bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Buck Boost Converter In The Solar Cell Of Window Blind
Authors: Rozi Ahmad Subkhi Azal  , Riny Sulistyowati
Published: January 2022

Solar power has become one of alternative sources for electrical energy which is environmentally friendly. Solar energy-based electricity has been employed widely in the society life. Considering that the placement of solar cell requires wide area, the researcher developed new innovation to locate solar cell vertically. Hence, this research aimed at analyzing the vertical placement of solar cell applied on the window blind so that it could catch the sunlight. The researcher also added Buck Boost Converter system to optimize the output voltage. The result of test demonstrated that output voltage yielded by solar cell on the window blind during close condition gained 13.52V, while in the open window blind condition, it obtained 12.82V. Furthermore, the system of Buck Boost converter functioned well as it could stabilize the voltage for charging the battery on the voltage 13.5V. When the window blind was open, the efficiency got 0.33%, whereas in the close condition, its efficiency earned 0.37%. Overall, the whole solar cell on the window blind could tun on the printer and lamp 20Watts by total load 40Watts for 6 hours.
Gastroprotective and Immuno-supportive Role of Alcea kurdica against Stress Induced Lesion in Japanese Quails
Authors: Jabbar Ahmed Aj.
Published: January 2022

The conducted research was done in Grda rasha field (Salahaddin University) for one month to compare the impacts of Alcea kurdica powder, Rifaxmine, and Ranitidine as anti-lesion and immune-strengthening agents on stress-induced quails which are affecting their growth rate and in severe cases causing gizzard erosion and deep intestinal lesions. To do that, 75 quails (12 weeks old) were grouped into six treatments with different additives. (T0-) = Negative control (Stress-induced Without treatment), (T0+) = Positive control (No stress inducing or treatment). T1= (treated with Rifaximine 200mg/L water mixed), T2= (treated with Ranitidine 200mg/L), T3= (treated with A.kurdica extract 100mg/L). The tested groups, except for positive control, were immersed in tap cold water (17°C) as a stress-induced technique. The Macroscopic analysis showed that quails pre-treated with A.kurdica extract (T3) had significantly (p<0.05) lower relative gizzard koilin layer disruption than those of T1, T2, and T0- groups, respectively. Moreover, the Elisa results indicated higher antibody titers against ND, IBD, and IB viruses for the T3 group with significantly increased HDL and lowered LDL, VLDL, and TCHO for T3 than that of T1, T2, T0+ T0- groups, respectively. Water mixed A.kurdica extract showed positive influences on the body weight, lipid profile, immune status and minimized gizzard erosions of breeding quails, which can be considered as a medicinal plant as well as a growth-enhancing agent in the poultry industry.
Recycling of Chicken Egg Shells into Nanopowder: Synthesis, and its Properties
Authors: Mahmood Saffanah Khuder , Sultan Ghada Abdulrhman , Ebrahim Shahbaa Khalil , Alhaaik Ammar Ghanim Mohammed
Published: January 2022

Increase in unconventional resources of calcium (Ca+2) for fowls, aquaculture and native animals was improved. This work was planned to define the most polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) that take place in the two types of chicken eggshells (local and imported type). In this research, the comparative analysis of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content was approved for nominated eggshells of native strain and imported chicken via Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD) analysis. The results demonstrate that native and imported chicken eggshells comprise calcite morph that had shape between rhombohedral and spherical with distinguished pores distribution in the surface and crystallization size (31) nanometer for local chicken eggshells and (32) nanometer for import chicken eggshells respectively. The authors brief their results that local and import chicken eggshells had the top resources of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
Adsorption Study of Rhodamine –B Dye on Plant (Citrus Leaves)
Authors: Farhan Ahlam M. , Zaghair Ahlam M. , Abdullah Hussein I.
Published: January 2022

The current research includes the adsorption of Rhodmine-B Dye on the surface of Citrus Leaves using the technique of UV. Vis spectrophotometer to determine data of quantitative adsorption at various contact time, ionic strength, PH and temperature conditions. As a function of temperatures 25,35,45,55 0C, the dsorption phenomenon was examined, and the results showed that Rhodamine-B adsorption Citrus leaves rose with increasing temperatures on the surface (endothermic process). Using various NaCl solution concentrations, the effect of ionic strength on adsorption has also been studied. Increasing the importance of ionic strength has been shown to improve the amount of adsorption of Rhodamine-B on citrus leaves at constant temperatures.The quantity of Rh-B dye that was adsorbed on the citrus leaves was increased with increasing the PH of the solution in rang 3-7. Then the results were subjected to the practical results obtained with the use isotherms of the Langmuir, Frendelsh, and Temkin. The results can be shown that the isotherm suitable for adsorption applies to Ferndelsh and Temkin. The thermodynamic functions (the amount of change in enthalpy, the amount of change in entropy and the amount of change in the free energy of Gibbs) were also studied, and it was found that the thermodynamic results of the adsorption process of the Rhodamine-B dye on the powder of citrus leaves are endothermic and an automatic adsorption process.
Experimental Investigations on Mechanical Properties of Consolidated Samples for Collapse Columns under Seepage-Stress Coupling Effects
Authors: Du Yanhui , Yin Dawei , Yu Shijian , Liu Hongyang , Liu Weitao , Zhang Xiangkai
Published: January 2022

