bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of Distributed Reconfigurable Robotics Systems with ReconROS
Authors: Lienen Christian , Platzner Marco
Published: December 2021

Robotics applications process large amounts of data in real time and require compute platforms that provide high performance and energy efficiency. FPGAs are well suited for many of these applications, but there is a reluctance in the robotics community to use hardware acceleration due to increased design complexity and a lack of consistent programming models across the software/hardware boundary. In this article, we present
ReconROS
, a framework that integrates the widely used robot operating system (ROS) with ReconOS, which features multithreaded programming of hardware and software threads for reconfigurable computers. This unique combination gives ROS 2 developers the flexibility to transparently accelerate parts of their robotics applications in hardware. We elaborate on the architecture and the design flow for
ReconROS
and report on a set of experiments that underline the feasibility and flexibility of our approach.
Lasia spinosa Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Potential: A Literature‐Based Review
Authors: Hossain Rajib , Quispe Cristina , Herrera-Bravo Jesús , Islam Md. Shahazul , Sarkar Chandan , Islam Muhammad Torequl , Martorell Miquel , Cruz-Martins Natália , Al-Harrasi Ahmed , Al-Rawahi Ahmed , Sharifi-Rad Javad , Ibrayeva Manshuk , Daştan Sevgi Durna , Alshehri Mohammed M. , Calina Daniela , Cho William C.
Published: December 2021

Lasia spinosa (L.) is used ethnobotanically for the treatment of various diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the lungs, bleeding cough, hemorrhoids, intestinal diseases, stomach pain, and uterine cancer. This review is aimed at summarizing phytochemistry and pharmacological data with their molecular mechanisms of action. A search was performed in databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using the keywords: “Lasia spinosa,” then combined with “ethnopharmacological use,” “phytochemistry,” and “pharmacological activity.” This updated review included studies with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments with compounds of known concentration and highlighted pharmacological mechanisms. The research results showed that L. spinosa contains many important nutritional and phytochemical components such as alkanes, aldehydes, alkaloids, carotenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, ketones, lignans, phenolics, terpenoids, steroids, and volatile oil with excellent bioactivity. The importance of this review lies in the fact that scientific pharmacological evidence supports the fact that the plant has antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiarrheal, antihelminthic, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antinociceptive effects, while protecting the gastrointestinal system and reproductive. Regarding future toxicological and safety data, more research is needed, including studies on human subjects. In light of these data, L. spinosa can be considered a medicinal plant with effective bioactives for the adjuvant treatment of various diseases in humans.
Nanomaterials for Remediation of Environmental Pollutants
Authors: Roy Arpita , Sharma Apoorva , Yadav Saanya , Jule Leta Tesfaye , Krishnaraj Ramaswamy
Published: December 2021

Today, environmental contamination is a big concern for both developing and developed countries. The primary sources of contamination of land, water, and air are extensive industrialization and intense agricultural activities. Various traditional methods are available for the treatment of different pollutants in the environment, but all have some limitations. Due to this, an alternative method is required which is effective and less toxic and provides better outcomes. Nanomaterials have attracted a lot of interest in terms of environmental remediation. Because of their huge surface area and related high reactivity, nanomaterials perform better in environmental clean-up than other conventional approaches. They can be modified for specific uses to provide novel features. Due to the large surface-area-to-volume ratio and the presence of a larger number of reactive sites, nanoscale materials can be extremely reactive. These characteristics allow for higher interaction with contaminants, leading to a quick reduction of contaminant concentration. In the present review, an overview of different nanomaterials that are potential in the remediation of environmental pollutants has been discussed.
Spectroscopic Determination of Fluoride Using Eriochrome Black T (EBT) as a Spectrophotometric Reagent from Groundwater
Authors: G/Mariam Atinafu , Diro Abebe , Asere Tsegaye Girma , Jado Demelash , Melak Fekadu
Published: December 2021

Fluoride health problem is a great concern worldwide, most often as a result of groundwater intake. Thus, determination of fluoride is vital to take appropriate measures upon fluoride contamination of water. Potentiometric method of analysis is reliable for the determination of fluoride in various samples. In addition, spectroscopic methods are found important to quantify fluoride levels from water; however, several factors hinder its easier determination. Among the bottlenecks, the use of toxic chemicals and tedious steps in preparing chemicals (e.g., SPADNS method) are to mention a few. In this study, a spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of fluoride from groundwater using Eriochrome Black T (EBT) as a spectroscopic reagent. Experimental parameters that influence the determination of fluoride including ligand type, kinetics, pH, and ligand-to-metal ratio were assayed. Evaluation of fluoride levels showed that Beer–Lambert’s law is obeyed in the range of 0.3–5.0 mg/L at 544 nm. The calibration curve, resulting in good linearity (R2 = 0.9997), was considered during quantitative analysis of the samples and in the spiking analysis. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of the method were found to be 0.19 and 0.64 mg/L, respectively. The precision studied in terms of intraday and interday at three concentration levels showed less than 5.4% RSD. Applicability of the method was investigated by analyzing groundwater samples spiked with fluoride standards, and satisfactory recoveries in the range of 98.18–111.4 were demonstrated. The developed spectrophotometric method has been successfully applied for fluoride determinations in groundwater samples. Thus, it could be used as an attractive alternative for the determination of fluoride from groundwater.
Exploring the Potential Mechanism of Chuanxiong Rhizoma Treatment for Migraine Based on Systems Pharmacology
Authors: Wen Xianhua , Gu Yuncheng , Chen Beili , Gong Feipeng , Wu Wenting , Tong Hengli , Gong Qianfeng , Yang Songhong , Zhong Lingyun , Liu Xuping
Published: December 2021

