bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of the lichen genusDendriscosticta(Ascomycota: Peltigerales)
Authors: Simon Antoine , Goffinet Bernard , Wang Li‐Song , Spribille Toby , Goward Trevor , Pystina Tatiana , Semenova Natalia , Stepanov Nikolay V. , Moncada Bibiana , Lücking Robert , Magain Nicolas , Sérusiaux Emmanuël
Published: December 2021

The genusDendriscosticta(Ascomycota: Peltigerales) encompasses several distinctive lichen‐forming fungal species restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. Most are flagship species of old‐growth forests with good air quality. A global phylogeny of the genus based on multilocus sequence data (ITS,RPB1,EF‐1α,MCM7), model‐based phylogenetic methods, and morphological and chemical assessments, reveals a high level of cryptic speciation often associated with restricted geographical distribution and/or chemical characters. Using sequence‐based species delimitation approaches, we circumscribe two main clades referred to as theD. wrightiiclade, with five unequivocal species, includingD. gelidasp. nov., and theD. praetextataclade, with eight putative species, includingD. phyllidiatasp. nov. The absence of recently collected material ofD. hookericomb. nov. from the type locality unfortunately prevents assignment of this epithet to one of the five supported lineages sharing this morphotype. Three new combinations are proposed:D. hookeri,D. insinuanscomb. nov. andD. yatabeanacomb. nov. Epitypes are designated forD. wrightiiandD. yatabeana. Species diversity within the genus increased from four to nine. Our morphological assessment confirmed thatStictaandDendriscostictacan be readily distinguished by the presence of excipular algae whereas the structure of the lower surface pores is not a reliable diagnostic feature.
Effects of smartphone application‐based cognitive training at home on cognition in community‐dwelling non‐demented elderly individuals: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Jang Hyemin , Yeo Minyoung , Cho Jinju , Kim Seonwoo , Chin Juhee , Kim Hee Jin , Seo Sang Won , Na Duk L.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

We investigated whether cognitive function improves in elderly individuals after Application‐based Cognitive Training at Home (ACTH) for 12 months.

Methods

A total of 389 non‐demented elderly volunteers aged over 60 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group underwent daily ACTH (with regular feedback from the administrator) and monthly offline cognitive training in groups for 12 months. All participants received a computerized cognitive test battery called Inbrain Cognitive Screening Test (Inbrain‐CST) at baseline and 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome was the change in the total composite score of Inbrain‐CST, and secondary outcomes included changes in composite scores in five cognitive domains of Inbrain‐CST.

Results

The intervention group outperformed the control group in terms of the total score (P = .001) and subscores of language (P < .001) and memory (P < .001) domains at 12 months.

Discussion

ACTH improved global cognition in community‐dwelling non‐demented elderly individuals.
Eye movements in frontotemporal dementia: Abnormalities of fixation, saccades and anti‐saccades
Authors: Russell Lucy L. , Greaves Caroline V. , Convery Rhian S. , Bocchetta Martina , Warren Jason D. , Kaski Diego , Rohrer Jonathan D.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Oculomotor function has not been systematically studied in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and yet may offer a simple target to monitor disease activity.

Methods

We assessed fixation stability, smooth pursuit, pro‐saccades, and anti‐saccades using the Eyelink 1000‐plus eye‐tracker in 19 individuals with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and 22 controls. Neuroanatomical correlates were assessed using a region of interest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis.

Results

Measures of fixation stability were impaired in the bvFTD group compared with controls. However, performance did not differ from controls in the pro‐saccade tasks except in the vertical overlap condition. The bvFTD group performed worse in the anti‐saccade task, which correlated strongly with executive function. Neural correlates included the orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortices and striatum for fixation stability, and the dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices and striatum for anti‐saccades.

Discussion

Overall, oculomotor function is abnormal in bvFTD, with performance likely related to impairment of inhibitory control and executive dysfunction.
Aerobic exercise in older people with subclinical sporadic cerebral small vessel disease: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Wong Adrian , Lam Bonnie Yin Ka , Mak Margaret Kit Yi , Lam Linda Chiu Wa , Au Lisa Wing Chi , Yiu Brian Ka Fung , Wong Chun , Tong Hor Yee , Yeung Sin Ki , Chu Winnie Chiu Wing , Shi Lin , Leung Thomas Wai Hong , Soo Yannie Oi Yan , Lau Alexander Yuk Lun , Ip Bonaventure Yiu Ming , Kwok Timothy Chi Yui , Ko Ho , Mok Vincent Chung Tong
Published: December 2021

Introduction

The benefit and risk of aerobic exercise among older people harboring advanced cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) upon cognition, mood, and motor functions are unknown.

Methods

This rater‐blind randomized trial examined effects of a 24‐week aerobic exercise training (60 min/session, twice/week) upon clinical (cognition, mood, motor functions) and hemodynamic (pulse pressure [PP], blood pressure [BP], pulsatility index) measures in older people harboring moderate to severe CSVD, as evidenced by confluent white matter hyperintensity and/or ≥2 lacunes on magnetic resonance imaging. We further investigated interactions between treatment conditions and hemodynamics measures.

