bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization and complete genome sequence analysis of a novel phage RPZH3 infecting Ralstonia solanacearum
Authors: Lin Zhijian , Gu Gang , CHEN Changjiang , Zhou Ting , HU Fangping , Cai Xueqing
Published: July 2022

RPZH3, a member of Bcep22-like virus subfamily of the family Podoviridae，that lyses Ralstonia solanacearum, was isolated from the soil of tobacco field via a double agar overlay plaque assay. The phage has an icosahedron head of 75 ± 5 nm in diameter with a short tail of 15 ± 5 nm in length and shows up as a typical podovirus. In our experiment, phage RPZH3 could infect 18 of the 30 tested strains of Ralstonia solanacearum isolated from tobacco, sweet potato, tomato, pepper and eggplant. The infection cycle of phage was 140 min with a burst size of about 27 pfu/cfu, and could keep stable at pH 4 -12 and 45°C - 60°C. Genomic analysis revealed that the complete genome of RPZH3 contain 65,958 bp in length with a GC content of 64.93% and contained 93 open reading frames (ORFs) and a tRNA for cysteine. Also found that the phage RPZH3 had considerable similarity to phage GP4, but the whole genome length of the former was longer than that of the latter by about 4829 bp, and the GC content of the former also was higher than that of the latter by about 0.93%. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that RPZH3 should be a member of Bcep22-like virus subfamily belonging to family Podoviridae.
The role of the Genetic Counsellor in the multidisciplinary team: the perception of geneticists in Europe
Authors: Catapano Francesca ,   Mohamed El Hachmi1, Ketterer-Heng Natacha , Renieri Alessandra , Mari Francesca , Morris Michael , Cordier Christophe
Published: July 2022

Purpose – Genetics has begun to be considered a key medical discipline which can have an impact on everyday clinical practice. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what the most effective way is of caring for people affected by or at risk of genetic disorders. In this context, the team dealing with such patients has evolved with the emergence of the Genetic Counsellor figure. The profession of Genetic Counsellor appeared in Europe in 1980, but it is still a much-debated profession and not yet recognized in all European countries. Aim – The aim of this research is to investigate both how a team should be composed in the care of patients affected by or at risk of genetic disorders and what the role of the Genetic Counsellor should be – the field of action and the competences. Design – The research has been carried out at the European level, submitting an online questionnaire to geneticists who, having the ultimate responsibility for the diagnosis and being in the field for the longest time, expressing their opinion, can identify strengths and potential areas for improvement in genetic care. Results – 200 responses were collected from all over Europe. This led to awareness of the importance of the role of the counsellor within the medical genetics multidisciplinary team, and, above all, what the counsellor’s skills and qualifications should be – for geneticists. Although this new profession has difficulties in being recognized in some countries, it seems clear that these highly competent professionals are essential for in-patient care and in the multidisciplinary team.
Multiple Measurement Analysis of Resting-State fMRI for ADHD Classification in Adolescent Brain from the ABCD Study
Authors: Lu Hui , Wang Zhaobin , Zhou Xiaocheng , Gui Yuanyuan , Liu Manhua
Published: July 2022

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in school-aged children. Its accurate diagnosis looks after patients’ interests well with effective treatment, which is important to them and their family. Studies have investigated the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) to characterize the abnormal brain function by computing the voxel-wise measures and Pearson’s correlation (PC)-based functional connectivity (FC) for ADHD diagnosis. It is still a challenging problem to explore the powerful measures of rsfMRI to improve ADHD diagnosis. To this end, this paper proposes an automated ADHD classification framework by fusion of multiple measures of rsfMRI in adolescent brain. First, we extract the voxel-wise measures and ROI-wise time series from the brain regions of rsfMRI after preprocessing. Then, to extract the multiple functional connectivities, we compute the PC-derived FCs including the topographical information-based HOFC (tHOFC) and dynamics-based HOFC (dHOFC), as well as the sparse representation (SR)-derived FCs including the group SR (GSR), strength and similarity guided GSR (SSGSR) and sparse low-rank (SLR). Finally, these multiple measures are combined with multiple kernel learning (MKL) model for ADHD classification. The proposed method is tested with the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset. The results show that the FCs of dHOFC and SLR perform better than the others. Fusing multiple measures achieves the best classification performance (AUC = 0.740, accuracy = 0.6916), superior to the single measure and the previous studies. We have also identified the most discriminative FCs and brain regions for ADHD diagnosis, which are consistent with those of published literature.
Efficacy and safety of Treamid in the rehabilitation of patients after COVID-19 pneumonia: a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Bazdyrev Evgeny , Panova Maria , Brachs Maria , Smolyarchuk Elena , Tsygankova Daria , Gofman Liudmila , Abdyusheva Yana , Novikov Fedor
Published: July 2022

