bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Classify elderly pain severity from automated video clip Facial Action Units analysis. A study from a Thai data repository
Authors: Gomutbutra Patama , Kittisares Adisak , Sanguansri Atigorn , Choosri Noppon , Sawaddirak Passakorn , Fakfum Puriwat , Lettrakarnon Peerasak , Soralamb Sompob
Published: June 2022

Background
It is increasingly interesting to monitor pain severity in the elder by applying machine learning models. In previous studies, OpenFace© - a well-known automated facial analysis algorithm, was used to detect facial action units (FAUs) that initially need long hours of human coding. However, OpenFace© was developed using the dataset of young Caucasians in illicit pain in the lab. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of the model using data from OpenFace© to classify pain severity in the Asian elderly in clinical settings.
Methods
The data from 255 Thai with chronic pain was collected in Chiang Mai Medical school hospital. The phone camera recorded faces for 10 seconds at a 1-meter distance briefly after the patients provided a self-rating pain severity. For those unable to self-rate, the video was recorded just after the move, which illicit pain. The trained assistant rated each video clip for the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD). The classify of pain severity was mild, moderate, or severe. OpenFace© process video clip into 18 FAUs. Five classification models were used, including logistic regression, multilayer perception, Naïve Bayes, decision tree, k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM).
Results
Among the model that includes only FAU described in liturature (FAU 4,6,7,9,10,25,26,27 and 45), multilayer perception yields the most accuracy of 50%. Among the machine learning selection features, the SVM model for FAU 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 20, 25, 45, and gender yielded the best accuracy of 58%.
Conclusion
Our experiment of open-source automatic video clip Facial Action Units analysis is not robust to classifying elder pain. Retraining facial action unit detection algorithms, enhancing frame selection strategy, and adding pain-related functions may improve the accuracy and feasibility of the model.
Multi-view grading method for measuring tomato shape features using machine vision
Authors: Chen Liping , He Tingting , Li Zhiwei , Zheng Wengang , An Shunwei , Zhong Lili Zhang
Published: June 2022

Owing to the requirements of a high yield and high-quality tomatoes, tomato grading is important—particularly for fruit morphology. Machine vision provides a fast and nondestructive manner to address this demand, and accuracy has become the focus of attention. In this study, the gamma correction method was used for preprocessing to enhance the surface reflection of tomatoes, and Otsu’s method was used to segment the A scalar diagram under the LAB color model. On this basis, two levels of exploration were conducted. First, new evaluation indices were proposed for different views. For the top view, two shape-evaluation indices were established: the area ratio of the maximum inscribed circle to the maximum circumscribed circle and the dispersion of the contour centroid distance (extreme value and coefficient of variation). For the side view, the difference between the maximum and minimum centroid distances in the contour was established as a shape index. Compared to with commonly used shape features, the shape-detection accuracy of the proposed indicators proposed was > 7% higher. Second, an evaluation method based on multi-view fusion was developed by combining the advantage indices for different views. The detection accuracy was 96%, which was 9.40–9.70% higher than those for the top and side views alone. The proposed evaluation method combining top views (dispersion of centroid distance) with side views (difference between maximum and minimum centroid distances) is effective for classifying tomatoes.
Novel quinazolinone-isoxazoline hybrids: synthesis, structural elucidation and theoretical DFT mechanistic study
Authors: Rhazi Yassine , CHALKHA Mohammed , Nakkabi Asmae , Hammoudan Imad , Akhazzane Mohamed , Bakhouch Mohamed , Chtita Samir , YAZIDI Mohamed EL
Published: June 2022

Quinazolinone and isoxazoline systems have attracted more attention due to their interesting pharmacological properties. The association of these two pharmacophores in a single hybrid structure can boost the biological activity or bring a new one. Inspired by this new paradigm, we report in the present work, the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a new quinazolinone-isoxazoline hybrids. The target compounds were obtained via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of arylnitriloxides and N-allylquinazolinone. The synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopic techniques such as: IR, 1D NMR (1H and 13C), 2D NMR (COSY and HSQC), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The spectral data show that this reaction leads only to the 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoline regioisomer and the observed regiochemistry is not affected by the nature of the substituents in the phenyl ring of the dipole. In addition, a theoretical study was performed using the density functional theory (DFT) to support the experimental results regarding the regiochemistry of the studied reactions. The computational mechanistic study is in perfect agreement with experimental data.
Optimization of biodiesel production process from household waste oil, rapeseed, and microalgae oils as a suitable alternative for jet-fuel
Authors: Habibzadeh Zahra , Babaeipour Valiollah , Pakdehi Shahram Ghanbari , Sazandechi Peyman
Published: June 2022