Results

Fifty‐three and 54 subjects were randomized into the active and control group, respectively. There was no between‐group difference in any of the clinical outcomes. The active group had a greater between‐group reduction in systolic BP and PP than the control group. Within‐group comparison showed that global cognition of the active group remained similar at end of the study compared to baseline, whereas it declined significantly in the control group. We observed “diverging” interaction effects in that greater reduction in systolic BP/PP was associated with greater improvement in memory functions and global cognition but worsening in processing speed in the active group. Side effects were comparable between the two groups.

Discussion

Future study should investigate the mechanisms of the diverging impacts of aerobic exercise upon different cognitive domains so that the benefit–risk ratio of aerobic exercise in older people harboring more advanced CSVD can be better defined.
Time‐to‐event prediction using survival analysis methods for Alzheimer's disease progression
Authors: Sharma Rahul , Anand Harsh , Badr Youakim , Qiu Robin G.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Many research studies have well investigated Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection and progression. However, the continuous‐time survival prediction of AD is not yet fully explored to support medical practitioners with predictive analytics. In this study, we develop a survival analysis approach to examine interactions between patients’ inherent temporal and medical patterns and predict the probability of the AD next stage progression during a time period. The likelihood of reaching the following AD stage is unique to a patient, helping the medical practitioner analyze the patient's condition and provide personalized treatment recommendations ahead of time.

Methodologies

We simulate the disease progression based on patient profiles using non‐linear survival methods—non‐linear Cox proportional hazard model (Cox‐PH) and neural multi‐task logistic regression (N‐MTLR). In addition, we evaluate the concordance index (C‐index) and Integrated Brier Score (IBS) to describe the evolution to the next stage of AD. For personalized forecasting of disease, we also developed deep neural network models using the dataset provided by the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center with their multiple‐visit details between 2005 and 2017.

Results

The experiment results show that our N‐MTLR based survival models outperform the CoxPH models, the best of which gives Concordance‐Index of 0.79 and IBS of 0.09. We obtained 50 critical features out of 92 by applying recursive feature elimination and random forest techniques on the clinical data; the top ones include normal cognition and behavior, criteria for dementia, community affairs, etc. Our study demonstrates that selecting critical features can improve the effectiveness of probabilities at each time interval.

Conclusions

The proposed deep learning‐based survival method and model can be used by medical practitioners to predict the patients’ AD shift efficiently and recommend personalized treatment to mitigate or postpone the effects of AD. More generally, our proposed survival analysis approach for predicting disease stage shift can be used for other progressive diseases such as cancer, Huntington's disease, and scleroderma, just to mention a few, using the corresponding clinical data.
Systems biology of angiogenesis signaling: Computational models and omics
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Hanwen , Oliveira Rebeca Hannah M. , Zhao Chen , Popel Aleksander S.
Published: December 2021

Angiogenesis is a highly regulated multiscale process that involves a plethora of cells, their cellular signal transduction, activation, proliferation, differentiation, as well as their intercellular communication. The coordinated execution and integration of such complex signaling programs is critical for physiological angiogenesis to take place in normal growth, development, exercise, and wound healing, while its dysregulation is critically linked to many major human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and ocular disorders; it is also crucial in regenerative medicine. Although huge efforts have been devoted to drug development for these diseases by investigation of angiogenesis‐targeted therapies, only a few therapeutics and targets have proved effective in humans due to the innate multiscale complexity and nonlinearity in the process of angiogenic signaling. As a promising approach that can help better address this challenge, systems biology modeling allows the integration of knowledge across studies and scales and provides a powerful means to mechanistically elucidate and connect the individual molecular and cellular signaling components that function in concert to regulate angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize and discuss how systems biology modeling studies, at the pathway‐, cell‐, tissue‐, and whole body‐levels, have advanced our understanding of signaling in angiogenesis and thereby delivered new translational insights for human diseases.

This article is categorized under:

Cardiovascular Diseases > Computational Models

Cancer > Computational Models
Playback Robot Programming Framework for Fiber Spraying Processes
Authors: Schmidt Edgar , Henrich Dominik
Published: December 2021

Robot-based automation is still not widespread in small and medium-sized enterprises, since programming industrial robots is usually costly and only feasible by experts. This disadvantages can be resolved by using intuitive robot programming approaches like playback programming. At the same time, there are currently not automatized automatized, like fiber spraying. We present a novel approach in programming a robot system for fiber spraying processes, which extends a playback programming framework inspired by video editing concepts. The resulting framework allows the programming of also the periphery devices needed for the fiber spraying process. We evaluated the resulting programming framework to measure the intuitiveness in the use and show that the framework is not only able to program fiber spraying tasks but is also rather intuitive to use for domain experts.
Reinhold Niebuhr During the Time of the White Compromise
Authors: Brown Marvin T.
Published: December 2021

