bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New austalide derivative from the marine-derived Aspergillus sp. and evaluation of its biological activity
Authors: Elnaggar Mohamed S. , Elissawy Ahmed M. , Youssef Fadia S. , Singab Abdel Nasser B.
Published: May 2022

Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract of Aspergillus sp. isolated from the soft coral Sinularia species resulted in the isolation of one new meroterpenoid austalide X (1), one known austalide W (2), six known prenylated indole diketopiperazine alkaloids (3-8) and phthalic acid and its ethyl derivative (9-10). The structures were established using 1D and 2D NMR experiments supported by UV analysis and ESI-MS (Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry). The effect of changing the fermentation media was also investigated using LC-PDA-MS (Liquid chromatography-photodiode-array-mass spectrometry) employing rice and beans media. It showed significant quantitative and qualitative variations particularly in the diketopiperazine content. In vitro cytotoxic evaluation was performed using MTT assay. Results showed that the examined compounds revealed weak to moderate activities where the new meroterpenoid, austalide X (1) displayed IC50 value of 51.6 µg/mL. In silico molecular docking was done to evaluate COVID-19 inhibitory potential of isolated compounds on 2019-nCoV main protease, spike glycoprotein and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2). Compound (10) followed by compound (9) exerted a potent inhibition on all the examined proteins with high fitting scores. ADME/TOPKAT (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) predication performed in silico showed that most of the isolated compounds revealed reasonable pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicity properties.
Neuroprotective effect of betanin in mice with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury
Authors: Thong-asa Wachiryah , Puenpha Kanthaporn , Lairaksa Thannaporn , Saengjinda Siriwipha
Published: May 2022

Cerebral ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury as found in stroke is a complex and heterogeneous disorder and closely related to disability and death. Transient ischemia causes energy deprivation and leads to failure of neuronal function. Recirculation complications also facilitate acute and delayed neuronal death as well as white matter injury. Today, nutraceuticals and protective therapy to increase neuronal integrity and prevent pathological complication are common. We investigated the neuroprotective effect of betanin against cerebral IR injury in mice. We randomly divided forty male ICR mice into Sham-veh, IR-veh, IR-Bet50 and IR-Bet100 groups. After 2 weeks of oral administration of normal saline (veh) or 50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg of betanin, we subjected the mice to IR induction using 30-min bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, followed by 24 hrs. of reperfusion. We sacrificed the mice to evaluate brain infarction, brain oxidative status, cortical and hippocampal neurons and white matter pathologies. The results showed that IR significantly increases brain infarction, CA1 hippocampal degeneration and corpus callosum (CC) and internal capsule (IC) white matter loss (p < 0.05). Evaluation of brain oxidative status revealed significant elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) together with a significant decrease in catalase (CAT) activity, induced by IR (p < 0.05). Pretreatment with betanin, especially a dose of 100 mg/kg, led to a significant reduction in brain infarction and MDA, CA1 hippocampus, CC and IC white matter degeneration. Betanin also led to a significant increase in CAT activity (p < 0.05), with enhancing effect on reduced glutathione levels (GSH, p < 0.05). Corroborating this finding, the present study revealed the neuroprotective efficacy of betanin against IR injury in mice’s brains. These effects were associated with betanin’s potent antioxidative properties, including its inhibition of lipid peroxidation, indicated by MDA attenuation, and boosting of GSH and CAT activity.
Chrysophanol post-conditioning attenuated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury induced NLRP3-related pyroptosis in a TRAF6-dependent manner
Authors: Xia Pingping , Marjan Murat , Liu Zhuoyi , Zhou Wanqing , Zhang Qian , Cheng Chen , Zhao Minxi , Tao Yuanyuan , Wang Zhihua , Ye Zhi
Published: May 2022

Background: Pyroptosis induces neuronal death by triggering an excessive inflammatory injury. Chrysophanol possesses robust anti-inflammatory features, and it is protective against CIRI. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of Chrysophanol post-treatment on CIRI-induced pyroptotic cell death, and to explore its underlying mechanisms. Methods: CIRI was induced in rats by CA and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and PC12 cells were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to imitate CIRI in vitro. The survival rate, neurological outcomes, histopathological changes and cognitive functions were examined to explore the neuroprotection mediated by Chrysophanol post-conditioning. Pyroptosis-associated proteins were quantified by qRT-PCR and western blot both in vivo and in vitro model. Meanwhile, gain- and loss-of-function analyses of NLRP3 or TRAF6 were also performed to evaluate their effects on Chrysophanol-mediated anti-pyroptotic signaling pathway. Finally, the interaction between NLRP3 and TRAF6 was detected in Chrysophanol-treated PC12 cells.Results: It was found that post-CA brain injury led to a notable cerebral damage by examining histopathological changes and neurological outcomes. The existence of pyroptosis was also confirmed in in vivo and in vitro CIRI models. Moreover, we further confirmed that post-treatment with Chrysophanol, the main bioactive ingredient of Rhubarb, significantly suppressed expressions of pyroptosis-associated proteins, e.g., NLRP3, ASC, cleaved-caspase-1 and N-terminal GSDMD, and inhibited the expression level of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6). Furthermore, NLRP3 overexpression neutralized the neuroprotection of Chrysophanol post-treatment, suggesting that pyroptosis was the major neuronal death pathway modulated by Chrysophanol post-treatment in OGD/R. Additionally, the neuroprotection of Chrysophanol post-treatment was also abolished by gain-of-function analyses of TRAF6. Finally, the results demonstrated that Chrysophanol post-treatment suppressed the interaction between TRAF6 and NLRP3. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings revealed that Chrysophanol post-treatment could be protective against CIRI by inhibiting NLRP3-related pyroptosis via a TRAF6-dependent manner.
Experimental investigations of underwater laser propulsion microspheres based on a tapered fiber propulsion system
Authors: Li Hanyang , He Yichen , Zhou Gaoqian , Ge Yang
Published: May 2022

