bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous inversion for source field and mantle electrical conductivity using the Variable Projection approach
Authors: Min Jingtao , Grayver Alexander
Published: October 2022

Time-varying electromagnetic field observed on the ground or at a spacecraft consists of contributions from (i) electric source currents, such as those in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and (ii) corresponding fields induced by source currents within the conductive Earth's interior by virtue of electromagnetic induction. Knowledge about the spatio-temporal structure of inducing currents is a key component in ionospheric and magnetospheric studies, and is also needed in space weather hazard evaluation, whereas the induced currents depend on the Earth's subsurface electrical conductivity distribution and allow us to probe this physical property. In this study, we present an approach that reconstructs the inducing source and subsurface conductivity structures simultaneously, preserving consistency between the two models by exploiting the inherent physical link. To achieve this, we formulate the underlying inverse problem as a separable nonlinear least squares (SNLS) problem, where inducing current and subsurface conductivity parameters enter as linear and non-linear model unknowns, respectively. We solve the SNLS problem by using the Variable Projection method and compare it with other conventional approaches. We study the properties of the method and demonstrate its feasibility by simultaneously reconstructing the ionospheric and magnetospheric currents along with a 1-D average mantle conductivity distribution from the ground magnetic observatory data.
The spatial structure evolution of the urban agglomeration on the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China
Authors: Li Dongbing , Simayi Zibibula , Yang Shengtian , Chang Yao , MAMITIMIN Yusuyunjiang
Published: October 2022

In the process of urbanization, the coordinated development of urban sub-clusters is an important strategy for the overall promotion of the regional economy, and exploring the characteristics of urban spatial structure has reference significance for the transformation of regional levels. This paper selects the land use data and urban statistical data in the study area, and uses the topsis method to evaluate the comprehensive quality of each city. Based on the gravitational model, social network analysis, urban expansion method and correlation analysis method, the basic characteristics of urban spatial structure of the urban agglomeration on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains are analyzed from macro and micro perspectives, and the spatial pattern of urban network is constructed according to reasonable methods. The results show that: (1) The urban system headed by Urumqi is gradually expanding, and the urban volume is becoming larger. (2) The urban network structure diverges from Urumqi to the periphery, and is most closely connected with the surrounding cities. Urumqi's city center has the highest degree, occupies a dominant position in the city, and has high resource control rights, which can affect the development of the entire region. (3) According to the characteristics of agglomerated subgroups, the urban agglomerations are mainly distributed in three types of subgroups, and the spatial differences in the comprehensive quality of cities in the entire region are obvious. (4) The delineation of urban network structure circles is conducive to further promoting regional Internal coordinated development, and promote the construction of a reasonable urban spatial layout.
The role of women’s empowerments on reproductive healthcare-seeking behavior in Mali
Authors: SIDIBE Yaya , TRAORE Daouda Moussa , BERTHE Bakary , SISSOKO Mamady
Published: October 2022

Background:In Mali, contraception and low utilization of health facilities is a public health problem; it is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among children. The maternal mortality rate in Mali is 562 per 100,000 live births, compared to an average of 534 in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: This article analyses the importance of women empowerment in the reproductive healthcare seeking behavior in Mali.Methods:The methodology used logistic regression based on data from the 2018 Malian Demographic and Health Survey. The principal compenent analysis method was used to construct a multidimensional empowerment index.Results: The results show that women's empowerment is strongly associated with the use of health services and the use of modern contraception, after controlling for sociodemographic factors. In the multivariate model, the lack of association between women's household decision making and health service use and between labor force participation and modern contraceptive use. Conclusion:Women's participation in decision making, within the household, women's activity, area of residence, education level of the household head, and maternal health insurance are factors that, if improved, could significantly reduce reproductive healthcare-seeking behavior. The results suggest that efforts should be made to improve women's autonomy in Mali, to achieve both gender equality and wider use of health care. In addition, improving women's education can play a role in empowering women and increasing their health care-seeking behavior.
Quality of Drinking Water in Selected Coastal Communities of Ondo South Nigeria
Authors: Adeyemo Adeyemi Isaiah , Akintimehin Emmanuel Sina , Adeoye Emmanuel Tayo
Published: October 2022

