bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stator ITSC Fault Diagnosis for EMU Induction Traction Motor Based on Goertzel Algorithm and Random Forest
Authors: Ma Jie , Li Yingxue , Wang Liying , Hu Jisheng , Li Hua , Fei Jiyou , Li Lin , Zhao Geng
Published: June 2023

The stator winding insulation system is the most critical and weakest part of the EMU’s (electric multiple unit’s) traction motor. The effective diagnosis for stator ITSC (inter-turn short-circuit) faults can prevent a fault from expanding into phase-to-phase or ground short-circuits. The TCU (traction control unit) controls the traction inverter to output SPWM (sine pulse width modulation) excitation voltage when the traction motor is at a standstill. Three ITSC fault diagnostic conditions are based on different IGBTs’ control logics. The Goertzel algorithm is used to calculate the fundamental current amplitude difference Δi and phase angle difference Δθ of equivalent parallel windings under the three diagnostic conditions. The six parameters under the three diagnostic conditions are used as features to establish an ITSC fault diagnostic model based on the random forest. The proposed method was validated using a simulation experimental platform for the ITSC fault diagnosis of EMU traction motors. The experimental results indicate that the current amplitude features Δi and phase angle features Δθ change obviously with an increase in the ITSC fault extent if the ITSC fault occurs at the equivalent parallel windings. The accuracy of the ITSC fault diagnosis model based on the random forest for ITSC fault detection and location, both in train and test samples, is 100%.
Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)-Derived Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) Applications in Fuel Cell Systems: A Review of Current Advancements and Perspectives
Authors: Dhanabalan Karmegam , Perumalsamy Muthukumar , Sriram Ganesan , Murugan Nagaraj , Shalu  , Sadhasivam Thangarasu , Oh Tae Hwan
Published: June 2023

High-porosity, crystalline, and surface-area-rich metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) may be employed in electrochemical energy applications for active catalysis. MOFs have recently been modified using secondary building blocks, open metal sites with large pore diameters, and functional ligands for electronic conductivity. They have the potential for excellent performance in fuel cell applications, and they have several possibilities to enhance the fundamental characteristics of mass and electron transportation. MOFs may be combined with other materials, such as solitary metal nanoparticles and carbon and nitrogen composites, to increase their catalytic efficacy, especially in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). As a result, this study focuses on MOF derivatives for ORR applications, including porous carbon MOF, single metal MOF-derived composites, metal oxides, and metal phosphides. An efficient MOF electrocatalyst platform for ORR applications is presented, along with its prospects. These initiatives promote promising MOF electrocatalysts for enhancing fuel cell efficiency and pique curiosity for possible growth in subsequent research.
Analysis of Phase Diagram of CaO-CoOx-ErOy and Crystal Structure of Perovskite (Ca3−xErx)Co2O6−z Solid Solution
Authors: Wang Haocheng , Ning Haoming , Fan Zhenjun , Liu Guangyao
Published: June 2023

In this work, a series of compounds in the CaO-CoOx-ErOy ternary oxide system were synthesized in air at 885 °C, using a high temperature solid-phase synthesis method. The phase boundary of each solid solution region in the CaO-CoOx-ErOy system was determined by X-ray powder diffraction techniques. The phase diagram of the CaO-CoOx-ErOy system at 885 °C includes three series of ternary oxide solid solutions: (Ca3−xErx)Co4O9−z (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.9), (Ca3−xErx)Co2O6−z (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.25), and (Er1−xCax)CoO3−z (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.33). Four three-phase regions and five solid solution tie-line regions were obtained. The structure of the perovskite solid solution (Ca3−xErx)Co2O6−z has been analyzed by Rietveld refinements. With the increase of Er content, the cell parameters of (Ca3−xErx)Co2O6−z exhibit a decreasing trend in a and b directions and an increasing trend in c direction. A brief comparison of the phase diagrams of the CaO-CoOx-ROy (R = La, Dy, and Er) systems in air at 885 °C is provided.
Anomaly Detection in Liquid Sodium Cold Trap Operation with Multisensory Data Fusion Using Long Short-Term Memory Autoencoder
Authors: Akins Alexandra , Kultgen Derek , Heifetz Alexander
Published: June 2023

Sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR), which use high temperature fluid near ambient pressure as coolant, are one of the most promising types of GEN IV reactors. One of the unique challenges of SFR operation is purification of high temperature liquid sodium with a cold trap to prevent corrosion and obstructing small orifices. We have developed a deep learning long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder for continuous monitoring of a cold trap and detection of operational anomaly. Transient data were obtained from the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) liquid sodium facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The cold trap purification at METL is monitored with 31 variables, which are sensors measuring fluid temperatures, pressures and flow rates, and controller signals. Loss-of-coolant type anomaly in the cold trap operation was generated by temporarily choking one of the blowers, which resulted in temperature and flow rate spikes. The input layer of the autoencoder consisted of all the variables involved in monitoring the cold trap. The LSTM autoencoder was trained on the data corresponding to cold trap startup and normal operation regime, with the loss function calculated as the mean absolute error (MAE). The loss during training was determined to follow log-normal density distribution. During monitoring, we investigated a performance of the LSTM autoencoder for different loss threshold values, set at a progressively increasing number of standard deviations from the mean. The anomaly signal in the data was gradually attenuated, while preserving the noise of the original time series, so that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) averaged across all sensors decreased below unity. Results demonstrate detection of anomalies with sensor-averaged SNR < 1.
Energy Aspects of Flavonoid Extraction from Rowanberry Fruits Using Pulsed Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction
Authors: Kobus Zbigniew , Krzywicka Monika
Published: June 2023

