bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Deep Belief Network Model Constructed by Improved Conditional RBMs and its Application in RUL Prediction for Hydraulic Pumps
Authors: Yu He , Tian Zaike , Li Hongru , Xu Baohua , An Guoqing
Published: October 2020

Residual Useful Life (RUL) prediction is a key step of Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM). Deep learning-based techniques have shown wonderful prospects on RUL prediction, although their performances depend on heavy structures and parameter tuning strategies of these deep-learning models. In this paper, we propose a novel Deep Belief Network (DBN) model constructed by improved conditional Restrict Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) and apply it in RUL prediction for hydraulic pumps. DBN is a deep probabilistic digraph neural network that consists of multiple layers of RBMs. Since RBM is an undirected graph model and there is no communication among the nodes of the same layer, the deep feature extraction capability of the original DBN model can hardly ensure the accuracy of modeling continuous data. To address this issue, the DBN model is improved by replacing RBM with the Improved Conditional RBM (ICRBM) that adds timing linkage factors and constraint variables among the nodes of the same layers on the basis of RBM. The proposed model is applied to RUL prediction of hydraulic pumps, and the results show that the prediction model proposed in this paper has higher prediction accuracy compared with traditional DBNs, BP networks, support vector machines and modified DBNs such as DEBN and GC-DBN.
Inertial Actuator with Virtual Mass for Active Vibration Control
Authors: Mao Qibo , Li Shenquan , Huang Shizuo
Published: October 2020

Inertial actuators (IAs) are often used as control units in active noise and vibration control systems. It is well-known that the IA's natural frequency should be far below that of the structure under control to ensure good stability margins. However, under normal circumstances, an IA with low natural frequency either increases the additional weight or causes unwanted static displacement of the IA's proof-mass. In this study, an IA with virtual mass is presented to reduce the IA's natural frequency without changing its physical design. The virtual mass of the IA is realized by using the proof-mass acceleration feedback as a local loop within the IA. Thus, the IA's natural frequency can be shifted to low frequency for active control application. The proposed IA with virtual mass is then applied to actively control a clamped beam's vibration based on the velocity feedback control system. The experimental results show that the stability of the control system and the control performance can be improved significantly as the IA's natural frequency is reduced with virtual mass.
A New Intelligent Weak Fault Recognition Framework for Rotating Machinery
Authors: Zhao Xiaoli , Jia Minping , Ding Peng , Yang Cheng , She Daoming , Zhu Lin , Liu Zheng
Published: October 2020

The presence of strong background noises makes it a challenging task to detect weak fault characteristics in vibration signals collected from rotating machinery. Thus, a two-stage intelligent weak fault recognition framework, which includes signal enhancement and intelligent recognition, is proposed in this work. The signal enhancement is accomplished via an optimized relevant variational mode decomposition (ORVMD) algorithm. Specifically, the optimal parameters are derived by combining a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and the novel defined relevant energy (Re) index. This optimized VMD algorithm can extract the principal components from the raw signals. Then, the enhanced vibration signals via the proposed ORVMD are converted into spectral signals and fed into an improved stacked auto-encoder (ISAE) algorithm for fault recognition. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and fault diagnosis framework in rotating machinery fault recognition and detection.
Economic and Technical Analysis of Utilization Pistia Stratiotes as Magelang Duck Alternative Feed: An Agribusiness Paradigm
Authors: Setiadi Agus , Santoso Siswanto Imam , Suprijatna Edjeng , Sarjana Teysar Adi , Nurfadillah Suryani
Published: October 2020

This study was conducted to determine the economic analysis, performance analysis and chemical quality of the meat of the utilization of pistia stratiotes (PS) in Magelang duck feed. Most duck feed is still very dependent on imports from other countries so there is a need to find alternative feedstuff that are not competing with humans. The experimental research was conducted at the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Agriculture Undip using 4 treatments, namely T0 duck feed without the addition of PS in feed, T1 added 6% PS in feed, T2 added 12% PS in feed and T3 added 18% PS in duck feed. Parameters observed were final body weight, feed consumption, Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), mortality, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, antioxidants, feed costs, income over feed costs, return on investment (ROI) and RC ratio. Feed consumption on T3 was the highest. Final body weight on T3 was not significantly different (P> 0.05) compared to T1 and T2 but higher than T0 (P<0.05). The FCR between T3, T2 and T1 was not significantly different (P>0.05), but was lower than T0, duck mortality in this study 0. Blood chemistry analysis (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL) showed that T2 and T3 were significantly better than T0 and T1. The results of the economic analysis showed that ducks given PS at T2 and T3 had significant lower feed costs compared to T0 and T1, while ROI from T1, T2 and T3 were significantly higher than T0. The highest IOFC was achieved when duck were fed (T2), while the lowest IOFC was at T0. R/C ratio of T1, T2 and T3 was not significantly different, but higher when compared to T0. Based on the results of technical and economic analysis, the use of PS in 12% duck feed gave the best result of technical and economic performance
Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals evolutionary divergence and shared network of cold and salt stress response in diploid D-genome cotton
Authors: Xu Yanchao , Magwanga Richard , Jin Dingsha , Cai Xiaoyan , Hou Yuqing , Juyun Zheng , Agong Stephen Gaya , Zhou Baoliang , Wang Kunbo , Liu Fang , Zhou Zhongli
Published: October 2020

