recombinant AIBP augments VEGFC-induced lymphangiogenesis and increases secondary tail lymphedema resolution in adult mice. Our studies reveal AIBP and CAV-1 as critical regulators of VEGFR3 signaling and identify previously unidentified therapeutic targets for lymphedema treatment.
Detecting Major Introgressions in Wheat and their Putative Origins Using Coverage Analysis
Authors: Keilwagen Jens , Lehnert Heike , Berner Thomas , Badaeva Ekaterina , Himmelbach Axel , Börner Andreas , Kilian Benjamin
Published: September 2021

Introgressions from crop wild relatives (CWRs) have been used to introduce beneficial traits into cultivated plants. Introgressions have traditionally been detected using cytological methods. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based methods have been proposed to detect introgressions in crosses for which both parents are known. However, for unknown material, no method was available to detect introgressions and predict the putative donor species. Here, we present a method to detect introgressions and the putative donor species. We demonstrate the utility of this method using 10 publicly available wheat genome sequences and identify nine major introgressions. We show that the method can distinguish different introgressions at the same locus. We trace introgressions to early wheat cultivars and show that natural introgressions were utilised in early breeding history and still influence elite lines today. Finally, we provide evidence that these introgressions harbour resistance genes.
Cul3-KLHL20 E3 ubiquitin ligase plays a key role in the arms race between HIV-1 and host restriction
Authors: Li Rongrong , Ahmad Iqbal , Li Sunan , Johnson Silas , Sun Liangliang , Zheng Yong-Hui
Published: September 2021

HIV-1 must counteract various host restriction factors to establish productive infection. SERINC5 is a critical host restriction factor that potently blocks HIV-1 entry from virions, but its activity is counteracted by Nef. The SERINC5 and Nef activities are both initiated from the plasma membrane, where SERINC5 is packaged into virions and downregulated by Nef via lysosomal degradation. However, it is still unclear how SERINC5 is localized to the plasma membrane and how its expression is regulated on the plasma membrane. We now report that Cullin 3-KLHL20, a trans-Golgi network (TGN)-localized E3 ubiquitin ligase, polyubiquitinates SERINC5 at lysine 130 via K33- and K48-linked ubiquitin chains. The K130 polyubiquitination is required not only for the SERINC5 expression on the plasma membrane, but also the SERINC5 anti-HIV-1 activity and the Nef counteractive activity. Our study reveals an important role of K33/K48-branched ubiquitin chains in HIV-1 infection by regulating protein post-Golgi trafficking and degradation.
Mutations in The Stator Protein PomA Affect Switching of Rotational Direction in Bacterial Flagellar Motor
Authors: Terashima Hiroyuki , Hori Kiyoshiro , Ihara Kunio , Homma Michio , Kojima Seiji
Published: September 2021

The flagellar motor rotates bi-directionally in counter-clockwise (CCW) and clockwise (CW) directions. The motor consists of a stator and a rotor. Recent structural studies have revealed that the stator is composed of a pentameric ring of A subunits and a dimer axis of B subunits. The stator interacts with the rotor through conserved charged and neighboring residues, and the rotational power is generated by their interactions through a gear-like mechanism. The rotational direction is controlled by chemotaxis signaling transmitted to the rotor, with no evidence for the stator being involved. In this study, we found novel mutations that affect the switching of the rotational direction at the putative interaction site of the stator to generate rotational force. Our results highlight a novel aspect of flagellar motor function that appropriate switching of the interaction states between the stator and rotor is critical for controlling the rotational direction.
Research on the Factors of Extremely Short Construction Period under the Sufficient Resources based on Grey- DEMATEL-ISM
Authors: Peng Jun-long , Peng Chao , Wang Meng-yao , Hu Ke , Wu Du-bin
Published: September 2021

