bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethical Process and Medical Consideration on the Viability Limit of the Extreme Premature in Northeast Mexico
Authors: Arízaga-Ballesteros Victor , Santos-Guzman Jesus
Published: May 2021

One of the big challenge of neonatologists is the decision on the viability and need of treatment of an extreme preterm newborn. Even with all the technological and scientific advances only preterm at 23 week of gestation are able to survive, but frequently with many complications. Neonatologist face an ethical dilemma and many of them put the decisions of initiate medical treatment as shared decisions between parents and practitioners. For many neonatologists in northeast of Mexico states the real viability limit is 26 gestational weeks.
In this paper, we discuss the ethical principles involved in the decision of the limits of viability, the natural law paradigm, the deontology, the utilitarianism and the bioethics principles. The way this decision is constructed is not universal, because it is culturally influenced, and depends on experience, scientific and ethical knowledge. Many neonatologists do not know in deep the ethical principles needed to make these decisions and act more intuitively.
Design of Internal Flow Passage of Internal Chip Removal Drill for Suction Type Internal Chip Removal System
Authors: Wang Meng , Xu Chengyang , Zou Aili , Wang Gongdong , wang Yiwen , Yao Songyang , Jin Lei
Published: May 2021

Aiming at the current problem that the cutting chips cannot be automatically recovered in the hole-making process of carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composites, This article first introduces a new type of drilling chip removal technology system-suction type internal chip removal system, which can timely and effectively discharge the powdery chips generated in CFRP hole processing during cutting; Secondly, in view of the problem of the internal runner design of the internal chip removal drill used in the system, this article conducted the following research: 1) Based on cutting experiments and statistical methods, classify the chips produced in CFRP hole making, and give the chip distribution rules; 2) Secondly, on the basis of fluid mechanics, using FLUENT simulation method, on the basis of defining the center distance and center angle of the inner runner for the design of the internal chip removal drill bit, the center distance and the center angle of the inner runner are given. The influence law of the chip removal center angle and the cross-sectional shape of the internal runner on the chip removal effect of the tool internal runner; 2) Based on fluid mechanics, using FLUENT simulation method, on the basis of defining the center distance of the inner runner and the center angle of the inner runner, the center distance of the inner runner, the center angle and the cross-sectional shape of the inner runner are given to the tool The influence law of the chip removal effect of the internal runner; Finally, a suction type internal chip removal system was built, and the experimental method was used to verify the correctness of the internal runner design of the internal chip removal tool.
Sch-net: A Deep Learning Architecture for Automatic Schizophrenia Setection
Authors: Fu Jia , Yang Sen , He Fei , He Ling , Li Yuanyuan , Zhang Jing , Xiong Xi
Published: May 2021

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disease, which largely influences the daily life and work of patients. In the clinic, schizophrenia with negative symptoms is usually misdiagnosed and hardly treated. The diagnosis is also dependent on the experience of clinicians. It is urgent to develop an objective and effective method to diagnose schizophrenia with negative symptoms. Recent studies had shown that impaired speech could be considered as an indicator to diagnose schizophrenia. The literature about schizophrenia speech detection was mainly based on feature engineering, in which effective feature extraction is difficult because of the variability of speech signals. Methods: A novel deep learning architecture based on a convolutional neural network, termed Sch-net, is designed for end-to-end schizophrenia speech detection in this work. It avoids the procedure of artificial feature extraction and combines the advantages of skip connections and attention mechanism to discriminate schizophrenia patients and controls. Results: We validate our Sch-net through ablation experiments on a schizophrenia speech dataset that contains 28 schizophrenia patients and 28 healthy controls. The comparisons with the models based on feature engineering and classic deep neural networks are also conducted. The experimental results show that the Sch-net has a great performance on schizophrenia speech detection task, which can achieve 97.76% accuracy on the schizophrenia speech dataset. To further verify the generalization of our model, the Sch-net is tested on open access LANNA children speech database for specific language impairment detection. Our code is available at https://github.com/Scu-sen/Sch-net. Conclusions: Extensive experiments show that the proposed Sch-net can provide the aided information for the diagnosis of schizophrenia speech and specific language impairment.
The 30 October 2020, Mw 7.0, Samos Earthquake: Aftershock Relocation, Slip Model, Coulomb Stress Evolution and Estimation of Shaking
Authors: Lentas Konstantinos , Gkarlaouni Charikleia , Kalligeris Nikos , MELIS NIKOLAOS S.
Published: May 2021