An underwater propulsion microsystem is proposed in this work, which employing a nanosecond laser pulse out from the tapered fiber tip. Noteworthily, the system can generate a directional shock wave (or plasma) to propel the polystyrene (PS) microsphere. Through simulation, the shock wave propagation characteristics and the bubble dynamic are investigated. Experimentally, high-speed photography method is employed to obtain the motion image of microsphere. The results show that the propulsion efficiency is dependent on the laser energy. Meanwhile, we explain the role of the bubble dynamic process in propelling microsphere, and find that the bubble diameter increases with the laser energy. In addition, an experiment is performed to separating and removing the PS microsphere clusters in water at fixed point. Our findings make the tapered fiber propulsion system promising for applications in the underwater directional manipulation of microstructures and the removal of the contaminate microsphere in water environment.
Short-term nutrient removal efficiency by Ulva pseudorotundata (Chlorophyta): potential use for Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
Authors: Massocato Thaís , Robles-Carnero Victor , Vega Julia , Bastos Eduardo , Avilés Antonio , Bonomi-Barufi José , Rörig Leonardo , Figueroa Félix
Published: May 2022

Short-term N-NH4+ and N-NO3- removal by U. pseudorotundata under different initial nutrient concentrations and biomass stocking densities, monitoring in parallel photosynthetic parameters obtained by Pulse-Amplitude-Modulation (PAM) Fluorometry of chlorophyll-a and evaluating biomass characteristics (CHN, proteins, carbohydrates) was investigated. The results showed that U. pseudorotundata cultivated under solar radiation in a land-based out-door pilot scale was efficient in removing N-NH4+ and N-NO3- even in concentrations as high as 500 µmol L⁻¹ ensuring complete water remediation in a period of 24 h and in all experimental conditions tested, although differences were observed depending on the stocking density and type of N-source. Treatments with N-NH4+ showed faster N removal than those with N-NO3-, however, treatments with N-NO3- demanded more photosynthetic energy. Part of the ammonium removed in the respective treatments may have been volatilized as a combined effect of the pH increase related to photosynthesis and aeration in the tanks. The results presented here establish the fundamental parameters for the use of U. pseudorotundata as a biofiltering organism for effluents with high concentrations of N-NH4+ and N-NO3-.
GPA-TUNet: Transformer and GPA Attention Co-Encoder for Medical Image Segmentation
Authors: Li Chaoqun , Wang Liejun , Li Yongming
Published: May 2022

U-Net has become baseline standard in the medical image segmentation tasks, but it has limitations in explicitly modeling long-term dependencies. Transformer has the ability to capture long-term relevance through its internal self-attention. However, Transformer is committed to modeling the correlation of all elements, but its awareness of local foreground information is not significant. Since medical images are often presented as regional blocks, local information is equally important. In this paper, we propose the GPA-TUNet by considering local and global information synthetically. Specifically, we propose a new attention mechanism to highlight local foreground information, called group parallel axial attention (GPA). Furthermore, we effectively combine GPA with Transformer in encoder part of model. It can not only highlight the foreground information of sample, but also reduce the negative influence of background information on the segmentation results. Meanwhile, we introduce the sMLP block to improve the global modeling capability of network. Sparse connectivity and weight sharing are well achieved by applying it. Extensive experiments on public datasets confirm the excellent performance of our proposed GPA-TUNet. In particular, on Synapse and ACDC datasets, mean DSC reached 80.37% and 90.37% respectively, mean HD95 reached 20.55% and 1.23% respectively.
In mice and humans, brain microvascular contractility matures postnatally Brain microvessel post-natal maturation
Authors: Slaoui Leila , Gilbert Alice , Rancillac Armelle , Chagnot Audrey , Federici Laetitia , Gerard Quentin , Gelot Antoinette , Becmeur-Lefebvre Mathilde , Favier Maryline , Robil Noémie , Letort Gaëlle , Dias Karine , Jourdren Laurent , Mailly Philippe , Auvity Sylvain , Cisternino Salvatore , Vivien Denis , Cohen-Salmon Martine , Boulay Anne-Cécile
Published: May 2022

