bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Necrotizing enterocolitis induces T lymphocyte–mediated injury in the developing mammalian brain
Authors: Zhou Qinjie , Niño Diego F. , Yamaguchi Yukihiro , Wang Sanxia , Fulton William B. , Jia Hongpeng , Lu Peng , Prindle Thomas , Pamies David , Morris Meaghan , Chen Liam L. , Sodhi Chhinder P. , Hackam David J.
Published: January 2021

Brain injury in necrotizing enterocolitis requires an influx of gut-derived IFN-γ–releasing T lymphocytes into the developing mouse and human brain.
A protein sandwich enables real-time in vivo biomarker measurement
Authors: Roche Ellen T.
Published: January 2021

Biosensors allow rapid, accurate, continuous measurement of glucose and insulin in live rats.
Characterization of Clostridioides difficile Isolates Available through the CDC & FDA Antibiotic Resistance Isolate Bank
Authors: Paulick Ashley , Adamczyk Michelle , Anderson Karen , Vlachos Nick , Machado María-José , McAllister Gillian , Korhonen Lauren , Guh Alice Y. , Halpin Alison Laufer , Rasheed J. Kamile , Karlsson Maria , Lutgring Joseph D. , Gargis Amy S. ,   the Emerging Infections Program Clostridioides difficile Pathogen Group
Published: January 2021

Thirty
Clostridioides difficile
isolates collected in 2016 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emerging Infections Program were selected for reference antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. Here, we present the genetic characteristics of these isolates and announce their availability in the CDC & FDA Antibiotic Resistance Isolate Bank.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Bacillus
sp. Strain E25, a Biocontrol and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterial Endophyte Isolated from Mexican Husk Tomato Roots (
Physalis ixocarpa
Brot. Ex Horm.)
Authors: Pérez-Equihua Adrián , Santoyo Gustavo
Published: January 2021

Bacillus
sp. strain E25 is an endophytic strain isolated from husk tomato roots in Michoacán, México, and displayed excellent biocontrol and plant growth-promoting activities under normal and salt stress conditions. This draft genome report confirms the presence of genes involved in direct and indirect mechanisms to stimulate plant growth and health.
Draft Genome Sequences of Six
Vibrio
Strains Isolated from the Atlantic Intertidal Marine Sponge Ophlitaspongia papilla
Authors: Alex Anoop , Pratheepa Vijayakumari , Martins Joana , Antunes Agostinho
Published: January 2021

We report here the genome sequences of six
Vibrio
strains isolated from an Atlantic intertidal marine sponge,
Ophlitaspongia papilla
. Genome mining and comparative genomics will assist in deciphering the bioactive potential of the symbiotic microbes and molecular mechanisms of sponge-microbial symbioses.
Draft Genome Sequence of Medusavirus Stheno, Isolated from the Tatakai River of Uji, Japan
Authors: Yoshida Koki , Zhang Ruixuan , Garcia Kimberly G. , Endo Hisashi , Gotoh Yasuhiro , Hayashi Tetsuya , Takemura Masaharu , Ogata Hiroyuki
Published: January 2021

“
Medusaviridae
” is a proposed family of large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses so far represented by a sole virus isolated from a hot spring. In the present study, we report the isolation and genome sequencing of a second member of this family,
Medusavirus stheno
, discovered from a freshwater sample with an
Acanthamoeba castellanii
coculture.
Supplemental Material: Biomineralization of the Cambrian chancelloriids
Authors: Yun Hao , al. et
Published: January 2021

Fossil distribution, preservation, and repository information, Tables S1–S3, and Figures S1–S3.
Supplemental Material: Reconstructing drainage pathways in the North Atlantic during the Triassic utilizing heavy minerals, mineral chemistry, and detrital zircon geochronology
Authors: Andrews S.D. , al. et
Published: January 2021

Heavy mineral datasets.
Boundaries of solidarity: a meta-ethnography of mask use during past epidemics to inform SARS-CoV-2 suppression
Authors: Tsang Po Man , Prost Audrey
Published: January 2021

Background

Many countries aiming to suppress SARS-CoV-2 recommend the use of face masks by the general public. The social meanings attached to masks may influence their use, but remain underinvestigated.

Methods

We systematically searched eight databases for studies containing qualitative data on public mask use during past epidemics, and used meta-ethnography to explore their social meanings. We compared key concepts within and across studies, then jointly wrote a critical synthesis.

Results

We found nine studies from China (n=5), Japan (n=1), Mexico (n=1), South Africa (n=1) and the USA (n=1). All studies describing routine mask use during epidemics were from East Asia. Participants identified masks as symbols of solidarity, civic responsibility and an allegiance to science. This effect was amplified by heightened risk perception (eg, during SARS in 2003), and by seeing masks on political leaders and in outdoor public spaces. Masks also acted as containment devices to manage threats to identity at personal and collective levels. In China and Japan, public and corporate campaigns framed routine mask use as individual responsibility for disease prevention in return for state- or corporate-sponsored healthcare access. In most studies, mask use waned as risk perception fell. In contexts where masks were mostly worn by patients with specific diseases (eg, for patients with tuberculosis in South Africa), or when trust in government was low (eg, during H1N1 in Mexico), participants described masks as stigmatising, uncomfortable or oppressive.

