bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lung-resident memory B cells established after pulmonary influenza infection display distinct transcriptional and phenotypic profiles
Authors: Tan Hyon-Xhi , Juno Jennifer A. , Esterbauer Robyn , Kelly Hannah G. , Wragg Kathleen M. , Konstandopoulos Penny , Alcantara Sheilajen , Alvarado Carolina , Jones Robert , Starkey Graham , Wang Boa Zhong , Yoshino Osamu , Tiang Thomas , Grayson M. Lindsay , Opdam Helen , D’Costa Rohit , Vago Angela ,   the Austin Liver Transplant Perfusionist Group, Mackay Laura K. , Gordon Claire L. , Masopust David , Groom Joanna R. , Kent Stephen J. , Wheatley Adam K.
Published: January 2022

Recent studies have established that memory B cells, largely thought to be circulatory in the blood, can take up long-term residency in inflamed tissues, analogous to widely described tissue-resident T cells. The dynamics of recruitment and retention of memory B cells to tissues and their immunological purpose remains unclear. Here, we characterized tissue-resident memory B cells (B
RM
) that are stably maintained in the lungs of mice after pulmonary influenza infection. Influenza
-
specific B
RM
were localized within inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissues (iBALTs) and displayed transcriptional signatures distinct from classical memory B cells in the blood or spleen while showing partial overlap with memory B cells in lung-draining lymph nodes. We identified lung-resident markers, including elevated expression of CXCR3, CCR6, and CD69, on hemagglutinin (HA)– and nucleoprotein (NP)–specific lung B
RM
. We found that CCR6 facilitates increased recruitment and/or retention of B
RM
in lungs and differentiation into antibody-secreting cells upon recall. Although expression of CXCR3 and CCR6 was comparable in total and influenza-specific memory B cells isolated across tissues of human donors, CD69 expression was higher in memory B cells from lung and draining lymph nodes of human organ donors relative to splenic and PBMC-derived populations, indicating that mechanisms underpinning B
RM
localization may be evolutionarily conserved. Last, we demonstrate that human memory B cells in lungs are transcriptionally distinct to populations in lung-draining lymph nodes or PBMCs. These data suggest that B
RM
may constitute a discrete component of B cell immunity, positioned at the lung mucosa for rapid humoral response against respiratory viral infections.
Connecting artificial intelligence and primary care challenges: findings from a multi stakeholder collaborative consultation
Authors: Kueper Jacqueline K , Terry Amanda , Bahniwal Ravninder , Meredith Leslie , Beleno Ron , Brown Judith Belle , Dang Janet , Leger Daniel , McKay Scott , Pinto Andrew , Ryan Bridget L , Zwarenstein Merrick , Lizotte Daniel J
Published: January 2022

Despite widespread advancements in and envisioned uses for artificial intelligence (AI), few examples of successfully implemented AI innovations exist in primary care (PC) settings.

Objectives

To identify priority areas for AI and PC in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

A collaborative consultation event engaged multiple stakeholders in a nominal group technique process to generate, discuss and rank ideas for how AI can support Ontario PC.

Results

The consultation process produced nine ranked priorities: (1) preventative care and risk profiling, (2) patient self-management of condition(s), (3) management and synthesis of information, (4) improved communication between PC and AI stakeholders, (5) data sharing and interoperability, (6-tie) clinical decision support, (6-tie) administrative staff support, (8) practitioner clerical and routine task support and (9) increased mental healthcare capacity and support. Themes emerging from small group discussions about barriers, implementation issues and resources needed to support the priorities included: equity and the digital divide; system capacity and culture; data availability and quality; legal and ethical issues; user-centred design; patient-centredness; and proper evaluation of AI-driven tool implementation.

Discussion

Findings provide guidance for future work on AI and PC. There are immediate opportunities to use existing resources to develop and test AI for priority areas at the patient, provider and system level. For larger scale, sustainable innovations, there is a need for longer-term projects that lay foundations around data and interdisciplinary work.

Conclusion

Study findings can be used to inform future research and development of AI for PC, and to guide resource planning and allocation.
Inflammation and biologic therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis achieving versus not achieving ACR/EULAR Boolean remission in a treat-to-target study
Authors: Paulshus Sundlisæter Nina , Sundin Ulf , Aga Anna-Birgitte , Sexton Joseph , Hammer Hilde Berner , Uhlig Till , Kvien Tore K , Haavardsholm Espen A , Lillegraven Siri
Published: January 2022

Objective

To investigate limiting factors of American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EULAR Boolean remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and compare patients who fulfil the criteria to patients who only partly fulfil the criteria, with respect to imaging inflammation and biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) usage.

Methods

Patients with DMARD-naïve RA were treated according to current recommendations in the the ARCTIC trial (Aiming for Remission in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised trial examining the benefit of ultrasound in a Clinical TIght Control regimen). Limiting factors of reaching ACR/EULAR Boolean remission at 2 years were assessed. Imaging inflammation (ultrasound and MRI) in patients in remission was compared with patients failing to fulfil different components of the criteria. The OR of biologic therapy was calculated using logistic regression.

