bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and factors associated with depression among higher secondary school adolescents of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Bhattarai Deepa , Shrestha Nisha , Paudel Shishir
Published: December 2020

Objective

This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with depression among adolescents attending higher secondary schools in the Pokhara Metropolitan City of Nepal.

Design

A cross-sectional study design was adopted.

Setting

Four randomly selected higher secondary schools of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal.

Participants

312 randomly sampled higher secondary school students.

Methods

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess the level of depression among students. The data collected through a self-administered questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistical methods such as frequency and percentage. χ2test and unadjusted OR (UOR) were calculated to assess the statistical relationship between depression and various variables at 95% CI, with level of significance at p<0.05.

Results

The study found a high prevalence of depression among high school students, with more than two-fifths (44.2%) of students having depression. Furthermore, almost a quarter (25.3%) of the students were noted to have mild depression and 18.9% of the students expressed major depression. Students who had low perceived social support (UOR: 3.604; 95% CI 2.088 to 6.220), did not share their problems with anyone (UOR: 1.931; 95% CI 1.228 to 3.038) and had low self-esteem (UOR: 5.282; 95% CI 2.994 to 9.319) were at higher odds of being depressed.

Conclusion

A high prevalence of depression was observed among high school students. It was also observed that students’ level of perceived social support, self-esteem and help-seeking behaviour are somehow related to their mental well-being. Hence, improving social support and self-esteem may alleviate depression and mental distress among these adolescents.
Numerical study of the SWKB condition of novel classes of exactly solvable systems
Authors: Nasuda Yuta , Sawado Nobuyuki
Published: December 2020

The supersymmetric WKB (SWKB) condition is supposed to be exact for all known exactly solvable quantum mechanical systems with the shape invariance. Recently, it was claimed that the SWKB condition was not exact for the extended radial oscillator, whose eigenfunctions consisted of the exceptional orthogonal polynomial, even the system possesses the shape invariance. In this paper, we examine the SWKB condition for the two novel classes of exactly solvable systems: one has the multi-indexed Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials as the main parts of the eigenfunctions, and the other has the Krein–Adler Hermite, Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials. For all of them, one can always remove the [Formula: see text]-dependency from the condition, and it is satisfied with a certain degree of accuracy.
The coalescence of Cu nanoparticles with different interfacial lattice structures: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Cao Jinchen , Li Leilei , Zhang Cheng
Published: December 2020

With the popularization of 3D printing technology, micro/nanoparticles sintering technology has drawn lots of attentions all over the world. Here, molecular dynamic simulation is employed to discuss the effects of different interfacial lattice structures, different diameter of nanoparticles, and different heating rates on the coalescence of metallic Cu nanoparticles. The results showed that the diameter of nanoparticles determine the melting point of the system. Besides, the interfacial lattice structure, diameter of nanoparticles, and heating rate have an influence on the initial sintering temperature. This is because the melting point is the inherent property of material which relies on the mass of substance. However, the initial sintering temperature is sensitive to many factors, including the temperature, interfacial, and intermolecular interactions.
Analysis of a fractional-order SIS epidemic model with saturated treatment
Authors: Jana Soovoojeet , Mandal Manotosh , Nandi Swapan Kumar , Kar T. K.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we propose and analyze a fractional-order SIS epidemic model with the saturated treatment and disease transmission. The existence and uniqueness, nonnegativity and finiteness of solutions for our suggested model have been studied. Different equilibria of the model are found and their local and global stability analyses are also examined. Furthermore, the conditions for fractional backward and fractional Hopf bifurcation are also analyzed in both the commensurate and incommensurate fractional-order model. We study how the control parameter and the order of the fractional derivative play role in local as well as global stability of equilibrium points and Hopf bifurcation. We have demonstrated the analytical results of our proposed model system through several numerical simulations.
Digital Mapping of Medieval Cemeteries
Authors: Eichert Stefan
Published: December 2020

It has become almost standard practice that archaeological research on cemeteries is published in a similar fashion, specifically when primary sources supplement the data presented. Aside from the interpretative part, a catalog of all graves, buried individuals, and finds is published along with a map of the site and graphical depictions of the various entities. This is mostly structured within a four-level hierarchy beginning with the cemetery, the contained graves, the burials from each grave, and the finds associated with the burial. Today, even though many publications and their catalogs are based on or derived from digital data and published as open access, the outcome is often printed text such as a pdf file. Digital data that is properly structured and can be used out of the box for further analyses is rarely available.

The presented article discusses how to digitize data on burials and how to provide them to the public in sustainable and comprehensible ways.

Within previous and ongoing projects, the author and his team have developed a database system (OpenAtlas) that is used for the data acquisition of archaeological and anthropological research data that also maps information directly to the CIDOC CRM. Temporal and spatial fuzziness are dealt with following various concepts such as GeoJSON-T. For providing the data as Linked Open Data, the “linked places” format is used and an API provides a JSON-LD representation of each entity.

