bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent Advances in Protective Coatings for Cultural Heritage–An Overview
Authors: Artesani Alessia , Di Turo Francesca , Zucchelli Margherita , Traviglia Arianna
Published: March 2020

In the last decades, the interest in the development of protective coatings for movable and immovable Cultural Heritage (CH) assets has decidedly increased. This has been mainly prompted by the raising consciousness on preservation requirements for cultural artefacts and monuments, which has consequently determined the development of new protective products. From acrylic resins used at the end of the last century to the up-to-date biomaterials and nanoparticles employed nowadays, the research has made a giant step forward. This article reviews the progresses, the technical challenges, and the most recent advances in protective coatings for archaeological metal, glass, and stone artefacts. It aims at offering a comprehensive and critical overview of the progressions in conservation science and displaying how research has optimized polymers in order to solve deterioration problems. Attention is given to recently developed materials, hybrid coatings, and corrosion inhibitors. This work seeks to provide a reference point for future research and to offer a wide-ranging introduction on the newly available material technologies to restorers and conservators.
Ultrathin Nano-Absorbers in Photovoltaics: Prospects and Innovative Applications
Authors: Götz Maximilian , Osterthun Norbert , Gehrke Kai , Vehse Martin , Agert Carsten
Published: March 2020

Approaching the first terawatt of installations, photovoltaics (PV) are about to become the major source of electric power until the mid-century. The technology has proven to be long lasting and very versatile and today PV modules can be found in numerous applications. This is a great success of the entire community, but taking future growth for granted might be dangerous. Scientists have recently started to call for accelerated innovation and cost reduction. Here, we show how ultrathin absorber layers, only a few nanometers in thickness, together with strong light confinement can be used to address new applications for photovoltaics. We review the basics of this new type of solar cell and point out the requirements to the absorber layer material by optical simulation. Furthermore, we discuss innovative applications, which make use of the unique optical properties of the nano absorber solar cell architecture, such as spectrally selective PV and switchable photovoltaic windows.
Atomistic Simulation of Stresses in Growing Silicon Dioxide Films
Authors: Grigoriev Fedor V. , Sulimov Vladimir B. , Tikhonravov Alexander V.
Published: March 2020

Dependence of stress values in silicon dioxide films on its thickness in the initial stage of film growth was investigated using atomistic molecular dynamics simulation. It was shown that the stress in normally deposited films was compressive and varied slightly with growth of film thickness. The stress in the glancing angle deposited films was several times lower than the stress in the normally deposited films, and varied from compressive stress to tensile stress with increasing film thickness. An essential anisotropy of stress tensor components was revealed for the case of glancing angle deposition. The calculated stress values were in the interval of experimental data.
Reducing the Bitter Taste of Virgin Olive Oil Don Carlo by Microbial and Vegetable Enzymes Linked to the Colloidal Fraction
Authors: Zullo Biagi Angelo , Pachioli Silverio , Ciafardini Gino
Published: March 2020

Bitter taste is a positive sensory attribute that correlates with the concentration of phenols in olive oil. However, excessive bitterness can be perceived by consumers as a negative attribute. The aim of this investigation was to improve the process of debittering Don Carlo extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which is rich in phenols, through blending with newly produced Leccino EVOOs, which can provide high oleuropeinolytic activity. The debittering process of blending Don Carlo EVOO with two types of Leccino EVOOs (decanter and settled EVOO), was carried out during three months of storage in canisters placed in fixed positions, or periodically inverted to prevent sedimentation. The reduction in phenolic concentration and bitterness index (K225 value) reached maximum values of 51% and 42% respectively in Don Carlo EVOO mixed with Leccino settled EVOO after three months of storage in periodically inverted containers. Analytical indices and sensory analysis, in accord with bitterness index (K225) results, confirmed a reduction or elimination of bitter taste in the oil samples depending on the type of Leccino EVOO added, and the sample storage method. All analytical results remained within parameters established by the European Community regulations for commercial merceological class EVOO.
Ethylammonium Lead Iodide Formation in MAPbI3 Precursor Solutions by DMF Decomposition and Organic Cation Exchange Reaction
Authors: Wang Ryan Taoran , Liu Elton Enchong , Xu Alex Fan , Yang Lory Wenjuan , Chen Jason Yuanzhe , Xu Gu
Published: March 2020

Extra peaks have constantly been observed in the X-ray diffraction measurement for the CH3NH3PbI3 film. Such mysteries have now been uncovered in this paper, in which powder X-ray diffraction, in situ X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy measurements were conducted, and these peaks were attributed to the ethylammonium lead iodide (CH3CH2NH3PbI3/EAPbI3). It was found that the formation of EAPbI3 was triggered by the breakdown of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), which was adopted as the solvent in the preparation of the precursor solutions. EAPbI3 was generated by the organic cation exchange reaction in the subsequent annealing process. A simple solution for this problem is proposed in this paper as well, which would hopefully help the community to eradicate this impurity.
Photoacoustic Spectral Sensing Technique for Diagnosis of Biological Tissue Coagulation: In-Vitro Study
Authors: Biswas Deblina , Chen George C. K. , Baac Hyoung Won , Vasudevan Srivathsan
Published: March 2020

