bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O desmonte das iniciativas governamentais para a Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional
Authors: Santos Ana Beatriz Macêdo Venâncio dos , Santos Elaine Valdna Oliveira dos , Medeiros Celena Dantas de , Cordeiro Susana Arruda , Lima Ana Bernadete Paiva de Oliveira de , Silva Josiclea Gomes da , Oliveira Maria dos Aflitos Soares de , Lira José Victor de Sousa , Palmeira Poliana de Araújo
Published: June 2021

O estudo teve o objetivo de analisar a implementação local de iniciativas governamentais federais para alcance da Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (IG-SAN), a fim de avaliar o desmantelamento de políticas públicas entre 2014 e 2019. Foi realizado um estudo de caso no município de Cuité, Paraíba, por meio do acompanhamento do cenário de IGs-SAN em dois momentos, 2014 e 2019. A coleta de dados contou com mapeamento de IGs-SAN e entrevistas com gestores em 2014 e em 2019. Os resultados revelaram o processo de desmantelamento na implementação local de IGs-SAN marcado tanto pela extinção e inativação de programas federais, como pela fragilização na implementação daquelas iniciativas em curso no município. Em 2014, o cenário de IGs-SAN foi composto por 26 iniciativas. Em 2019, 15 continuavam vigentes e três novas ações foram implementadas. Foram categorizados sinais de desmonte em diferentes frentes: criação de um ambiente político de incerteza, irregularidades/cortes nos recursos financeiros, redução da capacidade do município de executar as ações e solucionar problemas e insuficiência de comunicação entre instâncias federativas. O estudo analisou o processo de desmonte, a partir das relações entre o governo federal e o municipal, revelando que as decisões políticas recentes conduzidas pelo governo federal não promovem o alcance da SAN.
Implicações do Programa de Formação-Ação em Escolas Criativas na prática pedagógica de uma escola do campo
Authors: Almeida Aline Lima da Rocha , Zwierewicz Marlene
Published: June 2021

As escolas do campo apresentam características peculiares, requisitando práticas pedagógicas que se aproximem do perfil dos estudantes e considerem a realidade das comunidades em que se inserem. A fim de priorizar essa perspectiva, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial de uma ação extensionista, constituída por um programa de formação-ação, para a transformação da prática pedagógica e para o atendimento das necessidades formativas dos docentes de uma escola do campo de Santa Catarina. A formação foi acompanhada por uma pesquisa-ação, e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de dois questionários aplicados aos oito docentes que atuavam na escola. Os resultados indicam que a iniciativa contribuiu para redimensionar o planejamento e para estimular o trabalho colaborativo, a articulação do conteúdo curricular com a realidade do campo, o comprometimento e o interesse dos estudantes, a ampliação de diálogos fundamentados na teoria, a criatividade individual e coletiva e o protagonismo dos estudantes.
Modélisation du besoin en calcium de la truie reproductrice et variation du rapport phosphocalcique des aliments selon le niveau de performance
Authors: QUINIOU Nathalie , BOUDON Anne , DOURMAD Jean-Yves , MOINECOURT Maud , PRIYMENKO Nathalie , NARCY Agnès
Published: June 2021

Le coût élevé des sources de phosphore et l’impact d’un apport en excès de cet élément sur l’environnement conduisent à restreindre les apports en phosphore aux besoins chez la truie reproductrice. Au contraire, les sources de calcium sont peu onéreuses et, en l’absence de contrainte de teneur maximale sur cet élément, sa teneur peut être assez élevée dans les aliments. Phosphore et calcium doivent pourtant être apportés de façon équilibrée. Un modèle est proposé pour estimer en pratique les besoins en calcium de la truie reproductrice sur la base des connaissances disponibles, beaucoup plus limitées pour cet élément que pour le phosphore. Le modèle ne peut pas être utilisé pour simuler les effets d’une carence en l’apport de l’un ou l’autre minéral en raison des difficultés d’évaluation du degré de minéralisation osseuse qui conduisent à ne pas prendre en compte ce critère. Les tables de valeurs nutritionnelles des matières premières permettent de raisonner l’apport en phosphore sur une base digestible, mais ce n’est pas encore le cas pour le calcium. Une hypothèse de digestibilité est donc appliquée dans le modèle pour estimer le besoin en calcium total, qui devra être actualisée (de même que le calcul du besoin d’entretien) dès que les tables de valeurs des matières premières permettront de formuler les aliments sur la base du calcium digestible. Ces réserves étant posées, le modèle est utilisé pour quantifier le besoin en calcium selon le stade physiologique de la truie et son niveau de production (prolificité, production de lait).
The Use of Computer Navigation in Total Hip Arthroplasty Is Associated with a Reduced Rate of Revision for Dislocation
Authors: Agarwal Sujit , Eckhard Lukas , Walter William L. , Peng Andrea , Hatton Alesha , Donnelly Bill , de Steiger Richard
Published: June 2021

Background:

The use of computer navigation has been shown to produce more accurate cup positioning when compared with non-navigated total hip arthroplasty (THA), but so far there is only limited evidence to show its effect on clinical outcomes. The present study analyzed data from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry to assess the impact of computer navigation on the rates of all-cause revision and revision for dislocation following THA.

