bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical Study on the Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Al2O3-water Nanofluids in Microchannels of Different Aspect Ratio
Authors: Wu Huajie , Zhang Shanwen
Published: July 2021

The study of the influence of the nanoparticle volume fraction and aspect ratio of microchannels on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids in microchannels is important in the optimal design of heat dissipation systems with high heat flux. In this work, the computational fluid dynamics method was adopted to simulate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of two types of water–Al2O3 nanofluids with two different volume fractions and five types of microchannel heat sinks with different aspect ratios. Results showed that increasing the nanoparticle volume fraction reduced the average temperature of the liquid–solid heat transfer surface and thereby improved the heat transfer capacity of the nanofluids. Meanwhile, the increase of the nanoparticle volume fraction led to a considerable increase in the pumping power of the system. Changing the aspect ratio of the microchannel effectively improved the heat transfer capacity of the heat sink. Moreover, increasing the aspect ratio effectively reduced the average temperature of the heating surface of the heat sink without significantly increasing the flow resistance loss. When the aspect ratio exceeded 30, the heat transfer coefficient did not increase with the increase of the aspect ratio. The results of this work may offer guiding significance for the optimal design of high heat flux microchannel heat sinks.
Cocaine Detection by a Laser-induced Immunofluorometric Biosensor
Authors: Paul Martin , Tannenberg Robert , Tscheuschner Georg , Wilke Marco , Weller Michael G.
Published: July 2021

The trafficking of illegal drugs by criminal networks at borders, harbors, or airports is an increasing issue in public health as these routes ensure the main supply of illegal drugs. The prevention of drug smuggling, including the installation of scanners and other analytical devices to detect ultra-small traces of drugs within a reasonable time frame, remains a challenge. The presented immunosensor is based on a monolithic affinity column with a large excess of immobilized hapten, which traps fluorescently labeled antibodies as long as the analyte cocaine is absent. In the presence of the drug, some binding sites of the antibody will be blocked, which leads to an immediate breakthrough of the labeled protein, detectable by highly sensitive laser-induced fluorescence with the help of a Peltier-cooled complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera. Liquid handling is performed with high-precision syringe pumps and microfluidic chip-based mixing devices and flow cells. The biosensor achieved limits of detection of 23 pM (7 ppt) of cocaine with a response time of 90 seconds and a total assay time below 3 minutes. With surface wipe sampling, the biosensor was able to detect 300 pg of cocaine. This immunosensor belongs to the most sensitive and fastest detectors for cocaine and offers near-continuous analyte measurement.
Development and Pilot Testing of the Transgender and Gender Diverse Fertility Preservation Knowledge Scale
Authors: Rivera Denise , Jukkala Angela , Mistretta Katherine , Starke Willa
Published: July 2021

Little is known about fertility preservation within the TGD community. Few receive adequate counseling placing them at risk for decision regret. The goal of this project was to develop, and pilot test the Transgender Fertility Preservation Knowledge Scale (TFPKS) to support the development and evaluation of health education resources. A community engaged; cross sectional retrospective design was used. Participants (n=189) provided information describing demographics, healthcare decision-making preferences, experiences/knowledge of fertility preservation, and treatment decision regret. The sample included 189 TGD adults. Most were white and aged 26-35 (33.3%) and not offered a consultation (73.0%). Many (41.2%) report they would have participated if offered. Knowledge regarding fertility preservation to support this desire was low. Most participants identified a patient-centered (69.4%) decision making preference. Much remains to address the healthcare inequities within the TGD population regarding fertility preservation. Overall participants had low levels of knowledge to support decision making. Further, healthcare system and individual barriers to fertility preservation remain prevalent. A foundational step towards addressing these disparities, is the identification of a valid and reliable instrument to measure TGD knowledge of fertility preservation.
Decreased Fatty Acid Transporter FABP1 and Increased Isoprostanes and Neuroprostanes in the Human Term Placenta: Implications for Inflammation and Birth Weight in Maternal Pre-Gestational Obesity
Authors: Belcastro Livia , Ferreira Carolina S. , Saraiva Marcelle A. , Mucci Daniela B. , Murgia Antonio , Lai Carla , Vigor Claire , Oger Camille , Galano Jean-Marie , Pinto Gabriela D.A. , Griffin Julian L. , Torres Alexandre G. , Durand Thierry , Burton Graham J. , Sardinha Fátima L.C. , El-Bacha Tatiana
Published: July 2021

The rise in prevalence of obesity in women of reproductive age in both developed and developing countries might propagate intergenerational cycles of detrimental effects on metabolic health, contributing to substantial economic burden on society. Placental lipid metabolism might be disrupted by maternal obesity, which possibly affects the life-long health of the offspring. Here, we investigated placental lipid metabolism and handling from women with pre-gestational obesity as a sole pregnancy complication and compared to placental responses of lean women. Open profile and targeted lipidomics were used to assess placental lipids and oxidized products of docosahexahenoic acid (DHA), neuroprostanes, and arachidonic acid (AA), isoprostanes. Placental fatty acid transporters FABP1, FABP3 and endothelial lipase protein were measured. Despite no signs of overall alterations in lipid content, increased contents of DHA, AA, DHA-derived neuroprostanes and AA-derived isoprostanes and decreased content of FABP1 protein were found in placentas from obese women. Multivariate analyses suggested that these oxidised fatty acids are associated with maternal and placental inflammation and also with birth weight. These results might shed light on the molecular mechanisms associated with altered fatty acid metabolism and lipid handling in maternal pre-gestational obesity, placing these oxidized fatty acids as novel mediators of placental function.
Photoacoustic Imaging for Periodontal Disease Examination
Authors: Mitrayana Mitrayana , Sari Atika Windra , Widyaningrum Rini
Published: July 2021

