bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Exosome Secretion by Cellular Retinoic Acid Binding Protein 1 Contributes to Systemic Anti-inflammation
Authors: Lin Yi-Wei , Nhieu Jennifer , Wei Chin-Wen , Lin Yu-Lung , Kagechika Hiroyuki , Wei Li-Na
Published: April 2021

Background: Intercellular communications are important for maintaining normal physiological processes. An important intercellular communication is mediated by the exchange of membrane-enclosed extracellular vesicles. Among various vesicles, exosomes can be detected in a wide variety of biological systems, but the regulation and biological implication of exosome secretion/uptake remains largely unclear.Methods: Cellular retinoic acid (RA) binding protein 1 (Crabp1) knockout (CKO) mice were used for in vivo studies. Extracellular exosomes were monitored in CKO mice and relevant cell cultures including embryonic stem cell (CJ7), macrophage (Raw 264.7) and hippocampal cell (HT22) using Western blot and flow cytometry. Receptor Interacting Protein 140 (RIP140) was depleted by Crispr/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Anti-inflammatory maker was analyzed using qRT-PCR. Clinical relevance was accessed by mining multiple clinical datasets. Results: This study uncovers Crabp1 as a negative regulator of exosome secretion from neurons. Specifically, RIP140, a pro-inflammatory regulator, can be transferred from neurons, via Crabp1-regulated exosome secretion, into macrophages to promote their inflammatory polarization. Consistently, CKO mice, defected in the negative control of exosome secretion, have significantly elevated RIP140-containing exosomes in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and exhibit an increased vulnerability to systemic inflammation. Clinical relevance of this pathway is supported by patients’ data of multiple inflammatory diseases. Further, the action of Crabp1 in regulating exosome secretion involves its ligand and is mediated by its downstream target, the MAPK signaling pathway.Conclusions: This study presents the first evidence for the regulation of exosome secretion, which mediates intercellular communication, by RA-Crabp1 signaling. This novel mechanism can contribute to the control of systemic inflammation by transferring an inflammatory regulator, RIP140, between cells. This represents a new mechanism of vitamin A action that can modulate the homeostasis of system-wide innate immunity without involving gene regulation.
Renewable Energies as a Substitute for Fossil Fuel Resources in Poland
Authors: Wasiuta Aleksander
Published: April 2021

BackgroundThe characteristic feature of modern energy sector in the EU is the development of environmentally friendly technologies based on renewable energy sources (RES). The use of alternative and RES contributes to resolving not only energy efficiency issues, but many of the environmental, economic and social problems. RES are also one of the priorities of the world's low carbon policy and reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Growing electrical energy consumption and increasing integration of RES in power systems have led to new challenges, thus it is required to investigate and properly analyze the impact of integrated RES on the power system as a substitute for fossil fuel resources.ResultsThe aim of the article is to show the possibilities of developing RES in Poland in the context of environmental protection, energy self-sufficiency and international obligations. The depletion of primary energy sources and the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere forces undertaking certain activities, aimed at seeking substitutes for fossil fuels. According to the author’s analysis, RES are the best and safest substitutes for traditional energy resources such as fossil fuel.ConclusionsThe author examines electricity production mix in EU counties and compares it to Polish energy sector. Taking into consideration the transmission network density in Poland, while energy sector changes its structure and expands, the mix of technologies deployed to produce electricity determines the associated burden on transmission networks. Polish energy sector development in the context of modernization of transmission grid provides an opportunity for investors to prepare the energy system for increasing the share of renewable energy sources. In the process of implementing the appropriate solution, the experiences of other countries that have significantly increased the share of renewable energy in the past could be used. This article presents the main areas of action that may facilitate the further integration of different energy sources in the specific context of Poland's changing energy system. Not all integration options will be important for Poland at the same time.
Investigation for Safety of Final Quarry Bench During Mine Closure Stage – a Case Study
Authors: GOLDER AMIT , ROY INDRAJIT
Published: April 2021

The closure of opencast coal mining operation in Balanda mine will be a source of danger for inhabitants or any other infrastructure near the surface of ultimate quarry bench from safety point of view. In view of the above, MCL (Mahanadi Coalfield Limited) and the management of the Balanda opencast mine conducted a variety of design research and academic institutions to conduct a slope stability analysis of Balanda ocp (opencast project). It is also important here to note that the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, has prepared a study report on the above. This paper deals with design of ultimate quarry bench and discusses various geo-technical parameters for carrying out stability analysis.
Advancements of the examination of tool marks in human cartilage
Authors: Weber Matthias , Niehoff Anja , Rothschild Markus A.
Published: April 2021

