bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidências científicas sobre o padrão de consumo de bebidas alcoólicas por profissionais de saúde no contexto oncológico
Authors: Santos Ronan dos , Ramos Raquel de Souza , Chança Raphael Duarte , Passos Joanir Pereira
Published: April 2022

Objetivo: Descrever evidências científicas sobre o padrão de consumo de bebidas alcoólicas por profissionais de saúde no contexto oncológico, tendo como foco amparar o objeto de investigação de estudo de doutoramento sobre ‘consumo de álcool por membros da equipe de enfermagem que atuam em um hospital oncológico’. Metodologia: Revisão integrativa de literatura orientada pelo acrônimo PICo (Participante, Fenômeno de Interesse e Contexto). Para a revisão bibliográfica foram adotadas as bases de dados científicas LILACS, CINAHL, BDENF, MEDLINE e Web of Science com as referidas estratégias de busca e recorte temporal de 2010 a 2021. O levantamento limitou-se aos artigos publicados em português, inglês e espanhol, sendo excluídos artigos de revisão, dissertações e teses. Resultados: Foram selecionados sete artigos dos quais seis (85,7%) abordaram o padrão de consumo de álcool entre a equipe de enfermagem e um (14,3%) abordou o padrão de consumo de álcool entre os profissionais de saúde. Conclusão: A partir das referências encontradas, destaca-se que o estudo sobre o padrão de consumo de bebidas alcoólicas por profissionais de saúde que atuam no cenário oncológico ainda não foi explorado. A busca não resgatou nenhum estudo realizado no Brasil com a temática proposta. Isto posta à necessidade de se investir em pesquisas na área da saúde do trabalhador que abordem o padrão de consumo de bebidas alcoólicas pelos profissionais de saúde, sobretudo, os de enfermagem.
Virtual Exhibition of PGMI IAIN Ambon Students Through Technical Assistance and Procedures for Exhibiting Fine Artwork During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Intan Candra Iga Ayu
Published: March 2022

Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted the artistic process that occurs in society. Making people forced to use digital platforms in the process of expression and appreciation of art. During the Covid-19 pandemic, fine arts chose digital media as a way out for the exhibition. This community service is one solution to increase the expression and appreciation of PGMI IAIN Ambon students who will later teach art as classroom teachers. The service activity with the title "Virtual Exhibition of PGMI IAIN Ambon Students Through Technical Assistance in Crafting and Procedures for Exhibiting Fine Artwork During the Covid-19 Pandemic" seeks to create students who are aware of the values of artistic and are able to create works of art. Activities are carried out through a process of assisting work and assisting the process of implementing virtual exhibitions.Keywords: fine art, exhibition, virtual, covid-19Abstrak: Pandemi Covid -19 telah memutus proses kesenian yang terjadi di masyarakat. Membuat masyarakat terpaksa menggunakan platform digital dalam proses ekspresi dan apresiasi seni. Seni rupa pada masa pandemi Covid-19 memilih media digital sebagai jalan keluar pelaksanaan pameran. Pengabdian masyarakat ini merupakan salah satu solusi untuk meningkatkan ekspresi dan apresiasi mahasiswa PGMI IAIN Ambon yang nantinya akan mengajar seni sebagai guru kelas. Kegiatan pengabdian dengan judul kegiatan “ Pameran  Virtual Mahasiswa PGMI IAIN Ambon Melalui Pendampingan Teknik Berkarya dan Prosedur Memamerkan Hasil Karya Seni Rupa Selama Pandemi Covid-19” berupaya mewujudkan mahasiswa yang sadar akan nilai-nilai keindahan dan mampu menciptakan karya seni rupa. Kegiatan dilaksanakan melalui proses pendampingan berkarya dan pendampingan proses pelaksanaan pameran secara virtual.Kata kunci: seni rupa, pameran, virtual, covid-19
Website Optimization of Digital Literacy Based Media Services
Authors: Kasim Eman Wahyudi
Published: March 2022

Abstract: The development of science and technology today cannot be separated from the progress of internet services that are getting better and more comprehensive. This must be used optimally to encourage the creation of a superior and productive generation such as supporting the national literacy movement in the campus environment through community service activities. Service activities in the form of optimizing website-based student literacy media are expected to be a solution to support the literacy movement in the IAIN Ambon campus, especially in the Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education study program. In addition, the existence of website-based literacy media can be a place to actualize students' ideas or ideas in a quality work. Keywords: Media,Literacy,Website
PENGARUH PENGATURAN KUAT ARUS DAN VOLTASE TERHADAP KEKUATAN TARIK PADA PENGELASAN BIMETAL PLAT BAJA KARBON RENDAH DAN STAINLESS STEEL 304 DENGAN LAS GMAW
Authors: . Sarjiyana , Subagiyo Subagiyo , Agustriyana Lisa
Published: April 2022

