bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex, diabetes status and cognition: findings from the study of longevity in diabetes
Authors: Moran Chris , Gilsanz Paola , Beeri Michal S , Whitmer Rachel A , Lacy Mary E
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Women comprise two-thirds of people with dementia, making female sex a significant dementia risk factor. Both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are known dementia risk factors with an increasing global incidence. Understanding whether subtle sex differences persist in cognitive function prior to dementia in the context of diabetes may help elucidate the magnitude of sex effects on dementia risk.

Research design and methods

We examined cross-sectional data from the Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID), a prospective cohort study of members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California aged 60 years and older with T1D (n=758), T2D (n=232) and without either T1D or T2D (n=247). We used factor analysis to generate summary scores of cognitive domains and used regression analyses to examine the associations between sex and cognition adjusting for sociodemographic and cardiovascular confounders.

Results

We included 1237 participants (630 women and 607 men) with mean age 68 years. By design, the distribution of men and women in T1D, T2D and no diabetes was similar. Women had better cognitive performance than men in global cognition (β=0.21, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.26), language (β=0.08, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.15), executive function (β=0.13, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.20), episodic verbal memory (β=0.68, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.77) and attention (β=0.20, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.28) but not in episodic visual memory (β=0.006, 95% CI −0.07 to 0.09) adjusting for age and education independent of diabetes status. We did not find an interaction between sex and diabetes status for any of the cognitive outcomes.

Conclusions

Women in late mid-life have better cognitive performance than men in many cognitive domains independent of the presence of T1D or T2D. Further work is required to understand whether these differences change over time or in older cohorts and to understand their relationship to subsequent dementia.
Impact of mobile phone delivered reminders and unconditional incentives on measles-containing vaccine timeliness and coverage: a randomised controlled trial in western Kenya
Authors: Kagucia E Wangeci , Ochieng Benard , Were Joyce , Hayford Kyla , Obor David , O'Brien Katherine L , Gibson Dustin G
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Short message service (SMS) reminders coupled with a small monetary incentive conditioned on prompt vaccination have been shown to improve first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) uptake. We assessed whether SMS reminders and unconditional monetary incentives—more amenable to programmatic implementation—can improve MCV1 uptake in Kenya.

Methods

Caregivers of eligible infants aged 6–8 months were enrolled into an individually randomised controlled trial and assigned to receive either: no intervention (control), two SMS reminders (SMS) sent 3 days, and 1 day before the scheduled MCV1 date, or SMS reminders coupled with a Kenya Shilling (KES) 150 incentive (SMS +150 KES) sent 3 days before the scheduled MCV1 date. Study staff conducted a household follow-up visit at age 12 months to ascertain vaccination status. Log-binomial regression was used to estimate the relative and absolute difference in MCV1 timely coverage (by age 10 months), the primary outcome.

Results

Between 6 December 2016 and 31 March 2017, 179 infants were enrolled into each of the three study arms. Follow-up visits were completed between 19 April 2017 and 8 October 2017 for control (n=170), SMS (n=157) and SMS + 150 KES (n=158) children. MCV1 timely coverage was 68% among control arm infants compared with 78% in each intervention arm. This represented a non-statistically significant increase in the SMS arm (adjusted relative risk 1.13; 95% CI 0.99 to 1.30; p=0.070; adjusted risk difference 9.2%; 95% CI: −0.6 to 19.0%; p=0.066), but a statistically significant increase in the SMS + 150 KES arm (1.16; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.32; p=0.035; 10.6%; 95% CI 0.8 to 20.3%; p=0.034).

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the effect of SMS reminders coupled with a small unconditional monetary incentive on MCV1 uptake is comparable to that of SMS reminders alone, limiting their utility. Further studies in the absence of unexpected supply-side constraints are needed.

Trial registration number

NCT02904642
Factors associated with work-related burnout in NHS staff during COVID-19: a cross-sectional mixed methods study
Authors: Gemine Rachel , Davies Gareth R , Tarrant Suzanne , Davies Richard M , James Meryl , Lewis Keir
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To measure work-related burnout in all groups of health service staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors associated with work-related burnout.

Design

Cross-sectional staff survey.

Setting

All staff grades and types across primary and secondary care in a single National Health Service organisation.

Participants

257 staff members completed the survey, 251 had a work-related burnout score and 239 records were used in the regression analysis.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

(1) Work-related burnout as measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory; (2) factors associated with work-related burnout identified through a multiple linear regression model; and (3) factors associated with work-related burnout identified through thematic analysis of free text responses.

Results

After adjusting for other covariates (including age, sex, job, being able to take breaks and COVID-19 knowledge), we observed meaningful changes in work-related burnout associated with having different COVID-19 roles (p=0.03), differences in the ability to rest and recover during breaks (p<0.01) and having personal protective equipment concerns (p=0.04). Thematic analysis of the free text comments also linked burnout to changes in workload and responsibility and to a lack of control through redeployment and working patterns. Reduction in non-COVID-19 services has resulted in some members of staff feeling underutilised, with feelings of inequality in workload.