Due to the “standard” approach implemented when publishing cemeteries, the data acquisition is mostly achieved by manually recording the published information in the database.

In the following projects, data from several hundred Early Medieval Austrian and Czech burial sites with several thousand graves and finds have been digitized. To publicize the information, an online web application (https://thanados.net) has been developed to present and disseminate this data.
Uncertainty-wise Requirements Prioritization with Search
Authors: Zhang Huihui , Zhang Man , Yue Tao , Ali Shaukat , Li Yan
Published: December 2020

Requirements review is an effective technique to ensure the quality of requirements in practice, especially in safety-critical domains (e.g., avionics systems, automotive systems). In such contexts, a typical requirements review process often prioritizes requirements, due to limited time and monetary budget, by, for instance, prioritizing requirements with higher implementation cost earlier in the review process. However, such a requirement implementation cost is typically estimated by stakeholders who often lack knowledge about (future) requirements implementation scenarios, which leads to uncertainty in cost overrun. In this article, we explicitly consider such uncertainty (quantified as cost overrun probability) when prioritizing requirements based on the assumption that a requirement with higher importance, a higher number of dependencies to other requirements, and higher implementation cost will be reviewed with the higher priority. Motivated by this, we formulate four objectives for uncertainty-wise requirements prioritization: maximizing the importance of requirements, requirements dependencies, the implementation cost of requirements, and cost overrun probability. These four objectives are integrated as part of our search-based uncertainty-wise requirements prioritization approach with tool support, named as URP. We evaluated six Multi-Objective Search Algorithms (MOSAs) (i.e.,
NSGA-II, NSGA-III, MOCell, SPEA2, IBEA,
and
PAES
) together with Random Search (
RS
) using three real-world datasets (i.e., the RALIC, Word, and ReleasePlanner datasets) and 19 synthetic optimization problems. Results show that all the selected MOSAs can solve the requirements prioritization problem with significantly better performance than
RS
. Among them,
IBEA
was over 40% better than
RS
in terms of permutation effectiveness for the first 10% of prioritized requirements in the prioritization sequence of all three datasets. In addition,
IBEA
achieved the best performance in terms of the convergence of solutions, and
NSGA-III
performed the best when considering both the convergence and diversity of nondominated solutions.
Mobile and Wearable Sensing Frameworks for mHealth Studies and Applications
Authors: Kumar Devender , Jeuris Steven , Bardram Jakob E. , Dragoni Nicola
Published: December 2020

With the widespread use of smartphones and wearable health sensors, a plethora of mobile health (mHealth) applications to track well-being, run human behavioral studies, and clinical trials have emerged in recent years. However, the design, development, and deployment of mHealth applications is challenging in many ways. To address these challenges, several generic mobile sensing frameworks have been researched in the past decade. Such frameworks assist developers and researchers in reducing the complexity, time, and cost required to build and deploy health-sensing applications. The main goal of this article is to provide the reader with an overview of the state-of-the-art of health-focused generic mobile and wearable sensing frameworks. This review gives a detailed analysis of functional and non-functional features of existing frameworks, the health studies they were used in, and the stakeholders they support. Additionally, we also analyze the historical evolution, uptake, and maintenance after the initial release. Based on this analysis, we suggest new features and opportunities for future generic mHealth sensing frameworks.
Generalized and Efficient Skill Assessment from IMU Data with Applications in Gymnastics and Medical Training
Authors: Khan Aftab , Mellor Sebastian , King Rachel , Janko Balazs , Harwin William , Sherratt R. Simon , Craddock Ian , Plötz Thomas
Published: December 2020

Human activity recognition is progressing from automatically determining what a person is doing and when, to additionally analyzing the quality of these activities—typically referred to as skill assessment. In this chapter, we propose a new framework for skill assessment that generalizes across application domains and can be deployed for near-real-time applications. It is based on the notion of repeatability of activities defining skill. The analysis is based on two subsequent classification steps that analyze (1) movements or activities and (2) their qualities, that is, the actual skills of a human performing them. The first classifier is trained in either a supervised or unsupervised manner and provides confidence scores, which are then used for assessing skills. We evaluate the proposed method in two scenarios: gymnastics and surgical skill training of medical students. We demonstrate both the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the generalized assessment method, especially compared to previous work.
On the Role of Design in K-12 Computing Education
Authors: Oleson Alannah , Wortzman Brett , Ko Amy J.
Published: December 2020

