bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aβ42 treatment of the brain side reduced the level of flotillin from endothelial cells on the blood side via FGF-2 signaling in a blood-brain barrier model
Authors: Nakamura Tomohisa , Hashita Tadahiro , Chen Yuxin , Gao Yuan , Sun Yan , Islam Sadequl , Sato Hiroyuki , Shibuya Yasuyuki , Zou Kun , Matsunaga Tamihide , Michikawa Makoto
Published: October 2022

Our previous study showed that the flotillin level is decreased in the blood of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when compared to that of patients with non-AD and vascular dementia; however, the molecular mechanism remains to be determined. In this study, to elucidate whether Aβ accumulation in the brain has an effect on the blood flotillin level, we used our previously established blood-brain barrier (BBB) culture model using microvascular endothelial cells obtained from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iBMECs) and astrocytes prepared from rat cortex. In this BBB model with iBMECs plated on the upper compartment (blood side) and astrocytes plated on the lower compartment (brain side), the trans-endothelial electrical resistance values are high (over 1,500 Ωm2) and stable during experiments. We found that the addition of Aβ42 (0.5 and 2 µM) to the brain side significantly reduced the level of flotillin secreted by iBMECs on the blood side. The level of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) in the brain side was significantly reduced by Aβ42 treatment, and was accompanied by a reduction in the level of phosphorylation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor in iBMECs. The brain-side Aβ42 treatment-induced reduction of flotillin secretion into the blood side was restored in a dose-dependent manner by the addition of FGF-2 into the brain side. These results indicated that Aβ accumulation in the brain side reduced FGF-2 release from astrocytes, which attenuated FGF-2-mediated iBMECs signaling via the FGF-2 receptor, and thereby reduced flotillin secretion from iBMECs on the blood side. Our findings revealed a novel signaling pathway crossing the BBB from the brain side to the blood side, which is different from the classical intramural periarterial drainage or lymphatic-system-to-blood pathway.
DeepHCoref: A Deep Neural Coreference Resolution for Hindi Text
Authors: Lata Kusum , Singh Pardeep , Dutta Kamlesh
Published: October 2022

Coreference Resolution is the process of detecting a cluster of mentions that point to the same entity. The Coreference Resolution will enhance the performance of numerous Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications viz. Machine Translation, Question Answering, Chatbots, Text Summarization, etc. The state-of-the-art Coreference Resolution model for Hindi is based on a Rule-based and machine learning approach. This paper presents the Coreference Resolution system for Hindi based on Bi-GRU-CNN and Biaffine classifier with IndicBERT and MuRIL BERT. According to our knowledge, the first Coreference resolution system based on deep learning is developed, particularly for Hindi. The motivation behind this is the scarcity of resources available for Hindi and to diminish the dominion of hand-crafted features used by the previous Coreference resolution model in the Hindi language and present a new state-of-the-art Coreference Resolution model for Hindi. The coreference annotated dataset is used for the Hindi language, containing 3.6K verbalizations and 78K tokens from the news article domain. There is a lot of work done in this field for English, but minimal amount of work is presented in Hindi. The experimental results received are commendable regarding the Precision, Recall, and F-measure.
Plasma gasification of municipla solid waste to produce high H2 syngas
Authors: Dong Kun , Chen Song , Guo Zhenfei , Chu Chu , Chen Guanyi , De Filippis Paolo , de Caprariis Benedetta , Ma Wenchao
Published: October 2022

Thermal plasma gasification has been demonstrated as one of the most effective and environmentally friendly methods for MSW treatment. In this study, experiments were carried out in a 30 kW direct current thermal plasma gasification system, specifically focusing on the influence of feedstock type, steam/carbon ratio, running power and continuous feed rate on the product characteristics. As the S/C ratio increased, the H2 yield increased firstly and then decreased and reached the maximum value of 36.42 mol/kg at the S/C ratio of 0.84 while the H2 content continued to grow from 59.87–61.04%. The H2 proportion in syngas and H2 yield both showed a steady rise trend with the increase of running power. Continuous feeding method was conductive to the promotion of syngas LHV. Compared with other conventional technologies, plasma gasification exhibits superior capacity of H2 production (H2 proportion of 60.34 vol.% and H2 yield of 39.77 mol/kg).
Wildfires In Australia: A Bibliometric Analysis and A Glimpse On ‘Black Summer’ (2019/20) Disaster
Authors: Haque K M Shamsul , Uddin Minhaz , Ampah Jeffrey , Haque Kamrul , Hossen Shahadat , Rokonuzzaman Md , Hossain Yeamin , Hossain Sazzad , Rahman Zillur
Published: October 2022

