bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IL‐31 and IL‐31 receptor expression in acute experimental canine atopic dermatitis skin lesions
Authors: Tamamoto‐Mochizuki Chie , Olivry Thierry
Published: November 2021

Background

To optimise the interleukin (IL)‐31‐blocking therapy in atopic dermatitis (AD), an understanding of the chronology in the expression of IL‐31 and its receptor (IL‐31RA) is needed.

Hypothesis/Objectives

(i) To assess the chronological expression of IL‐31 in canine AD skin lesions, (ii) to compare it with serum IL‐31 levels and macroscopic skin lesion scores, and (iii) to determine the identity of IL‐31‐ and IL‐31RA‐positive cells.

Animals

Four atopic dogs sensitised to house dust mites.

Methods and materials

Skin and blood samples were obtained 0 h, 24 h, 48 and 96 h after allergen provocation. IL‐31 and IL‐31RA single‐staining immunofluorescence (IF), as well as IL‐31/CD3, IL‐31/CD4 and IL‐31RA/β3‐tubulin double‐staining IF were performed. The IL‐31‐positive cells were counted subjectively.

Results

The peak IL‐31 expression for three of four dogs occurred 24 h or 48 h postchallenge; it started to decrease at 96 h. There was no significant correlation between the IL‐31 expression scores and the serum IL‐31 concentrations or the macroscopic skin lesion scores (P = 0.35 and P = 0.36, respectively). The majority of IL‐31‐positive cells were positive for CD3 (range 91–100%) and CD4 (range 63–100%), indicating that they were helper T (Th) cells. Unexpectedly, sebaceous glands were strongly immunolabelled with IL‐31; the extinction of this positivity after immunoabsorption with IL‐31 further supported the validity of this immunostaining. The IL‐31RA was visualised on keratinocytes and a small proportion of dermal nerves.

Conclusions and clinical importance

The early and transient production of IL‐31 by Th cells supports the concept of using IL‐31 inhibiting strategies as a proactive therapy to prevent flares of AD skin lesions.
Japanese knotweed control with winter soil injection of chemicals targeting the rhizome system
Authors: Ito Misako , Ito Kanji
Published: November 2021

To achieve chemical control of aggressive creeping perennial weeds and avoid the disadvantages of conventional foliar applications, we established a winter soil‐injection method using soil‐active herbicides. Our previous study demonstrated the feasibility of the practical use of this method by showing that the regeneration from rhizomes or creeping root segments was inhibited by direct contact with chemicals in the soil. Then, a field trial was conducted on a population of Japanese knotweed. A stand of 148 plants growing on a railway bank was used for the experiment involving two herbicide treatments and an untreated control. In early March 2016, 1 L of chlorpropham (230 mg/L) or tebuthiuron (100 mg/L) was injected 15–25 cm deep into the base of each dead shoot clump. New shoot growth started in late April and became senescent in November. Aerial growth, determined as total shoot length and shoot number, significantly decreased throughout the season under both chemical treatments, without showing any injury symptoms (shoot dieback, leaf desiccation, or yellowing) that make unsightly views. In November, rhizome number was as low as 6 and 18% of the untreated control in the chlorpropham and tebuthiuron treatments, respectively. Sprouting and rooting abilities were reduced by treatment with tebuthiuron. Such marked reductions in rhizome number and viability, as well as the reduction in food reserves as estimated from diminished aerial growth, suggested probable substantial growth inhibition in the following season. Further improvement of the injection methodology would be attained from the consolidation of practical application data.
Control-Oriented Model of the Mean and Dispersion of Diesel Combustion Phasing With Ignition Assist
Authors: Ahmed Omar , Middleton Robert , Stefanopoulou Anna , Kim Kenneth , Kweon Chol-Bum
Published: November 2021

Diesel engines equipped with ignition assist devices such as glow plugs may improve combustion behavior at low temperatures and with low cetane fuels found in remote fields. The coordination of injection timing and the energy input of the ignition assist needs to continuously adjust to maintain the best combustion phasing at all conditions. However, most diesel engines do not use closed-loop combustion control and operate in a sub-optimal manner because the dispersion of combustion phasing, also known as cycle-to-cycle variability, requires careful feedback controller design. This work presents an initial investigation of a control-oriented model that captures the average and statistical influence of commercial glow plugs used for ignition assist beyond the start-up phase. Experiments were conducted at a single speed and load operating point as a proof of concept to obtain a model that quantifies the combustion phasing statistics and thus can guide feedback control design. The developed phenomenological model includes the engine’s thermal state because it impacts combustion behavior over the course of repeated experiments. The 3-term mean phasing model and 2-term standard deviation model estimate start of combustion within 0.6 and 0.2 crank angle degrees, respectively, and can be readily expanded to more operating conditions.
A Fundamental Thermodynamic Investigation of Compression Ratio Effects in Relation to Diesel Engine Size
Authors: Burnett Kevin , Gupta Ashwani , Luning Prak Dianne , Cowart Jim
Published: November 2021