Inflammation of the periodontal tissue (periodontitis) is the highest problem of oral health in Indonesia after caries. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a new imaging technique that can be simply constructed using a diode laser combined with a condenser microphone. This study aims to determine that a simple PAI system was able to image periodontal disease in animal model. Samples of the study were normal periodontal and periodontitis tissue, obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats that were divided into four groups, i.e. the control group, treatment group 1 (7 days periodontitis induction), treatment group 2 (11 days periodontitis induction), and treatment group 3 (14 days periodontitis induction). The PAI system was controlled by Labview and Arduino IDE software from a personal computer. Results of the study reveal that the optimal frequency of laser modulation for periodontal tissue imaging was 19 kHz with duty cycle of 50%. Photoacoustic (PA) intensity was obtained from higher to lower of -68,71 dB (treatment group 3), -70,69 dB (treatment group 2), -71,69 dB (treatment group 1), and -73,07 dB (control group) respectively. The photoacoustic images were analyzed to define the contrast between sample and media. The PA intensity of the samples were higher than media. Therefore, this study demonstrate the feasibility of simple PAI system to differentiate normal periodontal tissue and periodontitis.
The effect of paternalist leadership style of principals on the professional burnout of special education teachers
Authors: Küçükgöz Mehmet
Published: July 2021

This study was applied to determine whether the paternalist leadership of school principals affected the burnout levels of special education teachers. The research was carried out with mixed method. 192 teachers participated in the quantitative dimension and 25 teachers and 25 principals participated in the qualitative dimension. Paternalist Leadership Scale, Maslach Burnout Scale and Semi-Structured Question Set were used. In the research, it was determined that teachers' perception of paternalist leadership is high and their burnout levels are low.  It was determined that variables of gender, age and working year did not make a significant difference on teachers' paternalist leadership perception. However, these variables cause a significant difference on teachers' professional burnout. It was determined that there was a moderately negative relationship between teachers' paternalist leadership perceptions and their burnout. As the paternalist leadership levels of the principals’ increase, the burnout of the teachers decreases. It was revealed in qualitative findings that teachers define their principals just like a paternalist leader using father and boss metaphors, and the benevolent attitudes of the principals reduce teachers' burnout. A supportive result in qualitative findings is this; it was determined that the paternalist leadership style of principals prevented insensitivity from burnout dimensions in teachers.
Comparative Analysis of the Immunogenic Activity of the Plague Vaccine Depending on the Growing Medium
Authors: Gostishcheva S. E. , Abzaeva N. V. , Rakitina E. L. , Ponomarenko D. G. , Kostyuchenko M. V. , Katunina L. S. , Logvinenko O. V. , Ivanova G. F. , Kurilova A. A.
Published: July 2021

The aim was to carry out a comparative analysis of the immunogenic activity of the live plague vaccine obtained on various nutrient media.

Materials and methods. The subject of the study was the blood of outbred white mice immunized with a series of live plague vaccine based on Yersinia pestis EV NIIEG strain, produced using experimental and regulated nutrient media. The immunogenic activity of vaccines was studied through flow cytometry. The intensity of antigen-reactivity of lymphocytes was determined in cell tests in vitro, analyzing the early activation marker CD25+ . For the specific activation of lymphocytes, a complex of water-soluble antigens of the plague microbe was used. To identify the interdependence between the presence of protective anti-plague immunity and the level of CD 25+ expression intensity, the ED50 of the series under study was determined by the standard method.

Results and discussion. A comparative analysis of the immunogenic activity of the live plague vaccine obtained on the experimental nutrient medium with the vaccine produced on Hottinger’s agar has been performed. When animals were immunized with doses of 4·103 , 2·104 and 1·105 live microbial cells (regulated doses), the highest level of expression of CD25 marker by lymphocytes was on the day 14, with a subsequent decrease on the day 21 after vaccination. When determining immunogenicity using the conventional method, a high degree of direct correlation between the number of surviving animals and an increase in the level of lymphocytes expressing markers of early activation has been established. Comparison has revealed the general pattern: when the lowest immunizing dose (8·102 ) was administered, activation of early immunity markers was not observed. In case of immunization with higher doses on days 7, 14 and 21, a proportional increase in the number of CD25-positive lymphocytes after stimulation with a specific antigen under in vitro conditions is detected in the blood of biomodels.
Giardia lamblia Reactive Arthritis Mimicking Acute Periprosthetic Knee Infection
Authors: Turner Rachael A. , Duke Justin N. , Foran Jared R.H.
Published: July 2021

Case:

A healthy 49-year-old man with a well-functioning total knee replacement developed a painful swollen knee. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 12 mm/hour, and C-reactive protein was 20.3 mg/L. Aspiration revealed 24,440 white blood cells and 5% neutrophils. His 2018 International Consensus Meeting (ICM) definition score of 5 met criteria for “possibly infected.” He was diagnosed with reactive arthritis (ReA) secondary to Giardia lamblia, mimicking acute periprosthetic infection. He was successfully treated with a 10-week course of multiple oral antiparasitic medications.

