bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Salidroside Alleviates Lipid Metabolism Disorder and Inflammatory Response, and Promotes Hepatocyte Proliferation in Fatty Liver-Hemorrhagic Syndrome of Laying Hens
Authors: Cui Zhifu , Jin Ningning , Amevor Felix Kwame , Li Liang , Shu Gang , Du Xiaxia , Kang Xincheng , Xu Dan , Ning Zifan , Deng Xun , Song Weizhen , Tian Yaofu , Zhu Qing , Wang Yan , Li Diyan , Zhang Yao , Wang Xiaoqi , Han Xue , Feng Jing , Zhao Xiaoling
Published: September 2021

Background: Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) is a chronic hepatic disease which occurs when there is a disorder in lipid metabolism. This disease is often observed in caged laying hens and characterized by a decrease in egg production and dramatic increase of mortality. Salidroside (SDS) is an herbal drug which has shown numerous pharmacological activities, such as protective effects on mitochondrial function, attenuates cell apoptosis and inflammation, and promotes strong antioxidant defense system. We aimed to determine the therapeutic effects of SDS on FLHS in laying hens and investigate the underlying mechanisms through which SDS operates these functions. We constructed oleic acid (OA)-induced fatty liver model in vitro and high-fat diet-induced FLHS of laying hens in vivo.Results: Results indicated that SDS inhibited OA-induced lipid accumulation in chicken primary hepatocytes, increased hepatocyte activity, elevated the mRNA expression of proliferation related genes PCNA, CDK2, and cyclinD1 and increased the protein levels of PCNA and CDK2, as well as decreased the cleavage levels of Caspase-9, Caspase-8, and Caspase-3 and apoptosis in hepatocytes. Moreover, SDS promoted the phosphorylation levels of PDK1, AKT, and Gsk3-β, while inhabited the PI3K inhibitor. Additionally, we found that high-fat diet-induced FLHS of laying hens in vivo resulted in heavier body weight, liver weight, and abdominal fat weight, and severer steatosis in histology, compared with the control group (Con). However, SDS maintained lighter body weight, liver weight, and abdominal fat weight and alleviate hepatic steatosis in Model+SDS group. In addition, high-fat diet-induced FLHS (Model) of laying hens had higher total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in serum than Con group, while SDS maintained low TC, TG, ALT, and AST levels and high Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Model+SDS group. Moreover, SDS decreased the mRNA expression abundances of PPARγ, SCD, and FAS in liver, whereas increased those of PPARα and MTTP, and decreased the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in Model+SDS group.Conclusions: Generally, SDS attenuated OA-induced ROS generation, inhibited lipid accumulation and hepatocyte apoptosis, and promoted hepatocyte proliferation by targeting the pathway PI3K/AKT/Gsk3-β in OA-induced fatty liver model in vitro, and alleviated high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response in laying hens in vivo.
Piezo Type Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Component 1 is Required for Heart Development in Zebrafish
Authors: Liu Yufeng , Fang Zhiyu , Chen Yibo , Zou Siyuan , Sui Jize , Kang Yujia , shi jinlei
Published: September 2021

PIEZO1 is a non-selective cation channel protein that converts mechanical stimuli into electrochemical signals through mechanical force transmission. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to its relationship with cardiovascular development and related diseases. However, PIEZO1 is difficult to be used as a therapeutic target due to incomplete study of its related phenotype and mechanism. Starting with the phenotypes of zebrafish at different stages of development, piezo1 knockout zebrafish features decreased heart rate in embryonic stage, increased heart size in 72dpf larvae, as well as ventricular enlargement, passivation and increased immune infiltration in adult stage. Further characterization revealed the relationship between PIEZO1 and AcanA protein at embryonic stage, and hand2 protein at adult stage. Through further RNA-seq analysis, ptpn21 downregulation, shox2 upregulation, itga4 upregulation were used to explain ventricular enlargement, heart rate decrease and immune infiltration increase respectively. Overall, this study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the mechanism of PIEZO1 in regulating cardiac development.
Scenario Simulation For The Urban Carrying Capacity Based On System Dynamics Model In Shanghai, China
Authors: Tao Tianhui , Shi Yishao , Cao Xiangyang , Wang Zhu
Published: September 2021

