bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Divergent Effect of Cigarette Smoke on Innate Immunity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nicotine-Infection Interaction
Authors: AlQasrawi Dania , Qasem Ahmad , Naser Saleh A.
Published: August 2020

Cigarette smoke (CS) has adverse effects in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that has been associated with microbial infection, immuno-dysregulation, and mucosal dysfunction. However, CS seems to provide relief and protection to patients with another IBD known as ulcerative colitis (UC). These two subsets are featured as M1- and M2-mediated responses, respectively. Nicotine is the most active, addictive, and studied ingredient in CS. The mechanism of how nicotine and/or other CS ingredients induce pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory phenotypes in IBD patients remains under investigation. Our most recent in vitro nicotine study provided significant insights toward understanding the contradictory effects of nicotine on IBD patients, and it elucidated the mechanistic role of α7nAChR in modulation of macrophages in tobacco smokers. Shifting the beneficial effect of nicotine to a harmful outcome in CD patients was linked to a nicotine-microbe interaction that supports a microbial etiology in CD pathogenesis. Among the most debated pathogens in CD etiology is Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Other studies associated nicotine with upregulation of miR-124 expression in macrophages, which led to anti-inflammatory response. This review discusses published work on the role of nicotine in modulation of the innate immune response and subsequent signaling in macrophages in IBD subsets.
New Perspectives on Polycythemia Vera: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Authors: Iurlo Alessandra , Cattaneo Daniele , Bucelli Cristina , Baldini Luca
Published: August 2020

Polycythemia vera (PV) is mainly characterized by elevated blood cell counts, thrombotic as well as hemorrhagic predisposition, a variety of symptoms, and cumulative risks of fibrotic progression and/or leukemic evolution over time. Major changes to its diagnostic criteria were made in the 2016 revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, with both hemoglobin and hematocrit diagnostic thresholds lowered to 16.5 g/dL and 49% for men, and 16 g/dL and 48% for women, respectively. The main reason leading to these changes was represented by the recognition of a new entity, namely the so-called “masked PV”, as individuals suffering from this condition have a worse outcome, possibly owing to missed or delayed diagnoses and lower intensity of treatment. Thrombotic risk stratification is of crucial importance to evaluate patients’ prognosis at diagnosis. Currently, patients are stratified into a low-risk group, in the case of younger age (<60 years) and no previous thromboses, and a high-risk group, in the case of patients older than 60 years and/or with a previous thrombotic complication. Furthermore, even though they have not yet been formally included in a scoring system, generic cardiovascular risk factors, particularly hypertension, smoking, and leukocytosis, contribute to the thrombotic overall risk. In the absence of agents proven to modify its natural history and prevent progression, PV management has primarily been focused on minimizing the thrombotic risk, representing the main cause of morbidity and mortality. When cytoreduction is necessary, conventional therapies include hydroxyurea as a first-line treatment and ruxolitinib and interferon in resistant/intolerant cases. Each therapy, however, is burdened by specific drawbacks, underlying the need for improved strategies. Currently, the therapeutic landscape for PV is still expanding, and includes several molecules that are under investigation, like long-acting pegylated interferon alpha-2b, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and murine double minute 2 (MDM2) inhibitors.
IKKβ Kinase Promotes Stemness, Migration, and Invasion in KRAS-Driven Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells
Authors: Rodrigues Felipe Silva , Miranda Vanessa Silva , Carneiro-Lobo Tatiana Correa , Scalabrini Luiza Coimbra , Kruspig Björn , Levantini Elena , Murphy Daniel J. , Bassères Daniela Sanchez
Published: August 2020

KRAS oncogenic mutations are widespread in lung cancer and, because direct targeting of KRAS has proven to be challenging, KRAS-driven cancers lack effective therapies. One alternative strategy for developing KRAS targeted therapies is to identify downstream targets involved in promoting important malignant features, such as the acquisition of a cancer stem-like and metastatic phenotype. Based on previous studies showing that KRAS activates nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) through inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase β (IKKβ) to promote lung tumourigenesis, we hypothesized that inhibition of IKKβ would reduce stemness, migration and invasion of KRAS-mutant human lung cancer cells. We show that KRAS-driven lung tumoursphere-derived cells exhibit stemness features and increased IKKβ kinase activity. IKKβ targeting by different approaches reduces the expression of stemness-associated genes, tumoursphere formation, and self-renewal, and preferentially impairs the proliferation of KRAS-driven lung tumoursphere-derived cells. Moreover, we show that IKKβ targeting reduces tumour cell migration and invasion, potentially by regulating both expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2). In conclusion, our results indicate that IKKβ is an important mediator of KRAS-induced stemness and invasive features in lung cancer, and, therefore, might constitute a promising strategy to lower recurrence rates, reduce metastatic dissemination, and improve survival of lung cancer patients with KRAS-driven disease.
Glioblastoma: Is There Any Blood Biomarker with True Clinical Relevance?
Authors: Linhares Paulo , Carvalho Bruno , Vaz Rui , Costa Bruno M.
Published: August 2020

