bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Enhancement and Nitriding Process of Fe Atomic Layers on Si (111)-7×7-CH3OH Surface
Authors: Li Wenxin , Ding Wanyu , Gong Youping , Ju Dongying
Published: February 2021

Fe atoms were steamed on Si(111)-7×7 surface, which had been saturated by CH3OH. Aim to greatly enhance the magnetic performance, nitriding experiments were implemented and adjusted on the existing linear Fe clusters. First of all, the dissociation of CH3OH adsorption process was deducted in detail, which laid a good foundation for the better use of surface quasi-potential. Further to solve the coming problems like weak linearity and low nitriding effect, the formation mechanism of iron-nitride was explored. Atomic layers of Fe deposition are confirmed as the key to NH3 dissociation process (at room temperature). Specifically, the higher Fe atomic layer contacted by NH3, the weaker influence of surface quasi-potential. With the introduction of Ar, Fe deposition could be controlled at 1-2 atomic layers, result in good NH3 dissociation and nitriding efficiency. Combing with magnetic performance result, the density of residual magnetization is improved from 1.5E-0.5 emu to 7.0E-0.5 emu, forming an obvious linear structure. It is also proved that our new linear iron-nitride clusters will maintain good stability with the improvement of nitriding efficiency.PACS: 07.79.Cz; 81.15.-z; 75.75.Fk
Cadmium in Cacao: ‘From Soil to Bar’ the Journey of Cadmium at a Farm Level
Authors: Bravo Daniel , Santander Margareth , Rodríguez Jader , Escobar Sebastian
Published: February 2021

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-nutritive element present across the earth. In cacao crops from South America, Cd has become one of the biggest challenges due to its flux from soils, and due to the enriched content of this metal, it makes its way into the beans and finally affects the chocolate quality. This manuscript aims to show how the flux of Cd occurs, from the soil to the post-harvest phase and chocolate production, by analysing the possible inputs to the system in a single farm assessed as a model for enriched-Cd status. This study shows that both geogenic and anthropogenic activities have an incidence on the final Cd content in chocolate, especially with respect to soil properties, fertiliser applications, post-harvest treatments and chocolate production.
Isolated Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia- Type B of Ileum: a Rare Occurrence
Authors: Rao Ram Nawal , Sengar Pratishtha
Published: February 2021

Background: Intestinal neuronal dysplasia type B in the gastrointestinal tract is a rare occurrence and may occur alone or in combination with Hirschsprung disease. Distal colon seems to be frequent site for isolated IND-B cases, however small bowel involvement is scarcely reported. Case presentation: We report a case of 9 years old boy presenting with features of intestinal pseudo-obstruction for 5 years. Exploratory laparotomy revealed narrowed distal ileum with huge proximal dilatation. Histopathology of the resected terminal ileum revealed giant submucosal ganglion, hyperplastic submucosal nerves and ectopic ganglion cells in the lamina propria suggestive of IND-B.Conclusions: Although IND-B involving ileum is a rare occurrence, suspicion should be kept in cases of intestinal obstruction with minimal response to conventional treatment.
Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 Is A Direct Target of The RAN-GTP Pathway And Mediated The Invasion, Migration And Metastasis of Human Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: El-Tanani Mohamed , Lee Yin-Fai , Haggag Yusuf , Sutherland Mark , Zhang Shu-Dong , Plat-Higgins Angela , Rudland Philip S
Published: February 2021

Background: Ras-related nuclear protein (RAN) causses increases in invasion in vitro and is associated with early breast cancer patients deaths in vivo. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Methods: Effect of RAN expression on potential targets MMP2, ATF3, CXCR3 was measured by Real-Time PCR / Western blots. Effects of MMP2 and RAN expression on cancer cell lines (e.g. MDA-MB231) was mearured by soft-agar, cell adhesion, and invasion assays. Correlation between MMP2 and RAN and patient survival times was examined in breast cancer patients.Results: Knockdown of RAN lead toreduction of MMP2 and its potential regulators ATF3 and CXCR3 in breast cancer cell lines. Knockdown of ATF3 or CXCR3 downregulates MMP2 without affecting RAN, indicating that RAN regulates MMP2 through ATF3 and CXCR3. Both knockdown of RAN and MMP2 reduced cell adhesion, migration and growth in agar invasion whilst overexpression of MMP2 reversed the knockdown of RAN. Moreover, the level of immunoreactive RAN and MMP2 are positively associated with each other and with patient survival times, respectively in breast cancer specimens, suggesting that a high level of RAN may be a pre-requisite for MMP2 overexpression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that MMP2 expression can stratify progression of breast cancers with a high and low incidence of RAN and both RAN and MMP2 in combination can be used for accurate patient stratification of breast cancer metastasis.
Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus on Growth and Nutrient Status in Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Plant
Authors: Thoker Sameer Ahmad , patel sapan
Published: February 2021

