bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters on Lacrimal Gland in Thyroid Eye Disease: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Wong Nicole Tsz Yan , Yuen Ka Fai Kevin , Aljufairi Fatema Mohamed Ali Abdulla , Lai Kenneth Ka Hei , Hu Zhichao , Chan Karen , Tham Clement Chee Yung , Pang Calvin Chi Pui , Chong Kelvin Kam Lung
Published: November 2022

Background:
Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease and is associated with dry eye disease. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lacrimal gland (LG) parameters in TED diagnosis, activity grading, and therapeutic responses prediction.
Methods:
Up to 23 August, 2022, 504 studies from PubMed and Cochrane Library were analyzed. After removing duplicates and imposing selection criteria, nine eligible studies were included. Risk of bias assessment was done. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effect model if heterogeneity was significant. Otherwise, fixed-effect model was used. Main outcome measures include seven structural MRI parameters (LG herniation (LGH), maximum axial area (MAA), maximum coronal area (MCA), maximum axial length (MAL), maximum coronal length (MCL), maximum axial width (MAW), maximum coronal width (MCW)), and three functional MRI parameters (diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-fractional anisotropy (FA), DTI-apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) or mean diffusivity (MD), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-ADC).
Results:
TED showed larger MAA, MCA, MAL, MAW, MCW, DTI-ADC/MD, and lower DTI-FA than controls. Active TED showed larger LGH, MCA, DWI-ADC than inactive. LG dimensional (MAA, MCA, MAL, MAW, MCW) and functional parameters (DTI-FA, DTA-ADC/MD) could be used for diagnosing TED; LGH, MCA, and DWI-ADC for differentiating active from inactive TED; DTI parameters (DTI-FA, DTI-MD) and LGH for helping grading and therapeutic responses prediction respectively.
Conclusions:
MRI LG parameters can detect active TED and differentiate TED from controls. MCA is the most effective indicator for TED diagnosis and activity grading. There are inconclusive results showing whether structural or functional LG parameters have diagnostic superiority. Future studies are warranted to determine the use of MRI LG parameters in TED.
Multifunctional properties of the transmembrane LPxTG-motif protein derived from Limosilactobacillus reuteri SH-23
Authors: Ye Qianwen , Lao Lifeng , Zhang Ao , Zhang Meiran , Lu Shuyi , Pan Daodong , Yang Hua , Wu zhen
Published: November 2022

The LPxTG-motif protein is an important transmembrane protein with high hydrophilicity and stability, as evidenced by its stress tolerance and adhesion ability. In this study, the multifunctional properties of a novel LPxTG-motif protein with esterase activity (LEP) were revalued. When co-cultured with Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) SH-23, it improved the adhesion ability of L. reuteri SH-23 to HT-29 cells, and the HT-29 cells’ adhesion related target proteins were ANXA2, CSNK1D, PKM, and HSPA8. In addition, as a multifunctional protein, LEP demonstrated potential esterase activity in the presence of Zn2+ and Mn2+ at pH 7. Furthermore, LEP, with its esterase activity, promoted the hydrolysis of bovine milk lipids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as linoleic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid were found to increase during the hydrolyzing process. These unique properties of LEP provide a comprehensive understanding of the adhesion function and PUFAs releasing properties of the multifunctional protein derived from L. reuteri SH-23 and shed light on the beneficial effect of this Lactobacillus strain during the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract.
Collaborative Cross mice are permissive to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi infection
Authors: Alugupalli Kishore , Kothari Sudeep , Cravens Matthew , Walker Justin , Dougharty Darren , Dickinson Gregory , Gatto Louis , Wangdi Tamding , Miller Darla , Baumler Andreas , de Villena Fernando Pardo-Manuel , Siracusa Linda
Published: November 2022

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi is the causative agent of typhoid fever restricted to humans and does not replicate in commonly used inbred mice. Genetic variation in humans is far greater and more complex than that in a single inbred strain of mice. The Collaborative Cross (CC) is a large panel of recombinant inbred strains which has a wider range of genetic diversity than laboratory inbred mouse strains. We found that the CC003/Unc and CC053/Unc strains are permissive to S. Typhi infection and show histopathological changes characteristic of human typhoid. These CC strains are immunocompetent, and immunization induces antigen-specific responses that can kill S. Typhi in vitro and control S. Typhi in vivo. Our results indicate that CC003/Unc and CC053/Unc strains can help identify the genetic basis for typhoid susceptibility, S. Typhi virulence mechanism(s) in vivo, and serve as a preclinical mammalian model system to identify effective vaccines and therapeutics strategies.
CSI-based Human Behavior Segmentation and Recognition Using Commodity Wi-Fi
Authors: Yang Xiaolong , Cheng Jinglong , Tang Xinxing , Xie Liangbo
Published: November 2022

