bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mycobacterium marinum: nodular hand lesions after a fishing expedition
Authors: Tuan Jessica , Spichler-Moffarah Anne , Ogbuagu Onyema
Published: December 2020

Mycobacterium marinumis a slow-growing, acid-fast bacillus in the category of non-tuberculous mycobacteria which most commonly cause skin and soft tissue infections in patients, particularly those with aquatic exposure. Classically,M. marinumskin and soft tissue infections clinically manifest with formation of nodular or sporotrichoid extremity lesions, or deeper space infections such as tenosynovitis and osteomyelitis. Disseminated disease may occur in immunocompromised hosts.M. marinumis a slow-growing organism that is challenging to culture, as it typically requires 5–14 days (yet may take up to several weeks) with low temperatures of approximately 30°C to yield growth. In terms of treatment, further data are needed to elucidate the optimal regimen and duration forM. marinuminfections. Combination therapy with clarithromycin and ethambutol is recommended for treatment of skin and soft tissue infections, with addition of rifampicin for deeper space infections. Surgery may be needed in addition to medical management.
Assessing the quality of primary healthcare for diabetes in China: multivariate analysis using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) Database
Authors: Sun Meiping , Rasooly Alon , Fan Xiaoqi , Jian Weiyan
Published: December 2020

Objective

To assess the quality of primary healthcare (PHC) for patients with diabetes in China from 2011 to 2015.

Setting

This study analysed data on 1006, 1472 and 1771 participants with diabetes who were surveyed in 2011, 2013 and 2015, respectively, in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative survey conducted in 29 provinces of China.

Outcome measures

The study measured the proportions of patients with diabetes who received diabetes-related health education, examinations and treatments, as well as the hospital admission rate due to diabetes of these patients. Multilevel logistic regression was used to adjust sociodemographic variables.

Results

According to the multivariate analysis, the proportion of patients who received diabetes-related health education decreased significantly (OR=0.74, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.90), and the proportion of those receiving examinations and treatments remained unchanged from 2011 to 2015. Diabetes-related hospitalisation increased from 4.01% in 2011 to 6.08% in 2013 (OR=1.47, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.22), and recurrent hospitalisations increased from 18.87% in 2011 to 28.45% in 2015 (OR=1.78, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.20). The proportions of patients with diabetes-related and recurrent hospitalisations in western China were higher than those in the east (OR=1.80, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.87; OR=1.92, 95% CI 1.50 to 2.45).

Conclusions

Nationally, the analysis of patient-reported process and outcome indicators cannot confirm that the quality of PHC has improved in China during 2011–2015. Regional disparities in primary diabetes care require urgent resource allocation to western China. Establishing a national quality registry for PHC, which transparently reports outcomes by region and social-economic position, is essential for countries sharing the challenge of improving both quality and equity of PHC.
Comparing the prevalence of multimorbidity using different operational definitions in primary care in Singapore based on a cross-sectional study using retrospective, large administrative data
Authors: Lee Yi An Janis , Xie Ying , Lee Poay Sian Sabrina , Lee Eng Sing
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Multimorbidity is a norm in primary care. A consensus on its operational definition remains lacking especially in the list of chronic conditions considered. This study aimed to compare six different operational definitions of multimorbidity previously reported in the literature for the context of primary care in Singapore.

Design, setting and participants

This is a retrospective study using anonymised primary care data from a study population of 787 446 patients. We defined multimorbidity as having three or more chronic conditions in an individual. The prevalence of single conditions and multimorbidity with each operational definition was tabulated and standardised prevalence rates (SPRs) were obtained by adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity. We compared the operational definitions based on (1) number of chronic diseases, (2) presence of chronic diseases of high burden and (3) relevance in primary care in Singapore. IBM SPSS V.23 and Microsoft Office Excel 2019 were used for all statistical calculations and analyses.

Results

The SPRs of multimorbidity in primary care in Singapore varied from 5.7% to 17.2%. The lists by Fortinet al, Geet al, Lowet aland Quahet alincluded at least 12 chronic conditions, the recommended minimal number of conditions. Quahet alconsidered the highest proportion of chronic diseases (92.3%) of high burden in primary care in Singapore, with SPRs of at least 1.0%. Piccoet aland Subramaniamet alconsidered the fewest number of conditions of high relevance in primary care in Singapore.

Conclusions

Fortinet al’s list of conditions is most suitable for describing multimorbidity in the Singapore primary care setting. Prediabetes and ‘physical disability’ should be added to Fortinet al’s list to augment its comprehensiveness. We propose a similar study methodology be performed in other countries to identify the most suitable operational definition in their own context.
Effectiveness of combined exercise and nutrition interventions in prefrail or frail older hospitalised patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Han Chad Yixian , Miller Michelle , Yaxley Alison , Baldwin Claire , Woodman Richard , Sharma Yogesh
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To determine the effectiveness of combined exercise-nutrition interventions in prefrail/frail hospitalised older adults on frailty, frailty-related indicators, quality of life (QoL), falls and its cost-effectiveness.

