bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Viral oncogenesis in tumours of the central nervous system: reality or random association? A retrospective study on archived material
Authors: Arsene Dorel Eugen , Milanesi Elena , Dobre Maria
Published: February 2022

Central nervous system (CNS) tumours have devastating effects and are recurrent, with dismal prognosis (gliomas) or life‐threatening by the compression effect (meningiomas). This disease's aetiology remains debatable. Over the last decade, the hypothesis that human viruses may be implicated in these tumours has been proposed. In this study, our aim is to examine the presence of 11 viruses in the most frequent CNS primary tumours. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we assessed the viral presence in archived, paraffin‐embedded tumour tissues from 114 patients with glioma and meningioma and in the brain tissue from 40 controls lacking tumour pathology. We focused on candidate neuro‐oncogenic types (herpesviridae and polyomaviruses) and on human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV presence, for which involvement in these tumours was hardly investigated, was found to be associated with both tumour categories compared with controls (glioma, p = 0.032; meningioma, p = 0.032), whereas the presence of the neuro‐oncogenic viruses was found in a negligible number of both categories, suggesting a lack of association with the tumour presence. Moreover, our study reveals a positive correlation between HPV presence and glioma malignancy, and a negative correlation with meningioma grading. Our results suggest that the presence of HPV seems to be significantly associated with primary tumours of the CNS and its meninges.
A back‐propagation neural network model using hyperspectral imaging applied to variety nondestructive detection of cereal
Authors: Bai Zhizhen , Tian Jianping , Hu Xinjun , Sun Ting , Luo Huibo , Huang Dan
Published: February 2022

Cereal crops play an important role in preventing chronic diseases and regulating human functions due to their rich phytochemicals. However, an increasing number of cases of cereal‐crop adulteration are occurring, affecting the nutrition of food and threatening food safety. Therefore, this study used hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and a back‐propagation neural network (BPNN) to establish the variety identification model of different grain shapes, colors, and sizes. This model can conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of samples rapidly and nondestructively, because HSI can collect spectral information and spatial information of samples. Meanwhile, the Watershed algorithm was used to identify cereal varieties by particles, and the model identification performance was verified by the unlabeled test sets. The results show that the data extraction success rate of the new watershed algorithm reached 98%, and the comprehensive identification accuracy of the model reached 90%. In addition, the cereal in the training set can be changed to identify other cereal crops, thereby providing a method of rapid and nondestructive adulteration detection of cereals.

Practical Applications

Cereal crops play an important role in preventing chronic diseases and regulating human functions due to their rich phytochemicals. However, an increasing number of cases of cereal‐crop adulteration are occurring, affecting the nutrition of food and threatening food safety. Therefore, this study used hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and a back‐propagation neural network (BPNN) to establish the variety identification model of different grain shapes, colors, and sizes. This model can conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of samples rapidly and nondestructively, because HSI can collect spectral information and spatial information of samples at the same time. The spectral information was used for qualitative analysis, while spatial information was used for quantitative analysis, so this model can realize the rapid and nondestructive detection of different varieties of cereals. And we can also change the training‐set data to realize the variety identification of other varieties of crops, which provides guidance for the method detecting the adulteration of cereal crops.
Kefir with artificial and natural dyes: Assessment of consumer knowledge, attitude, and emotional profile using emojis
Authors: Penna Anna Carolina G. , Durço Bruna B. , Pagani Monica M. , Pimentel Tatiana C. , Mársico Eliane T. , Silva Adriana C. O. , Esmerino Erick A.
Published: February 2022

The consumers' perception and emotional profile (using emojis) about different dyes labeled in kefir packages were evaluated. The products were natural (KN, nonflavored, and without dye), and acerola‐flavored with artificial dye (KCA), natural dye (KCN), or acerola‐residue dye (KCR). Furthermore, the consumer's knowledge and attitudes about dyes were evaluated. KN, KCN, and KCR showed higher perceived acceptability, healthiness, security, and purchase intent than KCA and were associated with positive emoji. In addition, KCN and KN showed a more positive emotional profile than KCA. KCR improved the products' emotional profile compared to KCA and was characterized by a happy emoji. Consumers demonstrated good knowledge about dyes' utilization, cost, and stability, but they believe artificial dyes have health risks. It is concluded that artificial dyes contributed negatively to consumer perception and emotional profile, while natural and residue dyes have a good receptivity. The emoji utilization enabled differentiation among kefir with similar perceived acceptability.