In recent years, the behavior recognition technology based on Wi-Fi devices has been favored by many researchers. Existing Wi-Fi-based human behavior recognition technology mainly uses classifification algorithms to construct classifification models,which has problems such as inaccurate behavior segmentation, failure to extract deep-level features from the original data and design classifification models matching the proposed features in the process of behavior recognition. In order to solve above problems, this paper proposes a window variance comparison method by combining the adaptive thresholds calculated to achieve effffective segmentation of multiple discontinuous human behaviors; then uses the short-time Fourier algorithm to extract time-frequency features of individual behavior, and extracts the graph structure data from the autocorrelation matrix of time-frequency features and the features themselves. A graph neural network is built for behavior recognition. The experimental results show that the segmentation accuracy of the behavior segmentation method in the two scenes is 0.964 and 0.993, which is better than the existing threshold-based behavior segmentation methods. In addition, this paper extracts graph structure data by spectral energy change method and builds behavior recognition model by using graph neural network, and the recognition accuracy is signifificantly improved compared with the traditional classifification algorithm.
Remediation of recalcitrant pollutants in water solution using visible light responsive cerium-doped tungsten trioxide nanoparticles
Authors: Nehra Pooja , Rana Pawan S. , Singh Satyendra
Published: November 2022

In order to attain solar energy driven photocatalyst for wastewater remediation, cerium doped WO3 (W1-xCexO3 with x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08) nanoparticles have been synthesized via a chemical co-precipitation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that W1-xCexO3 nanoparticles retained its monoclinic structure even after doping. The presence of the vast number of defects produced in the WO3 lattice was corroborated by Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the spherical shape of the nanoparticles with particles size range 50–76 nm. The optical band gap of W1-xCexO3 nanoparticles decreases from 3.07 eV to 2.36 eV with increase in the x as confirmed by the UV-Vis spectroscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy confirmed that the minimum rate of recombination was observed for W1-xCexO3 with x = 0.04. The maximum photo decolorization towards methyl violet (94%) and Rhodamine-B (79.4%) was observed in x = 0.04 sample in just 90 minutes because of its least recombination rate, highest adsorption capacity and optimum band edge positions. Intriguingly, it has been observed that the modification with cerium in WO3 nanoparticles enhance the photocatalytic activity by narrowing the bandgap and by efficaciously lowering the recombination rate due to electron entrapment by defects produced in the lattice.
Ensemble empirical mode decomposition and a long short-term memory neural network for surface water quality prediction of the Xiaofu River, China
Authors: Luo Lan , Zhang Yanjun , Dong Wenxun , Qiu Anni , Zhang Jinglin , Zhang Liping
Published: November 2022

Water quality prediction is an important part of water pollution prevention and control. Using a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network to predict water quality can solve the problem that comprehensive water quality models are too complex and difficult to apply. However, as water quality time series are generally multiperiod hybrid time series, which have strongly nonlinear and nonstationary characteristics, the prediction accuracy of LSTM for water quality is not high. The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method can decompose the multiperiod hybrid water quality time series into several simpler single-period components. To improve the accuracy of surface water quality prediction, a water quality prediction model based on EEMD-LSTM was proposed in this paper. The water quality time series was first decomposed into several intrinsic mode function components and one residual item, and then these components were used as the input of LSTM to predict water quality. The model was trained and validated using four water quality parameters (NH3N, pH, DO, CODMn) collected from the Xiaofu River and compared with the results of a single LSTM. During the validation period, the R2 values when using LSTM for NH3N, pH, DO and CODMn were 0.567, 0.657, 0.817 and 0.693, respectively, and the R2 values when using EEMD-LSTM for NH3N, pH, DO and CODMn were 0.924, 0.965, 0.961 and 0.936, respectively. The results show that the proposed model outperforms the single LSTM model in various evaluation indicators and greatly improves the model performance in terms of the hysteresis problem. The EEMD-LSTM model has high prediction accuracy and strong generalization ability, and further development may be valuable.
Organization of reward and movement signals in the basal ganglia and cerebellum
Authors: Larry Noga , Zur Gil , Joshua Mati
Published: November 2022

The basal ganglia and the cerebellum are major subcortical structures in the motor system. The basal ganglia have been cast as the reward center of the motor system, whereas the cerebellum has been hypothesized to be involved in adjusting sensorimotor parameters. Recent findings of reward signals in the cerebellum have challenged this dichotomous view. To directly compare the basal ganglia and the cerebellum we recorded from oculomotor regions in both structures from the same monkeys. We partitioned the trial-by-trial variability of the neurons into reward and eye-movement signals to compare the coding within and across structures. Reward expectation and movement signals were the most pronounced in the output structure of the basal ganglia, intermediate in the cerebellum, and the smallest in the input structure of the basal ganglia. These results indicate different information convergence properties within these structures and demonstrate differences in internal computations.
Effect of interscalene brachial plexus block with dexmedetomidine and ropivacaine on postoperative analgesia in patient undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: luan hengfei , Hao Conghui , Li Han , Zhang Xiaobao , Zhao Zhibin , Zhu Pin
Published: November 2022