Although great efforts to characterize the embryonic phase of brain microvascular system development have been made, its postnatal maturation has barely been described. Here, we compared the molecular and functional properties of brain vascular cells on postnatal day (P)5 vs. P15, via a transcriptomic analysis of purified mouse cortical microvessels (MVs) and the identification of vascular-cell-type-specific or -preferentially expressed transcripts. We found that endothelial cells (EC), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and fibroblasts (FB) follow specific molecular maturation programs over this time period. Focusing on VSMCs, we showed that arteriolar VSMC network expands and becomes contractile resulting in a greater cerebral blood flow (CBF). Samples of human brain cortex showed the same postnatal maturation process. Thus, the postnatal phase is a critical period during which arteriolar VSMC contractility required for vessel tone and brain perfusion is acquired and mature.
Is the Retromandibular approach a suitable approach to anatomical reduction of unilateral condylar fracture? a prospective non-randomized cohort study
Authors: Mohamed Abdo Ahmed Saleh , Qi Hedeng , Lin Zhaoyu , Sakran Karim Ahmed , Pan Chaobin
Published: May 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the retromandibular approach (RMA) to produce three-dimensional (3-D) reduction of the unilateral subcondylar fracture and Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) functional implication.Methods: A prospective cohort study was designed. Twenty-nine patients with unilateral subcondylar fracture underwent consecutively Open Reduction, and Internal Fixation. The cohorts were divided into two groups; RMA group (n=16, 55.17%) and submandibular approach SMA group (n= 13, 44.82%). The primary outcome was the anatomical 3-D reduction of the condyle. The secondary outcome was to compare the condyle position and inclination finding with TMJ outcomes. Helkimo Index score was used to evaluate the TMJ outcome at six months postoperatively. Result: There was a significant difference between the mediolateral condylar inclination, condylar medial and vertical positions when RMA compared with SMA groups (P < 0.05). The medial joint space was correlated with the medial condylar position in both groups (P < 0.05). The Helkimo Ai and Di was associated with mediolateral condylar inclination in SMG; however, Helkimo Ai was found to be correlated with the RMA group. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the RMA could re-establish the anatomical position of the unilateral subcondylar fracture in patients undergoing ORIF. The clinical outcome of the TMJ with RMA was better than SMA
Magnetic anchor technique-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in Beagles
Authors: Li Yixing , Zhang Miaomiao , Shi Aihua , Liu Peinan , Zhang Hanzhi , Zhang Yong , Lyu Yi , Yan Xiaopeng
Published: May 2022

In single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy, surgical instruments are likely to collide and interfere with each other. We used magnetic anchor technique to design an anchoring device suitable for thoracoscopic surgery, and verified the safety and feasibility of its use in animal experiments. Ten Beagles were used as models, and magnetic anchor technology was used to assist thoracoscopic lobectomy. During the operation, a self-designed magnetic anchored internal grasper was used in place of the traditional laparoscopic grasping forceps. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of postoperative complications, and the effect of intraoperative use of the device were analyzed. All 10 beagles were successfully operated; the mean operation time was 19.7±3.53 min (range 15–26 min), and the postoperative blood loss was <10 mL. No surgical complications occurred. During the operation, the internal grasper was firmly clamped, the auxiliary operation field was well exposed, and the interference of the main operation hole instruments was effectively reduced. We provide preliminary experimental evidence of the safety and feasibility of magnetic anchor technique-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy.
Metabolismics and Transcriptomics Combined with Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Analyzes the Purple and Green Characterization of Salvia miltiorrhiza
Authors: Yang Hanting , Li Hongyan , Li Qian
Published: May 2022

Introduction Salvia miltiorrhiza
is an important model medicinal plant for secondary metabolism research. There is a leaf color variation (purple) in the aboveground part of S. miltiorrhiza in the process of growth and development, which is mostly caused by the loss or variation of structural genes regulating a certain pigment.
Objectives
In order to screen the key genes related to purple traits and explore the differences of their metabolites. In addition to further explore the synthesis, accumulation and transport pathway of flavonoids secondary metabolites in aboveground of S. miltiorrhiza.
Methods
The above ground tissues were analyzed by metabolomics and transcriptomics. And tissue localization and quantitative analysis of flavonoids secondary metabolites were carried out by laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM).
Results
The results showed PAL、CYP73A/C4H、4CL、ANS、DFR、3AT、HCT and MYB、bHLH、WADS、WRKY transcription families involved in anthocyanin synthesis were highly differentially expressed. In addition, six GST genes, nine ABC transporters, twenty-two MATE genes and three SNARE genes were detected to play a key role in metabolite transport. A variety of flavonoids and glycosidic carbohydrates were found in the metabolites. Finally, tissue localization and quantitative analysis showed that flavonoids were mainly distributed in epidermis, cortex and collenchyma.
Conclusion
The dynamic accumulation model of flavonoids biosynthesis pathway was established, and the biological transport pathway of flavonoids was explored. These findings provide insights into the changes of purple phenotype during the development of S. miltiorrhiza, and provide valuable resources for the study of metabolic regulatory networks.
SND1 confers chemoresistance to cisplatin-induced apoptosis by targeting GAS6-AKT in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Ha Chuanbo , Hu Lihong , Ren Yuanyuan , Yang Jie , Xin Lingbiao
Published: May 2022

