bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: Clinical Application and Research Progress
Authors: Cheng Xiang , Li Fanfan , Liang Lizhen
Published: October 2022

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary modality that is used to treat a variety of malignancies, using neutrons to irradiate boron-10 (10B) nuclei that have entered tumor cells to produce highly linear energy transfer (LET) alpha particles and recoil 7Li nuclei (10B [n, α] 7Li). Therefore, the most important part in BNCT is to selectively deliver a large number of 10B to tumor cells and only a small amount to normal tissue. So far, BNCT has been used in more than 2000 cases worldwide, and the efficacy of BNCT in the treatment of head and neck cancer, malignant meningioma, melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma has been confirmed. We collected and collated clinical studies of second-generation boron delivery agents. The combination of different drugs, the mode of administration, and the combination of multiple treatments have an important impact on patient survival. We summarized the critical issues that must be addressed, with the hope that the next generation of boron delivery agents will overcome these challenges.
The Effects of Radiotherapy on Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma in Patients with Liver Metastases
Authors: Wu Linxia , Lu Yuting , Chen Lei , Yue Xiaofei , Cen Chunyuan , Zheng Chuansheng , Han Ping
Published: October 2022

Background: While radiotherapy has been studied in the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), few studies have analyzed the effects of radiotherapy on PDAC in patients with liver metastases. This study aimed to determine whether PDAC patients with liver metastases have improved survival after radiotherapy treatment. Methods: The data of 8535 patients who were diagnosed with PDAC with liver metastases between 2010 and 2015 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis of cancer-specific mortality and overall survival were performed, and propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce selection bias. Results: After PSM, the median overall survival (mOS) and median cancer-specific survival (mCSS) in the radiotherapy group were longer than those in the nonradiotherapy group (OS: 6 months vs. 4 months; mCSS: 6 months vs. 5 months, both p < 0.05), respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that cancer-specific mortality rates were higher in the nonradiotherapy group than in the radiotherapy group (HR: 1.174, 95% CI: 1.035–1.333, p = 0.013). The Cox regression analysis according to subgroups showed that the survival benefits (OS and CSS) of radiotherapy were more significant in patients with tumor sizes greater than 4 cm (both p < 0.05). Conclusions: PDAC patients with liver metastases, particularly those with tumor sizes greater than 4 cm, have improved cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates after receiving radiotherapy.
HPLC-MS Methodology for R. carthamoides Extract Quality Evaluation: A Simultaneous Determination of Eight Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Kosović Ema , Lino Kevin , Kuchař Martin
Published: October 2022

Classified as an adaptogen, Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides, Leuzea carthamoides) is a herb that has long been used in Siberian as well as Russian alternative medicine. With over 200 substances found, this plant is a great source of bioactive compounds which have significant beneficial effects on human health and physical enhancement. Simultaneous quantification of the eight most therapeutic and abundant substances, i.e., 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE), kaempferol, hesperetin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, N-feruloyl serotonin, cynaropicrin, and tracheloside belonging to various groups, such as ecdysteroids, flavonoids, phenolics, sesquiterpenes, and lignans, was performed for the first time through validated HPLC-MS. The evaluated parameters for method validation showed excellent linearity with R2 higher than 0.996, stability under various environmental factors with % RSD ≤ 2%, and recovery between 97 and 103% for all the studied compounds. Other validation parameters including selectivity, sensitivity, and precision were found to be within the acceptance criteria. The results of the stability studies provide information on the best combination of conditions for sample handling and storage. Generally, for almost every compound, exposure to light and elevated temperature for 96 h led to degradation; nevertheless, the acidic environment was beneficial for most of them.
Leaf Epidermal Traits of Selected Euphorbiaceae and Phyllanthaceae Taxa of Hainan Island and Their Taxonomic Relevance
Authors: Bahadur Saraj , Ahmad Mushtaq , Long Wenxing , Yaseen Muhammad , Hanif Uzma
Published: October 2022

Euphorbiaceae and Phyllantaceae are two of the most taxonomically complex and diverse families among angiosperm. Therefore, this study aims to identify the common, variation, and diagnostic traits of foliar anatomy and micromorphology of selected Euphorbiaceae and Phyllanthaceae taxa collected from Hainan Island. A total of 42 individuals of 38 species belonging to these two families were examined under light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A multivariate detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and chord diagram analysis were performed to visualize the variations and relationships between the species. The nonglandular trichomes were further classified into long falcate and short conical with papillae on their surface, and stellate and lepidote subentire, while the glandular trichomes were divided into capitate, subsessile capitate, sessile capitates, and peltate. The paracytic-type stomata were found in most of the species. The prominent continuous or discontinuous cuticular striations radiating from the guard cells in parallel, horizontal, or reticulate patterns were analyzed in most of the taxa. Variation was also found in epidermal cells and anticlinal wall patterns. Together, these traits are useful for identification, discrimination, and to define species boundaries at various levels. Our study will provide a basis for future studies to strengthen the systematic of Euphorbiaceae taxa.
Misleading Advertising of Health-Related Products in Ecuador during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Mena María Belen , Sisa Ivan , Teran Enrique
Published: October 2022