This work deals with the examination of tool marks in human cartilage. We compared the effectiveness of several cleaning methods on cut marks in porcine cartilage. The method cleaning by multiple casts achieved the significantly highest scores (P = 0.02). Furthermore, we examined the grain-like elevations (dots) located on casts of cut cartilage. The results of this study suggest that the casting material forms these dots when penetrating cartilage cavities, which are areas where the strong collagen fibers leave space for the chondrocytes. We performed fixation experiments to avoid this, without success. In addition, 31 casting materials were compared regarding contrast under light-microscope and 3D tool marks scanner. Under the light-microscope, brown materials achieved significantly higher values than grey (P = 0.02) or black (P = 0.00) whereas under the 3D scanner, black materials reached higher contrast values than grey (P = 0.04) or brown (P = 0.047). To compare the accuracy and reproducibility of 6 test materials for cartilage, we used 10 knives to create cut marks that were subsequently scanned. During the alignment of the individual signals of each mark, the cross-correlation coefficients (Xmax) and lags (LXmax) were calculated. The signals of the marks in agarose were aligned with significantly fewer lags and achieved significantly higher cross-correlation coefficients compared to all tested materials (both P = 0.00). Moreover, we determined the cross-correlation coefficients (XC) for known-matches (KM) per material. Agarose achieved significantly higher values than AccuTrans®, Clear Ballistics™, and gelatine (all P = 0.00). The results of this work provide valuable insights for the forensic investigation of marks in human costal cartilage.
Cost Saving with Home-Based Chemotherapy Approach in Multiple Myeloma: The ADHOMY Trial
Authors: Schulmann Samantha , Achit Hamza , Filliatre-Clement Lauriane , Santolo Cécile Di , Ferry Marine , Vigneron Jean , Barbier-Lider Pauline , Morice Sophie , Campidelli Arnaud , Schirmer Luciane , Keddar Faiza , Ikhlef Souhila , Moulin Charline , Auge Helene , Ziegler Caroline , Feugier Pierre , Saunier Véronique , Guillemin Francis , Perrot Aurore
Published: April 2021

Bortezomib is a first-line therapy for multiple myeloma and also recommended in many associations for relapsing disease. Hospital-at-Home (HaH) is an attractive alternative to Outpatient Hospital (OH) treatment. The purpose of the study is to compare costs and patient-reported outcomes of two different strategies: exclusive OH-based bortezomib administration or combined administration in both OH and HaH. A prospective non-randomized trial was conducted in Nancy University Hospital. QoL was measured using the EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QoL Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30). The analysis was conducted from the National Health Insurance System (NHIS) perspective. A total of 42 patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty patients received all bortezomib injections in OH (median of 24 injections) and 22 patients received bortezomib in OH alternately with HaH (median of 28.5 injections, 10.5 in OH and 18.0 in HaH). The average cost per injection was 602.63 € in the OH group versus 479.52 € in the OH/HaH group. Combined administration of bortezomib in OH and HaH was associated with a substantial cost-saving of 20.4% for NHIS and no difference in QoL. This trial responds to chronic patients’ wish to assess innovative ways of care.
Patient perceptions of physical rehabilitation education and treatment after breast cancer surgery: A mixed methods study
Authors: McGhee Deirdre E , McMahon Anne T , Steele Julie R
Published: April 2021

Purpose To investigate the content and delivery of physical rehabilitation education and treatment received by women following breast cancer surgery and to establish patient perceptions of this physical rehabilitation.Methods 509 Australian women (55 years SD 6.5) who previously had breast cancer surgery retrospectively completed an online survey about the content, delivery, satisfaction with and perceptions of the physical rehabilitation they received for six physical side-effects. The percentage of respondents who received each delivery format for the six physical side-effects and their satisfaction levels were tabulated. A thematic analysis was conducted on patients’ perceptions of the physical rehabilitation they received.Results Pamphlets were the most common delivery format of physical rehabilitation following breast cancer surgery. Common physical side-effects, however, were not included in the content and at less than 50% of women were satisfied with their physical rehabilitation. Three major themes emerged: Women perceived (i) they were unaware of and unprepared for the physical side-effects of their surgery/treatment, (ii) information delivery was unsuitable in terms of the timing, delivery format and cognisance of patient needs, and (iii) follow-up was insufficient at critical time points of recovery.Conclusion The physical rehabilitation received by women after all types of breast cancer surgery is perceived to be poor in terms of its content, delivery format and follow-up and women perceive that their needs at various stages of recovery are not being met. Physical rehabilitation needs to improve after all types of breast cancer surgery.
Survey On The application of Deep Learning in Internet of Things (IoT)
Authors: shadroo shabnam , Rahmani Amir Masoud , Rezaee Ali
Published: April 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical instruments, software, sensors that all are connected to the Internet. The IoT produces massive data, where, this enormous volume of data allows the use of deep learning algorithms (DLAs). Recently, the increase of the large body of data and their availability has been one of the main reasons for paying attention to this issue. Further, the recent upgrade of the hardware boosting the computational power has resulted in the utilize of deep learning alongside the IoT. Therefore, the purpose of the present research is to review the relevant conference and journal articles in IoT and deep learning from 2012 to July 2019. To review the publications, a composition of Systematic Mapping and systematic literature review has been employed for creating a survey paper. Accordingly, some questions have been raised; to answer which, 32 articles have been investigated. The papers have been categorized into four sections including a focus on data, network, computing environment, application with each being examined, and analyzed. This article would be beneficial for researchers who want to investigate the field of deep learning and IoT.
Accumulation and Distribution of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Non-REEs With Vetiver Grass in The Abandoned Ion-Absorbed Rare Earth Mine
Authors: Kang Luhua , Cai Zhenfeng , Li Tiantian , Li Ping , Wang Liying
Published: April 2021

