bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monetite addition into gelatin based freeze-dried scaffolds for improved mechanical and osteogenic properties
Authors: Singh Yogendra Pratap , Dasgupta Sudip , Bhaskar Rakesh , Agrawal Ashish Kumar
Published: October 2021

This study was aimed at fabricating monetite nanoparticles impregnated gelatin-based composite scaffold to improve the chemical, mechanical and osteogenic properties. Scaffolds were fabricated using a freeze-drying technique of the slurry containing a varying proportion of gelatin and monetite. The lyophilized scaffolds were cross-linked with 0.25 wt% glutaraldehyde solution to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous microstructure with improved mechanical strength and stability in a physiological environment. The fabricated scaffolds possessed >80% porosity having 3D interconnected pore size distribution varying between 65 and 270 μm as evident from field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis. The average pore size of the prepared scaffold decreased with monetite addition as reflected in values of 210 μm for pure gelatin GM0scaffold and 118 μm registered by GM20scaffold. On increase in monetite content up to 20 wt% of total polymer concentration, compressive strength of the prepared scaffolds was increased from 0.92 MPa in pure gelatin-based GM0to 2.43 MPa in GM20. Up to 20 wt% of monetite reinforced composite scaffolds exhibited higher bioactivity as compared to that observed in pure gelatin-based GM0scaffold. Simulated body fluid (SBF) study and alizarin red assays confirmed higher bio-mineralization ability of GM20as compared to that exhibited by GM0. Human preosteoblast cells (MG-63) revealed higher degree of filopodia and lamellipodia extensions and excellent spreading behavior to anchor with GM20matrix as compared to that onto GM0and GM10. MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase staining study indicated that MG-63 cells found a more conducive environment to proliferate and subsequently differentiate into osteoblast lineage when exposed to GM20scaffolds rather than to GM0and GM10. This study revealed that up to 20 wt% monetite addition in gelatin could improve the performance of prepared scaffolds and serve as an efficient candidate to repair and regenerate bone tissues at musculoskeletal defect sites.
Optimality-based modelling of climate impacts on global potential wheat yield
Authors: Qiao Shengchao , Wang Han , Prentice I Colin , Harrison Sandy P
Published: October 2021

Evaluation of potential crop yields is important for global food security assessment because it represents the biophysical ‘ceiling’ determined by variety, climate and ambient CO2. Statistical approaches have limitations when assessing future potential yields, while large differences between results obtained using process-based models reflect uncertainties in model parameterisations. Here we simulate the potential yield of wheat across the present-day wheat-growing areas, using a new global model that couples a parameter-sparse, optimality-based representation of gross primary production (GPP) to empirical functions relating GPP, biomass production and yield. The model reconciles the transparency and parsimony of statistical models with a mechanistic grounding in the standard model of C3photosynthesis, and seamlessly integrates photosynthetic acclimation and CO2fertilization effects. The model accurately predicted the CO2response observed in FACE experiments, and captured the magnitude and spatial pattern of EARTHSTAT ‘attainable yield’ data in 2000 CE better than process-based models in ISIMIP. Global simulations of potential yield during 1981–2016 were analysed in parallel with global historical data on actual yield, in order to test the hypothesis that environmental effects on modelled potential yields would also be shown in observed actual yields. Higher temperatures are thereby shown to have negatively affected (potential and actual) yields over much of the world. Greater solar radiation is associated with higher yields in humid regions, but lower yields in semi-arid regions. Greater precipitation is associated with higher yields in semi-arid regions. The effect of rising CO2is reflected in increasing actual yield, but trends in actual yield are stronger than the CO2effect in many regions, presumably because they also include effects of crop breeding and improved management. We present this hybrid modelling approach as a useful addition to the toolkit for assessing global environmental change impacts on the growth and yield of arable crops.
Canonical representation of three-qubit states with real amplitudes
Authors: Perdomo Oscar
Published: October 2021

Let us say that a three-qubit state u
000|000⟩ + u
001|001⟩ + ⋯ + u
111|111⟩ is real if all its amplitudes u
rst are real numbers. We will prove that for every real three-qubit state |ϕ⟩, there exist three angles θ
0, θ
1 and θ
2 such that R

y
(θ
2) ⊗ R

y
(θ
1) ⊗ R

y
(θ
0)|ϕ⟩ is a three-qubit of the form λ
1|000⟩ + λ
2|011⟩ + λ
3|101⟩ + λ
4|110⟩ + λ
5|111⟩ with the λ

i
real numbers. In contrast with the general case, the case of three-qubits with complex amplitudes, we proved that for three qubit states, the dimension of the real entanglement space (the space obtained by identifying real qubit states with local orthogonal gates, instead of local unitary gates) is 4 and in this paper we find four linearly independent polynomial invariants of degree 4 which are not possible to find for the different Schmidt representations of three qubit states. See (Acín et al 2000 Phys. Rev. Lett.
85 1560; Acín et al 2001 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.
34 6725; Carteret et al 2000 J. Math. Phys.
41 7932; Sudbery 2001 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.
34 643).
Mirror-enhanced directional out-coupling of SERS by remote excitation of a nanowire-nanoparticle cavity
Authors: Tiwari Sunny , Vasista Adarsh B , Paul Diptabrata , Kumar G V Pavan
Published: October 2021

