bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Optimal Design of Spinal Hybrid Elastic Rod for Dynamic Stabilization: A Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Hsieh Jui-Yang , Chen Chen-Sheng , Wang Jyh-Horng , Chen Po-Quang , Huang Yi-You
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Dynamic stabilization can fix deformities, fractures, and disc degeneration of the spine. Nitinol and poly(carbonate urethane) (PCU) are applicable elastic biomedical materials. The spinal hybrid elastic (SHE) rod is a semirigid pedicle screw-based rod intended for use with universal pedicle screws. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effects of different ratios of SHE rod using finite element analysis (FEA).Methods: A 3-dimensional nonlinear FEA of an intact lumbar spine model (INT) was constructed. The system was composed of pedicle screws, an inner nitinol stick (NS), and an outer PCU shell (PS). Four groups of models were constructed with the same outer diameter (5.5 mm) as the SHE rod. These groups had different NS diameter/PS thickness ratios: Nt45 (4.5/1.0), Nt35 (3.5/2.0), Nt25 (2.5/3.0), and Nt15 (1.5/4.0). After implanting at L3-L4, they were compared with INT. The resultant intervertebral range of motion (ROM), disc stress, facet joint contact force, screw stress, NS stress, and PCU stress were analyzed. Results: The overall trend in results indicated that ROM, disc stress, and facet force decreased moderately in the implanted L3-L4 levels, and increased slightly in the adjacent L2-L3 levels. NS stress and the NS diameter trended towards inverse proportionality. Changing the ratio did not markedly influence screw or PS stress.Conclusions: The SHE rod system provided sufficient spinal support and increased gentle adjacent-segment stress. The optimal NS diameter/PS thickness ratio of the SHE rod system is 4.5/1.0 mm or 3.5/2.0 mm due to the lower stress concentrations for the durability of the implant.
Development of polymorphic SSR primers and fingerprint construction of Ailanthus altissima var. erythrocarpa
Authors: Zhang Manman , Zheng Conghui , Li Jida , Wang Xueyong , Liu Chunpeng , Li Xiangjun , Xu Zhenhua , Du Kejiu
Published: April 2022

Ailanthus altissima var. erythrocarpa is one of Ailanthus altissima varieties with high economic, ecological and ornamental value. In this study, transcriptome analysis was used to develop SSR primers. Based on this, 34 Samara species with different redness were selected as research objects to screen polymorphic SSR primers and construct their fingerprints. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 10681 SSR loci, of which mononucleotide repeats were dominant (58.3%), followed by dinucleotide and trinucleotide repeats (16.6%, 15.1%), and pentanucleotide repeats were the lowest (0.2%). The PCR amplification system of est-ssr primers was (total volume 20μl), DNA 3μl (30ng/μl), 2 ×Taq PCR Master Mix 10μl, upstream and downstream primers each 1μl (10μmol/μl), ddH2O 5μl. Among 140 pairs of primers randomly selected, 13 pairs of core primers with good polymorphism were selected. The average number of alleles (Na), the average number of effective alleles (Ne), the average Shannon's diversity index (I), the average observed heterozygosity (Ho), the average expected heterozygosity (He), the fixed index (F) and the polymorphic information content (PIC) were as follows: 4.462, 3.067, 1.227, 0.402, 0.659, 0.391, 0.603. Among 13 pairs of primers, 4 pairs (P33, P69, P79, p95) could effectively distinguish and construct the fingerprint of the tested materials. This study is of great significance for the genetic structure, genetic diversity analysis, evolutionary history, germplasm conservation and germplasm innovation of Ailanthus altissima var. erythrocarpa.
Association of sleep quality with LUTS/BPH among men in China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Li Yifan , Zhou Xianghong , Ma Li , Cai Boyu , Wang Sheng , Chen Lei , Hu Dan , Jiang Zhongyuan , Wang Mingda , Xiong Xingyu , Jin Kun , Wei Qiang , Yang Lu , Qiu Shi
Published: April 2022

Objective: As the population aged, voiding dysfunction has been steadily rising among males during the past decade. Increasing evidence showed that sleep disorders are associated with an increasing risk of various diseases, but the association between sleep disorders and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) / benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) among Chinese males have not been well characterized.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from West China Natural Population Cohort Study (WCNPCS) 2019-2021. Sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) in Chinese version. LUTS/BPH as a dependent variable of a binary variable, assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation between sleep disorders and the risk of LUTS/BPH after adjusting for confounding factors.Results: 11,824 eligible Chinese men participated in this cross-sectional survey. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounding variables, global PSQI score (OR: 1.257, 1.119-1.411, p<0.001) and its six compounds (Subjective sleep quality: OR: 1.376, 1.004-1.886, p=0.048; Sleep latency: OR: 0.656, 0.557-0.773, p<0.001; Sleep duration: OR:1.441, 1.189-1.745, p<0.001; Habitual sleep efficiency: OR: 1.369, 1.193-1.570, p<0.001; Daytime dysfunction: OR: 1.702, 1.278-2.267, p<0.001) except the use of sleep drug subgroup were significantly positively correlated with LUTS/BPH prevalence. Significant interaction effects were observed in age subgroups (age-young group: age<51; age-middle group: 51≤age≤61; age-older group: age>61) (P < 0.05). Among older participants, sleep disorders were more significantly associated with the risk of LUTS/BPH.Conclusions: There was a significant association between poor sleep quality and increased prevalence of LUTS/BPH, especially among the elderly male population, suggesting an important role of healthy sleep in reducing prostate disease burden.
Analysis of the benefits of imputation models over traditional QSAR models for toxicity prediction
Authors: Walter Moritz , Allen Luke Neil , de León Antonio de la Vega , Webb Samuel Jonathan , Gillet Valerie Jane
Published: April 2022