One hundred drinking water samples were collected from ten selected oil polluted riverine communities of Ondo south Nigeria to investigate their quality. Physicochemical parameters using standard methods reveals values of temperature, electrical conductivity, total hardness, total dissolved solid, turbidity, pH and Dissolved oxygen beyond WHO safe limits while chloride and total alkalinity values fell within the limits. All the heavy metals investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP – OES) have higher concentrations than permissible by WHO standards. Most Probable Number technique (MPN) confirmed eighty- six of the water samples to have coliforms with thirty- two of them as faecal coliforms while Gram staining and the IMViC tests confirmed seventy of the samples to haveE.coli. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was analyzed using Agilent 7890B Gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID), fitted with a HP-5 capillary column coated with 5% Phenyl Methyl Siloxane and a mean value of 62.164mg/L was obtained for (TPH). Leaching of metals from rocks, oil spillages, and acid rain associated with gas flaring are possibly responsible for the values of physicochemical parameters and toxic metals recorded while the presence of faecal coliforms andE.colimay be due to poor sanitary systems in the area while the TPH is from various oil spills rampant in the area. Improved waste disposal methods, prevention of oil spillages and proper treatment of effluents from industries should be adopted to improve the potability of water in the study area.
Simultaneous 18F-FDG PET/MR metabolic and structural changes in visual snow syndrome and diagnostic use
Authors: Laere Koen Van , Ceccarini Jenny , Gebruers Juanito , Goffin Karolien , Boon Elizabet
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a recently recognized chronic neurologic condition characterized by the constant perceiving of tiny flickering dots throughout the entire visual field. Metabolic overactivity and grey matter volume increase in the lingual gyrus has been reported. We investigated this by 18F-FDG PET/MR in comparison to healthy controls. Aside from voxel-based characterization, the classification accuracy of volume-of-interest (VOI) based multimodal assessment was evaluated, also in comparison with visual analysis.

Methods

Simultaneous 18F-FDG PET and MR imaging was performed in 7 patients with VSS (24.6 ± 5.7 yrs; 5M/2F) and 15 age-matched healthy controls (CON) (28.0 ± 5.3 yrs; 8M/7F). SPM12 and voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis was performed. A VOI-based discriminant analysis was performed with relative 18F-FDG uptake, MR grey matter (GM) volumes and their combination. A visual analysis was done by two blinded experienced readers.

Results

Relative increased hypermetabolism was found in VSS patients in the lingual gyrus and cuneus (pFWE<0.05, peak change + 24%), and hypometabolism in the mesiotemporal cortex (pheight,uncorr<0.001, peak change − 14%). VSS patients also had increased GM volume in the limbic system and frontotemporal cortex bilaterally (pFWE<0.05), and in the left secondary and associative visual cortex and in the left lingual gyrus (pheight,uncorr <0.001). Discriminant analysis resulted in 100% correct classification accuracy for 18F-FDG with lingual gyrus, cuneus and lateral occipital lobe (BA 17 and BA 18) as main discriminators. Unimodal MR- and combined 18F-FDG + MR classification resulted in an accuracy of 91% and 95%, respectively. Visual analysis of 18F-FDG was highly observer dependent.

Conclusion

Patients with VSS have highly significant structural and metabolic abnormalities in the visual and limbic system. VOI-based discriminant analysis of 18F-FDG PET allows reliable individual classification versus controls, whereas visual analysis of experienced observers was highly variable. Further investigation in larger series, also in comparison to VSS mimicking disorders such as migraine, is warranted.
Retrospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov under NCT05569733 on Oct 5, 2022.
Real-time estimate and control contour errors for five-axis local smoothed toolpaths based on airthoid splines
Authors: Huang Xiaoyong , Chen Baoqing , Tian Xiaoqing , Chen Shan , Yu Daoyang , Han Jiang , Mei Xuesong
Published: October 2022

Five-axis linear commands are blended as the local smoothed toolpaths by inserting clothoid and airthoid splines at corners in five-axis CNC machining. The contour error is the bottleneck to achieve the precise dimension of the machined parts, when following the smoothed toolpaths. This paper presents a contour error estimation and control method for the five-axis smoothed toolpaths with airthoid splines, according to the geometric characteristics of the toolpaths. The tool-tip contour error is analytically calculated based on the expression of the smoothed toolpaths. Consequently, the tool-orientation contour error is obtained by synchronizing the tool-orientation contour point with the tool-tip item based on the motion time through the designed time scale coefficient, when the toolpaths are scheduled by the time-synchronization scheme. Furthermore, a contour error compensation strategy is constructed to adaptively determine the compensator gain. It can be qualified to maximally eliminate the contour errors and steadily hold the control stability of the feed drives, in spite of the modeling error between the nominal and actual control models. The simulation and experiment results show that the estimation algorithm has the higher accuracy than traditional methods, and the compensation strategy effectively eliminates the five-axis contour error.
Downstream allosteric modulation of NMDA receptors by 3-benzazepine derivatives
Authors: Ritter Nadine , Disse Paul , Aymanns Isabel , Mücher Lena , Schreiber Julian Alexander , Brenker Christoph , Strünker Timo , Schepmann Dirk , Budde Thomas , Strutz-Seebohm Nathalie , Ametamey Simon Mensah , Wünsch Bernhard , Seebohm Guiscard
Published: October 2022

