bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health conditions of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on search and rescue vessels on the central Mediterranean Sea, 2016–2019: a retrospective analysis
Authors: van Boetzelaer Elburg , Fotso Adolphe , Angelova Ilina , Huisman Geke , Thorson Trygve , Hadj-Sahraoui Hassiba , Kremer Ronald , Kuehne Anna
Published: January 2022

Objectives

This study will contribute to the systematic epidemiological description of morbidities among migrants, refugees and asylum seekers when crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Setting

Since 2015, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has conducted search and rescue activities on the Mediterranean Sea to save lives, provide medical services, to witness and to speak out.

Participants

Between November 2016 and December 2019, MSF rescued 22 966 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

We conducted retrospective data analysis of data collected between January 2016 and December 2019 as part of routine monitoring of the MSF’s healthcare services for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on two search and rescue vessels.

Results

MSF conducted 12 438 outpatient consultations and 853 sexual and reproductive health consultations (24.9% of female population, 853/3420) and documented 287 consultations for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The most frequently diagnosed health conditions among children aged 5 years or older and adults were skin conditions (30.6%, 5475/17 869), motion sickness (28.6%, 5116/17 869), headache (15.4%, 2 748/17 869) and acute injuries (5.7%, 1013/17 869). Of acute injuries, 44.7% were non-violence-related injuries (453/1013), 30.1% were fuel burns (297/1013) and 25.4% were violence-related injuries (257/1013).

Conclusion

The limited testing and diagnostics capacity of the outpatient department, space limitations, stigma and the generally short length of stay of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on the ships have likely led to an underestimation of morbidities, including mental health conditions and SGBV. The main diagnoses on board were directly related to journey on land and sea and stay in Libya. We conclude that this population may be relatively young and healthy but displays significant journey-related illnesses and includes migrants, refugees and asylum seekers who have suffered significant violence during their transit and need urgent access to essential services and protection in a place of safety on land.
Impairment of gut microbial biotin metabolism and host biotin status in severe obesity: effect of biotin and prebiotic supplementation on improved metabolism
Authors: Belda Eugeni , Voland Lise , Tremaroli Valentina , Falony Gwen , Adriouch Solia , Assmann Karen E , Prifti Edi , Aron-Wisnewsky Judith , Debédat Jean , Le Roy Tiphaine , Nielsen Trine , Amouyal Chloé , André Sébastien , Andreelli Fabrizio , Blüher Matthias , Chakaroun Rima , Chilloux Julien , Coelho Luis Pedro , Dao Maria Carlota , Das Promi , Fellahi Soraya , Forslund Sofia , Galleron Nathalie , Hansen Tue H , Holmes Bridget , Ji Boyang , Krogh Pedersen Helle , Le Phuong , Le Chatelier Emmanuelle , Lewinter Christian , Mannerås-Holm Louise , Marquet Florian , Myridakis Antonis , Pelloux Veronique , Pons Nicolas , Quinquis Benoit , Rouault Christine , Roume Hugo , Salem Joe-Elie , Sokolovska Nataliya , Søndertoft Nadja B , Touch Sothea , Vieira-Silva Sara ,   The MetaCardis Consortium, Galan Pilar , Holst Jens , Gøtze Jens Peter , Køber Lars , Vestergaard Henrik , Hansen Torben , Hercberg Serge , Oppert Jean-Michel , Nielsen Jens , Letunic Ivica , Dumas Marc-Emmanuel , Stumvoll Michael , Pedersen Oluf Borbye , Bork Peer , Ehrlich Stanislav Dusko , Zucker Jean-Daniel , Bäckhed Fredrik , Raes Jeroen , Clément Karine
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Gut microbiota is a key component in obesity and type 2 diabetes, yet mechanisms and metabolites central to this interaction remain unclear. We examined the human gut microbiome’s functional composition in healthy metabolic state and the most severe states of obesity and type 2 diabetes within the MetaCardis cohort. We focused on the role of B vitamins and B7/B8 biotin for regulation of host metabolic state, as these vitamins influence both microbial function and host metabolism and inflammation.

Design

We performed metagenomic analyses in 1545 subjects from the MetaCardis cohorts and different murine experiments, including germ-free and antibiotic treated animals, faecal microbiota transfer, bariatric surgery and supplementation with biotin and prebiotics in mice.

Results

Severe obesity is associated with an absolute deficiency in bacterial biotin producers and transporters, whose abundances correlate with host metabolic and inflammatory phenotypes. We found suboptimal circulating biotin levels in severe obesity and altered expression of biotin-associated genes in human adipose tissue. In mice, the absence or depletion of gut microbiota by antibiotics confirmed the microbial contribution to host biotin levels. Bariatric surgery, which improves metabolism and inflammation, associates with increased bacterial biotin producers and improved host systemic biotin in humans and mice. Finally, supplementing high-fat diet-fed mice with fructo-oligosaccharides and biotin improves not only the microbiome diversity, but also the potential of bacterial production of biotin and B vitamins, while limiting weight gain and glycaemic deterioration.

