bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of CCR2-Positive Macrophages in Pathological Ventricular Remodelling
Authors: Yerra Veera Ganesh , Advani Andrew
Published: March 2022

Even with recent advances in care, heart failure remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, which urgently needs new treatments. One of the major antecedents of heart failure is pathological ventricular remodelling, the abnormal change in the size, shape, function or composition of the cardiac ventricles in response to load or injury. Accumulating immune cell subpopulations contribute to the change in cardiac cellular composition that occurs during ventricular remodelling, and these immune cells can facilitate heart failure development. Among cardiac immune cell subpopulations, macrophages that are recognized by their transcriptional or cell-surface expression of the chemokine receptor C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), have emerged as playing an especially important role in adverse remodelling. Here, we assimilate the literature that has been generated over the past two decades describing the pathological roles that CCR2+ macrophages play in ventricular remodelling. The goal is to facilitate research and innovation efforts in heart failure therapeutics by drawing attention to the importance of studying the manner by which CCR2+ macrophages mediate their deleterious effects.
An Equivocal SCC Lesion—Antiepileptic-Induced CLOCC
Authors: Kuczyńska Maryla , Zbroja Monika , Cyranka Weronika , Halczuk Izabela , Kopyto Ewa , Halczuk Iwona , Drelich-Zbroja Anna
Published: March 2022

We present a case of a woman who reported to the emergency unit due to recurrent episodes of severe headache and collapse. MRI examination revealed no relevant findings apart from small meningioma of the right parietal region. The patient was diagnosed with epilepsy and received outpatient treatment, which was changed due to poor toleration. A follow-up MRI was performed which revealed an isolated, focal lesion of the splenium of the corpus callosum. The patient underwent extensive laboratory testing and antiseizure medications were started again. Another MRI indicated substantial regression of the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) lesion. Both the complete clinical image and results of the diagnostic evaluation spoke in favor of cytotoxicity of the corpus callosum associated with anti-epileptic drug treatment. Pathologies involving the corpus callosum include congenital, demyelination, infection, neoplasm, trauma and vascular changes. Isolated, non-specific lesions of the splenium of corpus callosum usually indicate multiple sclerosis; however, other pathologies should be considered. Anti-epileptic drugs may evoke cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs).
Chemotherapy Resistance: Role of Mitochondrial and Autophagic Components
Authors: Bahar Entaz , Han Sun-Young , Kim Ji-Ye , Yoon Hyonok
Published: March 2022

Cancer chemotherapy resistance is one of the most critical obstacles in cancer therapy. One of the well-known mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance is the change in the mitochondrial death pathways which occur when cells are under stressful situations, such as chemotherapy. Mitophagy, or mitochondrial selective autophagy, is critical for cell quality control because it can efficiently break down, remove, and recycle defective or damaged mitochondria. As cancer cells use mitophagy to rapidly sweep away damaged mitochondria in order to mediate their own drug resistance, it influences the efficacy of tumor chemotherapy as well as the degree of drug resistance. Yet despite the importance of mitochondria and mitophagy in chemotherapy resistance, little is known about the precise mechanisms involved. As a consequence, identifying potential therapeutic targets by analyzing the signal pathways that govern mitophagy has become a vital research goal. In this paper, we review recent advances in mitochondrial research, mitophagy control mechanisms, and their implications for our understanding of chemotherapy resistance.
Role of Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Oligometastatic Non-Oncogene Addicted NSCLC
Authors: Badellino Serena , Levis Mario , Cuffini Erica , Cerrato Marzia , Orlandi Erika , Chiovatero Ilaria , Aprile Arianna , Gastino Alessio , Cavallin Chiara , Iorio Giuseppe , Parise Ramona , Mantovani Cristina , Ricardi Umberto
Published: March 2022

Local ablative therapy (LAT), intended as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery, is a well-recognized effective treatment for selected patients with oligometastatic NSCLC. Current clinical evidence supports LAT alone or in combination with systemic therapies. Our retrospective mono-institutional study aims to assess the role of LAT with a peculiar focus on the largest series of non-oncogene addicted oligometastatic NSCLC patients to date. We included in this analysis all patients with the mentioned disease characteristics who underwent LAT for intracranial and/or extracranial metastases between 2011 and 2020. The main endpoints were local control (LC), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the whole population and after stratification for prognostic factors. We identified a series of 245 consecutive patients (314 lesions), included in this analysis (median age 69 years). In 77% of patients, a single metastasis was treated with LAT and intracranial involvement was the most frequent indication (53% of patients) in our series. The overall response rate (ORR) after LAT was 95%. In case of disease progression, 66 patients underwent new local treatments with curative intent. With a median follow-up of 18 months, median PFS was 13 months (1-year PFS 50%) and median OS was 32 months (1-year OS 75%). The median LC was not reached (1-year LC 89%). The presence of brain metastases was the only factor that negatively affected all clinical endpoints, with a 1-year LC, PFS and OS of 82%, 29% and 62% respectively, compared to 95%, 73% and 91%, respectively, for patients without BMs (p < 0.001 for each endpoint). At the multivariate analysis, mediastinal nodal involvement at baseline (p = 0.049), ECOG PS = 1 (p = 0.011), intracranial disease involvement (p = 0.001), administration of chemotherapy in combination with LAT (p = 0.020), and no delivery of further local treatment for progression or delivery of focal treatment for intracranial progression (p < 0.001) were related to a poorer OS. In our retrospective series, which is to our knowledge the largest to date, LAT showed encouraging results and confirmed the safety and effectiveness of focal treatments in non-oncogene addicted oligometastatic NSCLC patients.
Advances in High Throughput Proteomics Profiling in Establishing Potential Biomarkers for Gastrointestinal Cancer
Authors: Islam Khan Md Zahirul , Tam Shing Yau , Law Helen Ka Wai
Published: March 2022

Gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) remain the most diagnosed cancers and accounted for the highest cancer-related death globally. The prognosis and treatment outcomes of many GICs are poor because most of the cases are diagnosed in advanced metastatic stages. This is primarily attributed to the deficiency of effective and reliable early diagnostic biomarkers. The existing biomarkers for GICs diagnosis exhibited inadequate specificity and sensitivity. To improve the early diagnosis of GICs, biomarkers with higher specificity and sensitivity are warranted. Proteomics study and its functional analysis focus on elucidating physiological and biological functions of unknown or annotated proteins and deciphering cellular mechanisms at molecular levels. In addition, quantitative analysis of translational proteomics is a promising approach in enhancing the early identification and proper management of GICs. In this review, we focus on the advances in mass spectrometry along with the quantitative and functional analysis of proteomics data that contributes to the establishment of biomarkers for GICs including, colorectal, gastric, hepatocellular, pancreatic, and esophageal cancer. We also discuss the future challenges in the validation of proteomics-based biomarkers for their translation into clinics.
Biallelic Variants in ENDOG Associated with Mitochondrial Myopathy and Multiple mtDNA Deletions
Authors: Nasca Alessia , Legati Andrea , Meneri Megi , Ermert Melisa Emel , Frascarelli Chiara , Zanetti Nadia , Garbellini Manuela , Comi Giacomo Pietro , Catania Alessia , Lamperti Costanza , Ronchi Dario , Ghezzi Daniele
Published: March 2022

Endonuclease G (ENDOG) is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial-localized nuclease. Although its precise biological function remains unclear, its proximity to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) makes it an excellent candidate to participate in mtDNA replication, metabolism and maintenance. Indeed, several roles for ENDOG have been hypothesized, including maturation of RNA primers during mtDNA replication, splicing of polycistronic transcripts and mtDNA repair. To date, ENDOG has been deemed as a determinant of cardiac hypertrophy, but no pathogenic variants or genetically defined patients linked to this gene have been described. Here, we report biallelic ENDOG variants identified by NGS in a patient with progressive external ophthalmoplegia, mitochondrial myopathy and multiple mtDNA deletions in muscle. The absence of the ENDOG protein in the patient’s muscle and fibroblasts indicates that the identified variants are pathogenic. The presence of multiple mtDNA deletions supports the role of ENDOG in mtDNA maintenance; moreover, the patient’s clinical presentation is very similar to mitochondrial diseases caused by mutations in other genes involved in mtDNA homeostasis. Although the patient’s fibroblasts did not present multiple mtDNA deletions or delay in the replication process, interestingly, we detected an accumulation of low-level heteroplasmy mtDNA point mutations compared with age-matched controls. This may indicate a possible role of ENDOG in mtDNA replication or repair. Our report provides evidence of the association of ENDOG variants with mitochondrial myopathy.
Thyroidal Transcriptomic Profiles of Pathoadaptive Responses to Congenital Hypothyroidism in XB130 Knockout Mice
Authors: Sugihara Junichi , Wong Aaron , Shimizu Hiroki , Zhao Jinbo , Cho Hae-Ra , Wang Yingchun , Refetoff Samuel , Arvan Peter , Liu Mingyao
Published: March 2022

Congenital hypothyroidism is a genetic condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce sufficient thyroid hormone (TH), resulting in metabolic dysfunction and growth retardation. Xb130−/− mice exhibit perturbations of thyrocyte cytoskeleton and polarity, and develop postnatal transient growth retardation due to congenital hypothyroidism, leading ultimately to multinodular goiter. To determine the underlying mechanisms, we performed transcriptomic analyses on thyroid glands of mice at three age points: week 2 (W2, before visible growth retardation), W4 (at the nadir of growth); and W12 (immediately before full growth recovery). Using gene set enrichment analysis, we compared a defined set of thyroidal genes between Xb130+/+ and Xb130−/− mice to identify differentially enriched gene clusters. At the earliest postnatal stage (W2), the thyroid glands of Xb130−/− mice exhibited significantly downregulated gene clusters related to cellular metabolism, which continued to W4. Additionally, mutant thyroids at W4 and W12 showed upregulated gene clusters related to extracellular matrix, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation. At W12, despite nearly normal levels of serum TH and TSH and body size, a significantly large number of gene clusters related to inflammatory response were upregulated. Early postnatal TH deficiency may suppress cellular metabolism within the thyroid gland itself. Upregulation of genes related to extracellular matrix and angiogenesis may promote subsequent thyroid growth. Chronic inflammatory responses may contribute to the pathogenesis of multinodular goiter in later life. Some of the pathoadaptive responses of Xb130−/− mice may overlap with those from other mutations causing congenital hypothyroidism.
Hydrogen Sulfide Produced by Gut Bacteria May Induce Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Murros Kari Erik
Published: March 2022

