bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inheritance of Seed and Flower Color in Flax: A Comprehensive Genetic Study
Authors: Abtahi Mozhgan , Mirlohi Aghafakhr , Ataii Ehsan , Sabzalian Mohammad R. , Jafari Parisa
Published: July 2022

Background: Flower and seed color are two important traits in flax breeding. Flower color is associated with the attraction of insects for pollination, and seed color affects the quality of oilseeds. Eight genetically diverse genotypes of flax with pairwise contrasting seed and flower color were crossed in all directions (56 crosses), and the inheritance mode of seed and flower color was studied in F1, F2 and F3 generations during 2015-2018. Results: Segregation patterns in F1 and F2 generations indicated that seed coat color is primarily determined by maternal genotype, but parents’ genetic constitution finally defines the expression of character. Segregation analysis in the F3 generation indicated that seed coat color is governed by three loci designated as G, D, and Y1. The inheritance patterns of seed color were either monogenic, strongly influenced by variation within a single gene, or epistatic due to interactions between two genes across different genetic backgrounds. Chi-square tests indicated that brown seed color was produced by recessive allele of the Y1 locus and dominant alleles of the G and D loci (GGDDy1y1). The yellow seed color was attributed to the homozygous condition of two recessive genes and one dominant gene (ggDDy1y1 and GGddy1y1) or homozygous condition of three dominant genes (GGDDY1Y1). Flower color was also found to be controlled by three loci assigned as B1, B2, and C′. Blue flower color is governed by dominant alleles at all three loci while, homozygous recessive at any of the three loci will result in a white flower. In the 56 crosses with similar and contrasting flower colors perfect segregating ratios of 3:1, 9:7, 13:3, and 27:37 blue to white flowers in the F2 generation suggested different epistatic interactions between these loci including duplicate-recessive and dominant-recessive. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study reveal that the genetic background influences trait inheritance in flax. Our results indicate that the three loci governing the seed color are different from the three controlling the flower color. Still, there is epistatic relationships among the genes for the two traits depending on the genetic background of the parental genotypes.
Small Molecule-Mediated Allosteric Activation of the Base Excision Repair Enzyme 8-Oxoguanine DNA Glycosylase: Impact on Mitochondrial Function
Authors: Tian Gaochao , Katchur Steven , Jiang Yong , Briand Jacques , Schaber Michael , Kreatsoulas Constantine , Schwartz Benjamin , Thrall Sara , Davis Alicia , Duvall Sam , Kaufman Brett , Rumsey William
Published: July 2022

8-Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) initiates base excision repair of the oxidative DNA damage product 8-oxoguanine. OGG1 is bifunctional; catalyzing glycosyl bond cleavage, followed by phosphodiester backbone incision via a β-elimination apurinic lyase reaction. The product from the glycosylase reaction, 8-oxoguanine, and its analogues, 8-bromoguanine and 8-aminoguanine, trigger the rate-limiting AP lyase reaction. The precise activation mechanism remains unclear. The product-assisted catalysis hypothesis suggests that 8-oxoguanine and analogues bind at the product recognition (PR) pocket to enhance strand cleavage as catalytic bases. Alternatively, they may allosterically activate OGG1 by binding outside of the PR pocket to induce an active-site conformational change to accelerate apurinic lyase. Herein, steady-state kinetic analyses demonstrated random binding of substrate and activator. 9-Deazaguanine, which can’t function as a substrate-competent base, activated OGG1, albeit with a lower Emax value than 8-bromoguanine and 8-aminoguanine. Random compound screening identified small molecules with Emax values similar to 8-bromoGua. Paraquat-induced mitochondrial dysfunction was attenuated by several small molecule OGG1 activators; benefits included enhanced mitochondrial membrane and DNA integrity, less cytochrome c translocation, ATP preservation, and mitochondrial membrane dynamics. Our results support an allosteric mechanism of OGG1 and not product-assisted catalysis. OGG1 small molecule activators may improve mitochondrial function in oxidative stress-related diseases.
Demonstration of Neural Networks to Reconstruct Temperatures from Simulated Fluorescent Data towards use in Bio-Microfluidics
Authors: Kullberg Jacob , Colton Jacob , Gregory C. Tolex , Bay Austin , Munro Troy
Published: July 2022

