bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary engineering of Wickerhamomyces subpelliculosus and Kazachstania gamospora for baking
Authors: Semumu Thandiwe , Gamero Amparo , Boekhout Teun , Zhou Nerve
Published: November 2021

The conventional baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is an indispensable baking workhorse of all times. Its monopoly coupled to its major drawbacks such as streamlined carbon substrate utilisation base and a poor ability to withstand a number of baking associated stresses prompt the need to search for alternative yeasts to leaven bread in the era of increasingly complex consumer lifestyles. Our previous work identified the inefficient baking attributes of Wickerhamomyces subpelliculosus and Kazachstania gamospora as well as preliminarily observations of improving fermentative capacity of potential alternative baker’s yeasts using evolutionary engineering. Here we report the characterisation and improvement in baking traits in five out of six independently evolved lines incubated for longer time and passaged for at least 60 cycles relative to their parental strains as well as the conventional baker’s yeast. In addition, evolved clones produced bread with a higher loaf volume when compared to bread baked with either ancestral strain or the control conventional baker’s yeast. Remarkably, our approach improved the yeasts’ ability to withstand baking associated stresses, a key baking trait exhibited poorly in both the conventional baker’s yeast and their ancestral strains. W. subpelliculosus evolved the best characteristics attractive for alternative baker’s yeasts as compared to the evolved K. gamospora strains. These results demonstrate the robustness of evolutionary engineering in development of alternative baker’s yeasts.
Determinants of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes Among Mothers Who Gave Birth at Selected Governmental Hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Keto Terefe , Darekiyab Isrel , Tebeka Melese
Published: November 2021

Background: Perinatal outcomes refer to life events that occur to the newborn baby from the age of viability (28 weeks) to the first week of life. The transition of fetus immersed in the amniotic fluid to life outside the womb is not always smooth and can result in adverse events to the mother or the baby. Adverse perinatal outcome is the major challenge both in low and middle-income countries. Globally, adverse birth outcomes commonly preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth and neonatal death are significant problems. Neonatal morbidities and mortalities are one of the most common contributing factors for11.8 million deaths. Despite ample strategies and interventions, prevention of adverse birth outcomes has remained largely unaddressed. Objectives: the main objectives of this study is to assess the determinants of adverse perinatal outcome among mothers who gave birth at selected governmental hospital in southwest Ethiopia Methods: This study was done using data from three selected governmental Hospital found in southwest Ethiopia. Facility based unmatched case control study design was carried out from May 5 to June15, 2021.The data was collected through interview by considering COVID-19 prevention protocol.Total of 310 study subject was included in the study. An individual was selected through consecutive sampling techniques. Data was entered using EpiData and analysed by using SPSS version 23. A threshold p value of less ≤ 0.05 was used to declare significance association between perinatal outcomes and its predictors in the chi-square test. Bivariate logistic regression was done. Variables which were significantly associated with perinatal outcomes in bivariate logistic regressions were included in the multiple logistic regressions. Result: adverse perinatal outcome was 5.9 times higher in mother who had unplanned pregnancy (AOR: 5.9(2.16, 16.16),3.48 times higher among mother who did not received iron during pregnancy(AOR: 3.48(1.24, 9.73) and, 5 times higher risk in mother with history of chronic hypertension (AOR: 5.11(1.98, 13.17) .In contrast, the risk was (AOR: 0.33(.17, .62) and (AOR: 0.43(.22, .87)lower among mother who were urban residence and who had term birth. Conclusion: Special emphasis should be given to women whose residence is rural, who have unplanned pregnancy, preterm birth and women with history of chronic hypertension and iron supplement were identified as protective factor to adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Proteome and Transcriptome Analysis of Gonads Reveals Intersex in Gigantidas Haimaensis
Authors: Shi Yu , Yao Gaoyou , Zhang Hua , Jia Huixia , Xiong Panpan , He Maoxian
Published: November 2021

Sex has proven to be one of the most intriguing areas of research across evolution, development, and ecology. Intersex or sex change occurs frequently in molluscs. The deep-sea mussel Gigantidas haimaensis often dominates within Haima cold seep ecosystems, but details of their reproduction remain unknown. Herein, we conducted a combined proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of G. haimaensis gonads to provide a systematic understanding of sexual development in deep-sea bivalves. A total of 2,452 out of 42,238 genes (5.81%) and 288 out of 7,089 proteins (4.06%) were significantly differentially expressed between ovaries and testes with a false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05. Candidate genes involved in sexual development were identified; among 12 differentially expressed genes between sexes, four ovary-biased genes (β-catenin, fem-1, forkhead box L2 and membrane progestin receptor α) were expressed significantly higher in males than females. Combining histological characteristics implied that these genes may be involved in oogenesis in intersex gonads, consistent with the prevalence of sex change, and gonads may tend to convert from male to female in G. haimaensis. The results suggest that this adaptation may be based on local environmental factors, sedentary lifestyles, and patchy distribution, and sex change may facilitate adaptation to a changing environment and expansion of the population. The findings provide a valuable genetic resource to better understand the mechanisms of sex change and survival strategies in deep-sea bivalves.
Abnormalities in Resting-State EEG Microstates are a Vulnerability Marker of Migraine
Authors: Li Yansong , Chen Guoliang , Lv Jing , Dong Zhao , Wang Rongfei , Su Min , Yu Shengyuan
Published: November 2021

