bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of leaf transcriptome in grafted tomato seedlings inoculated with beneficial rhizobacteria Azospirillum brasiliensis and Paraburkholderia graminis
Authors: Caradonia Federica , Buti Matteo , Flore Alessia , Morcia Caterina , Ronga Domenico , Gatti Roberto , Moulin Lionel , Terzi Valeria , Francia Enrico , Milc Justyna Anna
Published: April 2022

Aims: Characterization of the transcriptomic responses of grafted tomato seedlings inoculated with two beneficial microorganisms.Methods: mRNA sequencing analyses were performed from leaves of grafted tomato seedlings at flowering stage, 35 days after inoculations. The differential expression analysis results were validated by carrying out a quantitative reverse transcription PCR on nine selected genes.Results and Conclusions: Root inoculations with the two beneficial bacteria can influence the genes activity also in organs distant from roots. Interactions between grafted tomato seedlings and microorganisms suggest that the interactions between tomato and microorganisms are species-specific, and affect the activity of specific sets of genes, that in turn activate and/or involve similar pathways and mechanisms. This study provides novel knowledge on the effects of inoculation of Azospirillum brasiliensis (AB) and Paraburkholderia graminis (PG)on grafted tomato seedling metabolism, and on the molecular mechanisms underlying the improved performance of tomato plants after these treatments as far as yield and stress responses are regarded. AB induced genes coding for different MYB trascrption factors known to be involved in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, PG upregulated 5 genes coding for putative late blight resistance protein homolog. Auxine responsive molecules and giberellins involved in the fruit-set and early fruit growth in tomato were mainly induced by AB.
Single-Piece Foldable Intraocular Lenses versus Three-Piece Intraocular Lenses in the Sulcus following Posterior Capsular Rupture
Authors: Torrefranca Aramis B. , Florcruz Nilo Vincent DG. , Cariño Noel S. , Kho Richard C.
Published: April 2022

PurposeSuccessful intraocular lens (IOL) placement in cataract surgery is synonymous with the IOL being placed in the capsular bag. When the bag is violated, the ciliary sulcus becomes an option to be able to place an intraocular lens in a near in-the-bag position. Studies report that single-piece foldable acrylic (SPA) IOLs are a poor choice for the sulcus. This study aimed to compare the visual outcomes and complications between sulcus placement of single-piece intraocular lenses and three-piece intraocular lenses.Methods: The medical records of patients were retrospectively reviewed in a single center.Results: A total of 245 patients were included in the study with mean age of 61 with male predominance. Majority of sulcus implantation occurred during phacoemulsification (87%). Around 82% (n=202) were implanted with SPA IOLs and 18% (n=43) were three-piece IOLs. Best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) was 20/20 after 6 months for both groups. Comparison between two groups showed no superiority with each other. Complications notable were elevated IOP, corneal edema, loss of IOL centration and pigment dispersion. Results showed more proportions of complications with SPA IOLs than three-piece IOL. Smaller optic diameter and overall length predispose to increase in decentrations.Conclusions: We found no significant difference between the visual outcomes of three-piece IOLs with SPA IOLs. Complications were found to be more significant in SPA IOLs. Knowledge on the outcomes and complications of SPA IOLs would help ophthalmologists in their decision making and help set realistic expectations for both doctors and patients.
Single cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal microglia-plasma cell crosstalk in the brain during Trypanosoma brucei infection
Authors: Quintana Juan , Chandrasegaran Praveena , Sinton Matthew , Briggs Emma , Otto Thomas , Heslop Rhiannon , Bentley-Abbot Calum , Loney Colin , de Lecea Luis , Mabbott Neil , MacLeod Annette
Published: April 2022

Human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei and induces profound reactivity of glial cells and neuroinflammation when the parasites colonise the central nervous system. However, the transcriptional and functional responses of the brain to chronic T. brucei infection remain poorly understood. By integrating single cell and spatial transcriptomics of the mouse brain, we identified that glial responses triggered by infection are readily detected in the proximity to the circumventricular organs, including the lateral and 3rd ventricle. This coincides with the spatial localisation of both slender and stumpy forms of T. brucei. Furthermore, in silico predictions and functional validations led us to identify a previously unknown crosstalk between homeostatic Cx3cr1+ microglia and Cd138+ plasma cells mediated by IL-10 and B cell activating factor (BAFF) signalling. This study provides important insights and resources to improve understanding of the molecular and cellular responses in the brain during infection with African trypanosomes.
Pseudogene OCT4-pg5 Upregulates OCT4B Expression to Promote Bladder Cancer Progression by Competing with miR-145-5p
Authors: Zhou Wuer , Yang Yue , Wang Wei , Yang Chenglin , Cao Zhi , Lin Xiaoyu , Zhang Huifen , Xiao Yuansong , Zhang Xiaoming
Published: April 2022