Background: Wild species of cotton are excellent resistance to abiotic stress. Diploid D-genome cotton showed abundant phenotypic diversity and was the putative donor species of allotetraploid cotton which produce the largest textile natural fiber.Results: A total of 41,053 genes were expressed in all samples by mapping RNA-seq Illumina reads of G. thurberi (D1), G. klotzschianum (D3-k), G. raimondii (D5) and G. trilobum (D8) to reference genome. The numbers of differently expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly higher under cold stress than salt stress. However, 34.1% DEGs under salt stress were overlapped with cold stress in four species. Notably, a potential shared network (cold and salt response, including 16 genes) was mined out by gene co-expression analysis. A total of 47,180- 55,548 unique genes were identified in four diploid species by De novo assembly. Furthermore, 163, 344, 330, and 161 positively selected genes (PSGs) were detected in thurberi, G. klotzschianum, G. raimondii and G. trilobum by evolutionary analysis, respectively, and 9.5% - 17% PSGs of four species were DEGs in corresponding species under cold or salt stress. What’s more, most of PSGs were enriched GO term related to response to stimulation. G. klotzschianum showed the best tolerance under both cold and salt stress. Interestingly, we found that a RALF-like protein coding gene not only is PSGs of G. klotzschianum, but also belongs to the potential shared network.Conclusion: Our study provided new evidence that gene expression variations of evolution by natural selection were essential drivers of the morphological variations related to environmental adaptation during evolution. Additionally, there exist shared regulated networks under cold and salt stress, such as Ca2+ signal transduction and oxidation-reduction processes. Our work establishes a transcriptomic selection mechanism for altering gene expression of the four diploid D-genome cotton and provides available gene resource underlying multi-abiotic resistant cotton breeding strategy.
Clinical outcomes of early gastric cardiac cancer treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with different indications
Authors: Fan Ting , Sun Qi , Cao Shouli , Fan Xiangshan , Huang Qin , Zhang Shu , Lv Ying , Zhang Xiaoqi , Ling Tingsheng , Wang Lei , Zou Xiaoping , Xu Guifang
Published: October 2020

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been accepted as a standard treatment for early gastric cardiac cancer (EGCC). Here, we investigate the clinical outcomes of the EGCC patients who underwent ESD in different indications.Methods: From January 2011 to October 2019, we enrolled 502 EGCC lesions from 495 patients which were resected by ESD at our center. We retrospectively analyzed the short-term and long-term clinical outcomes among different indication groups.Results: The number of the patients in the absolute indication (AI), expanded indication (EI) and beyond the expanded indication (BEI) groups was 265, 137 and 93, respectively. The en bloc resection rate was 100%, 100% and 98.9% (P=0.185). The complete resection rate was 99.3%, 98.5% and 74.5%, respectively (P<0.001). During a median follow-up of 48.1 months, the lymph node metastasis rate was 0%, 0% and 2.3% (P<0.001). The distant metastasis rate was 0.4%, 0% and 2.3% (P=0.150). The five-year disease-specific survival rate in the BEI group was 96.6% (P=0.016), compared to 99.6% in the AI group and 100% in the EI group.Conclusion: The efficacy for ESD patients in EI group was almost equal to the AI group. Patients in the BEI group showed generally favorable clinical outcomes and needed to be carefully checked after ESD. ESD may be an optional treatment for patients unsuitable for gastrectomy.
Metabonomics coupled with integrated approach reveals the therapeutic effect of higenamine combined with [6]-gingerol on doxorubicin - induced chronic heart failure in rats
Authors: Wen Jianxia , Ma Xiao , Niu Ming , Hao Junjie , Huang Ying , Wang Ruilin , Li Ruisheng , Wang Jian , Zhao Yanling
Published: October 2020

The combination of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (ALRP) and Zingiberis Rhizoma (ZR) is one of the most typical representatives reflecting the very essence of the theory of Chinese material medica compatibility, which has been used to treat cardiovascular disease for many years. Previously, we demonstrated that ALRP-ZR prevented doxorubicin (DOX)-induced chronic heart failure (CHF) in vivo. However, its active components are still unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of higenamine combined with [6]-gingerol (HG/[6]-GR) against doxorubicin (DOX) - induced chronic heart failure (CHF) in rats. Therapeutic effects of HG/[6]-GR on hemodynamics indices, serum biochemical indicators, histopathology and TUNEL staining of rats were assessed. Moreover, a UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based serum metabonomic approach coupled with biochemical assay has been performed to identify the potential mechanisms of HG/[6]-GR on DOX-induced CHF. HG/[6]-GR had effects on promoting of hemodynamic indices, decreasing serum biochemical indicators, and alleviating histological damage of heart tissue. Serum metabonomics analyses indicated that the therapeutic effects of HG and [6]-GR were mainly associated with the regulation of eight metabolites and twelve pathways, which may be responsible for the therapeutic efficacy of HG/[6]-GR. Moreover, the results showed that HG/[6]-GR could substantially regulate the expression level of energy metabolism-related metabolites and pathways. Multivariate statistical analysis has provided new insights for understanding CHF and investigating the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of HG/[6]-GR, which influencing the metabolites related to energy metabolism pathway.
SETDB1 promotes glioblastoma growth via CSF-1 - dependent macrophage recruitment by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Han Shuai , Zhen Wei , Guo Tongqi , Zou Jianjun , Li Fuyong
Published: October 2020