Design

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of combined exercise-nutrition interventions on hospitalised prefrail/frail older adults ≥65 years were collated from MEDLINE, Emcare, CINAHL, Ageline, Scopus, Cochrane and PEDro on 10 October 2019. The methodological quality was appraised, and data were summarised descriptively or by meta-analysis using a fixed effects model. The standardised mean difference (SMD) or difference of means (MD) with 95% CIs was calculated.

Results

Twenty articles from 11 RCTs experimenting exercise-nutrition interventions on hospitalised older adults were included. Seven articles were suitable for the meta-analyses. One study had low risk of bias and found improvements in physical performance and frailty-related biomarkers. Exercise interventions were mostly supervised by a physiotherapist, focusing on strength, ranging 2–5 times/week, of 20–90 min duration. Most nutrition interventions involved counselling and supplementation but had dietitian supervision in only three studies. The meta-analyses suggest that participants who received exercise-nutrition intervention had greater reduction in frailty scores (n=3, SMD 0.25; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.46; p=0.02) and improvement in short physical performance battery (SPPB) scores (n=3, MD 0.48; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.84; p=0.008) compared with standard care. Only the chair-stand test (n=3) out of the three SPPB components was significantly improved (MD 0.26; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.43; p=0.003). Patients were more independent in activities of daily living in intervention groups, but high heterogeneity was observed (I2=96%, p<0.001). The pooled effect for handgrip (n=3)±knee extension muscle strength (n=4) was not statistically significant. Nutritional status, cognition, biomarkers, QoL, falls and cost-effectiveness were summarised descriptively due to insufficient data.

Conclusions

There is evidence, albeit weak, showing that exercise-nutrition interventions are effective to improve frailty and frailty-related indicators in hospitalised older adults.
The value of inquiring about functional impairments for early identification of inflammatory arthritis: a large cross-sectional derivation and validation study from the Netherlands
Authors: van Dijk Bastiaan T , van Steenbergen Hanna W , Niemantsverdriet Ellis , Brouwer Elisabeth , van der Helm-van Mil Annette HM
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Healthcare professionals other than rheumatologists experience difficulties in detecting early inflammatory arthritis (IA) by joint examination. Self-reported symptoms are increasingly considered as helpful and could be incorporated in online tools to assist healthcare professionals, but first their discriminative ability must be assessed. As part of this effort, we evaluated whether inquiring about functional impairments could aid early IA identification.

Design

Cross-sectional derivation and validation study.

Setting

Data from two Early Arthritis Recognition Clinics (EARC) in the Netherlands were studied, which are easy access outpatient rheumatology clinics intermediary between primary and secondary care for patients in whom general practitioners suspect but are unsure about IA presence.

Participants

Between 2010 and 2014, 997 patients consecutively visited the Leiden-EARC (derivation cohort). Patients consecutively visiting the Groningen EARC (2010–2014, n=506) and Leiden-EARC (2015–2018, n=557) served as validation cohorts.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Physical functioning was assessed with the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability-Index (HAQ); IA presence by physical joint examination by rheumatologists. HAQ questions were studied individually regarding discriminative ability for IA presence. For the best discriminating question, ORs and positive predictive values (PPVs) for IA presence were determined.

Results

IA was ascertained in 43% (derivation cohort), 53% and 35% (validation cohorts). In the derivation cohort, IA presence associated with higher mean HAQ scores (0.84 vs 0.73, p=0.003). One question on difficulties with dressing equalled discriminative ability of the total HAQ score. ‘Difficulties with dressing’ yielded ORs for IA presence of 1.8 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.4) in the derivation cohort; 2.0 (1.4 to 2.9) and 2.1 (1.5 to 3.1) in the validation cohorts. After adjustments for clinical characteristics these were 1.7 (1.3 to 2.3), 1.6 (1.1 to 2.5) and 1.9 (1.2 to 2.9). PPVs (probabilities of IA for positive answers) ranged 42%–60% and negative predictive values (probabilities of no IA for negative answers) ranged 57%–74%.

Conclusions

Patient-reported difficulties with dressing in patients with suspected IA associated with actual IA presence. Although further validation is required, for example, in primary care, this simple question could be of help in future early IA detection tools for healthcare professionals with limited experience in joint examination.
Protocol for the Prognosticating Delirium Recovery Outcomes Using Wakefulness and Sleep Electroencephalography (P-DROWS-E) study: a prospective observational study of delirium in elderly cardiac surgical patients
Authors: Smith S Kendall , Nguyen Thomas , Labonte Alyssa K , Kafashan MohammadMehdi , Hyche Orlandrea , Guay Christian S , Wilson Elizabeth , Chan Courtney W , Luong Anhthi , Hickman L Brian , Fritz Bradley A , Emmert Daniel , Graetz Thomas J , Melby Spencer J , Lucey Brendan P , Ju Yo-El S , Wildes Troy S , Avidan Michael S , Palanca Ben J A
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Delirium is a potentially preventable disorder characterised by acute disturbances in attention and cognition with fluctuating severity. Postoperative delirium is associated with prolonged intensive care unit and hospital stay, cognitive decline and mortality. The development of biomarkers for tracking delirium could potentially aid in the early detection, mitigation and assessment of response to interventions. Because sleep disruption has been posited as a contributor to the development of this syndrome, expression of abnormal electroencephalography (EEG) patterns during sleep and wakefulness may be informative. Here we hypothesise that abnormal EEG patterns of sleep and wakefulness may serve as predictive and diagnostic markers for postoperative delirium. Such abnormal EEG patterns would mechanistically link disrupted thalamocortical connectivity to this important clinical syndrome.

