bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Respiratory patient experience of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19: findings from a descriptive cross-sectional UK wide survey
Authors: Philip Keir , Cumella Andrew , Farrington-Douglas Joe , Laffan Michael , Hopkinson Nicholas
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To assess the experience of people with long-term respiratory conditions regarding the impact of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19.

Design

Analysis of data (n=9515) from the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation partnership COVID-19 survey collected online between 1 and 8 April 2020.

Setting

Community.

Participants

9515 people with self-reported long-term respiratory conditions. 81% female, age ranges from ≤17 years to 80 years and above, from all nations of the UK. Long-term respiratory conditions reported included asthma (83%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (10%), bronchiectasis (4%), interstitial lung disease (2%) and ‘other’ (<1%) (eg, lung cancer and pulmonary endometriosis).

Outcome measures

Study responses related to impacts on key elements of healthcare, as well as practical, psychological and social consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures.

Results

45% reported disruptions to care, including cancellations of appointments, investigations, pulmonary rehabilitation, treatment and monitoring. Other practical impacts such as difficulty accessing healthcare services for other issues and getting basic necessities such as food were also common. 36% did not use online prescriptions, and 54% had not accessed online inhaler technique videos. Psychosocial impacts including anxiety, loneliness and concerns about personal health and family were prevalent. 81% reported engaging in physical activity. Among the 11% who were smokers, 48% reported they were planning to quit smoking because of COVID-19.

Conclusions

COVID-19 and related social distancing measures are having profound impacts on people with chronic respiratory conditions. Urgent adaptation and signposting of services is required to mitigate the negative health consequences of the COVID-19 response for this group.
A cross-sectional survey of parental perceptions of COVID-19 related hygiene measures within schools and adherence to social distancing in journeys to and from school
Authors: Smith Louise E , Woodland Lisa , Amlôt Richard , Rubin Antonia , Rubin G James
Published: September 2020

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in England were only kept open to children of ‘key workers’ and, from 1 June, to children in reception, year 1 and year 6. Our cross-sectional survey of parents found low rates of attendance (<50%) in both groups. Many parents whose children attended school reported low adherence to hygiene measures (eg, not maintaining distance from others during school drop-off) and doubted that their school was adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. This must be improved if parents are to feel confident about a more comprehensive return to school, as planned for September.
Distinct financial distress profiles in patients with breast cancer prior to and for 12 months following surgery
Authors: Chan Raymond , Cooper Bruce , Paul Steven , Conley Yvette , Kober Kord , Koczwara Bogda , Chan Alexandre , Tan Chia Jie , Gordon Louisa , Thomy Lebogang , Levine Jon , Miaskowski Christine
Published: September 2020

Background

Study purposes were to identify subgroups of patients with breast cancer with distinct self-reported financial distress (FD) profiles and determine which demographic, clinical and symptom characteristics, as well as quality of life (QOL) outcomes were associated with subgroup membership.

Methods

Patients (n=391) who were assessed for changes in FD a total of 10 times from prior to through 12 months after breast cancer surgery. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients with distinct FD profiles.

Results

Three distinct FD profiles (ie, None (14.6%), Low (52.7%), High (32.7%)) were identified. Compared with None and/or Low subgroups, patients in the High subgroup were more likely to report a lower annual household income and performance status; had a higher body mass index, axillary lymph node dissection and more advanced stage disease; had a longer time from cancer diagnosis to surgery; and had received neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy. In addition, patients in the High subgroup reported higher fatigue, sleep disturbance, state/trait anxiety, depressive symptom scores, and lower attentional function and QOL scores.

Conclusion

This study provides new insights on risk factors for and evidence of a higher symptom burden associated with FD. Findings from this study provide clinicians with information on how to identify high-risk patients and to recommend appropriate interventions for both symptom management and FD. Additional research on the mechanisms that underlie the relationships among FD and common physical and psychological symptoms may inform future interventions.
CD25-targeted antibody–drug conjugate depletes regulatory T cells and eliminates established syngeneic tumors via antitumor immunity
Authors: Zammarchi Francesca , Havenith Karin , Bertelli Francois , Vijayakrishnan Balakumar , Chivers Simon , van Berkel Patrick H
Published: September 2020

Background

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) contribute to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. They play an important role in the establishment and progression of tumors with high Tregsinfiltration and present a major obstacle to tumor eradication by immunotherapies. Numerous strategies have been attempted to deplete or block Tregs, although their success has been limited.

Methods

A CD25-targeted, pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer-based antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) was investigated for its ability to deplete Tregsand induce antitumor immunity. Antitumor activity of CD25-ADC either alone or in combination with an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody was evaluated in CD25-negative syngeneic models that exhibit tumor infiltration of CD25-expressing Tregs, and its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics were assessed.

Results

Single low doses of CD25-ADC resulted in potent and durable antitumor activity in established syngeneic solid tumor models and the combination of a suboptimal dose was synergistic with PD-1 blockade. Tumor eradication by the CD25-targeted ADC was CD8+ T cell-dependent and CD25-ADC induced protective immunity. Importantly, while CD25-ADC mediated a significant and sustained intratumoral Tregsdepletion, accompanied by a concomitant increase in the number of activated and proliferating tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T effector cells, systemic Tregsdepletion was transient, alleviating concerns of potential autoimmune side effects.

