bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of Online Edcraft Gamified Learning (EGL): Understanding Motivation and Intention of Recycling Among Youth During COVID-19 Period
Authors: Cheng Kin Meng , Koo Ah Choo , Shariza Junita , Wong Shen Yuong
Published: January 2022

Recycling is a process carried out by various organizations and individuals to enhance the environment’s long-term sustainability. Some youth think that recycling is a monotonous action as it may seem inconvenient, less aware of the environmental issues and more time-consuming than they think and rather go for video games. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between motivation and recycling intention in gamified learning among youth. To address the research aim, this study uses gamification as a motivational driver for a game-like learning experience to improve recycling intentions among youth. Self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) will be this study's main motivational and behavioural theories. (n=124) high schools and college students were invited to take part in an online gamified recycling activity, Edcraft Gamified Learning (EGL), consisting of two levels of gamified unused plastic-crafting recycling activities. After the activity, the participant will answer a post-event questionnaire and the data collected were analyzed. The result shows that both controlled motivation (CM) and autonomous motivation (AM) positively influenced youth attitudes and social norms. Besides, attitude is the only psychosocial determinant that positively influences the recycling intention of the youth. Gamification only moderates positively between attitude and recycling intention. This study has clearly shown the effectiveness of gamified learning activity towards recycling intention directly and as a component that moderates the relationship between attitude and recycling intention, which shows a favourable evaluation towards recycling intention with gamified learning involved. Moreover, findings show that not all relationships are positive in a gamified learning environment, and it gives a good view on the weakness and strengths with the guide of SDT and TPB.
Detection of Children’s Molars Based on Noise Filter
Authors: Yan Zhiwen , Chen Ying , Song Jinlong , Zhu Jia , Li Jianbo
Published: January 2022

Pit and fissure sealant is for children aged seven to twelve years to prevent molars from becoming caries. In this paper, we propose a new detection framework to identify whether children need pit and fissure sealing. We divide the framework into two parts: molar detection and molar classification. According to the characteristics of teeth, we propose to use the clustering method to filter the bounding box in the object detection part. In the region divided by clustering, we only keep one detection frame in the same category. In the classification part, we propose a noise filtering layer based on wavelet transform for feature extraction. We map the training samples to another space in the training process based on metric learning to increase the distance between categories and improve the accuracy of classification.
Cigarette Smoke Extract and Lipopolysaccharides Induce Pyroptosis in Rats Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Wang Qizhi , Liu Min , Liu Yu , Zhang Zhen , Bai Zhengping
Published: January 2022

Objective: To investigate the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the activity and pyroptosis of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs). Methods: PMVECs were cultured without treatment or with CSE (1%-25%), LPS, or CSE+LPS. Cell viability was detected using the CCK8 method. Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Cell morphology was evaluated using optical microscopy. The content of IL-1β and IL-18 was measured by ELISA. Results: CSE decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The cells in the CSE+LPS group showed the most obvious cytomorphological changes and the highest pyroptosis rate under the microscope. Flow cytometry showed that the CSE and LPS groups showed higher apoptosis rates than the blank group; the apoptotic rate in the CSE+LPS group was even higher (P<0.01). Compared with the bkank group, the levels of IL-18 and IL-1β in the cell supernatant of the CSE, LPS, and CSE+LPS groups increased significantly, with significant differences (P<0.01). There were no differences between the CSE and LPS groups (P>0.05). Compared with the CSE and LPS groups, the CSE+LPS group had higher IL-18 and IL-1β (P<0.01). Conclusion: The effect of CSE on cell viability is dose-dependent. CSE+LPS can induce cell pyroptosis and increase the levels of inflammatory cytokines in PMVECs. These observations demonstrated that pyroptosis caused by CSE and LPS might play an important role in pulmonary vascular remodeling.
Power Mean Based Image Segmentation in the Presence of Noise
Authors: Rahman Afzal , Ali Haider , Badshah Noor , Zakarya Muhammad , Hussain Hameed , Rahman Izaz Ur , Ahmed Aftab , Haleem Muhammad
Published: January 2022

In image segmentation and in general in image processing, noise and outliers distort contained information posing in this way a great challenge for accurate image segmentation results. To ensure a correct image segmentation in presence of noise and outliers, it is necessary to identify the outliers and isolate them during a denoising pre-processing or impose suitable constraints into a segmentation framework. In this paper, we impose suitable removing outliers constraints supported by a well-designed theory in a variational framework for accurate image segmentation. We investigate a novel approach based on the power mean function equipped with a well established theoretical base. The power mean function has the capability to distinguishes between true image pixels and outliers and, therefore, is robust against outliers. To deploy the novel image data term and to guaranteed unique segmentation results, a fuzzy-membership function is employed in the proposed energy functional. Based on qualitative and quantitative extensive analysis on various standard data sets, it has been observed that the proposed model works well in images having multi-objects with high noise and in images with intensity inhomogeneity in contrast with the latest and state of the art models.
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron: evasion of potent humoral responses and resistance to clinical immunotherapeutics relative to viral variants of concern
Authors: Aggarwal Anupriya , Stella Alberto , Walker Gregory , Akerman Anouschka , Milogiannakis Vanessa , Brilot Fabienne , Amatayakul-Chantler Supavadee , Roth Nathan , Coppola Germano , Schofield Peter , Jackson Jennifer , Lenthall Helen , Mazigi Ohan , Langley David , Lu Yonghui , Forster Charles , McAllery Samantha , Mathivanan Vennila , Fitcher Christina , Hoppe Alexandra Carey , Munier C. Mee Ling , Jack Hans-Martin , Cromer Deborah , Darley David , Matthews Gail , Christ Daniel , Khoury David , Davenport Miles , Rawlinson William , Kelleher Anthony , Turville Stuart
Published: January 2022

