bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of the protocol for trauma team activation in Taipei: A retrospective study
Authors: Ou Ju-Chi , Chen Wan-Lin , Ko Shih-Yu , Li Wen-Ching , Ma Hon-Ping
Published: June 2023

Purpose
Trauma triage is the use of trauma assessment for prioritizing patients for treatment or transport by injury severity. Accidents and their adverse events were the sixth leading cause of death and accounted for over 7,000 casualties in 2009. However, a lack of accuracy in identifying the severity of a patient’s injury and their prehospital information can result in inappropriate triage. This study evaluated the efficacy of field triage guidelines governing trauma team activation in Taipei and explored the characteristics of undertriaged and overtriaged patients.
Methods
​This study retrospectively observed all patients with trauma transported to the emergency department by Taipei City public ambulance from 2016, to 2019. The Cribari matrix method was used to assess undertriage and overtriage. A logistic regression was employed to analyze the effect of risk factors in patients with major trauma.
Results
In this study, 320 and 1,895 patients with trauma had full and limited trauma team activation, respectively. Among them, 664 patients with trauma were older than 65 years, and most of them were injured in a traffic accident.The analysis revealed that patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of less than 13, with systolic blood pressure level of less than 90, and with respiratory rate over 30 breaths per minute were more likely to be appropriately triaged.
Conclusion
The Taipei prehospital field triage guidelines is acceptable but not an ideal tool for identifying patients with major trauma, with an overtriage rate of 48.12% and an undertriage rate of 12.03%.
Bimodality in Simulated Precipitation Frequency Distributions and Its Relationship with Convective Parameterizations
Authors: Ahn Min-Seop , Ullrich Paul A. , Lee Jiwoo , Gleckler Peter J. , Ma Hsi-Yen , Terai Christopher R. , Bogenschutz Peter A. , Ordonez Ana C.
Published: June 2023

Bimodality in precipitation frequency distributions is often evident in atmospheric models, but rarely in observations. This study i) proposes a metric to objectively quantify the bimodality in precipitation distributions, ii) evaluates model simulations contributed to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 5 (CMIP5), phase 6 (CMIP6), and the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) project by comparing them to satellite-based and reanalysis precipitation products, and iii) investigates the origin of bimodal precipitation distributions. Our results reveal that about 83% of CMIP5 and 70% of CMIP6 models used in this study exhibit bimodal distributions. The few DYAMOND models that use a deep convective parameterization also show bimodal distributions, while most DYAMOND models do not. Predictably, the bimodality mainly originates from the separation of precipitation process between resolved grid-scale and parameterized subgrid-scale. However, in some models bimodality arises from the parameterized subgrid-scale convective precipitation alone.
Tri-ponderal Mass Index and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in a Cohort of Obese Caucasian Children and Adolescents
Authors: Vizzuso Sara , Torto Alberico Del , Fiore Giulia , Carugo Stefano , Zuccotti Gianvincenzo , Verduci Elvira
Published: June 2023

Background: Pediatric obesity is a global emerging burden for society; among its health-related consequences there are hypertension (HTN) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Several anthropometric indices have been investigated for the early identification of cardiovascular risk in children. The aim of the present study was to assess whether tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) was associated with LVH in a cohort of obese Caucasian children and adolescents.
Methods: In this observational study, 63 obese children and adolescent aged 7-to-16 years were enrolled. During outpatient visits, adiposity, and cardio-metabolic indices (BMI z-score, WHR, TMI, ABSI) were collected. All subjects underwent a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and transthoracic echocardiography.
Results: Obese children and adolescents with LVH had significantly higher BMI z-score (p=0.009), WHR (p=0.006) and TMI (p=0.026) compared to children without LVH. WHR was the only index significantly correlated with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (p 0.017).
Conclusion: Left ventricular remodeling is associated with the cardio-metabolic risk marker WHR, but not with the adiposity index TMI among obese children.
INtelligent Toolkit for Reconnaissance, assEssments and prehospital support in Perilous InciDents
Authors: Cintora Ana Maria , Gomez Soledad , Blanco Patricia , Gonzalez Patricia , Tordecilla Yira Yaneth , Marechal Rozenn , Balet Olivier , Vretos Nicholas
Published: June 2023

First responders, when arriving at a disaster, need a rapid analysis of the environment in which they are going to operate, as they have to assess the conditions surrounding potential victims and neutralize any risks that may exist. The EU-funded INTREPID project* develops a platform to support first responders in this area improving the 3D scanning and analysis of disaster areas. This platform is based on the concepts of intelligence amplification and eXtended Reality, with hololens and intelligent cyber assistants. Through this platform, first responders can immediately initiate operations without exposing personnel to potential harmful risks without specialized equipment, with all important information shared and coordinated, among all responders, whether they are security, firefighters, or emergency health professionals. These technologies are tested in different disaster scenarios: A flooded subway stop in Stockholm, an accident in the chemical industry in Marseille, and a man-made explosion in a hospital in Madrid.
Impact of hepatitis B virus infection on IVF/ICSI-assisted pregnancy outcomes in women: a propensity score-matched cohort study
Authors: Suqin Zhu , Wenwen Jiang , Rongshan Li , Yan Sun , Xiaojing Chen , Beihong Zheng
Published: June 2023

