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  1. Fulltext Enhanced Slime Mould Algorithm for Multilevel Thresholding Image Segmentation Using Entropy Measures
    Lin S, Jia H, Abualigah L, Altalhi M
    Entropy (Basel), 2021 Dec 20;23(12).
    PMID: 34946006 DOI: 10.3390/e23121700
    Image segmentation is a fundamental but essential step in image processing because it dramatically influences posterior image analysis. Multilevel thresholding image segmentation is one of the most popular image segmentation techniques, and many researchers have used meta-heuristic optimization algorithms (MAs) to determine the threshold values. However, MAs have some defects; for example, they are prone to stagnate in local optimal and slow convergence speed. This paper proposes an enhanced slime mould algorithm for global optimization and multilevel thresholding image segmentation, namely ESMA. First, the Levy flight method is used to improve the exploration ability of SMA. Second, quasi opposition-based learning is introduced to enhance the exploitation ability and balance the exploration and exploitation. Then, the superiority of the proposed work ESMA is confirmed concerning the 23 benchmark functions. Afterward, the ESMA is applied in multilevel thresholding image segmentation using minimum cross-entropy as the fitness function. We select eight greyscale images as the benchmark images for testing and compare them with the other classical and state-of-the-art algorithms. Meanwhile, the experimental metrics include the average fitness (mean), standard deviation (Std), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structure similarity index (SSIM), feature similarity index (FSIM), and Wilcoxon rank-sum test, which is utilized to evaluate the quality of segmentation. Experimental results demonstrated that ESMA is superior to other algorithms and can provide higher segmentation accuracy.
  2. Modified prairie dog optimization algorithm for global optimization and constrained engineering problems
    Yu H, Wang Y, Jia H, Abualigah L
    Math Biosci Eng, 2023 Oct 13;20(11):19086-19132.
    PMID: 38052592 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023844
    The prairie dog optimization (PDO) algorithm is a metaheuristic optimization algorithm that simulates the daily behavior of prairie dogs. The prairie dog groups have a unique mode of information exchange. They divide into several small groups to search for food based on special signals and build caves around the food sources. When encountering natural enemies, they emit different sound signals to remind their companions of the dangers. According to this unique information exchange mode, we propose a randomized audio signal factor to simulate the specific sounds of prairie dogs when encountering different foods or natural enemies. This strategy restores the prairie dog habitat and improves the algorithm's merit-seeking ability. In the initial stage of the algorithm, chaotic tent mapping is also added to initialize the population of prairie dogs and increase population diversity, even use lens opposition-based learning strategy to enhance the algorithm's global exploration ability. To verify the optimization performance of the modified prairie dog optimization algorithm, we applied it to 23 benchmark test functions, IEEE CEC2014 test functions, and six engineering design problems for testing. The experimental results illustrated that the modified prairie dog optimization algorithm has good optimization performance.
  3. Fulltext An improved arithmetic optimization algorithm with forced switching mechanism for global optimization problems
    Zheng R, Jia H, Abualigah L, Liu Q, Wang S
    Math Biosci Eng, 2022 01;19(1):473-512.
    PMID: 34903000 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2022023
    Arithmetic optimization algorithm (AOA) is a newly proposed meta-heuristic method which is inspired by the arithmetic operators in mathematics. However, the AOA has the weaknesses of insufficient exploration capability and is likely to fall into local optima. To improve the searching quality of original AOA, this paper presents an improved AOA (IAOA) integrated with proposed forced switching mechanism (FSM). The enhanced algorithm uses the random math optimizer probability (RMOP) to increase the population diversity for better global search. And then the forced switching mechanism is introduced into the AOA to help the search agents jump out of the local optima. When the search agents cannot find better positions within a certain number of iterations, the proposed FSM will make them conduct the exploratory behavior. Thus the cases of being trapped into local optima can be avoided effectively. The proposed IAOA is extensively tested by twenty-three classical benchmark functions and ten CEC2020 test functions and compared with the AOA and other well-known optimization algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is superior to other comparative algorithms on most of the test functions. Furthermore, the test results of two training problems of multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and three classical engineering design problems also indicate that the proposed IAOA is highly effective when dealing with real-world problems.
  4. Inhibition of γ-secretase/Notch pathway as a potential therapy for reversing cancer drug resistance
    Feng M, Santhanam RK, Xing H, Zhou M, Jia H
    Biochem Pharmacol, 2024 Feb;220:115991.
