bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proteomics approach to investigating osmotic stress effects on pistachio
Authors: Pakzad Rambod , Fatehi Foad , Kalantar Mansour , Maleki Mahmood
Published: January 2023

Osmotic stress can occur due to some stresses such as salinity and drought, threatening plant survival. To investigate the mechanism governing the pistachio response to this stress, the biochemical alterations and protein profile of PEG-treated plants was monitored. Also, we selected two differentially abundant proteins to validate via Real-Time PCR. Biochemical results displayed that in treated plants, proline and phenolic content was elevated, photosynthetic pigments except carotenoid decreased and MDA concentration were not altered. Our findings identified a number of proteins using 2DE-MS, involved in mitigating osmotic stress in pistachio. A total of 180 protein spots were identified, of which 25 spots were altered in response to osmotic stress. Four spots that had photosynthetic activities were down-regulated, and the remaining spots were up-regulated. The biological functional analysis of protein spots exhibited that most of them are associated with the photosynthesis and metabolism (36%) followed by stress response (24%). Results of Real-Time PCR indicated that two of the representative genes illustrated a positive correlation among transcript level and protein expression and had a similar trend in regulation of gene and protein. Osmotic stress set changes in the proteins associated with photosynthesis and stress tolerance, proteins associated with the cell wall, changes in the expression of proteins involved in DNA and RNA processing occur. Findings of this research will introduce possible proteins and pathways that contribute to osmotic stress and can be considered for improving osmotic tolerance in pistachio.
High-throughput sequencing application in the detection and discovery of viruses associated with the regulated citrus leprosis disease complex
Authors: Padmanabhan Chellappan , Nunziata Schyler , Leon M. Guillermo , Rivera Yazmín , Mavrodieva Vessela A. , Nakhla Mark K. , Roy Avijit
Published: January 2023

Citrus leprosis (CiL) is one of the destructive emerging viral diseases of citrus in the Americas. Leprosis syndrome is associated with two taxonomically distinct groups of Brevipalpus-transmitted viruses (BTVs), that consist of positive-sense Cilevirus, Higrevirus, and negative-sense Dichorhavirus. The localized CiL symptoms observed in multiple citrus species and other alternate hosts indicates that these viruses might have originated from the mites and eventually adopted citrus as a secondary host. Genetic diversity in the genomes of viruses associated with the CiL disease complex have complicated current detection and diagnostic measures that prompted the application of High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) protocols for improved detection and diagnosis. Two cileviruses are known to infect citrus, and among them only citrus leprosis virus C2 (CiLV-C2) hibiscus strain (CiLV-C2H) has been reported in hibiscus and passion fruit in the US. Based on our current CiL disease complex hypothesis, there is a high probability that CiL disease is associated with more viruses/strains that have not yet been identified but exist in nature. To protect the citrus industry, a Ribo-Zero HTS protocol was utilized for detection of cileviruses infecting three different hosts: Citrus spp., Swinglea glutinosa, and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Real-time RT-PCR assays were used to identify plants infected with CiLV-C2 or CiLV-C2H or both in mixed infection in all the above-mentioned plant genera. These results were further confirmed by bioinformatic analysis using HTS generated data. In this study, we utilized HTS assay in confirmatory diagnostics to screen BTVs infecting Dieffenbachia sp. (family: Araceae), Passiflora edulis (Passifloraceae), and Smilax auriculata (Smilacaceae). Through the implementation of HTS and downstream data analysis, we detected not only the known cileviruses in the studied hosts but also discovered a new strain of CiLV-C2 in hibiscus from Colombia. Phylogenetically, the new hibiscus strain is more closely related to CiLV-C2 than the known hibiscus strain, CiLV-C2H. We propose this strain to be named as CiLV-C2 hibiscus strain 2 (CiLV-C2H2). The findings from the study are critical for citrus growers, industry, regulators, and researchers. The possible movement of CiLV-C2H2 from hibiscus to citrus by the Brevipalpus spp. warrants further investigation.
The effect of using fresh farmyard manure (animal manure) on the severity of Fusarium verticilioides in soil, root, stem, and kernels as well as lodging and borer incidence of maize plants
Authors: Elsayed Samar S. A. , Sehsah Mohamed D. , Oueslati Moufida A. , Ibrahim Omar M. , Hamden Salem , Seddek Nermien H. , Abo-Elmagd Heba I. , Alkhalifah Dalal Hussien M. , Sheteiwy Mohamed S. , AbdElgawad Hamada , El-Saadony Mohamed T. , El-Tahan Amira M.
Published: January 2023

