bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is the Great Barrier Reef dead? Satire, death and environmental communication
Authors: Foxwell-Norton Kerrie , Konkes Claire
Published: November 2021

An obituary for the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef) by travel and food writer Rowan Jacobsen (2016) commemorated its ‘lifetime accomplishments’ in Outside, the US outdoor recreational magazine. ‘News’ of the Reef's demise went viral and the economic and political furore that followed was immense. Tourism industries, especially reliant on international arrivals, were impacted as potential visitors accepted the Reef's passing as fact. Politicians scampered to reassure Australians and the globe that the Reef was indeed still alive and beautiful. In the Australian public sphere, climate science deniers, alongside those advocating for climate action, collided over the impacts of global warming to Reef health. Subsequent mass coral bleaching events in 2016, 2017 and 2020 sustained at the very least, the idea that the Reef was, or was soon to be, dead.

Our paper follows the idea of a ‘dead Reef’ in the context of historical and recent debates about Reef protection. Using Google Trends, we identify Jacobsen's article as the source of increased Australian and global ideation of a ‘dead Reef’. As a site of local and global environmental communication – where human relations to nature are expressed and understood - the Reef holds extraordinary story telling power. At the current junction then, the way we communicate the Reef is critical to public understanding and political action on climate change. We conclude Jacobsen's article is an example of the problems of satirical communication, serving to amplify existing conflicts and undermine efforts to foster to climate action.
Nonlinear dynamic response and bifurcation of asymmetric rotor system supported in axial-grooved gas-lubricated bearings
Authors: Li Sha , Lu Yanjun , Zhang Yongfang , Luo Hongbo , Wang Song , Kan Xuanen
Published: November 2021

Dynamic characteristics of the asymmetric rotor system supported in axial-grooved gas-lubricated bearings are studied. In order to solve nonlinear dynamic response of rotor system effectively, a hybrid numerical model is established by coupling the motion equation of rotor with the rational function model of the gas film forces. The rational function model of the gas film forces of gas-lubricated bearing is established based on vector fitting theory. By using the hybrid numerical model, the repeated calculations of the unsteady Reynolds equation and gas film forces are avoided; the continuous rotor trajectory and the dynamic gas film forces can be calculated simultaneously; and for the rotor system supported in the same bearings, the computing cost can be saved effectively. The nonlinear dynamic responses of asymmetric rotor system supported in axial-grooved gas-lubricated bearings are investigated by trajectory diagrams, frequency spectrum, Poincaré maps, and time series. The bifurcations are analyzed by the bifurcation diagrams with different rotating speeds and mass eccentricities. The dynamic behaviors of the asymmetric rotor system appear complex nonlinear dynamic phenomenon and specific bifurcation characteristics.
Rhinoplasty Pre-Surgery Models by Using Low-Dose Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and 3D Printing
Authors: Baldi Dario , Basso Luca , Nele Gisella , Federico Giovanni , Antonucci Giuseppe Walter , Salvatore Marco , Cavaliere Carlo
Published: November 2021

Rhinoplasty and surgical reconstruction of cartilaginous structures still remain a great challenge today. This study aims to identify an imaging strategy in order to merge the information from CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisitions and build a 3D printed model true to the patient’s anatomy, for better surgical planning. Using MRI, information can be obtained about the cartilage structures of which the nose is composed. Ten rhinoplasty candidate patients underwent both a low-dose protocol CT scan and a specific MRI for characterization of nasal structures. Bone and soft tissue segmentations were performed in CT, while cartilage segmentations were extrapolated from MRI and validated by both an expert radiologist and surgeon. Subsequently, a 3D model was produced in materials and colors reproducing the density of the three main structures (bone, soft tissue, and cartilage), useful for pre-surgical evaluation. This study has highlighted that the optimization of a CT and MR dedicated protocol has allowed to reduce the CT radiation dose up to 60% compared to standard acquisitions with the same machine, and MR acquisition time of about 20%. Patient-tailored 3D models and pre-surgical planning have reduced the mean operative time by 20 minutes.
Healthy lifestyle behaviors and the periodicity of mammography screening in Brazilian women
Authors: Patrão Ana Luísa , de Almeida Maria da Conceição C. , Matos Sheila M Alvim , Menezes Greice , Gabrielli Ligia , Goes Emanuelle F , Aquino Estela ML
Published: November 2021

Introduction:

Certain behaviors have been associated with health promotion, including mammography screening, in women worldwide.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between the periodicity of mammography screening and healthy lifestyle behaviors in Brazilian women employed at a public university in Bahia, Brazil.

Methods:

A total of 635 women of 50–69 years of age at the time of the interview, from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health cohort who were resident in Bahia, participated in the study. Data were collected using a multidimensional questionnaire that included questions on participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and health-related behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity and diet) and another questionnaire that dealt with risk factors and breast cancer screening. Measures of association were calculated using simple and multivariate logistic regression.