The story of how the theological ethicist, Reinhold Niebuhr, dealt with race during the “white compromise” (from after Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement) gives us a good picture of what will work and not work in re-directing American Prosperity toward a sustainable future. In his early years, Niebuhr argued against the Ku Klux Klan in Detroit, and supported sharecropper cooperatives in Arkansas. He guided his later ethical analysis of national and international groups by what he called “Christian realism,” which assumed that groups had limited capacity for doing good. At the height of his national status, he wrote books as though American history was the same as white history. He suggested caution in applying the Brown v. Board of Education decision to white families and after the civil rights movement had disrupted the “white compromise,” Niebuhr moved somewhat closer to Martin Luther King Jr.’s view of the “beloved community.”
Different Ways of Viewing an Organization
Authors: Cardona Pablo , Rey Carlos
Published: December 2021

From the industrial revolution to the present, scholars, consultants and experts in different disciplines have tried to answer the fundamental question: What is a business? In this chapter, we structure these historical perspectives in the following groups: Mechanical, Organic and Cultural. The mechanical perspective provides the “rational logic” of planning and supervision. The organic perspective adds creativity and initiative. Finally, the cultural perspective promotes internal unity through a common purpose that harnesses the commitment and engagement of the company’s members. From the combination of the three perspectives, we introduce the “Integrated Organizational Model” as the conceptual foundation of management by missions (MBM).
Vorstellung des eigenen Patientengutes und Vergleich epidemiologischer Daten, anamnestisch vorgebrachter Beschwerden und klinischer Erstbefunde mit denen vergleichbar therapierter, aus der Literatur recherchierter Studiengruppen
Authors: Eichhorn Thomas
Published: December 2021

Eine Reihe von Publikationen befasst sich mit der Frage, welche Patienten-bezogenen epidemiologischen Daten und zeitgleich zum Hörsturz aufgetretenen Beschwerden auf die Höhe des initialen Hörverlustes wie auch den nach einer Therapie erreichten Hörerfolg Einfluss genommen haben können [29, 30, 33, 57, 65, 97, 101]. In diesem Kapitel soll es zunächst darum gehen, nach Patientenuntergruppen zu fahnden, bei denen sich vor Behandlungsbeginn die Ausgangslage in Bezug auf den Anfangshörverlust als besonders vorteilhaft resp. unvorteilhaft darstellt. Darüber hinaus interessierte uns, ob sich ggf. die Kombination des Auftretens einzelner Ausgangsparameter besonders günstig oder ungünstig auf die weitere Entwicklung der ISSNHL ausgewirkt hatte.
Banana and Mango Value Chains
Authors: Wardhan Harsh , Das Sandip , Gulati Ashok
Published: December 2021

Fruit crops are high-value agricultural crops and are mostly managed by individual farmers in India unlike in the West where large private corporations are involved in production and exports of fruit crops. India’s fruits production increased significantly from 28.6 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1991–92 to 96.8 MMT in 2018–19. Among fruits, mango and bananas are the most important crops with 50% share in fruits acreage as well as value dominated by mango.
Plasma membrane perforation by GSDME during apoptosis-driven secondary necrosis
Authors: De Schutter Elke , Ramon Jana , Pfeuty Benjamin , De Tender Caroline , Stremersch Stephan , Raemdonck Koen , de Beeck Ken Op , Declercq Wim , Riquet Franck B. , Braeckmans Kevin , Vandenabeele Peter
Published: December 2021

Secondary necrosis has long been perceived as an uncontrolled process resulting in total lysis of the apoptotic cell. Recently, it was shown that progression of apoptosis to secondary necrosis is regulated by Gasdermin E (GSDME), which requires activation by caspase-3. Although the contribution of GSDME in this context has been attributed to its pore-forming capacity, little is known about the kinetics and size characteristics of this. Here we report on the membrane permeabilizing features of GSDME by monitoring the influx and efflux of dextrans of different sizes into/from anti-Fas-treated L929sAhFas cells undergoing apoptosis-driven secondary necrosis. We found that GSDME accelerates cell lysis measured by SYTOX Blue staining but does not affect the exposure of phosphatidylserine on the plasma membrane. Furthermore, loss of GSDME expression clearly hampered the influx of fluorescently labeled dextrans while the efflux happened independently of the presence or absence of GSDME expression. Importantly, both in- and efflux of dextrans were dependent on their molecular weight. Altogether, our results demonstrate that GSDME regulates the passage of compounds together with other plasma membrane destabilizing subroutines.
Inflated 3D ConvNet context analysis for violence detection
Authors: Freire-Obregón David , Barra Paola , Castrillón-Santana Modesto , Marsico Maria De
Published: December 2021