Conclusion

Strategies combining biotin and prebiotic supplementation could help prevent the deterioration of metabolic states in severe obesity.

Trial registration number

NCT02059538.
Mapping the human gut mycobiome in middle-aged and elderly adults: multiomics insights and implications for host metabolic health
Authors: Shuai Menglei , Fu Yuanqing , Zhong Hai-li , Gou Wanglong , Jiang Zengliang , Liang Yuhui , Miao Zelei , Xu Jin-Jian , Huynh Tien , Wahlqvist Mark L , Chen Yu-ming , Zheng Ju-Sheng
Published: January 2022

Objective

The human gut fungal community, known as the mycobiome, plays a fundamental role in the gut ecosystem and health. Here we aimed to investigate the determinants and long-term stability of gut mycobiome among middle-aged and elderly adults. We further explored the interplay between gut fungi and bacteria on metabolic health.

Design

The present study included 1244 participants from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study. We characterised the long-term stability and determinants of the human gut mycobiome, especially long-term habitual dietary consumption. The comprehensive multiomics analyses were performed to investigate the ecological links between gut bacteria, fungi and faecal metabolome. Finally, we examined whether the interaction between gut bacteria and fungi could modulate the metabolic risk.

Results

The gut fungal composition was temporally stable and mainly determined by age, long-term habitual diet and host physiological states. Specifically, compared with middle-aged individuals, Blastobotrys and Agaricomycetes spp were depleted, while Malassezia was enriched in the elderly. Dairy consumption was positively associated with Saccharomyces but inversely associated with Candida. Notably, Saccharomycetales spp interacted with gut bacterial diversity to influence insulin resistance. Bidirectional mediation analyses indicated that bacterial function or faecal histidine might causally mediate an impact of Pichia on blood cholesterol.

Conclusion

We depict the sociodemographic and dietary determinants of human gut mycobiome in middle-aged and elderly individuals, and further reveal that the gut mycobiome may be closely associated with the host metabolic health through regulating gut bacterial functions and metabolites.
Secondhand nicotine vaping at home and respiratory symptoms in young adults
Authors: Islam Talat , Braymiller Jessica , Eckel Sandrah P , Liu Feifei , Tackett Alayna P , Rebuli Meghan E , Barrington-Trimis Jessica , McConnell Rob
Published: January 2022

Rationale

Despite high prevalence of e-cigarette use (vaping), little is currently known regarding the health effects of secondhand nicotine vape exposure.

Objective

To investigate whether exposure to secondhand nicotine vape exposure is associated with adverse respiratory health symptoms among young adults.

Method

We investigated the effect of secondhand nicotine vape exposure on annually reported wheeze, bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath in the prospective Southern California Children Health Study cohort. Data were collected from study participants (n=2097) with repeated annual surveys from 2014 (average age: 17.3 years) to 2019 (average age: 21.9). We used mixed effect logistic regression to evaluate the association between secondhand nicotine vape and respiratory symptoms after controlling for relevant confounders.

Results

Prevalence of secondhand nicotine vape increased from 11.7% to 15.6% during the study period in this population. Prevalence of wheeze, bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath ranged from 12.3% to 14.9%, 19.4% to 26.0% and 16.5% to 18.1%, respectively, during the study period. Associations of secondhand nicotine vape exposure with bronchitic symptoms (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.84) and shortness of breath (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.21) were observed after controlling for vaping, active and passive exposure to tobacco or cannabis, and demographic characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity and parental education). Stronger associations were observed when analysis was restricted to participants who were neither smokers nor vapers. There were no associations with wheezing after adjustment for confounders.

Conclusion

Secondhand nicotine vape exposure was associated with increased risk of bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath among young adults.
Bacterial biofilms predominate in both acute and chronic human lung infections
Authors: Kolpen Mette , Kragh Kasper Nørskov , Enciso Juan Barraza , Faurholt-Jepsen Daniel , Lindegaard Birgitte , Egelund Gertrud Baunbæk , Jensen Andreas Vestergaard , Ravn Pernille , Mathiesen Inger Hee Mabuza , Gheorge Alexandra Gabriella , Hertz Frederik Boëtius , Qvist Tavs , Whiteley Marvin , Jensen Peter Østrup , Bjarnsholt Thomas
Published: January 2022

Background

A basic paradigm of human infection is that acute bacterial disease is caused by fast growing planktonic bacteria while chronic infections are caused by slow-growing, aggregated bacteria, a phenomenon known as a biofilm. For lung infections, this paradigm has been thought to be supported by observations of how bacteria proliferate in well-established growth media in the laboratory—the gold standard of microbiology.

Objective

To investigate the bacterial architecture in sputum from patients with acute and chronic lung infections.

Methods

Advanced imaging technology was used for quantification and direct comparison of infection types on fresh sputum samples, thereby directly testing the acute versus chronic paradigm.