Fusarium verticillioides, an important maize pathogen, produce fumonisins, causes stalk rot and consequentially reduce crop growth and yield. Therefore, herein we aimed to evaluate the potential use of two farmyard soil organic manures, i.e., fresh (5-6 days old) and stored (5-6 months old) organic manure, to manage F. verticillioides infections as well as borer incidence and lodging in maize plants. After 30, 60, and 90 days of sowing, samples of soil, roots, and stems were collected to isolate F. verticillioides. Moreover, we estimated ear and kernel rot induced by F. verticillioides at the final harvest. Fresh organic manure treatment increased infection rates of F. verticillioides in soil, roots, stem and kernels compared to the control treatment. In contrast, stored organic manure plots treatments decrease F. verticillioides frequency. At 90 days after sowing, stored organic manure suppressed the survival of F. verticillioides, which reduced the F. verticillioides incidence percent. These results were similar to the effect of herbicides-and insecticide-treated plots demonstrated, which show a significant decrease in F. verticillioides incidence rates. Mycological analysis on symptomless kernels revealed a higher % of pathogen infection in opened husks variety (Balady) than closed husks variety (SC10). Compared with stored organic manure, the stem borer incidence and lodging percentage were the highest in fresh organic manure plots. Finally, these results demonstrated that storing organic manure within five to six months as farmyard manure led to high-temperature centigrade within organic manure, thereby destroying spores of F. verticillioides, whereas fresh organic manure did not.
The Dialectical Mandala Model of Self-cultivation
Authors: Azanlansh Orchid-Stone Chang
Published: January 2023

This study explores the development of a cross-cultural primary ontological model that can help self-cultivation practitioners illuminate their path and help researchers identify the complex implications, context, and progression of self-cultivation in diverse cultures, especially those associated with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Integrating self-cultivation traditions into social science research from the perspective of subject-object dichotomy is difficult. However, the assimilation of the mutual implication of subject and object in the Avataṃsaka worldview helps resolve this issue. This study employs the Buddhist tetralemmic dialectic (catuṣkoṭi), which goes beyond the limitations of dualistic and reductionist logic, to construct the Dialectical Mandala Model of Self-cultivation as the first of a two-step epistemological strategy. The model provides a universal framework for the multifaceted and systemic analysis of self-cultivation traditions so that future research can further develop additional culturally specific ontologies and psychological models in the second step of the strategy. As in a research map, this model could help researchers make ontological commitments, understand self-cultivation more comprehensively, and determine whether they have overlooked any research domain.
Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of university students in Yemen: The mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy
Authors: Al-Qadasi Nabil , Zhang Gongyi , Al-Awlaqi Mohammed Ali , Alshebami Ali Saleh , Aamer Ammar
Published: January 2023

While entrepreneurship is believed to play a crucial role in economic growth and job creation in various parts of the world, particularly in developed countries, the key factors enhancing entrepreneurship behavior and intention in developing countries still need to be discovered. Therefore, this study examines the influence of personality traits and environmental and situational factors on the development of entrepreneurial intention among young students in Yemen. Data were collected through a survey responded to by 487 final-year university students from two universities (public and private) in Yemen. The study’s hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study reveals that personality traits of the need for achievement (nAch) and locus of control (LoC) positively correlate with entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and entrepreneurial intention. Instrumental readiness positively correlates with ESE but not with entrepreneurial intent. The situational factors show a positive association with entrepreneurial intention but not ESE and a positive relationship between ESE and entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, the study’s findings show that ESE partially mediates the relationship between the nAch, LoC, instrumental readiness, and entrepreneurial intention. However, ESE did not mediate the relationship between situational factors and entrepreneurial intention. The study suggests that situational factors can influence entrepreneurial intention among Yemeni students and provide several recommendations to academicians and policymakers.
The Static and dynamic functional connectivity characteristics of the left temporoparietal junction region in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations during low-frequency rTMS treatment
Authors: Xie Yuanjun , Guan Muzhen , He Ying , Wang Zhongheng , Ma Zhujing , Fang Peng , Wang Huaning
Published: January 2023

Background

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a core symptom of schizophrenia. Low-frequency (e.g., 1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting language processing regions (e.g., left TPJ) has been evident as a potential treatment for AVH. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of the rTMS treatment effect remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of 1 Hz rTMS on functional connectivity (FC) of the temporoparietal junction area (TPJ) seed with the whole brain in schizophrenia patients with AVH.

Methods

Using a single-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 55 patients with AVH were randomly divided into active treatment group (n = 30) or placebo group (n = 25). The active treatment group receive 15-day 1 Hz rTMS stimulation to the left TPJ, whereas the placebo group received sham rTMS stimulation to the same site. Resting-state fMRI scans and clinical measures were acquired for all patients before and after treatment. The seed-based (left TPJ) static and DFC was used to assess the connectivity characteristics during rTMS treatment in patients with AVH.

Results

Overall, symptom improvement following 1 Hz rTMS treatment was found in the active treatment group, whereas no change occurred in the placebo group. Moreover, decreased static FC (SFC) of the left TPJ with the right temporal lobes, as well as increased SFC with the prefrontal cortex and subcortical structure were observed in active rTMS group. Increased dynamic FC (DFC) of the left TPJ with frontoparietal areas was also found in the active rTMS group. However, seed-based SFC and DFC were reduced to a great extent in the placebo group. In addition, these changed FC (SFC) strengths in the active rTMS group were associated with reduced severity of clinical outcomes (e.g., positive symptoms).