Several bacterial species can generate hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Study evidence favors the view that the microbiome of the colon harbors increased amounts of H2S producing bacteria in Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, H2S can easily penetrate cell membranes and enter the cell interior. In the cells, excessive amounts of H2S can potentially release cytochrome c protein from the mitochondria, increase the iron content of the cytosolic iron pool, and increase the amount of reactive oxygen species. These events can lead to the formation of alpha-synuclein oligomers and fibrils in cells containing the alpha-synuclein protein. In addition, bacterially produced H2S can interfere with the body urate metabolism and affect the blood erythrocytes and lymphocytes. Gut bacteria responsible for increased H2S production, especially the mucus-associated species of the bacterial genera belonging to the Desulfovibrionaceae and Enterobacteriaceae families, are likely play a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Special attention should be devoted to changes not only in the colonic but also in the duodenal microbiome composition with regard to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Influenza infections may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by causing the overgrowth of H2S-producing bacteria both in the colon and duodenum.
Bicarbonate-Independent Sodium Conductance of Na/HCO3 Cotransporter NBCn1 Decreases NMDA Receptor Function
Authors: Choi Inyeong , Yang Hansoo , Kim Eunjin , Lee Soojung
Published: March 2022

The sodium bicarbonate cotransporter NBCn1 is an electroneutral transporter with a channel activity that conducts Na+ in a HCO3–-independent manner. This channel activity was suggested to functionally affect other membrane proteins which permeate Na+ influx. We previously reported that NBCn1 is associated with the NMDA receptors (NMDARs) at the molecular and physiological levels. In this study, we examined whether NBCn1 channel activity affects NMDAR currents and whether this effect involves the interaction between the two proteins. NBCn1 and the NMDAR subunits GluN1A/GluN2A were expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and glutamate currents produced by the receptors were measured using two-electrode voltage clamp. In the absence of CO2/HCO3–, NBCn1 channel activity decreased glutamate currents mediated by GluN1A/GluN2A. NBCn1 also decreased the slope of the current–voltage relationships for the glutamate current. Similar effects on the glutamate current were observed with and without PSD95, which can cluster NBCn1 and NMDARs. The channel activity was also observed in the presence of CO2/HCO3–. We conclude that NBCn1 channel activity decreases NMDAR function. Given that NBCn1 knockout mice develop a downregulation of NMDARs, our results are unexpected and suggest that NBCn1 has dual effects on NMDARs. It stabilizes NMDAR expression but decreases receptor function by its Na+ channel activity. The dual effects may play an important role in fine-tuning the regulation of NMDARs in the brain.
Radiomic and Artificial Intelligence Analysis with Textural Metrics Extracted by Contrast-Enhanced Mammography and Dynamic Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect Breast Malignant Lesions
Authors: Fusco Roberta , Di Bernardo Elio , Piccirillo Adele , Rubulotta Maria Rosaria , Petrosino Teresa , Barretta Maria Luisa , Mattace Raso Mauro , Vallone Paolo , Raiano Concetta , Di Giacomo Raimondo , Siani Claudio , Avino Franca , Scognamiglio Giosuè , Di Bonito Maurizio , Granata Vincenza , Petrillo Antonella
Published: March 2022

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to discriminate between benign and malignant breast lesions through several classifiers using, as predictors, radiomic metrics extracted from CEM and DCE-MRI images. In order to optimize the analysis, balancing and feature selection procedures were performed. Methods: Fifty-four patients with 79 histo-pathologically proven breast lesions (48 malignant lesions and 31 benign lesions) underwent both CEM and DCE-MRI. The lesions were retrospectively analyzed with radiomic and artificial intelligence approaches. Forty-eight textural metrics were extracted, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed: non-parametric statistical test, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and machine learning classifiers. Results: Considering the single metrics extracted from CEM, the best predictors were KURTOSIS (area under ROC curve (AUC) = 0.71) and SKEWNESS (AUC = 0.71) calculated on late MLO view. Considering the features calculated from DCE-MRI, the best predictors were RANGE (AUC = 0.72), ENERGY (AUC = 0.72), ENTROPY (AUC = 0.70) and GLN (gray-level nonuniformity) of the gray-level run-length matrix (AUC = 0.72). Considering the analysis with classifiers and an unbalanced dataset, no significant results were obtained. After the balancing and feature selection procedures, higher values of accuracy, specificity and AUC were reached. The best performance was obtained considering 18 robust features among all metrics derived from CEM and DCE-MRI, using a linear discriminant analysis (accuracy of 0.84 and AUC = 0.88). Conclusions: Classifiers, adjusted with adaptive synthetic sampling and feature selection, allowed for increased diagnostic performance of CEM and DCE-MRI in the differentiation between benign and malignant lesions.
Promise of AI in DeFi, a Systematic Review
Authors: Sadman Nafiz , Ahsan Md Manjurul , Rahman Abdur , Siddique Zahed , Gupta Kishor Datta
Published: March 2022