Migraine is a disease whose aetiology and mechanism are not yet clear. Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR) is employed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat various disorders. CR is effective for migraine, but its active compounds, drug targets, and exact molecular mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we used the method of systems pharmacology to address the above issues. We first established the drug-compound-target-disease (D-C-T-D) network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network related to the treatment of migraine with CR and then established gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. The results suggest that the treatment process may be related to the regulation of inflammation and neural activity. The docking results also revealed that PTGS2 and TRPV1 could directly bind to the active compounds that could regulate them. In addition, we found that CR affected 11 targets that were more highly expressed in the liver or heart but were the lowest in the whole brain. It also expounds the description of CR channel tropism in TCM theory from these angles. These findings not only indicate that CR can be developed as a potential effective drug for the treatment of migraine but also demonstrate the application of systems pharmacology in the discovery of herbal-based disease therapies.
Analysis on Survey Data of Special Physical Training for Skiers in Summer Training Based on Big Data
Authors: Jinhui Zheng , Sheng Wang , Jinhong Zheng , Guoliang Cai , Zhiqiang Cai , Yuntao Du
Published: December 2021

Due to the geographical and natural conditions, the development of skiing events is more resistant in China, and the training venues, methods, and concepts are insufficient, making it difficult for Chinese skiers to make some progress and aspire to the highest peak in this field. The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the survey data of the professional physical training of skiers in summer training based on big data. Big data is employed to investigate and analyze the special physical training of skiers in summer training. Based on the data of professional physical training of skiers in summer training under big data, the current situation of skiers in summer training is examined, and the limitations are compared to improve the traditional physical training of skiers. Results show that the special physical training of skiers based on big data is more feasible in summer training, and the improvement of training effect is more obvious than traditional physical training. The training effect of the proposed method can more effectively solve the difficulties in summer training for skiers and understand the essentials of the action.
Effect of Adhesive Resin as a Modeling Liquid on Elution of Resin Composite Restorations
Authors: Maalekipour Mohammadreza , Safari Mehri , Barekatain Mehrdad , Fathi Amirhossein
Published: December 2021

Background. Adhesive resin is increasingly used as a modeling liquid for composite. Based on previous studies, elution of some components from the composite mass negatively affects the oral tissues. Since few studies have focused on the effect of adhesive resin on composite mass, this study aimed to investigate the effect of dental adhesion factors as modeling liquid on the elution of substances from composite restorations. Materials and Methods. Sixty-four composite specimens (6 × 2 mm diameter × height) were prepared in four groups (n = 16) by using a Teflon ring. Composite mass was incrementally applied in four layers (0.5 mm). The control group contained no material between the layers, but other groups had one of the single bond, SE bond, and wetting resin adhesives between the layers. Specimens were immersed in distilled water and methanol. The amount of released triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA), and camphorquinone (CQ) was monitored by gas chromatography after 24 hours and 7 days. Data were analyzed with SPSS software through Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney

U

tests (α = 0.05). Results. The highest rate of released TEGDMA comonomer was seen in the wetting resin group in the water medium. The highest rate of released UDMA monomer was seen in SE bond and wetting resin groups in the methanol medium after 24 hours. The highest amount of released CQ in the methanol medium was observed in the SE bond group after 7 days. Conclusion. Single bond adhesive can be used as modeling liquid since it has no significant effect on the elution of components from composite mass. Whereas, wetting resin and SE bond adhesives are not suitable to be used as modeling liquid due to the high amounts of released TEGDMA and UDMA.
Evaluation of Physicothermal Properties of Silicone Oil Dispersed with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Data Prediction Using ANN
Authors: Surakasi Raviteja , Sekhar K. Ch. , Yanmaz Ekrem , Yuvaraj G. , Venugopal Jayaprakash , Srujana S. , Begum Naziya
Published: December 2021

The researchers wanted to see whether MWCNTs changed the physicothermal properties of solar thermal working fluids. Assessing thermal properties is vital for solar thermal efficiency. Lubricant contains silicone oil resurfaced. It contains 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0% multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Before dispersion in thermic fluids, nanomaterials must be properly surface modified. Between 100°C and 300°C, a fluid’s thermal conductivity and specific heat physical characteristics like viscosity and density may be inferred from data collected between 50°C and 150°C. Thermal conductivity increases by 15% to 20% when carbon nanotubes are dispersed. The pressure drop is minimal at 0.5 percent weight fraction, demonstrating the suitability of nanofluids in closed loop systems. The characteristics are forecasted using feed-forward backpropagation method and GRNN, and the best of them is selected for prediction. In this research, hidden layer neurons and factors are examined.
Challenges in Laboratory Diagnosis of Malaria in a Low-Resource Country at Tertiary Care in Eastern Nepal: A Comparative Study of Conventional vs. Molecular Methodologies
Authors: Dahal Pragyan , Khanal Basudha , Rai Keshav , Kattel Vivek , Yadav Satish , Bhattarai Narayan Raj
Published: December 2021

