bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
miR-488-5p mitigates hepatic stellate cell activation and hepatic fibrosis via suppressing TET3 expression
Authors: Qiu Jiannan , Wu Shasha , Wang Peng , Zhou Yan , Wang Zhongxia , Sun Yong , Jiang Chunping 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background and aims
Numerous studies have demonstrated that hepatic fibrosis, a progressive condition as an endpoint of multiple chronic hepatic diseases, is largely characterized with the extensive activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The precise effect of miR-488-5p in HSCs during hepatic fibrosis has not been elucidated.

Methods
In our study, qRT‐PCR was applied to assess the level of miR-488-5p in activated HSCs stimulated by TGF-β1. We built murine liver fibrosis models with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), high-fat diet (HFD) and bile duct ligation (BDL). In vitro, the effects of miR-488-5p in HSCs were examined through cell proliferation assay and apoptosis. Luciferase reporter assay was applied to identify the underlying target of miR-488-5p. In vivo, the effects of miR-488-5p were explored through mouse liver fibrosis models.

Results
The reduction of miR-488-5p in the activated HSCs induced by TGF-β1 and three mouse hepatic fibrosis models were identified. The in vitro functional experimentations verified that miR-488-5p restrained expression of fibrosis-related markers and proliferative capacity in HSCs. Mechanically, we identified that miR-488-5p inhibited tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 3 (TET3) expression via straightly binding onto the 3′ UTR of its mRNA, which sequentially restrained the TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway. TET3 inhibition induced by the overexpression of miR-488-5p reduced extracellular matrix deposition, which contributed to mitigating mouse liver fibrosis.

Conclusion
We highlight that miR-488-5p restrains the activation of HSCs and hepatic fibrosis via targeting TET3 which is involved in the TGF-β/Smad2/3 signaling pathway. Collectively, miR-488-5p is identified as a potential therapeutic target for hepatic fibrosis.
ClearSpeechTogether: a Rater Blinded, Single, Controlled Feasibility Study of Speech Intervention for People with Progressive Ataxia
Authors: Lowit Anja , Cox Jessica , Loucas Melissa , Grassly Jennifer , Egan Aisling , van Brenk Frits , Hadjivassiliou Marios 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Background
Progressive ataxias frequently lead to speech disorders and consequently impact on communication participation and psychosocial wellbeing. Whilst recent studies demonstrate the potential for improvements in these areas, these treatments generally require intensive input which can reduce acceptability of the approach.
A new model of care—ClearSpeechTogether—is proposed which maximises treatment intensity whilst minimising demands on clinician. This study aimed to establish feasibility and accessibility of this approach and at the same time determine the potential benefits and adverse effects on people with progressive ataxias.

Method
This feasibility study targeted people with progressive ataxia and mild-moderate speech and gross motor impairment. ClearSpeechTogether consisted of four individual sessions over 2 weeks followed by 20 patient-led group sessions over 4 weeks. All sessions were provided online. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected for evaluation.

Results
Nine participants completed treatment. Feasibility and acceptability were high and no adverse effects were reported. Statistical tests found significantly reduced vocal strain, improved reading intelligibility and increased participation and confidence. Participant interviews highlighted the value of group support internalisation of speech strategies and psycho-social wellbeing.

