bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STRATEGI KOMUNIKASI DALAM PROSES DIFUSI INOVASI BUDIDAYA IKAN DALAM EMBER PADA MASYARAKAT LAMPUNG
Authors: Tuti Sri Astuti , Gustina Zainal Anna , Yudha Aryanti Nina , Rejeki Noviera Fri
Published: March 2023

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis strategi komunikasi dari inovasi budidaya ikan dalam ember dalam proses Difusi Inovasi pada Masyarakat.  Penelitian ini menggunakan Teori Difusi Inovasi Rogers dan Shoemaker, teori ini mengkaji pesan-pesan berupa ide-ide ataupun gagasan-gagasan yang baru, yang menyebabkan terjadinya perubahan sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif, dengan teknik pengumpulan datanya adalah dengan wawancara dan menganalisis media yang digunakan dalam proses difusi inovasi.  Budidaya ikan dalam ember merupakan hasil penelitian Juli Nursandi pada tahun 2015, mulai dikembangkan pada tahun 2016 dan dikenalkan ke masyarakat Lampung melalui sosial media.  Dari Hasil penelitian diperoleh budidaya ikan dalam ember disebarkan melalui youtube, whatsapp, facebook, Instagram dan melakukan whorkshop atau pelatihan budidaya ikan dalam ember. Hasil penelitian terdapat: (1) adanya adopsi budidaya ikan dalam ember oleh masyarakat dan pemangku kepentingan dalam hal ini pemerintah, Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan Provinsi Lampung bersinergy dengan PKK Provinsi Lampung memberikan bantuan sarana dan prasaran serta benih Budikdamber ke Kabupaten-kabupaten di Provinsi Lampung.  (2) adanya implementasi budidaya ikan dalam ember di masyarakat Lampung.
Geometric properties of noninformative priors based on the chi-square divergence
Authors: Tanaka Fuyuhiko
Published: March 2023

Recently, a noninformative prior distribution that is different from the Jeffreys prior was derived as an extension of Bernardo's reference prior based on the chi-square divergence. We summarize this result in terms of information geometry and clarify some geometric properties. Specifically, we show that it corresponds to a parallel volume element and can be written as a power of the Jeffreys prior in flat model manifolds.
Electrochemical immunosensor based on gold-thionine for detection of subarachnoid hemorrhage biomarker
Authors: Wang Mengyue , Gao Feng , Ni Shoujie , Song Yanan , Wang Cai , Li Qian , Zhao Peng
Published: March 2023

Introduction: In clinical work, the realization of an early diagnosis of Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is primarily based on conventional computed tomography (CT), MR angiography, transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound, and neurological assessments. However, the association between imaging manifestations and clinical findings is insufficiently perfect, particularly in SAH patients in acute phases with a lower amount of blood. The establishment of a direct, rapid and ultra-sensitive detection method based on electrochemical biosensors has emerged as a new competitive challenge in disease biomarkers research.

Methods: In this study, a novel free-labeled electrochemical immunosensor for rapidly and sensitively detecting IL-6 in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) blood has been developed using Au nanospheres-thionine composites (AuNPs/THI) as the interface modified on the electrode. Then, we detected IL-6 in blood samples from SAH patients by (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) ELISA and electrochemical immunosensor.

Results: Under the best conditions, the developed electrochemical immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range from 10−2 ng/mL to 102 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 1.85 pg/mL. Furthermore, when the immunosensor was employed in the analysis of IL-6 in 100% serum, the results obtained by electrochemical immunoassay were consistent with those obtained by ELISA without suffering from other significant biological interference.

Discussion: The designed electrochemical immunosensor realizes the detection of IL-6 in actual serum samples with high accuracy and sensitivity, and could potentially become a promising technique for applications in the clinical diagnosis of SAH.
Biomechanical comparison of canine femurs implanted with either cemented (CFX®) or cementless (with lateral bolt) (BFX®+lb) total hip replacement under 4-point bending or torsional loads
Authors: Tinga Selena , Tuyn David D. , Kopp Rosalind J. , Kim Stanley E.
Published: March 2023

Objective:Compare biomechanical properties of femurs implanted with either BioMedtrix™biological fixation with interlocking lateral bolt (BFX®+lb) or cemented (CFX®) stems when subjected to 4-point bending or axial torsional forces.

Study Design:Twelve pairs of normal medium to large cadaveric canine femora were implanted with a BFX + lb (n= 12) and a CFX (n= 12) stem–one in the right and one in the left femora of the pair. Pre- and post-operative radiographs were made. Femora were tested to failure in either 4-point bending (n= 6 pairs) or axial torsion (n= 6 pairs), and stiffness, load or torque at failure, linear or angular displacement, and fracture configuration were noted.

Results:Implant position was acceptable in all included femora, but CFX stems were placed in less anteversion than BFX + lb stems in the 4-point bending group (median (range) 5.8 (−1.9–16.3) vs. 15.9 (8.4–27.9) anteversion, respectively (p= 0.04)). CFX implanted femora were more stiff than BFX + lb implanted femora in axial torsion (median (range) 2,387 (1,659–3,068) vs. 1,192 (795–2,150) N*mm/o, respectively (p= 0.03)). One of each stem type, from different pairs, did not fail in axial torsion. There was no difference in stiffness or load to failure in 4-point bending, or in fracture configuration for either test, between implant groups.

