bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continuous One-counter Automata
Authors: Blondin Michael , Leys Tim , Mazowiecki Filip , Offtermatt Philip , Pérez Guillermo
Published: August 2022

We study the reachability problem for continuous one-counter automata, COCA for short. In such automata, transitions are guarded by upper- and lower-bound tests against the counter value. Additionally, the counter updates associated with taking transitions can be (non-deterministically) scaled down by a nonzero factor between zero and one. Our three main results are as follows: we prove (1) that the reachability problem for COCA with global upper- and lower-bound tests is in NC
2
; (2) that, in general, the problem is decidable in polynomial time; and (3) that it is NP-complete for COCA with parametric counter updates and bound tests.
Low-Cost N-Rich Graphitic Carbon Nitride Infused with Anionic Micellar Solution Sensor for Highly Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of Vasodilator Drug Hydralazine Hydrochloride
Authors: Megalamani Manjunath B. , Patil Yuvarajgouda N. , Nandibewoor Sharanappa T.
Published: August 2022

In this report, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were utilised to evaluate Hydralazine hydrochloride (HHC), a direct-acting vasodilator type of medication which relaxes blood arteries and boosts the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, minimizing the heart’s stress. Blood pressure symptoms are common in these days and the usage of these drugs in market is great in proportion. Utilising a sodium dodecyl sulphate at synthesised graphitic carbon nitride carbon paste electrode (SDS@g-C3N4-BCPE) for the electro sensing of HHC. For the evaluation of electrode modification, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), SEM, AFM and EDX were used. The low-cost synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was characterised using XRD, FTIR, and SEM with EDX. Under different phosphate buffer solutions, the HHC demonstrates one oxidation peak between −0.4 to 0.7 V potential, with pH 7.0 yielding the best results. An electro-oxidation mechanism has been postulated as a possible route. The DPV was used to perform a quantitative examination of HHC. The linearity range was determined to be between 0.8 −10μM. The LOD and LOQ were 1.9 × 10−8M and 6.5 × 10−8M, correspondingly, and outperformed previous approaches. Furthermore, the novel process was employed to determine the concentrations of HHC in biological, pharmaceutical and water samples.
Electrochemical Evaluation of Vitamin B2through a Portable Electrochemical Sensor Based on Binary Transition Metal Oxide in Various Biological and Vegetable Samples
Authors: Ganesamurthi Jaysiva , Shanmugam Ragurethinam , Chen Shen-Ming
Published: August 2022

Fabrication & electrochemical evaluation of Vitamin B2-riboflavin (RF) sensor based on binary transition metal oxide (ZnO-MnO) core–shell nanocomposites (CSNs) on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Firstly, ZnO-MnO core–shell nanocomposites are attained through a one-step hydrothermal synthesis route using zinc acetate and manganese acetate as precursors where ZnO act as a core and MnO formed as a shell. As synthesized binary transition metal oxide-based composite is scrutinized through various physicochemical techniques thereby demonstrating excellent physiochemical features. ZnO-MnO/GCE composite delivers synergistic features of improving the electrochemical properties towards detection of Riboflavin (RF) at an operational voltage of 0.42 V, with the increased active sites because of its structural morphology along with high surface areas. ZnO-MnO/GCE is examined through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Furthermore, ZnO-MnO/GCE shows a remarkable kinetic transfer rate and superior electron transfer rate over other modified electrodes. It also exemplifies a wider linear range (0.05–1102μM), with Nanomolar level detection (LOD) of 13 nM aided with a sensitivity of 0.3746μAμM−1cm−2, respectively. The proposed ZnO-MnO/GCE sensor demonstrates excellent selectivity over the presence of co-interfering species exquisite repeatability, reproducibility, and stability. Further, the real-time monitoring analysis exemplifies excellent recovery percentages from 96.95–99.61% for various biological and vegetable samples.
The biological clock enhancer nobiletin ameliorates steatosis in genetically obese mice by restoring aberrant hepatic circadian rhythm
Authors: Larion Sebastian , Padgett Caleb A. , Butcher Joshua T. , Mintz James D. , Fulton David J. , Stepp David W.
Published: August 2022

NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. We show here that genetically obese ( db/db) mice with fatty liver have impaired hepatic circadian rhythm. Hepatic Per2 expression and PER2 reporter activity are diminished in db/db PER2::LUCIFERASE mice. The biological clock-enhancer nobiletin restores hepatic PER2 in db/db PER2::LUCIFERASE mice, resolving steatosis via downregulation of Srebp1c. These studies suggest targeting the circadian clock may be beneficial strategy in NAFLD.
Fibronectin-EDA accumulates via reduced ubiquitination downstream of Toll-like receptor 9 activation in SSc-ILD fibroblasts
Authors: Tuncer Ferhan , Bulik Melissa , Villandre John , Lear Travis , Chen Yanwen , Tuncer Beyza , Kass Daniel J. , Valenzi Eleanor , Morse Christina , Sembrat John , Lafyatis Robert , Chen Bill , Evankovich John
Published: August 2022

Accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) components from lung fibroblasts is a feature of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), and there is increasing evidence that innate immune signaling pathways contribute to these processes. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are innate immune sensors activated by danger signals derived from pathogens or host molecular patterns. Several damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules are elevated in SSc-ILD plasma, including ligands that activate TLR9, an innate immune sensor recently implicated in driving profibrotic responses in fibroblasts. Fibronectin and the isoform fibronectin-extra domain A (FN-EDA) are prominent in pathological extracellular matrix accumulation, but mechanisms promoting FN-EDA accumulation are only partially understood. Here, we show that TLR9 activation increases FN-EDA accumulation in MRC5 and SSc-ILD fibroblasts, but that this effect is independent of changes in FN-EDA gene transcription. Rather, we describe a novel mechanism where TLR9 activation inhibits FN-EDA turnover via reduced FN-EDA ubiquitination. TLR9 ligand ODN2006 reduces ubiquitinated FN-EDA destined for lysosomal degradation, an effect abrogated with TLR9 knockdown or inhibition. Taken together, these results provide rationale for disrupting the TLR9 signaling axis or FN-EDA degradation pathways to reduce FN-EDA accumulation in SSc-ILD fibroblasts. More broadly, enhancing intracellular degradation of ECM components through TLR9 inhibition or enhanced ECM turnover could be a novel strategy to attenuate pathogenic ECM accumulation in SSc-ILD.
Intravital imaging of mucus transport in asthmatic mice using microscopic optical coherence tomography
Authors: Pieper Mario , Schulz-Hildebrandt Hinnerk , Schmudde Inken , Quell Katharina M. , Laumonnier Yves , Hüttmann Gereon , König Peter
Published: August 2022

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases. Mucus overproduction is consistently linked to asthma morbidity and mortality. Despite the knowledge of the importance of mucus, little data exist on how mucus is transported in asthma and the immediate effects of therapeutic intervention. We therefore used microscopic optical coherence tomography (mOCT) to study spontaneous and induced mucus transport in an interleukin-13 (IL-13)-induced asthma mouse model and examined the effects of isotonic (0.9% NaCl) and hypertonic saline (7% NaCl), which are used to induce mucus transport in cystic fibrosis. Without intervention, no bulk mucus transport was observed by mOCT and no intraluminal mucus was detectable in the intrapulmonary airways by histology. Administration of ATP-γ-S induced mucus secretion into the airway lumen, but it did not result in bulk mucus transport in the trachea. Intraluminal-secreted immobile mucus could be mobilized by administration of isotonic or hypertonic saline but hypertonic saline mobilized mucus more reliably than isotonic saline. Irrespective of saline concentration, the mucus was transported in mucus chunks. In contrast to isotonic saline solution, hypertonic saline solution alone was able to induce mucus secretion. In conclusion, mOCT is suitable to examine the effects of mucus-mobilizing therapies in vivo. Although hypertonic saline was more efficient in inducing mucus transport, it induced mucus secretion, which might explain its limited benefit in patients with asthma.
The Effects of Dietary Cottonseed Oil on Growth Performance of Juvenile Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.) and Hybrid Striped Bass (Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis S.)
Authors: Candelaria Bryan , Yamamoto Fernando Y. , Gatlin Delbert M.
Published: August 2022

Various cottonseed products containing higher levels of protein and lipid than traditional cottonseed meal have been evaluated in recent years with several carnivorous marine fish species. In previous studies in this laboratory, distinct differences in the acceptability of diets containing those cottonseed products were noted for red drum and hybrid striped bass. Therefore, the present study consisted of two concurrent feeding trials in which the effects of increasing levels of dietary cottonseed oil were evaluated with both juvenile red drum and hybrid striped bass. Three experimental diets were formulated to contain either 0, 2, or 4% of cottonseed oil in place of menhaden fish oil. All diets were formulated to contain approximately 9% lipid, with that of the basal diet (0% cottonseed lipid) primarily contributed by menhaden fishmeal and menhaden oil. In concurrent trials, each diet was fed twice a day to triplicate groups of juvenile red drum and hybrid striped bass initially averaging 1.86 g/fish and 1.41 g/fish, respectively, for 6 weeks. Results of the feeding trial showed that there were no significant differences among red drum fed the different dietary treatments based on growth parameters (weight gain and feed efficiency) or whole-body proximate composition. On the contrary, hybrid striped bass showed significant (

P
≤
0.05

) differences in responses to the dietary treatments with weight gain decreasing as the inclusion levels of cottonseed oil increased while their hepatosomatic index significantly increased. Thus, results of this study showed distinctly different responses of red drum and hybrid striped bass to increasing levels of dietary cottonseed oil, with hybrid striped bass being much more sensitive than red drum in terms of reduced weight gain and altered body condition which appeared to be related to reduce diet palatability from cottonseed oil.
Improved F-RRT

∗

Algorithm for Flight-Path Optimization in Hazardous Weather
Authors: Qiu Xue , Li Yaohui , Jin Rui , Zhao Zhi , Li Jiajun , Lu Donglin , Ma Linhui
Published: August 2022

