bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Selection of Earthquake Resisting Schemes for Jakarta‐Bandung High‐Speed Railway
Authors: Quan Wei , Deng Lin , Liu Xuzheng , Gao Bibo
Published: August 2022

The Jakarta‐Bandung high‐speed railway is the first overseas project involving China’s high‐speed railway. Owing to the high seismic intensity in this area, the optimal selection of earthquake resisting schemes is critical for short‐span bridges, and such schemes are related to the safety and cost‐effectiveness of the entire line. This study compares the safety and cost‐effectiveness of four earthquake resisting schemes: (i) prestressed concrete (PC) simply‐supported box beams using common spherical steel bearings; (ii) PC simply‐supported box beams using seismic isolation bearings; (iii) steel‐concrete (SC) composite simply‐supported beams using seismic isolation bearings; (iv) reinforced concrete (RC) rigid frames. The results indicate that PC beams using more expensive seismic isolation bearings reduce the cost of the substructure, making it more cost‐effective. In contrast, the scheme of SC composite beams is the most expensive one, and the associated maintenance costs are also the highest. Although the scheme of RC rigid frames is the cheapest among the evaluated schemes, it is only suitable for relatively stiff sites with low pier heights. Overall, PC beams with isolation bearings exhibit good seismic performance and are suitable for prefabricated construction; therefore, this scheme can be applied in various soil conditions with relatively low costs, and it is recommended for use throughout the entire Jakarta‐Bandung high‐speed railway.
Food Waste Behaviour and Awareness of Malaysian
Authors: Phooi Chooi Lin , Azman Elisa Azura , Ismail Roslan , Arif Shah Jasmin , Koay Evelyn Shin Rou
Published: August 2022

Food waste is a vast issue global, including in Malaysia. Food waste brings negative impacts, including increasing food production costs, impact on human health, and environmental degradation. Malaysian’s animal- and plant-based diet preferences affected the desired food waste decomposition method as most of the methods only allow plant-based material to be utilized as food waste compost. The objectives of this study were to understand Malaysians' awareness of food waste behaviour and the food waste component for the decomposition. Malaysians usually produce more plant-based food waste than animal-based food waste. Most Malaysians have a high awareness of causes and impact of food waste, but they lack action on food waste reduction. Bio-compost is believed to be the most effective method to manage food waste, and most of them were willing to have it at home. However, some of them are unwilling to have a compost pile at home because there is no time to take care of it.
Performance of Structure Equipped AP‐TMD Compared with MTMD, ATMD, and PTMD against Earthquake Using Genetic Fuzzy Algorithm
Authors: Hadizadeh F. , Akhlaghi Amiri F. , Shariatmadar H.
Published: August 2022

During the past years, different control devices have been introduced and used to reduce the response of structures. This article presents the performance of active‐passive tuned mass dampers (AP‐TMDs) in the reduction of structural responses and a comparison between the uses of different controllers, including tuned mass damper (TMD), active tuned mass damper (ATMD), and multituned mass damper (MTMD). Analyzing and modeling the structure under four near‐ and far‐field earthquakes are performed in MATLAB and SIMULINK. Finally, the responses of controlled and uncontrolled structures equipped with these controllers are investigated. Fuzzy and genetic‐based fuzzy logic controllers are used to determine the control force of ATMD and AP‐TMD, respectively. In order to compare the performance of the dampers, the mass ratio of TMDs is fixed in all cases and is taken to be 5%. Damping of the structure is considered equal to 5%. The frequency and damping ratio of TMDs with maximum and RMS displacement optimization criteria are obtained. The mass ratio of TMDs in controlled structures with MTMD and AP‐TMD is calculated by numerical analysis. It can be inferred that using control force affects response reduction in both ATMD and AP‐TMD controllers significantly. In addition, using AP‐TMD can bring the merits of both passive and active systems by providing active control and reducing power requirements for control forces. All controllers are recommended for structural control although AP‐TMD reduced maximum and RMS displacement by about 50% in the best case, which has better performance than others. On the other hand, ATMD decreased RMS acceleration by 37.5% on average in four earthquakes compared to the uncontrolled structure.
Application of Artificial Intelligence Algorithm in Relay Protection of Distribution Network
Authors: Yang Ting , Qian Xiyang , Ren Liqing
Published: August 2022

A distribution network in supply chain management increases product reachability and handling density across different warehouses and customers. Relays in the distribution network prevent congestion, supply stagnancy, and delayed deliveries. Protecting the relay functions and streamlining them are tedious due to the varying vehicle and goods densities. This article introduces a populous relay management scheme (PRMS) for multi-access in delivery networks to address the problem above. The proposed scheme relies on vehicle and goods movement frequency for improving the relay utilization without congestion. These features are analyzed for the stagnancy and dispatch priority in maximizing the goods delivery. The conventional back propagation network is employed for identifying stagnancy and relay population (congestion) for distributed delivery assignments. The back propagation process identifies the prioritized tasks for preventing delivery delays and reducing congestion through priority segregation. This enhances the least to large-good migration with controlled delay and rapid migration, reducing congestion.
Training Strategy of Music Expression in Piano Teaching and Performance by Intelligent Multimedia Technology
Authors: Zheng YunDan , Tian Tian , Zhang Ai
Published: August 2022

