bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decreased IFT88 expression with primary cilia shortening causes mitochondrial dysfunction in cisplatin-induced tubular injury
Authors: Fujii Rie , Hasegawa Sho , Maekawa Hiroshi , Inoue Tsuyoshi , Yoshioka Kentaro , Uni Rie , Ikeda Yoichiro , Nangaku Masaomi , Inagi Reiko
Published: August 2021

Here, we demonstrated organelle cross talk between primary cilia and mitochondria of proximal tubular cells in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. The primary cilia-mitochondria interaction may open new avenues for the development of novel therapeutic approaches in the treatment of acute kidney injury.
The osteocyte as a signaling cell
Authors: Delgado-Calle Jesus , Bellido Teresita
Published: August 2021

Osteocytes, former osteoblasts encapsulated by mineralized bone matrix, are far from being passive and metabolically inactive bone cells. Instead, osteocytes are multifunctional and dynamic cells capable of integrating hormonal and mechanical signals and transmitting them to effector cells in bone and in distant tissues. Osteocytes are a major source of molecules that regulate bone homeostasis by integrating both mechanical cues and hormonal signals that coordinate the differentiation and function of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteocyte function is altered in both rare and common bone diseases, suggesting that osteocyte dysfunction is directly involved in the pathophysiology of several disorders affecting the skeleton. Advances in osteocyte biology initiated the development of novel therapeutics interfering with osteocyte-secreted molecules. Moreover, osteocytes are targets and key distributors of biological signals mediating the beneficial effects of several bone therapeutics used in the clinic. Here we review the most recent discoveries in osteocyte biology demonstrating that osteocytes regulate bone homeostasis and bone marrow fat via paracrine signaling, influence body composition and energy metabolism via endocrine signaling, and contribute to the damaging effects of diabetes mellitus and hematologic and metastatic cancers in the skeleton.
Gastrokine 2 Regulates the Antitumor Effect of JAK2/STAT3 Pathway in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Zhou Yu , Xu Shan , Liu Jiao , Zhu Yaping , Zhu Yaxin , Li Wei , Ling Hui
Published: August 2021

GKN2 (gastrokine 2) mainly plays a regulatory role in gastric mucosal defense and cell protection mechanisms, and its role in gastric cancer has not been thoroughly elucidated. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect GKN2 and TFF1 expressions in 90 gastric cancer tissues, 48 neoplastic resection margins, and 22 normal gastric mucosa epithelia. It showed that the downregulation of GKN2 and TFF1 expressions in gastric cancer tissues was significantly different from that in adjacent normal gastric tissues and distal gastric mucosal tissues. Nevertheless, correlation analysis showed that GKN2 expression in gastric cancer tissues was independent of TFF1 expression. After overexpression of GKN2 was constructed in human gastric cancer cell line MKN28 with the Ad-GFP-GKN2 transfected, cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay, and migration and invasion ability were analyzed by transwell migration assay and transwell invasion assay. It indicated that overexpression of GKN2 significantly reduced the viability of MKN28 and SGC7901 cells. Overexpression of GKN2 could also inhibit the migration and invasion ability in MKN28 and SGC7901 cells. In addition, upregulation of GKN2 can inactivate the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Our data suggest that GKN2 and TFF1 play the antitumor role in gastric carcinoma, and TFF1 may not interact or cooperate with GKN2. GKN2 overexpression can inhibit the growth and metastasis by downregulating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway in gastric cancer cells.
A Defect Detection Method for Rail Surface and Fasteners Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Zheng Danyang , Li Liming , Zheng Shubin , Chai Xiaodong , Zhao Shuguang , Tong Qianqian , Wang Ji , Guo Lizheng
Published: August 2021

As a result of long‐term pressure from train operations and direct exposure to the natural environment, rails, fasteners, and other components of railway track lines inevitably produce defects, which have a direct impact on the safety of train operations. In this study, a multiobject detection method based on deep convolutional neural network that can achieve nondestructive detection of rail surface and fastener defects is proposed. First, rails and fasteners on the railway track image are localized by the improved YOLOv5 framework. Then, the defect detection model based on Mask R‐CNN is utilized to detect the surface defects of the rail and segment the defect area. Finally, the model based on ResNet framework is used to classify the state of the fasteners. To verify the robustness and effectiveness of our proposed method, we conduct experimental tests using the ballast and ballastless railway track images collected from Shijiazhuang‐Taiyuan high‐speed railway line. Through a variety of evaluation indexes to compare with other methods using deep learning algorithms, experimental results show that our method outperforms others in all stages and enables effective detection of rail surface and fasteners.
Functional Outcomes and Reading Speeds following PRESBYOND LBV Using Nonlinear Aspheric Ablation Profiles Combined with Micro-Monovision
Authors: Brar Sheetal , Sute Smith Snehal , Bagare Sheetal N. , Ganesh Sri
Published: August 2021