Thermal coagulation of abnormal tissues has evolved as a therapeutic technique for different diseases including cancer. Tissue heating beyond 55 °C causes coagulation that leads to cell death. Noninvasive diagnosis of thermally coagulated tissues is pragmatic for performing efficient therapy as well as reducing damage of surrounding healthy tissues. We propose a noninvasive, elasticity-based photoacoustic spectral sensing technique for differentiating normal and coagulated tissues. Photoacoustic diagnosis is performed for quantitative differentiation of normal and coagulated excised chicken liver and muscle tissues in vitro by characterizing a dominant frequency of photoacoustic frequency spectrum. Pronounced distinction in the spectral parameter (i.e., dominant frequency) was observed due to change in tissue elastic property. We confirmed nearly two-fold increase in dominant frequencies for the coagulated muscle and liver tissues as compared to the normal ones. A density increase caused by tissue coagulation is clearly reflected in the dominant frequency composition. Experimental results were consistent over five different sample sets, delineating the potential of proposed technique to diagnose biological tissue coagulation and thus monitor thermal coagulation therapy in clinical applications.
Information Entropy-Based Intention Prediction of Aerial Targets under Uncertain and Incomplete Information
Authors: Zhou Tongle , Chen Mou , Wang Yuhui , He Jianliang , Yang Chenguang
Published: March 2020

To improve the effectiveness of air combat decision-making systems, target intention has been extensively studied. In general, aerial target intention is composed of attack, surveillance, penetration, feint, defense, reconnaissance, cover and electronic interference and it is related to the state of a target in air combat. Predicting the target intention is helpful to know the target actions in advance. Thus, intention prediction has contributed to lay a solid foundation for air combat decision-making. In this work, an intention prediction method is developed, which combines the advantages of the long short-term memory (LSTM) networks and decision tree. The future state information of a target is predicted based on LSTM networks from real-time series data, and the decision tree technology is utilized to extract rules from uncertain and incomplete priori knowledge. Then, the target intention is obtained from the predicted data by applying the built decision tree. With a simulation example, the results show that the proposed method is effective and feasible for state prediction and intention recognition of aerial targets under uncertain and incomplete information. Furthermore, the proposed method can make contributions in providing direction and aids for subsequent attack decision-making.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TaNbVTiAlx Refractory High-Entropy Alloys
Authors: Xiang Li , Guo Wenmin , Liu Bin , Fu Ao , Li Jianbo , Fang Qihong , Liu Yong
Published: March 2020

A series of TaNbVTiAlx (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) with high specific strength and reasonable plasticity were prepared using powder metallurgy (P/M) technology. This paper studied their microstructure and compression properties. The results show that all the TaNbVTiAlx RHEAs exhibited a single BCC solid solution microstructure with no elemental segregation. The P/M TaNbVTiAlx RHEAs showed excellent room-temperature specific strength (207.11 MPa*cm3/g) and high-temperature specific strength (88.37 MPa*cm3/g at 900 °C and 16.03 MPa*cm3/g at 1200 °C), with reasonable plasticity, suggesting that these RHEAs have potential to be applied at temperatures >1200 °C. The reasons for the excellent mechanical properties of P/M TaNbVTiAl0.2 RHEA were the uniform microstructure and solid solution strengthening effect.
On the Entropy of Events under Eventually Global Inflated or Deflated Probability Constraints. Application to the Supervision of Epidemic Models under Vaccination Controls
Authors: De la Sen Manuel , Ibeas Asier , Nistal Raul
Published: March 2020

This paper extends the formulation of the Shannon entropy under probabilistic uncertainties which are basically established in terms or relative errors related to the theoretical nominal set of events. Those uncertainties can eventually translate into globally inflated or deflated probabilistic constraints. In the first case, the global probability of all the events exceeds unity while in the second one lies below unity. A simple interpretation is that the whole set of events losses completeness and that some events of negative probability might be incorporated to keep the completeness of an extended set of events. The proposed formalism is flexible enough to evaluate the need to introduce compensatory probability events or not depending on each particular application. In particular, such a design flexibility is emphasized through an application which is given related to epidemic models under vaccination and treatment controls. Switching rules are proposed to choose through time the active model, among a predefined set of models organized in a parallel structure, which better describes the registered epidemic evolution data. The supervisory monitoring is performed in the sense that the tested accumulated entropy of the absolute error of the model versus the observed data is minimized at each supervision time-interval occurring in-between each two consecutive switching time instants. The active model generates the (vaccination/treatment) controls to be injected to the monitored population. In this application, it is not proposed to introduce a compensatory event to complete the global probability to unity but instead, the estimated probabilities are re-adjusted to design the control gains.
Analytical and Experimental Evaluation of a Novel Mechanism to Improve the Control Plane in Next-Generation Mobile Networks
Authors: Calle-Cancho Jesús , Cortés-Polo David , González-Sánchez José-Luis , Jiménez Luis Ignacio , Carmona-Murillo Javier
Published: March 2020

