bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Artichoke Phytocomplex Modulates Serum microRNAs in Patients Exposed to Asbestos: A First Step of a Phase II Clinical Trial
Authors: Muti Paola , Sacconi Andrea , Pulito Claudio , Orlandi Giulia , Donzelli Sara , Morrone Aldo , Jiulian James , Cox Gerard P , Kolb Martin , Pond Gregory , Kavsak Peter , Levine Mark Norman , Blandino Giovanni , Strano Sabrina 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumor associated with asbestos exposure. There are few effective treatment options for mesothelioma, and patients have a very poor prognosis. Mesothelioma has the potential to represent an appropriate disease to prevent because of its strong association with asbestos exposure and the long latency from exposure to the disease on-set.
Methods
In the present study, we tested biological activity and toxicity of an artichoke freeze-dried extract (AWPC) as potential complementary preventive/early stage treatment agent for mesothelioma. This phase II clinical study then was conducted in 18 male-patients with evidence of radiographic characteristics related to asbestos exposure such as asbestosis or benign pleural disease as surrogate disease for mesothelioma clinical model.
Results
We investigate AWPC biological activity assessing its effect on mesothelin serum level, a glycoprotein with low expression in normal mesothelial cells and high expression in mesothelioma and asbestos related diseases. We also assess the AWPC effect on circulating miRNAs, as novel biomarkers of both cancer risk and response to therapeutic targets. While we found a small and not significant effect of AWPC on mesothelin serum levels, we observed that AWPC intake modulated 11 serum miRNAs related to gene-pathways connected to mesothelioma etiology and development. In terms of toxicity, we also did not observe any severe adverse effects associated to AWPC treatment, only gastro-intestinal symptoms were reported by five study participants.
Conclusions
We observed an interesting AWPC effect on miRNAs which targets modulate mesothelioma development. New and much larger clinical studies based on follow-up of workers exposed to asbestos are needed to corroborate the role of AWPC in prevention and early treatment of mesothelioma.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02076672. Registered 03/03/2014. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02076672
High expressions of PKM2 protein cause decreased apoptosis rate and radiosensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells
Authors: Lu Dong-Hui , Ma Huan , Gao Shi-Le , Wang Dong-Mei , Zhang Li-Jie , Liu Jia-Tao 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background: The expression of PKM2 and radiation sensitivity of three HCC cell lines were tested to observe the effects of PKM2 on apoptosis and radiation sensitivity of HCC cells. Methods: PKM2 proteins in the three cell lines were tested using Western blot, and the apoptosis rate was detected in cells treated with radiation. The interference efficiency of siRNA interfering PKM2 expression level in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells was tested using the protein blotting technique, and the effect of siRNA influenced PKM2 gene on radiosensitivity of HCC cells was tested by flow cytometry. Results: The expression of PKM2 protein was different in the three cell lines, with the lowest expression in HepG2 and the highest expression in SMMC-7721, and the apoptosis rate and radiation sensitivity of the three cell lines showed opposite trends from their PKM2 expression. The apoptosis rate of HCC cells increased after PKM2 siRNA transfection, the apoptosis rate of PKM2 interference increased more significantly after radiotherapy, and the increase in the proportion of apoptosis before and after X-ray irradiation was more significant in the siRNA group than in the other two groups; the difference was statistically significant (t = 7.379, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The high expression of PKM2 protein is related to not only the low apoptosis rate of HCC cells but also the low radiosensitivity of HCC cells, indicating that PKM2 protein could play a key role in the apoptosis and radiosensitivity of HCC cells, and the regulation of PKM2 expression might be a promising new therapeutic strategy for HCC cells in the future.
Study on mechanism of wheat straw lignin degradation by lignin peroxidase from Irpex lacteus
Authors: Chen Huayou , Liang Xiaoyu , Li Shouzhi , Wang Zhen , Li Keyi , Feng Tao , Ni Zhong , Zhu Daochen 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Lignin peroxidase is the most efficient lignin degradation enzyme. In this study, lignin peroxidase from Irpex Iacteus (I.Iacteus) was heterologously expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S.pombe), the activity of the exocrine recombinant lignin peroxidase was 11.25U/L. Then, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that the composition and content of the wheat straw degradation products were different under different enzymatic hydrolysis conditions, which indicates that some molecular materials and enzymes affect the lignin degradation by lignin peroxidase in different ways. The analysis of the composition of the product provides a reference for understanding the mechanism of lignin degradation by lignin peroxidase.