Conclusion

Face masks can take on positive social meanings linked to solidarity and altruism during epidemics. Unfortunately, these positive meanings can fail to take hold when risk perception falls, rules are seen as complex or unfair, and trust in government is low. At such times, ensuring continued use is likely to require additional efforts to promote locally appropriate positive social meanings, simplifying rules for use and ensuring fair enforcement.
Endoscopes used in positive and critically ill patients are SARS-CoV-2 negative at virological assessment
Authors: Boškoski Ivo , Di Gemma Anna , Matteo Maria Valeria , Grilli Fabio , Cattani Paola , Costamagna Guido
Published: January 2021

The risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in endoscopy is not only between patients and endoscopy staff but is also through inadequately reprocessed endoscopes. There are no studies that could confirm the efficacy of current ways of endoscope reprocessing on the elimination of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of high disinfection of endoscopes with peracetic acid on eliminating SARS-CoV-2, but surprisingly we found that the virus cannot be detected on any part of endoscopes used in critically ill patients due to SARS-CoV-2 and this was the same for all types of endoscopies and procedures. If confirmed in larger studies, these findings will probably open a new scenario in the overall understanding of the real impact of the virus.
Alarming downtrend in mechanical thrombectomy rates in African American patients during the COVID-19 pandemic-Insights from STAR
Authors: Al Kasab Sami , Almallouhi Eyad , Alawieh Ali , Jabbour Pascal , Sweid Ahmad , Starke Robert M , Saini Vasu , Wolfe Stacey Q , Fargen Kyle M , Arthur Adam S , Goyal Nitin , Pandhi Abhi , Maier Ilko , Grossberg Jonathan A , Howard Brian M , Tjoumakaris Stavropoula I , Rai Ansaar , Park Min S , Mascitelli Justin R , Psychogios Marios N , Spiotta Alejandro M
Published: January 2021

Background

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected stroke care globally. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of the current pandemic on racial disparities among stroke patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods

We used the prospectively collected data in the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry from 12 thrombectomy-capable stroke centers in the US and Europe. We included acute stroke patients who underwent MT between January 2017 and May 2020. We compared baseline features, vascular risk factors, location of occlusion, procedural metrics, complications, and discharge outcomes between patients presenting before (before February 2020) and those who presented during the pandemic (February to May 2020).

Results

We identified 2083 stroke patients: of those 235 (11.3%) underwent MT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with pre-pandemic, stroke patients who received MT during the pandemic had longer procedure duration (44 vs 38 min, P=0.006), longer length of hospitalization (6 vs 4 days, P<0.001), and higher in-hospital mortality (18.7% vs 11%, P<0.001). Importantly, there was a lower number of African American patients undergoing MT during the COVID-19 pandemic (609 (32.9%) vs 56 (23.8%); P=0.004).

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the care process for stroke patients receiving MT globally. There is a significant decline in the number of African American patients receiving MT, which mandates further investigation.
Structural airway imaging metrics are differentially associated with persistent chronic bronchitis
Authors: Bhatt Surya P , Bodduluri Sandeep , Kizhakke Puliyakote Abhilash S , Oelsner Elizabeth C , Nakhmani Arie , Lynch David A , Wilson Carla G , Fortis Spyridon , Kim Victor
Published: January 2021

Background

Chronic bronchitis (CB) is strongly associated with cigarette smoking, but not all smokers develop CB. We aimed to evaluate whether measures of structural airway disease on CT are differentially associated with CB.

Methods

In smokers between ages 45 and 80 years, and with Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease stages 0–4, CB was defined by the classic definition. Airway disease on CT was quantified by (i) wall area percent (WA%) of segmental airways; (ii) Pi10, the square root of the wall area of a hypothetical airway with 10 mm internal perimeter; (iii) total airway count (TAC) and (iv) airway fractal dimension (AFD), a measure of the complex branching pattern and remodelling of airways. CB was also assessed at the 5-year follow-up visit.

Measurements and main results

Of 8917 participants, 1734 (19.4%) had CB at baseline. Airway measures were significantly worse in those with CB compared with those without CB: WA% 54.5 (8.8) versus 49.8 (8.3); Pi10 2.58 (0.67) versus 2.28 (0.59) mm; TAC 156.7 (81.6) versus 177.8 (91.1); AFD 1.477 (0.091) versus 1.497 (0.092) (all p<0.001). On follow-up of 5517 participants at 5 years, 399 (7.2%) had persistent CB. With adjustment for between-visits changes in smoking status and lung function, greater WA% and Pi10 were associated with significantly associated with persistent CB, adjusted OR per SD change 1.75, 95% CI 1.56 to 1.97; p<0.001 and 1.66, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.86; p<0.001, respectively. Higher AFD and TAC were associated with significantly lower odds of persistent CB, adjusted OR per SD change 0.76, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.86; p<0.001 and 0.69, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.80; p<0.001, respectively.

