bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Performance of Structure Controllable Biochar Obtained From Cattail-Sludge Composites
Authors: Liang Fanfan , Wang Yan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Biochar obtained from cattail-sludge composites (BC/CS) was treated as a raw material, with monopotassium phosphate and ammonium chloride solution as absorbents, to find the best parameters for the preparation of structure controllable biochar (BC/SC). Slow pyrolysis and single factor experiment method were employed in the preparation of BC/CS and BC/SC, with EA, BET and SEM to illustrate the performance of BC/SC. The results showed that the best parameters for BC/CS were characterized by a ratio of cattail-sludge composites (60:40, wt%), a charring temperature of 500℃, a charring time of 0.5 hrs, KOH as an activator, an immersion ratio of 4 mL·g-1, an activation concentration of 300 g·L-1 and an immersion time of 6 hrs; the best parameters for BC/SC contained a sizing amount of 60%, a molding pressure, temperature and time of 5 N (cm2)-1, 160℃, and 95 min, respectively; compared to BC/CS, BC/SC was characterized by a higher content of H but a lower O content, leading to the increase in its hydrophobicity and stability; in addition, the addition of polyethylene enabled an increase in the pore diameter of BC/SC and a close bond with particles on the surface. Meanwhile, in BC/SC, the surface functional groups of CH3 and C—O—C were reduced in their contents, in contrast to a large amount of C crystals on its surface. Such results could provide a new process for resource recycling of cattail and sludge, as well as evidence for material selection in the treatment of eutrophication water bodies.
Lytic Bacteriophages against Mutidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: Development of an Effective Phage-based Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance
Authors: Martins Willames , Cino Juliana , Li Mei , Lenzi Michael , Sands Kirsty , Portal Edward , Mathias Jordan , Hassan Brekhna , Dantas Priscila , Migliavacca Roberta , Hunter James , Medeiros Eduardo , Gales Ana , Toleman Mark 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This study aimed to develop a phage-based approach against Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type (ST16). Phages were investigated using sewage samples from Brazil, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the United Kingdom. After isolation, the bacteriophages were submitted to microbiological, structural and genomic characterisation. The best phages were selected to integrate a phage-cocktail for potential use in humans. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to demonstrate the efficiency of this approach using a collection of 56 clinical strains of K. pneumoniae ST16 with distinct genetic backgrounds. Anti-biofilm activity, synergism with meropenem and activity in human body fluids were also evaluated. Fourteen lytic phages were isolated, belonging to Autographiviridae, Ackermannviridae, Demerecviridae, Drexlerviridae, and Myoviridae families. The viruses demonstrated good activity against our collection of K. pneumoniae ST16 at a different range of temperatures but also against other important Klebsiella clones such as ST11, ST15, and ST258. The cocktail Katrice-16 was highly active in vitro against K. pneumoniae ST16 collection consisting of isolates from several disparate countries. It demonstrated good in vivo activity in the Galleria mellonella model, anti-biofilm and synergic activity with meropenem. In addition, we also showed the Katrice-16 activity in human body fluids. Our results reinforce how effective bacteriophages can be, supporting their capacity for human clinical use to combat prevalent antimicrobial resistance bacterial clones.
A Novel LDLR variant in a Ukrainian Patient: A Case Report and Overview of the Disease-Causing LDLR Variants Associated to Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Moffa Simona , Onori Maria Elisabetta , De Paolis Elisa , Tenore Claudio Ricciardi , Perrucci Alessia , Pontecorvi Alfredo , Giaccari Andrea , Urbani Andrea , Minucci Angelo 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by high low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and it is primarily caused by pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (P/LPVs) in LDLR, APOB or PCSK9 genes.Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology allows the evaluation of more genes simultaneously, rising the diagnostic throughput of genomics laboratories. We report a Ukrainian 37-year-old woman hypercholesterolemic since 2010. Despite a suggestive family history, FH was suspected only when the patient referred to the Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Center of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS in Rome. After specialist advice, genetic testing was offered to the patient at our Molecular and Genomic Diagnostics Unit.A targeted NGS-based pipeline highlighted a novel out-of-frame deletion in the LDLR gene. This variant has a clear deleterious effect on the LDLR protein and it can be classified as PV.The ideal model of care for FH is an evidence-based system aimed to provide the highest-quality health services to all FH patients. In fact, this study reports that an integrated care pathway adopted in our hospital for FH patients led successfully to the discovery of a novel LDLR PV in a Ukrainian patient. The finding of this LDLR variant allowed the clinical FH diagnosis in this patient and in her family, expanding the knowledge of FH-related genetic variants in the Ukrainian population.
