bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instrumented assessment of motor function in dyskinetic cerebral palsy: a systematic review
Authors: Haberfehlner Helga , Goudriaan Marije , Bonouvrié Laura A. , Jansma Elise P. , Harlaar Jaap , Vermeulen R. Jeroen , van der Krogt Marjolein M. , Buizer Annemieke I.
Published: March 2020

Background

In this systematic review we investigate which instrumented measurements are available to assess motor impairments, related activity limitations and participation restrictions in children and young adults with dyskinetic cerebral palsy. We aim to classify these instrumented measurements using the categories of the international classification of functioning, disability and health for children and youth (ICF-CY) and provide an overview of the outcome parameters.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in November 2019. We electronically searched Pubmed, Embase and Scopus databases. Search blocks included (a) cerebral palsy, (b) athetosis, dystonia and/or dyskinesia, (c) age 2–24 years and (d) instrumented measurements (using keywords such as biomechanics, sensors, smartphone, and robot).

Results

Our search yielded 4537 articles. After inspection of titles and abstracts, a full text of 245 of those articles were included and assessed for further eligibility. A total of 49 articles met our inclusion criteria. A broad spectrum of instruments and technologies are used to assess motor function in dyskinetic cerebral palsy, with the majority using 3D motion capture and surface electromyography. Only for a small number of instruments methodological quality was assessed, with only one study showing an adequate assessment of test-retest reliability. The majority of studies was at ICF-CY function and structure level and assessed control of voluntary movement (29 of 49) mainly in the upper extremity, followed by assessment of involuntary movements (15 of 49), muscle tone/motor reflex (6 of 49), gait pattern (5 of 49) and muscle power (2 of 49). At ICF-CY level of activities and participation hand and arm use (9 of 49), fine hand use (5 of 49), lifting and carrying objects (3 of 49), maintaining a body position (2 of 49), walking (1 of 49) and moving around using equipment (1 of 49) was assessed. Only a few methods are potentially suitable outside the clinical environment (e.g. inertial sensors, accelerometers).

Conclusion

Although the current review shows the potential of several instrumented methods to be used as objective outcome measures in dyskinetic cerebral palsy, their methodological quality is still unknown. Future development should focus on evaluating clinimetrics, including validating against clinical meaningfulness. New technological developments should aim for measurements that can be applied outside the laboratory.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 infection is not detected in rectal carcinoma
Authors: Martins Sandra F. , Mariano Vânia , Rodrigues Mesquita , Longatto-Filho Adhemar
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is associated with squamous cell carcinomas of different human anatomic sites. Several studies have suggested a potential role for HPV infection, particularly HPV16 genotype, in rectal cancer carcinogenesis.. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of oncogenic HPV 16 viral DNA sequences in rectal carcinomas cases retrieved from the pathology archive of Braga Hospital, North Portuga.

Methods

TaqMan-based type-specific real-time PCR for HPV 16 was performed using primers and probe targeting HPV16 E7 region.

Results

Most of the rectal cancer patients (88.5%, n = 206 patients), were symptomatic at diagnosis. The majority of the lesions (55.3%, n = 129) presented malignancies of polypoid/vegetant phenotype. 26.8% (n = 63) had synchronic metastasis at diagnosis. 26.2% (n = 61) patients had clinical indication for neoadjuvant therapy. Most patients with rectal cancer were stage IV (19.7% patients), followed by stage IIA (19.3%) and stage I (18.5%). All cases of the present series tested negative for HPV16.

Conclusion

The total of negative tests for HPV 16 infection is a robust argument to support the assumption that HPV 16 infection, despite of previous evidences, is not involved in rectal cancer carcinogenesis and progression.
Sociodemographic factors, health seeking behaviors, reproductive history, and knowledge of cervical screening among women in Swaziland
Authors: Aina Ibironke O. , Raul Smruti M. , Padilla Luz A. , Mthethwa-Hleta Simangele , Preko Peter O. , Jolly Pauline E.
Published: March 2020

Background

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer among women in Swaziland; however, a low rate of cervical screening in this population has led to high rates of morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer.

Objective

To identify factors associated with lack of cervical screening among women in Swaziland.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 women aged 18–69 years attending clinics in three regions of Swaziland from May to August of 2014. An investigator-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socioeconomic factors, health-seeking behaviors, reproductive history, and cervical screening history and knowledge from the women.

Results

Adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that women < 30 years of age were less likely to receive a cervical exam compared to women ≥30 years of age (Odds Ratio 0.06, 95% Confidence Interval 0.01–0.67). Women who had a tertiary education were almost 6 times more likely to receive a cervical screening (OR 5.83, 95% CI 1.11–30.50). Women who said that they did not know when to receive cervical screening were 73% less likely to have a cervical exam (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.01–0.74).