Objective To explore the impact of hepatitis B virus infection on In Vitro Fertilization/ Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF/ ICSI)-assisted pregnancy outcomes in women.
Methods A retrospective cohort study design was used. A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 3455 cycles of infertile couples who underwent fresh embryo transfer with IVF/ICSI-ET assisted pregnancy for the first time in the Reproductive Center of Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020, and the male did not carry HBV virus. Patients were divided into HBV group (n=811) and non-HBV group (n=2644) based on whether the women carried HBV virus or not. Propensity score matching method (PSM) was used to perform 1:1 matching for the HBV group to the non-HBV group with relatively balanced covariates, and the final HBV and non-HBV groups were both 805 cycles. The baseline levels of the two matched groups were consistent, and the laboratory and clinical outcomes of IVF/ICSI assisted pregnancy were compared between the two groups.
Results Baseline levels such as male age, female age, body mass index, basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), basal luteinizing hormone (LH), basal estrogen (E2), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), basal antral follicle count, years of infertility, types of infertility, causes of infertility, ovulation induction regimen, the duration of gonadotropin (Gn), Gn dose, E2 level on HCG day, progesterone level on HCG day, endometrial thickness on HCG day, method of insemination(IVF/ICSI), number of transferred embryos and type of transferred embryos were relatively consistent in the two groups after PSM, with no significant differences (P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in egg maturation rate (52.89% vs 53.47%), high-quality embryo rate (57.76% vs 58.51%), blastocyst formation rate (63.48% vs 63.56%) and clinical pregnancy rate (44.47% vs 44.84%), live birth rate (32.92% vs 34.91%), perinatal complications and birth fetal weight between the two groups (P > 0.05 ). However, the preterm birth rate was significantly higher in the HBV-infected group compared to the non-HBV group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (15.85% vs. 9.96%, P=0.04).
Conclusion HBV infection in women increased the risk of preterm delivery in IVF/ICSI-assisted pregnancy, but pregnancy and live birth rates were comparable to those of non-HBV-infected patients and were not significantly associated with poor obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
Noise-robust, physical genuine deconvolution algorithm for fluorescence microscopy enabled by multi-resolution analysis
Authors: Hou Yiwei , Wang Wenyi , Fu Yunzhe , Ge Xichuan , Li Meiqi , Xi Peng
Published: June 2023

Fluorescence microscopic imaging is essentially a convolution process, with noise added during the photon conversion or readout process, confining imaging speed, duration, and resolution. Aiming at recovering biological information from the strong noise level to improve these key parameters, here we propose a multi-resolution analysis (MRA) approach to extract the two main characteristics of fluorescence images: (1) high contrast across the edge, and (2) high continuity along the edge. By regularizing the framelet and curvelet domain sparsity, we develop MRA and DeepMRA deconvolution algorithms, which generally improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by ~10 dB higher than state-of-the-art variance-based penalties, and can provide more than two-fold physical resolution enhancement without the artifact-prone Richardson-Lucy process. Our methods can accomplish more challenging imaging tasks in various fluorescence microscopies, such as wide-field, confocal, light-sheet, structured illumination microscopy (SIM), and stimulated excitation depletion (STED) microscopy.
Genetic relatedness of resistant toxigenic Vibrio cholerae from wastewater Irrigated vegetables from two major produce regions.
Authors: Abakpa Grace , Umoh Veronica , Sijam Kamaruzaman , Dashen Micheal
Published: June 2023

Nigeria suffers episodes of cholera outbreak every year often starting from the northern part of the country. The infection is often linked to contaminated food, water and poor hygiene. Vegetables are often irrigated with untreated wastewater in the country. This study aimed at assessing the presence of Vibrio cholerae, their virulence, resistant gene profiles and further elucidated their genetic relationships using PCR-based fingerprinting method; Enterobacterial repetitive intragenic consensus Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR) from two major produce regions in Nigeria. Four hundred and forty samples including wastewater used for irrigation, irrigated vegetables and manure treated soils were analyzed. Isolates were characterized using conventional and molecular techniques. Strains were serotyped, assayed for their toxigenic potentials and resistance to antimicrobial agents. Twenty-five of the samples (5.7%) were positive for Vibrio cholerae, of which 10.2% were detected from soil/manure samples. All strains were found to possess the ctxA gene and exhibited multiple drug resistance. Genotyping by ERIC-PCR of genomic DNA from 15 representative strains obtained resulted in the amplification of multiple fragments of DNA in sizes ranging from 150bp to 1kb. Cluster analysis at a coefficient of 0.62 grouped the strains into six different groups; five clusters and one singleton in simple-match (Sm) similarity group. Strains from vegetables and environmental samples were found clustered together. To the best of our knowledge it is the first report of microbial source tracking and genotypic relatedness of Vibrio cholerae from irrigated vegetables in the country. The need for continuous monitoring and surveillance of potential risk routes in the environment cannot be over emphasized.
Risk Factors and Metabolomics of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Jiang Xiao , Luo Tao , Xu Ning , Zhao Xinyu , Zhong CongChao , Xie Xingjie , He Mengfan , Bian XiaoLong , Liu Haixia
Published: June 2023