Design is a distinct discipline with its own practices, tools, professions, and areas of scholarship. However, practitioners from other fields often leverage aspects of design in their own work, leading to subfields like engineering design and architecture design that are neither wholly design nor wholly the intersecting discipline. Similarly, design and computing are known to intersect in educational contexts. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a clear understanding of how to characterize the kinds of design that may accompany computing topics, resulting in challenges to teaching and learning. This gap is particularly prevalent in K-12 computing education, where design is often used to promote student engagement but rarely studied as its own disciplinary phenomenon. Toward the goal of better understanding the nature and role of design in computing education, this article motivates and describes two qualitative, exploratory analyses of how design skills manifest in popular K-12 computing education curricula and activities. We find evidence to suggest two types of design within existing computing education curricula and standards: nondisciplinary
problem-space design
, which deals with defining software requirements, and disciplinary
program-space design
, which deals with choosing how best to meet those requirements. We find that these two types of computing design may exist independently, but they often overlap, creating an intriguing intersection of discipline-specific computing design educational activity. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of proceeding with research and educational practice in light of these results, highlighting the need for further exploration into the unique overlap of design and computing education.
COPE
Authors: Deb Dipika , Jose John , Palesi Maurizio
Published: December 2020

Prefetching helps in reducing the memory access latency in multi-banked NUCA architecture, where the Last Level Cache (LLC) is shared. In such systems, an application running on core generates significant traffic on the shared resources, the underlying network and LLC. While prefetching helps to increase application performance, but an inaccurate prefetcher can cause harm by generating unwanted traffic that additionally increases network and LLC contention. Increased network contention results in untimely prefetching of cache blocks, thereby reducing the effectiveness of a prefetcher. Prefetch accuracy is extensively used to reduce unwanted prefetches that can mitigate the prefetcher caused contention. However, the conventional prefetch accuracy parameter has major limitations in NUCA architectures. The article exposes that prefetch accuracy can create two major false-positive cases of prefetching, Under-estimation and Over-estimation problems, and false feedback loop that can mislead a prefetcher in generating more unwanted traffic. We propose a novel technique, Coordinated Prefetching for Efficient (COPE), which addresses these issues by redefining prefetch accuracy for such architectures and identifies additional parameters that can avoid generating unwanted prefetch requests. Experiment conducted using PARSEC benchmark on a 64-core system shows that COPE achieve 3% reduction in L1 cache miss rate, 12.64% improvement in IPC, 23.2% reduction in average packet latency and 18.56% reduction in dynamic power consumption of the underlying network.
Approximate Learning and Fault-Tolerant Mapping for Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Systems
Authors: Gebregirogis Anteneh , Tahoori Mehdi
Published: December 2020

Brain-inspired deep neural networks such as Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) have shown great potential in solving difficult cognitive problems such as object recognition and classification. However, such architectures have high computational energy demand and sensitivity to variation effects, making them inapplicable for energy-constrained embedded learning platforms. To address this issue, we propose a learning and mapping approach that utilizes
approximate computing
during early design phases for a layer-wise pruning and fault tolerant weight mapping scheme of reliable and energy-efficient CNNs. In the proposed approach, approximate CNN is prepared first by layer-wise pruning of approximable neurons, which have high error tolerance margins using a two-level approximate learning methodology. Then, the pruned network is retrained to improve its accuracy by fine-tuning the weight values. Finally, a fault-tolerant layer-wise neural weight mapping scheme is adopted to aggressively reduce memory operating voltage when loading the weights of error resilient layers for energy-efficiency. Thus, the combination of approximate learning and fault tolerance aware memory operating voltage downscaling techniques enable us to implement robust and energy-efficient approximate inference engine for CNN applications. Simulation results show that the proposed fault tolerant and approximate learning approach can improve the energy-efficiency of CNN inference engines by more than 50% with less than 5% reduction in classification accuracy. Additionally, more than 26% energy-saving is achieved by using the proposed layer-wise mapping-based cache memory operating voltage down-scaling.
The Artificial University: Decision Support for Universities in the COVID-19 Era
Authors: Wildman Wesley J. , Diallo Saikou Y. , Hodulik George , Page Andrew , Tolk Andreas , Gondal Neha
Published: December 2020

Operating universities under pandemic conditions is a complex undertaking. The Artificial University (TAU) responds to this need. TAU is a configurable, open-source computer simulation of a university using a contact network based on publicly available information about university classes, residences, and activities. This study evaluates health outcomes for an array of interventions and testing protocols in an artificial university of 6,500 students, faculty, and staff. Findings suggest that physical distancing and centralized contact tracing are most effective at reducing infections, but there is a tipping point for compliance below which physical distancing is less effective. If student compliance is anything short of high, it helps to have separate buildings for quarantining infected students, thereby gracefully increasing compliance. Hybrid in-person and online classes and closing fitness centers do not significantly change cumulative infections but do significantly decrease the number of the infected at any given time, indicating strategies for “flattening the curve” to protect limited resources. Supplementing physical distancing with centralized contact tracing decreases infected individuals by an additional 14%; boosting frequency of testing for student-facing staff yields a further 7% decrease. A trade-off exists between increasing the sheer number of infection tests and targeting testing for key nodes in the contact network (i.e., student-facing staff). There are significant advantages to getting and acting on test results quickly. The costs and benefits to universities of these findings are discussed. Artificial universities can be an important decision support tool for universities, generating useful policy insights into the challenges of operating universities under pandemic conditions.
Destruction Law of Borehole Surrounding Rock of Granite under Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Coupling
Authors: Wu Jinwen , Feng Zijun , Chen Shuping , Han Wenmei
Published: December 2020