Conclusions

Younger age, lower educational level, and lack of knowledge about when to receive a cervical screening affected whether women obtained a cervical screening. This indicates the need for educating women, particularly younger women, about the importance of cervical examinations. Addressing these barriers to screening should lead to a decrease in cervical lesions and cancer, especially in this high HIV-positive population.
Development and characterization of a Nannochloropsis mutant with simultaneously enhanced growth and lipid production
Authors: Ryu Ae Jin , Kang Nam Kyu , Jeon Seungjib , Hur Dong Hoon , Lee Eun Mi , Lee Do Yup , Jeong Byeong-ryool , Chang Yong Keun , Jeong Ki Jun
Published: March 2020

Background

The necessity to develop high lipid-producing microalgae is emphasized for the commercialization of microalgal biomass, which is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Nannochloropsis are one of the best industrial microalgae and have been widely studied for their lipids, including high-value polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Many reports on the genetic and biological engineering of Nannochloropsis to improve their growth and lipid contents have been published.

Results

We performed insertional mutagenesis in Nannochloropsis salina, and screened mutants with high lipid contents using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). We isolated a mutant, Mut68, which showed improved growth and a concomitant increase in lipid contents. Mut68 exhibited 53% faster growth rate and 34% higher fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) contents after incubation for 8 days, resulting in a 75% increase in FAME productivity compared to that in the wild type (WT). By sequencing the whole genome, we identified the disrupted gene in Mut68 that encoded trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase (TPS). TPS is composed of two domains: TPS domain and T6P phosphatase (TPP) domain, which catalyze the initial formation of T6P and dephosphorylation to trehalose, respectively. Mut68 was disrupted at the TPP domain in the C-terminal half, which was confirmed by metabolic analyses revealing a great reduction in the trehalose content in Mut68. Consistent with the unaffected N-terminal TPS domain, Mut68 showed moderate increase in T6P that is known for regulation of sugar metabolism, growth, and lipid biosynthesis. Interestingly, the metabolic analyses also revealed a significant increase in stress-related amino acids, including proline and glutamine, which may further contribute to the Mut68 phenotypes.

Conclusion

We have successfully isolated an insertional mutant showing improved growth and lipid production. Moreover, we identified the disrupted gene encoding TPS. Consistent with the disrupted TPP domain, metabolic analyses revealed a moderate increase in T6P and greatly reduced trehalose. Herein, we provide an excellent proof of concept that the selection of insertional mutations via FACS can be employed for the isolation of mutants with improved growth and lipid production. In addition, trehalose and genes encoding TPS will provide novel targets for chemical and genetic engineering, in other microalgae and organisms as well as Nannochloropsis.
Ultrasensitive DNA hypermethylation detection using plasma for early detection of NSCLC: a study in Chinese patients with very small nodules
Authors: Chen Chen , Huang Xiaojie , Yin Wei , Peng Muyun , Wu Fang , Wu Xia , Tang Jingqun , Chen Mingjiu , Wang Xiang , Hulbert Alicia , Brock Malcolm V. , Liu Wenliang , Herman James G. , Yu Fenglei
Published: March 2020

Purpose

We had previously developed highly sensitive DNA methylation detection to diagnose lung cancer in patients with pulmonary nodules. To validate this approach and determine clinical utility in Chinese patients with indeterminate pulmonary nodules, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy for early stage lung cancer in plasma samples.

Experimental design

Patients with CT-detected small lung nodules (diameter ≤ 3.0 cm) were included. Cases (n = 163) had staged IA or IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while controls (n = 83) had non-cancerous lesions. Promoter methylation of eight lung cancer-specific genes (CDO1, TAC1, SOX17, HOXA7, HOXA9, GATA4, GATA5, and PAX5) was detected using nanoparticle-based DNA extraction (MOB) followed by qMSP.

Results

Methylation detection for CDO1, TAC1, SOX17, and HOXA7 in plasma was significantly higher in cases compared with the benign group (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity for lung cancer diagnosis using individual gene was 41–69% and 49–82%. A three-gene combination of the best individual genes has sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 71%, with area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.88, (95% CI 0.84–0.93). Furthermore, three-gene combinations detected even the smallest lung nodules, with the combination of CDO1, SOX17, and HOXA7 having the overall best performance, while the combination of CDO1, TAC1, and SOX17 was best in tumor sizes less than 1.0 cm.

Conclusions

Using modified MOB-qMSP, high sensitivity and specificity, for the detection of circulating tumor DNA was obtained for early stage NSCLC. This strategy has great potential to identify patients at high risk and improve the diagnosis of lung cancer at an earlier stage.

