bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modified CIM-Test As a Useful Tool to Detect Carbapenemase Activity Among Extensively Drug- Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Escherichia Coli and Acinetobacter Baumannii
Authors: bialvaei Abed Zahedi , Dehkharghani Alireza Dolatyar , Asgari Farhad , Shamloo Firouzeh , Eslami Parisa , Rahbar Mohammad
Published: March 2021

Background

Timely detection of carbapenemases is essential for developing strategies to control the spread of infections by carbapenem-resistant isolates. The purpose of our study was to determine the epidemiology of carbapenemase genes among carbapenem resistant isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli and to compare efficacy of modified Hodge Test (MHT), Carba NP and modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM) tests.
Methods

A total of 122 carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates including 77 K. pneumoniae, 39 A. baumannii, and six E. coli were collected from hospitalized patients. Three phenotypic methods, including MHT, Carba NP test and mCIM were used for investigation of carbapenemase production. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect carbapenemase encoding genes.
Results

The sensitivity and specificity of the MHT were 75.0% and 100% respectively. In addition, CarbaNP displayed 80.8% sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas the sensitivity and specificity were 90.4% and 100% for the mCIM test, respectively. Among carbapenem-resistant isolates, 70, 84 and 87 isolates exhibited positive results according to MHT, CarbaNP test and mCIM, respectively. PCR indicated the presence of one or more carbapenemase genes in 119 of carbapenem-resistant isolates, with blaKPC and blaVIM being the most commonly encountered. Co-production of ‘KPC and VIM’, ‘KPC and IMP’ and ‘KPC and OXA-48’ was detected in nine, seven and three isolates, respectively.
Conclusion

Our results confirm that the mCIM test is a useful tool for the reliable detection of carbapenemases-activity in enterobacterial isolates, especially in clinical microbiological laboratories with limited resources.
TERT Mutations Correlated With the Prognosis of Patients With Hepatitis B-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Underwent Curative Hepatectomy
Authors: Song Kangjian , Huo Junyu , He Fu , Zhu Qingwei , Wu Liqun
Published: March 2021

Background To explore the value of TERT mutations in predicting the early recurrence and prognosis of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients underwent curative hepatectomy.Methods A total of 81 patients with hepatitis B-related HCC were enrolled and all patients underwent curative hepatectomy. Associations were sought between TERT mutations and recurrence rate within 2 years after hepatectomy, time to progress (TTP) and overall survival (OS).Results TERT mutations (HR: 2.985, 95%CI: 1.158-7.692, p=0.024) and Barcelona clinic liver (BCLC) stage B (HR: 3.326, 95%CI: 1.019-10.856, p=0.046) were independent risk factors for recurrence within 2 years after hepatectomy. Patients with a TERT mutation had poor TTP (p=0.003) and OS (p=0.013) than others. TERT mutations (HR: 2.245, 95%CI: 1.185-4.252, p=0.013) and BCLC stage B (HR: 2.132, 95%CI: 1.082-4.198, p=0.029) were independent risk factors for poor TTP after curative hepatectomy. A predictive model based on TERT mutations and BCLC stage had better ability to predict early recurrence after hepatectomy of HCC patients than any single factor (AUC: 0.688 vs. 0.639, 0.688 vs. 0.607, respectively). Patients with both TERT mutations and BCLC stage B had poorer TTP and OS than others (p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively).Conclusion TERT mutations had ability to predict early recurrence and poor prognosis for hepatitis B-related HCC patients underwent curative hepatectomy.
Transition of the Future Precipitation Types in the Tianshan Mountains Region, China
Authors: Ren Rui , Li Xuemei , Li Lanhai , Huang Yiyu
Published: March 2021

The general circulation models (GCMs) from the coupled model intercomparison project phase 5 (CMIP5) were used to evaluate the simulation capabilities of rainfall-to-precipitation ratio (RPR) from 1961 to 2018 at 28 meteorological stations in the Tianshan Mountains region (TMR). Moreover, it was estimated the change of RPR in the months experiencing freezing-thawing transitions from 2011 to 2100 under three representative concentration pathways (RCPs), RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. The results indicated that the simulated air temperature from CMIP5 was highly correlated with the observed values, while the performance for precipitation was poor. Therefore, it is feasible to forecast the future RPR employing the temperature provided by CMIP5 and the observed meteorological factors by the BP neural network (BNN). Under three emission scenarios, the RPR in the months experiencing freezing-thawing transitions during 2011-2100 will increase compared to that during the baseline period (1981-2010). Under the same emission scenario, values of RPR will increase as the time goes on. Besides, in terms of spatial variation, values of RPR in the south slope will be larger than that in the north slope under three emission scenarios. Furthermore, values of RPR exhibit different variation characteristics under different emission scenarios. Under the RCP2.6 emission scenario, as the time goes on, values of RPR at more stations will change slightly. Under the RCP4.5 emission scenario, the increase of RPR will occur in the whole TMR and stabilize in the north slope by the end of this century. However, values of RPR will increase significantly through 21st century in the whole TMR under the RCP8.5 emission scenario.
Identification of key survival genes of the tumor microenvironment and immune infiltration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Min , Lu Tao , Li Yanshi , Pan Min , Wang Zhihai , Hu Guohua
Published: March 2021