For ongoing malaria elimination programmes, available methods such as microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) cannot detect all malaria cases in acute febrile illness. These methods are entirely dependent on the course of infection, parasite load, and skilled technical resources. Our study objectives were to estimate the performance of light microscopy and a RDT as well as real-time PCR for the detection of the Plasmodium parasite. Altogether, 52 blood samples collected from patients with acute febrile illness were tested by microscopy, RDT, and real-time PCR. The results were compared in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Microscopy detected the malaria parasite in 5.8% of the blood samples whereas 13.5% were detected by the RDT and 27% by real-time PCR. Considering real-time PCR as the gold standard method, microscopy had a sensitivity of 21.4% and a specificity of 100%, and the RDT had a sensitivity of 28.6% and a specificity of 92.1%. Microscopy together with the RDT successfully detected malaria positive cases in blood samples of Ct value below 20, but both were unable to detect malaria cases between 26–40 Ct value ranges amplified by real-time PCR. Despite various diagnostic tools being available, microscopy still remains the method of choice for diagnosis, while the RDT is user-friendly when applied at the point of care. However, our preliminary results emphasize the need to implement the test with higher sensitivity and specificity in the context of a malaria elimination programme. Such programmes can be a crucial opportunity to understand the species prevalent in a low-endemic region. However, these results should be further verified with a large cohort study to document the submicroscopic infection.
CircRNA ANXA2 Promotes Lung Cancer Proliferation and Metastasis by Upregulating PDPK1 Expression
Authors: Ju Yan , Yuan Bin , Wu Wenan , Zhao Jin , Shi Xiaorui
Published: December 2021

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor that seriously threatens human health. It has become the top malignant tumor in terms of morbidity and mortality. In recent years, circRNA, a special noncoding RNA molecule, has attracted considerable interest. This study focused on the role of circRNA ANXA2 (circANXA2) in lung cancer and the molecular mechanism of cancer promotion. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) was used in detecting the expression abundance of circANXA2 in different lung cancer cells and tissues. The subcellular localization of circANXA2 was detected through fluorescence in situ hybridization. circANXA2 expression was knocked down through siRNA. CCK-8, clone formation assay, and TUNEL assay were used in evaluating the effects of circANXA2 on cell proliferation, clone formation ability, and apoptosis. The role of circANXA2 in tumor proliferation was further verified in vivo using the tumor transplantation model in nude mice. The molecular mechanism of circANXA2 was investigated with luciferase activity assay and RT-PCR. The expression abundance of circANXA2 is high in lung cancer cell lines and tissues. Knocking down of circANXA2 inhibits the proliferation and clonogenesis of the lung cancer cells. Knocking down circANXA2 promotes apoptosis. circANXA2 further affects downstream PDPK1 expression by regulating miR-33a-5p and thereby affecting the malignancy of the lung cancer cells. circANXA2 inhibits miR-33a-5p activity by directly interacting with miR-33a-5p. circANXA2 regulates the transcription of the miR-33a-5p downstream target gene PDPK1 and affects the malignant progression of lung cancer.
Nonequilibrium Black Hole Thermodynamics in Anti-de Sitter Spacetime
Authors: Lin Kai
Published: December 2021

This work discusses the black hole thermodynamics in a weak dynamical Anti-de Sitter spacetime, which should be described by the nonequilibrium thermodynamics, because the metric depends on the time coordinate. Taking the Vaidya-Anti-de Sitter black hole spacetime as an example, the local entropy balance equations and principle of minimum entropy generation are derived, and finally, some irreversible effects in nonequilibrium thermodynamics are studied by using the Onsager reciprocal relation.
Robust Real‐Time Traffic Surveillance with Deep Learning
Authors: Fernández Jessica , Cañas José M. , Fernández Vanessa , Paniego Sergio
Published: December 2021

Real‐time vehicle monitoring in highways, roads, and streets may provide useful data both for infrastructure planning and for traffic management in general. Even though it is a classic research area in computer vision, advances in neural networks for object detection and classification, especially in the last years, made this area even more appealing due to the effectiveness of these methods. This study presents TrafficSensor, a system that employs deep learning techniques for automatic vehicle tracking and classification on highways using a calibrated and fixed camera. A new traffic image dataset was created to train the models, which includes real traffic images in poor lightning or weather conditions and low‐resolution images. The proposed system consists mainly of two modules, first one responsible of vehicle detection and classification and a second one for vehicle tracking. For the first module, several neural models were tested and objectively compared, and finally, the YOLOv3 and YOLOv4‐based network trained on the new traffic dataset were selected. The second module combines a simple spatial association algorithm with a more sophisticated KLT (Kanade–Lucas–Tomasi) tracker to follow the vehicles on the road. Several experiments have been conducted on challenging traffic videos in order to validate the system with real data. Experimental results show that the proposed system is able to successfully detect, track, and classify vehicles traveling on a highway on real time.
Ensemble of Deep Learning Based Clinical Decision Support System for Chronic Kidney Disease Diagnosis in Medical Internet of Things Environment
Authors: Alsuhibany Suliman A. , Abdel-Khalek Sayed , Algarni Ali , Fayomi Aisha , Gupta Deepak , Kumar Vinay , Mansour Romany F.
Published: December 2021