Hazardous weather has become a major cause of flight delays in recent years. With the development of satellite navigation systems, the study of flight-path optimization under hazardous weather conditions has become especially important. In this study, radar data were used as the basis for the initial flight-restricted area under hazardous weather conditions, and the Graham algorithm was used to delineate the dynamic flight-restricted area by comprehensively considering the hazardous weather boundary changes along with the speed and direction. Then, under the grid environment model, the range of influence, size, and distribution characteristics of the flight-restricted area was examined, and the path optimization model was created according to constraints related to the path distance, corner size, and number of turning points. An improved F-RRT

∗

algorithm was developed to solve the model. The algorithm can overcome the problems of traditional path planning algorithms, such as strong randomness, poor guidance, slow convergence speed, unsmooth paths, and poor tracing smoothness. Finally, a simulation analysis was conducted on the Guiyang–Guangzhou route in China as an example. This study can address the drawbacks of existing research on route change and provide sufficient theoretical support and reference for the implementation of specific route change plans in the future.
Construction of a Public Health‐Oriented Sports Training Big Data Analysis Platform
Authors: Nie Shangqi
Published: August 2022

Sports health has become a goal pursued by most people, both young and old, which is mainly due to the improvement of people’s living standards and the improvement of economic level. Different groups have great differences in the way of physical exercise for public health. The idea of pursuing physical exercise is better but most ignore the factors that affect exercise. Not only will this have a certain negative impact on body function but it also defeats the purpose of physical exercise. Reasonable physical exercise is more urgently needed. However, for public health physical exercise, reasonable methods are also difficult to obtain. This is mainly due to the large differences in the number of groups and hurdles faced by public health. This study designs a public health‐oriented sports training platform based on big data technology. It mainly uses the hollow convolutional neural network (A‐CNN) and the GRU method to extract the relationship between physical training and physical function, weather factors, and exercise intensity. The research results show that the A‐CNN and GRU methods can better map the relationship between sports training parameters and the three characteristics that affect sports health. This kind of sports training platform based on big data technology can better guide young people or the elderly to carry out reasonable physical exercise. A‐CNN and GRU techniques have relatively high accuracy in predicting the three characteristics of physical exercise. The smallest error is only 1.43%, and the largest error is also 2.56%.
Particle Swarm Optimization and Salp Swarm Algorithm for the Segmentation of Diabetic Retinal Blood Vessel Images
Authors: Deng Liwei , Liu Shanshan , Wang Xiaofei , Zhao Guofu , Xu Jiazhong
Published: August 2022

In recent years, the incidence of diabetes has been increasing year by year. Since most of the fundus lesions are located near blood vessels, the image information is complex, and the end vessels are difficult to identify. So, a new segmentation method of diabetic retinal vessel images based on particle swarm optimization and salp swarm algorithm is proposed. This paper uses a Gaussian filter to enhance the main blood vessels, and a top-bot hat transform is used to strengthen the end vessels. The preprocessing process is completed by combining and reconstructing the two images through a normalization operation. The improved particle swarm optimization and salp swarm algorithms perform multi-threshold segmentation on the preprocessed vessel images. The best fit value, Structural Similarity Index Measure, Peak Signal to Noise Rati, feature similarity index measure, sensitivity, accuracy, regional consistency, Dice coefficient, Jaccard similarity, and Shannon entropy are selected for comprehensive evaluation and analysis. The results showed that this paper’s improved particle swarm-salp swarm algorithm for segmenting diabetic retinal blood vessel images is more efficient, and the threshold is better. The vascular segmentation method in this paper is applied in medical image processing, which improves the accuracy of medical image processing and reduces the computational effort.
Evaluation of Soil-Derived Streptomyces chartreusis KU324443 Effects as Probiotic on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Enzyme Activity, Mucosal and Serum Immune Parameters, and Related Gene Expression in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Fingerlings
Authors: Arghideh Mohammad , Hoseinifar Seyed Hossein , Ghorbani Nasrabadi Reza , Mazandarani Mohammad , El-Haroun Ehab , Van Doan Hien
Published: August 2022

The present trial investigates the effects of soil-derived Streptomyces chartreusis KU324443 as a probiotic on growth performance, mucosal and serum immune parameters, and immune and antioxidant-associated gene expression in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). In a two-month experiment, carps were fed with varying levels of S. chartreusis KU324443 (0 (control), 105 (S1), 106 (S2), and 107 (S3) CFU/g). Then, performance, skin mucus, and serum immune parameters besides immune and antioxidant-related gene expression (IL1 and Lyz, CAT and SOD) were measured. Fish fed S. chartreusis-supplemented diet showed a significant increase in growth performance parameters (

P
<
0.05

) regardless of inclusion levels. Including different doses of S. chartreusis significantly increased serum total Ig and lysozyme activity compared to those fed the control diet (

P
<
0.05

). While no significant difference was noticed in the case of skin mucus total Ig (

P
>
0.05

), lysozyme activity showed a significant increase in S. chartreusis-treated carps (

