bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supporting Medical Students To Support Peers: A Qualitative Interview Study
Authors: Graves Jane , Flynn Eleanor , Woodward-Kron Robyn , Hu Wendy C.Y.
Published: June 2021

BackgroundStudents may be the first to recognise and respond to psychological distress in other students. Peer support could overcome medical student reluctance to seek help despite their high rates of mental ill-health. Yet, despite the adoption of peer support programs, there is little evidence of impact on students. Peer support programs may assume that medical students accept and view peer support positively. We explored these assumptions by asking students about their experiences and views on peer support. MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews exploring peer support experiences and views on peer support were conducted with ten medical students at two contrasting medical schools. Informed by a constructivist stance, interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis. ResultsThree groups of themes were identified: participants’ experiences of peer support encounters, concerns about providing support, and views on students’ roles in peer support. Participants readily recalled signs of peer distress. Encounters were ad hoc, informal, and occurred within relationships based on friendship or by being co-located in the same classes or placements. Concerns about initiating and offering support included lack of expertise, maintaining confidentiality, stigma from a mental health diagnosis, and unclear role boundaries, with implications for acceptance of student roles in peer support. Conclusions: Our study emphasised the centrality of social relationships in enabling or discouraging peer support. Relationships developed during medical studies may anticipate the collegial relationships between medical professionals. Nevertheless, only some students are willing to undertake peer support roles. We suggest different strategies for promoting informal peer support that can be offered by any student, to those promoting formal support roles for selected students. Future research focusing on the impact for both the students who receive, and on the students who provide peer support is called for.
Diagnostic Utility of Combined 2D Ultrasonography and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography in Evaluation of Carotid Plaque Vulnerability for Predicting Recurrent Ischemic Strokes
Authors: Ye Fuyong , Yang Yuwen , Liang Yinting , Liu Jianhua
Published: June 2021

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of combined 2D ultrasonography (USG) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in analyzing the carotid plaque vulnerability for predicting the recurrent ischemic strokes (IS). Methods: One hundred and fifteen patients with first IS were studied by 2D USG and CEUS. The carotid plaques were then classified on the basis of echogenicity (2D USG) and neovascularization (CEUS). The presence or absence of recurrent IS was considered as the dependent variable. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, history of smoking and drinking, type of plaque echogenicity, and grade of plaque neovascularization were considered as independent variables. The risk factors of recurrent IS were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of combined 2D USG and CEUS in the diagnosis of recurrent IS was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension, echogenicity type, and grade of plaque neovascularization were predictors of recurrent IS. Further, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the echogenicity type (OR=0.282, P=0.012) and grade of plaque neovascularization (OR=7.408, P<0.0001) were independent risk factors for recurrent IS. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of combined method were 0.865, 0.769, and 0.817, respectively (95%CI: 0.733-0.902, P<0.0001), which were higher than both 2D USG and CEUS.Conclusions: The echogenicity type and grade of plaque neovascularization are independent risk factors for recurrent IS. The combination of two methods has high sensitivity and specificity in predicting the recurrent IS.
Land Degradation Neutrality Assessment Using Geospatial Techniques in North Wello Zone, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Tessera Getnet Zeleke , Zeleke Menberu Teshome , Mersha Linger Ayele
Published: June 2021

Background: Land degradation is increasingly recognized as a serious, nationwide environmental concern in Ethiopia. The key concern is the iterative relationship between land degradation, climate change and agriculture, exacerbating one another via negative and positive feedback loops. Due to the need for an efficient response to land degradation in the country, different sustainable land management practices have been implemented since the late 1980s. In Ethiopia, most of the previous researches were conducted on analyzing the determinants of decisions to implement land management practices. The objective of this study was to analyze land degradation neutrality status using remote sensing data in the study area. Results: We have studied the land degradation neutrality conditions of North Wello Zone by using indicators data, namely land cover change, land productivity dynamics and soil organic carbon stock. The areas of settlement consistently expanded at the fifth speed (2010-2018) from 1995 to 2010. Between 1995 and 2010, forestland declined by 18 percent, while it indicated an increasing trend of 26.8 percent from 2010 to 2018. The wetlands declined by 21.98 percent from 1995 to 2010; whereas zero net degradation was observed from 2010 to 2020. In addition, between 1995 and 2010, cropland and grassland showed an increasing trend but decreasing trends were detected between 2010 and 2018. Land productivity potential assessment results indicate that 52.8 percent of the total area is stable and characterized by a less stressed land productivity status. Approximately 22.7 percent of the land showed an increase in land productivity status from 2001 to 2018. The results also indicated that 19.64 percent of the land shows an early sign of decline or actual land productivity decline. 3.5 percent of land also shows a decline in productivity. The soil organic carbon is comparatively abundant in the high and midland vegetation areas but very thin in lowland areas.Conclusion: Most of the highland and midland parts of the study areas are stable and increasing land productivity condition with high biomass and soil organic content. However, most lowland areas showed a decline land productivity condition.
Neutrophils Correlate with Hypoxia Microenvironment and Promote Progression of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhang Chunyan , Tang Bingxiang , Hu Jianping , Fang Xiang , Bian Hongzhi , Han Junlei , Hou Congxia , Fang Sun
Published: June 2021

