bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organ-specific expression of genes associated with the UDP-glucose metabolism in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids)
Authors: Mason Patrick , Hoang Nam V , Botha Frederik C , Furtado Agnelo , Marquardt Annelie , Henry Robert J
Published: April 2022

Background: The importance of uridine 5′-diphosphate glucose (UDP-G) synthesis and degradation on carbon (C) partitioning has been indicated in several studies of plant systems, whereby the kinetic properties and abundance of involved enzymes had a significant effect upon the volume of C moving into the hemicellulose, cellulose and sucrose pools. In this study, the expression of 136 genes belonging to 31 gene families related to UDP-G metabolism was studied in 3 major sugarcane organs (including leaf, internode and root) at 6 different developmental stages in 2 commercial genotypes.Results: Analysis of the genes associated with UDP-G metabolism in leaves indicated low expression of sucrose synthase, but relatively high expression of invertase genes, specifically cell-wall invertase 4 and neutral acid invertase 1-1 and 3 genes. Further, organs that are primarily responsible for sucrose synthesis or bioaccumulation, i.e. in source organs (mature leaves) and storage sink organs (mature internodes), had very low expression of sucrose, cellulose and hemicellulose synthesis genes, specifically sucrose synthase 1 and 2, UDP-G dehydrogenase 5 and several cellulose synthase subunit genes. Gene expression was mostly very low in both leaf and mature internode samples; however, leaves did have a comparatively heightened invertase and sucrose phosphate synthase expression. Major differences were observed in the transcription of a large number of genes between immature sink organs (roots and immature internodes). Gene transcription favoured utilisation of UDP-G toward insoluble and respiratory pools in roots. Whereas there was comparatively higher expression of sucrose synthetic genes, sucrose phosphate synthase 1 and 4, and comparatively lower expression of many genes associated with C flow to insoluble and respiratory pools including myo-Inositol oxygenase, UDP-G dehydrogenase 4, vacuolar invertase 1, and several cell-wall invertases in immature internodes. Conclusion: This study represents the first effort to quantify the expression of gene families associated with UDP-G metabolism in sugarcane. Transcriptional analysis displayed the likelihood that C partitioning in sugarcane is closely related to the transcription of genes associated with the UDP-G metabolism. The data presented may provide an accurate genetic reference for future efforts in altering UDP-G metabolism and in turn C partitioning in sugarcane.
Collaborative organizations involving outdoor recreational users in the management of biological invasions: A coproduction perspective
Authors: DEHEZ Jeoffrey
Published: April 2022

There is growing interest in collaborative actions in the field of biological invasion control. These actions now cover a wide range of situations, and it is important to better understand them in order to promote their development. This article proposes to reflect on this question based on the case of aquatic invasive plants through a study of projects involving the recreational users of lakes located along France’s southwestern coastline. Drawing on analytical tools from service economics, I approached these organisations as coproduction processes. A mixed methods analysis showed that the organisations involving recreational users valorised the users’ operational and relational competences but not their creative or expert competences. These organisations were conditioned as much by the settings in which the plants developed as by the plants themselves. In this context, the recreational users’ involvement added a place-specific dimension to the management of the action, with flexible boundaries. However, this process was also accompanied by a tendency towards the micro-localisation of tasks as well as a certain specialisation in terms of responsibilities, neither of which were very compatible with the spatial dynamics of the plants. Only the professional technicians and managers seemed able to overcome these obstacles. This study hopes to fill a gap in the economic literature on biological invasions and to offer a complementary approach to the traditional public intervention strategies.
Anticancer Activity of Nano Uncaria gambir
Authors: Wardana Andika Pramudya , Aminah Nanik Siti , Kristanti Alfinda Novi , Zahrah Haninda Iffatuz , Fahmi Mochamad Zakki , Yuliati Anita , - Suhaili , Choudhary M. Iqbal
Published: April 2022

Cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, have tended to cause adverse effects for patients. An alternative that can be described is the development of natural-based cancer therapies that have relatively low side effects. The development of Na-alginate as a matrix for nanoencapsulation of Uncaria gambir has shown growth inhibition activity against HeLa and T47D cell lines. The EC50 ± SE of U. gambir extract on the HeLa cell line was 1055.14 ± 42.52 µg/mL while on the T47D cell line 297.15 ± 15.41 µg/mL. On the other hand, the Ug-NPs anticancer activity was substantially higher with EC50 ± SE for HeLa cell line 28.12 ± 27.10 µg/mL, and T47D cell line 10.39 ± 3.50 µg/mL. Therefore, the nanoencapsulation of U. gambir extracts has increased solubility, selectivity, and activity.
Identification and validation of immune-related biomarkers based on machine learning in patients with prostate cancer
Authors: Yuan Kaisheng , Zeng Ruiqi , Deng Pengteng , Zhang Aiping , Liu Huiqian , Yao Junjie , Zhang Qin , Liu Hang
Published: April 2022