Background
Dexmedetomidine, a potent and highly selective α2-adrenoreceptor agonist has become a popular adjuvant to local anesthetics. The study was designed to explore the effect of dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine for interscalene brachial plexus block (IBPB) on postoperative analgesia in patient undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Methods
Forty four adult patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group R received 0.25% ropivacaine alone, whereas group RD received 0.25% ropivacaine and 0.5 µg/kg dexmedetomidine. A total volume of 15 ml was administered in ultrasound-guided IBPB in both groups. Duration of analgesia, Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, frequency of PCA pressed, first time of PCA pressed, sufentanil consumption, and patient satisfaction with analgesia quality were recorded.
Results
Compared with group R, duration of analgesia was prolonged (8.25±1.76 vs. 11.55±2.41 h; P < 0.05), VAS pain scores was decreased at 8 and 10 h postoperatively (3(2–3) vs. 0(0–0) and 2(2–3) vs. 0(0-2.25), respectively; P < 0.05), the frequency of PCA pressed was decreased at 4–8 and 8–12 h time intervals (0(0-0.25) vs. 0(0–0) and 5(1.75-6) vs. 0(0–2), respectively; P < 0.05), the time of first PCA pressed was prolonged (9.27±1.85 vs. 12.98±2.35 h; P < 0.05), the total 24h sufentanil consumption was reduced (108.72±15.92 vs. 94.65±12.47 µg; P < 0.05 ) and patient satisfaction score was also improved (3(3–4) vs. 4(4–5); P < 0.05) in group RD.
Conclusion
We conclude that adding 0.5 µg/kg dexmedetomidine to 0.25% ropivacaine for IBPB provided better postoperative analgesia, decreased the sufentanil consumption and improved the patient’s satisfaction in patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Deep Learning-based Network Pharmacology for Exploring the Mechanism of Licorice for the Treatment of COVID-19
Authors: Fu Yu , Fang Yangyue , Gong Shuai , Xue Tao , Wang Peng , She Li , Huang Jianping
Published: November 2022

Licorice, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used for the treatment of COVID-19, but all active compounds and the corresponding targets are still not clear. Therefore, this study proposed a deep learning-based network pharmacology approach to identify more potential active compounds and targets of licorice and to collect information regarding different representative compounds. A graph convolutional neural network was used to construct a molecular map and a convolutional neural network was used to develop a Morgan fingerprint. Twenty core compounds and 6 core targets were predicted, among which 4 compounds (quercetin, naringenin, liquiritigenin, and licoisoflavanone), 2 targets (SYK and JAK2) and the relevant pathways (P53, cAMP, and NF-kB) were associated with SARS-CoV-2-infection, which were confirmed by previous studies. In addition, 2 new active compounds (glabrone and vestitol) and 2 new targets (PTEN and MAP3K8) were further validated by molecular docking, and the results showed that these active compounds bound to SARS-CoV-2 related targets, including the main protease (Mpro, also called 3CLpro), the spike protein (S protein), and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Overall, we conclude that the findings of this study has the value of further exploration in the following experiment and clinical application.
Local implementation of health public policies revealed by the Covid-19 crisis: the French case
Authors: Mériade Laurent , Rochette Corinne , Cassière François
Published: November 2022

Background

Improving health system performance depends on the quality of health policy implementation at the local level. However, in general, the attention of researchers is mainly directed towards issues of health policy design and evaluation rather than implementation at the local level. The management of the Covid-19 crisis, especially in Europe, has particularly highlighted the complexity of implementing health policies, decided at the national or supranational level, at the local level.

Methods

We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders in the management of the Covid-19 crisis in the second largest French region in order to understand how this crisis has challenged the implementation of health policy and the arrangements found by the actors. Our methodology is complemented by a content analysis of the main guidelines and decisions related to this implementation.

Results

The analysis of these data allows us to identify three levels of implementation of health policies at the local level (administrative, organizational and operational). Interviews also reveal the existence of different types of coordination specific to each of these levels of local implementation of health policies. These results then make it possible to identify important managerial avenues for promoting global coordination of these three levels of implementation.

Conclusions

Although research on health services emphasizes the existence of several levels of local implementation of health policies, it offers little in the way of definition or characterization of these levels. The identification in this study of the three levels of local implementation of health policies and their specific forms of coordination contribute to a more precise characterization of this implementation in order to promote, in practice, its global coordination.
Preparation of Self-assembled Starch-based Organometallic Polymers and Their Efficient Adsorption of Mercury Ion in Water
Authors: Geng Chao , Yang PeiLin , Lin Ruikang , Guo Li , Yuan Chao , Cui Bo , fang yishan
Published: November 2022

