bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moderation of the Dimensions of Innovativeness in the Usability of Services Based on Intelligent Personal Assistants
Authors: de la Cruz Lui Márcio , De Oliveira Mauro , Bernardes Roberto Carlos , Borini Felipe Mendes , Rodrigo Padmali
Published: June 2022

The technology acceptance model (TAM) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) originating from the theory of diffusion of Innovation seek to understand the use and adoption of technological products, however none of them is focused on understanding behavioral aspects and personal traits of the consumer innovativeness. Research studies that investigate the effect of domain-specific innovativeness (DSI) and innate innovativeness (II) on the perception of usability from innovative behavior (IB) with services such as intelligent personal assistants (IPA) that is get activated based on voice commands are scarce. Also, the extent to which DSI and II have affected consumer’s perception of usability services across different genders has been largely unexplored. Against this backdrop, this study investigated the effect of DSI and II on consumer perception of usability services and how such perceptions differ across consumers genders. The data for the study were gathered via a survey conducted among 101 users of IPA across smartphones from Brazil. It is concluded that there is moderation of DSI in relation to perceived usability and this moderation is significant in males. When II is low there is moderation in perceived usability, however, DSI and II together do not moderate the perceived usability.
Solutions of the Ortvay Rudolf International Competition in Physics: Self-Observation in Space (2017/40 Problem)
Authors: Ákos Gombkötő
Published: June 2022

This paper is the second in a series of published solutions1 discussing problems of the Ortvay Rudolf international competition.

The problem treated below is a simple exercise about grasping the fundamental aspects of a given phenomenon described within a qualitative “verbal” report and applying the principles learned in classical mechanics and geometric optics in order to explain its mechanism. The most important part of such problems is the interpretation of the phenomenon at hand, which naturally has a certain degree of vagueness, often allowing multiple scenarios. Similar tasks are often encountered, i.e. at the conceptual level of engineering and design.

In this case, the problem can be interpreted most straightforwardly as the description of an optical phenomenon in which a free-falling observer sees (presumably) its own delayed optical image. Here, we will focus on one concrete solution, the calculation of which does not use mathematical techniques beyond those expected of first-year university students.
Zinc Oxide Nanostructured-Based Sensors for Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Darifenacin
Authors: Al-Qahtani Salhah D. , Hameed Ahmed , Alamrani Nasser A. , Alharbi Ahmed , Shah Reem , Al-Ahmed Zehbah A. , El-Metwaly Nashwa M.
Published: June 2022

Herein for the first time, the construction and the electroanalytical applications of novel darifenacin (DFC) voltammetric sensors were described. Zinc oxide nanostructures act as a proper redox mediator and exhibit efficient catalytic activity towards the electrooxidation of the DFC molecule. At the optimum measuring conditions, DFC exhibited an irreversible anodic oxidation peak at 0.880 V with an assumed adsorption-reaction mechanism at the electrode surface. Based on the effect of the pH and the scan rate studies, electrooxidation of DFC takes place through the oxidation of the nitrogen atom (N12) in the five-membered ring of the darifenacin molecule with the participation of one electron and one proton in agreement with the molecular orbital calculations. Calibration curves were linear within the DFC concentration ranging from 0.33 to 6.54 × 10−6 mol l−1 with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of 0.08 and 0.23 × 10−6 mol l−1. The proposed sensors exhibited enhanced performance with high measurement reproducibility and prolonged lifetime. The presented voltammetric approach was utilized for precise determination of darifenacin in biological samples and pharmaceutical formulations with acceptable recoveries compared with the traditional spectrophotometric methods.
Review—The Thermistor-Electrode as a Temperature Sensor to Obtain Thermodynamic Data of Electrochemical Systems
Authors: Sanchez-Amaya M. , Scholz F. , Bárcena-Soto M. , Antaño-López R. , Rodríguez-López A. , Gutierrez-Becerra A. , Casillas N. , Larios-Durán E. R.
Published: June 2022

The measurement of the interfacial temperature variation associated with the electrochemical Peltier heat has been carried out by employing a variety of temperature sensors. Among them, the use of a high-precision thermistor inserted in the working electrode is a sensitive arrangement with satisfactory precision to measure the temperature variation given by the electrochemical reaction. The use of this arrangement is demonstrated in several works that combine thermometric measurements with routine ac/dc electrochemical measurements. This document briefly compiles relevant previous publications illustrating the application of the electrode-thermistor in electrochemistry as a feasible arrangement to obtain highly relevant thermodynamic data, such as the entropy changes and the molar electrochemical Peltier heat. A brief discussion concerning the challenges and approaches for the future is also included.
Solar GHI Ensemble Prediction Based on a Meteorological Model and Method Kalman Filter
Authors: Liu Yuanyuan
Published: June 2022