    PMID: 38135129 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115991
    The mechanism of tumor drug resistance is complex and may involve stem cell maintenance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the activation of survival signaling pathways, transporter protein expression, and tumor microenvironment remodeling, all of which are linked to γ-secretase/Notch signaling. Increasing evidence has shown that the activation of the γ-secretase/Notch pathway is a key driver of cancer progression and drug resistance development and that γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) may be the most promising agents for reversing chemotherapy resistance of tumors by targeting the γ-secretase/Notch pathway. Here, we systematically summarize the roles in supporting γ-secretase/Notch activation-associated transformation of cancer cells into cancer stem cells, promotion of the EMT process, PI3K/Akt, MEK/ERK and NF-κB activation, enhancement of ABC transporter protein expression, and TME alteration in mediating tumor drug resistance. Subsequently, we analyze the mechanism of GSIs targeting the γ-secretase/Notch pathway to reverse tumor drug resistance and propose the outstanding advantages of GSIs in treating breast cancer drug resistance over other tumors. Finally, we emphasize that the development of GSIs for reversing tumor drug resistance is promising.
  5. Forest conversion to oil palm compresses food chain length in tropical streams
    Wilkinson CL, Chua KWJ, Fiala R, Liew JH, Kemp V, Hadi Fikri A, et al.
    Ecology, 2021 01;102(1):e03199.
    PMID: 32969053 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3199
    In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil palm monocultures. Although the impacts of these changes on biodiversity are largely well documented, we know addition to samples we collected in 201 little about how these large-scale impacts affect freshwater trophic ecology. We used stable isotope analyses (SIA) to determine the impacts of land-use changes on the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous basal resources in 19 stream food webs. We also applied compound-specific SIA and bulk-SIA to determine the trophic position of fish apex predators and meso-predators (invertivores and omnivores). There was no difference in the contribution of autochthonous resources in either consumer group (70-82%) among streams with different land-use type. There was no change in trophic position for meso-predators, but trophic position decreased significantly for apex predators in oil palm plantation streams compared to forest streams. This change in maximum food chain length was due to turnover in identity of the apex predator among land-use types. Disruption of aquatic trophic ecology, through reduction in food chain length and shift in basal resources, may cause significant changes in biodiversity as well as ecosystem functions and services. Understanding this change can help develop more focused priorities for mediating the negative impacts of human activities on freshwater ecosystems.
  6. Fulltext Malaysian adolescents' exposure to secondhand smoke in the car of their parents/guardians: A nationwide cross-sectional school-based study
    Lim KH, Lim HL, Ghazali SM, Kee CC, Teh CH, Gill BS, et al.
    Tob Induc Dis, 2020;18:53.
    PMID: 32565765 DOI: 10.18332/tid/122586
    INTRODUCTION: We investigated the prevalence of children's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the car of their parents/guardians and the associated factors.

    METHODS: A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to obtain data from the nationally representative samples of school-going adolescents aged 11-19 years in Malaysia. Prevalence rates were computed and chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression were conducted.

    RESULTS: Of the participants, 23.3% reported exposure to SHS at least once in the car of their parents/guardians during the last 7 days before the survey. The prevalence and likelihood of SHS exposure were significantly higher in Malays, descendants of natives of Sabah and Sarawak, schools in rural areas, females, and current smokers. However, age group and knowledge on the harmful effects of SHS were not significant after adjusting for confounding effects.

    CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of school-going adolescents were exposed to secondhand smoke in the car of their parents/guardians. This highlights the need for effective tobacco control measures to include health promotion and smoke-free car regulations to be introduced to prevent severe health hazards and to reduce smoking initiation among non-smoking adolescents.

  7. Fulltext Tobacco use and other aspects related to smoking among school-going adolescents aged 13-15 years in Malaysia: Analysis of three cross-sectional nationally representative surveys in 2003, 2009 and 2016
    Lim KH, Ghazali SM, Lim HL, Kee CC, Cheah YK, Singh BSGP, et al.
    Tob Induc Dis, 2020;18:80.
    PMID: 33013276 DOI: 10.18332/tid/127231
    INTRODUCTION: Periodic surveys on tobacco use patterns and other aspects of tobacco use among school-going adolescents in Malaysia provide information on the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures implemented. However, such information is limited in Malaysia. We investigated the prevalence of smoking and other related aspects among middle-secondary school students in Malaysia from the years 2003-2016 to fill this gap.

    METHODS: We analyzed data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2003, GYTS 2009, and the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Survey among Malaysia Adolescents (TECMA) 2016. The surveys employed multistage sampling to select representative samples of adolescents attending secondary school in Malaysia. Data were collected using a pre-validated self-administered anonymous questionnaire adopted from the GYTS.

    RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2016, major changes occurred in which there were reductions in the prevalence of ever smoking, current smoking, and susceptibility to smoking. Reductions were also observed in exposure to SHS in public places and in the home. The proportion of school-going adolescents who support a ban on smoking in public places increased between 2013 to 2016, and there was a significant reduction in the proportion of respondents that were offered 'free' cigarettes by tobacco company representatives. However, there was no difference in the proportion of adolescents who initiated smoking before the age of 10 years and current smokers seeking advice to quit smoking across the time period.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the smoking policies and measures have been effective in reducing smoking prevalence, secondhand smoke exposure, and access to cigarettes, among school-going adolescents in Malaysia. However, measures to reduce smoking initiation and increase smoking cessation need to be strengthened to reduce the burden of smoking-related diseases in Malaysia in the long-term.

  8. Fulltext A Hybrid SSA and SMA with Mutation Opposition-Based Learning for Constrained Engineering Problems
    Wang S, Liu Q, Liu Y, Jia H, Abualigah L, Zheng R, et al.
    Comput Intell Neurosci, 2021;2021:6379469.
    PMID: 34531910 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6379469
    Based on Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) and Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA), a novel hybrid optimization algorithm, named Hybrid Slime Mould Salp Swarm Algorithm (HSMSSA), is proposed to solve constrained engineering problems. SSA can obtain good results in solving some optimization problems. However, it is easy to suffer from local minima and lower density of population. SMA specializes in global exploration and good robustness, but its convergence rate is too slow to find satisfactory solutions efficiently. Thus, in this paper, considering the characteristics and advantages of both the above optimization algorithms, SMA is integrated into the leader position updating equations of SSA, which can share helpful information so that the proposed algorithm can utilize these two algorithms' advantages to enhance global optimization performance. Furthermore, Levy flight is utilized to enhance the exploration ability. It is worth noting that a novel strategy called mutation opposition-based learning is proposed to enhance the performance of the hybrid optimization algorithm on premature convergence avoidance, balance between exploration and exploitation phases, and finding satisfactory global optimum. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, HSMSSA is applied to 23 different benchmark functions of the unimodal and multimodal types. Additionally, five classical constrained engineering problems are utilized to evaluate the proposed technique's practicable abilities. The simulation results show that the HSMSSA method is more competitive and presents more engineering effectiveness for real-world constrained problems than SMA, SSA, and other comparative algorithms. In the end, we also provide some potential areas for future studies such as feature selection and multilevel threshold image segmentation.
  9. Fulltext Extraction, Structural Characterization, and Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Activity of Polysaccharides From Panax ginseng Meyer
    Jia H, Zhao B, Zhang F, Santhanam RK, Wang X, Lu J
    Front Oncol, 2021;11:785455.
    PMID: 34912721 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.785455
    Polysaccharides are the main active ingredients of ginseng. To extract the most effective polysaccharides against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we isolated and characterized the polysaccharides from the mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) and compared their composition and cytotoxic effect with cultivated ginseng (CG) polysaccharide against HepG2 cell lines for the first time. MCG polysaccharides and CG polysaccharides were fractionated into two fractions such as MTPS-1, MTPS-2 and CTPS-1, CTPS-2 by salting out, respectively. Compared to CG, MCG possessed appreciable cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells among that MTPS-1 possess fortified effect. Then, MTPS-1 was selected for further isolation process and seven acidic polysaccharides (MCGP-1-MCGP-7) were obtained using ethanol precipitation, ion-exchange, and gel permeation chromatography techniques. Structural characteristics of the polysaccharides (MCGP-1-MCGP-7) were done by adapting methylation/GC-MS and NMR analysis. Overall, MCGP-3 polysaccharide was found to possess significant cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells with the IC50 value.
  10. Fulltext An improved multi-strategy beluga whale optimization for global optimization problems
    Chen H, Wang Z, Wu D, Jia H, Wen C, Rao H, et al.
    Math Biosci Eng, 2023 Jun 09;20(7):13267-13317.
    PMID: 37501488 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023592
    This paper presents an improved beluga whale optimization (IBWO) algorithm, which is mainly used to solve global optimization problems and engineering problems. This improvement is proposed to solve the imbalance between exploration and exploitation and to solve the problem of insufficient convergence accuracy and speed of beluga whale optimization (BWO). In IBWO, we use a new group action strategy (GAS), which replaces the exploration phase in BWO. It was inspired by the group hunting behavior of beluga whales in nature. The GAS keeps individual belugas whales together, allowing them to hide together from the threat posed by their natural enemy, the tiger shark. It also enables the exchange of location information between individual belugas whales to enhance the balance between local and global lookups. On this basis, the dynamic pinhole imaging strategy (DPIS) and quadratic interpolation strategy (QIS) are added to improve the global optimization ability and search rate of IBWO and maintain diversity. In a comparison experiment, the performance of the optimization algorithm (IBWO) was tested by using CEC2017 and CEC2020 benchmark functions of different dimensions. Performance was analyzed by observing experimental data, convergence curves, and box graphs, and the results were tested using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The results show that IBWO has good optimization performance and robustness. Finally, the applicability of IBWO to practical engineering problems is verified by five engineering problems.