Herein, a newly-developed material called Thiourea@WOx/Starch Polymer (TH@WOx/SP) were prepared by one-pot and high yield solvothermal method. The relevant characterizations and adsorption performance were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Zeta potential analysis and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Surprisingly, with its abundant active sites, the TH@WOx/SP revealed its excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metal and organics dye, as high as 2201.16 mg/g for Hg (Ⅱ) and 175.01 mg/g for methylene blue (MB), finished within 30 min and 90 min, respectively. These satisfactorily fast and high adsorption capacities not only came down to its concave-convex structure, but also to its enriched functional groups serving as anchor sites for Hg (Ⅱ) and MB. The adsorption mechanism of Hg (Ⅱ) and MB on TH@WOx/SP was carefully evaluated, which could be attributed to covalent coordination, ion exchange, π-π interaction, hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction. This work designed a new strategy to develop a novel porous metal organic polymers adsorbents and demonstrated its prospective application in the field of adsorption.
Histological Effects of Yuja (Citrus junos Sieb ex Tanaka) Pomace Extract Fermented with Lactic Acid Bacteria on the Liver Tissue of Rats
Authors: Chu Han Na , Kim Haeng-Ran , Jang Kyeong-A , Kim Jeong-Sang , Hwang Yu-Jin
Published: November 2022

This study investigated the anti-obesity effects of yuja pomace extract fermented with lactic acid bacteria in rats with high-fat diet-induced obesity over a period of eight weeks. Epididymal fat cell size was significantly smaller, by about 33%, in the treatment groups given yuja pomace extract fermented with lactic acid bacteria compared to the CON group. Electron microscopic observation of hepatocyte microstructure showed that the number of lipid droplets was lower in hepatocytes, the number of mitochondria was higher, along with distinct cristae, and the rough endoplasmic reticula were well developed with stacks of cisternae and ribosomes. Thus, it is believed that yuja pomace extract fermented with lactic acid bacteria, by influencing body weight and lipid accumulation, is effective in the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Study and Synthesis of the Propagation of Ultrashort Laser Pulses in Medias: Fused Silica, Photonic Crystal Fiber, Air Silica and Hollow Core
Authors: Khelladi Mounir
Published: November 2022

Ultrashort lasers pulses have a pulse width in the pico or femtosecond range. Ultra-short pulse is a promising technology for achieving ultra-high data rate transmission which is required to follow the increased demand of data transport over an optical communication system. Therefore, the propagation of such type of pulses and the effects that it may suffer during its transmission through an optical waveguide have received a great deal of attention in the recent years. Our goal in this paper is to study the propagation characteristics of that pulse in a nonlinear medium. In analyzing these characteristics, the nonlinear effects along with the dispersion are taking into account. Additionally, the considered nonlinear effects include self phase modulation (SPM), sel steepening (SS), cross phase modulation (XPM) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS).
Effect of Two Vitamin D Repletion Protocols on 24-hour Urine Calcium in Patients with Recurrent Calcium Kidney Stones and Vitamin D Deficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Masihi Lilit Sardari , Borumandnia Nasrin , Taheri Maryam , Basiri Abbas , Imani Hossein , Jalali Saba , Tavasoli Sanaz
Published: November 2022

Objectives
The effect of two treatment protocols on serum levels of vitamin D and 24-hour urine calcium in patients with calcium urolithiasis and vitamin D deficiency
Design, Setting, Participants
A parallel-group randomized controlled clinical trial on patients who referred to Labbafinejad stone prevention clinic, Tehran, Iran. From 88 recurrent calcium kidney stone formers, 62 patients completed the study. The age of study participants were 18 to 70 years old and, had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level 10–20 ng/ml.
Intervention
Study participants received 2000 IU vitamin D daily for 12 weeks or 50000 IU vitamin D weekly for eight weeks.
Main outcome measures
Study variables including 24-hour urine calcium, supersaturations of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathormone were measured at the beginning and after 12 weeks.
Results
The 24-hour urine calcium significantly increased in both groups (B = 69.70, p < 0.001), with no significant difference between treatments. Both groups showed no significant change in the supersaturation levels of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D increased significantly (B = 12.53, p < 0.001), with more increase in the 50,000 IU group (B = 3.46, p = 0.003). Serum parathormone decreased in both groups (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Although both treatment protocols increased 24-hour urine calcium, they did not increase the supersaturation state of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.
Trial registration
IRCT20160206026406N4, 13/08/2019
Research on the Impact of Financial Agglomeration on the Coordinated Development of Urban Ecological Green: Based on the Empirical Comparison of Four Metropolitan Areas in the Yangtze River Delta of China
Authors: Wu Fuqiang , Chen Yujia , Yang Xiaoli
Published: November 2022