Shanghai, as an international metropolis, is embracing an ever-growing population and ongoing economic development, the pressure on the natural resources and the environment is continually increased. How to ease the tension among economy, resources and the environment? The sustainable green development of Shanghai has been the focus of the public and the government. Urban carrying capacity involves complex interactions among population, economy, resources and environment. Understanding how the balance among various elements is an important scientific question for sustainable green development in Shanghai. For this purpose, the balance between urban development and ecological resources was emphasized, and population carrying capacity, GDP, green ecological index and added value of secondary industry were introduced to measure urban carrying capacity. Here, the dynamic changes of the carrying population, GDP, green ecological index and the added value of the secondary industry in Shanghai during 2018-2035 were simulated using a system dynamics model including four subsystems and 65 variables from a macroscopic perspective. Five development scenarios have been employed during the simulation namely status-quo scenario, economic-centric scenario, high-tech-centric scenario, environment-centric scenario and coordinated equilibrium scenario. The simulation results indicated that the potential of carrying population will decline by 2035, and the economic and ecological indicators will also be at the low level under the status-quo scenario, which is an inferior option. While Under coordinated equilibrium scenario, the ecological environment, population growth and economic development all perform excellently, which is the best option. Therefore, the urban carrying capacity of population-economy-resources in Shanghai may be improved by increasing the investment in scientific research, rising the expenditure on environmental protection and improving the recycling efficiency of waste solid and water. The results provide insights into the urban carrying capacity of Shanghai city.
Factors Affecting Spine–Femur Discordance in The Percentage of Young Adult Mean On Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in The Elderly Population: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Akiyama Shoshi , Tanaka Takaaki , Udaka Jun , Inagaki Naoya , Kumagae Yoshio , Chazono Masaaki , Matsuoka Tatsuki , Saito Mitsuru
Published: September 2021

Background
Several retrospective studies have reported spine–femur discordance in bone mineral density (BMD) values. However, the average age of individuals in these studies was the mid-50s, which is younger than the typical age of individuals requiring treatment for primary osteoporosis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate factors associated with discordance in the percentage of young adult mean (YAM) between the lumbar spine and femoral neck in the elderly population.
Methods
We evaluated 4549 dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements obtained from 2161 patients (269 men and 1892 women) between January 2014 and December 2017 at our hospital. For individuals with more than one eligible set of measurements, the first record was used. We investigated each patient’s age, sex, body mass index, current smoking status, alcohol consumption, use of steroids, presence of diabetes mellitus, and presence of rheumatoid arthritis.
Results
The mean age of the patients was 76.4 ± 8.9 years. Older age (p < 0.001), male sex (p < 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.007) were significantly associated with spine–femur discordance in the percentage of YAM.
Conclusion
The frequency and magnitude of spine–femur discordance in the percentage of YAM from DXA scans increased with age. Notably, more than 77.36% of patients in their 90s had spine–femur discordance > 10% of YAM. Furthermore, the frequency of spine–femur discordance was higher in men and in patients with diabetes mellitus, suggesting that the percentage of YAM at the lumbar spine may not be reliable for diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with these factors.
Preclinical Imaging Evaluation of MiRNAs Delivery and Effects in Breast Cancer Mouse Models: A Systematic Review
Authors: Orlandella Francesca Maria , Auletta Luigi , Greco Adelaide , Zannetti Antonella , Salvatore Giuliana
Published: September 2021

Background: miRNAs have been defined as a tumor suppressor or oncogene (oncomiR) in several human cancers. We have conducted a systematic review highlighting and specifically focusing in the advancements in preclinical molecular imaging to study in vivo the delivery and the therapeutic efficacy of miRNAs in mouse models of breast cancer.Methods: A systematic review of English articles published in peer-reviewed journals using PubMed® (including MEDLINE®), EMBASE, BIOSIS™, Scopus was performed. Search terms included breast cancer, mouse, mice, microRNA(s) and miRNA(s). The search was focused on the last five years (2015-2021). All studies using miRNA in breast cancer models which included a preclinical imaging evaluation, both in vivo or ex vivo were analyzed. Result: From a total of 2,073 records, 1,221 papers were assessed for full text eligibility, but excluding all those in which there was no use of mouse models of breast cancer, there was not in vivo imaging or ex vivo on whole organs, and without a clear link to a miRNA, our final data extraction was made on a total of 114 manuscripts. The murine genetic background most used in miRNA studies have been resulted to be the Balb/C (46,7%). Regarding cell lines, MDA-MB-231 parental and derived cells were used in most experiments (62,5%). The most used model was the i.v. metastatic model (46,8%), which was obtained via intravenous injection (68,9%) in the tail vein. The modulation of miRNA was obtained mainly by stable transfection with specific lentiviral plasmid or DNA constructs in luciferase- labelled BC cells (54,4%). Bioluminescence resulted the most used tool (64%) and was used as a surrogate of tumor growth for efficacy treatment or for the evaluation of tumorigenicity in miRNA transfected cells (29,9%); for tracking, evaluation of engraftment and for response to therapy in metastatic models (50,6%).Conclusion: this review provides a systematic and focused analysis of all the information currently available and related to the imaging protocols to test miRNA therapy in in vivo mice model of BC and has the purpose to provide an important tool to suggest the best pre-clinical imaging protocol on currently available evidences.
Different Occurrence Rates of Centrally Located Cytoplasmic Granulation in One Cohort Oocytes Show Distinctive Embryo Competence and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Sun Fangyuan , Cun Jintao , Huang Rongfang , Chen Yunyan , Verwoerd Gideon , Yu Yuansong
Published: September 2021