We report on the experimental observation of mirror-enhanced directional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from a self-assembled monolayer of molecules coupled to a nanowire-nanoparticle (NW-NP) junction on a mirror in a remote excitation configuration. Placing the NW-NP junction on a metallic mirror generates multiple gap plasmon modes that have unique momentum space-scattering signatures. We perform Fourier plane imaging of the SERS from the NW-NP on a mirror to understand the effect of multiple hotspots on molecular emission. We systematically study the effect of the ground plane on the directionality of emission from the NW-NP junction and show that the presence of a mirror drastically reduces the angular spread of emission. The effect of multiple hotspots in the geometry on the directionality of the molecular emission is studied using 3D numerical simulations. The results presented here will have implications in understanding plasmon hybridization in the momentum space and its effects on molecular emission.
Topological physics of non-Hermitian optics and photonics: a review
Authors: Wang Hongfei , Zhang Xiujuan , Hua Jinguo , Lei Dangyuan , Lu Minghui , Chen Yanfeng
Published: October 2021

The notion of non-Hermitian optics and photonics rooted in quantum mechanics and photonic systems has recently attracted considerable attention ushering in tremendous progress on theoretical foundations and photonic applications, benefiting from the flexibility of photonic platforms. In this review, we first introduce the non-Hermitian topological physics from the symmetry of matrices and complex energy spectra to the characteristics of Jordan normal forms, exceptional points, biorthogonal eigenvectors, Bloch/non-Bloch band theories, topological invariants and topological classifications. We further review diverse non-Hermitian system branches ranging from classical optics, quantum photonics to disordered systems, nonlinear dynamics and optomechanics according to various physical equivalences and experimental implementations. In particular, we include cold atoms in optical lattices in quantum photonics due to their operability at quantum regimes. Finally, we summarize recent progress and limitations in this emerging field, giving an outlook on possible future research directions in theoretical frameworks and engineering aspects.
Pregnancy Reverses Abdominoplasty Aesthetic Outcome: Myth or Misconception? A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Averbuch Sagie Roni , Wiser Itay , Heller Lior , Klein Doron , Hadad Eran
Published: October 2021

Background

The common recommendation for female abdominoplasty candidates is to conclude family planning before undergoing the procedure. However, no evidence demonstrates a correlation between aesthetic outcome compromise, risk for fetal complications, or risk for maternal complications when abdominoplasty is followed by pregnancy.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal, fetal, and aesthetic outcomes among pregnant females with a history of abdominoplasty.

Methods

The authors conducted an online survey among women who became pregnant after having an abdominoplasty. Participants were recruited via social media groups related to abdominoplasty. The survey included demographic-, aesthetic outcome-, and pregnancy-related questions utilizing a score from 1 (no effect) to 10 (worst effect) to assess abdominal aesthetic outcome compromise.

Results

Thirty-two participants completed the online survey, 15 (46.8%) of which reported their pregnancy was unplanned. Pregnancy-related findings included 5 (15.6%) late premature births (between gestational week 35 and 37), 1 miscarriage, and 1 emergency C-section. Compromised aesthetic outcomes following pregnancy included new abdominal stretch marks (50%, N = 16), widened abdominoplasty scar (28%, N = 9), abdominal skin excess (37.5%, N = 12), and abdominal bulge (25.8%, N = 8). A new hernia was reported by 2 participants (6.3%). The average abdominal aesthetic severity score was 2.7 (range, 1-8), and only 3 scores were above 5 (9.3%). Two women (6.2%) underwent abdominoplasty revision, and 18 (56.2%) stated they would recommend others to undergo abdominoplasty before pregnancy (56.3%).

Conclusions

This survey shows there is room to reevaluate whether future pregnancy should be considered a relative contraindication for undergoing abdominoplasty.

Level of Evidence: 4
Impact of computational approaches in the fight against COVID-19: an AI guided review of 17 000 studies
Authors: Napolitano Francesco , Xu Xiaopeng , Gao Xin
Published: October 2021

SARS-CoV-2 caused the first severe pandemic of the digital era. Computational approaches have been ubiquitously used in an attempt to timely and effectively cope with the resulting global health crisis. In order to extensively assess such contribution, we collected, categorized and prioritized over 17 000 COVID-19-related research articles including both peer-reviewed and preprint publications that make a relevant use of computational approaches. Using machine learning methods, we identified six broad application areas i.e. Molecular Pharmacology and Biomarkers, Molecular Virology, Epidemiology, Healthcare, Clinical Medicine and Clinical Imaging. We then used our prioritization model as a guidance through an extensive, systematic review of the most relevant studies. We believe that the remarkable contribution provided by computational applications during the ongoing pandemic motivates additional efforts toward their further development and adoption, with the aim of enhancing preparedness and critical response for current and future emergencies.
BioVAE: a pre-trained latent variable language model for biomedical text mining
Authors: Trieu Hai-Long , Miwa Makoto , Ananiadou Sophia
Published: October 2021

Large-scale pre-trained language models (PLMs) have advanced state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance on various biomedical text mining tasks. The power of such PLMs can be combined with the advantages of deep generative models. These are examples of these combinations. However, they are trained only on general domain text, and biomedical models are still missing. In this work, we describe BioVAE, the first large-scale pre-trained latent variable language model for the biomedical domain, which uses the OPTIMUS framework to train on large volumes of biomedical text. The model shows SOTA performance on several biomedical text mining tasks when compared to existing publicly available biomedical PLMs. In addition, our model can generate more accurate biomedical sentences than the original OPTIMUS output.