The destruction of the rock that surrounds boreholes under thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling is an important factor for borehole stability in hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal energy extraction. Failure experiments for granite under triaxial stress (

σ

1

>

σ

2

>

σ

3

) were conducted as 500°C superheated steam was transported through the borehole. High-temperature steam leads to large thermal cracks in the surrounding rock, which are randomly distributed around the borehole and gradually expand outwards. The randomly distributed thermally induced microcracks increase the complexity of the initial fracture morphology around the borehole and contribute to the appearance of multiple branch fractures. Fracture development is negligibly affected by ground stresses during the initial stages. However, fractures are deflected towards the maximum horizontal principal stress under ground stresses during later periods. During fracture propagation, high-temperature steam more easily penetrates the rock because its viscosity is lower than water. Towards the end of the crack expansion, the steam loses heat and liquefies, which increases the elongation resistance, and results in the arrest and intermittent expansion of the cracks.
Improvement of Hydrophilicity for Polyamide Composite Membrane by Incorporation of Graphene Oxide-Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Ngo Thu Hong Anh , Nguyen Chau Thi Minh , Do Khai Dinh , Duong Quan Xuan , Tran Nghia Hieu , Nguyen Hoan Thi Vuong , Tran Dung Thi
Published: December 2020

In this work, the polyamide (PA) membrane surface has been modified by coating of nanomaterials including graphene oxide (GO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) to enhance membrane separation and antifouling properties. The influence of surface modification conditions on membrane characteristics has been investigated and compared with a base membrane. Membrane surface properties were determined through scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy. Membrane separation performance was determined through the possibility for the removal of methylene blue (MB) in water. Membrane antifouling property was evaluated by the maintained flux ratios (%) after 120 minutes of filtration. The experimental results showed that the appearance of hydrophilic groups after coating of GO and TiO2 nanocomposite materials with or without UV irradiation onto membrane surface made an improvement in the separation property of the coated membranes. The membrane flux increased from 28% to 61%; meanwhile, the antifouling property of the coated membranes was improved clearly, especially for UV-irradiated PA/GO-TiO2 membrane.
miR‐1929‐3p Overexpression Alleviates Murine Cytomegalovirus‐Induced Hypertensive Myocardial Remodeling by Suppressing Ednra/NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation
Authors: Wang YongJia , Huang Zhen , Zhong Hua , Wang LaMei , Xi DongMei , Shi YunZhong , Zhou Wei , Liu YongMin , Tang Na , He Fang
Published: December 2020

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the development of essential hypertension (EH). Previously, we found that the expression of miR‐1929‐3p was decreased in C57BL/6 mice with hypertension induced by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). In this study, we explored the role of miR‐1929‐3p in hypertension myocardial remodeling in MCMV‐infected mice. First, we measured MCMV DNA and host IgG and IgM after infection and determined the expression of miR‐1929‐3p and its target gene endothelin A receptor (Ednra) mRNA in the myocardium of mice. Then, we performed invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Heart‐to‐body weight ratio (HW/BW%), along with mRNA levels of B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and beta myosin heavy chain (β‐MHC), revealed myocardial remodeling. Hematoxylin/eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining indicated morphological changes in the myocardium. Cardiac function was assessed via echocardiography. Moreover, MCMV‐infected mice were injected with recombinant adeno‐associated virus‐ (rAAV‐) miR‐1929‐3p overexpression vector. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting showed the expression of Ednra and the activation of NOD‐like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. And enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed the concentrations of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), and interleukin‐18 (IL‐18). In this study, we found that decreased expression of miR‐1929‐3p in MCMV‐infected mice induced high BP and further development of myocardial remodeling cardiac function injury through increased expression of Ednra. Strikingly, overexpression of miR‐1929‐3p ameliorated these pathological changes of the heart. The positive effect was shown to be associated with inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and decreased expression of key proinflammatory cytokine IL‐1β. Collectively, these results indicate that miR‐1929‐3p overexpression may effectively alleviate EH myocardial remodeling by suppressing Ednra/NLRP3 inflammasome activation in MCMV‐infected mice.
Association between Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy and Coronary Artery Lesions in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Liu Lei , Wu Qiansheng , Yan Hong , Chen Baoxian , Zheng Xilong , Zhou Qiang
Published: December 2020