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) are highly aggressive solid tumors with poor prognoses. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis of HNC. In the TME, immune and stromal cells influence tumor initiation, response, and therapy. Our study aimed to evaluate the progression and prognosis of HNC by analyzing the key genes involved in immunization and stromal cells. Methods: Gene expression profiles, demographics, and survival data were downloaded from the TCGA database. Patients with HNC were divided into high immune/stromal score groupss or low immune/stromal score groups based on the ESTIMATE algorithm. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified via functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction networks, and survival analysis based on DEGs was also performed.Results: A total of 522 patients with HNC were enrolled for analysis. The average age was 60.87, and one-third of the patients were HPV-positive. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients' median survival time in the low-score group was shorter than that of the high-score group (625 vs. 680 days, log-rank, p = 0.1716). According to immune scores, 925 genes were upregulated, and 72 genes were downregulated in the high-score group compared with the low-score group. Top Gene Ontology terms identified that T-cell costimulation, regulation of immune response, and the external side of the plasma membrane were the most involved pathways. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that 480 DEGs were upregulated in the high-immune scores group, and a total of 126 DEGs were significantly associated with poor survival. Besides, we identified the hub genes of DEGs through protein-protein interactions and found that PTPRC, CD247, and CD4 are associated with immune infiltration and all-cause mortality.Conclusions: We identified a series of TME‐related genes significantly associated with overall mortality; this information is crucial for further understanding the role of TME and immune infiltration in the prognosis of HNC.
A New Objective Evaluation Method on Image Edge Detection
Authors: Chen Jingshi , Liu Gang , Liu Feng , Wang Ying , Sun Yongxing , Lu Jiaxin
Published: March 2021

In the field of machine vision, image edge detection is an important technology, which can make necessary preparation for the later image processing. Consequently, accurate evaluation of the edge detection effect of the processed image is a more critical technology. In this paper, the new three criteria are proposed, which is based on Canny's three criteria for edge detection. Through theoretical analysis, three quantitative basic evaluation indexes are given to the new three criteria, namely SSIM index of image reconstruction similarity, BIdx index of edge reliability and CIdx index of edge continuity. Additionally, noise evaluation criteria is also considered. Then the four basic evaluation indexes are fused to get the objective evaluation index EIdx of image edge detection.Finally, the experimental data show that the accuracy of the method is better than that of the subjective evaluation system.
A Scale-Dependent Neural System for Human Spatial Navigation
Authors: Dong Weihua , Wang Shengkai , Liu Yu , Wan Xiaohong , Liu Jia , Hu Siyuan , Pei Tao , Meng Liqiu
Published: March 2021

It is currently unclear whether the human brain processes navigation tasks at different scales in the same way. According to the classical view, humans process navigation information using a hierarchical representation system in a unified way. Other theories, such as the dual and multiple systems theories, suggest that the processing of navigation tasks differs between spatial scales. In addition, previous human navigation studies have mainly focused on scales ranging from rooms to small neighborhoods. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of large-scale spatial navigation tasks in the human brain, and the ways in which neural activation changes with scale, have not been examined in detail. In this study, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based multi-scale mental navigation experiment across six spatial scales. On the basis of cortical activity patterns, we discovered a scale-dependent neural system that included the parahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, parietal gyrus and temporal gyrus, revealing neural-based divisions based on spatial scale: small scale (room), medium scale (building), large scale (block), and huge scale (city, country and continent). In contrast, scale-free characteristics were observed in middle occipital gyrus. The current findings provide new insight into the neural mechanisms of scale-driven spatial navigation in humans.
Silver-Silica Nanoparticles Induced Dose-Dependent Modulation of Histopathological, Immunohistochemical, Ultrastructural, Proinflammatory, and Immune Status of Broiler Chickens
Authors: Khafaga Asmaa F. , Alwan Ali B. , Abdelsalam Nader R. , Soliman Mohamed M. , Taha Ayman E. , Ghareeb Rehab Y. , Atta Mustafa S. , Dosoky Waleed M.
Published: March 2021