Methods and analysis

P-DROWS-E (Prognosticating Delirium Recovery Outcomes Using Wakefulness and Sleep Electroencephalography) is a 220-patient prospective observational study. Patient eligibility criteria include those who are English-speaking, age 60 years or older and undergoing elective cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. EEG acquisition will occur 1–2 nights preoperatively, intraoperatively, and up to 7 days postoperatively. Concurrent with EEG recordings, two times per day postoperative Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) evaluations will quantify the presence and severity of delirium. EEG slow wave activity, sleep spindle density and peak frequency of the posterior dominant rhythm will be quantified. Linear mixed-effects models will be used to evaluate the relationships between delirium severity/duration and EEG measures as a function of time.

Ethics and dissemination

P-DROWS-E is approved by the ethics board at Washington University in St. Louis. Recruitment began in October 2018. Dissemination plans include presentations at scientific conferences, scientific publications and mass media.

Trial registration number

NCT03291626.
Measuring the impact of incorporating systems thinking into general chemistry on affective components of student learning
Authors: An Jiwoo , Loppnow Glen R. , Holme Thomas A.
Published: December 2020

Recently, there has been an increased interest in incorporating systems thinking content into various chemistry classrooms. One promise of systems thinking is that students will be able to connect typical chemistry concepts learned in lectures with real-life situations through context-rich instruction. Such experiences may impact affective factors related to learning such as motivation and attitude of students. These factors have often revealed negative orientation for students in chemistry courses, where the majority of students are externally motivated, whereas intrinsic motivation is positively correlated with students’ course performance. A modified Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) and the short version of the Attitude towards the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCIv2) were used to assess whether a systems-thinking instructional approach resulted in changes in students’ motivation and attitudes in general chemistry. Pre- and post-survey data suggest that a first-semester chemistry course that incorporates systems thinking does not induce significant positive changes in students’ motivation. End of the semester motivation and attitude levels were correlated with students’ ACS exam scores, where students with higher levels of intrinsic motivation showed better performance on the ACS exam. Although the results obtained in this study were not optimistic, they suggest several areas of study within systems thinking instruction as potential areas to improve both instruction and student reception of the systems thinking components of instruction.
Generalization of Geyer’s commutation relations with respect to the orthogonal group in even dimensions
Authors: Markov Yu. A. , Markova M. A.
Published: December 2020

A connection between the deformed Duffin–Kemmer–Petiau (DKP) algebra and an extended system of the parafermion trilinear commutation relations for the creation and annihilation operators $$a^{\pm }_{k}$$

a
k
±

and for an additional operator $$a_{0}$$

a
0

obeying para-Fermi statistics of order 2 based on the Lie algebra $${\mathfrak {s}}{\mathfrak {o}}(2M+2)$$

s
o
(
2
M
+
2
)

is established. An appropriate system of the parafermion coherent states as functions of para-Grassmann numbers is introduced. The representation for the operator $$a_{0}$$

a
0

in terms of generators of the orthogonal group SO(2M) correctly reproducing action of this operator on the state vectors of Fock space is obtained. A connection of the Geyer operator $$a_{0}^{2}$$

a

0

2

with the operator of so-called G-parity and with the CPT- operator $${\hat{\eta }}_{5}$$

η
^

5

of the DKP-theory is established. In a para-Grassmann algebra a noncommutative, associative star product $$*$$

∗

(the Moyal product) as a direct generalization of the star product in the algebra of Grassmann numbers is introduced. Two independent approaches to the calculation of the Moyal product $$*$$

∗

are considered. It is shown that in calculating the matrix elements in the basis of parafermion coherent states of various operator expressions it should be taken into account constantly that we work in the so-called Ohnuki and Kamefuchi’s generalized state-vector space $${\mathfrak {U}}_{\;G}$$

U

G

, whose state vectors include para-Grassmann numbers $$\xi _{k}$$

ξ
k

in their definition, instead of the standard state-vector space $${\mathfrak {U}}$$
U
(the Fock space).
Estimating tie strength in social networks using temporal communication data
Authors: Ureña-Carrion Javier , Saramäki Jari , Kivelä Mikko
Published: December 2020