The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of the dimensions of extraction cells on the energy aspects and extraction efficiency of flavonoids from rowanberry fruits (S. aucuparia L.). The total flavonoid content was determined using the spectrophotometric method. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the variables under investigation. The flavonoid content in the obtained extracts ranged from 0.17 to 0.66 mg QE/g dry matter for cells with a diameter of 3.5 cm, and from 0.19 to 0.7 mg QE/g dry matter for cells with a diameter of 2.5 cm, depending on the other experimental conditions. The energy consumption during extraction in the 3.5 cm diameter cell ranged from 0.451 kJ to 26.120 kJ, while for the 2.5 cm diameter cell, it ranged from 0.637 kJ to 25.677 kJ. The unit energy consumption for the 3.5 cm diameter cell ranged from 1.47 kJ/mg QE/g to 48.92 kJ/mg QE/g. For the 2.5 cm diameter cell, these values ranged from 2.17 kJ/mg QE/g to 40.64 kJ/mg QE/g. Significant effects of the dimensions of the extraction cells on flavonoid yield and unit energy consumption were observed, while there was no impact on electricity consumption. The dimensions of the extraction cells were also found to influence the form of the obtained empirical models.
Assessing the Impact of Vegetation Variation, Climate and Human Factors on the Streamflow Variation of Yarlung Zangbo River with the Corrected Budyko Equation
Authors: Ji Guangxing , Yue Shuaijun , Zhang Jincai , Huang Junchang , Guo Yulong , Chen Weiqiang
Published: June 2023

The Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) is the largest river on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, and changes in its meteorology, hydrology and vegetation will have a significant impact on the ecological environment of the basin. In order to deepen our understanding of the relationship of climate–vegetation–hydrological processes in YZR, the purpose of this study is to explore how vegetation growth in the YZR affects its runoff changes. We first identified the abrupt year of discharge in the YZR using a heuristic segmentation algorithm and cumulative anomaly mutation test approach. After that, the functional equation for NDVI and the Budyko parameter (n) was computed. Finally, the NDVI was introduced into the Budyko equation to evaluate the impact of vegetation changes on the streamflow in the YZR. Results showed that: (1) NDVI and discharge in the YZR both presented an increasing trend, and the mutation year of annual runoff in Nuxia station occurred in 1997. (2) n had a significant negative correlation with NDVI in the YZR (p < 0.01). (3) The contributions of Pr, ET0, NDVI, and n on streamflow change in the S2 period (1998–2015) were 5.26%, 1.14%, 43.04%, and 50.06%. The results of this study can provide scientific guidance and support for the evaluation of the effects of ecological restoration measures, as well as the management and planning of water resources in the YZR.
KubeHound: Detecting Microservices’ Security Smells in Kubernetes Deployments
Authors: Dell’Immagine Giorgio , Soldani Jacopo , Brogi Antonio
Published: June 2023

As microservice-based architectures are increasingly adopted, microservices security has become a crucial aspect to consider for IT businesses. Starting from a set of “security smells” for microservice applications that were recently proposed in the literature, we enable the automatic detection of such smells in microservice applications deployed with Kubernetes. We first introduce possible analysis techniques to automatically detect security smells in Kubernetes-deployed microservices. We then demonstrate the practical applicability of the proposed techniques by introducing KubeHound, an extensible prototype tool for automatically detecting security smells in microservice applications, and which already features a selected subset of the discussed analyses. We finally show that KubeHound can effectively detect instances of security smells in microservice applications by means of controlled experiments and by applying it to existing, third-party applications.
Utilization of Lemon Peel for the Production of Vinegar by a Combination of Alcoholic and Acetic Fermentations
Authors: Ou Qingyuan , Zhao Jian , Sun Yuheng , Zhao Yu , Zhang Baoshan
Published: June 2023