Conclusion:Increased stiffness of CFX implanted femurs under axial torsional forces may not be clinically relevant as both groups withstood expectedin vivoforces. Based on this acute post-operative model using isolated forces, BFX + lb stems may be a suitable replacement for CFX stems in femurs with normal morphology (stovepipe and champagne flute morphology were not tested).
Plasmonic Au–Cu nanostructures: Synthesis and applications
Authors: Mi Xiaohu , Chen Huan , Li Jinping , Qiao Haifa
Published: March 2023

Plasmonic Au–Cu nanostructures composed of Au and Cu metals, have demonstrated advantages over their monolithic counterparts, which have recently attracted considerable attention. Au–Cu nanostructures are currently used in various research fields, including catalysis, light harvesting, optoelectronics, and biotechnologies. Herein, recent developments in Au–Cu nanostructures are summarized. The development of three types of Au–Cu nanostructures is reviewed, including alloys, core-shell structures, and Janus structures. Afterwards, we discuss the peculiar plasmonic properties of Au–Cu nanostructures as well as their potential applications. The excellent properties of Au–Cu nanostructures enable applications in catalysis, plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy, photothermal conversion and therapy. Lastly, we present our thoughts on the current status and future prospects of the Au–Cu nanostructures research field. This review is intended to contribute to the development of fabrication strategies and applications relating to Au–Cu nanostructures.
Use of in vitro derived human neuronal models to study host-parasite interactions of Toxoplasma gondii in neurons and neuropathogenesis of chronic toxoplasmosis
Authors: Halonen Sandra K.
Published: March 2023

Toxoplasma gondii infects approximately one-third of the world’s population resulting in a chronic infection with the parasite located in cysts in neurons in the brain. In most immunocompetent hosts the chronic infection is asymptomatic, but several studies have found correlations between Toxoplasma seropositivity and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Schizophrenia, and some other neurological disorders. Host-parasite interactions of bradyzoites in cysts in neurons is not well understood due in part to the lack of suitable in vitro human neuronal models. The advent of stem cell technologies in which human neurons can be derived in vitro from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) or direct conversion of somatic cells generating induced neurons (iNs), affords the opportunity to develop in vitro human neuronal culture systems to advance the understanding of T. gondii in human neurons. Human neurons derived from hiPSCs or iNs, generate pure human neuron monolayers that express differentiated neuronal characteristics. hiPSCs also generate 3D neuronal models that better recapitulate the cytoarchitecture of the human brain. In this review, an overview of iPSC-derived neurons and iN protocols leading to 2D human neuron cultures and hiPSC-derived 3D cerebral organoids will be given. The potential applications of these 2D and 3D human neuronal models to address questions about host-parasite interactions of T. gondii in neurons and the parasite in the CNS, will be discussed. These human neuronal in vitro models hold the promise to advance the understanding of T. gondii in human neurons and to improve the understanding of neuropathogenesis of chronic toxoplasmosis.
Catheter ablation vs. drug therapy in the treatment of atrial fibrillation patients with heart failure: An update meta-analysis for randomized controlled trials
Authors: Lin Chun , Sun Mingyan , Liu Youbin , Su Yongkang , Liang Xiao , Ma Shouyuan , Zhu Ping , Fu Yuming , Liu Jianfeng
Published: March 2023

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist. The treatment of AF in patients with HF has been challenging because of the ongoing debate about the merits of catheter ablation vs. drug therapy.

Methods

The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and www.clinicaltrials.gov were searched until June 14, 2022. Inclusion criteria were catheter ablation compared with drug therapy in adults with AF and HF in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Primary outcomes consisted of all-cause mortality, re-hospitalization, change in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and AF recurrence. Secondary outcomes referred to quality of life [QoL; measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ)], six-minute walk distance (6MWD), and adverse events. The PROSPERO registration ID was CRD42022344208.

Findings

In total, nine RCTs with 2,100 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 1,062 for catheter ablation and 1,038 for medication. According to the meta-analysis, catheter ablation significantly reduced all-cause mortality compared with drug therapy [9.2% vs. 14.1%, OR: 0.62, (95% CI: 0.47–0.82), P = 0.0007, I2 = 0%], improved LVEF [MD: 5.65%, (95% CI: 3.32–7.98), P < 0.00001, I2 = 86%], reduced AF recurrence [41.6% vs. 61.9%, OR: 0.23, (95% CI: 0.11–0.48), P < 0.0001, I2 = 82%], decreased the MLHFQ score [MD: −6.38, (95% CI: −11.09 to −1.67), P = 0.008, I2 = 64%] and increased 6MWD [MD: 17.55, (95% CI: 15.77–19.33), P < 0.0001, I2 = 37%]. Catheter ablation did not increase the re-hospitalization [30.4% vs. 35.5%, OR: 0.68, (95% CI: 0.42–1.10), P = 0.12, I2 = 73%] and adverse events [31.5% vs. 30.9%, OR: 1.06, (95% CI: 0.83–1.35), P = 0.66, I2 = 48%].