Background: Hypoxia, a strong and selective pressure, has been involved in invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of tumor cells. Methods: ﻿Our study performed the transcriptome profiles of 666 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with clinical parameters from 3 microarray datasets. Various bioinformatic approaches were combined to evaluate the immune cell infiltration in the high hypoxia risk patients. In addition, in vitro experiments were performed to assess the effects of TANs on NSCLC cells proliferation, migration and invasion and to reveal the underlying mechanisms.Results: To develop a prognostic prediction model for NSCLC patients, we divided NSCLC into two groups (Cluster1/2) based on the expression profiles of hypoxia-associated genes. Compared with the Cluster1 subgroup, the Cluster2 had a worse prognosis. Signiﬁcant enrichment analysis revealed that PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) were highly related to hypoxia microenvironment. Eleven hypoxia-related genes were scored by LASSO COX regression to yield risk scores, and we revealed a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the low- and high-risk groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curves suggested that the risk score can predict survival in NSCLC. Mechanistically, CXCL6 in hypoxic cancer cells promoted the migration of TANs in vitro, and in turn promote NSCLC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Conclusions: In summary, this study revealed a 11‐hypoxia gene signature that predicted OS of NSCLC patients, and improved our understanding of the role of TANs in hypoxia microenvironment.
Acyl Carrier Protein is essential for MukBEF action in Escherichia coli chromosome organization-segregation
Authors: Prince Josh , Bolla Jani , Fisher Gemma , Makela Jarno , Fournier Majorie , Robinson Carol , Arciszewska Lidia , Sherratt David
Published: June 2021

Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes contribute ubiquitously to chromosome organization-segregation. SMC proteins have a conserved architecture, with a dimerization hinge and an ATPase head domain separated by a long antiparallel intramolecular coiled-coil. Dimeric SMC proteins interact with essential accessory proteins, kleisins that bridge the two subunits of an SMC dimer, and HAWK/KITE accessory proteins that interact with kleisins. The ATPase activity of the Escherichia coli SMC protein, MukB, is essential for in vivo function and is regulated by interactions with its dimeric kleisin, MukF, and KITE, MukE. Here we demonstrate that, in addition, MukB interacts with Acyl Carrier Protein (AcpP) that has essential functions in fatty acid synthesis. We characterize the AcpP interaction site at the joint of the MukB coiled-coil and show that the interaction is essential for MukB ATPase and for MukBEF function in vivo. Therefore, AcpP is an essential co-factor for MukBEF action in chromosome organization-segregation.
Effect of Chocolate on Older Cancer Patients in Palliative Care: A Randomised Controlled Study
Authors: Vettori Josiane C. , da-Silva Luanda G. , Pfrimer Karina , A Jordão-Junior Alceu , Louzada-Junior Paulo , Moriguti Julio C. , Ferriolli Eduardo , Lima Nereida K.C.
Published: June 2021

Background
Older advanced stage cancer patients, with changes in metabolic and nutritional status, represent an important demand for palliative care. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of 4 weeks of chocolate consumption on the nutritional status, quality of life, body composition, oxidative stress and inflammaory activity of older cancer patients in palliative care.
Methods
Older cancer patients in palliative care with ambulatory monitoring were randomized to the following groups: control (CG, n = 15), intervention with 55% cocoa chocolate (IG1, n = 16) and intervention with white chocolate (IG2, n = 15) groups and evaluated before and after 4 weeks of treatment for nutritional status, food consumption, anthropometry, body composition, and laboratory parameters, and quality of life using the instrument of the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer.
Results
IG1 progressed with increased screening (p < 0.01) and nutritional (p = 0.04) scores on the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool. Anthropometry and body composition did not change. Regarding antioxidant capacity, reduced glutathione levels increased in IG2 (p = 0.04) and were higher than in IG1 (p < 0.01). Malondealdehyde levels were reduced in IG2 (p = 0.02) at the end of the study. Regarding quality of life, functionality improved in IG1, with a higher score in the functional domain (p = 0.03), and in the role functioning (p < 0.01) and in the social (p < 0.01) subdomains.
Conclusions
The consumption of chocolate with a greater cocoa content may contribute to the improvement of nutritional status and functionality among older cancer patients in palliative care. The consumption of white chocolate was associated with improved oxidative stress.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04367493 - April 29, 2020. Retrospectively registered.
Presence of nanoplastics in rural and remote surface waters
Authors: Materić Dušan , Peacock Mike , Dean Joshua , Futter Martyn , Maximov Trofim , Moldan Filip , Röckmann Thomas , Holzinger Rupert
Published: June 2021

