bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angular Momentum Holography via a Minimalist Metasurface for Optical Nested Encryption
Authors: Hu Yueqiang , Yang Hui , He Peng , Ou Kai , Jiang Yuting , Ou Xiangnian , Jia Honghui , Xie Zhenwei , Yuan Xiaocong , Duan Huigao
Published: September 2022

Metasurfaces can perform high-performance multi-functional integration by manipulating the abundant physical dimensions of light, demonstrating great potential in high-capacity information technologies. The orbital angular momentum (OAM) and spin angular momentum (SAM) dimensions have been respectively explored as the independent carrier for information multiplexing. However, fully managing these two intrinsic properties in information multiplexing remains elusive. Here, we propose the concept of angular momentum (AM) holography which can fully synergize these two fundamental dimensions to act as the information carrier, via a single-layer non-interleaved metasurface. The underlying mechanism relies on independently controlling the two spin eigenstates and arbitrary overlaying them in each operation channel, thereby spatially modulating the resulting waveform at will. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate an AM meta-hologram allowing the reconstruction of two sets of holographic images, i.e., the spin-orbital locked and the spin-superimposed ones. Remarkably, leveraging the designed dual-functional AM meta-hologram, we demonstrate a novel optical nested encryption scheme, which is able to achieve parallel information transmission with ultra-high capacity and security. Our work opens a new avenue for optionally manipulating the AM, holding promising applications in the fields of optical communication, information security and quantum science.
COVID – 19 in Two Dialysis Centers Situated in Two Neighbouring States of the Western Balkans
Authors: Mesic Enisa , Aleckovic-Halilovic Mirna , Paunovic Karolina , Woywodt Alexander , Pjanic Mirha , Paunovic Goran
Published: September 2022

Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Serbia are developing countries in the Western Balkans that share similar social and political legacy from the former Yugoslavia including the health care system and are not members of European Union. There are very scarce data on COVID – 19 pandemic from this region.
Materials and methods: This observational prospective study was conducted in two dialysis and transplant centres in B&H and Serbia, during the COVID – 19 pandemic. We monitored: demographic and epidemiological data, preventive and control measures in dialysis centres, clinical course and outcomes of dialysis and transplanted patients with COVID – 19. Data were collected by filling out an agreed questionnaire and were analysed and compared for two consecutive time periods: February – June 2020 with total number of 767 studied patients, and July – December 2020 with total number of 749 studied patients.
Results: For a period of 11 months, from February to December 2020, there were 82 ICHD patients, 11 CAPD patients and 25 kidney transplant patients who tested positive for COVID-19. In the first study period, the incidence of COVID – 19 positive in Tuzla was 1.32% among ICHD patients, and there were no positive CAPD patients, nor patients with kidney graft. The incidence was significantly higher in both centres in the second time period. These data correspond to incidence in general population. Total deaths of COVID-19 positive patients was 0% in Tuzla DC and 45.45% in Niš DC during first, and 16.67% in Tuzla DC and 23.44% in Niš DC during the second period.
Conclusion: Very bad overall survival was direct reflection of unpreparedness of our medical systems for such situations, and reminder of importance of preventive measures. Spreading of COVID-19 and similar respiratory infections within DC can be achieved using cheap measures that we have described here. It might also shift fight in more developed countries toward cheaper and simpler preventive measures, which could result in money and lifesaving results.
Responses of westerly jet over Asia versus North America in Last Glacial Maximum and their attributions
Authors: Shi ZhengGuo , Lei Jing , Sha YingYing , Li Xinzhou , Xie Xiaoning
Published: September 2022

The Northern Hemisphere westerly jet (WJ) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) exhibits significant anomalies from present day. However, the total responses of Northern Hemisphere WJ, as well as the relative influences of different individual LGM forcings are still unclear. By using a coupled climate model, our results show that the seasonal variation of Northern Hemisphere WJ in LGM is characterized by distinct regional discrepancies. The WJ is intensified and shifts southward in North America, while generally weakens and displaces northward in central Asia. Over Japan, the WJ is enhanced and moves southward in summer but attenuated and shifts northward in winter. The change of WJ has a close relationship with the mid troposphere temperature anomalies which are resulted from different external forcings. In summer, the ice sheet albedo plays a leading role in wind fields at mid-to-high latitudes of Northern Hemisphere by causing a zonal wave-like response of temperature. While in winter, the ice sheet topography dominates the wind fields across North America to North Atlantic by inducing a northwest-southeast orientated tripole temperature response in this region. The effects of orbital parameters and greenhouse gases largely contribute to the alteration of upper wind fields over Asia and North Pacific by motivating a dipole response of temperature.
AI Fitness Coach at Home using Image Recognition
Authors: Ji Haoran , Githinji Karungaru Stephen , Kenji Terada
Published: September 2022

