bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quasi-Finite-Time Synchronization of Fractional-Order Coupled Neural Networks with Multiple Output Couplings and Disturbances
Authors: Zhang Xiulan 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
The finite-time synchronization of fractional-order coupled neural networks (FCNNs) is investigated in this paper. A model with multiple output coupling weights and external disturbances is considered, which is a generalized form of frequently used FCNNs with state coupling. In addition, a criterion that can be used to judge whether fractional-order systems are practically finite-time stable is proposed. Furthermore, an adaptive controller is synthesized to ensure the practical finite-time synchronization of FCNNs based on this criterion and the linear matrix inequality technique, and the upper bound of the setting time can be estimated. Finally, a simulation example is provided to illustrate the plausibility of the obtained results.
Indel-free prime editing with bona fide Cas9 nickases
Authors: Lee Jaesuk , Lim Kayeong , Kim Annie , Mok Young Geun , Chung Eugene , Cho Sung-Ik , Lee Ji Min , Kim Jin-Soo 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Unlike CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases, which yield DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), Cas9 nickases (nCas9s), which are created by replacing key catalytic amino-acid residues in one of the two nuclease domains of S. pyogenesis Cas9 (SpCas9), produce nicks or single-strand breaks. Two SpCas9 variants, namely, nCas9 (D10A) and nCas9 (H840A), which cleave target (guide RNA-pairing) and non-target DNA strands, respectively, are widely used for various purposes, including paired nicking, homology-directed repair, base editing, and prime editing. In an effort to define the off-target nicks caused by these nickases, we performed Digenome-seq, a method based on whole genome sequencing of genomic DNA treated with a nuclease or nickase of interest, and found that nCas9 (H840A) but not nCas9 (D10A) can cleave both strands, producing unwanted DSBs, albeit less efficiently than wild-type Cas9. To inactivate the HNH nuclease domain further, we incorporated additional mutations into nCas9 (H840A). Double-mutant nCas9 (H840A + N863A) did not exhibit the DSB-inducing behavior in vitro and, either alone or in fusion with the M-MLV reverse transcriptase (prime editor), induced a lower frequency of unwanted indels, compared to nCas9 (H840A), caused by error-prone repair of DSBs. When incorporated into prime editor and used with engineered pegRNAs, we found that the nCas9 variant (H840A + N854A) dramatically increased the frequency of correct edits, but not unwanted indels, yielding the highest purity of editing outcomes compared to nCas9 (H840A).
Surface defect detection of solar cell based on similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism
Authors: Wang Yanling , Hou Ting , Zhang Xiong , Shangguan Hong , Zhang Pengcheng , Li Jie , Wei Baoyue 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
The surface defects such as cracks, broken cells and unsoldered areas on the solar cell caused by manufacturing process defects or artificial operation seriously affect the efficiency of solar cell. For the surface defects of solar cell, which have the characteristics of various shapes, large scale changes, and difficult to detect, a surface defect detection algorithm based on similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism is proposed by improving the Faster region-based convolution neural network (R-CNN) in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, a similarity non-maximum suppression mechanism is used, and the effectiveness of prediction frame screening is improved by introducing the cosine similarity of candidate box aspect-ratio. In addition, the cross-layer connection based on Shuffle operation and the three-branch dilated convolution block are introduced in the main feature extraction channel, which improves the network's ability to express features through multi-scale feature fusion. The experimental results show that, compared with the latest deep learning target detection models, the proposed algorithm not only has higher detection accuracy, but also lower false detection and missed detection rates in various types of defect detection.
