bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variations in the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation Among Reproductive-aged Women in Nigeria Across Three Generations
Authors: Anyanwu Chidimma Ezenwa , Torpey Kwasi , Abiodun Olaiya Paul , Sanni Olaniyi Felix , Anyanwu Ifeanyi Donald
Published: August 2022

Background and Objective: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is widespread mainly in low and middle-income countries. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM, accounting for about one of every four cases globally. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of FGM amongthree generations in Abuja, the federal capital city of Nigeria.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) within two area councils of Abuja (Bwari and Abuja Municipal) and Nyanya suburban district adjoining the federal capital territory in Nigeria. The respondents are pregnant women attending antenatal care at four selected health facilities. Data were collected using Google Forms and were analyzed with SPSS for Windows version 25.
Results: This study comprised data from 634 females (who had an average age of 33±6.0 years) from four major healthcare facilities in Abuja. The most common age group was 30 – 34 years (29.2%). The prevalence of FGM in the first generation (37.7%) was significantly higher than in the second (28.5%) and the third generations (8.7%) (p<0.01). The prevalence of FGM in the second generation was also significantly higher than in the third (p<0.01). The predictors of women circumcising their daughters include primary/no-education AOR 1.48 (95% CI: 0.41-5.31; p<0.05), being a traditionalist 4.94 (95% CI: 0.29-84.56; p<0.05), or Muslim 2.27 (95% CI: 0.94-5.49; p<0.05), respondent’s mother being circumcised 1.69 (95% CI: 0.26-10.85, p<0.05) or mother’s circumcision unknown 5.41 (95% CI: 0.78-37.34; p<0.05), respondents being circumcised 54.71 (95% CI: 0.78-37.34; p<0.001), culture 2.48 (95% CI: 1.00-6.19; p<0.05), and ignorance of adverse psycho-social/emotional effects of FGM 4.39 (95% CI: 1.46-13.17; p<0.05).
Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Although there is a decline in FGM prevalence from the first generation to the third generation in Nigeria, the current prevalence of 8.7% remains a public health concern. Nigerian women’s ongoing experience of FGM requires both individual and stakeholders’ involvement to eradicate health-related problems such as tissue damage, infection, scarring, infertility, and pains during sexual intercourse, urination, and menstruation.
 
Copyright © 2022 Anyanwu et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.
Quality Assessment of Microseismic P-Phase Arrival Picks and Its Application of Source Location in Coal Mining
Authors: Zhu Mengbo , Cheng Jianyuan , Liu Lang , Qu Huisheng , Xie Geng
Published: August 2022

Correctly identifying abnormal and false P-phase arrival picks (P-pick) in underground coal mining is essential to microseismic source location. Manual judgement and identification are time-consuming with the increasingly growing monitoring data. To eliminate the effects of false P-picks, a novel microseismic source location with weighted P-picks was proposed, and ten waveform parameters were selected to characterize the difference between two types of signals with usable and unusable P-picks. The discriminant analysis experiment has revealed that the prediction rate of unusable P-pick set increases dramatically with the sample size when the sample size is less than 2,000 and the prediction rates of unusable P-pick set are around 88% when the sample size is greater than 2,000, while the prediction rates of usable P-pick set are around 80%, which is little affected by the sample size. Considering the prediction rates of usable and unusable P-pick populations, the discrimination function with a sample size of 3,000 was selected to identify the usable and unusable P-picks. The identification rates of usable and unusable P-pick populations are up to 83.24% and 88.99%, respectively. The application of P-pick discriminant analysis model in source location was discussed. The location case and long-term result show that the P-pick discriminant model and its application in source location perform well.
Physics-Informed Neural Networks Help Predict Fluid Flow in Porous Media
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2022

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 203033, “Prediction of Fluid Flow in Porous Media Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks,” by Muhammad M. Almajid, SPE, and Moataz O. Abu-Alsaud, SPE, Saudi Aramco. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The authors of the complete paper write that the realm of reservoir engineering is considered to belong to the small-data regime because of the complex physical systems involved and the inherent uncertainty of the problems. The objective of the paper is to present a physics-informed neural network (PINN) technique that is able to use information from the fluid-flow physics and observed data to model the Buckley-Leverett problem.

Fractional-Flow Theory

Through their study of fluid displacement in sands, Buckley and Leverett introduced the fractional-flow theory. The theory estimates the rate at which one fluid displaces another and, consequently, the change in fluid saturations. The theory has been applied to many fluid-flow processes in porous media such as waterflooding, carbonated waterflooding, alcohol flooding, miscible flooding, steam flooding, foam flooding, low-salinity waterflooding, and carbon sequestration. The authors use the fractional-flow theory to simulate the displacement of water-filled porous media by gas, a process detailed in the complete paper.