We study the major Mw 7.0, 30 October 2020, Samos earthquake and its aftershocks, by calculating improved locations using differential travel times and waveform cross-correlations.We image the rupture of the mainshock using local strong motion data, and we examine the Coulomb stress evolution prior to the mainshock, as well as the coseismic stress changes. Lastly, we estimate the produced shaking using all the available information from strong motion data and testimonies. Earthquake relocations reveal the activation of the E-W oriented, Kaystrios fault, in the North basin of Samos with a possible extension to the West. The kinematic rupture inversion suggests non-uniform bilateral rupture on a ~60 km × ~20 km fault area, with the main rupture propagating towards the West and maximum slip up to approximately 2.5 m. Improved locations of the aftershock sequence are anti-correlated with areas of maximum slip on the fault surface. Similarly, the Coulomb stress change calculations show that only off-fault earthquake clusters are located within lobes of increasing positive static stress changes. This observation is consistent with assuming a fault area of either uniform slip, or variable slip according to the obtained slip model. Both scenarios indicate typical stress patterns for a normal fault with E-W orientation, with stress lobes of positive ΔCFF increments expanding in E-W orientation. In the case of the variable slip model, both negative and positive stress changes show slightly larger values compared to the uniform slip model. Finally, Modified Mercalli Intensities based on the fault model obtained in this study indicate maximum intensity (VII+) in the North Samos island. Spectral acceleration values at 0.3 s period also demonstrate the damaging situation at Izmir.
Dietary pectin caused greatly changes in bile acid profiles of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco
Authors: Cao Xiamin , Ren Shengjie , Cai Chunfang , Ni Qin , Li Xinyue , Meng Yunhe , Meng Zijing , Shi Ye , Chen Huangen , Jiang Rong , Wu Ping , Ye Yuantu
Published: May 2021

To reveal the impact of dietary fiber (DF) on the bile acid (BA) profiles of fish, yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) were fed diet containing 300 g kg-1 dextrin (CON diet, control) or pectin (a type of soluble DF, PEC diet) for 7 days, and then the BA profiles were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS. A total of 26 individuals of BAs were detected in the fish body, with 8, 10, 14, and 22 individuals of BAs were detected in the liver, serum, bile and hindgut digesta, respectively. The conjugated BAs (CBAs) of fish were dominated by taurine-CBAs (TCBAs). The concentrations of free BAs (FBAs) and the values of FBAs/CBAs in the bile of fish fed the PEC diet were nearly 5 and 7 times higher, respectively, than those in fish fed the CON diet. The values of glycine-CBAs/TCBAs in the liver, serum and bile of fish fed the PEC diet were significantly lower, and in the hindgut digesta was higher than that of fish fed the CON diet (P < 0.05). These results suggested that dietary pectin greatly changed the BA profiles of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, attributed to inhibition of reabsorption of BAs. Therefore, attention should be paid to the impact to BA homeostasis when replacing fishmeal with DF-rich plant ingredients in the fish diet.
Process Analysis and Roller Optimization of Micro-Groove Multi-Pass Rolling
Authors: Wang Huihang , Gao Xujie , Zhu Guangming , Chang Zheng , Guo Nana , Wang Zongshen , Zhu Lihua
Published: May 2021

Micro-grooves with special structure can reduce the surface friction resistance. Rolling method can be used to form micro-grooves on metal surface efficiently. However, the micro grooves formed by this plastic forming method still had some defects, which had a serious negative impact on the drag reduction and mechanical properties of the micro grooves. Therefore, it is of great significance to optimize the multi pass rolling process to avoid the micro-groove defects. In this paper, a series of analysis on the microstructure, strain and material displacement of micro-grooves were carried out to explain the causes of micro groove defects. It was found that the overall extension of the plate has an adverse effect on the formation of micro-grooves and the hole types of the roller were optimized accordingly. The results of simulation and experiment showed that the optimized roller could produce the designed micro-groove, which perfectly avoided the generation of micro defects.
New Target of Oxidative Stress Regulation in Cochleae：Alternative Splicing of the p62/Sqstm1 gene
Authors: Li Pengjun , Bing Dan , Wang Xiaodi , Chen Jin , Du Zhihui , Sun Yanbo , Qi Fan , Chu Hanqi
Published: May 2021

To examine the oxidative stress and the antioxidant response of p62-Keap1-Nrf2 pathway in cochleae during age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and then elucidate the function of full-length and variant p62/Sqstm1 (referred to here as p62) in the regulation of Nrf2 activation. Cochlear damage was assessed by analyzing auditory brainstem response (ABR) and by counting hair cells (HCs). For oxidative stress detection, the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and 7, 8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) expression in the cochleae was measured by assay kits and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of full-length and variant p62 in cochleae, hippocampus (HIP) and auditory cortex (AC) was found by western blotting; For the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway activation, the Nrf2 nuclear translocation and the Nrf2 target genes HO-1/NQO-1 expression was detected by western blotting and qRT-PCR, respectively. The oxidative function of full-length and variant p62 was examined in HEI-OC-1 cells by flow cytometry. The results showed hearing loss and cochlear hair cell loss was associated with MDA accumulation and 8-oxoG expression during ARHL and NIHL. Nrf2 showed no obvious changes in nuclear protein. Expression levels mRNA for HO-1 and NQO1 was lower in old mice and mildly greater in AT Mice. The expression of p62 splicing variant lacking the Keap1-interacting region was greater than full-length p62 in cochleae. However, the expression of p62 splicing variant was lesser than full-length p62 in HIP and AC. For HEI-OC-1 cells, high expression of full-length p62 decreased ROS levels induced by H2O2. Oxidative stress is closely related to ARHL and NIHL. Changing the ratio of full-length to variant p62 protein expression may be a new target to reduce the level of oxidative stress in cochleae.
Trait Gradients Predict Global Warming Changes in Seagrass Meadows
Authors: Pansini Arianna , Manna Gabriella La , Pinna Federico , Stipcich Patrizia , Ceccherelli Giulia
Published: May 2021