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) composed of different splice variants display distinct pH sensitivities and are crucial for learning and memory, as well as for inflammatory or injury processes. Dysregulation of the NMDAR is associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, depression and substance addiction. The development of selective receptor modulators therefore constitutes a promising approach for multiple therapeutical applications. Here, we identified (R)- OF-NB1 as a promising splice variant selective NMDAR antagonist. We investigated the interaction of ( R )-OF-NB1 and NMDAR from a biochemical, bioinformatical and electrophysiological perspective to characterize the downstream allosteric modulation of NMDAR by 3-benzazepine derivatives. The allosteric modulatory pathway starts at the ifenprodil binding pocket in the amino terminal domain and immobilizes the connecting α5-helix to the ligand binding domain, resulting in inhibition. On the contrary, the exon 5 splice variant GluN1-1b elevates the NMDARs flexibility and promotes the open state of the of its ligand binding domain.
Application of a Novel Method for Predicting Water Quality Using the Pi-Sigma Neural Network: Gelevera Creek (Giresun, Türkiye)
Authors: Isık Hakan , Akkan Tamer
Published: October 2022

Identifying and measuring potential sources of pollution is essential for water management and pollution control. Using a range of artificial intelligence models to analyze water quality (WQ) is one of the most effective techniques for estimating WQI. In this context, water samples have been collected in monthly from 8 stations of Gelevera Creek. The traditional evaluation with WQI of Gelevera Creek was calculated as average so good WQ. The novel application which is the Single multiplicative neuron (SMN) model, multilayer perceptron and pi-sigma artificial neural networks (PS-ANNs) are applied for predicting of WQI. SMN model and PS-ANNs are firstly used for modelling of WQ in the literature. It is noted that the best results of Gelevera Creek were obtained with the PS-ANN. As a result of, it is suggested to obtain the WQI with the proposed optimum PS-ANN instead of using calculation methods such as WQI that include long calculations.
scMEB: A fast and clustering-independentmethod for detecting differentially expressedgenes in single-cell RNA-seq data
Authors: Zhu Jiadi , Yang Youlong
Published: October 2022

Background: Cell clustering is a prerequisite for identifying differentiallyexpressed genes (DEGs) in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data.Obtaining a perfect clustering result is of central importance for subsequentanalyses, but doing so is not easy. Additionally, the increase in cell throughputdue to the advancement of scRNA-seq protocols exacerbates many computationalissues, especially regarding method runtime. To address these difficulties, a new,accurate, and fast method for detecting DEGs in scRNA-seq data is needed.
Results: Here, we propose single-cell minimum enclosing ball (scMEB), a noveland fast method for detecting single-cell DEGs without prior cell clusteringresults. The proposed method utilizes a small part of known non-DEGs (stablyexpressed genes) to build a minimum enclosing ball and defines the DEGs basedon the distance of a mapped gene to the center of the sphere in a feature space.
Conclusions: We benchmarked scMEB against two other methods that haveimplications for DEG identification without clustering the cells. The analysisresults of 11 real datasets demonstrated that scMEB had a better or at leastcomparable performance with the competing methods in terms of identifyingmarker genes, cell clustering, and predicting genes with biological functions.Moreover, scMEB ran much faster than the other methods, which is especiallyuseful for detecting DEGs in high-throughput scRNA-seq data. Our method“scMEB” has been incorporated into the R package (MEB) and could beaccessed at https://github.com/FocusPaka/MEB.
Efficacy and Safety of Tirofiban in Patient Undergoing Planned Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Based on Real-world Evidence: A Retrospective Study of 1311 Patients
Authors: Huang Bingyu , Zhu Mengying , Zhou Chi , Li Sheng , Lv Jiagao
Published: October 2022

Background
There is no consensus on reductions of ischemic events and bleeding risks of tirofiban for patients receiving planned percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) yet. In this study, we aim to investigate the real-world efficacy and safety of tirofiban treatment on patients undergoing planned PCI during hospital course and explore potential population who could benefit from tirofiban.
Methods
This real-world study included 1311 patients who received planned PCI and implanted stents. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between patients who received tirofiban treatment (n = 829) and those were not given tirofiban as control (n = 482). Correlation of tirofiban and outcome in hospital level was assessed using logistic regression analysis.
Results
More tirofiban patients had multivessel disease and multiple stents implantation. On logistic regression analysis, there was no significant association between the usage of tirofiban and bleeding events (OR [95%CI] = 1.36 [0.65,3.06], p = 0.433), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (OR [95%CI] = 1.37 [0.65, 3.06], p = 0.425) or net adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (NACCE) (OR [95%CI] = 1.01 [0.61, 1.71], P = 0.963). In subgroup analysis, tirofiban used among patients with higher D-dimer level (D-dimer ≥ 0.5 g/ml FEU) was less likely to be associated with MACCE (OR = 0.51 vs OR = 4.59, p for interaction = 0.031).
Conclusions
The use of tirofiban did not decrease MACCE or NACCE during hospital course among patients undergoing planned PCI, however, the risk of bleeding was not increased. Tirofiban receipts were prone to severe illness and complex PCI. Conferring no harm but potential benefits, the use of tirofiban could be considered for patients who received planned PCI and present with comorbidities and complex coronary lesions.
Knowledge-aware Response Selection with Semantics underlying Multi-Turn Open-Domain Conversations
Authors: Nakatsuji Makoto , Ozeki Yuka , Tateishi Shuhei , Kano Yoshihisa , Zhang QingPeng
Published: October 2022