Conclusions

This study shows that a PBD dimer-based, CD25-targeted ADC is able to deplete Tregsand eradicate established tumors via antitumor immunity. This represents a novel approach to efficiently deplete Tregsvia a very potent DNA damaging toxin known to induce immunogenic cell death. Moreover, this study provides proof of concept for a completely new application of ADCs as immunotherapeutic agents, as the main mode of action relies on the ADC directly targeting immune cells, rather than tumor cells. These strong preclinical data warrant the clinical evaluation of camidanlumab tesirine (ADCT-301), a PBD-based ADC targeting human CD25, either alone or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors with known Tregsinfiltration. A phase I trial (NCT03621982) of camidanlumab tesirine in patients with selected advanced solid tumors is ongoing.
A genome-wide case-control association study of dark cutting in beef cattle
Authors: Lei Huaigang , Yang Tianfu , Mahmood Shahid , Abo-Ismail Mohammed , Roy Bimol C. , Li Changxi , Plastow Graham S. , Bruce Heather L.
Published: September 2020

The genetic architecture of dark cutting was investigated with a case-control genome-wide association study on two groups of beef cattle analyzed separately and together (combined group). Groups I (n = 64) and II (n = 150) were genotyped using the 70K GeneSeek Genomic Profiler for Beef Cattle-HD and the 50K Illumina BovineSNP50v2 BeadChip, respectively. Dark cutting was analyzed as a binary trait (case versus control) using logistic regression in an additive model implemented in PLINK version 1.9. Significant loci were not identified when correcting for multiple testing (false discovery rate), suggesting that the trait is not controlled by genes with big effects, or the sample size was not large enough to detect these major genes. Regions harbouring single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a raw p < 0.01 using 1 MB window were analyzed for gene function using the ingenuity pathway analysis. For groups I, II, and the combined group, 449, 301, and 191 SNPs were identified, respectively. Genes identified were involved in pyruvic acid modification and release, 2-deoxyglucose clearance and disposal, sucrose recognition, energy production, and metabolism of carbohydrate. Although detected SNP associations require validation in a large population, results suggested the possibility for marker-assisted or genomic selection of beef cattle to reduce dark cutting.
Threshold effects in SO(10) models with one intermediate breaking scale
Authors: Meloni Davide , Ohlsson Tommy , Pernow Marcus
Published: September 2020

Despite the successes of the Standard Model of particle physics, it is known to suffer from a number of deficiencies. Several of these can be addressed within non-supersymmetric theories of grand unification based on $$\text {SO}(10)$$

SO
(
10
)

. However, achieving gauge coupling unification in such theories is known to require additional physics below the unification scale, such as symmetry breaking in multiple steps. Many such models are disfavored due to bounds on the proton lifetime. Corrections arising from threshold effects can, however, modify these conclusions. We analyze all seven relevant breaking chains with one intermediate symmetry breaking scale, assuming the “survival hypothesis” for the scalar masses. Two are allowed by proton lifetime and two are disfavored by a failure to unify the gauge couplings. The remaining three unify at a too low scale, but can be salvaged by various amounts of threshold corrections. We parametrize this and thereby rank the models by the size of the threshold corrections required to save them.
Inflation without a trace of lambda
Authors: Barrow John D. , Cotsakis Spiros
Published: September 2020

We generalise Einstein’s formulation of the traceless Einstein equations tof(R) gravity theories. In the case of the vacuum traceless Einstein equations, we show that a non-constant Weyl tensor leads via a conformal transformation to a dimensionally homogeneous (‘no-scale’) theory in the conformal frame with a scalar field source that has an exponential potential. We then formulate the traceless version off(R) gravity, and we find that a conformal transformation leads to a no-scale theory conformally equivalent to general relativity and a scalar field$$\phi $$ϕwith a potential given by the scale-invariant form:$$V(\phi )=\frac{D-2}{4D}Re^{-\phi }$$V(ϕ)=D-24DRe-ϕ, where$$\phi =[2/(D-2)]\ln f^{\prime }(R)$$ϕ=[2/(D-2)]lnf′(R). In this theory, the cosmological constant is a mere integration constant, statistically distributed in a multiverse of independent causal domains, the vacuum energy is another unrelated arbitrary constant, and the same is true of the height of the inflationary plateau present in a huge variety of potentials. Unlike in the conformal equivalent of full general relativity, flat potentials are found to be possible in all spacetime dimensions for polynomial lagrangians of all orders. Hence, we are led to a novel interpretation of the cosmological constant vacuum energy problem and have accelerated inflationary expansion in the very early universe with a very small cosmological constant at late times for a wide range of no-scale theories. Fine-tunings required in traceless general relativity or standard non-tracelessf(R) theories of gravity are avoided. We show that the predictions of the scale-invariant conformal potential are completely consistent with microwave background observational data concerning the primordial tilt and the tensor-to-scalar ratio.
Traditional Chinese Medicine as Potential Therapy for COVID-19
Authors: Li Shuang , Liu Chang , Guo Fangyue , Taleb Sarah J. , Tong Mengying , Shang Dong
Published: September 2020