Background
Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms worldwide, and is characterized by metastasis and insensitivity to chemotherapy. We aim to construct competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks to identify potential progression and prognostic markers associated with BC.
Methods
We first extracted the expression profiles of RNAs from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and used bioinformatic analysis to establish ceRNAs in BC. Real-time quantity PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to measure OCT4-pg5 and OCT4B expressions in different bladder cell lines and different grades of cancer. The effects of OCT4-pg5, OCT4B and miR-145-5p on proliferation and metastasis were determined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Luciferase reporter assay was carried out to reveal the interaction among OCT4-pg5, OCT4B and miR-145-5p. Flow cytometry was performed to explore the effects of OCT4-pg5 and OCT4B expression on the cell cycle phases distribution of T24 cells.
Results
The OCT4-pg5/miR-145-5p/OCT4B ceRNA network was related to the progression and prognosis of BC. OCT4-pg5 expression was significantly increased in BC cell lines, which was correlated with OCT4B expression and advanced tumor grade. Overexpression of OCT4-pg5 and OCT4B promoted the proliferation and invasion of BC cells, while miR-145-5p suppressed these activities. Mechanically, OCT4-pg5 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) competed for miR-145-5p, thereby increasing OCT4B expression. In addition, OCT4-pg5 promoted EMT by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and upregulating the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9 as well as transcription factors zinc finger E-box binding homeobox (ZEB) 1 and 2. Furthermore, elevated expression of OCT4-pg5 and OCT4B reduced the sensitivity of BC cells to cisplatin by reducing apoptosis and increasing the proportion of cells in G1.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that OCT4-pg5/miR-145-5p/OCT4B axis promotes the progression of BC by inducing EMT via Wnt/β-catenin pathway and enhances the cisplatin resistance. It could be prospect for the therapeutic approaches for BC.
Biosensor Guided Polyketide Synthase Engineering for Optimization of Domain Exchange Boundaries
Authors: Englund Elias , Schmidt Matthias , Nava Alberto , Dan Qingyun , Katz Leonard , Yuzawa Satoshi , Keasling Jay
Published: April 2022

Type I modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are multi-domain enzymes functioning like assembly lines. Many engineering attempts have been made for the last three decades to replace, delete and insert new functional domains into PKSs to produce novel molecules. However, the resulting PKS hybrids typically have reduced catalytic activities and are often insoluble due to misfolding. Here, we have developed a fluorescence-based biosensor method for detecting engineered PKSs with high solubility. The biosensor has been used to sort through PKS hybrids that had acyltransferase (AT) domains from other PKSs exchanged for the native AT with randomly assigned linker junctions. Importantly, we observed a significant correlation between activity and solubility. Evaluation of highly soluble mutants in vitro revealed new boundaries for AT domain exchanges that give a wild-type level of catalytic activity. Together, we have successfully developed an experimentally validated high-throughput method to efficiently screen active engineered PKSs that produce target molecules.
High performance stemming algorithm to handle multi-level inflections in Urdu Language
Authors: Jabbar Abdul , Iqbal Sajid , Ilahi Manzoor
Published: April 2022

Stemming is an essential step in varied Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. It is used to reduce different variants of the query words to a standard form to avoid the vocabulary mismatch issue in Information Retrieval (IR) systems. There are a lot of stemming algorithms in English language, but Urdu NLP still in its infancy. A stemmer develops and evaluates in a language cannot be efficiently used for other languages. Urdu has the highly inflected and complex morphological structure, and most of the current Urdu stemmers remove a few numbers of affixes and leads to inefficient results. In this context, according to the best of our knowledge, this is a first comprehensive effort towards the proposition and evaluation of a novel Urdu Text Stemmer (UTS) that cope with multi-level inflection and derivation forms in Urdu text. The experimental evaluation of the proposed scheme has been conducted on the text-based and words-based custom developed corpus. The proposed stemming technique is rigorously evaluated and compared with state-of-the-art stemming algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate that UTS outperforms existing Urdu stemmers and achieves an accuracy of 94.92% and 91.8% on word and text corpus, respectively.
Analysis of economic recovery forecasts in the post-COVID-19 era - China as an example
Authors: Li Xin
Published: April 2022

Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, it has dealt a severe blow to economies around the world. How to quickly recover the traumatized economies in the post-epidemic era is now an important task. This paper constructs a prediction model based on the data of five major epidemics similar to the current one that occurred in history. Based on the prediction model built, we make a comprehensive forecast and individual economic indicators forecast for China's economy after the current epidemic, and the forecast results show that the overall economy of the country name and import and export can basically recover to the pre-epidemic level in about one year, and the recovery time for tourism and air transportation is longer and requires a slow recovery. This result is also very much in line with China's reality. China has already gained some experience in this kind of economic recovery, and a summary of these experiences will provide inspiration to other economies.
Vision-related Quality of Life in Low-vision Patients Who Underwent Epiretinal Membrane Surgery
Authors: Horozoglu Fatih , Sener Hidayet , Polat Osman Ahmet , Sever Ozkan , Yuksel Turgut , Evereklioglu Cem
Published: April 2022