Recently, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing environments become commonly employed in several healthcare applications by the integration of monitoring things such as sensors and medical gadgets for observing remote patients. For availing of improved healthcare services, the huge count of data generated by IoT gadgets from the medicinal field can be investigated in the CC environment rather than relying on limited processing and storage resources. At the same time, earlier identification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) becomes essential to reduce the mortality rate significantly. This study develops an ensemble of deep learning based clinical decision support systems (EDL‐CDSS) for CKD diagnosis in the IoT environment. The goal of the EDL‐CDSS technique is to detect and classify different stages of CKD using the medical data collected by IoT devices and benchmark repositories. In addition, the EDL‐CDSS technique involves the design of Adaptive Synthetic (ADASYN) technique for outlier detection process. Moreover, an ensemble of three models, namely, deep belief network (DBN), kernel extreme learning machine (KELM), and convolutional neural network with gated recurrent unit (CNN‐GRU), are performed. Finally, quasi‐oppositional butterfly optimization algorithm (QOBOA) is used for the hyperparameter tuning of the DBN and CNN‐GRU models. A wide range of simulations was carried out and the outcomes are studied in terms of distinct measures. A brief outcomes analysis highlighted the supremacy of the EDL‐CDSS technique on exiting approaches.
Vibration Response Characteristics of Adjacent Tunnels under Different Blasting Schemes
Authors: Yu Jianxin , Zhou Zhibin , Zhang Xin , Yang Xiaolin , Wang Jinxing , Zhou Lianhao
Published: December 2021

The vibration caused by the tunnel blasting and excavation will harm the surrounding rock and lining structure of the adjacent existing tunnels. This paper takes a two‐lane large‐span highway tunnel as the research object, conducts on‐site monitoring tests on the impact of vibration caused by the blasting and excavation of new tunnels on the existing tunnels under different blasting schemes, and analyses in detail the three‐dimension vibration velocity by different excavation footages. From the vibration speed, it is concluded that the influence of the existing tunnel of the newly built tunnel blasting team is affected by various factors, such as distance, free surface, charge, and blasthole distribution. With different blasting schemes, the greater the amount of charge, the greater the vibration caused by blasting. Existing tunnels correspond to the front of the tunnel, and the axial and radial vibration peaks are greater than the vertical. Although the cut segment uses a less amount of explosive and has a less blasthole layout, there is only one free surface. Because of the clamping of the rock, it is compared with the other two segments. The vibration caused is the largest. Although the peripheral holes are filled with a large amount of explosive, the arrangement of the blast holes is relatively scattered and there are many free surfaces. Hence, the vibration caused is the smallest. Corresponding to the back of the tunnel face, since there is no rock clamp, the vibration caused by the cut segment is the smallest, and the vibration caused by the peripheral segment and the floor segment is relatively large. The vibration caused by the front explosion side is significantly greater than the vibration caused by the back explosion side. The vibration velocity caused by the unit charge of 1.5 m footage is greater than that of the 3.0 m footage. The vibration velocity caused by the unit charge of the cut segment is the largest, and the vibration velocity caused by the peripheral segment and the floor segment is smaller. The research results provide a reference for the blasting control of similar engineering construction.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Presenting as Pituitary Apoplexy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Gupta Rahul , Bhattacharjee Urmimala , Lekshmon K. S. , Chaudhary Shakun , Sharma Prashant , Jandial Aditya , Dutta Pinaki
Published: December 2021

Thrombocytopenia as a precipitating factor for pituitary apoplexy (PA) is very rare event. There are only five reported cases of PA secondary to thrombocytopenia caused by underlying haematological malignancy. Herein, we report a case of 60-year-old male presenting with acute-onset headache, bilateral vision loss, and ptosis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed findings indicative of pituitary adenoma with apoplexy. He was noted to have thrombocytopenia, and bone marrow evaluation revealed precursor B-lineage CALLA-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Accordingly, he was started on dexamethasone and vincristine but succumbed to Acinetobacter baumanii-related hospital-acquired pneumonia two weeks after initiation of chemotherapy. We performed a literature search and found five cases of pituitary apoplexy secondary to haematological malignancy-related thrombocytopenia. The usual age of presentation was in the 6th to 7th decade, and there was slight male preponderance. The underlying pituitary adenoma was either nonfunctioning or a prolactinoma, and in majority, the apoplexy event occurred after the diagnosis of haematological malignancy. The platelet counts at the time of PA were less than 30 × 109/L in all, and the malignancy subtypes were acute or chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphoid leukemia. The current case highlights the importance of careful evaluation for the cause of thrombocytopenia in a case of PA.
Ultrasound Image Texture Feature Learning-Based Breast Cancer Benign and Malignant Classification
Authors: Gong Huiling , Qian Mengjia , Pan Gaofeng , Hu Bin
Published: December 2021

