bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intestinal Flora: A Pivotal Role in Investigation of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Authors: Li Xiao , Wu Dan , Niu Jingjie , Sun Yanping , Wang Qiuhong , Yang Bingyou , Kuang Haixue
Published: February 2021

Intestinal flora is essential for maintaining host health and plays a unique role in transforming Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM, as a bodyguard, has saved countless lives and maintained human health in the long history, especially in this COVID-19 pandemic. Pains of diseases have been removed from the effective TCM therapy, such as TCM preparation, moxibustion, and acupuncture. With the development of life science and technology, the wisdom and foresight of TCM has been more displayed. Furthermore, TCM has been also inherited and developed in innovation to better realize the modernization and globalization. Nowadays, intestinal flora transforming TCM and TCM targeted intestinal flora treating diseases have been important findings in life science. More and more TCM researches showed the significance of intestinal flora. Intestinal flora is also a way to study TCM to elucidate the profound theory of TCM. Processing, compatibility, and properties of TCM are well demonstrated by intestinal flora. Thus, it is no doubt that intestinal flora is a core in TCM study. The interaction between intestinal flora and TCM is so crucial for host health. Therefore, it is necessary to sum up the latest results in time. This paper systematically depicted the profile of TCM and the importance of intestinal flora in host. What is more, we comprehensively summarized and discussed the latest progress of the interplay between TCM and intestinal flora to better reveal the core connotation of TCM.
Systems Pharmacology-Based Strategy to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanisms of Citrus Peel (Chenpi) for Treating Complicated Diseases
Authors: Zhou Wei , Chen Ziyi , Lu Aiping , Liu Zhigang
Published: February 2021

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), also known as Chenpi in Chinese, is the dry mature peel of Citrus reticulata Blanco or its cultivated varieties. CRP as the health-care food and dietary supplement has been widely used in various diseases. However, the potential pharmacological mechanisms of CRP to predict and treat various diseases have not yet been fully elucidated. A systems pharmacology-based approach is developed by integrating absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion screening, multiple target fishing, network pharmacology, as well as pathway analysis to comprehensively dissect the potential mechanism of CRP for therapy of various diseases. The results showed that 39 bioactive components and 121 potential protein targets were identified from CRP. The 121 targets are closely related to various diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, etc. These targets are further mapped to compound-target, target-disease, and target-pathway networks to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of CRP at the system level. The current study sheds light on a promising way for promoting the discovery of new botanical drugs.
Supersymmetry anomalies and the Wess–Zumino model in a supergravity background
Authors: Eleftheriou Giorgos , West Peter
Published: February 2021

We briefly recall the procedure for computing the Ward identities in the presence of a regulator which violates the symmetry being considered. We compute the first nontrivial correction to the supersymmetry Ward identity of the Wess–Zumino model in the presence of background supergravity using dimensional regularization. We find that the result can be removed using a finite local counter term and so there is no supersymmetry anomaly.
On the approximate solution of fractional-order Whitham–Broer–Kaup equations
Authors: Khan Hassan , Gómez-Aguilar J. F. , Alderremy A. A. , Aly Shaban , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: February 2021

In this paper, the Homotopy perturbation Laplace method is implemented to investigate the solution of fractional-order Whitham–Broer–Kaup equations. The derivative of fractional-order is described in Caputo’s sense. To show the reliability of the suggested method, the solution of certain illustrative examples are presented. The results of the suggested method are shown and explained with the help of its graphical representation. The solutions of fractional-order problems as well as integer-order problems are determined by using the present technique. It has been observed that the obtained solutions are in significant agreement with the actual solutions to the targeted problems. Computationally, it has been analyzed that the solutions at different fractional-orders have a higher rate of convergence to the solution at integer-order of the derivative. Due to the analytical analysis of the problems, this study can further modify the solution of other fractional-order problems.
Metric Spaces with Expensive Distances
Authors: Kerber Michael , Nigmetov Arnur
Published: February 2021

In algorithms for finite metric spaces, it is common to assume that the distance between two points can be computed in constant time, and complexity bounds are expressed only in terms of the number of points of the metric space. We introduce a different model, where we assume that the computation of a single distance is an expensive operation and consequently, the goal is to minimize the number of such distance queries. This model is motivated by metric spaces that appear in the context of topological data analysis.

