bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Long-Term Boiling Water Immersion as Artificial Aging Test of Silicone Rubber Insulators
Authors: Akbari Mohammad , Shayegani-Akmal Amir Abbas
Published: October 2022

Our country IRAN have long coastal area with length of more than 1830 km. Utility companies with 30 years of experience in using polymeric insulators in this very heavy polluted area. Operational history in these areas indicates many insulating problems. With the advancement of polymer insulation technology, the utilities want to select the longest life insulators for these areas. Laboratory studies accelerated testing of polymer insulators is the only available method to investigate the trend of insulator degradation during the aging process, because it takes a long time for noticeable changes and signs of aging to appear on insulators in the power grid. Different methods such as salt-fog, UV and boiling water are used to test artificial aging, each method has advantages and disadvantages. In our experience, boiling water is used as a low-cost method in compared to the other methods especially salt fog test. The aim of this research was to determine a shorter method for evaluation of SR insulators. In this paper, the accelerated aging of polymer insulators using salt-fog and boiling water immersion tests are investigated. During and after the aging test, the polymer insulator's electrical quality is analysed using leakage current measurement tools, partial discharge, and hydrophobicity. Surface changes are also analysed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Thermo Gravimetrical Analysis (TGA), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) both qualitatively and quantitatively. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022
Intravenous iron administered the day before total knee arthroplasty improves postoperative anemia recovery and shortens length of hospital stay
Authors: Kang Min Wook , Jung Ho Jung , Kim Joong Il , Lee Joon Kyu
Published: October 2022

Introduction:Intravenous (IV) iron supplementation protects against postoperative anemia after TKA (Total knee arthroplasty); however, the effectiveness of IV iron, administered one day before TKA, on postoperative anemia and functional recovery is unknown.Materials and Methods:Retrospective study with propensity score matching using two consecutive groups of patients who underwent TKA: the iron group received 500 mg iron isomaltoside intravenously one day before surgery; the non-iron group did not. Hemoglobin (Hb) level was determined at postoperative days (PODs) 2, 4, 6, 14, and 30. Ferritin, transferrin saturation (TSAT), and functional iron deficiency anemia (IDA) rate were measured at PODs 2, 4, 6, and 14. The transfusion rate and length of hospital stay (LOS) were evaluated.Results:The iron group had higher Hb levels at PODs 6, 14, and 30 and higher ferritin and TSAT at PODs 2, 4, 6, and 14. Functional IDA rate was significantly higher in the non-iron group at PODs 2, 4, 6, and 14. Transfusion rate was not different between the groups. However, LOS was significantly shorter in the iron group.Conclusion:IV iron administered one day before TKA can improve postoperative anemia recovery and shorten length of stay, but does not lower postoperative transfusion rate.
QoE Aware Application Placement in Fog Environment Using SAW Game Theory Method
Authors: Mirzapour-Moshizi Maryam , Sattari-Naeini Vahid
Published: October 2022

Today, Fog computing plays an essential role in Human life. One of the challenges in the Fog and Cloud environment is hierarchical service process; requests are sent to Fog, and if Fog is unable to provide service, they are sent to Cloud, which is a time-consuming process. This paper presents a framework that specifies when a request is sent, in which environment it can be serviced, and provides interfaces to properly manage nodes and domains and manage the service of requests. In these administrative interfaces, the most suitable domain is determined using SAW method of Game Theory and user expectations for placing the application. Then the gateway of the specified domain suggests the most appropriate node using PSO algorithm. Because the application placement is based on the expectations of the users, it increases the QoE. The proposed method is implemented in the iFogSim and its results have been evaluated with authentic articles. It was observed proposed method has better performance and better service speed than the state-of-the-art research works and a significant improvement in service response time.
Perceived challenges in implementing point-of-care testing for glucose-6-phosphate- dehydrogenase for malaria patients before primaquine treatment in the Philippines
Authors: Berte Charmaine Joy , Lorenzo Pauline Joy , Espino Fe Esperanza
Published: October 2022

Background
The National Malaria Control and Elimination Program (NCEP) aimed to eliminate the disease by 2030. Among the challenges to achieving this goal was the radical treatment of malaria. The Philippines was among the very few countries that administer primaquine for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale without prior testing for glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase(G6PD). G6PD testing before administering primaquine (15 mg/kg/day) was recommended in the Philippines’ malaria treatment guidelines but the point-of-care qualitative test kits were not available for use in barangay malaria microscopy centers (BMMC) where malaria diagnosis and treatment occurred.
Methods
This study explored the challenges in implementing G6PD testing for the radical treatment of malaria. The main methods employed were stakeholder analysis and service availability and readiness assessment including the feedback of the health providers on the type of G6PD test kit that was proposed to be deployed and used.
Results
The challenges identified by the stakeholders were: (a) they perceived a low to no documented case of primaquine-induced hemolysis; (b) the impression of low-transmission of vivax infection; (c) the additional budget for the roll-out of g6pd testing for malaria patients; (d) no established treatment guidelines for malaria patients with G6PD deficiency; (e) additional workload for the health care providers; (f) lack of training on G6PD deficient patient management and on how to perform and interpret the result of the G6PD test. SARA survey showed that all facilities were equipped and have the capacity to conduct the test, however, training for the health providers should be provided.
Conclusions
The roll-out of a point-of-care test for G6PD deficiency should be prioritized to achieve an effective radical cure for malaria. A cost-benefit analysis should be explored to support the implementation of G6PD testing prior to primaquine treatment.
HSD3B7 as a prognostic-related biomarker predicts poor prognostic in ccRCC
Authors: Hu Zhiya , Wang Jiawu , Fu Yongxin , Li Yisen , Jiang Qing
Published: October 2022

