bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibitory Effects of Donkey Hide Gelatin on DNCB-Induced Atopic Dermatitis in NC/Nga Mice
Authors: Lee Ju Hyun , Dong Linsha , Noh Hyeon Min , Park Sung-Gu , Kim Seung-Hyung , Jo Eun Heui , Lee Dong-Sung , Park Min Cheol
Published: May 2022

The increase of atopic dermatitis has led to higher socio-economic cost and raised a need for alternative medicine as novel therapeutic agents. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of Donkey Hide Gelatin (DHG) water extract on DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice and on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ-treated keratinocytes and to investigate its underlying molecular mechanisms. NC/Nga mice were induced by DNCB, administered Dexamethasone (3 mg/kg) or DHG water extracts (100–400 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. The skin symptom score, serum IgE and immune cells were measured, the ALN, spleen and dorsal skin tissue were extracted for FACS, quantitative real-time PCR and histology analysis.In vitro, HaCaT cells were induced by TNF-α/IFN-γ, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and its underlying mechanism were measured by ELISA and Western blot. As a result, DHG groups showed a significant decrease in the skin symptom score and the immune cell absolute number. It also showed a marked reduction of allergic and the levels of neutrophils and eosinophils in histology analysis. In TNF-α/IFN-γ induced HaCaT cells, DHG showed inhibition effects on IL-6, IL-8, TARC and RANTES, it also downregulated the expression of ICAM-1 and COX-2, up-regulated the expression of Filaggrin. Furthermore, DHG suppressed the activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway induced by TNF-α/IFN-γ. Taken together, DHG maybe a potential therapeutic agent or supplement for skin inflammatory disease such as atopic dermatitis.
Providing Support Differentially Affects Asian American and Latinx Psychosocial and Physiological Well-Being: A Pilot Study
Authors: Guan Shu-Sha Angie , Jimenez Gabriela , Cabrera Jennifer , Cho Anna , Ullah Omar , Den Broeder Ruben
Published: May 2022

Although substantial evidence suggests receiving social support has positive implications for well-being, less is known about how providing support can confer benefits, particularly for Asian American and Latinx individuals who are more likely to come from interdependent cultures that emphasize family obligation. Asian American and Latinx college students (N = 48; Mage = 21.44, SD = 2.61; 68.75% female) reported on anxiety before taking part in a modified laboratory task that elicited a physiological stress response as measured by total cortisol output. They were randomly assigned to write (a) a supportive note to a family member, (b) a supportive note to a close friend, or (c) about their day in a control condition after the mild lab stressor and reported on psychosocial well-being (i.e., post-task anxiety and self-esteem). Those who provided support to a family member experienced higher self-esteem compared to those in the control condition. However, there was variation in Asian American and Latinx participants’ physiological stress response (i.e., total cortisol output). The findings suggest that providing support to close others, particularly family members, can be differentially meaningful for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
How Corporate Social Responsibility Boosts Corporate Financial and Non-financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership
Authors: Bouichou Said Id , Wang Lei , Zulfiqar Salman
Published: May 2022

Corporate social responsibility has always been considered an important topic, and many studies discuss the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate performance, but the results are still inconclusive. This study is to examine the impact of CSR on corporate performance (financial and non-financial) with the moderating impact of ethical leadership. Data is gathered from 222 companies in Morocco using a simple random sampling technique. Moreover, for measuring customer satisfaction and corporate image in the kinds of customers targeted by the CSR activities of the firms, we collected data from customers and got 209 responses. For analyzing the results of this study, structural equation modeling has been used, while for moderation, the hierarchical regression technique has been adopted. Findings revealed a significant positive association found between CSR and corporate finance as well as non-financial performance (corporate image and customer satisfaction). Ethical leadership helps in increasing the financial and non-financial performance of an organization. The findings further revealed that ethical leadership moderates the relationship between CSR and firm financial and non-financial (corporate image and customer satisfaction) performance. This study will assist management in realizing the importance and implementation of CSR practices in organizations, especially in the Moroccan context.
Textual Features and Risk Preference Effects on Mental Health Education Among Teenager Students in Chongqing, China
Authors: Jiang Mengyao , Zhang Zuyue , Kang Li , Liao Jing , Wang Shumin , Lv Yalan , Zhou Xiaoyu , Hou Xiaorong
Published: May 2022

Background

Mental health is a public health problem of great concern. Previous studies show that textual features and individual psychological characteristics can influence the effect of receiving information.

Purpose

This study explores whether textual features influence the persuasiveness of teenager students’ mental health education while considering the influence of risk preference.

