bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unity as an Indicator of Theory Choice
Authors: Ma Lei
Published: May 2023

While choosing scientific theories scientists often show natural biases, such as regarding unity, identity, simplicity, and novelty as indicators of theory choice. Unity is determined by the heterogeneous conceptual and empirical scope directly involved in theory through a logical intermediary. In physics, the pursuit of unity is one of the unremitting motives for scientific innovation and progress. Maxwell’s Electromagnetic theory unifies electricity, magnetism, and light. Einstein unified not only time and space but also matter and energy. Einstein failed to complete the unified field theory in his lifetime, but his pursuit of unification was not wrong. Quantum mechanics is a theory of describing nuclear forces in mathematical language, which successfully unifies three forces except for gravity. In today’s view, string theory is not generally acceptable to most people, but it has some strong local advantages, so it can be pursued
Effect of the DGAT1 K232A mutation and breed on milk traits in cattle populations of Ethiopia
Authors: Samuel Behailu , Dadi Hailu , Dinka Hunduma
Published: May 2023

Non-conservative K232A substitution in the diacylglycerol acyl-CoA acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) gene has been reported to explain variation in milk traits in cattle. The objective of this study was to estimate allele and genotype frequencies and to assess associations between K232A variants and milk yield and composition in cattle populations of Ethiopia. Blood samples for genomic DNA extraction and milk samples for analysis of milk components were collected from 92 randomly selected cattle of five Ethiopian breeds. Gene-specific primers were used to amplify 278 bp of the exon 8 region of DGAT1. Allele and genotype frequencies were calculated using Power Marker, and the GLM function of SAS software was used to assess the associations of detected genetic variation with milk traits. Boran * Holstein Friesian (HF) crosses produced a higher daily milk yield than the other breeds (p< 0.05), whereas the Boran and Begait breeds produced milk with higher fat and protein contents (p< 0.05), and Horro produced milk with a higher content of lactose, than the other breeds studied (p< 0.05). Alleles K and A and genotypes AA, KA, and KK were detected. The frequency of K232 ranged from 0.50 in Boran * HF crosses to 0.97 in the Horro population. The frequency of the KK and KA genotypes in the zebu population ranged from 0.50 to 0.94 and from 0.03 to 0.50, respectively. The AA genotype was associated with higher milk yield in Boran * HF crosses, whereas the KA genotype was associated with higher milk yield in the zebu populations (p< 0.05). The fat and lactose contents of milk produced with the KA genotype were lower than those of milk produced with the KK genotype in all genetic groups (p< 0.05). Substitution of one copy of the K allele led to a significant (p< 0.05) increase in fat content, of up to 0.81%, a decrease in daily milk yield of up to 3 L, and a decrease in lactose content of 0.58% in the sampled populations. The association study confirmed that the DGAT1 K232A marker had significant effects on daily milk yield, milk fat and lactose contents in the investigated cattle. These results suggested that the DGAT1 K232A marker may be utilized to accelerate future molecular breeding of dairy cattle, tropical zebu, their crossbreeds, after validation in a larger population.
Contribution to pathogenesis of accessory proteins of deadly human coronaviruses
Authors: Hurtado-Tamayo Jesus , Requena-Platek Ricardo , Enjuanes Luis , Bello-Perez Melissa , Sola Isabel
Published: May 2023

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped and positive-stranded RNA viruses with a large genome (∼ 30kb). CoVs include essential genes, such as the replicase and four genes coding for structural proteins (S, M, N and E), and genes encoding accessory proteins, which are variable in number, sequence and function among different CoVs. Accessory proteins are non-essential for virus replication, but are frequently involved in virus-host interactions associated with virulence. The scientific literature on CoV accessory proteins includes information analyzing the effect of deleting or mutating accessory genes in the context of viral infection, which requires the engineering of CoV genomes using reverse genetics systems. However, a considerable number of publications analyze gene function by overexpressing the protein in the absence of other viral proteins. This ectopic expression provides relevant information, although does not acknowledge the complex interplay of proteins during virus infection. A critical review of the literature may be helpful to interpret apparent discrepancies in the conclusions obtained by different experimental approaches. This review summarizes the current knowledge on human CoV accessory proteins, with an emphasis on their contribution to virus-host interactions and pathogenesis. This knowledge may help the search for antiviral drugs and vaccine development, still needed for some highly pathogenic human CoVs.
Preventing acute diverticulitis. any roles for non-absorbable antibiotics? in search of evidence: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis
Authors: Koch Maurizio , Maraolo Alberto Enrico , Natoli Giuseppe , Corrao Salvatore
Published: May 2023

Background

Hospital admissions for diverticulitis, a complication of diverticular disease, are very much on the increase. Prevention of diverticulitis could cut costs and save lives.

Aims

To identify whether the risk of the first episode of diverticulitis (primary prevention) or recurrence of diverticulitis (secondary prevention) can be reduced in patients with diverticular disease using non-absorbable antibiotics (mainly rifaximin).

