bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural Gas Resource from Gas Hydrates Offshore the East Coast of Trinidad
Authors: Gift J. H. , Hosein R. , Jupiter A. , Wang J. Y.
Published: April 2022

The global shift toward environmentally friendly fuels has led to an increase in the usage of natural gas as an energy source. Natural gas is currently being produced from conventional gas reservoirs; however, there has been increased interest in the large repositories of highly compressed natural gas sequestered in gas hydrates. Well logs, as well as 3D seismic surveys, aid in the identification of geophysical features which support the presence of natural gas hydrates. Geophysical features include bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs), amplitude blanking, and enhanced reflections. Previous studies of the deepwater blocks offshore the eastern coast of Trinidad provided conflicting conclusions regarding the existence of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in Blocks 25A, 25B, 26, and 27. This study investigated not only the presence, but additionally the location, depth of the BSRs, and associated natural gas hydrate-bearing sediments, as well as the volumetric estimation of the hydrate-bound gas in these blocks, as well as Block 4B. Six gas hydrate-related BSRs were identified; one each in Blocks 4B, 25A, and 26, and three in Block 27. No BSRs were observed in Block 25B. Closer inspection revealed that the BSR in Block 26 is an extension of one of the BSRs in Block 27. A total gas resource in place is estimated to be 4–19 Tcf, which indicates that the eastern coast of Trinidad has the potential to provide additional natural gas reserves.
Trends in adults’ energy imbalance gaps over two decades in Belgium using system dynamics modelling
Authors: Fallah-Fini Saeideh , Rezaei Tannaz , Ridder Karin , Vandevijvere Stefanie
Published: April 2022

Background
The energy imbalance gap (EIG) represents the average daily difference between energy intake and energy expenditure. The maintenance energy gap (MEG) captures the increased energy intake needed to maintain a higher average bodyweight compared with an initial distribution of bodyweight. This study quantified the dynamics of the EIG and MEG over time and across different genders/regions/BMI groups for Belgian adults.
Methods
A validated system dynamics model was adapted to estimate the trends/dynamics of the EIG among different subpopulations over two decades in Belgium. The model was calibrated using data from the six Belgium national Health Interview Surveys (1997,2001,2004,2008,2013,2018).
Results
EIG was negative for all BMI groups among Belgian females in 2018, implying the start of a decrease in prevalence of overweight/obesity in this subpopulation. However, this was not the case among Belgian males. Flemish and Walloon males had positive EIGs across BMI groups in 2018, however, Brussels’ males showed negative EIGs across BMI groups. Flemish and Brussels’ females showed negative EIGs across all BMI groups in 2018, while Walloon females showed positive EIGs across almost all BMI groups. According to the MEG, Belgian men consumed (and expended) on average 59 kcal/day more in 2018 than in 1997 to maintain their heavier body weight. The MEG for Belgian women was 46kcal/day in 2018, triple the MEG in 2004.
Conclusions
The detailed heterogeneous trends of the EIG explain the obesity patterns for different subpopulations in Belgium and could be used to model the differential effects of specific nutrition policies targeting energy intake.
ASTERI: Image-based representation of EEG signals for motor imagery classification
Authors: Gomes Juliana Carneiro , Rodrigues Marcelo Cairrão de Araújo , Santos Wellington Pinheiro dos
Published: April 2022

Purpose
Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are valuable in the monitoring and investigation of neurological diseases and in the control of brain-machine interfaces (BCI). However, these signals are noisy and are non-linear and non-stationary in nature. Signal analysis is an expensive task and can lead to misdiagnosis. Deep learning can be used to overcome these challenges. The most used deep architectures are based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Representing EEG signals as images can be useful to use deep architectures based on CNNs in solutions based on intelligent EEG-based systems.
Methods
In this work, we propose the ASTERI method, for representing EEG signals in two dimensions using the backprojection reconstruction method. To validate the proposal, experiments were performed with motor imagery EEG signals from the BCI Competition IV 2b motor imagery database. To extract attributes from the EEG signal windows, we used the ASTERI representation and investigated the pre-trained networks VGG16 and LeNet. To classify the final classification of imagined movements to the right and to the left, we used Random Forests.
Results
For the original database, the validation with 100 trees achieved an average accuracy and kappa index of 88.97% and 0.78, respectively. In the case of augmented databases with synthetic instances, the average accuracies were 89.10% and 89.13% for increases of 50% and 150% for each class, respectively.
Conclusion
The experimental results showed that the ASTERI method, together with hybrid deep architectures based on CNN and Random Forests, can generate competitive results in solving motor imagery problems. The representation of signals as images can also con tribute to the exploration of new solutions of applied neuroscience problems based on deep architectures.
ThGM cells as a prognostic and predictive marker for coronary heart disease
Authors: Mou Dachao , Wu Shasha , Jiao Ling , Zhou Yi , Bai Xiufeng
Published: April 2022

