bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developmental atlas of phase-amplitude coupling between physiologic high-frequency oscillations and slow waves
Authors: Asano Eishi , Sakakura Kazuki , Kuroda Naoto , Sonoda Masaki , Mitsuhashi Takumi , Firestone Ethan , Luat Aimee , Marupudi Neena , Sandeep Sood
Published: April 2023

The cortex generates high-frequency oscillations (HFO) nested in slow waves during sleep, and these signals are especially elevated in the seizure onset zone. Thus, HFO occurrence rate and Modulation Index (MI), which quantifies the strength of coupling between HFO amplitude and slow-wave phase, represent promising epilepsy biomarkers. However, their diagnostic utility may be suboptimal because the endogenous developmental distributions are unknown. To improve age-appropriate localization of the epileptogenic zone, we hence constructed normative brain atlases demonstrating the developmental changes in MI and HFO rate.
Our study investigated extraoperative, intracranial EEG data from 114 patients with focal epilepsy (ages 1.0 to 41.5 years) who achieved International League Against Epilepsy class I outcomes following resective surgery. We analyzed 20-minute slow-wave sleep epochs at 8,251 nonepileptic electrode sites (those outside the seizure onset zone, interictal spike zone, or MRI-visible lesions). Each electrode was transposed onto a standard brain template, and we then calculated its MI and HFO occurrence rate using four different detector toolboxes. Linear and nonlinear regression models determined the developmental slope of MI and HFO rate at each cortical mesh point. Mixed model analysis established the significance of MI and HFO rate developmental changes in each region of interest, while accounting for the independent effects of patient and epilepsy profiles. Finally, we created a dynamic tractography movie visualizing white matter pathways connecting cortical regions showing developmental co-growth in MI.
We found that the occipital lobe exhibited enhanced MI compared to other lobes in both children and adults. Increased age, square root of age, and log base 10 of age were independently associated with elevated MI exclusively in the occipital lobe. The cortical regions showing developmental co-growth in MI were connected via the vertical occipital fasciculi and posterior callosal fibers. In contrast, we did not observe any significant association between age measures and HFO rate in the occipital lobe, but rather noted an inverse relationship between age and HFO rate in the temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes.
Our study suggests that phase-amplitude coupling between physiologic HFO and delta waves, as rated by MI, is strengthened during development, in the occipital lobe particularly during toddlerhood and preschool. Given that occipital delta-nested HFO are believed to support visual memory consolidation, our observations imply that process may be significantly strengthened during early childhood. The data is publicly available to provide investigators with a crucial reference for MI and HFO-based presurgical evaluation of the epileptogenic zone.
Does heterotopically-placed right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery (RV-to-PA) conduit negatively affect its longevity, reintervention-free survival, and overall survival? Our experience.
Authors: Kadeetham Khunthorn , Samankatiwat Piya
Published: April 2023

Objectives Since the introduction of surgical implantation of conduit for right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery pathway reconstruction, there has been a number of studies on possible factors which might potentially affect conduit longevity, as well as patient’s reintervention-free and overall survival. Still, no definite consensual agreement could be made thus far. We aimed to compare conduit longevity, reintervention-free survival, and overall survival between patients with congenital heart diseases indicated for operations involving right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery pathway reconstruction whose conduits were placed heterotopically to those with orthotopically placed ones.Materials and Methods We retrospectively collected data from electronic medical records of Ramathibodi hospital from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2022. Patients with congenital heart diseases whose operations involved reconstruction of right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery continuity were included. Patients whose medical record data were significantly missing were excluded. Demographic data, operative, and postoperative details were collected and reviewed.Results There were 67 patients included in our study, with 25 receiving orthotopic and the other 42 receiving heterotopic conduit implantation. Conduit dysfunction-free, reintervention-free, and overall survival were not statistically different between both groups. There were no deaths up to the end date of our study.Conclusions Conduits placed on a heterotopic position did not result in worse longevity, reintervention-free survival, as well as overall survival when compared to conduits placed on an orthotopic position. This suggested that the less technically demanding heterotopic conduit placement could be recommended as an operation of choice for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.
How do relative time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity corresponds to the 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour?
Authors: Rosen Philip
Published: April 2023