Results

In this study, we compared the bacterial lifestyle (planktonic or biofilm), growth rate and inflammatory response of bacteria in freshly collected sputum (n=43) from patient groups presenting with acute or chronic lung infections. We found that both acute and chronic lung infections are dominated by biofilms (aggregates of bacteria within an extracellular matrix), although planktonic cells were observed in both sample types. Bacteria grew faster in sputum from acute infections, but these fast-growing bacteria were enriched in biofilms similar to the architecture thought to be reserved for chronic infections. Cellular inflammation in the lungs was also similar across patient groups, but systemic inflammatory markers were only elevated in acute infections.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that the current paradigm of equating planktonic with acute and biofilm with chronic infection needs to be revisited as the difference lies primarily in metabolic rates, not bacterial architecture.
Lung epithelial cells interact with immune cells and bacteria to shape the microenvironment in tuberculosis
Authors: de Waal Amy M , Hiemstra Pieter S , Ottenhoff Tom HM , Joosten Simone A , van der Does Anne M
Published: January 2022

The lung epithelium has long been overlooked as a key player in tuberculosis disease. In addition to acting as a direct barrier toMycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb), epithelial cells (EC) of the airways and alveoli act as first responders during Mtb infections; they directly sense and respond to Mtb by producing mediators such as cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobials. Interactions of EC with innate and adaptive immune cells further shape the immune response against Mtb. These three essential components, epithelium, immune cells and Mtb, are rarely studied in conjunction, owing in part to difficulties in coculturing them. Recent advances in cell culture technologies offer the opportunity to model the lung microenvironment more closely. Herein, we discuss the interplay between lung EC, immune cells and Mtb and argue that modelling these interactions is of key importance to unravel early events during Mtb infection.
Flavour spectrum of the Puff family of disposable e-cigarettes
Authors: Ramamurthi Divya , Chau Cindy , Berke Hannah Y , Tolba Afnan M , Yuan Lu , Kanchan Vedika , Santos Giulia , Jackler Robert K
Published: January 2022

Background

In January 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration prohibited the sale of flavours (except for menthol and tobacco) in prefilled pod devices such as JUUL to decrease youth vaping. Excluded from the prohibition were disposable devices.

Objectives

To determine the scope and scale of flavours marketed by Puff Bar, a leading disposable brand, and related products.

Methods

Disposable e-cigarette flavours were identified via online searches encompassing vendor websites, wholesale distributors, manufacturers (eg, made-in-china.com), and social media channel, Instagram, between June and August 2020.

Results

The ‘Puff’ brand name and iconic cloud logo appear on a variety of products of differing sizes and nicotine e-liquid volumes. Among Puff Bar and its copycats (Puff-a-Likes), 139 flavours were identified. Fruit flavours predominated comprising 82.2% of the flavour varieties (fruit 50%, fruit and menthol/mint 23.6%, and fruity drinks 8.6%). A prevalent new flavour category which combines fruit with menthol/mint (Ice) was offered in 33 varieties such as Lychee Ice, Lush Ice and Banana Ice. Disposable e-cigarette brands are undertaking measures to escape tobacco regulation (eg, non-tobacco-sourced nicotine) and flavour limitations via post-market flavour additions to unflavoured nicotine e-liquid.

Conclusions

The proliferation of flavoured disposable e-cigarette products, many of which are designed to emulate popular pod devices, illustrates that narrowly limited flavour regulations covering only a single category are destined to fail. To be effective in youth protection, flavour regulations need to apply to all recreational nicotine-containing products and need to include measures to counter post-market flavour addition.
CDC Hickie yellow field pea
Authors: Warkentin Tom , Tar’an Bunyamin , Banniza Sabine , Vandenberg Albert , Bett Kirstin , Arganosa Gene , Barlow Brent , Horner Jaret , de Silva Devini , Wagenhoffer Stacey , Liu Yong , Mikituk Kevin , Weerasinghe Anoja , Raymond Dayna
Published: January 2022

CDC Hickie, a yellow cotyledon field pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivar, was released in 2021 by the Crop Development Centre (CDC), University of Saskatchewan (SK, Canada), for distribution to Select seed growers through the Variety Release Committee of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. CDC Hickie has good lodging resistance, medium time to maturity, medium-sized round seeds, mean seed protein concentration of 24.4%, and good yielding ability. It is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately susceptible to Mycosphaerella blight and Fusarium root rot. CDC Hickie is adapted to the field pea growing regions of western Canada.
AAC Richard soybean
Authors: Yu K. , Woodrow L. , Shi C.
Published: January 2022

AAC Richard is a food grade soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar with yellow hilum, high protein concentration, and good processing quality for foreign and domestic soymilk, tofu, and miso markets. It has resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe). AAC Richard was developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow-RDC), Harrow, Ontario, and is adapted to areas of southwest Ontario with 3100 or more crop heat units and has a relative maturity of 2.3 (MG 2.3).
Mellin–Barnes integrals and the method of brackets
Authors: Gonzalez Ivan , Kondrashuk Igor , Moll Victor H. , Recabarren Luis M.
Published: January 2022