Biological systems often have a narrow temperature range of operation, which require highly accurate spatially resolved temperature measurements, often near ±0.1K. However, many temperature sensors cannot meet both accuracy and spatial distribution requirements, often because their accuracy is limited by data fitting and temperature reconstruction models. Machine learning algorithms have the potential to meet this need, but their usage in generating spatial distributions of temperature is severely lacking in the literature. This work presents the first instance of using neural networks to process fluorescent images to map the spatial distribution of temperature. Three standard network architectures were investigated using non-spatially resolved fluorescent thermometry (simply-connected feed-forward network) or during image or pixel identification (U-net and convolutional neural network, CNN). Simulated fluorescent images based on experimental data were generated based on known temperature distributions where Gaussian white noise with a standard deviation of ±0.1 K was added. The poor results from these standard networks motivated the creation of what is termed a moving CNN, with an RMSE error of ±0.23 K, where the elements of the matrix represent the neighboring pixels. Finally, the performance of this MCNN is investigated when trained and applied to three distinctive temperature distributions characteristic within microfluidic devices, where the fluorescent image is simulated at either three or five different wavelengths. The results demonstrate that having a minimum of 103.5 data points per temperature and the broadest range of temperatures during training provides temperature predictions nearest to the true temperatures of the images, with a minimum RMSE of ±0.15 K. When compared to traditional curve fitting techniques, this work demonstrates that greater accuracy when spatially mapping temperature from fluorescent images can be achieved when using convolutional neural networks.
Defining Medication Discontinuation from Prescription Claims Records to Monitor Clinical Progress in Schizophrenia & Bipolar disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors: Musker Michael , Lewis Martin , Schrader Geoff , Isaac Vivian , Strobel Jorg , Bidargaddi Niranjan
Published: July 2022

Background: Digitally accessible prescription claims have potential utility in timely identification and active follow up interventions for unsupervised medication discontinuation in consumers with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, that may prevent relapse and other adverse outcomes. We conducted a systematic review in order to identify and understand definitions of non-adherence from prescription claims records to serve as decision points for interventions. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PsycINFO on 12 January 2020 to identify studies published in English. Data extraction was done by two reviewers independently. A narrative synthesis and tabulation of outcomes was performed. PROSPERO (CRD42020201708). Findings: Thirty-one studies were eligible for analysis. Three common computing parameters were used to calculate non-adherence over 12 months, the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) was used most frequently (21 studies - 68%) with a non-adherence threshold <0.8 (or <80% use of the full prescription of medication) in 55% of studies (n=17). All studies defined non-adherence retrospectively, and the main outcome reported by most studies was increased hospitalisation (24 of 31 studies – 77%). Interpretation: Computing non-adherence from prescription claim records is a potential decision point for interventions. While there was variation in methods used to compute non-adherence parameters from prescription claims records, all approaches demonstrated that non-adherence was associated with adverse outcomes, the foremost of which was rehospitalisation and increased costs of care.
Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies Potential Ferroptosis Key Genes in the Pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: He Guoxian , Chen Zexin , Li Jiaxiao , Zhang Lanhui , Liu Suling , Cui Yang
Published: July 2022

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disabling chronic inflammatory disease. The mechanisms of ferroptosis in AS remain unclear. Method: Using bioinformatics analysis, we aimed to identify key molecules involved in ferroptosis and provide potential therapeutic targets for AS, further exploring the mechanisms of ferroptosis in AS. GSE25101 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset and intersected with ferroptosis genes. Result: A total of 20 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened, most of which were involved in PI3K-Akt, MAPK signalling pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress response. The following target genes were identified through protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and screening of key modules constructed from genes associated with the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signalling pathway: TP53, PTEN, TLR4, HSPB1, DDIT3, XBP1. In addition, PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling were both associated with oxidative stress, both of them may play a role in AS pathological ossification related to ferroptosis. We identified only has-miR-205-5p targeting at least two genes. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the TP53- and PTEN-related mRNA–miRNA interaction chain could be potentially employed as a biomarker of the inception and progression of ferroptosis in AS.
Priority planting area planning for L. chuanxiong under soil Cd pollution and climate change
Authors: He Ping , Huo Tongtong , Meng Fanyun , Peng Cheng
Published: July 2022

Aims Soil cadmium (Cd) pollution poses substantial threats to cash crops and humans. For decades, L. chuanxiong has been under Cd stress due to natural and human activities, including the soil-forming process. As such, how to plan priority planting areas impacted by soil Cd pollution and explore the future spatial dynamics of planned areas is critical. Methods We developed a comprehensive evaluation system that is universally applicable to all plants stressed by heavy metal pollution by simulating the current and future niche of L. chuanxiong and establishing a scenario simulation model for soil Cd pollution. Results The results revealed that the current first- and secondary-priority planting areas for L. chuanxiong were 2.06 ×103 km2 and 1.64 ×104 km2, respectively. Of these areas, the seven first and twelve secondary counties for current L. chuanxiong cultivation should have higher priorities; these areas include Meishan, Qionglai, Pujiang, and other regions. Additionally, all the priority zones under the current and future scenarios are mainly concentrated in the Chengdu Plain, southeast Sichuan, and northern Chongqing. Future planning results indicate that Renshou, Pingwu, Meishan, Qionglai, Pengshan, and other regions are very important for L. chuanxiong planting, and a pessimistic scenario will negatively impact it. The spatial dynamics of priority areas in 2050 and 2070 clearly fluctuate under different prediction scenarios and are mainly distributed in northern Sichuan and western Chongqing. Conclusions Given these results, taking reasonable measures to manage the planned areas is necessary. This study not only provides a useful reference for the protection and cultivation of L. chuanxiong but also provides a paradigm for other cash crops.
Prediction of Heart Disease Using Data Mining Classifiers
Authors: K UMA , M Hanumanthappa
Published: July 2022