Response selection is a critical issue in the AI community with important applications on the Web. The accuracy of the selected responses, however, tends to be insufficient due to the lack of contextual awareness, especially in open-domain conversations where words tend to have several meanings in different contexts. Our solution, SemSol, is a knowledge-aware response selection model that tackles this problem by utilizing the context-specific semantics behind words that are implicitly shared among users throughout the dialogue. SemSol simultaneously learns word sense disambiguations (WSD) for the words in the dialogue on the basis of an open-domain knowledge graph, i.e. WordNet, while learning the match between the context and the response candidates. Then, SemSol improves the accuracy of the response by exploiting the semantic information in knowledge graph in accordance with the dialogue context. Our model learns the topics of utterances in the context of the whole training dataset. This topic-level knowledge can provide topic-specific information in the dialogue context. This improves the WSDs and the response selection accuracy. Experimens with two open-domain conversational datasets, Douban (Chinese) and Reddit (English), demonstrated that the proposed SemSol model outperformed state-of-the-art baselins. SemSol is ranked #1 in the Douban leaderboard.
Impact of off-label under-dose direct oral anticoagulant on coagulation and fibrinolytic markers in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Watanabe Tetsuya , Tachibana Koichi , Shinoda Yukinori , Minamisaka Tomoko , Fukuoka Hidetada , Inui Hirooki , Ueno Keisuke , Inoue Souki , Mine Kentaro , Hoshida Shiro
Published: October 2022

Objectives: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have been approved for oral anticoagulation in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). On the other hand, DOAC are sometimes prescribed off-label under-doses for patients with AF. This study aimed to compare the effects of different DOAC doses on coagulation and fibrinolytic markers.
Methods:A total of 88 patients with AF (age, 68 ± 11 years; male sex, 45%; persistent AF, 43%) were analyzed. All patients received edoxaban (60 or 30 mg) once daily. For this study, patients were divided into three groups according to whether they had been treated before the ablation procedure under an appropriate standard-dose group (n = 30 [34.1%]), appropriate low-dose group (n = 35 [39.8%]), or off-label under-dose group (n = 23 [26.1%]). Coagulation and fibrinolytic markers and echocardiographic parameters were examined before ablation.
Results:There were no significant baseline differences in AF type, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide, protein C, fibrinogen, D-dimer level, left ventricular ejection fraction, or left atrial dimension among the three groups. The prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) level was significantly different among the appropriate standard-dose, appropriate low-dose, and off-label under-dose groups (105.9 ± 29.4, 142.6 ± 41.3, and 142.8 ± 84.9 pmol/L, respectively; P = 0.011). After multivariate analysis, the F1+2 was significantly higher in the off-label low-dose group than in the standard-dose group when compared among the three groups (P = 0.034, Bonferroni test).
Conclusion:Our results suggest that an appropriate standard dose of edoxaban is required to suppress hypercoagulability in patients with AF.
Binge drinking, parental substance use and family socio-economic status in France: evidence for an alcohol harm paradox in adolescence
Authors: Legleye Stéphane , Khlat Myriam , Aubin Henri-Jean , Bricard Damien
Published: October 2022

Background
Adolescent heavy episodic drinking (HED) represents a serious health threat. We explore the relation of HED and of emergency room visit because of acute alcoholic intoxication during life (ERV) with family socioeconomic status (SES), family living arrangement (living in a non-intact family or living independently) and parental substance use.
Setting: A cross-sectional nationwide exhaustive 12-day survey in March 2017 of French youth aged 17-18.5 participating in the national mandatory civic information day.
Participants: 13,314 adolescents answering a pen and paper questionnaire about their own alcohol consumption and the consumption of tobacco and alcohol of their parents.
Measurements: Outcomes were the number of past month heavy drinking episodes and ERV. Risk ratios (RR) were computed using modified Poisson regressions.
Results
Compared to the adolescents with the highest SES, those from the lowest SES were less likely to report 1-2 or 3-5 episodes of heavy drinking instead of none (RR=0.58, 95% CI=[0.50; 0.66] and 0.35 [0.27; 0.45]) but there was no difference for 6 episodes and above (RR=0.81 [0.59; 1.12]). At the extreme, ERV was more frequent among adolescents with the lowest SES (RR=1.86 [1.05; 3.30]).
SES, parental substance use and family living arrangement were associated independently with HED; they were not confounded by each other and no interaction between these factors was significant.
Conclusion
Adolescents from disadvantaged families report fewer episodes of heavy drinking, but are more likely to report alcohol-related emergency room visit, showing the existence of a robust “alcohol harm paradox”.
Colonization of Patients Hospitalized at Orthopedic Department of Tertiary Hospital in Uganda with Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Bizimana Jules , Ndayisenga Jerome , Kajumbura Henry , Mulepo Phillip , Najjuka Florence Christine
Published: October 2022