Purpose. To report the functional outcomes and reading speeds following PRESBYOND laser blended vision (LBV) using nonlinear aspheric ablation profiles with micro-monovision with the Carl Zeiss Meditec MEL 90 platform. Methods. Data have been collected retrospectively for all patients who underwent PRESBYOND LBV using the MEL 90 excimer laser. Postoperative binocular uncorrected distance and near visual acuity, stereo-acuity, contrast sensitivity, and reading performance were compared with pre-op values measured with patient’s progressive glasses. Mean follow-up was 6 ± 1.2 months. Results. Sixty eyes of 30 patients (mean age 50.47 ± 6.43 years) were included. Of these, 18 patients were hyperopic and 12 patients were myopic with mean SE of 1.28 ± 1.38 D and −2.84 ± 1.86 D, respectively. At 6 months, the mean binocular UDVA was ≥−0.03 ± 0.06 log MAR and the mean binocular UNVA was ≥0.22 ± 0.04 log MAR. The uncorrected reading speeds (words per minute) at the preferred reading distance of 46.17 cm, 60 cm, and 80 cm were significantly better (

p

value <0.01), whereas the smallest letter size and reading acuities were comparable to the preoperative values (

p
>
0.05

for all distances). Uncorrected contrast sensitivity log values showed mild reduction; however, this was not statistically significant for any spatial frequency. There was a significant reduction in post uncorrected stereopsis to 89.67 arc sec, compared with pre-op corrected stereopsis (50.67 arc sec); however, it recovered fully with near correction (53.33 arc sec,

p
>
0.05

compared with pre). Conclusion. PRESBYOND LBV resulted in significantly better reading speeds and satisfactory functional visual outcomes, without a permanent change in stereo-acuity and contrast sensitivity 6 months postoperatively.
Design of Multimedia Vocal Music Education Data Integration System Based on Adaptive Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Hao-Lan , Yu Peng-Jiang
Published: August 2021

In order to solve the problems of low accuracy of data integration results, low integration efficiency, and easy confusion between different types of data in traditional methods, a multimedia vocal education data integration system based on adaptive genetic algorithm was designed. Specifically, the designed system is divided into three parts: data source management module, system administrator module, and database management module. The synchronized multimedia vocal education data are first processed by the synchronous multimedia vocal education data processing and then integrated by an adaptive genetic algorithm. The experimental results show that the longest data transmission time of the system is 2.3 s, which is much lower than that of the traditional method, and the accuracy of the integration result is higher, and the probability of data integration confusion is lower, which all indicate that the designed system has better application performance.
Investigating the Mechanism of Scutellariae barbata Herba in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer by Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking
Authors: Qi Xiangjun , Xu Hongbin , Zhang Peng , Chen Guoming , Chen Zhiqiang , Fang Caishan , Lin Lizhu
Published: August 2021

Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal tumors, which accounts for approximately 10% of all diagnosed cancers and cancer deaths worldwide per year. Scutellariae barbatae Herba (SBH) is one of the most frequently used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of CRC. Although many experiments have been carried out to explain the mechanisms of SBH, the mechanisms of SBH have not been illuminated fully. Thus, we constructed a network pharmacology and molecular docking to investigate the mechanisms of SBH. Methods. We adopted active constituent prescreening, target predicting, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, differentially expressed gene analysis, and molecular docking to establish a system pharmacology database of SBH against CRC. Results. A total of 64 active constituents of SBH were obtained and 377 targets were predicted, and the result indicated that quercetin, luteolin, wogonin, and apigenin were the main active constituents of SBH. Glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), pPhosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha isoform (PIK3CA), cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53), transcription factor AP-1 (JUN), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), Myc protooncogene protein (MYC), cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), and broad substrate specificity ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCG2 (ABCG2) were the major targets of SBH in the treatment of CRC. GO analysis illustrated that the core biological process regulated by SBH was the regulation of the cell cycle. Thirty pathways were presented and 8 pathways related to CRC were involved. Molecular docking presented the binding details of 3 key targets with 6 active constituents. Conclusions. The mechanisms of SBH against CRC depend on the synergistic effect of multiple active constituents, multiple targets, and multiple pathways.
Electric Vehicle Charging Station Location Decision Analysis for a Two-Stage Optimization Model Based on Shapley Function
Authors: Yang Lifeng , Cheng Zhongwei , Zhang Baojie , Ma Fengyun
Published: August 2021

The promotion of electric vehicles and their charging facilities to achieve carbon emission reduction is a research hotspot in the field of transportation. Aiming at the comprehensive decision of electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) location, this paper constructs an EVCS location evaluation index system that includes five indexes of grid load, traffic facilities, user preference, construction cost, and service radius. Firstly, we convert the exact number into interval judgment matrix, introduce Shapley fuzzy measure to calculate the weight of factors, and use the two-stage optimization model to further optimize the weight. Then, we combine the multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) method in the Pythagorean fuzzy environment with partitioned normalized weighted Bonferroni mean (PFPNWBM) operator, and calculate the optimal ranking of alternatives according to the performance function and the accuracy function. Finally, a numerical example is used to analyze the difference between first-order linear optimization and two-stage optimization in alternative scheme evaluation, and the practical value of using model to evaluate EVCS location is verified.
Prediction of Traffic Generated by IoT Devices Using Statistical Learning Time Series Algorithms
Authors: Khedkar Shilpa P. , Canessane R. Aroul , Najafi Moslem Lari
Published: August 2021

