bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sliding Isolation Systems: Historical Review, Modeling Techniques, and the Contemporary Trends
Authors: Avinash A. R. , Krishnamoorthy A. , Kamath Kiran , Chaithra M.
Published: November 2022

Base isolation techniques have emerged as the most effective seismic damage mitigation strategies. Several types of aseismic devices for base isolation have been invented, studied, and used. Out of several isolation systems, sliding isolation systems are popular due to their operational simplicity and ease of manufacturing. This article discusses the historical development of passive sliding isolation systems, such as pure friction systems, friction pendulum systems, and isolators with other sliding surface geometries. Moreover, multiple surface isolation systems and their behavior as well as the effectiveness of using complementary devices with standalone passive isolation devices are examined. Furthermore, the article explored the various modeling techniques adopted for base-isolated single and multi-degree freedom building structures. Special attention has been given to the techniques available for modeling the complex phenomena of sliding and non-sliding phases of sliding bearings. The discussion is further extended to the development in the contemporary areas of seismic isolation, such as active and hybrid isolation systems. Although a significant amount of research is carried out in the area of active and hybrid isolation systems, the passive sliding isolation system still has not lost its appeal due to its ease of adaptability to the structures.
Finnish Multi-Story Timber-Framed Apartment Buildings: Tampere Residents’ Perspectives
Authors: Savolainen Jussi Matias , Ilgın Hüseyin Emre , Oinas Eveliina , Karjalainen Markku
Published: November 2022

This study aims to understand the views and experiences of Tampere residents in Finland about multi-story timber-framed apartments and wooden structures through a questionnaire. The 151 responses highlighted two main issues: (1) multi-story timber-framed apartments were rated as a good product in terms of user satisfaction, which was based on the following findings: (1a) for most of the respondents, the apartment had fresh air and a suitable temperature on cold winter days; (1b) the majority felt safe living in a multi-story timber-framed apartment; (1c) respondents generally were satisfied with the soundproofing, except for the disturbing noises from the upper floor and the stairwells; (1d) residents’ opinions were mainly positive regarding most of the functional features such as storage facilities, the location and access roads of the building, exterior facade, and wood visibility level; (2) there exists a demand for multi-story timber-framed residential buildings in the market, especially in the customer segment, which is defined as ‘environmentalist’. This was based on the following findings: (2a) living in an environmentally friendly, low-carbon, natural-material apartment, cozier living in a timber-framed apartment, and meaningful use of wood in interiors were notably more important for the extremely satisfied residents; (2b) building facades, and floors and ceilings inside the apartment were the places where the use of wood was most desired in the apartment. This article is intended to be a guide for key construction experts, e.g., architectural designers and developers to better understand and meet the demands and needs of timber-framed apartment residents in Finland.
Guggulsterone Induces Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells by Targeting High Mobility Group Box 1 via Janus Activated Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription Pathway
Authors: Akhtar Sabah , Zarif Lubna , Kuttikrishnan Shilpa , Prabhu Kirti S. , Patil Kalyani , Nisar Sabah , Abou-Saleh Haissam , Merhi Maysaloun , Dermime Said , Bhat Ajaz A. , Uddin Shahab
Published: November 2022

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological disorder characterized by the abnormal expansion of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Despite great advances over the past three decades in discovering the efficacious therapies for MM, the disease remains incurable for most patients owing to emergence of drug-resistant cancerous cells. Guggulsterone (GS), a phytosteroid, extracted from the gum resin of guggul plant, has displayed various anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo; however, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activity have not been evaluated in MM cells. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of GS in various MM cell lines (U266, MM.1S, and RPMI 8226) and the mechanisms involved. GS treatment of MM cells caused inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptotic cell death as indicated by increased Bax protein expression, activation of caspases, and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. This was associated with the downregulation of various proliferative and antiapoptotic gene products, including cyclin D, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. GS also suppressed the constitutive and interleukin 6-induced activation of STAT3. Interestingly, the inhibition of Janus activated kinase or STAT3 activity by the specific inhibitors or by siRNA knockdown of STAT3 resulted in the downregulation of HMGB1, suggesting an association between GS, STAT3, and HMGB1. Finally, GS potentiated the anticancer effects of bortezomib (BTZ) in MM cells. Herein, we demonstrated that GS could be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of MM, possibly alone or in combination with BTZ.
SOX4 Mediates ATRA-Induced Differentiation in Neuroblastoma Cells
Authors: Zhang Dongyang , Gong Baocheng , Zhao Qiang , Li Zhijie , Tan Xiaolin , Hua Zhongyan
Published: November 2022