Recently the number of people exercising at home has increased especially due to the COVID19 pandemic. Therefore, the need for no contact exercise instructions is in great demand since physical access to the gym is limited or discouraged. To meet this demand, many online exercise instruction videos are available. However, the systems are both passive and have no real time feedback to aid the user. In this work,we propose an AI based fitness monitoring system (AI Fitness Coach) that can offer real time guidance during exercise. The AI Fitness Coach, consists of a pose recognition unit, a fitness movement analysis unit, and a feedback unit. The user captures their pose by a fixed camera. The pose recognition unit processes the captured image and outputs the recognition result to the fitness movement analysis unit. After the results are processed by the fitness movement analysis unit, advice is output from the device through video or voice. On comparison to existing methods, the proposed method results are at par and encouraging.
Comprehensive genome analysis of Burkholderia contaminans SK875, a quorum-sensing strain isolated from the swine
Authors: Kim Eiseul , Jung Hae-In , Park Si Hong , Kim Hae-Yeong , Kim Soo-Ki
Published: September 2022

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) is a Gram-negative bacterial, including Burkholderia contaminans species. Although the plain Burkholderia is pervasive from taxonomic and genetic perspectives, a common characteristic is that they may use the quorum-sensing (QS) system. In our previous study, we generated the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia contaminans SK875 isolated from the respiratory tract. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report functional genomic features of B. contaminans SK875 for understanding the pathogenic characteristics. In addition, comparative genomic analysis for five B. contaminans genomes was performed to provide comprehensive information on the disease potential of B. contaminans species. Analysis of average nucleotide identity (ANI) showed that the genome has high similarity (> 96%) with other B. contaminans strains. Five B. contaminans genomes yielded a pangenome of 8,832 coding genes, a core genome of 5,452 genes, the accessory genome of 2,128 genes, and a unique genome of 1,252 genes. The 186 genes were specific to B. contaminans SK875, including toxin higB-2, oxygen-dependent choline dehydrogenase, and hypothetical proteins. Genotypic analysis of the antimicrobial resistance of B. contaminans SK875 verified resistance to tetracycline, fluoroquinolone, and aminoglycoside. Compared with the virulence factor database, we identified 79 promising virulence genes such as adhesion system, invasions, antiphagocytic, and secretion systems. Moreover, 45 genes of 57 QS-related genes that were identified in B. contaminans SK875 indicated high sequence homology with other B. contaminans strains. Our results will help to gain insight into virulence, antibiotic resistance, and quorum sensing for B. contaminans species.
Complete Mitochondrial Genome of the Spanish toothcarp, Aphanius iberus (Valenciennes, 1846) (Actinopterygii, Aphaniidae) and its phylogenetic position within the Cyprinodontiformes order
Authors: López-Solano Alfonso , NESTER TESSA LYNN , PEREA SILVIA , DOADRIO IGNACIO
Published: September 2022

The Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberusValenciennes, 1846) is a small fish species endemic to the eastern coastline of the Iberian Peninsula. Along its area of distribution, it mainly inhabits brackish waters which can exhibit large fluctuations in temperature and salinity throughout the year. Aphanius iberus belongs to the family Aphaniidae within the order Cyprinodontiformes and is currently listed as “Endangered” (category IUCN: EN), facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. The genetics of A. iberus are not well-known since most studies have only evaluated the genetic structure of the species under a conservation framework in order to identify its potential conservation units. In the present study, the entire mitochondrial genome of A. iberus was obtained for the first time in the context of an A. iberus reference genome. The mitogenome was reconstructed and aligned against 83 cyprinodontiformes and two outgroup taxa to create the phylogenetic reconstruction of A. iberus. PartitionFinder was first used to test for the best evolutionary model for both coding and non-coding genes and the phylogenetic analysis was performed using two methods: Maximun-Likelihood approximation (IQ-Tree) and Bayesian inference (MrBayes). Our results show that A. iberus forms a sister group with Orestias ascotanensis, a cyprinodontiform species native to South America. We believe the information gained from this study is valuable for improving our understanding of the historical evolution of A. iberus and that it can be useful for future genomic studies.
Hypoxia Actives HIF-1α and Affects Genes Expression Associated with Hypoxia and Transcriptional Regulation of PHD by HIF-1α under Hypoxia in Tegillarca granosa
Authors: Peng Zhilan , Liu Xiaomin , Zhan Yu , Liu Minhai , Zha Shanjie , Bao Yongbo
Published: September 2022

Background Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is actived in response to hypoxia and can regulate genes expression related to hypoxia pathway. However, far less is known about how HIF-1 regulates downstream target genes to produce hypoxia adaptive responses in molluscaunder hypoxia and whether the activity of PHDs under hypoxia is controlled by HIF-1α.
Methods and results. qRT-PCR was performed to determine the expression of Tg-HIF-1α ,Tg-PHD, Hb, Mb and dual-luciferase reporter analysis was used to detect the transcriptional activity. Results showed that expression level of Tg-HIF-1α and Tg-PHD were both highest in gill and lowest in adductor muscle. Additionally, a significant expression increase in Tg-HIF-1α and Tg-PHD was observed after hypoxia 8 h when DO concentrations were 0.5 mg/L and 2.0 mg/L (P<0.01), then decreased slowly after 24 h, It was still higher than that normoxia (P<0.01), after 72 h, Tg-PHD expression showed no significant change (P>0.05). After 8 h at 0.5 mg/L of DO, Hb expression decreased in hemocytes (P<0.01); at the same 0.5 mg/L of DO, in the hepatopancreas, the expression of MbI and MbII were increased (P<0.01) after hypoxia 24 h and 120 h, respectively. The dual-luciferase reporter analysis revealed that Tg-HIF-1α could transactivate the promoter of PHD but not of Hb.
Conclusion Hypoxia induced significant changes in Tg-HIF-1α, Tg-PHD, Tg-Hb and Tg-Mb expressions. Tg-HIF-1α can bind to PHD’s hypoxia response elements but not Hb’s. It appears that the regulation of Tg-HIF-1α transcript levels may be a useful biomarker for hypoxia exposure in the environment.
Comparative analysis of drought responsive transcriptome in Brassica napus genotypes with contrasting drought tolerance under different potassium levels
Authors: Zhu Bo , Xu Huaxiang , Guo Xi , Lu Junxing , Liu Xingyu , Zhang Tao
Published: September 2022

