bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A MODEL OF THE OPTIMAL IMMUNOTHERAPY OF PSORIASIS BY INTRODUCING IL-10 AND IL-22 INHIBITORS
Authors: ROY PRITI KUMAR , ROY AMIT KUMAR , KHAILOV EVGENII N. , AL BASIR FAHAD , GRIGORIEVA ELLINA V.
Published: July 2020

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease in which the process of hyper-proliferation (excessive division) of skin cells starts. Externally, psoriasis appears as red papules, on the surface of which there are scales of white–gray color. There is substantial evidence that T-helper cells take vital accountability for creating the hyper-proliferation of keratinocytes (skin cells), which causes itching of skin patches. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model describing the concentrations of T-helper and keratinocyte cell populations to predict cellular behaviors for psoriasis regulation under normal or anomalous immune circumstances. Local and global asymptotic stabilities of the model equilibria are investigated. Additionally, by introducing two scalar bounded controls into the model, the effect of combined immunotherapy using IL-10 and IL-22 inhibitors is analyzed. The optimal control problem of minimizing the cost of immune therapy and simultaneous optimizing the effect of this therapy on T-helper cells and keratinocytes proliferation is formulated and solved by applying the Pontryagin maximum principle. Within the restrictions of the proposed model, the obtained analytical and numerical outcomes suggest that the optimal strategy of injecting IL-10 and IL-22 inhibitors can be effective for psoriasis treatment.
A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR TREATMENT OF PAPILLARY THYROID CANCER USING THE ALLEE EFFECT
Authors: DA SILVA JAIRO GOMES , DE MORAIS RAFAEL MARTINS , DA SILVA IZABEL CRISTINA RODRIGUES , ADIMY MOSTAFA , DE ARRUDA MANCERA PAULO FERNANDO
Published: July 2020

The incidence of thyroid cancer is rising all over the world, and the papillary subtype (PTC) is the primary factor for this increase. The presence of thyroid tumors is commonly associated with increased levels of cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6). Considering PTC patients treated with thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine [Formula: see text]I (RAI), we propose an ordinary differential system using four variables: the RAI activity, the number of cancer cells and the serum concentrations of IL-6 and thyroglobulin (Tg). Our objective is to study the efficacy of different therapeutic doses of RAI in the treatment of thyroid cancer. The Allee effect is taken into account when modeling cancer cells growth under the influence of IL-6. From the results obtained, the main factors and conditions correlated with successful treatment, such as the RAI activity used and the tumor response are addressed. The detection of minimal doses of RAI that can cause tumor extinction is performed, though this has also meant longer periods for tumor cell elimination. The critical number of tumor cells due to the Allee effect is analyzed and linked to the immune system or biological factors that can slow the progression of the tumor but are insufficient after thyroid resection surgery.
THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR
Authors: ALDABBAS HAZEM , PINNINGTON ASHLY , LAHRECH ABDELMOUNAIM
Published: July 2020

Knowledge sharing (KS) is often considered central to encouraging innovative work behaviour (IWB). We concentrate specifically on the relationship between KS and IWB through the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PE). A stratified sampling method was employed for three organisations operating in the services sector. We obtained 340 completed survey returns from employees. Based on a framework informed by social exchange theory (SET), structural equation modeling (SEM) was implemented to examine the research model and the mediation effect. The main finding is a significant positive relationship between KS and PE from one side and PE and IWB from the other. In addition, there is a significant relationship between KS and IWB. It is concluded that PE partially mediates the relationship between KS and IWB. We recommend that researchers and practitioners further investigate the contribution of KS to promoting PE and IWB that enhance organisational performance.
Experimental Investigation on Absorption Performance of Nanofluids for CO2 Capture
Authors: Devakki Basavaraj , Thomas Shijo
Published: July 2020

Lately, absorption of carbon dioxide using nanofluids has gained more attention as this acidic gas creates global warming effect. The absorption test was conducted in a custom designed high-pressure vessel made up of stainless steel 316 L, where CO2 and nanofluid are in direct contact at static state. The type of nanoparticles and influence of its concentration on absorption of carbon dioxide are analyzed. TiO2 and Al2O3 nanofluids at 0.02–0.14[Formula: see text]wt.% concentrations are prepared by dispersing in DI water. The CO2 absorption tests were carried out for the above-mentioned nanofluids at said concentrations with operating conditions being an initial pressure of 3 bar and initial temperature of 302[Formula: see text]K. The results show that relative absorption index (RAI) of CO2 absorption has increased to a maximum and then decreased with increase in nanoparticle concentration. The aqueous-based TiO2, Al2O3 nanofluids are found to be most effective at 0.1 and 0.14[Formula: see text]wt.%, respectively, with RAI showing 39.81% and 22.3% increase in CO2 absorption as compared to basefluid, respectively. The absorption test has also been conducted for saline-based TiO2 and Al2O3 nanofluids at 1, 2, 3 and 3.1[Formula: see text]wt.% of salt concentration. The stability of saline-based nanofluids was analyzed using turbidity meter. It was found that increase in salt concentration decreases the stability of nanofluids and also decreases the CO2 absorption rate because of unstability of nanoparticles in salt solutions. Absorption decreased by 11.93% for TiO2, and 5.68% for Al2O3, when salt concentration was increased from 1 to 3.1[Formula: see text]wt.%.
Bayesian Kernel Regression for Noisy Inputs Based on Nadaraya–Watson Estimator Constructed from Noiseless Training Data
Authors: Hanafusa Ryo , Okadome Takeshi
Published: July 2020