Background: Many patients who recovered from COVID are still suffering from pulmonary dysfunction. Treamid (bisamide derivative of dicarboxylic acid, BDDA) was shown to have anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic, effects in animal models of pulmonary fibrosis. This study was designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Treamid in the rehabilitation of patients after COVID pneumonia. The aim was to establish whether Treamid could be effective in ameliorating post-COVID sequelae.Methods: The phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was done at 8 medical centers in Russia. Patients with a diagnosis of COVID in the past medical history and having fibrotic changes in the lungs, decreased lung function, and moderate or severe dyspnea according to mMRC scale were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio by use of interactive responsive technology to peroral administration of Treamid 50 mg or placebo once a day for 4 weeks. This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04527354). The study was fully funded by PHARMENTERPRISES LLC.Results: 12 out of 29 patients (41%) in Treamid group achieved clinically significant improvement in FVC and/or DLCO compared to 5 out of 30 patients (17%) in placebo group (p = 0.036). There was a significant decrease of dyspnea according to modified Borg scale observed in the Treamid group (−0.9 ± 0.7 vs. −0.4 ± 0.8, p = 0.018). No significant differences in the adverse events were noted. Exploratory analysis of the female population indicated superiority of Treamid over placebo by decreasing dyspnea and the extent of lung damage as well as increasing TLC.Conclusions: Treamid was associated with clinically significant improvement in the post-COVID patients, evident by an increase in FVC and/or DLCO as well as decreasing dyspnea. Treamid was well tolerated and can be safely administered to patients discharged after COVID. Treamid was more effective in women visible by superior improvement of COVID sequalae after 4 weeks treatment. Considering that female gender is a risk factor associated with the development of post-COVID symptoms, Treamid might offer a pharmacological treatment for long-term sequalae after COVID and supports further investigation in future clinical trials in post-COVID patients.
Effects of saline immersion on the physiological alterations of grass goldfish (Carassius auratus) during subsequent recovery in freshwater
Authors: Wang Xiaowen , Li Huijuan , Zhang Rong , Liu Lili , Zhu Hua
Published: July 2022

The present work aims to evaluate the tolerance, osmoregulation, metabolism, and antioxidant ability of saline water immersed grass goldfish (Carassius auratus) during the recovery in freshwater. Grass goldfish (38.15 ±5.48g) acclimated in freshwater were immersed by two salinities (20 ‰ or 30 ‰) for different time durations (10min, 20min, 30min, and 60min); and the physiological stress responses were measured during a recovery period of 24 h. Resultly, osmotic pressure kept unchanged in all treated fish, whereas the decline of sodium ions, potassium ions, and the ratio of Na+/Cl- was observed in saline treated fish. Differently, concentrations of chloride ion in saline treated fish were higher than control fish, but decreased as recovery time went. Soon after freshwater recovery, the gill Na+/K+—ATPase in saline treated fish kept lower than control group except for the fish immersed by salinity 20 for 10 – 30 min. Specifically, gill Na+/K+—ATPase levels showed a decreased trend in all saline treated fish, but the mRNA of NKA-α and NKA-β both significantly increased at 1h and 6h in salinity 20 treated fish.Compared with control group, cortisol levels were increased in all salinity 20 treated fish at 1h of recovery, but then gradually declined. However, in salinity 30 treated group, cortisol levels showed a rise trend and maintained high levels until 24 h post recovery. As for serum lactic acid, fish treated by salinity 20 for 10 or 20 min did not show any fluctuation. Whereas there was a rise trend of lactic acid in fish immersed by salinity 20 for 30 min and 60 min as recovery time went on. Fish treated by salinity 30 exhibited a relative high level of serum lactic acid at 1h and then gradually decreased at 24 post recovery. What’s more, antioxidant capacities were higher at salinity 20 treated fish than salinity 30 immersed fish. The limited results indicated that grass goldfish could well osmoregulate and survive by immersion in salinity 20 less than 60 min or salinity 30 less than 30min, even though immersion by salinity 20 could minimize the negative effect.
EG-TransUNet: Enhanced and Guided U-Net with Transformer for Biomedical Image Segmentation
Authors: Pan Shaoming , Liu Xin , Xie Ningdi , Chong Yanwen
Published: July 2022

Although methods based on convolutional neural network have improved the performance of biomedical image segmentation, to meet the precision requirements of medical imaging segmentation task, the medical image segmentation method based on the deep learning still need to solve the following problems: 1) It is difficult to extract the discriminative feature of the lesion region in medical images during the encoding caused by variable sizes and shapes; 2) It is difficult to fuse the spatial and semantic information of the lesion region effectively during the decoding caused by redundant information and semantic gap. In this paper, we propose a novel U-Net variant architecture called EG-TransUNet, which is able to improve the feature discrimination at the level of spatial detail and semantic location using progressive enhancement module (PEM) and channel spatial attention (CSA) based on self-attention and effectively fuse the spatial and semantic information using semantic guidance attention (SGA). The proposed EG-TransUNet allows to capture object variabilities and provides improved results on different biomedical datasets. Extensive experiments on EG-TransUNet demonstrate that the method advances the performance on five publicly available segmentation datasets, and also, is more generalizable as compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Influence of parameter selection strategy on tool wear when milling 3D printed functionally graded materials with textured tool under minimum quantity lubrication
Authors: Wang Chengdong , Ge Yang , Ma Jianpu , Yu Zheming , Zhang Kedong , Liu Tongshun , Guo Xuhong
Published: July 2022

Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) is a promising engineering material, which is highly desirable in extreme environments of aerospace, nuclear and bio-implants. Although the surface accuracy and quality of 3D printed Ni-Fe FGMs can meet most application scenarios, it still requires post-cutting treatment especially in nuclear industry. The FGMs, with the gradient of mechanical property, is a new type of difficult-to-cut material. However, no ready-made post milling process can be referred. The poor machined surface quality induced by severe tool wear still cannot be handled even with textured tool under Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL). In this paper, the mechanical properties and machinability of the Ni-Fe FGMs as well as its 5 isotropic component 304LxIN625y were firstly studied and correlated. Then, two milling parameter selection strategies were proposed by minimum milling force and by minimum surface roughness, corresponding to strategy I and strategy II. The results show that severe tool breakage occurs when strategy I is adopted. On the contrary, tool undergone continuous reciprocating cycles of bonding, coating peeling, re-bonding, re-peeling when strategy II is adopted. Un this circumstance, strategy II can reduce tool flank wear by 40.1% regarding to the synergistic effect of micro-texture and MQL, which is a prospective method to solve the low tool durability during machining of 3D printed Ni-Fe FGMs.
Deeply nonlinear excitation of self-normalised exchange spin waves
Authors: Wang Qi , Verba Roman , Heinz Björn , Schneider Michael , Wojewoda Ondřej , Davídková Kristýna , Levchenko Khrystyna , Dubs Carsten , Mauser Norbert , Urbánek Michal , Pirro Philipp , Chumak Andrii
Published: July 2022

Spin waves are ideal candidates for wave-based computing, but the construction of magnetic circuits is blocked by a lack of an efficient mechanism to excite long-running exchange spin waves with normalised amplitudes. Here, we solve the challenge by exploiting the deeply nonlinear phenomena of forward-volume spin waves in 200 nm wide nanoscale waveguides and validate our concept with microfocused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. An unprecedented nonlinear frequency shift of >2 GHz is achieved, corresponding to a magnetisation precession angle of 55° and enabling the excitation of exchange spin waves with a wavelength of down to ten nanometres with an efficiency of >80%. The amplitude of the excited spin waves is constant and independent of the input microwave power due to the self-locking nonlinear shift, enabling robust adjustment of the spin wave amplitudes in future on-chip magnonic integrated circuits.
Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene on potassium efficiency of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
Authors: Qianqian Wang , Wei Yan , Yichi Zhang , Manman Zhan , Xiaoli Luo , Egrinya Eneji A. , Anhong Zhang , Juanli Xiao , Fangjun Li , Tian Xiaoli
Published: July 2022

Potassium (K) deficiency became a common field production problem following the widespread adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) worldwide. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the introduction of Bt gene directly reduces the K-use efficiency of cotton to cause K deficiency. The cotton variety, Jihe 321 (wild type, WT) and its two Bt (Cry1Ac)-transgenic lines (OE-29317, OE-29312) were studied in growth chamber and field with low soil-test K+ (47.8 mg kg− 1). When silencing of Bt gene (~ 70%) in OE-29317 and OE-29312 plants by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), VIGS-Bt plants did not produce more biomass than VIGS-Ctrl plants. In the field with low soil-test K+, OE-29317 but not OE-29312 had less biomass and K+ accumulation than those of WT at some growth stages. Moreover, both Bt lines produced similar or even greater seed cotton yield than WT in the field. Taken together, the introduction of Bt gene did not necessarily hinder the K use efficiency of the cotton lines under study.
Efficacy evaluation of Bacillus subtilis EBS03 on control of cotton Verticillium wilt
Authors: BAI Hongyan , FENG Zili , ZHAO Lihong , FENG Hongjie , WEI Feng , ZHOU Jinglong , GU Aixing , ZHU Heqin , PENG Jun , zhang yalin
Published: July 2022

Background
In our previous study, we screened 48 strains of Bacillus subtilis from cotton endophytes for cotton Verticillium wilt control research and screened out a strain EBS03 with good biocontrol potential However, its mechanism for preventing Verticillium wilt remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify its control mechanism to provide technical support for the control of cotton Verticillium wilt.
Results
The results of confrontation and buckle culture showed that the inhibition rates of Bacillus subtilis EBS03 on mycelium growth of Verticillium dahliae were 70.03% and 59.00%, respectively, and the inhibition rates of sporulation and microsclerotia germination were 47.16% and 70.06%, respectively. In the greenhouse test, the control effect of EBS03 root irrigation on cotton Verticillium wilt was the highest at 87.11%, significantly promoting the growth of cotton seedlings. In the field experiment, the control effect of EBS03 fermentation broth spray on cotton Verticillium wilt was 42.54% (60 days), among them, the quality of seed cotton and lint cotton in the soaking, root irrigation, and spraying treatments increased by 7.42% and 3.80%, 2.62% and 2.98%, 9.20% and 4.14%, respectively, compared with the control. In the induced resistance test, EBS03 improved the resistance of cotton leaves to V. dahliae infection and induced the outbreak of reactive oxygen species and callose accumulation. In addition, the results of qPCR detection showed that EBS03 induced up-regulation of defense-related genes such as PAL, POD, PPO and PR10, enhanced plant resistance to this fungal pathogen, and inhibited the reproduction of V. dahliae in cotton.
Conclusion
Bacillus subtilis EBS03 has a good biological defense capability by inhibiting the growth of V. dahliae, activating the disease resistance of the cotton, enhancing the disease resistance, and increasing cotton yield.
The role of novelty and probability in cognitive control: Evidence from the Simon task
Authors: De Cesarei Andrea , D’Ascenzo Stefania , Nicoletti Roberto , Codispoti Maurizio
Published: July 2022