Objective: This study aimed to explore the controllable risk factors, metabolic characteristics and potential biomarkers of T2DM-MCI and to provide potential proof for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment in T2DM patients.
Methods: 103 T2DM patients who were hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University were included. MoCA was used to evaluate the cognitive function of all subjects. 50 patients were included in T2DM-MCI group (MoCA score <26 points), and 53 subjects were in T2DM-NCI group (MoCA score ≥ 26 points). Serum samples of subjects were collected, and metabolomics data was collected by UHPLC-MS. The serum samples of 12 subjects were excluded due to poor quality, 47 subjects were in the T2DM-MCI group, 44 cases in T2DM-NCI group were used to analyze the differentially expressed small molecule metabolites, metabolics pathway and the potential specific biomarkers.
Results: Comparison between T2DM-MCI group and T2DM-NCI group, years of education, history of insulin application, and insulin resistance index, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3, and creatinine were significantly different between groups. Further binary logistic regression analysis of the variables showed low educational level and low serum insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 was an independent risk factor for T2DM-MCI. Metabolomics analysis showed that 10 metabolites were differentially expressed between T2DM-MCI group and T2DM-NCI group (P<0.05 and FDR<0.05, VIP>1.5). KEGG enrichment pathway reveals that fatty acid degradation is the most significant. ROC shows that LPC 18:0 has a greater diagnostic efficiency.
Conclusion: This study suggests that T2DM patients with low education levels, history of insulin use, high insulin resistance, low serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, and low creatinine values are more susceptible to MCI. Short years of education and low serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 levels are independent risk factors for MCI in combination with T2DM. There were significant differences in serum metabolites between T2DM-MCI and T2DM-NCI. Abnormal lipid metabolism plays an important role in the development of cognitive impairment in T2DM patients. LPC 18:0 can effectively differentiate T2DM-MCI and T2DM-NCI, expected to identify cognitive impairment in T2DM patients at an early stage.
Graphene-Fullerene Heterostructures as Robust and Flexible Nanomechanical Bits
Authors: Xue Yixuan , Park Harold S. , Jiang Jin-Wu
Published: June 2023

Electrical computers have revolutionized society over the past several decades, but questions have remained about their ability to perform in extreme environments. This has motivated the recent surge of interest in developing mechanical computing platforms at all length scales, including the nanoscale, in which traditional electrical computers are augmented with mechanical ones. However, most proposed nanomechanical bits are volatile memory bits based on the dynamic response of nanomechanical resonators, and as such there is a need to develop robust and reprogrammable entirely non-volatile nanomechanical bits. Here, we exploit the multiple quasi-stable configurations of the graphene/fullerene/graphene (GFG) van der Waals heterostructure to work as a novel non-volatile nanomechanical bit. The GFG heterostructure is unique and robust in that it can return to its initial state without further mechanical input, it can be used for logic functions at relevant operating temperatures through simple application of uniaxial strain, it can exhibit reprogrammability between five basic logic gates (NOT, AND, NAND, OR, NOR) by varying the magnitude or direction of applied strain, and it can be used to represent combinatorial logic through full and half adders. These findings provide a new opportunity to develop mechanical computers based on the large class of nanomaterials.
The use of oxygen-ozone therapy to improve the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment on infected arthroplasty: protocol for a superiority, open-label, multicentre, randomized, parallel trial
Authors: Cascini Fidelia , Franzini Marianno , Andreoli Arnaldo , Manzotti Alfonso , Cadeddu Chiara , Quaranta Gianluigi , Gentili Andrea , Ricciardi Walter
Published: June 2023

Introduction.Surgical site infections still remain a major public health challenge and have become an increasing universal risk, especially for implantation of orthopaedic devices. Ozone therapy has been extensively used and studied for decades across various potential medical applications and has provided consistent effects with minimal side effects. This study aims to determine the superiority of oxygen-ozone therapy in combination with oral antibiotic therapy in patients with wound infections after an orthopaedic device’s implantation, when compared to antibiotic therapy alone.Methods and analysis.This is an open-label, multicentre, randomized, parallel-group study to assess efficacy and safety of oxygen-ozone therapy in combination with oral antibiotic therapy to treat infections following an orthopaedic implant. Patients (n=186) will be recruited from 12 Italian hospitals and studied for 7 weeks. All will be randomized and placed into either the (1) intervention: oxygen-ozone therapy two to three times a week for 6 weeks (for a maximum of 15 sessions) simultaneously with an appropriate oral antibiotic therapy prescribed at baseline; or (2) control: oral antibiotic therapy prescribed at baseline. Primary outcome is the efficacy and superiority of the treatment (ozone and oral antibiotic therapies); secondary outcomes include the resolution of signs/symptoms, modifications in lesion size and treatment’s safety and tolerability.Ethics and dissemination.This study will be reviewed and approved by the Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) of all participating centres prior to starting. Findings will be disseminated via online and print media, events, and peer-reviewed journals.Trial Registration Number:NCT04787575
Breastfeeding Practices of Refugee, Migrant and Asylum seekers Mothers in Portugal and Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Lopes Ana Cláudia , Lousada Marisa
Published: June 2023