Interpretation

In AF patients with HF, catheter ablation improves exercise tolerance, QoL, and LVEF and significantly reduced all-cause mortality and AF recurrence. Although the differences were not statistically significant, the study found lower re-hospitalization and approximate adverse events with improved catheter ablation tendency.

PROSPERO registration ID

CRD42022344208.
A summary of the ComParE COVID-19 challenges
Authors: Coppock Harry , Akman Alican , Bergler Christian , Gerczuk Maurice , Brown Chloë , Chauhan Jagmohan , Grammenos Andreas , Hasthanasombat Apinan , Spathis Dimitris , Xia Tong , Cicuta Pietro , Han Jing , Amiriparian Shahin , Baird Alice , Stappen Lukas , Ottl Sandra , Tzirakis Panagiotis , Batliner Anton , Mascolo Cecilia , Schuller Björn W.
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive humanitarian and economic damage. Teams of scientists from a broad range of disciplines have searched for methods to help governments and communities combat the disease. One avenue from the machine learning field which has been explored is the prospect of a digital mass test which can detect COVID-19 from infected individuals’ respiratory sounds. We present a summary of the results from the INTERSPEECH 2021 Computational Paralinguistics Challenges: COVID-19 Cough, (CCS) and COVID-19 Speech, (CSS).
Students’ in-class impression management: Comparing models for measuring student strategies of self-presentation
Authors: Forster-Heinzer Sarah , Nagel Arvid , Biedermann Horst , Reichenbach Roland
Published: March 2023

This paper addresses an issue that has largely been neglected in educational research so far: students’ impression management. Impression management is defined as an individual’s active effort to present the self in a certain, usually positive way. Owing to a lack of empirical studies on students’ impression management at class, we primarily pursued the basic aim of designing an instrument for analyzing deliberate student tactics of self-presentation. Its development was based on work on school-specific coping strategies. Construct validity and criterion validity were tested in a sample consisting of 201 Austrian high school students. The results indicated that a correlative five-dimensional factor structure fit the data best. Furthermore, students with higher scores on the presented and appearing self also scored higher on most dimensions of the Impression Management scale than their peers who cared less about their teacher’s perception. These findings raise the question of what types of impression management can be deemed functional with respect to academic success.
Long-term impact of biofertilization on soil health and nutritional quality of organic basmati rice in a typic ustchrept soil of India
Authors: Kumawat Anita , Kumar Dinesh , Shivay Y. S. , Bhatia Arti , Rashmi I. , Yadav Devideen , Kumar Ashok
Published: March 2023

Healthy soils are the foundation for producing healthy food and creating a healthy environment. Therefore, we assessed the changes in the physical and chemical properties of soil, and their long-term impact on yield, quality, and nutritional status of rice grains in an organicbasmatirice-based cropping system in a typic Ustchrept Soil of India. The experiment was laid out in a strip plot design with three replications. The vertical strips consisted of two rice-based cropping systems, namely,basmatirice-wheat-mung bean (RWM) andbasmatirice-wheat-sesbania(RWS), whereas seven combinations of different organic materials and biofertilizers (BF) were assigned to horizontal strips,viz., control (no manure application), farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost (VC), FYM + crop residues (CR), VC + CR, FYM + CR + BF, and VC + CR + BF. The results revealed that soil moisture content (SMC), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total N, and soil available P, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu were significantly higher under the RWS system than in RWM. The application of organic manures either alone or in conjunction with CR and BF significantly lowered the soil pH (∼3.0%), EC (43.1%–45.8%), and BD (3.3%–9.2%) as compared to the control. Water holding capacity (WHC), SMC, and SOC were increased by 5.7%–14.7%, 8.7%–49.3%, and 35.3%–76.5%, respectively under single or co-application of FYM/VC with CRs and BFs as compared to control. Similarly, sole or conjoint application of organic manures, CR, and BF significantly enhanced the soil available macro (N, P, and K) and micro (Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu) nutrients over the control. Grain yield, protein content, N uptake, and cooking quality parameters were significantly higher under the RWS system than under RWM. However, the Zn concentration and its uptake by grains were significantly higher under the RWM system over RWS. The grain yield was significantly increased by 25.8%–49.2% under different organic nutrient management options over control. The single or conjoint application of FYM/VC with CR and BF increased the hulling, milling, head rice recovery, and protein concentration in grain by 9.4%–9.8%, 23.2%–28.4%, 22.7%–25.5%, and 9.6%–10.7%, respectively over control. The concentration of N, P, K, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu was significantly improved by 9.7%–11.3%, 45.5%–63.6%, 16.7%–20.8%, 66.9%–74.1%, 72.9%–81.9%, 87.1%–97.0%, and 48.9%–67.2%, respectively under co-application of FYM/VC with CR and BF compared to control. Thus, our results indicate that improved soil properties could significantly increase the physical and nutritional quality ofbasmatirice grain. Therefore, adoptingbasmatirice-based cropping systems with different organic nutrient sources can sustain soil health, end global hunger, produce nutritious food, and create a healthy environment.
Involving stakeholders in scenario-building: Lessons from a case study of the global context of Norway’s climate policies
Authors: Fæhn Taran , Stoknes Per Espen
Published: March 2023