A manufactured product in the form of a mixture of dissimilar materials (bimetal) must be considered, including: selecting the right metal, selecting the appropriate filler, setting the current and voltage, etc. For this reason, research related to bimetallic welding using Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) was conducted. The aims were to determine the effect of current on the tensile strength of bimetallic welding of low carbon steel and stainless steel 304 using GMAW welding, to determine the effect of voltage on the tensile strength of bimetallic welding, and to determine the effect of the interaction of current and voltage on the tensile strength of bimetallic welding using welding. GMAW. The research method used is experimental where the results of bimetallic welding are tested by the destructive test method. The results showed that current, voltage, and the strong interaction between current and voltage affect the tensile strength of bimetallic welding of low carbon steel and stainless steel 304 using GMAW welding. The use of amperes between 120A-160A and a voltage of 19V-22V gives a small difference and a tensile strength of 300 MPa-330 MPa.
Pemodelan Suspensi Kendaraan Dalam Tinjauan Multi Derajat Kebebasan
Authors: Nugroho Pipit Wahyu , Muzaki Mochamad
Published: April 2022

The two most important parameters in vehicle vibration are the level of comfort and stability. To get the best value from that parameter,  the vehicle suspension system is very important to reduce vibration due to road waves and keep the wheels attached to the road. This paper studied the effect of the type of suspension on the vibration of a one-wheeled vehicle in terms of comfort and stability. The type of suspension is related to the value of the spring stiffness and the damping. While the vehicle is modeled with one wheel in two degrees of freedom. The test is carried out by loading the vehicle including the mass of the vehicle and passengers for each type of suspension, namely soft, medium and hard. Vibration analysis was performed using Matlab Simulink to obtain the acceleration response and deflection response. The vibration response graph shows the comparison of the level of comfort and stability of the vehicle on the road profile modeled in step, impulse and sinusoidal functions. From the simulation results, it is found that the Soft and Medium Suspension can handle vibration very well, especially from the level of response speed for relatively flat roads. Meanwhile, the Hard type of suspension is very good at dampening vibrations for high bumpy roads.
Rancang Bangun Aplikasi Latihan Fisik untuk Pemain Basket
Authors: Suwarno Suwarno , Derrick Derrick
Published: March 2022

Kebugaran fisik adalah salah satu faktor penting bagi seorang pemain basket. Karena olahraga basket adalah salah satu olahraga yang memiliki banyak fisik kontak dengan pemain lain. Oleh karena itu, pemain basket diwajibkan memiliki tingkat kebugaran fisik yang bagus melalui latihan fisik yang teratur dan bisa dimonitor.  Pada penelitian ini merancang bangun aplikasi berbasis Android physical workout atau latihan fisik untuk pemain basket dengan menggunakan metode Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Waterfall method dan pengujian aplikasi dengan algoritma backtracking. Aplikasi latihan fisik telah membantu pemain basket dalam menjaga kebugaran fisik dengan menunjukkan jenis latihan fisik dan jadwal yang teratur, cara latihan fisik yang benar, menghitung jumlah air yang dikonsumsi, dan menghitung persentase lemak tubuh.
Characterization and Validation of ceRNA-Mediated Pathway–Pathway Crosstalk Networks Across Eight Major Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Song Chao , Zhang Jian , Liu Yongsheng , Hu Yinling , Feng Chenchen , Shi Pilong , Zhang Yuexin , Wang Lixin , Xie Yawen , Zhang Meitian , Zhao Xilong , Cao Yonggang , Li Chunquan , Sun Hongli
Published: April 2022

Pathway analysis is considered as an important strategy to reveal the underlying mechanisms of diseases. Pathways that are involved in crosstalk can regulate each other and co-regulate downstream biological processes. Furthermore, some genes in the pathways can function with other genes via the relationship of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism, which has also been demonstrated to play key roles in cellular biology. However, the comprehensive analysis of ceRNA-mediated pathway crosstalk is lacking. Here, we constructed the landscape of the ceRNA-mediated pathway–pathway crosstalk of eight major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) based on sequencing data from ∼2,800 samples. Some common features shared by numerous CVDs were uncovered. A fraction of the pathway–pathway crosstalk was conserved in multiple CVDs and a core pathway–pathway crosstalk network was identified, suggesting the similarity of pathway–pathway crosstalk among CVDs. Experimental evidence also demonstrated that the pathway crosstalk was functioned in CVDs. We split all hub pathways of each pathway–pathway crosstalk network into three categories, namely, common hubs, differential hubs, and specific hubs, which could highlight the common or specific biological mechanisms. Importantly, after a comparison analysis of the hub pathways of networks, ∼480 hub pathway-induced common modules were identified to exert functions in CVDs broadly. Moreover, we performed a random walk algorithm on the hub pathway-induced sub-network and identified 23 potentially novel CVD-related pathways. In summary, our study revealed the potential molecular regulatory mechanisms of ceRNA crosstalk in pathway–pathway crosstalk levels and provided a novel routine to investigate the pathway–pathway crosstalk in cardiology. All CVD pathway–pathway crosstalks are provided in http://www.licpathway.net/cepathway/index.html.
A Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Promoter of Porcine ARHGAP24 Gene Regulates Aggressive Behavior of Weaned Pigs After Mixing by Affecting the Binding of Transcription Factor p53
Authors: Xu Qinglei , Zhao Jing , Guo Yanli , Liu Mingzheng , Schinckel Allan P. , Zhou Bo
Published: April 2022

