bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Germination Response to Salinity Stress in Castor through the Hydrotime Model
Authors: Cafaro Valeria , Alexopoulou Efthymia , Cosentino Salvatore Luciano , Patanè Cristina
Published: November 2023

Germination of castor seeds from five dwarf hybrid genotypes, compared to a ‘Local’ genotype selected by the University of Catania from a Tunisian population well adapted to the Mediterranean environment, was studied at five different salt levels (0, −0.3, −0.6, −0.9, and −1.2 MPa) in order to assess seed germination performance under stress conditions. The results confirmed that optimum moisture (0 MPa) ensured 100% of germination; on the contrary, salt concentration negatively influenced the final germination percentage (FGP) and radicle elongation, causing severe consequences for plant establishment. At a level of −1.2 MPa, no germination occurred, while a level of −0.3 MPa slightly affected the seed germination of the dwarf genotypes, which achieved 77.3% of germination, contrary to the ‘Local’ genotype, in which germination was kept stable. Higher levels of salt (−0.6 and −0.9 MPa) caused a linear decrease in FGP and radicle elongation. Overall, the dwarf hybrid ‘C1019’ performed better at higher salt impositions, as did ‘C857’, confirming these genotypes were the most tolerant among the dwarf hybrids. Conversely, ‘C1013’ turned out to be the most susceptible genotype, followed by ‘C1008’. On the other hand, the ‘Local’ castor genotype was the best-performing genotype at −0.3 MPa and the most tolerant genotype in terms of salt concentration and germination time, which were accurately predicted by the hydrotime model, validating it as a valid method of assessing the germination response of castor seeds to Ψ.
Agronomic and Physiological Traits Response of Three Tropical Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Cultivars to Drought and Salinity
Authors: Dewi Elvira Sari , Abdulai Issaka , Bracho-Mujica Gennady , Appiah Mercy , Rötter Reimund P.
Published: November 2023

Sorghum holds the potential for enhancing food security, yet the impact of the interplay of water stress and salinity on its growth and productivity remains unclear. To address this, we studied how drought and salinity affect physiological traits, water use, biomass, and yield in different tropical sorghum varieties, utilizing a functional phenotyping platform, Plantarray. Cultivars (Kuali, Numbu, Samurai2) were grown under moderate and high salinity, with drought exposure at booting stage. Results showed that Samurai2 had the most significant transpiration reduction under moderate and high salt (36% and 48%) versus Kuali (22% and 42%) and Numbu (19% and 16%). Numbu reduced canopy conductance (25% and 15%) the most compared to Samurai2 (22% and 33%) and Kuali (8% and 35%). In the drought*salinity treatment, transpiration reduction was substantial for Kuali (54% and 57%), Samurai2 (45% and 60%), and Numbu (29% and 26%). Kuali reduced canopy conductance (36% and 53%) more than Numbu (36% and 25%) and Samurai2 (33% and 49%). Biomass, grain yield, and a-100 grain weight declined in all cultivars under both salinity and drought*salinity, and Samurai2 was most significantly affected. WUEbiomass significantly increased under drought*salinity. Samurai2 showed reduced WUEgrain under drought*salinity, unlike Kuali and Numbu, suggesting complex interactions between water limitation and salinity in tropical sorghum.
Review of the Heat Stress-Induced Responses in Dairy Cattle
Authors: Giannone Claudia , Bovo Marco , Ceccarelli Mattia , Torreggiani Daniele , Tassinari Patrizia
Published: November 2023

In the dairy cattle sector, the evaluation of the effects induced by heat stress is still one of the most impactful and investigated aspects as it is strongly connected to both sustainability of the production and animal welfare. On the other hand, more recently, the possibility of collecting a large dataset made available by the increasing technology diffusion is paving the way for the application of advanced numerical techniques based on machine learning or big data approaches. In this scenario, driven by rapid change, there could be the risk of dispersing the relevant information represented by the physiological animal component, which should maintain the central role in the development of numerical models and tools. In light of this, the present literature review aims to consolidate and synthesize existing research on the physiological consequences of heat stress in dairy cattle. The present review provides, in a single document, an overview, as complete as possible, of the heat stress-induced responses in dairy cattle with the intent of filling the existing research gap for extracting the veterinary knowledge present in the literature and make it available for future applications also in different research fields.
A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by Plasmodium relictum in Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)
Authors: Pugliese Nicola , Samarelli Rossella , Lombardi Roberto , Schiavone Antonella , Crescenzo Giuseppe , Circella Elena , Zizzadoro Claudia , Lai Olimpia , Saleh Medhat S. , Prioletti Michela , Camarda Antonio
Published: November 2023