Results:

The practice of physical activity, not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and a healthy diet were the health behaviors most adopted by the women who had last had a mammogram ⩽2 years previously (which is in line with the interval recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health). A statistically significant association was found between a lapse of ⩾3 years since last undergoing mammography screening and excessive alcohol consumption, while a borderline association was found between the same screening interval and leisure-time physical inactivity.

Conclusion:

There was an association between lifestyle risk behaviors and a longer time interval between mammography screenings. The present results contribute to the debate on the use of mammography, lifestyle behaviors and health promotion among women.
A novel event-free survival endpoint in locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Authors: Hammel Pascal , Carrier Ewa , Carney Mairead , Eisner Mark , Fleming Thomas
Published: November 2021

The treatment paradigm for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) is evolving rapidly. The development of neoadjuvant therapies composed of combination therapies and the evaluation of their impact on conversion to borderline resectable (BR) status, resection, and ultimately overall survival (OS) are presently being pursued. These efforts justify re-visiting study endpoints in order to better predict therapeutic effects on OS, by capturing not only the achievement of R0 resection at the end of induction therapy but also the long-term reductions in the rate of local and distal recurrence. The proposed herein event-free survival (EFS) endpoint, with its novel definition specific to LAPC, is formulated to achieve these objectives. It is an analog to disease-free survival (DFS) endpoint in the adjuvant setting applied to the neoadjuvant setting and may be a valuable surrogate endpoint for this patient population.
The ethical dimension of human–artificial intelligence collaboration
Authors: Boni Michał
Published: November 2021

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated the digital revolution and has had an enormous impact on all aspects of life. Work patterns are starting to change, and cooperation between humans and machines, currently humans and various forms of AI, is becoming crucial. There are advantages and some threats related to these new forms of human–AI collaboration. It is necessary to base this collaboration on ethical principles, ensuring the autonomy of humans over technology. This will create trust, which is indispensable for the fruitful use of AI. This requires an adequate regulatory framework: one that is future proof, anticipates how AI will develop, takes a risk-based approach and implements ex ante assessment as a tool to avoid unintended consequences. Furthermore, we need human oversight of the development of AI, supported by inter-institutional partnerships. But first we need to create the conditions for the development of AI digital literacy.
Determining the best window for BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 in patients with multiple sclerosis receiving anti-CD20 therapy
Authors: Rico Audrey , Ninove Laetitia , Maarouf Adil , Boutiere Clémence , Durozard Pierre , Demortiere Sarah , Saba Villarroel Paola Mariela , Amroun Abdennour , Fourié Toscane , de Lamballerie Xavier , Pelletier Jean , Audoin Bertrand
Published: November 2021

We studied the serologic response to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine at four weeks after the second dose in patients with RRMS treated with rituximab with extended-interval dosing ( n = 26). At four weeks, 73% of patients were seropositive. No patient without B cells at the first dose ( n = 4) was seropositive. Four of seven (57%) patients with B-cell proportion >0% and ≤5% were seropositive. All patients with B-cell proportion >5% ( n = 15) were seropositive. In all patients, quantitative ELISA measures after vaccination were correlated with B-cell counts measured before vaccination. In patients receiving rituximab, seropositivity after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination emerged only after B-cell repopulation.
Feminist Literary Criticism Meets Feminist Theology: Yashodhara and the Rise of Hagiographical Fiction in Modern Feminist Re-visioning
Authors: Wadhwa Soni
Published: November 2021

Feminist re-visioning has led to heterogenous retellings of mythological heroines in fiction. Sita and Draupadi, two of the well-known Indian mythological characters, have been explored in various capacities in mythological fiction. Yashodhara, Buddha’s wife, is a recent addition to this re-visioning project. This article seeks to engage with three retellings of Yashodhara’s story—each of which is radically different from the others. The result is the rise of hagiographical fiction around the character—responsive to the Buddhist ethos of love and spirituality. This article argues that the most intriguing representations of Yashodhara found in this fiction are rooted in the nonoppositional agency given to her character.
Effects of Nurse and Care Worker-led Foot-Care Program on Older People’s Foot Conditions: Before and After Intervention Study
Authors: Fujii Kashiko , Stolt Minna , Komoda Takuyuki , Nishikawa Mariko
Published: November 2021

Introduction

An increasing number of older people with frailty in Japan use geriatric day care centers. Older people who have been certified as requiring long-term care attend centers during the day and receive nursing care help with bathing, excretion, meals, and functional training services. Many older people have foot problems with need foot care by nurses and care workers (NCWs) at geriatric day care centers.

Objective

This study explored the effects of NCWs’ foot-care programs on the foot conditions of older people attending daytime services.

Methods

A before-after intervention study was conducted at geriatric day care centers for older people, where the foot-care program was presented by NCWs for two months. The foot conditions of 23 clients (8 men, 15 women, mean age = 78.6 years, standard deviation = 9.2) were assessed before and after the program. Changes in foot condition and clients’ perceptions after the study were analyzed through descriptive statistics, McNemar, and paired t-tests.