Results

Of 203 patients, 112 (55%) reached ACR/EULAR Boolean remission; 49 (24%) fulfilled three of four criteria. The main limiting factors were patient global assessment (PGA) (59%) and tender joints (22%). Imaging inflammation was not significantly different for patients in remission and patients not fulfilling the criteria due to elevated PGA and/or tender joints, but higher odds of using biologics (OR 3.63, 95% CI 1.73 to 7.61) were observed.

Conclusions

PGA and tender joints were the factors most often limiting achievement of ACR/EULAR Boolean remission. The level of imaging inflammation was not elevated in these patients compared with patients in remission, but the odds of using biologic DMARDs were higher.
Conformal scattering and the Goursat problem for Dirac fields in the interior of charged spherically symmetric black holes
Authors: Mokdad Mokdad
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we construct a conformal scattering theory for Dirac fields in the interior of a Reissner–Nordström-like black hole, between the black hole event horizon and the Cauchy horizon. The main result is a resolution of the characteristic Cauchy problem for the Dirac equation on the horizons by solving a system of wave equations and re-interpreting its solution as the components of the required Dirac solution.
On Edge-Length Ratios of Partial 2-Trees
Authors: Blažj Václav , Fiala Jiří , Liotta Giuseppe
Published: January 2022

The edge-length ratio of a planar straight-line drawing of a graph is the maximum ratio between the lengths of any two of its edges. When the edges to be considered in the ratio are required to be adjacent, the ratio is called local edge-length ratio. The (local) edge-length ratio of a graph [Formula: see text] is the infimum over all (local) edge-length ratios in the planar straight-line drawings of [Formula: see text]. We prove that the edge-length ratio of the [Formula: see text]-vertex 2-trees is [Formula: see text], which proves a conjecture by Lazard et al. [TCS 770, 2019, pp. 88–94] and complements an upper bound by Borrazzo and Frati [JoCG 11(1), 2020, pp. 137–155].

We also prove that every partial 2-tree admits a planar straight-line drawing whose local edge-length ratio is at most [Formula: see text] for any arbitrarily small [Formula: see text].
CeMux: Maximizing the Accuracy of Stochastic Mux Adders and an Application to Filter Design
Authors: Baker Timothy J. , Hayes John P.
Published: January 2022

Stochastic computing (SC) is a low-cost computational paradigm that has promising applications in digital filter design, image processing, and neural networks. Fundamental to these applications is the weighted addition operation, which is most often implemented by a multiplexer (mux) tree. Mux-based adders have very low area but typically require long bitstreams to reach practical accuracy thresholds when the number of summands is large. In this work, we first identify the main contributors to mux adder error. We then demonstrate with analysis and experiment that two new techniques, precise sampling and full correlation, can target and mitigate these error sources. Implementing these techniques in hardware leads to the design of CeMux (Correlation-enhanced Multiplexer), a stochastic mux adder that is significantly more accurate and uses much less area than traditional weighted adders. We compare CeMux to other SC and hybrid designs for an electrocardiogram filtering case study that employs a large digital filter. One major result is that CeMux is shown to be accurate even for large input sizes. CeMux's higher accuracy leads to a latency reduction of 4× to 16× over other designs. Furthermore, CeMux uses about 35% less area than existing designs, and we demonstrate that a small amount of accuracy can be traded for a further 50% reduction in area. Finally, we compare CeMux to a conventional binary design and we show that CeMux can achieve a 50% to 73% area reduction for similar power and latency as the conventional design but at a slightly higher level of error.
A High-resolution Global-scale Model for COVID-19 Infection Rate
Authors: Coro Gianpaolo , Bove Pasquale
Published: January 2022

Several models have correlated COVID-19 spread with specific climatic, geophysical, and air pollution conditions, and early models had predicted the lowering of infection cases in Summer 2020. These approaches have been criticized for their coarse assumptions and because they could produce biases if used without considering dynamic factors such as human mobility and interaction. However, human mobility and interaction models alone have not been able to suggest more innovative recommendations than simple social distancing and lockdown, and would definitely need to include information about the base environmental suitability of a World area to COVID-19 spread. This scenario would benefit from a global-scale high-resolution environmental model that could be coupled with dynamic models for large-scale and regional analyses. This article presents a 0.1˚
high-resolution global-scale
probability map of low and high-infection-rates of COVID-19 that uses annual-average surface air temperature, precipitation, and CO
2
as environmental parameters, and Italian provinces as training locations. A risk index calculated on this map correctly identifies 87% of the World countries that reported high infection rates in 2020 and 80% of the low and high infection-rate countries overall. Our model is meant to be used as an additional factor in other models for monthly weather and human mobility. It estimates the base environmental inertia that a geographical place opposes to COVID-19 when mobility restrictions are not in place and can support how much the monthly weather favors or penalizes infection increase. Its high resolution and extent make it consistently usable in global and regional-scale analyses, also thanks to the availability of our results as FAIR data and software as an Open Science-oriented Web service.
(Invited) Aqueous Amination of Carbon Fiber Surfaces for Improved Composite Properties
Authors: Lowe Michael A. , Vlasak Paul , Bank Dave , Baumer Richard
Published: January 2022