Once the Buckley-Leverett solution is obtained, the saturation profile of gas or water can be plotted at different times. It is noteworthy that a gas viscosity of 0.2 cp in this case is used so that the shock is visually apparent in the Buckley-Leverett solution. Additionally, having this large of a gas viscosity is justified. For instance, foamed gas can develop apparent viscosities orders of magnitude larger than unfoamed gas. Fig. 1 plots the gas-saturation profile along the dimensionless distance. Obtaining the corresponding water-saturation profiles is trivial. The authors compare the analytical solution and the PINN prediction with respect to water saturation.
Fiber-Optic Sensing System Allows Real-Time Visualization of Gas-Kick Dynamics
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2022

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 201539, “Distributed Sensing and Real-Time Visualization of Gas-Kick Dynamics in a Full-Scale Wellbore,” by W.C. Williams, SPE, C.E. Taylor, and M.A. Almeida, SPE, Louisiana State University, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The project described in the complete paper used a 9⅝-in., 5,200-ft-deep wellbore retrofit with distributed fiber optics [distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DTS)] and four permanent pressure/temperature (P/T) gauges to sense and visualize gas-kick dynamics downhole in real time. Variations in flow rate, kick size, and backpressure were investigated, including gas migration during shut in. Data were consolidated with the rig-recorded surface data to create a complete picture of the experiments.

Project Background

The current work is a major component of the 3-year US National Academies-funded Gulf Research Project (GRP) at Louisiana State University (LSU). The project was proposed inside the focus area of offshore safety as a part of the multifaceted GRP. The full-scale testing component of LSU’s project is concentrated on the proof-of-concept of distributed sensing for gas-in-riser detection and characterization, especially focused around drilling and completion operations. The project uses the existing facilities at LSU’s Petroleum Engineering Research and Technology Transfer Laboratory (PERTT Laboratory).
Machine Learning Optimizes Production in an Unconventional Reservoir
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: August 2022

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 200360, “Production Optimization of the CO2 Huff-n-Puff Process in an Unconventional Reservoir Using a Machine-Learning-Based Proxy,” by Azad Almasov, SPE, Mustafa Onur, SPE, and Albert C. Reynolds, SPE, The University of Tulsa. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The complete paper investigates the efficient estimation of optimal design variables that maximize net present value (NPV) for life-cycle production optimization during a single-well carbon dioxide (CO2) huff ‘n’ puff (HnP) process in unconventional oil reservoirs. The NPV is calculated by a machine-learning (ML) proxy model trained to approximate the NPV that would be calculated from a reservoir simulator run. The ML proxy model can be obtained with either least-squares support vector regression (LS-SVR) or Gaussian process regression (GPR).

Introduction

The design variables considered in this study include CO2 injection rate, production bottomhole pressure (BHP), duration of the injection, and duration of production time for each cycle. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the complete paper represents the first study that considers the life-cycle optimization problem for a hydraulically fractured well in unconventional oil formations by using two different ML-based methods.
Technology Focus: Decarbonization (July 2022)
Authors: Jenvey Nigel
Published: August 2022

Have you noticed that the pace, breadth, and depth of engagement in decarbonization within the oil and gas industry is going from strength to strength? In addition to corporate commitments and project announcements, this was evident in the content of OnePetro technical papers during the past year that demonstrate the industry is serious about implementation.

In the inaugural JPT Technology Focus article last year, we shared three selected papers on the role of natural gas in fuel-switching; carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS); and hydrogen technologies that are part of the toolkit of solutions that avoid, reduce, replace, offset, or sequester greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.

This year is different. We focus on CCUS and, explicitly, three papers from the Asia Pacific region.

You may be wondering: why? The answer is that countries in Asia Pacific comprise the world’s most populous and fastest-growing economies, which already contribute to half of all GHG emissions and which are expected to account for almost two-thirds of global energy demand growth over the next 2 decades.

It is for these reasons that, for CCUS to be successful as a global climate-change mitigation technology (and we know that it is vital to meet global targets), it has to be deployed successfully at scale in the growing markets in Asia Pacific.

Please enjoy the following summary of three selected papers on the assessment of CCUS technologies in the Asia Pacific region that go a long way toward identifying and developing the region’s understanding of deployment and underpinning future investment.
Residue dissipation, degradation dynamics, and dietary risk assessment of mandipropamid in ginseng under field application
Authors: Hou Zhiguang , Hou Xingang , Wei Liping , Cao Zhanwen , Lu Zhou , Liu Hanjv , Lu Zhongbin
Published: August 2022

