bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FGA Controls VEGFA Secretion to Promote Angiogenesis by Activating the VEGFR2-FAK Signalling Pathway
Authors: Li Hui , Cai E. , Cheng Hongyan , Ye Xue , Ma Ruiqiong , Zhu Honglan , Chang Xiaohong 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundOur previous work revealed the high expression of fibrinogen alpha chain (FGA) in patients with endometriosis (EM) and that it could promote the migration and invasion of endometrial stromal cells. Angiogenesis is the key condition for the development of EM. This study was aimed to elucidate the role of FGA in endometrial stromal cells involved in angiogenesis in EM.MethodsImmunohistochemistry was used to detect the microvessel density (MVD) and VEGF expression in the eutopic endometrium samples from EM and non-EM. The conditioned medium (CM) of human primary eutopic endometrial stromal cells (EuESC) and immortalized endometrial stromal cell line hEM15A with FGA knockdown were collected and used to treat human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Then, tube formation assay, EdU assay, wound assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry assays were performed to assess the function of HUEVCs in vitro. The angiogenic capability of HUVECs was further measured using a matrigel plug assay with BALB/c nude mice in vivo. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of F-actin and VE-cadherin. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression of angiogenesis-related factors in endometrial stromal cells and downstream signalling pathways in HUVECs.ResultsMVD and VEGF expression in the eutopic endometrium of EM patients were significantly higher than those in the normal endometrium of non-EM patients, and the increased MVD in EM indicates an increased risk of recurrence. Functionally, we found that CM of endometrial stromal cells with FGA knockdown could inhibit HUEVCs migration and tube formation in vitro and in vivo, while having no significant effect on HUVECs proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle. Mechanically, the expression of VEGFA, PDGF, FGF-B, VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 was reduced in hEM15A cells with FGA knockdown. CM of hEM15A cells with FGA knockdown reduced the number of microfilaments and pseudopodia, as well as the expression of VE-cadherin, and inhibited the activity of VEGFR2 and the FAK signalling pathway in HUVECs.ConclusionOur study demonstrated FGA could enhance the interaction between endometrial stromal cells and HUVECs via the potential VEGA-VEGFR-FAK signalling axis and promote EM angiogenesis, revealing a promising therapeutic approach for EM.
Dynamic Performance Evaluation of an Integrated 15 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Under Typhoon and ECD Conditions
Authors: Liu Shiqi , Chuang Zhenju , Qu Yan , Li Xin , Li Chunzheng , He Zhen 
Published: April 2022

Technology innovation has led to an increase in floating wind turbine size aimed at releasing the pressure on capital cost and increasing its capacity factor. Large-size turbines pose high challenges regarding design with essential structure reliability. The dynamic performance of an integrated 15-megawatt (MW) wind turbine under extreme sea loads is investigated in this paper. Platform motions, mooring system positioning forces, sizeable blades, and tower behaviors are all studied under the targeted typhoon condition and extreme coherent gust with direction change (ECD) wind condition. Potential flow theory is used to analyze the first-order wave load, mean-drift wave load, and second-order difference-frequency wave load on the substructure of the ultra-large 15 MW floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). The blade element momentum (BEM) theory is adopted for the calculation of the aerodynamic loads on the floating wind turbine, and the finite element method (FEM) is applied to analyze the mooring lines of the floating wind turbine. The results show that the effect of quadratic transfer function (QTF) will significantly increase the dynamic response of FOWT under the typhoon sea state. The ECD wind condition has an influential impact on the motion responses, the axial force of the mooring lines, and structural responses under the normal operating state.