Conclusions

Higher baseline AFD and TAC are associated with a lower risk of persistent CB, irrespective of changes in smoking status, suggesting preserved airway structure can confer a reserve against CB.
Smart determination of borehole number and locations for stability analysis of multi-layered slopes using multiple point statistics and information entropy
Authors: Shi Chao , Wang Yu
Published: January 2021

Subsurface stratigraphy of multi-layered slopes is essential and crucial for slope stability analysis. It is usual practice for engineers to interpret stratigraphic boundaries separating different soil layers using both site investigation data and prior knowledge of local geology, but such practice might encounter significant challenge when the site data are very limited. In addition, uncertainty in stratigraphic boundaries has not been explicitly or quantitatively considered in planning of site investigation (e.g., determination of borehole number and locations). There lacks a quantitative and objective tool to determine the optimal locations and number of boreholes for slope stability analysis while accounting for stratigraphic uncertainty. In this study, a smart sampling strategy based on multiple point statistics and information entropy is proposed for delineation of slope subsurface stratigraphy and planning of geotechnical boreholes. It is a data-driven approach that enables an ensemble of prior knowledge within a training image using multiple point statistics. The proposed method not only provides evolution of the most probable interpolation from sparse measurements and the associated interpolation uncertainties, but also adaptively determines the optimal locations of boreholes. Effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated and validated through both a simulation example and a real case. It is found that the data-driven framework can automatically identify locations of largest interpolation uncertainty within a multi-layered slope conditional on its outcrops, and that the associated stratigraphic uncertainty gradually reduces as borehole number increases. More importantly, the optimal number and locations of boreholes required for slope stability analysis are adaptively determined by the proposed method.
Synchronous changes in length at maturity across four species of Lake Erie fish with different harvest histories
Authors: Gíslason Davíð , McLaughlin Robert B. , Robinson Beren W.
Published: January 2021

Decreases in size at maturation in harvested fish populations can reduce productivity and resilience. Delineating the causes for these changes in maturation is challenging. We assessed harvest and large-scale ecosystem variability as causes for changes in maturation in four Lake Erie fishes. Regulated harvests of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Sander vitreus) are greater than unregulated harvests of white perch (Morone americana) and white bass (Morone chrysops). Our assessment considered cohort data from 1991 to 2012 for each species. We used a conceptual model of harvest-induced plasticity to show that changes in female length at 50% maturity (L 50) were unrelated to harvest intensity in all species. We then demonstrated that changes in female L 50 among cohorts were synchronous across species. Post hoc analysis of variables capturing year-to-year variation in climatic and lake conditions suggested L 50 was larger when water levels were near the norm for the study period and smaller at low and high levels. We conclude that changes in L 50 were most strongly related to ecosystem changes unrelated to harvest intensity.
Atomic structure and radiative properties of He-like Ni26+ ion in dense plasma
Authors: Dimri Mayank , Dawra Dishu , Singh A.K. , Jha Alok K.S. , Pandey Rakesh Kumar , Mohan Man
Published: January 2021

The influence of plasma screening on the excitation energies and transition properties of He-like Ni26+ ion under strongly coupled plasma background has been analyzed. To perform the analysis, the multi-configuration Dirac–Fock method has been adopted by incorporating the ion sphere model potential as a modified interaction potential between the electron and the nucleus. For comparison purposes, parallel calculations have been carried out using the modified relativistic configuration interaction method. It is found that the transition energies corresponding to principal quantum number conserving transitions (Δn = 0) are blue shifted, whereas they are redshifted for the transitions where the principal quantum number is not conserved (Δn ≠ 0). The variation of transition probabilities and weighted oscillator strengths with free electron densities has also been studied. The present results should be advantageous in the modeling and diagnostics of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas.
Monthly River Discharge Prediction by Wavelet Fuzzy Time Series Method
Authors: Başakin Eyyup Ensar , Özger Mehmet
Published: January 2021

Prediction of river discharge is important for water resources management. Engineers have developed many physical and mathematical models for prediction of river discharge. The fact that physical hydrological models are site specific and include many parameters, has led researchers to work on mathematical black-box models. In this study, the fuzzy time series (FTS) method was used in the prediction of river discharge. The proposed method, which is employed for the first time in hydrology, allows to fast decision-making mechanism. The proposed algorithm, FTS, is used along with continuous wavelet transform (CWT) method to improve prediction performance. CWT, can be used as pre-treatment technique, is able decompose concerned time series into several bands at different scales which allows to predict much more homogeneous series rather than complex flow discharge series. By considering various statistical success criteria, the wavelet transformed time series (WFTS) method performed quite high accurate predictions compared to the classical fuzzy time series method. Combining FTS with wavelet transform opens a new window in the fuzzy time series method applications that has ability to improve the prediction performance.
Optimized Refinement for Spatially Adaptive SPH
Authors: Winchenbach Rene , Kolb Andreas
Published: January 2021