Mandipropamid, a new fungicide for oomycete disease, has a strong effect on the blight of many crops and has been registered for the treatment of ginseng blight in China. However, no maximum residue limit (MRL) of mandipropamid has been identified for ginseng, and there have been few related studies. We established and verified the analysis method of mandipropamid in ginseng using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method has good linearity and accuracy in the range of 0.002–0.5 mg/kg. The average recovery of mandipropamid was 87.4–101.6%, and the standard deviation was 1.1–10.1. Mandipropamid in ginseng plants and soil rapidly degraded following first-order kinetics models. The degradation dynamics showed that the half-life of mandipropamid in ginseng plant and soil was 13.8–28.0 and 9.8–27.4 d, respectively. After the recommended dose of mandipropamid was applied once, the residual content of mandipropamid in fresh ginseng, dried ginseng, red ginseng, ginseng plant, and ginseng soil was <0.01–0.185, <0.01–0.265, 0.085–1.544, 0.075–4.800, and <0.01–0.014 mg/kg, respectively. The dietary risk assessment of mandipropamid on ginseng showed that the risk quotient value was far less than 100%, indicating that the recommended dose of mandipropamid does not cause unacceptable risks to humans. After the recommended dose of mandipropamid was applied once, it did not cause unacceptable risks to humans. This study not only provides a reasonable spray dosage of mandipropamid to ginseng, but also offers a reference for the establishment of MRLs in China.
Modeling nervous system tumors with human stem cells and organoids
Authors: Wang Yuan , Duan Jie
Published: August 2022

Nervous system cancers are the 10th leading cause of death worldwide, many of which are difficult to diagnose and exhibit varying degrees of treatment resistance. The limitations of existing cancer models such as patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models call for the development of novel preclinical cancer models to more faithfully mimic the patient’s cancer and offer additional insights. Recent advances in human stem cell biology, organoid, and genome-editing techniques allow us to model nervous system tumors in three types of next-generation tumor models: cell-of-origin models, tumor organoids, and 3D multicellular coculture models. In this review, we introduced and compared different human stem cell/organoid-derived models, and comprehensively summarized and discussed the recently developed models for various primary tumors in the central and peripheral nervous systems, including glioblastoma (GBM), H3K27M-mutant Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) and H3G34R-mutant High-grade Glioma (HGG), Low-grade Glioma (LGG), Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), Medulloblastoma (MB), Atypical Teratoid/rhabdoid Tumor (AT/RT), and meningioma. We further compared these models with PDX and GEM models, and discussed the opportunities and challenges of precision nervous cancer modeling with human stem cells and organoids.
Another one bites the dust: Photosynthetic collapse after the Chicxulub impact
Authors: Senel Cem , Kaskes Pim , Temel Orkun , Vellekoop Johan , Goderis Steven , DePalma Robert , Prins Maarten , Claeys Philippe , Karatekin Ozgur
Published: August 2022

The Chicxulub impact triggered a global impact winter at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary 66 million years ago. Yet, the exact killing mechanisms of the K-Pg mass extinction including the wipe-out of non-avian dinosaurs, remain poorly constrained. Here, we present paleoclimate simulations based on new sedimentological constraints from an expanded K-Pg boundary deposit in North Dakota, to evaluate the relative and combined effects of impact-generated sulfur and silicate dust as well as soot from global wildfires on the post-impact photosynthetic activity. In prior works, the relative contribution of dust was considered peripheral compared to the other types of fine-grained ejecta. However, our results show that a massive plume of micrometer-sized silicate dust was a key factor driving the K-Pg impact winter due to a long atmospheric lifetime at least 20 years. The dust-induced photosynthetic shut-down, together with additional effects of soot and sulfur, led to the catastrophic collapse of primary productivity on land and in the ocean, steering the mass extinction in the direct aftermath of the Chicxulub impact.
Evaluating the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hypertension and Diabetes Care in South Korea: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis
Authors: Sim Boram , Kim Sun-Mi , Nam Eun Woo
Published: August 2022

Background
Access to healthcare services is important, especially for patients with chronic diseases. We evaluated the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient visits and medication for patients with hypertension and diabetes in South Korea.
Methods
Nationwide claims data were extracted for patients with hypertension and diabetes from January 2019 to July 2020. We used an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to evaluate the pandemic’s impact on outpatient care using the number of outpatient visits and days of medication supplied per visit. We identified the change in continuity of care in medication, a consequence of change in outpatient care, using the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR).
Results
The number of outpatient visits for diabetes significantly declined in February 2020, when community transmission began. However, when high-intensity social distancing was relaxed in April 2020, outpatient visits for hypertension and diabetes rebounded significantly. Moreover, when the outpatient visits declined, the number of days of medication supplied per visit increased. Consequently, the average MPRs significantly increased compared to 2019, increasing the ratio of patients with appropriate medication supply (MPR ≥ 0.8).
Conclusions
Outpatient visits decreased immediately when COVID-19 spread to local communities. However, the number of days of medication supplied per visit increased to compensate for the longer intervals between visits. Rather, the change in continuity of care in medication improved; thus, the temporary decrease in outpatient visits might have had limited negative impact on health outcomes.
Decomplexity of Aliphatic Alcohol Derivatives via β-Fragmentation for Forging C–C Bond: An Alternative to Grignard-type Addition
Authors: Gao Yiman , Liu Jie , Wei Cong , Zhang Kui , Song Liangliang , Cai Lingchao
Published: August 2022

