bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MNX1-AS1 Promotes Phase Separation of IGF2BP1 to Drive c-Myc–Mediated Cell-Cycle Progression and Proliferation in Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhu Qingqing , Zhang Chongguo , Qu Tianyu , Lu Xiyi , He Xuezhi , Li Wei , Yin Dandan , Han Liang , Guo Renhua , Zhang Erbao
Published: October 2022

c-Myc and E2F1 play critical roles in many human cancers. As long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) are known to regulate various tumorigenic processes, elucidation of mechanisms of cross-talk between lncRNAs and c-Myc/E2F1-related signaling pathways could provide important insights into cancer biology. In this study, we used integrated bioinformatic analyses and found that the lncRNA MNX1-AS1 is upregulated in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via copy-number gain and c-Myc–mediated transcriptional activation. High levels of MNX1-AS1 were associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with lung cancer. MNX1-AS1 promoted cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. MNX1-AS1 bound and drove phase separation of IGF2BP1, which increased the interaction of IGF2BP1 with the 3′-UTR (untranslated region) of c-Myc and E2F1 mRNA to promote their stability. The c-Myc/MNX1-AS1/IGF2BP1 positive feedback loop accelerated cell-cycle progression and promoted continuous proliferation of lung cancer cells. In a lung cancer patient-derived xenograft model, inhibition of MNX1-AS1 suppressed cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. These findings offer new insights into the regulation and function of c-Myc and E2F1 signaling in NSCLC tumorigenesis and suggest that the MNX1-AS1/IGF2BP1 axis may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in NSCLC.

Significance:

MNX1-AS1 drives phase separation of IGF2BP1 to increase c-Myc and E2F1 signaling and to activate cell-cycle progression to promote proliferation in NSCLC.
Validation of the Nigerian Breast Cancer Study Model for Predicting Individual Breast Cancer Risk in Cameroon and Uganda
Authors: Ashi Kevin , Ndom Paul , Gakwaya Antony , Makumbi Timothy , Olopade Olufunmilayo I. , Huo Dezheng
Published: October 2022

Background:

The Nigerian Breast Cancer Study (NBCS) model is a new risk assessment tool developed for predicting risk of invasive breast cancer in Nigeria. Its applicability outside of Nigeria remains uncertain as it has not been validated in other sub-Saharan Africa populations.

Methods:

We conducted a case–control study among women with breast cancer and controls ascertained in Cameroon and Uganda from 2011 to 2016. Structured questionnaire interviews were performed to collect risk factor characteristics. The NBCS model, the Gail model, the Gail model for Black population, and the Black Women's Health Study model were applied to the Cameroon and Uganda samples separately. Nigerian as well as local incidence rates were incorporated into the models. Receiver-Operating Characteristic analyses were performed to indicate discriminating capacity.

Results:

The study included 550 cases (mean age 46.8 ± 11.9) and 509 controls (mean age 46.3 ± 11.7). Compared with the other three models, the NBCS model performed best in both countries. The discriminating accuracy of the NBCS model in Cameroon (age-adjusted C-index = 0.602; 95% CI, 0.542–0.661) was better than in Uganda (age-adjusted C-index = 0.531; 95% CI, 0.459–0.603).

Conclusions:

These findings demonstrate the potential clinical utility of the NBCS model for risk assessment in Cameroon. All currently available models performed poorly in Uganda, which suggests that the NBCS model may need further calibration before use in other regions of Africa.

Impact:

Differences in risk profiles across the African diaspora underscores the need for larger studies and may require development of region-specific risk assessment tools for breast cancer.
Fibroblast Activation Protein Triggers Release of Drug Payload from Non-internalizing Small Molecule Drug Conjugates in Solid Tumors
Authors: Zana Aureliano , Galbiati Andrea , Gilardoni Ettore , Bocci Matilde , Millul Jacopo , Sturm Theo , Stucchi Riccardo , Elsayed Abdullah , Nadal Lisa , Cirillo Martina , Roll Wolfgang , Stegger Lars , Asmus Inga , Backhaus Philipp , Schäfers Michael , Neri Dario , Cazzamalli Samuele
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

Small molecule drug conjugates (SMDC) are modular anticancer prodrugs that include a tumor-targeting small organic ligand, a cleavable linker, and a potent cytotoxic agent. Most of the SMDC products that have been developed for clinical applications target internalizing tumor-associated antigens on the surface of tumor cells. We have recently described a novel non-internalizing small organic ligand (named OncoFAP) of fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed in the stroma of most solid human malignancies.

Experimental Design:

In this article, we describe a new series of OncoFAP-Drug derivatives based on monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE; a potent cytotoxic tubulin poison) and dipeptide linkers that are selectively cleaved by FAP in the tumor microenvironment.

Results:

The tumor-targeting potential of OncoFAP was confirmed in patients with cancer using nuclear medicine procedures. We used mass spectrometry methodologies to quantify the amount of prodrug delivered to tumors and normal organs, as well as the efficiency of the drug release process. Linkers previously exploited for anticancer drug conjugates were used as benchmark. We identified OncoFAP-Gly-Pro-MMAE as the best performing SMDC, which has now been prioritized for further clinical development. OncoFAP-Gly-Pro-MMAE selectively delivered more than 10% injected dose per gram of MMAE to FAP-positive tumors, with a tumor-to-kidney ratio of 16:1 at 24 hours post-injection.