Availability and implementation

Our source code and pre-trained models are freely available: https://github.com/aistairc/BioVAE.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
MCRL: using a reference library to compress a metagenome into a non-redundant list of sequences, considering viruses as a case study
Authors: Tadmor Arbel D , Phillips Rob
Published: October 2021

Motivation

Metagenomes offer a glimpse into the total genomic diversity contained within a sample. Currently, however, there is no straightforward way to obtain a non-redundant list of all putative homologs of a set of reference sequences present in a metagenome.

Results

To address this problem, we developed a novel clustering approach called ‘metagenomic clustering by reference library’ (MCRL), where a reference library containing a set of reference genes is clustered with respect to an assembled metagenome. According to our proposed approach, reference genes homologous to similar sets of metagenomic sequences, termed ‘signatures’, are iteratively clustered in a greedy fashion, retaining at each step the reference genes yielding the lowest E values, and terminating when signatures of remaining reference genes have a minimal overlap. The outcome of this computation is a non-redundant list of reference genes homologous to minimally overlapping sets of contigs, representing potential candidates for gene families present in the metagenome. Unlike metagenomic clustering methods, there is no need for contigs to overlap to be associated with a cluster, enabling MCRL to draw on more information encoded in the metagenome when computing tentative gene families. We demonstrate how MCRL can be used to extract candidate viral gene families from an oral metagenome and an oral virome that otherwise could not be determined using standard approaches. We evaluate the sensitivity, accuracy and robustness of our proposed method for the viral case study and compare it with existing analysis approaches.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/a-tadmor/MCRL.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Visual contrast perception in visual snow syndrome reveals abnormal neural gain but not neural noise
Authors: Brooks Cassandra J , Chan Yu Man , Fielding Joanne , White Owen B , Badcock David R , McKendrick Allison M
Published: October 2021

Visual snow syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by a persistent visual disturbance, visual snow, in conjunction with additional visual symptoms. Cortical hyperexcitability is a potential pathophysiological mechanism, which could be explained by increased gain in neural responses to visual input. Alternatively, neural noise in the visual pathway could be abnormally elevated.

We assessed these two potential competing neural mechanisms in our studies of visual contrast perception. Cortical hyperexcitation also occurs in migraine, which commonly co-occurs with visual snow syndrome. Therefore, to determine whether the effect of visual snow syndrome can be distinguished from interictal migraine, we recruited four participant groups: controls, migraine alone, visual snow syndrome alone and visual snow syndrome with migraine. In the first experiment, we estimated internal noise in 20 controls, 21 migraine participants and 32 visual snow syndrome participants (16 with migraine) using a luminance increment detection task. In the second experiment, we estimated neural contrast gain in 21 controls, 22 migraine participants and 35 visual snow syndrome participants (16 with migraine) using tasks assessing sensitivity to changes in contrast from a reference. Contrast gain and sensitivity were measured for the putative parvocellular and ‘on' and ‘off' magnocellular pathways, respectively.

We found that luminance increment thresholds and internal noise estimates were normal in both visual snow syndrome and migraine. Contrast gain measures for putative parvocellular processing and contrast sensitivity for putative off magnocellular processing were abnormally increased in visual snow syndrome, regardless of migraine status.

Therefore, our results indicate that visual snow syndrome is characterized by increased neural contrast gain but not abnormal neural noise within the targeted pathways.
VEGF signalling causes stalls in brain capillaries and reduces cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer’s mice
Authors: Ali Muhammad , Falkenhain Kaja , Njiru Brendah N , Murtaza-Ali Muhammad , Ruiz-Uribe Nancy E , Haft-Javaherian Mohammad , Catchers Stall , Nishimura Nozomi , Schaffer Chris B , Bracko Oliver
Published: October 2021

Increased incidence of stalled capillary blood flow caused by adhesion of leucocytes to the brain microvascular endothelium leads to a 17% reduction of cerebral blood flow and exacerbates short-term memory loss in multiple mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

Here, we report that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling at the luminal side of the brain microvasculature plays an integral role in the capillary stalling phenomenon of the APP/PS1 mouse model.

Administration of the anti-mouse VEGF-A164 antibody, an isoform that inhibits blood–brain barrier hyperpermeability, reduced the number of stalled capillaries within an hour of injection, leading to an immediate increase in average capillary blood flow but not capillary diameter. VEGF-A inhibition also reduced the overall endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein concentrations, increased occludin levels and decreased the penetration of circulating Evans Blue dye across the blood–brain barrier into the brain parenchyma, suggesting increased blood–brain barrier integrity. Capillaries prone to neutrophil adhesion after anti-VEGF-A treatment also had lower occludin concentrations than flowing capillaries.