In this study, to investigate the possibility of replacing non-renewable jet engines with biodiesel produced from household waste oils, rapeseed, and Neochloris oleobundance microalgae, biodiesel was first produced by two-stage transesterification using methanol, alkaline and acidic catalysts of potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid, and then were compared to jet fuel quantitatively and qualitatively. To optimize the biodiesel production, first, the effect of 4 parameters of oil-to-methanol molar ratio, catalyst weight percentage, temperature, and process time at three levels for household waste and rapeseed oils was investigated by Taguchi method. Then, under the obtained optimal conditions, the effect of catalyst weight percentage and process time as the most impressive parameters were examined at three levels on microalgae oil transesterification by response surface method. The biodiesel production efficiency under optimal conditions of all three samples of waste oils was 85.83%, rapeseed 72.7%, and microalgae 86.25%, which is one of the highest values reported. Analysis of all samples by GC-Mass and evaluation of the final results of the transesterification reaction efficiency was over 96%. Combustion analyzes of calorimeter bombs and qualitative specifications analyses such as flash point, cloud point, pour point, freezing point, viscosity, density, and specific gravity were performed on the produced biodiesels to investigate the effects of biodiesel on engine performance. Results Analysis showed that all three biodiesel samples have the same performance as Jp-4 jet fuel and can use it as jet fuel without any sediment. In addition, the biodiesel produced from microalgae oil had the best performance and efficiency.
Data-driven development of a soft-sensor for the flow rate monitoring in polyvinyl chloride tube extrusion affected by wall-slip
Authors: Bovo Enrico , Sorgato Marco , Lucchetta Giovanni
Published: June 2022

In manufacturing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes, the required thickness and weight depend on the extruder flow rate. The extruder setup can be very time-consuming and inefficient since it requires adjusting the screw rotational speed by trial & error, as the relation between the flow rate and the rotational speed is not known a priori. Furthermore, it is also affected by the material properties, the melt temperature, and the pressure drop in the die. Direct measuring the flow rate or the tube thickness would require expensive gravimetric dosers or X-ray systems, respectively. Therefore, a soft-sensor was developed to monitor tube thickness and its weight per unit length. Two alternative approaches are proposed to predict the extruder flow rate under wall slip conditions: one is based on a developed analytical model and one on data-driven algorithms. Results show that machine learning regression models can achieve high predictive performance (a relative error of 1.2% using a Support Vector Regressor).
Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite [NH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 NH 3 ]ZnCl 4 crystal: growth, structure, phase transition, thermal properties, and structural dynamics
Authors: Lim Ae Ran , Cho Jiung
Published: June 2022

In this study, the physicochemical properties of [NH3(CH2)5NH3]ZnCl4 crystals were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The crystals had a monoclinic structure with C2/c space group and lattice constants are a=21.4175 Å, b=7.3574 Å, c=19.1079 Å, β=120.5190°, and Z=8. Phase-transition temperatures in the DSC curve were 256 K, 390 K, and 481 K. Additionally, a small change near 340 K, related to phase transition, was observed in the XRD pattern. NMR studies indicated no change in 1H chemical shifts, but a change in the chemical shifts for C2, located between C1 and C3 of the cation at 340 K. Increase in molecular motion caused an increase in the spin-lattice relaxation time, T1ρ, at low spinning rates, under magic-angle spinning (MAS) rate conditions. The inorganic anion was composed of octahedral BCl6, when the metal ion (B) was Mn, Cu, and Cd, and tetrahedral BCl4, when B was Zn and Co. The coordination geometries of BCl6 and BCl4, connected by N−H∙∙∙Cl hydrogen bonds between Cl and the organic cation, were investigated.
Considerations on the Origin of the Inferior Thyroid Artery Emerging from the Subclavian Artery Determined by Ct Examination
Authors: Bunea Maria Cristina , Rusali Lavinia Maria , Bratu Iulian Cătălin , Tudorache Sorin , Bordei Petru
Published: June 2022

The specialized literature has a low degree of information regarding the origin of the ITA. The study was performed on computed tomography angiographies (CTAs), and the following aspects were observed: the origin of the ITA from the SCA or TCT, taking note of the distance of the origin of the ITA in relation to the origin of the SCA or the corresponding TCT, as well as the origin of the ITA, comparing right to left and according to gender.Our study was realized on a total of 108 ITA (64 on the right side and 44 on the left, with 48 in male subjects and 60 in females), analyzed on CTA.From the 108 arteries, we found the origin of ITA directly from the SCA in 31.48% of cases, and in 68.52% from the TCT. The distance between the origin of the right SCA and the origin of the corresponding ITA, was between 29.1 – 53.1 mm, while on the left side, the same distance was between 43.7 – 68.1 mm. The distance between the right TCT and the origin of the right SCA, was between 22.5 – 75.0 mm, and for the left side, it’s between 48.7 – 56.8 mm.The inferior thyroid artery is one of the arteries most susceptible to variations in terms of origin and size. With differences between the two sides (right and left), as well as differences related to gender
Sarcopenia does not affect treatment outcomes in patients with rectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery
Authors: Song Ji Hyeong , Oh Rak Kyun , Lee Jeong Eun , Lee Kyung Ha , Kim Ji Yeon , Kim Jin Soo
Published: June 2022