Graphical Abstract
SEPT9_v2, frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation, exerts anti-tumor functions through inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via miR92b-3p/FZD10 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells
Authors: Jiang Yu , Liu Lei , Xiang Qin , He Xiaoqian , Wang Yan , Zhou Dishu , Zou Can , Chen Qian , Peng Mingyu , He Jin , Jiang Xianyao , Xiang Tingxiu , Yang Yucheng
Published: March 2020

Background

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma tends to present at an advanced stage because the primary anatomic site is located in a less visible area and its clinical symptoms are nonspecific. Prognosis of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases remains disappointing. SEPT9 is a methylation-based biomarker approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis. Interestingly, downregulation of SEPT9, especially SEPT9_v2, mediated by promoter hypermethylation has been also detected in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma than in head and neck squamous epithelium, while other SEPT9 variants did not. These reasons above indicate a crucial role of SEPT9_v2 in cancer progression. Therefore, we address the methylation status of SEPT9_v2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and explore the role of SEPT9_v2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma proliferation and cancer progression.

Results

SEPT9_v2 expression was found to be downregulated via promoter methylation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines and tissues. Ectopic expression of SEPT9_v2 induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which exerted an inhibitory effect in cell proliferation and colony formation. Additionally, nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell migration and invasion were shown to be inhibited by SEPT9_v2. Furthermore, our data suggested that SEPT9_v2 inhibits proliferation and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through inactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via miR92b-3p/FZD10.

Conclusions

This study delineates SEPT9_v2, frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation, exerts anti-tumor functions through inactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via miR92b-3p/FZD10 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and, hence, SEPT9_v2 may be a promising therapeutic target and biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Characterization of the immunomodulatory properties of alveolar bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Cao Chen , Tarlé Susan , Kaigler Darnell
Published: March 2020

Background

Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to have immunomodulatory properties which hold promise for their clinical use to treat inflammatory conditions. Relative to bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs), which are typically isolated from the iliac crest, we have recently demonstrated that MSCs can be predictably isolated from the alveolar bone (aBMSCs) by less invasive means. As such, the aim of this study was to characterize the immunomodulatory properties of aBMSCs relative to BMSCs.

Methods

aBMSCs isolated from the human alveolar bone and BMSCs isolated from the human bone marrow of the iliac crest were cultured in the same conditions. Cytokine arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of a conditioned medium were used to evaluate differences in the secretion of cytokines. In different functional assays, aBMSCs and BMSCs were cocultured with different types of immune cells including THP-1 monocytes, macrophages, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to evaluate their effects on important immune cell functions including proliferation, differentiation, and activation.

Results

The protein arrays identified interleukin (IL)-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 to be the major cytokines secreted by aBMSCs and BMSCs. ELISA determined that aBMSCs secreted 268.64 ± 46.96 pg/mL of IL-6 and 196.14 ± 97.31 pg/mL of MCP-1 per microgram of DNA, while BMSCs secreted 774.86 ± 414.29 pg/mL of IL-6 and 856.37 ± 433.03 pg/mL of MCP-1 per microgram of DNA. The results of the coculture studies showed that aBMSCs exhibited immunosuppressive effects on monocyte activation and T cell activation and proliferation similar to BMSCs. Both aBMSCs and BMSCs drove macrophages into an anti-inflammatory phenotype with increased phagocytic ability. Taken together, these data suggest that aBMSCs have potent immunomodulatory properties comparable to those of BMSCs.

Conclusions

The findings of this study have important implications for the development of immunomodulatory stem cell therapies aimed to treat inflammatory conditions using aBMSCs, a more feasible tissue source of MSCs.
Autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation via the hepatic artery for the treatment of hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis: a PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis based on the Chinese population
Authors: Sun Ani , Gao Wenni , Xiao Ting
Published: March 2020

Objective

Autologous bone marrow stem cell (ABMSC) transplantation has been considered a promising option for hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis (HBV-C). Although an analysis of the published literature has been performed, the exact effects and safety have yet to be systematically investigated.

Methods

We conducted a wide-ranging online search of electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang database) to reach systematic conclusions. Outcome measurements, including therapeutic efficacy, clinical symptoms, and adverse events, were extracted and analyzed statistically.

Results

Ultimately, a total of 10 articles including 662 HBV-C patients were included in this analysis, which indicated that ABMSC therapy could significantly improve liver function in patients with HBV-C in terms of the MELD and Child-Pugh scores, total bilirubin, serum albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and coagulation function. Compared with patients receiving routine therapy (RT), those treated with ABMSC and RT combined therapy showed improved clinical symptoms, as represented by increased appetite and reduced fatigue and ascitic fluid and abdominal distension. Moreover, the fibrosis indexes indicated a reduction in liver fibrosis in patients treated with combined therapy according to the improved levels of hyaluronic acid (MD = − 70.47, CI = − 103.72–37.21, P <  0.0001), laminin (MD = − 25.11, CI = − 37.73–12.49, P <  0.0001), type III procollagen (MD = − 22.42, CI = − 34.49–10.34, P = 0.0003), and type IV collagen (MD = − 22.50, CI = − 39.92–5.08, P = 0.01). No obvious adverse events occurred during ABMSC treatment.