BackgroundMore and more researchers have started to analyse physical activity data using compositional data analysis (CoDA), which has led to that the effect of relative time in different behaviours can be explored. However, there are challenges related to interpretation of the results based on CoDA. This is partly related to that CoDA provides estimates based on relative time that is difficult to interpret in relation to the 2020 guidelines of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Since many data cohorts do not have data on sleep, the proportion of time in physical activity may vary depending on how large part of the day in awaken behaviours is recorded. Therefore, there is a need of explore cut-points for relative time to distinguish between individuals that do and do not reach 150–300min of moderate-intensity physical activity (MVPA).MethodTo estimate the cut-off points of relative time in MVPA, the publicly available data of NHANES 2003–2006 was used and cut-off points were explored in different subsets of the total population. Values for sensitivity, specificity and cut-off values were explored in; i) total sample, ii) tertiles of wear time, iii) individuals with ± 5 min from physical activity recommendation, iiii) individuals with 5 min from PA recommendation in the middle tertile of wear time.ResultsOverall, the analyses show high values for sensitivity (88–100%) and specificity (66–99%) for different cut-off values associated with 150–300min of MVPA. Spending 2.4–4.7% of the time awake in MVPA was found to correspond to the 2020 guidelines of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.ConclusionThis finding is helpful when analysing physical activity data using CODA in datasets where sleep is not available and when interpreting diagrams depicting relative time in different behaviours.
Identifying Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia Through Ensemble Learning of Channel and Source Level Electroencephalogram Features
Authors: Hong Yuseong , Jeong Taegyun , Park Ukeob , Kim Daekeun , Youn Young Chul , Kim Hee-Jin , Choi Seonghye , Jeong Jee Hyang , Yoon Soo Jin , Park Kyung Won , Kim Eun-Joo , Yoon Bora , Jang Jae-Won , Kim Hee Jin , Hong Jin Yong , Lee Jun-Young , Kang Seung Wan
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) has now become a crucial concern for modern society as a result of increased life expectancy. However, it is often difficult for a majority of the population to afford expensive medical imaging tests for accurate diagnosis. As a solution, quantitative analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) that aids in a sufficient description of brain activities can be employed as a cost-effective, safe and objective diagnostic tool. In the presented research, we employed diverse QEEG features at both channel- and source-level to enhance the robustness of our previously established artificial intelligence (AI) model that distinguishes non-ADD (NADD) data from ADD data.Method 594 NADD and 137 ADD subjects’ EEG data were employed for the presented research. artifact-free data were obtained through the application of independent component analysis (ICA) and bad epoch rejection. Absolute and relative power spectra at 19 channels were first computed, followed by the estimation of source-level power spectra through standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (s-LORETA). Through further feature engineering, functional brain networks were also obtained. The established channel-level features were transformed into images that spatially allocate absolute and relative spectral powers, which were utilized for the training of deep neural network structures. Moreover, source-level spectral powers and functional brain networks were adopted for the training of a tree-based machine learning algorithm. Prediction probabilities of the established classification models were ensembled through the voting method and returned the final classification result.Results The best classification accuracies of the absolute and relative channel-level spectral power image-based deep neural network models were 85.3% and 86.5% respectively. The tree-based model that has been trained with source-level features resulted in an accuracy of 87.7%. The accuracy of the ensemble model was 88.5%, which demonstrates the compensatory interaction among the models.Conclusions The promising classification results indicate the potential behind EEG-AI models for the analysis of neurodegenerative disorders. Through continuous analysis of several independent QEEG features of varying aspects, we may soon be able to more aptly diagnose several neurological disorders.
Clinical characteristics and prognosis in systemic lupus erythematosus-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension based on consensus clustering and risk prediction model
Authors: Dai Mengmeng , Yue Runzhi , Li Chaoying , Wang Qianqian , Gao Congcong , Zhang Chunyi , Yao Menghui , Su Zhaohui , Zheng Zhaohui
Published: April 2023

Background: This study aims to probe the clinical characteristics and prognosis in SLE-PAH based on consensus clustering and risk prediction model.
Methods: A total of 163 SLE-PAH patients were enrolled retrospectively based on medical records at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2014 to June 2021. Unsupervised consensus clustering was used to identify SLE-PAH subtypes that best represent the data pattern. The Kaplan-Meier survival was analyzed in different subtypes. Besides, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) combining with Cox proportional hazards regression model were performed to construct the SLE-PAH risk prediction model.
Results: Clustering analysis defined two subtypes, cluster 1 (n = 134) and cluster 2 (n = 29). Compared with cluster 1, SLE-PAH patients in cluster 2 had less favorable levels of poor cardiac, kidney, and coagulation functions, along with high SLE disease activity, low survival rate within 2 years (86.2% vs. 92.8%) (P < 0.05). The risk prediction model was then constructed, including older age (≥ 38 years), anti-dsDNA antibody, neuropsychiatric lupus and platelet distribution width (PDW).
Conclusions: Consensus clustering identified two distinct SLE-PAH subtypes, of which cluster 2had more organ involvement, higher disease activity, and poorer survivability within 2 years. Older age (≥38 years), anti-dsDNA antibody, neuropsychiatric lupus and PDW could be regarded as prognostic factors for death with SLE-PAH patients.
A study of Cardiac reference values and environmental factors using big data and deep learning methods
Authors: Jing Jing , Zhang Chong , Ge Miao , Rosenberg Mark , Yang Ziqi , Li Peng
Published: April 2023