Platinum-based (especially cisplatin) chemotherapy is the main treatment after surgery for ovarian cancer. Although the initial treatment is effective, chemotherapy resistance develops rapidly. Therefore, chemotherapy resistance has always been a huge obstacle in the treatment of ovarian cancer. SND1 is an evolutionarily conserved multifunctional protein that plays a role in promoting tumorigenesis under various stress states. In this study, SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells deficient in SND1 were observed to be more apoptotic and to express more apoptotic protein after treatment with cisplatin, while cells overexpressing SND1 exhibited a decreased number of apoptotic cells and expression of apoptotic proteins. Moreover, SND1 can regulate the expression of GAS6 and then activate the AKT signaling pathway to achieve the regulation of sensitivity to cisplatin-induced apoptosis for ovarian cancer.
Efficacy of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Recurrent Gliomas
Authors: Sun Ying , Tao Zhenning , Zhang Haibo , Yan Ying
Published: May 2022

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for recurrent gliomas.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 88 patients who underwent GKRS in our department from 2009 to 2020, including 56 cases of high-grade glioma (HGG) and 32 cases of low-grade glioma (LGG). The median target volume was 17.8 cm3 (1.6–124.1), the median maximum dose was 25 Gy (13.5–42 Gy), and the median marginal dose was 13.0 Gy (7.5–24.5 Gy). The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS), and log rank test was used to analyze the multivariate prognosis of the Cox proportional-hazards model. Adverse reactions were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03 (CTCAE).Results: The median follow-up time was 79.5 months. The median OS and PFS were 12.5 months and 5.0 months for all patients. The median OS and PFS were 10.0 months and 4.5 months for HGG, respectively. The median OS and PFS were 27.0 months and 12.0 months for LGG, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that Karnofsky performance status (KPS), pathological grade and the times of GKRS significantly affected OS and PFS. Stratified analysis showed that recurrence time interval (15 months) significantly affected OS and PFS for LGG. KPS significantly affected OS and PFS for HGG, and tumor volume (25 cm3) significantly affected PFS for HGG. No serious adverse events were noted post-GKRS.Conclusions: Gamma knife radiosurgery as a salvage treatment for recurrent gliomas was safe and effective with tolerable adverse reactions.
Enrichment of soybean oil with tocols and γ-oryzanol from rice bran through ohmic heating-assisted ultrasound extraction
Authors: Loypimai Patiwit , Moongngarm Anuchita , Sittisuanjik Kulab , Wongsadee Thippharak
Published: May 2022

Soybean oil enrichment with tocols and γ-oryzanol from rice bran using ohmic heating-assisted ultrasound extraction with soybean oil a green solvent was investigated. Moisturized bran (30% wet basis) samples were ohmically-treated at 100 and 200 V/cm and then subjected to ultrasound extraction using soybean oil a green solvent. Untreated rice bran and bran steamed with an autoclave before ultrasound extraction with soybean oil were used as controls (UB-UASO and CB-UASO). Ohmic heating applied to assist ultrasound soybean oil extraction (OH-UASO) gave higher yields of α- and γ-tocopherols and γ-oryzanol compared to UB-UASO and CB-UASO. Enriched oil obtained by OH-UASO also gave the highest antioxidant activities (DPPH, FRAP and total antioxidant capacity assays), with low concentrations of free fatty acids, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and peroxide values (PV) during storage for 28 days. Production of edible vegetable oils as a green solvent containing high tocols and γ-oryzanol was achieved, with improved efficiency through ohmic heating.
Spatial ecology of jaguars in Mexico: implications for conservation
Authors: Ceballos Gerardo , González Carlos Cruz , Urios Vicente , Medellin Daniela , Villanueva Heliot Zarza , Morollón Sara , Luja Victor H.
Published: May 2022

ContextMovement ecology contributes valuable information about animal interactions with the environment, and their responses to landscape-level anthropogenic impacts. Big cats are vulnerable to such changes, but the current deficit of information about home range movements, limits the scope of conservation initiatives. Objectives Describe the home range size, interactions, and differences between jaguar populations across its distribution in MexicoMethodsWe used 41,008 GPS-generated data points obtained from 28 tagged jaguars (Panthera onca) in five different states of Mexico over an 18-year period to describe home range size, differences between male and female territories, interactions in overlapping territories, and territory differences among populations. ResultsOur data shows that jaguar home range is smaller than tiger’s but larger than leopard’s. Male mean home range size (285.28 km2, n=13) tends to be larger than that of females (152.2 km2, n = 15), the difference was not statistically significant. While the home range for at least one male was 633.44 km2, contrasted with the much smaller 48.89 km2 for some female jaguars. Data of overlapping ranges showed 34.71% of female territory overlaps male territory, 32.46% of female territory is shared with other females, 18.97% of male territory is shared with other males, and only 16.89% male territory overlaps with female territory. ConclusionsThe absence of significant differences in home range sizes among the habitats suggest jaguar territory is not highly dependent on the type of habitat it occupies. Our findings of the spatial parameters of jaguar movements can be applied to identifying ecological corridors and the design of protected areas for this species.
Community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives in Nigeria: Does the innovation delivery fit stakeholders' preferences?
Authors: Akinyemi Oluwaseun Oladapo , Harris Bronwyn , Kawonga Mary
Published: May 2022