The intensity of light emanating from sun is determined by using a meteorological version and is altered with the numerical version, and the forecast accuracy is improved in advance by using Kalman Filter. As the accuracy of the version output related to its specific position is often questionable, group prediction constituting three members is suggested and agreed upon measurement. Also, this ensemble prediction provides an estimation of the solar global horizontal irradiance uncertainty (i.e., coverage rate of the prediction interval), which can be useful to provide flexible energy production forecasts. This article displays how the method Kalman filter could be used as an error correction way to alter the predicted irradiance value. The Kalman filter ameliorates the prediction of solar global horizontal irradiance as well as its interval. As the empirical coverage rate increases and closes to the nominal coverage rate, the interval size reduces.
Human Resource Matching Support System Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Chen Xi
Published: June 2022

Aiming at the problem of reasonable recommendation and accurate matching of human resources, a hybrid human resources matching recommendation algorithm based on GBT-CNN is proposed in this article. The advantages of traditional GBT and CNN algorithms are combined and can give full play to the high-level feature abstraction ability of convolution processing. The gradient lifting tree is used to transform the features, complete the feature screening and coding, and then input the hybrid convolution neural network to obtain the high-dimensional feature abstraction by using the hybrid convolution operation, to improve the quality of human resources recommendation. In this article, GBT and CNN algorithms are first described, and then the basic framework and specific implementation of GBT-CNN algorithm are introduced. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by simulation experiments. The results show that the deeper correlation between job seeker information and job information can be effectively captured by the algorithm. Besides, reasonable recommendation and accurate matching of human resources can be realized.
Fully Bipolar Single-Valued Neutrosophic Transportation Problems
Authors: Ahmed Jamil , Bashir Shahida
Published: June 2022

Transportation problem (TP) has its uses in real life because it has versatile applications. Real-life problems are often uncertain due to which it is difficult to find the accurate cost. The fuzzy set and intuitionistic fuzzy set are useful for handling the uncertainty, but these also have some limitations. For that reason, in this study, we worked on another set of values called bipolar single-valued neutrosophic set (BSNS) which is the generalization of crisp sets, fuzzy sets, and intuitionistic fuzzy sets to handle the uncertain, unpredictable, and insufficient information in real-life problems. In this study, we develop a new technique for solving transportation problems based on bipolar single-valued neutrosophic sets having nonnegative triangular bipolar single-valued neutrosophic numbers (TBSNNs). A score function is used to transform bipolar single-valued neutrosophic numbers (BSNNs) into crisp numbers. We compare our proposed model with fuzzy transportation and intuitionistic fuzzy transportation models and proved that bipolar single-valued neutrosophic transportation model is more admirable than the existing models. Furthermore, we apply the proposed technique to fully solve the bipolar single-valued neutrosophic transportation (FBSNT) model.
Multiobjective Optimization Model and Algorithm Based on Differential Brain Storm for Service Path Constructing
Authors: Jia Xiaoqiang , Ge Li , Li Yunfei , Liu Jun , Zhou Biying
Published: June 2022

Network function virtualization (NFV) can provide the resource according to the request and can improve the flexibility of the network. It has become the key technology of the next-generation communication. Resource scheduling for virtual network function service chain (VNF-SC) mapping is the key issue of the NFV. Aiming at previous research primarily focused on constructing service paths with a single objective, for example, latency minimization, cost minimization, or load balance, which ignored the overall performance of constructed service paths, a multiobjective model, which minimizes benefit, expense, time delay, and load balance, to solve the service path constructing problem, is established. In this model, VNF-SCs are divided into two classes, i.e., part of the required VNFs in each VNF-SC is dependent, and others are independent. To solve this multiobjective model, an algorithm based on discrete difference brain storm (MO2DBS) in the framework of MOEA/D was proposed. In the new algorithm, a two dimensional integer coding is designed. In addition, a difference mutation was used to replace the original Gaussian mutation to adjust the mutation step adaptively. Simulation experiments show that the proposed algorithms can obtain higher benefit, load balance, lower expenses, and time delay than the compared algorithms.
Repeatability and Image Quality of IDEAL-IQ in Human Lumbar Vertebrae for Fat and Iron Quantification across Acquisition Parameters
Authors: Shan Ben , Ding Haiyan , Lin Qianzao , Zuo Xiaohua , Lin Lili , Yu Dongyang , Hu Chunhong
Published: June 2022

Echo asymmetry and least square estimation-IQ (IDEAL-IQ) were used to quantify fat and iron to verify the effects of collection parameters on repeatability and image quality of water and fat in human vertebral body. Six IDEAL-IQ sequences were used to scan 48 healthy adult women. Reproducibility of fat and iron quantification and image quality were assessed for six IDEAL-IQ sequences. The results showed that the correlation index (0.987, 0.721) of FF and R2

∗

between scans of sequence 2 was higher than that of other sequences, and the consistency of fat quantification was better than that of iron (0.860 vs. 0.579) (

P
<
0.001

). Sequence 2 had the highest image quality score (4.9) and the lowest CV score (9.2%). In the FF figure, SNR (18.8) and CNR (

17.8
±
6.4

) were the highest, while CV was the lowest (36.7%, 36.1%). In the R2

∗

figure, sequence 3 had the highest SNR (21.8) and CNR (20.5), but its CV (51.8% and 56.1%) was significantly higher than that of sequence 2. The occurrence of fat-water exchange (FWS) was lowest in sequence 2 and sequence 4 (0,