Results

Although dramatic changes in foot conditions were not observed, some conditions were improved or maintained. Changes were observed in mean dry skin scores ( p < .01; right foot: 1.6→1.1, left foot: 1.6→1.1), skin lesions and long nails (skin lesions R: 0.2→0.1; long nail R: 1.4→1.0, L: 1.1→0.8), and edema (R: 43.5%→39.1%, L: 52.2%→47.8%). Further, clients started perceiving that foot health is important and discussed their feet with staff more often.

Conclusion

The NCWs’ foot-care program was effective in maintaining and improving foot health in older people and positively affected their perception of foot care.
Interactome Analysis of the ER Stress Sensor Perk Uncovers Key Components of ER-Mitochondria Contact Sites and Ca2+ Signalling
Authors: Sassano Maria Livia , Derua Rita , Waelkens Etienne , Agostinis Patrizia , van Vliet Alexander R
Published: November 2021

We recently reported that the ER stress kinase PERK regulates ER-mitochondria appositions and ER– plasma membrane (ER-PM) contact sites, independent of its canonical role in the unfolded protein response. PERK regulation of ER-PM contacts was revealed by a proximity biotinylation (BioID) approach and involved a dynamic PERK-Filamin A interaction supporting the formation of ER-PM contacts by actin-cytoskeleton remodeling in response to depletion of ER-Ca2+ stores. In this report, we further interrogated the PERK BioID interactome by validating through co-IP experiments the interaction between PERK and two proteins involved in Ca2+ handling and ER-mitochondria contact sites. These included the vesicle associated membrane (VAMP)-associated proteins (VAPA/B) and the main ER Ca2+ pump sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca ATPase 2 (SERCA2). These data identify new putative PERK interacting proteins with a crucial role in membrane contact sites and Ca2+ signaling further supporting the uncanonical role of PERK in Ca2+ signaling through membrane contact sites (MCSs).
Participation in Community Development Micro Projects in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Implications for Social Work Education and Practice
Authors: Veta Oghenechoja Dennis
Published: November 2021

This study sought to investigate factors militating against community participation in development projects executed under the Micro Projects Programme and how to reduce such factors to the barest minimum in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. A questionnaire, an in-depth interview (IDI) guide and a focus group discussion (FGD) guide were used for data collection. Borehole water, generator-house, health centres, staff quarters and markets were the projects executed. Inadequate devolution of power to the grassroots, among others, was the major problem that hindered involvement of community members in the development process of the Micro Projects Programme in the study areas. To enhance active participation of beneficiaries in the development process of the programme, suggestions are proffered.
Relational database used for ground-motion model development in the NGA-sub project
Authors: Mazzoni Silvia , Kishida Tadahiro , Stewart Jonathan P , Contreras Victor , Darragh Robert B , Ancheta Timothy D , Chiou Brian SJ , Silva Walter J , Bozorgnia Yousef
Published: November 2021

The Next-Generation Attenuation for subduction zone regions project (NGA-Sub) has developed data resources and ground motion models for global subduction zone regions. Here we describe the NGA-Sub database. To optimize the efficiency of data storage, access, and updating, data resources for the NGA-Sub project are organized into a relational database consisting of 20 tables containing data, metadata, and computed quantities (e.g. intensity measures, distances). A database schema relates fields in tables to each other through a series of primary and foreign keys. Model developers and other users mostly interact with the data through a flatfile generated as a time-stamped output of the database. We describe the structure of the relational database, the ground motions compiled for the project, and the means by which the data can be accessed. The database contains 71,340 three-component records from 1880 earthquakes from seven global subduction zone regions: Alaska, Central America and Mexico, Cascadia, Japan, New Zealand, South America, and Taiwan. These data were processed on a component-specific basis to minimize noise effects in the data and remove baseline drifts. Provided ground motion intensity measures include peak acceleration, peak velocity, and 5%-damped pseudo-spectral accelerations for a range of oscillator periods.
Relative model selection of evolutionary substitution models can be sensitive to multiple sequence alignment uncertainty
Authors: Spielman Stephanie J. , Miraglia Molly L.
Published: November 2021

Background

Multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) represent the fundamental unit of data inputted to most comparative sequence analyses. In phylogenetic analyses in particular, errors in MSA construction have the potential to induce further errors in downstream analyses such as phylogenetic reconstruction itself, ancestral state reconstruction, and divergence time estimation. In addition to providing phylogenetic methods with an MSA to analyze, researchers must also specify a suitable evolutionary model for the given analysis. Most commonly, researchers apply relative model selection to select a model from candidate set and then provide both the MSA and the selected model as input to subsequent analyses. While the influence of MSA errors has been explored for most stages of phylogenetics pipelines, the potential effects of MSA uncertainty on the relative model selection procedure itself have not been explored.