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent malignant primary brain tumor in adults, characterized by a highly aggressive, inflammatory and angiogenic phenotype. It is a remarkably heterogeneous tumor at several levels, including histopathologically, radiographically and genetically. The 2016 update of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System highlighted molecular parameters as paramount features for the diagnosis, namely IDH1/2 mutations that distinguish primary and secondary GBM. An ideal biomarker is a molecule that can be detected/quantified through simple non- or minimally invasive methods with the potential to assess cancer risk; promote early diagnosis; increase grading accuracy; and monitor disease evolution and treatment response, as well as fundamentally being restricted to one aspect. Blood-based biomarkers are particularly attractive due to their easy access and have been widely used for various cancer types. A number of serum biomarkers with multiple utilities for glioma have been reported that could classify glioma grades more precisely and provide prognostic value among these patients. At present, screening for gliomas has no clinical relevance. This is because of the low incidence, the lack of sensitive biomarkers in plasma, and the observation that gliomas may develop apparently de novo within few weeks or months. To the best of our knowledge, there is no routine use of a serum biomarker for clinical follow-up. The purpose of this paper is to review the serum biomarkers described in the literature related to glioblastoma and their possible relationship with clinical features.
Choline Supplementation Sensitizes Legionella dumoffii to Galleria mellonella Apolipophorin III
Authors: Palusińska-Szysz Marta , Zdybicka-Barabas Agnieszka , Luchowski Rafał , Reszczyńska Emilia , Śmiałek Justyna , Mak Paweł , Gruszecki Wiesław I. , Cytryńska Małgorzata
Published: August 2020

The growth of Legionella dumoffii can be inhibited by Galleria mellonella apolipophorin III (apoLp-III) which is an insect homologue of human apolipoprotein E., and choline-cultured L. dumoffii cells are considerably more susceptible to apoLp-III than bacteria grown without choline supplementation. In the present study, the interactions of apoLp-III with intact L. dumoffii cells cultured without and with exogenous choline were analyzed to explain the basis of this difference. Fluorescently labeled apoLp-III (FITC-apoLp-III) bound more efficiently to choline-grown L. dumoffii, as revealed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. The cell envelope of these bacteria was penetrated more deeply by FITC-apoLp-III, as demonstrated by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy analyses. The increased susceptibility of the choline-cultured L. dumoffii to apoLp-III was also accompanied by alterations in the cell surface topography and nanomechanical properties. A detailed analysis of the interaction of apoLp-III with components of the L. dumoffii cells was carried out using both purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and liposomes composed of L. dumoffii phospholipids and LPS. A single micelle of L. dumoffii LPS was formed from 12 to 29 monomeric LPS molecules and one L. dumoffii LPS micelle bound two molecules of apoLp-III. ApoLp-III exhibited the strongest interactions with liposomes with incorporated LPS formed of phospholipids isolated from bacteria cultured on exogenous choline. These results indicated that the differences in the phospholipid content in the cell membrane, especially PC, and LPS affected the interactions of apoLp-III with bacterial cells and suggested that these differences contributed to the increased susceptibility of the choline-cultured L. dumoffii to G. mellonella apoLp-III.
Becoming Stressed: Does the Age Matter? Reviewing the Neurobiological and Socio-Affective Effects of Stress throughout the Lifespan
Authors: Mañas-Ojeda Aroa , Ros-Bernal Francisco , Olucha-Bordonau Francisco E. , Castillo-Gómez Esther
Published: August 2020

Social and affective relations occur at every stage of our lives. Impairments in the quality of this “social world” can be exceptionally detrimental and lead to psychopathology or pathological behavior, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, affective disorders, social phobia or violence, among other things. Exposure to highly stressful or traumatic events, depending on the stage of life in which stress exposure occurs, could severely affect limbic structures, including the amygdala, and lead to alterations in social and affective behaviors. This review summarizes recent findings from stress research and provides an overview of its age-dependent effects on the structure and function of the amygdala, which includes molecular and cellular changes, and how they can trigger deviant social and affective behaviors. It is important to highlight that discoveries in this field may represent a breakthrough both for medical science and for society, as they may help in the development of new therapeutic approaches and prevention strategies in neuropsychiatric disorders and pathological behaviors.
Thermal Aspects of Casson Nanoliquid with Gyrotactic Microorganisms, Temperature-Dependent Viscosity, and Variable Thermal Conductivity: Bio-Technology and Thermal Applications
Authors: Al-Khaled Kamel , Khan Sami Ullah
Published: August 2020

Owing to the expensive applications of nanoparticles in engineering sciences, an admirable attention has been intended by researchers on this topic in recent years. The utilization of nanoparticles as asource of energy is intended much attention of investigators in recent decade. This novel attempt investigates the thermal properties of Casson nanofluid containing microorganisms induced by an oscillatory moving surface. The fundamental features of heat and mass phenomenon are inspected by utilizing the temperature-dependent viscosity. Buongiorno’s mathematical model is used to report the famous Brownian motion and thermophoretic diffusion consequences. The flow problem characterizes the partial differential equations for which analytical solution has been computed with a convincible accuracy. The insight physical features are inspected with help of various curves. The physical significances of flow parameters is studied via various graphs.
Targeted Palliative Radionuclide Therapy for Metastatic Bone Pain
Authors: Manafi-Farid Reyhaneh , Masoumi Fardad , Divband Ghasemali , Saidi Bahare , Ataeinia Bahar , Hertel Fabian , Schweighofer-Zwink Gregor , Morgenroth Agnieszka , Beheshti Mohsen
Published: August 2020