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, causing the disease COVID-19, spread from Wuhan throughout China and has infected people over 200 countries. Thus far, more than 3,400,000 cases and 240,000 deaths have occurred worldwide, and the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the globe. While numbers of cases in China have been steadying, the number of infections outside China is increasing at a worrying pace. We face an urgent need to control the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, which is currently expanding to a global pandemic. Efforts have focused on testing antiviral drugs and vaccines, but there is currently no treatment specifically approved. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is grounded in empirical observations and the Chinese people use TCM to overcome these sorts of plagues many times in thousands of years of history. Currently, the Chinese National Health Commission recommended a TCM prescription of Qing-Fei-Pai-Du-Tang (QFPDT) in the latest version of the “Diagnosis and Treatment guidelines of COVID-19” which has been reported to provide reliable effects for COVID-19. While doubts about TCM still exist today, this review paper will describe the rationalities that QFPDT is likely to bring a safe and effective treatment of COVID-19.
De Sitter scalar–spinor interaction in Minkowski limit
Authors: Ahmadi Y.
Published: September 2020

The scalar–spinor interaction Lagrangian is presented by the Yukawa potential. In dS ambient space formalism, the interaction Lagrangian of scalar–spinor fields was obtained from a new transformation which is very similar to the gauge theory. The interaction of massless minimally coupled (mmc) scalar and spinor fields was investigated. The Minkowski limit of the mmc scalar field and massive spinor field interaction in the ambient space formalism of de Sitter spacetime is calculated. The interaction Lagrangian and mmc scalar field in the null curvature limit become zero and the local transformation in the null curvature limit become a constant phase transformation and the interaction in this limit become zero. The covariant derivative reduces to ordinary derivative too. Then, we conclude that this interaction is due to the curvature of spacetime and then the mmc scalar field may be a part of a gravitational field.
Geometric viewpoint on the quantization of a fuzzy logic
Authors: Pastorello Davide
Published: September 2020

Within the Hamiltonian framework, the propositions about a classical physical system are described in the Borel [Formula: see text]-algebra of a symplectic manifold (the phase space) where logical connectives are the standard set operations. Considering the geometric formulation of quantum mechanics we give a description of quantum propositions in terms of fuzzy events in a complex projective space equipped with Kähler structure (the quantum phase space) obtaining a quantized version of a fuzzy logic by deformation of the product [Formula: see text]-norm.
Effect of Bi3+ ion concentration on crystal structure and luminescent properties of blue–green-emitting Y2O3:Bi3+ phosphors
Authors: Li Qian , Zhang Biao , Wei Zhilei , He Miao , Wang Hailong , Wei Zhipeng , Shi Zhongqi
Published: September 2020

Blue–green-emitting Y2O3 : [Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] = 0.25–1.50 mol.%) phosphors were synthesized by a solution combustion method followed by high temperature annealing. The effect of Bi[Formula: see text] ion concentration on the crystal structure and photoluminescence performance of the phosphors were investigated. The results show that the cell parameter and cell volume of Y2O3host were increased with the Bi[Formula: see text] concentration, and all the phosphor powders exhibited porous lamellar structure with the width of [Formula: see text]500 nm. The emission spectra of the phosphors ([Formula: see text] = 335 nm) consist of three broadband emission spectra centered at 370 nm (3A[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text], 410 nm (3E[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text] and 486 nm (3B [Formula: see text]A), respectively. The phosphor exhibited the optimal luminescence performance at [Formula: see text]= 0.50% and the dipole–dipole and quadrupole–quadrupole interactions among Bi[Formula: see text] ions could lead to the concentration quenching. The color coordinates of Y2O3:0.50%Bi[Formula: see text] were (0.1595, 0.2250), indicating that the as-synthesized blue–green phosphors have a broad application prospect in the field of white light-emitting diodes.
DIKES VERSUS WINDMILLS: CLIMATE TREATIES AND ADAPTATION
Authors: BARRETT SCOTT
Published: September 2020

This paper begins with a tribute to William Nordhaus, focusing on the two questions that have motivated his life’s work. The first is by how much carbon dioxide emissions should be reduced over time. The second is how to reach and enforce an agreement among sovereign nations to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Nordhaus was awarded the Nobel Prize for his efforts to answer the first question. I argue here that the answer to this question has been solved to a satisfactory extent, not only by economists, but by diplomats, and that the greatest need now is to answer the second question. I also present a simple model that extends previous research into this second question, a model in which countries choose both whether to abate and whether to adapt. Like all previous research on this topic, including Nordhaus’s own, the model doesn’t provide a neat solution, only another perspective on one of the most vexing questions in all of human history: how to prevent a tragedy of the commons of global proportions and with profound and possibly catastrophic consequences.
The Variation in Variance Risk Premium and its Predictive Power: Evidence from Option Market Sentiments
Authors: Chung Y. Peter , Yoon Sun-Joong
Published: September 2020