P
<
0.05

). No significant differences (

P
>
0.05

) were noticed in the case of serum antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT, SOD, and GPx) of S. chartreusis-fed carps and control. However, fish fed the control diet recorded the highest SOD and GPx enzyme activity in skin mucus of common carp, while no significant differences were noticed in the case of mucus CAT enzyme activity in common carp (

P
>
0.05

). Gene expression studies revealed noticeable alterations between treated fish and control. Fish in S3 treatment had significantly higher CAT, SOD, Lyz, and IL1 expression (

P
<
0.05

). These results confirmed the beneficial effects of a soil-derived probiotic (S. chartreusis) on the performance and health of common carp.
Targeted Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B by Viscosol Ameliorates Type 2 Diabetes Pathophysiology and Histology in Diabetic Mouse Model
Authors: Sohail Aamir , Fayyaz Hajra , Muneer Hamza , Raza Idrees , Ikram Muhammad , Uddin Zia , Gul Sarah , Almohaimeed Hailah M. , Alsharif Ifat , Alaryani Fatima S. , Ullah Imran
Published: August 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common forms of diabetes. We are living in the middle of a global diabetes epidemic. Emerging pieces of evidence are suggesting the increased expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) in the pancreas and adipose tissues during T2DM. The negative regulation of the insulin signaling pathway by PTP1B helps the researchers to consider it as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of insulin resistance and its associated complications. From the literature, we found that compound 5,7‐dihydroxy‐3,6‐dimethoxy‐2‐(4‐methoxy‐3‐(3‐methyl‐2‐enyl)phenyl)‐4H‐chromen‐4‐one (Viscosol) extracted from Dodonaea viscosa can inhibit PTP1B in vitro. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic effect of this compound in a high‐fat diet (HFD) and low‐dose streptozotocin‐ (STZ‐) induced T2DM mouse model. For this purpose, T2DM was induced in C57BL/6 male mice by using an already established protocol with minor modification. The compound‐treated T2DM mice showed improvements in biochemical parameters, i.e., decrease in the fasting blood glucose level, increased body weight, improved liver profile, and reduction in oxidative stress. Furthermore, to elucidate the inhibition of PTP1B, the expression level of PTP1B was also measured at mRNA and protein levels by real‐time PCR and western blot, respectively. Additionally, downstream targets (INSR, IRS1, PI3K, and GLUT4) were examined for confirming the inhibitory effect of PTP1B. Our results suggest that the compound can specifically inhibit PTP1B in vivo and might have the ability to improve insulin resistance and insulin secretion. Based on our experiment, we can confidently state that this compound can be a new PTP1B drug candidate for the treatment of T2DM in the coming future.
Differentiating Gender and Sex in Dental Research: A Narrative Review
Authors: Alberti Alice , Morandi Benedetta , Francetti Luca , Taschieri Silvio , Corbella Stefano
Published: August 2022

While in humans the term “sex” refers to the biological attributes that distinguish subjects as male, female, and intersex, the term “gender” refers to psychological, social, and cultural factors that strongly influence attitudes, behaviors, and relationships of individuals. Recently, it has been emphasized how the integration of these two terms in the design of the research can improve the methodology of the research itself. However, in dental research, the influence of gender has not gained enough consideration and it is often used indiscriminately as a synonym for sex. This narrative review discusses the usefulness of considering gender and sex in dental research, whose guidelines have been provided so far on this topic, and whether the top 20 dental scientific journals promote the analysis of sex and gender in their guidelines. Sex and gender analysis in dental research could be important both for analyzing biological differences such as those in the immune or neuro-immune system, cardiovascular physiology, developmental anomalies or deformities, and psychosocial differences such as lifestyle, pain experience and prevalence of chronic pain, eating behavior, and access to healthcare services. As for the specific policies for sex and gender analysis and reporting, only five out of 20 biomedical journals have included them in their editorial policy, which refers mainly to the correct use of the terms “sex” and “gender.” In conclusion, we found that no specific and differentiated sex and gender analysis and reporting are required in dental journals. Their integration, which is still not routinely applied, may be improved in the future by updating editorial guidelines and developing more specific methodological recommendations.
Identification of Key Factors and Mining of Association Relations in Complex Product Assembly Process
Authors: Zhang Huibin , Wang Mingwei , Deng Wei , Zhou Jingtao , Liu Lei , Li Jianfeng , Li Rong
Published: August 2022

There are many factors involved in the assembly process of complex products, but only a few of the key influencing factors really affect the performance of the product assembly. In order to ensure the performance of complex products, it is necessary to model the deviation transfer flow of the assembly process of complex products and identify key processes and characteristics and determine its scope of influence. This paper establishes the set of assembly performance influencing factors by analyzing the complex product assembly process and uses complex networks combined with entropy weight method to identify the influencing factors of product performance to achieve the identification of key influencing factors. Based on the key factor identification results using an Apriori algorithm to mine the association rules between key factors and performance to provide guidance for the assembly of complex products and achieve transparent and controllable performance. The assembly process of a certain type of aeroengine low-pressure fan rotor is verified as the research object. The results show that the proposed method can identify the key factors in the multistage assembly process and establish an association rule library to provide decision support for process adjustment.
Text-Based Emotion Recognition Using Deep Learning Approach
Authors: Bharti Santosh Kumar , Varadhaganapathy S , Gupta Rajeev Kumar , Shukla Prashant Kumar , Bouye Mohamed , Hingaa Simon Karanja , Mahmoud Amena
Published: August 2022