In this article, we propose an improved refinement process for the simulation of incompressible low-viscosity turbulent flows using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, under adaptive volume ratios of up to 1 : 1, 000, 000. We derive a discretized objective function, which allows us to generate ideal refinement patterns for any kernel function and any number of particles
a priori
without requiring intuitive initial user-input. We also demonstrate how this objective function can be optimized online to further improve the refinement process during simulations by utilizing a gradient descent and a modified evolutionary optimization. Our investigation reveals an inherent residual refinement error term, which we smooth out using improved and novel methods. Our improved adaptive method is able to simulate adaptive volume ratios of 1 : 1, 000, 000 and higher, even under highly turbulent flows, only being limited by memory consumption. In general, we achieve more than an order of magnitude greater adaptive volume ratios than prior work.
Covering Test Holes of Functional Broadside Tests
Authors: Pomeranz Irith
Published: January 2021

Functional broadside tests were developed to avoid overtesting of delay faults. The tests achieve this goal by creating functional operation conditions during their functional capture cycles. To increase the achievable fault coverage, close-to-functional scan-based tests are allowed to deviate from functional operation conditions. This article suggests that a more comprehensive functional broadside test set can be obtained by replacing target faults that cannot be detected with faults that have similar (but not identical) detection conditions. A more comprehensive functional broadside test set has the advantage that it still maintains functional operation conditions. It covers the test holes created when target faults cannot be detected by detecting similar faults. The article considers the case where the target faults are transition faults. When a standard transition fault, with an extra delay of a single clock cycle, cannot be detected, an unspecified transition fault is used instead. An unspecified transition fault captures the behaviors of transition faults with different extra delays. When this fault cannot be detected, a stuck-at fault is used instead. A stuck-at fault has some of the detection conditions of a transition fault. Multicycle functional broadside tests are used to allow unspecified transition faults to be detected. As a by-product, test compaction also occurs. The structure of the test generation procedure accommodates the complexity of producing functional broadside tests by considering the target as well as replacement faults together. Experimental results for benchmark circuits demonstrate the fault coverage improvements achieved, and the effect on the number of tests.
Advances in Inference and Representation for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping
Authors: Rosen David M. , Doherty Kevin J. , Terán Espinoza Antonio , Leonard John J.
Published: January 2021

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is the process of constructing a global model of an environment from local observations of it; this is a foundational capability for mobile robots, supporting such core functions as planning, navigation, and control. This article reviews recent progress in SLAM, focusing on advances in the expressive capacity of the environmental models used in SLAM systems (representation) and the performance of the algorithms used to estimate these models from data (inference). A prominent theme of recent SLAM research is the pursuit of environmental representations (including learned representations) that go beyond the classical attributes of geometry and appearance to model properties such as hierarchical organization, affordance, dynamics, and semantics; these advances equip autonomous agents with a more comprehensive understanding of the world, enabling more versatile and intelligent operation. A second major theme is a revitalized interest in the mathematical properties of the SLAM estimation problem itself (including its computational and information-theoretic performance limits); this work has led to the development of novel classes of certifiable and robust inference methods that dramatically improve the reliability of SLAM systems in real-world operation. We survey these advances with an emphasis on their ramifications for achieving robust, long-duration autonomy, and conclude with a discussion of open challenges and a perspective on future research directions.
High glucose-induced effects on Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange of blood-brain barrier endothelial cells: involvement of SGK1, PKCβII, and SPAK/OSR1
Authors: Klug Nicholas R. , Chechneva Olga V. , Hung Benjamin Y. , O’Donnell Martha E.
Published: January 2021