Taken together, our findings demonstrate that VEGF-A signalling in APP/PS1 mice contributes to aberrant endothelial nitric oxide synthase /occludin-associated blood–brain barrier permeability, increases the incidence of capillary stalls, and leads to reductions in cerebral blood flow. Reducing leucocyte adhesion by inhibiting luminal VEGF signalling may provide a novel and well-tolerated strategy for improving brain microvascular blood flow in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Random forest: random results or meaningful insights for patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy?
Authors: Alfano Lindsay N , Mozaffar Tahseen
Published: October 2021

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Predictors of functional outcomes in patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy’ by Katz et al. (doi:10.1093/brain/awab326).
Abnormal whisker-dependent behaviors and altered cortico-hippocampal connectivity in Shank3b−/− mice
Authors: Balasco Luigi , Pagani Marco , Pangrazzi Luca , Chelini Gabriele , Ciancone Chama Alessandra Georgette , Shlosman Evgenia , Mattioni Lorenzo , Galbusera Alberto , Iurilli Giuliano , Provenzano Giovanni , Gozzi Alessandro , Bozzi Yuri
Published: October 2021

Abnormal tactile response is an integral feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and hypo-responsiveness to tactile stimuli is often associated with the severity of ASDs core symptoms. Patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), caused by mutations in the SHANK3 gene, show ASD-like symptoms associated with aberrant tactile responses. The neural underpinnings of these abnormalities are still poorly understood. Here we investigated, in Shank3b−/− adult mice, the neural substrates of whisker-guided behaviors, a key component of rodents’ interaction with the surrounding environment. We assessed whisker-dependent behaviors in Shank3b−/− adult mice and age-matched controls, using the textured novel object recognition (tNORT) and whisker nuisance (WN) test. Shank3b−/− mice showed deficits in whisker-dependent texture discrimination in tNORT and behavioral hypo-responsiveness to repetitive whisker stimulation in WN. Sensory hypo-responsiveness was accompanied by a significantly reduced activation of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and hippocampus, as measured by c-fos mRNA induction, a proxy of neuronal activity following whisker stimulation. Moreover, resting-state fMRI showed a significantly reduced S1-hippocampal connectivity in Shank3b mutants, in the absence of altered connectivity between S1 and other somatosensory areas. Impaired crosstalk between hippocampus and S1 might underlie Shank3b−/− hypo-reactivity to whisker-dependent cues, highlighting a potentially generalizable somatosensory dysfunction in ASD.
Practical Attacks on Reduced-Round 3D and Saturnin
Authors: Hou Tao , Cui Ting , Zhang Jiyan
Published: October 2021

3D, an advanced encryption standard-like cipher employed three-dimensional structure, was proposed in 2008. Its recommended number of rounds is 22. Although the longest key recovery attack can currently reach 13 rounds, the complexity of existing attacks for >6 rounds seems to exceed the practically feasible complexity. Thus, a practical attack for 7-round 3D has yet to be developed. Recently, a lightweight block cipher called Saturnin has been selected as a second-round candidate in the National Institute of Standards and Technology standardization for lightweight cryptography. Saturnin also employs a three-dimensional structure and provides high security against quantum and classic attacks. In this paper, we investigate the yoyo attack on these two ciphers. Combined with the meet-in-the-middle technique, we apply the yoyo trick to 7-round 3D and recover the whole 512-bit secret key with $2^{15}$ plaintexts and adaptively chosen ciphertexts and $2^{16.5}$ complexity of full encryptions. To our best knowledge, it is the first practical key recovery attack for 7-round 3D to date. For Saturnin, we found a minor typo in its design report. The designers intended to make a super round containing two S-layers, but one was inadvertently omitted in the algorithm description. We propose a 5-super-round key recovery attack, which is suitable for both one-S-layer version and two-S-layer version. Since the round function of Saturnin has better diffusion, which leads that the meet-in-the-middle technique cannot be applied to this cipher directly. For the one-S-layer version, we address this problem by proposing a new technique called reducing key sets. This technique will fail on the other version, which proves the necessity of containing two S-layers in one-super-round. Finally, our attack requires $2^{39.1}$ plaintext pairs and adaptively chosen ciphertext pairs and $2^{46}$ one-round encryptions.
Pregnancy loss and risk of cardiovascular disease: the Nurses’ Health Study II
Authors: Wang Yi-Xin , Mínguez-Alarcón Lidia , Gaskins Audrey J. , Wang Liang , Ding Ming , Missmer Stacey A. , Rich-Edwards Janet W. , Manson JoAnn E. , Chavarro Jorge E.
Published: October 2021

Aims

The aim of this study was to explore the association of pregnancy loss (PL) with the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and examine the extent to which this relation is mediated by subsequent metabolic disorders.