Bone metastasis develops in multiple malignancies with a wide range of incidence. The presence of multiple bone metastases, leading to a multitude of complications and poorer prognosis. The corresponding refractory bone pain is still a challenging issue managed through multidisciplinary approaches to enhance the quality of life. Radiopharmaceuticals are mainly used in the latest courses of the disease. Bone-pain palliation with easy-to-administer radionuclides offers advantages, including simultaneous treatment of multiple metastatic foci, the repeatability and also the combination with other therapies. Several β¯- and α-emitters as well as pharmaceuticals, from the very first [89Sr]strontium-dichloride to recently introduced [223Ra]radium-dichloride, are investigated to identify an optimum agent. In addition, the combination of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals with chemotherapy or radiotherapy has been employed to enhance the outcome. Radiopharmaceuticals demonstrate an acceptable response rate in pain relief. Nevertheless, survival benefits have been documented in only a limited number of studies. In this review, we provide an overview of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals used for bone-pain palliation, their effectiveness and toxicity, as well as the results of the combination with other therapies. Bone-pain palliation with radiopharmaceuticals has been employed for eight decades. However, there are still new aspects yet to be established.
Correction: Faria, A.V.S. et al., Targeting Tyrosine Phosphatases by 3-Bromopyruvate Overcomes Hyperactivation of Platelets from Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients. J. Clin. Med. 2019, 8, 936
Authors: Faria Alessandra V. S. , Andrade Sheila S. , Reijm Agnes N. , Spaander Manon C. W. , de Maat Moniek P. M. , Peppelenbosch Maikel P. , Ferreira-Halder Carmen V. , Fuhler Gwenny M.
Published: August 2020

The authors wish to make the following correction to their paper [...]
Systemic Inflammation during and after Bronchiectasis Exacerbations: Impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Menéndez Rosario , Méndez Raúl , Amara-Elori Isabel , Reyes Soledad , Montull Beatriz , Feced Laura , Alonso Ricardo , Amaro Rosanel , Alcaraz Victoria , Fernandez-Barat Laia , Torres Antoni
Published: August 2020

Bronchiectasis is a chronic structural disease associated with exacerbations that provoke systemic inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the systemic acute proinflammatory cytokine and its biomarker profiles during and after exacerbations and its relationship with the severity of episode, microbiological findings, and the bronchiectasis severity index. This prospective observational study compared exacerbation and stable groups. Cytokine (interleukins (IL)-17a, IL-1β, IL-6, IL 8; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (α)) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were determined by multiplex analysis on days 1, 5, 30, and 60 in the exacerbation group and on day 1 in the stable group. We recruited 165 patients with exacerbations, of which 93 were severe (hospitalized). Proinflammatory systemic IL-17a, IL-1β, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels increased similarly on days 1 and 5 in severe and non-severe episodes, but on day 30, IL-17a, IL-8, and IL-6 levels were only increased for severe exacerbations. The highest IL-17a level occurred in patients with chronic plus the acute isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. At 30 days, severe exacerbations were independently associated with higher levels of IL-17 (Odds ratio (OR) 4.58), IL-6 (OR 4.89), IL-8 (OR 3.08), and hsCRP (OR 6.7), adjusted for age, the bronchiectasis severity index, and treatment duration. Exacerbations in patients with chronic P. aeruginosa infection were associated with an increase in IL-17 and IL-6 at 30 days (ORs 7.47 and 3.44, respectively). Severe exacerbations elicit a higher systemic proinflammatory response that is sustained to day 30. Patients with chronic P. aeruginosa infection had impaired IL-17a reduction. IL-17a could be a useful target for measuring systemic inflammation.
Congruence Amidst Discordance between Sequence and Protein-Content Based Phylogenies of Fungi
Authors: Xiao Guohua , Tang Guirong , Wang Chengshu
Published: August 2020