Conclusions:

The FAP-specific drug conjugates described in this article promise to be efficacious for the targeting of human malignancies. The extracellular release of potent anticancer payloads mediates durable complete remission in difficult-to-treat animal models of cancer.
Mitochondrial Aconitase ACO2 Links Iron Homeostasis with Tumorigenicity in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Mirhadi Shideh , Zhang Wen , Pham Nhu-An , Karimzadeh Fereshteh , Pintilie Melania , Tong Jiefei , Taylor Paul , Krieger Jonathan , Pitcher Bethany , Sykes Jenna , Wybenga-Groot Leanne , Fladd Christopher , Xu Jing , Wang Tao , Cabanero Michael , Li Ming , Weiss Jessica , Sakashita Shingo , Zaslaver Olga , Yu Man , Caudy Amy A. , St-Pierre Julie , Hawkins Cynthia , Kislinger Thomas , Liu Geoffrey , Shepherd Frances A. , Tsao Ming-Sound , Moran Michael F.
Published: October 2022

The ability of a patient tumor to engraft an immunodeficient mouse is the strongest known independent indicator of poor prognosis in early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Analysis of primary NSCLC proteomes revealed low-level expression of mitochondrial aconitase (ACO2) in the more aggressive, engrafting tumors. Knockdown of ACO2 protein expression transformed immortalized lung epithelial cells, whereas upregulation of ACO2 in transformed NSCLC cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. High level ACO2 increased iron response element binding protein 1 (IRP1) and the intracellular labile iron pool. Impaired cellular proliferation associated with high level ACO2 was reversed by treatment of cells with an iron chelator, whereas increased cell proliferation associated with low level ACO2 was suppressed by treatment of cells with iron. Expression of CDGSH iron-sulfur (FeS) domain-containing protein 1 [CISD1; also known as mitoNEET (mNT)] was modulated by ACO2 expression level and inhibition of mNT by RNA interference or by treatment of cells with pioglitazone also increased iron and cell death. Hence, ACO2 is identified as a regulator of iron homeostasis and mNT is implicated as a target in aggressive NSCLC.

Implications:

FeS cluster–associated proteins including ACO2, mNT (encoded by CISD1), and IRP1 (encoded by ACO1) are part of an “ACO2–Iron Axis” that regulates iron homeostasis and is a determinant of a particularly aggressive subset of NSCLC.
Clinical Features and Treatment Outcome of a Concurrent Central Retinal Vein Occlusion and Cilioretinal Artery Occlusion
Authors: Tesfaw Alemu Kerie , Batra Nikhil N. , Phan Cong T.
Published: October 2022

We describe the clinical features and treatment outcome of a patient with combined central retinal vein occlusion and cilioretinal artery occlusion. A 52-year-old female presented to our clinic with decreased vision in the right eye for 4 days. Visual acuity and intraocular pressure were count fingers at 2&1/2M and 14 mm Hg in the right and 20/20 and 16 mm Hg in the left eye, respectively. Funduscopic exam and optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the right eye confirmed the diagnosis of concurrent cilioretinal artery occlusion and central retinal vein occlusion with segmental macular pallor in the territory of the cilioretinal artery, corresponding marked inner retina thickening on OCT and signs of vein occlusion. The patient received an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and at 1-month follow-up, vision improved to 20/30 with corresponding anatomical improvement. It is very important to recognize combined central retinal vein occlusion and cilioretinal artery occlusion as they could be treated with intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors with favorable treatment outcomes.
Diminished Visual Attention to Emotional Faces Is Associated with Poor Emotional Valence Perception in Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Shdo Suzanne M. , Brown Casey L. , Yuan Joyce , Levenson Robert W.
Published: October 2022

Aim: The current study examined whether visual attention to emotional facial expressions is lower in individuals with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) compared to healthy controls, and whether visual attention to emotional facial expressions is associated with the ability to perceive others’ emotional valence accurately. Methods: Participants with FTD (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 23) passively viewed pairs of emotional and neutral faces while their visual attention was measured using eye-tracking. A subsample of participants (n = 28) also completed an emotional valence perception task. Results: Individuals with FTD spent less time looking at emotional faces than healthy controls. However, there was no difference in the amount of time individuals with FTD spent looking at neutral faces as compared to healthy controls. In the subsample, less time spent looking at emotional faces (but not neutral faces) was associated with a less accurate perception of others’ emotional valence. Conclusion: Individuals with FTD displayed diminished visual attention to emotional facial expressions compared to healthy controls. Reduced attention towards emotional faces was associated with poorer emotional valence perception. Findings point toward diminished visual attention as potentially relevant for understanding oft-observed impairments in socioemotional functioning in FTD.
Bilaminar Graft of the Anterior Capsule and Internal Limiting Membrane: A Novel Surgical Technique for the Treatment of Macular Hole and Focal Macular Detachment Associated with High Myopia and Posterior Staphyloma
Authors: Murillo Sergio A. , Romero Rosa Maria , Medina Silvia P.
Published: October 2022

