bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antifungal Effects of Lycorine on Botrytis Cinerea and Possible Mechanisms
Authors: Zhao Shixue , Guo Yanhua , Wang Qiannan , An Bang 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Botrytis cinerea cause postharvest diseases on fruit and lead economic losses. Application of environment-friendly natural compounds is an alternative for synthetic fungicides to control postharvest disease. Lycorine is an indolizidine alkaloid which is widely used for human drug design, however, application of lycorine in controlling postharvest disease and the underlying mechanisms have not been reported. In this study, the effects of lycorine on mycelium growth, spore germination, disease development in apple fruit, cell viability, cell membrane integrity, cell wall deposition, and expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and GTPase of B. cinerea were investigated. Our results showed that lycorine was effective in controlling postharvest gray mold caused by B. cinerea on apple fruit. In the in vitro tests, lycorine strongly inhibited spore germination and mycelium spreading in culture medium. Investigation via fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide staining suggested that lycorine could damage the membrane integrity and impair cell viability of B. cinerea. Furthermore, the expression levels of several MAPK and GTPase coding genes were reduced upon the lycorine treatment. Taken together, lycorine is an effective and promising way to control postharvest disease caused by B. cinerea.
Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Fine-Blanking Process for Copper Alloy Sheet
Authors: Kuo Chun-Chih , Liu Kuo-Wang , Li Tse-Chang , Wu Dai-You , Lin Bor-Tsuen 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
When the fine-blanking process is used, secondary grinding or processing can be omitted because the shear surface of fine-blanking parts can achieve almost zero fracture zone requirements. Fine-blanking has the advantages of high precision and high production efficiency. It was originally used on watch parts, but with increasingly refined technology, it has been widely applied in computers, consumer electronics, communication products, and vehicle parts. The primary objective of the fine-blanking process is to reduce the fracture zone depth and die roll zone width. This study used a 2.5mm thick central processing unit (CPU) thermal heat spreader as an example. Finite element analysis software was employed to simulate and optimize the main eight process parameters that affect the fracture zone depth and die roll zone width after fine-blanking: the V-ring shape angle, V-ring height of the blank holder, V-ring height of the cavity, V-ring position, blank holder force, counter punch force, die clearance, and blanking velocity. Simulation analysis was conducted using the L18 (21×37) Taguchi orthogonal array experimental combination. The simulation results of the fracture zone depth and die roll zone width were optimized and analyzed as quality objectives using Taguchi’s smaller-the-better design. The analysis results revealed that with fracture zone depth as the quality objective, 0.164 mm was the optimal value, and counter punch force made the largest contribution of 25.89%. In addition, with die roll zone width as the quality objective, the optimal value was 1.274 mm, and V-ring height of the cavity made the largest contribution of 29.45%. Subsequently, this study selected fracture zone depth and die roll zone width as multi-criteria quality objectives and used the robust multi-criteria optimal approach and Pareto-optimal solutions to perform multi-criteria optimization analysis. The results revealed the optimal fracture zone depth and die roll zone width were 0.239 mm and 1.288 mm, respectively. Finally, the experimental results verified that the fracture zone depth was 0.230 mm and die roll zone width was 1.205 mm. The findings met the industry’s fraction zone depth standard (below 12% of blank thickness) and achieved a smaller die roll zone width.
Evaluation and Comparison of Structurally Different Cellulose-Based Hemostatic Agents in a Rat Kidney Model
Authors: Paprskářová Alice , Suchy Pavel , Chalupová Marta , Michlovská Lenka , Klusáková Jarmila , Sopuch Tomáš , Vojtová Lucy 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Different topical hemostatic materials are used to achieve effective hemostasis. High hemostatic activity, biocompatibility, bioresorbability, and easy manipulation are to be expected in such a developed product. In the surgical world with these specific requirements, finding a proper hemostatic agent is very difficult. The study compared several materials of various construction properties, which were assessed for structural and related properties by morphological analyses and assessed in vivo for their efficiency and behaviour using a model of rat partial nephrectomy. New sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) sponge with the lowest porosity and free swell absorptive capacity contained the highest amount of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. Results revealed that this CMC material in the form of a bioresorbable sponge may ensure the necessary hemostatic effects, while also providing a positive influence on the reaction of the local tissue. The CMC material also needed significantly less time to achieve hemostasis (p < 0.001). Moreover, the sponge reached satisfactory results in the histopathological evaluation with the lowest destruction score and favorable healing reaction. This modified product proved itself to be a promising bioresorbable hemostat, which, according to its design, matches with its surgical applications. In general, the obtained data elucidated the dependency of the total effect on its structure and composition.
