bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer during Hospitalization: Missed Opportunity for Optimal Supportive Care?
Authors: Upadhyay Banskota Shristi , Trinh Jonathan Q. , Lyden Elizabeth , Houlihan Conor , Asif Samia , Abughanimeh Omar , Teply Benjamin A.
Published: March 2024

Purpose: The usual workup for patients newly diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) occurs in the ambulatory setting. A subset of patients present with acute care needs and receive the diagnosis while hospitalized. Palliative therapies are typically initiated when patients are outpatients, even when diagnoses are made when they are inpatients. Lengthy admission, rehabilitation needs after discharge, and readmissions are possible barriers to timely and adequate outpatient follow-up. The outcomes for these patients diagnosed in the hospital are not well characterized. We hypothesized that patients have been ill-served by current treatment patterns, as reflected by low rates of cancer-directed treatment and poor survival. Patients and methods: We performed a retrospective study of new inpatient diagnoses of metastatic NSCLC at our institution between 1 January 2012 and 1 January 2022. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients ultimately receiving cancer-directed therapy. Other outcomes included time to treatment, use of targeted therapy, palliative care/hospice utilization, and overall survival (OS). Results: Seventy-three patients were included, with a median age of 57 years. Twenty-seven patients (37%) ultimately received systemic therapy with a median time from diagnosis to treatment of 37.5 days. Overall, 5.4% patients died while admitted, 6.8% were discharged to a hospice, 21.9% were discharged to a facility, and 61.6% were discharged home. Only 20 patients (27%) received palliative care consultation. The median OS for our entire population was 2.3 months, with estimated 6-month and 1-year OS rates of 32% and 22%, respectively. Conclusion: Patients with new inpatient diagnoses of metastatic NSCLC have extremely poor outcomes. Current management strategies resulted in few patients starting systemic therapy, yet most of the patients did not receive palliative care or hospice involvement. These findings demonstrate that there is a high unmet need to optimally support and palliate these patients.
Early Gastric Cancers in Central Norway 2001 to 2016—A Population-Based Study
Authors: Kvamme Camilla J. , Stillingen Thomas L. , Sandø Alina D. , Mjønes Patricia , Bringeland Erling A. , Fossmark Reidar
Published: March 2024

Early gastric cancers (EGCs) are confined to the gastric mucosa and submucosa irrespective of lymph node metastases and constitute only a minor proportion of gastric cancer in Western countries. We aimed to characterize EGCs and assess the survival of EGC in Central Norway during 2001–2016. A retrospective population-based study on 1205 patients with gastric cancer was performed. At the time, surgical resection was the standard treatment, and 88 (7.3%) EGCs were identified. Histopathological specimens were re-examined, and the eCura score and survival were evaluated. The number of gastric cancers declined (p = 0.010), but the relative proportion of EGC was unchanged during the study period. EGCs were more often of the Lauren intestinal type (p < 0.001) compared with controls. A significant proportion (9.4%, n = 5) of the patients with a low-risk eCura had lymph node metastases, whereas further exclusion of tumors with histological ulceration or SM2 invasion identified an N0 cohort. The median survival for EGC patients was 117.1 months (95% CI 99.8–134.3) and the 5-year overall survival was 75%. Twelve deaths were cancer-related, either due to postoperative complications (5.7%, n = 5) or cancer recurrence (8%, n = 7). In conclusion, EGCs constituted a minor but constant proportion of gastric cancers. eCura alone was insufficient in predicting patients with pN0 disease.
Non-Invasive Predictive Biomarkers for Immune-Related Adverse Events Due to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Authors: Ponvilawan Ben , Khan Abdul Wali , Subramanian Janakiraman , Bansal Dhruv
Published: March 2024

Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are the most common complication of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. With the widespread use of ICIs in patients with solid tumors, up to 40% of the patients develop irAEs within five months of treatment, and 11% develop severe irAEs requiring interventions. A predictive test for irAEs would be a crucial tool for monitoring for complications during and after ICI therapy. We performed an extensive review of potential predictive biomarkers for irAEs in patients who received ICI therapy. Currently, only thyroid-stimulating hormone is utilized in common clinical practice. This is due to the unavailability of commercial tests and unclear predictive values from various studies. Given the lack of single strong predictive biomarkers, some novel approaches using composite scores using genomic, transcriptomics, cytokine levels, or clinical parameters appear appealing. Still, these have yet to be validated and incorporated into clinical practice. Further research conducted to validate the models before implementing them into real-world settings will be of the utmost importance for irAE prediction.
Preliminary Experience with Virtual Monoenergetic Imaging and Iodine Mapping in the Primary Staging of Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Sauer Stephanie Tina , Huflage Henner , Christner Sara Aniki , Patzer Theresa Sophie , Kiesel Matthias , Quenzer Anne , Kunz Andreas Steven , Bley Thorsten Alexander , Grunz Jan-Peter
Published: March 2024