In this study, a fundamental generalized thermodynamic model of internal combustion engines was applied to evaluate engine compression ratio effects principally in relation to engine size. Performance and efficiency metrics were investigated systematically. Further, cylinder wall temperature was varied across a range of cold start to stabilized operating temperatures. A very broad range of engine bore sizes and bore-to-stroke ratios were evaluated, representing small to large diesel engines in service. In general, it was observed that engine efficiency increases moderately with increasing compression ratio and bore size. Additionally, surface area-to-volume ratio is a critical metric when evaluating various size engines. This leads to greater relative heat transfer in the smaller bore engines with higher compression ratios. The sensitivity to heat losses is also much greater in the smaller engines. Smaller engines with higher compression ratios are expected to be most affected by cold starting conditions. Exhaust enthalpy is highest for larger bore engines with lower compression ratios, an important consideration for engine boosting. Higher convective heat transfer coefficients are also expected in smaller bore engines with higher compression ratios due to the higher operating pressures.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Investigation of Emissions Challenges in Hybrid Medium- and Heavy-Duty Powertrains Using a Pre-Production Diesel-Electric Parallel Hybrid System With and Without Stop-Start Operation
Authors: Lerin Chloé , Curran Scott , Moses-DeBusk Melanie , Cook Adian , Boronat Colomer Vicente , Kaul Brian , Deter Dean
Published: November 2021

Hybrid electric powertrains are a growing market in medium- and heavy-duty applications. There is a lack of available information to understand the challenges in the integration of engine platforms into electrified powertrains, such as cold-start, restart, and load-reduction effects on emissions and emission control devices. Results from the Heavy Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck (HHDDT) cycle using a conventional medium-duty diesel engine were compared with those of a parallel hybrid architecture. Oak Ridge National Laboratory in collaboration with the US Department of Energy and Odyne Systems, LLC developed a powertrain in a hardware-in-the-loop environment, integrating the Odyne Systems, LLC medium-duty parallel hybrid system, which was used for the hybrid portion of this study. Experiments under the HHDDT cycle showed increasing improvements in fuel consumption and engine-out emissions with the integration of stop/start, hybrid, and hybrid with stop/start. However, the effects of load reduction and exhaust temperature on the thermal management strategy have shown an increase in fueling in the second part of the HHDDT cycle. Four configurations of medium-duty electrification were studied and contributed to building a unique data set containing combustion, emissions, and system integration data. Each electrification level was compared with the conventional baseline. The calibration of the conventional engine was not altered for this study. Opportunities to tailor the combustion process were identified with the stop/start strategy.
A survey for tick (Acari: Ixodidae) infestation on some wild mammals and the first record of Ixodes trianguliceps Birula in Turkey
Authors: Keskin Adem , Selçuk Ahmet Yesari
Published: November 2021

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are one of the most important ectoparasites of many kinds of terrestrial vertebrates. Between September 2019 and June 2021, we captured a total of 99 wild mammals belonging to 22 species, 14 genera, nine families, and four orders in order to investigate the presence of tick infestations from 14 different locations of 10 provinces in Turkey. Overall, 351 ticks (181 larvae, 156 nymphs, 6 females, and 8 males) were collected from 46 out of 99 wild mammalian species. Ticks were identified as Haemaphysalis erinacei Pavesi (5 males), Haemaphysalis parva Neumann (3 nymphs), Hyalomma marginatum gr. (16 nymphs), Ixodes kaiseri Arthur (1 nymph), Ixodes redikorzevi Olenev (167 larvae, 128 nymphs, and 2 females), Ixodes ricinus (L.) (12 larvae, 1 nymph, and 1 male), Ixodes trianguliceps Birula (2 larvae, and 4 nymphs), and Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantzev (3 nymphs, 4 females, and 2 males). Of which, I. trianguliceps was reported in Turkey for the first time. Furthermore, we reported many new tick-host associations for Turkey.
Long short-term memory neural network assisted peak to average power ratio reduction for underwater acoustic orthogonal frequency division multiplexing communication
Authors: Raza Waleed , Ma Xuefei , Bilal Muhammad
Published: November 2021

The underwater acoustic wireless communication networks are generally formed by the different autonomous underwater acoustic vehicles, and transceivers are interconnected to the bottom of the ocean with battery deployed modems. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has become the most popular modulation technique in underwater acoustic communication due to its high data transmission and robustness over other modulation techniques. To maintain the operability of underwater acoustic communication networks, the power consumption of battery-operated transceivers becomes a vital necessity to be minimized. The OFDM technology has a major lack of peak to average power ratio (PAPR), resulting in more power consumption, creating non-linear distortion, and increasing the bit error rate (BER). To overcome this situation, we have contributed our research into three dimensions, firstly, we propose a machine learning-based underwater acoustic communication system through long short-term memory neural network (LSTM-NN). Secondly, the proposed LSTM-NN reduces the PAPR and makes the system reliable and efficient, turning into a better BER performance. Finally, the simulation and water tank experimental data results are executed which proves that the LSTM-NN is the best solution for mitigating the PAPR with non-linear distortion and complexity in the overall communication system
Audio-based spam call detection
Authors: Elizalde Benjamin M. , Emmanouilidou Dimitra
Published: November 2021