AimsThe purpose of this study was to simulate the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) reference values with heart rate and environmental data using LSTM deep learning methods and to derive the spatial distribution of LVEF reference values in China.MethodsHeart rate and environmental factors were used as independent variables, and LVEF indicator values were used as the dependent variable. After the sample data were randomly sampled, the block acquisition data were converted into sample sequence data. Once the sequence data were processed, the sample data were input into the long- and short-term memory networks for deep learning parameter training. After repeated weighting parameter adjustment training and optimization, the optimal prediction model for adult LVEF reference values were derived.ResultsThe LVEF reference values of normal adults showed a downward trend from moving from the south to north in China. LVEF is negatively correlated with heart rate and annual air temperature range; while positively correlated with annual mean air temperature, annual mean relative humidity, annual precipitation.ConclusionsThe LVEF reference values are related to heart rate and environmental factors. According to the predicted LSTM model, if the environmental factors of a region is known, combined with the heart rate data from big data, the model can be used to obtain a more accurate LVEF reference value prediction model. A predicted LSTM model is more capable of taking geographical and individual differences into account.
MIL-101-NH2 -CC/Melamine@Co2+ as a novel heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles and reduction of methylene blue
Authors: Karami Zahra , Khodaei Mohammad Mehdi
Published: April 2023

Designing cheap and efficient nanoporous catalysts to improve the efficiency of catalytic processes is a very attractive and challenging area. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF) based novel porous nanocatalyst was preparedviaa multi-step post-synthetic modification approach. Initially, the Cr-MIL-101-NH2was modified with cyanuric chloride and then melamine, respectively. Next, the modified MOF was used as the support for the immobilization of cobalt (II) ions to form the MIL-101-NH2-CC/melamine@Co2+catalyst. The structure and morphology of the catalyst were characterized using powder XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX, elemental mapping, TGA, and N2adsorption-desorption isotherm analysis. The catalytic performance of MIL-101-NH2-CC/Melamine@Co2+was evaluated by one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazole derivatives according to Debus–Radziszewski reaction from different aldehydes, benzil, and ammonium acetate under solvent-free conditions. Moreover, the MIL-101-NH2-CC/Melamine@Co2+catalyst demonstrated significant catalytic activity in the methylene blue dye reduction, with a reduction time of 14 min and a rate constant (k1) of 0.0141 min− 1. The catalyst was recycled and reused four and seven times in the synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazole and the reduction reaction with appropriate catalytic activity.
Critical miRNAs as a Biomarker in Development and Progression of Rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: TarvijEslami Saeedeh , Nasirian Hosain , Moradi Ali , Arabi Maryam , Bereimipour Ahmad
Published: April 2023

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most prevalent pediatric soft tissue malignancy. The early metastasis and recurrence of RMS, as well as the pain and bleeding induced by tumor compression, significantly compromise therapy efficacy and prognosis. In some cases, up to 37.7 percent of RMS spread to other parts of the body. Therefore, it is important to investigate the molecular pathways behind RMS in order to find a reliable target for the early detection and targeted treatment of this cancer. A microarray dataset of 63 RMS tissue samples and 63 control group samples was obtained and analyzed. GEO2R was able to detect genes that were differentially expressed miRNAs between rhabdomyosarcoma and normal tissue. Analysis of gene ontology ( molecular functions and biological processes) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways was conducted. Hub target genes of miRNAs were found through building an interaction network. Then we intersection between miRNAs RMS profile and miRnone of RMS. In RMS tumor tissues, 75 miRNAs were found to be up-regulated and 86 miRNAs were found to be down-regulated. According to the results of the gene ontology analysis, the functions of the cell cycle, retinal pigmented epithelium development, oxidative stress, cellular aging, and PI3K/AKT were the most significantly enriched. With 75 nodes and 1740 edges, hsa-miR-758-3p, hsa-miR-1908-3p, hsa-miR-127-5p and hsa-miR-6762-3p upregulated miRNAs and hsa-miR-1229-5p, hsa-miR-6831-5p, hsa-miR-4660, hsa-miR-3908, hsa-miR-1182, hsa-miR-6796-5p, hsa-miR-1180-3p, hsa-miR-519e-3p and hsa-miR-370-5p downregulated miRNAs were observed with miRnome of RMS. hsa-miR-410-3p were possibility role to invasion RMS tumor to retina. Our results show that RMS and normal tissue samples had varied miRNAs expression levels. As hsa-miR-410-3p and hsa-miR-127-5p have been hypothesized to play a role in the etiology of RMS, they should be studied in greater depth.
The function of tyrosine kinase 3 in the reproduction of Schistosoma japonicum
Authors: Wu Fei , Ding Han , Lu Ming , Liu Miao
Published: April 2023