Recently, imputation techniques have been adapted to predict activity values among sparse bioactivity matrices, showing improvements in predictive performance over traditional QSAR models. These models are able to use experimental activity values for auxiliary assays when predicting the activity of a test compound on a specific assay. In this study, we tested three different multi-task imputation techniques on three classification-based toxicity datasets: two of small scale (12 assays each) and one large scale with 417 assays. Moreover, we analyzed in detail the improvements shown by the imputation models. We found that test compounds that were dissimilar to training compounds, as well as test compounds with a large number of experimental values for other assays, showed the largest improvements. We also investigated the impact of sparsity on the improvements seen as well as the relatedness of the assays being considered. Our results show that even a small amount of additional information can provide imputation methods with a strong boost in predictive performance over traditional single task and multi-task predictive models.
Targeted HBx gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9 system effectively reduces epithelial to mesenchymal transition and HBV replication in hepatoma cells
Authors: Rawal Preety , Tripathi Dinesh M , Hemati Hamed , Kumar Jitendra , Sarin Shiv K , Nain Vikrant , Kaur Savneet
Published: April 2022

Background and Aims: Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) play a key role in pathogenesis of HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this study, we hypothesized that inhibition of HBx is an effective strategy to combat HCC. Methodology and Results: We designed and synthesized novel HBx gene specific single guide RNA (sgRNA) with CRISPR/Cas9 system and studied its in vitro effects on tumor properties of HepG2-2.15. Full length HBx gene was excised using HBx-CRISPR that resulted in significant knockdown of HBx expression in hepatoma cells. HBx-CRISPR also decreased levels of HBsAg and HBV cccDNA expression. A decreased expression of mesenchymal markers, proliferation and tumorigenic properties was observed in HBx-CRISPR treated cells as compared to controls in both 2D and 3D tumor models. Transcriptomics data showed that out of 1159 differentially expressed genes in HBx-CRISPR transfected cells as compared to controls, 70 genes were upregulated while 1089 genes associated with cell proliferation and EMT pathways were downregulated. Conclusion: Thus, targeting HBx by CRISPR/Cas9 system effectively downregulates HBx gene expression, HBsAg production and mesenchymal characteristics of HBV-HCC cells and holds potential as a therapeutic approach for HBV-HCC.
On a deeper comprehension of EFMs biological significance by using clustering techniques
Authors: Guil Francisco , Ruiz David , Hidalgo Jose F. , Garcia Jose M.
Published: April 2022

Background: The study of structural properties of a metabolic network can be approached by analyzing its Elementary Flux Modes (EFMs). Even in cases in which this set can be fully computed, its large cardinality makes it difficult to interpret the information contained in it. Results: This paper presents a proposal to improve the study of structural properties of a network by using clustering techniques in its set of EFMs. It is shown how some properties of this set such as their length distribution or the reaction participation can be better elucidated after a clustering process and how it allows for a better comprehension of the possible behaviours of the network. Conclusions: Our clustering approach can help in the extraction of relevant biological significance from the set of EFMs and can be applied to different problems related to the structural properties of the network under study
Identification of potential core genes as potential biomarkers for predicting progress and prognosis in glioblastoma
Authors: Zeng Jianping , Hua Shushan , Liu Jing , Mungur Rajneesh , He Yongsheng , Feng Jiugeng
Published: April 2022

Background
Glioblastoma is a common malignant neuroepithelial neoplasm with poor clinical outcome and limited treatment options. It is extremely important to search and confirm diverse hub genes that are effective in the advance and prediction of glioblastoma.
Methods
We analyzed three microarray datasets (GSE50161, GSE4290, GSE68848), which was derived from the GEO database. GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis for Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) were performed using the DAVID. PPI network of these DEGs was analyzed based on the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database and visualized by Cytoscape software. Hub genes were identified through PPI network and Robust Rank Aggregation method. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Oncomine database were used to perform the validation of hub genes. In addition, the survival curve analysis was also conducted to verify the correlation between the expression of hub genes and prognosis. The human glioblastoma cells and normal cells were collected and then RT-PCR, Western-blot and immunofluorescence were conducted to validate the expression of NDC80. A Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay were used to detect the proliferative of glioma cells. The effects of NDC80 on migration and invasion of GBM cell lines were evaluated by conducting scratch assay and transwell assay.
Results
A total of 716 overlapping genes were in the common region, containing 188 upregulated DEGs and 528 downregulated DEGs. Furthermore, we also found among the overlapping DEGs, ten hub genes with a high degree of connectivity. The expression of ten hub genes in TCGA and Oncomine database were significantly overexpressed in glioblastoma compared with normal ones. Besides, the survival analysis showed that the patients with low expression of six genes (BIR5C, CDC20, NDC80, CDK1, TOP2A and MELK) had a significant favorable prognosis (P < 0.01). We firstly discovered that NDC80, an important molecule in other cancers, also plays an important role in malignant gliomas. The RT-PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence results showed that the expression level of NDC80 was significantly higher in human glioblastoma cells than in normal cells. Moreover, we identified that NDC80 up-regulates the proliferation and invasion abilities of human glioblastoma cells.
Conclusions
The distinguished six genes may be utilized to form a board of progressive and predictive biomarkers of glioblastoma for clinical purpose. Especially, NDC80 was discovered that may play an important role in glioblastoma.
Atmospheric Muography for Imaging and Monitoring Mesoscale Convective Systems
Authors: Tanaka Hiroyuki K.M. , Gluyas Jon , Holma Marko , Joutsenvaara Jari , Kuusiniemi Pasi , Leone Giovanni , Presti Domenico Lo , Matsushima Jun , Oláh László , Poluianov Stepan , Steigerwald Sara , Thompson Lee F. , Usoskin Ilya , Varga Dezső , Yokota Yusuke
Published: April 2022