Methods:

Data for all non-navigated and navigated primary THAs performed for osteoarthritis in Australia from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2019, were examined to assess the rate of revision. We analyzed the effects of navigation on rate, reason, and type of revision. Hazard ratios (HRs) from Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for age, sex, and head size, were utilized. Because of known prosthesis-specific differences in outcomes, we performed a further analysis of the 5 acetabular and femoral component combinations most commonly used with navigation.

Results:

Computer navigation was utilized in 6,912 primary THAs for osteoarthritis, with the use of navigation increasing from 1.9% in 2009 to 4.4% of all primary THAs performed in 2019. There was no difference in the rate of all-cause revision between navigated and non-navigated THAs looking at the entire group. There was a lower rate of revision for dislocation in the navigation THA cohort. The cumulative percent revision for dislocation at 10 years was 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2% to 0.6%) for navigated compared with 0.8% (95% CI, 0.8% to 0.9%) for non-navigated THAs (HR adjusted for age, sex, and head size, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.74; p = 0.002). In the 5 component combinations most commonly used with navigation, the rate of all-cause revision was significantly lower when these components were navigated compared with non-navigated. The cumulative percent revision at 10 years for these 5 prostheses combined was 2.4% (95% CI, 1.6% to 3.4%) for navigated compared with 4.2% (95% CI, 4.0% to 4.5%) for non-navigated THAs (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.86; p = 0.003).

Conclusions:

This study showed that the use of computer navigation was associated with a reduced rate of revision for dislocation following THA. Furthermore, in the component combinations most commonly used with navigation there was also a reduction in the rate of all-cause revision.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The effect of home education on myopia progression in children during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Aslan Fatih , Sahinoglu-Keskek Nedime
Published: June 2021

Objectives
To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on myopia progression (MP) in school age children.
Methods
A total of 115 children aged 8–17 years with a diagnosis of myopia who had been followed-up for at least 3 years, were included in this study with a retrospective and single-center design. The subjects’ age, the history of myopia in the family, the time spent in front of a screen, the digital devices used during home education (computer, tablet, smartphone, television), the time spent in open air (hours/day), the refractive error (RE) (spherical equivalent value) detected before the home education period and the changes in the myopia over the years, were recorded.
Results
The mean age was 12.06(± 2.29) years. Only the right eyes were included. The glasses use duration was 3.57(± 0.74) years. The annual MP amount 0.49(± 0.26), 0.41(± 0.36) and 0.54(± 0.43) diopters (D) for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 years before home education, respectively, (p > 0,05), and 0.71(± 0.46) D in 2020, during home education. The increase in MP amount in 2020 compared to the 2019 and 2018 years was statistically significant (p < 0.003). MP was statistically significantly less in children who participated in open-air activities for 2 hours a day and those who lived in detached houses (p = 0.004, p = 0.006, respectively).
Conclusion
During home confinement, education programs of school children should be designed while taking into account preventive measures for MP, in particular for allowing children to spend at least two hours of outdoor time per day.
Development of Education Material for Health Literacy and Education Needs of Patients Who Receives Chemotherapy
Authors: ÖZTÜRK Duygu Çeven , Şenyuva Emine
Published: June 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
A Novel Heuristic to Minimize the Bottlenecks Presence in Batch Generation. Case of Study.
Authors: Ireta-Sánchez Pedro Henoc , Carrum-Siller Elías Gabriel , González-González David Salvador , Martínez-López Ricardo
Published: June 2021

This paper presents a new heuristic method capable of minimizing the presence of bottlenecks generated when production batches have a distinct makespan. The proposed heuristic groups the jobs into items, where the one with the longest processing time in the batch determines the makespan. To test the heuristic, information was collected from a real paint process with two stations: one with a single cabin and the other with two parallel cabins. The capacity of processing jobs is limited by the cabin dimensions where jobs have different sizes and processing times. A makespan comparison between the heuristic proposed versus the First in First out (FIFO) dispatching rule that the case of study uses. Additionally, ten random instances based on data taken from the real process were created with the purpose to compare the new heuristic method versus Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Simulated Annealing (SA). The result of the comparison to FIFO, GA and SA showed that the proposed heuristic minimizes the bottleneck in a and creating batches almost with the same makespan. Results indicated a bottleneck time reduction of 96% when new heuristic method were compared to FIFO rule, while compared to Generic Algorithm and Simulated Annealing the bottleneck reduction were around 89% in both cases.
PM2.5 Mediated Alterations In The In Vitro Human Granuloma Resulting In Reactivation Of Mycobacteria
Authors: Punniyamurthy Athisankaran , Sharma Sumedha , Kaur Khushpreet , Saikia Uma Nahar , Khaiwal Ravindra , Sharma Sadhna , Verma Indu
Published: June 2021

