bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular and Pathological Investigations of Selected Viral Neuropathogens in Rabies-Negative Brains of Cats and Dogs Revealed Neurotropism of Carnivore Protoparvovirus-1
Authors: Wardhani Sabrina Wahyu , Wongsakul Boonyakorn , Kasantikul Tanit , Piewbang Chutchai , Techangamsuwan Somporn
Published: August 2021

Throughout the year, the Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS), Bangkok, Thailand, received more than 100 animals that died of suspected rabies due to neurological clinical signs. Concerning the role of viral infection in the brain in the outcome of neurological diseases in cats and dogs, a comprehensive study was conducted of 107 brain samples of cats and dogs submitted to the TRCS from August 2019 to August 2020. Selective molecular screening using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription PCR targeting nine viral pathogens was employed in addition to histopathological investigations. The results showed that carnivore protoparvovirus-1 (CPPV-1) was detected in 18.69% of the cats and dogs sampled (20/107). These results were found in young and old animals; the brain tissue did not show any pathological changes suggesting encephalitis or cerebellar hypoplasia. In addition, feline calicivirus, feline alphaherpesvirus-1, feline coronavirus, and canine distemper virus were also detected, providing a broader range of potential viral infections to consider in the clinical manifestation of neurological disorders in companion animals. The detection of all pathogens was confirmed by the localization of each viral antigen in various resident brain cells using immunohistochemistry. A unique L582S amino acid substitution of the non-structural protein 1 gene coding sequence, speculated to be associated with the neurotropism of CPPV-1 in cats and dogs, was not evident. In conclusion, this study revealed a noteworthy neurotropism of CPPV-1 in both cats and dogs without neurological lesions.
Como se puede no ser constructivista y soy en DBA
Authors: Ibañez Tombs
Published: August 2021

El reto profesional de los psicologos es intervenir sobre ciertas realidades psicologicas para producir ciertos efectos.
SVSL: A Human Activity Recognition Method Using Soft-Voting and Self-Learning
Authors: Albeshri Aiiad
Published: August 2021

Many smart city and society applications such as smart health (elderly care, medical applications), smart surveillance, sports, and robotics require the recognition of user activities, an important class of problems known as human activity recognition (HAR). Several issues have hindered progress in HAR research, particularly due to the emergence of fog and edge computing, which brings many new opportunities (a low latency, dynamic and real-time decision making, etc.) but comes with its challenges. This paper focuses on addressing two important research gaps in HAR research: (i) improving the HAR prediction accuracy and (ii) managing the frequent changes in the environment and data related to user activities. To address this, we propose an HAR method based on Soft-Voting and Self-Learning (SVSL). SVSL uses two strategies. First, to enhance accuracy, it combines the capabilities of Deep Learning (DL), Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Random Forest (RF), and AdaBoost classifiers using soft-voting. Second, to classify the most challenging data instances, the SVSL method is equipped with a self-training mechanism that generates training data and retrains itself. We investigate the performance of our proposed SVSL method using two publicly available datasets on six human activities related to lying, sitting, and walking positions. The first dataset consists of 562 features and the second dataset consists of five features. The data are collected using the accelerometer and gyroscope smartphone sensors. The results show that the proposed method provides 6.26%, 1.75%, 1.51%, and 4.40% better prediction accuracy (average over the two datasets) compared to GLM, DL, RF, and AdaBoost, respectively. We also analyze and compare the class-wise performance of the SVSL methods with that of DL, GLM, RF, and AdaBoost.
Design of Two-Axial Actuator for Controlled Vibration Damper for Large Rams
Authors: Novotný Lukáš , Červenka Jaroslav , Sulitka Matěj , Švéda Jiří , Janota Miroslav , Kupka Petr
Published: August 2021

Machine tool rams are important constructional elements found on vertical lathes as well as on many other machines. In most cases, a machine tool ram constitutes an assembly with significant dynamic compliance that affects the machine’s ability to achieve stable cutting conditions. There are various solutions for increasing a machine tool ram’s stiffness and damping. This paper describes an innovative concept of a two-axial electromagnetic actuator for controlled vibration dampers with high dynamic force values. The described solution is purposefully based on the use of standard electric drives. As a result, the size of the actuator is easier to scale to the required application. The solution is designed as a spacer between the end of the ram and the head. The paper presents the actuator concept, construction design, current control loop solution and experimental verification of the controlled vibration damper’s function on the test ram in detail. The presented position measurement concept will enable the use of non-contact position sensors for motor commutation as well as for possible use in vibration suppression control. Applications can be expected mainly in the field of vibration suppression of vertical rams of large machine tools.
Performance Enhancement by Wing Sweep for High-Speed Dynamic Soaring
Authors: Sachs Gottfried , Grüter Benedikt , Hong Haichao
Published: August 2021