Avian malaria is a re-emerging threat to avian species worldwide. It is sustained by several protozoan species belonging to the genus Plasmodium, mainly Plasmodium relictum. The even wider diffusion of the disease, probably because of the increase in the areas covered by their mosquito vectors, may pose new risks for avian species lacking natural resistance (especially those from artic or sub-artic environments) or those hosted in structures like zoos and wildlife rescue centers. With that premise, this study describes the efficacy and safety of a therapeutic protocol to treat avian malaria in three snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) hosted in a wildlife rescue center in Apulia, south of Italy, and affected by avian malaria by P. relictum. The protocol consisted of administering 10/4 mg/kg atovaquone/proguanil per os once a day for three consecutive days, repeating this seven days later. Seven days after the end of the treatment, P. relictum was not detected in the birds’ blood and no adverse effects were observed during the 60 days of monitoring after the end of the treatment. Therefore, a therapeutic regimen of 10/4 mg/kg/day may be considered safe and effective in a valuable and endangered species such as B. scandiacus.
Lightweight Sheep Head Detection and Dynamic Counting Method Based on Neural Network
Authors: Wang Liang , Hu Bo , Hou Yuecheng , Wu Huijuan
Published: November 2023

To achieve rapid and precise target counting, the quality of target detection serves as a pivotal factor. This study introduces the Sheep’s Head-Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SH-SSD) as a solution. Within the network’s backbone, the Triple Attention mechanism is incorporated to enhance the MobileNetV3 backbone, resulting in a significant reduction in network parameters and an improvement in detection speed. The network’s neck is constructed using a combination of the Spatial Pyramid Pooling module and the Triple Attention Bottleneck module. This combination enhances the extraction of semantic information and the preservation of detailed feature map information, with a slight increase in network parameters. The network’s head is established through the Decoupled Head module, optimizing the network’s prediction capabilities. Experimental findings demonstrate that the SH-SSD model attains an impressive average detection accuracy of 96.11%, effectively detecting sheep’s heads within the sample. Notably, SH-SSD exhibits enhancements across various detection metrics, accompanied by a significant reduction in model parameters. Furthermore, when combined with the DeepSort tracking algorithm, it achieves high-precision quantitative statistics. The SH-SSD model, introduced in this paper, showcases commendable performance in sheep’s head detection and offers deployment simplicity, thereby furnishing essential technical support for the advancement of intelligent animal husbandry practices.
Mechanisms and Applications of Citral’s Antimicrobial Properties in Food Preservation and Pharmaceuticals Formulations
Authors: Gutiérrez-Pacheco María Melissa , Torres-Moreno Heriberto , Flores-Lopez María Liliana , Velázquez Guadarrama Norma , Ayala-Zavala J. Fernando , Ortega-Ramírez Luis Alberto , López-Romero Julio César
Published: November 2023

Citral is a monoterpene constituted by two isomers known as neral and geranial. It is present in different plant sources and recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In recent years, investigations have demonstrated that this compound exhibited several biological activities, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antibiofilm, antiparasitic, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, by in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, when incorporated into different food matrices, citral can reduce the microbial load of pathogenic microorganisms and extend the shelf life. This compound has acceptable drug-likeness properties and does not present any violations of Lipinski’s rules, which could be used for drug development. The above shows that citral could be a compound of interest for developing food additives to extend the shelf life of animal and vegetable origin foods and develop pharmaceutical products.
Wind Load Distribution in Float Photovoltaic System
Authors: Joo Hyung-Joong , Heo Seong-Jun , Kim Sun-Hee , Choi Wonchang
Published: November 2023

This paper investigates wind load distribution in float PV plants. Wave and wind load are dominant environmental load factors in determining design load in float PV plants. In particular, wind load is determined based on the numerical analysis results. The literature indicates that several input parameters exist, such as inlet angle and space between PV modules. An exemplary structure with ten arrays of PV modules was generated in this study. To investigate the wind load distribution in a float PV plant, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis was conducted with variables including wind direction (inlet angles) and three wind speeds (36.2, 51.7, and 70 m/s) in PV modules in the floating structure. Based on the numerical analysis, the wind load distribution of PV modules can be characterized with respect to the inlet angle and wind speed. The numerical results show that the wind loads in the central arrays are dominant.
Assessment of the Flexural Fatigue Performance of 3D-Printed Foot Orthoses Made from Different Thermoplastic Polyurethanes
Authors: Iacob Mariana Cristiana , Popescu Diana , Petcu Daniel , Marinescu Rodica
Published: November 2023