Prospection and prediction of highly active antibiofilm peptides using machine learning-based methods
Authors: Tarki Fatemeh Ebrahimi , Zarrabi Mahboobeh , Ali Ahya Abdi , Sharbatdar Mahkame 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a sign that the golden era of antibiotics is ending. Bacterial biofilm plays a crucial role in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The biofilms formation on various substrates, from tissues to medical devices, and the remarkable resistance of biofilm-producing bacteria to almost all common antibiotics make bacterial biofilms one of the pivotal challenges in healthcare systems. Finding new therapeutic agents seems inevitable and should be sought proactively. These agents should have particular characteristics to perform well in the biofilm environment. Peptides have been shown to have promising potential as antimicrobial agents. Designing peptides with significant antibiofilm effects is cumbersome and expensive. Developing computational approaches for the prediction of the anti-biofilm effects of peptides seems to be unavoidable. In this study, emphasizing higher than 50% anti-biofilm activity, we applied multiple classification algorithms to select peptide sequences with a considerable anti-biofilm effect for subsequent experimental evaluations. Feature vectors were calculated for each sequence based on the peptide sequences’ primary structure, amino acids’ order, and physicochemical properties. Our computational approach predicted the significant anti-biofilm effect of peptides with accuracy, precision, MCC, and f1-score equal to 99%, 99%, 0.97, and 0.99, respectively, which is comparable with previous methods. This combination of the feature space and high antibiofilm activity was applied in this study for the first time.
Transcriptome Sequencing Provides Insights into Understanding the Infection Mechanism of Alternaria solani on Potato
Authors: Jiang Jia , Guo Xuhao , Tan Huanhuan , Ding Mingya , Liu Fangming , Yang Zhihui , Zhu Jiehua 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background
Alternaria solani (A. solani), the main pathogen of potato early blight, causes serious yield reduction every year. However, the molecular interaction between A. solani and its host, potato, is largely unknown. In this study, a deep RNA-sequencing approach was applied to gain insights into the pathogenesis of A. solani. At 3, 4, and 5 days post inoculation (dpi), RNA samples from the susceptible potato cultivar Favorita infected by A. solani strain HWC-168, were sequenced and utilized for transcriptome analysis.
Results
A total of 4430 (2167 up-regulated, 2263 down-regulated), 4736 (2312 up-regulated, 2424 down-regulated), and 5043 (2411 up-regulated, 2632 down-regulated) genes were differentially expressed at 3, 4 and 5 dpi, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the genes of amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and enzyme activity were significantly expressed at the late infection stage. Correspondingly, the symptoms developed rapidly during the late stage infection of A. solani. In addition, the short time-series expression miner (STEM) assay was conducted to analyze the gene expression patterns of A. solani and it was found that profile 17 and 19 showed significant changing trends at 3, 4 and 5 dpi. Both profiles especially profile 17 contained a large number of enzymatic proteins, including transferases, oxidoreductases, hydrolases and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZYmes), which may play important roles in the late process of fungal infection. Furthermore, we screened possible candidate effectors by an adopted pipeline and found 137 differentially expressed small secreted proteins, which included some enzymes and unknown function proteins.
Conclusions
Collectively, the data presented in this study showed that amino acid metabolism, and glucose metabolism pathways may be the key metabolic pathways and these specific enzymes were important at the late stage of A. solani infection. These results contributed to the establishment of a broader knowledge of the pathogenesis of A. solani to potato at the transcriptional level and provided clues for determining the effectors of A. solani.
Lipoprotein(a) variations between Chronic Coronary Syndrome and Acute Myocardial Infarction and their relation to the severity of coronary artery stenosis
Authors: Zhu Hongwen , Zheng Zhenzhong 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background

Lp(a) levels and the degree of coronary artery stenosis in patients with CAD at different times [e.g., acute myocardial infarction (AMI), chronic coronary syndrome (CCS)] are closely related to patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), but the differences in Lp(a) levels and the relationship between Lp(a) levels and the degree of coronary artery stenosis are unclear.