Conclusions

Our analyses support anecdotal reports of staff struggling with the additional pressures brought on by COVID-19. All three of the factors we found to be associated with work-related burnout are modifiable and hence their effects can be mitigated. When we next find ourselves in extraordinary times the ordinary considerations of rest and protection and monitoring of the impact of new roles will be more important than ever.
Cardiovascular risk factor mediation of the effects of education and Genetic Risk Score on cardiovascular disease: a prospective observational cohort study of the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Powell Katie L , Stephens Sebastien R , Stephens Alexandre S
Published: January 2021

Objectives

Level of education and genetic risk are key predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While several studies have explored the causal mechanisms of education effects, it remains uncertain to what extent genetic risk is mediated by established CVD risk factors. This study sought to investigate this and explored the mediation of education and genetic effects on CVD by established cardiovascular risk factors in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS).

Design

Prospective observational cohort study.

Participants

7017 participants from the FHS.

Setting

Community-based cohort of adults in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA.

Primary outcome measure

Incident CVD. The total effects of education and genetic predisposition using a 63-variant genetic risk score (GRS) on CVD, as well as those mediated by established CVD risk factors, were assessed via mediation analysis based on the counterfactual framework using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results

Over a median follow-up time of 12.0 years, 1091 participants experienced a CVD event. Education and GRS displayed significant associations with CVD after adjustment for age and sex and the established risk factors smoking, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diabetes. For education effects, smoking, HDL-C and SBP were estimated to mediate 18.8% (95% CI 9.5% to 43%), 11.5% (95% CI 5.7% to 29.0%) and 4.5% (95% CI 1.6% to 13.3%) of the total effect of graduate degree, respectively, with the collective of all risk factors combined mediating 38.5% (95% 24.1% to 64.9%). A much smaller proportion of the effects of GRS were mediated by established risk factors combined (17.6%, 95% CI 2.4% to 35.7%), with HDL-C and TC mediating 11.5% (95% CI 6.2% to 21.5%) and 3.1% (95% CI 0.2% to 8.3%), respectively.

Conclusions

Unlike education inequalities, established risk factors mediated only a fraction of GRS effects on CVD. Further research is required to elucidate the underlying causal mechanisms of genetic contributions to CVD.
Diagnostic performance of melanocytic markers for immunocytochemical evaluation of lymph-node melanoma metastases on cytological samples
Authors: Ronchi Andrea , Zito Marino Federica , Toni Giorgio , Pagliuca Francesca , Russo Daniela , Signoriello Giuseppe , Moscarella Elvira , Brancaccio Gabriella , Argenziano Giuseppe , Franco Renato , Cozzolino Immacolata
Published: January 2021

Aims

The diagnosis of metastatic cutaneous melanoma (CM) on lymph node fine needle aspiration samples may be challenging and usually requires confirmation by immunocytochemistry. However, the cytological material could be too scant to order a broad panel of markers. In this case, the pathologist is forced to choose the most advantageous antibodies. The most commonly used melanocytic markers include S100, Melan-A, HMB45 and SOX10 but their diagnostic yield on cytological samples has been poorly studied. The current work aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of melanocytic markers when applied to cell blocks obtained from fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of lymph node metastases from CM.

Methods

S100, Melan-A, HMB45 and SOX10 were tested on cell block sections of 38 lymphnode metastases from CM diagnosed by cytology. A combined score was built to evaluate each immunostaining, considering the intensity of the staining and the percentage of stained neoplastic cells.

Results

S100 and SOX10 revealed a higher sensitivity (100%) than Melan-A and HMB45 for the diagnosis of metastatic CM. Furthermore, SOX10 emerged as the melanocytic marker with the best staining performance.

Conclusion

SOX10 has a 100% detection rate and the most easily interpretable staining pattern compared with other melanocytic markers. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that SOX10 is included in the minimal immunocytochemical panel for the diagnostic evaluation of lymph node FNAC in patients with suspected CM metastasis.
Effects of cold water immersion on circulating inflammatory markers at the Kona Ironman World Championship
Authors: Bartley Jenna M , Stearns Rebecca L , Munoz Colleen , Nolan Julie K. , Radom-Aizik Shlomit , Maresh Carl M. , Casa Douglas J , Zaldivar Frank P. , Haddad Fadia , Ganio Matthew S. , Lee Elaine Choung-Hee
Published: January 2021