Background
Centrally located cytoplasmic granulation (CLCG) is a common cytoplasmic dysmorphism in human oocytes retrieved after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). This study sought to achieve a better understanding of its formation and effects on clinical outcomes.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the data from 422 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment cycles. Three groups of patients were classified according to the rates of CLCG occurrence in one egg cohort, as partial (pCLCG) all (aCLCG) and no CLCG (control).
Results
The pCLCG group had a significantly lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and higher Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) level compared to the control or aCLCG groups. Consistent with these distinctive features in the pCLCG group, fertilization and blastocyst formation rates were reduced significantly in the pCLCG group but not in the aCLCG group. Furthermore, the clinical outcomes in fresh embryo transfer cycles were dramatically reduced in the pCLCG group compared with the control group. However, in frozen/thawed cycles, all three clinical outcomes were significantly reduced in the aCLCG group but not in the pCLCG group.
Conclusion
We propose that pCLCG may reflect a specific population of patients, and that the CLCG structure is sensitive to cryopreservation.
Novel System to Monitor In Vivo Neural Graft Activity After Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Ago Kentaro , Nagoshi Narihito , Imaizumi Kent , Kitagawa Takahiro , Kawai Momotaro , Kajikawa Keita , Shibata Reo , Kamata Yasuhiro , Kojima Kota , Shinozaki Munehisa , Kondo Takahiro , Iwano Satoshi , Miyawaki Atsushi , Ohtsuka Masanari , Bito Haruhiko , Kobayashi Kenta , Shibata Shinsuke , Shindo Tomoko , Kohyama Jun , Matsumoto Morio , Nakamura Masaya , Okano Hideyuki
Published: September 2021

Expectations for neural stem/progenitor cell (NS/PC) transplantation as a treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) are increasing. However, whether and how grafted cells are incorporated into the host neural circuit and contribute to motor function recovery remain unknown. The aim of this project was to establish a novel non-invasive in vivo imaging system to visualize the activity of neural grafts by which we can simultaneously demonstrate the circuit-level integration between the graft and host, and the contribution of graft neuronal activity to host behaviour. We introduced Akaluc, a newly engineered luciferase, under control of a potent neuronal activity-dependent synthetic promoter, E-SARE, into NS/PCs and engrafted the cells into SCI model mice. Through the use of this system, we reveal that the activity of grafted cells was integrated with host behaviour and driven by host neural circuit inputs. This non-invasive system is expected to help elucidate the therapeutic mechanism of cell transplantation treatment for SCI and determine better therapy techniques that maximize the function of cells in the host circuit.
Research on Intelligent Language Translation System Based on Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Shi Chunliu
Published: September 2021

In order to improve the effect of intelligent language translation, this paper analyzes the problems of the MSE cost function used by most of the current DNN-based speech enhancement algorithms, and proposes a deep learning speech enhancement algorithm based on perception-related cost functions. Moreover, this paper embeds the suppression gain parameter estimation into the architecture of the traditional speech enhancement algorithm, and converts the relationship between the noisy speech spectrum and the enhanced speech spectrum into a simple multiplication relationship based on suppression gain combined with deep learning algorithms to construct an intelligent language translation system. Moreover, this paper evaluates the translation effect of the system, analyzes the actual results, and uses simulation tests to verify the performance of the intelligent language translation model constructed in this paper. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the intelligent language translation system based on deep learning algorithms has good results.
Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Improves Survival Only Marginally in Patients with Unilateral Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Cohort Study Based on SEER Database
Authors: Yang Pengcheng , Chu Yuxin , Li Qian , Lei Tianyu , Song Jia , Ning Tingting , Hu Qinyong
Published: September 2021

Background: The effect of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) on the survival rate of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to confirm whether unilateral TNBC patients benefit from CPM.Methods: 10006 patients with unilateral TNBC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were enrolled in this study, propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance patient assignments. After PSM,3039 pairs of patients were divided into a CPM group and no-CPM group, respectively. All the patients have undergone total mastectomy or radical mastectomy. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) of the two groups. Subgroup analysis was introduced to exclude the effect of confounding factors. To identify potential variables for prognosis, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were used and were presented by Kaplan–Meier curve and forest plot separately.Results: With a median follow‐up time of 34.5months (IQR 1–83 months), the estimated 5-year BCSS rates for patients in the CPM group and the no-CPM group were 81.96% and 78.71%, the 5-year OS rates were 80.10% and 75.05%, respectively. CPM improved the BCSS (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.69-0.90, p=0.001) and OS (HR= 0.74; 95% CI=0.66-0.84, p<0.001) of unilateral TNBC patients. Univariate subgroup analyses revealed that there was no significant difference in survival time for patients in stage N3 who underwent CPM or not (p>0.05).Conclusions: CPM only limitedly improved BCSS and OS in patients with unilateral TNBC undergoing total mastectomy or radical mastectomy and was not recommended for stage N3 patients.
Study and Prediction of Bone Strength of Osteoporosis Model Based on Synchrotron Radiation
Authors: Li Wanyu , Xu Jun , Zhang Shunan , Guo Han , Sun Jianqi , Wang Yujie , Zhao Jun
Published: September 2021

