bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low expression of H3K27me3 is associated with poor prognosis in conventional chordoma
Authors: Wei Jie , Wu Jianfeng , Yin Zhiyong , Li Xia , Liu Yixiong , Wang Yingmei , Wang Zhe , Xu Chao , Fan Linni
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Chordoma is a rare and locally invasive neoplasm, and the prognostic factors are limited. Deregulation of Histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27) trimethylation (H3K27me3) is considered to be related with poor prognosis in some tumors. The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of H3K27me3 in chordomas and analyze the correlation with clinicopathological features and explore the roles as potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.

Material and method

Specimens of 162 chordoma patients (consisting of 156 conventional chordoma, 4 dedifferentiated chordoma and 2 poorly differentiated chordoma) were enrolled in a tissue microarray (TMA) in order to assess the immunohistochemical staining by H3K27me3 antibodies. Correlations between H3K27me3 expression and clinicopathological features were analyzed. Clinical data of the patients were correlated and survival analysis was performed. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank test were used to analyze the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify potential prognostic factors.

Results

The expression of H3K27me3 was lower in 37 chordoma patients (37/162, 22.8%), and higher in 125 patients (125/162, 77.2%). H3K27me3-low expression significantly correlated with spine location (P < 0.001), conventional histological subtype (P < 0.001), and recurrence (P < 0.001). Log-rank test showed that H3K27me3-low expression was associated with poor RFS (P =0.027) and OS (P =0.009) in conventional chordoma patients. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that low expression of H3K27me3 was an independent predictor of poor OS (P =0.007) and RFS (P =0.025) in conventional chordoma patients.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that low expression of H3K27me3 might be considered as a predictor for poor prognosis and recurrence, and it may provide a potential therapeutic target for conventional chordoma patients.
Comparison of the diagnostic value of liquid biopsy in leptomeningeal metastases: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Hanbin , Wang Luxuan , Fang Chuan , Li Chunhui , Zhang Lijian
Published: December 2022

Background

Brain metastases (BM) include brain parenchymal (BPM) and leptomeningeal metastases (LM), which are associated with a poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Early and accurate diagnosis and timely, effective treatment are crucial for improving the overall survival of LM patients. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biopsy technology has attracted widespread attention for its diagnostic value in diverse cancers, including LM. We summarized studies to compare the potential diagnostic value of CSF liquid biopsy techniques in BM patients with meta-analysis.

Methods

The study protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO, registration number CRD42022373263. We obtained the literature on liquid biopsy for BM from 7 databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data knowledge service platform). Then, a systematic review of those studies was performed according to PRISMA criteria.

Results

Nine publications have been obtained, and we found CSF liquid biopsy techniques to be more suitable for diagnosing LM. We analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of CSF liquid biopsy. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of CSF liquid biopsy in the diagnosis of LM were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.48 - 0.79), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.50 - 0.86), and 0.69, respectively. Then, we compared the diagnostic advantages of CSF liquid biopsy techniques and CSF cytology in LM. The results show that CSF liquid biopsy is superior to CSF cytology in LM diagnosis.

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis suggested that CSF liquid biopsy is more suitable for LM diagnosis and has higher accuracy than CSF cytology.
Parental presence and intranasal dexmedetomidine for the prevention of anxiety during anesthesia induction in children undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgery: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Yao Jing , Gong Hesong , Zhao Xiaochun , Peng Qinxue , Zhao Hongjuan , Yu Shuangshuang
Published: December 2022

Background: During the perioperative period of pediatric surgery, it is extremely stressful for children and parents to enter the operating room and receive the anesthesia induction. This study was designed to evaluate the perioperative outcomes with parental presence at induction of anesthesia (PPIA), intranasal dexmedetomidine, and combined use of PPIA and intranasal dexmedetomidine.

Methods: In this prospective study, 124 children were randomly divided into four groups: control (no parental presence or intranasal dexmedetomidine), PPIA (parental presence), DEX (intranasal dexmedetomidine (1.0 μg/kg)), and PPIA + DEX (parental presence and intranasal dexmedetomidine (1.0 μg/kg)). The anxiety of children was mainly evaluated by the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form (mYPAS-SF). Secondary evaluation methods were, for example, the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC), the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAED), the COMFORT Behavior Scale (COMFORT-B Scale), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Results: Children in the PPIA + DEX group exhibited significantly lower mYPAS-SF and ICC scores compared with all three other groups (p < 0.001), and children in that group exhibited significantly lower mYPAS-SF and ICC scores compared with the PPIA and DEX groups (p < 0.05). The children’s PAED scores in the PPIA, DEX, and PPIA + DEX groups were significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.001).The STAI-S scores of the PPIA, DEX, and PPIA + DEX groups were significantly lower than the score of the control group (p < 0.001). The VAS scores of the PPIA, DEX, and PPIA + DEX groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.001), while the score of the PPIA + DEX group was significantly higher than those of the PPIA and DEX groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The combined use of PPIA and intranasal dexmedetomidine is more effective than PPIA or intranasal dexmedetomidine for alleviating the preoperative anxiety of children, improving children’s induction compliance and parental satisfaction.
Cinacalcet inhibition of neuronal action potentials preferentially targets the fast inactivated state of voltage-gated sodium channels
Authors: Lindner Jamie S. , Rajayer Salil R. , Martiszus Briana J. , Smith Stephen M.
Published: December 2022

Voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) activation is essential for action potential generation in the brain. Allosteric calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) agonist, cinacalcet, strongly and ubiquitously inhibits VGSC currents in neocortical neurons via an unidentified, G-protein-dependent inhibitory molecule. Here, using whole-cell patch VGSC clamp methods, we investigated the voltage-dependence of cinacalcet-mediated inhibition of VGSCs and the channel state preference of cinacalcet. The rate of inhibition of VGSC currents was accelerated at more depolarized holding potentials. Cinacalcet shifted the voltage-dependence of both fast and slow inactivation of VGSC currents in the hyperpolarizing direction. Utilizing a simple model, the voltage-dependence of VGSC current inhibition may be explained if the affinity of the inhibitory molecule to the channel states follows the sequence: fast-inactivated > slow-inactivated > resting. The state dependence of VGSC current inhibition contributes to the non-linearity of action potential block by cinacalcet. This dynamic and abundant signaling pathway by which cinacalcet regulates VGSC currents provides an important voltage-dependent mechanism for modulating central neuronal excitability.
The des-Arg9-bradykinin/B1R axis: Hepatic damage in COVID-19
Authors: Mendes Gabriel Moreira de M , Do Nascimento Israel Júnior Borges , Marazzi-Diniz Paulo HS. , Da Silveira Izabela B. , Itaborahy Matheus F. , Viana Luiz E. , Silva Filipe A. , Santana Monique F , Pinto Rebecca AA. , Dutra Bruna G. , Lacerda Marcus Vinicius G. , Araujo Stanley A. , Wanderley David , Vidigal Paula VT. , Diniz Paulo HC , Verano-Braga Thiago , Santos Robson AS. , Leite M Fatima
Published: December 2022

Patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus are commonly diagnosed with threatening liver conditions associated with drug-induced therapies and systemic viral action. RNA-Seq data from cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from COVID-19 patients have pointed out dysregulation of kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems as a possible mechanism that triggers multi-organ damage away from the leading site of virus infection. Therefore, we measured the plasma concentration of biologically active peptides from the kallikrein-kinin system, bradykinin and des-Arg9-bradykinin, and liver expression of its proinflammatory axis, bradykinin 1 receptor (B1R). We measured the plasma concentration of bradykinin and des-Arg9-bradykinin of 20 virologically confirmed COVID-19 patients using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based methodology. The expression of B1R was evaluated by immunohistochemistry from post-mortem liver specimens of 27 COVID-19 individuals. We found a significantly higher blood level of des-Arg9-bradykinin and a lower bradykinin concentration in patients with COVID-19 compared to a healthy, uninfected control group. We also observed increased B1R expression levels in hepatic tissues of patients with COVID-19 under all hepatic injuries analyzed (liver congestion, portal vein dilation, steatosis, and ischemic necrosis). Our data indicate that des-Arg9-bradykinin/B1R is associated with the acute hepatic dysfunction induced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.
Rice OsCASP1 orchestrates Casparian strip formation and suberin deposition in small lateral roots to maintain nutrient homeostasis
Authors: Yang Xianfeng , Xie Huifang , Weng Qunqing , Liang Kangjing , Zheng Xiujuan , Guo Yuchun , Sun Xinli
Published: December 2022

Arabidopsis Casparian strip membrane domain proteins (CASPs) form a transmembrane scaffold to recruit lignin biosynthetic enzymes for Casparian strip (CS) formation. Rice is a semi-aquatic plant with a more complex root structure than Arabidopsis to adapt its growing conditions, where the different deposition of lignin and suberin is crucial for adaptive responses. Here, we observed the structure of rice primary and small lateral roots (SLRs), particularly the deposition patterns of lignin and suberin in wild type and Oscasp1 mutants. We found that the appearance time and structure of CS in the roots of rice are different from those of Arabidopsis and observed suberin deposition in the sclerenchyma in wild type roots. Rice CASP1 is highly similar to AtCASPs, but its expression is concentrated in SLR tips and can be induced by salt stress especially in the steles. The loss of OsCASP1 function alters the expression of the genes involved in suberin biosynthesis and the deposition of suberin in the endodermis and sclerenchyma and leads to delayed CS formation and uneven lignin deposition in SLRs. These different depositions may alter nutrient uptake, resulting in ion imbalance in plant, withered leaves, fewer tillers, and reduced tolerance to salt stress. Our findings suggest that OsCASP1 could play an important role in nutrient homeostasis and adaptation to the growth environment.
Increased ATPase activity promotes heat-resistance, high-yield, and high-quality traits in rice by improving energy status
Authors: Chen Tingting , Ma Jiaying , Xu Chunmei , Jiang Ning , Li Guangyan , Fu Weimeng , Feng Baohua , Wang Danying , Wu Zhihai , Tao Longxing , Fu Guanfu
Published: December 2022