Practical applications

This study is the first to evaluate the impact of artificial, natural, or residue dyes on the consumer perception of kefir, a fermented beverage with proven health effects. The artificial dye was perceived negatively by consumers and resulted in an emotional profile characterized by negative emoji. On the contrary, the natural and residue dyes had a positive perception and good emotional receptivity by consumers. The consumers presented positive attitudes to replace artificial dyes with natural dyes and pointed out the natural ones as tastier, healthier, and safer. They also demonstrated to be open to new natural dyes. These results indicate that the dairy industry could better explore alternative sources of natural dyes to replace synthetic dyes. We also emphasize how emojis allowed the differentiation of samples with similar perceived acceptability, being advised its utilization to complement data from acceptance tests.
Genetic control of compatibility in crosses between wheat and its wild or cultivated relatives
Authors: Laugerotte Julie , Baumann Ute , Sourdille Pierre
Published: February 2022

In the recent years, the agricultural world has been progressing towards integrated crop protection, in the context of sustainable and reasoned agriculture to improve food security and quality, and to preserve the environment through reduced uses of water, pesticides, fungicides or fertilisers. For this purpose, one possible issue is to cross‐elite varieties widely used in fields for crop productions with exotic or wild genetic resources in order to introduce new diversity for genes or alleles of agronomical interest to accelerate the development of new improved cultivars. However, crossing ability (or crossability) often depends on genetic background of the recipient varieties or of the donor, which hampers a larger use of wild resources in breeding programmes of many crops. In this review, we tried to provide a comprehensive summary of genetic factors controlling crossing ability betweenTriticeaespecies with a special focus on the crossability between wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) and rye (Secale cereale), which lead to the creation of Triticale (x TriticosecaleWittm.). We also discussed potential applications of newly identified genes or markers associated with crossability for accelerating wheat and Triticale improvement by application of modern genomics technologies in breeding programmes.
Low N level increases the susceptibility of PSI to photoinhibition induced by short repetitive flashes in leaves of different rice varieties
Authors: Ozaki Hiroshi , Takagi Daisuke , Mizokami Yusuke , Tokida Takeshi , Nakamura Hirofumi , Sakai Hidemitsu , Hasegawa Toshihiro , Noguchi Ko
Published: February 2022

The recovery from photoinhibition is much slower in photosystem (PS) I than in PSII; therefore, the susceptibility of PSI to photoinhibition is important with respect to photosynthetic production under special physiological conditions. Previous studies have shown that repetitive short‐pulse (rSP) illumination selectively induces PSI photoinhibition. Depending on the growth light intensity or the variety/species of the plant, PSI photoinhibition is different, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we aimed to clarify whether the differences in the susceptibility of PSI to photoinhibition depend on environmental factors or on rice varieties and which physiological properties of the plant are related to this susceptibility. We exposed mature leaves of rice plants to rSP illumination. We examined the effects of elevated CO2 concentration and low N during growth on the susceptibility of PSI to photoinhibition and compared it in 12 different varieties. We fitted the decrease in the quantum yield of PSI during rSP illumination and estimated a parameter indicating susceptibility. Low N level increased susceptibility, whereas elevated CO2 concentration did not. The susceptibility differed among different rice varieties, and many indica varieties showed higher susceptibility than the temperate japonica varieties. Susceptibility was negatively correlated with the total chlorophyll content and N content. However, the decrease in value, an indicator of damaged PSI, was positively correlated with chlorophyll content. This suggests that in leaves with a larger electron transport capacity, the overall PSI activity may be less susceptible to photoinhibition, but more damaged PSI may accumulate during rSP illumination.
The politics of Uber: Infrastructural power in the United States and Europe
Authors: Valdez Jimena
Published: February 2022

Platform firms have been depicted as having structural and instrumental power and being able to prevail in regulatory battles. This article, in contrast, documents how they have often adapted to regulations and provide different services across locales. I show that platform firms have a specific type of power, infrastructural power, that stems from their position as mediators across a variety of actors. This power, I argue, is shaped by pre‐existing regulations and the firms' strategic response, that I call “contentious compliance”: a double movement of adapting to existing regulations, while continuing to challenge them. I apply this framework to the expansion and regulation of Uber in New York City (US), Madrid (Spain), and Berlin (Germany).
Gender Differences in the Usage of Speech Act of Promise among Moroccan Female and Male High School Students
Authors: MALKI Ilham
Published: February 2022

The study aims at examining and analysing speech act of promise used by male and female Moroccan high school students. Research studies conducted on speech acts in different languages and cultures serve to provide an insightful understanding of intercultural communication. They substantially help in reaching over communicative differences among speakers of divergent languages, and accordingly lay the ground for addressing and handling issues that arise from intercultural miscommunication.  This article is a research endeavour that seeks to fill the void that has been mentioned above. The core of this study is on a pragmatic-based analysis of the speech act of promising in Moroccan Arabic. More precisely, it targets identifying and investigating the widely utilized techniques of promise among male and female Moroccan high school students.The data has been collected from questionnaires composed of 19 hypothetical real-life situations in Morocco.  The respondents of the research have been Moroccan-Arabic native speaking students studying in three public high schools in Casablanca, Morocco. The sample consists of 60 male students and 60 female students belonging to the three high school levels: common core, first year, and second year of Baccalaureate. The analysis of the data has revealed that Moroccan high school students embark on six strategies while constructing promise utterances, namely, self-repetition, conditional promises that incorporate Al Istithna (exception) promises and if promises, swearing tactic, assurance-based expressions, self-praising attributions, and preferred adjacency pairs technique. Furthermore, the findings of this study have exhibited that there are significant differences in the use of those strategies among male and female Moroccan high school students as they perform the speech act of promising. It has been proven through the distinct use of promising strategies that both genders speak different languages. Unlike male respondents whose language seems to be assertive, adversarial, and strong, female respondents speak a language of support, politeness, cooperation, and social affiliation.
Discurso y praxis burocrática: ejercicio de poder en el sistema de atención a población desplazada por la violencia en Bogotá
Authors: González Enríquez sabel
Published: February 2022