Overexploitation of rare earth elements (REEs) has caused serious desertification and environmental pollution, and ecological restoration of mines has attracted increasing national attention. In this paper, experiments involved land plowing, organic fertilizer broadcasting and vetiver cultivation were carried out to repair abandoned ion-absorbed rare earth mines (REM). Toxic metals content and pH in mining soil, distribution and transportation of toxic metals in the soil – vetiver grass system were investigated in detail.Results revealed that the abandoned REM soil was weakly acidic (pH=4.09) and rich in various toxic metals composed of REEs (La, Ce, Nd, Y, Gd, Dy) of 657.57mg/kg and Non-REEs (Pb, Cu, Se, As, Cd) of 109.98mg/kg. The distribution pattern in vetiver grass illustrated that toxic metals accumulation was mainly concentrated in the roots instead of shoot, and then the cumulative concentration of REEs in roots were much greater than that of Non-REEs. Furthermore, vetiver grass exhibited preferential accumulation of Cd, Se and REEs during the absorption process (from soil to root) and preferential accumulation of Pb, Cu and As during the translocation process (from root to leaf). The adsorption behavior of toxic metals by vetiver was confirmed due to these observed irregular particles in the scanning electron microscopy.
Trophic transfer, bioaccumulation and Health risk assessment of heavy metal in Aras river, Case study: Amphipoda- Zander - Human
Authors: Dehghani Amir , Aminjan Atabak Roohi , Dehghani Allaverdi
Published: April 2021

This research investigates and traces heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd and Cu) in a model of the aqueous food chain in the Aras River, located in northwestern of Iran. The selected model includes the zander (Sander lucioperca L.) and crustacean species known as amphipods (Gammarus spp.) that belong to the food chain of this fish. A total of 172 samples (70 fish and 102 Amphipoda) were collected randomly from the stations and analyzed for heavy metals using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The results showed that the accumulation of heavy metals in both Taxon are in the order of As > Pb > Cd > Cu and concentrations of heavy metals in fish body are higher than Gammarus spp. in every stations in different seasons. Specimens of station (1) due to industrial activities indicates the highest heavy metal content. The concentrations of As, Pb, and Cd exceedes the permissible limits. There is a close correlation between the concentration of heavy metals in the amphipod and zander. The target hazard quotient (THQ), Total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) and Carcinogenic Risk (CR) were calculated to assess human health risk. The average of THQ for As (1.43) exceedes the international standards and will endangere the consumers of this fish species. The TTHQ for heavy metals has been estimated highr than 1. and at all stations, the value of CRCd > 1×10− 3, which reveals the degree of evidence of carcinogenicity of this metal in all parts of the Aras River. Therefore, according to results, effective controls and regular monitoring should be established in this regions
Soft systems methodology for implementing clinical practice guidelines in a general hospital: a study protocol
Authors: Soltani Ali , Heyrani Ali , Fakhr-Movahedi Ali , Khajavi Abdoljavad
Published: April 2021

Background: Adhering to Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) serves as the driving force behind making decisions based on the best evidence and making efforts for improving the quality of patient care and outcomes. In 2010, promoting the quality of clinical care through implementing CPGs was turned into a priority health policy in Iran as in many other countries. Despite requiring Iranian hospitals to implement CPGs in January 2017, the concept and implementation method of CPGs remained to be clarified. This action research focuses on acquiring an in-depth understanding of how to define and implement CPGs in a selected general hospital in Iran.Methods: This study employs Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) as a commonly-used approach for tackling complex problems with social, political and human dimensions. Given the inherent roles of technical processes, organizational culture, and personnel’ perspectives in providing clinical care, implementing CPGs was considered a complex problem situation, and conceptualized by use of a purposeful activity model. We will conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews and hold group discussions with different stakeholders to enquire into the situation. Moreover, we will use SSM tools and techniques to identify the main areas of changes, and select necessary measures to facilitate the implementation of CPGs. Flexible qualitative methods of data collection and analysis are utilized throughout the study.Discussion: Applying SSM in implementing CPGs can generate knowledge by recognizing hyper-complexity in healthcare setting, adopting an attitude of inquiry, and fostering dynamic changes in diverse and numerous worldviews of professionals in the accommodation process. This knowledge can provide a model for the successful implementation of CPGs at a macro-system level and facilitate the persuasion process at the hospital mesosystem level. More importantly, adopting SSM can create iterative learning loops over time and thus help the actors of clinical microsystems face future healthcare complexities.
Habitat ephemerality affects the evolution of contrasting growth strategies and cannibalism in anuran larvae
Authors: Oh Dogeun , Kim Yongsu , Yoo Sohee , Kang Changku
Published: April 2021

