bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolite, protein, and tissue dysfunction associated with COVID-19 disease severity
Authors: Rahnavard Ali , Mann Brendan , Giri Abhigya , Chatterjee Ranojoy , Crandall Keith A. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractProteins are direct products of the genome and metabolites are functional products of interactions between the host and other factors such as environment, disease state, clinical information, etc. Omics data, including proteins and metabolites, are useful in characterizing biological processes underlying COVID-19 along with patient data and clinical information, yet few methods are available to effectively analyze such diverse and unstructured data. Using an integrated approach that combines proteomics and metabolomics data, we investigated the changes in metabolites and proteins in relation to patient characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and health outcome) and clinical information (e.g., metabolic panel and complete blood count test results). We found significant enrichment of biological indicators of lung, liver, and gastrointestinal dysfunction associated with disease severity using publicly available metabolite and protein profiles. Our analyses specifically identified enriched proteins that play a critical role in responses to injury or infection within these anatomical sites, but may contribute to excessive systemic inflammation within the context of COVID-19. Furthermore, we have used this information in conjunction with machine learning algorithms to predict the health status of patients presenting symptoms of COVID-19. This work provides a roadmap for understanding the biochemical pathways and molecular mechanisms that drive disease severity, progression, and treatment of COVID-19.
Validation of Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) among Polish athletes and the relationship between anxiety and goal orientation in sport
Authors: Tomczak Maciej , Kleka Paweł , Walczak Aleksandra , Bojkowski Łukasz , Gracz Jacek , Walczak Małgorzata 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis study aims to assess the validity and reliability of the Polish version of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2, as well as to determine the relationship between anxiety and goal orientation among high-performance and recreational athletes. A total of 519 athletes aged M = 22.83 (SD = 4.92) participated in the study, including 266 males and 253 females. 242 athletes trained professionally and 277 recreationally. The Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) was used to assess anxiety levels, while the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) enabled to assess athletes’ goal orientation. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the model to the data for the Polish version of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (CFI = 0.945, RMSEA = 0.072). The models obtained during analysis of high-performance and recreational athletes, women and men, also presented a satisfactory fit to the data (CFI 0.932–0.946). The configural, metric, scalar and strict measurement invariances were demonstrated for high-performance and recreational athletes as well as among women and men. High internal consistency coefficients (alpha 0.81–0.91) and a high test–retest reliability indexes were reported (ICC 0.74–0.87). Women presented higher level of competitive anxiety than men. A positive relationship between competitive anxiety and athletes’ ego orientation was also presented. This relationship concerned particularly women practicing sport recreationally.
Parameter optimization of PID controller for water and fertilizer control system based on partial attraction adaptive firefly algorithm
Authors: Huang Mingqi , Tian Min , Liu Yang , Zhang Yao , Zhou Jie 
Published: July 2022

AbstractProportional Integral Derivative (PID) control is the main control method in the process of agricultural water and fertilizer regulation, and its parameter setting directly affects the control effect of water and fertilizer regulation. However, the traditional PID parameters are adjusted manually such as using the critical proportionality method, which is time-consuming and difficult to achieve optimal control effects. To solve the optimal combination of PID control parameters and improve the control effect of water and fertilizer regulation, a partial attraction adaptive firefly algorithm (PAAFA) is proposed in this paper. Specifically, a partial attraction strategy is designed to speed up the convergence of the PAAFA and reduce the oscillation problem at the late stage of the algorithm. In addition, an adaptive inertia weight operator is proposed to balance the global search capability and local search capability of PAAFA and avoid the algorithm from trapping in the local optimum. Subsequently, to test the performance of PAAFA, the algorithm is subjected to a series of simulation experiments and bench tests with the latest methods, i.e., genetic algorithm (GA), Adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA), and firefly algorithm (FA) applied to PID parameter optimization problems. The simulation results demonstrate that the regulation times of the response curve of PAAFA-based PID control are reduced by 22.75%,10.10%and 20.61%, respectively, compared with GA, AGA, and FA. The bench test results show that the PAAFA-based PID control has the smallest relative error, and best control accuracy compared to GA, AGA, and FA, with an average relative error reduction of 3.99, 2.42, and 3.50 percentage points respectively.
