bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wildfire risk for global wildland–urban interface (WUI) areas
Authors: Chen Bin , Wu Shengbiao , Jin Yufang , Song Yimeng , Wu Chao , Venevsky Sergey , Xu Bing , Webster Chris , Gong Peng
Published: October 2022

Intensifying wildfires and human settlement expansion have placed more people and infrastructure at the wildland–urban interface (WUI) areas under risk. Wildfire management and policy response are needed to protect ecosystems and residential communities; however, maps containing spatially explicit information on the distribution of WUI areas are limited to certain countries or local regions, and therefore global WUI patterns and associated wildfire exposure risk remain unclear. Here, we generated the first global WUI data layer with 400-m spatial resolution for 2020 by incorporating fine-resolution housing and vegetation mapping. We estimated the total global WUI area to be 6.62 million km2. By overlapping 2015–2020 wildfire burned area maps and fine-resolution population dataset, our analysis revealed that globally, 6.16% (11.27%) of WUI areas housing 3.83 million (9.0 million) people are within a 2400-m (4800-m) buffer zone of wildfire threat. Regionally, we found that the United States, Brazil, China, India, and Australia account for the majority of WUI areas, but African countries experience higher wildfire risk. Our analysis is the first to quantify global WUI patterns and the associated wildfire risk, and could support improvement of wildfire management.
Initial manifestations in Patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity based on onset age: a study from a Nationwide Survey in Japan
Authors: Kido Takahiro , Hosaka Sho , Imagawa Kazuo , Fukushima Hiroka , Morio Tomohiro , Nonoyama Shigeaki , Takada Hidetoshi
Published: October 2022

Purpose: Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) manifest various initial symptoms; however, those that are critical for the early diagnosis of IEI have not been identified. Also, the significance of the ten warning signs of primary immunodeficiency (PID) among infants has not been established. This study aimed to conduct a nationwide survey of IEI in Japan and investigated the initial manifestations based on onset age.
Methods: Among 1,298 patients, data regarding the initial manifestation were available from 505 patients. Patients with autoinflammatory diseases, complement deficiency, and phenocopies of IEI were excluded.
Results: The ten warning signs were positive in 67.3 % of the cases. The positivity rate was low (20.5 %) in patients with immune dysregulation. Although the positivity rate was low (36.6 %) in patients aged less than 3 months, they were highly positive for family history of IEI (26.8 %). Infectious symptoms were the most commonly observed in all age groups and in all disease categories. Symptoms of “immune dysregulation” were present in approximately 15 % of the patients. Regarding the anatomical category, almost all initial symptoms were “systemic” infections in patients with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. Moreover, “respiratory” symptoms were the most common in patients with IEI aged ≥ 1 year and accounted for more than 50 % in all age groups in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.
Conclusion: These results highlight the significance of the 10 warning signs and may serve as clinical indicators for early diagnosis, considering the initial presentation of IEI.
β-glucan protects against necrotizing enterocolitis in mice by inhibiting intestinal inflammation, improving gut barrier and modulating gut microbiota
Authors: Zhang Xingdao , Zhang Yuni , He Yu , Zhu Xingwang , Ai Qing , Shi Yuan
Published: October 2022

Background
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal disease with high morbidity and mortality, affecting preterm infants especially those with very low and extremely low birth weight. β-glucan has manifested of multiple biological effects including anti-inflammatory, regulating gut microbiota and immunomodulatory activities. At present, there is no relevant study considering the effects of β-glucan on NEC. This study aimed to investigate the effects of β-glucan on NEC.
Methods
Neonatal C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, NEC group and β-glucan group. Newborn 3-day-old mice were gavage with either 1mg/ml β-glucan or PBS at 0.03 ml/g for consecutive 7 days before NEC induction and a NEC model was established with hypoxia combined with cold exposure and formula feeding. All the pups were killed after 72-hour modeling. HE staining was performed to assess the pathological injury of the intestine. The mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors in intestinal tissues were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. The protein levels of TLR4, NF-κB and tight junctions proteins in intestinal tissues were evaluated using western blotting and immunohistochemistry. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to determine the structure of gut microbiota.
Results
β-glucan administration ameliorated intestinal injury of NEC mice; reduced the intestinal expression of TLR4, NF-κB, interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-6 and TNF-α; and increased the intestinal expression of IL-10 (P < 0.05); improved the expression of ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-1 within intestinal barrier. Pre-treatment with β-glucan also increased the proportion of Actinobacteria, Clostridium_butyricum, Lactobacillus_johnsonii,Lactobacillus_murinus and Lachnospiraceae_bacterium_mt14 and reduced the proportion of Klebsiella_oxytoca_g__Klebsiella in the NEC model.
Conclusion
β-glucan intervention can prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in neonatal mice, possibly by suppressing TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway, improving intestinal barrier function and partially regulating intestinal microbiota.
Predictors of depression and role of trust in medical professionals as moderator in Hong Kong Chinese population in the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Lai Daniel W.L. , Jin Jiahui , Yan Elsie , Lee Vincent W.P.
Published: October 2022