Objective. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a common and serious complication of diabetes mellitus with various systemic involvements, such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We aimed to evaluate the association between CAN and coronary artery lesions in patients with type 2 diabetes. Research Design and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 104 patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated heart rate variability (HRV) parameters (SDANN, SDNN, and pNN50) to assess cardiac autonomic function. The severity of coronary lesions was assessed by the Gensini scores and the number of affected vessels. Correlation analyses between HRV parameters and the severity of coronary lesions and clinical parameters were performed. Results. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between SDANN and Gensini scores (r=−0.22,P=0.03). Interestingly, this finding remained significant after adjusting for clinical covariates (r=−0.23,P=0.03). However, there was no association between HRV parameters and the severity of coronary lesions as assessed by the number of affected vessels. Clinical parameters were not significantly correlated with HRV parameters (allP>0.05). Conclusions. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy might be related to the degree of coronary atheromatous burden in patients with type 2 diabetes. Screening for cardiac autonomic neuropathy might potentially be beneficial in the risk stratification of patients with type 2 diabetes.
Orlicz Generalized Difference Sequence Space and the Linked Pre-Quasi Operator Ideal
Authors: Bakery Awad A. , Mohamed OM Kalthum S. K.
Published: December 2020

In this article, the necessary conditions on s-type Orlicz generalized difference sequence space to generate an operator ideal have been examined. Therefore, the s-type Orlicz generalized difference sequence space which fails to generate an operator ideal has been shown. We investigate the sufficient conditions on this sequence space to be premodular Banach special space of sequences, and the constructed pre-quasi operator ideal becomes small, simple, closed, Banach space and has eigenvalues identical with its s-numbers.
The Applications of Nanopore Sequencing Technology in Pathogenic Microorganism Detection
Authors: Zhu Xiaojian , Yan Shanshan , Yuan Fenghua , Wan Shaogui
Published: December 2020

Infectious diseases are major threats to human health and lead to a serious public health burden. The emergence of new pathogens and the mutation of known pathogens challenge our ability to diagnose and control infectious diseases. Nanopore sequencing technology exhibited versatile applications in pathogenic microorganism detection due to its flexible data throughput. This review article introduced the applications of nanopore sequencing in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases management, including the monitoring of emerging infectious diseases outbreak, identification of pathogen drug resistance, and disease-related microbial communities characterization.
Protective Effect of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate in Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Damage in Chicken Lymphocytes
Authors: Chi Xiaoqing , Ma Xiaodan , Li Zoushuyi , Zhang Yong , Wang Yong , Yuan Lijia , Wu Ye , Xu Wei , Hu Songhua
Published: December 2020

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the fundamental compounds in green tea. The present study was to evaluate the protective effect of EGCG in oxidative damage and apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in chicken lymphocytes. Results showed that preincubation of lymphocytes with EGCG significantly decreased H2O2-reduced cell viability and apoptotic cells with DNA damage, restored the H2O2-dependent reduction in total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), and suppressed the increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthesis (NOS), malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid peroxide (LPO), and protein carbonyl (Carbonyl). In addition, preincubation of the cells with EGCG increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and reduced calcium ion ([Ca2+]i) load. The protective effect of EGCG in oxidative damage in lymphocytes was accompanied by mRNA expression of SOD, Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Catalase (CAT), GSH-PX, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1). As EGCG had been removed before lymphocytes were challenged with H2O2, the activation of genes such as Nrf2 and Trx-1 by preincubation with EGCG could be the main reason for EGCG to protect the cells from oxidative damage by H2O2. Since oxidative stress is an important mechanism of biological damage and is regarded as the reasons of several pathologies, the present findings may be helpful for the use of tea products to prevent oxidative stress and maintain healthy in both humans and animals.
Pleiotropic Properties of Amphiphilic Dihydropyridines, Dihydropyridones, and Aminovinylcarbonyl Compounds
Authors: Rucins Martins , Smits Rufus , Sipola Anda , Vigante Brigita , Domracheva Ilona , Turovska Baiba , Muhamadejev Ruslan , Pajuste Karlis , Plotniece Mara , Sobolev Arkadij , Duburs Gunars , Plotniece Aiva
Published: December 2020