Drought is a major limiting factor of Brassica napus (rapeseed) and potassium plays important roles in rapeseed drought tolerance. Previous studies have reported that rapeseed cultivars characterized by different potassium status showed contrasting drought tolerance. However, the molecular mechanism underlying drought tolerance remains unclear. In this study, comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted between drought-tolerant cultivar Youyan57 and drought-sensitive cultivar Chuanyou36 exposed to PEG6000 simulated drought stress with two potassium levels (1.0 and 0.01 mM K2SO4, referred to NK and LK, respectively). A total of 1689 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at NK. DEGs involved in photosynthesis, glutathione biosynthesis, IAA signal transduction were up-regulated in Youyan57 at NK. By contrast, the down-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in biosynthesis of amino acids, cysteine and methionine metabolism and glucosinolate biosynthesis. Transcription profile was affected seriously at LK treatment since only 1050 DEGs were identified. DEGs involved in biosynthesis reduced largely. Furthermore, the conspicuous up-regulation of protein phosphatase 2C in Chuanyou36 could lead to more severe drought stress at LK, which negatively participated in abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction. Taken together, the comparative transcriptome analysis identified a set of drought-regulated genes involved in several pathways, and provided important information about molecular mechanisms underlying rapeseed drought tolerance.
A composite strategy for high-quality and high-efficiency milling of alumina ceramic via femtosecond laser burst-mode
Authors: Fang BoKun , Ma Chenbin , Wang Xingsheng
Published: September 2022

Industrial alumina ceramics require high surface accuracy when assembled to critical components of devices, for which high-quality milling has become an integral process. To mill the alumina ceramics for high-quality and high-efficiency, this paper used a composite strategy via the femtosecond laser burst-mode. Milling the same structure, the roughness of the bottom surface of the grooves was reduced by up to 10.69% compared to the optimal processing results in a single process, and processing efficiency was maximized with a 49.91% increase. Different laser parameters such as energy fluence, spot overlap ratio, scanning spacing were investigated for the processing quality and efficiency of alumina ceramics in the single-pulse mode. The effect of the burst-mode on the optimization of the milling results was analyzed and discussed.To mill the alumina ceramics with high-efficiency, the composite processing strategy was used. Meantime, the paper proposed a high-quality and high-efficiency composite milling strategy via the femtosecond laser burst-mode, which provided a reference for processing other materials.
Exploring different multi-state structures when studying patterns of antidepressant medication use in women with breast cancer and matched healthy controls
Authors: Skourlis Nikolaos , Crowther Michael J. , Andersson Therese M-L. , Lu Donghao , Lambe Mats , Lambert Paul C.
Published: September 2022

Background: A breast cancer diagnosis is related with psychological distress and possibly with an increased use of antidepressants. Multi-state models can be used to study a number of clinically meaningful research questions related to patterns of medication use such as the total probability of being or total length of stay in an antidepressant medication or discontinuation period over time.
Methods: Different multi-state structures may correspond to different research questions and vary from simple ones, such as a single-event survival analysis setting, up to bidirectional and recurrent multi-state structures, with each structure having its own traits, advantages, interpretations, and limitations. There are also a number of factors to consider when applying a multi-state model such as choosing a time-scale for the transition rates, borrowing information across transitions and relaxing the proportional hazards assumption. We explore the use of different multi-state structures when studying antidepressant medication use patterns among women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (n=18313) and age-matched cancer-free women (n=92454) from the Swedish population, using the information in Breast Cancer Data Base Sweden 2.0 (BCBaSe 2.0).
Results: While each structure has its own utility, the more complex structures -bidirectional and recurrent– are able to take into account the intermittent nature of the prescribed medication data and deliver estimates about the total probability and total length of stay of an individual in an antidepressant medication status or discontinuation periods during their follow-up. Sensitivity analyses over different definitions of the medication cycle and different approaches when modelling the transition intensity rates (Markov, semi-Markov or mix of the two) show that the estimates of the complex structures are quite stable. However, even these structures present limitations that should be taken into account during the implementation of the models.
Conclusions: In this study we provide insight into the use, interpretation and limitations of different multi-state structures when applied to prescribed medication data. The conclusions drawn provide a better understanding of the application of multi-state models in epidemiology.
Compatible authentication and key agreement protocol for low power and lossy network in IoT environment
Authors: Peivandizadeh Ali , Molavi Behzad
Published: September 2022