Background: Given the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated prevention and control measures implemented the psychological burden brought by the pandemic on the citizens is expected to increase. This study aimed to explore the predictors of depressive symptoms among Hong Kong people during the epidemic, as well as factors that could potentially alleviate the negative effects of the epidemic.
Methods: A longitudinal prospective survey study was conducted with the general population aged 18 and above in Hong Kong. The third wave follow-up survey (December 2021 to January 2022) was used for a cross-sectional analysis (n= 803). Logistic and linear regression were performed to test the predictors and moderating effects respectively.
Results: With minimized confounding effects of demographic variables, higher levels of concern of infection, experience with COVID-19 infection and previous epidemics, hassles, and trust in authority increased the odds of being depressive, while a higher level of trust in medical professionals reduced the odds of depression. Moreover, greater trust in medical professionals, as a moderator, lessened the positive associations between the levels of depression and hassles, concern about infection.
Conclusions: Even though the threats of COVID-19 seem to have lowered, this study shows that a few factors associated with the pandemic continue to threaten people’s mental health. However, developing greater trust in medical experts may be an effective way to relieve psychological burden.
Design and fabrication by Selective Laser Melting of a LIDAR reflective unit using Metal Matrix Composite material
Authors: Boschetto Alberto , Bottini Luana , Macera Luciano
Published: October 2022

The Selective Laser Melting is an Additive Manufacturing technology able to directly fabricate full dense metal part from a virtual model. The geometrical complexity degree of freedom allows the implementation to several industrial applications such as the Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging systems. A key component of this system is the reflective unit which must satisfy functional requirements and a weight reduction is advisable. Aim of this work is to reach these goals by using an integrated product/process methodology which considers all the fabrication steps. A complete redesign allowed to exploit the Additive Manufacturing advantages of a Metal Matrix Composite based on AA 2000 series combined with a high content of ceramic. The component was validated via Finite Element Method simulation focused on the most critical polishing operation. Results on static and dynamic analysis showed the lightened mirror satisfies the requirements. The testing on the physical prototype confirmed the enhanced mechanical properties and the interferometric measurement verified the mirror functionality. The work evidenced that particular care must be provided to the configuration used for the polishing and the assembly in this lightened component.
Shotgun Proteomics-based distinctive fingerprint of buffalo sperm surface unravels over-representation of proteins driving spermatogenesis, motility, and fertility
Authors: BATRA VIPUL , Dagar Komal , Diwakar Maharana Pratap , Kumaresan Arumugam , Kumar Rakesh , Datta Tirtha Kumar
Published: October 2022

The mammalian sperm surface is radically modified in its biomolecular composition and structure during the transit of sperm through the male and female reproductive tract (MRT, FRT). Numerous distinct secretagogues such as (glyco)proteins and many GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are applied as peripheral coats on the sperm surface in the MRT, which is critical for the maturation, survival and function of the spermatozoa. This study aimed to characterize the buffalo sperm surface proteins by extracting them either by using elevated salt (NaCl) or Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C (for GPI-APs) or by inducing in vitro capacitation. A buffalo sperm surface-specific proteomic fingerprint was subsequently generated using the protein informatics platform, Proteome Discoverer (v2.2) for protein identification. Overall, 1695 unique proteins isoforms (proteoforms) (≥ 1 high-quality PSM/s, minimum 2 peptides, P < 0.05, FDR < 0.01) that exhibited remarkable heterogeneity in their molecular weight, pI, distribution of expression from the genome and their functional roles in the MRT and the FRT were identified. We characterized the identified including 200 orphan proteins by extrapolation of function from their sequence orthologs using BLAST2GO software. The extensive, yet unexplored, reproduction-specific buffalo sperm-surface proteomic repertoire discovered in this study is unparalleled vis-à-vis the depth identification of fertility-related and reproduction-specific cell-surface proteins.
Fission yeast Srr1 and Skb1 promote isochromosome formation at the centromere
Authors: Mongia Piyusha , Toyofuku Naoko , Pan Ziyi , Xu Ran , Oki Keitaro , Takahashi Hiroki , Ogura Yoshitoshi , Hayashi Tetsuya , Nakagawa Takuro
Published: October 2022

Rad51 faithfully repairs DNA damage, whereas Rad52 promotes non-canonical homologous recombination leading to gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs). However, the GCR mechanism remains unclear. Here we find that fission yeast Srr1/Ber1 and Skb1/PRMT5 arginine methyltransferase promote isochromosome formation at centromeres. srr1 and skb1 mutations reduce GCR rates. Physical analysis of GCR products reveals that srr1 and skb1 specifically reduce isochromosome formation. Remarkably, srr1 and rad51 additively increase DNA damage sensitivity, suggesting that Srr1 promotes Rad51-independent DNA damage response prone to isochromosome formation. In contrast, loss of Skb1 does not increase damage sensitivity and, intriguingly, reduces chromosome loss in rad51∆ cells, suggesting that Skb1 forms DNA structures that need to be processed by Rad51 or else chromosomes become unstable. Srr1 and Skb1 act in the Rad52-dependent GCR pathway, while Srr1 also has a role in the Rad52-independent pathway. This study has uncovered unprecedented roles for Srr1 and Skb1 in GCRs at centromeres.
Association of Smoking, Alcohol, and Coffee Consumption with the Risk of Ovarian Cancer and Prognosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Liu Sicong , Feng Songwei , Du Furong , Zhang Ke , Shen Yang
Published: October 2022