Large-scale solid bodies on Earth such as volcanoes and man-made pyramids have been visualized with solid earth muography, and the recently invented technique, acqueous muography, has already demonstrated its capability to visualize ocean tides and tsunami. In this work, atmospheric muography, a technique to visualize and monitor the vertical profile of tropic cyclones (TCs) is presented for the first time. The density distribution and time-dependent behavior of several TCs which had approached Kagoshima, Japan, has been investigated with muography. The resultant time-sequential images captured their warm cores, and their movements were consistent with the TC trails and barometric pressure variations observed at meteorological stations. By combining multidirectional muographic images with barometric data, we anticipate that muography will become a useful tool to monitor the three-dimensional density distribution of a targeted mesoscale convective system.
Intraoperative visual field assessment in parietal gliomas resection and the role of virtual reality headset-based mapping
Authors: Diego Molina-Botello , J. Garza-Cruz Karla , Simran Mangwani-Mordani , E. Tello-Mara Isaac , G. Mondragón-Soto Michel , O. Santellán-Hernández José , M. Aguilar-Hidalgo Keren , I. Mejía-Pérez Sonia
Published: April 2022

The aim of this literature review is to summarize techniques used to prevent postoperative visual pathway complications during parietal glioma resection involving optic radiations (OR), focusing on the use of virtual reality (VR) headset during awake patient surgery. We searched the Medline database for literature between the years of 1970 and 2021. Only results that included the use of AC for sensory mapping were included for evaluation. The search was limited to studies published in English and humans as subjects. Only studies that reported patient groups treated with either parietal glioma surgery under general anesthesia or awake conditions were included. Articles describing deep brain stimulation as the therapy were excluded. The variables initially selected for analysis included the length of surgery, length of hospital stay, extent of resection, cost, mortality, and neurological morbidity. Cost was later removed from the studied variables because too few studies reported it. No commentaries or reviews were included. Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors located mainly in the cerebral cortex. 17% are found in the parietal lobe, which is a convergence area for multiple stimulus integration. After surgical resection of this lobe, patients may develop postoperative verbal, linguistic and visual field deficits. The gold standard treatment for these tumors is surgical resection. The main technique to preserve functional pathways is by intraoperative monitoring, for which different tools have been developed in the past years. Surgeons can test and preserve important tracts, such as the visual pathway. Intraoperative ultrasound has shown to be an excellent, accessible, and affordable intraoperative monitoring tool. Magnetic resonance imaging-based tractography and reality-based brain mapping allow not only intraoperative monitoring, but also create a preoperative plan by demarcating the structures and margins of the tumor prior to and during surgery, increasing success rate in maximum resection.
QSAR of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Utilizing Theoretical Molecular Descriptors
Authors: Nandi Sisir , Kumar Mohit , Saxena Anil Kumar
Published: April 2022

The COVID-19 caused by novel strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2), has caused fatalities around the world since the end of 2019 due to its high virulence and quick multiplicity in the human body. Hence there has been an exigency to develop effective remedial measures to mitigate the mortalities. Scientists have been able to develop few corona vaccines to provide immunity, but there are no specific small molecule chemotherapeutics to combat the novel coronavirus which has spread to the whole world due to its contagiousness. In the viral genome exploration, it has been found that the main protease also known as chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease ([Mpro] or 3C-like protease [3CLpro]) is responsible for the novel corona virus replication, transcription and host immunity destruction. Therefore, the main protease has been selected as one of the major targets for the design of new inhibitors. The protein crystallographic and molecular docking studies on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors and some QSAR studies have been carried out on SARS-CoV main protease inhibitors to get some lead molecules for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. But there is hardly any QSAR done on the diverse data of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. In view of it, QSAR studies have been attempted on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors utilizing theoretical molecular descriptors solely computed from the structures of novel corona viral main protease inhibitors. The developed best QSAR model showing R2, Q2Loo and R2pred values of 0.7389, 0.6666, and 0.6453 respectively has been further validated on external data set where a good correlation (r = 0.787) has been found. Therefore, this model may be useful for the design of new SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors.
Characterization of replication and variations of genomic segments of a bat reovirus, BatMRV/B19-02 by RNA-seq in the infected Vero-E6 cells
Authors: Lo Van Thi , Yoon Sun-Woo , Noh Ji Yeong , Jang Seong Sik , Na Woonsung , Song Daesub , Jeong Dae Gwin , Kim Hye Kwon
Published: April 2022