Methods

The studies were identified by searching PubMed and CENTRAL from 1990 to May 2022. The methodological quality of each study was also evaluated. The outcome of the meta-analysis was the occurrence of a first or subsequent episode of diverticulitis. In addition, a trial sequential analysis was performed to evaluate whether the results would be subject to type I or type II errors.

Results

Primary prevention: the risk difference was statistically significant in favor of rifaximin (-0,019, or -1.9%, CI -0,6 to -3,3%). There was no evidence of heterogeneity (I2 0%). At one year, two years, and eight years of age, the NNT was 62, 52, and 42, respectively. The level of evidence had a moderate degree of certainty. Secondary prevention: the risk difference was statistically significant in favor of rifaximin (- 0,24, or -24%, CI -47 to -2%). There was evidence of heterogeneity (I2 92%); NNT resulted in 5. The grade level was low.

Conclusions

Rifaximin can lower the risk of a first episode of diverticulitis. However, the cost-benefit ratio currently appears too high. Rifaximin could also reduce the risk of a second episode, but the quality of the evidence is low.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022379258.
Regulatory T cells in peripheral tissue tolerance and diseases
Authors: Cheru Nardos , Hafler David A. , Sumida Tomokazu S.
Published: May 2023

Maintenance of peripheral tolerance by CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) is essential for regulating autoreactive T cells. The loss of function of Foxp3 leads to autoimmune disease in both animals and humans. An example is the rare, X-linked recessive disorder known as IPEX (Immune Dysregulation, Polyendocrinopathy, Enteropathy X-linked) syndrome. In more common human autoimmune diseases, defects in Treg function are accompanied with aberrant effector cytokines such as IFNγ. It has recently become appreciated that Tregs plays an important role in not only maintaining immune homeostasis but also in establishing the tissue microenvironment and homeostasis of non-lymphoid tissues. Tissue resident Tregs show profiles that are unique to their local environments which are composed of both immune and non-immune cells. Core tissue-residence gene signatures are shared across different tissue Tregs and are crucial to homeostatic regulation and maintaining the tissue Treg pool in a steady state. Through interaction with immunocytes and non-immunocytes, tissue Tregs exert a suppressive function via conventional ways involving contact dependent and independent processes. In addition, tissue resident Tregs communicate with other tissue resident cells which allows Tregs to adopt to their local microenvironment. These bidirectional interactions are dependent on the specific tissue environment. Here, we summarize the recent advancements of tissue Treg studies in both human and mice, and discuss the molecular mechanisms that maintain tissue homeostasis and prevent pathogenesis.
A potential therapeutic approach for ulcerative colitis: targeted regulation of macrophage polarization through phytochemicals
Authors: Wang Ke , Mao Tangyou , Lu Xinyu , Wang Muyuan , Yun Yifei , Jia Zeyu , Shi Lei , Jiang Haoxi , Li Junxiang , Shi Rui
Published: May 2023

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a type of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurring and incurable symptoms, causes immense suffering and economic burden for patients due to the limited treatment options available. Therefore, it is imperative to develop novel and promising strategies, as well as safe and effective drugs, for the clinical management of UC. Macrophages play a critical role as the initial line of defense in maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis, and their phenotypic transformation significantly influences the progression of UC. Scientific studies have demonstrated that directing macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype is an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of UC. Phytochemicals derived from botanical sources have garnered the interest of the scientific community owing to their distinct bioactivity and nutritional value, which have been shown to confer beneficial protective effects against colonic inflammation. In this review, we explicated the influence of macrophage polarization on the development of UC and collated data on the significant potential of natural substances that can target the macrophage phenotype and elucidate the possible mechanism of action for its treatment. These findings may provide novel directions and references for the clinical management of UC.
Quillaja brasiliensis nanoparticle adjuvant formulation improves the efficacy of an inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine in mice
Authors: Silveira Fernando , Rivera-Patron Mariana , Deshpande Nikita , Sienra Soledad , Checa Jackeline , Moreno María , Chabalgoity Jose A. , Cibulski Samuel P. , Baz Mariana
Published: May 2023

The threat of viral influenza infections has sparked research efforts to develop vaccines that can induce broadly protective immunity with safe adjuvants that trigger robust immune responses. Here, we demonstrate that subcutaneous or intranasal delivery of a seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) adjuvanted with the Quillaja brasiliensis saponin-based nanoparticle (IMXQB) increases the potency of TIV. The adjuvanted vaccine (TIV-IMXQB) elicited high levels of IgG2a and IgG1 antibodies with virus-neutralizing capacity and improved serum hemagglutination inhibition titers. The cellular immune response induced by TIV-IMXQB suggests the presence of a mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine profile, antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) skewed toward an IgG2a phenotype, a positive delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, and effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. After challenge, viral titers in the lungs were significantly lower in animals receiving TIV-IMXQB than in those inoculated with TIV alone. Most notably, mice vaccinated intranasally with TIV-IMXQB and challenged with a lethal dose of influenza virus were fully protected against weight loss and lung virus replication, with no mortality, whereas, among animals vaccinated with TIV alone, the mortality rate was 75%. These findings demonstrate that TIV-IMXQB improved the immune responses to TIV, and, unlike the commercial vaccine, conferred full protection against influenza challenge.
Inhibition of DAI refrains dendritic cells from maturation and prolongs murine islet and skin allograft survival
Authors: Cheng Pengrui , Jian Qian , Fu Zongli , Deng Ronghai , Ma Yi
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Central to allograft rejection is the T cell-mediated adaptive immune response initiated by activated dendritic cells (DCs). Previous studies have shown that the DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factors (DAI) is involved in the maturation and activation of DCs. Therefore, we hypothesized that inhibition of DAI could prevent DCs from maturation and prolong murine allograft survival.