Conclusion

ABMSC transplantation via the hepatic artery was safe and effective in treating HBV-C without causing severe adverse events.
Accurate 3-gene-signature for early diagnosis of liposarcoma progression
Authors: Serguienko Anastassia , Braadland Peder , Meza-Zepeda Leonardo A. , Bjerkehagen Bodil , Myklebost Ola
Published: March 2020

Background

Well- and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (WD/DDLPS) are rare mesenchymal malignant tumors that account for 20% of all sarcomas in adults. The WD form is a low-grade malignancy with a favourable prognosis which may progress to DDLPS, a high-grade aggressive counterpart. WDLPS is referred to as atypical lipomatous tumour (ALT) when localised in extremities, due to its better prognosis. Currently the final differential diagnosis to distinguish between more aggressive and less aggressive form is based on post-surgical histological examination and no molecular biomarkers for early detection are available.

Methods

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis of 11 metabolic genes involved in general and adipose tissue-specific metabolism, was performed on ALT (= 8), WDLPS (= 9) and DDLPS (= 20) samples. Subsequent statistical analysis was carried out to determine genes that most accurately can predict DDLPS differential diagnosis. Selected genes were further validated in a separate cohort by qPCR and the data statistically analysed. Deep sequencing was performed on DDLPS specimen from the metastatic patient and on five random WDLPS specimens.

Results

We established a three-gene signature based on PNPLA2, LIPE and PLIN1, which identified DDLPS with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity, even in specimens from the WD component of DDLPS tumors. Interestingly, the PNPLA2 gene is deleted in 45% of DDLPS samples analyzed under TCGA project, and the deletion is associated with significantly lower PNPLA2 expression level. However, other mechanisms causing loss or downregulation of the expression of these three genes may be involved. Moreover, the significantly lower level of PNPLA2 is associated with R1 surgical margins, compare to R0 margins, which suggests the more invasive tumor phenotype in the absence of PNPLA2.

Conclusions

The identified metabolic signature allows highly accurate differential diagnosis between WD- and DDLPS even in samples containing lipid droplets, a marker of differentiation, which makes it very suitable for the use on biopsies. In respect to the pathogenesis of the disease, our results give a new insight into possible molecular mechanisms involved and support the recent observation that deletion of PNPLA2 is a novel factor in liposarcoma progression.
Minimal residual ordinal loss hashing with an adaptive optimization mechanism
Authors: Wang Zhen , Sun Fuzhen , Zhang Longbo , Liu Pingping
Published: March 2020

The binary coding technique has been widely used in approximate nearest neighbors (ANN) search tasks. Traditional hashing algorithms treat binary bits equally, which usually causes an ambiguous ranking. To solve this issue, we propose an innovative bitwise weight method dubbed minimal residual ordinal loss hashing (MROLH). Different from a two-step mechanism, MROLH simultaneously learns binary codes and bitwise weights by a feedback mechanism. When the algorithm converges, the binary codes and bitwise weights can be well adaptive to each other. Furthermore, we establish the ordinal relation preserving constraint based on quartic samples to enhance the power of preserving relative similarity. To decrease the training complexity, we utilize a tensor ordinal graph to represent quartic ordinal relation, and the original objective function is approximated by the one based on triplet samples. In this paper, we also assign different weight values to training samples. During the training procedure, the weight of each data is initialized to the same value, and we iteratively boost the weight of the data whose relative similarity is not well preserved. As a result, we can minimize the residual ordinal loss. Experimental results on three large-scale ANN search benchmark datasets, i.e., SIFT1M, GIST1M, and Cifar10, show that the proposed method MROLH achieves a superior ANN search performance in both the Hamming space and the weighted Hamming space over the sate-of-the-art approaches.
Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of hippotherapy and related equine-assisted therapies on motor capabilities in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Häusler Martin , Heussen Nicole
Published: March 2020

Background

Equine-assisted treatments of the motor system appear to have an effect on the neuromuscular system and aim to improve the pathological condition of children with cerebral palsy. Hippotherapy is a distinct form of equine-assisted therapy where certified physiotherapists use the horse as a dynamic tool in a medical treatment setting. The objective of the proposed review is to summarize and critically appraise the evidence on the effect of equine-assisted treatments on motor capabilities of children with cerebral palsy.

Methods

We will identify trials through systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Quality assessment of retrieved articles will be conducted using the criteria outlined in the revised tool to assess risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB 2.0) or the ROBINS-I tool (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies - of interventions), respectively. Quantitative data synthesis will be performed if treatments, participants, and the underlying clinical question are homogenous and provide adequate outcome data for meta-analysis. Otherwise, data will be synthesized, using the narrative synthesis approach.

Conclusion

This review will provide a critical summary of the evidence regarding the impact of equine-assisted treatments on motor capabilities of children with cerebral palsy. The result from this review will help to inform healthcare practitioners and policymakers on the additional effect of equine-assisted treatments on reducing the burden of cerebral palsy among children.