Dynamic soaring is a flight mode that uniquely enables high speeds without an engine. This is possible in a horizontal shear wind that comprises a thin layer and a large wind speed. It is shown that the speeds reachable by modern gliders approach the upper subsonic Mach number region where compressibility effects become significant, with the result that the compressibility-related drag rise yields a limitation for the achievable maximum speed. To overcome this limitation, wing sweep is considered an appropriate means. The effect of wing sweep on the relevant aerodynamic characteristics for glider type wings is addressed. A 3-degrees-of-freedom dynamics model and an energy-based model of the vehicle are developed in order to solve the maximum-speed problem with regard to the effect of the compressibility-related drag rise. Analytic solutions are derived so that generally valid results are achieved concerning the effects of wing sweep on the speed performance. Thus, it is shown that the maximum speed achievable with swept wing configurations can be increased. The improvement is small for sweep angles up to around 15 deg and shows a progressive increase thereafter. As a result, wing sweep has potential for enhancing the maximum-speed performance in high-speed dynamic soaring.
Fusarium Head Blight Infestation in Relation to Winter Wheat End-Use Quality—A Three-Year Study
Authors: Spanic Valentina , Dvojkovic Kresimir , Babic Jurislav , Drezner Georg , Zdunic Zvonimir
Published: August 2021

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the major threats for wheat production worldwide. It reduces yield, quality, and feeding value of wheat grains. In addition, mycotoxins produced by Fusarium pathogens can have a negative effect on livestock and human health. The aim of this study was to assess changes in technological quality traits and end-use quality of winter wheat varieties after artificial inoculation with Fusarium spp. over three years. Differences in dough development duration and extensibility were measured as the means of relative reductions due to different environments and varieties’ characteristics. Differences in dough softening during kneading were determined as the means of relative increases due to FHB inoculation. In addition, dough had reduced strength, was stickier, and therefore was more difficult to handle, due to a decrease of the average energy value and resistance to extension in FHB-inoculated wheat, compared to naturally infected plants. Dough development time, stability, and resistance usually varied in a similar way, with FHB-resistant varieties showing a good response to FHB inoculation and maintaining good quality. Increasing the level of Fusarium spp. contamination in more FHB-susceptible wheat varieties worsened their technological quality, primarily, the sedimentation value and the gluten index, and hence had a negative effect on the rheological properties.
A Combined Nutrient/Biocontrol Agent Mixture Improve Cassava Tuber Yield and Cassava Mosaic Disease
Authors: Neelakandan Kumar , Karuppasami Kalarani M. , Karuppusamy Nageswari , Shanmugam Kavitha P. , Lakshmanan Pugalendhi , Subramanian Suganya , Ramasamy Venkatachalam S. , Mariyappan Deivamani , Muthusamy Velmurugan , Maduraimuthu Djanaguiraman
Published: August 2021

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tropical root crop and a major dietary energy source for more than 500 million people. The major production constraints in cassava are the occurrence of nutrient deficiency and cassava mosaic disease (CMD). Hence to increase the cassava yield, it is critical to develop a technology to overcome the problems associated with nutrient deficiencies and CMD. Series of field experiments were conducted to evaluate and validate a new mixture containing biocontrol agent and nutrients on different genotypes and locations. The result indicated that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from one to five-month after planting (MAP) had significantly decreased the incidence of nutrient deficiency symptom and CMD incidence resulting in an increased tuber yield. There were significant differences among the cassava genotypes for CMD reaction and foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from 1 to 5 MAP. The genotype H226 had lower CMD incidence and higher tuber yield. The multilocation trial indicated that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from 1 to 5 MAP significantly improved the tuber yield (24%) and decreased the CMD incidence (65%) than unsprayed control. Metabolomic study indicates that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture has altered lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, as evidenced by increased accumulation of octadecatrienoic acid (2.28-fold) trilinolein (126.3-fold) in combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture sprayed plants over unsprayed control. Overall, it is evident that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture from 1 to 5 MAP has decreased CMD incidence and increased the tuber yield.
Magnesium transporter Gene Family: Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization in Theobroma cacao, Corchorus capsularis, and Gossypium hirsutum of Family Malvaceae
Authors: Heidari Parviz , Abdullah  , Faraji Sahar , Poczai Peter
Published: August 2021

Magnesium (Mg) is an element involved in various key cellular processes in plants. Mg transporter (MGT) genes play an important role in magnesium distribution and ionic balance maintenance. Here, MGT family members were identified and characterized in three species of the plant family Malvaceae, Theobroma cacao, Corchorus capsularis, and Gossypium hirsutum, to improve our understanding of their structure, regulatory systems, functions, and possible interactions. We identified 18, 41, and 16 putative non-redundant MGT genes from the genome of T. cacao, G. hirsutum, and C. capsularis, respectively, which clustered into three groups the maximum likelihood tree. Several segmental/tandem duplication events were determined between MGT genes. MGTs appear to have evolved slowly under a purifying selection. Analysis of gene promoter regions showed that MGTs have a high potential to respond to biotic/abiotic stresses and hormones. The expression patterns of MGT genes revealed a possible role in response to P. megakarya fungi in T. cacao, whereas MGT genes showed differential expression in various tissues and response to several abiotic stresses, including cold, salt, drought, and heat stress in G. hirsutum. The co-expression network of MGTs indicated that genes involved in auxin-responsive lipid metabolism, cell wall organization, and photoprotection can interact with MGTs.
Standing Vegetation Exceeds Soil Microbial Communities in Soil Type Indication: A Procrustes Test of Four Salt-Affected Pastures
Authors: Csontos Péter , Mucsi Márton , Ragályi Péter , Tamás Júlia , Kalapos Tibor , Pápay Gergely , Mjazovszky Ákos , Penksza Károly , Szili-Kovács Tibor
Published: August 2021