This study investigated whether virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) and iodine mapping based on dual-energy CT (DECT) provide advantages in the assessment of endometrial cancer. A dual-source DECT was performed for primary staging of histologically proven endometrioid adenocarcinoma in 21 women (66.8 ± 12.0 years). In addition to iodine maps, VMIs at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 keV were reconstructed from polyenergetic images (PEIs). Objective analysis comprised the measurement of tumor contrast, contrast-to-noise ratio, and normalized iodine concentration (NIC). In addition, three radiologists independently rated tumor conspicuity. The highest tumor contrast (106.6 ± 45.0 HU) and contrast-to-noise ratio (4.4 ± 2.0) was established for VMIs at 40 keV. Tumor contrast in all VMIs ≤ 60 keV was higher than in PEIs (p < 0.001). The NIC of malignant tissue measured in iodine maps was substantially lower compared with a healthy myometrium (0.3 ± 0.1 versus 0.6 ± 0.1 mg/mL; p < 0.001). Tumor conspicuity was highest in 40 keV datasets, whereas no difference was found among PEIs and VMIs at 60 and 70 keV (p ≥ 0.334). Interobserver agreement was good, indicated by an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.824 (0.772–0.876; p < 0.001). In conclusion, computation of VMIs at 40 keV and color-coded iodine maps aids the assessment of endometroid adenocarcinoma in primary staging.
Reduced Siderite Ore Combined with Magnesium Oxide as Support Material for Ni-Based Catalysts; An Experimental Study on CO2 Methanation
Authors: Suksumrit Kamonrat , Hauzenberger Christoph A. , Santitharangkun Srett , Lux Susanne
Published: March 2024

Ni-based catalysts play a fundamental role in catalytic CO2 methanation. In this study, the possibility of using siderite ore as a catalyst or catalytic support material for nickel-based catalysts was investigated, aiming at the exploitation of an abundant natural resource. The catalytic performance of Ni-based catalysts with reduced siderite ore as a support was evaluated and compared to MgO as a support material. MgO is known as an effective support material, as it provides access to bifunctional catalysts because of its basicity and high CO2 adsorption capacity. It was shown that undoped and Ni-doped reduced siderite ore have comparable catalytic activity for CO2 hydrogenation (20−23%) at 648 K, but show limited selectivity toward methane (<20% for sideritereduced and 60.2% for Ni/sideritereduced). When MgO was added to the support material (Ni/sideritereduced/MgO), both the CO2 conversion and the selectivity toward methane increased significantly. CO2 conversions were close to the thermodynamic equilibrium, and methane selectivities of ≥99% were achieved.
A Self-Disperse Copper-Based Catalyst Synthesized via a Dry Mixing Method for Acetylene Hydrochlorination
Authors: Fu Yuru , Sun Xi , Zhang Jian , Huang Jiahui
Published: March 2024

Traditional methods for synthesizing single-site catalysts are typically complicated and require special chemicals due to their tendency to agglomerate. In this study, we present a self-disperse copper-based catalyst synthesized via a dry mixing method for acetylene hydrochlorination. During the reaction, the copper precursor compounds, i.e., CuBr, and CuI, were converted to CuCl. Subsequently, the formed CuCl crystals underwent a significant structural transformation, leading to the formation of small clusters and Cu single sites. The catalytic activity of 5% CuCl + C prepared through the dry mixing method decreased from 93.7% to 92.9% after 100 h of reaction under the condition of GHSV (C2H2) = 60 mL·h−1·g−1. A comparison of the 5% CuCl + C with the 5% CuCl/C obtained by the impregnation method reveals that the catalytic stability of the former was higher than the one prepared by the conventional impregnation method. The exceptional catalytic performance can be attributed to the reaction-induced active sites being highly dispersed and the porous structure of activated carbon being maximally preserved, which was confirmed by HAADF-STEM, BET, TPR, and TG. The reaction-induced dispersion of CuCl on carbon provides a new strategy for preparing single-site catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination.
Grafted Sertoli Cells Exert Immunomodulatory Non-Immunosuppressive Effects in Preclinical Models of Infection and Cancer
Authors: Chiappalupi Sara , Salvadori Laura , Borghi Monica , Mancuso Francesca , Pariano Marilena , Riuzzi Francesca , Luca Giovanni , Romani Luigina , Arato Iva , Sorci Guglielmo
Published: March 2024