A wildfire, an unplanned fire that is largely uncontrolled and originates in combustible vegetation in rural or urban settings, is one of the most pervasive natural catastrophes in some areas, such as Siberia, California, and Australia. Many studies, such as standard reviews, have been undertaken to look into the works of literature on wildfires or forest fires and their effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Regrettably, conventional literature reviews failed to identify the important researchers, evolving complexities, emerging research hotspots, trends, and opportunities for further research on the ground of wildfire study. The present study employs bibliometric analysis to investigate this study area qualitatively and quantitatively. The Scopus database systems and Web of Science Core Collection yielded 78 qualifying papers, which were then evaluated using Biblioshiny (A bibliometrix tool of R-studio). According to the statistics, the discipline is expanding at a pace that is 13.68 percent faster than average. So far, three key periods of transformation have been documented: preliminary evolution (8 articles; 1999–2005), gentle evolution (14 articles; 2006–2013), and quick evolution (56 articles; 2014 to 2021). FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT and SCIENCE journals have the highest number of publications, accounting for 7.70% of total wildfire-related articles published from 1999 to 2021. However, recent data indicate that investigators are shifting their focus to wildfires, with the term AUSTRALIA having the highest frequency (91) and WILDFIRE having the second highest (58) as the most appeared keywords. The present study will provide a foundation for future research on wildfire incidence and management by receiving information by synthesising previously published literature in Australia and around the world.
Identification and Validation of Hub Genes in Uterine Corpus Endometrioid Carcinoma
Authors: LI JIANQI , HUANG YANFANG , SHENG XIUJIE
Published: October 2022

Uterine Corpus Endometrioid Carcinoma (UCEC) is one of the malignant tumors with high incidence of female reproductive system. Despite significant progress in molecular biology research and treatment of UCEC, the molecular mechanisms of UCEC tumorigenesis have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this research was to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) association with the pathogenesis of UCEC, and to further define available prognostic biomarkers and immunotherapy targets for UCEC. RNA expression datasets and clinical data for UCEC patients were collected from the UCSC Xena database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. 174 UCEC tissues and 23 normal endometrial tissues were screened using PCA and LIMMA methods. Analysis of GO enrichment indicated that the up-regulated DEGs were mainly involved in tissue development, cell cycle regulation and epithelial development. Subsequently, DEGs was identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). DEGs in blue modules were determined to be significantly positively correlated with UCEC, conversely, black modules were significantly negatively correlated with UCEC. Finally, 16 genes were identified by WGCNA, and further Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis revealed that 5 of the 16 genes were significantly negatively correlated with overall survival (OS) namely hub genes, including AURKA, CCNE1, IQGAP3, TTK and UBE2C. Further, the expression of hub gene was verified by GEO dataset and IHC analysis in the Human Protein Atlas. Finally, potential immunotherapeutic targets and approaches were revealed by calculating immune scores for immune infiltration, immune cell infiltration, and immune cell regulator across the 5 hub genes. In conclusion, In conclusion, this study probed into the molecular mechanisms of UCEC development in depth, and identifies 5 promising prognostic biomarkers and immunotherapy targets in UCEC progression, providing directions for the treatment of UCEC.
Palliative Care Stay Room – designing, testing and evaluating a gamified social intervention to enhance palliative care awareness.
Authors: Reigada Carla , Sandgren Anna , Rivas Sonia , Carvajal Ana , Hermida-Romero Santiago , Benítez Edgar , Ripoll Guillen , Olza Inés , Centeno Carlos , Gómez Beatriz
Published: October 2022

Introduction: The message of palliative care can be promoted using creative thinking and gamification. It can be an innovative strategy to promote changes in behaviour, promote thinking, and work on skills such as empathy.
Aim: Design, test and evaluate a gamified social intervention to enhance palliative care awareness.
Methods: Participatory action research study with mixed methods, Design Thinking and using the Public Engagement strategy. Forty-three undergraduate students participated in a Palliative CareStay Room and completed the Test of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (TECA) before and after the game. At the end of the game, a ten-minute debriefing was held with the participants and an open-ended questionnaire was handed out. The content analysis was done independently and the sum of the scores of each dimension was compared before and after the activity.
Findings: Older participants (N=43: female=23; male=20; x̄ 19.6 years old) presented higher values in perspective adoption (intellectual ability to put oneself in the other’s place) p=.046 and in emotional understanding (ability to recognize emotional states) p=.018, after participating in the game. Females had the highest scores on empathic joy (p=.08). Students stated that the game gave them knowledge and new perspectives.
Conclusion: Gamification can be used in teaching and transmitting positive attitudes in Palliative Care and can help young university students to think positively about care issues.
Mailing human papillomavirus self-sampling kits to women under-screened for cervical cancer improved participation in cervical cancer screening in a general population study in Japan
Authors: Nishimura Yoko , Matsuura Motoki , Terada Noriko , Nagao Sachiko , Shimada Hiroshi , Isoyama Kyoko , Tamate Masato , Iwasaki Masahiro , Saito Tsuyoshi
Published: October 2022