An IoT is the communication of sensing devices linked to the Internet in order to communicate data. IoT devices have extremely critical reliability with an efficient and robust network condition. Based on enormous growth in devices and their connectivity, IoT contributes to the bulk of Internet traffic. Prediction of network traffic is very important function of any network. Traffic prediction is important to ensure good system efficiency and ensure service quality of IoT applications, as it relies primarily on congestion management, admission control, allocation of bandwidth to the system, and the identification of anomalies. In this paper, a complete overview of IoT traffic forecasting model using classic time series and artificial neural network is presented. For prediction of IoT traffic, real network traces are used. Prediction models are evaluated using MAE, RMSE, and R‐squared values. The experimental results indicate that LSTM‐ and FNN‐based predictive models are highly sensitive and can therefore be used to provide better performance as a timing sequence forecast model than the conventional traffic prediction techniques.
Application of High-Resolution Remote-Sensing Data for Land Use Land Cover Mapping of University Campus
Authors: Dharmawan Irwan Ary , Rahadianto Muhammad Ario Eko , Henry Edward , Endyana Cipta , Aufaristama Muhammad
Published: August 2021

The study of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) is essential to understanding how land has been altered in recent years and what has caused the processes behind the change. This is significant for the future development of the area, particularly on the campus of the Universitas Padjadjaran Jatinangor. The purpose of this study was to apply remote-sensing techniques to map a university campus and vicinity by comparing the area of urban green space (UGS) and floor area ratios (FARs) of the campus in 2015 and 2017. Additionally, surface runoff analysis was also conducted. For our research, we used WorldView-2’s high-resolution satellite imagery with a resolution of 0.46 m in the Universitas Padjadjaran (Padjadjaran University, or Unpad) Jatinangor campus, Jawa Barat, Indonesia. Our approach was to interpret the imagery by running the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to distinguish UGS and FAR and using digital elevation model (DEM) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data with hydrologic analysis to identify the direction of surface runoff. The results obtained are as follows: the UGS remained more extensive compared with FAR, but the difference decreased over time owing to infrastructure development. Surface runoff has tended to flow toward the southeast in direct relation to the slope configuration.
Activated Carbon from the Peelings of Cassava Tubers (Manihot esculenta) for the Removal of Nickel(II) Ions from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Alongamo Brice Armel Ajouafeu , Ajifack Lydie Dodo , Ghogomu Julius Numbonui , Nsami Ndi Julius , Ketcha Joseph Mbadcam
Published: August 2021

Activated carbons were obtained from the peelings of cassava tubers (Manihot esculenta) by chemical activation using potassium hydroxide and phosphoric acid at impregnation ratios of 2 : 1 and 1 : 1, respectively, at 400°C for batch adsorption of nickel(II) ions from aqueous solution. Characterization of activated carbon samples was achieved via proximate analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, pH of zero-point charge, Boehm method, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and iodine number determination for each adsorbent. The effects of pH, contact time, initial adsorbate concentration, and adsorbent dose were studied at 27°C in order to optimize the conditions for maximum adsorption. Equilibrium was attained after 40 minutes of contact of both materials with activating solutions. Maximum adsorption capacities of 41.15 mg/g for ACPH, 47.39 mg/g for ACPA, 35.34 mg/g for NIC, and 34.48 mg/g for RM, respectively, were obtained at pH = 4. Equilibrium data showed that the Langmuir model best described the adsorption process with R2 closed to unity, indicative of monolayer adsorption on a homogeneous surface. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process is controlled by the pseudo-second-order model. These results show that activated carbon prepared from cassava peelings constitutes an effective low-cost material for the treatment of wastewater containing nickel(II) ions.
Antifungal Activity of Denture Base Resin Containing Nanozirconia: In Vitro Assessment of Candida albicans Biofilm
Authors: Abualsaud Reem , Aleraky Doaa M. , Akhtar Sultan , Khan Soban Q. , Gad Mohammed M.
Published: August 2021

Objective. To evaluate the antimicrobial effects of different concentrations of zirconium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-ZrO2) reinforcement of poly(methyl) methacrylate (PMMA) on surface roughness and C. albicans biofilm. Methods. 20 heat-polymerized acrylic resin discs were conventionally made and divided into 4 groups (n = 5) according to nano-ZrO2 concentration: control (0% filler) and 3 experimental groups (2.5% (Z2.5), 5.0% (Z5.0), and 7.5% (Z7.5)). An optical profilometer was used for surface roughness evaluation, followed by Candida adherence assay. Specimens were sterilized, then immersed in cultured yeast (C. albicans), and incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. After that, discs were rinsed before extracting the clustered pellets of Candida. The attached C. albicans was counted using the direct method after spreading on agar media and incubating for 48 hours. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test at α = 0.05. Results. Surface roughness was significantly increased with all modified groups compared with control (

P
<
0.01

), which showed the lowest roughness value (0.027 ± 0.004 μm). There was no significant difference in the roughness value among reinforced groups (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5%) (