Pigs are important biomedical model animals for the study of human neurological diseases. Similar to human aggressive behavior in children and adolescents, weaned pigs also show more aggressive behavior after mixing, which has negative effects on animal welfare and growth performance. The identification of functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the aggressive behavior of pigs would provide valuable molecular markers of the aggressive behavioral trait for genetic improvement program. The Rho GTPase–activating protein 24 (ARHGAP24) gene plays an important role in regulating the process of axon guidance, which may impact the aggressive behavior of pigs. By resequencing the entire coding region, partially adjacent introns and the 5′ and 3′ flanking regions, six and four SNPs were identified in the 5′ flanking region and 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the porcine ARHGAP24 gene, respectively. Association analyses revealed that nine SNPs were significantly associated with aggressive behavioral traits (p = < 1.00 × 10–4–4.51 × 10–2), and their haplotypes were significantly associated with aggressive behavior (p = < 1.00 × 10–4–2.99 × 10–2). The core promoter region of the ARHGAP24 gene has been identified between −670 and −1,113 bp. Furthermore, the luciferase activity of allele A of rs335052970 was significantly less than that of allele G, suggesting that the transcriptional activity of the ARHGAP24 gene was inhibited by allele A of rs335052970. It was identified that the transcription factor p53 bound to the transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) containing allele A of rs335052970. In porcine primary neural cells, p53 binds to the target promoter region of the ARHGAP24 gene, reduces its promoter transcriptional activity, and then reduces its messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression. The results demonstrated that the ARHGAP24 gene had significant genetic effects on aggressive behavioral traits of pigs. Therefore, rs335052970 in the ARHGAP24 gene can be used as a molecular marker to select the less aggressive pigs.
Emerging Cnidarian Models for the Study of Epithelial Polarity
Authors: Rathbun Lindsay I. , Everett Coralee A. , Bergstralh Dan T.
Published: April 2022

Epithelial tissues are vital to the function of most organs, providing critical functions such as secretion, protection, and absorption. Cells within an epithelial layer must coordinate to create functionally distinct apical, lateral, and basal surfaces in order to maintain proper organ function and organism viability. This is accomplished through the careful targeting of polarity factors to their respective locations within the cell, as well as the strategic placement of post-mitotic cells within the epithelium during tissue morphogenesis. The process of establishing and maintaining epithelial tissue integrity is conserved across many species, as important polarity factors and spindle orientation mechanisms can be found in many phyla. However, most of the information gathered about these processes and players has been investigated in bilaterian organisms such as C. elegans, Drosophila, and vertebrate species. This review discusses the advances made in the field of epithelial polarity establishment from more basal organisms, and the advantages to utilizing these simpler models. An increasing number of cnidarian model organisms have been sequenced in recent years, such as Hydra vulgaris and Nematostella vectensis. It is now feasible to investigate how polarity is established and maintained in basal organisms to gain an understanding of the most basal requirements for epithelial tissue morphogenesis.
Perspectives on the Development of Filter Media for Point of Use Water Filters: Case Study of Arsenate Removal
Authors: Chigome Samuel , Andala Dickson , Kabomo Moses , Mobegi Erick
Published: April 2022

The demand for access to clean water will continue to increase as the world population increases. For sustainable development and embracement of technological advancement, it is plausible to consider a filter material development approach that uses locally abundant natural resources as the raw material and nanotechnology techniques for material fabrication. The review and research paper will present a perspective of the authors on how to embrace nanotechnology for filter media development with key focus on the remediation of arsenate. Drinking water contaminated with arsenic is an emerging global challenge. Continuous exposure to drinking water with high levels arsenic could result in several types of cancer. With this in mind, the US EPA in 2001 set 10 ppb as the maximum contaminant level of arsenic from the initial 50 ppb. Therefore, arsenic remediation is key in mitigating these health risks in people residing near water bodies with elevated arsenic levels. Adsorption is considered to be the cheapest. However, from literature, majority of the adsorbents cannot be used in field applications due to challenges associated with low adsorption capacity and a high level of particle leaching into purified water thus posing health dangers. Therefore, it means that many of these adsorbents are economically non-viable. A new chitosan, aluminium, titanium, iron and zirconium (CTS-Al-Ti-Fe-Zr) hybrid was fabricated through the sol-gel process. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy before and after adsorption. Batch adsorption properties towards As(V) were separately studied as a function of the effect of adsorbent dose, pH, initial concentration, contact time and competing ions. Characterization results show that the material is a polycrystalline with a specific surface area of 56.4 m2g−1. Further, FTIR and SEM-EDAX showed adsorption of arsenate on the surface of the nanocomposite. Research findings suggest that with only 100 mg of the adsorbent arsenate can be reduced to less than 10 ppb from an initial concentration of 300 ppb respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity for arsenate removal was recorded as 123 mg/g. The presence of SiO32-, CO32-, and HCO3− ions resulted in a slight decline in the adsorption efficiency of arsenate. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm 0.99518. Data from the fabricated prototype Point-of-use filter showed that with 60.0 g of the nanocomposite, it is possible to reduce 650 L of drinking water with an arsenate initial concentration of 300 ppb to less 10 ppb. In conclusion, the research findings suggest that the nanocomposite material is capable of removal of arsenate from contaminated drinking water to WHO acceptable levels with a potential to be up scaled for commercial applications.
Comparison of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Propensity Score Matching Study
Authors: Li Yang , Hou XueJian , Liu TaoShuai , Xu Shijun , Huang Zhuhui , Xu XiaoYu , Dong Ran
Published: April 2022