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are a powerful disinfectant, but little information is available on their potential use as a growth promoter and the safety margin of this. In this study, 480 1-day-old Cobb chicks were assigned to one control and three treated groups. The treated groups were supplemented with silver-doped silica nanoparticles (SiO2@AgNPs) at three dietary levels (8, 16, and 20 mg/kg diet) for 35 days. The results revealed no significant changes in the growth performance and oxidative parameters, and in most of the hematological and biochemical parameters among the control and treated groups. In contrast, dose-dependent adverse effects were exerted on the histopathological structure and immunohistochemical expression of CD45 in liver, kidneys, and lymphoid organs (spleen, bursa, and thymus). In addition, the relative weight of lymphoid organs and the serum levels of immunoglobulins M and G were significantly diminished. Moreover, the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-β1 and TNF-α) and the ultrastructural morphology in breast muscle showed significant dose-dependent alterations. It could be concluded that the dietary supplementation of SiO2@AgNPs at a level of 8 mg/kg diet or more has dose-dependent proinflammatory and immunosuppressive effects on broiler chickens.
Learning in Continuous Action Space for Determination of High Dimensional Potential Energy Surfaces
Authors: Sankaranarayanan Subramanian , Manna Sukriti , Loeffler Troy , Batra Rohit , Banik Suvo , Chan Henry , Sasikumar Kiran , Sternberg Michael , Peterka Tom , Cherukara Mathew , Gray Stephen , Sumpter Bobby
Published: March 2021

Reinforcement learning (RL) approaches that combine a tree search with deep learning have found remarkable success in searching exorbitantly large, albeit discrete action spaces, as demonstrated recently in board games like chess, Shogi, and Go. Many real-world materials discovery and design applications, however, involve multi-dimensional search problems and learning domains that have continuous action spaces. Exploring high-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PES) of materials to represent inter- and intra-molecular interactions, for example, involves a continuous action search to find optimal potential parameters or coefficients. Traditionally, these searches are time consuming (often several years for a single system) and have been driven by human intuition and/or expertise and more recently by global/local optimization searches that have issues with convergence and/or do not scale well with the search dimensionality. Here, in a departure from discrete action and other gradient-based approaches, we introduce a RL strategy based on decision trees that incorporates modified rewards for improved exploration, efficient sampling during playouts, and a “window scaling scheme” for enhanced exploitation, to enable efficient and scalable search for continuous action space problems. Using high-dimensional artificial landscapes and control RL problems, we successfully benchmark our approach against popular global optimization schemes and state-of-the-art policy gradient methods, respectively. We further demonstrate its efficacy to perform high-throughput PES search for 54 different elemental systems across the Periodic table, in- including alkali, alkaline-earth, transition metals, metalloids, as well as non-metals. Using a well-sampled (∼165,000 configurations) first-principles derived training and test dataset, we demonstrate that the new class of RL trained bond-order potentials capture the size-dependent energetic landscape from few atom clusters to bulk (energy errors << 200 meV/atom over a 3-6 eV sampled range) as well as their dynamics (force errors << 0.5 eV/A over a 50-100 eV/A range). We analyze the error trends across different
elements in the latent space and trace their origin to elemental structural diversity and the smoothness of the element energy surface. Finally, we run molecular dynamics using these RL trained potentials and perform a comprehensive test of dynamic stability of more than 40,000 clusters sampled for different elements across the Periodic table. Our newly developed high-quality potentials will enable accelerated nanoscale materials design and discovery. Broadly, our RL strategy will be applicable to many other physical science problems involving search over continuous action spaces.
Relationship between Changes in Cerebral Blood Volume During Hypoxic-ischemic Insult and Early Period after Insult
Authors: Mitsuie Tsutomu , Nakamura Shinji , Htun Yinmon , Nakao Yasuhiro , Arioka Makoto , Koyano Kosuke , Morimoto Aya , Wakabayashi Takayuki , Kuroda Yasuhiro , Takashi KUSAKA
Published: March 2021

To achieve better outcomes in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, categorizing the degree of the hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is important for selecting suitable candidates for therapeutic hypothermia and any additional treatment strategies. We previously developed a novel model of asphyxiated piglets with a uniform degree of histopathological brain injuries that survived for 5 days after insult and showed changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV) that reflected the severity of the brain injuries. However, little is known about the relationship between changes in CBV during and after insult. In this study, an HI event was induced by low inspired oxygen in 23 anesthetized newborn piglets, including three sham controls. CBV was measured using near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy (TRS). Data were collected before, during, and 6 h after insult. The change in CBV was calculated as the difference between the peak CBV value during insult and the value at the end of insult. The decrease in CBV during insult was found to correlate with the increase in CBV within 6 h after insult. Heart rate exhibited a similar tendency to CBV but blood pressure did not. The CBV increment immediately after resuscitation provides a relatively precise prediction of the severity of HI insult.
Fusion Methods and Multi-Classifiers for Improving Land Cover Estimation By Remote Sensing Analysis
Authors: Dibs Hayder , Hasab Hashim Ali , Mahmoud Ammar Shaker , Al-Ansari Nadhir
Published: March 2021