Cold water immersion (CWI) purportedly reduces inflammation and improves muscle recovery post exercise, yet its effectiveness in specific contexts (ultraendurance) remains unclear. Thus, our aim was to study hematological profiles, systemic inflammation, and muscle damage responses to a specific post race CWI (vs. control) during recovery after the Ironman® World Championship, a culmination of ~100,000 athletes competing in global qualifying Ironman® events each year. Twenty-nine competitors were randomized into CWI or control (CON) group. Physiological parameters and blood samples were taken pre race (BASE), after intervention (POST), and 24 (+1DAY) and 48 hours (+2DAY) following the race. Muscle damage markers (plasma myoglobin, serum creatine kinase) were elevated at POST, +1DAY, and +2DAY, while inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 and total leukocyte counts were increased only at POST. CWI had no effect on these markers. Numbers of the most abundant circulating cell type, neutrophils, were elevated at POST more so in CWI (p<0.05, vs. CON). Despite that neutrophil counts may be a sensitive marker to detect subtle effects, CWI does not affect recovery markers 24- and 48-hours post race (vs. CON). Overall, we determine that our short CWI protocol was not sufficient to improve recovery.
Novelty:
• Ironman World Championship event increased circulating muscle damage markers, inflammatory markers, and hematological parameters, including circulating immune cell sub-populations that recover 24-48 hours after the race.
• 12-min CWI post ultraendurance event affects the absolute numbers of neutrophils acutely, post race (vs. CON), but does not impact recovery 24- and 48-hours post race.
Environmental and genetic influences on fitness-related traits in a hatchery coho salmon population
Authors: Devlin Robert H. , Supernault Janine , Gezan Salvador A. , Chan Michelle T.T. , Wetklo Mike , Biagi Carlo A. , Sakhrani Dionne , Barnetson Stu , Dixon Glen , Tattersall Evelyn , Davidson William S. , Koop Ben F. , Willis David M. , Withler Ruth E.
Published: January 2021

Many natural and managed organisms will require substantial functional genetic variation to respond to selection in the face of rapid environmental change. Pacific salmon have experienced strong fluctuations in critical fitness traits over the past five decades. We examined genetic and phenotypic variability over three generations in a pedigreed hatchery population of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) by monitoring seven fitness-related traits. Three-year-old adult return numbers varied more than fivefold, and jack (2-year-old males) numbers varied 13-fold. Body sizes of Inch Creek coho salmon decreased consistently such that fish were only 40.7% as heavy in 2015 as in 2006, and female reproductive traits also decreased. During the study period, the majority of families produced returning adult progeny, and effective population size was relatively constant. Heritability estimates for phenotypic traits were significantly greater than zero except for condition factor, and the estimated heritability for jacking was 0.42. The Inch Creek coho salmon population harbours substantial heritability for fitness and reproductive traits and thus likely retains substantial capacity for adaptation despite many years of hatchery propagation.
Symmetry analysis with similarity reduction, new exact solitary wave solutions and conservation laws of (3 + 1)-dimensional extended quantum Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation in quantum physics
Authors: Vinita  , Ray S. Saha
Published: January 2021

A recently defined (3+1)-dimensional extended quantum Zakharov–Kuznetsov (QZK) equation is examined here by using the Lie symmetry approach. The Lie symmetry analysis has been used to obtain the varieties in invariant solutions of the extended Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation. Due to existence of arbitrary functions and constants, these solutions provide a rich physical structure. In this paper, the Lie point symmetries, geometric vector field, commutative table, symmetry groups of Lie algebra have been derived by using the Lie symmetry approach. The simplest equation method has been presented for obtaining the exact solution of some reduced transform equations. Finally, by invoking the new conservation theorem developed by Nail H. Ibragimov, the conservation laws of QZK equation have been derived.
Multiscale Cross-Recurrence Plot and Recurrence Quantification Analysis Based on Coarse-Grained
Authors: Huang A. Jingjing , Gu B. Danlei , He C. Qian
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we proposed multiscale cross-recurrence quantification analysis (MSCRQA) method to analyze the dynamic states of two time series at different time scales. We apply this method to model system (two coupled van der Pol oscillators) and real-world system (SSEC and SZSE). It demonstrates that the MSCRQA can show richer and more recognizable information compared with single time scale. The state of dynamics is different under different time scales. MSCRQA method shows another multiscale perspective to fully mine more hidden internal dynamic information of a time series. This method may provide another method reference for practical application to better explore the laws of the real world.
Tunnels for Protein Export from the Endoplasmic Reticulum
Authors: Raote I. , Malhotra V.
Published: January 2021

The functions of coat protein complex II (COPII) coats in cargo packaging and the creation of vesicles at the endoplasmic reticulum are conserved in eukaryotic protein secretion. Standard COPII vesicles, however, cannot handle the secretion of metazoan-specific cargoes such as procollagens, apolipoproteins, and mucins. Metazoans have thus evolved modules centered on proteins like TANGO1 (transport and Golgi organization 1) to engage COPII coats and early secretory pathway membranes to engineer a novel mode of cargo export at the endoplasmic reticulum.
Recent Developments in the Field of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins: Intrinsic Disorder–Based Emergence in Cellular Biology in Light of the Physiological and Pathological Liquid–Liquid Phase Transitions
Authors: Uversky Vladimir N.
Published: January 2021