This paper assesses the relevance and outcome of involving a transdisciplinary group of stakeholders in a scenario-building research project. The scenarios describe plausible external, long-term conditions with the aim to improve the knowledge basis of a national (Norwegian) government pursuing climate policy targets for 2030 and 2050 under uncertainty. The scenario process has two phases with quite different roles for the participants. In the first, the aim is to create broad engagement and participation in exploring narratives for how key external conditions might develop and form premises for the national climate strategies for Norway. The ambition in this phase is to deduce a handful of wide-ranging and distinctly different, qualitative scenarios. The second phase is devoted to translating the narratives into quantitative projections for the Norwegian economy and greenhouse gas emissions by means of linking global and national largescale models. We claim that research projects building and using scenarios have significant potential to benefit from involving a broad stakeholder group in developing qualitative narratives. The second phase involves complex quantitative simulations. In order to provide scientific rigor and credibility to the scenarios, this phase primarily calls for scholars with technical skills, knowledge on the research frontier and modelling experience. Nevertheless, later use of these scenarios in numerical policy studies can gain from resumed researcher-stakeholder interaction.
Biomimetic, antiadhesive surface structure inspired by the calamistra setae of cribellate spiders for electrospun nanofiber handling
Authors: Lifka Sebastian , Stecher Christoph , Meyer Marco , Joel Anna-Christin , Heitz Johannes , Baumgartner Werner
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Due to their excellent surface-to-volume ratio, nanofibers (i.e., fibers with a diameter of approximately 10 to 800 nm) are of increasing interest to engineers and scientists in a broad spectrum of applications. However, due to van der Waals forces, these nanofibers tend to adhere strongly to any surface, which makes further processing very challenging. In nature, we find animals that can easily handle nanofibers: Cribellate spiders use a comb-like structure, the so-called calamistrum, to produce, handle, and process nanofibers. Due to a fingerprint-like surface nanostructure, nanofibers do not adhere to the calamistrum. The principle interaction between this fingerprint-like surface nanostructure and single nanofibers has recently been described in a publication. The fingerprint-like surface structure was replicated on a technical metal surface using laser-induced periodic surface structures, which resulted in material properties resembling those of the natural model.

Methods

We went a step further and took a closer look on an additional structural feature of the calamistrum much larger than the fingerprint-like surface structure. A theoretical approach to describing the influence of a fiber preload, which may become a dominant effect if the fiber dimensions are small compared to the surface structure dimensions, on the adhesion of the fiber to these large surface structures was derived. Our theory was verified experimentally for artificial electrospun polyamide 6 nanofibers on surface-structured samples made of titanium alloy.

Results and Conclusion

A dramatic reduction in adhesion compared to unstructured, flat surfaces was proven. Therefore, such a surface structure can be used for tools or parts of tools during nanofiber production (e.g., as part of the electrospinning process) to reduce the adhesion of the nonwoven fabric and thus facilitate the handling and processing of the nanofibers during production.
Methane uptake responses to heavy rainfalls co-regulated by seasonal timing and plant composition in a semiarid grassland
Authors: Zheng Zhenzhen , Wen Fuqi , Li Congjia , Guan Shuntian , Xiong Yunqi , Liu Yuan , Qian Ruyan , Lv Mengbo , Xu Shaorui , Cui Xiaoyong , Wang Yanfen , Hao Yanbin , Li Linfeng
Published: March 2023

Heavy rainfalls caused by global warming are increasing widespread in the future. As the second greenhouse gas, the biological processes of methane (CH4) uptake would be strongly affected by heavy rainfalls. However, how seasonal timing and plant composition affect CH4 uptake in response to heavy rainfalls is largely unknown. Here, we conducted a manipulative experiment to explore the effects of heavy rainfall imposed on middle and late growing season stage on CH4 uptake of constructed steppe communities including graminoid, shrub and their mixture in Inner Mongolia, China. The results of mixed effect model showed that both heavy rainfalls decreased CH4 uptake. Nevertheless, the effect magnitude and the pathways were varied with seasonal timing. Relatively, the late heavy rainfall had larger negative effects. Structural equation model suggested that late heavy rainfall decreased CH4 uptake through decreased diffusivity, pmoA abundance, and NH4+-N content, as products of high soil water content (SWC). However, middle heavy rainfall decreased CH4 uptake only by increasing SWC. Additionally, aboveground biomass (AGB) had negative effects on CH4 uptake under both heavy rainfalls. Additionally, plant composition not only affected CH4 uptake but also regulated CH4 uptake in response to heavy rainfalls. Late heavy rainfall had less negative effect on CH4 uptake in graminoid community than in other two communities, in coincidence with less reduction in NH4+-N content and less increase in SWC and AGB. In contrast, we did not observe obvious difference in effects of middle heavy rainfall on CH4 uptake across three communities. Our findings demonstrated that magnitude and pathways of heavy rainfall effects on CH4 uptake were strongly co-regulated by seasonal timing and plant composition.
Predicting inhabitable areas for locust based on field observation and multi-environmental factors in alpine grassland—A case study in the Qilian Mountain National Park, China
Authors: Lv Y.Y. , Yu H.Y. , Chen W. , Li M. , Yi S.H. , Meng B.P.
Published: March 2023