Background: The greatest challenge of today’s agriculture is to feed the growing population and restore the natural resources. World over demand of crops in market is more than production. Indian crop production needs to be doubled and just to maintain the present precipitate consumption. . Excessive use of chemical fertilizers causes environmental pollution both at the manufacturing and application sites. It is therefore most necessary to reduce the dependence on chemical inputs in agriculture. This is possible only through eco friendly approaches of farming system. Besides other biotechnological interventions, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could be used as bio inoculants for promotion of growth, development, quality and yield of vegetables that too under an Integrated Plant Growth substances management system. Mycorrhizal fungi are used in conventional agriculture to improve crop production and productivity.Methods: A pot culture was performed at Botanical Garden of School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University Gwalior to examine the effect of Glomus hoi on growth and certain biochemical parameters. Plants were raised in triplicates for different mycorrhizal species through the pot culture, containing sterile soil. Plastic pots of 18” × 12”size were used for this purpose. Pots were placed at a sunny place after the seed sowing. And after the seed germination, plants were irrigated as when requiredResults: After germination the inoculated plants along with their controls were be sampled at 30, 60 and 90 days. During sampling it was found that due to AMF symbiosis all growth and biochemical parameters like plant were increased in all AMF treated plants.
Clinical Outcome after Resection Rectopexy in patients with Constipation and Rectal Prolapse
Authors: Poljo Adisa , Klugsberger Bettina , Klimbacher Günther , Schimetta Wolfgang , Shamiyeh Andreas
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Laparoscopic resection rectopexy (LRR) is an established procedure for the treatment of rectal prolapse. This study evaluated constipation and gastrointestinal quality of life in patients before and after LRR for rectal prolapse.
Methods

30 patients (24 females, 6 males) underwent laparoscopic anterior (n = 14), posterior (n = 8) and suture resection rectopexy (n = 8) for rectal prolapse during 2010–2020. 25 were retrospectively evaluated for constipation and gastrointestinal quality of life using validated Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score (CCCS) and Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI).
Results

Constipation score was significantly reduced from median 16.0 ± 6.4 to 6.0 ± 4.7 after 68.0 ± 42.8 months (p < 0.001). Constipation was improved in 20 patients (80.0%), unaltered in 2 patients and worse in 3 patients. Prior abdominal surgeries were associated with less improvement for constipation (p < 0,05). Significant improvement in GIQLI score was observed, with median total GIQLI score increasing from 95.0 ± 14.8 to 124.0 ± 18.2 (p < 0.001). Quality of life improved in 21 patients (84.0%). Positive changes were also observed in GIQLI subgroups of gastrointestinal symptoms, emotions, physical status, social dysfunction and effects of medical treatment (p < 0.001). There was no difference in outcome between the three procedures.
Conclusion

Laparoscopic resection rectopexy for rectal prolapse is safe, feasible, and very effective regarding both perioperative results and long-term functional outcome. Our results suggest that LRR significantly improves constipation in patients with outlet obstruction and clearly contributes to a higher quality of life.
The labour-oriented, collective intelligence of ours: economic systems seen through the eyes of a neural network
Authors: Waśniewski Krzysztof
Published: February 2021

This article explores and substantiates the hypothesis that capital investment and real output in national economies are instrumental to the optimization of labour markets, i.e. human societies are oriented, most of all, on shaping their labour markets so as to assure an equilibrium between demographic growth and the set of social roles available. An original method, largely based on the Interface Theory of Perception, studies economic systems as manifestations of collective intelligence, learning by evolutionary tinkering with itself. An artificial neural network is used to study economic systems as Markov chains of states, and to discover their structuring σ-algebras, which turn out being oriented mostly on optimizing the compensation of labour and the average workload per person per year.
COVID-19 and The Livelihood of the Poor Peoples in some sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Wana Hika , Kudhama Gezahang , Tadesse Bona
Published: February 2021

The aim of this article is attempting to investigate in some sub-Saharan Africa risk due to COVID-19 and its impact on the livelihood of the poor based on an eyewitness, firsthand information and reports and Asses the tradeoff between the slogan of “stay at home” and the daily activity of the poor in the Africa. Subject and Methods: The article was used both systematic and empirical analysis approach to get brief idea on the COVI-19 and the Livelihood of the poor in the continent. The study looks highly about COVID-19 and economic contraction and political instability in the continent. The poor lose again, fiscal risk, export reduction, domestic violence and remittance lock are the main portion were clearly reviewed in this review article. Results: The article revealed that from all classes of people, the poor become poorest and livelihood of the marginalized people become critical question. Consequently, unemployment, inflation and income inequality are aggravated as pandemic arise in Africa. Most of oil exporting country like Nigeria, agricultural export country like Ethiopia, Kenya and Ivory coast are getting worse due to lock down. Conclusion: Slowing economic growth will undermine the ability of governments to provide basic public services in the medium term. The reputation of the security forces will further deteriorate as they struggle to enforce lockdowns with limited resources and discipline. Finally, the author suggest that Africa should follow FIDH and WB to arise from these ashes of destruction.
Physical Rehabilitation: A Gap in Care Following all Types of Breast Cancer Surgery.
Authors: McGhee Deirdre E , Steele Julie R
Published: February 2021