Comparing populations across temperature gradients can inform how global warming will impact the structure and function of ecosystems. Shoot density, morphometry and productivity of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to temperature variation was quantified at eight locations in Sardinia (western Mediterranean Sea) along a natural sea surface temperature (SST) gradient. The locations are spanned for a narrow range of latitude (1.5°), allowing the minimization of the effect of eventual photoperiod variability. Mean SST predicted P. oceanica meadow structure, with increased temperature correlated with higher shoot density, but lower leaf and rhizome width, and rhizome biomass. Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) strongly impacted seagrass traits independent of SST. Disentangling the effects of SST and Chl-a on seagrass meadow density revealed that they work independently, but in the same direction with potential synergism.Space-for-time substitution predicts that global warming will trigger denser seagrass meadows with slender shoots, fewer leaves, and strongly impact seagrass ecosystem. Future investigations should evaluate if global warming will erode the ecosystem services provided by seagrass meadows.
Addressing Child Health Inequity Through Case Management of Under-Five Malaria in Nigeria: An Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Dasgupta Rishav Raj , Mao Wenhui , Ogbuoji Osondu
Published: May 2021

BackgroundUnder-five malaria in Nigeria is a leading cause of global child mortality, accounting for 95,000 annual child deaths. This is largely due to high out-of-pocket medical expenditure, which discourages care-seeking and use of effective antimalarials in the poorest households. Resultingly, Nigeria has some of the worst indicators of child health equity in the world, stressing the need to evaluate the outcomes of potential interventions across socioeconomic lines. Methods Using a decision tree model, we conducted an extended cost-effectiveness analysis of subsidies covering the direct and indirect costs of case management of under-five malaria in Nigeria. We estimated the number of child deaths averted, out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure averted, cases of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) averted, and cost of implementation. We assumed pro-poor increase in treatment uptake, as the malaria burden in Nigeria disproportionately affects the poor.FindingsFully subsidizing direct medical costs and instating a voucher system covering non-medical and indirect costs would annually avert over 19,000 under-five deaths, 8,600 cases of CHE, and US$205.2 million in OOP spending. Per US$1 million invested, this corresponds to an annual reduction of 76 under-five deaths, 34 cases of CHE, and over US$800,000 in OOP expenditure. On account of low initial treatment coverage in poorer socioeconomic groups, health and financial-risk protection benefits would be pro-poor, with the poorest 40% of Nigerians accounting for 72% of all deaths averted, 55% of all OOP expenditure averted, and 74% of all cases of CHE averted. Subsidies targeted to the poor would see greater benefits per dollar spent than broad, non-targeted subsidies.ConclusionSubsidizing case management of under-five malaria for the poorest and most vulnerable would reduce illness-related impoverishment and child mortality in Nigeria while preserving limited financial resources. This study is an example of how focusing a targeted policy-intervention on a single, high-burden disease can yield large health and financial-risk protection benefits in a low and middle-income country context and address equity consideration in evidence-informed policymaking.
Tail-states induced appearance of conductor‑like behaviour in zinc‑tin‑oxide photo‑thinfilm transistors under sub-bandgap light excitation
Authors: Dhara Soumen , Niang Kham , Flewitt Andrew , Nathan Arokia , Lynch Stephen
Published: May 2021

We report on a strong persistent photoconductivity (PPC) induced appearance of conductor‑like behaviour in zinc-tin-oxide (ZTO) photo-thinfilm transistors (TFT). The active ZTO channel layer was prepared by remote-plasma reactive sputtering and possesses an amorphous structure. Under sub-bandgap excitation of ZTO with UV light, the photocurrent reaches as high as ~10-4 A (a photo-to-dark current ratio of ~107) and remains close to this high value after switching off the light. During this time, the ZTO TFT exhibits strong PPC with long-lasting recovery time, which leads the appearance of the conductor‑like behaviour in ZTO semiconductor. In the present case, the conductivity changes over six orders of magnitude, from ~10-7 to 0.92 Ω-1cm-1. After UV exposure, the ZTO compound can potentially remain in the conducting state for up to a month. The underlying physics of the observed PPC effect is investigated by studying defects (deep-states and tail-states) by employing a discharge current analysis (DCA) technique. Findings from the DCA study reveal direct evidence for the involvement of sub-gap tail-states of the ZTO in the strong PPC, while deep-states contribute to mild PPC.
Real-time selective sequencing using nanopores and deep learning
Authors: Danilevsky Artem , Polsky Avital Luba , Shomron Noam
Published: May 2021