Triaxial seepage tests were conducted on the consolidated collapse column specimens to investigate their mechanical properties under seepage-stress coupling effects using a triaxial multifield coupled mechanical test system for rocks. The effects of initial consolidation pressures and specimen components on mechanical properties and seepage characteristics of consolidated collapse column specimens were analyzed. Test results showed the following: (1) The stress–strain curves of consolidated collapse column specimens could be classified in three stages, namely, compaction stage, linear deformation stage, and creep-like deformation stage, while the permeability during loading showed an obvious four-stage evolution of gradual decrease, stable development, rapid increase, and slow decrease. (2) Under same sample components, the permeability characteristics of consolidated collapse column specimens showed an obvious initial consolidation pressure effect. The initial consolidation pressure changed the distribution of pores and fractures in the specimens, leading to a decreased peak permeability as the initial consolidation pressure increased. (3) At the initial stage of loading, the permeability of consolidated specimens was mainly affected by the initial consolidation pressure, and the corresponding permeability decreased with the increase of the consolidation pressure. When the consolidated specimens were gradually compacted, the main factor influencing the permeability changed to the specimen components. The peak permeability of consolidated specimens comprising grey mudstone and conglomerate was the largest, while the fuchsia mudstone would reduce the specimen permeability, and the peak permeability decreased with the fuchsia mudstone components.
The “September Group”: From Analytical Marxism to Normative Political Philosophy
Authors:   National Research University Higher School of Economics, Pavlov Alexander V.
Published: January 2022

Analytical Marxism – formerly also known as the “September group” – is a branch of Anglo-Saxon social theory, political and normative philosophy. There are several publications on the set in the Russian humanities and social sciences, but all articles are limited to the sociological aspect of the work of analytical Marxists. In this article we propose to consider another aspect of this direction – normative aspect. To show this aspect of analytical Marxists, the author suggests considering the movement in historical dynamics. It originates from the publication of “Karl Marx’s Theory of History” (1978) by Canadian-English philosopher J.A. Cohen. Cohen tried to rid Marxism of Hegelianism and make it the subject of a real science, which set the framework the current’s activity. At the first stage of the work, analytical Marxists (J.A. Cohen, Jon Elster, John Roemer, Erik Olin Wright, Robert Brenner, Adam Przeworski and others) worked within the framework of sociology and historical sociology, combining the problems raised by Marx with various scientific methods – game theory, rational choice theory, historical sociology, etc. By the early 1990’s, some of the participants of the movement left the group (Elster, Przeworski), while others refocused on new topics, namely, normative political philosophy. Arguing with the ideas and arguments of John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and others, analytical Marxists answered the problems of normative theory in their own way – an attempt to combine freedom and equality (Cohen), egalitarianism (Roemer), real utopias (Wright), and basic income (Philippe Van Parijs).
The Department of Ethics of Moscow State University: The Results of Half a Century of Work
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Skvortsov Alexei A.
Published: January 2022

The article deals with the history of the emergence and subsequent development of the Department of Ethics at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The Department was founded in December 1969 and is currently one of three independent departments of ethics in Russia. Many well-known philosophers-ethicists of the country worked in it. The Department has developed its own academic school and traditions in ethical education; its graduates include many successful scientists, educators and practitioners working in different socially relevant areas. Thanks to their efforts, the Department plays a prominent role in the Russian philosophical community and in public life. The author shows how the Department has changed in the early 1990s and at the turn of the millennium, and how it has responded to the various challenges posed by the long reform of education and science. Particular attention is paid to the scholarly perceptions of morality and ethics, and the research interests and theoretical views of the department’s staff. It looks at the department’s educational programme, teaching and methodological work, approaches to teaching and student life, which has always been very interesting. In recent years, the department has revised its approaches to teaching in many ways, making it more polemical and filled with the most controversial topics. Today, the Department is actively involved in various research and educational projects, advises civil society organisations and professional communities on ethical regulation practices, and is active in the media.
Home / Archives / Vol. 21 No. 2 (2021) / MORAL RESPONSIBILITY Metaphysics of Moral Responsibility: Comments on a Paper by E. Loginov, M. Gavrilov, A. Mertsalov and A. Iunusov
Authors:   London School of Economics and Political Science, Ananyev Dmitry A.
Published: January 2022

In my paper, I critically discuss the third part of an article by E. Loginov, M. Gavrilov, A. Mertsalov and A. Iunusov “Prolegomena to Moral Responsibility”. In the third part of the Prolegomena, the authors present an analysis of the structure of the concept of moral respon­sibility. An important feature of the structure is the distinction between the fittingness of moral assessment and the fittingness of moral consequences. My objection is that there are no sufficiently weighty reasons that could justify making this distinction in the structure pro­vided by the authors. It seems more reasonable to identify the fact of an agent’s being morally responsible with fittingness of certain moral consequences. The authors also claim that cases in which a factor that belongs to an agent but lacks moral relevance is mistakenly described as having moral relevance is a distinct kind of case in which an agent is held responsible in an incorrect way. I show that the difference of this kind of mistake in holding people responsible from mistakes, which result from holding an agent responsible for a factor which does not be­long to this agent in the way that is relevant for moral assessment, is unclear.
Albert the Great’s Philosophical Theology
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Appolonov Alexey
Published: January 2022