  11. Cimigenoside functions as a novel γ-secretase inhibitor and inhibits the proliferation or metastasis of human breast cancer cells by γ-secretase/Notch axis
    Jia H, Liu M, Wang X, Jiang Q, Wang S, Santhanam RK, et al.
    Pharmacol Res, 2021 Jul;169:105686.
    PMID: 34022397 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105686
    Breast cancer (BC) occurrence and development tremendously affect female health. Currently breast cancer targeted drugs are still scarce. Natural products have become the main source of targeted drug for breast cancer due to low toxicity and high efficiency. Cimigenoside, natural compound isolated and purified from Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim has been suggested to utilize for breast cancer treatment, however the mechanism of action has not been elucidated yet. In this article, the antitumor potential of Cimigenoside against breast cancer in vitro and in vivo study. Moreover, we further predicted the possible binding mode of Cimigenoside with γ-secretase through molecular docking studies. The results show that Cimigenoside has a significant inhibitory effect towards the proliferation or metastasis of breast cancer cells via suppressing the Notch signaling pathway-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis and EMT (epithelial mesenchymal transition). In terms of mechanism, Cimigenoside could inhibit the activation of PSEN-1, the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, and also by cleaving the Notch protein mediated by PSEN-1. Overall, our findings provide scientific support to utilize Cimigenoside as an effective targeted drug for clinical treatment of BC.
  12. Fulltext Eggshell membrane powder lowers plasma triglyceride and liver total cholesterol by modulating gut microbiota and accelerating lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-fed mice
    Ramli NS, Jia H, Sekine A, Lyu W, Furukawa K, Saito K, et al.
    Food Sci Nutr, 2020 May;8(5):2512-2523.
    PMID: 32405407 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1545
    Obesity is a major global lifestyle disorder associated with gut microbiota. The health benefits of eggshell membrane (ESM) have been shown in previous reports, particularly as regards gut microbiota composition. Here, we investigated whether ESM improves lipid metabolism and alters gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice. A total of 20 C57BL/6J mice aged 6 weeks were given either a control diet (CON), high-fat diet (HFD), or high-fat diet + 8% ESM powder (HESM) for 20 weeks. ESM supplementation in HFD-fed mice reduced plasma triglycerides (TG) and liver total cholesterol (TC) and upregulated the expression of lipid metabolism genes carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and suppressor of cytokine signaling 2. Microbiota analysis showed increased relative abundance of the anti-obesity bacterium, Lactobacillus reuteri, at 4, 12, and 16 weeks and reduced the abundance of inflammation-related Blautia hydrogenotrophica, Roseburia faecis, and Ruminococcus callidus at 12 and 20 weeks. ESM-supplemented mice had increased cecal isobutyrate, negatively correlated with B. hydrogenotrophica and Parabacteroides goldsteinii abundance. The results indicate that ESM supplementation in HFD-fed mice reduced plasma TG and liver TC, possibly through alteration of lipid metabolism gene expression and gut microbiota composition, suggesting that ESM may be effective in obesity management.
  13. Fulltext Improved Reptile Search Algorithm by Salp Swarm Algorithm for Medical Image Segmentation
    Abualigah L, Habash M, Hanandeh ES, Hussein AM, Shinwan MA, Zitar RA, et al.
    J Bionic Eng, 2023 Feb 07.
    PMID: 36777369 DOI: 10.1007/s42235-023-00332-2
    This study proposes a novel nature-inspired meta-heuristic optimizer based on the Reptile Search Algorithm combed with Salp Swarm Algorithm for image segmentation using gray-scale multi-level thresholding, called RSA-SSA. The proposed method introduces a better search space to find the optimal solution at each iteration. However, we proposed RSA-SSA to avoid the searching problem in the same area and determine the optimal multi-level thresholds. The obtained solutions by the proposed method are represented using the image histogram. The proposed RSA-SSA employed Otsu's variance class function to get the best threshold values at each level. The performance measure for the proposed method is valid by detecting fitness function, structural similarity index, peak signal-to-noise ratio, and Friedman ranking test. Several benchmark images of COVID-19 validate the performance of the proposed RSA-SSA. The results showed that the proposed RSA-SSA outperformed other metaheuristics optimization algorithms published in the literature.