Background: Resting-state EEG microstates are thought to reflect brief activations of several interacting components of resting-state brain networks. Surprisingly, we still know little about the role of these microstates in migraine. In the present study, we attempted to address this issue by examining EEG microstates in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) during the interictal period and comparing them with those of a group of healthy controls (HC). Methods: Resting-state EEG was recorded in 61 MwoA patients (50 females) and 66 HC (50 females). Microstate parameters were compared between the two groups. We computed four widely identified canonical microstate classes A-D.Results: Microstate classes B and D displayed higher time coverage and occurrence in the MwoA patient group than in the HC group, while microstate class C exhibited significantly lower time coverage and occurence in the MwoA patient group. Meanwhile, the mean duration of microstate class C was significantly shorter in the MwoA patient group than in the HC group. Moreover, among the MwoA patient group, the duration of microstate class C correlated negatively with clinical measures of headache‐related disability as assessed by the six-item Headache Impact Test (HIT-6). Finally, microstate syntax analysis showed significant differences in transition probabilities between the two groups, primarily involving microstate classes B, C and D. Conclusions: By exploring EEG microstate characteristics at baseline we were able to explore the neurobiological mechanisms underlying altered cortical excitability and aberrant sensory, affective and cognitive processing, thus deepening our understanding of migraine pathophysiology.
Phase Transformation Path in Aluminum Under Ramp Compression; Simulation and Experimental Study
Authors: He Lijie , Polsin Danae , Zhang Shuai , Collins Gilbert W. , Abdolrahim Niaz
Published: November 2021

Identifying structure phase transformation path is essential but challenging in plastic deformation under high-pressure high-strain rate experiments. In this paper, we adopt a framework based on non-equilibrium molecular dynamics and virtual diffraction to reproduce the phase transformation event observed in laser-driven ramp compression. Our simulation results reveal the detailed phase transformation pathway with atomic-level deformation physics while the simulated stress-density response and virtual diffraction patterns match the experimental observation with great accuracy.
Surgical Treatment and Muscle Protein Analysis of V-pattern Exotropia in Craniosynostosis
Authors: Liu Qingyu , Li Yuan , Wang Siying , Zheng Wenjing , Ye Han , Li Wen , Qiao Tong
Published: November 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the differences of V-pattern exotropia in craniosynostosis and normal children.Methods: 39 children were included in this study, 19 craniosynostosis and 20 children in control group. They underwent comprehensive ocular examinations and received strabismus surgery. The extraocular muscle samples were analysed.Results: Compared with the control group, craniosynostosis group had larger deviation in primary and up gaze, larger V pattern, and more severe inferior oblique overaction. For 20-40, and 50-60 prism diopter exotropia, the lateral recession in the craniosynostosis group was larger than that in the control group, 7.13±0.44 mm vs 6.71±0.47 mm, 8.90±0.21 mm vs 7.75±0.46 mm (p=0.025, 0.000). The anterior transposition of craniosynostosis group was more anterior than that of control group, posterior 1.03±1.24 vs 2.68±0.94 mm (p=0.000). Compared with the control group, the extraocular muscle abnormality in craniosynostosis was significant, 32% vs 5% (p=0.031). There were 40 proteins in craniosynostosis group, which were different from those in control group.Conclusions: A larger V pattern and larger deviation is common in craniosynostosis children. For the same PD of deviation, it usually needs more recession in craniosynostosis because of the thinner and weaker extraocular muscles.
Increased Expression of MMP17 Predicts Poor Clinical Outcomes in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients
Authors: Xiao Chao , Wang Yao , Cao Chengjian
Published: November 2021

Objective Ovarian cancer has the highest fatality rate among female reproductive system cancers, which is due to lack of biomarkers for prognosis. We aimed to evaluate the role of MMP17 in ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and prognosis.Methods Based on the epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we determined the expression of MMP17 using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The biological functions of MMP17 were evaluated using the Metascape database and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). The association between MMP17 and immune cell infiltration was investigated by single sample GSEA. Logistic analysis was applied to study the correlation between MMP17expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Finally, Cox regression analysis, Kaplan–Meier analysis, and nomograms were used to determine the predictive value of MMP17 on clinical outcomes in EOC patients.Results MMP17 was much higher in EOC patients than in pericarcinous tissues (P< 0.001). MMP17-associated DEGs were significantly enriched in cell extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading and corresponding pathways in the high MMP17 expression phenotype. MMP17 has a high sensitivity and specificity for EOC diagnosis, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.988. MMP17 expression was found to be an independent risk factor for overall survival [Hazard Ratio(HR): 1.488, P 0.001], progression-free interval (HR: 1.347, P 0.01), and disease-specific survival (HR: 1.548, P 0.01).Conclusion Increased MMP17 expression in EOC may contribute to carcinogenesis by degrading ECM and provide diagnostic and prognostic value for clinical outcomes.
Protease-Activated Receptor-Mediated Platelet Aggregation In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes On Potent P2Y12 Inhibitors
Authors: Panzer Benjamin , Wadowski Patricia P , Huber Kurt , Panzer Simon , Gremmel Thomas
Published: November 2021