Heat stress during the reproductive stage results in major losses in yield and quality, which might be mainly caused by an energy imbalance. However, how energy status affected heat response, yield and quality remains unclear. No relationships were observed among the heat resistance, yield, and quality of the forty-nine early rice cultivars under normal temperature conditions. However, two cultivars, Zhuliangyou30 (ZLY30) and Luliangyou35 (LLY35), differing in heat resistance, yield, and quality were detected. The yield was higher and the chalkiness degree was lower in ZLY30 than in LLY35. Decreases in yields and increases in the chalkiness degree with temperatures were more pronounced in LLY35 than in ZLY30. The accumulation and allocation (ratio of the panicle to the whole plant) of dry matter weight and non-structural carbohydrates were higher in ZLY30 than in LLY35 across all sowing times and temperatures. The accumulation and allocation of dry matter weight and non-structural carbohydrates in panicles were higher in ZLY30 than in LLY35. Similar patterns were observed in the relative expression levels of sucrose unloading related genes SUT1 and SUT2 in grains. The ATP content was higher in the grains of LLY35 than in ZLY30, whereas the ATPase activity, which determined the energy status, was significantly lower in the former than in the latter. Thus, increased ATPase activity, which improved the energy status of rice, was the factor mediating the balance among heat-resistance, high-yield, and high-quality traits in rice.
India’s rainfed sorghum improvement: Three decades of genetic gain assessment for yield, grain quality, grain mold and shoot fly resistance
Authors: Nagesh Kumar Mallela Venkata , Ramya Vittal , Govindaraj Mahalingam , Dandapani Appavoo , Maheshwaramma Setaboyine , Ganapathy Kuyyamudi Nanaiah , Kavitha Kosnam , Goverdhan Manthati , Jagadeeshwar Rumandla
Published: December 2022

Sorghum is a climate-resilient cereal and staple food crop for more than 200 million people in arid and semi-arid countries of Asia and Africa. Despite the economic importance, the productivity of sorghum in India is constrained by biotic and abiotic stresses such as incidences of shoot fly, grain mold and drought. Indian sorghum breeding focused on dual-purpose (grain and fodder), short-duration varieties with multiple resistance/tolerance to pests and diseases and improved nutritional quality (high protein, iron and zinc and low fat). In this context, it is important to ascertain the genetic progress made over 30 years by assessing the efficiency of past achievements in genetic yield potential and to facilitate future genetic improvement. The current study determined the genetic gain in 24 sorghum varieties developed by the national and state level research systems during 1990-2020. The 24 varieties were evaluated for three years (2018-2020) at six locations in Telangana state for yield, nutritional characteristics and tolerance to shoot fly and grain mold. The absolute grain yield genetic gain from the base year 1990 is 44.93 kg/ha/yr over the first released variety CSV 15. The realized mean yield increased from 2658 kg/ha of the variety CSV 15 in 1990s to 4069 kg/ha of SPV 2579 developed in 2020s. The absolute genetic gain for grain mold resistance is -0.11 per year with an overall relative gain of 1.46% over CSV 15. The top varieties for grain yield (SPV 2579, SPV 2678 and SPV 2578), fodder yield (PYPS 2, SPV 2769 and SPV 2679), shoot fly tolerance (PYPS 8, PYPS 2 and SPV 2179), mold tolerance (PYPS 8, PYPS 2 and SPV 2579) and high protein (PYPS 8, PYPS 2 and SPV 2769) were identified for possible scale up and further use in breeding program diversification. The study revealed that sorghum varieties bred with diverse genetic backgrounds such as landraces and with tolerance to pests and diseases had stable yield performance. Application of genomics and other precision tools can double genetic gains for these traits to strengthen sorghum cultivation in rainfed areas serving food and nutrition security.
Phosphorus availability drives mycorrhiza induced resistance in tomato
Authors: Dejana Laura , Ramírez-Serrano Beatriz , Rivero Javier , Gamir Jordi , López-Ráez Juan A. , Pozo María J.
Published: December 2022