El aparato burocrático constituye el organismo distribuidor de los derechos de este colectivo migrante y de los bienes y servicios gubernamentales asociados a ellos; y esta distribución, que en teoría basa sus mecanismos y criterios en el corpus legislativo nacional e internacional se basa, en la práctica, en las clasificaciones de pertenencia y exclusión que construye ese mismo aparato burocrático en su ejercicio diario (Holston, 2008)[1]. No es sólo un discurso político particular el que es legitimado a través de las clasificaciones y exclusiones que realiza la praxis burocrática sobre el conjunto de los migrantes que solicitan ser reconocidos como desplazados; es la propia construcción social simbólica del fenómeno del desplazamiento forzado en Colombia la que encuentra en el sistema burocrático de atención a la población desplazada uno de sus primeros lugares de producción y reproducción. Es en los lugares donde el poder político es ejercido de manera concreta, en la praxis burocrática con sus adaptaciones, adecuaciones e interpretaciones de los mandatos constitucionales, donde podrá observarse la materialidad de la violencia simbólica ejercida contra los desplazados por la violencia en Colombia por parte del Estado así como la instrumentalización del aparato burocrático como herramienta de legitimación del sistema clasificatorio dominante (Bordieu, 1993)[2].[1] Insurgent Citizenship: Disjunctions of Democracy and Modernity in Brazil. Princeton University Press.[2] Génesis y estructura del campo burocrático. Actes de la Recherche en Sciencies Sociales 96-97.
All field emission models are wrong, … but are any of them useful?
Authors: Ayari Anthony , Vincent Pascal , Perisanu Sorin , Poncharal Philippe , Purcell Stephen T.
Published: February 2022

Field emission data are often represented on a Fowler–Nordheim plot but a new empirical equation has been recently proposed to better analyze experiments. Such an equation is based on approximations of the Murphy and Good model and predicts that a constant parameter κ, depending only on the work function of the emitter, can be extracted from the data. We compared this empirical equation with simulations of the Murphy and Good model in order to determine the range of validity of the approximations and the robustness of the relationship between κ and the work function. We found that κ is constant only over a limited range of electric fields and so depends significantly on the field enhancement factor. This result calls into question the usefulness of the new empirical equation.
Imagining Rosalind Franklin
Her Hidden Genius: A Novel
Marie Benedict
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022. 304 pp.
Authors: Langin Katie
Published: February 2022

The crystallographer’s story comes alive in a work of historical fiction
Imminent merger of giant black holes predicted
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: February 2022

Never-before-seen event could spark cosmic fireworks—if it is not a mirage
Massive wolf kill disrupts long-running Yellowstone park study
Authors: Morell Virginia
Published: February 2022

Hunters kill more than 500 wolves in surrounding states
Complete Genome Sequence of a Jumbo Bacteriophage, Escherichia Phage vB_EcoM_EC001
Authors: Cucić Stevan , Kropinski Andrew M. , Lin Janet , Khursigara Cezar M. , Anany Hany
Published: February 2022

Here, we report the genome sequence of a jumbo
Escherichia
phage vB_EcoM_EC001, a myovirus isolated from primary sludge using enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
O157:H7. The genome is 240,200 bp long and has 270 predicted coding sequences, including a tryptophanyl tRNA gene. It belongs to genus
Seoulvirus
.
Genome Sequence of
Dermacoccus
Strain Tok2021, a Soil Actinobacterium Isolated from a Pinus radiata Forest
Authors: Armstrong C. , Sen D. , Walker K. , Garrett L. , Byers A. , Wakelin S.
Published: February 2022

Dermacoccus
strain Tok2021 (
Actinobacteria
) is a soil bacterium, isolated from commercial
Pinus radiata
forest soil from Tokoiti, New Zealand. The bacterium has a draft genome size of 3,101,786 bp and harbors genes involved in antibiotic production, siderophore production, and N
2
fixation.
Draft Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from Methane-Rich Echo Lake, Montana
Authors: Ross Abigail M. , Peoples Logan M. , Bilbrey Evan M. , Church Matthew J.
Published: February 2022

Five metagenome-assembled genomes were obtained from the bottom waters of Echo Lake, Montana. These genomes suggest that lineages involved in methane oxidation and sulfur cycling flourish near the steep oxygen and methane chemocline in Echo Lake.
Bacterial Diversity of Root Nodule and Rhizosphere Soil Samples of Green Soybean (Edamame) in Japan
Authors: Fukuda Daisuke , Ohnuki Naoko , Ohnuki Takashi
Published: February 2022