Purpose
Previous studies have reported that sarcopenia negatively impacts rectal cancer treatment. However, most published studies have analyzed only patients undergoing open surgery, and the association between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes in patients with rectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on the clinical and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery.
Methods
Three hundred and one patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery were enrolled between December 2009 and May 2016. Body composition was assessed using computed tomography by measuring the muscle and fat areas at the third lumbar (L3) vertebra. The L3 skeletal muscle area was used to calculate the skeletal muscle index and evaluate sarcopenia.
Results
Sarcopenia was identified in 72/301 (23.9%) patients. Patients with sarcopenia had decreased skeletal muscle area (P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, and body mass index. The time to tolerable soft diet and length of hospital stay were shorter in sarcopenia patients. The time to first flatus, postoperative complications, and overall and disease-free survival rates were not significantly different between those with and without sarcopenia. High American Society of Anesthesiologist classification (≥ 3; P = 0.014) and abdominoperineal resection (P = 0.003) were identified as risk factors for postoperative complications.
Conclusion
Sarcopenia does not negatively affect the functional recovery, postoperative complications, or survival after laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. Further studies are necessary to validate that laparoscopic surgery could eliminate the negative impact of sarcopenia in patients with rectal cancer.
Counter-clockwise metamorphic P-T paths from Botnnuten in the southern Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica
Authors: Baba Sotaro , Ohshiro Seira , Kamei Atsushi , Hokada Tomokazu , Kitano Ippei
Published: June 2022

This paper reports the metamorphic texture of cordierite megacrysts and the metamorphic P–T path of a newly exposed section of gneiss in East Antarctica. We used mineral textures and pseudosection modeling to reconstruct the metamorphic P–T path of cordierite- and spinel–garnet-bearing gneisses from Botnnuten, an isolated nunatak located ~ 60 km from the southern edge of Lützow–Holm Bay in East Antarctica. The gneisses underwent granulite-facies metamorphism with a counter-clockwise P–T path. This contrasts with the widely recognized clockwise P–T path of basement rocks of the Lützow–Holm Complex. The rocks at Botnnuten have long been considered part of the Lützow–Holm Complex based on their petrographical features and geothermobarometric data. However, the present results, combined with a reevaluation of available data, indicate the metamorphic history of the Botnnuten gneisses is more comparable to that of the Yamato Mountains, located west of the study area.
Regional Quantification of Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice by Microcomputed Tomography for the Assessment of the Therapeutic Responses of Antifibrotic Drugs
Authors: Lai Ruogu , Zhao Caiping , Guo Wanyi , Xiao Yao , Li Runze , Liu Liang , Pan Hudan
Published: June 2022

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a serious, progressive, and fatal lung disorder. Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) is a powerful technology for drug development that can be used to monitor the progression of lung fibrosis in animal model. However, the current analysis methods for quantifying micro-CT image require time and experiences to analyze CT data in detail by radiologists. Here, a self-controlled extracted subvolume histogram analysis (SEHA) method was developed to assess the development of pulmonary fibrosis easily.Method: The SEHA method consisted of five steps: in vivo micro-CT imaging with fixed posture, image reconstruction, subvolume extraction, histogram analysis, and scan comparison before or after treatment. The robustness, repeatability, and accuracy of SEHA were validated.Results: The sites of fibrosis in 66 bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis mice were variable but generally occurred in the middle and upper lungs. In validation of the accuracy and robustness of SEHA, the percentage of high-density voxels in selected volumes of interest (VOIs) was well correlated with that from whole-lung analysis both at Day 7 and Day 21 after bleomycin administration (R2= 0.8784 and 0.8464, respectively; P<0.0001). In validation of the repeatability of SEHA, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the percentage of high-density voxels in the VOIs was significantly less than that of whole-lung analysis (1.645±1.884% VS 3.501±1.637%, P=0.0282). In validation of the radiographic and histological accuracy of SEHA, there was a good correlation between micro-CT and histological analysis both in the early and late stages of fibrosis (R2= 0.7434 and 0.7573, respectively; P<0.0001).Conclusion: SEHA is a straight forward method for quantifying pulmonary fibrosis and facilitate for primary micro-CT data analyzer.
Restoring miR-145 overcome oxaliplatin resistance by targeting the ABCC1 gene and re-establishing drug-induced anti-cancer effects in colorectal cancer
Authors: Sadeghzadeh Mahsa , Asadi Milad , Baradaran Behzad , Zafari Venus , Bornehdeli Soghra , Khani Haniye Mohammad Reza , Zarredar Habib , Shanehbandi Dariush , Mansoori Behzad
Published: June 2022