According to the Wall Street Journal, one billion surveillance cameras will be deployed around the world by 2021. This amount of information can be hardly managed by humans. Using a Inflated 3D ConvNet as backbone, this paper introduces a novel automatic violence detection approach that outperforms state-of-the-art existing proposals. Most of those proposals consider a pre-processing step to only focus on some regions of interest in the scene, i.e., those actually containing a human subject. In this regard, this paper also reports the results of an extensive analysis on whether and how the context can affect or not the adopted classifier performance. The experiments show that context-free footage yields substantial deterioration of the classifier performance (2% to 5%) on publicly available datasets. However, they also demonstrate that performance stabilizes in context-free settings, no matter the level of context restriction applied. Finally, a cross-dataset experiment investigates the generalizability of results obtained in a single-collection experiment (same dataset used for training and testing) to cross-collection settings (different datasets used for training and testing).
Ski-geometric parameters do not differ between ACL injury mechanisms in recreational alpine skiing
Authors: Posch Markus , Ruedl Gerhard , Greier Klaus , Faulhaber Martin , Tecklenburg Katja , Schranz Alois , Burtscher Martin
Published: December 2021

Purpose

It is not known so far if ski-equipment-related factors differ between the ACL injury mechanisms, potentially influencing the circumstances and causes of falling, finally resulting in ACL injury. More specifically focusing on the injury mechanisms will provide a deeper understanding of injury causation. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether ACL injury mechanisms in recreational alpine skiing differ with regard to ski-geometric parameters, self-reported circumstances and causes of accident and injury severity.

Methods

Among a cohort of 392 ACL-injured (57.9% females) skiers, age, sex, height, weight, skill level, risk-taking behavior, circumstances and causes of accident, and ACL injury severity were collected by questionnaire. Additionally, patients had to recall their type of fall (ACL injury mechanism) by classifying forward and backward falls with and without body rotation. Ski length, side cut radius and widths of the tip, waist and tail were directly notated from the ski.

Results

The forward fall with body rotation was the most common reported ACL injury mechanism (63%). A riskier behavior was associated with forward falls without body rotation. Ski-geometric parameters did not significantly influence the type of ACL injury mechanism. Regarding accident characteristics, catching an edge of the ski was more frequent (p < 0.001) the cause for forward falls (75% and 67%) when compared to the backward falls (46 and 15%) and executing a turn was the most frequent action in all falls (39–68%). A complete rupture of the ACL (66–70%) was more commonly reported than a partial tear (30–34%) among all four non-contact ACL injury mechanisms (n.s.).

Conclusion

In contrast to risk-taking behavior and accident characteristics, ski-geometric parameters and injury severity do not significantly differ between ACL injury mechanisms in recreational skiing. Thus, an individual skiing style seems to have more impact on ACL injury mechanisms than ski equipment. Future studies should evaluate potential effects of ski geometry on the incidence of ACL injury.

Level of evidence

III.
Random Unitary Representations of Surface Groups I: Asymptotic Expansions
Authors: Magee Michael
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we study random representations of fundamental groups of surfaces into special unitary groups. The random model we use is based on a symplectic form on moduli space due to Atiyah, Bott and Goldman. Let$$\Sigma _{g}$$Σgdenote a topological surface of genus$$g\ge 2$$g≥2. We establish the existence of a largenasymptotic expansion, to any fixed order, for the expected value of the trace of any fixed element of$$\pi _{1}(\Sigma _{g})$$π1(Σg)under a random representation of$$\pi _{1}(\Sigma _{g})$$π1(Σg)into$$\mathsf {SU}(n)$$SU(n). Each such expected value involves a contribution from all irreducible representations of$$\mathsf {SU}(n)$$SU(n). The main technical contribution of the paper is effective analytic control of the entire contribution from irreducible representations outside finite sets of carefully chosen rational families of representations.
Regularized ridge regression models to estimate static elastic moduli from wireline measurements: case study from Southern Iraq
Authors: Alkinani Husam H. , Al-Hameedi Abo Taleb T. , Dunn-Norman Shari , Aldin Munir , Gokaraju Deepak , Guedez Andreina , Alattar Atheer M.
Published: December 2021

Elastic moduli such as Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (v), and bulk modulus (K) are vital to creating geomechanical models for wellbore stability, hydraulic fracturing, sand production, etc. Due to the difficulty of obtaining core samples and performing rock testing, alternatively, wireline measurements can be used to estimate dynamic moduli. However, dynamic moduli are significantly different from elastic moduli due to many factors. In this paper, correlations for three zones (Nahr Umr shale, Zubair shale, and Zubair sandstone) located in southern Iraq were created to estimate static E, K, and ν from dynamic data. Core plugs from the aforementioned three zones alongside wireline measurements for the same sections were acquired. Single-stage triaxial (SST) tests with CT scans were executed for the core plugs. The data were separated into two parts; training (70%), and testing (30%) to ensure the models can be generalized to new data. Regularized ridge regression models were created to estimate static E, K, and ν from dynamic data (wireline measurements). The shrinkage parameter (α) was selected for each model based on an iterative process, where the goal is to ensure having the smallest error. The results showed that all models had testing R2 ranging between 0.92 and 0.997 and consistent with the training results. All models of E, K, and ν were linear besides ν for the Zubair sandstone and shale which were second-degree polynomial. Furthermore, root means squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were utilized to assess the error of the models. Both RMSE and MAE were consistently low in training and testing without a large discrepancy. Thus, with the regularization of ridge regression and consistent low error during the training and testing, it can be concluded that the proposed models can be generalized to new data and no overfitting can be observed. The proposed models for Nahr Umr shale, Zubair shale, and Zubair sandstone can be utilized to estimate E, K, and ν based on readily available dynamic data which can contribute to creating robust geomechanical models for hydraulic fracturing, sand production, wellbore stability, etc.
Assessment of Quality of Life, Sexual Quality of Life, and Pain Symptoms in Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis Patients with or Without Associated Adenomyosis and the Influence of a Flexible Extended Combined Oral Contraceptive Regimen: Results of a Prospective, Observational Study
Authors: Alcalde Ana María , Martínez-Zamora María Ángeles , Gracia Meritxell , Ros Cristina , Rius Mariona , Castelo-Branco Camil , Carmona Francisco
Published: December 2021