Methods and results

We followed 95 465 ever-gravid women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II between 1993 and 2017. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of CVD, including coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke, according to the occurrence of PL. A mediation analysis was conducted to explore the intermediating effect of subsequent type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or hypercholesterolaemia. During 2 205 392 person-years of follow-up (mean 23.10 years), 2225 (2.3%) incident CVD cases were documented. After adjusting for confounding factors, PL was associated with an HR of 1.21 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–1.33] for CVD during follow-up. A similar association was observed for CHD (HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.07–1.35) and stroke (HR 1.23; 95% CI 1.04–1.44). The risk of CVD increased with the number of PLs [HR 1.18 (95% CI 1.06–1.31) for 1 and 1.34 (95% CI 1.13–1.59) for ≥2 times] and was greater for PL occurring early in reproductive lifespan [HR 1.40 (95% CI 1.21–1.62) for age ≤23 years, 1.25 (95% CI 1.09–1.43) for age 24–29 years, and 1.03 (95% CI 0.88–1.19) for age ≥30 years]. Hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, and type 2 diabetes all explained <1.80% of the association between PL and CVD.

Conclusion

PL was associated with a greater CVD risk, independently of subsequent development of metabolic disorders.
Angiographic and Clinical Predictors of Mild Non-Culprit Coronary Lesion Progression in Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Managed by Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: El-Awady Waleed Salem , Masoud Masoud Mohamed , Elmenshawy Mahmoud Diaa , Wageeh Shaimaa , Shehata Islam Elsayed
Published: October 2021

Aims

To identify the angiographic and clinical predictors of mild non-culprit coronary lesion (NCCL) progression in acute ST-elevation myocardial Infarction (STEMI).

Methods and Results

The present prospective cohort study evaluated 200 patients with acute STEMI underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) (either PPCI or pharmaco-invasive PCI) divided into2groups based on whether the clinically driven non culprit lesion PCI existed or not into: Control group-1: 157 patients(78.5%) with non-progressed non culprit lesion (no additional PCI to the non-culprit lesion) and Study group-2: 43 patients(21.5%) with clinically driven non culprit lesion PCI (underwent additional PCI to progressed non-culprit lesions).

Our study end point was the clinically driven non culprit lesion PCI (additional PCI to progressed non-culprit lesions). Asymptomatic patients were followed up by exercise ECG at 12 months and myocardial perfusion stress testing at 24 months.

Multivariate regression analysis showed that the strongest independent predictor for progression of mild NCCL was complex morphology of culprit lesion (p < 0.001).

Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to assess a cutoff value for predictors for NCCL progression after PPCI in Patients with STEMI.

Conclusions

Our novel angiographic independent predictor was complex morphology of culprit lesion. And our novel clinical independent predictors were CRP cutoff more than 7.05mg/l, peak cardiac troponin I value cutoff more than 27.5 ng/ml, and age cutoff less than 57.5 years, could be used for early prediction of mild NCCL progression after PPCI for acute STEMI patients. This could be used for early diagnosis to avoid repeated PCI and proper management for better outcomes.
Study of Global Longitudinal Strain and N Terminal Pro BNP as Predictors of Outcome in Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions
Authors: Magdy Gehan , El-tahhan Salah , Ahmed Fatema Al-zahraa , Hasanein Mahmoud
Published: October 2021

Background

Risk stratification of patients presenting with Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is of greatest importance as it may help to start early therapeutic procedures that could improve the outcome. Our study is designed to assess the prognostic value of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) of the left ventricle measured by 2 dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in patients presenting with acute STEMI and treated by primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PPCI).

Patients and Methods

the study prospectively included 100 patients(their age 55.69 ±8.70 years, and 75% were males)presented to our institute (from march 2019 to December 2019) by acute STEMI and treated by PPCI within 12 hour of the onset of chest pain, excluding those with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, left bundle branch block, atrial fibrillation, significant valvular disease, patients with non cardiac causes that interfere with NT-Pro BNP level eg.(renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, liver cirrhosis, hyperthyroidism, and on those on chemotherapy). All patients were subjected to peripheral samples of plasma for analysis of NT- proBNP and 2dimentional STE for calculation of the GLS, both were done within 24 hours of admission, and follow up of all patients were done for 6 months to assess outcome.

Results

The mean GLS for all patients was -10.41 ± 3.59%, and the mean NT- proBNP (2090.1 ± 1375.8) pg/ml. 20 patients (20%) had adverse events during the 6 month follow up including (1(1%) had all cause mortality, 2(2%) had cardiovascular mortality, 6(6%) had reinfarction, 11(11%) had heart failure hospitalization, and according to ROC curve analysis the GLS cut off value of (≤- 8) was able to discriminate patients with adverse outcome (AUC=0.971, p value<0.001,CI=“0.940-1.001”,sensitivity=90%, specificity=91.67%, PPV=78.3%, NPV=96.5%) (figure 1, 2), also according to ROC curve analysis NT-pro BNP cut off value of (>2318pg/ml) was able to discriminate patients with adverse outcome (AUC=0.802,p value<0.001, CI=“0.685-0.920”, sensitivity=89%, specificity=75%, PPV=51.6%, NPV=91.8%) (Figure 3, 4).

There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between GLS and NT- ProBNP (r=-0.492*, p value<0.001). In multivariate COX regression analysis for the parameters affecting the outcome, GLS was shown to be the most significant parameter in the prediction of reaching adverse outcome in STEMI patients (p value=0.003, OR “95%C.I”= 0.721 (0.580–0.896).