We consider two standard operations on metric spaces, namely the construction of a [Formula: see text]-spanner and the computation of an approximate nearest neighbor for a given query point. In both cases, we partially explore the metric space through distance queries and infer lower and upper bounds for yet unexplored distances through triangle inequality. For spanners, we evaluate several exploration strategies through extensive experimental evaluation. For approximate nearest neighbors, we prove that our strategy returns an approximate nearest neighbor after a logarithmic number of distance queries.
Constraining unparticle-inspired model parameters using dwarf stars
Authors: Moussa Mohamed
Published: February 2021

The unparticle-inspired model of gravity suggested by Georgi is based on that the standard model (SM) may contain a massive but scale invariant particles, which can be exchanged between SM massive particles, leading to a new force called ungravity. This would add a perturbed term to the Newtonian law of gravity at low energy. We use the minimum mass of hydrogen burning (MMHB) to constrain the relevant parameters of unparticle inspired model of gravity, on scales [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Integrated Prognosis for Wind Turbine Gearbox Condition-Based Maintenance Considering Time-Varying Load and Crack Initiation Time Uncertainty
Authors: Ding Fangfang , Tian Zhigang
Published: February 2021

Maintenance management in wind energy industry has great impact on the overall wind power cost. Maintenance services are either supported by wind turbine manufacturers within warranty period, or managed by wind farm owners. With condition-based maintenance (CBM) strategy, maintenance activities are scheduled based on the predicted health conditions of wind turbine components, and accurate prognostics methods are critical for effective CBM. The reported studies on integrated health prognostics considered the uncertainty in crack initiation time (CIT) uncertainty, but did not incorporate time-varying loading conditions, which could also have a significant impact on future health condition and remaining useful life (RUL) prediction. Constant loads were generally used to approximate the actual time-varying loading conditions. In this paper, an integrated prognostics method is proposed for wind turbine gearboxes considering both time-varying loading conditions and CIT uncertainty. As new condition monitoring observations are available, the distributions of both material model parameter and CIT are updated via Bayesian inference, and the failure time prediction is updated accordingly. An example is provided to demonstrate that the proposed time-varying load approach presents more benefits considering the uncertainty of CIT, with significant accuracy improvement comparing to the constant-load approach.
A logistic-harvest model with allee effect under multiplicative noise
Authors: Tesfay Almaz , Tesfay Daniel , Brannan James , Duan Jinqiao
Published: February 2021

This work is devoted to the study of a stochastic logistic growth model with and without the Allee effect. Such a model describes the evolution of a population under environmental stochastic fluctuations and is in the form of a stochastic differential equation driven by multiplicative Gaussian noise. With the help of the associated Fokker–Planck equation, we analyze the population extinction probability and the probability of reaching a large population size before reaching a small one. We further study the impact of the harvest rate, noise intensity and the Allee effect on population evolution. The analysis and numerical experiments show that if the noise intensity and harvest rate are small, the population grows exponentially, and upon reaching the carrying capacity, the population size fluctuates around it. In the stochastic logistic-harvest model without the Allee effect, when noise intensity becomes small (or goes to zero), the stationary probability density becomes more acute and its maximum point approaches one. However, for large noise intensity and harvest rate, the population size fluctuates wildly and does not grow exponentially to the carrying capacity. So as far as biological meanings are concerned, we must catch at small values of noise intensity and harvest rate. Finally, we discuss the biological implications of our results.
Harrison Model of Polyynic Carbyne Chains
Authors: Bamdad Mohammad , Mousavi Hamze
Published: February 2021

The electronic properties of finite and infinite polyynic carbyne chains have been investigated using the tight-binding Hamiltonian of the Harrison’s model and the Green’s function method. By considering all of the atomic orbitals, the energy band structure of a polyyne chain has been numerically evaluated by the system’s Hamiltonian resulting from the discretized form of the Schrödinger’s equation. The obtained results show that due to dimerization and/or bond length alternation which cause an energy bandgap, the polyynic carbyne exhibits a semiconductive or even insulating behavior. Without dimerization, the carbyne displays the characteristics of a conductor. On the basis of the precise comparative study of the measured results, the band gaps of finite and infinite polyynes with the same bond length alternation are nearly equal to each other. Therefore, a polyyne chain (finite or infinite) under mechanical strain can be exploited as a device with adjustable bandgap. The results are in a good overall agreement with the recent experimental findings and further expand some of the previous theoretical results.
Optical Properties and Oxide Growth during Chemical and Electrochemical Oxidation of Luminescent Porous Silicon in Liquid Electrolytes Monitored by In-Situ Photoconduction
Authors: Gelloz B. , Sakata S. , Jin L.
Published: February 2021

The progress of chemical and electrochemical oxidation of porous silicon (PSi), formed from lightly-doped p-type silicon, in aqueous electrolytes, was monitored using in situ photocurrent from a monochromatic illumination, which can be used as a signature of the optical transmission through PSi. Models are proposed to explain the results quantitatively. For anodic oxidation, the valence of reaction was obtained as ∼1.5, which is consistent with non-stoichiometric oxide growth. Electroluminescence and photoluminescence during anodic oxidation were consistent with previous reports. For chemical oxidation, monitoring can be used up to a certain stage after which the oxide grown at the PSi/substrate interface prevents further use of electrical conduction. This initial stage was exploited to get model parameters, allowing derivation of time evolution of oxidation rate, oxide thickness, porosity, and relative quantum efficiency. Concurrent dissolution of oxide was also taken into account when the oxidation rate was low. The luminescence efficiency was improved in the first stages of oxidation, and then decreases for heavy oxidation, when the silicon content had drastically decreased. The rate of oxidation seems to play a role in the luminescence efficiency, a high oxidation rate leading to lower efficiency for a given fraction of silicon content in the layer.
Facile Route for the Preparation of Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Composite and Its Enhanced Electrochemical Performance
Authors: Wang Yaoyao , Wang Yanxiang , Xu Xiaodan , Wang Chengguo
Published: February 2021