Based on the panel data of a total of 25 prefecture-level cities in the four major metropolitan areas in China’s Yangtze River Delta region from 2003 to 2019, the Dubin model of three types of spatial weight matrix is used to compare and explore the impact effect and mechanism of financial agglomeration on the coordinated development of ecological green. The results show that, first, the positive local and neighborhood effects of financial agglomeration on the coordinated development of ecological green are mainly reflected in the Hefei, Hangzhou and Shanghai metropolitan areas, and the intensity of the effect decreases sequentially. Information transfer and technology correlation are important mechanisms to improve the local effect of financial agglomeration, and the neighborhood effect varies from metropolitan area to a metropolitan area. Second, in addition to the adverse impact of the concentration of financial personnel on the integration of ecological green, the agglomeration of securities, banking and insurance industries can release the "green driving potential energy", and the intensity of contribution gradually weakens. Third, the radiation effect of Shanghai's financial agglomeration is the strongest, Nanjing has a "U" shaped impact, Hangzhou has an inverted "U" shaped impact, and Hefei does not play a role.
Acute Abdomen Due to Choriocarcinoma: A Rare Case Report
Authors: Rajabally Fatimah , Alkhaldi Rama , Elnakoury Farah , Matwiejczuk Julia , Alabdulrahman Mohammad , O'Connor Michael , Rajabally Zahir , Bolaky Farah , Elnakoury Ehab
Published: November 2022

Introduction:
Choriocarcinoma is a fast-growing, malignant, and rare gestational trophoblastic tumour. Although the prognosis of this tumour is very good, serious complications such as preeclampsia and haemorrhagic shock can occur.
Case Presentation:
A 31-year-old female patient, who was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma, returned to the hospital with severe abdominal pain a few days after her first cycle of chemotherapy treatment. Upon further examination, the presence of free fluid in her abdomen and high β-hCG levels were identified. Consequently, an emergency laparotomy was performed discovering that the uterine tumour, which was adherent to the right colon and appendix, had ruptured. A total hysterectomy and right oophorectomy were performed, and the patient is now doing well.
Conclusions:
This case elucidates the need for improved diagnostic methods and classification systems along with swift management of gestational trophoblastic diseases.
The Smooth Away From Expected (SAFE) non-inferiority frontier: theory and implementation with an application to the D3 trial
Authors: Quartagno Matteo , Chan Man , Turkova Anna , Ford Deborah , White Ian R
Published: November 2022

Background. In a non-inferiority trial, the choice of margin depends on the expected control event risk. If the true risk differs from expected, power and interpretability of results can be affected. A non-inferiority frontier pre-specifies an appropriate non-inferiority margin for each value of control event risk. D3 is a non-inferiority trial comparing two treatment regimens in children living with HIV, designed assuming a control event risk of 12%, a non-inferiority margin of 10%, 80% power, significance level (α) 0.025. We consider approaches to choosing and implementing a frontier for this already funded trial, where changing the sample size substantially would be difficult. Methods. In D3 we fix the non-inferiority margin at 10%, 8% and 5% for control event risks of ≥ 9%, 5% and 1% respectively. We propose four frontiers which fit these fixed points, including a Smooth Away From Expected (SAFE) frontier. Analysis approaches considered are: using the pre-specified significance level (α = 0.025); always using a reduced significance level (to achieve α ≤ 0.025 across control event risks); reducing significance levels only when the control event risk differs significantly from expected (control event risk < 9%); and using a Likelihood Ratio Test. We compare power and type 1 error for SAFE with other frontiers. Results. Changing the significance level only when the control event risk is < 9% achieves approximately nominal type I error rate and maintains reasonable power for control event risks between 1%-15%. The Likelihood Ratio Test method performs similarly, but results are more complex to present. Other analysis methods lead to either inflated type 1 error or badly reduced power. The SAFE frontier gives more interpretable results than other frontiers with low control event risks. Other frontiers do not achieve power close to SAFE while controlling type I error. Conclusions. The SAFE non-inferiority frontier will be used in D3, and the non-inferiority margin and significance level will be modified if the control event risk is lower than expected. This ensures results will remain interpretable if design assumptions are incorrect, while achieving similar power. A similar approach could be considered for other non-inferiority trials where the control event risk is uncertain.
Moftransformer: a Multi-modal Pre-training Transformer for Universal Transfer Learning in Metal-organic Frameworks
Authors: Kang Yeonghun , Park Hyunsoo , Smit Berend , Kim Jihan
Published: November 2022

In this work, we introduce MOFTransformer, a multi-model Transformer encoder pre-trained with 1 million hypothetical MOFs. The multi-modal model uses an integrated atom-based graph and energy-grid embeddings to capture both the local and global features of the MOFs, respectively. By fine-tuning the pre-trained model with small datasets (from 5,000 to 20,000), our model outperforms all other machine learning models across various properties that include gas adsorption, diffusion, electronic properties, and even text mined data. Beyond its universal transfer learning capabilities, MOFTransformer generates chemical insight by analyzing feature importance from attention scores within the self-attention layers. As such, this model can serve as a bedrock platform for other MOF researchers that seek to develop new machine learning models for their work.
Evaluation of the ventilation and pollutant exposure risk level inside 3D street canyon with void deck under different wind directions
Authors: Sin Chung Hyok , Jon Kwang Song , Un Gyong Ho , Thae Yong Il , Kim Hun , Tokgo Jun , Ri Hyon Mu
Published: November 2022