Hyperglycemia exacerbates edema formation and worsens neurological outcome in ischemic stroke. Edema formation in the early hours of stroke involves transport of ions and water across an intact blood-brain barrier (BBB), and swelling of astrocytes. We showed previously that high glucose (HG) exposures of 24 hours to 7 days increase abundance and activity of BBB Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransport (NKCC) and Na+/H+ exchange 1 (NHE1). Further, bumetanide and HOE-642 inhibition of these transporters significantly reduces edema and infarct following middle cerebral artery occlusion in hyperglycemic rats, suggesting that NKCC and NHE1 are effective therapeutic targets for reducing edema in hyperglycemic stroke. The mechanisms underlying hyperglycemia effects on BBB NKCC and NHE1 are not known. In the present study we investigated whether serum-glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) and protein kinase C beta II (PKCβII) are involved in HG effects on BBB NKCC and NHE1. We found transient increases in phosphorylated SGK1 and PKCβII within the first hour of HG exposure, after 5-60 min for SGK1 and 5 min for PKCβII. However, no changes were observed in cerebral microvascular endothelial cell SGK1 or PKCβII abundance or phosphorylation (activity) after 24 or 48 h HG exposures. Further, we found that HG-induced increases in NKCC and NHE1 abundance were abolished by inhibition of SGK1 but not PKCβII, whereas the increases in NKCC and NHE activity were abolished by inhibition of either kinase. Finally, we found evidence that STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase and oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (SPAK/OSR1) participate in the HG-induced effects on BBB NKCC.
Indoxyl sulfate impairs angiogenesis via chronic aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation
Authors: Salyers Zachary R. , Coleman Madeline , Balestrieri Nicholas P. , Ryan Terence E.
Published: January 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a substantial increased risk of cardiovascular disease. There is growing evidence that uremic metabolites, which accumulate in the blood with CKD, have detrimental impacts on endothelial cell health and function. However, the molecular mechanisms by which uremic metabolites negatively impact endothelial cell biology are not fully understood. In this study, activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) via indoxyl sulfate, a known uremic metabolite, was found to impair endothelial cell tube formation and proliferation but not migratory function. Moreover, aortic ring cultures treated with indoxyl sulfate also exhibited decreased sprouting and high AHR activation. Next, genetic knockdown of the AHR using shRNA was found to rescue endothelial cell tube formation, proliferation, and aortic ring sprouting. Similarly, pharmacological AHR antagonism using resveratrol and CH223191 were also found to rescue angiogenesis in cell and aortic ring cultures. Finally, a constitutively active AHR (CAAHR) vector was generated and used to confirm AHR-specific effects. Expression of the CAAHR recapitulated the impaired tube formation and proliferation in cultured endothelial cells and decreased sprouting in aortic ring cultures. Taken together, these data define the impact of AHR activation on angiogenesis and highlight the potential for therapeutic AHR antagonists, which may improve angiogenesis in the context of CKD and cardiovascular disease.
Kinins and chymase: the forgotten components of the renin-angiotensin system and their implications in COVID-19 disease
Authors: Abassi Zaid , Skorecki Karl , Hamo-Giladi Dalit B. , Kruzel-Davila Etty , Heyman Samuel N.
Published: January 2021

The unique clinical features of COVID-19 disease present a formidable challenge in the understanding of its pathogenesis. Within a very short time, our knowledge regarding basic physiological pathways that participate in SARS-CoV-2 invasion and subsequent organ damage have been dramatically expanded. In particular, we now better understand the complexity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and the important role of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-2 in viral binding. Furthermore, the critical role of its major product, angiotensin (Ang)-(1–7), in maintaining microcirculatory balance and in the control of activated proinflammatory and procoagulant pathways, generated in this disease, have been largely clarified. The kallikrein-bradykinin (BK) system and chymase are intensively interwoven with RAAS through many pathways with complex reciprocal interactions. Yet, so far, very little attention has been paid to a possible role of these physiological pathways in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 disease, even though BK and chymase exert many physiological changes characteristic to this disorder. Herein, we outline the current knowledge regarding the reciprocal interactions of RAAS, BK, and chymase that are probably turned-on in COVID-19 disease and participate in its clinical features. Interventions affecting these systems, such as the inhibition of chymase or blocking BKB1R/BKB2R, might be explored as potential novel therapeutic strategies in this devastating disorder.
Noise-induced neurophysiological alterations in the rat medial geniculate body and thalamocortical desynchronization by deep brain stimulation
Authors: van Zwieten Gusta , Roberts Mark J. , Schaper Frédéric L. V. W , Smit Jasper V. , Temel Yasin , Janssen Marcus L. F.
Published: January 2021

Separate functional classes of MGB neurons might have distinct roles in tinnitus pathophysiology. After noise exposure, fast-responding neurons become less responsive or nonresponsive without change to their spontaneous firing, whereas sustained and suppressed neurons exhibit enhanced spontaneous activity without change to their stimulus-driven activity. Furthermore, results suggest desynchronization of thalamocortical β and γ oscillations as a mechanism of tinnitus suppression by MGB DBS.
How Do Innovation Network Structures Affect Knowledge Sharing? A Simulation Analysis of Complex Networks
Authors: Zhang Lupeng , Chen Wenbo
Published: January 2021

Knowledge has become an important resource that can help enterprises gain a competitive advantage in the market. In this regard, knowledge sharing in the process of cooperative innovation provides an important way to acquire knowledge. With the development of innovation, the innovation network has become an important carrier of knowledge sharing, which can also have an influence on knowledge sharing. Based on knowledge management theory and complex network theory, this study constructed a multilayer network environment for knowledge sharing. It then identified the network elements and knowledge‐sharing paths that influence knowledge sharing from microperspectives and macroperspectives. On this basis, the effects of node cohesion and weak connection on knowledge sharing in small‐world and scale‐free topologies were analyzed by computer simulation. The results showed that, in an innovation network with a scale‐free topology, cohesion and weak ties had a great influence on the average knowledge level and knowledge equilibrium. Meanwhile, in small‐world topological innovation networks, a mixed path had the best promotion effect on network knowledge sharing.
Suprapubic Catheter Migration: A Review of a Rare Complication
Authors: Elmoheen Amr , Saqr Mahmoud , Salem Waleed , Bashir Khalid , Hagras Ayman
Published: January 2021