A functionalized reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (FRGO/PANI) composite is fabricated with a facile and practical approach, including the reduction and functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) and in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) on the surface of functionalized reduced graphene oxide (FRGO). Amino groups are introduced to the surface of FRGO in the solvothermal reduction process. The composite exhibits a specific capacitance of 421 F g−1 at 0.6 A g−1, showing an outstanding improvement than pure PANI (298 F g−1) and FRGO (113 F g−1). Meanwhile, the capacitance retention for FRGO/PANI composite after 800 cycles is 84.6%, which is superior to pure PANI of 50.8%. The synergistic effect between FRGO and PANI makes a great contribution to the enrichment of electrochemical performance. The consequence shows that FRGO/PANI composite synthesized in this way has promising feasibility for applications in high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials.
Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation improves functional dyspepsia by enhancing vagal efferent activity
Authors: Zhu Ying , Xu Feng , Lu Dewen , Rong Peijing , Cheng Jiafei , Li Miaomiao , Gong Yaoyao , Sun Chao , Wei Wei , Lin Lin , Chen Jiande D. Z.
Published: February 2021

Treatment of functional dyspepsia is difficult due to various pathophysiological factors. The proposed method of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation improves symptoms of both dyspepsia and depression/anxiety, and gastric functions (accommodation and slow waves), possibly mediated via the enhancement of vagal efferent activity. This noninvasive and easy-to-implement neuromodulation method will be well received by patients and healthcare providers.
Muscarinic receptor blockade causes postcontraction enhancement in corticospinal excitability following maximal contractions
Authors: Dempsey Lisa M. , Kavanagh Justin J.
Published: February 2021

The relationship between motor function and cholinergic circuitry in the central nervous system is complex. Although many studies have approached this issue at the cellular level, few studies have examined cholinergic mechanisms in humans performing muscle contractions. This study demonstrates that blockade of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors enhances motor evoked potentials (elicited with transcranial magnetic stimulation) following strong muscle contractions, but not weak muscle contractions.
Pb-Contaminated Soil from Quintero-Ventanas, Chile: Remediation Using Sarcocornia neei
Authors: Meza-Ramírez Verónica , Espinoza-Ortiz Ximena , Ramírez-Verdugo Pamela , Hernández-Lazcano Paulina , Rojas Hermosilla Paulina
Published: February 2021

A phytoremediation process for lead (Pb) under laboratory conditions on contaminated soil from the Puchuncaví commune, Valparaíso Province, Chile, was carried out. It analyzed the phytoremediation potential of Sarcocornia neei (Lag.) M.A. Alonso and M.B. Crespo. The plants were propagated beforehand and extracted from the El Yali wetland, a RAMSAR 878 site in Valparaíso. Soil fertility and heavy metal concentration analyses of composite samples were conducted, complying with established protocols and standard methodology for chemical and metal analyses. These analyses were conducted in the Soil Analysis Laboratory of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The aim was to analyse not only the tissue of plants from both areas but also the soil to identify the changes in different conditions in which the plants live. To determine the type of inferential analysis to be performed, a normality test was applied; however, it was deemed unsuitable, and therefore, the contrasts were developed using nonparametric tests, particularly Wilcoxon. R project software was used in the tests, especially the RCommander package, together with the Jamovi free-license statistical spreadsheet application. The analyses results of the soil samples indicated high concentrations of heavy metals, predominantly Pb at a concentration of 77.97 mg/kg, acidic soil indicated by pH between 5.77 and 6.38, low levels of electrical conductivity, and the presence of organic matter. A phytoremediation efficiency of 99% on soil samples was achieved. Preliminary results were compared against international regulations on the concentration of metals in soil. The histological sections showed that individual plants probably adapted to their environmental conditions.
The Research on Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Xu Yu-Bin
Published: February 2021

Objective. Study on the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanism of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods. Based on network pharmacology, the targets of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction and AD were screened by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), SwissTargetPrediction databases, and the database of Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Therapeutic Targets Database (TTD) and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD); then, “chemical composition-target-related pathway-disease target” network graph of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against AD was constructed by using STRING and Cytoscape software. In combination with in vitro experiments, the levels of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 in T cells were determined by ELISA; the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanism of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against AD were preliminarily explored. Results. 81 active ingredients in Huanglian Jiedu Decoction were screened by network pharmacology, 31 of which were related to atopic dermatitis, corresponding to 12 target proteins. A total of 14 pathways were obtained by KEGG pathway analysis, and 8 were associated with atopic dermatitis. Compared with the control group, 20 and 40 µg/ml of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction could significantly reduce the contents of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 in T lymphocytes of mice with atopic dermatitis (

p
<
0.01

). Conclusion. Huanglian Jiedu Decoction can act against AD by multicomponent, multitarget, and multichannel mode of action.
Risk Assessment of Urban Rail Transit Project Using Interpretative Structural Modelling: Evidence from China
Authors: Gao Yuan , Lau Chun Kit
Published: February 2021