Teaching using a multimedia technology in the21stcentury affords the possibility of developing novel instructional strategies and paves the way for the all-around extension of musical educational functions. The importance of multimedia teaching technology in piano instruction has started to emerge in our country and society due to the ongoing development of this kind of technology in music educational institutions here. The conventional method of teaching piano has several drawbacks that may be mitigated by using one of the several alternative methods of instruction for the instrument, especially in light of the ongoing advancements in science and technology. A pianist’s methods of expression are the tools they use to convey their thoughts and emotions about a piece of music to the audience. Teachers may demonstrate their musical skills to students and they must immediately focus on a musical expression which is vital for performers. In this paper, the Multimedia-based Piano Teaching Model (MPTM) has been proposed to improve the piano teaching quality. Traditional piano instruction is improved and developed using multimedia technology in this article. The Internet education model is used for teacher assessment, and the systematic way representing piano teaching combines different music educational materials. It begins building a sufficiently broad music network infrastructure resource sharing framework and benefits society’s amateur music literacy. The use of machine learning in students’ concrete piano instruction has the potential to thoroughly promote contemporary piano instruction and enhance the overall quality of instruction. To begin, an explanation of the intelligent piano’s features and capabilities is provided. The neural network is used to suggest a technique for detecting a piano note on a set. The network can assess the input piano music signal’s time frequency by translating the original time-domain waveform into the time-varying frequency distribution. Intelligent piano instruction analysis can effectively achieve the overall optimization of piano performance. The test results show that MPTM has a significant role in boosting the desire to learn to play the instrument. The experimental results show that the proposed MPTM achieves a learning skills ratio of 97.6%, a learning activity ratio of 98.5%, a student performance ratio of 93.8%, a teaching evaluation ratio of 90.3%, and a learning behavior ratio of 94.2% when compared to other methods.
A Supervised Learning Identification System for Prognosis of Breast Cancer
Authors: Rawat Vandana , Gulati Kamal , Kaur Upinder , Seth Jitendra Kumar , Solanki Vikas , Venkatesh A. Narasima , Singh Devesh Pratap , Singh Neelam , Loganathan Muralidaran
Published: August 2022

Breast cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers, accounting for a large number of fatalities each year. It is the leading cause of mortality among women globally. It is getting a lot of interest in the scientific community because of its possible life-threatening danger. As a consequence, many machine learning methods (MLMs) have been modified to provide the best results for early diagnosis of this malignancy. Machine learning methods (MLMs) offer several beneficial implications in breast cancer, including early prognosis, detection, and diagnosis. Compared to traditional statistical analysis, machine learning methods (MLMs) have the capacity to improve the analysis of various health data, such as unstructured, complicated, and noisy data. With the demanding prevalence of breast cancer and the arrival of “data reformation,” it is thus imperative to mention the ethical consequences of machine learning (ML) on society and cancer care. It offers conclusively strong tools, smart methods, and efficient algorithms that can help in the prognosis of breast cancer. The focus of this review is on supervised techniques such as classification and regression that may be implemented and used for breast cancer data analysis. Some supervised learning methods like Naive Bayes, AdaBoost, and support vector machine are presented in this work in the early identification of breast cancer. These algorithms have been analyzed for their accuracy and efficiency using various assessment metrics and methods.
Paeoniflorin Inhibits the Proliferation and Metastasis of Ulcerative Colitis-Associated Colon Cancer by Targeting EGFL7
Authors: Wang Yunxia , Zhou Yi , Lin Hui , Chen Haiyan , Wang Shu
Published: August 2022

In this study, we studied the therapeutic potential of PF in mouse models of CAC. PF could inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion, and clone formation and promote the apoptosis of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, PF showed a good effect on inhibiting the aggregation and infiltration of inflammatory cells, protecting the intestinal mucosal barrier, and inhibiting the growth of colon tumors in the AOM/DSS-induced CAC model. PF also significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-13, and CEA-related inflammatory factors in the AOM/DSS-induced CAC model by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and EGFL7 expression. Therefore, PF showed a potential therapeutic effect on mice in the CAC model by inhibitingTLR4/NF-κB mediated inflammatory response and EGFL7 expression.
Resource Allocation in UAV-Assisted Wireless Powered Communication Networks for Urban Monitoring
Authors: Lyu Ting , Zhang Haiwang , Xu Haitao
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we studied the unmanned aerial vehicle-assisted urban monitoring network, in which unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with wireless power transmission provides energy transmission and data collection services for the network. Considering the density of the urban monitoring network, we use the