N
=
96

). In conclusion, the fat quantification of IDEAL-IQ was robust to the changes of collection parameters, and section thickness (ST) had a certain effect on maintaining good repeatability of R2

∗

quantification. The higher the ST was, the better the image quality of FF and R2

∗

was maintained and stable and the less the occurrence of FWS.
CRUN-Based Leaf Disease Segmentation and Morphological-Based Stage Identification
Authors: Sujithra J. , Ukrit M. Ferni
Published: June 2022

Natural growth is eliminated by the process of globalization in today’s globe owing to the development of technology and landscapes. The majority of today’s youngsters, as well as our seniors, lack an appropriate understanding of natural species such as plant names, tree names, and medicinal plants. This is attributed to technological advancements and a decline in gardening interest. To close this gap, horticulture may employ technology that aids in the improvement of plant understanding and growth. This method is implemented in the existing system for diagnosing leaf diseases using image processing and machine learning techniques. In the existing process, the classification of leaf disease is performed using image processing steps, such as preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, feature reduction, and classification. Even though it utilizes multiple processing steps and region-based classification, it identifies only the type of disease. In this paper, a combined approach of regional-based convolutional neural networks and U-Net (CRUN) is proposed for segmenting the leaf diseases from the augmented leaf dataset. Then, the segmented images are subjected to a morphological process to identify the level of disease in the leaf. This identification helps to identify the leaf’s nature and suggests a process to reduce the disease’s spread to other leaves through the proper use of fertilizers. The proposed method is applied to real-time images of sugarcane leaf diseases, such as bacterial blight and red rot, and banana leaf diseases, such as yellow and black sigatoka. This method is also applied to public sugarcane and banana leaf datasets from the Kaggle website. The proposed CRUN algorithm effectively segments the disease region. The morphological process helps to identify the disease level and protect the plant from further spread of disease. As a result, the proposed CRUN and morphological tests are most effective for automating leaf disease detection and prevention.
Evaluation Model of Mathematics Teaching Quality Based on Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Dai Hong , Yang Xuefei
Published: June 2022

This study proposed an evaluation model of mathematics teaching quality under recurrent neural network for the sake of making the evaluation model of mathematics teaching quality have good fault tolerance. This model decomposes the initial data sequence of mathematics teaching quality evaluation into high- and low-frequency sequence by wavelet analysis and reconstructs it by using phase space. After introducing the recurrent neural network model, the data is reconstructed after model training, and the data mining is carried out for the evaluation of mathematics teaching quality. In the process of constructing the evaluation model, the evaluation index system should be constructed based on three dimensions firstly, and the evaluation index of association rules should be defined, so as to realize deep dig of data and obtain the phase space distribution of data and then carry out the constraint test of parameters to evaluate the mathematics teaching quality scientifically and accurately. After verification, it is known that the average values of training error and test error of the model proposed in this paper are 3.02% and 2.61%, and the average values of absolute error and relative error are 0.58 and 3.82%. This model can retain the valid data information in the initial sequence, and the evaluation results of mathematics teaching quality are relatively ideal, which greatly improves the efficiency and level of mathematics teaching.
Biogas Production and Biofertilizer Estimation from Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Blends of Wastewater and Microalgae
Authors: Kitessa Wagari Mosisa , Fufa Fekadu , Abera Didha
Published: June 2022

The study aimed to investigate the enhancement of biogas production through anaerobic digestion from blends of wastewater and microalgae. The microalgae functioned as a co-substrate. A series of laboratory-scale batch anaerobic co-digestion of the wastewater and microalgae were carried out under mesophilic conditions for 21 days. Biogas production rates from wastewater (WW) alone and different blends of WW and microalgae (MA) were analysed. In addition, the nutrient values and reduction in the volume of the WW after digestion were determined. The results show that the quantity and quality of biogas produced with different mix ratios of WW to MA (WW only, 3 : 1, and 3 : 2) were 24 mL CH4/g COD, 37 mL CH4/g COD, and 44 mL CH4/g COD, respectively. At the optimum mix ratio, the optimum methane produced was 44 mL CH4/g COD, which is much lower than volumes of gas STP conditions, which is 350 mL CH4/g COD. The values of TS, VS, and COD were also reduced by 43.11%, 40.09%, and 71.99% at the optimum mix ratio, respectively. The optimum mix ratio of 1732.77, 77.14, and 174.26 kg/year of urea, diammonium phosphate, and potash fertilizer, respectively, was obtained. The results indicate that biogas production can be improved through co-digestion of WW and MA as a co-substrate relatively, but to improve the production rate another substrate should be investigated. However, the result can be used as a supplementary investigation for practical application in energy production.
Statistical Analysis of Water Purification (Using Vinyl Chloride) Data
Authors: Rafique Aqsa , Saud Naz , Amjad Naila , Ijaz Muhammad , Chipepa Fastel , El-Morshedy Mahmoud
Published: June 2022

