bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protective effects of isofraxidin against scopolamine-induced cognitive and memory impairments in mice involve modulation of the BDNF-CREB-ERK signaling pathway
Authors: Lian Bingliang , Gu Jingwen , Zhang Chen , Zou Zhicong , Yu Meng , Li Fanghong , Wu Xiaoli , Zhao Allan Zijian
Published: February 2022

Background: Isofraxidin is a coumarin compound mainly isolated from several traditional and functional edible plants beneficial for neurodegenerative diseases, including Sarcandra glabra and Apium graveolens, and Siberian Ginseng. Objective: This study aimed to assess effects of isofraxidin against memory impairments and cognition deficits in a scopolamine-induced mouse model.Materials & methods: Animals were randomly divided into 6 groups, control, vehicle, donepezil (10 mg/kg, p.o.), and isofraxidin (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg, p.o.). Isofraxidin or donepezil was administered for 44 days, once per day. The scopolamine insults (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was given from the 21st day, once per day. Morris water maze test and Y-maze test were used for the behavioral test. After that, brain samples were collected for analysis. Results: Firstly, isofraxidin significantly improved scopolamine-induced behavioral impairments and cognition deficits in Morris water maze and Y-maze test. Then, isofraxidin facilitated cholinergic activity via inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Besides, isofraxidin decreased lipid peroxidation level but enhanced levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Moreover, isofraxidin suppressed the expression of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Further investigations showed that isofraxidin up-regulated expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and promoted phosphorylation of tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK).Discussion & Conclusion: These results suggested that isofraxidin ameliorated scopolamine-induced cognitive and memory impairments, possibly through regulating AChE activity, suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and modulating BDNF-CREB-ERK pathways.
Perfectionism as a Predictor of Physician Burnout
Authors: Martin Sarah , Fortier Michelle , Heyming Theodore , Ahn Kyle , Nichols Whitney , Golden Charles , Saadat Haleh , Kain Zeev
Published: February 2022

Burnout is common among physicians and has detrimental effects on patient care and physician health. Recent editorials call attention to maladaptive perfectionism in medicine and the potential role of perfectionism in physician burnout; however, no studies to date have examined the effect of perfectionism on burnout in physicians practicing in the United States. This study examined the unique effects of demographics, perfectionism and personality traits on burnout among physicians. This was a cross-sectional study and included 69 attending physicians. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment burnout were assessed via the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Validated instruments were used to measure personality and perfectionism. Data were analyzed using linear regression models. Across physicians assessed, 42% reported either high emotional exhaustion burnout or depersonalization burnout. High self-critical perfectionism uniquely predicted both high emotional exhaustion burnout (B = 0.55, 95%CI 0.25–0.85) and depersonalization burnout (B = 0.18, 95%CI 0.05–0.31). Low conscientiousness (B = -6.12; 95%CI, -10.95- -1.28) predicted higher emotional exhaustion burnout and low agreeableness (B = -3.20, 95%CI -5.93- -0.46) predicted higher depersonalization burnout. Perfectionism is understudied among physicians and the current findings suggest that addressing system and individual-level factors that encourage maladaptive perfectionism is warranted and may reduce risk for physician burnout.
Contrasting Seasons and Land Uses Alter Riverine Dissolved Organic Matter Composition
Authors: Shousha Stéphanie , Maranger Roxane , Lapierre Jean-François
Published: February 2022

Different sources and fates control riverine dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in catchments of contrasting land use, and climate. However, assessing the changes in DOM composition together with nutrient forms along rivers exposed to these gradients remains rare. Here we quantified the spatial and temporal patterns in DOM components and nutrient forms along the mainstem of a 5th order river through sequential forested, urban, and agricultural reaches during low flow moments in summer and winter, and two contrasting springs, one with a historically rare flooding event. There were widespread abrupt shifts in the composition of DOM in low flow seasons that coincided with changes in land use whose sources could be inferred by endmember samples and nutrient changes. Compared to summer, DOM pools considered bio- (microbial-like) and photo-labile (Peak C) tended to dominate during the winter, along with reactive nutrient forms (ammonium, dissolved phosphorus). This implied higher processing potentials during summer, where microbial-humic-like DOM and nitrate dominated, and accumulation of reactive forms during winter. DOM composition remained relatively stable under typical flow conditions with reduced retention time and processing, but major shifts were observed during an extreme flood year, pointing to unusual loadings of highly labile sources of DOM. Overall we found that, despite relatively small changes in the quantity of DOM flowing in this north temperate river, there were major spatial and temporal shifts in its composition and associated nutrients that reflected contrasting loading and processing potentials depending on land use and seasonal patterns in temperature and hydrology.
ADT-based Adaptive Back-stepping Control for the Switched Non-affine Nonlinear System with uncertain parameters
Authors: Liang Xiaohui , Xu Bin , Gong Ligang
Published: February 2022