This research examines the flexural fatigue response of 3D-printed foot orthoses produced from various thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filaments, including Filaflex 60A, Filaflex 70A, Filaflex 82A, PolyFlex 90A, and varioShore. To subject the insoles to repeated flexion in the metatarsophalangeal area, specialized equipment was developed. A real-world testing scenario was applied to the Filaflex 82A insole, demonstrating that it can sustain over 1,400,000 steps over several months of normal walking (a cadence of approximately 120 steps per minute). Consequently, the experimental conditions were adjusted to double this pace to obtain pertinent results within a shorter testing timeframe. The insoles were subjected to 250 cycles per minute at constant clamping pressures of 176 kPa in the forefoot region. The objective of the evaluation was to determine if 700,000 testing cycles, equivalent to more than two and a half months of daily walking, would induce any damages in the internal structure (infill failure) or external condition (delamination, cracks) of the insoles. Except for compression marks, particularly notable on the foamed material (varioShore TPU) within the clamping zones of the testing device, none of the tested insoles exhibited any signs of external damage after 700,000 cycles. Moreover, the deformations observed in the insoles were non-permanent and nearly entirely disappeared within a few days of rest. The only insole that displayed deterioration of the infill structure was a TPU 82A insole that had been previously worn and then left on a shelf for approximately one year in uncontrolled conditions before being tested at repeated flexion on the apparatus. Additionally, a fifteen-minute walking test was carried out to assess the comfort of each insole, and it was found that the varioShore model, which had a 20% infill density and was 3D-printed at a temperature of 220 °C, stood out as the most comfortable among the tested insoles.
Experimental Study on Shear Creep and Long-Term Strength of Clay-Type Muddy Interlayer
Authors: Guo Pengzheng , Zhang Jiaming , Liu Fei , Liu Wenlian , Wang Zhiqiang , Chen Jipu
Published: November 2023

In order to have a better understanding of the shear creep characteristics of muddy interlayer in unstable landslides, we took the more “inferior” clay muddy interlayer as the research object, and shear creep experiments under different normal stress levels were carried out by means of hierarchical loading. This paper focuses on the variation law of creep curve and its long-term strength in the clay-type muddy interlayer under different normal stresses. The results showed that the creep characteristics of clay-type muddy interlayer were obvious: at the same normal stress level, instantaneous deformation, initial creep and stable creep appeared at lower shear stress level; at the level of rupture shear stress, there were two cases: the creep curve included three stages of typical initial creep, stable creep and accelerated creep failure, or directly entered the accelerated creep stage until the specimen’s failure. The average shear and stable creep rate of the muddy interlayer specimen increased exponentially with the increase in shear stress. The empirical formula u = u0 + A [1 − e(−Bt)] + Ctn of shear strength could better reflect the creep deformation law of muddy interlayer, and the correlation coefficient R2 varies from 0.90 to 0.99. Based on the definition of long-term ultimate strength, the long-term strength of clay-type muddy interlayer was determined.
DaGATN: A Type of Machine Reading Comprehension Based on Discourse-Apperceptive Graph Attention Networks
Authors: Wu Mingli , Sun Tianyu , Wang Zhuangzhuang , Duan Jianyong
Published: November 2023

In recent years, with the advancement of natural language processing techniques and the release of models like ChatGPT, how language models understand questions has become a hot topic. In handling complex logical reasoning with pre-trained models, its performance still has room for improvement. Inspired by DAGN, we propose an improved DaGATN (Discourse-apperceptive Graph Attention Networks) model. By constructing a discourse information graph to learn logical clues in the text, we decompose the context, question, and answer into elementary discourse units (EDUs) and connect them with discourse relations to construct a relation graph. The text features are learned through a discourse graph attention network and applied to downstream multiple-choice tasks. Our method was evaluated on the ReClor dataset and achieved an accuracy of 74.3%, surpassing the best-known performance methods utilizing deberta-xlarge-level pre-trained models, and also performed better than ChatGPT (Zero-Shot).
Influence of the Main Blown Film Extrusion Process Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of a High-Density Polyethylene Hexene Copolymer and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene Butene Copolymer Blend Used for Plastic Bags
Authors: Cuesta Francisco , Camacho Ana María , Rubio Eva María
Published: November 2023

Polyethylene plastic bags manufactured via blown film extrusion have different quality specifications depending on their intended use. It is known that the mechanical properties of a film depend on the process parameters established, but little is known concerning how they affect one another, even more so due to the variety of polyethylene materials and processing techniques. This study focuses on establishing a proper correspondence of important mechanical properties like the dart impact, tensile strength at break, and elongation at break with commonly used process parameters like the blow-up ratio, take-up ratio, thickness reduction, and neck height, for a high-density polyethylene hexene copolymer and a linear low-density polyethylene butene copolymer blend film. Because this polyethylene mixture is an anisotropic material, interesting R2 values equal to or higher than 0.90 were found: a BUR with elongation at break and tensile strength at break in the MD and TD, a TUR with elongation at break in the MD and tensile strength at break in the MD and TD, and a TR with elongation at break and tensile strength at break in the MD. Also, a relationship between the dart impact and both the neck height and thickness were found.
Longwall Mining Automation—The Shearer Positioning Methods between the Longwall Automation Steering Committee and China University of Mining and Technology
Authors: Dai Weiwei , Wang Shijia , Wang Shibo
Published: November 2023