While information that is associated with inappropriate responses can interfere with an ongoing task and be detrimental to performance, cognitive control mechanisms and specific contextual conditions can alleviate interference from unwanted information. In the spatial correspondence (Simon) task, interference has been consistently shown to be reduced by spatial non-correspondence in the previous trial (i.e., correspondence sequence effect, CSE); however the mechanisms supporting this sequential effect are not well understood. Recent proposals highlight the role of learning mechanisms, which bind perceptual, response, and control processes together in determining the level of performance. Here we investigated the role of stimulus novelty (stimulus level; i.e., repeated, novel) and response modality (response level; i.e., manual, vocal) in a Simon task. The probability of novel trials was manipulated so that the frequency of perceptual/motor changes determined weaker or stronger memory associations that might engage cognitive control mechanisms, resulting in weaker interference. We examined the effects of novelty, probability, and spatial correspondence at the behavioral level as well as in the modulation of pupil dilation as an index of arousal. The results are consistent with recent accounts, which indicate that spatial interference can be prevented by cognitive control mechanisms triggered by learned associations.
Evaluating Home Injection Compared with Healthcare-Setting Injection of Somatostatin Analogs: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Boguszewski Cesar L. , Artignan Audrey , Korbonits Márta , García Almudena Martín , Houchard Aude , Ribeiro-Oliveira Antonio , de Herder Wouter W.
Published: July 2022

Purpose
A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the use of home injections (self/partner/healthcare provider [HCP]-administered) of somatostatin analogues (SSAs) as an alternative to healthcare-setting injections in patients with acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).
Methods
MEDLINE/Embase/the Cochrane Library (2001–September 2021), key congresses (2019–2021), and bibliographies of relevant systematic reviews were searched. Eligible studies reported on efficacy/effectiveness, safety, adherence, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and economic outcomes in populations receiving home injections of SSAs.
Results
Overall, 12 studies were included, all reporting on SSAs (lanreotide autogel/depot or octreotide long-acting release) in acromegaly or NETs. Across four studies, home injection was associated with similar disease control in patients with acromegaly/NETs compared with healthcare-setting administration. High rates of treatment adherence were shown in two studies of patients with acromegaly receiving lanreotide injections at home. Two studies reported non-serious adverse events; incidence of adverse reactions was similar in both the home and healthcare administration settings. Preference for injection setting varied between studies and indications; nonetheless, higher satisfaction/convenience (> 75% patients) was reported for home injections. Self- or partner-injection was associated with economic savings compared with administration in the healthcare setting across five studies.
Conclusion
Efficacy/effectiveness, adherence, and safety outcomes of SSAs in the home injection setting were similar to those in the healthcare setting, with high reported satisfaction and convenience. Self/partner injection also resulted in cost savings. These findings provide a basis to understand outcomes related to home injection and encourage healthcare providers to discuss optimal treatment choices with their patients.
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α regulates chemokine receptor type 4 to activate AKT/mTOR pathway to promote the viability and migration of diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells
Authors: Xu Zizhen , Liu Yiyue , Su Yanyu , Lv Geng , Wang Yefei
Published: July 2022

Background
To investigate the effects of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) on the viability and migration of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells and the underlying mechanisms.
Methods
HIF-1α overexpression and knockdown plasmids were constructed and transfected into DLBCL cells. The efficacy of HIF-1α expression was detected via real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Whether overexpression and knockdown HIF-1α affect the expression of chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and promote cells proliferation and migration were detected via CCK8 assay and Transwell assay. How HIF-1α works on CXCR4 was measured by double fluorescent reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. The expression level of CXCR4 and AKT/mTOR pathway-related proteins were detected via Western blot assay.
Results
CCK8 assay and Transwell assay showed that both hypoxic conditions and HIF-1α overexpression under normoxia promoted the viability and migration of DLBCL cells while HIF-1α knockdown showed inhibitory effects. The effects of HIF-1α on DLBCL cells were suppressed when the expression of CXCR4 was inhibited. Double fluorescent reporter enzyme assay and ChIP assay showed that HIF-1α combined with the functional site HRE1 of CXCR4 promoter to promote the transcription of CXCR4. Western blot assay demonstrated that HIF-1α promoted the expression of CXCR4 to activate the phosphorylation of AKT/mTOR pathway under hypoxia.
Conclusion
HIF-1α regulated CXCR4 by binding to the functional site HRE1 of CXCR4 promoter and further activate AKT / mTOR signaling pathway, thereby promoting the viability and migration of DLBCL cells under hypoxia.
Empirical method for deriving horizontal site amplification factors considering nonlinear soil behaviors based on K-NET and KiK-net records throughout Japan
Authors: Wang Ziqian , Sun Jikai , Ito Eri , Kawase Hiroshi , Matsushima Shinichi
Published: July 2022