Public-private partnership (PPP) projects require comprehensive risk assessment and management, including Urban Rail Transit (URT). A more effective risk management can benefit from an accurate understanding of the two-way influence of PPP project risk factors. This paper uses the content analysis method to filter out, compare, and analyze PPP-related literature; 12 categories of 22 PPP risk factors are extracted and identified, and the possible correlations between these risk factors are judged preliminarily. With the knowledge and advice provided by PPP experts, the initial risk relationships are adjusted and supplemented, which then help to determine a reasonable logical relationship among risk factors. The logical relationship helps analyze the risk factors based on the ISM model analysis method and builds a hierarchical structure relationship of risk factors including 6 levels. Finally, the direct, intermediate, and autonomous factors that lead to problems or failures in PPP projects are analyzed which explains in detail the paths of risk transmission and risk prevention measures of PPP companies operating URT. It lays a foundation for PPP project companies operating URT to recognize, manage, and control risks in a targeted and systematic manner.
Neutrosophic D’Agostino Test of Normality: An Application to Water Data
Authors: Albassam Mohammed , Khan Nasrullah , Aslam Muhammad
Published: February 2021

The D’Agostino test has been widely applied for testing the normality of the data. The existing D’Agostino test cannot be applied when the data have some indeterminate observations or observations which are obtained from the complex systems. In this paper, we present a D’Agostino test under neutrosophic statistics. We propose the D’Agostino test to test the normality of the data having indeterminate observations. The design of the proposed test is given and implemented with the help of real data. From the comparison, it is concluded that the proposed test is effective, adequate, and suitable to be applied in the presence of indeterminacy.
A Modified Hybrid Conjugate Gradient Method for Unconstrained Optimization
Authors: Fang Minglei , Wang Min , Sun Min , Chen Rong
Published: February 2021

The nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithms are a very effective way in solving large-scale unconstrained optimization problems. Based on some famous previous conjugate gradient methods, a modified hybrid conjugate gradient method was proposed. The proposed method can generate decent directions at every iteration independent of any line search. Under the Wolfe line search, the proposed method possesses global convergence. Numerical results show that the modified method is efficient and robust.
The Prognostic Value of the CA19-9/TBIL Ratio in Patients with Biliary Tract Cancers (BTCs): A Retrospective Study
Authors: Xiao Jianchun , Wang Li , Hong Tao , Li Binglu , Liu Wei , Qu Qiang , Zheng Chaoji , He Xiaodong
Published: February 2021

Background. Incidence of biliary tract cancers (BTCs) in China is high, and surgery is the only curative option. Preoperative CA19-9 has been identified as a predictor for survival in patients with resectable BTCs, but more potential predictors need to be studied. This retrospective study aimed to establish the prognostic significance of CA19-9/TBIL ratio (CTR) in patients with BTCs. Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed in patients who were diagnosed with BTCs and received surgical resection between 2013 and 2018 at PUMCH. Demographic and clinical parameters were collected. Preoperative CA19-9 and CTR were classified as elevated (>58.6 and >0.83) according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Demographic and clinical parameters were compared between the groups using Student’s t-test, chi-square, or Fisher’s exact test. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan–Meier methods, and the relationship between variables and survival was assessed by the log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify potential risk factors for overall survival. Results. In total, 109 participants were involved in the final analysis. The overall survival rate was 18.0% at 5 years, with a median survival duration of 1.58 years. The Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that higher CTR was associated with shorter OS (15 vs. 50,

p
<
0.01

). Univariate survival analysis identified TNM staging, CA19-9, and CTR as statistically significant prognostic factors. In a multiple Cox analysis, only CTR was proved as a significantly independent prognostic factor. Conclusion. CTR acts as an independent prognostic predictor for patients with biliary tract cancer.
Monitoring and Assessment of Cemented Paste Backfill Containing Coal Gangue and Fly Ash in an Underground Mine
Authors: Zhang Xinguo , Zhao Jinhai , Xin Lin , Wang Kun , Pan Haiyang
Published: February 2021