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy is a cornerstone in the secondary prevention of ischemic events following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation. The new, more potent adenosine diphosphate (ADP) P2Y12 receptor inhibitors prasugrel and ticagrelor have been shown to improve patients’ outcomes. Whether or not these drugs have equal efficacy in diabetic as in non-diabetic individuals is disputed. Furthermore, platelets can be activated by thrombin, which is, at least in part, independent of ADP-inducible activation. Protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1 and -4 are thrombin receptors on human platelets activated by the agonists SFLLRN and AYPGKF, respectively. In the current study, we sought to compare the in vitro efficacy of prasugrel (n=121) and ticagrelor (n=99) to inhibit PAR-mediated platelet activation in patients with type 2 diabetes (n=55).Materials and Methods: We compared P2Y12-, PAR-1- and PAR-4-mediated platelet aggregation as assessed by multiple electrode platelet aggregometry between prasugrel- and ticagrelor-treated patients without and with type 2 diabetes who underwent acute PCI. Results: There were no significant differences of on-treatment platelet aggregation in response to ADP, SFLLRN and AYPGKF between patients on prasugrel or on ticagrelor. Diabetic and non-diabetic patients responded equally. There was no significant correlation between either; ADP-, SFLLRN-, or AYPGKF-inducible platelet aggregation and levels of HbA1c or the body mass index. However, we observed patients with high residual platelet reactivity to SFLLRN and AYPGKF in all cohorts.Conclusion: Prasugrel and ticagrelor inhibit platelet aggregation in diabetic and non-diabetic patients to a similar extent.
A Efficient System based on Model Segmentation for Weld Seam Grinding Robot
Authors: Ge Jimin , Deng Zhaohui , Li Zhongyang , Li Wei , Liu Tao , Zhang Hua , Nie Jiaxu
Published: November 2021

Uneven surface quality often occurs when butt welds are manually grinding, so robotic weld grinding automation has become a fast-developing trend. Weld seam extraction and trajectory planning are important for automatic control of grinding process. However, most of the research on weld extraction is focused on before welding. Due to the irregular shape of the weld after welding, and too little work has been devoted to the weld identification after welding. Consequently, in this paper, a novel simple and efficient weld extraction algorithm is proposed, and the robot grinding path is planned. Firstly, a new flexible bracket structure for welding seam extraction is designed. Secondly, the weld seam section profile model is established, and the processing of spatial point cloud problem is transformed into the processing of two-dimensional point cloud problem. The least square method (LSM) based on threshold comparison is used to segment the weld seam, which greatly improved the processing speed and accuracy. Then the grinding path and pose are obtained according to the extracted weld space structure. Finally, a robotic welding seam automatic grinding system is built. Experiments show that the proposed method could well extract the irregular weld contour after welding and the grinding system built is reliable, which greatly improves the grinding efficiency.
Gravitational Fields and Gravitational Waves
Authors: Yuan Tony
Published: November 2021

The relative velocity between objects with finite velocity affects the reaction between them. This effect is known as general Doppler effect. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) discovered gravitational waves and found their speed to be equal to the speed of light c. Gravitational waves are generated following a disturbance in the gravitational field; they affect the gravitational force on an object. Just as light waves are subject to the Doppler effect, so are gravitational waves. This article explores the following research questions concerning gravitational waves: What is the spatial distribution of gravitational waves? Can the speed of a gravitational wave represent the speed of the gravitational field (the speed of the action of the gravitational field upon the object)? What is the speed of the gravitational field? Do gravitational waves caused by the revolution of the sun affect planetary precession? Can we modify Newton’s gravitational equation through the influence of gravitational waves?
Gender-specific associations of pregnancy-related anxiety with placental epigenetic patterning of glucocorticoid response genes and preschooler’s emotional symptoms and hyperactivity
Authors: Liu Hui , Liu Yuwei , Huang Kun , Yan Shuangqin , Hao Jiahu , Zhu Peng , Tao Fangbiao , Shao Shanshan
Published: November 2021

Backgroud: We have recently reported that maternal prenatal pregnancy-related anxiety predicts preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral development in a gender-dependent manner. This study aims to test for this gender-specific effect in a different cohort and investigate whether the gender difference was specific to placental methylation of genes regulating glucocorticoids.Methods: A total of 2405 mother–child pairs from the Ma’anshan Birth Cohort Study were included in present study. The maternal pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms were evaluated with the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy. Child neurobehavior was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at 4 years old. Placental methylation of FKBP5, NR3C1 and HSD11B2 genes was quantified using the MethylTarget approach in 439 pregnant women. After exploratory factor analysis, the associations between methylation factor scores and pregnancy-related anxiety and child neurobehavior were examined using logistic regression analysis.Results: After controlling for confounding factors, pregnancy-related anxiety in the third trimester of pregnancy increased the risk of hyperactivity only in boys and emotional symptoms only in girls. Decreased scores of the factor characterized by FKBP5 methylation were associated with maternal pregnancy-related anxiety only in boys. Furthermore, increased scores of the factors characterized by NR3C1 and HSD11B2 methylation were associated with hyperactivity (NR3C1: adjusted OR = 1.80, 95 %CI = 1.15–2.83) and emotional symptoms (HSD11B2: adjusted OR = 0.53, 95 %CI = 0.29–0.97; NR3C1: adjusted OR = 1.64, 95 %CI = 1.03–2.59) only in boys. However, the scores of the factor characterized by FKBP5, NR3C1 and HSD11B2 did not mediate the relationship between maternal pregnancy-related anxiety and preschoolers’ emotional symptoms and hyperactivity.Conclusions: Our results suggested that pregnancy-related anxiety in the third trimester of pregnancy predicted preschoolers’ emotional symptoms and hyperactivity in a gender-dependent manner. Although we did not find the mediation role of the placental methylation of genes regulating glucocorticoids, we found it was associated with both maternal pregnancy-related anxiety and preschoolers’ emotional symptoms and hyperactivity in a gender-dependent manner.
Postoperative Outcomes in Exploratory Laparotomy and Intestinal Resection in Children: A Secondary Descriptive Observational Analysis
Authors: Kumba Claudine
Published: November 2021