Genetically distinct viral variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been recorded since January 2020. Over this time global vaccine programs have been introduced, contributing to lowered COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality rates, particularly in the first world. In late 2021, the Omicron (B.1.1.529) virus variant emerged, with significant genetic differences and clinical effects from other variants of concern (VOC). This variant a demonstrated higher number of polymorphisms in the gene encoding the Spike (S) protein, and there has been displacement of the dominant Delta variant. We assessed the impact of Omicron infection on the ability of: serum from vaccinated and/or previously infected individuals; concentrated human IgG from plasma donors, and licensed monoclonal antibody therapies to neutralise the virus in vitro. There was a 17 to 27-fold reduction in neutralisation titres across all donors who had a detectable neutralising antibody titre to the Omicron variant. Concentrated pooled human IgG from convalescent and vaccinated donors had greater breadth of neutralisation, although the potency was still reduced 16-fold. Of all therapeutic antibodies tested, significant neutralisation of the Omicron variant was only observed for Sotrovimab, with other monoclonal antibodies unable to neutralise Omicron in vitro. These results have implications for ongoing therapy of individuals infected with the Omicron variant.
Identification of Sulfavant A as the First Synthetic TREM2 Ligand Discloses a Homeostatic Response of Dendritic Cells After Receptor Engagement
Authors: Gallo Carmela , Manzo Emiliano , Barra Giusi , Fioretto Laura , Ziaco Marcello , Nuzzo Genoveffa , d'Ippolito Giuliana , Ferrera Francesca , Contini Paola , Castiglia Daniela , Angelini Claudia , De Palma Raffaele , Fontana Angelo
Published: January 2022

The immune response arises from a fine balance of cellular and molecular mechanisms that provide for surveillance, tolerance, and elimination of dangers as pathogens. Improving the quality of the immune response remains a major goal in immunotherapy and vaccine development. Sulfavant A (SULF A) is a sulfolipid that has shown promising adjuvant activity in a cancer vaccine model. Here we report that SULF A is the first synthetic small molecule binding to the Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells-2 (TREM2). The receptor engagement initiates an unconventional maturation of Dendritic cells (DCs) leading to upregulation of the Major Histocompatibility Complex class II (MHC Class II) and costimulatory molecules (CD83, CD86, DC54) without release of T helper type 1 (Th1) or 2 (Th2) cytokines. According to a TREM2 mechanism, this response is mediated by SYK-NFAT axis and is compromised by blockade and gene silencing of the receptor. Activation by SULF A preserved the DC functions to excite the allogeneic T cell response, and induced interleukin-10 (IL-10) release after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. These results well support the adjuvant effect of SULF A and offer novel insights into the role of TREM2 in the differentiation of an unprecedented DC phenotype (homeDCs) that contributes to the maintenance of immune homeostasis without compromising lymphocyte activation and immunogenic response. The biological function of SULF-A may be of interest in various physiological and pathological processes involving the immune system.
Processing of polymer wood composite material from pine cone and the binder of phenol formaldehyde/PVAc/molasses and improvement of its properties
Authors: Şahinöz Melih , ARUNTAŞ Hüseyin Yılmaz , GÜRÜ Metin
Published: January 2022

This paper deals with the processing of polymer wood composite material from pine cone and the binder of phenol formaldehyde/PVAc/molasses and improvement of its properties. The production of pine cone based polymer binding and molasses added composite material, and the development of the non-flammability, insect attack and water resistance properties of this material has been studied in the research. To this end, pine cone, polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), phenol-formaldehyde, molasses, hemp fiber and waste colemanite have been used in the production of composite materials. It is aimed to produce a cheaper composite material less harmful to human health using plant based waste materials. According to the results of the flexural strength test conducted in the laboratory, the most suitable composite material producing parameters were detected as 0.25 filler/binder (f/b) ratio, 35% molasses ratio, 100°C molding pressure temperature, 49 kg/cm2 molding pressure, 240 µm mean particle size, 20 minutes for molding pressure time, 20% PF ratio and 0.5% hemp fiber ratio. It was determined that molasses could be used at a ratio of 35% for producing composite materials and, PF resin and hemp fiber samples provide the necessary water resistance. It was observed that the colemanite waste used in the mixture adds the nonflammability property to the composite material and decreases flexural strength and screw withdrawal strength.
Multi-Frequency Broadband Vibration Mitigation of a Beam Under Tensile Load
Authors: Machado Marcela , Dutkiewicz Maciej
Published: January 2022