Exposure to pollutants diminishes the immune response to mycobacterial antigens relevant to contain the infection in the granuloma, thus leading to reactivation of latent bacilli. Present study was therefore designed based on the hypothesis that exposure to particulate matter pollutant PM2.5 affects the granuloma formation and reactivation of latent mycobacterial bacilli contained in the granuloma. For the extraction of PM2.5, based on initial standardizations, teflon filter was selected over the quartz filter. Two different approaches were used to study the effect of PM2.5 on the human PBMCs granuloma formed by Mycobacterium bovis BCG at MOI 0.1. In the first approach, granuloma formed in the presence of PM2.5 was loosely packed and ill-defined with significant downregulation of dormancy associated mycobacterial genes, upregulation of reactivation associated rpfB gene along with a significant increase in TNFα level without any change in the bacterial load in terms of CFUs. In the second approach, PM2.5 treatment of already established human PBMCs granuloma formed with M. bovis BCG also led to its disruption. Although, in these conditions, downregulation of dormancy associated genes was observed but there was also a decrease in the expression of reactivation associated rpfB gene without any change in the cytokine levels. Therefore, it can be inferred that in the presence of PM2.5, there is poor granuloma formation along with a change in mycobacterial gene expression characteristics of active bacilli and alteration in host immune response without any significant changes following treatment of already established granuloma with the pollutant.
Growth and Nutrient Distribution in Young Plants of Virola Surinamensis Exposed to Cadmium
Authors: JÚNIOR WV. ANDRADE , Neto Cândido Oliveira , Filho Benedito , Okumura Ricardo , Cruz Eniel , Amarante Cristine , Barbosa Vinicius , Nogueira Glauco , Nascimento Vitor , Sousa Diana , Teixeira Jessica
Published: June 2021

The contamination of soils and water as a result of human actions has been increasingly frequent in the world, the cadmium element the as a promising contaminant of these environments. This element affects the growth and development of vegetables.The objective of the study was to evaluate the growth and concentration of macro and micronutrients in the different organs young plants of Virola surinamensis exposed to Cd. The Cd significantly affected the growth of V. surinamensis reducing the height, stem diameter and biomass production. The Cd influenced negatively Fe, Mg, Ca, N, P and K, especially in the root. The Zn increased in the roots and leaves, while Mn reduced in the root and increased in the leaves of the plants on exposure to Cd. The increase of Zn and Mn in the leaves may have been a strategy to maintain the stability and protection of the photosynthetic apparatus of the plant. the research concluded that cadmium affects the nutritional relationship of this vegetable, however, we could observe that the influence of metal depends on the species being studied, the time of exposure to the metal and the amount of this metal.
Concentration and Speciation of Mercury in Atmospheric Particulates in the Wuda Coal Fire Area, Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Qian Yahui , Liang Yanci , Cao Qingyi , Wang Zhe , Shi Yunyun , Liang Handong
Published: June 2021

Coal-seam fire is a source of atmospheric mercury that is difficult to control. The Wuda Coalfield in Inner Mongolia, China, is one of the most severe coal fire disaster areas in the world and has been burning for more than 50 years. To investigate atmospheric mercury pollution from the Wuda coal fire, gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations and atmospheric particulate mercury (PHg) speciation were measured using a RA-915 + mercury analyzer and the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) method. Near-surface GEM concentrations in the Wuda Coalfield and adjacent urban area were 80 ng m− 3 (65–90 ng m− 3) and 52 ng m− 3 (25–95 ng m− 3), respectively, which are far higher than the local background value (22 ng m− 3). PHg concentrations in the coalfield and urban area also reached significantly high levels, at 33 ng m− 3 (25–45 ng m− 3) and 22 ng m− 3 (14–29 ng m− 3), respectively. There is no clear evidence that PHg combines with organic carbon (OC) or elemental carbon (EC), but PHg concentration appears to be controlled by air acidity. PHg mainly exists in inorganic forms, such as HgCl2, HgS, HgO, and Hg(NO3)2·H2O. This work can provide references for the speciation analysis of atmospheric PHg and the safety assessment of environmental mercury.
Biological Monitoring and Health Assessment of 21 Metal(loid)s in Children and Adolescents in Liuzhou City, Southwest China
Authors: Li Yaping , Zhang Yu , Yu Meng , Hu Liqin , Zeng Ting , Liu Ling , Wang Limei , Deng Liangqiong , Li Xiang , Liu Ping , Zeng Dingyuan , Mei Surong
Published: June 2021

The concentrations of 21 metal(loid)s were analyzed in 2,050 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years from Liuzhou City, Southwest China. The detection rates of elements were all above 99%. The potential contribution of demographic and dietary habits to urinary metal(loid) levels was analyzed. We found that age was an important predictor for most elements, and that children exhibited higher metal(loid) exposure levels than adolescents, expect for Sr (P < 0.05). Urinary metal(loid) levels were higher in girls for 13 elements. Multiple regression models also showed that dietary habits may affect the distributions of metal(loid)s. This raised health concerns that the hazard quotient (HQ) of cadmium was > 1 at the P95 value and that the risk of the mixed effect of Cd, Hg and Tl was not negligible. The results of this study provide basic data on the reference values of urinary metal(loid) levels and health risk assessments of children and adolescents in industrial areas.
Aneurysmal Degeneration of Fluoropolymer-Coated Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent in the Superficial Femoral Artery. A Rising Concern
Authors: Tsujimura Takuya , Iida Osamu , Asai Mitsutoshi , Masuda Masaharu , Okamoto Shin , Ishihara Takayuki , Nanto Kiyonori , Kanda Takashi , Matsuda Yasuhiro , Hata Yosuke , Uematsu Hiroyuki , Toyoshima Taku , Higashino Naoko , Mano Toshiaki
Published: June 2021