k

-means algorithm to cluster the monitoring nodes and reduce the complexity of the UAV services. The UAVs are serviced using a fly-hover-communication protocol. During hovering, the UAV works in the full-duplex mode, collecting data from cluster head nodes on one side and recharging nodes in coverage on the other side. We propose a multiobjective joint optimization problem that considers maximizing the amount of data collection and energy transfer and minimizing the energy consumption of the UAV during the service period. In the optimization process, there is a partial conflict between the three objectives. For this reason, the importance of the optimization objectives is considered and described by weighting parameters. A multiobjective joint deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm is proposed for the multiobjective control policy of UAVs. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve the joint optimization of multiple objectives and is compared with other algorithms to verify the superiority of the proposed algorithm.
Application of a Nano-Enhanced Fertilizer in the Development of Agricultural Low-Carbon Economy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt
Authors: Xu Zhongrong
Published: August 2022

The application of fertilizers can increase the yield of crops. Nano-fertilizer is a nano-organic fertilizer, which is an organic fertilizer with very fine particles. The effect of chemical fertilizers is better than that of general chemical fertilizers, which can effectively improve soil organic matter and is beneficial to the growth of crops. Organic fertilizers mainly refer to commercial organic fertilizers produced by high-temperature composting and fermentation of organic solid wastes such as livestock and poultry manure, crop straw, etc., eliminating toxic and harmful substances and being rich in nutrients including organic acids and peptides. Low-carbon economy refers to an economic model that uses various means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve good ecological operations under the guidance of the concept of sustainable development. With the increase in the global population and the continuous growth of the economic scale, environmental problems and consequences caused by the use of conventional energy such as fossil energy are constantly recognized by people. Under this background, the low-carbon economy emerges as the times require. This paper aims to study the application of nano-enhanced fertilizers in the development of agricultural low-carbon economy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. In today’s low-carbon economy, the combination of nano-efficiency fertilizers and agricultural production is conducive to improving the utilization rate of chemical fertilizers and reducing carbon emissions. This paper analyzes the carbon sink capacity of farmland ecosystems and the elements affecting the growth of LCA. This provides a basis for the exploration of farmland ecosystems. It expounds the relevant concepts of low-carbon economy and briefly discusses the agricultural carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The experimental results in this paper show that the enteric fermentation of dairy cows will produce 60 kg of methane and 15 kg of feces. Sheep enteric fermentation produces 4 kg of methane and fecal emissions of 0.13 kg. According to the data, the carbon emission of dairy cows is much greater than that of sheep.
The Renshen Chishao Decoction Could Ameliorate the Acute Lung Injury but Could Not Reduce the Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Formation
Authors: Yao Miao-En , Huang Yi , Dong Qing-Qing , Lu Yi , Chen Wei
Published: August 2022

The acute lung injury (ALI) causes severe pulmonary diseases, leading to a high mortality rate. The Renshen and Chishao have protective and anti-inflammatory effects against the ALI. To explore the protective effects of the Renshen Chishao (RC) decoction against the ALI, we established the lipopolysaccharide-indued ALI model and randomly divided the mice into seven groups: control group, ALI group, high-dose RC group, middle-dose RC group, low-dose RC group, middle-dose RC group + CXCR2 antagonist group, and ALI + CXCR2 antagonist group. We estimated the lung injury by the hematoxylin and eosin staining, the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formations by the immunofluorescence colocalization and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the CXCR2/CXCL2 pathway by the flow cytometry, ELISA, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. We conducted the high-throughput sequencing and enrichment analyses to explore the potential mechanisms. The results showed that the RC decoction pathologically ameliorated the lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury and inflammatory response but failed to reduce the circulating and lung tissue NETs formation and the blood neutrophil percent. The high-dose RC decoction increased the plasma CXCL2 level, but the RC decoction had no effects on the neutrophilic CXCR2 levels. Under the inhibition of the CXCR2, the middle-dose RC decoction still decreased the lung injury score but as yet had unobvious influence on the NETs formation. Other potential mechanisms of the RC decoction against the ALI involved the pathways of ribosome and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); the target genes of inflammatory factors, such as Ccl17, Cxcl17, Cd163, Cxcr5, and Il31ra, and lncRNAs; and the regulations of the respiratory cilia. In conclusion, the RC decoction pathologically ameliorated the lipopolysaccharide-induced lung inflammatory injury via upregulating the CXCL2/CXCR2 pathway but could not reduce the circulating or lung tissue NETs formation.
Using GIS Remote Sensing Image Data for Wetland Monitoring and Environmental Simulation
Authors: Cheng Qian , Dang C.N.
Published: August 2022