Neuroblastoma (NB), which is considered to be caused by the differentiation failure of neural crest cells, is the most common extracranial malignant solid tumor in children. The degree of tumor differentiation in patients with NB is closely correlated with the survival rate. To explore the potential targets that mediate NB cell differentiation, we analyzed four microarray datasets from GEO, and the overlapping down- or upregulated DEGs were displayed using Venn diagrams. SOX4 was one of the overlapping upregulated DEGs and was confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western blot in ATRA-treated NGP, SY5Y, and BE2 cells. To clarify whether SOX4 was the target gene regulating NB cell differentiation, the correlation between the expression of SOX4 and the survival of clinical patients was analyzed via the R2 database, SOX4 overexpression plasmids and siRNAs were generated to change the expression of SOX4, RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to detect SOX4 expression, cell confluence or cell survival was detected by IncuCyte Zoom or CCK8 assay, immunocytochemistry staining was performed to detect cells’ neurites, and a cell cycle analysis was implemented using Flow cytometry after PI staining. The results showed that the survival probabilities were positively correlated with SOX4 expression, in which overexpressing SOX4 inhibited NB cell proliferation, elongated the cells’ neurite, and blocked the cell cycle in G1 phase, and that knockdown of the expression of SOX4 partially reversed the ATRA-induced inhibition of NB cell proliferation, the elongation of the cells’ neurites, and the blocking of the cell cycle in the G1 phase. These indicate that SOX4 may be a target to induce NB cell differentiation.
Preclinical Models of Neuroendocrine Neoplasia
Authors: Sedlack Andrew J. H. , Saleh-Anaraki Kimia , Kumar Suresh , Ear Po Hien , Lines Kate E. , Roper Nitin , Pacak Karel , Bergsland Emily , Quelle Dawn E. , Howe James R. , Pommier Yves , del Rivero Jaydira
Published: November 2022

Neuroendocrine neoplasia (NENs) are a complex and heterogeneous group of cancers that can arise from neuroendocrine tissues throughout the body and differentiate them from other tumors. Their low incidence and high diversity make many of them orphan conditions characterized by a low incidence and few dedicated clinical trials. Study of the molecular and genetic nature of these diseases is limited in comparison to more common cancers and more dependent on preclinical models, including both in vitro models (such as cell lines and 3D models) and in vivo models (such as patient derived xenografts (PDXs) and genetically-engineered mouse models (GEMMs)). While preclinical models do not fully recapitulate the nature of these cancers in patients, they are useful tools in investigation of the basic biology and early-stage investigation for evaluation of treatments for these cancers. We review available preclinical models for each type of NEN and discuss their history as well as their current use and translation.
Regression of Lung Cancer in Mice by Intranasal Administration of SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1
Authors: Sheinin Monica , Jeong Brian , Paidi Ramesh K. , Pahan Kalipada
Published: November 2022

This study underlines the importance of SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 in prompting death in cultured non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and in vivo in lung tumors in mice. Interestingly, we found that recombinant spike S1 treatment at very low doses led to death of human A549 NSCLC cells. On the other hand, boiled recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 remained unable to induce death, suggesting that the induction of cell death in A549 cells was due to native SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 protein. SARS-CoV-2 spike S1-induced A549 cell death was also inhibited by neutralizing antibodies against spike S1 and ACE2. Moreover, our newly designed wild type ACE2-interacting domain of SARS-CoV-2 (wtAIDS), but not mAIDS, peptide also attenuated SARS-CoV-2 spike S1-induced cell death, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 spike S1-induced death in A549 NSCLC cells depends on its interaction with ACE2 receptor. Similarly, recombinant spike S1 treatment also led to death of human H1299 and H358 NSCLC cells. Finally, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) intoxication led to the formation tumors in lungs of A/J mice and alternate day intranasal treatment with low dose of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 from 22-weeks of NNK insult (late stage) induced apoptosis and tumor regression in the lungs. These studies indicate that SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 may have implications for lung cancer treatment.
N Doped Activated Biochar from Pyrolyzing Wood Powder for Prompt BPA Removal via Peroxymonosulfate Activation
Authors: Lu Haiqin , Xu Guilu , Gan Lu
Published: November 2022

In the present study, nitrogen doped biochar (N-PPB) and nitrogen doped activated biochar (AN-PPB) were prepared and used for removing bisphenol A (BPA) in water through activating peroxymonosulfate. It was found from the results that N-PPB exhibited superior catalytic performance over pristine biochar since nitrogen could brought about abundant active sites to the biochar structure. The non-radical singlet oxygen (1O2) was determined to be the dominant active species responsible for BPA degradation. Having non-radical pathway in the N-PPB/PMS system, the BPA degradation was barely influenced by many external environmental factors including solution pH value, temperature, foreign organic, and inorganic matters. Furthermore, AN-PPB had richer porosity than N-PPB, which showed even faster BPA removal efficiency than N-PPB through an adsorptive/catalytic synergy. The finding of this study introduces a novel way of designing hieratical structured biochar catalysts for effective organic pollutant removal in water.
Correction: Ansari et al. Green Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles Using Acorus calamus Leaf Extract and Evaluating Its Photocatalytic and In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity. Catalysts 2022, 12, 181
Authors: Ansari Afzal , Siddiqui Vasi Uddin , Rehman Wahid Ul , Akram Md. Khursheed , Siddiqi Weqar Ahmad , Alosaimi Abeer M. , Hussein Mahmoud A. , Rafatullah Mohd
Published: November 2022

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...]
Crosstalk between the Hippo Pathway and the Wnt Pathway in Huntington’s Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Disorders
Authors: Sileo Pasquale , Simonin Clémence , Melnyk Patricia , Chartier-Harlin Marie-Christine , Cotelle Philippe
Published: November 2022