It is now established that microplastics are a pervasive presence in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The same is assumed to be true for nanoplastics but data are lacking due to technical difficulties associated with sample analysis. Here, we measured nanoplastics in waterbodies at two contrasting sites: remote Siberian Arctic tundra and a forest landscape in southern Sweden. Nanoplastics were detected in all sampled Swedish lakes (n = 7) and streams (n = 4) (mean concentration = 563 µg l− 1) and four polymer types were identified. In Siberia nanoplastics were detected in 7/12 sampled lakes, ponds and surface flooding, but only two polymer types were detected and concentrations were lower (mean 51 µg l− 1). Based on back-calculation of air mass trajectories, we infer that nanoplastics arrive at both sites by aerial deposition from local and regional sources. Our results suggest that nanoplastics may be a near-ubiquitous presence even in remote ecosystems.
Assessment of Carbon Substrate Catabolism Pattern and Functional Metabolic Pathway for Microbiota of Limestone Caves
Authors: Koner Suprokash , Chen Jung-Sheng , Hsu Bing-Mu , Tan Chao-Wen , Fan Cheng-Wei , Chen Tsung-Hsien , Hussain Bashir , Nagarajan Viji
Published: June 2021

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), a widespread biochemical process involving heterotopic bacterial communities, generally occurs in organic matter-rich environments. Limestone caves, whose oligotrophic conditions result from the absence of sunlight, are considered an extreme environment. In such environments, bacteria have the potential to form calcium carbonate. In this study, the microbial community diversity and taxonomical structure outside and inside a limestone cave was investigated with their community-level carbon source by fingerprinting and functional metabolic pathway prediction using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis. The Biolog EcoPlate™ assay revealed that microbes from outside the cave were metabolically highly active, resulting in a rising carbon source utilization rate curve. Conversely, the microbial community within the cave was not very active in consuming the carbon substrates of Biolog EcoPlate™. Although major carbon sources were found to be used by microbial communities both inside and outside the cave, the microbial utilization rate of carbon bacteria inside was much lower than for bacteria outside the cave. The taxonomic classification of microbial diversity using 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis revealed eight predominant bacterial phyla associated with both sampling areas: Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Nitrospirae, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, and Cyanobacteria. Among these, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Nitrospirae were predominantly associated with external cave samples, whereas Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Gemmatimonadetes were associated with internal cave samples. Functional prediction analysis showed that bacterial communities both inside and outside the cave were functionally involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, other amino acid, lipids, xenobiotic compounds, energy metabolism, and environmental information processing. However, the amino acid and carbohydrate metabolic pathways were predominantly linked to the external cave samples, while xenobiotic compounds, lipids, other amino acids, and energy metabolism were associated with internal cave samples. Overall, a positive correlation was observed between Biolog EcoPlate™ assay carbon utilization and metagenomically observed metabolic function.
Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Approaches of Pediatric Intensivists in Turkey PICUs: National Survey Results
Authors: Aslan Nagehan , Yildizdas Dincer
Published: June 2021

Objectives: Guidelines for the pediatric severe traumatic brain injury were published in 2003, 2012, 2019 in order to establish a common treatment approach. In this study, our aim is to evaluate the approaches of the pediatric intensive care specialists in Turkey, towards the follow-up and treatment of severe traumatic brain injury through a survey that was prepared in the light of the guidelines for the pediatric severe traumatic brain injury, which was updated by Kochanek et al. Methods: The survey of forty-five questions on the SurveyMonkey was sent by e-mail to the centers, which were members of the Turkish Society of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine. Results: A total of 45 centers participated in the survey. In all centers, first choice imaging method in the traumatic brain injury was the cranial brain tomography. Regarding the follow-up of the increased intracranial pressure, all centers reported that they used cranial brain tomography. In addition, 20 (44.44%) centers mentioned using magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, 19 (42.22%) centers mentioned using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, 12 (26.67%) centers mentioned using ultrasonographic optic nerve sheath diameter measurement, and 7 (15.56%) centers mentioned using the transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. As the hyperosmolar therapy, 30 (65.22%) centers reported using 3% hypertonic saline and 16 (37.78%) reported using 3% hypertonic saline + mannitol. In rapid sequence intubation, the most common sedative drug used by the centers was midazolam. In addition, 40 (86.96%) centers stated that they did not use prophylactic hyperventilation in the first 48 hours. In the first 7 days, prophylactic antiepileptic drugs were administered in 44 centers (97.78%), and the most preferred antiepileptic drug was levetiracetam. Conclusion: The results of our survey supported that the pediatric intensive care specialists in our country planned a large percentage of the treatment for pediatric patients with severe traumatic brain injury in line with the guidelines, which were updated in 2019. In patients with severe traumatic brain injury, it is possible to obtain the good long-term prognosis, prevent the secondary injury, and decrease the morbidity and mortality with the administration of appropriate treatments in the acute period.
Socioeconomic Determinants of Renewable Energy Production in Emerging and Developed Countries
Authors: Elmassah Suzanna
Published: June 2021