Background
This study aimed to analyze the perspectives of refugee and migrant mothers in Portugal about breastfeeding and compare their practices with globally available data and those of the native countries while considering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Methods
A Sociodemographic questionnaire and a Breastfeeding Knowledge, Attitude and Beliefs, and Behavior questionnaire were used to gather information regarding baseline breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and beliefs, and behaviour towards breastfeeding.
Results
Only 40% of the mothers received antenatal counselling regarding the benefits and management of breastfeeding. Of the 20 responses, 10 (50%) mothers were found to have fair breastfeeding knowledge, 16 (80%) had fair attitudes and beliefs, and 12 (60%) had fair breastfeeding practices. Correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between mothers’ breastfeeding attitudes (r = .531, p < 0.05) and their breastfeeding knowledge. There was no statistically significant correlation between the mothers’ breastfeeding attitudes, beliefs, and practices.
Conclusions
The findings of this study suggest that healthy breastfeeding behaviours can be stimulated by receiving proper counselling from health professionals. Countries must focus on improving breastfeeding practices, as they still fail to do all they can to promote, protect, and support globally. Universal interventions are necessary to improve breastfeeding, regardless of migrant or refugee status.
∆Np63α inhibits Rac1 activation and cancer cell invasion through suppression of PREX1
Authors: Aljagthmi Amjad , Hira Akshay , Zhang Jin , Cooke Mariana , Kazanietz Marcelo , Kadakia Madhavi
Published: June 2023

ΔNp63α, a member of the p53 family of transcription factors, plays a critical role in maintaining the proliferative potential of stem cells in the stratified epithelium. Although ΔNp63α is considered an oncogene and is frequently overexpressed in carcinoma cells, loss of ΔNp63α expression is associated with increased cancer invasion and metastasis. We recently identified a ΔNp63α/miR-320a/PKCγ signaling axis that regulates cancer cell invasion by inhibiting phosphorylation of the small GTPase Rac1, a master switch of cell motility that positively regulates cell invasion in multiple human cancers. In this study, we identified a novel mechanism by which ΔNp63α negatively regulates Rac1 activity, by inhibiting the expression of the Rac-specific Guanine Exchange Factor PREX1. ΔNp63α silencing in multiple squamous cell carcinoma cell lines leads to increased Rac1 activation, which is abrogated by treatment with Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766. Furthermore, ΔNp63α binds to the PREX1 promoter, leading to reduced PREX1 transcript and protein levels. Using a Rac-GEF activation assay, we also showed that ΔNp63α reduces the levels of active PREX1. The inhibition of the PREX1-Rac1 signaling axis by ΔNp63α leads to impaired cell invasion, thus establishing the functional relevance of this signaling axis. Our results elucidated a novel molecular mechanism by which ΔNp63α negatively affects cancer cell invasion and identifies the ΔNp63α/Rac1 axis as a potential target for metastatic cancers.
Landau's theorem for harmonic Bloch functions on simply connected domains
Authors: Allu Vasudevarao , Halder Himadri
Published: June 2023

For $\alpha \in (0,\infty)$, let $\mathcal{B}_{\mathcal{H},\Omega}(\alpha)$ denote the class of harmonic $\alpha$-Bloch mappings on a proper simply connected domain $\Omega \subseteq \mathbb{C}$. In this article, we study coefficient estimates for harmonic $\alpha$-Bloch mappings on a proper simply connected domain containing the unit disk. Furthermore, we establish the Landau's theorem and coefficient estimates for the harmonic $\alpha$-Bloch space $\mathcal{B}_{\mathcal{H},\Omega _{\gamma}}(\alpha)$ on the shifted disk $\Omega_{\gamma}$, where $$ \Omega_{\gamma}:=\bigg\{z\in\mathbb{C} : \bigg|z+\frac{\gamma}{1-\gamma}\bigg|<\frac{1}{1-\gamma}\bigg\} $$ and $0 \leq \gamma <1. $
Effect of different doses of chemical and physical mutagen on genetic variability and character association in M1 and M2 generation of Momordical balsamina L.
Authors: BAMMANAKATTI SHARAVATI M , Rathod Vijayakumar , Gasti Vilas , Naik K Ramachandra , Chavan Mukesh , Evoor Shashikant , A Prashantha , N. Mahantesha Naika B.
Published: June 2023