Background

The quality of life of women with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is impaired and may improve with combined oral contraceptives (COCs).

Aim

To compare the overall and sexual quality of life of patients diagnosed with DIE with or without associated adenomyosis (AD) with that of healthy controls and determine the influence of a COC containing 2 mg dienogest/30 μg ethinyl estradiol on these aspects.

Methods

We enrolled 42 women diagnosed with DIE; 31 diagnosed with DIE + AD by transvaginal ultrasound, and 39 non-AD/DIE controls. All patients were interviewed regarding pain symptoms (dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, and dysuria), heavy menstrual bleeding using the Pictorial Blood Loss Assessment Chart, quality of life using the Short Form-36 questionnaire (SF-36), and sexual quality of life using the Sexual Quality of Life-Female questionnaire (SQOL-F) and the Brief Profile of Female Sexual Function (B-PFSF) before starting COCs and after 12 months of treatment.

Outcomes

There was significant improvement in overall and sexual quality of life after treatment in DIE and DIE + AD patients.

Results

Non-AD/DIE controls showed significantly higher scores in the B-PFSF, the SQOL-F and the SF-36 questionnaires (P < .05) at baseline versus the other groups. DIE + AD patients showed poorer quality of sexual life and greater intensity in pain symptoms compared with DIE patients. After 12 months of treatment, there was a significant improvement in overall and sexual quality of life in the DIE and DIE + AD groups, with improvement in sexual quality of life being slightly greater in DIE + AD patients compared with DIE patients. Pain symptoms also decreased in both groups.

Clinical Implications

Patients with DIE + AD showed greater impairment in overall and sexual quality of life compared with patients with isolated DIE which seems to improve with a COC containing 2 mg dienogest/30 μg ethinyl estradiol.

Strengths & limitations

Strengths include the long-term follow up, assessment of the impact of two associated conditions, and administration of the same COC in all patients. Limitations include the relatively small sample size, and the fact that we did not assess the effectiveness of a flexible extended COC regimen containing 2 mg dienogest/30 μg ethinyl estradiol since the groups were different at baseline.

Conclusion

Patients diagnosed with DIE with or without AD have a decreased quality of life which may improve with a COC containing 2 mg dienogest/30 μg ethinyl estradiol. Further research is needed to confirm our results.
Reduction in trabecular meshwork stem cell content in donor eyes with primary open angle glaucoma
Authors: Sundaresan Yogapriya , Manivannan Lakshmi Priya , Radhakrishnan Shanthi , Ramasamy Krishnadas Subbiah , Veerappan Muthukkaruppan , Chidambaranathan Gowri Priya
Published: December 2021

We previously identified and characterized human trabecular meshwork stem cells (TMSCs) based on high expression of ABCG2/p75 positivity and high nucleus to cytoplasmic ratio. These TMSCs expressing high ABCG2 and p75 were located to the insert region of the human TM. Additionally, we demonstrated an age-related reduction in the TMSC content which was significantly associated with TM cell loss. In continuation, this study was aimed to determine the TMSC content in glaucomatous donor eyes wherein a drastic reduction in TM cellularity has already been reported. Anterior segments from known glaucomatous (n = 6) and age-matched normal (n = 8) donors were dissected into four quadrants. A minimum of three sections from each quadrant were used for histopathological analysis as well as immunostaining. Analysis of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from glaucomatous tissues revealed a decrease in total TM cellularity, thickening of trabecular beams, fusion of trabeculae, absence of patent Schlemm’s canal compared to age-matched controls. In addition, the TM thickness at various positions of the meshwork and the coronal as well as the meridional diameters of the Schlemm’s canal were observed to be significantly reduced in glaucomatous eyes. Further, sections from both the groups were immunostained for universal stem cell marker ABCG2 and neural crest derived stem cell marker p75. The images were acquired using Leica SP8 confocal microscope. Quantification of total TM cellularity based on nuclear counterstain (mean ± SD) using ImageJ identified 69.33 ± 12.77 cells/section in control eyes. In glaucomatous donors, the TM cellularity was found to be reduced significantly to 41.83 ± 9.0 (p = 0.0007). In addition, a reduction in the percentage of TMSCs (cells with high ABCG2 expression and p75 positivity) was evident in glaucomatous donors (0.14 ± 0.17%) compared to age-matched controls (4.73 ± 5.46%) (p = 0.064). Thus, the present study confirmed the significant decline in TM cellularity and a reducing trend in the TMSC content, though this reduction was non-significant in glaucomatous donor eyes. Further studies are essential to elucidate the role of TMSCs in the pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma.
Intrinsic and environmental factors modulating autonomous robotic search under high uncertainty
Authors: Garcia-Saura Carlos , Serrano Eduardo , Rodriguez Francisco B. , Varona Pablo
Published: December 2021