PurposeTo evaluate vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) in patients with preoperative low vision who had previously removed epiretinal membrane (ERM) with pars plana vitrectomy, and compared the results with the control group (CG).MethodsIn this retrospective and nonrandomized clinical study, 20 subjects with unilateral ERM and 20 healthy subjects as CG were included in the study. The Turkish-translated National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) was used. In all cases, under local anesthesia, the two-step 23 G vitrectomy was performed with a similar technique by the same experienced vitreoretinal surgeon.ResultsThe preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in ERM group was 1.04±0.41. Postoperative visual improvement reached statistical significance (p<0.001) and postoperative 6th month BCVA was 0.61±0.41. The postoperative 6th month composite score of NEI VFQ-25 was significantly lower in patients with ERM than in the CG (p=0.017). The preoperative subscale scores were significantly lower in the patients with ERM than in the CG in general vision, ocular pain, near activities and distance activities (p<0.001, p=0.005, p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively).ConclusionsThe NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire can discriminate ERM patients from healthy individuals, and visual acuity does not fully reflect VR-QOL. Impaired binocular vision may be associated with the deterioration of VR-QOL in patients with ERM in the postoperative period.
Glucose and pH dependent reduction in toxicity of Cr 6+ as assessed by modelling of Monod kinetic parameters(k s and µ max ) by Bacillus licheniformis DAS 1
Authors: Saduzzaman Md , Mini Kumari , Shardendu Shardendu
Published: April 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Study on Classification of Metal Objects by Fluxgate Magnetometer Cube Structure
Authors: han songtong , Zhang Bo , wen zhu
Published: April 2022

In order to classification the kinds of metal objects, we propose a recognition method based on ResNet-18. First, we built a magnetic field feature collector that we called FMCAS (Fluxgate magnetometer cube arrangement structure), using 8 fluxgate magnetometer sensor array structures to ensure a distance of 400mm between each sensitive unit. We use FMCAS to collect the magnetic field data of a survey line along the east-west direction on the north side of the measured target. Next, we change the location and type of the target and build a database of magnetic target models, which enriches the diversity of the training dataset. Construct the magnetic flux density tensor matrix to create the experimental dataset. Finally, we use the improved ResNet-18 to train the data to get the recognition classification recognizer. The recognition accuracy of this approach is 84.1%, according to the test results from 107 groups of validation sets. The target with larger magnetic moment has the best recognition effect, with a recognition accuracy rate of 96.3%, a recall rate of 96.4%, and a precision rate of 96.4%. Experimental results show that our improved RestNet-18 network can effectively handle the classification of metal objects.
New Thienopyridine Scaffold as An Antidementia Lead: In Silico Study and Biological Screening
Authors: mahmoud ZeinabMahmoud , Mohamed Lamia W. , Mohamed Khaled O. , Sayed Hadeer S. , Fattah May A. Abd El , El-Malah Afaf
Published: April 2022

New thienopyridine tacrine analogues were efficiently synthesized. Series 2 and 4 enclosed fourteen new compounds. They were screened against their acetyl cholinesterase, butyryl cholinesterase and β-amyloid protein inhibition. In acetyl cholinesterase inhibition assay, 2h showed IC50 value 26.4 ± 0.03 ng/mL excelling tacrine itself. 2e possessed excellent IC50 values 1.7 ± 0.07 and 14.7 ± 0.03 ng/mL for both the butyryl cholinesterase and β-amyloid protein inhibition assays, sequentially. The in silico ADME studies were investigated for the promising members (2c, 2d, 2e, 2h, 2i, and 4e) and all the results were illustrated. A comparative docking study was conducted between the promising members and both tacrine and donepezil in both acetyl and butyryl choline active sites. The results revealed extra binding patterns.
Production of a canine model of Parkinson’s disease using somatic cell nuclear transfer
Authors: Lee Ji Hye , Kwon Kyu , Park Chan Kyu , Kim Keun Jung , Kim Eun Young , Kim Min Kyu
Published: April 2022

Dogs have been considered a suitable model to study human neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and brain aging, because of their long lifespan and the similarities of disease presentation and clinical response in humans and dogs. Further, it is possible to evaluate the visible cognition/motion ability of patients with brain dysfunction. In the present study, we aimed to generate a canine model of PD that overexpresses the human DJ-1 (hDJ-1) gene using the somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technique. The hDJ-1 gene was transfected into canine fetal fibroblasts, which were used to produce cloned embryos. Reconstructed embryos were transferred into the oviduct of surrogate mothers, one of which gave birth to one dog. The cloned dog was depressed, and his movements were slow and fewer, resulting in an abnormal phenotype, as observed via imaging analyses, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyses; these findings were similar to the symptoms of PD in humans. In addition, exogenous hDJ-1 was successfully transmitted to the next generation without silencing. We confirmed that the puppies exhibited the same behavior and imaging analysis as the hDJ-1 transgenic (TG) dog. Using SCNT, we generated TG dogs with PD that overexpressed the hDJ-1 gene. Human PD-like phenotypes have been confirmed in the TG dogs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that describes the establishment of a canine model of PD. Furthermore, TG dogs could be used in preclinical trials of drugs for the treatment of PD.
WITHDRAWN: Can latency-reversing drugs reawaken dormant retrovirus infection? A mathematical analysis
Authors: Chen S.
Published: April 2022