Meeting the global requirements for reduced CO2 emission and increased vehicle fuel economy requires new technology development within the transportation industry. Vehicle lightweighting is a particularly important approach because reducing primary vehicle weight can often enable secondary mass reductions. Broad adoption of composite materials in the automotive industry requires composite development – including resin, fiber, and fiber interphase – and the ability to manufacture components at relevant rates and costs.

As part of a broad effort to develop low-cost carbon fiber-reinforced composites, research at Dow has demonstrated a low-cost aqueous route to electrochemically modify fiber surfaces with amine-based reactive molecules. These functionalized fibers can then provide advantages in material handling and interphase development that enable lower-cost lightweighting solutions. While electrochemical surface treatment of carbon fibers is a mature field, this presentation will provide a demonstrative example of an early stage industrial approach to using electrochemical methods, from small scale concept screening to early-pilot scale material testing.
(Invited) Co-Detection of Dopamine and Metabolites Using Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry and Modified Carbon Fiber-Microelectrodes
Authors: Zestos Alexander George , Wonnenberg Pauline , Connaughton Victoria , Laurie Kyle
Published: January 2022

Fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) and carbon-fiber microelectrodes (CFMEs) have been utilized used to detect several important neurochemicals in vivo. However, this method is limited due to the ability to discriminate dopamine from several of its metabolites. Carbon nanotube and polymer modified microelectrodes will be utilized to detect physiologically low levels of neurotransmitters that also resist surface fouling and have high temporal resolution to detect fast changes of neurotransmitters. Furthermore, novel electrode coatings and waveforms will also be utilized to detect several neurotransmitter metabolites such as dopamine, norepinephrine, normetanephrine, 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4 dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and other metabolites. Currently, dopamine is thought to be an important neurotransmitter concerning several disease states such Parkinson’s disease, drug abuse (amphetamine, cocaine, etc.), and even for gambling and sex-disorders. However, dopamine is metabolized on a subsecond timescale, and studies have pointed to the importance of neurotransmitter metabolites in these disease states apart from dopamine. Presently, there is no method to selectively co-detect these neurotransmitter metabolites of dopamine utilizing FSCV. Through several waveform modifications and polymer electrode coatings, we develop a novel method to tune the detection of dopamine and said metabolites, which will help differentiate dopamine and respective metabolites through the shapes and positions of their respective cyclic voltammograms. Preliminary measurements have also been made in zebrafish whole brain ex vivo showing the application of this technique in biological tissue. Discriminating the detection of dopamine from its metabolites will have many implications in better understanding complex disease, behavioral, and pharmacological states.
Electronic cigarette exposure causes vascular endothelial dysfunction due to NADPH oxidase activation and eNOS uncoupling
Authors: El-Mahdy Mohamed A. , Ewees Mohamed G. , Eid Mahmoud S. , Mahgoup Elsayed M. , Khaleel Sahar A. , Zweier Jay L.
Published: January 2022

Underlying mechanisms of e-cig-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction are delineated. e-cig exposure activates and increases expression of NADPH oxidase and disrupts activation and coupling of eNOS, leading to a vicious cycle of superoxide generation and peroxynitrite formation, with tetrahydrobiopterin depletion, causing loss of NO that triggers vascular endothelial dysfunction. This process is progressive, increasing with the duration of e-cig exposure, and is more severe in the presence of nicotine, but observed even with nicotine-free vaping.
Metabolomic and transcriptomic signatures of chemogenetic heart failure
Authors: Spyropoulos Fotios , Sorrentino Andrea , van der Reest Jiska , Yang Peiran , Waldeck-Weiermair Markus , Steinhorn Benjamin , Eroglu Emrah , Saeedi Saravi Seyed Soheil , Yu Paul , Haigis Marcia , Christou Helen , Michel Thomas
Published: January 2022

We have recently developed a new and robust “chemogenetic” animal model of heart failure that is based on a central feature of heart failure in humans: an increase in redox stress in the heart. Our chemogenetic approach exploits a recombinant yeast enzyme that can be activated in vivo to generate hydrogen peroxide in cardiac myocytes, leading to dilated cardiomyopathy. In these studies, we show that chemogenetic heart failure is associated with striking changes in the cardiac metabolome and transcriptome that share many features with human heart failure and with other preclinical models of heart failure. These observations help to validate the chemogenetic approach as an informative animal model for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.
Characteristics of Pore-Throat in Tight Sandstones of the Jurassic Ahe Formation in the Northern Tarim Basin
Authors: Lin Tong , Tan Cong , Zhang Xing , Zhao Lei , Wei Hongxing , Wang Lan , Nie Xin , Zeng Xu
Published: January 2022