Energy is essential for development and economic growth, but traditional non-renewable energy sources are finite and have significant adverse environmental impacts. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in energy generation from renewable sources. However, research to date in this field does not sufficiently identify the common factors determining the uptake of renewable energy in emerging and developed countries. This paper addresses that gap by identifying the complex interrelationships between factors that determine the extent to which countries convert to renewable energy. The article's primary focus is a detailed statistical analysis of 10 developed and 16 emerging countries using annual data from 1976–2018. The objective is to examine the interrelationships and elasticities between increased production of renewable energy and three key socioeconomic variables; GDP, CO2 emissions, and oil price. This research uses panel data and time-series analyses to identify panel and country-specific elasticity of renewable energy production and dynamic causal relationships between these variables. It also applies fully modified and dynamic ordinary least square approaches. The study details the different interactions between the variables in each country. It uses an autoregressive distributed lag model to determine the long and short-run dynamics between renewable energy production and the three variables in each country. The paper shows there was a long-run elasticity between renewable energy and GDP in the developed countries and short-run dynamics between renewable energy and the other two variables. Whereas in the emerging countries category, there were long-run relationships between renewable energy and GDP, CO2 emissions, and oil price.
Chatter Detection in Milling Process Based on the Combination of Wavelet Packet Transform and PSO-SVM
Authors: Zheng Qingzhen , Chen Guangsheng , Jiao Anling
Published: June 2021

Chatter has become the mainly limiting factor in the development of rapid and stable machining of machine tools, which seriously impacts on surface quality and dimensional accuracy of the finished workpiece. In this paper, a novel method of chatter recognition was proposed based on the combination of wavelet packet transform (WPT) and PSO-SVM in milling. The collected vibration signal was pre-processed by wavelet packet transform (WPT), and the wavelet packets with rich chatter information were selected and reconstructed. The selected wavelet packets can reduce the redundant noise and useless information. a combination of 10 time-domain and 4 frequency-domain feature parameters were obtained through calculating the reconstructed vibration signals. Compared to three methods of k-fold cross validation (k-CV), genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to optimize the input parameters of SVM, the experiment results were shown that the PSO algorithm has is characterized by high accuracy. The proposed approach can recognize the stable, chatter and transition states more accurately than the other traditional approaches.
Information Needs and Experiences From Pregnancies Complicated by Hypertensive Disorders: a Qualitative Analysis of Narrative Responses
Authors: SHREE Raj , HATFIELD-TIMAJCHY Kendra , BREWER Alina , TSIGAS Eleni , VIDLER Marianne
Published: June 2021

BackgroundIncorporation of the patient voice is urgently needed in a broad array of health care settings, but it is particularly lacking in the obstetrical literature. Systematically derived information about patients’ experience with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), most notably preeclampsia, is necessary to improve patient-provider communication and ultimately inform patient-centered care and research. We sought to examine the information needs and experiences of individuals with pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative content analysis of narrative-responses to an open-ended question from an online registry hosted by the Preeclampsia Foundation. Individuals were invited to enroll in The Preeclampsia Registry via social media, web searches, and newsletters. We restricted our analysis to participants who self-reported a history of HDP and responded to the open-ended question, “Is there any information that you could have had at the time of this pregnancy that would have been helpful?”. Available responses from July 2013 to March 2017 were included. Narrative responses were coded, reconciled, and thematically analyzed by multiple coders using an inductive approach. Our main outcome measures included participants’ expressed needs and additional concerns with respect to their HDP pregnancy.ResultsOf 3202 enrolled participants, 1850 completed the survey and self-reported having at least one pregnancy complicated by HDP, of which 895 (48.4%) responded to the open-ended question. Participants delivered in the United States (83%) and 27 other countries. Compared to non-responders, responders reported more severe HDP phenotypes and adverse offspring outcomes. We identified three principal themes from responses: patient-identified needs, management and counseling, and potential action. Responses revealed that participants’ baseline understanding of HDP, including symptoms, management, therapeutic strategies, and postpartum complications, was demonstrably lacking. Responders strongly desired improved counseling so that both they and their providers could collaboratively diagnose, appropriately manage, and robustly and continuously communicate to facilitate a partnership to address any HDP complications.Conclusions Participants’ responses regarding their HDP experience provide indispensable insight into the patient’s perspectives. Our study suggests that improved education regarding possible HDP complications and enriched provider counseling when considering an HDP diagnosis are needed and efforts to implement these strategies should be sought. Trial registrationThe Preeclampsia Registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02020174
Adaptive Neurons Compute Confidence In A Decision Network
Authors: Li Luozheng , Wang DaHui
Published: June 2021

Human and many animals can asses the confidence of their decisions. However, little has been known about the underlying neural substrate and mechanism. Here we proposed a computational model consisting of one group of ’confidence neurons’ with adaptation, which is able to asses the confidence of decision by detecting the slope of ramping activities of decision neurons. The simulated activities of ’confidence neurons’ in our simple model capture the typical features of confidence in human and animals experiments. Our results indicate that confidence could be online formed along with the decision formation and the adaptation properties could be used to monitor the decision confidence in artificial intelligence.
Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Polysaccharide Films Prepared from Furcellaria Lumbricalis and Gigartina Skottsbergii Seaweeds by PF-QNM Technique
Authors: Simkovic Ivan , Gucmann Filip , Mendichi Raniero , Schieroni Alberto Giacometti , Piovani Daniele , Dobročka Edmund , Hricovíni Miloš
Published: June 2021