This case report describes a novel surgical technique for the treatment of macular hole and focal macular detachment associated with high myopia and posterior staphyloma. A 65-year-old female presented with a stage 3C myopic traction maculopathy and VA of 20/600. OCT examination confirmed a macular hole of 958 μm diameter, posterior staphyloma, and macular detachment. We performed combined phacoemulsification surgery with 23G pars plana vitrectomy; the anterior capsule was preserved and divided into two equal circular laminar flaps. We proceeded with central and peripheral vitrectomy, brilliant blue staining, and partial ILM peeling; capsular sheets were introduced sequentially in the vitreous chamber, the first one was implanted below the hole and attached to pigment epithelium, the second lamina was inserted into the hole, and the remaining portion of ILM was implanted crosswise below the edges of the hole. Macular-hole closure and progressive reapplication of the macular detachment were obtained, with a final VA of 20/80. Treatment of macular holes and focal macular detachment in high myopic eyes is complex, even for experienced surgeons. We propose a new technique with additional mechanisms based on anterior lens capsule and internal limiting membrane tissue properties that showed functional and anatomical improvement and could be considered an alternative treatment.
Evaluations of Skin Permeability of Cannabidiol and Its Topical Formulations by Skin Membrane-Based Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay and Franz Cell Diffusion Assay
Authors: Kirk Riley D. , Akanji Toyosi , Li Huifang , Shen Jie , Allababidi Saleh , Seeram Navindra P. , Bertin Matthew J. , Ma Hang
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Cannabinoids including cannabidiol (CBD) have attracted enormous interest as bioactive ingredients for various dermatological and/or cosmeceutical uses. However, topical applications of cannabinoids might be limited without a fundamental understanding of their skin permeability. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the skin permeability of CBD and its topical formulations using artificial skin membrane assays. The solubility and stability of CBD in various surfactants that are commonly used in topical applications were also evaluated. Methods: CBD and two CBD-incorporated topical formulations (cream and gel) were prepared for this study. Computational predictions (SwissADME and DERMWIN™) and the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) were used to evaluate the skin permeability of CBD isolate. The Franz cell diffusion (in vitro release testing) assay was used to evaluate the skin permeability of CBD formulations. The solubility and stability of CBD in surfactants were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. Results: CBD isolate showed favorable skin permeability in the SwissADME and DERMWIN™ predictions (−Log Kp of 3.6 and 5.7 cm/s, respectively) and PAMPA (−LogPe value of 5.0 at pH of 6.5 and 7.4). In addition, CBD had higher solubility (378.4 μg/mL) in surfactant Tween 20 as compared to its solubility in polyisobutene. In an acidic environment (pH 5 and 6), Tween 20 maintained the CBD content at 81% and 70% over 30 days, respectively. CBD in the formulations of cream and gel also had moderate skin permeability in the Franz cell diffusion assay. Conclusion: Data from artificial membrane-based assays support that CBD is a skin permeable cannabinoid and the permeability and stability of its formulations may be influenced by several factors such as surfactant and pH environment. Findings from our study suggest that CBD may have suitable skin permeability for the development of dermatological and/or cosmeceutical applications but further studies using in vivo models are warranted to confirm this.
Real-World Data on Potent P2Y12 Inhibition in Patients with Suspected Chronic Coronary Syndrome, Referred for Coronary Angiography
Authors: Träff Erik , Venetsanos Dimitrios , Alpkvist Karin , Sederholm Lawesson Sofia , Skibniewski Mikolaj , Zwackman Sammy , Alfredsson Joakim
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Potential benefit with potent platelet inhibition in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been discussed. The aim of this study was to compare a potent P2Y12 inhibition strategy using ticagrelor with clopidogrel in CCS patients referred for coronary angiography (CA) and PCI if feasible. Methods: In this retrospective real-world study, patients referred for outpatient CA due to suspected CCS were included. To adjust for group differences, a propensity score reflecting the probability of being treated with ticagrelor was calculated and added to the logistic regression outcome model. Results: In total, 1,003 patients were included in the primary analysis (577 treated with clopidogrel and 426 with ticagrelor). Among clopidogrel-treated patients, 132 (22.9%) experienced a bleeding complication compared with 93 (21.8%) among ticagrelor-treated patients, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.70). There was no difference in bleeding severity. Furthermore, we observed no statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE [death, stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction, or stroke]) (1.2% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.17). A subgroup analysis restricted to patients undergoing PCI ad hoc displayed a similar pattern. Also, patients undergoing CA without PCI ad hoc frequently experienced a bleeding complication, with no difference between the two treatments (21.0% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.27). Propensity score adjusted analyses confirmed the results. Discussion: In patients with CCS referred for CA and PCI if feasible, a more potent P2Y12 inhibition strategy with ticagrelor was not associated with bleeding complications or MACE compared with clopidogrel.
Reconfigurable data encoding schemes for on-chip interconnect power reduction in deep submicron technology
Authors: Shavali Vennapusapalli , Gorlagummanahally Maripareddy Sreeramareddy , Ramana Reddy Patil
Published: October 2022