Background: We previously reported independent predictors of intraoperative and postoperative morbidity. These were age, American Society of Anesthesiologists Score (ASA), emergency situations, surgery and transfusion. ASA was the independent predictor of mortality. We conducted a secondary analysis of this previous retrospective study in patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy and intestinal resection.Objectives: To describe intraoperative and postoperative outcomes in patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy and intestinal resection in the initial study and to present a research protocol for intraoperative and postoperative optimization.Methods: Secondary analysis of the initial study. The Ethics Committee approved the study.Results: There were 54 patients with a median age of 15.5[0-172] months. Thirty-seven (68.5%) patients underwent intestinal resection, nine (16.7%) underwent exploratory laparotomy, and eight (16.8%) underwent laparotomy for volvulus.Fourteen (25.9%) patients had intraoperative and/or postoperative complications. Two (3.7%) patients had intraoperative hemorrhagic shock. Two (3.7%) patients had postoperative cardio-circulatory failure. Three (5.6%) had postoperative respiratory failure. One (1.8%) patient had postoperative multiple organ failure and neurologic failure. Three (5.6%) patients had postoperative abdominal sepsis. One (1.8%) patient had postoperative multiple organ sepsis and neuromeningeal sepsis. Four (7.4%) patients had postoperative pulmonary sepsis. Two (3.7%) had postoperative septicemia. Six (11.1%) patients had reoperations. Seventeen (31.5%) patients had intraoperative transfusion.The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.7% in two patients.Conclusion: The number of patients with postoperative complications in this cohort was not negligible. We therefore elaborated a research protocol where intraoperative patient management will be guided with transthoracic echocardiography for fluid and hemodynamic therapy optimization. The objectives of this study protocol are to clarify the impact of intraoperative goal-directed fluid and hemodynamic therapy with transthoracic echocardiography on postoperative outcomes in terms of complications in pediatric surgical patients.
Heron’s cubic root iteration method with a new approach
Authors: Gadtia S. , Padhan S. K.
Published: November 2021

Heron’s cubic root iteration formula conjectured by Wertheim is proved and extended for any odd order roots. Some possible proofs are suggested for the roots of even order. An alternative proof of Heron’s general cubic root iterative method is explained. Further, Lagrange’s interpolation formula for nth root of a number is studied and found that Al-Samawal’s and Lagrange’s method are equivalent. Again, counterexamples are discussed to justify the effectiveness of the present investigations.
Comparative Analysis of Rainfall Trends in the Jinghe River Basin of China During 1959-2014
Authors: Weng Xuerou , Long Xunjian , Ye Yan , Ye Yong
Published: November 2021

Trend analysis is widely applied in hydrometeorological research. Considering that Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) and Innovative Polygonal Trend Analysis (IPTA) can detect small variations on annual and smaller scale, rainfall trends at 14 hydrometeorological stations in the Jinghe River Basin were analyzed by ITA, IPTA and Mann Kendall test (MK). The results showed that the rainfall trends are subsistent from 1959 to 2014. Comparing the results of ITA and MK on annual level, it was determined that trends are consistent, but only two stations passed the 90% significance test through MK, while all stations passed the significance test through ITA. Accordingly, the ITA method proved to be better than MK in detecting small changes in time series. Changes in high and low values, obtained by the ITA method, reflected flood and drought trends in the basin. In addition, IPTA is an improved ITA method that is suitable for a relatively short time span. Through the IPTA method for analyzing the monthly precipitation trends, the results showed that rainfall at 14 stations increased in January, February, March, June and December, and decreased significantly in September. Therefore, the methodology applied in this study can provide detailed recommendations for hydrometeorological research.
An Algorithm of Mobile Edge Computing Offloading Based on Improved SPEA2 Algorithm
Authors: Ye Dan , Wang Xiaogang , Hou Jin
Published: November 2021