Younger adults tolerate more relational risks in everyday life as revealed by the general risk-taking questionnaire
Authors: Law Wai Him Crystal , Yoshino Shinya , Fong Chun Yuen , Koike Shinsuke 
Published: July 2022

AbstractA range of self-report questionnaires were developed to quantify one’s risk-taking (RT) tendency. Exploring people’s perceived risk level associated with negative risk behaviors is essential to develop a better understanding and intervention policies for RT. In the present study, we proposed a 2 × 10-item scale, namely, the general risk-taking questionnaire (GRTQ), to evaluate RT tendency and risk attitude among the general population by measuring people’s engagement in and perceptions toward 10 commonly known risky behaviors. A total of 2984 adults residing in 10 prefectures in Japan (age range = 20–59, 53.12% female) provided valid responses to an online survey. Apart from the factor analysis procedures, multivariate negative binomial regression models have been applied to investigate the relationship between RT engagement and perception. We obtained two identical factors, namely, personal risk and relational risk, for both scales of the GRTQ. Increased levels of RT engagement were found in younger, male, nonmarried, nonparent and urban respondents. Despite an overall negative correlation between RT engagement and perception, our model revealed a weaker linkage in the younger population for relational risk behaviors. Overall, we showed evidence that the GRTQ is an easy-to-administer, valid and reliable measure of RT for future clinical research.
Ambiguous handedness and visuospatial pseudoneglect in schizotypy in physical and computer-generated virtual environments
Authors: Kállai János , Páll Tamás , Herold Róbert , Tényi Tamás , Zsidó András Norbert 
Published: July 2022

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) technology has increased clinical attention in the health care of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in both diagnoses of the symptoms and assessment of schizotypal traits. However, the exact nature of VR-induced positive treatment effect in schizotypy is still unknown. In this study, VR technology was used as a non-invasive neurocognitive trigger to test the asymmetric visuospatial representational instability found in individuals with high schizotypy. The study aimed to reveal the brain functional hemispheric laterality in physical and virtual realities in individuals with schizotypal traits. Fifty-one healthy, right-handed participants (24 males and 27 females) were enrolled through public advertisements. Hemispheric functional asymmetry was measured by the Line Bisection Task (LBT). The results revealed that (a) LBT bias in the physical reality showed a handedness-related leftward pseudoneglect, however, similar handedness-related pseudoneglect in VR has not been found. (b) Comparing LBT bias in physically real and VR environments showed rightward drift in VR environments independently to the degree of handedness. (c) The schizotypy has no association with handedness, however, the cognitive schizotypy is related to the LBT bias. Higher cognitive schizotypy in VR associated with left hemispatial pseudoneglect. In conclusion, schizotypy is associated with ambiguous behavioral and cognitive functional laterality. In individuals with high cognitive schizotypy, the VR environment enhanced the representational articulation of the left hemispace. This effect may be originated from the enhancement of the right hemisphere overactivation and is followed by a lower mental control of the overt behavior.
Removing anonymity protection and utilization review decisions: a real-world case under a single-payer health system
Authors: Wang Chih-Kuang , Chien Shih-Jung , Lee Po-Chang , Cheng Shou-Hsia 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe effects of anonymity on utilization review has never been examined in the real world. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of removing anonymity protection for claims reviewers on their review decisions. Using a single-blinded repeated measures design, we randomly selected 1457 claims cases (with 12,237 orders) that had been anonymously reviewed and reimbursed in 2016 and had them re-reviewed in a signed review program in 2017 under the Taiwanese National Health Insurance scheme. The signed review policy significantly decreased the likelihood of a deduction decision at the case and the order level (P < 0.001). Furthermore, signed reviewers tended to make more “too lenient” decisions, and were less likely to make “too harsh” decisions. Removing anonymity protection dramatically reduced the deduction rate and overturned the tendency of decisions from “too harsh” to “too lenient”. However, whether to maintain the anonymity of utilization reviews is a challenge for health authorities around the globe.