In regression for noisy inputs, noise is typically removed from a given noisy input if possible, and then the resulting noise-free input is provided to the regression function. In some cases, however, there is no available time or method for removing noise. The regression method proposed in this paper determines a regression function for noisy inputs using the estimated posterior of their noise-free constituents with a nonparametric estimator for noiseless explanatory values, which is constructed from noiseless training data. In addition, a probabilistic generative model is presented for estimating the noise distribution. This enables us to determine the noise distribution parametrically from a single noisy input, using the distribution of the noise-free constituent of noisy input estimated from the training data set as a prior. Experiments conducted using artificial and real data sets show that the proposed method suppresses the overfitting of the regression function for noisy inputs and the root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of the predictions are smaller compared with those of an existing method.
Sediment supply on the West Greenland passive margin: redirection of a large pre-glacial drainage system
Authors: Jess Scott , Peace Alexander L. , Schiffer Christian
Published: July 2020

The Mesozoic–Cenozoic separation of Greenland and North America produced the small oceanic basins of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay, connected via a complex transform system through the Davis Strait. During rifting and partial breakup sedimentary basins formed that record the changing regional sediment supply. The onshore and offshore stratigraphy of Central West Greenland outlines the presence of a major fluvial system that existed during the Cretaceous and was later redirected in the Early Cenozoic by the formation of the West Greenland Igneous Province. Hydrological analysis of Greenland's isostatically balanced basement topography outlines two major drainage systems that likely flowed across Greenland prior to the onset of glaciation and emptied into the Sisimiut Basin within the Davis Strait, offshore West Greenland. The course of the northern drainage system suggests that it initially flowed NW into the Cretaceous/Palaeocene Nuussuaq Basin, before being redirected SW around the West Greenland Igneous Province in the Mid-Palaeocene. Moreover, characteristics of these two drainage systems suggest they acted as a single larger fluvial system, prior to the onset of glaciation, that was likely the primary source of sediment across Central West Greenland throughout the Cretaceous and Palaeogene. This scenario provides a greater understanding of the West Greenland margin's late Cenozoic evolution, which differs from previous interpretations that hypothesize a period of considerable post-rift tectonism and uplift. This work highlights the importance of large pre-glacial drainage systems across North Atlantic passive margins and their relevance when studying post-rift stratigraphy in rifted margin settings.

Supplementary material:
Isostatic modelling, hydrological analysis and chi mapping is available at:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5050146
Conference report: The 27th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM SIGSPATIAL 2019)
Authors: Güting Ralf Hartmut , Kulik Lars , Newsam Shawn , Banaei-Kashani Farnoush , Trajcevski Goce
Published: July 2020

This report describes the development and finalization of the 27th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM SIGSPATIAL 2019), held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 5-8, 2019. The attendance for the 2019 conference was 397, the second highest in the history of ACM SIGSPATIAL.

Historically, what is now the ACM SIGSPATIAL conference started as a series of workshops and symposia in 1993. Its aim was to promote the interdisciplinary discussions among researchers, developers, users, and practitioners and fostering research in all aspects of Geographic Information Systems --- hence the original workshop acronym ACM GIS. The focus was on novel systems based on geospatial data and knowledge. It continued its mission of providing a forum for original research results, addressing conceptual, design, and implementation aspects of geospatial data ranging from applications, user interfaces and visualization, to data storage, query processing, indexing and data mining. The conference is now the premier annual event of the ACM Special Interest Group on Spatial Information (ACM SIGSPATIAL).
GeoCoV19
Authors: Qazi Umair , Imran Muhammad , Ofli Ferda
Published: July 2020

The past several years have witnessed a huge surge in the use of social media platforms during mass convergence events such as health emergencies, natural or human-induced disasters. These non-traditional data sources are becoming vital for disease forecasts and surveillance when preparing for epidemic and pandemic outbreaks. In this paper, we present GeoCoV19, a large-scale Twitter dataset containing more than 524 million multilingual tweets posted over a period of 90 days since February 1, 2020. Moreover, we employ a gazetteer-based approach to infer the geolocation of tweets. We postulate that this largescale, multilingual, geolocated social media data can empower the research communities to evaluate how societies are collectively coping with this unprecedented global crisis as well as to develop computational methods to address challenges such as identifying fake news, understanding communities' knowledge gaps, building disease forecast and surveillance models, among others.
Bioprinting stem cells: building physiological tissues one cell at a time
Authors: Scognamiglio Chiara , Soloperto Alessandro , Ruocco Giancarlo , Cidonio Gianluca
Published: July 2020