Discussion
ClearSpeechTogether presented a feasible, acceptable intervention for a small cohort of people with progressive ataxia. It matched or exceeded the outcomes previously reported following individual therapy. Particularly notable was the fact that this could be achieved through patient led practice without the presence of a clinician. Pending confirmation of our results by larger, controlled trials, ClearSpeechTogether could represent an effective approach to manage speech problems in ataxia.
The network of commodity risk
Authors: Foroni Beatrice , Morelli Giacomo , Petrella Lea 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the interconnections among and within the Energy, Agricultural, and Metal commodities, operating in a risk management framework with a twofold goal. First, we estimate the Value-at-Risk (VaR) employing GARCH and Markov-switching GARCH models with different error term distributions. The use of such models allows us to take into account well-known stylized facts shown in the time series of commodities as well as possible regime changes in their conditional variance dynamics. We rely on backtesting procedures to select the best model for each commodity. Second, we estimate the sparse Gaussian Graphical model of commodities exploiting the Graphical LASSO (GLASSO) methodology to detect the most relevant conditional dependence structure among and within the sectors. A novel feature of our framework is that GLASSO estimation is achieved exploring the precision matrix of the multivariate Gaussian distribution obtained using a Gaussian copula with marginals given by the residuals of the aforementioned selected models. We apply our approach to the sample of twenty-four series of commodity futures prices over the years 2005–2022. We find that Soybean Oil, Cotton, and Coffee represent the major sources of propagation of financial distress in commodity markets while Gold, Natural Gas UK, and Heating Oil are depicted as safe-haven commodities. The impact of Covid-19 is reflected in increased heterogeneity, as captured by the strongest relationships between commodities belonging to the same commodity sector and by weakened inter-sectorial connections. This finding suggests that connectedness does not always increase in response to crisis events.
Improving suitability of urban canals and canalized rivers for transportation, thermal energy extraction and recreation in two European delta cities
Authors: van der Meulen E. Suzanne , van de Ven Frans H. M. , van Oel Pieter R. , Rijnaarts Huub H. M. , Sutton Nora B. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractCanals and canalized rivers form a major part of surface water systems in European delta cities and societal ambitions to use these waters increase. This is the first assessment of how suitability of these waters can improve for three important uses: transportation, thermal energy extraction (TEE) and recreation. We assess suitability with Suitability Indices (SIs) and identify which alterations in the water system are needed to improve SI scores in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Ghent, Belgium. The results show spatial variability in suitability scores. Current suitability for transportation is low (SI score = 1) to excellent (SI score = 4), for TEE fair (SI score = 2) to excellent (SI score = 4), and suitability for recreation is low (SI score = 1). Suitability could improve by enlarging specific waterway dimensions, increasing discharge and clarity, and by enhancing microbiological water quality. The same methodology can be applied to optimize designs for new water bodies and for more water uses.
Hemopatch® is effective and safe to use: real-world data from a prospective European registry study
Authors: Lombardo Carlo , Lopez-Ben Santiago , Boggi Ugo , Gutowski Piotr , Hrbac Tomas , Krska Lukas , Marquez-Rivas Javier , Russello Domenico , York Elisa , Zacharias Mario 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSurgical procedures are often impeded by bleeding and/or leakage of body fluids. These complications cannot always be resolved by conventional surgical techniques. Hemopatch® is a hemostatic patch that also functions as a sealant. Here we document the effectiveness and safety of Hemopatch® for routine procedures of multiple surgical disciplines. To this end, we performed a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, observational registry study. Patients were eligible if they had received Hemopatch® during an open or minimally invasive procedure in one of these specialties: hepatobiliary, cardiovascular, urological, neurological/spinal, general, or lung surgery. Patients were excluded if they had a known hypersensitivity to bovine proteins or brilliant blue, intraoperative pulsatile or severe bleeding and/or infection at the target application site (TAS). The primary endpoint for intraoperative effectiveness was hemostasis assessed as the percentage of patients achieving hemostasis within 2 min and the percentage of patients achieving hemostasis without re-bleeding at the time of surgical closure. The registry enrolled 621 patients at 23 study sites in six European countries. Six hundred twenty patients had completed follow-up information. Hemostasis within 2 min was achieved at 463 (74.5%) of all 621 TASs. Hemostasis without re-bleeding was observed at 620 (99.8%) TASs. Adverse events were reported in 64 patients (10.3%). This Hemopatch® registry shows that Hemopatch® efficiently establishes hemostasis and sealing in a variety of surgical specialties, including minimally invasive procedures. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the safety of Hemopatch® across all the specialties included in the registry. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03392662.
Promising applications of seedcake of Jatropha curcas plants: bioethanol production and bio-sorbent material for dye and heavy metal removal
Authors: Taha Zahraa S. , Labena Ahmed , Madian Hekmat R. , Ahmed Hala S. , Hassan H. M. 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Jatropha curcas L. as a member of Euphorbiaceae family had many copious applications due to its richness content of oil, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Therefore, this work was directed to increase the value of the seedcakes of Jatropha curcas by their applications in bioethanol production and removal of methylene blue dye (MB) as well as hexavalent chromium Cr (VI) from contaminated wastewater. The seedcakes sources were collected from different irrigation treatments: tap water (1), sewage water (2), sewage water and sludge (3), sewage water and sludge sprayed with tap water, 100, 200, 300, and 400 ppm of chlorocholine chloride (cycocel or abbreviated as CCC), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8), respectively. Results showed that sewage water only (2) and the combination between sewage water and sludge irrigation (3) produced the highest ethanol quantity (4.59 & 5.15 ml/l, respectively) after the fermentation of the hydrolysates by Candida tropicalis Y-26. In respect to CCC spraying, the maximum ethanol concentration (5.57 ml/l) was achieved from Jatropha curcas seedcake irrigated with CCC at a concentration of (300 ppm). In the other application, a preliminary screening experiment was demonstrated for the different forms of Jatropha curcas seedcake and results revealed that the Jatropha curcas seedcake irrigated with sewage water only (2) achieved the highest removal efficiencies of 78.8% and 41% for MB and Cr (VI), respectively. After that, the optimization process stated the optimum parameters; Jatropha curcas seedcake dose of 15 and 5 g/l, conc. 50 ppm, pH 7 and 5, and contact time 240 & 120 min were the optimum factors that achieved high (methylene blue (MB)) and hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] removal efficiencies, respectively. Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-first-order model were stated as selected models that explain the adsorption mechanism of MB and Cr by Jatropha curcas seedcake.
Lactic acid fermentation of food waste at acidic conditions in a semicontinuous system: effect of HRT and OLR changes
Authors: Pau Simone , Tan Lea Chua , Arriaga Sonia , Lens Piet N. L. 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Lactic acid production through fermentation is an established technology, however, improvements are necessary to reduce the process costs and to decrease its market price. Lactic acid is used in many industrial sectors and its market has increased in the last decade for its use as the raw material for polylactic acid product. Using food waste as a cheap and renewable substrate, as well as fermentation at uncontrolled pH, helps to make the production cheaper and to simplify the downstream purification process. Lactic acid production at acidic conditions and the role of varying organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were tested in two different semicontinuous batch fermentation systems. Reactor performances indicated that lactic acid fermentation was still possible at pH < 3.5 and even up to a pH of 2.95. The highest lactic acid production was recorded at 14-day HRT, 2.14 g VS/L·day OLR, and pH 3.11 with a maximum lactic acid concentration of 8.72 g/L and a relative yield of 0.82 g lactate/g carbohydrates. The fermentation microbial community was dominated by Lactobacillus strains, the organism mainly responsible for lactic acid conversion from carbohydrates. This study shows that low pH fermentation is a key parameter to improve lactic acid production from food waste in a semicontinuous system. Acidic pH favored both the selection of Lactobacillus strains and inhibited VFA producers from utilizing lactic acid as primary substrate, thus promoting the accumulation of lactic acid. Finally, production yields tend to decrease with high OLR and low HRT, while lactic acid production rates showed the opposite trend.
Territorial Resilience Through Visibility Analysis for Immediate Detection of Wildfires Integrating Fire Susceptibility, Geographical Features, and Optimization Methods
Authors: Sakellariou Stavros , Sfoungaris George , Christopoulou Olga 
Published: August 2022