The shearer positioning method is of great significance to the automation of longwall mining. The research teams in the Longwall Automation Steering Committee (LASC) of Australia and China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) have focused on shearer positioning and identified the shearer inertial navigation system, the measurement of longwall retreat and creep displacement, and the backward calibration of the shearer trajectory as three key technologies to obtain accurate shearer positioning information. In underground environments without GPS, due to the characteristics of inertial navigation system (INS) autonomous full-parameter navigation, shearer positioning based on INS is adopted by the LASC and CUMT, and error reduction algorithms are proposed to inhibit the rapid error accumulation of INS. In order to obtain the periodic calibration information when the shearer reaches the end of the longwall face, it is necessary to measure the retreat and creep displacements in order to back-correct the shearer trajectory. Finding a suitable measurement method for this task is challenging, especially in the presence of dust and moisture. The LASC used a scanning laser and FMR 250 microwave radar to measure these two displacements, while CUMT adopted an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar. In terms of the backward calibration method, minimum-variance fixed-interval smoothing (MFS) proposed by LASC and the global optimization model (GOM) for the shearer trajectory from CUMT are described in detail. The experiment demonstrates that the GOM outperforms MFS in terms of accuracy but requires more computational resources. Therefore, our next research objective is to develop an efficient and accurate algorithm for performing backward calibration on the shearer trajectory.
An Elastic-Window-Based Method for the Underdetermined Problem in Linear Spectral Unmixing to Enhance the Spatial Resolution of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Time Series
Authors: Liu Boyu , Zhang Yushuo
Published: November 2023

Inverting land cover reflectance or derived indices from low-spatial-resolution images to refine the spatial resolution of this data is cost-effective for land surface monitoring applications that face technical or budget limitations. Based on the linear spectral mixing model, many approaches have successfully unmixed coarse mixed pixels using high-spatial-resolution land cover maps in the past decades. However, in some cases, the solutions of linear systems composed of several mixed pixels may not be acquired due to the underdetermined problem. This study presents the causes of this problem and proposes an iterative approximation strategy to address it. An elastic-window-based algorithm was developed, where the initial size of the window was calculated based on the land cover of the mixed pixel. Mixed pixels of neighborhoods with similar land covers were then selected to form the unmixing linear system, which was examined through a simulation test to ensure it was not underdetermined. Otherwise, the window would expand to include more adjacent pixels. This process was repeated until a successful solution was obtained. A statistical analysis of sixty land cover maps from around the globe shows that the underdetermined problem exists at a low level but becomes more serious with an increase in mixed scale. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm effectively prevents the underdetermined problem for mixed pixels of different scales and can be integrated into the coarse NDVI downscaling procedure to refine spatial resolution. This study provides a reference for estimating underdetermined mixed pixels and benefits applications that require dealing with the inversion of land cover values directly.
Trajectory Tracking Outer Loop Regressor-Based Adaptive Controller for a Quadrotor
Authors: Lopez-Sanchez Ivan , Moyrón Jerónimo , García Carrillo Luis Rodolfo , Dzul Alejandro , Moreno-Valenzuela Javier
Published: November 2023

A high-level control strategy for a quad rotorcraft Unmanned Aircraft System to perform trajectory tracking tasks is presented, which is based on a regressor-based adaptive approach. The high-level control is designed to interact with a low-level (internal) control loop that cannot be modified to suit the needs of academic researchers. Hence, the proposed control framework computes the appropriate high-level inputs for the inner controller, enabling the trajectory tracking task. The controller includes an integral action to overcome steady-state errors that may occur due to parameter estimation errors or constant disturbances. The stability of the equilibrium point is analyzed using Lyapunov theory, which shows that the tracking errors converge to zero and the parameter estimation errors remain bounded. The proposed control framework was tested on a real-time quad rotorcraft platform, and its performance was compared with four different control strategies. The results indicate that the proposed controller exhibits high accuracy and has better performance with respect to the other controllers.
Construction of an Online Cloud Platform for Zhuang Speech Recognition and Translation with Edge-Computing-Based Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Fan Zeping , Huang Min , Zhang Xuejun , Liu Rongqi , Lyu Xinyi , Duan Taisen , Bu Zhaohui , Liang Jianghua
Published: November 2023

The Zhuang ethnic minority in China possesses its own ethnic language and no ethnic script. Cultural exchange and transmission encounter hurdles as the Zhuang rely exclusively on oral communication. An online cloud-based platform was required to enhance linguistic communication. First, a database of 200 h of annotated Zhuang speech was created by collecting standard Zhuang speeches and improving database quality by removing transcription inconsistencies and text normalization. Second, SAformerNet, a more efficient and accurate transformer-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) network, is achieved by inserting additional downsampling modules. Subsequently, a Neural Machine Translation (NMT) model for translating Zhuang into other languages is constructed by fine-tuning the BART model and corpus filtering strategy. Finally, for the network’s responsiveness to real-world needs, edge-computing techniques are applied to relieve network bandwidth pressure. An edge-computing private cloud system based on FPGA acceleration is proposed to improve model operation efficiency. Experiments show that the most critical metric of the system, model accuracy, is above 93%, and inference time is reduced by 29%. The computational delay for multi-head self-attention (MHSA) and feed-forward network (FFN) modules has been reduced by 7.1 and 1.9 times, respectively, and terminal response time is accelerated by 20% on average. Generally, the scheme provides a prototype tool for small-scale Zhuang remote natural language tasks in mountainous areas.
Effect of Artificial Saliva Modification on the Corrosion Resistance and Electronic Properties of Bego Wirobond® C Dental Alloys
Authors: Łosiewicz Bożena , Osak Patrycja , Kubisztal Julian , Górka-Kulikowska Karolina
Published: November 2023