Even though the concept of tie strength is central in social network analysis, it is difficult to quantify how strong social ties are. One typical way of estimating tie strength in data-driven studies has been to simply count the total number or duration of contacts between two people. This, however, disregards many features that can be extracted from the rich data sets used for social network reconstruction. Here, we focus on contact data with temporal information. We systematically study how features of the contact time series are related to topological features usually associated with tie strength. We focus on a large mobile-phone dataset and measure a number of properties of the contact time series for each tie and use these to predict the so-called neighbourhood overlap, a feature related to strong ties in the sociological literature. We observe a strong relationship between temporal features and the neighbourhood overlap, with many features outperforming simple contact counts. Features that stand out include the number of days with calls, number of bursty cascades, typical times of contacts, and temporal stability. These are also seen to correlate with the overlap in diverse smaller communication datasets studied for reference. Taken together, our results suggest that such temporal features could be useful for inferring social network structure from communication data.
Time periodic traveling waves in a three-component non-autonomous and reaction-diffusion epidemic model
Authors: Wei Jingdong , Zhou Jiangbo , Zhen Zaili , Tian Lixin
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we propose a non-autonomous and diffusive SIR epidemic model based on the fact that the infection rate, the removal rate and the death rate often vary in time. The explicit formulas of the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] and the minimum wave speed [Formula: see text] are derived. Applying upper-lower solution method and Schauder’s fixed point theorem, we show that when [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and the diffusion rates satisfy a certain condition, a time periodic traveling wave solution exists in the model. By the method of contradiction analysis and the comparison arguments together with the properties of the spreading speed of an associated subsystem, we prove that when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the model possesses no time periodic traveling wave solutions.
Geniposide Enhances Macrophage Autophagy through Downregulation of TREM2 in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Xu Yu-Ling , Liu Xiao-Yu , Cheng Sai-Bo , He Pei-Kun , Hong Mu-Keng , Chen Yu-Yao , Zhou Feng-Hua , Jia Yu-Hua
Published: December 2020

Macrophage autophagy defect is closely related to the progression of atherosclerosis (AS) and is regulated by the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2). TREM2 is a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the deficiency of which leads to anomalous autophagy in microglia. However, the role of TREM2 in the autophagy of plaque macrophages is still unclear. Geniposide (GP) can inhibit AS progression and enhance macrophage autophagy, although the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We found that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding significantly increased TREM2 levels and inhibited autophagy in the macrophages of ApoE[Formula: see text] mice. TREM2 overexpression in RAW264.7 macrophages decreased autophagy via activation of mTOR signaling. GP inhibited the progression of AS in ApoE[Formula: see text] mice, reinforced macrophage autophagy, and downregulated TREM2 by inhibiting mTOR signaling. Taken together, augmenting the autophagy levels in plaque macrophages by inhibiting the TREM2/mTOR axis can potentially impede atherosclerotic progression. The promising therapeutic effects of GP seen in this study should be validated in future trials, and the underlying mechanisms have to be elucidated in greater detail.
Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb Root Extract: Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Medicinal Herb in LPS-Induced Inflammation
Authors: Kim Da-Sol , Park Kyoung-Eun , Kwak Yeon-Ju , Bae Moon-Kyoung , Bae Soo-Kyung , Jang Ik-Soon , Jang Hye-Ock
Published: December 2020

Inflammation regulation is essential for maintaining healthy functions and normal homeostasis of the body. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a gram-negative anaerobic bacterium and a major pathogen that causes oral inflammation and other systemic inflammations. This study aims to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb root extracts (APL-ME) in Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and find anti-inflammatory effect compounds of APL-ME. The anti-inflammatory effects of APL-ME were evaluated anti-oxidant activity, cell viability, nitrite concentration, pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1[Formula: see text], interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-[Formula: see text], and anti-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-10 (IL-10)). Also, Inflammation related genes and proteins, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), expression were decreased by APL-ME and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling proteins expression was regulated by APL-ME. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC/MS)-MS analysis results indicated that several components were detected in APL-ME. Our study indicated that APL-ME suppressed nitrite concentrations, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1[Formula: see text], IL-6 and TNF-[Formula: see text] in P. gingivalis LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. However, IL-10 expression was increased by ALP-ME. In addition, protein expressions of COX-2 and iNOS were inhibited APL-ME extracts dose-dependently. According to these results, APL-ME has anti-inflammatory effects in P. gingivalis LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells.
SNO: Recent new results
Authors: Caravaca J.
Published: December 2020

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), whose main purpose was to study the neutrinos produced in the Sun, demonstrated that neutrinos can change flavor and, thus, they are massive particles. SNO detected and recorded neutrino and cosmic ray interactions from 1999 to 2006 and several analyses have been completed in the past year using legacy data. We present the results of the most recent ones: the measurements of neutron production in atmospheric neutrino interactions and neutron production by cosmic muons, a search for Lorentz symmetry violation in neutrino oscillations and a search for neutrino decay. A few other analyses are ongoing and we comment about their goal and status.
Neutrinos: Present and future of long baseline experiments
Authors: Kisiel Jan
Published: December 2020