Alpine grassland is one of the most critical grassland types in the world, and it is vulnerable and sensitive to external disturbances. The development and outbreak of locust might result in the irreversible degradation. However, most locust studies have been on the tropical, temperate, and desert areas. Our knowledge of inhabitable areas in alpine grassland still needs to be explored. This study was carried out in the alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountain National Park. Environmental factors (remote sensing vegetation index, meteorology, soil, topography, and grassland types) and their impact on locust density were investigated. Finally, the inhabitable areas of locust in the study area were mapped. The results showed that: (1) six out of 26 factors [including precipitation, solar radiation (average and maximum value), normalized vegetation index (NDVI), soil, and temperature] had great influence on locust density, with a relative contribution (RC) more than 10%. (2) Among all locust density estimation models, those based on average and maximum solar radiation, maximum precipitation, maximum NDVI, average temperature, and clay content in deep soil performed better than others, with R ranging from 0.58 to 0.73 and root mean square error ranging from 21.70 to 25.82 head/m2. (3) The areas most suited for locust growth, development, and frequent outbreak were found in the south of Tianjun County, middle and northwest of Qilian County (account for 27% of the study area), while the inhabitability was weak in south of Gangcha County, northwest of Tianjun County, and most of Delingha City. Thus our study clarified the distribution region and occurrence variation of the locust and provided a scientific basis for locust prevention and control in alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountain National Park.
De novo assembly of a chromosome-level reference genome of the ornamental butterfly Sericinus montelus based on nanopore sequencing and Hi-C analysis
Authors: Li Jingjing , Wang Haiyan , Zhu Jianqing , Yang Qi , Luan Yang , Shi Leming , Molina-Mora José Arturo , Zheng Yuanting
Published: March 2023

Sericinus montelus (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae, Parnassiinae) is a high-value ornamental swallowtail butterfly species widely distributed in Northern and Central China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. The larval stage of this species feeds exclusively on Aristolochia plants. The Aristolochia species is well known for its high levels of aristolochic acids (AAs), which have been found to be carcinogenic for numerous animals. The swallowtail butterfly is among the few that can feed on these toxic host plants. However, the genetic adaptation of S. montelus to confer new abilities for AA tolerance has not yet been well explored, largely due to the limited genomic resources of this species. This study aimed to present a chromosome-level reference genome for S. montelus using the Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Illumina short-read sequencing, and Hi-C technology. The final assembly was composed of 581.44 Mb with an expected genome size of 619.27 Mb. Further, 99.98% of the bases could be anchored onto 30 chromosomes. The N50 of contigs and scaffolds was 5.74 and 19.12 Mb, respectively. Approximately 48.86% of the assembled genome was suggested to be repeat elements, and 13,720 protein-coding genes were predicted in the current assembly. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. montelus diverged from the common ancestor of swallowtails about 58.57–80.46 million years ago. Compared with related species, S. montelus showed a significant expansion of P450 gene family members, and positive selections on eloa, heatr1, and aph1a resulted in the AA tolerance for S. montelus larva. The de novo assembly of a high-quality reference genome for S. montelus provided a fundamental genomic tool for future research on evolution, genome genetics, and toxicology of the swallowtail butterflies.
Development and validation of focal adhesion-related genes signature in gastric cancer
Authors: Zhao Guanghui , Luo Tianqi , Liu Zexian , Li Jianjun
Published: March 2023

Background: This study aims to build a focal adhesion-related genes-based prognostic signature (FAS) to accurately predict gastric cancer (GC) prognosis and identify key prognostic genes related to gastric cancer.

Results: Gene expression and clinical data of gastric cancer patients were sourced from Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas. Subsequently, the GEO dataset was randomly distributed into training and test cohorts. The TCGA dataset was used to validate the external cohort. Lasso Cox regression was used to detect OS-related genes in the GEO cohort. A risk score model was established according to the screened genes. A nomogram, based on the clinical characteristics and risk score, was generated to predict the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration performances, we evaluated the models’ validity. The patients were grouped into a high- or low-risk group depending on the risk score. Low-risk patients exhibited higher OS than high-risk patients (entire cohort: p < 0.001; training cohort: p < 0.001, test cohort: p < 0.001). Furthermore, we found a correlation between high-risk gastric cancer and extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction, high infiltration of macrophages, CD44, and HLA-DOA.