Background:The technique of using drugs to target latent virus reservoir has been introduced to reawaken the dormant virus so that the immune system can attack it. However, further tests have shown this method to fail in laboratory tests. In this work, the author tries to mathematically analyze whether drugs can be used to reawaken dormant virus reservoirs. The study uses mathematical formulas to differentiate between different relationship types, and then a model of protein reawakening dormant reservoirs is presented. Results:The results show that the amino acid sequences ARG of gag proteins of HTLV1, HTLV2, STLV1 and STLV2 match with their primer binding site GGGGGCTCG in the 3'-to-5' direction, and the amino acid sequences SPR of gag proteins of HIV1, HIV2, SIV and FIV match with their primer binding site GGCGCCCGA in the 3'-to-5' direction. The gag, gag-pol and gag-pro-pol proteins are promising for reawakening dormant retrovirus infection. Conclusions:The author hence believes that the latency-reversing drugs were involved in the process of transcription of cancer, and the genome they reawakened just happened to contain the genome of the retrovirus, which means that it was false reawakening. On the other hand, using proteins of retroviruses to reawaken them is more reliable, just like androgen receptor activates the IGF1R gene.
Dynamics of deep soil water, organic carbon and total nitrogen in response to the conversion of annual crops to long-term alfalfa pasture on the semi-arid Loess Plateau
Authors: Wang Li , Ali Nazer , Wang Zikui
Published: April 2022

Aims Deep soil resources was not well quantified under dryland conditions. This study aimed to quantify the changes of deep soil water, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN) in alfalfa pasture, and identify the relationships between root density and their changes.Methods Field experiment was conducted in the Loess Plateau in 2020 and 2021. Soil water, SOC, and TN contents and alfalfa root density to 1000-cm-depth were measured in alfalfa pastures and an annual crop reference field.Results Soil water depletion by alfalfa mainly occurred in the first six years with a depletion rate of 41.6, 49.1, and 62.1 mm year-1 in the shallow (0-200 cm), middle (200-500 cm), and deep (500-1000 cm) soil layers, respectively. Total depletion after six and 19 years were 916.8 and 1049.4 mm respectively. SOC content in all layers increased and peaked six years after planting, with total storage in the 0-1000-cm-profile of 74.6 kg m-2, 43.3% higher than in the reference field. TN storage in only the shallow layer continuously increased and was 52.5% higher than that in the reference field after 19 years. Root density explained the changes of soil water in the shallow and deep soil layer, SOC in the shallow and middle layer, and TN only in the shallow soil layer.Conclusions Although alfalfa pasture continuously reduced deep soil water, it showed great potential for soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration. It should be stopped early (≤6years) to increase water sustainability and maintain carbon and nitrogen sequestration efficiencies.
The quality and fertilizing potential of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) epididymal spermatozoa stored in a liquid state – a preliminary study
Authors: Dziekońska Anna , Koziorowska-Gilun Magdalena , Kordan Władysław , Neuman Nicoletta M. , Kotlarczyk Angelika M. , Korzekwa Anna J.
Published: April 2022

The aim of this study was to assess the quality and fertilizing potential of red deer epididymal spermatozoa stored in a liquid state for up to 11 days (D11). In Experiment 1, sperm quality was determined. In Experiment 2, the efficiency in vitro fertilization (IVF) and artificial insemination (AI) of stored sperm were evaluated. An analysis of sperm quality on D5 of storage revealed a decrease (P < 0.05) in motility, morphology, and a higher proportion of apoptotic spermatozoa. On D1, D7 and D10, the total motility of sperm for IVF and AI was determined at 82.6%, 71.0% and 64.8%, respectively. The results of IVF and AI demonstrated that the fertilizing potential of spermatozoa differ between days of storage. The percentage of blastocysts was higher when oocytes were fertilized with D1 (17.4%) than and D7 (8.5%) and D10 sperm (10.5%). Differences were noted in the pregnancy rates of inseminated hinds. The insemination with D1, D7 and D10 sperm led to live births (33% on D7 and D10). The results indicate that the quality of red deer epididymal spermatozoa remains satisfactory during ten days of storage in a liquid state, and that these spermatozoa maintain their fertility potential.
Food Taboo and Myth Among Pregnant Mothers in Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia: a Qualitative Study
Authors: Tilahun Ruth , Aregawi Saron , Molla Wondwosen
Published: April 2022