Today, the Internet of Things can be described as the fastest-growing network that offers applications in a wide range of applications fields. This breadth has led to a wide range of IoT research. Applications of this network can be mentioned in various sectors such as e-health, smart homes, smart cities, and everything in smart cities via the Internet, where the collection and exchange of large amounts of data are undeniable. The IoT also supports large-scale low-power networks (LLNs) and uses the RPL protocol to route low-power, low-resource nodes on this large scale. Due to the exchange of sensitive data in this network, security is a critical issue. However, RPLs have many serious vulnerabilities, including the use of symmetric encryption that attackers can exploit. In addition, the privacy and security of network nodes are other challenges of this network. Therefore, there is a significant need for an effective and secure authentication scheme that enables IoT users to authenticate each other and share the session key to a secure meeting. In this paper, we aim to provide a secure protocol to enhance the security of the IoT and low-power nodes that use the RPL protocol against various network attacks. For this purpose, a key agreement protocol and authentication mechanism using ECC theory are proposed. Finally, we show that the proposed scheme is secure against routine network attacks and incurs a small computational and communication cost that is compatible with nodes with limited resources.
Pre-diabetes is Associated with Attenuation rather than Volume of Epicardial Adipose Tissue on Computed Tomography
Authors: Molnar David , Björnson Elias , Larsson Måns , Adiels Martin , Gummesson Anders , Bäckhed Fredrik , Hjelmgren Ola , Bergström Göran
Published: September 2022

Background
The volume of epicardial adipose tissue (EATV) is increased in type-2 diabetes (T2D), while its attenuation (EATA) appears to be decreased. Similar patterns have been suggested in pre-diabetes, but data is scarce. In both pre-diabetes and T2D, any independent role of EATV and EATA in disease development remains to be proven, a task complicated by their substantial co-variation with other anthropometrics (e.g. BMI, waist circumference, and abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT).
Method
EATV and EATA was quantified in computed tomography (CT) images in a population study (n = 1,948) using an automatic technique. Data was available on BMI, waist circumference, abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area, insulin resistance (IR) and glucose tolerance, the latter ranging from normal (NGT), over pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose [IFG, n = 414] impaired glucose tolerance [IGT, n = 321] and their combination [CGI, n = 128]), to T2D.
Results
EATV was increased in pre-diabetes, T2D and IR in univariable analyses and when adjusting for BMI, however not when adjusting for waist or VAT. EATA was reduced in prediabetes, T2D and IR in univariable analyses and when adjusting for BMI and waist, however not when adjusting for VAT. Adjustment for other co-variates had little influence on the results.
Conclusion
EATV is increased and EATA reduced in pre-diabetes, T2D and IR, however, significant co-variation with other anthropometrics, especially VAT, obscures their function in disease development. The current results do not exclude a pathophysiological role of epicardial fat, but future studies need to adjust for anthropometrics, or focus on the microenvironment within the pericardial sac.
Pulmonary Embolism in United States Emergency Departments, 2010–2018
Authors: Hsu Shu-Hsien , Ko Chia-Hsin , Chou Eric H. , Herrala Jeffrey , Lu Tsung-Chien , Wang Chih-Hung , Chang Wei-Tien , Huang Chien-Hua , Tsai Chu-Lin
Published: September 2022

Background: Little is known about pulmonary embolism (PE) in the United States emergency department (ED). This study aimed to describe the disease burden (visit rate and hospitalization) of PE in the ED and to investigate factors associated with its burden.
Methods: Data were obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2010 to 2018. Adult ED visits with PE were identified using the International Classification of Diseases codes. Analyses used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression accounting for the NHAMCS's complex survey design.
Results: Over the 9-year study period, there were an estimated 1,500,000 ED visits for PE, and the proportion of PE visits in the entire ED population increased from 0.1% in 2010-12 to 0.2% in 2017-18 (P for trend=0.002). The mean age was 57 years, and 40% were men. Older age, obesity, history of cancer, and history of venous thromboembolism were independently associated with a higher proportion of PE, whereas the Midwest region was associated with a lower proportion of PE. The utilization of chest computed tomography (CT) scan appeared stable, which was performed in approximately 43% of the visits. About 66% of PE visits were hospitalized, and the trend remained stable. Male sex, arrival during the morning shift, and higher triage levels were independently associated with a higher hospitalization rate, whereas the fall and winter months were independently associated with a lower hospitalization rate. Approximately 8.8% of PE patients were discharged with direct-acting oral anticoagulants.
Conclusions: The ED visits for PE continued to increase despite the stable trend in CT use, suggesting a combination of prevalent and incident PE cases in the ED. Hospitalization for PE remains common practice. Some patients are disproportionately affected by PE, and certain patient and hospital factors are associated with hospitalization decisions.
Fetal Health Classification from Cardiotocograph for Both Stages of Labor – A Soft Computing Based Approach
Authors: Das Sahana , Mukherjee Himadri , Roy Kaushik , Saha Chanchal Kumar
Published: September 2022