This review deals with two important concepts—protein intrinsic disorder and proteinaceous membrane-less organelles (PMLOs). The past 20 years have seen an upsurge of scientific interest in these phenomena. However, neither are new discoveries made in this century, but instead are timely reincarnations of old ideas that were mostly ignored by the scientific community for a long time. Merging these concepts in the form of the intrinsic disorder–based biological liquid–liquid phase separation provides a basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms of PMLO biogenesis.
Cascaded Biocatalysis and Bioelectrocatalysis: Overview and Recent Advances
Authors: Lee Yoo Seok , Lim Koun , Minteer Shelley D.
Published: January 2021

Enzyme cascades are plentiful in nature, but they also have potential in artificial applications due to the possibility of using the target substrate in biofuel cells, electrosynthesis, and biosensors. Cascade reactions from enzymes or hybrid bioorganic catalyst systems exhibit extended substrate range, reaction depth, and increased overall performance. This review addresses the strategies of cascade biocatalysis and bioelectrocatalysis for ( a) CO2 fixation, ( b) high value-added product formation, ( c) sustainable energy sources via deep oxidation, and ( d) cascaded electrochemical enzymatic biosensors. These recent updates in the field provide fundamental concepts, designs of artificial electrocatalytic oxidation-reduction pathways (using a flexible setup involving organic catalysts and engineered enzymes), and advances in hybrid cascaded sensors for sensitive analyte detection.
Refining Sparse Cell-ID Trajectory of Public Service Vehicles by Spatiotemporal Modelling
Authors: Zhu Kemin , Liu Junli , Song Xianfeng , Wang Weifeng , Chen Hao
Published: January 2021

Mobile phone data have become a critical data source for transportation research. While a cell-id trajectory was routinely reorganized by International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), it potentially allows to analyze transportation behaviors and social interaction of total population, with a full temporal coverage at low cost. However, cell-id trajectory is often sparse due to low reporting frequency and uncertainness of mobile holders’ position. So, the cell-id trajectory refinement has been recognized as challenging work to further facilitate trajectory data mining. This paper presents a comprehensive approach to identify cell-id trajectories of public service vehicles (PSVs) from large volume of trajectories and further refines these cell-id trajectories by a heuristic global optimization approach. The modified longest common subsequence (LCSS) method is used to match a cell-id trajectory and a public transportation route (PTR) and correspondingly calculates their similarities for determining whether the trajectory is PSV mode or not. Taking full advantages of the nature of a PSV tends to move on the PTR in uniform motion to meet a prescript visit to stops, a heuristic global optimization approach is deployed to build a spatiotemporal model of a PSV motion, which estimates new locations of cell-id trajectories on the PTR. The approach was finally tested using Beijing cellular network signaling datasets. The precision of PSV trajectory detection is 90%, and the recall is 88%. Evaluated by our GNSS-logged trajectories, the mean absolute error (MAE) of refined PSV trajectories is 144.5 m and the standard deviation (St. Dev) is 81.8 m. It shows a significant improvement in comparison of traditional interpolation methods.
University Course Timetabling Problem with Professor Assignment
Authors: Arratia-Martinez Nancy Maribel , Maya-Padron Cristina , Avila-Torres Paulina A.
Published: January 2021

One of the decision problems in many organizations and institutions is to decide how to schedule different tasks, in particular, in higher education institutions. One of the main problems is the university course timetabling problem (UCTP): this problem consists of the allocation of events (courses, professors, and students) to a number of fixed time slots and rooms, this at the beginning of each academic period of the universities. The existent formulations include particular requirements from different educational levels and institutions, as in our case. In this paper, we focus on the university course timetabling problem with the assignment of professor-course-time slot for an institution in Mexico. Timetabling is constructed for the disciplinary courses that are offered by one of the academic departments. The main characteristics are as follows: (1) there are full-time and part-time professors; (2) a mandatory fixed number of courses has to be assigned to each full-time professor according to their academic profile; (3) there is a maximum number of courses assigned to part-time professors; (4) a professor-course matrix that specifies the valid assignation is defined; and (5) mandatory time periods for courses in different semesters are established and other traditional constraints. We present the integer linear programming model proposed to solve the case studied. The optimal solution was obtained with low computational effort through the classical branch-and-bound algorithm. We describe the complete timetable to show the model effectiveness.
A Verifiable Steganography-Based Secret Image Sharing Scheme in 5G Networks
Authors: Qin Shiyue , Tan Zhenhua , Zhou Fucai , Xu Jian , Zhang Zongye
Published: January 2021