Objective: Currently, the association between smoking, alcohol, and coffee intake and the risk of ovarian cancer (OC) remains conflicting. In this study, we used a two-sample mendelian randomization (MR) method to evaluate the association of smoking, drinking and coffee consumption with the risk of OC and prognosis.
Methods: Five risk factors related to lifestyles (cigarettes per day, smoking initiation, smoking cessation, alcohol consumption and coffee consumption) were chosen from the Genome-Wide Association Study, and 28, 105, 10, 36 and 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained as instrumental variables (IVs). Outcome variables were achieved from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Inverse-variance-weighted method was mainly used to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (Cl).
Results: The two-sample MR analysis supported the causal association of genetically predicted smoking initiation (OR: 1.15 per SD, 95%CI: 1.02-1.29, P=0.027) and coffee consumption (OR: 1.40 per 50% increase, 95%CI: 1.02-1.93, P=0.040) with the risk of OC, but not cigarettes per day, smoking cessation, and alcohol consumption. Subgroup analysis based on histological subtypes revealed a positive genetical predictive association between coffee consumption and endometrioid OC (OR: 3.01, 95%CI: 1.50-6.04, P=0.002). Several smoking initiation-related SNPs (rs7585579, rs7929518, rs2378662, rs10001365, rs11078713, rs7929518, and rs62098013), and coffee consumption-related SNPs (rs4410790, and rs1057868) were all associated with overall survival and cancer-specific survival in OC.
Conclusion: Our findings provide the evidence for a favorable causal association of genetically predicted smoking initiation and coffee consumption with OC risk, and coffee consumption is linked to a greater risk of endometrioid OC.
Effect of management practices on the age of puberty in Murrah buffalo male calves
Authors: C Kotresh Prasad , Singh Pawan , Panchbhai Girish , Bhatt Ninad , Barman Deepandita , Lathwal Surender Singh , Mukesh Manishi , Tyagi Amrish Kumar , Singh Sohan Vir , Uddin Jashim
Published: October 2022

This study was conducted to assess the effect of management practices along with different feed supplementation in the age of puberty of Murrah buffalo male calves. Thirty calves were divided into 5 groups, having 6 in each Group. Groups 1 to 3 were reared under routine management, while 4 to 5 were under better management practices. A basal diet was provided in Group 1. Group 2 had access to a 10% higher energy supplement (molasses) along with basal diet, Group 3 had access to a basal diet plus 10% higher energy till 12 months of age and thereafter roasted flax seed till the age of first semen ejaculation; Group 4 fed similar to Group 2, and Group 5 fed similar to Group 3. Growth performance, scrotal circumference, semen quality and quantity, testosterone concentration, and fatty acid profile of blood serum were measured fortnightly. In One-way Analysis of Variance, it was found that the provision of better management practices and a high-energy diet reduced the age of puberty (P < 0.05). The concentration of serum testosterone increased linearly with the increase in body weight. The semen quality and quantity (volume, concentration, motility, live %) were higher in Group 5 than that in Groups 1 to 4 (P < 0.01). This study concluded that the Murrah buffalo male calves have the potential to attain the age of puberty earlier with the provision of better management practices and an energy-rich diet than that of conventional.
Acute Malnutrition Recovery Rates Improve with COVID-19 Adapted Nutrition Treatment Protocols in South Sudan: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Lyles Emily , Banks Sandra , Ramaswamy Maya , Ismail Sule , Leidman Eva , Doocy Shannon
Published: October 2022

Background.
Globally, emergency nutrition program adaptations were implemented as part of COVID-19 mitigation strategies, but the implications of the adoption of all protocol changes at scale in the context of deteriorating food security are not yet well characterized. With ongoing conflict, widespread floods, and declining food security, the secondary impacts of COVID-19 on child survival in South Sudan is of great concern.
Methods.
A mixed methods approach including a desk review and secondary analysis of facility-level program data was used to analyze trends in program indicators over time and compare two 15-month periods prior to the onset of COVID-19 (January 2019 – March 2020; “pre-COVID period”) and after the start of the pandemic (April 2020 – June 2021; “COVID” period) in South Sudan.
Results.
The median number of reporting CMAM sites increased from 1,167 pre-COVID to 1,189 during COVID. Admission trends followed historic seasonal patterns in South Sudan; however, compared to pre-COVID, declines were seen during COVID in total admissions (-8.2%) and median monthly admissions (-21.8%) for SAM. For MAM, total admissions increased slightly during COVID (1.1%) while median monthly admissions declined (-6.7%). States with the largest admission declines also saw reductions in the number of treatment facilities during COVID. Median monthly recovery rates improved for SAM (92.0% pre-COVID to 95.7% during COVID) and MAM (91.5–94.3%); all states saw improvements in median monthly recovery rates for both SAM and MAM. At the national level, rates also decreased for default (-2.4% for SAM, -1.7% for MAM) and non-recovery (-0.9% for SAM, -1.1% for MAM), with mortality rates remaining constant at 0.05–0.15%. While median monthly mortality rates were stable for both SAM and MAM, the total number of SAM deaths fell by 35.2% and the total number of MAM deaths decreased by 42.1%.
Conclusions.
Within the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan, improved recovery, default, and non-responder rates were observed following adoption of changes to nutrition protocols. Policymakers in South Sudan and other resource-constrained settings should consider if simplified nutrition treatment protocols adopted during COVID-19 improved performance and should be maintained in lieu of reverting to standard treatment protocols.
Frequency of Cardiometabolic Diseases and Medications in Children with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Dum Rachel , Walter Vonn , Thomas Neal J. , Krawiec Conrad
Published: October 2022