Mammalian Orthoreoviruses have been isolated from a wide variety of mammalian species that can cause enteric, respiratory and encephalitis infections. We report a novel MRV type 1 detected in Miniopterus schreibersii may have resulted from reassortment events. Using next-generation sequencing RNA-seq, we found that the ratios of relative abundances in RNA levels of the ten reovirus segments are constant during the late stages of infection in infected cells. We also discovered that the related RNA abundance level of each gene differed. Remarkably, the relative abundances of total RNA of M2 (coding µ1 protein) and S4 (coding σ3 protein) genes were higher than others throughout infection time. In addition, massive junctions were defined. These are evidence to support the hypothesis of generating defective genome segments and cross-family recombination mechanisms. These findings may support further the study of gene function, viral replication and virus evolution in the host.
Effect of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism on folic acid intervention in Chinese hypertensive patients：a multicentered, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial
Authors: Zou JianF , Zhang Yan , Tang Lei , Shi XiuL , Chen GuiM , Zhang Xu , Xu YaP , Zhang RuS , Wang Rui , Wu Qian , Tang GenF
Published: April 2022

Objectives To describe the changes in serum folate concentration and assess the influence of individual methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T on the changes of serum folate concentration that resulted from 8 weeks of supplementation with folic acid in Chinese hypertensive patients.Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial of different dosages folate supplementation in Chinese hypertensive patients.A total of 1657 patients with mild or moderate essential hypertension were randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups corresponding to eight different doses of folic acid, ranging from 0 mg to 2.4 mg,once daily for 8 weeks. Individual serum folate levels were measured at baseline, and at 4 and 8 weeks posttreatment.Results compared with patients with 677CC genotype, those with TT genotype had significantly lower folate concentrations at baseline.After 4 or 8 weeks of treatment, increases in serum folate were seen across all genotypes and FA dosage groups. At 8 weeks posttreatment ,there was no statistically significant difference in folate levels between groups according genotypes,and patients with CC genotype showed an attenuated response compared with those with TT genotype.( CC,0.45 vs. TT,0.56 ,P< 0.05).Conclusion We demonstrated that MTHFR C677T polymorphisms affected folate levels at the baseline and the therapeutic response of folic acid intervention. Patients with TT genotype benefited more after folic acid supplementation in Chinese hypertensive population.
Dynamics of mitochondrial nucleoid proteins involved in development of cotyledon mitochondria during mung bean seed germination
Authors: Cheng Ning , Lo Yih-Shan , Lin Na-Sheng , Dai Hwa
Published: April 2022

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) protein complexes, called mitochondrial-nucleoids (mt-nucleoids), are dynamic and redistribute during mitochondria propagation and gene expression. These proteins involve in mtDNA replication, transcription, maintenance and repair. In this study, we analyzed mt-nucleoid proteins in isolated mt-nucleoids from cotyledons at different developmental ages. We aimed to understand the changes in mt-nucleoids associated protein during cotyledon development. We found that some transcription/translation factors pre-exist in nucleoids of dormant seed mitochondria. High numbers of metabolic proteins co-purified with mtDNA appeared in dormant seeds and developmental cotyledon mitochondria. This report provides some idea about the dynamic of mt-nucleoid proteins along with cotyledon mitochondrial development during seed germination.
High-Density Individually Addressable Platinum Nanoelectrodes for Neuroscience Applications
Authors: Raj Vidur , Gopakumar Aswani , Vaidya Gayatri , Scott John , Toth Milos , Jagadish Chennupati , Gautam Vini
Published: April 2022

3-D vertical nanoelectrode arrays (NEAs) have found application in several biomedical and sensing applications, including high-resolution neuronal excitation and measurement and single-molecule electrochemical biosensing. There have been several reports on high-density nanoelectrodes in recent years, with the filling ratio of electrodes close to 0.002 (assuming the electrode diameter of 200 nm and pitch of 4 µm). Still, it is well below the nanowire filling ratio required to form interconnected neuronal networks, i.e, more than 0.14 (assuming the electrode diameter of 200 nm and pitch of 1.5µm). Here, we employ a multi-step, large-area electron beam lithography procedure along with a targeted, focused ion beam based metal deposition technique to realize an individually addressable, 60-channel nanoelectrode chip with a filling ratio as high as 0.16, which is well within the limit required for the formation of interconnected neuronal networks. Moreover, we have designed the NEA chip to be compatible with the commercially available MEA2100-System, which can in the future enable the chip to be readily used for obtaining data from individual electrodes. We also perform an in-depth electrochemical impedance spectroscopy characterization to show that the electrochemical behavior and the charge transfer mechanism in the array are significantly influenced by changing the thickness of the SU-8 planarization layer (i.e., the thickness of exposed platinum surface). In addition to neural signal excitation and measurement, we propose that these NEA chips have the potential for other future applications, such as high-resolution single-molecule level electrochemical and bio-analyte sensing.
Molecular and morphological evidences for hybrid origin of Kushui Rose
Authors: Zhang Hui , Zhao Fan , Wang Ying , Zhang Yu-jie , Sun Kun , Da Ling-Ling
Published: April 2022