A Novel Molecular Target in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With a Combination of Osimertinib and Pemetrexed
Authors: Takano Natsuki , Seike Masahiro , Sugano Teppei , Matsuda Kuniko , Hisakane Kakeru , Yoshikawa Akiko , Nakamichi Shinji , Noro Rintaro , Gemma Akihiko 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Overcoming acquired resistance to the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) osimertinib is currently an important clinical issue in treating EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. EGFR-TKI may synergize with chemotherapy and offer novel treatment strategies for overcoming acquired resistance. Here, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of combining osimertinib with pemetrexed and clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms. Gene expression microarrays were used to assess gene expression on exposure to osimertinib in the presence or absence of pemetrexed and we established cell lines resistant to osimertinib as well as those resistant to osimertinib+pemetrexed in order to explore mechanisms of resistance. Osimertinib+pemetrexed treatment significantly delayed the emergence of resistance relative to monotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Microarray analysis revealed significantly downregulated expression of the anti-apoptotic gene PLK1 in cells treated with osimertinib+pemetrexed. Consistent with this, cell lines resistant to osimertinib or to osimertinib+pemetrexed, exhibited overexpression of PLK1. Accordingly, PLK1 inhibition by siRNA or PLK1 inhibitor volasertib inhibited proliferation by inducing apoptosis in these resistant cell lines. Blocking PLK1 contributes to mediating the synergistic antiproliferative effect of osimertinib+pemetrexed in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells. PLK1 overexpression may be a critical mechanism responsible for the acquired resistance of such mutants to osimertinib+pemetrexed.
Dyadic Entrainment. An Overwhelming and Modality-Dependent Phenomenon.
Authors: Rosso Mattia , Maes Pieter-Jan , Leman Marc 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Rhythmic joint coordination is ubiquitous in daily-life human activities. In order to coordinate their actions towards shared goals, individuals need to co-regulate their timing and move together at the collective level of behavior. Remarkably, basic forms of coordinated behavior tend to emerge spontaneously as long as two individuals are exposed to each other’s rhythmic movements. The present study investigated the dynamics of spontaneous dyadic entrainment, and more specifically how they depend on the sensory modalities mediating informational coupling. By means of a novel interactive paradigm, we showed that dyadic entrainment systematically takes place during a minimalistic rhythmic task despite explicit instructions to ignore the partner. Crucially, the interaction was organized by clear dynamics in a modality-dependent fashion. Our results showed highly consistent coordination patterns in visually-mediated entrainment, whereas we observed more chaotic and more variable profiles in the auditorily-mediated counterpart. The proposed experimental paradigm yields empirical evidence for the overwhelming tendency of dyads to behave as coupled rhythmic units. In the context of our experimental design, it showed that coordination dynamics differ according to availability and nature of perceptual information. Interventions aimed at rehabilitating, teaching or training sensorimotor functions can be ultimately informed and optimized by such fundamental knowledge.