In order to clarify the characteristics of pore-throat in tight sandstone reservoirs in the Dibei area of the Kuqa Depression in the Tarim Basin (Northwest China) and to make clear its impact on reservoir quality and productivity, microscopic observation and quantitative analysis of 310 tight sandstones in the Kuqa Depression are carried out by using various methods. Microscopic observation shows that the shapes of the pores are flat, oval, and long-narrow. A great number of throats connect the nanoscale pores in the form of a network. Quantitative analyses including RCMP (rate-controlled mercury penetration), HPMI (high-pressure mercury injection), NA (nitrogen adsorption), and routine and stress-dependent core analysis show that the peak of pores radius ranges from 125 μm to 150 μm, and the throat radius is in the range of 1 μm-4 μm. The throat space accounts for about 2/3 of the total space of the tight sandstones, which is the major storage space for natural gas. The space shape has a great influence on the reservoir seepage capacity, particularly under the condition of overburden pressure. The pores with throat radius greater than 300 nm have free fluid, and they contribute more than 98% of the reservoir permeability. The pore spaces with throat radius among 300 nm-52 nm can release fluids by reservoir stimulation. The pore-throats with

radius
<
52
 
nm

cannot release the irreducible hydrocarbon fluids. In addition, formation pressure is easy to destroy tight sandstone reservoir. The research results will provide insights into the efficient recovery of natural gas in tight sandstones.
Evaluation of Cardiac Function Characteristics after Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure in Children and Adults by Echocardiographic Data
Authors: Wu Wenhai , Chen Hongwei , Chen Tianbao
Published: January 2022

This study was to investigate the value of echocardiographic data in assessing changes in cardiac function before and after transcatheter closure in children and adult patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). In this study, 150 patients with isolated PDA treated by cardiac catheterization and transcatheter closure were selected as the study sample. Real-time color Doppler echocardiography was used both after and after operation. The results showed that the left ventricle returned to normal in 75 patients one day after operation, with an average age of

10.95
±
3.27

years; the left ventricle did not return to normal in 10 patients 360 days after operation, with an average age of

64.31
±
7.05

years. Left ventricular end diastolic volume index (LVEDVI) and left ventricular end systolic volume index (LVESVI) of patients decreased significantly one day after operation and remained at

51.95
±
9.55

 mL/m2 and

20.36
±
8.11

 mL/m-2, respectively. In summary, echocardiographic data have a high reference value in assessing cardiac function characteristics in children and adult patients with PDA and are worthy of further promotion.
Artificial Intelligence for Classifying and Archiving Orthodontic Images
Authors: Li Shihao , Guo Zizhao , Lin Jiao , Ying Sancong
Published: January 2022

One of the main requirements for orthodontic treatment is continuous image acquisition. However, the conventional system of orthodontic image acquisition, which includes manual classification, archiving, and monitoring, is time‐consuming and prone to errors caused by fatigue. This study is aimed at developing an effective artificial intelligence tool for the automated classification and monitoring of orthodontic images. We comprehensively evaluated the ability of a deep learning model based on Deep hidden IDentity (DeepID) features to classify and archive photographs and radiographs. This evaluation was performed using a dataset of >14,000 images encompassing all 14 categories of orthodontic images. Our model automatically classified orthodontic images in an external dataset with an accuracy of 0.994 and macro area under the curve of 1.00 in 0.08 min. This was 236 times faster than a human expert (18.93 min). Furthermore, human experts with deep learning assistance required an average of 8.10 min to classify images in the external dataset, much shorter than 18.93 min. We conclude that deep learning can improve the accuracy, speed, and efficiency of classification, archiving, and monitoring of orthodontic images.
Analyzing the Investment Behavior in the Iranian Stock Exchange during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Hybrid DEA and Data Mining Techniques
Authors: Sarfaraz Amir Homayoun , Yazdi Amir Karbassi , Hanne Thomas , Gizem Özaydin , Khalili-Damghani Kaveh , Husseinagha Saiedeh Molla
Published: January 2022

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of COVID-19 regarding the efficiency of industries based on data in the Tehran stock market. A hybrid model of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and data mining techniques is used to analyze the investment behavior in Tehran stock market. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies face financial crises. That is why companies with inferior performance must be benchmarked with efficient companies. First, the financial data of investments on selective companies are analyzed using data mining approaches to recognize the behavioral patterns of investors and securities. Second, customers are clustered into 3 selling and 4 buying groups using data mining techniques. Then, the efficiency of active companies in stock exchange is evaluated using input-oriented DEA. The results indicate that, among 23 industries listed on the stock market in Iran, solely nine were efficient in 2019. Moreover, in 2020, the number of efficient industries further decreased to six industries. Comparing the obtained results with those of another study which was conducted in 2018 by other researchers revealed that COVID-19 strongly affects the performance of an industry and some industries which were efficient in the past such as the bank industry became inefficient in the following year.
Comparative Assessment of the Utility of Anthropometric and Bioelectrical Impedance Indices as Potential Predictors of Hypertension within a Ghanaian Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Boakye Adjoa Agyemang , Adedia David , Hunkpe Gaston Kofi , Ampomah Carr Rosina Afua , AdanusahAll Veronica Fafali Ami , Agbenyo Bless Seyram , Duedu Kwabena Obeng
Published: January 2022