Backgrounds:Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a form of renal tumor with poor prognosis and insensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. HSD3B7 is highly expressed in a variety of malignant tumors and is associated with poor prognosis. However, the role of HSD3B7 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of HSD3B7 in ccRCC by integrated bioinformatics analysis.
Methods: The whole transcriptome data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The expression and methylation data of HSD3B7 mRNA were obtained from TIMER, UALCAN and MethSurv databases. Linkedomics database is used to study the functional pathway of the genes co-expressed with HSD3B7. The TIMER and TISIDB databases were used to analyze the correlation between HSD3B7 and tumor infiltrating immune cells and immune modulators. The expression of HSD3B7 in different tumor cell lines and its relationship with drug response were analyzed by RNAactDrug and CCLE database.
Results:The expression of HSD3B7 was significantly up-regulated in most cancer types. The mRNA and protein expression levels of HSD3B7 were significantly higher in normal tissues compared with ccRCC tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that high HSD3B7 expression level predicted poor OS and PFS. The degree of DNA methylation of HSD3B7 in ccRCC was significantly lower than that in normal tissues. The pathway function enrichment analysis of HSD3B7 co-expressed genes suggested that HSD3B7 co-expressed genes were mainly involved in immune-related pathways. At the same time, the expression of HSD3B7 was also strongly correlated with immune infiltration level, immune regulators and chemokines. More importantly, the results of drug sensitivity suggested that the expression of HSD3B7 was closely related to the mechanism of many common renal cell carcinoma related drugs. Therefore, HSD3B7 can be a potential prognostic and prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target of ccRCC.
Conclusions:The results suggested that HSD3B7 may be a potential prognostic biomarker and a new therapeutic target for ccRCC.
Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on the Air Quality in China
Authors: Wang Ming-Wei , Wang Jie , Sun Li-xia , Ye Lan , Zhou Meng-yun , Chen Juan , Feng Zhan-hui , Cheng Yong-Ran
Published: October 2022

At the end of 2019, the COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China. It has since put global public health institutions on high alert. People in China reduced their traveling, and production has stopped nationwide during the height of the epidemic. This study explores the effects of these COVID-19-derived changes on air quality in China. Air quality data of 367 cities around China were analyzed. The daily air quality index and air pollutant concentrations (CO, O3, NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5) were collected and compared the epidemic period (23.1.2020-23.3.2020) with the preceding two months (22.11.2019-22.1.2020) and the parallel period the year before (23.1.2019-23.3.2019).To compare, we calculated the daily average number of cities with pollution, and the trend in air quality index change. The air quality in the 50 cities with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and Wuhan was also analyzed. During the period between 23.1.2020 and 23.3.2020, the number of cities with excellent air quality was significantly higher than that in the other two periods. The concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3 decreased significantly during this period. The most significant decreases were in PM10 and NO2. The number of cities with good air quality in the later period was significantly higher than a year before. The air quality has improved significantly during the COVID-19 outbreak. The reason for this change might be changes in human activities such as reduced transportation and production stoppage.
Sepsis-induced changes in spectral segregation and kinetics of brain oscillatory states
Authors: Kala Annu , Leemburg Susan , Jezek Karel
Published: October 2022

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a frequent severe complication of sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, associated with high mortality and long-term neurological consequences in surviving patients. One of the main clinical sings of SAE are discontinuous sleep periods that are fragmented by frequent awakening. Even though this brain state fragmentation strongly impacts the functionality of the nervous- as well as other systems, its underlying network mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this work, we therefore aim at characterizing the properties and dynamics of brain oscillatory states in response to SAE in an acute rat model of sepsis induced by high dose LPS (10 mg/kg). To focus on intrinsically generated brain state dynamics, we used a urethane model that spares oscillatory activity in REM- and NREM-like sleep states. Intraperitoneal LPS injection led to a robust instability of both oscillatory states resulting in several folds more state transitions. Using power spectra analysis we identified opposing shifts in low frequency oscillations (1–9 Hz) in REM and NREM-like states under influence of LPS. This resulted in increased similarity between both states. Moreover, the state-space jitter in both states increased as well, pointing to higher within-state instability. The reduction of inter-state spectral distances in 2-D state space, combined with increased within-state jitter might represent a key factor in changing the energy landscape of brain oscillatory state attractors, and hence lead to altered sleep architecture. Their emergence during sepsis might point to a mechanism underlying severe sleep fragmentation as described both in sepsis patients and SAE animal models.
Surgical Management In Accidental Ingestion of Jujube Pits in Children
Authors: Shi Hao , Lv Zhibao , Xu Weijue , Liu Jiangbin , Huang Xiong , Sheng Qingfeng , Chen Zhou , Zhu Linlin , Wu Yibo
Published: October 2022