Results

We assessed the consistency of relative model selection when presented with multiple perturbed versions of a given MSA. We find that while relative model selection is mostly robust to MSA uncertainty, in a substantial proportion of circumstances, relative model selection identifies distinct best-fitting models from different MSAs created from the same set of sequences. We find that this issue is more pervasive for nucleotide data compared to amino-acid data. However, we also find that it is challenging to predict whether relative model selection will be robust or sensitive to uncertainty in a given MSA.

Conclusions

We find that that MSA uncertainty can affect virtually all steps of phylogenetic analysis pipelines to a greater extent than has previously been recognized, including relative model selection.
ScLRTC: imputation for single-cell RNA-seq data via low-rank tensor completion
Authors: Pan Xiutao , Li Zhong , Qin Shengwei , Yu Minzhe , Hu Hang
Published: November 2021

Background

With single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methods, gene expression patterns at the single-cell resolution can be revealed. But as impacted by current technical defects, dropout events in scRNA-seq lead to missing data and noise in the gene-cell expression matrix and adversely affect downstream analyses. Accordingly, the true gene expression level should be recovered before the downstream analysis is carried out.

Results

In this paper, a novel low-rank tensor completion-based method, termed as scLRTC, is proposed to impute the dropout entries of a given scRNA-seq expression. It initially exploits the similarity of single cells to build a third-order low-rank tensor and employs the tensor decomposition to denoise the data. Subsequently, it reconstructs the cell expression by adopting the low-rank tensor completion algorithm, which can restore the gene-to-gene and cell-to-cell correlations. ScLRTC is compared with other state-of-the-art methods on simulated datasets and real scRNA-seq datasets with different data sizes. Specific to simulated datasets, scLRTC outperforms other methods in imputing the dropouts closest to the original expression values, which is assessed by both the sum of squared error (SSE) and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). In terms of real datasets, scLRTC achieves the most accurate cell classification results in spite of the choice of different clustering methods (e.g., SC3 or t-SNE followed by K-means), which is evaluated by using adjusted rand index (ARI) and normalized mutual information (NMI). Lastly, scLRTC is demonstrated to be also effective in cell visualization and in inferring cell lineage trajectories.

Conclusions

a novel low-rank tensor completion-based method scLRTC gave imputation results better than the state-of-the-art tools. Source code of scLRTC can be accessed at https://github.com/jianghuaijie/scLRTC.
A new brood-pollination mutualism between Stellera chamaejasme and flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa
Authors: Zhang Bo , Sun Shu-Fan , Luo Wang-Long , Li Jia-Xin , Fang Qiang-En , Zhang De-Gang , Hu Gui-Xin
Published: November 2021

Background

Brood pollination mutualism is a special type of plant-pollinator interaction in which adult insects pollinate plants, and the plants provide breeding sites for the insects as a reward. To manifest such a mutualism between Stellera chamaejasme and flower thrips of Frankliniella intonsa, the study tested the mutualistic association of the thrips life cycle with the plant flowering phenology and determined the pollination effectiveness of adult thrips and their relative contribution to the host’s fitness by experimental pollinator manipulation.

Results

The adult thrips of F. intonsa, along with some long-tongue Lepidoptera, could serve as efficient pollinators of the host S. chamaejasme. The thrips preferentially foraged half-flowering inflorescences of the plants and oviposited in floral tubes. The floral longevity was 11.8 ± 0.55 (mean ± se) days, which might precisely accommodate the thrips life cycle from spawning to prepupation. The exclusion of adult thrips from foraging flowers led to a significant decrease in the fitness (i.e., seed set) of host plants, with a corresponding reduction in thrips fecundity (i.e., larva no.) in the flowers.

Conclusions

The thrips of F. intonsa and the host S. chamaejasme mutualistically interact to contribute to each other’s fitness such that the thrips pollinate host plants and, as a reward, the plants provide the insects with brooding sites and food, indicating the coevolution of the thrips life cycle and the reproductive traits (e.g., floral longevity and morphology) of S. chamaejasme.
Low cut-off value of serum (1,3)-beta-d-glucan for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia in non-HIV patients: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Taniguchi Jumpei , Nakashima Kei , Matsui Hiroki , Watari Tomohisa , Otsuki Ayumu , Ito Hiroyuki , Otsuka Yoshihito
Published: November 2021

Background

Non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a fulminant disease with an increasing incidence. The serum beta-d-glucan (BDG) assay is used as an adjunct to the diagnosis of PCP; however, the cut-off value for this assay is not well-defined, especially in the non-HIV PCP population. Therefore, we aimed to identify the assay cut-off value for this population.

Methods

In this retrospective observational study, we reviewed the medical records of all patients (≥ 18 years old) with clinical suspicion of PCP who underwent evaluation of respiratory tract specimens between December 2008 and June 2014 at Kameda Medical Center. We created a receiver operating characteristic curve and calculated the area under the curve to determine the cut-off value for evaluating the inspection accuracy of the BDG assay.