Sentiment analysis is a method to identify people’s attitudes, sentiments, and emotions towards a given goal, such as people, activities, organizations, services, subjects, and products. Emotion detection is a subset of sentiment analysis as it predicts the unique emotion rather than just stating positive, negative, or neutral. In recent times, many researchers have already worked on speech and facial expressions for emotion recognition. However, emotion detection in text is a tedious task as cues are missing, unlike in speech, such as tonal stress, facial expression, pitch, etc. To identify emotions from text, several methods have been proposed in the past using natural language processing (NLP) techniques: the keyword approach, the lexicon-based approach, and the machine learning approach. However, there were some limitations with keyword- and lexicon-based approaches as they focus on semantic relations. In this article, we have proposed a hybrid (machine learning + deep learning) model to identify emotions in text. Convolutional neural network (CNN) and Bi-GRU were exploited as deep learning techniques. Support vector machine is used as a machine learning approach. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using a combination of three different types of datasets, namely, sentences, tweets, and dialogs, and it attains an accuracy of 80.11%.
Computer Image Analysis Reveals C‐Myc as a Potential Biomarker for Discriminating between Keratoacanthoma and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Fan Xinyun , Niu Xueli , Wu Ze , Yao Lu , Chen Shirui , Wan Wenyu , Huang Bo , Qi Rui-Qun , Zhang Tao
Published: August 2022

The distinction between Keratoacanthoma (KA) and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) is critical yet usually challenging to discriminate clinically and histopathologically. One approach to differentiate KA from cSCC is through assessing the immunohistochemical staining patterns of the three indicators, β‐catenin, C‐Myc, and CyclinD1, which are critical molecules that play important roles in the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway. Ki‐67, as a proliferation biomarker for human tumor cells, was also assessed as an additional potential marker for differentiating KA from cSCC. In this report, these four indicators were analyzed in 42 KA and 30 cSCC cases with the use of the computer automated image analysis system. Computer automated image analysis is a time‐based and cost‐effective method of determining IHC staining in KA and cSCC samples. We found that C‐Myc staining was predominantly localized in the nuclei of basal cells within KA patients, whereas cSCC staining was predominantly localized in the nuclei of diffuse cells. This C‐Myc staining pattern has a sensitivity of 78.6% and a specificity of 66.7% for identifying KA. Moreover, positive rates of distinct expression patterns of C‐Myc and Ki‐67 may also serve as a means to clinically distinguish KA from cSCC. Taken together, our results suggest that these markers, in particular C‐Myc, may be useful in differentiating KA from cSCC.
Impact of Adjacent Facet Joint Osteoarthritis on Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Short‐Segment Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Indirect Decompression: Minimum 5‐Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Ouchida Jun , Nakashima Hiroaki , Kanemura Tokumi , Satake Kotaro , Ito Kenyu , Tsushima Mikito , Ando Kei , Machino Masaaki , Ito Sadayuki , Segi Naoki , Morita Yoshinori , Ode Yukihito , Imagama Shiro
Published: August 2022

Purpose. Lumbar fusion combined with lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) and percutaneous pedicle screws (PPS) is a widely used, minimally invasive surgical treatment, but studies on incidence and risk factors for subsequent adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) are limited. This study was aimed at investigating midterm incidence and reoperation rate of ASD after indirect decompression (IDD) with LLIF and PPS and at clarifying the impact of preexisting adjacent facet osteoarthritis on development of ASD after IDD. Methods. Forty‐one patients who underwent short‐segment (1‐ or 2‐level) lumbar fusion with LLIF and PPS with a minimum 5‐year follow‐up were analyzed. Cephalad adjacent facet osteoarthritis was classified as 1 (normal) to 4 (severe) by an established classification system on preoperative CT. ASD was diagnosed with plain radiographs taken preoperatively and up to 5 years postoperatively, and preoperative degree of facet osteoarthritis was compared between the ASD+ group and ASD‐ group (control). We also divided patients into two groups according to severity of facet degeneration, mild (grades 1‐2) group and severe (grades 3‐4) group, and investigated ASD‐free survival of the groups by the Kaplan‐Meier method. Results. The incidence of ASD at 5 years postoperatively was 34.1%, and the reoperation rate for ASD was 4.9%. The degree of preexisting facet joint osteoarthritis was significantly different between the ASD+ and ASD‐ groups (grade 1/2/3/4: 0/29/64/7% and 29/62/29/10%, P = 0.008). Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed the severe group to have significantly lower ASD‐free survival than the mild group (P = 0.017) at 5 years postoperatively. Conclusion. Comparative analysis of the ASD+ versus ASD‐ group showed preexisting facet joint osteoarthritis to be a risk factor for ASD progression after IDD. Additional longitudinal studies with long‐term follow‐up are needed to understand the causal relationship between facet joint degeneration and progression of adjacent segment deterioration following IDD.
The Evaluation Index System of Teaching Quality in Colleges and Universities: Based on the CIPP Model
Authors: Li Yan , Hu Conghai
Published: August 2022