Identification of&nbsp;Common Mechanisms and Key Genes in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Chen Fengshou , Hou Haijia , Tang Bing 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have a strong association. We aimed to study the relationships between COPD and AMI, and reveal potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Materials and methods: The dataset GSE38974 and GSE60993 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to analyze the intersections among differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Common DEGs were identified and performed functional enrichment analyses. The hub genes were obtained based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network by cytoHubba in Cytoscape software. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to identify the diagnosis efficacy of hub genes. The relationship between hub genes and these two diseases in the CTD database were validated. Finally, the transcription factors (TFs) corresponding to hub genes were also analyzed. Results: In our study, sixty-five common DEGs were obtained in COPD and AMI. GO enrichment analysis indicated that inflammation or apoptotic biological processes are significant enriched biological processes. Common DEGs were mostly enriched in pathways including apoptosis, HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. MMP9, SOCS3, MCL1, ERBB2 and S100A12 were identified as the hub genes. Furthermore, we found that the expression of hub genes was significantly associated with a diagnosis efficacy of COPD and AMI. We also validated the relationship between the hub genes and these two diseases in the CTD database. We also found that ELK1, ETV4, STAT3 and TFAP2A were significant TFs, which interacted with the hub genes. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study revealed the communal DEGs and related mechanisms between the pathophysiology of COPD and AMI. MMP9, SOCS3, MCL1, ERBB2 and S100A12 were identified as the hub genes that are associated with COPD and AMI. Our study provides new ideas and evidence for further exploration of the mechanisms and treatment of COPD and AMI.
A Study on The Use of UAV Images to Improve the Separation Accuracy of Agricultural Land Areas
Authors: Aliabad Fahime Arabi , Malamiri Hamid Reza Ghafarian , Shojaei Saeed 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Classifying satellite images with medium spatial resolution such as Landsat, it is usually difficult to distinguish between plant species, and it is impossible to determine the area covered with weeds. In this study, a Landsat 8 image along with UAV images was used to separate pistachio cultivars and separate weed from trees. In order to use the high spatial resolution of UAV images, image fusion was carried out through high-pass filter, wavelet, principal component transformation, BROVEY, IHS and Gram Schmidt methods, and ERGAS, RMSE and correlation criteria were applied to assess their accuracy. The results represented that the wavelet method with R2, RMSE and ERGAS 0.91, 12.22 cm and 2.05 respectively had the highest accuracy in combining these images. Then, images obtained by this method were chosen with a spatial resolution of 20 cm for classification. Different classification methods including unsupervised method, maximum likelihood, minimum distance, fuzzy artmap, perceptron and tree methods were evaluated. Moreover, six soil classes, Ahmad Aghaei, Akbari, Kalleh Ghoochi, Fandoghi and a mixing class of Kalleh Ghoochi and Fandoghi were applied and also three classes of soil, pistachio tree and weeds were extracted from the trees. The results demonstrated that the fuzzy artmap method had the highest accuracy in separating weeds from trees, differentiating various pistachio cultivars with Landsat image and also classification with combined image and had 0.87, 0.79 and 0.87 kappa coefficients respectively. The comparison between pistachio cultivars through Landsat image and combined image showed that the validation accuracy obtained from harvest has raised by 17% because of combination of images. The results of this study indicated that the combination of UAV and Landsat 8 images affects well to separate pistachio cultivars and determine the area covered with weeds.
Is the consumption of Tilapia zillii and Clarias gariepinus from Edku Lake — El Beheira Governorate —Egypt safe for humans: a physiological and biochemical study and determination of five trace elements
Authors: Abdel-Kader Heba , Mourad Mohamed , Haredi Afaf Mohamed 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The Egyptian government seeks to develop the northern lakes, including Edku Lake in the El Beheira governorate, to enhance the physiological functions of fish, and thus, improve their quality and promote their products. Therefore, this study was performed on the two cheapest fish species T. zillii and C. gariepinus in the Egyptian market, by studying proximate body composition, antioxidant enzyme activity, and bioaccumulation of some trace elements. In this study, T. zillii showed the highest mean of carbohydrates (16.11± 0.67 mg/g), fats (24.21 ± 0.93mg/g), ash (7.33 ±1.00 %), and water content (78.33 ± 1.85 %) whereas, the highest mean of protein content was recorded in C. gariepinus (64.33 ±1.01 mg/g). Antioxidant activity GSH (41.66 ± 2.01mg/g), CAT (21.66 ± 2.6 U/g), GPx (36.5 ± 3.01 mU/L), and GR (41.16 ± 1.0 U/L) in the liver of T. zillii demonstrated insignificant decrease, except GSH and CAT was significant at (p < 0.05). SOD activity showed an insignificant decrease in T. zillii (47±3.5 U/g). Concerning trace element concentrations, C. gariepinus demonstrated an increase in five trace elements than T. zillii. The abundance of the elements is in the order as Hg< Al < Cd <Pb < As in T. zillii and C. gariepinus muscles. The highest As was recorded in C. gariepinus (1.54 ± 0.08 μg/g), whereas, the lowest Hg was recorded in T.zillii (0.47 ± 0.08 μg/g). In this research, the concentrations of the trace element in the two studied fish species were above the limits permitted by EOSQC, FAO/WHO, and the EU'. The estimated weekly intake (EWI) of the elements concentrated in the two fish species was unsafe for young people (40 Kg), and children (15 Kg), whereas it was safe for consumption by adults (70 kg) with advice on safe levels of consumption for C. gariepinus for adults. So, this study recommended that the children should consume less than 16.12857 g/day or 112.90 g/week T.zillii muscle and 13.27 g/day or 92.92 g/week C. gariepinus muscle. Moreover, Youth should consume less than 43.01 g/day or 301.7g/ week T.zillii muscle and 35.39714 g/day or 247.78 g/week C. gariepinus muscle. Finally, adult should consume less than 23.1 g/day and 161.7 g/week T.zillii muscle, and 61.94286 g/day or 433.6 g/week C. gariepinus muscle to maintain their safety.