Conclusion

The application of 1 Hz rTMS over the left TPJ may affect connectivity characteristics of the targeted region and contribute to clinical improvement, which shed light on the therapeutic effect of rTMS on schizophrenia with AVH.
Sputum smears quality inspection using an ensemble feature extraction approach
Authors: Kiflie Amarech , Tesema Tufa Guta , Salau Ayodeji Olalekan
Published: January 2023

The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is extremely important. Sputum smear microscopy is thought to be the best method available in terms of accessibility and ease of use in resource-constrained countries. In this paper, research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of tuberculosis diagnosis by examining, among other things, the underlying causes of sputum smear quality for Ethiopian states such as Tigray, Amahira, and Oromia. However, because it is done manually, it has its limitations. This study proposes a model for sputum smear quality inspection using an ensemble feature extraction approach. The dataset used was recorded and labeled by experts in a regional lab in Bahir Dar, near Felege Hiwot Hospital after being collected from Gabi Hospital, Felege Hiwot Hospital, Adit Clinic and Gondar Hospital, as well as Kidanemihret Clinic in Gondar. We used a controlled environment to reduce environmental influences and eliminate variation. All the data was collected using a smartphone (the standard 15) with a jpg file extension and a pixel resolution of 1,728 × 3,840. Prior to feature extraction, bicubic resizing, and ROI extraction using thresholding was performed. In addition, sequential Gaussian and Gabor filters were used for noise reduction, augmentation, and CLAHE was used for enhancement. For feature extraction, GLCM from the gray label and CNN from the color image were both chosen. Ultimately, when CNN, SVM, and KNN classifiers were used to test both CNN and GLCM features, KNN outperformed them all with scores of 87, 93, and 94% for GLCM, CNN, and a hybrid of CNN and GLCM, respectively. CNN with GLCM outperformed other methods by 0.7 and 0.1% for GLCM and CNN feature extractors using the same classifier, respectively. In addition, the KNN classifier with the combination of CNN and GLCM as feature extractors performed better than existing methods by 1.48%.
Sociodemographic and behavioural risk factors associated with low awareness of diabetes mellitus medication in Indonesia: Findings from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5)
Authors: Khoiry Qisty A. , Alfian Sofa D. , Abdulah Rizky
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Low awareness of the necessity of taking medication is common among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) due to their lack of understanding of the disease. Therefore, it is essential to determine the underlying risks influencing low awareness to design effective intervention strategies. This study aims to evaluate the association of sociodemographic and behavioural factors with low awareness to take medication among patients with DM in Indonesia.

Method

Retrospective data were obtained from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5), a national cross-sectional population-based survey among respondents with DM aged ≥15 years. DM status was confirmed by HbA1c testing, while sociodemographic and other health-related information was obtained from self-reported data. Gender, age, educational level, marital status, economic status, comorbidity, religiosity, residence and health insurance status were considered sociodemographic, whereas blood glucose monitoring status, sleeping problems, depression status, having a general medical check-up, satisfaction with healthcare needs and happiness status were considered behavioural risk factors. Awareness of DM medication was determined by self-reported responses to the question asked by the surveyor. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between sociodemographic and behavioural factors and low awareness of DM medication. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported.

Result

Most of the 706 respondents were female (58.8%) and aged 55–65 years (28.8%). Most of them showed low awareness of diabetes medication (87.7%). Irregular blood glucose monitoring (OR: 23.61, 95% CI 11.46–48.65; p < 0.001), without any comorbidity (OR: 2.03, 95% CI 1.05–3.90; p = 0.034), never had any general medical check-up (OR: 2.52, 95% CI 1.12–5.36; p = 0.016), 26–35 years of age (OR: 4.96, 95% CI 1.06–23.19; p = 0.042), 36–45 years of age (OR: 5.04, 95% CI 1.17–21.69; p = 0.030) and having no health insurance coverage (OR: 2.08, 95% CI 1.12–3.87; p = 0.021) were significantly associated with low awareness of diabetes medication.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals should regularly evaluate blood glucose level, perform routine medical check-ups, prioritise patient satisfaction by providing appropriate care, involve patients in decision-making by determining their needs and then tailor an intervention to meet the need for, and improve their awareness of, DM medication.
Conditional autoencoder pre-training and optimization algorithms for personalized care of hemophiliac patients
Authors: Buche Cédric , Lasson François , Kerdelo Sébastien
Published: January 2023