Fist size muscle acquires the name of an important part of the human body by pumping blood to all the parts of the body. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the nation. Though the data available in the health field is vast, still there is a need to develop decision supporting system to maintain, analyze, and knowledge evaluation. One such technique that can be used to address such a problem is data mining. Data mining techniques can help to classify the whether a patient having heart disease or not. This paper explores the different classification techniques for heart disease prediction. Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, Nearest Neighbor, and Decision Tree methods are applied. To assess performance of the classifiers various measures are taken includes accuracy, recall, precision and F1-score. Methods: An abundant data generated by the healthcare industry leads to exploring the required information to make a decision-making system using data mining techniques. Classification methods such as SVM, Naive Bayes, KNN, Logistic Regression, and Decision Tree are applied to predict heart disease with a different dataset. Results: Five classification techniques are applied to predict the two different heart disease datasets. By inference, the different classifiers work differently on selected attributes of datasets in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score measurements. Conclusion: Our research focuses on comparing the results of classification techniques applied to two different heart disease datasets. Various performance metrics were used to compare and contrast the two datasets of heart disease.
microRNA152-3p protects against ischemia/reperfusion-induced BBB destruction possibly targeting MAP3K2/JNK/c-Jun pathway
Authors: Li Fei , Zhou Fangfang , Yang Binbin
Published: July 2022

In the current study, we reported that overexpression of miR-152-3p effectively ameliorated neurological deficit and protected blood-brain barrier(BBB) integrity in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. In in vitro model, the level of miR-152-3p was significantly decreased in bEnd.3 after oxygen–glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) insult. miR-152-3p overexpressed bEnd.3 cell monolayers were protected from OGD/R-induced microvascular hyperpermeability. miR-152-3p-mediated protective effect was associated with lower apoptosis of endothelia by negatively modulating MAP3K2/JNK/c-Jun pathway.
Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms complicated by infective endocarditis: one rupturing into the left ventricle and the other dissecting into the interventricular septum
Authors: Gao Huanhuan , Cheng Yan , Xie Linyuan , Mou Yun , Hu Zhiqiang , Zheng Zhelan
Published: July 2022

Background: Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) is an uncommon cardiac abnormality and can be a serious complication of infection or trauma or after cardiac surgery or a procedure. The clinical features and symptoms are inextricably linked to the progression and site of rupture of the aneurysm.Case presentations: We present two rare cases of ruptured SVA, both of which were associated with infective endocarditis. In one case the SVA ruptured into the left ventricle and in the other case dissected into the interventricular septum.Conclusions: These two cases highlight the expanding clinical view of SVA complicated by infective endocarditis using echocardiography and hemodynamic assessment to guide surgical planning.
Analysis of Water-Energy-Crop Nexus Indicators in Irrigated Sugarcane of Awash Basin, Ethiopia
Authors: Kedir Yusuf , Berhanu Belete , Alamirew Tena
Published: July 2022

Pressures on limited resources of water and energy in agriculture forced researchers to look for alternative approaches towards the solutions integrating the resources. Since the emancipation of WEF nexus concept, several methods including indicator approaches have been developed and in use to analyze their linkages. The aims of the study were to determine and categorically compare performances of sugarcane producing irrigation schemes and technologies in Awash basin of Ethiopia. Water applied, input energy used and productivity data of eleven irrigation schemes found in Wonji, Metehara and Kessem sugar factories were used for the for the study and performances of each scheme were evaluated. Then, based on statistical analyses, irrigation schemes were grouped into gravity surface, pump surface and pump sprinklers. After normalizing the original data through min-max, performance scores were determined based on equal weight and entropy methods. Categorical assessments revealed that gravity surface schemes had highest total input energy use and energy productivity scores while pump sprinkler schemes were better on water applied, Relative Irrigation Supply (RIS) and water productivity indicators. However, regarding composite performance indicators or WEF nexus indices, pump surface schemes scored the highest followed by gravity surface schemes while sprinklers were the least. The study proved the emphasis of the sugar industries of the basin for crop productivity with the expenses of energy and water utilizations. Hence, improvements on water managements of gravity surface schemes and energy utilization of sprinkler schemes were recommended as key solutions for balanced resource use as well as overall sustainability of the sector.
Fault diagnosis of a photovoltaic system using recurrent neural networks
Authors: DJEGHADER Reda , MSABAH Ilyes LOUAHEM , BENZAHIOUL Samia , METATLA Abderrezak
Published: July 2022