Objectives

To compare the long-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) vs. percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods

Coronary artery disease patients with decreased kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2) who underwent CABG (n = 533) or PCI with DES (n = 952) from 2013 to 2020 were enrolled at a single center. The baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the CABG and PCI groups for each matched pair of patients with CKD. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of all-cause death. The secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACCEs) such as death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and repeat revascularization.

Results

A total of 1,485 patients underwent revascularization, such as 533 CABG and 952 patients with PCI. The median follow-up duration was 55.6 months (interquartile range 34.3–74.7 months). Multivariable Cox regression models were used for risk adjustment, and after propensity score matching (PSM), 399 patients were well matched in each group. The in-hospital mortality rate in the CABG group was higher than that in the PCI group, but the difference was not statistically significant (5.0 vs. 2.5%, p = 0.063). At the 1-year follow-up, CABG was associated with a lower survival rate than PCI (94.2 vs. 98.0%, hazard ratio [HR] of 3.72, 95% CI = 1.63–8.49, p < 0.01). At the end of the 5-year follow-up, the freedom from MI and the freedom from repeated revascularization were both better in the CABG group compared to the PCI group (89.1 vs. 81.7%, HR of 0.59, 95% CI = 0.38–0.92, p = 0.019; 86.9 vs. 73.8%, HR of 0.54, 95% CI = 0.36–0.81, p = 0.003, respectively). Furthermore, the freedom from MACCEs was also better in the patients of CABG compared with the patients of PCI (58.5 vs. 51.3%, HR of 0.71, 95% CI = 0.55–0.91, p = 0.030). CABG had a higher cumulative survival rate (68.4 vs. 66.0%) but without a statistically significant difference (HR of 0.92, 95% CI = 0.67–1.27, p = 0.602) compared with that of PCI.

Conclusions

Compared to the use of PCI with a drug-eluting stent among patients with CKD, the use of CABG was associated with a lower MI rate, repeat revascularization rate, and lower number of MACCEs during the long-term follow-up. At a follow-up of 1 year, the number of MACCEs and other adverse events were comparable between the two cohorts, but CABG showed a lower survival rate than PCI.
Bilateral Superior Cervical Sympathectomy Activates Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Signal to Alleviate Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Li Lixia , Gao Jiahong , Gao Lin , Li Le , Zhang Hongfei , Zhao Wei , Xu Shiyuan
Published: April 2022

Background

There is growing evidence about the effect of bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Studies have increasingly found that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a protective role in myocardial I/R injury. However, the precise mechanism is unknown. The present study explored the bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy’s effect and potential mechanism in mice myocardial I/R injury.

Methods

The left heart I/R injury model was created by ligating the anterior descending branch of the coronary artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion. Bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy was performed before myocardial I/R injury. To evaluate the effect of bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy on the myocardium, we examined the myocardial infarct size and cardiac function. Then, myocardial apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress were detected on the myocardium. Furthermore, the expression of STAT3 signal in myocardial tissue was measured by western blotting. To further examine the cardioprotective effect of STAT3 after bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy, the STAT3 inhibitor (static) was utilized to inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3.

Results

The results showed that the myocardial I/R injury decreased and the cardiac function recovered in the myocardial I/R injury after cervical sympathectomy. Meanwhile, cervical sympathectomy reduced the myocardial distribution of the sympathetic marker tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and systemic sympathetic tone. And levels of oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and apoptosis were reduced in myocardial tissue. We also found that the STAT3 signal was activated in myocardial tissue after cervical sympathectomy. STAT3 inhibitor can partially reverse the myocardial protective effect of cervical sympathectomy.

Conclusion

Bilateral superior cervical sympathectomy significantly alleviated myocardial I/R injury in mice. And activation of the STAT3 signal may play an essential role in this.
Subunits of C1Q Are Associated With the Progression of Intermittent Claudication to Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia
Authors: Yao Ziping , Zhang Bihui , Niu Guochen , Yan Ziguang , Tong Xiaoqiang , Zou Yinghua , Yang Min
Published: April 2022

Background

The pathophysiological mechanisms of intermittent claudication (IC) progression to chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) are still vague and which of patients with IC will become CLTI are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the key molecules and pathways mediating IC progression to CLTI by a quantitative bioinformatic analysis of a public RNA-sequencing database of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) to screen biomarkers discriminating IC and CLTI.