Under the condition of sufficient resources, there are many factors affecting the realization of extremely short construction period of engineering construction projects. Based on literature review and questionnaire survey, this paper firstly selected 17 influencing factors from the five dimensions of design, management, technology, policy and environment. And the factor analytic hierarchy process model was established based on Grey-DEMATEL-ISM. The model introduced the improved grey system theory and combined decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) with interpretative structural modeling method (ISM). In addition, the model can not only identify the critical factors in the system, but also present the internal logical relationship between the influencing factors through the multi-level hierarchical structure diagram. Finally, through the analysis of the influencing factors of extremely short construction period under the sufficient resources, it defined that the key factor is construction technology and the secondary factor is construction safety organization. The research results provide a theoretical basis for managers to realize the extremely short construction period under the sufficient resources.
Efficiency of a Dexamethasone Nanosuspension as an Intratympanic Injection for Acute Hearing Loss
Authors: Jung So-Young , Kang Zion , Kwon Soonmin , Lee Juhye , Kim Subin , Park Joo Won , Kim Kab Sig , Kim Dong-Kee
Published: September 2021

Background: Dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex-SP) is the most commonly used drug for intratympanic injection in acute hearing loss, but its penetration efficiency into the inner ear is very low. To address this problem, we evaluated the possibility of dexamethasone nanosuspensions as intratympanic injection because the lipophilicity of drugs can affect their permeation of the round window membrane, an important pathway from the middle ear to the cochlea.Results: Three types of dexamethasone nanosuspensions were prepared; the dexamethasone nanocrystals in the three nanosuspensions were between approximately 250 and 350 nm in size. In order to compare the efficiency of Dex-SP and a dexamethasone nanosuspension in delivering dexamethasone to the inner ear, the concentrations of dexamethasone in perilymph and cochlear tissues were compared by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The dexamethasone nanosuspensions showed significantly higher drug concentrations in perilymph and cochlear tissue than Dex-SP at 6 h; interestingly, animals treated with a nanosuspension showed a 26-fold higher dexamethasone concentration in the cochlear tissue than the Dex-SP group. In addition, the dexamethasone nanosuspension achieved better glucocorticoid receptor phosphorylation than Dex-SP both in vitro and in vivo, and in the ototoxic animal model, it showed a significantly better hearing protective effect than Dex-SP against ototoxic drugs. In safety evaluation, the nanosuspension showed no toxicity at concentrations up to 20 mg/mL in an in vivo test.Conclusions: A nanosuspension of dexamethasone was able to deliver dexamethasone to the cochlea very safely and efficiently and showed potential as a formula for intratympanic injection. In addition, it can be applied in studies on the delivery of various hydrophobic antioxidants to treat acute hearing loss.
The Impact of COVID-19 and Associated Measures On Health, Police and Non-Government Organisation Service Utilisation Related to Violence Against Women and Children
Authors: Butler Nadia , Quigg Zara , Pearson Isabelle , Yelgezekova Zhamin , Nihlén Aasa , Bellis Mark A , Yon Yongjie , Passmore Jonathon , Aguirre Isabel Yordi , Stöckl Heidi
Published: September 2021

Background: Globally, concerns have been raised that the priority implementation of public health measures in response to COVID-19 may have unintended negative impacts on a variety of other health and wellbeing factors, including violence. This study examined the impact of COVID-19 response measures on changes in violence against women and children (VAWC) service utilisation across European countries. Methods: A rapid assessment design was used to compile data including: a survey distributed across WHO Europe Healthy Cities Networks and Violence Injury Prevention Focal Points in WHO European Region member states; and, a scoping review of media reports, journal articles and reports. Searches were conducted in English and Russian and covered the period between 1 January 2020 and 17 September 2020. Data extracted included: country; violence type; service sector; and change in service utilisation during COVID-19. All data pertained to the period during which COVID-19 related public health measures were implemented compared to a period before restrictions were in place.Results: Overall, findings suggested that there was a median reported increase in VAWC service utilisation of approximately 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Crucially however, change in service utilisation differed across sectors. After categorising each estimate as reflecting an increase or decrease in VAWC service utilisation, there was a significant association between sector and change in service utilisation; the majority of NGO estimates (95.1%) showed an increase in utilisation, compared to 58.2% of law enforcement estimates and 42.9% of health and social care estimates.Conclusions: The variation across sectors in changes in VAWC service utilisation has important implications for policy makers in the event of ongoing and future restrictions related to COVID-19 and more generally during other times of prolonged presence in the home. The increased global attention on VAWC during the pandemic should be used to drive forward the agenda on prevention, increase access to services, and implement better data collection mechanisms to ensure the momentum and increased focus on VAWC during the pandemic is not wasted.
Programmable Hybridization Assemble Nicked Displacement Amplification for Detecting Ricin Toxin
Authors: Wang Yu , Peng Yuan , Bai Jialei , Li Shuang , Han Dianpeng , Ren Shuyue , Qin Kang , Li Sen , Zhou Huanying , Gao Zhixian
Published: September 2021