Three groups of synthetic lipids are chosen for studies: (1) 1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) containing two cationic moieties and their analogues; (2) 3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-pyridones containing a cationic moiety; and (3) acyclic, open-chain analogues, i.e., 2-amino-3-alkoxycarbonylalkylammonium derivatives. 1,4-DHPs possessing dodecyl alkyl chains in the ester groups in positions 3 and 5 and cationic nitrogen-containing groups in positions 2 and 6 have high cytotoxicity in cancer cells HT-1080 (human lung fibrosarcoma) and MH-22A (mouse hepatoma), but low cytotoxicity in the noncancerous NIH3T3 cells (mouse embryonic fibroblast). On the contrary, similar compounds having short (methyl, ethyl, or propoxyethyl) chains in the ester groups in positions 3 and 5 lack cytotoxicity in the cancer cells HT-1080 and MH-22A even at high doses. Inclusion of fluorine atoms in the alkyl chains in positions 3 and 5 of the DHP cycle decreases the cytotoxicity of the mentioned compounds. Structurally related dihydropyridones with a polar head group are substantially more toxic to normal and cancerous cells than the DHP analogues. Open-chain analogues of DHP lipids comprise the same conjugated aminovinylcarbonyl moiety and possess anticancer activity, but they also have high basal cytotoxicity. Electrochemical oxidation data demonstrate that oxidation potentials of selected compounds are in the range of 1.6–1.7 V for cationic 1,4-DHP, 2.0–2.4 V for cationic 3,4-dihydropyridones, and 1.2–1.5 V for 2-amino-3-alkoxycarbonylalkylammonium derivatives. Furthermore, the tested cationic 1,4-DHP amphiphiles possess antiradical activity. Molecular topological polar surface area values for the tested compounds were defined in accordance with the main fragments of compound structures. The determined log

P

values were highest for dodecyl ester groups in positions 3 and 5 of the 1,4-DHP and lowest for short alkyl chain-containing amphiphiles.
HSP60 Regulates Monosodium Urate Crystal-Induced Inflammation by Activating the TLR4-NF-κB-MyD88 Signaling Pathway and Disrupting Mitochondrial Function
Authors: Huang Qiushi , Gao Wei , Mu Heng , Qin Ting , Long Fan , Ren Long , Tang Huan , Liu Jianping , Zeng Mei
Published: December 2020

Acute gout is an inflammatory response induced by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. HSP60 is a highly conserved stress protein that acts as a cellular “danger” signal for immune reactions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of HSP60 in gout. HSP60 expression was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma of gout patients. The effect and molecular mechanism of HSP60 in gout were studied in MSU crystals treatment macrophages and C57BL/6 mice. JC-1 probe and MitoSOX Red were used to measure the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS). HSP60 expression was significantly upregulated in the PBMCs and sera of patients with acute gout (AG) compared to those with intercritical gout (IG) or healthy controls (HCs). MSU crystals induced the expression and secretion of HSP60 in the macrophages. HSP60 knockdown or overexpression affects TLR4 and MyD88 expression, IκBα degradation, and the nuclear localization of NF-κB in MSU crystal-stimulated inflammation. Further, HSP60 facilitates MMP collapse and mtROS production and activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in MSU crystal-stimulated macrophages. In MSU crystal-induced arthritis mouse models pretreated with HSP60 vivo-morpholino, paw swelling, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and inflammatory cell infiltration significantly decreased. Our study reveals that MSU crystal stimulates the expression of HSP60, which accelerates the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway and exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction.
Development of a Simple and Powerful Analytical Method for Formaldehyde Detection and Quantitation in Blood Samples
Authors: Kim Yong-Hyun , Park Jeongsik
Published: December 2020

Human beings are easily exposed to formaldehyde (FA) in a living environment. Entry of FA into the human body can have adverse effects on human health, depending on the FA concentration. Thus, a quantitative analysis of FA in blood is necessary in order to estimate its effect on the human body. In this study, a simple and rapid analytical method for the quantitation of FA in blood was developed. The total analysis time, including the pretreatment procedure, was less than 20 min. To ensure a stable analysis, blood samples were stabilized using tripotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution, and FA was selectively derivatized using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine as pretreatment procedures. The pretreated samples were analyzed using a high-performance liquid chromatography-UV system, which is the most common choice for analyzing small-molecule aldehydes like formaldehyde. Verification of the pretreatment methods (stabilization and derivatization) using FA standards confirmed that the pretreatment methods are highly reliable in the calibration range 0.012–5.761 ng μL–1 (slope = 684,898, R2 = 0.9998, and limit of detection = 0.251 pg·μL–1). Analysis of FA in the blood samples of a Yucatan minipig using the new method revealed an average FA concentration of 1.98 ± 0.34 ng μL–1 (n = 3). Blood samples spiked with FA standards were analyzed, and the FA concentrations were found to be similar to the theoretical concentrations (2.16 ± 0.81% difference). The method reported herein can quantitatively analyze FA in blood at a sub-nanogram level within a short period of time and is validated for application in blood analysis.
Treatment Outcome and Its Determinants among Patients Admitted to Stroke Unit of Jimma University Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Zewudie Ameha Zeleke , Regasa Tolcha , Hambisa Solomon , Nureye Dejen , Mamo Yitagesu , Aferu Temesgen , Feyissa Desalegn , Yosef Tewodros
Published: December 2020

