bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Adolescents’ Perspectives on and Experiences with Post-primary School-based Suicide Prevention: A Meta-Ethnography Protocol
Authors: Walsh Eibhlin Helen , Herring Matthew P. , McMahon Jennifer
Published: June 2022

BackgroundGlobally, suicide is the fourth leading cause of adolescent mortality. Although post-primary school-based suicide prevention (PSSP) interventions are an evidence-based strategy for targeting adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs), PSSP effectiveness does not easily translate to school settings. Although adolescents’ perspectives on PSSP are particularly important for: (1) intervention effectiveness and implementation in both research and practice, (2) addressing PSSP evidence-practice gaps, and (3) enhancing meaningful adolescent involvement in PSSP, there is gap in understanding adolescents’ experiences of engaging with PSSP. As such, this protocol outlines a meta-ethnography which will explore and synthesise adolescents’ perspectives on engaging with PSSP interventions, as participants/end-users, intervention advisors, facilitators, and co-designers and co-researchers.MethodsThe meta-ethnography protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The meta-ethnography study design was guided by Noblit and Hares’ (1988) seven stage process for meta-ethnography. Searches of PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, ERIC, Scopus and study reference lists will identify peer-reviewed studies. Grey literature will be identified by searches in ProQuest, British Library EThOS, and DART-Europe E-theses Portal. The main reviewer will initially assess the eligibility of studies based on title and abstract, with full texts reviewed by at least two reviewers. Findings of the included studies will be synthesised in line with Noblit and Hare’s stages and evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first proposed meta-ethnography to explore and integrate the findings of qualitative studies exploring adolescents’ perspectives on engaging with PSSP interventions. Understanding adolescents’ experiences of engaging with PSSP will impact the field of PSSP in several ways by: (1) enhancing research processes and intervention effectiveness and implementation, (2) informing decision-making and policymaking relevant to practice, (3) guiding meaningful adolescent involvement in PSSP, and (4) contributing to knowledge on the safety implications of engaging adolescents in PSSP. Finally, it is expected that the insights from this meta-ethnography will be widely applicable, given the growing demand for meaningful youth involvement in health-related fields. Registration This protocol is under submission with PROSPERO for preregistration.
Deformity Removal from Handwritten Text Documents using Variable Cycle GAN
Authors: Nigam Shivangi , Behera Adarsh Prasad , Verma Shekhar , Nagabhushan P
Published: June 2022

Text document recognition systems perform well in the case of printed documents but fails to produce similar results for handwritten text documents. The significant challenges include different writing styles, various background complexities, added noise of image acquisition methods, and the presence of deformed text images such as strike-offs and underlines. Any deformity can be posed as a change in structural information, resulting in intensity variations of the original text. The restoration of deformed images aims to recover clean images while maintaining the structural information and preserving the semantic dependencies of the local pixels. The current adversarial networks are unable to preserve the structural and semantic dependencies as they consider each individual pixel-to-pixel variations and encourage the perceptually non-meaningful aspects of the images. We propose a Variable Cycle Generative adversarial network (VCGAN) to consider the perceptual quality of the images in the learning objective which is based on the variable content loss to preserve the dependencies. We propose a Top-k Variable Loss (TV-k) to compute the similarity of images by accounting the intensity variations that do not interfere with image semantic structures. The results show that VCGAN is able to remove most of the deformities with an elevated F1 score of 97.40%. We also tested the images generated by VCGAN with a handwritten text recognition system. VCGAN outperforms the current state of the art algorithms with a character error rate of 7.64% and word accuracy of 81.53%.
Use of the MLST technique to describe the allelic profile of Treponema pallidum in CSF samples: a systematic review
Authors: Rangel Isabelle , Azevedo Beatriz Pereira , Lopes Marcia Quinhones , Rodrigues Mariana Munhoz , Carvalho Ricardo Souza , Ferry Fernando Raphael Almeida
Published: June 2022

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that has recently become a serious public health problem in Brazil. At the same time, the World Health Organization estimates that among 56 million individuals are infected with syphilis. Multilocus Sequence Typing consists of a high resolution molecular typing technique that is based on the amplification and sequencing of fragments of conserved genes called housekeeping (loci). The technique was recently developed and used for the study of syphilis, but there are few studies related to neurosyphilis (NS), a nosological entity with greater severity and morbidity. For Tp typing, three genes are identified: TP0136, TP0548 and TP0705. This systematic review aimed to analyze original studies that addressed the MLST technique, describing the allelic profile and discrimination of Tp clades present in each population and its relationship with clinical-epidemiological aspects, especially in neurosyphilis, through a bibliographic survey in databases with the following DECS: MLST, Multilocus Sequence Typing and Treponema pallidum. As a result, 57 articles were found, of which only 7 were selected for full reading. After reading the selected articles, only two reported CSF analysis. It is concluded that the determination of the allelic profile through MLST is a high resolution genotyping tool that allows the distinction of subspecies and species of Treponema pallidum, and can be used for differentiation of strains within each phylogenetic tree of these microorganisms. The mutation most associated with macrolide resistance is A2058G, which is commonly found in Clade SS14-like samples, in addition, the most studied gene to assess macrolide resistance is 23s rRNA. The MLST technique presents a great perspective for the deepening of questions related to the study of different strains of Tp, especially the characterization of neurotropic strains that cause NS, antibiotic resistance, phylogeny and geographic distribution.
Nation-wide mapping of tree level carbon stocks in Rwanda
Authors: Mugabowindekwe Maurice , Brandt Martin , Chave Jerome , Reiner Florian , Skole David , Kariryaa Ankit , Igel Christian , Hiernaux Pierre , Ciais Philippe , Mertz Ole , Tong Xiaoye , Li Sizhuo , Rwanyiziri Gaspard , Dushimiyimana Thaulin , Ndoli Alain , Uwizeyimana Valens , Lillesø Jens-Peter , Gieseke Fabian , Tucker Compton , Saatchi Sassan S , Fensholt Rasmus
Published: June 2022