Background: As the gold standard for clinical osteoporosis diagnosis, bone mineral density has significant limitations in bone strength assessment and fracture risk prediction. The purpose of this study is to explore a new osteoporotic bone quality evaluation criteria from both diagnosis site selection and bone strength prediction. Methods: Ovariectomized rats with different intensity swimming therapy were investigated in this study. The lumbar vertebrae and femurs of all the rats were scanned by synchrotron radiation computed tomography. Bone microstructure analysis and finite element analysis were combined to obtain bone microstructure parameters and estimated bone strength. And the sensitivity of different skeletal sites to therapy was explored. An elastic network regression model was established to predict bone strength by integrating additional bone microstructure characteristics besides bone mass.Results: Histomorphometry analysis showed that swimming therapy could reduce the risk of osteoporosis of lumbar vertebrae and femur and suggested that the femur might be a more suitable site for osteoporosis diagnosis and efficacy evaluation than the lumbar vertebrae. The average coefficient of determination and average root mean squared error of our predictive model were 0.774 and 0.110. Bland-Altman analysis showed that our model could be a good alternative to the finite element method. Conclusions: The present study developed a machine learning model for prediction of bone strength of osteoporosis model based on synchrotron x-ray imaging and demonstrated that different skeletal sites had different sensitivity to therapy, which is of great significance for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis, the prevention of fractures and the monitoring of therapy.
Outcome of Using Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients’: A ‎Retrospective, ‏Multi-Centric Cohort Study
Authors: Salehi Mohammadreza , Mehni Mahdi Barkhori , Akbarian Mohammadmehdi , Ghazi Samrand Fattah , Rad Nasim Khajavi , Moghaddam Omid Moradi , Moghaddam Saeed Reza Jamali , Emam Masoumeh Hosseinzadeh , Abtahi Sayed Hamidreza , Moradi Maryam , Ghiasvand Fereshteh
Published: September 2021

Background: To access the effect of Intravenous immunoglobulin ‎‎(IVIG) in critically ill corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.Method: In this retrospective matched cohort study, records of three tertiary centers with large number of COVID-19 admissions were evaluated and used. Based on treatment options, ‎patients were divided into two groups, standard COVID-19 treatment (109 patients) and IVIG treatment (74 patients) patients. Also, the effect of IVIG in different dosages was evaluated. Patients with IVIG treatment were divided into three groups of ‎low (0.25 gr/kg), medium (0.5 gr/kg), and high (1 gr/kg) dose. Data analysis was performed using independent t-test and ‎One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the ‎outcomes between two groups, including duration of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and mortality rate.‎Result: The duration of hospitalization in the IVIG group ‎were significantly longer than standard treatment (13.74 days vs. 11.10 days, p<0.05). There was not a significant difference between the two groups in ICU length of stay, number of intubated patients and duration of mechanical ventilation (P>0.05).‎ Also initial ‎outcomes in IVIG subgroups were compared separately with the standard ‎treatment group. The results indicated that only the duration of hospitalization ‎in the IVIG subgroup with medium dose is significantly longer than the standard ‎treatment group (P<0.01).Conclusion: Using IVIG is not beneficial for COVID-19 patients based on no remarkable differences in duration of hospitalization, ICU length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and even mortality rate.
Retrospective Analysis of PSMA PET/CT Thyroid Incidental Uptake in Adults: Incidence, Diagnosis and Treatment/outcome in a Tertiary Cancer Referral Center and an Academic Hospital
Authors: Piek Marceline W , de Vries Lisa H. , Donswijk Maarten , de Keizer Bart , de Boer Jan Paul , Lodewijk Lutske , Leeuwaarde Rachel S. van , Vriens Menno R. , Hartemink Koen J. , Ploeg Iris M.C. van der
Published: September 2021

Purpose A prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) thyroid incidentaloma (PTI) is an unexpected, PSMA-avid thyroid lesion, newly detected during the investigation of an unrelated condition using PSMA PET/CT. The aim of this study is to examine the incidence and clinical significance of PTI and the associated management strategies since the implementation of the PSMA PET/CT scan. Methods This study involves a retrospective cohort study of 61 PTI cases depicted on PSMA PET/CT scans performed between January 2016 and July 2021, almost exclusively for (re)staging prostate cancer. The medical records of the included cases were retrospectively reviewed and data of the PSMA PET/CT scans, primary malignancy, thyroid diagnostics, treatment and follow-up were collected. Results PTI was reported in 1.1% of the oncologic PSMA PET/CT scans included in this study. Two PTI cases had a histologically proven thyroid cancer, one a benign thyroid lesion and one a metastasis of a renal cell carcinoma. In none of the cases in whom any form of further thyroid work-up was withheld, the PTI became clinically relevant during follow-up (median 1.8 years (1.1-3.3)). Six patients (10%) died due to their primary cancer.Conclusion The incidence of thyroid incidentalomas on PSMA PET/CT was low (1.1%) in this large, two-center experience. Less than half of the PTI cases were analyzed and the risk of malignancy, despite being low, was not negligible. The clinical outcome was good using a standard diagnostic work-up for PTI, while the prognosis of the patient was determined by the primary malignancy. The consideration to analyze and treat PTI cases should be part of the shared decision making in cancer patients.
Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants used by Meinit Ethnic Community at Bench-Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Yimer Abebe , Forsido Sirawdink Fikereyesus , Addis Getachew , Ayelgn Abebe
Published: September 2021