P
>
0.05

), with Z7.5 showing the highest roughness value (0.042 ± 0.004 μm). Candida count was reduced as the nano-ZrO2 increased but not significantly (

P
=
0.15

). Conclusions. The addition of different concentrations of nano-ZrO2 particles to PMMA increased the surface roughness compared with control; in contrast, insignificant reduction of C. albicans biofilm was detected.
Study on Evolution Characteristics and Instability Model of Overburden Stress Shell with the Longwall Mining along Strike
Authors: Liu Wanrong , Shi Qingwen
Published: August 2021

Roof fracture is one of the main reasons for dynamic disaster in working face. During the process of long wall mining, due to the continuous fracture and collapse of roof, a stress shell composed of high stress is formed around the surrounding rock of the stope. The gravity of the overlying rock is transferred to the coal body around the stope through the stress shell. With the advancing of the working face, the stress shell has undergone the dynamic evolution process of the initial shell, extension shell, and flat shell. Based on the theory of shell and plate, the mechanical model of elliptical thin rock plate is constructed. The stress and bending moment distribution expressions of elliptic structure are obtained under two boundary conditions: the surrounding fixed‐supported edges and simply supported edges. The results show that cracks begin to appear at the middle point of the semimajor axis and propagate along both ends of the semimajor axis. Then the fracture begins at the end of the semiminor axis, and the crack extends along the arc direction, forming an “X‐O” type fracture. Finally, the mechanical nature of the stress shell instability is the result of the tensile fracture of the bedrock at the top of the shell.
Number of Distinct Homomorphic Images in Coset Diagrams
Authors: Aamir Muhammad , Awais Yousaf Muhammad , Razaq Abdul
Published: August 2021

The representation of the action of

PGL

2
,
Z

on

F

t

∪

∞

in a graphical format is labeled as coset diagram. These finite graphs are acquired by the contraction of the circuits in infinite coset diagrams. A circuit in a coset diagram is a closed path of edges and triangles. If one vertex of the circuit is fixed by

p
q

Δ

1

p

q

−
1

Δ

2

p
q

Δ

3

…

p

q

−
1

Δ

m

∈
PSL

2
,
Z

, then this circuit is titled to be a length-

m

circuit, denoted by

Δ

1

,

Δ

2

,

Δ

3

,
…
,

Δ

m

. In this manuscript, we consider a circuit

Δ

of length 6 as

Δ

1

,

Δ

2

,

Δ

3

,

Δ

4

,

Δ

5

,

Δ

6

with vertical axis of symmetry, that is,

Δ

2

=

Δ

6

,

Δ

3

=

Δ

5

. Let

Γ

1

and

Γ

2

be the homomorphic images of

Δ

acquired by contracting the vertices

a
,
u

and

b
,
v

, respectively, then it is not necessary that

Γ

1

and

Γ

2

are different. In this study, we will find the total number of distinct homomorphic images of

Δ

by contracting its all pairs of vertices with the condition

Δ

1

>

Δ

2

>

Δ

3

>

Δ

4

.

The homomorphic images are obtained in this way having versatile applications in coding theory and cryptography. One can attain maximum nonlinearity factor using this in the encryption process.
Study of Differential Equations on Warped Product Semi-Invariant Submanifolds of the Generalized Sasakian Space Forms
Authors: Al-Dayel Ibrahim
Published: August 2021

The purpose of the present paper is to study the applications of Ricci curvature inequalities of warped product semi-invariant product submanifolds in terms of some differential equations. More precisely, by analyzing Bochner’s formula on these inequalities, we demonstrate that, under certain conditions, the base of these submanifolds is isometric to Euclidean space. We also look at the effects of certain differential equations on warped product semi-invariant product submanifolds and show that the base is isometric to a special type of warped product under some geometric conditions.
Recognition and Volume Measurement of Intracranial Hematoma through CT Images under Intelligent Recognition Algorithm
Authors: Xu Yuequn
Published: August 2021

In order to realize the automatic recognition of intracranial hematoma and accurate measurement of hematoma volume in patients with ICH (intracerebral hemorrhage), the FCM algorithm (fuzzy c-means algorithm) was improved in this study, and a new level set segmentation algorithm based on FCM was obtained, FCRLS (fuzzy c-means regularized level set). Then, 120 ICH patients were used as the research objects, and the FCRLS algorithm was evaluated by the recall, precise, and F1-score values to evaluate the effect of intracranial hematoma recognition. The CT images of 48 patients with intracranial hematoma were used as the data set of the FCRLS algorithm. The hematoma was segmented, and the DSC (Dice similarity coefficient) value and running time were used to evaluate the segmentation results of the algorithm. At the same time, the LS (level set) algorithm and the FCM algorithm were introduced for comparison. The results show that the recall value of the FCRLS algorithm is 0.89, the precise value is 0.94, the F1-score value is 0.91, the Dice coefficient is 94.81%, and the running time is 14.48 s. Compared with the LS algorithm and the FCM algorithm, the above five indicators have significant differences (

P
<
0.05

). Hematoma volume measurement found that the average error of FCRLS algorithm from expert measurement results was 5.62%, which was statistically significant compared with LS algorithm and FCM algorithm (