Purpose: To investigate the access to and content of physical rehabilitation received by women after different types of breast cancer surgery. Methods: On-line survey of 632 Australia women (59.8 years SD 9.6) grouped according to their last reported breast cancer surgery: (i) breast conserving surgery (BCS; n=228), (ii) mastectomy (n=208; MAST), and (iii) breast reconstruction (BRS; n=196). Respondents retrospectively reported the physical rehabilitation education and treatment they received for six physical side-effects. Chi square of analysis of the percentage of respondents who received any form of physical rehabilitation for each physical side-effect amongst the three groups. Tabulation of the percentage of the entire cohort (n=632) that had lymph nodes removed, post-operative complications, or pre-existing musculoskeletal issues who received any form of physical rehabilitation as part of standard post-operative care.Results: No significant difference was found in the percentage of respondents who received any form of physical rehabilitation across the three groups, except for the physical side-effects of lymphoedema and breast support issues. Substantial variation was found in the percentage that received physical rehabilitation across the different physical side-effects. Physical rehabilitation for shoulder issues and lymphoedema was received by 75% and 70% of respondents respectively as part of standard care, compared to scar and torso issues and physical discomfort disturbing sleep, where less than 50% received any form of physical rehabilitation. Conclusion: Access to physical rehabilitation is poor following all types of breast cancer surgery, with gaps in the physical rehabilitation provided for specific physical side-effects.
Design of an Ultra-thin Hepta-band Metamaterial Absorber for Sensing Applications
Authors: Jain Prince , Prakash Krishna , Gupta Neena , Sardana Neha , Kumar Sanjeev , Singh Arun Kumar
Published: February 2021

An ultra-thin metamaterial absorber (MMA) comprises of a split-ring-cross (SRC)-shaped resonator coupled with graphene and dielectric layer backed by metallic ground plane is presented for hepta-band applications. The proposed absorber demonstrates multiple absorption peaks at 2.33, 5.24, 7.74, 8.25, 10.05, 10.97 and 12.61 THz with average absorption more than 96 % . The physical mechanism of the hepta-band absorption is analyzing by electric field distribution and attributed to the combination of dipolar and LC resonance. Furthermore, the effect of geometric parameters is analyzed to validate the optimal selection of the structural parameters. In addition, proposed MMA is analyzed for different incident and polarization angles suggesting that absorption response is insensitive to polarization angles. Compared with the previously reported MMAs, proposed design is ultra-thin (0.036λ) and compact (0.21λ) at the lowest operational frequency. The absorptivity at 12.61 THz is 99.81 % and the corresponding quality (Q) factor is 31.52 for a bandwidth of 0.40 THz. The proposed absorber can be potentially utilized in detection, sensing and imaging. Moreover, sensing performance of the proposed MMA has been investigated using overlayer thickness and overlayer permittivity.
Centrifugal and Numerical Investigation of Surface Fault Rupture Hazard Mitigation for Shallow Foundations Using Micro-Piles 
Authors: Azizkandi Alireza Saeedi , Majidi Sheida , Ghavami Sadegh
Published: February 2021

Surface fault rupturing mostly contributes to either large-scale destruction or minor damage of the constructions and the infrastructures which are built across fault zones. Among the numerous mitigation strategies which have been suggested, a novel approach refers to implementing expanded polystyrene sheets (EPS) wall to deviate the fault rupture. However, the shallow foundations which are protected by EPS walls still rotate in some particular positions toward the fault rupture. This study investigates the probability of deviating the reverse fault rupture by installing a strong inclined wall (SIW) beneath the surface foundation both physically and numerically. Due to the effectiveness of adopting the mentioned method, a further three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) modeling is conducted, employing the validated numerical model to divide the SIW into a row of strong inclined micro-piles (SIMPs). The installation of SIMPs in both a convenient and environmentally friendly strategy was carried out and the pivotal parameters of designing such micro-piles including their diameter, the angle of installation, and the optimal distance between each two-consecutive implemented micro-piles were investigated in a parametric study. The results indicate that executing a well-designed row of micro-piles with the proper angle of installation can protect a surface foundation against a reverse fault rupture.
Spatial Distribution and Relative Enrichment of Some Upper-Group Trace Elements in Rhizosphere of Highly Anthropized and Rapidly Developing Tropical Environment
Authors: Tyopine Andrew , Obalum Sunday E. , Okoye Chukwuma , Igwe Charles
Published: February 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Intraventricular T3 reverses chronic restraint stress-induced depressive-like behaviors: Inhibition of NF-κB/ NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in the hippocampus
Authors: Mokhtari Tahmineh , El-Kenawy AymanEl-Meghawry , Hu Li
Published: February 2021