Background

Meinit sociocultural community have a long tradition of using wild edible plants (WEPs) for food, spice, medicine and income generation. These locally collected wild edibles are consumed during food scarcity and as supplement to staple food. WEPs also provide cheaper source of dietary energy, vitamins and micronutrients for rural subsistence farmers. However, the utilization and management of WEPs have been declining due to dietary shift, climatic and anthropogenic factors. Despite the rich botanical diversity and ample traditional knowledge on the use of WEPs by the Meinit sociocultural community, the ethnobotanical documentation of WEPs is very scant. Therefore, the study aimed to record an ethnobotanical investigation of WEPs used by the Meinit sociocultural community.
Methods

Focused group discussion(FGD), key informants’(KI) interview using semi-structured interview questions, guided field walk, preference ranking and pairwise comparisons were applied during ethnobotanical study of WEPs. Descriptive statistics were used for data analyses.
Results

A total of 66 WEPs species from 34 families were recorded. Asteraceae (seven species) contributed to the highest number of species followed by Fabaceae (six species), Amaranthaceae and Moraceae (five species each); among which 28 species were herbs ,14 were shrubs, 13 were climbers and 11 were trees. The WEPs are gathered from farm, fallow land, woodland, grassland and forest. The WEPs were consumed as raw, boiled, stewed, baked and local beverage. Boiling was frequently used in traditional cooking practice for leafy vegetables, roots and tubers. Soup or local dish prepared from wild edible vegetables and accompanied with porridge or flatten bread is relished by the community.
Conclusion

The study districts have rich resource of WEPs and untapped traditional knowledge associated with the use of these plants for food, medicine and income generation. However, the availability of the WEPs and their traditional knowledge have been declining from time to time.
RF/Analog and Linearity Performance Evaluation of Lattice-Matched ultra-thin AlGaN/GaN Gate Recessed MOSHEMT with Silicon Substrate
Authors: Khan Abdul Naim , JENA KANJALOCHAN , Routray Soumya Ranjan , Chatterjee Gaurav
Published: September 2021

In this article, the Authors have demonstrated and analyzed various analog/RF and linearity performance of a AlGaN/GaN gate recessed MOSHEMT (GR-MOSHEMT) grown on a Si substrate with mathematical modeling based TCAD simulation. Specifically, a Al2O3 dielectric GR-MOSHEMT has shown tremendous potential in terms of AC/DC figure of merits (FOM’s) such as low leakage current, high transconductance, high Ion/Ioff current ratio and excellent linear properties corresponding to conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMT and MOSHEMT. The figure-of-merit metrics such as VIP2, VIP3, IIP3 and IDM3 are performed for different drain to source voltages (VDS) of 2.5V, 5V and 10V. All the modeling and simulation results are generated by Commercial Silvaco TCAD and found to be satisfactory in terms of high frequency and power applications. The present GR-MOSHEMT device shows a superior performance with a threshold voltage of 0.5V, Current density of 888 mA, high transconductance of 225 mS/mm and high unit gain cut-off frequency of 0.91GHz. The results of the developed AlGaN/GaN GR-MOSHEMT considerably improves the device performance and also suitable for high power distortion less RF applications.
An Adaptive Genetic Algorithm-based Background Elimination Model for English Text
Authors: Xiaohui Tang
Published: September 2021

In this paper, an adaptive genetic algorithm is used to conduct an in-depth study and analysis of English text background elimination, and a corresponding model is designed. The curve results after the initial character editorialization are curved and transformed, and the adaptive genetic algorithm is used for the transformation to solve the influence of multiple inflection points of curve images on feature extraction. Then, using the minimum deviation method, the error values of the input characters and the sample set in the spatial coordinate system are calculated, and the deviation values of the angle and the straight line are used to match the characters with the smallest deviation value to match the highest degree. A genetic algorithm is introduced to iterate the feature sets of angles and line segments, and the optimal features are finally derived in the process of cross evolution of generations to improve the recognition accuracy. And the character library is used as input items for average grouping for experiments, and the obtained feature sets are put into the position matrix and compared with the samples in the database one by one. It is found that the improved stroke-structure feature extraction algorithm based on a genetic algorithm can improve the recognition accuracy and better accomplish the recognition task with better results compared to others. Finally, by analyzing the limitations and characteristics of traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm and differential evolution algorithm, and giving full play to the advantages and applicability of different algorithms, a new differential evolution particle swarm algorithm with better performance and more stable performance is proposed. The algorithm is based on the PSO algorithm, and when the population update of the PSO algorithm is stagnant and the search space is limited, the crossover and mutation operations of the DE algorithm are used to perturb the population, increase the diversity of the population, and improve the global optimization ability of the algorithm. The algorithm is tested on a common dataset for text mining to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the algorithm.
Safe and Responsible Internet Use in a Connected World: Promoting Cyber-Wellness
Authors: Lewin Cathy , Niederhauser Dale , Johnson Quinn , Saito Toshinori , Sakamoto Akira , Sherman Roger
Published: September 2021