Based on the observed strong-motion records of K-NET and KiK-net, we utilized 1,065 earthquake observation stations installed throughout Japan, gathering more than 140,000 recordings for weak motions with a peak ground acceleration (PGA) of less than 100 cm/s 2 and more than 5,300 records for strong motions with a PGA of more than 100 cm/s 2 . These 1,065 sites detected at least one recording with a PGA value greater than 100 cm/s 2 . These recordings were used to quantify the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) difference between weak and strong shakings. Based on the observations, the discrepancy in HVSR between weak and strong shakings can be depicted as a shift both in the frequency and amplitude axes in the logarithmic coordinate system. This kind of shift can be favorably interpreted by an established diffused field theory of the HVSR of earthquakes. Based on the concept of shifts, new empirical functions are proposed to modify the averaged HVSR in linear cases in order to acquire the HVSR in nonlinear regimes. Subsequently, an improved vertical amplification correction function, which considers the time-averaged shear wave velocity down to 30 meters, was used to convert the modified HVSR into the horizontal site amplification factor (HSAF) in nonlinear regimes. The new methodology adopted in this study, which does not require detailed soil layer information, is convenient for obtaining the HSAF by considering empirically obtained nonlinear soil behaviors.
A novel security algorithm RPBB31 for securing the social media analyzed data using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Batcha Bagath Basha Chan , Singaravelu Rajaprakash , Ramachandran Meenakumari , Muthusamy Suresh , Panchal Hitesh , Thangaraj Kokilavani , Ravindaran Ashok Kumar
Published: July 2022

The present world data is most important in public because without data cannot live in the world. This data is big data and that data daily increases through Social Media like "Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn", etc.., because this media only share public opinion very fast through the net. From this media, more people used especially Twitter. Thus media are used to analyze the public opinion of the tweets and predict the future through Machine Learning Algorithm. This analyzed data should make it polarity score. This score data has very little security because, this score can change the score and affected the future, so apply the existing security algorithms is Salsa and ChaCha. The Salsa algorithm is diagonal values moved to the first row. The ChaCha algorithm is diagonal values moved to the first column. The existing algorithms do not have good security because they focused only on performance, not security. So, the novel security algorithm is RPBB31. This algorithm has seven stages. The 1st stage is to find the secret key N, n, and p values from the matrix. The 2nd stage is to apply the secret key in Eq. (1). The 3rd stage operation of PN(n) up to n = 1. The 4th stage is all PN(n) operations make their single line. The 5th stage is to pair the values and swap the values in the matrix. The 6th stage is column operations in the matrix. The 7th stage is again Step 4 values used to swap but “0th " cell value start from reverse in the matrix. The proposed algorithm has provide good security and performance while compare to existing algorithms.
Potential and characteristics of methane production during anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste at different temperatures
Authors: Liao Cheng , Li Kaijing , Wang Changmei , Liang Chengyue , Zhao Xingling , Wu Kai , Yang Bin , Yin Fang , Zhang Wudi
Published: July 2022

Anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste is a viable approach for sustainable waste management. However, the process requires optimization. Using batch anaerobic reactor with cabbage waste as fermentation material, the potential and characteristics of methane production during anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste at five different temperatures were investigated. The analysis revealed that the cumulative gas production increased with rising temperature, and was 528.33 mL at 30 ℃; 927.5 mL at 35 ℃; 955 mL at 40 ℃; 1017.5 mL at 45 ℃; and 1075 mL at 50 ℃; the cumulative methane production at the five temperatures was 233.18 mL, 569.14 mL, 597.62 mL, 437.88 mL, and 621.65 mL, respectively, with the lowest production at 45 ℃. Methane production rates per total solid content were 97.69 mL/g, 238.43 mL/g, 250.37 mL/g, 183.44 mL/g, and 260.43 mL/g, accordingly. Methane production rates per volatile solid content were 180.00 mL/g, 439.34 mL/g, 461.33 mL/g, 338.02 mL/g, and 479.88 mL/g, respectively. Overall, methane generation during anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste at 45 ℃ was relatively low, with the optimal reaction temperature of 35 ℃. The study provides theoretical basis for efficient vegetable waste utilization and industrialization of related applications.
Human placental mesenchymal stem cells derived exosomes improved functional recovery via attenuating apoptosis and increasing axonal regeneration after severe spinal cord injury
Authors: Soleimani Afsane , Pedram Mirsepehr , Saadinam Fatemeh , Rasaee Mohammad Javad , Yazdani Saeed Oraee , Soleimani Masoud
Published: July 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
The allocation and fairness of health human resources in Chinese maternal and child health care institutions: a nationwide longitudinal study
Authors: Ma Yuan , Xiao Pei , Yu Li , Ni Henfan , Huang Shiyao , Wang Meixian , Huang Yuxiang , Li Li , Yang Lian , Tan Chunjian , Zhong Zhigang
Published: July 2022