Systematic review registration

This systematic review protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Registration number: CRD42018096403. This protocol was prepared using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols checklist (PRISMA-P).
Ground states for planar axially Schrödinger–Newton system with an exponential critical growth
Authors: Wang Wenbo , Li Quanqing , Li Yongkun
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we study the following planar Schrödinger–Newton system: $$ \left \{ \textstyle\begin{array}{l} -\Delta u+ V(x)u+\lambda\phi u= f(x,u)\quad \textrm{in } \mathbb{R}^{2},\\ \Delta\phi=u^{2}\quad\textrm{in } \mathbb{R}^{2}, \end{array}\displaystyle \right . $${−Δu+V(x)u+λϕu=f(x,u)in R2,Δϕ=u2in R2, where V, f are axially symmetric about x, V is positive, and f is super-linear at zero and exponential critical at infinity. Using a weaker condition $$ \biggl[\frac{f(x,u)}{u^{3}}-\frac{f(x,tu)}{(tu)^{3}} \biggr]\operatorname {sign}(1-t)+ \theta V(x)\frac{ \vert 1-t^{2} \vert }{(tu)^{2}}\geq0,\quad \forall x\in \mathbb{R}^{2}, t>0, u\neq0 $$[f(x,u)u3−f(x,tu)(tu)3]sign(1−t)+θV(x)|1−t2|(tu)2≥0,∀x∈R2,t>0,u≠0 with $\theta\in[0,1)$θ∈[0,1) instead of the Nehari type monotonic condition on $\frac{f(x,u)}{|u|^{3}}$f(x,u)|u|3, we obtain a ground state solution of the above problem via variational methods.
Sufficient conditions for regular solvability of an arbitrary order operator-differential equation with initial-boundary conditions
Authors: Faried Nashat , Ahmed Abdel Baset I. , Labeeb Mohamed A.
Published: March 2020

On this paper, for an arbitrary order operator-differential equation with the weight $e^{\frac{-\alpha t}{2}}, \alpha \in (-\infty ,+ \infty )$e−αt2,α∈(−∞,+∞), in the space $W^{n+m}_{2}(R_{+};H)$W2n+m(R+;H), we attain sufficient conditions for the well-posedness of a regular solvable of the boundary value problem. These conditions are provided only by the operator coefficients of the investigated equation where the leading part of the equation has multiple characteristics. We prove the connection between the lower bound of the spectrum of the higher-order differential operator in the main part and the exponential weight and also obtain estimations of the norms of operator intermediate derivatives. We apply the results of this paper to a mixed problem for higher-order partial differential equations (HOPDs).
ConvLSTMConv network: a deep learning approach for sentiment analysis in cloud computing
Authors: Ghorbani Mohsen , Bahaghighat Mahdi , Xin Qin , Özen Figen
Published: March 2020

The rapid development of social media, and special websites with critical reviews of products have created a huge collection of resources for customers all over the world. These data may contain a lot of information including product reviews, predicting market changes, and the polarity of opinions. Machine learning and deep learning algorithms provide the necessary tools for intelligence analysis in these challenges. In current competitive markets, it is essential to understand opinions, and sentiments of reviewers by extracting and analyzing their features. Besides, processing and analyzing this volume of data in the cloud can increase the cost of the system, strongly. Fewer dependencies on expensive hardware, storage space, and related software can be provided through cloud computing and Natural Language Processing (NLP). In our work, we propose an integrated architecture of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to identify the polarity of words on the Google cloud and performing computations on Google Colaboratory. Our proposed model based on deep learning algorithms with word embedding technique learns features through a CNN layer, and these features are fed directly into a bidirectional LSTM layer to capture long-term feature dependencies. Then, they can be reused from a CNN layer to provide abstract features before final dense layers. The main goal for this work is to provide an appropriate solution for analyzing sentiments and classification of the opinions into positive and negative classes. Our implementations show that found on the proposed model, the accuracy of more than 89.02% is achievable.
Predictable modulation of cancer treatment outcomes by the gut microbiota
Authors: Heshiki Yoshitaro , Vazquez-Uribe Ruben , Li Jin , Ni Yueqiong , Quainoo Scott , Imamovic Lejla , Li Jun , Sørensen Maria , Chow Billy K. C. , Weiss Glen J. , Xu Aimin , Sommer Morten O. A. , Panagiotou Gianni
Published: March 2020