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis can provide multiple benefits to the host plant, including improved nutrition and protection against biotic stress. Mycorrhiza induced resistance (MIR) against pathogens and insect herbivores has been reported in different plant systems, but nutrient availability may influence the outcome of the interaction. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient for plants and insects, but also a regulatory factor for AM establishment and functioning. However, little is known about how AM symbiosis and P interact to regulate plant resistance to pests. Here, using the tomato-Funneliformis mosseae mycorrhizal system, we analyzed the effect of moderate differences in P fertilization on plant and pest performance, and on MIR against biotic stressors including the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and the insect herbivore Spodoperta exigua. P fertilization impacted plant nutritional value, plant defenses, disease development and caterpillar survival, but these effects were modulated by the mycorrhizal status of the plant. Enhanced resistance of F. mosseae-inoculated plants against B. cinerea and S. exigua depended on P availability, as no protection was observed under the most P-limiting conditions. MIR was not directly explained by changes in the plant nutritional status nor to basal differences in defense-related phytohormones. Analysis of early plant defense responses to the damage associated molecules oligogalacturonides showed primed transcriptional activation of plant defenses occurring at intermediate P levels, but not under severe P limitation. The results show that P influences mycorrhizal priming of plant defenses and the resulting induced-resistance is dependent on P availability, and suggest that mycorrhiza fine-tunes the plant growth vs defense prioritization depending on P availability. Our results highlight how MIR is context dependent, thus unravel molecular mechanism based on plant defence in will contribute to improve the efficacy of mycorrhizal inoculants in crop protection.
Genome-wide identification, characterization, and genetic diversity of CCR gene family in Dalbergia odorifera
Authors: Wang Yue , Xu Jieru , Zhao Wenxiu , Li Jia , Chen Jinhui
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Lignin is a complex aromatic polymer plays major biological roles in maintaining the structure of plants and in defending them against biotic and abiotic stresses. Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) is the first enzyme in the lignin-specific biosynthetic pathway, catalyzing the conversion of hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA into hydroxy cinnamaldehyde. Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is a rare rosewood species for furniture, crafts and medicine. However, the CCR family genes in D. odorifera have not been identified, and their function in lignin biosynthesis remain uncertain.

Methods and Results

Here, a total of 24 genes, with their complete domains were identified. Detailed sequence characterization and multiple sequence alignment revealed that the DoCCR protein sequences were relatively conserved. They were divided into three subfamilies and were unevenly distributed on 10 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that seven DoCCRs were grouped together with functionally characterized CCRs of dicotyledons involved in developmental lignification. Synteny analysis showed that segmental and tandem duplications were crucial in the expansion of CCR family in D. odorifera, and purifying selection emerged as the main force driving these genes evolution. Cis-acting elements in the putative promoter regions of DoCCRs were mainly associated with stress, light, hormones, and growth/development. Further, analysis of expression profiles from the RNA-seq data showed distinct expression patterns of DoCCRs among different tissues and organs, as well as in response to stem wounding. Additionally, 74 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified within 19 DoCCRs, located in the intron or untranslated regions (UTRs), and mononucleotide predominated. A pair of primers with high polymorphism and good interspecific generality was successfully developed from these SSRs, and 7 alleles were amplified in 105 wild D. odorifera trees from 17 areas covering its whole native distribution.

Discussion

Overall, this study provides a basis for further functional dissection of CCR gene families, as well as breeding improvement for wood properties and stress resistance in D. odorifera.
Design of field real-time target spraying system based on improved YOLOv5
Authors: Li He , Guo Changle , Yang Zishang , Chai Jiajun , Shi Yunhui , Liu Jiawei , Zhang Kaifei , Liu Daoqi , Xu Yufei
Published: December 2022

Deep learning techniques have made great progress in the field of target detection in recent years, making it possible to accurately identify plants in complex environments in agricultural fields. This project combines deep learning algorithms with spraying technology to design a machine vision precision real-time targeting spraying system for field scenarios. Firstly, the overall structure scheme of the system consisting of image acquisition and recognition module, electronically controlled spray module and pressure-stabilized pesticide supply module was proposed. After that, based on the target detection model YOLOv5s, the model is lightened and improved by replacing the backbone network and adding an attention mechanism. Based on this, a grille decision control algorithm for solenoid valve group on-off was designed, while common malignant weeds were selected as objects to produce data sets and complete model training. Finally, the deployment of the hardware system and detection model on the electric spray bar sprayer was completed, and field trials were conducted at different speeds. The experimental results show that the improved algorithm reduces the model size to 53.57% of the original model with less impact on mAP accuracy, improves FPS by 18.16%. The accuracy of on-target spraying at 2km/h, 3km/h and 4km/h speeds were 90.80%, 86.20% and 79.61%, respectively, and the spraying hit rate decreased as the operating speed increased. Among the hit rate components, the effective recognition rate was significantly affected by speed, while the relative recognition hit rate was less affected.
Natural resistance of tomato plants to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus
Authors: H. El-Sappah Ahmed , Qi Shiming , A. Soaud Salma , Huang Qiulan , M. Saleh Alaa , A. S. Abourehab Mohammed , Wan Lingyun , Cheng Guo-ting , Liu Jingyi , Ihtisham Muhammad , Noor Zarqa , Rouf Mir Reyazul , Zhao Xin , Yan Kuan , Abbas Manzar , Li Jia
Published: December 2022

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the most harmful afflictions in the world that affects tomato growth and production. Six regular antagonistic genes (Ty-1, Ty-2, Ty-3, Ty-4, ty-5, and Ty-6) have been transferred from wild germplasms to commercial cultivars as TYLCV protections. With Ty-1 serving as an appropriate source of TYLCV resistance, only Ty-1, Ty-2, and Ty-3 displayed substantial levels of opposition in a few strains. It has been possible to clone three TYLCV opposition genes (Ty-1/Ty-3, Ty-2, and ty-5) that target three antiviral safety mechanisms. However, it significantly impacts obtaining permanent resistance to TYLCV, trying to maintain opposition whenever possible, and spreading opposition globally. Utilizing novel methods, such as using resistance genes and identifying new resistance resources, protects against TYLCV in tomato production. To facilitate the breeders make an informed decision and testing methods for TYLCV blockage, this study highlights the portrayal of typical obstruction genes, common opposition sources, and subatomic indicators. The main goal is to provide a fictitious starting point for the identification and application of resistance genes as well as the maturation of tomato varieties that are TYLCV-resistant.
The perils of planning strategies to increase vitamin C content in plants: Beyond the hype
Authors: Terzaghi Mattia , De Tullio Mario C.
Published: December 2022