Cyber-wellness concerns positive wellbeing in online spaces, including awareness of how to behave appropriately and protect oneself. We explain and illustrate the complex nature of cyber-wellness, focusing on four key aspects. Firstly, developing students’ information and media literacy skills is essential for promoting cyber-wellbeing. Such skills are also required for supporting democratic participation. Secondly, we identify and discuss the threats and challenges to young people’s cyber-wellbeing, arguing for the need to develop digital resilience. Thirdly, we discuss the role of policy at macro, meso and micro levels and how policy and educational practitioners can promote cyber-wellness awareness, knowledge and strategies. Finally we review the limited scholarship on cyber-wellness education and highlight the need to address this gap in the future. We conclude the article with consideration of the issues faced and opportunities for overcoming these. It is imperative that further work is undertaken on the conceptualisation of cyber-wellness and that concensus is developed. There are issues relating to the continual rapid developments of techologies and their uses; it is important to develop a shared understanding of the mutual relationship between technology and humans. Finally, there is a lack of guidance and good practice exemplars for cyber-wellness education.
PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF ALGAL BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
Authors: Reis Marcello , Marciano Martinez Maria Elisa , Guimarães Vasconcellos Alexandre
Published: September 2021

This article aims to carry out an initial patent mapping of algal biodiesel. The production of algal biodiesel is one of the forms of third generation biodiesel; it is an environmentally friendly alternative energy whose main advantage is that it does not compete with food, as the algal biodiesel is produced from synthesized lipids by algae in growth using sunlight. The methodology used was the patent mapping by activity having as search criteria: the Espacenet database (“worldwide”); and, the keyword: biodiesel and algae and algal biodiesel. It was observed that about 80% of the family of patent documents referring to this technology were applied between 2007 and 2016 and that these documents were published mainly in China (34% of patent documents), followed by the United States (25% of patent documents) and thirdly, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WO), that is, the PCT's international patent application, which indicates an interest in protection in several countries (15% of patent documents). Concluding that China and the United States are the countries that invest the most in the development and protection of technologies related to the production of algal biodiesel, however, the interest in protection goes beyond these countries, since the interest in alternative energies is worldwide.
Free fermion entanglement with a semitransparent interface: the effect of graybody factors on entanglement islands
Authors: Kruthoff Jorrit , Mahajan Raghu , Murdia Chitraang
Published: September 2021

We study the entanglement entropy of free fermions in 2d in the
presence of a partially transmitting interface that splits Minkowski
space into two half-spaces. We focus on the case of a single interval
that straddles the defect, and compute its entanglement entropy in three
limits: Perturbing away from the fully transmitting and fully reflecting
cases, and perturbing in the amount of asymmetry of the interval about
the defect. Using these results within the setup of the Poincaré
patch of AdS_22
statically coupled to a zero temperature flat space bath, we calculate
the effect of a partially transmitting AdS_22
boundary on the location of the entanglement island region. The
partially transmitting boundary is a toy model for black hole graybody
factors. Our results indicate that the entanglement island region
behaves in a monotonic fashion as a function of the
transmission/reflection coefficient at the interface.
A nemzetközi vándorlás fogalma és mérése a hazai hivatalos statisztikában
Authors: Csányi Zoltán , Ligeti Anna Sára , Novák János , Urbán Ferenc , Zöldi László
Published: September 2021

A nemzetközi vándorlásra vonatkozó statisztikai adatok jelentős része, így az egyes országok statisztikai hivatalai és a nemzetközi szervezetek által közölt vándorlási statisztikák is úgynevezett hivatalos statisztikai adatok, amelyek előállítása jogszabályokhoz kötődik. Bár az adatok széles körben elérhetőek, a felhasználóik zömét a közpolitikai döntéshozók, a tudományos élet képviselői és a médiában dolgozók alkotják, kevés szó esik arról, hogy pontosan mit is tartalmaznak ezek az adatok, milyen módon állítják őket elő, és milyen korlátai vannak a felhasználásuknak. Jelen módszertani ismertetőnek az a célja, hogy ezeket a kérdéseket a magyarországi adatokra vonatkozóan tisztázza. A nemzetközi vándorlás statisztikai fogalmával kapcsolatban kitérünk arra is, hogy a különböző definíciók hogyan illeszkednek a népességstatisztikába, kiket tekintünk ki- és bevándorlónak, milyen szerepet játszik a migráció mérésében az állampolgárság és a születési ország, és hogy mi a különbség a folyamat- és az állapotmutatók között. Sor kerül az adatforrások részletes bemutatására, valamint kitérünk a hivatalos vándorlásstatisztika előállításának nehézségeire és kihívásaira is.
Soil moisture data using citizen science technology cross-validated by satellite data
Authors: Karamouz Mohammad , Ebrahimi Elham , Ghomlaghi Arash
Published: September 2021