Background: Glioblastoma is a common disease of the central nervous system (CNS), with high morbidity and mortality. In the infiltrate in the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are abundant, which are important factors in glioblastoma progression. However, the exact details of TAMs in glioblastoma progression have yet to be determined. Methods: The clinical relevance of SET domain bifurcated 1 (SETDB1) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and Western blotting of glioblastoma tissues. SETDB1-induced cell proliferation, migration and invasion were investigated by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound healing and Transwell assay. The relationship between SETDB1 and colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), as well as TAMs recruitment was examined by Western blotting, real-time PCR and syngeneic mouse model.Results: Our findings showed that SETDB1 upregulated in glioblastoma and relative to poor progression. Gain and loss of function approaches showed the SETDB1 overexpression promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in glioblastoma cells. However, knockdown SETDB1 exerted opposite effects in vitro. Moreover, SETDB1 promotes AKT/mTOR-dependent CSF-1 induction and secretion, which leads to macrophage recruitment in the tumor, resulted in tumor growth. Conclusion: Our research clarified that SETDB1 regulates of tumor microenvironment and hence presents a potential therapeutic target for treating glioblastoma.
Using Trial Sequential Analysis for estimating the sample sizes of further trials: example using smoking cessation intervention
Authors: Claire Ravinder , Gluud Christian , Berlin Ivan , Coleman Tim , Leonardi-Bee Jo
Published: October 2020

Background: Assessing benefits and harms of health interventions is resource-intensive and often requires feasibility and pilot trials followed by adequately powered randomised clinical trials. Data from feasibility and pilot trials are used to inform the design and sample size of the adequately powered randomised clinical trials. When a randomised clinical trial is conducted, results from feasibility and pilot trials may be disregarded in terms of benefits and harms.Methods: We describe using feasibility and pilot trial data in the Trial Sequential Analysis software to estimate the required sample size for one or more trials investigating a behavioural smoking cessation intervention. We show how data from a new, planned trial can be combined with data from the earlier trials using trial sequential analysis methods to assess the intervention's effects. Results: We provide a worked example to illustrate how we successfully used the Trial Sequential Analysis software to arrive at a sensible sample size for a new randomised clinical trial and use it in the argumentation for research funds for the trial. Conclusions: Trial Sequential Analysis can utilise data from feasibility and pilot trials as well as other trials, to estimate a sample size for one or more, similarly designed, future randomised clinical trials. As this method uses available data, estimated sample sizes may be smaller than they would have been using conventional sample size estimation methods.
Genome-wide characterization and expression analysis of the heat shock transcription factor family in pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata)
Authors: Shen Changwei , Yuan Jingping
Published: October 2020

Background: Crop quality and yield are affected by abiotic and biotic stresses, and heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are considered to play important roles in regulating plant tolerance under various stresses. To investigate the response of Cucurbita moschata to abiotic stress, we analyzed the genome of C. moschata.Results: In this research, a total of 36 C. moschata Hsf (CmHsf) members were identified and classified into three subfamilies (I, II, and III) according to their amino acid sequence identity. The Hsfs of the same subfamily usually exhibit a similar gene structure (intron-exon distribution) and conserved domains (DNA-binding and other functional domains). Chromosome localization analysis showed that the 36 CmHsfs were unevenly distributed on 18 of the 21 chromosomes (except for Cm_Chr00, Cm_Chr08 and Cm_Chr20), among which 18 genes formed 9 duplicated gene pairs that have undergone segmental duplication events. The Ka/Ks ratio showed that the duplicated CmHsfs have mainly experienced strong purifying selection. High-level synteny was observed between C. moschata and other Cucurbitaceae species.Conclusions: The expression profile of CmHsfs in the roots, stems, cotyledons and true leaves revealed that the CmHsfs exhibit tissue specificity. The analysis of cis-acting elements and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) revealed that some key CmHsfs were activated by cold stress, heat stress, hormones and salicylic acid. This study lays the foundation for revealing the role of CmHsfs in resistance to various stresses, which is of great significance for the selection of stress-tolerant C. moschata.
Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Modeling of The Longitudinal Relationship Between Sub-Health and Cold Hypersensitivity
Authors: Jin Hee-Jeong , Kim Sujung , Lee Siwoo
Published: October 2020