The results from two currently running long-baseline neutrino experiments T2K and NO[Formula: see text]A are presented, along with physics program for the next generation experiments — Hyper-K and DUNE. I will focus on hints and prospects of the discovery of CP violation in the leptonic sector.
Multi-Feature Analysis for Automated Brain Stroke Classification Using Weighted Gaussian Naïve Bayes Classifier
Authors: Jayachitra S. , Prasanth A.
Published: December 2020

In today’s world, brain stroke is considered as a life-threatening disease provoked by undesirable blockage among the arteries feeding the human brain. The timely diagnosis of this brain stroke detection in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images increases the patient’s survival rate. However, automated detection plays a significant challenge owing to the complexity of the shape, dimension of size and the location of stroke lesions. In this paper, a novel optimized fuzzy level segmentation algorithm is proposed to detect the ischemic stroke lesions. After segmentation, the multi-textural features are extracted to form a feature set. These features are given as input to the proposed weighted Gaussian Naïve Bayes classifier to discriminate normal and abnormal stroke lesion classes. The experimental result manifests that the proposed methodology achieves a higher accuracy as compared with the existing state-of-the-art techniques. The proposed classifier discriminates normal and abnormal classes efficiently and attains 99.32% of accuracy, 96.87% of sensitivity and 98.82% of F1 measure.
Aspects of wave turbulence in preheating III: The case of the two-field models
Authors: Crespo J. A. , de Oliveira H. P.
Published: December 2020

This work is the continuation of the investigation of aspects of wave turbulence in preheating we started in [J. A. Crespo and H. P. de Oliveira, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 12 (2019) 045; (2014) 006] but considering several classes of inflationary two-field models. We exhibit the main elements of the wave turbulence phase imprinted in the power spectra of relevant quantities in the time and space domains. As a general feature, the power spectra resemble in their structure to those obtained using the single nonminimally coupled scalar field of the previous work. As a consequence, we obtained an estimate of the temperature corresponding to the thermalized phase from the power spectrum of the total energy density. Another feature allowed by the simulations was the determination of the effective equation of state after taking into account the backreaction of the produced particles.
Perspective study of strangeness with the MPD detector at NICA
Authors: Kolesnikov Vadim , Kireyeu Viktar , Mudrokh Alexander , Vasendina Veronika , Zinchenko Alexander
Published: December 2020

The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider facility (NICA) is a new high luminosity machine which is under construction in Dubna (Russia). Heavy-ion collisions at the NICA are well suitable to investigate multiple problems of strongly interacting matter, including its Equation of State, phase transformations, modifications of hadron properties in dense medium, as well as critical phenomena. The MPD detector is a spectrometer with a large uniform acceptance capable of momentum measurement and particle identification in the high multiplicity environment of heavy-ion interactions. In this paper, the MPD performance to measure the hyperon production and the excitation function of the kaon-to-pion ratio in Au[Formula: see text]Au collisions at NICA energies is reported.
Sharp upper bounds of the F-index of unicyclic graphs
Authors: Sheikholeslami S. M. , Rada J. , Jahanbani A. , Khoeilar R. , Shahbazi L.
Published: December 2020

The forgotten topological index ([Formula: see text]-index) of a graph [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text], is defined as the sum of cubes of the degrees of all the vertices in a graph. A connected graph with equal order and size is called unicyclic graph, where order is number of vertices and size is number of edges. In this paper, we investigate the new sharp upper bounds on [Formula: see text]-index in terms of the order and maximum degree.
Some characterizations of anti-invariant submanifolds of trans-sasakian manifolds
Authors: Sarkar A. , Bhakta Pradip , Sen Matilal
Published: December 2020

The object of this paper is to study anti-invariant submanifolds of trans-Sasakian manifolds. We characterize such submanifolds on the basis of parallelism, semi-parallelism and pseudo parallelism of the second fundamental form of the submanifolds. We also characterize totally umbilical anti-invariant submanifolds of trans-Sasakian manifolds. Existence of Legendre curves on such submanifolds has been analyzed. Whether an anti-invariant submanifold of a trans-Sasakian manifold inherits local symmetry from ambient space is investigated here. Nature of Ricci soliton on anti-invariant submanifolds of trans-Sasakian manifolds has been characterized.
On the domination number of a graph and its shadow graph
Authors: Murugan E. , Sivaprakash G. R.
Published: December 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a graph. A subset [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is called a dominating set of [Formula: see text] if every vertex not in [Formula: see text] is adjacent to some vertex in [Formula: see text]. The domination number [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is the minimum cardinality taken over all dominating sets of [Formula: see text]. The shadow graph of [Formula: see text], denoted [Formula: see text] is the graph constructed from [Formula: see text] by taking two copies of [Formula: see text] namely [Formula: see text] itself and [Formula: see text] and by joining each vertex [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] to the neighbors of the corresponding vertex [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we obtain the upper and lower bounds for the sum of domination number of a graph and its shadow graph and characterize such extremal graphs.
Large-scale Cellular Automata on FPGAs
Authors: Kyparissas Nikolaos , Dollas Apostolos
Published: December 2020