Background
Beta-lactamase production remains the most contributing factor to beta-lactam resistance. Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) are associated with risk factors both in hospital and community settings.
Objectives
To assess the incidence and risk factors for intestinal carriage of extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae among patients admitted to orthopedic ward of Mulago National Referral Hospital, and to analyze the acquisition of ESBL-PE during hospital stay and associated factors.
Methods
We screened 172 patients aged 18 years old and above who got admitted to the orthopedic ward of Mulago National Referral Hospital between May to July 2017. Stool samples or rectal swabs were collected at admission, every 3 days until fourteen days and screened for ESBL-PE. Data on demographic status, antibiotic use, admission and travel, length of hospital stay, hygiene practices and drinking boiled water were analyzed by logistic regression and cox regression model.
Results
At admission, 61% of patients showed intestinal ESBL-PE carriage. Co- resistance was common but no Carbapenem resistance was detected. Of the ESBL-PE negative, 49 % were colonized during hospitalization. On admission, prior antibiotic use was significantly associated with carriage, but none was associated with acquisition during hospitalization at p-value < 0.05.
Conclusion
Carriage of ESBL-PE on admissions and acquisition at orthopedic ward of Mulago Hospital were high, and dissemination into the community are of substantial concern. We suggested refinement of empirical treatment based on risk stratification, and enhanced infection control measures that target health care workers, patients and attendants.
A Phase I/II Study of Preoperative Letrozole, Everolimus, and Carotuximab in Stage 2 and 3 Hormone Receptor-positive and Her2-negative Breast Cancer.
Authors: Vaklavas Christos , Stringer-Reasor Erica M , Elkhanany Ahmed M , Ryan Kevin J , Li Yufeng , Theuer Charles P , Acosta Edward P , Wei Shi , Yang Eddy S , Grizzle William E , Forero-Torres Andres
Published: October 2022

Purpose: In nonmetastatic hormone receptor-positive and Her2-negative breast cancer, preoperative endocrine therapies can yield outcomes similar with chemotherapy. We evaluated the tolerability and preliminary antitumor activity of preoperative letrozole, everolimus, and carotuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting endoglin, in nonmetastatic breast cancer.
Methods: Eligible patients had newly diagnosed, stage 2 or 3, hormone receptor-positive and Her2/neu-negative breast cancer. Patients received escalating doses of everolimus; the dose of letrozole and carotuximab were fixed at 2.5 mg PO daily and 15 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks, respectively. The primary objective was to determine the safety and tolerability of the combination. Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies and assessments of antitumor activity.
Results: fifteen patients enrolled. The recommended phase 2 dose of everolimus in combination with letrozole and carotuximab was 10 mg PO daily. The most frequent adverse events were headache (67%), fatigue (47%), facial flushing and swelling (47%), gingival hemorrhage (40%), epistaxis (33%), nausea and vomiting (27%). Headache constituted a dose limiting toxicity. At least two signs of mucocutaneous telangiectasia developed in 92% of patients. Carotuximab accumulated in the extravascular space and accelerated the biodistribution and clearance of everolimus. All patients had residual disease. Gene expression analyses were consistent with downregulation of genes involved in proliferation and DNA repair. Among 6 patients with luminal B breast cancer, 5 converted to luminal A after one cycle of therapy.
Conclusion: Letrozole, everolimus, and carotuximab were tolerated in combination at their single-agent doses. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed an interaction between everolimus and carotuximab.
Trial Registration: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02520063), first posted on August 11, 2015, and is active, not recruiting.
Biochemical Variations in Vitrified-warmed in Vitro Matured Porcine Oocytes
Authors: Morado Sergio , Aparicio Ailén , Pinchetti Daniela , Arraztoa Claudia Cecilia , Alvarez Gabriel , Gutnisky Cynthia , Neild Deborah , Dalvit Gabriel , Cetica Pablo
Published: October 2022

As the porcine oocyte is the most sensitive to low temperature damage, it has been difficult to cryopreserve compared to those from other domestic animals. However, at present, vitrification is used as a method for the cryopreservation of both oocytes and embryos in this species. Our aim was to analyze biochemical variations in vitrified-warmed in vitro matured porcine oocytes at different recovery times using a minimum volume vitrification system. Additionally, metaphase II plate recovery time analysis, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were carried out to evaluate oocyte maturational capacity recovery. Oocytes were vitrified-warmed and then incubated for 0h, 3h or 21h post-warming to assess biochemical parameters. Oocyte viability or morphology were not affected by vitrification-warming. Cytosolic oxidative status, active mitochondria and reactive oxygen species levels presented variations at the different time points in both control and vitrified-warmed oocytes (P < 0.05) as well as differences between one group and the other (P < 0.05). NAD(P)H levels remained constant throughout different recovery times, but were significantly lower in vitrified-warmed oocytes (P < 0.05). Metaphase II plate recovery occurred mostly between 3 and 4h post-warming, but the percentage of metaphase II was reduced by vitrification-warming process. Sperm head decondensation and pronuclear formation capacities were not modified. In conclusion, vitrification-warming generates biochemical modifications in porcine oocytes that would be in part responsible for affecting their performance. So, although the technique is a possible alternative for porcine oocyte cryopreservation, improvements in the vitrification-warming protocols should be included to minimize the metabolic variations produced during this process.
Newly Synthesized Aminothiazole Based Disazo Dyes and Their Theoretical Calculations
Authors: GÖKALP Merve , ATAY Çiğdem KARABACAK , TİLKİ Tahir
Published: October 2022