The method of brackets is a method for the evaluation of definite integrals based on a small number of rules. This is employed here for the evaluation of Mellin–Barnes integral. The fundamental idea is to transform these integral representations into a bracket series to obtain their values. The expansion of the gamma function in such a series constitute the main part of this new application. The power and flexibility of this procedure is illustrated with a variety of examples.
Research on Dynamic Scheduling of Unbalanced Supply and Demand of the SROC Based on the Customers Priority Principle
Authors: Zhang Lining , Li Haoping , Li Shuxuan
Published: January 2022

The problem of imbalance between supply and demand in car-sharing scheduling has greatly restricted the development of car-sharing. This paper first analyzes the three supply and demand modes of car-sharing scheduling systems. Secondly, for the station-based with reservation one-way car-sharing problem (SROC), this article establishes a dynamic scheduling model under the principle of customer priority. The model introduces balance coefficients to predict the balance mode, and systematically rebalance the fleet networks in each period. In the case of meeting customer needs, the model objective function is to maximize the total profit and minimize the scheduling and loss costs. Then, in view of the diversity and uncertainty of scheduling schemes, a scheme information matrix is constructed. In the iterative process of genetic algorithm, individuals are selected and constructed according to the pheromone matrix, and evolution probability is proposed to control the balance between global search and local search of genetic algorithm. Finally, the data of Haikou City is used for simulation experiment.
Canonical Orlicz class 𝒦𝒮−𝜃[ℝJn]
Authors: Kalita Hemanta , Hazarika Bipan
Published: January 2022

The objective of this paper is to construct canonical Orlicz class and study their fundamental properties. Also, we prove that this space contains Henstock–Kurzweil integrable functions.
A Snapshot of the Crisis of COVID-19: Estimate of the Employment Impact Due to Lockdowns in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
Authors: Sabal Jhon Louie B. , Navarro-Mansueto Ma. Kresna
Published: January 2022

When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became a national health crisis, the local government of the Cagayan de Oro City (CDOC) did not implement total lockdown. The COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Program adopted by the local government probably affected the April 2020 Labor Force Survey that showed that Region 10 posted an employment rate of 88.9%, which is higher than the national average of 82.3% (Department of Labor and Employment, Region Office No. X (DOLE-X). NorMin secures highest employment rate amid COVID 19. 2020. Available from: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1044898 [Accessed 9th May 2021]). Despite the regional figure being 6.6 percentage points higher than the national one, there is a decrease in employed persons by around 400,000 from 2.302 million persons employed in April 2019 to 1.883 million in April 2020 (Department of Labor and Employment, Region Office No. X (DOLE-X). NorMin secures highest employment rate amid COVID 19. 2020. Available from: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1044898 [Accessed 9th May 2021]). Hence, the study determines the effect of COVID-19 protective measures implemented by the government on the economy of CDOC. Using the barangay-level and selected sectoral-level data on business registration, and employment data between 2010 and 2019, the study estimates that one-week lockdown means a ₱1,825 loss of income for a minimum-wage employee. One-month lockdown costs ₱7,300 foregone income, while one-quarter lockdown (or a half of six months) is equivalent to ₱21,900 income loss. We recommend 10 policy interventions, but the government should also think big and invest its resources into programs that create a multiplier effect on the economy. Multipliers are interventions that create ripples or positive impacts on other sectors and/or economic participants.
Deep Spatio-temporal Adaptive 3D Convolutional Neural Networks for Traffic Flow Prediction
Authors: Li He , Li Xuejiao , Su Liangcai , Jin Duo , Huang Jianbin , Huang Deshuang
Published: January 2022

Traffic flow prediction is the upstream problem of path planning, intelligent transportation system, and other tasks. Many studies have been carried out on the traffic flow prediction of the spatio-temporal network, but the effects of spatio-temporal flexibility (historical data of the same type of time intervals in the same location will change flexibly) and spatio-temporal correlation (different road conditions have different effects at different times) have not been considered at the same time. We propose the Deep Spatio-temporal Adaptive 3D Convolution Neural Network (ST-A3DNet), which is a new scheme to solve both spatio-temporal correlation and flexibility, and consider spatio-temporal complexity (complex external factors, such as weather and holidays). Different from other traffic forecasting models, ST-A3DNet captures the spatio-temporal relationship at the same time through the Adaptive 3D convolution module, assigns different weights flexibly according to the influence of historical data, and obtains the impact of external factors on the flow through the ex-mask module. Considering the holidays and weather conditions, we train our model for experiments in Xi’an and Chengdu. We evaluate the ST-A3DNet and the results show that we have better results than the other 11 baselines.
A Systems Approach to Achieve Equity in Healthcare Research
Authors: Sabharwal Ashutosh , Barua Souptik , Kerr David
Published: January 2022