Objectives This study aims to explore potential diagnostic biomarkers associated with prostate cancer (PCa) and analyze the pathological role of immune cell infiltration in the disease.Methods Six previously published datasets containing gene expression data (GSE8511, GSE14206, GSE46602, GSE55945, GSE69223 and GSE71016) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Take GSE8511, GSE14206, GSE46602 and GSE55945 as the train group (127 PCa cases and 52 normal controls) and GSE69223 and GSE71016 as the test group (63 PCa cases and 62 normal controls). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between 127 PCa cases and 52 normal controls. Candidate biomarkers of PCa were then identified via the use of a least absolute shrinkage and selector operation (LASSO) regression model and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) analyses. We performed difference analysis of these genes in the test group, with P < 0.05 were regarded statistically significant. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value was obtained and used to evaluate discriminatory ability in the train group, with hub genes being identified as those with an AUC > 85%. The expression level and diagnostic value of the biomarkers in PCa were further validated in the GSE69223 and GSE71016 dataset. Lastly, CIBERSORT algorithm and ESTIMATE method were employed to assess the relative immune cell infiltrations of each sample.Results AOX1, APOC1, ARMCX1, FLRT3, GSTM2 and HPN were identified as potential PCa diagnostic biomarkers, and these results were validated using the GSE69223 and GSE71016 datasets. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that AOX1, APOC1, ARMCX1, FLRT3, GSTM2 and HPN were correlated with Mast cells resting, Macrophages M0, Macrophages M2, Neutrophils, NK cells activated, T cells CD4 memory resting, T cells gamma delta, T cells follicular helper, T cells CD4 naive and B cells memory.Conclusion We adopted a comprehensive strategy to screen biomarkers related to PCa and explore the critical role of immune cell infiltration in PCa. AOX1, APOC1, ARMCX1, FLRT3, GSTM2 and HPN can be used as diagnostic markers of PCa, providing new insights for future studies on the incidence and the molecular mechanisms of PCa.
Analysis of curative effect of low position tourniquet in calcaneal fracture surgery
Authors: fang-lei Xu , Ying Yao , yue Zhang , lu-yi Zhou , ting-ting Shi , li-yu Zhou , Jian Fan , Guang-rong Yu
Published: April 2022

This study was designed to investigate the role and curative effect of low position tourniquet in calcaneal fracture surgery. We studied a total of 42 calcaneal fracture patients who underwent reduction and internal fixation with plate via L-shaped approach with low position tourniquets using a retrospective analysis between January 2018 and July 2020. The fractures were all unilateral and fresh, and they were classified Sanders III and IV. All patients, with mean age of 47.2 years, had no medical complications. Two groups were categorized based on the position of tourniquets during surgery. Tourniquets were put on proximal thighs in one group (high position tourniquet group n=22), and above ankles in another (low position tourniquet group n=20). Observation index were as follows: operation time, tourniquet time, intraoperative bleeding and incision healing, postoperative fracture healing, ankle-hindfoot scoring system (AOFAS score) and visual analogue scale (VAS score), tourniquet complications such as soft tissue injury and deep venous thrombosis (DVT). No significant differences in general condition, fracture type and complications of the two groups before surgery were noted between the two groups (P>0.05). The low position tourniquet group had significantly less foot pain within two weeks after surgery and higher AOFAS scores of motion pain within 4 weeks after surgery than the high position tourniquet group (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in AOFAS function scores twelve weeks after surgery between the two groups (P>0.05). In addition, there were one case of DVT and two cases of soft tissue injuries in the high position tourniquet group, while no related complications were found in the low position tourniquet group (P<0.05). The use of low position tourniquet in calcaneal fracture can ensure a clear vision surgery, reduce the incidence of early postoperative pain and related complications, and promote functional rehabilitation. It is a new method worth recommending.
Confronting the double burden of malnutrition yields health and environmental benefits.
Authors: Barrera Emiliano Lopez , Hertel Thomas
Published: April 2022

Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity are increasing across the globe. Here we present a novel framework that extends the UN-FAO’s methodology for assessing undernutrition to also encompass excessive calorie consumption and its association with the evolution of adult Body Mass Indexes (BMI). By incorporating these relationships into a global partial equilibrium model of the food sector (SIMPLE), we develop future trajectories of age-, sex-, and cohort-specific adult BMI across major world regions over the next three decades. This allows for an examination of the dynamics of the double burden of malnutrition between 2015 and 2050. We find that the excessive consumption of calories will play a key role in driving rising BMI levels, particularly in emerging economies. As a consequence of reaching higher levels of BMI at younger ages, future cohorts will increase their exposure to the health risks attributable to overweight and obesity, including coronary heart disease, stroke, site-specific cancers, and type 2 diabetes we use this framework to shed light on the health, food, and environmental security impacts of changing food consumption behavior. A key finding is that the environmental benefits of shifting consumption patterns are dominated by food waste reductions as opposed to changes in dietary composition.
A Recognition Method for Ballasted Railway Subgrade Defects
Authors: Hou Zhezhe , Zhao Weigang , Yang Yong
Published: April 2022

