bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geographic information system-based groundwater quality assessment for drinking and irrigation purposes in Transboundary aquifers of River Ravi, in parts of NW India
Authors: Awasthi Ashima , Rishi Madhuri , Khosla Ashu , Panjgotra Shivali
Published: July 2022

Access to safe and clean drinking water is a basic human right and assessment of groundwater suitability for drinking purpose imparts significant role in providing clean and suitable water for human consumption. The main objective of this study was to assess the groundwater quality status of Gurdaspur district falling along international boundary of Indo-Pak thus serving as transboundary aquifers, for drinking and irrigation purpose based on physicochemical analysis of 111 samples using standard numerical indexes and GIS techniques. The results of Entropy Water Quality Index revealed that the drinking groundwater quality were found to be in excellent, good and medium water class except 5 samples which were in poor to extremely poor water class. Piper trilinear plot revealed that the main water types were Ca, Mg-HCO3-. Mineral Saturation Index indicated that carbonate minerals were oversaturated and the evaporative minerals were undersaturated. The outcomes of principal component analysis indicated that the ion exchange, weathering and agricultural practices were the dominant controlling factors in the study area. Furthermore, the results of the Irrigation Water Quality Index illustrated that 3 and 65 samples were placed in “severe restriction” and “high restriction” class respectively indicating irrigation water as an issue for sustainable agricultural production in agrarian dominant district.
The relationship between nosocomial infections and coronavirus disease 2019 in the neurosurgery unit: Clinical characteristics and outcome
Authors: Pan Shuang-Jun , Hou Yong , Yang Yu-Pei , Wang Geng-Ge , Chen Xiao-Yan , Qian Wei-Yang , Tung Tao-Hsin , Hu Xiao-Ming
Published: July 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the “COVID-19 prevention and control measures” changed nosocomial infections in neurosurgery.
Methods
To explore changes in nosocomial infections in neurosurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical data of inpatients of neurosurgery from January 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020 (COVID-19 era) were first analyzed and then compared with the same period in 2019 (pre-COVID-19 era). We also analyzed data from May 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020 (post-COVID-19 era) at the same time in 2019 (second pre-COVID-19 era).
Results
The nosocomial infection rate was 7.85% (54/688) in the pre-COVID-19 era and 4.30% (26/605) in the COVID-19 era (P = 0.011). Between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras, the respiratory system infection rate was 6.1% vs. 2.0% (P < 0.001) and the urinary system was 1.7% vs. 2.0% (P = 0.837). Between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras, the proportion of respiratory system and urinary infections in total nosocomial infections was 77.78% (42/54) vs. 46.15% (12/26) and 22.22% (12/54) vs. 46.15% (12/26), respectively, (P = 0.006). Between the second pre-COVID-19( ) and post-COVID-19 eras, the proportion of respiratory system and urinary infections in total nosocomial infections was 53.7% (44/82) vs. 40.6% (39/96) and 24.4% (20/82) vs. 40.6% (39/96), respectively, (P = 0.022).
Conclusions
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the incidence of nosocomial infection in neurosurgery, and the main reduction was in respiratory infection, while the proportion of urinary infections in total nosocomial infections increased significantly.
Silicon Application and Factors Influencing Mandibular Wear in Sugarcane Early Shoot Borer, Chilo Infuscatellus Walker
Authors: Indhumathi Veeran Sivakumar , Chandramani Periyakaman , Mahendran Peyandi Paraman , Lokeshkumar Pusparaj
Published: July 2022

Silicon (Si) can improve resistance of plants to attack by herbivorous insects. Early shoot borer (ESB), is one of the most solemn lepidopterans borers on sugarcane in India. Management of this pest is cumbersome one even through insecticide application. An alternate new approach is needed for the management. Hence, the present study is aimed to determine the effect of silicon on early shoot borer, Chilo infuscatellus Walker by analysis of biophysical factors and documenting of mandibular wear. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed the presence of silicified cells, trichomes, increased cell wall thickness and wax content in the sugarcane leaves when treated with calcium silicate at 1000 kg/ha. Moreover larvae of early shoot borer fed with silica treated plants showed a complete wearing of mandibles as compared to untreated check. This is the study focused to measure the mandibular wear of early shoot borer fed on silicon treated plants.
Predictors of Fatal Outcome in Hospitalized Adult Patients with Acute Kidney Injury at Two Tertiary Hospitals in Yaounde
Authors: Teuwafeu Denis Georges , Jabbossung Fombo Enjeh , Mahamat Maimouna , Tomta Eric Aristide Nono , Folefack Francois Kaze , Ashuntantang Gloria
Published: July 2022