Spam communications are organized attempts of falsified claims with the purpose of marketing, spreading false information and deceiving the end recipient. Phone spam is an international nuisance, with the U. S. among the most spammed countries in the world in 2020. In addition to the agitating nature of these calls, criminal scams are defrauding subscribers of billions of dollars every year. Therefore, it is necessary to develop automated systems for the identification of spam calls to minimize fraud and reduce the displeasure of receiving them. The call origin, call duration and other Call Detail Records can be used to assess whether a call is fraudulent or not, but the actual audio content is overlooked. This work focuses on extracting acoustic features from voicemail recordings containing speech, which are used to train Machine Learning models that identify spam calls. Both local and global feature descriptors are used, including Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients and Log-Mel Spectrum, and their efficacy for distinguishing spam from non-spam calls is explored. We demonstrate that a spam voice call can be detected while relying only on the acoustic information of the call. A further analysis of the temporal and spectral features that are most informative for the task is also presented.
CTRP3 exacerbates tendinopathy by dysregulating tendon stem cell differentiation and altering extracellular matrix composition
Authors: Cho Yongsik , Kim Hyeon-Seop , Kang Donghyun , Kim Hyeonkyeong , Lee Narae , Yun Jihye , Kim Yi-Jun , Lee Kyoung Min , Kim Jin-Hee , Kim Hang-Rae , Hwang Young-il , Jo Chris Hyunchul , Kim Jin-Hong
Published: November 2021

Neutralization of CTRP3 opposes degenerative tendon matrix remodeling during tendinopathy.
Discovery of an F-actin–binding small molecule serving as a fluorescent probe and a scaffold for functional probes
Authors: Takagi Takeru , Ueno Tasuku , Ikawa Keisuke , Asanuma Daisuke , Nomura Yusuke , Uno Shin-nosuke , Komatsu Toru , Kamiya Mako , Hanaoka Kenjiro , Okimura Chika , Iwadate Yoshiaki , Hirose Kenzo , Nagano Tetsuo , Sugimura Kaoru , Urano Yasuteru
Published: November 2021

We found an F-actin–binding small molecule serving as a fluorescent probe and a scaffold for functional probes.
5′ Half of specific tRNAs feeds back to promote corresponding tRNA gene transcription in vertebrate embryos
Authors: Chen Luxi , Xu Wei , Liu Kunpeng , Jiang Zheng , Han Yang , Jin Hongbin , Zhang Lin , Shen Weimin , Jia Shunji , Sun Qianwen , Meng Anming
Published: November 2021

5′tRFl
Gly/GCC
and 5′tRFl
Glu/CTC
promote related tDNA transcription by preventing tRNA from binding to the tDNA template strand.
Deubiquitination of proteasome subunits by OTULIN regulates type I IFN production
Authors: Tao Panfeng , Wang Shihao , Ozen Seza , Lee Pui Y. , Zhang Jiahui , Wang Jun , Han Huan , Yang Zhaohui , Fang Ran , Tsai Wanxia Li , Yang Huanming , Sag Erdal , Topaloglu Rezan , Aksentijevich Ivona , Yu Xiaomin , Zhou Qing
Published: November 2021

Deubiquitination of proteasome subunits by OTULIN regulates type I IFN production.
Protection against autoimmunity is driven by thymic epithelial cell–mediated regulation of T
reg
development
Authors: Haftmann Claudia , Zwicky Pascale , Ingelfinger Florian , Mair Florian , Floess Stefan , Riedel René , Durek Pawel , Spalinger Marianne R. , Friebel Ekaterina , Leung Brian P. , Lutz Mirjam , Puertas Nicole , Amorim Ana , Schärli Stefanie , Becher Benedict , Kisielow Jan , Waisman Ari , Mashreghi Mir-Farzin , Huehn Jochen , Becher Burkhard
Published: November 2021

Thymic education of regulatory T cells is more important than negative selection in the prevention of autoimmunity.
Acute interstitial nephritis secondary to vedolizumab
Authors: Simpson Nicholas , Seenan John Paul , Patel Rajan , Kipgen David
Published: November 2021

We present a patient with an acute kidney injury thought secondary to acute interstitial nephritis as a result of vedolizumab maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease. This appears to be a rare but serious side effect in patients receiving this treatment which clinicians should consider in the event of renal dysfunction.
Anti-NMDAR encephalitis presenting after immature teratoma resection
Authors: Chetram Deandra Kimberly , Pan Kelsey , Elfasi Aisha , Markham Merry
Published: November 2021

This is a case of a young woman who developed neurological and psychiatric symptoms 3 days after resection of an immature teratoma. She was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis via positive serum antibody titres, which was later confirmed with cerebrospinal fluid antibody titres. Given her cancer diagnosis, she underwent treatment with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin chemotherapy in addition to 5 days of high-dose steroids (1 g of intravenous methylprednisolone) for the encephalitis. This treatment regimen led to significant clinical improvement 3 weeks after completion of one cycle of chemotherapy.
Mammalian meat allergy emerges after tick bite: the alpha-gal syndrome
Authors: Altshuler Ellery , Kirkpatrick Jesse , Aryan Mahmoud , Miralles Frank
Published: November 2021