The adaptive back-stepping cotrol issue for the Switched Non-affine Nonlinear System with uncertain parameters is adressed in this paper. The integral item is first employed in the original switched nonlinear system to generate a augmented switched non-affine nonlinear system. Then, the non-affine structures in the system dynamics are adopted to devise the virtual controls directly, and the dynamic surface control (DSC) is integrated to eliminate the “explosion of complexity” caused by the back-stepping design. Furthermore, the estimation of switched unknown parameter is achieved by the continuous variable, and the individual Lyapunov functions including the estimation errors are constructed for each subsystem. Combined with the multiple Lyapunov functions methods, the uniformly ultimately bounded of the closed-loop switched system could be ensured under any switching law, which satisfies the average dwell time (ADT) condition. Furthermore, system tracking errors would converge to the neighborhood of the zero. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate the validity of proposed control approaches.
CD69-OxLDL Ligand Engagement Induces Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1) Expression in T Lymphocytes
Authors: Jimenez-Fernandez Maria , Rodriguez-Sinovas Cristina , Canes Laia , Ballester-Servera Carme , Vara Alicia , Requena Silvia , Fuente Hortensia de la , Martinez-Gonzalez Jose , Sanchez-Madrid Francisco
Published: February 2022

The mechanisms that control the inflammatory-immune response play a key role in tissue remodeling in cardiovascular diseases. T cell activation receptor CD69 binds oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), inducing the expression of anti-inflammatory NR4A nuclear receptors and modulating inflammation in atherosclerosis. To understand the downstream T cell responses triggered by the CD69-oxLDL binding, we incubated CD69-expressing Jurkat T cells with oxLDL. RNA sequencing revealed a differential gene expression profile dependent on the presence of CD69 and the degree of LDL oxidation. CD69-oxLDL binding induced the expression of NR4A receptors (NR4A1 and NR4A3), but also PD-1. These results were confirmed using oxLDL and an agonistic monoclonal antibody against CD69. CD69-mediated induction of PD-1 and NR4A3 was dependent on NFAT. Silencing NR4A3 slightly increased PD-1 levels, suggesting a potential regulation of PD1 by this receptor. Moreover, expression of PD-1, CD69 and NR4A3 were increased in human arteries with chronic inflammation compared to healthy controls, with a strong correlation between PD-1 and CD69 mRNA expression (r = 0.655 P < 0.0001). Our results underscore a novel mechanism of induction of PD-1, independent of TCR, signaling that might contribute to the role of CD69 in the modulation of inflammation and vascular remodeling in cardiovascular diseases.
Frequency-Dependent Changes of Spontaneous Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Xu Feijia , Lin Ping , Su Xiaolian , Peng Qing , Tang Guangyu
Published: February 2022

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among older adults. AMD affects the patient's ability to read, write and recognize faces. Prior neuroimaging studies revealed abnormal functional connectivity within visual network and default mode network (DMN). 25 diagnosed AMD patients and 25 age, sex matched healthy controls were recruited into our study for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. Three different low frequency fluctuations metrics including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), and percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) were introduced to detect and analyze spontaneous brain activity between AMD and HCs. For each metrics, traditional frequency band (0.01–0.08 Hz), slow-4 frequency band (0.027–0.073 Hz) and slow-5 frequency band (0.01–0.027 Hz) were examined respectively. Compared to HCs group, our result revealed that significant difference in ALFF, fALFF and PerAF showed in several brain regions including orbital frontal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, amygdala, precuneus, angular gyrus, median cingulate gyrus and rectus gyrus in AMD group at traditional frequency band. Moreover, findings of the present study demonstrated that abnormal spontaneous brain activity of fALFF in AMD is frequency-dependent, and may provide a new perspective to explain the pathological mechanism of AMD.
Distinct Lymph Node Metastasis Patterns Between Lung Adenocarcinoma and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Cheng Chao , Liu Zheng , Xu Yuyang , Liu Lunxu
Published: February 2022

Purpose: The lymph node metastasis pattern of non-small-cell lung cancer remains controversial. Here, we hypothesize that there are distinct lymph node metastasis patterns between lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma.Methods: Patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma from 2004 to 2013 were identified in the SEER database. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the risk of pathology type on N1/N2 lymph node metastases. Variables with significant p values (p < 0.05) in the regression analysis were selected to construct a nomogram. Data from West China hospital cohort was used for validation.Results: A total of 14,673 patients were enrolled in this study, including 10,143 patients with lung adenocarcinomas and 4,530 patients with lung squamous cell carcinomas. In the lung adenocarcinoma cases, there were 7,798 (76.9%) N0 cases, 1,222 (12.0%) N1 cases and 1,123 (11.1%) N2 cases. In the lung squamous cell carcinoma cases, there were 3,359 (74.2%) N0 cases, 753 (16.6%) N1 cases and 418 (9.2%) N2 cases (p < 0.001). Lung squamous cell carcinoma patients were more likely to have N1 lymph node metastasis (OR: 1.143, 95%CI: 1.028-1.270, p = 0.014), while lung adenocarcinoma patients were more likely to have N2 lymph node metastasis (OR: 1.460, 95%CI: 1.289-1.653, p < 0.001)Conclusions: This population-based study revealed that lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma have distinct lymph node metastasis patterns. Nomograms for visually predicting the risk of lymph node metastasis would have the potentials to guide physicians in clinical decision making.
Changes in nanomechanical properties of single neuroblastoma cells as a model for oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)
Authors: Zieliński Tomasz , Pabijan Joanna , Zapotoczny Bartłomiej , Zemła Joanna , Wesołowska Julita , Pera Joanna , Lekka Małgorzata
Published: February 2022