Introduction: Most data on predictors of mortality in acute kidney injury (AKI) derives from high income economies where AKI is mainly hospital-acquired and occurs in previously ill elderly patients with a high burden of cardiovascular disease. In Cameroon like other sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, AKI is mainly community-acquired occurring in previously healthy young adults. We aimed at identifying predictors of fatal outcome in hospitalized patients with AKI under nephrologist care in two tertiary hospitals in Cameroon. Methods: Medical records of adults with confirmed AKI, managed by the nephrology units of two referral and teaching hospital from January 2018 to March 2020 were retrieved. Files with missing data were excluded. The outcomes of interest were: in-hospital deaths, and presumed causes of death. Data was managed using SPSS version 22 software and we used multiple logistic regression modelling to identify predictors of death. The study was approved by the ethics board of both hospitals. Value were considered significant for a p value <0.05 Results: We included a total of 285 patient records (37.2 % females). The mean (SD) age was 50.1(19.0) years. Hypertension (n=97, 34.0%), organ failure (n=88, 30.9%), diabetes (n=60, 21.1%) and HIV/AIDS (n=60, 21.1%) were the most frequent comorbidities. Majority of patients had community-acquired AKI (78.6%, n=224), were KDIGO stage 3 (88.8 %, n=253) and needed dialysis (52.6%, n=150). Up to 16.7% (n=25) did not receive when needed due to futility or lack of funds. The in-hospital mortality rate was 29.1% (n=83) and with no statistical difference with sex. Lack of access to dialysis (OR=27.8; p<0.001) hypotension (OR=11.8; p <0.001) and ICU admission (OR=5.7; p <0.001) were predictors of mortality. Presence of co-morbidities or underlying diseases (n=46, 55%) were the main causes of death. Complications of AKI were less frequently associated with death (n=21, 25.3%).Conclusions: The in-hospital AKI mortality is high, as in other low middle income economies. Lack of access to dialysis and severity of underlying illness are major predictors of death.
Spatial distribution and ecological risk of heavy metal in surface sediment of Old Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Sirajul , Shammi Rifat Shahid , Jannat Rahiatul , Kabir Md. Humayun , Islam Md S
Published: July 2022

The study was conducted to investigate the concentrations, distributions, sources and potential ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediments from the Old Brahmaputra River. Sediment samples were collected from five sampling stations and analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results showed that mean concentrations (mg/kg) of heavy metals were in order of Ni (58.82)˃ Cr (32.45)˃ Pb (21.04)˃ Cu (14.24)˃ Cd (3.81)˃ As (2.02). In terms of spatial variation, sedimentary metals differed substantially, and the bulk of metal distribution and abundance can be traced back to man. Element-specific environmental indices exposed that the ecological risks trailed the downward direction as Cd ˃ Ni ˃ Pb ˃ As ˃ Cu ˃ Cr. The contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) exposed all cases a modest level of contamination except Cd, which has a significant level of contamination. Only, Ni and Cd were found high ecological risk for aquatic life, based on the sediment quality guidelines. Low to moderate ecological risk was suggested by the prospective ecological risk factor and potential ecological risk. The river sediments were mostly uncontaminated to mildly contaminated, posing a minimal ecological risk. The study concluded that the Old Brahmaputra River is subjected to anthropogenic disturbances for the aquatic environment. In this regards, proper management initiatives and regular monitoring should be carried out immediately by Department of Environment (DoE) to maintain sound and healthy aquatic environment of the River.
In vitro evaluation of gentamicin activity against Spanish field isolates of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
Authors: Vega Clara , Pérez-Pérez Lucía , Argüello Héctor , Gómez-García Manuel , Puente Héctor , Fernández-Usón Ignacio , Rubio Pedro , Carvajal Ana
Published: July 2022

Background: The treatment of swine dysentery (SD) has become constrained in recent years due to the limited availability of effective drugs combined with a rise in antimicrobial resistance. Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is authorised for the control of this disease in several European countries but has not been extensively used so far. In this study, the in vitro susceptibility of fifty-six Brachyspira hyodysenteriae field isolates was evaluated against gentamicin using a broth microdilution test. The molecular basis of decreased susceptibility to gentamicin was also investigated by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene.Results: Most B. hyodysenteriae isolates presented low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, with a mode of 2 µg/mL, a median or MIC50 of 4 µg/mL and percentile 90 or MIC90 of 16 µg/mL. The distribution of these values over the period studied (2011-2019) did not show a tendency towards the development of resistance to gentamicin. Differences in susceptibility among isolates could be explained by two point mutations in the 16S rRNA gene, C990T and A1185G, which were only present in isolates with high MICs. Analyses of co-resistance between gentamicin and antimicrobials commonly used for the treatment of SD revealed that resistance to tiamulin and valnemulin was associated with low MICs for gentamicin.Conclusions: The results provide an accurate characterisation of antimicrobial sensitivity to gentamicin and possible mechanisms of resistance in Spanish B. hyodysenteriae isolates. These findings allow us to propose gentamicin as an alternative in the antibiotic management of SD, particularly in outbreaks caused by pleuromutilin resistant isolates.
PA-MSHA exerts potent activity against cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer through miR-7-5p/Akt/Wnt-β-catenin pathway
Authors: Zhang Huanhuan , Shan Wulin , Li Dan , Yan Ying , Zhang Jiayun
Published: July 2022

