bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gene Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Prasuhn Jannik , Brüggemann Norbert
Published: November 2021

Background. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a pathophysiological hallmark of disease onset and progression in patients with Parkinsonian disorders. Besides the overall emergence of gene therapies in treating these patients, this highly relevant molecular concept has not yet been defined as a target for gene therapeutic approaches. Methods. This narrative review will discuss the experimental evidence suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction as a viable treatment target in patients with monogenic and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. In addition, we will focus on general treatment strategies and crucial challenges which need to be overcome. Results. Our current understanding of mitochondrial biology in parkinsonian disorders opens up the avenue for viable treatment strategies in Parkinsonian disorders. Insights can be obtained from primary mitochondrial diseases. However, substantial knowledge gaps and unique challenges of mitochondria-targeted gene therapies need to be addressed to provide innovative treatments in the future. Conclusions. Mitochondria-targeted gene therapies are a potential strategy to improve an important primary disease mechanism in Parkinsonian disorders. However, further studies are needed to address the unique design challenges for mitochondria-targeted gene therapies.
The Roles of the Virome in Cancer
Authors: Broecker Felix , Moelling Karin
Published: November 2021

Viral infections as well as changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota and virome have been linked to cancer. Moreover, the success of cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has been correlated with the intestinal microbial composition of patients. The transfer of feces – which contains mainly bacteria and their viruses (phages) – from immunotherapy responders to non-responders, known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), has been shown to be able convert some non-responders to responders. Since phages may also increase the response to immunotherapy, for example by inducing T cells cross-reacting with cancer antigens, modulating phage populations may provide a new avenue to improve immunotherapy responsiveness. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the human virome and its links to cancer, and discuss the potential utility of bacteriophages in increasing the responder rate for cancer immunotherapy.
Structural and Functional Insights into the Microtubule Organizing Centers of Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp.
Authors: Tomasina Ramiro , González Fabiana , Francia Maria E.
Published: November 2021

Microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) perform critical cellular tasks by nucleating, stabilizing and anchoring microtubule’s minus ends. These capacities impact tremendously a wide array of cellular functions ranging from ascribing cell shape to orchestrating cell division and generating motile structures, among others. The phylum Apicomplexa comprises over 6000 single-celled obligate intracellular parasitic species. Many of the apicomplexan are well known pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii and the Plasmodium species, causative agents of toxoplasmosis and malaria, respectively. Microtubule organization in these parasites is critical for organizing the cortical cytoskeleton, enabling host cell penetration and the positioning of large organelles, drive cell division and direct the formation of flagella in sexual life stages. Apicomplexans are a prime example of MTOC diversity displaying multiple functional and structural MTOCs combinations within a single species. This diversity can only be fully understood in light of each organism's specific MT nucleation requirements and their evolutionary history. Insight into apicomplexan MTOCs had traditionally been limited to classical ultrastructural work by transmission electron microscopy. However, in the past few years, a large body of molecular insight has emerged. In this work we describe the latest insights into nuclear MTOC biology in two major human and animal disease causing Apicomplexans; Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp.
Regularization, Bayesian Inference and Machine Learning methods for Inverse Problems†
Authors: Mohammad-Djafari Ali
Published: November 2021

Classical methods for inverse problems are mainly based on regularization theory. In particular those which are based on optimization of a criterion with two parts: a data-model matching and a regularization term. Different choices for these two terms and great number of optimization algorithms have been proposed. When these two terms are distance or divergence measures, they can have a Bayesian Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) interpretation where these two terms correspond, respectively, to the likelihood and prior probability models.
Congratulations! The Best Paper Award 2021
Authors:   Editorial Office
Published: November 2021

The 12th Best Paper Award 2021 ceremony was held virtually on September 13, 2021. Since the influence of COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, the winners and IJAT committee members who took part in the selection process attended through Zoom. The Best Paper was carefully selected from among the 97 papers published in Vol.14 (2020). The Best Paper Award winners were given a certificate with a nearly USD 1,000 honorarium.

We congratulate the winners and sincerely wish them success in the future.

Evaluation of Machine Tool Spindle Using Carbon Fiber Composite

by Ryo Kondo, Daisuke Kono, and Atsushi Matsubara

Int. J. of Automation Technology, Vol.14, No.2, pp. 294-303, 2020

doi: 10.20965/ijat.2020.p0294
On-Machine Estimation of Workholding State for Thin-Walled Parts
Authors: Zeng Jingkai ,   Division of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology 27-1 Mizumoto, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan, Teramoto Koji , Matsumoto Hiroki
Published: November 2021