The vibration characterization is directly associated with the system’s physical properties, such as mass, damping, and stiffness. For over a century, vibration resonator or dynamic absorber has been used for vibration control and mitigation in many sectors of engineering. A limitation of this device is that it acts as a notch filter, which is only effective over a narrow band of frequencies. Therefore, researchers have designed the call metamaterial, which in this case, targets the improvement of vibration attenuation and induces locally resonant bandgaps. This work investigates the broadband vibration mitigation of a beam under tensile load with periodically attached dynamic absorbers. The study uses the modal analysis approach, a simple formulation that only depends on the resonator target frequency and total mass ratio to investigate single and multiple-frequency bandgap formation. Metamaterial and rainbow metamaterial beam under tensile load are employed to widen the gap. In practical designs, a finite number of resonators is required for the open bandgap, and this ideal number is explored in the paper. Additionally, a tensiled beam (cable) virtual twin is built from a physical system to forecast its broadband vibration mitigation with the metamaterial approach. Numerical investigations are conducted regarding the effects of mass ratio and the ideal mass ratio on the open and on the gap convergence, as well as resonators in single and multiple arrangements inducing multiple gaps.
A Simple Scoring Model Based on Machine Learning Predicts Intravenous Immunoglobulin Resistance in Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Sunaga Yuto , Watanabe Atsushi , Katsumata Nobuyuki , Toda Takako , Yoshizawa Masashi , Kono Yosuke , Hasebe Yohei , Koizumi Keiichi , Hoshiai Minako , Inukai Takeshi
Published: January 2022

In Kawasaki disease (KD), accurate prediction of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance is crucial to reduce a risk for developing coronary artery lesions. To establish a simple and accurate scoring model predicting IVIG resistance, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 996 KD patients that were diagnosed at 11 facilities for 10 years, in which 108 cases (23.5%) were resistant to initial IVIG treatment. We performed machine learning with random forest model using 30 clinical variables at diagnosis in 796 and 200 cases for training and test datasets, respectively. Random forest model accurately predicted IVIG resistance (AUC; 0.75, sensitivity; 0.54, specificity; 0.80). Next, using top five influential features (days of illness at initial therapy, serum levels of C-reactive protein, sodium, total bilirubin, and total cholesterol) in the random forest model, we designed a simple scoring system. In spite of its simplicity, the scoring system predicted IVIG resistance (AUC; 0.73, sensitivity; 0.55, specificity; 0.83) as accurately as the random forest model itself. Moreover, accuracy of our scoring system with five clinical features was almost identical to that of Gunma score with seven clinical features (AUC; 0.73, sensitivity; 0.53, specificity; 0.83), a well-known logistic regression scoring model, and superior to that of two widely used scores (Kurume score; 0.67, 0.46 and 0.76, respectively, and Osaka score; 0.69, 0.33 and 0.84, respectively). Conclusions: Our simple scoring system based on the findings in machine learning, as well as machine learning itself, seems to be useful to accurately predict IVIG resistance in KD patients.
Early Daytime Sleepiness and Nighttime Slow-wave Sleep Disorganization in Progressive Macaque Model of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Davin Aurélie , Chabardès Stéphan , Belaid Hayat , Fagret Daniel , Djaileb Loic , Dauvilliers Yves , David Olivier , Torres-Martinez Napoléon , Piallat Brigitte
Published: January 2022

Parkinsonian patients often experience wake/sleep behavior disturbances, which can appear at an early stage of the disease in a way that is still not fully described. We aimed here at reproducing and characterizing these clinical signs in a progressive non-human primate model of the Parkinson’s disease to better understand the underlying physiopathology and to identify biomarkers of the disease. Three adult non-human primates (macaca fascicularis) were equipped with a polysomnographic telemetry system allowing the characterization of the wake/sleep behavior by long-term neurophysiological recordings and a modified multiple sleep latency test. Experiments were first performed in healthy animals and then during the progressive induction of a parkinsonian syndrome by chronic intramuscular injections of low doses of MPTP. We observed a significant early onset of wake/sleep behavior disturbances, before any motor symptoms, resulting in (i) a disorganization of nighttime sleep with more deep sleep and (ii) a disorganization of daytime naps with an excessive daytime sleepiness characterized by longer duration of naps, which occurred faster. These observations persisted and worsened in stable symptomatic state. In that latter state, we observed persistent excessive daytime sleepiness and more disorganized nighttime sleep architecture and continuity. Interpolating to the human condition, the present study suggests that nighttime and daytime sleep disorders may appear in early stage of the disease. They could thus be used as biomarkers of the disease for early stratification of patients who are at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Yield Estimation of High-Density Cotton Fields Using Low-Altitude UAV Imaging and Deep Learning
Authors: Li Fei , Bai Jingya , Zhang Mengyun , Zhang Ruoyu
Published: January 2022