Trees sustain livelihoods and mitigate climate change, but a predominance of trees outside forests and limited resources make it difficult for many developing countries to conduct frequent nation-wide inventories. Here, we propose a rapid and accurate approach to map the carbon stock of each individual tree and shrub at the national scale of Rwanda using aerial imagery and deep learning. We show that 72% of the mapped trees are located in farmlands and savannas, and 15% in plantations. These non-forest trees account for 41% of the national carbon stocks. Natural forests cover 5% of the country and 11% of the total tree count, but comprise 59% of the national carbon stocks. The mapping of all trees facilitates any landscape stratification and is urgently needed for effective planning and monitoring of landscape restoration activities as well as for optimization of carbon sequestration, biodiversity and economic benefits of trees.
Clostridium myonecrosis, a rare and underdiagnosed condition in the elderly: a case with severe skipping lesions and an overview of treatment guidelines
Authors: Asbroeck Ellen Van , Vasileiadou Ourania , De Laere Sylvie , Hedent Eddy Van , Devue Katleen
Published: June 2022

An unusual, by the severe skipping lesions spread in the body, and severe case of spontaneous Clostridial myonecrosis in an elderly patient is presented. Diagnosis is confirmed by the combination of imaging and postmortem available blood cultures. Reviewing case reports in the literature over the last decade, an under representation in the cohort of elderly patients (≥ 85 years) is seen. However this age group, with demographic change worldwide more frequently visits emergency departments. It is likely that spontaneous Clostridium myonecrosis is underdiagnosed in these elderly patients. Reporting this case aims to increase awareness of emergency physicians to recognize the disease as well as to provide a treatment guideline, in order to provide better care and outcome.
Infosphere Is Reshaping How the Internet of Things Leads Smart Campuses for Knowledge Management
Authors: ibrahem usama mohamed , Alblaihed Munthir , Altamimi Ahmed , Alqirnas Hind , Salem magdy
Published: June 2022

The article gauges Saudi universities’ readiness to integrate the Internet of things (IoT) in Knowledge Management (KM) and identifies the challenges relating to its use. A descriptive-analytical approach was used to discuss the concepts, development, and general structure that characterize the IoT and its related challenges and to find ways to address them. This study used a three-axis questionnaire, which was applied to 275 faculty members and information technology officials in Saudi universities. The results revealed that a strategy related to the development of infrastructure and the provision of equipment and applications to deal with and analyze big data is needed, besides the conviction of the faculty and specialists in its potential in developing the teaching and learning environment in universities and providing unique research by interlinking the network of laboratories and research and training laboratories. The results also revealed that its effects on the university learning environment are gender, rank, and experience agonistic. Finally, 11 main criteria and 44 sub-applications were reached to manage the smart campus's information generated by IoT.
Does fiscal capacity and governance matter in finance-growth nexus? Evidence from high and middle-income countries
Authors: Singh Bhanu Pratap , Neog Yadawananda
Published: June 2022

The current study investigates the role of fiscal capacity and governance in the finance-growth nexus in a large sample of high and middle-income countries from 2002 to 2017. The panel fixed effect regressions are applied to estimate finance's linear and threshold effects on economic growth. Estimation results based on threshold regression confirm that the too-much-finance-is-bad hypothesis is not valid in high-income countries. In contrast, the tipping point beyond which finance negatively affects economic growth is found in middle-income countries. Furthermore, complementarity between bank and market finance is only found in high-income countries. In addition, the level of economic development, trade openness, and human capital significantly affect the finance-growth nexus. Finally, fiscal capacity and governance are found vital in determining the finance-growth nexus, but its effect varies with the level of economic development.
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth – Case Study of See Countries
Authors: Shkodra Jehona , Ahmeti Njomza , Krasniqi Arjeta
Published: June 2022

The main focus of this study is foreign direct investment (FDI), which (through its direct and indirect contributions) can serve as the main driving force behind enterprise restructuring in particular and the economic restructuring of countries in general. The study will examine countries in Southeastern Europe (SEE) — Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — during the period 2005–2020. The techniques used to analyse the data include the regression model, the DW test, and (for multicollinearity between the variables) the VIF test. The study finds a positive and significant relationship between economic growth and FDI flow in some countries. In Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, such investment does not have a positive impact on economic growth.
Protective Effects of Vaccinium Uliginosum Extracts on Rat Retina Against Microwave- induced Damage
Authors: Yin Lan , Fan Si-jun
Published: June 2022