Bioprinting aims to direct the spatial arrangement in three dimensions of cells, biomaterials, and growth factors. The biofabrication of clinically relevant constructs for the repair or modeling of either diseased or damaged tissues is rapidly advancing, resulting in the ability to three-dimensional (3D) print biomimetic platforms which imitate a large number of tissues in the human body. Primary tissue-specific cells are typically isolated from patients and used for the fabrication of 3D models for drug screening or tissue repair purposes. However, the lack of resilience of these platforms, due to the difficulties in harnessing, processing, and implanting patient-specific cells can limit regeneration ability. The printing of stem cells obviates these hurdles, producing functional in vitro models or implantable constructs. Advancements in biomaterial science are helping the development of inks suitable for the encapsulation and the printing of stem cells, promoting their functional growth and differentiation. This review specifically aims to investigate the most recent studies exploring innovative and functional approaches for the printing of 3D constructs to model disease or repair damaged tissues. Key concepts in tissue physiology are highlighted, reporting stem cell applications in biofabrication. Bioprinting technologies and biomaterial inks are listed and analyzed, including recent advancements in biomaterial design for bioprinting applications, commenting on the influence of biomaterial inks on the encapsulated stem cells. Ultimately, most recent successful efforts and clinical potentials for the manufacturing of functional physiological tissue substitutes are reported here, with a major focus on specific tissues, such as vasculature, heart, lung and airways, liver, bone and muscle.
Recent progress on surfactant protein A: cellular function in lung and kidney disease development
Authors: King Skylar D. , Chen Shi-You
Published: July 2020

Pulmonary surfactant is a heterogeneous active surface complex made up of lipids and proteins. The major glycoprotein in surfactant is surfactant protein A (SP-A), which is released into the alveolar lumen from cytoplasmic lamellar bodies in type II alveolar epithelial cells. SP-A is involved in phospholipid absorption. SP-A together with other surfactant proteins and phospholipids prevent alveolar collapse during respiration by decreasing the surface tension of the air-liquid interface. Additionally, SP-A interacts with pathogens to prevent their propagation and regulate host immune responses. Studies in human and animal models have shown that deficiencies or mutations in surfactant components result in various lung or kidney pathologies, suggesting a role for SP-A in the development of lung and kidney diseases. In this mini-review, we discuss the current understanding of SP-A functions, recent findings of its dysfunction in specific lung and kidney pathologies, and how SP-A has been used as a biomarker to detect the outcome of lung diseases.
Serum extracellular vesicle miR-203a-3p content is associated with skeletal muscle mass and protein turnover during disuse atrophy and regrowth
Authors: Van Pelt Douglas W. , Vechetti Ivan J. , Lawrence Marcus M. , Van Pelt Kathryn L. , Patel Parth , Miller Benjamin F. , Butterfield Timothy A. , Dupont-Versteegden Esther E.
Published: July 2020

Small noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of skeletal muscle size, and circulating miRNAs within extracellular vesicles (EVs) may contribute to atrophy and its associated systemic effects. The purpose of this study was to understand how muscle atrophy and regrowth alter in vivo serum EV miRNA content. We also associated changes in serum EV miRNA with protein synthesis, protein degradation, and miRNA within muscle, kidney, and liver. We subjected adult (10 mo) F344/BN rats to three conditions: weight bearing (WB), hindlimb suspension (HS) for 7 days to induce muscle atrophy, and HS for 7 days followed by 7 days of reloading (HSR). Microarray analysis of EV miRNA content showed that the overall changes in serum EV miRNA were predicted to target major anabolic, catabolic, and mechanosensitive pathways. MiR-203a-3p was the only miRNA demonstrating substantial differences in HS EVs compared with WB. There was a limited association of EV miRNA content to the corresponding miRNA content within the muscle, kidney, or liver. Stepwise linear regression demonstrated that EV miR-203a-3p was correlated with muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis and degradation across all conditions. Finally, EV miR-203a-3p expression was significantly decreased in human subjects who underwent unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) to induce muscle atrophy. Altogether, we show that serum EV miR-203a-3p expression is related to skeletal muscle protein turnover and atrophy. We suggest that serum EV miR-203a-3p content may be a useful biomarker and future work should investigate whether serum EV miR-203a-3p content is mechanistically linked to protein synthesis and degradation.
The mechanism and treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with COVID-19
Authors: Ye Qing , Wang Bili , Zhang Ting , Xu Jian , Shang Shiqiang
Published: July 2020

In addition to the typical respiratory response, new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is also associated with very common gastrointestinal symptoms. Cases with gastrointestinal symptoms are more likely to be complicated by liver injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). If not treated in time, coma and circulatory failure may ensue. As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects the human body through the combination of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the gastrointestinal tract, the mechanism underlying the gastrointestinal symptoms may involve damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier and promotion of the production of inflammatory factors. Indeed, after cells in the lungs become infected by SARS-CoV-2, effector CD4+ T cells reach the small intestine through the gut-lung axis, causing intestinal immune damage and diarrhea; early extensive use of antibacterial and antiviral drugs can also lead to diarrhea in patients. Thus, treatment options for COVID-19 patients should be promptly adjusted when they have gastrointestinal symptoms. As SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in the feces of COVID-19 patients, future prevention and control efforts must consider the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of the virus.
Sex differences and the effects of intrauterine hypoxia on growth and in vivo heart function of fetal guinea pigs
Authors: Thompson Loren P. , Turan Shifa , Aberdeen Graham W.
Published: July 2020