Organisms with different life histories are able to act as indicators of different characteristics of their environment. Here, we compared the precision of habitat indication by the vegetation and soil microbial communities in four salt-affected pastures: annual open salt sward, Pannonic Puccinellia limosa hollow, Artemisia saline puszta and grassy saline puszta. Dissimilarity of habitats was evaluated by standardized principal component analysis (PCA) based on four different datasets: catabolic profiles of microbial communities in June (a) and September (b), composition of vascular vegetation (c) and physical and chemical properties of the soil (d). Procrustes analysis was used to quantify the resemblance between pairs of PCA ordinations based on soil properties (d) and various biotic communities (a, b, c). PCA ordination based on vegetation most closely matched the soil data-based ordination, thus vegetation appears to better indicate habitat conditions than soil microbial communities do. For microbial communities, a better agreement with the soil data-based ordination was reached in September than in June. Most probably, the long-lived sedentary habit of perennial plants in these communities requires adaptation to long-term average habitat conditions. In contrast, short-lived soil microbes can quickly follow environmental changes, thus the composition of soil microbial communities better reflect actual soil conditions.
Hot Water Rinsing and Brushing of Fresh Produce as an Alternative to Chemical Treatment after Harvest—The Story behind the Technology
Authors: Fallik Elazar , Alkalai-Tuvia Sharon , Chalupowicz Daniel
Published: August 2021

For decades, heat treatments have been known to reduce or eliminate decay-causing agents and slow the physiological deterioration of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. For years, fungicides and pesticides have been used to control fungi on freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. However, these chemicals can contaminate the environment and be hazardous to those who consume fresh produce. Therefore, heat treatments, lasting only minutes or up to several days, have been developed to control insects and pathogenic fungi on fresh produce after harvest. In the 1990s, hot water rinsing and brushing (HWRB) technology to clean and disinfect fresh produce at relatively high temperatures (50 to 62 °C) for seconds (12–20 s) was developed at the Volcani Institute in Israel. This technology has been improved over time and is currently used commercially on several crops in Israel and elsewhere. This article discusses the development of this prestorage technology, from 1996 to 2006, and describes the effects of HWRB on the internal and external characteristics of fruits and vegetables, as well as the possible mode of action of this technology, as examined in the literature published since 1996.
Trichoderma-Enriched Vermicompost Extracts Reduces Nematode Biotic Stress in Tomato and Bell Pepper Crops
Authors: dos Santos Pereira Tiago , Monteiro de Paula Alessandra , Ferrari Luis Henrique , da Silva Juscimar , Borges Pinheiro Jadir , Navas Cajamarca Sabrina Magaly , Jindo Keiji , Pupo Santos Mirella , Zandonadi Daniel Basílio , Busato Jader Galba
Published: August 2021

Root-knot nematode (RKN) is a serious threat to crops worldwide due to the difficulty in controlling it and the limited eco-friendly alternatives to deal with the biotic stress it causes. In the present work, water-extractable fractions obtained from vermicompost (WSFv), vermicompost enriched with Trichoderma asperellum (WSFta) and T. virens (WSFtv) were tested as biotechnological tools to reduce the impacts of RKN on gas exchange, water use efficiency (WUE) and nutrient concentration in tomato and bell pepper plants. The plants were infected with 5000 eggs and eventual J2 of RKN and then treated with the water-extractable fractions for seven weeks. It was observed that the addition of WSFta, WSFtv and WSFv increased the CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and WUE in the tomato plants. In the bell pepper plants, WSFta, WSFtv, WSFv increased the stomatal conductance, while WUE was higher in the treatment with WSFtv. In fact, the parameters associated with the gas exchange were usually higher in the bell pepper than in the tomato plants. Overall, higher contents of N, Mg, B and Mn were detected when the extracts were applied in both bell pepper and tomato plants. The application of the water-extractable fractions, inoculated or not with Trichoderma, attenuates the RKN damage on the gas exchange parameters and successfully enhanced the nutrient concentration in the infected tomato and bell pepper plants, showing that it could be an important and promising tool for reducing the damage caused by this pathogen. We suggest that both the tomato and pepper plants can cope with the dilemma between growth and stress response via stomata regulation that are modulated by the WSF and Trichoderma.
A Novel Hybrid Learning System Using Modified Breaking Ties Algorithm and Multinomial Logistic Regression for Classification and Segmentation of Hyperspectral Images
Authors: Shah Syed Taimoor Hussain , Qureshi Shahzad Ahmad , Rehman Aziz ul , Shah Syed Adil Hussain , Amjad Arslan , Mir Adil Aslam , Alqahtani Amal , Bradley David A. , Khandaker Mayeen Uddin , Faruque Mohammad Rashed Iqbal , Rafique Muhammad
Published: August 2021