Through a comprehensive theoretical basis and actual test analysis of the application system design and functional efficiency of the cloud platform, this paper puts forward an artificial intelligence environmental data monitoring and wetland environmental simulation method based on GIS remote sensing images. First, the basic storage and computing functions have been enhanced at the physical layer. Second, the middleware layer is more flexible in the use of management methods and strategies. There are many strategies and methods that can be used in combination. Finally, based on this, the application system design framework is more convenient and faster so that you can focus on business logic, and the strategic advantages of certain functions are very obvious. The method of object-oriented classification and visual interpretation using UAV image data and satellite remote sensing images from the typical recovery area and treatment area of wetland from 2016 to 2020 is given in detail together to extract wetland information and use GIS software for dynamic calculation. Using the wetland transmission matrix method, the distribution map of the characteristic types of the survey areas in the four periods and the conversion status of the characteristic types at each stage were obtained, and the effect of wetland treatment was quantitatively studied.
Stable Route Selection for Adaptive Packet Transmission in 5G-Based Mobile Communications
Authors: Jegadeesan R. , Beno A. , Manikandan S. P. , Rao D. S. Naga Malleswara , Narukullapati Bharath Kumar , Kumar T. Rajesh , Omarov Batyrkhan , Batu Areda
Published: August 2022

In mobile nodes in the network, they are unstable, so single-path communication does not provide sufficient results. In the alternative single path, communication is very difficult to handle the heavy load. The poor connectivity among the mobile node makes the uncertainty of packet loss; the path link is not measured in this network. The communication cost is also focused to achieve valid packet transmission. Because the high distance path selected for packet transmission causes a high cost for communication. It increases energy consumption and packet loss rate. So, the proposed dispersed path selection for communication (DPAC) method is constructed to obtain the best minimum distance routing path, this path operates with the help of queue variation that handled the data packet’s maintenance, and the time slot exceeds its limit. Packets are kept waiting, to increase the packet broadcasting efficiency. The multipath jamming detection algorithm is constructed to provide link-based path packet overload detection scheme to identify the packet overload. Also, separate the path based on its characteristics, to control overload. It reduces energy consumption and packet loss rate.
α-Cyperone Protects Cardiomyocytes against Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation-Induced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress by Akt/FOXO3a/NF-κB Pathway
Authors: Yao Feiqun , Zhu Qian
Published: August 2022

Objective. This study is aimed at investigating the mechanism of α-cyperone in oxygen and glucose deprivation- (OGD-) induced myocardial injury. Methods. Cardiomyocytes were exposed to OGD and then treated with α-cyperone. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry were performed to determine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. The expression of inflammatory factors was monitored by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The profiles of apoptosis-related proteins, inflammatory proteins, and the Akt/FOXO3a/NF-κB pathway were determined by western blot. The phosphorylation of Akt, FOXO3a, and NF-κB was determined by immunofluorescence assay. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content were gauged by the colorimetric method, and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content was measured. Results. α-Cyperone hindered OGD-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. OGD activated the FOXO3a/NF-κB pathway and hampered the Akt phosphorylation. α-cyperone reversed OGD-mediated FOXO3a/NF-κB pathway activation. Treatment with MK-2206 abated the protective effect of α-cyperone against OGD-induced myocardial injury. The addition of α-cyperone to cardiomyocytes following Bay11-7082 treatment had no conspicuous effect on the viability and apoptosis. Conclusions. α-Cyperone protected cardiomyocytes against OGD-induced inflammation and oxidative stress via the Akt/FOXO3a/NF-κB axis.
Multi-Objective Stochastic Synchronous Timetable Optimization Model Based on a Chance-Constrained Programming Method Combined with Augmented Epsilon Constraint Algorithm
Authors: Yuan Yu , Wang Pengcheng , Wang Minghui
Published: August 2022

The design of the timetable is essential to improve the service quality of the public transport system. A lot of random factors in the actual operation environment will affect the implementation of the synchronous timetable, and adjusting timetables to improve synchronization will break the order of normal service and increase the cost of operation. A multi-objective bus timetable optimization problem is characterized by considering the randomness of vehicle travel time and passenger transfer demand. A multi-objective optimization model is proposed, aiming at minimizing the total waiting time of passengers in the whole bus network and the inconsistency between the timetable after synchronous optimization and the original timetable. Through large sample analysis, it is found that the random variables in the model obey normal distribution, so the stochastic programming problem is transformed into the traditional deterministic programming problem by the chance-constrained programming method. A model solving method based on the augmented epsilon-constraint algorithm is designed. Examples show that when the random variables are considered, the proposed algorithm can obtain multiple high-quality Pareto optimal solutions in a short time, which can provide more practical benefits for decisionmakers. Ignoring the random influence will reduce the effectiveness of the schedule optimization scheme. Finally, sensitivity analysis of random variables and constraint confidence in the model is made.
Multiple Roles of SIRT2 in Regulating Physiological and Pathological Signal Transduction
Authors: Zhu Changhui , Dong Xue , Wang Xiwei , Zheng Yingying , Qiu Juanjuan , Peng Yanling , Xu Jiajun , Chai Zhengbin , Liu Chunyan
Published: August 2022