Conclusion:

Systemic parasitic infectious ReA can mimic acute infection in the presence of total knee arthroplasty. Careful application of the 2018 ICM criteria can be critical for workup and the treatment of suspected periprosthetic infection.
Modernizing environmental signature physics for target detection
Authors: Clausen Jay , Affleck Rosa , Felt Christopher , Musty Michael , Peckham Steven , Frankenstein Susan , Wagner Anna , Kala Raju , Trautz Andrew
Published: July 2021

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of environmental phenomonology on the ability to detect buried objects and to provide a predictive capability of when targets are best detectable with IR sensors. Jay Clausen presented this material at the ERDC RD20 Conference.
Analysis of clinical characteristics, radiological predictors, pathological features and perioperative outcomes associated with perinephric fat adhesion degree
Authors: Liu Junqiang , Huang Hongwei , Cao Tianyu , Liu Dikuan , Zhu Zheng , Chen Jing , Wang Lina , Zong Huafeng , Song Xishuang , Wang Xuejian , Zhu Xinqing , Chen Qiwei , Nahayo Sony , Wang Jianbo , Yang Deyong
Published: July 2021

Background
To assess the clinical characteristics, radiological predictors and pathological features of perinephric fat adhesion degree (PFAD) graded based on fixed criteria and to determine the impact of adherent perinephric fat (APF) on retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RLPN) outcomes.
Methods
84 patients undergoing RLPN were included and graded into 4 groups based on PFAD. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed for clinical characteristics and radiological predictors of PFAD. Perioperative data was compared between APF groups and non-APF groups. Masson staining determined collagen fibers. Immunohistochemistry detected CD45 immune cells and CD34 vessels.
Results
20, 28, 18 and 18 patients were graded as normal perinephric fat (NPF), mild adherent perinephric fat (MiPF), moderate adherent perinephric fat (MoPF) and severe adherent perinephric fat (SPF), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that gender (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.003) and hypertension (p = 0.006) were significant clinical risk factors of PFAD, while radiological predictors included perinephric stranding (p = 0.001), posterior perinephric fat thickness (p = 0.009) and perinephric fat density (p = 0.02). APF was associated with drain output (P = 0.012) and accompanied by immune cells gathering in renal cortex near thickened renal capsule with many vessels.
Conclusions
Clinical characteristics and radiological predictors can evaluate PFAD and may assist guide preoperative surgical option. Pathological features of APF reflect decapsulation and bleeding during kidney mobilization at RLPN.
GaInP/GaAs three-terminal heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell
Authors: Zehender Marius , Svatek Simon , Steiner Myles , Garcia Ivan , Garcia-Linares Pablo , Warren Emily , Tamboli Adele , Martí Antonio , Antolín Elisa
Published: July 2021

We demonstrate a heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell (HBTSC), a device that exhibits the performance of a double-junction solar cell in a more compact npn (or pnp) semiconductor structure. The HBTSC concept has the advantages of being a three-terminal device, such as low spectral sensitivity and high tolerance to non-optimal band-gap energies, while it has a lower fabrication and operation complexity than other multi-terminal architectures: it can produce independent power extraction from the two junctions without the need for extra isolating or interconnecting layers between them. The two junctions in our proof-of-concept HBTSC prototype, which is made of epitaxial GaInP/GaAs, exhibit independent current-voltage characteristics under AM1.5G illumination, with respective open-circuit voltages of 1.33 and 0.95 V. The HBTSC opens a new perspective in the understanding of multi-junction devices, and it is an excellent candidate for the application of low-cost fabrication techniques, and for the implementation of III-V-on-silicon tandems.
NPBS database: a chemical data resource with relational data between natural products and biological sources
Authors: Xu Tingjun , Chen Weiming , Zhou Junhong , Dai Jingfang , Li Yingyong , Zhao Yingli
Published: July 2021

NPBS (Natural Products & Biological Sources) database is a chemical data resource with relational data between natural products and biological sources, manually curated from literatures of natural product research. The relational data links a specific species and all the natural products derived from it, contrarily, links a specific natural product and all the biological sources. The biological sources cover diverse species of plant, bacterial, fungal and marine organism, the natural molecules have proper chemical structure data and computable molecular properties, and all the relational data have corresponding references. NPBS database provides a wider choice of biological sources, and can be used for dereplication to prevent re-isolation and re-characterization of already known natural products.
Refractive changes with post-rotatory nystagmus in healthy individuals
Authors: Hirota Masakazu , Takigawa Ryusei , Okabe Chinatsu , Kato Kanako , Nakagomi Ryota , Sasaki Kakeru , Hayashi Takao
Published: July 2021