A new methodology, the hybrid learning system (HLS), based upon semi-supervised learning is proposed. HLS categorizes hyperspectral images into segmented regions with discriminative features using reduced training size. The technique utilizes the modified breaking ties (MBT) algorithm for active learning and unsupervised learning-based regressors, viz. multinomial logistic regression, for hyperspectral image categorization. The probabilities estimated by multinomial logistic regression for each sample helps towards improved segregation. The high dimensionality leads to a curse of dimensionality, which ultimately deteriorates the performance of remote sensing data classification, and the problem aggravates further if labeled training samples are limited. Many studies have tried to address the problem and have employed different methodologies for remote sensing data classification, such as kernelized methods, because of insensitiveness towards the utilization of large dataset information and active learning (AL) approaches (breaking ties as a representative) to choose only prominent samples for training data. The HLS methodology proposed in the current study is a combination of supervised and unsupervised training with generalized composite kernels generating posterior class probabilities for classification. In order to retrieve the best segmentation labels, we employed Markov random fields, which make use of prior labels from the output of the multinomial logistic regression. The comparison of HLS was carried out with known methodologies, using benchmark hyperspectral imaging (HI) datasets, namely “Indian Pines” and “Pavia University”. Findings of this study show that the HLS yields the overall accuracy of {99.93% and 99.98%}Indian Pines and {99.14% and 99.42%}Pavia University for classification and segmentation, respectively.
On the Control Strategy to Improve the Salt Rejection of a Thin-Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membrane
Authors: Lee Jaewoo , Lim Yu Jie
Published: August 2021

Since the specific energy consumption (SEC) required for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination has been steeply reduced over the past few decades, there is an increasing demand for high-selectivity membranes. However, it is still hard to find research papers empirically dealing with increasing the salt rejection of RO membranes and addressing the SEC change possibly occurring while increasing salt rejection. Herein, we examined the feasibility of the process and material approaches to increase the salt rejection of RO membranes from the perspective of the SEC and weighed up a better approach to increase salt rejection between the two approaches. A process approach was confirmed to have some inherent limitations in terms of the trade-off between water permeability and salt rejection. Furthermore, a process approach is inappropriate to alter the intrinsic salt permeability of RO membranes, such that it should be far from a fundamental improvement in the selectivity of RO membranes. Thus, we could conclude that a material approach is necessary to make a fundamental improvement in the selectivity of RO membranes. This paper also provides discussion on the specific demands for RO membranes featuring superior mechanical properties and excellent water/salt permselectivity to minimize membrane compaction while maximizing the selectivity.
The Effects of Loaded Plyometrics and Short Sprints in U19 Male Soccer Players in Tunisia
Authors: Aloui Ghaith , Souhail Hermassi , Hayes Lawrence D. , Bouhafs El Ghali , Chelly Mohamed Souhaiel , Schwesig René
Published: August 2021

We investigated adding 8 weeks of bi-weekly loaded plyometric and short sprints (LPaSS) training into training for under 19 (U19) soccer players. An experimental group (EG, n = 18, age: 17.5 ± 0.58 years, body mass: 67.4 ± 4.37 kg, height: 1.76 ± 0.05 m, body fat: 11.4 ± 1.55%), and a control group (CG, n = 16, age: 17.5 ± 0.58 years, body mass: 68.7 ± 3.65 kg, height: 1.78 ± 0.03 m, body fat: 11.6 ± 1.14%) participated. The pre- and postintervention measures were: the squat-jump (SJ); the countermovement-jump with arm swing (CMJA); the five jump test (5JT); 10 m and 30 m sprint; the ability to change direction (sprint with 90° turns (S90°) and sprinting 9–3–6–3–9 m, involving running both backwards and forwards (SBF); repeated sprint ability (RSA), and balance (Y-balance test). The EG experienced superior jump (p < 0.001; drange: 1.69–1.89), sprint (p < 0.001; drange: 1.82–2.56), S90° (p < 0.001; drange: 1.64–2.25), RSA (p < 0.001; drange: 3.90–4.17), and balance (p < 0.001; drange: 1.11–2.54) improvement. Comparatively, the pre- to postchanges in the CG ranged from d = 0.36 (dynamic balance) to d = 1.00 (10 m sprint). Therefore, bi-weekly LPaSS training improves athletic performance in young soccer players, particularly RSA.
Proteomics Analysis in Dairy Products: Cheese, a Review
Authors: Bouroutzika Efterpi , Proikakis Stavros , Anagnostopoulos Athanasios K. , Katsafadou Angeliki I. , Fthenakis George C. , Tsangaris George Th.
Published: August 2021