Nanopore sequencing is an emerging technology that utilizes a unique method of reading nucleic acid sequences and, at the same time, it detects various chemical modifications. Deep learning has increased in popularity as a useful technique to solve many complex computational tasks. Selective sequencing has been widely used in genomic research; although it introduces several caveats to the process of sequencing, its advantages supersede them. In this study we demonstrate an alternative method of software-based selective sequencing that is performed in real time by combining nanopore sequencing and deep learning. Our results show the feasibility of using deep learning for classifying signals from only the first 200 nucleotides in a raw nanopore sequencing signal format. Using custom deep learning models and a script utilizing "Read-Until" framework to target mitochondrial molecules in real time from a human cell line sample, we achieved a significant separation and enrichment ability of more than 2-fold. In a series of very short sequencing runs (10, 30, and 120 minutes), we identified genomic and mitochondrial reads with accuracy above 90%, although mitochondrial DNA comprises only 0.1% of the total input material. We believe that our results will lay the foundation for rapid and selective sequencing using nanopore technology and will pave the way for future clinical applications using nanopore sequencing data.
Optimal Classification of Atrial Fibrillation and Congestive Heart Failure Using Machine Learning
Authors: Fuadah Yunendah Nur , Lim Ki Moo
Published: May 2021

Cardiovascular disorders, including atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF), are the major causes of mortality worldwide. The diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders is heavily reliant on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Therefore, extracting significant features from ECG signals is the most challenging aspect to represent each condition of the ECG signals. Earlier studies have claimed that the Hjorth descriptor is assigned as a simple feature extraction algorithm that has the capability of class separation among AF, CHF, and normal sinus rhythm (NSR) conditions. However, owing to noise interference, certain features do not represent the characteristics of the ECG signals. This study addressed this important gap by applying a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) prior to applying the Hjorth descriptor as a feature extraction method. Furthermore, the feature selection process and optimization of various classifier algorithms, including k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN), were investigated to provide the best system performance. This study obtained accuracies of 95 %, 92 %, and 95 % for the k-NN, SVM, and ANN classifiers, respectively. The results demonstrated that the optimization of the classifier algorithm could improve the classification accuracy of AF, CHF, and NSR conditions, compared to earlier studies.
The patients’ perspective on the burden of idiopathic intracranial Hypertension
Authors: Witry Max , Kindler Christine , Weller Johannes , Linder Andreas , Wüllner Ullrich
Published: May 2021

Background:
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by increased intracranial pressure without evidence of a tumor or any other underlying cause. Headache and visual disturbances are frequent complaints of IIH patients, but little is known about other symptoms. In this study, we evaluated the patients’ perspective on the burden of IIH.
Methods:
For this cross-sectional study, we developed an online survey for patients with IIH containing standardized evaluations of headache (HIT-6), sleep (PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scale) and depression (MDI) in relation to BMI, lumbar puncture opening pressure (LP OP) and treatment.
Results:
Between December 2019 and February 2020, 306 patients completed the survey. 285 (93%) were female, mean age was 36.6 years (± 10.8), mean BMI 34.2 (± 7.3) and mean LP OP at diagnosis was 37.8 cmH2O (± 9.5). 219 (72%) of the participants were obese (BMI ≥ 30); 251 (82%) reported severe impacting headaches, 140 (46%) were suffering from sleep disturbances and 169 (56%) from depression. Higher MDI scores correlated with higher BMI and increased sleep disturbances. Patients with a normalized LP opening pressure reported less headaches, less sleep disturbances and less depression than those with a constantly elevated opening pressure.
Conclusion:
In addition to headaches and visual disturbances, sleep disturbances and depression are frequent symptoms in IIH and contribute to the patients’ burden. Structured questionnaires can help to identify IIH patients’ needs and can lead to personalized and better treatment.
Malaria and Pneumonia Effects on Rice, Vanilla Production and Rural Household Income In Madagascar: A Quantitative Study
Authors: Razakamanana Marilys Victoire , Audibert Martine , Andrianatoandro Voahirana Tantely
Published: May 2021

Background: In Madagascar, malaria remains the leading cause of consultation and deaths at hospital at all ages and pneumonia is one of the main causes of the under-five mortality and account for 45% of children hospitalizations. The number of cases and deaths has not decreased during the last ten years. This paper aims to determine the effects of malaria and pneumonia on rice and vanilla production and income.Methods: We use data from survey lead by the authors on 975 households and 3,586 individuals of the SAVA region in the northeast of Madagascar. After checking the presence of endogeneity, ordinary least-square method was used instead of two-stage least squares.Results: Our results showed that malaria has no effect on production, and therefore does not affect income. Pneumonia has an effect on production of rice and vanilla. Moreover, the cost of malaria and pneumonia healthcare burdened by households affect their consumption. Conclusions: Therefore, pneumonia should be considered in the same way as malaria due to its effects on production and investment to fight against these two diseases must be strengthened in order to decrease the costs for the households.
Comparison of single and repeated dosing of anti-inflammatory human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells in a mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis
Authors: Fazekas Barbara , Alagesan Senthilkumar , Watson Luke , Ng Olivia , Conroy Callum M. , Català Cristina , Andres Maria Velascode , Negi Neema , Gerlach Jared Q. , Lozano Francisco , Elliman Stephen J. , Griffin Matthew D.
Published: May 2021