Purpose: Accidental ingestion of jujube pits is rare in children due to worldwide differences in food habits and agricultural cultivation. With its special shape, jujube pits can insert intestinal wall which are easier to cause injury and perforation than other foreign bodies(FBs). This study aims to summarize our experience with surgical treatment of jujube pits ingestion in children.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the patients who were diagnosed as jujube pits ingestion and experienced surgery at pediatric general surgery department of Shanghai Children’s hospital between January 2014 to February 2022.Demographics and information regarding the characteristics of jujube pits, clinical presentation, treatment strategies were documented.
Results: A total of 11 pediatric patients with jujube pits were included in this study contains 7 males and 4 females. The mean age was 23.6 months. The frequent clinical presentations are vomiting and abnormal defecation. Computed tomography(CT) imaging revealed jujube pits in 10 patients. Four patients experienced abdominal surgery and a secondary ileostomy was performed in one patient. Eleven patients experienced anal or buttock surgery and colonoscopy. Two patients were admitted in surgery intensive care unit after surgery and the median hospital stay of all was 11.5 days(range 6-32 days).Patients discharged with normal fasting and defecation.
Conclusion: Jujube pits ingestion is rare and the clinical presentations can be variable depend on the injured position. CT imaging is recommended to locate the foreign bodies and identify positive findings. The diagnosis is confirmed when clear history of jujube pits ingestion was provided. When patients present with abnormal defecation, the possibility of foreign bodies ingestion should be considered. In symptomatic patients, surgery intervention should be applied timely.
Transforming Radical Differential Equations to Algebraic Differential Equations
Authors: Falkensteiner Sebastian , Sendra Juan Rafael
Published: October 2022

In this paper we present an algorithmic procedure that transforms, if possible, a given system of ordinary or partial differential equations with radical dependencies in the unknown function and its derivatives into a system with polynomial relations among them by means of a rational change of variables. The solutions of the given equation and its transformation correspond one-to-one. This work can be seen as a generalization of previous work on reparametrization of ODEs and PDEs with radical coefficients.
Enhanced Authentication Framework for Data Owner and Data Sharing in a Cloud Storage Environment
Authors: swathi Gundala
Published: October 2022

In the context of storage in a cloud computing environment involving huge streaming data from the physical, social and cyber worlds, there is a dire need for evolving a reliable and adequate framework to enable the users safely communicate with the cloud. Consequently, cloud storage should furnish several secure, cost-efficient and scalable services to manage the data. In general, public cloud service providers adhere to reasonably strict security considerations safeguarding the privacy and security of the users and their stored data. Meanwhile, the private cloud storage providers have developed a more robust, self-managed and regulated data security model for the users, to effectively manage private data accession and sharing. Yet, new challenges and concerns about data security persist. One such critical issue relates to the development of a secure and authenticated data storage model for data accession in a restricted and regulated environment. Eventually, several protocols emerged to negotiate this challenge. But these protocols have proved inadequate in security efficacy in the light of their lapses and susceptibility to diverse security breaches. Claiming significant resistance against such security threats and attacks, J. Mo et al. have advocated an authentication model for data access and sharing with a unique biometric feature. Here, we intend to disprove such claims and their limited validity in the context of the attacks on servers and user impersonation. Besides, do not ensure adequate user anonymity in their protocol. Because of this, we propose a more secure, efficient, convenient, and advanced protocol for data accession. In addition, to ensure flexible and owner-regulated data distribution, we provide the approach of proxy re-encryption and its key for the cloud server with enhanced security. During the process of decryption, the data owner can create a unique credential token to control user accession. In light of security analysis, our proposed protocol is proven to resist several security threats. Besides, a comparative performance evaluation establishes the superiority of our proposed protocol against many related approaches, in terms of addressing several security concerns, ease in communication and computation and cost efficiency in cloud storage.
Brain natriuretic peptide reflects volume status and influences on survival of hemodialysis patients
Authors: Hu Nan , Wang Jinwei , Chen Yuqing
Published: October 2022

Background

Periodic volume accumulation is a characteristic feature of hemodialysis. Aim of the study was to investigate the relatively normal range of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in hemodialysis patients and to explore its role in volume management.

Methods

Patients on hemodialysis were enrolled. Normal range of BNP was deduced from patients with normal volume status defined by systolic blood pressure (SBP) and over hydration (OH). Hemodialysis patients were classified according to BNP expression at baseline and followed-up for 57 months. The outcome was defined as all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular disease related death.