The biological processes underlying ischemic stroke, although complex, are better known than those related to biomechanical alterations of single cells. Mechanisms of biomechanical changes and their relations to the molecular processes are crucial for understanding the function and dysfunction of the brain. In our study, we applied atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify the alterations in biomechanical properties in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and reoxygenation (RO). Obtained results reveal several characteristics. Cell viability remained at the same level, regardless of the OGD and RO conditions, but, in parallel, the metabolic activity of cells decreased with OGD duration. 24h RO did not recover the metabolic activity fully. Cells subjected to OGD appeared softer than control cells. Cell softening was strongly present in cells after 1h of OGD and, with longer OGD duration and in RO conditions, cells recovered their mechanical properties. Changes in the nanomechanical properties of cells were attributed to the remodelling of actin filaments, which was related to cofilin-based regulation and impaired metabolic activity of cells. The presented study shows the importance of nanomechanics in research on ischemic-related pathological processes such as stroke.
Pigmentary lesions in eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: A retrospective observational study
Authors: Midori Ideyama , Muraoka Yuki , Kawai Kentaro , Ishikura Masaharu , Kadomoto Shin , Nishigori Naomi , Kameda Takanori , Ishihara Kenji , Miyata Manabu , Miyake Masahiro , Murakami Tomoaki , Ooto Sotaro , Tsujikawa Akitaka
Published: February 2022

We included 97 patients with unilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) with posterior vitreous detachment who underwent vitrectomy, and examined pigmentary lesion (PL) characteristics around the sites of original tears using pre- and postoperative ultra-widefield scanning light ophthalmoscopy, green light fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging, and intraoperative digital video. If PL did not involve RRD, we used OCT to preoperatively assess any pathologic changes to the lesion. A total of 116 retinal tears (mean count, 1.2 ± 0.5; range, 1–4 per eye) were observed in the detached retina. Overall, 102 (88%), 63 (54%), 14 (12%), and 25 (22%) tears were accompanied by lattice degeneration (LD) or PL, both LD and PL, only LD, and only PL, respectively. In green FAF images, LD showed normal to mild-hyper fluorescence, whereas all PL showed hypofluorescence. On OCT, PL were located at the RPE level, while choroid abnormalities were unclear. In the retinal areas of 22 eyes, which were not affected by RRD, we observed PL without retinal tears; some were accompanied by vitreous traction and tractional retinal detachment. Pre-, intra-, and post-operative assessments of original flap tears suggested that PL might be a risk factor for RRD, developing alongside or separately from LD.
Force sensorless fixed-time model-free impedance coordination control for uncertain underwater teleoperation systems
Authors: Yang Yana , Chen Yihang , Gan Lu , Hua Changchun
Published: February 2022

New robust fixed-time model-free impedance controllers are proposed in this paper for coordination control of underwater teleoperation systems with system model uncertainties and unknown external underwater interference. Firstly, the transparency and the flexibility of the master-slave manipulators are improved without force sensor, respectively. A new terminal sliding mode force observer is designed to estimate force in fixed time by designing observer parameters. Moreover, time delay estimators are designed to compensate for the effect of model uncertainties and unknown external disturbances. Furthermore, a novel nonsingular integral terminal sliding mode (NITSM) surface and fixed-time controllers are proposed, so that master-slave coordination control can be obtained in fixed time with zero errors. The coordination performance and global stability of the underwater teleoperation systems are proved with the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, simulation results highlight the feasibility of the proposed control scheme. The results show the super performance of the position and force coordination control for the underwater teleoperation systems.
WNK1/HSN2 Regulates Neural Development via GSK3β
Authors: Shimizu Masahiro , Shibuya Hiroshi
Published: February 2022

With no lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) phosphorylates and activates STE20/SPS1-related proline-alanine-rich protein kinase (SPAK) and oxidative stress responsive kinase 1 (OSR1) to regulate ion homeostasis in the kidney. Mutations in WNK1 result in dysregulation of the WNK1-SPAK/OSR1 pathway and cause pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII), a form of hypertension. WNK1 is also involved in the autosomal dominant neuropathy, hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II (HSANII). Mutations in a neural-specific splice variant of WNK1 (HSN2) cause HSANII. However, the mechanisms underlying HSN2 regulation in neurons and effects of HSN2 mutants remain unclear. Here, we found that HSN2 regulated neural development through OSR1 activation and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). Moreover, HSN2-OSR1 and HSN2-GSK3β signalling induced expression of LIM homeobox 8 (Lhx8), which is a key regulator of cholinergic neural function. The HSN2-OSR1/GSK3β-LHX8 pathway is therefore important for neural development. Consistently, HSN2 mutants reported in HSANII patients suppressed SPAK and OSR1 activation and LHX8 induction. Interestingly, HSN2 mutants also suppressed neural development by preventing interaction of between wild-type HSN2 and GSK3β. These results indicate that HSN2 mutants cause dysregulation of neural development via GSK3β in the HSN2 and/or WNK1 pathways.
Untargeted Lipidomics Reveals Specific Lipid Abnormalities in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: Li Zhengjun , Gu Wanjian , Qin Bin , Wang Yingzhuo , Liu Shijia , Wang Zhongqiu , Ji Wei
Published: February 2022