The gut microbiota has the potential to influence the efficacy of cancer therapy. Here, we investigated the contribution of the intestinal microbiome on treatment outcomes in a heterogeneous cohort that included multiple cancer types to identify microbes with a global impact on immune response. Human gut metagenomic analysis revealed that responder patients had significantly higher microbial diversity and different microbiota compositions compared to non-responders. A machine-learning model was developed and validated in an independent cohort to predict treatment outcomes based on gut microbiota composition and functional repertoires of responders and non-responders. Specific species, Bacteroides ovatus and Bacteroides xylanisolvens, were positively correlated with treatment outcomes. Oral gavage of these responder bacteria significantly increased the efficacy of erlotinib and induced the expression of CXCL9 and IFN-γ in a murine lung cancer model. These data suggest a predictable impact of specific constituents of the microbiota on tumor growth and cancer treatment outcomes with implications for both prognosis and therapy.
Meta-analysis of human prefrontal cortex reveals activation of GFAP and decline of synaptic transmission in the aging brain
Authors: Wruck Wasco , Adjaye James
Published: March 2020

Despite ongoing research efforts, mechanisms of brain aging are still enigmatic and need to be elucidated for a better understanding of age-associated cognitive decline. The aim of this study is to investigate aging in the prefrontal cortex region of human brain in a meta-analysis of transcriptome datasets. We analyzed 591 gene expression datasets pertaining to female and male human prefrontal cortex biopsies of distinct ages. We used hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the influence of sex and age on global transcriptome levels. In sex-specific analysis we identified genes correlating with age and differentially expressed between groups of young, middle-aged and aged. Pathways and gene ontologies (GOs) over-represented in the resulting gene sets were calculated. Potential causal relationships between genes and between GOs were explored employing the Granger test of gene expression time series over the range of ages. The most outstanding results were the age-related decline of synaptic transmission and activated expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in both sexes. We found an antagonistic relationship between calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase IV (CAMK4) and GFAP which may include regulatory mechanisms involving cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, alias ERK). Common to both sexes was a decline in synaptic transmission, neurogenesis and an increased base-level of inflammatory and immune-related processes. Furthermore, we detected differences in dendritic spine morphogenesis, catecholamine signaling and cellular responses to external stimuli, particularly to metal (Zinc and cadmium) ions which were higher in female brains.
Market disputes and government intervention: an explanatory framework of risk transformation
Authors: Xiang Jinglin
Published: March 2020

This article examines the government intervention in market governance, that is, why a local government that claims to be a rule maker or market regulator would intervene deeply in transaction disputes between market players. Based on the institutional analysis in the fields of sociology and economics, the author constructs a theoretical framework of risk transformation to study the case of a loan dispute at the Wenzhou Private Lending Service Center. The study shows that there are two aspects in the process of government intervention in transaction disputes: the transformation of economic risk into political risk and the government’s response to risk transformation. The completeness of law, the relationship between government and market players, and the ability of the government to withdraw from society are the three structural factors that affect risk transformation. Facing risk transformation, the greater the potential political risk perceived by the government, the more likely it is to intervene in transaction disputes. This paper provides a new analytical approach for studying the role of government in market transition and the social construction of market institutions.
Diversity in optical coherence tomography normative databases: moving beyond race
Authors: Mehta Nihaal , Waheed Nadia K.
Published: March 2020

Normative databases of optical coherence tomography (OCT) metrics, such as retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness, are critical to clinical use of OCT imaging. In order to accurately represent the range of normal variation in patient populations, these normative databases must themselves be adequately diverse. Thus far, diversity in OCT normative databases has largely been defined as racial diversity. However, this has largely been based on self-reported “race,” which is inconsistent and generally not scientifically rigorous as a form of categorization. Moreover, there is a great deal of variation even within any single racial group, suggesting that other drivers of variation, such as geography or socioeconomic status, may be more important metrics for diversity. Finally, race itself is a proxy for the biological variation that must be represented in such samples, and as such racial diversity does not itself inherently equate to adequate biologic diversity. As clinical use of OCT continues to grow, including to international settings, it is increasingly important that normative databases built into OCT systems accurately represent the populations to which they are applied. Race is not an ideal sole or even primary means of assessing sample diversity in this context. In future normative OCT database construction, other forms of diversity should be considered.
Views of primary care physicians and rheumatologists regarding screening and treatment of hyperlipidemia among patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Navarro-Millán Iris , Cornelius-Schecter Anna , O’Beirne Ronan J. , Morris Melanie S. , Lui Geyanne E. , Goodman Susan M. , Cherrington Andrea L. , Fraenkel Liana , Curtis Jeffrey R. , Safford Monika M.
Published: March 2020

Background

Despite high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, screening and treatment of hyperlipidemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is suboptimal. We asked primary care physicians (PCPs) and rheumatologists to identify barriers to screening and treatment for hyperlipidemia among patients with RA.

Methods

We recruited rheumatologists and PCPs nationally to participate in separate moderated structured group teleconference discussions using the nominal group technique. Participants in each group generated lists of barriers to screening and treatment for hyperlipidemia in patients with RA, then each selected the three most important barriers from this list. The resulting barriers were organized into physician-, patient- and system-level barriers, informed by the socioecological framework.