Under the comprehensive influence of the national political and economic environment, the law of higher education development, and the characteristics of teaching itself, the relationship between theoretical teaching and teaching should be properly handled, and in accordance with the goals and ideas of talent training in research universities, on the one hand, the teaching of theoretical courses should be done well to ensure the protection of students. A solid theoretical foundation, on the one hand, emphasizes the application-oriented and sexual teaching links and forms a teaching system that combines professional skills and professional technical application ability, and comprehensive ability. For research-oriented university education, it is an inevitable problem to face. Just as the diagnosis of a disease is required first, in order to promote teaching reform, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the current situation of the school teaching system and to understand the root of the problem. Therefore, it is very necessary to study the evaluation of teaching, which will provide facts for the reform. Fundamentals, Orientation, and Metrics. Based on the CIPP model of effective teaching theory and formative assessment theory, this research constructs a teaching quality assurance index system in colleges, universities, and takes colleges and universities as a case for empirical research. The survey on the status quo of quality assurance and the experimental results show that the index system of teaching quality evaluation in colleges and universities based on the CIPP model has good applicability.
[Retracted] On the Professional Development Environment of Young Teachers in the Series of Quality Education in Colleges and Universities
Authors: Qi Zhengnan
Published: August 2022

With the changes of the times, China has made remarkable achievements in economic, political, social, cultural, and education can improve the comprehensive quality of the people, enhancing the country’s comprehensive national strength and international competitiveness effect. China has importance to education, and in recent years has increased its investment in education. Higher education undertakes important functions such as cultivating talents, scientific research, and serving the society. It is an indispensable part of the education system, and these are closely related to the teaching staff of colleges. The development of quality education is an inevitable choice to promote it, an important way to implement it with morality, and promoting it of national governance capabilities. At present, there are four major problems in quality education in colleges: the marginalization of status, fuzzy goals, segmentation of content, and isolation of development paths. It is important to study and explore new ideas and strategies for promoting quality education. Nowadays, colleges are no longer the “ivory towers” of the past, and the construction of college teachers has also undergone many changes compared with the past. The topics and discussions about college teachers are increasing day by day, and the problems and confusion exposed to them have also aroused the attention of the society. Young teachers are the fresh blood of college teachers and the future of our country. It is particularly meaningful to study and understand the current professional development of these groups. The research object is the young teachers in colleges. Through the literature research method, it analyzes the status of the professional quality education in colleges, understands the problems existing in their professional development, analyzes the reasons, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures. It helps for the career development of the whole group of young teachers in colleges in order to improve the current situation, seek better development for young teachers in colleges, and also provide a reference for promoting quality education in colleges.
Host Factors in the Natural History of Chronic Hepatitis B: Role of Genetic Determinants
Authors: Turyadi  , Witanto Billy , El-Khobar Korri E. , Parewangi M. Luthfi , Rasyak M. Rezki , Wibowo Dhita P. , Thedja Meta D. , Yusuf Irawan , Massi Muh. Nasrum , Patellongi Ilhamjaya , Syafruddin Din , Muljono David H.
Published: August 2022

Background. The host immune system plays an important role in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection manifestation. Genetic polymorphisms of several inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and IL-10, have been associated with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) progression, although with contradicting results. CHB progression can be categorized into four phases, immune tolerance (IT), immune clearance (IC), low/no replicative (LR), and e-negative hepatitis (ENH), with HBeAg seroconversion as an important milestone. Here, we determined the association of TNF-α (rs1800629) and IL-10 (rs1800896 and rs1800872) SNPs in the context of CHB natural history progression, particularly to HBeAg seroconversion, in Indonesian CHB patients. Methods. A total of 287 subjects were recruited and categorized into distinct CHB phases based on HBeAg, viral load, and ALT levels. TNF-α and IL-10 SNPs were determined using PCR-RFLP and confirmed with direct sequencing. The association between SNP genotypes with CHB dynamics was determined using logistic regression presented as odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI. Results. No significant association was found between IL-10 -592A/C polymorphism and progression of IT and IC to LR, IT and IC to ENH, and LR to ENH phases in all the gene models. IL-10 rs1800896 and TNF-α rs1800629 could not be analyzed using logistic regression. Subjects’ age (≥40 years old) was significantly associated with IT and IC to LR (OR: 2.191, 95% CI 1.067–4.578,

P
=
0.034

), IT and IC to ENH (OR: 7.460, 95% CI 3.316–18.310,

P
<
0.001

), and LR to ENH (OR: 5.252, 95% CI 2.010–14.858,

P
=
0.001

). Male gender was associated with LR to ENH (OR: 4.077, 95% CI 1.605–11.023,

P
=
0.004

). Conclusions. Age and male gender were associated with CHB phase progression instead of the TNF-α and IL-10 polymorphisms. It would be beneficial to study not only the effect of host determinants but also the viral factor to understand the mechanisms of CHB phase progression.
The Effect of a Theory‐Based Educational Intervention on Reducing Aggressive Behavior among Male Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study
Authors: Kaveh Mohammad Hossein , Ghaysari Ehtesham , Ghahremani Leila , Zare Elahe , Ghaem Hale
Published: August 2022