Methods

From November to December 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,869 teenager students in grade 7–12 in Chongqing, China. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, multiple logistic regression, and subgroup analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results

Among the four textual features mentioned in this study, a significant difference was reported in the persuasive effects of information with and without numerical features (p < 0.001), and such information tended to include digital features. The result for the symbolic features (p < 0.001) was consistent with the numerical features. The persuasive effects of positive and negative emotional information significantly differed (p < 0.001), with the former showing a better performance. No significant differences were observed between the persuasive effects of information with and without emotional conflicts (p > 0.05). Combined with those from the risk preference analysis, results showed that the regulatory effect of risk preference was only reflected in emotional conflicts. Students who prefer having no emotional conflict in the text showed the characteristics of risk avoidance, or lower grades, or rural or school accommodation. Most teenager students are also risk averse, especially females (or = 2.223, 95%CI:1.755–2.815) and juniors (or = 1.533, 95%CI: 1.198–1.963).

Conclusion

The numbers, symbols, and positive emotions in the text generate an active effect on teenager students receiving mental health education. Students avoiding risk are inclined to read texts without emotional conflicts. The probability of male choosing texts with positive emotional polarity is 33.5% lower than that of female. Female students and those from lower grades also demonstrate a higher inclination to risk avoidance compared with their male and higher grade counterparts. Therefore, educational materials with different text characteristics should be developed for teenager students with varying characteristics.
Can People Intentionally and Selectively Forget Prose Material?
Authors: Pastötter Bernhard , Haciahmet Céline C.
Published: May 2022

List-method directed forgetting (LMDF) is the demonstration that people can intentionally forget previously studied information when they are asked to forget what they have previously learned and remember new information instead. In addition, recent research demonstrated that people can selectively forget when cued to forget only a subset of the previously studied information. Both forms of forgetting are typically observed in recall tests, in which the to-be-forgotten and to-be-remembered information is tested independent of original cuing. Thereby, both LMDF and selective directed forgetting (SDF) have been studied mostly with unrelated item materials (e.g., word lists). The present study examined whether LMDF and SDF generalize to prose material. Participants learned three prose passages, which they were cued to remember or forget after the study of each passage. At the time of testing, participants were asked to recall the three prose passages regardless of original cuing. The results showed no significant differences in recall of the three lists as a function of cuing condition. The findings suggest that LMDF and SDF do not occur with prose material. Future research is needed to replicate and extend these findings with (other) complex and meaningful materials before drawing firm conclusions. If the null effect proves to be robust, this would have implications regarding the ecological validity and generalizability of current LMDF and SDF findings.
Erectile Dysfunction and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review
Authors: Gu Yiwei , Wu ChangJing , Qin Feng , Yuan Jiuhong
Published: May 2022

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disease with a wide scope of etiologies. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered one of the risk factors for ED and is less studied. A growing lot of evidence show an association between OSA and ED. This study provides an updated review of the relationship between ED and OSA and the possible physiological mechanisms of ED in patients with OSA based on the current evidence. In clinical interviews, patients with ED may benefit from a sleep evaluation. However, further clinical investigations and more basic research are needed to illustrate the relationship between ED and OSA.
Palliative Psychiatry for Patients With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness: A Survey on the Attitudes of Psychiatrists in India Compared to Psychiatrists in Switzerland
Authors: Stoll Julia , Mathew Anju , Venkateswaran Chitra , Prabhakaran Anil , Westermair Anna Lisa , Trachsel Manuel
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Palliative psychiatry is a new approach for the care of patients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) which systematically considers biological, psychological, social, and existential factors of care. To assess the attitudes of psychiatrists in India toward palliative psychiatry for patients with SPMI and to compare these to the attitudes of psychiatrists in Switzerland.

Methods

In an online survey, data from 206 psychiatrists in India were collected and compared with data from a previous survey among 457 psychiatrists in Switzerland.

Results

Psychiatrists in India generally considered it very important to prevent suicide in SPMI patients (97.6%). At the same time, they considered it very important to reduce suffering (98.1%) and to ensure functionality in everyday life (95.6%). They agreed that palliative psychiatry is important for providing optimal care to SPMI patients without life-limiting illness (79.6%) and considered palliative psychiatry as indicated for patients with SPMI (78.2%). By contrast, curing the illness was considered very important by only 39.8 % of respondents. Relative to psychiatrists in Switzerland, psychiatrists in India were significantly more concerned about preventing suicide and less willing to accept a reduction in life expectancy, even at the expense of quality of life in patients with severe and persistent schizophrenia and recurrent major depressive disorder. At the same time, they were significantly more likely to advocate palliative psychiatry.

Conclusion

Most of the participating psychiatrists in India agreed that palliative psychiatry can be indicated for patients with SPMI. The comparison with psychiatrists in Switzerland highlights the need to take account of cultural differences in future studies of this kind. In summary, this study shows the potential of palliative psychiatry as a genuine biopsychosocio-existential approach which systematically integrates biological, psychological, social, and existential factors of care.
Influence of Identity Development on Weight Gain in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Budde Lynn I. , Wilms Simon , Föcker Manuel , Dalhoff Anke , Müller Joerg M. , Wessing Ida
Published: May 2022

Background

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) typically begins during early adolescence, an important phase of personality development. A substantial proportion of adolescent AN patients shows impaired personality functioning, which might be a relevant but understudied aspect of illness severity. The developmental status of identity as key element of personality is suggested to influence inpatient treatment outcome in adolescents with AN.