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is causing by the aberrant aggregation of immune cells in plaque. This study aimed to identify abnormal T cell subtypes and inflammatory factors in CHD patients.Methods and results T cell subsets from 187 CHD patients were analyzed using flow cytometry. Plasma concentration of cytokines were analyzed by Luminex. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the number of ThGM cells was higher in CHD patients. The proportion of Th17 and Th1 cells were also increased in CHD patients. levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10 were significantly higher in CHD patients (P<0.05). However, levels of GM-CSF were slightly lower in CHD patients. Conclusions ThGM can be considered as a diagnostic marker of CDH.
Effects of Plasmon Resonance on the low frequency noise and optoelectronic properties of Au/Cu codoped ZnO based photodetectors
Authors: Elkamel Imen Ben , Hamdaoui Nejeh , Mezni amine , Ajjel Ridha , beji lotfi
Published: April 2022

We have investigated the effect of Au nanoparticles on the low frequency noise and current-voltage of Au/Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles (Nps) based photodetectors (PDs). Besides, 1/f noise of Cu doped ZnO is studied with and without Au Nps conditions and varied bias voltages. The Au/Cu codoped ZnO Nps showed much lower 1/f noise and higher normalized photocurrent to the dark current ratio (NPDR) than Cu doped ZnO Nps and undoped ZnO Nps. This enhancement may be attributed to the effect of localized surface Plasmon resonances (LSPR). Furthermore, the noise equivalent power (NEP) and the detectivity (D*) were determined using low frequency noise measurements. The observed low frequency noise performances could be used for Au/Cu codoped ZnO Nps based UV photodetectors.
Combination technique using patchwork and partial softening to determine the collision toughness and intrusion prevention in side crash simulation
Authors: Lee Min Sik , Jin Chul Kyu , Lim Ok Dong , Suh Jun Ho
Published: April 2022

Various techniques have been applied to center pillar to enhance collision characteristics during side crash. Among these techniques, the patchwork (PW) was welded to center pillar to strengthen the stiffness and partial softening (PS) was applied to provide ductility. Side crash test was conducted by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to evaluate collision resistance. But it is hard to evaluate collision toughness and energy distribution flow for each automobile component. In this study, the side crash simulation was performed along with IIHS instruction. The effect of Hot Press Forming (HPF) center pillar with the combination techniques of PW and PS on collision toughness and energy distribution flow was investigated. As a result, the role of PW and PS techniques were verified during side crash. The strain energy and intrusion displacement by PW were improved 10, 7.5% respectively and the plastic deformation energy and intrusion displacement by PS were improved 10%. When PW and PS were applied to the HPF center pillar simultaneously, the synergy effect of PW and PS occurred.
MgO nanoparticle effect on nonlinear refractive index of nematic liquid crystal doped with Sudan black B dye using of Z-scan method
Authors: Pourmostafa Davoud , Tajalli Habib , Vahedi Ali , Milanchian Karim
Published: April 2022

The effect of added MgO nanoparticles on nonlinear optical properties of 6CHBT liquid crystal doped with Sudan black B dye were studied by z-scan technique using of cw He-Ne laser at 632.8 nm. The cell used had homogeneous alignment. The MgO nanoparticles were added to 6CHBT liquid crystal doped with 0.3 wt% Sudan black B dye, at three concentrations of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 wt%. It was found that the added MgO nanoparticles did not significantly change the nonlinear refractive index of the compound at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.6 wt% while increasing it at 0.3 wt%.
Sexually Transmitted Infection and Related High-Risk Behaviors among female sex workers in Iran: results of the national rapid assessment & response (RAR), 2017
Authors: Roshanfekr Payam , moftakhar Leila , Ali Delaram , Vameghi Meroe , Narouee Sakineh , soufi khodamord , SoleimanvandiAzar Neda
Published: April 2022

Background: Sexually transmitted infections are one of the most important public health problems and have serious consequences for female sex worker. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of STIs among sex workers and to identify high-risk behaviors affecting STIs.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 898 women sex workers were studied in 21 provinces of Iran from October 2016 to March 2017. The required information was collected through self-report and completing a questionnaire. Simple and multiple logistic regression was used with 95% significance level. To identify risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases.Results: The prevalence of STIs was 41.8%. Multiple logistic regression results showed that the odds of getting STIs in FSW over the age of 35was 5.6 times higher than FSWs 18-24 years (AOR = 5.65, 95% CI: 1.035, 30.90), and the odds of getting STIs in FSWs with imprisonment was 3 times higher in FSW without imprisonment (AOR = 3.00, 95% CI: 1.04, 8.62), Also odds of getting STIs in FSWs who used injectable drugs was 17.2 times higher in FSW who did not take injectable drugs (AOR = 17.21, 95% CI: 2.54, 116.59). But self-perceived risk of HIV was borderline (AOR = 3.81, 95% CI: 0.97, 14.93),Conclusion: The findings of this study can provide evidence for designing and implementing for risk reduction interventions for FSWs.
COVID-19 vaccine and Menstrual conditions in female: data analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
Authors: Zhang Bing , Yu Xiao , Liu Jinxing , Liu Pengfei
Published: April 2022