Purpose Post-rotatory nystagmus has been used to detect autism spectrum disorders in clinical settings. Although previous studies have focused on eye movements, they did not evaluate the change in ocular refraction during post-rotatory nystagmus. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in ocular refraction during post-rotatory nystagmus in healthy individuals. Methods A total of 34 healthy volunteers (mean age ± standard deviation, 20.9 ± 0.6 years) participated in this study. The ocular refraction during post-rotatory nystagmus was measured using MR-6000 (Tomey Inc.) on quick mode with a sampling rate of 30 Hz under noncycloplegic and cycloplegic conditions. The amplitude of post-rotatory nystagmus was calculated on the basis of the anterior eye images, while the ocular refraction measurements were simultaneously recorded. The accommodative convergence per accommodation ratio was calculated using the heterophoria method. Video oculography was performed to measure the angle of convergence during post-rotatory nystagmus. Results The changes in ocular refraction during post-rotatory nystagmus were significantly greater under the noncycloplegic condition than under the cycloplegic condition. The changes in ocular refraction during the post-rotatory nystagmus were significantly and positively correlated with the amplitude of post-rotatory nystagmus under the noncycloplegic condition. The angle of convergence during post-rotatory nystagmus was significantly higher under the noncycloplegic condition than under the cycloplegic condition. The changes in the angle of convergence were significantly and positively correlated with the predicted accommodative convergence. Conclusions These findings suggest that the accommodation was functional during the post-rotatory nystagmus to compensate for the retinal image slip, and the accommodative convergence can help weaken the nystagmus.
Novel Chloroflexi Genomes From The Deepest Ocean Reveal Metabolic Strategies For The Adaptation To Deep-Sea Habitats
Authors: Liu Rulong , Wei Xing , Wang Li , Cao Junwei , Song Weizhi , Wu Jiaxin , Thomas Torsten , Jin Tao , Wang Zixuan , Wei Wenxia , Wei Yuli , Zhai Haofeng , Yao Cheng , Shen Ziyi , Fang Jiasong
Published: July 2021

Background: The deep-sea harbors the majority of the microbial biomass in the Ocean, and it is a key site for organic matter (OM) remineralization and storage in the biosphere. Microbial metabolism in the deep ocean is greatly controlled by the generally depleted but periodically fluctuating supply of OM. Currently, little is known about metabolic potentials of dominant deep-sea microbes to cope with the variable OM inputs, especially for those living in the hadal trenches - the deepest part of the ocean. Results: In this study, we report the first extensive examination of the metabolic potentials of hadal sediment Chloroflexi, a dominant phylum in hadal trenches and the global deep ocean. Sixty-two metagenome-assembled-genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from nine metagenomic datasets derived from sediments of the Mariana Trench. These MAGs represent six novel species, four novel genera, one novel family and one novel order within the classes Anaerolineae and Dehalococcoidia. Fragment recruitment showed that these MAGs are globally distributed in deep-sea waters and surface sediments, and transcriptomic analysis indicated their in-situ activities. Metabolic reconstruction showed that hadal Chloroflexi mainly had a heterotrophic lifestyle, with the potential to degrade a wide range of organic carbon, sulfur, and halogenated compounds. Our results revealed for the first time that hadal Chloroflexi harbor pathways for the complete hydrolytic or oxidative degradation of various recalcitrant OM, including aromatic compounds (e.g. benzoate), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (e.g. fluorene), polychlorobiphenyl (e.g. 4-chlorobiphenyl) and organochlorine compounds (e.g. chloroalkanes, chlorocyclohexane). Moreover, these organisms showed the potential to synthesize energy storage compounds (e.g. trehalose), and had regulatory modules to respond to changes in nutrient conditions. These metabolic traits lead us to postulate that the Chloroflexi may follow a “feast and famine” metabolic strategy, allowing them to efficiently consume labile OM and store the energy under OM rich conditions, and to survive under OM limitations by utilizing stored energy and degrading recalcitrant OM. Conclusion: This study expands the current knowledge on metabolic strategies in deep-ocean Chlorolfexi, and highlights their significance in deep-sea carbon, sulfur and halogen cycles. The metabolic plasticity likely provides Chloroflexi with advantages for the survival under variable and heterogenic OM inputs in the deep ocean.
Site-Controlled Telecom Single-Photon Emitters in Atomically-thin MoTe2
Authors: Zhao Huan , Pettes Micahel , Zheng Yu , Htoon Han
Published: July 2021