Films from Furcellaria lumbricalis (FL) and Gigartina skottsbergii (GS) seaweed extracts were prepared and their properties were investigated. According to NMR analysis of GS ultrasonic water (GSUW) extraction (1-3)-α-glycan 6-sulfate was isolated. The analogical treatment with carbonate-peroxide solution (GSUCP) resulted in a mixture of the same glycan and carrageenan hybrids µ-D6S and ν-D2S,6S observed for the first time in this study. The extraction of GS in boiling water under reflux (GSW) in comparison to FL (FLW), indicates that GSW consisted of the most complex mixture of α-, β-, κ-, ι-, θ-, ζ-carrageenans, (1-3)-α-glycan partially sulfated at C6, and µ-D6S and ν-D2S,6S hybrids. The analogical FLW extract contained α-, θ-, λ-, µ-, ν- and ζ-carrageenans and (1-3)-α-glycan partially sulphated at C6. SEC-MALS results indicate that molecular weight of chromatographic main peak (Mp) is decreasing: GSUCP (994 kg/mol) > GSUW (565 kg/mol) > FLW (498 kg/mol) > ι-carrageenan (264 kg/mol) > κ-carrageenan (174 kg/mol) > furcellaran (144 kg/mol) > GSW (78 kg/mol). Macromolecules conformation is varying from flexible random coil for κ-carrageenan to nearly compact spheres for ι-carrageenan. Furcellaran conformation is intermediate between κ-carrageenan and ι-carrageenan, specifically a little more compact than κ-carrageenan. XRD analysis confirmed no cellulose content in all prepared films. AFM and PF-QNM analysis showed relations between values of Rg and Mp and the values of surface roughness, reduced moduli, stiffness and adhesion.
Encouraging and Advancing the Reconversion of Rubber Plantations: Developing Incentives Using a Combined Market and Government Payment System
Authors: Liu Weiguo , Zhang Jiaqi , Yan Yan , Beckschäfer Philip , Kleinn Christoph , Dossa Gbadamassi G.O. , Huai Jianjun , Song Liang
Published: June 2021

In various regions in Southeast Asia, over the past decades, natural tropical forests have rapidly been converted into monoculture plantations of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), a consequence of the rubber boom. With the goal of slowing the ecologically and environmentally detrimental conversion of forests to rubber plantations and to encourage the reconversion of rubber plantations back to close-to-nature rainforests, we developed a theoretical combined market and government payment system. To evaluate the potential impacts of such system, we carried out a simulation study plus sensitivity analyses, using the latest land-use data from Xishuangbanna, Southwest China. The results of this simulation suggest that the payment system may make the annual reconversion rate develop from 9,009 ha to 4,610 ha over the modeled period from 2021 to 2050, so that the total reconversion area by 2050 would sum up to 197,902 ha. The total net present value (NPV) of compensatory payments for the whole period, in this case, would sum up to US$3.19 billion. The total carbon sequestration benefit resulting from the replacement of rubber plantations would be 11.37 million tons of carbon (tC) over the modelled period, translating into a cost of US$280.44 per tC. Sensitivity analyses revealed that higher variations in rubber prices cause more difficulty in determining compensatory payment. Of course, changes in a number of factors may lead to a reduction of the total NPV of compensatory payments, including increases in the carbon price or traditional medicine price, increases in the discount rate, and decreases to the rubber price and the targeted final reconversion rate. The area-specific compensatory payments ($11,154–$16,106/ha) and area-specific carbon sequestration (46.39–57.45 tC/ha) would then increase linearly as the targeted final reconversion rate increases. This new integrated payment system has the potential to contribute to restoring rainforest in rubber monoculture-dominated landscape.
The Blocking Effect of the Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor in the Mouse Model of Asthma
Authors: Kim Seo-Hee , Trinh Hoang Kim Tu , Park Hae-Sim , Shin Yoo Seob
Published: June 2021

Background: It is apparent that the interaction between platelets and eosinophils plays a critical role in the activation of allergic inflammation. We investigated whether blocking of the glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor can attenuate allergic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness through inhibition of platelet-eosinophil aggregation (PEA) in asthma.Methods: BALB/c mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) on days 0 and 14, followed by 3 nebulized OVA challenges on days 28-30. On each challenge day, 5 mg/kg tirofiban was administered intraperitoneally 30 minutes before the challenge. Mice were assessed for airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and the degree of PEA. Finally, the activation levels of platelets and eosinophils were evaluated.Results: Tirofiban treatment decreased AHR and eosinophilic inflammation in BAL fluid. This treatment also reduced the levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in BAL fluid and airway inflammatory cell infiltration in histological evaluation. Interestingly, the blocking of the GP IIb/IIIa receptor more reduced PEA in both blood and lung tissue of tirofiban-treated mice than in those of the positive control mice, and both eosinophilic and platelet activations were attenuated in tirofiban-treated mice.Conclusion: The blocking of GP IIb/IIIa receptor with tirofiban can attenuate AHR and airway inflammation through the inhibition of PEA and activation.
Tuning of Quantum Entanglement of a Superconductor by Transition-Metal and Rare-Earth Impurity Effect and the Role of Potential Scattering on Quantum Phase Transition
Authors: Ebrahimian Neda , Khosrojerdi Mehran , Afzali Reza
Published: June 2021