The developed work in this paper is a part of the detection and identification of faults in systems by modern techniques of artificial intelligence, in a first step we have developed an MLP (Multi- Layer Perceptron ), type neural network to detect shunt faults and shading phenomenon in photovoltaic systems, and in the second part of the work we developed another RNN (recurrent neural networks ) type network in order to identify single and combined faults in PV systems. The results obtained clearly show the performance of the networks developed for the rapid detection of the appearance of faults with the estimation of their times as well as the robust decision to identify the type of faults in the PV system.
Gut microbiota and COVID-19: A systematic review
Authors: SeyedAlinaghi SeyedAhmad , Afzalian Arian , Pashaei Zahra , Varshochi Sanaz , Karimi Amirali , Mojdeganlou Hengameh , Mojdeganlou Paniz , Razi Armin , Ghanadinezhad Farzaneh , Shojaei Alireza , Amiri Ava , Dashti Mohsen , Ghasemzadeh Afsaneh , Dadras Omid , Mehraeen Esmaeil , Afsahi Amir Masoud
Published: July 2022

Introduction: Alteration in humans’ gut microbiota was reported in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The gut and upper respiratory tract microbiota harbor a dynamic and complex population of microorganisms and have strong interaction with host immune system homeostasis. However, our knowledge about microbiota and its association with SARS-CoV-2 is still limited. We aimed to systematically review the effects of gut microbiota on the COVID-19 infection and its severity and the impact that SARS-CoV-2 could have on the gut microbiota.Methods: We searched the keywords in the online databases of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane on December 31st, 2021. After duplicate removal, we performed the screening process in two stages; title/abstract and then full-text screening. The data of the eligible studies were extracted into a pre-designed word table. This study adhered to the PRISMA checklist.Results: Sixty-three publications were included in this review. It appeared that COVID-19 infection could affect the microbiome in patients, particularly in moderate and severe cases. The severity of COVID-19 disease may also be influenced by the microbiota's composition through immunological responses or some other unknown mechanisms.Conclusion: Our study showed that there was a significant change in the composition of the upper respiratory tract and gut microbiome in patients with COVID-19 compared to healthy individuals. These apparent changes suggested gut and upper respiratory tract microbiota as a possible indicator for diagnosis and strategy for the treatment of COVID-19.
Quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen: an effective approach for evaluating the infectivity of COVID- 19 convalescent patients
Authors: Wang Di , Lu Hailong , Li Yaju , Shen Jiazhen , Jiang Guangjie , Xiang Jin , Qin Huanhuan , Guan Ming
Published: July 2022

BackgroundThis study evaluated the quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen by the MAGLUMI chemiluminescent immunoassay (MAG-CLIA) in COVID-19 patients during the peak of COVID-19 Shanghai epidemics in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai.MethodsAnalytical performances of the MAG-CLIA were evaluated, including precision, limit of quantitation (LoQ), linearity and specificity. Nasopharyngeal specimens from 232 patients who were SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR positive and from 477 healthy donors were included to evaluate the diagnostic performance. The performance of the Wondfo antigen-detecting lateral flow test (LFT) was evaluated in parallel. The longitudinal studies were performed by monitoring antigen concentrations alongside with RT-qPCR results in 14 COVID-19 participants for up to 22 days. The critical antigen concentration in determining virus infectivity was evaluated at the reference cycle threshold (Ct) of 35.ResultsCOVID-19 patients were well-identified using an optimal threshold of 0.64 pg/mL antigen concentration, with sensitivity and specificity of 95.7% (95% CI: 92.2%-97.9%) and 98.3% (95% CI: 96.7%-99.3%), respectively, while the Wondfo LFT exhibited those of 34.9% (95% CI: 28.8%-41.4%) and 100% (95% CI: 99.23%-100%), respectively. Close dynamic consistence was observed between SARS-CoV-2 Ag and viral load time series in the longitudinal studies. The critical value of 8.82 pg/mL antigen showed adequate sensitivity and specificity in evaluating the infectivity of convalescent patients.ConclusionsThe MAG-CLIA SARS-CoV-2 Ag detection is an effective and alternative approach for rapid diagnosis and enables us to evaluate the infectivity of convalescent patients.
ALDH3B1 protects interfollicular epidermal cells against lipid peroxidation via the NRF2 pathway
Authors: wu zhenjie , Chen Aoyu , Zhang Guang , Liu Chunyan , Yin Siyuan , Song Ru , Ma Jiaxu , Cao Guoqi , Sun Rui , Liu Jian , Wang Yibing
Published: July 2022