Healthcare in the United States is inequitable. The consequence of inequity is that the burden of serious chronic disease, such as diabetes, falls disproportionately on populations experiencing health disparities, predominantly Black, Indigenous, and people of color. [1] The reasons for the inequity include the negative impact of the social determinants of health of individuals and families from these communities, being underrepresented as participants in clinical research, having limited access to technologies that support self-care, and a lack of researchers and clinicians from these same populations. [2] To achieve equity and fairness, there is a need for a paradigm shift in healthcare research and innovation based on improving access, trust, and self-efficacy [3] to convert new knowledge into positive health outcomes.
Expanding the Horizons of Wireless Sensing
Authors: Gupta Agrim , Girerd Cédric , Dunna Manideep , Zhang Qiming , Subbaraman Raghav , Morimoto Tania , Bharadia Dinesh
Published: January 2022

All interactions of objects, humans, and machines with the physical world are via contact forces. For instance, objects placed on a table exert their gravitational forces, and the contact interactions via our hands/feet are guided by the sense of contact force felt by our skin. Thus, the ability to sense the contact forces can allow us to measure all these ubiquitous interactions, enabling a myriad of applications. Furthermore, force sensors are a critical requirement for safer surgeries, which require measuring complex contact forces experienced as a surgical instrument interacts with the surrounding tissues during the surgical procedure. However, with currently available discrete point-force sensors, which require a battery to sense the forces and communicate the readings wirelessly, these ubiquitous sensing and surgical sensing applications are not practical. This motivates the development of new force sensors that can sense, and communicate wirelessly without consuming significant power to enable a battery-free design. In this magazine article, we present WiForce, a low-power wireless force sensor utilizing a joint sensing-communication paradigm. That is, instead of having separate sensing and communication blocks, WiForce directly transduces the force measurements onto variations in wireless signals reflecting WiForce from the sensor. This novel trans-duction mechanism also allows WiForce to generalize easily to a length continuum, where we can detect as well as localize forces acting on the continuum. We fabricate and test our sensor prototype in different scenarios, including testing beneath a tissue phantom, and obtain sub-N sensing and sub-mm localizing accuracies (0.34 N and 0.6 mm, respectively).
Dynamic Response of a Vehicle-Bridge Expansion Joint Coupled System
Authors: Zhang Lu , Wang Shaohua , Li Bing
Published: January 2022

The paper investigates the dynamic vibration property of the vehicle-bridge expansion joint coupled system with the proposed model. The dynamic response of the expansion joint under the action of the vehicle is the key factor affecting the life of the expansion joint. The changes of contact state and tire geometric characteristics were frequently left aside in the past to simplify the tire model. This is because the contact between tire and expansion joint is a very complex process. But this will seriously underestimate the impact effect of the vehicle on the expansion joint. In this paper, a dynamic mathematical model of the 2-axle vehicle-modular bridge expansion joint (MBEJ) coupled system is established by introducing a flexible roller tire model. The influence of tread rigid displacement and change in the tire contact patch length are considered in the dynamic model. Based on this model, the characteristics of the dynamic tire load and the center beam vibration displacement in the coupled system are obtained by simulation. The results show that the maximum dynamic tire load of the vehicle occurs at the end of the bridge deck behind the MBEJ, so local structure reinforcement needs to be considered. The interaction between the front and rear wheels of the 2-axle vehicle can be ignored. The vehicle position, vehicle velocity, gap width, and spring stiffness of the center beam bearing have significant effects on the impact factors of tire load and center beam vibration displacement. The impact factor of tire load may exceed the recommended values of Chinese and European bridge codes. These should be taken seriously.
Analysis of Matching of Corpus Input and English Proficiency Based on the Big Data Neural Network Model
Authors: Li Guangli
Published: January 2022

In the era of “Internet +” big data, the theory and technology of English corpus are becoming more and more mature. Corpus is an important method to reflect some language characteristics and clarify some language phenomena. In terms of cultural exchanges, Chinese students majoring in English have obvious cultural differences at home and abroad and lack the atmosphere and context for cultural exchanges. In addition, students have problems such as insufficient cultural communication skills. The big data neural network model is adopted in this paper to compare and analyze the intermediary sentences in the corpus to explore the development trend of English proficiency. Through the analysis of typical cases, it explores the weak links in the corpus teaching process and summarizes a method focusing on the combination of use of corpus and English teaching.
Comprehensive Analysis of Prognostic Value and Immune Infiltration of the NT5DC Family in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Li Rongqi , Liu Rongqiang , Zheng Shiyang , Liu Wenbin , Li Hui , Li Dewei
Published: January 2022