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a hypersensitivity reaction to mammalian meat that develops after tick bite exposure. AGS was first described in 2009 and testing for the allergy has become available in the last decade. We report the case of a 56-year-old farmer with a history of frequent lone star tick bites who presented with a 7-year history of diffuse urticaria occurring hours after eating red meat. AGS is likely underdiagnosed because of the unusual presentation of the allergy, historic lack of available testing, and deficiency of physician knowledge about the condition. Recognition of AGS is important both to help alleviate symptom burden and to avoid iatrogenesis. Patients with AGS should not receive products containing mammalian products, such as cat-gut suture, porcine-derived heart valves, and bovine-derived vaccines. Patients with AGS may present in a variety of clinical environments and physicians of all kinds should be able to recognise the symptoms.
Rare presentation of acute pancreatitis in mild COVID-19
Authors: Hatch-Vallier Brianna , Jarodiya Vijay , Hawa Fadi , Daniel Rebecca
Published: November 2021

Viral-induced pancreatitis has been well-defined; however, there are limited data regarding COVID-19 and pancreatitis. Most cases are commonly in conjunction with severe COVID-19 as well as lipase elevation. We describe a unique case of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection resulting in acute pancreatitis in the absence of lipase elevation. A 39-year-old patient with no medical history, presented with epigastric pain. Vital signs were unremarkable. Patient was positive for COVID-19. Liver function panel, calcium, triglyceride and lipase levels were all unremarkable. CT of the abdomen demonstrated acute pancreatitis without gallstones. Our case may indicate that pancreatic injury in SARS-CoV-2 infection is due to a direct impact on the pancreas by the virus, given the absence of lipase elevation and mild presentation. This case highlights the importance of suspecting pancreatitis in mild COVID-19 that present with atypical symptoms such as epigastric pain, even without lipase elevation.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: cardiac arrest with an unexpected outcome
Authors: Gaughran Jonathan , Lyne Tom , Kopeika Julia , Hamilton Judith
Published: November 2021

We describe the acute deterioration of a 29-year-old undergoing in vitro fertilisation. Late-onset critical ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome triggered a massive pulmonary embolism and subsequent cardiac arrest. While the prognosis was deemed to be poor, the patient made a full recovery. The potential reasons for this are explored.
Interviewer effects on abortion reporting: a multilevel analysis of household survey responses in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Rajasthan, India
Authors: Footman Katy
Published: November 2021

Objectives

The analysis aimed to assess the scale of interviewer effects on abortion survey responses, to compare interviewer effects between different question wordings and between direct and indirect approaches, and to identify interviewer and interview characteristics that explain interviewer effects on abortion reporting.

Setting

2018 Performance Monitoring for Action nationally representative household surveys from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Rajasthan, India.

Participants

Survey data from 20 016 interviews with reproductive age (15–49) women, selected using multistage stratified cluster sampling. Data from self-administered interviewer surveys and from a sample of health service delivery points that serve the female survey participants were also included.

Primary outcome measures

Outcomes were the respondent’s own experience of ever ‘removing a pregnancy’, their closest confidante’s experience of pregnancy removal and the respondent’s own experience of period regulation.

Results

Substantial interviewer effects were observed, ranging from 7% in Côte d’Ivoire to 24% in Nigeria for pregnancy removal. Interviewer effects for survey questions that were designed to ask about abortion in a less stigmatising way were either similar to (9%–26% for confidante-reporting) or higher than (17%–32% for a question about period regulation) the pregnancy removal question. Interviewer and interview characteristics associated with abortion reporting included respondent–interviewer familiarity, the language of interview and the interviewer’s comfort asking questions about abortion.

Conclusion

This study highlights that questions designed to be less stigmatising may increase interviewer effects due to lower comprehension among respondents. Further work is needed to assess question wordings for different contexts. Selecting and training interviewers to ensure comfort asking questions about abortion is important for reproductive health surveys. Challenges for the use of ‘insider’ interviewers and the management of surveys in countries with high linguistic diversity are also identified.
Effectiveness of a simulation-based mastery learning to train clinicians on a novel cricothyrotomy procedure at an academic medical centre during a pandemic: a quasi-experimental cohort study
Authors: Issa Nabil , Liddy Whitney E , Samant Sandeep , Conley David B , Kern Robert C , Hungness Eric S , Cohen Elaine R , Barsuk Jeffrey H
Published: November 2021

Objectives

To develop and evaluate a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum for cricothyrotomy using wet towels to suppress aerosolisation during a pandemic.

Design

Quasi-experimental, pre–post study.

Setting

Tertiary care, academic medical centre in Chicago.

Participants

Ear, nose and throat and general surgery residents, fellows and attendings.

Intervention

Cricothyroidotomy simulation-based mastery learning curriculum.

Outcomes measure

Pretest to posttest simulated cricothyrotomy skills checklist performance.