Alcohols are ubiquitous in chemistry and are native functionalities in many natural products and bioactive molecules. As such, a strategy that utilizes hydroxy-containing compounds to develop novel bond disconnection and bond formation process would achieve molecular diversity. Herein we utilize bench-stable N-alkoxyphthalimides prepared from alcohols to couple with glycine derivatives via radical process under visible light irradiation, providing a variety of unnatural amino acid (UAA) and peptide derivatives. The approach allows to rapidly deconstruct molecular complexity via β-fragmentation such as saclareolide, β-pinene and camphor and provides products with novel scaffolds, which show inhibition toward the pathogenic fungi growth.
Cuscuta epithymum Murr. crude extract pre-conditioning inhibits cell apoptosis in glutamate-induced cytotoxic condition
Authors: Pourhadi Masoumeh , Niknam Zahra , Ghasemi Rasoul , Zomorrod Mina Soufi , Niazi Vahid , Faizi Mehrdad , Zali Hakimeh , Mojab Faraz
Published: August 2022

Cuscuta epithymum Murr. (C. epithymum), as a herbal medication, has shown anticancerous effects in some of in vitro studies, but its neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic possible effects have not been considered in research. Here, we aimed to show the protective effects of C. epithymum seeds crude extract and different fractions (n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol) on rat glioblastoma cells (C6) in L-glutamate exposure. Initially, the total phenolic content of C. epithymum crude extract and the fractions (all produced by maceration method) was determined. Subsequently, C6 cells were pre-treated with various doses of crude extract and fractions 24 hours before L-glutamate exposure. Likewise, C6 cells were treated with the same extract and fractions concentrations 24 hours after exposure L-glutamate. Besides, flow cytometry testing was used to prove that C. epithymum extract protects C6 cells from glutamate toxicity, as evidenced by morphological features, cell viability, and oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SODs). The findings suggested that crude extract has concentration-depended toxicity. It has the highest antioxidant activity to significantly increase C6 cell viability in cytotoxic conditions and probably plays the neuroprotective role in reducing cell death by decreasing MDA levels and increasing SODs levels in cells, showing lipid peroxidation prevention and free radical scavenging, respectively. In conclusion, these results suggest the protective role for C. epithymum crude extract against oxidative stress-induced damage. It showed propective attribute in our in vitro study ,although, further research is needed to prove the neuroprotective effects in in vivo oxidative conditions.
A 4-lethal gene prognostic signature correlates with genomic instability and immunotherapy biomarker in stomach adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ma Xin , Fei Sujuan
Published: August 2022

The lethal genes manifesting significant prognostic value have not been systematically explored in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). The current study aims at evaluating the cell viability-related lethal genes by examining the results of CRISPR-cas9 screening, in an attempt to reveal novel therapeutic targets for STAD. Patient data were gathered from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the lethal genes were identified by conducting genome-scale CRISPR screening of the RNA sequencing data from DepMap. A few genes were selected from STAD lineage preferential dependency candidates derived from DepMap for investigation of genomic alterations, survival outcomes, immune profiles and signaling activities. After narrowing down the processes, four lethal genes were sorted out to construct a risk signature that proves to be a novel and independent prognostic factor. The enrolled patients were subdivided into a low-risk group and a high-risk group in accordance with the risk score. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that certain cancer-related phenotypes were significantly enriched in the high-risk group. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited a low immune score, higher aneuploidy and down-regulated level of PD1 than the low-risk group.In conclusion, our study of CRISPR-cas9 Screening constructed a robust four-lethal gene prognostic signature, which could be applied as a useful prognostic biomarker and thereby highlighting the potential therapeutic targets for the intervention of STAD.
New results for periodic solution in Liebau phenomenon
Authors: Yuan Qigang , Cheng Zhibo
Published: August 2022

This paper is devoted to the existence and bifurcations of positive periodic solutions of nonlinear differential equation related to the Liebau phenomenon in rigid pipe-tank flow configuration. We obtain some more general requirements on the existence of a positive harmonic solution which improves the results in literatures. It is revealed that the system undergoes saddle node bifurcation, period doubling bifurcation and Neimark-Sacker bifurcation generating various periodic solution of different stability types. The multiplicity of both the positive harmonic solution and positive 2-th order subharmonic solution is first detected in this equation by numerical bifurcation analysis. Moreover, this work reveals that the positive subharmonic solutions of the nonlinear differential equation will also lead to the Liebau phenomenon in the model, which will shed some new insights for future research.MSC—34B16; 34C25; 37G15.
Evidence-based fact checking for selective procedures in restorative dentistry
Authors: Nagarkar Sanket , Loguercio Alessandro D , Perdigão Jorge
Published: August 2022