With the continuous development of mobile communications and the Internet of Things technology, the enhanced network performance can be seen as one of the major challenges in the fourth industrial revolution context, where new services and applications with strict performance requirements have emerged, such as driverless vehicles, smart cities, factories, and manufacturing, among others. These new services and applications also drive growth of the data traffic, which is increasing exponentially. Thus, in mobile network environments, industry and academia are proposing new mechanisms to overcome the traffic bottlenecks and reduce the signaling overhead that affects current networks. Centralized Mobility Management solutions are prone to several problems such as the aforementioned signaling overhead or scalability issues. To overcome these limitations, Distributed Mobility Management approaches are being considered. In this paper, an analytical cost model and experimental evaluation will be developed for evaluating the performance of the Distributed Mobility Management implementations. Furthermore, a new approach will be proposed to improve network performance.
Time-Encoding-Based Ultra-Low Power Features Extraction Circuit for Speech Recognition Tasks
Authors: Gutierrez Eric , Perez Carlos , Hernandez Fernando , Hernandez Luis
Published: March 2020

Current trends towards on-edge computing on smart portable devices requires ultra-low power circuits to be able to make feature extraction and classification tasks of patterns. This manuscript proposes a novel approach for feature extraction operations in speech recognition/voice activity detection tasks suitable for portable devices. Whereas conventional approaches are based on either completely analog or digital structures, we propose a “hybrid” approach by means of voltage-controlled-oscillators. Our proposal makes use of a bank a band-pass filters implemented with ring-oscillators to extract the features (energy within different frequency bands) of input audio signals and digitize them. Afterwards, these data will input a digital classification stage such as a neural network. Ring-oscillators are structures with a digital nature, which makes them highly scalable with the possibility of designing them with minimum length devices. Additionally, due to their inherent phase integration, low-frequency band-pass filters can be implemented without large capacitors. Consequently, we strongly benefit from power consumption and area savings. Finally, our proposal may incorporate the analog-to-digital converter into the structure of the own features extractor circuit to make the full conversion of the raw data when triggered. This supposes a unique advantage with respect to other approaches. The architecture is described and proposed at system-level, along with behavioral simulations made to check whether the performance is the expected one or not. Then the structure is designed with a 65-nm CMOS process to estimate the power consumption and area on a silicon implementation. The results show that our solution is very promising in terms of occupied area with a competitive power consumption in comparison to other state-of-the-art solutions.
Short-Term Building Electrical Energy Consumption Forecasting by Employing Gene Expression Programming and GMDH Networks
Authors: Zor Kasım , Çelik Özgür , Timur Oğuzhan , Teke Ahmet
Published: March 2020

Over the past decade, energy forecasting applications not only on the grid side of electric power systems but also on the customer side for load and demand prediction purposes have become ubiquitous after the advancements in the smart grid technologies. Within this context, short-term electrical energy consumption forecasting is a requisite for energy management and planning of all buildings from households and residences in the small-scale to huge building complexes in the large-scale. Today’s popular machine learning algorithms in the literature are commonly used to forecast short-term building electrical energy consumption by generating an abstruse analytical expression between explanatory variables and response variables. In this study, gene expression programming (GEP) and group method of data handling (GMDH) networks are meticulously employed for creating genuine and easily understandable mathematical models among predictor variables and target variables and forecasting short-term electrical energy consumption, belonging to a large hospital complex situated in the Eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, acquired results yielded mean absolute percentage errors of 0.620% for GMDH networks and 0.641% for GEP models, which reveal that the forecasting process can be accomplished and formulated simultaneously via proposed algorithms without the need of applying feature selection methods.
A Simulation Calculation Method of a Water Hammer with Multpoint Collapsing
Authors: Zhao Li , Yang Yusi , Wang Tong , Zhou Liang , Li Yong , Zhang Miao
Published: March 2020

The traditional discrete vapor cavity model (DVCM) is widely used in water hammer simulation. Water column separation in pipelines is usually predicted with this model. Nevertheless, the main weaknesses of this model consist of numerical instability and nonconvergence. Regarding the weaknesses of the traditional model, this paper discusses an improved method. The new method uses a new water hammer velocity formula, a new cavity model, and a floating grid method. Through simulations to test the effects of the new model, an experimental platform can be established to realize a water hammer with multipoint collapsing. The numerical simulation was programmed in C++ and the test was carried out with an actual pipeline model built in the laboratory. After certain modelling and calibration, the parameters in the simulation calculation were consistent with the measured parameters in the test. The numerical simulation results were compared with the experimental results. For the hydraulic transient system with multipoint collapsing, the superposition effect of the wave crest of the pseudo-water hammer in the traditional calculation model was obvious. The pressure of the water hammer in the simulation calculation was significantly higher than the actual value and the convergence effect of the water hammer wave was not good. Compared with the results of the traditional model, the simulation results of the new model were closer to the measured values. Therefore, the new model has better numerical solution accuracy, stability, and convergence, which is worth further study and promotion.
Winter Geometrid Moths in Oak Forests: Is Monitoring a Single Species Reliable to Predict Defoliation Risk?
Authors: Sarvašová Lenka , Kulfan Ján , Saniga Miroslav , Zúbrik Milan , Zach Peter
Published: March 2020