Isothermal amplification, such as hybridization chain reaction (HCR), is a simple and reliable method for detecting signal amplification. However, the hairpin in HCR will not fully participate in the reaction. And after the hairpin is opened, the distance between the fluorophore and the quencher does not change much. Therefore, the signal magnification is limited. Here, we designed a new isothermal amplification method named hybridization assemble nicked displacement amplification (HANDA), combining HCR and strand displacement amplification (SDA) ingeniously. HANDA first triggers HCR through the target sequence to form long double-strand DNA (dsDNA) with gaps. Then SDA is performed from the gap to obtain a large amount of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), so as to achieve the purpose of double signal amplification. The base sequence of DNA hairpin had also been optimized. The best sequence design rule was found and had universal applicability. We have demonstrated that HANDA combined with DNA barcodes can be used for trace detection of ricin. This new isothermal amplification method provides an effective and universal platform for the trace detection of various toxic substances.
Factors Associated With Low Relapse Rates of Schizophrenia In Southern Thailand: A University Hospital-Based Study
Authors: Pitanupong Jarurin , Ratanaapiromyakij Pran , Teetharatkul Teerapat
Published: September 2021

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that has residual symptoms and relapse. Relapse prevention research will provide useful knowledge for the employment of an effective caring process. This study aims to explore factors associated with relapse rates in hospital where there are comparatively low relapse rates for schizophrenia. Method: Medical records of patients who had their first schizophrenia diagnosis, in the Songklanagarind hospital’s inpatient psychiatric unit, were retrospectively reviewed for the period from January 2007 to December 2019. This yielded data outlining demographic information, profiles of schizophrenia and treatment. Descriptive statistical analysis was utilized to process all data; and factors associated to relapse were investigated using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Reviewed medical records identified a sample size of 156 schizophrenias. The majority were male (50.6%), Buddhist (85.9%), unmarried (80.1%), unemployed (50.6%) and living with their families (90.4%). Their mean age was 39.2 years. Relapse was defined as readmission to a psychiatric unit within 5 years after their first psychotic episode. From the 156 patients, 53.8% featured relapse whereas 46.2% were in remission. Cumulatively, the first to the fifth-year relapse rate was 22.4%, 35.3%, 44.9%, 50.0%, and 53.8% respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that patients having stressful life events, non-adherence to medication, prescription changes and lack of insight were all factors with a statistically significant association to relapse rates.Conclusions: Stressful life events, adverse events, medical non-adherence, change prescription, and lack of insight were related to relapse. Emphasizing multimodality of treatment could be key to successful relapse prevention for schizophrenia.
Efficient NC Process Scheme Generation Method Based on Reusable Macro and Micro Process Fusion
Authors: Huang Bo , He Kai , Huang Rui , Zhang Feifei , Li Xiuling , Zhang Shusheng
Published: September 2021

Process reuse technology has been widely studied and applied in manufacturing industry. However, the current NC process reuse generally assumes that the micro process is compatible with the macro process, but in fact, the reusable processes from the similar local structures of multiple parts are usually difficult to be compatible with each other under the overall manufacturing requirements of the query parts, which leads to the fact that a large amount of user interactions are still required for modification and adjustment in practical engineering applications, so it is not significant to improve the design efficiency. Therefore, an efficient NC process scheme generation method based on reusable macro and micro process fusion is proposed in this paper. Firstly, according to the calculation of semantic distance of process design intention, the micro processes are mapped to the macro process to realize the fusion of the macro process and the micro process, and a compatibility credibility evaluation model is established to evaluate the compatibility of fusion results. Then, when the fusion result is credible, the machining areas corresponding to the process scheme are adjusted and optimized from the geometric level. The adjustment and optimization of machining areas mainly realize the integration of machining areas and the optimization of machining sequence. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are verified by the test of actual parts.
Single Cell Sequencing Analysis Identifies Genetics-Modulated ORMDL3+ Cholangiocytes Having Higher Metabolic Effects On Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Authors: Xiang Bingyu , Deng Chunyu , Qiu Fei , Li Jingjing , Li Shanshan , Zhang Huifang , Lin Xiuli , Huang Yukuan , Zhou Yijun , Su Jianzhong , Lu Mingqin , Ma Yunlong
Published: September 2021