Objectives: Similar to other dental specialties, there are many clinical procedures in restorative dentistry that may or may not be supported by good evidence. Thus, the effectiveness of these procedures is uncertain. The aim of this paper is to reduce this knowledge gap by critically inspecting selective procedures in restorative dentistry and exploring if these well-established or widely advocated treatment modalities are necessary for improving treatment outcomes based on the best available evidence.Materials and Methods: A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify research on selective procedures while focusing on clinical trials and systematic reviews. Due to their practical relevance in the decision-making process, cost-effectiveness analyses were also included. Results: Mixed results were identified regarding the included interventions. Some procedures had adequate evidence supporting them while others were mostly based on beliefs.Conclusions: A critical review of the available literature indicates that some common restorative procedures lack adequate support from high quality research evidence. Clinical Relevance: In the era of evidence-based dentistry, clinical decision-making should rely on best available evidence rather than expert opinion. This will ensure consensus among stakeholders and improve treatment outcomes.
Regional differences and temporal trend analysis of Hepatitis B in Brazil
Authors: Grandi Giuliano , Lopez Luis Fernandez , Burattini Marcelo Nascimento
Published: August 2022

Background: Burden disease related to chronic HBV infection is increasing worldwide. Monitoring Hepatitis B occurrence is difficult due to intrinsic characteristics of the infection, nonetheless analyzing this information improves strategic planning towards reducing the burden related to chronic infection. In this line of thought, this study aims to analyze national and regional epidemiology of Hepatitis B and it’s temporal trends based on Brazilian reported cases. Methods: Data obtained from the Brazilian National Notifiable Disease Reporting System (SINAN) from 2007 to 2018 were classified by infection status with an original classification algorithm, had their temporal trends analyzed by Joinpoint regression model and were correlated with gender, age and region. Results: Of the 487,180 hepatitis B cases notified to SINAN, 97.65% had it infection status correctly classified by the new algorithm. Hepatitis B detection rate, gender and age-distribution were different among Brazilian regions. Overall, detection rates remained stable from 2007 to 2018, achieving their maximal value (56.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) in North region. However, there were different temporal trends related to different hepatitis B status and age. Women mean age at notification were always inferior to those of men and the difference was higher in Central-West, North and Northeast regions. Conclusion: Hepatitis B affects heterogeneously different populations throughout Brazilian territory. The differences shown in its temporal trends, regional, gender and age-related distribution helps the planning and evaluation of control measures in Brazil.
Efficacy and Safety of Combined Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy versus Targeted monotherapy in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic review and Meta- Analysis
Authors: Yang Teng-Kai , Yu Ya-Fang , Li Hsing-Ju , Huang Kai-Wen , Jason Chia-Hsien Cheng
Published: August 2022

Background
Cancer therapy has evolved from non-specific cytotoxic agents to a selective, mechanism-based approach, including targeted agents and immunotherapy. For unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), though the response to targeted therapies is acceptable with the improved survival, the high tumor recurrence rate and drug-related side effects remain problematic. Given immune checkpoint inhibitor alone not robust enough to improve survival in unresectable HCC, growing evidence support the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy with synergistic effect.
Methods
Online databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for the studies that compared targeted monotherapy with the combination therapy of targeted drug and checkpoint inhibitors in unresectable HCC patients. Eligibility criteria were the presence of at least one measurable lesion as defined by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST1.1) for unresectable HCC patients; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2; Child-Pugh score ≤ 7. Outcome measurements include overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment-related adverse event (TRAE).
Results
Three phase II/III randomized controlled trials were included. The pooled results showed that the combination therapy had significantly better survival than targeted monotherapy, in terms of OS (HR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.50–0.91) and PFS (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.51–0.67), respectively. In the incidence of grade 3–5 TRAEs, the combination therapy was significantly higher than targeted monotherapy (OR = 1.98, 95% CI, 1.13–3.48).
Conclusions
For unresectable HCC, combined targeted drug and immunotherapy significantly improved survival compared to targeted monotherapy. However, the incidences of AEs of combinational therapy were higher than targeted monotherapy.
ITF2357 Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Meningioma Cells
Authors: Zhang Lingying , Li Chengyu , Aizezi Maierhaba , Zhu Rongxin , Jiapaer Zeyidan
Published: August 2022