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is an emerging and revolutionizing field with notable uncertainties of reliability to be used on a mass scale. On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proved to be a crucial helping tool in numerous domains. In this study, we present a systematic review of the utility of AI in DeFi in terms of impact, reliability, and security and conduct exhaustive analysis. The review was motivated by an in-depth investigation of recently published literature that prioritized AI and DeFi in their research. This research, like many prior studies, examined the articles in terms of impact, reliability, and security. In addition, a new relevance score is introduced to better comprehend the quality of the content. According to investigation, the combination of AI and DeFi is one of the trending research topics that lacks adequate interpretations of black-box methodologies. Furthermore, it was discovered that one of the primary issues in DeFi is security, and numerous technologies, including blockchain technology and machine learning approaches, have been used to minimize such challenges. We hope that the gap addressed throughout this review will give insights to future researchers and practitioners, ultimately leading to new research opportunities in AI to bridge the gap of trust between peers and make the integration of DeFi more agile in the near future.
Modelling Asymmetric Unemployment Dynamics: The Logarithmic-Harmonic Potential Approach
Authors: Hui Cho-Hoi , Lo Chi-Fai , Ip Ho-Yan
Published: March 2022

Asymmetric behaviour has been documented in unemployment rates which increase quickly in recessions but decline relatively slowly during expansions. To model such asymmetric dynamics, this paper provides a rigorous derivation of the asymmetric mean-reverting fundamental dynamics governing the unemployment rate based on a model of a simple labour supply and demand (fundamental) relationship, and shows that the fundamental dynamics is a unique choice following the Rayleigh process. By analogy, such a fundamental can be considered as a one-dimensional overdamped Brownian particle moving in a logarithmic–harmonic potential well, and a simple prototype of stochastic heat engines. The solution of the model equation illustrates that the unemployment rate rises faster with more flattened potential well of the fundamental, more ample labour supply, and less anchored expectation of the unemployment rate, suggesting asymmetric unemployment rate dynamics in recessions and expansions. We perform explicit calibration of both the unemployment rate and fundamental dynamics, confirming the validity of our model for the fundamental dynamics.
Quantifying Reinforcement-Learning Agent’s Autonomy, Reliance on Memory and Internalisation of the Environment
Authors: Ingel Anti , Makkeh Abdullah , Corcoll Oriol , Vicente Raul
Published: March 2022

Intuitively, the level of autonomy of an agent is related to the degree to which the agent’s goals and behaviour are decoupled from the immediate control by the environment. Here, we capitalise on a recent information-theoretic formulation of autonomy and introduce an algorithm for calculating autonomy in a limiting process of time step approaching infinity. We tackle the question of how the autonomy level of an agent changes during training. In particular, in this work, we use the partial information decomposition (PID) framework to monitor the levels of autonomy and environment internalisation of reinforcement-learning (RL) agents. We performed experiments on two environments: a grid world, in which the agent has to collect food, and a repeating-pattern environment, in which the agent has to learn to imitate a sequence of actions by memorising the sequence. PID also allows us to answer how much the agent relies on its internal memory (versus how much it relies on the observations) when transitioning to its next internal state. The experiments show that specific terms of PID strongly correlate with the obtained reward and with the agent’s behaviour against perturbations in the observations.
Pre-Conceptual Design of the Research High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor TeResa for Non-Electrical Applications
Authors: Skrzypek Eleonora , Muszyński Dominik , Skrzypek Maciej , Darnowski Piotr , Malesa Janusz , Boettcher Agnieszka , Dąbrowski Mariusz P.
Published: March 2022

In line with Polish national activities and research programs investigating non-electrical-reactor use, the national GOSPOSTRATEG-HTR project was launched, aiming at the development of a novel pre-conceptual design of a High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR). The 40 MWth research reactor would serve as a technology demonstrator for future industrial purposes. In the paper, the proposal of an established thermal-hydraulic and neutronic core design is presented as a result of the National Centre for Nuclear Research team studies, in the scope of the project, including the areas of fluid mechanics, heat exchange and reactor neutronic core design support analyses. The undertaken analyses were confirmed by the series of code investigations involving integral thermal-hydraulic (MELCOR (Sandia National Laboratories, USA), CATHARE (CEA, France)), neutronic (Serpent (VTT, Finland), MCB (AGH University’s Department of Nuclear Energy, Poland)), Computational Fluid Dynamics (ANSYS Fluent (ANSYS, USA)) and others. The calculations performed within the preliminary safety analysis on the pre-concept showed its compliance with international safety standards for the normal operation and Design Basis Accident sequences.
Pure Alloy Additive or Preliminary Alloy: A Comparative Study on Obtaining High-Strength Copper Magnesium Alloys Designed for Electrical Power Systems
Authors: Strzępek Paweł , Zasadzińska Małgorzata
Published: March 2022