Background
One cause of the increase in cervical cancer rates in Japan is the long-term stagnation in the cervical cancer screening consultation rate. Improving the screening consultation rate is therefore of urgent concern to reduce cervical cancer incidence. Self-collected human papilloma virus (HPV) tests have been successfully adopted in several countries, such as Netherlands and Australia, as a measure of individuals who have not undergone cervical cancer screening in national programs. This study aimed to verify whether self-collected HPV tests presented an effective countermeasure for individuals who had not undergone the recommended cervical cancer screenings.
Methods
This study was conducted from December 2020 to September 2022 in Muroran City, Japan. The primary evaluated endpoints included the percentage of citizens with positive self-collected HPV test results and individuals who underwent cervical cancer screening at a hospital. The secondary endpoints were the percentage of included participants who had undergone any cervical cancer screening and the diagnostic rates.
Results
The included study participants were 7,653 individuals aged 20–50 years with no record of having undergone a cervical cancer examination in the past 5 years. We mailed these participants information on self-administered HPV tests as an alternative screening procedure and sent the kit to 1,674 women who requested the test, among whom 953 returned the kit. Among the 89 HPV-positive individuals (positive rate, 9.3%), 71 (79.8%) visited the designated hospital for an examination. A closer examination revealed that 13 women (18.3% of hospital visits) had a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) finding of CIN2 or higher, among whom one each had cervical cancer and vulvar cancer, eight presented with CIN3, and three presented with CIN2; two cases of invasive gynecologic cancer were also identified.
Conclusions
We conclude that the self-collected HPV tests showed a certain efficacy as a measure of individuals who had not undergone the recommended cervical cancer screening. We devised ways to have the unexamined patients undergo HPV testing and ensure that HPV-positive individuals visited the hospital. Despite a few limitations, our findings suggest the effectiveness of this public health intervention.
Association Between Cognitive Impairment and Motor Dysfunction among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: AlHarthi Hanadi , Almurdi Muneera Mohammed
Published: October 2022

Objectives: 1. To study the association between cognitive impairment (CI) and motor dysfunction (MD) among patients with MS. 2. To examine if muscle weakness, motor incoordination, balance impairment, gait abnormalities, and/or increased fall risk can be adopted as indicator of CI in patients with MS.
Methods: Seventy patients with multiple sclerosis were included in this cross-sectional study. They underwent assessment of cognitive impairment using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), muscle strength using the Handheld dynamometer, balance, gait, and fall risk assessment using Tinetti scale. Moreover, motor coordination was assessed for both upper and lower extremities through the Timed Rapid Alternating Movement for Upper Extremity and Timed Alternate Heel-to-Knee Test for lower extremity.
Results: A Significant association was found between CI and motor coordination, balance, gait, and risk of fall (p< 0.005) apart from muscle strength. Stepwise multiple linear regression showed that 22.7% of the variance in the MoCA was predictable from the fall risk and the incoordination of upper extremity among MS population.
Conclusion: CI is significantly associated with motor incoordination, balance impairment, gait abnormality, and increased fall risk. Furthermore, the risk of fall and upper extremity incoordination appeared as the best indicators of CI among patients with MS.
Spatial distribution, sources, and risk assessment of metal ions in sediments from industrial areas in the Kuye River Basin in Shenmu, China
Authors: Wang Zhu , Liu Yong Jun , Wei Chun Xiao , Liu Xing She , Yang Zhuang Zhuang , Yang Lu , Zhang Ai Ning , Li Zhi Hua
Published: October 2022

Metal pollution of river sediments in industrial areas has attracted widespread attention. In this study, 11 metal ions (including Fe, Al, Ag, Mn, Cd, Cr, As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni) were determined and analyzed in river sediments of typical industrial areas in the Kuye River Basin, a first-level tributary of the Yellow River. The geological accumulation index, enrichment factor, and pollution load index indicated that the metal ions in this area were enriched and polluted to different degrees. The spatial distribution of the 8 kinds of heavy metals showed that the content in the upstream and downstream was higher, and the middle reaches were lower. the heavy metals mainly came from local industrial activities, coal mining and transportation, and soil weathering, Human activities were the main reasons for the dramatic spatial changes and high levels of heavy metals. The results of the combined potential ecological risk index and sediment quality guidelines showed that the ecological risk downstream of the area was high, and Ni and Pb have caused adverse biological reactions. The human carcinogenic risk assessment result showed that the non-carcinogenic hazard quotient of metal ions in the study area was at an acceptable level, but the carcinogenic risk level of Ni and Cr was higher than 10-4, which was an unacceptable level and must be got enough recognition. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for the pollution control and environmental restoration of rivers in energy-enriched areas.
Identification and validation of quantitative trait loci for fertile spikelet number per spike and grain number per fertile spikelet in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Jiang Cheng , Xu Zhibin , Fan Xiaoli , Zhou Qiang , Ji Guangsi , Chen Liangen , Yu Qin , Liao Simin , Zhao Yun , Feng Bo , Wang Tao
Published: October 2022