Background: Although several clinical reports demonstrated a durable patency rate after a novel fluoropolymer-coated paclitaxel-eluting stent (Eluvia™; Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA) implantation, aneurysmal degeneration after implanting Eluvia™ has raised clinical concerns. Here, we report a case with exacerbated aneurysmal degeneration on serial angiography and intravascular ultrasound 50 months after Eluvia™ implantation for a superficial femoral artery lesion.Case presentation: A 79-year-old woman with claudication in the right lower extremity decreasing her quality of life was referred to our hospital. Pre-procedural angiography showed severe stenosis from the middle-to-distal part of the right superficial femoral artery, and Eluvia™ was implanted with optimal expansion. However, the patient had a recurrence of intermittent claudication in the right lower extremity 25 months thereafter. Angiography revealed de novo stenosis in the distal part of the popliteal artery and proximal stent edge restenosis at the Eluvia™ implantation site. Subsequently, the patient underwent endovascular therapy for these lesions. In addition, intravascular ultrasound at the time of endovascular therapy revealed vessel enlargement with a mean vessel diameter of 7.2-9.9 mm at the distal edge of the Eluvia™ implantation site. However, intermittent claudication on the right side recurred again 50 months after Eluvia™ implantation. Angiography demonstrated de novo severe stenosis from the distal part of the superficial femoral artery to the middle part of the popliteal artery. Furthermore, peri-stent contrast staining was found at the distal part of the Eluvia™ implantation site. Intravascular ultrasound showed a further enlargement of mean vessel diameter to 11.9 mm at the distal edge of the Eluvia™ stent. Moreover, enlargement of the lumen and stent malapposition were also found, suggesting exacerbated aneurysmal degeneration 50 months after Eluvia™ implantation.Conclusions: We report a case with exacerbated aneurysmal degeneration on serial angiography and intravascular ultrasound 50 months after Eluvia™ implantation for an SFA lesion. Long-term follow-up should be mandatory for patients receiving Eluvia™ implants.
Influence of climatic Parameters on The Two-spotted Spider Mite population based on Remote Sensing in Southeast of the Caspian Sea
Authors: Jokar Mahmoud
Published: June 2021

Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a serious pest in cotton fields worldwide. Monitoring of T. urticae with time-series of vegetation index and climatic factors based satellite data was applied to near real-time assessing. The current study aimed to determine correlations between T. urticae population dynamic and effects of Aerosol index of Sentinel-5, Sentinal-2-NDVI (10m), The Land Surface Temperature (LST), MODIS-Evapotranspiration (ET) and CHIRPS-precipitation. Spider mite out-breaking has coincided with the wheat harvesting and where experienced several dusty days with high aerosol index 0.167. Rainfall had a significant negative correlation with T. urticae population (R2 = 0.378) and a threshold precipitation level was estimated at least 2 mm to clean up the canopy. We could not find a significant pattern between temperature and T. urticae population until August 2020 and then the significant positive relationships were observed during August 2020, R² = 0.3519, 0.1283, 0.1675 and 0.178, weekly. Evapotranspiration depicted a statistically synchronous relationship R2 = 0.637 with T. urticae dynamism. There was a positive correlation between increasing NDVI and T. urticae population until August 2020 and then was shifted to negative pattern R2 = 0.273 and 0.139. These findings, aerosol index of sentinel-5 and MODIS-evapotranspiration have potential to forecast spider mite population with high temporal resolution.
CCBE1 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Contributes to Prostate Cancer Cell Progression.
Authors: Li Peizhang , Xu Huan , Zhan Ming , Chen Yanbo , Zheng Dachao , Gu Meng , Wei Ziwei , Tao Yucheng , Chen Qi , Guo Miaomiao , Wang Zhong
Published: June 2021

Subject: Collagen And Calcium Binding EGF Domains 1 (CCBE1) is a coding protein which plays a significant role in extracellular matrix remodeling and migration and is involved in the development of Hennekam syndrome and lymphangiogenesis. Here, we investigate its prognostic value in prostate cancer based on TCGA database and its antioncogenic role in prostate cancer.Methods: Wilcoxon rank sum test, Pearson χ2 test, and logistic regression analysis were utilized to evaluate the correlation between CCBE1 and clinicopathological variables. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to reveal the relation between CCBE1 and survival rates. The role of CCBE1 in prostate cancer was investigated using CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, and transwell experiments, respectively.Results: Here, we found that CCBE1 expression is down-regulated in prostate cancer tissue dramatically in TCGA database. Furthermore, high CCBE1 expression predicted a good prognosis in patients with prostate cancer. High expression level of CCBE1 in PRAD cohort was prominently correlated with T classification (OR =0.49 for T3&T4 vs T2, P<0.001), Gleason score (OR = 0.42 for8&9&10 vs. 6&7, P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis showed that prostate cancer patients with high CCBE1 expression had a better progression-free interval (hazard ratio [HR]:0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33-0.77; P = 0.002) and overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]:0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15-0.92; P = 0.032). In vitro experiments indicated that overexpressed CCBE1 inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.Conclusion: CCBE1 plays a pivotal role in the progression of prostate cancer and up-regulated CCBE1 expression inhibits prostate cancer tumorgenicity.
Predicting Upper-Extremity Function Recovery From Kinematics in Stroke Patients Following Goal-Oriented Computer-Based Training
Authors: Antenucci Fabrizio , Ballester Belén Rubio , Maier Martina , Coolen Anthony C.C. , Verschure Paul F. M. J.
Published: June 2021