Amid the genomic data explosion, phylogenomic analysis has resolved the tree of life of different organisms, including fungi. Genome-wide clustering has also been conducted based on gene content data that can lighten the issue of the unequal evolutionary rate of genes. In this study, using different fungal species as models, we performed phylogenomic and protein-content (PC)-based clustering analysis. The obtained sequence tree reflects the phylogenetic trajectory of examined fungal species. However, 15 PC-based trees constructed from the Pfam matrices of the whole genomes, four protein families, and ten subcellular locations largely failed to resolve the speciation relationship of cross-phylum fungal species. However, lifestyle and taxonomic associations were more or less evident between closely related fungal species from PC-based trees. Pairwise congruence tests indicated that a varied level of congruent or discordant relationships were observed between sequence- and PC-based trees, and among PC-based trees. It was intriguing to find that a few protein family and subcellular PC-based trees were more topologically similar to the phylogenomic tree than was the whole genome PC-based phylogeny. In particular, a most significant level of congruence was observed between sequence- and cell wall PC-based trees. Cophylogenetic analysis conducted in this study may benefit the prediction of the magnitude of evolutionary conservation, interactive associations, or networking between different family or subcellular proteins.
Interlayer Bound Wannier Excitons in Germanium Sulfide
Authors: Postorino Sara , Sun Jianbo , Fiedler Saskia , Lee Cheong Lem Laurent O. , Palummo Maurizia , Camilli Luca
Published: August 2020

We report a cathodoluminescence (CL) study of layered germanium sulfide (GeS) where we observe a sharp emission peak from flakes covered with a thin hexagonal boron nitride film. GeS is a material that has recently attracted considerable interest due to its emission in the visible region and its strong anisotropy. The measured CL peak is at ~1.69 eV for samples ranging in thickness from 97 nm to 45 nm, where quantum-confinement effects can be excluded. By performing ab initio ground- and excited-state simulations for the bulk compound, we show that the measured optical peak can be unambiguously explained by radiative recombination of the first free bright bound exciton, which is due to a mixing of direct transitions near the Γ-point of the Brillouin Zone and it is associated to a very large optical anisotropy. The analysis of the corresponding excitonic wave function shows a Wannier–Mott interlayer character, being spread not only in-plane but also out-of-plane.
Organocatalytic Name Reactions Enabled by NHCs
Authors: Dzieszkowski Krzysztof , Barańska Izabela , Mroczyńska Karina , Słotwiński Michał , Rafiński Zbigniew
Published: August 2020

Giving reactions the names of their discoverers is an extraordinary tradition of organic chemistry. Nowadays, this phenomenon is much rarer, although already named historical reactions are still often developed. This is also true in the case of a broad branch of N‑heterocyclic carbenes catalysis. NHCs allow many unique synthetic paths, including commonly known name reactions. This article aims to gather this extensive knowledge and compare historical reactions with current developed processes. Furthermore, this review is a great opportunity to highlight some of the unique applications of these procedures in the total synthesis of biologically active compounds. Hence, this concise article may also be a source of knowledge for scientists just starting their adventure with N‑heterocyclic carbene chemistry.
Mechanisms of Phase Transformation and Creating Mechanical Strength in a Sustainable Calcium Carbonate Cement
Authors: Rodríguez-Sánchez Jesús , Liberto Teresa , Barentin Catherine , Dysthe Dag Kristian
Published: August 2020

Calcium carbonate cements have been synthesized by mixing amorphous calcium carbonate and vaterite powders with water to form a cement paste and study how mechanical strength is created during the setting reaction. In-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to monitor the transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and vaterite phases into calcite and a rotational rheometer was used to monitor the strength evolution. There are two characteristic timescales of the strengthening of the cement paste. The short timescale of the order 1 h is controlled by smoothening of the vaterite grains, allowing closer and therefore adhesive contacts between the grains. The long timescale of the order 10–50 h is controlled by the phase transformation of vaterite into calcite. This transformation is, unlike in previous studies using stirred reactors, found to be mainly controlled by diffusion in the liquid phase. The evolution of shear strength with solid volume fraction is best explained by a fractal model of the paste structure.
Advanced Nanomaterials, Printing Processes, and Applications for Flexible Hybrid Electronics
Authors: Park Sehyun , Kim Hojoong , Kim Jong-Hoon , Yeo Woon-Hong
Published: August 2020

Recent advances in nanomaterial preparation and printing technologies provide unique opportunities to develop flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) for various healthcare applications. Unlike the costly, multi-step, and error-prone cleanroom-based nano-microfabrication, the printing of nanomaterials offers advantages, including cost-effectiveness, high-throughput, reliability, and scalability. Here, this review summarizes the most up-to-date nanomaterials, methods of nanomaterial printing, and system integrations to fabricate advanced FHE in wearable and implantable applications. Detailed strategies to enhance the resolution, uniformity, flexibility, and durability of nanomaterial printing are summarized. We discuss the sensitivity, functionality, and performance of recently reported printed electronics with application areas in wearable sensors, prosthetics, and health monitoring implantable systems. Collectively, the main contribution of this paper is in the summary of the essential requirements of material properties, mechanisms for printed sensors, and electronics.
Reconfigurable 3D CAD Feature Recognition Supporting Confluent n-Dimensional Topologies and Geometric Filters for Prismatic and Curved Models
Authors: Pareja-Corcho Juan , Betancur-Acosta Oscar , Posada Jorge , Tammaro Antonio , Ruiz-Salguero Oscar , Cadavid Carlos
Published: August 2020