Drug resistance limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC). Consequently, finding appropriate strategies for re-sensitizing chemo-resistant cells is crucial. Our present study aimed at taking advantage of chemotherapy and gene therapy by restoring microRNA-145 expression in oxaliplatin resistant CRC cells. Bioinformatic analysis of clinical colorectal cancer tissue revealed that miR-145 levels were significantly lower than in adjusted tumors. Afterward, pCMV-miR-145 vectors were transfected into the oxaliplatin-resistant SW-480 CRC cells. Using miR-145 and Oxaliplatin together to treat Oxaliplatin-resistant cells, the results showed significant differences in viability, proliferation, apoptosis and migration compared to the individual treatments. Furthermore, miRNA prediction results as well as mRNA and protein expression indicated that miR-145 targeted ABCC1. Also, mRNA expression analysis was performed to evaluate a panel of genes involved in cell viability, apoptosis, motility, and drug resistance. These genes included K-ras, Bcl2, CASP3, -8, -9, MMP13, MDR-1, and ABCC1. These expression changes tended towards apoptosis induction and decreased proliferation and migration. Based on our findings, miR-145 restoration via decreasing the drug resistance biomarkers ABBCC1 and MDR1, along with other oncogenes such as K-Ras and Bcl2, and increasing apoptosis conductores could sensitize oxaliplatin-resistant cells to chemotherapy.
Development and Validation of the NYFT for Family Triage
Authors: Gradussen Maria , Tonnaer Franca , Delsing Marc , Scholte Ron , Cima Maaike
Published: June 2022

Adolescents and their families should receive the appropriate support at the right time, based on their strengths, risk factors and needs. However, comprehensive instruments to determine these characteristics seem generally lacking. In the current study we aim to develop a family triage instrument, assessing the necessary level and type of care. This Needs of Youth and Family Triage (NYFT) assessment includes all relevant individual factors, familial characteristics and environmental characteristics. The current study reports the psychometric properties of the NYFT in a validation study based on two samples: adolescents from secure residential youth care institutions (n = 65) versus a non-clinical control group of adolescents recruited from two secondary schools (n = 67). Factor analyses yielded a three-factor solution: 1. Authoritative Parenting/Positive Family Climate; 2. Adolescent (Social) Functioning; 3. Adolescent Well-being and Participation. Results showed that the NYFT had satisfactory reliability and convergent validity, along with an excellent discriminant validity. In conclusion, the NYFT is a promising triage instrument providing advice on the level and type of care (or help) needed, so that the right care can be offered immediately.
Differential Uridyl-diphosphate-Glucuronosyl Transferase 1A enzymatic arsenal explains the specific cytotoxicity of resveratrol towards tumor colorectal cells
Authors: Amintas Samuel , Beaumont Pauline , Dupin Charles , moranvillier isabelle , Lamrissi Isabelle , Patel Elie , Fernandez Benjamin , Bibeyran alice , Boutin Julian , Richard Tristan , Krisa Stéphanie , Moreau-Gaudry François , Bedel Aurelie , Cappellen David , Pinson Benoit , Vendrely Véronique , Dabernat Sandrine
Published: June 2022

Resveratrol belongs to the Bioactive Food Component (BFC) family. It seems admitted that its cytotoxic action impacts tumor cells and spares healthy cells, but the published proofs remain rare. We hypothesized that cells may differentially metabolize resveratrol and lead to different systemic impacts. For this, resveratrol metabolization was evaluated by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with diode array detection (DAD), and correlated with the expression of Uridyl-diphosphate-Glucuronosyl Transferase 1A (UGT1A) genes. The expression of UGT1A genes in human colorectal tissues was studied with RNAseq databases. Functional validation of UGT1A enzymes implication in resveratrol sensitivity of colorectal cells established by UGT1A expression modulation. As resveratrol impacts the S phase of the cell cycle, nucleotide metabolic balance was assessed. We found that resveratrol was more cytotoxic in cells with downregulation of UGTs, i.e. tumor cells. Conversely, overexpression of the UGT1A10 gene in an initial resveratrol-sensitive tumor cell line restored the metabolization accompanied by cytotoxicity diminution. Resveratrol affected intestinal sensitive tumor cell homeostasis with a cell growth/proliferation decoupling, cell-cycle modulation, and UXP/AXP nucleotide imbalance resulting in a global reduction of transcription and translation. This impact on global cell activity was restricted to tumor cells. This study improves resveratrol’s general knowledge and explains how its antitumor action can spare non-tumor cells. It also paves the way to select colorectal tumors eligible for resveratrol treatment potentiation without additional toxicity to healthy digestive tissues.
“Obstetrical dilemma” in viviparous snails
Authors: Sulikowska-Drozd A. , Maltz T.K. , Janiszewska K.
Published: June 2022

Viviparous gastropods keep embryos within their genital tract, hidden as the whole soft body, within a parental shell. Consequently, during birth, shelled offspring pass through the aperture of the parental shell, which results in a trade-off between the dimensions of the aperture and the embryo size. The mechanical obstacles involved in this process mirror the selection of obstetrics experienced by humans, as well as the pelvic constraints recorded in other tetrapods. The repeated evolution of viviparity in Clausiliidae, the family of land snails, which produce complex apertural barriers, gave us the opportunity to explore different ways of overcoming this evolutionary conflict. Most viviparous species are adapted by broadening of the shell canal and/or reduction of embryonic width. Some species reduce apertural barriers to the extent that they are no longer functional, whilst others produce unusual flexible, “soft shelled” embryos. The latter adaptation, recorded here for the first time, allows to overcome the “obstetrical dilemma” with minimal change in the outline of the adult shell and apertural barriers. The thickness and organomineral structure of flexible embryonic shells were investigated, compared to the typical “hard” shell of clausiliid embryos, which are rigid and unpliable already in the genital tract of the parent.
Morphometric classification of kangaroo bones reveals paleoecological change in northwest Australia during the terminal Pleistocene
Authors: Mein Erin , Manne Tiina , Veth Peter , Weisbecker Vera
Published: June 2022