Developing A Fuzzy Rule Based Trip Generation using High Frequency Data
Authors: Amalan Thivya , Du Bo , Kumarage Amal , Wickramasuriya Rohan , Perez Pascal 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Calculating trips from each traffic zone is one of the essential steps in the four-step model. Multiple linear regression (MLR) is the most popular among the various methods available for calculating trips. The main limitation of this method is its reliance on independent variables related to the zone. Due to the assumptions in this method, future predictions are also subject to the question of accuracy. Conversely, updating these independent variables requires additional time and resources for conducting selected types of surveys, such as home visit surveys (HVS). Using high-frequency data (HFD) that is freely available and is updated frequently, this paper estimates trip generation using fuzzy logic to fill in the gap. The fuzzy model was created using 2013 HVS data and updated the data with 2013 for validation purposes and 2019 as a prediction year. The research area chosen for this purpose is Thimbirigasyaya DSD in Western Province, Sri Lanka. According to the results of this study, a fuzzy rule-based model can be used when there are no exact data available, and the available high-frequency data shows a non-linear relationship with the dependent variable.
Reducing data dimension boosts neural network-based stage-specific malaria detection
Authors: Preißinger Katharina , Kellermayer Miklós , Vértessy Beáta G. , Kézsmárki István , Török János 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Although malaria has been known for more than 4 thousand years, it still imposes a global burden with approx. 240 million annual cases. Improvement in diagnostic techniques is a prerequisite for its global elimination. Despite its main limitations, being time-consuming and subjective, light microscopy on Giemsa-stained blood smears is still the gold-standard diagnostic method used worldwide. Autonomous computer assisted recognition of malaria infected red blood cells (RBCs) using neural networks (NNs) has the potential to overcome these deficiencies, if a fast, high-accuracy detection can be achieved using low computational power and limited sets of microscopy images for training the NN. Here, we report on a novel NN-based scheme that is capable of the high-speed classification of RBCs into four categories---healthy ones and three classes of infected ones according to the parasite age---with an accuracy as high as 98%. Importantly, we observe that a smart reduction of data dimension, using characteristic one-dimensional cross-sections of the RBC images, not only speeds up the classification but also significantly improves its performance with respect to the usual two-dimensional NN schemes. Via comparative studies on RBC images recorded by two additional techniques, fluorescence and atomic force microscopy, we demonstrate that our method is universally applicable for different types of microscopy images. This robustness against imaging platform-specific features is crucial for diagnostic applications. Our approach for the reduction of data dimension can be straightforwardly generalised for the classification of different parasites, cells and other types of objects.
Comparative effects of oral uracil–tegafur versus intravenous chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy for resected early-stage NSCLC patients: Taiwan cancer registry cohort study
Authors: Liang Sheng-Kai , Wu Chang-Wei , Chang Ching-I , Keng Li-Ta , Lee Meng-Rui , Wang Jann-Yuan , Ko Jen-Chung , Liao Wei-Yu , Chen Kuan-Yu , Ho Chao-Chi , Shih Jin-Yuan , Yu Chong-Jen 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
BackgroundStudies comparing effectiveness of either adjuvant oral uracil-tegafur (UFT) or chemotherapy on early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving complete surgical resection remain limited. MethodsFrom January 2011 to December 2017, patients with early-stage NSCLC (defined as tumor size >3 cm and no lymph node involvement) receiving either adjuvant UFT or chemotherapy after complete surgical resection were identified from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome and relapse-free survival (RFS) was the secondary outcome. Propensity matching was used for controlling confounders.ResultsA total of 840 patients receiving adjuvant therapy after surgery (including 595 UFT and 245 chemotherapy) were enrolled. Before matching, patients using oral UFT had significantly longer OS (p=0.0415) and RFS (p=0.0451) than those with chemotherapy. A 1:1 propensity score (PS)-matched cohort of 352 patients (176 for each group) was created. In the Cox regression analysis, the UFT and the matched chemotherapy groups had similar OS (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.86–1.07, p=0.3865) and RFS (HR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.72–1.35, p=0.9248). Among subgroup analysis, oral UFT use was associated with longer RFS among the subgroups of non-drinker (HR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38–0.99, p=0.0458) and patients with stage IB disease (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.42–0.95, p=0.0261). ConclusionsOur large-scale, population-based real-world study reveals that the effect of oral UFT on clinical outcomes for patients with early-stage NSCLC after surgery is not different from conventional intravenous chemotherapy. Additionally, for patients with stage IB (AJCC 7th edition, equivalent to stage IB & IIA by AJCC 8th edition) disease and non-drinkers, oral UFT administration was significantly associated with longer RFS than those using chemotherapy as treatment.