Fertile spikelet number per spike (FSN) and grain number per fertile spikelet (GNFS) contribute greatly to wheat yield improvement. To detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with FSN and GNFS, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross of Zhongkemai 13F10 and Chuanmai 42 was employed across eight environments. Two Genomic regions associated with FSN were detected on chromosomes 2A and 6A using bulked segregant exome sequencing (BSE-Seq) analysis. Based on the constructed genetic linkage map, four QTL QFsn.cib-2A, QFsn.cib-6A, QGnfs.cib-2A and QGnfs.cib-6A were identified in three or more environments. Among them, two major QTL QFsn.cib-2A (LOD=4.67–9.34, PVE=6.66–13.05%) and QGnfs.cib-2A (LOD=5.27–11.68, PVE=7.95–16.71%) were detected in seven and six environments, respectively. They were co-located in the same region, namely QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A . This locus was further verified by the linked Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers in a different genetic background. QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A showed pleiotropic effects on grain number per spike (GNS) and spike compactness (SC) and had no effect on grain weight. Since QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A might be a new locus, it and the developed KASP markers can be used in wheat breeding. According to haplotype analysis, QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A was identified as a target of artificial selection during wheat improvement. Based on haplotype analysis, sequence differences, spatiotemporal expression patterns and gene annotation, TraesCS2A03G0978700 was predicted as the potential candidate gene for QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A . These results provide valuable information for fine mapping and cloning gene(s) underlying QFsn/Gnfs.cib-2A.
Food habits and attitudes among Norwegian medical students
Authors: Sanne Ingebjørg , Bjørke-Monsen Anne-Lise
Published: October 2022

Background:
Dietary patterns and beliefs are influenced by medical advice, social media and marketing. Medical doctors are expected to provide correct, updated and non-biased nutritional advice to their patients, but their own dietary habits and food attitudes may influence nutritional counselling.
Methods:
We have investigated dietary habits and food attitudes among students at the Medical Faculty, University of Bergen, Norway, by using an anonymous survey.
Results:
Of the 880 students, 394 responded to the survey. Although 90% of the students were omnivores, the majority had a negative attitude towards meat, and considered fish to be healthier than meat. Significantly more women than men reported use of a special diet and excluded meat from their diet, even if they were omnivores. The most frequently used supplement was cod liver oil or omega 3 fatty acids.
Conclusion:
The medical students’ diet and food attitudes not only reflect current health recommendations, but also popular beliefs and marketing in Norway. Curriculum planners should make the students capable of recognizing the influence of social media, marketing and medicine-food industry interactions, to ensure relevant nutrition knowledge for future doctors.
Physical activity moderates the association between negative life events and depression symptom in newlyweds: a large multicenter cross-sectional study
Authors: Liao Tierong , Tang Yanlan , Yang Xinliu , Gao Yaya , Liu Yuwei , Zhu Peng , Tao Fangbiao , Shao Shanshan
Published: October 2022

Background Previous studies have showed that negative life events can increase the risk of depression, but little research have focused on how to improve this risk, especially for the newlyweds population——be about to breed next generation. We aim to investigate whether physical activity (PA) moderates the association between negative life events and depression symptom in a large sample of newlyweds.
Methods This study consisted of 28898 newlywed women and 30431 newlywed men collected from April 2019 to June 2021 in Anhui Province of China. International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Patient Health Questionnaire were used to assess participants' PA levels in the past week and depression state in the past two weeks, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to examine the associations of negative life events over the past year and depression symptom. Two-factor analysis of variance was used to analysis the interaction of stressful life events and physical activity on depression scores.
Results Among the 28898 newlywed women, the prevalence of depression symptom and negative life events were 27.4% and 71.4%, respectively. Women experienced negative life events (odds ratio[OR]= 2.81, 95% CI 2.63–3.01) were related with higher risk of depression symptoms. Moderate or high physical activity level was associated with lower odds of depression symptom for women with negative life events. Besides, physical activity moderates the association between negative life events and depression scores (P for interaction < 0.05). Similar results were found in newlywed men.
Conclusions The findings indicate that high or moderate physical activity levels can weaken the association between negative life events and depression symptom. Improving the level of physical activitycould be a strategy by which to prevent depression symptom for the newlyweds with negative life events.
3L, three-Lactobacilli on recovering of microbiome and immune-damage by cyclophosphamide chemotherapy
Authors: Yue Shousong , Zhang Zhenzhong , Bian Fei , Zhang Yan , Chen Gao , Zhu Youfeng , Li Jun , Picimbon Jean-François
Published: October 2022