Ever since the identification of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AsA) as an essential molecule that humans cannot synthesize on their own, finding adequate dietary sources of AsA became a priority in nutrition research. Plants are the main producers of AsA for humans and other non-synthesizing animals. It was immediately clear that some plant species have more AsA than others. Further studies evidenced that AsA content varies in different plant organs, in different developmental stages/environmental conditions and even within different cell compartments. With the progressive discovery of the genes of the main (Smirnoff-Wheeler) and alternative pathways coding for the enzymes involved in AsA biosynthesis in plants, the simple overexpression of those genes appeared a suitable strategy for boosting AsA content in any plant species or organ. Unfortunately, overexpression experiments mostly resulted in limited, if any, AsA increase, apparently due to a tight regulation of the biosynthetic machinery. Attempts to identify regulatory steps in the pathways that could be manipulated to obtain unlimited AsA production were also less successful than expected, confirming the difficulties in “unleashing” AsA synthesis. A different approach to increase AsA content has been the overexpression of genes coding for enzymes catalyzing the recycling of the oxidized forms of vitamin C, namely monodehydroascorbate and dehydroascorbate reductases. Such approach proved mostly effective in making the overexpressors apparently more resistant to some forms of environmental stress, but once more did not solve the issue of producing massive AsA amounts for human diet. However, it should also be considered that a hypothetical unlimited increase in AsA content is likely to interfere with plant development, which is in many ways regulated by AsA availability itself. The present review article aims at summarizing the many attempts made so far to improve AsA production/content in plants, evidencing the most promising ones, and at providing information about the possible unexpected consequences of a pure biotechnological approach not keeping into account the peculiar features of the AsA system in plants.
Companies’ behavior in measuring the quality of financial reports: Pre- and post-pandemic research
Authors: Dănescu Tatiana , Stejerean Roxana Maria
Published: December 2022

Since information is the foundation for decision-making by its users, it and the quality associated with it must be given particular importance in order to reduce uncertainties about how it is reported and interpreted and to increase its usefulness. Financial reporting is of relatively great significance to both those who provide it and those who use it, with accounting providing a wide range of sources of financial information, ensuring a high degree of credibility compared to other sources of information. The objective of the research is to highlight the behavior of companies in measuring the quality of issuers’ financial reporting to identify solutions for harmonizing the way financial information is presented with the needs of users. Two hypotheses were defined and tested for this purpose, with the research being segmented over three successive stages. The first stage consists in identifying the appropriate index to measure the quality of financial reporting. The second stage consists in gathering the data and obtaining the quality measurements, for testing the defined hypotheses. The third stage concerns in concluding the results obtained highlight the existing divergences between the period before the health crisis, but also the period immediately after the COVID-19, on the two markets of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (regulated market and AeRO market).
A survey of AI ethics in business literature: Maps and trends between 2000 and 2021
Authors: Daza Marco Tulio , Ilozumba Usochi Joanann
Published: December 2022

Artificial intelligence is spreading rapidly in business products and processes, with innovations that bring great benefits to society; however, significant risks also arise. AI-enabled systems make decisions autonomously and influence users and the environment, presenting multiple ethical issues. This work focuses on the ethics of AI use in business. We conduct a survey of business journal articles published between 2000 and mid-2021 to identify the most influential journals, articles, and authors, the most influential ethical schools, and the main ethical issues of AI in business. It describes the state-of-the-art in the field and identifies trends in ethical issues arising from AI. Thus, we present maps and trends of the ethics in AI in business literature.
Impact of different types of entrepreneurial alertness on entrepreneurial opportunities identification
Authors: Li Zhenning , Jiang Bing , Bi Shulei , Feng Jing , Cui Qianyi
Published: December 2022

In the context of resource constraints, how different dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness affect the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition of new ventures is an important issue worth studying. From entrepreneurial cognition theory and bricolage theory perspectives, we systematically investigate the intrinsic relationships among entrepreneurial alertness, entrepreneurial bricolage, entrepreneurial passion, and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Further, it explored the intrinsic mechanism of role in exploring entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. This study applied stepwise regression analyses and the Bootstrap method to test the hypotheses on a sample of 295 questionnaires of the new venture. The findings revealed that entrepreneurial alertness is positively related to entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Entrepreneurial bricolage is positively related to entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Entrepreneurial bricolage partially mediates between entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Entrepreneurial passion positively moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial bricolage and entrepreneurial opportunity identification. The study guides new ventures to enhance entrepreneurial alertness and reasonably use entrepreneurial bricolage to explore entrepreneurial opportunities.
How to achieve entrepreneurial enterprise performance in entrepreneurial scenario? – Based on the case study of China new energy passenger car company A
Authors: Dai Jianxin , Lu Xiaowei , Qi Huibo , Zhang Bo , Wang Wei
Published: December 2022

Introduction

With the rapid development of China in recent decades, entrepreneurial scenarios are constantly changing, greatly promoting entrepreneurial practice. The characteristics of China’s entrepreneurial scene, such as institutional differences, economic differences and cultural differences, make it unique. This research is based on a Chinese new energy vehicle start-up. Focus on how to achieve entrepreneurial enterprise performance in this unique entrepreneurial scenario.