P
<
0.05

). In summary, the FCRLS algorithm can accurately identify the cerebral hematoma area of ICH patients, has an ideal segmentation effect on the hematoma, and can accurately measure the true volume of the hematoma, which is worthy of clinical application.
The Effect of Spent Fluid Catalytic Cracking Filler on Performance Testing of Asphalt Concrete Mixture
Authors: Le Anh Thang , Nguyen Manh Tuan , Le Van Phuc
Published: August 2021

The spent fluid catalytic cracking (SFCC), waste from the petroleum industry, is nonstop increasing and causing environmental pollution in Vietnam. This study is an attempt to recycle SFCC in pavement construction. The study investigated the effect of SFCC, as a filler material in the hot‐mix asphalt (HMA), on the essential characteristics of the asphalt concrete mix. First, the optimum percentages of bitumen and SFCC rate were investigated based on the Marshall design method. The HMA with SFCC showed more enhanced stability, flow, and other Marshall properties than the asphalt concrete mixture with the optimum limestone filler of 5%. Besides, the effects of SFCC rates on Marshall characteristics were explored. Second, performance tests were conducted to compare the mix with the different optimum content fillers of SFCC, limestone, and Portland cement. The tests include wheel tracking, indirect tensile, fatigue, and dynamic modulus tests to evaluate the performance of HMA with SFCC. It was found that the asphalt mixture with the optimum SFCC filler content can enhance pavement performance and improve the rutting and cracking resistance of the asphalt pavement.
Chemical Fingerprint Profiles and Pharmacodynamic Investigation for Quality Evaluation of Moxa Smoke by UHPLC in a Rat Model of Superficial Infection
Authors: Wang Yanling , Wu Shengbing , Chen Leijing , Xu Guo , Wang Xiaoxiao , Wu Jie , Wang Bin , Zhou Meiqi
Published: August 2021

Introduction. Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine technique, involves the use of moxa smoke from Folium Artemisia argyi to treat various disorders, especially superficial infections. However, there is a higher health risk for people exposed to high levels of moxa smoke for extended durations. Here, we report the first ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) fingerprint profiles and pharmacodynamic evaluation of moxa smoke, as well as evaluation of its aqueous solution on a rat model of superficial infection. Methods. A novel method for moxa smoke fingerprint profiling was developed using UHPLC under characteristic wavelength. Chromatographic peaks were further analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS). 12 sample batches obtained from various Chinese provinces were then analyzed using similarity evaluation, clustering analysis, and principal component analysis. The pharmacodynamics of moxa smoke and moxa aqueous solution were investigated on a rat model of acute skin wound infection. Results. UHPLC fingerprint profiles of 12 batches of moxa smoke were generated at 270 nm wavelength and 21 chromatographic peaks extracted as common peaks. Similarity between the 12 batches ranged from 0.341 to 0.982. Based on cluster analysis, the 12 batches of moxa smoke samples were clustered into five groups. Principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution of the three principal components reached 90.17%. Eigenvalues of the first, second, and third principal components were 10.794, 6.504, and 1.638, respectively. The corresponding variance contribution rates were 51.40%, 30.97%, and 7.80%, respectively. Pharmacological analysis found that wound healing was slow in the model group relative to the mupirocin ointment, moxa smoke, and aqueous moxa smoke solution groups. Histological analysis revealed markedly reduced tissue inflammation in rats treated with moxa smoke or its aqueous solution. Conclusions. Moxa smoke and its aqueous solution significantly promote wound healing upon superficial infection. A novel quality control method for moxa smoke was established and evaluated for the first time. As its main effects are unchanged, the transformation of moxa smoke into aqueous moxa smoke improves safety and is a simple and controllable process.
Evaluation of Malnutrition and Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Pingili Shruthi , Ahmed Junaid , Sujir Nanditha , Shenoy Nandita , Ongole Ravikiran
Published: August 2021

Background. Oral and oropharyngeal cancer is a debilitating disease with high morbidity and mortality. Depending on the site and extent of the involvement of the cancer and the type of treatment modality, these patients can develop pain, trismus, xerostomia, dysphagia, and taste disturbances, compromising them socially and nutritionally. The aim of the study was to evaluate malnutrition and quality of life in patients treated for oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted which included 97 patients treated for oral and oropharyngeal cancer. The quality of life of the selected patients was assessed by using a validated European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer’s Quality of Life Questionnaire, Head and Neck and Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire. Pre- and posttreatment weight of the patients were assessed, and weight loss of ≥10% of pretreatment weight was considered as malnutrition. The chi-square test was used to correlate the symptoms with the quality of life. A paired t test was used to assess the differences in weight before and after treatment, and a

p

value of <0.005 was considered as significant. Results. The most commonly reported symptoms were xerostomia (93.81%), pain (81.44%), and dysphagia (76.3%). A total of 40.2% of the individuals in the study had malnutrition. Malnutrition was comparatively lower in the group who had nutritional supplements. Conclusion. The quality of life in patients treated for oral and oropharyngeal cancer deteriorates immediately after the treatment; however, it significantly improves over time.
Clove Buds Essential Oil: The Impact of Grinding on the Chemical Composition and Its Biological Activities Involved in Consumer’s Health Security
Authors: Ben Hassine Dorsaf , Kammoun El Euch Salma , Rahmani Rami , Ghazouani Nessrine , Kane Rouguiata , Abderrabba Manef , Bouajila Jalloul
Published: August 2021