Background: Sub-health refers to abnormal symptoms that occur in the body, but with no specific disease, and a high probability of future diseases. Meanwhile, cold hypersensitivity is one of the most basic diagnosis methods used in Oriental medicine for explaining a patient’s health status, and various studies have supported its association with health status. The present study analyzed differences in cold hypersensitivity regarding health status and examined changes in health status and cold hypersensitivity over time. Methods: The health status and cold hypersensitivity of 255 adults from Daejeon in South Korea were examined. To assess the longitudinal relationship between health status and cold hypersensitivity, data at baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up were used for analysis using an autoregressive cross-lagged model (ARCLM).Results: ARCLM analysis showed that the path coefficients of each autoregressive coefficient (baseline to 6-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up to 12-month follow-up) of health status and cold hypersensitivity moving from measurement time point t to t+1 were significant in all time intervals. The same was true for health status patterns. Thus, these findings suggested that health status and cold hypersensitivity were not transient symptoms but persisted over time. The findings also showed that health status had a significant cross-lagged effect on cold hypersensitivity.Conclusions: Health status and cold hypersensitivity were found to be stable and associated with each other over time. Therefore, consistent care is necessary to maintain health status and treat cold hypersensitivity. The longitudinal data used in this study to examine the causal relationship between health status and cold hypersensitivity demonstrate the diagnostic value of cold hypersensitivity and the need for health status-based interventions.
The Components of Workplace Violence against Nurses from the Perspective of Women Working in a Hospital in Tehran: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Mansourian Morteza , Faghihi Mitra , Farshad Aliasghar , Abhari Maryam Biglari , Azadi Nammamali
Published: October 2020

Background: Based on the World Health Organization (WHO), workplace violence can affect events where employees are abused, threatened or attacked in their workplace, and it also has some consequences such as safety, welfare, and health. Like other types of violence, workplace violence and aggression is an increasing phenomenon. Moreover, workplace violence not only disrupts interpersonal and organizational relationships, but it also impairs people's self-esteem and affects their physical and mental health and well-being. Thus, the present study aimed to explain the components of workplace violence against nurses from the perspective of women working in a hospital in Tehran, which was conducted through the qualitative method and content analysis.Methods: Purposive sampling included 21 female nurses who were working in different wards of the hospital. Also, female nurses were selected with maximum diversity in terms of age, work experience, and the wards they were working in. The semi-structured interview was the main method of data collection in this study. The interview transcriptions were extracted and then divided into meaningful units. For strengthening and confirming the results and accuracy of the research, the author used the data credibility, acceptability, validity, accuracy, believability, verifiability, reliability, and transferability.Results: During the data analysis process, the first 15 classes with the same characteristics were put together and then divided into 6 classes. Afterward, based on the common features at a more abstract level, they were converted into 2 themes. Based on the findings, violence against women in the workplace occurs at two levels, namely interpersonal violence and organizational coercion.Conclusions: Therefore, it is necessary for managers to commit to lay the groundwork for reducing violence in the hospital, to lower the level of violence in workplaces, as well as barriers to report these cases especially in hospitals, and managers and officials’ awareness on violence in these workplaces must effort to prevent and reduce it.
Stimulation-induced differential redistributions of clathrin and clathrin-coated vesicles in axons compared to soma/dendrites
Authors: Tao-Cheng Jung-Hwa
Published: October 2020

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis plays an important role in the recycling of synaptic vesicle in presynaptic terminals, and in the recycling of transmitter receptors in neuronal soma/dendrites. The present study uses electron microscopy (EM) and immunogold EM to document the different categories of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCV) and pits (CCP) in axons compared to soma/dendrites, and the depolarization-induced redistribution of clathrin in these two polarized compartments of the neuron. The size of CCVs in presynaptic terminals (~40 nm; similar to the size of synaptic vesicles) is considerably smaller than the size of CCVs in soma/dendrites (~90 nm). Furthermore, neuronal stimulation induces an increase in the number of CCV/CCP in presynaptic terminals, but a decrease in soma/dendrites. Immunogold labeling of clathrin revealed that in presynaptic terminals under resting conditions, the majority of clathrin molecules are unassembled and concentrated outside of synaptic vesicle clusters. Upon depolarization with high K+, label for clathrin became scattered among de-clustered synaptic vesicles and moved closer to the presynaptic active zone. In contrast to axons, clathrin-labeled CCVs and CCPs were prominent in soma/dendrites under resting conditions, and became inconspicuous upon depolarization with high K+. Thus, EM examination suggests that the regulation and mechanism of clathrin-mediated endocytosis differ between axon and dendrite, and that clathrin redistributes differently in these two neuronal compartments upon depolarization.
Differential Effects of Encapsulation of Rat ADSCs in Fibrin Matrix and Combination Delivery of BDNF and Gold Nanoparticles on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
Authors: Razavi Shahnaz , Jahromi Maliheh , Vatankhah Elham , Seyedebrahimi Reihaneh
Published: October 2020