Adopting a low spatial resolution remote sensing imagery to get an accurate estimation of land-use and land-cover (LU/LC) is a very difficult task to perform. Image fusion plays a big role to map the LU/LC. Therefore, This study aims to find out a refining method for the LU/LC estimating by adopting these steps; (1) apply a three pan-sharpening fusion approaches to combine panchromatic (PAN) imagery has high spatial resolution with multispectral (MS) imagery has low spatial resolution, (2) employing five pixel-based classifier approaches on MS and fused images; artificial neural net (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), parallelepiped (PP), Mahalanobis distance (Mah) and spectral angle mapper (SAM), (3) Make a statistical comparison between classification results. The Landsat-8 image was adopted for this research. There are twenty LU/LC thematic maps were created in this study. A suitable and reliable LU/LC method was presented based on the obtained results. The validations of the results were performed by adopting a confusion matrix. A comparison made between the classification results of MS and all fused images levels. It proved that mapping the LU/LC produced by Gram-Schmidt Pan-sharpening (GS) and classified by SVM method has the most accurate result among all other MS and fused images that classified by the other classifiers, it has an overall accuracy about (99.85%) and a kappa coefficient of about (0.98). However, the SAM algorithm has the lowest accuracy compared to all other adopted methods, with overall accuracy of 53.41% and the kappa coefficient of about 0.48. The proposed procedure is useful in the industry and academic side for estimating purposes. In addition, it is also a good tool for analysts and researchers, who could interest to extend the technique to employ different datasets and regions.
Economic Performance of Indonesia amidst CO2 Emissions and Agriculture: A Time Series analysis
Authors: Adebayo Tomiwa Sunday , Akinsola Gbenga Daniel , Kirikkaleli Dervis , Bekun Festus Victor , Umarbeyli Sukru , Osemeahon Oseyenbhin Sunday
Published: March 2021

The research assesses the impact of CO2 emissions and energy use on economic performance and considers trade openness, urbanization, and agriculture in Indonesia utilizing data covering the period from 1965–2019. The current research employed the Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS), Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) methods. Furthermore, the Gradual shift and Wavelet coherence tests are utilized to capture the direction of causality. The ARDL bounds test discloses a long run interaction among the parameters of interest. The empirical evidence depicts that emissions, agriculture, energy use, and urbanization triggers economic growth. Besides, the growth-induced energy hypothesis is confirmed. This result is resonated by the causality analysis where GDP drives energy one-way in Indonesia. This proposes that Indonesia can embark on conservative energy policies, as such actions will not hurt its growth. Furthermore, there is one-way causality from agriculture to GDP. These outcomes have far-reaching significance for GDP growth and the selected variables in Indonesia.
Dissecting the role of genetic modifiers of hemoglobinopathies: A futuristic approach towards precision medicine
Authors: Hariharan Priya , Gorivale Manju , Sawant Pratibha , Mehta Pallavi , Nadkarni Anita
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Hemoglobinopathies though a monogenic disorder, show phenotypic variability. Hence, understanding the genetics underlying the heritable sub-phenotypes of hemoglobinopathies, specific to each population, would be prognostically useful and could inform personalized therapeutics. This study aimed to evaluate the role of genetic modifiers leading to higher HbF production with cumulative impact of the modifiers on disease severity. Materials and methods:200 patients [100 β-thalassemia homozygotes,100 Sickle Cell Anemia], and 50 healthy controls were recruited. Primary screening followed with molecular analysis for confirming the β-hemoglobinopathy was performed. Co-existing α-thalassemia and the polymorphisms located in 3 genetic loci linked to HbF regulation were screened.Results: The most remarkable result was the association of SNPs with clinically relevant phenotypic groups. The γ-globin gene promoter polymorphisms [-158 C→T,+25 G→A],BCL11A rs1427407 G→T,-3 bp HBS1L-MYB rs66650371 and rs9399137 T→C polymorphisms were correlated with higher HbF, in group that has lower disease severity score (P<0.00001), milder clinical presentation, and a significant delay in the age of the first transfusion.Conclusion:Our study emphasizes the complex genetic interactions underlying the disease phenotype that may be a prognostic marker for predicting the clinical severity and assist in disease management.
Machine learning discovered nano-circuitry for nonlinear ion transport in nanoporous materials
Authors: Zhan Hualin , Sandberg Richard , Xiong Zhiyuan , Liang Qinghua , Xie Ke , Zu Lianhai , Li Dan , Liu Jefferson Zhe
Published: March 2021

Connecting physio-chemical theory with electrical model is essential yet difficult for evaluating the impact of nonlinear ion transport on the performance of ionic circuits and electrochemical energy storage devices1-6. Here we demonstrate that machine learning can resolve this difficulty and produce physics-based nano-circuitry. Starting from a physio-chemical perspective, we first reveal an anomalous diffusion-enhanced migration of ions in nanopores, which exhibits a nonlinear electrical response. Using machine learning, we discover its underlying mathematical equation, and produce a dynamically varying ionic resistance for construction of nano-circuitry model. Based on the physio-chemical understanding of nano-circuitry model, we discover in supercapacitors that the nonlinear ion transport can lead to a Faradaic-like current peak in non-Faradaic processes and an asymmetric charging/discharging without ion desolvation, adding new perspectives to physio-chemistry.
Relay-based Cooperation in Mobile Data Offloading
Authors: Sadeghi Rasool , Hamidkhani Mehdi
Published: March 2021

