bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Versus Postoperative Chemo-Radiotherapy For Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
Authors: Li Ning , Xiang Xiaoyong , Zhao Dongbin , Wang Xin , Tang Yuan , Chi Yihebali , Yang Lin , Jiang Liming , Jiang Jun , Shi Jinming , Liu Wenyang , Fang Hui , Tang Yu , Chen Bo , Lu Ningning , Jing Hao , Qi Shunan , Wang Shulian , Liu Yueping , Song Yongwen , Li Yexiong , Zhang Liyuan , Jin Jing
Published: July 2021

Background: peri-operative chemo-radiotherapy played important role in locally advanced gastric cancer. Whether preoperative strategy can improve the long-term prognosis compared with postoperative treatment is unclear. The study purpose to compare long-term oncologic outcomes in locally advanced gastric cancer patients treated with preoperative chemo-radiotherapy (pre-CRT) and postoperative chemo-radiotherapy (post-CRT). Methods: From January 2009 to April 2019, 222 patients from 2 centers with stage T3/4 and/or N positive gastric cancer who received pre-CRT and post-CRT were included. After propensity score matching (PSM), comparisons of local regional control (LC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test between pre- and post-CRT groups.Results: The median follow-up period was 30 months. 120 matched cases were generated for analysis. Three-year LC, DMFS, DFS and OS for pre- vs. post-CRT groups were 93.8% vs. 97.2% (p=0.244), 78.7% vs. 65.7% (p=0.017), 74.9% vs. 65.3% (p=0.042) and 74.4% vs. 61.2% (p=0.055), respectively. Pre-CRT were significantly associated with DFS in uni- and multi-variate analysis. Conclusion: Preoperative CRT showed advantages of long-term outcome compared with postoperative CRT. Trial registration: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT01291407, NCT03427684 and NCT04062058, date of registration: Feb 8, 2011
Pelvic Obliquity, It Is Not a Neutral Angle in the Normal Population
Authors: Moharrami Alireza , Tamehri Seyed Saeed , Ghasemi Mohammad Ali , Jamshidi Mir Mansour Moazen , Mortazavi Seyed Mohammad Javad
Published: July 2021

Introduction: The definition of pelvic obliquity angle (PO) still unclear in the normal population. Several factors might cause the obliquity i.e. hip osteoarthritis, developmental dysplasia of hip, trauma, scoliosis and spine related factors. Perhaps, pelvic obliquity is expressed as a deviation of neutral alignment in the normal population. We developed present study to evaluate the distribution of pelvic obliquity angle in normal population.Method: present study retrospectively enrolled on 134 cases (70 female and 64 male) without any problem of spine, pelvic and lower extremity abnormality who referred to our institution from January 2017 to January 2018 for non-orthopedic problems. We retrospectively reviewed radiographs from institutional PACS and measured pelvic obliquity angle using mediCAD Classic software (version 3.50.0.1, Hectec, Landstuhl, Germany). Finally, all data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 24.0, USA).Result: present study show that all data has significant relationship in one sample T test. All PO angles were normally distributed in kurtosis and skewness test. The patients were aged with a mean of 39.6 ±16.8 in current study. The mean of PO angle was 2.18 ±1.6 in all patients and 0.13 standard error of mean. There was no significant differences between male and female genders (2.07 ±1.6 vs 2.27±1.6, P=0.47). This study reveal that age and PO angle had not any correlation (P=0.165).Conclusion: despite this fact, there was an attitude that PO angle normally is in neutral alignment, our result uncover that the normal range of PO angle was not neutral and ranged from 0.58 to 4.4 degrees with one standard deviation from mean in the normal population.
High Heritability of Glycyrrhizic Acid, Glabridin, Liquiritin and Liquiritigenin in Licorice (Glycyrrhiza Glabra L.) Populations of Iran
Authors: Eghlima Ghasem , Sanikhani Mohsen , Kheiry Azizollah , Hadian Javad
Published: July 2021

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is an herbaceous, perennial plant with high distribution in Iran. Genetic variability, heritability and correlation among characters in 22 populations of G. glabra L. were studied. The genetic parameters among the traits including phenotypic variances, genotypic variances, genotype by environment variances, broad-sense heritability and genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were studied. Variance components analysis showed that the extent of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was fairly higher for all the examined traits compared with genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV). Glabridin (GLA) exhibited high GCV and PCV (156.07% and 156.68%, respectively). The broad sense heritability varied from 38.92–99.79% and narrow sense heritability ranged from 9.70 % to 24.94%. Heritability of GLA, glycyrrhizic acid (GLY), liquiritin (LI), liquiritigenin (LIQ), rutin (RU) and rosmarinic acid (RA) were very high, exhibiting more than 97% heritability. Therefore, these critical characteristics can efficiently be selected and inherited in breeding programs. In most traits, the genotypic correlations showed the same direction as the phenotypic correlations. The contents of GLA and LIQ showed a positive correlation with majority of morphological traits. Therefore, selecting individual plants having desired morphological traits can be correlated with high contents of bioactive compounds in the harvested root.
Effectiveness of Prosthetic Rehabilitation and Quality of Life of Older Edentulous Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Following Resection of the Maxilla. A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Artopoulou Ioli Ioanna , Sarafianou Aspasia , Perisanidis Christos , Polyzois Gregory
Published: July 2021

PurposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of the prosthetic rehabilitation, as well as the quality of life (QOL) of older edentulous maxillectomy patients.MethodsEffectiveness of the complete denture obturator prosthesis and QOL of 44 older patients who had resection of the maxilla and were restored with a definitive prosthesis that was in use for minimum 1 year was assessed using 3 instruments: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30), Head and Neck Cancer Module (QLQ-HN35), and Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS). Data analysis was performed by the one-way ANOVA on ranks, Spearman rank order correlation, and hierarchical multivariable rank regression at α=.05 level of significance.ResultsParticipants’ gender (P<.001), adjuvant treatment (P =.016), surgical approach (P =.017), size of the maxillary defect (P=.028), participants’ prosthetic history (P =.047), and dental status of the mandible (P =.038) were significantly related to the self-reported effectiveness of the obturator. Perceived functioning of the complete denture obturator prosthesis (P=.001), participants’ gender (P=.002), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status (P=.027), and surgical approach (P=.039) were significant predictors of QOL. ConclusionRestoration of the edentulous maxillectomy defect is challenging. An effective definitive complete denture obturator appeared to be the strongest predictor for advanced quality of life in older maxillectomy patients. The physical status of the older participants significantly affected the overall QOL, but did not influence the self-reported functioning of the complete denture obturator prosthesis.
Simulate The Process of Preparing Biochar By Pyrolysis of Biomass Via Aspen Plus And Evaluate Its Economic
Authors: Liu Yanbing , Zhu Zongyuan , Zhang Jiaqi , Yang Xinglin
Published: July 2021

China is a big agricultural country and generates a lot of biomass waste every year. Biomass is the only renewable carbon source. Biochar can be produced by pyrolysis under anaerobic or hypoxic conditions. Biochar has a rich pore structure, large specific surface area and special adsorption properties, and has been widely used in different industries. Different raw materials and pyrolysis temperature will have different effects on the yield and pore structure of Biochar. During our research, a flow chart was established in Aspen Plus V8.4 software to simulate the pyrolysis process of rice straw and sugarcane bagasse, and the feasibility of the model was verified through experiment. The results show that the simulated value of biochar yield is different from the experimental value. The difference is small at low temperature (300-500℃), and larger at high temperature (600-800℃), but both remain between 0.55% and 13.11%. Finally, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) method was used to evaluate the economics of the process of preparing biochar from 1 t rice straw and sugarcane bagasse. The cost of rice straw and sugarcane bagasse biochar were 0.79 and 0.93 USD/kg, respectively. Considering from the aspects of yield, pore structure, energy consumption, and economy of biochar, compared with sugarcane bagasse, rice straw has a more competitive advantage in the preparation of biochar.
Seasonal Source Identification And Source-Specific Health Risk Assessment of Pollutants On Road Dust In Tianjin
Authors: Wang Jingshu , Huang Jinhui Jeanne , Mulligan Catherine
Published: July 2021

Human exposure to metals on road dust might have potential health risks through touching, ingesting, and inhaling. There were limited studies to link seasonal emission sources to health risks from metals on road dust. In this study, metals on road dust from different functional areas were seasonally monitored. The pollutant sources in study city varied slightly with the seasons, but the major pollutant source in the particular study site were significantly affected by the seasons. By combining the source apportionment model (PMF), line sources model and health risk models (HI: Hazard index and ILCR: Incremental Lifetime Carcinogenic risk), industrial and construction activity was identified as the crucial source of both the pollutants on road dust (29% - 47%), and the HI for adults (27% - 45%) and children (41% - 50%) in different seasons. The traffic non-exhaust emission dominated in the carcinogenic risks for children in spring (45%) and summer (36%). Factors such as seasons, particle size, metal bioavailability, human exposure time, and exposure area were all taken into consideration to avoid overestimating or underestimating health risks. The carcinogenic risks for children (1.6 E-06) and adults (2.8 E-06) exposed to Cr both exceed the minimum threshold (10-6). Measured metals mainly posed hazard to human health through ingestion route. Pb and Mn, Fe and Mn were the main harmful elements that induced non-carcinogenic risks for adults and children, respectively. Effectively identifying the source-specific health risks in different seasons will help in the formulation of adaptive strategies to diminish the potential risks.
Tenebrio Molitor: Possible Source of Polystyrene-Degrading Bacteria
Authors: Machona Oleen , Chidzwondo Farisai , Mangoyi Rumbidzai
Published: July 2021