The use of ultrasound images to acquire breast cancer diagnosis information without invasion can reduce the physical and psychological pain of breast cancer patients and is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. There are some differences in the texture of breast cancer between benign and malignant cases. Therefore, this paper proposes an adaptive learning method based on ultrasonic image texture features to identify breast cancer. Specifically, firstly, we used dictionary learning and sparse representation to learn the ultrasonic image texture dictionary of benign and malignant cases, respectively, and then used the combination of the two dictionaries to represent the test image to obtain the texture distribution characteristics of the test image under the two dictionary representations, which called the sparse representation coefficient. Finally, these above features were filtered by sparse representation and sent to sparse representation classifier to establish benign and malignant classification model. 128 cases were randomly divided into training and testing sets according to 2: 1 for training and testing. The proposed method has achieved state-of-the-art results, with an accuracy of 0.9070 and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9459. The results demonstrate that the proposed method has the potential to be used in the clinical diagnosis of benign and malignant breast cancer.
Experimental Investigation on Effect of Partial Replacement of Cement with Bamboo Leaf Ash on Concrete Property
Authors: Abebaw Gashaw , Bewket Bahiru , Getahun Shumet
Published: December 2021

Ethiopia’s construction industry is aggressively expanding than ever before. Cement is the most essential and expensive material in this regard. Cement takes 10%–15% by volume of concrete. Nowadays, the construction industry is challenged by the scarcity of cement and price escalation of the cement market. However, scholars try to replace cement with pozzolanic material. Besides this, they investigated that bamboo leaf ash possesses pozzolanic properties. Ethiopia has about 850,000 hectares of lowland bamboo, so it is good to utilize bamboo leaf ash as a replacement material for cement. In this study, the capability of lowland Ethiopian bamboo leaf ash as a partial substitute for cement in C‐25 concrete production with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% replacement of OPC by BLA with 0.49 percent water‐to‐cement ratio was investigated. This study examines the chemical properties of BLA, physical properties of cement paste, workability, compressive strength, water absorption, density, and sulfate attack of concrete. The chemical composition of bamboo leaf ash was examined, the summation of SiO2, AlO3, and FeO3 is 76.35%, and the ash was classified class N pozzolan. The normal consistency percentage of water increases as the BLA replacement amount increases, and both initial and final setting time ranges increase as the BLA replacement amount increases. The compressive strength of concrete for 5% and 10% BLA achieves the target mean strength (33.5 MPa) on the 28th day, and on the 56th day, 5% and 10% replacements increase the concrete strength by 1.84% and 0.12%, respectively. The water absorption and sulfate attack have significant improvement of the BLA‐blended concrete on 5% and 10% BLA content. According to the findings, bamboo leaf ash potentially substitutes cement up to 10%. The outcome of the study will balance the cement price escalation and increase housing affordability without compromise in quality.
Exploration of the Relationships between Hazard Perception and Eye Movement for Young Drivers
Authors: Yang Jingshuai , Liu Chengxin , Chu Pengzi , Wen Xinqi , Zhang Yangyang
Published: December 2021

Aiming at young drivers’ hazard perception (HP) and eye movement, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Xi’an, China. 46 participants were recruited, and 35 traffic scenes were used to test drivers’ hazard perception and eye movement. The difference analysis and correlation analysis were carried out for the acquired data. The results suggest that some indices of hazard perception and eye movement are significantly correlated. A higher saccade speed is in the direction of higher hazardous scenes. Higher complex scenes result in smaller saccade angle. The number of hazards unidentified is negatively influenced by complexity degree and hazardous degree of traffic scenes, and similar associations are found between hazard identification time, complexity degree, and hazardous degree. The hazard identification time and the number of hazards slowly identified are positively affected by the number of fixations and the number of saccades. Meanwhile, differences in the hazardous degree evaluation, hazard identification time, number of hazards unidentified, number of fixations, and number of saccades are found in different types of traffic scenes. The results help us to improve the design of road and vehicle devices, as well as the assessment and enhancement of young drivers’ hazard perception skills.
Study of Vanadium Carbide Structures Based on Ve and Ev-Degree Topological Indices
Authors: Rauf Abdul , Maqbool Saba , Naeem Muhammad , Aslam Adnan , Aram Hamideh , Yannick Kraidi Anoh
Published: December 2021

Vanadium is a biologically active product with significant industrial and biological applications. Vanadium is found in a variety of minerals and fossil fuels, the most common of which are sandstones, crude oil, and coal. Topological descriptors are numerical numbers assigned to the molecular structures and have the ability to predict certain of their physical/chemical properties. In this paper, we have studied topological descriptors of vanadium carbide structure based on ev and ve degrees. In particular, we have computed the closed forms of Zagreb, Randic, geometric-arithmetic, and atom-bond connectivity (ABC) indices of vanadium carbide structure based on ev and ve degrees. This kind of study may be useful for understanding the biological and chemical behavior of the structure.
Multiple Mechanisms Converging on Transcription Factor EB Activation by the Natural Phenol Pterostilbene
Authors: La Spina Martina , Azzolini Michele , Salmaso Andrea , Parrasia Sofia , Galletta Eva , Schiavone Marco , Chrisam Martina , Mattarei Andrea , Di Benedetto Giulietta , Ballabio Andrea , Tiso Natascia , Zoratti Mario , Biasutto Lucia
Published: December 2021