Objective
To study the protective effect of Vaccinium Uliginosum (VU) extracts on rat retina against microwave radiation induced injury.
Methods
The rats were randomized into 3 groups (12 in each) and treated as follows: group 1: no irradiation; group 2: irradiation without administration; group 3: irradiation with administration in advance. After administration to group 3 with VU extracts for 1 week, group 2 and 3 were irradiated. 24 hours later, all the rats were recorded with electroretinography (ERG). Half of each group were performed with pathological examination, and the rest were performed with biochemical detection [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)].
Results
1.Compared with group 2, both of group 1 and group 3 showed a significant increase in a-wave ERG amplitudes in scotopic and photopic conditions, and the b-wave amplitude of group 3 was significantly higher than group 2 but lower than group 1 in photopic condition. 2. The thickness of outer nuclear layer (ONL) in group 2 was thicker than group 1 and group 3; The cell density of inner nuclear layer (INL) and the ganglion cells layer (GCL) both showed that group 3 was more than group 2 but less than group 1. 3. The SOD activitiy in group 2 was lower than group 1 and 3. The GPx activitiy in group 3 was lower than group 1, but higher than group 2.
Conclusions
VU extracts can protect rat retina against microwave-induced damage. And these results may provide a base for exploring the possible preventive and therapeutic measures.
Determinants of low fifth minute Apgar score among newborns delivered by cesarean section at Wolaita Sodo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia: an unmatched case control study
Authors: Obsa Mohammed , Ajibo Bahiru Darma , Wolka Eskinder , Aseffa Andualem , Adem Abdi Oumer , Nugusse Mitiku Ayele , Mamo Mebratu , Temesgen Ashagrie sintayehu , Debalke Getachew
Published: June 2022

Background
Apgar score is a practical method of systemically assessing newborn baby immediately after birth to identify those requiring resuscitation and to predict survival in neonatal period. This study was aimed to identify determinant of low fifth minute Apgar score among newborns delivered by Cesarean section.
Methods
An unmatched case control study design was conducted. Cases were newborns with Apgar score of < 7; controls were newborns with an Apgar score of > = 7. The study participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data was entered into Epi data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS software version 24. Multivariable logistic regression to identify the independent effect of different factors at P < 0.05.
Result
In this study, factors associated with low Apgar score (LAS) were fetal birth weight < 2.5kg [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 8.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 ‒ 64.59] p = 0.046, skin incision to delivery time (AOR = 5.27; 95% CI: 2.20 ‒ 12.60) p = 0.001, Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) (AOR = 4.58, 95% CI: 1.75 ‒ 11.92) p = 0.002, antepartum hemorrhage (APH) (AOR = 3.96; 95% CI: 1.75 ‒ 8.94) 0.001, type of anesthesia (AOR = 3.37, 95% CI: 1.72 ‒ 6.62) p = 0.001, meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) (AOR = 3.07, 95% CI: 1.32 ‒ 7.12) p = 0.009 and type of cesarean section (CS) (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.13 ‒ 4.15) p = 0.019.
Conclusions
Fetal birth weight < 2.5kg, skin incision to delivery time, PIH, APH, type of anesthesia, MSAF and type of CS were independently associated with LAS. Therefore, it was strongly recommended that working on identified risk factors were paramount to improve then neonatal outcomes.
Episodic Magma Hammers in the Recent Cataclysmic Eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
Authors: Zheng Yingcai , Hu Hao , Spera Frank , Scruggs Melissa , Thompson Glenn , jin Yuesu , Lapen Thomas , McNutt Stephen , Mandli Kyle , Peng Zhigang , Yuen Dave
Published: June 2022

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption is arguably the most explosive since Krakatoa erupted in 1883. Understanding how magma dynamics are regulated by volcanic plumbing systems on timescales of seconds to minutes remains challenging. Here we identify four similar seismic subevents within a 5-minute interval during the intensifying early eruptive phase. Each subevent is similar in waveform and duration and is characterized by a sequence of four stages, A-D. Initial stage A is marked by an unusual negative P-wave polarity which is best explained by an upward, single-force mechanism at the volcano created by a magma hammer related to a transiently closed or blocked conduit. Renewed high mass flow in the second stage (B) produced a single force down at the volcano which was followed by reverberations that represent stages C and D and recovery to the initial state. This episodic magma hammer model, which is consistent with thermodynamic properties of the multiphase magmatic mixture, yields an estimate of magma mass flow in the conduit that is remarkably consistent with discharge into the atmosphere estimated from satellite imagery of plume heights.
Cell-Imaging Studies of Highly Substituted Oxazole Derivatives as Organelle Targeting Fluorophores (OTFPs)
Authors: Adhikary Saswati , Mukherjee Kaustuv , Banerji Biswadip
Published: June 2022