Background
In response to an aging population, the Chinese government implemented the three-child policy in 2021 based on the comprehensive two-child policy. With the implementation of the new birth policy, people's maternal and child health (MCH) needs will also increase. The allocation and equity of MCH human resources directly affect people's access to MCH services. The purpose of this study is to analyze the allocation of health human resources in Chinese maternal and child health care institutions, evaluate the fairness of the allocation, to provide a reference for the rational allocation of MCH human resources.
Methods
The data of health technicians, licensed (assistant) physicians, and registered nurses in maternal and child health care institutions nationwide from 2016 to 2020 were included. The health resource density index (HRDI) was used to evaluate the allocation level of MCH human resources. The Gini coefficient (G) and Theil index (T) were used to evaluate the fairness of the allocation of MCH human resources from the perspectives of population and geographic area.
Results
From 2016 to 2020, the average annual growth rate of the number of health technicians, licensed (assistant) physicians, and registered nurses in Chinese maternal and child health care institutions was 7.53%, 6.88%, and 9.12%, respectively. The G of the three types of MCH human resources allocated by population are all below 0.23, and the G allocated by geographical area are all above 0.65. The total T of the three types of MCH human resources allocated by population was all lower than 0.06, and the total T allocated by geographical area was all higher than 0.53. In addition, the three categories of MCH human resources allocated by population and geographic area contributed more than 84% of the T to the total T.
Conclusions
China's MCH human resources are equitable in terms of population allocation, but unfair in terms of geographical area allocation. In the future, more attention should be paid to the geographical accessibility of MCH human resources, and the allocation of resources should comprehensively consider the two factors of serving the population and geographical area.
Endocrine Complications and the Effect of Compliance to Chelation Therapy in Patients with Beta Thalassemia Major in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Habbash Fatima , AlBati Wegdan , Alhashim Howra , Aldossari Mariam , Alali Ahmed , Alalyani Khalid , Ebrahim Zainab Al , Eraqi Samma , Binayfan Ziyad , Almarri Azzam , Aljabr Thamer
Published: July 2022

Background: Endocrinopathies and metabolic complications are common in Beta Thalassemia major patients receiving blood transfusion. Chelation therapy has a role in preventing or delaying such complications. However, patients may face difficulties to adhere with chelation therapy due to several reasons.Aim: To evaluate endocrine complications in beta thalassemia major patients (2-30 years) in The Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and compare the onset of endocrine complications among compliant and non-compliant patients. Moreover, assess the barriers that hinder the compliance on chelating therapy.Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 patients (43 male and 46 females) in patients aged 2 to 30 years attending different hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic data, medical histories. The questionnaires were filled by face-to-face interviews with the patients, or their care givers and the required laboratory data was retrieved from the medical records of patients.Results: The most prevalent abnormality was underweight detected in (40.9 %) of patients followed by subclinical hypothyroidism (37.7 %), short stature (35.2 %), hypothyroidism in (17.0 %) and diabetes mellitus in (13.6 %). Significant difference between those who are compliant to iron chelation therapy and those who are not in terms of the prevalence of short stature (P value= .05) and hypothyroidism (P value= .05) being the most evident. Percentage of Patients who were not compliant on taking chelation therapy is (21.6 %) and (9.1 %) of patients were not taking them at all. Conclusion: Despite the role of chelation therapy in the management of iron overload, the risk of secondary endocrine and metabolic complications remained considerable. Subclinical hypothyroidism and short stature were the most frequent endocrine complications encountered in this study.
UBXN2A suppresses the Rictor-mTORC2 signaling pathway, an established tumorigenic pathway in human colorectal cancer
Authors: Rezvani Khosrow , Sane Sanam , Sriniva Rekha , Potts Rashaun , Eikanger Morgan , Zagirova Diana , Freeling Jessica , Reihe Casey , Antony Ryan , Gupta Brij , Lynch Douglas , Bleeker Jonathan , Turaihi Hassan , Pillatzki Angela , Zhou Wei , Luo Xu , Agany Diing , Zohim Etienne , Humphrey Lisa , Black Adrian
Published: July 2022

The mTORC2 pathway plays a critical role in promoting tumor progression in human colorectal cancer (CRC). The regulatory mechanisms for this signaling pathway are only partially understood. We previously identified UBXN2A as a novel tumor suppressor protein in CRCs and hypothesized that UBXN2A suppresses the mTORC2 pathway, thereby inhibiting CRC growth and metastasis. We first used murine models to show that haploinsufficiency of UBXN2A significantly increases colon tumorigenesis. Induction of UBXN2A reduces AKT phosphorylation downstream of the mTORC2 pathway, which is essential for a plethora of cellular processes, including cell migration. Meanwhile, mTORC1 activities remain unchanged in the presence of UBXN2A. Mechanistic studies revealed that UBXN2A targets Rictor protein, a key component of the mTORC2 complex, for 26S proteasomal degradation. A set of genetic and pharmacological studies showed that UBXN2A regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) in CRC. CRC patients with a high level of UBXN2A have significantly better survival, and high-grade CRC tissues exhibit decreased UBXN2A protein expression. UBXN2A induction in tumor organoids suppresses the mTORC2 pathway. These findings provide new insights into the functions of an ubiquitin-like protein by inhibiting a dominant oncogenic pathway in CRC.
Geometry-driven migration efficiency of minimal cell clusters
Authors: Vercruysse Eléonore , Brückner David , Gómez-González Manuel , Luciano Marine , Kalukula Yohalie , Rossetti Leone , Trepat Xavier , Hannezo Edouard , Gabriele Sylvain
Published: July 2022