Background
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) ameliorate pre-clinical sepsis and sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) but clinical trials of single-dose MSCs have not indicated robust efficacy. This study investigated immunomodulatory effects of a novel MSC product (CD362-selected human umbilical cord-derived MSCs [hUC-MSCs]) in mouse endotoxemia and polymicrobial sepsis models.
Methods
Initially, mice received intra-peritoneal (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) followed by single i.p. doses of hUC-MSCs or vehicle. Next, mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) followed by intravenous (i.v.) doses of hUC-MSCs at 4 hours or 4 and 28 hours. Analyses included serum/plasma assays of biochemical indices, inflammatory mediators and the AKI biomarker NGAL; multi-color flow cytometry of peritoneal macrophages (LPS) and intra-renal immune cell subpopulations (CLP) and histology/immunohistochemistry of kidney (CLP).
Results
At 72 hours post-LPS injections, hUC-MSCs reduced serum inflammatory mediators and peritoneal macrophage M1/M2 ratio. Repeated, but not single, hUC-MSC doses administered at 48 hours post-CLP resulted in increased survival, lower serum concentrations of inflammatory mediators, lower plasma NGAL and reversal of sepsis-associated depletion of intra-renal T-cell and myeloid cell subpopulations. Hierarchical clustering analysis of all 48-hour serum/plasma analytes demonstrated partial co-clustering of repeated-dose hUC-MSC CLP animals with a Sham group but did not reveal a distinct signature of response to therapy.
Conclusions
It was concluded that repeated doses of CD362-selected hUC-MSCs are required to modulate systemic and local immune/inflammatory events in polymicrobial sepsis and SA-AKI. Inter-individual variability and lack of effect of single dose MSC administration in the CLP model are consistent with observations to date from early-phase clinical trials.
The ring of truth: Irrelevant insights make worldviews seem true
Authors: Laukkonen Ruben , Kaveladze Benjamin , Protzko John , Tangen Jason , von Hippel William , Schooler Jonathan
Published: May 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Timing is everything: Early and late neural measures of auditory habituation and discrimination in autism and their relationship to autistic traits and sensory overresponsivity
Authors: Cary Emily , Pacheco Devon , Kaplan-Kahn Elizabeth , McKernan Elizabeth , Prieve Beth , Russo Natalie
Published: May 2021

BackgroundSensory differences are included in the DSM-5 criteria of autism for the first time, yet it is unclear how sensory behaviors are related to neural indicators of perception. We sought to disentangle this complex relationship by studying early brain signatures of perception using event-related potentials (ERPs) and examining their relationship to sensory overresponsivity and autistic traits.MethodsThirteen autistic children and 13 Typically Developing (TD) children matched on chronological age and nonverbal IQ participated in a passive oddball task, in which P1 habituation and P1 and MMN discrimination were evoked by pure tones. ERPs were compared between groups, and correlations were conducted between ERPs and autistic traits and sensory features.ResultsAutistic children had marginally enhanced neural discrimination and reduced habituation to auditory stimuli compared to the TD group. Better P1 and MMN discrimination and lower P1 habituation corresponded with more autistic traits. Further, the MMN component, but not P1 components, mapped on to sensory overresponsivity.LimitationsStimuli in the oddball paradigm were not counterbalanced in their presentation as standards or deviants, and participants were not directly asked about their reactions to the auditory stimuli, which would be advantageous in determining whether appraisal of stimuli moderates neural response. The sample size is small and warrants replication.ConclusionsSignificant correlations between auditory ERP components and autistic traits, even when group differences were not present, suggests benefits to taking a more dimensional approach to autism than using strictly categorical methods. Our findings highlight the significance of temporal and contextual factors in neural information processing as it relates to autistic traits and sensory behaviors.
The treatment experience of chronic suppurative spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine
Authors: Hu Chao , Wang Linlong , Deng Zhouming , Xie Yuanlong , Zhu Xiaobin , Ren Bin , Cai Lin , Jin Wei , Wei Renxiong
Published: May 2021

Background

This study investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic experience, including conservative, endoscopic and surgical methods, of chronic suppurative spondylitis.
Methods

A total of 39 patients were included in the imageological, laboratory, and pathological examinations. The patients underwent conservative treatment or operation according to their respective conditions. We used erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive proteins (CRP) to evaluate the state of the illness, visual analogue scales (VAS) to assess lower back and lower limb pain, and the oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) to assess the degree of functional disability. All patients were followed up for 12–36 months.
Results

Two patients were treated conservatively with antibiotics for 6–8 weeks, while 34 patients underwent different open surgeries, including two cases who underwent second stage surgery. Endoscopic surgery was operated on 3 patients under acute inflammatory stage. All patients' body temperature, VAS score, ESR, and CRP decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Imaging showed that lesions were stationary and that bone fusion occurred 8–14 months after surgery, with an average of 10.00 ± 0.92 months.
Conclusions