The field of biomedical science had progressed enormously in the past decade. With the advent of newer diagnostic tools for imaging, detection and identification root cause of a disease has become remarkably accurate and specific. Small organic fluorophores in these connections are in great demand currently for cellular organelle sensing and detecting, due to their non-invasiveness, excellent accuracy and bio-sensitivity. Small molecule fluorescence probes offer most potent area for biological sensing with diagnostic imaging ability in the laboratory, these organelle targetable fluorescent probes (OTFPs) can be tuned through synthetic manipulations to produce desired, decent fluorescence properties. When a suitable organelle specific targetable group is installed within these highly fluorescent scaffolds, then these molecules may act as lysotracker, mitotracker and cytoplasm-stainer in mammalian cells with high efficiencies (high Pearson co-efficient factors). The present work demonstrated an environmentally benign (green) one-pot, C (sp3) − H functionalization of highly substituted oxazole derivatives with excellent photophysical properties. These molecules were further modified by installing organelle specific targetable groups (sensors/detectors) which selectively localize in specific intra-cellular organelles.
Exploring computational techniques for simulating residual stresses for thin wall multi-joint hexagon configurations for a laser directed energy deposition process
Authors: Mohajernia Bita , Urbanic Jill
Published: June 2022

Laser cladding is a directed energy deposition process, and can lead to high residual stresses, which can compromise the quality of the specimen. As a result, it is crucial to accurately predict and investigate the residual stress distribution in cladded parts and understand the mechanism of formation. In this study a thermo-mechanical metallurgical simulation model of the laser cladding process was developed for three different path strategies with respect to the deposition sequence and direction for a single layer, thin wall hexagon with inner junctions to investigate the formation of residual stress. The study was extended to a five layer scenario. A comparison of two types of computational techniques, the detailed transient approach and the imposed thermal cycle approach, was performed. Consistent results were observed when comparing the resultant stress patterns. Subsequently, the imposed thermal cycle method was applied for the five layer models. A preheat scenario is explored. This reduced the computational cost to great extent, but the stress patterns were not similar. The differences between the implemented computational techniques are described as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. Knowledge obtained from these case studies provides a foundation for efficient and rapid optimization of laser cladding processes, with the aim of minimizing residual stress in both simple and complex laser cladding structures.
Intraspecies characterization of bacteria via evolutionary modeling of protein domains
Authors: Budimir Iva , Giampieri Enrico , Saccenti Edoardo , Diez Maria Suarez , Tarozzi Martina , Dall’Olio Daniele , Merlotti Alessandra , Curti Nico , Remondini Daniel , Castellani Gastone , Sala Claudia
Published: June 2022

The characterization of bacterial communities that colonize a biological ecosystem is crucial for both the monitoring of infections and epidemics and the study of the health of organisms that live in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. This is the case of humans, for which the connection between health and microbiota is now well established. To this aim, a commonly used technique is the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene DNA derived from the sample of interest. This is usually followed by the pairwise comparison of the measured sequences, and by their association to human-made labels through taxonomic classification. Here, we propose a new approach to define the phylogenetic distance between bacteria based on protein domains: the evolving units of proteins. We analyse 3368 bacterial genomes. We derive their protein domain composition and, using an ecological modeling approach in which protein domains are considered as species that populate the genome, we derive a new measurement of phylogenetic distance. We show that our model-based distance is capable of detecting differences between bacteria in cases in which the 16S rRNA-based method fails, providing a possibly complementary approach particularly promising for the analysis of bacterial populations measured by shotgun sequencing.
Towards telediagnostic procedures in child neuropsychiatry: addressing ADHD diagnosis and autism symptoms through supervised machine learning
Authors: Rosi Eleonora , Grazioli Silvia , Crippa Alessandro , Candelieri Antonio , Ceccarelli Silvia Busti , Mauri Maddalena , Manzoni Martina , Mauri Valentina , Trabattoni Sara , Molteni Massimo , Colombo Paola , Nobile Maria
Published: June 2022

Recently there has been an increase in telemedicine applied to child neuropsychiatry, such as the use of online platforms to remotely collect anamnestic and behavioral information. In the present proof-of-concept study, we aimed to understand to what extent information provided by parents and teachers through online questionnaires overlaps with clinicians’ diagnostic conclusions on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Moreover, we intended to explore a possible role played by autism spectrum disorders (ASD) symptoms in this process. We examined parent- and teacher-rated questionnaires collected remotely and an on-site evaluation of intelligence quotients from 342 subjects (18% females), aged 3 to 16 years, referred for suspected ADHD. A machine learning model (decision tree, DT) was built to simulate the clinical process of classifying ADHD/non-ADHD. Differences in ASD symptoms in the DT-identified classes were tested to address their role in performing a diagnostic error using the DT model. The DT identified the decision rules adopted by clinicians to classify ADHD diagnosis and proved accurate in 82% of our subjects. The caregiver-reported ADHD core symptom severity proved the most discriminative information for clinicians during the diagnostic decision process. However, ASD symptoms were a confounding factor when ADHD severity had to be established. Telehealth procedures proved effective in obtaining an automated output regarding a diagnostic risk, reducing the time delay between symptom detection and diagnosis. However, this should not be considered as an alternative to on-site procedures but as automated support for clinical practice, enabling clinicians to allocate more resources to the most complex cases.
The shell structure and chamber production cycle of the cephalopod Spirula (Coleoidea, Decapodiformes)
Authors: Checa Antonio G. , Grenier Christian , Griesshaber Erika , Schmahl Wolfgang W. , Cartwright Julyan H.E. , Salas Carmen , Oudot Morgane
Published: June 2022