This paper presents the use of deep conditional autoencoder to predict the effect of treatments for patients suffering from hemophiliac disorders. Conditional autoencoder is a semi-supervised model that learns an abstract representation of the data and provides conditional reconstruction capabilities. Such models are suited to problems with limited and/or partially observable data, common situation for data in medicine. Deep conditional autoencoders allow the representation of highly non-linear functions which makes them promising candidates. However, the optimization of parameters and hyperparameters is particularly complex. For parameter optimization, the classical approach of random initialization of weight matrices works well in the case of simple architectures, but is not feasible for deep architectures. For hyperparameter optimization of deep architectures, the classical cross-validation method is costly. In this article, we propose solutions using a conditional pre-training algorithm and incremental optimization strategies. Such solutions reduce the variance of the estimation process and enhances convergence of the learning algorithm. Our proposal is applied for personalized care of hemophiliac patients. Results show better performances than generative adversarial networks (baseline) and highlight the benefits of your contribution to predict the effect of treatments for patients.
How to train a self-driving vehicle: On the added value (or lack thereof) of curriculum learning and replay buffers
Authors: Mahmoud Sara , Billing Erik , Svensson Henrik , Thill Serge
Published: January 2023

Learning from only real-world collected data can be unrealistic and time consuming in many scenario. One alternative is to use synthetic data as learning environments to learn rare situations and replay buffers to speed up the learning. In this work, we examine the hypothesis of how the creation of the environment affects the training of reinforcement learning agent through auto-generated environment mechanisms. We take the autonomous vehicle as an application. We compare the effect of two approaches to generate training data for artificial cognitive agents. We consider the added value of curriculum learning—just as in human learning—as a way to structure novel training data that the agent has not seen before as well as that of using a replay buffer to train further on data the agent has seen before. In other words, the focus of this paper is on characteristics of the training data rather than on learning algorithms. We therefore use two tasks that are commonly trained early on in autonomous vehicle research: lane keeping and pedestrian avoidance. Our main results show that curriculum learning indeed offers an additional benefit over a vanilla reinforcement learning approach (using Deep-Q Learning), but the replay buffer actually has a detrimental effect in most (but not all) combinations of data generation approaches we considered here. The benefit of curriculum learning does depend on the existence of a well-defined difficulty metric with which various training scenarios can be ordered. In the lane-keeping task, we can define it as a function of the curvature of the road, in which the steeper and more occurring curves on the road, the more difficult it gets. Defining such a difficulty metric in other scenarios is not always trivial. In general, the results of this paper emphasize both the importance of considering data characterization, such as curriculum learning, and the importance of defining an appropriate metric for the task.
Relations between indoor rehabilitation and basic health services in a developing country
Authors: Uddin Taslim , Ahmed Badrunnessa , Shoma Farzana Khan
Published: January 2023

Background

and Introduction: Physical rehabilitation is vital for patients to regain maximum function. Approximately 80% of people with a disability live in developing countries, where they face multiple challenges in rehabilitation. The goal of the study was to conduct an analysis of indoor rehabilitation programs based on the demographics and medical conditions of the admitted patients and to relate to the available basic health and rehabilitation facilities.

Methods

This was a mixed method study conducted in an inpatient rehabilitation ward of a tertiary level academic university hospital in a developing country. All admitted patients who stayed for a period of minimum two weeks were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were obtained by means of a retrospective medical record review utilizing a standardized data extraction form. The study was further strengthened by an online literature search for the available documents for analysis, relation, and discussion.

Results

Among the 1,309 admitted patients was male- female ratio was 10:7, with the majority (31.4%) cases falling between the ages of 46 and 60yrs. Rehabilitation outpatient department was the principal mode of admission (78%), and musculoskeletal and neurological conditions represented the maximum number (79.8%). Majority of patients (60.8%) were discharged home on completion of the rehabilitation program with a large number of patients who were absconded. Poor health budget allocation and lack of prioritization of the rehabilitation sector face multiple challenges, including the rehabilitation team functioning resources, space crisis for expansion which was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

The country's current health-related rehabilitation process and socio-demographic variables have a negative relationship. There was a large number of missing data in the medical records and many patients were lost prematurely from the indoor rehabilitation program. Musculoskeletal disorders were common, and the majority of patients were discharged home once the program was completed.
Economic viability in the integrated crop-livestock system with nitrogen fertilization system and sward canopy heights
Authors: Elejalde Denise Adelaide Gomes , Soares André Brugnara , de Lima José Donizetti , Missio Regis Luis , Assmann Tangriani Simioni , Tatto Wilson Henrique , Deifeld Felipe Luiz Chiamulera , Bortolli Marcos Antônio de , Bernardon Angela , Levinski-Huf Flávia , Maccari Marcieli , Barriga Pablo Antonio Beltrán , Rhoden Anderson Clayton
Published: January 2023

Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) are complex production strategies whose main components are soil, plant, and animal. Several studies addressed the interaction among them and conclude on the technical feasibility of these systems, but few studies assess their economic feasibility. The objective of this work was to analyze the economic feasibility of an ICLS, in which nitrogen was applied on the crop phase or onto the pasture phase, combined with two grazing intensities. The study was carried out on a private farm in the municipality of Abelardo Luz—SC, between October 2012 and April 2018. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications. The treatments were arranged in a 2x2 factorial scheme, with two sward heights (high and low) and two times of N-fertilization application, or on the cool-season pasture tillering phase either onto cash crop (200 kg of N ha−1 in a single dose). Crop implementation and maintenance costs were surveyed, followed by crop and livestock production calculations, zootechnical indices, and the revenue of each phase (pasture or grain crop) for the entire system. The cash flow analysis was carried out, generating economic indicators of the three dimensions of the expanded multi-index methodology (MMA) for the system and the treatments. In this study, pasture management with low sward canopy height provided the highest net gains per hectare and per hectare/year, regardless of the nitrogen application time. The use of the ICLS is economically viable, regardless of grazing intensities and nitrogen application times.
The effect of hamstring donor-site block for functional outcomes and rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Cai Zijun , Yang Yuntao , Liu Di , Lu Wenhao , Pan Linyuan , He Miao , Xie Wenqing , Yu Dengjie , Li Hengzhen , Jin Hongfu , Li Yusheng , Xiao Wenfeng
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To determine the effect of local infiltration anesthesia (LIA) at the donor site combined with a femoral nerve block (FNB) on short-term postoperative pain, functional outcomes, and rehabilitation after arthroscopic hamstring tendon autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods

This study was a single center, randomized controlled trial. Seventy-three subjects with ACL rupture were enrolled. Participants were randomly allocated to two groups, 47 in the experimental group (Group A) and 26 in the control group (Group B). All operations were performed under FNB. In Group A, 10 ml of 1% ropivacaine was injected precisely at the hamstring donor site. Patients in Group B were treated with the same amount of saline. Preoperatively and postoperatively, pain scores based on the numerical rating scale (NRS) and consumption of opioids were recorded. In addition, knee functions were assessed by the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC), the Lysholm score, and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 and 3 months. In addition, we applied the KNEELAX3 arthrometer to evaluate the stability of the knee preoperatively and postoperatively so that subjective and objective knee conditions were obtained to help us assess knee recovery in a comprehensive manner.

Results

The hamstring donor-site block reduced pain within the first 12 postoperative hours. There were no significant differences between two groups in pain intensity preoperatively and equal to or greater than 24 hours postoperatively. Furthermore, there were no differences between the groups concerning knee functions preoperatively or in the short-term follow-up at 1 and 3 months.

Conclusion

LIA at the donor site can effectively improve the early postoperative pain of patients after ACLR and reduce the use of opioids without affecting the functional outcomes of the surgery.
Case Report: Surgery to remove adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma from an Asian male
Authors: Liu Hongtao , Huang Kai , Liu Dan , Wang Yehua
Published: January 2023

Adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma is a rare type of adrenocortical tumor. Its clinical characteristics and biological behavior need to be further evaluated after the accumulation of cases. Here we report a case of adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma in an Asian male with scoliosis. We performed an operation on this patient. Because the patient's scoliosis was limited during the operation and the tumor protruded into the chest, we decided to adopt open surgery in the supine position. During the operation, we found a tumor about 8 cm in diameter in the right adrenal region and successfully removed it. The patient recovered well after surgery, and there was no tumor recurrence after one year of follow-up. Pathological results confirmed the diagnosis of adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma. Pathological features showed tumor cell invasion of adipose tissue, with atypical mitosis and abundant esinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemistry showed that nucleus related antigen (Ki67) index was more than 15% and the positive pathological staining of Synaptophysin (Syn), Melanoma A (Melan A), Inhibin and calretinin. The incidence rate of adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma is extremely rare. Abdominal Computed tomography (CT) scans and other imaging examination methods are not specific. For larger adrenal tumors, the diagnosis of this disease should be considered. For patients with adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma who have not yet metastasized, we may achieve sound treatment effects and reduce recurrence by removing the tumor, retroperitoneal fat around the tumor and locoregional lymph nodes.
In-vitro evaluation of immunomodulatory activity of sulphation-modified total ginsenosides derivative-3
Authors: Guo Zhiting , Wang Ling , Haq Shahbaz Ul , Wang Lu , Guo Wenzhu , Luo Yongjiang , Ijaz Nabeel
Published: January 2023

Background

Ginseng has been used in biomedicine to prevent and treat decreased physical and mental capacities. Total ginsenosides (TG) from ginseng root which have antitumor and immune-enhancing properties, are the principal active components of Panax ginseng, while the sulphation-modified TG derivative-3 (SMTG-d3) was expected to enhance the anticancer activity in conventional medicinal treatments.

Methods

The chlorosulphonic acid–pyridine technique, used for the sulfation modification of TG to improve their biological activity, and the infrared spectroscopic characteristics of TG and SMTG-d3 were investigated, and the effects of SMTG-d3 on immunocytes and cytokines relevant to tumor treatment were assessed. The MTT assay was used to assess the effect of TG and SMTG-d3 on the cytotoxicity and T-lymphocytic proliferation against mouse splenocytes. The LDH method was employed to evaluate NK activity induced by TG or SMTG-d3. The production levels of splenocytes-secreted IL-2 and IFN-γ and peritoneal macrophages-secreted TNF-α were determined using mouse ELISA kits.