Background: After a stroke, a wide range of deficits can occur with varying onset latencies. As a result, predicting impairment and recovery are enormous challenges in neurorehabilitation. Body function and structure, as well as activities, are assessed using clinical scales. For functional deficits of the upper extremities these include the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Upper Extremity (FM-UE), the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI) and Barthel Index (BI), administered by clinicians. Although these scales are generally accepted for the evaluation of the motor and functional impairment of the upper-limbs, they are time-consuming, show high inter-rater variability, have low ecological validity, and are vulnerable to biases introduced by compensatory movements and action modifications. For these reasons, alternative methods need to be developed for efficient and objective assessment. Computer-based motion capture and classification tools have the potential to collect and process kinematic data to estimate impairment, function and recovery while overcoming these limitations.Methods: We present a method for estimating clinical scores from movement parameters that are entirely extracted from kinematic data recorded during unsupervised rehabilitation sessions performed with the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS). RGS is a rehabilitation technology that uses image-based motion capture, goal-oriented individualised training, virtual reality content delivery, and restricts compensatory trunk movements through feedback. The main protocol considered in this study asks patients to use their upper limbs to intercept spheres that are presented in a 3 dimensional virtual reality display. RGS maps the planar physical arm movements onto matching movements by an avatar presented in a first-person perspective. In this analysis, we performed a multivariate regression using clinical data from 98 stroke patients who completed a total of 191 sessions with RGS.Results: Our multivariate regression model reaches an accuracy of R2 : 0.38, with an error (σ : 12.8), in predicting FM-UE scores. We analyse our model by assessing reliability (r = 0:89 for test-retest), sensitivity to clinical improvements (95% true positive rate) and generalisation to other tasks that involve planar reaching movements (R2 : 0.39). The model achieves comparable accuracy also for the CAHAI (R2 : 0.40) and BI scales (R2 : 0.35).Conclusions: Our results highlight the clinically relevant predictive power of kinematic data collected during unsupervised goal-oriented motor training combined with automated inference techniques and provide new insight into factors underlying recovery and its biomarkers.
A Human-Robot Cooperative and Personalized Compliant Joint Controller for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Robots: The Elbow Joint Validation
Authors: Gasperina Stefano Dalla , Longatelli Valeria , Braghin Francesco , Pedrocchi Alessandra Laura Giulia , Gandolla Marta
Published: June 2021

Background: Appropriate training modalities for post-stroke upper-limb rehabilitation are key features for effective recovery after the acute event. This work presents a novel human-robot cooperative control framework that promotes compliant motion and renders different high-level human-robot interaction rehabilitation modalities under a unified low-level control scheme. Methods: The presented control law is based on a loadcell-based impedance controller provided with positive-feedback compensation terms for disturbances rejection and dynamics compensation. We developed an elbow flexion-extension experimental setup, and we conducted experiments to evaluate the controller performances. Seven high-level modalities, characterized by different levels of (i) impedance-based corrective assistance, (ii) weight counterbalance assistance, and (iii) resistance, have been defined and tested with 14 healthy volunteers.Results: The unified controller demonstrated suitability to promote good transparency and render compliant and high-impedance behavior at the joint. Superficial electromyography results showed different muscular activation patterns according to the rehabilitation modalities. Results suggested to avoid weight counterbalance assistance, since it could induce different motor relearning with respect to purely impedance-based corrective strategies. Conclusion: We proved that the proposed control framework could implement different physical human-robot interaction modalities and promote the assist-as-needed paradigm, helping the user to accomplish the task, while maintaining physiological muscular activation patterns. Future insights involve the extension to multiple degrees of freedom robots and the investigation of an adaptation control law that makes the controller learn and adapt in a therapist-like manner.
Mining of Simple Sequence Repeats Loci, Genetic Relationship And Population Structure of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria Siceraria (Molina) Standl.) Accessions With Different Geographical Origin Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) Markers
Authors: Contreras-Soto Rodrigo Iván , Salvatierra Ariel , Maldonado Carlos , Mashilo Jacob
Published: June 2021

Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. (2n = 2x = 22) is an important horticultural and medicinal crop grown worldwide serving for food and pharmaceutical industries. The crop exhibit extensive phenotypic and genetic variation useful for cultivar obtention targeting economic traits, however limited genomic resources are available for effective germplasm characterization into breeding and conservation strategies. This study determined the genetic relationships and population structure in a collection of different accessions of bottle gourd prevenient from Chile, Asia, and South Africa by using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) markers and mining of simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci derived from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data. The GBS resulted in 12,766 SNPs molecular markers classified as moderate to highly informative with mean polymorphic information content of 0.29. The mean gene diversity of 0.16, indicated low genetic differentiation of the accessions. Analysis of molecular variance revealed lower differentiation between (36%) than within (48%) bottle gourd accessions suggesting that random mating system dominates inbreeding. Population structure revealed two genetically differentiated groups comprising of South Africa accessions and an admixed group with genotypes of Asian and Chilean origin. The results of SSR loci mining from GBS data should be developed and validated before being used in diverse bottle gourd accessions. The SNPs markers developed in the present study are useful genomic resources in bottle gourd breeding programs for assessing the extent of genetic diversity for effective parental selection and breeding.
Repeated Sevoflurane Exposures in Neonatal Rats Increased the Brain Vulnerability to Future Stress Exposure and Resulted in Fear-extinction Deficit
Authors: Chen Ben-zhen , Jiang Li-hua , Zhang Ming-qiang , Zhou Wen-qin , Shang Yu-chao , Li Fang , Liu Bin
Published: June 2021