Conclusions

our study concluded that both GLS and NT-proBNP are significantly related to adverse outcome with more superiority of the GLS to NT- pro BNP in adverse outcome prediction in patients acute STEMI treated by PPCI.
Risk of incident atrial fibrillation with low-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with gender, region, alcohol category: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Lingzhi , Chen Huaqiao , Shu Tingting , Pan Mingyong , Huang Wei
Published: October 2021

Aims 

The association between low-to-moderate alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation (AF) has yet to be fully elucidated. The main purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the risk of incident AF related to low-to-moderate alcohol consumption.

Methods and results 

A meta-analysis was performed on 13 publications discussing the estimated risk for AF with habitual low-to-moderate alcohol intake in 10 266 315 participants. Graphical augmentations to the funnel plots were used to illustrate the potential impact of additional evidence on the current meta-analysis. Thirteen eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. We found that moderate alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of incident AF in males [hazard ratio (HR) 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–1.11, P < 0.00001], Europeans (HR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.23–1.42, P < 0.00001), and Asians (HR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.07–1.11, P < 0.00001). Moderate beer consumption was associated with an increased risk of developing AF (HR 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02–1.21, P = 0.01). Low alcohol consumption conferred an increased risk of AF in males (HR 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01–1.28, P = 0.04) and Europeans (HR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07–1.17, P < 0.00001).

Conclusions 

This analysis represents the increased risk of incident AF in males, Europeans, and Asians at moderate alcohol consumption levels and in males and Europeans at low alcohol consumption levels. Those who drink any preferred alcohol beverage at moderate levels should be cautious for incident AF. More studies are warranted to find those factors that influence alcohol’s effect on predisposing AF.
Weaving of bacterial cellulose by the Bcs secretion systems
Authors: Abidi Wiem , Torres-Sánchez Lucía , Siroy Axel , Krasteva Petya Violinova
Published: October 2021

Cellulose is the most abundant biological compound on Earth and while it is the predominant building constituent of plants, it is also a key extracellular matrix component in many diverse bacterial species. While bacterial cellulose was first described in the 19th century, it was not until this last decade that a string of structural works provided insights into how the cellulose synthase BcsA, assisted by its inner-membrane partner BcsB, senses c-di-GMP to simultaneously polymerize its substrate and extrude the nascent polysaccharide across the inner bacterial membrane. It is now established that bacterial cellulose can be produced by several distinct types of cellulose secretion systems and that in addition to BcsAB, they can feature multiple accessory subunits, often indispensable for polysaccharide production. Importantly, the last years mark significant progress in our understanding not only of cellulose polymerization per se but also of the bigger picture of bacterial signaling, secretion system assembly, biofilm formation and host tissue colonization, as well as of structural and functional parallels of this dominant biosynthetic process between the bacterial and eukaryotic domains of life. Here, we review current mechanistic knowledge on bacterial cellulose secretion with focus on the structure, assembly and cooperativity of Bcs secretion system components.
Monitoring natural gas storage using Synthetic Aperture Radar: are the residuals informative?
Authors: Vasco D W , Samsonov Sergey V , Wang Kang , Burgmann Roland , Jeanne Pierre , Foxall William , Zhang Yingqi
Published: October 2021

Estimates of line-of-sight (LOS) displacements from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations serve as the basis of the long-term monitoring of an operating natural gas storage site at Honor Rancho in California. An inversion algorithm is used to estimate the portion of the signal that is attributable to deformation within the gas storage reservoir, located at a depth of around 3 km. Removing this contribution produces residuals that are used to characterize the background variation is surface deformation at the gas storage facility and to determine a threshold that can signify unusually large residuals. An application to almost 7 yr of InSAR data, from 2011 until 2018, indicates that there are intervals of heightened residuals as well as brief episodes of anomalously large misfits. An examination of the spatial distributions of the individual residual LOS displacements indicates larger displacements in an alluvial valley just south of the reservoir, with rapid spatial variations in sign, indicating a rather shallow origin. Furthermore, the two anomalous events also involve rapid spatial variations in the LOS displacement residuals directly above the storage facility. The results demonstrate that the technique of extracting residuals after removing the reservoir signal is a useful approach, even in the case of this deep reservoir, and is a promising method for long-term monitoring.
The focal mechanism of the 7 September 1920,Mw 6.5 earthquake: insights into the seismotectonics of the Lunigiana–Garfagnana area, Tuscany, Italy
Authors: Eva Elena , Pettenati Franco , Solarino Stefano , Sirovich Livio
Published: October 2021

To understand the seismotectonics and the seismic hazard of the study sector of the Northern Apennines (Italy), one of the most important earthquakes of magnitude Mw = 6.5 which struck the Lunigiana and Garfagnana areas (Tuscany) on 7 September 1920 should be studied. Given the early instrumental epoch of the event, neither geometric and kinematic information on the fault-source nor its fault-plane solution were available. Both areas were candidates for hosting the source fault and there was uncertainty between a normal fault with Apenninic direction or an anti-Apenninic strike-slip. We retrieved 11 focal parameters (including the fault-plane solution) of the 1920 earthquake. Only macroseismic intensity information (from 499 inhabited centres) through the KF-NGA inversion technique was used. This technique uses a Kinematic model of the earthquake source and speeds up the calculation by a Genetic Algorithm with Niching.