Cardiotocography (CTG), till date, is the only non-invasive and cost-effective tool available for continuous monitoring of the fetal health. In spite of a marked growth in the automation of the CTG analysis, it still remains a challenging signal processing task. Complex and dynamic patterns of fetal heart are poorly interpreted. Particularly the precise interpretation of the suspect cases is fairly low by both visual and automated methods. Also, the first and second stage of labor produce very different fetal heart rate (FHR) dynamics. A robust classification model, thus, takes both stages into consideration separately. In this work, the authors proposed a machine learning based model, which was applied separately to both the stages of labor, using standard classifiers like SVM, Random Forest (RF), Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP), and Bagging, to classify the CTG. Outcome was validated using model performance measure, combined performance measure, and the ROC-AUC. Though AUC-ROC was sufficiently high for all the classifiers the other parameters established a better performance by SVM and RF. For suspicious cases the accuracies of SVM and RF were 97.4% and 98% respectively, whereas, sensitivity was 96.4% and specificity was 98% approximately. In the second stage of labor the accuracies respectively were 90.6% and 89.3% for SVM and RF. Limits of agreement for 95% between the manual annotation and the outcome of SVM and RF were (-0.05 to 0.01) and (-0.03 to 0.02). Henceforth, the proposed classification model is efficient and can be integrated into the automated decision support system.
Supranutrition of microalgal docosahexaenoic acid and calcidiol improved growth performance, tissue lipid profiles, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens
Authors: Kalia Sahil , Magnuson Andrew D. , Sun Tao , Liu Guanchen , Kim Woo Kyun , Johnson Zarkary , Lei Xin Gen
Published: September 2022

Background: Enriching chicken with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and calcidiol may be used to improve public nutrition and health. It remains unclear if superanutritional levels of DHA and calcidiol impair growth or metabolism of broiler chickens. The aim of the study was to determine singular and combined effects of high levels of supplemental DHA-rich microalgal biomass or oil and calcidiol on growth performance, plasma and tissue lipid profiles, and bone characteristics of broiler chickens.
Methods: In Experiment 1, 144 day-old Cornish chicks were divided into 4 groups (6 cages/treatment, 6 birds/cage), and were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), BD + 10000 IU calcidiol/kg (BD+Cal), BD + 1% DHA-rich Aurantiochytrium(1.2 g DHA/kg; BD+DHA), and BD+Cal+DHA for 6 wk. In Experiment 2, 180 day-old chicks were divided into 5 groups (6 cages/treatment, 6 birds/cage), and were fed: BD, BD+ DHA (oil, 1.5 to 3.0 g DHA/kg), BD + DHA + EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid, 0.3 to 0.6 g/kg), BD+DHA+ calcidiol (6,000 to 12000 IU/kg diet), and BD+DHA+EPA+Cal for 6 wk. Growth performance, concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol, and nonesterifed fatty acids in plasma, liver, breast, and thigh, and biophysical properties of tibia were determined.
Results: Birds fed BD+Cal diet in Experiment 1 and BD+DHA+EPA diet in Experiment 2 had higher (P < 0.05 body weight gain (10-11%) and gain: feed ratio (7%), and lower (P < 0.05) total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma (18-54%), liver (8-26%), breast (19-26%), and thigh (10-19%), respectively, over the controls. The two diets also improved (P < 0.05) tibial breaking strength (8-24%), total bone volume (2-13%), and(or) bone mineral density (3-19%) of chickens.
Conclusion: Superanutrition of dietary calcidiol and DHA alone or together did not produce adverse effects, but improved growth performance, lipid profiles of plasma and muscle, and bone health of broiler chickens.
Super-enhancer-driven lncRNA LIMD1-AS1 activated by CDK7 promotes glioma progression
Authors: Chen Zhigang , Tian Dasheng , Chen Xueran , Cheng Meng , Xie Han , Zhao JiaJia , Liu Jun , Fang Zhiyou , Zhao Bing , Bian Erbao
Published: September 2022

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are tissue-specific expression patterns and dysregulated in cancer, how they are regulated is still unclear. We aimed to investigate the functions of glioma-specific lncRNA LIMD1-AS1 activated by super-enhancer (SE) and identify the potential mechanisms.
Methods: To investigate the clinical significance of LIMD1-AS1, we analyzed its expression levels in a publicly available dataset and 43 glioma samples from our cohort. Functional assays, including the CCK8, colony formation, and transwell assays, were used to determine the oncogenic role of LIMD1-AS1 in human glioma progression. Furthermore, RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, Chromatin immunoprecipitation, dCas9-KRAB interference, and Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assays were used to determine the mechanism of LIMD1-AS1 in glioma progression. Animal experiments were used to determine the role of LIMD1-AS1 in glioma tumorigenicity in vivo.
Results: In this paper, we identified a SE-driven lncRNA, LIMD1-AS1, which is expressed at significantly higher levels in glioma than in normal brain tissue. High LIMD1-AS1 levels were significantly associated with a shorter survival time of glioma patients. LIMD1-AS1 overexpression significantly enhanced glioma cells proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion, whereas LIMD1-AS1 knockdown inhibited their proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, and the xenograft tumor growth of glioma cells in vivo. Mechanically, inhibition of CDK7 significantly attenuates MED1 recruitment to the super-enhancer of LIMD1-AS1, and then decreases the expression of LIMD1-AS1. Most importantly, LIMD1-AS1 could directly bind to HSPA5, leading to the activation of interferon signaling.
Conclusions: Our findings support the idea that CDK7 mediated-epigenetically activation of LIMD1-AS1 plays a crucial role in glioma progression, and provides a promising therapeutic approach for patients with glioma.
Risk factors of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer with 1–2 sentinel lymph node micrometastases: a case control study
Authors: Huang Zhen , Wu Zhe , Zou Quan-qing , Xie Yu-jie , Li Li-hui , Huang Yan-ping , Wu Feng-ming , Huang Dong , Pan Yin-hua , Yang Jian-rong
Published: September 2022