The treatment of cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major problem. The study was to assess the potential effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-mannose sensitive hemagglutinin (PA-MSHA), a type of therapeutic biological product approved in China, on cetuximab-resistant CRC and further explore the underlying mechanism. MiRNA sequencing was used to screen the differential expression profile of miRNAs. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. PA-MSHA drastically inhibited the migration and invasion, and induced the apoptosis of cetuximab-resistant CRC cells. PA-MSHA also potently inhibited tumour growth and increased the survival time of mice in vivo. These results indicated that PA-MSHA exerted potent activity against cetuximab-resistant CRC. The sequencing data showed that miR-7-5p was markedly upregulated after PA-MSHA treatment, and miR-7-5p overexpression positively enhanced the anticancer activities of PA-MSHA in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Akt was the targeted gene of miR-7-5p, and Akt silencing could reverse the PA-MSHA efficacy inhibited by miR-7-5p downregulation. In addition, PA-MSHA treatment markedly inhibited the activation of Wnt-β-catenin pathway, a downstream signaling of Akt. Moreover, Akt silencing inhibited the Wnt-β-catenin pathway activated by miR-7-5p downregulation in PA-MSHA-treated HCT116-R cells. Finally, we found that serum miR-7-5p levels were significantly lower in CRC patients with cetuximab resistance or disease progression. Overall, our data showed that PA-MSHA exerted potent activity against cetuximab-resistant CRC by regulating miR-7-5p/Akt/Wnt-β-catenin pathway. These results indicate that PA-MSHA may be a novel and effective chemotherapeutic agent against cetuximab-resistant CRC.
Fine Structure of the Defense System of Synanceia verrucosa from, the Red Sea Egypt
Authors: Abd-Elrheem Ali
Published: July 2022

The stonefish has an advanced poisonous gland that has a lumen and medulla consisting of connective tissue types. All authors have studied the poisonous gland of stonefish and they give attention to two types of cells only careless transmission semithin. In the present study, we give attention to the whole structures of this gland by an accurate examination of Electron Micrographs in all gland areas. Also, some authors give attention to secretions only and do not give any attention to the complete structure of the poisonous defense system of an animal. In the present study, the sections were taken in different areas as the front gland, and mid, surround the spine for covering all areas to discover any new structure. This study revealed that the stonefish poisonous gland Synanceia verrucosa in the Red Sea has four types of cells called T.A, T.B, T.C, and T.D appear as (first evidence) in semithin only.
Increased NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in multiple sclerosis patients with fingolimod treatment failure
Authors: Malhotra Sunny , Hurtado-Navarro Laura , Pappolla Agustin , Villar Luisa M , Río Jordi , Montalban Xavier , Pelegrin Pablo , Comabella Manuel
Published: July 2022

Background: Inflammasomes are involved in the pathogenesis of different neuroimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In a previous study by our group, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat receptor and pyrin-domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was reported to be associated with the response to interferon-beta in MS. Based on recent data showing the potential for the oral therapy fingolimod to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, here we investigated whether fingolimod could also be implicated in the response to this therapy in MS patients. Methods: NLRP3 gene expression levels were measured by real-time PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months in a cohort of MS patients treated with fingolimod (N=23), dimethyl fumarate (N=21), and teriflunomide (N=21), and classified into responders and non-responders to the treatment according to clinical and radiological criteria. In a subgroup of fingolimod responders and non-responders, the percentage of ASC specks in monocytes was determined by flow cytometry, and the levels of IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, TNFα, and galectin-3 were quantified by ELISA.Results: NLPR3 expression levels were significantly increased in fingolimod non-responders after 3 and 6 months of treatment but remained comparable in responders at all time points. These changes were not observed in non-responders to the other oral therapies tested. ASC speck formation in monocytes following LPS and ATP stimulation was significantly decreased in responders, but increased in non-responders after 6 months of fingolimod treatment. Pro-inflammatory cytokine release from stimulated PBMC was comparable between responders and non-responders, but galectin-3 levels on cell supernatants, as a marker of cell damage, were significantly increased in fingolimod non-responders. Conclusions: The differential effect of fingolimod on ASC speck formation in monocytes between responders and non-responders could be used as response biomarker after 6 months of fingolimod treatment, and suggests that fingolimod may exert their beneficial effects by reducing inflammasome signaling in a subset of MS patients.
Nomograms for predicting survival outcomes in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder undergoing primary tumor resection: a population-based study
Authors: Zhang Yurui , Hu Gengcheng , Fan Mengke , Yao Hailing , Jiang Chen , Shi Huiying , Lin Rong
Published: July 2022