Ephemeral streams are challenging environments for tadpoles; thus adaptive features that increase the survival of these larvae should be favored by natural selection. In this study, we compared the adaptive growth strategies of Bombina orientalis (the oriental fire-bellied toad) tadpoles from ephemeral streams with those of such tadpoles from non-ephemeral streams. Using a common garden experiment, we tested the interactive effects of location (ephemeral vs. non-ephemeral), food availability, and growing density on larval period, weight at metamorphosis, and cannibalism. We found that tadpoles from ephemeral streams underwent a shorter larval period compared with those from non-ephemeral streams but that this difference was contingent on food availability and density. The observed faster growth is likely to be an adaptive response because tadpoles in ephemeral streams experience more biotic/abiotic stressors, such as desiccation risk and limited resources, compared with those in non-ephemeral streams, with their earlier metamorphosis potentially resulting in survival benefits. As a trade-off for their faster growth, tadpoles from ephemeral streams had a lower body weight at metamorphosis compared with those from non-ephemeral streams, but only when food was sufficient. We also found lower cannibalism rates among tadpoles from ephemeral streams, which can be attributed to the indirect fitness costs of cannibalizing their kin. Our study is the first to demonstrate how ephemeral habitats have affected the evolutionary change in cannibalistic behaviors in anurans and provides additional evidence that natural selection has mediated the evolution of growth strategies of tadpoles in ephemeral streams.
The Effect of Ecological Factors on Cats’ Weight in Tehran - First Phase
Authors: Rahimi Farid
Published: April 2021

Urban cats live in cities like humans and humans affect their life intentionally or unintentionally. Waste production is only one of the human effects on the urban cat ecosystem. The waste produced by human supply some of the food needed by urban cats. This descriptive - estimation research is the first study in the world to measure the cats’ weight to investigate the effect of the increase or decrease in urban wastes on physical status of cats. In the first phase of the research (Spring 2016-Winter 2017) in Tehran, we found that the average volume of the collected wastes had increased by 14% and the average weight of cats in the mentioned period had increased 1%. The 9.5% decrease in the waste volume in Autumn 2016 had led to the decrease in the average weight of cats in Winter 2017. The male cats were more affected by the decrease in waste volume.
Pathophysiological Complexity of Amiodarone-Induced Hypothyroidism (AIH) in patient With Congenital Heart Disease- Ebstein Anomaly: a case report
Authors: Bosnic Zvonimir , Vucic Domagoj , Marinic Nikica , Saric Blazenka , Majnaric Ljiljana Trtica
Published: April 2021

Background: Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic drug, used for the threatment of life threatening supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias and widely used in prevention of life threatening tachyarrhythmia in adults with congenital heart disease. Thyroid dysfunction is a potentially serious complication of amiodarone therapy, especially in older patients with acquired heart disease. Cause there is no published systematic study on amiodarone-associated hypothirodism in patients with congenital heart disease, we report the case of a patient with Ebstein anomaly, a rare congenital heart disorder, who developed hypothyroidism after prolonged amiodrone therapy. We report a possible pathophysiological link of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism in a patient with rare congenital heart disease, that has not been reported in a significant number in the literature so far.Case presentation: A female, 55-year-old patient with history of Ebstein anomaly (non operated), presented to a family medicine doctor with symptoms of progressive dyspnoea, fatigue and dysfagia for several months. Electrocardiography, echocardiography and chest X- ray confirmed presence of Ebstain anomaly. Laboratory results (including thyroid hormone values) and thyroid ultrasound were performed which confirmed the presence of hypothyroidism.Conclusions: According to available data, there is no published systematic study on amiodarone-associated hypothirodism in patients with congenital heart disease (large cohort studies). Pathophysiological complexity, however, could be due to the agent triggering autoimmune thyroid disease, so it is possible that amiodarone precipitated the onset of preexisting autoimmune disease. The value of regular thyroid function testing and measurement of thyroid antibodies should be considered in patients during amiodarone administration, especially in older patients with rare congenital heart disease.
Analysing the Severity of Coronavirus Infection in Air Pollution: Evidence-Based Study From Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ghanim Abdulnoor Ali Jazem
Published: April 2021