Quantum emitters (QEs) in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDCs) have advanced to the forefront of quantum communication and transduction research1. To date, QEs capable of operating in O-C telecommunication bands have not been demonstrated in TMDCs.2-5 Here we report a deterministic creation of such telecom QEs emitting over the 1080 to 1550 nm wavelength range via coupling of 2D molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) to strain inducing nano-pillar arrays.6, 7 Our Hanbury Brown and Twiss experiment conducted at 10 K reveals clear photon antibunching with 90% single photon purity. The photon antibuching can be observed up to liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). Polarization analysis further reveals that while some QEs display cross-linearly polarized doublets with ~1 meV splitting resulting from the strain induced anisotropic exchange interaction, valley degeneracy is preserved in other QEs. Valley Zeeman splitting as well as restoring of valley symmetry in cross-polarized doublets are observed under 8T magnetic field.
A Phase II Study of Sequential Treatment with Anthracycline and Taxane Followed by Eribulin in Patients with HER2-negative, Locally Advanced Breast Cancer (JBCRG-17)
Authors: Fukada Ippei , Ito Yoshinori , Kondo Naoto , Ohtani Shoichiro , Hattori Masaya , Tokunaga Eriko , Matusnami Nobuki , Mashino Kohjiro , Kosaka Taijiro , Tanabe Masahiko , Yotusmoto Daisuke , Yamanouchi Kosho , Sawaki Masataka , Kashiwaba Masahiro , Kawabata Hidetaka , Kuroi Katsumasa , Morita Satoshi , Ohno Shinji , Toi Masakazu , Masuda Norikazu
Published: July 2021

PurposeThe sequence of taxanes (T) followed by anthracyclines (A) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been the standard of care for almost 20 years for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Sequential administration of eribulin (E) following A/T could provide a greater response rate for women with LABC.MethodsIn this single-arm, multicenter, Phase II prospective study, the patients received 4 cycles of the FEC regimen and 4 cycles of taxane. After the A/T-regimen, 4 cycles of E were administered followed by surgical resection. The primary endpoint was the clinical response rate. Eligible patients were women aged 20 years or older, with histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer, clinical Stage IIIA (T2-3 and N2 only), Stage IIIB, and Stage IIIC, HER2-negative.ResultsA preplanned interim analysis aimed to validate the trial assumptions was conducted after treatment of 20 patients and demonstrated that clinical progressive disease (cPD) rates in the E phase were significantly higher (30%) than assumed. Therefore, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended stopping the study. Finally, 53 patients were enrolled, and 26 patients received the A/T/E-regimen. The overall observed clinical response rate (RR) was 73% (19/26); RRs were 77% (20/26) in the AT phase and 23% (6/26) in the E phase. Thirty percent (8/26) of patients had PD in the E phase, 6 of whom had achieved cCR/PR in the AT phase. Reported grade >3 AEs related to E were neutropenia (42%), white blood cell count decrease (27%), febrile neutropenia (7.6%), weight gain (3.8%), and weight loss (3.8%)ConclusionSequential administration of eribulin after the A/T-regimen provided no additional effect for LABC patients. Future research should continue to focus on identifying specific molecular biomarkers that can improve response rates.
A unified framework for three accelerated extragradient methods and further acceleration for variational inequality problems
Authors: Sahu D. R.
Published: July 2021

The main strategy of this paper is intended to speed up the convergence of the inertial Mann iterative method and further speed up it through the normal S-iterative method for a certain class of nonexpansive type operators that are linked with variational inequality problems. Our new convergence theory permits us to settle down the difficulty of unification of Korpelevich's extragradient method, Tseng's extragardient method, and subgardient extragardient method for solving variational inequality problems through an auxiliary algorithmic operator, which is associated with seed operator. The paper establishes an interesting fact that the relaxed inertial normal S-iterative extragradient methods do influence much more on convergence behaviour. Finally, the numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate that the relaxed inertial iterative methods, in particular the relaxed inertial normal S-iterative extragradient methods, may have a number of advantages over other methods in computing solutions of variational inequality problems in many cases.
Differential Second Primary Malignancy Occurrence After Breast Cancer According to HER2 Status: a SEER Population-Based Analysis
Authors: Lin Xiaoyi , Lin Xin , Wei Guangnan , Lin Jiali , Liao Ning , Zhang Guochun
Published: July 2021