Feature Recognition (FR) in Computer-aided Design (CAD) models is central for Design and Manufacturing. FR is a problem whose computational burden is intractable (NP-hard), given that its underlying task is the detection of graph isomorphism. Until now, compromises have been reached by only using FACE-based geometric information of prismatic CAD models to prune the search domain. Responding to such shortcomings, this manuscript presents an interactive FR method that more aggressively prunes the search space with reconfigurable geometric tests. Unlike previous approaches, our reconfigurable FR addresses curved EDGEs and FACEs. This reconfigurable approach allows enforcing arbitrary confluent topologic and geometric filters, thus handling an expanded scope. The test sequence is itself a graph (i.e., not a linear or total-order sequence). Unlike the existing methods that are FACE-based, the present one permits combinations of topologies whose dimensions are two (SHELL or FACE), one (LOOP or EDGE), or 0 (VERTEX). This system has been implemented in an industrial environment, using icon graphs for the interactive rule configuration. The industrial instancing allows industry based customization and itis faster when compared to topology-based feature recognition. Future work is required in improving the robustness of search conditions, treating the problem of interacting or nested features, and improving the graphic input interface.
Variational Integrators in Holonomic Mechanics
Authors: Man Shumin , Gao Qiang , Zhong Wanxie
Published: August 2020

Variational integrators for dynamic systems with holonomic constraints are proposed based on Hamilton’s principle. The variational principle is discretized by approximating the generalized coordinates and Lagrange multipliers by Lagrange polynomials, by approximating the integrals by quadrature rules. Meanwhile, constraint points are defined in order to discrete the holonomic constraints. The functional of the variational principle is divided into two parts, i.e., the action of the unconstrained term and the constrained term and the actions of the unconstrained term and the constrained term are integrated separately using different numerical quadrature rules. The influence of interpolation points, quadrature rule and constraint points on the accuracy of the algorithms is analyzed exhaustively. Properties of the proposed algorithms are investigated using examples. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithms have arbitrary high order, satisfy the holonomic constraints with high precision and provide good performance for long-time integration.
Lucas Numbers Which Are Concatenations of Two Repdigits
Authors: Qu Yunyun , Zeng Jiwen
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we find all Lucas numbers written in the form c⋯cd⋯d¯, where c⋯cd⋯d¯ is the concatenation of two repdigits in base 10 with c,d∈{0,1,⋯,9}, c≠d and c>0.
Knowledge about Cervical Cancer and Awareness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV Vaccine among Female Students from Serbia
Authors: Rančić Nataša K. , Golubović Milan B. , Ilić Mirko V. , Ignjatović Aleksanda S. , Živadinović Radomir M. , Đenić Saša N. , Momčilović Stefan D. , Kocić Biljana N. , Milošević Zoran G. , Otašević Suzana A.
Published: August 2020

Background and objectives: Persistent infection with carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer. The study explored students’ knowledge about cervical cancer and awareness of human papillomavirus and the HPV vaccine. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was carried out among 1616 first-year female college students at the University of Niš. It examined socio-demographic characteristics, measured the score of knowledge about cervical cancer, assessed awareness regarding HPV and the HPV vaccine and inquired about the source of information about cervical cancer and HPV. Results: The average cervical cancer knowledge score was 16.35 ± 7.92 (min 0, max 30), with medical professional education, parents’ education level, place of residence and relationship status having significant effects on the score. The awareness about HPV and the HPV vaccine was low, with only 14.2% of students having heard about both HPV and its vaccine. The most commonly reported sources of information were the media, while the most competent one was organized health education. Conclusions: Health promotion campaigns and educational programs are necessary in order to reduce cervical cancer burden and should be directed particularly towards those who have demonstrated low cervical cancer knowledge and low awareness regarding HPV and its vaccine.
Factors Influencing Viewing Behavior in Live Streaming: An Interview-Based Survey of Music Fans
Authors: Ham Minjeong , Lee Sang Woo
Published: August 2020

V Live is a live-streaming service made by South Korean IT company in August 2015. The service provides diverse video contents specific to entertainment content. Most of V Live users are K-pop fans, and they actively express emotions on V Live content by writing comments, pressing “hearts”, and sharing video content. Based on Uses and Gratifications theory, this study investigated why people use live streaming service, and the factors influencing users’ viewing behavior in live streaming. We conducted an in-depth interview with V Live users. Based on the results of the interview, an online survey was conducted. As a result, six factors—“Interpersonal relationship motivation”, “Social presence motivation”, “Celebrity support motivation”, “Celebrity presence motivation”, “Social interaction motivation”, and “Differentiation motivation”—were derived as motivations to use V Live. While “Social presence motivation” and “Differentiation motivation” among V Live use motivations that have been shown to mediate the relationship between fans’ fanship and V Live viewing time, all motivations using V Live have been shown to mediate the relationship between fans’ fanship and V Live viewing participation.
A Peptide-Based Nanocarrier for an Enhanced Delivery and Targeting of Flurbiprofen into the Brain for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Al-azzawi Shafq , Masheta Dhafir , Guildford Anna , Phillips Gary , Santin Matteo
Published: August 2020