Methods

This study analyzed existing data of N = 60 adolescents with AN. Multilevel models assessed the influence of identity functioning, measured by the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA) at admission, on weight gain [BMI (body mass index), BMI-SDS (BMI standard deviation score)] during 10 weeks of inpatient treatment. Moreover, the influence of other indicators of illness severity, i.e., eating disorders and comorbid psychopathologies, was explored.

Results

As expected, higher AIDA scores negatively influenced the course of weight gain. A similar effect was observed for other psychopathology measures, especially body image distortion. In general, higher weight at admission was associated with less weight gain. Higher weight at admission was also predicted by higher other psychopathology measures, but not AIDA scores.

Conclusion

The course of weight gain during inpatient treatment was hampered in adolescent AN patients who have difficulties developing a stable identity. Unlike other aspects of psychopathology, this was independent of the initial weight. Thus, in addition to the level of underweight and other aspects of psychopathology, difficulties in identity development constitute a relevant aspect of illness severity in AN. This recommends consideration of identity development during treatment.
Prospects of Low Trophic Marine Aquaculture Contributing to Food Security in a Net Zero-Carbon World
Authors: Krause Gesche , Le Vay Lewis , Buck Bela H. , Costa-Pierce Barry Antonio , Dewhurst Tobias , Heasman Kevin G. , Nevejan Nancy , Nielsen Pernille , Nielsen Kåre Nolde , Park Kyungil , Schupp Maximilian F. , Thomas Jean-Baptiste , Troell Max , Webb Julie , Wrange Anna Lisa , Ziegler Friederike , Strand Åsa
Published: May 2022

To limit compromising the integrity of the planet, a shift is needed towards food production with low environmental impacts and low carbon footprint. How to put such transformative change towards sustainable food production whilst ensuring food security into practice remains a challenge and will require transdisciplinary approaches. Combining expertise from natural- and social sciences as well as industry perspectives, an alternative vision for the future in the marine realm is proposed. This vision includes moving towards aquaculture mainly of low trophic marine (LTM) species. Such shift may enable a blue transformation that can support a sustainable blue economy. It includes a whole new perspective and proactive development of policy-making which considers, among others, the context-specific nature of allocation of marine space and societal acceptance of new developments, over and above the decarbonization of food production, vis á vis reducing regulatory barriers for the industry for LTM whilst acknowledging the complexities of upscaling and outscaling. This needs to be supported by transdisciplinary research co-produced with consumers and wider public, as a blue transformation towards accelerating LTM aquaculture opportunities in a net zero-carbon world can only occur by considering the demands of society.
A Preliminary Investigation on Frequency Dependant Cues for Human Emotions
Authors: Kumar Manish , Abhayapala Thushara D. , Samarasinghe Prasanga
Published: May 2022

The recent advances in Human-Computer Interaction and Artificial Intelligence have significantly increased the importance of identifying human emotions from different sensory cues. Hence, understanding the underlying relationships between emotions and sensory cues have become a subject of study in many fields including Acoustics, Psychology, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Biochemistry. This work is a preliminary step towards investigating cues for human emotion on a fundamental level by aiming to establish relationships between tonal frequencies of sound and emotions. For that, an online perception test is conducted, in which participants are asked to rate the perceived emotions corresponding to each tone. The results show that a crossover point for four primary emotions lies in the frequency range of 417–440 Hz, thus consolidating the hypothesis that the frequency range of 432–440 Hz is neutral from human emotion perspective. It is also observed that the frequency dependant relationships between emotion pairs Happy—Sad, and Anger—Calm are approximately mirrored symmetric in nature.
The Dipole Resonator and Dipole Waveguide Insulator in Dense Liquid Medium
Authors: Mironov Mikhail
Published: May 2022

In this paper, the propagation of sound in an acoustically narrow waveguide, the wall of which is lined with identical dipole resonators and masses on springs, is theoretically considered. It is shown that, in the frequency range above the resonant frequency of the resonators, sound waves exponentially attenuate, and the waveguide is locked. The width of this range depends on two parameters—the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the resonators and the waveguide and the ratio of the mass of the resonator to the mass of the medium displaced by it. As the resonator mass decreases, the locking band width expands and may become infinite.
Model and Optimization of the Tether for a Segmented Space Elevator
Authors: Luo Shihao , Cui Naigang , Wang Xiaowei , Fan Youhua , Shi Run
Published: May 2022