Background: The survival improvement in breast cancer (BC) renders the long-termsurvivorsan increasedprobability of second primary malignancy (SPM), and thus excess mortality. Although previous evidence has indicated various predictorsofSPM, little is known whether SPM incidencevaries by HER2 status of first BC. Methods: Based on BC patients registered between 2010-2018 in the NCI SEER database, we utilized standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and Poisson regression to quantify SPM occurrence compared with the general population. Then, adjusted for competing death risk, cumulative incidence function and Gray’s test were adopted to estimate the probability of SPM. Subsequent proportional subdistribution hazards regression was executedto identify the HER2 status impact on SPM risk. Finally, survival analysiswas performed.Results: A total of 409,796 first BC patients were includedand 18,283 were identified with at least one SPM. The SIR of SPM after HER2+ BC was significantly lower than HER2- BC (1.03 vs 1.13; RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96; p<0.001). But the predominantly declining SPM risk was only observed for second BC (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82-0.96; p=0.003) and lung and bronchus cancer (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.95; p=0.007). Further competing risk analysis verified the protective effect of HER2 positivity status on SPM occurrence.The 5-year cumulative incidence of SPM following HER2+ and HER2- BC were 5.16% and 4.09%, respectively (p<0.001). In addition, among patients suffering from SPM,HER2 positivity status contributed tobetter overall survival. Conclusion: After considering intrinsic incremental risk with age and adjusting for competing risk of death, our study demonstrated that HER2+ BC patients had lower SPM occurrence, remarkable for second BC and lung and bronchus cancer. The disparity implies the relation between SPM occurrence and therapeutic along with genetic factors underlying BC HER2 status.
Turing-Hopf Bifurcation in the Predator-prey Model with Cross-diffusion Considering Two Different Prey Behaviours Transition
Authors: Lv Yehu
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we study the Turing-Hopf bifurcation in the predator-prey model with cross-diffusion considering the individual behaviour and herd behaviour transition of prey population subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary condition. Firstly, we study the non-negativity and boundedness of solutions corresponding to the temporal model, spatiotemporal model and the existence and priori boundedness of solutions corresponding to the spatiotemporal model without cross-diffusion. Then by analyzing the eigenvalues of characteristic equation associated with the linearized system at the positive constant equilibrium point, we investigate the stability and instability of the corresponding spatiotemporal model. Moreover, by computing and analyzing the normal form on the center manifold associated with the Turing-Hopf bifurcation, we investigate the dynamical classification near the Turing-Hopf bifurcation point in detail. At last, some numerical simulations results are given to support our analytic results.
Time-domain Feature and Ensemble Model based Classification of EMG Signals for Hand Gesture Recognition
Authors: Bhattacharjee Debarati , Singh Munesh
Published: July 2021

The electromyography (EMG) signal is the electrical current generated in muscles due to the inter-change of ions during their contractions. It has many applications in clinical diagnostics and the biomedical field. This paper has experimented with various ensemble algorithms and time-domain features to classify eight types of hand gestures. To train and test the machine learning models, we have extracted eight types of time-domain features from the raw EMG signals, such as integrated EMG (IEMG), variance, mean absolute value (MAV), modified mean absolute value type 1, waveform length, root mean square, average amplitude change, and difference absolute standard deviation value. The ensemble machine learning models are based on stacking, bagging, and gradient boosting. We have used four different-sized training sets to evaluate the performance of these classifiers. From the performance evaluation, we have identified the XG-Boost (gblinear) classifier with the IEMG feature as the best classifier-feature pair. The proposed classifier-feature pair has given better performance with a classification accuracy of 98.33% and a processing time of 5.67 μs for one vector than the existing extended associative memory-MAV classifier-feature pair.
Bioremoval of PVP coated silver nanoparticles using Aspergillus niger: the role of exopolysaccharides
Authors: Gomaa Ola M. , Alrshim Amar , Chanda Anindya
Published: July 2021

The present work aims to study the removal of Polyvinylpyrrolidone coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-Ag-NPs) using Aspergillus niger and depict the role of exopolysaccharides in the removal process. Our results show that the majority of PVP-Ag-NPs were attached to fungal pellets. About 74% and 88% PVP-Ag-NPs were removed when incubated with A. niger pellets and exopolysaccharide-induced A. niger pellets, respectively. Ionized Ag decreased by 553 and 1290 fold under the same conditions as compared to stock PVP-Ag-NP. PVP-Ag-PVP resulted in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in 24h. The UV-Visible spectrum shows the disappearance of Ag characteristic peak and the broadness of the spectrum suggested an increase in size. Dynamic Light Scattering results showed an increase in PVP-Ag-NPs size from 28.4 nm to 115.9 nm for A. niger pellets and 160.3 nm after removal by stress-induced A. niger pellets and further increased to 650.1 nm for in vitro EPS removal. Our findings show that EPS can be used for nanoparticle removal, by increasing the net size of nanoparticles in aqueous media, this will, in turn, facilitate its filtration through conventional filtration techniques commonly used at wastewater treatment plants.
Aloe Vera Protects Fluoride Induced Teratogenic Effects During Pre- and Postnatal Development in Mice
Authors: Mathur Priyanka , Choudhary Shilpa , Bhatnagar Pradeep
Published: July 2021

Pregnancy and feto-gestational toxicities on exposure to fluoride (F) and its possible amelioration on co-administration with Aloe-vera were studied in pregnant Swiss albino mice. Once the confirmed pregnancy was tested, animals were equally divided into four groups and were given following treatment. Group I was given no treatment and served as Control, Group II and III were administered sodium fluoride, 100 and 300 ppm respectively while group IV was co-administered with sodium fluoride, 300 ppm and Aloe-vera (300mg/kg) daily for 14 days prior to gestation and continued till the 18th day of gestation. Animals were sacrificed `on the 19th day of gestation for prenatal observations. Maternal body weight, the gravid uterine weight, number of corpora lutea in both the ovaries, number of implantations and resorptions, number of live (mature and immature ) male and female fetuses as well as number of dead fetuses were examined in each dam. The treatment continued in another set of animals till the completion of weaning period to observe postnatal changes due to test substances on the mother and pups. Sodium fluoride treated animals showed morphometric and skeletal changes which were more pronounced in the high dose group showing significantly decreased body weight gain in pregnant mothers; and dead/immature fetuses. Morphometric changes included open eyelids, limb defects, wrinkles on whole body, anophthalmias, pulmonary edema, enlarged esophagus and decreased body weight of fetuses and pups. Alizarin prepared skeletal structures of fetuses of such female mice showed delayed ossification or bending in number of bones of skull, thoracic and limb regions. However, concomitant exposure to Sodium Fluoride and Aloe-vera treated animals, there was a marked improvement in all the prenatal and postnatal variables. The study suggests that Sodium fluoride at the high concentrations may be teratogenic while co-administration of Aloe-vera during fluoride exposure might be beneficial in reducing these toxic effects. We thus recommend use of aloe vera as preventive agent or as a complimentary agent during fluoride treatment.
The Mechanism Insight Into the Inhibitory Effect of Artemisinin Sustained-release Inhibitors With Different Particle Sizes on Microcystis aeruginosa
Authors: Jiang Zhiyun , Ni lixiao , Li Xianglan , Xu Chu , Chen Xuqing , Li Shiyin
Published: July 2021