Background. Stroke is a public health problem in Ethiopia. Despite the high prevalence of stroke in Ethiopia, there is a paucity of data with regard to drug treatment, treatment outcome, and risk factors of poor treatment outcome of stroke. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing treatment outcome and its determinants among patients admitted to stroke unit of Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC). Methods. A two-year hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was employed to analyze the medical records of patients admitted with stroke to stroke unit of Jimma University Medical Centre from February 1st, 2016 to March 30th, 2018. Data was entered by Epidata manager version 4.0.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 24. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with the backward stepwise approach was done to identify independent predictors of poor treatment outcome of stroke. Variables with

P

value less than 0.05 were considered as statically significant determinants of poor treatment outcome. Results. Of 220 patients with stroke admitted to the Jimma University, 67.30% were male. Nearly two thirds (63.18%) of them had poor treatment outcomes. Dyslipidimics were administered to 60% of the patients, and the most popular antiplatelet used was aspirin, which was prescribed to 67.3% the patients.

Age
≥
65
 
adjusted
 
odd
 
ratio

((AOR): 2.56; 95% CI: 1.95-9.86,

P
=
0.001

), presence of comorbidity (AOR: 5.25; 95% CI: 1.08-17.69,

P
<
0.001

), admission with hemorrhagic stroke (AOR: 18.99; 95% CI: 7.05-42.07,

P
<
0.001

), and admission to the hospital after 24 hour of stroke onset (AOR: 4.98; 95% CI: 1.09-21.91,

P
=
0.03

) were independent predictors of poor treatment outcomes. Conclusion. Substantial numbers of stroke patients had poor treatment outcomes. Elderly patients, patients diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke, patients with comorbidity, and those with delayed hospital admission were more likely to have poor treatment outcome. Hence, frequent monitoring and care should be given for the aforementioned patients. Awareness creation on the importance of early admission should be delivered particularly for patients who have risk factors of stroke (cardiovascular diseases).
Quercetin: Its Main Pharmacological Activity and Potential Application in Clinical Medicine
Authors: Yang Dengyu , Wang Tiancheng , Long Miao , Li Peng
Published: December 2020

Quercetin is a flavonoid compound widely present in plants and exhibits a variety of biological activities. Research on quercetin has shown its potential for medical application. In this research, we elucidate its antioxidant mechanism and the broad-spectrum antibacterial and antiparasite properties; summarise its potential application in antioncology and cardiovascular protection and anti-immunosuppression treatment; and demonstrate its ability to alleviate the toxicity of mycotoxins. This research is expected to offer some insights and inspirations for the further study of quercetin, its properties, and the scientific basis for its better application in clinical practice.
Discrimination of Melanoma Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Conducted on Human Tissue Samples
Authors: Khan Muhammad Nouman , Wang Qianqian , Idrees Bushra Sana , Teng Geer , Cui Xutai , Wei Kai
Published: December 2020

Discrimination and identification of melanoma (a kind of skin cancer) by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with chemometrics methods are reported. The human melanoma and normal tissues are used in the form of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks as samples. The results demonstrated higher LIBS signal intensities of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) in melanoma FFPE samples while lower signal intensities in normal FFPE tissue samples. Chemometric methods, artificial neural network (ANN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) are used to build the classification models. Different preprocessing methods, standard normal variate (SNV), mean-centering, normalization by total area, and autoscaling, were compared. A good performance of the model (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy) for melanoma and normal FFPE tissues has been achieved by the ANN and PLS-DA models (all were 100%). The results revealed that LIBS combined with chemometric methods for detection and discrimination of human malignancies is a reliable, accurate, and precise technique.
DHX37 Impacts Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Lung Adenocarcinoma through Immune Infiltration
Authors: Xu Yanni , Jiang Qiongchao , Liu Hejun , Xiao Xiaoyun , Yang Dinghong , Saw Phei Er , Luo Baoming
Published: December 2020

Background. RNA helicases have various essential functions in basically all aspects of RNA metabolism, not only unwinding RNA but also disturbing the interaction of RNA with proteins. Recently, RNA helicases have been considered potential targets in cancers. So far, there has been no detailed investigation of the biological functions of RNA helicase DHX37 in cancers. Objective. We aim to identify the prognostic value of DHX37 associated with tumor microenvironments in cancers. Methods. DHX37 expression was examined via the Oncomine database and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). We explored the prognostic role of DHX37 in cancers across various databases. Coexpression genes, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and fundamental regulators were performed via LinkedOmics. Confirming the prognostic value of DHX37 in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), we explored the role of DHX37 in infiltrated lymphocytes in cancers using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and TIMER databases. Results. Through GO and KEGG analyses, expression of DHX37 was also correlated with complex function-specific networks involving the ribosome and RNA metabolic signaling pathways. In LIHC and LUAD, DHX37 expression showed significant positive correlations with markers of Tregs, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and T cell exhaustion, contributing to immune tolerance. Conclusion. These results indicate that DHX37 can serve as a prognostic biomarker in LIHC and LUAD while having an important role in immune tolerance by activating the function of Tregs, MDSC, and T cell exhaustion.
Social Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Prenger Margaret T. M. , Madray Racheal , Van Hedger Kathryne , Anello Mimma , MacDonald Penny A.
Published: December 2020