COVID-19 has been considered as one of the major global pandemic which has caused different health problems by affecting the majority of the population throughout the world. Several studies have evolved the concerns of air pollution being considered as a major risk factor causing respiratory infection that are carried out by microorganisms which further affects the immunity system of the body. The present study involves the relationship between the air pollutants and COVID-19 total infection along with estimation of death rates in the several regions of Saudi Arabia. The major goal of this study comprises the analysis of the relationship between air pollutants concentration such as (PM10, NO2, CO, SO2 and O3) and COVID-19 wide outbreak, concerning the transmission, number of patients, critical cases and death rates . The results show that the estimation of COVID-19 cases were highest in number recorded in the most polluted regions, the mortality rate and critical cases were also more distinct in these regions more than other regions in Saudi Arabia. The finding of this study shows a positive correlation between mean PM 10, NO2, CO and SO2 pollutants. The results represent the significant relationship between air pollution resulting from high concentration of NO2 and COVID-19 infection and deaths. Null hypothesis of the relation between other pollutants and COVID-19 infection couldn’t be rejected. The study also indicates significant correlation between mean NO2 and CO and total number of critical cases, and negative correlations were obtained between Mean O3 and total number of cases, total deaths and critical case per cumulative days.
Effect of the staggered impeller on reducing unsteady pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump
Authors: Zhang Ning , Jiang Junxian , Liu Xiaokai , Gao Bo
Published: April 2021

High pressure pulsations excited by rotor stator interaction is always focused in pumps, especially for its control considering the stable operation. In the current research, a special staggered impeller is proposed to reduce intense pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump with ns=69 based on alleviating rotor stator interaction. The numerical simulation method is conducted to illustrate the influence of staggered impeller on the pump performance and pressure pulsations, and three typical flow rates (0.8ФN-1.2ФN) are simulated. Results show that the staggered impeller will lead to the pump head increasing, and at the design working condition, the increment reaches about 3% compared with the original impeller. Meanwhile, the pump efficiency is little affected by the staggered impeller, which is almost identical with the original impeller. From comparison of pressure spectra at twenty monitoring points around the impeller outlet, it is validated that the staggered impeller contributes significantly to decreasing pressure pulsations at the concerned working conditions. At the blade passing frequency, the averaged reduction of twenty points reaches 89% by using the staggered impeller at 1.0ФN. The reduction reaches to 90%, 80% at 0.8ФN, 1.2ФN respectively. Caused by the rib within the staggered impeller, the internal flow field in the blade channel will be affected. Finally, it is concluded that the proposed staggered impeller surely has a significant effect on alleviating intense pressure pulsation of the model pump, which is very promising during the low noise pump design considering its feasibility for manufacturing.
Tree Biomass Carbon in different Land Use Types Managed by Smallholder Farmers Along Altitudinal Gradient in Central Highlands of Ethiopia
Authors: Haile Getahun , Lemenih Mulugeta , Itanna Fisseha , Agegnehu Getachew
Published: April 2021

Background and Aims Biomass carbon (C) stocks of trees across three common traditional agroforestry practices (i.e. home-garden, farmland, and grazing land) and along altitudinal gradients (i.e. upper, middle and lower) in southern Ethiopia are presented and evaluated. These traditional AF systems are characterized by a high proportion and diversity of trees hence can play a remarkable role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.Methods Data were collected from a total of 89 plots: 41 home-gardens, 29 croplands, and 19 grazing lands using total count and Y-frame transect sampling methods. Above- and belowground biomass of trees were calculated using allometric equations developed somewhere else but proven for application in agroforestry systems. Trees with DBH ≥ 2 cm were considered for biomass carbon stock determination.Results above-ground biomass carbon stock of the three land uses showed the order: Home-garden > grazing land > cropland, but the differences in the carbon stocks were not statistically significant. Soil carbon stocks measured from the studied land uses at middle altitude also followed a similar trend. Similarly, differences among altitudinal gradients were not statistically significant. However, the variations observed reflected differences in species composition among the system as well as altitudinal gradients. Other factors such as wealth and garden size also significantly affected biomass C stocks per ha, where rich household holds higher above-ground biomass than medium and poor households. Overall, this reflects that rich households own a large parcel and large total number of trees, compared to that of medium and poor wealth classes.Conclusions The biomass C stocks of the tree across the three studied AF systems were found to be lower than reported for tropical forests and agro-forestry systems due to the recently agro-forestry intensification in the form of reduction in tree diversity and density. For enhancing their biomass carbon stocks traditional agro-forestry should be integrated in future REDD+ projects. As the biomass C stocks were more determined by socioeconomic factors such as wealth and garden size than the types of agro-forestry practice and climate (elevation) future carbon management strategies should also considered them.
Consensus Tracking-based Clock Synchronization for the Internet of Things
Authors: niu yuqing , Yang Ting , hou yucheng , cai shaotang , yan peng
Published: April 2021