Results

A total of 173 patients were included in the study. Fifty patients showed positive results in specimen staining, loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay, and polymerase chain reaction test, while 123 patients showed negative results. The receiver operating characteristic analyses suggested that the BDG cut-off level was 8.5 pg/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 76% and 76%, respectively.

Conclusions

The Wako-BDG cut-off value for the diagnosis of non-HIV PCP is 8.5 pg/mL, which is lower than the classical cut-off value from previous studies. Clinicians should potentially consider this lower BDG cut-off value in the diagnosis and management of patients with non-HIV PCP.

Trial registration: The participants were retrospectively registered.
Ectopic gas in the fibular graft after anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion
Authors: Nozawa Satoshi , Kato Hiroki , Kawaguchi Masaya , Nozawa Asae , Yamada Kazunari , Iwai Chizuo , Fushimi Kazunari , Miyamoto Kei , Hosoe Hideo , Shimizu Katsuji , Matsuo Masayuki , Akiyama Haruhiko
Published: November 2021

Background

Ectopic gas in the graft is occasionally encountered upon follow-up computed tomography (CT) after anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF). However, most cases lack inflammatory responses and manifestations of infection. Although the clinical significance of ectopic gas in the graft has not yet been established, to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have described ectopic gas in the graft after ACCF. This study evaluated ectopic gas in the fibular graft upon follow-up CT after ACCF.

Methods

We reviewed 112 patients who underwent ACCF and follow-up CT, with a minimum follow-up period of 3 years. CT images were retrospectively reviewed to confirm the presence of ectopic gas in the graft and bone fusion. Bone fusion was defined as follows: mobility less than 2 mm between spinous processes on the flection-extension radiograph or a bone bridge on CT images.

Results

Of the 112 patients, 30 (27%) patients had ectopic gas in the fibular grafts. Among them, ectopic gas was initially observed 3 months after surgery (early onset) in 23 (77%) patients and 6 months after surgery (late-onset) in the remaining seven (23%) patients. Upon the latest follow-up CT, ectopic gas more frequently remained in late-onset (4/7, 57%) rather than in early-onset (3/23, 13%) cases (p = 0.033). Bone fusion was not observed when CT images exhibited ectopic gas in the graft, whereas ectopic gas was not observed when CT images exhibited bone fusion.

Conclusion

Ectopic gas in the fibular graft was observed at both early and late-onset after ACCF; late-onset gas remained significantly. The remaining gas was strongly associated with pseudoarthrosis; therefore, pseudoarthrosis should be considered when ectopic gas in the graft is observed on CT images.
Hurdles for adopting mobile learning devices at the outset of clinical courses
Authors: Folger Daniel , Merenmies Jussi , Sjöberg Lena , Pyörälä Eeva
Published: November 2021

Background

Mobile devices provide medical students with easy access to medical information and educational resources. Since 2013, we have followed the study use of iPads among medical students. In 2016, we observed a notable drop in the mobile device usage in the first cohort of medical students entering their clinical courses.

Methods

The aim of the study was to identify the hurdles for adopting mobile devices at the beginning of the clinical courses. We examined how students evaluated their own and the clinical teachers’ ability to use the iPad, how the study assignments fit into digital learning, and how students used the mobile device with patients. The data were collected with online surveys among three consecutive student cohorts and the distributions of closed-ended questions analyzed.

Results

Response rates ranged from 67.5 to 90.8%. Students evaluated their own ability to use the iPad as good or excellent and teachers’ skills as relatively poor and wanted more digitally tailored assignments. They reported negative attitudes towards mobile device use in the clinical setting and were hesitant to use them in patient contact. Teachers seldom communicated suitable quality medical applications to students.

Conclusions

Clinical teachers need support and training to implement a learning environment and assignments appropriate for mobile devices. Both students and teachers were concerned about using these devices with patients. To achieve the full potential of digitalisation in clinical courses, their use should be developed collectively with students.
Circular RNA circVAPA contributes to non-small-cell lung cancer progression via miR-342-3p-dependent regulation of ZEB2
Authors: Liu Xiaoyang , Cheng Yang , Wang Yan , Zhang Yinhong
Published: November 2021

Background

Accumulating evidence demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play pivotal regulatory roles in the pathology of cancers. Disclosing the roles and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in tumorigenesis and development is essential to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets. In this study, we explored the role of circVAPA in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression and its associated mechanism.

Methods

The expression level of RNA was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and colony-forming assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell assays. Dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to test the intermolecular interactions. The role of circVAPA was assessed in vivo. And xenograft tumor tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining.

Results

CircVAPA expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and a high level of circVAPA was associated with a poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. CircVAPA silencing suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. CircVAPA served as a molecular sponge for microRNA-342-3p (miR-342-3p). miR-342-3p interference largely reversed circVAPA knockdown-mediated anti-tumor effects in NSCLC cells. Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) was a target of miR-342-3p, and miR-342-3p overexpression suppressed the malignant behaviors of NSCLC cells largely by downregulating ZEB2. CircVAPA silence repressed xenograft tumor growth in vivo, and IHC assay confirmed that circVAPA silence restrained the proliferation and metastasis but induced the apoptosis of NSCLC cells in vivo.