Background We examined the impact of using a probiotic containing three differentLactobacilli(3L) on the gut microbiome of rats following cyclophosphamide (CTX) treatment. CTX corresponded to chemotherapy which is used for human cancer treatment and known to have adversive effects on the immune system. Methods We conducted our experiment with ten rats in five different experimental groups which included control, CTX treated, and then low, medium, and high probiotic treatment with CTX treatment. Of these ten rats in each group, we sequenced the stool of three of them using both ITS and 16S sequencing. We then went on to examine the taxonomic composition of these samples to determine whether probiotic treatment helped the rat’s microbiome return to similar structure as the control rats. Results We used Illumina MiSeq sequencing to generate sequencing data from microbial genomic DNA libraries, which is useful for testing the effects of 3L on bacteria and fungi. Microbiome analysis, phylogenetic and classification reports, and community data have all backed up the experiments and findings that 3L had a significant positive impact on the microbiome. Furthermore, the effect on specific metabolic pathways aids in deriving the study’s conclusion (use of 3L in chemotherapy) to the mode of action, mechanistically by correcting microbiota composition and enhancing specific gut metabolic functions. Conclusions Through experimental results using anin vivomodel, we suggested the role of novel natural probiotics 3L, 3 Lactobacilli in the establishment of a strong and sustainable beneficial healthy gut flora, after CTX chemotherapy. We suggested some new adjuvants to chemotherapy as drugs + lactobacillustreament using the rat CTX model (immunosuppression caused by cyclophosphamide). Furthermore, in numerous studies that reported the use of probiotics involvingLactobacillusin post-chemo or post-surgical procedures, we proposed a new probiotic formulation (L. acidophilus + L. casei + L. plantarum) to be further studied and explored in the prevention of health condition loss by alteration of the general immune system.
The antennal transcriptome of Triatoma infestans reveals substantial expression changes triggered by a blood meal
Authors: Estivalis Jose Manuel Latorre , Traverso Lucila , Pontes Gina , Lorenzo Marcelo Gustavo
Published: October 2022

Background
Triatoma infestans is the main vector of Chagas disease in the Americas, currently transmitting it in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Many T. infestans populations present insecticide resistance, reducing the efficiency of control campaigns. Alternative vector control methods are needed, and molecular targets mediating fundamental physiological processes can be a promising option to manipulate kissing bug behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the main sensory targets, as well as to determine whether they are modulated by physiological factors. In order to identify gene candidates potentially mediating host cue detection, the antennal transcripts of T. infestans fifth instar larvae were sequenced and assembled. Besides, we evaluated whether a blood meal had an effect on transcriptional profiles, as responsiveness to host-emitted sensory cues depends on bug starvation.
Results
The sensory-related gene families of T. infestans were annotated (127 odorant receptors, 38 ionotropic receptors, 11 gustatory receptors, 41 odorant binding proteins, and 25 chemosensory proteins, among others) and compared to those of several other hemipterans, including four triatomine species. Several triatomine-specific lineages representing sensory adaptations developed through the evolution of these blood-feeding heteropterans were identified. As well, we report here various conserved sensory gene orthogroups shared by heteropterans. The absence of the thermosensor pyrexia, of subfamily IV and VII pickpocket receptors, together with clearly expanded takeoutrepertoires, are revealed features of the molecular bases of heteropteran antennal physiology. Finally, out of 2122 genes whose antennal expression was significantly altered by the ingestion of a blood meal, a set of 41 T. infestans sensory-related genes (9 up-regulated; 32 down-regulated) is detected.
Conclusions
We propose that the set of genes presenting nutritionally-triggered modulation on their expression represent candidates to mediate triatomine host-seeking behavior. Besides, the triatomine-specific gene lineages found represent molecular adaptations to their risky natural history that involves stealing blood from an enormously diverse set of vertebrates. Heteropteran gene orthogroups identified represent an unknown feature of the sensory specificities of this largest group of hemipteroids. Our work is the first molecular characterization of the peripheral modulation of sensory processes in a non-dipteran vector of human disease.
Thermochemistry in 21 st century – Quo Vadis? In silico assisted diagnostics of available thermochemical data
Authors: Verevkin Sergey P. , Samarov Artemiy A.
Published: October 2022

Which comes first, experiment or theory? The answer is obvious – the experiment comes first. But how to be sure that the result of the experiment is reliable? Perhaps the crucial criterion is that the result should be consistent with the network of knowledge already available. In this study, we propose a step-by-step algorithm for quality diagnostics of thermochemical data on enthalpies of formation and enthalpies of phase transitions of organic compounds. The consistency of the data is studied and established using empirical structure-property correlations as well as using high-level quantum chemical calculations. The diagnostic algorithm is exemplarily demonstrated on a series of alkyl-substituted benzophenones for which conflicting thermochemical data were available.
A multiscale real-time instance segmentation method based oncleaning rubber ball images
Authors: Su Erjie , Tian Yongzhi , Wang Jiayu , Liang Erjun , Zhang Yibo
Published: October 2022