Clock synchronization provides fundamental timing reference for various services in the Internet of Things (IoT). Unlike centralized synchronization algorithm, which relies heavily on the synchronization routing and brings about error accumulation consequently, the distributed synchronization algorithm achieves clock synchronization through time message exchange and calculation among adjacent nodes, hence the error accumulation can be greatly eliminated. However, the convergence speed of existing distributed synchronization algorithms is generally slow, and network topology information is seldom utilized to improve the convergence speed, which may cause additional energy consumption especially in resource constrained scenarios. To improve the convergence speed of distributed clock synchronization, a consensus tracking-based clock synchronization (CTCS) algorithm is proposed in this paper. By analyzing the synchronization process in the state space framework, the convergence acceleration term is designed to optimize the eigenvalue distribution of synchronization error matrix, hence the convergence speed can be greatly improved. To be suitable for clock synchronization in the dynamic network, a reference clock input term is designed in the clock update formula, which eliminates the oscillation of synchronized clocks triggered by synchronization of newly joined nodes. To prove the convergence of CTCS, an in-depth analysis of the algorithm is conducted. Both simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of CTCS in comparison with other solutions.
Forward variable selection improves the power of random forest for high-dimensional microbiome data
Authors: Dang Tung , Kishino Hirohisa
Published: April 2021

Background: Random forest (RF) captures complex feature patterns that differentiate groups of samples and is rapidly being adopted in microbiome studies. However, a major challenge is the high dimensionality of microbiome datasets. They include thousands of species or molecular functions of particular biological interest. This high dimensionality significantly reduces the power of random forest approaches for identifying true differences. The widely used Boruta algorithm iteratively removes features that are proved by a statistical test to be less relevant than random probes. Result: We developed a massively parallel forward variable selection algorithm and coupled it with the RF classifier to maximize the predictive performance. The forward variable selection algorithm adds new variable to a set of selected variables as far as the prespecified criterion of predictive power is improved. At each step, the parameters of random forest are optimized. We demonstrated the performance of the proposed approach, which we named RF-FVS, by analyzing two published datasets from large-scale case-control studies: (i) 16S rRNA gene amplicon data for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and (ii) shotgun metagenomics data for human colorectal cancer (CRC). The RF-FVS approach further screened the variables that the Boruta algorithm left and improved the accuracy of the random forest classifier from 81% to 99.01% for CDI and from 75.14% to 90.17% for CRC. Conclusion: Valid variable selection is essential for the analysis of high-dimensional microbiota data. By adopting the Boruta algorithm for pre-screening of the variables, our proposed RF-FVS approach improves the accuracy of random forest significantly with minimum increase of computational burden. The procedure can be used to identify the functional profiles that differentiate samples between different conditions.
The Impact of Mandatory Environmental Information Disclosure and the Green Innovation of Pollution-Intensive Companies? Evidence From China
Authors: Guo Qianghua , Wei Yidan
Published: April 2021

Based on the Guidelines of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Environmental Information Disclosure for Listed Companies issued in 2008, this paper constructs a quasi-natural experiment and uses the did method to study the impact of mandatory environmental information disclosure on the green innovation of pollution-intensive companies in China. The results show that mandatory environmental information disclosure can significantly promote the green innovation of pollution-intensive companies by strengthening the company's motivation and pressure to comply with the regulation; in addition, the positive effect is more obvious in state-owned companies, small companies and companies with poor information condition in pollution-intensive industries. This paper enriches the literature of mandatory environmental information disclosure and offers guidance for policymakers seeking to improve environmental information disclosure policies in emerging countries.
Factors Affecting Germination and Establishment Success of an Endemic Cactus of the Chihuahuan Desert
Authors: Martínez Eder Ortiz , Golubov Jordan , Mandujano Maria C. , Cosultchi Gabriel Arroyo
Published: April 2021

Seeds and seedlings are the most critical stages of cacti life cycles. From the thousands of seeds produced in a reproductive season, only a small fraction successfully germinate, the rest are lost to predation, go dormant and remain viable in the seed bank or lose viability. These early stages often depend on facilitation by nurse plants for germination and seedling recruitment. We aim to prescribe actions for the conservation of Cephalocereus polylophus by improving recruitment in the population. The viability of seeds with different storage times was evaluated as an indicator of their potential to form a short-term seed bank. Through the analysis of seed germination and seedling survival under the canopy of two nurse plant species and open areas, we assessed the importance of facilitation for recruitment. A predator exclusion experiment evaluated the intensity of herbivory on seeds and seedlings of different ages. Seeds had germination rates above 90\% under laboratory conditions, even after two years of storage. Seed germination was only registered under one of the two nurses and after two years, up to 4 % of the seedlings planted under both nurse plants survived and protection against herbivores increased seedlings survival. Considering that facilitation and age are crucial for seedling survival of C. polylophus, future conservation programs should include the protection of plant communities and the introduction of seedlings instead of seeds.
WITHDRAWN: A Novel Axis HIF1A/miR-1271-5p/lncRNA PTTG3P/YAP1 Contributes to Colorectal Cancer Progression and Relates to an Immune-Suppressing Microenvironment
Authors: zheng yang , zhang ke , liu yiyang , xie longfei , ge jinnian , wang yue , zhao guohua
Published: April 2021