The objective of this research is to investigate an on-machine estimation method to achieve efficient and fast estimation of the fixturing force and workpiece deformation. The estimation enables us to visualize workholding states and improves machining accuracies of thin-walled parts. In this research, a systematic estimation method of workholding states which combines fixturing simulation and locally measured strain is proposed and evaluated. The proposed on-machine estimation method is evaluated in different workholding conditions (clamping sequences and fixturing forces). Estimated fixturing force and workpiece deformation for a clamped thin-walled workpiece were compared to the results from the engineering experiments. From the comparison, it becomes clear that the proposed method has the feasibility to detect improper workholding states such as insufficient fixturing force or excessive deformation.
Structural Allograft and Induced Membrane Technique for Treatment of 10-cm Segmental Femoral Bone Defect
Authors: Viale Germán J. , Garabano Germán , Pesciallo Cesar , Sel Hernán del
Published: November 2021

Case:

A modified induced membrane technique for the treatment of a posttraumatic 10-cm infected segmental femoral defect is reported. The first stage involved debridement and insertion of an antibiotic cement spacer and 2 Ender nails. Reconstruction was performed with a 14-cm structural bone allograft, inverted and telescoped into both ends of the remaining host femur, and stabilized with an interlocking nail. Progressive weight-bearing was allowed at 3 weeks with full weight-bearing achieved at 6 months.

Conclusion:

The use of a telescoped structural allograft and intramedullary nailing as the second stage of the Masquelet induced membrane technique facilitated postoperative rehabilitation, increased surface contact between host and graft bone, and improved integration.
Early Post-Traumatic Van Nes Rotationplasty After an Open Femur Fracture With a Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infection
Authors: Tye Erik Y. , Taylor Adam J. , Combs Kristen , Kay Robert D. , Bryman Jason A. , Hoshino C. Max
Published: November 2021

Case:

A 26-year-old man presented after an automobile versus pedestrian accident with a Type IIIA open femur fracture complicated by a necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) with significant bone loss. Multiple limb-preserving operations failed, including the placement of a plate-assisted, motorized lengthening intramedullary nail with a chimeric free flap. We describe the patient’s successful definitive treatment with a Van Nes rotationplasty (VNR). The patient currently ambulates independently with a prosthesis and is without recurrent infection after 3 years of follow-up.

Conclusion:

VNR is a potential strategy to avoid transfemoral amputation or hip disarticulation in open femur fractures complicated by NSTI.
The Protective Effect of Ursolic Acid on Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction in Rats by Activating the Nrf2/HO-1 Antioxidant Signaling Pathway
Authors: Pei Jun , Wu Moudong , Cai Shuyu , Peng Jinpu , Zhan Xiong , Wang Dan , Wang Wei , An Nini
Published: November 2021

Renal interstitial fibrosis is a common pathological feature of a variety of kidney diseases that progress to end-stage renal disease. The excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a typical pathological change of renal interstitial fibrosis. The production of reactive oxygen species in renal tubules is an important factor leading to the development of renal interstitial fibrosis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a natural pentacyclic triterpene carboxylic acid compound widely found in plants. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor cell proliferation effects. It can reduce the development of fibrosis by inhibiting the oxidative stress response of the liver; Whether UA can protect the renal interstitial fibrosis by resisting oxidative stress in the kidneys, there is currently no relevant research. In this study, our purpose is to investigate the effect of ursolic acid on renal interstitial fibrosis after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in rats and its related mechanisms. We established a UUO model by surgically ligating the right ureter of the rat, and instilling UA preparation (40 mg/kg/d) through the stomach after the operation, once a day for 7 days. We found that UUO caused impaired renal function, increased pathological damage, increased renal interstitial fibrosis, increased apoptosis, increased oxidative stress damage, and decreased antioxidants. However, after UA preparations were given, the above-mentioned damage was significantly improved. At the same time, we also found that UA preparations can significantly increase the relative expression of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in kidney tissue after UUO. In order to further verify whether the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway is involved in the development of renal interstitial fibrosis, we injected zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP, 45umol/Kg), a specific blocker of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, into the intraperitoneal cavity after UUO in rats and before gastric perfusion of ursolic acid preparations. Subsequently, we observed that the protective effect of UA on renal interstitial fibrosis after UUO in rats was reversed. Combining all the research results, we proved that UA has a protective effect on renal interstitial fibrosis after UUO in rats, which may be achieved by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.
Seismic events miss important grain-scale mechanisms governed by kinematics during shear failure of porous rock
Authors: Cartwright-Taylor Alexis , Mangriotis Maria-Daphne , Main Ian , Butler Ian B. , Fusseis Florian , Ling Martin , Ando Edward , Curtis Andrew , Bell Andrew , Crippen Alyssa , Rizzo Roberto , Marti Sina , Leung Derek , Magdysyuk Oxana
Published: November 2021