Internet of things devices can offload some tasks to the edge servers through the wireless network, thus the computing pressure and energy consumption are reduced. But this will increase the cost of communication. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the balance between task execution energy and experiment when designing the offloading strategy for the edge computing scenario of the Internet of things. This paper proposes an offloading strategy which can optimize the energy consumption and time delay of task execution at the same time. This strategy satisfies different preferences of users. First, the above task is modeled as a multi-objective optimization problem, and the Pareto solution set is found by improving the strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm (SPEA2). Based on the Pareto set, the offloading strategy satisfying the requires of users with different preferences by offloading cost estimation. Second, a simulation experiment is carried out to verify the robustness of the improved SPEA2 algorithm under the influence of different main parameters. By comparing with other algorithms. It is proved that the improved SPEA2 algorithm can minimize the balance between task execution delay and energy consumption.
Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin Is Associated With Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Lai Xiaofei , Yang Huiqing , Ding Hao , Cao Ju
Published: November 2021

Objective To investigate the association between Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and disease activity in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).Methods In this study, concentrations of serum TSLP in 65 SLE patients, 50 sex and age-matched control subjects were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results Serum TSLP concentrations in SLE patients were dramatically higher than healthy controls. The levels of serum TSLP displayed a significant increase as compared with healthy controls. More importantly, TSLP levels were significantly correlated with SLE disease activity features such as ESR, CRP, Anti-dsDNA Ab, and SLEDAI-2K,. The predictive value of TSLP on high disease activity was superior to those of CRP, ESR, and Anti-dsDNA Ab. A note worthy correlation in our study was observed between the serum TSLP levels and laboratory parameters, particularly serum lipids. Furthermore, serum TSLP levels could be significantly down-regulated after effective integrative treatment.Conclusion TSLP may serve as a novel sensitive biomarker to assist disease activity assessment and monitor therapeutic effects in active SLE patients.
Analysis of Spatially Varying Relationships Between Urban Environment Factors And Land Surface Temperature In Mashhad City, Iran
Authors: Soltanifard Hadi , Kashki Abdolreza , Karami Mokhtar
Published: November 2021

Land Surface Temperature (LST), in particular for the urban environment, is a key indicator to characterize urban heat changes, urban climate, global environmental change, and human-environment interactions. However, due to differences in the local spatial variations of LST and the related influence factors, few studies have discussed the spatial non-stationarity and spatial scale effects within urban areas. Moreover, in cities such as Mashhad, which are located in a hot and dry climate, have been less studied of the relationship between LST and urban influencing factors on a neighborhood scale. In the present study, the spatial distribution of the mean LST was evaluated in association with the 16 explanatory indices at the neighborhood's level in Mashhad City, Iran, as a case study. To assess the main components contributing to the LST variations, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was employed in this study. Additionally, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models were used to explore the spatially varying relationships and identify the model's efficiency at the neighborhood's scale. Our findings showed the five most important components contributing to LST variances, explaining 86.2% of the variability. The most negative relationship was observed between LST and the morphological features of neighborhoods (PC3). In contrast, the landscape composition of the green patches (PC2) exhibited the lowest negative impacts on LST changes. Moreover, road and traffic density characteristics of the neighborhoods (PC4) were the only effective components to alert the average LST positively. With R2= 0.678, AIC c= 2125.6, and Moran's I= 0.018, the results revealed that the GWR model had better efficiency than the corresponding non-spatial OLS model in terms of the goodness of fits. It suggests that the GWR model has more ability than the OLS one to predict LST intensities and characterize spatial non-stationary. Therefore, it can be applied to adapt more effective strategies in planning and designing the urban neighborhoods for mitigation of the adverse heat effects.
Mosquito control, killing off the females.
Authors: Tran Phi
Published: November 2021

In addition to causing discomfort, female mosquitoes introduce disease-carrying viruses and bacteria into the bloodstream of their victims. There are numerous publications describing the uses of sugary mosquito baits with promising results. Without temperature control measures however, these methods are mainly useful for only nectar-feeding insects, including male mosquitoes, because the warmth of the blood is a condition for the females to locate their meals. The efforts required to keep the baits fresh against the natural spoiling process make them less attractive or impractical to implement. These experiments address these issues by using warm baits of water, sugar, boric acid, and antibiotics. Overnight, the general areas became clear of blood-sucking female mosquitoes while in numbers, the harmless males concentrated into the immediate vicinities. Control vs. experiment protocol established no other logical explanation for this phenomenon other than that the females were attracted and killed by the bait. As expected, there was no mosquito egg-laying activity in these areas.
miR-144-3p Regulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switch via FBN1
Authors: Lin Aiqi , Kang Xiaocui , Jiao Yuqiong , Feng Xiaochao , Xu Yi , Yan Wei , Li Yao , Han Xiang , Dong Qiang
Published: November 2021