Suitability Assessment of Mesozoic Limestone Aggregates as Pavement Material in Harar-Dire Dawa Area, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Gudissa Leta , Raghuvanshi Tarun Kumar , Meten Matebie , Chemeda Yadeta Chemdesa , Schmerold Ronald 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The quality of aggregates affects the durability and performance of pavement as it is the dominant component both in rigid and flexible pavement. Hence, aggregate quality assessment is important to ensure the good performance of aggregate in different sections of pavements. The present work aims to assess the suitability of limestone for road aggregate. Thirty-seven Mesozoic limestone samples obtained from previously identified suitable quarry sites were subjected to petrographic and geotechnical analyses. Physical properties (ultrasonic pulse velocity (PVU), water absorption (Wa), Na2SO4 soundness, and specific gravity tests) and mechanical properties (unconfined compressive strength (UCS), Aggregate crushing value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), and Los Angles Abrasion value (LAAV)) were determined in the lab and then compared with the globally accepted standards. The petrographic observations revealed that the Mesozoic limestones of the area are dominantly composed of micrite, sparite, and bioclasts with subordinate intraclasts, ooids, Fe-oxides, and dolomites. Results of the physical properties show the rock has a mean PVU of 4859 m/s, a bulk dry specific gravity (Gsb) of 2.64, and very low water absorption capacity ranging from 0.2-5.7%, and Na2SO4 soundness ranging from 1-14%. UCS, AIV, ACV, and LAAV range from 20.5-180.5Mpa, 8-20%, 24-34%, and 18.9-31.1%, respectively. The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the entire limestones sample comply with the required standards, suggesting their suitability as aggregate materials in road construction.To study the interrelationships between the physical, properties of the limestone aggregate, regression analysis was applied showing a significant interrelationship between these properties.
Germline and Tumor BRCA1/2 Pathogenic Variants in Chinese Triple-negative Breast Carcinomas
Authors: Ji Gang , Bao Longlong , Yao Qianlan , Zhang Jing , Zhu Xiaoli , Bai Qianming , Shao Zhiming , Yang Wentao , Zhou Xiaoyan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
PurposeThe cost-effectiveness of BRCA1/2 screening for all newly diagnosed breast cancer remains controversial with respect to standard treatment. Further evidences that include incidence and outcome of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (PV) screened based on age or family history (FH) are needed to fully justify this conclusion. We aimed to investigate germline and tumor BRCA1/2 PV based on age screening in Chinese triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. MethodsPaired blood and tumor DNA from 124 unselected Chinese TNBC patients with less than or equal to 55 years were collected and analyzed for BRCA1/2 PV. Clinicopathological characteristics including age at diagnosis, FH and follow-up data were collected for further analysis. ResultsThe entire frequency of germline and tumor BRCA1/2 PV was 21.0% and 25%, respectively. Among them, 20 (16.1%) germline and 5 (4.0%) somatic BRCA1/2 single-nucleotide variant/insertion/deletions were found by NGS testing, 6 (4.8%) BRCA1 large genomic rearrangements were detected in blood DNA by MPLA. There was significant correlation between FH and germline BRCA1/2 PV among these patients. Patients with tumor BRCA1/2 mutations had significant improvements than non-carriers in PFS ( p =0.047). No significant impacts were found between various mutation status in OS outcomes. No significant differences were found between BRCA1 or BRCA2 and non-carriers in PFS or OS. ConclusionThere is a high incidence of germline and tumor BRCA1/2 PVs in Chinese TNBC patients with less than or equal to 55 years old. Tumor BRCA1/2 PV carriers showed an improved survival outcome. Our results suggest that BRCA1/2 PVs testing addressed within each specific clinical scenario could be more cost-effective for patients.