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and its incidence is obviously increasing. The NT5DC family has been shown to be involved in the progression of many tumors. However, the biological function of NT5DC family members in HCC is still not well understood. Methods. Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), UALCAN, Kaplan–Meier plotter, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, Metascape, and TIMER were applied to assess the biological function of NT5DC family members in HCC. Results. Most of the NT5DC family members were highly expressed in HCC. High expression of NT5C2, NT5DC2, and NT5DC3 was closely associated with higher tumor stage and poor overall survival (OS). In addition, high NT5DC2 and NT5DC3 expression also predicted poor disease-free survival (DFS). Enrichment analysis revealed that the NT5DC family in HCC mainly involved the IMP metabolic process, purine ribonucleoside monophosphate metabolic process, and purine nucleoside monophosphate metabolic process. The expression of NT5DC family members was closely related to the infiltration of some immune cells, such as B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Conclusion. Our findings provided new insights into the biological function and prognostic value of NT5DC family members in HCC.
Yoghurt Production Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Leguminous Seeds and Effects of Encapsulated Lactic Acid Bacteria on Bacterial Viability and Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Yoghurt
Authors: Kılıç Eda E. , Halil Kılıç İbrahim , Koç Banu
Published: January 2022

This study aims to determine the yoghurt production potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from legumes seeds (lentils, beans, cowpea, and broad beans) and examine the effects of alginate capsules of selected starter cultures with high yoghurt production potential on the physicochemical properties, sensory properties of yoghurt, and bacterial viability during storage time at 4°C. The exopolysaccharide (EPS), proteolytic activity, and acidification properties of eight different isolates were determined, and sixteen different yoghurt combinations prepared. The samples showed similar physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, and whey separation), bacterial count, and sensory results in comparison with the commercial yoghurt used as a control sample. The acidity and pH of the yoghurt samples were significantly affected by the storage time. Total solids of yoghurt samples generally tend to decrease and syneresis of yoghurt samples also differed for each starter culture combination during the storage time. The total count of lactic acid bacteria during the storage time was higher than 107 CFU/g. The sensory analysis results of bacterial combinations are significantly different (

p
<
0.05

). Results indicated that isolated starter cultures have potential as commercial starters to improve the quality of yoghurt. Selected starter cultures with yoghurt production potential were encapsulated. Lactic acid bacteria with encapsulation efficiency of 86,3 ± 0,2 and 82,26 ± 0,79 were selected for yoghurt production. The physicochemical properties of the yoghurt with free and encapsulated starter culture were significantly different during the storage time. The reduction (∼0,5 log cfu/g) in the numbers of free and encapsulated starter cultures is over during the storage time (

p
<
0.05

). The acceptability of yoghurt containing encapsulated bacteria was lower than the yoghurt containing free bacteria by the panelists. Consequently, it was determined that alginate capsules increased bacterial viability, but the sensory properties of yoghurt were affected adversely. The LAB isolated form legumes can be introduced to the national microbial collection.
Nanomedicine Based on Natural Products: Improving Clinical Application Potential
Authors: Li Zhe , Zhao Tingting , Li Jiaxin , Yu Qingying , Feng Yu , Xie Yicheng , Sun Peng
Published: January 2022

Natural products have antitumor, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and other pharmacological activities and are an important source of drugs for prevention and treatment of various diseases. However, the inherent defects of natural products in physiological media such as poor solubility and stability and short biological half‐life limit their clinical application. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the science of drug delivery by nanoscale materials. A large number of in vitro and in vivo studies have further confirmed the efficacy and safety of nanomedicine based on natural products in preclinical models of various diseases. In this review, we summarized the achievements of nanomaterials in improving the efficacy of natural products, introduced the research progress in several key fields of natural product‐based nanomedicine in medical application, and discussed the challenges and prospects of clinical transformation of nanomedicine.
Clustered Wireless Sensor Network Assisted the Design of Intelligent Art System
Authors: Zhao Yue
Published: January 2022

Based on the principle of cluster wireless sensor network, this article introduces typical routing protocols in wireless sensors, and wireless sensor network protocol in detail analyzes their advantages and disadvantages and addresses their shortcomings. First, in the clustering network, a uniform clustering protocol with multiple hops in the circular network is proposed. The circular network is divided into rings of equal width, and clusters of equal size are set on different rings. Secondly, the ordinary nodes on each layer of the ring send the collected data to the auxiliary intelligent nodes in the cluster in a single-hop manner, and the auxiliary intelligent nodes located on the outer ring transfer the data to the auxiliary intelligent nodes located on the adjacent inner ring. Finally, on the basis of studying the clustering network protocol, this paper proposes a new clustering routing algorithm, a multihop adaptive clustering routing algorithm. The simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively extend the life of the network, save network energy consumption, and achieve network load balance. At the same time, the initial energy of the auxiliary intelligent node is set according to the energy consumption of the ordinary node and the relative distance between the auxiliary intelligent node and the base station on each layer of the ring. The theoretical and simulation results prove that, compared with the clustered network and auxiliary intelligent nodes, the clustered network can extend the life of the network.
A Deep Neural Network-Based Target Recognition Algorithm for Robot Scenes
Authors: Liu Lijing
Published: January 2022