Introduction. One of the most challenging issues in public health is preventing aggression and violent behavior, generally in the adolescent population. Intervention studies in this field, especially in Iran, were few. Moreover, their findings are controversial. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on reducing aggression among male students. Method. This study used a randomized controlled trial design. The sample comprised 98 middle school students aged between 13 and 16 years (14.28 ± 0.7). Educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of five sessions of 45‐60 minutes. Data were collected using two self‐administered questionnaires to measure aggression and constructs of TPB. Data were analyzed using paired t‐test, independent t‐test, and chi‐square test at a significance level of 0.05. Results. After the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in all TPB constructs except the subjective norms, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). After two months of intervention, the mean score of the aggression behaviors in students in the experimental group showed a remarkable improvement in the experimental group, while the control group showed no significant difference. Conclusion. The findings of this study showed that the theory‐based educational intervention was effective on the improvement of aggressive behavior. To achieve a significant change in perceived mental norms, more training sessions are recommended, and emphasis is placed on educating parents, peers, and school staff.
Eight‐Year Trend Analysis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Cases in West Amhara Region Referred to Amhara Public Health Institute Northwest, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Tegegne Banchamlak , Yimer Mulat , Ejigu Kefale , Alemu Getaneh , Estifanos Fikirte
Published: August 2022

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a continually spreading health problem in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Despite this, up‐ to‐date information on referral laboratory facility has been not yet reported. Therefore, this study was aimed at reporting up‐to‐date information about eight year’s cutaneous leishmaniasis trend status. Data on referred cases from 2013 to 2020 were collected at Amhara Public Health Institute Parasitology department by reviewing log book. Of the 243 suspected cases, 114 (46.9%) were positive (confirmed) with microscope and cultured results showed that most of them were negatives. Most of the suspected cases were from 16 to 30 years and males by age and sex, respectively. Trend status by year depicted that largest numbers of suspected and confirmed cases were reported in 2013, 2015, and 2019 years. Finally, the trend status by zone showed that most cases were reported from South Gondar and Awi zones, respectively.
Bioinformatics Analysis Based on TCGA: MUC16 Mutation Correlates with Clinical Outcome in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Huang Liang , Zheng Shuang , Fu Junhui , Zhang Meng , Ge Xiaogang , Mu Ning
Published: August 2022

The prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) is difficult to predict due to the disease’s complex genetic and phenotypic characteristics. MUC16 has been reported to be involved in the progression of several tumors. In this study, we aimed to explore whether MUC16 mutation had any impact on the prognosis or treatments of GC patients. Additionally, this analysis uncovered possible critical pathways related with these systems. On the cBioPortal, we were able to locate the pertinent data of patients with MUC16 mutations. And then, GSEA analysis identified differences in mRNA levels between mutant and wild-type MUC16 patients in terms of biological function annotation and pathways. The KEGG and GO analyses were also performed using the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). There were 139 individuals with GC who had the MUC16 mutation, which accounts for 32 percent, and the remaining patients had the MUC16 wild type. Survival assays revealed that patients with the MUC16 mutation had longer overall survival and disease-free survival. GSEA analysis revealed that cell cycle, cysteine and methionine metabolism, Huntington’s disease, one carbon pool by folate, pyrimidine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, RNA degradation, spliceosome, and valine leucine and isoleucine degradation were distinctly enriched in patients with MUC16 mutation type. Moreover, we identified 323 DEGs. Among them, 162 genes were upregulated, and 161 genes were downregulated. GO and KEGG assays indicated DEGs as enriched in pancreatic secretion, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, fat digestion and absorption, and glycerolipid metabolism. Overall, our data revealed that the MUC16 mutation in GC may affect the development of patients by altering several genes and pathways, indicating the importance of MUC16 mutation in the treatments of GC on an individual basis.
Use of Nomogram to Predict the Risk of Lymph Node Metastasis among Patients with Cervical Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tian Yongju , Hao Yiping , Liu Qingqing , Li Ruowen , Mao Zhonghao , Jiang Nan , Wang Bingyu , Zhang Wenjing , Zhang Xiaofang , Cui Baoxia
Published: August 2022

Background. The objective of this study was to develop a nomogram that can predict lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with cervical adenocarcinoma (cervical AC). Methods. A total of 219 patients with cervical AC who had undergone radical hysterectomy and lymphadenopathy between 2005 and 2021 were selected for this study. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the selected key clinicopathologic features and develop a nomogram and underwent internal validation to predict the probability of LNM. Results. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI),

tumor
 
size
≥
4

 cm, and depth of cervical stromal infiltration were independent predictors of LNM in cervical AC. However, the Silva pattern was not found to be a significant predictor in the multivariate model. The Silva pattern was still included in the model based on the improved predictive performance of the model observed in the previous studies. The concordance index (