Mobile data offloading has been emerged as a promising solution to manage high data traffic imposed by mobile users. This technique exploits the frequency spectrum of some overlapping networks such as WiFi in cellular networks. Deployment of minimum WiFi access points (APs) is the main challenge in mobile data offloading which leads to the low cost of CAPEX and OPEX. In this letter, we investigate the impact of a relay-based cooperative MAC protocol on the spectrum efficiency of mobile data offloading and consequently on the WiFi APs deployment. Two algorithms are presented to compute the throughput gain and the minimum number of WiFi APs in two modes of cooperative and non-cooperative MAC protocols. The analytical results indicate that the cooperative MAC protocol can provide a reduction of up to 44% in the number of WiFi APs in comparison to non-cooperative mode.
The Effect of Intraoperative Dexmedetomidine on Cognitive Dysfunction After Surgery: A Updated Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yin Qifan , Li Jianli , Xun Xuejiao , He Jinhua , Yu Dongdong , Wang Zhibin , Rong Junfang
Published: March 2021

BackgroundPostoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the most common. Neuroprotective effects of dexmedetomidine(DEX) are reported in previous studies but evidence regarding the POCD is still unclear. In order to gain latest evidence, the present study analyzes the outcomes of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) which utilized DEX with general anaesthesia perioperatively.MethodFour online databases (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI) were used to find relevant RCTs to conduct systematic analysis. All studies comparing the incidence of POCD or MMSE score between the DEX group and the placebo or comparator group in patients undergoing general anaesthetic surgery were eligible for inclusion. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies were selected. This meta-analysis was performed using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data and standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CIs for continuous data as effective measures.ResultsIn total of 21 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that the incidence of POCD in DEX group was significantly lower than the control group on the first (OR=0.36, 95% CI 0.24-0.54),third (OR=0.45,95% CI 0.33–0.61) and seventh (OR=0.40,95% CI 0.26–0.60) postoperative days; the MMSE scores in DEX group were higher than the control group on the first (SMD=1.24, 95% CI 1.08-1.41), third(SMD= 1.09, 95%CI 0.94-1.24) and seventh (SMD=3.28, 95% CI 1.51-5.04) postoperative days. Conclusions﻿Intraoperative DEX use can ameliorate the POCD of patients who received surgical operations under general anesthesia, and effectively reduce the incidence of POCD and improve MMSE score.
Young Men and Young Women in Secure Care: Gender Differences in the Placement of Those With Mental Health Needs
Authors: Bartlett Annie , Smith Jared G , Warner Louise , Hales Heidi
Published: March 2021

Background The system of secure care for young people in England and Wales comprises youth justice, welfare and mental health facilities. Empirical studies have failed to investigate the system as a whole. The National Adolescent Study in 2016 was the first to provide comprehensive system wide information. This paper, derived from that data set, addresses equity of service provision for young men and women in secure care who have mental health problems.MethodsThe detained census population of English young people was 1322 and detailed data were available on 93% of this population, including 983 young men and 290 young women. The descriptive census data were interrogated to identify associations between gender, other sociodemographic and clinical variables, using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. To control for Type 1 errors, the False Discovery rate approach was used. SPSS (V25) was used for statistical analysis.Results Numerically more young men in secure care than young women in secure care warrant a psychiatric diagnosis but young women had a 9 fold increase in the odds of having a diagnosis compared with the young men. The pattern of mental health diagnoses differed significantly by gender as did the pattern of young men and women’s secure care placement. This different pattern of placement continued to differ by gender when the nature of the mental health diagnosis was taken into account.Conclusions No definitive explanation is evident for the significantly different, placement patterns of young men and young women with the same, mental health diagnoses but the anticipated consequences for some, young men and some young women are important. Proper explanation demands an examination of process variables out with the remit of this study. The lack of routine scrutiny and transparent processes across secure settings could be responsible for the development of these differential placement practices; these practices seem at odds with the duty placed on public services by the Equality Act.
Montmorillonite-Based Porous Composites as Adsorbents for Removal of Cr(III)-Organic Complexes in Tannery Wastewater
Authors: Hao Xin , E Tao , Yang Shuyi , Li Yun
Published: March 2021

Montmorillonite-based porous adsorbent prepared by gel casting method was used to adsorb Cr(III)-organic complexes in tanning wastewater with the initial concentration of 10 mg L−1. The as-porous adsorbent exhibited an excellent performance of separation. Meanwhile, its structural and morphology were characterized by TG, BET, XRD, SEM, EDS and XPS, showing that the porous adsorbent was complete hollow ball structure. And the adsorption results showed that the adsorption amount of porous adsorbent rapidly declined from 9.58 to 5.28, and only Cr(III) was adsorbed, when the molar ratio of Cr(III) and citrate was more than 1:5. Increased of pH was beneficial to the adsorption of Cr(III)-citrate in range from 2.46 to 7.12. Furthermore, the best removal efficiency of porous adsorbent for Cr(III)-organic complex used up to 97% and remaining above 84% after five cycles. Finally, the adsorption mechanism of Cr(III) on porous adsorbent is also provided. Therefore, a kind of easy separated porous adsorbent was prepared in this study so as to treat tanning wastewater containing Cr(III)-organic complex following alkali precipitation, as well as solving the problem of difficult recycle.
The Usage of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) for Patients with Covid-19 Outside Intensive Care Units
Authors: issa issa , Soderberg Marten
Published: March 2021