BackgroundThis study explored the fit between the design and delivery of community-based distribution of injectable contraceptive innovation and stakeholders' preferences. Furthermore, it assessed whether and how program implementers engaged potential user groups and community members in the design of innovation delivery.MethodsThis qualitative study was part of a more extensive cross-sectional study on the scale up of the community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives in Gombe, Northeast Nigeria. The authors conducted fifteen in-depth interviews (IDIs), seven key informant interviews (KIIs), and ten focus group discussions (FGDs) between September and November 2016 to obtain data from health workers, religious and traditional leaders, and community members, including users of injectable contraceptives. Additionally, the transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis for important topics about delivery design and stakeholder preference.ResultsAlthough the innovation was community-based, only a narrow fit was identified between the innovation's design and stakeholders' preferences. However, by continuously engaging with stakeholders, even after the implementation, the delivery of the innovation was modified to consider cultural, religious, and programmatic factors, thereby improving the 'fit.' Modifications included the use of markets as mobile posts to distribute the injectables and to provide healthcare for women, dissemination outreach at women's gatherings, and distribution of contraceptives from community health extension workers' homes. Other modifications involved recruiting young female community volunteers as peer educators, partnering with patent medicine vendors, and social marketing using mobile phones to improve compliance. In addition, community participation through community-based organizations and community gatekeepers took place from the outset, across the planning stages to scale up. ConclusionMost of the modifications to the delivery of this innovation resulted from sociocultural, religious, and programmatic considerations. Therefore, innovation delivery should be context-relevant and cost-effective. Also, there might be a need to combine strategies for synergy and integrate community-based distribution with existing programs and infrastructures.
Moiré Enhanced Potentials in Twisted Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Trilayers Homostructures
Authors: Zheng Haihong , Wu Biao , Li Shaofei , He Jun , Chen Ke-Qiu , Liu Zongwen , Pan Anlian , LIU Yanping
Published: May 2022

Moiré superlattices in the twisted van der Waals materials have become an excellent platform for exploring new quantum phenomena due to the interaction between atomic structure and electronic correlation. Moiré superlattice can generate periodic moiré potential, which can constrain the recombination of excitons, leading to exotic quantum phenomena, including moiré excitons, flat bands, etc., which have been extensively reported in TMDs structures. However, the effect between the modulating of the moiré potential and the number of twisted layers has not been the subject of experimental research yet. Here we synthesized a twisted trilayer homostructure by a dry-transfer method and the enhancement of the moiré potential by the number of twisted layers is investigated. The moiré potential depths of the twisted bilayer and trilayer homostructure are 111 and 212 meV (increased by 91%), which further demonstrate that the depth of the moiré potential can be controlled by adjusting the number of stacked layers. Enhanced moire potential allows observation of moire excitons at 77 K, which are improved by an order of magnitude bigger than those of other moiré excitons(less than 10 K). Our results provide a new method for controllable preparation of moire potentials and a new avenue for further exploration of highly correlated quantum phenomena.
Effective rules placement approach in energy-constrained software defined wireless community networks
Authors: Noutat Soulamite Judith Nouho , Ndie Thomas Djotio
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we propose an effective approach for rules placement in energy-aware software-defined wireless community networks. It consists of defining accurate routing rules at the control plane based on network characteristics and then placing them in routers and switches located in the data plane. The ultimate goal is to minimize the total energy consumption by taking into account the residual energy and memory capacity constraints of nodes. The energy-efficient routing issue is an np-complete problem. It involves finding a path that optimizes the energy consumption to relay each flow from source to destination. The strategy for defining rules and placing them in routers that guides the routing process can lead to high-energy consumption. Our main interest is in energy-sensitive areas where power supply is sometimes very scarce, insufficient, or irregular. Nodes in this context are likely to operate very often with autonomous energy. Under these operating circumstances, the total energy consumption and the residual energy of each node, are very important metrics in the path calculation for the network and nodes' lifetime considered together. We formalize the problem as an integer linear program and propose a greedy heuristic as solution. Based on the experiments performed, evaluation results show that our solution simultaneously extends the lifetime of the network and nodes compared to Djikstra's algorithm.
A Novel Set-up for In-situ Measurement and Mapping of Lubricant Film Thickness in a Model Rolling Bearing Using Interferometry and Ratiometric Fluorescence Imaging
Authors: Chennaoui Mourad , Liang He , Fowell Mark , Kadiric Amir
Published: May 2022

This paper describes a unique experimental set-up constructed for studies of lubricant behaviour in an operating rolling element bearing including in-situ quantitative measurements of film thickness in and around the element-raceway contact. The set-up is based on a deep groove ball bearing in which the outer race is made of sapphire to allow full optical access to the zone in which the rolling elements are loaded against it. This allows direct imaging of lubricant films under both steady-state and transient conditions and at contact pressures and rotational speeds representative of those present in real rolling element bearings. Optical interferometry is used to measure thin EHL films inside the ball-raceway contacts while a specific laser induced fluorescence approach, referred to as ratiometric fluorescence, is implemented to observe the lubricant distribution and quantify its thickness ahead of the ball-raceway contact. Results are presented to validate the accuracy of the method and to investigate the influence of bulk lubricant viscosity and bearing speed on contact film thickness, inlet starvation and lubricant distribution around the ball-raceway contact. To the best of our knowledge, the work described here is the first to directly measure lubricant distribution and EHL film thickness in a ball-raceway contact in an operating radial rolling bearing.
Autobiographical narratives in relation to affect regulation in an Italian sample of patients in an acute phase of Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Mariani Rachele , Marini Isabella , Trani Michela Di , Catena Carlotta , Patino Francesca , Riccioni Raffaele , Pasquini Massimo
Published: May 2022