Background: Different from other parts of the world, China has its own cotton planting pattern. Cotton are densely planted in wide-narrow rows to increase yield in Xinjiang, China, causing the difficulty in the accurate evaluation of cotton yields using remote sensing in such field with branches occluded and overlapped. Results: In this study, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) were used to estimate the yields of densely planted cotton. Images of cotton field were acquired by an UAV at the height of 5 m. Cotton bolls were manually harvested and weighted afterwards. Then, a modified DCNN model was developed by applying encoder-decoder recombination and dilated convolution for pixel-wise cotton boll segmentation termed CD-SegNet. Linear regression analysis was employed to build up the relationship between cotton boll pixels ratio and cotton yield. Yield estimations of four cotton fields were verified after machine harvest and weighting. The results showed that CD-SegNet outperformed the other tested models including SegNet, support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF). The average error of the estimated yield of the cotton fields was 6.2%. Conclusions: Overall, the yield estimation of densely planted cotton based on lowaltitude UAV imaging is feasible. This study provides a methodological reference for cotton yield estimation in China.
Four New Members of The Family Cytophagaceae: Cryseosolum Histidinii gen. nov., sp. nov., Cryseosolum Indiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., Reichenbachia Cretensis, gen. nov., sp. nov., and Reichenbachia Soli, gen. nov., sp. nov. Isolated From Diverse Habitat
Authors: Octaviana Senlie , Lorenczyk Stefan , Ackert Frederike , Wink Joachim
Published: January 2022

Four strains isolated, PWU4T, PWU20T, PWU5T and PWU37T were from both of soil in Germany, India and a faces sheep collected in Crete Island, respectively. Cells were Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, rod shaped, grew optimally between 28oC and 34oC, pH between 7.0 and 8.0 without the addition of NaCl. Catalase and oxidase-negative and grew on most mono- and disaccharides, a few polysaccharides and organic acid. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. Major fatty acid was c16:1 ω7c (PWU4T and PWU20T) and c16:1 ω5c (PWU5T and PWU37T). The DNA G+C content of them were 50.2 mol %; 51.6 mol %; 39.8 mol % and 53.8 mol %, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the closest relatives of them are less than 93.8% compared to Ohtaekwangia koreensis 3B-2T and Ohtaekwangia kribbensis 10AOT. It classified in two groups, where PWU4T, PWU20T shared 93.0% and PWU5T, PWU37T shared 97.5% sequence similarity. However, in both groups represent different species on the low average nucleotide identity (ANI) of their genomes, 69.7% and 83.8%, respectively. We proposed that the four strains represent four novel species of two new genera in the family Cytophagaceae. The type species of the novel genus Cryseosolum are Cryseosolum histdinii gen. nov., sp. nov. strain PWU4T (=DSM 111594T=NCCB 100798T), Cryseosolum indiensis sp. nov. strain PWU20T (=DSM 111597T=NCCB 100800T). The type species of the novel genus Reichenbachia are Reichenbachia cretensis gen. nov., sp. nov. strain PWU5T (=DSM 111596T=NCCB 100799T), Reichenbachia soli sp. nov. strain PWU37T (=DSM 111595T=NCCB 100801T).
A Visualization Analysis of Hotspots And Frontiers of Cardiovascular Diseases With Frailty Based On CiteSpace
Authors: Bao Xuping , Chung Loretta Yuet Foon , Wen Yujie , Sun Qiyu , Wang Yi , Du Yifei
Published: January 2022

Cardiovascular diseases(CVD) and frailty are common health problems among the elderly. This research aims to investigate the hotspots and frontiers of the field of cardiovascular diseases with frailty. Data of publications between 2000 and 2021 was collected from the Web of Science(WoS) and CiteSpace was used for analysing the hotspots and frontiers of cardiovascular diseases with frailty research from high-impact countries, institutions, authors, cited-references, cited-journals, high-frequency keywords and burst keywords. The results showed that the United States, England and Canada were the leading countries in research of cardiovascular diseases with frailty. Other countries and regions lagged behind these developed countries. There is a need to establish cooperation between developed countries and developing countries. Research hotspots focused on frailty in the elderly with CVD, exercise intervention, assessment for CVD patients with frailty, quality of life and common diseases related to CVD with frailty. The frontier fields include care and intervention of CVD patients with frailty, social frailty and validation of CVD with frailty.
Triglyceride to HDL-C Ratio Is Associated with Plasma D-Dimer Levels in Different Types of Pancreatitis: A Retrospective Single-Centered Study in China
Authors: Jia Xiaoqing , Zhang Xiaoting , Sun Dalong , Li Rong , Yang Na , Luo Zheng
Published: January 2022