Specimen identification is the backbone of archeozoological research. The challenge of differentiating postcranial skeletal elements of closely related wild animals in biodiverse regions can prove a barrier to understanding past human foraging behaviours. Morphometrics are increasingly being employed to classify paleozoological animal remains, however, the potential of these methods to discriminate between wild animal groups has yet to be fully realised. Here we demonstrate the applicability of a traditional morphometric approach to taxonomically classify foot and ankle bones of kangaroos, a large and highly diverse marsupial family. Using multiple discriminant analysis, we classify archaeological specimens from Boodie Cave, in northwest Australia and identify the presence of two locally extinct macropod species during the terminal Pleistocene. The appearance of the banded hare-wallaby and northern nail-tail wallaby in the Pilbara region at this time provides independent evidence of the ecological and human responses to a changing climate at the end of the last Ice Age. Traditional morphometrics provides an accessible, inexpensive, and non-destructive tool for paleozoological specimen classification and has substantial potential for applications to other diverse wild faunas.
Evaluation of the incidence and severity of peacock eye caused by Fusicladium oleagineum in different olive cultivars in Algeria
Authors: KHEDDAM-BENADJAL Nadia , BENZAHRA Abdelmajid , KHEDDAM Mohamed , BOUZNAD Zouaoui
Published: June 2022

The peacock's eye of the olive tree is a very feared disease in orchards of susceptible varieties, especially in the affected olive growing regions of the West and the Center of Algeria. Eleven olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars including Chemlal, Sylviane, Rougette, Limli, Sigoise, Bounguergueb, Cœur de bœuf, Zaîti, Khodeiri, Terrella and Sorani, were studied for their susceptibility to Fusicladium oleagineum, the causal agent of peacock's eye disease on olive tree in Algeria. Investigations were carried out during the periods of risk of contamination: one in spring and the other in autumn or autumn to winter to measure the incidence and severity of the disease in the affected olive-growing regions (El Hamadna, Ain Nouissy, Bouhenni, Bentalha, Bir Touta and Tessala El Merdja). “Chemlal” and “Sigoise” are the most dominant olive cultivars in Algeria and varieties originated from Syria (Zaîti, Khodeiri, Terrella and Sorani) were classified as the most susceptible to the pathogen. While Bounguergueb, Cœur de bœuf and Limli were found to be moderately tolerant. Sylviane and Rougette were classified as the most tolerant cultivars. Disease incidence varied greatly among the cultivars (F=28.7, df= 7, P<0.000); and was correlated with the severity (y=2.04+104.9, R2= 0.32). Disease severity also varied among different cultivars (F= 72.6, df= 7, P<0.000). Analysis of variance shows a non-significant difference in the variation of incidence with exposure with probability values (F=0.43, df=278.2, P>5%).
Endoscopic Image-based Radiomics Classifiers for the Prediction of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Response in Rectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Ozawa Tsuyoshi , Saikawa Yusuke , Hayama Tamuro , Nozawa Keijiro , Matsuda Keiji , Ishihara Soichiro , Kotoku Jun’ichi , Hashiguchi Yojiro
Published: June 2022

Objective
The accuracy of identifying a CRT-response by a pre-operative radiological examination is limited, and another approach is necessary. We constructed endoscopic image-based radiomics classifiers to predict the response of locally advanced rectal cancers (LARCs) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NA-CRT).
Design:
We enrolled 90 patients who had undergone NA-CRT followed by surgery. We selected 5,255 pre- and post-CRT endoscopic images of the tumors and extracted 860 texture features from each image. Using the extracted texture features, we applied 12 machine learning models to construct radiomics classifiers. The performances of the radiomics classifiers to predict a pathological complete response (pCR) and a CRT-response (good or not) were evaluated with a double cross-validation technique by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC).
Results
In the prediction of pCR using pre-CRT images, the cubic support vector machine (SVM) model showed the highest AUROC of 0.816 in the image-basis analysis, and the AUROC of 0.904 in the patient-basis analysis. In the prediction of pCR using post-CRT images, the quadratic SVM model showed the highest AUROC (0.839) in the image-basis analysis, and the AUROC of 0.958 in the patient-basis analysis. The Gaussian SVM model demonstrated the best performances to predict a CRT-response in both pre- and post-CRT images with AUROCs of 0.792 and 0.841 in the image-basis analysis and 0.857 and 0.950 in the patient-basis analysis, respectively.
Conclusion
Our endoscopic image-based radiomics classifiers demonstrated robust performances to predict the CRT-response of LARCs and may contribute to the patients' management.
Function of temperature on almond moth demographic characteristics: Do diapausing individuals contribute to population growth rate?
Authors: Lin Ya-Ying , Tang Cheng-Kang , Saska Pavel , Güncan Ali , Yao May-Chi , Tuan Shu-Jen
Published: June 2022