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related disease caused by abnormal accumulation of amyloid-β in the brain leading to progressive tissue degeneration. Flurbiprofen (FP), a drug used to mitigate the disease progression, has low efficacy due to its limited permeability across the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In a previous work, FP was coupled at the uppermost branching of an ε-lysine-based branched carrier, its root presenting a phenylalanine moiety able to increase the hydrophobicity of the complex and enhance the transport across the BBB by adsorptive-mediated transcytosis (AMT). The present study explores a different molecular design of the FP-peptide delivery system, whereby its root presents an ApoE-mimicking peptide, a targeting ligand that could enhance transport across the BBB by receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT). The functionalised complex was synthesised using a solid-phase peptide synthesis and characterised by mass spectrometry and FTIR. Cytotoxicity and permeability of this complex across an in vitro BBB model were analysed. Moreover, its activity and degradation to release the drug were investigated. The results revealed successful synthesis and grafting of FP molecules at the uppermost molecular branches of the lysine terminal without observed cytotoxicity. When covalently linked to the nanocarrier, FP was still active on target cells, albeit with a reduced activity, and was released as a free drug upon hydrolysis in a lysosome-mimicking medium. Noticeably, this work shows the high efficiency of RMT-driven FP delivery over delivery systems relying on AMT.
Sleeping Beauty on Monty Hall
Authors: Janssen Michel , Pernice Sergio
Published: August 2020

Inspired by the Monty Hall Problem and a popular simple solution to it, we present a number of game-show puzzles that are analogous to the notorious Sleeping Beauty Problem (and variations on it), but much easier to solve. We replace the awakenings of Sleeping Beauty by contestants on a game show, like Monty Hall’s, and increase the number of awakenings/contestants in the same way that the number of doors in the Monty Hall Problem is increased to make it easier to see what the solution to the problem is. We show that these game-show proxies for the Sleeping Beauty Problem and variations on it can be solved through simple applications of Bayes’s theorem. This means that we will phrase our analysis in terms of credences or degrees of belief. We will also rephrase our analysis, however, in terms of relative frequencies. Overall, our paper is intended to showcase, in a simple yet non-trivial example, the efficacy of a tried-and-true strategy for addressing problems in philosophy of science, i.e., develop a simple model for the problem and vary its parameters. Given that the Sleeping Beauty Problem, much more so than the Monty Hall Problem, challenges the intuitions about probabilities of many when they first encounter it, the application of this strategy to this conundrum, we believe, is pedagogically useful.
Analysis and Prediction of Influencing Parameters on the Coal Classification Performance of a Novel Three Products Hydrocyclone Screen (TPHS) Based on Grey System Theory
Authors: Wang Chuanzhen , Sun Xiaolu , Shen Liang , Wang Guanghui
Published: August 2020

A novel hydrocyclone including a cylindrical screen embedded in a conventional hydrocyclone (CH), named three products hydrocyclone screen (TPHS), has been successfully designed. In TPHS, the combination of centrifugal classification and screening was employed to separate particles. In this paper, Grey theory, as an effective means to the laws of both complex and uncertainty system’s behavior with small samples, was used to investigate the operational (feed concentration and feed pressure) and structural (aperture size, spigot diameter, and vortex finder diameter) parameters on performance evaluation Hancock classification efficiency (HE), imperfection (I), and cut size (d50c). The experiments of coal sample (0–1 mm) show that TPHS with coarser particles in underflow exhibited the absent “fish-hook”. The closeness calculated using the Grey System algorithm indicates that the performance of TPHS was closely related to the operation and structure parameters. Further, the order of grey incidence degree between different parameters and HE (or I or d50c) is the spigot diameter and aperture size with the highest value, the feed pressure and vortex finder diameter with the middle value, and the feed concentration with the lowest value. The prediction using the GM(1, N) algorithm implies that the dynamic prediction model for the performance evaluation can be created depending on the operation, structure and previous performance value. The mean relative errors between the predicted and actual HE, I, and d50 were 2.84%, 5.83%, and 3.57%, respectively, which exhibit the accurate prediction.
Comparative Study of Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibition of Soy Foods as Affected by Processing Methods and Protein Isolation
Authors: Handa Cíntia L. , Zhang Yan , Kumari Shweta , Xu Jing , Ida Elza I. , Chang Sam K. C.
Published: August 2020

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) converts angiotensin I into the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II and eventually elevates blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Studies show peptides present anti-hypertensive activity by ACE inhibition. During food processing and digestion, food proteins may be hydrolyzed and release peptides. Our objective was to determine and compare the ACE inhibitory potential of fermented and non-fermented soy foods and isolated 7S and 11S protein fractions. Soy foods (e.g., soybean, natto, tempeh, yogurt, soymilk, tofu, soy-sprouts) and isolated proteins were in vitro digested prior to the determination of ACE inhibitory activity. Peptide molecular weight distribution in digested samples was analyzed and correlated with ACE inhibitory capacity. Raw and cooked soymilk showed the highest ACE inhibitory potential. Bacteria-fermented soy foods had higher ACE inhibitory activity than fungus-fermented soy food, and 3 day germinated sprouts had higher ACE inhibition than those germinated for 5 and 7 days. The 11S hydrolysates showed higher ACE inhibitory capacity than 7S. Peptides of 1–4.5 kDa showed a higher contribution to reducing IC50. This study provides evidence that soy foods and isolated 7S and 11S proteins may be used as functional foods or ingredients to prevent or control hypertension.
How to Avoid Absolute Determinismin Two Boundary Quantum Dynamics
Authors: Bopp Fritz W.
Published: August 2020