Background: The excessive use of polystyrene as a packaging material has resulted in a rise in environmental pollution. Polystyrene waste has continually increased water pollution, soil pollution and the closing of landfill sites since it is durable and resistant to biodegradation. Therefore, the challenge in polystyrene disposal has caused researchers to look for urgent innovative and eco-friendly solutions for plastic degradation. The current study focuses on the isolation and identification of bacteria produced by the larvae of beetle Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworms), that enable them to survive when fed with polystyrene foam as their sole carbon diet. Materials and methods: The biodegradation of polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor was investigated by breeding and rearing the mealworms in the presence and absence of polystyrene. A comparison was made between those fed with a normal diet and those fed on polystyrene. The mealworms which were fed with polystyrene were then dissected and the guts were collected to isolate and identify the bacteria in their guts. The viability and metabolic activity of the isolates were investigated. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by sequencing was used for molecular identification of the isolates. The PCR products were directly sequenced using the Sanger’s method and the phylogenetic tree and molecular evolutionary analyses were constructed using MEGAX software with the Neighbour Joining algorithm. The evolutionary distances were computed using the Maximum Composite Likelihood method. Results: The decrease in mass of the polystyrene as feedstock confirmed that the mealworms were depending on polystyrene as their sole carbon diet. The frass egested by mealworms also confirmed the biodegradation of polystyrene as it contained very tiny residues of polystyrene. Three isolates were obtained from the mealworms guts, and all were found to be gram-negative. The sequencing results showed that the isolates were Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 13182, Klebsiella oxytoca NBRC 102593 and Klebsiella oxytoca JCM 1665.Conclusion: Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 13182, Klebsiella oxytoca NBRC 102593 and Klebsiella oxytoca JCM 1665 maybe some of the bacteria responsible for polystyrene biodegradation.
The Evolution of Insect Visual Opsin Genes With Specific Consideration of the Influence of Ocelli and Life History Traits
Authors: Guignard Quentin , Allison Jeremy D. , Slippers Bernard
Published: July 2021

Background: Visual opsins are expressed in the compound eyes and ocelli of insects and enable light detection. Three distinct phylogenetic groups of visual opsins are found in insects, named long (LW), short (SW) and ultraviolet (UV) wavelength sensitive opsins. Recently, the LW group was found to be duplicated into the ancestral LW2b and the more recent LW2a opsins. The expression of LW2b opsins is ocelli specific in some insects (e.g., bees, cricket, scorpion flies), but the gene was absent in other orders possessing three or less ocelli (e.g., dragonflies, beetles, moth, bugs). In flies, two LW2b homologs have been characterised, with one expressed in the ocelli and the other in the compound eyes. To date, it remains unclear which evolutionary forces have driven gains and losses of LW opsins in insects. Here we take advantage of the recent rapid increase in available sequence data from insect genomes to characterize the phylogenetic relationships of 1000 opsin sequences in 18 orders of Insects. The resulting phylogeny discriminates between four main groups of opsins, and onto this phylogeny we mapped relevant morphological and life history traits.Results: Our results demonstrate a conserved LW2b opsin only present in insects with three ocelli. Only two taxa (flies and dragonflies) possess more than one LW2b opsin, likely linked to their life history. In flies, we hypothesize that the duplication of the LW2b opsin occurred after the transition from aquatic to terrestrial larvae. During this transition, higher flies (Brachycera) lost a copy of the LW2a opsin, still expressed in the compound eyes of lower flies (Nematocera). In higher flies, the LW2b opsin has been duplicated and expressed in the compound eyes while the ocelli and the LW2b opsin were lost in lower flies. In dragonflies, specialisation of the visual system likely drove the diversification of visual opsins.Conclusion: The presence of the LW2b opsin in insects possessing three ocelli suggests a role in flight. This study provides the most complete view of the evolution of visual opsin genes in insects yet, and provides new insight into the influence of ocelli and life history traits on opsin evolution in insects.
Prevalence and Factors Associated With Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Wang Huanhuan , Li JianHua , Gao Yinghui , Chen Kaibing , Gao Yan , Guo JingJing , Shi Min , Zou Xiao , Xu Weihao , Zhao LiBo , Su Xiaofeng , Wang Yabin , Liu Juan , Xu Hu , Kong Xiaoxuan , Lin Junling , Qian Xiaoshun , Han Jiming , Liu Lin
Published: July 2021

Purpose: This study sought to identify the prevalence and factors associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in China. Methods: Between January 2015 and October 2017, we recruited 1285 elderly patients with OSA who underwent overnight polysomnography at sleep centers of multiple hospitals. They were assessed using 12-lead ECG or 24-hour dynamic ECG, and their baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, sleep parameters, and medical history were determined. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the factors related to AF in these elderly patients. Results: The clinician classified 122 (9.5%) patients as having AF. The prevalence of AF significantly increased with age (p＜0.05) but did not significantly differ between the mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups. Additionally, the prevalence of paroxysmal AF was 7.2% among the overall study population, and it increased with OSA severity or advanced age (p＜0.05). Persistent AF was noted in 2.3% participants, and the prevalence also increased with age. The logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.054, 95%CI: 1.027-1.018, p＜0.001) , history of drinking (OR=1.752, 95%CI: 1.070-2.867, p＜0.05), chronic heart disease (OR=1.778, 95%CI: 1.156-2.736, p＜0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.792, 95%CI: 1.183-2.713, p＜0.01), and cardiac dysfunction (OR=2.373, 95%CI=1.298-4.337, p＜0.01) were relevant to AF among participants with OSA.﻿Conclusion: The prevalence of AF is significantly common in elderly patients with OSA. Age, history of drinking, chronic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac dysfunction are independently related to AF in these patients.
Sign language recognition based on skeleton with K3D-LSTMresidual networks
Authors: Han Qing , Huangfu Zhanlu , Min Weidong , Liao Yanqiu
Published: July 2021