Background: In reports of adverse reactions following vaccination with the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) vaccines, there have been fewer reports of concern for menstrual disorders in female.
Objective: Our study used Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System(VAERS)to investigate and analyze the relationship between COVID-19 Vaccines and menstrual disorders in female.
Methods: We collected reports of menstrual disorders in VAERS from July 2, 1990 to November 12, 2021, and performed a stratified analysis. The potential relationship between COVID-19 vaccine and reports of menstrual disorders was evaluated using the Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) method.
Results: A total of 14,431 reports of menstrual disorders were included in the study, and 13,118 were associated with COVID-19 vaccine. The ROR was 7.83 (95% confidence interval [95%CI]:7.39-8.28). The most commonly reported event was Menstruation irregular (4998 reports), and a higher percentage of female aged 30-49 years reported menstrual disorders (42.55%) after exposure to COVID-19 Vaccines. Both for all reports of menstrual disorders (ROR=5.82; 95%CI:4.93-6.95) and excluding reports of unknown age (ROR=13.02; 95%CI:10.89-15.56), suggest that female age may be associated with menstrual disorders after vaccination with the COVID-19 Vaccines.
Conclusion: Our study suggests a potential safety signal among female who received the COVID-19 vaccine, which may cause menstrual disorders in young adult female (30-49 years old). However, due to the well-known limitations of spontaneous reporting data, it is challenging to directly define menstrual disorders as an adverse event of the COVID-19 Vaccines, and reports of adverse reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines in this age group should continue to be tracked.
Novel PVA/Chitosan composite membrane modified using bio fabricated α -MnO2 nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of cationic dyes
Authors: Srivast Vartika , Choubey Abhay Kumar
Published: April 2022

By integrating the benefits of poly vinyl alcohol and chitosan with bio fabricated α-MnO2 nanoparticles, a novel type polymer-nanocomposite membrane was synthesized through a simple and facile casting method. In this proposed work, the membrane prepared was used for removal of organic textile dyes from their aqueous solution. Two cationic dyes, methylene blue and eosin yellow were chosen as template dyes to be removed from industrial waste water. These dyes were degraded by carrying out a reaction in which the synthesized membrane was used as a photocatalyst. The photocatalyst was found to be highly efficient for removal of these dyes from their aqueous solutions. The efficiency of catalyst and the rate of reaction were also examined by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration of dyes and composition of membrane. The catalyst was found to be reusable as its efficiency did not deteriorate even after using it for 5 times. Such functional membrane having higher stability, low production cost, excellent efficiency to degrade dyes and good recyclability are promising material for distinctly effective deletion of organic dyes from waste water.
Hydrochemical characteristics and microbial community evolution of Pinglu river affected by regional abandoned coal mine drainage, Guizhou province, China
Authors: Chen Di , Zhang Yun , Feng Qiyan
Published: April 2022

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from abandoned coal mines has become the main source of recharge for Pinglu River. The revelation of the hydrochemical characteristics of regional AMD contamination and the evolution of river microbial communities can contribute to the source management and ecological remediation of AMD pollution. In this study, we collected twelve abandoned coal mine drainage (group M), eight polluted river water samples (group R) and five river sediment samples for comprehensive analysis. Results indicated that SO4-Ca·Mg was the main hydrochemical type of group M samples, and the Ca/Mg ratio of drainage was significantly negatively correlated with SO42- (R2=0.612, p<0.05). The confluence of AMD resulted in a gradual change of river hydrochemical type from SO4·HCO3-Ca·Mg to SO4-Ca·Mg, accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in sediment microbial community diversity. In addition, significant differences in microbial community composition and diversity were observed between the upstream and downstream sediment of Pinglu river, and these differences were mainly attributed to pH, TOC and TP. Results of BugBase phenotype prediction demonstrated that the relative abundance of anaerobic microorganisms in river sediment gradually decreased from upstream to downstream (from 24.77 to 12.46%), which was mainly contributed by genera such as Geobacter, Citrifermentans, Luteitalea and Vicinamibacter.
Role of narrative medical education in cultivating empathy of general practitioners
Authors: zhao jianhua , ouyang xiantao , li qiong , liu hao , wang fan , li qing , xu zhixiu , ji sibei , yue shuangzhu
Published: April 2022

Objective To explore the role of narrative medicine in empathy training in standardized training of general practitioners. Methods A total of 230 general practitioners under neurology training among the 2018-2020 residents in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University were enrolled in this study and randomly divided into the study and control groups. The study group received narrative medical education in addition to the standardized routine resident training. The medical student version of the Jefferson Empirology Scale (Jefferson empathy scale for medical students, JES-MS) was used to evaluate the empathy teaching results of the study group and compare the neurology professional knowledge test scores of the two groups. Results In the study group, the empathy ability score was higher than the pre-teaching score (P<0.01). The neurological professional knowledge examination score of the study group physicians was higher than that in the control group, albeit not significantly. Conclusion The addition of narrative medical education in the standardized training improves the empathy of general practitioners and professional knowledge of neurology.
ROC-tree algorithm for stratification of binary classifier sets with varied discrimination threshold
Authors: Ganushchak Yuri M. , Barenburg P. J.C. , Maessen J. G. , Nia P Sardari
Published: April 2022