BackgroundThis study aims to evaluate the relationship between D-dimer and dyslipidemia, especially triglyceride to HDL-C ratio (TG/HDL-C) in different types of pancreatitis. We analyzed the D-dimer and dyslipidemia levels in acute pancreatitis (AP), recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). Material and MethodsA single-centered retrospective study was conducted on 1013 patients diagnosed with AP, RAP or CP. Only patients hospitalized within 24 h of onset were included, and 204 patients were enrolled in pancreatitis groups. 68 normal persons without pancreatitis, malignant diseases, pregnancy, or organ failure, who had health check-ups, were enrolled in the control group. Blood samples were taken within 24h of admission. The epidemiology and etiology were analyzed. D-dimer and dyslipidemia levels were compared between different types of pancreatitis. Furthermore, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to estimate the validity of the predictor and to define optimal cut-off points for prediction.ResultsWe found that D-dimer and TG/HDL-C ratio could distinguish mild AP (MAP) and non-MAP in AP and RAP patients. The D-dimer level was related to TG/HDL-C ratio and severity of pancreatitis, with the coefficient correlation of 0.379 and 0.427(p<0.01), respectively. TG/HDL-C was related to D-dimer in different types of pancreatitis. Multivariate analysis was conducted in the parameters at admission like alcohol abuse, dyslipidemia and coagulation disturbance in distinguishing AP and RAP groups from the control group, and the parameter like diabetes in RAP and CP groups significantly increased compared with that of the control group. ConclusionsThe value of D-dimer level and TG/HDL-C ratio in predicting the severity of AP and RAP was confirmed but there was no significant difference between CP group and the control group. The D-dimer level was related to dyslipidemia and TG/HDL-C ratio.
A Long-Term, Portable ECG Patch Monitor Based on Flexible Dry Electrode
Authors: Chu Hao , Yang Chenxi , Xing Yantao , Li Jianqing , Liu Chengyu
Published: January 2022

PurposeLong-term electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring is an essential approach for the early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Flexible dry electrodes that contains electrolyte without water could be a potential substitution of wet electrodes for long-term ECG monitoring. Therefore, this paper developes a long-term, portable ECG patch based on flexible dry electrodes, namely SEUECG-100.MethodA device consists of analog-front-end acquisition, data acquisition, and storage modules is developed and tested. An impedance test was conducted to compare the skin-electrode impedance of the flexible dry electrode and the Ag/AgCl wet electrode. The ECG signals were simutanously collected from the same subject using the SEUECG-100 and Shimmer device , which were then compared and analyzed from the perspective of ECG morphology, RR interval, and signal quality indices (SQI).ResultsThe experimental results reveal that the flexible dry electrode has the characteristics of low skin-electrode impedance. SEUECG-100 could collect high-quality ECG signals. The ECG signals collected by the two devices have a high RR interval correlation (r=0.999). SQI results show that SEUECG-100 is better than the Shimmer device in overcoming baseline drift. Long-term ECG acquisition and storage experiments show that SEUECG-100 could collect ECG signals with good stability and high reliability.ConclusionThe implementation of the proposed system design with dry electrodes could can effectively record long-term ECG monitoring with high quality in comparison to systems with wet electrodes from both impedance characteristics and signal morphology aspects.
Explainable AI for CNN-based Prostate Tumor Segmentation in Multi-parametric MRI Correlated to Whole Mount Histopathology
Authors: Gunashekar Deepa Darshini , Bielak Lars , Hägele Leonard , Berlin Arnie , Oerther Benedict , Benndorf Matthias , Grosu Anca , Zamboglou Constantinos , Bock Michael
Published: January 2022

Automatic prostate tumor segmentation is often unable to identify the lesion even if in multi-parametric MRI data is used as input, and the segmentation output is difficult to verify due to the lack of clinically established ground truth images. In this work we use an explainable deep learning model to interpret the predictions of a convolutional neural network (CNN) for prostate tumor segmentation. The CNN uses a U-Net architecture which was trained on multi-parametric MRI data from 122 patients to automatically segment the prostate gland and prostate tumor lesions. In addition, co-registered ground truth data from whole mount histopathology images were available in 15 patients that were used as a test set during CNN testing. To be able to interpret the segmentation results of the CNN, heat maps were generated using the Gradient Weighted Class Activation Map (Grad-CAM) method. With the CNN a mean Dice Sorensen Coefficient for the prostate gland and the tumor lesions of 0.62 and 0.31 with the radiologist drawn ground truth and 0.32 with wholemount histology ground truth for tumor lesions could be achieved. Dice Sorensen Coefficient between CNN predictions and manual segmentations from MRI and histology data were not significantly different. In the prostate the Grad-CAM heat maps could differentiate between tumor and healthy prostate tissue, which indicates that the image information in the tumor was essential for the CNN segmentation.
Incidentally Discovered Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma in Patients Undergoing Thyroid Surgery for Benign Disease
Authors: de Carlos Joaquin , Ernaga Ander , Irigaray Ana , Pineda Jose Javier , Echegoyen Ana , Salvador Pilar , Anda Emma
Published: January 2022