Background
Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder (GB-NENs) are a rare group of histologically heterogeneous tumors, and surgical resection of the primary tumor is the mainstream treatment at the moment. The current study aimed to establish and validate novel nomograms for patients with GB-NENs undergoing primary tumor resection to predict the 6-, 12-, and 18- months overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).
Methods
Clinicopathological information of patients with GB-NENs undergoing primary tumor resection between 2004 and 2018 was derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The cohort was then randomly assigned to the training and internal validation datasets (7:3). Candidate prognostic factors were selected by Cox regression analyses, and the nomograms were constructed. Finally, concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, and area under the curve from the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), were conducted to assess the effective performance of the nomograms. The decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to further confirm the clinical effectiveness of nomograms. To test the generalizability of the prediction models, we also included 12 patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection from Wuhan Union Hospital.
Results
A total of 221 patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection were enrolled in our study. Using the Cox regression analyses, age, tumor size, and stage were identified as the independent prognostic factors of patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection. We constructed individualized nomograms to visually predict the OS and CSS in patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection. The C-indexes of OS and CSS in training dataset were 0.798 (95%CI: 0.748–0.848) and 0.825 (95%CI:0.771–0.879), while that of internal validation dataset was 0.849 (95%CI: 0.791–0.907) and 0.875 (95%CI: 0.819–0.931), respectively. The AUC of the training and internal validation datasets also indicated that the prediction models performed accurately. The calibration curves demonstrated that the observed survival probability of nomograms was extremely compatible with the predicted probability. The DCA showed that our nomograms were clinically useful.
Conclusions
Taken together, the nomograms are accurate enough to predict the prognostic factors of GB-NENs patients undergoing resection, allowing for treatment decision-making and clinical monitoring for future clinical work.
Enhanced echo intensity in vastus medialis is associated with worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year longitudinal study
Authors: Taniguchi Masashi , Fukumoto Yoshihiro , Yagi Masahide , Motomura Yoshiki , Okada Sayaka , Okada Shogo , Kobayashi Masashi , Ichihashi Noriaki
Published: July 2022

Background: Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) experience muscle quality loss, and is characterized by the enhanced echo intensity (EI) of the vastus medialis (VM) muscles and a high extracellular water-to-intracellular water (ECW/ICW) ratio of the thigh. No longitudinal study has investigated the association of muscle degeneration at baseline with the progression of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA, with a focus on muscle quality measured as EI and ECW/ICW. This study aimed to elucidate the association between muscle degeneration and worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA over 3 years duration.Methods: Thirty-three patients with knee OA who completed follow-up over 3 years were included in the analysis. The knee scoring system (KSS) was used to evaluate the functional abilities and symptoms. Based on the 3-year change in KSS scores, patients were classified into progressive or non-progressive groups. Muscle thickness (MT) and EI of the VM were determined using ultrasonography. The ECW/ICW ratio was measured using segmental-bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted with the groups as the dependent variables and VM-MT, VM-EI, and ECW/ICW ratio at baseline as independent variables, including potential confounders as the age, body mass index, radiographic OA severity, and baseline KSS scores.Results: Thirteen (39.4%) patients showed progressive features. VM-EI at baseline, but not the VM-MT and ECW/ICW ratio, was significantly associated with the progression of functional disabilities (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.50) and symptoms (adjusted OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25).Conclusions: The findings of the current study suggest that enhanced VM-EI was associated with worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA over a period of 3 years. Therefore, VM-EI, which can be easily determined using the ultrasound images in clinical settings, may be a useful indicator for predicting future dysfunction and symptomatic worsening in patients with knee OA.
Application of magnet ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction coupled with HPLC rapid determination three pyrethroid insecticides in food samples
Authors: Wang Lingling , Chen Xiaoxia , Han Xueying , Ju Baozhao
Published: July 2022

A simple, green, rapid and efficient magnet ionic liquid (MIL) dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method coupled with HPLC was successfully developed for determination of three trace pyrethroids (Fenvalerate, beta-cypermethrin and bifenthrin) from water and food sample. The MIL of tri-hexyl-tetradecyl-phosphonium tetra-chlorocobalt (II) [P6,6,6,14+]2[CoCl42-] was explored as the extraction solvent due to its magnetic susceptibility, low UV absorbance and difficult to hydrolyze in aqueous as well as the highest extraction capacity. Important influence factors of extraction efficiency such as the amount of MIL, the pH, ionic strength were optimized. The spiked recoveries of three targets in food samples were in the range of 96.3-103.8%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.75-1.75 ng mL−1. The results indicated that the developed MIL-DLLME method based on [P6,6,6,14+]2[CoCl42-] as the extraction solution has the advantages of rapid and high efficiency, and can be successfully applied to detect three pyrethroids in real food samples
A Hybrid Dependency-Based Approach for Urdu Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Sehar Urooba , Kanwal Summrina , Dashtipur Kia , Gogate Mandar , Khan Faiza
Published: July 2022