In order to improve the shortcomings of the traditional constant section and gradual section space elevator system, combined with the advantages of constant section and gradual section space elevator system, a model of segmented space elevator system is designed. This model has the characteristics of easier construction, more practical functions, and easier maintenance. The cyclic iterative method is proposed to calculate the stress distribution of the space elevator system. The maximum stress variation and system scale variation of segmented space elevator system with different segment numbers is analyzed and compared with the system scale of constant section and gradual section space elevator system. The results show that the segmented space elevator model can significantly reduce the peak stress of the space elevator system under the condition of limited increase in the system scale, and the peak stress is 56% lower than that of the constant section space elevator model. Considering the number of segments, peak stress, and system scale, the calculation results show that the optimal number of segments is 5 or 6.
Design of Rice Straw Fiber Crusher and Evaluation of Fiber Quality
Authors: Cheng Qian , Wang Jiaxin , Liu Kun , Chao Junqi , Liu Dejun
Published: May 2022

In the comprehensive development and utilization of crop straw, it is key to separate the fibers in the straw through a certain process or equipment. In order to obtain rice straw fiber material, the straw fiber crusher was designed using SOLIDWORKS software, and its grinding process was simulated using EDEM software to verify the feasibility of the machine principle and structural rationality. The grinding wheel speed, screw feed shaft speed, and grinding wheel clearance were used as test factors to design a three-factor, five-level test using Design Expert 13, obtaining a grinding wheel speed of 1250 r·min−1, a screw feed shaft speed of 40 r·min−1, and a wheel clearance 0.21 mm, which can achieve a theoretical kWh output of 45.8 kg/(kW·h) and a tensile index of 112.5 N·mg−1. We aimed to establish a model of the pore channel of the specimen, analyze the characteristics of the model within the unit area of different specimens, investigate the intrinsic relationship between the tensile index and the image pore channel coefficient of the straw fiber specimen, and to verify the feasibility and rationality of using the tensile index to evaluate the quality of straw fiber.
VineInspector: The Vineyard Assistant
Authors: Mendes Jorge , Peres Emanuel , Neves dos Santos Filipe , Silva Nuno , Silva Renato , Sousa Joaquim João , Cortez Isabel , Morais Raul
Published: May 2022

Proximity sensing approaches with a wide array of sensors available for use in precision viticulture contexts can nowadays be considered both well-know and mature technologies. Still, several in-field practices performed throughout different crops rely on direct visual observation supported on gained experience to assess aspects of plants’ phenological development, as well as indicators relating to the onset of common plagues and diseases. Aiming to mimic in-field direct observation, this paper presents VineInspector: a low-cost, self-contained and easy-to-install system, which is able to measure microclimatic parameters, and also to acquire images using multiple cameras. It is built upon a stake structure, rendering it suitable for deployment across a vineyard. The approach through which distinguishable attributes are detected, classified and tallied in the periodically acquired images, makes use of artificial intelligence approaches. Furthermore, it is made available through an IoT cloud-based support system. VineInspector was field-tested under real operating conditions to assess not only the robustness and the operating functionality of the hardware solution, but also the AI approaches’ accuracy. Two applications were developed to evaluate VineInspector’s consistency while a viticulturist’ assistant in everyday practices. One was intended to determine the size of the very first grapevines’ shoots, one of the required parameters of the well known 3–10 rule to predict primary downy mildew infection. The other was developed to tally grapevine moth males captured in sex traps. Results show that VineInspector is a logical step in smart proximity monitoring by mimicking direct visual observation from experienced viticulturists. While the latter traditionally are responsible for a set of everyday practices in the field, these are time and resource consuming. VineInspector was proven to be effective in two of these practices, performing them automatically. Therefore, it enables both the continuous monitoring and assessment of a vineyard’s phenological development in a more efficient manner, making way to more assertive and timely practices against pests and diseases.
Probing Differential Metabolome Responses among Wheat Genotypes to Heat Stress Using Fourier Transform Infrared-Based Chemical Fingerprinting
Authors: Osman Salma O. M. , Saad Abu Sefyan I. , Tadano Shota , Takeda Yoshiki , Yamasaki Yuji , Tahir Izzat S. A. , Tsujimoto Hisashi , Akashi Kinya
Published: May 2022