A recognition method based on sparse representation was proposed to solve the problems in subgrade detection with ground penetrating radar (GPR), such as massive data, time-frequency and difference in experience. Based on the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves and radar images in subgrade defects, the phase axis of radar images of railway subgrade defects was different from that of normal subgrades. The sparse representation of railway subgrade defects was studied from the aspects of the time domain, and time-frequency domain with compressive sensing theory. The high-frequency horizontal details of the radar images were obtained to reduce redundant data fetching. The demixing points, energy, and variance per block were obtained as time domain eigenvalues, and the high-frequency horizontal details of the radar images and the energy spectrum of the wavelet multiscale spatial were acquired; thus, the feature vectors of the radar signal were extracted by sparse representation. Based on FCM-GANN (fuzzy C-means and generalized regression neural network), rapid recognition of the ballasted railway was realized. Experimental results indicated that the redundancy of data was reduced, and the accuracy of identification was greatly increased.
Effect of catalytic factors of activated carbon and gas stream properties on H2S catalytic conversion
Authors: Liu Bin , Zuo Songlin
Published: April 2022

Catalysts loaded activated carbons are the widely used adsorbents to remove H2S for purification of the gas streams. Virgin carbon, single and mixed catalyst loaded carbon are used as adsorbents. Their performance of H2S catalytic conversion were studied by evaluating their breakthrough curves in order to investigate the effect of catalysts contents, categories, assistant catalysts and virgin carbon properties on the H2S adsorption. The effects of gas stream properties on H2S catalytic adsorption are also investigated. The results show the H2S uptake amount is increased with catalyst contents and the assistant catalysts can enhance H2S catalytic conversion. NaOH loaded carbon has has better catalytic performance than KOH loaded carbon with same contents. Carbons after impregnation keep a relative high pore volume between 2–20 nm, which is beneficial to give full play to the catalysis. The relative humidity and oxygen can enhance the H2S adsorption capacity and play important roles on H2S adsorption. CTC has little effects on the impregnated carbon for H2S catalytic conversion. Carbon impregnated with specific catalyst can accelerate target substance adsorption and will restrict the pore volume for organics adsorption.
Stability analysis of hybrid systems with higher order transverse discontinuity mapping
Authors: Chawla Rohit , Rounak Aasifa , Pakrashi Vikram
Published: April 2022

This article generalizes the implementation of higher order corrections to state transition matrices during instantaneous reversals in hybrid dynamical systems impacting a discontinuity boundary transversally. A closed form expression for saltation terms in systems possessing a degree of smoothness zero is derived. The difference in flight times of two closely initiated trajectories in state space to the impacting surface has been estimated up to O(2). A comparison of the times of impact estimated with the first order approximation reveals that higher order corrections lead to a significant improvement of estimates. Next, two new algorithms to estimate the Lyapunov spectrum and Floquet multipliers for piecewise-smooth systems have been presented using the derived second order corrections. Stability analyses are subsequently carried out using the proposed framework for two representative cases i.e., of a hard impact oscillator and a pair impact oscillator. It is established that the obtained Floquet multipliers and Lyapunov spectrum accurately predict the stability of the dynamical states, as validated by their corresponding bifurcation diagrams.
Personal dose equivalent Hp (0.07) during 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE production procedures
Authors: Wrzesień Małgorzata , Albiniak Łukasz
Published: April 2022

Objective: The work presents the exposure of hands of the personnel of a nuclear medicine department who prepare and administer 68Ga-DOTA-TATE. Materials and methods: Dosimetry measurements were performed during three one-week sessions by using high-sensitivity thermoluminescent detectors. Radiochemists and nurses were included.Results: The greatest exposure to ionizing radiation is in the non-dominant left hand of radiochemists and nurses. The maximum Hp(0.07)/A value of 49.36 ± 4.95 mSv/GBq was registered for radiochemists during the 68Ga-DOTA-DATE activity dispensing procedure. For nurses performing the radiopharmaceutical injection procedure, the maximum value of Hp(0.07)/A was recorded, amounting to 1.28 ± 0.13 mSv/GBq. The dispensing of the dose of 68Ga-DOTA-TATE accounts for approximately 60% of the exposure of radiochemists' fingertips.Conclusions: The authors of the study recommend routine placement of a ring dosimeter on the middle finger of the non-dominant hand of radiochemists and nurses.
Unstable Connectivity Aware Protocol for Dependable Messages Delivery for Future Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Gasmi Rim , Aliouat Makhlouf , Aliouat Zibouda , Seba Hamida
Published: April 2022