Results

Twenty-seven rheumatologists participated in a total of 3 groups (group size ranged from 7 to 11) and twenty PCPs participated in a total of 3 groups (group size ranged from 4 to 9). Rheumatologists prioritized physician level barriers (e.g. ‘ownership’ of hyperlipidemia screening and treatment), whereas PCPs prioritized patient-level barriers (e.g. complexity of RA and its treatments).

Conclusion

Rheumatologists were conflicted about whether treatment of CVD risk among patients with RA should fall within the role of the rheumatologist or the PCP. All participating PCPs agreed that CVD risk reduction was within their role. Factors that influenced PCPs’ decisions for screening and treatment for CVD risk in patients with RA were mainly related to their concern about how treatment for CVD risk could influence RA symptomatology (myalgia from statins) or how inflammation from RA and RA medications influences lipid profiles.
Radiant heating rapidly increases litter flammability through impacts on fuel moisture
Authors: Kreye Jesse K. , Kane Jeffrey M. , Varner J. Morgan , Hiers J. Kevin
Published: March 2020

Background

Litter is the predominant fuel that drives surface fire behavior in most fire-prone forest and woodland ecosystems. The flammability of litter is driven by fuel characteristics, environmental factors, and the interactive effects of the two. Solar radiation can influence litter flammability through its effect on fuel moisture and temperature. The direct influence of radiative heating on flammability, however, is poorly understood and the interactive effects of forest structure, composition, fuels, and micrometeorology may have fine-scale ecological consequences in fire-dependent ecosystems.

Results

In this study, we measured laboratory flammability of two dominant southeastern USA litter fuels—Pinus palustrisMill. andQuercus stellataWangenh.—and evaluated the interactive effects of fuel moisture and infrared radiation. Heating of litter fuels increased their flammability primarily through enhanced litter drying. Heated litter quickly became more flammable than unheated litter when fuels were undergoing drying after saturation, a result of more rapid moisture loss. Litter mass did not change the effect of heating on drying rates, but heavier fuels burned with greater flammability.

Conclusions

Interactions among surface fuels, overstory structure, and solar heating may be important in understanding fine-scale heterogeneity in both fire behavior and effects, with strong implications toward increasing the effectiveness of prescribed burning.
Numerical study of thermal radiation and mass transfer effects on free convection flow over a moving vertical porous plate using cubic B-spline collocation method
Authors: Abu zeid M. , Ali Khalid K. , Shaalan M. A. , Raslan K. R.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we present a numerical method based on cubic B-spline function for studying the effects of thermal radiation and mass transfer on free convection flow over a moving vertical porous plate. Similarity transformations reduced the governing partial differential equations of the fluid flow to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically using a cubic B-spline collocation method. The effects of various physical parameters on the velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions are shown graphically, and the numerical values of physical quantities like skin friction, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number for various parameters are presented in tabular form and discussed.
Secure Hash Algorithm-2 formed on DNA
Authors: Nassr Dieaa I.
Published: March 2020

We present a new version of the Secure Hash Algorithm-2 (SHA-2) formed on artificial sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This article is the first attempt to present the implementation of SHA-2 using DNA data processing. We called the new version DNSHA-2. We present new operations on an artificial DNA sequence, such as (1) $\bar {R}^{k}(\alpha)$

R

̄

k

(
α
)
and $\bar {L}^{k}(\alpha)$

L

̄

k

(
α
)
to mimic the right and left shift by k bits, respectively; (2) $\bar {S}^{k}(\alpha)$

S

̄

k

(
α
)
to mimic the right rotation by k bits; and (3) DNA-nucleotide addition (mod 264) to mimic word-wise addition (mod 264). We also show, in particular, how to carry out the different steps of SHA-512 on an artificial DNA sequence. At the same time, the proposed nucleotide operations can be used to mimic any hash algorithm of its bitwise operations similar to bitwise operations specified in SHA-2. The proposed hash has the following features: (1) it can be applied to all data, such as text, video, and image; (2) it has the same security level of SHA-2; and (3) it can be performed in a biological environment or on DNA computers.
Generalized mixed equilibrium problems and quasi- ϕ-asymptotically nonexpansive multivalued mappings in Banach spaces
Authors: Ali Bashir , Umar Lawal , Harbau M. H.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we introduce two iterative algorithms for finding a common element of the set of fixed points of a quasi- ϕ-asymptotically nonexpansive multivalued mapping and the sets of solutions of generalized mixed equilibrium problem in Banach space. Then, we prove strong and weak convergence of the sequences to element in the mentioned set. Our results generalize and improve recent results announced by many authors.
Existence of mild solutions to semilinear fractional differential inclusion with deviated advanced nonlocal conditions
Authors: Herzallah Mohamed A. E. , Radwan Ashraf H. A.
Published: March 2020