Methods

Donor mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were transduced with the recombinant adenovirus vector (AdV-DAI-RNAi-GFP) to inhibit DAI expression (DC-DAI-RNAi), and the immune cell phenotype and function of DC-DAI-RNAi upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation were evaluated. Then DC-DAI-RNAi was injected into recipient mice before islet transplantation and skin transplantation. The survival times of islet and skin allograft were recorded and the proportions of T cell subsets in spleen and secretion levels of cytokines in serum were measured.

Results

We identified that DC-DAI-RNAi inhibited the expression of main co-stimulatory molecules and MHC-II, exhibited strong phagocytic ability, and secreted high levels of immunosuppressive cytokines and low levels of immunostimulating cytokines. Recipient mice treated with DC-DAI-RNAi had longer islet and skin allograft survival times. In the murine islet transplantation model, we observed an increase in Treg cells proportion, a reduction in Th1 and Th17 cells proportions in spleen, and similar trends in their secreted cytokines in serum in the DC-DAI-RNAi group.

Conclusion

Inhibition of DAI by adenovirus transduction inhibits the maturation and activation of DCs, affects the differentiation of T cell subsets as well as their secreted cytokines, and prolongs allograft survival.
Methylprednisolone alleviates cognitive functions through the regulation of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Sun Yuan , Li Jinran , A Nan , Li Zhaoxing , Zhong Wenyi , Chen Long , Liu Sai , Zhang Bocheng , Zhu Zheying , Li Xinuo
Published: May 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and linked to abnormal deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), synaptic dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Despite significant progress in unravelling the pathogenesis of AD, currently main therapeutic interventions is limited to symptomatic alleviation. Methylprednisolone (MP), a synthetic glucocorticoid, is recognized for its extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Our study assessed the neuroprotective effect of MP (25 mg/kg) administration to an Aβ1-42-induced AD mouse model. Our findings demonstrate that MP treatment can ameliorate cognitive impairment in Aβ1-42-induced AD mice and suppress microglial activation in the cortex and hippocampus. RNA-Sequencing analysis reveals that MP ultimately rescues cognitive dysfunction through improving the synapse function and inhibiting the immune and inflammatory processes. Our study suggests that MP could be a promising drug alternative for the treatment of AD, either alone or in combination with other existing drugs.
A vector radiative transfer model for simulating the microwave emissivity of sea foam based on matrix operator method
Authors: Jin Xuchen , He Xianqiang , Bai Yan , Wang Difeng , Ying Jianyun , Zhu Qiankun , Gong Fang , Zhou Chenghu , Pan Delu
Published: May 2023

Modeling sea foam emissivity is important for microwave remote sensing of the ocean. Based on the matrix-operator method, we propose a vector radiative transfer model (RTM) for the simulation of wave propagation in the foam layer and the sea foam emissivity is then calculated. The RTM simulates the emissivity of a vertically structured foam layer with various water properties. We assess the model simulations under different conditions. It is found that the foam thickness and the void fraction profile could be critical parameters in modeling foam emissivity. The sea foam emissivity could range from 0.2 to 0.3 in our simulations with varying foam thicknesses and void fraction profiles. Then, comparisons were made to experimental data for validation, and our model achieved a good consistency with the different experimental measurements of three previous studies. And it was also found that the modeled emissivity fits the experimental data well using an exponential profile with a small profile shape-control parameter.
Strengthening the health surveillance of marine mammals in the waters of metropolitan France by monitoring strandings
Authors: Wund S. , Méheust E. , Dars C. , Dabin W. , Demaret F. , Guichard B. , Jauniaux T. , Labrut S. , Spitz J. , Van Canneyt O. , Caurant F.
Published: May 2023