Purpose: This research aims to analyze the relationship between emotional regulation and the symbolic process in autobiographical narratives in a group of individuals diagnosed with restrictive Anorexia Nervosa (AN), compared to a non-clinical group. The study is framed within Multiple Code Theory MCT (Bucci, 1997; 2021) which considers mind-body integration. The purposes of this study are to investigate whether AN will show greater alexithymia and emotional dysregulation than the non-clinical group; and whether the specific linguistic and symbolic features, such as somatic-sensory words, affect words, and difficulty in symbolizing process will predict the AN group.Methods: Twenty-nine female participants hospitalized with AN in an acute phase (mean age 19.8 ±4.1) and thirty-six non-clinical female participants (mean age 21 ±2.4) were selected through snow-ball sampling. The participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Profile of Mood of State (POMS), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and a Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm Interview (RAP). The Referential Process (RP) Linguistic Measures has been applied to transcribed interviews. A T-test for paired samples and logistic binary regression has been performed.Results: AN presented a significantly higher emotional dysregulation through the ERQ, TAS20 and POMS measures. Specifically, AN showed higher ER expression/suppression strategies, fewer functional cognitive strategies, higher alexithymia, and higher mood dysregulation. Specific linguistic features such as sensory-somatic, affect word, and difficulty in RP symbolizing, predict the AN group (R2 = .349; χ2 = 27,929; df = 3; p = .001).Conclusions: Emotional dysregulation is connected to AN symptoms and autobiographical narratives. The results can help a clinical assessment phase showing specific linguistic features in AN patients.
Experimental models of salivary gland cancer established using organoid culture and patient-derived xenografting
Authors: Aizawa Yoshihiro , Takada Kentaro , Aoyama Jun , Sano Daisuke , Yamanaka Shoji , Seki Masahide , Kuze Yuta , Ramilowski Jordan , Okuda Ryo , Ueno Yasuharu , Nojima Yusuke , Inayama Yoshiaki , Hatakeyama Hiromitsu , Hatano Takashi , Takahashi Hideaki , Nishimura Goshi , Fujii Satoshi , Suzuki Yutaka , Taniguchi Hideki , Oridate Nobuhiko
Published: May 2022

Purpose: Salivary gland carcinoma (SGC) has poor prognosis depending on the histological subtype. However, due to the scarcity of preclinical experimental models, its molecular biology remains largely unknown, hampering the development of new treatment modalities for patients with these malignancies. The aim of this study is to generate human SGC experimental models for multiple histological subtypes using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and organoid culture techniques. Methods: Tumor specimens from surgically resected SGC were proceeded for the preparation of PDX and patient-derived organoid (PDO). Specimens from SGC PDX were also proceeded for PDX-derived organoid (PDXO). in vivo tumorigenicity was assessed by orthotopic transplantation of SGC organoids. The pathological characteristics of each model were compared to those of the original tumor by Immunohistochemistry analysis. The genetic traits of PDO samples were analyzed by RNA-seq. Results: A series of SGC PDOs, PDX and PDXO models using human SGC tumor section for salivary duct carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and myoepithelial carcinoma were successfully generated. Through passaging, each model was confirmed to almost maintain the pathological characteristics of the original tumor and the genetic traits including transcription profiles, genomic variation and the presence of fusion genes of corresponding histological subtypes. Conclusion: We here described success in the generation of in vitro and in vivo SGC models of multiple histological subtypes using organoid culture and PDX, recapitulating the histological and genetical characteristics of original tumor. Thus, our experimental models of SGC could be a powerful resource for the development of novel therapeutic agents and investigating the molecular biology of these malignancies.
Attitudes and beliefs of older adults and caregivers towards deprescribing in French-speaking countries: a multicenter cross-sectional study
Authors: Roux Barbara , Rakheja Bianca , Sirois Caroline , Niquille Anne , Pétein Catherine , Ouellet Nicole , Spinewine Anne , Sibille François-Xavier , Laroche Marie-Laure
Published: May 2022