Results

37 of 41 eligible surgeons participated in the curriculum. Median pretest score was 72.5 (IQR 55.0–80.0) and 100.0 (IQR 98.8–100.0) for the posttest p<0.001. All participants scored at or above a minimum passing standard (93% checklist items correct) at posttest.

Conclusions

Using SBML is effective to quickly train clinicians to competently perform simulated cricothyrotomy during a pandemic.
Retrospective cohort study to evaluate medication use in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Scotland: protocol for a national observational study
Authors: Mueller Tanja , Kerr Steven , McTaggart Stuart , Kurdi Amanj , Vasileiou Eleftheria , Docherty Annemarie , Fraser Kenny , Shi Ting , Simpson Colin R , Bennie Marion , Sheikh Aziz
Published: November 2021

Introduction

COVID-19 has caused millions of hospitalisations and deaths globally. A range of vaccines have been developed and are being deployed at scale in the UK to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, which have reduced risk of infection and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Those with COVID-19 are now being treated with several repurposed drugs based on evidence emerging from recent clinical trials. However, there is currently limited real-world data available related to the use of these drugs in routine clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to address the prevailing knowledge gaps regarding the use of dexamethasone, remdesivir and tocilizumab by conducting an exploratory drug utilisation study, aimed at providing in-depth descriptions of patients receiving these drugs as well as the treatment patterns observed in Scotland.

Methods and analysis

Retrospective cohort study, comprising adult patients admitted to hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 across five Scottish Health Boards using data from in-hospital ePrescribing linked to the Early Estimation of Vaccine and Anti-Viral Effectiveness (EAVE II) COVID-19 surveillance platform. The primary outcome will be exposure to the medicines of interest (dexamethasone, remdesivir, tocilizumab), either alone or in combination; exposure will be described in terms of drug(s) of choice; prescribed and administered dose; treatment duration; and any changes in treatment, for example, dose escalation and/or switching to an alternative drug. Analyses will primarily be descriptive in nature.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical and information governance approvals have been obtained by the National Research Ethics Service Committee, South East Scotland 02 and the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care, respectively. Findings from this study will be presented at academic and clinical conferences, and to the funders and other interested parties as appropriate; study findings will also be published in peer-reviewed journals. Publications will be available on the EAVE II website (https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/eave-ii/key-outputs/our-publications), alongside lay summaries and infographics aimed at the general public. Press releases will also be considered, if appropriate.
How has COVID-19 impacted the civil registration and vital statistics system in Loreto, Perú? Evidence using process mapping and qualitative analysis
Authors: Silva-Valencia Javier , Adair Tim , Hart John , Meza Graciela , Vargas Herrera Javier
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Accurate civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are the primary data source to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality. This study assesses how the pandemic impacted CRVS system processes in Loreto region of Peru, one of the worst affected countries globally.

Design

Qualitative study.

Setting

Loreto, a remote region, which had the highest reported mortality rate in Peru during the pandemic.

Participants

Semistructured individual interviews and documentary analysis were conducted between September 2020 and May 2021 with 28 key informants from eight institutions involved in death certification. Key informants were identified using a purposive sampling strategy commencing at the Health Directorate of Loreto, and the snowball method was used where a participant suggested another organisation or person. Information from key informants was used to compare business process maps of the CRVS system before and during the pandemic.

Results

During early May 2020, there were seven times more registered deaths than in earlier years, but key informants believed this underestimated mortality by 20%–30%. During the pandemic, families had to interact with more institutions during the death certification process. Several issues disrupted death certification processes, including the burden of increased deaths, the Environmental Health Directorate often removing a body without the family’s express agreement, the creation of COVID-19 cemeteries where no death certificate was needed for burial, greater participation of funeral homes that often used outdated paper forms, and closure of civil registry offices. There was increased use of the online National Death System (SINADEF) but many users had problems with access.

Conclusions

The pandemic substantially disrupted CRVS processes in Loreto, making death certification more difficult, placing greater burden on the family and leading to more participation from unregulated organisations such as funeral homes or cemeteries. These disruptions were impacted by limitations of the CRVS system’s processes before the pandemic.
T-cell intrinsic Toll-like receptor signaling: implications for cancer immunotherapy and CAR T-cells
Authors: Nouri Yasmin , Weinkove Robert , Perret Rachel
Published: November 2021

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are evolutionarily conserved molecules that specifically recognize common microbial patterns, and have a critical role in innate and adaptive immunity. Although TLRs are highly expressed by innate immune cells, particularly antigen-presenting cells, the very first report of a human TLR also described its expression and function within T-cells. Gene knock-out models and adoptive cell transfer studies have since confirmed that TLRs function as important costimulatory and regulatory molecules within T-cells themselves. By acting directly on T-cells, TLR agonists can enhance cytokine production by activated T-cells, increase T-cell sensitivity to T-cell receptor stimulation, promote long-lived T-cell memory, and reduce the suppressive activity of regulatory T-cells. Direct stimulation of T-cell intrinsic TLRs may be a relevant mechanism of action of TLR ligands currently under clinical investigation as cancer immunotherapies. Finally, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells afford a new opportunity to specifically exploit T-cell intrinsic TLR function. This can be achieved by expressing TLR signaling domains, or domains from their signaling partner myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), within or alongside the CAR. This review summarizes the expression and function of TLRs within T-cells, and explores the relevance of T-cell intrinsic TLR expression to the benefits and risks of TLR-stimulating cancer immunotherapies, including CAR T-cells.
Moving beyond conventional stratified analysis to assess the treatment effect in a comparative oncology study
Authors: Sun Ryan , McCaw Zachary , Tian Lu , Uno Hajime , Hong Fangxin , Kim Dae Hyun , Wei Lee-Jen
Published: November 2021