The thought of Albert the Great belongs to an important stage in the development of scholastics of the 13th century, which was marked by a reinterpretation and adaptation of the ancient and Arab philosophical heritage with its subsequent integration into Christian theology. The article examines some aspects of this process in relation to Albert’s philosophical theology (in particular, in relation to his attempts to synthesize on the basis of various sources a certain general scheme of proving the existence of God), and for this purpose, both his philosophical commentaries on the Aristotle’s treatises and his “Summa theologiae” are considered. As a result, firstly, it was shown that contrary to the widespread modern interpretation, according to which scholastic proofs of the existence of God were considered by their authors not as proofs properly, but as a kind of quasirational “structuring of faith”, Albert considered them as universally valid arguments going back to philosophical exercises of ancient pagan thinkers. Secondly, it was identified the sources of Albert’s philosophical and theological argumentation and the difficulties he encountered when combining various historical approaches to proving the existence of God (in particular, different approaches to proof “from motion” and different interpretations of the Aristotle’s first mover from eighth book of “Physics”). Finally, thirdly, it was assumed that, although the fundamental features of Albert's philosophical theology are largely determined by the essentially eclectic scholastic discourse of the first half of the 13th century, it nevertheless became the basis on which later innovative systems (such as the philosophical theology of Thomas Aquinas) were build.
Bioorthogonal click chemistry-based labelling of proteins in living neuronal cell lines and primary neurons
Authors: Arsić Aleksandra , Nikić-Spiegel Ivana
Published: January 2022

Developments in microscopy techniques have brought about a demand for new protein labelling methods. Labelling tags should be small and ideally compatible with live-cell imaging. An elegant protein labelling technique that fulfils these criteria is based on genetic code expansion and bioorthogonal click chemistry. Genetic code expansion allows incorporation of clickable UAAs into proteins of interest which are subsequently directly labelled with small fluorescent dyes using click chemistry. While previous work has mainly focused on easy-to-transfect standard cell lines, recent publications have described applications of this technology in primary neurons. Here, we report a detailed protocol for transfections and bioorthogonal click chemistry-based labelling of intracellular proteins in living primary neurons.
Synthesis, Characterization and Optimization of Chicken-Bile Mediated Silver Nanoparticles: A Mechanistic Insight Into Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity
Authors: MONDAL ANUPAM , Mondal Arghadip , Sen Kamalesh , Debnath Priyanka , Mondal Naba Kumar
Published: January 2022

The fast-growing urbanization and slow progress in the field of waste management have led to the accumulation of large quantities of animal wastes. Present work focused on the synthesis of low-cost and eco-friendly chicken bile juice mediated silver nanoparticles (BJ-AgNP). Results reveals that bile juices have enough potentiality towards the synthesis of almost uniform sizes (average size < 50 nm) of BJ-AgNPs which remains stable for more than 6 months. Response surface methodology (RSM) successfully demonstrated the optimised condition of AgNP-BJ synthesis. Factor like concentration of salt and bile extract and temperature are significantly responsible for the synthesis of nanoparticle which was further characterized using UV-Vis, TEM, FESEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, and EDS. The synthesised nanoparticle showed excellent bactericidal activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with MIC and MBC of 40 and 50 µg/mL for Bacillus subtilis (MTCC-441) and 60 and 60 µg/mL for Eschecheria coli (MTCC-1687) respectively. The synthesized nanoparticle also acted as an antibiofilm agent against Bacillus subtilis, with ~89% biofilm inhibition efficacy at 4 X MIC, having optimal bacterial concentration of 106 CFU/mL. Therefore, present findings clearly demonstrated that an absolute animal waste could be a valuable ingredient in the field of therapeutic nanoscience.
Navigating personal and professional development through social media: a cross-sectional survey of ophthalmologists
Authors: He Bonnie , Tanya Stuti , Costello Fiona , Kherani Femida , Shamie Neda , Zhu Dagny
Published: January 2022

Background

Despite its popularity in ophthalmology, the role of social media as a tool for networking, mentorship, and community support amongst ophthalmologists remains unknown. The objective of this study was to elucidate how ophthalmologists use social media for personal and professional purposes.
Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey study whereby a 40-item questionnaire investigating the role of social media for personal and professional use was developed and distributed to residents, fellows and practicing ophthalmologists in Canada and the United States. Responses were analyzed using descriptive and basic statistics.
Results

149 respondents (67% women) completed the survey, with 56% of participants between the ages of 25-35 years old. Women were more likely to report experiencing workplace discrimination (p<0.005) and work-life disharmony (p<0.05) compared to men, and social media was found to be useful in overcoming those challenges (p<0.005 and p<0.001 respectively). Younger respondents (<45 years old) cited more challenges with practice management (p<0.005) and turned to social media for corresponding guidance (p<0.05). Compared to late career ophthalmologists, trainees were more likely to report difficulties with career advancement (p<0.05), practice management (p<0.0001) and financial planning (p<0.05), with social media beneficial for developing financial literacy (p<0.05).
Conclusions