The result is a pure dip-slip focal solution. The intrinsic ambiguities of the KF-NGA method (±180° on the rake angle; choice of the fault plane between the two nodal planes) were solved with field and seismotectonic evidence. The earthquake was generated by a normal fault (rake angle = 265° ± 8°) with an Apennine direction (114° ± 5°) and dipping 38° ± 6° towards SW. The likely candidate for hosting the source-fault in 1920 is the Compione-Comano fault that borders the NE edge of the Lunigiana graben.

The KF-NGA algorithm proved to be invaluable for studying the kinematics of early instrumental earthquakes and allowed us to uniquely individuate, for the first time ever, the seismogenic source of the 1920 earthquake. Our findings have implications in hazard computation and seismotectonic contexts.
Transdimensional Bayesian inversion of magnetotelluric data in anisotropic layered media with galvanic distortion correction
Authors: Peng Ronghua , Han Bo , Hu Xiangyun , Li Jianhui , Liu Yajun
Published: October 2021

Presence of electrical anisotropy in the lithosphere can provide useful constraints on regional structure patterns and dynamics of tectonic processes, and they can be imaged by magnetotelluric (MT) data. However, Inversion of MT data for anisotropic structures using standard gradient-based approaches requires subjective choices of model regularization for constraining structure and anisotropy complexity. Furthermore, the ubiquitous presence of galvanic distortion due to small-scale near-surface conductivity inhomogeneities prevents accurate imaging of subsurface structures if ignored or not properly removed. Here, we present a transdimensional Bayesian approach for inverting MT data in layered anisotropic media. The algorithm allows flexible model parametrization, in which both the number of layers and model parameters of each layer are treated as unknowns. In this manner, the presence or absence of anisotropy within the layers, as well as the level of model complexity, is determined adaptively by the data. In addition, to account for the effects of galvanic distortion, three frequency-independent distortion parameters resulting from the distortion decomposition are treated as additional variables during the inversion. We demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm to resolve both isotropic and anisotropic structures with synthetic and field MT data sets affected by galvanic distortion effects. The transdimensional inversion results for the field data are compatible with results from previous studies, and our results improve the constraints on the magnitude and the azimuth (i.e. most conductive direction) of electrically anisotropic structures. For practical applications, the validity of 1-D anisotropic approximation should be first tested prior to the use of our approach. Otherwise it may produce spurious anisotropic structures due to the inapplicability of the anisotropic 1-D inversion for MT data affected by 2-D or 3-D electrical resistivity structures.
Nonfiction Theater
Authors: Feagin Susan L
Published: October 2021

Are there nonfiction genres of theater scripts, just as there are nonfiction genres of film, such as documentary, and of literature, such as biography and history? I propose that there are, and that Verbatim Theater qualifies as a nonfiction theater genre. What sets it apart is that it is supposed to instruct performers not merely to reenact, or represent, a series of events, but overall to present evidence or arguments for a thesis, or for the audience to draw their own conclusions. For scripts to present evidence, audiences have to be able to filter out what is supposed to serve as evidence from what else occurs on stage. Unlike various other genres of theater that one might initially appear to be nonfiction—such as autobiographical dialogues, Documentary Theater, and ethnodrama—Verbatim Theater does this.
Greenness Assessment of Two Validated Stability-Indicating Chromatographic Methods for Estimating Modafinil Using the Analytical Eco-Scale
Authors: Elsheikh Soha G , Hassan Abeer M E , Fayez Yasmin M , El-Mosallamy Sally S
Published: October 2021

Background

Modafinil (MDF) is one of the drugs used for the treatment of narcolepsy.

Objective

This manuscript describes the development and validation of two chromatographic stability-indicating methods for MDF in the presence of its acid-induced degradation product.

Methods

MDF was degraded under different stress conditions and identification of the degradation product was performed using IR and mass spectroscopy. The first method involved TLC, in which plates precoated with silica gel G60 F254 were used and the developing system was dichloromethane– methanol (9:1, v/v). The second method was an eco-friendly (HPLC) method that utilized a C-18 column and ethanol–H2O (30:70, v/v) as a mobile phase with a flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV detection at 220 nm.

Results

Good linear relationships were obtained within the ranges 1–10 µg/band and 2–10 µg/mL for TLC–densitometry and HPLC, respectively. The obtained results were statistically compared with those of the official HPLC method and showed no significant difference with respect to their accuracy and precision at P = 0.05. Greenness scores represent excellent green analysis results in comparison with the reported studies.

Conclusions

The proposed methods were validated according to ICH guidelines and were applied on bulk powder and pharmaceutical dosage forms using eco-friendly mobile phases in line with worldwide trends.