With technology scaling, size of both transistor and interconnects are reduced. Power dissipation due to dynamic switching is high in the interconnects. Suitable encoding schemes that reduces transition between data bits are used to minimize interconnect power dissipation. In this paper transition between data bits is minimized based on three novel data encoding schemes identifying the novel methods estimates bit transitions in a pair of data bits and performs half inversion or full inversion on one byte of data thus reducing the switching activity by 50%. The encoder and decoder for the three encoding schemes are modelled in verilog hardware description language (HDL) and implemented using application specefic integrates circuit (ASIC) flow targeting 32 nm. Technology over all power dissipation of encoding scheme is 1.04 μW in addition over head area of 210 cells with encoding delay of 340 ps. Encoder decoder register transfer logic (RTL) code is implemented and the total area required is 34980 units. The data encoding and decoding schemes are suitable for low power applications.
Security system using mobile image processing and color recognition for the visually impaired
Authors: Rhee Eugene , Cho Junhee
Published: October 2022

Voice technology at traffic lights or bus stops is emerging for the independent daily life of the blind, but there are few technologies that efficiently help the blind, such as knowing the color of clothes to wear before going out or entering the bus stop at once. To support such difficulties, this paper proposes a method that can be helped by using a smartphone application to distinguish the color of outdoor clothes. Smartphones, which are hardware-based for applications, have the advantage of predictable results, ease of transportation, independence from direct use, and personal support for the blind through various applications. However, there are very few applications to help the blind. This paper proposes the development of an application that can efficiently and independently recognize colors and images at anytime, anywhere by scanning images using smartphone cameras and converting them into bitmap images. Finally, the effects that can be expected through the application proposed in this study are described.
Experiment analysis of non-uniformity measurement by array detector scanning system
Authors: Watjanatepin Napat , Sritanauthaikorn Patcharanan , Boonmee Chaiyant , Kiatsookkanatorn Paiboon , Thongkullaphat Sarayoot , Sodajaroen Suvinai
Published: October 2022

Solar simulator is used to analysis characteristic of the solar cells. The non-uniformity is its major performance. The traditional non-uniformity measurement calls single detector method. The paper’s objective is to design and construct an array detector scanning system and to determine the optimal scanning time to achieve the lowest uncertainty. To investigate the non-uniformity by our proposed method and the traditional method, our detector consisted of eight photodiodes mounted on an arm of a linear motion lead screw to guide the detector scaning onto the lighting area. A microcontroller applied for controling and measuring light irradiance in 64 points corresponding to IEC 60904-9 standard. The results showed that the array detector scanned at a speed of 33.33 mm/s to obtain the non-uniformity with the lowest uncertainty, less than 0.6%. Analysis results of the non-uniformity obtained from our system on the test areas of (mm×mm) 156×156, 166×166 and 200×200 compared with the single detector. It showed that the mean absolute error was 1.27. Our system provided a lower uncertainty than the traditional method. The measurement accuracy was acceptable. The advantage is for testing on different test areas within a single device. The measurement time is around 1/32 of the traditional method.
Fuzzy Mamdani performance water chiller control optimization using fuzzy adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system assisted
Authors: Hakim Galang Persada Nurani , Muwardi Rachmat , Yunita Mirna , Septiyana Diah
Published: October 2022

Fuzzy Mamdani knows as one of the modern control systems. It was known to have a better performance result when compared to conventional methods. However, because the input of this modern control system sometimes is based on human experience, therefore its performance is sometimes below the conventional one. We propose using the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system assisted (ANFIS) approach to optimize the fuzzy Mamdani membership function input to overcome this problem. We have tested our hypotheses in water chiller applications based on microcontrollers. Even though it is still behind conventional methods to cool 200 ml water, which is 6 minutes, using fuzzy ANFIS methods, we manage to improve the speed performance in cooling water from 20 minutes to 17 minutes, which is from room temperature to just 24 oC.
Fractional proportional derivative-based active disturbance rejection control of knee exoskeleton device for rehabilitation care
Authors: Ahmed Alawad Nasir , Jaleel Humaidi Amjad , Sabah Alaraji Ahmed
Published: October 2022

The use of rehabilitation exoskeleton by physiotherapists in their daily practice is becoming more common. In this study, the active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) is proposed to ensure high performance of trajectory tracking for asstitve exoskeleton at the level of knee-joint. The controlled medical robot has to mimic the actual physical training and application for knee-rehabilitation. Two versions of ADRC is presented to control the rehabilitation system. One version is based on conventional ADRC, while the other version is based on fractional proportional-derivative PD-ADRC. A comparison study in performance has been conducted between two versions of ADRCs in terms of robustness against disturbances. According to numerical simulations, the results showed that the fractional PD-based ADRC ouptperforms the ADRC in terms of robustness characteritics based on the index root mean square error (RMSE).
A new approach for road extraction using data augmentation and semantic segmentation
Authors: Ould Babaali Kawther , Zigh Ehlem , Djebbouri Mohamed , Chergui Oussama
Published: October 2022