Arguments for a two boundary theory are briefly outlined. Plausible concepts of how in such a theory an approximate causal macroscopic theory can emerge are presented. A problem with simple implementations of the two boundary theory is that effective or real willful decisions can not be added as there is no consecutive macroscopic time ordering. In this letter, we present a somewhat drastic but beautiful way to avoid it.
Particle Filtering for Three-Dimensional TDoA-Based Positioning Using Four Anchor Nodes
Authors: Khalaf-Allah Mohamed
Published: August 2020

In this article, the four-anchor time difference of arrival (TDoA)-based three-dimensional (3D) positioning by particle filtering is addressed. The implemented particle filter uses 1000 particles to represent the probability density function (pdf) of interest, i.e., the posterior pdf of the target node’s state (position). A resampling procedure is used to generate particles in the prediction step, and TDoA measurements are used to determine the importance, i.e., weight, of each particle to enable updating the posterior pdf and estimating the position of the target node. The simulation results show the feasibility of this approach and the possibility to employ it in indoor positioning applications under the assumed working conditions using, e.g., the ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology. Therefore, it is possible to enable unmanned air vehicle (UAV) positioning applications, e.g., inventory management in large warehouses, without the need for an excessive number of anchor nodes.
Recent Progress of Fiber-Optic Sensors for the Structural Health Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure
Authors: Wu Tiange , Liu Guowei , Fu Shenggui , Xing Fei
Published: August 2020

In recent years, with the development of materials science and architectural art, ensuring the safety of modern buildings is the top priority while they are developing toward higher, lighter, and more unique trends. Structural health monitoring (SHM) is currently an extremely effective and vital safeguard measure. Because of the fiber-optic sensor’s (FOS) inherent distinctive advantages (such as small size, lightweight, immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and corrosion, and embedding capability), a significant number of innovative sensing systems have been exploited in the civil engineering for SHM used in projects (including buildings, bridges, tunnels, etc.). The purpose of this review article is devoted to presenting a summary of the basic principles of various fiber-optic sensors, classification and principles of FOS, typical and functional fiber-optic sensors (FOSs), and the practical application status of the FOS technology in SHM of civil infrastructure.
Development of a Smartphone-Based Fluorescent Immunochromatographic Assay Strip Reader
Authors: Zheng Qi , Wu Huihuang , Jiang Haiyan , Yang Jiejie , Gao Yueming
Published: August 2020

Fluorescence immunochromatographic assay (FICA) is a rapid immunoassay technique that has the characteristics of high precision and sensitivity. Although image FICA strip readers have the advantages of high portability and easy operation, the use of high-precision complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors leads to an increase in overall cost. Considering the popularity of CMOS image sensors in smartphones and their powerful processing functions, this work developed a smartphone-based FICA strip reader. An optical module suitable for the test strips with different fluorescent markers was designed by replacing the excitation light source and the light filter. An android smartphone was used for image acquisition and image denoising. Then, the test and control lines of the test strip image were recognized by the sliding window algorithm. Finally, the characteristic value of the strip image was calculated. A linear detection range from 10 to 5000 mIU/mL (R2 = 0.95) was obtained for human chorionic gonadotrophin with the maximum relative error less than 9.41%, and a linear detection range from 5 to 4000 pg/mL (R2 = 0.99) was obtained for aflatoxin B1, with the maximum relative error less than 12.71%. Therefore, the smartphone-based FICA strip reader had high portability, versatility, and accuracy.
DeepPilot: A CNN for Autonomous Drone Racing
Authors: Rojas-Perez Leticia Oyuki , Martinez-Carranza Jose
Published: August 2020

Autonomous Drone Racing (ADR) was first proposed in IROS 2016. It called for the development of an autonomous drone capable of beating a human in a drone race. After almost five years, several teams have proposed different solutions with a common pipeline: gate detection; drone localization; and stable flight control. Recently, Deep Learning (DL) has been used for gate detection and localization of the drone regarding the gate. However, recent competitions such as the Game of Drones, held at NeurIPS 2019, called for solutions where DL played a more significant role. Motivated by the latter, in this work, we propose a CNN approach called DeepPilot that takes camera images as input and predicts flight commands as output. These flight commands represent: the angular position of the drone’s body frame in the roll and pitch angles, thus producing translation motion in those angles; rotational speed in the yaw angle; and vertical speed referred as altitude h. Values for these 4 flight commands, predicted by DeepPilot, are passed to the drone’s inner controller, thus enabling the drone to navigate autonomously through the gates in the racetrack. For this, we assume that the next gate becomes visible immediately after the current gate has been crossed. We present evaluations in simulated racetrack environments where DeepPilot is run several times successfully to prove repeatability. In average, DeepPilot runs at 25 frames per second (fps). We also present a thorough evaluation of what we called a temporal approach, which consists of creating a mosaic image, with consecutive camera frames, that is passed as input to the DeepPilot. We argue that this helps to learn the drone’s motion trend regarding the gate, thus acting as a local memory that leverages the prediction of the flight commands. Our results indicate that this purely DL-based artificial pilot is feasible to be used for the ADR challenge.
Low-Rank and Sparse Recovery of Human Gait Data
Authors: Kamali Kaveh , Akbari Ali Akbar , Desrosiers Christian , Akbarzadeh Alireza , Otis Martin J.-D. , Ayena Johannes C.
Published: August 2020