Backgrround

The randomized trials include ACOSOG Z0011 and IBCSG 23 − 01 had found that, the survival rates were not different in patients with cT1/2N0 and 1–2 sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive, macro/micro metastases who underwent breast-conserving therapy and micrometastases who underwent total mastectomy (TM), when axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was omitted. However, for patients with cT1/2N0 and 1–2 SLN macrometastases who underwent TM, there was no published clinical research evidence whether ALND can be exempted. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of non-sentinel lymph node (nSLN) metastasis in breast cancer patients with 1–2 SLN macrometastases undergoing TM.

Methods

The clinicopathological data of 1491 breast cancer patients underwent TM and SLNB from January 2017 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors for nSLN metastasis.

Results

A total of 273 patients with 1–2 SLN macrometastases underwent TM were enrolled. Postoperative pathological data showed that 35.2% patients had nSLN metastasis. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that tumor size (TS) (P = 0.002; OR: 1.051; 95% CI: 1.019–1.084) and ratio of SLN macrometastases (P = 0.0001; OR: 12.597: 95% CI: 4.302–36.890) were the independent risk factors for nSLN metastasis in breast cancer with 1–2 SLN macrometastases underwent TM. The ROC curve analysis suggested that when TS ≤ 22mm and ratio of SLN macrometastases ≤ 0.33, the incidence of nSLN metastasis could be reduced to 17.1%.

Conclusions

The breast cancer patients with cT1/2N0 stage, undergoing TM and 1–2 SLN macrometastases, when the TS ≤ 22mm and macrometastatic SLN does not exceed 1/3 of the total number of detected SLN, the incidence of nSLN metastasis is significantly reduced, and whether ALND can be exempted deserves further exploration.
Binding Mechanism of Selective Cathepsin K/S Inhibition Revealed from Molecular Simulations
Authors: Zhong QinYi , Luan Jiasi , Hu Baichun , Ma Yan , Zhang Fengjiao , Xu Feng
Published: September 2022

Cathepsin K and S are two isoforms of cysteine protease with diverse biological functions in the aspect of osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases. Accordingly, the homologous sequence and similar binding site features among CTSK/S may lead to unselective inhibition and side effects. To address such issue, various computational strategies were applied in the current study to explore the selectivity mechanism of CTSK/S inhibitors, including sequence alignment, molecular docking, MD simulations, MM/GBSA energy calculation, and so on. Our findings highlight the notable effects of CTSK residues Glu59 and Tyr67, as well as CTSS residue Asn67 on inhibition selectivity. Overall, this study provides an informative guideline for the rational design of CTSK/S selective inhibitors.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Service Barriers among Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in KSA
Authors: Sayigh Nada Ahmed Al , Shafey Marwa Mahmoud , Alghamdi Amal Ali , Alyousif Ghada Fouad , Hamza Fatma Amer , Alsalman Zaenb Husain
Published: September 2022

Background:
The burden of sickle cell disease is high in Saudi Arabia with a great impact on patients' quality of life. This study aimed to assess the Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adult patients with sickle cell disease.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients attending hematologic clinics at Qatif Central Hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included sociodemographic, SCD characteristics, HRQoL SF-36, and opinion regarding barriers to service provision.
Results:
Among 272 patients; (64.7%) reported one to three emergency department visits within the last 6 months; 58.5% reported ≥ 20 minutes waiting in the Emergency Room before the examination; 68.4% reported ≥ 15 minutes waiting time before receiving analgesics. Patients who reported ≥ 6 painful episodes during the previous 6 months were 19.1%. The mean percent score for participants’ opinions regarding service provision was 64.2±15.6, and 24.60% had a positive opinion. The highest score of HRQoL was social functioning 65.0±23.4, followed by physical functioning 64.4±24.6. The least score was met in Role limitation due to physical health (47.2±40.4). Different sociodemographic, SCD related characteristics have been related to the impaired HRQoL dimensions.
Conclusion:
SCD patients exhibited low HRQoL in general and different factors were related to low scores of HRQoL. Counselling, empowerment, and improvement of doctor-patient communication are important strategies to improve health care provision and hence HRQoL.
Liquid-liquid equilibrium study of 1-Dodecyl-3-Methyl-Imidazolium Dicyanamide + Inorganic salt + Water systems
Authors: Taki Touba , Gilani Hossein Ghanadzadeh , Haghtalab Ali
Published: September 2022