In the near future, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) enabling the Intelligent Transportation System paradigm swill undergo a significant change when integrating autonomous vehicles as intelligent and powerfully platform systems. All this would generate huge traffic messages that should be rigorously taken into account in order to ensure dependable message delivery in a real-time manner. Therefore, Timely useful information acquisition in an unstable connectivity environment like IoV is of paramount importance when making a decision that is related to critical events. For instance, saving lives in accident occurrences greatly depends on the urgent messages sent out and received by rescue services. Furthermore, preventing accidents by alerting obstacles impeding road circulation requires stable link communications conveying surely emergency messages to their appropriate destinations. Therefore, the high velocity of vehicles affects negatively node communication links leading to frequent link disconnections. In this paper, we propose to take advantage of the IoV features to choose appropriate metrics aiming to ensure route stability according to two levels. In the first one, the best routes are discovered by using metrics such as signal strength, bandwidth, delay and node velocity. In the second level, an approach for estimating links lifetime has been used. The latter is based on speed and direction parameters in order to find the most durable route. To this end, the Fuzzy Logic method has been used to reach our objective. The performance evaluation of our proposal has been carried out through the NS-3 simulator and the obtained results outperform GICA, QoS Cluster and weight-based protocols.
A cross-sectional study to evaluate predisposing factors for keratoconus in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Abuallut* Ismail Ibrahim , Alomaish Abeer Rihan , Arishy Alshaymaa Mohammad , Mashragi Mariam Asiri , Alfaifi Kholod Hadi , Alnamazi Noura Ali , Moafa Aisha Mansour , Mahfouz Mohamed S. , Moafa Majid A. , Jafaari Sultan A. , Alagsam Abdulaziz A. , Jareebi Mohammad A.
Published: April 2022

In cases of atopy, IgE antibodies are formed in reaction to certain environmental factors like house dust mites, pollen, or even food allergens. Some studies have shown an association between atopic diseases and keratoconus. This study aims to determine the prevalence of atopy and its associated factors among keratoconus patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Jazan population attending ophthalmology clinics in PMNH regardless of their sex. Data collection started in August 2020 and finished in mid June 2021. The sample was selected using the convenience sampling technique and the total sample size was 83 participants. Data were collected via a questionnaire-based interview that contained 46 questions in the Arabic language. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS software. Family history is the leading predisposing factor for keratoconus (P < 0.001). Also, eye rubbing was a significant (P < 0.015) trigger for keratoconus. However, other factors, including demographic factors such as gender and atopic conditions, did not have any significant association. A combination of genetic and environmental factors is the leading cause of the development of keratoconus; however, family history is the most influential factor, followed by eye rubbing.
Investigation on the prevalence of malocclusion and analysis of oral health-related quality of life in children aged 6-12 years in Jinzhou
Authors: Xu Jianhui , Li Xin , Liu Xiaoyu , Li Siwei , Wang Xueqin , Liu Jin
Published: April 2022

Background
Malocclusion can present a variety of clinical forms and manifestations, which affect children's oral health and lead to psychological problems.However, among children in Jinzhou, there are few reports on the prevalence of malocclusion and the effect of malocclusion on oral health-related quality of life.
Methods
A total of 2162 children aged 6−12 years were randomly selected from various districts of Jinzhou. Conventional clinical examination was performed by stomatologists, and the results were described based on the Angle malocclusion classification. Further, questionnaires survey completed by children’s parents or guardians provided the demographic data, life style, and oral habits.
Results
The incidence of malocclusion in children aged 6 to 12 in Jinzhou was 67.90%, including 1129 males and 1033 females, accounting for 52.22% and 47.78% of males and females, respectively.According to Angle's classification, the incidence of Angle Ⅰ, Angle Ⅱ and Angle Ⅲ malocclusion was 46.48%, 8.14% and 12.03%, respectively.If classified according to clinical symptoms, the most common type is dentition crowding, with an incidence of 71.79%.Common risk factors include heredity, bad oral habits and so on. In addition, malocclusion has a negative effect on oral health-related quality of life of children aged 6–12 years in Jinzhou.
Conclusions
The prevalence rate of malocclusion in 6-12-year-old children in Jinzhou is high, children and parents have weak awareness of oral health care. In addition,heredity and bad oral habits are common risk factors for malocclusion. Malocclusion has a negative effect on children's oral health-related quality of life.
Estimation of cancer risks due to chest radiotherapy treatment planning computed tomography (CT) simulations
Authors: Derikvand Afsaneh Mir , Bagherzadeh Saeed , MohammadSharifi Ali , Khoshgard Karim , AllahMoradi Fariba
Published: April 2022