Wirobond® C is a commercial dental casting alloy suitable for the fabrication of crowns, bridges, and metal ceramic restorations. This study aims to investigate the effect of ready-to-use Listerine® and Meridol® mouthwashes and sodium fluoride on the resistance of CoCrMo dental alloys to electrochemical corrosion in artificial saliva at 37 °C. SEM, EDS, SKP, and microhardness investigations were carried out to characterize the material under study. The in vitro corrosion resistance of the CoCrMo alloy was conducted using the open-circuit potential method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and anodic polarization curves. The presence of Co 59.8(8) wt.%, Cr 31.5(4) wt.%, and Mo 8.8(6) wt.% was confirmed. The CoCrMo alloy was characterized by a Vickers microhardness value of 445(31) µHV0.3. Based on the EIS data, the capacitive behavior and high corrosion resistance of the CoCrMo alloy were revealed. The kinetics of pitting corrosion in the artificial saliva were lower after being modified with NaF, Listerine®, and Meridol® mouthwashes. The potentiodynamic characteristics revealed the passive behavior of the CoCrMo alloy in all solutions. Based on the SKP measurements of the CoCrMo alloy after corrosion tests, the effect of artificial saliva modification on the electronic properties of Bego Wirobond® C dental alloy was found.
Sin Nombre Virus and the Emergence of Other Hantaviruses: A Review of the Biology, Ecology, and Disease of a Zoonotic Pathogen
Authors: Jacob Andrew T. , Ziegler Benjamin M. , Farha Stefania M. , Vivian Lyla R. , Zilinski Cora A. , Armstrong Alexis R. , Burdette Andrew J. , Beachboard Dia C. , Stobart Christopher C.
Published: November 2023

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is an emerging virus that was first discovered in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993. The virus causes a disease known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), sometimes called Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), a life-threatening illness named for the predominance of infection of pulmonary endothelial cells. SNV is one of several rodent-borne hantaviruses found in the western hemisphere with the capability of causing this disease. The primary reservoir of SNV is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), and the virus is transmitted primarily through aerosolized rodent excreta and secreta. Here, we review the history of SNV emergence and its virus biology and relationship to other New World hantaviruses, disease, treatment, and prevention options.
The Cognitive Cost of Repetitive Thinking: A Study on the Effects of Shifting and Updating on Rumination of Emotional Experiences
Authors: Battista Fabiana , Lanciano Tiziana , Borrelli Patrizia , Curci Antonietta
Published: November 2023

The present study aimed to investigate the consequence of resource competition between post-emotional processing and concurrent cognitive tasks. Previous studies have shown that such a resource competition engenders both short-term (e.g., defeats in the execution of the working memory task) and long-term effects (e.g., procrastination or rumination following an emotional experience). We expected these effects to vary as a function of the different WM components involved (shifting, Study 1; updating, Study 2). In two studies, participants (Study 1: N = 48; Study 2: N = 42) were administered one out of two variants of a visuospatial task (Study 1: shifting; Study 2: updating) adopted by Curci and colleagues before and after a negative or neutral manipulation. Rumination was assessed immediately after the second WM task performance and 24 h later. In Study 1, results showed that the exposure to negative content impaired the subsequent executive performance compared with exposure to neutral material, while no difference was found in Study 2. Rumination for emotional material was higher and more persistent over time as a function of shifting resources but not for updating ones. These findings provide information on the possible role of individuals’ cognitive resources on rumination for emotional experiences.
The Effect of Craniosacral Therapy on Blood Levels of Stress Hormones in Male Firefighter Cadets: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Wójcik Małgorzata , Bordoni Bruno , Siatkowski Idzi , Żekanowska Ewa
Published: November 2023

(1) Background: Fire department cadets preparing to become firefighters and paramedics experience high levels of stress when participating in incidents like traffic accidents and fires. Stress adversely affects health, and coping with it proves difficult. Unfortunately, there is no single method that reduces stress completely in humans. One non-invasive method for lowering stress hormone levels is craniosacral therapy. (2) Methods: Fifty-seven firefighting cadets aged 18–24 years (21.63 ± 1.41) participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to either a test group or a control group. Participants’ blood levels of cortisol and CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) were assessed before and after the study. The study group underwent 5-week craniosacral therapy (1× per week). (3) Results: The Kruskal–Wallis test showed that the therapy group’s results were statistically significant for CRH values (p-value = 0.00067) and for cortisol values (p-value ≤ 0.0001). Wilxocon and Dunn tests showed statistical significance for cortisol after CS therapy between the control and study groups (p = 0.0377), and for CRH between the control and study groups before (p = 0.00634) and after the study (p = 0.000887), and in the study group before and after the study (p = 0.0101). (4) Conclusions: The application of craniosacral therapy reduced stress hormone levels in male firefighter cadets. The results indicate that craniosacral therapy (five sessions, one per week) has an effect on the reduction of stress hormones.
Investigating the Sorption Isotherms and Hysteresis of a Round Perforated Brick Using Newly Developed Models
Authors: Ferrak Intissar , Suleiman Rami K. , Kadja Mahfoud , Rahman Mohammad Mizanur , Boumediene Lina , Al-Badour Fadi A. , Saleh Tawfik A. , Meliani Mohammed Hadj
Published: November 2023