By considering transition-metal (Shiba-Rusinov model) and rare-earth metal impurities (Abrikosov-Gorkov theory) effect on a many-body system, i.e., a BCS s-wave superconductor, quantum bipartite entanglement of two electrons of the Cooper pairs in terms of the exchange interaction, J, the potential scattering, V(playing an important role, unexpectedly), and the distance of two electron spins of the Cooper pair is calculated at zero temperature by using two-electron spin-space density matrix (Werner state). In transition-metal case, we find new quantum phase transitions (QPTs). The changes of J, which causes to have localized excited state, V and the pairing interaction (via energy gap) lead to the displacement of the QPTs (interactions act in the same direction, however sometimes the pairing interaction causes the competition with other interactions), regardless of their effects on the value of concurrence. Determining the allowable values of all interactions by itself is not possible, due to the smallness of the perturbed Green’s functions (appearing in the density matrix). For non-magnetic and magnetic (rare-earth) impurity cases, concurrence versus the distance and collision times is discussed for all finite and infinite Debye frequency. The quantum correlation, instability of the system and what's more important QPT can be tuned by the impurity.
Correlations Between Lung Pneumonic Lesions and Serologic Status to Key Respiratory Pathogens in Slaughtered Pigs in Northern Uganda
Authors: Oba Peter , Dione Michel M. , Wieland Barbara , Mwiine Frank N. , Erume Joseph
Published: June 2021

Background: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three selected slaughter slabs in Lira district Uganda in 2019 to (i) determine prevalence and severity of pneumonia and (ii) establish associations between lung pneumonic lesions and serologic status to key respiratory pathogens in slaughter pigs. Blood samples were collected from pigs at antemortem from which sera were prepared. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays, sera were screened for antibodies against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo), Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). At post-mortem, lungs were scored for possible pneumonic lesions and the type of pneumonia as previously described. Pneumonia types were grossly characterized as catarrhal purulent bronchopneumonia (CPBP), pleuropneumonia (PLP) and pleuritis as previously described. Metastrongylus spp infection was determined by examining lungs for gross presence or absence of helminths as previously described. T-tests were used to compute prevalence of pneumonia. Chi-square tests were used to compare the percentage of lungs positive or negative to CPBP, PLP and pleuritis. Ordinal logistic regression model was used to evaluate the odds of multiple pneumonia forms, with serostatus for different pathogens and Metastrongylus spp. infection as predictors. Results: One hundred and sixty seven (n=167) lungs were examined for pneumonic lesions. The prevalences of CPBP, PLP and pleuritis were 29.9% (95% CI 22.9-36.9), 74.2% (95% CI 67.5-80.9) and 17.3% (95% CI 22.4-36.3), respectively. The odds of multiple pneumonia forms increased in pigs with multiple pathogens and concurrent Metastrongylus spp. infestation (ORs 2.6, p=0.01 and 2.5, p=0.003, respectively), reaffirming synergistic effects of coinfections in the induction of lesions. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence and severity of pneumonic lesions in slaughter pigs. It provides baseline information, undeniable evidence on the magnitude of pneumonia and justifies future studies on its potential economic impacts in Ugandan pigs.
A Vectorial Tree Distance Measure
Authors: Priel Avner , Tamir Boaz
Published: June 2021

A vectorial distance measure for trees is presented. Given two trees, we align the trees from their centers outwards, starting from the root-branches, to make the next level as similar as possible. The algorithm is recursive; condition on the alignment of the root-branches we align the sub-branches, thereafter each alignment is conditioned on the previous one. We define a minimal alignment under a lexicographic order which follows the intuition that the differences between the two trees closer to their cores dominate their differences at a higher level. Given such a minimal alignment, the difference in the number of branches calculated at any level defines the entry of the distance vector at that level. We compare our algorithm to other well-known tree distance measures in the task of clustering sets of phylogenetic trees. We use the TreeSimGM simulator for generating stochastic phylogenetic trees. The vectorial tree distance can successfully separate symmetric from asymmetric trees, and hierarchical from non-hierarchical trees.
Value of Left Ventricular Pressure–Strain Loops in the Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Function in Patients with Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ran Hong-ling , Zhang zhe-yuan , Hu Jia , Yuan Xin-chun , Xi Zeng , Huang Mei-feng , Xia Qing-qing , Zhou Xi-ling
Published: June 2021

Purposes: The purposes of this study were to use noninvasive Left ventricular pressure-strain loops (LV-PSLs) to compare the various myocardial work indices in patients with noninvasive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (NHCM) and to evaluate the clinical application of myocardial work to the evaluation of NHCM patients.Method: 80 NHCM patients and 45 healthy subjects were enrolled. All the selectors underwent Echocardiography examination. Dynamic images of standard apical three-chamber, four-chamber, and two-chamber view were collected, the myocardial work indices of left ventricle were measured by LV-PSLs. The difference in myocardial work indices between two groups and various myocardial work indices in different types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were compared.Results: There were no significant difference in the general clinical data between the NHCM group and control; myocardial work indices of HCM were lower compared with control group except global work waste (GWW); The myocardial work between all three types of NHCMs was also different, particularly in global construction work (GCW); the intra- and inter observer consistency of myocardial work indices were good.Conclusion: Myocardial work assessed by the LV-PSLs could reflect myocardial work in NHCM patients at the early stage and quantitatively assess regional and global myocardial function, providing an accurate and convenient imaging method for early detection of the subclinical status of NHCM patients.
Usefulness of Simultaneous Measurement of Brain and Muscle rSO2 (Regional Oxygen Saturation) in Shock Patients: a Report of Three Cases
Authors: Muratsu Arisa , Hirose Tomoya , Ohnishi Mitsuo , Tachino Jotaro , Nakao Shunichiro , Takegawa Ryosuke , Sakai Tomohiko , Shiozaki Tadahiko , Shimazu Takeshi
Published: June 2021