Comprehensive analysis of N6-methyladenosine regulators with the tumor immune landscape and correlation between the insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 and programmed death ligand 1 in bladder cancer
Authors: Cui Jianfeng , Liu Xiaochen , Wang Wenfu , Jiang Xuewen , Xia Yangyang , Zhou Guanwen , Chen Shouzhen , Shi Benkang 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most abundant post-transcriptional modifications of RNA. However, there is limited information about the potential roles of m6A regulators in tumor immunity. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the functions of m6A regulators in bladder cancer as well as their association with the tumor immune landscape.
Methods
We reported that the variation and expression levels of m6A regulators in TCGA database and GTEx database of bladder cancer. Clusters, risk score patterns, and nomograms were constructed to evaluate the function and prognostic value of m6A regulators. Further, we constructed nomogram to evaluate the prognosis of individual patient. The correlation between insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.
Results
We found that the tumor grade and DNA damage pathways were strongly correlated with distinct clusters. Furthermore, two risk score groups with six m6A regulators were identified using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis, which could be regarded as independent prognostic markers in patients with bladder cancer. The risk score pattern was linked to the tumor immune landscape, indicating a correlation between immune checkpoints and m6A regulators. Moreover, an m6A regulator, IGF2BP3, was found to be highly expressed in the tumor samples, regulating both the total and membrane-bound PD-L1 expression levels.
Conclusions
the results of this study revealed that the m6A clusters and patterns play crucial roles in the regulation of tumor immunity, which may be used to develop comprehensive treatment strategies for the management of bladder cancer.
Channel Estimation for Intelligent Reflecting Surface Assisted mmWave Communications
Authors: Chen Dong , Fu Youhua , Liu Chen , Wang Hong 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) consists of a large number of low-cost passive reflective elements, which can assist millimeter wave communications to solve the problems of weak penetration and short propagation distance. However, it is challenging to obtain channel state information (CSI) in IRS-aided millimeter wave communication systems. To solve this challenge, this paper proposes a regular alternating least squares (RALS) algorithm based on the canonical/parallel factor (CP) decomposition. Compared with the traditional alternate least squares (ALS) algorithm, the proposed RALS algorithm has better convergence performance, thus solving the problem of divergence or slow convergence of the conventional ALS algorithm. Besides, in order to improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, the convex optimization theory is invoked to devise the regularization parameters, and a regularization parameter selection scheme is developed to ensure that the proposed algorithm obtains the optimal solution. The simulation results verify the theoretical analysis and prove the superiority of the proposed RALS algorithm in terms of estimation error performance.
The trajectory of early disengagement: A longitudinal learning analytics study over a full program
Authors: Saqr Mohammed , López-Pernas Sonsoles 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Research on online engagement is abundant. However, most of the available studies have focused on a single course. Therefore, little is known about how students’ online engagement evolves over time. Previous research in face-to-face settings has shown that early disengagement has negative consequences on students’ academic achievement and graduation rates. This study examines the longitudinal trajectory of students’ online engagement throughout a complete college degree. The study followed 99 students over 4 years of college education including all their course data (15 courses and 1383 course enrollments). Students’ engagement states for each course enrollment were identified through Latent Class Analysis (LCA). Students who were not engaged at least one course in the first term were labeled as “Early Disengagement”, whereas the remaining students were labeled as “Early Engagement”. The two groups of students were analyzed using sequence pattern mining methods. The stability (persistence of the engagement state), transition (ascending to a higher engagement state or descending to a lower state), and typology of each group trajectory of engagement are described in this study. Our results show that early disengagement is associated with higher rates of dropout, lower scores and lower graduation rates whereas early engagement is relatively stable. Our findings indicate that it is critical to proactively address early disengagement during a program, watch the alarming signs such as presence of disengagement during the first courses, declining engagement along the program or history of frequent disengagement states.