Objective.
To identify potential biomarkers, we used lipidomics to study the changes in serum lipids of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Methods.
Serum samples were collected from 115 patients with AS and 108 healthy controls (HCs). Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive spectrometry was used to explore the serum lipid changes and identify potential lipid biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of AS.
Results.
Lipid phenotypes associated with disease activity were detected in the serum of patients with AS, with increased levels of triacylglycerol (TAG) (18:0/18:1/20:0) and decreased levels of phosphatidylcholine (PC) (16:0e/26:4) and PC (18:1/22:6). These three lipids can be used as potential biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of AS. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Conclusion.
Our findings identified serum lipid biomarkers for AS and shed light on its diagnosis in the clinic.
Rapid and cost-efficient screening of bacterial antibiotic susceptibility in Enterobacteriaceae – an assay measured by absorbance
Authors: Axelsson Carolina , Nilson Bo , Rehnstam-Holm Ann-Sofi
Published: February 2022

Objectives
Due to the rise in antimicrobial resistance worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to rapidly receive information on the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated bacteria. Traditional phenotypic methods are slow but remain useful and have advantages such as low cost, as well as being easy to perform and having established analysis criteria. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a rapid assay that can detect antibiotic resistant bacteria phenotypically in less than 2 hours.
Methods
The microplate assay is based on absorbance measurements of bacterial strains grown in liquid media with and without antibiotics (cefotaxime, meropenem and ciprofloxacin). The absorbance was measured at the beginning of the assay, and after 90 minutes of incubation. If a bacterial isolate in absence of antibiotic had more than a 50% growth increase after 90 minutes, then the susceptibility/resistance was calculated by comparing the absorbance value of the culture in the presence of antibiotic at 90 minutes with the initial absorbance value.
Results
Here we show that it is possible to phenotypically screen antibiotic susceptibility of both clinical and environmental Enterobacteriaceae isolates in 90 minutes for three different antibiotics. The test showed an accuracy of 98,5%, a sensitivity of 97,4%, and a specificity of 99,3%. False susceptibility rates were 0,4% and false resistance rates were 1,2%.
Conclusion
This rapid and simple absorbance test has proven suitable for screening of antibiotic susceptibility for a large number of Enterobacteriaceae strains with high accuracy and sensitivity. The method can be performed without specialized and costly materials and/or equipment, which makes it highly suitable for laboratories with limited resources and might be especially important in laboratories situated in low income countries.
Evaluation of landslide susceptibility based on VW-AHP-IV model: a case of Pengyang County, Ningxia H. A. R., China
Authors: Li Minghong , Ma Chuanming , Qiu Yang , Xiong Hanxiang , Zhang Zechen
Published: February 2022

Landslide is one of the most common and severe geological disasters, which significantly endangers people's lives and properties. Therefore, the evaluation of landslide susceptibility in a specific area is important for disaster control and mitigation. This paper selected Pengyang County as the study area. It divided the indicator state levels, and further assigned a score for each indicator according to the related information values (IV) based on the analysis of graded area ratio and landslide occurrence frequency distribution. Because the solo analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method always causes large errors during the weight determination, a variable-weight based weighted information value (VW-AHP-IV) model was applied in this paper for landslide susceptibility evaluation. The study area was classified into four grades by the natural breakpoint method: high susceptibility area (11.80%), medium susceptibility area (29.23%), low susceptibility area (42.45%) and very low susceptibility area (16.52%). In addition, this paper also discussed the influences of precipitation and human activities. According to the evaluation results and discussion, the study area was classified into three prevention and control areas: focus prevention and control area, sub-focus prevention and control area, and general prevention and control area. For each area, the corresponding prevention and control suggestions were proposed in order to reduce the occurrence of landslide disasters.
Radiative Cooling Sorbent towards High Performance All Weather Ambient Water Harvesting
Authors: Zhu Wenkai , Zhang Chi , Zhang Yun , Shan Xiwei , Rao Akshay , Pitts Sarah , Woodbury Travest , Derome Dominique , Warsinger David , Mauer Lisa , Ruan Xiulin , Carmeliet Jan , Li Tian
Published: February 2022