We hypothesized that the physiological adaptations of the fetus in response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia depend on its sex and the gestational age of exposure. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to room air (normoxia, NMX) or 10.5% O2 (hypoxia, HPX) at either 25 days (early onset) or 50 days (late onset) of gestation until term (~65 days). We evaluated the effects of HPX on hemodynamic and cardiac function indices using Doppler ultrasound and determined sex-related differences in near-term fetuses. Indices of uterine/umbilical artery pulsatility (PI index) and fetal heart systolic and diastolic function [Tei index and passive filling (E-wave) to filling due to atrial contraction (A-wave) (E/A ratios), respectively] were measured in utero and fetal body (FBW) and organ weights measured from extracted fetuses. Both early- and late-onset HPX decreased FBW in both males and females, had no effect on placenta weights, and increased placenta weight-to-FBW ratios. Early- but not late-onset HPX increased uterine artery PI, but neither HPX condition affected umbilical artery PI. Early-onset HPX increased left ventricle E/A ratios in both males and females, whereas late-onset HPX increased the right ventricle E/A ratio in females only. Hypoxia had no effect on the Tei index in either sex. Early- and late-onset HPX induce placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction and increase diastolic filling depending on the sex, with female fetuses having a greater capacity than males to compensate for intrauterine hypoxia.
Electrophysiological markers of cochlear function correlate with hearing-in-noise performance among audiometrically normal subjects
Authors: Grant Kelsie J. , Mepani Anita M. , Wu Peizhe , Hancock Kenneth E. , de Gruttola Victor , Liberman M. Charles , Maison Stéphane F.
Published: July 2020

Recent animal studies suggest that millions of people may be at risk of permanent impairment from cochlear synaptopathy, the age-related and noise-induced degeneration of neural connections in the inner ear that “hides” behind a normal audiogram. This study examines electrophysiological responses to clicks in a large cohort of subjects with normal hearing sensitivity. The resultant correlations with word recognition performance are consistent with an important contribution cochlear neural damage to deficits in hearing in noise abilities.
Time course of changes in the long-latency feedback response parallels the fast process of short-term motor adaptation
Authors: Coltman Susan K. , Gribble Paul L.
Published: July 2020

We investigated whether changes in the feedback stretch response were related to the proposed fast and slow processes of motor adaptation. We found that the long-latency component of the feedback stretch response was upregulated in the early stages of learning and the time course was correlated with the fast process. While some propose that the fast process reflects an explicit strategy, we argue instead that it may be a proxy for the feedback controller.
Deformation Control Method of the Antislide Pile under Trapezoidal Load in the Zhangjiawan Landslide
Authors: Wang Hao , Lv Zhiying , Qin Hongyu , Yue Jianwei , Zhang Jianwei
Published: July 2020

Antislide piles are set in the Zhangjiawan landslide area, where the general features of the bedrock below the slip surface include upper weak and lower hard strata. Based on a site investigation, the horizontal displacement of the antislide pile head is 14.8 cm, which is not conducive to the stability of the landslide. In the study, a displacement calculation method for the pile under trapezoidal load is proposed for a colluvial landslide controlling. Furthermore, factors affecting the deformation and internal forces of the pile were also studied. The results indicated that (1) when the embedded length of an antislide pile increases, the horizontal displacement on the pile and maximum absolute shear force decrease, while the bending moment of the pile exhibits opposite trends; (2) the relationship between maximum shear force and maximum bending moment is linear with increasing driving force of landslide; and (3) increase in the ratio of the driving force between the pile head and slip surface (q0/q1) steadily increases the horizontal displacement of the pile. The relationship between the distribution of the driving force (q0/q1) and the reasonable embedded length of a pile is a quadratic function, which can be used to determine the reasonable embedded length of a pile under the action of rectangular or triangular loads. It is very useful to use the above method to guide the design of antislide piles in similar areas.
A Prognostic Nomogram Based on Immune Scores Predicts Postoperative Survival for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Jukun , Zhang Chao , Li Ang , Cao Feng , Liu Dongbin , Li Fei , Luo Tao
Published: July 2020