The Hippo pathway consists of a cascade of kinases that controls the phosphorylation of the co-activators YAP/TAZ. When unphosphorylated, YAP and TAZ translocate into the nucleus, where they mainly bind to the TEAD transcription factor family and activate genes related to cell proliferation and survival. In this way, the inhibition of the Hippo pathway promotes cell survival, proliferation, and stemness fate. Another pathway can modulate these processes, namely the Wnt/β-catenin pathway that is indeed involved in cellular functions such as proliferation and cell survival, as well as apoptosis, growth, and cell renewal. Wnt signaling can act in a canonical or noncanonical way, depending on whether β-catenin is involved in the process. In this review, we will focus only on the canonical Wnt pathway. It has emerged that YAP/TAZ are components of the β-catenin destruction complex and that there is a close relationship between the Hippo pathway and the canonical Wnt pathway. Furthermore, recent data have shown that both of these pathways may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Thus, this review analyzes the Hippo pathway and the Wnt pathway, their crosstalk, and their involvement in Huntington’s disease, as well as in other neurodegenerative disorders. Altogether, these data suggest possible therapeutic approaches targeting key players of these pathways.
The Complex Journey of the Calcium Regulation Downstream of TAS2R Activation
Authors: Talmon Maria , Pollastro Federica , Fresu Luigia Grazia
Published: November 2022

Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) have recently arisen as a potential drug target for asthma due to their localization in airway cells. These receptors are expressed in all cell types of the respiratory system comprising epithelial, smooth muscle and immune cells; however, the expression pattern of the subtypes is different in each cell type and, accordingly, so is their role, for example, anti-inflammatory or bronchodilator. The most challenging aspect in studying TAS2Rs has been the identification of the downstream signaling cascades. Indeed, TAS2R activation leads to canonical IP3-dependent calcium release from the ER, but, alongside, there are other mechanisms that differ according to the histological localization. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the cytosolic calcium modulation downstream of TAS2R activation in the epithelial, smooth muscle and immune cells of the airway system.
The Surface Charge of Polymer-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles Determines Protein Corona Properties and Cell Recognition in Serum Solutions
Authors: Liang Liuen , Everest-Dass Arun V. , Kostyuk Alexey B. , Khabir Zahra , Zhang Run , Trushina Daria B. , Zvyagin Andrei V.
Published: November 2022

Applications of nanoparticles (NPs) in the life sciences require control over their properties in protein-rich biological fluids, as an NP quickly acquires a layer of proteins on the surface, forming the so-called “protein corona” (PC). Understanding the composition and kinetics of the PC at the molecular level is of considerable importance for controlling NP interaction with cells. Here, we present a systematic study of hard PC formation on the surface of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) coated with positively-charged polyethyleneimine (PEI) and negatively-charged poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) polymers in serum-supplemented cell culture medium. The rationale behind the choice of UCNP is two-fold: UCNP represents a convenient model of NP with a size ranging from 5 nm to >200 nm, while the unique photoluminescent properties of UCNP enable direct observation of the PC formation, which may provide new insight into this complex process. The non-linear optical properties of UCNP were utilised for direct observation of PC formation by means of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Our findings indicated that the charge of the surface polymer coating was the key factor for the formation of PC on UCNPs, with an ensuing effect on the NP–cell interactions.
Detection of Azo Dyes Using Carbon Dots from Olive Mill Wastes
Authors: Sousa Diogo A. , Berberan-Santos Mário N. , Prata José V.
Published: November 2022

Azo dyes are widely spread in our day life, being heavily used in cosmetics, healthcare products, textile industries, and as artificial food colorants. This intense industrial activity, which inherently includes their own production, inexorably leads to uncontrolled release of dyes into the environment. As emerging pollutants, their detection, particularly in water systems, is a priority. Herein, a fluorescence-based method was employed for the sensitive and selective detection of anionic and neutral azo dyes. Carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from wet pomace (WP), an abundant semi-solid waste of olive mills, were used as probes. An outstanding capability for detection of azo dyes methyl orange (MO) and methyl red (MR) in aqueous solutions was disclosed, which reached a limit of detection (LOD) of 151 ppb for MO. The selectivity of WP-CDs for the anionic azo dye (MO) was established through competitive experiments with other dyes, either anionic (indigo carmine) or cationic (fuchsin, methylene blue, and rhodamine 6G); perchlorate salts of transition metal cations (Cu(II), Co(II), Fe(II), Fe(III), Hg(II), and Pb(II)); and sodium salts of common anions (NO3−, CO32−, Cl−, and SO42−). Evidence has been collected that supports static quenching as the main transduction event underlying the observed quenching of the probe’s fluorescence, combined with a dynamic resonance energy transfer (RET) mechanism at high MO concentrations.
The Crosstalk between the Blood–Brain Barrier Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation after General Anaesthesia
Authors: Yang Xinxin , Chen Xiangdong
Published: November 2022