  14. Construction of a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing Babesia gibsoni thrombospondin-related anonymous protein and evaluation of its immunogenicity in mice
    Nakamura C, Liu MM, Goo YK, Zhang GH, Jia HL, Kumagai A, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Dec 01;37(4):1029-1037.
    PMID: 33612755 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.4.1029
    Previously, we have identified a gene encoding thrombospondin-related anonymous protein of Babesia gibsoni (BgTRAP), and have shown that the antisera raised against recombinant BgTRAP expressed in Escherichia coli inhibited the growth of parasites. In the present study, a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the BgTRAP (VV/BgTRAP) was constructed. A specific band with a molecular mass of 80 kDa, which is similar to that of native BgTRAP on the merozoites of B. gibsoni, was detected in the supernatant of VV/ BgTRAP-infected RK13 cells. Mice inoculated with VV/BgTRAP produced a specific antiBgTRAP response. The antiserum against VV/BgTRAP showed reactivity against the native BgTRAP on parasites. These results indicated that the recombinant vaccinia virus expressing BgTRAP might be a vaccine candidate against canine B. gibsoni infection.
  15. Fulltext ABCC5, a gene that influences the anterior chamber depth, is associated with primary angle closure glaucoma
    Nongpiur ME, Khor CC, Jia H, Cornes BK, Chen LJ, Qiao C, et al.
    PLoS Genet, 2014 Mar;10(3):e1004089.
    PMID: 24603532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004089
    Anterior chamber depth (ACD) is a key anatomical risk factor for primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on ACD to discover novel genes for PACG on a total of 5,308 population-based individuals of Asian descent. Genome-wide significant association was observed at a sequence variant within ABCC5 (rs1401999; per-allele effect size =  -0.045 mm, P = 8.17 × 10(-9)). This locus was associated with an increase in risk of PACG in a separate case-control study of 4,276 PACG cases and 18,801 controls (per-allele OR = 1.13 [95% CI: 1.06-1.22], P = 0.00046). The association was strengthened when a sub-group of controls with open angles were included in the analysis (per-allele OR = 1.30, P = 7.45 × 10(-9); 3,458 cases vs. 3,831 controls). Our findings suggest that the increase in PACG risk could in part be mediated by genetic sequence variants influencing anterior chamber dimensions.
  16. Fulltext Genome-wide association analyses identify three new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma
    Vithana EN, Khor CC, Qiao C, Nongpiur ME, George R, Chen LJ, et al.
    Nat Genet, 2012 Oct;44(10):1142-1146.
    PMID: 22922875 DOI: 10.1038/ng.2390
    Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study including 1,854 PACG cases and 9,608 controls across 5 sample collections in Asia. Replication experiments were conducted in 1,917 PACG cases and 8,943 controls collected from a further 6 sample collections. We report significant associations at three new loci: rs11024102 in PLEKHA7 (per-allele odds ratio (OR)=1.22; P=5.33×10(-12)), rs3753841 in COL11A1 (per-allele OR=1.20; P=9.22×10(-10)) and rs1015213 located between PCMTD1 and ST18 on chromosome 8q (per-allele OR=1.50; P=3.29×10(-9)). Our findings, accumulated across these independent worldwide collections, suggest possible mechanisms explaining the pathogenesis of PACG.
  17. Genome-wide association study identifies five new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma
    Khor CC, Do T, Jia H, Nakano M, George R, Abu-Amero K, et al.
    Nat Genet, 2016 May;48(5):556-62.
    PMID: 27064256 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3540
    Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) followed by replication in a combined total of 10,503 PACG cases and 29,567 controls drawn from 24 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. We observed significant evidence of disease association at five new genetic loci upon meta-analysis of all patient collections. These loci are at EPDR1 rs3816415 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, P = 5.94 × 10(-15)), CHAT rs1258267 (OR = 1.22, P = 2.85 × 10(-16)), GLIS3 rs736893 (OR = 1.18, P = 1.43 × 10(-14)), FERMT2 rs7494379 (OR = 1.14, P = 3.43 × 10(-11)), and DPM2-FAM102A rs3739821 (OR = 1.15, P = 8.32 × 10(-12)). We also confirmed significant association at three previously described loci (P < 5 × 10(-8) for each sentinel SNP at PLEKHA7, COL11A1, and PCMTD1-ST18), providing new insights into the biology of PACG.
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