Due to the increasing demand for electrical energy in modern society, there is a huge requirement for conducting materials and, due to the development of electromobility, this demand is forecasted to grow each year. This is one of the reasons why copper and copper alloys manufacturing and processing industries tend to evolve and improve. One of the improvement paths is the design of new conducting materials for electrical power systems, electrical energy transmission, and energy storage systems. This paper presents a comparative study on obtaining high-strength copper magnesium alloys in terms of the alloy additive used during the metallurgical synthesis process, because this is a crucial, initial element in obtaining the final conducting product, such as wires. The obtained ingots were tested in terms of their chemical composition, and mechanical and physical properties. The provided results prove that there is a significant increase in the materials’ hardness (and thus the ultimate tensile strength), and a slight decrease in density, impact resistance, and electrical conductivity, as the Mg content increases. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and phase analysis were additionally conducted in order to determine the distribution and origin of Mg precipitations. Collectively, the results show that the CuMg alloys may successfully replace other alloys, such as CuNiSi or CuZn, as carrying and conducting materials because their properties are superior to those of the aforementioned materials.
Influence of the Number of Ground Motions on Fragility Analysis of 5 MW Wind Turbines Subjected to Aerodynamic and Seismic Loads Interaction
Authors: Yuan Chenyang , Xie Yunfei , Li Jing , Bai Weifeng , Li Haohao
Published: March 2022

In this paper, the influence of the number of ground motions on fragility analysis of 5 MW wind turbines under the excitation of aerodynamic and seismic loads is investigated to acquire the sufficient number of records for reasonable fragility estimation. Two scenarios, parked and normal operation, were simulated with the number of actual recorded ground motions ranging from 2 to 48. The fragility function parameters are estimated by utilizing the method of multiple stripe analysis (MSA), and the relationship between the number of ground motions and estimated parameters for each scenario is discussed. In addition, the influence of the number of ground motions on the range of estimated parameters with a 95% confidence interval is also discussed. The simulation results show that there are significant differences between the two scenarios in terms of fragility analysis for 5 MW wind turbines with the interaction of wind and seismic loads, and the lesser number of earthquakes is needed for a normal operation scenario compared to the parked scenario when obtaining the same accuracy fragility estimation. Furthermore, the appropriate number of ground motions to accurately estimate the fragility parameters of 5 MW wind turbines for the two scenarios is presented herein, which is almost unaffected by different wind spectra.
Efficient Energy Distribution for Smart Household Applications
Authors: Rana Md Masud , Rahman Akhlaqur , Uddin Moslem , Sarkar Md Rasel , Shezan SK. A. , Reza C M F S , Ishraque Md. Fatin , Hossain Mohammad Belayet
Published: March 2022

Energy distribution technique is an essential obligation of an intelligent household system to assure optimal and economical operation. This paper considers a small-scale household system detached from the power grids consisting of some electrical components in day-to-day life. Optimal power distribution generated from a photovoltaic system is vital for ensuring economic and uninterrupted power flow. This paper presents an optimal energy distribution technique for a small-scale smart household system to ensure uninterrupted and economical operation. A photovoltaic (PV) system is considered as the primary generation system, and a battery energy storage system (BESS) is viewed as a backup power supply source. The actual load and PV generation data are used to validate the proposed technique collected from the test household system. Two different load profiles and photovoltaic power generation scenarios, namely summer and winter scenarios, are considered for case studies in this research. An actual test household system is designed in MATLAB/Simulink software for analyzing the proposed technique. The result reveals the effectiveness of the proposed technique, which can distribute the generated power and utilize the BESS unit to ensure the optimal operation. An economic analysis is conducted for the household system to determine the economic feasibility. The capital investment of the system can be returned within around 5.67 years, and the net profit of the system is 2.53 times more than the total capital investment of the system. The proposed technique can ensure economical operation, reducing the overall operating cost and ensuring an environment-friendly power system. The developed strategy can be implemented in a small-scale detached interconnected smart household system for practical operation to distribute the generated energy optimally and economically.
Spatio-Temporal Variation in Soil Nutrients and Plant Recovery across a Fire-Severity Gradient in Old-Growth Araucaria-Nothofagus Forests of South-Central Chile
Authors: Fuentes-Ramirez Andrés , Almonacid-Muñoz Leonardo , Muñoz-Gómez Nayadeth , Moloney Kirk A.
Published: March 2022