Social media is an invaluable tool for enhancing professional and personal growth among individuals in ophthalmology, particularly for women, trainees, and those early in their career stages. Future directions include exploring how social media can be used to enrich mentorship and networking opportunities in ophthalmology.
Insights Into the Degradation of Carbamazepine by Persulfate Activated by Chalcopyrite：degradation Mechanism and Synergy With Zero-valent Iron
Authors: Xi GaoYang , Chen Shunxun , Zhang Xuhang , Xing Yu , He Zhengguang
Published: January 2022

In this study, natural chalcopyrite (NCP) was used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to oxidatively degrade carbamazepine (CBZ). The physical and chemical properties before and after the NCP reaction were characterized by Scanning electron microscope and energy spectrometer（SEM-EDS）, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer（XRF）and Vibration sample magnetometer（VSM）. The effects of the amount of NCP and PMS, the initial pH value, and the reaction temperature on the catalytic performance of NCP were systematically studied. The research results show that the degradation efficiency of NCP/PMS system for CBZ can reach 82.34% under the optimal reaction conditions, and the degradation process follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results of radical quenching experiment and EPR analysis show that the active species in the system are OH∙, SO4∙ and 1O2, of which SO4∙ is the main active species. In addition, this study shown that only with the assistance of 0.15g/L Fe0, the efficiency of the NCP/PMS system to degrade CBZ can be as high as 90.73%.This study determined the optimal reaction conditions for natural chalcopyrite to activate PMS to degrade CBZ and clarified the activation mechanism, which broadened the application of natural ores in the field of water treatment.
Analyzing the Role of Environmental Technologies and Environmental Policy Stringency on Green Growth in China
Authors: Chen Li , Tanchangya Papel
Published: January 2022

This study aims to investigate the impact of environmental technological innovations and environmental policy stringency on green economic growth in China. The empirical analysis of the study is based on the ARDL model. The estimates from the ARDL model confirm that the estimate of environmental technology positively impacts green economic growth both in the short and long run. In the robust model, the estimates of all technologies appeared to be significantly positive in the short and long run. Conversely, the estimated coefficients of environmental policy stringency, in the basic and robust model, have only negatively impacted the green economic growth in China in the short run. In the long run, the environmental policy stringency has not shown any significant impact on green economic growth in China in the basic and robust model.
Transmission of B.1.617.2 Delta Variant Between Vaccinated Healthcare Workers
Authors: Kemp Steven A. , Cheng Mark TK , Hamilton Will , Kamelian Kimia , Singh Sujeet , Rakshit Partha , Aggrawal Anurag , Illing Christopher J.R. , Gupta Ravindra K.
Published: January 2022

Breakthrough infections with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant have been reported in vaccine recipients and in individuals infected with previous variants. Studies of viral spread within hospital settings have highlighted the potential for transmission between patients and health care workers, and highlighted the benefits of high-grade respiratory protection for health care workers. However the extent to which vaccination is preventative of viral spread in health care settings is less well studies. We here analyse data from health care workers in two hospitals in India, constructing probable transmission networks from epidemiological and virus genome sequence data using a suite of computational approaches. A maximum likelihood reconstruction of transmission involving known cases of infection suggests a high probability that doubly vaccinated health care workers transmitted SARS-CoV-2 between each other, and highlights potential cases of virus transmission between individuals who had received two doses of vaccine. Our findings support the need for ongoing infection control measures even in highly vaccinated populations.
The Novel Hub Genes of Klinefelter Syndrome Affect Sperm Cell Differentiation: Analysis Based on RNA-Seq and scRNA-Seq Data
Authors: He Hai-Hong , Yu Fan , Huang Ting-Ting , Chen Ke-Yan , Guo Shi-Xing , Zhang Li-Jun , Tang Xi , Yuan Xin-Hua , Zhou Yi-Wen , Liu Jiao
Published: January 2022

Objective
In this study, the Hub genes that are closely associated with spermatogenesis in klinefelter syndrome (KS) patients were identified, mainly through transcriptomic and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)data.
Methods
Transcriptome data were obtained from 3 adult 4 fetal KS patients and 8 normal individuals. ScRNA-seq data were obtained from 1 adult KS patient and 4 normal individuals. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analysed using limma's method. The testicular tissue-specific protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were analysed through the NetworkAnalyst website. The CytoHubba plugin was used to draw Veen Diagram. Integration of scRNA-seq data using the Seurat package. Developmental trajectories of sperm cells and hub genes were constructed by using the monocle3.
Results
The results of the GSE103905 and GSE103613 transcriptome datasets show a total of 700 DEGs. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis focused on memory, methylation, ATPase activity and mitochondrion. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) focused on metabolic pathways, huntington's disease and nicotinamide metabolism. Four Hub genes (KIF2C, MRPS2, RPS15, TSFM) that have not been reported to be associated with KS were identified. Single-cell sequencing data showed that only KIF2C and RPS15 were expressed in sperm cells. hub genes' Pseudotime analysis showed a decreasing trend in RPS15 expression and an increasing trend in KIF2C expression throughout sperm development.
Conclusion
In this study, two RPS15 and KIF2C were identified that may be closely associated with spermatogenesis in KS patients, but there may be differences in the mechanisms by which they affect sperm development.
Tutorial On Support Vector Machines
Authors: Bridgelall Raj
Published: January 2022