Most existing deep learning-based dynamic sign language recognition methods directly use either the video sequence based on RGB information, or whole sequences instead of only the video sequence that represents the change of gesture. These characteristics lead to inaccurate extraction of hand gesture features and failure to achieve good recognition accuracy for complex gestures. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes a new method of dynamic hand gesture recognition for key skeleton information, which combines residual convolutional neural network and long short-term memory recurrent network, which is called KLSTM-3D residual network (K3D ResNet). In K3DResNet, the spatiotemporal complexity of network computation is reduced by extracting the representative skeleton frame of gesture change. Then, the spatiotemporal features are extracted from the skeleton keyframe sequence, and the intermediate score corresponding to each action in the video sequence is established after the feature analysis. Finally, the classification of video sequences can accurately identify sign language. Experiments were performed on datasets DHG14/28 and SHREC’17 Track. The accuracy of verification on dataset DEVISIGN D reached 88.6%. In addition, the accuracy of the combination of RGB and skeleton information reached 93.2%.
TACA: Trust Aware Clustering using ACO for Secure and Reliable Vehicular Ah hoc Network Routing
Authors: Kadam Megha Vishal , Vaze Vinod M , Todmal Satish R
Published: July 2021

In the modern era, the Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) received significant attention for information sharing among the societies. The emerging Internet of Things (IoT) for smart city perspective boosts the development of VANET based applications such as road safety and Intelligent Transport System (ITS). The efficiency of such networks is a widely studied research problem. The clustering has shown an efficient technique to address the challenges of VANET QoS and computational efficiency. The vehicles are grouped according to certain conditions to form the cluster. In this way, the entire network divides into different clusters. Each cluster consists of limited vehicles with its leader called Cluster Head (CH). But the major challenge for VANET clustering has related to the stability of the cluster. Due to high network dynamics, the unreliability for CH selection and data relaying becomes a security threat in VANET. To address such a security threat of VANET clustering, we proposed Trust-Aware Clustering using Ant Colony Optimization (TACA) protocol. For each cluster, an ACO-based optimal CH selection algorithm applying different trust components of the vehicle. The ACO solves the problem of optimal CH selection with minimum control overhead and maximum CH lifetime. The optimal CH selected has been selected based on trust-aware ACO fitness function using the parameters such as vehicle speed, Degree of Connectivity (DoC), vehicle congestion, and Packet Relaying Probability (PRP). This mechanism enables clusters to select reliable CH to address the security concerns of VANET communications. The TACA protocol has been evaluated with recent similar methods, and the results demonstrate efficiency in terms of QoS and computational overhead of clustering.
Switchable Gratings for Ultracompact and Ultrahigh Modulation Depth Plasmonic Switches
Authors: Chamoli Sandeep Kumar , ElKabbash Mohamed , Guo Chunlei
Published: July 2021

Plasmonic interconnects present a compact platform for high modulation-depth optical switches. Conventional plasmonic switching approaches depend on modifying the dispersion of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave at the metal/dielectric interface. Here, we introduce a novel scheme for ultracompact and high modulation depth (MD) plasmonic switching using a phase-change material-based switchable grating consisting of Antimony Trisulfide (Sb2S3). In its ON state, the switchable grating excites surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) and bulk plasmon polaritons (BPPs) in plasmonic films and hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs), respectively. The SPP switch has a footprint of 23.1 µm2 and a MD of up to 40 dB. The BPP switch has a footprint of 13.12 µm2 and a MD of 29.7 dB. The BPP switch enjoys a broadband MD from 299–375 THz. Concurrently, we show that the same switchable grating on plasmonic film and on HMM is a reflection-based optical switch. Finally, we present a novel scheme for non-local control over the spontaneous emission rate and out-coupled power from emitters embedded in HMMs.
The Effectiveness of Split Tablet Dosing Versus Alternate-Day Dosing of Warfarin: A Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Kaewsaengeak Chanyapat , Pienputtarapong Usanee , Tocharoenchok Teerapong
Published: July 2021

Due to large dosage variation, a variety of warfarin prescription regimens are utilized for specific doses such as tablet splitting, or pill strength alternating. The clinical comparison between the two is lacking. We hypothesize that both approaches result in different times in therapeutic range. We randomized patients with specific warfarin dosage and stable INR for 6 months or longer to receive the whole tablet, alternate-day dosing or the split tablet, same daily-dosing regimen without initial dose change and followed them every 6 weeks for 6 months. The primary outcome was a time in therapeutic range of 2.0 to 3.0. The secondary outcomes included dosage, compliance, INR, anticoagulant-related events. A total of 66 patients were enrolled, 32 randomly assigned to the split tablet regimen (group S) and 34 to the alternate-day regimen (group A) with two withdrawals. The mean age was 58.6 ± 8.5 years. All baseline characteristics of both groups were similar. The average time in therapeutic range was 72.8 ± 25.4% in group S and 74.9 ± 22.0% in group A (p = 0.72). There were no significant differences in warfarin dosage, compliance, INR and, complications between the two groups. Both warfarin prescription methods, the split tablet and the alternate-day had comparable time in the therapeutic range.
Structural And Functional Analysis of CCT Family Genes In Pigeonpea
Authors: Tribhuvan Kishor U. , Kaila Tanvi , Srivast Harsha , Das Antara , Kumar Kuldeep , Durgesh Kumar , Joshi Rekha , Singh Binay K. , Singh Nagendra K. , Gaikwad Kishor
Published: July 2021