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is critical for the initiation of wound repair; However, persistent high levels of reactive oxygen species can lead to lipid peroxidation of cells and thus affect wound healing. Iron is a transition metal that is an essential component of almost all living cells and organisms. when present in excess in cells and tissues, iron disrupts redox homeostasis and catalyses the generation of ROS, leading to increased lipid peroxidation. In this study, we found that after treating interepithelial follicular (IFE) cells with different concentrations of transferrin (0 µg/ml, 1 µg/ml, 10 µg/ml, 100 µg/ml, and 1 mg/ml), we increased the intracellular iron content, and our findings regarding viability and function did not differ significantly between groups of cells. It was also found that the level of lipid peroxidation in IFE cells did not increase. We speculate that there is a protective mechanism within IFE cells that reduces the occurrence of intracellular lipid peroxidation. We found that the elevated intracellular iron content of IFE cells was accompanied by elevated ALDH3B1 expression. We investigated the effect of ALDH3B1 on the level of lipid peroxidation in IFE cells and found that the elevated expression of ALDH3B1 could decrease the damage to IFE cells by lipid peroxidation. In addition, the NRF2 pathway was found to affect the expression of ALDH3B1, which in turn affected lipid peroxidation in IFE cells. In conclusion, these findings suggest that in IFE cells, activation of the NRF2 pathway can increase the expression of ALDH3B1 and thus reduce the production of intracellular ROS and the occurrence of intracellular lipid peroxidation. Therefore, ALDH3B1 may be a potential target for the treatment of chronic wounds.
Deep Emotion Detection Sentiment Analysis of Persian Literary Text
Authors: Khodaei Azadeh , Bastanfard Azam , Saboohi Hadi , Aligholizadeh Hossein
Published: July 2022

A large amount of training data is needed to achieve accurate results in processing deep learning models. Although deep learning has played a successful role in sentiment analysis of texts, a new era in natural language processing has begun with the rise of pre-trained language models. Pre-trained models provide access to a large amount of training data. Emotion analysis in Persian text is challenging because, besides being one of the low resource languages, it needs more accurate methods for processing texts. In this study, a dataset that includes the emotional sentences of Persian literary texts was created. We compared two different methods for analyzing the emotion of Persian sentences. The first method uses the FastText and the Bi-LSTM model for emotion classification. In the second approach, we employ the XLM-R based on a deep bidirectional transformer to extract features from text and apply the Catboost algorithm to guide the model to focus on the most relevant class. The proposed model can be used in all languages, especially low-resource languages and imbalanced datasets. According to the experimental results, the proposed model achieved better binary classification results and employing the XLM-R, and Catboost algorithm yielded remarkable improvement in the multi-classification accuracy.
Biocontrol Potential of Bacillus velezensis wr8 secondary metabolites against Penicillium sp.
Authors: Wang Rui , Wang Xiaohu , Weng Yuting , Lan Baofeng , Zhou Liqin , Yang Hui
Published: July 2022

Blue mold caused by Penicillium sp. is one of the most serious postharvest diseases of citrus fruit. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify native Bacillus with inhibition phenotypes of citrus plants fruits. We investigated the antifungal effect of Bacillus velezensis wr8 on the postharvest pathogens Penicillium sp. inoculated on fruits, as well as on the growth of these fungi on Petri dishes with defined media. MALDI-TOF MS was conducted to illuminate the underlying mechanism. Results showed that Bacillus velezensis wr8 significantly inhibited Penicillium sp. growth in vitro. Moreover, secondary metabolites suppressed the disease development of citrus fruits artificially inoculated with Penicillium sp. in 25℃. Furthermore, MALDI-TOF MS indicated that lipoprotein with the molecular mass of 30.2 kDa was a key component about against Penicillium sp.. In addition, the secondary metabolites with antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli showed antimicrobial peptide with the molecular weight of 9.8 kDa. These results demonstrated that Bacillus velezensis wr8 could produce lipoprotein and antimicrobial peptide to inhibit Penicillium sp. and Escherichia coli which has broad application prospect in the future development. Finally, Bacillus velezensis wr8 is to provide data support for the development and utilization of high activity bacteriocin at room temperature and its application in the field of food safety.
The Effect of Building Orientation on Energy Efficiency
Authors: Habibi Shahryar
Published: July 2022

The energy demand of buildings is currently central to the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy. As energy demand increases, it is critical to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. Several architectural studies have shown that building orientation is one of the first decisions that affect building performance. However, there are still many misaligned buildings where energy costs are higher than when standard methods are used. To address this discrepancy, a research study was conducted using different building profiles. Simulations were run as part of the research to link a building's orientation to performance measures such energy use intensity (EUI), cooling load, and heating load. In addition, the impacts of solar heat gain and ventilation air exchange values on building energy performance at various orientations were demonstrated. Although building orientation affects building energy performance, the study shows that not all building efficiency factors are equally affected by orientation, and the effects vary by climate zone and building size.
Metadichol® is a nano lipid emulsion that expresses all 48 nuclear receptors in stem and somatic cells
Authors: Raghavan Palayakotai R
Published: July 2022