The aim of this tutorial is to help students grasp the theory and applicability of support vector machines (SVMs). The contribution is an intuitive style tutorial that helped students gain insights into SVM from a unique perspective. An internet search will reveal many videos and articles on SVM, but many of them give simplified explanations that leave gaps in the derivations that beginning students cannot fill. Most free tutorials lack guidance on practical applications and considerations. The software wrappers in popular programming libraries such as Python and R hide many of the operational complexities. Free software tools often use default parameters that ignore domain knowledge or leave knowledge gaps about the important effects of SVM hyperparameters, resulting in misuse and subpar outcomes. The author uses this tutorial as a course reference for students studying artificial intelligence and machine learning. The tutorial derives the classic SVM classifier from first principles and then derives the practical form that a computer uses to train a classification model. An intuitive explanation about confusion matrices, F1 score, and the AUC metric extend insights into the inherent tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity. A discussion about cross-validation provides a basic understanding of hyperparameter tuning to maximize generalization by balancing underfitting and overfitting. Even seasoned self-learners with advanced statistical backgrounds have gained insights from this tutorial style of intuitive explanations, with all related considerations for tuning and performance evaluations in one place.
Peptide Nanoarray Scaffold Vaccine for SARS-COV-2 and Its Variants of Concerns
Authors: Zagorski Karen , Pandey Kabita , Rajaiah Rajesh , Olwenyi Omalla , Bade Aditya , Acharya Arpan , Johnston Morgan , Filliaux Shaun , Lyubchenko Yuri , Byrareddy Siddappa
Published: January 2022

The current vaccine development strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic utilize whole inactive or attenuated viruses, virus-like particles, recombinant proteins, and antigen-coding DNA and mRNA with various delivery strategies. While highly effective, these vaccine development strategies are time-consuming and often do not provide reliable protection for immunocompromised individuals, young children, and pregnant women. Here, we propose a novel modular vaccine platform to address these shortcomings using chemically synthesized peptides and identified based on the validated bioinformatic data about the target. The vaccine is based on the rational design of an immunogen containing two defined B-cell epitopes from the spike protein of SARS-Co-V2 and a universal T-helper epitope PADRE assembled on the DNA scaffold. The results demonstrate that this assembly is immunogenic and generates neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild type and its variants of concerns (VOC). This newly designed peptide nanoarray scaffold vaccine is useful in controlling virus transmission in immunocompromised individuals, as well as individuals who are prone to vaccine-induced adverse reactions. Given that the immunogen is modular, epitopes or immunomodulatory ligands can be easily introduced in order to tailor the vaccine to the recipient. This also allows the already developed vaccine to be modified rapidly according to the identified mutations of the virus.
Confocal Corneal Microscopy in the Evaluation of Immune-related Motor Neuron Disease Syndrome
Authors: Jiao Lin , Zhang Yuanjin , Wang Haikun , Fan Dongsheng
Published: January 2022

Background: To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of confocal corneal microscopy (CCM) in the diagnosis of immune-related motor neuron disease syndrome and evaluation of the response to immunosuppressive therapy. Methods: Seventy-two patients with clinical manifestations of motor neuron disease (MND) were analysed. According to whether they had concomitant rheumatic immune disease or rheumatic immune antibody abnormalities, they were divided into an MND group (33 patients) and an immune-related MND syndrome group (39 patients). Another 10 healthy adults were selected as the control group. All individuals were examined by CCM. Results: For Langerhans cell density (LCD), the area under the ROC curve was 0.8, the best cut-off was 67.7 cells/mm2, the sensitivity was 79.5%, and the specificity was 72.7%. For inferior whorl length (IWL), the area under the ROC curve was 0.674, the best cut-off was 17.41 mm/mm2, the sensitivity was 69.2%, and the specificity was 66.7%. After immunosuppressive therapy in 5 patients with immune-related MND syndrome, the LCD was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and there was no statistically significant change in the IWL (P>0.05). Conclusion: The LCD and IWL are ideal for distinguishing MND from immune-related MND syndrome. The LCD reflects immunotherapy response sensitively.
Analysis of the Physiological Load on Lumbar Vertebrae in Patients with Osteoporosis: A Finite-element Study
Authors: Hwang Jong-Moon , Kang Sungwook , Park Chan-Hee , Lee Subum , Min Yu-Sun , Kim Chul-Hyun , Cho Mingoo , Jung Gu-Hee , Kim Dong-Hee , Kim Kyoung-Tae
Published: January 2022