Accurate road extraction from remote sensing images is a challenging task. Several methods of extraction have been developed but the precision of extraction is still limited for the unpaved and small-width roads. This paper proposes an accurate road extraction approach called DAA-SSEG since it uses data augmentation architecture (DAA) and semantic segmentation model (SSEG). The proposed approach DAA-SSEG is based on a modified full convolutional neural network that overcomes the vanishing gradient and the training saturation issues. It recognizes roads at the pixel level. Furthermore, The DAA-SSEG approach uses a new plan of data augmentation based on geometric transformation and images refinement techniques. It allows getting a richer dataset thus better training and an accurate extraction. The experiment denotes that the proposed approach DAA-SSEG, that combine data augmentation architecture and semantic segmentation method, outperforms some state-of-the-art methods in terms of F-measures. The results demonstrate that it ensures accurate extraction of unpaved and small-width roads, in urban and rural areas. Moreover, the proposed approach distinguishes between roads and trails and can extract some roads not labeled beforehand.
CryptoAR: scrutinizing the trend and market of cryptocurrency using machine learning approach on time series data
Authors: Bitto Abu Kowshir , Mahmud Imran , Bijoy Md. Hasan Imam , Jannat Fatema Tuj , Arman Md. Shohel , Shohug Md. Mahfuj Hasan , Jahan Hasnur
Published: October 2022

Cryptocurrencies are encrypted digital or virtual money used to avoid counterfeiting and double spending. The scope of this study is to evaluate cryptocurrencies and forecast their price in the context of the currency rate trends. A public survey was conducted to determine which cryptocurrency is the most well-known among Bangladeshi people. According to the survey respondents, Bitcoin is the most famous cryptocurrency among the eight digital currencies. After that, we'll explore the four most well-known cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Tether token. The 'YFinance' python package collects our cryptocurrency dataset, and the relative strength index (RSI) is employed to investigate these cryptocurrencies. Autoregressive (AR), moving average (MA), and autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models are applied to our time-series data from 2015-1-1 to 2021-6-1. Using the 'closing' price and a simple moving average (SMA) graph, bitcoin and tether are identified as oversold or overbought cryptocurrencies. We employ the seasonal decomposed technique into the dataset before implementing the model, and the augmented dickey-fuller test (ADF) indicates too much seasonality in the dataset. The autoregressive (AR) model is the most accurate in predicting the price of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Tether-token, with 97.21%, 96.04%, 95.8%, and 99.91% accuracy, consecutively.
Neural machine translation for Sanskrit to Malayalam using morphology and evolutionary word sense disambiguation
Authors: Chingamtotattil Rahul , Gopikakumar Rajamma
Published: October 2022

Neural machine translation (NMT) is a fast-evolving MT paradigm and showed good results, particularly in large training data circumstances, for several language pairs. In this paper, we have utilized Sanskrit to Malayalam language pair neural machines translation. The attention-based mechanism for the development of the machine translation system was particularly exploited. Word sense disambiguation (WSD) is a phenomenon for disambiguating the text to let the machine infer the proper definition of the particular word. Sequential deep learning approaches such as a recurrent neural network (RNN), a gated recurrent unit (GRU), a long short term memory (LSTM), and a bi-directional LSTM (BLSTM) were used to analyze the tagged data. By adding morphological elements and evolutionary word sense disambiguation, the suggested common character-word embedding-based NMT model gives a BLEU score of 38.58 which was higher than the others.
Comparison of template-based and multilayer perceptron-based approach for automatic question generation system
Authors: Sewunetie Walelign Tewabe , Kovács László
Published: October 2022

Intelligent tutoring systems are computer-assisted learning systems with adaption to students using artificial intelligence tools. An intelligent tutoring system can drastically improve education efficiency as it provides solutions to many issues that now plague the educational industry. One important component in education is questioning learners to assess and reinforce learning. This research compares two approaches for automatic question generation, a template-based question generation strategy and the phrase-Level automatic question generation system utilizing the Multilayer perceptron model. A template-based technique is a baseline for automatic question generation that uses templates taken from the training set to generate questions by filling certain templates with specific topic items. We utilize question-answer sentence composition datasets and manually constructed datasets for our experiments and comparison of the Multilayer perceptron training model. We used both human and automatic evaluation metrics to assess the efficiency of our suggested methods. Regarding automatic metrics, we selected the BLEU-n gram and ROUGE-N methodologies. The evaluation results demonstrate that the phrase-level Multilayer perceptron-based strategy dominates the template-based approach and has a promising score in both ROUGE automatic and human evaluation metrics.
Você sabe o que são alimentos funcionais e por que são importantes para a sua saúde?
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Luchiari Filho Albino , Cesar Aline Silva Mello ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”
Published: October 2022