This article deals with the hygrothermal behavior of round perforated brick including hysteresis effects. It aims at examining the effect of temperature on sorption isotherms and hysteresis of this product, reducing the energy consumption of the buildings, reinforcing the constructional economy and the inhabitant’s comfort as well as offering a hygrothermal description of this product that has never been previously investigated. To achieve this, we have carried out an experimental study to determine the sorption isotherms and the hysteresis in five different temperatures (10, 23, 30, 40, and 50 °C). Twelve equations have been tested against the experimental isotherms in order to find the optimal one. After that, three models were tested in order to develop a personal model; the latter explains the real effect of the hysteresis phenomenon on hygrothermal behavior of the studied product. To validate the mathematical model, two methods were applied to calculate the isosteric heat. The obtained results revealed a significant influence of the increase in temperature on the hygrothermal behavior in which a decrease in the equivalent water content was found. Moreover, the developed experimental model is based on Oswin’s model describing the dependence of temperature on the sorption characteristics of round perforated bricks. Furthermore, the Huang model was found to be the best compared with the other models with a regression factor (R2) of 0.990. The validation of the results using the isosteric heat parameter has confirmed that the suggested models demonstrated a perfect presentation of the sorption isotherms and the hysteresis phenomenon of the round perforated brick.
Amivantamab Compared with Real-World Physician’s Choice after Platinum-Based Therapy from a Pan-European Chart Review of Patients with Lung Cancer and Activating EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutations
Authors: Christopoulos Petros , Girard Nicolas , Proto Claudia , Soares Marta , Lopez Pilar Garrido , van der Wekken Anthonie J. , Popat Sanjay , Diels Joris , Schioppa Claudio A. , Sermon Jan , Rahhali Nora , Pick-Lauer Corinna , Adamczyk Agnieszka , Penton James , Wislez Marie
Published: November 2023

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) Exon 20 insertions (Exon20ins) at the second line and beyond (2L+) have an unmet need for new treatment. Amivantamab, a bispecific EGFR- and MET-targeted antibody, demonstrated efficacy in this setting in the phase 1b, open-label CHRYSALIS trial (NCT02609776). The primary objective was to compare the efficacy of amivantamab to the choices made by real-world physicians (RWPC) using an external control cohort from the real-world evidence (RWE) chart review study, CATERPILLAR-RWE. Adjustment was conducted to address differences in prognostic variables between cohorts using inverse probability weighting (IPW) and covariate adjustments based on multivariable regression. In total, 114 patients from CHRYSALIS were compared for 55 lines of therapy from CATERPILLAR-RWE. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the amivantamab and IPW-weighted RWPC cohorts. For amivantamab versus RWPC using IPW adjustment, the response rate ratio for the overall response was 2.14 (p = 0.0181), and the progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-next-treatment (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.42 (p < 0.0001), 0.47 (p = 0.0063) and 0.48 (p = 0.0207), respectively. These analyses provide evidence of clinical and statistical benefits across multiple outcomes and adjustment methods, of amivantamab in platinum pre-treated patients with advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR Exon20ins. These results confirm earlier comparisons versus pooled national registry data.
Unveiling a Biomarker Signature of Meningioma: The Need for a Panel of Genomic, Epigenetic, Proteomic, and RNA Biomarkers to Advance Diagnosis and Prognosis
Authors: Halabi Reem , Dakroub Fatima , Haider Mohammad Z. , Patel Stuti , Amhaz Nayef A. , Reslan Mohammad A. , Eid Ali H. , Mechref Yehia , Darwiche Nadine , Kobeissy Firas , Omeis Ibrahim , Shaito Abdullah A.
Published: November 2023

Meningiomas are the most prevalent primary intracranial tumors. The majority are benign but can undergo dedifferentiation into advanced grades classified by World Health Organization (WHO) into Grades 1 to 3. Meningiomas’ tremendous variability in tumor behavior and slow growth rates complicate their diagnosis and treatment. A deeper comprehension of the molecular pathways and cellular microenvironment factors implicated in meningioma survival and pathology is needed. This review summarizes the known genetic and epigenetic aberrations involved in meningiomas, with a focus on neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and non-NF2 mutations. Novel potential biomarkers for meningioma diagnosis and prognosis are also discussed, including epigenetic-, RNA-, metabolomics-, and protein-based markers. Finally, the landscape of available meningioma-specific animal models is overviewed. Use of these animal models can enable planning of adjuvant treatment, potentially assisting in pre-operative and post-operative decision making. Discovery of novel biomarkers will allow, in combination with WHO grading, more precise meningioma grading, including meningioma identification, subtype determination, and prediction of metastasis, recurrence, and response to therapy. Moreover, these biomarkers may be exploited in the development of personalized targeted therapies that can distinguish between the 15 diverse meningioma subtypes.
Clinician Perceptions of Barriers and Facilitators for Delivering Early Integrated Palliative Care via Telehealth
Authors: Sadang Katrina Grace , Centracchio Joely A. , Turk Yael , Park Elyse , Feliciano Josephine L. , Chua Isaac S. , Blackhall Leslie , Silveira Maria J. , Fischer Stacy M. , Rabow Michael , Zachariah Finly , Grey Carl , Campbell Toby C. , Strand Jacob , Temel Jennifer S. , Greer Joseph A.
Published: November 2023