Binary classifier systems are used in multiple practical situations. Evaluation of diagnostic ability of a binary classifier, as its discrimination threshold is varied, often requires data transformation by performing aggregation operations. One of the most used aggregation methods is division by percentiles which divides the data set at the equal by size subgroups blindly, independently from the structure of data. We developed a ROC-tree algorithm for selection of threshold values, which is a recursive downwards splitting of each group at the two subgroups (branches) by cut-off point of ROC curve. We showed that suggested ROC-tree algorithm allows to define optimal (natural) boundaries and number of groups. Two methods of data aggregation (percentiles and ROC-tree algorithms) were tested using the dataset ‘Credit Card Fraud Detection’ (https://www.kaggle.com/mlg-ulb/creditcardfraud). The results of one-vs-one reduction for the assessment of the multiclass classifications were presented as macro-average of hybrid threshold performance metrics. The macro-averages of metrics like Youden index, accuracy, optimized precision, and geometric mean were significantly different between used aggregation algorithms. The differences between macro-average of metrics ROC-tree and quartiles algorithms of stratification were preserved during 10 fold stratified cross-validation procedure. Using algorithm sensitive to the distribution patterns, e.g., ROC-tree algorithm showed adequate stratification at groups by natural cut-off points determined by the data set composition. This method provides effective aggregation for summarizing or analyzing data in a various fields of sciences. In health care described algorithm allows effective evaluation of mortality causes and quality control specialized medical care by hospitals.
Epidemiology of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Kazakhstan: Data from Unified National Electronic Health System 2014-2019
Authors: Galiyeva Dinara , Gusmanov Arnur , Sakko Yesbolat , Issanov Alpamys , Atageldiyeva Kuralay , Kadyrzhanuly Kainar , Nurpeissova Aiymzhan , Rakhimzhanova Marzhan , Durmanova Aigul , Sarria-Santamera Antonio , Gaipov Abduzhappar
Published: April 2022

Background: We aimed to explore descriptive epidemiology of T1 and T2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and to investigate demographic factors and comorbidities associated with all-cause mortality by aggregating and utilizing large-scale administrative healthcare data from the Unified National Electronic Health System (UNEHS) for 2014-2019 years period.Methods: We used Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test to calculate failure function and differences in survival by age, sex, ethnicity, and comorbidities with all-cause mortality for Type 1 and Type 2 DM. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to obtain crude and adjusted hazard ratios.Results: Prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 DM increased 1.7 times from 2014 to 2019. Mortality of Type 1 and Type 2 DM also increased 4 times and 6 times from 2014 to 2019, respectively. Male sex, older age and Kazakh ethnicity were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death compared to females, younger age and other nationalities than Kazakh in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 DM. Coronary artery disease, diabetic nephropathy, stroke, amputations and neoplasms were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death. Conclusion: The prevalence and mortality rate of Type 1 and Type 2 DM increased during the years 2014 - 2019 in Kazakhstan. Male sex, older age and Kazakh ethnicity were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death compared to females, younger age and other nationalities than Kazakh. Coronary artery disease, diabetic nephropathy, stroke, amputations and neoplasms were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death.
A simple self-assembling system of melittin for hepatoma treatment
Authors: Zhang Zhenhai , Jin Xin , Yang Qing , Song Jie
Published: April 2022

Hepatoma is a serious public health concern. New attempts are urgently needed to solve this problem. Melittin, a host defense peptide derived from the venom of honeybees, has noteworthy hemolysis and non-specific cytotoxicity in clinical applications. Here, the self-assembly of melittin and vitamin E-succinic acid-(glutamate)12 (VG) was fabricated via noncovalent π-stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions by an environment-friendly method without the use of “toxic” solvents. As expected, the designed self-assembly (denoted as M/VG nanoparticles) exhibits a uniform morphology with a particle size of approximately 60 nm and a zeta potential of approximately − 26.8 mV. Furthermore, added VG significantly decreased hemolytic activity, increased tumor-targeted effects, promoted the cellular uptake, and accelerate apoptosis. Our research provides a promising strategy for the development of natural self-assembled biological peptides for clinical application, particularly for transforming toxic peptides into safe therapeutic systems.
Wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) and landraces (Hordeum vulgare) from Turkey contain an abundance of novel Rhynchosporium commune resistance loci
Authors: Clare Shaun James , Oğuz Arzu Çelik , Effertz Karl , Karakaya Aziz , Azamparsa Mohammad Reza , Brueggeman Robert Saxon
Published: April 2022

Rhynchosporium commune, the causal agent of the disease scald or leaf blotch of barley is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen of global importance, responsible for yield losses ranging from 30-40% on susceptible varieties. To date, over 150 resistance loci have been characterized in barley. However, due to the suspected location of the R. commune host jump in Europe, European germplasm has been the primary source used to screen for R. commune resistance leaving wild (Hordeum spontaneum) and landrace (H. vulgare) barley populations from the center of origin largely underutilized. A diverse population consisting of 94 wild and 188 barley landraces from Turkey were genotyped using PCR-GBS amplicon sequencing and screened with six Turkish R. commune isolates. The isolates were collected from distinct geographic regions of Turkey with two from the Aegean region, two from central Turkey and two from the Fertile Crescent region. The data was utilized for association mapping analysis with a total of 21 loci identified, of which 13 were novel, indicating that these diverse primary barley gene pools contain an abundance of novel R. commune resistances that could be utilized for resistance breeding.
OXR1 maintains the retromer to delay brain aging under dietary restriction
Authors: Kapahi Pankaj , Wilson Kenneth , Bar Sudipta , Dammer Eric , Hodge Brian , Carrera Enrique , Hilsabeck Tyler , Bons Joanna , Brownridge George , Beck Jennifer , Rose Jacob , Granath-Panelo Melia , Nelson Christopher , Afenjar Alexandra , Chawla Geetanjali , Brem Rachel , Campeau Philippe , Bellen Hugo , Schilling Birgit , Seyfried Nicholas , Ellerby Lisa
Published: April 2022