Esta obra faz parte da "Série Produtor Rural", editada desde 1997 pela Divisão de Biblioteca da Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz"/USP e tem como objetivo publicar textos acessíveis aos produtores com temas diversificados e informações práticas, contribuindo para a Extensão Rural. Este livro parte das questões: o que é um alimento? Do que ele é composto? Alimento é qualquer substância consumida pelo ser humano e que, além da função de alimentar ou nutrir, possui compostos bioativos capazes de prevenir ou reduzir risco de desenvolvimento de doenças. As substâncias ingeridas e assimiladas pelas células do organismo fornecem energia para a manutenção da vida e para o crescimento do indivíduo. Todo alimento é composto de vários nutrientes. Ao estudar esse tema, não se pode esquecer que o ser humano, ao longo de seu desenvolvimento, foi se adaptando às fontes alimentares presentes em seu meio e isso gerou uma característica extremamente importante - a habilidade de consumir-se alimentos presentes na natureza em suas mais variadas formas.
Influence of Age on the Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Lowry Matthew T.H. , Doudesis Dimitrios , Wereski Ryan , Kimenai Dorien M. , Tuck Christopher , Ferry Amy V. , Bularga Anda , Taggart Caelan , Lee Kuan K. , Chapman Andrew R. , Shah Anoop S.V. , Newby David E. , Mills Nicholas L. , Anand Atul ,   on behalf of the High-STEACS Investigators
Published: October 2022

Background:

The 99th centile of cardiac troponin, derived from a healthy reference population, is recommended as the diagnostic threshold for myocardial infarction, but troponin concentrations are strongly influenced by age. Our aim was to assess the diagnostic performance of cardiac troponin in older patients presenting with suspected myocardial infarction.

Methods:

In a secondary analysis of a multicenter trial of consecutive patients with suspected myocardial infarction, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at presentation for the diagnosis of type 1, type 2, or type 4b myocardial infarction across 3 age groups (<50, 50–74, and ≥75 years) using guideline-recommended sex-specific and age-adjusted 99th centile thresholds.

Results:

In 46 435 consecutive patients aged 18 to 108 years (mean, 61±17 years), 5216 (11%) had a diagnosis of myocardial infarction. In patients <50 (n=12 379), 50 to 74 (n=22 380), and ≥75 (n=11 676) years, the sensitivity of the guideline-recommended threshold was similar at 79.2% (95% CI, 75.5–82.9), 80.6% (95% CI, 79.2–82.1), and 81.6% (95% CI, 79.8–83.2), respectively. The specificity decreased with advancing age from 98.3% (95% CI, 98.1–98.5) to 95.5% (95% CI, 95.2–95.8), and 82.6% (95% CI, 81.9–83.4). The use of age-adjusted 99th centile thresholds improved the specificity (91.3% [90.8%–91.9%] versus 82.6% [95% CI, 81.9%–83.4%]) and positive predictive value (59.3% [57.0%–61.5%] versus 51.5% [49.9%–53.3%]) for myocardial infarction in patients ≥75 years but failed to prevent the decrease in either parameter with increasing age and resulted in a marked reduction in sensitivity compared with the use of the guideline-recommended threshold (55.9% [53.6%–57.9%] versus 81.6% [79.8%–83.3%].

Conclusions:

Age alters the diagnostic performance of cardiac troponin, with reduced specificity and positive predictive value in older patients when applying the guideline-recommended or age-adjusted 99th centiles. Individualized diagnostic approaches rather than the adjustment of binary thresholds are needed in an aging population.
Contractile Force of Transplanted Cardiomyocytes Actively Supports Heart Function After Injury
Authors: Stüdemann Tim , Rössinger Judith , Manthey Christoph , Geertz Birgit , Srikantharajah Rajiven , von Bibra Constantin , Shibamiya Aya , Köhne Maria , Wiehler Antonius , Wiegert J. Simon , Eschenhagen Thomas , Weinberger Florian
Published: October 2022

Background:

Transplantation of pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes represents a promising therapeutic strategy for cardiac regeneration, and the first clinical studies in patients with heart failure have commenced. Yet, little is known about the mechanism of action underlying graft-induced benefits. Here, we explored whether transplanted cardiomyocytes actively contribute to heart function.

Methods:

We injected cardiomyocytes with an optogenetic off-on switch in a guinea pig cardiac injury model.

Results:

Light-induced inhibition of engrafted cardiomyocyte contractility resulted in a rapid decrease of left ventricular function in ≈50% (7/13) animals that was fully reversible with the offset of photostimulation.

Conclusions:

Our optogenetic approach demonstrates that transplanted cardiomyocytes can actively participate in heart function, supporting the hypothesis that the delivery of new force-generating myocardium can serve as a regenerative therapeutic strategy.
A new species of Lobelia (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) from the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico
Authors: PÉREZ-PÉREZ MIGUEL A. , AYERS TINA J. , AMITH JONATHAN D.
Published: October 2022

Lobelia alanae sp. nov. from Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico, is described from four known populations in tropical deciduous forests from 153 to 700 m elevation. This new species is compared to the closely related Lobelia porphyrea, a species known only from the type collection in the state of Hidalgo. Lobelia alanae can be separated from L. porphyrea by its height, hypanthium, calyx lobes and fruit. Based on the strongly reticulate-foveolate seed coats, L. alanae is hypothesized to be a new member of section Lobelia, previously comprising 22 species nearly endemic to the eastern U.S.
Of paddles, soup plates, and clubs: the taxonomy of the southern and south-tropical African Kalanchoe sect. Raveta (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae; Kalanchoe subg. Kalanchoe) and its constituent species
Authors: SMITH GIDEON F.
Published: October 2022