Human nuclear receptors (NRs) involve 49 ligand-dependent transcription factors that are important for regulating the cell cycle and processes. There are many literature references to work on NR expression in many organs, abnormal cells, and tissues. However, a simple universal method to study the expression of NR is still missing. Here, we present systematic profiling of NRs in human umbilical cord stem cell lines and assess the expression of the 48 human NRs by quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR using Metadichol, a nanoemulsion made of natural lipid alcohol. Metadichol-treated umbilical cord cells and fibroblasts, where all cells expressed NRs at a concentration range of 1 pg-100 ng/mL in a dependent manner, were detected by qRT-PCR and qualified by Western blotting. This method will allow the study of many organs and tissues and expand our understanding of the role of NRs and their role in mitigating diseases. HighlightsMetadichol treatment of somatic cells leads to nuclear receptor expressionDepending on the cell and concentration of Metadichol used, fold changes are differentThe method could be used to study many cells and disease cells to better understand NR expression patterns and implications.The results suggest that Metadichol is a universal ligand to all nuclear receptors.
ZoDIAC: Zoneout Dropout Injection Attention Calculation
Authors: Zohourianshahzadi Zanyar , Kalita Jugal
Published: July 2022

Recently the use of self-attention has yielded to state-of-the-art results in vision-language tasks such as image captioning as well as natural language understanding and generation (NLU and NLG) tasks and computer vision tasks such as image classification. This is since self-attention maps the internal interactions among the elements of input source and target sequences. Although self attention successfully calculates the attention values and maps the relationships among the elements of input source and target sequence, yet there is no mechanism to control the intensity of attention. In real world, when communicating with each other face to face or vocally, we tend to express different visual and linguistic context with various amounts of intensity. Some words might carry (be spoken with) more stress and weight indicating the importance of that word in the context of the whole sentence. Based on this intuition, we propose Zoneout Dropout Injection Attention Calculation (ZoDIAC) in which the intensities of attention values in the elements of the input sequence are calculated with respect to the context of the elements of input sequence. The results of our experiments reveal that employing ZoDIAC leads to better performance in comparison with the self-attention module in the Transformer model. The ultimate goal is to find out if we could modify self-attention module in the Transformer model with a method that is potentially extensible to other models that leverage on self-attention at their core. Our findings suggest that this particular goal deserves further attention and investigation by the research community. The code for ZoDIAC is available on www.github.com/zanyarz/zodiac.
Smokeless Tobacco Enhance Allergic Inﬂammation, Exacerbation of Asthma and Oxidative Stress in Asthmatic Patients from Algeria
Authors: Khaldi Taha , Boughemara Karima , Hesnie Yasmine Khodja , Amira Aicha Beya , Messarah Mahfoud , Boumendjel Amel
Published: July 2022

Background and objective
Despite their effects on human health, the link between smokeless tobacco (ST) consumption and asthma severity in asthmatic patients is still unknown. Thus, the present study aims to complete the lack of information by investigating the aggravation of inflammation, exacerbation of asthma, oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by ST in asthmatic patients.
Methods
The study recruited 80 male volunteers residing in Annaba town, Algeria, divided into four groups by using a questionnaire, each group consists of 20 male volunteers. Herein, biochemical parameters, hematological parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), total IgE, interleukin-5 (IL-5), nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress were measured.
Results
The obtained results showed that ST clearly enhanced lung inflammation and exacerbation of asthma through total IgE, IL-5 and CRP increased production. In addition, ST was found to intensify oxidative stress via increased lipid peroxidation and decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Likewise, the biochemical and hematological parameters results showed that ST causes damage and inflammation to tissues.
Conclusion
Therefore, our study reveals that ST obviously enhances allergic inflammation in patients suffering from asthma.
Clinical study to verify the effectiveness and safety of the modified isothymol or carvacrol compound against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients
Authors: OJEDA RAUL A
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND
Although several therapeutic agents have been evaluated for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), none have yet been shown to be efficacious.
METHODS
A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of isothymol was conducted in adults hospitalised for COVID-19 with evidence of lower respiratory tract involvement. Patients were randomised to receive modified isotimol (6mg/ml) or placebo for up to 15 days. The primary outcome was recovery time, defined by hospital discharge or hospitalisation for infection control purposes only.
RESULTS
A double-blind, randomised, placebo- and isothymol-modified, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in adults who were hospitalised with COVID-19. Patients were randomised to receive isothymol (6 mg/ml) or placebo for up to 15 days. The primary outcome was recovery time, defined by hospital discharge. Results from the 600 patients (300 treated with isothymol and 300 with placebo) with data available after randomisation suggest that those receiving isothymol had a median recovery time of 7 days (95% confidence interval (CI), 5 to 9), compared with 14 days (95% CI, 11 to 15) in those receiving placebo (recovery rate ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.87; P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier estimates of 15-day mortality were 0% with Isotimol and 4% with placebo. No serious adverse events were reported in patients in the isothymol group who underwent randomisation and 13 of the 300 patients in the placebo group who underwent randomisation (4.33%). Analysis in blood plasma from patients revealed a close relationship between hypersensitivity of inflammatory mediators (macrophages and type I interferons) and elevated histamine production, resulting from autophosphorylation and increased production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in blood monocytes from patients with severe COVID-19 compared to blood monocytes from healthy volunteers.
CONCLUSIONS
Isothymol was superior to placebo in shortening recovery time in hospitalised adults with COVID-19 and evidence of lower respiratory tract infection.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research with Human Beings of the institution of origin (protocol LAB-2020-01) and registered in the ISRCTN Registry, number: ISRCTN15363958.
Reflections on the Methodological Development and Utility of the Kidscreen-52 Quality of Life Questionnaire: A Transdisciplinary Methodologization
Authors: Kachnic Filip
Published: July 2022