Momordica balsaminaL.commonly known as the Balsam apple is an under-exploited cucurbit vegetable occurs wild type in nature which offers various dietary and nutraceutical properties. It is an annual to perennial, tendril-bearing herb, native to tropical regions of Africa. Since the crop occurs in wild forms, the variation exists among the genotype is limited. For the improvement of plant characteristics in diverse crops, mutation breeding has been extensively applied. In the present study, treated population was evaluated to study the extent of genetic variability and character association on growth and yield parameters in M1and M2generation ofMomordica balsaminaL. The results revealed that high heritability was exhibited by vine length at harvest, number of branches per plant at harvest, stem diameter, leaf area, number of fruits per plant, fruit girth, lycopene content, β-carotene content and ascorbic acid content. As per the character association studies,fruit yield per plant showed highly significant and positive association with number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit length and days to first flowering. Whereas, highly significant but negative association was revealed by number of branches per plant at harvest, stem diameter and days to 50 per cent flowering among mutant population. Whereas, vine length at harvest, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit length and fruit girth recorded highest positive direct effect on fruit yield per plant. While, number of branches per plant at harvest, stem diameter and days to 50 per cent flowering exerted negative direct effect on fruit yield per plant.
Changes in transcription of genes encoding NAD-dependent enzymes and mitochondrial proteins in Alzheimer’s disease animal model. Indication of early targets in neuroprotection
Authors: Żulińska S , Wencel PL , Wieczorek Iga , Strosznajder Robert P , Strosznajder Joanna Benigna
Published: June 2023

Oxidative stress and disturbances of mitochondria function in the brain play a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, little is known about these changes at the early stages of AD. This study aimed to determine the expression of genes encoding superoxide dismutase’s (SOD1, SOD2), Sirtuins (SIRTs) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). Moreover, transcription of genes of electron transport complexes (ETC) and proteins of mitochondrial biogenesis in the brain cortex of 3-, 6- and 12-month-old transgenic AD mice was analyzed. Using quantitative qPCR and immunochemical methods, we demonstrated significant decreases in mRNA of Sod2, Sirt1 and Parp1 in the 3-month-old and upregulation of Parp1 in the 6-month-old AD mice. Although levels of mRNA encoding ETC, respiratory complexes subunits (I-II) were negligibly altered, the mRNA mt-CytB and mt-Co1 (complex III, IV) was increased in 12- and 6-month-old AD brains, respectively. These changes were linked to lower cytochrome C oxidase activity in 3- and significantly in 6-month-old AD mice. Several genes involved in mitochondria biogenesis, such as Nrf1, Nrf2 and Tfam, were upregulated in the 3- and 6-month-old AD Tg brain. However, in 12-month-old AD mice, transcription of genes encoding NRF2, PPAR-α, and PGC1-α was significantly downregulated. In summary, our data identified significant changes in gene expression of Sod2, Sirt1 and Parp1 at an early age (3–6 month-old AD mice) and Nrf2, Ppargc1, Ppar-α at the later stage of AD mice. Recognizing these alterations earlier may be important in providing potential therapeutic targets for delaying the progression of pathology in AD.
Unraveling Extreme Weather Impacts on Air Transportation and Passenger Delays using Location-based Data
Authors: Hsu Chia-Wei , Liu Chenyue , LIU Zhewei , Mostafavi Ali
Published: June 2023

Extreme weather poses significant threats to air transportation systems, causing flight rerouting and cancellations, as well as passenger travel delays. With the growing frequency of extreme weather hazards, it is essential to understand the extent to which disruptions in flights and subsequent cancellations impact passenger delays. This study focuses on quantifying the impacts of a recent extreme weather event (2022 Winter Storm Elliott) on the U.S. air transportation system by investigating passenger delays measured based on dwell time at airports using privacy-preserving location-based datasets. The study determines total dwell time and dwell time per anonymized user at airports during the extreme weather event and computes the impact based on changes in values compared to the same period in the previous year. The results show that the storm event caused passengers significant delays, as characterized by a substantial increase in airport dwell time. Factor analysis shows that airports with a greater passenger flow and a greater portion of flights from decentralized airlines aggravated passengers delays during the winter storm. The vulnerability of airports was mainly due to the direct storm exposure, and the influence of network cascading impacts were limited. The findings of this study provide novel insights and quantification of the extent of extreme weather impacts on air transportation at individual airports and national levels. These outcomes could inform airport owners and operators, as well as airlines, about the extent of vulnerability and provide useful information for weather-related risk assessment of air transportation systems.
Investigation of genes related to oral cancer using time-to-event machine learning approaches
Authors: Shekari Niusha , Amini Payam , Tapak Leili , Rasouli Mahboobeh
Published: June 2023