In this study, the effects of triiodothyronine (T3) were evaluated on the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome complex formation in the rat's hippocampus with restraint stress-induced depressive-like behaviors.Thirty-six Wistar male rats were randomly allocated to following groups: Control, Model, and Model + T3. In the Model or Model+T3 group, a single dose of PBS or T3 was administered into the lateral ventricle. Depressive-like behaviors were induced by chronic restraint stress. The forced swimming (FST), tail suspension (TST), and open field (OFT) tests were used to investigate the depression. The rats were sacrificed, and brain tissues were stored for molecular and pathological evaluations. Chronic stress increased the immobility of rats in the Model group according to FST, TST, and OFT (P < 0.05). T3 significantly improved depressive-like behaviors (P < 0.05). The gene expression and protein level of hippocampal nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and Caspase-1 significantly increased in the Model group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The reduced hippocampal levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 were observed in the T3 group compared to the Model group (P < 0.05). The Nissl staining of the CA1 region showed an increased number of dark neurons (P < 0.05) and reduced pyramidal layer thickness (P < 0.05) in the Model group. These histopathological alterations were changed by T3 administration compared to the Model group (P < 0.05). The findings confirmed the therapeutic effects of intraventricularly T3 on depressive-like behaviors induced by restraint stress via surviving pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region and inhibition of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.
Copolymerization of poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) produced by Azotobacter vinelandii OPNA is determined by the oxygen transfer rate of the culture
Authors: Pedraza Angie Johanna Torres , Salgado-Lugo Holjes , Segura Daniel , Pena Carlos
Published: February 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the composition of poly-3-hydoxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) by an OPNA mutant strain of Azotobacter vinelandii cultured under different conditions. In shaken flasks, the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) significantly affected the PHBV composition, the highest content of 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) (28%) was achieved from the cultures developed at high OTR max (5.87 mmol L -1 h -1 ). In the bioreactor, the cultures were grown under oxygen limited conditions and different OTRs, varying the agitation rate. The highest PHBV accumulation (85%) was achieved at low OTR max (4.96 mmol L -1 h -1 ), whereas, the maximum content of 3HV (8.5 mol%) was obtained at higher OTR max (20.3 mmol L -1 h -1 ). Our results reveal that increasing the OTR rises the molar fraction of 3HV in the PHBV copolymer. Therefore, the manipulation of OTR could be a feasible strategy to produce PHBV copolymers with different monomeric compositions at industrial level.
Effects of Textile Effluent Fertilization on Germination, Growth and Metabolites of Chilli (Capsicum annum) Cultivars
Authors: SINGH RATAN , Rathore Dheeraj
Published: February 2021

Nutrients deficiency in soil suppresses crop growth, yield and nutritional value of the products. Textile effluent, a rich source of several essential minerals (Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, etc.) required for the plant growth, could be a vital option to supplement minerals to accomplish the nutrient availability of soil. Although presence of some toxic metals and organic compound restrict its use as irrigation water, its controlled use as fertilizer was not studied so far. This study was undertaken to assess the eco-friendly utilization method of textile industry effluent by applying the same into chilli (Capsicum annum L.) cropping system for its suitability and potentiality as macro and micronutrient supplement. Result of the experiment showed no inhibitory effect of textile effluent on seed germination, while its fertilization as soil drench worked as nutrient supplement for growth in chilli cultivars. Textile effluent fertilization enhances plant biomass up to 124.47% and 110.85% in chilli cultivar GVC-101 and GVC-121, respectively. Total carbohydrate and foliar protein was also favoured by effluent fertilization. Lower RSR and least proline accumulation suggested reduced stress due to textile effluent fertilization. Study concluded that the lower dose of textile effluent fertilization can function as nutrient supplement with chilli cultivars and 20% (v/v) dilution provide most favourable results.
Greater Rhizosphere Effects on the Production and Retention of NH4+ Than on Those of NO3- in Alpine Coniferous Forests
Authors: Zhu Xiaomin , Liu Dongyan , Yin Huajun
Published: February 2021

While multiple evidences have demonstrated that root-derived carbon (C) can profoundly regulate mineral nitrogen (N) cycling, it is still not elucidated whether tree roots differentially modulate the production and retention of ammonium (NH4+) versus nitrate (NO3-) through rhizosphere effect (RE). Using the 15N isotope labeling technique, we investigated how plant roots regulate the production and retention of NH4+ and NO3- via rhizosphere processes, and thus affect soil N availability in soils of two alpine coniferous forests. Synchronously, the activities of enzymes associated with N cycling and soil physicochemical properties in the rhizosphere and bulk soils were measured to explain the underlying mechanism. The results showed that roots induced greater positive REs of gross mineralization, microbial NH4+ immobilization, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) to improve rhizosphere NH4+ availability. These positive REs can be attributed to the higher microbial biomass C and N and higher activities of N cycling-associated enzymes fueled by root-derived C. In contrast, the REs on NO3- production were negative, corresponding to the higher soil C:N ratio and higher microbial NH4+ immobilization in the rhizosphere soil than in the bulk soil, which led to relatively low NO3- availability in the rhizosphere. Collectively, our study provides field-based empirical evidence that plant roots can stimulate NH4+ production and immobilization, whereas they can limit NO3- production to achieve a high rhizosphere NH4+ supply in alpine coniferous forests. These findings provide comprehensive insights into how plants sustain their nutrition and growth by soil microbial N processes in their rhizosphere.
Assessment Rates and Causes of Readmissions in Military Casualties
Authors: Gharehchahi Hamid Reza , Mahmoudi Sadrollah , Khoshmohabat Hadi , Javadzadeh Hamid Reza , Mohamadrezapourzare Amin
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Military medical care encompasses domains such as the long-term prognosis, morbidity, and quality of life of survivors after discharge from the hospital. The identification factors affecting hospitalization and readmissions are crucial in military settings. The study aimed to assess rates and causes of readmissions in military casualties.Methods: We included 775 military personnel with combat-related injuries from September 2014 to October 2019. We determined readmissions if they occurred within one year since the date of discharge from the index admission. The data was included regarding the pattern and mechanism of injury, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), injury severity score (ISS), primary and subsequent treatments and procedures, experienced side effects, source of admission, hospital care unit, and the length of stay in the hospital. Results: The mean age of the patients was 27.99±7.55 years. The great majority of the investigated combat-related injuries were penetrating (N=639, 82.5%), followed by blunt (N=97, 12.5%). The most injured part of the body was the extremities (N=360, 46.5%), followed by the head and neck (N=175, 22.6%) and the abdomen and pelvis (N=106, 13.7%). The most common reason for the readmission event number 1-7 was overall wound infection. The average length of hospitalization during the index admission was 9.48±12.07 days. There was a significant relationship between multiple readmissions and total readmission days and LOS, max AIS, ISS, side effects, and blood transfusion(P<0.001 for all the variables). Among the variables influencing multiple readmissions, ISS>24 led to the highest risk. Conclusion: A longer LOS within the index admission and its associated factors put patients at risk of multiple and longer readmission events in the future. The outcomes imply that patients with more severe injuries may require high-quality care for longer durations as part of the initial hospital inpatient stay, and this may motivate more effective management of combat-related injuries and the associated medical costs.
Emerging Trends and Research on Hydroxychloroquine Treatment in Diseases From 1991 to 2020
Authors: Kong Lingjun , Wang Yanan , Zhang Wen
Published: February 2021