Emerging atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technologies promise water supply to underdeveloped regions that have no access to liquid water resources. The prevailing AWH systems, including condensation- or sorption-based, mostly rely on a single mechanism and thus have a limited range of working conditions and inferior performance. In this study, we synergistically integrate multiple mechanisms, including thermosorption effect, radiative cooling, and multiscale cellulose-water interactions, and demonstrate a low-cost (~ 4 USD kg− 1) and high performance (up to 6.75 L kg− 1 day− 1 in field tests) AWH system requiring zero active energy input. The proposed system consists of a highly scalable and sustainable cellulose scaffold impregnated with hygroscopic deliquescent lithium chloride (LiCl) salt. Cellulose scaffold and coated LiCl synergistically interact with water at different scales from molecular, to nanometer, and micrometer scales, providing a fast harvesting rate and high yield over a wide operation range. Iterating radiative cooling and solar heating workflow achieves simultaneous enhancement of water capture and release through the so-called temperature-swing strategy. The captured water in return facilitates radiative cooling due to the intrinsically high infrared (IR) emissivity of the LiCl-cellulose composite. With our simple yet effective material design, the AWH working range extends to lower than ~ 10% relative humidity (RH), and the water uptake in the controlled lab test reaches 16 kg kg− 1 at 90% RH (sample at 19°C, i.e. 6°C below 25°C ambient temperature). In addition, we propose a theoretical model capable of elucidating the experimental water uptake curves and demonstrating the synergy among cellulose-LiCl-water-energy interaction. The promising performance emphasizes the potential of involving multiple AWH mechanisms and points to an alternative pathway to stimulate future improvement.
A Retrospective study on patients with intestinal fistula and management in Damascus hospital between 2015-2022
Authors: Alkurdi Khalil , Aljalloud Ramez , A.Kadri Saeed , Albakri Ezat , Jeha Mohamad , Alomar AbdAlkarim , M.A.Kubtan
Published: February 2022

Background
Intestinal fistula is an irregular opening that enables the contents to flow out. Surgical procedures, diverticular illness, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, radiation, and injury from trauma or foreign bodies are all common causes of intestinal fistulas.
Aims
The goal is to see if smoking is a risk factor for relapsing in patients with intestinal fistula, as well as to learn more about the most common cause of perianal abscess or fistula, which will provide us with more information about risk factors that can be avoided and early diagnostic investigations that will help us detect the disease early and limit its progression.
Methods
Patients who presented to Damascus Hospital with complaints of intestinal fistula symptoms and were diagnosed and treated in the general surgery and gastroenterology divisions between 2015 and 2022 and met admission requirements were included in the retrospective analysis.
Results
Out of 104 cases of fistula, the average age was 34.96, with a male-to-female ratio of 67–33%. The overall percentage of smokers in the sample is 59%, and the pathological history includes 43 cases of Crohn's Disease and eight cases of colon cancer. A history of surgery was found in 63% of the participants. Surgical treatment was used on 53% of the fistulas, whereas conservative treatment was used on 47%. The proportion of patients who relapsed was 77% in smokers and 31% in nonsmokers, with a statistically significant difference. In addition, when we looked at the occurrence of perianal abscess or fistula in patients with Crohn's disease, we discovered that 96 percent of patients with perianal fistula have Crohn's disease, indicating a statistically significant relationship between these two conditions.
Conclusion
Smoking and Crohn's disease have a statistically significant relationship with relapsing and the development of a perianal abscess or fistula.
Clinical efficacy of a systematic lung-protective protocol for COVID-19 pneumonia requiring invasive ventilation: A single-center retrospective study
Authors: Takahashi Yoshihiko , Utsumi Shu , Fujizuka Kenji , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Ushio Noritaka , Amemiya Yu , Nakamura Mitsunobu
Published: February 2022

Background
The benefits of introducing a systematic lung-protective protocol for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia and who require invasive ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) are unknown. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of introducing such a protocol in the context of mortality, duration of ventilation, and length of ICU stay.
Methods
In this single-center, retrospective, quality comparison study, we identified patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who received invasive ventilation in our ICU between February 2020 and October 2021. We established a systematic lung-protective protocol for the pre-introduction group until March 2021 and the post-introduction group after April 2021. Patients who did not receive invasive ventilation and who underwent veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a referring hospital were excluded. We collected patient characteristics at the time of ICU admission, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and Murray score. The study outcomes were ICU mortality, length of ICU stay, and duration of ventilation.
Results
The pre-introduction and post-introduction groups included 18 and 50 patients, respectively. No significant differences were observed in sex, BMI, SOFA score, APACHE II score, and Murray score; however, age was lower in the post-introduction group (70 vs. 56, p = 0.003). The introduction of this protocol did not improve ICU mortality. However, it reduced the ICU length of stay (26 days vs. 11 days, p = 0.003) and tended to shorten the duration of ventilation (15 days vs. 10 days, p = 0.06).
Conclusions
The introduction of the protocol was associated with a decrease in the length of ICU stay and duration of ventilation; however, it did not change mortality. The application of the protocol could improve the security of medical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further prospective multicentre studies are needed.
Size Effects on Process Performance and Product Quality in Progressive Microforming of Shafted Gears Revealed by Experiment and Numerical Modeling
Authors: Zheng Jun-Yuan , Liu Hui , Fu M. W.
Published: February 2022

As one of the indispensable actuating components in micro-systems, the shafted microgear is in great production demand. Microforming is a manufacturing process to produce microgears to meet the needs. Due to the small geometrical size, there are uncertain process performance and product quality issues in this production process. In this study, the shafted microgears were fabricated in two different scaling factors with four grain sizes using a progressively extrusion-blanking method. To explore the unknown of the process, grain-based modeling was proposed and employed to simulate the entire forming process. The results show that when the grains are large, the anisotropy of single grains has an obvious size effect on the forming behavior and process performance, the produced geometries and surface quality are worsened, and the deformation load is decreased. Five deformation zones were identified in the microstructures with different hardness and distributions of stress and strain. The simulation by using the proposed model successfully predicted the formation of zones and revealed the inhomogeneous deformation in the forming process. The undesirable geometries of microgears including material unfilling, burr and inclination were observed on the shaft and teeth of gear, and the inclination size is increased obviously with grain size. To avoid the formation of inclination and material unfilling, the punch was redesigned, and a die insert was added to constraint the bottom surface of the gear teeth. The new products had then the better forming quality.
The effect of endo-1, 4-β-xylanase from Thermomyces dupontii KKU−CLD−E2−3 on eucalyptus pulp bleaching and effluent treatment
Authors: Seemakram Wasan , Harada Hiroyuki , Ekprasert Jindarat , Boonlue Sophon
Published: February 2022