Pterostilbene (Pt) is a potentially beneficial plant phenol. In contrast to many other natural compounds (including the more celebrated resveratrol), Pt concentrations producing significant effects in vitro can also be reached with relative ease in vivo. Here we focus on some of the mechanisms underlying its activity, those involved in the activation of transcription factor EB (TFEB). A set of processes leading to this outcome starts with the generation of ROS, attributed to the interaction of Pt with complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and spreads to involve Ca2+ mobilization from the ER/mitochondria pool, activation of CREB and AMPK, and inhibition of mTORC1. TFEB migration to the nucleus results in the upregulation of autophagy and lysosomal and mitochondrial biogenesis. Cells exposed to several μM levels of Pt experience a mitochondrial crisis, an indication for using low doses in therapeutic or nutraceutical applications. Pt afforded significant functional improvements in a zebrafish embryo model of ColVI‐related myopathy, a pathology which also involves defective autophagy. Furthermore, long‐term supplementation with Pt reduced body weight gain and increased transcription levels of Ppargc1a and Tfeb in a mouse model of diet‐induced obesity. These in vivo findings strengthen the in vitro observations and highlight the therapeutic potential of this natural compound.
Brevibacterium Bacteremia in the Setting of Pyogenic Liver Abscess: A Case Report with Accompanying Literature Review
Authors: Hossain Sarah , Hossain Afif , Barajas-Ochoa Aldo , Jaker Michael A.
Published: December 2021

A 71-year-old Pakistani man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus presenting with worsening mental status, abdominal pain, and oral intake for the past seven days was found to have pyogenic hepatic abscess with unculturable bacteria and subsequently found to have rare Brevibacterium bacteremia.
EANet: Depth Estimation Based on EPI of Light Field
Authors: Du Yunzhang , Zhang Qian , Hua Dingkang , Hou Jiaqi , Wang Bin , Zhu Sulei , Zhang Yan , Fang Yun
Published: December 2021

The light field is an important way to record the spatial information of the target scene. The purpose of this paper is to obtain depth information through the processing of light field information and provide a basis for intelligent medical treatment. In this paper, we first design an attention module to extract the features of light field images and connect all the features as a feature map to generate an attention image. Then, the attention map is integrated with the convolution layer in the neural network in the form of weights to enhance the weight of the subaperture viewpoint, which is more meaningful for depth estimation. Finally, the obtained initial depth results were optimized. The experimental results show that the MSE, PSNR, and SSIM of the depth map obtained by this method are increased by about 13%, 10 dB, and 4%, respectively, in some scenarios with good performance.
Antioxidant and Inflammatory Effects of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Leaves
Authors: Li Chong , He Yongpeng , Yang Yue , Gou Yuting , Li Shuting , Wang Rui , Zeng Shi , Zhao Xin
Published: December 2021

This study is aimed at identifying the bioactive components in lotus leaf flavonoid extract (LLFE) and analyzing the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities of LLFE in vitro and in vivo. The flavonoids in LLFE were determined by UHPLC‐MS/MS. The effect of LLFE on damaged 293T cells (H2O2, 0.3 mmol/L) was determined by MTT assay, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes was measured by kits. We studied the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of LLFE on D‐Gal/LPS (30 mg/kg·bw and 3 μg/kg·bw)‐induced aging mice. We also evaluated the main organ index, pathological changes in the liver, lung, and kidney, liver function index, biochemical index, cytokine level, and mRNA expression level in serum and liver. The results showed that LLFE contains baicalein, kaempferol, kaempferid, quercetin, isorhamnetin, hyperoside, lespenephryl, and rutin. LLFE reduced the oxidative damage sustained by 293T cells, increased the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, and GSH‐Px, and decreased the level of MDA. The animal studies revealed that LLFE reduced oxidative damage and inflammation in injured mice, inhibited increases in AST, ALT, MDA, and NO, increased SOD, CAT, GSH, and GSH‐Px levels, upregulated anti‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐10 and IL‐12, and downregulated proinflammatory cytokines IL‐6, IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and IFN‐γ. Furthermore, the expression of antioxidant‐ and anti‐inflammatory‐related mRNA was consistent with the above results.
Effect of Volume and Renewal of the Storage Media on the Release of Monomer from Dental Composites
Authors: Shahabi Sima , Sayyari Maryam , Sadrai Sima , Valizadeh Sara , Hajizamani Hamidreza , Sadr Alireza
Published: December 2021

This study evaluated the effect of the volume and renewing of storage media on monomer leachability from dental composite. Samples of two dental composites (BEAUTIFIL II Gingiva (BG) and Filtek Bulk-Fill Flowable (FBF)) were stored after polymerization in 1 and 3 milt storage media (ethanol/water 75%) for seven days. Refreshing of storage media was done in half of the samples of each group. The amounts of releasing monomers (UDMA, BisGMA, TEGDMA) in storage media were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data was analyzed using two-way ANOVA and t-test (α = 0.05). Elution of TEGDMA and UDMA from both composites was significantly higher in 3 mL storage media. In groups with refreshing of storage media, BisGMA had higher amounts of release. Saturation makes the storage media volume important factor in monomer elution. Refreshing of storage media had significant effect on monomer release before the elution of 50% of total released monomer.
The lncRNA H19/miR-766-3p/S1PR3 Axis Contributes to the Hyperproliferation of Keratinocytes and Skin Inflammation in Psoriasis via the AKT/mTOR Pathway
Authors: He Yuexi , Yin Xiran , Yan Jianjun , Li Xue , Sun Qing
Published: December 2021