Lemon peel is the major by-product of lemon juice processing and is currently underutilized. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using lemon peel as a raw material for making vinegar. Lemon peel was homogenized, treated with pectinase (30,000 U/g, 0.1%) at 50 °C for 4 h, and then filtered. The obtained lemon peel juice was first subjected to alcoholic fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. FX10, and then acetic fermentation by an acid tolerant Acetobacter malorum, OQY-1, which was isolated from the lemon peels. The juice yield of the lemon peel was 62.5%. The alcoholic fermentation yielded a lemon peel wine with an alcoholic content of 5.16%, and the acetic acid fermentation produced a vinegar with a total acid content of 5.04 g/100 mL. A total of 36 volatile compounds were identified from the lemon vinegar, with some compounds such as esters and some alcohols that increased significantly during alcoholic fermentation while alcohols, terpenoids, and some esters decreased significantly during the fermentations. E-nose and E-tongue analyses coupled with principal component and discriminant factor analyses (PCA and DFA) were able to discriminate the samples at different fermentation stages. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential to transform lemon peel into a valuable product, thus reducing the waste of lemon processing and adding value to the industry.
Ginsenoside Rh4 Improves Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation in a Model of NAFLD by Targeting the Gut Liver Axis and Modulating the FXR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yang Siming , Duan Zhiguang , Zhang Sen , Fan Cuiying , Zhu Chenhui , Fu Rongzhan , Ma Xiaoxuan , Fan Daidi
Published: June 2023

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a series of disorders of liver metabolism caused by the accumulation of lipids in the liver, which is considered the main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. Our previous study demonstrated the promising efficacy of ginsenoside Rh4 in improving the intestinal tract and its related metabolites. Meanwhile, many studies in the literature have investigated the gut microbiota and its metabolites, such as bile acids (BAs) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which play a key role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Therefore, this study focused on whether Rh4 could achieve therapeutic effects on NAFLD through the gut–liver axis. The results showed that Rh4 exhibited sound therapeutic effects on the NAFLD model induced by the Western diet and CCl4 in mice. In the liver, the degrees of hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation levels, and bile acid in the liver tissue were improved after Rh4 treatment. At the same time, Rh4 treatment significantly increased the levels of intestinal SCFAs and BAs, and these changes were accompanied by the complementary diversity and composition of intestinal flora. In addition, correlation analysis showed that Rh4 affected the expression of proteins involved in the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling pathway in the liver and intestine, which modulates hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation, and proteins related to bile acid regulation. In conclusion, our study provides a valuable insight into how Rh4 targets the gut–liver axis for the development of NAFLD, which indicates that Rh4 may be a promising candidate for the clinical therapy of NAFLD.
Application of Multifractal Theory for Determination of Fluid Movability of Coal-Measure Sedimentary Rocks Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Authors: Zhang Na , Wang Shuaidong , Li Zheng , Guo Shuhui , Wang Ruochen
Published: June 2023

A precise evaluation of the fluid movability of coal sedimentary rock is crucial to the effective and secure utilization of coal measures gas reserves. Furthermore, its complex pore structure and diverse mineral components impact the flow properties of fluids in pore structures, causing accurate evaluation of fluid mobility to be extremely challenging. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology is currently a prevalent technique to assess unconventional reservoirs due to its capacity to acquire abundant reservoir physical property data and determine fluid details. The free-fluid volume index (FFI) is a crucial factor in assessing fluid movability in the application of NMR technology, which can only be derived through intricate NMR saturation and centrifugation experiments This research utilized nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests on 13 classic coal-measure sedimentary rock samples of three lithologies to reveal the FFI value. Moreover, the association between mineral components, pore structure parameters, and FFI was then extensively analyzed, and a prediction model for FFI was constructed. The results indicate that the T2 spectra of sandstone and shale own a bimodal distribution, with the principal point between 0.1 and 10 ms and the secondary peak between 10 and 100 ms. The majority of the T2 spectra of mudstone samples provide a unimodal distribution, with the main peak distribution range spanning between 0.1 and 10 ms, demonstrating that the most of the experimental samples are micropores and transition pores. The calculated results of the FFI range from 7.65% to 18.36%, and depict evident multifractal properties. Porosity, the content of kaolinite, multifractal dimension (Dq), and the FFI are linearly positively correlated. In contrast, the content of chlorite, illite, multifractal dimension subtraction (Dmin − Dmax), multifractal dimension proportion (Dmin/Dmax), and singularity strength (Δα) possess a negative linear correlation with the FFI, which can be further used for modeling. On the basis of the aforementioned influencing factors and the FFI experimental values of eight core samples, an FFI prediction model was constructed through multiple linear regression analysis. The accuracy of the prediction model was validated by utilizing this approach to five samples not included in the model development. It was revealed that the prediction model produced accurate predictions, and the research findings may serve as a guide for the classification and estimation of fluid types in coal reservoirs.
Molecular Evolution and Genetic Variation of G2-Like Transcription Factor Genes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Hu Ge , Li Junchang , Wang Xiang , Kang Yunfei , Li Yongchun , Niu Jishan , Yin Jun
Published: June 2023

The GOLDEN2-LIKE (G2-like) gene family members provide significant contributions to the growth and development of plants. In this study, a total of 76 wheat G2-like gene family members (TaG1–TaG76) were detected in the wheat genome and were categorized into three groups (including six subgroups) based on the gene structure and protein motif analyses. These genes were unevenly distributed in 19 of 21 wheat chromosomes. A total of 63 segmental duplication pairs of TaG2-like genes were identified in the wheat genome. The expression levels of all the TaG2-like genes indicated that TaG2-like genes showed different expression patterns in various organs and tissues. Moreover, the transcriptions of TaG2-like genes were significantly affected under abiotic stress (cold, ABA, NaCl, and PEG). This study offered valuable insights into the functional characterization of TaG2-like genes in wheat.
In Vitro Analysis of the Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Non-VOC and four Variants of Concern on MHC-Class-I Expression on Calu-3 and Caco-2 Cells
Authors: Bahlmann Nora A. , Mautner Lena , Hoyos Mona , Sallard Erwan , Berger Carola , Dangel Alexandra , Jönsson Franziska , Fischer Johannes C. , Kreppel Florian , Zhang Wenli , Esposito Irene , Bölke Edwin , Baiker Armin , Ehrhardt Anja
Published: June 2023