Characteristics and Hazards of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Fires Caused by Lithium-Ion Battery Packs With Thermal Runaway
Authors: Cui Yan , Cong Beihua , Liu Jianghong , Qiu Mingming , Han Xin 
Published: April 2022

Fire accidents constitute a significant safety concern for automotive lithium-ion battery packs and have impeded the development of electric vehicles (EVs). While fire safety concerns have been raised about EVs, their fire performance remains unknown, especially for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Hence, this paper conducted full-scale fire experiments of PHEVs to explore their fire behavior and characteristics. Two brand new PHEVs were employed, and their power battery packs were ignited as the origin of the fire to simulate the representative fire scenario. Results showed that visible flames appeared around the chassis after about 60 min of the experimental procedure. Around the fire emerged, the battery packs intermittently released plenty of white smoke, which induced gas-phase explosions. The main component of the smoke was combustible gases. The SUV-type PHEV test took 9 min 11 s for the chassis flames to evolve into a passenger compartment fire. Due to the slow propagation of the fire in sedan-type PHEV, it required 9 min 56 s for flames to engulf the rear part of the sedan. The maximum temperature of PHEV fires was 843.6°C, while the maximum height of the fire reached around 3 m. At a distance of 1 m, the radiative heat emitted from burning PHEVs peaked at 1.151 kW/m2. Moreover, some secondary hazards of PHEV fires were illustrated. These results stimulate future experiments seeking novel flame retardant materials for PHEVs and provide helpful guidance on screening reliable PHEV fire prediction and protection strategies.
Dust Aerosol Vertical Profiles in the Hinterland of Taklimakan Desert During Summer 2019
Authors: Bi Jianrong , Li Zhengpeng , Zuo Dapeng , Yang Fan , Li Bowen , Ma Junyang , Huang Zhongwei , He Qing 
Published: April 2022

Dust aerosol vertical profiles are very essential to accurately evaluate their climate forcing and trans-subcontinental transportation to downstream areas. We initiated a joint comprehensive field experiment to investigate the vertical profiles and optical characteristics of dust aerosol in the hinterland of Taklimakan Desert (TD) during summer 2019. After smoothing the raw signals, the CHM15k ceilometer could distinctly detect a moderate intensity of dust layer, cloud layer, and subsequent rainfall process. The results showed that dust events frequently occurred in TD during the entire period; the overall mean PM2.5, PM10, PM2.5/PM10, and Ångström exponent are 110.4 ± 121.0 μg/m3, 317.2 ± 340.0 μg/m3, 0.35 ± 0.07, and 0.28 ± 0.12, respectively, suggesting that dust particles are predominant aerosol types in TD. There was an obvious summertime dust stagnation layer persistently hanged over the desert at 1.5–3.0-km height. A deep and intense daytime convective structure was also detected by the ceilometer, with maximum aerosol mixing layer height of ∼3 km that appeared at 12:00 UTC, which was in favor of lifting the ground-generated dust particles into the upper atmosphere. The normalized range-corrected signal log10(RCS), aerosol extinction σ(z), and backscattering coefficient β(z) of the ceilometer were higher than 6.2, 0.5 km−1, and 0.01 km−1 sr−1 for heavy dust storms, respectively, and the corresponding vertical optical range was smaller than 1.0 km. The aerosol lidar ratio was equal to 50 sr, which was greatly different from those of clear-sky cases. The retrieved σ(z) values were about 2.0, 0.5, 0.14, and 0.10 km−1 at 200-m height, respectively, under strong dust storm, blowing dust, floating dust, and clear-sky conditions. This indicated that the aerosol extinction coefficients under dust events were about 3–10 times greater than those of clear-sky cases. The statistics of the aerosol optical parameters under different dust intensities in TD were very helpful to explore and validate dust aerosols in the application of climate models or satellite remote sensing.