Monitoring the health status of marine mammals is a priority theme that France aims to develop with the other European Union Member States in the next two years, in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. With approximately 5,000 km of coastline and for nearly ten years, France has been recording an average of 2,000 strandings per year, which are monitored by the National Stranding Network, managed by Pelagis, the observatory for the conservation of marine mammals from La Rochelle University and the French National Center for Scientific Research. Since 1972, this network has successively evolved from spatial and temporal faunistic description to, nowadays, the detection of major causes of mortality. It now aims to carry out epidemiological studies on a population scale. Thus, a strategy to strengthen the monitoring of marine mammals’ health status based on stranding data has been developed. This strategy will allow for a more accurate detection of anthropogenic cause of death as well as those of natural origin. It will allow the monitoring of time trends and geographical differences of diseases associated with conservation and public health issues while ensuring the early detection of emerging and/or zoonotic diseases of importance. It will also allow a better assessment of the consequences of human activities on these animal populations and on the environment. Thus, this strategy is fully in line with the “One Health” approach which implies an integrated vision of public, animal and environmental health. It is broken down into four surveillance modalities: (1) general event-based surveillance (GES); (2) programmed surveillance (PS); (3) specific event-based surveillance (SES); (4) and in the longer term, syndromic surveillance (SyS). This article describes the French strategy as well as these different surveillance modalities, the levels of examinations and the associated sampling protocols and finally, the method of standardisation of the data collected. The objective is to present the strategy developed at the French level in order to integrate it into a future strategy shared at the European level to standardise practices and especially complementary analysis, necessary for a better evaluation of the health status of these mobile marine species.
See you somewhere in the ocean: few-shot domain adaptive underwater object detection
Authors: Han Lu , Zhai JiPing , Yu Zhibin , Zheng Bing
Published: May 2023

The current data-driven underwater object detection methods have significantly progressed. However, there are millions of marine creatures in the oceans, and collecting a corresponding database for each species for similar tasks (such as object detection)is expensive. Besides, marine environments are more complex than in-air cases. Water quality, illuminations, and seafloor topography may lead to domain shifting with visual instability features of underwater objects. To tackle these problems, we propose a few-shot adaptive object detection framework with a novel two-stage training approach and a lightweight feature correction module to accommodate both image-level and instance-level domain shifting on multiple datasets. Our method can be trained in a source domain and quickly adapt to an unfamiliar target domain with only a few labeled samples. Extensive experimental results have demonstrated the knowledge transfer capability of the proposed method in detecting two similar marine species. The code will be available at: https://github.com/roadhan/FSCW
Transitioning towards environmentally benign marine antifouling coatings
Authors: Carrier Andrew J. , Carve Megan , Shimeta Jeff , Walker Tony R. , Zhang Xu , Oakes Ken D. , Jha Kshitij C. , Charlton Tim , Stenzel Martina H.
Published: May 2023

Marine biofouling has been an issue since antiquity whose solutions have a history of negative environmental impact. The development of environmentally sustainable solutions is paramount as society is becoming more conscious of anthropogenic impacts on the global ecosystem, particularly the global oceans. Herein we include a brief overview of common strategies in the development of sustainable marine antifouling coatings in terms of their efficacy, durability, and environmental impact. We discuss technical challenges to the development of sustainable antifouling coatings; barriers and incentives to their market uptake; and advocate the necessity of multi-stakeholder collaboration, including scientists, engineers, industry groups, and regulators, toward the development of marketable and sustainable antifouling coating solutions.
Using ecological partitions to assess zooplankton biogeography and seasonality
Authors: McGinty Niall , Irwin Andrew J. , Finkel Zoe V. , Dutkiewicz Stephanie
Published: May 2023

Zooplankton play a crucial role in marine ecosystems as the link between the primary producers and higher trophic levels, and as such they are key components of global biogeochemical and ecosystem models. While phytoplankton spatial-temporal dynamics can be tracked using satellite remote sensing, no analogous data product is available to validate zooplankton model output. We develop a procedure for linking irregular and sparse observations of mesozooplankton biomass with model output to assess regional seasonality of mesozooplankton. We use output from a global biogeochemical/ecosystem model to partition the ocean according to seasonal patterns of modeled mesozooplankton biomass. We compare the magnitude and temporal dynamics of the model biomass with in situ observations averaged within each partition. Our analysis shows strong correlations and little bias between model and data in temperate, strongly seasonally variable regions. Substantial discrepancies exist between model and observations within the tropical partitions. Correlations between model and data in the tropical partitions were not significant and in some cases negative. Seasonal changes in tropical mesozooplankton biomass were weak, driven primarily by local perturbations in the velocity and extent of currents. Microzooplankton composed a larger fraction of total zooplankton biomass in these regionsWe also examined the ability of the model to represent several dominant taxonomic groups. We identified several Calanus species in the North Atlantic partitions and Euphausiacea in the Southern Ocean partitions that were well represented by the model. This partition-scale comparison captures biogeochemically important matches and mismatches between data and models, suggesting that elaborating models by adding trait differences in larger zooplankton and mixotrophy may improve model-data comparisons. We propose that where model and data compare well, sparse observations can be averaged within partitions defined from model output to quantify zooplankton spatio-temporal dynamics.
RIPK1 and RIPK3 are positive prognosticators for cervical cancer patients and C2 ceramide can inhibit tumor cell proliferation in vitro
Authors: Vogelsang Tilman L. R. , Kast Verena , Bagnjuk Konstantin , Eubler Katja , Jeevanandan Sree Priyanka , Schmoeckel Elisa , Trebo Anna , Topalov Nicole Elisabeth , Mahner Sven , Mayr Doris , Mayerhofer Artur , Jeschke Udo , Vattai Aurelia
Published: May 2023

Introduction

The enzymes Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) und 3 (RIPK3) as well as the protein Mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase (pMLKL) play a role in the signaling cascade of necroptosis. This is a form of programmed cell death which is caspase-independent. High-risk human papilloma virus infection can inhibit necroptosis. Thereby, a persistent infection and consequently the development of cervical cancer can be triggered. Aim of this study was the analysis of the expression of RIPK1, RIPK3 and pMLKL in cervical cancer tissue and the evaluation of its prognostic value on overall survival, progression-free survival and additional clinical parameters.