We show that the highly volatile variance risk premium (VRP) can be theoretically and empirically reconciled with investor sentiment captured by temporary variation in risk aversion. In an effort to understand the poor predictive power of the VRP in non-U.S. markets, we propose a new investor sentiment index, the Variance Sentiment Index(VSI), obtained from the trading behavior of individual investors. We show that the VSI predicts local return dynamics, in a similar way to what the VRP does in the U.S. market. Moreover, the VSI does not lose its predictive power even in the presence of the global VRP.
Seismic and borehole-based mapping of the late Carboniferous succession in the Canonbie Coalfield, SW Scotland: evidence for a ‘broken’ Variscan foreland?
Authors: Howell Louis , Besly Bernard , Sooriyathasan Surika , Egan Stuart , Leslie Graham
Published: September 2020

Local seismic and borehole-based mapping of the Carboniferous Pennine Coal Measures and Warwickshire Group successions in the Canonbie Coalfield (SW Scotland) provides evidence of repeated episodes of positive inversion, syn-depositional folding and unconformities. A Duckmantian (Westphalian B) episode of NE–SW transpression is recognized, based on onlapping seismic reflector geometries against NE-trending positive inversion structures and contemporaneous NNE-trending syn-depositional growth folding. The basin history thus revealed at Canonbie is at variance with generally accepted models in neighbouring northern England that imply subsidence was due to post-rift thermal subsidence during late Carboniferous times. A late Westphalian–Stephanian unconformity recognized within the Warwickshire Group succession signifies NW–SE,
c
. 10% local basin shortening during a time of major shortening in the late Carboniferous Variscan foreland, contradicting suggestions that maximum Variscan shortening had negligible impact on Carboniferous basins in northern Britain. Local inversion structures appear to have strongly influenced local late Westphalian–Stephanian depocentres. In this respect, the Variscan foreland at Canonbie may have resembled a ‘broken’ foreland system. Variations in crustal rheology, fault strength and orientation, and mid-crustal detachments are suggested to have played important roles in determining strain localization and the nature of Westphalian–Stephanian depocentres in the Canonbie Coalfield.
Macro vs. Micro? Arguing for the Whole and Not the Chunk!
Authors: Akella Nirupama
Published: September 2020

Has micro-designing of online courses in higher education become more important than macro-designing the online course? Has chunking of content surpassed the need to be holistic enabling deep learning and comprehension? This discussive position paper offers an insight into macro and micro designing of online courses in contemporary higher education, with able support from two case studies and Reigeluth's elaboration theory.
Not Just for Students: Mobile Teacher Professional Development
Authors: Burns Mary
Published: September 2020

Mobile phones are emerging as an important professional learning vehicle for the millions of teachers who lack access to computers and technology and their use as teacher professional development tools is expanding. This article shares some examples of how simple mobile phones provide teachers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with access to content, language instruction, and curriculum. While the mobile phone is a promising tool for teacher learning, the article outlines some of the challenges associated with mobile learning and cautions against the temptation to abandon or reduce face-to-face interventions (when possible) in favor of phone-based learning.
Using Multimodal, Asynchronous Discussion Forums in Public (aka: Why My Students Blog)
Authors: Zumpano Nicole M.
Published: September 2020

Blogging in online courses has advantages for students and the field of education. Read why I require blogging in my technology in education graduate courses.
Analyzing and Visualizing Government-Citizen Interactions on Twitter to Support Public Policy-making
Authors: Hubert Rocío B. , Estevez Elsa , Maguitman Ana , Janowski Tomasz
Published: September 2020

Twitter is widely adopted by governments to communicate with citizens. It has become a major source of data for analyzing how governments communicate with citizens and how citizens respond to such communication, uncovering important insights about government-citizen interactions that could be used to support public policy-making. This article presents research that aims at developing a software tool called Twitter Analytics for Government Intelligence and Public Participation (TA4GIP) that applies sentiment analysis and visualization techniques to information collected from Twitter and presents the findings to policy-makers and other non-technical users to facilitate understanding and interpretation. The use of the tool is illustrated through the case study of Twitter communication carried by five government secretaries responsible for health, education, social development, labor, and environment sectors in Mexico, and corresponding citizen responses over a nine-month period. The case study demonstrates that TA4GIP helps identify and analyze relevant aspects of government presence and citizen participation on social media, such as abnormal activity, salient topics being discussed, citizen views about enacted public policies, correlations between types of emotions in responses to particular government announcements, topics that generate polarized reactions from citizens, and many others.
MPs on Facebook
Authors: Steinfeld Nili , Lev-On Azi
Published: September 2020

Social media platforms are today the main spheres in which politicians make political and personal statements, confront other public figures, and interact with the public. In the current study, the Facebook pages of all Israeli Members of Parliament (MPs) were scraped and analyzed for the entire period of the 19th Israeli parliament service (between 2013 and 2015), in order to find similarities and differences between the posting behavior and acceptance of coalition and opposition members posts. We found that popular posts published by members of coalition and opposition differ in terms of scope of publication, scope of user engagement (posts by coalition members were more engaged with), content, and format (posts by members of opposition more varied in format, more mobilizing, critical, opinionative and negative, less formal but also less personal). The implications for the character of Facebook as a key parliamentary discursive arena are discussed.
Social Media Use for Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications During the Zika Health Crisis
Authors: Hagen Loni , Neely Stephen , Scharf Ryan , Keller Thomas E.
Published: September 2020