Background: Fibrin as an extracellular matrix feature like biocompatibility, creates a favorable environment for proliferation and migration of cells and acts as a reservoir for storage and release of growth factors in tissue engineering. Methods: In this study, the inner surface electrospun poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofibrous conduit was biofunctionalized with laminin containing brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and gold nanoparticles in chitosan nanoparticle. The rats were randomly divided into five groups, including autograft group as the positive control, PLGA conduit coated by laminin and filled with DMEM/F12, PLGA conduit coated by laminin and filled with adipose-derived stem cells (rADSCs) , PLGA conduit coated by laminin containing gold-chitosan nanoparticles (AuNPs-CNPs), BDNF-chitosan nanoparticles (BDNF-CNPs) and filled with rADSCs or filled with rADSCs suspended in fibrin matrix, and they were implanted to bridge a 10 mm rat sciatic nerve gap. Eventually, axonal regeneration and functional recovery were assessed after 12 weeks.Results: After 3months post-surgery period, the results showed that in the PLGA conduit filled with rADSCs without fibrin matrix group, positive effects were obtained as compared to other implanted groups by increasing the sciatic functional index significantly (p < 0.05). In addition, the diameter nerve fibers had a significant difference mean in the PLGA conduit coated by laminin and conduit filled with rADSCs in fibrin matrix groups relative to the autograft group (p< 0.001). However, G-ratio and amplitude (AMP) results showed that fibrin matrix might have beneficial effects on nerve regeneration but, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR outcomes indicated that the implanted conduit which filled with rADSCs with or without BDNF-CNPs and AuNPs-CNPs had significantly higher expression of S100, MBP and NF200 markers than other conduit implanted groups (p< 0.05).Conclusions: It seems, in this study differential effects of fibrin matrix, could be interfered it with other factors thereby and further studies are required to determine the distinctive effects of fibrin matrix combination with other exogenous factors in peripheral nerve regeneration.
The Zierikzee Herbarium: An analysis of the contents and origins of an enigmatic herbarium
Authors: Offerhaus Aleida , de Haas Emma , Porck Henk , Kardinaal Adriaan , Ek Renske , Pokorni Omar , Andel Tinde van
Published: October 2020

The Municipal Museum of Zierikzee houses a loose-leafed herbarium containing 360 dried plant specimens, of which the provenance, age and maker were until recently unknown. By studying the plant specimens, paper, decorations and labels, an image was conveyed of an early 18th century herbarium that matched the description of a herbarium from the legacy of Jakob Ligtvoet, who was gardener in the Leiden Hortus botanicus from 1703 till his death in 1752. This herbarium is one of the oldest garden herbaria of its kind and contains 306 unique species, of which 201 are currently native to the Netherlands. Exotic species come from the Mediterranean (82 spp.), Europe (24), South Africa (8), the Americas (9) and in tropical Asia (7). Based on our comparison of names on the oldest labels, this collection of dried plants was probably started after publication of the first garden catalogue by the prefect of the Leiden garden and professor of botany Herman Boerhaave (1710), but before the second edition in 1719. This historic herbarium reflects the state-of-the-art of botanical science and the international network of Dutch botanical gardens in the early 18th century.
Exogenous AMF with Glycine Betaine Reduces Cr (VI) Uptake and Alleviates Chromium Toxicity by Supressing the Oxidative Stress in Three Genetically Different Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Cultivars
Authors: Kumar Praveen
Published: October 2020

Background: Chromium is most toxic pollutant that negatively affects plant’s metabolic activities and yield. It reduces plant growth by influencing the antioxidant defense system’s activities. The aim of the present research was to examine the ameliorative capability of exogenous GB and AMF spiked in soil, either individually or in combination against Cr toxicity. The ameliorative effects were studied in terms of Cr uptake, grain yield, antioxidative defense system parameters (viz. enzymes – SOD, APX, CAT, GR, POX and metabolites – proline, glutathione, ascorbate, β-carotene) and indices of oxidative stress parameters (viz. PPO, H2O2, and MDA). Results:The results delineated that Cr uptake and indices of oxidative stress were increased with increasing concentration of Cr stress in all the varieties (HJ 541, HJ513 & SSG 59-3) at both the growth stages (35 & 95 DAS). At higher concentration (4 ppm), Cr stress decreased the grain yield (45-50%) as compared with controls. PPO activity, MDA and H2O2 content increased at both growth stages in all the varieties. However, antioxidative enzymes and metabolite activities increased due to Cr stress but this increase was not sufficient to counteract with ROS generated under Cr stress which was enhanced on the application of AMF and GB either individually or in combination (spiked in soil). It decreased the indices of oxidative stress and ameliorated the Cr toxicity and increased grain yield (65-70%) in all the varieties. Conclusions:Both GB and AMF, improved the plant growth and stress tolerance capacity of the plant. GB at both 50 and 100 mM level, significantly ameliorated Cr (VI) toxicity. However, AMF concomitantly with GB further boost up the amelioration behavior of the plant against Cr toxicity, at both growth stages in all the varieties. The combination of 100 mM GB with 10 g AMF was observed most effective among all the treatments. Among the varieties SSG 59-3 had the lowest chromium uptake, indices of oxidative stress, and highest antioxidative system’s activity as compared to HJ 513 followed by HJ 541 variety. Thus AMF and GB either individually or in combination may be used to maintain plant yield attributes under Cr toxicity.
Proteomic Analysis of CRISPR Cas 9 Mediated Mdig Deletion in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Thakur Chitra , Zhang Qian , Carruthers Nicholas J , Xu Liping , Fu Yao , Bi Zhuoyue , Zhang Wenxuan , Wadgaonkar Priya , Almutairy Bandar , Stemmer Paul M , Chen Fei
Published: October 2020