As we know, with continuous medical progress, the treatment of many diseases can be conducted via surgery, which often relies on general anaesthesia for its satisfactory performance. With the widespread use of general anaesthetics, people are beginning to question the safety of general anaesthesia and there is a growing interest in central nervous system (CNS) complications associated with anaesthetics. Recently, abundant evidence has suggested that both blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and neuroinflammation play roles in the development of CNS complications after anaesthesia. Whether there is a crosstalk between BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation after general anaesthesia, and whether this possible crosstalk could be a therapeutic target for CNS complications after general anaesthesia needs to be clarified by further studies.
Evaluation of the Long-Term Performance of Marine and Offshore Coatings System Exposed on a Traditional Stationary Site and an Operating Ship and Its Correlation to Accelerated Test
Authors: Pélissier Krystel , Le Bozec Nathalie , Thierry Dominique , Larché Nicolas
Published: November 2022

Anticorrosive coatings are widely used to protect steel against corrosion. Different standards exist to access the corrosion performance of anticorrosive paints. Among them, the so-called neutral salt spray test (NSST-ISO 9227) or cycling corrosion tests ISO 12944-6, ISO 12944-9, NACE TM0304, or NACE TM0404 can be named. It is well-known that some accelerated corrosion tests are not fully representative of the field exposure results. However, a lack in the literature exists correlating accelerated tests to field exposure, especially when long-term durations are considered. In this study, 11 different organic coatings have been investigated in terms of coating resistance to corrosion creep in two types of field exposure sites, namely a stationary site and an operating ship, and their performance was compared to two accelerated tests (ISO 12944-9 and modified ASTM D5894 standard). The results showed differences in the sites’ corrosivity and the coating systems’ performance as a function of the exposure sites. A lack of correlation exists between the ISO 12944-9 standard and the stationary site, due to the latter’s high corrosivity, while, to the contrary, a satisfying correlation with the operating ship was demonstrated; whereas, the modified ASTM D5894 standard showed a satisfying correlation with both types of sites.
C-Band Linear Polarization Metasurface Converter with Arbitrary Polarization Rotation Angle Based on Notched Circular Patches
Authors: Zhang Tao , Wang Haoran , Peng Chongmei , Chen Zhaohui , Wang Xiaoyi
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a linear polarization metasurface converter with arbitrary polarization rotating angle and stable oblique incident response, which is based on the concept of linear-to-circular polarization decomposition and recombination. A metasurface unit cell is proposed using a notched circular patch with two metallized vias connected to the bottom-layer coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines. By changing the length of the two transmission lines, different polarization rotation angle may be realized. The proposed metasurface polarization converter is theoretically analyzed and full-wave simulated. A 45∘ metasurface polarization converter with 8×8 unit cells is designed and experimentally demonstrated. The experimental results agree well with the simulation, showing that the proposed metasurface polarization converter can achieve a high polarization conversion ratio (PCR) larger than 85% under up to 50∘ oblique incident wave.
Warm Rolled Temperature Effect on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 18Mn/40Si2CrMo Multilayer Composite Steel
Authors: Yang Bo , Li Zhuoyu , Fan Kuanyuan , Liu Baoxi , Yu Wenxing , Yin Fuxing
Published: November 2022

In order to obtain a good strength-plastic/toughness match relationship, 18Mn/40Si2CrMo multilayer composite steels were successfully fabricated by a vacuum hot rolling and warm rolling process in this paper. The effects of different warm rolling temperatures (400–600 °C) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the multilayer composite steel were systematically investigated. The result shows that the warm rolling process reduces thickness of the interfacial diffusion layer, which improves the interfacial bonding strength of multilayer composite steel. With the increase of warm rolling temperature, the total elongation (TEL) increases but ultimate tensile strength (UTS) decreases. The multilayer composite steel with a warm temperature of 500 °C achieves the balance of strength and plastic of which the UTS and TEL are 1.7 GPa and 12.5%, respectively. This is due to the high work-hardening ability of deformation twins of the 18Mn layer and the precipitates nanoscale carbides of the 40Si2CrMo layer to obscure the dislocation movement.
Stereotactic Radiotherapy after Incomplete Transarterial (Chemo-) Embolization (TAE\TACE) versus Exclusive TAE or TACE for Treatment of Inoperable HCC: A Phase III Trial (NCT02323360)
Authors: Comito Tiziana , Loi Mauro , Franzese Ciro , Clerici Elena , Franceschini Davide , Badalamenti Marco , Teriaca Maria Ausilia , Rimassa Lorenza , Pedicini Vittorio , Poretti Dario , Solbiati Luigi Alessandro , Torzilli Guido , Ceriani Roberto , Lleo Ana , Aghemo Alessio , Santoro Armando , Scorsetti Marta
Published: November 2022