Results

Pre-dialysis BNP and BCM measurement was conducted in 127 hemodialysis patients. BNP significantly correlated with OH in total patients (r = 0.255, P = 0.004). In patients with appropriate volume load, the average of BNP was 701 (± 645)pg/ml, with the 95% confidence interval (CI) of 500 ~ 902pg/ml. In patients with BNP < 902pg/ml, SBP significantly correlated with OH. Patients with BNP ≥ 902/ml showed increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 3.151, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 7.381, P < 0.001). Reduced BNP expression during the first year after baseline resulted in significantly decreased all-cause mortality.

Conclusion

Pre-dialysis measured BNP levels are associated with volume status, and normal range is from 500 to 902pg/ml. Patients with upregulated BNP expression showed increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death. To reduce BNP expression to normal range showed protective effect on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in long-term observation.
Evaluation of Cost benefit Analysis using One-R Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm for Healthcare
Authors: Kavitha S , H Prasad N , Samal Chandra Kanta , Hanumanthappa M
Published: October 2022

Pandemic was present for the entire world from 2019 to 2020. Due to this reason the workload for doctors and other healthcare professionals were increased. This workload will be eased by machine learning and the development of computer-aided analytical systems. The goal of the proposed methodology is towards the prevalence of COVID-19 to cost/benefit predictions on real-life dataset. Our proposed methodology is given for weka classification for the accuracy measurement ratios by applying 1R machine learning classifiers Considering the development of clustering with positive and negative occurrences ratios in terms of cost-benefit analysis's initial care projections. In this study 1R Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm have been applied to Covid 19 dataset provided by healthcare organization. The best classification accuracy is obtained from the algorithm of 1R with 75.54%. In this paper visualization Cost/Benefit Analysis and also analysed.
CPG-52364 targeted TLR9 regulate lung injury induced by inflammation reaction resulting from elderly hip fracture caused mtDNA release
Authors: Yang Xiao , Ou Guangpeng , Li Bei , Liu Zhen , Zhou Di , Gan Li
Published: October 2022

Background- Acute lung injury (ALI) after elderly hip fracture is the serious and fatal complication, it is associated with inflammation induced by mtDNA release activates TLR9/NF-ƘB pathway after trauma. Inhibiting TLR9 pathway activation can alleviate the systemic inflammation and ALI after elderly hip fracture. In the first part of our study, we investigate the effect of the TLR9 inhibitor (CPG-52364) in the pathological process of inflammation and ALI after elderly hip fracture. In the second part of our study, we investigate the effect of CPG-52364 in the pathological process of inflammation and ALI induced by mtDNA.
Material and Methods- In the first part of our study, the elderly rats received hip fracture operations and CPG-52364 managed. The degree of lung injury and inflammation were evaluated, TLR9/NF-ƘB were determined using Western blot, and mtDNA were analyzed by fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In the second part of our study, the elderly rats received mtDNA injection and CPG-52364 managed, the specimens were collected and detected as the first part.
Results- Both hip fracture and mtDNA injection can cause significant cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) release, TLR9 and NF-ƘBp65 expression, and lung injury in the elderly rats. CPG-52364 can effectively down-regulate the expression of the above pathological indicators.
Conclusion- These results suggest that the CPG-52364 can down-regulate the TLR9/NF-ƘB pathway to control the inflammation and ALI induced by mtDNA release after elderly hip fracture.
Application the reduced method for Characterization the Photonic properties of amorphous Se79.13S11.41Te9.64 Nano thin film composition
Authors: Elsayed Samy A. , Khalifa Zaki
Published: October 2022

Application The reduced method of determination the photonic properties of solids on nano thin film chalcogenide composition Se79.13S11.41Te9.64 reveals that the refractive index (n) is wavelength (l) dependence. Cauchy dispersion equation is fit the obtained results of n = f (l) for all wavelength ranges. Cauchy dispersion coefficients are wavelength dependent. The optical energy gap is allowed indirect equals to 3.35 eV. And sup energy level in the gap equals to 1.4eV. From the dependence of extinction coefficient on l the Fermi level of the nano thin film Se79.13S11.41Te9.64 is determined equals to 2.22eV. The single oscillator model, the effective dispersion oscillator energy Eo = 0.26eVand the dispersion energy Ed is determined Ed =0.94eV and explained in detail. The cause of dependence of the Cauchy coefficients on the incident photon energy is given. Applying Wemple- DiDomenico single oscillator model the following results determined no =2.15, the static dielectric constant eo =4.62 and the . The bond type, and the dangling bond effects on energy band tail states and the optical properties of the nano thin film chalcogenide composition Se79.13S11.41Te9.64.
Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Spinacia oleracea leaf extract and evaluation of biological applications: antioxidant, antibacterial, larvicidal and biosafety assay
Authors: Thandapani Gomathi , K Arthi , P Pazhanisamy , J John Joseph , C Vinothini , V Rekha , K Santhanalakshmi , Vijayakumar Sekar
Published: October 2022