The almond moth, Cadra cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a recognized cosmopolitan pest of stored food products throughout its worldwide distribution. To enable effective control of this pest, a thorough understanding of the effect of temperature on their population growth is required. In this study, we investigated the population growth rate of group-reared C. cautella fed on brown rice at five different temperatures (15~35 °C) using the age-stage, two-sex life table program. At 15°C, the majority of larvae failed to reach the 2nd instar. At 35 °C, only 5 out of 150 individuals survived to the adult stage. There was no significant difference in fecundity between the three temperature groups (20, 25 and 30 °C), while a dramatic decline occurred at 35 °C (0.5 eggs/female). The intrinsic rates of increase of C. cautella were 0.0566, 0.1149, 0.1429, and -0.0901 d-1 at 20, 25, 30 and 35 °C, respectively, with significant difference between all values. Approximately 16.0% of late instar almond moth larvae showed signs of diapause induction at 20 °C, i.e., wandering behavior and delayed pupation. The development times of larvae (74.44 d) and pupae (17.13 d) were significantly longer in the diapausing cohort than in the non-diapausing cohort (54.89 d cv. 15.47 d). At 20 °C, the offspring of the diapausing individuals were still able to contribute 12.98% to the net reproduction rate of the entire cohort – an amount substantial enough to require attention when planning pest management programs. In conclusion, we suggest that 15 °C can effectively limit the damage caused by C. cautella population due to their inability to develop into later instars at this temperature.
Corneal Deformation Response in Patients With keratoconus and in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Huang Wenbin , Yu Hanyang , Fan Hongming , Ding Hui , Zhong Tan , Yang Zhenduo , Nie Ke , Ouyang Bowen , Wei Qi , Zhong Xingwu
Published: June 2022

Background
To compare the corneal deformation response between patients with keratoconus and healthy subjects and to identify potential characteristics associated with corneal response parameters.
Methods
This case-control study included a total of 40 keratoconus patients (40 eyes) and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (40 eyes) whose central corneal thickness (CCT) was less than 500 µm. Pentacam HR and Corvis ST were used to measure the corneal topographies and the corneal deformation response parameters.
Results
No significant difference was found in the age, sex, laterality distribution, IOP, and CCT between the keratoconus group and healthy controls. The keratoconus eyes had smaller TCT than the healthy controls (p < 0.001), as well as a greater anterior Kmax, posterior Kmax, anterior corneal astigmatism, posterior corneal astigmatism, and posterior maximum elevation (all p < 0.001). The A2l, A2V, and PD were similar between the two groups. The CCR were lower in the keratoconus group, whereas A1L, A1V, and DA were greater in the keratoconus group than in the healthy controls (all P < 0.05). In keratoconus patients, CCR was significantly associated with TCT. A1V was significantly correlated with anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism. Moreover, A2V, CCR, and DA were significantly correlated with posterior maximum elevation. No associations were detected between corneal response parameters and any potential factors in healthy controls.
Conclusions
Keratoconus eyes showed significant changes in the mechanical properties of the cornea. We hypothesize that local or uneven weakness of the cornea in keratoconus would significantly change all corneal biomechanical properties.
Relationship between COVID-19 and headache: evidence from an infodemiological analysis
Authors: Mattiuzzi Camilla , Lippi Giuseppe
Published: June 2022

Background: There is emerging evidence that headache may be a frequent common symptom in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), thus paving the way to further epidemiological studies to better evaluate this potential association.Methods: We conducted an electronic search in Google Trends with the keyword “headache” (i.e., “mal di testa”, in Italian), with the geographical area set to “Italy” and the search period comprised between February 2020 and June 2022. The number of new weekly diagnoses of COVID-19 was also captured using the official statistics published by the Italian Ministry of Health. The potential association between Google searches for headache and new COVID-19 diagnoses was verified with Spearman’s correlation.Results: The number of new COVID-19 diagnoses and Google searches for headache in Italy followed a similar trend, nearly overlapping, and yielding a significant correlation during the same week (r=0.56; 95%CI, 0.42-0.67; p<0.001). An even better correlation was found when the number of new COVID-19 diagnoses was correlated with the Google searches for headache in the preceding week (r=0.60; 95%CI, 0.47-0.70; p<0.001).Conclusion: Web interest and, therefore, burden of headache is significantly correlated with the number of newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Italy. This evidence may hence lead the way to using an infodemiological analysis based on the symptom “headache” for timely predicting future trends of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Bisequent Calculus for Four-Valued Quasi-Relevant Logics; Cut Elimination and Interpolation
Authors: Indrzejczak Andrzej
Published: June 2022