Cheese is a worldwide produced and consumed commodity. There are many varieties of cheese from soft to hard, white to yellow, and fresh to aged after ripening. Especially, each category has its own producing technology. Many countries have labeled their most traditional cheese as Protective Designation of Origin (PDO). Moreover, several studies using advanced technologies, such as proteomics, have been performed to enhance labeling. In this review, broadly diffused and marketed, as well as Mediterranean countries’ special interest in Mediterranean diet-related PDO cheeses have been chosen as a reference. The aim of this work was to highlight the use of proteomics methods to examine how cheese proteins and peptides rearrange after ripening and use of starters. Further, we aimed to examine what kind of proteins are produced. Finally, we focused on bioactive molecules in cheeses and distinction of the original product from its counterfeit.
Determination of the Loading of a Flat Rack Container during Operating Modes
Authors: Fomin Oleksij , Gerlici Juraj , Vatulia Glib , Lovska Alyona , Kravchenko Kateryna
Published: August 2021

This research deals with determination of the loading of an open container during operating modes. The special feature of this container is its convex walls. This engineering solution increases the useful capacity of a container by 8% in comparison to that of the prototype. The elastic elements in the bearing structure of a container were introduced to decrease the dynamic loads. The dynamic loads in the vertical plane were dumped by means of the dry friction forces between the components of the cross bearers of the container’s base. The dynamic loads in the longitudinal plane were dumped by means of the dry friction forces between the horizontal parts of fittings and fixed lashing components. This study presents the modelling of the dynamic loading of a container in a vertical plane. The dynamic loads of a container in the longitudinal plane were determined with a mathematical model. The authors determined the basic strength characteristics of the bearing structure of a container; and found that the maximum stresses to a container were about 200 MPa, concentrated near the front fittings. The maximum displacements were recorded in the cross bearers of the base and amounted to about 4 mm.
A Bayesian Network-Based Information Fusion Combined with DNNs for Robust Video Fire Detection
Authors: Kim Byoungjun , Lee Joonwhoan
Published: August 2021

Fire is an abnormal event that can cause significant damage to lives and property. Deep learning approach has made large progress in vision-based fire detection. However, there is still the problem of false detections due to the objects which have similar fire-like visual properties such as colors or textures. In the previous video-based approach, Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) is used to detect the suspected regions of fire (SRoFs), and long short-term memory (LSTM) accumulates the local features within the bounding boxes to decide a fire in a short-term period. Then, majority voting of the short-term decisions is taken to make the decision reliable in a long-term period. To ensure that the final fire decision is more robust, however, this paper proposes to use a Bayesian network to fuse various types of information. Because there are so many types of Bayesian network according to the situations or domains where the fire detection is needed, we construct a simple Bayesian network as an example which combines environmental information (e.g., humidity) with visual information including the results of location recognition and smoke detection, and long-term video-based majority voting. Our experiments show that the Bayesian network successfully improves the fire detection accuracy when compared against the previous video-based method and the state of art performance has been achieved with a public dataset. The proposed method also reduces the latency for perfect fire decisions, as compared with the previous video-based method.
Analysis of Transient Degradation Behaviors of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes under Electrical Stress
Authors: Lee Gyeong Won , Choi Yoonsuk , Kim Heejin , Park Jongwoo , Shim Jong-In , Shin Dong-Soo
Published: August 2021

Despite the wide application of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), the performance of OLED devices is sometimes limited by their reliabilities. In this paper, we report the transient degradation behaviors of fluorescent blue OLEDs, where both the current and luminance initially increase under electrical stress within a short stress time. We analyze the degradation mechanism in terms of the carrier recombination and transport. From the comprehensive analyses of electrical and optical characteristics, it is suggested that the electron transport is responsible for the initial transient behavior of the device.
Differential Evolution with Shadowed and General Type-2 Fuzzy Systems for Dynamic Parameter Adaptation in Optimal Design of Fuzzy Controllers
Authors: Ochoa Patricia , Castillo Oscar , Melin Patricia , Soria José
Published: August 2021

This work is mainly focused on improving the differential evolution algorithm with the utilization of shadowed and general type 2 fuzzy systems to dynamically adapt one of the parameters of the evolutionary method. Previously, we have worked with both kinds of fuzzy systems in different types of benchmark problems and it has been found that the use of fuzzy logic in combination with the differential evolution algorithm gives good results. In some of the studies, it is clearly shown that, when compared to other algorithms, our methodology turns out to be statistically better. In this case, the mutation parameter is dynamically moved during the evolution process by using shadowed and general type-2 fuzzy systems. The main contribution of this work is the ability to determine, through experimentation in a benchmark control problem, which of the two kinds of the used fuzzy systems has better results when combined with the differential evolution algorithm. This is because there are no similar works to our proposal in which shadowed and general type 2 fuzzy systems are used and compared. Moreover, to validate the performance of both fuzzy systems, a noise level is used in the controller, which simulates the disturbances that may exist in the real world and is thus able to validate statistically if there are significant differences between shadowed and general type 2 fuzzy systems.
A Recommendation for a Pre-Standardized Marine Microalgal Dry Weight Determination Protocol for Laboratory Scale Culture Using Ammonium Formate as a Washing Agent
Authors: Khaw Yam Sim , Tan Hui Teng , Sopawong Arissara , Shaharuddin Noor Azmi , Omar Abdul Rahman , Yusoff Fatimah Md.
Published: August 2021