We analyzed the bacterial diversity of root nodule and rhizosphere soil samples of edamame collected in Ebina, Japan. The major population identified from the nodules belonged to the genus
Bradyrhizobium
, and the rhizosphere soil in the open field has a higher abundance of the
Rhizobiales
order bacteria than that in the greenhouse.
16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing Data of Bacterial Community of Freshwater Sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis
Authors: Belikov Sergei I. , Petrushin Ivan S. , Chernogor Lubov I.
Published: February 2022

Our study was devoted to investigating the mass disease and mortality of freshwater sponges (Lubomirskiidae) in Lake Baikal. The first sights of the disease were discovered in 2011 and were associated with a shift in sponge microbial diversity. To study the microbiome, we performed sequencing of the 16S rRNA amplicon DNA extracted from the freshwater sponges.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Microbacterium
sp. Strain KKR3/1, an Antimicrobial-Substance-Producing Strain Isolated from Banana Shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis)
Authors: Delegan Yanina , Shorokhova Anna , Zvonarev Anton , Abashina Tatiana , Suzina Natalia
Published: February 2022

The strain KKR3/1 (VKM Ac-2910) was isolated from the microflora of the lower intestinal tract of the banana shrimp (
Atyopsis moluccensis
). The genome of the KKR3/1 strain consists of seven contigs, with a total length of 3,651,331 bp. The
N
50
value is 2,445,836 bp, and the GC content is 68.1%.
Chemical augmentation of mitochondrial electron transport chains tunes T cell activation threshold in tumors
Authors: Dotsu Yosuke , Muraoka Daisuke , Ogo Naohisa , Sonoda Yudai , Yasui Kiyoshi , Yamaguchi Hiroyuki , Yagita Hideo , Mukae Hiroshi , Asai Akira , Ikeda Hiroaki
Published: February 2022

Background

Cancer immunotherapy shows insufficient efficacy for low immunogenic tumors. Furthermore, tumors often downregulate antigen and major histocompatibility complex expression to escape recognition by T cells, resulting in insufficient T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, augmenting TCR-mediated recognition of tumor antigens is a useful strategy to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.

Methods

We screened 310 small molecules from our library and identified PQDN, a small molecule that activates CD8 T cells after TCR engagement, even when antigen stimulation is too weak for their activation. We used inhibitors of mitochondrial functions and Seahorse Flux Analyzer to investigate the mechanism underlying the effect of PQDN on T cells. Effect of PQDN on tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells was examined using flow cytometry and TCR repertoire analysis.

Results

PQDN increased mitochondrial reciprocal capacity through enhancement of electron transport chains (ETCs) and facilitated glycolysis via mTOR/AKT signaling, resulting in augmented CD8 T cell activation, even when antigen stimulation is extremely weak. Intratumoral administration of this compound into tumor-bearing mice tunes inactivated T cell with tumor antigen recognition potent and expanded functional T cell receptor diversity of tumor-infiltrating T cells, augmenting antitumor immune responses and retarding tumor growth. Furthermore, PQDN has a synergistic potent with T cell dependent immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitory therapy or adoptive cell therapy, even in a low immunogenic tumor. We also demonstrated that this compound enhances the activation of human CD8 T cells.

Conclusions

These data suggest that tuning the T cell activation threshold by chemical activation of mitochondrial ETC is a new strategy for improving therapeutic efficacy through the activation of low-avidity tumor-specific T cells.
Machine learning approach to predicting persistent opioid use following lower extremity joint arthroplasty
Authors: Gabriel Rodney A , Harjai Bhavya , Prasad Rupa S , Simpson Sierra , Chu Iris , Fisch Kathleen M , Said Engy T
Published: February 2022

Background

The objective of this study is to develop predictive models for persistent opioid use following lower extremity joint arthroplasty and determine if ensemble learning and an oversampling technique may improve model performance.

Methods

We compared various predictive models to identify at-risk patients for persistent postoperative opioid use using various preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data, including surgical procedure, patient demographics/characteristics, past surgical history, opioid use history, comorbidities, lifestyle habits, anesthesia details, and postoperative hospital course. Six classification models were evaluated: logistic regression, random forest classifier, simple-feedforward neural network, balanced random forest classifier, balanced bagging classifier, and support vector classifier. Performance with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) was also evaluated. Repeated stratified k-fold cross-validation was implemented to calculate F1-scores and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC).

Results

There were 1042 patients undergoing elective knee or hip arthroplasty in which 242 (23.2%) reported persistent opioid use. Without SMOTE, the logistic regression model has an F1 score of 0.47 and an AUC of 0.79. All ensemble methods performed better, with the balanced bagging classifier having an F1 score of 0.80 and an AUC of 0.94. SMOTE improved performance of all models based on F1 score. Specifically, performance of the balanced bagging classifier improved to an F1 score of 0.84 and an AUC of 0.96. The features with the highest importance in the balanced bagging model were postoperative day 1 opioid use, body mass index, age, preoperative opioid use, prescribed opioids at discharge, and hospital length of stay.