Background. The pathogenesis of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are well studied in psoriasis. However, little is known about how specific lncRNAs and miRNAs affect the mechanism of psoriasis development and which pathways are involved. Objectives. To explore the role of the lncRNA H19/miR-766-3p/S1PR3 axis in psoriasis. Methods. miRNA and lncRNA microarrays were performed using IL-22-induced HaCaT cells and psoriatic lesions, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of miR-766-3p and lncRNA H19. Luciferase reporter assays were used to identify miR-766-3p/lncRNA H19 and miR-766-3p/S1PR3 combinations. CCK-8 and ELISA were performed to evaluate the proliferation of keratinocytes and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of S1PR3 and its downstream effector proteins. Results. MiR-766-3p was upregulated in both HaCaT cells treated with the psoriasis-related cytokine pool (IL-17A, IL-22, IL-1 alpha, oncostatin M, and TNF-alpha) and tissues. Overexpression of miR-766-3p promoted keratinocyte proliferation and IL-17A and IL-22 secretion. LncRNA H19 and S1PR3 were demonstrably combined with miR-766-3p by luciferase reporter assay. lncRNA H19 repressed proliferation and inflammation, which were reduced by the miR-766-3p. AKT/mTOR pathway effected proliferation and inflammation by the lncRNA H19/miR-766-3p/S1PR3 axis. Conclusions. We established that downregulation of lncRNA H19 promoted the proliferation of keratinocytes and skin inflammation by up-regulating miR-766-3p expression levels and inhibiting activation of S1PR3 through the AKT/mTOR pathway in psoriasis.
GABAB Receptor Antagonism from Birth to Weaning Permanently Modifies Kiss1 Expression in the Hypothalamus and Gonads in Mice
Authors: Bizzozzero-Hiriart Marianne , Di Giorgio Noelia P. , Libertun Carlos , Lux-Lantos Victoria A.R.
Published: December 2021

Introduction: The kisspeptin gene Kiss1 is expressed in two hypothalamic areas: anteroventral periventricular nucleus/periventricular nucleus (AVPV/PeN) and arcuate nucleus (ARC), and also in gonads. Several pieces of evidence suggests that gamma-amino butyric acid B receptors (GABAB) signaling can regulate Kiss1 expression. Here, we inhibited GABAB signaling from PND2 to PND21 and evaluated the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Methods: BALB/c mice were treated on postnatal days 2–21 (PND2–PND21) with CGP55845 (GABAB antagonist) and evaluated in PND21 and adulthood: gene expression (qPCR) in the hypothalamus and gonads, hormones by radioimmunoassay, gonad histochemistry (H&E), puberty onset, and estrous cycles. Results: At PND21, CGP inhibited Kiss1 and Tac2 and increased Pdyn and Gabbr1 in the ARC of both sexes and decreased Th only in female AVPV/PeN. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testis weight were decreased in CGP-males, and puberty onset was delayed. In adults, Kiss1, Tac2, Pdyn, Pgr, Cyp19a1, and Gad1 were downregulated, while Gabbr1 was upregulated in the ARC of both sexes. In the AVPV/PeN, Kiss1, Th, Cyp19a1, and Pgr were decreased while Gad1 was increased in CGP-females, whereas Cyp19a1 was increased in CGP-males. Serum FSH was increased in CGP-males while prolactin was increased in CGP-females. Testosterone and progesterone were increased in ovaries from CGP-females, in which Kiss1, Cyp19a1, and Esr1 were downregulated while Hsd3b2 was upregulated, together with increased atretic and decreased ovulatory follicles. Testes from CGP-males showed decreased progesterone, increased Gabbr1, Kiss1, Kiss1r, and Esr2 and decreased Cyp19a1, and clear signs of seminiferous tubules atrophy. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that appropriate GABAB signaling during this critical prepubertal period is necessary for the normal development of the HPG axis.
High Mast Cell Density Predicts a Favorable Prognosis in Patients with Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Authors: Mo Shengwei , Zong Liju , Chen Xianlong , Chang Xiaoyan , Lu Zhaohui , Yu Shuangni , Chen Jie
Published: December 2021