Background Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic increased tuning ratings during this time. The aim of this study was to identify misleading advertising of health-related products on Ecuadorian television during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Television channels were monitored for 111 h in the months of June and October 2020. Verbal, nonverbal and context content were analyzed from each advertising spot according to ethical standards for the promotion of products for human health Results A total of 667 spots were analyzed. Most, 90%, involved misleading advertising of health-related products. Products for gastrointestinal conditions were the most publicized (17.8%) during the period analyzed. Newscasts most often advertised products intended to improve sexual potency (22.9%) and to a lesser degree those intended to prevent and treat respiratory problems (1.8%); this relationship was reversed when compared to general programming (p < 0.05). Conclusions Most of the health-related products advertised on Ecuadorian television are advertised misleadingly, with news programs having the highest number of such advertisements per hour of programming.
Joint Placement and Power Optimization of UAV-Relay in NOMA Enabled Maritime IoT System
Authors: Xu Woping , Tian Junhui , Gu Li , Tao Shaohua
Published: October 2022

In this paper, an unmanned aerial vehicle is utilized as an aerial relay to connect onshore base station with offshore users in a maritime IoT system with uplink non-orthogonal multiple access enabled. A coordinated direct and relay transmission scheme is adopted in the proposed system, where close shore maritime users directly communicate with onshore BS and offshore maritime users need assistance of an aerial relay to communicate with onshore BS. We aim to minimize the total transmit energy of the aerial relay by jointly optimizing the UAV hovering position and transmit power allocation. The minimum rate requirements of maritime users and transmitters’ power budgets are considered. The formulated optimization problem is non-convex due to its non-convex constraints. Therefore, we introduce successive convex optimization and block coordinate descent to decompose the original problem into two subproblems, which are alternately solved to optimize the UAV energy consumption with satisfying the proposed constraints. Numerical results indicate that the proposed algorithm outperformed the benchmark algorithm, and shed light on the potential of exploiting the energy-limited aerial relay in IoT systems.
Effect of Rotor Tilt on the Gust Rejection Properties of Multirotor Aircraft
Authors: Whidborne James F. , Mendez Arthur P. , Cooke Alastair
Published: October 2022

In order to operate safely in windy and gusty conditions, multirotor VTOL aircraft require gust resilience. This paper shows that their gust rejection properties can be improved by applying a small amount of fixed outward rotor tilt. Standard aerodynamic models of the rotors are incorporated into two dynamic models to assess the gust rejection properties. The first case is a conceptual birotor planar VTOL aircraft. The dependence of the trim and stability on the tilt angle are analyzed. The aircraft is stabilized using a pole-placement approach in order to obtain consistent closed-loop station-keeping performance in still air. The effect of gusts on the resulting response is determined by simulation. The second case study is for a quadrotor with a 10° outward rotor tilt. The aerodynamic coefficients are analyzed for trimmed station-keeping over a range of steady wind speeds. An LQR controller is used to apply station-keeping that includes integral action, and the gust responses are again obtained using simulation. The results show that the outward rotor tilt causes the aircraft to pitch down into a lateral gust, providing lateral force that opposes the gust and so significantly improving the gust rejection properties.
The QQUIC Transport Protocol: Quantum-Assisted UDP Internet Connections
Authors: Yan Peng , Yu Nengkun
Published: October 2022

Quantum key distribution, initialized in 1984, is a commercialized secure communication method that enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key using quantum mechanics. We propose a QQUIC (Quantum-assisted Quick UDP Internet Connections) transport protocol, which modifies the well-known QUIC transport protocol by employing quantum key distribution instead of the original classical algorithms in the key exchange stage. Due to the provable security of quantum key distribution, the security of the QQUIC key does not depend on computational assumptions. It is possible that, surprisingly, QQUIC can reduce network latency in some circumstances even compared with QUIC. To achieve this, the attached quantum connections are used as the dedicated lines for key generation.
Self-Efficacy, Resilience and Distress: Challenges in Education for Sustainable Entrepreneurship in a Health Context
Authors: Souto Isabel , Brito Elisabeth , Pereira Anabela
Published: October 2022