Clinicians should acquire a detailed medical history and evaluate the laboratory and imaging results comprehensively to select an appropriate treatment plan. Treatment, including the choosing of an adequate surgical method, should be based on the purpose of the operation and the patient's general condition.
Context-dependent DNA Polymerization Effects Can Masquerade as DNA Modification Signals
Authors: Takahashi Yusuke , Shoura Massa , Fire Andrew , Morishita Shinichi
Published: May 2021

BackgroundSingle molecule measurements of DNA polymerization kinetics provide a sensitive means to detect both secondary structures in DNA and deviations from primary chemical structure as a result of modified bases. In one approach to such analysis, deviations can be inferred by monitoring the behavior of DNA polymerase using single-molecule, real-time sequencing with zero-mode waveguide. This approach measures the time between fluorescence pulse signals from consecutive nucleosides incorporated during DNA replication, called the interpulse duration (IPD). ResultsIn this paper we present an analysis of loci with high IPDs in two genomes, a bacterial genome (E. coli) and a eukaryotic genome (C. elegans). To distinguish the potential effects of DNA modification on DNA polymerization speed, we paired an analysis of native genomic DNA with whole-genome amplified (WGA) material in which DNA modifications were effectively removed. Modification sites for E. coli are known and we observed the expected IPD shifts at these sites in the native but not WGA samples. For C. elegans, such differences were not observed. Instead, we found a number of novel sequence contexts where IPDs were raised relative to the average IPDs for each of the four nucleotides, but for which the raised IPD was present in both native and WGA samples. ConclusionThe latter results argue strongly against DNA modification as the underlying driver for high IPD segments for C. elegans, and provide a framework for separating effects of DNA modification from context-dependent DNA polymerase kinetic patterns inherent in underlying DNA sequence for a complex eukaryotic genome.
Outcome of modular megaprosthesis in management of Campanacci Stage III Giant cell tumor around the knee - A Prospective Study
Authors: Nandi Ritwika , Das Pinaki , Nandi Sujit Narayan
Published: May 2021

Purpose : Juxta articular giant cell tumors around the knee constitute 50-60% of the total cases reported. If the disease is detected at an advanced stage, where it has already spread to extraosseous compartment or joint with pathological fractures, reconstruction of the joint after tumor excision poses problems and has poor functional outcome. In this article the functional outcome after resection of juxta-articular giant cell tumors around the knee and its reconstruction with mega prosthetic arthroplasty will be analyzed. Materials and methods: Between January 2017 and March 2021, 14 patients in the age group of 28- 48 years ( mean 42.85 years) with Campanacci Stage three giant cell tumors around the knee were studied . Distal femur was involved in 12 patients and proximal tibia in 2 patients. Patients underwent tumor excision and reconstruction with modular megaprosthesis. They were evaluated post-operatively using the Revised Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Score (MSTS) for lower limb. Results: All the patients were followed up for 12-44 months (mean 29.5 months), the average knee flexion at 6 months being 116.4 degrees. The Mean MSTS at 6 , 12 , 18 and 24 months are 19.45, 23.23, 26.61 and 28.77 respectively. Complications observed were infection and tumor recurrence. Conclusion: In advanced cases where tumor excision leaves large bone segment loss, reconstruction with megaprosthesis can give desirable functional outcome.
Induction of spermatogenesis by grafting neonatal mouse testicular tissue into epididymal fat of castrated adult mouse
Authors: Eyni Hossein , Mazaheri Zohreh , Far Roya Salehi , Moslemi Romisa , Moradi Erfan , Dickerson Taylor , Sadri-Ardekani Hooman , Movahedin Mansoureh
Published: May 2021

Chemotherapy treatment used for childhood cancer can cause irreversible infertility in many cancer survivors. Also, it has been known that epididymal fat is necessary for spermatogenesis. In this study, spermatogenesis development was evaluated after grafting of fresh and frozen-thawed neonatal mice testicular tissue fragments to epididymal fat of bilaterally castrated adult mice. Neonatal male mice as the donor and adult male mice as the recipient were used. After bilateral castration of recipient’s mice, fresh or frozen-thawed neonatal testis tissue fragments were grafted into recipient epididymal fat. Eight weeks after implantation, grafted testicular tissue were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, real time PCR, immunofluorescence staining and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The blood of the recipient mice was collected to measure Testosterone, FSH and LH levels. Eight weeks after implantation, a gradient of different types of germ cells from spermatogonia up to the elongated spermatids were seen. The meiotic and post-meiotic genes and proteins were upregulated in both fresh and frozen grafted groups and they confirmed the meiosis and post-meiotic progression in grafted tissues. The expression of apoptosis and necrosis genes showed no significant differences between the grafted and non-grafted control groups. There were no significant differences in hormonal assessments between control and experimental groups. Epididymal fat is an area with optimal hormonal and temperature conditions, which could support spermatogenesis in grafted immature testicular tissue. This method of grafting may pave a way for fertility preservation in childhood cancer survivors.
First detailed description of the nervous system of the most complex lophophore and evolution of Brachiopoda
Authors: Temereva Elena , Kuzmina Tatyana
Published: May 2021