Autonomous robotic search problems deal with different levels of uncertainty. When uncertainty is low, deterministic strategies employing available knowledge result in most effective searches. However, there are domains where uncertainty is always high since information about robot location, environment boundaries or precise reference points is unattainable, e.g., in cave, deep ocean, planetary exploration, or upon sensor or communications impairment. Furthermore, latency regarding when search targets move, appear or disappear add to uncertainty sources. Here we study intrinsic and environmental factors that affect low-informed robotic search based on diffusive Brownian, naive ballistic, and superdiffusive strategies (Lévy walks), and in particular, the effectiveness of their random exploration. Representative strategies were evaluated considering both intrinsic (motion drift, energy or memory limitations) and extrinsic factors (obstacles and search boundaries). Our results point towards minimum-knowledge based modulation approaches that can adjust distinct spatial and temporal aspects of random exploration to lead to effective autonomous search under uncertainty.
Country-level factors dynamics and ABO/Rh blood groups contribution to COVID-19 mortality
Authors: Monaco Alfonso , Pantaleo Ester , Amoroso Nicola , Bellantuono Loredana , Stella Alessandro , Bellotti Roberto
Published: December 2021

The identification of factors associated to COVID-19 mortality is important to design effective containment measures and safeguard at-risk categories. In the last year, several investigations have tried to ascertain key features to predict the COVID-19 mortality tolls in relation to country-specific dynamics and population structure. Most studies focused on the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic observed in the first half of 2020. Numerous studies have reported significant associations between COVID-19 mortality and relevant variables, for instance obesity, healthcare system indicators such as hospital beds density, and bacillus Calmette-Guerin immunization. In this work, we investigated the role of ABO/Rh blood groups at three different stages of the pandemic while accounting for demographic, economic, and health system related confounding factors. Using a machine learning approach, we found that the “B+” blood group frequency is an important factor at all stages of the pandemic, confirming previous findings that blood groups are linked to COVID-19 severity and fatal outcome.
Electrostimulus-associated PD-L1 expression on cell membrane revealed by immune SERS nanoprobes
Authors: Qu Xiaozhang , Sun Dan , Cheng Yuqi , Wang Jiafeng , Wang Yan , Xu Weiqing , Qi Guohua , Xu Shuping
Published: December 2021

Smart surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoprobes are utilized to discriminate and monitor the dynamic expression of PD-L1 under external electrostimulation.
A ratiometric fluorescence strategy based on polyethyleneimine surface-modified carbon dots and Eosin Y for the ultrasensitive determination of protamine and trypsin
Authors: Sun Wenying , Zhang Feng , Wang Mengke , Wang Nan , Wang Guannan , Su Xingguang
Published: December 2021

A ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe for protamine and trypsin detection with excellent biocompatibility and high sensitivity was successfully constructed based on CDs-PEI and Eosin Y.
Vortex-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on the solidification of sedimentary deep eutectic solvents for the determination of triazine and phenylurea herbicides in milk samples
Authors: Ji Feng , Zhe Zhao , Jilong Li , Zhenhua Shan , Yi Yang , Zhibing Wang , Hanqi Zhang
Published: December 2021

Vortex-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on the solidification of sedimentary deep eutectic solvents was developed and applied to the extraction of triazine and phenylurea herbicides in milk samples.
Porous N-doped carbon with confined Fe-doped CoP grown on CNTs for superefficient oxygen evolution electrocatalysis
Authors: Guo Manman , Yuan Yuxi , Qu Yaohui , Yu Ting , Yuan Cailei , Lu Zhang-hui
Published: December 2021

1D confined MOF-derived Fe-CoP@PNC/CNTs showed enhanced OER electrocatalysis through a confined structure and hetero-metal doping.
Studies of the First Electronically Excited State of 3-Fluoropyridine and Its Ionic Structure by Means of REMPI, Two-Photon MATI, One-Photon VUV-MATI Spectroscopy and Franck–Condon Analysis
Authors: Helle Niklas , Raeker Tim , Grotemeyer Juergen
Published: December 2021

3-Fluoropyridine has been investigated by means of resonance-enhanced multi photon ionization, mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) and one-photon VUV-MATI spectroscopy to study the effect of m-fluorine substitution on the involved states.
Exploring the modulation mechanism of the LSPR effect of Cu periodic nanosphere arrays to promote the performance of TiO2 photoelectrodes
Authors: Yao Guo-Ying , Zhao Zong-Yan
Published: December 2021