The identification of wear rubber balls in the rubber ball cleaning device in heat exchange equipment directly affects the descaling efficiency. For the problem that the rubber ball image contains impurities and bubbles and the segmentation is low in real time, a multi-scale feature fusion real-time instance segmentation model based on the attention mechanism is proposed for the object segmentation of the rubber ball images. First, we introduce Pyramid Vision Transformer instead of convolution module in the backbone network, and use Spatial-reduction attention layer of transformer to enhance the feature extraction capability at different scales as well as spatial reduction to reduce the computational cost. Then improve the feature fusion module to fuse image features across scales, combined with an attention mechanism to enhance the output feature representation; secondly the prediction head separates the mask branches separately combined with dynamic convolution and depths to improve the accuracy of the mask coefficients. Through the validation of the produced rubber ball dataset, the Dice score, Jaccard coefficient, and mAP of the actual segmented region of this network with the glueball dataset improved by 4.4\%, 4.5\%, and 7.56\%, respectively, and the segmentation speed is also 35.1 fps. The proposed modules can work together to better handle object details and realize better segmentation performance.
Targeted metabolomics detects a putatively diagnostic signature in plasma and dried blood spots from head and neck paraganglioma patients
Authors: Verginelli Fabio , De Fabritiis Simone , Valentinuzzi Silvia , Piras Gianluca , Cicalini Ilaria , Pieragostino Damiana , Pagotto Sara , Perconti Silvia , Zucchelli Mirco , Schena Alberto , Taschin Elisa , Berteșteanu Gloria , Esposito Diana , Stigliano Antonio , De Laurenzi Vincenzo , Schiavi Francesca , Sanna Mario , Boccio Piero Del , Mariani-Costantini Renato
Published: October 2022

Head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs), rare radio/chemo-resistant tumors curable only with surgery, are strongly influenced by genetic predisposition, hence patients and relatives require lifetime follow-up with MRI and/or PET-CT because of de novo disease risk. This entails exposure to electromagnetic/ionizing radiation, costs, and organizational challenges, because patients and relatives are scattered far from reference centers. Simplified first-line screening strategies are needed. We employed flow injection analysis tandem mass spectrometry, as used in newborn metabolic screening, to compare the plasma metabolic profile of HNPGL patients (59 samples, 56 cases) and healthy controls (24 samples, 24 cases). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) highlighted a distinctive HNPGL signature, likely reflecting anaplerotic conversion of the TCA cycle to glutaminolysis and catabolism of branched amino acids, DNA damage and deoxyadenosine (dAdo) accumulation, impairment of fatty acid oxidation, switch towards the Warburg effect and proinflammatory lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) signaling. Statistical analysis of the metabolites that most impacted on PLS-DA was extended to 10 acoustic neuroma and 2 cholesteatoma patients, confirming significant differences relative to the HNPGL plasma metabolomic profile. The best confusion matrix from the ROC curve built on 2 metabolites, dAdo and C26:0-LPC, provided respective specificities of 94.29% and 89.29% and predictive powers of 96.15% and 84.62%. Analysis of dAdo and C26:0-LPC levels in dried venous and capillary blood confirmed that dAdo, likely deriving from 2′-deoxy-ATP accumulated in HNPGL cells following endogenous genotoxic damage, efficiently discriminated HNPGL patients from healthy controls and acoustic neuroma/cholesteatoma patients on easily manageable dried blood spots.
A Specific Internet-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder: Three-armed Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Esfandiari Narges , Mazaheri Mohammad Ali , Akbari-Zardkhaneh Saeed , Sadeghi-Firoozabadi Vahid , Cheraghi Mona , Mousavi Masoumeh
Published: October 2022

The present study aims to develop a specific cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adolescents based on previous researches’ suggestions. An ICBT was developed with two generic and specific approaches. The sample included 45 adolescents aged 14 to 18 with social anxiety disorder. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: specific, generic, and waiting list. All the outcome measures were conducted in four stages: pre-test, mid-test, post-test, and 3 months follow-up. The results showed a significant improvement in favor of ICBT with a specific approach on the score of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents SASA (p ≤ 0.01) and its two subscales including Anxiety and Fear of Negative Evaluation AFNE (p ≤ 0.01) and Tension and Inhibition in Social Interaction TISC (p ≤ 0.001). The specific ICBT developed in this study was an effective intervention for adolescents with SAD. The changes were also maintained at a 3-month follow-up.
Numerical Study of the Second-Order Peridynamic Material Correspondence Model
Authors: Chan WaiLam , Chen Hailong
Published: October 2022

In this paper, a numerical study of the second-order model of recentlydeveloped higher-order peridynamic correspondence formulations is presented. Connectionsof the model with all three types of Mindlin first gradient theories areestablished. An implicit solution scheme based on the automatic differentiationtechnique for the construction of the stiffness matrix is developed. To examinethe material stability of the model, a wave dispersion analysis is conducted fordifferent combinations of horizon size and length scale parameter. To verify theprediction accuracy of the model, a benchmark linear elastic deformation problemwith analytical solution is modeled for different length scale parameters. From thewave dispersion analysis, it is found that the second-order model is stable as longas the material has nonzero length scale parameter. It is also found that increasingthe size of either the mesh spacing factor or the length scale parameter reducesthe dispersiveness of the angular frequency - wave number curve while increasingmesh spacing increases the dispersiveness of the curve. In the linear elastic deformationstudy, great agreements between the model predictions and the analyticalsolutions for nonzero length scale parameters are observed. For small length scaleparameter, both the model prediction and the analytical solution are very closeto conventional solution without considering length scale effect. This observationverifies the prediction accuracy of the model and confirms the ability of the modelto accurately capture the length scale effect in materials.
Magicmol - A light-weighted pipeline for drug-like molecule evolution and quick chemical space exploration
Authors: Chen Lin , Shen Qing , Lou Jungang
Published: October 2022