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the difference in physiological loading on the spine in three different motions (flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation) between osteoporotic and normal spines, using finite element modelling.Methods: A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model centered on the lumbar spine was constructed. We applied two different material properties of osteoporotic and normal spines. For the FE analysis, three loading conditions (flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation) were applied.Results: The load was higher on the nucleus pulposus at all vertebral levels in all movements, in the osteoporosis group than in the normal group. On the annulus fibrosus, the load increased at the level of L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S in the flexion-extension group and at L4-L5 and L5-S levels in the lateral bending group. The values of flexion-extension and lateral bending increased in two motions in the L4 and L5 cortical bones and in axial rotation at the level of L5. Additionally, the load increased in the lower endplate of L5-S and L4-L5 in all movements, especially lateral bending. Even in the group with no increase, there was a part that received increased load locally for each element in the three-dimensional reconstructed view of the pressure distribution in color.Conclusion: The load on the lumbar region in the three loading conditions, was greater in most components of osteoporotic vertebrae than in normal vertebrae and the value was highest in the nucleus pulposus. Considering the increase in the measured load and the local increase in the pressure distribution, we believe that these results can contribute to explaining discogenic pain and degeneration.
Loss of function variant in SMIM1 is associated with reduced energy expenditure and weight gain
Authors: Frontini Mattia , Stefanucci Luca , Moslemi Camous , Tome Ana , Virtue Samuel , Gleadall Nicholas , Watson Laura , Kwa Jing , Burden Frances , Farrow Samantha , Chen Ji , Võsa Urmo , Burling Keith , Baker Peter , Warner James , Frary Amy , Rehnstrom Karola , Ashford Sofie , Piper Jo , Biggs Gail , Erber Wendy , Hoffman Gary , Schoenmakers Nadia , Erikstrup Christian , Rieneck Klaus , Dziegiel Morten , Ullum Henrik , Azzu Vian , Vacca Michele , Bayraktar Omer Ali , Vidal-Puig Antonio , Ostrowski Sisse , Astle William , Olsson Martin L. , Storry Jill R. , Pedersen Ole , Ouwehand Willem , Chatterjee Krishna , Vuckovic Dragana
Published: January 2022

Blood group antigens are the archetypal example of human genetic variation. Here, we characterised the functional metabolic consequences in individuals homozygous for a 17bp deletion in SMIM1 (rs566629828; minor allele frequency 0.0147) and thus lacking the protein defining the Vel blood group. Our analysis, in separate cohorts of SMIM1-/- individuals (UK Biobank, NHS Blood and Transplant, Danish Blood Donor Study, Copenhagen Hospital Biobank) and a mouse model, identified an increase in body weight accompanied by a range of metabolic differences, including dyslipidemia, changes in the leptin-adiponectin ratio, increased liver enzymes and lower total thyroid hormone levels. These changes in the metabolic state were at least in part due to a reduction in resting energy expenditure, as assessed during an in-depth clinical assessment of SMIM1-/- individuals. Additionally, electronic health records suggest that individuals lacking this 78-amino-acid type II transmembrane protein may be more prone to cerebral bleeds and thrombotic stroke.
Identification and Validation of TNFRSF4 as a High-profile Biomarker for Prognosis and Immunomodulation in Endometrial Carcinoma
Authors: Ma Heng , Feng Penghui , Yu Shuangni , Lu Zhaohui , Yu Qi , chen Jie
Published: January 2022

Background: The interaction between tumor microenvironment (TME) and tumors offers various targets in mounting anti-tumor immunotherapies. However, the diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in endometrial carcinoma (EC) are still limited. Here, we aimed to analyze the TME features and identify novel prognostic biomarkers for EC. Methods: ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, univariate Cox regression, and functional enrichment analysis were performed to identify immune- and survival-related hub genes as well as possible molecular mechanisms. The limma package and deconvolution algorithm were adopted to estimate the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) and their relationship with the target gene. In validation section, tissue microarrays (TMAs) of EC and multiplex immunohistochemistry (m-IHC) were evaluated to validate the expression of TNFRSF4, and its correlation with immune markers, including CD4, CD8, and FOXP3. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the efficacy of TNFRSF4, CD4, CD8, and FOXP3 in diagnosing EC. Results: Two genes, TNFRSF4 and S1PR4, were screened out from 386 intersection differential expression genes (DEGs) shared by ImmuneScore and StromalScore in EC. Highlighted by TNFRSF4, we found that it was not only positively correlated with the TICs (mainly CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and Tregs) but significantly related to diagnosis and prognosis in patients of EC, both verified by data from the TCGA database and clinical samples. At the same time, the expression trend of TNFRSF4 was further confirmed by an integrated meta-analysis based on six microarrays from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). Conclusions: Collectively, TNFRSF4 could serve as a high-profile biomarker to robustly predict immune microenvironment, clinical diagnosis, and prognosis for EC.
Overexpression of Argonaute HIWI Gene in Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells and Colorectal Cancerous Tissue
Authors: Moeini Soheila , Marzouni Eisa Tahmasbpour , Harchegani Asghar Beigi , Ghatrehsamani Mahdi , Rahmanzadeh Saeid
Published: January 2022