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent liver malignancy and a leading cause of cancer death in the world. In unresectable HCC patients, transcatheter arterial (chemo-) embolization (TAE/TACE) has shown a disease response in 15–55% of cases. Though multiple TAE/TACE courses can be administered in principle, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as an alternative option in the case of local relapse following multiple TAE/TACE courses. Methods: This is a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled, parallel-group superiority trial of SBRT versus standard TAE/TACE for the curative treatment of the intermediate stage of HCC after an incomplete response following TAE/TACE (NCT02323360). The primary endpoint is 1-year local control (LC): 18 events were needed to assess a 45% difference (HR: 0.18) in favor of SBRT. The secondary endpoints are 1-year Progression-Free Survival (PFS), Distant Recurrence-Free Survival (DRFS), Overall Survival (OS) and the incidence of acute and late complications. Results: At the time of the final analysis, 40 patients were enrolled, 19 (49%) in the TAE/TACE arm and 21 (51%) in the SBRT arm. The trial was prematurely closed due to slow accrual. The 1- and 2-year LC rates were 57% and 36%. The use of SBRT resulted in superior LC as compared to TAE/TACE rechallenge (median not reached versus 8 months, p = 0.0002). PFS was 29% and 16% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. OS was 86% and 62% at 1 year and 2 years, respectively. In the TAE arm, PFS was 13% and 6% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. In the SBRT arm, at 1 and 2 years, PFS was 37% and 21%, respectively. OS at 1 and 2 years was 75% and 64% in the SBRT arm and 95% and 57% in the TACE arm, respectively. No grade >3 toxicity was recorded. Conclusions: SBRT is an effective treatment option in patients affected by inoperable HCC experiencing an incomplete response following ≥1 cycle of TAE/TAC.
Pseudocercospora rizhaoensis sp. nov. Causing Leaf Spot Disease of Ligustrum japonicum in China
Authors: Liu Yun , Guo Shumei , Liu Jin , Yang Xiangli
Published: November 2022

Ligustrum japonicum is a common ornamental tree species in China. However, leaf spot disease has emerged in Rizhao City, Shandong Province of China in recent years. Members of Pseudocercospora are usually known as plant pathogens, mainly causing leaf spots and blights. Species of this genus are distinguished mainly based on morphological differences on the host plants, as well as the molecular data. A new species named Pseudocercospora rizhaoensis on Ligustrum japonicum is introduced herein based on morphology and molecular data of combined ITS, LSU, act, tef1 and rpb2 sequences. Koch’s postulates were confirmed by a pathogenicity test, re-isolation and identification.
Vascular Aging and Damage in Patients with Iron Metabolism Disorders
Authors: Młodziński Krzysztof , Świątczak Michał , Rohun Justyna , Wolf Jacek , Narkiewicz Krzysztof , Hellmann Marcin , Daniłowicz-Szymanowicz Ludmiła
Published: November 2022

Vascular aging is a physiological, multifactorial process that involves every type of vessel, from large arteries to microcirculation. This manifests itself as impaired vasomotor function, altered secretory phenotype, deteriorated intercellular transport function, structural remodeling, and aggravated barrier function between the blood and the vascular smooth muscle layer. Iron disorders, particularly iron overload, may lead to oxidative stress and, among other effects, vascular aging. The elevated transferrin saturation and serum iron levels observed in iron overload lead to the formation of a non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) fraction with high pro-oxidant activity. NTBI can induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce lipid peroxidation and mediate iron-related damage as the elements of oxidative stress in many tissues, including heart and vessels’ mitochondria. However, the available data make it difficult to precisely determine the impact of iron metabolism disorders on vascular aging; therefore, the relationship requires further investigation. Our study aims to present the current state of knowledge on vascular aging in patients with deteriorated iron metabolism.
Melanoma Detection by Non-Specialists: An Untapped Potential for Triage?
Authors: Cantisani Carmen , Ambrosio Luca , Cucchi Carlotta , Meznerics Fanni Adél , Kiss Norbert , Bánvölgyi András , Rega Federica , Grignaffini Flavia , Barbuto Francesco , Frezza Fabrizio , Pellacani Giovanni
Published: November 2022

Introduction: The incidence of melanoma increased considerably in recent decades, representing a significant public health problem. We aimed to evaluate the ability of non-specialists for the preliminary screening of skin lesions to identify melanoma-suspect lesions. Materials and Methods: A medical student and a dermatologist specialist examined the total body scans of 50 patients. Results: The agreement between the expert and the non-specialist was 87.75% (κ = 0.65) regarding the assessment of clinical significance. The four parameters of the ABCD rule were evaluated on the 129 lesions rated as clinically significant by both observers. Asymmetry was evaluated similarly in 79.9% (κ = 0.59), irregular borders in 74.4% (κ = 0.50), color in 81.4% (κ = 0.57), and diameter in 89.9% (κ = 0.77) of the cases. The concordance of the two groups was 96.9% (κ = 0.83) in the case of the detection of the Ugly Duckling Sign. Conclusions: Although the involvement of GPs is part of routine care worldwide, emphasizing the importance of educating medical students and general practitioners is crucial, as many European countries lack structured melanoma screening training programs targeting non-dermatologists.
Challenges in the Differential Diagnosis of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Pictorial Review
Authors: Marginean Cristina Maria , Popescu Mihaela , Vasile Corina Maria , Cioboata Ramona , Mitrut Paul , Popescu Iulian Alin Silviu , Biciusca Viorel , Docea Anca Oana , Mitrut Radu , Marginean Iulia Cristina , Iacob George Alexandru , Neagoe Daniela
Published: November 2022