Background. Suprapubic catheter migration to the vesicoureteral junction is an unusual complication, causing an obstruction that led to hydronephrosis and dilation of the pelvicalyceal system. Case presentation. A 30-year-old man with a suprapubic catheter (SPC) that was inserted one month before this current Emergency Department (ED) visit had severe left flank pain for 48 hours. The SPC was inserted in the context of urethral injury after falling astride. Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) showed a semifilled urinary bladder and moderate hydronephrosis on the left side. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) of the abdomen was performed and showed migration of the suprapubic catheter’s tip into the left vesicoureteral junction, causing ureteral obstruction dilation of the ipsilateral pelvicalyceal system. The suprapubic catheter was changed in the ED, causing relief of symptoms, and the patient was referred to the urology department for follow-up. It was uneventful on the follow-up from the SPC clinic. Conclusions. This case report describes a rare complication of migration of the suprapubic catheter to the vesicoureteral junction causing acute ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis.
Thermomechanical Characterisation of Copper Diamond and Benchmarking with the MultiMat Experiment
Authors: Portelli Marcus , Pasquali Michele , Carra Federico , Bertarelli Alessandro , Mollicone Pierluigi , Sammut Nicholas , de Frutos Óscar Sacristán , Guardia Valenzuela Jorge , Neubauer Erich , Kitzmantel Michael , Grech David
Published: January 2021

The High‐Luminosity Large Hadron Collider upgrade at CERN will result in an increase in the energy stored in the circulating particle beams, making it necessary to assess the thermomechanical performance of currently used and newly developed materials for use in beam intercepting devices such as collimators and absorbers. This study describes the thermomechanical characterisation of a novel copper diamond grade selected for use in tertiary collimators of the HL‐LHC. The data obtained are used to build an elastoplastic material model and implemented in numerical simulations performed to benchmark experimental data obtained from the recently completed MultiMat experiment conducted at CERN’s HiRadMat facility, where various materials shaped as slender rods were tested under particle beam impact. The analyses focus on the dynamic longitudinal and flexural response of the material, with results showing that the material model is capable of replicating the material behaviour to a satisfactory level in both thermal and structural domains, accurately matching experimental measurements in terms of temperature, frequency content, and amplitude.
Combinatory Effects of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Indomethacin on Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis in Wistar Rats: Roles of IL-1β, IL-4, Nrf-2, and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ahmed Eman A. , Ahmed Osama M. , Fahim Hanaa I. , Mahdi Emad A. , Ali Tarek M. , Elesawy Basem H. , Ashour Mohamed B.
Published: January 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disorder triggered by autoimmune reactions and related with chronic inflammation and severe disability. Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) have shown a hopeful immunomodulatory effect towards repairing cartilage and restoring joint function. Additionally, indomethacin (IMC), a nonsteroidal compound, has been considered as a potent therapeutic agent that exhibits significant antipyretic properties and analgesic effects. The target of the current research is to assess the antiarthritic efficacy of BM-MSCs (106 cells/rat at 1, 6, 12 and 18 days) and IMC (2 mg/kg body weight/day for 3 weeks) either alone or concurrently administered against complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Changes in paw volume, body weight, gross lesions, and antioxidant defense system, as well as oxidative stress, were assessed. The Th1 cytokine (IL-1β) serum level and Th2 cytokine (IL-4) and Nrf-2 ankle joint expression were detected. In comparison to normal rats, it was found that the CFA-induced arthritic rats exhibited significant leukocytosis and increase in paw volume, LPO level, RF, and IL-1β serum levels. In parallel, arthritic rats that received BM-MSCs and/or IMC efficiently exhibited decrease in paw edema, leukocytosis, and enhancement in the antioxidant enzymatic levels of SOD, GPx, GST, and GSH in serum besides upregulation of Nrf-2 and anti-inflammatory IL-4 expression levels in the ankle articular joint. Likewise, these analyses were more evidenced by the histopathological sections and histological score. The data also revealed that the combined administration of BM-MSC and IMC was more potent in suppressing inflammation and enhancing the anti-inflammatory pathway than each agent alone. Thus, it can be concluded that the combined therapy with BM-MSC and IMC may be used as a promising therapeutic choice after assessing their efficacy and safety in human beings with RA, and the antiarthritic effects may be mediated via modulatory effects on Th1/Th2 cytokines, ozidative stress, and Nrf-2.
PET Imaging of TIGIT Expression on Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes
Authors: Shaffer Travis , Natarajan Arutselvan , Gambhir Sanjiv S.
Published: January 2021

Purpose:

Therapeutic checkpoint inhibitors on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are being increasingly utilized in the clinic. The T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) is an inhibitory receptor expressed on T and natural killer cells. The TIGIT signaling pathway is an alternative target for checkpoint blockade to current PD-1/CTLA-4 strategies. Elevated TIGIT expression in the tumor microenvironment correlates with better therapeutic responses to anti-TIGIT therapies in preclinical models. Therefore, quantifying TIGIT expression in tumors is necessary for determining whether a patient may respond to anti-TIGIT therapy. PET imaging of TIGIT expression on TILs can therefore aid diagnosis and in monitoring therapeutic responses.