The coleoid cephalopod Spirula spirula, the only present-day representative of the coleoid order Spirulida, secretes a coiled shell consisting of a series of chambers divided by septa and connected by a siphuncle. It is the shell closest to those of ectochleate cephalopods: nautiloids, ammonoids. Therefore, its study is crucial in understanding the transformations that took place during the emergence of endocochleates. In this study, we have carried out detailed observations on the different structures composing the Spirula shell, with the aim of reconstructing their morphology, distribution, and mutual relationships. Alongside this, we also review the previous profuse terminology. Taking into account the additional information provided by growth lines and crystal orientations, we propose mechanisms for the secretion of the shell structures. All these mechanisms are integrated in a consistent way into a general model of chamber formation. The periostracum is secreted within a distinct periostracal groove. The outer shell layer is secreted externally to the periostracum by the soft tissues lining the shell externally. The internal shell layer is produced by the shell wall mantle, whereas the septa and the siphuncle are made periodically by a differentiated septal/siphuncular mantle. The most adoral septal mantle edge changes from secreting septal to internal shell wall material to produce the mural flap. The adapical ridge is formed by passive precipitates from cameral fluid residues trapped by surface tension, whereas the fibrous-prismatic deposits of the connecting ring are biominerals produced remotely within mantle secretions.
S3QLRDF: Distributed SPARQL Query Processing Using Apache Spark - A Comparative Performance Study
Authors: Hassan Mahmudul , Bansal Srividya
Published: June 2022

The proliferation of semantic data in the form of RDF (Resource Description Framework) triples demands an efficient, scalable, and distributed storage along with a highly available and fault-tolerant parallel processing strategy. There are three open issues with distributed RDF data management systems that are not well addressed altogether in existing work. First is the querying efficiency, second is that solutions are optimized for certain types of query patterns and don’t necessarily work well for all types, and third is concerned with reducing pre-processing cost. More precisely, the rapid growth of RDF data raises the need for an efficient partitioning strategy over distributed data management systems to improve SPARQL (SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language) query performance regardless of its pattern shape with minimized pre-processing time. In this context, we propose a new relational partitioning schema called Property Table Partitioning (PTP) for RDF data, that further partitions existing Property Table into multiple tables based on distinct properties (comprising of all subjects with non-null values for those distinct properties) in order to minimize input size and number of join operations of a query. This paper proposed a distributed RDF data management system called S3QLRDF, which is built on top of Spark and utilizes SQL to execute SPARQL queries over PTP schema. The experimental analysis with respect to preprocessing costs and query performance, using synthetic and real datasets shows that S3QLRDF outperforms state-of-the-art distributed RDF management systems.
Vitamin D Deficiency With High Parathyroid Hormone Levels Is Related to Late Onset Sepsis Among Preterm Infants
Authors: I Tofe Valera , JL Pérez-Navero , Cañete MD , Caballero-Villarraso J , Villa-Jiménez R , Torre-Aguilar MJ
Published: June 2022

Summary: Preterm infants (PT) are at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency, which relates to the possibility of a higher incidence of comorbidities. Our goal was twofold, 1) to monitor vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) serum levels at three-time points during hospitalization, and 2) to assess the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels and outcome in pretermMethods: We carried out a follow-up on 50 Caucasian preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age (GA) and/or ≤ 1500 g birth weigh PTs at 28 days and at 4 months. They were divided into two subgroups for tests of association with clinical outcomes based on vitamin D deficient infants (25(OH) D cord blood levels: ≤ 20 ng/ml). At an initial stage, 25-OHD levels were determined in maternal/preterm blood samples and were compared with full term delivery infants. Results: There were no differences in 25(OH) D serum levels at birth when comparing PTs to term infants, or regarding maternal levels. A strongly positive correlation was detected between maternal and neonatal 25(OH) D serum levels in term and preterm infants (r: 0.466; p < 0.001). Newborn with vitamin D deficiency did not have higher incidence in comorbidities. However, if we separate preterm babies in two groups based on vitamin D and PTH (group 1: vitamin D<20 ng/mL plus PTH>60 pg/mL and group 2: vitamin D>20 plus PTH<60 pg/mL), the PT in group 1 presented higher incidence of LOS (RR: 2 CI95%: 1.31-3.55). No relationship was observed between MMP-8 serum levels and the incidence of sepsis. Conclusions: This study did not find any evidence of an increase in preterm birth risk related to vitamin D level at birth. Vitamin D deficiency by itself it is not associated to higher incidence in comorbidities. However, the binomial vitamin D-PTH must be taken into consideration.
B-Tor:Anonymous Communication System Based on Consortium Blockchain
Authors: Xu Dawei , Gao Jiaqi , Zhu Liehuang , Gao Feng , Han Yang , Zhao Jian
Published: June 2022