Cu periodic nanosphere arrays can greatly promote the photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 photoelectrodes by localized surface plasmon resonance effects, multiple scattering and coupling effects.
Density functionals with asymptotic-potential corrections are required for the simulation of spectroscopic properties of materials
Authors: Li Musen , Kobayashi Rika , Amos Roger D. , Ford Michael J. , Reimers Jeffrey R.
Published: December 2021

Spectroscopic transitions in materials that involve charge transfer require asymptotically corrected density functionals. As most transitions do have some charge transfer character, use of such methods are generally warranted.
Synergistically enhanced iron and zinc bimetallic sites as an advanced ORR electrocatalyst for flow liquid rechargeable Zn–air batteries
Authors: Wang Zhi-Da , Liang Song , Bai Cheng-Kun , Guo Zhong-Feng , Lu Guo-Long , Sun Hang , Liu Zhen-Ning , Zang Hong-Ying
Published: December 2021

A nitrogen-rich mesoporous multi-walled carbon nanotube-dispersed Fe and Zn site oxygen reduction electrocatalyst was designed and fabricated by a secondary coordination chemistry strategy and molten-salt route.
One-step electrochemical deposition of antifouling polymers with pyrogallol for biosensing applications
Authors: Yeh Shang-Lin , Deval Piyush , Wu Jhih-Guang , Luo Shyh-Chyang , Tsai Wei-Bor
Published: December 2021

One-step electrochemical deposition of polysulfobetaine with pyrogallol creates an antifouling sensing platform for the detection of biomarkers.
Coordinated 3D spectrum utilization for B5G indoor HetNets: A collaborated crowdsensing approach
Authors: Li Xiaohui , Zhu Qi , Yu Tianqi , Wang Xianbin
Published: December 2021

The 5G and beyond (B5G) networks are expected to provide significantly increased capacity for diverse services with limited spectrum resources. However, new aspects of B5G networks particularly the ultra‐dense network deployment and the heterogeneous network structure, make spectrum resources highly distributed in three‐dimension (3D), which brings unprecedented challenges for highly efficient spectrum utilization, especially in an indoor environment. To tackle the challenges on dynamic spectrum utilization and improving the volume capacity of indoor 3D networks, a collaborated crowdsensing approach is proposed for the coordinated 3D spectrum utilization through integrating the crowdsensing, data analytics, and software defined network (SDN) techniques. The integration of sensing, learning, and intelligent control provides critical capabilities for timely observing 3D radio resources and enabling the coordinated radio resource utilization among co‐existing indoor heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Case study confirms the superiority of the proposed coordinating method on achieved volume capacity.
Segmented transmission delay based decoupling for parallel simulation of a distribution network
Authors: Wei Songtao , Gu Wei , Liu Wei , Zou Dehu
Published: December 2021

The introduction of inverters and power electronic devices increases the amount of calculation needed for electromagnetic transient simulation in distribution networks with a high proportion of distributed generation. Hence, the parallel calculation of electromagnetic transient simulation has become an effective way to improve its efficiency. To realize efficient parallel simulation, a method to decouple transmission lines in the distribution network based on the segmented transmission delay model is proposed, which divides the line into two segments according to different transmission delays. The transmission delay of one segment is an integral multiple of the simulation step used for line decoupling, whereas the other segment is a lumped parameter model, which makes it equivalent to the original line. In addition, an interface for the distribution network based on the segmented transmission delay model is designed and implemented, and the decoupling simulation of a distribution network is performed. Finally, using the simulation examples of IEEE 34 and IEEE 123 node test feeders, the proposed decoupling method is compared with other established methods. It is found to be more accurate and efficient as well as more suitable for the parallel computation of a distribution network simulation than the comparison methods.
A Survey Report on Rise in Respiratory Illnesses Due to Air Pollution and Its Homoeopathic Management
Authors: Raizada Sonia , Shukla Indu
Published: December 2021

Background and Objectives Every year just when monsoon starts retreating, we start seeing adverse meteorological conditions for dispersion. There are multiple factors that lead to higher pollution levels, including industrial and motor vehicle emissions, crop stubble burning and burning of fire crackers during Diwali period.

The novel human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed more than 1,090, 921 lives worldwide, causing tremendous public health, social and economic damages. While the risk factors of COVID-19 are still under investigation, environmental factors, such as urban air pollution, may play an important role in increasing population susceptibility to COVID-19 pathogenesis. Long-term exposure to NO2, which largely arises from urban combustion sources such as traffic, may enhance susceptibility to severe COVID-19 outcomes, independent of long-term particulate matter 2.5 and O3 exposure. Prolonged exposure to this urban traffic-related air pollutant may be an important risk factor of severe COVID-19 outcomes.

A survey was done in 2019 during the pre- and post-Diwali period to assess the increase in number of cases reported with various respiratory troubles.

Methods A cross-sectional survey was done on patients coming with respiratory problems in the outpatient department of the hospital in year 2019 for 10 days prior to Diwali (Group 1) and 10 days after Diwali (Group 2). Patients presenting with respiratory ailments were figured out during this time period and this data was analysed.

Results In Group 1, the number of respiratory complaints' patients was 238 (i.e. 7.9%) which raised to 378 (i.e. 11.9%) in Group 2 patients.