Endo-1, 4-β-xylanase-chlorine dioxide bleaching of eucalyptus pulp and analysis of effluent was investigated. The eucalyptus pulp bleaching in D0 stage was prepared with enzyme dose 100 Unit of 10% consistency and incubated at 70°C for 30 min. The brightness level was achieved up to 72.50 (% ISO). The kappa number and viscosity of eucalyptus pulp was found to be 1.70 and 8.90 (cp), respectively. The paper from pulp bleaching with enzyme has shown an increase in brightness, breaking length, bursting strength, and tearing resistance to be 89.60% IOS, 37.27 Nm/g, 138.81 kPa and 218.02 mN, respectively. The SEM and FTIR analysis of pulp fibers revealed a significance of morphological and structural changes. The analysis of the effluent also showed statistically-significant differences in TOC, BOD, TDS and TSS. The FTIR analysis of the effluent showed the organic compounds and chloride dioxin in cases of those treated by chemicals.
Computed Tomography Features and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Gastric Glomus Tumor
Authors: Xing Jingjing , Huang Wenpeng , Wang Fang , Chai Yaru , Gao Jianbo
Published: February 2022

Background
Gastric glomus tumor (GGT) is a rare neoplasm that lacks diagnostic experience, it is difficult to distinguish it from other gastric submucosal tumors. The objective of this study was to explore the clinicopathological features, computed tomography (CT) features and differential diagnosis of GGT to improve the understanding of the disease.
Methods
The clinical data and CT feature of 21 patients pathologically confirmed GGT were reviewed. The clinical data and CT features of benign GGT were compared with the gastric stromal tumors (GST) (n=30) and heterotopic pancreas (n=30).
Results
21 cases included 6 males and 15 females, aged 42-64 years. The lesion was in gastric body in 4 cases and gastric antrum in 17 cases. 20 cases of GGT were diagnosed as benign, 1 case was malignant. The glomus cells of benign cases were small, uniform, and round. Obvious mitotic figures and necrosis was observed in the malignant case. The tumor cells showed positive staining for SMA. 20 benign cases showed quasi-round or round solid mass protruded to the gastric cavity, the edge was clear and smooth. The ratio of long to short diameter was 1.01±0.15. All benign cases showed obvious enhancement, including homogeneous enhancement in 10 cases and heterogenous enhancement in 10 cases, central filling enhancement was seen in 12 cases. The ratio of CT value of lesion to abdominal aorta in arterial phase and venous phase were (0.41±0.11) and (0.81±0.20), which were significantly higher than GST and heterotopic pancreas. In 1 malignant case, the long diameter was 150 mm and thick diameter was 30 mm, the irregular mass broke through the gastric wall and invaded the liver with poorly defined boundary and internal necrosis, heterogeneous persistent moderate enhancement with thickening blood supply arteries was seen.
Conclusions
GGT is rare and most commonly occurs in the gastric antrum of middle-aged and elderly women. CT enhancement usually shows persistent obvious enhancement especially in arterial phase which provide important value for the diagnosis. CT findings can be contributed to the differential diagnosis of GGT and other submucosal tumors.
Studie: Die Darstellung von künstlichen Lebensformen in Computerspielen
Authors: Könitz Christopher
Published: February 2022