In this era of internet, it is evident that social media is one of the biggest platforms acting as a source of producing a huge amount of raw data on a daily basis that contains the opinion of people from different races, cultures, and age groups on a wide range of topics. Data that is produced on the social media platforms could be utilised by businesses to extract information for improving their services and to reach a wider set of audiences based on users' opinions being shared on these social media sites. In order to utilise this huge amount of unstructured data generated continuously on social media, a deep understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) is vital. Most of the approaches proposed so far for sentiment analysis (SA) are based on word co-occurrence frequencies that are inefficient in practical cases. Considering this research gap, this paper proposes a framework for concept-level SA for better SA. We developed our Urdu language dataset by collecting from YouTube, which comprises talks and reviews on different topics like movies, political, and commercial products. Further dataset was integrated with language rules and Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to optimise the polarity detection. For SA, when a predefined rule is triggered, the framework enables the sentiments to flow from words to concepts based on dependency relations among different words of a sentence on the basis of Urdu language grammatical rules. When any of the predefined patterns is not triggered, the framework switches to its sub-symbolic counterpart and passes data to DNN for performing the classification of input sentence. The proposed framework outperforms state-of-the-art approaches, including Long short-term memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), State Vector Machine (SVM), Linear Regression (LR), and Multilayer Perceptrons (MLP), with a margin of 6–7%, respectively, when employed on our Urdu dataset.
Characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations in response to molnupiravir treatment in the AGILE Phase IIa clinical trial.
Authors: Fletcher Thomas , Donovan-Banfield I'ah , Penrice-Randal Rebekah , Goldswain Hannah , Rzeszutek Aleksandra , Pilgrim Jack , Bullock Katie , Saunders Geoffrey , Northey Josh , Dong Xiaofeng , Ryan Yan , Reynolds Helen , Tetlow Michelle , Walker Lauren , FitzGerald Richard , Hale Colin , Lyon Rebecca , Woods Christie , Ahmad Shazaad , Hadjiyiannakis Dennis , Periselneris Jimstan , Knox Emma , Middleton Calley , Lavelle-Langham Lara , Shaw Victoria , Greenhalf William , Edwards Thomas , Lalloo David , Edwards Christopher , Darby Alistair , Carroll Miles , Griffiths Gareth , Khoo Saye , Hiscox Julian
Published: July 2022

Molnupiravir is an antiviral approved for treating COVID-19, which is thought to drive lethal error catastrophe. How this drug-induced mechanism of action impacts the emergence of resistance mutations is unclear. AGILE Candidate Specific Trial (CST)-2 is a phase IIa trial randomising 180 adult outpatients with SARS-COV-2 infection within five days of symptom onset to molnupiravir or placebo, with rich serial sampling of nasopharyngeal swabs over 29 days. Viral sequences, that passed genome quality control criteria, from subjects who received molnupiravir (n=59) or a placebo (n=65) were analysed by high-throughput amplicon sequencing. We found evidence that molnupiravir significantly increased the transition/transversion frequency in SARS-CoV-2 in patients, a hallmark of molnupiravir treatment. Over the course of treatment, no consistent, accumulated mutations were identified in either arm.
Random Access with Joint Uplink/Downlink Resource Allocation for Multimedia Tactile Internet
Authors: Woo Tai-Kuo , Fu Chen-Hua
Published: July 2022

The multimedia Tactile Internet is a network that provides ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability for two-way multimedia services. Since random access in uplink dominates the delay and there exist variations of target delays among connections, it is much more efficient to perform a joint uplink and downlink resource allocation. In this paper, we provide uplink random access schemes with joint uplink/downlink resource allocation using multichannel architecture for multimedia Tactile Internet. By doing so, one can significantly increase the resource utilization efficiency and improve the reliability of the multimedia Tactile Internet as well. The cores of the resource management are two-fold. First, the joint resource allocation dynamically adjusts the ratio of the number of uplink channels and the number of downlink channels and performs access control based on the collision ratio and the queue lengths. Secondly, the efficient uplink random access increases the throughput, where each transmitting node selects a number of time slot/channel pairs based on either the Finite Projective Plane, the random numbers, or the hybrid. In the performance evaluation, we compare the performance of different selections for the multichannel architecture in terms of throughput for the multimedia Tactile Internet through simulation runs and analysis. The hybrid selection scheme performs the best since it has the advantages of both the Finite Projective Plane structure and being random.
Early Detection and Disease Monitoring of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Circulating Telomere DNA
Authors: Zheng Zongli , Lian Shifeng , Lu Chenyu , Li Fugui , Yu Xia , Ai Limei , Wu Biaohua , Wei Kuangrong , Zhou Wenjing , Xie Yulong , Du Yun , Quan Wen , Pan Pan , Deng Li , Liang Zhiheng , Liang Xuejun , Zhan Jiyun , Yuan Yong , Chang Ellen , Fang Fang , Liu Zhiwei , Ji Mingfang
Published: July 2022

Early cancer detection requires high-performing biomarkers and effective tools to enable early intervention. Telomeres, located at the terminal of linear chromosomes, affect genome integrity and cell immortalization. At the very end of the telomere is a 3’ overhanging guanine-rich tail (G-tail) of which shortening is closely related to cell divisions. However, G-tail DNA cannot be detected with conventional sequencing technologies. Here we develop a high-preservation technology to quantify telomeres in circulating cell-free DNA and show that short G-tail DNA was nearly 20-fold higher in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with blood collected at diagnosis than controls and was also strongly correlated with poorer survival. We then used an independent prospective population cohort to show that the abundance of circulating short telomere G-tail increased with time approaching cancer diagnosis. These results indicate that circulating short-telomere G-tail, measured using our novel bilateral single-strand sequencing method, can effectively detect early and aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma.
Construction of a ceRNA network reveals functional lncRNAs in left ventricular noncompaction through weighted gene co-expression network analysis
Authors: Kan Jun-Yan , Zhang Chong-Yi , Qu Qiang , Wang Ru-Xing
Published: July 2022