Conclusion This study showed that there was a sharp rise in patients of upper respiratory tract infections reporting in the hospital (Group 2) and results of homoeopathic medicines in treating those complaints was encouraging.
The Phases of Hahnemann's Medical Practice
Authors: Morrell Peter
Published: December 2021

Using data from his casebooks, this study explores the medical practice of Hahnemann with a focus on his changing use of medicines and potency. This study also identifies several phases in his use of medicines that connect with his ongoing programme of new provings. This study also reveals that only when he had chanced upon the antipsoric medicines, he did stop changing his medicines. Similarly, data taken from the casebooks reveal changes in his use of potency and the development of his unique method of preparing medicines as he experimented with higher and higher potencies as his career progressed.
Emergency Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for Acute Mediastinal Hemorrhage
Authors: Ling Gonghao , Zhou Jun , Ding Xun , Long Qingyun
Published: December 2021

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the application value of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for mediastinal hemorrhage.

Materials and Methods The study retrospectively analyzed the status of TAE treatment in 13 patients with mediastinal hemorrhage.

Results Aortic angiography and bleeding artery angiography showed that the bleeding in 13 mediastinal hemorrhage patients, respectively, originated from intercostal artery, esophageal artery, or bronchial artery. All patients were embolized with gelatin sponge and (or) polyvinyl alcohol particles. Chest computed tomography scan found that all 13 patients showed reduced range of mediastinal hematoma after TAE.

Conclusion TAE has the advantages of reduced trauma, rapid and direct hemostasis, and solid therapeutic effects in the treatment of mediastinal hemorrhage.
An Overview on Adult Acne, Its Pathogenesis, Clinical Presentation, Treatment and Scope in Homoeopathy
Authors: Sharma Rashmi , Dewan Deepti
Published: December 2021

Adult acne is defined as a presence of acne beyond the age of 25 years. Two main subtypes can be identified: persistent acne and late-onset acne (beginning after the age of 25 years), which are responsible for 80 and 20% of cases, respectively. Women have a high prevalence and incidence when compared with men. Hyperandrogenism is the main aetiology associated with acne in this age group. Stress-related worsening of acne is a common complaint. Due to the visibility of acne, it is known to have psychosocial impact that can influence person's perceptions regarding their self-appearance, resulting in poor quality of life. Adult acne is often refractory to treatment as older skin presents increased irritancy to topical applications and has potential for bacterial resistance. Treatment failures with antibiotics occur in up to 80% of adult women. Antiandrogens are associated with the risk of feminisation of male foetus, hepatotoxicity, hyperkalaemia etc. Isotretinoin which is given in severe cases is proved to be potent teratogen. In this backdrop, there has been a need for gentle and effective way of treatment, and homoeopathy has the answer. Homoeopathy has a holistic approach having the general acceptance and compliance amongst masses; it has been considered safe in pregnancy and during lactation period. Further, no bacterial resistance develops after prolonged use of homoeopathic medicines. Earlier studies conducted signify the action of homoeopathic medicines in the treatment of adolescent acne with effective results. Not many studies have focused or conducted on the adult acne. This review suggests conducting the future research studies on adult acne through homoeopathic medicine.
Management of a Suspected Case of Gallbladder Cancer with Individualised Homoeopathy: A Case Report
Authors: Singh Lalith , M. Kanagavali , Rija Maga , Manoharan Raja
Published: December 2021

Background India has a highest incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) and contributes 10% of global GBC burden. The risk of GBC increases with age. The first peak of GBC occurs at 50 to 60 years and second peak at 70 to 80 years. In this article, the authors have presented a suspected case of GBC in a male patient of 65 years. Radiological reports also show presence of gallstones in this case. Studies show that four out of five persons with GBC have gallstones when they are diagnosed. The patient had pain in right upper abdomen, weight loss for few months, liver function test was highly altered and a space-occupying lesion was found in the gallbladder on radiological investigation. Patient was receiving treatment in a private medical college and hospital where computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography detected gallbladder mass . Age of the patient, significant weight loss, presence of gallstones, abnormal liver function test and gallbladder mass have raised a suspicion of gallbladder cancer. Patient was advised for CT-guided biopsy by doctors of private hospital, but patient did not go for biopsy because of his belief that biopsy may worsen malignancy. Patient came to National Institute Homoeopathy for homoeopathic treatment to avoid biopsy and surgery.

Method After proper case taking and repertorisation, a constitutional medicine Carcinosin was prescribed in Q-potency. Patient was kept under follow-up for more than a year and the patient is still under treatment. During treatment different potency of Carcinosin was prescribed in ascending scale.

Results During the course of treatment, significant clinical, radiological and biochemical and pathological improvement has occurred.

Conclusion Homoeopathy is among the commonly used alternative approaches in cancer. It is being widely used as palliative and curative care in patients suffering from cancer. Though studies on the use of homoeopathy in cancer after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been reported, clinical trials on effects of homoeopathy in cancer are rare. In this case report, a suspected case of GBC was treated by higher homoeopathic dilution with significant improvement.