Catastrophic failure in brittle, porous materials initiates when smaller-scale fractures localize along an emergent failure plane or 'fault' in a transition from stable crack growth to dynamic rupture. Due to the extremely rapid nature of this critical transition, the precise micro-mechanisms involved are poorly understood and difficult to capture. Here, we observe these micro-mechanisms directly by controlling the microcracking rate to slow down the transition in a unique rock deformation experiment that combines acoustic monitoring with contemporaneous in-situ x-ray imaging of the microstructure. The results provide the first integrated picture of how damage and associated micro-seismic events emerge and evolve together during localisation and failure and allow us to ground truth some previous inferences from mechanical and seismic monitoring alone. They also highlight where such inferences miss important kinematically-governed grain-scale mechanisms prior to and during shear failure. Contrary to common assumption, we find seismic amplitude is not correlated with local imaged strain; large local strain often occurs with small acoustic emissions, and vice versa. Local strain is predominantly aseismic, explained in part by grain/crack rotation along an emergent shear zone, and the shear fracture energy calculated from local dilation and shear strain on the fault is half of that inferred from the bulk deformation. This improvement in process-based understanding holds out the prospect of reducing systematic errors in forecasting system-sized catastrophic failure in a variety of applications.
Role of IL-1RL1/ST2 in infantile asthma
Authors: Baba Yosuke , Matsuda Akina , Yamada Hiromichi , Yoneyama Toshiyuki , Yamazaki Susumu , Inage Eisuke , Ohtsuka Yoshikazu , Kantake Masato , Shimizu Toshiaki
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Wheezing is the dominant pathological characteristic of asthma. It is estimated that 50% of all children have experienced wheezing at least once in their first six years of life. This study aimed to investigate initial wheezing attacks in pediatric patients and to determine connection between transient wheezing (TW) attacks and persistent wheezing (PW).
Methods

The immune responses of children who initially presented with wheezing attacks were studied. A total of 231 children with wheezing attacks at the time of admission were enrolled in the study. The study population consisted of 68 children with wheezing episodes. Children with recurrent wheezing who were introduced to inhaled steroids after 12 months were further grouped into either PW or TW groups.
Results

At the initial onset, cytokine analysis of the children revealed a marked increase in serum soluble and transmembrane forms of interleukin receptor-2 (ST2) in PW. In contrast, there were no changes in serum levels of IL-4, IL-13, and IL-33. The serum ST2 levels of the PW group were higher compared to those of the TW group. Moreover, a significant increase in ST2 expression was observed in PW children with recurrent wheezing attacks.
Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that ST2 might be a useful index for predicting the prognosis of infantile asthma. Hence, elucidation of the mechanism of ST2 expression in childhood allergic diseases is essential.
Treatment of Overweight and Obesity by Suppressing Intestinal Epithelial Renewal in a Mouse Model of Obesity
Authors: Zeng Wei-ping
Published: November 2021

Obesity and overweight pose serious risk for many diseases and clinical conditions. However currently available weight loss strategies and pharmacotherapies of obesity are not satisfactory. This study shows that treatments with pH modifiers such as acids are not only well tolerated by obese mice but also very effective in reducing bodyweight and fat mass by depleting and suppressing the proliferation of proliferating epithelial cells of the intestinal villi. Therefore other cell proliferation inhibitors that suppress intestinal epithelial renewal can also be used for pharmacotherapy of obesity and overweight.
The Lorentz Transformation Equation for Tachyon Particles Moving Faster Than Light
Authors: Yasin Muhammad
Published: November 2021

The Lorentz transformation of a particle that travels faster than light is the trajectory of the particle. When a particle travels faster than light, ordinary Lorentz transformation is not applicable to it, so a different Lorentz transformation is required. Some scientists have published Lorentz transformations for fast-moving particles from light, but to me, the Lorentz transformation given by A Rachman, R Dutheil did not seem appropriate enough. This is because the trajectory of tachyon particles is not clear from their equations. In this article, Lorentz transformation has been proven without violating the theory of relativity, which is the trajectory for faster particles than light. This article shows the Lorentz transformation equation for particles moving at a faster velocity than light (v> c ) under a v <c or static observer without violating the theory of relativity.
A Computational Study of Optoelectronic and Charge Transport Properties of Purine Nucleobases Dinucleotides Compounds
Authors: Madison Kimberly , Kolodziejczyk Wojciech , Kapusta Karina , Hill Glake
Published: November 2021

Optoelectronic and charge transport properties of eight novel compounds are presented in this work. Density functional theory B3LYP was utilized to optimize all structures while time-dependent density functional theory was utilized for vertical excitation characteristics. Gas and solvent phases (water, THF, and DCM) were evaluated to gain insight on solid-state and solution processed devices. While the solvent phases enhanced most of the charge transport properties, there was seen a blue-shift in their absorption wavelengths. However, C2, C4, C6, and C8 in THF absorption maxima were the highest and similar to those of the gas phase (605-652 nm). Extension of the polymer size decreased the HOMO-LUMO gap energy with C7 having the lowest energy gap in the gas phase. Although tuning the properties in optoelectronic devices is challenging, these findings will assist with the design of higher quality materials that could surpass the quality of inorganic devices.
Stress and stressors experienced by the high-risk neonates admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their parents: Protocol for a systematic review of available evidence from India
Authors: N Siva , Phagdol Tenzin , Nayak Baby S , Mathias Edlin Glane , Lewis Leslie Edward S , Velayudhan Binil , N Ravi Shanker , Souza Preethy D
Published: November 2021