Purpose
Successful deprescribing requires understanding the attitudes of older adults and caregivers towards this process. This study aimed to capture these attitudes in four French-speaking countries, and to investigate associated factors.
Methods
A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted by administrating the French version of the revised Patients’ Attitudes Towards Deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaire in Belgium, Canada, France and Switzerland. Community-dwelling or nursing home older adults ≥ 65 years taking ≥ 1 prescribed medications, and caregivers of older adults with similar characteristics were included. Multivariate logistic regressions were carried out to examine factors associated with willingness to deprescribe.
Results
A total of 367 older adults (79.3 ± 8.7 years, 63% community-dwelling, 54% ≥5 medications) and 255 unrelated caregivers (64.4 ± 12.6 years) of care recipients (83.4 ± 7.9 years, 52% community-dwelling, 69% ≥5 medications) answered the questionnaire. Among them, 87.5% older adults and 75.6% caregivers would be willing to stop medications if the physician said it was possible. Reluctance to stop a medication taken for a long time was expressed by 46% of both older adults and caregivers. A low score for the factor “concerns about stopping” [older adults: aOR: 0.21; 95%CI: 0.07–0.59], and a high score for the factor “involvement” [older adults: aOR: 2.66; 95%CI: 1.01–7.07; caregivers: aOR: 11.28; 95%CI: 1.48–85.91] were associated with willingness to deprescribe.
Conclusions
A significant proportion of older adults and caregivers of French speaking countries are open to deprescribing. Despite this apparent willingness, deprescribing conversations in clinical practice remains marginal, emphasizing the importance of optimizing the integration of existing tools such as rPATD.
MMP1 overexpression promotes cancer progression and associates with poor outcome in head and neck carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Wei , Huang Xinghong , Huang Rong , Zhu Hong , Ye Pu , Lin Xuyang , Zhang Shuangyue , Wu Meng , Jiang Feng
Published: May 2022

Purpose: Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) has been reported to play key roles in a variety of cancers by degrading the extracellular matrix. However, its carcinogenic roles have not been shown yet in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This study aimed to elucidate its expression pattern, functional roles as well as clinical significance in HNSCC.Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to determine the MMP1 expression pattern and the associations between its expression and patients’ outcome in HNSCC. Mice tongue squamous cell carcinoma model induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), and siRNA mediated cellular assay in vitro were utilized to evaluate the oncogenic role of MMP1. The biological functions and cancer-related pathways involved in MMP1 related genes were found through bioinformatics analysis.Results: Both mRNA and protein abundance of MMP1 were highly increased in HNSCC as compared to its non-tumor counterparts. MMP1 overexpression positively correlated with advanced tumor size, cervical node metastasis and advanced pathological grade and lower patients’ survival. In the 4NQO-induced animal model, MMP1 expression increased along with the progression of the disease. In HNSCC cells, siRNA-mediated knockdown of MMP1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and activated apoptosis and epithelia-mesenchymal transition (EMT). GSEA, GO and KEGG analysis showed that MMP1 expression was significantly related to cancer-related pathways and cancer-related functions.Conclusion: Together, our results demonstrated MMP1 serves as a novel prognostic biomarker and putative oncogene in HNSCC.
Improvement of salt tolerance of wheat through co-inoculation with Azospirillum zeae and Serendipita indica
Authors: Zarea Mohammad Javad , Karimi Zohreh
Published: May 2022

Four experiments were carried out to investigate (1) the growth performances of S. indica in co-inoculation with Azospirillum zeae under supplemented tryptophan (Trp), (2) the effect of tryptophan on symbiosis performances of S. indica with wheat seedling experiment, (3) the effect of A. zeae and S. indica on wheat performances under salinity stress and (4) effect of A. zeae and S. indica on P5CS expression and proline accumulation. Trp inhibited S. indica growth, but introduced A. zeae as co-culture could mitigate the adverse effect of Trp on S. indica growth. Co-inoculation of S. indica with A. zeae gave better results in salt affected plants in terms of plant biomass, water content and photosynthetic pigments (chl-a, chl-b and carotenoids). While plants inoculated with S. indica accumulated higher concentration of proline in leaves, plants inoculated with Azospirillum showed a lower concentration of proline under both salinity and non-salinity stress. However, plants co-inoculated with A. zeae and S. indica showed lower accumulation of proline in leaves, but had higher concentration of N, chlorophyll content, water content and biomass. Salinity decreased shoot nitrogen contents, but the reductions were lower in inoculated plants than in the un-inoculated seedlings.
Leveraging location data of variable quality to reconstruct animal movements: application to a reintroduced island fox (Urocyon littoralis) population
Authors: Mummah Riley O. , Guglielmino Angela H. , Borremans Benny , Coonan Timothy J. , Prager K. C. , Lloyd-Smith James O.
Published: May 2022

Background: Despite significant advances in statistical approaches and data collection for analyzing wildlife movements over the last 50 years, there are limited analytical frameworks to be applied when spatial data are collected for purposes other than analyzing movement. Data collected for other purposes (e.g., sporadic captures or survival checks via telemetry) generally have lower temporal frequency or spatial precision than data collected to analyze fine-scale animal movement. The coarseness of the former renders them poorly suited for analysis using existing statistical tools. Methods: We propose a new way of estimating animal movement trajectories by integrating variable quality location data – including frequent but spatially coarse, irregularly-shaped polygon location data arising from VHF telemetry as well as less frequent, more spatially precise location data – using functional data analysis combined with a spatial resampling algorithm. We apply this method to analyze location data from the reintroduced Channel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis) subspecies population on Santa Rosa Island, California, which were collected from 2003-2012 for purposes other than movement analyses but provide an ideal case study to develop and test these novel methods. Results: By combining coarse-grained location knowledge, obtained through field notes and expert interpretation, with more precise location data, we reconstructed individual animal movement trajectories and demonstrated the utility of combining such data. Through the population ensemble of reconstructed trajectories, we learned that captive-born Channel Island foxes exhibited stronger seasonal movements than wild-born foxes, and most long-range movements occurred within the first two years of a fox’s time on the island. Conclusions: This methodology capitalizes on frequently overlooked but valuable spatial data, often found in field notes and expert knowledge, to reconstruct animal movements. Our approach has wide application to systems in which data of variable quality are collected for purposes other than studying movement and could have beneficial applications in species conservation, landscape ecology, disease management, and population monitoring.
B Cell Receptor Signaling Pathway Mutation as Prognosis Predictor of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor for Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Lin Anqi , Fang Jianbo , Cheng Quan , Liu Zaoqu , Luo Peng , Zhang Jian
Published: May 2022