Background. Increasing research attention has focused on tumor‐infiltrating immune cells. However, the threshold of an immune score for use in predicting overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not defined. This study aims at exploring the association between immune scores with prognosis and building a clinical nomogram for predicting the survival of HCC patients. Material and Methods. A total of 299 patients were enrolled in this study. Their clinical pathological characteristics and immune scores downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed. Survival differences between different immune score subgroups were compared, and a final nomogram was built using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The predictive performance of the nomogram was assessed using the concordance index (C‐index) and a calibration plot. Results. All the patients were divided into three subgroups based on immune scores. Patients with medium and high immune scores had significantly better OS (HR and 95% CI: 0.417 [0.186‐0.937] and 0.299 [0.146‐0.616]) and DFS (HR and 95% CI: 0.575 [0.329‐1.004] and 0.451 [0.278‐0.733], respectively, compared with those with low immune scores. The C indices for OS and DFS were 0.748 (95% CI, 0.687‐0.809) and 0.675 (95% CI, 0.630‐0.720), respectively. A calibration plot used to determine the probability of survival at 3 or 5 years (OS and DFS) showed a significant agreement between nomogram predictions and actual observations. Conclusions. Medium and high immune scores are significantly associated with prolonged OS and DFS in HCC patients. Nomograms built in this study can help doctors and patients assess prognosis and guide treatment.
Cloud Services for Patient Cohort Identification Using the Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside Platform
Authors: Wagholikar Kavishwar B. , Joshi Shreekanth V. , Pai Vernekar Vishal V. , Ostrovsky Yuri , Desai Somnath D. , Magdum Pooja B. , Wakle Sachin B. , Jain Sheetal , Zagade Akshay , Patel Rahul , Murphy Shawn N.
Published: July 2020

Despite the widespread use of the “Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside” (i2b2) platform, there are substantial challenges for loading electronic health records (EHR) into i2b2 and for querying i2b2. We have previously presented a simplified framework for semantic abstraction of EHR records into i2b2. Building on our previous work, we have created a proof‐of‐concept implementation of cloud services on an i2b2 data store for cohort identification. Specifically, we have implemented a graphical user interface (GUI) that declares the key components for data import, transformation, and query of EHR data. The GUI integrates with Azure cloud services to create data pipelines for importing EHR data into i2b2, creation of derived facts, and querying for generating Sankey‐like flow diagrams that characterize the patient cohorts. We have evaluated the implementation using the real‐world MIMIC‐III dataset. We discuss the key features of this implementation and direction for future work, which will advance the efforts of the research community for patient cohort identification.
Stress Hyperglycaemia Indicates Embolus Size and Localization in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Altabas Velimir , Pukec Lucija , Mlinarić Stella , Pintarić Hrvoje , Šikić Aljoša
Published: July 2020

Objective. Acute pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening form of venous thromboembolism often causing stress hyperglycaemia. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of stress hyperglycaemia in acute pulmonary embolism, providing new insights into the presumed embolus size and localization, clinical parameters (Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index, PESI), and in-hospital mortality. Design and Methods. Among a total of 95,454 patients referred to the Emergency Department of the Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre between 2014 and 2016, all patients with acute pulmonary embolism were included into this observational cohort study. The study group consisted of 190 patients aged 25–96. Relevant patient history, clinical data, and laboratory findings were collected during the entire hospitalization period. Data were analyzed for the entire group of patients, as well as separately for patients without diabetes, using the Fisher exact test and logistic regression. Results. Analysis of embolus localization as an indirect parameter of embolus size showed that patients with stress hyperglycaemia more often had emboli located in proximal parts of the pulmonary circulation (i.e., main artery or lobar branches) (p<0.05). Furthermore, stress hyperglycaemia correlated with PESI score and diabetes (p<0.05) in the entire patient group. Stress hyperglycaemia showed independent association with in-hospital mortality in patients (p<0.05). Conclusion. Stress hyperglycaemia in patients with acute pulmonary embolism is associated with embolus localization in larger arteries of the pulmonary circulation and higher PESI score and therefore could serve as an independent in-hospital mortality predictor.
Electroacupuncture Improves Blood Pressure in SHRs by Regulating the Immune Balance between Th17 and Treg
Authors: Wang Yang , Zhang Lili , Li Li , Hu Hantong , Pan Pan , Zhang Baoyu , Ning Wenhua , Zhao Mengxiong , Wang Shu
Published: July 2020

The present study investigated the effects of electroacupuncture on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by regulating the immune balance of T helper 17 cells (Th17 cells) and regulatory T cells (Treg cells). This study investigated the role of electroacupuncture in the immune balance of SHRs using Western blot, flow cytometry, and ELISA techniques. Electroacupuncture significantly improved blood pressure, downregulated the expression of RORγt, and upregulated the expression of Foxp3, reduced the production of Th17 cells, promoted the production of Treg cells, reduced the secretion of IL‐6 and IL‐17, and increased the secretion of TGF‐β1 and IL‐10. These findings suggest that electroacupuncture therapy effectively improved the systolic blood pressure of SHRs, and its mechanism may be related to promotion of the immune balance between Th17 and Treg.
Study on the Effect of Surface Roughness on the Spectral Unmixing of Mixed Pixels
Authors: Zhang Haonan , Wen Xingping , Xu Junlong , Luo Dayou , He Ping
Published: July 2020