Background Schistosoma mansoni tyrosine kinase 3 (SmTK3) is a member of the cell tyrosine kinase family. It is mainly located in female yolk gland cells and oocytes, and in the spermatocytes in males. It may also be involved in the reproductive activities of Schistosoma japonicum. This study examined the role of TK3 in the reproductive process of S. japonicum.Methods The full-length sequence SjTK3 and its coding sequence(CDS) of S. japonicum was cloned from cDNA of S. japonicum. S. japonicum was treated by dihydrochloride in vitro. Morphological changes of the parasites were observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy and the expression levels of synthesis-related genes were tested by qPCR.Results SjTK3 mRNA had differential expression level during the different stages of S. japonicum. The morphology of the reproductive organs of S. japonicum varied. A porous structure was observed in the ovaries of females and testis of males after dihydrochloride treatment. Expression levels of important egg-shell synthesis related genes were higher in the dihydrochloride-treated group than in the DMSO-treated group.Conclusion The SjTK3 gene may be important in regulating reproductive organ development of S. japonicum. Identification of molecules that regulate the signal transduction pathway of S. japonicum and interfere with its key targets to inhibit reproductive development may lead to more effective ways to control this parasite.
Semantic Image Classification using Deep Neural Network with Bag of Words layer
Authors: Lakshmi S. Jothi
Published: April 2023

The Bag of Visual Words (BoVWs) model is an important concept in computer vision that can be used to classify an image using image features as visual words. It represents image as a collection of unordered image patches. It has three independent steps, feature detection, feature description, and codebook generation and they are hard to be joined. It uses local features, it leads to semantic gap. To address all these issues, in our model Bag of Words layer is used in deep neural network to generate category specific visual words. Deep neural network has convolutional layers that extract more features so it also helps to solve semantic gap issue. By this technique CBIR becomes an easy one. The proposed model will retrieve similar images based on the user query image, by analyzing the features or content of the given image. It also uses the inverted file index strategy for image retrieval process. Fast convergence of training procedure, semantically discriminative ability and sparsity of visual words are added to achieve high performance of classification and retrieval process.
The bittersweet experiences of instilling hope in a deprived community: A qualitative study on the provider perspectives of Home-Based Palliative Care in Kerala
Authors: Indirabhai Resmi Madhavanpillai , Leela Chithralekha , Rahul Arya , Anish Thekkumkara Surendran
Published: April 2023

Background: Home-based palliative care is a fundamental component of the Kerala model of palliative care, which has received global recognition. The study explores the challenges and experiences faced by palliative care providers caring for a vulnerable community of patients. The findings will assist in identifying gaps and replicating Kerala's palliative care model in other settings.
Methods: This descriptive qualitative study was conducted among palliative care providers (PCPs) and other stakeholders working with the Pain and Palliative Care Project of the National Health Mission (NHM), Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. Three Focus Group Discussions and 21 In-Depth Interviews were conducted among a purposively sampled group of participants. The validity of the data was ensured by data triangulation and member checks using standard methodologies. All interviews were audio recorded and thematic analysis was done using the Braun & Clarke method.
Results: PCPs experienced a multitude of positive and negative experiences and challenges. They found contentment in establishing an intimate relationship with patients and their families, getting the opportunity to deliver need-based quality care, crossing the hurdles of social acceptance and creating opportunities from challenges; giving them a feeling of satisfaction and self-worth. There were also instances where caregivers were weakened by a lack of acceptance from patients/families, stress, burnout, and helplessness. Additionally, although the program runs efficiently in the community, palliative care providers face several challenges which need to be addressed on an administrative, organizational, and personal level.
Conclusions: The study gives an in-depth illustration of the ambivalent experiences and challenges of palliative care providers working under Kerala's home-based palliative care programme, providing care to a vulnerable section of society. The caregivers themselves represent an underprivileged volunteer community of nurses who struggle to provide the highest possible care despite the challenges and difficulties.
A novel mouse model for polysynaptic retrograde tracing and rabies pathological research
Authors: Song Yige , Li Lanfang , Ma Tian , Zhang Bing , Wang Jing , Tang Xiaomei , Lu Youming , He Aodi , Li Xinyan
Published: April 2023

Retrograde tracing is an important method for dissecting neuronal connections and mapping neural circuits. Over the past decades, several virus-based retrograde tracers have been developed and have contributed to displaying multiple neural circuits in the brain. However, most of the previously widely used viral tools have focused on mono-transsynaptic neural tracing within the central nervous system, with very limited options for achieving polysynaptic tracing between the central and peripheral nervous systems. In this study, we generated a novel mouse line, GT mice, in which both glycoprotein (G) and ASLV-A receptor (TVA) were expressed throughout the body. Using this mouse model, in combination with the well-developed rabies virus tools (RV-EnvA-ΔG) for monosynaptic retrograde tracing, polysynaptic retrograde tracing can be achieved. This allows functional forward mapping and long-term tracing. Furthermore, since the G-deleted rabies virus can travel upstream against the nervous system as the original strain, this mouse model can also be used for rabies pathological studies.
Probabilistic fuzzy set and particle swarm optimization based computational method for fuzzy time series forecasting
Authors: Pant Manish , Kumar Sanjay
Published: April 2023