Conclusions

Ensemble learning can dramatically improve predictive models for persistent opioid use. Accurate and early identification of high-risk patients can play a role in clinical decision making and early optimization with personalized interventions.
Ultrasound determination of the dural sac to sacrococcygeal membrane distance in premature neonates
Authors: Ponde Vrushali , Shah Dipal , Nagdev Tripti , Balasubramanian H , Boretsky Karen
Published: February 2022

Background

Caudal epidural analgesia is the most common regional anesthetic performed in infants. Dural puncture, the most common serious complication, is inversely proportional to age. Measuring the distance from the sacrococcygeal membrane to the dural sac may prevent dural puncture. This study measures the sacrococcygeal membrane to dural sac distance using ultrasound imaging to determine feasibility of imaging and obtaining measurements.

Methods

Sacral ultrasound imaging of 40 preterm neonates was obtained in left lateral decubitus, a typical position for caudal blockade. No punctures were made. The sacrococcygeal membrane and termination of the dural sac were visualized, and the distance measured. The spinal levels of the conus medullaris and dural sac termination were recorded.

Results

20 males and 20 females former preterm neonates with an average weight (SD; range) of 1740 (290; 860–2350) g and average age (SD; range) of 35.0 (1.35; 32.2–39) weeks gestational age at the time of imaging. The average sacrococcygeal membrane to distal dural sac distance (SD; range) was 17.4 (3.1; 10.6–26.3) mm. Overall, the weights correlated positively with the distance but the coefficient of variation was large at 23%. The conus medularis terminated below the L3 level and dural sac below the S3 level in 20% and 10% of subjects respectively with hip flexion.

Conclusion

Ultrasound can be used to measure the sacrococcygeal membrane to dura distance in preterm neonates prior to needle insertion when performing caudal block and demonstrates large variability. Ultrasound imaging may identify patients at risk for dural puncture. When ultrasound is not available, needle insertion less than 3 mm/kg beyond the puncture of the sacrococcygeal membrane should prevent dural contact in 99.9% of neonates.
The shifting mosaic of ice-wedge degradation and stabilization in response to infrastructure and climate change, Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska, USA
Authors: Kanevskiy Mikhail , Shur Yuri , (Skip) Walker D.A. , Jorgenson Torre , Raynolds Martha K. , Peirce Jana L. , Jones Benjamin M. , Buchhorn Marcel , Matyshak Georgiy , Bergstedt Helena , Breen Amy L. , Connor Billy , Daanen Ronald , Liljedahl Anna , Romanovsky Vladimir E. , Watson-Cook Emily
Published: February 2022

We studied processes of ice-wedge degradation and stabilization at three sites adjacent to road infrastructure in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska, USA. We examined climatic, environmental, and subsurface conditions and evaluated vulnerability of ice wedges to thermokarst in undisturbed and road-affected areas. Vulnerability of ice wedges strongly depends on the structure and thickness of soil layers above ice wedges, including the active, transient, and intermediate layers. In comparison with the undisturbed area, sites adjacent to the roads had smaller average thicknesses of the protective intermediate layer (4 cm vs. 9 cm), and this layer was absent above almost 60% of ice wedges (vs. ∼45% in undisturbed areas). Despite the strong influence of infrastructure, ice-wedge degradation is a reversible process. Deepening of troughs during ice-wedge degradation leads to a substantial increase in mean annual ground temperatures but not in thaw depths. Thus, stabilization of ice wedges in the areas of cold continuous permafrost can occur despite accumulation of snow and water in the troughs. Although thermokarst is usually more severe in flooded areas, higher plant productivity, more litter, and mineral material (including road dust) accumulating in the troughs contribute to formation of the intermediate layer, which protects ice wedges from further melting.
Mechanisms of action of SGLT2 inhibitors and their beneficial effects on the cardiorenal axis
Authors: Gronda Edoardo , Lopaschuk Gary D. , Arduini Arduino , Santoro Antonio , Benincasa Giuditta , Palazzuoli Alberto , Gabrielli Domenico , Napoli Claudio
Published: February 2022

Large clinical studies conducted with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in patients with type 2 diabetes and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction have demonstrated their ability to achieve both cardiac and kidney benefits. Although there is huge evidence on SGLT2i-mediated clinical benefits both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying their efficacy are still poorly understood. Some favorable mechanisms are likely due to the prompt glycosuric action which is associated with natriuretic effects leading to hemodynamic benefits as well as a reduction in glomerular hyperfiltration and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation. In addition to the renal mechanisms, SGLT2i may play a relevant role in cardiorenal axis protection by improving the cardiomyocyte metabolism, by exerting anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory actions, and by increasing cardioprotective adipokine expression. New studies will be needed to better understand the specific molecular mechanisms that mediate the SGLT2i favorable effects in patients suffering diabetes. Our aim is to first discuss about the molecular mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2i in each of the main organs involved in the cardiorenal axis. Furthermore, we update on the most recent clinical trials evaluating the beneficial effects of SGLT2i in treatment of both diabetic and non-diabetic patients suffering heart failure.
Study of Einstein-bumblebee gravity with Kerr-Sen-like solution in the presence of a dispersive medium
Authors: Jha Sohan Kumar , Aziz Sahazada , Rahaman Anisur
Published: February 2022