In a comparative oncology study with progression-free or overall survival as the endpoint, the primary or key secondary analysis is routinely stratified by patients’ baseline characteristics when evaluating the treatment difference. The validity of a conventional strategy such as a stratified HR analysis depends on stringent model assumptions that are unlikely to be met in practice, especially in immunotherapy studies. Thus, the resulting summary is generally neither valid nor interpretable. This article discusses issues with conventional stratified analyses and presents alternatives using data from KEYNOTE-189, a recent immunotherapy trial for treating patients with metastatic, non-squamous, non-small-cell lung cancer.
Robotics in neurointerventional surgery: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Crinnion William , Jackson Ben , Sood Avnish , Lynch Jeremy , Bergeles Christos , Liu Hongbin , Rhode Kawal , Mendes Pereira Vitor , Booth Thomas C
Published: November 2021

Background

Robotically performed neurointerventional surgery has the potential to reduce occupational hazards to staff, perform intervention with greater precision, and could be a viable solution for teleoperated neurointerventional procedures.

Objective

To determine the indication, robotic systems used, efficacy, safety, and the degree of manual assistance required for robotically performed neurointervention.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of the literature up to, and including, articles published on April 12, 2021. Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane register databases were searched using medical subject heading terms to identify reports of robotically performed neurointervention, including diagnostic cerebral angiography and carotid artery intervention.

Results

A total of 8 articles treating 81 patients were included. Only one case report used a robotic system for intracranial intervention, the remaining indications being cerebral angiography and carotid artery intervention. Only one study performed a comparison of robotic and manual procedures. Across all studies, the technical success rate was 96% and the clinical success rate was 100%. All cases required a degree of manual assistance. No studies had clearly defined patient selection criteria, reference standards, or index tests, preventing meaningful statistical analysis.

Conclusions

Given the clinical success, it is plausible that robotically performed neurointerventional procedures will eventually benefit patients and reduce occupational hazards for staff; however, there is no high-level efficacy and safety evidence to support this assertion. Limitations of current robotic systems and the challenges that must be overcome to realize the potential for remote teleoperated neurointervention require further investigation.
Healthy lifestyle initiatives for increasing fruit and vegetable intake among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Authors: Blekkenhorst Lauren C. , Ride Katherine M. , Wallace Ruth M. , Eades Sandra J. , McAullay Daniel , Godrich Stephanie L.
Published: November 2021

Adequate fruit and vegetable intake is key to reducing chronic disease risk among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This rapid review collated evidence on healthy lifestyle initiatives that focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples residing in major cities. Due to limited studies conducted within major cities, we extended our inclusion criteria to regional and remote areas. Sixteen studies were included. Five (31%) studies were rated as good quality (least risk of bias), 10 (63%) studies were rated as fair, and 1 (6%) study was rated as poor (significant risk of bias). Five (31%) studies employed participatory research in the design and/or execution, and 7 (44%) studies included minimal community involvement. Only 5 (31%) studies were undertaken in major cities; 4 of these combined major cities with regional and/or remote areas. All 5 studies reported positive findings, such as an increase in fresh fruit availability, usage of fresh vegetables, or self-reported fruit and vegetable intake. This review provides evidence confirming the need for high-quality healthy lifestyle initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable intake targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in major cities. This evidence will assist community organisations in designing effective health promotion interventions, providing insight into improving the structure and function of such programs. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020194522.

Novelty Five studies were undertaken in major cities and all reported positive findings; only 1 study was rated as good quality. Presented data supports the need for high-quality studies to be conducted among those residing in major cities.
Surface properties for Ne, Na, Mg, Al, and Si isotopes in the coherent density fluctuation model using the relativistic mean-field densities
Authors: Pattnaik Jeet Amrit , Panda R.N. , Bhuyan M. , Patra S.K.
Published: November 2021

We have systematically studied the surface properties, such as symmetry energy, neutron pressure, and symmetry energy curvature coefficient for Ne, Na, Mg, Al, and Si nuclei from the proton to neutron drip lines. The coherent density fluctuation model (CDFM) is used to estimate these quantities taking the relativistic mean-field densities as inputs. The Brückner energy density functional is taken for the nuclear matter binding energy and local density approximation is applied for its conversion to coordinate space. The symmetry energy again decomposed to the volume and surface components within the liquid drop model formalism to the volume and surface parts separately. Before calculating the surface properties of finite nuclei, the calculated bulk properties are compared with the experimental data, whenever available. The NL3* parameter set with the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) pairing approach in an axially deformed framework is used to take care of the pairing correlation when needed. The deformed density is converted to its spherical equivalent with a two-Gaussian fitting, which is used as an input for the calculation of weight function in the CDFM approximation. With the help of the symmetry energy, the isotopes 29F, 28Ne, 29,30Na, and 31,35,36Mg are considered to be within the island of inversion (Han et al. Phys. Lett. B, 772, 529 (2017). doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2017.07.007). Although we get large symmetry energies corresponding to a few neutron numbers for this isotopic chain as expected, an irregular trend appears for all these considered nuclei. The possible reason behind this abnormal behavior of symmetry energy for these lighter mass nuclei is also included in the discussion, which gives a direction for future analysis.
QCD at the FCC-ee
Authors: Monni Pier Francesco , Zanderighi Giulia
Published: November 2021