Methods

The GSE120642 dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between IC and CLTI tissues were analyzed using the “edgeR” packages of R. The Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed to explore the functions of DEGs. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were established by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and visualized by Cytoscape software. Hub genes were selected by plugin cytoHubba. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed and the receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the predictive values of hub genes.

Results

A total of 137 upregulated and 21 downregulated DEGs were identified. Functional enrichment clustering analysis revealed a significant association between DEGs and the complement and coagulation cascade pathways. The PPI network was constructed with 155 nodes and 105 interactions. The most significantly enriched pathway was complement activation. C1QB, C1QA, C1QC, C4A, and C1R were identified and validated as hub genes due to the high degree of connectivity. The area under the curve values for the five hub genes were greater than 0.95, indicating high accuracy for discriminating IC and CLTI.

Conclusion

The complement activation pathway is associated with IC progression to CLTI. C1QB, C1QA, C1QC, C4A, and C1R might serve as potential early biomarkers of CLTI.
How Do Different Reanalysis Radiation Datasets Perform in West Qilian Mountains?
Authors: Yingshan Wang , Weijun Sun , Lei Wang , Yanzhao Li , Wentao Du , Jizu Chen , Xiang Qin
Published: April 2022

Solar radiation plays an important role in the cryospheric water cycle, especially in alpine regions. This study presents an evaluation of the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications 2 (MERRA2), ERA5, High Asia Refined analysis version 2 (HAR v2), JRA-55, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Climate Forecast System Reanalysis datasets at different time scales by comparing observed datasets from July 2010 to December 2015 at 4,550 m in the Laohugou Basin. In terms of shortwave radiation, ERA5 performs significantly better than the other reanalysis radiation datasets. For downward shortwave radiation, HAR v2 performs better than ERA5 on only two timescales, 3 months and half-year, with mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 13.28 and 7.96 w/m2. The upward shortwave radiation, ERA5, outperforms the other reanalysis datasets on all 12 timescales. For downward longwave radiation, ERA5 also performs significantly better, with only MERRA2 outperforming ERA5 on the daily scale and annual scale, with R2, bias, root mean square error, and MAE of 0.6, 0.95, −9.51 w/m2, −9.41 w/m2, 34.98 w/m2, 9.46 w/m2, and 27.52 w/m2, 9.41 w/m2, respectively. In the upward longwave radiation, HAR v2 performs better than the other reanalysis datasets on all timescales, except for ERA5, which has a better R2 of 0.92 on the annual scale. All the reanalysis datasets can show the variation trend of the four radiation parameters in different seasons and achieve a better performance in winter. Therefore, ERA5 is recommended for regions without shortwave radiation observations, and HAR v2 and ERA5 are recommended for longwave radiation simulations. Although there are obvious shortcomings in the reanalysis radiation datasets, they still provide important supplementary information for research in high-altitude areas, where the observed datasets are too sparse.
Simulation and Study of PEMFC System Directly Fueled by Ammonia Decomposition Gas
Authors: Zhao Jian Feng , Liang Qian Chao , Liang Yi Fan
Published: March 2022

Ammonia can be stored as a liquid under relatively easy conditions (Ambient temperature by applying 10 bar or Ambient pressure with the temperature of 239 K). At the same time, liquid ammonia has a high hydrogen storage density and is, therefore, a particularly promising carrier for hydrogen storage. At the same time, the current large-scale industrial synthesis of ammonia has long been mature, and in the future, it will be possible to achieve a zero-emission ammonia regeneration cycle system by replacing existing energy sources with renewable ones. Ammonia does not contain carbon, and its use in fuel cells can avoid NOx production during energy release. high temperature solid oxide fuel cells can be directly fueled by ammonia and obtain good output characteristics, but the challenges inherent in high temperature solid oxide fuel cells greatly limit the implementation of this option. Whereas PEMFC has gained initial commercial use, however, for PEMFC, ammonia is a toxic gas, so the general practice is to convert ammonia to pure hydrogen. Ammonia to hydrogen requires decomposition under high temperature and purification, which increases the complexity of the fuel system. In contrast, PEMFC that can use ammonia decomposition gas directly can simplify the fuel system, and this option has already obtained preliminary experimental validation studies. The energy efficiency of the system obtained from the preliminary validation experiments is only 34–36%, which is much lower than expected. Therefore, this paper establishes a simulation model of PEMFC directly using ammonia decomposition gas as fuel to study the maximum efficiency of the system and the effect of the change of system parameters on the efficiency, and the results show that the system efficiency can reach up to 45% under the condition of considering certain heat loss. Increasing the ammonia decomposition reaction temperature decreases the system efficiency, but the effect is small, and the system efficiency can reach 44% even at a temperature of 850°C. The results of the study can provide a reference for a more scientific and quantitative assessment of the potential value of direct ammonia decomposition gas-fueled PEMFC.
Fast and Accurate Traction Induction Machine Performance Calculation Method for Integrated Onboard Charging in Vehicle to Grid Application
Authors: Cai Haiwei , Huang Ru , Zhai Hao , Xu Honghua , Liu Shaojun , Xu Jingzhou
Published: April 2022