BackgroundIn the field of emergency medical care, we often experience a situation in which we cannot measure pulse oximetric saturation (SpO₂) or blood pressure due to circulatory failure associated with shock. However, as we can measure rSO₂ values of the brain even in patients with shock, we hypothesized that we could evaluate the oxygen supply-demand balance between brain and muscle tissue by simultaneously measuring regional oxygen saturation (rSO₂) values of the brain and muscle tissue of patients with shock.Case presentationWe attached a TOS-OR rSO₂ monitor (TOSTEC CO., Tokyo, Japan) to 10 healthy volunteers and measured the rSO₂ values of their brain and muscle for 3 minutes. The rSO₂ values of their brain cerebral regional oxygen saturation (crSO₂) and muscle regional oxygen saturation (mrSO₂) were 77.6±1.6% and 76.2±1.3% (mean ± SD). There was little difference between crSO₂ and mrSO₂ (cerebro-musculoskeletal difference in regional saturation of oxygen; c-mDrSO₂). However, there were discernible amount of c-mDrSO₂ in three cases with shock, Case 1 showed a prolonged shock state due to septic shock caused by bacterial pneumonia. Her crSO₂ values was always higher than her mrSO₂ value, and there was a c-mDrSO₂. Case 2 showed a decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) with the development of septic shock caused by intestinal perforation. His crSO₂ value was higher than that of his mrSO₂, and c-mDrSO₂ increased with the decrease of his MAP. Case 3 had a low MAP due to hemorrhagic shock caused by postpartum hemorrhage. Her crSO₂ value was higher than that of her mrSO₂ and a c-mDrSO₂ was present. After resuscitation, the c-mDrSO₂ decreased with the increase in her blood pressure.ConclusionWe evaluated the usefulness of simultaneous measurement of crSO₂ and mrSO₂ as an objective and non-invasive method in shock management. Even if SpO₂ or blood pressure could not be measured due to circulatory failure associated with shock, it was possible to measure the values of crSO₂ and mrSO₂, which changed in real time with fluctuation of the blood pressure. Unlike previous monitoring devices, the rSO₂ monitor may continuously and clearly reflect the changes in local oxygen supply-demand balance.
Exogenously Applied Spermidine Alleviates Hypoxia Stress in Phyllostachys Praecox Seedlings Via Changes in Endogenous Hormones and Gene Expression
Authors: Gao JS , Zhuang Shunyao , Zhang YH , Qian ZZ
Published: June 2021

PurposeHypoxia stress is thought to be one of the major abiotic stresses that inhibits the growth and development of higher plants. Phyllostachys pracecox is sensitive to oxygen and suffers soil hypoxia during cultivation; however, the corresponding measures to mitigate this stress are still limited in practice. In this study, a simulated hypoxia stress with flooding was conducted to investigate the regulatory effect of Spermidine (Spd) on P. praecox seedlings. MethodsIndicators including growth, membrane lipid peroxidation, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC), ACC oxidase (ACO) and ACC synthetase (ACS) activities, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) content, and expression of hormone-related genes in P. praecox were measured. ResultsApplication of 1 mM and 2 mM Spd could alleviate plant growth inhibition and reduce oxidative damage from hypoxia stress. Exogenous Spd significantly (P<0.05) increased SAMDC activity, enhanced ABA and IAA content, and reduced ACO and ACS activities to protect membranes from lipid peroxidation. Moreover, exogenous Spd up-regulated the expression of auxin-related genes auxin responsive factor1 (ARF1), auxin1 protein (AUX1), auxin2 protein (AUX2), auxin3 protein (AUX3) and auxin4 protein (AUX4), and down-regulated the expression of ethylene-related ACO and ACS genes during flooding. ConclusionThe results indicated that exogenous Spd altered hormone concentrations and the expression of hormone-related genes, thereby protecting the bamboo growth. Our data suggest that Spd can be used to reduce hypoxia-induced cell damage and improve the adaptability of P. praecox to flooding stress.
Cystectomy for Patients With Hunner-Type Interstitial Cystitis at a Tertiary Referral Center in Japan
Authors: Akiyama Yoshiyuki , Niimi Aya , Igawa Yasuhiko , Nomiya Akira , Sato Yusuke , Yamada Yuta , Kume Haruki , Homma Yukio
Published: June 2021