Results and discussion

It showed that the ideal conditions for the sulfation modification of TG: the volume ratio of chlorosulfonic acid to pyridine lower than 1:2.5; controlled amount of chlorosulfonic acid; and a yield of 51.5% SMTG-d3 (2 h, < 45°C). SMTG-d3 showed two characteristic absorption peaks at 1,230 cm−1 and 810 cm−1, indicating the formation of sulfuric acid esters and the presence of sulfuric acid groups. SMTG-d3 exhibited higher antitumor immunological activity than TG by promoting the proliferation of T lymphocytes and the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α, thus enhancing NK cell activity, and reducing cytotoxicity. The findings imply sulfated modification represents an effective method of enhancing the immunomodulatory activities of TG and could be used as the basis for developing new drug target compounds; SMTG-d3 can serve as an antitumor immunomodulator and can be considered an effective and prospective herbal formulation in clinical applications.
Evaluating Airfoil Mesh Quality with Transformer
Authors: Liu Zhixiang , Liu Huan , Chen Yuanji , Zhang Wenbo , Song Wei , Zhou Liping , Wei Quanmiao , Xu Jingxiang
Published: January 2023

Mesh quality is a major factor affecting the structure of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations. Traditional mesh quality evaluation is based on the geometric factors of the mesh cells and does not effectively take into account the defects caused by the integrity of the mesh. Ensuring the generated meshes are of sufficient quality for numerical simulation requires considerable intervention by CFD professionals. In this paper, a Transformer-based network for automatic mesh quality evaluation (Gridformer), which translates the mesh quality evaluation into an image classification problem, is proposed. By comparing different mesh features, we selected the three features that highly influence mesh quality, providing reliability and interpretability for feature extraction work. To validate the effectiveness of Gridformer, we conduct experiments on the NACA-Market dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that Gridformer can automatically identify mesh integrity quality defects and has advantages in computational efficiency and prediction accuracy compared to widely used neural networks. Furthermore, a complete workflow for automatic generation of high-quality meshes based on Gridformer was established to facilitate automated mesh generation. This workflow can produce a high-quality mesh with a low-quality mesh input through automatic evaluation and optimization cycles. The preliminary implementation of automated mesh generation proves the versatility of Gridformer.
Game-Theory-Based Mode Switch Control Schedule Design for Variable Cycle Engine
Authors: Wang Yangjing , Huang Jinquan , Pan Muxuan , Zhou Wenxiang
Published: January 2023

The variable cycle engine selects the appropriate working mode through mode switch to meet the requirements of low specific fuel consumption and high unit thrust. When the variable cycle engine switches between different modes, it should ensure the smooth transition of working modes and obtain the expected performance at the same time. Consequently, a general control schedule design method for mode switch is investigated in this paper. The feasible switching domains of single-bypass working mode and double-bypass working modes are obtained based on multifurcating tree traversal, and the switching point in the feasible switching domain is determined by solving the collaboration-game optimization problem based on sequential quadratic programming (SQP). Finally, the schedule of control variables is designed to realize smooth and fast switching between different working modes of variable cycle engine. The simulations show that based on the general control schedule of mode switch proposed in this paper, smooth transition of thrust and rotor speed can be achieved under the premise of safe engine operation, with small fluctuations and a short switching time, which is about 2.5 s.
Polysulfide Serves as a Hallmark of Desmoplastic Reaction to Differentially Diagnose Ductal Carcinoma In Situ and Invasive Breast Cancer by SERS Imaging
Authors: Kubo Akiko , Masugi Yohei , Hase Takeshi , Nagashima Kengo , Kawai Yuko , Takizawa Minako , Hishiki Takako , Shiota Megumi , Wakui Masatoshi , Kitagawa Yuko , Kabe Yasuaki , Sakamoto Michiie , Yachie Ayako , Hayashida Tetsu , Suematsu Makoto
Published: January 2023

Pathological examination of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) needle-biopsied samples by certified pathologists represents the gold standard for differential diagnosis between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancers (IBC), while information of marker metabolites in the samples is lost in the samples. Infrared laser-scanning large-area surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) equipped with gold-nanoparticle-based SERS substrate enables us to visualize metabolites in fresh-frozen needle-biopsied samples with spatial matching between SERS and HE staining images with pathological annotations. DCIS (n = 14) and IBC (n = 32) samples generated many different SERS peaks in finger-print regions of SERS spectra among pathologically annotated lesions including cancer cell nests and the surrounding stroma. The results showed that SERS peaks in IBC stroma exhibit significantly increased polysulfide that coincides with decreased hypotaurine as compared with DCIS, suggesting that alterations of these redox metabolites account for fingerprints of desmoplastic reactions to distinguish IBC from DCIS. Furthermore, the application of supervised machine learning to the stroma-specific multiple SERS signals enables us to support automated differential diagnosis with high accuracy. The results suggest that SERS-derived biochemical fingerprints derived from redox metabolites account for a hallmark of desmoplastic reaction of IBC that is absent in DCIS, and thus, they serve as a useful method for precision diagnosis in breast cancer.
Effect of Flavorization on Virgin Olive Oil Oxidation and Volatile Profile
Authors: Díaz-Montaña Enrique Jacobo , Aparicio-Ruiz Ramón , Morales María T.
Published: January 2023