Cemented coal gangue paste backfill (CCGPB) containing coal gangue and fly ash is a backfilling technique newly developed in coal mines in China that allows environmentally hazardous products, such as gangue and fly ash, to be reused in underground stopes. CCGPB materials provide efficient ground support for the caving of strata and reduce surface subsidence. In this paper, field monitoring of CCGPB properties was conducted in an underground coal mine, which mainly included the measurement of the longwall face temperature, humidity, CCGPB internal hydration temperature, stress conditions inside the backfills, and displacement. First, the components of the backfills, paste technique, slurry generation procedures, coalfield geology, and mining conditions were introduced. Then, a monitoring system was designed in the field. An online monitoring system was installed. The results of the field monitoring showed that the curing temperature significantly varied, i.e., from 26°C near the main gate to 37°C near the tailgate. The curing humidity had the same trends, increasing from 60% relative humidity (RH) near the main gate to 81% RH near the tailgate. The internal hydration process of the paste was divided into four stages, i.e., the rapid hydration stage, slower hydration stage, rapid decline hydration stage, and relatively stable stage. The highest hydration temperature was 50°C, which was measured on the second day after the backfill process. The temperature approached stability at 41°C. The evolution of the roof stress applied on the CCGPB was divided into four stages: the development stage, regulation stage, rapid growth stage, and relatively stable stage. The maximum roof loading was 12 MPa in the middle of the longwall face. The deformation of the backfill experienced four stages, i.e., the rapid deformation stage, slow deformation stage, relatively stable stage, and long‐term stable stage. The maximum deformation was 104.3 mm, appearing in the middle of the face. In addition, the compression ratio of the backfill was approximately 4%. The results of this study showed that the working conditions of backfills in the field were different from those in the laboratory. This paper provides guidance for the design of the CCGPB technique and the predictions of surface subsidence induced by the production process of underground mining.
Hsa-miR-105-1 Regulates Cisplatin-Resistance in Ovarian Carcinoma Cells by Targeting ANXA9
Authors: Kou Xinxin , Ding Hui , Li Lei , Chao Hongtu
Published: February 2021

Purpose. Cisplatin is one of the most effective drugs for treating ovarian carcinoma (OC), which is among the most lethal types of carcinoma. However, the chemoresistance to cisplatin that develops over time leads to a poor clinical outcome for many OC patients. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly understand the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance. In this study, we examined how Hsa-miR-105-1 functions in cisplatin-resistant OC cells. Methods. The levels of Hsa-miR-105-1 expression in cisplatin-sensitive and resistant OC cell lines were detected by qRT-PCR. The target gene of Hsa-miR-105-1 was predicted by using the TargetScan and Starbase databases and verified by the double luciferase reporter gene assay. The target gene of Hsa-miR-105-1 was identified as ANXA9, and ANXA9 expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence. To validate the function of Hsa-miR-105-1 in OC cells, we silenced or overexpressed Hsa-miR-105-1 in cisplatin-sensitive or resistant OC cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, the expression levels of several apoptosis-related proteins, including P53, P21, E2F1, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3, were examined by western blot analysis. Results. The levels of Hsa-miR-105-1 expression were abnormally downregulated in cisplatin-resistant OC cells, while ANXA9 expression was significantly upregulated in those cells. Treatment with an Hsa-miR-105-1 inhibitor promoted the expression of ANXA9 mRNA and protein, enhanced the resistance to cisplatin, and attenuated the cell apoptosis induced by cisplatin in cisplatin-sensitive OC cells. Moreover, treatment with Hsa-miR-105-1 mimics inhibited ANXA9 expression, which further increased the levels of P53, P21, and Bax expression and decreased the levels of E2F1 and Bcl-2 expression, finally resulting in an increased sensitivity to cisplatin in cisplatin-resistant OC cells. Conclusion. We found that a downregulation of Hsa-miR-105-1 expression enhanced cisplatin-resistance, while an upregulation of Hsa-miR-105-1 restored the sensitivity of OC cells to cisplatin. The Hsa-miR-105-1/ANXA9 axis plays an important role in the cisplatin-resistance of OC cells.
Anomaly Detection in Health Insurance Claims Using Bayesian Quantile Regression
Authors: Nortey Ezekiel N. N. , Pometsey Reuben , Asiedu Louis , Iddi Samuel , Mettle Felix O.
Published: February 2021

Research has shown that current health expenditure in most countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is inadequate and unsustainable. Yet, fraud, abuse, and waste in health insurance claims by service providers and subscribers threaten the delivery of quality healthcare. It is therefore imperative to analyze health insurance claim data to identify potentially suspicious claims. Typically, anomaly detection can be posited as a classification problem that requires the use of statistical methods such as mixture models and machine learning approaches to classify data points as either normal or anomalous. Additionally, health insurance claim data are mostly associated with problems of sparsity, heteroscedasticity, multicollinearity, and the presence of missing values. The analyses of such data are best addressed by adopting more robust statistical techniques. In this paper, we utilized the Bayesian quantile regression model to establish the relations between claim outcome of interest and subject-level features and further classify claims as either normal or anomalous. An estimated model component is assumed to inherently capture the behaviors of the response variable. A Bayesian mixture model, assuming a normal mixture of two components, is used to label claims as either normal or anomalous. The model was applied to health insurance data captured on 115 people suffering from various cardiovascular diseases across different states in the USA. Results show that 25 out of 115 claims (21.7%) were potentially suspicious. The overall accuracy of the fitted model was assessed to be 92%. Through the methodological approach and empirical application, we demonstrated that the Bayesian quantile regression is a viable model for anomaly detection.
Association between Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Elastographic Parameters of Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis: Controlled Attenuation Parameter and Liver Stiffness Measurements
Authors: Mikolasevic Ivana , Poropat Goran , Filipec Kanizaj Tajana , Skenderevic Nadija , Zelic Marko , Matasin Marija , Vranic Luka , Kresovic Andrea , Hauser Goran
Published: February 2021