Microalgal biomass is one of the crucial criteria in microalgal studies. Many reported methods, even the well-established protocol on microalgal dry weight (DW) determination, vary greatly, and reliable comparative assessment amongst published results could be problematic. This study aimed to determine the best condition of critical parameters in marine microalgal DW determination for laboratory-scale culture using four different marine microalgal species. These parameters included the washing process, grades of glass microfiber filter (GMF), GMF pretreatment conditions, washing agent (ammonium formate) concentrations, culture: washing agent ratios (v:v) and washing cycles. GMF grade GF/A with precombustion at 450 °C provided the most satisfactory DW and the highest ash-free dry weight (AFDW)/DW ratio. Furthermore, 0.05 M ammonium formate with 1:2 culture: washing agent ratio and a minimum of two washing cycles appeared to be the best settings of microalgal DW determination. The present treatment increased the AFDW/DW ratio of the four respective microalgae by a minimum of 19%. The findings of this study could serve as a pivotal reference in developing a standardized protocol of marine microalgal DW determination to obtain veracious and reliable marine microalgal DW.
Neuroprotective Effects of Glochidion zeylanicum Leaf Extract against H2O2/Glutamate-Induced Toxicity in Cultured Neuronal Cells and Aβ-Induced Toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Duangjan Chatrawee , Rangsinth Panthakarn , Zhang Shaoxiong , Gu Xiaojie , Wink Michael , Tencomnao Tewin
Published: August 2021

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Previously, Glochidion zeylanicum methanol (GZM) extract has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-aging properties. However, the effect of GZM on neuroprotection has not been reported yet; furthermore, the mechanism involved in its antioxidant properties remains unresolved. The study is aimed to demonstrate the neuroprotective properties of GZM extract and their underlying mechanisms in cultured neuronal (HT-22 and Neuro-2a) cells and Caenorhabditis elegans models. GZM extract exhibited protective effects against glutamate/H2O2-induced toxicity in cultured neuronal cells by suppressing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and enhancing the expression of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SODs, GPx, and GSTs). GZM extract also triggered the expression of SIRT1/Nrf2 proteins and mRNA transcription of antioxidant genes (NQO1, GCLM, and EAAT3) which are the master regulators of cellular defense against oxidative stress. Additionally, GZM extract exhibited protective effects to counteract β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced toxicity in C. elegans and promoted neuritogenesis properties in Neuro-2a cells. Our observations suggest that GZM leaf extract has interesting neuritogenesis and neuroprotective potential and can possibly act as potential contender for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative conditions; however, this needs to be studied further in other in vivo systems.
Targeting the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Glaucoma
Authors: Coyle Sophie , Khan Mohammed Naeem , Chemaly Melody , Callaghan Breedge , Doyle Chelsey , Willoughby Colin E. , Atkinson Sarah D. , Gregory-Ksander Meredith , McGilligan Victoria
Published: August 2021

Glaucoma is a group of optic neuropathies characterised by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells, resulting in damage to the optic nerve head (ONH) and loss of vision in one or both eyes. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the major aetiological risk factors in glaucoma, and is currently the only modifiable risk factor. However, 30–40% of glaucoma patients do not present with elevated IOP and still proceed to lose vision. The pathophysiology of glaucoma is therefore not completely understood, and there is a need for the development of IOP-independent neuroprotective therapies to preserve vision. Neuroinflammation has been shown to play a key role in glaucoma and, specifically, the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key driver of inflammation, has recently been implicated. The NLRP3 inflammasome is expressed in the eye and its activation is reported in pre-clinical studies of glaucoma. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome results in IL-1β processing. This pro inflammatory cytokine is elevated in the blood of glaucoma patients and is believed to drive neurotoxic inflammation, resulting in axon degeneration and the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). This review discusses glaucoma as an inflammatory disease and evaluates targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome as a therapeutic strategy. A hypothetical mechanism for the action of the NLRP3 inflammasome in glaucoma is presented.
177Lu-PSMA Radioligand Therapy Is Favorable as Third-Line Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: von Eyben Finn E. , Kairemo Kalevi , Paller Channing , Hoffmann Manuela Andrea , Paganelli Giovanni , Virgolini Irene , Roviello Giandomenico
Published: August 2021