Cellular automata (CA) are discrete mathematical models discovered in the 1940s by John von Neumann and Stanislaw Ulam and have been used extensively in many scientific disciplines ever since. The present work evolved from a Field Programmable Gate Array– (FPGA) based design to simulate urban growth into a generic architecture that is automatically generated by a framework to efficiently compute complex cellular automata with large 29 × 29 neighborhoods in Cartesian or toroidal grids, with 16 or 256 states per cell. The new architecture and the framework are presented in detail, including results in terms of modeling capabilities and performance. Large neighborhoods greatly enhance CA modeling capabilities, such as the implementation of anisotropic rules. Performance-wise, the proposed architecture runs on a medium-size FPGA up to 51 times faster vs. a CPU running highly optimized C code. Compared to GPUs the speedup is harder to quantify, because CA results have been reported on GPU implementations with neighborhoods up to 11 × 11, in which case FPGA performance is roughly on par with GPU; however, based on published GPU trends, for 29 × 29 neighborhoods the proposed architecture is expected to have better performance vs. a GPU, at one-10th the energy requirements. The architecture and sample designs are open source available under the creative commons license.
In Situ Reliability Investigation of All-Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries by a Stable Reference Electrode
Authors: Huang Qian , Li Bin , Song Chaojie , Jiang Zhengming , Platt Alison , Fatih Khalid , Bock Christina , Jang Darren , Reed David
Published: December 2020

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) have been studied over the past several decades as a promising candidate for stationary energy storage applications. It is therefore important to understand the reliability of RFBs and the mechanisms that cause degradation with time. Contributions from individual electrodes are difficult to separate especially for long-term cycle testing due to the lack of a stable reference electrode. In our work, the reliability and degradation mechanisms of an all-vanadium RFB were investigated by a stable reference electrode based on the dynamic hydrogen electrode (DHE). The newly developed DHE reference electrode demonstrated high accuracy and long-term stability that enables in situ monitoring of individual electrode signals over hundreds of cycles in a vanadium RFB. This approach enables the full cell degradation to be separated into contributions from the cathode and anode. The cathode and anode were found to play quite different roles in the increase in overpotential of the vanadium RFB during long-term cycling. The anode reaction limited both the charge and discharge capacity over 100 cycles. The negative side also appeared to be the rate limiting factor throughout cycling as determined by EIS measurement. The cathode contributed to the performance degradation as cycling exceeded 50 cycles.
Li2O Entrainment during UO2 Reduction in Molten LiCl-Li2O: Part II. Effect of Cathodic Reduction Mechanism
Authors: Burak A. , Chamberlain J. , Simpson M. F.
Published: December 2020

A study was performed to assess the effect of controlling the reduction mechanism on Li2O entrainment in an electrolytic UO2 reduction process. The reduction mechanism was controlled by isolating the UO2 particles from the lead, eliminating the direct reduction mechanism. Cathode design made it possible to eliminate the direct UO2 reduction mechanism, as evidenced by the cathode potential, the result being indirect reduction via electrolytically produced Li metal. Characterization of the reduced product was achieved via acid-base titration to measure Li2O entrainment and thermogravimetry to measure reduction extent. Significantly increased entrainment was observed when the electrolytic UO2 reduction portion was eliminated compared to normal operation. In addition to the entrainment the representativeness of dip sampling, compared to cup sampling, was investigated. A statistically significant difference between Li2O concentration measurements from dip and cup samples was observed, dip samples measured 8 ± 3% less Li2O than cup samples.
Is nuclear sirtuin SIRT6 a master regulator of immune function?
Authors: Pillai Vinodkumar B. , Gupta Mahesh P.
Published: December 2020

The ability to ward off pathogens with minimal damage to the host determines the immune system's robustness. Multiple factors, including pathogen processing, identification, secretion of mediator and effector molecules, and immune cell proliferation and differentiation into various subsets, constitute the success of mounting an effective immune response. Cellular metabolism controls all of these intricate processes. Cells utilize diverse fuel sources and switch back and forth between different metabolic pathways depending on their energy needs. The three most critical metabolic pathways on which immune cells depend to meet their energy needs are oxidative metabolism, glycolysis, and glutaminolysis. Dynamic switching between these metabolic pathways is needed for optimal function of the immune cells. Moreover, switching between these metabolic pathways needs to be tightly regulated to achieve the best results. Immune cells depend on the Warburg effect for their growth, proliferation, secretory, and effector functions. Here, we hypothesize that the sirtuin, SIRT6, could be a negative regulator of the Warburg effect. We also postulate that SIRT6 could act as a master regulator of immune cell metabolism and function by regulating critical signaling pathways.
Role of γ-adducin in actin cytoskeleton rearrangements in podocyte pathophysiology
Authors: Gao Wenjun , Liu Yedan , Fan Letao , Zheng Baoying , Jefferson Joshua R. , Wang Shaoxun , Zhang Huawei , Fang Xing , Nguyen Bond V. , Zhu Tongyu , Roman Richard J. , Fan Fan
Published: December 2020