Rapid testing on the effect of cracks on solar cells output power performance and thermal operation
Authors: Dhimish Mahmoud , Hu Yihua 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis work investigates the impact of cracks and fractural defects in solar cells and their cause for output power losses and the development of hotspots. First, an electroluminescence (EL) imaging setup was utilized to test ten solar cells samples with differing crack sizes, varying from 1 to 58%. Our results confirm that minor cracks have no considerable effect upon solar cell output, and they develop no hotspots. However, larger cracks can lead to drastic decreases in the output power, close to − 60%. Furthermore, as the crack area increased, there was a further increase in the cell's temperature under standard test conditions. On the contrary, no hotspots were found for the solar cells affected by significant creak areas (crack percentage > 46%) because there were insufficient areas to develop a hotspot. Last, a comparative analysis with solar cells affected by potential induced degradation (PID) was made. We found a strong relationship in the output power losses, and the PID test critically impacted the cells by developing localized hotspots at a temperature level close to 50 °C.
Deep null fixing on optimal compromise among sum and difference patterns of thinned arrays through the Schelkunoff unit circle representation
Authors: Raíndo-Vázquez Mateo , Rodríguez-González Juan Antonio , López-Martín María Elena , Ares-Pena Francisco José 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDifference far-field patterns represent a way for pin-pointing a target in both azimuth and elevation, extremely useful in radar applications. At the present work, an innovative method for synthesizing good compromise solutions among sum and difference patterns providing low complexity of the antenna feeding network for uniform thinned arrays is addressed. This procedure uses a hybrid version of the Simulated Annealing algorithm (hybrid SA) to optimize a cost function of radiation characteristics for both sum and difference patterns as peak directivity and side lobe level (SLL) while fixing deep nulls. In this framework, examples of half-wavelength spaced linear arrays from 40 to 120 elements were analyzed, as well as an extension to planar arrays by means of separable distributions was developed. The performance of the method is analyzed with different examples and its potential outlined, showing the ability of fixing deep nulls in both sum and difference patterns which share the same uniform excitation relative amplitudes.
Identification and validation of a novel 16-gene prognostic signature for patients with breast cancer
Authors: Zhong Zhenhua , Jiang Wenqiang , Zhang Jing , Li Zhanwen , Fan Fengfeng 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDespite increased early diagnosis and improved treatment in breast cancer (BRCA) patients, prognosis prediction is still a challenging task due to the disease heterogeneity. This study was to identify a novel gene signature that can accurately evaluate BRCA patient survival. The gene expression and clinical data of BRCA patients were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Molecular Taxonomy of BRCA International Consortium (METABRIC) databases. Genes associated with prognosis were determined by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis. A prognostic 16-gene score was established with linear combination of 16 genes. The prognostic value of the signature was validated in the METABRIC and GSE202203 datasets. Gene expression analysis was performed to investigate the diagnostic values of 16 genes. The 16-gene score was associated with shortened overall survival in BRCA patients independently of clinicopathological characteristics. The signalling pathways of cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, RNA degradation, progesterone mediated oocyte maturation and DNA replication were the top five most enriched pathways in the high 16-gene score group. The 16-gene nomogram incorporating the survival‐related clinical factors showed improved prediction accuracies for 1-year, 3-year and 5‐year survival (area under curve [AUC] = 0.91, 0.79 and 0.77 respectively). MORN3, IGJ, DERL1 exhibited high accuracy in differentiating BRCA tissues from normal breast tissues (AUC > 0.80 for all cases). The 16-gene profile provides novel insights into the identification of BRCA with a high risk of death, which eventually guides treatment decision making.