Was wäre wenn? Mittels medialer Darstellungen können bestimmte technische und gesellschaftliche Probleme dargestellt und damit reflexiv eingeholt werden. Insofern soll mit Blick auf das Zitat von Hannah Arendt untersucht werden, welche bildungstheoretischen Potenziale durch die Darstellung von künstlichen Lebensformen in Computerspielen eröffnet werden. Aufbauend auf der entwickelten komparativen Methodik, soll durch die Studie deren Funktionsweise dargestellt und überprüft werden. Die Bearbeitung der Fragestellung nach der Darstellung von künstlichen Lebensformen im Computerspiel, wird in der Studie in sieben Teilen vorgenommen. Im ersten Teil soll der Begriff des künstlichen Lebens und seine Relevanz in naturwissenschaftlich-ethischer Hinsicht, wie auch im Kontext medialer Darstellungen und insbesondere im Modus der Science Fiction untersucht werden. Im zweiten Teil wird die Mass-Effect-Trilogie, die den empirischen Ausgangspunkt für die Studie darstellt, hinsichtlich der dargestellten Spielwelt und der dargestellten Geschichte, anhand von Gamemaps rekonstruiert. Im dritten Teil der Studie wird die Medialität der Mass-Effect-Trilogie in den Blick genommen. Hierbei werden allgemeine strukturale Merkmale herausgearbeitet, welche relevant sind für die Kodierprozesse und das Verständnis der strukturalen Differenzen zwischen den drei Spielen der Trilogie. Im vierten Teil werde ich das aus dem offenen Kodieren entstandene Kategoriensystem darstellen und erläutern. Daran anschliessend, werden diese Kategorien und Eigenschaften in ein Darstellungsprofil der dargestellten künstlichen Lebensformen eingebracht. Damit soll die Gegenstandsbezogenheit der Kategorien und Eigenschaften sichtbar gemacht und jene wesentlichen künstlichen Lebensformen, die zur Ergebnisbildung dieser Studie beigetragen haben, konturiert werden. Hierbei werden auch wesentliche Strukturale Aspekte der Darstellung dieser künstlichen Lebensformen mit einbezogen. Im fünften Teil der Studie werden die wesentlichen Strukturalen Phänomene, im Kontext der dargestellten künstlichen Lebensformen herausgearbeitet. Diese sollen mit Blick auf die Darstellungsformen künstlicher Lebewesen, die Voraussetzungen, Mechanismen und Prozesse auf der Mikroebene des Spiels in den Blick nehmen. Daran anschliessend sollen im sechsten Teil der Studie das zentrale strukturale Phänomen und damit verbunden, die Bildungspotenziale herausgearbeitet werden. Im siebten Teil der Studie werden die Ergebnisse zusammengefasst und diskutiert. Daran anschliessend soll auch ein Ausblick über die möglichen Erweiterungen und Weiterentwicklungen der Studie gegeben werden.
mbira of the Ndau
Authors: Tracey Andrew
Published: February 2022

The article, arising from research done in 1972, follows on the author’s series of analyses of the instrumental music of the Shona and Sena peoples of the Zambezi Valley. The analyses in this article focus on the relatively unknown mbira of the Ndau. The article describes its hexatonic note layout, highly variable tunings, and its variations among the Ndau-and Shangana-speaking groups in Southeast Zimbabwe and adjacent regions of Mozambique and South Africa. It includes the historical effect of the Shangana invasion of the nineteenth century into Mozambique. The article further discusses the transcription of the mbira’s music, in staff or the author’s own tablature, with detailed description of the latter. It compares Ndau with Shona concepts of ownership of songs, the practice of kubempa as used by Ndau travelling musicians and the difficulties of working in pre-independence Mozambique. The article presents songs in tablature, some by Bonisa Sithole, the author’s field assistant.
Examining the success of Malian music as world music
Authors: Hickson Jim
Published: February 2022

Malian music is ubiquitous in world music. Indeed, Malian artists consistently appear more often and rank higher in world music record charts than artists of any other nationality. While the concept and industry of world music and the histories and workings of Malian music have been examined at length in the past, scholarship on the intersection of the two has been sparse. This article investigates how various marketing techniques and narrative tropes have been used to secure Mali’s on-going presence within world music. Tuareg essouf band Tinariwen is introduced as a specific case study to allow exploration into themes of audience familiarity and unfamiliarity; the use of wider narratives to promote music; and the role of cultural brokers in this process. Malian music can be considered ideal for the world music markets, with musical, narrative and political forces aligning in an optimal manner to facilitate the most effective strategies of marketing towards world music audiences. By studying the dominance of Malian music in world music, we can examine more clearly the mechanics of the industry, but also the attitudes and behaviours of the world music audience and the artistic, industrial and even institutional practices and processes that define world music as a whole.
Alüminyum Alaşımlarının Dökümünde Yaygınca Kullanılan Sıvı Metal Temizleme Yöntemlerinin İncelenmesi
Authors: TOKATLI Mehmet , SAYDAM Ferhat , HAL Murat , KOŞATEPE Abdulhadi , ÇOLAK Murat , YÜKSEL Çağlar
Published: February 2022

Alüminyum ve alaşımlarının birçok avantajlı özelliği sayesinde metal dökümü endüstrisinde demir-çelikten sonra kendisine ikinci sırada yer bulmayı başarmıştır. Alüminyum üretimi cevherden ve hurdadan geri dönüşüm şeklinde temelde iki farklı prosesle elde edilmektedir. Alüminyumun en önemli hammaddesi boksittir ve birincil alüminyum bu cevherden elde edilir. Alüminyum üretiminde boksit cevherinden üretim, hurdadan geri dönüşüme nazaran çok daha fazla enerjiye ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Üretici girdisinde de ciddi ekonomik değere sahip olan ikincil alüminyum sanayide oldukça fazla kullanılmaktadır. Ancak geri dönüşüm yoluyla ikincil alüminyum kullanımında karşılaşılan en önemli problemler sıvı metal kalitesinin optimizasyonu ve ilave sıvı metal işlemlerinin gereksinimidir. Yüksek kaliteli alüminyum dökümler üretmek için, çözünmüş hidrojenin, çift katlı oksit filmlerinin (bifilm), katışkıların (inklüzyon) ve safsızlıkların (empürite) arındırılması gerekmektedir. Bu amaçla endüstride birçok sıvı metal temizleme yöntemi kullanılmakta ve her geçen gün alternatif yeni yöntemler geliştirme çalışmaları devam etmektedir. Bu derlemede de bu perspektiften bakılarak, alüminyum ve alaşımlarının dökümünde güncel olarak yaygınca kullanım bulan sıvı metal temizleme yöntemlerinden; flaks kullanımı, rotary (döner tip) gaz giderme, kontrollü katılaştırma yöntemi, elektromanyetik yönlü gaz giderme, sprey gaz giderme, ultrasonik gaz giderme yöntemi, vakumlu gaz giderme yöntemleri ele alınmıştır.
MOCVD ile büyütülen GaN p-i-n yapısındaki sarı ışık merkezinin elektro-optik ölçümlerle incelenmesi
Authors: AYARCI KURUOĞLU Neslihan
Published: February 2022