Methods

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we screened 217 patients with CCS and 141 patients with AMI. Their data were collected separately, including gender, age, marital status, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, drinking,troponin I, Creatine Kinase Isoenzyme(CKMB), Lp(a), apolipoprotein a [apo(a)],apolipoprotein b [apo(b)], LDL, HDL, TG, TC, D-dimer, fibrinogen, homocysteine, number of coronary artery lesions and the degree of stenosis,and echocardiography related indices.The correlation between Lp(a) level and the degree of coronary artery stenosis was tested by Spearman rank correlation, and the relationship between Lp(a) level and coronary artery obstruction was clarified using univarite and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, and ROC curves were plotted to clarify the value of Lp(a) in predicting coronary artery obstruction and the cut-off value.

Results

In our study, the median Lp(a) concentration was significantly higher in AMI patients than CCS(336.0 vs 135.0 mg/L).Lp(a) was highly associated with the degree of coronary stenosis in patients with CCS(r = 0.811,p<0.001) and was not found in patients with AMI(r = 0.029, p > 0.05).Lp(a) was associated with coronary artery obstruction(define as coronary artery stenosis ≥ 50%) in a multivariate regression analysis compared to other factors(OR:1.024;95%CI:1.016–1.032).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve shows that the area under curve(AUC) of lipoprotein(a) is 93.9%,and the cut-off value of Lp(a) for predicting coronary artery obstruction was 130 mg/L(sensitivity: 85.83% ,specificity: 88.46%).

Conclusions

Lp(a) levels were considerably greater in AMI patients compared to CCS patients, but they did not correlate with the severity of coronary artery stenosis in AMI patients. The level of coronary stenosis can be predicted by Lp(a). In patients with chronic coronary syndrome, Lp(a) > 130 mg/L indicates coronary artery stenosis > 50%.
Chronic Anti-Coagulation Therapy Reduced Mortality In Patients With High Cardiovascular Risk Early In COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Zaghloul Mohamed S. , Jammeh Momodou , Gibson Andrew , Luo Suhong , Chadwick-Mansker Kelley , Liu Qianjin , Yan Yan , Zayed Mohamed A. 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with provoked thrombo-inflammatory responses. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic this was thought to contribute to hypercoagulability and multi-organ system complications in infected patients. Limited studies have evaluated the impact of therapeutic anti-coagulation therapy (AC) in alleviate these risks in COVID-19 positive patients. Our study aimed to investigate whether long-term therapeutic AC can decrease the risk of multi-organ system complications (MOSC) including stroke, limb ischemia, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, in-hospital and intensive care unit death in COVID-19 positive patients during the early phase of the pandemic in the United States.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all COVID-19 positive United States Veterans between March 2020 and October 2020. Patients receiving continuous therapeutic AC for a least 30 days prior to or after their initial COVID-19 positive test were assigned to the AC group. Patients who did not receive AC were included in a control group. We analyzed the primary study outcome of MOSC between the AC and control groups using binary logistic regression analysis (Odd-Ratio; OR).
Results: We identified 48,066 COVID-19 patients, of them 879 (1.8%) were receiving continuous therapeutic AC. The AC cohort had significantly worse comorbidities than the control group. On the adjusted binary logistic regression model, therapeutic AC significantly decreased in-hospital mortality rate (OR; 0.67, p = 0.04), despite a higher incidence of GI bleeding (OR; 4.00, p = 0.02). However, therapeutic AC did not significantly reduce other adverse events.
Conclusion: AC therapy reduced in-hospital death early in the COVID-19 pandemic among patients who were hospitalized with the infection. However, it did not decrease the risk of MOSC. Additional trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of AC in preventing complications associated with ongoing emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus.
The dynamic effects of fiscal discretion on income distribution in the EU-27
Authors: Flores David Sarasa 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Based on panel data for the EU-27 from 1990 to 2017, this paper develops a novel three-steps framework to assess the dynamic effects of spending-based discretionary fiscal policy on income distribution and inequality. The steps are the following: 1) extract the discretionary fiscal component by estimating a well-known fiscal rule model, 2) use that com- ponent to estimate the dynamics of income distribution given a discretion’s shock by ARDL models and 3) investigate the short-, medium- and long-term effects by computing IRFs via Local Projections by Jordà, 2005. Overall, I find supportive evidence on the heterogeneity in the response of income distribution to discretionary changes in government spending and a weak performance of discretion in terms of income redistribution durability. Such hetero- geneity is shown as i) a significant and positive, yet transitory, income redistributive power of discretion and ii) a persistent and detrimental impact on the top 1 share of the distribution. In addition, these results complement with i) significant in the short-term and ii) persistent in the long-run inequality alleviation. Such results are robust to multiple specifications regarding lag selection criteria, time indicators inclusion and sign non-linearities (asymmetries).