Many public officials and government agencies are facing increased pressure to utilize social media as a crisis communications tool. However, significant questions remain unanswered regarding how social media can be best leveraged to facilitate effective communication efforts under crisis conditions. These questions are often more challenging for local government agencies, where unsupportive culture and a lack of resources tend to discourage the active use of social media in governing. In an effort to better inform these discussions, this article examines the use of Twitter by federal, state, and local government actors during the 2015–2016 Zika virus outbreak in the United States. The findings show that local governments have smaller network sizes, on average, than their state and federal counterparts. In contrast, federal-level agencies tend to enjoy larger network sizes, which they frequently leverage as a tool for disseminating information. Elected office holders, in general, managed large networks and leveraged their popularity during the crisis. This analysis offers insight for both scholars and practitioners in the areas of emergency management and public administration, as it helps to deepen our understanding of how government agencies and political leaders across various levels of government engage with the public during times of crisis.
Sentiment Analysis of Facebook Users Reacting to Political Campaign Posts
Authors: Sandoval-Almazan Rodrigo , Valle-Cruz David
Published: September 2020

A recent trend in political campaign studies is the use of sentiment analysis to understand users’ decisions. The scandal of Facebook and Cambridge Analytics is an example of efforts to use social media platforms to impact citizens’ will. This research aims to answer the question: Did the Facebook reactions of users in Mexico reflect the outcomes of the elections and possibly also the users’ emotions toward the political candidates of the State of Mexico in 2017? To answer the research question, we analyzed data collected from 4,128 Facebook posts and their reactions. The available reactions for Facebook users are: like, love, haha, wow, sad, and angry. Doing so revealed some kind of mood from the users in the Facebook comments section and opinions of the local government campaign in the central State of Mexico. The elections studied took place in June 2017. Our findings show that the winning political party had more negative sentiment and fewer posts and users’ discussions of the candidates in Facebook comments sections than the political party with the largest positive sentiment. This party was unsuccessful in winning the elections.
ILP-Based Local Search for Graph Partitioning
Authors: Henzinger Alexandra , Noe Alexander , Schulz Christian
Published: September 2020

Computing high-quality graph partitions is a challenging problem with numerous applications. In this article, we present a novel meta-heuristic for the balanced graph partitioning problem. Our approach is based on integer linear programs that solve the partitioning problem to optimality. However, since those programs typically do not scale to large inputs, we adapt them to heuristically improve a given partition. We do so by defining a much smaller model that allows us to use symmetry breaking and other techniques that make the approach scalable. For example, in Walshaw’s well-known benchmark tables, we are able to improve roughly half of all entries when the number of blocks is high. Additionally, we include our techniques into a memetic framework and develop a crossover operation based on the proposed techniques.
Corporate leadership in a volatile networked world
Authors: Tapscott Don
Published: September 2020

When transparency reigns, corporations have nowhere to hide.
Is child internet access a questionable risk?
Authors: Shoniregun Charles Adetokunbo , Anderson Andrew
Published: September 2020

The unlimited and pervasive use of the Internet by young people raises many concerns about child safety. What solutions are available and why aren't they being used?
The trouble with out-of-the-box thinking
Authors: Ubiquity staff
Published: September 2020

Andrew Hargadon on continuity and its critical role in the innovation process
Review of "What is web design?" by Nico Macdonald, Rotovision, August 2003
Authors: Evenson Shelley
Published: September 2020

A compilation of issues, process and practice in design for connected interactive experiences.
The death of the art of writing
Authors: Ming Victor Tiong Kung
Published: September 2020

When it comes to writing, the next generation is all thumbs.
Sex- and age-based differences in the effect of central serotonin on arterial blood pressure regulation
Authors: Magnusson Jennifer L. , Emter Craig A. , Cummings Kevin J.
Published: September 2020

The role of serotonin in arterial blood pressure (ABP) regulation across states of vigilance is unknown. We hypothesized that adult rats devoid of CNS serotonin (TPH2−/−) have low ABP in wakefulness and NREM sleep, when serotonin neurons are active. However, TPH2−/− rats experience higher ABP than TPH2+/+ rats in wakefulness and REM only, a phenotype present only in older males and not females. CNS serotonin may be critical for preventing high ABP in males with aging.
Circular RNA CircITGA7 Promotes Tumorigenesis of Osteosarcoma via miR-370/PIM1 Axis
Authors: Fang Chuanwu , Wang Xiaohong , Guo Dongliang , Fang Run , Zhu Ting
Published: September 2020