The objective of our study was to determine organ and effective doses to estimate the lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer incidence related to chest tomography simulations for Radiotherapy Treatment Planning (RTTP) using patient-specific information. Patient data from 70 chest CT scans were used to compute effective dose. The effective dose was calculated by two methods: first using ImPACT patient dosimetry calculator software using International Comission on Radiological Protection (ICRP103) weighting factors for a 70 kg patient and then applying related correction factors according to the patient’s weight. Second using the scanner-derived dose-length product. LARs of cancer incidence was computed using the seven Biologic Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR VII) report based on sex and age at each exposure. Mean±standard deviation values were 507.50±142.7 mGy.cm for DLP, 11.04±3.66mGy for CTDIvol, 46.88±6.65 cm for scan length. The mean±standard deviation value for the effective dose was 10.31±2.88mSv using ImPACT patient dosimetry calculator software and 8.62±2.42 mSv using the scanner-derived dose-length product. The mean ± SD of LAR of cancer incidence for all cancers, all solid cancers and leukemia were 65.49±28.54, 61.71±27.24, 6.62±2.46 cases per 100,000 individuals, respectively. Radiation exposure from the usage of CT for radiotherapy treatment planning (RTTP) causes non-negligible increases in lifetime attributable risk. The results of this study can be used as a guide by physicians to implement strategies based on the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) princiciple that lead to a reduction dose without sacrificing diagnostic information.
Repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) by sinus pouch technique
Authors: Kumae Masaru , Aoki Mitsuru , Hagino Ikuo , Koshiyama Hiroshi , Ito Takahiro , Nishiori Hironobu
Published: April 2022

Background: ALCAPA is a rare disease. The sinus pouch technique reported in transposition of the great arteries has not been reported to be applied to ALCAPA, but it was a useful method. Case presentation: A five-month-old girl, weighing 5.3 kg, diagnosed ALCAPA underwent emergency surgery. The left coronary artery (LCA) originated from the posterior pulmonary artery (PA), and the left main trunk (LMT) was very short (1.5 mm), with moderate level of mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Because of the low height from the orifice to the pulmonary valve(Pv), it was necessary to avoid the tunneling technique due to concerns about adverse effects on the Pv. The sinus pouch technique was chosen because of its simplicity and low risk of stenosis due to coronary artery bending, especially in cases with short LMT. Conclusion: We report a case of infantile ALCAPA with good results using this technique.
Observer Agreement In Single Computerized Tomography Use For Diagnosing Paediatric Head And Neck Malignancies At A National Oncology Centre
Authors: Mugisha Alex Mwesigwa , Muyinda Zeridah , Kambugu Joyce Balagadde , Mubuuke Aloysius Gonzaga
Published: April 2022

BackgroundThe increase in the prevalence of paediatric head and neck malignancies (PHNM) has led to increased use of computerized tomography (CT), an ionizing radiation source. Children are at a risk of up to ten times more for radiation induced secondary malignancies. In the Ugandan setting, investigation for PHNM with CT uses a protocol with both unenhanced and contrast enhanced procedures hence doubling the ionizing radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of single CT procedures in diagnosing PHNM.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study using CT images from patients, aged fifteen years and below, investigated for head and neck malignancies at the Uganda Cancer Institute. Three radiologists; observer A, observer B and observer C, with 12, 5 and 2 years of experience, respectively, participated in the study. They independently reported contrast enhanced images (protocol A), unenhanced images (protocol B), then both unenhanced and contrast enhanced images (protocol C) in two months intervals. Gwen’s Agreement coefficient was used to determine intra- and inter-observer agreement.ResultsSeventy-three CT scans of 36 boys and 37 girls, with a median age of 9 (3-13) years, were used. Intra-and inter-observer agreement on primary tumour location ranged from substantial to almost perfect with the highest intra-observer agreement observed when protocols A and C were compared. Inter-observer agreement for tumour calcifications was substantial for protocol A. Observers A and C demonstrated an almost perfect intra-observer agreement when protocols A and C were compared. There was a substantial inter-observer agreement on diagnosis for all protocols. ConclusionsDouble CT procedures for diagnosis of PHNM do not show a significant advantage over the use of contrast enhanced single CT procedures. Contrast enhanced CT only procedures are sufficient in identifying presence of tumor calcifications when diagnosing PHNM.
Metformin prevents morphine-induced apoptosis in rats with diabetic neuropathy: a possible mechanism for attenuating morphine tolerance
Authors: Ozdemir Ercan , Avcı Onur , Taskiran Ahmet Sevki , Inan Zeynep Deniz Sahin , Gursoy Sinan
Published: April 2022

Morphine is a drug of choice for the treatment of severe and chronic pain, but tolerance to the antinociceptive effect limits its use. The development of tolerance to morphine has recently been associated with neuronal apoptosis. In this study, our aim was to investigate the effects of metformin on morphine-induced neuronal apoptosis and antinociceptive tolerance in diabetic rats. Three days of cumulative dosing were administered to establish morphine tolerance in rats. The antinociceptive effects of metformin (50 mg/kg) and test dose of morphine (5 mg/kg) were considered at 30-min intervals by thermal antinociceptive tests. To induce diabetic neuropathy, streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally. ELISA kits were used to measure caspase-3, bax and bcl-2 levels from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissue. Semi-quantitative scoring system was used to evaluate apoptotic cells with the the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. The findings suggest that co-administration of metformin with morphine to diabetic rats showed a significant increase in antinociceptive effect compared to morphine alone. The antinociceptive tests indicated that metformin significantly attenuated morphine antinociceptive tolerance in diabetic rats. In addition, metformin decreased the levels of apoptotic proteins caspase 3 and Bax in DRG neurons, while significantly increased the levels of antiapoptotic Bcl-2. Semiquantitative scoring showed that metformin provided a significant reduction in apoptotic cell counts in diabetic rats. These data revealed that metformin demonstrated antiapoptotic activity in diabetic rat DRG neurons and attenuated morphine tolerance. The antiapoptotic activity of metformin probably plays a significant role in reducing morphine tolerance.
Boosted Mask R-CNN algorithm for accurately detecting strawberry plant canopies in the fields from low-altitude drone images
Authors: Zhang Huazhe , Lin Ping , He Jianqiang , Wang Qianjin , Chen Yongming
Published: April 2022