Background Pseudogene has emerged as key regulators of important biological processes involved in human cancers. However, the PTTG3P biological function in colorectal cancer (CRC) needs further to be clarified. Methods qRT-PCR was adopted to measure the PTTG3P expression in different cell line and CRC tissues. Cellular localization of PTTG3P was detected by subcellular fractionation assay. In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to explore the bioeffect of PTTG3P in CRC cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), luciferase assay and RIP were explored to certify the direct binding of PTTG3P and microRNA. Results PTTG3P was upregulated in CRC and closely related to poor prognosis. Through gain and loss of function approaches, PTTG3P facilitated proliferation and glycolysis through YAP1, and glycolysis inhibitor (2-DG,3-BG) and LDHA knockdown could rescue cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Mechanically, miR-1271-5p modulates PTTG3P expression and miR-1271-5p mimics could recover the PTTG3P function. Also HIF1A increased PTTG3P expression in both normoxia and hypoxia conditions by ameliorating miR-1271-5p expression. In addition, silencing PTTG3P decreases the level of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and low PTTG3P expression relates with CD8+ T, NK and TFH cells infiltration. Conclusions Our findings verified the oncogenic function of PTTG3P in assisting the cell proliferation and glycolysis, demonstrating the pivotal roles of HIF1A/miR-1271-5p/lncRNA PTTG3P/YAP1 in CRC progression, which proposes a novel approach for clinical treatment.
Air Pollution and Cardiorespiratory Hospitalization, Modeling and Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques
Authors: Usmani Raja Sher Afgun , Pillai Thulasyammal Ramiah , Hashem Ibrahim Abaker Targio , Marjani Mohsen , Shaharudin Rafiza , Latif Mohd Talib
Published: April 2021

Air pollution has a serious and adverse effect on human health, and it has become a risk to human welfare and health throughout the globe. In this paper, we present the modeling and analysis of air pollution and cardiorespiratory hospitalization. This study aims to investigate the association between cardiorespiratory hospitalization and air pollution, and predict cardiorespiratory hospitalization based on air pollution using the Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. We propose the Enhanced Long Short-Term Memory (ELSTM) model and provide a comparison with other AI techniques, i.e., Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Deep Learning (DL), and Vector Autoregressive (VAR). This study was conducted at seven study locations in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The prediction results show that the ELSTM model performed significantly better than other models in all study locations, with the best RMSE scores in Klang study location (ELSTM: 0.002, LSTM: 0.013, DL: 0.006, VAR: 0.066). The results also indicated that the proposed ELSTM model was able to detect and predict the trends of monthly hospitalization significantly better than the LSTM and other models in the study. Hence, we can conclude that we can utilize AI techniques to accurately predict cardiorespiratory hospitalization based on air pollution in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Preoperative Nutritional Evaluation of Elderly Patients with Prostate Cancer Undergoing Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Wang Shu , Fan Jie , Hu Chunyan , Wu Tao , Liu Yuan , Xu Yan , Zhang Huan , Xie Liang
Published: April 2021

Objective

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association and predictive value of geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in elderly patients with prostate cancer(PCa) undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP).
Methods

the clinical data of 72 elderly patients (aged ≥ 65 y) with PCa undergoing LRP in the Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The basic information, laboratory examination indexes, operation conditions, postoperative complications and postoperative recovery indexes of patients were included. Clavien-Dindo Classification System (CDCS) was used to assess the postoperative complications. T-test was used to analyze the grouping variables. ROC curve was drawn to study the predictive value of GNRI for postoperative complications.
Results

The body weight, BMI, preoperative HGB, ALB values of malnutrition group (MNg) and normal nutrition group (NNg) were significantly positively correlated (P༜0.01); the incidence and severity of postoperative complications of MNg were significantly higher than those of NNg (P༜0.05). The average hospitalization costs of MNg was higher, the duration of postanesthesia care unit (PACU), duration of antibiotic use was longer and the duration of indwelling drainage tube were longer than NNg (P༜0.05). The volume of indwelling drainage tube were more than NNg (P༜0.05).
Conclusion

GNRI is an effective and reliable tool to evaluate preoperative nutritional status of prostate cancer, which is closely related to postoperative recovery and complications,and has predictive value.
Heavy Metal Content and Health Risk Assessment of Urban Road Dust from the Historical Center of Havana, Cuba
Authors: Rizo Oscar Diaz , Díaz Amaya Casanova , Ramos Arianna Torres , López Dayron Ramos
Published: April 2021

Street road dust samples were collected at 33 stations of the Historical center of Old Havana. Samples were analyzed for the determination of some (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) heavy metal concentrations using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument. The mean concentrations of the elements are Zn (548.7 mg/kg), Pb (60.8 mg/kg), Co (7.0 mg/kg) Ni (60.6 mg/kg) and Cu (73.6 mg/kg) were Zn and Pb showed higher values of the background. The study of the Enrichment Factor (EF), the Pollution Index (IP) and the Integral Pollution Index (IPI), showed some stations with high values of contamination close to construction places. Zn was identified as the major pollutant fallowed by the Pb. Nevertheless, the Hazard Index (HI) and Carcinogenic Risks (CR) values do not show risk of getting non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic diseases associated to the analyzed pollutants.
Circular RNA _0008278 acts as a sponge of miR-378 and promotes proliferation and metastasis in gastric cancer
Authors: Li Xuan , Qian Haisheng , Dong Hao , Dang Yini , Peng Lei , Zhang Guoxin
Published: April 2021