The phase behavior of a new ternary aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) based on [1-Dodecyl-3-Methyl-Imidazolium][Dicyanamide] ionic liquid and two inorganic salts of Na2CO3 and Na2SO4 were studied separately at two different salts concentrations and different temperatures (= 288.15, 298.15, and 308.15 K), all at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). This surface-active ionic liquid was chosen due to its similar properties to cationic surfactants and its widespread use in separation processes. The chemical structure of the synthesized ionic liquid was investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Diffuse Reflection (DRS) Spectroscopies, residual chlorine test, and melting point test. The experimental data correlated by the symmetrical local composition model of UNIQUAC-NRF with symmetric Pitzer − Debye − Hückel (PDH) theory. The results demonstrated a minor effect of temperature on the separation process, and the salt ability in phase separation was increased at higher concentrations. A pleasant agreement between correlated data and the experimental results was also found.
A Computational Study on Fluid Flow and Energy Distribution through a Bending Duct with Longitudinal Vortex Generation
Authors: Adhikari Sreedham Chandra , Chanda Ratan Kumar , Mondal Rabindra Nath
Published: September 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Family Caregivers as Essential Partners in Care: Examining the Impacts of Restrictive Acute Care Visiting Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada
Authors: Montesanti Stephanie , MacKean Gail , Fitzpatrick Kayla M , Fancott Carol
Published: September 2022

Introduction:
During the pandemic many Canadian hospitals made significant changes to their ‘open family presence’ and ‘visitor policies’ to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by instituting restrictive or ‘zero visiting’ policies in healthcare facilities. These policies have the potential to create great hardship, anxiety and stress for patients, families, caregivers and frontline healthcare providers (HCPs); along with concerns about the quality and safety of patient care. The presence of family members and other caregivers as essential partners in care is an explicit expression of the philosophy of patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) in action. The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of how changes to family presence and visiting policies and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted patients, family caregivers and frontline healthcare providers (HCPs) in acute care hospitals.
Methods
A total of 38 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, family caregivers and HCPs across Canada who had experience with visiting policies in acute care settings during the pandemic. COVID patients, and the caregivers of COVID patients, were excluded from this study. A maximum variation sampling strategy was used to guide the selection and recruitment of patients, family caregivers and HCPs, based on our interest in gaining a diversity of perspectives and experiences.
Results
Many patients, family caregivers, and HCPs view family caregiver presence as integral to PFCC, describing the essential roles played by family caregivers prior to the pandemic. There were commonalities across all three groups with respect to their perspectives on the impacts of restrictive visiting policies on patients, family caregivers and HCPs. They fell into four broad integrated categories: (1) emotional and mental health; (2) communication and advocacy; (3) safety and quality of care; and (4) PFCC, trust in the health care system, and future decisions regarding accessing needed healthcare. Recommendations for pandemic visiting policies were also identified.
Conclusions
The findings from this study highlighted several impacts of restrictive family caregiver presence or visiting policies implemented during COVID-19 on patients, family caregivers and HCPs in acute healthcare settings across Canada. Participants emphasized that there is no “one-size-fits-all” caregiver presence policy that will address all patient needs. To be consistent with the practice of PFCC, patients and family caregivers are welcomed as part of the healthcare team in ways that work for them, demonstrating that flexibility in family presence and visiting policies is essential.
Spatio-temporal analysis for selected VOC species associated with health risk assessment for pre-, during, and post-pandemic periods in Telangana, India
Authors: Singh Bhupendra Pratap , Singh Manoj , Babu Sagarika , Tripathy Soumya Ranjan , Babu Swagatika
Published: September 2022

An unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, prompted strict lockdowns and reduced anthropogenic activity, which result in a reduction of air pollutants emissions. The substantial impact on the atmosphere associated with human health issue needs attention to be correlated with the selected Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and health risk assessment for pre-, during, and post-pandemic. The present study demonstrates the changes in anthropogenic emissions of benzene, toluene, and mp-xylene (BTX) and their health risk assessment during the lockdown periods. The present results show the mean concentration of TVOCs at all monitoring stations was found to be 12.15±20.49, 8.08±5.50, and 5.12±7.56 µg/m3 for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. The TVOCs concentration was observed to decline, which considered the lockdown for the year 2020 as the corresponding year 2019. The Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR) values for all monitoring stations for benzene were higher in children than in males and females for pre-, during, and-post lockdown periods. The LCR values for benzene were found to be 1.57 x 10-6, 1.73 x 10-6, and 9.67 x 10-7 for male, 1.83 x 10-6, 2.02 x 10-6 , and 1.13 x 10-6 for female, and 3.04 x 10-6, 3.37 x 10-6 , and 1.88 x 10-6 for children respectively. The findings of the present study could be scaled up nationwide and might be useful in formulating air pollution reduction policies and health assessments in the future.
Optimizing multi-environment testing in potato breeding: using heritability estimates to determine number of replications, sites, and years for field trials
Authors: Ortiz Rodomiro , Reslow Fredrik , Huicho José , Vetukuri Ramesh , Crossa José
Published: September 2022