Aiming to solve the problem of low accuracy when detecting strawberry plant canopies using a traditional deep learning object detection algorithm in the fields, this research constructs a novel structure by integrating two parts of online object detection pipelines into the current state-of-the-art Mask R-CNN algorithm to improve the detection performance. The DJI Mavic Air drone is used to collect low-altitude sensing images of strawberry plant canopies. The data augmentation method is employed to feed more instances into the original image dataset to boost the generalization and robustness of the detection model in the training procedure. A ResNet50 backbone combined with a feature pyramid network is presented to extract the features of strawberry plant canopies. The online hard example mining algorithm is introduced to mine hard samples to learn rich features and update model weights. Soft non-maximum suppression based on recursive application on the remaining detection boxes within the predefined overlap threshold is proposed to improve the performance of identifying the large complex overlapping area of strawberry plant canopies. The qualitative results demonstrate that the improved detection model had an AP50 of 96.9 and an AR of 78.5 on the test set, which are approximately 30% higher than the original values. This system, which is developed for automatic and accurate strawberry plant canopy detection, provides an important and significant solution that enables subsequent applications to online rapid measurement of the canopy leaf area index and distribution of strawberry plants.
Experiences of social support among unmarried pregnant university students in South Africa
Authors: Phiri Thandiwe Msipu , Nyamaruze Patrick , Akintola Olagoke
Published: April 2022

Background
Pregnant young women in an academic environment are susceptible to stressors associated with unintended pregnancy and academic demands of universities. The challenges they face may be exacerbated by lack of social support, putting them at risk of psychological disorders such as depression. Women who receive support from their partners both during pregnancy and postpartum experience less emotional distress and report greater maternal satisfaction. However, very little is known about the experiences of social support among pregnant adolescents and young women in tertiary institutions
Methods
Participants were purposively selected among pregnant students and those in the puerperal period at the time of the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken to explore the perceptions of pregnant students on the type of support that they need during pregnancy with particular focus on the role that their partners play (or do not play) in providing support during pregnancy and the puerperium. The data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using thematic analysis.
Results
The findings show that social support (emotional, instrumental, informational, and financial) were highlighted as an important resource to cope with stressors during pregnancy and post birth. Emotional support from male partner was the most important type of support needed as it entailed a sense of being loved and cared for. Social support was identified as important throughout the different phases of pregnancy and post birth, with different support needs expressed at each of these phases.
Conclusion
This study identified support needs of pregnant women in their transition to motherhood. Given the several challenges that they are faced with, pregnant students need all the available support including male partner support to enhance wellbeing as they try to cope with academic and pregnancy-related stressors.
Extracellular histones induce inflammation and senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells by activating the AMPK/FOXO4 signaling pathway
Authors: Yang Hang , Luo Yong-Yan , Zhang Lue-Tao , He Kai-Ran , Lin Xiao-Jun
Published: April 2022

Sepsis is an abnormal immune-inflammatory response that is mainly caused by infection. It can lead to life-threatening organ dysfunction and death. Severely damaged tissue cells will release intracellular histones into the circulation as damage-related molecular patterns (DAMPs) to accelerate the systemic immune response. Although various histone-related cytotoxicity mechanisms have been explored, those that affect extracellular histones involved in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction are yet to be determined. We found that extracellular histones induced senescence and inflammatory response in a dose-dependent manner in cultured VSMCs. Histone treatment significantly promoted apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC) as well as NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) interaction of inflammasomes in VSMCs. Forkhead box protein O4 (FOXO4), which is a downstream effector molecule of extracellular histones, was found to be involved in histone-regulated VSMC inflammatory response and senescence. Furthermore, the 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway was confirmed to mediate extracellular histone-induced FOXO4 expression, and blocking this signaling pathway with an inhibitor can suppress vascular inflammation induced by extracellular histones in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that the AMPK/FOXO4 pathway is a potential target in treating histone-mediated organ injury.
Clinicopathological significance of p27 kip1 expression in endometrial carcinoma
Authors: Zhu Qing , Zhang Guanghui , Tang Mingyang , Zheng Rumin , Wu Ligao
Published: April 2022