IntroductionThe usage of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) has traditionally been located in intensive care units (ICU). As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be a challenge to the whole world, health care providers are trying to manage space in the ICU. HFNO is well studied for usage in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We tried to study the usage of HFNO in patients with moderate to severe ARDS related to Covid-19 outside the ICU as well as its benefits both for patients and to offload the ICU.MethodsWe started a project to use HFNO in the ward of infectious diseases at Södersjukhuset, Stockholm. Patients with Covid-19 who needed HFNO were transferred to this ward after assessment from anesthesiologists or intensive care doctors. The patients were observed with frequent controls to assess the need of ICU in case of deterioration. The aim was mainly to offload the ICU.ResultsWe studied 41 patients who were admitted for getting HFNO treatment either as primary treatment (Step-Up) or after stabilizing in the ICU (Step-Down). We studied the patients’ characteristics and the treatment’s result and compared it to a subgroup of patients who did not survive this treatment. Most of our patients were men (80%). They had at least one chronic disease (61%). Each patient had on average 5.6 days of treatment with HFNO. 55% of the patients were discharged home or to geriatric rehabilitation. 10% avoided ICU completely and 15% of patients who simultaneously had a DNR orders (Do-Not-Resuscitate) survived by using HFNO and moved to geriatric rehabilitation. The usage of HFNO saved in total 229 days in the ICU. Mortality was higher among elderly patients, and patients with comorbidities (mainly hypertension and obesity). Discussion and conclusionHFNO treatment is feasible and efficient for patients with Covid-19, saving resources in ICU when the need is maximized, and offering additional advantages as waken proning and fewer complications compared to traditional ICU care. It requires however frequent controls as deterioration is recurrent.
A Novel Stable QTL in Chromosome A04 for Salt Tolerance at the Seed Germination Stage of Upland Cotton via a Resequencing-Based High-Density Genetic Map
Authors: Gu Qishen , Ke Huifeng , Liu Chenchen , Lv Xing , Sun Zhengwen , Liu Zhengwen , Rong Wei , Yang Jun , Zhang Yan , Wu Liqiang , Zhang Guiyin , Wang Xingfen , Ma Zhiying
Published: March 2021

Key message Two candidate genes GhGASA1 and GhADC2 playing negative roles by modulating the GA and PA signaling pathway, respectively, were identified in a major QTL for germination under salt stress.The successful transition of a seed into a seedling is the prerequisite for plant propagation and crop yield. Germination is a vulnerable stage in a plant’s life cycle which is strongly affected by environmental conditions, such as salinity. In this study, we identified a novel stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) qRGR-A04-1 associated with relative germination rate (RGR) after treatment with salt stress based on a high-density genetic map under phytotron and filed conditions, with LOD values of 6.65-16.83 and 6.11-12.63% of phenotypic variations in all five environment tests. Two candidate genes with significantly differential expression between two parents were finally identified through RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses. Further functional analyses showed that GhGASA1- and GhADC2-overexpression lines were more sensitive to salt stress than wild-type in Arabidopsis through regulating the transcript levels of gibberellic acid (GA) and polyamine (PA) -related genes implicating in GA and PA biosynthesis with reducing the accumulation of GA and PA under salt stress, respectively. Virus-induced gene silencing analysis showed that TRV:GASA1 and TRV:ADC2 displayed more tolerant to salt stress by increasing the expression of GA-synthesis genes and decreasing the H2O2 content, respectively. Taken together, our results suggested that QTL qRGR-A04-1 and its harbored two genes, GhGASA1 and GhADC2, were promising candidates for salt tolerance improvement in cotton.
Texture Grouping and Statistical Optimization Based Mode Prediction Decision Algorithm for Fast HEVC Intra Coding
Authors: Wang Jianhua , Lin Feng , Zhao Jing , Long Yongbing
Published: March 2021