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), as a member of the sirtuin family, has representative features of evolutionarily highly conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase activity. In addition, SIRT2, as the only sirtuin protein colocalized with tubulin in the cytoplasm, has its own functions and characteristics. In recent years, studies have increasingly shown that SIRT2 can participate in the regulation of gene expression and regulate signal transduction in the metabolic pathway mainly through its post-translational modification of target genes; thus, SIRT2 has become a key centre in the metabolic pathway and participates in the pathological process of metabolic disorder-related diseases. In this paper, it is discussed that SIRT2 can regulate all aspects of gene expression, including epigenetic modification, replication, transcription and translation, and post-translational modification, which enables SIRT2 to participate in energy metabolism in life activities, and it is clarified that SIRT2 is involved in metabolic process-specific signal transduction mechanisms. Therefore, SIRT2 can be involved in metabolic disorder-related inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby triggering the occurrence of metabolic disorder-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, tumours, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, although the role of SIRT2 in some diseases is still controversial, given the multiple roles of SIRT2 in regulating physiological and pathological signal transduction, SIRT2 has become a key target for disease treatment. It is believed that with increasing research, the clinical application of SIRT2 will be promoted.
Family-Centered Interventions and Quality of Life of Clients with Ostomy
Authors: Golpazir-Sorkheh Arash , Ghaderi Teimor , Mahmoudi Saeed , Moradi Khalil , Jalali Amir
Published: August 2022

Background. Family-centered intervention can be used as a therapeutic intervention to improve the quality of life (QOL) in clients with ostomy. This study aimed to determine the effects of family-centered intervention on the QOL in ostomy clients. Methods. A quasi-experimental study was carried out with participation of 70 clients with colostomy and 70 caregivers (family members). The participants were selected through convenient sampling and randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received family-centered education. The education program included four sessions, 50–60 min each, that were implemented in two weeks at hospital wards or clients’ houses for the clients’ companions. Afterwards, the caregivers implemented the care at home for one month. The subjects in the control group received routine care before being discharged. The QOL of the clients in both groups was measured using the city of hope-QOL-ostomy questionnaire before and one month after the intervention. Results. The mean scores of the QOL after family-centered intervention in the experimental and control groups increased from 197.97 to 207.49 and from 195.2 to 199.03, respectively. The paired t-test showed a significant change in the experimental and control groups after the intervention at a confidence level of 95% (

p
=
0.0001

;

p
=
0.002

). In addition, after the intervention, however, there was a significant difference between the two groups in all these areas except for social aspects (

p
=
0.007

). Conclusion. Family-centered intervention can be used as a therapeutic intervention to improve the QOL in clients with ostomy. The intervention was effective in the physical, spiritual, psychological, and social health of these clients.
A Blood-Based Metabolite Panel for Distinguishing Ovarian Cancer from Benign Pelvic Masses
Authors: Irajizad Ehsan , Han Chae Y. , Celestino Joseph , Wu Ranran , Murage Eunice , Spencer Rachelle , Dennison Jennifer B. , Vykoukal Jody , Long James P. , Do Kim Anh , Drescher Charles , Lu Karen , Lu Zhen , Bast Robert C. , Hanash Sam , Fahrmann Johannes F.
Published: August 2022

Purpose:

To assess the contributions of circulating metabolites for improving upon the performance of the risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) for risk prediction of ovarian cancer among women with ovarian cysts.

Experimental Design:

Metabolomic profiling was performed on an initial set of sera from 101 serous and nonserous ovarian cancer cases and 134 individuals with benign pelvic masses (BPM). Using a deep learning model, a panel consisting of seven cancer-related metabolites [diacetylspermine, diacetylspermidine, N-(3-acetamidopropyl)pyrrolidin-2-one, N-acetylneuraminate, N-acetyl-mannosamine, N-acetyl-lactosamine, and hydroxyisobutyric acid] was developed for distinguishing early-stage ovarian cancer from BPM. The performance of the metabolite panel was evaluated in an independent set of sera from 118 ovarian cancer cases and 56 subjects with BPM. The contributions of the panel for improving upon the performance of ROMA were further assessed.

Results:

A 7-marker metabolite panel (7MetP) developed in the training set yielded an AUC of 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76–0.95] for early-stage ovarian cancer in the independent test set. The 7MetP+ROMA model had an AUC of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.84–0.98) for early-stage ovarian cancer in the test set, which was improved compared with ROMA alone [0.91 (95% CI: 0.84–0.98); likelihood ratio test P: 0.03]. In the entire specimen set, the combined 7MetP+ROMA model yielded a higher positive predictive value (0.68 vs. 0.52; one-sided P < 0.001) with improved specificity (0.89 vs. 0.78; one-sided P < 0.001) for early-stage ovarian cancer compared with ROMA alone.