Cystectomy is an ultimate treatment option for patients with end-stage Hunner-type interstitial cystitis (HIC). However, pertinent information regarding this procedure such as optimal candidate selection, surgical procedures, possible complications, and treatment prognosis, is limited owing to its extremely low prevalence. We report outcomes of 17 cystectomies for end-stage HIC patients at a tertiary referral center in Japan over a period of 20 years, including partial cystectomy with augmentation ileocystoplasty (PC–CP, 4) and total cystectomy with ileal conduit (TC–IC, 13). Postoperative events including changes in symptoms and quality of life (QOL), related complications, and overall satisfaction were examined. Pain persisted in three PC–CP patients while completely resolved in all TC–IC patients. QOL improved significantly in TC–IC but not in PC–CP patients. Two PC–CP patients required clean intermittent catheterization due to voiding dysfunction. Two TC–IC patients developed stricture of ureteroileal anastomosis, resulting in permanent placement of a ureteral stent or nephrostomy. Satisfaction rate was significantly higher in TC–IC than in PC–CP patients (76.9% vs 25.0%, p<0.05). Despite the limited number of cases, this study demonstrates that TC–IC provides highly reliable pain relief and improves QOL in end-stage HIC patients.
A Digital Twin-Driven Method for Online Quality Control in Process Industry
Authors: Zhu Xiaoyang , Ji Yangjian
Published: June 2021

To ensure the stability of product quality and production continuity, quality control is drawing increasing attention from the process industry. However, current methods cannot meet requirements with regard to time series data, high coupling parameters, delayed data acquisition and ambiguous operation control. A digital twin-driven (DTD) method for real-time monitoring, evaluation and optimization of process parameters that are strongly related to product quality is proposed. Based on a process simulation model, production status information and quality related data are obtained. Combined with an improved genetic algorithm (GA), a time sequential prediction model of bidirectional gated recurrent unit (bi-GRU) with attention mechanism (AM) is built to flexibly allocate parameter weights, accurately predict product quality, timely evaluate technical process and rapidly generate optimized control plans. A typical case study and relevant filed tests from the process industry are presented to prove the effectiveness of the method. Results indicate that the proposed method clearly outperforms its competitors.
Ophiostomatoid Fungi Associated with Cryphalus Piceae in Shandong province in eastern China
Authors: Chang Runlei , Zhang Xiuyu , Si Hongli , Zhao Guoyan , Yuan Xiaowen , Liu Tengteng , Bose Tanay , Dai Meixue
Published: June 2021

Cryphalus piceae parasitizes various economically important conifers. Similar to other bark beetles, C. picea vectors an assortment of fungi and nematodes. Previously, several ophiostomatoid fungi were isolated from C. piceae in Poland and Japan. In the present study, we explored the diversity of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with C. piceae infesting pines in the Shandong Province of China. We isolated ophiostomatoid fungi from both galleries and beetles collected from our study sites. These fungal isolates were identified using both molecular and morphological data. Through this study, we recovered 176 isolates of ophiostomatoid fungi representing at least seven species. Ophiostoma ips was the most frequently isolated species. Analyses of molecular and morphological data indicated four of the ophiostomatoid fungal species recovered in this study were previously undescribed. Hereby, we described these species as Ceratocystiopsis yantaiensis sp. nov., C. weihaiensis sp. nov., Graphilbum translucens sp. nov. and Sporothrix villosa sp. nov. A majority of the ophiostomatoid fungi recovered in this study were novel species. This suggests that the forests in China harbour an assortment of undescribed ophiostomatoid fungi yet to be discovered.
Right Ventricular Myocardial Oxygen Partial Pressure Is Reduced in Monocrotaline-induced Pulmonary Hypertension in the Rat and Restored by Myo-inositol Trispyrophosphate
Authors: Oknińska Marta , Zambrowska Zuzanna , Zajda Karolina , Paterek Aleksandra , Brodaczewska Klaudia , Mackiewicz Urszula , Szczylik Cezary , Torbicki Adam , Kieda Claudine , Mączewski Michał
Published: June 2021

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) initially results in compensatory RV hypertrophy, but eventually in RV failure. This transition is poorly understood, but may be triggered by hypoxia. Measurements of RV oxygen tension (pO2) in PAH are lacking. We hypothesized that RV hypoxia occurs in monocrotaline-induced PAH in rats and that myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP), facilitating oxygen dissociation from hemoglobin, can relieve it. Rats received monocrotaline (PAH) or saline (control) and 24 days later echocardiograms, pressure-volume loops were obtained and myocardial pO2 was measured using a fluorescent probe. In PAH mean pulmonary artery pressure more than doubled (35±5 vs. 15±2 in control), RV was hypertrophied, though its contractility was augmented. RV and LV pO2 was 32±5 and 15±8 mmHg, respectively, in control rats. In PAH RV pO2 was reduced to 18±9 mmHg, while LV pO2 was unchanged. RV pO2 correlated with RV diastolic wall stress (negatively) and LV systolic pressure (positively). Acute ITPP administration did not affect RV or LV pO2 in control animals, but increased RV pO2 to 26±5 mmHg without affecting LV pO2 in PAH. RV oxygen balance is impaired in PAH and as such can be an important target for PAH therapy. ITPP may be one of such potential therapies.