Sevoflurane anesthesia during neonatal period was reported to sensitize the rodent animals to stress later in life. The authors tested the hypothesis that repeated sevoflurane exposures in neonatal rats increased the brain vulnerability to future stress exposure and resulted in fear-extinction deficit, and investigated whether the neonatal brain depolarizing γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAAR) is involved in mediating these abnormalities. Neonatal Sprague-Dawley male rats, pretreated with vehicle or the NKCC1 inhibitor, bumetanide, received sequential exposures to 3% sevoflurane for 2 hours on postnatal days (P) 5, 6, 7 and then were exposed to electric foot shock stress in fear conditioning training at P14. Juvenile rats at different developmental brain stage receiving identical sevoflurane exposures on P25, 26, 27 were also studied. The results showed repeated sevoflurane exposures in neonatal rats increased the cation-chloride cotransporters NKCC1/KCC2 ratio in the PFC at P14. Repeated exposures to sevoflurane in neonatal rather than juvenile rats enhanced the stress response and exacerbated neuroapoptosis in the PFC after exposed to electric foot shock in fear conditioning training. Neonatal rather than juvenile sevoflurane-exposed rats exhibited deficits in fear extinction training and recall. Pretreatment of neonatal rats prior to sevoflurane exposures with bumetanide reduced the NKCC1/KCC2 ratio at P14 and ameliorated most of the subsequent adverse effects. Our study indicates that repeated sevoflurane exposures in neonatal rats might increase the brain vulnerability to future stress exposure and resulted in fear-extinction deficit, which might be associated with the neonatal enhanced brain depolarizing GABAAR activity.
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Induces Immune Response Activity after Pancreatic Surgery
Authors: Lee Yun Sun , Kim Hyung Sun , Cho Yeona , Lee Ik Jae , Kim Hyo Jung , Lee Da Eun , Kang Hyeon Woong , Park Joon Seong
Published: June 2021

Background: Pancreatic cancer has highly aggressive features, such as local recurrence that leads to significantly high morbidity and mortality and recurrence after successful tumour resection. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), which delivers targeted radiation to a tumour bed, is known to reduce local recurrence by directly killing tumour cells and modifying the tumour microenvironment. Methods: Among 30 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 17 patients received IORT immediately after surgical resection. We investigated changes in the immune response induced by IORT by analysing the peritoneal fluid (PF) and blood of patients with and without IORT treatment after pancreatic cancer surgery. Further, we treated three pancreatic cell lines with PF to observe proliferation and activity changes. Results: Levels of cytokines involved in the PI3K/SMAD pathway were increased in the PF of IORT-treated patients. Moreover, IORT-treated PF inhibited the growth, migration, and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells. Changes in lymphocyte phenotype populations in the blood of IORT-treated patients indicated an increased immune response.Conclusions: Based on the characterisation and quantification of immune cells in the blood and cytokine levels in the PF, IORT induced an anti-tumour effect by activating the immune response, which may prevent pancreatic cancer recurrence.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03273374
Performance of Fungal Growth Through Integrated Gompertz Model and Respiratory Quotient by Solid State Fermentation in Multi-Layer Squared Tray Solid State Bioreactor with Aeration Strategies
Authors: Manan Musaalbakri Abdul , Webb Colin
Published: June 2021

A newly designed, laboratory-scaled and multi-layer squared tray solid state bioreactor (SSB), was developed and successfully operated in solid state fermentation (SSF) conditions. The bioreactor was divided into eight layers of squared perforated trays. Wheat bran was used as a solid substrate for the growth of Aspergillus awamori and Aspergillus oryzae. The SSB was equipped with an oxygen (O2)/carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyser and a thermocouple. Continuous on-line monitoring of fungal growth could be performed by indirect methods that measure O2 consumed, production of CO2 and metabolic heat. The advantage of using this method is that there are no tedious and time-consuming sampling processes. The evolution of CO2, which represents an accumulation term, was integrated with time and fitted to the Gompertz model in a log-like equation. The Gompertz model generated values that may be used to stimulate and verify the experimental data. Results strongly suggest that the evolved and accumulated CO2, excellently described fungal growth. Simulated results agreed with experimental results. The respiratory quotient (RQ), which is the ratio of CO2 evolution rate (CER) to O2 uptake rate (OUR), was determined by the gas balance method. CER and OUR confirmed that measurements correlated to fungal activity. Each RQ values can explain the differences of each SFF process carried out. Yet, heat evolved by fungal activity also described fungal growth. The current findings is an excellent pre-liminary experimental work, evidencing that multi-layer squared tray SSB with forced moistened aeration present a promising alternative of instrumented bioreactors for SSF processes.
MeSPL9 Attenuates Drought Resistance by Regulating JA Signaling and Protectant Metabolite Contents in Cassava
Authors: Li Shuxia , Cheng Zhihao , Li Zhibo , Dong Shiman , Yu Xiaoling , Zhao Pingjuan , Liao Wenbin , Yu Xiang , Peng Ming
Published: June 2021