The directed migration of epithelial cell collectives through coordinated movements is key to many physiological and pathological processes and is increasingly well understood at the level of large confluent monolayers. Numerous migration processes rely on the migration of small groups of polarized epithelial clusters and their responses to external geometries. However, the interplay of cell-cell interactions and external boundaries in small cell clusters remain poorly understood. To tackle this, we used micropatterned stripes to investigate the migration of small epithelial clusters with well-defined geometries. Here we show that their migration efficiency is strongly dependent on the contact geometry, and in particular whether cell-cell contacts are parallel or perpendicular to the direction of migration. By systematically screening possible interaction mechanisms in a minimal active matter model, we show that a combination of velocity and polarity alignment with contact inhibition of locomotion captures the experimental data, which we then validated via force and intracellular stress measurements, as well as perturbations. Altogether, our results highlight the importance of geometry in defining the migration properties of cell clusters, providing a conceptual framework to extract interaction rules from how active systems interact with physical boundaries.
RNAi-mediated plant sterol modification: a novel strategy for controlling pest caterpillars
Authors: Chen Ivy W. , Grebenok Robert J. , Zhao Cheng , He Li , Lei Jiaxin , Ji Rui , Hernandez Nicolo , Yuan Joshua S. , Koiwa Hisashi , Behmer Spencer T. , Zhu-Salzman Keyan
Published: July 2022

All eukaryotes use sterols as structural components in cell membranes and as precursors for key hormones. However, arthropods are unique among eukaryotes because they are unable to synthesize sterols de novo and must acquire sterols through their diet. Cholesterol is the dominant sterol in most insects, but because plants contain little cholesterol, most insect herbivores convert phytosterols to cholesterol. However, metabolic constraints limit which phytosterols insect herbivores can convert to cholesterol. In this study we used RNA interference to modify the sterol profile of Arabidopsis thaliana to generate phytosterols that would be problematic for insect herbivores. We did this by silencing the Δ8-Δ7-sterol isomerase gene (HYD1) that is responsible for the conversion of Δ8-sterols into Δ7-sterols. Sterol production decreased in Arabidopsis lines with > 95% transcript reduction and half of the total sterol profile in these plants showed a Δ8 configuration. These sterol-modified lines exhibited normal growth, but caterpillars (Plutella xylostella) reared on these plants showed reduced growth and survival, while adults showed decreased reproductive output. Sterol analysis of the pupae reared on sterol-modified plants suggests these negative effects are a function of reduced cholesterol levels and the accumulation of Δ8-sterols. Finally, we used our collective performance and reproduction data to model the effects of sterol-modified plants at the population level. We show that population numbers are significantly reduced, and generation time extended, after only two generations. Our results suggest that modifying plant sterols has real potential for management of pest caterpillars, especially multivoltine species.
The High-Voltage Level Shifter with dV/dt noises Shielding
Authors: Cao Jianwen , Zhou Zekun , Zhang Bo
Published: July 2022

This paper proposes a HV (high-voltage) level shifter to shield the dV/dt noise. The main mechanism is to determine whether there is dV/dt noise through signal changes. When there is the dV/dt noise, the proposed level shifter’s output is locked by the dV/dt noise shielding circuit. So, the proposed level shifter has infinite dV/dt immunity, which is not affected by the supply voltage, and processes. In normal operation, the proposed level shifter can still maintain high response speed by using the auxiliary circuit. Therefore, the proposed HV level shifter cannot only realize dV/dt noise shielding, but also have a fast response speed. In the 0.5µm BCD process, the proposed level shifter is simulated, realizing the ±250V/ns dV/dt noises shielding function and less than 1.5ns delay time under the 400V HV power supply.
Effect of Hybrid Fiber Reinforcements on the Mechanical and Ductility Performance of HPC Incorporating Micro Silica and Alccofine-1203 Prabath, N V N a , and Ramadoss, P b
Authors: N PRABATH N V , P RAMADOSS
Published: July 2022

This study investigates the effect of fiber volume fractions of single and hybrid fibers on the mechanical and ductility performance of high-performance concrete (HPC) with w/b ratios of 0.38 and 0.28, and 20% silica fume replacement. Macro steel fiber volume fractions (Vf = 0.5, 1 & 1.5%) and micro polypropylene fiber volume fractions (Vf = 0.25, 0.5 & 1%) and alccofine-1203 as an additive were used in this study. For high performance fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC) and high performance hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HP-HyFRC) mixes, compressive strength, modulus of rupture (MOR) and elastic modulus were evaluated. Test results of HPSFRC show improvement in 28-day compressive strength by 15.4% and in MOR by 44.66% at steel fiber volume fraction, for HPPFRC, improvement in compressive strength and in MOR the improvement is moderate at polypropylene fiber volume fraction, Vf = 1%. Stress-strain behavior of HPFRC and HP-HyFRC was studied and modulus of elasticity was obtained in the range of 33.72-44.26 GPa and 33.72-45.21 GPa, respectively. Engineering properties were improved as a result of synergetic effect between steel and polypropylene fibers. Effect of addition of alccofine-1203 on the mechanical performance of HPC was examined, and the optimum dosage as 8% was observed. HPSFRC improved the compressive toughness and ductility considerably, which is evidenced from stress-stain behavior, and in HP-HyFRC, this improvement is high due to the synergetic effect between both the fibers. Statistical models for the estimation of compressive strength ratios/ flexural strength ratios of HPSFRC/ HPPFRC were developed. The predicted values are in good agreement with the experimental values of earlier researchers. Relationship between 28-day flexural and compressive strengths of HPSFRC/ HPPFRC was developed with AAE= 4.32%. Multiple linear regression model with R= 0.98 was developed by Response surface method for the prediction of compressive strength of HP-HyFRC mixes and validated.
BE-UJI hand function activity set for the evaluation of the healthy and pathological hand
Authors: Jarque-Bou Néstor J. , Gracia-Ibáñez Verónica , Vergara Margarita , Sancho-Bru Joaquín L.
Published: July 2022