Heat stress is one of the major environmental constraints for wheat production; thus, a comprehensive understanding of the metabolomic responses of wheat is required for breeding heat-tolerant varieties. In this study, the metabolome responses of heat-tolerant genotypes Imam and Norin 61, and susceptible genotype Chinese Spring were comparatively analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with chemometric data mining techniques. Principal component analysis of the FTIR data suggested a spectral feature partially overlapping between the three genotypes. FTIR spectral biomarker assay showed similar heat responses between the genotypes for markers Fm482 and Fm1502, whereas genotype-dependent variations were observed for other markers. The markers Fm1251 and Fm1729 showed contrasting behaviors between heat-tolerant and susceptible genotypes, suggesting that these markers may potentially serve as a tool for distinguishing heat-tolerant genotypes. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of the spectra demonstrated a clear separation between the three genotypes in terms of the heat stress effect. Analysis of LDA coefficients identified several spectral regions that were potentially responsible for the discrimination of FTIR spectra between different genotypes and environments. These results suggest that a combination of FTIR and chemometrics can be a useful technique for characterizing the metabolic behavior of diverse wheat genotypes under heat stress.
Automated Apple Recognition System Using Semantic Segmentation Networks with Group and Shuffle Operators
Authors: Zulkifley Mohd Asyraf , Moubark Asraf Mohamed , Saputro Adhi Harmoko , Abdani Siti Raihanah
Published: May 2022

Apples are one of the most consumed fruits, and they require efficient harvesting procedures to remains in optimal states for a longer period, especially during transportation. Therefore, automation has been adopted by many orchard operators to help in the harvesting process, which includes apple localization on the trees. The de facto sensor that is currently used for this task is the standard camera, which can capture wide view information of various apple trees from a reasonable distance. Therefore, this paper aims to produce the output mask of the apple locations on the tree automatically by using a deep semantic segmentation network. The network must be robust enough to overcome all challenges of shadow, surrounding illumination, size variations, and occlusion to produce accurate pixel-wise localization of the apples. A high-resolution deep architecture is embedded with an optimized design of group and shuffle operators (GSO) to produce the best apple segmentation network. GSO allows the network to reduce the dependency on a few sets of dominant convolutional filters by forcing each smaller group to contribute effectively to the task of extracting optimal apple features. The experimental results show that the proposed network, GSHR-Net, with two sets of group convolution applied to all layers produced the best mean intersection over union of 0.8045. The performance has been benchmarked with 11 other state-of-the-art deep semantic segmentation networks. For future work, the network performance can be increased by integrating synthetic augmented data to further optimize the training phase. Moreover, spatial and channel-based attention mechanisms can also be explored by emphasizing some strategic locations of the apples, which makes the recognition more accurate.
Carcass Characteristics, Digestive System Traits of Spent Broiler Breeder and Dual-Purpose Hens
Authors: Włodarczyk Karol , Kokoszyński Dariusz , Saleh Mohamed , Piwczyński Dariusz
Published: May 2022

Raising dual-purpose hens for meat is believed to bring more economic benefits to farmers selling products directly to consumers. The aim of the study was to determine the differences between the carcass features and the digestive system of multipurpose hens and spent broiler breeders. In the experiment, 20 carcasses of 70-week-old Rosa 1 dual-purpose hens and 20 carcasses of 62-week-old Ross 308 broiler breeders were used. Measurements of the length of various sections of the intestine and the diameter of individual intestinal segments were made. During the gutting, proventriculus, gizzard, liver, heart, and spleen were separated and then weighed. Dual-purpose hens differed significantly (p < 0.05) from broiler breeders in weight and carcass dimensions. Multipurpose hens were characterized by significantly lower (p < 0.05) percentages of breast muscles, leg muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, wings, and carcass remainders. Broiler breeders were characterized by significantly longer (p > 0.05) total intestinal length, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and terminal intestine. Significant differences were confirmed in terms of the diameter of some segments of the intestine. Broiler breeder hens also had a greater mass of internal organs compared to the dual-purpose layer hens.
Māori Experiences and Beliefs about Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Hika Kayla , Harwood Matire , Ritchie Stephen , Chan Amy Hai Yan
Published: May 2022

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to public health. Addressing unnecessary antibiotic use provides an opportunity to reduce antibiotic consumption and to slow AMR. Understanding people’s beliefs is important for informing antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) initiatives. Within New Zealand, health inequities exist between Māori and non-Māori; however, no research has examined Māori beliefs about antibiotics and AMR. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences related to antibiotic use of Māori in New Zealand. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 Māori adults recruited from primary care to explore the experiences, perceptions and beliefs that Māori have about antibiotics, and about AMR. Overall, 30 Māori adults (23% male; age range from 20 to 77 years) participated. Three themes emerged: systemic-, social-, and individual-related factors. From these themes, seven subthemes explained the factors that influenced antibiotic use and their perceptions of AMR in Māori: general practitioner (GP) times and ratios, effect of colonisation, lack of knowledge and information, access and poverty barriers, relationship with health professionals, illness perceptions, treatment beliefs and Whaakaro (thoughts), and beliefs pertaining to natural (rongoā) and Western medicine. Participants identified potential solutions to improve antibiotic use such as cultural support and involving Te Ao Māori; recognising these can inform future AMS initiatives.
A qnrD-Plasmid Promotes Biofilm Formation and Class 1 Integron Gene Cassette Rearrangements in Escherichia coli
Authors: Babosan Anamaria , Gaschet Margaux , Muggeo Anaëlle , Jové Thomas , Skurnik David , Ploy Marie-Cécile , de Champs Christophe , Reffuveille Fany , Guillard Thomas
Published: May 2022