Drought stress severely impairs crop yield and is considered a primary threat to food security worldwide. Although the SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like 9 (SPL9) gene participates extensively in numerous developmental processes and in plant response to abiotic stimuli, its role and regulatory pathway in cassava (Manihot esculenta) response to the drought condition remain elusive. In the current study, we show that MeSPL9 plays negative roles in drought stress resistance. MeSPL9 expression was strongly repressed by drought treatment. Overexpression of a dominant-negative form of miR156-resistant MeSPL9, rMeSPL9-SRDX, in which a 12-amino acid repressor sequence was fused to rMeSPL9 at the C terminus, conferred drought tolerance without penalizing overall growth. rMeSPL9-SRDX-overexpressing lines not only exhibited increased osmoprotectant metabolites including proline and anthocyanin, but also accumulated more endogenous jasmonic acid (JA) and soluble sugars. Transcriptomic and real-time PCR analysis suggested that differentially expressed genes were involved in sugar or JA biosynthesis, signaling, and metabolism in transgenic cassava under drought conditions. Exogenous application of JA further confirmed that JA conferred improved drought resistance and promoted stomatal closure in cassava leaves. Taken together, our findings suggest that MeSPL9 affects drought resistance by modulating protectant metabolite levels and JA signaling, which have substantial implications for engineering drought tolerant crops.
Evaluating the Landscape of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector
Authors: Reavis Megan , Ahlen Jenny , Rudek Joe , Naithani Kusum
Published: June 2021

The dramatic increase of emitted greenhouse gases (GHGs) by humans over the past century and a half has created an urgency for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions as a first step towards mitigating the effects of climate change. Fifteen percent of global GHG emissions come from agriculture, and companies in the food and beverage industry are starting to set climate goals. We evaluated the GHG emissions reporting practices and climate goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies and determined whether or not their goals are aligned with the science of reducing climate warming to less than 2 °C. We found that two thirds of the top 100 (as ranked by Food Engineering) global food and beverage companies are setting some sort of climate goals, but fewer than half included scope 3 emissions in their goals. Only four companies have goals that are aligned with the goal of the 3% Solution: a 4.3% annual emission reduction until 2050. While an increasing number of companies are disclosing and setting targets that include scope 3 emissions, many still do not disclose or report any of their emissions. Our results highlight an urgent need to develop protocols for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions and to provide transparent information on climate goals and targets.
Second Opinions for Spine Surgery: A Scoping Review
Authors: Ferreira Giovanni E , Zadro Joshua , Liu Chang , Harris Ian , Maher Chris
Published: June 2021

Background: Second opinions have the goal of clarifying uncertainties around diagnosis or management, particularly when healthcare decisions are complex, unpleasant, and carry considerable risks. Second opinions might be particularly useful for people recommended surgery for their back pain as surgery has at best a limited role in the management of back pain. No studies have attempted to summarise the available evidence for second opinion services designed for people with back pain that have been recommended to have surgery.Methods: We conducted a scoping review. Two independent researchers screened PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL from their inception to May 6th, 2021. Studies of any design were eligible provided that they described a second opinion intervention for people with spinal pain (low back or neck pain with or without radicular pain) either considering surgery or to whom surgery had been recommended. We assessed the methodological quality of studies with the Downs & Black scale. Outcomes were: i) characteristics of second opinion services for people considering or who have been recommended spinal surgery, ii) agreement between first and second opinions in terms of diagnoses, need for surgery and type of surgery, iii) their effectiveness in reducing surgery rates and improving patient –reported outcomes; and iv) the costs and healthcare use associated with these services. Outcomes were presented descriptively. Results: We included 12 studies (11 had poor methodological quality; one had fair). Studies described patient, doctor, and insurance-initiated second opinion services. Diagnostic agreement between first and second opinions varied from 53% to 96% across studies. Agreement for need for surgery between first and second opinions ranged from 0% to 83%. There is some very-low quality evidence that second opinion services may reduce surgery rates in the short-term, but it is unclear whether these reductions are sustained in the long-term or if patients only delay surgery. Second opinion services may reduce costs and some healthcare use (e.g. imaging), but might increase others (e.g. injections, prescription drugs). Conclusions: There is a need for high-quality studies to determine the value of second opinion services for reducing spinal surgery.
Evaluation of 3D Vertebral and Pelvic Position by Surface Topography in Asymptomatic Females: Presentation of Normative Reference Data
Authors: Wolf Claudia , Betz Ulrich , Huthwelker Janine , Konradi Jürgen , Westphal Ruben , Cerpa Meghan , Lenke Lawrence , Drees Philipp
Published: June 2021