Multi-environment trials (METs) of potato breeding clones and cultivars allow to precisely determine their genetic values. However, these METs may be affected by the genotype ´ environment interaction (GEI) as noted in tuber yield. Hence, the objectives of this research were to use components of variance from METs to estimate broad sense heritability (H2) based on best linear unbiased predictors and use these estimates to determine the optimum number of sites, years, and replications for testing potato breeding clones along with cultivars. The data were taken from METs in southern and northern Sweden comprising up to 256 breeding clones and cultivars that underwent testing using a simple lattice design of 10-plant plots across three sites over two years. Tuber flesh’s starch had the largest H2 in each (0.850–0.976) or across (0.905–0.921) testing environments. Total tuber weight per plot also exhibited high H2 (0.720 – 0.919) in each testing environment or across them (0.726–0.852), despite a significant GEI. Reducing sugar content in the tuber flesh had the lowest, but still medium H2 (0.426–0.883 in each testing environment; 0.718–0.818 across testing environments). The H2 estimates were smaller when their variance components were disaggregated by year and site, instead of lumping them as environments. Simulating H2 with genetic, site, year, site ´ year, genetic ´ site, genetic ´ year, genetic ´ site ´ year, and residual variance components led to establish that two replicates at each of two sites in two-year trials will suffice for METs in potato when testing, in the target population of environments, breeding clones along with cultivars for tuber yield, tuber flesh’s starch and reducing sugars in the tuber flesh.
Boundedness of the pseudo-differential Bessel operators on Sobolev and Bessel potential spaces
Authors: Selmi Belgacem , Khelifi Chahiba
Published: September 2022

An n-dimensional pseudo-differential Bessel operators Bα,a involving the multidimensional Fourier-Bessel transformation is defined. Then, we introduce some class of symbols and we prove that Bα,a are bounded on Sobolev and Bessel potentials spaces. Moreover, a generalized Bessel potential is defined and its properties are investigated.
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of First Wave and Second Wave COVID-19 Effects on City Air Pollution in India
Authors: Nath Pritthijit , Roy Biparnak , Saha Pratik , Middya Asif Iqbal , Roy Sarbani
Published: September 2022

The imposition of strict restrictions by the Government of India to restrict the spread of the novel coronavirus has changed the socio-economic landscape like never before. The air quality due to such unprecedented events has undergone drastic changes especially in major metropolitan cities, which serve as important financial and industrial hubs of the country. This study investigates the influence lockdowns had on the pollution scenario of four key cities namely, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai during both the first (2020) and the second (2021) waves . To evaluate the impact, detailed analysis of ground based pollutant concentration data of PM2.5, NOx, SO2 and O3 from various government set up monitoring stations in the period ranging from April'20 to June'21 is conducted along with the corresponding period during 2019 when business was as usual (BaU). Results show that although PM2.5 and NOx for all cities presented a decrease during the first wave, higher pollutant levels were observed during the second wave. For SO2 and O3, the trend did not show any consistency over all cities as in some cities, the second wave levels showed a significant increase with regard to their BaU counterparts. Out of all the meteorological factors studied over that period, relative humidity was found to have a strong correlation with respect to pollutant levels. Regarding spatial variation within different cities, although stations especially based in industrial areas showed a significant increase in the winter months of October'20 to January'21, second wave and first wave pollutant levels for different stations during the summer months for all cities except Chennai were found to be nearly identical.
Anatomical and functional outcomes after endoresection and adjuvant ruthenium brachytherapy for uveal melanoma: a single center case series
Authors: Mazzini Cinzia , Vicini Giulio , Pieretti Giulia , Massi Daniela , Rizzo Stanislao , Barca Francesco , Leo Laura , Giansanti Fabrizio
Published: September 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the anatomical and functional outcomes after endoresection and adjuvant Ruthenium(Ru)-106 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma (UM).
Methods: Retrospective case series of 15 UM patients (15 eyes) treated at our centre (Careggi University Hospital, Florence).
Results: Six patients (40%) were male and 9 females (60%). The mean age of patients at the time of treatment was 61.6 years (±19.41). The mean BCVA at baseline was 20/50. In all cases UM originated from the choroid. The mean tumor thickness at baseline was 7.14 mm (± 2.05), and the mean largest basal diameter was 11.2 mm (± 1.92). A concurrent retinal detachment was diagnosed in 11 patients (73.3%). Two patients (13.3%) showed vitreous seeding at baseline. Eleven patients (73.3%) were treated with primary endoresection, while 4 patients (26.7%) were treated with a “salvage endoresection” after primary treatment failure (previous radiation treatment). The mean follow-up time was 28.9 months (± 10.6). Thirteen out of 15 patients were alive and with no evidence of local recurrence or distance metastasis at the last follow-up visit. The treatment achieved local control of the disease in 14 out of 15 cases (93.3%). In one case patient underwent enucleation for disease recurrence. The overall-survival rate at the end of the follow-up was 93.3%. The mean BCVA at last follow-up visit was 20/40. Treatment was well tolerated, without significant complications.
Conclusions: Endoresection is a valuable conservative option for selected UM patients and can be used both as a primary treatment and as a salvage therapy. It allows to control melanoma and avoid enucleation, reduces the radiation-related complications, and provides tumor tissue for chromosomal analysis and prognostic testing.