As the MHC-I-pathway is key to antigen presentation to cytotoxic T-cells and, therefore, recognition by the host adaptive immune system, we hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 including its Variants of Concern (VOCs), influences MHC-I expression on epithelial cell surfaces as an immune evasion strategy. We conducted an in vitro time course experiment with the human airway epithelial cell line Calu-3 and the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2. Cells were infected with SARS-CoV-2 strains non-VOC/B.1.1, Alpha/B.1.1.7, Beta/B.1.351, Gamma/P.1, and Delta/B.1.617.2. At 2, 24, 48 and 72 h post-infection we performed RT-qPCR to track viral replication. Simultaneously, we performed intracellular staining with a serum of a double-vaccinated healthy adult containing a high amount of spike protein antibody. In flow cytometry experiments, we differentiated between infected (spike protein positive) and bystander (spike protein negative) cells. To compare their HLA expression levels, cells were stained extracellularly with anti-HLA-A-IgG and anti-HLA-B,C-IgG. While HLA-A expression was stable on infected Calu-3 cells for all variants, it increased to different degrees on bystander cells in samples infected with VOCs Beta, Gamma, Delta, or non-VOC over the time course analyzed. In contrast, HLA-A levels were stable in bystander Calu-3 cells in samples infected with the Alpha variant. The upregulation of MHC-I on spike protein negative bystander cells in Calu-3 cell cultures infected with Beta, Gamma, Delta, and partly non-VOC might suggest that infected cells are still capable of secreting inflammatory cytokines like type-I interferons stimulating the MHC-I expression on bystander cells. In comparison, there was no distinct effect on HLA expression level on Caco-2 cells of any of the VOCs or non-VOC. Further investigations of the full range of immune evasion strategies of SARS-CoV-2 variants are warranted.
Retinal Responses to Visual Stimuli in Interphotoreceptor Retinoid Binding-Protein Knock-Out Mice
Authors: DeRamus Marci L. , Jasien Jessica V. , Eppstein Jess M. , Koala Pravallika , Kraft Timothy W.
Published: June 2023

Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is an abundant glycoprotein in the subretinal space bound by the photoreceptor (PR) outer segments and the processes of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). IRBP binds retinoids, including 11-cis-retinal and all-trans-retinol. In this study, visual function for demanding visual tasks was assessed in IRBP knock-out (KO) mice. Surprisingly, IRBP KO mice showed no differences in scotopic critical flicker frequency (CFF) compared to wildtype (WT). However, they did have lower photopic CFF than WT. IRBP KO mice had reduced scotopic and photopic acuity and contrast sensitivity compared to WT. IRBP KO mice had a significant reduction in outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, PR outer and inner segment, and full retinal thickness (FRT) compared to WT. There were fewer cones in IRBP KO mice. Overall, these results confirm substantial loss of rods and significant loss of cones within 30 days. Absence of IRBP resulted in cone circuit damage, reducing photopic flicker, contrast sensitivity, and spatial frequency sensitivity. The c-wave was reduced and accelerated in response to bright steps of light. This result also suggests altered retinal pigment epithelium activity. There appears to be a compensatory mechanism such as higher synaptic gain between PRs and bipolar cells since the loss of the b-wave did not linearly follow the loss of rods, or the a-wave. Scotopic CFF is normal despite thinning of ONL and reduced scotopic electroretinogram (ERG) in IRBP KO mice, suggesting either a redundancy or plasticity in circuits detecting (encoding) scotopic flicker at threshold even with substantial rod loss.
Inhibition of Cancer Development by Natural Plant Polyphenols: Molecular Mechanisms
Authors: Lyubitelev Alexander , Studitsky Vasily
Published: June 2023

Malignant tumors remain one of the main sources of morbidity and mortality around the world. A chemotherapeutic approach to cancer treatment poses a multitude of challenges, primarily due to the low selectivity and genotoxicity of the majority of chemotherapeutic drugs currently used in the clinical practice, often leading to treatment-induced tumors formation. Highly selective antitumor drugs can largely resolve this issue, but their high selectivity leads to significant drawbacks due to the intrinsic tumor heterogeneity. In contrast, plant polyphenols can simultaneously affect many processes that are involved in the acquiring and maintaining of hallmark properties of malignant cells, and their toxic dose is typically much higher than the therapeutic one. In the present work we describe the mechanisms of the action of polyphenols on cancer cells, including their effects on genetic and epigenetic instability, tumor-promoting inflammation, and altered microbiota.
New Insights and Potential Therapeutic Interventions in Metabolic Diseases
Authors: Clemente-Suárez Vicente Javier , Martín-Rodríguez Alexandra , Redondo-Flórez Laura , López-Mora Clara , Yáñez-Sepúlveda Rodrigo , Tornero-Aguilera José Francisco
Published: June 2023