Intelligent robots are a key vehicle for artificial intelligence and are widely employed in all aspects of everyday life and work, not just in the industry. One of the talents required for intelligent robots to complete their jobs is the capacity to identify their environment, which is a crucial obstacle to be overcome. Deep learning-based target identification algorithms currently do not fully leverage the link between high-level semantic and low-level detail information in the prediction step and hence are less successful in recognizing tiny target objects. Target recognition via vision sensors has also improved in accuracy and efficiency because of the development of deep learning. However, due to the insufficient usage of semantic information and precise texture information of underlying characteristics, tiny target recognition remains a difficulty. To address the aforementioned issues, we propose a target detection method based on a jump-connected pyramid model to improve the target detection performance of robots in complex scenarios. In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm, we designed and implemented a software system for target detection of intelligent robots and performed software integration of the proposed algorithm model with excellent experimental results. These experiments reveal that, when compared to other algorithms, our suggested algorithm’s characteristics have higher flexibility and robustness and can deliver a higher scene classification accuracy rate.
The Consensus of Different Fractional‐Order Chaotic Multiagent Systems Using Adaptive Protocols
Authors: Firouzjahi Masoumeh , Naderi Bashir , Edrisi Tabriz Yousef
Published: January 2022

This paper is concerned with the adaptive consensus problem of incommensurate chaotic fractional order multiagent systems. Firstly, we introduce fractional‐order derivative in the sense of Caputo and the classical stability theorem of linear fractional order systems; also, algebraic graph theory and sufficient conditions are presented to ensure the consensus for fractional multiagent systems. Furthermore, adaptive protocols of each agent using local information are designed and a detailed analysis of the leader‐following consensus is presented. Finally, some numerical simulation examples are also given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Identification and Modeling of College Students’ Psychological Stress Indicators for Deep Learning
Authors: Tian Yuan
Published: January 2022

Aiming at the problems of low accuracy of recognition results, long recognition time, and easy interference in traditional methods, a deep learning-oriented recognition modeling method of college students' psychological stress indicators is proposed. First, the ECG signal is collected by the ECG signal acquisition system, and the wavelet transform method is used to denoise the collected ECG signal. Then, the sequential backward selection algorithm is used to select the features of psychological stress indicators to reduce the feature dimension. Finally, based on the convolutional neural network in deep learning technology, a mental pressure indicator recognition model is established and the model parameters are optimized to realize the recognition of college students’ mental pressure indicators. Experimental results show that the method in this paper has high recognition accuracy, has high recognition efficiency, is not susceptible to interference, and has certain feasibility and effectiveness.
A Novel Tilt and Acceleration Measurement System Based on Hall-Effect Sensors Using Neural Networks
Authors: Nour Majid , Daldal Nihat , Kahraman Mehmet Fatih , Sindi Hatem , Alhudhaif Adi , Polat Kemal
Published: January 2022

A tilt sensor is a device used to measure the tilt on many axes of a reference point. Tilt sensors measure the bending position according to gravity and are used in many applications. Slope sensors allow easy detection of direction or slope in the air. These tilt gauges have become increasingly popular and are being adapted for a growing number of high-end applications. As an example of practical application, the tilt sensor provides valuable information about an aircraft’s vertical and horizontal tilt. This information also helps the pilot understand how to deal with obstacles during flight. In this paper, Hall-effect effective inclination and acceleration sensor design, which makes a real-time measurement, have been realized. 6 Hall-effect sensors with analog output (UGN-3503) have been used in the sensor structure. These sensors are placed in a machine, and the hall sensor outputs are continuously read according to the movement speed and direction of the sphere magnet placed in the assembly. Hall sensor outputs produce 0–5 Volt analog voltage according to the position of the magnet sphere to the sensor. It is clear that the sphere magnet moves according to the inclination of the mechanism when the mechanism is moved angularly, and the speed of movement from one point to the other changes according to the movement speed. Here, the sphere magnet moves between the hall sensors in the setup according to the ambient inclination and motion acceleration. Each sensor produces analog output values in the range of 0–5 V instantaneous according to the position of the spheroid. Generally defined, according to the sphere magnet position and movement speed, the data received from the hall sensors by the microcontroller have been sent to the computer or microcomputer unit as UART. In the next stage, the actual sensor has been removed. The angle and acceleration values have been continuously produced according to the mechanism’s movement and output as UART. Thanks to the fact that the magnet is not left idle and is fixed with springs, problems such as vibration noises and wrong movements and the magnet leaning to the very edge and being out of position even at a slight inclination are prevented. In addition, the Hall-effect sensor outputs are given to an artificial neural network (ANN), and the slope and acceleration information is estimated in the ANN by training with the data obtained from the real-time slope and accelerometer sensor.
Effect of Laparoscopic Total Extraperitoneal Umbilical Hernia Repair on Incision Infection, Complication Rate, and Recurrence Rate in Patients with Umbilical Hernia
Authors: Zhang Zhao , Li Li , Liu Bo , Wang Fengen , Wang Wenli , Liu Xian , Ju Yanmei
Published: January 2022