This study is aimed at identifying the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the Syzygium aromaticum seeds, as well as investigating its biological activities, insecticide effect, and allelopathic properties. The extraction yield was about 14.3 and 7.14% for grounded and ungrounded seeds, respectively. The GC‐MS analysis allowed the identification of 17 heterogeneous compounds, including eugenol (68.7‐87.4%), as major compound, cyperene (20.5‐7.2%), phenethyl isovalerate (6.4‐3.6%), and cis‐thujopsene (1.9‐0.8%), respectively, for grounded and ungrounded seeds. Concerning the antibacterial activity, the diameter of the inhibition zone reached 35 mm when the essential oil extracted from grounded seeds was applied against Escherichia coli. Regarding the antioxidant activity via the DPPH radical scavenging test, the IC50 varied from 1.2 ± 0.1 to 2.8 ± 0.5 μg/mL. With respect to reducing power, the efficient concentration EC50 ranged from 32 to 50 μg/mL. The essential oil exhibited also an allelopathic effect against seeds of Hyoscyamus niger, as well as an insecticide effect against Sitophilus oryzae with a DL50 value of 252.4 μL/L air. These findings enhance the use of this spice as a natural food preservative and encourage its use in several fields, including pharmaceutical, cosmetics, agriculture, and therapy, that could be a strategic way to guarantee the consumer’s health.
Application of FWA-Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm in the Location of Low-Carbon Cold Chain Logistics Distribution Center in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Area
Authors: Zhang Liyi , Fu Mingyue , Fei Teng , Pan Xuhua
Published: August 2021

Green development is the hot spot of cold chain logistics today. Therefore, this paper converts carbon emission into carbon emission cost, comprehensively considers cargo damage, refrigeration, carbon emission, time window, and other factors, and establishes the optimization model of location of low-carbon cold chain logistics in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area. Aiming at the problems of the fish swarm algorithm, this paper makes full use of the fireworks algorithm and proposes an improved fish swarm algorithm on the basis of the fireworks algorithm. By introducing the explosion, Gaussian mutation, mapping and selection operations of the fireworks algorithm, the local search ability and diversity of artificial fish are enhanced. Finally, the modified algorithm is applied to optimize the model, and the results show that the location scheme of low-carbon cold chain logistics in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area with the lowest total cost can be obtained by using fireworks-artificial fish swarm algorithm.
An Active Learning Method Based on Variational Autoencoder and DBSCAN Clustering
Authors: Chen Fang , Zhang Tao , Liu Ruilin
Published: August 2021

Active learning is aimed to sample the most informative data from the unlabeled pool, and diverse clustering methods have been applied to it. However, the distance‐based clustering methods usually cannot perform well in high dimensions and even begin to fail. In this paper, we propose a new active learning method combined with variational autoencoder (VAE) and density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). It overcomes the difficulty of distance representation in high dimensions and prevents the distance concentration phenomenon from occurring in the computational learning literature with respect to high‐dimensional p‐norms. Finally, we compare our method with four common active learning methods and two other clustering algorithms combined with VAE on three datasets. The results demonstrate that our approach achieves competitive performance, and it is a new batch mode active learning algorithm designed for neural networks with a relatively small query batch size.
Intelligent Disease Prediagnosis Only Based on Symptoms
Authors: Luo Fangfang , Luo Xu
Published: August 2021

People often concern the relationships between symptoms and diseases when seeking medical advices. In this paper, medical data are divided into three copies, records related to main disease categories, records related to subclass disease types, and records of specific diseases firstly; then two disease recognition methods only based on symptoms for the main disease category identification, subclass disease type identification, and specific disease identification are given. In the methods, a neural network and a support vector machine (SVM) algorithms are adopted, respectively. In the method validation part, accuracy of the two diagnosis methods is tested and compared. Results show that automatic disease prediction only based on symptoms is possible for intelligent medical triage and common disease diagnosis.
Improving Tumor Penetration of Antibodies and Antibody–Drug Conjugates: Taking Away the Barriers for Trojan Horses
Authors: van Dongen Guus A.M.S.
Published: August 2021

The high affinity of an antibody can result in restricted tumor penetration and heterogenous tumor distribution, with preferential binding of the antibody to tumor cells localized around tumor vasculature. This so-called “binding site barrier” effect limits the efficacy of antibody-based therapies like antibody–drug conjugates (ADC). In this issue, Bordeau and colleagues introduce an original approach to overcome this barrier through transient competitive inhibition of antibody–antigen binding. By coadministration of an anti-idiotypic anti-trastuzumab domain antibody as a competitive inhibitor, increased tumor penetration of trastuzumab as well as enhanced efficacy of the ADC ado-trastuzumab emtansine were observed in tumor-bearing mice