Forest fires can alter essential ecosystem processes, including soil nutrient cycling, potentially cascading into permanent vegetation changes. This is key to elucidate in ecosystems where fires are infrequent. We assessed the effects of fire severity on the spatio-temporal response of soil nutrients and plant diversity in old-growth forests of south-central Chile, 1, 2, and 3 years after a fire that occurred in 2015. Within ancient, old-growth Araucaria araucana (Mol.) K. Koch and Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. and Endl.) Krasser forests, ranging from areas burned with fire of high severity to unburned forests, we evaluated nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and soil organic matter (SOM) content using spatial interpolation to predict their spatial distribution and assessed their availability over time. We also assessed plant species richness and abundance following the fire. The availability of N noticeably increased during the first year after fire but rapidly decreased in the following years, especially in areas of high fire severity. P, K, and SOM were less affected by the fire, remaining more constant over time. In the short term, plant species richness and diversity significantly decreased in severely burned areas, but over time, they became more similar to those of the unburned forests. The time since a fire and its severity determine a heterogeneous distribution of soil nutrients, with N shifting to a significantly lower availability after fire, which was more notable in areas of high fire severity. Here, vegetation exhibited a decrease in plant diversity and the establishment of exotic species, likely producing cascading effects at the community level.
Effect of Resistant Starch Sources on the Physical Properties of Dough and on the Eating Quality and Glycemic Index of Salted Noodles
Authors: Li Po-Hsien , Wang Chien-Wen , Lu Wen-Chien , Chan Yung-Jia , Wang Chiun-Chuan Roger
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and eating quality of salted noodles that are incorporated with different formulations of flour. Up to 20% of wheat flour was substituted by composite flours of highly resistant starches, including heat moisture treatment corn starch (HMT-CS), high-amylose corn starch (Hylon VII), and green banana flour (GBF). The physical properties of dough, in conjunction with the eating quality and estimated glycemic index (EGI) of cooked salted noodles, were investigated in this study. The results concluded that the incorporation of GBF, HMT, and Hylon VII not only affected the water absorption and mixing tolerance of the dough, but also the maximum resistance to extension and extensibility in terms of the extensographic properties. Meanwhile, GBF, HMT, and Hylon VII incorporation significantly increased the resistant starch content and decreased the fat content of the noodle samples. The textural profile analyses of cooked salted noodles indicated that hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and shearing force increased; nevertheless, springiness declined with the increase in the proportion of flours from 10 to 20%. The sensory evaluation detected that wheat flour composited with 10% GBF and HMT flours could produce acceptable quality noodles as compared with normal typical control noodles. In the meantime, salted noodles incorporated with GBF, HMT-CS, and Hylon VII flour decreased the estimated glycemic index (EGI) dramatically. The result of this study concluded that incorporation of various sources of resistant starch flour could develop a low-GI noodle with good acceptability that may contribute to gastrointestinal health.
Preparation of Mesoporous Silica Nanosphere-Doped Color-Sensitive Materials and Application in Monitoring the TVB-N of Oysters
Authors: Guan Binbin , Wang Fuyun , Jiang Hao , Zhou Mi , Lin Hao
Published: March 2022

In this work, a new colorimetric sensor based on mesoporous silica nanosphere-modified color-sensitive materials was established for application in monitoring the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) of oysters. Firstly, mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) were synthesized based on the improved Stober method, then the color-sensitive materials were doped with MSNs. The “before image” and the “after image” of the colorimetric senor array, which was composed of nanocolorimetric-sensitive materials by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera were then collected. The different values of the before and after image were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, the error back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) was used to quantitatively predict the TVB-N values of the oysters. The correlation coefficient of the colorimetric sensor array after being doped with MSNs was greatly improved; the Rc and Rp of BP-ANN were 0.9971 and 0.9628, respectively when the principal components (PCs) were 10. Finally, a paired sample t-test was used to verify the accuracy and applicability of the BP-ANN model. The result shows that the colorimetric-sensitive materials doped with MSNs could improve the sensitivity of the colorimetric sensor array, and this research provides a fast and accurate method to detect the TVB-N values in oysters.
Effects of Ageing on Donkey Meat Chemical Composition, Fatty Acid Profile and Volatile Compounds
Authors: Polidori Paolo , Santini Giuseppe , Klimanova Yulia , Zhang Jing-Jing , Vincenzetti Silvia
Published: March 2022

Donkey meat samples obtained from muscle Longissimus Thoracis Lumborum (LTL) taken from 14 entire donkey males slaughtered at 20 months and aged for 1, 8 and 15 days were analysed with the aim of determining the chemical composition, physical attributes, fatty acid profile and volatile compounds. Ageing did not significantly affect the chemical composition and colour parameters, while cooking loss was significantly (p < 0.05) higher at 8 and 15 days of ageing. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content significantly (p < 0.01) increased during ageing, while shear force values significantly (p < 0.01) decreased. Ageing significantly (p < 0.05) increased polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) determined both at 8 and 15 days after slaughter. Volatile compounds were analysed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Among 109 volatile compounds determined in donkey meat, hydrocarbons were the most common molecules detected. Ageing affected 21 of the detected volatile compounds; both total aldehydes and total ketones contents were significantly (p < 0.05) higher 15 days after slaughter. Total furans and total alcohols were significantly (p < 0.01) higher 15 days after slaughter, as well. Significant modifications of donkey meat volatile compounds can be attributed to ageing periods longer than 7 days.
The Role of Beliefs, Pride, and Perceived Barriers in Decision-Making Regarding Purchasing Value-Added Pulse Products among US Consumers
Authors: Kim Sun-Hwa , Kuo Wan-Yuan
Published: March 2022