Background: Food taboo is a deliberately restriction of oneself from different kinds of foods and drinks for different reasons. Even if a balanced diet is needed during pregnancy for both the health of the mother and the fetus, pregnant women restrict themselves from many essential nutrients which will endanger both the mother's and the baby's health .The study is aimed to explore food taboos and myths among pregnant women in Gedeo zone from March 25 to May 25, 2020, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based phenomenological approach was conducted. In-depth and key informant interviews were used to collect data from March 25 to May 25, 2020 in Gedeo. Convenient sampling was employed to recruit participants from the households of targeted villages. A total of 32 in-depth interviews with pregnant mothers, lactating women, elderly women, and husbands were conducted. The sample size was determined based on the concept of saturation. The data was collected by the investigators using semi-structured guiding questions. The collected data were analyzed using the thematic content analysis technique. Data coding and analysis were facilitated by using Open code version 4.0 software.Result: Thirty-two study participants were involved. During pregnancy, foods that are sweet, “good”, spicy foods, and much food were tabooed for pregnant.Conclusion: Foods that are prohibited for pregnant women have been discovered in the Gedeo zone. Pregnant women avoid eating a wide variety of foods, including good foods, sweet foods, much food, and spicy foods. Not eating this foods may prone the mother even the baby for malnutrition in the short or long run.Recommendation: Strategic health communication that focuses on refuting misconceptions such as pregnant women should eat less, certain foods cause diseases in both the mother and the fetus, and fetus skin discoloration is necessary. Maternal and child Health clinics and health extension workers must take the lead in coordinating this awareness-building effort. They should also put in place methods for identifying women on a regular basis, following food taboos, determining the reasons, and providing appropriate nutrition instruction.
Constructing immune related prognosis score based on signatures to predict the benefit of immunotherapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Xiang Jun , Li JunHu , Liu YunXiao , Jing HaoYu , Fan BoYang , Cheng XiaoNan , Zhang Hao , Wang Yang , Wang ChunLin , Chang ZeWen , Wang HuFei , Hu HanQin , Yu Lei , Wang GuiYu
Published: April 2022

CRC is one of the most common malignant tumors and the main cause of cancer death. Since FDA approved immunotherapy for CRC treatment in 2017, patients with CRC have low response to immunotherapy, and there is no effective marker to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy. Our aim is to find a marker that can predict the response of immunotherapy, which can be used to direct the immunotherapy of patients with CRC. The ssGSEA was implemented to construct immune related prognostic score for 2740 patients in 18 cohorts. An extensive immunogenomic analysis was performed to explore the relationship between immune score, prognostic significance, microsatellite status, cancer genotype and potential immune escape mechanism. The IRPS is correlated to important immunophenotypic factors such as neoantigen load and mutation load. Further analysis demonstrated that patients with high IRPS showed therapeutic benefits from immunotherapy. Based on these results, we can conclude that the IRPS may be an available tool for overall survival prediction and predict immunotherapy of patients with CRC.
Entrepreneurial Orientation, Dynamic Capabilities, and Business Processes Performance: Evidence from Egyptian SMEs.
Authors: Abdelkareem Reda , Battour Mohamed , Al-Awlaqi Mohammed
Published: April 2022

This study investigated the mediating role of Dynamic Capabilities (DC) in the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and Business Process Performance (BPP). Moreover, it investigates the moderating role of strategy type in the EO-DC-BPP relationship. A quantitative paradigm was followed using SEM-PLS methodology to analyze data from 179 SMEs operating in food production in Egypt. The study found a strong and positive mediating effect of DC on the EO-BPP relationship.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement is safe and effective in children when compared to the laparoscopic technique
Authors: Glithero Kyle J. , Hey Matthew T , Calisto Juan L , Alkhoury Fuad , Malvezzi Leopoldo , Burnweit Cathy A
Published: April 2022

Introduction: We compare our experience of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and laparoscopic technique (LapGT) at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.Methods: All PEGs and LapGT placements were reviewed at our institution from August 2016 through January 2018. Demographics, procedure time, operative charges, and 30-day complications were reviewed for patients who had either PEG or LapGT. Means of quantitative values were compared using the student’s t test. Categorical values were compared using the X2 test.Results: Over 18 months, 93 isolated gastrostomy tubes were placed in children aged 2 weeks to 19 years. There were 56 PEGs (60%) and 37 LapGTs (40%). There was no significant difference in gender, age, or weight between the two groups. Operative time for PEG was 59% shorter (14 vs. 33 minutes, p < 0.001). Operating room charges averaged $4,500 less in the PEG group ($11,400 vs. $15,900, p < 0.001). Neither group had complications requiring a return to the operating room within 30 days postoperatively. In two cases, PEGs were converted to LapGTs because safety criteria for PEG were not met. Conclusions: Our experience with PEGs and LapGTs has found that the PEG technique, when used with clearly defined safety criteria, decreases operative time and cost without compromising safety.Level of evidence: level III
Survival, healing, and swim performance of juvenile migratory sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) implanted with a new acoustic microtransmitter designed for small eel-like fishes
Authors: Haas Taylor F. , Castro-Santos Theodore , Miehls Scott M. , Deng Zhiqun D. , Bruning Tyler M. , Wagner C. Michael
Published: April 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Speeding Up Action Recognition Using Dynamic Accumulation of Residuals in Compressed Domain
Authors: Abdari Ali , Amirjan Pouria , Mansouri Azadeh
Published: April 2022