Conclusion

CircVAPA contributes to the progression of NSCLC by binding to miR-342-3p to upregulate ZEB2. CircVAPA/miR-342-3p/ZEB2 axis might be a novel potential target for NSCLC treatment.
Tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein promotes diabetic neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment via upregulation of lipocalin-2
Authors: Jeong Eun Ae , Lee Jaewoong , Shin Hyun Joo , Lee Jong Youl , Kim Kyung Eun , An Hyeong Seok , Kim Deok Ryong , Choi Kyu Yeong , Lee Kun Ho , Roh Gu Seob
Published: November 2021

Background

Diabetic individuals have increased circulating inflammatory mediators which are implicated as underlying causes of neuroinflammation and memory deficits. Tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein (TonEBP) promotes diabetic neuroinflammation. However, the precise role of TonEBP in the diabetic brain is not fully understood.

Methods

We employed a high-fat diet (HFD)-only fed mice or HFD/streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice in our diabetic mouse models. Circulating TonEBP and lipocalin-2 (LCN2) levels were measured in type 2 diabetic subjects. TonEBP haploinsufficient mice were used to investigate the role of TonEBP in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. In addition, RAW 264.7 macrophages were given a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/high glucose (HG) treatment. Using a siRNA, we examined the effects of TonEBP knockdown on RAW264 cell’ medium/HG-treated mouse hippocampal HT22 cells.

Results

Circulating TonEBP and LCN2 levels were higher in experimental diabetic mice or type 2 diabetic patients with cognitive impairment. TonEBP haploinsufficiency ameliorated the diabetic phenotypes including adipose tissue macrophage infiltrations, neuroinflammation, blood–brain barrier leakage, and memory deficits. Systemic and hippocampal LCN2 proteins were reduced in diabetic mice by TonEBP haploinsufficiency. TonEBP (+ / −) mice had a reduction of hippocampal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression compared to diabetic wild-type mice. In particular, we found that TonEBP bound to the LCN2 promoter in the diabetic hippocampus, and this binding was abolished by TonEBP haploinsufficiency. Furthermore, TonEBP knockdown attenuated LCN2 expression in lipopolysaccharide/high glucose-treated mouse hippocampal HT22 cells.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that TonEBP may promote neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment via upregulation of LCN2 in diabetic mice.
Gaussian noise up-sampling is better suited than SMOTE and ADASYN for clinical decision making
Authors: Beinecke Jacqueline , Heider Dominik
Published: November 2021

Clinical data sets have very special properties and suffer from many caveats in machine learning. They typically show a high-class imbalance, have a small number of samples and a large number of parameters, and have missing values. While feature selection approaches and imputation techniques address the former problems, the class imbalance is typically addressed using augmentation techniques. However, these techniques have been developed for big data analytics, and their suitability for clinical data sets is unclear.

This study analyzed different augmentation techniques for use in clinical data sets and subsequent employment of machine learning-based classification. It turns out that Gaussian Noise Up-Sampling (GNUS) is not always but generally, is as good as SMOTE and ADASYN and even outperform those on some datasets. However, it has also been shown that augmentation does not improve classification at all in some cases.
Evidence for foot orthoses for adults with flatfoot: a systematic review
Authors: Herchenröder Minettchen , Wilfling Denise , Steinhäuser Jost
Published: November 2021

Background

Flatfoot is characterised by the falling of the medial longitudinal arch, eversion of the hindfoot and abduction of the loaded forefoot. Furthermore, flatfoot leads to a variety of musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower extremity, such as knee or hip pain. The standard conservative treatment for flatfoot deformity is exercise therapy or treatment with foot orthoses. Foot orthoses are prescribed for various foot complaints. However, the evidence for the provision of foot orthoses is inconsistent. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence of foot orthoses for adults with flatfoot.

Methods

A computerized search was conducted in August 2021, using the databases PubMed, Scopus, Pedro, Cochrane Library, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Intervention studies of any design investigating the effects of foot orthoses were included, apart from case studies. Two independent reviewers assessed all search results to identify eligible studies and to assess their methodological quality.

Results

A total of 110 studies were identified through the database search. 12 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. These studies investigated prefabricated and custom‐made foot orthoses, evaluating stance and plantar pressure during gait. The sample sizes of the identified studies ranged from 8 to 80. In most of the studies, the methodological quality was low and a lack of information was frequently detected.