The lophophore is a tentacle organ unique to the lophophorates. Recent research has revealed that the organization of the nervous and muscular systems of the lophophore is similar in phoronids, brachiopods, and bryozoans. At the same time, the evolution of the lophophore in certain lophophorates is still being debated. Innervation of the lophophore has been studied for only two brachiopod species belonging to two subphyla: Linguliformea and Rhynchonelliformea. Species from both groups have the spirolophe, which is the most common type of the lophophore among brachiopods. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy to describe the innervation of the most complex lophophore (the plectolophe) of the rhynchonelliform species Coptothyris grayi. The C. grayi lophophore (the plectolophe) is innervated by three brachial nerves: the main, second accessory, and lower. Thus, the plectolophe lacks the accessory brachial nerve, which is typically present in other studied brachiopods. All C. grayi brachial nerves contain two types of perikarya. Because the accessory nerve is absent, the cross nerves, which pass into the connective tissue, have a complex morphology and two ascending and one descending branches. The outer and inner tentacles are innervated by several groups of neurite bundles: one frontal, two lateral, two abfrontal, and two latero-abfrontal (the latter is present in only the outer tentacles). Tentacle nerves originate from the second accessory and lower brachial nerves. The inner and outer tentacles are also innervated by numerous peritoneal neurites, which exhibit acetylated alpha-tubulin immunoreactivity. This result supports the following previously proposed hypothesis about the evolution of the lophophore in brachiopods: the morphology of the lophophore has evolved from simple to complex, whereas the innervation of the lophophore has evolved from complex to simple; the latter is indicated by a smaller number of lophophoral nerve tracts in species with complex lophophores. The reduction of the accessory brachial nerve and diminution of the main brachial nerve are associated with general reduction of the prosoma in brachiopods.
Inferring global-scale temporal latent topics from news reports to predict public health interventions for COVID-19
Authors: Wen Zhi , Powell Guido , Chafi Imane , Buckeridge David L , Li Yue
Published: May 2021

The COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the importance of non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) for controlling epidemics of emerging infectious diseases. Despite the importance of NPI, their implementation has been monitored in an ad hoc and uncoordinated manner, mainly through the manual efforts of volunteers. Given the absence of systematic NPI tracking, authorities and researchers are limited in their ability to quantify the effectiveness of NPI and guide decisions regarding their use during the progression of a global pandemic. To address this issue, we propose 3-stage machine learning framework called EpiTopics to facilitate the surveillance of NPI by mining the vast amount of unlabelled news reports about these interventions. Building on topic modeling, our method characterizes online government reports and media articles related to COVID-19 as a mixture of latent topics. Our key contribution is the use of transfer-learning to address the limited number of NPI-labelled documents and topic modelling to support interpretation of the results. At stage 1, we trained a modified version of the unsupervised dynamic embedded topic model (DETM) on 1.2 million international news reports related to COVID-19. At stage 2, we used the trained DETM to infer topic mixture from a small set of 2000 NPI-labelled WHO documents as the input features for predicting NPI labels on each document. At stage 3, we supply the inferred country-level temporal topics from the DETM to the pretrained document-level NPI classifier to predict country-level NPIs. We identified 25 interpretable topics, over 4 distinct and coherent COVID-related themes. These topics contributed to significant improvements in predicting the NPIs labelled in the WHO documents and in predicting country-level NPIs. Together, our work lay the machine learning methodological foundation for future research in global-scale surveillance of public health interventions. The EpiTopics code is available at GitHub: https://github.com/li-lab-mcgill/covid-npi.
Diode physical-limit-bandwidth efficient rectification
Authors: Gyawali Babita , Thapa Samundra , Barakat Adel , Yoshitomi Kuniaki , Pokharel Ramesh
Published: May 2021

Generally, a conventional voltage doubler circuit possesses a large variation of its input impedance over the bandwidth, which results in limited bandwidth and low RF-dc conversion efficiency. A basic aspect for designing wideband voltage doubler rectifiers is the use of complex matching circuits to achieve decade and octave impedance and RF-dc conversion efficiency bandwidths. Still, the reported techniques till now have been accompanied by a large fluctuation of the RF-dc conversion efficiency over the operating bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a novel rectification circuit with minimal inter-stage matching that consists of a single short-circuit stub and a virtual battery, which contributes negligible losses and overcomes these existing problems. Consequently, the proposed rectifier circuit achieves a diode physical-limit-bandwidth efficient rectification. In other words, the rectification bandwidth, as well as the peak efficiency, are controlled by the length of the stub and the physical limitation of the diodes.
Comparison of Lipid Profiles Between Pediatric Living- and Deceased-Donor Liver Recipients
Authors: Dehghani Seyed Mohsen , Najafi Roya , Mehdizadegan Nima , Mohammadi Hamid
Published: May 2021