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp) is a short-day plant in which the flowering is highly sensitive to photoperiod. A better understanding of the genes modulating photoresponse and flowering time is critical to developing photoperiod insensitive pigeonpea cultivars for cultivation across the seasons. We identified 33 CCT family genes (CcCCT1- CcCCT33) in C. cajan and localized them on 10 chromosomes and nine genomic scaffolds. The structural analysis of CCT family genes revealed a considerable variation in length and distribution of exons and introns. Based on the type of domain(s), we classified the CCT family genes into CCT motif family (CMF) type, CONSTANS like (COL) type, Pseudo-response Regulator (PRR) type, and GATA and tifi containing CCT (GTCC) type. The CCT family genes of C. cajan exhibited an extensive orthologous relationship with the CCT family genes of other legume species. We also observed significant sharing of CCT family genes among the legume species. Glycine max exhibited the maximum sharing of CCT family genes with C. cajan. The analysis of CCT family proteins-based phylogenic relationships revealed a general congruence with the legumes' taxonomic relationships. The expression analysis of CCT family genes of pigeonpea demonstrated that CcCCT4 and CcCCT23 are the active CONSTANS (CO) in ICP20338. In contrast, only CcCCT23 is active in MAL3, explaining the differential response of ICP20338 and MAL3 to photoperiod. The chromosomes of C. cajan contain a variable number of CCT family genes. A majority of these genes are localized in the centromeric regions. The COL type CCT genes are structurally highly diverse and contain a variable number of B-box domains. The CCT family genes of different legume species exhibit all three kinds of relationships: one-to-one, many-to-one, and many-to-many types. The photoperiod insensitive cultivar ICP20338 contains CcCCT4 and CcCCT23, while the photoperiod sensitive cultivar MAL3 contains only CcCCT23 as active CONSTANS (CO), which may be the plausible reason for their differential photoperiod response.
Comprehensive Analysis of TP53 Mutation Characteristics and Identification of Patients with Inferior Prognosis and Enhanced Immune Escape in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Zhang Tingting , Lu Yaxiao , Liu Xia , Zhao Mengmeng , He Jin , Liu Xianming , Li Lanfang , Qiu Lihua , Qian Zhengzi , Zhou Shiyong , Meng Bin , Zhai Qiongli , Ren Xiubao , Zhang Huilai , Wang Xianhuo
Published: July 2021

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a highly heterogeneous lymphatic malignancy. The role of TP53 gene alterations in DLBCL remains unclear. Methods: We performed a comprehensive analysis of the genomic characteristics of TP53 through targeted next-generation sequencing (n=176), RNA-sequencing (n=152), and circulating tumor DNA sequencing (n=38). Results: TP53 was frequently mutated in DLBCL; most TP53 mutations occurred in the DNA-binding domain (DBD). However, TP53 alone is insufficient to effectively differentiate the risk of DLBCL, even when only considering mutations in the DBD region. However, CD58 mutations, which are mutually exclusive from TP53 mutations, in combination with TP53 mutations, could significantly differentiate the prognosis of DLBCL. The survival of patients with either one of the mutually exclusive mutation patterns, namely, TP53MUT&CD58WT or TP53WT&CD58MUT, was inferior to those harboring both wild-type TP53 and CD58. Notably, patients with the TP53WT&CD58MUT mutation pattern had the worst outcome and were characterized by an enhanced immune escape, including features such as the abundant infiltration of inflammatory cells and upregulation of inhibitory immunomodulatory molecules; these patients represent the candidate populations for immune therapy. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the mutation patterns of TP53 and CD58 accurately stratified patients with DLBCL to permit the optional immunotherapy.
Changes in Proteomics of Endometrial Tissue During Secretion of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome May Affect Endometrial Receptivity
Authors: Li Jun , Jiang Xiaohua , Li Caihua , Che Huihui , Ling Lin , Wei Zhaolian
Published: July 2021

Embryo implantation is a complex developmental process that requires coordinated interactions of embryo, endometrium and microenvirment of endometrium factors. Although impaired endometrial receptivity of patients of PCOS have been identified, our understanding of endometrial receptivity is limited. To understand impaired endometrial receptivity of patients of PCOS during luteal phases, a proteomics study in three PCOS patients and 3 fertility women was performed. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) analyses identified 232 unique proteins involved in metabolism, inflammation and cell adhesion molecule. Finally, novel clues suggest that energy metabolism may affect embryo implantation, whlie inflammation and cell adhesion molecule may affect both endometrial conversion and receptivity. Taken together, our results show that the endometrial receptive damage in PCOS patients is not a single factor, caused by multiple proteins, pathways, systems and other abnormalities, and they also interact with each other, which greatly increases the difficulty of endometrial receptive research.
Analysis of Surface Plasmon Polariton Conversion Coefficient In Slit-Groove Structure
Authors: Park Yeonsang
Published: July 2021

A method for the analysis of finding the conversion efficiency of the surface plasmon polariton in slit-groove structures is proposed and studied. The conversion efficiency of the surface plasmon polariton can be determined by measuring the intensities of light scattered at the slit and groove positions. To verify the usefulness of the proposed method, two rigorous simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain method were executed and the simulation results compared with previously reported data. One was to mimic the far-field imaging experiment in slit-groove structure and the other was to calculate the conversion coefficient directly in a single scattering structure. The SPP conversion efficiencies obtained from the two simulations were approximately 0.232 and 0.220 respectively, and these agreed with the reported data. The suggested method can be used regardless of the shape of the plasmon-generation structure; therefore, it is expected to be useful in a wide range of experiments with different scattering structures.
Incidence of Symptomatic COVID-19 in Close Contacts of Patients After Discharge From Hospital
Authors: Ahmadi Ayat , Poopak Amirhossein , Nazemi Sina , Mohammadi Negin , Eslami Bita , Seyyedsalehi Monireh Sadat , Doshmangir Leila , Allameh Seyed Farshad , Zendehdel Kazem
Published: July 2021