Persistent Trigeminal Artery associated to an Occipital Arteriovenous Malformation: Case report and literature review
Authors: Rodriguez Luis Alberto , Martínez Pablo , Baracaldo Ivan , Alonso Monica , Lopez-Mena Diego , Montenegro Hector Alfredo 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Persistent Trigeminal Artery or Persistent Primitive Trigeminal Artery (PTA) is the most common carotid-basilar anastomosis in both cadaveric and live patient studies. Although several studies have linked PTA to different vascular pathologies such as cerebral aneurisms, association between PTA and Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) remains scarce. We present the case of a 21-year-old male who was diagnosed with a right occipital AVM associated to an ipsilateral PTA. A literature review of the PTA, the results of a PUBMED search regarding the combined presence of these findings and a brief discussion providing insight into the implications for treatment is included in this case report.
Whole genome sequencing across clinical trials identifies rare coding variants in GPR68 associated with chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Khan Zia , Jung Min , Crow Megan , Mohindra Rajat , Maiya Vidya , Kaminker Joshua , Hackos David , Chandler G. Scott , McCarthy Mark , Bhangale Tushar 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Dose-limiting toxicities significantly impact the benefit/risk profile of many drugs. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) in patients receiving drugs with dose-limiting toxicities can identify therapeutic hypotheses to prevent these toxicities. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a common dose-limiting neurological toxicity of chemotherapies with no effective approach for prevention. We conducted a meta-analysis of time-to-PN using WGS data in 4,900 European-ancestry patients receiving chemotherapeutic agents in 14 randomized controlled trials. We identified two low frequency variants associated with PN risk: rs17020773 in intron 13 of GRID2 and rs115575220 downstream of SCG2. Rare coding variant burden analysis identified predicted gain of function variants associated with increased PN risk in the C-terminus of GPR68, a pH-sensitive G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), that alter arrestin binding motifs. Analysis of snRNA-seq from human dorsal root ganglia indicated that expression of GPR68 was highest in mechano-thermo sensitive nociceptors. Inhibition of GPR68 signaling may provide a strategy to prevent PN in cancer patients.