Background: Carotid artery dissection (CAD) represents a commonly reported factor causing stroke in young and middle-aged adults. Vascular wall remodeling is one of its important pathogenetic mechanisms. FBN1 is a common pathogenic gene leading to Marfan syndrome, whose mutation can cause the formation of aneurysm and arterial dissection. It was recently demonstrated multiple miRNAs contribute to the development of arterial dissection, while miR-144-3p’s function is undefined.Methods: In the current study, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were transfected with miR-144-3p mimic and inhibitor, as well as siFBN1 and miR-144-3p + siFBN1, to determine vascular smooth muscle’s contractile genes, extracellular matrix-associated proteins. In addition, miR-144-3p’s effects on cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, invasion and apoptosis were evaluated.Results: The results revealed miR-144-3p had elevated amounts, while the fibrillin-1 protein showed reduced expression in arterial dissection tissues. Meanwhile, FBN1 was shown to be a miR-144-3p target by dual-luciferase gene reporter assay. In response to miR-144-3p mimic transfection, decreased expression of VSMC contractile gene markers, increased apoptosis, and decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion were found.Conclusions: Overall, miR-144-3p affects the biological function of VSMCs by targeting and regulating FBN1, decreases the expression of contractile genes，transforms the phenotype and leads to vascular wall remodeling.
Therapeutic Targeting of Histone Lysine Demethylase KDM4B Blocks the Growth of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Authors: Duan Lingling , Chen Yu-An , Liang Yanping , Chen Zhenhua , Lu Jun , Fang Yong , Cao Jiazheng , Lu Jian , Zhao Hongwei , Pong Rey-Chen , Hernandez Elizabeth , Kapur Payal , Tran Tram Anh T , Smith Tristan , Martinez Elisabeth D. , Ahn Jung-mo , Hsieh Jer-Tsong , Luo Junhang , Liu Zhi-Ping
Published: November 2021

Background: Accumulating evidence points to epigenetic mechanisms as essential in tumorigenesis. Treatment that targets epigenetic regulators is becoming an attractive strategy for cancer therapy. The role of epigenetic therapy in prostate cancer (PCa) remains elusive. Previously we demonstrated a correlation of levels of histone lysine demethylase KDM4B with the appearance of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and identified a small molecular inhibitor of KDM4B, B3. In this study, we aim to define the role of KDM4B in promoting PCa progression and test the efficacy of B3 using clinically relevant PCa models. Methods: KDM4B was overexpressed in LNCaP cells or knocked down (KD) in 22Rv1 cells. The specificity of B3 was determined in vitro using recombinant KDM proteins and in vivo using 22Rv1 cell lysates. The efficacy of B3 monotherapy or in combination with androgen receptor (AR) antagonist enzalutamide or the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin was tested using xenograft models in castrated mice. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on KDM4B KD and B3-treated 22Rv1 cells to determine the on-target (KDM4B-dependent) and off-target (non-KDM4B-associated) effects of B3.Results: Overexpression of KDM4B in LNCaP cells enhanced its tumorigenicity whereas knockdown of KDM4B in 22Rv1 cells reduced tumor growth in castrated mice. B3 suppressed the growth of both 22Rv1 and VCaP xenografts and sensitized 22Rv1 cells to enzalutamide inhibition. B3 also inhibited 22Rv1 tumor growth synergistically with rapamycin that resulted in cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, B3 inhibited expression of AR-V7 and genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. DNA replication stress marker gH2A.X was upregulated by B3, which is further increased when combined with rapamycin. Based on transcriptomic and biochemical analyses, B3 inhibits both H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 demethylase activity, which is believed to underlie its anti-tumor action. Conclusions: Our studies establish KDM4B as a potent target for CRPC and B3 as a potential therapeutic agent. B3 as monotherapy or in combination with other anti-PCa therapeutics offers proof of principle for the clinical translation of epigenetic therapy targeting KDMSs for CRPC patients.
SNP-Based Genetic Structure of Tunisian Durum Wheat Landraces and Distribution of the Resistance to Septoria Tritici Blotch
Authors: Ouaja Maroua , Bahri Bochra , Ferjaoui Sahbi , Medini Maher , Sri Udupa M. , Hamza Sonia
Published: November 2021

Background: Septoria tritici blotch (STB) has marked durum wheat production worldwide. This fungal disease is until today a challenge for farmers, researchers and breeders all united in the aim of reducing its damage and improving wheat resistance. Tunisian durum wheat landraces were reported to be valuable genetic resources for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and are therefore prominently deployed in breeding programs to develop new varieties adapted to fungal diseases as STB and to climate change constraints overall.Results: A total of 366 local durum wheat accessions were assessed for resistance to two virulent Tunisian isolates of Zymoseptoria tritici Tun06 and TM220 under field conditions. Population structure analysis of the durum wheat accessions, performed with 286 polymorphic SNPs (PIC >0.3) covering the entire genome, identified three genetic subpopulations (GS1, GS2 and GS3) with 22% of admixed genotypes. Interestingly, all of the resistant genotypes were among GS2 or admixed with GS2. Conclusions: This study revealed the population structure and the genetic distribution of the resistance to Z. tritici in the Tunisian durum wheat landraces. The grouping pattern of accessions appear to be associated, to some extent, with the geographical pattern of the landraces. We suggested that GS2 accessions were mostly introduced from eastern Mediterranean populations, unlike GS1 and GS3 that originated from the west. Resistant GS2 accessions belonged to landraces Taganrog, Sbei glabre, Richi, Mekki, Badri, Jneh Khotifa and Azizi. Furthermore, we suggested that admixture contributed to transmit STB resistance from GS2 resistant landraces to initially susceptible landraces such as Mahmoudi (GS1), but also resulted in the loss of resistance in the case of GS2 suscpetible Azizi and Jneh Khotifa accessions.
Trajectory Tracking For Quadrotors: An Optimization-Based Planning Followed By Controlling Approach
Authors: Kulathunga Geesara , Devitt Dmitry , Klimchik Alexandr
Published: November 2021