With the widespread use of installed cameras, video-based monitoring approaches have seized considerable attention for different purposes like assisted living. Temporal redundancy and the sheer size of raw videos are the two most common problematic issues related to video processing algorithms. Most of the existing methods mainly focused on increasing accuracy by exploring consecutive frames, which is laborious and cannot be considered for real-time applications. Since videos are mostly stored and transmitted in compressed format, these kinds of videos are available on many devices. Compressed videos contain a multitude of beneficial information, such as motion vectors and quantized coefficients. Proper use of this available information can greatly improve the video understanding tasks' performance. This paper presents an approach for using residual data, available in compressed videos directly, which can be obtained by a light partially decoding procedure. In addition, a method for accumulating similar residuals is proposed, which dramatically reduces the number of processed frames for action recognition. Applying neural networks exclusively for accumulated residuals in the compressed domain accelerates performance, while the classification results are highly competitive with raw video approaches.
Berberine inhibits low shear stress-induced vascular endothelial inflammation via decreasing phosphorylation of Akt and IRF3
Authors: Lv Yifei , Yang Hongfeng , Ye Peng , Qian Zhiyuan , Wang Dongchen , Kong Chaohua , Gu Yue , Zhou Wenying , Chen Shaoliang , Zhu Linlin
Published: April 2022

Background
Low shear stress (LSS) is closely related to vascular endothelial inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis. Berberine (BBR), a natural compound isolated from Coptis chinensis, has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects. However, the role of berberine in low-shear stress-induced endothelial inflammation remains unclear.
Methods
The role of berberine in low shear stress-induced vascular endothelial inflammation was investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using a plate flow chamber in vitro and in mice with an established LSS model by partial ligation of the carotid artery in vivo.
Results
Firstly, in vitro experiments demonstrated that BBR significantly decreased the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and the phosphorylation of Akt in HUVECs induced by low shear stress.Meanwhile,BBR significantly inhibited low shear stress induced IRF3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Notably, Akt overexpression markedly reversed the inhibitory effects of BBR on LSS-induced IRF3 activation and ICAM-1 expression. Moreover, in vivo experiments showed that BBR markedly decreased intimal ICAM-1 and IRF3 in the LSS areas of partially ligated carotid arteries in mice; however, EC-specific Akt overexpression mediated by adeno-associated virus abolished the anti-inflammatory effect of BBR.
Conclusion
Taken together, our findings suggest that BBR treatment attenuates LSS-induced vascular endothelial inflammation by decreasing activation of the Akt/IRF3 signalling pathway.
The structure, processes and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation in Ghana: A study protocol
Authors: Yarfi Cosmos , Nyante Gifty Gyamah , Rhoda Anthea
Published: April 2022

BackgroundConventional and complementary treatments are often used in rehabilitation for persons with stroke. Conventional treatment makes use of medications, physiotherapy, occupational, speech and diet therapies while complementary treatment makes use of homeopathy, naturopathy, massage and acupuncture. The structure, process and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation using conventional or complementary treatments have not been empirically investigated in Ghana.AimTo investigate the structure, process and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra and Kwayisi Christian Herbal Clinic (KCHC) in Nankese-Ayisaa, Ghana and to explore experiences of persons with stroke.MethodsA mixed methods approach involving a cross sectional, hospital-based cohort and qualitative exploratory studies. The objectives of the study will be achieved using three phases: Phase one will recruit health professionals and gather information on the structure and process of stroke rehabilitation at conventional and complementary hospital using adapted questionnaires. Phase two will determine outcomes of persons with stroke attending a conventional and complementary hospital facility at baseline, two, three- and six-months follow-up using outcome measures based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model. Phase three will explore experiences of persons with stroke who use complementary or conventional treatment using an interview guide. Data AnalysisIBM SPSS Statistics Version 27 will be used to analyse the data using descriptive and inferential statistics. Repeated measures of ANOVA analysis will be used to determine differences between varaibles at baseline, one, three- and six-months post stroke. The qualitative data will be transcribed and entered into Atlas Ti version 9.0. The data will be coded and analysed using thematic areas that will be generated from the codes. ConclusionThe study protocol will provide a comprehensive overview of structure, process and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation in Ghana: incorporating both conventional and complementary treatment and rehabilitation into the stroke recovery journey. It will also inform clinical practice, with new insights on the experiences of persons with stroke based on their choice of rehabilitation pathway.
Species composition, monthly distribution and behaviour of adult Anopheles mosquitoes in areas under elimination setting, Dembia district, Northwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Tarekegn Mihretu , Dugassa Sisay , Wolde-hawariat Yitbarek , Negash Yohannes , Tekie Habte
Published: April 2022