Tor, an anonymous communication system that protects the privacy of individuals, is gaining more and more attention. However, there are some problems with the Tor system, such as: security issues such as vulnerability to de-anonymisation attacks, centralised and poorly scal-able directory servers, bot nodes disrupting the system; social issues such as illegal transactions in the dark web disrupting social security ; performance issues such as high communication latency and low system throughput. To address these issues, a new anonymous communication system, B-Tor, is designed and implemented based on the Tor architecture model and the mainstream consortium blockchain architecture , Fabric, which uses the decentralized feature of blockchain to solve the security problems in Tor. It also provides a solution to the problem of unregulated and illegal transactions in the system. The system meets the needs of users for anonymous communication while reducing the harm caused by the misuse of anonymous communication technology. The experiments show that B-Tor can achieve a decen-tralised structure by reading smart contracts to obtain consensus files, and that it can successfully receive consensus files 790629 times in 1 Springer Nature 2021 L A T E X template Article Title 600s of testing time, with a success rate of 98%, an average through-put of 1312.9TPS and an average latency of 0.1s. The experimental results show that B-Tor has high efficiency, high load and low latency.
Spatiotemporal Analysis for the Effect of Hydraulic Fracturing and Stroke in the United States
Authors: Hu Chuanbo , Liu Bin , Wang Shuo , Zhu Zhenduo , Li Xin
Published: June 2022

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has led to a rapid growth of oil and gas production in the United States, but the impact of fracking on public health is an important but under-researched topic. We design a methodology to study spatio-temporal correlations between the risk of fracking and stroke mortality. An annualized loss expectancy (ALE) model is applied to quantify the risk of fracking. The Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model is used to analyze spatio-temporal correlations of stroke mortality, fracking ALE, and nine other socioeconomic and health-related factors. The analysis shows that ALE from fracking is moderately correlated with stroke mortality at ages over 65 in most states of fracking, in addition to cardiovascular disease and drug overdose being positively correlated with stroke mortality. Furthermore, the correlations between fracking ALE and stroke mortality in men appear to be higher than in women near the Marcellus Shale, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia, while stroke mortality among women is concentrated in the Great Plains, including Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Lastly, within two kilometers of the fracking mining activity, it was found that the level of benzene in the air was significantly correlated with the fracking activity in Colorado.
MTX-PEG modified CG/DMMA polymeric micelles for targeted delivery of doxorubicin to induce synergistic autophagic death against triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Cao Zhiwen , Liu Rui , Li Yang , Luo Xinyi , Hua Zhenglai , Wang Xiangpeng , Xue Zeyu , Zhang Zhengjia , Lu Cheng , Lu Aiping , Liu Yuanyan
Published: June 2022

The chemotherapy of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) based on doxorubicin (DOX) regimens suffer from great challenges on toxicity and autophagy raised off-target. In this study, a conjugate methotrexate-polyethylene glycol (shorten as MTX-PEG) modified CG/DMMA polymeric micelles were prepared to endue DOX tumor selectivity and synergistic autophagic flux interference to reduce systematic toxicity and to improve anti-tumor capacity. The micelles could effectively promote the accumulation of autophagosomes in tumor cells and interfere with the degradation process of autophagic flux, collectively inducing autophagic death of tumor cells. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the micelles could exert improved anti-tumor effect and specificity, as well as reduced accumulation and damage of chemotherapeutic drugs in normal organs. The potential mechanism of synergistic autophagic death exerted by the synthesized micelles in MDA-MB-231 cells have been performed by autophagic flux-related pathway.
MRAP mediated adipocyte differentiation by thymic MSCs contributes to thymic adipose involution
Authors: Chen Wanjun , Wang Dandan , Fan Xiang , Liu Ousheng , Xu Junji , Fan Fudong , Wang Dongjin , Wen Xin , Han Yichen , Zanvit Peter , Park Sang A , Jin Wenwen , Sun Lingyun
Published: June 2022