As a type of central nervous system tumor, meningioma usually compresses the nerve center due to its local expansion, further causing neurological deficits. However, there are limited therapeutic approaches for meningiomas. ITF2357, a potent class I and II histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation, promote apoptosis and block the cell cycle in a variety of sarcoma cells, including glioblastoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Here, we investigated the antitumor potential of ITF2357 on meningioma cells (IOMM). First, we demonstrated that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ITF2357 was 1.842 µg/ml by MTT assay. In addition, ITF2357 effectively inhibited the proliferation and colonization ability of IOMM cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that ITF2357 induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Mechanically, the RNA sequencing data revealed that ITF2357 could affect the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the expression level of cyclin B1, cyclin D1, and CDK1 was determined by western blotting. Collectively, our data revealed that ITF2357 inhibited cell viability and proliferation of meningioma cells by inducing G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis, and inhibiting cell cycle-related proteins (CDK/cyclin B1/cyclin D1), which developed a new approach to the treatment of meningioma.
Neural correlates of gait adaptation in younger and older adults
Authors: Fettrow Tyler , Hupfeld Kathleen , Hass Chris , Pasternak Ofer , Seidler Rachael
Published: August 2022

Mobility decline is a major concern for older adults.A key component of maintaining mobility with advancing age is the ability to learn and adapt to the environment.The split-belt treadmill paradigm is an experimental protocol that tests the ability to adapt to a dynamic environment.Here we examined the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) derived structural neural correlates of individual differences in adaptation to split-belt walking for younger and older adults.We have previously shown that younger adults adopt an asymmetric walking pattern during split-belt walking, particularly in the medial-lateral (ML) direction, but older adults do not.We collected \emph{T}$_1$-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI scans to quantify brain morphological characteristics (i.e.in the gray matter and white matter) on these same participants.We investigated two distinct questions: 1) Are there structural brain metrics that are associated with the ability to adopt asymmetry during split-belt walking; and 2) Are there different brain-behavior relationships for younger and older adults? Given the growing evidence that indicates the brain has a critical role in the maintenance of gait and balance,we hypothesized that brain areas commonly associated with locomotion (i.e. basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex, cerebellum) would be associated with ML asymmetry and that older adults would show more associations between split-belt walking and prefrontal brain areas.We identified multiple brain-behavior associations.More gray matter volume in the superior frontal gyrus and cerebellar lobules VIIB and VIII, more sulcal depth in the insula, more gyrification in the pre/post central gyri, and more fractional anisotropy in the corticospinal tract and inferior longitudinal fasciculus corresponded to more gait asymmetry.These associations did not differ between younger and older adults.This work progresses our understanding of how brain structure is associated with balance during walking, particularly during adaptation.
Investigation of the Convex Time Budget Experiment by Parameter Recovery Simulation
Authors: Shimodaira Yuta , Shiozawa Kohei , Inukai Keigo
Published: August 2022

The convex time budget (CTB) method is a widely used experimental method for eliciting an individual’s time preference. Researchers adopting the CTB experiment usually assume quasi-hyperbolic discounting utility as a behavioural model and estimate the parameters of the utility function. However, few studies using the CTB method have examined parameter recovery. We conduct simulations and find that the estimation error of the present bias parameter is so large that its effect is difficult to detect. The large error is due to the improper combination of the experimental method and the utility model, and it is not a problem we can deal with after the data collection. This paper suggests the importance of running parameter recovery simulations to audit estimation errors in the experimental design.
Transfer and transformation of mercury in cement production
Authors: Yuan Chongrui , Wang Yifan , Yang Jie , Yang Shuqing , Fu Junlin , Liu Shengyu
Published: August 2022

In the previous study, the Ontario method was used to sample and analyze some production links of cement plants, but only the morphological distribution of mercury before and after the dust collector was obtained. Few researches have been carried out to analyse and test the whole process of cement plant production. In this study, based on the method of combining theoretical analysis with field sampling, the mercury levels in solid samples and gas samples was analyzed and then compared with the results obtained from theoretical analysis. In this work, the results of the theoretical analysis and the sampling can be derived towards a consistent trend, so the theoretical analysis results have a certain credibility. Then the theoretical analysis of each link in the cement production process was carried out to obtain the morphological distribution of mercury in the main link, and then the thermodynamic analysis was carried out to obtain the form distribution, migration and transformation of mercury in each link of cement production. It provides a theoretical basis for local mercury pollution control, later mercury emission reduction, coordinated disposal and management.
Incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of airway complications after lung transplantation
Authors: Kim Hyeon Hwa , Jo Kyung-Wook , Shim Tae Sun , Ji Wonjun , Ahn Jee Hwan , Oh Dong Kyu , Hong Sang-Bum , Yun Jae Kwang , Lee Geun Dong , Choi Sehoon , Kim Dong Kwan , Park Seung-Il , Kim Ho Cheol
Published: August 2022