We recently reported that the enhanced susceptibility to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the fawn-hooded hypertensive (FHH) rat is caused, at least in part, by a mutation in γ-adducin (ADD3) that attenuates renal vascular function. The present study explored whether Add3 contributes to the modulation of podocyte structure and function using FHH and FHH. Add3 transgenic rats. The expression of ADD3 on the membrane of primary podocytes isolated from FHH was reduced compared with FHH. Add3 transgenic rats. We found that F-actin nets, which are typically localized in the lamellipodia, replaced unbranched stress fibers in conditionally immortalized mouse podocytes transfected with Add3 Dicer-substrate short interfering RNA (DsiRNA) and primary podocytes isolated from FHH rats. There were increased F/G-actin ratios and expression of the Arp2/3 complexes throughout FHH podocytes in association with reduced synaptopodin and RhoA but enhanced Rac1 and CDC42 expression in the renal cortex, glomeruli, and podocytes of FHH rats. The expression of nephrin at the slit diaphragm and the levels of focal adhesion proteins integrin-α3 and integrin-β1 were decreased in the glomeruli of FHH rats. Cell migration was enhanced and adhesion was reduced in podocytes of FHH rats as well as in immortalized mouse podocytes transfected with Add3 DsiRNA. Mean arterial pressures were similar in FHH and FHH. Add3 transgenic rats at 16 wk of age; however, FHH rats exhibited enhanced proteinuria associated with podocyte foot process effacement. These results demonstrate that reduced ADD3 function in FHH rats alters baseline podocyte pathophysiology by rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton at the onset of proteinuria in young animals.
Sex differences in renal ammonia metabolism
Authors: Harris Autumn N. , Weiner I. David
Published: December 2020

Sexual dimorphic variations are present in many aspects of biology and involve the structure and/or function of nearly every organ system. Acid-base homeostasis is critical for optimal health, and renal ammonia metabolism has a major role in the maintenance of acid-base homeostasis. Recent studies have shown sex-dependent differences in renal ammonia metabolism with regard to both basal ammonia excretion and the response to an exogenous acid load. These sexual dimorphisms are associated with structural changes in the proximal tubule and the collecting duct and variations in the expression of multiple proteins involved in ammonia metabolism and transport. Studies using orchiectomy-induced testosterone deficiency and physiological testosterone replacement have shown that testosterone underlies much of the sex-dependent differences in the proximal tubule. This parallels the finding that the canonical testosterone target receptor, androgen receptor (AR), is present exclusively in the proximal tubule. Thus testosterone, possibly acting through AR activation, regulates multiple components of renal structure and ammonia metabolism. The lack of detectable AR in the remainder of the nephron and collecting duct suggests that some dimorphisms in renal structure and ammonia transporter expression are mediated through mechanisms other than direct testosterone-dependent AR activation. A better understanding of the mechanism and biological implications of sex’s effect on renal structure and ammonia metabolism is critical for optimizing our ability to care for both men and women with acid-base disturbances.
ED50 of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Sedation for Transthoracic Echocardiography in Children with or without a History of Cardiac Surgery for Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Gu HongBin , Song YunAn , Bai Jie
Published: December 2020

Background and Objective. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) can provide adequate sedation during short procedures. However, the median effective dose (ED50) of intranasal DEX sedation has not been well established in children with a history of correction surgery for cyanotic congenital heart disease (cCHD). This study was to determine ED50 of intranasal DEX sedation for transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in young children with a history of correction surgery for cCHD. Methods. This prospective single‐blinded clinical trial included 72 ASA I‐II stage children aged 1‐36 months with cCHD who were scheduled to undergo TTE under sedation. Children were assigned to group A (n = 37) with a previous history of cardiac surgery and group B (n = 35) with no history of cardiac surgery. Doses of intranasal DEX were analyzed by up‐down sequential allocation at an initial dose of 2.3 μg/kg and an increase in steps of 0.2 μg/kg. Intranasal DEXED50 values were analyzed by the up‐and‐down method of Dixon‐Massey and probit regression to determine ED50 and 95% confidence interval (CI) for sedation. The time to effective sedation, time to regaining consciousness, vital signs, oxygen saturation, time of performing TTE, clinical adverse effects, and characteristics of regaining consciousness were compared between the two groups. Results. ED50 of intranasal DEX sedation was 2.530 μg/kg (95% CI, 1.657‐4.156) in group A and 2.500 μg/kg (95% CI, 1.987‐3.013) in group B. There was no significant difference in sedation onset time and time to regaining consciousness between the two groups. Additionally, no significant adverse hemodynamic or hypoxemic effect was observed. There was no significant difference in sedation‐onset time and wake‐up time between the two groups (15 ± 4 min vs. 16 ± 5 min; 50 ± 11 min vs. 48 ± 10 min). This trial is registered with the China Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-1800015038). Conclusions. ED50 of intranasal DEX sedation for TTE is similar in children with and without a history of cardiac surgery for cCHD.
Clinical Effect and Rotational Stability of TICL in the Treatment of Myopic Astigmatism
Authors: Zhu Manhui , Zhu Linling , Zhu Qiujian , Xu Cailian , Yu Peng , Xiao Haiyang , Wang Ying , Yuan You
Published: December 2020