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a classical autoimmune disease, which is highly influenced by genetic determinants. Many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have reported that numerous genetic loci were significantly associated with PBC susceptibility. However, the effects of genetic determinants on liver cells and its immune microenvironment for PBC remain unclear. Results: We constructed a powerful computational framework to integrate GWAS summary statistics with scRNA-seq data to uncover genetics-modulated liver cell subpopulations for PBC. Based on our multi-omics integrative analysis, 29 risk genes including ORMDL3, GSNK2B, and DDAH2 were significantly associated with PBC susceptibility. By combining GWAS summary statistics with scRNA-seq data, we found that cholangiocytes exhibited a notable enrichment by PBC-related genetic association signals (Permuted P < 0.05). The risk gene of ORMDL3 showed the highest expression proportion in cholangiocytes than other liver cells (22.38%). The ORMDL3+ cholangiocytes have prominently higher metabolism activity score than ORMDL3- cholangiocytes (P = 1.383×10-15). Compared with ORMDL3- cholangiocytes, there were 77 significantly differentially expressed genes among ORMDL3+ cholangiocytes (FDR < 0.05), and these significant genes were associated with autoimmune diseases-related functional terms or pathways. The ORMDL3+ cholangiocytes exhibited relatively high communications with macrophage and monocyte. Compared with ORMDL3- cholangiocytes, the VEGF signaling pathway is specific for ORMDL3+ cholangiocytes to interact with other cell populations. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to integrate genetic information with single cell sequencing data for parsing genetics-influenced liver cells for PBC risk. We identified that ORMDL3+ cholangiocytes with higher metabolism activity play important immune-modulatory roles in the etiology of PBC.
Inhibitory Effects of Syzygium jambos Extract on Biomarkers of Endothelial Cell Activation
Authors: Inostroza-Nieves Yaritza , Valentin-Berrios Shirley , Vega Christopher , Prado Gregory N. , Luciano-Montalvo Claribel , Romero José R. , Rivera Alicia
Published: September 2021

Background: Disordered endothelial cell activation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, cancer, sepsis, viral infections, and inflammatory responses. There is interest in developing novel therapeutics to regulate endothelial cell function in atherothrombotic, metabolic, vascular, and hematological diseases. Extracts from leaves of the Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston (S. jambos) trees have been proposed to treat cardiovascular diseases and diabetes through unclear mechanisms. We investigated the effects of the S. jambos extract on biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and immune responses in the human endothelial cell line, EA.hy926. Methods: Leaves of S. jambos were collected, concocted and lyophilized. To study the effects of S. jambos on endothelial cell activation, we used the human endothelial cell line. IL-6 levels were measured using qPCR and ELISA. PDI activity was measured using Insulin Turbidity and Di-E-GSSG assays. CM-H2DCFDA was used to study ROS levels. Migration assay was used to study S. jambos effect on ex vivo human polymorphonuclear and human mononuclear cells.Results: Our results show that incubation of EA.hy926 cells with ET-1 led to a 6.5 ± 1.6 fold increase in IL-6 expression by qPCR, an event that was blocked by S. jambos. Also, we observed that ET-1 increased extracellular protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) activity that was likewise dose-dependently blocked by S. jambos (IC50=14µg/mL). Consistent with these observations, ET-1 stimulated ex vivo human polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell migration that also was dose-dependently blocked by S. jambos. In addition, ET-1 stimulation led to significant increases in ROS production that were sensitive to S. jambos. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the S. jambos extract represents a novel cardiovascular protective pharmacological approach to regulate endothelial cell activation, IL-6 expression, and immune-cell responses.
Intraoperative 3D Imaging with Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Leads to Revision of Pedicle Screws in Dorsal Instrumentation – A Retrospective Analysis.
Authors: Zimmermann Felix , Kohl Katharina , Privalov Maxim , Franke Jochen , Vetter Sven Yves
Published: September 2021