In this note, we briefly review some theory aspects of Quantum Chromodynamics at the future circular lepton collider (FCC-ee).
An Innovative Hybrid Biologically Inspired Method for Traffic Optimization Problem
Authors: Srivastava Sweta , Stephan Thompson , Sahana Sudip Kumar
Published: November 2021

The transport network and road services are the foundation for the development of human civilization. It is immensely essential to manage network congestion as well as to minimize the travel time of the growing traffic load on the road network. Traffic signals may play an important role in managing the mounting traffic. This work relies on reducing the total time lag at the traffic signals, thus reducing the overall travel period. The model is designed on a bi-level framework. The overall wait time is optimized at the traffic signals by the upper level while the User Equilibrium (UE) is estimated by the lower level. Biologically inspired metaheuristic methods like Bat Algorithm (BA), Genetic algorithms (GA), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), and many others demonstrated optimized outcomes for bi-level problems. To improve the desirability of the metaheuristic techniques an innovative method encapsulating the desirability of both BA and GA is proposed to evaluate the traffic optimization problem (TOP). While BA helps in faster convergence GA diversifies the search space. A comparative analysis has been carried out with the parent algorithms as well as an existing ACO-GA-based model. It was observed that the proposed BA-GA method performs better than the rest of the techniques.
SECONDARY PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS RECOGNITION BY ROTATION ANGLE VECTOR GRID-BASED FRACTIONAL FOURIER ENTROPY
Authors: WANG SHUI-HUA , KARACA YELIZ , ZHANG XIN , ZHANG YU-DONG
Published: November 2021

Aim: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. This study plans to build a novel deep learning-based model for the accurate recognition of tuberculosis. Methods: We propose a novel model — rotation angle vector grid-based fractional Fourier entropy and deep stacked sparse autoencoder (RAVG-FrFE–DSSAE) — which uses RAVG-FrFE as a feature extractor and harnesses DSSAE as the classifier. Moreover, an 18-way MDA is introduced on the training set to avoid overfitting. Results: Experimental results of 10 runs of 10-fold CV showcase that this proposed RAVG-FrFE–DSSAE algorithm yields a reasonable performance including of 93.68[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]1.11% sensitivity, 94.38[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]1.11% specificity, 94.35[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]1.04% precision, 94.03[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]0.69% accuracy, 94.01[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]0.70% [Formula: see text]-score, 88.07[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]1.38% MCC, 94.01[Formula: see text]±[Formula: see text]0.70% FMI, and 0.9725 AUC, respectively. Conclusions: Our result outperforms the eight state-of-the-art approaches. Besides, the result shows the effectiveness of the 18-way MDA.
Electrical transport properties of V2O5-added Ni–Co–Zn ferrites
Authors: Uddin M. Firoz , Ullah M. Samir , Hoque S. Manjura , Khan F. A. , Momin A. A. , Islam Sm. Rubayatul , Salehin Faizus , Hakim M. A.
Published: November 2021

Frequency-dependent dielectric constant, dielectric loss, AC conductivity values and complex impedance spectra of V2O5-added Ni–Co–Zn ferrites ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Fe2[Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]V2O5, where [Formula: see text] 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 wt.%) have been investigated at room temperature. The dielectric properties of the samples follow the Maxwell–Wagner polarization model. An inverse relationship was found between dielectric constant and AC electrical resistivity for all the samples. The dielectric constants decreased with the addition of V2O5, while the electrical resistivities of V2O5-added Ni–Co–Zn ferrites are found to be larger than that of pure Ni–Co–Zn ferrite. The AC conductivity was reduced with the addition of V2[Formula: see text]to Ni–Co–Zn ferrite at lower-frequency region. However, AC conductivity shows a sharp increase at higher-frequency region, which could be attributed to the enhancement of electron hopping between the Fe[Formula: see text] and Fe[Formula: see text] ions in the ferrite matrix due to the activity of the grains. The complex impedance spectroscopy results through Cole–Cole/Nyquist plot have demonstrated a single semicircular arc. It indicates that conduction mechanism takes place predominantly through the grain/bulk property, which could be ascribed to the larger grain size of V2O5-added Ni–Co–Zn ferrites.
AI-CHD
Authors: Xu Xiaowei , Qiu Hailong , Jia Qianjun , Dong Yuhao , Yao Zeyang , Xie Wen , Guo Huiming , Yuan Haiyun , Zhuang Jian , Huang Meiping , Shi Yiyu
Published: November 2021