Background. Hypertension is an important public health concern that is claiming millions of lives worldwide. In sub-Saharan African countries, where some of the highest prevalence rates are being recorded, sufficient attention has not been given to its control. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the association and predictive potential of different anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measures for hypertension. Methods. A total of 812 individuals (204 men and 608 women) were enrolled, and their blood pressure measurement was determined. Direct anthropometric measures (weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference) and derived anthropometric measures (body mass index, conicity index, abdominal volume index (AVI), and body adiposity index) were determined. BIA indices investigated included visceral fat level (VF), percentage body fat (%BF), resting metabolic rate (RMR), and skeletal muscle mass. Results. A prevalence of 31.28% was observed for hypertension in the total study population, with males having a slightly higher prevalence than females. Except for the skeletal muscle mass, all the other indices measured showed an increasing trend from normotension to prehypertension and hypertension. Age and visceral fat level showed the highest correlation with systolic blood pressure for both genders. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that age was the best predictor of hypertension in both genders, whereas, in predicting prehypertension, RMR was the best predictor in males, and WC was the best predictor in females. VF, WC, and AVI were other good predictors of hypertension in this study population. However, BMI and % BF had a low predictive value for hypertension. Conclusion. The result of this study shows that within this study population in addition to age, measures of central obesity rather than general obesity are the likely drivers of the hypertension epidemic; thus, measures aimed at controlling central obesity may offer some therapeutic and preventive advantage.
Differentially Expressed Hepatic Genes Revealed by Transcriptomics in Pigs with Different Liver Lipid Contents
Authors: Lyu Wentao , Xiang Yun , Wang Xingxin , Li Jingshang , Yang Caimei , Yang Hua , Xiao Yingping
Published: January 2022

The liver is the center for uptake, synthesis, packaging, and secretion of lipids and lipoproteins. The research on lipid metabolism in pigs is limited. The objective of the present study is to identify the genes related to lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in pigs by using transcriptomic analysis. Liver segments were collected from 60 Jinhua pigs for the determination of liver lipid content. The 7 pigs with the highest and lowest liver lipid content were set as group H and group L, respectively. Liver segments and serum samples were collected from each pig of the H and L groups for RNA sequencing and the determination of triglycerides (TG) content and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) content, respectively. The HDL content in the serum of pigs in the H group was significantly higher than the L group (

P
<
0.05

). From transcriptomic sequencing, 6162 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, among which 2962 were upregulated and 3200 downregulated genes with the increase in the liver content of Jinhua pigs. After GO enrichment and KEGG analyses, lipid modification, cellular lipid metabolic process, cholesterol biosynthetic process, fatty acid metabolic process, oxidoreduction coenzyme metabolic process, oxidoreductase activity, acting on CH-OH group of donors, response to oxidative stress, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), sphingolipid metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways were involved in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in Jinhua pigs. For further validation, we selected 10 DEGs including 7 upregulated genes (APOE, APOA1, APOC3, LCAT, CYP2E1, GPX1, and ROMO1) and 4 downregulated genes (PPARA, PPARGC1A, and TXNIP) for RT-qPCR verification. To validate these results in other pig species, we analyzed these 10 DEGs in the liver of Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire pigs. Similar expression patterns of these 10 DEGs were observed. These data would provide an insight to understand the gene functions regulating lipid metabolism and oxidative stress and would potentially provide theoretical basis for the development of strategies to modulate lipid metabolism and even control human diabetes and obesity by gene regulations.
Role of Exosomes in Immune Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Xiaojing , Chi Hao , Zhao Xiaozhao , Pan Rui , Wei Ying , Han Yunwei
Published: January 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer. Since most patients with HCC are diagnosed at the intermediate or advanced stage and because HCC has a high incidence of metastasis and recurrence, it is one of the leading causes of cancer death. Exosomes are a subtype of extracellular vesicles and are typically 30–150 nm in diameter. Originating from endosomes, they can be secreted by almost all living cells. They are widely present in various body fluids and serve as an important medium for the interactions between cells. A series of studies have revealed that exosomes-mediated intercellular transfer of proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of HCC, hypoxia and angiogenesis, chemotherapy sensitivity, and cell death mode and regulates the immune microenvironment. In this paper, we reviewed the recent researches on the multiple roles of tumor-associated exosomes in the progression of HCC. We laid particular focus on those researches that reveal how exosomes regulate the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and how exosomal cargos affect the progression of HCC. Besides, we emphasize some prospective directions to achieve a more accurate and complete analysis of the HCC immune microenvironment.
QoS-Aware Multilayer UAV Deployment to Provide VoWiFi Service over 5G Networks
Authors: Mayor Vicente , Estepa Rafael , Estepa Antonio
Published: January 2022