The Sertoli cells (SeCs) of the seminiferous tubules secrete a multitude of immunoregulatory and trophic factors to provide immune protection and assist in the orderly development of germ cells. Grafts of naked or encapsulated SeCs have been proved to represent an interesting therapeutic option in a plethora of experimental models of diseases. However, whether SeCs have immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory effects, which is imperative for their clinical translatability, has not been demonstrated. We directly assessed the immunopotential of intraperitoneally grafted microencapsulated porcine SeCs (MC-SeCs) in murine models of fungal infection (Aspergillus fumigatus or Candida albicans) or cancer (Lewis lung carcinoma/LLC or B16 melanoma cells). We found that MC-SeCs (i) provide antifungal resistance with minimum inflammatory pathology through the activation of the tolerogenic aryl hydrocarbon receptor/indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase pathway; (ii) do not affect tumor growth in vivo; and (iii) reduce the LLC cell metastatic cancer spread associated with restricted Vegfr2 expression in primary tumors. Our results point to the fine immunoregulation of SeCs in the relative absence of overt immunosuppression in both infection and cancer conditions, providing additional support for the potential therapeutic use of SeC grafts in human patients.
Population Reinforcement of the Endangered Freshwater Pearl Mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera): Lessons Learned
Authors: Lavictoire Louise , West Christopher
Published: March 2024

Freshwater mussel populations are in sharp decline and are considered to be one of the most imperilled groups globally. Consequently, the number of captive breeding programmes has increased rapidly in recent years, coupled with subsequent reintroductions/population reinforcements to reverse these declines. The outcomes of mussel conservation translocations are seldom reported in the primary literature, hindering opportunities for learning and for population recovery at pace. Here, we describe the methods employed to carry out a successful conservation translocation of the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) in a declining population in northwest England. Following a small-scale pilot release in 2017, four release sites were identified for a population reinforcement of over 1300 tagged mussels in 2021. Monitoring during 2022 showed high levels of retention of juveniles at three out of the four release sites, despite the occurrence of a significant flood event during October 2021. Subsequent releases of 1100 juveniles were carried out across the three successful sites in 2023. Ongoing and regular monitoring is essential in order to provide data on the longer-term fate of propagated juveniles in the wild. This will allow for adaptive management of release activities in this river. These data will be useful to design conservation translocation strategies for other imperilled pearl mussel populations in the UK and throughout Europe.
Evaluation of Whole Brain Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) Imaging
Authors: Lipiński Kamil , Bogorodzki Piotr
Published: March 2024

Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) imaging provides non-invasive perfusion measurements, eliminating the need for contrast agents. This work explores the feasibility of IVIM imaging in whole brain perfusion studies, where an isotropic 1 mm voxel is widely accepted as a standard. This study follows the validity of a time-limited, precise, segmentation-ready whole-brain IVIM protocol suitable for clinical reality. To assess the influence of SNR on the estimation of S0, f, D*, and D IVIM parameters, a series of measurements and simulations were performed in MATLAB for the following three estimation techniques: segmented grid search, segmented curve fitting, and one-step curve fitting, utilizing known “ground truth” and noised data. Scanner-specific SNR was estimated based on a healthy subject IVIM MRI study in a 3T scanner. Measurements were conducted for 25.6 × 25.6 × 14.4 cm FOV with a 256 × 256 in-plane resolution and 72 slices, resulting in 1 × 1 × 2 mm voxel size. Simulations were performed for 36 SNR levels around the measured SNR value. For a single voxel grid, the search algorithm mean relative error Ŝ0, f^, D^*, and D^ of at the expected SNR level were 5.00%, 81.91%, 76.31%, and 18.34%, respectively. Analysis has shown that high-resolution IVIM imaging is possible, although there is significant variation in both accuracy and precision, depending on SNR and the chosen estimation method.
Combined Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Treatment in Stage IV Melanoma Patients: A Bicentric Analysis of Real-World Data and a Modern Treatment Scenario Proving Lactate Dehydrogenase’s Usefulness
Authors: Silași Alexandru Dorin Adrian , Sievert Anna Carolin , Danciu Paul , Lefter Andrei Vlad , Afrasanie Vlad Adrian , Sur Daniel
Published: March 2024

Background: This retrospective study evaluates patients with stage IV melanoma treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab combination therapy from two regional oncology centers in Romania from the year 2019 to the end of 2022. Methods: The data were analyzed in SAS for Windows, V9.4. LDH means were stratified by the number of metastatic sites before treatment and compared using an independent sample T-test. The survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the survival distributions were compared with the log-rank test. The effects of the main clinical and pathological variables on OS and PFS were investigated with Cox regression. Results: The LDH mean for patients with three or more metastases before treatment was significantly higher than that for patients with only one metastatic site. The Kaplan–Meier curve of OS in all evaluable patients enrolled in the study resulted in a median OS of 346 days (95% CI: 150) and a median PFS of 211 days (95% CI: 113–430). A total of 45.3% of the patients experienced adverse events during the nivolumab + ipilimumab treatment, with some of them having multiple organ systems involved. Discussion: The OS values were lower than those reported in approved clinical trials, but the results show a marked improvement when compared to the results obtained by chemotherapy regimens previously used in these scenarios. Conclusion: This study provides real-world insights into the survival data and safety profiles of combination therapy with anti-PD-1 antibodies and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies.
Design and Analysis of an H-Type Pickup for Multi-Segment Wireless Power Transfer Systems
Authors: Wang Jintao , Hou Yanjin , Shi Zhuoqun , Sun Qianfang , Guo Yanhua , Cai Shengkun , Liu Zhizhen
Published: March 2024