Conclusion: The generated model based on the genetic characteristics of the focal adhesion prognostic gene can aid in the prognosis of gastric cancer patients in the future.
Novel mutation in exon11 of PRKCG (SCA14): A case report
Authors: Sun Rong , Tang Xiang , Cao Xueqin , Shao Xinyu , Sun Hong
Published: March 2023

Introduction:PRKCG mutations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 14 (SCA14), which is a rare autosomal dominant disease marked by cerebellar degeneration, dysarthria, and nystagmus. Until now, there has never been a report of patients with mutations of c.1232G>C worldwide.

Case description: We report a case of a 30-year-old Chinese man with episodic dystaxia, speech disorder, and cognitive impairment; however, his father exclusively exhibited a speech disorder regardless of the same mutation. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a heterozygous c.1232G>C (p.G411A) variant of PRKCG.

Conclusion: This case presents an extended genotype and phenotype of SCA14, and emphasizes the importance of gene sequencing in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia.
Identification of mitochondria-related key gene and association with immune cells infiltration in intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Guo Wei , Mu Kun , Li Wen-Shuai , Gao Shun-Xing , Wang Lin-Feng , Li Xiao-Ming , Zhao Jian-Yong
Published: March 2023

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and its inflammatory microenvironment can result in discogenic pain, which has been shown to stem from the nucleus pulposus (NP). Increasing evidence suggests that mitochondrial related genes are strictly connected to cell functionality and, importantly, it can regulate cell immune activity in response to damaged associated signals. Therefore, identification of mitochondria related genes might offer new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for IVD degeneration. In this study, we identified key genes involved in NP tissue immune cell infiltration during IVD degeneration by bioinformatic analysis. The key modules were screened by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WCGNA). Characteristic genes were identified by random forest analysis. Then gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the signaling pathways associated with the signature genes. Subsequently, CIBERSORT was used to classify the infiltration of immune cells. Function of the hub gene was confirmed by PCR, Western blotting and ELISA. Finally, we identified MFN2 as a crucial molecule in the process of NP cell pyroptosis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We speculate that the increased MFN2 expression in NP tissue along with the infiltration of CD8+ T cells, NK cell and neutrophils play important roles in the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration.
Oral route lipopolysaccharide as a potential dementia preventive agent inducing neuroprotective microglia
Authors: Mizobuchi Haruka
Published: March 2023

In today’s aging society, dementia is an urgent problem to be solved because no treatment or preventive methods have been established. This review focuses on oral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, as a novel preventive drug for dementia. LPS is also called endotoxin and is well known to induce inflammation when administered systemically. On the other hand, although we humans routinely ingest LPS derived from symbiotic bacteria of edible plants, the effect of oral administration of LPS has hardly been studied. Recently, oral administration of LPS was reported to prevent dementia by inducing neuroprotective microglia. Furthermore, it has been suggested that colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) is involved in the dementia prevention mechanism by oral administration of LPS. Thus, in this review, we summarized the previous studies of oral administration of LPS and discussed the predicted dementia prevention mechanism. In addition, we showed the potential of oral LPS administration as a preventive drug for dementia by highlighting research gaps and future issues for clinical application development.
A narrow host-range and lack of persistence in two non-target insect species of a bacterial symbiont exploited to deliver insecticidal RNAi in Western Flower Thrips
Authors: Whitten Miranda M. A. , Xue Qi , Taning Clauvis Nji Tizi , James Reuben , Smagghe Guy , del Sol Ricardo , Hitchings Matthew , Dyson Paul
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Insecticidal RNAi is a targeted pest insect population control measure. The specificity of insecticidal RNAi can theoretically be enhanced by using symbiotic bacteria with a narrow host range to deliver RNAi, an approach termed symbiont-mediated RNAi (SMR), a technology we have previously demonstrated in the globally-invasive pest species Western Flower Thrips (WFT).

Methods

Here we examine distribution of the two predominant bacterial symbionts of WFT, BFo1 and BFo2, among genome-sequenced insects. Moreover, we have challenged two non-target insect species with both bacterial species, namely the pollinating European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, and an insect predator of WFT, the pirate bug Orius laevigatus.

Results

Our data indicate a very limited distribution of either symbiont among insects other than WFT. Moreover, whereas BFo1 could establish itself in both bees and pirate bugs, albeit with no significant effects on insect fitness, BFo2 was unable to persist in either species.

Discussion

In terms of biosafety, these data, together with its more specific growth requirements, vindicate the choice of BFo2 for delivery of RNAi and precision pest management of WFT.
A mouse model for X-linked Alport syndrome induced by Del-ATGG in the Col4a5 gene
Authors: Wu Wei-qing , Zhang Jia-xun , Cui Ying-xia , Zhang Ming-chao , Chen Xiao-hang , Duan Shan , Zeng Cai-hong , Li Pei-ning , Li Xiao-jun
Published: March 2023