Methods

The expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and pMLKL in cervical cancer tissue microarrays of n = 250 patients was analyzed immunohistochemically. Further, the effect of C2 ceramide on several cervical cancer cell lines (CaSki, HeLa, SiHa) was examined. C2 ceramide is a biologically active short-chain ceramide that induces necroptosis in human luteal granulosa cells.

Results

Significantly longer overall survival and progression-free survival rates could be detected in cervical cancer patients expressing nuclear RIPK1 or RIPK3 alone or simultaneously (RIPK1 and RIPK3). Cell viability and proliferation was reduced through C2 ceramide stimulation of cervical cancer cells. Simultaneous stimulation of C2 ceramide and the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk, or the RIPK1-inhibitor necrostatin-1, partly reversed the negative effect of C2 ceramide on cell viability. This observation could imply that caspase-dependent and -independent forms of cell death, including necroptosis, can occur. AnnexinV-FITC apoptosis staining induced a significant increase in apoptotic cells in CaSki and SiHa cells. The stimulation of CaSki cells with C2 ceramide led to a significant percentual increase in necrotic/intermediate (dying) cells after stimulation with C2 ceramide. In addition, after stimulation with C2 ceramide, CaSki and HeLa cells live cell imaging showed morphological changes which are common for necroptosis.

Discussion

In conclusion, RIPK1 and RIPK3 are independent positive predictors for overall survival and progression-free survival in cervical cancer patients. C2 ceramide can reduce cell viability and proliferation in cervical cancer cells by inducing most likely both apoptosis and necroptosis.
The chromosomal instability 25 gene signature is identified in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and serves as a predictor for survival and Sunitinib response
Authors: Wang Chang , Qin Xin , Guo Wei , Wang Jing , Liu Li , Fang Zhiqing , Yuan Huiyang , Fan Yidong , Xu Dawei
Published: May 2023

Background

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a cancer hallmark and it is difficult to directly measure its phenotype, while a CIN25 gene signature was established to do so in several cancer types. However, it is currently unclear whether there exists this signature in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and if so, which biological and clinical implications it has.

Methods

Transcriptomic profiling was performed on 10 ccRCC tumors and matched renal non-tumorous tissues (NTs) for CIN25 signature analyses. TCGA and E-MBAT1980 ccRCC cohorts were analyzed for the presence of CIN25 signature, CIN25 score-based ccRCC classification, and association with molecular alterations and overall or progression-free survival (OS or PFS). IMmotion150 and 151 cohorts of ccRCC patients treated with Sunitinib were analyzed for the CIN25 impact on Sunitinib response and survival.

Results

The transcriptomic analysis of 10 patient samples showed robustly upregulated expression of the CIN25 signature genes in ccRCC tumors, which were further confirmed in TCGA and E-MBAT1980 ccRCC cohorts. Based on their expression heterogeneity, ccRCC tumors were categorized into CIN25-C1 (low) and C2 (high) subtypes. The CIN25-C2 subtype was associated with significantly shorter patient OS and PFS, and characterized by increased telomerase activity, proliferation, stemness and EMT. The CIN25 signature reflects not only a CIN phenotype, but also levels of the whole genomic instability including mutation burden, microsatellite instability and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Importantly, the CIN25 score was significantly associated with Sunitinib response and survival. In IMmotion151 cohort, patients in the CIN25-C1 group exhibited 2-fold higher remission rate than those in the CIN25-C2 group (P = 0.0004) and median PFS in these two groups was 11.2 and 5.6 months, respectively (P = 7.78E-08). Similar results were obtained from the IMmotion150 cohort analysis. Higher EZH2 expression and poor angiogenesis, well characterized factors leading to Sunitinib resistance, were enriched in the CIN25-C2 tumors.

Conclusion

The CIN25 signature identified in ccRCC serves as a biomarker for CIN and other genome instability phenotypes and predicts patient outcomes and response to Sunitinib treatment. A PCR quantification is enough for the CIN25-based ccRCC classification, which holds great promises in clinical routine application.
Characteristic of molecular subtype based on lysosome-associated genes reveals clinical prognosis and immune infiltration of gastric cancer
Authors: Hu Maodong , Chong Ruifeng , Liu Weilin , Liu Shuangyong , Liu Xiaolei
Published: May 2023

Background

Lysosome are involved in nutrient sensing, cell signaling, cell death, immune responses and cell metabolism, which play an important role in the initiation and development of multiple tumors. However, the biological function of lysosome in gastric cancer (GC) has not been revealed. Here, we aim to screen lysosome-associated genes and established a corresponding prognostic risk signature for GC, then explore the role and underlying mechanisms.