Water is important to live because of its impacts on food supply and the natural environment for all living things. Approximately 0.3 percent of water resources are usable in the world. Groundwater is the principal source of drinking water but the air, sea, land, rivers, lakes, ocean, and wells are also the essential sources of water. Many statistical models have been used to analyze the water data set so that to make predictions in a better way with limited resources of water. In this paper, a new approach is offered to model the data of water purification using vinyl chloride data. Various statistical properties of the proposed model have been derived. Maximum likelihood estimation is used to estimate the model parameters. Monte Carlo simulations are used to show the consistency of parameters. Using water purification using vinyl chloride, the suggested model application is studied and compared with that of other existing models such as EGF, GF, and F. The results showed that our model provides a much better fit while modeling this data set rather than EGF, GF, and F distributions.
Mechanism of Action of Zhi Gan Cao Decoction for Atrial Fibrillation and Myocardial Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Atrial Fibrillation: A Network Pharmacology-Based Study
Authors: Gao Lei , Kan Chenjing , Chen Xin , Xu Shengsong , Shi Kaihu
Published: June 2022

Atrial fibrillation (AF), a commonly seen cardiac disease without optimal curative treatment option, is usually treated by traditional Chinese medicine in China. The Zhi-Gan-Cao decoction (ZGCD) is an alternative medicine for clinical use and has definitive effects. It remains to be defined regarding the specific components and related mechanisms of ZGCD for the treatment of AF. We determined the primary constituents and major targets of the herbs in ZGCD using the TCMSP, HERB, and BATMAN-TCM databases. The UniProt databank database amended and combined the prospective names to supply objective data and records. Every target connected to AF was generated using the GeneCards databank, Drugbank database, TTD, Disgenet database, and OMIM. After identifying possible common targets between ZGCD and AF, the interface network illustration “ZGCD component-AF-target” was created using Cytoscape. We obtained 175 constituents and 839 targets for seven herbal drug categories in the ZGCD and identified 1008 targets of AF. After merging and removing repetitions, 136 collective targets between the ZGCD and AF were removed using the Cytoscape system. These renowned targets were generated from 38 suitable components from among the 157 components. GO enhancement examination and KEGG enrichment analysis by Metascape identified the close connection between the critical target genes and 20 signaling pathways. Then, we injected isoproterenol subcutaneously into the mouse and gave gavage with roasted licorice soup. Two weeks later, mouse were processed and sampled for testing. The results of HE and Masson staining showed that ZGCD effectively alleviated the degree of myocardial fibrosis. As indicated by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, ZGCD significantly reduced COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and TGF-β1 in myocardial fibrotic tissue to reduce myocardial fibrosis and treat AF by interfering with the expression of COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and TGF-β1 in myocardial tissue. ZGCD may treat AF by lowering the degree of myocardial fibrosis.
Protein Loss Enteropathy as an Initial Presentation of Gastric Epstein–Barr Virus Lymphoma
Authors: Niazi Bilal , Ali Saad , Elias Sameh , Sciarra Michael
Published: June 2022

Protein loss enteropathy (PLE) is a complex disease process that can result in potentially fatal protein losses. Gastrointestinal protein losses usually arise from damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa or from lymphatic obstruction. The goal of management is to identify and treat the underlying causes and maintain normal serum protein levels. Here, we present a patient with diarrhea and generalized edema, with decreased serum albumin and gamma-globulin levels, concerning for protein loss enteropathy. He was ultimately found to be positive for HIV infection, and his stool alpha-1 antitrypsin levels were diagnostic of protein loss enteropathy. His endoscopic and histologic evaluation revealed gastric Epstein–Barr virus-encoded small RNA- (EBER-) positive lymphoma. Though gastrointestinal lymphomas are known to cause PLE, this will be the first documented case of EBER-positive gastric lymphoma presenting with PLE. We hope to bring awareness to this unique presentation to aid in expedient diagnosis and treatment to avoid delays in treatment and potentially fatal outcomes.
Dimension Reduction Technique Based on Supervised Autoencoder for Intrusion Detection of Industrial Control Systems
Authors: Wang Chao , Liu Hongri , Sun Yunxiao , Wei Yuliang , Wang Kai , Wang Bailing
Published: June 2022