Natural hybridization plays a significant role in evolution of the genus of Rosa, e.g., Kushui Rose (R. Sertate x R. Rugosa) is always considered as a natural hybrid of R. sertata and the cultivated rose R. rugosa. In order to test the hybrid origin of Kushui Rose, we conducted molecular sequences analysis and morphological traits examination in its related taxa in the genus. Although Principal component analysis (PCA) of Morphological characteristics revealed Kushui Rose was intermediate between R. rugosa and R. willmottiae, and also and R. sertata, but the unambiguous sequence additivities of nuclear DNAs (ITS and GAPDH) as well as the incongruence between nuclear and chloroplast gene trees revealed the hybrid origin of Kushui Rose from R. rugosa and R. willmottiae rather than R. sertata. Further, the cluster relationships in concatenated chloroplast (cpDNA) trees (psbA-trnH, trnL-F, and trnS-G) implied that R. willmottiae and R. rugosa respectively acted as its maternal parent and paternal parent during its homoploidization speciation. Here our study could provide a more reasonable orientation for further study in conservation biology of the hybrid species as well as in its agronomy traits with heterosis effect.
A feature selection based parallelized CNN-BiGRU network for speech emotion recognition in Odia language
Authors: Maji Bubai , Swain Monorama , Panda Rutuparna
Published: April 2022

Emotion recognition from speech is an integral part of human interaction. This paper represents work that includes the creation and evaluation of speech emotion recognition on the Odia database. Previous research in this field implemented several benchmark datasets. In this work, we use two benchmark datasets for cross-validation with our own created Odia dataset name as SITB-OSED. Initially, the spectral, prosodic, and voice quality features are extracted from a raw audio file; secondly, a Gradient Boost Decision Tree (GBDT) feature selection method is used to remove all the redundant features and select the potential features. Here, two distinct series of experiments are performed. Firstly, the baseline model, which takes all the combined selected features, is chosen as input (spectral, prosodic, and voice quality features). Secondly, the proposed model processes all the selected features through two separate channels, the Convolutional neural network (CNN) and Bi-directional gated recurrent units (Bi-GRU). Specifically, the proposed method achieved 6.67%, 6.03%, and 5.55% higher accuracy than the baseline model on the Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song (RAVDESS) Interactive Emotional Dyadic Motion Capture (IEMOCAP) and SITB-OSED datasets. We also report that the proposed parallelized CNN-BiGRU model outperforms the recent state-of-the-art methods with an accuracy of 82.29% and 78.54% on the RAVDESS and IEMOCAP datasets, respectively. For our SITB-OSED dataset, the overall recognition accuracy of 84.02% is achieved.
Free-field soil response to bidirectional horizontal non-uniform ground motion from multi-point shaking table tests
Authors: Han Junyan , Guo Zhike , Zhong Zilan , Naggar M.Hesham El , Miao Huiquan , Du Xiuli
Published: April 2022

This paper assesses the dynamic nonlinear free-field soil response under bidirectional horizontal non-uniform excitation through a series of multi-point 1g shaking table tests. The soil bed was enclosed in an innovative soil box supported by an array of three shake tables and was subjected to uniform and non-uniform ground motions in one and two horizontal directions. The soil response to bidirectional and unidirectional excitations, both uniform and non-uniform, were compared and discussed in terms of acceleration time history and Fourier spectra, acceleration amplification factor and soil settlement, as well as shear stress-shear strain behavior. The comparison of soil responses to bidirectional and unidirectional shakings demonstrated that the trends of peak acceleration amplification factors are similar along soil depth, but the response difference to bidirectional and unidirectional shaking is increasingly higher along the soil profile towards the ground surface, especially for uniform excitation. The variations of soil settlement, shear stress-strain and damping curves under bidirectional excitation were similar to that under longitudinal excitation; however, they were much different than those observed under transverse excitation. The soil damping in Y-direction under non-uniform excitation was larger than that under uniform excitation. These different site response characteristics under bidirectional non-uniform excitation should be properly considered in the seismic design of extended infrastructure.
Depression in an over-55 years old community-dwelling elderly healthy population: from prevalence to social-economic state, lifestyle and Nutrients – A population-based study
Authors: Moghadam Mohammad Reza Shadmand Foumani , Etemadi Sharif , Jandari Sajedeh , Rashidipour Mina , Bakhshipour Reyhane , Amushahi Mohammad , Pezeshki Parnian , Hosseini Zohreh
Published: April 2022