Background
Hospitalization of a neonate is a significant stressor for the parents as well as family members especially when a high-risk neonate is admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) requiring continued intensive care. This prolonged physical separation from parent can have a negative psychological effect on both the neonate and the parent. These adverse health effects may last beyond hospitalization, impacting parental behavior and causing long-term emotional complications and health alteration. The neonatal period is crucial for initiating interaction and bonding between mother and child. Undue stress during this period can compromise the establishment and maintenance of a healthy mother-child bonding, which may negatively impact their long-term relationship.
Methods
The systematic review will include hospital-based observational studies, cross-sectional surveys, descriptive studies, qualitative studies, and mixed-method studies from India. Studies will be retrieved from global databases like CINAHL via EBSCO host, MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Ovid, Web of Science, ProQuest Medical Library, Microsoft academic, DOAJ, and Indian databases like Indian Citation Index, J-Gate, and Neonatal Database (JCDR) using database-specific keywords. Additionally, online hand searching will be done on Indian websites of relevant institutions, women and child welfare departments, NGOs, repositories, registries, search engines, pediatric journals, and grey literature. All the primary studies reference lists will be scrutinized for additional references. Two review authors will independently screen, extract data, and critically appraise included studies. In case of any disagreements, it will be resolved in consultation with a third reviewer. Results will be reported as per the PRISMA-P guidelines.
Discussion
This systematic review will identify and highlight the stress and stressors among high-risk neonates admitted to NICU and their parents, which will guide the health care team in planning and developing comprehensive family-centered programs or interventions to reduce stress and stressors among high-risk neonates and their parents.
Registration of systematic review:
Protocol is registered in PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic reviews), Reg ID: CRD42021272323.
Subgraph of generalized co-maximal graph of commutative rings
Authors: Biswas Bijon , Kar Sukhendu , Sen M . K.
Published: November 2021

Let R be a commutative ring with 1. In [3], we introduced a graph G(R) whose vertices are elements of R and two distinct vertices a, b are adjacent if and only if aR + bR = eR for some non-zero idempotent e in R. Let G′(R) be the subgraph of G(R) generated by the non-units of R. In this paper, we characterize those rings R for which the graph G′(R) is connected and Eulerian. Also we characterize those rings R for which genus of the graph G′(R) is ≤ 2. Finally, we show that the graph G′(R) is a line graph of some graph if and only if R is either a regular ring or a local ring.AMS Subject Classification 2020 : 05C25
Biopesticide Extension and Rice Farmers' Adoption Behavior: A Survey From Rural China
Authors: Huang Yanzhong , Li Zhaoliang , Luo Xiaofeng , Liu Di
Published: November 2021

Although the beneficial effects of the agricultural extension of farmers’ biopesticide adoption have been largely demonstrated, the questions of what approaches can better extend biopesticides and how to improve the inefficiencies of biopesticide extension still need to be explored. In a survey of 1148 rice farmers in Hubei Province, China, the technology supply and demand theory was used to explain the low efficiency of biopesticide extension. The endogenous switching probit model was used to estimate the impact of biopesticide technology publicity, training, demonstration and subsidies on farmers’ adoption. The results show that biopesticide extension can promote rice farmers’ adoption probability by 10.3% ~ 11.7%. Among these methods, technology demonstration is currently the best way to extend biopesticides. Moreover, inadequate supply and demand of biopesticides are important for explaining the inefficiency of biopesticide extension in China. Extending biopesticides is better for farmers with smaller scales, younger ages, and lower education and for those who are cooperative members. Therefore, we should not only actively conduct biopesticide demonstration but also more importantly induce farmers’ biopesticide demand and secure the market supply of biopesticide products. These findings will provide useful guidance for biopesticide extension and pesticide reduction in China and other developing countries.
Contributions to the study of functional parameters in the exploitation of chilled water system for particular ships
Authors: O N Volintiru
Published: November 2021

Under normal operating conditions, the chilled water system controls and distributes cooled water, usually produced by two chilled water plants, to coolers in air treatment units, coolers for machinery spaces and coolers of various electronic components. The main purpose of the chilled water plant is to cool the water from the main return ring at a temperature of 7 [°C] and then to distribute it to consumers through the distribution ring. Under special operating conditions, depending on the cooling requirements, the other chilled water plants may also be switched on. For example, if only three of the five chilled water plants are available and the ship is under special operating conditions, can be ensured cooling conditions for all ship compartments except machinery spaces.
Classification of Paintings Authorship Using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Menezes Richardson Santiago Teles , Cordeiro Angelo Marcelino , Magalhães Rafael , Maia Helton
Published: November 2021