Industrial control systems (ICSs) are closely related to human life. In recent years, many ICSs have been connected to the Internet rather than being physically isolated, which has improved business efficiency while also increasing the risks of being attacked. The security issues of ICSs have gotten a lot of interest in the research community because attack events that aim at ICSs can cause catastrophic damage. An intrusion detection system (IDS) serves as an important tool for providing protection. Many IDS studies using machine learning and deep learning have been proposed. However, high-dimensional data may cause overfitting, resulting in inferior performance. To improve the classification performance, we suggest a dimension reduction technique based on the supervised autoencoder (SupervisedAE) and principal components analysis (PCA) in this study. To obtain more discriminative latent representations, compared with the conventional autoencoder, the SupervisedAE absorbs the label information during the training process. In this way, the improved autoencoder model is trained with reconstruction error and classification error simultaneously. Based on the latent representations extracted from the SupervisedAE, we add the PCA algorithm. The additional PCA algorithm reduces the dimension of features further. We conduct a series of experiments utilizing the suggested technique on a public power system data set to evaluate the performance. Compared with various dimension reduction methods, including autoencoder variants, the technique proposed in this study shows higher performance. In the meanwhile, it outperforms some existing detection methods in terms of accuracy and F1 score.
The Effects of Qinghao-Kushen and Its Active Compounds on the Biological Characteristics of Liver Cancer Cells
Authors: Ji Jingmin , Zhang Zhiqin , Peng Qing , Hao Liyuan , Guo Yinglin , Xue Yu , Liu Yiwei , Li Caige , Shi Xinli
Published: June 2022

Background and Aims. Artemisia annua (Qinghao) and Sophora flavescens (Kushen) are traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). They are widely used in disease therapy, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, their key compounds and targets for HCC treatment are unclear. This article mainly analyzed the vital active compounds and the mechanism of Qinghao-Kushen acting on HCC. Methods. First, we chose a traditional Chinese medicine, which has an excellent clinical effect on HCC by network meta-analysis. Then, we composed the Qinghao-Kushen herb pair and prepared the medicated serum. The active compounds of Qinghao-Kushen were verified by the LC-MS method. Next, we detected key targets from PubChem, SymMap, SwissTargetPrediction, DisGeNET, and GeneCards databases. Subsequently, the mechanism of Qinghao-Kushen was predicted by network pharmacology strategy and primarily examined in HuH-7 cells, HepG2 cells, and HepG2215 cells. Results. The effect of the Qinghao-Kushen combination was significantly better than that of single Qinghao or single Kushen in HepG2 and HuH-7 cells. Qinghao-Kushen increased the expression of activated caspase-3 protein than Qinghao or Kushen alone in HepG2 and HepG2215 cells. Network analyses and the LC-MS method revealed that the pivotal compounds of Qinghao-Kushen were matrine and scopoletin. GSK-3β was one of the critical molecules related to Qinghao-Kushen. We confirmed that Qinghao-Kushen and matrine-scopoletin decreased the expression of GSK-3β in HepG2 cells while increased GSK-3β expression in HepG2215 cells. Conclusions. This work not only illustrated that the practical components of Qinghao-Kushen on HCC were matrine and scopoletin but shed light on the inhibitory of Qinghao-Kushen and matrine-scopoletin on liver cancer cells. Moreover, Qinghao-Kushen and matrine-scopoletin had a synergistic effect over the drug alone in HuH-7, HepG2, or HepG2215 cells. GSK-3β may be a potential target for HCC therapy.
Extensive Longitudinal Transverse Myelitis Temporally Related to the Use of AZD1222, AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine: Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis and Recent Data Review
Authors: Gama Paulo Diniz da , Alcantara Tiago Gomes de , Smaniotto Rafaela Ramos , Petuco Penélope de Lima , Almeida Wammer Alves de , Gama Rodrigo Assad Diiniz da , Fragoso Yara Dadalti
Published: June 2022

While mass immunization against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rolls out around the globe, safety concerns and adverse events that need prompt evaluation are also emerging. Neurological complications such as transverse myelitis raise concerns as cases were observed in clinical trials. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis is routine in these cases and the characteristics of the abnormalities found are of great help not only in establishing the diagnosis but also in understanding this rare condition. We present a case of extensive longitudinal transverse myelitis after vaccination with AZD1222, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which was the first case reported in Brazil. The abnormalities found in the study of the cerebrospinal fluid in our case are reported and discussed using data from recent publications.
Novel Compound Polysaccharides from Chinese Herbal Medicines: Purification, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Yang Xu , Ji Haiyu , Feng Yingying , Yu Juan , Liu Anjun
Published: June 2022

The present study investigated physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities in vivo and in vitro of purified compound polysaccharides (CPs-1) from Chinese herbal medicines, composed of lotus leaf, hawthorn, Fagopyrum tataricum, Lycium barbarum, Semen cassiae, and Poria cocos with the mass ratio of 2 : 4 : 2 : 1 : 1.5 : 1. The HPGPC profile and FT-IR spectra indicated that the average molecular weight of CPs-1 was 38.7 kDa and possessed the α- and β-D-pyranose, respectively. The methylation analysis and NMR spectrum demonstrated that CPs-1 had a →6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-β-D-Glcp(1→ backbone. Furthermore, the antioxidant assays in vitro revealed that CPs-1 displayed high scavenging abilities for DPPH, hydroxyl, and reducing power, as well as ABTS and superoxide scavenging capacity. The antioxidant experiments in vivo revealed that CPs-1 could significantly enhance CAT, SOD, and GSH-Px activities and dramatically reduce MDA levels in liver and serum of high-fat mice. Therefore, CPs-1 could be potentially incorporated into pharmaceutical products or functional foods as a natural antioxidant.
Urinary Biomarkers in Charcoal Workers Exposed to Wood Smoke in Bahia State, Brazil
Authors: Kato Mina , Loomis Dana , Brooks Lance M. , Gattas Gilka F.J. , Gomes Leni , Carvalho Albertinho B. , Rego Marco A.V. , DeMarini David M.
Published: June 2022