To tackle the complex wireless power supply requirements in the Automated Material Handling System (AMHS) of semiconductor wafer factories, this paper presents a design method for a magnetic coupling mechanism based on a Multi-Segment Wireless Power Transfer (MSWPT) system for dynamic wireless power supply in segmented track configurations. Firstly, the track is approached using Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) technology combined with an LCC-S resonant structure transmitter (Tx). Following this, the feasibility of the H-type pickup is assessed through magnetic and electrical circuit analyses, which leads to the preliminary determination of the pickup dimensions by means of finite element magnetic and thermal simulations. Furthermore, an analysis of the mutual inductance drop is conducted under various track structure parameters during track crossing and curve negotiation operation conditions. Secondly, a dual-coil winding method is proposed to reduce the insulation stress on the PCB board. Additionally, a method for calculating the wire length and a design process for the overall parameters of the pickup are derived. Finally, two Txs and a 1.5 kW power receiver (Rx) were designed to verify the mutual inductance fall under the aforementioned conditions. During low-speed full-load operations, a constant-voltage output was achieved through the proposed dual-loop PI control strategy, thereby meeting the requirements for a constant-voltage output in industrial applications.
A New Smartphone-Based Method for Remote Health Monitoring: Assessment of Respiratory Kinematics
Authors: Vignali Emanuele , Gasparotti Emanuele , Miglior Luca , Gervasi Vincenzo , Simone Lorenzo , Haxhiademi Dorela , Frediani Lara , Borelli Gabriele , Berti Sergio , Celi Simona
Published: March 2024

The remote monitoring of clinical parameters plays a fundamental role in different situations, like pandemic health emergencies and post-surgery conditions. In these situations, the patients might be impeded in their movements, and it could be difficult to have specific health monitoring. In recent years, technological advances in smartphones have opened up new possibilities in this landscape. The present work aims to propose a new method for respiratory kinematics monitoring via smartphone sensors. In particular, a specific application was developed to register inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor data from the smartphone for respiratory kinematics measurement and to guide the user through a specific acquisition session. The session was defined to allow the monitoring of the respiratory movement in five prescribed positions. The application and the sequence were successfully tested on a given population of 77 healthy volunteers. The resulting accelerometers and gyroscope signals were processed to evaluate the significance of differences according to participants’ sex, vector components, and smartphone positioning and, finally, to estimate the respiratory rate. The statistical differences that emerged revealed the significance of information in the different acquisition positions.
Pedestrian Trajectory Prediction Based on Motion Pattern De-Perturbation Strategy
Authors: Deng Yingjian , Zhang Li , Chen Jie , Deng Yu , Huang Zhixiang , Li Yingsong , Cao Yice , Wu Zhongcheng , Zhang Jun
Published: March 2024

Pedestrian trajectory prediction is extremely challenging due to the complex social attributes of pedestrians. Introducing latent vectors to model trajectory multimodality has become the latest mainstream solution idea. However, previous approaches have overlooked the effects of redundancy that arise from the introduction of latent vectors. Additionally, they often fail to consider the inherent interference of pedestrians with no trajectory history during model training. This results in the model’s inability to fully utilize the training data. Therefore, we propose a two-stage motion pattern de-perturbation strategy, which is a plug-and-play approach that introduces optimization features to model the redundancy effect caused by latent vectors, which helps to eliminate the redundancy effects in the trajectory prediction phase. We also propose loss masks to reduce the interference of invalid data during training to accurately model pedestrian motion patterns with strong physical interpretability. Our comparative experiments on the publicly available ETH and UCY pedestrian trajectory datasets, as well as the Stanford UAV dataset, show that our optimization strategy achieves better pedestrian trajectory prediction accuracies than a range of state-of-the-art baseline models; in particular, our optimization strategy effectively absorbs the training data to assist the baseline models in achieving optimal modeling accuracy.
A Novel Distributed Adaptive Controller for Multi-Agent Systems with Double-Integrator Dynamics: A Hedging-Based Approach
Authors: Kurttisi Atahan , Dogan Kadriye Merve , Gruenwald Benjamin Charles
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we focus on designing a model reference adaptive control-based distributed control law to drive a set of agents with double-integrator dynamics in a leader–follower fashion in the presence of system anomalies such as agent-based uncertainties, unknown control effectiveness, and actuator dynamics. In particular, we introduce a novel hedging-based reference model with second-order dynamics to allow an adaptation in the presence of actuator dynamics. We show the stability of the overall closed-loop multi-agent system by utilizing the Lyapunov Stability Theory, where we analyze the stability condition by using the Linear Matrix Inequalities method to show the boundedness of the reference model and actuator states. Finally, we illustrate the efficacy of the proposed distributed adaptive controller on an undirected and connected line graph in five cases.
Reducing the Length of Dynamic and Relevant Slices by Pruning Boolean Expressions
Authors: Hirsch Thomas , Hofer Birgit
Published: March 2024