Species within the group of winter moths (Geometridae) are important oak defoliators in European forests. Adults of these species emerge either in late autumn (‘autumn species’) or in early spring (‘spring species’), and caterpillars of both ‘autumn’ and ‘spring’ species appear in spring. The abundance of adults assessed by regular monitoring allows the prediction of the defoliation intensity in trees by caterpillars in the following spring. ‘Autumn species’ (mostly a single one, Operophtera brumata) are monitored by forestry practices as pests, whereas ‘spring species’ are often not paid any attention. We hypothesised that ‘spring species’ could also have an important share in caterpillar assemblages in oak forests. We aimed to study the proportions between ‘autumn’ and ‘spring’ species in adult and larval stages. In a xeric thermophilous oak forest in southern Slovakia, Central Europe, we collected adult moths using sticky bands set up on trunks of Quercus pubescens during the winter of 2014–2015 and caterpillars from other trees belonging to the same oak species over the following spring. We also captured caterpillars from several oak species in various areas and over different years in Slovakia and Bulgaria, and we compiled relevant literature data. ‘Spring species’ recorded from a unique forest as adults during winter and as caterpillars in the following spring were significantly more abundant than ‘autumn species.’ Moreover, ‘spring species’ from Slovakian forests, regardless of the locality, the oak species and the year of sampling, reached high proportions, mostly over 50% of individuals in caterpillar assemblages. The ‘spring species’ Agriopis leucophaearia was the most abundant, followed by the ‘autumn species’ Operophtera brumata. ‘Spring species’ accounted for more than 50% of individuals in caterpillar assemblages in the Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria) concerning one case, and they were of little importance in northern Greece. We recommend monitoring all winter moth adults (‘autumn’ and ‘spring’ species together) continuously in forestry practices, using sticky bands on oak trees from late autumn to early spring.
Dynamics of Strategy Distributions in a One-Dimensional Continuous Trait Space for Games with a Quadratic Payoff Function
Authors: Karev Georgiy
Published: March 2020

Evolution of distribution of strategies in game theory is an interesting question that has been studied only for specific cases. Here I develop a general method to extend analysis of the evolution of continuous strategy distributions given a quadratic payoff function for any initial distribution in order to answer the following question—given the initial distribution of strategies in a game, how will it evolve over time? I look at several specific examples, including normal distribution on the entire line, normal truncated distribution, as well as exponential and uniform distributions. I show that in the case of a negative quadratic term of the payoff function, regardless of the initial distribution, the current distribution of strategies becomes normal, full or truncated, and it tends to a distribution concentrated in a single point so that the limit state of the population is monomorphic. In the case of a positive quadratic term, the limit state of the population may be dimorphic. The developed method can now be applied to a broad class of questions pertaining to evolution of strategies in games with different payoff functions and different initial distributions.
Intraspecific Genomic Divergence and Minor Structural Variations in Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis
Authors: Patino Luz H. , Muñoz Marina , Muskus Carlos , Méndez Claudia , Ramírez Juan David
Published: March 2020

Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis is one of the most important Leishmania species associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Latin America. Despite its wide geographic distribution and pathogenic potential in humans and animals, the genomic variability of this species is low compared with other Leishmania species circulating in the same geographical area. No studies have reported a detailed analysis of the whole genome of L. panamensis from clinical isolates using DNA high-throughput sequencing to clarify its intraspecific genomic variability or plausible divergence. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the intraspecific genomic variability of L. panamensis from Colombia and Panama. A total of 22 genomes were analyzed, 19 from Colombian patients with CL and three genomes from Panama obtained from public databases. The phylogenomic analysis revealed the potential existence of three well-supported clades as evidence of intraspecific divergence. Additionally, the whole-genome analysis showed low structural variations in terms of ploidy, copy number variations, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs shared among all clades were identified, revealing their importance in different biological processes of L. panamensis. The findings not only expand our knowledge of intraspecific genomic variability of one of the most important Leishmania species in South America but also highlights the possible existence of different clades/lineages/subpopulations across a geographic scale.
Complete Range of the Universal mtDNA Gene Pool and High Genetic Diversity in the Thai Dog Population
Authors: Zhang Liangliang , Liu Yilin , Thai Ke Quan , Ardalan Arman , Boonyaprakob Ukadej , Savolainen Peter
Published: March 2020