COVID-19 pneumonia represents a maximum medical challenge due to the virus’s high contagiousness, morbidity, and mortality and the still limited possibilities of the health systems. The literature has primarily focused on the diagnosis, clinical-radiological aspects of COVID-19 pneumonia, and the most common possible differential diagnoses. Still, few studies have investigated the rare differential diagnoses of COVID-19 pneumonia or its overlap with other pre-existing lung pathologies. This article presents the main radiological features of COVID-19 pneumonia and the most common alternative diagnoses to establish the vital radiological criteria for a differential diagnosis between COVID-19 pneumonia and other lung pathologies with similar imaging appearance. The differential diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia is challenging because there may be standard radiologic features such as ground-glass opacities, crazy paving patterns, and consolidations. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial to define a correct final diagnosis, as an overlap of COVID-19 pneumonia with pre-existing lung diseases is often possible and suggests possible differential diagnoses. An optimal evaluation of HRTC can help limit the clinical evolution of the disease, promote therapy for patients and ensure an efficient allocation of human and economic resources.
Fluorescence-Linked Aptamer Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Protein: A Step-by-Step Performance Analysis in Clinical Samples
Authors: Franco-Urquijo Pablo Alberto , Sierra-Martínez Mónica , Jarquín-Martínez Mariana , Martínez-Roque Mateo Alejandro , García-Velásquez Victor Miguel , Acosta-Altamirano Gustavo , Ruiz-Pérez Nancy Jannet , Toscano-Garibay Julia Dolores , Alvarez-Salas Luis Marat
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a main concern over the last two years and has become one of the most important crises in the history of human health. Today, there is still a need for affordable and reliable diagnostic tests for massive disease monitoring. Previously, a set of highly specific DNA-aptamers (C7/C9) binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein were isolated but its performance in clinical samples remained to be tested. Here, 242 samples were collected through three different methods and subjected to florescence-linked aptamer assays (FLAA) based on C7/C9 aptamers through two readout protocols. Then, a step-by-step statistical approach which included agreement tests, proportion comparisons and binomial and multinomial logistic regressions was used to predict optimal conditions for the novel C7/C9 FLAA test. RTqPCR threshold cycles, symptoms onset and processing time were influential factors on FLAA test results. Naturally occurring mutations on S were also detected and analyzed. Aminoacidic substitutions D614G and T732A appeared relevant for aptamer recognition although further studies are necessary. The methodology presented here is the first step to determine the performance and diagnosis across a range of clinical contexts and it might serve as a base for a complete analysis applicable to other designs of new diagnostic tests.
Fuzzy-Based PROMETHEE Method for Performance Ranking of SARS-CoV-2 IgM Antibody Tests
Authors: Arikan Ayse , Sanlidag Tamer , Sayan Murat , Uzun Berna , Uzun Ozsahin Dilber
Published: November 2022

Antibody tests, widely used as a complementary approach to reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction testing in identifying COVID-19 cases, are used to measure antibodies developed for COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the different parameters of the FDA-authorized SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody tests and to rank them according to their performance levels. In the study, we involved 27 antibody tests, and the analyzes were performed using the fuzzy preference ranking organization method for the enrichment evaluation model, a multi-criteria decision-making model. While criteria such as analytical sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were evaluated in the study, the ranking was reported by determining the importance levels of the criteria. According to our evaluation, Innovita 2019-nCoV Ab Test (colloidal gold) was at the top of the ranking. While Cellex qSARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test and Assure COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Tester ranked second and third on the list, the InBios-SCoV 2 Detect Ig M ELISA Rapid Test Kit was determined as the least preferable. The fuzzy preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation, which has been applied to many fields, can help decision-makers choose the appropriate antibody test for managing COVID-19 in controlling the global pandemic.
Evaluation of Hepatic Fibrosis Using Ultrasound Backscattered Radiofrequency Signals and One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Huang Yong , Zeng Yan , Bin Guangyu , Ding Qiying , Wu Shuicai , Tai Dar-In , Tsui Po-Hsiang , Zhou Zhuhuang
Published: November 2022

The early detection of hepatic fibrosis is of critical importance. Ultrasound backscattered radiofrequency signals from the liver contain abundant information about its microstructure. We proposed a method for characterizing human hepatic fibrosis using one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based on ultrasound backscattered signals. The proposed CNN model was composed of four one-dimensional convolutional layers, four one-dimensional max-pooling layers, and four fully connected layers. Ultrasound radiofrequency signals collected from 230 participants (F0: 23; F1: 46; F2: 51; F3: 49; F4: 61) with a 3-MHz transducer were analyzed. Liver regions of interest (ROIs) that contained most of the liver ultrasound backscattered signals were manually delineated using B-mode images reconstructed from the backscattered signals. ROI signals were normalized and augmented by using a sliding window technique. After data augmentation, the radiofrequency signal segments were divided into training sets, validation sets and test sets at a ratio of 80%:10%:10%. In the test sets, the proposed algorithm produced an area under the receive operating characteristic curve of 0.933 (accuracy: 91.30%; sensitivity: 92.00%; specificity: 90.48%), 0.997 (accuracy: 94.29%; sensitivity: 94.74%; specificity: 93.75%), 0.818 (accuracy: 75.00%; sensitivity: 69.23%; specificity: 81.82%), and 0.934 (accuracy: 91.67%; sensitivity: 88.89%; specificity: 94.44%) for diagnosis liver fibrosis stage ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3, and ≥F4, respectively. Experimental results indicated that the proposed deep learning algorithm based on ultrasound backscattered signals yields a satisfying performance when diagnosing hepatic fibrosis stages. The proposed method may be used as a new quantitative ultrasound approach to characterizing hepatic fibrosis.
Serum CA125 and HE4 as Biomarkers for the Detection of Endometrial Cancer and Associated High-Risk Features
Authors: Barr Chloe E. , Njoku Kelechi , Jones Eleanor R. , Crosbie Emma J.
Published: November 2022