Methods

Based on the development process from 2014 to 2021, using entrepreneurial scenario and entrepreneurial performance theory, focusing on the two themes of “what to do” and “how to do”, and adopting exploratory case study methods, the performance of entrepreneurial enterprises was studied.

Results

The study found that in the context of Chinese entrepreneurship, cultural background has the most significant impact on the performance of entrepreneurial enterprises. The accurate prediction of institutional scenarios by entrepreneurial enterprises can improve enterprise performance, while economic scenarios have a negative impact on entrepreneurial enterprise performance.

Discussion

The research shows that in the development process of entrepreneurial enterprises based on China’s entrepreneurial scenario, the governance mode and strategic choice of entrepreneurial enterprises should match the scenarios at different stages. At different stages of development, entrepreneurial enterprises should flexibly adapt to entrepreneurial scenarios and adopt different strategies to reflect their advantages in entrepreneurial scenarios and improve the success rate of entrepreneurship.
Urban living and chronic diseases in the presence of economic growth: Evidence from a long-term study in southeastern China
Authors: Luo Yixuan , Wang Sailan
Published: December 2022

High-speed urban development has brought about an increase in per capita income in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as well as the high prevalence rate of chronic diseases. Based on a study of chronic diseases from 2011 to 2021 in southeastern China, we used multivariate adjusted logistic regression method to analyze the effect of urban living on the incidence of typical chronic diseases and the trend of such effect with the improvement of public healthcare system. We adopted potential mediating risk factors of urban lifestyles including body mass index (BMI), frequency of dining out, sedentary time, and psychological distress in the adjusted estimation. Baseline results indicate a positive relationship between living in urban areas and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Regarding the mediating factors, psychological distress had the highest positive coefficient (Cr) on type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension (Cr: 0.4881–0.7084), followed by BMI (Cr: 0.1042–0.1617) and frequency of dining out (Cr: 0.0311–0.0478), and finally, sedentary time (Cr: 0.0103–0.0147). However, regression results on the follow-up survey reveal that trend in the impact of living in urban areas on chronic disease diminished as the level of the healthcare system improved. Additionally, urban living was more positively correlated with the incidence of metabolic disease than with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Our findings provide empirical evidence that future urban health planning in LMICs should pay sustained attention to upgrading the level of public health infrastructure covering urban residents as well as rural-to-urban migrants, constructing a long-term dynamic system of chronic disease prevention and control, and regularly monitoring the mental health problems of residents in order to interrupt the process of urban chronic disease prevalence in an early stage.
Increasing prevalence of myopia and the impact of education in primary-school students in Xi'an, north-western of China
Authors: Ye Lu , Yang Yan-qi , Zhang Guo-yun , Wang Wen-jun , Ren Mei-xia , Ge Pan , Zhang Jian , Zhang Nan , Liu Xing-zhou , Zhang Ming-lei , Tong Yu-jiao , Lu Liang-cai , Lv Mo-qi , Zhou Dang-xia , Pei Cheng
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The present study was performed to detect the prevalence of myopia among primary-school students in Xi'an, north-western of China.

Methods

The present study was a school-based study with students aged from 6 to 13 years old. All the individuals underwent ophthalmological examination and spherical equivalent (SE) of refractive error were measured with non-cycloplegic refraction. Myopia was defined as a SE of ≤ -0.5 diopters (D), and further divided into three stratified groups based on SE: low myopia (≤ -0.5 to >-3.0 D), moderate myopia (≤ -3.0 to >-6.0 D), and high myopia (≤ -6.0 D). Relative risk factors, including age, sex, grade and ethnicity were investigated using questionnaire.

Results

A total of 4,680 individuals were eligible for this survey and 4,654 (99.4% participation rate) were finally included (51.2% boys). The mean age of participants was 8.756 ± 1.727 years. The whole city-level prevalence of total myopia was 57.1% (95% CI: 55.7–58.6%). Additionally, the prevalence of low, moderate, and high myopia was 45.0% (95% CI: 43.5–46.4%), 11.1% (95% CI: 10.2–12.0%), and 1.0% (95% CI: 0.7–1.3%), respectively. Moreover, grade (education level) instead of age, sex and ethnicity was the most essential risk factor for prevalence of overall myopia (OR = 1.844, 95% CI: 1.605–2.119), and an increase of prevalence by 84.4% per grade was seen. Furthermore, similar associations of grade were significant with low myopia (OR = 1.613, 95% CI: 1.385–1.877) and moderate myopia (OR = 2.186, 95% CI: 1.693–2.823), meanwhile, prevalence of low myopia and moderate myopia demonstrated an increase of prevalence by 61.3 and 118.6% per grade, respectively. None of the factors included in the present study was significant risk factor for high myopia.