Experimental Design:

Antibody-based TIGIT imaging radiotracers were developed with the PET radionuclides copper-64 (64Cu) and zirconium-89 (89Zr). In vitro characterization of the imaging probes was followed by in vivo evaluation in both xenografts and syngeneic tumor models in mouse.

Results:

Two anti-TIGIT probes were developed and exhibited immunoreactivity of >72%, serum stability of >95%, and specificity for TIGIT with both mouse TIGIT-expressing HeLa cells and ex vivo–activated primary splenocytes. In vivo, the 89Zr-labeled probe demonstrated superior contrast than the 64Cu probe due to 89Zr's longer half-life matching the TIGIT antibody's pharmacokinetics. The 89Zr probe was used to quantify TIGIT expression on TILs in B16 melanoma in immunocompetent mice and confirmed by ex vivo flow cytometry.

Conclusions:

This study develops and validates novel TIGIT-specific 64Cu and 89Zr PET probes for quantifying TIGIT expression on TILs for diagnosis of patient selection for anti-TIGIT therapies.
Current and Future Systemic Therapies in Biliary Tract Cancer
Authors: Vogel Arndt , Saborowski Anna
Published: January 2021

Background: Despite an increasing incidence, biliary tumors are still considered a rare tumor entity. Due to an often long clinically inapparent course and a lack of early detection strategies, surgical resection is often not possible at the time of diagnosis. Since 2010, chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin is considered the standard of care in the palliative situation. Only recently, first studies have been published or initiated that expand the treatment options in the first line and, for the first time, also suggest valid systemic approaches in the second line. Summary: Molecularly targeted therapies in selected patient subgroups are rapidly changing the field. In addition to IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions in patients with intrahepatic tumors, the therapeutic relevance of rare but targetable alterations such as HER2/neu amplification, NTRK fusions, or BRAF mutations should be considered in patients with biliary tract cancers. Key Message: The current study landscape clearly shows that precision medicine will play an important role in the therapy of biliary malignancies and underlines the importance of early tumor genetic diagnostics. In this article we provide an overview of systemic therapy concepts in the adjuvant and palliative setting.
The role of chatterbots in enhancing tourism: a case study of Penang tourism spots
Authors: Kasinathan Vinothini , Mustapha Aida , Rani Mohamad Firdaus Che Abdul , A. Mostafa Salama
Published: January 2021

Chatterbots have been widely used as a tool for conversational booking assistance mainly for hotels such as the Expedia. This paper extends the use of chatterbot beyond booking by presenting the proof of concept of a chatterbot expert system called the VIZARD. The proposed VIZARD is developed using an expert system shell called verbot. The core of Vertbot 5 is the natural language processing (NLP) engine based on pattern matching. The core Verbot 5 engine is responsible for finding matches to a given user input string and firing the appropriate rule. The findings from the user acceptance test concluded that majority of the respondents agreed that the VIZARD expert system stands at an unbiased state while being more aligned on supporting the usefulness of the system.
The selection of the relevant association rules using the ELECTRE method with multiple criteria
Authors: Dahbi Azzeddine , Jabri Siham , Balouki Youssef , Gadi Taoufiq
Published: January 2021

The extraction of association rules is a very attractive data mining task and the most widespread in the business world and in modern society, trying to obtain the interesting relationship and connection between collections of articles, products or items in high transactional databases. The immense quantity of association rules obtained expresses the main obstacle that a decision maker can handle. Consequently, in order to establish the most interesting association rules, several interestingness measures have been introduced. Currently, there is no optimal measure that can be chosen to judge the selected association rules. To avoid this problem we suggest to apply ELECTRE method one of the multi-criteria decision making, taking into consideration a formal study of measures of interest according to structural properties, and intending to find a good compromise and select the most interesting association rules without eliminating any measures. Experiments conducted on reference data sets show a significant improvement in the performance of the proposed strategy.
A modified correlation in principal component analysis for torrential rainfall patterns identification
Authors: Shaharudin Shazlyn Milleana , Ahmad Norhaiza , Nor Siti Mariana Che Mat
Published: January 2021

This paper presents a modified correlation in principal component analysis (PCA) for selection number of clusters in identifying rainfall patterns. The approach of a clustering as guided by PCA is extensively employed in data with high dimension especially in identifying the spatial distribution patterns of daily torrential rainfall. Typically, a common method of identifying rainfall patterns for climatological investigation employed T mode-based Pearson correlation matrix to extract the relative variance retained. However, the data of rainfall in Peninsular Malaysia involved skewed observations in the direction of higher values with pure tendencies of values that are positive. Therefore, using Pearson correlation which was basing on PCA on rainfall set of data has the potentioal to influence the partitions of cluster as well as producing exceptionally clusters that are eneven in a space with high dimension. For current research, to resolve the unbalanced clusters challenge regarding the patterns of rainfall caused by the skewed character of the data, a robust dimension reduction method in PCA was employed. Thus, it led to the introduction of a robust measure in PCA with Tukey’s biweight correlation to downweigh observations along with the optimal breakdown point to obtain PCA’s quantity of components. Outcomes of this study displayed a highly substantial progress for the robust PCA, contrasting with the PCA-based Pearson correlation in respects to the average amount of acquired clusters and indicated 70% variance cumulative percentage at the breakdown point of 0.4.
Tuberculosis detection using deep learning and contrastenhanced canny edge detected X-Ray images
Authors: Tao Hwa Stefanus  Kieu , Bade Abdullah , Hijazi Mohd Hanafi Ahmad , Saffree Jeffree Mohammad
Published: January 2021