With continuous global warming, growing urban population density and increasing compactness of urban buildings, VD (void deck) street design has become increasingly popular in city planning, especially in tropical countries. However, understanding on traffic pollutant dispersion in the VD street canyons is still at early stage. This paper quantitatively evaluates the effects of VD location and wind direction on the ventilation and traffic pollutant exposure inside the street canyon with VDs. The results show that the VD location and wind direction have significant effects on the flow field and pollutant dispersion inside the canyon. When VDs are located at the upwind building, downwind building, and both buildings, the wind directions with maximum ACH (air exchange rate) are 60°, 30° and 60°, respectively. Under seven wind directions (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°), the VD provides higher ACH than that of the regular canyon, especially at high α (angle between the approaching wind and the canyon axis). When α = 90°, regular canyon has the lowest ventilation capacity, but ACH values of canyons with both VDs or the leeward VD are 189.1% and 177.6% of regular canyon, respectively. Also, mean K (dimensionless pollutant concentration) values of the canyon wall and pedestrian respiration plane on one side where VD is located are significantly reduced compared to the regular canyon. Therefore, when VDs are at both buildings, both pedestrian respiration planes and walls have the lowest K values, thus providing the best living environment for pedestrians and near-road residents. As α increases, the K values on both respiration planes significantly decrease except for the leeward respiration plane of the canyon with the windward VD. These findings can help to design urban street canyons for mitigating traffic pollution risk and improving ventilation in tropical cities with frequently changing wind directions.
Comparative phylogeography of a bathymetrically segregated pair of sister taxa of rockfishes (genus Sebastes): black rockfish, Sebastes melanops, and yellowtail rockfish, Sebastes flavidus
Authors: Hess Jon Eric , Hyde John R , Moran Paul
Published: November 2022

Twelve pairs of sister taxa in the speciose rockfish genus, Sebastes, overlap coastal distributions but are bathymetrically segregated. These pairs are ideal for comparative studies to understand how life-history traits, historical events, and environment interact to produce population genetic structure. Black rockfish, Sebastes melanops, forms one such pair. Its sister species, yellowtail rockfish (Sebastes flavidus), shows a genetic cline likely influenced by a dispersal barrier at Cape Mendocino, CA and northward range expansion. Due to geographic overlap and close systematic relationship, we predicted black rockfish was influenced by similar evolutionary processes and thus would show genetic pattern concordance with yellowtail rockfish. We analyzed ~ 1000 black rockfish from 22 sites spanning the species’ range to test the null hypothesis of no structure, using the same markers that characterized yellowtail rockfish (i.e., 812 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and six microsatellite loci). We reject the null hypothesis based on existence of at least three populations and microsatellite genetic divergence that separates the Alaskan and Continental U.S. populations (FCT=0.021, p < < 0.001), and a mitochondrial genetic cline near Cape Mendocino (FCT= 0.132, p < 0.01). We also found single collections genetically divergent from neighboring collections. Like yellowtail rockfish, oceanographic dispersal barriers and northern range expansion were inferred to influence black rockfish, however, unlike yellowtail rockfish, Cape Mendocino did not split the range into two stocks and was therefore inferred to be a less severe barrier. We hypothesize a higher frequency of extinction/recolonization events in black rockfish populations may have led to more complex genetic structure.
Characteristics and influencing factors of corneal higher-order aberrations in patients with cataract
Authors: Zhou Suowang , Chen Xu , Ortega-Usobiaga Julio , Zheng Hansong , Luo Wenjing , Tu Biyue , Wang Yong
Published: November 2022

Purpose: To observe the distribution characteristics of corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in cataract patients, and analyze the relationship of HOAs with patients' age and ocular biometric parameters.
Methods: This cross-sectional study review the patients undergoing cataract surgery in Wuhan Aier Eye Department from January to August 2022. Root mean square (RMS) of the total corneal HOA, spherical aberration (SA), coma and trefoil aberration for a corneal central region of 4mm and 6mm were measured by the Wavefront Aberrometer (OPD-Scan III; Nidek Inc, Tokyo, Japan). The biometric parameters were measured by swept source coherence laser interferometry (OA-2000; TOMEY Corp, Aichi, Japan). Subgroup analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine whether HOAs were associated with age and ocular biometric parameters.
Results: A total of 976 patients (976 eyes) were included, averagely aged 65 years. The mean RMS of total corneal HOA at central 4mm and 6mm optic zone were respectively 0.20μm and 0.65μm, the RMS of SA were 0.06μm and 0.30μm. Total HOA decreased with age until 60 years and then started to increase afterwards. Total HOA, coma and trefoil aberration increased with corneal astigmatism. Total HOA, SA, and coma aberration differ among different AL groups, and emmetropes had the smallest aberration.
Conclusions: With increasing age, the value of total HOA decrease first and started increasing at 60 years. The trends of corneal HOAs are consistent with corneal low-order aberrations. The values of total HOA, SA and coma aberration were the smallest in emmetropic eyes.
A Simple and Feasible Wall Pipe and Tank Thinning and Corrosion Detection Using Piezoceramic Transducers
Authors: Eftekhari Ali , Nejad Majid Baghaei , Abadi M. H. Shahrokh
Published: November 2022