See related article by Bordeau et al., p. 4145
PAX9 Determines Epigenetic State Transition and Cell Fate in Cancer
Authors: Zhao Zibo , Szczepanski Aileen P. , Tsuboyama Natsumi , Abdala-Valencia Hiam , Goo Young Ah , Singer Benjamin D. , Bartom Elizabeth T. , Yue Feng , Wang Lu
Published: August 2021

Abnormalities in genetic and epigenetic modifications can lead to drastic changes in gene expression profiles that are associated with various cancer types. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive and deadly form of lung cancer with limited effective therapies currently available. By utilizing a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 dropout screen in SCLC cells, we identified paired box protein 9 (PAX9) as an essential factor that is overexpressed in human malignant SCLC tumor samples and is transcriptionally driven by the BAP1/ASXL3/BRD4 epigenetic axis. Genome-wide studies revealed that PAX9 occupies distal enhancer elements and represses gene expression by restricting enhancer activity. In multiple SCLC cell lines, genetic depletion of PAX9 led to significant induction of a primed-active enhancer transition, resulting in increased expression of a large number of neural differentiation and tumor-suppressive genes. Mechanistically, PAX9 interacted and cofunctioned with the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex at enhancers to repress nearby gene expression, which was reversed by pharmacologic HDAC inhibition. Overall, this study provides mechanistic insight into the oncogenic function of the PAX9/NuRD complex epigenetic axis in human SCLC and suggests that reactivation of primed enhancers may have potential therapeutic efficacy in treating SCLC expressing high levels of PAX9.

Significance:

A genome-wide screen in small cell lung cancer reveals PAX9/NuRD-mediated epigenetic enhancer silencing and tumor progression, supporting the development of novel personalized therapeutic approaches targeting the PAX9-regulated network.
Growing Disparity in the Incidence of Colorectal Cancer among Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native Populations—United States, 2013–2017
Authors: Haverkamp Donald , Melkonian Stephanie C. , Jim Melissa A.
Published: August 2021

Background:

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations have experienced regional variation and disparities in colorectal cancer incidence rates.

Methods:

We examined colorectal cancer incidence (2013–2017) and colorectal cancer incidence trends (1999–2017) among AI/AN persons. Incidence data were linked to Indian Health Service enrollment records, and analyses were restricted to Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Areas. Incidence rates of colorectal cancer among AI/AN and White persons were analyzed in six geographic regions; Hispanic persons were excluded. Incidence trends were analyzed using linear modeling.

Results:

During 2013–2017, colorectal cancer incidence was 41% higher among AI/AN than among White persons. AI/AN incidence rates per 100,000 varied regionally from 34.4 in the East to 96.1 in Alaska. Compared with White persons, AI/AN persons had higher colorectal cancer incidence rates among all age strata and were more likely to have late-stage diagnoses. Incidence rate trends indicated significant increases among both AI/AN and White persons ages <50 years and among AI/AN persons ages 50–64 years. The colorectal cancer incidence rate trend increased among AI/AN persons in the Southwest.

Conclusions:

The disparity of colorectal cancer incidence rates between AI/AN and White persons has widened since 2005–2009. AI/AN populations have higher colorectal cancer incidence compared with White populations, especially in the Alaska region.

Impact:

Our finding of increased colorectal cancer incidence disparities suggests that enhanced screening efforts and culturally appropriate clinical and public health interventions are needed among AI/AN persons overall, and especially in regions and age groups in which colorectal cancer rates are increasing.
Looking for Proof in the Wrong Generation?
Authors: Fenton Suzanne E. , Boyles Abee L.
Published: August 2021

The article in this issue “Grandmaternal Perinatal Serum DDT in Relation to Granddaughter Early Menarche and Adult Obesity: Three Generations in the Child Health and Development Studies Cohort,” by Cirillo and colleagues, is the first to report multigenerational health effects in granddaughters stemming from early life exposures to the pesticide o,p'-DDT in grandmothers. Health effects associated with F0 environmental chemical exposures in multiple generations have been reported in rodent studies, but not in humans. The striking finding in this body of work by Cohn and her colleagues is that the granddaughters were never directly exposed to o,p'-DDT—only their grandmothers were, potentially when they were adolescents. The increased rise of obesity and early menarche due to o,p'-DDT exposures generations earlier may help explain why it has been so difficult to describe environmental contributors of disease. Have we been looking for exposures in the wrong generation?

See related article by Cirillo et al., p. 1480
Ipilimumab Combination Dosing: Less is More
Authors: Jameson-Lee Max , Luke Jason J.
Published: August 2021

Ipilimumab with and without anti–Programmed Death 1 (PD-1) improved overall survival (OS) in melanoma. Despite this, the optimal dose and therapeutic mechanism of ipilimumab in patients remains unclear. KEYNOTE-029 and other studies suggest that low-dose ipilimumab with anti-PD1 maintains efficacy while decreasing toxicity, emphasizing T-cell trafficking and reinvigoration as likely mechanisms.