Dynamic and relevant (backward) slicing helps programmers in the debugging process by reducing the number of statements in an execution trace. In this paper, we propose an approach called pruned slicing, which can further reduce the size of slices by reasoning over Boolean expressions. It adds only those parts of a Boolean expression that are responsible for the evaluation outcome of the Boolean expression to the set of relevant variables. We empirically evaluate our approach and compare it to dynamic and relevant slicing using three small benchmarks: the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), the Refactory dataset, and QuixBugs. Pruned slicing reduces the size of the TCAS slices on average by 10.2%, but it does not reduce the slice sizes of the Refactory and QuixBugs programs. The times required for computing pruned dynamic and relevant slices are comparable to the computation times of non-pruned dynamic and relevant slices. Thus, pruned slicing is an extension of dynamic and relevant slicing that can reduce the size of slices while having a negligible computational overhead.
Global Residual Demand Analysis in a Deep Variable Renewable Energy Penetration Scenario for Replacing Coal: A Study of 42 Countries
Authors: Cho Jai-Oan , Lee Jeong Ik , Qvist Staffan
Published: March 2024

This study analyzes the residual demand curves of 42 countries under five scenarios with varying variable renewable energy (VRE) levels to observe how replacing coal with VRE can alter the demand curve. Using 2018 demand data, the residual demand was calculated and analyzed by subtracting the VRE supply curve from the demand curve. The operational requirements for low-carbon load-following sources amid high VRE penetration are examined. Key findings indicate that substantial peak residual demand persists even with 70% energy from VREs, emphasizing the need for significant load-following resources. Transitioning to a 70% VRE scenario could reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 16.799 billion tons, advancing towards carbon neutrality. However, this benefit depends on maintaining grid stability, highlighting the importance of adequate load-following plants to manage VRE intermittency. Countries like Malaysia, South Korea, Tunisia, the UK, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Libya face higher load-following demands due to specific renewable energy contexts. This study reveals varying renewable energy environments across countries, suggesting that a universal strategy for carbon neutrality and replacing coal may not be feasible. Each nation must develop its own approach to emission reduction, considering its unique conditions. This research emphasizes the urgent need for developing cost-effective, flexible, low-carbon load-following sources to enhance decarbonization potential globally.
Useful Exergy as an Intermediate Input in a Two-Sector Model of the United States Economy
Authors: Gonçalves João , Santos João , Heun Matthew , Brockway Paul E. , Domingos Tiago
Published: March 2024

Conventional economic growth models treat production/consumption as abstractions linked only by money flows, disregarding their connection to the physical world. Nevertheless, the existing literature suggests that energy flows can influence production and links useful exergy prices with economic growth. Useful exergy is energy measured at the stage where it produces an end-use (and is a measurement of energy quality). Not all approaches in the literature use this metric and they often consider energy as a primary input (despite it being an intermediate input). We explore the relationship between energy flows and economic growth for the US through a framework where useful exergy, the output of an “extended energy sector” (where all effects of increasing primary-to-final-to-useful exergy efficiency are located), is an intermediate input for a “non-energy sector”. Together, they encompass the entire economy. We conclude that the share of investment in the extended energy sector grew with the overall economic growth throughout 1960–2020, while the labour share decreased. The non-energy sector contributed the largest share of consumption, exports, imports and labour. In recent years, the energy sector has overtaken it in terms of investment. Our two-sector model has important implications for current climate policy, namely regarding the Integrated Assessment Models on which it is based.
Ash Formation and Associated Interactions during Co-Combustion of Wheat Straw and Sewage Sludge
Authors: Shan Yingnan , Zhou Hongfang , Sheng Changdong
Published: March 2024

The aim of the present work was to investigate ash formation and associated interactions during the pulverized fuel co-combustion of biomass fuels. Combustion experiments were carried out with narrowly sized wheat straw (WS), sewage sludge (SS), and their blends in a drop tube furnace at 1100 °C and 1300 °C. The resulting residual ash and fine particulate matter (PM10) were characterized with various analyses. It was observed that co-combustion influences size distributions of the residual ash particles and generally generates larger residual ash particles close to those of SS combustion. The interaction of K capture by minerals enhances the melting and consequently increases the production of large and melting ash particles during co-combustion. It was found that blending SS with WS has not only the positive interaction of K capture by minerals from SS ash to significantly reduce submicron ash formation, but also the positive interaction of transforming alkali chlorides into alkali sulfates to reduce the corrosiveness of submicron ash particles. Co-combustion of SS with WS can also reduce the presence of alkali chloride at PM1–10, lowering the propensities of deposition and corrosion of the fine residual ash particles.
Modulus of Elasticity and Bending Strength of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Wood from Commercial Thinnings
Authors: Stöd Reeta , Marttila Juhani , Tomppo Laura , Haapala Antti , Verkasalo Erkki
Published: March 2024