Purpose: The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has generated a revolutionary breakthrough in the therapeutic treatment of many solid tumors, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the response rate of ICI therapy in patients with LUAD is low, so a clinical challenge has arisen in effectively using biomarkers to screen patients who can benefit from ICIs therapy. Methods: In this study, we divided patients according to BCR signaling pathway gene non-synonymous mutant or not, and established univariate and multivariate Cox regression models based on a LUAD cohort treated with ICI (Miao-LUAD), and examined the relationship between the mutation status of the BCR signaling pathway and the prognosis of immunotherapy. Then, combining the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) LUAD cohort, the Rizvi-LUAD, the Samstein-LUAD and the Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University LUAD (Local-LUAD) cohort, the mutation panorama, immunogenicity, tumor microenvironment (TME) and pathway enrichment analysis between the BCR signaling pathway mutant group (BCR signaling MUT) and the BCR signaling pathway wild group (BCR signaling WT) were comprehensively compared. Results: It was found that, compared with the BCR signaling WT, the BCR signaling MUT had a significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), higher immunogenicity and immunoreactivity, and a pathway activation environment that was not conducive to the growth of tumor cells. Conclusion: These results revealed that the mutation state of the BCR signaling pathway has potential as a biomarker to predict the efficacy of ICIs.
Association between tamoxifen and tooth loss in women with breast cancer
Authors: Sensever Felipe Araujo , Jardim Luísa Comerlato , Ferrazzo Kívia Linhares , Skupien Jovito Adiel , Antoniazzi Raquel Pippi
Published: May 2022

Objectives
Investigate the effect of tamoxifen on the occurrence of tooth loss (TL) in breast cancer (BC) survivors.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 140 BC survivors using tamoxifen therapy. Sociodemographic, medical and dental data were evaluated. TL was determined using the M component of the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Logistic regression models were run to determine associations between the independent variables and outcome (TL).
Results
Mean TL was 12.96 (SD 8.88). Only three participants had lost no teeth and 10.7% were completely edentulous. Participants who used tamoxifen for more than 1 year had a higher mean missing teeth (13.99 vs. 10.45; P = 0.030). After the adjustments, the occurrence of more than 12 missing teeth was 2.75-fold higher among women who used tamoxifen for more than 1 year (95% CI: 1.06–7.12). Moreover, age over 65 years, referral for treatment by the public healthcare system, less use of dental services, xerostomia and a lower occurrence of dental caries remained associated with the loss of more than 12 teeth.
Conclusion
Longer use of tamoxifen was associated with greater tooth loss in breast cancer survivors.
Clinical relevance:
Based on estimates of the increase in cases of breast cancer, the prolonged use of tamoxifen for the treatment of this disease can exert an impact on oral health through the occurrence of tooth loss. These findings can contribute to the planning and implementation of oral health care and prevention strategies for such patients.
Influence mechanism of surface hardness of soil samples on plasma
Authors: Huang Yutao , Lin Jingjun , Lin Xiaomei
Published: May 2022

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can be used to quantitatively analyze heavy metal elements in soil, but the matrix effects have always been an important problem affecting the accuracy of quantitative analysis. The influence mechanism of matrix effects on plasma needs to be further studied. In this paper, the main purpose is to analyze the influence mechanism of sample surface hardness on plasma. The trend of plasma temperature, the ratio of ion line to atomic line of Cr and Cu elements, and the calibration curve of Cr and Cu elements with the change of sample surface hardness are analyzed, respectively. The results show that the plasma temperature and the ratio of ion line to atomic line of Cr and Cu elements increase with the increase of sample surface hardness. Meanwhile, the root mean square error (RMSE) and average relative error (ARE) of Cr and Cu elements in the samples with a hardness of 98HA are lower than those of the samples with a hardness of 43HA and 70HA. For samples with a surface hardness of 98HA, the RMSE and ARE of Cr are 0.027wt% and 9.763%, and those of Cu are 0.047wt% and 15.862%, respectively. However, the stability of the training data decreases with the surface hardness increases. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of Cr and Cu elements are 19.383% and 34.383%, respectively, for samples with a surface hardness of 98HA. By studying the influence of sample surface hardness on plasma temperature and calibration curve, the influence mechanism of sample surface hardness on plasma was explored.