The European Commission has highlighted the development of entrepreneurship competence in lifelong learning skills. In this way, the present study aims to contribute towards fostering the intrapreneurial mindset in healthcare settings. The focus of attention is on the relationship between organizational structures and processes (work-related content and content, specifically psychosocial risk factors), as well as individual wellbeing factors (distress and resilient coping) that could be relevant not only for the promotion of organizational wellbeing, but also to ensure an intrapreneurship-friendly environment (through the promotion of self-efficacy). An empirical study was conducted involving 333 formal caregivers of healthcare services. Portuguese versions of the instruments Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III, medium version) were employed. Results show that resilience and distress (at the individual level), as well as role clarity, control over working time, and job insecurity (at the organizational level) are predisposing factors for self-efficacy, which are highlighted as essential to ensure an enabling environment for intrapreneurship and wellbeing. For practical consideration, we present an entrepreneurial mindset development strategy through the implementation of cause-related marketing as a pedagogical tool for entrepreneurship within the organization, which allows for experimentation and the necessary creative flexibility.
E-Learning Environment Based Intelligent Profiling System for Enhancing User Adaptation
Authors: Kaur Ramneet , Gupta Deepali , Madhukar Mani , Singh Aman , Abdelhaq Maha , Alsaqour Raed , Breñosa Jose , Goyal Nitin
Published: October 2022

Online learning systems have expanded significantly over the last couple of years. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a major trend on the internet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the count of learner enrolment has increased in various MOOC platforms like Coursera, Udemy, Swayam, Udacity, FutureLearn, NPTEL, Khan Academy, EdX, SWAYAM, etc. These platforms offer multiple courses, and it is difficult for online learners to choose a suitable course as per their requirements. In order to improve this e-learning education environment and to reduce the drop-out ratio, online learners will need a system in which all the platform’s offered courses are compared and recommended, according to the needs of the learner. So, there is a need to create a learner’s profile to analyze so many platforms in order to fulfill the educational needs of the learners. To develop a profile of a learner or user, three input parameters are considered: personal details, educational details, and knowledge level. Along with these parameters, learners can also create their user profiles by uploading their CVs or LinkedIn. In this paper, the major innovation is to implement a user interface-based intelligent profiling system for enhancing user adaptation in which feedback will be received from a user and courses will be recommended according to user/learners’ preferences.
Micro-Explosion Phenomenon: Conditions and Benefits
Authors: Antonov Dmitrii V. , Fedorenko Roman M. , Strizhak Pavel A.
Published: October 2022

Adding water to fuel droplets is known to lead to puffing and micro-explosion. Puffing and micro-explosion lead to a rapid increase in the liquid fuel surface area. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the fuel evaporation rate and the formation of a homogeneous fuel vapor/air mixture. The latter is important for improving the efficiency of combustion technologies, including those used in internal combustion engines. The effects produced by puffing and micro-explosion lead to a reduction in fuel consumption, improved fuel/air mixing, and a reduction in harmful emissions. The contributions of puffing and micro-explosion to fire extinguishing have also been discussed in many papers. In this paper, we review the state of the art in the investigation of composite droplet micro-explosion and discuss the sufficient conditions for the start of puffing/micro-explosion as well as child droplet characteristics.
Cold Load Pickup Model Adequacy for Power System Restoration Studies
Authors: Hachmann Christian , Becker Holger , Braun Martin
Published: October 2022

When a grid section is re-energized after an interruption, the load behaviour can be significantly different from normal operation. In this manuscript, the impact of the phenomenon—known as cold load pickup—is investigated by evaluating 31 time series measured after network outages in Austria and Germany. Its impact on power system restoration and the adequacy of the most common type of simplified model for such investigations is assessed by the time domain simulation of a restoration setting involving the parallel operation of conventional and renewable generation. Parameter distributions are provided for the exponential decay and the delayed exponential decay model with the aim of facilitating meaningful consideration of the phenomenon in time domain simulations of power system restoration. The benefits and limitations of these models are assessed by comparison of time domain simulation results using either the normalized raw data, an exponential decay model or a step-wise active power chance to reflect load behaviour. It is shown that using an exponential decay model leads to higher fidelity of simulation results with respect to the resulting steady-state active power sharing among generators than just applying a step-wise power change in the simulation.
An Optimal Allocation Method of Distributed PV and Energy Storage Considering Moderate Curtailment Measure
Authors: Liang Gang , Sun Bing , Zeng Yuan , Ge Leijiao , Li Yunfei , Wang Yu
Published: October 2022

Increasing distributed generations (DGs) are integrated into the distribution network. The risk of not satisfying operation constraints caused by the uncertainty of renewable energy output is increasing. The energy storage (ES) could stabilize the fluctuation of renewable energy generation output. Therefore, it can promote the consumption of renewable energy. A distributed photovoltaic (PV) and ES optimal allocation method based on the security region is proposed. Firstly, a bi-level optimal allocation model of PV and ES is established. The outer layer is a nonlinear optimization model, taking the maximum power supply benefit as the objective function. The inner layer is a day-ahead economic dispatching model. Then, a quick model solving method based on the steady-state security region is proposed. An initial allocation scheme of PV and ES is determined with the redundancy capacity. In addition, the linear hyperplane coefficient of the security region is used to convert the nonlinear day-ahead economic dispatching model into a linear one. Finally, the proposed method is used to analyze the improved IEEE 33-node system. It is found that a moderate curtailment measure of distributed PV peak output and the allocation of energy storage have a significant effect on the power supply benefit of the distribution system. The optimal quota capacity of DG exceeds the sum of the maximum load and the branch capacity. In addition, the optimal allocation scheme is closely related to the cost and technical parameters of distributed PV and ES. Dynamic allocation schemes should be formulated for distribution network.
Compressed Air Energy Storage—An Overview of Research Trends and Gaps through a Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Borri Emiliano , Tafone Alessio , Comodi Gabriele , Romagnoli Alessandro , Cabeza Luisa F.
Published: October 2022