Many studies have shown that there are many circular RNA (circRNA) expression abnormalities in osteosarcoma (OS), and this abnormality is related to the development of osteosarcoma. But at present, it is unclear as to what circITGA7 has in the OS and what it does. In this study, qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of circITGA7, miR-370, and PIM1 mRNA in OS tissues and cells. The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effect of circITGA7 on cell proliferation. Later, the transwell assay was used to detect cell migration and invasion. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the existence of the targeting relationship between circITGA7 and miR-370, and miR-370 and PIM1. We found that circITGA7 was upregulated in OS tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of circITGA7 weakened the cell’s ability to proliferate and metastasize. Furthermore, we observed that miR-370 was negatively regulated by circITGA7, while PIM1 was positively regulated by it. A functional assay validated that circITGA7 promoted OS progression via suppressing miR-370 and miR-370 affected OS proliferation and migration via PIM6 in OS. In summary, this study shows that circITGA7 promotes OS proliferation and metastasis via miR-370/PIM1.
Predictive Growth Modeling of Listeria monocytogenes in Rice Balls and Its Risk Assessment
Authors: Yeo Seoungsoon , Kim Misook
Published: September 2020

This study aimed to investigate the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in rice balls and to conduct its microbial risk assessment based on the Korean dietary pattern. Each tuna or ham rice ball was mixed with mayonnaise, soy sauce, or gochujang, a Korean traditional fermented red peeper paste, which was artificially contaminated with L. monocytogenes and then stored at 7°C–25°C to assess bacterial growth. Growth data were analyzed using three primary models (the Huang, Baranyi, and Gompertz models), and the growth pattern was found to fit well to the Baranyi model based on the following five statistical criteria: root mean square error (0.38–0.56), Akaike’s information criterion (−51.55–−26.99), coefficient of determination (0.72–0.97), bias factor (0.97–1.01), and accuracy factor (1.06–1.18). The effects of temperature on bacterial growth rate and lag time were evaluated using the square root model. The minimum growth temperature for L. monocytogenes in tuna or ham rice balls was the lowest when they were mixed with mayonnaise (−9.44°C or −15.37°C, respectively). Risk assessment using FDA-iRISK showed that tuna or ham rice balls mixed with gochujang exhibited the highest microbial risk among all the rice balls tested, regardless of the storage temperature. Tuna or ham rice balls mixed with gochujang had the highest disability-adjusted life years per year (0.015) followed by ham rice balls mixed with soy sauce (0.011–0.015) or mayonnaise (0.006–0.015) and then tuna rice balls mixed with soy sauce (0.006–0.008) or mayonnaise (<0.001). In conclusion, our results, determined using predictive growth models, allow the assessment of potential risk ranking associated with the consumption of rice balls contaminated with L. monocytogenes based on the number of illnesses experienced per serving and the disease burden.
Evaluation of Dental Pulp Stem Cell Heterogeneity and Behaviour in 3D Type I Collagen Gels
Authors: Alraies Amr , Waddington Rachel J. , Sloan Alastair J. , Moseley Ryan
Published: September 2020

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are increasingly being advocated for regenerative medicine‐based therapies. However, significant heterogeneity in the genotypic/phenotypic properties of DPSC subpopulations exist, influencing their therapeutic potentials. As most studies have established DPSC heterogeneity using 2D culture approaches, we investigated whether heterogeneous DPSC proliferative and contraction/remodelling capabilities were further evident within 3D type I collagen gels in vitro. DPSC subpopulations were isolated from human third molars and identified as high/low proliferative and multipotent/unipotent, following in vitro culture expansion and population doubling (PD) analysis. High proliferative/multipotent DPSCs, such as A3 (30 PDs and 80 PDs), and low proliferative/unipotent DPSCs, such as A1 (17 PDs), were cultured in collagen gels for 12 days, either attached or detached from the surrounding culture plastic. Collagen architecture and high proliferative/multipotent DPSC morphologies were visualised by Scanning Electron Microscopy and FITC‐phalloidin/Fluorescence Microscopy. DPSC proliferation (cell counts), contraction (% diameter reductions), and remodelling (MMP‐2/MMP‐9 gelatin zymography) of collagen gels were also evaluated. Unexpectedly, no proliferation differences existed between DPSCs, A3 (30 PDs) and A1 (17 PDs), although A3 (80 PDs) responses were significantly reduced. Despite rapid detached collagen gel contraction with A3 (30 PDs), similar contraction rates were determined with A1 (17 PDs), although A3 (80 PDs) contraction was significantly impaired. Gel contraction correlated to distinct gelatinase profiles. A3 (30 PDs) possessed superior MMP‐9 and comparable MMP‐2 activities to A1 (17 PDs), whereas A3 (80 PDs) had significantly reduced MMP‐2/MMP‐9. High proliferative/multipotent DPSCs, A3 (30 PDs), further exhibited fibroblast‐like morphologies becoming polygonal within attached gels, whilst losing cytoskeletal organization and fibroblastic morphologies in detached gels. This study demonstrates that heterogeneity exists in the gel contraction and MMP expression/activity capabilities of DPSCs, potentially reflecting differences in their abilities to degrade biomaterial scaffolds and regulate cellular functions in 3D environments and their regenerative properties overall. Thus, such findings enhance our understanding of the molecular and phenotypic characteristics associated with high proliferative/multipotent DPSCs.
Research on the Size Effect of Unstable Fracture Toughness by the Modified Maximum Tangential Stress (MMTS) Criterion
Authors: Li Jian , Du Zhao-Wen , Guo Zhong-Ping , Ai De-Chun
Published: September 2020