The dog population of Southern East Asia is unique in harboring virtually the full range of the universal mtDNA gene pool, and consequently, it has the highest genetic diversity worldwide. Despite this, limited research has been performed on dog genetics within this region. Here we present the first comprehensive study of a sub-region within Southern East Asia, analyzing 528 bp of mtDNA for 265 dogs from Thailand, in the context of dogs from across the Old World. We found that Thailand was the only region in the world that has the full range of the universal mtDNA gene pool, that is, all 10 sub-haplogroups. Consequently, the statistics for diversity are among the highest, especially in North Thailand, which had high values for haplotype diversity and the number of haplotypes, and the lowest proportion of individuals with a universal type-derived haplotype (UTd) among all regions. As previously observed, genetic diversity is distinctly lower outside Southern East Asia and it decreases following a cline to the lowest values in western Eurasia. Thus, the limited geographical region of Thailand harbors a distinctly higher genetic diversity than much larger regions in western Eurasia, for example, Southwest Asia and Europe which have only five and four of the 10 sub-haplogroups, respectively. Within Thailand, diversity statistics for all four sub-regions follow the general pattern of Southern East Asia, but North Thailand stands out with its high diversity compared to the other regions. These results show that a small part of Southern East Asia harbors the full range of the mtDNA gene pool, and they emphasize the exceptional genetic status of Southern East Asia. This indicates that today’s dogs can trace a major part of their ancestry to Southern East Asia or closely situated regions, highlighting Thailand as a region of special interest. Considering the large genetic diversity found in Thailand and that many neighboring regions, e.g., Myanmar and Laos, have not been studied for dog genetics, it is possible that large parts of the dog gene pool remain undiscovered. It will be an important task for future studies to fill in these blanks on the phylogeographic map.
History of DNA Helicases
Authors: Brosh Robert M. , Matson Steven W.
Published: March 2020

Since the discovery of the DNA double helix, there has been a fascination in understanding the molecular mechanisms and cellular processes that account for: (i) the transmission of genetic information from one generation to the next and (ii) the remarkable stability of the genome. Nucleic acid biologists have endeavored to unravel the mysteries of DNA not only to understand the processes of DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription but to also characterize the underlying basis of genetic diseases characterized by chromosomal instability. Perhaps unexpectedly at first, DNA helicases have arisen as a key class of enzymes to study in this latter capacity. From the first discovery of ATP-dependent DNA unwinding enzymes in the mid 1970’s to the burgeoning of helicase-dependent pathways found to be prevalent in all kingdoms of life, the story of scientific discovery in helicase research is rich and informative. Over four decades after their discovery, we take this opportunity to provide a history of DNA helicases. No doubt, many chapters are left to be written. Nonetheless, at this juncture we are privileged to share our perspective on the DNA helicase field – where it has been, its current state, and where it is headed.
Differential Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Proteomic Profiles of Suicide Victims with Mood Disorders
Authors: Cabello-Arreola Alejandra , Ho Ada Man-Choi , Ozerdem Aysegul , Cuellar-Barboza Alfredo B. , Kucuker Mehmet U. , Heppelmann Carrie J. , Charlesworth M. Cristine , Ceylan Deniz , Stockmeier Craig A. , Rajkowska Grazyna , Frye Mark A. , Choi Doo-Sup , Veldic Marin
Published: March 2020

Suicide is a major public health concern; nevertheless, its neurobiology remains unknown. An area of interest in suicide research is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). We aimed to identify altered proteins and potential biological pathways in the DLPFC of individuals who died by suicide employing mass spectrometry-based untargeted proteomics. Postmortem DLPFC from age-matched male suicide mood disorder cases (n = 5) and non-suicide mood disorder cases (n = 5) were compared. The proteins that differed between groups at false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted p-values (Benjamini–Hochberg–Yekutieli) <0.3 and Log2 fold change (FC) >|0.4| were considered statistically significant and were subjected to pathway analysis by Qiagen Ingenuity software. Thirty-three of the 5162 detected proteins showed significantly altered expression levels in the suicide cases and two of them after adjustment for body mass index. The top differentially expressed protein was potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 3 (KCNQ3) (Log2FC = −0.481, p = 2.10 × 10−09, FDR = 5.93 × 10−06), which also showed a trend to downregulation in Western blot (p = 0.045, Bonferroni adjusted p = 0.090). The most notably enriched pathway was the GABA receptor signaling pathway (p < 0.001). Here, we report a reduction trend of KCNQ3 levels in the DLPFC of male suicide victims with mood disorders. Further studies with a larger sample size and equal sex representation are needed.
Comparative Analysis of miRNA Expression Profiles between Heat-Tolerant and Heat-Sensitive Genotypes of Flowering Chinese Cabbage Under Heat Stress Using High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Ahmed Waqas , Li Ronghua , Xia Yanshi , Bai Guihua , H. M. Siddique Kadambot , Zhang Hua , Zheng Yansong , Yang Xinquan , Guo Peiguo
Published: March 2020