IntroductionIncidence of thyroid carcinoma (TC) has grown significantly over the last few decades worldwide, partly due to the increase detection of small thyroid microcarcinoma (TMc). TMc are tumors with a maximal diameter ≤ 1 cm, identified during histopathology examination following a thyroidectomy performed for reasons not pertaining to malignancy. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMc) according to the nature of benign pathology that submit patients to thyroid surgery and its trend evolution.MethodsRetrospective cohort analysis of 1815 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for non-malignant disease from 2005 to 2020. ResultsThe mean age of subjects was 53.5 years, with a higher proportion of women (1481, 82.1%). A total of 167 PTMc (9.3%) were incidentally discovered. Multivariate logistic regression analysis shows no differences in prevalence according to sex or age in patients with PTMc compared to those with final benign histology. Multinodular goiter increases the risk of PTMc with an odds ratio of 2.2 (p=0.001) compared to Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves´ disease (GD). There is a statistically significant increase in the incidence of PTMc in the group operated between 2017-2020 vs. 2005-2008 (p=0.005)ConclusionOverall prevalence of PTMc in patients who underwent thyroid surgery for benign disease was 9.3%. Thyroid nodular hyperplasia was the most frequent benign pathology associated to this occult cancer as compared to Hashimoto or GD. Gender and age were not correlated with prevalence of TMc. Over the years, surgical findings of PTMc have grown, particularly in the 2017-2020 period.
The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Macular Capillary Perfusion
Authors: baris mine esen , Degirmenci Cumali , Yilmaz Suzan Guven , Afrashi Filiz , Pullukcu Husnu , Tasbakan Meltem
Published: January 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a prior non-severe COVID-19 infection on retinal microcirculation with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).Methods:A total of 83 eyes of 43 patients with a history of non-severe COVID-19 infection confirmed with a positive PCR test (Group 1) and 30 age-matched healthy controls (Group 2) underwent detailed eye examination including Spectral-Domain OCT (Topcon-Triton Swept Source) and OCTA (RTVue-XR Avanti) scanning. OCTA images (6x6mm) images were used to assess vessel densities (VD) in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ). Results:The mean duration between the COVID-19 positive PCR test and ocular examination was 144.6±82.2 days (range: 30-270). VD of SCP and DCP in the foveal and perifoveal regions were significantly lower in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p<0.05). Conclusion:Non-severe COVID-19 infection may cause a decrease in VD of retinal SCP and DCP.
Nodulation Compatibility and Symbiotic Performance of Rhizobia spp. With Different Landraces of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna Subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Collections
Authors: Hassen Ahmed Idris Idris , Vuuren Ansa van , Bopape Francina Lebogang , Gerrano Abe Shegro
Published: January 2022

The symbiosis of the legume bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean L.Verde) with its rhizobial partners has not been studied sufficiently compared to several other legumes throughout Africa. In this study, a nodulation compatibility screening was conducted on 16 different landraces of this legume using five Rhizobia strains previously isolated from active nodules of Desmodium uncinatum, Arachis hypogaea, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, Glycine max and Phaseolus vulgaris and deposited at the South African Rhizobium Culture Collection (SARCC). A screening assay was conducted under glasshouse to select compatible rhizobia strains that nodulate and enhance growth in one or more genotypes of V. subterranean (L.) Verdc. Pre-germinated seeds of each landraces planted in sterile river sand medium were inoculated with 108 cfu ml-1 of the rhizobial strains (2ml/seed) and monitored with regular watering for six weeks. Parameters such as nodule number, nodule color and positions, plant biomass were determined in test genotypes. Significant differences were observed among landraces in nodule number and plant biomass, and among rhizobial strains in nodule number. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that root nodule rhizobia strains SARCC-388 and SARCC-578 characterized as Bradyrhizobium zhangiangens and Bradyrhizobium centrosematis, respectively exhibited the highest nodulation compatibility with one or more bambara groundnut landraces. This study demonstrated that many of the bambara landraces did not show nodulation preference to a unique group of rhizobia, confirming that V. subterranean (L) Verdc can be nodulated by more than one species of rhizobia, especially by rhizobia belonging to the cowpea miscellany cross inoculation group.
Acquisition of Rainfall in Ungauged Basins: a Study of Rainfall Distribution Heterogeneity Based on a New Method
Authors: Zhao Ye , zhang Xiang , xiong feng , Liu Shuying , wang yao , liang changmei
Published: January 2022

High-density precipitation data is always desired to capture the heterogeneity of precipitation to accurately describe the components of the hydrological cycle. However, equipping and maintaining a high-density rain gauge network involves high costs, and the existing rain gauges are often unable to meet the density requirements. The objective of this study is to provide a new method to analyze the spatiotemporal variability of the precipitation field and to solve the problem of insufficient site density. To this end, the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) method is proposed, which can analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of rainfall fields to solve data shortages. To demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed methodology, four districts and counties (Hongshan District, Jianli County, Sui County, and Xuanen County) in Hubei province in China were selected as case studies. The principal results are as follows. (1) The proposed method is effective in analyzing the spatiotemporal variability of the rainfall field to reconstruct rainfall data in ungauged basins. (2) Compared with the commonly used Thiessen Polygon method, the Inverse Distance Weighting method, and the Kriging method, POD is more accurate and convenient, and the root mean squared error is reduced from 3.22, 1.83, 2.19 to 2.09; the correlation coefficients are improved from 0.60, 0.85, 0.79 to 0.89, respectively. (3) The POD method performs particularly well in simulating the peak value and the peak time and can offer a meaningful reference for analyzing the spatial distribution of rainfall.
The Effects of Taxation on Economic Development: the Moderating Role of Tax Compliance Among SMEs
Authors: Werekoh Eugene Adjei
Published: January 2022