Early integrated palliative care (EIPC) significantly improves clinical outcomes for patients with advanced cancer. Telehealth may be a useful tool to deliver EIPC sustainably and equitably. Palliative care clinicians completed a survey regarding their perceptions of the barriers, facilitators, and benefits of using telehealth video visits for delivering EIPC for patients with advanced lung cancer. Forty-eight clinicians across 22 cancer centers completed the survey between May and July 2022. Most (91.7%) agreed that telehealth increases access to EIPC and simplifies the process for patients to receive EIPC (79.2%). Clinicians noted that the elderly, those in rural areas, and those with less-resourced backgrounds have greater difficulty using telehealth. Perceived barriers were largely patient-based factors, including technological literacy, internet and device availability, and patient preferences. Clinicians agreed that several organizational factors facilitated telehealth EIPC delivery, including technological infrastructure (85.4%), training (83.3%), and support from study coordinators (81.3%). Other barriers included systems-based factors, such as insurance reimbursement and out-of-state coverage restrictions. Patient-, organization-, and systems-based factors are all important to providing and improving access to telehealth EIPC services. Further research is needed to investigate the efficacy of telehealth EIPC and how policies and interventions may improve access to and dissemination of this care modality.
Targeting Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Combining Copper Ionophore Disulfiram and JMJD3/UTX Inhibitor GSK J4
Authors: Yang Canlin , Li Fei , Ren Yuanyuan , Zhang Qianqian , Jiao Bo , Zhang Jianming , Huang Junxing
Published: November 2023

The alcohol-averse drug disulfiram has been reported to have anti-tumor effects and is well suited for drug combinations. In order to identify potential drug combinations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we screened a bioactive compound library with the disulfiram copper chelation product CuET. The Jumonji domain-containing protein 3 (JMJD3) and the ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat protein X-linked (UTX) inhibitor GSK J4 were identified. To further understand the molecular mechanism underlying the efficient drug combination, we applied quantitative mass spectrometry to analyze the signaling pathway perturbation after drug treatment. The data revealed that the synergistic effect of GSK J4 and CuET was due to the interaction among JMJD3 and UTX, which may play important roles in maintaining endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis in tumor cells. Interestingly, our clinical data analysis showed that high expression of JMJD3 and UTX was associated with T stage and worse prognosis of ESCC patients, further supporting the importance of the above findings. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the combination of CuET and targeting JMJD3/UTX may be a safe, effective, and available treatment for ESCC.
Inhibition of EIF2α Dephosphorylation Decreases Cell Viability and Synergizes with Standard-of-Care Chemotherapeutics in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Cyran Anna M. , Kleinegger Florian , Nass Norbert , Naumann Michael , Haybaeck Johannes , Arens Christoph
Published: November 2023

Drug resistance is a common cause of therapy failure in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). One approach to tackling it is by targeting fundamental cellular processes, such as translation. The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (EIF2α) is a key player in canonical translation initiation and integrates diverse stress signals; when phosphorylated, it curbs global protein synthesis. This study evaluates EIF2α expression and phosphorylation in HNSCC. A small-molecule inhibitor of EIF2α dephosphorylation, salubrinal, was tested in vitro, followed by viability assays, flow cytometry, and immunoblot analyses. Patient-derived 3D tumor spheres (PD3DS) were cultured with salubrinal and their viability assessed. Lastly, salubrinal was evaluated with standard-of-care chemotherapeutics. Our analysis of RNA and proteomics data shows elevated EIF2α expression in HNSCC. Immunohistochemical staining reveals increasing EIF2α abundance from premalignant lesions to invasive and metastatic carcinoma. In immunoblots from intraoperative samples, EIF2α expression and steady-state phosphorylation are higher in HNSCC than in neighboring normal tissue. Inhibition of EIF2α dephosphorylation decreases HNSCC cell viability and clonogenic survival and impairs the G1/S transition. Salubrinal also decreases the viability of PD3DS and acts synergistically with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, bleomycin, and proteasome inhibitors. Our results indicate that pharmacological inhibition of EIF2α dephosphorylation is a potential therapeutic strategy for HNSCC.
Constructing Stable MoOx-NiSx Film via Electrodeposition and Hydrothermal Method for Water Splitting
Authors: Zhu Shihu , Liu Tiantian , Yu Shuang , Yang Huijing , Sun Qimeng , Zheng Jin You
Published: November 2023