Background: The older adults are increasing and depression is commonly observed within this community. This study is one of the first that assessed depression and its risk factors in a healthy well-nourished over-55 years old population. Method: Beck Depression Inventory-13 (BDI-13) was used to determine depression in 766 individuals. a full report of socioeconomic factors was gathered. Lifestyle and physical activity were assessed using Health Survey Questionnaire 36-Item Short-Form and International Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively. The dietary nutrient intake was recorded using an adjusted dietary recall analyzed using the USDA Food Ingredients Database. Result: The prevalence of depression was 31.5% (62.5±6.6 years old). One hundred and thirty-two (17.2%), 93 (12.1%), and 19 (2.5%) individuals had mild, moderate, or severe depression. Males, higher age, not working, higher education, inactivity, living alone, lower-income, divorced, and widows had a higher odd-ratio (OR) of depression. lifestyle shows a 1% higher quality of life score in any component can have 3.8-1.1% significantly lower OR of depression. Trance fatty acids, starch, iron, and copper that are generally increased during oil reheating showed a higher OR for having depression. The correlation of quality of lifestyle components with the severity of depression (BDI-13 score) was the strongest and negative while the weakest correlation was for nutrients with BDI-13 score. Conclusion: The risk of depression in healthy populations is high. Active lifestyle and healthy diet with the presence of family can reduce OR of depression in elderly populations. Food processes can be more important than diet.
Supraclavicular irradiation is a risk factor of lymphedema in breast cancer patients treated with axillary lymph node dissection and taxane-containing regimens
Authors: Horisawa Nanae , Yoshimura Akiyo , Oze Isao , Sawaki Masataka , Hattori Masaya , Haruru Kotani , Kataoka Ayumi , Ozaki Yuri , Nozawa Kazuki , Endo Yuka , Takatsuka Daiki , Isogai Ayaka , Iwata Hiroji
Published: April 2022

Purpose: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (LE) significantly impairs the patients’ quality of life. Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is a strong risk factor for LE in breast cancer surgery. In addition, postoperative administration of docetaxel (DTX) has been reported to be a risk factor for LE in patients who undergo ALND. Herein, we performed a secondary analysis of the risk of objective LE after ALND using data from our previous study.Methods: Patients who visited the medical follow-up clinic between 12 November 2018 and 11 January 2019 and at least one year postoperatively were eligible for this study. Objective LE was defined as a difference of at least 2 cm between the affected and unaffected arms or when therapeutic intervention had already been performed for LE. The risk factors for objective LE according to taxane-containing regimen, radiation therapy, and body mass index and the effects of a taxane-containing regimen followed by supraclavicular irradiation on LE were examined.Results: Objective LE was observed in 52 patients (24%). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that supraclavicular field irradiation was a statistically significant risk factor for objective LE. The sequential use of taxane-containing regimen and supraclavicular RT was more likely to be a risk factor for LE than ALND alone.Conclusion: The risk for LE was more likely to be higher with the sequential use of taxane-containing chemotherapy and supraclavicular field irradiation. Therefore, management of LE is important these cases.
Impact of primary headache on daily activities: an observational study using online survey and medical claims data in Japan
Authors: Hirata Koichi , Sano Hiromi , Kondo Hiroyuki , Shibasaki Yoshiyuki , Koga Nobuyuki
Published: April 2022

Background:Limited epidemiological data are available for headache disorders in Japan, and no recent studies have reported the impact of several primary headache disorders in Japan. This study aimed to report the up-to-date epidemiological data and impact of primary headaches on daily activities as well as the use of medical care, clinical features, and pain severity/activity impairment using nationwide data in Japan.Methods:We used anonymized online survey data coupled with medical claims data, from individuals aged 19-74 years old, that were provided by DeSC Healthcare Inc. The outcomes included the prevalence of migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, and other headache types stratified by age and sex, use of medical care, clinical features, medication use, and severity of pain/activity impairment. All outcomes were examined separately for each headache type. This is the second paper reported concurrently with this research.Results:The study population comprised 691/1,441/21/5,208 individuals with migraine/tension-type headache/cluster headache/other headache types, respectively. The prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache was higher in women than in men but was similar for cluster headache (male vs. female, 1.7% vs. 7.4%, 5.3% vs. 10.8%, and 0.1% vs. 0.1%, respectively). The percentage of individuals with migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache who had not seen a doctor was 81.0%, 92.0%, 57.1%, respectively. The common headache triggers were fatigue in migraine and tension-type headache, and weather-related phenomena and turning of the seasons in migraine. Common activities refrained from or reduced by headaches were “operating a computer or smartphone”, “drinking alcohol”, and “going to crowded places” in all three headache types and housework-related activities in women. Among individuals taking medicines, 16.8%, 15.8%, 47.6% with migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache reported moderate to severe pain, respectively, and 12.6%, 7.7%, 19.0% reported moderate to severe disability, respectively.Conclusions:This study found various triggers of headache attacks, and daily activities refrained from or reduced by headaches. Additionally, this study suggested that the disease burden in people possibly experiencing tension-type headaches, many of whom had not seen a doctor. The study findings are of clinical value for the diagnosis and treatment of primary headaches.
Effects of herbicide atrazine on reproductive hormonal levels, Cytochrome P450, and gonadal structure of adult male and female crayfish, Procambarus clarkii
Authors: Nassar Safaa Ezzat , Mohamed Aya Ali , Said Radwa Mohamed
Published: April 2022