Conclusion

There is a lack of evidence on the effect of foot orthoses for flatfoot in adults. This review illustrates the importance of conducting randomized controlled trials and the comprehensive development of guidelines for the prescription of foot orthoses. Given the weak evidence available, the common prescription of foot orthoses is somewhat surprising.
Long-term survival and health-related quality of life in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support
Authors: Rilinger Jonathan , Krötzsch Klara , Bemtgen Xavier , Jäckel Markus , Zotzmann Viviane , Lang Corinna N. , Kaier Klaus , Duerschmied Daniel , Supady Alexander , Bode Christoph , Staudacher Dawid L. , Wengenmayer Tobias
Published: November 2021

Background

There is limited information about the long-term outcome of patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) supported with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO). Most studies focused on short- to mid-term follow-up. We aimed to investigate long-term survival and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in these patients.

Methods

We report retrospective data from a single-centre registry of patients with severe ARDS treated with VV ECMO at the Interdisciplinary Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, Germany, between 10/2010 and 06/2019. Follow-up data of all patients that survived the index hospitalisation were collected by telephone interviews from 02/2020 till 09/2020. Long-term survival, HRQL (Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)) and the return to work rate were documented.

Results

In total, 289 patients were treated with VV ECMO during the study period (median age 55 years, 67% males, hospital survival 45%). After a median duration of 3.9 years, follow-up assessment was complete in 94 of 129 hospital survivors (73%). Fifty-three patients completed the HRQL assessment. Hospital survivors showed a high 6- and 12-month survival rate (89% and 85%, respectively). Estimated survival rate of those discharged alive from ICU was 68.5% (95%-CI 56.9–80.1%) after 9.7 years. These patients reported high levels of HRQL (median SF-36 total score 73) and only few pulmonary (median SGRQ total score 19) and mental limitations (median HAD-D score 2 and HAD-A score 3). In total, 80% of the patients were able to resume employment.

Conclusion

This analysis of VV ECMO patients showed favourable long-term survival and high levels of HRQL suggesting promising prospects for VV ECMO survivors.

Graphical Abstract
A new formulation of finite difference and finite volume methods for solving a space fractional convection–diffusion model with fewer error estimates
Authors: Edwan Reem , Al-Omari Shrideh , Al-Smadi Mohammed , Momani Shaher , Fulga Andreea
Published: November 2021

Convection and diffusion are two harmonious physical processes that transfer particles and physical quantities. This paper deals with a new aspect of solving the convection–diffusion equation in fractional order using the finite volume method and the finite difference method. In this context, we present an alternative way for estimating the space fractional derivative by utilizing the fractional Grünwald formula. The proposed methods are conditionally stable with second-order accuracy in space and first-order accuracy in time. Many comparisons are performed to display reliability and capability of the proposed methods. Furthermore, several results and conclusions are provided to indicate appropriateness of the finite volume method in solving the space fractional convection–diffusion equation compared with the finite difference method.
IDS-attention: an efficient algorithm for intrusion detection systems using attention mechanism
Authors: Laghrissi FatimaEzzahra , Douzi Samira , Douzi Khadija , Hssina Badr
Published: November 2021

Network attacks are illegal activities on digital resources within an organizational network with the express intention of compromising systems. A cyber attack can be directed by individuals, communities, states or even from an anonymous source. Hackers commonly conduct network attacks to alter, damage, or steal private data. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) are the best and most effective techniques when it comes to tackle these threats. An IDS is a software application or hardware device that monitors traffic to search for malevolent activity or policy breaches. Moreover, IDSs are designed to be deployed in different environments, and they can either be host-based or network-based. A host-based intrusion detection system is installed on the client computer, while a network-based intrusion detection system is located on the network. IDSs based on deep learning have been used in the past few years and proved their effectiveness. However, these approaches produce a big false negative rate, which impacts the performance and potency of network security. In this paper, a detection model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) and Attention mechanism is proposed. Furthermore, we used four reduction algorithms, namely: Chi-Square, UMAP, Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and Mutual information. In addition, we evaluated the proposed approaches on the NSL-KDD dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that using Attention with all features and using PCA with 03 components had the best performance, reaching an accuracy of 99.09% and 98.49% for binary and multiclass classification, respectively.
Population assessment and habitat associations of the Visayan Hornbill (Penelopides panini) in Northwest Panay, Philippines
Authors: Mynott Holly Isabelle , Lee David Charles , Santillan Rhea Aranas , Schwarz Christian Jürgen , Tacud Benjamin , Fernandez Arcel Dryden , Kerhoas Daphne
Published: November 2021

Background

Seven out of ten hornbill species in the Philippines are threatened with extinction. Among these is the endangered Visayan Hornbill (Penelopides panini), found on the islands of Panay and Negros. Threatened by habitat loss and hunting, its population size is thought to have declined from 1800 individuals 20 years ago to less than 1000. However, a recent study on Negros estimated 3564 individuals across three core forest blocks. This study aims to quantify the Visayan Hornbill population size in and around the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park (NWPPNP) on Panay, the largest contiguous low-elevation forest landscape remaining across its range, and its broad habitat associations across a gradient of environmental degradation.