Pipe wall thinning and leakage due to corrosion, caused by process restrictions or extensive usage, are significant safety concerns for pipes used in oil, petrochemical, and power plant industries. This paper introduces the feasibility of detecting pipelines and tank thinning damage using piezo-ceramic transducers resonating at 2MHz. Time and frequency processing was used in combination with the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) as a signal processing method in different conditions. A steel box and pipe, as items under test, were used to imitate the real industrial tanks and pipes used in the petroleum industries. The box was exposed to sulfuric acid as a corrosive substance and parts of the steel pipe were shaved from the inside to simulate the corroded areas. The PZCs were installed on the right parts of the IUTs and thickness measurements were performed and compared with the results obtained from a standard commercial thickness gauge. The results show less than a 1% error in thickness compared with the standard equipment when a frequency domain is combined with EMD. Furthermore, the proposed system offers much more simplicity and cost-effectiveness than the standard one.
Facile fabrication of a novel self-healing and flame- retardant Hydrogel/MXene coating for wood
Authors: Zhao Xiaojiong , Tian Min , Wei Ruichao , Jiang Saihua H.
Published: November 2022

To improve flame retardancy of wood, a novel high-water-retention and self-healing polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid/MXene hydrogel (M-hydrogel) coating was developed through facile one-pot heating and freeze-thaw cycle methods, and then painted on wood surface. The coating exhibit excellent self-healing property and significantly enhanced water-retention property (water content ≥90 wt%), due to the increased hydrogen bonds within the coating system with the presence of MXene nanosheets. Compared to pristine wood, the flame retardancy of coated wood is greatly improved, such as passed V0 rating in UL-94 test, increasing time to ignition (TTI, from 32 s to 69 s), and decreased heat release rate (HRR) and total release rate (THR) by 41.6% and 36.14%. The cooling effect and large thermal capacity of high-water-retention hydrogel, and physical barrier effects for flammable gas products, heat and oxygen by MXene nanosheets and the compact char layer formed during combustion play key roles in the flame retardancy enhancements of the wood. High thermal stability of MXene nanosheets is another beneficial factor. The detailed flame-retardant and self-healing mechanisms were proposed.
A combination interferometric and morphological image processing approach to rapid quality assessment of additively-manufactured cellular truss core components
Authors: Keene Lionel , Rogers Brian , Stobbe David , Lum Jordan , Tringe Joseph
Published: November 2022

Advanced manufacturing (AM) processes such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) are increasingly capable of fabricating components with useful and unprecedented mechanical properties by incorporating complex internal bracing structures. From the standpoint of quality control and assessment, however, internally complex assemblies present significant build-verification challenges. Here we propose a hybrid approach to inspection involving the application of computer-aided speckle interferometry (CASI) and morphological image processing as a rapid, inexpensive, and facile method for AM quality control. A simple optical system with variable sensitivity is shown to be effective for inspection of a titanium honeycomb component subjected to differential pressure. Results are compared to those achieved with computed tomography (CT), immersion ultrasound testing (UT), and optical holographic interferometry. Lastly, we propose several possible processing strategies for automated quality assessment based on this powerful hybrid approach.
Harmonization of dopamine transporter SPECT imaging improves segregation between patients with parkinson’s disease and healthy elderlies in multicentre cohort studies
Authors: Wakasugi Noritaka , Takano Harumasa , Abe Mitsunari , Sawamoto Nobukatsu , Murai Toshiya , Mizuno Toshiki , Matsuoka Teruyuki , Yamakuni Ryo , Yabe Hirooki , Matsuda Hiroshi , Hanakawa Takashi
Published: November 2022

Purpose
Dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography (DAT-SPECT) is an indispensable method for investigating Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, it comprises several confounding factors for consideration in a multicentre study. We aimed to assess the impact of the harmonization of multisite data on the differentiation between patients with PD and healthy elderlies in this multicentre cohort study.
Methods
We acquired a specific binding ratio (SBR)s of DAT-SPECT in 72 healthy elderlies (HCs) and 81 patients with PD (PDs). We assessed the effects of the following correction method for SBR: age and sex correction, correction for scanner differences by phantom scanning (phantom correction), a standardized operation for SBR computation (operation standardization), and a data-driven statistical method. We investigated the changes in the SBR and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) for PD diagnostic accuracy.
Results
Without correction, the SBR yielded fair discrimination of PDs and HCs (Hedge’s g = 2.82 and ROC-AUC = 0.926). Age-sex correction exerted a moderate effect (g = 2.76 and ROC-AUC = 0.936). Of the multisite harmonization methods, the combination of phantom and operation correction displayed the largest changes (g = 4.32, ROC-AUC = 0.992), followed by data-driven correction (g = 3.99, ROC-AUC = 0.987).
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrated the usefulness of the multisite harmonization of DAT-SPECT in a multicentre cohort. Prospective correction with phantom scanning and operation standardization was ideal for the robustness and interpretability of the corrected values. The data-driven correction was another powerful method; however, the corrected value requires cautious interpretation.
Study on the safety criterion of blasting vibration in adjacent tunnels under hard rock strata based on energy principle
Authors: ZHANG Junru , YAN Zhijian , LIU Jiaming , WANG Zhiyong , MA Kaimeng , MA Jianchi , WANG Bo
Published: November 2022