Conclusions:

A blood-based metabolite panel was developed that demonstrates independent predictive ability and complements ROMA for distinguishing early-stage ovarian cancer from benign disease to better inform clinical decision making.
Preventing Recurrent Cardioembolic Stroke: Right Approach, Right Patient (PRECISE) Study Protocol
Authors: Cameron Alan C. , Katsas Georgios , Arnold Markus , Docherty Kieran , Campbell Ross T. , Murdoch David , McClure John D. , Katan Mira , Lip Gregory Y.H. , Abdul-Rahim Azmil H. , Dawson Jesse
Published: August 2022

Cardiac rhythm monitoring is performed to search for atrial fibrillation (AF) after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Prolonged cardiac rhythm monitoring increases AF detection but is challenging to implement in many healthcare settings and is not needed for all people after ischaemic stroke/TIA. We aimed to develop and validate a model that includes clinical, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood-based, and genetic biomarkers to identify people with a low probability of AF detection after ischaemic stroke or TIA. We will recruit 675 consenting participants who are aged over 18 years, who were admitted with ischaemic stroke or TIA in the 5 days prior, who are not known to have AF, and who would be suitable for anticoagulation if AF is found. We will collect baseline demographic and clinical data, a 12-lead ECG, and a venous blood sample for blood biomarkers (including midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, MRproANP) and genetic data. We will perform up to 28 days of cardiac rhythm monitoring using an R-test or patch device to search for AF in all participants. The sample size of 675 participants is based on true sensitivity of 92.5%, null hypothesis sensitivity of 80%, 80% power, and 5% significance. The primary outcome is AF detection ≥30 s duration during 28 days of cardiac rhythm monitoring. Secondary outcomes are AF detection at 1-year, recurrent cardiovascular events, and mortality and will be identified by electronic linkage and telephone follow-up. The results will guide the development of a more personalized care pathway to search for AF after ischaemic stroke or TIA. This could help to reduce cardiac rhythm monitoring for people with a low probability of AF detection and allow more intensive cardiac monitoring to be focused on people who are more likely to have AF and benefit. Participants will be consented for their data to be used in future research studies, providing a rich resource for stroke and cardiovascular research communities.
Subungual Metastasis from Ovarian Cancer: Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature
Authors: Savoia Francesco , Medri Matelda , Raulli Gian Domenico , Menna Cecilia , Melandri Davide , Stanganelli Ignazio
Published: August 2022

Introduction: Visceral solid cancers can metastasize in almost any organ, including the skin and its appendages. Case Presentation: We report here the case of a 19-year-old Caucasian girl carrying a diagnosis of malignant germ cell tumor of the ovary, with pulmonary and brain metastases, that developed a painful red-violaceous subungual papule of the 4th finger of the left hand, associated with an over-curvature of the nail plate. Dermoscopy was characterized initially by different shades of pink and red, while after few weeks, it showed black pigmentation due to subcorneal hematomas, hemorrhagic crusts, and a rainbow pattern. Histology confirmed a diagnosis of a metastasis from a poorly differentiated carcinoma of ovarian origin. Discussion and Conclusion: A brief review on the diagnosis and treatment of subungual metastases is reported.
Single-Use or Disposable Flexible Bronchoscopy in Advanced Bronchoscopy Procedures: Experience in a Quaternary Referral Centre
Authors: Sweeney Anne-Marie , Kavanagh Grace , Deasy Kevin F. , Danish Hammad , Gomez Fernando , Henry Michael T. , Murphy Desmond M. , Plant Barry J. , Kennedy Marcus P.
Published: August 2022

Background: The development of single-use flexible or disposable bronchoscopes (SUFBs) has accelerated in recent years, with the reduced risk of infectious transmission and reduced need for endoscopy staffing particularly advantageous in the COVID-19 pandemic era. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the performance of a novel single-use bronchoscope in an academic quaternary referral centre with on-site interventional pulmonology programme. Methods: With ethical approval in a quaternary referral centre, we prospectively collected data on sequential bronchoscopy procedures using The Surgical Company Broncoflex© range of SUFBs. Data collected included demographic, procedural, scope performance, user satisfaction, and complication parameters in a tertiary bronchoscopy service. Results: 139 procedures were performed by five pulmonology faculty from January to July 2021. The majority were carried out for infection (45%) and malignancy (32%). Most were performed in the endoscopy suite and 8% were COVID positive or suspected. Most procedures reported the highest score in satisfaction (85%) with technical limitations reported in 15% (predominately related to scope suction or inadequate image quality) reverting to a reusable scope in 2.8 %. Conclusion: In our subset of patients in a bronchoscopy unit, SUFBs are safe, and both routine and advanced bronchoscopy procedures can be performed with high satisfaction reported.
Description of the larva of Vestalis melania (Selys, 1873) (Odonata: Calopterygidae) identified through DNA barcoding
Authors: Guadalquiver Don Mark E. , Olga M. Nuneza  , Tabugo Sharon Rose R. , Reagan Joseph T. Villanueva
Published: August 2022