Reduced dynamic loads due to hip dislocation induce acetabular cartilage degeneration by IL-6 and MMP3 via the STAT3/periostin/NF-κB axis
Authors: Nakamura Yutaka , Saitou Mitsuru , Komura Shingo , Matsumoto Kazu , Ogawa Hiroyasu , Miyagawa Takaki , Saitou Takashi , Imamura Takeshi , Imai Yuuki , Takayanagi Hiroshi , Akiyama Haruhiko 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDevelopmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is characterized by anatomical abnormalities of the hip joint, ranging from mild acetabular dysplasia to hip subluxation and eventually dislocation. The mechanism underlying the cartilage degeneration of the hip joints exposed to reduced dynamic loads due to hip dislocation remains unknown. We established a rodent hip dislocation (disarticulation; DA) model of DDH (DA-DDH rats and mice) by swaddling. Expression levels of periostin (Postn) and catabolic factors, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (Mmp3), increased and those of chondrogenic markers decreased in the acetabular cartilage of the DA-DDH models. Postn inducedIL-6andMmp3expression in chondrocytes through integrin αVβ3, focal adhesion kinase, Src, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling. The microgravity environment created by a random positioning machine induced Postn expression in chondrocytes through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. IL-6 stimulated Postn expression via STAT3 signaling. Furthermore, cartilage degeneration was suppressed in the acetabulum ofPostn−/−DA-DDH mice compared with that in the acetabulum of wild type DA-DDH mice. In summary, reduced dynamic loads due to hip dislocation induced acetabular cartilage degeneration via IL-6 and MMP3 through STAT3/periostin/NF-κB signaling in the rodent DA-DDH models.
SIRT4 functions as a tumor suppressor during prostate cancer by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting glutamine metabolism
Authors: Cai Guohao , Ge Zhuhui , Xu Yunqiu , Cai Liangliang , Sun Pingliang , Huang Guoyu 
Published: July 2022

AbstractLocalized in the mitochondria, SIRT4 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +) -dependent adenosine diphosphate (ADP) -ribosyltransferase and is one of the least characterized members of the sirtuin family. Although it is well known that it shows deacetylase activity for energy metabolism, little is understood about its function in tumorigenesis. Recent research suggests that SIRT4 may work as both a tumor suppressor gene and an oncogene. However, the clinical significance of SIRT4 in prostate cancer remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated SIRT4 protein levels in cancerous prostate tissue and corresponding non-tumor prostate tissue via immunohistochemical staining on a tissue microarray including tissues from 89 prostate cancer patients. The association between SIRT4 expression and Gleason score was also determined. Further, shSIRT4 or stable prostate cancer cell lines (22RV1) overexpressing SIRT4 were constructed via lentiviral infection. Using Cell-Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, wound healing assay, migration, and invasion and apoptosis assays, the effects of SIRT4 on the migration, invasion ability, and proliferation of prostate cancer cells were investigated. We also determined the effect of SIRT4 on glutamine metabolism in 22RV1 cells. We found the protein levels of SIRT4 in prostate cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in their non-neoplastic tissue counterparts (P < 0.01); a lower SIRT4 level was also significantly associated with a higher Gleason score (P < 0.01). SIRT4 suppressed the migration, invasion capabilities, and proliferation of prostate cancer cells and induced cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, the invasion and migration of 22RV1 cells were mechanistically inhibited by SIRT4 via glutamine metabolism inhibition. In conclusion, the present study’s findings showed that SIRT4 protein levels are significantly associated with the Gleason score in patients with prostate cancer, and SIRT4 exerts a tumor-suppressive effect on prostate cancer cells by inhibiting glutamine metabolism. Thus, SIRT4 may serve as a potential novel therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
Mass transfer intensification for carbon quantum dot nanofluid drops under pulsed electric fields
Authors: Jafari Farnaz , Saien Javad , Rashidi Alimorad 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSimultaneous use of carbon quantum dot (CQD) nanofluids and pulsed electric fields exhibits amazing mass transfer intensification in liquid–liquid extraction of circulating drops. Here, the chemical system of kerosene–acetic acid–water with mass transfer resistance in the organic phase was used in which organic nanofluid drops contained CQD or modified CQD-Fe. These products with extremely small sizes of 7.2 and 13.4 nm were synthesized and characterized by DLS, Zeta potential, XRD, EDS and SEM techniques. To find optimum conditions, CQD concentrations within (0.0005–0.003) wt%, electric field frequencies within (50–550) Hz and electric field strengths to 16 V/cm were examined. From hydrodynamic point of view, the flow pattern of drops was in circulating mode, and that terminal velocity of drops correctly followed the Grace model. The substantial effect of pulsed electric field on the CQD and CQD-Fe nanofluids, brought about mass transfer enhancements to 263.5 and 291.6%. This can be attributed to the electro-induced motion of global CQDs with pulsed electric fields. For the aim of modelling, the adapted Kumar and Hartland equation with a developed correlation of the enhancement factor versus involved dimensionless variables were satisfactory to reproduce the mass transfer coefficient data.