Electrical energy storage systems have a fundamental role in the energy transition process supporting the penetration of renewable energy sources into the energy mix. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a promising energy storage technology, mainly proposed for large-scale applications, that uses compressed air as an energy vector. Although the first document in literature on CAES appeared in 1976 and the first commercial plant was installed in 1978, this technology started to gain attention only in the decade 2000–2010, with remarkable scientific production output and the realization of other pre-commercial demonstrators and commercial plants. This study applies bibliometric techniques to draw a picture of the current status of the scientific progress and analyze the trend of the research on CAES and identify research gaps that can support researchers and manufacturers involved in this entering technology. Recent trends of research include aspects related to the off-design, the development of thermal energy storage for adiabatic CAES, and the integration of CAES with combined heating and cooling systems.
Overview of Transient Simulations of Grounding Systems under Surge Conditions
Authors: Kisielewicz Tomasz , Cuenca Milton
Published: October 2022

The present paper gives an overview of modelling methods of standard grounding systems under surge conditions, using the non-uniform transmission line approach. The model presented considers the soil ionization and the frequency dependence of the soil parameters during the current transients. Furthermore, the representation of the non-linear response of the soil is made using a shunt time-variable resistance to simulate the behavior of the grounding resistance when a surge current flows through the system. The model development and analysis are made using ATP-EMTP/ATPDraw transient software.
Regionalization of Climate Change Simulations for the Assessment of Impacts on Precipitation, Flow Rate and Electricity Generation in the Xingu River Basin in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Lucas Edmundo Wallace Monteiro , dos Santos Silva Fabrício Daniel , de Souza Francisco de Assis Salviano , Pinto David Duarte Cavalcante , Gomes Heliofábio Barros , Gomes Helber Barros , Lins Mayara Christine Correia , Herdies Dirceu Luís
Published: October 2022

This study applied regionalization techniques on future climate change scenarios for the precipitation over the Xingu River Basin (XRB) considering the 2021–2080 horizon, in order to assess impacts on the monthly flow rates and possible consequences for electricity generation at the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant (BMHPP). This is the fourth largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, with a generating capacity of 11,233 MW, and is located in the Brazilian Amazon. Two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and an ensemble comprising four general circulation models (CanESM2, CNRM-CM5, MPI-ESM-LR and NORESM1-M) were used. The projections based on both scenarios indicated a considerable decrease in precipitation during the rainy season and a slight increase during the dry season relative to the reference period (1981–2010). According to the results, a reduction in the flow rates in Altamira and in the overall potential for power generation in the BMHPP are also to be expected in both analyzed periods (2021–2050 and 2051–2180). The RCP 4.5 scenario resulted in milder decreases in those variables than the RCP 8.5. Conforming to our findings, a reduction of 21.3% in the annual power generation at the BMHPP is expected until 2080, with a corresponding use of 38.8% of the maximum potential of the facility. These results highlight the need for investments in other renewable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar) in order to compensate for the upcoming losses in the BMHPP production.
An Integrated Lightning Risk Assessment of Outdoor Air-Insulated HV Substations
Authors: Chun Lim Siow , Chang Shen Ong , Eng Eng Ngu
Published: October 2022

Although various lightning protection methods have been used in the industry, many outdoor high-voltage (HV) substations are still experiencing high failure rates due to lightning strikes. The applications of these rule-of-thumb-based methods generally lack coherence among the practitioners. IEC 62305-2 provides a systematic way for practitioners to assess the lightning risk for buildings or structures in a probabilistic way. However, this standard has not explicitly covered the application of HV substations. Moreover, IEC 62305-2 involves a tedious set of risk factors which may hinder many practitioners from applying the aforementioned standards while other preferred rule-of-thumb methods are available. As IEC 62305-2 does not specify the applicability to lightning risk assessment in HV substations, this paper proposes a novel approach to complement the standard-based risk assessment process. During this integrated risk assessment process, significant risks are identified, followed by ambiguous risks that will be adjusted in subsequent phases. The significant ambiguous risk factors such as fire load function (rf), environmental factor (CE), LPL class, and other governing factors have been analyzed and discussed. By adjusting these significant risk factors, the practitioners will understand the adjusted risk factors in relation to the practical implementation of lightning protection system (LPS). Therefore, integrating the substation characteristics, assumptions, and findings of ambiguous risk factors can result in a successful integrated lightning risk assessment process.
Situation Analysis of Provincial Power Market Based on System Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Jiang Yu , Qian Changyu , Yu Jie , Wang Yang , Ma Xiaole
Published: October 2022

Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, with the expansion of the scope of power market-oriented reform and the increase in uncertainty of social, political, and economic factors outside the market, the market environment is becoming more and more complex, and it is more difficult to analyze and control the market situation. From a macro perspective, overall modeling for the power transmission link between the generation side and the consumption side of the provincial power market is built, in which a variety of real-time elements or scenarios such as renewable energy power generation growth, carbon emission quota, coal shortage, and dual control system of total energy consumption and energy intensity are considered. The system dynamics tools are used for simulation, and the medium and long-term operation trends of the market are analyzed. In the case studies, the actual situation of the Jiangsu power market is used as background. The trend of the power market situation under the basic scenario is analyzed, and the sensitivity analysis is carried out for three factors: coal supply growth rate, carbon emission caps, and electricity demand growth rate. It is shown that diversified macro factors inside and outside the market will affect the balance of the market operation situation to varying degrees, making the key operation indicators of the market deviate from the existing stable state.
Fire Severity Causes Temporal Changes in Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Assemblages of Patagonian Araucaria–Nothofagus Forests
Authors: Zúñiga Alfredo H. , Rau Jaime R. , Fierro Andrés , Vergara Pablo M. , Encina-Montoya Francisco , Fuentes-Ramírez Andrés , Jaksic Fabian M.
Published: October 2022

Fire is one of the main drivers of anthropogenic disturbances in temperate forest ecosystems worldwide, with multiple effects spread across ecological networks. Nevertheless, the biodiversity effects of fire are poorly known for species-diverse groups such as arthropods. In this research, we used a burn gradient generated two and three years after a large fire event to assess how different levels of fire severity affect arthropod diversity in the forest with the main forest forming long-living tree species Araucaria araucana, in southern Chile. The species richness and abundance of arthropods among trophic guilds was estimated annually in four fire-severity levels. We found that arthropods responded differently to fire severity levels, depending on their trophic guilds and years after fire (two and three years after fire). During the second year after fire, zoophages, phytophages, and parasitoids were more diverse in areas with high fire severity within the second year after fire, as compared to those in areas with low severity or unburned stands. In the third year after fire, a change in this trend was observed, where the abundance of all groups dropped significantly, with positive changes in the diversity in zoophages, phytophages, polyphages and saprophages, which is more noticeable in sites with high severity. These results indicate that annual variation in environmental conditions triggers bottom-up cascading effects for arthropods. Forests stands severely impacted by fires support highly fluctuating and possibly unstable arthropod assemblages. Hence, restoration efforts should be focused on recovering microhabitat conditions in these stands to allow the persistence of arthropods.
The Effects of the Marination Process with Different Vinegar Varieties on Various Quality Criteria and Heterocyclic Aromatic Amine Formation in Beef Steak
Authors: Fencioglu Halenur , Oz Emel , Turhan Sadettin , Proestos Charalampos , Oz Fatih
Published: October 2022

Herein, the effect of the dipping (static) marination process (at 4 °C for 2 h) with different types of vinegar (balsamic, pomegranate, apple, and grape) on various quality properties, including texture and protein profile of beef steaks and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in beef steaks cooked on a hot plate (at 200 °C for 24 min), were determined. The results showed that 3.12–4.13% of the marinate liquids were absorbed by beef steak as a result of the marination process. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between the marinated and cooked beef steaks in terms of water content, cooking loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. However, significant differences were detected in terms of pH value and color values (L*, a*, and b*) (p < 0.01), and springiness, 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoxaline (MeIQx) and total HAA content (p < 0.05). The marination with pomegranate vinegar resulted in the formation of darker steak, while a lighter one was obtained when apple vinegar was used in the marination. The use of balsamic and grape vinegar in the marination process decreased the springiness value compared to the control group. The myofibrillar proteins of beef steaks marinated with different types of vinegar generally showed a similar sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile. However, some differences were observed in the band density of some proteins depending on the trial and the type of marination. In this study, of the nine examined HAAs, only two (2-amino-3-methylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoline (IQ) and MeIQx) could be detected and quantified. IQ was detected only in the control group steak (up to 0.51 ng/g), while MeIQx was detected in all treatment groups (up to 2.22 ng/g). The total HAA content varied between 0.59–2.22 ng/g. It was determined that the marination process with different vinegar types had different effects on the total HAA content of the steaks. Using balsamic and apple vinegar in the marination process decreased the total HAA content compared to the control group, but this decrease was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). On the other hand, using grape and pomegranate vinegar in the marination process increased the total HAA content, but this increase was only significant (p < 0.05) in the marination with pomegranate vinegar.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LOC1 Isolated from Fresh Tea Leaves Modulates Macrophage Response to TLR4 Activation
Authors: Suzuki Masahiko , Albarracin Leonardo , Tsujikawa Yuji , Fukuyama Kohtaro , Sakane Iwao , Villena Julio , Kitazawa Haruki
Published: October 2022