The flourishment of machine learning and deep learning methods have boosted the development of cheminformatics, especially when it comes to the application of drug discovery and new materials exploration. Lower time and space expenses make it possible for scientists to search the enormous chemical space. Recently, some work combines reinforcement learning strategies with an RNN-based (Recurrent Neural Networks) model to optimize the property of generated drug-like molecules, which notably improved a batch of critical factors for these drug candidates. However, a common problem of these RNN-based methods is that several generated molecules have difficulty in synthesizing even if owning higher desired properties such as binding affinity. But still, the RNN-based framework appears well in reproducing the molecule distribution among the training set than other categories of models when it comes to the molecule exploration tasks. Thus, to optimize the whole exploring process and make it contribute to the optimization of specified molecules. In this paper, we devised a light-weighted pipeline called - Magicmol with a re-mastered RNN network and use SELFIES presentation instead of SMILES. Our backbone model achieve extraordinary performance in evaluating metrics meanwhile reduced the training cost and we devised reward truncate strategies to eliminate the ”model collapse” problem. Also, adopting SELFIES presentation makes it possible for combining STONED-SELFIES as a post-processing procedure for specified molecule optimization and quick chemical space exploration.
Challenges of Consumer Culture and Solid-waste to the Environment Protection in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal
Authors: Subedi Shukra Raj , Poudel Jiban M , Subedi Madhusudan , Sharma Bigyan , Subedi Sunil , Neupane Bhim P , Lamichhane Basanta L , Neupane Badri N , Bohara Krishna K , Shrestha Gopi L
Published: October 2022

Changing consumer culture and increasing solid-waste have become global environmental issues leading to myriad challenges for management, especially in urban spaces. Against this backdrop, this study explores the challenges of solid-waste attached to changing consumer culture in the context of Pokhara, an urbanized tourist city in Nepal. The study has followed the qualitative research design generated through primary and secondary data. For this purpose, five informants have selected by purposive sampling and gathered their experiences, knowledge, and understanding of the relationship between changing consumer culture and increased solid-waste through in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that the leading cause of the environmental problem in this area is due to changing consumer culture along with rapidly growing urbanized cities and an increased attachment towards readymade items, which are in forceful demand with the stretching of the global market. It leads to an increase in solid-waste, and now it is a burning issue for protecting the environment in this area. Hence, consumer culture and solid-waste have interconnected aspects and contributing factors to an environmental problem in Pokhara.
Co-encapsulation of curcumin and quercetin using zein/beta-cyclodextrin composite nanoparticles: Enhancing the environmental resistance and synergistic antioxidant activity
Authors: Jin Zhengyu , Qiu Chao , Zhang Zhiheng , Li Xiaojing , Sang Shangyuan , McClements David Julian , Chen Long , Long Jie , Jiao Aiquan , Xu Xueming
Published: October 2022

In this study, composite nanoparticles consisting of zein and hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin were prepared using a combined antisolvent co-precipitation/electrostatic interaction method. The effects of calcium ion concentration on the stability of the composite nanoparticles containing both curcumin and quercetin were investigated. Moreover, the stability and bioactivity of the quercetin and curcumin were characterized before and after encapsulation. Fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions were the main driving forces for the formation of the composite nanoparticles. The addition of calcium ions promoted crosslinking of the proteins and affected the stability of the protein-cyclodextrin composite particles through electrostatic screening and binding effects. The addition of calcium ions to the composite particles improved the encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity, and stability of the curcumin and quercetin. However, there was an optimum calcium ion concentration (2.0 mM) that provided the best encapsulation and protection effects on the nutraceuticals. The calcium crosslinked composite particles were shown to maintain good stability under different pH and simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions. These results suggest that zein-cyclodextrin composite nanoparticles may be useful plant-based colloidal delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactive agents.
Progression to Myocardial Infarction Short-Term Death Based on Interval Sequential Pattern Mining
Authors: Wu Yang-Sheng , Taniar David , Adhinugraha Kiki , Wang Chao-Hung , Pai Tun-Wen
Published: October 2022

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, contributing to 32% of all global deaths. Moreover, myocardial infarction (MI) causes 11.9% of deaths among CVD patients. [1] According to our Taiwan health insurance database analysis, the hazard rate reaches a peak in the initial year after diagnosis, drops to a relatively low value, and maintains stability for the following years. Therefore, identifying suspicious comorbidities before the diagnosis that may lead MI patients to short-term death is paramount. In this study, interval sequential pattern mining was applied to the hospitalization records to evaluate the disease progression and identify potential subjects at the earliest stage possible. Our analysis resulted in five disease pathways, including “diabetes mellitus,” “other disorders of the urethra and urinary tract,” “essential hypertension,” “hypertensive heart disease,” and “other forms of chronic ischemic heart disease” that led to short-term death after MI diagnosis, and these pathways covered half of the cohort. We hope that our findings will assist in the early identification of patients at risk of short-term death.
Design and Key Construction Technology of Steel-Concrete-Steel Sandwich Composite Pylon for a Large Span Cable-stayed Bridge
Authors: Pei Bida , Chong Aixiu , Xia Huan , Kang Xueyun
Published: October 2022