C

-index) of the model increased from 0.786 to 0.794 after the inclusion of the Silva pattern. The Silva pattern was found to be the strongest predictor of LNM among all the pathological factors investigated, with an OR of 4.37 in the nomogram model. The nomogram developed by incorporation of these four predictors performed well in terms of discrimination and calibration capabilities (

C
−
index
=
0.794

; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.727–0.862;

Brier
 
score
=
0.127

). Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically effective in the prediction of LNM. Conclusion. In this study, a nomogram was developed based on the pathologic features, which helped to screen individuals with a higher risk of occult LNM. As a result, this tool may be specifically useful in the management of individuals with cervical AC and help gynecologists to guide clinical individualized treatment plan.
Ectopia Cordis as a Lethal Neonatal Condition: A Case Report from Bahrain and a Literature Review
Authors: Mohamed Shereen M. , Isa Hasan M. , Sandhu Amarjit K.
Published: August 2022

Ectopia cordis is a rare type of malformation where the heart is not located normally. It may be partially or completely located outside the thoracic cavity and can be associated with other congenital abnormalities. It results from failure of maturation of midline mesoderm and ventral body formation during embryogenic formation. The exact etiology remains unknown. The literature review reveals the prognosis for infants with ectopia cordis is very poor. Here, we are reporting the first case of a fetus that was prenatally diagnosed with ectopia cordis that was associated with omphalocele documented in our country. Considering the poor prognosis for the fetus, conservative management during the prenatal period was chosen.
Analysis of Bridge Health Detection Based on Data Fusion
Authors: Chen Ying , Zhang Jiuhong , Li Yanfeng , Li Jialong
Published: August 2022

By integrating rough set theory and neural network theory, this study combined their advantages. Drawing on the existing theoretical results for bridge influencing factors, a method for numerical simulation and data fusion was used in the application of multifactor data fusion for cable‐stayed bridge safety evaluation. Based on studying existing bridge safety evaluation methods, a neural network and rough set theory were combined to perform a safety evaluation of PC cable‐stayed bridge cables, which provided a new means for bridge safety evaluation. First, a cable‐stayed bridge in Shenyang was used as the engineering background, the safety level of its cables was divided into five levels, and a safety evaluation database was established, clustered by a Kohonen neural network. This provided specific evaluation indicators corresponding to the five safety levels. A rough neural network algorithm integrating the rough set and neural network was applied to data fusion of the database, with the attribute‐reduction function of the rough set used to reduce the input dimension of the neural network. Conclusions. The neural network was then trained and the resulting trained network was applied to the safety evaluation of the cables of the cable‐stayed bridge. Four specific attribute index values, corresponding to the bridge cables, were directly input to obtain the safety status of the bridge and provide corresponding management suggestions.
Exosome in Crosstalk between Inflammation and Angiogenesis: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy for Stroke
Authors: Cun Yongdan , Jin Yaju , Wu Danli , Zhou Li , Zhang Chengcai , Zhang Simei , Yang Xicheng , Zuhong Wang  , Zhang Pengyue
Published: August 2022

The endothelial dysfunction, associated with inflammation and vascular permeability, remains the key event in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemic stroke. Angiogenesis is essential for neuroprotection and neural repair following stroke. The neuroinflammatory reaction plays a vital role in stroke, and inhibition of inflammation contributes to establishing an appropriate external environment for angiogenesis. Exosomes are the heterogeneous population of extracellular vesicles which play critical roles in intercellular communication through transmitting various proteins and nucleic acids to nearby and distant recipient cells by body fluids and circulation. Recent reports have shown that exosomal therapy is a valuable and potential treatment strategy for stroke. In this review, we discussed the exosomes in complex interaction mechanisms of angiogenesis and inflammation following stroke as well as the challenges of exosomal studies such as secretion, uptake, modification, and application.
A Novel Decision-Making Process in the Environment of Generalized Version of Fuzzy Sets for the Selection of Energy Source
Authors: Madasi Joseph David , Khan Salma , Kausar Nasreen , Pamucar Dragan , Addis Gezahagne Mulat , Gulistan Muhammad
Published: August 2022

In this study, we focus our attention on a kind of generalized fuzzy set. This generalized fuzzy set is known as neutrosophic octahedron sets (NOSs). NOSs are a combination of neutrosophic, intuitionistic fuzzy, and octahedron sets that provide a better platform for dealing with imprecise and ambiguous data. First of all, we analyze uncertainty, for this purpose, we need neutrosophic octahedron set that can also reduce the loss of information about ambiguity and uncertainty. We use NOS over TOPSIS method (technique to order the performance by similarity with the ideal solution). It is a most suitable technique for describing uncertain data in the TOPSIS method in order to allow more imprecision than the neutrosophic, intuitionistic fuzzy, and octahedron set. Thus, the TOPSIS method of NOSs in decision making is used to overcome the problems that arise during decision-making. We use this proposed structure to implement the selection of the energy source by a numerical example as an application. As a result, this model is valuable for decision-making and can be used to choose the most environmentally friendly energy source. Finally, we present an example to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed strategy.