The larva of Vestalis melania is described and illustrated for the first time, based on specimens collected from Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Philippines. The identity of the larva was confirmed by matching its mitochondrial COI sequence with the adult. The larva can be distinguished by the shape of the prementum and its median cleft, lateral gills, and posterolateral abdominal spines. Comparison with other known larvae in the genus is also provided. The significance of using DNA barcoding for identifying larvae of Philippine Odonata is emphasized.
Effects on Mortality and Major Bleeding of Radial Versus Femoral Artery Access for Coronary Angiography or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data From 7 Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Gargiulo Giuseppe , Giacoppo Daniele , Jolly Sanjit S. , Cairns John , Le May Michel , Bernat Ivo , Romagnoli Enrico , Rao Sunil V. , van Leeuwen Maarten A.H. , Mehta Shamir R. , Bertrand Olivier F. , Wells George A. , Meijers Thomas A. , Siontis George C.M. , Esposito Giovanni , Windecker Stephan , Jüni Peter , Valgimigli Marco ,   for the Radial Trialists’ Collaboration
Published: August 2022

Background:

In some randomized clinical trials, transradial access (TRA) compared with transfemoral access (TFA) was associated with lower mortality in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing invasive management. We analyzed the effects of TRA versus TFA across multicenter randomized clinical trials and whether these associations are modified by patient or procedural characteristics.

Methods:

We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis of multicenter randomized clinical trials comparing TRA with TFA among patients undergoing coronary angiography with or without percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and the co–primary outcome was major bleeding at 30 days. The primary analysis was conducted by 1-stage mixed-effects models on the basis of the intention-to-treat cohort. The effect of access site on mortality and major bleeding was assessed further by multivariable analysis. The relationship among access site, bleeding, and mortality was investigated by natural effect model mediation analysis with multivariable adjustment.

Results:

A total of 21 600 patients (10 775 TRA, 10 825 TFA) from 7 randomized clinical trials were included. The median age was 63.9 years, 31.9% were women, 95% presented with acute coronary syndrome, and 75.2% underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. All-cause mortality (1.6% versus 2.1%; hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.63–0.95];
P
=0.012) and major bleeding (1.5% versus 2.7%; odds ratio, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.45–0.67];
P
<0.001) were lower with TRA. Subgroup analyses for mortality showed consistent results, except for baseline hemoglobin level (
P
interaction
=0.003), indicating that the benefit of TRA was substantial in patients with moderate or severe anemia, whereas it was not significant in patients with milder or no baseline anemia. After adjustment, TRA remained associated with 24% and 51% relative risk reduction of all-cause mortality and major bleeding, respectively. A mediation analysis showed that the benefit of TRA on mortality was only partially driven by major bleeding prevention and ancillary mechanisms are required to fully explain the causal association.

Conclusions:

TRA is associated with lower all-cause mortality and major bleeding at 30 days compared with TFA. The effect on mortality was driven by patients with anemia. The reduction in major bleeding only partially explains the mortality benefit.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero
; Unique identifier: CRD42018109664.
How Lévy Flights Triggered by the Presence of Defectors Affect Evolution of Cooperation in Spatial Games
Authors: Ichinose Genki , Miyagawa Daiki , Chiba Erika , Sayama Hiroki
Published: August 2022

Cooperation among individuals has been key to sustaining societies. However, natural selection favors defection over cooperation. Cooperation can be favored when the mobility of individuals allows cooperators to form a cluster (or group). Mobility patterns of animals sometimes follow a Lévy flight. A Lévy flight is a kind of random walk but it is composed of many small movements with a few big movements. The role of Lévy flights for cooperation has been studied by Antonioni and Tomassini, who showed that Lévy flights promoted cooperation combined with conditional movements triggered by neighboring defectors. However, the optimal condition for neighboring defectors and how the condition changes with the intensity of Lévy flights are still unclear. Here, we developed an agent-based model in a square lattice where agents perform Lévy flights depending on the fraction of neighboring defectors. We systematically studied the relationships among three factors for cooperation: sensitivity to defectors, the intensity of Lévy flights, and population density. Results of evolutionary simulations showed that moderate sensitivity most promoted cooperation. Then, we found that the shortest movements were best for cooperation when the sensitivity to defectors was high. In contrast, when the sensitivity was low, longer movements were best for cooperation. Thus, Lévy flights, the balance between short and long jumps, promoted cooperation in any sensitivity, which was confirmed by evolutionary simulations. Finally, as the population density became larger, higher sensitivity was more beneficial for cooperation to evolve. Our study highlights that Lévy flights are an optimal searching strategy not only for foraging but also for constructing cooperative relationships with others.
Astrocytes Learn to Detect and Signal Deviations From Critical Brain Dynamics
Authors: Ivanov Vladimir A. , Michmizos Konstantinos P.
Published: August 2022