Introduction/Objectives: Cerebral palsy (CP) patients may be at risk of obesity, but outcomes and risk factors are understudied. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the body mass index (BMI) types of CP patients and to evaluate the presence of cardiometabolic specific diseases and medications. We hypothesize CP subjects with an increased BMI have a higher frequency of cardiometabolic specific diseases and medications.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study utilizing TriNetX ®, an electronic health record (EHR) database, in CP subjects aged 2 to 18 years who had a BMI value available. The study population was divided into 4 BMI percentile groups, underweight (<5th BMI percentile), healthy weight (≥5th to <85th percentile), overweight (≥85th to <95th percentile), and obese (≥95th percentile), and the following variables were evaluated: demographics, diagnostic codes, and medication codes.
Results: A total of 5993 subjects were included [underweight (251, 4.2%), healthy weight (2390, 39.9%), overweight (943, 15.7%), and obese (2409, 40.2%)]. Obese subjects had a higher frequency of the following: asthma [811 (33.7%), p=0.0001], diabetes mellitus [102 (4.2%), p=0.0001], hypertension [213 (8.8%), p=0.0001], and sleep apnea [686 (28.5%), p=0.0001]. Overweight subjects had a higher frequency of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy [574 (60.9%), p=0.0001).
Conclusions: This study found CP patients classified as obese had a higher frequency of cardiometabolic comorbidity and medication codes that influence weight. BMI measurements are limited in this population but may be used cautiously to evaluate the body type of CP children, and monitor the occurrence of cardiometabolic associated comorbidities.
The Outcome of Kidney Transplantation in Lupus Patients
Authors: Lin Ting-Chih , Tsai Meng-Kun , Lee Jyh-Hong , Yang Yao-Hsu , Lin Yu-Tsan , Yu Hsin-Hui , Chiang Bor-Luen , Wang Li-Chieh
Published: October 2022

Kidney transplantation is one of the treatments for end-stage renal disease in lupus patients. The impact of lupus activity on graft survival is a concern. In this study, we aimed to analyze graft survival and factors affecting outcome of kidney transplantation in 45 lupus patients. The graft survival rate was 98, 98, 88, 85 and 78% at 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, respectively. Hypertension, positive penal reactive antibodies against HLA class 2 antigens, retransplant, younger age of lupus nephritis onset, lower postoperative C4 level and the presence of HBsAg and/or anti-HBe antibody showed significantly negative correlation on graft survival by univariate logistic regression. The only factor that is significantly associated with graft failure after adjusting above factors by multiple regression is the presence of HBsAg and/or anti-HBe antibody (p = .0161). Serological markers for activity including C3, C4 and anti-dsDNA antibody before kidney transplantation and recurrent lupus nephritis were not significantly associated with graft failure. In conclusion, in lupus patients underwent kidney transplantation, preoperative serological markers for lupus activity and recurrent lupus nephritis did not affect the graft outcome. However, hepatitis B virus serology might be a single predictor for graft failure in lupus patients.
Toxoplasma gondii GRA25 alters the morphology of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane communicating with host mitochondria
Authors: Nishigori Mitsuhiro , Shimoda Naomi , Nishi Shohei , Chen Yu , Masatani Tatsunori , Ban Tadato , Nishikawa Yoshifumi , Koshiba Takumi
Published: October 2022

Mitochondria participate in a wide range of cellular processes, from energy metabolism to host defense. Some infectious microbes alter their host environments by accessing/altering mitochondrial functions. The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii sequestrates host mitochondria, in part by nutrient uptake. Here we show that the T. gondii dense granule protein 25 (TgGRA25) interconnects parasite and host mitochondria in infected cells. Using a combination of biochemical and cell biologic approaches, we reveal that TgGRA25 contributes to mitochondrial-tethering by its association with the phosphatidic acid-producing mitochondrial phospholipase MitoPLD. TgGRA25/MitoPLD interactions suppress the efficiency of parasite egress from host cells. Moreover, targeted deletion of TgGRA25 in type II parasites caused dramatic deformation of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and severe defects in the lytic cycle of T. gondii, indicating an essential role of TgGRA25 in parasite morphogenesis. Our results suggest the existence of multiple routes by which communication is maintained between the parasite and host mitochondria, and this translocation event could be a potential therapeutic target.
Off-label Use of an External Hand Fixator for Craniomaxillofacial Fractures – an Anatomical Feasibility Study
Authors: Wichlas Florian , Necchi Marco , Gruber Teresa , Hofmann Valeska , Deininger Susanne , Deininger Markus Sebastian Hubertus , Steidle-Kloc Eva , Pruszak Jan , Deininger Christian
Published: October 2022