Due to occlusion or detached markers, information can often be lost while capturing human motion with optical tracking systems. Based on three natural properties of human gait movement, this study presents two different approaches to recover corrupted motion data. These properties are used to define a reconstruction model combining low-rank matrix completion of the measured data with a group-sparsity prior on the marker trajectories mapped in the frequency domain. Unlike most existing approaches, the proposed methodology is fully unsupervised and does not need training data or kinematic information of the user. We evaluated our methods on four different gait datasets with various gap lengths and compared their performance with a state-of-the-art approach using principal component analysis (PCA). Our results showed recovering missing data more precisely, with a reduction of at least 2 mm in mean reconstruction error compared to the literature method. When a small number of marker trajectories is available, our findings showed a reduction of more than 14 mm for the mean reconstruction error compared to the literature approach.
In Vivo Optogenetic Modulation with Simultaneous Neural Detection Using Microelectrode Array Integrated with Optical Fiber
Authors: Fan Penghui , Song Yilin , Xu Shengwei , Dai Yuchuan , Wang Yiding , Lu Botao , Xie Jingyu , Wang Hao , Cai Xinxia
Published: August 2020

The detection of neuroelectrophysiology while performing optogenetic modulation can provide more reliable and useful information for neural research. In this study, an optical fiber and a microelectrode array were integrated through hot-melt adhesive bonding, which combined optogenetics and electrophysiological detection technology to achieve neuromodulation and neuronal activity recording. We carried out the experiments on the activation and electrophysiological detection of infected neurons at the depth range of 900–1250 μm in the brain which covers hippocampal CA1 and a part of the upper cortical area, analyzed a possible local inhibition circuit by combining opotogenetic modulation and electrophysiological characteristics and explored the effects of different optical patterns and light powers on the neuromodulation. It was found that optogenetics, combined with neural recording technology, could provide more information and ideas for neural circuit recognition. In this study, the optical stimulation with low frequency and large duty cycle induces more intense neuronal activity and larger light power induced more action potentials of neurons within a certain power range (1.032 mW–1.584 mW). The present study provided an efficient method for the detection and modulation of neurons in vivo and an effective tool to study neural circuit in the brain.
A Review of Environmental Context Detection for Navigation Based on Multiple Sensors
Authors: Feriol Florent , Vivet Damien , Watanabe Yoko
Published: August 2020

Current navigation systems use multi-sensor data to improve the localization accuracy, but often without certitude on the quality of those measurements in certain situations. The context detection will enable us to build an adaptive navigation system to improve the precision and the robustness of its localization solution by anticipating possible degradation in sensor signal quality (GNSS in urban canyons for instance or camera-based navigation in a non-textured environment). That is why context detection is considered the future of navigation systems. Thus, it is important firstly to define this concept of context for navigation and to find a way to extract it from available information. This paper overviews existing GNSS and on-board vision-based solutions of environmental context detection. This review shows that most of the state-of-the art research works focus on only one type of data. It confirms that the main perspective of this problem is to combine different indicators from multiple sensors.
Ambient Backscattering-Enabled SWIPT Relaying System with a Nonlinear Energy Harvesting Model
Authors: Nguyen Thu L. N. , Kim Jin-Young , Shin Yoan
Published: August 2020

Since radio frequency (RF) signals can be used for both information transmission and energy harvesting, RF-based energy harvesting is capable of integrating with other existing communication techniques for providing better rate–energy tradeoff and quality-of-service. Within the context of an RF-based energy harvesting relaying network, a relay node not only acts as an intermediate node to help the delivery from source to destination, but also harvests energy from an RF dedicated source to prolong its lifetime. Thus, it brings diversity gain and coverage extension as well as provides extra energy for data transmission. This paper investigates a system that enables ambient backscattering communication-assisted simultaneous wireless information and power transfer at the relay. In the proposed system, a backscatter device plays a role as a relay to meet sustainable network coverage and to harvest ambient energy as well. With a power splitting (PS) scheme, we first investigate a nonlinear energy harvesting model at the relay node. In order to adapt to the channel gains, a dynamic PS ratio is required to perform well in changing environments. Moreover, we derive mathematical expressions for the outage probability and the achievable system throughput. Numerical results show the effects of various system parameters on the outage probability and the system throughput performance.