The volatile compounds of virgin olive oil (VOO) have an important role from a sensory point of view as they are responsible for the aroma of the oil. Once the oil is obtained, auto-oxidation is the main process contributing to its deterioration, modifying the volatiles profile and aroma. The addition of aromatic herbs to VOO is a traditional technique to change the flavor and to preserve the oil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on the volatile profile and sensory properties of flavoring VOO with rosemary and basil herbs and its impact on the evolution of the oxidative process during a six-month shelf-life study at 15.7 ± 3.6 °C and exposed to 500 ± 100 lx of light for 12 h each day. The determination of quality parameters, volatiles concentrations and VOO sensory properties and their comparison with the flavored VOO samples showed that the addition of basil or rosemary herbs, in addition to retarding the oxidation of the oil, allowed the discrimination of the flavored samples due to the migration of compounds from herbs to the oil. The aroma of basil olive oil (BOO) samples was mainly due to β-pinene, ocimene and 1,8-cineol compounds while for rosemary olive oil (ROO) samples, their aroma was mainly due to the concentrations of camphene, β-myrcene, α-terpinolene, limonene and 1,8-cineol. From the antioxidant standpoint, the effect of the herbs was more noticeable from the third month onwards.
Age-Related Diseases and Foods Generating Chlorinative Stress
Authors: Di Salvo Eleonora , Casciaro Marco , Giorgianni Concetto Mario , Cicero Nicola , Gangemi Sebastiano
Published: January 2023

Background: Aging is a slow and inexorable process affecting all life beings and is characterised by age-related worsening in adaptation to external changes. Several factors contribute to such a process, and oxidative stress due to external damages is one key player. Of particular interest is the oxidative stress generated from halogen compounds such as chloride. Hypochlorus acid is produced starting from MPO’s interaction with hydrogen peroxide. We focused on the oxidation of tyrosine residues by HOCl, which leads as a result to the formation of 3-chlorotyrosine (3-ClTyr). This molecule, due to its stability, is considered a marker for MPO activity. Results: We collected data from literature research articles evaluating chlorinative stress and the effects of 3-ClTyr on chronic diseases linked to aging. As diseases are not the only source of 3-ClTyr in people, we also focused on other origins of chlorinative stress, such as food intake. Discussion: Oxidation and halogenation are caused by infectious diseases and by pathologies characterised by inflammation. Moreover, diet could negatively or positively influence chlorinative stress. Comparing 3-ClTyr levels in the oldest and youngest old with age-related diseases and comparing data between different geographic areas with different pesticide rules could be the next challenge.
Contribution of Phenolics and Free Amino Acids on the Antioxidant Profile of Commercial Lemon Verbena Infusions
Authors: Peixoto Juliana A. Barreto , Álvarez-Rivera Gerardo , Costa Anabela S. G. , Machado Susana , Cifuentes Alejandro , Ibáñez Elena , Oliveira M. Beatriz P. P. , Alves Rita C.
Published: January 2023

Lemon verbena infusions are widely appreciated due to their agreeable lemony flavor and medicinal properties. In this study, the antioxidant potential, phenolic profile, and free amino acid profile of lemon verbena infusions from different commercial brands were studied. Characterization by UHPLC-QTOF-HRMS allowed the identification of 34 phenolics. The free amino acid profile (by RP-HPLC-FLD) was assessed for the first time, allowing the quantification of 16 amino acids. Furthermore, the infusions showed high antioxidant activity by different assays (ferric reducing antioxidant power, DPPH• scavenging, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays), which in turn were significantly correlated with total phenolics and total flavonoid contents. Notwithstanding, phenylalanine seemed to have also an impact on the antioxidant activity of the infusions, with significant correlations found. Finally, significant differences were found in all the evaluated parameters for one of the four commercial brands herein studied, which was possibly related to the different geographical origins of this sample. Overall, these lemon verbena infusions proved to be rich in a huge variety of bioactive compounds that can provide therapeutic potential.
Exploiting the Crithmum maritimum L. Aqueous Extracts and Essential Oil as Potential Preservatives in Food, Feed, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Industries
Authors: Pedreiro Sónia , Figueirinha Artur , Cavaleiro Carlos , Cardoso Olga , Donato Maria Manuel , Salgueiro Lígia , Ramos Fernando
Published: January 2023