See related article by Long et al., p. 5280
Impact of Excess Body Weight on Postsurgical Complications
Authors: Plassmeier Lars , Hankir Mohammed K. , Seyfried Florian
Published: August 2021

Background: Obesity is considered a risk factor for postoperative complications as it can limit exposure to the operation field, thereby significantly prolonging surgery time. Obesity-associated comorbidities, such as low-grade systemic inflammation, impaired functional status, and type 2 diabetes, are independent risk factors for impaired anastomotic wound healing and nonsurgical site infections. If obesity itself is an independent risk factor for surgical complications remains controversial, but the reason for this is largely unexplored. Summary: A MEDLINE literature search was performed using the terms: “obesity,” “excess body weight,” and “surgical complications.” Out of 65,493 articles 432 meta-analyses were screened, of which 25 meta-analyses were on the subject. The vast majority of complex oncologic procedures in the field of visceral surgery have shown higher complication rates in obese patients. Meta-analyses from the last 10 to 15 years with high numbers of patients enrolled consistently have shown longer operation times, higher blood loss, longer hospital stay for colorectal procedures, oncologic upper gastrointestinal (GI) procedures, and pancreatic surgery. Interestingly, these negative effects seem not to affect the overall survival in oncologic patients, especially in esophageal resections. A selection bias in oncologic upper GI patients may have influenced the results with higher BMI in upper GI cancer to be a predictor for better nutritional and performance status. Key Messages: Contrary to bariatric surgery, only limited evidence indicated that site and type of surgery, the approach to the abdominal cavity (laparoscopic vs. open), institutional factors, and the type of perioperative care such as ERAS protocols may play a role in determining postsurgical complications in obese patients. The initial question remains therefore partially unanswered. Large nationwide register-based studies are necessary to better understand which aspects of obesity and its related comorbidities define it as a risk factor for surgical complications.
Development of Epidermoid Metaplasia of the Mucosa in Association with Esophageal Intramural Pseudodiverticulosis and Candidiasis
Authors: Shintaku Masako , Shintaku Masayuki , Torii Ikuko
Published: August 2021

We report a case of epidermoid metaplasia of the esophageal mucosa that developed in a patient with a long history of esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis (EIPD) complicated by candidiasis. The patient, a 69-year-old man, had been treated for about 3 years for EIPD with candidiasis. After candidiasis improved, the development of epidermoid metaplasia of the esophageal mucosa was observed. It comprised longitudinally arranged, multiple, small, whitish flecks with a scaly appearance on the mucosa of the middle to lower esophagus, and pathological examination demonstrated several fine keratohyalin granules in superficial layers of the squamous epithelium. Six months later, candidiasis was almost cured, but these small flecks had slightly increased in size, and pathological examination demonstrated epidermoid metaplasia consisting of a thick, acellular keratin layer and well-developed granular layer beneath it. We considered that chronic candida esophagitis played the principal pathogenetic role in the development of epidermoid metaplasia. EIPD may have provided an environment suitable for the growth of fungi, and mucinous material contaminated by Candida and excreted from the orifices of EIPD may have irritated the mucosa and induced epidermoid metaplasia.
Two versions of the evolutionary debunking arguments and their challenges to moral realism
Authors: Parra Leal Víctor Emilio
Published: August 2021

This paper assesses some challenges posed by evolutionary debunking arguments in Joyce’s function and Street’s contingency versions to moral realism, understood as the metaethical theory according to which there are moral facts that are absolute, universal and context-independent. Some argue that Copp’s society centred realism is untenable given that it cannot support counterfactuals. Shafer-Landau and Huemer’s arguments are also subject to debunking because they cannot persuasively show that human morality is unaffected by evolutionary forces. In Huemer’s view, moral progress is proof of moral facts. It requires moral realism due to progress being context-dependent. From an evolutionary point of view, there are no previous standards and ideals concerning the direction of progress. Finally, a possible answer to the function version of the evolutionary debunking arguments is the possibility that the nature of human language (including moral language) is such that, in essence, it cannot be convincingly divided in language about facts and language about value.
Transição entre interior e exterior de edifícios com térreo livre em São Paulo e Nova Iorque
Authors: Salvi Ana Elena , Carriço José Marques , Almeida Ricardo de
Published: August 2021

O trabalho compara a legislação urbanística e sua espacialização em edifícios com térreo livre, para São Paulo, Brasil, e Nova Iorque, EUA, em períodos concomitantes. A partir de 1930, com o Plano de Avenidas de Prestes Maia, obras viárias em São Paulo impulsionaram a produção imobiliária no centro novo, construindo-se edifícios com galerias ou com programas multifuncionais com uso comercial nos térreos livres. A contrapartida do poder público à verticalização dos edifícios desejada pelo mercado imobiliário foi a legislação estudada. Esse modelo alastrou-se nas áreas da Paulista e Faria Lima. No caso de Nova Iorque, após 1960, sobretudo no Downtown e no Midtown, a legislação incentivou a construção de áreas de transição entre espaços públicos e privados, inicialmente como áreas abertas denominadas plazas ou cobertas denominadas arcades. A comparação mostra que, em Nova Iorque, há quantidade considerável desses espaços, que não se articulam com intervenções urbanísticas viárias, enquanto em São Paulo, as obras viárias serviram para produção de certo número de passagens e galerias. Em ambos os casos os benefícios à permeabilidade e à conectividade do tecido urbano são relevantes