In this paper, state-of-the-art architectures of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are explained and compared concerning authorship classification of famous paintings. The chosen CNNs architectures were VGG-16, VGG-19, Residual Neural Networks (ResNet), and Xception. The used dataset is available on the website Kaggle, under the title “Best Artworks of All Time”. Weighted classes for each artist with more than 200 paintings present in the dataset were created to represent and classify each artist’s style. The performed experiments resulted in an accuracy of up to 95% for the Xception architecture with an average F1-score of 0.87, 92% of accuracy with an average F1-score of 0.83 for the ResNet in its 50-layer configuration, while both of the VGG architectures did not present satisfactory results for the same amount of epochs, achieving at most 60% of accuracy.
Estudo de Modelo Deep Learning para Reconhecimento de Entidades Nomeadas na Segurança Pública
Authors: Figueiredo Karla , Tomé Yago , Barreto Leonídia , Brito Walkir
Published: November 2021

O Reconhecimento de Entidades Nomeadas é uma área relacionada à Extração da Informação, cujas soluções estão submetidas à área de Processamento de Linguagem Natural. As entidades são termos ou conjunto de termos que representam informações importantes para uso em diversas áreas, pois visam identificar em textos: pessoas, locais e tempo, por exemplo. Em bases criminais, indicaria quem, onde e quando um crime pode ter sido cometido. A rotulagem das entidades feita por meio de ferramentas, tais como a Google Cloud Natural Language mostrou-se inadequada para o contexto de denúncias criminais, escritas em português coloquial, contendo diversos erros tanto de ortografia como gramaticais. Assim, este trabalho apresenta uma adaptação de modelo para identificação e reconhecimento de Entidades Nomeadas baseado em Deep Learning, em textos em português (Brasil) em linguagem popular, visando a extração de informações que auxiliem a segurança pública. Os resultados indicam que a metodologia adotada é promissora, alcançando valores de 79,72%, 81,52% e 80,50% nas métricas recallmacro, precisionmacro e F1-scoremacro, respectivamente, além de apresentar novas alternativas para aperfeiçoamentos futuros.
Fake News Detection Using Recurrent Neural Networks and Distributed Representations for the Portuguese Language
Authors: Moreira Guilherme Zanini , Romero Marcelo , Ribeiro Manassés
Published: November 2021

After the advent of Web, the number of people who abandoned traditional media channels and started receiving news only through social media has increased. However, this caused an increase of the spread of fake news due to the ease of sharing information. The consequences are various, with one of the main ones being the possible attempts to manipulate public opinion for elections or promotion of movements that can damage rule of law or the institutions that represent it. The objective of this work is to perform fake news detection using Distributed Representations and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). Although fake news detection using RNNs has been already explored in the literature, there is little research on the processing of texts in Portuguese language, which is the focus of this work. For this purpose, distributed representations from texts are generated with three different algorithms (fastText, GloVe and word2vec) and used as input features for a Long Short-term Memory Network (LSTM). The approach is evaluated using a publicly available labelled news dataset. The proposed approach shows promising results for all the three distributed representation methods for feature extraction, with the combination word2vec+LSTM providing the best results. The results of the proposed approach shows a better classification performance when compared to simple architectures, while similar results are obtained when the approach is compared to deeper architectures or more complex methods.
Hunting Android Malware Using Multimodal Deep Learning and Hybrid Analysis Data
Authors: Oliveira Angelo Schranko , Sassi Renato José
Published: November 2021

In this work, we propose a new multimodal Deep Learning (DL) Android malware detection method, Chimera, that combines both manual and automatic feature engineering by using the DL architectures, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Deep Neural Networks (DNN), and Transformer Networks (TN) to perform feature learning from raw data (Dalvik Executables (DEX)), static analysis data (Android Intents & Permissions), and dynamic analysis data (system call sequences) respectively. To train and evaluate our model, we implemented the Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) process and used the publicly available Android benchmark dataset Omnidroid. By leveraging a hybrid source of information to learn high-level feature representations for both the static and dynamic properties of Android applications, Chimera’s detection Accuracy, Precision, and Recall outperform classical Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, state-of-the-art Ensemble, and Voting Ensembles ML methods, as well as unimodal DL methods using CNNs, DNNs, TNs, and Long-Short Term Memory Networks (LSTM). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that successfully applies multimodal DL to combine those three different modalities of data using DNNs, CNNs, and TNs to learn a shared representation that can be used in Android malware detection tasks.
Deep Learning for People Counting in Videos by Age and Gender
Authors: Inácio Andrei de Souza , Ramos Rafael Hora , Lopes Heitor Silvério
Published: November 2021