Methods

Hornbills were surveyed using 10-min distance sampling point counts (n = 367) along transects (average length 1.1 km). Environmental variables were recorded along transects, while habitat was classified into primary forest, secondary forest, plantation, or open habitat. Distance software was used to estimate population densities stratified by habitat, with the overall population estimate taken as a mean of habitat density estimates weighted by habitat area. Using generalized linear mixed models, hornbill occurrence was modelled using combinations of nine environmental variables as main and two-way fixed effects.

Results

Surveys covered 204.4 km2of the 374.8 km2Northwest Panay Peninsula. Hornbills were not recorded in plantations or open habitats. Hornbill density was significantly higher in primary forest (17.8 individuals/km2 ± 26.9% CV) than in secondary forest (3.7 individuals/km2 ± 33.2% CV;z = 15.212,P < 0.001). The overall population estimate for the NWPPNP and environs is 2109 individuals, and 2673 individuals for the entire Northwest Panay Peninsula. Hornbill presence was best explained by a model including distance from the Park boundary alongside five interaction effects and transect as a random effect. Distance, and the interaction between distance and medium-sized trees were significant predictors of hornbill presence.

Conclusions

Our study evidences the habitat preference of the Visayan Hornbill, highlights the importance of the NWPPNP for the species’ conservation, and provides strong evidence for re-assessing the global population size.
Bio-algae: a study of an interactive facade for commercial buildings in populated cities
Authors: Hanafi Walaa Hussein Hussein
Published: November 2021

Climate change, global energy demand, and greenhouse emissions from energy (formerly CO2 emissions from fuel combustion) have emerged as the most serious threats to humans, particularly in densely populated cities. As a result, there are calls to reconnect with nature and draw inspiration from its mechanisms as well as to use clean renewable energy resources. Thus, this paper presents a biomimicry approach—a strategy for achieving ecological balance—to biofuel using algae in a building facade, and considers a case study building in Giza city as an example of a populated city in Egypt for retrofitting its skin with a nature-inspired solution. Using mathematical calculation, energy load analysis, and interviews with interested specialists, architects, and building occupants about this technology, then compared the performance of the case study commercial building facade with the proposed algae facade for energy generate. The results indicate that electrical energy consumption can be reduced by 45 to 50%, and carbon emissions could be reduced. In addition, other benefits for the building environment and societal acceptance were revealed. The study concluded that using algae as an element of the building skin in densely populated cities as a biomimicry architecture strategy contributes to an innovative environmental approach.
More than just anti-NMDAR: the many facets of autoimmune encephalitis
Authors: Abdel Aziz Karim , Stip Emmanuel , Arnone Danilo
Published: November 2021

This editorial expands on a Praxis article published by Beattie and colleagues in the trainees’ section of this journal. The authors describe an interesting case of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis, outline the clinical presentation and make suggestions on ways to approach this rare disorder. Here we provide an overview of autoimmune conditions that result in the production of autoantibodies targeting central nervous system proteins mediating autoimmune encephalitis and offer a perspective on approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Sri Lanka's response to prescribed drug misuse: is it enough?
Authors: Hapangama Aruni , Kuruppuarachchi K. A. L. A.
Published: November 2021

A wide range of medications are being misused by people the world over and Sri Lanka is no exception. Reasons for this misuse are manyfold. Regulatory bodies, prescribers, dispensers, as well as the general public, have significant roles to play in mitigating the misuse of prescribed medications and their harmful consequences.
Capturing adolescents in need of psychiatric care with psychopathological symptoms: A population-based cohort study
Authors: Rotstein Anat , Goldenberg Judy , Fund Suzan , Levine Stephen Z. , Reichenberg Abraham
Published: November 2021

Background

The current study aims to overcome past methodological limitations and capture adolescents in need of psychiatric care with psychopathological symptoms in a cohort with unrestricted access to mental health professionals.

Methods

The study source population consisted of a random sample of adolescents aged 16-17 years (N=1,369) assessed by the Israeli Draft Board. An adapted version of the Brief Symptom Inventory was used to identify clinically relevant psychopathological symptoms with scores categorized as severe if they were in the top 10th percentile of symptoms, otherwise not severe. An independent interview with a subsequent referral to a mental health professional was used to categorize adolescents in need of psychiatric care. To examine the association between severe psychopathological symptoms and the need for psychiatric care, logistic regression models were fitted unadjusted and adjusted for age, sex, and intellectual assessment scores. Adjusted classification measures were estimated to examine the utility of severe psychopathological symptoms for clinical prediction of need for psychiatric care.

Results

Information on 1,283 adolescents was available in the final analytic sample. Logistic regression modeling showed a statistically significant (p<0.001) association between self-reported severe psychopathological symptoms and the need for psychiatric care (OR adjusted: 4.38; 95% CI: 3.55–5.40). Severe psychopathological symptoms had a classification accuracy of 83% (CI: 81%–85%).

Conclusions

Severe psychopathological symptoms, although accounting for a fair proportion of treatment seeking, would perhaps be better useful for classification purposes alongside other variables rather than in isolation.