Previously, we demonstrated that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LOC1, originally isolated from fresh tea leaves, was able to improve epithelial barrier integrity in in vitro models, suggesting that this strain is an interesting probiotic candidate. In this work, we aimed to continue characterizing the potential probiotic properties of the LOC1 strain, focusing on its immunomodulatory properties in the context of innate immunity triggered by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation. These studies were complemented by comparative and functional genomics analysis to characterize the bacterial genes involved in the immunomodulatory capacity. We carried out a transcriptomic study to evaluate the effect of L. plantarum LOC1 on the response of murine macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) to the activation of TLR4. We demonstrated that L. plantarum LOC1 exerts a modulatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation, resulting in a differential regulation of immune factor expression in macrophages. The LOC1 strain markedly reduced the LPS-induced expression of some inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-12, and CSF2) and chemokines (CCL17, CCL28, CXCL3, CXCL13, CXCL1, and CX3CL1), while it significantly increased the expression of other cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-18, IFN-β, IFN-γ, and CSF3), chemokines (IL-15 and CXCL9), and activation markers (H2-k1, H2-M3, CD80, and CD86) in RAW macrophages. Our results show that L. plantarum LOC1 would enhance the intrinsic functions of macrophages, promoting their protective effects mediated by the stimulation of the Th1 response without affecting the regulatory mechanisms that help control inflammation. In addition, we sequenced the LOC1 genome and performed a genomic characterization. Genomic comparative analysis with the well-known immunomodulatory strains WCSF1 and CRL1506 demonstrated that L. plantarum LOC1 possess a set of adhesion factors and genes involved in the biosynthesis of teichoic acids and lipoproteins that could be involved in its immunomodulatory capacity. The results of this work can contribute to the development of immune-related functional foods containing L. plantarum LOC1.
An Overview on the Use of Extracts from Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Improve Nutritional Value and Oxidative Stability of Vegetable Oils
Authors: Gharby Saïd , Oubannin Samira , Ait Bouzid Hasna , Bijla Laila , Ibourki Mohamed , Gagour Jamila , Koubachi Jamal , Sakar El Hassan , Majourhat Khalid , Lee Learn-Han , Harhar Hicham , Bouyahya Abdelhakim
Published: October 2022

Oil oxidation is the main factor limiting vegetable oils’ quality during storage, as it leads to the deterioration of oil’s nutritional quality and gives rise to disagreeable flavors. These changes make fat-containing foods less acceptable to consumers. To deal with this problem and to meet consumer demand for natural foods, vegetable oil fabricators and the food industry are looking for alternatives to synthetic antioxidants to protect oils from oxidation. In this context, natural antioxidant compounds extracted from different parts (leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds) of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) could be used as a promising and sustainable solution to protect consumers’ health. The objective of this review was to compile published literature regarding the extraction of bioactive compounds from MAPs as well as different methods of vegetable oils enrichment. In fact, this review uses a multidisciplinary approach and offers an updated overview of the technological, sustainability, chemical and safety aspects related to the protection of oils.
A Critical Review of Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine as Potential Adjuvant Agents for Treating People with Cancer
Authors: Abdel-Aziz Amal Kamal , Saadeldin Mona Kamal , Salem Ahmed Hamed , Ibrahim Safaa A. , Shouman Samia , Abdel-Naim Ashraf B. , Orecchia Roberto
Published: October 2022

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases for more than 70 years; they also have immunomodulatory and anticancer effects, which are linked to autophagy and autophagy-independent mechanisms. Herein, we review the pharmacokinetics, preclinical studies and clinical trials investigating the use of CQ and HCQ as adjuvant agents in cancer therapy. We also discuss their safety profile, drug–drug and drug–disease interactions. Systematic studies are required to define the use of CQ/HCQ and/or their analogues in cancer treatment and to identify predictive biomarkers of responder subpopulations.
Pneumonia, Aspiration Pneumonia, or Frailty-Associated Pneumonia?
Authors: Smithard David G. , Yoshimatsu Yuki
Published: October 2022

Pneumonia is a common reason for admission afflicting frail older adults. Those who are the frailest are more likely to be provided with a diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia. This diagnosis has no clear definition and no clinical consensus. It is therefore time to stop attempting to differentiate between pneumonia type and use the term frailty-associated pneumonia.
Factors Affecting the Life Satisfaction of Older People with Care Needs Who Live at Home
Authors: Misu Yuka , Hayashi Shintaro , Iwai Nobuhiko , Yamamoto Taisei
Published: October 2022