Dietary restriction (DR) delays aging and neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms behind this remain to be elucidated. We identified genetic polymorphisms in mustard (mtd), the fly homolog of Oxidation resistance 1 (OXR1), which influenced lifespan and mtd expression in neurons in response to DR regulated by the transcription factor Traffic jam (TJ). Knockdown of mtd inhibited DR-mediated lifespan extension. We found that mtd expression naturally declines with age and that loss of mtd destabilized the retromer complex, which regulates trafficking and reuse of endocytosed proteins and lipids and maintains proper lysosomal function. Overexpression of retromer genes Vps35 or Vps26 or pharmacological restabilization with the compound R55 rescued lifespan and neurodegeneration in mtd-deficient flies as well as lysosomal defects in cells from patients who suffer from rapid neurological degeneration caused by loss-of-function of OXR1 variants. Multi-omic analyses in flies and humans showed that decreased Mtd/OXR1 associates with aging and multiple neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, and its overexpression rescued age-related visual decline and tauopathy in a fly model. Hence, OXR1 plays a conserved role in enhancing retromer function and is critical for neuronal health and longevity across species.
Cytogenetic analysis of patients with hematological malignancies
Authors: Yahya Dinnar , Miteva Valentina , Micheva Ilina , Ruseva Tsanka , Angelova Lyudmila
Published: April 2022

Cytogenetic analysis has been a part of the routine assessment of patients with haematological malignancies for several decades. We aim to summarize and assess the activity and performance of the Cytogenetic sector of the Laboratory of Medical Genetics – Varna, in regards to conventional cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow samples from patients with various haematological diagnoses. Another purpose is to evaluate the tendencies noticed over a period of eleven years in order to draw conclusions and share our experience.We performed retrospective analysis on all bone-marrow-derived samples in our centre during the period 2010-2020. We evaluated 2,653 results in total from patients of age 0-93 years. Samples were stained with the G-banding technique in accordance with the current European recommendations and the International System for Human Cytogenomic Nomenclature. A statistical analysis of tendencies over time was performed with the use of GraphPad Prism (v. 8.3.0).Haematological malignancy was the most frequent indication (90.9%) with predominance of acute myeloid leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute lymphoid leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia, and multiple myeloma. Analysis was successful in 2,215 (83.5%) - from those normal karyotype was found in 1492 (67.4%), and pathology - in 723 (32.6%). Regarding the latter, most common were complex karyotype (29.9%), Philadelphian chromosome (21%), trisomy 8 (6.1%) and deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5 (4.4%).The method holds a great influence over the evaluation of haematological malignancies and thus it remains an essential part of standard work-up of these diseases. The scientific society recognizes the disadvantages of cytogenetic analysis; as our own experience also confirms, an additional genetic method of greater resolution capacity is needed.
Constructing a Novel Signature and Predicting the Immune Landscape of Colon Cancer Using N6-Methylandenosine-Related lncRNAs
Authors: Wang Yongfeng , Xu Tianchun , Lin Kaili , Jiang Xianglai , Zhang Dongzhi , Liu Xingguang , Ma Haizhong , Fu Liangyin , Zhang Guangming , Wang Haolan , Cai Hui
Published: April 2022

Background: Colon cancer (CC) is a prevalent malignant tumor that affects people all around the world. In this study, N6-methylandenosine-related long non-coding RNAs (m6A- related lncRNAs) in 473 colon cancers and 41 adjacent tissues of CC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were investigated. Method: The Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the m6A-related lncRNAs, and the univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to screen 38 prognostic m6A-related lncRNAs. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were carried out on 38 prognostic lncRNAs to develop a 14 m6A-related lncRNAs prognostic signature (m6A-LPS) in CC. The availability of the m6A-LPS was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Three m6A modification patterns with significantly different N stages, survival time, and immune landscapes were identified. It has been discovered that the m6A-LPS, which is based on 14 m6A-related lncRNAs, may represent a new, promising biomarker with great potential. It was re-evaluated in terms of survival rate, clinical features, tumor infiltration immune cells, biomarkers related to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs), and chemotherapeutic drug efficacy. Conclusion: This study revealed that the risk signature is a promising predictive indicator that may provide more accurate clinical applications in CC therapeutics and enable effective therapy strategies for clinicians.
Experimental Evidence for E = n 1 2 hν Energy Transfer
Authors: P. Bhanumoorthy
Published: April 2022