BackgroundThe lack of resources limits the treatment of craniomaxillofacial fractures in low-income countries (LIC). Therefore, Barton bandage and/or interdental wiring are considered being gold standard in these regions. The fracture reduction is maintained by permanent occlusion for 6 weeks, which often leads to limited compliance and dissatisfying results. Furthermore, in these conditions the healing of nasopharyngeal fistula is difficult. During humanitarian missions CMF need to be treated by trauma surgeons. The aim of this cadaver-based study is to evaluate the feasibility of the use of an external face fixator (EFF) for the treatment of CMF, its biomechanical values and to define the optimal pin insertion points and angles.Material and methodsA commercially available AO hand fixator was used. Craniomaxillofacial fractures type Le Fort 1-3 with split fracture of the hard palate were treated with EFF on 13 anatomical specimens. The fractures were created using a chisel. The pins were placed in specific anatomical regions. The maximal pull-out force [N] of the pins was analysed by a tensile force gauge. As a reference, Fmax of the mandibular pins was evaluated. Computer tomography (CT) scans were performed on the healthy, fractured and EFF-treated skulls. After reduction and EFF placement an adequate reposition was shown in the CT scans.ResultsThe pull-out forces for the single pins were as follows: mandibular pins (n=15, median 488N), supraorbital pins (n=15, median 455.0N), zygomatic pins (n=14, median 269.1N), medial hard palate pins (n=12, median 208.4N) and lateral hard palate pins (n=8, median 49.6N).ConclusionsThe results of the presented study on the cadaver show, that the operation technique is feasible, and the stability of the EFF is sufficient for maintaining the reduction. In addition, the required pins can be safely inserted into the described areas and a good reduction result can be achieved. The technique of the EFF offers a feasible alternative to the non-surgical treatment of CMF in LIC. Thus, the gap between the open reduction and internal fixation techniques (mini-plates) used in High-income countries and the Barton bandage used in LIC can be closed.Trial registration:A vote of the local ethics committee was obtained (13.01.2022, Ethikkommission Land Salzburg, Austria). EK Nr: 1198/2021Level of evidence:Level 2
Calculation of component activities for Se-based binary systems by NRTL equation
Authors: Yang Hongwei. , Wang Weiyi , He Bei , Xu Baoqiang , Jiang Wenlong
Published: October 2022

The activity of components is the fundamental thermodynamic property of vapor-liquid equilibrium in vacuum distillation of crude selenium. The activities of components for the Pb-Se, Bi-Se, Sb-Se, and Tl-Se binary systems were calculated and discussed using the Nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) equation and Wilson equation. The interaction energy parameters of the NRTL equation for Se-based binary systems were employed to predict the activities of components at corresponding temperatures. The mixing enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of these systems were obtained based on the predicted activities and NRTL equation parameters. Compared to the experimental data from literature, the present calculations for the four binary systems using the NRTL equation are better than the Wilson equation. It shows that the NRTL equation is reasonable and accurate based on the concept of local composition and two-fluid theory, especially for binary systems containing liquid-liquid immiscibility. The method proposed in this work is reliable for predicting thermodynamic properties for Se-based binary systems.
Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for incidental gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients without distant metastasis after surgery: a SEER population-based study
Authors: Chen Jie , Huang Shifei , Han Yehong
Published: October 2022

Background
Gallbladder cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the biliary system, most of which is adenocarcinoma. Our study explored developing and validating a nomogram to predict overall and cancer-specific survival probabilities internally and externally for incidental gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients without distant metastasis after surgery.
Methods
Patients screened and filtered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, whose years of diagnosis between 2010 and 2015 were collected as a derivation cohort, while those between 2016 and 2019 were a temporal validation cohort. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were chosen as our retrospective cohort study's primary and secondary endpoints. Potential clinical variables were selected for a cox regression model analysis by performing both-direction stepwise selection to confirm the final variables. The performance of final nomograms was evaluated by Harrell's C statistic and Brier score, with a graphical receptor operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve.
Results
6 variables of age, race, tumor size, histologic grade, T stage, and positive regional lymph nodes were finally determined for the OS nomogram; sex had also been added to the CSS nomogram equally. Novel dynamic nomograms were established to predict the prognosis of incidental gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients without distant metastasis after surgery. The ROC curve demonstrated good accuracy in predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and CSS in both derivation and validation cohorts. Correspondingly, the calibration curve presented perfect reliability between the death or cancer-specific death probability and observed death or cancer-specific death proportion in both derivation and validation cohorts.
Conclusions
Our study established novel dynamic nomograms based on 6 and 7 clinical variables separately to predict OS and CSS of incidental gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients without distant metastasis after surgery, which might assist doctors in advising and guiding therapeutic strategies for intraoperative or postoperative gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients in the future.
Permanent of Toeplitz Matrices With Narayana Entries by Ozen Ozer, Selcuk Koyuncu, and Wynn Kwiatkowski
Authors: Ozer Ozen , Koyuncu Selcuk , Kwiatkowski Wynn
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
LEMON: LanguagE MOdel for Negative Sampling of Knowledge Graph Embeddings
Authors: Rony Md Rashad Al Hasan , Alam Mirza Mohtashim , Ali Semab , Saleem Qasid , Lehmann Jens , Vahdati Sahar
Published: October 2022