Background Recently, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has become a controversial point for whether it functioned in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this paper is mainly to explore the international frontiers and trends of HCQ clinical treatment in recent 30 years by bibliometric analysis. Besides, the research prospects and hotspots of HCQ therapy in COVID-19 have further been investigated quantitatively and qualitatively. Methods Publications related to HCQ treatment research from 1991 to 2020 and HCQ studies on COVID-19 from the end of 2019 till now were both obtained from Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). Bibliometric analyses were primarily performed via Citespace 5.7.R1 to identify the trends of cooperation between countries and institutions, the research hotspots and frontiers. Results A total of 2642 articles and reviews on HCQ treatment in diseases were included, indicating an increase in number of publications since 2013. The United States was the largest scientific output country, followed by France and China. Trending keywords analysis indicated the hotspot research of HCQ treatment referred to “rheumatoid arthriti,” “chloroquine”, “systemic lupus erythematosus” and “COVID-19”. Moreover, 568 publications on the study of HCQ in COVID-19 therapy were also gathered from WOSCC, which showed the USA ranked first again in the world for its most publications. Further, Aix Marseille University, Univ Tehran Med Sci, Univ Paris, Harvard Med Sch and Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol were the five leading institutions in research of HCQ treatment in COVID-19.Conclusion Visualization knowledge map analysis regarding HCQ clinical treatment over the past 30 years suggested scientists are mainly focused on the autoimmune diseases therapy by HCQ. HCQ research have significantly increased since the end of 2019. Obviously, studies on HCQ in COVID-19 may lead the future direction of this field in recent years. The present study provides valuable information on HCQ research through bibliometric analysis so that researchers may identify new perspective and fields.
Harmine Hydrochloride Induced G2/M Phase Cell Cycle Arrest, Autophagy and Apoptosis in Human Leukemia K562 Cells through Modulation of the MAPK Pathway
Authors: Liu Zhilong , Zhang Peng , Zhao Na , Lv Lin-lin , Li Ziyu , Li Qiang , Yan Yuxia , Wu Zhongnan , Chen Wen-dan , Jiang JianWei
Published: February 2021

Background

Previous studies have indicated that harmine hydrochloride (HAR-HC) has anti-tumor characteristics. However, its potential impact on human leukemia cells is unknown. In this study, we explored the potential mechanism of HAR-HC effects on human leukemia cells in vitro.
Methods

MTT assay was used to detect cell viability; A flow cytometer was used to analyze the cell cycle; Anexinn V-FITC/PI was used to detect cell apoptosis; Western blotting assay was used to analyze the expression of related proteins.
Results

The result of flow cytometry suggested G2/M phage arrest in K562 cells induced by HAR-HC. The expression levels of Cyclin E2, Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, pro-caspase-3, and PARP decreased and the expression levels of Cyclin A2, Cyclin B1, p21, Myt-1, p-cdc2 (Tyr15), cleaved -caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP increased. Moreover, the expression of p-JNK and p-ERK1/2 increased and autophagy was induced in the HAR-HC treatment group. Additionally, HAR-HC facilitated autophagy by activating the ERK1/2 pathway.
Conclusion

HAR-HC induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest, autophagy and apoptosis by activating the JNK, and ERK1/2 pathways in the human leukemia K562 cells.
Combining microfluidic spleen-like filtering unit with machine learning algorithms to characterize rare hereditary hemolytic anemia
Authors: Rizzuto Valeria , Mencattini Arianna , Álvarez-González Begoña , Giuseppe Davide Di , Martinelli Eugenio , Benéitez-Pastor David , Mañú-Pereira Maria del Mar , Lopez-Martinez Maria José , Samitier Josep
Published: February 2021