The purpose of this study is to critically explore the methodology for item generation used in the development of the Kidscreen-52 quality of life questionnaire. The reason for conducting this study is the long-standing need for methodological insights both in cross-cultural health-related survey research and educational research on immigrant children. We were led by the following research questions: (1) What methodological principles do emerge in evidence-based educational research on immigrant children?, and (2) In which ways are these methodological principles present in the methodology of Kidscreen-52? To answer the first question we conducted a rapid review. The final interconnection analysis revealed three overarching elements: (1) Kidscreen focus groups enabled peer interactions by involving relational authenticity, a concept found in educational research (Noddings, 2015), (2) due to their inherent group dynamics the Kidscreen focus groups increased participants'verbal and non-verbal expressions, and (3) by covering a greater range of experiences the Kidscreen focus groups have enhanced reflexivity that is instrumental for capturing cross-cultural experiences of vulnerable children populations.
THE CURRENT STATE AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS OF SINGLE ECONOMIC SPACE OF THE BAIKAL REGION
Authors:   East Siberian State Technology and Management, Ulan-Ude, Dugina E. , Dorzhieva E. ,   East Siberian State Technology and Management, Ulan-Ude, Bazarova O. ,   East Siberian State Technology and Management, Ulan-Ude, Garmaeva L ,   Buryat State Academy of Agriculture, Ulan-Ude
Published: July 2022

According to the Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025, the Irkutsk Region is assigned to the Angara-Yenisey Macroregion, and the Republic of Buryatia and the Transbaikal Territory are assigned to the Far Eastern Macroregion. However, in our opinion, when forming macro-regions, it is necessary to take into account not only the economic (production) component of infrastructure security, but also social, socio-demographic, socio-cultural and environmental. The object of the study is the Baikal macro-region as a unified socio-ecological-economic system. The subject of the study is the directions of strategic development of the macro-region, contributing to the increase in the connectivity of the macro-regional space. The purpose of the study is to identify trends in socio-environmental and economic development of the Baikal region and determine the main directions of integration of the Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk Region and the Transbaikal Region leading to an increase in the connectivity of the macro-regional space. In this study, the authors identify the Baikal Macroregion, which not only corresponds to the general principles of the formation of macroregions, but is also united by a specific mission assigned to its population – the need to preserve the unique Baikal ecosystem while ensuring a decent level and quality of life for people living in the Baikal natural territory. The barriers preventing the increase of connectivity of the macro-regional space currently include: pronounced regionalism and competition for external resources, low population size and density, the focal nature of the development of the territory, high corruption potential of almost any infrastructure project. In the context of digital transformation, it is necessary to establish an effective system of interregional interconnections and interaction both at the administrative and public levels, transforming traditional business models and forming networks of highly adaptive integrated companies implementing "smart" distributed production and uniting the socio-economic and ecological space of the Baikal macroregion. A promising area of cooperation could be the formation of interterritorial clusters in those areas of activity in which the regions have common interests and potential for development that does not cause (or minimize) damage to the Baikal ecosystem, namely in the agro-industrial complex, tourism and recreation and biotechnology
Digitaler Wandel des Schulunterrichts durch professionelle Lerngemeinschaften
Authors: Stegmann Karsten , Kastorff Tamara , Poluektova Ilona , Berger Sonja , Kosiol Timo , Reith Sabrina , Förtsch Christian , Rutkowski Annemarie , Mohr Matthias , Lindermayer Christian , Aufleger Monika , Traub Dagmar , Haldenwang Vera , Ufer Stefan , Neuhaus Birgit Jana , Bannert Maria , Oechslein Karin , Lindner Martin , Nerdel Claudia , Fischer Frank , Gräsel Cornelia
Published: July 2022