Crystal diffraction involves energy transfer into and from the crystal. Bragg's law defines an inter-planar spacing as $2\pi$ radians and corresponds to $E=12.4/\lambda$ which is $E=nh\nu$ energy transfer. Energy difference between adjacent Davisson-Germer peaks observed in the historic experiment follows $E=6.2/\lambda$ which is $E=n\fr12h\nu$ energy transfer. One-full oscillation in $2\pi$ radians is one-full quantum of energy transfer and one-half oscillation in $\pi$ radians is one-half quantum of energy transfer. The phenomenon of $E=n\fr12h\nu$ energy transfer defines the Maxwell diffraction law $2d_{\ve k}\sin\theta_{\ve k}=\lambda$ in terms of diffraction angle $\theta_{\ve k}$ where inter-planar spacing $d_{\ve k}$ becomes $\pi$ radians characteristic of an anti-node of a standing wave. Cartesian description cannot accommodate $\pi$ in place of $2\pi$. Hence, the Maxwell diffraction law in place of Bragg's law becomes the starting point for the new field of partial wave quantum crystallography to use precision angles measurable in the experiment for direct method solution to phase problem for macromolecular crystallography.
Living in Ancestrally Diverse States of the United States is Associated with Greater Vagal Tone
Authors: Harrod Ethan G. , Shrira Ilan , Martin Jared D. , Niedenthal Paula M.
Published: April 2022

Over evolution, humans have primarily responded to dissimilar others (“strangers”) with flight or fight responses. Despite this, contemporary migration patterns are increasing intergroup contact. What gives rise to an individual’s ability to regulate their arousal such that social engagement with outgroup members is possible? We propose that cultural practices that evolve in ancestrally diverse, compared to ancestrally homogeneous, societies provide more opportunities for society members to engage in emotion regulation. This regulatory exercise in turn promotes higher vagal tone – a physiological indicator of one’s ability to effectively manage arousal in social interaction. In a secondary analysis of data from the MIDUS 2 Biomarker Project we find that the ancestral diversity of the states of the United States significantly predicts the average vagal tone of the state’s citizens. The findings suggest that social context is associated with predictable and significant adaptations of human physiology over individual lifetimes.
Exact mean-field models for spiking neural networks with adaptation
Authors: Chen Liang , Campbell Sue Ann
Published: April 2022

Networks of spiking neurons with adaption have been shown to be able to reproduce a wide range of neural activities, including the emergent population bursting and spike synchrony that underpin brain disorders and normal function. Exact mean-field models derived from spiking neural networks are extremely valuable, as such models can be used to determine how individual neuron and network parameters interact to produce macroscopic network behaviour. In the paper, we derive and analyze a set of exact mean-field equations for the neural network with spike frequency adaptation. Specifically, our model is a network of Izhikevich neurons, where each neuron is modeled by a two dimensional system consisting of a quadratic integrate and fire equation plus an equation which implements spike frequency adaptation. Previous work deriving a mean-field model for this type of network, relied on the assumption of sufficiently slow dynamics of the adaptation variable. However, this approximation did not succeed in establishing an exact correspondence between the macroscopic description and the realistic neural network, especially when the adaptation time constant was not large. The challenge lies in how to achieve a closed set of mean-field equations with the inclusion of the mean-field expression of the adaptation variable. We address this problem by using a Lorentzian ansatz combined with the moment closure approach to arrive at a mean-field system in the thermodynamic limit. The resulting macroscopic description is capable of qualitatively and quantitatively describing the collective dynamics of the neural network, including transition between tonic firing and bursting. We extend the approach to a network of two populations of neurons and discuss the accuracy and efficacy of our mean-field approximations by examining all assumptions that are imposed during the derivation. Numerical bifurcation analysis of our mean-field models reveal bifurcations not previously observed in the models, including a novel mechanism for emergence of bursting in the network. We anticipate our results will provide a tractable and reliable tool to investigate the underlying mechanism of brain function and dysfunction from the perspective of computational neuroscience.
Identification of WWTR1 as an immune infiltration-correlated prognostic biomarker in colon cancer
Authors: Liu Xinnong , Ge Jianshun , Tian Linlin , Zhang Jie , wang Rui , Li Haining , Ding Yanbing , Lu Guotao , Yin Xudong
Published: April 2022

WWTR1, a gene related to the TGF-β signaling pathway, has been elucidated to be involved in oncogenesis in multiple studies. There is, however, no research on its link to immune infiltration in colon cancer. The TCGA database has identified WWTR1, a gene related to the TGF-β signaling pathway, which is lowly expressed in colon cancer patients compared to normal subjects. Meanwhile, with GEO and the TCGA database, we produced the Kapan-Meier curve, which revealed that colon cancer patients with high WWTR1 expression had a poor prognosis. We discovered that high expression of WWTR1 in colon cancer was associated with clinical stage, pathological T-stage, and lymphatic metastasis after examining the clinical characteristics of colon cancer patients. WWTR1 was found to be an independent predictive factor for colon cancer in a multivariate Cox regression study. Infiltration of immunological cells (B cells, CD8 + T cells, CD4 + T cells, Macrophage, Neutrophil, Dendritic cells) was linked to WWTR1 expression. In colon cancer, WWTR1 expression was also found to be favorably linked with major immune cell markers. WWTR1 expression levels were associated to ameboidal-type cell migration, focal adhesion, actin binding, Chemical carcinogenesis - reactive oxygen species, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and Alzheimer disease, according to an analysis of WWTR1 differentially co-expressed genes (DCGs), GO, and KEGG enrichment analysis. These findings imply that WWTR1 is a prognostically valuable and important biomarker for colon cancer, and that its expression is strongly linked to colon cancer immune infiltration, making it a potential new target for colon cancer biotherapy.
Characterization of solution blow spun poly(lactic) acid based nanofibers containing sucuk spice mix essential oils
Authors: Ozcan Iklime , SARICAOĞLU Furkan Türker , Dagdelen Adnan Fatih , Cinar Aycan , Dundar Ayse Neslihan , Tosun Fatih
Published: April 2022