Aim. Our aim was to investigate the association among elastographic parameters of liver steatosis and fibrosis, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Methods. In this prospective, cross-sectional study, we have evaluated 937 patients with one or more components of the metabolic syndrome who had an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) due to GERD symptoms. In all patients, a laboratory analysis, an abdominal ultrasound, and FibroScan measurements were done. GERD was defined by EGD. Results. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the study population was 30.95 ± 5.45 kg/m2. The prevalence of increased CAP was 82.6% (774/937). Patients with increased CAP were younger, were more obese, had higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, and had higher values of aminotransferases. Similar results of higher prevalence in patients with elevated CAP were observed with GERD, hiatal hernia, and insufficient cardia (defined as deficient or absent closure of the gastric inlet in relation to the esophagus). Additionally, patients with elevated CAP had a higher prevalence of GERD grades B and C in comparison to those without elevated CAP. Consequently, patients who did not have elevated CAP had a higher prevalence of GERD grade A. Even though we have found an upward trend in the prevalence of GERD, hiatal hernia, and insufficient cardia, there was no significant difference between subjects with fibrosis (F) 1-2 and F3-4 stage of fibrosis or F1 and F2-4. In a binary logistic regression, a significant positive association with GERD was obtained for CAP. Furthermore, a significant positive association with hiatal hernia was obtained for BMI and CAP. Finally, a significant positive association with hiatal hernia was obtained with CAP in multivariate analysis. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to reveal a positive association between CAP as a surrogate marker of liver steatosis and GERD after adjustments for other clinical variables.
NETosis as a Pathogenic Factor for Heart Failure
Authors: Ling Shuang , Xu Jin-Wen
Published: February 2021

Heart failure threatens the lives of patients and reduces their quality of life. Heart failure, especially heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, is closely related to systemic and local cardiac persistent chronic low‐grade aseptic inflammation, microvascular damage characterized by endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, myocardial remodeling, and fibrosis. However, the initiation and development of persistent chronic low‐grade aseptic inflammation is unexplored. Oxidative stress‐mediated neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are the main immune defense mechanism against external bacterial infections. Furthermore, NETs play important roles in noninfectious diseases. After the onset of myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, or myocarditis, neutrophils infiltrate the damaged tissue and aggravate inflammation. In tissue injury, damage‐related molecular patterns (DAMPs) may induce pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to cause NETs, but whether NETs are directly involved in the pathogenesis and development of heart failure and the mechanism is still unclear. In this review, we analyzed the markers of heart failure and heart failure‐related diseases and comorbidities, such as mitochondrial DNA, high mobility box group box 1, fibronectin extra domain A, and galectin‐3, to explore their role in inducing NETs and to investigate the mechanism of PRRs, such as Toll‐like receptors, receptor for advanced glycation end products, cGAS‐STING, and C‐X‐C motif chemokine receptor 2, in activating NETosis. Furthermore, we discussed oxidative stress, especially the possibility that imbalance of thiol redox and MPO‐derived HOCl promotes the production of 2‐chlorofatty acid and induces NETosis, and analyzed the possibility of NETs triggering coronary microvascular thrombosis. In some heart diseases, the deletion or blocking of neutrophil‐specific myeloperoxidase and peptidylarginine deiminase 4 has shown effectiveness. According to the results of current pharmacological studies, MPO and PAD4 inhibitors are effective at least for myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, and certain autoimmune diseases, whose deterioration can lead to heart failure. This is essential for understanding NETosis as a therapeutic factor of heart failure and the related new pathophysiology and therapeutics of heart failure.
A Clustering Algorithm via Density Perception and Hierarchical Aggregation Based on Urban Multimodal Big Data for Identifying and Analyzing Categories of Poverty-Stricken Households in China
Authors: Liu Hui , Liu Yang , Zhang Ran , Wu Xia
Published: February 2021