Airway complications still occur after lung transplantation and are associated with considerable rates of morbidity and mortality. We investigated the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of these complications. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 137 patients who underwent lung transplantation between 2008 and 2021. The median follow-up period was 20 months. Of the 137 patients, 30 (21.9%) had postoperative airway complications, out of which 2 had two different types of airway complications. The most common airway complication was bronchial stenosis, affecting 23 patients (16.8%). Multivariable Cox analysis revealed that a transplant recipient’s body mass index measuring ≥25 kg/m2 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.663; p = 0.013) was a significant independent risk factor for airway complications, as was postoperative treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; HR, 3.340; p = 0.034). Of the 30 patients who had airway complications, 21 (70.0%) were treated with bronchoscopic intervention. Rates of survival did not differ significantly between patients with and without airway complications. Thus, our study revealed that one fifth of patients who underwent lung transplantation experienced airway complications during the follow-up period. Obesity and receiving postoperative ECMO are risk factors for airway complications, and close monitoring is warranted in such cases.
What do Black-box Machine Learning Prediction Models See?- An Application Study With Sepsis Detection
Authors: Strickler Ethan A. T. , Thomas Joshua , Thomas Johnson P. , Benjamin Bruce , Shamsuddin Rittika
Published: August 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify additional clinical features for sepsis detection through the use of a novel mechanism for interpreting black-box machine learning models trained and to provide a suitable evaluation for the mechanism.Methods: We use the publicly available dataset from the 2019 PhysioNet Challenge. It has around 40,000 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with 40 physiological variables. Using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) as the representative black-box machine learning model, we adapted the Multi-set Classifier to globally interpret the black-box model for concepts it learned about sepsis. To identify relevant features, the result is compared against: i) features used by a computational sepsis expert, ii) clinical features from clinical collaborators, iii) academic features from literature, and iv) significant features from statistical hypothesis testing. Results: Random Forest (RF) was found to be the computational sepsis expert because it had high accuracies for solving both the detection and early detection, and a high degree of overlap with clinical and literature features. Using the proposed interpretation mechanism and the dataset, we identified 17 features that the LSTM used for sepsis classification, 11 of which overlaps with the top 20 features from the RF model, 10 with academic features and 5 with clinical features. Clinical opinion suggests, 3 LSTM features have strong correlation with some clinical features that were not identified by the mechanism. We also found that age, chloride ion concentration, pH and oxygen saturation should be investigated further for connection with developing sepsis.Conclusion: Interpretation mechanisms can bolster the incorporation of state-of-the-art machine learning models into clinical decision support systems, and might help clinicians to address the issue of early sepsis detection. The promising results from this study warrants further investigation into creation of new and improvement of existing interpretation mechanisms for black-box models, and into clinical features that are currently not used in clinical assessment of sepsis.
Impaired macroglial development and axonal conductivity contributes to the neuropathology of DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome
Authors: Pijuan Isabel , Balducci Elisa , Soto-Sánchez Cristina , Fernández Eduardo , Barallobre María José , Arbonés Maria L.
Published: August 2022

The correct development and activity of neurons and glial cells is necessary to establish proper brain connectivity. DYRK1A encodes a protein kinase involved in the neuropathology associated with Down syndrome that influences neurogenesis and the morphological differentiation of neurons. DYRK1A loss-of-function mutations in heterozygosity cause a well-recognizable syndrome of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we analysed the developmental trajectories of macroglial cells and the properties of the corpus callosum, the major white matter tract of the brain, in Dyrk1a+/− mice, a mouse model that recapitulates the main neurological features of DYRK1A syndrome. We found that Dyrk1a+/− haploinsufficient mutants present an increase in astrogliogenesis in the neocortex and a delay in the production of cortical oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and their progression along the oligodendroglial lineage. There were fewer myelinated axons in the corpus callosum of Dyrk1a+/− mice, axons that are thinner and with abnormal nodes of Ranvier. Moreover, action potential propagation along myelinated and unmyelinated callosal axons was slower in Dyrk1a+/− mutants. All these alterations are likely to affect neuronal circuit development and alter network synchronicity, influencing higher brain functions. These alterations highlight the relevance of glial cell abnormalities in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Critical Public Infrastructure Underwater: The Flood Risk Profile of Florida Hospitals
Authors: Sun Pin , Entress Rebecca , Tyler Jenna , Sadiq Abdul-Akeem , Noonan Douglas
Published: August 2022

Hospitals play a critical role during disasters where they provide critical medical care to disaster victims and help the community to respond more effectively and recover quicker. However, hospitals face risks from the natural environment, such as floor risks. Amid the increasing flood risks due to climate change, it is essential to examine hospitals’ risk exposure. Motivated by this, this paper aims to answer four specific questions related to hospitals in Florida: 1) Are hospitals located in flood zones? 2) What is the relationship between hospital network size and flood risk? 3) To what extent does hospital flood risk vary by hospital attributes? 4) How do hospitals' flood risks differ from other public structures' flood risks? By leveraging two micro-level datasets, we found that approximately 12% of Florida hospitals are in flood zones, and that hospitals’ flood risk is not influenced by hospital network size or hospital attributes. We also find that hospitals are one of the most flood-prone public structures in our sample, raising questions about public infrastructure in flood management. We conclude by offering recommendations for improving hospital resilience to future disasters.
The Adaptive Significance of Human Scleral Brightness. An Experimental Study
Authors: Wacewicz Sławomir , Danel Dariusz , Lewandowski Zdzisław , Perea-Garcia Juan Olvido
Published: August 2022