Background: There is a little evidence about the infectiousness of recovered COVID-19 patients. Considering that the circumstance of the isolation of the COVID-19 patients after-discharge is not always optimal, it is not very unlikely that viral transmission still occurs after hospital discharge. This study aims to investigate incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 in close contacts of recovered patients after discharge from hospitalMethods: Four hundred fifty discharged COVID-19 patients discharged from the largest public treatment center in Tehran, capital city of Iran were followed up. Demographic and clinical data of participants were collected from medical records. Follow-up data were acquired via telephone call interviews with patients or their main caregivers at home. Results: The study's response rate was 93.77%(422 participated in the study). 257 patients were male (60.90%) and 165(39.10%) were female (sex ratio =1.55 male). The most prevalent comorbidities in these patients were hypertension (n=111, 29.68%) and diabetes (n=93, 24.80%). The mean±sd of home isolation after discharge was 25.85±23.78. Forty-one (9.71%) patients had at least one new case in their close contacts up to three weeks since they discharged. There was a significant association between having at least a comorbidity with the odds of getting infected in close contacts [OR(CI): 2.45 (1.05 – 4.72); P: .03]. Density of inhabitant per houses rooms and the quality of isolation had significant associations with observing new cases in the patients' close contacts [high to moderate; OR(CI): 2.44 (1.06 – 5.61); P: .03], [ bad to good; OR(CI): 2.31 (1.17 – 4.59); P: .01], respectively.Conclusion: After hospital discharge, COVID-19 transmission can still occur, when number of people lives together in a single house. An explanation can be that the less precaution measures are taken by recovered patients’ cohabitants. Such condition is more likely to happen when the recovered patient has other chronic diseases.
Significance of Preoperative Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in 5-year Outcome After Isolated CABG
Authors: Fallahzadeh Aida , Sheikhy Ali , Ajam Ali , Sadeghian Saeed , Pashang Mina , Shirzad Mahmoud , Bagheri Jamshid , Mansourian Soheil , Momtahen Shahram , Hosseini Kaveh
Published: July 2021

Background: Pre-operative ejection fraction (EF) and comorbidities affect post-op outcomes. We aimed to compare the mortality and adverse events of patients with different baseline EF and also to evaluate the distribution of comorbidities in each EF group. Methods: A total of 20,937 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery from January 2006 to December 2016 was included. Patients were divided into three groups based on their pre-operative left ventricular EF as follows; 1) Normal: EF ≥ 50%; 2) Mild to moderately reduced: 50% < EF ≤ 35%; and 3) Severely reduced: EF< 35%. The backward elimination method was considered for multivariate Cox-regression analysis to locate predictors of mortality and non-fatal cerebro-cardiovascular events (CCVEs). The median follow-up time was 5.61 [3.12- 8.0] years. Results: The mean age in the total population was 60.94 ± 9.51 years and 73.6% of the total population was male. Diabetes mellitus was the common risk factor of mortality and CCVE in all EF groups. Impaired renal function (GFR<60 ml/min) was associated with a higher risk of mortality after CABG regardless of EF level. The median 5-year mortality rate in patients with normal EF, mild-moderately reduced EF and severely reduced EF were 9.5%, 12.8%, and 22.7% respectively (P< 0.001). Although the trend of CCVEs was higher in severe left ventricle (LV) dysfunction, it was not statistically significant (p = 0.071). Conclusion: Patients with severely reduced EF are at higher risk of mortality after CABG compared to those with higher EF levels; however, the rate of CCVEs may not be necessarily higher after adjustment for multiple pre-operative comorbidities.
MBNL1 Regulates the Expression and Alternative Splicing of Genes Enriched in Cell Adhesion and Apoptosis
Authors: Liu Meijia , Song Xianjing , Li Longbo , Song Chunli , Shi Yongfeng
Published: July 2021

Muscleblind Like Splicing Regulator 1 (MBNL1), one canonical RNA binding protein (RBP), plays important roles in the regulation of the alternative splicing (AS) on pre-mRNAs. MBNL1 has traditionally been considered involved in the pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy. Recent researches point out that MBNL1 has an effect on cancer progress, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we obtained the regulated transcriptome profile of MBNL1 in HeLa cells by RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that the knockdown of MBNL1 promoted cell proliferation while inhibited apoptosis. We found 398 genes were differentially up-regulated and 277 down-regulated by MBNL1 knockdown (KD). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by MBNL1-KD were enriched in the signal pathways of homophilic cell adhesion, apoptotic process, extracellular matrix organization and cell migration. Systematical AS analysis revealed 504 MBNL1-regulated AS events. The regulated alternative splicing genes (RASGs) were enriched in the signal pathways of apoptotic signaling pathway, positive regulation of apoptotic process, adherent junction, fatty acid elongation and DNA repair. In summary, our results demonstrate that the knockdown of MBNL1 have significant effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis by regulating the expression and alternative splicing of associated genes, illustrating the possible molecular mechanisms of MBNL1 in cancer pathogenesis and progression and other diseases.
A Study on the Optoelectronics Parameters of Natural Dyes Extracted From Beetroot, Cabbage, Walnut and Henna For Potential Applications in Organic Electronics
Authors: Amin Peshawa O. , Muhammadsharif Fahmi F. , Saeed Salah Raza , Sulaiman Khaulah
Published: July 2021