Heat stress disturbs cellular homeostasis, thus usually impairs yield of flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in plant responses to different stresses by modulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. However, the roles that miRNAs and their target genes may play in heat tolerance of flowering Chinese cabbage remain poorly characterized. The current study sequenced six small RNA libraries generated from leaf tissues of flowering Chinese cabbage collected at 0, 6, and 12 h after 38 °C heat treatment, and identified 49 putative novel miRNAs and 43 known miRNAs that differentially expressed between heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive flowering Chinese cabbage. Among them, 14 novel and nine known miRNAs differentially expressed only in the heat-tolerant genotype under heat-stress, therefore, their target genes including disease resistance protein TAO1-like, RPS6, reticuline oxidase-like protein, etc. might play important roles in enhancing heat-tolerance. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that targets of these differentially expressed miRNAs may play key roles in responses to temperature stimulus, cell part, cellular process, cell, membrane, biological regulation, binding, and catalytic activities. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis identified their important functions in signal transduction, environmental adaptation, global and overview maps, as well as in stress adaptation and in MAPK signaling pathways such as cell death. These findings provide insight into the functions of the miRNAs in heat stress tolerance of flowering Chinese cabbage.
Eutrophication Monitoring for Lake Pamvotis, Greece, Using Sentinel-2 Data
Authors: Peppa Maria , Vasilakos Christos , Kavroudakis Dimitris
Published: March 2020

The use of remote sensing to monitor inland waters and their current state is of high importance, as fresh waters are the habitat of many species of flora and fauna, and are also important for anthropogenic activities. Water quality can be monitored by many parameters, including dissolved suspended matter, phytoplankton, turbidity, and dissolved organic matter, while the concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) is a representative indicator for detecting phytoplankton and monitoring water quality. The detection of phytoplankton in water layers, through chl-a indicators, is an effective method for displaying eutrophication. Numerous scientific publications and studies have shown that remote sensing data and techniques are capable of monitoring the temporal and spatial distribution and variation of this phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate the eutrophication in Pamvotis Lake, in Ioannina, Greece with the application of chl-a detection algorithms, by using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery data for the time period of 2016–2018. The maximum chlorophyll index (MCI) and maximum peak-height (MPH) algorithms have been applied to top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance data, to detect chl-a and monitor the trophic range of the water body. Both algorithms were correlated and resulted in Pearson’s r values up to 0.95. Finally, the chl-a concentration was estimated by applying an empirical equation that correlates the MPH and chl-a concentration developed within previous studies. Those results were further analyzed and interpreted with spatial statistical methods, to understand the spatial distribution pattern of the eutrophication in our study area. Our results demonstrated that Pamvotis Lake is a eutrophic lake, and the highest chl-a concentration was located in the east and south-east of the lake during the study period. Sentinel-2 data can be a useful tool for lake managers, in order to estimate the spatial distribution of the chl-a concentration and identify areas prone to eutrophication, as well as the coastal zones that may influence the lake through water canals.
A Simplified Cluster Analysis of Electron Track Structure for Estimating Complex DNA Damage Yields
Authors: Matsuya Yusuke , Nakano Toshiaki , Kai Takeshi , Shikazono Naoya , Akamatsu Ken , Yoshii Yuji , Sato Tatsuhiko
Published: March 2020

Complex DNA damage, defined as at least two vicinal lesions within 10–20 base pairs (bp), induced after exposure to ionizing radiation, is recognized as fatal damage to human tissue. Due to the difficulty of directly measuring the aggregation of DNA damage at the nano-meter scale, many cluster analyses of inelastic interactions based on Monte Carlo simulation for radiation track structure in liquid water have been conducted to evaluate DNA damage. Meanwhile, the experimental technique to detect complex DNA damage has evolved in recent decades, so both approaches with simulation and experiment get used for investigating complex DNA damage. During this study, we propose a simplified cluster analysis of ionization and electronic excitation events within 10 bp based on track structure for estimating complex DNA damage yields for electron and X-ray irradiations. We then compare the computational results with the experimental complex DNA damage coupled with base damage (BD) measured by enzymatic cleavage and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The computational results agree well with experimental fractions of complex damage yields, i.e., single and double strand breaks (SSBs, DSBs) and complex BD, when the yield ratio of BD/SSB is assumed to be 1.3. Considering the comparison of complex DSB yields, i.e., DSB + BD and DSB + 2BD, between simulation and experimental data, we find that the aggregation degree of the events along electron tracks reflects the complexity of induced DNA damage, showing 43.5% of DSB induced after 70 kVp X-ray irradiation can be classified as a complex form coupled with BD. The present simulation enables us to quantify the type of complex damage which cannot be measured through in vitro experiments and helps us to interpret the experimental detection efficiency for complex BD measured by AFM. This simple model for estimating complex DNA damage yields contributes to the precise understanding of the DNA damage complexity induced after X-ray and electron irradiations.
Max Wilson and the Principles and Practice of Screening for Disease
Authors: Hall Kate
Published: March 2020