Highlights

Chromatographic methods have been validated for the estimation of MDF in the presence of its degradation product. Clarification of the degradation pathway and elucidation of the structure were stated for the first time. This is the first published method using greenness assessment metrics for the analysis of MDF.
Comparison of Volatile Oils and Primary Metabolites of Raw and Honey-Processed Ephedrae Herba by GC–MS and Chemometrics
Authors: Guo Mei , Wu Zhicong , An Qi , Li Hengyang , Wang Lei , Zheng Yuguang , Guo Long , Zhang Dan
Published: October 2021

Background

Ephedrae Herba (EH) is the terrestrial stem of Ephedra sinica Stapf, E. intermedia Schrenk et C. A. Mey., or E. equisetina Bge, which has been used as a diaphoretic, antiasthmatic, and diuretic. Honey-processed EH (HEH) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, and has a better effect of dispersing lung qi and relieving asthma and a lower effect of dispelling cold than raw EH (REH).

Objective

To understand the differences in volatile oils and primary metabolites between REH and honey-processed HEH, and to provide a reference for elucidating the mechanism behind the effect of this processing.

Methods

A system data acquisition and mining strategy was designed to investigate the differences in volatiles and primary metabolites between the REH and HEH, based on GC–MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis.

Results

Overall, 15 volatile oils and 14 primary metabolites were shown to be potential characteristic markers differentiating REH and HEH.

Conclusion

The results may provide a scientific foundation for comprehensively revealing the honey-processing mechanism of EH.

Highlight

Volatile oils and primary metabolites were used to distinguish REH and HEH and elucidate the processing mechanism of EH for the first time.
3 Infant-directed Vocal Communication in Sheep
Authors: Wang Yongjie , McClanahan Kylie , Ma Weiyi , Li Qinghua , Huang Yan
Published: October 2021

Infant-directed speech (IDS) in humans, AKA motherese, is different from normal speech with a higher pitch, higher frequency range, slower pace, and more repetition. infants usually are believed to react differently to IDS compared to adult-directed speech. Studies showed that IDS facilitates infant’s speech segmentation, word memory, word learning, and communicative development. IDS is common across languages and cultures, but the evolutionary origin of IDS is a myth. The objective of this study is to find out whether the special style of vocalization namely infant-directed vocalization (IDV), which differs from adult-directed vocalization (ADV), can be also observed in non-human, even non-primate species. The ADV and IDV of ewes were recorded. The sound wave features of the recordings were analyzed by visualization and machine learning. The ADV had representative peak frequencies at 175, 720, and 860Hz, while IDV only had one peak characteristic frequency at 245Hz. The machine-learning algorithm was able to clearly identify (overall accuracy was 89.3%) the distinguishing characteristics between ADV and IDV. Then we tested if the lamb reacts differently to the ewe’s IDV and ADV. The recording was played when the pre-weaning lambs were individually kept and the behavior of the lambs was recorded. The results showed that the lambs looked towards the sound source when IDV was played more than ADV (6.1 vs 3.1 times/5 min); they moved towards the sound source of IDV 8.6 times per 5 min compared to ADV which was 2.8 times/5min), and they bleated back to the sound source when IDV was played (18.0 times/5 min) more than when ADV was played (11.3 time/5 min); within 2 min after the recording played, lambs bleated back to IDV 8 times compared to ADV 4.8 times. This indicated the ewes’ IDV and ADV show different socio-emotional and attention effects on their lambs.
9 The Effects of Feeding Cannabidiol Oil on Behavior of Stalled Horses
Authors: Turner Paxton L , Guay Kimberly A , Jones Trinette , Cohen Lori , Elwonger Faith , Van Geem Renata , Smith William B
Published: October 2021

Using cannabidiol (CBD) in animals has increased since the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act was passed. Previous work in laboratory animals suggests supplementation with CBD reduced anxiety, compulsive behaviors, and brain activity of limbic and paralimbic areas. Horses exhibit anxiety due to training or housing situations, which is sometimes expressed via stereotypic behaviors including cribbing, aggression, etc. These behaviors can indicate underlying stressors and sometimes causes impairment; therefore, supplementing CBD may reduce undesirable behaviors in horses, consequently improving the health and overall welfare. The study objective was to determine if a single oral dose of CBD would result in adverse effects in horses. Four mature mares and four mature geldings were used in a randomized-control treatment design. Horses typically housed in paddocks, but not novel to stalling were housed in 11’ X 14’ stalls with cameras to record behavior, feed, and water intake. Horses were acclimated to feeding methods and stall environment for one week. Behavior was recorded for 24hr after a dosage of olive oil was administered as a control (CON). Horses were returned to their paddock for one week, then randomly assigned to either a LOW (0.3mg/kg BW; n = 4) or HIGH (0.6 mg/kg BW; n = 4) treatment of CBD oil. After oral dosing, horses were stalled for observation. Stereotypic behaviors such as pawing, cribbing, and aggression were quantified using the Observer XTTM program. Observations were analyzed in R Studio© for analysis of variance (ANOVA). The occurrence of stereotypic behaviors was lower (P = 0.03) in horses given oral CBD. Actions occurred more frequently during feeding sessions, behaviors including aggression and pawing occurred less when horses were given the High dose compared to Control (113 to 26 and 69 to 27) respectively. Based on results, oral administration of the particular cannabidiol product used in this study may mediate negative behaviors in stalled horses.