Objectives
Endometrial carcinoma originates from the endometrium and is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide. With appropriate treatment, the 5-year survival rate for endometrial carcinoma is approximately 80%. Therefore, recent studies have focused on finding tumor-specific markers that can predict the biological behavior of endometrial carcinoma in relation to cell motility and invasion.
Methods
The expression of p27kip1 gene between 130 endometrial carcinoma tissues and normal endometrial tissues were analyzed through immunohistochemistry. The endometrial carcinoma cell lines Ishikawa(ISK) were cultured, the p27kip1-saRNA expression vector was constructed, and the endometrial carcinoma cells interfering with the expression of p27kip1 gene was also established. Western blotting and RT-PCR were employed to verify whether saRNA could up-regulate the expression of p27kip1 gene. Additionally, the proliferation, migration and invasion capacities in cell line after activating with p27kip1 was detected through CCK-8 and Transwell assay respectively. Furthermore, MMP2 and MMP9 were detected by ELISA and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins including E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin were assessed by Western blotting analysis.
Results
Compared with normal endometrial tissues, the p27kip1 expression levels in endometrial carcinoma tissues were decreased remarkably. saRNAs transfection significantly up-regulated expressions in endometrial carcinoma cell lines. The proliferation, invasion and migration ability were inhibited considerably by p27kip1-saRNA compared with the control group. The expression of E-cadherin was increased while the expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, MMP-2 and MMP-9 was decreased activated by the p27kip1-saRNA.
Conclusions
p27kip1 could be used as a prognostic factor of endometrial carcinoma. Activating the expression of p27kip1 in endometrial carcinoma cell line could effectively inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration, and its mechanism is related to the inhibition of EMT. p27kip1 is potential target for the treatment of endometrial carcinoma.
Effectiveness of a co-production with dialogue program for reducing stigma against mental illness: a quasi- experimental study with a pre- and post-test design
Authors: Nakanishi Eiichi , Tamachi Masahiro , Hashimoto Takeshi
Published: April 2022

BackgroundFor people with mental illness, stigma represents a barrier to social participation. To encourage social participation among such people, it is important that they do not perceive such barriers and that health professionals, including students, do not hold stigma-based perceptions of them. It is also crucial that people with mental illness do not have self-stigma. This study aimed to develop—and examine the effectiveness of—a new program based on co-production with dialogue for reducing stigma among both health-science students and people with mental illness.Methods This was a quasi-experimental study, with a pre- and post-test design and no control group. The sample comprised 28 university students majoring in occupational therapy and 20 community-dwelling people with mental illness. The Co-Production with Dialogue Program for Reducing Stigma (CPD-RS) was administered to this sample. Link’s Devaluation Discrimination Scale (DDS) was used to assess whether the program could reduce stigma. At two months after the intervention, participants anonymously evaluated the program using a questionnaire featuring a six-item scale (scored using a five-point Likert scale; 1 = “very negative,” 5 = “very positive”) and an open-ended question (“How did you feel about participating in the program?”).Results　When compared to their pre-intervention scores, the students’ post-intervention DDS scores showed a significant decrease (mean [standard deviation]: 30.21 [6.57] to 26.43 [6.29]; p = 0.00014); this reduction remained for at least one month. The DDS scores of the people with mental illness showed no significant change after the intervention. Both the students and the people with mental illness evaluated the program as “positive,” (median [interquartile range]: 4 [4–5] and 3.5 [3–4.5], respectively). In their responses to the open-ended question, the students and people with mental illness mentioned recognizing that both groups had similar methods of addressing daily life problems, and they also reported that they had enjoyed participating in the program.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the CPD-RS is effective for reducing health-science students’ stigma toward people with mental illness and for fostering mutual understanding among the two groups.
The influence of serum uric acid on patient global assessment of disease activity in male patients with axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Shi Guixiu , Cai Meimei , Liu Wen , Wu Yuanhui , Zheng Qing
Published: April 2022

Objectives: The aim was to investigate the temporal relationship between serum uric acid and disease activity in Chinese male patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Methods: Two-year data from the NASA study cohort of male patients with axial spondyloarthritis were analyzed. Patients global assessment of disease activity(PtGA), BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, and SF-36 were used as the outcomes. The Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE) was used to test the relationship between serum uric acid and the above outcomes, with adjustment for confounding factors. The autoregressive GEE model was executed to analyze the longitudinal relationship. Results: In total, 102 male axSpA patients were included, 33.3% of whom were hyperuricemia at baseline. Over time, uric acid levels affected the global assessment of patient global assessment of disease activity(PtGA)([β (95% confidence interval): -2.059(-4.032,-0.086)], SF-36: Vitality(VT) [β(95% confidence interval): 1.751(0.415,3.087)], SF-36: Social Functioning(SF)[β(95% confidence interval): 2.968(1.067,4.869)]). Age, disease duration, baseline uric acid levels, and medication use were all considered in the model. Conclusions: In summary, higher uric acid levels were associated with PtGA, but not with age, disease duration, uric acid levels at baseline, or medication use.Exploring the relationship between uric acid levels and disease activity in axSpA patients over time suggests that uric acid levels during treatment could be one of the predictors of improvement in axSpA.
Experience in the clinical administration of ferrous sulfate for treating post-covid anemia in puerperas
Authors: Zaydieva Z. S. , Bezuglova E. S. , Medzhidova M. K.
Published: April 2022

Introduction. According to domestic and foreign authors, most women have a greater or lesser level of iron deficiency by the end of pregnancy and deplete their depot iron reserves, and anaemia develops by the time of delivery. Erythrocyte destruction occurs in presence of acute inflammation, including that caused by COVID-19, which leads to a chaotic distribution of iron within tissues and a pronounced loss of its reserves and aggravation of the existing deficiency. Due to overlapping changes with underlying novel coronavirus infection, iron deficiency creates favourable conditions for the development of infectious and inflammatory complications in the postpartum period by the time of delivery.