Methods

The lysosome-associated genes (LYAGs) were obtained from MSigDB database. Differentially expressed lysosome-associated genes (DE-LYAGs) of GC were acquired based on the TCGA database and GEO database. According to expression profiles of DE-LYAGs, we divided the GC patients into different subgroups and then explored tumor microenvironment (TME) landscape and immunotherapy response in LYAG subtypes using GSVA, ESTIMATE and ssGSEA algorithms. Univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO algorithm and multivariate Cox regression analysis were adopted to identify the prognostic LYAGs and then establish a risk model for patients with GC. The Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox regression analysis and ROC analysis were utilized to evaluate the performance of the prognostic risk model. Clinical GC specimens were also used to verify the bioinformatics results by qRT-PCR assay.

Results

Thirteen DE-LYAGs were obtained and utilized to distinguish three subtypes in GC samples. Expression profiles of the 13 DE-LYAGs predicted prognosis, tumor-related immunological abnormalities and pathway dysregulation in these three subtypes. Furthermore, we constructed a prognostic risk model for GC based on DEG in the three subtypes. The Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested that higher risk score related to short OS rate. The Cox regression analysis and ROC analysis indicated that risk model had independent and excellent ability in predicting prognosis of GC patients. Mechanistically, a remarkable difference was observed in immune cell infiltration, immunotherapy response, somatic mutation landscape and drug sensitivity. qRT-PCR results showed that compared with corresponding adjacent normal tissues, most screened genes showed significant abnormal expressions and the expression change trends were consistent with the bioinformatics results.

Conclusions

We established a novel signature based on LYAGs which could be served as a prognostic biomarker for GC. Our study might provide new insights into individualized prognostication and precision treatment for GC.
Unifying Tactical Conflict Prevention, Detection, and Resolution Methods in Non-Orthogonal Constrained Urban Airspace
Authors: Badea Călin Andrei , Morfin Veytia Andres , Patrinopoulou Niki , Daramouskas Ioannis , Ellerbroek Joost , Lappas Vaios , Kostopoulos Vassilios , Hoekstra Jacco
Published: May 2023

The use of small aircraft for a wide range of missions in urban airspace is expected to increase in the future. In Europe, efforts have been invested into developing a unified system, called U-space, to manage aircraft in dense very-low-level urban airspace. The Metropolis II project aimed to research what degree of centralisation an air traffic management system should use in such airspace. The paper at hand is a follow-up, and investigates improvements that can be brought to the tactical conflict prevention, detection, and resolution module of such a system in order to harmonise these components with an organic high-density U-space environment. The proposed improvements are: the prioritisation of vertical conflict prevention in intersections, the use of intent in detecting and resolving conflicts, and the use of heading-based manoeuvres in open airspace. Results show that the use of intent information in the conflict detection process, as well as the implementation of suitable tactical prevention procedures, can greatly increase airspace safety. Furthermore, the experiments revealed that the effectiveness of conflict resolution algorithms is highly dependent on the airspace rules and structure. This reiterates the potential for increasing the safety and efficiency of operations within constrained airspace if the tactical separation modules are unified with the other components of air traffic management systems for U-space.
Robust LQR Design Method for the Aero-Engine Integral Constant Pressure Drop Control Valve with High Precision
Authors: Zhao Wenshuai , Wang Xi , Long Yifu , Zhou Zhenhua , Tian Linhang
Published: May 2023

The closed-loop constant pressure drop control valve is widely used in aero-engine fuel servo metering systems. However, the available constant pressure drop control valve cannot realize servo tracking without static error and, often, a high proportional gain is used to reduce the static error and improve the servo tracking performance, which reduces the stability margin. In this paper, an integral constant pressure drop control valve is designed, which consists of an integral controller and a stabilizing controller. Moreover, a robust LQR design method is proposed to complete the design task. Firstly, the controlled plant’s state–space model is derived, and the augmented model with tracking error is established based on the robust servo system design theory. Secondly, a servo controller with dual functions of integral control and stabilization control is constructed and decoupled, in which the stabilizing controller guarantees the asymptotic stability as well as the anti-disturbance performance, and the integral controller realizes the servo tracking without static error. Finally, based on the robust LQR design method, two key design parameters, including the integral control gain and the stabilization control gain, are designed to complete the design task. The simulation results indicate that, even when suffering 50 mm2 metered flow area step disturbance and 1 MPa inlet pressure step change, the designed integral constant pressure drop control valve can realize the function of servo tracking without static error. The static error is almost 0, the settling time is within 0.01 s, the overshoot is within 10%, and the phase margin is more than 55°.
Habitat Selection and Home Range of Reeves’ Turtle (Mauremys reevesii) in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China
Authors: Bu Rongping , Ye Zihao , Shi Haitao
Published: May 2023