A Kerr-Sen-like black hole solution appears in the Einstein-bumblebee theory of gravity. The solution contains contains a Lorentz violating parameter in an explicit manner. We study the null geodesics in the background of this Kerr-Sen-like black hole surrounded by a dispersive medium like plasma. We investigate the effect of the charge of the black hole, the Lorentz violation parameter, and the plasma parameter on the photon orbits with the evaluation of the effective potential in the presence of both the Lorentz violation parameter and the plasma parameter. We also study the influence of the Lorentz violation parameter and plasma parameter on the emission of energy from the black hole due to thermal radiation. Besides, we compute the angle of deflection of massless particles with weak-field approximation in this generalized situation and examine how it varies with the Lorentz violation parameter in presence of plasma. Constraining the parameters of this Lorentz violating Kerr-Sen-like black hole is also attempted here with the result obtained from the observations of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration.
Leveraging Multilingual News Websites for Building a Kurdish Parallel Corpus
Authors: Ahmadi Sina , Hassani Hossein , Jaff Daban Q.
Published: February 2022

Machine translation has been a major motivation of development in natural language processing. Despite the burgeoning achievements in creating more efficient machine translation systems, thanks to deep learning methods, parallel corpora have remained indispensable for progress in the field. In an attempt to create parallel corpora for the Kurdish language, in this article, we describe our approach in retrieving potentially alignable news articles from multi-language websites and manually align them across dialects and languages based on lexical similarity and transliteration of scripts. We present a corpus containing 12,327 translation pairs in the two major dialects of Kurdish, Sorani and Kurmanji. We also provide 1,797 and 650 translation pairs in English-Kurmanji and English-Sorani. The corpus is publicly available under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

1
A Simple Electropolymer Based Voltammetric Sensor for the Simultaneous Determination of Melanoma Biomarkers–L-Dopa and L-Tyrosine
Authors: Sam Sonia , Mathew Manna Rachel , Girish Kumar K.
Published: February 2022

This article describes the development of a simple electropolymer based voltammetric sensor for the sensitive determination of melanoma biomarkers, L-Dopa and L-Tyrosine. A glassy carbon electrode modified with poly para toluene sulphonic acid which is an excellent electro-catalyst for the oxidation of L-Dopa and L-Tyrosine enables their simultaneous determination. Fabrication, characterization, calibration, real sample applicability as well as consistency in performance of the sensor are discussed in detail. For the simultaneous determination, linear calibration plot has been obtained in two dynamic ranges for both the analytes. For L-Dopa it is from 9.00 × 10−5 M to 2.00 × 10−5 M and from1.00 × 10−5 to 1.00 × 10−6 M and for L-Tyrosine, 7.00 × 10−5 M to 2.00 × 10−5 M and from1.00 × 10−5 to 1.00 × 10−6 M are the two dynamic ranges. The recovery values obtained through spike recovery analysis demonstrates its practical application in real sample analysis.
Research on Demand Forecasting of Engineering Positions Based on Fusion of Multisource and Heterogeneous Data
Authors: Li Ning , Wang Tianqi , Zhang Qianhui
Published: February 2022

Aiming at the project demand forecasting problem based on multisource data fusion, a multisource heterogeneous data fusion model is established, and the unified quantitative representation method of heterogeneous data based on triangular fuzzy numbers is studied, and the ordered weighted average operator is used to integrate the preferences of decision-makers. A multisource heterogeneous data fusion algorithm that supports multiuser decision-making is designed. Based on the analysis of the internal and external environment of human resources in a company’s engineering positions, this paper qualitatively analyzes and selects the factors affecting the demand for talents in key positions in a company based on the characteristics of demand influencing factors and finds out the quantifiable and influential factors from the representative factors of talent demand for key positions in a company. Using historical data, statistical methods are used to process the eight related factors of a certain company, which confirms the factors that have a greater impact on the demand for talents in key positions of a company and influences the demand for talents in key positions in companies of the same type. The identification of factors provides a basic argument for a company. According to the results of statistical analysis and the characteristics of existing data, two variables of factory output and time are selected to be used in regression analysis forecasting model and gray system forecasting model of a certain company to predict the demand for key talents of a certain company. The company finally adopts combined forecasting. The method determines the predicted value of the talent demand for a certain company’s key positions. According to the results of demand forecasting and the current status of human resource management in a company, this article proposes a company’s key position talent management planning measures, in order to provide a reference for the management of a company’s key company position talents and ensure a company’s key company positions in the future talent demand reserve.
Differential Circulating Fungal Microbiome in Prostate Cancer Patients Compared to Healthy Control Individuals
Authors: Wang Xu , Zhou Zejun , Turner David , Lilly Michael , Ou Tongwen , Jiang Wei
Published: February 2022