The taxonomy and nomenclature applicable to Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe] sect. Raveta (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), at present a group comprised of seven southern and south-tropical African species, are reviewed. At species rank, special reference is made to the names K. aleurodes, K. albiflora, and K. wildii, with the first two names commonly included in the synonymy of K. luciae, and the third one in use for material from Zimbabwe. It is shown that the name K. aleurodes is very likely the earliest name applied to material today widely known as K. wildii. However, use of the name K. aleurodes for the little-known K. wildii is not suggested here, as the name K. aleurodes has been proposed for rejection under Article 56A.1 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. All the kalanchoes with large, obovate to round (soup plate-shaped and -sized) leaves and dense-flowered, club-shaped inflorescences are here included in K. sect. Raveta (in K. subg. Kalanchoe) with this long-overlooked sectional name used in the stead of K. subg. Fernandesiae. A key is provided to the species included in K. sect. Raveta.
Abrodictyum inexpectatum, an unexpected new fern species (Hymenophyllaceae, Polypodiidae) for Madagascar, as revealed by an integrative approach
Authors: DUBUISSON JEAN-YVES , BAURET LUCIE , BOUCHERON-DUBUISSON ELODIE , ROUHAN GERMINAL
Published: October 2022

The fern genus Abrodictyum (Hymenophyllaceae) is thought to have at least seven species in the Afro-Malagasy region. But morphological re-examination of uncommon specimens, comparison with supposedly related taxa, and a new molecular phylogenetic analysis clearly led to recognize an additional species for Madagascar. We here describe this new species as Abrodictyum inexpectatum sp. nov. Morphologically, the new species differs from the closely related and sympatric A. franceae by its smaller size, narrower ultimate segments and the plane fronds in the wild, vs. crispate for A. franceae. We provide a modified key to all eight species of Abrodictyum now recognized in the Afro-Malagasy region.
A new genus and a new species of treehopper (Hemiptera: Membracidae) from the páramo of Tatamá in Colombia
Authors: FLÓREZ-V CAMILO
Published: October 2022

The treehopper fauna of páramos has been poorly studied. Here, the new genus Oropedium is described to accommodate the new species Oropedium tatamaense, found in the unexplored páramo of Tatamá at 3750 masl (Cordillera Occidental, Colombia). This taxon could not be classified in any known tribe of the subfamily Membracinae and is placed as incertae sedis. Information on its biology and distribution is discussed. An illustrated key to Membracinae tribes, including Oropedium gen. nov. is proposed.
Differences in MicroRNA Expression in Pericoronary Adipose Tissue in Coronary Artery Disease Compared to Severe Valve Dysfunction
Authors: Marketou Maria , Kontaraki Joanna , Kalogerakos Paris , Plevritaki Anthoula , Chlouverakis Gregory , Kassotakis Spyridon , Maragkoudakis Spyros , Danelatos Christos , Zervakis Stelios , Savva Eirini , Vardas Panos , Kochiadakis George , Lazopoulos George
Published: October 2022

Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) is a source of microRNAs (miRs) that act as messengers for intercellular communication. We investigated whether the PCAT surrounding significant coronary atherosclerotic lesions shows specific miR expression patterns compared with PCAT surrounding plaque-free segments. We included 49 patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and 19 patients with severe valvular disease but no CAD, who underwent elective cardiac surgery. The PCAT was harvested from two sites: adjacent to a significant atherosclerotic coronary lesion and from plaque-free segments. miR-133a, miR-21, miR-26b, miR-9, and miR-143 levels in PCAT cells were quantified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (data expressed as arbitrary units). Expression of miR-133, miR-21, and miR-26b in adipose tissue at a site without atherosclerotic lesion was much lower in patients with CAD than in those without CAD (0.82 ± 1.37 vs 1.86 ± 0.52, P < .001, 0.45 ± 1.3 vs 1.51 ± 1.11, P < .001, 0.3 ± 1.25 vs 1.2 ± 0.73, P = .02, respectively). In addition, miR-133, miR-21, and miR-143 in CAD patients showed significantly greater expression in PCAT from atherosclerotic lesion compared with plaque-free segments (1.32 ± 0.96 vs 0.82 ± 0.37 (P = .011), 0.91 ± 1.7 vs 0.3 ± 1.25 (P = .012), 1.2 ± 1.59 vs 0.43 ± 0.54 (P < .001), respectively). Our findings open new perspectives for the role of PCAT in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and should be further investigated.
Euclidean distance damping–based adaptive sliding mode fault-tolerant event-triggered trajectory-tracking control
Authors: Chen Qiyu , Zhang Qiang , Hu Yancai , Liu Yang , Wu Hengtao
Published: October 2022