Bu çalışmada, metal organik buhar fazlı epitaksi ile üretilmiş GaN p-i-n yapı, elektrolüminesans (EL) ve sıcaklığa akım-gerilim ölçümleriyle incelenmiştir. GaN p-i-n yapının, düz besleme geriliminde uzay yükü sınırlamalı bölgeye karşılık gelen 50 mA enjeksiyon akımı altında, tepe noktası 2.2 eV enerjisinde olan sarı ışık yaydığı gözlenmiştir. Ayrıca, uzay yükü sınırlamalı bölgeden türetilen mobilitenin, elektrik alan bağlılığının Poole-Frenkel türünde olduğu saptanmış ve termal enerji aralığı 0.299 eV olarak hesaplanmıştır. Hesaplanan bu enerji aralığı, EL ölçümünden elde edilen sonuçlarla desteklenmiştir.
Estimating the Effects of Filler Metal and Alloying Elements for Against Solidification Cracking Susceptibility of AZ-Mg Alloys
Authors: SOYSAL Tayfun
Published: February 2022

Solidification cracking is a concern for welding magnesium (Mg) alloys. An index, the maximum │dT/d(fS)1/2│,was used with the thermodynamic software Pandat to make solidification cracking susceptibility predictions for AZ-Mg arc welds which have the main alloying elements of aluminum and zinc in the magnesium matrix. The effect of AZ101 magnesium filler on reducing crack susceptibility of commercially available AZ31, AZ61 and AZ91 Mg alloys was investigated with the crack susceptibility index. The filler metal AZ101 Mg alloy was found effective to reduce the susceptibility of all the three AZ-Mg alloys to solidification cracking. The influence of the amount of aluminum and zinc in the AZ-Mg alloys on the crack susceptibility was predicted using the cracking index and Pandat based on Scheil solidification model. The predictions based on the index were compared to the experimental crack susceptibility data of the AZ-Mg alloys, and it was seen that the general trend of both predictions and the reported data was consistent with each other. The predictions were explained in the light of the criterion proposed for solidification cracking.
Prediction of I-131 Influence in the Aegean Region by Chernobyl Accident Using the Ratio of I-129/I-127 in the Lake Sediments
Authors: DİLEK David Alper , EREN BELGİN Ezgi , AYÇIK Gül Asiye
Published: February 2022

After the Chernobyl accident, as in many countries, the short half-life I-131 radioactivity could not be measured in Turkey-Aegean Region. By using Cs-137 radioactivity, which is easy to monitor, I-131 radioactivity was tried to be predicted, but it was thought that the results obtained by these two radioisotopes because of their different chemical properties would not be correct. In this study I-129 was studied to predict the retrospective I-131 radioactivity. I-129, another iodine radioisotope, was thought to be more appropriate as a predictive agent because of the same chemical properties as I-131 and also its long half-life. I-129 was measured in the Bafa Lake sediments by using microwave digestion, extraction and AMS methods and retrospective I-131 activity was predicted. As a result, it was found that I-131 radioactivity values in Bafa Lake habitat is between 9.78x10-3 Bqkg-1 and 1.02x10-2 Bqkg-1 and the accuracy of the method used has been proved.
Contribution of the reservoir backflow to the eutrophication of its tributary: a case study of the Xiangxi River, China
Authors: Luo Wenguang , Luo Xin , Lu Jing , Bo Ming
Published: February 2022

Based on the routine water quality monitoring data of the Xiangxi River and its main monitoring section from January 2014 to May 2016, the monthly dynamics of nutrient concentrations and fluxes were analyzed, and the relationship between the water exchange between the reservoir and the tributaries and the changes of nutrient fluxes in the river was established. The results showed that the nutrient flux in the Xiangxi bay estuary was negatively correlated with the reservoir reflux intensity, and the overall correlation coefficient was −0.52. Four nutrient indexes, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen (), and soluble phosphorus, all showed the same regularity and characteristics, among which was particularly prominent. It can be concluded that the variation of nutrient salts in the water body of the tributary bay is mainly determined by the water exchange between the reservoir and the tributary. In addition, the change of chemical oxygen demand and chlorophyll a flux in the Xiangxi Bay and water exchange in the reservoir area were analyzed. We found that changes in the hydraulic conditions of the return flow in the reservoir area can destroy the suitable flow environment necessary for the survival of algae, thus preventing the proliferation of harmful algae. Therefore, by controlling the hydrodynamic conditions between the reservoir area and the tributaries and changing the degree of water exchange between them, the objective of improving the water environment in the Xiangxi Bay can be achieved to a large extent.