In this systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA), we aimed to assess the benefits and harms of third-line (L3) treatments in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Two reviewers searched for publications from 1 January 2006 to 30 June 2021. The review analyzed seven RCTs that included 3958 patients and eight treatments. Treatment with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-based radioligand therapy (PRLT) resulted in a 1.3-times-higher rate of median PSA decline ≥50% than treatment with abiraterone, enzalutamide, mitoxantrone, or cabazitaxel (p = 0.00001). The likelihood was 97.6% for PRLT to bring about the best PSA response, out of the examined treatments. PRLT resulted in a 1.1-times-higher six-month rate of median radiographic progression-free survival. Treatment with PRLT in the VISION trial resulted in 1.05-times-higher twelve-month median overall survival than L3 treatment with cabazitaxel in other RCTs. PRLT more often resulted in severe thrombocytopenia and less often in severe leukopenia than did cabazitaxel. In conclusion, for patients with mCRPC, L3 treatment with PRLT is highly effective and safe.
Translational Insights and New Therapeutic Perspectives in Head and Neck Tumors
Authors: Fasano Morena , Perri Francesco , Della Corte Carminia Maria , Di Liello Raimondo , Della Vittoria Scarpati Giuseppina , Cascella Marco , Ottaiano Alessandro , Ciardiello Fortunato , Solla Raffaele
Published: August 2021

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by a high mortality rate owing to very few available oncological treatments. For many years, a combination of platinum-based chemotherapy and anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab has represented the only available option for first-line therapy. Recently, immunotherapy has been presented an alternative for positive PD-L1 HNSCC. However, the oncologists’ community foresees that a new therapeutic era is approaching. In fact, no-chemo options and some molecular targets are on the horizon. This narrative review addresses past, present, and future therapeutic options for HNSCC from a translational point of view.
Increasing Odontoblast-like Differentiation from Dental Pulp Stem Cells through Increase of β-Catenin/p-GSK-3β Expression by Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field
Authors: Lim Han-Moi , Nam Myeong-Hyun , Kim Yu-Mi , Seo Young-Kwon
Published: August 2021

Odontoblasts produce proteins that form the dentinal extracellular matrix, which can protect the dental pulp from external stimuli and is required for tooth regeneration. This study showed that a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) can regulate cell metabolism and induce cell differentiation. This study determined the frequency of PEMF that is effective for odontoblast differentiation. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) were cultured in odontoblast differentiation medium containing dexamethasone, BMP2, TGF-β1, and FGF-2, and then exposed to 10 mT intensity of PEMF at 40, 60, 70, and 150 Hz for 15 min/day. The MTT assay, LDH assay, flow cytometry, protein and gene expression, and immunofluorescence were performed to check if hDPSCs differentiated into odontoblast-like cells. The hDPSCs showed frequency-dependent differences in protein and gene expression. The mesenchymal stem cell markers were reduced to a greater extent at 60 and 70 Hz than at other frequencies, and odontoblast-related markers, particularly β-catenin, p-GSK-3β, and p-p38, were increased at 60 and 70 Hz. Exposure to 10 mT intensity of PEMF at 70 Hz influenced the differentiation of hDPSCs considerably. Taken together, PEMF treatment can promote differentiation of hDPSCs into odontoblast-like cells by increasing p-GSK-3β and β-catenin expression.
Gait Analysis Using Animal Models of Peripheral Nerve and Spinal Cord Injuries
Authors: Isvoranu Gheorghita , Manole Emilia , Neagu Monica
Published: August 2021

The present review discusses recent data regarding rodent models of spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries in terms of gait analysis using the CatWalk system (CW), an automated and exceptionally reliable system for assessing gait abnormalities and motor coordination. CW is a good tool for both studying improvements in the walking of animals after suffering a peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion and to select the best therapies and procedures after tissue destruction, given that it provides objective and quantifiable data. Most studies using CW for gait analysis that were published in recent years focus on injuries inflicted in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and brain. CW has been used in the assessment of rodent motor function through high-resolution videos, whereby specialized software was used to measure several aspects of the animal’s gait, and the main characteristics of the automated system are presented here. CW was developed to assess footfall and gait changes, and it can calculate many parameters based on footprints and time. However, given the multitude of parameters, it is necessary to evaluate which are the most important under the employed experimental circumstances. By selecting appropriate animal models and evaluating peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion regeneration using standardized methods, suggestions for new therapies can be provided, which represents the translation of this methodology into clinical application.
A Study of One-Class Classification Algorithms for Wearable Fall Sensors
Authors: Santoyo-Ramón José Antonio , Casilari Eduardo , Cano-García José Manuel
Published: August 2021