Reusing traction electric machine windings in electric vehicles as an integrated filtering inductor is a promising solution to reduce the size of the vehicle to grid (V2G) charging/discharging system. Obviously, the integrated inductors need to meet the requirements of traction and charging/discharging, which brings challenge for the design of traction machines. As one of the most popular traction electric machine types, the high-speed induction machine usually has large electrical time constant and consequently unacceptably long transient time in the design stage when finite element analysis is adopted. In this article, a method is proposed to quickly and accurately calculate the steady state performance of the induction machine by time-stepping transient magnetic finite element analysis. First, the stator current magnitude is ramped up from zero to full magnitude gradually to control the DC component in rotor flux and torque. Second, a multistep equivalent resistance method is adopted to decrease rotor time constant and suppress slot-tooth harmonic transient response. The proposed method can predict the FEA computation load before running the calculation, and it does not rely on the machine parameter and feedback signal. Its performance is tested by an example induction machine. The result shows that the proposed method can reduce the finite element calculation time of a high-speed operating point by 99%.
Hydraulic Resistance and Macromolecular Structure of Aerobic and Anaerobic Mixed-Culture Extracellular Polymeric Substances Gel Layers: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Dinis Costa Emanuel Fonseca , Gagliano Maria Cristina , Kemperman Antoine , Rijnaarts Huub H. M. , Lammertink Rob G. H. , Temmink Hardy
Published: March 2022

Soluble Extracellular Polymeric Substances (sEPS) are a mixture of microbial soluble polymers produced during aerobic or anaerobic treatment of wastewater. Gel layers mainly consisting of sEPS are usually present in the fouling layers of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and in the dynamic membranes (DMs) of dynamic membrane bioreactors (DMBRs), and their properties have not been thoroughly investigated over the years. In this study, sEPS fractions recovered from aerobic and anaerobic reactors were analyzed and tested to build-up EPS gel layers on a 0.2 µm pore size polycarbonate carrier. Dead-end filtration experiments showed that anaerobic sEPS layers, which have a low polysaccharide:protein (PS:PN) ratio, had a lower hydraulic resistance than the aerobic sEPS gel layers, which show a high PS:PN ratio. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) analyses highlighted that both layers had similar thicknesses and 3D structural organizations. Fluorescent staining of organics and biovolume analysis revealed that for the anaerobic sEPS (low PS:PN), the abundance of proteins appears to destabilize the polysaccharide network increasing the water permeability through the layer. Additionally, the polysaccharides present in the anaerobic sEPS were mainly of the α-linked type, contributing to a more open crosslinked network within the layer, resulting in the low filtration resistance measured. The filtration characteristics observed in this study for the sEPS layers from anaerobic mixed cultures are of interest for possible future application of those layers as dynamic membranes within anaerobic reactors.
A Novel Signature Integrated of Immunoglobulin, Glycosylation and Anti-Viral Genes to Predict Prognosis for Breast Cancer
Authors: Xu Shengshan , Liu Yuchen , Ma Hansu , Fang Shuo , Wei Shoupeng , Li Xiaoping , Lu Zhuming , Zheng Youbin , Liu Tong , Zhu Xiaojian , Xu Dongming , Pan Yihang
Published: April 2022

Background: Aberrant glycosylation is significantly related to the occurrence, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance of tumors. It is essential to identify glycosylation and related genes with prognostic value for breast cancer.

Objective: We aimed to construct and validate a prognostic model based on glycosylation and related genes, and further investigate its prognosis values in validation set and external independent cohorts.

Materials and Methods: The transcriptome and clinical data of breast cancer patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, n = 1072), Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC, n = 1451), and GSE2741 (n = 120). Glycosylation-related genes were downloaded from the Genecards website. Differentially expressed glycosylation-related geneswere identified by comparing the tumor tissues with the adjacent tissues. The TCGA data were randomly divided into training set and validation set in a 1:1 ratio for further analysis. The glycosylation risk-scoring prognosis model was constructed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, followed by confirmation in TCGA validation, METABRIC, and GEO datasets. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Gene ontology analysis for identifying the affected pathways in the high- and low-risk groups were performed.

Results: We attained 1072 breast cancer samples from the TCGA database and 786 glycosylation genes from the Genecards website. A signature contains immunoglobulin, glycosylation and anti-viral related genes was constructed to separate BRCA patients into two risk groups. Low-risk patients had better overall survival than high-risk patients (p < 0.001). A nomogram was constructed with risk scores and clinical characteristics. The area under time-dependent ROC curve reached 0.764 at 1 year, 0.744 at 3 years, and 0.765 at 5 years in the training set. Subgroup analysis showed differences in OS between the high- and low-risk patients in different subgroups. Moreover, the risk score was confirmed as an independent prognostic indicator of BRCA patients and was potentially correlated with immunotherapy response and drug sensitivity.