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that causes death if not treated early. Ensemble deep learning can aid early TB detection. Previous work trained the ensemble classifiers on images with similar features only. An ensemble requires a diversity of errors to perform well, which is achieved using either different classification techniques or feature sets. This paper focuses on the latter, where TB detection using deep learning and contrast-enhanced canny edge detected (CEED-Canny) x-ray images is presented. The CEED-Canny was utilized to produce edge detected images of the lung x-ray. Two types of features were generated; the first was extracted from the Enhanced x-ray images, while the second from the Edge detected images. The proposed variation of features increased the diversity of errors of the base classifiers and improved the TB detection. The proposed ensemble method produced a comparable accuracy of 93.59%, sensitivity of 92.31% and specificity of 94.87% with previous work.
Hybrid CPFSK/OQPSK modulation transmission techniques’ performance efficiency with RZ line coding–based fiber systems in passive optical networks
Authors: M. Alatwi Aadel , Zaki Rashed Ahmed Nabih
Published: January 2021

This study shows hybrid continuous-phase frequency shift keying (CPFSK)/optical quadrature-phase shift keying (OQPSK) modulation transmission techniques’ performance efficiency with return-to-zero (RZ) line coding scheme–based fiber systems in passive optical networks. Max. Q factor/min. bit error rate variations versus modulation frequency and fiber length are studied in detail for various bits/symbol, based on hybrid proposed modulation transmission techniques. Also, optical power and received electrical power variations are simulated with fiber-length variations at a specified modulation frequency of 300 GHz. Max. Q Factor, min. BER, max. signal power, and min. noise power variations are based on hybrid modulation techniques for CPFSK/OQPSK of 32 bits/symbol and a modulation frequency of 500 GHz through a fiber length of 30 km.
Implementation of a bluetooth attack on controller area network (CAN)
Authors: Asmae Zniti , Ouazzani Nabih El
Published: January 2021

In this paper a general overview of the vulnerability of the CAN bus is presented and a practical short-range attack is proposed. There are more and more potential attacks on the CAN bus, which may cause leakage of information and thereby there may be danger for safe driving. The attack combines several techniques, such as how to update a node firmware using a Bluetooth module and inject a priority fake frame, in order to block the legitimate messages. 
A fast spectral conjugate gradient method for solving nonlinear optimization problems
Authors: A. Al-Arbo Ali , Z. Al-Kawaz Rana
Published: January 2021

This paper proposes a new spectral conjugate gradient (SCG) approach for solving unregulated nonlinear optimization problems. Our approach proposes Using Wolfe's rapid line scan to adjust the standard conjugate descent (CD) algorithm. A new spectral parameter is a mixture of new gradient and old search path. The path provided by the modified method provides a path of descent for the solution of objective functions. The updated method fits the traditional CD method if the line check is correct. The stability and global convergence properties of the current new SCG are technically obtained from applying certain well-known and recent mild assumptions. We test our approach with eight recently published CD and SCG methods on 55 optimization research issues from the CUTE library. The suggested and all other algorithms included in our experimental research were implemented in FORTRAN language with double precision arithmetic and all experiments were conducted on a PC with 8 GB ram Processor Intel Core i7. The results indicate that our proposed solution outperforms recently reported algorithms by processing and performing fewer iterations in a shorter time.
3D face creation via 2D images within blender virtual environment
Authors: Salim Rasheed Ali , Hasan Finjan Rasool , Abdulsahib Hashim Ahmed , Murtdha Al-Saeedi Mustafa
Published: January 2021

Animation and virtual reality movie-making technologies are still witnessing significant progress to this day. Building and stimulating virtual characters inside these applications is a goal. Build a 3D face via using some special tools inside the virtual world is the most important part of identifying a 3D animation. Keen Tools Face Builder add-on for Blender. Interested in creating a 3D face of a famous figure, artist or the general public by adopting several 2D images added to the virtual blinder software environment. The main problem facing these tools is that they deal with high-resolution and sharpness pictures because some images that contain blurring, the result is to build a 3D face model that contains design distortions and non- clearly. in this proposed paper, build a data set for 2D pictures of a specific character (actor), at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. These images were caught by the camera, different in sharpness and blurring (four types of blurry). Using the “Laplacian Filter algorithm” and OpenCV library with Python language, to isolate blurry from sharpness 2D images. Sharpness images used to build a 3D face model that gave real and similar results to the character in the pictures. 