Drones equipped with wireless network cards can provide communication services in open areas. This paper proposes a hierarchical two-layered network architecture with two types of drones according to their communication equipment: Access and Distribution. While access drones provide WiFi access to ground users, distribution drones act as WiFi-to-5G relay forwarding packets into the 5G Core Network. In this context, we formulate a novel optimization problem for the 3-D initial placement of drones to provide Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) service to ground users. Our optimization problem finds the minimum number of drones (and their type and location) to be deployed constrained to coverage and minimum voice speech quality. We have used a well-known metaheuristic algorithm (Particle Swarm Optimization) to solve our problem, examining the results obtained for different terrain sizes (from

25
m
×
25
m

to

100
m
×
100
m

) and ground users (from

10

to

100

). In the most demanding case, we were able to provide VoWiFi service with four distribution drones and five access drones. Our results show that the overall number of UAVs deployed grows with the terrain size (i.e., with users’ sparsity) and the number of ground users.
Developing Students’ Mathematical Critical Thinking Skills Using Open-Ended Questions and Activities Based on Student Learning Preferences
Authors: Monrat Natthanon , Phaksunchai Mingkhuan , Chonchaiya Ratchanikorn
Published: January 2022

This study has two parts: phase I designed activities to support all students’ learning preferences, and phase II used open-ended questions and activities based on these preferences to develop students’ mathematical critical thinking skills in polynomials at all performance levels (i.e., high-achieving, fair-achieving, and low-achieving students). This research used an embedded mixed-method design. The subjects selected were 28 out of 98 seventh graders at a boys’ junior high school in Bangkok, Thailand, who were chosen by cluster random sampling technique. The instruments, which were validated by five experts, included a questionnaire, lesson plans, exit tickets, interview protocols, and tests of critical thinking skills in polynomials. The content validity was assessed via expert judgment, and reliability was assessed by item analysis. The quality and effectiveness of the instruments were acceptable. The research results showed the following: (1) most students at all performance levels prefer activities in which they can learn from participating in classroom activities, such as games, activities with real-life applications, and activities involving listening instead of reading and writing, and (2) critical thinking skills in high-achieving and fair-achieving students were at the fair level, while those of low-achieving students were poor. Analysis was the highest critical thinking subskill among high-achieving and low-achieving students, while interpretation was the highest subskill in among fair-achieving students. Open-ended questions and activities based on students’ preferences appear to be practical for developing critical thinking skills among students of all achievement levels.
Determinants of Member Participation in Activities of Multipurpose Primary Cooperatives: The Case of Kindo Koysha District, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Hando Hiskeal , Senapathy Marisennayya , Bojago Elias
Published: January 2022

In the modern global economy, members’ active participation is critical to the successful implementation of cooperative groups’ planned activities. The objectives of this study were to investigate the participation of cooperative members in MPPCs activities and to determine the factors that influence the participation of members in multipurpose cooperatives in the Kindo Koysha district. The study location was chosen for this purpose because no prior in-depth research had been conducted. The multipurpose primary cooperatives were chosen from among the four in the study area based on agro-ecological classifications such as high land, medium land, and low land. The target population of 752 people (M = 594 and F = 158) was chosen using a simple random sample technique with a probability proportional to the size sampling technique (PPS), whereas 106 sample respondents (M = 84 and F = 22) were chosen using (Yamane) implified formula. Primary data were collected using the interview schedule supplied to sample respondents, focus group discussion checklists, and key informant interviews. Secondary data were also collected from several public and unpublished sources. The level of participation in multipurpose cooperatives was measured by computing the participation index score value. The participation of members has been classified as low, medium, or high based on the mean value, which is 40 (37.5%), 50 (47.2%), and 16 (15.1%), respectively. The ordered logit model was utilized for data analysis, and percentages, mean differences, one-way ANOVA, Spearman correlation, and the chi-square test were performed. According to the findings, education level, family size, total annual income, shareholding amount, access to saving and credit, distance from the cooperative service center, access to and utilization of agricultural inputs, services rendered by MPPCs, perceived challenges of MPPCs that discourage membership, and perceived members satisfaction with cooperative services are the determinant factors that affect the level of membership participation. Continuous education and training, encouraging the issue of family planning, diversification of income-generating schemes, encouraging existing members to buy additional shares, creating the best opportunity for saving and credit, need-based supply of agricultural inputs, resolving the internal and external constraints of multipurpose cooperatives, and strengthening the MPPCs through research-based technical support and follow-up are some of the suggested implications.
Effectiveness of Multistrain Probiotic Formulation on Common Infectious Disease Symptoms and Gut Microbiota Modulation in Flu‐Vaccinated Healthy Elderly Subjects
Authors: Sandionigi Anna , De Giani Alessandra , Tursi Francesco , Michelotti Angela , Cestone Enza , Giardina Silvana , Zampolli Jessica , Di Gennaro Patrizia
Published: January 2022