Conclusions

The present study investigated a non-negligible high prevalence of myopia among primary-school students in Xi'an, north-western of China, and a gradual increasing in proportion with education level.
PC index as a ground-based indicator of the solar wind energy incoming into the magnetosphere: (1) relation of PC index to the solar wind electric field EKL
Authors: Troshichev O. A.
Published: December 2022

The polar cap magnetic activity PC index was approved by IAGA as a proxy for energy that enters into the magnetosphere during solar wind-magnetosphere coupling (IAGA Resolutions, 2013; IAGA Resolution, 2021). The paper summarizes experimental results attesting the validity of this PC index essence. The following issues are examined: the PC index derivation method, making allowance for regular and irregular variations of ionospheric conductivity; relationships between the PC index and solar wind electric field (EKL) and factors controlling response of PC index to the EKL field alterations; relation of PC index to the magnetospheric field-aligned currents (FAC) and to solar wind dynamic pressure pulses (Pdyn). The PC index alterations in course of 23/24 solar activity cycles have been analyzed in relation to various solar wind parameters and the conclusion was made that linear link between the PC index and solar wind electric field EKL remained valid irrespective of solar activity cycle. New ideas concerning (1) the nature of occasional differences between the PC indices in summer and winter polar caps and (2) two simultaneously acting mechanisms of the solar wind influence on the magnetosphere (Dungey and Tverskoy concepts) are discussed, as a result of the PC index application. It is emphasized that the ground-based PC index ensures a permanent on-line information on geoefficiency of the solar wind impact on the magnetosphere and, correspondingly, on the varying geophysical situation.
Identification of hub genes associated with follicle development in multiple births sheep by WGCNA
Authors: Wang Jinglei , Chen Hanying , Zeng Xiancun
Published: December 2022

Sheep exhibit a distinct estrous cycle that includes four different phases: proestrus, estrus, late estrus, and luteal phase. As the estrous cycle repeats, follicular development regularly alternates. We thus investigated ovarian transcriptome data from each of the four phases using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify modules, pathways, and genes essential to follicle growth and development. We clustered mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) into different modules by WGCNA, and calculated correlation coefficients between genes and Stages of the estrous cycle. Co-expression of the black module (cor = 0.81, P<0.001) and the yellow module (cor = 0.61, P<0.04) was found to be critical for follicle growth and development. A total of 2066 genes comprising the black and yellow modules was used for functional enrichment. The results reveal that these genes are mainly enriched in Cell cycle, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Oocyte meiosis, Apoptosis, and other important signaling pathways. We also identified seven hub genes (BUB1B, MAD2L1, ASPM, HSD3B1, WDHD1, CENPA, and MXI1) that may play a role in follicle development. Our study may provide several important new markers allowing in depth exploration of the genetic basis for multiparous reproduction in sheep.
Három különböző vastagságú monolit cirkónium korona törési ellenállásnak in vitro összehasonlító vizsgálata
Authors: Alzoubi Safa M. , Alsahhar Abdel Ghani , Alsalameh Ebtisam
Published: December 2022

A beszűkült interokkluzális tér mindig komoly kihívást jelent a gyakorló fogorvosok számára, hogy esztétikailag kifogástalanrestaurátumokat készítsenek, és ugyanakkor a lehető legnagyobb keményállományt is megőrizzék a fogakból.Jelen vizsgálat célja a második generációs CAD/CAM technikával készült monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid restaurátumokvastagsága és törési ellenállása közötti kapcsolat vizsgálata és annak meghatározása, hogy milyen mértékben leheta korona vastagságát csökkenteni, elsősorban a moláris régióban, ott, ahol az interokkluzális tér csekély és a rágóerő alegnagyobb.30 különböző tervezésű monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid koronát készítettek a második generációs CAD-CAM technológiával,amelyeket az okkluzális vastagság alapján három egyenlő számú [10] csoportra osztottak: A csoport 2 mm;B csoport 1,5 mm és C csoport 1 mm.A tesztkoronákat előkészített, extrahált természetes fogakra (felső premolárisok) rögzítették üvegionomér cementtel,majd ezeket a koronákat mechanikai vizsgálatnak vetették alá. Megállapították, hogy a monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid koronáktörésállóságát jelentősen befolyásolta a vastagságuk. A vastagság növekedésével a törési ellenállás folyamatosanjavult. Arra a következtetésre jutottak, hogy még az 1 mm vastag monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid restaurátum is elég erősvolt ahhoz, hogy a moláris régióban ellenálljon a fiziológiás körülmények között fellépő maximális okkluzális megterhelésnek.Következésképen a moláris régióban a monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid restaurátumok vastagsága megbízhatóan1 mm-re csökkenthető.
Stochastic Safety Radius on UPGMA
Authors: Yoshida Ruriko , Paul Lillian , Nesbitt Peter
Published: December 2022

Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) is one of the most popular distance-based methods to reconstruct an equidistant phylogenetic tree from a distance matrix computed from an alignment of sequences. Since we use equidistant trees as gene trees for phylogenomic analyses under the multi-species coalescent model and since an input distance matrix computed from an alignment of each gene in a genome is estimated via the maximum likelihood estimators, it is important to conduct a robust analysis on UPGMA. Stochastic safety radius, introduced by Steel and Gascuel, provides a lower bound for the probability that a phylogenetic tree reconstruction method returns the true tree topology from a given distance matrix. In this article, we compute the stochastic safety radius of UPGMA for a phylogenetic tree with n leaves. Computational experiments show an improved gap between empirical probabilities estimated from random samples and the true tree topology from UPGMA, increasing confidence in phylogenic results.
Predictive Quantization and Symbolic Dynamics
Authors: Dubnov Shlomo
Published: December 2022

Capturing long-term statistics of signals and time series is important for modeling recurrent phenomena, especially when such recurrences are a-periodic and can be characterized by the approximate repetition of variable length motifs, such as patterns in human gestures and trends in financial time series or musical melodies. Regressive and auto-regressive models that are common in such problems, both analytically derived and neural network-based, often suffer from limited memory or tend to accumulate errors, making them sensitive during training. Moreover, such models often assume stationary signal statistics, which makes it difficult to deal with switching regimes or conditional signal dynamics. In this paper, we describe a method for time series modeling that is based on adaptive symbolization that maximizes the predictive information of the resulting sequence. Using approximate string-matching methods, the initial vectorized sequence is quantized into a discrete representation with a variable quantization threshold. Finding an optimal signal embedding is formulated in terms of a predictive bottleneck problem that takes into account the trade-off between representation and prediction accuracy. Several downstream applications based on discrete representation are described in this paper, which includes an analysis of the symbolic dynamics of recurrence statistics, motif extraction, segmentation, query matching, and the estimation of transfer entropy between parallel signals.
Core–Shell Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles: Materials, Synthesis, Magnetoelectricity, and Applications
Authors: Song Hyunseok , Listyawan Michael Abraham , Ryu Jungho
Published: December 2022

Nanoparticles with small diameters and large surface areas have potential advantages and are actively utilized in various fields related to biomedical and catalytic applications. Multifunctional applications can be achieved by endowing nanoparticles with piezoelectric, quantum dot, magnetothermal, and piezoluminescent properties. In particular, multiferroic magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) can generate electricity by coupling piezoelectric and magnetostrictive properties when an external magnetic field, which is harmless to the human body, is applied. In this regard, magnetoelectricity (ME) induced by a magnetic field makes MENPs useful for various biomedical and electrocatalytic applications. The ME voltage coefficients, which express the efficiency of energy conversion from magnetic field to electricity, show differences depending on the setup for ME measurements of MENPs. Therefore, numerous attempts have been made to optimize the ME characterization method to reduce measurement errors resulting from charge leakages caused by the specimen preparation, as well as to investigate the ME effect of a single nanoparticle. Our review is focused on the structures, syntheses (hydrothermal and sol–gel methods), activation mechanism, and measurement of magnetoelectricity, as well as applications, of core–shell MENPs.
Automatic Current-Constrained Double Loop ADRC for Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator Based on Singular Perturbation Theory
Authors: Yang Rongrong , Ma Yongjie , Zhao Jiali , Zhang Ling , Huang Hua
Published: December 2022

For an electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA), the position, speed, and current cascade three-loop control architecture are dominant in existing active disturbance rejection control (ADRC). However, this architecture suffers from many problems, such as severe noise sensitivity of the extended state observer (ESO), excessive complexity of control structure, and too many tuned parameters, which makes the controller not easy to implement in practice. Aiming at the above drawbacks, a novel cascade double-loop ADRC strategy that is automatic current-constrained is proposed, which makes the whole ADRC architecture simplified to the position and the integrated speed–current double-loop architecture. Firstly, for the position control loop, the singular perturbation theory is used to reasonably reduce the order of the model for the position subsystem of EHA. A reduced order ADRC controller (ROADRC) is synthesized, which not only effectively reduces the noise sensitivity of ESO, but also circumvents use of the actuation acceleration information in the controller design process. Secondly, the integrated speed–current ADRC controller is designed by taking the speed and current subsystems of EHA into synthesis, which avoids the problem of excessive current loop bandwidth in conventional three-loop control architecture, and the number of tuned parameters is significantly reduced. Additionally, an uncomplicated and effective automatic current-constrained ADRC controller (CACADRC) is designed to solve the problem in the integrated speed–current ADRC that the current cannot be automatically constrained. Finally, by comparing the three-loop PI controller with the traditional three-loop ADRC, a detailed simulation analysis is carried out to verify the effectiveness and merits of the proposed controller. The simulation results show that the proposed controller not only inherits the advantages of high precision and strong disturbance rejection performance of the conventional ADRC, but can also efficiently decrease the noise sensitivity of ESO and effectively achieve the current-constrained control.