Atrazine is a herbicide commonly used on grain crops. It has been identified as a potential endocrine disruptor, especially in freshwater species. However, there are little researches on its endocrine disruptor effect in crustaceans. The current study was designed to estimate the median lethal concentration of atrazine (96-h LC50) and to assess the response of the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii as a bioindicator for endocrine disruptors by measuring levels of steroid hormones, total protein, changes in Cytochrome P450 1B1, and histopathology of the ovary and testis. The results showed that the 96-h LC50 of atrazine for male and female P. clarkii was 10.62 and 12.66 mg L−1, respectively. LC10 (1.06 and 1.27mg/l) and LC25 (2.66 and 3.17 mg/l) values for male and female, were chosen for sublethal studies for 28 days. The results indicated that females are more tolerant to atrazine than males. Testosterone and total protein levels were significantly lower, while estradiol and progesterone levels were significantly higher in atrazine-exposed crayfish compared to the control. Also, the levels of CYP450 1B1 increased significantly in the testis, ovary, and hemolymph. The most noticeable histopathological changes in the testis were distorted architecture, spermatogonia distribution disruption in some testicular acini, Vacuolation, and hyperplasia. In the ovary, the separation between ovarian epithelium and oogenetic pouch and lysis in the ovarian epithelium was noted. These parameters could be used as biomarkers to assess herbicide toxicity. Furthermore, P. clarkii could be used as an indicator of endocrine disrupting chemicals in waterways.
Validation and Derivation of short-term prognostic risk score in acute decompensated heart failure in China
Authors: Zhao Hong-Liang , Gao Xiao-Li , Liu Ying-Hua , Li Sen-Lin , Zhang Qi , Shan Wei-Chao , Zheng Qun , Zhou Jiang , Liu Yong-Zheng , Liu Li , Guo Nan , Tian Hong-Sen , Wei Qing-Min , Hu Xi-Tian , Cui Ying-Kai , Geng Xue , Wang Qian , Cui Wei
Published: April 2022

Background: Few prognostic risk scores (PRSs) have been widely applied in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). We therefore externally validated three published PRSs (3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF) and derived a new PRS to predict the short-term prognosis in ADHF. Methods: A total of 4550 patients from the Heb-ADHF registry in China were randomly divided into the derivation and validation cohort (3:2). Discrimination of each PRS was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Logistic regression was used to select the predictors and create the new PRS. Calibration of the new PRS was assessed by Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.Results: The AUROCs of the 3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF score in the derivation cohort were 0.55 (95% CI 0.53-0.57), 0.54 (95% CI 0.53-0.56), and 0.56 (95% CI 0.54-0.57), respectively. After logistic regression analysis, the new PRS computed as 1 × (diastolic blood pressure < 80 mmHg) + 2 × (lymphocyte > 1.11 × 109/L) + 1 × (creatinine > 80 μmol/L) + 2 × (blood urea nitrogen > 21 mg/dL) + 1 × [BNP 500 to < 1500 pg/mL (NT-proBNP 2500 to < 7500 pg/mL)] or 3 × [BNP ≥ 1500 (NT-proBNP ≥ 7500) pg/mL] + 3 × (QRS fraction of electrocardiogram < 55%) + 4 × (ACEI/ARB not used) + 1 × (rhBNP used), with a better AUROC 0.67 (95% CI 0.64-0.70) and a good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2=3.366, P=0.186). The results in validation cohort verified these findings. Conclusions: The short-term prognostic values of 3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF score in ADHF patients were all poor, while the new PRS exhibited potential predictive ability. We firstly found the QRS fraction of electrocardiogram as a novel predictor for the short-term outcomes of ADHF. Our findings might help to recognize high-risk ADHF patients.
1-D Dusty Photo-ionization Models of WR Planetary Nebulae NGC 2452 and IC 2003
Authors: Muthumariappan C. , Amrutha B.M. , Selvakumar G.
Published: April 2022

We report dusty photo-ionization models for two Planetary Nebulae NGC 2452 and IC 2003, which have [WR] type central stars, using photo-ionization code Cloudy17. We used the medium resolution optical spectra and archival IRAS photometry to constrain our models. Further, the physical size of the ionized nebula derived using better known distance value from the literature and absolute Hβ flux were used as additional constrain. We examine the importance of photo-electric heating of the ionized gas by grains in these PNe: model which does not consider photo-electric heating fits the data better for NGC 2452 whereas in the case of IC 2003 the dust heating model fits better. We derive the elemental abundances of these PNe using the empirical method as well as through photo-ionization models. We obtain the values of N/O ratio for both PNe from dusty photo-ionization models which are lower than their respective values arrived using empirical methods. The central stars are assumed to be blackbodies and the photospheric temperatures derived respectively for NGC 2452 and IC 2003 from their best fit models are 182kK and 155kK and their respective luminosities are 630L⊙ and 1015L⊙. We propose that both the PNe were resulted from a lower mass progenitor of mass less than 2.8M⊙.
Polymorphisms of the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene affect sexual performance of Rasa Aragonesa rams without changing their social dominance
Authors: Abecia Jose Alfonso , Heredia Andrea L , Carcangiu Vincenzo , Mura Maria Consuelo , Lama Genaro C Miranda-de la
Published: April 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a specific genotype of the MTNR1A gene influences social dominance and reproductive performance in rams. Thirty-one rams were genotyped for Rsal and Mnll polymorphism of the gene: CC (n = 19), CT (n = 5), and TT (n = 7), and GG (n = 20), GA (n = 6), or AA (n = 5), respectively. Social behavior was recorded by direct observations, and rams were tested in individual serving-capacity tests. The genotypes did not differ in the numbers of aggressions that they performed or received, and their active and passive behaviors were similar. For the Rsal and Mnll polymorphism, TT and GG rams were responsible for 54% and 56% of the total number of recorded sexual events (P < 0.05), respectively. Results of this study confirm that the best sexual performance of rams was among those that carried certain genotypes of the MTNR1A gene, but it was not correlated with differences in social dominance.
A comparative study of O and Hf vacancies in cubic HfO2 from first-principles study
Authors: Zhang Ning-Chao , Ye Xin , Liu Zheng-Tang , Jiang Cheng-Lu , Liu Qi-Jun
Published: April 2022