Currently, many companies or even cities use surveillance cameras all the time, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many places have to limit the number of people in attendance. This paper proposes a method for people counting by gender and age in videos using deep learning techniques. The proposed method is based on a face detection and tracking approach combined with an alignment process to minimize the negative effect of the background information, considering occlusions and avoiding duplicate counting. Then, specialized Deep Neural Networks based on the EfficientNet architecture are employed for age and gender classification. Experimental results show that our method achieves satisfactory performance on people counting by age and gender, demonstrating the effectiveness of the present method.
Intellectual Property Rights and Computer Applications for Pharmaceutical Research and Development
Authors: Bhattacharya Sankha , Saindane Dnyanesh
Published: November 2021

:

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are intellectual privileges that allow authors and inventors
to defend their original inventions from misuse or theft. With the assistance of algorithms, clinical
science has taken on a different level in recent years. Various advanced tools can be used to investigate
pharmacokinetics profiling, in silico experiments, receptor simulations, drug synergistic
effects, and so on. Computational scientists are making continuous efforts to figure out how to connect
business models in pharmacology. However, software theft and security rights remain major
concerns for all. In order to avoid such violations, IPR compliance for R&D as well as promoting
machine applications is critical. This compilation will illustrate diverse software concepts, the latest
patent data structures, copyright management laws for software, trade secrets, compliance
rights, software patenting and contracts, artificial technology priorities and problems, licenses, and
case studies relating to IPR violations in pharmaceutical and other fields.
Rectal Phenotype of Perianal Paget Disease: Rare Concomitant Phenomena
Authors: TATEISHI YUKI , YAMADA YUICHI , YAMAMOTO TAKEO , SASAKI TAISUKE , KAWATOKO SHINICHIRO , KAWATA JUN , YAMADA YUTAKA , NAKAMURA MASAFUMI , MORI MASAKI , ODA YOSHINAO
Published: November 2021

Aim: Classically, ‘Paget disease’ refers to a distinct histological pattern in breast carcinoma. Here, we review the clinicopathological features of anorectal adenocarcinoma with ‘pagetoid’ spread. Materials and Methods: Histological and immunohistochemical records for 11 cases of anorectal adenocarcinoma with pagetoid spread among 958 Japanese patients with primary rectal/anal carcinoma were reviewed. Results: Grossly, nine of 11 cases had areas of invasive carcinoma: Tubular adenocarcinoma in eight and neuroendocrine carcinoma in one. Pagetoid components were positive for cytokeratin 7 in eight cases, cytokeratin 20 and caudal type homeobox 2 in all 11 cases, and p63 in one case, but were negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), gross cystic disease fluid protein-15, and GATA binding protein 3. Conclusion: The prevalence of perianal Paget disease in this series was 1.1%, with two cases of genuine perianal Paget disease with a rectal phenotype without invasive carcinoma. The rectal phenotype of perianal Paget disease may not be associated with HER2 overexpression.
Occurrence of Second Primary Malignancies in Patients With Primary Optic Nerve Gliomas: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Analysis
Authors: HUSSAIN ZAIN , KHAN JAWAD , SAEED AMIR , DIHOWM FATMA
Published: November 2021

Background/Aim: Advanced understanding of screening and therapeutic modalities acts as provision for increased survival in patients diagnosed with optic nerve gliomas. Secondary primary malignancies (SPMs) in patients diagnosed with primary optic nerve glioma (OPG) are currently an uncharacterized frontier. This US national database analysis highlights the incidences of SPMs in patients diagnosed with primary OPG. Materials and Methods: Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and excess absolute risk (EAR) for SPMs were calculated using the SEER-specific multiple outcome analysis. 95% SIR confidence intervals were calculated with statistical significance achieved at p<0.05. Results: SPMs originating from soft tissues (including the heart) (SIR=33.23, CI=6.85-97.11; EAR=5.07), breast (SIR=4.99, CI=1.36-12.77; EAR=5.57), female breast (SIR=5.03, CI=1.37-12.89; EAR=5.58), brain (SIR=105.38, CI=65.23-161.08; EAR=36.23), cranial nerves (SIR=103.29, CI=12.51-373.12; EAR=3.45), non-lymphocytic leukemia (SIR=15.05, CI=1.82-54.37; EAR=3.25), myeloid and monocytic leukemia (SIR=16.26, CI=1.97-58.75; EAR=3.27), and Kaposi’s sarcoma (SIR=79.88, CI=2.02-445.08; EAR=1.72) demonstrated significantly increased SIR. Overall, the values for cumulative SPM (SIR=6.04, CI=4.33-8.19; EAR=59.60) highlight the overall significance in incidence of SPM in patients diagnosed with OPG. Conclusion: Clinical decision-making should reconcile enhanced propensities for development of SPM.
Transoral Endoscopic Examination of the Oropharynx With Tongue Protrusion, Phonation, and Open Mouth
Authors: TOMIOKA RYOTA , SATO HIROKI , OKAMOTO ISAKU , SHIMIZU AKIRA , TSUKAHARA KIYOAKI
Published: November 2021