We present a uniform syntactical characterization of the class of quasi-relevant logics which are four-valued extensions of the basic relevant logic B of Meyer and Routley. All these logics are obtained by the addition of suitable quasi-relevant implications to the four-valued logic of First Degree Entailment FDE. So far they were characterised axiomatically and semantically in several ways but did not obtain a special proof-theoretic treatment. To this aim a generalised form of sequent calculus called bisequent calculus (BSC) is applied. In BSC rules operate on the ordered pairs of ordinary sequents. It may be treated as the weakest kind of system in the rich family of generalised sequent calculi operating on items which are some collections of ordinary sequents, like hypersequents or nested sequents. It is shown that all logics under consideration have cut-free characterisation in BSC which satisfies the subformula property and the interpolation theorem.
Dietary lactoferrin supplementation improves growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides)
Authors: Song Tao , Qin Yingmei , Ke Liner , Wang Xuexi , Wang Kun , Sun Yunzhang , Ye Jidan
Published: June 2022

A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary lactoferrin (LF) supplementation on growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides) fed high soybean meal (SBM) diets. The control diet (FM) and high soybean meal diet (SBM60) were prepared to contain 48% protein and 11% fat. Three inclusion levels of 2, 6, and 10 g/kg LF were added into the SBM diets to prepare three experimental diets (recorded as LF2, LF6, and LF10, respectively). The results showed that supplementation of LF in SBM diets increased growth rate in a dose dependent manner. However, feed utilization, hepatosomatic index, whole-body proximate composition and the abundance and diversity of intestinal microbiota did not vary across dietary treatments (P > 0.05). After dietary intervention with LF, the contents of intestinal malondialdehyde, endotoxin, and D-lactic acid, as well as plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol were lower, and the intestinal activities of glutathione peroxidase, lipase, trypsin, and protease were higher in LF2-LF10 groups than that in SBM60 group (P < 0.05). Supplementation of LF in SBM diets increased the muscle layer thickness of middle and distal intestine and the mucosal fold length of middle intestine vs SBM60 diet. Furthermore, supplementation of LF in SBM diets resulted in an up-regulation of the mRNA levels for IL-10 and TGF-β1 genes and a down-regulation of the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-12, IL-8, and TNF-α genes vs SBM60 diet (P < 0.05). The above results showed that dietary LF intervention could improve the growth and alleviate soybean meal induced enteritis in juvenile orange-spotted groupers. The dietary appropriate level of LF was at 5.8 g/kg, through the regression analysis of percent weight gain against dietary LF inclusion levels.
The efficacy of silica nanospheres decorated with photosensitizers for oryzaephilus surinamensis and lasioderma serricorne control
Authors: Attia Radwa G. , Rizk Salwa A. , Radwan Ahmed
Published: June 2022

Saw-toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis and cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne are major stored grain pests. The development of more efficient and persistent silica nanospheres decorated with photosensitizers is emerging as a promising alternative to traditional synthetic chemical insecticides. The characterization of silica nanosphere photosensitizer rose bengal (SNP1), silica nanosphere photosensitizer methylene blue (SNP2), silica nanospheres (SNs), rose bengal (RB), and methylene blue (MB) were estimated. The conjugation process between SNs and photosensitizers was confirmed by using X-ray diffraction, fourier transforms infrared spectroscopic, and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The structural morphology of SNP1, SNP2 and SNs was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Bioassays were also carried out to evaluate the effects of sub-lethal concentrations (LC50) of the five substances against O. surinamensis and l. serricorne. As compared by LC50 values, the order of toxicity was SNP1 ˃ SNP2 ˃ SNs ˃ RB ˃ MB after three hours of exposure to sunlight.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of pediatric severe sepsis in the Shandong Province of China from 2019 to 2020
Authors: Wang Yujuan , Li Jingwen , Chen Jie , Lu Guoping , Zhang Yucai , Xue Fuzhong , Jin Youpeng
Published: June 2022

Background: To investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the prevalence and outcome of pediatric severe sepsis in the Shandong Province of China from 2019 to 2020.Methods: Using the 2019-2020 data from the Interconnected Electronic Medical Record Data Sets of the Shandong Population Health Information Platform, a retrospective study was conducted to examine visits by patients aged up to 18 years who were diagnosed with severe sepsis or septic shock or bacterial/fungal infections combined with acute organ dysfunctions. The prevalence and mortality of these patients between 2019 and 2020 were compared. Results: There were no confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 among these patients. The number of cases and the yearly incidence rate of pediatric severe sepsis in hospitals decreased significantly (1098 vs 2143, 1.62/1000 vs 1.78/1000, P=0.01) along with the total number of hospitalized children (679608 vs 1204496) in the Shandong Province of China in 2020 compared to 2019. The hospital mortality of pediatric severe sepsis did not change significantly as it varied from 11.48% in 2019 to 12.84% in 2020 (P=0.283). The hospital costs, the proportion of pediatric severe sepsis admitted to ICU as well as those requiring mechanical ventilation increased in 2020 compared to 2019.Conclusion: After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and the yearly incidence rate of pediatric severe sepsis among hospitalized children in the Shandong province decreased significantly, while the hospital mortality did not change significantly. The COVID-19 pandemic seemingly impacted favorably the epidemiology of pediatric severe sepsis.
Revisiting Janzen's mountain passes hypothesis from a microbial perspective: why tropical mountains are so biodiverse?
Authors: Zhang Yazhou , Crowther Thomas W. , Xu Shijia , Hogan J. Aaron , Zhao Rensheng , Song Pengfei , Cui Mufeng , Song Xiaoyang , Cao Min , Yang Jie
Published: June 2022