Combining microfluidics technology with machine learning represents an innovative approach to conduct massive quantitative cell behavior study and implement smart decision-making systems in support of clinical diagnostics. The spleen plays a key-role in rare hereditary hemolytic anemia (RHHA), being the organ responsible for the premature removal of defective red blood cells (RBCs). The goal is to adapt the physiological spleen filtering strategy for in vitro study and monitoring of blood diseases through RBCs shape analysis. Then, a microfluidic spleen-like filtering unit and video data analysis are combined for the characterization of RBCs in RHHA. A filtering unit is designed to measure deformability by maintaining fixed the RBC orientation to study its capacity of restoring the original shape after crossing microconstrictions. Two cooperative learning approaches are used for the analysis: the majority voting scheme, in which the most voted label for all the cell images is the class assigned to the entire video; and the maximum sum of scores to decide the maximally scored class to assign. The proposed platform shows the capability to discriminate healthy controls and patients with an average efficiency of 91%, but also to distinguish between RHHA subtypes, with an efficiency of 82%.
β12 Phase Borophene Enhanced PANI Gas Sensor for CO and NH3 Detection
Authors: Taşaltın Nevin , Taşaltın Cihat , Baytemir Gülsen , Karakuş Selcan
Published: February 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Total Nitrogen Estimation in Agricultural Soils via Aerial Multispectral Imaging and Libs
Authors: Hossen Md Abir , Diwakar Prasoon K , Ragi Shankarachary
Published: February 2021

Measuring soil health indicators is an important and challenging task that affects farmers’ decisions on timing, placement, and quantity of fertilizers applied in the farms. Most existing methods to measure soil health indicators (SHIs) are in-lab wet chemistry or spectroscopy-based methods, which require significant human input and effort, time-consuming, costly, and are low-throughput in nature. To address this challenge, we develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven near real-time unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multispectral sensing (UMS) solution to estimate total nitrogen (TN) of the soil, an important macro-nutrient or SHI that directly affects the crop health. Accurate prediction of soil TN can significantly increase crop yield through informed decision making on the timing of seed planting, and fertilizer quantity and timing. We train two machine learning models including multi-layer perceptron and support vector machine to predict the soil nitrogen using a suite of data classes including multispectral characteristics of the soil and crops in red, near-infrared, and green spectral bands, computed vegetation indices, and environmental variables including air temperature and relative humidity. To generate the ground-truth data or the training data for the machine learning models, we measure the total nitrogen of the soil samples (collected from a farm) using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).
Integrative Effects of Stress- and Stress Tolerance-Inducing Elicitors on In Vitro Bioactive Compounds of Ajowan (Trachyspermum Ammi (L.) Sprague) Medicinal Plant
Authors: Niazian Mohsen , Howyzeh Mehdi Soltani , Sadat-Noori Seyed Ahmad
Published: February 2021

Bioactive compounds of medicinal plants have a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical, food and other industries. In vitro culture systems have great potential for sustainable production of bioactive compounds of medicinal plants. In the present study, the individual and combined effects of a stress tolerance-inducing (salicylic acid) and a stress-inducing elicitor (polyethylene glycol) were evaluated on regeneration efficiency, antioxidants activity and phytochemical profile of in vitro shoot cultures of ajowan. Different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) (0, 10, 20, 40, 80 µM) and polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) (0, 1, 2, 5%) were added to the shoot regeneration Murashige and Skoog medium containing Kin (1.5 mg/L) and NAA (0.25 mg/L) plant growth regulators. Salicylic acid reduced the adverse effect of PEG treatment on number of regenerated shoots and in vitro rooting. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase enzymatic antioxidants were significantly increased in SA + PEG treated plants. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-profiling revealed quantitative and qualitative phytochemical differences between control and SA + PEG treated plants. The greatest means of p-cymene and thymol bioactive compounds were obtained from in vitro shoots treated with 5% PEG + 40 µM SA. The inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers proved the genetic stability of in vitro regenerated plants. The presented protocol is useful for large-scale sustainable production of secondary metabolites (SMs) of medicinal plants. The same strategy (stress tolerance-inducing elicitor + stress-inducing elicitor) is applicable to increase valuable SMs in other production systems such as hydroponic, greenhouse and field conditions.
Real-time Detection of Microgrid Islanding Considering Sources of Uncertainty Using Type-2 Fuzzy Logic and PSO Algorithm
Authors: Khonakdari Taghi Hosseinzadeh , Kamarposhti Mehrdad Ahmadi
Published: February 2021

Background: Nowadays, in microgrids based on renewable energy resources (RESs), the uncertainties of load and power generation of distributed generation (DGs) resources is inevitable, which if not taken into account, will lead to errors in network analysis. Results: In this paper, a new method based on type-2 fuzzy logic isproposed to detect microgrid islanding; in whichthe power system does not misoperateduring complex operations, can correctly discriminate the microgrid islandingand other network events at the proper time, and prevent the undesirable performance of DGs. This controller detects islanding in the fastest time under different conditions, and the uncertainties in the system will not considerablyaffect the controller's performance. Conclusions: The proposed method is simulated on the sample system and examined in different scenarios. Then, a comparison is made in different conditions and scenarios between the suggested method and some common methods that have been presented so far to determine the ability of the proposed method to detect islanding.
Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) in Passiflora by qPCR analysis reveals asymptomatic plants with viruses and new species with immunity
Authors: Gonçalves Zanon Santana , Jesus Onildo Nunes de , Lima Lucas Kennedy Silva , Corrêa Ronan Xavier
Published: February 2021