Soil moisture represents many attributes of the geo-hydrological cycle and the climate system. Citizen science through social media as an emerging tool could be utilized to collect soil moisture data. A pilot study area was selected in Shahriar, Iran. A user interface and a sampling process (use of citizen science by subscribers) were designed to analyze the subjective and gravimetric soil moisture data. Furthermore, explanatory moisture condition (EMC), a new initiative to consider land use in soil moisture information from vegetation cover, was evaluated. A statistical artificial neural network was used for quantifying subjective data, and soil moisture layouts were produced by utilizing the ordinary kriging (OK) method. For cross-validating, the land surface temperature data from the MODIS satellite were retrieved. A platform for the region with 200 m grids resolution to collect daily soil moisture at eight ungauged stations is proposed to utilize subjective data from the subscribers and cross-validated with satellite data. A virtual station at the centroid of the pervious part of the study area was selected as a reference station for data collection daily or weekly to generate soil moisture time series. The results showed a high potential of utilizing satellite and citizen science data for real-time estimation of scarce soil moisture data in developing regions.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare centres: appraisal in a pandemic
Authors: Odjegba Enovwo E. , Bankole Abayomi O. , Layi-Adigun Barakat O. , Dada Victoria O.
Published: September 2021

Assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and water source quality in parts of Southwestern Nigeria was conducted. Sixty-one PHCs in urban and rural areas were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. A WASH profile of the PHCs was conducted based on the water source type, type of toilet facilities, and handwashing practice using the Joint Monitoring Programme service ladder for monitoring WASH services in healthcare facilities. Water sources were tested for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, chloride, nitrate, and E. coli. Boreholes and hand-dug wells are the most prevalent water source type, and flush toilets and pit latrines are the major types of toilet facilities used. All but two PHCs engaged in handwashing practices. Water quality analysis results showed that chloride, nitrate, and turbidity were within the WHO drinking-water standards. Poor water quality and sanitation practices could expose health staff and patients to healthcare-associated infections. The study recommends the construction of safe, secure and accessible water sources and toilet facilities, provision of water treatment facilities, and the training of staff and patients on the significance of handwashing practices.
Evaluating the biological efficacy of a ballast water management system using filtration and electro-catalysis with an accurate definition of holding time
Authors: Wu Huixian , Cheng Fangping , Wang Qiong , Chen Yan , Yuan Lin
Published: September 2021

We employed a mesoscale experimental system and enriched natural plankton communities to investigate the efficacy of a type of ballast-water management system (BWMS) that uses a combination of filtration and electro-catalysis as the treatment technology. The water samples were collected immediately after treatment and at discharge to measure the biological efficiency of this BWMS. The main hydro chemical parameters, the TRO concentration and the plankton species composition before and after the ballast treatment process, were measured. After treatment, the concentration of TRO remained at a high level of 1.690 ± 0.573 (SD) mg/L. The biological efficacy of ballast water after treatment at holding times of 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, and 50 min were measured. Holding time significantly impacted the biological efficacy. The discharged, treated water satisfied the D-2 standard of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after 50 minutes of holding time.
Use of the terms “estimate” and “definition” in dependability-related standards
Authors: Zelentsov B. P.
Published: September 2021

The paper aims to improve the terminology used in dependability-related state standards. Examples are given of the use of the terms “estimate” and “definition” in the “Risk management” and “Dependability in technics” series of state standards. The meanings of those terms were clarified based on the existing regulatory documents. Requirements for the integrity of the used terms were defined. Wordings were proposed for the term definitions that feature the words “estimate” and “definition”. Aim. To examine and discuss the common, but not sufficiently substantiated terms “estimate” and “definition” used in state standards, i.e., to consider the legitimacy of their application as part of the above series of state standards. Proposals as to the improvement of such terms’ application were also set forth. Methods. Examples are given of the use of the terms “estimate” and “definition” in state standards. Based on the existing state standards, the actual meanings of the considered terms were clarified: “definition” refers to the way a term is defined, while “estimate” and “estimation” are closely associated with mathematical statistics. The requirements for the integrity of the used terminology are defined and come down to it being unambiguous, consistent within itself and across the relevant state standards. In this context, the shortcomings of the examined terms are shown that are associated with the above requirements, i.e., the meaning, content, essence and key features of such terms are clearly defined. Any comments or references to other regulatory documents are missing as well. Results. In most standards, in the “Terms and definitions” section, the concept of “definition” is used correctly, i.e., terms are defined. However, in other cases, the concept of “definition” is used in a different sense, as nothing is actually being defined. Based on the term integrity requirements and in light of the above shortcomings, proposed replacements for the terms in question were defined. In most cases, instead of the terms “estimate” and “definition”, it is proposed to use the terms “calculation” and “computation”, as well as their cognates, “calculate”, “compute”. It should be noted that along the state standards, theseterms are used in technical documentation, science papers, monographs and textbooks. Conclusions. The use of the examined terms in some standards lacks integrity. The requirements of the standardization recommendations are not observed, the terms are not unambiguous and consistent with other standards. Based on these requirements, the paper proposes improved ways of using the terms “estimate” and “definition”. The suggested terms should be considered as a tentative proposal. Final definitions and/or replacements of these terms are to be developed through extensive discussion and compromise.
Better Performance with Transformer: CPPFormer in the Precise
Prediction of Cell-penetrating Peptides
Authors: Xue Yuyang , Ye Xiucai , Wei Lesong , Zhang Xin , Sakurai Tetsuya , Wei Leyi
Published: September 2021