Adipocyte deposition is believed to be a primary characteristic of age-related thymic involution, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. We show here that thymic mesenchymal stromal cells (tMSCs) are differentiated into adipocytes through melanocortin-2 receptor accessory protein (MRAP). Specifically, we found that in contrast to bone-forming MSCs isolated from dental pulp tissues, tMSCs were more susceptible to differentiate into adipocytes under adipogenic condition, but hardly to differentiate into bone tissues in osteogenic medium. We identified MRAP as a potential factor to drive tMSCs adipogenesis by global RNA-seq analysis and confirmed its key role by knockdown of Mrap in tMSCs in vitro and null mutation of Mrap in mice. The aged Mrap-knockout mice had enhanced thymic size and increased thymic weight with less adipocytes accumulation in the thymus. We further uncovered that thymosin-α1 promoted MRAP expression in tMSCs through FoxO1 signaling pathway. Moreover, tMSCs proportion increased in old mice compared to young mice. Importantly, human thymic MSCs also required MRAP to differentiate into adipocytes in response to thymosin-a1. Thus, we have revealed MRAP as a key factor in promoting thymic MSCs adipogenesis triggered by thymosin- α1 and FoxO1 pathway, which may serve as potential target to hinder adiposity in age- related thymic involution.
Noname manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor)On the Capacity Analysis Performance of ASIC Based Hybrid Full and Half Duplex User Relaying Cooperative NOMA Systems
Authors: Hussain Qaisar
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates the hybrid full duplex (FD) and half duplex (HD) cooperative non orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems with FD user relaying node under residual self interference (RSI). The systems suffer unnecessary user decoding delay due to iterative decoding nature of successive interference cancellation (SIC) technique at user relaying node. An advanced successive interference cancellation (ASIC) technique is proposed in the systems to overcome this problem. The ASIC scheme is implemented in the systems by mapping the received signal into number of subgroups. Then, the conventional SIC technique is applied to each of these subgroups to separate information signals. The proposed hybrid FD and HD user relaying cooperative NOMA systems with ASIC are investigated by deriving closed form analytical expressions of ergodic capacities for NOMA users and ergodic sum capacity. According to the analytical results, the proposed hybrid NOMA systems with ASIC have higher ergodic capacities for NOMA users and ergodic sum capacity than that of traditional hybrid NOMA systems with SIC. In addition, the proposed FD user relaying NOMA system with ASIC also has improved ergodic capacities for NOMA users and ergodic sum capacity than that of FD dedicated relaying NOMA system with ASIC.
Implications of Parkinson’s disease-associated alterations in the oral and gut microbiome on vitamin B12 biosynthesis and levodopa bioavailability
Authors: Aidy Sahar El , Kessel Sebastiaan van , Schwalbe Markus , Engen Phillip , Voigt Robin , Shaikh Maliha , Sanzo Gabriella , McNamara Patrick , Yerkan Alexander , Verhagen Leonard , Keshavarzian Ali
Published: June 2022

Small intestinal bacteria harboring tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC) activity was shown to reduce levels of the main treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), levodopa. However, it remains obscure whether the relative abundance of bacterial-TDC in the oral cavity and/or feces contributes to the decreased levodopa bioavailability and the frequency of dosage regimen of levodopa treatment. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of saliva and fecal samples collected from 19 PD patients requiring various levodopa dosage regimens (consumed between 2 and 7 times per day; dosage range between 300-1400 mg) and 16 age-matched household spousal healthy control subjects was employed. The composition of TDC- harboring bacteria differed between oral and fecal samples, as well as between fecal samples from PD patients compared to their controls. TDC-bacterial activity showed significant negative correlation with plasma levodopa levels measured over five hours in all PD patients, while TDC-bacterial relative abundance correlated positively with the daily levodopa dosage in PD patients on high frequency levodopa dosage regimen. PD fecal samples had markedly lower relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria. Functional analyses revealed differences in microbiota metabolism in PD involving lower vitamin B12 biosynthesis. Our data revealed a significant contribution of TDC to the decreased levodopa bioavailability and differences in fecal, but not the overall oral microbiota composition and metabolism between PD patients and their controls. These findings suggest that PD-associated alterations of the gut, but not oral microbiome, may render considerable functional gene profiling differences affecting levodopa bioavailability, host metabolism and motor-fluctuations.
Trends of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use among the Health Workers Cohort Study, Mexico 2004 to 2018
Authors: Ortega-Montiel Janinne , Montoya Alejandra , Soria-Saucedo René , Gallegos-Carrillo Katia , Ramírez-Palacios Paula , Salmerón Jorge , Salazar-Martinez Eduardo
Published: June 2022

BackgroundHypertension and Type 2 Diabetes are the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in Mexico and worldwide. The principal management therapy for these diseases is daily oral medication according to international practice management guidelines. We aim to describe the trends of the utilization of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories drugs among Mexican adult population from 2004-2018 through three waves. MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal analysis using data from the Health Workers Cohort Study (HWCS), males and females, aged > 18 years. The prevalence of chronic diseases and utilization for every kind of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and NSAIDs (measured by self-reported utilization) available, were calculated in each of the three study waves, and trends were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. ResultsHypertension prevalence increased from 19.8 to 30.3%, same as Diabetes prevalence from 7.0 to 12.8% through fourteen years of follow up. The proportion of patients using beta-blockers and ARB II increased, same as the self-reported of combined therapy. A complete change in initiating treatment for T2D was observed since the second wave with metformin prevalence utilization of 83.9%. The utilization of common NSAIDs, mainly for muscular pain, remained around 13 to 16%. ConclusionsOur findings showed markedly changing utilization drugs prevalence for hypertension and type 2 diabetes between 2004 and 2018, and consistent utilization of NSAIDs (acetaminophen mainly) in adult Mexican population.
Prediction of HIV-1 Protease Cleavage Site from Octapeptide Sequence Information using Selected Classifiers and Hybrid Descriptors
Authors: Onah Emmanuel , Uzor Philip F , Ugwoke Ikenna Calvin , Eze Jude Uche , Ugwuanyi Sunday Tochukwu , Chukwudi Ifeanyi Richard , Ibezim Akachukwu
Published: June 2022