The number of older people is increasing rapidly, and the number of older people with care needs who live at home is also increasing in Japan. Maintaining their life satisfaction has been a primary challenge. This study aimed to identify factors affecting the life satisfaction of older people with care needs. The study was conducted among older people using homecare services; 126 participants (mean age, 79.33 ± 7.51 years, 54 male) were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, and economic status was conducted with life satisfaction as the objective variable and the Japanese version of occupational gaps questionnaire (OGQ-J), sense of coherence, functional independence measure, and environmental factors as explanatory variables. The variables that significantly affected life satisfaction were the OGQ-J (p = 0.0352, OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81–0.99) and environmental factors (p = 0.0083, OR 4.41, 95% CI 1.52–14.11). This study’s results indicate the importance of focusing on environmental factors and facilitating the participation of older people with care needs in activities they want to do to maintain and improve their life satisfaction.
Effects of Augmented Reality-Based Dual-Task Program on Physical Ability by Cognitive Stage with Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Kang Hye-Yun , Lee Dong-Yeop , Hong Ji-Heon , Kim Jin-Seop , Kim Seong-Gil , Seo Yong-Gon , Yu Jae-Ho
Published: October 2022

People diagnosed with developmental disabilities are less likely to participate in physical activities even if they are provided opportunities. This study aimed to examine the effects of dual-task exercise-based augmented reality (AR) on muscle strength, muscle endurance, balance ability, and flexibility among people with developmental disabilities. Twenty-seven patients with developmental disabilities were included in the study. The intervention was based on an AR-based rehabilitation program and lasted for 8 weeks. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in muscle strength, muscle endurance, balance ability, and flexibility after the intervention (p < 0.05). The AR-based dual-task program increased interest and motivation in the high-cognitive-stage groups, while less interest and motivation were observed in the low-cognitive-stage groups. Our results suggest that an AR-based dual-task program can be an effective method to improve physical ability in patients with high cognitive levels.
User Interface (UI) Design and User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) Evaluation of a To-Do List Mobile Application to Support Day-To-Day Life of Older Adults
Authors: Zhu Di , Wang Dahua , Huang Ruonan , Jing Yuchen , Qiao Li , Liu Wei
Published: October 2022

Because of the spread of smartphones, older adults enjoy the assistance of smartphones. However, fewer mobile applications are designed for older adults. Smartphone user interface (UI) serves as an external brain to capture information, and older adults may have memory complaints that affect self-confidence and lead to memory decline. Non-declarative memory requires more effort. Therefore, this study aims to design and evaluate a to-do list application to help older adults encode, store, and retrieve non-declarative memory, such as tasks they plan to do. We recruited 15 participants (5 men and 10 women) aged 60 to 75 years old (SD = 5.32). They were asked to complete nine usability tasks, and to answer a user experience questionnaire (UEQ) and a few interview questions. Sixty percent of users completed with only one or two attempts (median = 2.80, SD = 1.63). We found three usability issues and proposed an iteration plan. The application has attractiveness, efficiency, dependability, stimulation, novelty, and good perspicuity for older adults. The product was rated excellent except for perspicuity, which met the users’ expectations. This indicates that the user is satisfied with the application prototype. The results of this measurement can be utilized as a benchmark for the next model for developing mobile to-do list applications on user experience.
Mediating Effect of Communication Competence in the Relationship between Compassion and Patient-Centered Care in Clinical Nurses in South Korea
Authors: Jeong Miri , Seo Kawoun
Published: October 2022

This study investigates the mediating effect of communication competence in the relationship between compassion and patient-centered care (PCC) in clinical nurses. We used a descriptive research approach, and our sample comprised nurses (n = 204) with more than one year of experience in patient nursing in a general hospital in South Korea. The data were collected between December 2020 and June 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS 24.0. The Sobel test and PROCESS macro in SPSS were applied to verify the mediating effect. The mean scores for communication competence, compassion, and PCC were 3.67 ± 0.42, 64.04 ± 7.71, and 3.75 ± 0.46, respectively. Communication competence was found to partially mediate the relationship between compassion and PCC (z = 6.977, p < 0.001), and its explanatory power was 63.9%. To improve nurses’ PCC, developing a step-by-step and differentiated PCC improvement program that includes communication competence and compassion is necessary.
An Integrated Classification and Association Rule Technique for Early-Stage Diabetes Risk Prediction
Authors: Khafaga Doaa Sami , Alharbi Amal H. , Mohamed Israa , Hosny Khalid M.
Published: October 2022