Background: Recent studies have shown that Hiwi has a crucial role in stem cell self-renewal in various organisms and it is also associated with some cancers. In the present study, Hiwi expression was examined in different grades of primary human colorectal cancer (CRC), colorectal cancer stem cells (CRCSCs) and HT-29 CRC cell line. Methods and Results: CRC tissue samples were collected from 20 patients with CRC. Furthermore, HT-29 cell line, CRCSC and 13 normal colorectal tissue samples were prepared. Expression of Hiwi at mRNA and protein levels was determined by Real-time PCR, flow cytometry, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Overexpression of Hiwi was detected in 40% (3.351 ± 2.94, P<0.05) of clinical CRC tissue specimens. We also observed a significant increase in the expression of Hiwi in CRCSCs (5.94 ± 0.05, P < 0.005). Hiwi expression in CRCSC was significantly higher compared to the colorectal cancer tissue and HT-29 cells (p<0.01). Hiwi mRNA level was significantly correlated to tumor grade (p < 0.01) and stage (p < 0.01).Conclusions: HiWi can be considered as an oncogene in progressive cancer and, therefore, it can be a valuable biomarker and target in therapeutic procedures.
Findings of virtual bronchoscopic navigation can predict the diagnostic rate of primary lung cancer by bronchoscopy in patients with peripheral lung lesions
Authors: Kitamura Atsushi , Tomishima Yutaka , Imai Ryosuke , Nishimura Naoki , Okafuji Kohei , Ro Shosei , Jinta Torahiko , Tamura Tomohide
Published: January 2022

Background and objective: Despite being highly invasive, bronchoscopy does not always obtain pathological specimens. Therefore, we investigated whether virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) findings were associated with the diagnostic rate of primary lung cancer by bronchoscopy in patients with peripheral lung lesions.Methods: This study included patients with suspected malignant peripheral lung lesions who underwent bronchoscopy at our hospital from October 2013 to March 2020. Patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer were grouped according to whether their pathology could be diagnosed by bronchoscopy, and their clinical factors were compared. In addition, the distance between the edge of the lesion and the nearest branch (distance by VBN) was calculated. The distance by VBN and various clinical factors were compared with the diagnostic rates of primary lung cancer.Results: The study included 523 patients with 578 lesions. After excluding 55 patients who underwent multiple bronchoscopies, 381 patients were diagnosed with primary lung cancer. The diagnostic rate by bronchoscopy was 71.1% (271/381). Multivariate analysis revealed that the lesion diameter (odds ratio [OR] = 1.107), distance by VBN (OR = 0.94) and lesion structure (solid lesion or ground-glass nodule, OR = 2.988) influenced the risk of a lung cancer diagnosis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for diagnosis based on the lesions diameter and distance by VBN was 0.810.Conclusion: The distance by VBN and lesion diameter were predictive of the diagnostic rates of primary lung cancer by bronchoscopy in patients with peripheral lung lesions.
Time-Fractional Landau-Khalatnikov Model Applied To Numerical Simulation of Polarization Switching In Ferroelectrics
Authors: Maslovskaya Anna , Moroz Lubov
Published: January 2022

Ferroelectrics are complex structured media that exhibit fractal properties and memory effects in terms of a number of dynamic characteristics. The most relevant applications of ferroelectrics in science and technology are associated with the primary mechanisms of polarization switching and domain structure dynamics induced by external exposure. In this study, we propose a time-fractional modification of the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire-Khalatnikov model to describe the dynamics of ferroelectric polarization switching. To solve the time-fractional cubic-quintic partial differential equation numerically, a computational scheme is derived. The technique combines an iterative procedure and an implicit finite-difference scheme based on an approximation of Caputo derivative. A series of computational experiments are presented to visualize polarization switching characteristics on the example of thin films of barium titanate. A variation of the order of fractional derivative as a numerical characteristic of the memory effect allows one to "adjust" suitable regimes of simulated dynamical system. The obtained findings indicate that the generalized time-fractional model can provide better reproduction of experimental data in comparison with the classical analogue.
Evaluating Nanobiomaterial induced DNA strand breaks using the alkaline Comet Assay
Authors: Tutty Melissa Anne , Vella Gabriele , Prina-Mello Adriele , Weimann Martin , Vennemann Antje
Published: January 2022

Due to their unique chemical and physical properties, nanobiomaterials (NBM’s) are extensively studied for applications in medicine and drug delivery. Despite these exciting properties, their small sizes also make them susceptible to toxicity. Whilst nanomaterial immunotoxicity and cytotoxicity are studied in great depth, there is still limited data on their potential genotoxicity, or their potential to cause DNA damage. In the past two years new medical device regulations, which come into place in 2020, have been developed. These require the assessment of long-term NBMs exposure, and also drug delivery systems and nanomedicines, therefore in recent years increased attention is being paid to genotoxicity screening of these materials. In this article, we assess three different particle formulations which different uses, a bio-persistent gold nanoparticle (AuNP), an IR-780 dye loaded liposome which is used in deep tissue imaging, an unloaded PACA polymeric nanoparticle used as a drug delivery system, and two loaded PACA NBMs (CBZ and NR668) for their potential to cause DNA strand breaks using the alkaline Comet Assay and discuss the current state of genotoxicity testing for nanomaterials.
Research of Hyperbaric Oxygen Pretreatment to Improve The Lower Body Negative Pressure Endurance of Pilots with Poor Acceleration Endurance
Authors: Ma Mengyu , Liu Hongjin , Fu Zhaojun , Liu Qiming , Sun Rongli
Published: January 2022