This paper is devoted to study the existence of at least one continuous mild solution to semilinear fractional differential inclusion with deviated-advanced nonlocal conditions. We develop the results obtained, by exchanging the deviated-advanced nonlocal condition to an integral form. Our results will be accomplished by using the nonlinear Leray-Schauder’s alternative fixed point theorem. The main results are well illustrated with the aid of an example.
Parameter-dependent transmission dynamics and optimal control of foot and mouth disease in a contaminated environment
Authors: Mugabi Francis , Mugisha Joseph , Nannyonga Betty , Kasumba Henry , Tusiime Margaret
Published: March 2020

The problem of foot and mouth disease (FMD) is of serious concern to the livestock sector in most nations, especially in developing countries. This paper presents the formulation and analysis of a deterministic model for the transmission dynamics of FMD through a contaminated environment. It is shown that the key parameters that drive the transmission of FMD in a contaminated environment are the shedding, transmission, and decay rates of the virus. Using numerical results, it is depicted that the host-to-host route is more severe than the environmental-to-host route. The model is then transformed into an optimal control problem. Using the Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle, the optimality system is determined. Utilizing a gradient type algorithm with projection, the optimality system is solved for three control strategies: optimal use of vaccination, environmental decontamination, and a combination of vaccination and environmental decontamination. Results show that a combination of vaccination and environmental decontamination is the most optimal strategy. These results indicate that if vaccination and environmental decontamination are used optimally during an outbreak, then FMD transmission can be controlled. Future studies focusing on the control measures for the transmission of FMD in a contaminated environment should aim at reducing the transmission and the shedding rates, while increasing the decay rate.
On conformally doubly warped product Finsler manifold
Authors: Soleiman A. , Abdelsalam A.M.
Published: March 2020

The aim of the present paper is to introduce the notion of conformally doubly warped product Finsler manifold (CDWPF). For such a Finsler manifold, the coefficients of Barthel connection and its curvature tensor are investigated. The coefficients of Cartan, Berwald, Hashiguchi and Chern (Rund) connections of CDWPF are calculated. Some special Finsler spaces are studied.
Coupled coincidence point technique and its application for solving nonlinear integral equations in RPOCbML spaces
Authors: Hammad Hasanen A. , Albaqeri Dhekra M. , Rashwan Rashwan A.
Published: March 2020

The aim of this paper is to obtain some new important consequences related to coupled coincidence points via C-class functions in the context of a regular partial ordered complete b-metric-like space (for short, RPOCbML space); this space arises from combining the results of b-metric-like space with partial metric space and adding the regularity condition. Finally, we support our theoretical results by some examples and an application about finding an analytical solution for nonlinear integral equations.
Hall and ion slip effects on Unsteady MHD Convective Rotating flow of Nanofluids—Application in Biomedical Engineering
Authors: Krishna M. Veera , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: March 2020

There is an intense worldwide activity in the development of instrumentation for medical diagnosis and bioscreening based on biological labeling and detection of nanoparticles. Based on this profound observation, Hall and ion slip effects on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convective rotating flow of nanofluids in a porous medium past a moving vertical semi-infinite flat plate are investigated. The equations for governing flow are solved analytically by perturbation approximation. The effects of various parameters on the flow are discussed through graphs and tables. The velocity increases with Hall and ion slip parameters. An increase in the convective parameter led to amplify the thermal boundary layer thickness, but when the heat generation parameter is taken into consideration, an opposite effect occurs. The skin friction coefficient increases with an increase in nanoparticle volume fraction and it reduces with increase in Hall and ion slip parameters. Outcomes disclose that the impact of thermal convection of nanoparticles has increased the temperature distribution, which helps in destroying the cancer cells during the drug delivery process.
Seismic quality factor estimation using prestack seismic gathers: A simulated annealing approach
Authors: Li Shengjun , Zhang Bo , Yong Xueshan , Shangxu Wang
Published: March 2020

Fluid movement and grain boundary friction are the two main factors affecting the anelastic attenuation of seismic data. The quality factor ([Formula: see text]) quantifies the degree of anelastic attenuation and is commonly used in assisting the identification of gas reservoirs. We can accurately compute [Formula: see text] if we obtain the accurate amplitude spectrum of seismic wavelets at refereed and at target time indexes of the seismic profile. However, it is very difficult to obtain the accurate wavelets at the referred and target time indexes. Instead, we usually compare the changes of the amplitude spectrum of refereed and target seismic waveform. The seismic waveform is the convolution result between the seismic wavelet and the reflectivity series. Thus, the reflectivity series would affect our [Formula: see text] computation. We have assumed that the changes of the reflectivity series are negligible within one common-midpoint gather. Then the effect of relativity to the seismic spectrum is the same for the same seismic waveform at different offsets. The seismic waveforms at near offsets are treated as referred seismic signals, and the seismic waveforms at medium and far offsets are regarded as target seismic signals. We use simulated annealing to simultaneously obtain [Formula: see text] values at the entire time index of seismic traces. The method is applied to synthetic and real seismic data to demonstrate its validity and effectiveness. Both applications illustrate the effectiveness of the method in estimating seismic attenuation.