This paper investigates the unstable fracture toughness of specimens of different heights using the double‐K model for three‐point bending tests on notched concrete beams. It is shown that unstable fracture toughness exhibits a significant size effect. The modified maximum tangential stress (MMTS) criterion is used to explain the size effect of unstable fracture toughness. The MMTS criterion considers the higher order terms of the Williams series expansion of the stress field. The results show that the MMTS criterion can reasonably estimate unstable fracture toughness. It is recommended that the minimum height of the specimen be 200 mm when three‐point bending tests on notched beams are used to determine unstable fracture toughness.
Effect of Hydration Heat Inhibitor on Thermal Stress of Hydraulic Structures with Different Thicknesses
Authors: Xu Wenqiang , Qiang Sheng , Hu Zhengkai , Ding Bingyong , Yang Bingyong
Published: September 2020

Concrete hydration heat inhibitor can inhibit the early hydration reaction of concrete and reduce the initial heat release of concrete. However, there is no in‐depth research on the effect of hydration heat inhibitor on hydraulic structures with different thicknesses and constraints. In this paper, numerical simulation is used to study the change of temperature and stress field after adding hydration heat inhibitor by establishing the finite element models of tunnel lining, sluice, and gravity dam. The results show that the effect of the hydration heat inhibitors on reducing the temperature peak is inversely proportional to the thickness of the structure. A formula is put forward to evaluate their relation in this paper. When the thickness of the structure is about 6 m, there is no peak cutting effect. For the stress field, hydration heat inhibitor can greatly reduce the thermal stress of the thin‐walled structure and make the structure meet the temperature control requirements; for the medium wall thickness structure, it can reduce the internal tensile stress about 50% and the surface tensile stress about 20%, and other temperature control measures are still needed to ensure that the surface tensile stress of the structure meets the requirements; for hydraulic structures with large volume and thickness, the application effect of the inhibitor has limitations, which can reduce the internal tensile stress about 30%, but the tensile stress in the surface area will increase about 7% due to the increase of the internal and external temperature difference; therefore, other temperature control measures such as arranging cooling water pipe, strengthening surface insulation, and so on are needed to ensure that temperature cracks do not occur. This paper provides references and suggestions for the research and engineering application of hydration heat inhibitor.
An Ontology-Based Framework for Complex Urban Object Recognition through Integrating Visual Features and Interpretable Semantics
Authors: Xie Xiao , Zhou Xiran , Li Jingzhong , Dai Weijiang
Published: September 2020

Although previous works have proposed sophisticatedly probabilistic models that has strong capability of extracting features from remote sensing data (e.g., convolutional neural networks, CNN), the efforts that focus on exploring the human’s semantics on the object to be recognized are required more explorations. Moreover, interpretability of feature extraction becomes a major disadvantage of the state-of-the-art CNN. Especially for the complex urban objects, which varies in geometrical shapes, functional structures, environmental contexts, etc, due to the heterogeneity between low-level data features and high-level semantics, the features derived from remote sensing data alone are limited to facilitate an accurate recognition. In this paper, we present an ontology-based methodology framework for enabling object recognition through rules extracted from the high-level semantics, rather than unexplainable features extracted from a CNN. Firstly, we semantically organize the descriptions and definitions of the object as semantics (RDF-triple rules) through our developed domain ontology. Secondly, we exploit semantic web rule language to propose an encoder model for decomposing the RDF-triple rules based on a multilayer strategy. Then, we map the low-level data features, which are defined from optical satellite image and LiDAR height, to the decomposed parts of RDF-triple rules. Eventually, we apply a probabilistic belief network (PBN) to probabilistically represent the relationships between low-level data features and high-level semantics, as well as a modified TanH function is used to optimize the recognition result. The experimental results on lacking of the training process based on data samples show that our proposed approach can reach an accurate recognition with high-level semantics. This work is conducive to the development of complex urban object recognition toward the fields including multilayer learning algorithms and knowledge graph-based relational reinforcement learning.
Functional Redox Proteomics Reveal That Salvia miltiorrhiza Aqueous Extract Alleviates Adriamycin-Induced Cardiomyopathy via Inhibiting ROS-Dependent Apoptosis
Authors: Hung Yu-Chiang , Wang Pei-Wen , Lin Tung-Yi , Yang Pei-Ming , You Jyh-Sheng , Pan Tai-Long
Published: September 2020