Background Despite of the progress made in scaling-up of the intervention tools in Ethiopia, malaria is still a public health problem in the country. This necessitates a continuous monitoring of the local vector species composition, monthly distribution and behaviour in order to follow up effectiveness vector control strategies in place. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate species composition, distribution, and behaviour of Anopheles mosquitoes in selected localities of Dembia district.Methods Anopheles mosquito collection was conducted from June 2018 - May 2019 in selected areas of Dembia district by using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps, pyrethrum spray catches (PSCs), artificially constructed pit shelters and mouth aspirators. The sibling species of An. gambiae s.l were identified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The blood source and sporozoite infection of Anopheles mosquitoes were determined using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. ResultsAnopheles mosquitoes belonging to 11 species were identified from 2,055 field collected adult specimens during this study: An. pharoensis, An. arabiensis, An. coustani, An. demeilloni, An. cinereus, An. funestus, An. ardensis, and An. squamosus were identified from both Guramba Bata and Arebiya study sites while An. garnhami, An. christyi and An. nili were identified only from Guramba Bata. Anopheles pharoensis was the dominant species identified in both Arebiya and Guramba Bata study sites comprising 46.4%, whereas An. arabiensis were also comparably dominant in both study sites (38.3%). The density of outdoor host seeking and resting Anopheles mosquitoes were higher than indoor host seeking and resting Anopheles mosquitoes, however the difference was not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). The human blood indexes (HBI) of indoor and outdoor host seeking An. arabiensis were 17.4% and 15.3%, respectively. The overall sporozoite rate of An. arabiensis, An. pharoensis and An. coustani was 0.3%, 0.9% and 5.9% respectively.ConclusionsAnopheles pharoensis and An. arabiensis were the dominant species identified in the study area. Anopheles mosquitoes showed an exophagic, exophilic and zoophilic tendency in the study area. Vector control strategies targeting outdoor host seeking and resting Anopheles mosquitoes should be sought to achieve the desired malaria control and elimination program in the study area.
Evolutionary Causal Matrices as Models of Social Stability and/or Change
Authors: Voorhees Burton
Published: April 2022

This paper considers evolutionary causal matrices (ECM), which have been proposed as a tool for determination of population distributions of traits in cases in which traits exert mutual influence on each other. In the case of 2x2 ECM a complete mathematical analysis is given including determination of equilibrium distributions and stability. A theorem is proved relating equilibrium stability to ratios of matrix eigenvalues. Several 2x2 ECMs are studied as potential examples of application to questions of norm compliance and binary decisions. 3x3 EMCs are considered as possible examples for modeling political debate between opposed parties with an intermediary group of independents.
Knowledge needs in economic costs of invasive species facilitated by canalization
Authors: Balzani Paride , Cuthbert Ross N. , Briski Elizabeta , Galil Bella , Castellanos-Galindo Gustavo , Kouba Antonín , Kourantidou Melina , Leung Brian , Soto Ismael , Haubrock Phillip J.
Published: April 2022

As strategic transport infrastructures, canals provide wide-ranging economic benefits as well as save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. At the same time, by connecting previously biogeographically-isolated systems, they serve as corridors for the introduction and spread of aquatic alien species, potentially leading to unforeseen ecological and economic impacts. To date, there has been no attempt to quantify the reported economic costs of these species. Here, we used the InvaCost database on the monetary impact of invasive alien species to identify the costs of species whose introduction and spread have been linked to the operation of three major canal systems: the European Inland Canals, Suez Canal and Panama Canal. While we identified a staggering number of alien species that have been spread via these systems, monetary costs have been reported only for a few of these known invasive aliens. A total of $33.6 million in costs have been reported from invasive species linked to European Inland Canals (the fishhook waterflea Cercopagis pengoi and the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha) and $8.6 million linked to the Suez Canal (the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus, the lionfish Pterois miles, and the nomad jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica), but no recorded costs were yet recorded for species which invasion was facilitated by the Panama Canal. We thus identified a pervasive lack of information on the monetary costs of invasions facilitated by anthropogenically-created corridors, such as canals. In highlighting the uneven and lacking distribution of costs, we suggest those benefiting from the creation of canals are not necessarily the same as those paying the incurred costs, and urge greater recognition and reporting of impacts.
The pH of tap and deionized water at 13, 23, 33, and 43 oC in the range of 0-140 g/L of NaCl salinity
Authors: Rudyk Svetlana , Spirov Pavel , Lunde Mona , Jimoh Adetunji
Published: April 2022

The pH of water used to prepare liquid solutions and brines for various types of biochemical investigations may influence the experimental results and overall conclusions. The pH of four types of water such as tap, tap boiled, deionized and deionized boiled water were investigated at the temperatures of 13, 23, 33 and 43 oC in the salinity range of 0-140 g/L of NaCl. The pH of tap water decreased by 2 on average after deionization. The pH of tap water and brines varied from 7 to 9.5 while it varied from 5.1 to 6.5 for deionized water and brines at all salinities. The pH of tap water increased by 0.5-1.5 due to CO2 release while the pH of deionized water did not change after boiling in 30 minutes. The addition of salt of more than 20 g/L of NaCl caused the pH decrease by 1-1.5. The pH of tap boiled and deionized boiled brines decreased with the temperature increase by 0.1 per 10 oC. The decreasing, increasing and neutral trends of pH change with the increase in salinity were observed. The brines of tap water, tap boiled water and deionized water were close to constant at 20-120 g/L. The increase in pH from 80 g/L for deionized boiled water could be addressed to a salting out effect because of the lower CO2 solubility at highly concentrated brines.
Subtle Changes in Perivascular Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem Cells after Local Endometrial Injury in Recurrent Implantation Failure
Authors: Fan Yiping , Lee Ryan Wai Kheong , Ng Xiang Wen , Gargett Caroline , Chan Jerry Kok Yen
Published: April 2022