Early detection of endometrial cancer improves survival. Non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers would improve triage of symptomatic women for investigations. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of serum Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125) and Human Epididymis 4 (HE4) for endometrial cancer and associated high-risk features. Serum samples from women investigated for gynaecological symptoms or diagnosed with endometrial cancer were analysed for CA125 and HE4. Conventional diagnostic metrics were calculated. In total, 755 women were included; 397 had endometrial cancer. Serum CA125 and HE4 were significantly elevated in cases compared with controls (both p < 0.001), and with pathological markers of disease severity (p < 0.05). A combination of CA125 and HE4 detected endometrial cancer with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.74–0.81). In a model with body mass index (BMI) and parity, HE4 predicted endometrial cancer in pre-menopausal women with an AUC of 0.91 [sensitivity = 84.5%, specificity = 80.9% (p < 0.001)]. In women with abnormal ultrasound, HE4 ≥ 77 pmol/L improved specificity compared with imaging alone [68.6% (95% CI: 75.0–83.6) vs. 34.4% (95% CI: 27.1–42.3), respectively], but at a cost to sensitivity. HE4 ≥ 77 pmol/L improved the detection of myometrial invasion ≥50% in women with stage I disease compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone [sensitivity = 100% (95% CI: 54.1–100)]. CA125 ≥ 35 U/mL did not add to imaging. HE4 is a good predictor of poor prognostic features which could assist staging investigations.
Computerized Prediction of Perovskite Performance Using Deep Learning
Authors: Mahmoud Hanan A. Hosni
Published: November 2022

Perovskites have exceptional physical and chemical features in different fields. Perovskites have an ABO3 formula with similar sizes of A-site and B-site cations. This research explores the challenges of developing new perovskite solar cells with high performance. Therefore, this article proposes a deep learning model for the prediction of perovskites performance measures. The measures are: energy conversion performance, ABO3 stability, ion volume, and induced oxygen vacancy dimension. These performance measures are very crucial electrochemical reactions in energy conversion in fuel crystals. The challenges in any deep learning model are the lack of the presence of sufficient data and training time. Consequently, in this research, we propose a transfer learning perovskites model. Perovskite performance detection is critical to offer operative energy resources. In the proposed model, the constructed detection model uses a perovskites feature set. The transfer learning model utilizes other materials with large-sized datasets to predict the four performance measures with high accuracy. The output of the transfer learning is then utilized for the proposed deep learning model to predict perovskites performance measures with a small-sized dataset. A dataset of 8500 perovskite samples is utilized in the research. The results prove that a deep learning F2-Score with transfer learning attains high accuracy of 98.95%, recall of 96.91% and F2-score of 97.05%.
An Improved U-Net for Watermark Removal
Authors: Fu Lijun , Shi Bei , Sun Ling , Zeng Jiawen , Chen Deyun , Zhao Hongwei , Tian Chunwei
Published: November 2022

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with different layers have performed with excellent results in watermark removal. However, how to extract robust and effective features via CNNs of black box in watermark removal is very important. In this paper, we propose an improved watermark removal U-net (IWRU-net). Taking the robustness of obtained information into account, a serial architecture is designed to facilitate useful information for guaranteeing performance in watermark removal. Taking the problem of long-term dependency into account, U-nets based simple components are integrated into the serial architecture to extract more salient hierarchical information for addressing watermark removal problems. To increase the adaptability of IWRU-net to the real world, we use randomly distributed blind watermarks to implement a blind watermark removal model. The experiment results illustrate that the proposed method is superior to other popular watermark removal methods in terms of quantitative and qualitative evaluations.
High-Power-Factor LC Series Resonant Converter Operating Off-Resonance with Inductors Elaborated with a Composed Material of Resin/Iron Powder
Authors: Lara-Reyes Josué , Ponce-Silva Mario , Cortés-García Claudia , Lozoya-Ponce Ricardo Eliu , Parrilla-Rubio Susana Magaly , García-García Alán Rafael
Published: November 2022