3D heart modeling and AI bring new cardiac surgery to remote and less-developed regions.
Seeking out Camille, and being open to others
Authors: Hill Robin K. , Baquero Carlos
Published: November 2021

The
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Communications
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Robin K. Hill on overcoming biases against alternative views, and Carlos Baquero on his search for the elusive Camille Noûs.
The road ahead for augmented reality
Authors: Kirkpatrick Keith
Published: November 2021

A heads-up look at augmented reality head-up displays.
Changes in adipose tissue microRNA expression across the menstrual cycle in regularly menstruating females: a pilot study
Authors: MacGregor Kirstin A. , Rodriguez-Sanchez Nidia , Di Virgilio Thomas G. , Barwell Nick D. , Gallagher Iain J. , Moran Colin N.
Published: November 2021

Cyclical changes in hormone profiles across the menstrual cycle are associated with alterations in metabolic control. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to regulating metabolic control, including adipose tissue metabolism. How fluctuations in hormonal profiles across the menstrual cycle affect adipose tissue miRNA expression remains unknown. Eleven healthy, regularly menstruating females underwent four sampling visits across their menstrual cycle. Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue and venous blood samples were collected at each sampling visit. Luteinizing hormone (LH) tests, calendar counting, and serum hormone concentrations were used to determine menstrual cycle phases: early-follicular (EF), late-follicular (LF), postovulatory (PO), and midluteal (ML). Serum follicle-stimulating hormone, LH, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone were determined using multiplex magnetic bead panels and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Global adipose tissue miRNA expression levels were determined via microarray in a subset of participants ( n = 8) and 17 candidate miRNAs were validated by RT-qPCR in the whole cohort ( n = 11). Global analysis of adipose tissue miRNA expression identified 33 miRNAs significantly altered across the menstrual cycle; however, no significant differences remained after correcting for multiple testing ( P > 0.05). RT-qPCR analysis of candidate miRNAs revealed miR-497-5p expression was significantly altered across the menstrual cycle ([Formula: see text] = 0.18, P = 0.03); however, post hoc tests did not reveal any significant differences between menstrual cycle phases ( P > 0.05). miR-30c-5p was associated with testosterone concentration ( R2 = 0.13, P = 0.033). These pilot data indicate differences in adipose tissue miRNAs in healthy women across the menstrual cycle and a weak association with ovarian hormones. Further research in larger sample sizes is required to confirm regulation of miRNA expression across the menstrual cycle.
Factors Associated with Cranial Nerve Injury after Radiotherapy for Large Brain Metastases
Authors: Zhou Fang , Zhang Yunxia , Chen Yanan , Qian Xiaolan
Published: November 2021

This paper mainly studied the correlation factors of cranial nerve injury after radiotherapy for large brain metastases by investigating the influencing factors and predictors of cranial nerve injury, which can provide a good reference and idea for radiotherapy. Through a large number of experiments, it is proved that the research idea proposed in this paper is reasonable and correct.
A Novel Contractor Selection Technique Using the Extended PROMETHEE II Method
Authors: Chang Kuei-Hu
Published: November 2021

Selecting suitable contractors directly influences product quality, corporate profits, and even sustainable development. The selection problem of contractors is, therefore, a critical issue for the sustainable development of an enterprise. However, traditional contractor selection techniques are unable to handle information regarding the relative importance of criteria or handle nonexistent or missing data in the assessment process of contractor selection. In order to effectively address this problem, this study proposes a new contractor selection technique that integrates the concept of soft set and the PROMETHEE II method to select suitable contractors. Three numerical examples are applied to prove the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed technique. This study also compares the simulation results achieved using the proposed method with those achieved using the traditional weighted arithmetic averaging method and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The simulation results show that the proposed method is a more general contractor selection technique for handling incomplete information than the traditional weighted arithmetic averaging method and the DEA method.
Innovative Research of Trajectory Prediction Algorithm Based on Deep Learning in Car Network Collision Detection and Early Warning System
Authors: Wang Rongxia , Alazzam Malik Bader , Alassery Fawaz , Almulihi Ahmed , White Marvin
Published: November 2021

Predicting the trajectories of neighboring vehicles is essential to evade or mitigate collision with traffic participants. However, due to inadequate previous information and the uncertainty in future driving maneuvers, trajectory prediction is a difficult task. Recently, trajectory prediction models using deep learning have been addressed to solve this problem. In this study, a method of early warning is presented using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation technique, which evaluates the danger degree of the target by comprehensively analyzing the target’s position, horizontal and vertical distance, speed of the vehicle, and the time of the collision. Because of the high false alarm rate in the early warning systems, an early warning activation area is established in the system, and the target state judgment module is triggered only when the target enters the activation area. This strategy improves the accuracy of early warning, reduces the false alarm rate, and also speeds up the operation of the early warning system. The proposed system can issue early warning prompt information to the driver in time and avoid collision accidents with accuracy up to 96%. The experimental results show that the proposed trajectory prediction method can significantly improve the vehicle network collision detection and early warning system.