Background/Aim: We examined the diagnostic performance of the tongue protrusion with phonation and open mouth (TOPPOM) method for visualizing structures of the oropharynx. Patients and Methods: Transoral endoscopy was performed on 20 healthy participants to evaluate 12 oropharynx subsites under three conditions: open mouth (OM), phonation with open mouth (POM), and TOPPOM. Each subsite was scored from 0 to 2 depending on subsite visualization, and the scores were summed. Images of subsite-adjacent mucosa were similarly scored. Results: The total scores were significantly higher for TOPPOM than for POM and for POM than for OM. Such scores were observed for both the palatine arches, both palatine tonsils, the left lingual tonsillar sulcus, and the vallecula. Conclusion: TOPPOM enables visualization of the oropharynx through transoral endoscopic examination, and TOPPOM with conventional transnasal endoscopy may enable early detection of oropharyngeal carcinomas and lesions and improve the performance of pre- and post-treatment evaluations.
Vein-first Lobectomy for Lung Cancer Assessed According to the Status of Clustered Circulating Tumour Cells
Authors: SAWABATA NORIYOSHI , NAKANE SHIGERU , YOSHIKAWA DAIKI , WATANABE TAKASHI , KAWAGUCHI TAKESHI , OUJI-SAGESHIMA NORIKO , KUSHIBE KEIJI , ITO TOSHIHIRO
Published: November 2021

Background/Aim: Vein-first lobectomy (VFL) in lung cancer might reduce shedding of circulating tumour cells (CTCs). This study assessed the clinical significance of VFL. Patients and Methods: Lung cancer patients undergoing lobectomy and CTC testing were evaluated. The primary evaluation item was postoperative clustered CTC detection, and the secondary outcome measures were the 2-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates according to the status of VFL and postoperative clustered CTC. Results: Eighty-six patients with similar backgrounds, except for lobe resection and pulmonary vein dissection time, showed postoperative clustered CTC identification rates of 43.8% and 37.9% in the VFL group (n=57) and no-VFL group (n=29), respectively. However, prognosis was not significantly different, although the presence of clustered CTC after surgery was a predictor of recurrence. Conclusion: The status of postoperative clustered CTC was similar regardless of VFL or not, although the detection of clustered CTC was a predictor of recurrence.
Prognostic Utility of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index After Curative Resection of Colorectal Cancer: A Propensity Score-matched Study
Authors: KATAOKA MASAHIRO , HIRANO YASUMITSU , ISHII TOSHIMASA , ISHIKAWA SHINTARO , KATAOKA ATSUKO , FUJII TAKATSUGU , SHIMAMURA SATOSHI
Published: November 2021

Background/Aim: The geriatric nutrition risk index (GNRI) is a presumptive prognosticator in a variety of carcinomas. We investigated whether it similarly predicts outcomes of elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods: A total of 904 older adults (≥65 years) undergoing radical resections of CRC between April 2011 and December 2015 proved eligible for study. Each was grouped by preoperative status (cut-off point, 98) as low-level or normal GNRI, using propensity score matching to compare rates of complications, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: After matching (n=127, each group), those with low-level (vs. normal) GNRI values experienced significantly more complications (p=0.001), and 5-year survival was significantly poorer (DFS: p=0.006; OS: p=0.002). Conclusion: In elderly patients with resected CRC, preoperative GNRI may have significant prognostic merit.
Prognostic Value of Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio for Japanese Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Treated With Sorafenib Therapy
Authors: NAKAMOTO SHOGO , IKEDA MASAHIKO , KUBO SHINICHIRO , YAMAMOTO MARI , YAMASHITA TETSUMASA , KUWAHARA CHIHIRO
Published: November 2021

Background/Aim: We investigated the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in Japanese patients and the prognostic value of systemic immunity markers for predicting clinical outcomes after sorafenib therapy in patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 26 patients with RR-DTC who underwent sorafenib therapy between July 2014 and December 2020. The systemic immunity markers were calculated from blood cell counts. Results: The median overall survival (OS) was 2,002 days, and the clinical benefit rate was 80.8%. The high lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) group had significantly longer OS than the low LMR group (hazard ratio=0.21; 95% confidence interval=005-0.88; log-rank p=0.019). Adverse events observed in this study were acceptable, and no new safety signals associated with sorafenib were found. Conclusion: Sorafenib therapy is efficacious and safe for Japanese patients with RR-DTC, and baseline LMR may be useful as a sorafenib therapy prognostic marker.
Producción y calidad de la semilla de sorgo en el Centro de México bajo polinización controlada
Authors: Pecina-Becerril Andrea , Yáñez-López Ricardo , Quijano-Carranza Juan Angel , Bujanos-Muñiz Rafael , Andrio-Enriquez Enrique , Pecina-Quintero Víctor
Published: November 2021