Knowledge Graph Embedding models have become an important area of machine learning. Those models provide a latent representation of entities and relations of a knowledge graph which can then be used in downstream machine learning tasks such as link prediction.The learning process of such models can be performed by contrasting positive and negative triples.While the triples of the underlying knowledge graph are considered positive, the generation of the negative samples has its own process. Therefore, the sampling procedures for obtaining the negative triples play a crucial role in the performance and effectiveness of Knowledge Graph Embedding models. Most of the existing techniques draw negative samples from a random distribution of entities of the underlying Knowledge Graph which often includes uninformative negative triples. Different works employ adversarial techniques or generative neural networks for negative sampling, which improve the performance of models with the cost of additional sophisticated mechanisms. In this paper, we propose an approach for generating informative negative samples by utilizing complementary knowledge about entities. Particularly, pre-trained language models are used to form neighborhood clusters by computing the distances between entities to obtain representations of symbolic entities via their complementary textual information. Our proposed approach achieved the biggest leaps in performance over the baseline models KBGAN, NSCaching, Uni-SANS with an absolute difference of +22.38, +6.45 and +7.16, respectively on WN18RR dataset.
Efficient photocatalytic degradation of o-nitrophenol using ZrO2 -RGO nanocomposite : Hydrothermal approach
Authors: Anjaneyulu R . Balaji , Rao K. Subba , Madhavi K. , Mahender C. , Gupta CH. LDS. Narayana , Shekhar B.
Published: October 2022

Phenolic compounds are present as a recalcitrant chemical in the effluents of industrial wastewater. They are highly carcinogenic and need proper treatment for their degradation to prevent human health. Even though conventional methods are available for degrading the phenolic compounds in the aqueous medium, they are not effective and are associated with high costs. Thus, in the current work, we deal with the degradation of O-Nitrophenol by using ZrO2 nanoparticles and ZrO2-RGO nanocomposite produced by a hydrothermal process with a lower cost under the visible light photolytic activity. The ZrO2-RGO nanocomposite outperformed the ZrO2 nanoparticles with higher degradation efficiencies. Though many researchers attempted to reduce the phenolic compound in the waste-water, according to the available literature, we have achieved the highest removal efficiencies, i.e., 98.4% in removing O-Nitrophenol. The morphology of the ZrO2-RGO nanocomposite was using BET, SEM-EDX, XRD, FT-IR, and UV-DRS analysis. XRD patterns revealed that the ZrO2 is highly crystalline, which might be attributed to the higher degradation. SEM pictures show that ZrO2 particles exhibit a limited size distribution and a consistent needle-like nanostructure. Through synthesis, FT-IR patterns showed the graphene oxide (GO) with reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The improved visible light degrading activity of ZrO2-RGO NC supported the UV-vis DRS. Thus, from the results, we conclude that ZrO2-RGO NC in the photodegradation of O-Nitrophenol, when illuminated with visible light, might be the best solution for the degradation of the phenolic compound.
Nanosecond laser micro-textured TC4 double sparse surface and its ice suppression characteristics
Authors: Yang Guang-Feng , Bai Juan , Liu Ling , Cui Jing
Published: October 2022

The icing on the surface of aircraft engine lip will seriously affect flight safety. Studies have shown that the surface with micro-nano structure can effectively improve its ice suppression performance. In this paper, Ti6Al4V (TC4) is used as the base material, and nanosecond pulsed laser is used to prepare the TC4 microstructure. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray energy spectrometer (EDS), contact angle measuring instrument and cold stage experimental device are used to measure the surface of the sample. Characterization of microscopic morphology, chemical element composition, wettability and ice suppression performance. The results show that when other laser parameters are constant, the fractal dimension of the sample surface with a scanning distance of 80 µm is the highest, with a value of 1.683, showing excellent ice suppression effect, and low frost quality and coverage. The micro-nano structure formed by nanosecond laser processing on the surface of TC4 can change its contact angle and fractal dimension, and the freezing time of the surface with large contact angle and fractal dimension is delayed.
Synovial biopsy for establishing a definite diagnosis in undifferentiated chronic knee monoarthritis
Authors: Soroosh Soosan G , Ghatfan Ali , Farbod Abolfazl , Meftah Elahe
Published: October 2022