Environment-friendly algaecides based on allelopathy have been widely used to control harmful algal blooms. In this research, micro nano scale artemisinin sustained-release algal inhibitor was prepared, the optimal preparation conditions were explored and the inhibitory mechanism of artemisinin algaecides was perfected. The results showed that when the particle size of artemisinin sustained-release microspheres (ASMs) was 2/10000 of artemisinin sustained-release granules (ASGs), the inhibitory effect was more remarkable. The optimal concentration of ASMs was 0.2 g L-1, and the inhibitory effect reached 99% on the 10th day; The algae density and chlorophyll-a both showed a downward trend, indicating that ASGs and ASMs could promote the degradation of chlorophyll-a; The inhibition rate of ASGs was faster than that of ASMs on the 4th day, and the inhibitory effect of ASMs was more significant after the 5th day. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) increased rapidly at first and then decreased, which indicated that ASGs and ASMs caused oxidative damage to Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) and inhibited the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the content of the oxygen free radical (O2-) and malondialdehyde (MDA) continued to rise after the 5th day, the protein, nucleic acid and conductivity in the culture medium increased. These results showed that lipid peroxidation occurred in the algal cell membrane, and the permeability of the membrane increased. In summary, the ASMs had significant continuous inhibitory effect while the ASGs had better short-term effect. The main inhibitory mechanism of artemisinin algaecides is the irreversible damage of cell membrane.
Hospital-prepared low-dose atropine eye drops for myopia progression control using atropine sulfate injection diluted in normal saline and lubricants
Authors: Wongwirawat Nuthida , Kuchonthara Nirachorn , Boontanomwong Sorrawit , Pongpirul Krit
Published: July 2021

Background As commercial low-dose atropine eye-drops for myopia progression control are available in some countries, in-house preparation by diluting the 0.1% atropine eye-drop with sterile water or normal saline has been a common practice. Atropine injection is readily available and could be a more feasible alternative.Objective To assess the properties of the in-house low-dose atropine eye-drops prepared by diluting the atropine injection in two solvents and tested in two temperature conditions.Method The 0.01% atropine eye-drops (15ml) were prepared by diluting atropine sulfate injection with normal saline and lubricant eye-drops and stored at room temperature and in a refrigerator. All samples were daily dropped for 12 weeks to mimic real-life use, one of which was assessed every two weeks for the biological contamination and chemical properties. The active substance was compared with freshly prepared samples at the 12th week.Results The 0.01% atropine eye-drops contains no bacteria, fungi, or particulate matter. The levels of atropine sulfate on all samples were comparable to the freshly prepared samples at the 12th week, regardless of the solvents used or storage conditions.Conclusion The low-dose atropine eye-drops prepared from readily available atropine sulfate injection at healthcare facilities could be alternative to commercial products
Facemask Detection With an Alarm System and Email Notification Using Deep Learning to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
Authors: Sankla Vinita , Patidar Savitanandan , kushwaha Vishal , Bagwari Ashish , Tiwari Rahul , Qamar Shamimul , Verma Gaurav
Published: July 2021

COVID-19 is one of the most dangerous viruses which caused a pandemic in human life, not only in terms of direct casualties but also regarding socio-economic impact. The outbreak quickly spread around the world. The 1st anniversary of the global Corona virus pandemic gets passed away in 2021, but still, no way to tell how long the pandemic will continue. After analyzing a report by WHO of covid-19, to minimize the rate of covid-19 transmission, our national government advised citizens to wear face masks. A model using deep learning and MobileNetV2 for face mask detection is presented. This method was trained and checked on the real-time dataset. There are 3,833 images in the Medical Masks Dataset, including 1918 images of people wearing no mask and 1915 images of people wearing masks. We adopted OpenCV to detect faces in real-time from a live stream captured with our webcam. With the aid of computer vision and deep learning, we hope to classify whether or not the person in the video stream is wearing a face mask. If the camera captures a face without a mask an Email notification will be sent out to the administrator and the system alarm will ring.
The Dynamic Nexus Between Financial Development, Renewable Energy and Carbon Emission: Role of Globalization and Institutional Quality Across BRI Countries
Authors: Sheraz Muhammad , Deyi Xu , Mumtaz Muhammad Zubair , Ullah Atta
Published: July 2021