Endocrine homeostasis and metabolic diseases have been the subject of extensive research in recent years. The development of new techniques and insights has led to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying these conditions and opened up new avenues for diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we discussed the rise of metabolic diseases, especially in Western countries, the genetical, psychological, and behavioral basis of metabolic diseases, the role of nutrition and physical activity in the development of metabolic diseases, the role of single-cell transcriptomics, gut microbiota, epigenetics, advanced imaging techniques, and cell-based therapies in metabolic diseases. Finally, practical applications derived from this information are made.
Neural Regeneration in Dry Eye Secondary to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Is Also Disrupted like in Rheumatoid Arthritis, but in a Progressive Fashion
Authors: Sonkodi Balázs , Marsovszky László , Csorba Anita , Balog Attila , Kopper Bence , Nagy Zoltán Zsolt , Resch Miklós D.
Published: June 2023

Our objective in this study was to analyze the aberrant neural regeneration activity in the cornea by means of in vivo confocal microscopy in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with concurrent dry eye disease. We examined 29 systemic lupus erythematosus patients and 29 age-matched healthy control subjects. Corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD, the number of fibers/mm2) and peripheral Langerhans cell morphology were lower (p < 0.05) in systemic lupus erythematosus patients compared to the control group. Interestingly, corneal nerve branch density, corneal nerve fiber length, corneal nerve fiber total branch density, and corneal nerve fiber area showed a negative correlation with disease duration. A negative correlation was also demonstrated between average corneal nerve fiber density and central Langerhans cell density. This is in line with our hypothesis that corneal somatosensory terminal Piezo2 channelopathy-induced impaired Piezo2–Piezo1 crosstalk not only disrupts regeneration and keeps transcription activated, but could lead to Piezo1 downregulation and cell activation on Langerhans cells when we consider a chronic path. Hence, Piezo2 containing mechanosensory corneal nerves and dendritic Langerhans cells could also be regarded as central players in shaping the ocular surface neuroimmune homeostasis through the Piezo system. Moreover, lost autoimmune neuroinflammation compensation, lost phagocytic self-eating capacity, and lost transcription regulation, not to mention autoantibodies against vascular heparin sulfate proteoglycans and phospholipids, could all contribute to the progressive fashion of dry eye disease in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Associations between Endothelial Lipase and Apolipoprotein B-Containing Lipoproteins Differ in Healthy Volunteers and Metabolic Syndrome Patients
Authors: Klobučar Iva , Klobučar Lucija , Lechleitner Margarete , Trbušić Matias , Pregartner Gudrun , Berghold Andrea , Habisch Hansjörg , Madl Tobias , Frank Saša , Degoricija Vesna
Published: June 2023

The association between serum levels of endothelial lipase (EL) and the serum levels and composition of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins in healthy subjects and patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) remained unexplored. Therefore, in the present study, we determined the serum levels and lipid content of apoB-containing lipoproteins using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and examined their association with EL serum levels in healthy volunteers (HVs) and MS patients. EL was significantly negatively correlated with the serum levels of cholesterol in large very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, as well as with total-cholesterol-, free-cholesterol-, triglyceride-, and phospholipid-contents of VLDL and intermediate-density lipoprotein particles in MS patients but not in HVs. In contrast, EL serum levels were significantly positively correlated with the serum levels of apoB, triglycerides, and phospholipids in large low-density lipoprotein particles in HVs but not in MS patients. EL serum levels as well as the serum levels and lipid content of the majority of apoB-containing lipoprotein subclasses were markedly different in MS patients compared with HVs. We conclude that EL serum levels are associated with the serum levels and lipid content of apoB-containing lipoproteins and that these associations are markedly affected by MS.
Extracellular Vesicles in Microbes, Pathogens, and Infectious Diseases
Authors: Chow Franklin Wang-Ngai , Morphew Russell M.
Published: June 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized lipid bilayer particles that are produced by all kinds of organisms, including both pathogenic and non-pathogenic archaea, bacteria, fungi, and parasites [...]
Drug Drop Test: How to Quickly Identify Potential Therapeutic Compounds for Mitochondrial Diseases Using Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Magistrati Martina , Gilea Alexandru Ionut , Gerra Maria Carla , Baruffini Enrico , Dallabona Cristina
Published: June 2023