The passion fruit woodiness disease (Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus – CABMV) causes socioeconomic problems for Brazilian passion fruit crop. Understanding the temporal progress of the disease and identifying resistance sources to CABMV are essential steps to develop resistant varieties. The objective of the study was to evaluate temporal progress of passion fruit woodiness disease, identify Passiflora genotypes with CABMV resistance and to detect virus infection in asymptomatic plants by qPCR. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using 128 genotypes belonging to 12 species and three hybrids (inter and intraspecific) of Passiflora evaluated in five periods after inoculation. The symptoms severity was quantified from the disease index (DI%). The CABMV infection in symptomatic plants was confirmed by RT-PCR and in asymptomatic plants by qPCR. Progress rates and disease severity were lower in the species P. cincinnata, P. gibertii, P. miersii e P. mucronata compared to P. edulis, P. alata, Passiflora sp. and hybrids. Of the evaluated genotypes, 20.31% were resistant, with emphasis on the accessions of P. suberosa, P. malacophylla, P. setacea, P. pohlii e P. bahiensis that did not show symptoms of virus. The absence of symptoms does not imply immunity of plants to the virus, as the qPCR analysis confirmed infection by the virus in asymptomatic plants of P. cincinnata, P. gibertii, P. miersii, P. mucronata, P. setacea, P. malacophylla e P. suberosa. Even after four inoculations, the virus was not detected by qPCR in the upper leaves in plants of P. pohlii and P. bahiensis indicating that these species are immune to CABMV.
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy with more than 60 Gy improved the survival of inoperable patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a population-based real-world study
Authors: Zhang Wei , Yu Jing , Hu Jing , Li Jie , Ouyang Wen , Zhang Junhong , Gong Yan , Xie Conghua
Published: February 2021

Background

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is widely applied during the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the optimal radiation dose still lacks a consensus. The aim of this study was to explore the optimal radiation dose for inoperable locally advanced ESCC patients treated with IMRT in a real-world clinical setting.
Methods

A total of 90 inoperable ESCC patients with locally advanced stages of Ⅱ-IVA treated with IMRT in our institute between February 1, 2014 and June 30, 2019 were included in this retrospective study. Sixty patients had received > 60 Gy (high dose group) and 30 patients had received ≤ 60 Gy (low dose group). The median radiation dose was 66 Gy (range: 61–70 Gy) and 50.2 Gy (range: 40–60 Gy), respectively. Concurrent chemotherapies were platinum-based regimens.
Results

The median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of all patients were 7.6 and 14.1 months, respectively. Patients in the high dose group exhibited a significantly better PFS (1-year PFS 34.6% vs 22.8%; 2-year PFS 11.9% vs 0%, P = 0.008) and OS (1-year OS 57.5% vs 39.5%; 2-year OS 31.4% vs 15.8%, P = 0.007). The median PFS in the high and low dose groups were 8.1 and 6.1 months, and the median OS were 15.4 and 8.5 months, respectively. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that radiation dose (> 60 Gy vs ≤ 60 Gy) was independently prognostic factor for OS (HR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.22–0.89; P = 0.021), but not for PFS (HR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.31–1.02; P = 0.058). There was no significant difference in treatment-related toxicities of grade ≥ 3 between the 2 groups (P = 0.402).
Conclusion

This retrospective study confirmed that higher radiation dose (> 60 Gy) resulted in better survival outcomes for inoperable patients with locally advanced ESCC treated with IMRT.
Effects of an Indigenous Food Diet on Nutritional Outcomes for Under-Five Children in Early Childhood Development Centres, Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Pretest-Posttest Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Nepfumbada Gundo , Tlou Boikhutso , Mashamba-Thompson Tivani Phosa
Published: February 2021

Background: Access to an adequate diet is a key criterion for improving nutritional status. Indigenous food (IF) can play a big role in improving dietary variety in rural populations. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of an IF diet for under-five children in Early childhood development (ECD) centres.Method: A one-group pretest-posttest experimental design study was undertaken in three ECD centres from three different villages of Sekhukhune district, the former Fetakgomo municipality, in Limpopo, South Africa. An IF diet intervention was implemented for a period of six months with 253 children aged 0-5 attending three ECD centres. Anthropometric measurements were taken pre-introduction of an IF diet and post-intervention. The dependent sample t-Test was used to compare the pre- and post-anthropometric measures, and a p-value<0.5 was deemed statistically significant.Results: Significant improvement in the nutritional outcomes of the participating children were recorded, a majority (50%) of who were aged three. The study showed significant differences in pre- and post-anthropometric measurements for weight p<0.0001 and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) (p=0.002), whilst there was not any significant difference on pre- and post-height measurements (p=0.857).Conclusion: The adapted IF diet is shown to be effective for the nutritional outcomes of children and can be used to promote the use of IF and address nutritional deficiencies amongst under-five children in Limpopo, South Africa.
An Assessment of Relation of Environmental Parameters and COVID-19 Transmission at the Early Stage During March-may 2020 in India
Authors: Gouda K C , Benke Mahendra , Singh Priya , Kumari Reshama , Nikhilasuma P , Agnihotri Geeta , Joshi Sneh , Himesh S
Published: February 2021