In this study, essential oil from sucuk spice mix was incorporated into poly(lactic) acid (PLA) and nanofibers were produced via solution blow spinning (SBS). Essential oil incorporation was performed at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% (v/w) of PLA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermal properties, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus were characterized. Nanofibers were not soluble in water due to the hydrophobic nature of PLA. SEM images revealed that beadles and uniform nanofibers can be produced with SBS, and essential oil addition decreased the average fiber diameter. The surface topography of nanofibers was improved by increasing essential oil concentration. Melting and glass transition temperatures decreased and the thermal stability of nanofibers increased with essential oil addition. Nanofibers containing essential oil at 30% had the highest antioxidant capacity (40.02%). Nanofibers containing 20, 25, and 30% of essential oil had greater growth inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. As a result, PLA-based nanofibers containing sucuk spice mix essential oil can be produced with SBS, and nanofibers containing 20, 25, and 30% essential oil could be a promising system not only in drug delivery systems but also in food packaging.
One-component delocalized nonlinear vibrational modes of square lattices
Authors: Ryabov D. S. , Chechin G. M. , Naumov E. K. , Semenov A. S. , Korznikova E. A. , Dmitriev Sergey V.
Published: April 2022

All possible one-component delocalized nonlinear vibrational modes (DNVMs) in a square lattice are analyzed. DNVMs are obtained taking into account exclusively the symmetry of a square lattice, and therefore they exist regardless of the type of interactions between particles. In this work, the interactions of the nearest and next nearest neighbors are described by the β-FPU potential. For each DNVM, frequency, kinetic and potential energies are described as functions of amplitude. The mechanical stresses caused by DNVMs and the effect of DNVMs on the stiffness constants of the lattice are presented. DNVMs with higher vibration frequencies have a stronger effect on the mechanical properties of the lattice. Examples of analytical analysis of DNVMs are given. It is found that two of the sixteen one-component DNVMs can have frequencies above the phonon band in the entire range of their amplitudes. These DNVMs can be used to construct discrete breathers by applying localizing functions.
Bridging archaeology and marine conservation in the Neotropics
Authors: Fossile Thiago , Herbst Dannieli Firme , McGrath Krista , Toso Alice , Giannini Paulo César Fonseca , Milheira Rafael Guedes , Gilson Simon-Pierre , Ferreira Jessica , Bandeira Dione da Rocha , Haimovici Manuel , Ceretta Bruna , Bender Mariana G. , Colonese André Carlo
Published: April 2022

Anthropogenic impacts on tropical and subtropical coastal environments are increasing at an alarming rate compromising ecosystem function, structure and services. Understanding the scale of marine population decline and diversity loss requires a long-term perspective that incorporates information from a range of sources. The Southern Atlantic Ocean, however, represents a major gap in our understanding of pre-industrial marine species composition. Here we contribute to fill this gap by performing an extensive review of the published data on Middle and Late Holocene marine fish composition along the southern coast of Brazil. This region preserves archaeological sites that are unique archives of past socio-ecological systems and of pre-European biological diversity. We assessed snapshots of species compositions and relative abundances spanning the last 5000 years, and modelled differences in species’ functional traits between archaeological and modern fisheries. We found evidence for both generalist and specialist fishing practices in pre-European times, with large body size and body mass caught regularly over hundreds of years. Comparison with modern catches revealed a significant decline in these functional traits, possibly associated with overfishing and the escalating human impacts in recent times.
Characterization of rectal cancer: Whole-tumour histogram analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging at 3 T
Authors: Sun Yiqun , Wang Yueming , Li Jianwen , Fu Caixia , Xin Chao , Cai Sanjun , Tong Tong , Gu Yajia
Published: April 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the performance of whole-tumour histogram analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in the characterization of rectal cancer.Methods: Forty-two rectal cancer patients were retrospectively enrolled. Histogram analysis of D, K and the conventional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated. Student’s t test or the Mann–Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for statistical analysis.Results: The ADCSD and ADCkurtosis were significantly higher in N (+) patients than in N0 patients (p<0.05). The ADCSD, DSD and Kkurtosis were significantly higher in PNI-positive patients than in PNI-negative patients (p<0.05). Dskewness was significantly higher in KRAS mutation-type patients than in KRAS wild-type patients (p<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of the multiparametric ADCSD and ADCkurtosis values for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes was 0.816 (p<0.001); the sensitivity and specificity were 81.0% and 76.2%, respectively. The AUC of the multiparametric ADCSD, DSD, and Kkurtosis values for the detection of PNI was 0.830 (p<0.001); the sensitivity and specificity were 80% and 88.9%, respectively. Dskewness can be used to determine the KRAS status; the cut-off value, AUC, sensitivity and specificity were 0.465, 0.732 (p=0.010), 78.3%, and 73.7%, respectively. Conclusion: Whole-tumour histogram analysis of DKI could be used to identify both pathological and genetic characteristics of rectal cancer.
Nanometric cutting mechanism of cerium-lanthanum alloy
Authors: Zhao Chen-Yu , Lai Min , Fang Feng-Zhou
Published: April 2022