Habitat selection and range are crucial factors in understanding the life history of species. We tracked 23 adult wild Reeves’ turtles (Mauremys reevesii) from August 2021 to August 2022 in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China, to study their habitat selection, home range, and the characteristics of chosen habitats. Significant differences were observed in aquatic habitats, regarding shelter cover (Z = −6.032, p < 0.001), shelter height (Z = −6.783, p < 0.001), depth of water (Z = −2.009, p = 0.045), and distance from the edge (Z = −4.288, p < 0.001), between selected and random habitats. In terrestrial habitats, significant differences were observed in canopy cover (Z = −2.100, p = 0.036), herbage cover (Z = −2.347, p = 0.019), distance from the field edge (Z = −2.724, p = 0.006), dead grass cover (Z = −2.921, p = 0.003), and dead grass thickness (t = 3.735, df = 17, p = 0.002) between the selected and random habitats. The mean home range area observed for this turtle population was 14.34 ± 4.29 ha, the mean core home range was 2.91 ± 2.28 ha, and the mean line home range was 670.23 ± 119.62 m. This study provides valuable information on this endangered species, providing a foundation for the development of conservation plans.
Evaluation Survey on Agreement with Existing Definitions of Biosecurity with a Focus on Livestock
Authors: Saegerman Claude , Parisi Gianni , Niemi Jarkko , Humblet Marie-France , Ron-Román Jorge , Souley Kouato Bachir , Allepuz Alberto , Porphyre Vincent , Rodrigues da Costa Maria , Renault Véronique
Published: May 2023

Disease prevention, including biosecurity, surveillance, and traceability are key aspects to minimize the risk of animal diseases causing harm to society. Diseases for which biosecurity are needed depend on species of interest, e.g., African swine fever, avian influenza, or foot-and-mouth disease. However, several definitions of biosecurity co-exist in the literature. Under the new COST Action “Biosecurity Enhanced Through Training Evaluation and Raising Awareness” (BETTER) CA20103, we launched an initial survey on the agreement with eight existing definitions of (livestock) biosecurity, to rank keywords to consider before attempting a more consolidated definition, and to select the desirable qualities of a definition of livestock biosecurity. Respondents (N = 316) had a male–female gender ratio close to one, were mostly between 25 and 54 years old, and had animal health as the main field of expertise (30% were government officials). The significant most popular biosecurity definition was the one that conceptualized the rules of 5B’s (bio-exclusion, bio-containment, bio-compartmentation, bio-prevention, and bio-preservation). The top two keywords to consider for the consolidation of the biosecurity definition were “prevention” and “measures”. The optimal biosecurity definition needs to be operational and related to animal health but also comprehensible, simple, and related to public health. The survey results highlight the need for the integration of more aspects in the existing definitions of livestock biosecurity (prevention of zoonoses and preservation of the environment and diversity).
Antibiotic Use in Pregnancy: A Global Survey on Antibiotic Prescription Practices in Antenatal Care
Authors: Gamberini Carlotta , Donders Sabine , Al-Nasiry Salwan , Kamenshchikova Alena , Ambrosino Elena
Published: May 2023

Antibiotic prescription and use practices in the antenatal care setting varies across countries and populations and has the potential to significantly contribute to the global spread of antibiotic resistance. This study aims to explore how healthcare practitioners make decisions about antibiotic prescriptions for pregnant women and what factors play a role in this process. A cross-sectional exploratory survey consisting of 23 questions, including 4 free-text and 19 multiple-choice questions, was distributed online. Quantitative data were collected through multiple-choice questions and was used to identify the most common infections diagnosed and the type of antibiotics prescribed. Qualitative data were gathered through free-text answers to identify gaps, challenges, and suggestions, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 137 complete surveys mostly from gynecologists/obstetricians from 22 different countries were included in the analysis. Overall, national and international clinical guidelines and hospital guidelines/protocols were the most frequently used sources of information. This study highlights the crucial role of laboratory results and guidelines at different levels and emphasizes region-specific challenges and recommendations. These findings underscore the pressing need for tailored interventions to support antibiotic prescribers in their decision-making practice and to address emerging resistance.
Semi-Supervised Medical Image Classification Combined with Unsupervised Deep Clustering
Authors: Xiao Bang , Lu Chunyue
Published: May 2023

An effective way to improve the performance of deep neural networks in most computer vision tasks is to improve the quantity of labeled data and the quality of labels. However, in the analysis and processing of medical images, high-quality annotation depends on the experience and professional knowledge of experts, which makes it very difficult to obtain a large number of high-quality annotations. Therefore, we propose a new semi-supervised framework for medical image classification. It combines semi-supervised classification with unsupervised deep clustering. Spreading label information to unlabeled data by alternately running two tasks helps the model to extract semantic information from unlabeled data, and prevents the model from overfitting to a small amount of labeled data. Compared with current methods, our framework enhances the robustness of the model and reduces the influence of outliers. We conducted a comparative experiment on the public benchmark medical image dataset to verify our method. On the ISIC 2018 Dataset, our method surpasses other methods by more than 0.85% on AUC and 1.08% on Sensitivity. On the ICIAR BACH 2018 dataset, our method achieved 94.12% AUC, 77.92% F1-score, 77.69% Recall, and 78.16% Precision. The error rate is at least 1.76% lower than that of other methods. The result shows the effectiveness of our method in medical image classification.
Potential Source Area and Transport Route of Atmospheric Particulates in Xi’an, China
Authors: Zhao Binhua , Hu Bingze , Li Peng , Li Tanbao , Li Caiwen , Jiang Ying , Meng Yongxia
Published: May 2023