In the spectrum measurement experiment, the roughness of the object surface is an essential factor that cannot be ignored. In this experiment, a group of mixed pixel samples with different mixing ratios were designed, and these samples were printed on four kinds of papers with different roughness. The spectral characteristics of mixed pixels with different roughness are quantitatively analyzed by using the measured spectral data. The linear spectral mixture model is used for spectral decomposition, and the effect of roughness on the unmixing precision of mixed pixels was studied. The surface roughness will affect the reflectivity of the mixed pixel. Specifically, the higher the roughness is, the higher the reflectivity of the sample is. This phenomenon is more noticeable when the proportion of white endmember (PWE) is large, and as the white area ratio decreases, the reflectance difference gradually decreases. When the surface roughness of the sample is less than 3.339 μm, the spectral decomposition is performed using a linear spectral mixing model in the visible light band. The average error of the unmixing is less than 0.53%, which is lower than the conventional standard spectral measurement error. In other words, when the surface roughness of the sample is controlled within a specific range, the effect of roughness on the unmixing accuracy of the mixed pixels is small, and this effect can be almost ignored. Multiple scattering within the pixels is the key to model selection and unmixing accuracy, when using the ASD FieldSpec3 spectrometer to perform spectral reflectance measurement and linear spectral unmixing experiments. If the surface roughness of the sample to be measured is less than the maximum wavelength of the spectrometer, the experimental results believe that the photon energy is mainly mirror reflection on the surface of the object and diffuse reflection. At this time, it is still a better choice to use a linear spectral mixing model to decompose the mixed pixels.
Enhanced Crystallinity and Antibacterial of PHBV Scaffolds Incorporated with Zinc Oxide
Authors: Shuai Cijun , Wang Chen , Qi Fangwei , Peng Shuping , Yang Wenjing , He Chongxian , Wang Guoyong , Qian Guowen
Published: July 2020

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) has a great potential in bone repair, but unfortunately, the poor mechanical properties limit its further application. In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were incorporated into PHBV porous scaffold fabricated by selective laser sintering technique. It was because ZnO nanoparticles could provide nucleating sites for the orderly stacking of polymer chains, thereby enhancing the crystallinity of PHBV. It was well known that the mechanical properties of PHBV scaffold could be enhanced with the increase of crystallinity. More significantly, the released Zn2+ would combine negatively charged cell membranes of bacterial through electrostatic interaction and consequently destructed the protein structure and resulted in the death of bacterial, which was highly desired in reducing the risk of implant infection. Results indicated that the relative crystallinity of scaffold with 3 wt.% ZnO increased remarkably from 38% to 64% compared to pure PHBV scaffold, which effectively enhanced the compression strength and modulus by 56% and 51.5%, respectively. Moreover, the scaffold had a favorable antibacterial activity. Cell culture experiments proved that the scaffold could promote the cell behaviors. The positive results demonstrated the scaffold may serve as a potential replacement in bone repair.
Discrete-Time Predator-Prey Interaction with Selective Harvesting and Predator Self-Limitation
Authors: Chen Zhihua , Din Qamar , Rafaqat Muhammad , Saeed Umer , Ajaz Muhammad Bilal
Published: July 2020

Selective harvesting plays an important role on the dynamics of predator-prey interaction. On the other hand, the effect of predator self-limitation contributes remarkably to the stabilization of exploitative interactions. Keeping in view the selective harvesting and predator self-limitation, a discrete-time predator-prey model is discussed. Existence of fixed points and their local dynamics is explored for the proposed discrete-time model. Explicit principles of Neimark–Sacker bifurcation and period-doubling bifurcation are used for discussion related to bifurcation analysis in the discrete-time predator-prey system. The control of chaotic behavior is discussed with the help of methods related to state feedback control and parameter perturbation. At the end, some numerical examples are presented for verification and illustration of theoretical findings.
Tuberculosis Chemotherapy Outcome in the Littoral Region of Cameroon: A Meta‐analysis of Treatment Success Rate between 2014 and 2016
Authors: Kouemo Motse Dorgelesse F. , Nsagha Dickson Shey , Adiogo Dieudonné , Kojom Foko Loick P. , Teyim Pride M. , Chichom-Mefire Alain , Nguedia Assob Jules C.
Published: July 2020

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health concern, especially in resource‐constrained countries like Cameroon. TB drug resistance is a major obstacle to control and prevent. Design. Data from 2014 to 2016 on the outcome of anti‐TB treatment in the Littoral Region were reviewed manually and analysed using the meta‐analysis concept. The treatment success rates (TSR) were the primary outcome used for this study. The heterogeneity statistics (I2) was computed to orientate the choice of the best statistical model (binary fixed effect or random) to compute pooled value of TSR. Results. Using an intention‐to‐treat analysis, the pooled proportions of HIV‐uninfected TB patients successfully cured from TB were low and slightly decreased by 1% between 2014 and 2016. Regarding HIV‐infected TB patients, pooled values of TSR were lower than those of their HIV‐negative counterparts with values ranging from 71% (95% CI: 63%‐83%; I2 = 71.16%) in 2014 to 68% (95% CI: 58%‐79%; I2 = 70.97%) in 2016. In addition, no heterogeneity was found in three years (I2 = 0.0%; P value = 1). These cure rates were strongly and negatively correlated with the rates of patients lost to follow‐up regardless of the year. In HIV‐infected patients, the pooled values of ITT analysis‐based treatment success rates were 73% (χ2 = 13.92, P value = 0.0002), 71% (χ2 = 7.26, P value = 0.007), and 68% (χ2 = 8.02, P value = 0.004), respectively. The coverage rates with cotrimoxazole (CTX) gradually increased over year ranging from 78.90% in 2014 to 94.17% in 2016, similar to the coverage rate for ARV therapy that was 60.06% in 2014 against 90% in 2016. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between the success of the anti‐TB therapy in HIV‐infected patients and coverage rates with CTX and ARV. Conclusion. An improvement in the reduction of percentage of lost to follow‐up and coverage with CTX and ARV therapy could greatly increase chances to efficiently control TB in Cameroon.
Simultaneous Presentation of Uveitic Disc Edema and Papilledema in an Adult
Authors: Liaboe Chase A. , Lee Michael S. , Yamanuha Justin J. Y.
Published: July 2020