The name Wilson will be forever associated with co-author Jungner and ten principles of population screening published in 1968 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Public Health Papers No 34. These principles have since been used, modified or extended throughout much of Europe and beyond. Very little was known about Dr. J.M.G. Wilson and his life and how he came to write this monograph until the Silver Jubilee meeting of the International Society for Neonatal Screening held in The Hague in 2016. The opening session was chosen to be ‘The Wilson and Jungner criteria for screening for disease’.
Cognitive Interpersonal Model for Anorexia Nervosa Revisited: The Perpetuating Factors that Contribute to the Development of the Severe and Enduring Illness
Authors: Treasure Janet , Willmott Daniel , Ambwani Suman , Cardi Valentina , Clark Bryan Danielle , Rowlands Katie , Schmidt Ulrike
Published: March 2020

The cognitive interpersonal model was outlined initially in 2006 in a paper describing the valued and visible aspects of anorexia nervosa (Schmidt and Treasure, 2006). In 2013, we summarised many of the cognitive and emotional traits underpinning the model (Treasure and Schmidt, 2013). In this paper, we describe in more detail the perpetuating aspects of the model, which include the inter- and intrapersonal related consequences of isolation, depression, and chronic stress that accumulate in the severe and enduring stage of the illness. Since we developed the model, we have been using it to frame research and development at the Maudsley. We have developed and tested interventions for both patients and close others, refining the model through iterative cycles of model/intervention development in line with the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for complex interventions. For example, we have defined the consequences of living with the illness on close others (including medical professionals) and characterised the intense emotional reactions and behaviours that follow. For the individual with an eating disorder, these counter-reactions can allow the eating disorder to become entrenched. In addition, the consequent chronic stress from starvation and social pain set in motion processes such as depression, neuroprogression, and neuroadaptation. Thus, anorexia nervosa develops a life of its own that is resistant to treatment. In this paper, we describe the underpinnings of the model and how this can be targeted into treatment.
A Plasma Metabolomic Profiling of Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration Showing Carnosine and Mitochondrial Deficiencies
Authors: Chao de la Barca Juan M. , Rondet-Courbis Barnabé , Ferré Marc , Muller Jeanne , Buisset Adrien , Leruez Stéphanie , Plubeau Guillaume , Macé Thibaut , Moureauzeau Laurie , Chupin Stéphanie , Tessier Lydie , Blanchet Odile , Lenaers Guy , Procaccio Vincent , Mirebeau-Prunier Delphine , Simard Gilles , Gohier Philippe , Miléa Dan , Reynier Pascal
Published: March 2020

To determine the plasma metabolomic profile of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), we performed a targeted metabolomics study on the plasma from patients (n = 40, mean age = 81.1) compared to an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 40, mean age = 81.8). All included patients had documented exudative AMD, causing significant visual loss (mean logMAR visual acuity = 0.63), compared to the control group. Patients and controls did not differ in terms of body mass index and co-morbidities. Among the 188 metabolites analyzed, 150 (79.8%) were accurately measured. The concentrations of 18 metabolites were significantly modified in the AMD group, but only six of them remained significantly different after Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Valine, lysine, carnitine, valerylcarnitine and proline were increased, while carnosine, a dipeptide disclosing anti-oxidant and anti-glycating properties, was, on average, reduced by 50% in AMD compared to controls. Moreover, carnosine was undetectable for 49% of AMD patients compared to 18% in the control group (p-value = 0.0035). Carnitine is involved in the transfer of fatty acids within the mitochondria; proline, lysine and valerylcarnitine are substrates for mitochondrial electrons transferring flavoproteins, and proline is one of the main metabolites supplying energy to the retina. Overall, our results reveal six new metabolites involved in the plasma metabolomic profile of exudative AMD, suggesting mitochondrial energetic impairments and carnosine deficiency.
Relationship between Forward Head Posture and Tissue Mechanosensitivity: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Martinez-Merinero Patricia , Nuñez-Nagy Susana , Achalandabaso-Ochoa Alexander , Fernandez-Matias Ruben , Pecos-Martin Daniel , Gallego-Izquierdo Tomas
Published: March 2020