Background. Hand kinematics during hand function tests based on the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) can provide objective data to determine patients’ functional loss. However, they are rarely used during clinical evaluation due to their long duration. Starting from the 20 tasks of the Sollerman Hand Function Test (SHFT), we propose to identify a smaller set of ADLs that provides similar kinematic information to the original full set, in terms of synergies, ranges of motion and velocities. Methods. We used an iterative method with the kinematics of 16 joints of the hand while performing the 20 ADLs of the SHFT. For each subject, the ADLs were ordered according to their influence on the synergies obtained by means of principal component analysis, and the minimum number of ADL that represented the original kinematic synergies (maximum angle of 30 degrees between synergies) and keeping the ranges of joint movements (85% of the original ones) were selected for each subject. Then, the set of the most frequently selected ADLs was verified to be representative of the SHFT ADLs in terms of motion strategies, ranges of motion and joint velocities, considering healthy subjects and Hand Osteoarthritis patients.Results. A set of 10 tasks, the BE-UJI activity set, was identified, ensuring a certain bounded synergy similarity (maximum mean angle between synergies of 25.5 degrees), functional joint ranges (maximum differences of 10 degrees) and joint velocities (maximum differences of 15 degrees per second). Tasks obtained are: Pick up coins from purses, lift wooden cubes, pick put nuts and turn them, write with pen, cut with a knife, lift telephone, unscrew lid of jars and pour water from a cup, a jar and a Pure-Pak. These activities warranty the use of the seven most common hand-grips in ADL.Conclusion. The BE-UJI activity set for the hand function assessment could be used in clinics as an alternative to the SHFT, reducing the time of the assessment while allowing clinicians to obtain objective kinematic data of motor strategies, range of motion and joint velocities used by patients.
HIF-1α-induced up-regulated miR-322 forms a feedback loop by targeting Smurf2 and Smad7 to activate Smad3/β-catenin/HIF-1α, thereby improving myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Dong Wei , Dong Chen , Zhu Jianbing , Zheng Yaofu , Weng Junfei , Liu Leilei , Ruan Yang , Fang Xu , Chen Jin , Liu Wenyu , Peng Xiaoping , Chen Xuanying
Published: July 2022

Background: Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a major cause of heart failure after myocardial infarction. It has been reported that miR-322 is involved in MIRI progression, while the molecular mechanism of miR-322 in regulating MIRI progression needs to be further probed.Methods: MIRI cell model was established by oxygen‐glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). Cell viability was assessed using MTS assay. Flow cytometry and TUNEL staining were employed to analyze cell apoptosis. In addition, the interactions between miR-322, Smad7/Smurf2, HIF-1α and β-catenin were verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay.Results: Our results displayed that miR-322 was significantly downregulated in OGD/R-treated H9c2 cells, and its overexpression resulted in increased cell viability and reduced the apoptosis. Smurf2 and Smad7 were identified as the direct targets of miR-322. Smad7 knockdown or Smurf2 knockdown increased OGD/R-treated H9c2 cell viability and suppressed the apoptosis. Meanwhile, miR-322 mimics abolished the mitigating effect of Smad7 or Smurf2 overexpression on MIRI. In addition, the Smad3/β-catenin pathway was identified as the downstream pathway of Smurf2/Smad7. Moreover, it was found that HIF-1α interacted with the miR-322 promoter, and β-catenin interacted with the HIF-1α promoter to form a loop.Conclusion: HIF-1α-induced up-regulated miR-322 activated the Smad3/β-catenin pathway by targeting Smurf2 and Smad7 to improve MIRI; meanwhile, β-catenin/ HIF-1α formed a positive feedback loop to continuously improve MIRI.
Clinical manifestations and vision-related quality of life in pediatric uveitis
Authors: Li Yiran , Yang Liu
Published: July 2022

Background
To analyze clinical manifestations, visual ability and quality of life in pediatric uveitis and to explore factors affecting visual ability and quality of life.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 40 patients with pediatric uveitis in the database of Ophthalmology of Peking University First Hospital. All patients completed Cardiff visual ability questionnaire for children (CVAQC) and pediatric quality of life inventory measurement models (PedsQL4.0).
Results
A total of 40 cases (68 eyes) with pediatric uveitis were included in this study. Better visual acuity in better eye was predictive of a lower score of CVAQC, education and distance vision. Better visual acuity in worse eye was predictive of a lower score of CVAQC and distance vision. Better scores of CVAQC was predictive of a lower score of PedsQL4.0, physical health, psychosocial health and school functioning.
Conclusions
Health-related quality of life is related with vision ability in pediatric uveitis.