The anticancer agent adriamycin (ADR) has long been recognized to induce a dose-limiting cardiotoxicity, while Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) is a Chinese herb widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders and its aqueous extract (SMAE) has shown anticancer as well as antioxidant effects. In the current study, we aimed at investigating the synergistic effect and potent molecular mechanisms of SMAE with a focus on the cardioprotective benefit observed under ADR adoption. Histopathological analysis indicated that SMAE could substantially alleviate cardiomyopathy and cell apoptosis caused by ADR. Meanwhile, the two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) oxyblots demonstrated that SMAE treatment could effectively reduce carbonylation of specific proteins associated with oxidative stress response and various metabolic pathways in the presence of ADR. SMAE application also showed protective efficacy against ADR-mediated H9c2 cell death in a dose-dependent manner without causing any cytotoxicity and significantly attenuated the reactive oxygen species production. Particularly, the simultaneous administration of ADR and SMAE could remarkably suppress the growth of breast cancer cells. We also noticed that there was a marked upregulation of detoxifying enzyme system in the presence of SMAE, and its exposure also contributed to an increase in Nrf2 and HO-1 content as well. SMAE also amended the ERK/p53/Bcl-xL/caspase-3 signaling pathways and the mitochondrial dysfunction, which eventually attribute to apoptotic cathepsin B/AIF cascades. Correspondingly, both the ERK1/2 inhibitor (U0126) and pan-caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) could at least partially abolish the ADR-associated cytotoxicity in H9c2 cells. Collectively, these results support that ROS apoptosis-inducing molecule release is closely involved in ADR-induced cardiotoxicity while SMAE could prevent or mitigate the causative cardiomyopathy through controlling multiple targets without compromising the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Prediction of the Collapse Region Induced by a Concealed Karst Cave above a Deep Highway Tunnel
Authors: Huang Fu , Wang Di , Feng Yuan , Zhang Min
Published: September 2020

The presence of a concealed karst cave above a deep highway tunnel may cause the collapse of the rock mass between the karst cave and tunnel during excavation. Rock mass collapse threatens the safety of tunnel construction personnel. A prediction method of the collapse region induced by a concealed karst cave above a deep highway tunnel is proposed on the basis of the upper bound theorem of limit analysis. An analytical expression of the collapse surface is derived from the variational principle. Using the analytical expression of the collapse surface, the shapes of the collapse surfaces are plotted for different rock mass parameters. Moreover, the minimum safe distance between the karst cave and tunnel is defined, and the computational equation of the minimum safe distance is derived. The proposed method is applied in a highway tunnel excavated in a karst terrain as a case study. Based on geological survey report parameters, the shape of the collapse surface and the minimum safe distance between the karst cave and tunnel are obtained. Finally, the collapse surface of the rock mass provided by the proposed approach is compared with that provided by numerical simulation, and the favorable result comparison shows that the proposed method is valid.
Epigenetic Regulation in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Aging and Differentiation and Osteoporosis
Authors: Wang Ruoxi , Wang Yu , Zhu Lisha , Liu Yan , Li Weiran
Published: September 2020

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a reliable source for cell-based regenerative medicine owing to their multipotency and biological functions. However, aging-induced systemic homeostasis disorders in vivo and cell culture passaging in vitro induce a functional decline of MSCs, switching MSCs to a senescent status with impaired self-renewal capacity and biased differentiation tendency. MSC functional decline accounts for the pathogenesis of many diseases and, more importantly, limits the large-scale applications of MSCs in regenerative medicine. Growing evidence implies that epigenetic mechanisms are a critical regulator of the differentiation programs for cell fate and are subject to changes during aging. Thus, we here review epigenetic dysregulations that contribute to MSC aging and osteoporosis. Comprehending detailed epigenetic mechanisms could provide us with a novel horizon for dissecting MSC-related pathogenesis and further optimizing MSC-mediated regenerative therapies.
Bacterial Profile among Patients with Suspected Bloodstream Infections in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Alemnew Birhan , Biazin Habtamu , Demis Asmamaw , Abate Reta Melese
Published: September 2020

Introduction. The burden of bloodstream infections (BSIs) has been warranted in Ethiopia. Globally, the emergency and raised resistance rate of bacterial antimicrobial resistance is becoming a prominent problem, and it is difficult to treat patients having sepsis. In this review, we aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of bacterial isolates among presumptive patients with bloodstream infections in Ethiopia. Methods. A systematic search was performed from PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, HINARI, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar electronic databases using PRISMA guidelines. The data analysis was carried out using STATATM version 14 after the records were cleaned and sorted out. Results. A total of 26 studies with 8,958 blood specimens and 2,382 culture-positive bacterial isolates were included for systematic review and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis derived a pooled culture-positive bacterial prevalence which was 25.78% (95% CI: 21.55–30.01%). The estimated pooled prevalence of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial isolates was 15.50% (95% CI: 12.84–18.15%) and 10.48 % (95% CI: 8.32–12.63%), respectively. The two common Gram-positive bacteria isolated from patients suspected of BSIs were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus with a pooled prevalence of 5.75% (95% CI: 4.58–6.92%) and S. aureus 7.04 % (95% CI: 5.37–8.72%). Similarly, the common Gram-negative bacterial isolates and their estimated pooled prevalence were E. coli 1.69% (95% CI: 1.21–2.16%), Klebsiella species 7.04 % (95% CI: 5.37–8.72%), Pseudomonas species 0.39% (95% CI: 0.08–0.70%), Salmonella species 1.09% (95% CI: 0.79–1.38%), and Streptococcus pyogenes 0.88% (95% CI: 0.54–1.22%). Conclusion. The prevalence of bacterial isolates among presumptive patients suspected to BSIs in Ethiopia remains high. Furthermore, we found a remarkable variation in the pathogen distribution across the study setting.