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) recently engrossed the attention of investigators due to their incredible features and numerous applications in the pharmacological industry. This research work focuses on the manufacture of copper oxide nanoparticles in an aqueous media utilizing Spinacia oleracea leaf extract. Various analytical methods like UV/Vis Spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction studies, SEM analysis were utilized to identify structure of the CuO nanoparticles produced. The CuO nanoparticles exhibited significant bactericidal action towards Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia Coli, proteus, klebsiella & potential antifungal activity towards A.flavus, Rhizopus & A.fumigant. Furthermore,the synthesized CuO nanoparticles have significant larvicidal activity towards Culex. Quinquefasciatus. This research shows that CuO can be synthesized in a simple, environmentally friendly way and has a wide range of uses.
Effects of Muscle Volume on the Jumping Performance in Males and Females
Authors: Bchini Souhail , Hammami Nadhir , Zalleg Dalenda , Bouassida Anissa
Published: October 2022

Background

A significant impact on the training process is caused by sex-specific differences that emerge throughout puberty. However, it is still unclear what impact this should have on how training programs are planned, implemented, and set goals for boys and girls of different ages.

Purpose

To study the relationship between vertical jump performance and muscle volume, considering age and sex factors.

Methods

90 healthy male and 90 healthy female participants (aged 9 to 22 years) performed three different types of vertical jumps: squat jump, counter movement jump without and with arm swings. A standard Anthropometric method was used to measure the muscle volume.

Results

Muscle volume was different across age groups. For both sexes in the Squat Jump, Counter Movement Jump, and Counter Movement Jump arms, significant age, sex, and interaction effects were found. From the age of 14–15, Males performed significantly better than females (p = 0.001). These differences persisted when performances were normalized to the length of lower limbs’. Following normalization to muscle volume males elicited better performance when compared to females. This difference persisted only for the 20–22 age group in Squat Jump (p = 0.005), Counter Movement Jump (p = 0.022) and in Counter Movement Jump with arms (p = 0.016). Significant correlation occurred between Muscle Volume and Squat Jump (r = 0.70; p < 0.01), Counter Movement Jump (r = 0.70; p < 0.01) and Counter Movement Jump with arms (r = 0.55; p < 0.01) for male participants.

Conclusions

The muscle volume appeared to be the determining factor in intersexual differences in vertical jumping performances.
A prognostic cuproptosis gene signature predicts immune function and chemotherapy response in gliomas
Authors: He Yi , Zhang Sen , Zhang Xingshu , Zhang Yi , Xie Bo , Zhang Junjie , Long Wenyong , Liu Qing
Published: October 2022

Background: Cuproptosis is a novel programmed cell death mechanism involved in tumor development and progression. We aimed to identify the prognosis-related cuproptosis gene signature in gliomasand to investigate its association with immunotherapy response.
Methods: Glioma transcriptome, clinical, and single-nucleotide mutation data were obtained from the TCGA database. Univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for prognostic signature construction. Survival analysis, ROC curve analysis, Cox regression analysis, and nomograms were utilized to evaluate model accuracy. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of differentially expressed genes between the risk groups were used to explore potential mechanisms of action. Prognostic lncRNAs that were co-expressed with risk signature genes were also identified. The CIBERSORT, ssGSEA, GSVA, and ESTIMATE algorithms were employed to assess associations between the risk score and variations in the tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and immune responses. Maftools and pRRophetic were used to predict tumor mutation burden and drug sensitivity.
Results: A nine-cuproptosis-gene signature was identified and used to construct a prognostic risk model with excellent prognostic value for glioma patients. Functional enrichment implied variations in immune pathways and metallopeptidase activity between risk groups. The high-risk group exhibited a higher immune score but lower tumor purity. Additionally, the high-risk group exhibited increased macrophage infiltration, immune function score, immune checkpoint gene expression, and tumor mutation burden. Finally, we screened for drug sensitivity among the different risk groups.
Conclusion: The novel prognostic signature of cuproptosis genes could aid in risk stratification, immunotherapy response prediction, and individualized treatment strategies for glioma patients.
Seasonal cropland transformation and long-term surveillance of land-use/land cover alterations in the Indian Sundarban region
Authors: . Sabir Hossain Molla , . Rukhsana
Published: October 2022