Computational methods for time series forecasting have always an edge over conventional methods of forecasting due to their easy implementation and prominent characteristics of coping with large amount of time series data. Many computational methods for fuzzy time series (FTS) forecasting have been developed in past using fuzzy set, intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS), and hesitant fuzzy set (HFS) for incorporating uncertainty, non-determinism, and hesitation in time series forecasting. Since probabilistic fuzzy set (PFS) incorporates both probabilistic and non-probabilistic uncertainties simultaneously, we have proposed PFS and particle swarm optimization (PSO) based computational method for FTS forecasting. First, we have developed a PFS based computational method for FTS forecasting and then it is integrated with PSO to enhance the accuracy in forecasted outputs. Unlike other PSO based for FTS forecasting method, PSO is used to optimize both number of partitions and length of intervals. Three diversified time series data of enrolments of the University of Alabama, market price of State Bank of India (SBI) share at Bombay stock exchange (BSE) India, and death cases due to COVID-19 in India are used to compare the performance of PFS based computational method of FTS forecasting before and after its integration with PSO in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). After integration of PFS based computational method with PSO, accuracy in the forecasted outputs is increased significantly and its performance is found better than many other existing FTS forecasting methods. Goodness of the proposed FTS forecasting method is also tested using tracking signal and Willmott index.
Cardiac-specific Knockdown of DEC1 Regulated Pressure Overload-induced Cardiac Hypertrophy and Remodeling by Directly Inhibiting the Expression of PTEN
Authors: Bi Hai-Lian , Xie Xin , Ren Kai-Wen , Yang Xiao-Lei , Jia Qing-Xia , Wang Shi-Hao , Li Hui-Hua , Yu Xiao-Hong
Published: April 2023

Sustained cardiac hypertrophy is the onset of maladaptive myocardial remodeling and is a major cause of heart failure and sudden death. Recent studies have revealed that differentiated embryonic chondrocyte gene 1 (DEC1), a key transcription factor, is implicated in inflammation, hypoxia, viral infection, and tumors. However, its role and the molecular mechanism in cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling have not been fully elucidated. Here, our results showed that DEC1 was significantly upregulated in agonist-stimulated primary cardiomyocytes, in hypertrophic mice hearts and in human failure hearts. Cardiac specific knockdown of DEC1 using rAAV9 significantly attenuated TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling. Mechanistically, DEC1 bound directedly to the promoter region of PTEN, inhibited the transcriptional expression of PTEN, which subsequently increased the activation of AKT and its relative signaling pathway (including mTOR, NF-κB, and SMAD2), thereby causing cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and inflammation. Furthermore, administration of the PTEN inhibitor VO-OHpic markedly reversed DEC1 knockdown-mediated attenuation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and cardiac remodeling. This is the first study to suggest that DEC1 regulates cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling by suppressing the expression of PTEN, and DEC1 may be a new therapeutic target for hypertrophic heart diseases.
Genomic Profiling of NGS-based ctDNA from Chinese Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Xi Yanfeng , Bai Zhongyuan , Gao Sihang , Guo Jianghong , Zhang Zhen , Zhang Hongling , Qu Li , Xu Bing , Wang Weiwei , Shan Guangyu , Cui Wei , Bai Wenqi , Ji Xiaoyong
Published: April 2023

Purpose: Cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in plasma enables rapid and repeat testing of actionable mutations. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an attractive platform for multiplex sequencing capabilities compared to traditional methods such as PCR. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of the NGS-based ctDNA assay and to identify the genomic alteration profile of ctDNA in real-world Chinese non-small cell lung (NSCLC) patients.
Methods: In total, 294 Chinese patients with pathological diagnosis of Phase III-IV NSCLC were enrolled. 3-4mL peripheral blood was collected and NGS-based analysis was carried out using a 20-gene panel. The analytical sensitivity and specificity of ctDNA NGS-based assay was validated using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).
Results: We have tested 570 sites from 286 samples using ddPCR, which included 108 positive sites and 462 negative sites from NGS results, and the concordance rate was 99.8% (418/419) for single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 96.7% (146/151) for insertions and deletions (InDels). The most frequent genes were TP53 (32%), EGFR (31.97%), KRAS (6.46%), PIK3CA (4.76%), and MET (4.08%). Exon 19 deletion (19del) was the most common alteration in EGFRand G12C was the most common alteration in KRAS. Furthermore, the detection rate of TP53was higher in the male and patients with squamous cell carcinoma. We also found the prevalence of TP53 in L858R was higher than in 19del (61.29% vs. 40%; p=0.1115).
Conclusion: The results indicate that the results of NGS-based ctDNA assay are highly consistent with ddPCR. In Chinese NSCLC patients, TP53 mutation was more frequently associated with male and squamous cell carcinoma. The prevalence of concomitant mutations in L858R may be different from that in 19del.
A Cross-sectional study on the impact of pre-operative anxiety and associated factors on intraoperative hypotension in women undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia in resource-limited setting
Authors: Gebeyehu Geresu , Daniel Tenbite , Getu Abdukadir , Samuel Hirbo
Published: April 2023