Purpose. To present a case of simultaneous uveitic disc edema and increased intracranial pressure (IICP) in an adult. Methods. Retrospective case report. Patients. A 29-year-old woman affected by bilateral optic disc edema from bilateral posterior uveitis complicated by IICP with papilledema. Results. Laboratory workup was negative for infectious and systemic inflammatory causes of uveitis. Computed Tomography scan of the chest was negative for Sarcoidosis. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain and orbits revealed a partially empty sella, bilateral posterior globe flattening without optic nerve sheath enhancement, masses, white matter lesions, or meningeal enhancement. Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Venography showed narrowing of the right and left transverse sinuses without thromboses. Prednisone was initiated for the uveitis which improved the vision but caused weight gain. Neurology evaluation with a lumbar puncture in the lateral decubitus position revealed elevated opening pressure and otherwise normal cerebrospinal fluid. Ocular ultrasonography was considered but not available to measure optic nerve sheath diameter. Oral acetazolamide 1000 mg twice daily was started for papilledema as prednisone was tapered. Periocular steroid and intravitreal bevacizumab injections were used for sight threatening cystoid macular edema and choroidal neovascularization, respectively. Discussion. While previously described in children, we report the first known case of bilateral uveitic disc edema and papilledema in an adult. This report will discuss recommendations for evaluation of these rarely concurrent conditions and therapy for both uveitic disc edema and papilledema.
Development and Application of a LC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Quantification of Four First-Line Antituberculosis Drugs in Human Serum
Authors: Zheng Yunliang , Xu Nana , Hu Xingjiang , Zhang Qiao , Liu Yanpeng , Zhao Qingwei
Published: July 2020

A simple, rapid, and sensitive liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry (MS) method was established and validated for simultaneous quantitation of pyrazinamide, isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethambutol in human blood sample. Samples were pretreated by a single-step precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on XSelecT HSS T3 column by gradient elution with a total run time of 5.0 min. MS detection was performed by a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with a positive electrospray ionization source. Isotope-labeled internal standard, especially rifampicin-D8, was applied to adjust for the loss during sample treatment. The established LC-MS/MS method showed a wide analytical range (pyrazinamide: 1.02∼60.0 μg/mL, isoniazid: 0.152∼10.0 μg/mL, rifampicin: 0.500∼30.0 μg/mL, and ethambutol: 0.0998∼5.99 μg/mL) and a good linearity (r > 0.99 for the four analytes) with acceptable accuracy and precision (90.15%∼104.62% and 94.00%∼104.02% for intra- and interaccuracy, respectively; RSD%: <12.46% and <6.43% for intra- and interprecision, respectively). It also showed excellent recoveries (79.24%∼94.16% for all analytes) and absence of significant matrix effect. This method was successfully applied to the quantification of four first-line antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs, suggesting its suitability for therapeutic drug monitoring in the clinical practices.
Using Flexible Curved Noncontact Active Electrodes to Monitor Long-Term Heart Rate Variability
Authors: Huang Ji-Jer , Cai Zhe-Lin
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study is to utilize flexible curved noncontact active electrodes to develop a nonperception, long-term, and wireless heart rate monitoring system. This study also verified the functions and capabilities of the system and provided information on physiological parameters recorded during our tests. Our system was used in tandem with a commercially standard measurement system; both systems were used to measure ECG signals on 10 healthy subjects under the simulated home and office scenarios. We verified the R-peak measurement accuracy of our system and used T-tests to analyze the data collected by both systems; our system reached an average sensitivity value of 0.983 and an average positive predictive value of 0.991 over several different scenarios where R-peak measurements were also highly accurate. The R-R time intervals of our system were highly consistent with the standard system. The correlation coefficient calculated reached almost one, and the differences between the two systems mostly fell within the ±10 ms range. Further study of the HRV time-domain parameters under four different scenarios showed no significant differences in most HRV parameters compared to the measurements by the standard system. We also used our system to record long-term heart rate signals.
Experimental Research Based on the Optical Fiber Sensing Technology for a Jacked PHC Pipe Pile Penetration Process
Authors: Sang Songkui , Wang Yonghong , Ma Jiaxiao , Zhang Mingyi
Published: July 2020