In the Indian Sundarban region, the current study investigates the long-term dynamics of seasonal (Kharif and rabi) land use/land cover change and spatial change of seasonal croplands. Based on the Random Forest (RF) classifier, LULC classes has divided into eight categories. Cropland's spatial and temporal dynamicity has been generated using Land Change Modeler in TerrSet throughout the past 20 years (2000/01-2020/2021). With the aid of a confusion matrix, classification accuracy has been tested and shown to be quite acceptable and effective in identifying the long-term land-use change in the study area. It has been discovered that during the Kharif seasons (November 2000 to November 2020), waterlogged, built-up, and cropland expanded by approximately 57% (99.14 km2), 23% (126.06 km2), and 2% (29.90 km2), respectively, at the expense of current fallow, vegetation, and mudflats, which decreased by roughly 28% (81.9 km2), 11% (78.68 km2), and 10% (60.14 km2), respectively. Croplands and current fallows were the most dynamic land changes throughout the Rabi season (February 2001 to February 2021), increasing by about 102% (522.28 km), while the area now in fallow steadily decreased by about 56% (991.23 km) between 2001 and 2021. The analysis of cropland changes reveals that the most changes in cropland have been recorded in the populated area's central, northern, and northeastern regions. The results of this study will help develop agricultural and environmental management methods to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem and agriculture resources.
Impacts of Sub-Lethal concentrations of Two Macrocyclic Lactone Insecticides on Nurse Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) Hypopharyngeal Glands Development
Authors: Omar Eslam M. , Abdu_Allah Gamal , Tawfik Aamer
Published: October 2022

Recent studies have shown negative sublethal effects of the microbial bioinsecticides, spinosad (Spd) and spinetoram (Spm) on honeybees concern behavioral effects; only a few concern physiological effects. Therefore, under laboratory conditions we investigated sublethal effects of Spd and Spm on food consumption, the hypopharyngeal glands (HPG) development and activity in nursing honeybee workers. We introduced newly emerged worker honeybees into cages and provided sugar solution and pollen dough ad libitum. Insecticides (Spd and Spm) were administered in sugar solution. The present results showed that continuous exposure to Spd during the first 10 days of adult life in honeybees negatively affects the rate of pollen consumption, HPG development and activity. On the other hand, Spm treatment displayed only negative effect on HPG activity. Therefore, special attention needs to be paid to sublethal effects of some microbial bioinsecticides on honeybee. Overall, data indicate that the microbial bioinsecticides (Spd and Spm) should not be exempted from risk assessment analysis due to their lethal and sublethal components.
Current Developments of Selective Internal Radiotherapy (SIRT) in Germany: A Systematic Analysis of Indication and Hospital Mortality between 2012 and 2019
Authors: Mertens Alexander , Essing Tobias , Minko Peter , Möllenhoff Kathrin , Mattes-György Katalin , Giesel Frederik L. , Antoch Gerald , Luedde Tom , Roderburg Christoph , Loosen Sven H.
Published: October 2022

Background

Selective Internal Radiotherapy (SIRT) is a minimal invasive tumor therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), biliary tract cancer (BTC), and liver metastasis of extrahepatic tumors. Comprehensive data on past and current trends of SIRT as well as outcome parameters such as in-hospital mortality and adverse events in Germany are missing.

Methods

We evaluated current clinical developments and outcomes of SIRT in Germany based on standardized hospital discharge data, provided by the German Federal Statistical Office from 2012 to 2019.

Results

A total of 11,014 SIRT procedures were included in the analysis. Reflecting the current guideline, the most common indication was hepatic metastases (54.3%; HCC: 39.7%; BTC: 6%) with a trend in favor of HCC and BTC over time. Most SIRTs were performed with yttrium-90 (99.6%) but the proportion of holmium-166 SIRTs increased in recent years. Mean length of hospital stay for ⁹⁰Y based SIRTs was 3.67 ± 2 days and for 166Ho based SIRTs 2.9 ± 1.3 days. Overall in-hospital mortality was 0.14%. The mean number of SIRTs/hospital was 22.9 (SD ± 30.4). The 20 highest case volume centers performed 25.6% of all SIRTs.

Conclusion

Our study gives a detailed insight into indications, patient-related factors, and the incidence of adverse events as well as the overall in-hospital mortality in a large SIRT collective in Germany. SIRT is a safe procedure with low overall in-hospital mortality and a well-definable spectrum of adverse events. We report differences in the regional distribution of performed SIRTs and changes in the indications and used radiopharmaceuticals over the years.
Expression profile of sphingosine kinase 1 isoforms in human cancer tissues and cells: importance and clinical relevance of the neglected 1b-isoform
Authors: Chen Hongjie , Haddadi Nahal , Zhu Xiaofeng , Hatoum Diana , Nassif Najah T , Chen Size , Lin Yiguang , McGowan Eileen M
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Overexpression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is casually associated with many types of cancer and inhibitors of SphK1 sensitize tumors to chemotherapy. SphK1 is expressed as two major isoforms, SphK1a and SphK1b. To date, no information has been reported on the SphK1 isoform expression profile and its clinical relevance. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression profile of the SphK1a and SPhK1b isoforms in human cancer and noncancer tissues and cell lines and to explore its clinical relevance.
Methods: We used PCR to qualitatively examine the expression profile of these two isoforms in breast, liver, and prostate cancer tissues plus paired adjacent tissues, and in 11 cancer and normal cell lines (breast, cervical, bone, prostate, colon, brain, and mesothelioma tumors and benign and human kidney cells).
Results: We found that SphK1a was ubiquitously expressed in all cancer cells and tissues tested; in contrast, SphK1b was only expressed in selective cell types in breast, prostate, and lung cancer.
Conclusion: Our data suggest that SphK1a is important for generic SphK1/S1P functions and SphK1b mediates specialized and / or unique pathways in a specific type of tissues and could be a biomarker of cancer. This discovery is important for future SphK1-related cancer research and may have clinical implications in drug development associated with SphK1-directed cancer treatment.
PD-L1/PD-L2 deficiency alters numbers and types of microglia and transcriptomic landscape of neural retina
Authors: Sheng Siqi , Ma Yixian , Zou Yue , Hu Fangyuan , Chen Ling
Published: October 2022