BackgroundWe have identified an environmentally inducible gene, mdig that predicted the overall survival in breast cancer patients. We showed that mdig regulated breast cancer cell growth, motility and invasion partially through DNA and histone methylation. However, we have lacked a comprehensive analysis of the proteomic profile of mdig in triple negative breast cancer cells. MethodsWe applied mass spectrometry to acquire global proteomic and post translational modification analysis for triple negative breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 that had mdig deleted via CRISPR Cas 9 gene editing. Using label-free bottom up quantitative proteomics, we compared wildtype control (WT) and mdig knockout (KO) MDA-MB-231 cells and identified the proteins and pathways that are significantly altered with mdig deletion. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) platform was further used to explore the signaling pathway networks incorporating differentially expressed proteins. Results904 differentially expressed (p < 0.005) proteins were identified in MDA-MB-231 cells that had mdig deletion. Approximately 30 pathways and networks linked to the pathogenicity of breast cancer and populated by the differentially expressed proteins were either activated or inhibited. IPA established that the differentially expressed proteins have relevant biological actions in cell growth, motility and malignancy. This analysis provides a rich source of potential candidate therapeutic targets with potential prognostic significance in triple negative breast cancer. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD016688.Conclusions These data provide the first insight into protein expression patterns in breast cancer associated with a complete disruption of the mdig gene. Differentially expressed proteins between WT and KO MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells provide substantial information regarding key proteins, biological process and pathways that are modulated by mdig and contribute to breast cancer tumorigenicity and invasiveness. Mdig modulated signaling pathways and hub molecules provide novel targets for the development of treatment strategies and breast cancer therapies.
Comparison of the Oncological Outcomes of Stenting as a Bridge to Surgery and Surgery Alone in Stages II-III Obstructive Colorectal Cancer; A Retrospective Study
Authors: Uehara Hiroaki , Yamazaki Toshiyuki , Iwaya Akira , Kameyama Hitoshi , Harada Rina , Komatsu Masaru , Hirai Motoharu , Kubota Akira , Katada Tomohiro , Kobayashi Kazuaki , Sato Munehiro , Sato Daisuke , Yokoyama Naoyuki , Kuwabara Shirou , Otani Tetsuya
Published: October 2020

Background: The Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum guidelines in 2019, stated that stenting as a bridge to surgery (BTS) for obstructive cancer may cause perforation and other adverse effects, which may worsen the long‑term prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate retrospectively the surgical and oncological outcomes of BTS using a stent compared with surgery alone for obstructive colorectal cancer.Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for stages II-III obstructive colorectal cancer at our institution from January 2009 to March 2020, were registered retrospectively and divided into 43 patients in the BTS group and 65 patients in the surgery alone group. We compared the surgical and oncological outcomes between the two groups.Results: Stent-related perforation did not occur in any patient. The patient in whom the stent placement was unsuccessful underwent emergency surgery with poor decompression even after SEMS placement (clinical success rate, 97.4%). The pathological characteristics were not significantly different between the groups. The following surgical outcomes in the BTS group were superior to those in the surgery alone group: non-emergency surgery (P < 0.001), surgical approach (P = 0.006), and length of hospital stay (P = 0.020). The median follow-up time was 44.9 months (range, 1.1 - 126.5 months). The 3-year relapse-free survival rates were 68.4% and 58.2% (P = 0.411), and the overall survival rates were 78.3% and 88.2% (P = 0.255) in the surgery alone and BTS groups, respectively. The 3-year locoregional recurrence rates were 10.2% and 8.0% (P = 0.948), and distant metastatic recurrence rates were 13.3% and 30.4% (P = 0.035) in the surgery alone and BTS groups, respectively. Conclusion: This study revealed that BTS with stent may be associated with a higher frequency of distant metastatic recurrence. Stent for stages II-III obstructive colorectal cancer potentially worsens oncological outcomes.Trial registration: This study was registered retrospectively in University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN)- Clinical Trials Registry. (Trial registration: UMIN, UMIN000040771. Registered 15 June 2020 - Retrospectively registered, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/icdr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000046558).
D-dimer Can Be Used to Identify Vicious Phenotype in Gastric Cancer Patients With TNMⅠ-Ⅱ Stages: a Single Institution Experience Over 10 Years Study
Authors: Diao Dongmei , Zhang Xin , Li Wenxin , Wang Xuan , Wang Zhe , Song Yongchun , Dang Chengxue , Cheng Yao
Published: October 2020