Alport syndrome (AS) is an inherited glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). X-linked AS (XLAS) is caused by pathogenic variants in the COL4A5 gene. Many pathogenic variants causing AS have been detected, but the genetic modifications and pathological alterations leading to ESRD have not been fully characterized. In this study, a novel frameshift variant c.980_983del ATGG in the exon 17 of the COL4A5 gene detected in a patient with XLAS was introduced into a mouse model in by CRISPR/Cas9 system. Through biochemical urinalysis, histopathology, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) detection, the clinical manifestations and pathological alterations of Del-ATGG mice were characterized. From 16 weeks of age, obvious proteinuria was observed and TEM showed typical alterations of XLAS. The pathological changes included glomerular atrophy, increased monocytes in renal interstitial, and the absence of type IV collagen α5. The expression of Col4a5 was significantly decreased in Del-ATGG mouse model. Transcriptomic analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) accounted for 17.45% (4,188/24003) of all genes. GO terms indicated that the functions of identified DEGs were associated with cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, while KEGG terms found enhanced the degradation of ECM, amino acid metabolism, helper T-cell differentiation, various receptor interactions, and several important pathways such as chemokine signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, JAK–STAT signaling pathway. In conclusion, a mouse model with a frameshift variant in the Col4a5 gene has been generated to demonstrate the biochemical, histological, and pathogenic alterations related to AS. Further gene expression profiling and transcriptomic analysis revealed DEGs and enriched pathways potentially related to the disease progression of AS. This Del-ATGG mouse model could be used to further define the genetic modifiers and potential therapeutic targets for XLAS treatment.
Identifying predictive factors for long-term visual recovery after corneal endothelial keratoplasty in Fuchs' dystrophy: Potential interaction between the corneal dysfunction and retinal status
Authors: Maffre Charlotte , Fournié Pierre , Durbant Eve , Arndt Carl , Djerada Zoubir , Denoyer Alexandre
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is the main treatment for Fuchs' dystrophy (FECD). The outcomes are excellent, but the final visual recovery may vary from patient to patient with sometimes no obvious reason of such a spread.

Methods

We conducted a clinical prospective multicentric study to identify the predictive factors for the visual result 1 year after surgery. Eighty three patients (83 eyes) were included.

Results

Postoperative BCVA after 1 year was 0.20 ± 0.18 logMAR. Logistic regression revealed that good visual recovery correlated negatively with preoperative central macular thickness (p < 0.001) and the need for rebubbling (p = 0.05), and positively with preoperative visual acuity (p = 0.009). Multivariate formula to predict the 1-year BCVA has been suggested.

Discussion

Preoperative retinal status seems to be the main predictive factor for long-term visual result after DMEK. Our predictive multivariate model could assist in better informing the patient about the prognosis of the surgery, and in adjusting the therapeutic strategy also, further highlighting the essential collaboration between both cornea and retina subspecialists.
Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 inhibits biofilm formation and mitigates virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Aljohani Ahmad M. , El-Chami Cecile , Alhubail Muna , Ledder Ruth G. , O’Neill Catherine A. , McBain Andrew J.
Published: March 2023

In the quest for mitigators of bacterial virulence, cell-free supernatants (CFS) from 25 human commensal and associated bacteria were tested for activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among these, Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 CFS significantly inhibited biofilm formation and dispersed extant pseudomonas biofilms without inhibiting planktonic bacterial growth. eDNA was reduced in biofilms following exposure to E. coli Nissle CFS, as visualized by confocal microscopy. E. coli Nissle CFS also showed a significant protective effect in a Galleria mellonella-based larval virulence assay when administrated 24 h before challenge with the P. aeruginosa. No inhibitory effects against P. aeruginosa were observed for other tested E. coli strains. According to proteomic analysis, E. coli Nissle CFS downregulated the expression of several P. aeruginosa proteins involved in motility (Flagellar secretion chaperone FliSB, B-type flagellin fliC, Type IV pilus assembly ATPase PilB), and quorum sensing (acyl-homoserine lactone synthase lasI and HTH-type quorum-sensing regulator rhlR), which are associated with biofilm formation. Physicochemical characterization of the putative antibiofilm compound(s) indicates the involvement of heat-labile proteinaceous factors of greater than 30 kDa molecular size.
Zinc accumulation aggravates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by promoting inflammation
Authors: Li Wei , Yang Xueqi , Ding Mao , Shi Wenjuan , Huang Yuyou , An Qi , Qi Zhifeng , Zhao Yongmei
Published: March 2023