Background: Correct positioning of pedicle screws can be challenging. Intraoperative imaging may be helpful. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of intraoperative 3D imaging with a cone-beam CT. The hypotheses were that intraoperative 3D imaging (1) will lead to an intraoperative revision of pedicle screws and (2) may diminish the rate of perforated screws on postoperative imaging.Methods: 351 patients (age 60.9 ± 20.3 a (15-96); m/f 203/148) underwent dorsal instrumentation with intraoperative 3D imaging with 2215 pedicle screws at a trauma center level one. This study first evaluates the intraoperative imaging. After this, 501 screws in 73 patients (age 62.5 ± 19.7 a; m/f 47/26) of this collective were included in the study group (SG) and their postoperative computed tomography was evaluated with regard to screw position. Then 500 screws in 82 patients (age 64.8 ± 14.4 a; m/f 51/31) as control group (CG), who received the screws with conventional 2D fluoroscopy but without 3D imaging, were evaluated with regard to screw position. Results: During the placement of the 2215 pedicle screws 158 (7.0%) intraoperative revisions occurred as a result of 3D imaging. Postoperative computed tomography of the SG showed 445 (88.8%) screws without relevant perforation (type A+B), of which 410 (81.8%) could be classified as type A and 35 (7.0%) could be classified as type B. 56 (11.2%) screws in SG showed relevant perforation (type C-E). In contrast, 384 (76.8%) screws in the CG were without relevant perforation (type A+B), of which 282 (56.4%) could be classified as type A and 102 (20.4%) as type B. 116 (23.2%) screws in the CG showed relevant perforation (type C-E).Conclusion: This study shows that correct placement of pedicle screws in spine surgery with conventional 2D fluoroscopy is challenging. Misplacement of screws cannot always be prevented. Intraoperative 3D imaging with a CBCT can be helpful to detect and revise misplaced pedicle screws intraoperatively. The use of intraoperative 3D imaging will probably minimize the number of revision procedures due to perforating pedicle screws.
Cognitive Computing Integrated Methodology For Smart Decision Making And Problem-Solving
Authors: Liu Jingyuan
Published: September 2021

Cognitive computing is the field of intelligent computational study that imitates the brain process for computational intelligence. Decision-making is part of the cognitive process in which opportunities based on certain criteria are selected for a course of action. The choice is generally made using the intelligent assistance system that can turn human decision-making into Artificial Intelligence, system engineering, machine learning approaches. Many complicated real-world problems have been solved by the desire to replicate human intelligence into robots and progress in artificial intelligent technologies. Autonomous systems with machine cognition continuously develop by using enormous data volume and processing power. The cognitive computing system uses skill and awareness derived from knowledge and intelligent decision-making. In this paper, the cognitive computing-based human speech recognition framework (CC-HSRF) takes advantage of next-generation technologies to assist smart decision-making effectively. The proposed methods overview cognitive calculation and its historical perspectives, followed by several strategies to implement algorithms for intelligent decision-making using machine learning. Methods for effective knowledge processing are explored based on cognitive computing models such as Object-Attribute-Relation (OAR). It offers visual and cognitive analytics information, highlighting the framework of conceptual vision and its difficulties. This framework aims to increase the quality of artificial intelligent decision-making based on human perceptions, comprehensions, and actions to reduce business mistakes in the real world and ensure right, accurate, informed, and timely human decisions.
Excess S-Adenosylmethionine inhibits methylation via catabolism to adenine
Authors: Fukumoto Kazuki , Ito Kakeru , Saer Benjamin , Taylor George , Ye Shiqi , Mayu Yamano , Yuki Toriba , Hayes Andrew , Okamura Hitoshi , Fustin Jean-Michel
Published: September 2021