Temporal Variation of Airborne Dust Concentrations in the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, China
Authors: Zhang Guobin , Tan Lihai , Zhang Weimin , Zhan Hongtao , Qiu Fei 
Published: April 2022

Dust storms bring a large quantity of dust aerosols from arid and semi-arid regions of the Earth. However, real-time dust concentration data for dust storms in arid regions, important for wind erosion studies, are still limited. Here, temporal variation of airborne dust concentrations in the Mogao Grottoes, Northwest China, during the monitoring period from February to October 2012 and typical dust storms under different wind directions were analyzed. Results reveal that the monthly mean total suspended particle (TSP), particulate matter less than 10 μm (PM10), and particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) concentrations gradually decreased from February to October. The daily mean dust concentrations fluctuated with the day, with extreme values occurring mainly on February, March, and April. The daily mean PM10/TSP ratio ranged from 0.67 to 0.98 (mean of 0.82), and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio ranged from 0.31 to 0.73 (mean of 0.55), indicating PM10 dominated in TSP. In typical dust storms, the maximum real-time concentrations can reach 16, 000–21, 000 μg TSP m−3, ∼11, 000 μg PM10 m−3, and 3000–3500 μg PM2.5 m−3, and extreme real-time dust concentrations of 50358.03 μg TSP m−3, 33100.86 μg PM10 m−3, and 7502.59 μg PM2.5 m−3 were recorded. Coincidence of the dry climate and windy season and sufficient dust sources in the surrounding environment contributed to the high dust concentrations in the Mogao Grottoes. To achieve the goal of minimizing the damage of falling dust to the murals and statues, establishing a dust storm early warning system and improving the existing sand control system are recommended.
A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study of Selenium Levels and Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Fang Hui , Liu Weishi , Zhang Luyang , Pei Lulu , Gao Yuan , Zhao Lu , Zhang Rui , Yang Jing , Song Bo , Xu Yuming 
Published: April 2022

Background: Previous observational studies have shown that circulating selenium levels are inversely associated with ischemic stroke (IS). Our aims were to evaluate the causal links between selenium levels and IS, and its subtypes by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.Methods: We used the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to determine whether the circulating selenium levels are causally associated with the risk of stroke. We extracted the genetic variants (SNPs) associated with blood and toenail selenium levels from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis. Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the determinant of the causal effects of exposures on outcomes.Results: A total of 4 SNPs (rs921943, rs6859667, rs6586282, and rs1789953) significantly associated with selenium levels were obtained. The results indicated no causal effects of selenium levels on ischemic stroke by MR analysis (OR = 0.968, 95% CI 0.914–1.026, p = 0.269). Meanwhile, there was no evidence of a causal link between circulating selenium levels and subtypes of IS.Conclusion: The MR study indicated no evidence to support the causal links between genetically predicted selenium levels and IS. Our results also did not support the use of selenium supplementation for IS prevention at the genetic level.
N7-Methylguanosine-Related lncRNAs: Integrated Analysis Associated With Prognosis and Progression in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Ming Jie , Wang Chunyang 
Published: April 2022

N7-Methylguanosine (m7G) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely reported to play an important role in cancer. However, there is little known about the relationship between m7G-related lncRNAs and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). To find new potential biomarkers and construct an m7G-related lncRNA prognostic signature for ccRCC, we retrieved transcriptome data and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and divided the entire set into train set and test set with the ratio of 1:1 randomly. The m7G-related lncRNAs were identified by Pearson correlation analysis (|coefficients| &gt; 0.4, and p &lt; 0.001). Then we performed the univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis to construct a 12 m7G-related lncRNA prognostic signature. Next, principal component analysis (PCA), the Kaplan–Meier method, time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) were made to verify and evaluate the risk signature. A nomogram based on the risk signature and clinical parameters was developed and showed high accuracy and reliability for predicting the overall survival (OS). Functional enrichment analysis (GO, KEGG and GSEA) was used to investigate the potential biological pathways. We also performed the analysis of tumor mutation burden (TMB), immunological analysis including immune scores, immune cell infiltration (ICI), immune function, tumor immune escape (TIE) and immunotherapeutic drug in our study. In conclusion, using the 12 m7G-related lncRNA risk signature as a prognostic indicator may offer us insight into the oncogenesis and treatment response prediction of ccRCC.