Nowadays, urban multimodal big data are freely available to the public due to the growing number of cities, which plays a critical role in many fields such as transportation, education, medical treatment, and land resource management. The successful completion of poverty-relief work can greatly improve the quality of people’s life and ensure the sustainable development of the society. Poverty is a severe challenge for human society. It is of great significance to apply machine learning to mine different categories of poverty-stricken households and further provide decision support for poverty alleviation. Traditional poverty alleviation methods need to consume a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. Based on the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), this paper designs the hierarchical DBSCAN clustering algorithm to identify and analyze the categories of poverty-stricken households in China. First, the proposed method adjusts the neighborhood radius dynamically for dividing the data space into several initial clusters with different densities. Then, neighbor clusters are identified by the border and inner distances constantly and aggregated recursively to form new clusters. Based on the idea of division and aggregation, the proposed method can recognize clusters of different forms and deal with noises effectively in the data space with imbalanced density distribution. The experiments indicate that the method has the ideal performance of clustering, which identifies the commonness and difference in characteristics of poverty-stricken households reasonably. In terms of the specific indicator “Accuracy,” the accuracy increases by 2.3% compared with other methods.
A Novel Pigeon‐Inspired Optimized RBF Model for Parallel Battery Branch Forecasting
Authors: Zhang Yanhui , Lin Shili , Ma Haiping , Guo Yuanjun , Feng Wei
Published: February 2021

Battery energy storage is the pivotal project of renewable energy systems reform and an effective regulator of energy flow. Parallel battery packs can effectively increase the capacity of battery modules. However, the power loss caused by the uncertainty of parallel battery branch current poses severe challenge to the economy and safety of electric vehicles. Accuracy of battery branch current prediction is needed to improve the parallel connection. This paper proposes a radial basis function neural network model based on the pigeon‐inspired optimization method and successfully applies the algorithm to predict the parallel branch current of the battery pack. Numerical results demonstrate the high accuracy of the proposed pigeon‐inspired optimized RBF model for parallel battery branch forecasting and provide a useful tool for the prediction of parallel branch currents of battery packs.
A Case Report on Prepubertal Vaginal Bleeding due to Leech Bite: History Is Very Important
Authors: Rahman S. M. Tajdit , Shahriar Tasnim , Tarannum Adiba , Kasem Md Abul , Akter Tasnuva
Published: February 2021

Though prepubertal vaginal bleeding is rare, it can create a dilemma for both physicians and parents. Prepubertal vaginal bleeding due to leech bite is even rarer and very difficult to diagnose without proper history. We report a case of a six-year-old girl presenting with vaginal bleeding and ultimately diagnosed as a case of vaginal bleeding due to leech bite. We described how focused history helped us in diagnosis and management of such case in rural areas with limited healthcare resources. A detailed history with a high index of suspicion and a thorough examination is essential to diagnose leech bite in the vagina.
Association of Prediagnostic Blood Metabolomics with Prostate Cancer Defined by ERG or PTEN Molecular Subtypes
Authors: Feng Xiaoshuang , Zhou Cindy Ke. , Clish Clary B. , Wilson Kathryn M. , Pernar Claire H. , Dickerman Barbra A. , Loda Massimo , Finn Stephen P. , Penney Kathryn L. , Schmidt Daniel R. , Heiden Matthew G. Vander , Giovannucci Edward L. , Ebot Ericka M. , Mucci Lorelei A.
Published: February 2021

Background:

The TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion and PTEN loss are two of the most common somatic molecular alterations in prostate cancer. Here, we investigated the association of prediagnostic-circulating metabolomics and prostate cancer defined by ERG or PTEN status to improve understanding of these etiologically distinct molecular prostate cancer subtypes.

Methods:

The study was performed among 277 prostate cancer cases with ERG status, 211 with PTEN status, and 294 controls nested in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Physicians' Health Study (PHS). We profiled 223 polar and non-polar metabolites using LC-MS in prediagnostic plasma specimens. We applied enrichment analysis and multinomial logistic regression models to identify biological metabolite classes and individual metabolites associated with prostate cancer defined by ERG or PTEN status.

Results:

Compared with noncancer controls, sphingomyelin (P: 0.01), ceramide (P: 0.04), and phosphatidylethanolamine (P: 0.03) circulating levels were enriched among ERG-positive prostate cancer cases. Sphingomyelins (P: 0.02), ceramides (P: 0.005), and amino acids (P: 0.02) were enriched among tumors exhibiting PTEN-loss; unsaturated diacylglycerols (P: 0.003) were enriched among PTEN-intact cases; and unsaturated triacylglycerols were enriched among both PTEN-loss (P: 0.001) and PTEN-intact (P: 0.0001) cases. Although several individual metabolites identified in the above categories were nominally associated with ERG or PTEN-defined prostate cancer, none remained significant after accounting for multiple testing.

Conclusions:

The molecular process of prostate carcinogenesis may be distinct for men with different metabolomic profiles.