The global dietary supplement market is valued at around USD 100 billion. S-adenosylmethionine is available as a supplement to improve joints and “emotional well-being” in the US since 1999, and has been a prescription drug in Europe to treat depression and arthritis since 1975, but recent studies questioned its efficacy. In our body, S-adenosylmethionine is critical for the methylation of nucleic acids, histones and many other targets. It is believed that more S-adenosylmethionine is better since it would stimulate methylations and improve health. In many organisms, methyl metabolism is critical for biological rhythms, the extent of methylation deficiency being proportional to the magnitude of rhythm disruption. Here, using biological rhythms to assess the effects of exogenous S-adenosylmethionine, we reveal that excess S-adenosylmethionine disrupts rhythms and, rather than promoting methylation, is catabolized to adenine and methylthioadenosine, toxic methylation inhibitors. This prompts for a re-evaluation of S-adenosylmethionine’ s safety as a supplement.
Different Classification Approaches for Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Aggarwal Nikita , Saini Jasleen , Saini B.S. , Gupta Savita
Published: September 2021

Parkinson’s disease is perhaps the most well-known neurodegenerative disorder that mainly occurs due to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons and consists of motor/non-motor symptoms. The progression of the symptoms is often varying from one person to another to the diversity of the disease. The condition causes a huge burden both on those affected, as well as their families. Accurate diagnosis is critical and challenging but still, no specific diagnostic process is available. The computer-aided diagnosis techniques of signalling and imaging processing are very helpful in the prediction and classification of PD. This review gives a brief description of different methods of classification for early detection and also highlights the most profitable research directions by focusing on continuous monitoring patterns of daily activities, interactions, and routine that may provide the data on status changes, clinical management, and controlling self-correction
Fatigue Detection Post Physical Activity: A Review
Authors: Sharma Ashish , Sethi Gaurav
Published: September 2021

Construction work is purely effortful and the prevention of injuries at construction job sites is essential for encouraging worker’s well being and health which is generally overlooked at the construction sites. World’s construction industry is one amongst those having unsatisfactory work health issues. A large number of laborers and construction workers have to undergo fatigue risk at their job place as fatigue increases the risk of injury among construction workers. This paper describes the current state of the art of the research carried out in case of fatigue assessment after performing some physical activity providing an insight into fatigue, its detection and an overview of the causes of risk fatigue and its countermeasures. A number of subjective and objective fatigue assessment approaches have been used that have further stimulated the inclusion of latest and advanced approaches for fatigue detection. Although individual’s knowledge regarding the fatigue detection approaches has enhanced, there is as yet minimal research in the field of fatigue detection post physical activity at construction sites. This article provides a novel deep action recognition approach using deep extension based equilibrium with capsule auto encoder network for the detection of physiological fatigue among construction workers. The proposed method was tested on the dataset collected at the local construction sites in the form of videos.
Signature Matching For Seismic Signal Identification
Authors: Jadhav Pankaj , Datta Debabrata , Mukhopadhyay Siddhartha
Published: September 2021

Seismic signals can be classified as natural or manmade by matching signature of similar events that have occurred in the past. Waveform matching techniques can be effectively used for discrimination since the events with similar location and focal mechanism have similar waveform irrespective of magnitude. The seismic signals are inherently non-stationary in nature. The analysis of such signals can be best achieved in multiresolution framework by resolving the signal using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) in time-frequency plane. In this paper similarity testing and classification of nuclear explosion and earthquake are exploited with correlation, continuous wavelet transform, cross-wavelet transform and wavelet coherence (WC) of P phase of seismogram. Clustering of seismic signals continuous wavelet spectra is performed using maximum covariance analysis. The proposed classifier has an average classification accuracy of 94%.
Fabrication Process of MBCFET and its Characteristics
Authors: Zahra Amarah , Chaudhary Tarun , Shahid Farhana , Todawat Hritwik , Singh Vaishnawi , Sagar Vidhya , Sahani Vineeta
Published: September 2021

This paper demonstrates the fabrication process of a novel 3-D multibridge-channel MOSFET, using the conventional CMOS process. It contains a comparative study of I-V characteristics between planer MOSFET and MBCFET. It shows how conventional MBCFET has a disadvantage of poor gate bias control and leakage characteristics and how it can be avoided by using core insulator.