Background
Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare genetic cardiomyopathy. Lack of biomarkers and insights into epigenetic mechanism limits its screening, diagnosis and therapy. This study aimed to delineate the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction underlying LVNC through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and construction of a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network.
Methods
By analyzing microarray data from GSE178582, we acquired lncRNA and mRNA expression profiling in LVNC. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified using R package “limma”. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to detect biological function alteration in LVNC. We performed WGCNA to pick cardinal gene modules in LVNC and supplemented enrichmsent annotation based on mRNA modules. Interactions of lncRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA were respectively predicted by LncBase and miRTarBase. In comprehensive consideration of expression change, gene clustering results and database prediction, we constructed a ceRNA network and visualized the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction. Then, a subnetwork centered on hub genes was extracted.
Results
2452 mRNAs (1275 upregulated and 1177 downregulated) and 1415 lncRNAs (839 upregulated and 576 downregulated) were differentially expressed between LVNC patients and healthy controls. Enriched pathways involved acute myeloid leukemia, bile secretion, thyroid hormone synthesis etc. A ceRNA network with 3 lncRNAs, 5miRNAs and 106 mRNAs was constructed. Furthermore, we identified 9 hub mRNAs and visualized their lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA subnetwork.
Conclusions
The ceRNA regulatory network participates in the pathogenesis of LVNC, and identified hub genes may be potential targets for intervention and biomarkers to screen LVNC patients.
Volume-based and Surface-Based Methods in Autism compared with Healthy Controls; Are Freesurfer and CAT12 in Agreement?
Authors: Faraji Reyhane , Ganji Zohreh , Alreza Zahra Khandan Khadem , Akbari-Lalimi Hossein , Zare Hoda
Published: July 2022

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. Early detection is critical. Common structural biomarkers are obtained using the Freesurfer and CAT12 approach. This study aim is to identify ROIs with significant differences between healthy and autism groups, then to evaluate the compatibility of the two methods, Freesurfer and CAT12.Methods: In this study, the region of interest (ROI)-wise biomarkers were estimated by surface-based and volume-based features extracted from Freesurfer software and CAT12 toolbox for SPM, respectively. These biomarkers were then compared between 18 TDCs from the analysis, and 40 sex-matched subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were used to assess the potential for detecting group differences for each method. Finally, regression and agreement were performed between the two methods for TDCs and ASD groups.Results: In both methods, some ROIs were obtained for each parameter with significant differences. According to the p-value obtained for both TDCs and ASD groups, there is a significant relationship between the two methods (p<0.001), and according to the R2 value for TDCs and ASD groups, 0.692 and 0.680, respectively. An average correlation was observed between CAT12 and FS6. Matching to Bland-Altman graphs, the moderate agreement between the two methods was reported.Conclusion: Due to the agreement and moderate correlation between the two methods in this study, method CAT12 cannot be a superior alternative to FS6 software.
Phononic second-order topological phase on realistic material C3N
Authors: Zhou Pan , Huang Fenfen , Li Wenqi , Ma Zengsheng , He Shenda , Sun L.Z
Published: July 2022

Second-order topological states in the artificial systems have been extensively studied, but the study in the phonons of atomic vibrations has been limited. In this paper, we propose that a phononic two-order topological phase can be realized in two-dimensional C3N, a previously synthesized and intensively investigated two-dimensional material, and its nontrivial phase arises from the mismatch between the Wannier center of the out-of-plane phonon modes and the atomic positions. Using a simplified force constant model, we find that gapped edge states and in-gap corner states can only exist on the structures with broken-pure-carbon-ring terminations, and this unexpected phenomenon can be explained by the electron-like filling anomaly for phonons. Further calculations reveal that these corner modes are robust to external disturbances. The nontrivial phononic phase in C3N provides an avenue in crystal for exploring higher-order topological phases in Bose systems.
TwinNet: A Symmetrically Structured Convolutional Architecture for Identifying Tibetan Characters
Authors: Hao Yusheng , Wang Weilan , Lin Qiang , Lu Yulan
Published: July 2022