This study explores the underlying psychological structure of purchasing value-added pulse products. It expands the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model by incorporating an emotional factor and explains consumers’ attitudes and subsequent behavioral intentions in the context of value-added pulse products (VAPPs). The study results showed the significant effect of pride on the purchase intention of value-added pulse products, as well as the moderating effect of perceived barriers on some of the relationships among the variables. Although value-added pulse products are emerging as a means of income maximization in the agri-food industry, there is a lack of understanding about consumers who purchase these products. This study fills the gap by developing a research framework for agriculture-related businesses. The findings may provide further insights into consumers’ attitudes and behaviors in consuming agri-foods, thereby assisting pulse producers and marketers to develop a more effective marketing strategy.
Measuring Odor Transport of Narcotic Substances Using DART-MS
Authors: Zughaibi Torki A. , Furton Kenneth G. , Holness Howard K. , Peace Michelle R.
Published: March 2022

The employment of canines in matters of law enforcement is due to their heightened olfactory senses, which helps in evaluating the presence of illicit substances. However, there have been instances where canines are signaling the presence of narcotics when they are not there. This study aimed to analyze how active odorants transport from one area to another. Direct Analysis in Real-Time coupled to a high-resolution mass spectrometer (DART-MS) was used to analyze, in real-time, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of two narcotic substances: cocaine and methamphetamine. This study found that the transfer of VOCs from these narcotics does occur. Methyl benzoate was detected at 39.3 ± 3.2 s after exposure from 3 meters away, whereas benzaldehyde was detected at 43.3 ± 0.6 s from the same distance. The guidelines used for canine certification should be revisited to account for these results to lower or eliminate unconfirmed alerts by canines.
On Certain Integrals Related to Saran’s Hypergeometric Function FK
Authors: Luo Minjie , Xu Minghui , Raina Ravinder Krishna
Published: March 2022

In the present paper, we establish two Erdélyi-type integrals for Saran’s hypergeometric function FK, which has applications in specific branches of applied physics and statistics (see below). We employ methods based on the k-dimensional fractional integration by parts to obtain our main integral identities. The first integral generalizes Koschmieder’s result and the second integral extends one of Erdélyi’s classical hypergeometric integral. Some useful special cases and important remarks are also discussed.
The Influence of Noise on the Solutions of Fractional Stochastic Bogoyavlenskii Equation
Authors: Al-Askar Farah M. , Mohammed Wael W. , Albalahi Abeer M. , El-Morshedy Mahmoud
Published: March 2022

We look at the stochastic fractional-space Bogoyavlenskii equation in the Stratonovich sense, which is driven by multiplicative noise. Our aim is to acquire analytical fractional stochastic solutions to this stochastic fractional-space Bogoyavlenskii equation via two different methods such as the exp(−Φ(η))-expansion method and sine–cosine method. Since this equation is used to explain the hydrodynamic model of shallow-water waves, the wave of leading fluid flow, and plasma physics, scientists will be able to characterize a wide variety of fascinating physical phenomena with these solutions. Furthermore, we evaluate the influence of noise on the behavior of the acquired solutions using 2D and 3D graphical representations.
Characterization of GABA-Transaminase Gene from Mulberry (Morus multicaulis) and Its Role in Salt Stress Tolerance
Authors: Zhang Mengru , Liu Zhaoyang , Fan Yiting , Liu Chaorui , Wang Hairui , Li Yan , Xin Youchao , Gai Yingping , Ji Xianling
Published: March 2022

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been reported to accumulate in plants when subjected to salt stress, and GABA-transaminase (GABA-T) is the main GABA-degrading enzyme in the GABA shunt pathway. So far, the salt tolerance mechanism of the GABA-T gene behind the GABA metabolism remains unclear. In this study, the cDNA (designated MuGABA-T) of GABA-T gene was cloned from mulberry, and our data showed that MuGABA-T protein shares some conserved characteristics with its homologs from several plant species. MuGABA-T gene was constitutively expressed at different levels in mulberry tissues, and was induced substantially by NaCl, ABA and SA. In addition, our results demonstrated that exogenous application of GABA significantly reduced the salt damage index and increased plant resistance to NaCl stress. We further performed a functional analysis of MuGABA-T gene and demonstrated that the content of GABA was reduced in the transgenic MuGABA-T Arabidopsis plants, which accumulated more ROS and exhibited more sensitivity to salt stress than wild-type plants. However, exogenous application of GABA significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and alleviated the active oxygen-related injury of the transgenic plants under NaCl stress. Moreover, the MuGABA-T gene was overexpressed in the mulberry hairy roots, and similar results were obtained for sensitivity to salt stress in the transgenic mulberry plants. Our results suggest that the MuGABA-T gene plays a pivotal role in GABA catabolism and is responsible for a decrease in salt tolerance, and it may be involved in the ROS pathway in the response to salt stress. Taken together, the information provided here is helpful for further analysis of the function of GABA-T genes, and may promote mulberry resistance breeding in the future.
Assessment of Genetic Variability and Bran Oil Characters of New Developed Restorer Lines of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Awad-Allah Mamdouh M. A. , Mohamed Azza H. , El-Bana Mohamed A. , El-Okkiah Samira A. F. , Abdelkader Mohamed F. M. , Mahmoud Mohamed H. , El-Diasty Mohamed Z. , Said Manal M. , Shamseldin Sahar A. M. , Abdein Mohamed A.
Published: March 2022