Answering Complex Hierarchy Questions in Network Meta-analysis
Authors: Papakonstantinou Theodoros , Salanti Georgia , Mavridis Dimitris , Rücker Gerta , Schwarzer Guido , Nikolakopoulou Adriani 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Network meta-analysis estimates all relative effects between competing treatments and can produce a treatment hierarchy from the most to the least desirable option according to a health outcome. While about half of the published network meta-analyses present such a hierarchy, it is rarely the case that it is related to a clinically relevant decision question. Methods: We first define treatment hierarchy and treatment ranking in a network meta-analysis and suggest a simulation method to estimate the probability of each possible hierarchy to occur. We then propose a stepwise approach to express clinically relevant decision questions as hierarchy questions and quantify the uncertainty of the criteria that constitute them. The steps of the approach are summarized as follows: a) a question of clinical relevance is defined, b) the hierarchies that satisfy the defined question are collected and c) the frequencies of the respective hierarchies are added; the resulted sum expresses the certainty of the defined set of criteria to hold. We then show how the frequencies of all possible hierarchies relate to common ranking metrics. Results: We exemplify the method and its implementation using two networks. The first is a network of four treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease where the most probable hierarchy has a frequency of 28%. The second is a network of 18 antidepressants, among which Vortioxetine, Bupropion and Escitalopram occupy the first three ranks with frequency 19%.Conclusions: The developed method offers a generalised approach of producing treatment hierarchies in NMA, which moves towards attaching treatment ranking to a clear decision question, relevant to all or a subset of competing treatments.
The application of scrotoscope-assisted minimally invasive excision for epididymal mass: an initial report
Authors: Qin Chuying , Yang Jinrui , Zhang Ruochen , Yang Yaojing , Cai Wanghai , Li Tao , Zhu Qingguo , Ye Liefu , Gao Yunliang , Wei Yongbao 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Traditional open excision of epididymal mass is a non-minimal invasive treatment and brings relatively more postoperative discomfort and complications. To solve this problem, we apply scrotoscope to treat epididymal mass and compare the middle-term efficacy and safety results between scrotoscope-assisted (SA) minimally invasive excision and traditional open excision (OE) for the treatment of epididymal mass.
Methods
A total of 253 males with surgery excision of epididymal mass from 2012 to 2018 were included in this retrospective study. The primary outcomes included general information, intraoperative data and postoperative data.
Results
174 patients underwent SA and other 79 underwent OE. Demographic data was similar between the two groups. Compared with OE surgery, SA could significantly shorten operating time (19.4 ± 4.1 vs 53.8 ± 12.9 minutes), reduce blood loss (5.3 ± 1.5 vs 21.3 ± 5.6 mL) and downsize the operative incision (1.5 ± 0.3 cm vs 4.5 ± 0.8 cm). Additionally, postoperative complications were significantly less occurred in SA group than those in OE (15.5 % vs 21.5%). Patients in SA group had a significant higher overall satisfaction score (94.8 ± 3.7 vs 91.7 ± 4.9) than that in OE group.
Conclusion
SA is emerging as a novel and effective option with promising perspectives for epididymal mass therapy.
Differential Etiological Profiles and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Urinary Tract Infection Among Different Age Categories: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary General Hospital During a 12-Year Period
Authors: Huang Lei , Huang Chenwei , Yan Yan , Sun Liying , Li Haixia 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections worldwide. With continuing trends of antibiotic resistance, the etiological distribution and antibiotic susceptibility surveillance are of great importance for empirical antimicrobial therapy. However, the data may change with different ages. The aim of this study was to compare the etiological profiles and antibiotic resistance patterns of UTIs sorted by different age categories from a tertiary general hospital during a 12-year period.Methods: All positive urine culture results from non-repetitive UTI patients in our hospital from January 2009 to December 2020 were collected retrospectively. The microbial distribution and antibiotic resistance rates were analyzed by WHONET 5.6 software. The etiological profiles sorted by different age categories (newborn, pediatric, adult, and geriatric) and antibiotic resistance rates of the top 5 pathogens were analyzed.Results: A total of 13308 non-repetitive UTI patients were included in our study. Enterococcus faecium was dominant in newborn, and replaced by Escherichia coli in other age categories. The etiological profiles of different age categories were divergent, sorted by genders (male and female) and ward types (outpatient, in-patient, ICU, and emergency). Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the top 5 pathogens in all age categories. The resistance rates of cefperazone-sulbactam and piperacillin-tazobactam in Escherichia coli were low in all age categories. The resistance rates of cephalosporins, carbapenems, and fluoroqinolones in Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in geriatric patients overall. Enterococcus faecium was more resistant than Enterococcus faecalis in all age categories.Conclusions: The UTI etiological profiles and antibiotic resistance patterns were divergent among different age categories, thus different empirical antibiotic therapies should be considered for different ages.