Combined endovascular antegrade- and direct retrograde carotid artery stenting for chronic and long segment common carotid artery occlusion: technical note and review of literature
Authors: Miyake Shigeta , Nakai Yasunobu , Akimoto Taisuke , Ishikawa Syun , Saruta Wakiko , Kuroda Hiroki , Shimizu Satoru , Yamamoto Tetsuya 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background
Common carotid artery occlusion (CCAO) is a rare cause of ischemic stroke and the major treatment for CCAO is bypass surgery. However, safer alternatives should be developed to treat CCAO.
Case presentation
A 68-year-old male was diagnosed with left-sided asymptomatic CCAO due to neck radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer. Recanalization therapy using a pull-through technique was initiated because cerebral blood flow progressively decreased during follow-up. First, after a short sheath was inserted into the common carotid artery (CCA), the occluded CCA was retrogradelypenetratedthrough the sheath. Second, a micro-guide wire was guided to the aorta from the femoral sheath where it was caught using a snare-wire guided from the cervical sheath. Subsequently, the micro-guide wire was gently pulled out from the cervical sheath, penetrated the occluded lesion, and was secured to the femoral and cervical sheaths. Finally, the occluded lesion was dilated using a balloon and the stent was placed. The patient was discharged uneventfully 5 days post-procedure.
Conclusions
Combined endovascular antegrade and direct retrograde carotid artery stenting is a versatile and minimally invasive treatment option for CCAO in terms of the reliable penetration of obstructive lesions and reduction of embolic and hemorrhagic complications.
A Brief Technical Report: MS ISO/IEC 17025 Reassessment in the Commercial Chemical Laboratory
Authors: LI HUI LING , HASSAN MOHD SUKRI , NGAH CHE WAN ZANARIAH CHE WAN 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
A Technical Assessor (TA) report is required for every assessment. This brief technical report aims to share the findings after an assessment in the commercial chemical laboratory. This assessment was conducted for 3 audit days, one TA covers food, traditional medicine, animal feed, and agricultural products. It was based on the MS ISO/IEC 17025:2017 clauses, SAMM policies (SP), Specific Criteria (SC) and Specific Technical Requirements (STR). A total of 5 findings were issued to the laboratory, which were 3 Non-Compliance Records (NCR) category 2, 1 NCR category 3 and 1 NCR category 4 which is an observation. The certified Accreditation Body (CAB) needed to be closed out the NCR category 2 and category 3 within three months with corrective action and root cause analysis to obtain the accreditation continuously.
Maturation in the Indian Context: An Exploration of Differentiation of Self in Indian Youth
Authors: Narayanan Mini , Sri Sujata 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Murray Bowen’s ‘Differentiation of Self’ refers to a maturation process wherein the individual can achieve an optimal balance between the biologically rooted dialectic forces of togetherness and separateness. Being a multigenerational process, differentiation is achieved within the context of the family's emotional process and manifests in the intrapsychic and interpersonal domains of functioning. Higher levels of differentiation facilitate better psychological health, and lower levels leave the person vulnerable to psychological distress. While extensively explored in the West, there is a paucity of differentiation studies in India, which is a collectivistic society characterised by psychological interdependence.