The relationship between forward head posture (FHP) and neck pain is not clear. FHP could possibly increase the mechanosensitivity of cervical tissues, which could lead to the development of pain depending on the adaptation capability of the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to analyse the influence of FHP in the mechanosensitivity of articular, muscular, and neural tissues related to the cervical spine. The pressure pain threshold was bilaterally measured in different muscles and nerves and the second cervical vertebrae. The cervical spine’s range of movement was also examined. The measurements were obtained from people with (n = 32) and without (n = 64) FHP. The analyses included a 2-by-2 mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA), pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction, and point-biserial correlation coefficients. Subjects with FHP showed a less pressure pain threshold (PPT) in all locations except for the upper trapezius and scalenus medius muscles. They also showed less extension and right-rotation range of motion. There was no association between FHP, neck pain, disability, and headache. Nevertheless, more research is needed to evaluate the relationship between FHP, tissue mechanosensitivity, and neck pain.
Histone Post-Translational Modifications and CircRNAs in Mouse and Human Spermatozoa: Potential Epigenetic Marks to Assess Human Sperm Quality
Authors: Chioccarelli Teresa , Pierantoni Riccardo , Manfrevola Francesco , Porreca Veronica , Fasano Silvia , Chianese Rosanna , Cobellis Gilda
Published: March 2020

Spermatozoa (SPZ) are motile cells, characterized by a cargo of epigenetic information including histone post-translational modifications (histone PTMs) and non-coding RNAs. Specific histone PTMs are present in developing germ cells, with a key role in spermatogenic events such as self-renewal and commitment of spermatogonia (SPG), meiotic recombination, nuclear condensation in spermatids (SPT). Nuclear condensation is related to chromatin remodeling events and requires a massive histone-to-protamine exchange. After this event a small percentage of chromatin is condensed by histones and SPZ contain nucleoprotamines and a small fraction of nucleohistone chromatin carrying a landascape of histone PTMs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a new class of non-coding RNAs, characterized by a nonlinear back-spliced junction, able to play as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, protein scaffolds and translation templates, have been recently characterized in both human and mouse SPZ. Since their abundance in eukaryote tissues, it is challenging to deepen their biological function, especially in the field of reproduction. Here we review the critical role of histone PTMs in male germ cells and the profile of circRNAs in mouse and human SPZ. Furthermore, we discuss their suggested role as novel epigenetic biomarkers to assess sperm quality and improve artificial insemination procedure.
Perioperative Hyperoxyphobia: Justified or Not? Benefits and Harms of Hyperoxia during Surgery
Authors: Weenink Robert P. , de Jonge Stijn W. , van Hulst Robert A. , Wingelaar Thijs T. , van Ooij Pieter-Jan A. M. , Immink Rogier V. , Preckel Benedikt , Hollmann Markus W.
Published: March 2020

The use of an inspiratory oxygen fraction of 0.80 during surgery is a topic of ongoing debate. Opponents claim that increased oxidative stress, atelectasis, and impaired oxygen delivery due to hyperoxic vasoconstriction are detrimental. Proponents point to the beneficial effects on the incidence of surgical site infections and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Also, hyperoxygenation is thought to extend the safety margin in case of acute intraoperative emergencies. This review provides a comprehensive risk-benefit analysis for the use of perioperative hyperoxia in noncritically ill adults based on clinical evidence and supported by physiological deduction where needed. Data from the field of hyperbaric medicine, as a model of extreme hyperoxygenation, are extrapolated to the perioperative setting. We ultimately conclude that current evidence is in favour of hyperoxia in noncritically ill intubated adult surgical patients.
Association between the Use of Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors and the Risk of Dementia among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Kuan-Chan , Chung Chi-Hsiang , Lu Chieh-Hua , Tzeng Nian-Sheng , Lee Chien-Hsing , Su Sheng-Chiang , Kuo Feng-Chih , Liu Jhih-Syuan , Hsieh Chang-Hsun , Chien Wu-Chien
Published: March 2020

Study Objectives: Diabetes mellitus per se and its related therapy have been frequently associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. However, studies that explored the risk of dementia from the use of the novel oral antidiabetic medication dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) have been limited, especially in Asian populations. The present study aimed to determine the effect of DPP-4i on the subsequent risk of dementia among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Taiwan. Methods: This study utilized data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database between 2008 and 2015. We enrolled 2903 patients aged ≥50 years, who were on DPP-4i for a diagnosis of T2D and had no dementia. A total of 11,612 subjects were included and compared with a propensity score-matched control group who did not use DPP-4i (non-DPP-4i group). Survival analysis was performed to estimate and compare the risk of dementia—including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other dementia types—between the two groups. Results: Both groups had a mean age of 68 years, had a preponderance of women (61.8%), and were followed up for a mean duration of 7 years. The risk of all-cause dementia was significantly lower in the DPP-4i group than in the non-DPP-4i group (hazard ratio (HR) 0.798; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.681–0.883; p < 0.001), with a class effect. This trend was particularly observed for vascular dementia (HR 0.575; 95% CI 0.404–0.681; p < 0.001), but not in Alzheimer’s disease (HR 0.891; 95% CI 0.712–1.265; p = 0.297). The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the preventive effect on dementia was positively correlated with the cumulative dose of DPP-4i. Conclusions: DPP-4i decreased the risk of dementia with a class effect, especially vascular dementia, but not in Alzheimer’s disease. Our results provide important information on the drug choice when managing patients with T2D in clinical practice.