Nucleus Image Segmentation Method Based on GAN Network and FCN Model
Authors: Zhang Kai , Shi Yang , Hu Chengquan , Yu Hang 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Aiming at the problems of rough edges and low accuracy in processing cell nucleus image segmentation in existing image segmentation methods. A cell nucleus image segmentation technology based on generative adversarial network (GAN) network and fully convolutional network (FCN) model is proposed. First, the FCN model is used to perform preliminary segmentation of the cell nucleus image, in which the fully connected layer convolution and skip connection are used to improve the accuracy of image segmentation. Then, improve the GAN network, introduce splitting branches into the discriminator structure, and combine the GAN network and the splitting network into one. At the same time, pixel loss is introduced in the generator to obtain a nucleus image that is visually more similar to the real image. Finally, the segmented image output by the FCN model is used as the input of the GAN network to achieve high-precision segmentation of the nucleus image. The proposed method is experimentally demonstrated based on the 2018 data science bowl dataset. The results show that it can achieve rapid convergence, and the mean intersection over union (MIoU) is 85.34%, which is better than other comparison methods.
Vibration Analysis of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor using Coupled Finite Element Analysis and Optimized Meshless Method
Authors: Xu Wei , Li Size 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Conventional finite element analysis (FEA) performed in electromagnetic-vibration coupling calculation of motor suffers from several significant drawbacks, such as large memory space, high computational cost and heavy reliance on mesh quality for accurate solution. With the traditional meshless method, special attention needs to be paid to correctly impose the boundary condition like FEA. Besides, the matrix is easily​​prone to be ill-conditioned due to introducing large amount of higher order basis functions. We propose a novel multiphyscial coupling method combining FEA and optimized meshless method. The proposed methodology is further evaluated on the vibration analysis of a 12-slot 10-pole permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). Firstly, 2D stator electromagnetic force is simulated and derived based on the local Jacobian derivative method through FEA. The electromagnetic force spectrum is calculated using FFT analysis and further imported into commercial meshless structural simulation software Simsolid for stator harmonic response analysis. Correct force boundary condition and data mapping between meshless and FEA simulation interface is key to the accuracy of the proposed combined multiphysical modeling methodology. This is achieved by introducing a new high dimensional ramp function in the transition region between FEA and meshless domains, which are defined with the shape functions composed of the FEA and meshless method. This function satisfies the continuity and consistency of the displacement function, ensures the convergence of coupled FEA-meshless method. Subsequently, construction of basis function is key to the establishment of convention meshless discrete equation for the elastic problem of rotating machinery. This is designed using moving least square theory in cylindrical coordinate system. The harmonic response with meshless method is analyzed using a mode superposition method to obtain detailed mode shape data, acceleration and displacement distribution of stator. Finally, the tangential continuity and robustness are not well considered in the traditional simulation with FEA coupled meshless method. To mitigate this problem, we propose an optimized meshless method based on modified local basis functions to recalculate the harmonic response motion. Then the coupling electromagnetic-vibration simulation results of traditional coupled FEA-meshelss method, optimized coupled FEA-meshless method and complete FEA coupled method are compared. It is worth noting that optimized method significantly improves accuracy, robustness and computational speed at the same time. In short, the proposed electromagnetic-structure coupling calculation method provides a novel alternative for the multiphysical coupling calculation of rotating machinery combining FEA and meshless simulation methods.
Theoretical Analysis of OLED Performances of Some Aromatic Nitrogen-Containing Ligands
Authors: Elik Mustafa 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
It is well-known that tris(8‐hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) complex and N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1'-diphenyl-4,4'-diamine compound (TPD) are widely used as electron transfer material (ETL) and hole transfer material (HTL) in organic light emitting diode (OLED) structure, respectively. Considering the reference materials, in the present work, the OLED performances of some cyclic aromatic structures such as 4,4ꞌ-azopyridine [AZPY], 4,4ꞌ-bipyridine [BIPY], 1,2-bis[4ꞌ-(4-methylphenyl)2,2ꞌ:6ꞌ2ꞌꞌ-terpyridin-6-yl]ethyne (BISTERPY), 5,5ꞌ-diamino-2,2ꞌ-bipyridine (DABP), dipyrido[3,2-a:2ꞌ,3ꞌ-c]phenazine (DPP), 4,7-phenanthroline (PHEN) including nitrogen atom have been theoretically analyzed. It is important to note that B3LYP/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/TZP levels of the theory were taken into account for the calculations about monomeric and dimeric structures, respectively. For a detailed theoretical analysis, the reorganization energies (λe and λh), adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials and electron affinities, the effective transfer integrals (Ve and Vh), and the charge transfer rates (We and Wh) of all compounds were computed by means of computational chemistry tools. In the light of calculated parameters, it is determined that these mentioned aromatic cyclic structures will be used in which layers of OLED structure. The results obtained in this study will be helpful in the design and applications of new molecules as OLED materials in the future.