Introduction: Mast cells are involved in allergic diseases, immune regulation, and tumor microenvironment modulation, with both pro- and anti-tumorigenic functions, and could serve as a prognostic factor in various cancers. However, their potential role in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs) is largely unknown. Here, our aim was to investigate the presence of mast cells in PanNENs and evaluate their association with clinicopathological parameters and other common tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Methods: Tissue microarrays containing PanNEN samples from 187 patients were constructed and stained immunohistochemically for CD117, CD15, CD68, CD3, CD4, and CD8. Immune cells were counted from four high-power fields (HPFs; ×400) at maximal concentrations, and the mean counts were calculated per HPF. The cutoff values were set by X-tile. Results: The median (interquartile range) counts of CD117+ mast cells, CD15+ neutrophils, CD68+ macrophages, CD3+ T cells, and CD4+ T cells were 3.5 (2.0–6.0), 3.0 (1.3–6), 3.8 (2.5–5.8), 13 (8.0–24.0), and 2.0 (1.0–4.0)/HPF, respectively. CD8+ T cells were not detected. The cutoff values for these immune cells were 1.5/HPF, 6/HPF, 4.8/HPF, 32.5/HPF, and 2/HPF, respectively. Low mast cell density was correlated with higher grades, noninsulinoma, and advanced stages. Moreover, high mast cell infiltration was associated with elevated CD4+ T cell and CD15+ neutrophil counts. Multivariate analysis revealed that high mast cell density was an independent predictor of prolonged progression-free survival in the entire cohort; in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors; and in intermediate-grade, noninsulinoma, and advanced stage subgroups. Conclusions: These findings suggest a protective role of mast cells in PanNENs.
Quality of Life of Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Al-Matrouk Jenan , Al-Sharbati Marwan
Published: December 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) of Kuwaiti patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), aged ≥45 years of both genders, and identifying factors associated with poor QoL. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample stratified by gender, consisting of 604 Kuwaiti patients with T2DM, aged ≥45 years, diagnosed as diabetics for ≥6 months. A validated demographic and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess the QoL. Results: Both genders were equally represented; 46% of patients were 56–65 years of age. Only 24% of the participants had intermediate school education, while 57% were retired, and 54% of the study population had incomes of >1,000 Kuwaiti dinars (KD) (USD 3,300)/month. Most patients (76%) were married, and 99% were living with their families. Obesity was reported in 54%, and 16% were smokers. Only oral antidiabetic drugs were used by 50% of patients, while 24% of patients had complications, and 11% of them developed retinopathy. A family history of diabetes was reported in 74% of patients, and 45% of them have a duration of diabetes >10 years. The median score of QoL was 71, and around 77% of the sample has a good QoL. Conclusion: Kuwaiti patients with T2DM aged ≥45 years reported an overall good level of QoL with higher scores in psychological and social relationships than physical and environmental domains of QoL. Health region, type of treatment, educational level, marital status, and BMI level were statistically significant predictors of poor QoL. More public health action is required to control the disease and improve the QoL.
HEALTH OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES: DIAGNOSING, IDENTIFYING GAPS AND NEEDS
Authors: Petrashyk Yu. M. , Saturska H. S. , Terenda N. O. , Lishtaba L. V. , Slobodian N. O. , Lytvynova O. N.
Published: December 2021

Purpose: to identify features of diagnosing the health of local communities, to examine the current state and changes in the approaches to identifying gaps and needs for action planning.

Materials and Methods. The study makes use of the current data on approaches to identifying gaps and needs health diagnostics of local communities in Ukraine and the world.

Results. There are five types of models for health diagnosis and needs assessment: epidemiological diagnosis, public health diagnosis, social diagnosis, asset diagnosis, and rapid diagnosis. Each model has its own vision, as well as advantages and disadvantages. In practice, the selected model can be supplemented with elements of other models in accordance with the resources and purpose of the assessment. Determining the population to be assessed is an important early stage in assessing community health. It can be determined geographically, by a specific area, place of work, residence, or study. The state health department can target the entire population, while a small local non-profit agency is likely to focus only on potential customers. The use of very specific parameters to determine the population makes the assessment more focused and detailed, allows very specific adaptation of health measures.

Conclusions. When assessing community health, the boundaries of the target audience may change during data collection and analysis. Analysis and interpretation of epidemiological data may reveal that only working mothers are at high risk for health problems that the organization can address. This refinement of the target audience can occur because of a community health assessment.
ПРОГРАМИ МЕДИЧНОГО СТРАХУВАННЯ ТА ЇХ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЗА УМОВ COVID-19
Authors: Климук Н. Я. , Смірнова В. Л. , Панчишин Н. Я.
Published: December 2021

Мета: з’ясувати особливості програм медичного страхування за умов пандемії COVID-19.

Матеріали і методи. У роботі використано наукові статті вітчизняних науковців, офіційні сайти страхових компаній та сайт Міністерства фінансів України. Під час виконання даного дослідження застосовано методи структурування, аналізу і узагальнення інформації.

Результати. У статті розкрито особливості програм медичного страхування за умов Covid-19. Для цього розглянуто зарубіжний досвід змін в політиці функціонування страховиків у різних країнах через пандемію. Проведено комплексне дослідження програм страхування від Covid-19 українських страхових компаній, визначено їх переваги та недоліки.

Висновки. Пандемія COVID-19 змусила страхові компанії змінити свою політику функціонування як у зарубіжних країнах, так і в Україні, переглянувши свої програми. Аналіз показав, що договори про страхування від COVID-19 на страховому ринку різних страхових компаній є подібними між собою і мають як переваги, які полягають у зменшенні фінансового навантаження на хворого та наданні впевненості у фінансовому забезпеченні й матеріальній компенсації збитків, так і недоліки.