Intracellular zinc accumulation has been shown to be associated with neuronal death after cerebral ischemia. However, the mechanism of zinc accumulation leading to neuronal death in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is still unclear. Intracellular zinc signals are required for the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The present study investigated whether intracellular accumulated zinc aggravates I/R injury through inflammatory response, and inflammation-mediated neuronal apoptosis. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with vehicle or zinc chelator TPEN 15 mg/kg before a 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The expressions of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, NF-κB p65, and NF-κB inhibitory protein IκB-α, as well as anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 were assessed at 6 or 24 h after reperfusion. Our results demonstrated that the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and NF-κB p65 increased after reperfusion, while the expression of IκB-α and IL-10 decreased, suggesting that cerebral ischemia triggers inflammatory response. Furthermore, TNF-α, NF-κB p65, and IL-10 were all colocalized with the neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN), suggesting that the ischemia-induced inflammatory response occurs in neurons. Moreover, TNF-α was also colocalized with the zinc-specific dyes Newport Green (NG), suggesting that intracellular accumulated zinc might be associated with neuronal inflammation following cerebral I/R. Chelating zinc with TPEN reversed the expression of TNF-α, NF-κB p65, IκB-α, IL-6, and IL-10 in ischemic rats. Besides, IL-6-positive cells were colocalized with TUNEL-positive cells in the ischemic penumbra of MCAO rats at 24 h after reperfusion, indicating that zinc accumulation following I/R might induce inflammation and inflammation-associated neuronal apoptosis. Taken together, this study demonstrates that excessive zinc activates inflammation and that the brain injury caused by zinc accumulation is at least partially due to specific neuronal apoptosis induced by inflammation, which may provide an important mechanism of cerebral I/R injury.
The role of thrombin in early-onset seizures
Authors: Savotchenko Alina , Klymenko Mariia , Shypshyna Mariia , Isaev Dmytro
Published: March 2023

A variety of clinical observations and studies in animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) reveal dysfunction of blood-brain barrier (BBB) during seizures. It is accompanied by shifts in ionic composition, imbalance in transmitters and metabolic products, extravasation of blood plasma proteins in the interstitial fluid, causing further abnormal neuronal activity. A significant amount of blood components capable of causing seizures get through the BBB due to its disruption. And only thrombin has been demonstrated to generate early-onset seizures. Using the whole-cell recordings from the single hippocampal neurons we recently showed the induction of epileptiform firing activity immediately after the addition of thrombin to the blood plasma ionic media. In the present work, we mimic some effects of BBB disruption in vitro to examine the effect of modified blood plasma artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) on the excitability of hippocampal neurons and the role of serum protein thrombin in seizure susceptibility. Comparative analysis of model conditions simulating BBB dysfunction was performed using the lithium-pilocarpine model of TLE, which most clearly reflects the BBB disruption in the acute stage. Our results demonstrate the particular role of thrombin in seizure-onset in conditions of BBB disruption.
Integration of multiple prognostic predictors in a porcine spinal cord injury model: A further step closer to reality
Authors: Hu Chao-Kai , Chen Ming-Hong , Wang Yao-Horng , Sun Jui-Sheng , Wu Chung-Yu
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder with an enormous impact on individual's life and society. A reliable and reproducible animal model of SCI is crucial to have a deeper understanding of SCI. We have developed a large-animal model of spinal cord compression injury (SCI) with integration of multiple prognostic factors that would have applications in humans.

Methods

Fourteen human-like sized pigs underwent compression at T8 by implantation of an inflatable balloon catheter. In addition to basic neurophysiological recording of somatosensory and motor evoked potentials, we introduced spine-to-spine evoked spinal cord potentials (SP-EPs) by direct stimulation and measured them just above and below the affected segment. A novel intraspinal pressure monitoring technique was utilized to measure the actual pressure on the cord. The gait and spinal MRI findings were assessed in each animal postoperatively to quantify the severity of injury.

Results

We found a strong negative correlation between the intensity of pressure applied to the spinal cord and the functional outcome (P < 0.0001). SP-EPs showed high sensitivity for real time monitoring of intraoperative cord damage. On MRI, the ratio of the high-intensity area to the cross-sectional of the cord was a good predictor of recovery (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Our balloon compression SCI model is reliable, predictable, and easy to implement. By integrating SP-EPs, cord pressure, and findings on MRI, we can build a real-time warning and prediction system for early detection of impending or iatrogenic SCI and improve outcomes.
A CNN-LSTM model for six human ankle movements classification on different loads
Authors: Li Min , Wang Jiale , Yang Shiqi , Xie Jun , Xu Guanghua , Luo Shan
Published: March 2023

This study aims to address three problems in current studies in decoding the ankle movement intention for robot-assisted bilateral rehabilitation using surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals: (1) only up to four ankle movements could be identified while six ankle movements should be classified to provide better training; (2) feeding the raw sEMG signals directly into the neural network leads to high computational cost; and (3) load variation has large influence on classification accuracy. To achieve this, a convolutional neural network (CNN)—long short-term memory (LSTM) model, a time-domain feature selection method of the sEMG, and a two-step method are proposed. For the first time, the Boruta algorithm is used to select time-domain features of sEMG. The selected features, rather than raw sEMG signals are fed into the CNN-LSTM model. Hence, the number of model’s parameters is reduced from 331,938 to 155,042, by half. Experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method. The results show that our method could classify six ankle movements with relatively good accuracy (95.73%). The accuracy of CNN-LSTM, CNN, and LSTM models with sEMG features as input are all higher than that of corresponding models with raw sEMG as input. The overall accuracy is improved from 73.23% to 93.50% using our two-step method for identifying the ankle movements with different loads. Our proposed CNN-LSTM model have the highest accuracy for ankle movements classification compared with CNN, LSTM, and Support Vector Machine (SVM).