In this work, the optoelectronic parameters of natural dyes extracted from beetroot, red cabbage, walnut leaves, and henna are determined and investigated. These include optical energy gap (Eg), extinction coefficient (k), refractive index (n), dielectric constant ( εr ) and optical conductivity ( σr ). Results showed that cabbage dye exhibited a maximum values of n=6.08, εr = 37.18 and σr = 13.92 * 10-3S/cm, while henna dye presented the lowest values of n = 1.19, εr = 1.5 and σr = 0.039 * 10-3S/cm compared to the optoelectronic parameters of the other studied samples. The optical absorption in the dyes were found to obey a direct allowed transition between the molecular energy levels. The results presented here can be of a special importance for some potential applications in organic electronics such as organic photovoltaics and sensors.
Multivariate Diversity Analysis of Quantitative Traits of Mung Bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Genotypes
Authors: Yoseph Tekle , Mekbib Firew , Amsalu Berhanu , Tadele Zerihun
Published: July 2021

Mung bean is an important pulse crop grown by poor farmers in marginal and drought-prone areas of Ethiopia. Information on the extent of genetic divergence in mung bean is vital to identify diverse genotypes for crop improvement and the efficient utilization of the existing genetic resources. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to assess the extent and pattern of morphological diversity among the mung bean genotypes and to identify the traits contributing to the genetic diversity using multivariate analyses. The experiment was conducted using 60 mung bean genotypes at Jinka Agricultural Research Center during the 2018 cropping season. The first seven principal components explained 80.1% of the total variation. Almost all the studied traits were important contributors to the divergence. The cluster analysis based on quantitative traits revealed four distinct groups. The highest inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster I and cluster IV (D 2  = 43.16 units). The minimum inter-cluster distance was noted between cluster III and cluster IV (D2 = 12.16 units). The maximum and minimum intra-cluster distances D2 were recorded within cluster I (D2 = 6.49 units) and cluster III (D2 = 3.53 units), respectively). The range of intra and inter-cluster distance was 3.53 to 6.49 units and 12.16 to 43.16 units, respectively. Hence, the high genetic distance exhibited within and among clusters has to be exploited through the crossing and selection of the most divergent parents for future mung bean breeding programs.
Deformation of the nucleus by TGFβ1 via the remodeling of nuclear envelope and histone isoforms
Authors: Chi Ya-Hui , Wang Wan-Ping , Hung Ming-Chun , Liou Gunn-Guang , Wang Jing-Ya , Chao Pen-Hsiu Grace
Published: July 2021

The cause of nuclear shape abnormalities which are often seen in pre-neoplastic and malignant tissues is not clear. In this study we report that deformation of the nucleus can be induced by TGFb1 stimulation in several cell lines including Huh7. In our results, the upregulated histone H3.3 expression downstream of SMAD signaling contributed to TGFb1-induced nuclear deformation, a process of which requires incorporation of the nuclear envelope (NE) proteins lamin B1 and SUN1. During this process, the NE constitutively ruptured and reformed with no observable indications of DNA damage response. Contrast to lamin B1 which was relatively stationary around the nucleus, the upregulated lamin A was highly mobile, shuttling between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and clustering at the nuclear periphery. The chromatin regions that lost NE coverage formed a supra-nucleosomal structure characterized by elevated histone H3K27me3 and histone H1, the formation of which depended on the presence of lamin A. These results provide evidence that shape of the nucleus can be modulated through TGFb1-induced compositional changes in the chromatin and nuclear lamina.
3D hESC exosomes enriched with miR-6766-3p ameliorates liver fibrosis by attenuating activated stellate cells through targeting the TGFβRII-SMADS pathway
Authors: Wang Ning , Li Xiajing , Zhong Zhiyong , Qiu Yaqi , Liu Shoupei , Wu Haibin , Tang Xianglian , Chen Chuxin , Fu Yingjie , Chen Qicong , Guo Tingting , Li Jinsong , Zhang Shuai , Zern Mark A , Ma Keqing , Wang Bailin , Ou Yimeng , Gu Weili , Cao Jie , Chen Honglin , Duan Yuyou
Published: July 2021