With the development and innovation of new techniques for 5G, 5G networks can provide extremely large capacity, robust integrity, high bandwidth, and low latency for multimedia image sharing and storage. However, it will surely exacerbate the privacy problems intrinsic to image transformation. Due to the high security and reliability requirements for storing and sharing sensitive images in the 5G network environment, verifiable steganography-based secret image sharing (SIS) is attracting increasing attention. The verifiable capability is necessary to ensure the correct image reconstruction. From the literature, efficient cheating verification, lossless reconstruction, low reconstruct complexity, and high-quality stego images without pixel expansion are summarized as the primary goals of proposing an effective steganography-based SIS scheme. Compared with the traditional underlying techniques for SIS, cellular automata (CA) and matrix projection have more strengths as well as some weaknesses. In this paper, we perform a complimentary of these two techniques to propose a verifiable secret image sharing scheme, where CA is used to enhance the security of the secret image, and matrix projection is used to generate shadows with a smaller size. From the steganography perspective, instead of the traditional least significant bits replacement method, matrix encoding is used in this paper to improve the embedding efficiency and stego image quality. Therefore, we can simultaneously achieve the above goals and achieve proactive and dynamic features based on matrix projection. Such features can make the proposed SIS scheme more applicable to flexible 5G networks. Finally, the security analysis illustrates that our scheme can effectively resist the collusion attack and detect the shadow tampering over the persistent adversary. The analyses for performance and comparative demonstrate that our scheme is a better performer among the recent schemes with the perspective of functionality, visual quality, embedding ratio, and computational efficiency. Therefore, our scheme further strengthens security for the images in 5G networks.
Late-Onset Neutropenia in Long-Term Clozapine Use and Its Management Utilizing Prophylactic G-CSF
Authors: O’ Neill Eimear , Carolan Deirdre , Kennedy Sarah , Barry Sandra
Published: January 2021

This case outlines recurrent neutropenia after fourteen years of successful clozapine use. The patient has a diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia which has been complicated by sensitivity to side effects of haloperidol and past failure of antipsychotics to manage her symptoms. It was necessary for our patient to follow a complicated treatment path involving close monitoring of blood levels, admissions, the initiation of lithium and the regular use of filgrastim (Neupogen), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). Following a failure of rescue filgrastim to increase her neutrophil levels, a management protocol was designed with input from the on-site hematology team. This protocol involved the use of filgrastim on a regular prophylactic basis. This management plan has worked for the patient who has been able to continue use of clozapine and has not suffered from any neutropenic episodes in over six months.
[Retracted] Application of Remote Sensing Image Data Scene Generation Method in Smart City
Authors: Xu Yuanjin
Published: January 2021

Remote sensing image simulation is a very effective method to verify the feasibility of sensor devices for ground observation. The key to remote sensing image application is that simultaneous interpreting of remote sensing images can make use of the different characteristics of different data, eliminate the redundancy and contradiction between different sensors, and improve the timeliness and reliability of remote sensing information extraction. The hotspots and difficulties in this direction are based on remote sensing image simulation of 3D scenes on the ground. Therefore, constructing the 3D scene model on the ground rapidly and accurately is the focus of current research. Because different scenes have different radiation characteristics, therefore, when using MATLAB to write a program generated by 3D scenes, 3D scenes must be saved as different text files according to different scene types, and then extension program of the scene is written to solve the defect that the calculation efficiency is not ideal due to the huge amount of data. This paper uses POV ray photon reverse tracking software to simulate the imaging process of remote sensing sensors, coordinate transformation is used to convert a triangle text file to POV ray readable information and input the RGB value of the base color based on the colorimetry principle, and the final 3D scene is visualized. This paper analyzes the thermal radiation characteristics of the scene and proves the rationality of the scene simulation. The experimental results show that introducing the chroma in the visualization of the scene model makes the whole scene have not only fidelity, but also radiation characteristics in shape and color. This is indispensable in existing 3D modeling and visualization studies. Compared with the complex radiation transmission method, using the multiple angle two‐dimensional image generated by POV rays to analyze the radiation characteristics of the scene, the result is intuitive and easy to understand.
Tantalum Particles Induced Cytotoxic and Inflammatory Effects in Human Monocytes
Authors: Yang Yajie , Zhang Yaokun , Kang Yiyuan , Hu Chen , Zhang Yanli , Liang Huimin , You Jie , Shao Longquan
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study is to evaluate the biological safety of tantalum (Ta) particles and to further explore the effects of Ta particles on human monocyte toxicity and inflammatory cytokine expression. Human monocyte leukemia (THP‐1) cells were cultured with Ta and hydroxyapatite (HA) particles. Cell counting kit‐8 method was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Ta and HA particles. The apoptosis effects were evaluated by flow cytometry, and the protein expression levels of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) were evaluated by ELISA. The protein levels of inflammation‐related signaling pathways including nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) were detected by western blotting. The cytotoxicity test showed that the toxicity level of Ta in vitro was grade l, which is within the clinically acceptable range. Compared with the HA control, Ta had no significant effect on THP‐1 cell apoptosis, IL‐6, and TNF‐α release. The phosphorylated levels of NF‐κB and ERK at 3 h in the Ta group were lower than those in the HA and control groups (P < 0.001 both). These results reveal Ta particles behave good biosafety properties and provide some new insights for the future clinical use of Ta.
Frictional Pressure Drop and Liquid Holdup of Churn Flow in Vertical Pipes with Different Viscosities
Authors: Liu Zilong , Su Yubin , Lu Ming , Zheng Zilong , Liao Ruiquan
Published: January 2021