Purpose. To investigate the clinical outcomes and possible risk factors associated with rotational stability after the implantation of a V4c toric implantable Collamer lens (TICL) for the correction of moderate to high myopic astigmatism. Methods. A total of 112 eyes of 66 patients with moderate to high myopic astigmatism underwent TICL implantation. All patients were followed up for more than 1 year. The uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity (UCVA and BCVA), astigmatism and spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, vault, endothelial cell morphometry, and rotation of the TICL axis were assessed at l day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively. Postoperative rotation was defined as the angle between the intended axis and the achieved axis. Regression analysis was used to investigate the possible risk factors for TICL rotation postoperatively. Results. The mean efficacy index and safety index 12 months postoperatively were 1.03 ± 0.09 and 1.05 ± 0.10, respectively. All patients had the same or better visual acuity than preoperatively. The mean astigmatism value decreased from −1.86 ± 0.79 D preoperatively to −0.37 ± 0.35 D. The mean absolute axis deviation of the TICL at the last follow-up was 2.75 ± 2.04° (range, 0°∼11°). The mean manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) changed from -9.04 ± 2.67 D preoperatively to −0.67 ± 0.51 D postoperatively. The logistic regression demonstrated that the absolute degree of TICL rotation had a significant association with the fixation angle of the TICL and the size of the lens (

P
=
0.003

,

P
=
0.026

, resp.). Conclusion. The results of our study support that TICL implantation is safe, effective, and predictable in the treatment of moderate to high myopic astigmatism, with relatively good postoperative rotational stability.
Extraction of Phenolics and Flavonoids from Four Hosta Species Using Reflux and Ultrasound‐Assisted Methods with Antioxidant and α‐Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities
Authors: He Junwei , Wu Liangfa , Yang Li , Zhao Boyuan , Li Chunlong
Published: December 2020

The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) from the genus Hosta with antioxidant and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activities were reported for the first time. Sixteen extracts from the aboveground and underground parts of the four Hosta species, including H. plantaginea, H. ventricosa, H. ensata, and H. albofarinosa, using reflux extraction (RE) and ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) techniques have high TPC and TFC with good antioxidant and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activities. Furthermore, no significant differences on extraction yields, TPC, and TFC were found between RE and UAE techniques. Additionally, extracts from the aboveground parts of the four Hosta species had higher TPC, TFC, antioxidant, and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activities compared to the underground parts by means of RE or UAE techniques. Lastly, the extracts of H. albo-marginata displayed a very remarkable α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity compared to the positive control acarbose. The relationships of sixteen extracts of the four Hosta species were analyzed by RE and UAE techniques between extraction yields, TPC, TFC, antioxidant activity, and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity. The present study demonstrated that H. plantaginea, H. ventricosa, H. ensata, and H. albofarinosa could be new sources of natural antioxidants and antidiabetes for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes.
Exosomes from Bone Marrow Microenvironment-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Affect CML Cells Growth and Promote Drug Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyan , Yang Yazhi , Yang Yang , Chen Huijun , Tu Huaijun , Li Jian
Published: December 2020

Although major advances have been achieved in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by using tyrosine kinase inhibitors, patients relapse after withdrawal and need long-term medication. This reflects the CML clones have not been eliminated completely. The precise mechanisms for the maintenance of CML cells are not yet fully understood. The bone marrow microenvironment constitutes the sanctuary for leukemic cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are an important component of the bone marrow microenvironment (BM). It plays an important role in the development and drug resistance of CML. Accumulating evidence indicates that exosomes play a vital role in cell-to-cell communication. We successfully isolated and purified exosomes from human bone marrow microenvironment-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSC-Exo) by serial centrifugation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of hBMMSC-Exo on the proliferation, apoptosis, and drug resistance of CML cells. The results demonstrated that hBMMSC-Exo had the ability to inhibit the proliferation of CML cells in vitro via miR-15a and arrest cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. However, the results obtained from BALB/c nu/nu mice studies apparently contradicted the in vitro results. In fact, hBMMSC-Exo increased tumor incidence and promoted tumor growth in vivo. Further study showed the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression increased, whereas the Caspase3 expression decreased. Moreover, the in vivo study in the xenograft tumor model showed that hBMMSC-Exo promoted the proliferation and decreased the sensitivity of CML cells to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, resulting in drug resistance. These results demonstrated that hBMMSC-Exo supported the maintenance of CML cells and drug resistance in BM by cell-extrinsic protective mechanisms. They also suggested that hBMMSC-Exo might be a potential target to overcome the microenvironment-mediated drug resistance.