Homogeneously depigmented sclerae have long been proposed to be uniquely human - an adaptation to enable cooperative behaviour by facilitating interpersonal coordination through gaze following. However, recent evidence has shown that deeply pigmented sclerae also afford gaze following if surrounding a bright iris. Furthermore, while current scleral depigmentation is clearly adaptive in modern humans, it is less clear how the evolutionarily intermediate stages of scleral pigmentation may have been adaptive. In sum, it is unclear why scleral depigmentation became the norm in humans, while not so in sister species like chimpanzees, or why some extant species (presumably as our ancestors did at some point) display intermediate degrees of pigmentation. We created realistic facial images of 20 individually distinct hominins with diverse facial morphologies, each face in the (i) humanlike bright sclera and (ii) generalised apelike dark sclera version. Participants in two online studies rated the bright-sclera hominins as younger, healthier, more attractive and trustworthy, but less aggressive than the dark-sclera hominins. Our results support the idea that the perceptual affordances of more depigmented sclerae increased perceived traits that fostered trust, increasing fitness for those individuals and resulting in depigmentation as a fixed trait in extant humans.
Formal verification of Reentrancy Vulnerability Based on CPN
Authors: He Yaqiong , Dong Hanjie , Wu Huaiguang , Duan Qianheng
Published: August 2022

A smart contract is a special form of computer program running on a blockchain, which provides a new way to implement financial and business transactions in a free-of-conflicts and transparent environment. In blockchain systems, such as Ethereum, smart contracts can handle and autonomously transfer assets of considerable value to other parties. Hence, it is particularly important to ensure that smart contracts function as intended since bugs or vulnerabilities may lead and indeed have led, to substantial economic losses and erosion of trust for blockchain. While a number of approaches and tools have been developed to find vulnerabilities, formal method presents the highest level of confidence about the security of smart contracts. In this paper, we propose a formal solution to model smart contract based on Colored Petri Net (CPN). Herein we focus on the most common type of security bugs in smart contract, i.e., reentrancy bug, which led to a serious financial loss of around $60 million in 2016. We present a hierarchical CPN modelling method to analyze potential security vulnerabilities at the contract’s source code level. Then modeling analysis methods such as correlation matrix, state space report and state space graph generated by CPN Tools simulation were exploited for formal analysis of smart contracts. The example shows the full state space and wrong path in accordance with our expected results. Finally, the conclusion was verified in the Ethereum network based on Remix platform.
Dynamic analysis of a rigid-flexible inflatable space structure coupled with control moment gyroscopes
Authors: Sun Jialiang , Cai Zhengzheng , Sun Jiahao , Jin Dongping
Published: August 2022

The vibration generated by the inflatable structure after deployment has a great impact on the performance of the payloads. In this paper, the influence of the control moment gyroscope (CMG) on the dynamic responses and characteristics of an inflatable space structure is studied, based on the flexible multibody dynamics in combination of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) and the natural coordinate formulation (NCF). Firstly, the ANCF and NCF are used to accurately describe the large deformations and large overall motions of flexible inflatable tubes and rigid satellites, respectively. Afterwards, by using the Lagrange equation, a rigid body dynamic model of the CMG is established in detail, which can be attached to and coupled with any flexible bodies without any assumptions. Then, the orbital dynamic equations of the inflatable space structure coupled with distributed CMGs are obtained by considering the effects of Coriolis force, centrifugal force, and gravity gradient through coordinate transformation. The dynamic characteristics of the inflatable space structure are also analyzed by deriving the eigenvalue problem of a flexible multibody system. Finally, the accuracy of the CMG dynamic model is verified via a classic heavy top example. And several numerical examples are presented to study the influence of the magnitudes and directions of the rotor angular momentum of the CMG on the dynamic responses and characteristics of the inflatable space structure.
Characterization of various Appel polynomials sequences
Authors: Drissi Driss
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we characterize various sequences of the Appell polynomials by means of the formula of representation of powers viewed from a linear operator perspective. First we construct some Gauss-Weierstrass integral representation operators for various sequence of Appell polynomials such as Euler-Frobenius polynomials, Degenerate Bernoulli polynomials, Bell-Touchard polynomials and for the generalized Tempesta-Bernoulli polynomials. Secondly, we introduce the Appell polynomials as well as the Hurwitz zeta function as eigenfunctions (eigenvectors) of certain well chosen discrete version of Gauss-Weierstrass integral operators. Our approach is inspired by the Gauss-Weierstrass transform for Hermite polynomials.