The amount of revenue collected often determines a country's economic growth and development. Taxes continue to be one of the most important constituents in managing nationwide income in emerging and developed nations. In this sense, tax evasion might have serious effects, especially because the global cost of non-compliance by taxpayers is quite significant. Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) are the backbone of economies around the world, driving economic progress and growth, as well as innovation and wealth creation. The high incidence of tax non-compliance among SMEs, on the other hand, stymies the progress that SMEs are meant to bring to many nations. Thus, the study aim at assessing the effects of taxation on economic development with its moderating role of tax compliance. The descriptive research design with quantitative approach was employed. The population of the study consist is 10,000 SMEs operating in Kumasi currently with a sample size of 400 SMEs. The instrument for data collection in this study was questionnaire. The data that was collected was analysed using SPSS. The findings demonstrated that in formulating strategies to enhance voluntary compliance, it is crucial for the relevant authorities to be aware of, understand and appreciate taxation taxpayers’ compliance behaviour and the need to provide tax education services. The results indicated that tax compliance enhanced the effectiveness of taxation to impact on economic development. The moderating role of tax compliance in the relationship between taxation and economic development was low but positive.
Only Cervical Segments C0-C2, Not C3 Are Relevant for Subgrouping Migraine Patients According to Manual Palpation and Pain Provocation
Authors: Schwarz Annika , Luedtke Kerstin , Schoettker-Koeniger Thomas
Published: January 2022

Background and Aims: Subgrouping of migraine patients according to the pain response to manual palpation of the upper cervical spine has been recently described. Based on the neuroanatomy and the convergence of spinal and trigeminal nerves in the trigeminocervical complex, the cervical segments C1 to C3 are potentially relevant. To date it has not been investigated whether palpation results of all upper cervical segments are based on one underlying construct which allows combining the results of several tests.Methods: Seventy-one migraine patients with chronic or frequent episodic migraine diagnosed according to the IHS classification version 3 were examined by one physiotherapist. Manual palpation was performed on the upper three cervical segments unilaterally left and right. The results of the palpation according to the patients’ responses were combined using factor analysis to determine whether results from all three segments form one underlying construct. In addition, item response theory (IRT) was used to investigate the structure of the response pattern as well as item difficulty and discriminationFindings: Factor analysis (principal component) showed that the palpation of C3 loads less onto the underlying construct than the palpation of C1 and C2. Considering a cut-off value >1.0, the eigenvalues of all three segments do not represent one underlying construct. When excluding the results from C3, remaining items form one construct. The internal consistency of the pain response to palpation of C1 and C2 is acceptable with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.69. IRT analysis showed that the rating scale model fits best to the pain response pattern. The discrimination value (1.24) was equal for all 4 items. Item difficulty showed a clear hierarchical structure between the palpation of C1 and C2, indicating that people with a higher impairment are more likely to respond with referred pain during palpation of the segment C2. Conclusion: Statistical analysis confirms that results from the palpation of the cervical segments C1 and C2 in migraine patients can be combined. IRT analysis confirmed the ordinal pattern of the pain response and showed the higher probability of a pain response during palpation of C2. Registration of main Study: German registry of clinical trials (DRKS00015995), Registered 20. December 2018, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/setLocale_EN.do
Rhino Orbital Cerebral Mucormycosis in settings of Covid-19 infection: A Case Series of Thirteen Patients
Authors: Verma Rajesh , Chakraborty Rajarshi , DB Keerthiraj , Wangda Kingzang , Verma Veerendra , Gupta Prashant
Published: January 2022

Background

Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis (ROCM) is an important infectious disease encountered in huge number in this recent post-covid 19 era. An alteration in defence immune system during covid-19 illness, in the presence of uncontrolled hyperglycaemia has led to the new epidemic of ROCM especially in developing nations like India.
Method

This case series of thirteen patients illustrates the various clinical presentation, laboratorical parameters, imaging features and outcome of patients of ROCM admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Northern India.
Result