The aim of this study is to clarify the influence of laparoscopic total extraperitoneal umbilical hernia repair on incision infection, complication rate, and recurrence rate in patients with an umbilical hernia (UH). Sixty-seven UH patients referred to our hospital from June 2017 to June 2019 were selected as the research participants. Thirty-six patients in the research group (RG) were treated with laparoscopic total extraperitoneal umbilical hernia repair, and the other 31 cases in the control group (CG) were treated with traditional umbilical hernia repair. The two cohorts of patients were compared with respect to the curative effect after treatment; intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative pain time, ambulation time, and hospital stay; incidence of complications; pain severity (VAS) before and after operation; sleep quality (PSQI) before and after operation; patient satisfaction after treatment; and recurrence half a year after discharge. The RG presented a higher effective treatment rate (

P

 < 0.05), less intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative pain time, ambulation time, and hospital stay, as well as lower incidence of complications than the CG (

P

 < 0.05). VAS and PSQI scores differed insignificantly between the two cohorts of patients before treatment (

P

 > 0.05) but reduced after treatment, with lower VAS and PSQI scores in the RG than in the CG (

P

 < 0.05). The number of people who were highly satisfied, as investigated by the satisfaction survey, was higher in the RG than in the CG, while the recurrence rate of prognosis was lower than that in the CG (

P

 < 0.05). Laparoscopic total extraperitoneal umbilical hernia repair is effective for UH patients and can validly reduce the incidence of complications and recurrence rate, which has huge clinical application value.
BlockREV: Blockchain-Enabled Multi-Controller Rule Enforcement Verification in SDN
Authors: Li Ping , Guo Songtao , Wu Jiahui , Zhao Quanjun
Published: January 2022

Compared with the classical structure with only one controller in software-defined networking (SDN), multi-controller topology structure in SDN provides a new type of cross-domain forwarding network architecture with multiple centralized controllers and distributed forwarding devices. However, when the network includes multiple domains, lack of trust among the controllers remains a challenge how to verify the correctness of cross-domain forwarding behaviors in different domains. In this paper, we propose a novel secure multi-controller rule enforcement verification (BlockREV) mechanism in SDN to guarantee the correctness of cross-domain forwarding. We first adopt blockchain technology to provide the immutability and privacy protection for forwarding behaviors. Furthermore, we present an address-based aggregate signature scheme with appropriate cryptographic primitives, which is provably secure in the random oracle model. Moreover, we design a verification algorithm based on hash values of forwarding paths to check the consistency of forwarding order. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed BlockREV mechanism is effective and suitable for multi-controller scenarios in SDN.
The Prognostic Role of m6A-Related Genes in Paediatric Neuroblastoma Patients
Authors: Zhang Chunyang , Ding Zhaozheng , Luo Hong
Published: January 2022

Background and Purpose. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant methylation modification form in eukaryotic mRNA. Nonetheless, the role of m6A-related genes in neuroblastoma (NB) is unclear. This study attempted to determine the prognostic role of m6A-related genes in NB patients. Methods. The gene expression data were extracted from the “Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments” (TARGET) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and the relationships between DEGs and m6A genes were explored. Then, the correlations among the m6A genes in neuroblastoma were investigated. Finally, the prognostic role of the m6A genes was studied, and the risk model was constructed. Results. 81 NB patients were extracted from the TARGET database. After comparing the gene expression between unfavorable and favorable outcome groups, 73 DEGs were identified, including 54 downregulated genes and 19 upregulated genes. In NB patients, we found that IGF2BP3, METTL14, and METTL16 are prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) while IGF2BP3, METTL14, and METTL16 are prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). Besides, after the risk model construction, the OS between the two risk groups was drawn (log-rank

p
=
1.64
e
−
08

,

HR
=
3.438

, 95% CI 2.24-5.278). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year time-dependent receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also illustrated, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) attained 0.75, 0.798, and 0.768, respectively. Conclusions. IGF2BP3, METTL14, and METTL16 were identified as the significant factors for DFS and OS in NB patients.
Cardiac Calcified Amorphous Tumor in the Neonatal Period
Authors: Hematian Mohammad Nasir , Hessami Kamran , Saleh Maasoumeh , Shirdel Abdolmaleki Abolfazl , Torabi Shirin , Hantoushzadeh Sedigheh
Published: January 2022

Calcified amorphous tumor (CAT) of the heart is a rare nonneoplastic cardiac mass that may exhibit symptoms resembling malignancy. In this report, we presented a 4-month-old male baby with repeated attacks of cyanosis and a cardiac murmur. Echocardiography revealed a tumoral noncircumscribed mass in the right atrium adhering to the interatrial septum which extends to the inferior vena cava. Cardiac exploration was carried out to excise the tumor. A histopathological study demonstrated the presence of thrombus-like tissue with extensive calcification and foreign body type giant cell reactions. After operation, the patient had an uneventful hospitalization. Although CAT is mainly diagnosed in adult patients, it should be considered in the causes of cardiac mass in the neonatal period.