Background: Undifferentiated arthritis is a condition in which the problem cannot be classified into any definite diagnosis category. Various methods have been suggested to clarify the definite diagnosis in this class. The synovial biopsy is suggested as the last diagnostic approach to determine the exact histopathological diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of synovial biopsy for establishing a definite diagnosis in patients with undifferentiated chronic knee monoarthritis.
Methods: The present retrospective case series was conducted in 2005 in the rheumatology research center of Shariati hospital and the 501 hospital in Tehran, Iran. The study included the synovial biopsy of patients with chronic knee monoarthritis who did not have a definite diagnosis after all the diagnostic steps before the synovial biopsy. Pathology slides of the patients’ synovial biopsy were reevaluated with a senior expert pathologist.
Results: Eighty patients with a mean age of 37.6 ± 17.32 years (range: 6 – 68) were included, of whom 50% were female. The gap time between the onset of knee monoarthritis and the decision-making for synovial biopsy was 14.34 ± 19.61 months. Histopathologic evaluations revealed non-specific changes in 65% of the patients and a definite diagnosis in 35%. The most common definite diagnosis was rheumatoid arthritis (9%), followed by septic arthritis (5%). The most common pathologic findings were endothelial proliferation (89%) and synovial proliferation (88%), and the most common infiltrating cell was lymphocyte (54%). Patients with non-specific changes were more likely to have neovascularization, cellular infiltration (p-value < 0.001), synovial proliferation, endothelial proliferation (p-value = 0.001), pannus formation (p-value = 0.009), and fibrosis (p-value = 0.022) compared to the patients with a definite pathologic diagnosis. However, age, gender, and the gap time between disease symptoms to synovial biopsy were not significantly different between the different groups of diagnosis (p-value > 0.05).
Conclusions: Non-specific changes remain the most common histopathologic finding, highlighting the importance of physician expert opinion for most of the patients with undifferentiated chronic knee monoarthritis. Studies with larger samples and immunohistochemistry analyses are needed to clarify this uncategorized entity further.
Solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry three metabolic regulators in food: clomiphene, trimetazidine, and meldonium
Authors: Wang Hao , Wang Yu , Shi Hailiang , Lin Li , Mu Tongna , Li Dongmei , Zhang Wenchao , Yang Hao
Published: October 2022

Clomiphene, trimetazidine, and meldonium are three common clinical drugs, and long-term consumption will cause damage to human health. Currently, animal-derived food contamination is a major concern, and these compounds have a high probability of entering the human body and remaining there for a long time. In this study, a liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed to determine the residues of three metabolic regulators in food. With 0.1% formic acid water-acetonitrile solution (25:75, V/V), samples were extracted ultrasonically. After MCX SPE Column Cleanup, the Shiseido PC HILIC column was used for separation, with positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode monitoring and isotope internal standard method used for quantifying. In this optimized condition, both clomiphene and trimetazidine had detection limits of 0.25 µg/kg and quantification limits of 0.5 µg/kg. Meldonium had a detection limit of 2.5 µg/kg and a quantification limit of 5.0 µg/kg. Recovery rates ranged from 80.1–119.9%, and precision RSD was 1.95–15.4% (n = 6). This method is suitable for detecting food containing clomiphene, trimetazidine, and mildronium.
Influential factors for optimizing and strengthening mesenchymal stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells co-culture
Authors: Shirdarreh Mandana , Amiri Fatemeh , Samiee Mohammad Pouya , Safari Armita
Published: October 2022

Mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] and Hematopoietic stem cells [HSCs] are two types of bone marrow stem cells that could proliferate and differentiate into different cell lineages. HSCs interact with MSCs under the protective conditions, called niche. Numerous studies have indicated supportive effects of MSCs on HSCs proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, HSCs have many clinical applications and could treat different hematologic and non-hematologic diseases. For this purpose, there is a need to perform in vitro studies to optimize their expansion. Therefore, various methods including co-culture with MSCs are used to address the limitations of HSCs culture. Some parameters that might be effective for improving the co-culture system, such as MSC paracrine profile, scaffolds, hypoxia, culture medium additives, and the use of various MSC sources, have been examined in different studies. In this article, we investigated the potential factors for optimizing HSCs/ MSCs co-culture. It might be helpful to apply a suitable approach for providing high quality HSCs and improving their therapeutic applications in the required fields.
Feasibility study of a low-cost bubble CPAP system in a neonatal medium care unit in Belgium
Authors: Vanbinst Sophie , Damme Emmi Van , Raaijmakers Anke
Published: October 2022

Purpose
We aimed to evaluate the implementation and use of a high quality innovative bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) System into a neonatal unit in Belgium.
Methods
A prospective observational study of neonates who met criteria for non-invasive respiratory support was conducted. All medical and nursing staff completed an on-line Thinkific course, followed by a live demonstration and practice of device application. Clinical indicator and device settings were recorded for every neonate. Staff surveys were administered after the training, after treatment of a neonate with a Vayu bCPAP System, and eight months after device introduction.
Results
Seven neonates were treated with Vayu bCPAP Systems. Their mean birth weight was 3170g with a median duration of treatment with bCPAP of 19 hours (IQR 2h–6d). Four term neonates had transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN, n=4). One preterm and one term baby suffered from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, n=2) and one baby had meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS, n=1). Six of the seven neonates improved their respiratory status and were weaned off the bCPAP System. One neonate needed more extensive ventilatory support and was transferred to a higher level neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Staff surveys demonstrated that the devices were easy to use and satisfaction rates were high.
Conclusions
It was feasible to use Vayu bCPAP Systems to provide neonates with non-invasive respiratory support in our neonatal unit. Since implementation of this device there is less hesitancy among the medical staff to start babies on CPAP.
Smart School Bus Monitoring and Notification System Using Rfid and Gps
Authors: Cedric UMUHIRE , Mbanzabugabo Jean Baptiste
Published: October 2022