Bacteria within biofilms may be exposed to sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics. Cell-to-cell contact within biofilms facilitates horizontal gene transfers and favors induction of the SOS response. Altogether, it participates in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Aminoglycosides at sub-MICs can induce the SOS response through NO accumulation in E. coli carrying the small plasmid with the quinolone resistance qnrD gene (pDIJ09-518a). In this study, we show that in E. coli pDIJ09-518a, the SOS response triggered by sub-MICs of aminoglycosides has important consequences, promoting genetic rearrangement in class 1 integrons and biofilm formation. We found that the integrase expression was increased in E. coli carrying pDIJ09-518a in the presence of tobramycin, which was not observed for the WT isogenic strain that did not carry the qnrD-plasmid. Moreover, we showed that biofilm production was significantly increased in E. coli WT/pDIJ09-518a compared to the WT strain. However, such a higher production was decreased when the Hmp-NO detoxification pathway was fully functional by overexpressing Hmp. Our results showing that a qnrD-plasmid can promote biofilm formation in E. coli and potentiate the acquisition and spread of resistance determinants for other antibiotics complicate the attempts to counteract antibiotic resistance and prevention of biofilm development even further. We anticipate that our findings emphasize the complex challenges that will impact the decisions about antibiotic stewardship, and other decisions related to retaining antibiotics as effective drugs and the development of new drugs.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity and Gut Microbiota Modulatory Effects of Different Kinds of Berries
Authors: Chen Jiebiao , Shu Yichen , Chen Yanhong , Ge Zhiwei , Zhang Changfeng , Cao Jinping , Li Xian , Wang Yue , Sun Chongde
Published: May 2022

Berries are fairly favored by consumers. Phenolic compounds are the major phytochemicals in berries, among which anthocyanins are one of the most studied. Phenolic compounds are reported to have prebiotic-like effects. In the present study, we identified the anthocyanin profiles, evaluated and compared the antioxidant capacities and gut microbiota modulatory effects of nine common berries, namely blackberry, black goji berry, blueberry, mulberry, red Chinese bayberry, raspberry, red goji berry, strawberry and white Chinese bayberry. Anthocyanin profiles were identified by UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS. In vitro antioxidant capacity was evaluated by four chemical assays (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and ORAC). In vivo antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota modulatory effects evaluation was carried out by treating healthy mice with different berry extracts for two weeks. The results show that most berries could improve internal antioxidant status, reflected by elevated serum or colonic T-AOC, GSH, T-SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX levels, as well as decreased MDA content. All berries significantly altered the gut microbiota composition. The modulatory effects of the berries were much the same, namely by the enrichment of beneficial SCFAs-producing bacteria and the inhibition of potentially harmful bacteria. Our study shed light on the gut microbiota modulatory effect of different berries and may offer consumers useful consumption guidance.
Cerebral Oxidative Stress in Early Alzheimer’s Disease Evaluated by 64Cu-ATSM PET/MRI: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Okazawa Hidehiko , Ikawa Masamichi , Tsujikawa Tetsuya , Mori Tetsuya , Makino Akira , Kiyono Yasushi , Nakamoto Yasunari , Kosaka Hirotaka , Yoneda Makoto
Published: May 2022

Oxidative stress imaging using diacetyl-bis (N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (Cu-ATSM) was applied to the evaluation of patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (eAD). Ten eAD patients (72 ± 9 years) and 10 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) (73 ± 9 years) participated in this study. They underwent dynamic PET/MRI using 11C-PiB and 64Cu-ATSM with multiple MRI sequences. To evaluate cerebral oxidative stress, three parameters of 64Cu-ATSM PET were compared: standardized uptake value (SUV), tracer influx rate (Kin), and a rate constant k3. The input functions were estimated by the image-derived input function method. The relative differences were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM) using SUV and Kin images. All eAD patients had positive and HC subjects had negative PiB accumulation, and MMSE scores were significantly different between them. The 64Cu-ATSM accumulation tended to be higher in eAD than in HCs for both SUV and Kin. When comparing absolute values, eAD patients had a greater Kin in the posterior cingulate cortex and a greater k3 in the hippocampus compared with lobar cortical values of HCs. In SPM analysis, eAD had an increased left operculum and decreased bilateral hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex compared to HCs. 64Cu-ATSM PET/MRI and tracer kinetic analysis elucidated cerebral oxidative stress in the eAD patients, particularly in the cingulate cortex and hippocampus.
β-Sitosterol Glucoside-Loaded Nanosystem Ameliorates Insulin Resistance and Oxidative Stress in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Afifi Sherif M. , Ammar Naglaa M. , Kamel Rabab , Esatbeyoglu Tuba , Hassan Heba A.
Published: May 2022