Background
To investigate the effects of PD-1 ligands signaling pathway on microglia and transcriptomic expression and function of neural retina.
Methods
PD-L1/PD-L2 deficient mice were generated by Cyagen Biosciences Inc. (Suzhou, China). We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of retinal microglia using mouse retinal western blotting and immunofluorescence experiments. The transcriptomic sequencing of neural retina was performed and analyzed by OE Biotech Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China). The morphology of neural retina in PD-L1/PD-L2 deficient mice was evaluated using haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT). The visual evoked potential (VEP) test and measuring the photo negative response (PhNR) test assist in approaching changes in visual function in mice.
Results
PD-L1/PD-L2 deficiency decreased the total number of retinal microglia in neural retina. The activated microglia (M2 microglia) was increased in PD-L1/PD-L2 deficient mice, accompanied by increased STAT6 pathway activation. Transcriptome sequencing and analysis revealed the activation of the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signalling pathways in neural retina of PD-L1/PD-L2 knockout mice. The PD-L1/PD-L2 deficiency did not impact on the morphology and visual function of the neural retina.
Conclusions
PD-L1/PD-L2 deficiency alters numbers and types of microglia and transcriptomic landscape of neural retina.
Role of ST2 as a predictor of post-liver transplant renal outcomes
Authors: Moon Jong Joo , Hong Suk Kyun , Kim Yong Chul , Hong Su young , choi YoungRok , Yi Nam-Joon , Lee Kwang-Woong , Han Seung Seok , Lee Hajeong , Kim Dong Ki , Kim Yon Su , Yang Seung Hee , Suh Kyung-Suk
Published: October 2022

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is considered an independent prognostic factor for mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis. Non-treated AKI can progress to hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) with a poor prognosis. The suppression of tumorigenicity 2 protein (ST2) is a member of the IL-1 receptor family that aggravates inflammation and fibrotic changes in multiple organs. We measured soluble ST2 (sST2) levels in serum and urine derived from LT recipients at the time of LT. Significantly increased serum sST2 levels were observed in LT recipients with suppressed kidney function compared to recipients with normal function. In recipients with severely decreased liver function (MELD score ≥ 30), the serum sST2 level was higher than that in recipients with preserved liver function (MELD score ≤ 20, P = 0.028). Serum samples from recipients with HRS showed higher sST2 concentrations than those from non-HRS LT recipients (P = 0.003). Among HRS patients, higher serum sST2 levels were observed compared to recipients without a history of AKI (P = 0.004). Recipients with HRS and recovered kidney function showed higher sST2 concentrations than those without recovery (P = 0.034). Collectively, the increased serum sST2 levels reflected both kidney and liver function. Measuring sST2 levels at the time of LT can help predict renal outcomes.
Smart Mobile Data Collectors to Enhance quality of service in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gantassi Rahma , Masood Zaki , Choi Yonghoon
Published: October 2022

This paper proposes a new intelligent mobile data collector (MDC) using the traveling salesman problem (TSP) in order to find the optimal path traversed by the MDC for efficiency of energy and quality of service (QoS). Specifically, our proposed MDC-TSP protocol uses K-Means and grid clustering algorithm to reduce the consumption of energy during the cluster head (CH) election step. Furthermore, MDC is used as an interface between CH and sink to improve Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) QoS to enhance the MDC-K protocol transmission phase. Experimental results show that MDC-TSP improves on various improvements of the low energy adaptive clustering (LEACH) protocol like MDC-K.
Regression Model and Method Settings for Air Pollution Status Analysis based on Air Quality Data in Beijing (2017-2021)
Authors: Wa Shiyun , Lu Xinai , Wang Minjuan
Published: October 2022