The Internet of things (IoT) as a paradigm promises to make things including consumer electronic devices or home appliances such as medical devices, fridges, cameras, and sensors part of the internet environment. Within this paper, the design of an IoT-based solution of smart school bus monitoring that provides SMS notification in real-time has been proposed together with its prototype development. The system allows parents and schools to track the condition and safety of children by using a combination of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Global Position System (GPS) technologies connected to a remote server using GSM/GPRS technologies through Arduino Uno and Arduino IDE. This resulted in a Smart School Bus (SSB) system consisted of six (6) main components and seven (7) sub-components to solve one of the key challenges in the City of Kigali with no trustworthy system in place that can monitor school buses and be able to provide real-time information for children's locations while commuting to school. The practice of diverse devices, communication rules for software features, and security instruments was a hard encounter which SSB system faces and should balance to provide its features and ensure responsive services.
A New Outlook on the Profitability of Rogue Mining Strategies in the Bitcoin Network
Authors: Protonotarios Yorgos , Tassopoulos Pantelis
Published: October 2022

Many of the recent works on the profitability of rogue mining strategies hinge on a parameter called gamma (γ) that measures the proportion of the honest network attracted by the attacker to mine on top of his fork. These works, see [6] and [5], have surmised conclusions based on premises that erroneously treat γ to be constant. In this paper, we treat γ as a stochastic process and attempt to find its distribution through a Markov analysis. We begin by making strong assumptions on gamma's behaviour and proceed to translate them mathematically in order to apply them in a Markov setting. The aforementioned is executed in two separate occasions for two different models. Furthermore, we model the Bitcoin network and numerically derive a limiting distribution whereby the relative accuracy of our models is tested through a likelihood analysis. Finally, we conclude that even with control of 20% of the total hashrate, honest mining is the strongly dominant strategy.
Another understanding of GR and electromagnetic fields
Authors: Wang De Sheng
Published: October 2022

In this paper, each metric component of the Riemann curvature tensor is first transformed into a single metric component, so that the Riemann curvature tensor is transformed into a metric wave form. With this, the Einstein field equations are transformed into metric wave equations. After that, the Schwarzschild space-time line element, the RN space-time line element and the KN space-time line element will be solved using the metric wave form gravitational field equation. In this way, the calculation method of the metric wave form gravitational field equation is specified, and it is proved that the metric wave form gravitational field equation can accurately calculate all kinds of space-time line elements with different geometric characteristics. Then, through the similarity between the four-dimensional electromagnetic potential and Christorff's symbol, the electromagnetic intensity tensor and the Riemann curvature tensor, the metric wave form representation of the four-dimensional electromagnetic potential and the electromagnetic intensity tensor is derived. On this basis, combined with the four-dimensional Maxwell equation, a metric wave form representation of Maxwell equation is given. Then, by the metric wave representation of the electromagnetic intensity tensor, the electromagnetic intensity tensor components of RN spacetime are directly calculated. Combined with the Einstein Maxwell equation in the form of metric fluctuations, the RN space-time line element is deduced and proved. And combined with the transformation relationship between spherically symmetric space-time radial components and ellipsoid radial components, directly convert RN space-time line element into KN space-time line element. This proves that the gravitational field equation of the metric wave form can be applied to the calculation of three types of black hole models. Finally, by comparing the metric wave form of the gravitational field equation and the Maxwell equation, and the analogy of the metric wave form gravitational field equation with the free Kleiin-Gordon equation of curved spacetime, discuss and derive the mathematically unified representation of the three types of field equations respectively, briefly discuss the relationship of the three types of physical fields and the meaning of the unified mathematical representation. Then, the unified representations of the gauge fields of SU(3), SU(2) and U(1) are given respectively.
SORORIN is an evolutionary conserved antagonist of WAPL
Authors: Mota Ignacio Prusen , Galova Marta , Schleiffer Alexander , Nguyen Tan-Trung , Kovacikova Ines , Nishiyama Tomoko , Gregan Juraj , Peters Jan-Michael , Schlögelhofer Peter
Published: October 2022

Cohesin mediates sister chromatid cohesion to enable chromosome segregation and DNA damage repair. To perform these functions, cohesin needs to be protected from WAPL, which otherwise releases cohesin from DNA. It has been proposed that cohesin is protected from WAPL by SORORIN. However, in vivo evidence for this antagonism is missing and SORORIN is only known to exist in vertebrates and insects. It is therefore unknown how important and widespread SORORIN’s functions are. Here we report the identification of SORORIN orthologs in Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Sor1) and Arabidopsis thaliana (AtSORORIN). sor1Δ mutants display cohesion defects, which are partially alleviated by wpl1Δ. Atsororin mutant plants display dwarfism, tissue specific cohesion defects and chromosome mis-segregation. Furthermore, Atsororin mutant plants are sterile and separate sister chromatids prematurely at anaphase I. The somatic, but not the meiotic deficiencies can be alleviated by loss of WAPL. These results provide in vivo evidence for SORORIN antagonizing WAPL, reveal that SORORIN is present in organisms beyond the animal kingdom and indicate that it has acquired tissue specific functions in plants.