Mitigating Environmental Degradation With Institutional Quality and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): New Evidence From Asymmetric Approach
Authors: Udemba Edmund Ntom 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Chile is currently rated among the performing countries towards the achievement of the global goals of reducing carbon emission. It is on recorded that Chile as a country has moved from highly insufficient to insufficient and still working towards conforming to the recommend the region of 20C in quest of controlling climate change through carbon emission reduction. From this development, it is essential to investigate on the country’s strategies in achieving this success and equally make recommendation for other countries to adopt Chile’s strategy as a blue print in controlling carbon emission. To effectively do this and achieve the objective of this study, I adopt nonlinear and asymmetric approaches to have a combine (positive and negative) view of the reactions of the selected variable towards determining the impact of each variable towards curbing emission in Chile. Also, a careful selection of variable which includes economic growth (GDP per capita-Y), institutional quality, foreign direct investment (FDI), fossil fuels and renewable energy consumption was undertaken in this study. The focus was on the interaction of institutional quality and FDI towards ascertainment of environment performance. Chile’s quarterly data of 1996Q1 to 2018Q4 was utilized and the following findings were made: positive and negative shocks to the economic growth, institutional quality and renewable energy impacted favorably and negatively on Chile’s environment through reduction and promotion of emission respectively. In contrast, positive and negative shocks to FDI and fossil fuels impact both negatively on the Chile’s environment through increase in carbon emission. So institutional quality is vital in controlling the negative impact from FDI and fossil fuels.
Malignancy Risk of Immunoglobin G4-related Disease: Evidence From a&nbsp;Large Cohort Multicenter Study
Authors: Liu Yanying , Fu Jiangnan , Ning Xiaoran , Li Huijuan , Ma Xiangbo , Wang Kunkun , Bian Wenjie , Zhang Yuxin , Yu Guangyan , Li Zhanguo 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of malignancies in a multicenter cohort of Chinese patients with immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and to identify the related risk factors of malignancy in IgG4-RD patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 602 IgG4-RD patients who were recruited in 5 medical centers from 2009 to 2020. Standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) against general Chinese population were calculated along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We identified the risk factors of malignancy in IgG4-RD and calculated the odds ratios (ORs) of different factors. Then, we developed and validated a prediction model for malignancy risk of IgG4-RD based on our cohort. Results: We observed a significantly increased prevalence of total malignancies in this cohort compared to general Chinese population (SPR 8.66 [95%CI 5.84, 12.31]). Logistic regression analysis indicated that eosinophil percentage (OR 1.096 [95%CI 1.019-1.179], P=0.016), serum albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) (OR 0.185 [95%CI 0.061-0.567], P=0.002) and autoimmune pancreatitis (OR 2.400 [95%CI 1.038-5.549], P=0.041) were three independent risk factors of malignancy in IgG4-RD patients. Four predictors were included in our final prediction model: age at IgG4-RD diagnosis, eosinophil percentage, AGR and autoimmune pancreatitis. The nomogram performed well in the internal validation cohort, with a concordance index (C-index) of 0.738.Conclusion: A significantly increased prevalence of total malignancies were observed in our multicenter cohort. Eosinophil percentage and autoimmune pancreatitis are risk factors, whereas AGR is negatively associated with malignancy in IgG4-RD. A prediction model for malignancy risk of IgG4-RD was first developed and validated in our study.