β-Sitosterol glucoside (SG), isolated from Senecio petasitis (Family Asteraceae), was loaded in self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) in a trial to enhance its solubility and biological effect. Various co-surfactants were tested to prepare a successful SEDDS. The selected SG-loaded SEDDS had a droplet size of 134 ± 15.2 nm with a homogenous distribution (polydispersity index 0.296 ± 0.02). It also demonstrated a significant augmentation of SG in vitro release by 4-fold compared to the free drug suspension. The in vivo insulin sensitivity and antidiabetic effect of the prepared SG-loaded SEDDS were further assessed in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats. The hypoglycemic effect of SG-loaded nanosystem was evidenced by decreased serum glucose and insulin by 63.22% and 53.11%, respectively. Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index demonstrated a significant reduction by 5.4-fold in the diabetic group treated by SG-loaded nanosystem and exhibited reduced glucagon level by 40.85%. In addition, treatment with SG-loaded nanosystem significantly decreased serum MDA (malondialdehyde) and increased catalase levels by 38.31% and 64.45%, respectively. Histopathological investigations also supported the protective effect of SG-loaded nanosystem on the pancreas. The promising ability of SG-loaded nanosystem to ameliorate insulin resistance, protect against oxidative stress, and restore pancreatic β-cell secretory function warrants its inclusion in further studies during diabetes progression.
Screening for Antibacterial Activity of French Mushrooms against Pathogenic and Multidrug Resistant Bacteria
Authors: Huguet Clément , Bourjot Mélanie , Bellanger Jean-Michel , Prévost Gilles , Urbain Aurélie
Published: May 2022

In the alarming context of antibiotic resistance, we explored the antibacterial potential of French mushrooms against wild-type and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. In order to accelerate the discovery of promising compounds, screenings were carried out by TLC-direct bioautography. A total of 70 extracts from 31 mushroom species were evaluated against five wild-type bacteria: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This first screening revealed that 95% of the extracts contained antibacterial compounds. Generally, it was observed that EtOAc extracts exhibited more active compounds than methanolic extracts. In addition, all extracts were overall more active against Gram-positive bacteria than against Gram-negative strains. The most promising mushroom extracts were then screened against various multidrug-resistant strains of S. aureus and E. coli. Activity was globally less on MDR strains; however, two mushroom species, Fomitopsis pinicola and Scleroderma citrinum, still contained several compounds inhibiting the growth of these MDR pathogenic bacteria. Stearic acid was identified as a ubiquitous compound contributing to the antibacterial defence of mushrooms. This screening revealed the potential of macromycetes as a source of antibacterial compounds; further assays are necessary to consider fungal compounds as promising drugs to counter antibiotic resistance.
Performance Evaluation of Sequential Rule Mining Algorithms
Authors: Abdelwahab Amira , Youssef Nesma
Published: May 2022

Data mining techniques are useful in discovering hidden knowledge from large databases. One of its common techniques is sequential rule mining. A sequential rule (SR) helps in finding all sequential rules that achieved support and confidence threshold for help in prediction. It is an alternative to sequential pattern mining in that it takes the probability of the following patterns into account. In this paper, we address the preferable utilization of sequential rule mining algorithms by applying them to databases with different features for improving the efficiency in different fields of application. The three compared algorithms are the TRuleGrowth algorithm, which is an extension sequential rule algorithm of RuleGrowth; the top-k non-redundant sequential rules algorithm (TNS); and a non-redundant dynamic bit vector (NRD-DBV). The analysis compares the three algorithms regarding the run time, the number of produced rules, and the used memory to nominate which of them is best suited in prediction. Additionally, it explores the most suitable applications for each algorithm to improve the efficiency. The experimental results proved that the performance of the algorithms appears related to the dataset characteristics. It has been demonstrated that altering the window size constraint, determining the number of created rules, or changing the value of the minSup threshold can reduce execution time and control the number of valid rules generated.
A Survey on Malleability Solutions for High-Performance Distributed Computing
Authors: Aliaga Jose I. , Castillo Maribel , Iserte Sergio , Martín-Álvarez Iker , Mayo Rafael
Published: May 2022

Maintaining a high rate of productivity, in terms of completed jobs per unit of time, in High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities is a cornerstone in the next generation of exascale supercomputers. Process malleability is presented as a straightforward mechanism to address that issue. Nowadays, the vast majority of HPC facilities are intended for distributed-memory applications based on the Message Passing (MP) paradigm. For this reason, many efforts are based on the Message Passing Interface (MPI), the de facto standard programming model. Malleability aims to rescale executions on-the-fly, in other words, reconfigure the number and layout of processes in running applications. Process malleability involves resources reallocation within the HPC system, handling processes of the application, and redistributing data among those processes to resume the execution. This manuscript compiles how different frameworks address process malleability, their main features, their integration in resource management systems, and how they may be used in user codes. This paper is a detailed state-of-the-art devised as an entry point for researchers who are interested in process malleability.
The Impact of Ensemble Techniques on Software Maintenance Change Prediction: An Empirical Study
Authors: Alsolai Hadeel , Roper Marc
Published: May 2022