Seizure control in mono- and combination therapy in a cohort of patients with Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy
Authors: Pipek Leonardo Zumerkorn , Pipek Henrique Zumerkorn , Castro Luiz Henrique Martins 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIdiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE) patients may not achieve optimal seizure control with monotherapy. Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy of combination therapy in a retrospective series of IGE patients receiving different antiseizure medication (ASM) regimens. We retrospectively identified all patients with adolescence onset IGE with typical clinical and EEG features from a single epilepsy specialist clinic from 2009 to 2020. We evaluated long-term seizure control, for VPA, LEV, LTG mono and combination therapy. We studied 59 patients. VPA was more commonly used in men (84%) than in women (44%) (p < 0.05). VPA was the initial drug of choice in 39% of patients, followed by LEV (22%) and LTG (14.9%). Thirty-nine patients (66.1%) achieved complete seizure control for at least one year. Fifty patients (84.7)% had partial control, without GTC occurrence, for at least one year. VPA was superior to LTG for complete seizure control (p = 0.03), but not for minor seizure control or pseudoresistance (p > 0.05). Combination therapy was superior to LEV and LTG monotherapy for complete control (p = 0.03), without differences for minor seizures and pseudoresistance outcomes (p > 0.05). Combination therapy not including VPA was also non-inferior to VPA monotherapy in all settings. Combination therapy was superior to LTG and LEV monotherapy in IGE, and may be equally effective including or not VPA. Combination therapy including LTG, LEV, and/or VPA is an effective treatment option after monotherapy failure with one of these ASM in IGE. Dual therapy with LEV–LTG should be considered in monotheraphy failure, to avoid fetal effects of in utero VPA exposure.
A randomized controlled trial enhancing viral hepatitis testing in primary care via digital crowdsourced intervention
Authors: Wong William C. W. , Marley Gifty , Li Jingjing , Yan Weihui , Chan Po-lin , Tucker Joseph D. , Tang Weiming , Ni Yuxin , Cheng Dan Dan , Cong Lou , Seto Wai-Kay 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDespite the availability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in primary care, testing rates in China remain low. Social media is an inexpensive means of disseminating information and could facilitate hepatitis testing promotion. We evaluated the capacity of digitally crowdsourced materials to promote HBV/HCV testing uptake via a randomized controlled trial (identifier: ChiCTR1900025771), which enrolled 750 Chinese primary care patients. We randomized patients (1:1) to receive crowdsourced HBV/HCV promotion materials through social media or facility-based care without promotional materials for four weeks. Exposure to all intervention materials was associated with increased odds of HBV (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.09–3.00) and HCV (aOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.29–2.99) testing compared to facility-based care. There was a significant reduction in hepatitis stigma among intervention group participants (HBV slope: −0.15, p < 0.05; and HCV slope: −0.13, p < 0.05). Digitally crowdsourced promotion messages could enhance hepatitis testing uptake and should be considered in hepatitis reduction strategies.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900025771) on September 9, 2019. Available from: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=42788