This empirical study examines the endogenous relationship between carbon emission (CO2), financial development, renewable energy, globalization, and institutional quality in 64 belt and road initiative countries (BRI) using a two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) approach with panel data over the period 2003 to 2018. Furthermore, this study used (Dumitrescu & Hurlin, 2012) causality test to estimate the variables’ causal relationship. The results indicate that financial development significantly increases CO2 emissions and causes environmental degradation in BRI countries. However, renewable energy and globalization mitigate CO2 emission and improve the quality of the environment. Institutional quality was found to be positive in correlation with CO2 emission and indicates bad governance, corruption, weak bureaucracy, and improper implementation of environmental laws cause environmental degradation. Further, the study also reports a bidirectional relationship of financial development, renewable energy, and institutional quality with CO2 emission and a unidirectional causality running from globalization to CO2 emission in BRI countries. This study offers insight to policymakers to restructure the financial system, energy consumption pattern, and global integration and to improve institutions’ quality for a sustainable environment and the economy at the national and regional levels.
Nicotinamide Riboside for the Prevention and Treatment of Doxorubicin Cardiomyopathy. Opportunities and Prospects.
Authors: Podyacheva Ekaterina , Toropova Yana
Published: July 2021

Despite the progress in the development of new anticancer strategies, cancer is rapidly spreading around the world and remains one of the most common diseases. At the same time, oncological diseases are detected in patients with late stages of the course in the overwhelming majority of cases. This fact necessitates chemotherapy both as part of a combination and in the view of an independent form of treatment. For more than 40 years, doxorubicin has been widely used in the treatment of solid and hematological tumors. At the same time, the problem of its cardiotoxicity remains unresolved, despite the high efficiency of this drug. Symptomatic therapy is used as a treatment for side-effects of doxorubicin or pathological conditions that have already appeared on their background. To date, there are no treatment methods for doxorubicin cardiomyopathy as such. A drug such as nicotinamide riboside can play an important role in solving this problem. Nicotinamide riboside is a pyridine nucleoside similar to vitamin B3 that acts as a precursor to NAD+. There are no such works in cardiomyopathy, despite the abundance of works devoted to the mechanisms of realization of the effects of nicotinamide riboside in various pathologies. The review analyzes information about the effects of NR on various experimental models of pathologies, its role in the synthesis of NAD+, and also considers the possibility and prospects of its use for the prevention of doxorubicin cardiomyopathy.
Perceived Health, Psychological Distress, and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults With Parkinson’s Disease: A Cross-Lagged Analyses
Authors: Lee Sunwoo
Published: July 2021

BackgroundGrowing number of ageing population adds to the increase in the number of the patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study examines how perceived health, psychological distress, and subjective well-being evolve in older adults with PD.MethodsA cross-lagged study design was employed using data from Waves 4 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In total, 421 older adults diagnosed with PD at the baseline (46% female; mean age 74.98 ± 9.05 years) were followed-up with a 4-year lag. Auto-regressive effects and cross-lagged associations between the measured variables were examined in reciprocal models. ResultsIndividual differences in perceived health, psychological distress, and subjective well-being were relatively stable over the 4-year lag. A final reciprocal model with significant cross-lagged effects well-explained the underlying structure of the sample data.DiscussionEarly behavioral and psychological intervention at disease onset will play a pivotal role in maintaining a sense of well-being among older adults with PD.
Characteristics of Genomic Mutations and Signaling Pathway Alterations in Thymic Epithelial Tumors
Authors: Yang Weiling , Chen Sai , Cheng Xinxing , Xu Bo , Zeng Huilan , Zou Jianyong , Su Chunhua , Chen Zhenguang
Published: July 2021

Purpose: To elucidate mechanisms of thymic epithelial tumor (TET) canceration through characterization of genomic mutations and signal pathway alterations.Methods: Primary tumor and blood samples were collected from 21 patients diagnosed with TETs (thymoma and thymic cancer), 15 of whom were screened by nucleic acid extraction and total exon sequencing. Bioinformatics was used to comprehensively analyze sequencing data for these samples, including differences in tumor mutation burden (TMB) and signaling pathways.Results: We found that the gene with the highest mutation frequency in thymic carcinoma was ZNF429 (36%). In addition, mutations in BAP1 (14%), ABI1 (7%), BCL9L (7%), CHEK2 (7%) were only detected in thymic carcinoma, whereas ZNF721 mutations (7%) were found only in thymoma. Mean TMB values for thymic carcinoma and thymoma groups were 0.722 and 0.663 mutations per megabase (Mb), respectively, differences that were not statistically significant. There were significant differences in enriched pathways for cellular components between tumor metastasis and non-metastatic samples. The ErbB signaling pathway was enriched in both the thymoma group and the intersection group, whereas “pathways in cancer” was found in both the thymoma group and thymic cancer group. In contrast, enrichment of longevity-regulating and MAPK signaling pathways was found only in the thymoma group.Conclusions: We identified multiple differences in somatic genes and pathways, providing insights into differences between thymoma and thymic carcinoma that could aid in designing personalized clinical therapy.