Improvements in reproductive techniques have resulted in the live birth rates from IVF procedures increasing from 5% to approximately 30% in recent decades but has plateaued since. Emerging preclinical and clinical data implicates endometrial receptivity deficiencies in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) as the predominant factor hindering successful implantation. Mechanisms on how local endometrial injury (LEI) improves implantation rates in patients with RIF are currently unknown. We hypothesized that LEI may influence perivascular endometrial mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (eMSCs) thought to regenerate the stromal vascular component of the functional layer every month. Here, we assessed the effect of LEI on the proportion and function of eMSCs present in consecutive LEI biopsies. Consecutive paired mid-luteal phase endometrial biopsies obtained from patients with RIF were digested to single cells and the proportion of SUSD2-expressing cells determined. Growth kinetics and decidualization were compared between the consecutive LEI samples. A mid-luteal LEI altered the decidualization capacity of SUSD2+ eMSCs in women with RIF, but not their proportion or clonogenicity. With the potential of LEI to improve IVF outcomes in women with RIF, additional investigations are needed to understand the impact of the altered decidualization response in eMSCs.
Unified Creeping Model Identifying the Critical State of Granular Material
Authors: Tong Lihong , Wu Bingni , Lei ZX , Xu Changjie
Published: April 2022

We propose a state evolution model to study the creep of a granular packing both below and beyond the yield stress. Three types of creeping curves are observed under both static and dynamic loading conditions. The experiments are analyzed using the proposed model which introduces characteristic strain to account for the influences of historic strain on current state. A criterion to identify the stability of a granular system is obtained based on the proposed model. Two key factors dominating the stability of the granular system are recognized, the shear wave velocity and critical velocity. Our laboratory experiments in combination with the proposed criterion offers a physical explanation for intrinsic triggering mechanism of system evolution from stable to fluidic state: decrease in wave velocity or/and critical velocity.
Working memory dysfunction in fibromyalgia is associated with genotypes of the catechol- O-methyltransferase gene: An event-related potential study.
Authors: Ferrera David , Gómez-Equer Francisco , Peláez Irene , Barjola Paloma , Fernandes-Magalhaes Roberto , Carpio Alberto , De Lahoz María E. , Martín-Buro María Carmen , Mercado Francisco
Published: April 2022

Recent findings have associated different COMT genotypes with working memory capacity in patients with fibromyalgia. Although it is thought that the COMT gene may influence neural correlates (P2 and P3 ERP components) underlying this cognitive dysfunction it has not been still explored. 51 patients and 51 healthy control participants took part in this study. Event-related potentials and behavioural responses were recorded while participants performed a spatial n-back task (1-back and 2-back conditions). Genotypes of the COMT gene were determined through a saliva sample from all participants. Present results showed lower working memory performance (higher rate of errors and slower reaction times) in patients with fibromyalgia than in control participants. Temporal dynamics of working memory processing were analysed on P2 and P3 components. We found enhanced frontocentral and parieto-occipital P2 amplitudes for patients as compared to the control group. Interestingly, we also observed a significant influence of COMT gene that was specifically explained by the Val/Val genotype. Thus, patients with fibromyalgia exhibited higher frontocentral P2 amplitudes than control participants, being specifically pronounced for those carrying the Val/Val genotype. Current results (behavioural outcomes and P2 amplitudes) confirmed the presence of an alteration in working memory functioning in fibromyalgia. The enhancement of frontocentral P2 amplitudes might be reflecting an inefficient manner to activate executive attention processes by patients carrying Val/Val genotype of the COMT gene. To our knowledge, the present findings are the first linking neural indices of working memory dysfunctions and COMT genotypes in fibromyalgia. Applying a subgroup of patient’s strategy based on this genetic marker could be useful to establish more tailored therapeutical approaches.
Exploring structures and beliefs underlying textbook praxis in German foreign language courses at a South African university – a social realist perspective
Authors:   , Engelbrecht Natasha
Published: April 2022

Commercial textbooks, aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), are prescribed in almost all undergraduate GFL courses offered at South African universities. Although providing practical relevance and quality assurance, the CEFR-level descriptors were developed for the European context. The projected relevance and appropriateness of teaching materials presently implemented in German curricula in South African higher education have been determined in Germany, not for local contexts, but for learners vaguely described as “Anfänger” (Evans, et al., 2012, p. 8) and “Erwachsene und Jugendliche ab 16 Jahren” (Hueber, 2019, p. 11), often with a focus on learning for prospective German immigrants or for the use in refugee- or immigrant integration courses. However, the textbook occupies a central position in the GFL course because of the structured grammar progression that it lends to the curriculum. The variety of resources available to lecturers (tests, worksheets, online learning platform) and students (exercises, English-German glossary, English grammar explanations) is also an asset to GFL courses. Calls for the transformation and decolonisation of higher education have prompted academic disciplines to re-evaluate the common-sense assumptions which underpin knowledge practices in their curriculum. Following a social realist perspective and an exploratory case-study approach, this study presents a critical analysis of the textbook prescribed in the German Studies 1 course at Rhodes University and student experiences of the textbook to disentangle the complex relations which cause textbook praxis and lay bare power structures and tensions in the system.