Although the Tibetan language is widely used, its intelligent application is seriously lagging behind. Most studies on character recognition have almost ignored minority languages like Tibetan. For the purpose of recognizing Tibetan characters, a convolutional architecture named TwinNet is proposed in this work. Specifically, two parallel convolutional sub-networks sharing the same parameters were firstly carefully designed and connected using an energy function, thus achieving Tibetan character recognition via one-shot verification task based on similarity metric. Second, a fuzzy c-means clustering module based on statistical laws of Tibetan characters was integrated into the pipeline of TwinNet, thus greatly reducing the search space at the recognition stage. Third, a Tibetan similar character dataset (TSCD) is constructed after sufficient amount of mining and analysis work, providing data support for training supervised models. The results of binary classification experiment demonstrate that TwinNet can differentiate the similar and dissimilar image pairs with a recall of 0.92, a precision of 0.89, an accuracy of 0.90, an F-1 score of 0.90 and a Kappa coefficient of 0.82. Furthermore, the consistency between the output TwinNet and the subjective evaluation by Tibetan-speaking volunteers is also evaluated. The experimental results support the idea that the similarity evaluation of Tibetan characters by TwinNet is highly consistent with that of humans, the indicator of SROCC, PLCC and RMSE are 0.68, 0.84 and 0.04, respectively. The results of character recognition experiments based on one-shot verification task show that the improved model with the integration of the fuzzy c-means clustering module has an average accuracy of 92% for regular characters and 80% for severely deformed characters.
A Multi-Swarm PSO Approach to Large-Scale Task Scheduling in a Sustainable Supply Chain Datacenter
Authors: Liu Qi , Zeng Lei , Liu Xiaodong , Sun Jiawei , Zhang Yonghong
Published: July 2022

In recent years, supply chain management has become an incrementally vital part of industrial sectors, which affects the service quality and production efficiency of relevant enterprises. With the rapid development of cloud computing technology, a distributed datacenter plays a vital role in supply chain management of many infrastructures but suffers from high energy consumption and low service efficiency due to heavy allocation of massive calculation and analysis tasks. In this paper, an efficient multi-swarm particle swarm optimization approach is proposed based on load balancing. Both makespan and completion time variances of all resources have been minimized. An initialization scheme is also presented concerning the convergence rate and adaptive inertia weights. An open dataset from an Alibaba datacenter has been employed to resolve the uneven load events caused by inefficient supply chain arrangement between distributed tasks and resources. Two criteria, makespan and response time during task scheduling have been chosen for performance evaluation. According to the results, the proposed work can improve task scheduling efficiency and sustainability in distributed datacenters supporting diverse supply chain environments.
Nuclear localization signal peptides enhance genetic transformation of Dunaliella salina
Authors: Feng Shuying , Hu Lina , Li Aifang , Li shuxuan , Li yalan , Niu chunling , wang Baiyan , Yin Sugai , Guo Tao
Published: July 2022

Dunaliella salina (D. salina) expression system shows a very attractive application prospect, but it currently has a technical bottleneck, namely the low or unstable expression of recombinant proteins. Given the characteristics of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) or/and nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptides, this study firstly attempted to improve the transformation rate of foreign gene with trans-activating transcriptional (TAT) protein or/and NLS peptides. Using salt gradient method, exogenous plasmids were transferred into D. salina cells with TAT or TAT/NLS complexes simultaneously. The β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene expression was identified by means of histochemical stain and RT-qPCR detection. Through observation with light microscope, TAT-mediating cells exhibit an apparent cytotoxicity even at ratios of 0.5, no significant toxicity was noted in the TAT/plasmid/NLS complex group. It is obvious that with the addition of peptides the toxicity decreases significantly. Histochemical staining showed that the transformants presented blue color. under light microscope, but the negative control and blank control are not. Furthermore, based on a TAT/plasmids ratio of 4 with 10 µg NLS peptides mediation, RT-qPCR results demonstrated that the transcripts of target gene were increased by 269 times than that of control group. Collectively, this study demonstrated that combination of TAT and NLS peptides can significantly improve the transformation rate and expression level of foreign gene in D. salina system. It offers a promising way for promoting the application and development of D. salina bioreactor.
New fixed point theorems andcharacterization of the continuity inColombeau algebra
Authors: Taqbibt Abdellah , Chaib Mohamed , Melliani Said
Published: July 2022

In the present article, we investigate a new concept of fixedpoint theorems in the framework of Colombeau algebra of gen-eralized funtions. introduce a characterisation of the continuity of some C−linear maps, We gave another representation of the contraction of the maps among Colombian algebras.In addition, wehave given a general frame of fixed-point theorems in the clas-sic: the fixed point theorems of Banach, Kannan and Chatterjea.We concluded the applicability of these results by an application.
The effect of tooth size on the dimensional accuracy of three types of intraoral scanners
Authors: Shayegh Sayed Shojaedin , Kargar Kamran
Published: July 2022

Background: Digital impressions by intraoral scanning (IOS) have become an increasingly popular alternative to conventional impressions. From previous studies, scanning systems, scanner acquisition process, and powder application do not appear to be major influencing factors on accuracy of IOS. Studies revealed multiple variables that can influence accuracy of IOS, such as span length and surface morphology. There is evidence that smooth surfaces are easier to capture by light scanners than irregular and corrugated surfaces. Another influential factor affecting scan results is tooth dimensions that previous studies have not studied. This laboratory study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of IOS based on effect of tooth size on dimensional accuracy recorded by three types of scanners.
Materials and methods: Samples of this study include two gypsum and ceramic dies from canine and molar acrylic teeth. All-ceramic restoration standard guidelines have prepared samples. For gypsum dies, digital impressions were made by an Open Technology scanner, and then zirconia samples were manufactured by CAD / CAM technology. Each ceramic piece was scanned ten times by three IOSs. The reference STL file was considered CAD, and the STL files obtained from scanners were considered Mesh. Mesh was then superimposed using the "best-fit" protocol on the reference file. Shapiro-Wilk and paired t-test were used to find the data discrepancies.
Results: The lowest and highest values and mean of precision and trueness in molar teeth were observed in Cerec Omnicam. The highest value and mean precision in molar teeth were observed in Open Technology. There were no significant differences within the four types of scanners in canine teeth in the mean of precision and trueness.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it seems that tooth size does not affect the accuracy of these types of scanners in terms of accuracy and repeatability.
Efficient Multi-Object Detecting Assistive System for Visually Impaired People
Authors: A.Badiger Narayan , Nagarali Rithika B. , Naik Ms.Sejal , Koppad Ms.Rajeshwari
Published: July 2022