Background: To investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning (HBOP) on improving the lower body negative pressure endurance of pilots with poor acceleration endurance.Methods：30 pilots with poor acceleration endurance were subjected to multiple HBO（hyperbaric oxygen ,HBO） cabin and 3 times HBO exposure. Oxygen inhalation was performed for 95min, once a day (time was fixed at 14:30-16:15 PM in the HBO cabin), for consecutive 3d. The lower body negative pressure endurance and blood indexes were measured before and after HBOP using the subjects' own before-after control design. Lower body negative pressure endurance adopts stepwise increasing scheme, that is, continuously increasing LBNP load:-20mmHg·1min、-30mmHg·3min、-40mmHg·5min、-50mmHg·7min, etc . Results:The cumulative stress index of subjects before HBOP was (-856.13±273.76min·mmHg), and that after HBOP was (-1237.42±385.50min·mmHg). The cumulative stress index after HBOP increased significantly (t=7.750, P<0.05), namely lower body negative pressure endurance significantly improved. After that, 30 people underwent centrifuge reexamination, and the passing rate of 4.0G10s reached 93.3%.After HBOP, diastolic blood pressure increased (t=-3.252, P<0.05), heart rate slowed down (t=5.493, P<0.05), blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) increased (t=-3.08, P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure.Blood lactic acid (BLA) was lower than that before HBOP (t= 2.186, P<0.05); Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was not significantly different from that before HBOP. Conclusion:HBOP can improve the lower body negative pressure endurance and centrifuge acceleration endurance of pilots with poor acceleration endurance, and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of autonomic nerve function and the enhancement of human energy metabolism.
Visualizing Omicron: COVID-19 Deaths vs. Cases Over Time
Authors: Arnaout Ramy , Arnaout Rima
Published: January 2022

For most of the COVID-19 pandemic, the daily focus has been on the number of cases, and secondarily, deaths. The most recent wave is caused by the omicron variant, first identified at the end of 2021 and the dominant variant through the first part of 2022. South Africa, one of the first countries to experience and report data regarding omicron (variant 21.K), reported far fewer deaths, even as the number of reported cases rapidly eclipsed previous peaks. However, as the omicron wave has progressed, time series show that it has been markedly different from prior waves. To more readily visualize the dynamics of cases and deaths, it is natural to plot deaths per million against cases per million. Unlike the time-series plots of cases or deaths that have become daily features of pandemic updates during the pandemic, which have time as the x-axis, in a plot of deaths vs. cases, time is implicit, and is indicated in relation to the starting point. Here we present and briefly examine such plots from a number of countries and from the world as a whole, illustrating how they summarize features of the pandemic in ways that illustrate how, in most places, the omicron wave is very different from those that came before. Code for generating these plots for any country is provided on an automatically updating GitHub repository (https://github.com/rarnaout/Covidcycles).
Association of Circadian Rhythm With Mild Cognitive Impairment Among Pneumoconiosis Workers in Hong Kong: a Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Huang Bixia , Liao Gengze , LEE Priscilla Ming Yi , Chan Chi Kuen , Tai Lai-bun , Tsang Chun Yuk Jason , Leung Chi Chiu , Tse Lap Ah
Published: January 2022

Background Weakened circadian rhythm was associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the general population, but it remains unclear among pneumoconiosis patients and this knowledge gap was rectified in this study.Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of 186 male pneumoconiosis patients and 208 age-matched healthy community men who wore a wrist actigraphy for 168 hours and completed a face-to-face questionnaire containing information on sociodemographic, lifestyle behavior, and anthropometric measurements. Circadian activity rhythm was characterized by a cosine model and the parameters included percent rhythm, amplitude, the midline estimating statistic of rhythm (MESOR), and acrophase. Values below the corresponding medians of the circadian rhythm parameters represented weakened circadian rhythm. Cognitive function and MCI or cognitive impairment was assessed by the Cantonese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationships of circadian rhythm with the prevalence of MCI and composite outcome of MCI plus cognitive impairment.Results The mean age of the pneumoconiosis patients was 71.3 ± 7.8 years with the prevalence of MCI and composite outcome of 38.7 % and 50.0 %. Pneumoconiosis patients had worse cognition and dampened circadian rhythm than the community referents. Compared with the community referents or pneumoconiosis patients with robust circadian rhythm, pneumoconiosis patients with weakened circadian rhythm was consistently associated with increased risk of MCI and composite outcome, though the significant association was only for MESOR and the composite outcome with an adjusted OR of 2.01 (95%: 1.03-3.94). A delayed phase of circadian rhythm was insignificantly associated with MCI and composite outcome.Conclusions Weakened circadian activity rhythm among pneumoconiosis workers was positively associated with the prevalence of MCI and composite outcome. Our study suggests that intervention on improving circadian rhythm may mitigate the cognitive deterioration in pneumoconiosis workers.