An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore differentiation among Indian youth enrolled in universities across Maharashtra, India, using the DSI-R (Differentiation of Self-Revised) (Skowron & Schmitt, 2003). Data collected from 783 youth (243 males, 540 females; mean age = 20.77 years) was analysed using non-parametric statistics. Findings indicated average levels of differentiation (M=3.4, SD=0.59), high levels of I-Position (M=4.1, SD=0.77) and Emotional Reactivity (M=2.8, SD=0.95), and average levels of Emotional Cutoff (M=3.7, SD=0.91) and Fusion with others (M=3. SD=0.7). Contrary to Bowen's assertion of the universality of the construct, sociodemographic factors like gender, birth order, relationship status and parental education were found to influence differentiation levels of youth significantly. Existing data provides contradicting evidence of the same. Findings support the need for more multicultural studies of differentiation to understand the construct and its manifestation in different cultures. Implications for assessment and therapeutic interventions are discussed.
Resistance training restores skeletal muscle atrophy and satellite cell content in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Rahmati Masoud , joneydi Mohammad Shariatzadeh , Koyanagi Ai , Yang Guang , Ji Bingzhou , Lee Seung Won , Yon Dong Keon , Smith Lee , Shin Jae Il , Li Yusheng 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and numerous recent findings suggest that several pathologic signs, including loss of muscle strength and mass, are also detected in these patients. In the present study, we evaluated muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), myonuclear number, satellite cell (SC) content, and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) types in an animal model of AD and examined the possible role of resistance training in controlling skeletal muscle size in this disease. Fifty-eight male rats were randomly divided into four groups: healthy-control (H-C), healthy-exercise (H-Ex), Alzheimer-control (A-C), and Alzheimer-exercise (A-Ex). AD was induced by the single injection of 1–42 amyloid into the CA1 region of the hippocampus (1 µl/site). The rats in H-Ex and A-Ex groups performed a 5-week resistance training period (17 sessions). The results indicated that AD induces significant skeletal muscle atrophy and reduces the myonuclear number and SC content in gastrocnemius muscle. Interestingly, we did not find any significant differences in the different MyHC distributions of AD animals compared with controls, while resistance training significantly increased the CSA of MyHC IIb fibers in both AD and healthy animals. Altogether, these observations suggest that the skeletal muscle of AD animals are more prone to atrophy and loss of myonuclear number and satellite cell content, while resistance training successfully restores these impairments.
Relationship between Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Right to left shunt grading, and interventional therapy effect on unexplained dizziness: A prospective clinical study
Authors: Li Yanping , Shen Yu , Cao Qian , Cheng Yingzhang , Huang Wei , Xu Lijun , Tang Zhenyu 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background and Objective: Unexplained dizziness remains a clinical challenge. Our previous studies have shown that unexplained dizziness may be related to patent foramen ovale (PFO). This study aims to explore whether the degree of shunt is correlated with the degree of unexplained dizziness and looking for the possible clinical intervention for patients with unexplained dizziness.
Methods: This study was a large single-center, prospective, controlled study. From March 2019 to March 2022, patients with unexplained dizziness and explained dizziness and healthy controls were recruited. Contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler sonography(c-TCD) was performed to detect the existence of right-to-left shunt (RLS) and shunt grading. The dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) was completed to evaluate the dizziness. Unexplained dizziness patients with large amount of PFO were volunteered to receive medication treatment and transcatheter PFO closure and followed up six months.
Results: A total of 387 patients (132 unexplained, 123 explained and 132 controls) were enrolled. There was a statistical difference in the RLS grading with three groups (p < 0.001). The Spearman correlation coefficient of RLS grading and DHI scores in unexplained dizziness patients (r=0.122, p=0.163) and explained dizziness patients (r=0.067, p=0.460). In the unexplained group, there were 49 cases with massive grading RLS. Of which 25 patients received percutaneous PFO closure treatment and 24 cases received medication treatment. Followed up six months after treatment, the amount of DHI scores change in patients who received the percutaneous PFO closure was significantly higher than that in the medication treatment group (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: RLS may play an important role in unexplained dizziness. For unexplained dizziness patients, PFO closure may contribute to better outcomes. In the future, large-scale randomized controlled studies are still needed.