Background: Deviations from a conventional physiologic posture are often a cause of complaint. According to current literature the upright physiological spine posture exhibits inclinations in the sagittal plane but not in the coronal and transverse planes, but individual vertebral body positions of asymptomatic adults have rarely been described using Surface Topography. Therefore, this work aims to form a normative reference dataset for the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies and for the pelvis in all three planes in asymptomatic women.Methods: Prospective, cross-sectional, monocentric study of 100 pain-free asymptomatic women, ages 20-64 years-old, were enrolled. Habitual standing positions of the trunk were measured using Surface Topography. Data was analyzed in all three planes. Age sub-analysis was: 1) ages ≤40 years and 2) ages ≥41 years. Two-sample t-tests were used for age comparisons of the vertebral bodies, vertebra prominence (VP)-L4, and global parameters. One-sample t-tests were used to test deviations from symmetrical zero positions of VP-L4.Results: Coronal plane: on average the vertebral bodies were tilted to the right between the VP-T4 (maximum: T2 -1.8°±3.2), while between T6-T11 they were tilted to the left (maximum: T7 1.1°±1.9). T5 and L2 were in a neutral position. Overall, depicting a mean right-sided lateral flexion from T2-T7 (apex at T5). Sagittal plane: the kyphotic apex resided at T8 with -0.5°±3.6 and the lumbar lordotic apex at L3 with -2.1°±7.4. Transverse plane: participants had a mean vertebral body rotation to the right ranging from T6-L4 (maximum: T11 -2.2°±3.5). Age-specific differences were seen in the sagittal plane and had little effect on overall posture.Conclusions: Asymptomatic female volunteers standing in a habitual posture displayed an average vertebral rotation and lateral flexion to the right in vertebral segments T2-T7. The physiological asymmetrical posture of women should be considered in spinal therapies. With regard to spinal surgery, it should be clarified whether an approximation to an absolutely symmetrical posture is desirable from a biomechanical point of view? This data set can also be used as a reference in clinical practice.Trial registration: This study was registered with WHO (INT: DRKS00010834) and approved by the responsible ethics committee at the Rhineland-Palatinate Medical Association (837.194.16).
Two way Threshold Based Intelligent Water Drops Feature Selection Algorithm for Accurate Detection of Breast Cancer
Authors: Kalita Dhruba Jyoti , Singh Vibhav Prakash , Kumar Vinay
Published: June 2021

Breast cancer is one of the common reasons for deaths of women over the globe. It has been found that a Computer- Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system can be designed using X-ray mammograms for early-stage detection of breast cancer, which can decrease the death rate to a large extend. This paper work proposes a novel 2-way threshold based Intelligent water drops (IWD) algorithm for feature selection to design an effective and efficient CAD system that can detect breast cancer in early stage. This approach first extracts the Local Binary Patterns (LBP) in wavelet domain from mammograms and then apply our introduced 2-way threshold based (IWD) algorithm to extract most important subset of features from the extracted features set. 2-way thresholding is a technique to find a lower bound (LB) and an upper bound (UB) on the number of features to be selected in the optimal subset. So, using these threshold values IWD is capable of producing multiple optimal subsets of features rather than producing a single optimal subset of features. The best subset among the above subsets is then used train and deploy Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify new mammograms. The results have shown that the proposed model outperforms many of the existing CAD systems. Further we have compared our introduced feature selection technique with other meta heuristic features selection techniques such as Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Simulated Annealing (SA), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), Inclined Planes System Optimization (IPO) and Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm (GWO) and found that it outperforms the others. The accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and F1-score of our proposed framework are measured as 99%, 98.7% ,98.123%, 96.2% and 98.4% respectively.
The Role of Posterior Pallial Amygdala in Mediating Motor Behavior in Pigeons
Authors: Tian Xinmao , Shi Yuhua , Zhang Yifeng , Wang Yijie , Li Mengke , Cheng Han , Wang Zhenlong
Published: June 2021

The posterior pallial amygdala (PoA) is located on the basolateral caudal telencephalon, including the basal division of PoA (PoAb) and the compact division of PoA (PoAc). PoA plays a vital role in emotion regulation and is considered a part of the amygdala in birds. However, the regulatory functions responsible for motor behaviors and emotions between PoAb and PoAc are poorly understood. Therefore, we studied the structure and function of PoA by tract-tracing methods, constant current electrical stimulation, and different dopamine receptor drug injections in pigeons (Columba livia domestica). PoAb connects reciprocally with two nuclear groups in the cerebrum: 1) a continuum comprising the temporo–parieto–occipitalis, corticoidea dorsolateralis, hippocampus, and parahippocampalis areas and 2) rostral areas of the hemisphere, including the nucleus septalis lateralis and nucleus taeniae amygdalae. Extratelencephalic projections of PoAb terminate in the lateral hypothalamic nucleus and are scattered in many limbic midbrain regions. PoAb and PoAc mainly mediated the turning movement. D1 agonist and D2 antagonist could significantly reduce the latency period for entering into the central area and increase the stay time in the central area, whereas D1 antagonist and D2 agonist had the opposite effect. These findings indicate that PoAb may participate in interhemispheric exchange and that PoAc affects motor behaviors by regulating emotions. Hence, PoAb and PoAc are important brain areas that mediate turning behavior.