Background: Although it is well known that microbial communities are extremely diverse, how and why levels of biodiversity are generated and maintained are enduring ecological questions. Janzen’s mountain passes hypothesis assumes that the relatively stable climate regimes of tropical mountains means that species have narrower ranges than montane regions in cooler climates, allowing disproportionately high levels of species coexistence and diversity. We test this hypothesis for soil bacteria and fungi, to explore the relative importance of niche and neutral dynamics in governing of microbial diversity on mountains. Results: We found that the tropical mountain showed greater climatic barriers that effectively limited the dispersal of microbes but had no similar soil barriers. Our results show that tropical mountains have higher β-diversity and greater species turnover rates along elevations than subtropical and subalpine mountains both for fungi and bacteria. β-diversity patterns along elevational gradients are mainly shaped by dispersal limitation coupled with ecological drift and homogeneous selection, particularly in the tropics. Conclusions: Therefore, stronger effects of climatic barriers in tropical mountains in conjunction with biogeographic species distributions and dispersal limitation permit greater biological diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, which supports the predictions of Janzen’s hypothesis. This study advances our understanding of mechanisms underpinning the community assembly of soil microorganisms by demonstrating that climatic-dependent dispersal limitations also operate in tropical soil microbial communities.
Ultralight and superelastic nanofiber aerogels with in-situ loaded polypyrrole for high-efficient Cr(VI) adsorption
Authors: Li Dan , Liu Huipeng , Wang Ziwen , Zhang Zeqian , Wang Chengzhong , Zhao Biao , Pan Kai
Published: June 2022

Constructing 3-D nanomaterial-based adsorbents with good mechanical properties has attracted increasing attention. This paper reports a simple strategy to prepare ultralight and superelastic 3-D aerogels as efficient adsorbents for heavy metal Cr(VI) in wastewater by in-situ loading of polypyrrole on cellulose acetate nanofibers followed by freeze-drying method. By the way, the cellulose acetate nanofibers are prepared by electrospinning. The obtained aerogel shows obvious 3-D porous and cross-linked structure, in which polypyrrole is uniformly coated on the nanofiber surface. The aerogel shows good mechanical properties with high compressive strength of 14.49 kPa, and can be processed into any desired shape. Due to the advantages of large specific surface area and high porosity, the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) in wastewater can reach up to 244.65 mg/g. The adsorption process can be described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm adsorption model, and the reduction-adsorption mechanism of polypyrrole on Cr(VI) is also studied. The present work proposes a high-quality nanofiber aerogel for efficiently adsorbing Cr(VI), which may also hold good potentials in the field of assembled adsorption.
OSeMOSYS Global: An open-source, open data global electricity system model generator
Authors: Barnes Trevor , Shivakumar Abhishek , Brinkerink Maarten , Niet Taco
Published: June 2022

This paper describes OSeMOSYS Global, an open-source, open-data model generator for creating globalelectricity system models for an active global modelling community. This version of the model generator is freelyavailable and can be used to create interconnected electricity system models for both the entire globe and forany geographically diverse subset of the globe. Compared to other existing global models, OSeMOSYS Globalallows for full user flexibility in determining the time slice structure and geographic scope of the model anddatasets, and is built using the widely used fully open-source OSeMOSYS energy system model. This paperdescribes the data sources, structure and use of OSeMOSYS Global, and provides illustrative workflow results.
Detection of SARS CoV-2 reinfections by rapid inexpensive techniques
Authors: Niranji Sherko Subhan , Al-Jaf Sirwan M.A.
Published: June 2022

New SARS-CoV-2 infections are difficult to be verified, whether they are reinfections or persistent infections. The most prominent factors used for differentiating reinfections from persistent infections are whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses that require time and funds, which may not be feasible in most developing countries. This study explores reinfections with COVID-19 that harbors D614G and N501Y mutations by rapid inexpensive methods. It exploits the previously developed rapid economic methods that identified both D614G and N501Y mutations in clinical samples using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) probes and conventional PCR specific primers. In the present study, an immunocompetent patient has been found with a SARS-CoV-2 N501Y reinfection without comorbidities. According to the obtained results, this study suggests that the initial infection was due to a variant that contained only D614G mutation whereas the reinfection was potentially a result of alpha variant contained three mutations confirmed by DNA sequencing, including D614G, N501Y, and A570D mutations.These techniques will support rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections through the identification of common spike mutations in the developing countries where sequencing tools are unavailable.Furthermore, seven cases of reinfections were also confirmed by these methods. These rapid methods can also be applied to large samples of reinfections that may increase our understanding epidemiology of the pandemic.