Impact of Macroeconomic Variables on Exchange Rate Volatility in India
Authors: N Suresh , kuuam Keerthi 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The exchange rate is one of the most important factors for the economic growth of any country, it has a direct effect on international trade. The present study investigates the impact of macroeconomic factors (Current Account Deficit (CAD), Import, Export, and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)) on Exchange Rate Volatility (USD to INR) in India. To analyze how this variable has a relationship in the long and short run with the exchange rate. Data from 1980 to 2016 has been considered for analysis by applying the ADF test, Stationarity Testing, Stability Test, Johansen Co-integration test, Granger Causality test to know how the variables are affecting the Exchange rate and the ARIMA method of forecasting has been used for forecasting the future movement of exchange rates for 20 years. The result shows us there exists a long relationship and in the short run, it could be said that CAD and Import and PPP have a positive impact on the exchange rate and export has a negative impact on the exchange rate. CAD of the country is controlled automatically Exchange rate will be controlled and it will also reduce the impact on all other variables
Extraction of Weak Geochemical Anomalies Based on Multiple-point Geostatistics and Local Singularity Analysis
Authors: Fan Wenyao , Liu Gang , Chen Qiyu , Lu Laijun , Cui Zhesi , Zuo Boxin 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The traditional interpolation might cause smoothing effect on the geochemical elements’ concentration due to its moving weighted average properties. Meanwhile, it cannot describe the elements’ spatial variability if the data’s distribution is sparse, which could cause uncertainties when inferring the information at the unsampled locations. Since the Multiple-Point Geostatistics (MPS) is a stochastic simulation based on the pattern’s statistical characteristics which conducted by spatial multiple points, it can reduce the smoothing effect and quantify the spatial variabilities and uncertainties. Meanwhile, the Local Singularity Analysis (LSA) could identify the weak geochemical anomalies more effectively due to its statistical self-similarity. Therefore, we proposed a new method combing the advantages of both MPS and LSA for improving the identification of the weak geochemical anomalies and quantifying the uncertainty distribution. We firstly treated the geochemical raster data as the Training Images (TIs) and then the Direct Sampling (DS) algorithm was used to perform elements spatial distribution. The LSA and information fusion were finally adopted to obtain the probability map of geochemical anomalies. We verified our methods by utilizing the 1:200,000 stream sediments geochemical data, and the results show that these identified anomalous fields could overcame the smoothing effect and quantify the distribution uncertainties on different simulation results. According to the ROC curves’ analysis, this method has a better performance than the Kriging-based ones and its anomalous fields were more consistent with the determined Fe deposits, which can help us have a clearer understanding for the metallogenic backgrounds and the element distribution patterns.
Reducing unnecessary tau-PET scans in a memory clinic setting via blood-based biomarker screening
Authors: Cullen Nicholas , Janelidze Shorena , Stomrud Erik , Palmqvist Sebastian , Braum Wagner , Zetterberg Henrik , Frisoni Giovanni , Ashton Nicholas , Blennow Kaj , Mattsson-Carlgren Niklas , Hansson Oskar 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Tau-PET provides valuable prognostic information in Alzheimer’s disease but using blood-based biomarkers as a first-line screening tool could reduce costs. In this study, plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, pTau181, pTau217, pTau231, NfL, and GFAP were measured along with tau-PET in 550 memory clinic patients who had subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, or any form of dementia from the Swedish BioFINDER-2 study. For each biomarker, cutoffs were established to achieve 90% sensitivity for detecting tau-PET positivity. The percentage of participants who fell below the cutoff was calculated along with the tau-PET positive rate among participants with abnormal biomarker values. Results showed that between 18–51% of tau-PET scans could be saved with plasma screening, with P-tau217 performing best. Performance of GFAP, P-tau181, and P-tau231 was in a second tier. The PET positive rate among those who would receive a tau-PET scan was ~ 75% with plasma screening compared to 37% in the entire study population.
Political Growth Collapses
Authors: Rodriguez Francisco , Imam Patrick A 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
We argue that economic collapses can result from the adoption by political actors of strategies that generate severe negative economic externalities for society. We establish the conditions for political conflict to become economically destructive and develop a diagnostics toolkit to identify when income declines are consequence of the breakdown of conflict-management arrangements. When political conflict drives a collapse in growth, we expect the onset of the contraction to coincide with the intensification of political conflict, authority to be truly contested, politically advantageous strategies to generate negative externalities, economic collapse to be driven by productivity losses, short-term biases in policies to increase with contestation of power, and the policy framework to improve once political conflict recedes. We argue that all these conditions were satisfied in two of the largest peacetime collapses in modern history: Venezuela (2012–2020) and Zimbabwe (1997–2008).JEL Codes: O11, D72, D74.