Charcoal is an important source of energy for domestic and industrial use in many countries. Brazil is the largest producer of charcoal in the world, with ∼350,000 workers linked to the production and transportation of charcoal. To evaluate the occupational exposure to wood smoke and potential genotoxic effects on workers in charcoal production, we studied urinary mutagenicity in Salmonella YG1041 +S9 and urinary levels of 2-naphthol and 1-pyrenol in 154 workers of northeastern Bahia. Workers were classified into three categories according to their working location, and information about socio-demographic data, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking was obtained using a standard questionnaire. Spot urine samples were collected to evaluate urinary mutagenicity and urinary metabolites. Urinary mutagenicity increased significantly with exposure to wood smoke and was modified by smoking. The prevalence odds ratio was 5.31, and the 95% confidence interval was 1.85; 15.27 for urinary mutagenicity in the highly exposed group relative to the nonexposed group. The levels of urinary metabolites increased monotonically with wood smoke exposure and were associated with the GSTM1 null genotype, which was determined previously. The prevalence odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for higher levels of 2-naphtol among the highly exposed was 17.13 (6.91; 42.44) and for 1-hydroxyprene 11.55 (5.32; 25.08) when compared with nonexposed workers. Urinary 2-naphthol was the most sensitive indicator of wood smoke exposure. This is the first reported measurement of internal exposure to wood smoke among charcoal workers, and the results showed that these workers receive a systemic exposure to genotoxic compounds.
Diet and Melanoma in a Case-Control Study
Authors: Millen Amy E. , Tucker Margaret A. , Hartge Patricia , Halpern Allan , Elder David E. , Guerry DuPont , Holly Elizabeth A. , Sagebiel Richard W. , Potischman Nancy
Published: June 2022

Background: Malignant melanoma has been one of the most rapidly increasing cancers within the United States with few modifiable risk factors. This study investigates risk related to dietary factors, which are potentially modifiable. Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with melanoma (n = 502) were recruited from pigment lesion clinics and controls (n = 565) were recruited from outpatient clinics. To investigate the relationship between melanoma and dietary factors in this case-control study, study subjects were requested to complete a food frequency questionnaire, which assessed diet over the previous year. Using logistic regression, odds ratios (ORs) for melanoma were computed for nutrient and alcohol intake. Results: Persons in high versus low quintiles of energy-adjusted vitamin D, α-carotene, β-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, and lycopene had significantly reduced risk for melanoma (ORs ≤ 0.67), which remained after adjustment for presence of dysplastic nevi, education, and skin response to repeated sun exposure. Addition of micronutrients from supplements did not add an additional reduction in risk. High alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk for melanoma, which remained after adjustment for confounders [OR (95% confidence interval) in highest versus lowest quintiles, 1.65 (1.09-2.49)]. Conclusions: Diets consisting of foods rich in vitamin D and carotenoids and low in alcohol may be associated with a reduction in risk for melanoma. These analyses should be repeated in large, prospective studies.
Characterization of BRCAA1 and Its Novel Antigen Epitope Identification
Authors: Cui Daxiang , Jin Guiqiu , Gao Tianwen , Sun Tianbai , Tian Furong , Estrada Giovani Gomez , Gao Huajian , Sarai Akinori
Published: June 2022

Looking for novel breast cancer antigen epitopes is helpful for its treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. brcaa1 gene is mapped at 1q42.1-q43, its whole genome is 93.857 kb, including 18 exons and 17 introns. BRCAA1 protein is composed of 1,214 amino acids with 10 glycosylate sites, and shares 37% amino acid identity and an identical antigen epitope with Rb binding protein 1. The novel antigen epitope, SSKKQKRSHK, was predicted to locate in the region 610 to 619 sites, was synthesized, and its antibody was fabricated. Competent inhibition analysis showed that SSKKQKRSHK is the shortest effective peptide. The antigen epitope was mapped in the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the antigen epitope exhibited positive expression in 65% (39 of 60) breast cancer specimens and negative expression in 60 non-cancerous tissues. Statistical analysis shows that its expression is closely associated with status of ER and PR, with sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 81%, and confidence interval of 85.9% to 96.9%. ELISA analysis showed that the mean absorbance of sera antibody titers from breast cancer patients and healthy donors were 0401 ± 0.163 SD and 0.137 ± 0.121 SD, respectively. Sixty-four percent breast cancer patient sera and 13% healthy donor sera had higher titer than mean titer of healthy donors, and there exists significant difference between breast cancer patients and healthy donors (P < 0.001). In this study, a novel breast cancer antigen epitope, SSKKQKRSHK, is identified. Its expression is associated with characteristics that are themselves associated with prognosis of breast cancer, and its sera antibody level may be helpful for breast cancer diagnosis.
Irreversible Ototoxicity Associated with Difluoromethylornithine
Authors: Lao Christopher D. , Backoff Patricia , Shotland Lawrence I. , McCarty Deborah , Eaton Tracy , Ondrey Frank G. , Viner Jaye L. , Spechler Stuart Jon , Hawk Ernest T. , Brenner Dean E.
Published: June 2022

Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) is a potent, irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of polyamines that promote cellular proliferation. DFMO has been tested as a potential cancer therapeutic and chemopreventive agent in clinical trials. Reversible hearing loss is a recognized toxicity of DFMO that usually occurs at doses above 2 g/m2/d, and generally when the cumulative dose exceeds 250 g/m2. In a recently completed Barrett's esophagus chemoprevention trial, a participant developed a 15-dB decrease in hearing at frequencies of 250, 2,000, and 3,000 Hz in the right ear and a ≥20-dB decrease in hearing at 4,000 to 6,000 Hz in the left ear after taking 0.5 g/m2/d DFMO for approximately 13 weeks (cumulative dose of 45 g/m2). The threshold shifts persisted 7 months after DFMO was discontinued. There was no obvious impact on the participant's clinical hearing, but these findings were consistent with irreversible hearing loss. This is the first case reported of irreversible ototoxicity in a clinical trial participant receiving DFMO and, thus, trial participants should be made aware of this small but important risk.
Associations between Reproductive and Menstrual Factors and Postmenopausal Sex Hormone Concentrations
Authors: Chubak Jessica , Tworoger Shelley S. , Yasui Yutaka , Ulrich Cornelia M. , Stanczyk Frank Z. , McTiernan Anne
Published: June 2022

Reproductive and menstrual characteristics, as well as high circulating estrogen concentrations, are associated with risk of hormone-related cancers in postmenopausal women. To explore possible etiologic relationships between menstrual/reproductive characteristics and risk of hormone-related cancers, we examined associations between menstrual/reproductive factors and serum concentrations of free estradiol, total estradiol, estrone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This study was conducted in 173 postmenopausal women using data from the prerandomization visit of an exercise clinical trial. Participants were sedentary, overweight/obese, and not on hormone therapy. Women ≥20 years past menopause had 23% lower total estradiol and 30% lower free estradiol concentrations than women within 4 years of menopause (P for trend = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Nulliparous women had 19% higher FSH concentrations than parous women (P = 0.02). Among parous women, parity was positively associated with SHBG and negatively associated with free estradiol concentrations. Women with ≥4 children had 20% lower free estradiol and 38% higher SHBG concentrations compared with women with one birth (P for trend = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). Total number of months spent breast-feeding was modestly and inversely associated with serum FSH concentrations (P for trend = 0.07). Our results suggest that menstrual/reproductive characteristics may be associated with postmenopausal hormone concentrations; verification of these results in other studies may elucidate how these variables influence risk of hormone-related cancers.
Childhood Social Environment and Hodgkin's Lymphoma: New Findings from a Population-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Chang Ellen T. , Zheng Tongzhang , Weir Edward G. , Borowitz Michael , Mann Risa B. , Spiegelman Donna , Mueller Nancy E.
Published: June 2022

Background: Risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma in young adults has previously been associated with higher childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and other markers of delayed infection with common childhood pathogens, especially the Epstein-Barr virus. This study examines the current role of childhood social environment in the development of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Methods: A population-based case-control study of 565 Hodgkin's lymphoma cases and 679 controls was conducted in the Boston, MA metropolitan area and the state of Connecticut to investigate the viral etiology of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Results: A novel association was detected between attendance of nursery school or day care and reduced risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma among individuals ages 15 to 54 years. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for having attended preschool for at least 1 year was 0.64 (0.45-0.92). Risk of young-adult Hodgkin's lymphoma was also associated with family history of hematopoietic cancer, Jewish ethnicity, and cigarette smoking. Other indicators of childhood SES were not associated with young-adult Hodgkin's lymphoma. Among older adults ages 55 to 79 years, Hodgkin's lymphoma was associated with lower childhood SES but not with preschool attendance. Conclusions: Early exposure to other children at nursery school and day care seems to decrease the risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma in young adults, most likely by facilitating childhood exposure to common infections and promoting maturation of cellular immunity. This finding supports the delayed infection model of Hodgkin's lymphoma etiology in young adults while introducing a new major determinant of age at infection. Hodgkin's lymphoma seems to have a separate pathogenesis among older adults.
Dietary Amelioration of Helicobacter pylori Infection: Design Criteria for a Clinical Trial
Authors: Fahey Jed W. , Muñoz Alvaro , Matsuzaki Yasushi , Suzuki Hideo , Talalay Paul , Tauchi Masafumi , Zhang Songhua , Hurt Christopher , Yanaka Akinori
Published: June 2022