Background: Since cancer is one of the most common and deadly diseases, its early diagnosis is very important for treatment and prevents the irreparable physical, mental and social consequences of this disease. Oral cancer is also one of the most common cancers, and factors such as gender, age, and smoking influence the incidence of this disease. One of the most important factors affecting cancer is genetic factors. It is not enough to consider clinical factors for the treatment of this disease, and it is also very important to deal with the genes in people's bodies that are effective in their survival against cancer. Also, the survival of people with oral cancer in the early stages of the disease is 80%, so early detection is very important. Therefore, we are looking for a model to better investigate key and effective genes in this disease.
Methods: A publicly available dataset of oral cancer (GSE26549) including information of 29096 genes expression profiles of 86 samples was used. A univariate cox regression was used for each gene’s expression to reduce the number of genes. Cox-Boost, Random Survival Forest and Support survival SVM (Recursive Feature Elimination) were used to identify related genes. Shared genes between three methods were discovered for calculating the prognostic score and the Kaplan-Meier curve. To do validation, common genes were selected from the validation dataset (GSE9844) to provide the ROC curve.
Results: The univariate Cox regression models selected 945 significant genes. Four shared genes of RPL24, HTR3B, ASAH2B and TEX29 related to time-to-death in oral cancer patients were then identified by using the Cox-Boost, Random Survival Forest and Support survival SVM (Recursive Feature Elimination). The survival distributions of the high-risk and low-risk groups significantly differed.
Conclusion: Common genes between three methods were RPL24, HTR3B, ASAH2B and TEX29 which all of them were significant in multiple Cox.
A novel evaluation system for arthrokinematic ankle motion using a rotary encoder
Authors: Ito Hiroki , Kodama Takayuki , Yamaguchi Hideaki
Published: June 2023

Ankle joint control is considered important for walking. The relationship between the kinematic indices and neurophysiological indices that reflect neuromuscular control of the lower extremity by upper motor centres must be evaluated to capture the essence of ankle joint control and construct rehabilitation. Herein, we developed the articulation motion assessments system (AMAS) to measure both these indices synchronously. The aim of this study was to validate the validity and reliability of the AMAS’ ankle kinematics analysis. This study included 14 heathy adults. AMAS, a reflective marker and inertial sensor was attached to their right foot, and they performed different ankle joint tasks, such as dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, inversion, and eversion with subjective maximum and mild angular movements. Each task was performed randomly under two conditions; comfortable and slow speeds. Two-dimensional motion analysis and the AMAS had moderate-to-high correlation. The mean root mean square error (RMSE) was significantly lower than those of inertial sensor. The repeatability of the AMAS was better than 0.76 for intraclass correlation coefficients (3,1) and (3,k). However, the Bland-Altman analysis showed fixed errors. Errors should be considered when comparing measurement methods. Synchronised kinematic and neurophysiological measurements should elucidate ankle joint control mechanisms and improve rehabilitation.
Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury and its predictors among neonates admitted at neonatal intensive care unit, university of Gondar, Debretabor and Tibebe Ghion Amhara Region Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023
Authors: Demsu Gezahagn , Gebru Abere , Tadesse Asnake , Tazeb Wubet , Abebe Zenebe , Asres Rahel , Moges Astewil , Berie Gebrehiwot , Getaneh Tewdros , Melak Tsehayu , Seman Yaregal , Tamir Menyichil , Tefera Almaz , Belege fekadeselassie , Sewunet Habtamu , Tesfaye Dawit , Tesfaye Bruck
Published: June 2023

Background: Although acute kidney injury is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, it is a serious problem in low and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa such as Ethiopia. Moreover, there are few studies in developing countries. However, the aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and predictors of acute kidney injury in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of some specialized hospitals in the Amhara region of northwestern Ethiopia.
Methods: A facility-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted with 634 neonates from January 2020 to December 2022. Data were collected by reviewing patient charts using simple random sampling with a pretested checklist, entered using Epi-data 4.6, and analyzed using STATA 14. Median survival time, Kaplan-Meier survival curve, and log-rank test were calculated. Bivariable and multivariable Cox hazard models were used to determine the determinants of acute kidney injury. A hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval was calculated. Variables with p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: The proportion of acute kidney injury among neonates admitted to the three selected specialized neonatal intensive care units was (20.19%) (95% CI: 17.23-23.50) with an incidence of 14.9 per 1000 (95%CI: 12.5-17.7) neonates with sepsis (AHR: 2.59; 95%CI: 1.21-5.56), neonates with perinatal asphyxia [(AHR: 2.70; 95%CI: 1.29-5.65) were taking gentamicin drugs [(AHR=1.74; 95%CI: 1.03-2.94], were preterm [(AHR; 1.77: 95%CI: 1.05 -2.98], hyponatremia [(AHR: 2.14; 95%CI: (1.00 -4.9)] and hyperkalemia [(AHR: 2.64; 95 CI: (1.11- 6.2)] were found to be significant predictors of acute kidney injury.
Conclusions: The incidence of acute kidney injury in neonates was high. Premature infants, neonates with sepsis, who suffered perinatal asphyxia, took gentamicin drugs, whose sodium levels decreased and potassium levels increased were at higher risk of developing acute kidney injury. All concerned agencies should work to prevent acute kidney injury and pay special attention to multifactorial causes. Therefore, strategies need to be developed and/or strengthened to prevent the occurrence of acute kidney injury in infants with sepsis, neonates who suffered perinatal asphyxia, and preterm infants whose sodium levels decreased and potassium levels increased.
A primate-specific (CCG) repeat in DISP2 is subject to natural selection in human and harbors divergent genotypes in late-onset neurocognitive disorder.
Authors: Khamse Safoura , Alizadeh Samira , Khorshid Hamid R. Khorram , Delbari Ahmad , Tajeddin Nahid , Ohadi Mina
Published: June 2023