This study consists of two parts, experimental and theoretical. In the first part, ten new aminothiazole based disazo dyes (4a-e, 5a-e) were synthesized. Structures of these synthesized dyes were confirmed by 1H-NMR, FT-IR and UV–Vis spectra. In the second part, employing the B3LYP level with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set, in the ground state, the molecular geometry and vibrational frequency calculations were performed by the density functional theory (DFT). The gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method was carried out to investigate the chemical shifts values. Time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) approach was used to determine the HOMO–LUMO calculations. As a result of our study, it was observed that the computational spectroscopic values of the synthesized disazo compounds were compatible with the experimental values.
Transmission of negative biases through social commentary included in neonatal intensive care unit progress notes
Authors: Shaikh Henna , Billimoria Zeenia , Vandeleur Daron , Weiss Elliott , Batra Maneesh , Hedstrom Anna
Published: October 2022

Objective:
To determine how the perception of families elicited after reading progress note social commentary differs by patient race.
Study Design:
Retrospectively performed content analysis of social commentary in physician progress notes for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit patients hospitalized from 2018-2019. Neonatologists blinded to patient race rated how commentary impacted their perception of the patient’s family on a 5-point Likert scale. Frequency of negative ratings was compared across reported race using chi-squared tests.
Results:
We reviewed charts of 460 neonates. 225 (49%) contained social commentary beyond parents’ names. 12 neonatologists rated how commentaries impacted their perception of the patient’s family; 79%, 18%, and 3% were rated neutrally, negatively, and positively, respectively. Frequency of negative ratings was significantly greater among American Indian/Alaska Native than other patients (35% vs. 22%, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Physician documentation of social commentary in patient notes may reflect and perpetuate implicit biases that contribute to race-based healthcare disparities.
Artificial temperature-compensated circadian rhythm using Belousov-Zhabotinsky gels
Authors: Yamada Yuhei , Ito Hiroshi , Maeda Shingo
Published: October 2022

A circadian rhythm is a fundamental physiological function for a wide range of organisms. The molecular machinery for generating rhythms has been elucidated over the last few decades. Nevertheless, the mechanism for temperature compensation of the oscillation period, which is a prominent property of the circadian rhythm, is still controversial. In this study, we propose a new mechanism through a chemically synthetic approach (i.e., we realized temperature compensation by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels). The BZ gels are prepared by embedding a metal catalyst of the BZ reaction into the gel polymer. We made the body of BZ gels using a temperature-sensitive polymer gel, which enabled temperature compensation of the oscillation. Moreover, we constructed a simple mathematical model for the BZ oscillation in temperature-sensitive gels. The model can reproduce temperature compensation of BZ gels, even though all reactions are temperature sensitive according to the Arrhenius rule, suggesting that temperature compensation does not require a special temperature-insensitive process but can be embodied as an oscillatory body. Our finding hints that oscillation-body coupling underlies temperature-compensated biological functions, including circadian rhythms.
An Integrated GIS-AHP based Drought vulnerability Assessment for Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Authors: Nyayapathi Priyanka , Basina Sai Santosh , Penki Ramu
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
A randomised controlled feasibility trial of an early years language development intervention: Results of the ‘outcomes of Talking Together evaluation and results’ (oTTer) project
Authors: Nielsen Dea , d'Apice Katrina , Cheung Rachael , Bryant Maria , Heald Rebecca , Storr Chloe , Tracey Louise , Rashid Rukhsana , Dickerson Josie , Bowyer-Crane Claudine
Published: October 2022

Background

Early language difficulties are associated with poor school readiness and can impact lifelong attainment. The quality of the early home language environment is linked to language outcomes. However, few home-based language interventions have sufficient evidence of effectiveness in improving preschool children’s language abilities. This study reports the first stage in the evaluation of a theory-based programme, Talking Together (developed and delivered by BHT Early Education and Training) given over 6 weeks to families in the home setting. We aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of delivering Talking Together in the Better Start Bradford community prior to a definitive trial, using a two-armed randomised controlled feasibility study.

Methods

Families from a single site within the Better Start Bradford reach area were randomly allocated (1:1) to the Talking Together intervention or a wait list control group. Child language and parent-level outcome measures were administered before randomisation (baseline), pre-intervention (pre-test), 2 months post-intervention start (post-test), and 6 months post-intervention start (follow-up). Routine monitoring data from families and practitioners were also collected for eligibility, consent, protocol adherence, and attrition rates. Descriptive statistics on the feasibility and reliability of potential outcome measures were analysed alongside qualitative feedback on trial design acceptability. Pre-defined progression-to-trial criteria using a traffic light system were assessed using routine monitoring data.