The most common problems with magnetic cores in high-stress applications are changes in their permeability and low saturation flux density, forcing designers to use special nanocrystalline cores, which raises the overall cost of the circuit. This paper evaluates the performance of a low-cost magnetic material composed of unsaturated polyester la mination resin COR61-AA-531EX and 200 mesh iron powder with a grain size of 74 µm, which has magnetic properties of the so-called “soft magnetic composites”, which have good magnetic characteristics in high-frequency and high-stress applications. This composite material was used for the elaboration of magnetic cores for the inductors of a resonant converter, which aims to achieve a high power factor, where in this type of application, there are large current and voltage excursions in the magnetic components that vary between high and low frequencies, being a suitable application for testing the inductors with a magnetic core of resin/iron powder. The converter was designed to operate off-resonance at different switching frequencies from 300 kHz to 800 kHz to feed a resistive load with a power output of 19 watts. The operation of the circuit was experimentally validated using a resistive load at the output, validating the theoretical analysis and achieving a power factor above 98%.
A Hybrid Traffic Scheduling Strategy for Time-Sensitive Networking
Authors: Pei Jinchuan , Hu Yuxiang , Tian Le , Li Menglong , Li Ziyong
Published: November 2022

The traffic scheduling mechanism in Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is the key to guaranteeing the deterministic transmission of traffic. However, when time-sensitive traffic and non-time-sensitive traffic are transmitted together, traffic scheduling conflicts are easy to occur in TSN. As a result, the deterministic transmission of time-sensitive traffic will be disrupted, and non-time-sensitive traffic may be preempted for a long time. To optimize the performance of multi-type hybrid traffic scheduling in TSN, we firstly establish a collaborative scheduling framework that incorporates Time Aware Shaping (TAS) and Cyclic Queuing and Forwarding (CQF) mechanisms. We then design a traffic shaping method in this framework based on Least Laxity First (LLF), which considers traffic characteristics to dynamically arrange the time slot injection sequence for different types of traffic. Finally, the traffic schedulability is evaluated based on the scheduling constraints of different types of traffic. Compared with the existing scheduling strategies, the proposed hybrid traffic scheduling strategy can schedule more non-time-sensitive traffic and achieve better delay performance of rate-constrained traffic in different hybrid traffic scenarios. When the number of flows is 100, the time slot injection ratio is increased by 24.3% compared with the LLF_TAS method.
Research on Power Price Forecasting Based on PSO-XGBoost
Authors: Wu Kehe , Chai Yanyu , Zhang Xiaoliang , Zhao Xun
Published: November 2022

With the reform of the power system, the prediction of power market pricing has become one of the key problems that needs to be solved in time. Power price prediction plays an important role in maximizing the profits of the participants in the power market and making full use of power energy. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of the power price, this paper proposes a power price prediction method based on PSO optimization of the XGBoost model, which optimizes eight main parameters of the XGBoost model through particle swarm optimization to improve the prediction accuracy of the XGBoost model. Using the electricity price data of Australia from January to December 2019, the proposed model is compared with the XGBoost model. The experimental results show that PSO can effectively improve the performance of the model. In addition, the prediction results of PSO-XGBoost are compared with those of SVM, LSTM, ARIMA, RW and XGBoost, and the average relative error and root mean square error of different power price prediction models are calculated. The experimental results show that the prediction accuracy of the PSO-XGBoost model is higher and more in line with the actual trend of power price change.
A Federated Learning Framework for Breast Cancer Histopathological Image Classification
Authors: Li Lingxiao , Xie Niantao , Yuan Sha
Published: November 2022

Quantities and diversities of datasets are vital to model training in a variety of medical image diagnosis applications. However, there are the following problems in real scenes: the required data may not be available in a single institution due to the number of patients or the type of pathology, and it is often not feasible to share patient data due to medical data privacy regulations. This means keeping private data safe is required and has become an obstacle in fusing data from multi-party to train a medical model. To solve the problems, we propose a federated learning framework, which allows knowledge fusion achieved by sharing the model parameters of each client through federated training rather than sharing data. Based on breast cancer histopathological dataset (BreakHis), our federated learning experiments achieve the expected results which are similar to the performances of the centralized learning and verify the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed framework.
Post-Pandemic M-Commerce—Leveraging Users’ Review Comments to Enhance Mobile Grocery-Shopping Applications (MGSAs)
Authors: Rîndașu Sînziana-Maria , Ionescu Bogdan-Ștefan , Ionescu-Feleagă Liliana
Published: November 2022

This paper aims to examine the main challenges encountered by mobile grocery-shopping applications’ (MGSAs) users, wherein the analysis is based on the review comments for three popular MGSAs deployed by main grocery retailers in Europe. The research methodology used was qualitative in the form of a cross-sectional inductive approach, allowing for the identification of the main issues encountered by users and their classification into four categories for a more straightforward presentation. The research findings indicate that despite the below-average level of digital literacy, customers are trying to use MGSAs efficiently and are proposing different areas of improvement, such as the design, the general functionality of the applications, and other factors regarding the specific functionalities of MGSAs. The findings may be leveraged by grocery retailers to exploit this market efficiently in a post-pandemic context; moreover, the study’s results could provide meaningful knowledge to the mobile retail industry, as the detailed insights offer adequate support for enhancing mobile-shopping (m-shopping) applications.