Backgrounds. Infection and inflammation play an important role in prostate cancer (PCa) etiology and pathogenesis. However, the environmental drivers for PCa are not fully understood. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed circulating fungal microbiome in plasma samples from age and race-matched healthy control men (

n
=
34

) and preoperative PCa patients (

n
=
31

). Results. The fungal community in the plasma exhibited differences between individuals with PCa and healthy controls according to the beta diversity; there was no difference in the alpha diversity. Moreover, the relative abundance of several fungi differed between the two study groups from the class to species levels. The most significant differences were Filobasidiales family, Pyronemataceae family, and Cryptococcus ater species, which were enriched in PCa patients compared to controls. The increased Bipolaris genus was associated with low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, increased Sordariomycetes class was associated with severe pathological stage, and decreased Phoma herbarum species was associated with disease relapse, compared to corresponding controls. Several fungi from class to species levels were increased in the controls compared to patients. Conclusion. This is the first study to show plasma distinct fungal microbiome and its associations with PSA levels, relapse, and pathology stages in PCa patients.
Vibration Response and Evaluation Method of High-Speed Tracked Vehicles Driving Off-Road
Authors: Qiao Xin-yong , Jin Ying , Gu Cheng
Published: February 2022

In the stage of vehicle demonstration and development, equipment finalization test, and equipment service, an important role is played by the mobility prediction and evaluation method of tracked vehicles under complex road conditions, in which vehicle vibration response evaluation is the main content of off-road mobility prediction and evaluation. In this paper, based on the principle of multibody dynamics, a high-speed tracked vehicle action system model was established by using the simulation analysis method. The vibration response of the vehicle on uneven pavement was evaluated from four aspects: driver comfort, driver absorbed power, occupant handling efficiency, and suspension dynamic travel. Simultaneously, the shock vibration peak value was utilized to evaluate the vibration response of the vehicle during obstacle crossing. Three fitting methods, namely polynomial response surface, Kriging method, and radial basis function neural network, were used to establish approximate models between the design variables and the objective function, respectively. The pros and cons of each approximate model were analyzed by comparing the approximate errors between the predicted values of the fitting model and the actual response values of the simulation model. The results of this paper are of reference significance for the prediction and evaluation of the off-road mobility of high-speed tracked vehicles.
Human Gut Microbes Associated with Systolic Blood Pressure
Authors: Joishy Tulsi Kumari , Jha Aashish , Oudah Mai , Das Santanu , Adak Atanu , Deb Dibyayan , Khan Mojibur Rohman
Published: February 2022

Emerging studies have revealed a strong link between the gut microbiome and several human diseases. Since human gut microbiome mirrors variations in lifestyle and environment, whether associations between disease conditions and gut microbiome are consistent across populations—particularly in communities practicing traditional subsistence strategies whose microbiomes differ markedly from industrialists—remains unknown. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in India affecting 55 million people, and high blood pressure is one of the primary risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. We examined associations between gut microbiome and blood pressure along with 14 other variables associated with lifestyle, dietary habits, disease conditions, and clinical blood markers in the three Assamese populations. Our analysis reveals a robust link between the gut microbiome diversity and composition and systolic blood pressure. Moreover, several genera previously associated with hypertension in non-Indian populations were also associated with systolic blood pressure in this cohort and these genera were predictors of elevated blood pressure in these populations. These findings confer opportunities to design personalized, preventative, and targeted interventions harnessing the gut microbiome to tackle the burden of cardiovascular diseases in India.
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Image Features under Intelligent Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Algorithm in the Evaluation of Intraoperative and Postoperative Curative Effect of Dental Pulp Disease Using Root Canal Therapy
Authors: Zhao Lu , Pan Jiaxin , Xu Lingling
Published: February 2022

Objective. The objective of this study was to analyze the application effect of algorithm-based three-dimensional reconstruction of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in the treatment of dental pulp disease (DPD) and the evaluation of the curative effect after treatment. Methods. 120 patients with DPD in hospital were selected as the research objects. In this study, based on the regridding model in the algorithm, the mapping relationship between the undersampled CBCT image and the fully sampled CBCT image was connected, and a model that can be used for image restoration and reconstruction was obtained after training. The algorithm model was used to reconstruct and repair the CBCT images of the research objects, and then, the reconstructed CBCT images were segmented based on the improved level set algorithm. After that, it analyzed and compared the accuracy of X-ray and CBCT based on three-dimensional reconstruction for the diagnosis accuracy of DPD and compared the average bone density of patients and the effect of root canal filling in each time period after root canal treatment. Result. After the image was reconstructed with the regridding model, a CBCT image of the patient’s teeth with less noise and clearer structure was obtained. The segmentation accuracy of the level set algorithm reached 85.5% on average, and the undersegmentation rate (UR) and the over-segmentation rate (OR) were both less than 6%. The diagnostic rates of X-ray and three-dimensional CBCT examination of DPD were 43.7% and 100%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (

P
<
0.05

). Under the monitoring of the three-dimensional reconstruction of CBCT technology, the average bone density of the test group patients after 12 months of root canal treatment was the same as that of healthy people. Under X-ray examination, the average bone density of the test group patients was still lower than that of healthy people after 12 months of root canal treatment. Under the three-dimensional reconstruction of CBCT, the underfilling rate of patients after root canal treatment was 5%, the proper filling rate was 85%, and the overfilling rate was 10%. Conclusion. In summary, the CBCT reconstructed by the intelligent three-dimensional algorithm was effectively improved, which enhanced the image quality and segmentation efficiency. Analysis on diagnosis efficiency and treatment effect proved that CBCT can be an effective method to evaluate the initial curative effect of DPD treatment during and after the surgery and can provide valuable information in future dental treatment, thereby enhancing the success rate of DPD using root canal therapy.
Bed Separation Characteristics of an LTCC Panel and Subsidence Controlling Grouting: Case Study of Longquan Coal Mine, China
Authors: Zheng Jun , Zhou Guoqing , Zhou Yuliang , Yuan Dongfeng , Zhao Tielin
Published: February 2022

The bed separation backfill grouting (BSBG) is commonly used to mitigate the surface subsidence caused by coal mining. The distribution characteristics of bed separation and its dynamic evolving process are crucial for BSBG design. This paper utilizes the continuum-discontinuum element method (CDEM) to study the distribution characteristics of bed separation for a longwall top coal caving (LTCC) panel of Longquan coal mine. Numerical results indicate that in addition to the bed separation below the primary key stratum, several small bed separations may also occurred in the strata between the primary key stratum and the subordinate key stratum. The bed separations in the overburden could be classified into three classes: the upper bed separation, the middle bed separation, and the lower bed separation. The upper bed separation has the longest duration time, and the middle bed separation has the shortest duration time. And the BSBG should be started before the closure of the middle bed separation. Based on the actual geological information, the BSBG scheme for 4203 LTCC panel is proposed to mitigate the surface subsidence by taken the results of numerical simulation into consideration. In addition, the case study of the BSBG is introduced in detail. By using gangue power slurry, BSBG could not only effectively mitigate the surface subsidence but also solve the problems of environmental pollution and land occupation caused by traditional gangue stacking. The present study could provide technical support for surface subsidence mitigation and coal gangue disposal for LTCC mining with similar conditions.
Dynamic Characteristics of a Variable Damping Isolator with Translating Cam
Authors: Wang Lan , Xing Haijun , Shen Yongjun
Published: February 2022

A variable damping isolator based on a translating cam designed especially is proposed in this paper. The nonlinear variable damping isolator is mainly comprised of translating cam with a pair of rollers arranged symmetrically and horizontally and two linear dampers. The damping force of this isolator increases with the increase of its vertical displacement. The dynamic equation is established when the variable damping isolator is applied to the active isolation system under simple harmonic excitation. And the dynamic response of the equation is obtained by Harmonic Balance Method. After that, the numerical simulations are conducted to discuss the effects of the parameters of the isolation system on force transmissibility. The results show that the effects on attenuating the resonance and the force transmissibility in the region of high-frequency ratio are superior to that of the corresponding linear damping vibration isolator when appropriate design parameters (cam profile and damping coefficient of the horizontal linear damper) of the variable damping isolator are selected.
Positive Response of Hyoscyamus pusillus Callus Cultures to Exogenous Melatonin on Biochemical Traits and Secondary Metabolites under Drought Conditions
Authors: Neamah Shamil I. , Jdayea Nisreen A.
Published: February 2022

There is increased attention from specialists toward producing natural compounds from plant tissues through the combined use of elicitors. The present study investigated the effects of melatonin treatment in normal and drought stress conditions for sustainable production of biomass and secondary antioxidant metabolites in a Hyoscyamus pusillus four-month-old callus cultures. For this purpose, we used multiple concentrations of melatonin (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg l−1) to assess its ability to improve growth, physiological, and biochemical properties of H. pusillus. There was two drought stress levels (0 and 30 g l−1) of polyethylene glycol (PEG). It was harvested in 28 days. The results showed a significant decrease with an increase in the concentration of PEG treatment in growth and physiological traits compared to the results of those samples when treated with melatonin. Results showed an increase in oxidative stress in tissue treated with PEG due to a significant increase in the content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The decreased oxidative stress was associated with an increased antioxidant enzyme activity superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in the samples was treated by melatonin, which resulted in increased membrane stability index (MSI) and enhanced growth traits under the PEG treatment compared to the control. By reducing the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POX), moisture tightening increased the production of phenolic compounds (PC) and flavonoid compounds (FC) in callus cultures, and high concentrations of melatonin were combined with them to improve their production. Therefore, it can be asserted that a moderate treatment with melatonin is more suitable under water stress conditions to produce secondary compounds from H. pusillus.