AbstractClimate change effects tend to reinforce the frequency and severity of wildfires worldwide, and early detection of wildfire events is considered of crucial importance. The primary aim of this study was the spatial optimization of fire resources (that is, watchtowers) considering the interplay of geographical features (that is, simulated burn probability to delimit fire vulnerability; topography effects; and accessibility to candidate watchtower locations) and geo-optimization techniques (exact programming methods) to find both an effective and financially feasible solution in terms of visibility coverage in Chalkidiki Prefecture of northern Greece. The integration of all geographical features through the Analytical Hierarchy Process indicated the most appropriate territory for the installment of watchtowers. Terrain analysis guaranteed the independence and proximity of location options (applying spatial systematic sampling to avoid first order redundancy) across the ridges. The conjunction of the above processes yielded 654 candidate watchtower positions in 151,890 ha of forests. The algorithm was designed to maximize the joint visible area and simultaneously minimize the number of candidate locations and overlapping effects (avoiding second order redundancy). The results indicate four differentiated location options in the study area: (1) 75 locations can cover 90% of the forests (maximum visible area); (2) 47 locations can cover 85% of the forests; (3) 31 locations can cover 80.2% of the forests; and (4) 16 locations can cover 70.6% of the forests. The last option is an efficient solution because it covers about 71% of the forests with just half the number of watchtowers that would be required for the third option with only about 10% additional forest coverage. However, the final choice of any location scheme is subject to agency priorities and their respective financial flexibility.
Investigation of non-motor symptoms in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Hirayama Takehisa , Shibukawa Mari , Yanagihashi Masaru , Warita Hitoshi , Atsuta Naoki , Yamanaka Koji , Kano Osamu 
Published: August 2022

Abstract[Objective] Few studies have comprehensively investigated the non-motor symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We aimed to investigate this aspect of ALS. [Methods] We held a nationwide webinar, titled “ALS Café,” and distributed self-report questionnaires to ALS patients. In addition to the frequency of non-motor symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disorders, defecation disorders, sialorrhea, and sexual problems, we evaluated the quality of life (QoL), ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). [Results] The average age of the 33 respondents (19 male, 14 female) was 60.8 ± 11.2; 96.7% of respondents had some non-motor symptoms. The median ALSFRS-R was 32.0, and seven (21.2%) of the respondents had a PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher. Fatigue was the most common non-motor symptom (81.8%), followed by pain (60.6%), defecation disorders (57.6%), sleep disorders (48.5%), sialorrhea (48.5%), and sexual problems (24.2%). Fatigue was more frequent in females (P = 0.03). Among the non-motor symptoms, pain was the most common factor affecting QoL, followed by fatigue. More than 90% of ALS patients answered that they had never consulted a physician/counselor about sexual problems. Patients with pain had higher PHQ-9 scores than those without (P = 0.01). There was no correlation between the ALSFRS-R score and QoL and PHQ-9. [Conclusions] Most patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis had non-motor symptoms, and fatigue and pain were the most common. We showed that many non-motor symptoms affected QoL without correlating with ALSFRS-R score. Attention should be paid to those even if the motor symptoms of ALS are mild.
Secondary zoonotic dog-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 suggested by timeline but refuted by viral genome sequencing
Authors: Hoppe John M. , Füeßl Louise U. , Hartmann Katrin , Hofmann-Lehmann Regina , Graf Alexander , Krebs Stefan , Blum Helmut , Badell Irina , Keppler Oliver T. , Muenchhoff Maximilian 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Purpose
The risk of secondary zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from pet animals remains unclear. Here, we report on a 44 year old Caucasian male presenting to our clinic with COVID-19 pneumonia, who reported that his dog displayed respiratory signs shortly prior to his infection. The dog tested real-time-PCR (RT-PCR) positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the timeline of events suggested a transmission from the dog to the patient.