(CCG)-repeats are predominantly enriched in genic regions, mutation hotspots for C to T truncating substitutions, and involved in various neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, intact blocks of this class of STRs are widely overlooked with respect to their link with natural selection. The human DISP2 (dispatched RND transporter family member 2) has the highest level of expression in the brain, and contains a (CCG)-repeat, which is in the top 1 percent of STRs with respect to length. Here we sequenced this STR in a sample of 448 Iranian individuals, consisting of late-onset neurocognitive disorder (NCD) (N = 203) and controls (N = 245). The region spanning the (CCG)-repeat was highly mutated, resulting in several CCG residues. However, an 8-repeat of the (CCG)-repeat was predominantly abundant (frequency = 0.92) across the two groups. While the overall distribution of genotypes was not different between the two groups (p > 0.05), we detected four genotypes in the NCD group only (2% of the NCD genotypes, Mid-p = 0.02), consisting of allele lengths that were not detected in the control group. The patients harboring those genotypes received the diagnoses of probable Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. We also found six genotypes in the control group only (2.5% of the control genotypes, Mid p = 0.01). We report a potential novel locus for late-onset NCD and indication of natural selection at this locus in human. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that a collection of rare alleles and genotypes in a number of genes may contribute to a divergent genotype compartment in the pathogenesis of late-onset NCD.
Research on deformation homogeneity control of thin-walled conical aeroengine forgings based on GA-SVR
Authors: Han Yan , Wang Menghan , Du MengLong , Guo Tao
Published: June 2023

The performance and service life of aero-engine forgings, vital components of aero-engines, are profoundly impacted by their forming quality, which is substantially influenced by deformation uniformity. This study aims to control the deformation uniformity of thin-walled conical aero-engine forgings through preform design. Initially, the DEFORM DOE module and MATLAB are utilized to simulate various scenarios, automatically acquiring samples with preform die geometry parameters as variables. Subsequently, a deformation uniformity prediction model is constructed by integrating genetic algorithm (GA) and support vector regression (SVR). The fitness function of the genetic algorithm is defined as the mean squared error (MSE) between the predicted values of the SVR model and the finite element simulation values, iteratively optimizing the SVR model. The results reveal that the established prediction model, based on limited sample data, achieves high accuracy and efficiency, significantly diminishing the frequency of trial-and-error simulations while enhancing the efficiency of preform design for thin-walled conical forgings. Finite element simulation outcomes and macro/microstructure test results following trial production further validate the deformation uniformity prediction model's exceptional accuracy.
Viperin inhibits interferon-γ production to promote Mycobacteria tuberculosis infection by disrupting TBK1-IKKε-IRF3-axis and JAK-STAT signaling
Authors: Liang Yao , Liang Yun , Wang Qi , Li Qianna , Huang Yingqi , Li Rong , Pan Xiaoxin , Lie Linmiao , Xu Hui , Han Zhenyu , Liu Honglin , Wen Qian , Zhou Chaoying , Ma Li , Zhou Xinying , Zhao Xingqi
Published: June 2023

As an interferon-inducible protein, Viperin has demonstrated the advantages of a broad-spectrum antiviral effects and regulation of host immune responses. However, how Viperin regulates interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in macrophages to control Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection remain undefined. Here, we demonstrated that Viperin inhibited IFN-γ production in macrophages and in lungs of mice to promote Mtb infection. Further insight into the mechanism of Viperin mediated regulation of IFN-γ production revealed the role of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), the TAK1-dependent inhibition of NF-kappa B kinase-epsilon (IKKε) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Inhibition of TBK1-IKKε-IRF3 axis restored the IFN-γ production reduced by Viperin knockout in bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM) and suppressed Mtb infection. Moreover, Viperin deficiency activated the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway, which promoted IFN-γ production and inhibited Mtb infection in BMDM. In addition, a combination of the anti-TB drug INH treatment in the absence of Viperin resulted in further activation of TBK1-IKKε-IRF3 axis and JAK1, and led to further IFN-γ production and anti-TB effect in BMDM. This study highlights the involvement of TBK1-IKKε-IRF3 axis and JAK-STAT signaling pathway in Viperin-suppressed IFN-γ production in Mtb infected macrophages, and identifies a novel mechanism of Viperin on negatively regulating host immune response to Mtb infection. Thus, we propose Viperin as a candidate target for host-directed therapy (HDT) for TB treatment.
Venetoclax combined with hypomethylating agents and the CAG regimen (DCAG) in relapsed/refractory AML: A single- center clinical trial
Authors: Liu Yifan , Li Yanfen , Zhang Ran , Yu Zhangyu , Jing Yu
Published: June 2023