Results

Two-hundred and twenty-two families were assessed for eligibility; of these, 164 were eligible. A total of 102 families consented and were randomised (intervention: 52, waitlist control: 50); 68% of families completed outcome measures at 6-month follow-up. Recruitment (eligibility and consent) reached ‘green’ progression criteria; however, adherence reached ‘amber’ and attrition reached ‘red’ criteria. Child and parent-level data were successfully measured, and the Oxford-CDI was identified as a suitable primary outcome measure for a definitive trial. Qualitative data indicated that the procedures were largely acceptable to practitioners and families, but also identified areas for improvement in adherence and attrition rates.

Conclusions

Referral rates indicate that Talking Together is a much-needed service, and was positively received by the community. A full trial is feasible with adaptations to improve adherence and reduce attrition.

Trial registration

ISRCTN13251954, retrospectively registered 21 February 2019
A novel nutritional parameters-based nomogram for predicting severe neutropenia after CAPEOX/XELOX or SOX adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients
Authors: Gao Chun , Zhu Li , Zhang Yu Jie , Tong Yi Xin , Zhang Sheng
Published: October 2022

PurposeThe aim of this study is to develop and internal validate a novel and specific predictive model for severe neutropenia during adjuvant chemotherapy cycles among patients with gastric cancer.
Methods We included 391 gastric cancer patients underwent curative laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy and divided them into development cohort and validation cohorts. The study endpoint was grade 3/4 neutropenia. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the independent risk factor of severe neutropenia. Predictive nomogram was constructed based on the multivariate model using R. We applied area under ROC curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the performance of the model.
Results 318 patients and 73 patients were divided into development and validation cohorts, treated with 1518 and 356 chemotherapy cycles respectively. The multivariable analysis revealed 4 predictive factors for severe neutropenia: Age, prealbumin level, prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and neutropenia in previous cycles. The constructed nomogram displayed a good predictive value, with AUCs as 0.825 (95%CI, 0.789-0.860) and 0.810 (95%CI, 0.783-0.835) in development and validation cohorts.
ConclusionsWe developed and internally validate a novel and specific risk prediction model for severe neutropenia among gastric cancer patients during adjuvant chemotherapy. This model is user-friendly and can guide clinical decision for personalized treatment plan. Further external validation should be necessary.
Hippocampal Subregions Volume and Texture for the Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Chu Tongpeng , Liu Yajun , Zhang Zhongsheng , Zhang Gang , Dong Fanghui , Dong Jianli , Lin Shujuan
Published: October 2022

Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine the diagnostic efficacy of hippocampal subregions volume and texture in differentiating amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from normal aging changes.
Materials and Methods
Ninety MCI subjects and eighty-eight well-matched healthy controls (HCs) were selected from the Open Access Series of Imaging Studies Database. Twelve hippocampal subregions volume and texture features were extracted using Freesurfer and MaZda based on T1 weighted magnetic resonance images. Then, two-sample t-test and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression were developed to select a subset of the original features. Finally, a support vector machine (SVM) was used to perform the classification task and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the model.
Results
The volume features with high discriminative power were mainly located in the bilateral CA1, and bilateral CA4, while texture feature were gray-level non-uniformity, run length non-uniformity and fraction. Our model based on hippocampal subregions volume and texture features achieved better classification performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90.
Conclusions
Based on hippocampal subregions volume and texture can be used to diagnose MCI. Moreover, we found that the features that contributed most to the model were mainly textural features, followed by volume. These results may guide future studies using structural scans to classify patients with MCI.
CHIP mediates CAD ubiquitination and degradation to suppress the proliferation and colony formation of glioblastoma cells
Authors: Li Guanya , Xiao Kai , Li Yinan , Gao Jianfang , He Shanping , Li Tingting
Published: October 2022

Cancer cells are characterized as the uncontrolled proliferation, which demands high levels of nucleotides that are the building blocks for DNA replication. CAD is a trifunctional enzyme that initiates the de novo pyrimidine synthesis, which is normally enhanced in cancer cells to preserve the pyrimidine pool for cell division. Glioma, representing the majority of brain cancers, is highly addicted to nucleotides like pyrimidine to sustain the abnormal growth and proliferation of cells. CAD is previously reported to by dysregulated in glioma, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we showed that the expression of CAD was upregulated in glioma, which was positively correlated with tumor grade and the survival of glioma patients. Knockdown of CAD robustly inhibited the cell proliferation and colony formation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, indicating the essential role of CAD in the pathogenesis of GBM. Mechanistically, we firstly identified that CAD was modified by the K29-linked polyubiquitination, and subsequently subjected to degradation. CHIP interacted and ubiquitinated CAD, which accounted for the anti-proliferative role of CHIP in GBM. Specifically, the ectopic expression of CAD dramatically enhanced the colony formation of GBM cells, which was subsequently abolished by CHIP overexpression. To sustain the expression of CAD, CHIP is significantly downregulated, which is correlated with the poor prognosis and survival of GBM patients. Notably, low level of CHIP and high level of CAD predict the short overall survival of GBM patients. These results illustrated the essential role of CAD in glioma and reveal novel therapeutic targets for CAD-positive and CHIP-negative cancer.
Autoimmune cerebellar ataxia associated with anti-glutamate receptor δ2 antibodies: a rare but treatable entity
Authors: Khatib Laura , Do Le-Duy , Benaiteau Marie , Villagrán-García Macarena , Meyer Pierre , Haidar Lydia Abou , Demeret Sophie , Honnorat Jérôme
Published: October 2022