This study addresses the contradiction between the strict requirements of vibration speed control in existing operating tunnels and the difficulties of tunnel excavation in hard rock strata, as well as the lack of theoretical basis for blasting vibration speed control standards in adjacent tunnels. Based on the energy principle, this study establishes the energy balance equation in a single cycle of the low frequency band of blasting vibration wave curve, and proposes to replace the maximum elastic strain energy accumulated in concrete by twice the kinetic energy corresponding to the peak vibration speed under blasting action (the "Twice the Peak Kinetic Energy Method") according to the conversion relationship between the input energy of concrete mass unit and the elastic strain energy and kinetic energy. On the basis of this method, the formulae of safe vibration velocity of blasting in two states were derived by combining the energy criteria corresponding to the damage and destruction states of concrete. It is verified in a new tunnel under existing operating railway section in hard rock stratum in Xiamen area. The results show that the maximum principal stress and displacement reach the maximum value in the cycle when the peak vibration speed decays close to zero for the first time in the low frequency band; the elastic strain energy also reaches the maximum value in the cycle when the kinetic energy decays close to zero; affected by a small amount of dissipation energy, the kinetic energy corresponding to the peak vibration speed is slightly less than twice the maximum elastic strain energy, which verifies the reasonableness of the theoretical analysis. Finally, the safe vibration speed corresponding to different concrete grades is given based on the design value of tensile strength.
Bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation of cuproptosis- related lncRNA LINC02154 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Shen Junlin , Wang Linhui , Bi Jianbin
Published: November 2022

Background
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is very common in urinary system tumors. Cuproptosis is a non-apoptotic cell death pathway. Copper binds to fatty acylated mitochondrial proteins and activates various forms of cell death. LncRNA LINC02154 is significantly highly expressed in cells and tissues of many types of tumors, and the risk signature of LINC02154 in some tumors has been validated for effectiveness.
Methods
We constructed a risk prognostic signature by obtaining differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with ccRCC outcomes and cuproptosis from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We used TCGA to construct training and testing sets to analyze the risk signature and the impact of LINC02154, and we performed relevant survival analyses. Tumor mutational burden were analyzed in different LINC02154 expression groups and risk score groups. We next analyzed the immune microenvironment of LINC20154. We performed LINC20154-related drug sensitivity analyses. We also investigated the cellular function of LINC02154 in the ACHN cell line and performed CCK-8 assay, EdU, wound-healing assay, and Transwell assay
Results
We demonstrated that LINC02154’s impact on outcomes was statistically significant. We also demonstrated the association of different ages, genders, stages, and grades with LINC02154 and risk models. The results showed that there was a significant difference in tumor mutation burden between the groups, and this difference was closely related to clinical prognosis. We found differences in immune cells among groups with different levels of LINC02154 expression and significant differences in immune function, immunotherapeutic positive markers, and critical steps of the immune cycle. The sensitivity analysis was showed that differential expression of LINC02154 discriminated between sensitivity to axitinib, doxorubicin, gemcitabine, pazopanib, sorafenib, sunitinib, and temsirolimus. This difference was also present in the high risk group and low risk group. We demonstrated the proliferation and migration of t ACHN cells in the LINC02154 knockdown group were inhibited.
Conclusion
Finally, we demonstrated that LINC02154 and our constructed risk signature can predict outcomes and have potential clinical value.
Socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy in Papua New Guinea: A decomposition analysis
Authors: Li Hao , Pu Yiran , Li Zhen , Jin Ziyang , Jiang Yi
Published: November 2022

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a global public health issue, and it poses a serious threat to the health and socioeconomic status of mothers and their newborn children. Although Papua New Guinea (PNG) has recorded one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among Asia-Pacific countries, no study has been conducted on socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy in this country. Therefore, this study aimed to access socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy and its contributing factors in PNG.
Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the 2016–2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. The analytical sample consisted of 2,874 girls aged 15–19 years. We employed Erreygers normalized concentration index (ECI) and concentration curves to measure and depict socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy. Decomposition analysis was likewise performed to identify the contributions of determinants to the observed inequality.
Results: Weighted ECI for teenage pregnancy was −0.059 (P < 0.01), thereby indicating that teenage pregnancy in PNG is disproportionately concentrated among poor girls. Decomposition analysis suggested that education level (90.5%), wealth index (38.6%), and region (11.1%) are the main determinants explaining the pro-poor socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy.
Conclusions: A pro-poor socioeconomic inequality of teenage pregnancy was present in PNG. This inequality may be alleviated by such interventions as ensuring that teenage girls receive education; implementing poverty alleviation projects, eliminating child, early, and forced marriages; and improving geographical accessibility to health facilities on contraceptive services.