The Pan-Cancer Landscape of Crosstalk Between TRP Family and Tumour Microenvironment Relevant to Prognosis and Immunotherapy Response
Authors: Wu Gujie , He Min , Yin Xi , Wang Wenmaio , Zhou Jiabin , Ren Kuan , Chen Xinming , Xue Qun 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundTransient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel is a kind of channel protein widely distributed in peripheral and central nervous system. They can be regulated by natural aromatic substances and serve as a therapeutic target for many diseases. However, the role and function of the TRP family genes in tumours remain unclear.MethodsGene alterations (mutation, copy number, methylation), expression, clinical features, and prognostic value of the TRP family genes were evaluated in pan-cancer using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. TRP score was calculated by the ssGSEA function of the R package “GSVA”. The association of TRP score and the tumour microenvironment (TME), especially the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME), along with immunotherapy response were explored in-depth.ResultsTRP family genes were involved in tumour progression and highly associated with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. TRP score was positively associated with malignant pathways in pan-cancer, such as IL6–JAK–STAT3 signalling, interferon-gamma response, and inflammatory response. All pathways were closely associated with TIME. Elevated TRP score also correlated with multiple immune-related characteristics of the TIME in pan-cancer. Moreover, the TRP score was a predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatments in patients with tumours.ConclusionsTRP family genes play a key role in pan-cancer and are closely associated with TME. Patients with high TRP scores have excellent immune-activated TIME and immunotherapy sensitivity. Therefore, the TRP score could be a potential biomarker for patients with tumours treated with ICI.
High Levels of Circulating Monocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressive-Like Cells Are Associated With the Primary Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Bronte Giuseppe , Petracci Elisabetta , De Matteis Serena , Canale Matteo , Zampiva Ilaria , Priano Ilaria , Cravero Paola , Andrikou Kalliopi , Burgio Marco Angelo , Ulivi Paola , Delmonte Angelo , Crinò Lucio 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundImmunotherapy has become the standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Some patients experience primary resistance to immunotherapy. Currently, we lack a marker of resistance to immunotherapy. Myeloid-derived suppressive-like cells (MDSCs) can reduce tumor response rate and survival outcomes.MethodsThis is an exploratory prospective observational study on metastatic NSCLC patients starting immunotherapy. Baseline peripheral blood samples were collected. Monocytic (M)-MDSCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. The main clinical outcomes were tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The association between MDSC levels and tumor response was assessed. The association of PFS with OS was investigated using the Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsTwenty-two patients were included. The median M-MDSC value was higher in patients with progressive disease than patients with stable disease or partial response, p = 0.045. The median MDSC value in the overall population was 1.9. We found worse PFS (HR = 2.51; p = 0.046) and OS (HR = 2.68; p = 0.042) in patients with M-MDSC values higher than the median.ConclusionsIn this exploratory analysis, high M-MDSC levels are strongly associated with primary resistance to immunotherapy. If validated in larger studies, MDSC levels in blood samples could help to select NSCLC patients for higher benefit from immunotherapy.