Conclusion: We identified a novel signature integrated of immunoglobulin (IGHA2), glycosylation-related (SLC35A2) and anti-viral gene (BST2) that was an independent prognostic indicator for BRCA patients. The risk-scoring model could be used for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy in BRCA, thus providing a powerful instrument for combating BRCA.
Frequency of CXCR3+ CD8+ T-Lymphocyte Subsets in Peripheral Blood Is Associated With the Risk of Paradoxical Tuberculosis-Associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome Development in Advanced HIV Disease
Authors: Tibúrcio Rafael , Narendran Gopalan , Barreto-Duarte Beatriz , Queiroz Artur T. L. , Araújo-Pereira Mariana , Anbalagan Selvaraj , Nayak Kaustuv , Ravichandran Narayanan , Subramani Rajasekaran , Antonelli Lis R. V. , Satagopan Kumar , Anbalagan Komathi , Porter Brian O. , Sher Alan , Swaminathan Soumya , Sereti Irini , Andrade Bruno B.
Published: April 2022

Background

Tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) is a clinical aggravation of TB symptoms observed among a fraction of HIV coinfected patients shortly after the start of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Of note, TB-IRIS is characterized by exacerbated inflammation and tissue damage that occurs in response to the elevated production of CD4+ T cell-derived IFN-γ. Nevertheless, the possible participation of CD8+ T cells in TB-IRIS development remains unclear.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive assessment of the composition of CD8+ T cell memory subsets and their association with circulating inflammation-related molecules in TB-HIV coinfected patients initiating ART.

Results

We found that TB-IRIS individuals display higher frequencies of Antigen-experienced CD8+ T cells during the onset of IRIS and that the levels of these cells positively correlate with baseline mycobacterial smear grade. TB-IRIS individuals exhibited higher frequencies of effector memory and lower percentages of naïve CD8+ T cells than their Non-IRIS counterparts. In both TB-IRIS and Non-IRIS patients, ART commencement was associated with fewer significant correlations among memory CD8+ T cells and cells from other immune compartments. Networks analysis revealed distinct patterns of correlation between each memory subset with inflammatory cytokines suggesting different dynamics of CD8+ T cell memory subsets reconstitution. TB-IRIS patients displayed lower levels of memory cells positive for CXCR3 (a chemokine receptor that plays a role in trafficking activated CD8+ T cells to the tissues) than Non-IRIS individuals before and after ART. Furthermore, we found that CXCR3+ naïve CD8+ T cells were inversely associated with the risk of TB-IRIS development. On the other hand, we noticed that the frequencies of CXCR3+ effector CD8+ T cells were positively associated with the probability of TB-IRIS development.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that TB-IRIS individuals display a distinct profile of memory CD8+ T cell subsets reconstitution after ART initiation. Moreover, our data point to a differential association between the frequencies of CXCR3+ CD8+ T cells and the risk of TB-IRIS development. Collectively, our findings lend insights into the potential role of memory CD8+ T cells in TB-IRIS pathophysiology.
Comprehensive Analysis of Circular RNAs to Decipher the Potential Roles in Blind-Side Hypermelanosis in Chinese Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)
Authors: Hu Yuanri , Li Yangzhen , Cheng Peng , Chen Songlin
Published: April 2022

Blind-side hypermelanosis is an emerging concern across the flatfish aquaculture industry including Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) as endogenous non-coding RNAs have been acknowledged to play important roles in various biological processes. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs involved in flatfish blind-side hypermelanosis remain unclear. In this study, to profile the circRNA expression pattern and circRNA-microRNA-messenger RNA (mRNA) network, high-throughput sequencing was performed by using blind-side normal and hypermelanotic skins of tongue sole. A total of 73 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified, and the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed. Furthermore, circRNA host genes and mRNAs involved in ceRNA network were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. Several GO terms and pathways of biological significance were identified and well addressed the generation of blind-side hypermelanosis to some extent. These interesting results extend the understanding of the functional profile of circRNAs and yield valuable insights into the molecular regulatory mechanisms of hypermelanosis in flatfish.
Candida albicans Multilocus Sequence Typing Clade I Contributes to the Clinical Phenotype of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Patients
Authors: Zhu Yuxia , Fang Chao , Shi Yu , Shan Yingying , Liu Xiaoping , Liang Yiheng , Huang Liting , Liu Xinyang , Liu Chunfeng , Zhao Yin , Fan Shangrong , Zhang Xiaowei
Published: April 2022

Candida albicans is the most frequent fungal species responsible for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), which exhibits distinct genetic diversity that is linked with the clinical phenotype. This study aimed to assess the genotypes and clinical characteristics of different C. albicans isolates from VVC patients. Based on multilocus sequence typing (MLST), clade 1 was identified as the largest C. albicans group, which appeared most frequently in recurrent VVC and treatment failure cases. Further study of antifungal susceptibility demonstrated that MLST clade 1 strains presented significantly higher drug resistance ability than non-clade 1 strains, which result from the overexpression of MDR1. The mRNA and protein expression levels of virulence-related genes were also significantly higher in clade 1 isolates than in non-clade 1 isolates. Proteomic analysis indicated that the protein stabilization pathway was significantly enriched in clade 1 strains and that RPS4 was a central regulator of proteins involved in stress resistance, adherence, and DNA repair, which all contribute to the resistance and virulence of MLST clade 1 strains. This study was the first attempt to compare the correlation mechanisms between C. albicans MLST clade 1 and non-clade 1 strains and the clinical phenotype, which is of great significance for VVC classification and treatment.
Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles
Authors: González-Cebrián Alba , Almenar-Pérez Eloy , Xu Jiabao , Yu Tong , Huang Wei E. , Giménez-Orenga Karen , Hutchinson Sarah , Lodge Tiffany , Nathanson Lubov , Morten Karl J. , Ferrer Alberto , Oltra Elisa
Published: April 2022