In our case series, a total of 13 newly diagnosed cases of Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis were studied. History of covid-19 illness was observed in 7 cases (53.8%), use of steroid during Covid-19 illness was seen in 5 cases (38.5%), oxygen therapy was given in 4 cases (30.8%). Co-morbid state in the form of diabetes mellitus was present in 12 cases (92.3%) with mean duration 16.69 months with an important finding of 6 cases (46.2%) having new-onset diabetes; hypertension in present in 3 cases (23.1%). Magnetic resonance imaging of paranasal sinuses showed involvement of multiple sinuses in all the 13 cases(100%), including maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses, with frontal in 12 cases (92.3%), sphenoidal in 11 cases (84.6%), symmetric in 9 cases (69.2%), mastoiditis in 4 cases (30.8%), maxillary space involvement in 4 cases (30.8%), palatal involvement in 1 case (7.7%). Multi-speciality approach treatment was given in the liposomal amphotericin B therapy in all the patients along with thorough endo-nasal debridement done in all cases, transcutaneous retrobulbar amphotericin B in 6 cases (46.2%) with exenteration done in 7 patients (53.9%). At 3 months of follow-up, there was substantial clinical improvement in all the cases.
Conclusion

There should be definite emphasis on high suspicion of mucor clinically for early diagnosis and aggressive management at initial state of diagnosis for better outcome. The need for sustained proper glycemic control during covid 19 era along with judicious use of steroid and public awareness for early symptoms and manifestations of mucor can curb the magnitude of such potentially opportunistic epidemic to a substantial rate. The longer the infection remains undetected, the greater the devastation ROCM can impose, of which blindness is an important hazard.
Ferroptosis Regulators and Tumor Microenvironment Immune Cell Infiltration Characterization in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
Authors: Shen Chengquan , Liu Jing , Liang Ye , Liang Zhijuan , Wang Liping , Chen Yuanbin , Li Dan , Wang Yonghua
Published: January 2022

Background

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis and lacking effective systemic treatment options. Recent studies showed that ferroptosis play a prominent role in the initiation and development of cancer. Nonetheless, the potential roles of ferroptosis regulators in the prognosis and tumor microenvironment immunomodulator factors expression remain not fully study.
Methods

TCGA and GEO ACC datasets were used to investigate the relationship between ferroptosis regulators with prognosis and clinical features. Consensus clustering analysis was performed to divided ACC patients into different ferroptosis subgroups. A ferroptosis scoring system was established for individual ACC using principal component analysis algorithms. The correlation between ferroptosis score and tumor microenvironment immune cell infiltration was analyzed.
Results

Twenty ferroptosis regulators were differentially expressed in ACC and 17 ferroptosis regulators were closely related to the prognosis of ACC. Three ferroptosis subgroups (Cluster A, B, and C) were determined based on the expression of ferroptosis regulators. Cluster C is preferentially associated with favorable OS, PFS, upregulated antigen-presenting genes expression, and higher immune cell infiltration. GSEA also indicated that Cluster C was prominently related to immune fully activation including chemokine signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, T cell receptor signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. A ferroptosis scoring system was constructed and it could serve as an independent prognostic factor for ACC. The ferroptosis scores were significantly correlated with TMB, immune-checkpoint genes expression, and tumor microenvironment immune cell infiltration in ACC. Further analyses indicated that the ferroptosis score integrated with TMB, immune-checkpoint genes expression, and CD4+ T cell infiltration, could predict the prognosis of ACC. Furthermore, a nomogram was constructed to monitor the prognosis of individual ACC patient. RNA isolation and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) demonstrated significant differences in the expression levels of ACSL4, FANCD2 and SLC7A1 between ACC and normal tissues.
Conclusion

Our study demonstrated ferroptosis regulators were significantly associated with the prognosis, clinical characteristics, immune-checkpoint genes expression, and tumor microenvironment immune cell infiltration in ACC. This current study provided comprehensive evidence for further research on ferroptosis regulators in ACC and provides new enlightenment for epigenetic regulation of antitumor immune response.
Whole Body Muscle Activity During Weightlifting Exercise Evaluated By Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Yoshimizu Rikuto , Nakase Junsuke , Mochizuki Takafumi , Takata Yasushi , Shimozaki Kengo , Asai Kazuki , Toyooka Kazu , Kimura Mitsuhiro , Kinuya Seigo , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: January 2022

Background: This study investigated the whole-body skeletal muscle activity pattern of hang power clean (HPC), a major weight training exercise, using positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: Twelve college weightlifting athletes performed three sets of HPC 20 times with a barbell set to 40 kg both before and after an intravenous injection of 37 MBq 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). PET-computed tomography images were obtained 50 min after FDG injection. Regions of interest were defined within 71 muscles. The standardized uptake value was calculated to examine the FDG uptake of muscle tissue per unit volume, and FDG accumulation was compared to the control group. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to evaluate the differences in the mean SUV between groups. The difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles was evaluated by a paired t-test. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: FDG accumulation within the vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis was higher than that of the rectus femoris. FDG accumulation within the triceps surae muscle was significantly higher only in the soleus. In the trunk and hip muscles, FDG accumulation of only the erector spinae was significantly increased. In all skeletal muscles, there was no difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles.Conclusions: The monoarticular muscles in the lower limbs were active in HPC. In contrast, deep muscles in the trunk and hip were not active during HPC. HPC is not suitable for core training and needs to be supplemented with other training.