Background: Hypotension after spinal anesthesia was very common in parturient who underwent cesarean section. There were multitude of contributing factors identified in the past. Evidences justifying perioperative anxiety on women giving birth under spinal anesthesia were lacking. This study determined the effect of preoperative anxiety and related factors on intraoperative hypotension in parturient undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia in resource constrained settings.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 parturient that underwent cesarean section under spinal anesthesia in Gandhi Memorial Hospital from January to March 30/2022. The data collected include socio-demographic data, obstetric characteristics, status of pre-operative anxiety, and intraoperative hypotension. Binary and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to determine the causative effect of preoperative anxiety and related factors on the degree of hypotension after inducing spinal anesthesia. Variables with a p<0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: preoperative anxiety was observed in 45.6% of women that delivered their baby under spinal anesthesia. Anxiety (AOR:2.473, 95% CI; 1.271-4.813, P=0.02), age<25 years old (AOR:3.75, 95% CI ;1.066-13.193, P=0.039), maternal weight<60 kg (AOR: 2.154, 95 % CI ;1.000-4.638, p=0.050) and anesthesia given by less experienced anesthetists (AOR: 3.701, 95 %CI ;1.318-10.388, p=0.013) were factors associated with hypotension after spinal anesthesia in parturient.
Conclusion: this study justified that preoperative anxiety had a significant role in contributing for hypotension after spinal anesthesia in cesarean delivery. Thus, anesthetists should focus on relieving perioperative stress, and appreciate the other identified factors and make necessary considerations when introducing spinal anesthesia in parturient undergoing cesarean delivery.
Registration-this study was registered at research registry with unique ID researchregistry8278 and available at https://www.researchregistry.com/browse-the-registry#home/
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and gene editing of kohlrabi ( Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes )
Authors: Mikhaylova Elena V. , Musin Khalit , Panfilova Maria , Khusnutdinov Emil , Kuluev Bulat
Published: April 2023

Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes (kohlrabi) is an economically important vegetable with edible stems. Due to the complicated in vitro regeneration, biotechnological cultivars with useful traits do not yet exist. This plant have never been subjected to genetic transformation of any kind. Therefore, the development of appropriate methods is an important task of modern plant science. A genetic construct targeting BoCPC gene have been introduced to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain Agl0 in order to produce knockout mutants of kohlrabi. Addition of AgNO3 to the culture medium allowed to reduce browning after inoculation. Three glufosinate-resistant, PCR-positive transformants were obtained from cultivar Vienna White. In two of them expression level of target gene was significantly reduced. The described protocol allows for genetic transformation and genome editing of kohlrabi. This research opens up prospects for generation of new cultivars with improved agricultural traits such as stress tolerance, increased yields and altered metabolite content. According to the results of various studies, Vienna White can be used as a model cultivar of kohlrabi.
Ecosystem Services Valuation of Dry Afromontane Forests Using Optical Remote Sensing in Tigray–northern Ethiopian Highlands
Authors: Gidey Eskinder , Gidey Medhn , Birhane Emiru , Tadesse Tewodros , Rannestad Meley Mekonen , Mhangara Paidamwoyo , Hishe Solomon , Girma Atkilt , Teweldebirhan Sarah , Dikinya Oagile , Lottering Romano , Georgis Tsegay Wolde– , Nasir Jemal , Zenebe Amanuel
Published: April 2023

Global forest area is projected to decline gradually, which may affect the existing ecosystem services (ESs) and the ecological and economic benefits of these services. We analyzed the ESs provision value of the Hugumburda State Forest (HSF) and the Southern Tigray–northern Ethiopian highlands, which was based on optical remote sensing, Ecosystem Services Provision Index (ESPI), and the revised ESs valuation coefficients under different scenarios and ecosystem services value function (ESVf). The forest coverage of HSF is anticipated to increase by 19.1 Km2 (3.8%) until 2030 from its earlier coverage of 88.6 Km2 in the year 2020. As a result, ecosystem services value (ESV) provisions are expected to increase, sustain, and improve the local community's well–being by 1.88 million US$ ha–1 year–1. We also found a significant relationship between ESV of forestland, shrub land, arable land, grassland, water body and their area expansion (p < 0.01). The ESPI showed a higher value in the forest & grassland areas (0.38), whereas lower in water bodies (–0.51). HSF provides higher regulating services than provisioning, supporting and cultural services. The combined use of optical remote sensing and ESPI is essential for developing a cost-effective ESs provision management framework regarding environmental and social benefits.
Contemporary Outcomes in Fetuses Diagnosed with Vascular Rings
Authors: Milligan Ian , Border William , Sachdeva Ritu , Michelfelder Erik
Published: April 2023