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is typically well recognized by its characteristic motor symptoms (e.g., bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor). The cognitive symptoms of PD are increasingly being acknowledged by clinicians and researchers alike. However, PD also involves a host of emotional and communicative changes which can cause major disruptions to social functioning. These incude problems producing emotional facial expressions (i.e., facial masking) and emotional speech (i.e., dysarthria), as well as difficulties recognizing the verbal and nonverbal emotional cues of others. These social symptoms of PD can result in severe negative social consequences, including stigma, dehumanization, and loneliness, which might affect quality of life to an even greater extent than more well-recognized motor or cognitive symptoms. It is, therefore, imperative that researchers and clinicans become aware of these potential social symptoms and their negative effects, in order to properly investigate and manage the socioemotional aspects of PD. This narrative review provides an examination of the current research surrounding some of the most common social symptoms of PD and their related social consequences and argues that proactively and adequately addressing these issues might improve disease outcomes.
Effect of Psyllium Husk, Bran, and Raw Wheat Germ Addition on the Rheological Characteristics of Arabic (Pita) Bread Dough
Authors: Aldughpassi Ahmad , Zafar Tasleem , Sidhu Jiwan S. , Al-Hassawi Fatima , Abdullah Mohammad Mirza , Al-Othman Amani
Published: December 2020

Arabic bread (khubuz) made from white flour is the staple food in the Arabic countries but has now become popular all over the world. A different approach of producing high fiber bread with improved quality can be produced using white flour with added mill fractions, but the addition of mill fractions has been shown to adversely affect the dough characteristics. Therefore, the effect of adding mill fractions on the rheological characteristics of dough was investigated using Brabender Farinograph and Extensograph with the major objective of eliminating their deleterious effects on dough quality, mainly by using psyllium husk, and also reported as an excellent source of soluble dietary fiber. Addition of fine bran, coarse bran, and raw wheat germ decreased the extensibility and resistance to extension and area under curve, lower dough stability, but enhanced water absorption and peak time. Addition of psyllium husk, though reduced the extensibility, but did not affect the area under the curve adversely, thus overcame some of the negative effects on rheological characteristics of the white flour dough. It was concluded that the use of psyllium husk will evidently help the bakers to produce nutritious and acceptable quality Arabic bread.
Research on Value Integration Mode of Agricultural E-Commerce Industry Chain Based on Internet of Things and Blockchain Technology
Authors: Li Xiaochun , Huang Dan
Published: December 2020

With the development of Internet technology, especially the application of mobile Internet technology in people’s daily lives, people’s lifestyles and production methods have changed, and they have brought huge economic benefits to society. In order to improve the development quality of agricultural e-commerce and expand the integration model of e-commerce, the paper analyzes the development and changes of Internet technology in the agricultural industry chain from the source to operation, production, service, security, and sales and studies the production experience model iterative upgrade. At the same time, a blockchain-based agricultural product traceability system is proposed. The system has a good supervision effect. Once recorded on the blockchain ledger, all data cannot be changed, which plays a very good traceability role for agricultural e-commerce. Actual cases show that the integrated model of agricultural e-commerce based on blockchain technology can bring huge development potential to the e-commerce industry and can improve the security and traceability of agricultural e-commerce.
Testing the Traditional Chinese Medicine Consultation Model for Adherence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Authors: Ding Amally , Patel Jignesh P. , Auyeung Vivian
Published: December 2020

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Consultation Model for Adherence conceptualises the consultation process specific to patient adherence. It can be used to improve patient persistence with treatment by TCM practitioners and possibly other health professionals. The aim of this research was to determine the applicability of the TCM Consultation Model for Adherence in the wider complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) setting. A survey containing validated questionnaires and items developed specifically to test the model was administered online in the United Kingdom. SPSS 25 was used to perform Spearman’s correlations and Mann–Whitney U tests on the data. In total, 101 patients completed the survey. The results showed that patients having a therapeutic relationship and trusting in their practitioner was associated with overall adherence to CAM, while patients feeling supported was associated with all types of adherence to CAM. Specific behaviours of the TCM Consultation Model for Adherence that were positively correlated with adherence to CAM were identified. They could potentially be used by CAM practitioners to improve their patients’ adherence with treatment.