The number of diabetic patients is increasing yearly worldwide, requiring the need for a quick intervention to help these people. Mortality rates are higher for diabetic patients with other serious health complications. Thus, early prediction for such diseases positively impacts healthcare quality and can prevent serious health complications later. This paper constructs an efficient prediction system for predicting diabetes in its early stage. The proposed system starts with a Local Outlier Factor (LOF)-based outlier detection technique to detect outlier data. A Balanced Bagging Classifier (BBC) technique is used to balance data distribution. Finally, integration between association rules and classification algorithms is used to develop a prediction model based on real data. Four classification algorithms were utilized in addition to an a priori algorithm that discovered relationships between various factors. The named algorithms are Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Decision Trees (DT), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) for data classification. Results revealed that KNN provided the highest accuracy of 97.36% compared to the other applied algorithms. An a priori algorithm extracted association rules based on the Lift matrix. Four association rules from 12 attributes with the highest correlation and information gain scores relative to the class attribute were produced.
The Relationship between Mustard Import and COVID-19 Deaths: A Workflow with Cross-Country Text Mining
Authors: Zhan Ge , Yang Fuming , Zhang Liangbo , Wang Hanfeng
Published: October 2022

We developed a workflow for the search and screening of natural products by drawing from worldwide experiences shared by online platform users, illustrated how to cope with COVID-19 with a text-mining approach, and statistically tested the natural product identified. We built a knowledge base, which consists of three ontologies pertaining to 7653 narratives. Mustard emerged from texting mining and knowledge engineering as an important candidate relating to COVID-19 outcomes. The findings indicate that, after controlling for the containment index, the net import of mustard is related with reduced total and new deaths of COVID-19 for the non-vaccination time period, with considerable effect size (>0.2).
COVID-AleXception: A Deep Learning Model Based on a Deep Feature Concatenation Approach for the Detection of COVID-19 from Chest X-ray Images
Authors: Ayadi Manel , Ksibi Amel , Al-Rasheed Amal , Soufiene Ben Othman
Published: October 2022

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly around the world and its outbreak has become a pandemic. Due to an increase in afflicted cases, the quantity of COVID-19 tests kits available in hospitals has decreased. Therefore, an autonomous detection system is an essential tool for reducing infection risks and spreading of the virus. In the literature, various models based on machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are introduced to detect many pneumonias using chest X-ray images. The cornerstone in this paper is the use of pretrained deep learning CNN architectures to construct an automated system for COVID-19 detection and diagnosis. In this work, we used the deep feature concatenation (DFC) mechanism to combine features extracted from input images using the two modern pre-trained CNN models, AlexNet and Xception. Hence, we propose COVID-AleXception: a neural network that is a concatenation of the AlexNet and Xception models for the overall improvement of the prediction capability of this pandemic. To evaluate the proposed model and build a dataset of large-scale X-ray images, there was a careful selection of multiple X-ray images from several sources. The COVID-AleXception model can achieve a classification accuracy of 98.68%, which shows the superiority of the proposed model over AlexNet and Xception that achieved a classification accuracy of 94.86% and 95.63%, respectively. The performance results of this proposed model demonstrate its pertinence to help radiologists diagnose COVID-19 more quickly.
Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression Analysis of the TCP Gene Family in Rose (Rosa chinensis Jacq.)
Authors: Hou Yi , Fan Chunguo , Sun Jingrui , Chang Yufei , Lu Jun , Sun Jingjing , Wang Changquan , Liu Jinyi
Published: October 2022

Roses have not only high ornamental and economic values but also cultural importance worldwide. As a plant-specific transcription factor gene family, the TCP (TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR LAND 2) genes have been indicated to be involved in various aspects of plant biological processes, such as leaf morphogenesis and senescence, lateral branching, flower development, stress response and hormone signaling. Currently, TCP genes have been identified and analyzed in many plants, yet there is no systematic analysis in Rosa chinensis. Here, we identified 16 RcTCP genes from R. chinensis genome, which were unevenly distributed in five out of all seven chromosomes. Phylogenetic and structural analyses showed that RcTCP family could be classified into two classes, I (namely PCF) and II, and class II genes can be further divided into CIN and CyC/TB1 subclasses. The different classes of TCP genes were showed to have undergone different evolutionary processes, and genes in the same branch shared similar motifs, gene structures and conserved structural domains. Promoter analysis showed that RcTCPs had many cis-acting elements that are mainly associated with plant growth and development, plant hormones and abiotic/biotic stress responses. Furthermore, the expression levels of RcTCPs under vegetative and reproductive growth and drought stress treatments were analyzed based on public RNA-seq dataset, and it was shown that RcTCPs exhibited serious tissue-specific expression, with most of them dominantly expressed in flowers, leaves and stems, with high levels of expression at different stages of flower and bud differentiation, particularly during petal formation and gametophyte development. The high inducement of seven RcTCP genes from PCF class in drought stress indicated their important roles in biological processes against drought stress. Our results provide valuable information for the evolution and functional characterization of TCP genes in R. chinensis.