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a chronic disease characterized by long-lasting persistent debilitating widespread fatigue and post-exertional malaise, remains diagnosed by clinical criteria. Our group and others have identified differentially expressed miRNA profiles in the blood of patients. However, their diagnostic power individually or in combinations seems limited. A Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model initially based on 817 variables: two demographic, 34 blood analytic, 136 PBMC miRNAs, 639 Extracellular Vesicle (EV) miRNAs, and six EV features, selected an optimal number of five components, and a subset of 32 regressors showing statistically significant discriminant power. The presence of four EV-features (size and z-values of EVs prepared with or without proteinase K treatment) among the 32 regressors, suggested that blood vesicles carry relevant disease information. To further explore the features of ME/CFS EVs, we subjected them to Raman micro-spectroscopic analysis, identifying carotenoid peaks as ME/CFS fingerprints, possibly due to erythrocyte deficiencies. Although PLS-DA analysis showed limited capacity of Raman fingerprints for diagnosis (AUC = 0.7067), Raman data served to refine the number of PBMC miRNAs from our previous model still ensuring a perfect classification of subjects (AUC=1). Further investigations to evaluate model performance in extended cohorts of patients, to identify the precise ME/CFS EV components detected by Raman and to reveal their functional significance in the disease are warranted.
Differential Effects of Intrauterine Balloon Tamponade Indications on Postpartum Hemorrhage Outcomes
Authors: Xu Chuangchuang , Chen Yiyao , Wen Lin , Chi Xiaolei , Chen Xinliang
Published: April 2022

Objective

To determine whether the indication of intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) was associated with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) outcomes.

Methods

Patients with PPH who underwent IUBT between January 2013 and November 2021 were included in a cohort study. PPH outcomes in patients who had IUBT for indications of uterine atony were compared to those who had IUBT for indications of placental site bleeding. PPH outcomes included uterine artery embolization (UAE) or hysterectomy after IUBT, estimated blood loss (EBL) after balloon placement, and blood transfusion. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

IUBT was performed on 603 cases, with 121 (20.1%) undergoing it for placental site bleeding and 482 (79.9%) for uterine atony. In general, IUBT was a reliable treatment for PPH, but the specific efficacy varied depending on the indication for placement. After controlling for confounding variables, compared to the indication of uterine atony, the indication of placental site bleeding increased the risk of transfusion of ≥4 units of PRBCs (aOR 2.47, 95%CI 1.32–3.98), EBL ≥ 300 ml after IUBT (aOR 3.78, 95%CI 2.22–5.33), and UAE or hysterectomy (aOR 2.52, 95%CI 1.20–6.01), respectively. Other factors associated with adverse PPH outcomes were lower antenatal hemoglobin, higher IUBT volume, longer duration of IUBT and larger shock index values.

Conclusions

IUBT was less effective in treating PPH patients with indications of placental site bleeding than with indications of uterine atony. Follow-up monitoring of PPH patients with placental site bleeding should be intensified.
Crossing Total Occlusions Using a Hydraulic Pressure Wave: Development of the Wave Catheter
Authors: Sakes Aimee , Lageweg Menno , van Starkenburg Remi I. B. , Sontakke Saurabh , Spronck Jo W.
Published: April 2022

With the ongoing miniaturization of surgical instruments, the ability to apply large forces on tissues for resection becomes challenging and the risk of buckling becomes more real. In an effort to allow for high force application in slender instruments, in this study, we have investigated using a hydraulic pressure wave (COMSOL model) and developed an innovative 5F cardiac catheter (L = 1,000 mm) that allows for applying high forces up to 9.0 ± 0.2 N on target tissues without buckling. The catheter uses high-speed pressure waves to transfer high-force impulses through a slender flexible shaft consisted of a flat wire coil, a double braid, and a nylon outer coating. The handle allows for single-handed operation of the catheter with easy adjusting of the input impulse characteristic, including frequency (1–10 Hz), time and number of strokes using a solenoid actuator, and easy connection of an off-the-shelf inflator for catheter filling. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we illustrated that the Wave catheter was able to penetrate a phantom model of a coronary Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) manufactured out of hydroxyapatite and gelatin. It was found that the time until puncture decreased from 80 ± 5.4 s to 7.8 ± 0.4 s, for a stroke frequency of 1–10 Hz, respectively. The number of strikes until puncture was approximately constant at 80 ± 5.4, 76.7 ± 2.6, and 77.7 ± 3.9 for the different stroke frequencies. With the development of the Wave catheter, first steps have been made toward high force application through slender shafts.