In recent years, the popularity of wearable devices has fostered the investigation of automatic fall detection systems based on the analysis of the signals captured by transportable inertial sensors. Due to the complexity and variety of human movements, the detection algorithms that offer the best performance when discriminating falls from conventional Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are those built on machine learning and deep learning mechanisms. In this regard, supervised machine learning binary classification methods have been massively employed by the related literature. However, the learning phase of these algorithms requires mobility patterns caused by falls, which are very difficult to obtain in realistic application scenarios. An interesting alternative is offered by One-Class Classifiers (OCCs), which can be exclusively trained and configured with movement traces of a single type (ADLs). In this paper, a systematic study of the performance of various typical OCCs (for diverse sets of input features and hyperparameters) is performed when applied to nine public repositories of falls and ADLs. The results show the potentials of these classifiers, which are capable of achieving performance metrics very similar to those of supervised algorithms (with values for the specificity and the sensitivity higher than 95%). However, the study warns of the need to have a wide variety of types of ADLs when training OCCs, since activities with a high degree of mobility can significantly increase the frequency of false alarms (ADLs identified as falls) if not considered in the data subsets used for training.
Single-Drop Analysis of Epinephrine and Uric Acid on a Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode
Authors: Majer David , Finšgar Matjaž
Published: August 2021

This work demonstrates the analysis of epinephrine (EP) and uric acid (UA) in a single drop (the volume of the test solution was only 50 µL) using a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) sensor and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The limit of detection, limit of quantification, linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness were validated. The normality of the experimental data was tested and confirmed for both methods. Heteroscedasticity was checked by residual analysis followed by a statistical F-test. The latter was confirmed for both analytes. The low relative standard deviations (RSD) at all calibration points and repetitive slopes justified the use of a calibration curve; therefore, the standard addition methodology was avoided (the latter is common in electroanalysis, but time-consuming). Since the conditions for using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression were not met, weighted linear regression (WLR) was used to improve the accuracy of the analytical results at low concentrations of the analytes. In this manner, the best weighted model was determined and used for the quantification. A comparison was made between the OLS and WLR methods to show the necessity of using the WLR method for EP and UA analysis. The newly developed and validated methods were also shown to be effective in the analysis of real samples. The content of EP in an EP auto-injector and UA in human urine was tested by employing the best weighted model. For EP and UA, the accuracy in terms of the average recovery value was 101.01% and 94.35%, and precision in terms of RSD was 5.65% and 2.75%, respectively. A new analytical methodology is presented that uses a low volume (a single drop), and it offers the advantage of electroanalysis for on-site analysis, where conventional chromatographic techniques cannot be easily employed. Furthermore, the developed technique has additional advantages in terms of speed, cost, and miniaturization.
Profiles of eHealth Adoption in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Caregivers
Authors: Haase Rocco , Voigt Isabel , Scholz Maria , Schlieter Hannes , Benedict Martin , Susky Marcel , Dillenseger Anja , Ziemssen Tjalf
Published: August 2021

(1) Background: Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are often characterized as ideal adopters of new digital healthcare trends, but it is worth thinking about whether and which pwMS will be targeted and served by a particular eHealth service like a patient portal. With our study, we wanted to explore needs and barriers for subgroups of pwMS and their caregivers when interacting with eHealth services in care and daily living. (2) Methods: This study comprises results from two surveys: one collecting data from pwMS and their relatives (as informal caregivers) and another one providing information on the opinions and attitudes of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Data were analyzed descriptively and via generalized linear models. (3) Results: 185 pwMS, 25 informal caregivers, and 24 HCPs in the field of MS participated. Nine out of ten pwMS used information technology on a daily base. Individual impairments like in vision and cognition resulted in individual needs like the desire to actively monitor their disease course or communicate with their physician in person. HCPs reported that a complete medication overview, additional medication information, overview of future visits and a reminder of medication intake would be very helpful eHealth features for pwMS, while they themselves preferred features organizing and enriching future visits. (4) Conclusions: A closer look at the various profiles of eHealth adoption in pwMS and their caregivers indicated that there is a broad and robust enthusiasm across several subgroups that does not exclude anyone in general, but constitutes specific areas of interest. For pwMS, the focus was on eHealth services that connect previously collected information and make them easily accessible and understandable.
2013–2014 Survey of Chars Using Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: McDonald-Wharry John
Published: August 2021

In late 2013, an open call for charcoal and biochar samples was distributed in an effort to compare a wide range of char samples by Raman spectroscopy. The samples contributed to this survey included: laboratory produced biochars, recent biochars produced in field conditions, and ancient char samples previously analysed by carbon dating. By using selected Raman measurements, the char samples could be ranked in terms of the degree of thermochemical alteration or extent of carbon nanostructural development. The Raman results for recently produced biomass chars were generally consistent with the conversion of amorphous carbon formed at lower temperatures into condensed, polyaromatic, and graphene-like carbon formed at higher temperatures. A number of parameters calculated from the Raman spectra could be used to estimate the effective heat treatment temperatures in the recently produced biochars. Other samples such as anthracite coal, tire pyrolysis carbon, and ancient chars departed from the trends observed in the recently produced biomass chars using this approach. In total, 45 samples were analysed by Raman spectroscopy for this survey. Ancient and buried char samples displayed higher intensities for features in the Raman spectra associated with amorphous carbon.