The aim of this work is to explore the influence of the end resistance and shaft resistance regarding the mechanism for jacked pile penetration and the load‐transfer rule during the penetration process. A full‐scale field test was conducted in an actual project located in Dongying, Shandong Province, China. In this test, the axial strain experienced by two closed Prestressed High‐strength Concrete (PHC) pipe piles during jacking into layered soil was monitored successfully using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors mounted on the pile shaft. The experimental results show that FBG sensors have a good stability, strong antijamming performance, and can effectively monitor the pile stress. The variation law of the jacking force reflects the distribution of the soil layer, and the hardness of the soil layer at the pile end limits the pile force. When the pile end enters the silt layer from the clay layer, the jacking force and shaft resistance increase by 2.5 and 1.7, respectively. The shaft resistance accounted for 44.99% of the jacking force. The end resistance is affected by the mechanical properties of soil, and the end resistance of the silt layer is approximately twice that of the clay layer. The end resistance of the silt layer accounted for 59.84% of the jacking force. When the pile end enters the soft soil layer from the hard soil layer, the impact of the pile driving speed and the tangential force on the surface of the pile body must both be considered. During the pile penetration process, as the penetration depth increases, the radial stress on the pile side at a given depth is gradually released, while the shaft resistance at the pile side degrades significantly.
Leveraging Deep Learning Techniques for Malaria Parasite Detection Using Mobile Application
Authors: Masud Mehedi , Alhumyani Hesham , Alshamrani Sultan S. , Cheikhrouhou Omar , Ibrahim Saleh , Muhammad Ghulam , Hossain M. Shamim , Shorfuzzaman Mohammad
Published: July 2020

Malaria is a contagious disease that affects millions of lives every year. Traditional diagnosis of malaria in laboratory requires an experienced person and careful inspection to discriminate healthy and infected red blood cells (RBCs). It is also very time-consuming and may produce inaccurate reports due to human errors. Cognitive computing and deep learning algorithms simulate human intelligence to make better human decisions in applications like sentiment analysis, speech recognition, face detection, disease detection, and prediction. Due to the advancement of cognitive computing and machine learning techniques, they are now widely used to detect and predict early disease symptoms in healthcare field. With the early prediction results, healthcare professionals can provide better decisions for patient diagnosis and treatment. Machine learning algorithms also aid the humans to process huge and complex medical datasets and then analyze them into clinical insights. This paper looks for leveraging deep learning algorithms for detecting a deadly disease, malaria, for mobile healthcare solution of patients building an effective mobile system. The objective of this paper is to show how deep learning architecture such as convolutional neural network (CNN) which can be useful in real-time malaria detection effectively and accurately from input images and to reduce manual labor with a mobile application. To this end, we evaluate the performance of a custom CNN model using a cyclical stochastic gradient descent (SGD) optimizer with an automatic learning rate finder and obtain an accuracy of 97.30% in classifying healthy and infected cell images with a high degree of precision and sensitivity. This outcome of the paper will facilitate microscopy diagnosis of malaria to a mobile application so that reliability of the treatment and lack of medical expertise can be solved.
Association between Frailty and Erectile Dysfunction among Chinese Elderly Men
Authors: Li Chengfu , Sun Ji , Zhao Huameng , Dai Tingshan
Published: July 2020

Objective. This study is aimed at assessing association between frailty and erectile dysfunction among Chinese elderly men. Methods. This community‐based study was conducted with a sample of 341 Chinese elderly men (aged 60 to 83 years old) in Fuyang City (Anhui Province, China). Each of the participants completed a standard questionnaire, including demographics (age, height, weight, yearly income, educational status, comorbidity, lifestyle factors, etc.), medical and sexual history, and the Chinese version of Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) and International Index of Erectile Function‐5 (IIEF‐5) for assessing frailty and erectile dysfunction (ED). Results. The prevalence of ED and frailty in Chinese elderly men was 77.13% and 68.04%, respectively. Compared with the non‐ED group, the ED group had increased age, spouse’s age, BMI, prevalence of diabetes, and scores of TFI and lower yearly income, educational levels, and ratio of irregular intercourse (less than once per week) (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that age (OR: 0.860, 95% CI: 0.763‐0.969), diabetes (OR: 0.330, 95% CI: 0.165‐0.661), irregular intercourse (OR: 3.416, 95% CI: 1.874‐6.229), and scores of TFI (OR: 0.906, 95% CI: 0.846‐0.970) were regarded as independent risk factors for ED (all P < 0.05). And after adjusting for age, the TFI score had a negative significant association with the IIEF score (r = −0.134, P = 0.013). Conclusion. This study confirmed the strong associations between ED and frailty among elderly men. Sexual health care for elderly men with ED should be assessed and taken addressed on the multidimensional assessments of frailty.
DOA Estimation without Source Number for Cyber-Physical Interactions
Authors: Li Jianzhong , Gu Xiaobo , Zhan Ruidian , Xiong Xiaoming , Liu Yuan
Published: July 2020

In this paper, a direction of arrival (DOA) estimator is proposed to improve the cyber-physical interactions, which is based on the second-order statistics without a priori knowledge of the source number. The impact of noise will firstly be eliminated. Then the relationship between the processed covariance matrix and the steering matrix is studied. By applying the elementary column transformation, an oblique projector will be designed without the source number. At last, a rooting method will be adopted to estimate the DOAs with the constructed projector. Simulation results show that the proposed method performs as well as other methods, which requires that the source number must be known.