Background: Hyperlipidemia is very common after liver transplantation and can be observed in up to 71% of patients. The etiology of lipid disorders in these patients is multifactorial, with different lipid profiles observed depending on the immunosuppressive agents administered and the presence of additional risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus and nutrition. The aim of the present study is to compare the lipid profile in liver transplant recipients from living-related and deceased donors.Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study performed in Shiraz University of Medical Science between 2005 till 2018. Patients under 18 years old who received liver transplant were included in the study and divided in 2 groups who received from living-related and deceased donors and lipid profiles were compared between two groups.Results: 397 patients were included in the study, in the first group 234 received liver from deceased donor and in second group 161 from living-related donor. The mean TG and HDL level were 133 mg/dL and 46 mg/dL in the first group and 118 mg/dL and 54 mg/dL in the second group while the differences were statistically significant.Conclusion: Patients who received liver from a living-related donor have a significantly lower TG and higher HDL and a lower cardiovascular risk.
The technique of wavelet transforms in the computer-aided system for controlling the unmanned dump trucks movement
Authors: Chicherin Ivan V.
Published: May 2021

Introduction, purpose of the work. Within the framework of the computer-aided system, the technology of a method is formed to control the current trajectories (CT) of unmanned vehicles (UMV) when they move along quarry routes in open-pit mining. The purpose of the presented research is to analyze the application of the wavelet transforms technique to the problem of routing unmanned vehicles when they move along quarry routes. Methodology. The results of modeling one-dimensional signals corresponding to the UMV current trajectories are presented, when the latters deviate to the left / right from the nominal axial trajectory (NAT), as well as their time-frequency distributions in the wavelet medium. The algorithm of the procedure for displaying scalar signals is developed and described to control UMV CT in a complex medium of time-frequency wavelet transforms. This transformation allows you to monitor the movement of UMV in a functionally transparent and informative way and effectively manage the processes of trajectory routing of dump trucks in the quarry. The analysis of research results. The processes of modifying the current trajectories of the UMV movement under the control of the computer-aided system are generated using the methods of wavelet transforms. They are based on algorithms for projecting trajectory signals with a time-dependent frequency (chirp signals) onto a set of wavelet functions within a wavelet thesaurus (wavelet dictionary), wavelet matching pursuit procedures, and representing scalar signals in a specific multidimensional medium of Cohen’s class time-frequency distributions. Simulation results in the form of waveform trajectory (CT-) signals and their three-dimensional Wigner time-frequency maps representing the movement of UMV in a start-stop mode, and the signals of formed continuous deviation trajectories while they deflect to the left and right of NAT. The algorithm for generating a 3D-image of a UMV current trajectory one-dimensional signal is presented. Conclusion. It is concluded that the mathematical technique of wavelet transforms is the most appropriate and effective one for computer-aided monitoring and controlling the dynamics of UMV moving along opencast mine routes.
Strength coefficient estimation by indirect methods
Authors: Avdeev Arkadii N. , Sosnovskaia Elena L. , Bolotnev Aleksandr Iu.
Published: May 2021

Introduction. In exploration, construction, and mining operations it is necessary to assess the physical and mechanical properties of rocks. However, laboratory rock tests are expensive, time-consuming, and require a large number of quality rock samples. There is a problem of rapid evaluation of physical and mechanical properties by indirect, non-destructive methods. The problem is considered on the example of one of the basic properties, the strength coefficient according to Protodiakonov's scale. Research methodology included the analysis of the main indirect methods of determining the strength coefficient based on strength, elastic and acoustic properties of rocks on the grounds of statistical empirical relationships of V. V. Rzhevskii, G. Ia. Novik, L. I. Baron; K. L. Ter-Mikaelian, A. I. Beron, and M. M. Protodiakonov. The most promising methods based on non-destructive laboratory tests of modulus of elasticity and longitudinal wave velocity are selected. Results and conclusions. The strength coefficient was calculated by several methods on the example of siliceous sandstones, selected from the exploration well of the gas-bearing field. The results were compared with each other and with cadastral references and materials. The most optimal for calculations were the dependences of V. V. Rzhevskii, G. Ia. Novik, and L. I. Baron when evaluating the strength coefficient by the modulus of elasticity, and the dependences of A. I. Beron and L. I. Baron when calculating based on acoustic characteristics.
Tectonic stresses impact on rock mass structure and properties
Authors: Gainanov Sharibzan Kh.
Published: May 2021

Introduction. By the example of the local structures formed by the rock of terrigenous red bed, the present work illustrates the impact made by tectonic fracturing on their properties development. Rock microstructure and strength changes were the results of tectonic stresses during the rock mass formation. The detected zones of increased fracturing are clearly correlated with both the indices of crystal lattice deformation and rock strength properties. Research aim is to assess the impact made by the local structures formation on rock properties and the development of various tectonic stresses. The methodology included rock sampling, fracture survey within the local structure, condition of the mineralogical composition of the samples, determination of the samples strength by uniaxial compression, the rock-forming mineral crystal lattice study using X-ray diffraction analysis, and subsequent analysis and comparison of the obtained materials. Results. A study area fracturing map was compiled and the information on the crystal lattice structure and rock strength was obtained. Correlation between crystal lattice deformations, strength properties of selected samples, and rock fracturing in the rock mass under study was performed. Conclusions. The presented research results explain a wide range of values of strength properties by crystals microstructure imperfection, which, in turn, is closely related to the rock mass destruction.