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) refer to a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous pathologies characterized by defective mitochondrial function and energy production. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for most MDs, and current therapeutic management is limited to relieving symptoms. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been efficiently used as a model organism to study mitochondria-related disorders thanks to its easy manipulation and well-known mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism. It has been successfully exploited both to validate alleged pathogenic variants identified in patients and to discover potential beneficial molecules for their treatment. The so-called “drug drop test”, a phenotype-based high-throughput screening, especially if coupled with a drug repurposing approach, allows the identification of molecules with high translational potential in a cost-effective and time-saving manner. In addition to drug identification, S. cerevisiae can be used to point out the drug’s target or pathway. To date, drug drop tests have been successfully carried out for a variety of disease models, leading to very promising results. The most relevant aspect is that studies on more complex model organisms confirmed the effectiveness of the drugs, strengthening the results obtained in yeast and demonstrating the usefulness of this screening as a novel approach to revealing new therapeutic molecules for MDs.
Influence of Periodontal Status and Prosthetic Treatment on Survival and Success Rates in Implant Therapy: A 5-Year Retrospective Follow-Up Study
Authors: Tomina Darius Cătălin , Petruțiu Ștefan Adrian , Crișan Bogdan , Leucuța Daniel-Corneliu , Dinu Cristian Mihail
Published: June 2023

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the 5-year outcome of dental implant therapy and assess the survival, success, and biological and technical complications. A periodontal and prosthetic-oriented evaluation was conducted on the variables that can influence the long-term predictability of implant therapy. A total of 615 patients and 1427 dental implants from a private clinic (MedArtis Dent, Cluj-Napoca, Romania) were enrolled in the study. The study was a longitudinal cohort with data collected retrospectively from physical/digital dental records in combination with a cross-sectional clinical/radiological examination. Results showed that periodontal diagnosis at baseline had a significant impact on the marginal bone loss prediction. Data showed that the cylindrical implant with an internal 45° medium taper connection experienced a higher rate of bone resorption compared to the tapered implant with the 5° internal connection. Screw-retained restorations and overdentures showed a statistical decrease in the marginal bone level height when compared to the cemented restorations. Data from our study suggest that not only is there a powerful association between recall visits and the rate of complications in dental implant treatment, but a lack of professional maintenance predicts a higher bone level loss during the 5-year interval.
Associations between Liver Enzymes, Lifestyle Risk Factors and Pre-Existing Medical Conditions in a Population-Based Cross-Sectional Sample
Authors: Niemelä Onni , Bloigu Aini , Bloigu Risto , Aalto Mauri , Laatikainen Tiina
Published: June 2023

While alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) enzymes are commonly used indicators of liver dysfunction recent studies have suggested that these may also serve as predictive biomarkers in the assessment of extrahepatic morbidity. In order to shed further light on the interactions between serum liver enzyme abnormalities, factors of lifestyle and health status we examined ALT and GGT activities in a population-based sample of 8743 adult individuals (4048 men, 4695 women from the National FINRISK 2002 Study, mean age 48.1 ± 13.1 years) with different levels of alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, body weight and the presence or absence of various pre-existing medical conditions. The assessments also included laboratory tests for inflammation, lipid status and fatty liver index (FLI), a proxy for fatty liver. The prevalence of ALT and GGT abnormalities were significantly influenced by alcohol use (ALT: p < 0.0005 for men; GGT: p < 0.0005 for both genders), smoking (GGT: p < 0.0005 for men, p = 0.002 for women), adiposity (p < 0.0005 for all comparisons), physical inactivity (GGT: p < 0.0005; ALT: p < 0.0005 for men, p < 0.05 for women) and coffee consumption (p < 0.0005 for GGT in both genders; p < 0.001 for ALT in men). The total sum of lifestyle risk factor scores (LRFS) influenced the occurrence of liver enzyme abnormalities in a rather linear manner. Significantly higher LRFS were observed in the subgroups of individuals with pre-existing medical conditions when compared with those having no morbidities (p < 0.0005). In logistic regression analyses adjusted for the lifestyle factors, both ALT and GGT associated significantly with fatty liver, diabetes and hypertension. GGT levels also associated with coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, cardiac insufficiency, cerebrovascular disease, asthma and depression. Combinations of abnormal ALT and GGT activities significantly increased the odds for hypertension coinciding with abnormalities in biomarkers of inflammation, lipid status and FLI. The data indicates that ALT and GGT activities readily respond to unfavorable factors of lifestyle associating also with a wide array of pre-existing medical conditions. The data supports close links between both hepatic and extrahepatic morbidities and lifestyle risk factors and may open new insights on a more comprehensive use of liver enzymes in predictive algorithms for assessing mechanistically anchored disease conditions.
The Effect of Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment on Patients with Combined Refractory Arterial Hypertension and Stage III, Grade B Periodontitis: A Preliminary Prospective Clinical Study
Authors: Rodrigues João Victor Soares , Cláudio Marina Módulo , Franciscon João Paulo Soares , Rosa Rossana Abud Cabrera , Cirelli Thamiris , de Molon Rafael Scaf , Figueredo Carlos Marcelo S. , Garcia Valdir Gouveia , Theodoro Leticia Helena
Published: June 2023