We present an optimization-based reference trajectory tracking method for quadrotor robots for slow-speed maneuvers. The proposed method uses planning followed by the controlling paradigm. The basic concept of the proposed method is an analogy to Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) in which Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) is employed for predicting optimal control policy in each iteration. Multiple-shooting (MS) is suggested over Direct-collocation (DC) for imposing constraints when modelling the NMPC. Incremental Euclidean Distance Transformation Map (EDTM) is constructed for obtaining the closest free distances relative to the predicted trajectory; these distances are considered obstacle constraints. The reference trajectory is generated, ensuring dynamic feasibility. The objective is to minimize the error between the quadrotor’s current pose and the desired reference trajectory pose in each iteration. Finally, we evaluated the proposed method with two other approaches and showed that our proposal is better than those two in terms of reaching the goal without any collision. Additionally, we published a new dataset, which can be used for evaluating the performance of trajectory tracking algorithms.
5-HT1F Receptor Agonist Ameliorates Mechanical Allodynia In Neuropathic Pain Via Induction of Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Suppression of Neuroinflammation
Authors: Zhang Long-Qing , Zhou Ya-Qun , Li Jia-Yan , Sun Jia , Zhang Shuang , Wu Jia-Yi , Gao Shao-Jie , Tian Xue-Bi , Mei Wei
Published: November 2021

Background: Neuropathic pain is a devastating disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has long been involved in pain modulation. Several lines of evidence indicate that 5-HT1F receptor agonists are potent inducers of mitochondrial biogenesis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT1F receptor agonist ameliorates mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain via induction of mitochondrial biogenesis and suppression of neuroinflammation. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish neuropathic pain via spared nerve injury (SNI). Paw withdrawal threshold was used to evaluate mechanical allodynia. Real time polymerase chain reaction was used to examine the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to examine the expression of target proteins. Results: Our results showed that mitochondrial biogenesis was impaired in the spinal cord of SNI rats. Moreover, activation of PGC-1α, the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, attenuated established mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain rats. Besides, neuronal 5-HT1F receptor was significantly downregulated in the spinal cord of neuropathic pain rats. Furthermore, selective 5-HT1F receptor agonist Lasmiditan attenuated established mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain rats. Finally, Lasmiditan treatment restored mitochondrial biogenesis and suppressed neuroinflammation in the spinal cord of SNI rats. Conclusion: These results provide the first evidence that Lasmiditan ameliorates mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain via induction of mitochondrial biogenesis and suppression of neuroinflammation in the spinal cord. Mitochondrial biogenesis inducers may become encouraging therapeutic option for the management of neuropathic pain.
Factors Associated With Suggestive of Pulmonary Hypertension Measured by Echocardiography in Patients With A Mediastinal Tumor: A Single-Center Study
Authors: Shin Dong Geum , Kang Min-Kyung , Kim Kun Il , Yang Hodong , Han Donghoon , Choi Seonghoon , Cho Jung Rae , Lee Namho
Published: November 2021

Ultrasound techniques are generally not used as a primary tool in the evaluation of mediastinal tumors and cysts. This study aimed to identify factors associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) measured by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with a mediastinal tumor. This retrospective, observational study was performed from January 2015 to December 2020. Fifty-five patients (mean age, 62 ± 13 years; 31 [56%] women) who had a mediastinal tumor and underwent TTE were included. Patients were classified as with PH or without PH. We analyzed clinical factors and echocardiographic parameters. PH was found in 21 (38%) patients. Twenty-two patients were asymptomatic, and none had symptoms associated with PH. Forty-seven (86%) patients underwent surgery, and 23 (42%) patients were diagnosed with malignant tumors. The presence of PH was not related with malignancy. Patients with PH were older than those without PH (67 ± 10 versus [vs.] 59 ± 14 years, p = 0.017). Small left ventricular (LV) systolic dimension (29.4 ± 3.6 vs. 31.6 ± 3.6 mm, p = 0.040) and dimension (4.2 ± 0.3 vs. 4.5 ± 0.3 mm, p = 0.004) and hyperdynamic LV ejection fraction (EF, 69 ± 6 vs. 65 ± 5%, p = 0.019) were associated with PH. Among them, older age, small LV dimension, and high EF were independently associated with PH.The presence of PH had no significant effect on patients’ clinical manifestation or malignancy.
Prediction of Chlorophenols Adsorption on Activated Carbons By Representative Pores Method
Authors: de Oliveira José Carlos Alexandre , Rodrigues Paulo Ricardo Moura , de Lucena Sebastião Mardonio Pereira
Published: November 2021