Chritmum maritimum, sea fennel, is a facultative halophyte used in salads, soups, and sauces, as well as used to prepare medicinal juices and aqueous extracts (AE) to treat several ailments. Its essential oil (EO) is used as a spice and aromatizing. In this work, the nutritional (crude protein, fiber, lipids, and ashes content) and HPLC-PDA phenolic profiles were determined. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential of the infusion and of the decoction, as well as the antibacterial activity of both, the AE and EO, were assessed against food-contaminating bacteria. The composition of the EO was also established. Sea fennel exhibited considerable fiber (34.3 ± 1.92%) and mineral content (23.6 ± 4.8%). AE contains chlorogenic acid as the major phenolic compound, 49.7 ± 0.8 mg/g in the infusion dry extract and (26.8 ± 0.9 mg/g in the decoction dry extract). EO contains high amounts of monoterpene hydrocarbons, namely γ-terpinene and sabinene. In regards to the antioxidant activity, IC50 values for the infusion and decoction were, respectively: 36.5 ± 1.4 μg/mL and 44.7 ± 4.4 μg/mL in the DPPH assay; 37.3 ± 2.6 μg/mL and 38.4 ± 1.8 μg/mL, in the ABTS assay. EO is particularly active against Bacillus cereus and Lactobacillus plantarum. The results support the use of sea fennel AE and EO as a potential alternative preservative ingredient for feeds, foods, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, due to the antioxidant activity of infusion and decoction, and antibacterial properties of essential oil.
The Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Impact of Dietary Fatty Acids in Cardiovascular Protection in Older Adults May Be Related to Vitamin C Intake
Authors: Gawron-Skarbek Anna , Guligowska Agnieszka , Prymont-Przymińska Anna , Nowak Dariusz , Kostka Tomasz
Published: January 2023

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), or linoleic acid (LA), have a particular role in counteracting cardiovascular diseases. They may regulate antioxidant potential and inflammatory reactions. Little is known whether other fatty acids, such as saturated fatty acids (e.g., short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyric or caproic acid) or monounsaturated fatty acids, may be involved and whether the level of Vitamin C intake may affect these processes. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of fatty acid intake on plasma and salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and the salivary inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Eighty older adults (60–79 years old) were divided into two groups with high (n = 39) and low (n = 41) Vitamin C intake. In the group with high Vitamin C intake SCFA, ALA, LA positively correlated with the plasma TAC indices, and in the group with low Vitamin C intake, the salivary TAC was decreased in subjects with a higher SCFA intake. Salivary CRP negatively corresponded to SCFA, EPA, and DHA in the whole study group (p < 0.05 for all). Fatty acids and Vitamin C intake may influence antioxidant potential and salivary CRP.
Effect of Graphite Morphology on the Electrochemical and Mechanical Properties of SiOx/Graphite Composite Anode
Authors: Wang Chenyang , Ma Tianyi , Liu Xingge , Liu Zhi , Chang Zenghua , Pang Jing
Published: January 2023

Mixing SiOx materials with graphite materials has become a key technology to improve their performance, but it is still unclear what kind of graphite materials help to construct a stable electrode structure. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of graphite morphology on the structure and performance of SiOx/C composite electrodes (850 mAh g−1). For the SiOx/C59 composite electrode constructed by the lamellar graphite (C59) with a big aspect ratio and SiOx particles, the SiOx particles agglomerate in the pores of C59 particles. This uneven electrode structure could lead to excessive stress and strain of the electrode during cycling, which causes the anode electrode structure failure and cycling performance deterioration. While the small-size lamellar graphite (SFG15) with random orientation helps to construct stable electrode structure with uniform particle distribution and pore structure, which could reduce the stress and strain change of the electrode during cycling. Thus, the composite electrode (SiOx/SFG15) exhibits better cycling performance compared with SiOx/C59 composite electrode. This work reveals the structure-activity relationship of graphite morphology, electrode structure and the mechanical and electrochemical performance of the electrode, and provides a guide to the design and development of the high capacity SiOx/C composite electrode structure.
Recent Progress of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Xiao Meijuan , Xing Zhenyu
Published: January 2023

Compared with lithium-ion batteries, lithium sulfur batteries possess a much lower cost and much higher theoretical energy density, and they are, therefore, becoming a research hotspot [...]
Battery SOH Prediction Based on Multi-Dimensional Health Indicators
Authors: Yu Zhilong , Liu Na , Zhang Yekai , Qi Lihua , Li Ran
Published: January 2023

Battery capacity is an important metric for evaluating and predicting the health status of lithium-ion batteries. In order to determine the answer, the battery’s capacity must be, with some difficulty, directly measured online with existing methods. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional health indicator (HI) battery state of health (SOH) prediction method involving the analysis of the battery equivalent circuit model and constant current discharge characteristic curve. The values of polarization resistance, polarization capacitance, and initial discharge resistance are identified as the health indicators reflective of the battery’s state of health. Moreover, the retention strategy genetic algorithm (e-GA) selects the optimal voltage drop segment, and the corresponding equal voltage drop discharge time is also used as a health indicator. Based on the above health indicator selection strategy, a battery SOH prediction model based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and LSTM neural network is constructed, and its accuracy is validated. The experimental results demonstrate that the suggested strategy is accurate and generalizable. Compared with the prediction model with single health indicator input, the accuracy is increased by 0.79%.