Rice is one of the most important crops in Egypt. Due to the gap between the demand and the availability of the local edible oils, there is need to raise the nutritional value of rice and, therefore, to improve the nutritional value of the consumer. This research was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt, during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Five newly developed genotypes of rice, namely NRL 63, NRL 64, NRL 65, NRL 66, and Giza 178 as check variety (control), were used to evaluate the analytical characterization of raw rice bran and rice bran oil from rice bran, study the genetic variability and genetic advance for various quantitative and qualitative traits in rice as well as, rice bran oil. The genotypes were evaluated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant variations among the genotypes for all the studied characters. Data revealed that high estimates of the phenotypic coefficient of variance (PCV%) and genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV%) were observed for amylose content percentage, peroxide value (meq/kg oil), myristic C14:0, and arachidic C20:0, indicating that they all interacted with the environment to some extent. The line NRL66 and NRL64 showed the highest and high values of mean performance for grain yield (t/h), grain type (shape), amylose content percentage, crude protein, ether extract and ash of milled rice, crude protein, ether extract, ash, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and iron of stabilized rice bran oil. Genetic advance as a percentage of mean was high for most of the studied traits. It indicates that most likely, the heritability is due to additive gene effects, and selection may be effective. The percentage of advantage over the Giza 178 as the commercial variety was significant and highly significant among the genotypes for all the characters studied in the two years, indicating that the selection is effective in the genetic improvements for these traits.
Protocols of Anesthesia Management in Parturients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Coviello Antonio , Vargas Maria , Marra Annachiara , Golino Ludovica , Saccone Gabriele , Iacovazzo Carmine , Frigo Maria Grazia , Tognù Andrea , Ianniello Marilena , Buonanno Pasquale , Servillo Giuseppe
Published: March 2022

Background: Our hospital became a referral center for COVID-19-positive obstetric patients from 1 May 2020. The aim of our study is to illustrate our management protocols for COVID-19-positive obstetric patients, to maintain safety standards for patients and healthcare workers. Methods: Women who underwent vaginal or operative delivery and induced or spontaneous abortion with a SARS-CoV-2-positive nasopharyngeal swab using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) were included in the study. Severity and onset of new symptoms were carefully monitored in the postoperative period. All the healthcare workers received a nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-PCR serially every five days. Results: We included 152 parturients with COVID-19 infection. None of the included women had general anesthesia, an increase of severe symptoms or onset of new symptoms. The RT-PCR test was “negative” for the healthcare workers. Conclusions: In our study, neuraxial anesthesia for parturients’ management with SARS-CoV-2 infection has been proven to be safe for patients and healthcare workers. Neuraxial anesthesia decreases aerosolization during preoxygenation, face-mask ventilation, endotracheal intubation, oral or tracheal suctioning and extubation. This anesthesia management protocol can be generalizable.
Countermovement Jump Force–Time Curve Analysis between Strength-Matched Male and Female Soccer Players
Authors: Thomas Christopher , Jones Paul A. , Dos’Santos Thomas
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this study was to compare countermovement jump force–time measures between strength-matched male and female soccer players. Males (n = 11) and females (n = 11) were strength-matched via isometric mid-thigh pull testing, whereby peak force values were normalised to body mass. Subjects performed three maximal-effort countermovement jumps (CMJs) on a force platform from which a range of kinetic and kinematic variables were calculated via forward dynamics. Thereafter, differences in gross measures were examined via independent t-tests, while differences in force–, power–, velocity–, and displacement–time curves throughout the entire CMJ were analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Jump height, reactive strength index modified, propulsion mean force, propulsion impulse, and propulsion mean velocity were all greater for males (d = 1.50 to 3.07). Relative force– and velocity–time curves were greater for males at 86–93% (latter half of the concentric phase) and 85–100% (latter half of the concentric phase) of normalized movement time, respectively. Time to take-off, braking phase time, braking mean velocity and impulse, propulsion phase time and centre of mass displacement were similar between males and females (d = −0.23 to 0.97). This research demonstrates the strength of SPM to identify changes between entire force-time curves. Continued development and the use of SPM analysis could present the opportunity for a refined comparison of strength-matched male and female CMJ performance with the analysis of entire force–time curves.