Purpose
Relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) has a low remission rate and poor prognosis, and the current therapeutic measures are limited and low in effectiveness. This clinical study investigated the efficacy and safety of the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN) used in combination with the DCAG regimen (decitabine/azacytidine, cytarabine, aclarubicin, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) in the treatment of R/R AML.
Methods
We analyzed the clinical data of R/R AML patients who received the VEN-DCAG regimen at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from 3/2021 to 1/2023. Postmedication responses were observed and analyzed, including CR/CRi (complete remission/complete remission with incomplete hematological recovery) rate, measurable residual disease (MRD) negative rate (patients achieving CR/CRi), overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and success rate of subsequent bridging allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT).
Results
Twenty patients treated with VEN + DCAG for R/R AML were included. The median age was 40 (10–70) years, 11 (55%) were male and 9 (45%) were female. The ORR was 90% (18/20) after the 1st cycle of treatment, with 17 (85%) CR/CRi (10 MRD negative) patients, 1 (5%) PR, and 2 (10%) NR patients. Twelve patients (7 MRD- CR, 4 MRD + CR, 1 NR) were treated with the subsequent VEN-DCAG regimen, 3 cases MRD turned negative (1 course of MRD + CR), 1 NR patient died of disease progression after receiving the subsequent VEN-DCAG, and 13 patients eventually achieved MRD- CR (76.5%). Among them, there were 7 patients in the relapse group, 7 with CR/CRi and 6 with MRD-negative CR (85.7%); there were 13 patients in the refractory group, 10 with CR/Cri and 7 with MRD-negative CR (70%). The treatment response rates were 100% (7/7) and 84.6% (11/13) for patients in the relapse and refractory groups, respectively. All patients experienced varying degrees of adverse events (AEs), with hematologic AEs (mainly myelosuppression) and nonhematologic AEs (with fever, gastrointestinal discomfort and infection being more common). At the last follow-up, 1 (MRD + CR) of 11 patients (7 MRD- CR, 4 MRD + CR) who received allo-HSCT died; 5 (2 MRD- CR, 1 PR, 2 NR) of 9 patients (6 MRD- CR, 1 PR, 2 NR) who were not treated with allo-HSCT died. The median follow-up time was 12.7 (2.6–21.8) months for the 14 surviving patients. The median OS was 4.35 (0.7–18.1) months for the 6 patients who died.
CONCLUSION
VEN-DCAG is an effective treatment regimen for R/R AML patients, with high rates of complete remission and good tolerability in both relapsed and refractory AML patients. The rate of MRD-negative CR can be further improved by increasing the number of courses of treatment in patients with MRD-positive CR. Allo-HSCT should be bridged as soon as possible after achieving CR by VEN-DCAG, which can significantly improve patient survival.
An optimized method for calibration milling force coefficients and cutter run-out parameters in end milling process
Authors: Li Fei , Liu Jun , Hu Baoquan , Jin Honghong
Published: June 2023

Accurate calibration milling force coefficients is essential for predicting milling forces and characterizing the milling state. Cutter run-out is an unavoidable phenomenon in end milling process, which affects the working state of the cutter and the machining accuracy of the work-piece. In this paper, an optimized method based on average force method is proposed to calibrate milling force coefficients and cutter run-out parameters in the end milling process. The whole calibration procedure is divided into three steps. Firstly, the average force method is used to preliminarily calibrate the milling force coefficients. Then, further optimization is carried out based on the coefficients calibrated by the average force method, average milling force equations are used and a calibration procedure is presented by defining an objective function which is utilized to limit the average forces error ratios between the calculated results and the measured results. Finally, the milling force coefficients obtained in the second step are used to calibrate the cutter run-out parameters, the instantaneous milling force equations are used and a calibration procedure is also presented by defining a new objective function with the minimum sum of squared errors between the instantaneous prediction results and the instantaneous measurement results. Compared with the average milling forces and the instantaneous milling force curves measured by experiments, the mean force error ratios of the presented method are much smaller than the average force method and the milling force curves simulated by the proposed method are more consistent.
Escape behaviors in prey and the evolution of pennaceous plumage in dinosaurs
Authors: Park Jinseok , Son Minyoung , Park Jeongyeol , Bang Sang Yun , Ha Jungmoon , Moon Hyungpil , Lee Yuong-Nam , Lee Sang-im , Piotr G. Jablonski
Published: June 2023

Numerous non-avian dinosaurs possessed pennaceous feathers on their forelimbs (proto-wings) and tail (caudal plumage). Their functions remain unclear. We propose that the pennaceous feathers were used in displays to flush prey through stimulation of sensory-neural escape pathways in prey, and to provide higher speed and maneuverability during pursuits after prey. We evaluated escape behavior of grasshoppers to the hypothetical visual flush-displays by a robotic dinosaur, and neurophysiological responses of grasshoppers’ escape pathway to computer animations of the hypothetical flush-displays by dinosaurs. We confirmed that prey of small dinosaurs might have escaped more often when proto-wings were present, especially distally and with contrasting patterns, and when caudal plumage, especially of large area, was used during the hypothetical flush-displays. The reinforcing loop between flush and pursue functions could have contributed to the evolution of larger and stiffer feathers for faster running, maneuverability, and stronger flush-displays, promoting foraging based on the flush-pursue strategy. The flush-pursue hypothesis can explain the presence and distribution of the pennaceous feathers, plumage color contrasts, as well as a number of other features observed in early pennaraptorans. This scenario highlights that sensory-neural processes underlying prey’s antipredatory reactions may contribute to the origin of major evolutionary innovations in predators.