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), as one of the newest international video coding standard, can achieve about 50% bit rate reduction compared with H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) at the same perceptual quality due to the use of flexible CTU(coding tree unit) structure, but at the same time, it also dramatically adds the higher computational complexity for HEVC. With the aim of reducing the computational complexity, a texture grouping and statistical optimization based mode prediction decision algorithm is proposed for HEVC intra coding in this paper. The contribution of this paper lies in the fact that we successfully use the texture information grouping and statistical probability optimization technology to rapidly determine the optimal prediction mode for the current PU, which can reduce many unnecessary prediction and calculation operations of HCost (Hadamard Cost) and RDCost (Rate Distortion Cost) in HEVC, thus saving much computation complexity for HEVC. Specially, in our scheme, firstly we group 35 intra prediction modes into 5 subsets of candidate modes list according to its texture information of edge in the current PU, and each subset only contains 11 intra prediction modes, which can greatly reduce many traversing number of candidate mode in RMD (Rough Mode Decision) from 35 to 11 prediction modes; Secondly we use the statistical probability of the first candidate modes in candidate modes list as well as MPM selected as the optimal prediction mode to reduce the number of candidate modes in RDO(Rate Distortion Optimization), which can reduce the number of candidate modes from 3+MPM or 8+MPM to 2 candidate modes; At last, we use the number of candidate modes determined above to quickly find the optimal prediction mode with the minimum RDCost by RDO process. As a result, the computational complexity of HEVC can be efficiently reduced by our proposed scheme. And the simulation results of our experiments show that our proposed intra mode prediction decision algorithm based on texture information grouping and statistical probability optimization in this paper can reduce about 46.13% computational complexity on average only at a cost of 0.67% bit rate increase and 0.056db PSNR decline compared with the standard reference HM16.1 algorithm.
Outcome of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in 121 Patients With Inborn Errors of Immunity: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: goudouris ekaterini , Pinto-Mariz Fernanda , Mendonça Leonardo Oliveira , Aranda Carolina Sanchez , Guimarães Rafaela Rolla , Kokron Cristina , Barros Myrthes Toledo , Anísio Flávia , Alonso Maria Luiza Oliva , Marcelino Fernanda , Valle Solange Oliveira Rodrigues , Junior Sergio Dortas , Barreto Irma Douglas Paes , Fernandes Janáira , Roxo Pérsio , Silva Almerinda , Campinho Fernanda Lugão , Bonfim Carmem , Loth Gisele , Fernandes Juliana Folloni , Garcia Julia Lopes , Capelo Albertina , Takano Olga Akiko , Nada Maria Isabel Valdomir , Toledo Eliana , Cunha Luciana Araújo Oliveira , Gesu Regina Sumiko Watanabe Di , Schidlowsk Laire , Fillipo Priscila , Bichuetti Danielli , Soldateli Gustavo , Ferraroni Natasha Rebouças , Dantas Ellen , Pestana Simone , Mansour Eli , Ulaf Raisa Gusso , Prando Carolina , Condino-Neto Antonio , Grumach Anete Sevciovic
Published: March 2021

Purpose: There is still scarce data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) and many questions. We aimed to describe the clinical outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazilian IEI patients and to identify factors influencing the outcome of infection.Methods: We did a cross-sectional, multicenter study that included patients of any age affected by IEI and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The variables studied were sex, age, type of IEI, comorbidities (number and type), treatment in use for IEI, clinical manifestations and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: 121 patients were included: 55.4% female, ages from six months to 74 yo (median age = 25.1 yo). Most patients had predominantly antibody deficiency (n=53). The infection presented mostly as asymptomatic (n=21) and mild (n=66), and one child had multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). We could not observe sex related susceptibility and observed a weak correlation between age and severity of infection. The number of comorbidities was higher in severe cases, particularly bronchiectasis and cardiopathy. There were no severe cases in hereditary angioedema patients. Six patients aged 2 to 74 years died, three of them with antibody deficiency. Conclusion: The outcome was mild in most patients, but the Case Fatality Ratio was higher than in the general population. Patients with complement deficiencies had milder COVID-19. However, the type of IEI was not a determining factor for severity. The severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection seems to be more related to older age, higher number of comorbidities and type of comorbidities (bronchiectasis and cardiopathy).
Down-regulated CLDN10 Predicts Favorable Prognosis and Correlates With Immune Infiltration in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Rao XiongHui , Jiang JianLong , Liang ZhiHao , Zhang JianBao , Zhuang ZheHong , Huang Rui , Qiu HuaiYu , Weng Nuoqing , Wu XiaoBin
Published: March 2021

Background: CLDN10, an important component of the tight junctions of epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in a variety of tumors. The effect of CLDN10 expression in gastric cancer, however, has yet to be elucidated.Methods: Differential expression of CLDN10 was evaluated using Oncomine, ULCAN, and TIMER2.0 databases. Correlations between CLDN10 expression and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer were explored by Kaplan-Meier Plotter. The correlations between CLDN10 expression and immune cell infiltration and somatic copy number mutation (SCNA) in gastric cancer were explored by TIMER2.0 and GEPIA2.0.Results: CLDN10 expression was lower in gastric cancer compared to adjacent normal tissues, and associated with better prognosis. CLDN10 also showed significant differences at different T stages, Lauren classification, treatments and HER2 status. Low expression of CLDN10 was associated with increased infiltration levels of certain immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, it was found that different somatic copy number changes (SCNA) in CLDN10 might affect the level of immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, the expression of CLDN10 was significantly associated with the expression of several immune cell markers, especially B cell markers, follicular helper T cell (Tfh) markers and T cell exhaustion markers.Conclusion: CLDN10 may act as a potential prognostic biomarker and correlate to immune infiltration levels in gastric cancer.
Validity and Reliability of the Georgian-language Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) 
Authors: Botchorishvili Nazibrola , Shiukashvili Nino , Mikeladze Nina , Dzagnidze Ann , Miqava Nino , Tighashvili Maia , Janelidze Marina
Published: March 2021

Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the common features of multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite high prevalence, cognitive decline is often overlooked by neurologists. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) was therefore introduced by the international expert committee as a brief and effective tool for the assessment and monitoring of cognitive functions in patients with MS. The validity and reliability of BICAMS have been demonstrated in many countries. Our aim was to validate the BICAMS in Georgian patients with MS.Methods: A total of 68 patients with MS and 68 matched controls were assessed by the Georgian-language BICAMS. All healthy controls and seven patients were re-evaluated with identical tests to assess retest reliability. Results: In comparison to healthy controls, patients with MS performed significantly worse on all tests in the assessment battery. Test-retest reliability measures were good for all tests. The prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with MS was 43%. Conclusion: The Georgian-language BICAMS is a reliable and valid battery for the assessment of cognitive function in patients with MS.
WITHDRAWN: Knowledge and Attitudes of Young Adults Towards Donation of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma and Its Therapeutic Properties
Authors: Perenc Lidia , Pęczkowski Ryszard
Published: March 2021

Objectives: To investigate the level of knowledge of the young adults towards possible use of the convalescent plasma (CP) in treatment of COVID-19 infection and their attitudes towards its donation.Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire was administered online to 1058 university students, representing 4 different colleges, in the middle of the academic year. The questionnaire included demographic data and 20 questions related to the knowledge and attitudes of respondents about possible use of the convalescent plasma in treatment of COVID-19 infection and its donation. Comparative analyses were made to determine the significance of relationships between the obtained scores and selected variables, using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests and the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: Significant relationships were found between dependent variables (level of knowledge and intensity of attitude) and gender, age, and student’s college affiliation. There was no statistically significant correlation between dependent variables and respondents’ social background and religious commitment.Conclusions: Young adults, represented by university students, show an above-average level of knowledge relating to the therapeutic and preventive properties of the COVID-19 convalescent plasma. They also express a sufficient intensity of positive attitude towards CP donation. This study confirms the need for appropriate health promotional campaigns and educational programs aimed at popularization of CP donation in general public which would increase the chances of involving more patients recovered from COVID-19 disease.
SETD2 and miR-21 as therapeutic targets for NUT midline carcinoma
Authors: Yoshida Nana , Okumura Shunsuke , Sasaki Takaaki , Chiba Shin-ichi , Sado Masatoshi , Oyama Kyohei , Yoshida Ryohei , Hirai Noriko , Minami Yoshinori , Kitada Masahiro , Ohsaki Yoshinobu
Published: March 2021

Background:Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare and highly aggressive tumor with the bromodomain containing 4 (BRD4)-NUT (NUTM1) gene fusion. BRD4 is a member of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family of proteins, and BET inhibitors have been investigated in NMC clinical trials. However, few targeted therapies are available for NMC, and novel therapeutic targets remain to be determined. We determined the role of two epigenetic regulators as possible therapeutic targets for NMC. Methods:We performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) in NMC cell lines (HCC2429 and Ty82). H3K36me3 expression was studied using western blotting. The efficacy of AZD1775, a WEE1 inhibitor, was evaluated using the MTS and γH2AX assays. We established an NMC cell line that was resistant to BET inhibitors. The sensitivity of the cells resistant to AZD1775 was analyzed using the MTS assay. RNA sequencing was performed to determine miRNA expression levels. TaqMan miRNA assays were used to analyze miR-21 expression. The efficacy of the miR-21 inhibitor was evaluated using the MTS assay. We established a digital PCR (dPCR) assay to detect NUT gene rearrangements to identify patients with NMC. Using NGS, a patient with NMC was identified with the SETD2 mutation.Results:SETD2 mutation (p.Ser2382fs) was determined in NMC cells, in which H3K36me3 expression was depleted, indicating SETD2 loss. NMC cells were sensitive to the WEE1 inhibitor, AZD1775 in cancer cells with SETD2 deficiency. γH2AX expression was increased in NMC cells treated with AZD1775. The efficacy of the combination of AZD1775 and JQ-1 was additive. We established NMC cells that were resistant to BET inhibitors. The resistant cells were also sensitive to AZD1775. miRNA analysis revealed increased miR-21 expression in BET-inhibitor-resistant NMC cells. MiR-21 regulated the growth of NMCs. The miR-21 inhibitor suppressed the growth of BET-inhibitor-resistant cells. Thirty-two clinical samples were analyzed and NMC was identified using digital PCR assays. Tumors with the SETD2 mutation were analyzed using NGS.Conclusions:We report for the first time SET domain-containing protein 2 (SETD2) deficiency and miR-21 as novel therapeutic targets for NMC. SETD2 loss and miR-21 may be therapeutic targets for NMC.Trial registrationIn this study, we analyzed the gene alterations in human tumor samples. This study was registered in the UMIN clinical trial registered system (UMIN000043147, January 27, 2021).