The specification of a particular activated carbon adsorbents for removal of phenol and related derivatives, from dilute aqueous solutions, is still based on lengthy trial and error experimental tests. A predictive model of adsorption of these compounds would considerably reduce the carbon selection time and could also bring new information to support more efficient carbon synthesis. The use of molecular simulation and the methodology of representative pores, proved to be adequate for quantitative prediction of phenol adsorption. Here the methodology is being extended to chlorophenols, an important class of phenol-derived pollutants. A set of ortho and para-chlorophenol isotherms were simulated for different representative pores in order to predict carbon adsorption and determine the most significative pore size. At low concentrations (1x10-4 mol/L), the pores of 8.9 and 18.5 Å are the most effective. For concentrations above 3 x10-4 mol/L pores in the range of 27.9 Å must be present in the activated carbon. The adsorption isotherm difference between ortho and para-chlorophenol, identified experimentally, was reproduced in the simulation and its origin was investigated further. Finally, the adsorption isotherms of chlorophenols for other activated carbons were predicted with the help of the model.
Efficacy of Monocyte Distribution Width in the Early Diagnosis of Sepsis: A Diagnostic Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Jiahao , Guo Qiang
Published: November 2021

Background: Delayed diagnosis of sepsis urgently requires a fast, convenient, and inexpensive method to improve the early diagnosis of sepsis. Increasing evidence showed that monocyte distribution width (MDW) could be used as a non-invasive biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity for the early diagnosis of sepsis. However, the accuracy and reliability of its diagnosis are still controversial in different studies. Method: A meta-analysis of all available studies regarding the association between MDW and the diagnosis of sepsis was performed to systematically evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of MDW in the prediction of sepsis. Results: The estimated results of all eight studies are as follows: sensitivity, 0.84 (95% CI 0.77, 0.90); specificity, 0.68 (95% CI 0.54, 0.80); PLR, 2.7 (95% CI 1.8, 4.1); NLR, 0.23 (95% CI 0.15, 0.35); DOR is 12 (95% CI 5, 25). The corresponding overall area under the curve is 0.85 (95% CI 0.82, 0.88). Conclusion: In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates that MDW has high accuracy in distinguishing patients with sepsis from healthy controls for early diagnosis of sepsis. However, large-scale prospective studies and joint diagnosis with other indicators are urgently required to confirm our findings and their utilization for routine clinical diagnosis in the future.
QoS-aware and Multi-Objective Virtual Machine Dynamic Scheduling for Big Data Centers in Clouds
Authors: Li Jirui , Zhang Rui , Zheng Yafeng
Published: November 2021

Efficient resource scheduling is one of the most critical issues for big datacenters in clouds to provide continuous services for users. Many existing scheduling schemes based on tasks on virtual machine (VM), pursued either load balancing or migration cost under certain response time or energy efficiency, which cannot meet the true balance of the supply and demand between users and cloud providers. The paper focuses on the following multi-objective optimization problem: how to pay little migration cost as much as possible to keep system load balancing under meeting certain quality of service (QoS) via dynamic VM scheduling between limited physical nodes in a heterogeneous cloud cluster. To make these conflicting objectives coexist, a joint optimization function is designed for an overall evaluation on the basis of a load balancing estimation method, a migration cost estimation method and a QoS estimation method. To optimize the consolidation score, an array mapping and a tree crossover model are introduced, and an improved genetic algorithm (GA) based on them is proposed. Finally, empirical results based on Eucalyptus platform demonstrate the proposed scheme outperforms exiting VM scheduling models.
Clinical Application and Drug-Use-Guidance Value of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Central Nervous System Infection
Authors: Lin Ke , Zhang Hao-Cheng , Zhang Yi , Zhou Yang , Fu Zhang-Fan , Wang Hong-Yu , Zhao Yuan-Han , Qiu Chao , Fan Ming-Xiang , Song Jie-Yu , Ai Jing-Wen , Zhang Wen-Hong
Published: November 2021

Background
Timely and precise etiology diagnosis is crucial for optimized medication regimens and better prognosis in central nervous system infections (CNS infections). We aimed to analyze the impact of mNGS tests on the management of patients with CNS infections.
Methods
We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study to analyze the value of mNGS in clinical application. Three hundred sixty-nine patients with a specific CNS infection diagnosis were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected. CDI and DDI were defined in our study to describe the intensity of drug use in different groups. We also used LOH and mRS to evaluate whether the application of mNGS could benefit CNS infection patients.
Results
mNGS reported a 91.67% sensitivity in culture-positive patients and an 88.24% specificity compared with the final diagnoses. Patients performed with the mNGS test had less drug use, both total (58.77 vs. 81.18) and daily (22.6 vs. 28.12, p <0.1, McNemar) intensity of drug use, as well as the length of hospitalization (23.14 vs. 24.29). Patients with consciousness grading 1 and 3 had a decrease in CDI (Grade1, 86.49 vs. 173.37; Grade 3, 48.18 vs. 68.21), DDI (Grade1, 1.52 vs. 2.72; Grade 3, 2.3 vs. 2.45) and LOH (Grade1, 32 vs. 40; Grade 3, 21 vs. 23) with the application of mNGS. Patients infected with bacteria in CNS had a reduced CDI, DDI, and LOH in the mNGS Group, in contrast with the TraE Group. 49% of patients altered medication plans, and 24.7% of patients reduced drug intensity four days after mNGS reports, mostly due to the reduction of drug types.
Conclusion
mNGS showed its high sensitivity and specificity characteristics. mNGS may assist clinicians with more rational medication regimens and reduce the drug intensity of patients, of which the primary way was to reduce the variety of drugs, especially for severe patients and bacterial infections. mNGS has the potential value of improving the prognosis of CNS infectious patients.