Technology these days is growing drastically, and of which the expense of using this technology is increasing leading to the increase in the price of the devices used by visually impaired people. There is a need for a portable and easily accessible smart aid. This proposed system allows the unperceptive community to have access to such a device that is portable and affordable. People with deprived vision face difficulties in navigation and carrying out their daily life chores, our device aims to empower such people. ESP32CAM (Esprissif Systems 32-Bit Camera) captures images of objects/intruders, converting them into text and then into audio which alerts the user through headphones/speakers. The YOLO (You Only Look Once) package is installed, which scans the images and performs augmentation and annotation, before feature extraction to perform classification. Once classified, the image is then converted into audio. The COCO (Common Objects in Context) dataset is used for implementation. The purpose of this device is to process the images of objects as input into a voice as output. It has less error rate, less processing time, and is cost-effective. This device acts as an artificial eye for visually impaired people.
Molecular identification of vivax malaria relapse cases in Yunnan Province based on the homologyical analysis of Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein gene
Authors: Xu Yanchu , Dong Ying , Deng Yan , Huang Herong , Chen Mengni , Liu Yan , Wu Jing , Zhang Canglin , Zheng Webi
Published: July 2022

Background
More than 85% of the malaria burden is caused by imported vivax malaria in Yunnan Province and Yunnan is also where the majority of vivax malaria cases are diagnosed across China. Timely removal of the source of Plasmodium vivax and its breeding environment remains the key to eliminating the secondary transmission of imported malaria. To compensate for the uncertainty of epidemiological surveys in tracing vivax malaria recurrence, this study attempted to use molecular markers for identification.
Materials and methods
To do so, blood samples were collected from cases diagnosed and revalidated as single infections of Plasmodium vivax in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2020. Specifically, samples from suspected relapses with recurrent episodes were subjected to PCR amplification, product sequencing, and analysis of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (pvcsp) gene.
Results
Seventy-eight suspected recurrent cases were retrieved from 2484 vivax malaria cases, with a total of 81 recurrent episodes. A total of 159 blood samples from primary infection Plasmodium vivax and recurrences were subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing to obtain 156 CDS sequences of pvcsp gene, 121 of which can be matched into the paired sequences of 59 cases. There were 475 polymorphic loci and 84 haplotypes (H01-H84) in the 121 sequences. Also, there were 79 and 5 haplotypes with CRR repeat units (PRM) of VK210 and VK247 structure, respectively. Of the 59 pairs of pvcsp gene sequences, every one of 31 pairs showed only one haplotype and no variant sites, meaning the every paired sequences were completely homologous and the paired Plasmodium vivax strains were homologous single clone. Every one of the remaining 28 paired sequences had two haplotypes but no length polymorphism, and except for 2 polymorphic loci (39 and 1027), all single nucleotide polymorphisms were double-equivalent bases differentially transferred between paired sequences, indicating that the paired sequences are "weakly heterologous" with no fragment insertions (or deletions) and only individual site polymorphisms. All 59 vivax malaria recurrences were respectively caused by the activation of Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites from the same population as the primary infection.
Conclusions
The paired analysis of the similarity of Plasmodium high variant genes allowed the identification of recurrent episodes caused by Plasmodium vivax homologous hypnozoites, and also demonstrated pvcsp gene as a good molecular marker. Moreover, the study showed most of the hypnozoites causing vivax malaria recurrence in Yunnan Province belonged to homologous single clone or sibling strains comparison with the original infection strains.
Learning at Stations on the Secondary Level in Biology Education: The Determination of Toxic Plants
Authors: Kubiatko Milan , Fancovicova Jana
Published: July 2022

The importance of plants for humans is unquestionable. Learning stations are a very useful tool for understanding the meaning of plants for people. The purpose of the study was to describe the effect of learning stations in practice, its use and whether or not it might help change misconceptions and build accurate content knowledge about toxic plants. The quasi-experimental design was used and the research sample consisted of a control group and an experimental group. The knowledge test (pretest / posttest) focused as a research tool on the ability to identify toxic plants, to gain the occurrence of plants and decide about the toxicity of plants. The effect of learning stations was significant, with the students from the experimental group achieving a higher score after implementation of the independent variable in all categories (naming of plants, occurrence, toxicity).