Development and Validation of TACE Refractoriness-Related Diagnostic and Prognostic Scores and Characterization of Tumor Microenvironment Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: He Qifan , Yang Jian , Jin Yonghai 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundTranscatheter arterial chemoembolization LIHC, Liver hepatocellular carcinoma; (TACE) is a valid therapeutic method for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, many patients respond poorly to TACE, thus leading to an adverse outcome. Therefore, finding new biomarkers for forecasting TACE refractoriness occurrence and prognosis becomes one of the current research priorities in the field of HCC treatment.Materials and MethodsBased on microarray datasets and a high-throughput sequencing dataset, the TACE refractoriness–related genes (TRGs) were identified by differential expression analysis. LASSO and Cox regression were applied to construct TACE refractoriness diagnostic score (TRD score) and prognostic score (TRP score) and validated their accuracy in external datasets. Functional correlation of TRP score was analyzed by gene set variation analysis and Gene Ontology. CIBERSORT and IMMUNCELL AI algorithms were performed to understand the correlation between the two scores and immune activity. We further carried out the efficacy analysis of immunotherapy and targeted drugs in the different TRP score groups. Furthermore, a nomogram was built by integrating various independent prognostic factors and validated its effectiveness in different datasets.ResultsWe identified 487 TRGs combined with GSE104580 and TCGA datasets. Then four novel TRGs (TTK, EPO, SLC7A11, and PON1) were screened out to construct TRD score and TRP score models, and both two scores had good predictive ability in external datasets. Tumors with high TRP score show an immunosuppressive phenotype with more infiltrations of regulatory T cells and macrophages. Immunotherapy and chemotherapy response evaluation revealed patients with a high TRP score demonstrated well reactions to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and sorafenib. TRP score, TNM stage, and cancer type were brought into the combined nomogram with optimum prediction.ConclusionsOur research provided dependable and simplified methods for patients with HCC to assess tumors’ susceptibility to TACE refractoriness and prognosis and guide patients’ clinical therapy choices.
Recycling of Precast Concrete Waste Sludge With Paper Mill and Biomass Ashes for Lightweight Granulated Aggregate Production
Authors: Moukannaa Samira , Kursula Kalle , Perumal Priyadharshini , Ohenoja Katja , Illikainen Mirja 
Published: April 2022

The construction and demolition waste generation is increasingly evolving with the rapid urbanization, with more than a quarter of the produced waste being landfilled without further treatment or recycling strategy. Hence, sustainable management and valorization methods such as recycling in construction materials is becoming increasingly essential to tackle the economic and environmental burdens of landfilling waste. Construction and demolition waste recycling has been intensively studied. However, the present study proposes a promising solution for recycling construction and demolition wastes (CDWs) from the precast concrete waste sludge and ashes from paper mill sludge and biomass. Artificial lightweight aggregates were designed and produced by alkali activating a mixture of 50–90 wt% of dried and milled CDW with 3–25 wt% of ash and 5–35 wt% of blast furnace slag. The properties of the produced aggregates were assessed via density, water absorption, porosity, and crushing tests, in addition to microstructural characterizations using XRD and scanning electron microscopy SEM analysis. The optimum NaOH concentration was 8M with the highest mechanical properties and lowest efflorescence. The produced aggregates revealed a high crushing force of 82 N at 28 days with 50 wt% CDW, 15 wt% biomass ash, and 25 wt% blast furnace slag presenting a possible recycling pathway for such side-stream materials.
Effect of Age on Mechanical Properties of Human Tooth Enamel
Authors: Jing Xia , Zhipeng Yang , Kaiyong Liu , Junjie Lu , Xinyuan He , Juan Zhang , Yujie Fan 
Published: April 2022

Dental health is closely related with people’s quality of life. Teeth are subject to different problems and risks over time. Therefore, studying the influence of age on mechanical properties of tooth enamel is of considerable importance. In this study, the collected human teeth were divided into four groups: deciduous (aged 6–12 years), juvenile permanent (aged 14–20 years), young adult permanent (aged 25–45 years), and older adult permanent (aged over 60 years) teeth. The mechanical properties of tooth enamel of all age groups were evaluated using a microhardness tester and laser confocal microscope. The results revealed that hardness of the deciduous teeth was much lower than that of permanent teeth. Hardness of young adult permanent teeth was the highest, followed by that of the older adult and juvenile permanent teeth. Deciduous teeth enamel had the highest fracture toughness, followed by that of young adult, juvenile, and older adult permanent teeth. The different chemical compositions and microstructures of enamel at different age groups resulted in the significant differences in mechanical properties. This research accords with the strategic requirement of improving peoples’ dental health, and its results are noteworthy in developing specific protocols for dental hygiene and clinical prevention.