The static bending properties of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) clear wood were studied using a material collected from commercial thinning forests in eastern Finland. In Myrtillus type, the modulus of elasticity and bending strength of the first thinning wood were 7.8 GPa and 66.0 MPa, respectively, whereas for more mature wood from the second thinnings, the modulus of elasticity and bending strength were 10.0 GPa and 80.3 MPa. The results were compared with final fellings, which resulted in the modulus of elasticity of 10.1 GPa and bending strength of 81.8 MPa. The bending properties of the first thinning material were low, and thus they did not indicate any potential for applications requiring high strength or stiffness and material homogeneity. On the contrary, the properties of Scots pine wood from the second commercial thinnings may be comparable with or sometimes even better than those of the final-felling wood. The results can be utilised in wood marketing, procurement, sorting, allocation to different industries and end-uses, as well as in wood processing, product sales, and branding.
Using Computer Vision to Collect Information on Cycling and Hiking Trails Users
Authors: Miguel Joaquim , Mendonça Pedro , Quelhas Agnelo , Caldeira João M. L. P. , Soares Vasco N. G. J.
Published: March 2024

Hiking and cycling have become popular activities for promoting well-being and physical activity. Portugal has been investing in hiking and cycling trail infrastructures to boost sustainable tourism. However, the lack of reliable data on the use of these trails means that the times of greatest affluence or the type of user who makes the most use of them are not recorded. These data are of the utmost importance to the managing bodies, with which they can adjust their actions to improve the management, maintenance, promotion, and use of the infrastructures for which they are responsible. The aim of this work is to present a review study on projects, techniques, and methods that can be used to identify and count the different types of users on these trails. The most promising computer vision techniques are identified and described: YOLOv3-Tiny, MobileNet-SSD V2, and FasterRCNN with ResNet-50. Their performance is evaluated and compared. The results observed can be very useful for proposing future prototypes. The challenges, future directions, and research opportunities are also discussed.
Health Literacy and Environmental Risks Focusing Air Pollution: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in Germany
Authors: Pfleger Elisabeth , Drexler Hans , Lutz Regina
Published: March 2024

(1) Background: Environmental risks such as air pollutants pose a threat to human health and must be communicated to the affected population to create awareness, such as via health literacy (HL); (2) Methods: We analyzed HL in the context of environmental health risks, including sources of information and prior knowledge, in a sample from the German general population using Kendall’s rank correlations, regression analyses, and explorative parallel mediation analysis; (3) Results: The survey included 412 German participants aged between 18 and 77. HL was found to be problematic to inadequate. The internet, family and friends, and newspapers were the most frequently cited sources of information. Mobile apps were mostly unknown but were requested by sample subjects. Although subjects expressed environmental concerns and exhibited rather good levels of knowledge, the majority perceived no risk to human health and rated air quality quite positively. Knowledge on particulate matter, the term “ultrafine particles”, and protective measures was found to be rather low. HL was associated with the use of newspapers and commercials as sources of information. The relationship between age and HL is fully mediated by the use of newspapers and information from TV commercials; (4) Conclusions: HL should be promoted by raising awareness of the health effects of environmental pollutants. In particular, the information channels preferred by the affected population should be used and further information opportunities such as apps should be publicized, e.g., through campaigns. An improved HL can assist policy makers in creating a healthier environment by empowering individuals to become more environmentally aware and protect their own health. This, in turn, has the potential to reduce health-related costs.
Healing Together: A Narrative Review on How Psychiatric Treatment for Parental Depression Impacts Children
Authors: Cross Michelle , Abdul-Karim Yasmeen , Johnson Amy , Victor Colleen , Rosenfeld Andrew
Published: March 2024

It is well known that parental depression is correlated to adverse child mental health outcomes; but what is the effect of treating parental depression on the child? This narrative review aims to explore this question, and how certain specific interventions designed to help depressed parents affect mental health outcomes in their children. The academic database APA PsychInfo was searched for articles that broadly included interventions for parents with depression as well as child wellbeing or outcomes as of October 2023. Additional searches were conducted in the academic database PubMed in December 2023 and January 2024. Forty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and were examined closely for this review. The studies included were divided into the following categories: psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, parenting support, and paternal interventions. We discuss the implications of our review on clinical practice and recommend further research in this area.
Examining the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Iraqi Refugees in Canada
Authors: Ghadi Needal , Tustin Jordan , Young Ian , Sekercioglu Nigar , Abdula Susan , Sekercioglu Fatih
Published: March 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health and social inequities among migrant groups more than others. Higher rates of poverty, unemployment, living in crowded households, and language barriers have placed resettled refugees at a higher risk of facing disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand how this most vulnerable population has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, this study reports on the responses of 128 Iraqi refugees in the city of London, Ontario, to a survey on the economic, social, and health-related impacts that they have faced for almost two years since the beginning the pandemic. The analysis of the survey indicated that 90.4% of the study population reported having health concerns during the pandemic while 80.3% expressed facing financial distress. The results also show that 58.4% of respondents experienced some form of social isolation. These all suggest that refugees are faced with several barriers which can have a compounding effect on their resettlement experience. These findings provide resettlement and healthcare providers with some information that may assist in reducing the impact of COVID-19 and other possible health security emergencies on resettled refugees and their communities.
Venture Capital and Dividend Policy
Authors: Tan Yi , Wang Xiaoli , Fu Xiaoyu
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we empirically examine the impact of venture capital investment on the dividend policy of the invested companies using a sample of list companies from China’s ChiNext market during the period 2014 to 2019. Our empirical results show that different types of VC investments have different impacts on the dividend policies of the invested companies. To be specific, we found independent venture capital companies (IVCs) promote the company’s dividend payment and increase the level of dividend payments while corporate venture capital (CVC) inhibits the company’s dividend payment. The joint participation of multiple types of venture capital investment (syndication) also increases the company’s dividend distribution. Our main contributions are two-fold. First, we provide a comprehensive analysis in the field of VC and dividend policy; second, we differentiate VC from the perspective of investment objectives and examine its different impacts on the dividend policies of the invested companies.
A Novel Bisquaternary Ammonium Compound as an Anion Sensor—ESI-MS and Fluorescence Study
Authors: Kowalska Marta , Wieczorek Robert , Gawryszewska Paula , Bąchor Remigiusz
Published: March 2024