Zahlreiche Studien zeigen, dass die wirkungsvolle Implementierung von Innovationen davon profitiert und sich positive Effekte auf die Schüler:innen nachweisen lassen, wenn Lehrpersonen kooperieren. In vielen Fällen einer solchen Zusammenarbeit handelt es sich um professionelle Lerngemeinschaften, typischerweise bestehend aus Lehrpersonen, Schulleitung, Schulverwaltung und Wissenschaft. Unter einer Professionellen Lerngemeinschaft (PLG) wird eine «Gemeinschaft fortlaufender Forschung und Verbesserung» verstanden, in der alle Gruppenmitglieder sowohl miteinander als auch voneinander lernen. Eine offene Frage in der Forschung zu Professionellen Lerngemeinschaften ist, inwieweit anstelle einer intensiven Kooperation mit Vertreter:innen aus der Wissenschaft geschulte Multiplikator:innen die Inhalte aus der Wissenschaft einbringen und die Arbeit in den Lerngemeinschaften fördern können. Dieser Fragestellung wird im Rahmen dieser Pilotstudie nachgegangen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden an drei bayerischen Schulen (zwei Mittelschulen, eine Realschule) professionelle Lerngemeinschaften zur Digitalisierung des MINT-Unterrichts in der Schule im Schuljahr 2020/2021 gegründet. Die Befunde der durchgeführten Interviewstudie deuten darauf hin, dass die wissenschaftliche Unterstützung von Lerngemeinschaften zur Digitalisierung von Unterricht in der Schule mit Ausnahme der evidenzbasierten Arbeit an Unterrichtskonzepten erfolgreich mithilfe von Multiplikator:innen umgesetzt werden kann. Für die fachspezifische Unterstützung sollten jedoch zusätzliche Lehrpersonen (z. B. die Fachleitungen) geschult werden, um die fachbezogene Arbeit an den Unterrichtskonzepten zu unterstützen.
PUBLIC TRUST IN THE BRAND OF THE TERRITORY: GENDER, AGE AND EDUCATIONAL DETERMINANTS
Authors: Lyulyov O. , Pimonenko T. , Reshetniak Ya. , Owusu E. , Owusu E. K.
Published: July 2022

The key to ensuring sustainable economic development of the regions is the functioning of enterprises and organizations physically or legally located in its territory and the effective use and identification of hidden business and tourist opportunities of the parts. Unlocking such community potential is one of the key tasks of local governments, whose responsibility for their well-being has increased significantly with the start of the decentralization process. Financial decentralization and redistribution of tax revenues inevitably led to the growth of local budgets, which in turn formed the need for proper redistribution of expenditures, including the development of attractiveness of the territory for its own population, to reduce the outflow of able-bodied people and attract stakeholders. To this end, most cities and regions of Ukraine have begun to create their own brands. Today, Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, and others have their own brands in Ukraine. However, the level of public confidence in economic efficiency and the need for such an approach is quite low because among the successful cases of brand implementation in the country can be clearly called only - Lviv. While the brand of the city of Sumy created in 2019 was perceived quite ambiguously by both the community and the media community. Therefore, the question arises of identifying determinants that directly impact the formation of perception and trust in the brand. Thus, a number of existing methods of assessing the effectiveness of the brand contain elements in the structure related to its perception. But for the most part, the ratings of local and national brands focus on the perception of external stakeholders, while the issue of taking into account internal satisfaction is almost unexplored. Thus, the article attempts to analyze the correlations between perception, trust in the local brand and subjective assessment based on gender, age and educational distribution of internal stakeholders in the community. The analysis was based on the dynamics of the cities of London and Paris in the Anholt-Ipsos Brand Index in 2017-2020.
BUSINESS PROCESSES INTELLECTUALISATION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FULFILLMENT
Authors: Denysenko P. A. , Kubatko O. , Shkarupa O. , Yaremenko A.
Published: July 2022

The article is devoted to the theoretical and procedural features of the intellectualization of economic processes. Definitions of "innovation" are given. It has been found that most definitions view innovation as a new (or significantly improved or modified) product. The most optimal formulation of this definition is singled out, namely: "innovation" is an innovation that consists in the creation and implementation of new (or significantly changed) ideas, principles or product. It is determined that at the enterprise level is especially important intellectualization of economic processes. The difference between similar terms "knowledge economy" and "human capital" is established. The tabular form shows the features of the future man in the labor market, organizations and HR. Employers have been found to understand the demands of the new age (artificial intelligence, general automation and robotics development) and to implement jobs that are more multidisciplinary and digitalized. It is determined that in the XXI century the role of education is becoming increasingly important. It was found that innovative development is key to the successful development and intellectual development of the domestic economy. It is determined that Ukraine has significant potential for innovative development, despite low current R&D costs. It is studied that the impact of human resources and employment on Ukraine is the strongest innovation dimension, while the links and innovation environment are the weakest. The problematic conditions for the development of the innovation sphere have been studied: the complexity of doing business (Ukraine ranks 64th in the Doing Business ranking); bureaucratic procedure for obtaining patent documentation; underdeveloped intellectual property rights; insufficiently comfortable business climate; low share of foreign foreign investment; unresolved issues of IT enterprises. It was found that countries can improve their innovation capacity by comparatively analyzing their effectiveness, using strengths and eliminating weaknesses in innovation, as well as by studying best practices in countries that are becoming leaders in innovation at all income levels.