Impact:

These novel findings provide insights into the metabolic environment for the development of prostate cancer.
Rare Variants in the DNA Repair Pathway and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Matejcic Marco , Shaban Hiba A. , Quintana Melanie W. , Schumacher Fredrick R. , Edlund Christopher K. , Naghi Leah , Pai Rish K. , Haile Robert W. , Levine A. Joan , Buchanan Daniel D. , Jenkins Mark A. , Figueiredo Jane C. , Rennert Gad , Gruber Stephen B. , Li Li , Casey Graham , Conti David V. , Schmit Stephanie L.
Published: February 2021

Background:

Inherited susceptibility is an important contributor to colorectal cancer risk, and rare variants in key genes or pathways could account in part for the missing proportion of colorectal cancer heritability.

Methods:

We conducted an exome-wide association study including 2,327 cases and 2,966 controls of European ancestry from three large epidemiologic studies. Single variant associations were tested using logistic regression models, adjusting for appropriate study-specific covariates. In addition, we examined the aggregate effects of rare coding variation at the gene and pathway levels using Bayesian model uncertainty techniques.

Results:

In an exome-wide gene-level analysis, we identified ST6GALNAC2 as the top associated gene based on the Bayesian risk index (BRI) method [summary Bayes factor (BF)BRI = 2604.23]. A rare coding variant in this gene, rs139401613, was the top associated variant (P = 1.01 × 10–6) in an exome-wide single variant analysis. Pathway-level association analyses based on the integrative BRI (iBRI) method found extreme evidence of association with the DNA repair pathway (BFiBRI = 17852.4), specifically with the nonhomologous end joining (BFiBRI = 437.95) and nucleotide excision repair (BFiBRI = 36.96) subpathways. The iBRI method also identified RPA2, PRKDC, ERCC5, and ERCC8 as the top associated DNA repair genes (summary BFiBRI ≥ 10), with rs28988897, rs8178232, rs141369732, and rs201642761 being the most likely associated variants in these genes, respectively.

Conclusions:

We identified novel variants and genes associated with colorectal cancer risk and provided additional evidence for a role of DNA repair in colorectal cancer tumorigenesis.

Impact:

This study provides new insights into the genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer, which has potential for translation into improved risk prediction.
ОЦІНКА РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ СИМУЛЬТАННИХ ЛАПАРОСКОПІЧНИХ АЛОГЕРНІОПЛАСТИКИ ТА ХОЛЕЦИСТЕКТОМІЇ
Authors: Halei M. M. , Dziubanovskiy I. Ya. , Marchuk I. P.
Published: February 2021

РЕЗЮМЕ. Поширеність калькульозного холециститу та пахової грижі досягає значних показників. Жовчнокам’яна хвороба вражає до 20 % дорослого населення світу, а пахова грижа виникає протягом життя у 30 % населення. Поєднання цих патологій не є рідкістю, отже методи паралельного лікування є актуальними.

Мета – дослідити наслідки використання розробленої техніки симультанних лапароскопічних операцій. Оцінити результати лікування жовчнокам’яної хвороби та пахової грижі й їх поєднання. Проаналізувати і порівняти основні показники ефективності та безпеки власної техніки з класичними техніками холецистектомії й алогерніопластики.

Матеріал і методи. З 2013 по 2019 рік проліковано 190 пацієнтів із поєднаною жовчнокам’яною хворобою та паховою грижею, з них 19 з двосторонньою. Операції виконували з використанням власної техніки симультанних операцій (група 1). Також проліковано 312 пацієнтів із лише ЖКХ з використанням стандартної «французької техніки» (група 2) та 237 пацієнтів із лише паховою грижею, з них 33 з двосторонньою, з використанням стандартної трансабдомінальної преперитонеальної техніки (група 3). Оцінку здійснювали шляхом аналізу і зіставлення показників терміну лікування, тривалості операції, концентрації креатиніну сироватки крові, глікемії, артеріального тиску. Використовували статистичні методи Шапіро – Уілка, критерії Манна – Уітні чи U-критерій.

Результати. Тривалість операції склала (58,24±5,74) хв у першій групі проти (41,8±4,66) хв у другій та (39,62±5,13) хв у третій та не перевищувала 2-х годин у жодній з груп; концентрація креатиніну сироватки крові не перевищувала допустимі 2 мг/дл у жодному з випадків та відрізнялась незначуще (p=0,937/p=0,922), нормалізувалась у період 6–12 год; глікемія також не мала відмінностей між групами та поверталась до норми у термін відновлення перорального живлення (p=0,822/p=0,954); АТ утримувався у межах нормотонії, різниця між інтраопераційними показниками в обох групах була несуттєвою (p=0,912/p=0,874); тривалість стаціонарного перебування не різнилась між групами (p=0,784/p=0,861) і складала 3,55 дня для першої, 3,51 дня для другої та 3,43 дня для третьої груп.

Висновки. Техніка, розроблена на базі ВІМДЛ ВОКЛ, не поступається за показниками ефективності та безпеки «французькій» техніці холецистектомії та дозволяє виконувати симультанне операційне лікування холециститу та пахової грижі (включаючи двосторонню) одномоментно. Використання цієї техніки є виправданим та доцільним.