The hydrothermal method is a frequently used approach for synthesizing HER electrocatalysts. However, a weak tolerance to high temperature is an intrinsic property of carbon cloth (CC) in most situations, and CC-based catalysts, which require complex technological processes in low-temperature environments, exhibit weak stability and electrochemical performance. Hence, we provide a new solution for these issues. In this work, MoO3-NiSx films of 9H5E-CC catalysts are synthesized, first through electrodeposition to form Ni particles on CC and then through a hydrothermal reaction to reform the reaction. The advantages of this synthetic process include mild reaction conditions and convenient operation. The obtained MoO3-NiSx film presents excellent catalytic activity and stability for HER. MoO3-NiSx film requires only a low overpotential of 142 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2 for HER in 1.0 m KOH, and the obtained 9H5E-CF film only needs 294 mV to achieve 50 mA cm−2 for OER. Remarkably, they also show excellent OER, HER, and full water splitting long-term electrochemical stability, maintaining their performance for at least 72 h. This work can be expanded to provide a new strategy for the fabrication of stable, high-performing electrodes using simple, mild reaction conditions.
CRISPR-Cas System Is an Effective Tool for Identifying Drug Combinations That Provide Synergistic Therapeutic Potential in Cancers
Authors: Kim Yuna , Lee Hyeong-Min
Published: November 2023

Despite numerous efforts, the therapeutic advancement for neuroblastoma and other cancer treatments is still ongoing due to multiple challenges, such as the increasing prevalence of cancers and therapy resistance development in tumors. To overcome such obstacles, drug combinations are one of the promising applications. However, identifying and implementing effective drug combinations are critical for achieving favorable treatment outcomes. Given the enormous possibilities of combinations, a rational approach is required to predict the impact of drug combinations. Thus, CRISPR-Cas-based and other approaches, such as high-throughput pharmacological and genetic screening approaches, have been used to identify possible drug combinations. In particular, the CRISPR-Cas system (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a powerful tool that enables us to efficiently identify possible drug combinations that can improve treatment outcomes by reducing the total search space. In this review, we discuss the rational approaches to identifying, examining, and predicting drug combinations and their impact.
Unravelling the Role of Cancer Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Muscle Atrophy, Lipolysis, and Cancer-Associated Cachexia
Authors: Marzan Akbar L. , Chitti Sai V.
Published: November 2023

Cancer-associated cachexia is a metabolic syndrome that causes significant reduction in whole-body weight due to excessive loss of muscle mass accompanied by loss of fat mass. Reduced food intake and several metabolic abnormalities, such as increased energy expenditure, excessive catabolism, and inflammation, are known to drive cachexia. It is well documented that cancer cells secrete EVs in abundance which can be easily taken up by the recipient cell. The cargo biomolecules carried by the EVs have the potential to alter the signalling pathways and function of the recipient cells. EV cargo includes proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and metabolites. Tumour-secreted EVs have been found to alter the metabolic and biological functions of adipose and muscle tissue, which aids in the development of the cachexia phenotype. To date, no medical intervention or FDA-approved drug exists that can completely reverse cachexia. Therefore, understanding how cancer-derived EVs contribute to the onset and progression of cancer-associated cachexia may help with the identification of new biomarkers as well as provide access to novel treatment alternatives. The goal of this review article is to discuss the most recent research on cancer-derived EVs and their function in cellular crosstalk that promotes catabolism in muscle and adipose tissue during cancer-induced cachexia.
Maternal Exercise during Pregnancy Impacts Motor Performance in 9-Year-Old Children: A Pilot Study
Authors: Ferrari Nina , Schmidt Nikola , Bae-Gartz Inga , Vohlen Christina , Alcazar Miguel A Alejandre , Brockmeier Konrad , Dötsch Jörg , Mahabir Esther , Joisten Christine
Published: November 2023

The benefits of maternal physical activity during pregnancy are well documented, but long-term effects on the child have been less studied. Therefore, we conducted a pilot follow-up study of a lifestyle intervention during pregnancy that aimed to investigate whether exercise (endurance and strength training) during pregnancy affects motor performance and body composition of children up to 9 years of age, as well as possible influencing factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and lifestyle. Eleven mother−child pairs from the intervention and eight mother−child pairs from the control group were included. From birth up to 9 years of age, no differences in body mass index (BMI) or body mass index standard deviation scores (BMI-SDS) were found between the groups. Lifestyle intervention was one of the influencing factors for children’s cardiorespiratory endurance capacity and coordination. Moreover, maternal BDNF in the last trimester was significantly associated with running performance, which may be due to better neuronal development. This is the first study evaluating the effects of a lifestyle intervention during pregnancy on the motor performance 9 years after birth. Children’s participation in exercise programs over the past 9 years was not continuously recorded and therefore not included in the analysis. Even a cautious interpretation of these results indicates that a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is essential in promoting child health. Larger studies and randomized control trials are necessary to confirm our results, especially those pertaining to the role of BDNF.