Interchangeability of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic right heart measurements in the perioperative setting and correlation with hemodynamic parameters
Authors: Assanangkornchai Nawaporn , Villeneuve Valerie , McDonald Sarah , Magder Sheldon , Tim Dominique Shum , Buithieu Jean , Hatzakorzian Roupen 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Purpose Reduction of right ventricular (RV) function after cardiac surgery has been shown to impact outcomes. Conventional indices for right ventricular dysfunction are validated using transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) which has limited use compared to transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) in the perioperative settings. The aim of this study was to assess the agreement of RV systolic function assessment with TEE compared to TTE and assess the association of echocardiographic parameter with hemodynamic indices of RV dysfunction. Method This was a single center prospective observational study in an academic institution. Fifty adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery were included. TTE, TEE and stroke volume measurements pre-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and post-CPB were performed. The variables of interest were anatomical M-mode tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (AMM-TAPSE), fractional area change (FAC), tricuspid annular velocity (S’) and myocardial performance index (MPI). Results FAC and AMM-TAPSE measured at the mid-esophageal 4 chamber view had substantial agreement with the TTE acquired parameters (Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) = 0.76, 95%CI 0.59-0.86 and CCC = 0.85, 95%CI 0.76-0.91). S’ was significantly underestimated by TEE (CCC = 0.07, 95%CI -0.04-0.19) and MPI showed moderate agreement (CCC = 0.45 95%CI 0.19-0.65). Despite the significant changes in echocardiographic parameters, there were no corresponding changes in stroke volume (SV) or pulmonary artery pulsatility index at the post-CPB period. Conclusions TEE acquired FAC and AMM-TAPSE had substantial agreement with pre-operative TTE values and no significant differences between the pre-CPB and post-CPB period. Systolic RV echocardiographic parameters decreased post-CPB but this was not accompanied by significant hemodynamic changes.
Collaborative Task Offloading and Resource Allocation with Hybrid Energy Supply for UAV-Assisted Multi-Clouds
Authors: Zhou Yu , Ge Hui , Ma Bowen , Zhang Shuhang , Huang Jiwei 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Cloud computing has emerged as a promising paradigm for meeting the growing resource demands of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Meanwhile, with the popularity of mobile aerial base stations, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) assisted cloud computing is essential for providing diversified service at areas without available infrastructure. However, it is difficult to meet the requirements of a number of IoT devices which distribute a large area through one single UAV cloud server, and thus multi-clouds have been applied in large-scale IoT environments. Due to the limited battery capacity of UAV, hybrid energy supply has been considered as an effective approach. How to allocate the computing resources and offload the tasks to the UAV-assisted clouds is a challenging task. In this paper, we study the trade-off between the energy consumption and system performance in a UAV-assisted multi-clouds system. Considering the transmission and execution cost, a dynamic optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the power consumption of UAVs with the constraint of queue stability is formulated, which is further decomposed into three sub-problems using stochastic optimization techniques. A collaborative task offloading and resources allocation algorithm (CTORAA) based on artificial intelligent technique is proposed to jointly determine task offloading and energy harvesting. We provide corresponding mathematical analysis showing that CTORAA can reach the arbitrary profit-stability trade-off. Finally, we conduct simulation experiments to validate the efficacy of our algorithm.
Autocatalytic reaction cycles for non-enzymatic synthesis of life-sustaining sugars in neutral media
Authors: Tabata Hiro , Chikatani Genta , Nishijima Hiroaki , Harada Takashi , Miyake Rika , Kato Souichiro , Igarashi Kensuke , Mukouyama Yoshiharu , Shirai Soichi , Waki Minoru , Hase Yoko , Nakanishi Shuji 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Biological assimilation of CO2 to produce sugars occurs in metabolic cycles with an autocatalytic nature, such as the Calvin cycle and reverse citric acid cycle. The formose reaction, in which sugars are non-enzymatically synthesized from formaldehyde in alkaline solutions, involves such an autocatalytic cycle and has attracted much interest from the viewpoint of the abiotic chemical synthesis of sugars. However, many side reactions are indiscriminately accelerated by hydroxide ions in an alkaline aqueous solution, which results in a very low selectivity of sugar formation. Here we report non-enzymatic sugar synthesis in a neutral aqueous solution using mono-oxometalate as a catalyst to form an autocatalytic cycle. The construction of an autocatalytic reaction system in a neutral aqueous solution significantly improved the selectivity of sugar formation. It was also demonstrated that abiotically synthesized sugars could sustain the growth of microbial cells.