Steel-concrete composite pylons are rarely used in long-span cable supported bridges. This paper introduces a new type of steel-concrete composite pylon, which is applied to a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 600m. For this new type of pylon, the steel shells are connected with concrete through PBL shear connectors and studs, and the inner steel shells are connected with the outer steel shells by angle steels. Numerical analysis and full-scale model tests show that the pylon structure exhibits excellent mechanical properties and construction performance. On the other hand, highly factory-manufactured modular assembly of the reinforced steel shell structure can effectively reduce the intensity and difficulty of on-site operations, and improve the quality of the project, with low construction risks. Whereas, the modernization level of the construction of the cable pylon has been greatly improved.
Innovations to address the burden of hypertension: Assessing accuracy of a smartphone application-based blood pressure estimation algorithm in Bangladesh, South Africa and Tanzania among general and pregnant populations
Authors: Tamrat Tigest , Festo Charles , Vannevel Valerie , Hlongwane Tsakane , Ali Hasmot , Mollel Getrud , Fahmida Kaniz , Alland Kelsey , Barreix Maria , Mehrtash Hedieh , Silva Ronaldo , Thwin Soe Soe , Mehl Garrett , Labrique Alain , Masanja Honorati , Tuncalp Ozge
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Identification of Diagnostic Gene Biomarkers and Characterization of the Immune Infiltration in Primary Membranous Nephropathy by Integrating Machine-Learning Strategies and Bioinformatic Analysis
Authors: Huang Jingda , Fu Shaojie , Lin Yangyang , Sun Mindan
Published: October 2022

Background: Primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) refers to an immune complex-mediated cause of the nephrotic syndrome, which is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease worldwide and imposes a heavy burden on patients with PMN and the medical insurance system. The risk of complications and unsatisfied efficacy limit the use of traditional diagnostic methods in some patients. Thus discovery of novel diagnostic biomarkers is needed. The aim of the present study was to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for PMN and revealing the significance of immune cell infiltration for its pathogenesis.
Methods: Three gene expression profiles (GSE108109, GSE104948, GSE47185) from samples from patients with PMN and controls were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database as a training set, and GSE99340 was downloaded as a validation set. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the training set, and functional correlation analyses were conducted by R software. Three machine-learning strategies were performed to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for PMN and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was used for both training sets and the validation set to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of these biomarkers. In addition, cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcript (CIBERSORT) bioinformatics algorithm was employed to assess the immune cell infiltration in PMN and the relationships between the diagnostic biomarkers and infiltrating immune cells were characterized.
Results: Eighty-six DEGs received the recognition. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein delta (CEBPD) and Myozenin 2 (MYOZ2) were identified as biomarker genes for the diagnosis of PMN. As indicated from the immune cell infiltration analysis, neutrophils, memory B cells and monocytes may be involved in the development of PMN. Additionally, both CEBPD and MYOZ2 might correlate with immune cells in diverse degrees.
Conclusions: CEBPD and MYOZ2 are potential diagnostic biomarkers of PMN, and the immune cell infiltration plays important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Improved glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk in patients with DM-II following Cataract Phacoemulsification surgery
Authors: Matias Maria João , Alves-Peixoto Pedro , Miranda Vítor , Aguiar Catarina Pestana , Ambrósio João , Rocha António , Chibante-Pedro João
Published: October 2022

Objective: Assess the glycemic control and cardiovascular risk (CV risk) change in Diabetes-Mellitus type II (DM-II patients) undergoing uncomplicated bilateral cataract phacoemulsification surgery.
Design: Retrospective study.
Participants: We selected 28 patients who underwent uncomplicated bilateral cataract surgery at Centro Hospitalar de Entre o Douro e Vouga between January 2018 and December 2019.
Inclusion criteria: inexistence of other known ophthalmological pathology, the availability of their records of comorbidities, lipid profile, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body max index (BMI) prior to and in the 6 months following surgery.
Methods: We assessed our patient cohort for changes in HbA1c, lipid profile, BMI and blood pressure before and after surgery. We further subdivided our patient cohort in 2 different groups: group 1 – no to mild visual impairment, ≤0.48 LogMAR; group 2 – moderate to severe visual impairment, >0.48 LogMAR, and assessed for the same variables at the mentioned timepoints. Comparisons were done using paired samples Student’s T-test or Wilcoxon rank, and repeated measures ANOVA with Tukey Post-Hoc tests, respectively.
Results: Following cataract surgery and subsequent improved visual acuity (VA), our patient cohort showed decreased HbA1c, lower arterial blood pressure and decreased BMI, with an improved CV risk score within 6 months of cataract surgery. These improvements where more evident in the patients with worse baseline VA.
Conclusions: Phacoemulsification cataract surgery should be considered in patients with visual impairment, particularly in those that benefit from improved glycemic control and whom need to reduced their cardiovascular risk, such as DM-II patients.