BackgroundPart of gastric cancer (GC) patients in early stages still endure early relapse after systematic treatment. This study was designed to identify the value of d-dimer reflecting the bad phenotype in early GC patients. MethodsFrom January 1st 2009 to January 1st 2019, 467 primary GC patients with TNM stage I-II after R0 resection were enrolled, tumor stage was classified by the national comprehensive cancer network guideline 2019. Plasma D-dimer and associated factors were reviewed and analyzed with clinic-pathological characteristics, regularly follow up was proceed when first determined. ResultsThe median follow up is 33 months, and 381/467 GC patient survived after ten years follow up. Although D-dimer was significantly elevated in old age and vascular cancer emboli positive patients. Noteworthy, D-dimer levels displayed an increase in 48/467 GC patients when the cut-off values was 1.5 mg/ml based on the ROC curve in our previous study, log-rank and Cox hazard model analysis showed D-dimer is an independent risk factor for overall survival and disease free survival in this classification. ConclusionPlasma D-dimer represents an easy measurement and lower cost marker for the routine testing to predict highmalignancy phenotype in stage I-II gastric cancer after R0 resection.Clinical registrationChiCTR1900028178
Investigating Iranians’ Attitude, Practices, and Perceived Self-Efficacy towards Coronavirus Preventive Behaviors
Authors: Joveini Hamid , Zare Zahra , Hashemian Masoumeh , Mehri Ali , Shahrabadi Reza , Mahdavifar Neda , Aval Hamideh Ebrahimi
Published: October 2020

Background and aim: Currently, one of the new health crises that has affected the world is the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (n cov-2019). Today, most health challenges and problems are mainly due to behavioral factors and identifying these factors can play an important role in promoting public health. Therefore, this study was designed and conducted to determine Iranians’ attitude, practice, and perceived self-efficacy towards coronavirus preventive behaviors.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted online among 387 social media users (Telegram-WhatsApp). A researcher-made questionnaire was sent to the participants after confirmation of validity and reliability by the convenience sampling method. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and linear regression tests were used to analyze the collected dataResults: The results of the Pearson test showed that there was a direct and significant correlation between the subjects’ attitude with practice (r = 0.23, p <0.001) and perceived self-efficacy (r = 0.21, p <0.001) regarding coronavirus preventive behaviors. There was also a direct and significant relationship between self-efficacy and practice (r = 0.46, p <0.001). The results of univariate regression test also showed that occupation (p=0.002, β=-0.16), marital status (p = 0.003, β=-0.15), attitude (p <0.001, b=0.23), and self-efficacy (p <0.001, β = 0.45) are predictive and influential variables on the subjects' practice towards coronavirus preventive behaviors.Conclusion: Given the importance of positive attitude and promoting self-efficacy in improving people's practice regarding coronavirus preventive behaviors, it is suggested that various educational interventions be designed and implemented to reduce the incidence and mortality of this disease.
Primary school students’ poetic malaria messages in Ethiopia: A qualitative content analysis
Authors: Kebede Yohannes , Hayder Abdu , Girma Kasahun , Abamecha Fira , Alemayehu Guda , Abebe Lakew , Sudhakar Morankar , Birhanu Zewdie
Published: October 2020

Background: Engagement of schools in malaria control is an emerging strategy. Little is known about involvement of students on malaria message developments. This study evaluated message contents of primary school students’ malaria poems.Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted to explore malaria messages conveyed in poems produced by students. Twenty poems were purposively selected from twenty schools across rural villages in five districts of Jimma Zone. Data were analysed using Atlas.ti version 7.1.4 software. Message contents and metaphors were presented using central themes and categories in supportive quotations. Finally, message contents were quantified in frequency. Results: The ages of the poetic students ranged from 12 to19 years old. A total of 602 specific malaria contents generated. The contents were put into 21 categories under five central themes. Contents about malaria-related knowledge include causation and modes of transmission, mosquito breeding and biting, signs and symptoms, caring for insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), and ways of prevention. The poems conveyed the perception of threats from malaria. Effectiveness of prevention methods was profoundly reported related to adaption of ITNs, environmental cleaning, indoor residual spray (IRS), treatment for fever, and drug adherence practices. Misconceptions, beliefs, and malpractices were mentioned in the poems pertaining to causes and drug-use. Direct calls were present to adopt ITN, IRS, clean surroundings, treatment, and drug use. Message about the severity of malaria, distinguishable signs and symptoms, manifest calls to community participation towards malaria elimination, knowledge of preventive ways, and effectiveness of ITN use were the most commonly conveyed contents. Metaphoric expressions (war and death) were used to convey messages about severity and the need to manage the prognosis of malaria through active ITN utilization, which itself was metaphorically represented ‘a trap’ to mosquitoes. Conclusion: Poetic content analysis indicated that students in primary schools are considerable malaria messages source, particularly in rural settings. Involving students in malaria programs would effectively communicate knowledge, perceptions, and promote practices by using local metaphors that set learning contexts.
A Randomised Phase II Clinical Trial of Acupuncture Plus Standard Care Versus Standard Care Alone for Chemotherapy- Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)
Authors: Stringer Jacqui , Saeed Muhammad Ali , Mackereth Peter A. , Ryder W. David , Misra Vivek , Wardley Andrew M.
Published: October 2020