México importa el 99 % de la semilla de sorgo Sorghum bicolor. La producción de semillas representa menos del 1 % procedente de genotipos sobresalientes y adaptados. Esto incrementa costos de producción y genera problemas de adaptación de genotipos. La tecnología de producción debe adecuarse a los progenitores específicos y región del país, para incrementar la semilla. Este estudio evaluó la calidad de semillas de catorce líneas de sorgo (progenitoras de siete híbridos), de INIFAP. En el ciclo primavera-verano (P-V) del 2018, en Celaya Guanajuato, México, se establecieron tres fechas de siembra, 12 de mayo, 6 y 28 de junio, bajo un diseño de bloques al azar y tres repeticiones. Se evaluaron los días/floración, el peso de mil semillas, la germinación al momento de la cosecha y después de seis meses de almacenamiento. El análisis de varianza indicó diferencias significativas entre líneas (G), fechas de siembra (FS) en todas las variables y en la interacción G x FS para días a floración; donde las líneas androestériles (líneas A), presentaron diferencia de 8 a 10 días en días a floración con los progenitores masculinos (líneas restauradoras R) en la FS del 6 de junio lo que dificultaría la producción de semilla híbrida. En calidad de semilla a pesar de que se presentaron fuertes precipitaciones durante el llenado de grano y madurez fisiológica las líneas SBA-25, LBA-98, LBA-101 y la cruza SBA25 x SBR-31 sobresalieron por su alto porcentaje (%) de germinación y mantuvieron su calidad después de seis meses de almacenamiento.
Influence of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Physical and Psychosocial Well-being and Work Productivity of Remote Workers: Cross-sectional Correlational Study
Authors: Tronco Hernández Yessica Abigail , Parente Fabio , Faghy Mark A , Roscoe Clare M P , Maratos Frances A
Published: November 2021

Background

Lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the living and working habits of millions of people, with potentially important implications for their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Objective

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote workers who were not directly affected by COVID-19.

Methods

This was a correlational cross-sectional study (with an additional qualitative component) of 184 remote workers surveyed during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Standard measures of mental health (Kessler-6 Distress Scale), productivity (Brief Instrument to Assess Workers’ Productivity During a Working Day), and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) were used, and respondents were further surveyed on changes to their dietary, exercise, smoking, drinking, and socialization habits to produce a well-being change index.

Results

The results revealed associations between sedentary behavior and poorer mental health (τb=0.14) and between poorer mental health and low work productivity (τb=–0.39). However, both positive and negative lifestyle changes were reported; a self-reported increase in well-being (with respect to diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and socialization) since the start of the pandemic was associated with both better mental health (τb=–0.14) and better work productivity (τb=0.14). Of note, among respondents without a mental health diagnosis (137/184, 74.4%), we observed rates of moderate (76/137, 55.5%) and severe (17/137, 12.4%) psychological distress, which were markedly higher than those reported in large prepandemic studies; moreover, 70.1% (129/184) of our respondents reported more sedentary behavior, 41% (69/168) increased their alcohol consumption, and 38.6% (71/184) increased their overall food intake. However, 46% (75/163), 44.8% (39/87) and 51.8% (57/110) of respondents reported spending more time walking and engaging in more moderate and vigorous exercise, respectively. Qualitative analysis revealed many positive adaptations to lockdowns (eg, decreased commuting expenses, flexibility) but also a number of structural obstacles to remote working (eg, lack of support and high expectations from employers, childcare duties).

Conclusions

These findings may be of practical importance for policy makers and employers in a world in which work involves long-term remote or hybrid employment arrangements; strategies to promote more sustainable remote working are discussed.
The Sociological Perspective of Users’ Invisible Work: A Qualitative Research Framework for Studying Digital Health Innovations Integration (Preprint)
Authors: Trupia Dilara Vanessa , Mathieu-Fritz Alexandre , Duong Tu Anh
Published: November 2021

BACKGROUND

When new technology is integrated into a care pathway, it faces resistance due to the changes it introduces into the existing context. To understand the success or failure of digital health innovations, it is necessary to pay attention to the adjustments that users must perform to make them work, by reshaping the context and sometimes by altering the ways in which they perform activities. This adaptation work, most of which remains invisible, constitutes an important factor in the success of innovations and the ways in which they transform care practices.

OBJECTIVE

This work aims to present a sociological framework for studying new health technology uses through a qualitative analysis of the different types of tasks and activities that users, both health professionals and patients, must perform to integrate these technologies and make them work in their daily routine.

METHODS

This paper uses a three-part method to structure a theoretical model to study users’ invisible work. The first part of the method includes a thematic literature review, previously published by one of the coauthors, of major sociological studies conducted on digital health innovations integration into existing care organizations and practices. The second part extends this review to introduce definitions and applications of the users’ invisible work concept. The third part consists of producing a theoretical framework to study the concept according to the different contexts and practices of the users.

RESULTS

The paper proposes four dimensions (organizational, interactional, practical, and experiential), each composed of a set of criteria that allow a comparative analysis of different users’ work according to different health technologies.

CONCLUSIONS

This framework can be applied both as an analytical tool in a research protocol and as an agenda to identify less visible adoption criteria for digital health technologies.