Regression analysis is an essential tool for modeling and analyzing data, which can be utilized in various areas for predictive analysis and discovering relationships between variables. However, guidelines such as the model's features, dataset selection, and method settings for using regression models to explore air pollution status are not detailed. This paper applied regression analysis based on air quality data in Beijing from 2017 to 2021, to study the characteristics of regression models, provide research guidance, and update the air pollution research data based on the dataset. This paper drew the latest conclusions: (1) PM2.5and NO2are positively correlated on the test set from these five years, yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.7036 by using linear regression. The respective coefficient of determination on small-scale test sets for 2017, 2019, and 2021 is much lower than those derived from a five-year dataset. Single year dataset is not befitting for linear regression analysis. (2) The polynomial regression’s coefficient of determination on the training set is higher than that of the linear regression model, which is more proper for regression analysis on a one-year dataset. (3) PM2.5and NO2concentrations are strongly positively correlated with whether the air is polluted or not, and the correlation coefficient on the test set from these five years is 0.9697. The accuracy of logistic regression in classifying air pollution status based on these two pollutants’ concentrations reaches 0.9430. Besides, this paper proposed some appropriate parameter settings for the logistic regression method provided by Python third-party-library sklearn. Specifically, L2-type regularization is better optimized for the 2017-2021 dataset. L1-type regularization works better when applying a one-year dataset. A boost in the inverse of the regularization strength to 1.8 will optimize the regularization.
Distribution and differences of soil mercury and methylmercury affected by coal mining activities
Authors: Chen Yeyu , Zheng Liugen , Liu Sikui , Yu Lajun , Chen Xing , Li Chang , Cheng Hua
Published: October 2022

In some coal mining areas, the soil will gradually sink and collapse due to underground gouging and form water areas with rainfall, and the mercury and methylmercury accumulated in the soil will enter the water environment and become potential mercury pollutants source. Therefore, in order to understand the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of mercury in soil under the influence of coal mining activities, total mercury and methylmercury in the soil of subsidence areas located in Huainan, China with different subsidence years were collected and tested. The results show that longer the subsidence years in the soils of different mining areas, lower the methylmercury and mercury methylation rate. In the same mining area, the methylmercury and mercury methylation in the soil will slowly increase with the subsidence time. The total mercury and methylmercury in cultivated soil around the mining area are only close to half of the uncultivated topsoil. The total mercury in farmland soil is mainly concentrated in the topsoil. At the same time, the total mercury continues to decrease with the increase of soil depth. The methylmercury in different farmland soils has a similar trend of methylmercury with the increase of depth, and all peak at the same depth. We find that the main reason is that soil subsidence affects the distribution of soil particle size in depth and then affects the internal structure of soil. This research can provide reference materials for future research on the methylation reaction of mercury in the bottom sediments of subsidence waters.
Application of multivariate analysis techniques in the evaluation of metal content in industrialized spices
Authors: Gomes Ivaldo , Costa Vinicius , Amorim Fábio , Cerqueira Uillian Mata , Novaes Cleber , Chagas Thiago , Bezerra Marcos
Published: October 2022

Industrialized powdered spices are widely used by the population in food preparation, although they are associated with several health problems. This relationship between spices and health problems can be explained due to the presence of some substances used to enhance the flavor and preserve them. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the metal content in these products, allowing their characterization. In this work, six metals (Zn, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, and K) were determined in samples of dry industrialized spices that were sprayed and sold in sachets. Flame atomic absorption (FAAS) and emission (FAES) spectrometry were used to quantify the metals in the digestate obtained after the decomposition of the samples in a digester block. The following concentration ranges were found for the analyzed metals (mg Kg− 1): Zn (< LQ-15.53), Fe (10.82–205.3), Ca (27.45–1842), Mg (114.8–1374), Na (63739–268188) e K (1560-235864). These values were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and Kohonen self-organizing maps (KSOMs) techniques. The multivariate analysis allowed the recognition of grouping trends according to the spice brands, which suggests the possibility of a base material, from which the flavors are differentiated.
Distribution characteristics and influencing factors of Haemaphysalis longicornis around goat sheds in Jinan city, East China
Authors: Wang Dong , Meng Fange , Zhang Xiao , Xin Zheng , Wei Ling
Published: October 2022

As one of the most important disease vectors worldwide, ticks can transmit a number of pathogenic organisms to humans and domestic animals and cause a variety of important natural focal diseases and zoonoses. Domestic livestock play a vital role in the dispersal of ticks from the field environment to the human settlement, contributing to the prevalence of tick-borne diseases. Identification of the tick control region could contribute a vital role in strategic planning and cost-effective tick control measures. However, little is known about the spatial distribution characteristics of ticks around livestock sheds, which will lead to abusage and overuse of insecticides. Therefore, this study aimed to explore spatial distribution characteristics and correlation factors of ticks around goat sheds. A total of 3898 ticks were collected from eight goat sheds from April to June in Jinan city. All the sampled ticks belonged to the same species, namely Haemaphysalis longicornis, and 88.79% of them were nymphs. A significant positive correlation was noted between free-living ticks and parasitic ticks (r = 0.411, P < 0.001). However, there was a significant negative correlation between number of free-living ticks and distance from the goat sheds (r = -0.622, P < 0.001). Within 20 m from the goat sheds, 2211 ticks were collected respectively, representing 56.72% of the total free-living ticks. At a distance of 30 m, 57.56% decline in the tick density was found with a significant difference (q = 5.534, P < 0.001). In conclusion, the environment within 20 m around the goat sheds should be a key area for tick prevention and control.