Background: In most parts of the world, especially in underdeveloped countries, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) still remains a major cause of death, disability and unfavorable economic outcomes. This has necessitated intensive research to develop effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, which is responsible for AIDS. Peptide cleavage by HIV-1 protease is an essential step in the replication of HIV-1. Thus, correct and timely prediction of the cleavage site of HIV-1 protease can significantly speed up and optimize the drug discovery process of novel HIV-1 protease inhibitors. In this work, we built and compared the performance of selected machine learning models for the prediction of HIV-1 protease cleavage site utilizing a hybrid of octapeptide sequence information comprising bond composition, amino acid binary profile (AABP), and physicochemical properties as numerical descriptors serving as input variables for some selected machine learning algorithms. Our work differs from antecedent studies exploring the same subject in the combination of octapeptide descriptors and method used. Instead of using various subsets of the dataset for training and testing the models, we combined the dataset and thereafter used a "stratified" ten-fold cross-validation technique for training and testing of the models.Results: Findings from this study show that logistic regression (AUC 0.97, F1 score 0.934 and balanced accuracy 87.2 %), and multi-layer perceptron classifier (AUC 0.97, F1 score 0.907 and balanced accuracy 87.4 %) have close predictive performance to the state-of-the-art model, linear support vector machine (AUC 0.97, F1 score 0.915 and balanced accuracy 90.0 %). Linear discriminant analysis, gradient boosting classifier, and Naive Bayes classifier also have good predictive performances (AUC 0.95 - 0.96, F1 score 0.919 - 0.931 and balanced accuracy 82.0 % - 85.7 %).Conclusions: Logistic regression and multi-layer perceptron classifiers have comparable predictive performances to the state-of-the-art model when octapeptide sequence descriptors consisting of AABP, bond composition and standard physicochemical properties are used as input variables. In our future work, we hope to develop a standalone software for HIV-1 protease cleavage site prediction utilizing the linear regression algorithm and the aforementioned octapeptide sequence descriptors.
ERα K303R mutation reorganizes its binding to FoxA1 regions and induces chromatin opening.
Authors: Nakadai Tomoyoshi , Yang Liying , Kumegawa Kohei , Maruyama Reo
Published: June 2022

I. Background: Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is a frequently mutated gene in breast cancer (BC). While many studies have investigated molecular dysregulation by hotspot mutations at Y537 and D538, which exhibit an estrogen-independent constitutively active phenotype, the functional abnormalities of other mutations remain obscure. The K303R mutation in primary invasive BC has been implicated with endocrine resistance, tumor size, and lymph node positivity. However, the impact of the K303R mutation on the cell epigenome is yet unknown. II. Methods and Results: We introduced the K303R ERa mutant in ERa-negative MDA-MB-453 cells to monitor ERa-dependent transactivation and to perform epigenomic analyses. The combination of ATAC-seq and ChIP-seq analyses indicated that both wild-type (WT) and the K303R mutant associated with Fox motif region at similar rates, even without an ERa-binding sequence, but only the K303R mutant induced chromatin opening at those regions. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that the WT and the K303R mutant forms of ERa can be tethered by Fox indirectly, but only the Fox/K303R/DNA complex can induce associations with the nuclear receptor cofactor NCOA2. III. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the K303R mutant induces chromatin opening at the Fox binding region through associations with NCOA2 and then probably disrupts regulation of Fox-target genes, resulting in K303R-related BC events.
Mortality and its determinants after an outbreak of post COVID-19 associated Rhino - Orbito - Cerebral mucormycosis in India
Authors: Nagarkar Nitin M , Sahu Vijaya , Arora Ripudaman , Pathak Madhumallika , Shambharkar Martina S , Naveen Prithvi
Published: June 2022

AIM: To report cumulative mortality rates using survival analysis from an outbreak of 211 patients with post COVID-19 rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) in central India.METHODS: Case files of eligible patients were evaluated and mucor was identified from deep nasal swabs using freshly prepared KOH mount. All patients underwent contrast enhanced MRI and disease staging was done based on the extent of anatomical involvement. All patients received intravenous Amphotericin B and sinus debridement was done when possible. Orbital exenteration was reserved for patients with advanced orbital disease.RESULTS: The mean age was 50.7+10.2 of which 147 (70%) were men. At presentation, ROCM was limited to sinuses in 72 (34%), orbital extension was seen in 102 (48%) and 31 (15%) had CNS extension. Sinus debridement was possible in 82% cases (n=173). Thirty-five (16.6%) patients died due to ROCM. The mean follow-up of patients who survived was 126.6+16.4 days. The cumulative mortality rate at day 10 was 4.8% (95%CI=2.6 – 8.8%) and increased 13.1% (95%CI=9.1 – 18.7%) at day 30 and to 18.4% (95%CI=13.6 – 24.8%) at day 60. Majority of deaths (n=26, 75%) occurred within 1-month of ROCM presentation. Multivariable hazards analysis showed that patients with CNS involvement had a 6.5 times higher risk of death (Hazard Ratio =6.71, 95% CI=2.9 – 15.5, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We report significantly lower mortality rates compared to recent literature that varies from 30 to 80% at 1-month follow up. Timely sinus debridement and systemic Amphotericin B can help reduce mortality. Presence of CNS extension significantly increased the mortality risk with patients with ROCM.