BackgroundExosomes secreted from stem cells exerted salutary effects on the fibrotic liver. Herein, the roles of exosomes derived from human embryonic stem cell (hESC) in anti-fibrosis were extensively investigated. Compared with two-dimensional (2D) culture, the clinical and biological relevance of three-dimensional (3D) cell spheroids were greater because of their higher regeneration potential since they behave more like cells in vivo. In our study, exosomes derived from 3D human embryonic stem cells (hESC) spheroids and the monolayer (2D) hESCs were collected and compared the therapeutic potential for fibrotic liver in vitro and in vivo. ResultsIn vitro, PKH26 labled-hESC-Exosomes were shown to be internalized and integrated into TGFβ-activated-LX2 cells, and reduced the expression of profibrogenic markers, thereby regulating cellular phenotypes. TPEF imaging indicated that PKH26-labled-3D-hESC-Exsomes possessed an enhanced capacity to accumulate in the livers and exhibited more dramatic therapeutic potential in the injured livers of fibrosis mouse model. 3D-hESC-Exosomes decreased profibrogenic markers and liver injury markers, and improved the level of liver functioning proteins, eventually restoring liver function of fibrosis mice. miRNA array revealed a significant enrichment of miR-6766-3p in 3D-hESC-Exosomes, moreover, bioinformatics and dual luciferase reporter assay identified and confirmed the TGFβRII gene as the target of miR-6766-3p. Furthermore, the delivery of miR-6766-3p into activated-LX2 cells decreased cell proliferation, chemotaxis and profibrotic effects, and further investigation demonstrated that the expression of target gene TGFβRII and its downstream SMADs proteins, especially phosphorylated protein p-SMAD2/3 was also notably down-regulated by miR-6766-3p. These findings unveiled that miR-6766-3p in 3D-hESC-Exosomes inactivated SMADs signaling by inhibiting TGFβRII expression, consequently attenuating stellate cell activation and suppressing liver fibrosis. ConclusionsOur results showed that miR-6766-3p in the 3D-hESC-Exosomes inactivates smads signaling by restraining TGFβRII expression, attenuated LX2 cell activation and suppressed liver fibrosis, suggesting that 3D-hESC-Exosome enriched-miR6766-3p is a novel anti-fibrotic therapeutics for treating chronic liver disease. These results also proposed a significant strategy that 3D-Exo could be used as natural nanoparticles to rescue liver injury via delivering antifibrotic miR-6766-3p.
Periodic oscillations for a graphene-based electrostatic micro actuator
Authors: Nuñez Daniel Elias , Murcia Larry , Galan Jorge
Published: July 2021

We study the mechanical oscillations for a novel model of a graphene-based electrostatic parallel plates micro actuator introduced by Wei et al.(2017), considering damping effects when a periodic voltage with alternating current is applied. Our analysis starts from recent results about this MEMS model with constant voltage, and provides new insights on the periodic mechanical responses for a variable input voltage. We derive sufficient conditions on the system physical components for which periodic oscillations with constant sign exist together with their stability properties. Specifically, under some conditions, the existence of three periodic solutions is established, one of them is negative and the others are positive in sign. The positive one nearby the origin is asymptotically locally stable, whilst the other two are unstable. Additionally, we prove that no further constant sign periodic solutions can be found. The existence of periodic solutions is approached from direct and reverse order Lower and Upper Solutions Method, and the stability assertions are derived from the Liapounoff-Zukovskii criteria for Hill's equations and the linearization principle. Theoretical results are complemented by numerical simulations and numerical continuation results. Furthermore, these numerical simulations evidence the robustness of the graphene-based MEMS model over the traditional ones.
Composition of Mosquito Fauna and Insecticide Resistance Status of Anopheles gambiae complex in Itang special woreda, Gambella, Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Chanyalew Tebiban , Yewhalaw Delenasaw , Simma Eba Alemayehu
Published: July 2021

IntroductionMalaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality mainly in sub-Saharan African countries. Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are the dominant malaria parasites responsible for the majority of malaria cases in Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate composition of mosquito fauna and insecticide resistance status of Anopheles mosquito in Itang special woreda (district), Gambella, southwestern Ethiopia.Materials and methodsAdult mosquitoes were sampled from September 2020 to Feburary 2021 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap and Pyrethrum Spray Catch (PSC). Moreover, mosquito larvae were collected from different breeding sites and reared to adults. Susceptibility tests were conducted on adult two to three days old non blood fed female Anopheles gambiae s.l following world health organization (WHO) standard susceptibility test procedure. Insecticide impregnated papers with deltamethrin (0.05%), alpha-cypermethrin (0.05%), propoxur (0.1%), pirimiphos-methyl (0.25%) and bendiocarb (0.1%) were used to assess susceptibility status of Anopheles gambiae s.l populations in the study area. Moreover, molecular diagnostics were done for the identification of member species of Anopheles gambiae s.l and detection of knockdown resistance (kdr) using species specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and allele specific PCR.ResultsIn total, 468 adult mosquitoes were collected from different houses. Culex mosquitoes were the most dominant (80.4%) followed by Anopheles mosquitoes. Three species of Anopheles mosquitoes (An. coustani, An. pharoensis, and An. gambiae (s.l.)) were identified, of which An. coustani was the dominant (8.1%) species. Out of 468 adult mosquitoes, 294 were blood fed while 46 were half-gravid and gravid. The WHO bioassay tests revealed that the populations of An. gambiae s.l in the study area are resistant against alpha-cypermethrin and deltamethrin whereas, susceptible to bendiocarb, pirimiphos-methyl and propoxur. Out of the total 86 An. gambiae s.l specimens assayed, 79 (92%) successfully amplified and all were identified as An. arabiensis. West African Kdr (L1014F) mutation was detected with high Kdr allele frequency ranging from 67–88%.ConclusionThe detection of target site mutation, kdr L1014F allele, coupled with the phenotypic resistance against alpha-cypermethrin and deltamethrin call for continuous resistance monitoring.