BackgroundThe Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a global pandemic by March 2020. Actually, there is no strong evidence of weather and COVD-19 spread relation as it is a new virus. This study mainly focuses on the tropical weather impact on the spatio-temporal spread of COVID-19 during the early stages i.e. March-May 2020 in India, which is a large country where the disease has shown an exponential growth.Methods This study is an attempt to assess the relationship of major environmental parameters like solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity with the positive cases of COVID-19 for the period March-May 2020 which is the summer season or pre-monsoon season over India. The time series and significant correlation analysis at daily, weekly scale and the spatial analysis of weather and COVID-19 cases are presented.ResultsThe results show a significant correlation of solar radiation and atmospheric temperature with COVID-19 cases, both at daily and weekly scale in India whereas relative humidity has low correlation in the study period. But the temperature humidity index (THI), a measure of the thermal stress, shows positive correlation with the disease spread. ConclusionsThese results could be a good input for developing the integrated modelling framework for the COVID-19 forecasting using state of art numerical weather prediction model and disease process modelling.
EpistoNet: An ensemble of Epistocracy-optimized mixture of experts for detecting COVID-19 on chest X-ray images
Authors: Mojab Seyed Ziae Mousavi , Shams Seyedmohammad , Fotouhi Farshad , Soltanian-Zadeh Hamid
Published: February 2021

The Coronavirus has spread across the world and infected millions of people, causing devastating damage to the public health and global economies. To mitigate the impact of the coronavirus a reliable, fast, and accurate diagnostic system should be promptly implemented. In this study, we propose EpistoNet, a decision tree-based ensemble model using two mixtures of discriminative experts to classify COVID-19 lung infection from chest X-ray images. To optimize the architecture and hyper-parameters of the designed neural networks, we employed Epistocracy algorithm, a novel hyper-heuristic evolutionary method. Using 2,500 chest X-ray images consisting of 1,250 COVID-19 and 1,250 non-COVID-19 cases, we left out 500 images for testing and partitioned the remaining 2,000 images into 5 different clusters using K-means clustering algorithm. We trained multiple deep convolutional neural networks on each cluster to help build a mixture of strong discriminative experts from the top-performing models supervised by a gating network. The final ensemble model obtained 95% accuracy on COVID-19 images and 93% accuracy on non-COVID-19. The experimental results show that EpistoNet can accurately, and reliably be used to detect COVID-19 infection in the chest X-ray images, and Epistocracy algorithm can be effectively used to optimize the hyper-parameters of the proposed models.
Mobile technology as a health literacy enabler in African rural areas: a literature review
Authors: Ouedraogo Ismaila , Some Borlli Michel J , Benedikter Roland , Diallo Gayo
Published: February 2021

Background: Since the launch of mobile phones three decade ago, the latter have been used to support healthcare systems through various mobile health (m-health) applications. In recent years, multiple mobile phone-based health projects and applications have emerged. Despite the great enthusiasm around m-health, few studies have examined the use of cell phones to improve health literacy in Africa. This paper aims to review studies related to the contribution of mobile technologies in improving health literacy in rural areas of Africa. Methods: We performed a four-step systematic review to identify relevant publications: (1) Database selection, (2) Keyword search, (3) Study selection and (4) Data extraction. In addition, manual searching methods were used to find keywords related to m-health initiatives in Africa. Discussion: Our search resulted in the identification of 38 studies and initiatives related to health literacy and mobile technologies in Africa. However, few of these studies focused on health literacy and mobile technologies in rural areas of Africa. We also found that m-health initiatives to date have not been inclusive, with very few integrating local languages in the development of m-health solutions. Our findings thus point to various potential avenues to be investigated in the future.
Slackwater sediments refine the timing of Late Holocene Icelandic canyon-carving floods and confirm they were smaller than reported
Authors: Bilt Willem van der , Barr Iestyn , Berben Sarah , Hennekam Rick , Lane Timothy , Adamson Kathryn , Bakke Jostein
Published: February 2021

Catastrophic floods have formed deep bedrock canyons on Earth, but the relationship between discharge and erosion remains contested. This hinders efforts to use geological evidence of these cataclysmic events to constrain their magnitude – a prerequisite for impact assessments. This study combines evidence from slackwater sediments with topographic models and hydraulic simulations to constrain the Late Holocene flood history of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river in northern Iceland. We date floods to 3.5, 1.5 and 1.35 cal. ka BP and confirm that discharge peaks during these events were much smaller than previously reported. In light of recent cosmogenic evidence that nearby knickpoints retreated over 2 km during these floods, our results strengthen simulations and observations indicating that the extent of bedrock erosion is not necessarily controlled by discharge. These findings support a growing consensus that the magnitude of canyon-carving floods is much smaller than typically assumed.