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis is frequently associated with noncovalent adduct formation, both in positive and negative modes. Anion binding and sensing by mass spectrometry, notably more challenging compared to cation binding, will have major research potential with the development of appropriate sensors. Here, we demonstrated identification of stable bisquaternary dication adducts with trifluoroacetate (TFA−), Cl− and HSO4− in positive-mode ESI-MS analysis. The observed adducts were stable in MS/MS mode, leading to the formation of characteristic fragment ions containing a covalently bound anion, which requires bond reorganization. This phenomenon was confirmed by computational methods. Furthermore, given that anion detection and anion sensor chemistry have gained significant prominence in chemistry, we conducted an analysis of the fluorescent properties of bisquaternary ammonium compound as a potential anion sensor.
Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Shanlan Landrace Rice for GWAS of Cooking and Eating Quality Traits
Authors: Zhang Lin , Deng Bowen , Peng Yi , Gao Yan , Hu Yaqi , Bao Jinsong
Published: March 2024

The Shanlan landrace rice in Hainan Province, China, is a unique upland rice germplasm that holds significant value as a genetic resource for rice breeding. However, its genetic diversity and its usefulness in rice breeding have not been fully explored. In this study, a total of eighty-four Shanlan rice, three typical japonica rice cultivars, and three typical indica rice cultivars were subjected to resequencing of their genomes. As a result, 11.2 million high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1.6 million insertion/deletions (InDels) were detected. Population structure analysis showed all the rice accessions could be divided into three main groups, i.e., Geng/japonica 1 (GJ1), GJ2, and Xian/indica (XI). However, the GJ1 group only had seven accessions including three typical japonica cultivars, indicating that most Shanlan landrace rice are different from the modern japonica rice. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first three principal components explained 60.7% of the genetic variation. Wide genetic diversity in starch physicochemical parameters, such as apparent amylose content (AAC), pasting viscosity, texture properties, thermal properties, and retrogradation representing the cooking and eating quality was also revealed among all accessions. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) for these traits was conducted and identified 32 marker trait associations in the entire population. Notably, the well-known gene Waxy (Wx) was identified for AAC, breakdown viscosity, and gumminess of the gel texture, and SSIIa was identified for percentage of retrogradation and peak gelatinization temperature. Upon further analysis of nucleotide diversity in Wx, six different alleles, wx, Wxa, Wxb, Wxin, Wxla/mw, and Wxlv in Shanlan landrace rice were identified, indicating rich gene resources in Shanlan rice for quality rice breeding. These findings are expected to contribute to the development of new rice with premium quality.
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the Aux/IAA Gene Family in Panax ginseng: Evidence for the Role of PgIAA02 in Lateral Root Development
Authors: Wang Yihan , Wang Qi , Di Peng , Wang Yingping
Published: March 2024

Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Ginseng) is one of the most used traditional Chinese herbal medicines, with its roots being used as the main common medicinal parts; its therapeutic potential has garnered significant attention. AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) is a family of early auxin-responsive genes capable of regulating root development in plants through the auxin signaling pathway. In the present study, 84 Aux/IAA genes were identified from the ginseng genome and their complexity and diversity were determined through their protein domains, phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, and cis-acting element predictions. Phylogenetic analyses classified PgIAA into six subgroups, with members in the same group showing greater sequence similarity. Analyses of interspecific collinearity suggest that segmental duplications likely drove the evolution of PgIAA genes, followed by purifying selection. An analysis of cis-regulatory elements suggested that PgIAA family genes may be involved in the regulation of plant hormones. RNA-seq data show that the expression pattern of Aux/IAA genes in Ginseng is tissue-specific, and PgIAA02 and PgIAA36 are specifically highly expressed in lateral, fibrous, and arm roots, suggesting their potential function in root development. The PgIAA02 overexpression lines exhibited an inhibition of lateral root growth in Ginseng. In addition, yeast two-hybrid and subcellular localization experiments showed that PgIAA02 interacted with PgARF22/PgARF36 (ARF: auxin response factor) in the nucleus and participated in the biological process of root development. The above results lay the foundation for an in-depth study of Aux/IAA and provide preliminary information for further research on the role of the Aux/IAA gene family in the root development of Ginseng.
Corneal Epithelial Changes in Diabetic Patients: A Review
Authors: Ladea Lidia , Zemba Mihail , Calancea Maria Ioana , Călțaru Mihai Valeriu , Dragosloveanu Christiana Diana Maria , Coroleucă Ruxandra , Catrina Eduard Lucian , Brezean Iulian , Dinu Valentin
Published: March 2024