The longitudinal stability of the urea breath test (UBT), which measures urease as a biomarker for infection with Helicobacter pylori (a major risk factor for gastric cancer), was evaluated in the environs of Tsukuba, Japan. 13C-UBT measurements were monitored at four time points in 46 free-living, H. pylori–infected, asymptomatic volunteers over a period of 7 weeks. Subjects were asked to refrain from eating cruciferous vegetables, which might confound interpretation of results. Their compliance was monitored using both dietary records and direct biochemical testing of overnight urine. There was large between-subject UBT variation in this population (logUBT mean, 3.34; SD, 0.67). Within-subject (longitudinal) UBT values were remarkably stable in about one-quarter of the subjects (coefficients of variations for these individuals were <21%), whereas coefficients of variations in the highest quartile of variability ranged from 40% to 80%. About half of the sequential UBTs (63 of 138 such measurement pairs) changed >10‰ “delta over baseline” between measurements. This study provides the elements to optimize the design of a clinical trial in this population to examine the efficacy of a dietary intervention to reduce H. pylori infection. The number of subjects required to detect a 30% difference in average UBT value is highly dependent on the baseline stability of UBT measurements. For the least variable quartile, as few as 12 subjects would be needed; for the most variable quartile, at least 147 subjects would be required in each arm.
Cancer-Related Anorexia/Cachexia Syndrome and Oxidative Stress: An Innovative Approach beyond Current Treatment
Authors: Mantovani Giovanni , Madeddu Clelia , Macciò Antonio , Gramignano Giulia , Lusso Maria Rita , Massa Elena , Astara Giorgio , Serpe Roberto
Published: June 2022

Objective: Cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome and oxidative stress play a key role in the progression and outcome of neoplastic disease. Patients and Methods: On the basis of our previously published studies and clinical experience, we have developed an innovative approach consisting of diet with high polyphenol content (400 mg), p.o. pharmaconutritional support enriched with n − 3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) 2 cans (237 mL each) per day, medroxiprogesterone acetate 500 mg/d, antioxidant treatment with α-lipoic acid 300 mg/d plus carbocysteine lysine salt 2.7 g/d plus vitamin E 400 mg/d plus vitamin A 30,000 IU/d plus vitamin C 500 mg/d, and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor Celecoxib 200 mg/d. The treatment is administered for 16 weeks. The following variables are evaluated: (a) clinical variables (stage and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status); (b) nutritional variables (lean body mass, appetite, and resting energy expenditure); (c) laboratory variables (serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, C-reactive protein, and leptin and blood levels of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes); and (d) quality of life variables (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30, EQ-5Dindex, and EQ-5DVAS). A phase II nonrandomized study has been designed to enroll 40 patients with advanced cancer at different sites with symptoms of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome and oxidative stress. Results: As of January 2004, 28 patients have been enrolled: 25 patients were evaluable and 14 of them have completed the treatment (20 patients have completed 2 months of treatment). As for clinical response, five patients improved, three patients remained unchanged, and six patients worsened. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (grade) 1 remained unchanged. As for nutritional/functional variables, the lean body mass increased significantly at 2 and 4 months. As for laboratory variables, reactive oxygen species decreased significantly and proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α decreased significantly. As for quality of life, it comprehensively improved after treatment. Conclusions: The treatment has been shown to be effective for clinical response, increase of lean body mass, decrease of reactive oxygen species and proinflammatory cytokines, and improvement of quality of life. The treatment has been shown to be safe with good compliance of patients. The study is in progress (14 further patients will be included).
CD151 Protein Expression Predicts the Clinical Outcome of Low-Grade Primary Prostate Cancer Better than Histologic Grading: A New Prognostic Indicator?
Authors: Ang Jian , Lijovic Marijana , Ashman Leonie K. , Kan Kathleen , Frauman Albert G.
Published: June 2022

Objective: CD151 is the first member of the tetraspanin family to be associated as a promoter of human tumor metastasis. However, its biological function and expression phenotype among different tumors has not been well investigated.

Method: Tissue specimens from 76 primary prostate cancers and 30 benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) controls were obtained from the Department of Anatomical Pathology at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre (now Austin Health) from 1984 to 1993. We used quantitative immunohistochemical analysis to measure CD151 protein expression. Analyses of differences among BPH and prostate cancer groups were done with one-way ANOVA and Newman-Keuls test. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to estimate the overall survival.

Results: CD151 expression was found to be significantly higher in prostate cancer specimens compared with BPH specimens (P < 0.001). Poorly differentiated cancers expressed the strongest staining, whereas well-differentiated cancers expressed the weakest staining for CD151 (P < 0.001). The overall survival rate for cases in which CD151 expression was reduced was significantly higher than for cases in which CD151 expression was increased (P = 0.039) especially in well and moderately differentiated cancers (P = 0.014). This effect was independent of the patients' age or preoperative prostate-specific antigen values and superior in the predictive ability of the Gleason score.

Conclusions: CD151 has an increasing expression pattern in prostate cancer progression, and higher levels of CD151 are associated with poorer prognosis. CD151 had better predicting value for the clinical outcome of prostate cancer patients than does the traditional histologic grading method (Gleason grading).