First-principles study of cubic HfO2 with O and Hf vacancies was carried out with the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential technique within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The crystal structure of cubic HfO2 with O and Hf vacancies was optimized. The band structure, electronic-state density, complex dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, complex conductivity function, loss function, absorption coefficient and optical reflectivity in pure, O vacancy and Hf vacancy cubic HfO2 were calculated. Compared to the pure cubic HfO2, we find that the O vacancy and Hf vacancy cubic HfO2 are some changes in electronic structure. The Fermi surface extends into the conduction band of the O vacancy cubic HfO2 and the Fermi surface extends into the valence band of the Hf vacancy cubic HfO2.
Voice onset time (VOT) of L3 Spanish /ptk/ by multilingual heritage speakers of Ukrainian and Polish
Authors: Bondarenko Margaryta , Butera Brianna , Rao Rajiv
Published: April 2022

This study provides an acoustic analysis of voice onset time (VOT) of voiceless stops /ptk/ in Spanish, produced by heritage speakers (HSs) of Ukrainian and of Polish who are English-dominant and beginner or intermediate learners of Spanish as a third language (L3). Given that both Ukrainian and Polish, like Spanish and unlike English, are characterized by short-lag VOT, data were collected from six Ukrainian HSs and 11 Polish HSs in their heritage language (HL), in English, and in Spanish to compare potential effects of the HL on L3 VOT production. VOT was analyzed in three task types. The goals were: 1) to determine whether VOT values produced in Spanish by Ukrainian and Polish HSs are more reflective of VOTs in the HL or in English, and 2) to determine the effect of task type on VOT. Data show that Ukrainian and Polish HSs’ VOTs in Spanish are shorter than those of L2 Spanish learners whose L1 is English, indicating a HL rather than dominant language influence on L3 VOT. Results suggest that the most crucial factors in L3 phonological acquisition are: 1) structural similarity between HL and L3, and 2) L3 proficiency (not language dominance). VOT was also affected by task type: like L1 Spanish speakers, VOT of Ukrainian HSs increases as task formality increases. This paper fills research gaps in HL and L3 phonetics/phonology as to the effects of a HL on the acquisition of subsequent sound systems in adulthood.
Intraoperative manifestation of sick sinus syndrome in an eight-month-old child
Authors: Zakharova I. N. , Pshenichnikova I. I. , Tvorogova T. M.
Published: April 2022

Sick sinus syndrome is characterized by a gradually progressive deficit in the function of the sinus node and may not manifest itself clinically for a long time. During anesthesia and/or surgery, it may first appear in the form of severe, atropine-refractory bradycardia or sudden asystole. The presented clinical case describes the intraoperative manifestation of sick sinus syndrome in an eightmonth-old boy. The analysis of published data on the management of surgical patients with sinus node dysfunction was carried out.
Kazabach–Merritt syndrome without skin manifestations in an infant
Authors: Efremova O. S. , Bregel L. V. , Matyunova A. E. , Rudenko N. Yu. , Barakin A. O. , Korinets T. S.
Published: April 2022

The authors observed Kazabach–Merritt syndrome in an infant with an intrathoracic localization of the tumor without vascular manifestations on the skin. The disease was detected by signs of hemopericardium during screening echocardiography in combination with thrombocytopenia and relapses of intrathoracic bleeding. The diagnosis was confirmed by MSCT and biopsy data. Treatment with beta-blockers and chemotherapy resulted in tumor reduction and the disappearance of clinical symptoms.
Enterostomy in neonates: relevant review of surgical treatment
Authors: Ivanov S. D. , Slizovskij G. V. , Shikunova J. V.
Published: April 2022

Even though enterostomy in neonates is widely used in the treatment of congenital and acquired pathology, there is still no generally accepted tactics for stoma formation, prevention of associated complications, and the timing and method of stoma closure. Existing publications are few, prospective multicenter studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are practically absent in Russia. The purpose of this review is to search for relevant publications on surgical treatment and complications in neonates with small-bowel stomas over the last 20 years. Study articles were identified through a search of the Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, The Cochrane Library, Elibrary, and CyberLeninka electronic databases.