We sought to evaluate the effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) on periodontal clinical parameters, systemic blood pressure (BP), and plasma levels of systemic inflammation markers in patients with combined refractory arterial hypertension (RAH) and stage III grade B periodontitis. Twenty-seven participants with RAH and periodontitis received NSPT. The analyzed clinical parameters were probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI). An assessment was performed for systemic BP, complete blood count, coagulogram, creatinine measurement, C-reactive protein (CRP), glycated hemoglobin, cholesterol, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamate pyruvic transaminase, waist–hip ratio, and body mass index. In the follow-up period, twenty-two patients were evaluated at baseline and after 90 and 180 days. The data were submitted for statistical analysis (α = 0.05%). As expected, the clinical results showed a significant improvement in the percentages of PI, BOP, PD, and CAL, which were statistically significant at 90 and 180 days (p < 0.0001). Importantly, NSPT significantly reduced the blood level of CRP (p < 0.02). However, no significant reduction in BP parameters was noted in the evaluated follow-up periods. NSPT, despite the benefits in periodontal clinical parameters, reduced the plasma level of CRP but not the BP in patients with combined RAH and periodontitis.
Combined Effect of Genetic Variants on Long-Term Weight Response after Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Torrego-Ellacuría Macarena , Barabash Ana , Matía-Martín Pilar , Sánchez-Pernaute Andrés , Torres Antonio J. , Calle-Pascual Alfonso L. , Rubio-Herrera Miguel A.
Published: June 2023

The pathophysiology of body weight control involves complex interactions between hormonal, environmental, behavioral and genetic factors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 13 genes encoding gastrointestinal peptides, their receptors or the proteins involved in their expression, with long-term weight response in a cohort of 375 patients undergoing bariatric surgery (BS). To evaluate weight response, we combined several variables to define specific response phenotypes six years after surgery. The study protocol was registered in ISRCTN (ID80961259). The analysis of the selected SNPs was performed via allelic discrimination using Taqman® probes (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). The genotype association study was performed using the SNPstat program, with comparisons adjusted for sex, age, initial body mass index, type 2 diabetes, hypertension diagnosis and the type of surgery. We identified eight genetic variants associated with the weight response to BS, independently of the presurgery patient profile and the type of surgical technique, from which we calculated the unweighted risk score (RS) for each phenotype. The highest scoring category in each RS was significantly associated with lower weight loss (p = 0.0001) and greater weight regain (p = 0.0012) at the end of the follow-up.
Neural Network Approach to Investigating the Importance of Test Items for Predicting Physical Activity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Nakahara Yoshiki , Mabu Shingo , Hirano Tsunahiko , Murata Yoriyuki , Doi Keiko , Fukatsu-Chikumoto Ayumi , Matsunaga Kazuto
Published: June 2023

Contracting COPD reduces a patient’s physical activity and restricts everyday activities (physical activity disorder). However, the fundamental cause of physical activity disorder has not been found. In addition, costly and specialized equipment is required to accurately examine the disorder; hence, it is not regularly assessed in normal clinical practice. In this study, we constructed a machine learning model to predict physical activity using test items collected during the normal care of COPD patients. In detail, we first applied three types of data preprocessing methods (zero-padding, multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE), and k-nearest neighbor (kNN)) to complement missing values in the dataset. Then, we constructed several types of neural networks to predict physical activity. Finally, permutation importance was calculated to identify the importance of the test items for prediction. Multifactorial analysis using machine learning, including blood, lung function, walking, and chest imaging tests, was the unique point of this research. From the experimental results, it was found that the missing value processing using MICE contributed to the best prediction accuracy (73.00%) compared to that using zero-padding (68.44%) or kNN (71.52%), and showed better accuracy than XGBoost (66.12%) with a significant difference (p < 0.05). For patients with severe physical activity reduction (total exercise < 1.5), a high sensitivity (89.36%) was obtained. The permutation importance showed that “sex, the number of cigarettes, age, and the whole body phase angle (nutritional status)” were the most important items for this prediction. Furthermore, we found that a smaller number of test items could be used in ordinary clinical practice for the screening of physical activity disorder.
Comment on Oehler et al. Outcome and Midterm Survival after Heart Transplantation Is Independent from Donor Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit. Life 2022, 12, 1053
Authors: Thet Myat Soe , Verzelloni Sef Alessandra , Lees Nicholas J. , Sef Davorin
Published: June 2023

Oehler et al. described an interesting finding, stating that length of stay (LOS) of the donors in the intensive care unit (ICU) did not have an impact on the outcomes and survival of recipients up to 5 years after heart transplantation (HTx) [...]
Trends on Human Norovirus Virus-like Particles (HuNoV-VLPs) and Strategies for the Construction of Infectious Viral Clones toward In Vitro Replication
Authors: Sion Emilly , Ab-Rahim Sharaniza , Muhamad Mudiana
Published: June 2023