Astrocytes are nonneuronal brain cells that were recently shown to actively communicate with neurons and are implicated in memory, learning, and regulation of cognitive states. Interestingly, these information processing functions are also closely linked to the brain's ability to self-organize at a critical phase transition. Investigating the mechanistic link between astrocytes and critical brain dynamics remains beyond the reach of cellular experiments, but it becomes increasingly approachable through computational studies. We developed a biologically plausible computational model of astrocytes to analyze how astrocyte calcium waves can respond to changes in underlying network dynamics. Our results suggest that astrocytes detect synaptic activity and signal directional changes in neuronal network dynamics using the frequency of their calcium waves. We show that this function may be facilitated by receptor scaling plasticity by enabling astrocytes to learn the approximate information content of input synaptic activity. This resulted in a computationally simple, information-theoretic model, which we demonstrate replicating the signaling functionality of the biophysical astrocyte model with receptor scaling. Our findings provide several experimentally testable hypotheses that offer insight into the regulatory role of astrocytes in brain information processing.
New species of Anthurium sect. Calomystrium (Araceae) from Colombia
Authors: SIERRA-GIRALDO JULIO ANDRÉS , OROZCO-A JAIRO ANDRÉS , TRUJILLO-TRUJILLO EDWIN , CASTAÑO-RUBIANO NATALIA
Published: August 2022

A new species of Anthurium sect. Calomystrium from Colombia is described and illustrated. It is distributed in the east of the Caldas department, in the forests surrounding Florencia (Samaná), elevation between 1300–1700 m in clearings and forest edges. The new species is compared with the most closely related taxa (A. mariae y A. palacioanum) and comments about its geographical distribution, phenology and conservation status (Data Deficient) were made.
Automated Identification of “Dunkelflaute” Events: A Convolutional Neural Network–Based Autoencoder Approach
Authors: Li Bowen , Basu Sukanta , Watson Simon J.
Published: August 2022

As wind and solar power play increasingly important roles in the European energy system, unfavorable weather conditions, such as “Dunkelflaute” (extended calm and cloudy periods), will pose ever greater challenges to transmission system operators. Thus, accurate identification and characterization of such events from open data streams (e.g., reanalysis, numerical weather prediction, and climate projection) are going to be crucial. In this study, we propose a two-step, unsupervised deep learning framework [wind and solar network (WISRnet)] to automatically encode spatial patterns of wind speed and insolation, and subsequently, identify Dunkelflaute periods from the encoded patterns. Specifically, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN)–based autoencoder (AE) is first employed for feature extraction from the spatial patterns. These two-dimensional CNN-AE patterns encapsulate both amplitude and spatial information in a parsimonious way. In the second step of the WISRnet framework, a variant of the well-known k-means algorithm is used to divide the CNN-AE patterns in region-dependent meteorological clusters. For the validation of the WISRnet framework, aggregated wind and solar power production data from Belgium are used. Using a simple criterion from published literature, all the Dunkelflaute periods are directly identified from this 6-year-long dataset. Next, each of these periods is associated with a WISRnet-derived cluster. Interestingly, we find that the majority of these Dunkelflaute periods are part of only 5 clusters (out of 25). We show that in lieu of proprietary power production data, the WISRnet framework can identify Dunkelflaute periods from public-domain meteorological data. To further demonstrate the prowess of this framework, it is deployed to identify and characterize Dunkelflaute events in Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Vertical Structure and Ice Production Processes of Shallow Convective Postfrontal Clouds over the Southern Ocean in MARCUS. Part II: Modeling Study
Authors: Hu Yishi , Lebo Zachary J. , Geerts Bart , Wang Yonggang , Hu Yazhe
Published: August 2022

Part I of this series presented a detailed overview of postfrontal mixed-phase clouds observed during the Measurements of Aerosols, Radiation, and Clouds over the Southern Ocean (MARCUS) field campaign. In Part II, we focus on a multiday (23–26 February 2018) case with the aim of understanding ice production as well as model sensitivity to ice process parameterizations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. The control simulation with the Predicted Particle Properties (P3) microphysics scheme underestimates the ice content and overestimates the supercooled liquid water content, contrary to the bias common in global climate models. The simulations targeted at ice production processes show negligible sensitivity to cloud droplet number concentrations. Further, neither increasing ice nuclei particle (INP) concentrations to an unrealistic level nor adjusting it to MARCUS field estimations alone guarantees more ice production in the model. However, the simulated clouds are found to be highly sensitive to the implementation of immersion freezing, the thresholding of condensation/deposition freezing initiation, and the rime splintering process. By increasing immersion freezing of cloud droplets, relaxing thresholds for condensation/deposition freezing, or removing rime splintering thresholds, the model significantly improves its performance in producing ice. The relaxation of the immersion freezing temperature threshold to the observed cloud-top temperature suggests an in-cloud seeder–feeder mechanism. The results of this work call for an increase in observations of INP, especially over the remote Southern Ocean and at relatively high temperatures, and measurements of ice particle size distributions to better constrain ice nucleating processes in models.