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is an effective approach to reveal the atomic-scale details of the material removal mechanism in nanometric cutting. In this study, through a MD simulation, we analyze the effects of cutting speed and cutting depth on cutting force and subsurface deformation of the cerium–lanthanum alloy during nanometric cutting. The results illustrate that the dislocations, stacking faults, and phase transitions occur on the material subsurface during the cutting process. The dislocations are mainly Shockley partial dislocation, and increasing the temperature and pressure during the cutting process leads to the transformation of γ-Ce (FCC) into β-Ce (HCP) and δ-Ce (BCC). β-Ce is mainly distributed in the stacking fault area, while δ-Ce is distributed in the boundary area between the dislocation atoms and γ-Ce atoms. The cutting speed and cutting depth are important factors affecting the distribution of subsurface damage. A thicker subsurface deformed layer on the machined surface, comprising dislocations, stacking faults, and lattice defects, is generated with an increase in the cutting speed and cutting depth. Simultaneously, the cutting speed and cutting depth significantly affect the cutting force, material removal rate, and generated subsurface state. The fluctuations in the cutting force are related to the generation and disappearance of dislocations. The higher the cutting speed and the deeper the cutting depth, the more phase-transition atoms on the subsurface.
GATA2 as an outcome signature: promoting bladder cancer migration and inhibiting PD-L1 expression
Authors: Sun Siqing , Bi Jianbin
Published: April 2022

BackgroundEmbryonic development is regulated by stem cells, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with cell stemness ; nevertheless, the EMT regulation by embryonic development-related genes has not been studied. Immune checkpoints exert an essential effect in tumor treatment ; however, their regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. MethodsWe obtained clinicopathological and transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Embryonic development- associated genes were obtained from The Human Gene Database. We identified genes using univariate Cox regression analysis and identified various subtypes using consensus clustering analysis. Immunoassays were performed using the CIBERSORT package and Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in the Malignant Tumor tissues using an expression data algorithm. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm and multivariate Cox regression analysis were adopted to generate the prognostic model. We used the OCLR and TIDE algorithms. We conducted functional experiments.ResultsTwenty-two embryonic development-associated genes were risk factors for bladder cancer, and their expression levels significantly correlated with the TNM stage. We assessed the extent of immune infiltration, regulation of immune checkpoints, and responses to immune checkpoint blockade based on these genes. These risk genes were associated with EMT and modulated immune checkpoints. Cellular experiments demonstrated that EVC2 and GATA2 drive BLCA invasion and migration. GATA2 regulated the PD-L1 expression.ConclusionWe identified three critical genes: RUNX2, GATA2 and EVC2. These three genes are related to EMT and immune cell infiltration and are independent prognostic elements for BLCA.
Prognostic value of serum cytokeratin 19 fragments in esophageal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Jianfeng , Fang Pinhao , Li Xiaokun , Luan Siyuan , Xiao Xin , Shang Qixin , Zhang Hanlu , Yang Yushang , Zeng Xiaoxi , yuan Yong
Published: April 2022

Background
Growing number of evidence has shown that cytokeratin 19 fragment (cyfra21–1), one of the vital tumor biomarkers, was commonly utilized in diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of esophageal cancer (EC). The purpose of this systematic and meta-analysis was to quantitatively evaluate the association between cyfra21–1 and EC prognosis.
Methods
Relevant literature was retrieved from databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Embase. Meta-analysis was conducted using hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of survival outcomes as effect size to quantitatively summarize.
Results
Totally 2568 patients from 11 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HR showed that elevated cyfra21–1 serum level was associated with poorer overall survival (OS), with the pooled HR being 1.37 (95%CI: 1.21–1.56, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that evaluated cyfra21–1 serum level was also associated with a poorer prognosis. The pooled HR was 1.31 (95%CI: 1.14–1.51, P < 0.001) for those patients who had been treated with surgery and 1.65 (95%CI: 1.23–2.21, P < 0.001) for patients treated with non-surgery.
Conclusion
This meta-analysis elucidated that cyfra21–1 was a robust prognostic biomarker in EC patients. A high serum level of cyfra21–1 was associated with poorer OS in EC, indicating that cyfra21–1 may involve in the mechanism of tumor progression.
Global, neuronal, and beta-cell specific deletion of insulin inhibitory receptor (incep-tor) improves glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice
Authors: Grandl Gerald , Colldén Gustav , Ansarullah Ansarullah , Xu Weiwei , Far Fataneh Fathi , Gruber Tim , Bastidas-Ponce Aimée , Zhang Qian , Novikoff Aaron , Garcia-Caceres Cristina , Tschöp Matthias , Lickert Heiko , Müller Timo
Published: April 2022

Our data support the hypothesis that inhibition of inceptor to sensitize INSR/IGF1R action may be a promising pharmacological target in the context of diet-induced impairments of glucose homeostasis, with the potential to avoid 𝛽-cell failure and to slow diabetes progression.