Vascular rings are increasingly identified onfetal echocardiography. The purpose of this study is to analyze clinical outcomes and patterns of diagnostic testing in fetuses with vascular rings diagnosed by fetal echocardiography. A retrospective cohort study was performed of fetuses with postnatally confirmed vascular rings from 2017– 2022. Clinical outcomes included type and timing of symptoms, and timing of surgical intervention. Freedom from symptoms and/or surgery was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Frequency of genetic and diagnostic testing (barium esophagogram, CT/MRI angiogram, and bronchoscopy) was also assessed. Overall, 46 patients were evaluated (91% with a right aortic arch/left ductus and 4% with a double aortic arch). A vascular ring was isolated in 59%, associated with structural heart lesions in 33%, and associated with noncardiac anomalies in 8%. Prenatal diagnoses increased over time. Symptoms developed in 24%; 81% had respiratory and 45% had gastroesophageal complaints. Surgery was performed in 17%. Symptoms presented bimodally, prior to 100 or after 400 days of life. There was no difference in the type of symptoms for early (<100 days) or late (>400 days) presenters. Symptomatic patients received more diagnostic testing. Genetic testing was obtained in 46% and positive in 33%, with 22q11 deletion and Trisomy 21 being identified. Prenatal diagnoses of vascular rings increased over time, with 24% developing symptoms and 17% requiring surgery. Subjects developed symptoms bimodally in early or late infancy. The frequency of genetic testing was suboptimal for the frequency of genetic abnormalities seen.
Application, Utilization and Uptake of Artificial Insemination Technology to Smallholder Farmers in the Traditional Agro-Pastoral Livestock Farming System: A Case of Mpwapwa District in the Central Zone of Tanzania
Authors: Kabuni Kabuni Thomas
Published: April 2023

Cattle breeding in the central zone of Tanzania is largely by unproven homebred bulls, with very limited use of artificial insemination (AI). Hence, beef herds in the region remain largely unimproved, with relatively low genetic merit and productivity. An outreach program was developed by the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) to pilot AI service delivery to smallholder farmers in the central zone of Tanzania, with the objectives of: identifying the processes required to develop an AI service; and improving farmers’ understanding of the potential benefits to their herds through using AI. Smallholder farmers (100) in the Mpwapwa district of the Dodoma region of Tanzania were recruited into the program. 200 cows were involved in the programme composed of the following breeds: Mpwapwa (100), Tanzania Short-horned Zebu (70) and Boran (30). The AI bulls used were from Mpwapwa and Boran breeds kept at the National Artificial Insemination Centre (NAIC) in Tanzania, selected based on pedigree information and growth performance. All cows were synchronized prior to AI using a prostaglandin (PG)-based programme. Of the 200 cows, 110 cows were inseminated following oestrus observed after 1st PG, with 90 non-responding cows receiving a 2nd PG injection at day 11 with fixed time AI (FTAI) 72 hours later. Of the 200 cows, 110 (55%; 95%CI 48-62%) became pregnant to AI. Bulls were introduced into the herd for 60 days, starting 60 days after FTAI, with 80/90 cows (89%; 95%CI 81-94%) which did not get pregnant to AI becoming pregnant during this period. For widespread uptake of AI, the following issues need to be addressed: (i) the inability of farmers to accurately detect oestrus, probably necessitating use of low-cost whole herd FTAI programs; (ii) the dearth of trained AI technicians; and (iii) low background fertility of cows.
Model-free Adaptive Trajectory Tracking Control of Robotic Manipulators with Practical Prescribed-time Performance
Authors: Huang Xiuwei , Dong Zhiyan , Yang Peng , Zhang Lihua
Published: April 2023

Considering accurate model information of robotic manipulators is hard to obtain in real applications, this article proposes a model-free trajectory tracking control scheme for the robotic system with input saturation, where a pre-defined tracking precision within prescribed time under any initial conditions is ensured. Firstly, to avoid a sharp corner when control input exceeds constraint, a new smooth function is used to approximate the saturated control torque and then a new robotic system model is built. Based on the rebuilt system, a time-delay estimation (TDE) method is used to estimate the lumped uncertainty containing unknown dynamics and external disturbance. Furthermore, a model-free adaptive controller is developed to ensure the tracking error converge to a preset small residual within given time, where adaptive law and auxiliary system are used to cope with the TED estimation error and control input saturation, respectively. With the developed practical prescribed-time function, there is no constraint on the initial value of the tracking error, thus global stability is guaranteed. Finally, a planar two-link robotic manipulator is simulated to show the effectiveness of the developed control scheme.
Genetic Dissection of Maize (Zea mays L.) Chlorophyll Content Using Multi-Locus Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Xiong Xuehang , Li Jianxin , Su Pingping , Duan Haiyang , Sun Li , Xu Shuhao , Sun Yan , Zhao Haidong , Chen Xiaoyang , Ding Dong , Tang Jihua , Zhang Xuehai
Published: April 2023