The decline of the immune system with aging leads elderly people to be more susceptible to infections, posing high risk for their health. Vaccination is thus important to cope with this risk, even though not always effective. As a strategy to improve protection, adjuvants are used in concomitance with vaccines, however, occasionally producing important side effects. The use of probiotics has been proposed as an alternative to adjuvants due to their efficacy in reducing the risk of common infections through the interactions with the immune system and the gut microbiota. A placebo‐controlled, randomized, double‐blind, clinical trial was carried out on fifty elderly subjects, vaccinated for influenza, to determine the efficacy of a probiotic mixture in reducing common infection symptoms. The incidence of symptoms was evaluated after 28 days of probiotic intake (namely, T28) and after further 28 days of follow‐up (namely, T56). The number of subjects, as well as the number of days with symptoms, was remarkably reduced at T28, and even more at T56 in the probiotic group. Furthermore, the influence of probiotics on immunological parameters was investigated, showing a significant positive improvement of total antioxidant capacity and β‐defensin2 levels. Finally, faecal samples collected from participants were used to assess variations in the gut microbiota composition during the study, showing that probiotic intake enhanced the presence of genera related to a healthy status. Therefore, the collected results suggested that the treatment with the selected probiotic mixture could help in reducing common infectious disease symptom incidence through the stimulation of the immune system, improving vaccine efficacy, and modulating the composition of the resident gut microbiota by enhancing beneficial genera.
Exact Algorithms for Practical Instances of the Railcar Loading Problem at Marine Container Terminals
Authors: Ng ManWo , Lin Dung-Ying
Published: January 2022

With the growth in global trade and its environmental footprint, sustainable modes of freight movement are increasingly important in today’s globalized world. This study focuses on on-dock rail, where the rail terminal is located within the marine container terminal. On-dock rail has in recent years become an essential mode of transportation to move containers out of congested marine container terminals. This study contributes to the literature by presenting tailored exact solution algorithms for a recently proposed optimization model to optimize the loading of double-stack trains. In particular, a 3-stage solution framework is presented for the case when rail cars have a single well. A complementary solution algorithm for the case when a rail car has multiple wells is also provided. Our results show that computational times can be drastically reduced, from 2+ hours to a matter of seconds, rendering the model suitable for practical use.
Fluid Identification Based on NMR Apparent Free Water Porosity Inversion: A Case Study of Paleozoic Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs in Western Ordos
Authors: Lai Fuqiang , Liu Yuejiao , Kou Xiaopan , Huang Zhaohui , Chen Zhen , Liu Yuanqi , Jiang Guoqiang , Zang Yongqian , Wang Min , Wang Ruyue
Published: January 2022

Tight sandstone reservoirs are affected by various factors such as pore structure, formation water salinity, and siliceous cementation, which lead to the abnormal phenomenon of high-resistivity water layers and increase the difficulty in identifying gas and water layers by conventional logging. In this study, the pore types and pore size distribution characteristics of tight sandstone reservoirs were firstly determined by NMR and high-pressure mercury injection experiments, and then the iterative least-square method was used to automatically optimize the inversion method of pseudo-capillary pressure curve and search for the optimal conversion coefficient. Finally, the apparent free water porosity was inversed and the fluid identification standard was obtained and applied. The results showed that the reservoirs mainly developed intergranular pores, cutting solution pores, and intergranular pores. The pore throats were poorly sorted, and the displacement pressure was high. The median radius ranged from 0.01 to 0.48 μm, and the main peak range was from 0.02 to 0.06 μm. Pores were of mainly small-hole fine throat type. In the inversion results of the optimal conversion coefficient, the correlation coefficient between the aperture parameters and the results of high-pressure mercury injection experiments was greater than 0.93. According to the fluid property identification standard based on nuclear magnetic apparent free water porosity, the high-resistivity water layers were effectively identified and its coincidence rate with the final field test was 10.7% higher than that of the conventional method. This identification method can be used to identify complex fluids in tight sandstone reservoirs.
Upregulated Fibulin‐1 Increased Endometrial Stromal Cell Viability and Migration by Repressing EFEMP1‐Dependent Ferroptosis in Endometriosis
Authors: Wan Yiting , Song Yanhua , Chen Jing , Kong Jueying , Gu CanCan , Huang Jiami , Zuo Ling
Published: January 2022