Most acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks and sporadic cases in developing countries are attributable to infection by human norovirus (HuNoV), the enteric virus mainly transmitted via fecal-contaminated water. However, it has been challenging to study HuNoV due to the lack of suitable systems to cultivate and replicate the virus, hindering the development of treatments and vaccines. Researchers have been using virus-like particles (VLPs) and infectious viral clones to overcome this challenge as alternatives to fresh virus isolates in various in vitro and ex vivo models. VLPs are multiprotein structures that mimic the wild-type virus but cannot replicate in host cells due to the lack of genetic materials for replication, limiting downstream analysis of the virus life cycle and pathogenesis. The development of in vitro cloning systems has shown promise for HuNoV replication studies. This review discusses the approaches for constructing HuNoV-VLPs and infectious viral clones, the techniques involved, and the challenges faced. It also highlights the relationship between viral genes and their protein products and provides a perspective on technical considerations for producing efficient HuNoV-VLPs and infectious viral clones, which could substitute for native human noroviruses in future studies.
Brain Tumor Detection and Classification Using Fine-Tuned CNN with ResNet50 and U-Net Model: A Study on TCGA-LGG and TCIA Dataset for MRI Applications
Authors: Asiri Abdullah A. , Shaf Ahmad , Ali Tariq , Aamir Muhammad , Irfan Muhammad , Alqahtani Saeed , Mehdar Khlood M. , Halawani Hanan Talal , Alghamdi Ali H. , Alshamrani Abdullah Fahad A. , Alqhtani Samar M.
Published: June 2023

Nowadays, brain tumors have become a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The brain cells in the tumor grow abnormally and badly affect the surrounding brain cells. These cells could be either cancerous or non-cancerous types, and their symptoms can vary depending on their location, size, and type. Due to its complex and varying structure, detecting and classifying the brain tumor accurately at the initial stages to avoid maximum death loss is challenging. This research proposes an improved fine-tuned model based on CNN with ResNet50 and U-Net to solve this problem. This model works on the publicly available dataset known as TCGA-LGG and TCIA. The dataset consists of 120 patients. The proposed CNN and fine-tuned ResNet50 model are used to detect and classify the tumor or no-tumor images. Furthermore, the U-Net model is integrated for the segmentation of the tumor regions correctly. The model performance evaluation metrics are accuracy, intersection over union, dice similarity coefficient, and similarity index. The results from fine-tuned ResNet50 model are IoU: 0.91, DSC: 0.95, SI: 0.95. In contrast, U-Net with ResNet50 outperforms all other models and correctly classified and segmented the tumor region.
Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets
Authors: Nagarajan Yogeshvaran R. , Farukh Farukh , Silberschmidt Vadim V. , Kandan Karthikeyan , Rathore Radheshyam , Singh Amit Kumar , Mukul Pooja
Published: June 2023

A prosthesis is loaded by forces and torques exerted by its wearer, the amputee, and should withstand instances of peak loads without failure. Traditionally, strong prosthetic sockets were made using a composite with a variety of reinforcing fibres, such as glass, carbon, and Kevlar. Amputees in less-resourced nations can lack access to composite prosthetic sockets due to their unavailability or prohibitive cost. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre-reinforced composites as a low-cost sustainable composite for producing functional lower-limb prosthetic sockets. Two types of these composites were manufactured using woven and knitted fabric with a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. For direct comparison purposes, traditional prosthetic-socket materials were also manufactured from laminated composite (glass-fibre-reinforced (GFRP)), monolithic thermoplastic (polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) were also manufactured. Dog-bone-shaped specimens were cut from flat laminates and monolithic thermoplastic to evaluate their mechanical properties following ASTM standards. The mechanical properties of PET-woven and PET-knitted composites were found to have demonstrated to be considerably superior to those of traditional socket materials, such as PP and HDPE. All the materials were also tested in the socket form using a bespoke test rig reproducing forefoot loading according to the ISO standard 10328. The static structural test of sockets revealed that all met the target load-bearing capacity of 125 kg. Like GFRP, the PETW and PETK sockets demonstrated higher deformation and stiffness resistance than their monolithic counterparts made from PP and HDPE. As a result, it was concluded that the PET-based composite could replace monolithic socket materials in producing durable and affordable prostheses.
Deformation Behaviour and Damage Evolution of Carbonaceous Phyllite under Cyclic Triaxial Loading
Authors: Fu Helin , Hu Kaixun , Shi Yue , Li Jie , Wu Yimin
Published: June 2023

Rocks present complex deformation behaviours and damage processes under triaxial cyclic loading—a subject not yet sufficiently researched. This paper performed triaxial multistage constant-amplitude cyclic loading experiments under different confining stresses on carbonaceous phyllite. The degradation process is analysed by investigating the variation of elastic modulus ES, Poisson’s ratio υ, irreversible strain εirr and energy. Moreover, the rock’s failure mode is explored from both macro and micro perspectives. The results showed that the increase in stress level caused the decrease of ES in a step-like form, and the constant-amplitude cyclic loading in each stress level caused a slow decrease of ES, while the υ increased with stress level and constant-amplitude cycles in a similar form. εirr accumulated rapidly at first and then slowly at each stress level; the stress level and irreversible axial strain are related by an exponential function. In terms of energy evolution analysis, the damage to rock can be represented by the cumulative damage energy, there were deceleration accumulations and stability accumulation stages of damage at all stress levels, and an acceleration accumulation stage occurred when the rock was close to failure. The failures of rock under cyclic loading are mainly shear failures, accompanied by grain crushing.