Aim. To assess the features of the postpartum period and hematological status in puerperas with post-COVID anemia, who receive the combination therapy including an anti-anemic ferrous iron drug.

Materials and methods. The prospective study included 30 puerperas (treatment group) in the postpartum period, who had a coronavirus infection with a mild degree of IDA during the gestation period. Group 2 (comparison group) included 15 puerperas with mild IDA, who did not have a coronavirus infection during the gestation period. Group 3 (control group) included 15 conditionally healthy puerperas, who had no novel coronavirus infection and did not suffer from IDA during the gestation period.

Results and discussion. The puerperas, who had COVID-19 in pregnancy, developed infectious and inflammatory diseases significantly more often in the postpartum period. Subinvolution of the uterus, postpartum endometritis and thyroiditis, disruption of perineal stitches and seromas (hematomas) of the suture after cesarean section, vaginal dysbiotic conditions occurred significantly more often in puerperas with IDA, who came through coronavirus infection, than in women from the comparison group and control group (SBI index, p < 0.05).

Conclusion. Women who had COVID-19 in pregnancy should be spinned off into a separate infectious risk group due to the possibility of postpartum complications and timely management of concomitant pathologies and appropriate treatment of IDA.
A review for the noise source identification methods based microphone array
Authors: Hou Junjian , Zeng Li , Zhao Dengfeng , Zhong Yudong
Published: April 2022

Sound source identification is an important prerequisite for noise control. In recent years, new methods of sound source identification have been developed to improve the robustness of source identification. In this paper, a comprehensive review of noise source identification methods is developed to summarize its developing status and engineering applications. At first, a microphone array which is to acquire the sound pressure field is described. And then, the sound field visualization methods (beamforming and acoustic holography) and their advantages and disadvantages are reviewed. Finally, to improve the identification accuracy of the moving sound source, the hybrid acoustic holography methods with more generality and robustness are reviewed. Through the comparison and summary of the sound source identification methods, we expect this work may provide a potential guidance for the subsequent research studies in the field of sound source identification.
Test and mechanism analysis for crack propagation by blasting in rock under the condition of unidirectional load
Authors: Ge Jinjin , Xu Ying
Published: April 2022

In deep rock blasting, there are different constraint conditions such as unidirectional loading, bidirectional loading and tridirectional loading due to in-situ stress. The similar model test of rock blasting under unidirectional load was carry out to study the law of crack propagation in rock by blasting in this study. A transparent material which conformed to the mechanical properties of hard rock is used to make specimens. A high-speed camera was used in some model blasts. After blasting the surface cracks on the specimen were measured, including the near zone and middle zone of blasting. The results showed that: (1) the radial main cracks in the specimens under initial static load propagated along the principal stress direction, which is different from that without initial stress, and there is almost no radial main crack in the direction perpendicular to the principal stress. (2) The average length of radial crack and diameter of circumferential fracture circle gradually decrease with the increase of unidirectional initial stress, but the diameter of compression crushing circle increase. (3) The maximum and average initial velocity of radial crack growth decrease with the increase of unidirectional initial stress.
Analysis of double-layer vibration isolation characteristics of ship power equipment
Authors: Cheng Zhongyi , Cui Jun , Zhao Yamin , Jin Mingrui , Cui Junning
Published: April 2022

The vibration isolation device of ship power equipment is the key equipment to protect it from damage, and its performance determines whether the ship can sail safely. To address the problem that it is difficult to achieve the optimal vibration isolation performance of ship’s double-layer vibration isolation, this paper establishes a vibration transmission theory model of ship’s power equipment double-layer vibration isolation system, derives the vibration displacement transmission rate formula based on the model, and studies the influence law of the stiffness ratio of the lower and upper layers of vibration isolation devices, the mass ratio of the intermediate raft frame to the power equipment and the damping of the upper and lower layers of vibration isolation devices on the vibration transmission. The results show that reducing the stiffness ratio of upper and lower layer vibration isolators and increasing the mass ratio of intermediate raft frame and power equipment can reduce the two resonant frequencies and narrow the interval between the two resonant frequencies, and increasing the damping of upper and lower layer vibration isolators can reduce the vibration peak at the two resonant frequencies, but the vibration isolation effect in the high frequency band becomes worse. It provides a theoretical basis for the design optimization of the double-layer vibration isolation system for ship's power equipment.