Churn flow commonly exists in the pipe of heavy oil, and the characteristics of churn flow should be widely understood. In this paper, we carried out air and viscous oil two-phase flow experiments, and the diameter of the test section is 60 mm. The viscosity range of the oil was 100~480 mPa·s. Based on the measured liquid holdup and pressure drop data of churn flow, it can be concluded that, due to the existence of liquid film backflow, positive and negative frictional pressure drop can be found and the change of frictional pressure drop with the superficial gas velocity is related to superficial liquid velocity. With the increase of viscosity, the change rate of frictional pressure drop increases with the increase of the superficial gas velocity. Combining our previous work and the Taitel model, we proposed a new pressure drop model for viscous oil-air two-phase churn flow in vertical pipes. By comparing the predicted values of existing models with the measured pressure drop data, the proposed model has better performance in predicting the pressure drop.
Weighted Nuclear Norm Minimization on Multimodality Clustering
Authors: Du Lei , Dai Songsong , Song Haifeng , Chuang Yuelong , Xu Yingying
Published: January 2021

Generally, multimodality data contain different potential information available and are capable of providing an enhanced analytical result compared to monosource data. The way to combine the data plays a crucial role in multimodality data analysis which is worth investigating. Multimodality clustering, which seeks a partition of the data in multiple views, has attracted considerable attention, for example, robust multiview spectral clustering (RMSC) explicitly handles the possible noise in the transition probability matrices associated with different views. Spectral clustering algorithm embeds the input data into a low-dimensional representation by dividing the clustering problem into

k

subproblems, and the corresponding eigenvalue reflects the loss of each subproblem. So, the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix should be treated differently, while RMSC regularizes each singular value equally when recovering the low-rank matrix. In this paper, we propose a multimodality clustering algorithm which recovers the low-rank matrix by weighted nuclear norm minimization. We also propose a method to evaluate the weight vector by learning a shared low-rank matrix. In our experiments, we use several real-world datasets to test our method, and experimental results show that the proposed method has a better performance than other baselines.
Compact Stars Admitting Noether Symmetries in Energy-Momentum Squared Gravity
Authors: Sharif M. , Gul M. Zeeshan
Published: January 2021

This paper investigates the geometry of compact stellar objects through the Noether symmetry approach in the energy-momentum squared gravity. This newly developed theory overcomes the problems of big bang singularity and provides the viable cosmological consequences in the early time universe. Moreover, its implications occur in high curvature regime where the deviations of energy-momentum squared gravity from general relativity is confirmed. We consider the minimal coupling model of this modified theory and formulate symmetry generators as well as corresponding conserved quantities. We use conservation relation and apply some suitable initial conditions to evaluate the metric potentials. Finally, we explore some interesting features of the compact objects for appropriate values of the model parameters through numeric analysis. It is found that compact stellar objects in this particular framework depend on the model parameters as well as conserved quantities. We conclude that Noether symmetries generate solutions that are consistent with the astrophysical observational data and hence confirm the viability of this procedure.
Nuclear and Detector Sensitivities for Neutrinoless Double Beta-Decay Experiments
Authors: Ejiri Hiroyasu
Published: January 2021

Neutrinoless double beta-decay (DBD) is of current interest in high-sensitivity frontiers of particle physics. The decay is very sensitive to Majorana neutrino masses, neutrino CP phases, right-handed weak interactions, and others, which are beyond the standard electroweak model. DBDs are actually ultrarare events, and thus, DBD experiments with ultrahigh sensitivity are required. Critical discussions are presented on nuclear and detector sensitivities for high-sensitivity DBD experiments to study the neutrino masses in the normal and inverted mass hierarchies.
Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Properties of Thymus satureioides Coss.
Authors: El Hachlafi Naoufal , Chebat Abderrahim , Fikri-Benbrahim Kawtar
Published: January 2021

Thymus satureioides Coss. (Lamiaceae) is a Moroccan medicinal plant locally known as “Azkouni” or “Zaitra.” It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, including hypertension, diabetes, cold, fever, dermatological and circulatory disorders, immune problems, bronchitis, nociception, cooling, pharyngitis, cough, and influenza. The current review aims to critically summarize the literature on ethnopharmacological uses, chemical profile, and pharmacological investigations of T. satureioides in order to provide data support and scientific evidences for further investigations. Electronic databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Medline were used to gather data on T. satureioides. Chemical characterization of T. satureioides essential oils (EOs) and extracts allowed to identify a total of 139 bioactive compounds, mainly belonging to the terpenoids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids classes. T. satureioides especially its essential oils exhibited numerous biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, antiparasitic, and hypolipedemic activities. In light of these findings, further studies to transmute the traditional application of T. satureioides into scientific-based information are strongly required. Additional in vivo pharmacological studies are recommended to validate the results of the in vitro studies. Moreover, comprehensive preclinical and clinical trials on the pharmacological mechanisms of action of this plant and its bioactive compounds on molecular targets should be performed. Finally, more efforts must be focused on toxicological assessments and pharmacokinetic studies, in order to ensure the safety and the efficiency of T. satureioides.
“Orofacial Dystonia—A Silent Killer”: Mandibular Fractures with Orofacial Dystonia, A Report of a Case and Review
Authors: Shukla Anand deep , Srikanth G. , Chitra A. , Singh Anupam , Nayak Sunil
Published: January 2021