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a dose limiting toxicity that poses a major clinical challenge when managing patients receiving specific chemotherapy regimens (e.g. taxanes and Bortezomib). There is a growing body of literature that suggests acupuncture can lead to improvements in CIPN symptoms. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture as a management tool for CIPN by comparing use of acupuncture with standard care (Acupuncture) against standard care alone (Control), to reduce symptoms of CIPN.Methods: This two-site clinical trial used a phase II, randomised, parallel group design to investigate the effectiveness of a 10-week course of acupuncture. Patients experiencing CIPN of ≥ Grade II (CTCAE v4.03), recording a ‘Most Troublesome’ CIPN symptom score of ≥ 3 using the "Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile" (MYMOP 2), were randomised (1:1) to ‘Acupuncture’ or ‘Control’ (note: Patients in Control were offered acupuncture off trial at the end of their study period). Primary endpoint was a ≥ 2-point improvement (success) in MYMOP2 score at week 10. 100 participants (120 randomised to allow for attrition) were required (90% power; 10% one-sided alpha) for a hypothesised improvement in success proportions from 30% to 55% using a primary analysis model with logistic regression adjusted for stratification factors and baseline MYMOP2 scores.Results: Primary MYMOP2 outcome data at week 10 was available for 108 of 120 randomised participants. There were 36/53 (68%) successes in ‘Acupuncture’ compared to 18/55 (33%) in ‘Control’. The adjusted success odds ratio was 4.3 (95% CI 1.9 to 9.6; 2p < 0.001; Acupuncture vs Control). Beneficial effects were also seen in the secondary outcome data, including clinicians’ grading of neuropathy, EORTC QLQ-CIPN20, QLQ-C30 summary scores and patient reported pain scores.Conclusion: A 10-week course of acupuncture resulted in measureable improvement in participants symptoms of CIPN. The results warrant further investigation within a phase III trial. Trial Registration: Trial No. NCT02275403 on Clinicaltrials.gov, registered on 22nd October 2014.
Prediction of lymphovascular space invasion using a combination of tenascin-C, Cox-2, and PET/CT radiomics in patients with early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Li Xiaoran , Xu Chen , Yu Yang , Guo Yan , Sun Hongzan
Published: October 2020

Background
Lymphovascular space invasion is an independent prognostic factor in early-stage cervical cancer. However, there is a lack of non-invasive methods to detect lymphovascular space invasion. Some researchers found that Tenascin-C and Cyclooxygenase-2 was correlated with lymphovascular space invasion. Radiomics has been studied as an emerging tool for distinguishing tumor pathology stage, evaluating treatment response, and predicting prognosis.
Materials and methods
Eighty-six patients with early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent PET/CT examination were retrospectively analyzed. 401 radiomics features based on PET/CT images were extracted and integrated into radiomics score (Rad-score). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to evaluate TNC and COX-2 expression. Mann-Whitney U test was used to distinguish differences in the Rad-score, TNC, and COX-2 between LVSI and non-LVSI groups. The correlations of characteristics were tested by Spearman analysis. Machine learning models including radiomics model, protein model and combined model were established by logistic regression algorithm and evaluated by ROC curve. Pairwise comparisons of ROC curves were tested by DeLong test.
Results
The Rad-score of patients with LVSI was significantly higher than those without. A significant correlation was shown between LVSI and Rad-score (r = 0.631, p < 0.001). TNC was correlated to both the Rad-score (r = 0.244, p = 0.024) and COX-2 (r = 0.227, p = 0.036). The radiomics model had the best predictive performance among all models (AUC = 0.914, p < 0.001) in training dataset. However, in testing dataset, the combined model had better efficiency for predicting LVSI than other models (AUCs: 0.801 vs. 0.756 and 0.801 vs. 0.631, respectively).
Conclusion
The machine learning model of the combination of PET radiomics with COX-2 and TNC provides a new tool for detecting LVSI in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.
Increased Ethanol Production by Disrupting the Competitive Phosphoenolpyruvate Synthesis Pathway and Enhancing the Expression of Ethanol-producing Genes in Synechocystis Sp. PCC6803
Authors: Gao E-Bin , Penglin Ye , Xu Yunxiang , Yangjie Zhu , Kyere-Yeboah Kwasi , Chen Guizhen
Published: October 2020

BackgroundEthanol is a very important clean energy and it has many applications in medical and chemical fields. Large-scale production of ethanol has mainly been carried out through the fermentation of crops such as grain but its output and cost issues have attracted widespread attention. ResultsWith the ability to fix carbon dioxide directly, cyanobacteria have been used as a photosynthetic microbial cell factory to generate biofuels and chemicals. Here, we constructed the biosynthetic pathway of ethanol in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 through the following approaches. (1) We used homologous substitution to introduce pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc) gene from Zymomonas mobilis and NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase (yqhD) gene from Escherichia coli into the neutral site of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. (2) The native superpromoter Pcpc560, consisting of two promoters from the cpcB gene and 14 predicted transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 genome, was used to drive the over-expression of ethanol-producing genes. (3) To further increase ethanol production, we used molecular biotechnology to inhibit the metabolic pathway that direct the carbon flux of intermediate pyruvate metabolism to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) through disrupting the cyanobacterial endogenous PEP synthase. These approaches led to the production of 2.79g/g dry cell weight ethanol directly from light and greenhouse gas CO2 in Synechocystis after cultivating for 9 days. ConclusionOur study provides insights into the biosynthetic pathway for ethanol production in Synechocystis indicating that knocking out the competitive pathway of the initial precursor and enhancing the expression of exogenous genes can effectively increase the amount of the targeted chemicals.