Methods
RT-PCR and serological assays were used to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection in the nasopharyngeal tract in the dog and the patient. We performed SARS-CoV-2-targeted amplicon-based next generation sequencing of respiratory samples from the dog and patient for sequence comparisons.

Results
SARS-CoV-2 infection of the dog was confirmed by three independent PCR-positive pharyngeal swabs and subsequent seroconversion. Sequence analysis identified two separate SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the canine and the patient’s respiratory samples. The timeline strongly suggested dog-to-human transmission, yet due to the genetic distance of the canine and the patient’s samples paired-transmission was highly unlikely.

Conclusion
The results of this case support current knowledge about the low risk of secondary zoonotic dog-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 and emphasizes the strength of genomic sequencing in deciphering viral transmission chains.
Return to Sports: A Risky Business? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Graft Rupture Following ACL Reconstruction
Authors: Cronström Anna , Tengman Eva , Häger Charlotte K. 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background
The risk of sustaining a graft rupture after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is high. Contributing risk factors are, however, still not clearly identified.

Objective
The aim of this systematic review was to identify and quantify risk factors for graft rupture after ACLR.

Methods
A systematic review with meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD42020140129) based on PRISMA guidelines was performed. MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE were searched from inception to September 2021. Prospective and retrospective studies addressing risk factors for graft rupture after ACLR in males/females of all ages were considered. Meta-analyses using a random effect model (effect measure: odds ratio [OR] with 95% confidence interval [CI]) were performed. The GRADE tool was used to assess evidence quality.

Results
Following full-text screening of 310 relevant papers, 117 were eventually included, incorporating up to 133,000 individuals in each meta-analysis. Higher Tegner activity level (≥ 7 vs < 7) at primary injury (OR 3.91, 95% CI 1.69–9.04), increased tibial slope (degrees) (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.26–3.86), lower psychological readiness to return to sport (RTS) (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.32–3.61), early surgery (< 12 vs ≥ 12 months) (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.58–2.22), RTS (pre-injury level) (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.21–2.91) and family history of ACL injury (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.34–2.31) were all associated with increased odds of graft rupture. Higher age (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.39–0.59), female sex (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.98), fewer self-reported knee symptoms pre-reconstruction (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69–0.95) and concomitant cartilage injuries (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62–0.79) instead decreased the odds. Meta-analysis revealed no association between body mass index, smoking, joint laxity, RTS time, knee kinematics, muscle strength or hop performance and graft rupture.

Conclusion
Conspicuous risk factors for graft rupture were mainly sports and hereditary related. Few studies investigated function-related modifiable factors or included sports exposure data.
Generative knowledge-based transfer learning for few-shot health condition estimation
Authors: Kang Weijie , Xiao Jiyang , Xue Junjie 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIn the field of high-end manufacturing, it is valuable to study few-shot health condition estimation. Although transfer learning and other methods have effectively improved the ability of few-shot learning, they still cannot solve the lack of prior knowledge. In this paper, by combining data enhancement, knowledge reasoning, and transfer learning, a generative knowledge-based transfer learning model is proposed to achieve few-shot health condition estimation. First, with the effectiveness of data enhancement on machine learning, a novel batch monotonic generative adversarial network (BM-GAN) is designed for few-shot health condition data generation, which can solve the problem of insufficient data and generate simulated training data. Second, a generative knowledge-based transfer learning model is proposed with the performance advantages of the belief rule base (BRB) method on few-shot learning, which combines expert knowledge and simulated training data to obtain a generalized BRB model and then fine-tunes the generalized model with real data to obtain a dedicated BRB model. Third, through uniform sampling of NASA lithium battery data and simulating few-shot conditions, the generative transfer-belief rule base (GT-BRB) method proposed in this paper is verified to be feasible for few-shot health condition estimation and improves the estimation accuracy of the BRB method by approximately 17.3%.