We reported two novel cases of autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (ACA) associated with anti-glutamate receptor δ2 antibodies (Gluδ2-Abs). This first case was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and cell-based assays: a 29-year-old woman presenting, after 5 days of headache and vomiting, a pancerebellar syndrome, a downbeat nystagmus, a decreased visual acuity, and a lymphocytic pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without any abnormality detected using cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Clinical improvement was obtained progressively after second-line immunotherapy, full recovery was achieved after a 4-year follow-up. Thereafter, we retrospectively tested Gluδ2-Abs in 350 patients with a suspicion of autoimmune encephalitis without characterized autoantibody. We identified a second case, a 12-year-old boy developing, 10 days after a respiratory infection, a static cerebellar syndrome with lymphocytosis in the CSF and right cerebellum hyperintensity in MRI. Five days of corticosteroid treatment allowed a quick clinical improvement. No tumor was identified in both cases whereas laboratory analyzes revealed autoimmune stigma. The present cases suggested that ACA associated with Gluδ2-Abs is an extremely rare but treatable disease. Therefore, testing for Gluδ2-Abs might be considered in the setting of suspected ACA and no initial antibody identification. The visual deficits and ocular motility abnormalities observed in the first reported case might be part of the clinical spectrum of Gluδ2-Abs ACA. Young age, infectious prodromes, lymphocytic pleocytosis, and autoimmune background usually appear together with this syndrome and should lead to the prompt initiation of immunotherapy.
BFAST_CSP_KAZE computing model for effective image registration
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Shen Jie , Zheng Shengnan , Tang Jingjing
Published: October 2022

The incompatible problem between velocity and accuracy has been restricting the application and the development of image registration, in order to resolve this problem, we propose the BFAST_CSP_KAZE computing model. This model consists of four stages. First, the registration images are preprocessed by the average and the perceptual Hashing algorithms. Second, the additive operator splitting algorithm is used to construct the nonlinear multi-scale space and utilize the FAST algorithm to extract the image features. Third, a new method to generate the image features descriptor sequences is presented based on the optimized KAZE algorithm, meanwhile, reduce the dimension of the image features descriptor sequences by the compressed sensing principle. Finally, adopt the fusion matching method based on the FLANN and the KNN algorithms to match, and the RANSAC algorithm further match. This paper utilizes two groups of the experiments to verify this model, the experiment results show that this model has obvious advantage in terms of velocity and accuracy compared with the state-of-the-art image registration methods, and also achieves the compatible between velocity and accuracy in the case of the higher matching score. This model provides an effective solution for the application of image registration, and also has great significance for the development of image registration.
Vulnerability reduction in post-conflict areas through a Nexus approach to sustainable food production systems: a case study in Colombia
Authors: Guzman-Molina Jairo , Caucci Serena , Al-Qubati Abdulhakeem Amer Abdulhafed , Schellens Marie
Published: October 2022

To increase the resilience of agroecosystems, and allow for sustainable economic reactivation, it is vital that the introduction of sustainable measures - particularly in agriculture – is advanced via an integrated management approach such as the Resource Nexus. An essential aspect of this approach is to optimise the efficiency of ecosystems and resources in conjunction with environmentally friendly economic growth. Colombia has experienced the impact of armed conflict over many years, while geographic regions have been shaped by environmental conflicts; resulting in vulnerable areas suffering from land and population inequalities that also translate into wicked planning for resilient food systems. This paper addresses a double challenge: the improvement of natural resources management and reducing the population's vulnerability in line with the principles of inclusion and gender equity. The paper developed a methodology to identify those productive regions that require improved management at the landscape level, which could benefit under the main framework of the water-energy-food Nexus. It also provides evidence of the value of the science-policy interface to ensure increased social equity, economic growth, and the conservation of resources. A geographic information system approach has been utilised to spatially evaluate the effects of land-use change, ecosystem services provision, and the impacts of climate change at the municipality scale of productive agricultural regions. The objectives of this research were to: (i) evaluate the impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on natural resources, (ii) assess productive landscape fragmentation due to the overuse of resources, and (iii) consider ecosystem services planning as an operational methodology for municipality ecosystem-based management. The study results show a decrease in the natural Andean Forest, coupled with an increase in agricultural fields over the past 35 years, and a decrease in freshwater availability in the last decade. The expansion trend of the agricultural frontier into the protected areas is also highlighted.