This study investigates a novel event-triggered sliding mode fault-tolerant control system for underactuated remote-operated vehicles based on Euclidean distance to address the problems of sliding mode chattering, actuator faults, external uncertainty disturbance, and signal noise. In particular, the effects of high-frequency chattering and robust response to the control performance of the sliding mode are reduced by constructing a Euclidean error state mapping space and defining a novel Euclidean distance-based damped sliding mode reaching law. Subsequently, a Euclidean distance-based hyperbolic tangent fault-tolerant saturation parser is developed to resolve actuator faults and reduce saturation and signal noise. A neural network adaptive approximator is used in conjunction with finite-time techniques to estimate the upper bounds of external disturbances, system uncertainty, and Euclidean distance data of the saturation parser and improve the robustness of trajectory tracking. Moreover, finite time-bounded convergence of the signal of the closed-loop tracking system is ensured. Finally, an event-triggered mechanism that is not affected by the fault-tolerant mechanism is designed, and the communication resource occupation is optimized to improve the operational lifetime of the equipment and its transmission efficiency. The effectiveness of the proposed control system and its superiority over existing alternatives is demonstrated based on four sets of simulated comparisons.
The transcriptomic landscape of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense during magnetosome biomineralization
Authors: Riese Cornelius N. , Wittchen Manuel , Jérôme Valérie , Freitag Ruth , Busche Tobias , Kalinowski Jörn , Schüler Dirk
Published: October 2022

Background

One of the most complex prokaryotic organelles are magnetosomes, which are formed by magnetotactic bacteria as sensors for navigation in the Earth’s magnetic field. In the alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense magnetosomes consist of chains of magnetite crystals (Fe3O4) that under microoxic to anoxic conditions are biomineralized within membrane vesicles. To form such an intricate structure, the transcription of > 30 specific structural genes clustered within the genomic magnetosome island (MAI) has to be coordinated with the expression of an as-yet unknown number of auxiliary genes encoding several generic metabolic functions. However, their global regulation and transcriptional organization in response to anoxic conditions most favorable for magnetite biomineralization are still unclear.

Results

Here, we compared transcriptional profiles of anaerobically grown magnetosome forming cells with those in which magnetosome biosynthesis has been suppressed by aerobic condition. Using whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing, we found that transcription of about 300 of the > 4300 genes was significantly enhanced during magnetosome formation. About 40 of the top upregulated genes are directly or indirectly linked to aerobic and anaerobic respiration (denitrification) or unknown functions. The mam and mms gene clusters, specifically controlling magnetosome biosynthesis, were highly transcribed, but constitutively expressed irrespective of the growth condition. By Cappable-sequencing, we show that the transcriptional complexity of both the MAI and the entire genome decreased under anaerobic conditions optimal for magnetosome formation. In addition, predominant promoter structures were highly similar to sigma factor σ70 dependent promoters in other Alphaproteobacteria.

Conclusions

Our transcriptome-wide analysis revealed that magnetite biomineralization relies on a complex interplay between generic metabolic processes such as aerobic and anaerobic respiration, cellular redox control, and the biosynthesis of specific magnetosome structures. In addition, we provide insights into global regulatory features that have remained uncharacterized in the widely studied model organism M. gryphiswaldense, including a comprehensive dataset of newly annotated transcription start sites and genome-wide operon detection as a community resource (GEO Series accession number GSE197098).
Carbohydrates and secondary compounds of alpine tundra shrubs in relation to experimental warming
Authors: Zhou Yumei , Yang Ming , Tai Zhijuan , Jia Jingjing , Luan Dongtao , Ma Xia
Published: October 2022

Background

It is critical to understand the sensitivity, response direction and magnitude of carbohydrates and secondary compounds to warming for predicting the structure and function of the tundra ecosystem towards future climate change.

Results

Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to passively increase air and soil temperatures on Changbai Mountain alpine tundra. After seven years’ continuous warming (+ 1.5 °C), the vegetation coverage, nonstructural carbohydrates (soluble sugars and starch) and secondary compounds (total phenols, flavonoids and triterpenes) of leaves and roots in three dominant dwarf shrubs, Dryas octopetala var. asiatica, Rhododendron confertissimum and Vaccinium uliginosum, were investigated during the growing season. Warming did not significantly affect the concentrations of carbohydrates but decreased total phenols for the three species. Carbohydrates and secondary compounds showed significantly seasonal pattern and species-specific variation. No significant trade-off or negative relationship between carbohydrates and secondary compounds was observed. Compared to Dr. octopetala var. asiatica, V. uliginosum allocated more carbon on secondary compounds. Warming significantly increased the coverage of Dr. octopetala var. asiatica, did not change it for V. uliginosum and decreased it for Rh. confertissimum. Rh. confertissimum had significantly lower carbohydrates and invested more carbon on secondary compounds than the other two species.

Conclusions

Enhanced dominance and competitiveness of Dr. octopetala var. asiatica was companied by increased trend in carbohydrate concentrations and decreased ratio of secondary compounds to total carbon in the warming OTCs. We, therefore, predict that Dr. octopetala var. asiatica will continue to maintain dominant status, but the competition ability of V. uliginosum could gradually decrease with warming, leading to changes in species composition and community structure of the Changbai tundra ecosystem under future climate warming.