:

Owing to its superior performance, the Transformer model, based on the 'Encoder-
Decoder' paradigm, has become the mainstream model in natural language processing.
However, bioinformatics has embraced machine learning and has led to remarkable progress
in drug design and protein property prediction. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a type
of permeable protein that is a convenient 'postman' in drug penetration tasks. However, only
a few CPPs have been discovered, limiting their practical applications in drug permeability.
CPPs have led to a new approach that enables the uptake of only macromolecules into cells
(i.e., without other potentially harmful materials found in the drug).
Most previous studies have utilized trivial machine learning techniques and hand-crafted
features to construct a simple classifier. CPPFormer was constructed by implementing the
attention structure of the Transformer, rebuilding the network based on the characteristics
of CPPs according to their short length, and using an automatic feature extractor with a
few manually engineered features to co-direct the predicted results. Compared to all previous
methods and other classic text classification models, the empirical results show that
our proposed deep model-based method achieves the best performance, with an accuracy
of 92.16% in the CPP924 dataset, and passes various index tests.
Therapeutic Targets for Phenolic Compounds from Agro-industrial
By-products against Obesity
Authors: de la Luz Cádiz-Gurrea María , Fernández-Ochoa Álvaro , del Carmen Villegas-Aguilar María , Arráez-Román David , Segura-Carretero Antonio
Published: September 2021

Background:

Obesity is considered a global epidemic. This disorder is associated
with several health effects, such as metabolic disturbances that need both prevention
and treatment actions. In this sense, bioactive secondary metabolites can be obtained
from cheap sources such as agro-industrial waste, providing a sustainable alternative
against obesity. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds present a common
chemical structure core with different substitutions that provide them with biological
properties such as antioxidant, inflammatory, and anti-aging capacities.

Objective:

The aim of this review is to compile anti-obesity therapeutic targets for phenolic compounds
from agro-industrial by-products.

Method:

Scientific information has been obtained
from different databases, such as Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar, in order to
select the available full-text studies conducted in the last few years. Results

Results:

This review shows that peel, seed, pomace and other byproducts from agro-industry have different effects inhibiting enzymes related to lipid or glucose metabolism and modulating biomarkers, genes and gut microbiota in animal models.

Conclusion:

Revalorizing actions of
agro-industrial byproducts in the prevention or treatment of obesity or associated disorders
can be considered to develop new high value products that act on lipid, glucose and
energy metabolisms, oxidative stress, inflammation, adipose tissue or gut microbiota.
However, further human studies are needed in order to establish the optimal administration
parameters.
Peptide Based Therapy for Neurological Disorders
Authors: Yadav Asmita , Pandey Damini , Ashraf Ghulam Md. , Rachana
Published: September 2021

:

Peptides are small molecules composed of amino acids linked together by peptide
bonds. The targeted action of these peptides along with their magnificent ability to reach locations
in the body that are complicated to access, is being considered of tremendous potential in disease
modifying therapies. Synthetic as well as natural peptides like Carnosine are currently under research
for the treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders (NDDs). Peptide based vaccines are currently
under immense research for diseases like dementia. Toxicity of peptide-based drugs towards
eukaryotic cells due to their increased haemolytic activity is of major concern and this is being
tackled by introducing modifications into the peptide structure. Some crucial peptide inhibitors
currently in use for neurodegenerative disorders include Aβ (16-20) KLVFF for Alzheimer’s disease,
NAPVSIPQ (NAP) for Parkinson’s disease, towards eukaryotic cells Vasoactive Intestinal
Peptides (VIP) for Huntington’s disease, Polyglutamine Binding Peptide-1(QBP1) for Dentatorubral-
pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). Certain peptides are involved in inhibition of Mitochondrial
Permeability Transition (MPT) that plays a prominent part in the materialization of neurodegenerative
diseases, one such example of peptides being Ba-V which is obtained from Bothrops atrox
snake venom. New therapeutic peptides are being identified using bioinformatics tools like High
Throughput Screening (HTS). These tools are being used to explore the selectivity, stability, extent
of immune response and toxic side effects of peptides. Apart from neurodegenerative diseases, the
potential of bioactive peptides is also being tested against cancer, diabetes and microbes. This review
focuses on the recent advances in peptide therapeutics and novel peptides discovered for the
treatment of NDs.