Mandibular parasymphysis fracture is very commonly observed especially in old age when there is resorptions of the alveolar ridges. In cervical dystonia, there is centrally mediated disease in which there is uncontrolled and spasmodic contraction of the facial and the masticatory muscles. Due to the application of this sudden and uncontrolled force, there is a tendency of the bone to unfavourably remodel and weaken. The case presented here is of a geriatric patient who presented to us with a fracture at the right parasymphysis and left dentoalveolar region of the mandible and was suffering from cervical dystonia. Management of this case posed a challenge in every step, and it needed a resurgery where the fracture was managed by the placement of reconstruction plate. Not many cases in the literature have been reported where dystonic movements have resulted in the fracture of the mandible.
The Growth of Yeast and Fungi, the Formation of β-Glucan, and the Antibacterial Activities during Soybean Fermentation in Producing Tempeh
Authors: Rizal Samsul , Kustyawati Maria Erna , Murhadi  , Hasanudin Udin
Published: January 2021

Generally, the microorganism involved in soybean fermentation for the production of tempeh is Rhizopus oligosporus. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of β-glucan-producing yeast, is known to be present and grow in the fermentation process. This study was aimed at investigating yeast and fungal growth dynamics, β-glucan formation, and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli during the fermentation after adding S. cerevisiae as an inoculum. The Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was applied with two treatments and three repetitions. Three types of starter culture were S. cerevisiae, R. oligosporus, and the combination of both. The second treatment was fermentation time at room temperature (

30
±

2

°

C

) for 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40 hours. The dynamics were observed every eight hours. The obtained data were tested using Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test. The results indicated that yeast grew during this process from a single S. cerevisiae culture and a mixture of R. oligosporus and S. cerevisiae, but not from R. oligosporus alone. The yeast grew during and until the end of fermentation and decreased after 32 hours in the mixed cultures. The β-glucan formed in tempeh with all types of inoculum, but the antimicrobial activity against E. coli increased with fermentation time and was significantly different between treatments. The highest β-glucan content and antibacterial activity of tempeh are from the mixed culture. In conclusion, the addition of S. cerevisiae and R. oligosporus in soybean fermentation produced tempeh with the highest β-glucan content and antibacterial activity against E. coli. The presence of β-glucans suggests higher health benefits of tempeh.
GSTM1 Modulates Expression of Endothelial Adhesion Molecules in Uremic Milieu
Authors: Jerotic Djurdja , Suvakov Sonja , Matic Marija , Alqudah Abdelrahim , Grieve David J. , Pljesa-Ercegovac Marija , Savic-Radojevic Ana , Damjanovic Tatjana , Dimkovic Nada , McClements Lana , Simic Tatjana
Published: January 2021

Deletion polymorphism of glutathione S‐transferase M1 (GSTM1), a phase II detoxification and antioxidant enzyme, increases susceptibility to end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among ESRD patients and leads to their shorter cardiovascular survival. The mechanisms by which GSTM1 downregulation contributes to oxidative stress and inflammation in endothelial cells in uremic conditions have not been investigated so far. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the effects of GSTM1 knockdown on oxidative stress and expression of a panel of inflammatory markers in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to uremic serum. Additionally, we aimed to discern whether GSTM1-null genotype is associated with serum levels of adhesion molecules in ESRD patients. HUVECs treated with uremic serum exhibited impaired redox balance characterized by enhanced lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities, independently of the GSTM1 knockdown. In response to uremic injury, HUVECs exhibited alteration in the expression of a series of inflammatory cytokines including retinol‐binding protein 4 (RBP4), regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), C‐reactive protein (CRP), angiogenin, dickkopf‐1 (Dkk‐1), and platelet factor 4 (PF4). GSTM1 knockdown in HUVECs showed upregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), a cytokine involved in the regulation of monocyte migration and adhesion. These cells also have shown upregulated intracellular and vascular cell adhesion molecules (ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1). In accordance with these findings, the levels of serum ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1 (sICAM‐1 and sVCAM‐1) were increased in ESRD patients lacking GSTM1, in comparison with patients with the GSTM1-active genotype. Based on these results, it may be concluded that incubation of endothelial cells in uremic serum induces redox imbalance accompanied with altered expression of a series of cytokines involved in arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. The association of GSTM1 downregulation with the altered expression of adhesion molecules might be at least partly responsible for the increased susceptibility of ESRD patients to CVD.
A High-Power Pulse Generator Based on Pulse Forming Network and Linear Transformer
Authors: Li Mingjia , Kang Qiang , Tan Jie , Luo Min , Xiang Fei
Published: January 2021