Atmospheric particulate pollution is one of the most common pollution related issues and poses a serious threat to human health. PM2.5 and PM10 are important indicators of atmospheric particulate pollution currently. Based on the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, the hourly 72 h backward trajectory of particulate matter in Xi’an from March 2019 to February 2022 was calculated, and the main path of air flow to Xi’an was studied by cluster analysis. Combined with hourly concentration monitoring data of PM2.5 and PM10 at each station, the potential source area of particles in Xi’an was calculated by potential source contribution factor analysis and concentration weighted trajectory analysis. The results show that Xi’an was most polluted in winter, followed by autumn and spring, and cleanest in the summer. The annual average mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 are 48.5 ± 28.7 μg/m3 and 89.2 ± 39.2 μg/m3, respectively, both exceeding the national secondary standard for ambient air quality. On an annual basis, back-trajectory analysis showed that predominantly transport was rapid from the northwest (44%). Transport from the other sectors were 24%, 19%, and 14% from the northeast, southeast, and southwest, respectively, and featured lower windspeeds on average. The potential source areas of particulate matter in Xi’an in the spring are mainly located at the junction of Chongqing, Hunan, and Hubei, and parts of the southeast and north of Sichuan. This study provides context for air quality and atmospheric transport conditions in this region of China.
Application of a Deep Learning Fusion Model in Fine Particulate Matter Concentration Prediction
Authors: Li Xizhe , Zou Nianyu , Wang Zhisheng
Published: May 2023

With the rapid development of urbanization, ambient air pollution is becoming increasingly serious. Out of many pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the pollutant that affects the urban atmospheric environment to the greatest extent. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration prediction is of great significance to human health and environmental protection. This paper proposes a CNN-SSA-DBiLSTM-attention deep learning fusion model. This paper took the meteorological observation data and pollutant data from eight stations in Bijie from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2022 as the sample data for training and testing. For the obtained data, the missing values and the data obtained from the correlation analysis performed were first processed. Secondly, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was used for the feature selection. DBILSTM was then used to establish a network model for the relationship between the input and actual output sequences, and an attention mechanism was added to enhance the impact of the relevant information. The number of units in the DBILSTM and the epoch of the whole network were optimized using the sparrow search algorithm (SSA), and the predicted value was the output after optimization. This paper predicts the concentration of PM2.5 in different time spans and seasons, and makes a comparison with the CNN-DBILSTM, BILSTM, and LSTM models. The results show that the CNN-SSA-DBiLSTM-attention model had the best prediction effect, and its accuracy improved with the increasing prediction time span. The coefficient of determination (R2) is stable at about 0.95. The results revealed that the proposed CNN-SSA-DBiLSTM-attention ensemble framework is a reliable and accurate method, and verifies the research results of this paper in regard to the prediction of PM2.5 concentration. This research has important implications for human health and environmental protection. The proposed method could inspire researchers to develop even more effective methods for atmospheric environment pollution modeling.
Recent Advances and Prospects of FeOOH-Based Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors
Authors: El Issmaeli Youness , Lahrichi Amina , Kalanur Shankara S. , Natarajan Sadesh Kumar , Pollet Bruno G.
Published: May 2023

Supercapacitors (SCs) offer a potential replacement for traditional lithium-based batteries in energy-storage devices thanks to the increased power density and stable charge–discharge cycles, as well as negligible environmental impact. Given this, a vast array of materials has been explored for SCs devices. Among the materials, iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) has gained significant attention in SC devices, owing to its superior specific capacitance, stability, eco-friendliness, abundance, and affordability. However, FeOOH has certain limitations that impact its energy storage capabilities and thus implicate the need for optimizing its structural, crystal, electrical, and chemical properties. This review delves into the latest advancements in FeOOH-based materials for SCs, exploring factors that impact their electrochemical performance. To address the limitations of FeOOH’s materials, several strategies have been developed, which enhance the surface area and facilitate rapid electron transfer and ion diffusion. In this review, composite materials are also examined for their synergistic effects on supercapacitive performance. It investigates binary, ternary, and quaternary Fe-based hydroxides, as well as layered double hydroxides (LDHs). Promising results have been achieved with binder-free Fe-based binary LDH composites featuring unique architectures. Furthermore, the analysis of the asymmetric cell performance of FeOOH-based materials is discussed, demonstrating their potential exploitation for high energy-density SCs that could potentially provide an effective pathway in fabricating efficient, cost-effective, and practical energy storage systems for future exploitations in devices. This review provides up-to-date progress studies of novel FeOOH’s based electrodes for SCs applications.