Background The chlorophyll content (CC) is a key factor affecting plant photosynthetic efficiency and the final yield. However, its genetic basis remains unclear. The development of statistical methods has enabled researchers to design and apply various GWAS models, including MLM, MLMM, SUPER, FarmCPU, BLINK and 3VmrMLM. Comparative analysis of their results can lead to more effective mining of key genes.Results The heritability of CC was 0.86. Six statistical models (MLM, BLINK, MLMM, FarmCPU, SUPER, and 3VmrMLM) and 1.25 million SNPs were used for the GWAS. A total of 140 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were detected, with 3VmrMLM and MLM detecting the most (118) and fewest (3) QTNs, respectively. The QTNs were associated with 481 genes and explained 0.29%-10.28% of the phenotypic variation. Additionally, 10 co-located QTNs were detected by at least two different models or methods, three co-located QTNs were identified in at least two different environments, and six co-located QTNs were detected by different models or methods in different environments. Moreover, 69 candidate genes within or near these stable QTNs were screened based on the B73 (RefGen_v2) genome. GRMZM2G110408 (ZmCCS3) was identified by multiple models and in multiple environments. The functional characterization of this gene indicated the encoded protein likely contributes to chlorophyll biosynthesis. In addition, the CC differed significantly between the haplotypes of the significant QTN in this gene, and CC was higher for haplotype 1.Conclusion This study results broaden our understanding of the genetic basis of CC, mining key genes related to CC and may be relevant for the ideotype-based breeding of new maize varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency.
The Assessment of Methods for Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies Using a Universal Parameter: Implications for Costs and Mosaicism Detection
Authors: Belyaev Alexander , Tofilo Maria , Popov Sergey , Mazunin Ilya , Fomin Dmitry
Published: April 2023

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) is used to increase live birth rates following in vitro fertilization. The assessment of different testing methods to date has relied on non-universal parameters, e.g., sensitivity, specificity that must be individually stipulated for each study, typically performed using arbitrarily selected cell lines. Here we present a robust approach that is based on assessment of the median noise in a large dataset of routine clinical samples. Raw sequencing data obtained during PGT-A testing of 973 trophectoderm biopsies was used for comparison of two methods, VeriSeq PGS (Illumina) and AB-PGT™ (AB Vector). Three times less median noise was a feature of the AB-PGT™ method; thereby, allowing the number of multiplexed samples per sequencing run to be increased from 24 with VeriSeq PGS to 72 with AB-PGT™ effectively reducing price per sample without compromising data quality. The improvement is attributed to a novel SuperDOP™ whole genome amplification technology, combined with a simplified AB-PGT™ protocol. We show that the median noise level associated with a large dataset of biopsies is a simple, universal metric for assessment of PGT-A methods which has implications for other screening methods, detection of mosaicisms and the improvement of fertility clinic practices.
Chirality-Induced Magnetization of Magnetite by an RNA Precursor
Authors: Ozturk S. Furkan , Bhowmick Deb Kumar , Kapon Yael , Sang Yutao , Kumar Anil , Paltiel Yossi , Naaman Ron , Sasselov Dimitar D.
Published: April 2023

Life is homochiral and homochirality is a fundamental feature of living systems on Earth. While the exact mechanism that led to homochirality is still not fully understood, any realistic scenario on the origins of life needs to address the emergence of homochirality. In order to impose and maintain chirality in a prebiotic network, an environmental factor functioning as a chiral agent is demanded. Magnetized surfaces are prebiotically plausible chiral agents, shown to be effective in enantioseparation of ribose-aminooxazoline (RAO), a ribonucleic acid (RNA) precursor, due to the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. As such, mechanisms for breaking the magnetic symmetry of magnetic minerals are of the utmost importance. Here we report the avalanche magnetization of magnetite (Fe3O4) by the crystallization of enantiopure RAO. The observed breaking of the magnetic symmetry is induced by the chiral molecules due to the CISS effect and spreads out across the magnetic surface like an avalanche, providing a way to uniformly magnetize a magnetic surface without fully covering it. Considered together with our previous results on enantioseparation by crystallization on a magnetic surface, chirality-induced avalanche magnetization paves the way for a cooperative feedback between chiral molecules and magnetic surfaces. With this feedback, a weak natural bias in the net magnetization can be amplified and spin-selective processes can be accommodated on magnetic minerals on a persistent basis.
ChatGPT for Arabic-English Translation: Evaluating the Accuracy
Authors: Khoshafah Faten
Published: April 2023

Using ChatGPT as a translator between several language pairings, including English and Arabic, has made it an invaluable resource for cross-cultural communication. However, due to the limitations, the translation outputs should be evaluated. The main aim of this article is to evaluate the translation accuracy of the ChatGPT 3.5 model. The Arabic and English texts are translated by ChatGPT, and the outputs are compared with the professional translators translations. The texts are divided into genres such as historical, literary, media, legal, and scientific. ChatGPT outputs are evaluated regarding language accuracy and meaning in the given context. The results showed that ChatGPT can be used as a translator for simple content, but human intervention is still required, especially for complex texts that ChatGPT is unable to correctly interpret. The paper also offers some recommendations for the translators and students who use ChatGPT.