With the development of high-power microwave technology, the output power of the pulse generator is required more and more higher. In this paper, it is realized by increasing the output power of the module while the output impedance of the module changes little. The module of the generator is based on pulse forming network (PFN) and linear transformer (LT). Four Blumlein PFNs with arc-type configuration and 24 Ω characteristic impedance were connected symmetrically to the primary coil of the LTD and driven by two identical laser triggered spark switches to ensure four Blumlein PFNs synchronizing operation. On this basis, a two-stage high-power pulse generator based on PFN-LT is developed. The following technical parameters of the generator were achieved on a 12 Ω high-power solid resistor: output voltage amplitude of ∼250 kV and output power of ∼5.2 GW at a repetition rate of 5 Hz.
Influence of Ultrasonic Activation on the Physicochemical Properties of Calcium Silicate-Based Cements
Authors: Acris De Carvalho Fredson Márcio , Silva-Sousa Yara Teresinha Corrêa , Saraiva Miranda Carlos Eduardo , Miller Calderon Paulo Henrique , Barbosa Ana Flávia Simões , Domingues De Macedo Luciana Martins , Abi Rached-Junior Fuad Jacob
Published: January 2021

Purpose. To evaluate the influence of ultrasonic activation on the physicochemical properties of setting time (ST), flow (FL), dimensional change (DC), and solubility (SL) of the cements: MTA, MTA Repair HP, and Biodentine®. Materials and Methods. Two experimental groups were formed according to the cement activation protocol: without ultrasonic activation and with ultrasonic activation. Cements were manipulated according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Ultrasonic activation group was performed with an E1 insert at power 3 (24–32 kHz) for 30 s directly in the center of the cement mass. The molds for analysis of the physicochemical properties were filled out and evaluated according to specification No. 57 from ANSI/ADA. The results were analyzed using the ANOVA test (two-way), complemented by Tukey’s test (α = 0.05). The distilled water used during the solubility test was submitted to spectrometry to verify the release of calcium ions. The morphologies of the external surface and the cross-section of the samples were analyzed by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results. For the ST, ultrasonic activation reduced the values of MTA, MTA Repair HP, and Biodentine (

P
<
0.05

). For the FL, ultrasonic activation did not alter the flow of MTA (

P
>
0.05

); however, it increased the flow MTA Repair HP and Biodentine (

P
<
0.05

). For the DC, the percentage values of dimensional change were higher when there was ultrasonic activation in all repair cements (

P
<
0.05

). For SL, there was a reduction in the percentage of the values in MTA and MTA Repair HP (

P
<
0.05

); however, there was no change in the values of Biodentine (

P
>
0.05

). Ultrasonic activation favored the release of calcium ions from all cements. The SEM analysis showed, in general, that the ultrasonic activation reduced and altered the particle shape of the cement. Conclusions. The ultrasonic activation interfered in the ST, DC, FL, ultrastructural morphology, and calcium release of the repair cements. However, it did not affect the solubility of Biodentine®.
Deformation-Induced and Reaction-Enhanced Permeability in Metabasic Gneisses, Iona, Scotland: Controls and Scales of Retrograde Fluid Movement
Authors: Dempster Tim J. , Hollinsworth Allan D. , McIntosh Euan , Edgar Shannon , Faithfull John W. , Koehn Daniel
Published: January 2021

The spatial distribution of greenschist-facies retrograde reaction products in metabasic gneisses from Iona, western Scotland, has been investigated. The retrograde products may be broadly accounted for by a single reaction, but their different spatial and temporal development indicates that a series of reactions occur with significantly different scales of metasomatic transfer. After initial fluid influx linked to deformation-induced high permeability, reaction-enhanced permeability, coupled to cycling of fluid pressure during faulting, strongly controls the pervasive retrogression. Ca-plagioclase and pyroxene in the gneisses are replaced by albite and chlorite in pseudomorphic textures, and this is followed by localized epidotization of the albite. Two main generations of epidote are formed in the gneisses. Epidosite formation is associated with prominent zones of cataclasite indicating a strong link between faulting and fluid influx. In contrast, complete alteration of albite to epidote in the host metabasic gneisses is spatially complex, and areas of pervasive alteration may be constrained by both epidote-rich veins and cataclasites. In other instances, reaction fronts are unrelated to structural features. Volume changes associated with individual stages of the reaction history strongly control the localized distribution of epidote and the earlier more widespread development of chlorite and albite. Such behaviour contrasts with adjacent granitic gneisses where epidotization is restricted to local structural conduits. Many small-scale mineralized fractures with evidence of having previously contained fluids do not enhance the pervasive retrogression of the metabasic gneisses and represent conduits of fluid removal. Retrogression of these basement gneisses is dominated by a complex combination of reaction-enhanced and reaction-restricted permeability, kinetic controls on the nucleation of reaction products, changes in fluid composition buffered by the reactions, and periodic local migration of fluids associated with fault movements. This combination generates spatially complex patterns of epidotization that are limited by cation supply rather than fluid availability and alternations between focused and pervasive types of retrogression.