The relationship between diabetes mellitus and ocular complications has been extensively studied by many authors. Diabetic keratopathy has already been well characterized and defined as a clinical entity. This review focuses on exploring corneal epithelial changes in diabetic patients, aiming to provide a pragmatic overview of the existing knowledge on this topic. The paper systematically examines alterations in corneal epithelial structure and their impact on diabetic patients. Advanced imaging techniques are also discussed for their role in precise characterization and improved diagnostics. Additionally, the paper explores the mechanisms behind corneal epithelial changes in diabetes, looking at factors such as hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and Advanced Glycation End-Products. The impact of altered corneal epithelial integrity on barrier function and susceptibility to external issues is considered, addressing potential links to heightened proteolytic enzyme activities and delayed wound healing observed in diabetic individuals. The review also covers the practical implications of corneal epithelial changes, including the association with corneal erosions, persistent epithelial defects, and an increased risk of dry eye syndrome in diabetic patients.
Cellooligomer/CELLOOLIGOMER RECEPTOR KINASE1 Signaling Exhibits Crosstalk with PAMP-Triggered Immune Responses and Sugar Metabolism in Arabidopsis Roots
Authors: Gandhi Akanksha , Reichelt Michael , Furch Alexandra , Mithöfer Axel , Oelmüller Ralf
Published: March 2024

The degradation of cellulose generates cellooligomers, which function as damage-associated molecular patterns and activate immune and cell wall repair responses via the CELLOOLIGOMER RECEPTOR KINASE1 (CORK1). The most active cellooligomer for the induction of downstream responses is cellotriose, while cellobiose is around 100 times less effective. These short-chain cellooligomers are also metabolized after uptake into the cells. In this study, we demonstrate that CORK1 is mainly expressed in the vascular tissue of the upper, fully developed part of the roots. Cellooligomer/CORK1-induced responses interfere with chitin-triggered immune responses and are influenced by BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE1 and the receptor kinase FERONIA. The pathway also controls sugar transporter and metabolism genes and the phosphorylation state of these proteins. Furthermore, cellotriose-induced ROS production and WRKY30/40 expression are controlled by the sugar transporters SUCROSE-PROTON SYMPORTER1, SUGARS WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXPORTED TRANSPORTER11 (SWEET11), and SWEET12. Our data demonstrate that cellooligomer/CORK1 signaling is integrated into the pattern recognition receptor network and coupled to the primary sugar metabolism in Arabidopsis roots.
Efficient Combination Chemo-Sonodynamic Cancer Therapy Using Mitochondria-Targeting Sonosensitizer-Loaded Polysorbate-Based Micelles
Authors: Kang Hyeon Ju , Truong Hoang Quan , Min Jun , Son Min Soo , Tram Le Thi Hong , Kim Byoung Choul , Song Youngjun , Shim Min Suk
Published: March 2024

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), utilizing ultrasound (US) and sonosensitizers, holds immense potential as a noninvasive and targeted treatment for a variety of deep-seated tumors. However, the clinical translation of SDT is hampered by several key limitations in sonosensitizers, especially their low aqueous stability and poor cellular uptake. In this study, non-ionic polysorbate (Tween 80, T80) was adopted to formulate effective nanocarriers for the safe and efficient delivery of sonosensitizers to cancer cells. Mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-conjugated chlorin e6 (Ce6) sonosensitizer was loaded into T80-based micelles for efficient SDT. Pro-oxidant piperlongumine (PL) was co-encapsulated with TPP-conjugated Ce6 (T-Ce6) in T80 micelles to enable combination chemo-SDT. T80 micelles substantially enhanced the cellular internalization of T-Ce6. As a result, T80 micelles loaded with T-Ce6 and PL [T80(T-Ce6/PL)] significantly elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells upon US exposure. Moreover, T-Ce6 exhibited selective accumulation within the mitochondria, leading to efficient cell death under US irradiation. Importantly, T80(T-Ce6/PL) micelles caused cancer-specific cell death by selectively triggering apoptosis in cancer cells through PL. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using T80(T-Ce6/PL) micelles for efficient and cancer-specific combination chemo-SDT.