Various prediction models have been proposed by researchers to predict the change-proneness of classes based on source code metrics. However, some of these models suffer from low prediction accuracy because datasets exhibit high dimensionality or imbalanced classes. Recent studies suggest that using ensembles to integrate several models, select features, or perform sampling has the potential to resolve issues in the datasets and improve the prediction accuracy. This study aims to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of the ensemble models, feature selection, and sampling techniques on predicting change-proneness using different metrics. We conduct an empirical study to compare the performance of four machine learning models (naive Bayes, support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors, and random forests) on seven datasets for predicting change-proneness. We use two types of feature selection (relief and Pearson’s correlation coefficient) and three types of ensemble sampling techniques, which integrate different types of sampling techniques (SMOTE, spread sub-sample, and randomize). The results of this study reveal that the ensemble feature selection and sampling techniques yield improved prediction accuracy over most of the investigated models, and using sampling techniques increased the prediction accuracy of all models. Random forests provide a significant improvement over other prediction models and obtained the highest value of the average of the area under curve in all scenarios. The proposed ensemble feature selection and sampling techniques, along with the ensemble model (random forests), were found beneficial in improving the prediction accuracy of change-proneness.
PlanTEA: Supporting Planning and Anticipation for Children with ASD Attending Medical Appointments
Authors: Hernández Patricia , Molina Ana I. , Lacave Carmen , Rusu Cristian , Toledano-González Abel
Published: May 2022

In people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), skills related to anticipation and mental flexibility are often impaired, so their thinking tends to be very rigid and their behavior is based on establishing routines. For this reason, children with ASD may show disruptive behaviors when faced with disturbing but necessary activities, such as going to a doctor’s appointment. Therefore, it is very convenient and necessary for their families to prepare in advance for the visit and to explain the details of the procedure to be performed at the consultation. The use of anticipation boards in these situations allows to prepare such situations and to reduce stress for both the ASD child and their families or caregivers. In this context, the use of technology can provide great benefits for anticipating a new event, or whatever risks the control of their routines, as well as enhancing developmental skills such as communication, autonomy, social interaction, etc. This article describes a software tool, for mobile devices such as tablets, that allows the planning of the attendance of children with ASD to the necessary medical appointments throughout their childhood and adolescence, as well as communication with specialists. This app, named PlanTEA, has undergone a preliminary evaluation that has yielded very positive results. Most participants found the app useful in helping to anticipate (94.1%) and improve communication (94.2%) for people with ASD in medical contexts, considered it easy to use, with no technical support needed to use it (almost 100%), and would recommend its use (94.2%). This first evaluation has also allowed us to define the next steps to be taken to improve and enhance this tool and thus reach a wider population within the autistic disorder. As a result of the evaluation carried out and the comments received, it is proposed to extend its use to adult users and those with high-functioning autism, which supposes expanding and extending the functionalities of the current version of PlanTEA.
Smart Web Service of Ti-Based Alloy’s Quality Evaluation for Medical Implants Manufacturing
Authors: Izonin Ivan , Tkachenko Roman , Duriagina Zoia , Shakhovska Nataliya , Kovtun Viacheslav , Lotoshynska Natalia
Published: May 2022

The production of biocompatible medical implants is accompanied by technological and time costs. As a result, to be used in the human body, such a product must be of the highest quality. Assessing the quality of biomedical implants made of titanium alloys is relevant given their impact on the health and life of their wearer. In the case of the production of such implants by additive technologies, an important task is to evaluate the properties of the alloys from which it is made. The modern development of Artificial Intelligence allows replacing traditional assessment methods with machine learning methods for such assessment. Existing machine learning methods demonstrate very low classification accuracy, and existing hybrid systems, although increasing classification accuracy, are not sufficient to apply such schemes in practice. The authors improved the hybrid PNN-SVM system to solve this problem in this paper. It is based on the combining use of PNN, Ito Decomposition, and SVM. The PNN’s summation layer outputs were used as additional attributes to an initial dataset. Ito decomposition was used to nonlinearly model relationships between features of an extended dataset. Further classification is carried out using SVM with a linear kernel. The proposed approach’s modeling is performed based on a real-world dataset using the smart web service designed by the authors. Experimentally found an increase in the classification accuracy by 6% of the proposed system compared to existing ones. It makes it possible to use it in practice. Designed smart web service, in which the authors implemented both improved and existing hybrid classification schemes allows to quickly, easily, and without high qualification of the user to implement and explore in more detail chosen classification scheme when classification tasks in various fields of industry.