Background: Circular RNA (circRNA) is rising as an indispensable regulatory molecule in the progression of various kinds of malignant growth. However, little is known about the capacity and instruments of circRNA_0008727 in gastric cancer (GC). Our point was to recognize a novel circRNA-microRNA-mRNA useful system in gastric cancer. Method: CircRNA_0008278 was identified in three paired cancer specimens and adjacent normal tissues by RNA sequencing and genome-wide bioinformatic analysis and verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Knockdown or exogenous expression of circRNA_0008278 combined with in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to prove the functional significance of circRNA_0008278. The molecular mechanism of circRNA_0008278 was demonstrated by searching the CircNet database and confirmed by RNA in vivo precipitation assays, western blotting, luciferase assays and rescue experiments.Results: CircRNA_0008278 was frequently upregulated in GC tissues, and high circRNA_0008278 expression was associated with poor prognosis, lymph node metastasis and poor TNM stage in GC patients. Functionally, circRNA_0008278 overexpression promoted GC cell proliferation and tumourigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, circRNA_0008278 over-expression enhanced GC cell migration and invasion in vitro and tumour metastasis in vivo. In addition, we demonstrated that circRNA_0008278 could sponge miR-378, thus indirectly regulating theYY1 expression and contributing to GC tumourigenesis.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that circRNA_0008278 functions as a tumour promoter in GC, and a new pathway circRNA_0008278/miR-378/YY1 which may be potential method for gastric cancer treatment.
Identifying the barriers to universal cervical length screening for preterm birth prevention at a tertiary hospital in Thailand (physician perspectives): implementation research
Authors: Chawanpaiboon Saifon , Titapant Vitaya , Anuwutnawin Sanitra , Kanjanapongporn Attapol , Pooliam Julaporn
Published: April 2021

Background: To identify physicians’ perspectives of the barriers to cervical length screening to prevent preterm births.Methods: A prospective, descriptive, implementation study was carried out at the official rooms, tertiary hospitals. Ethics approval was obtained from the Siriraj Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, and the work was registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20190813003). Physicians at 52 tertiary hospitals throughout Thailand were recruited. In Phase I of this prospective descriptive implementation study, 20 physicians were interviewed. Phase II comprised questionnaire development and data validation. The questionnaire was administered to 120 Phase-III participants. Results: Virtually all respondents (118/120 [98.3%]) were obstetricians or gynecologists, with 25/120 (20.8%) specializing in maternal and fetal medicine. The large majority (108 [90.0%]) reported that their tertiary hospitals have action plans to prevent preterm births. Most physicians (99 [82.5%]) participated in the formulation of policies for preterm-birth prevention. Most obstetricians (96 [80.0%]) also have heavy workloads. At most hospitals, the obstetricians (96 [80.0%]) can perform cervical length measurements via vaginal ultrasound without having the related certification. Moreover, at two-thirds of the tertiary hospitals, the obstetricians (73/120 [60.8%]) stated that screening is performed in the absence of clear guidelines for high-risk cases. Ways suggested to reduce the obstacles facing obstetricians are providing then with knowledge, skills, and training (68/120 [56.7%]) and reducing unnecessary workloads (51/120 [42.5%]).Conclusions: From the physicians’ perspectives, the barriers to performing cervical length measurements are heavy workloads and a lack of government funding for hormone-usage programs. High-risk pregnant women threatening preterm deliveries should be considered for screening.Trial registration: the work was registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20190813003), registered 14 August, 2019, http://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/page_user/#.
Efficient Iterative Algorithms for a Class of Nonlinear Systems using the Block Matrix Inversion and Hierarchical Principle
Authors: Liu Siyu , Ding Feng , Yang Erfu
Published: April 2021

This paper is concerned with the identification of the bilinear systems in the state-space form. The parameters to be identified of the considered system are coupled with the unknown states, which makes the identification problem difficult. To deal with the trouble, the iterative estimation theory is considered to derive the joint parameter and state estimation algorithm. Specifically, a moving data window least squares-based iterative (MDW-LSI) algorithm is derived to estimate the parameters by using the window data. Then, the unknown states are estimated by a bilinear state estimator. Moreover, for the purpose of improving the computational efficiency, a matrix decomposition-based MDW-LSI algorithm and a hierarchical MDW-LSI algorithm are developed according to the block matrix and the hierarchical identification principle. Finally, the computational efficiency is discussed and the numerical simulation is employed to test the proposed approaches.