Endometriosis (EMS) is a prevalent disease in women characterized by the presence of endometrial stroma and glands outside the uterus. Recent studies have showed that EMS is correlated with the resistance of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) to ferroptosis, an iron‐dependent nonapoptotic cell death. Fibulin‐1 (FBLN1) is a newly identified target regulated by progesterone in the process of ESC decidualization. However, the role of FBLN1 in regulating ESC ferroptosis and EMS remains unclear. In the present study, the gene expression profiles of GSE58178, GSE23339, and GSE25628 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the commonly differential genes were identified using Venn diagram analysis. The role of FBLN1 in ESC viability and migration was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit‐8, transwell, and western blot analysis. We found that the FBLN1 expression was increased significantly in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues of patients with EMS compared with normal endometrium. FBLN1 overexpression in normal ESCs (NESCs) promoted cell viability and migration, whereas FBLN1 inhibition in ectopic ESCs (EESCs) decreased cell viability and migration. Furthermore, FBLN1 inhibition facilitated EESC death by triggering ferroptosis, as evidenced by increased Fe2+, lipid ROS, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level and decreased glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression and glutathione (GSH) level. Mechanistically, FBLN1 interacted with EGF‐containing fibulin‐like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) and increased the protein stability of EFEMP1. More importantly, EFEMP1 silencing repressed the effect of FBLN1 on regulating EESC ferroptosis, death, and migration. Taken together, these results verify the role of the FBLN1/EFEMP1/ferroptosis pathway in the pathogenesis of EMS, and silencing of FBLN1/EFEMP1 might be an effective approach to treat EMS.
Deformation Localization and Damage Constitutive Model of Raw Coal and Briquette Coal under Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Ge Lina , Yi Fu , Du Changbo , Zhou Junxia , Cui Zhenglong , Wang Tao
Published: January 2022

In order to compare and analyze the difference in deformation and damage law of soft and hard porous media materials, the digital image correlation is used to evaluate the heterogeneous development of strain fields of hard and brittle raw coal material and soft plastic briquette coal material under uniaxial compression. Through the defined statistical indicator, the quantitative characterization of deformation localization is realized, and the material damage constitutive model based on the statistical indicator of strain field is established. The results show that the yield stage of raw coal is not obvious, showing the characteristics of strain hardening and X-shaped macroscopic shear failure. The yield stage of briquette coal is more obvious, showing the characteristics of strain softening and a tensile failure mode. The progress of strain localization can well reflect the damage and destruction process of materials. The progress of strain localization of briquette coal can be divided into uniform deformation stage, localization stage, and failure stage, while the stage characteristics of localized evolution of raw coal is not obvious. The theoretical results of the damage constitutive model defined by statistical indicator are in good agreement with the experimental data and can well reflect the stress and strain characteristics of the two materials.
Facies-Controlled Modeling for Permeability of Tight Gas Reservoir Based on Hydrodynamic and Geophysics Characteristics
Authors: Yu Peng
Published: January 2022

Due to poor physical properties and strong heterogeneity of Daniudi tight gasfield (China), traditional methods are not ideal for predicting reservoir permeability. Based on geoscience data mining algorithms and modeling techniques, this parameter is predicted and characterized from a new perspective. The high precision hydraulic unit information was outputted by the BP neural network and the interwell database was predicted by sequential indicator simulation based on the logging and core data, the exponential and power law relationship functions were selected to participate in the construction of the permeability model. The results showed that the facies-controlled modeling system for permeability based on the hydrodynamic characteristics of tight gas reservoirs could effectively improve the accuracy of reservoir prediction, and the logging information in the longitudinal direction and the facies information in the plane were combined by the hydraulic unit.
Comprehensive Evaluation to a Prefabricated Building for Indoor Environment and Energy Consumption
Authors: Yang Zhen , Li Xiang , Zhang Xuekai , Chen Qingwei
Published: January 2022

Prefabricated building, as a convenient and burgeoning building form, is worth popularizing. The research is aimed at comprehensively evaluating and analyzing the indoor thermal environment, air quality, and energy consumption of prefabricated buildings. Therefore, indoor temperature distribution, airflow distribution, and energy system of prefabricated buildings are considered. Different building envelopes proposed accord with average temperature standard (18°C) of indoor thermal environment in different climate regions based on simulation results of DeST software. Take the hot-summer and cold-winter region as an example, the distribution of the indoor temperature, air velocity, and the emission characteristics of indoor polluted particles are explored via ANSYS Fluent software. And the energy supply system for the prefabricated auxiliary building, as well as system operation performances and cost components, is studied. Results show the average indoor temperature on typical days in winter (4.1°C) and summer (31.1°C); air-source heat pump needs to activate for the needs of human thermal comfort. Moreover, the indoor air quality can meet the cleanliness standard after polluted particles release 40 s. And the annual cost of system 1 (photovoltaic system, air-source heat pump, and the state grid) is 839.53 $, 269.83 $ lower than system 2 (photovoltaic system, electrical storage, air-source heat pump, and the state grid), whereas the increase of electricity price can significantly reduce the payback period and thus improve the economy of system 2. These findings provide suggestions in terms of indoor thermal environment, cleanliness, and suitable energy supply system to evaluate and facilitate the widespread application of buildings.