bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Applications
Authors: Tsiapalis Dimitrios , O’Driscoll Lorraine
Published: April 2020

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being extensively investigated for their potential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, recent evidence suggests that the beneficial effects of MSCs may be manifest by their released extracellular vesicles (EVs); typically not requiring the administration of MSCs. This evidence, predominantly from pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies, suggests that MSC-EVs may exhibit substantial therapeutic properties in many pathophysiological conditions, potentially restoring an extensive range of damaged or diseased tissues and organs. These benefits of MSC EVs are apparently found, regardless of the anatomical or body fluid origin of the MSCs (and include e.g., bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, urine, etc). Furthermore, early indications suggest that the favourable effects of MSC-EVs could be further enhanced by modifying the way in which the donor MSCs are cultured (for example, in hypoxic compared to normoxic conditions, in 3D compared to 2D culture formats) and/or if the EVs are subsequently bio-engineered (for example, loaded with specific cargo). So far, few human clinical trials of MSC-EVs have been conducted and questions remain unanswered on whether the heterogeneous population of EVs is beneficial or some specific sub-populations, how best we can culture and scale-up MSC-EV production and isolation for clinical utility, and in what format they should be administered. However, as reviewed here, there is now substantial evidence supporting the use of MSC-EVs in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and further research to establish how best to exploit this approach for societal and economic benefit is warranted.
CRISPR/Cas9 Epigenome Editing Potential for Rare Imprinting Diseases: A Review
Authors: Syding Linn Amanda , Nickl Petr , Kasparek Petr , Sedlacek Radislav
Published: April 2020

Imprinting diseases (IDs) are rare congenital disorders caused by aberrant dosages of imprinted genes. Rare IDs are comprised by a group of several distinct disorders that share a great deal of homology in terms of genetic etiologies and symptoms. Disruption of genetic or epigenetic mechanisms can cause issues with regulating the expression of imprinted genes, thus leading to disease. Genetic mutations affect the imprinted genes, duplications, deletions, and uniparental disomy (UPD) are reoccurring phenomena causing imprinting diseases. Epigenetic alterations on methylation marks in imprinting control centers (ICRs) also alters the expression patterns and the majority of patients with rare IDs carries intact but either silenced or overexpressed imprinted genes. Canonical CRISPR/Cas9 editing relying on double-stranded DNA break repair has little to offer in terms of therapeutics for rare IDs. Instead CRISPR/Cas9 can be used in a more sophisticated way by targeting the epigenome. Catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9) tethered with effector enzymes such as DNA de- and methyltransferases and histone code editors in addition to systems such as CRISPRa and CRISPRi have been shown to have high epigenome editing efficiency in eukaryotic cells. This new era of CRISPR epigenome editors could arguably be a game-changer for curing and treating rare IDs by refined activation and silencing of disturbed imprinted gene expression. This review describes major CRISPR-based epigenome editors and points out their potential use in research and therapy of rare imprinting diseases.
Establishment of an in Vitro Human Blood-Brain Barrier Model Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Comparison to a Porcine Cell-Based System
Authors: Di Marco Annalise , Vignone Domenico , Gonzalez Paz Odalys , Fini Ivan , Battista Maria Rosaria , Cellucci Antonella , Bracacel Elena , Auciello Giulio , Veneziano Maria , Khetarpal Vinod , Rose Mark , Rosa Alessandro , Gloaguen Isabelle , Monteagudo Edith , Herbst Todd , Dominguez Celia , Muñoz-Sanjuán Ignacio
Published: April 2020

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is responsible for the homeostasis between the cerebral vasculature and the brain and it has a key role in regulating the influx and efflux of substances, in healthy and diseased states. Stem cell technology offers the opportunity to use human brain-specific cells to establish in vitro BBB models. Here, we describe the establishment of a human BBB model in a two-dimensional monolayer culture, derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This model was characterized by a transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) higher than 2000 Ω∙cm2 and associated with negligible paracellular transport. The hiPSC-derived BBB model maintained the functionality of major endothelial transporter proteins and receptors. Some proprietary molecules from our central nervous system (CNS) programs were evaluated revealing comparable permeability in the human model and in the model from primary porcine brain endothelial cells (PBECs).
Deletion of P2X7 Receptor Decreases Basal Glutathione Level by Changing Glutamate-Glutamine Cycle and Neutral Amino Acid Transporters
Authors: Park Hana , Kim Ji-Eun
Published: April 2020

Glutathione (GSH) is an endogenous tripeptide antioxidant that consists of glutamate-cysteine-glycine. GSH content is limited by the availability of glutamate and cysteine. Furthermore, glutamine is involved in the regulation of GSH synthesis via the glutamate–glutamine cycle. P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is one of the cation-permeable ATP ligand-gated ion channels, which is involved in neuronal excitability, neuroinflammation and astroglial functions. In addition, P2X7R activation decreases glutamate uptake and glutamine synthase (GS) expression/activity. In the present study, we found that P2X7R deletion decreased the basal GSH level without altering GSH synthetic enzyme expressions in the mouse hippocampus. P2X7R deletion also increased expressions of GS and ASCT2 (a glutamine:cysteine exchanger), but diminished the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC, a GSH precursor) in the GSH level. SIN-1 (500 μM, a generator nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite), which facilitates the cystine–cysteine shuttle mediated by xCT (a glutamate/cystein:cystine/NAC antiporter), did not affect basal GSH concentration in WT and P2X7R knockout (KO) mice. However, SIN-1 effectively reduced the efficacy of NAC in GSH synthesis in WT mice, but not in P2X7R KO mice. Therefore, our findings indicate that P2X7R may be involved in the maintenance of basal GSH levels by regulating the glutamate–glutamine cycle and neutral amino acid transports under physiological conditions, which may be the defense mechanism against oxidative stress during P2X7R activation.
Social Stress Increases Vulnerability to High-Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance by Enhancing Neutrophil Elastase Activity in Adipose Tissue
Authors: Motoyama Shinichiro , Yamada Hiroyuki , Yamamoto Keita , Wakana Noriyuki , Terada Kensuke , Kikai Masakazu , Wada Naotoshi , Saburi Makoto , Sugimoto Takeshi , Kubota Hiroshi , Miyawaki Daisuke , Kami Daisuke , Ogata Takehiro , Ibi Masakazu , Yabe-Nishimura Chihiro , Matoba Satoaki
Published: April 2020

Social stress (SS) has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is closely associated with insulin resistance (IR); however, the causal effect of SS on IR remains unclear. The 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to SS by housing with a larger CD-1 mouse in a shared home cage without physical contact for 10 consecutive days followed by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. Control mice were housed in the same cage without a CD-1 mouse. After 6 weeks of HFD, insulin sensitivity was significantly impaired in stressed mice. While the percentage of classically activated macrophages in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) was equivalent between the two groups, the percentage of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus G6D (Ly-6G)/neutrophil elastase (NE)-double positive cells markedly increased in stressed mice, accompanied by augmented NE activity assessed by ex vivo eWAT fluorescent imaging. Treatment with an NE inhibitor completely abrogated the insulin sensitivity impairment of stressed mice. In vitro NE release upon stimulation with a formyl peptide receptor 1 agonist was significantly higher in bone marrow neutrophils of stressed mice. Our findings show that SS-exposed mice are susceptible to the development of HFD-induced IR accompanied by augmented NE activity. Modulation of neutrophil function may represent a potential therapeutic target for SS-associated IR.
The Lipopeptide MALP-2 Promotes Collateral Growth
Authors: Troidl Kerstin , Schubert Christian , Vlacil Ann-Kathrin , Chennupati Ramesh , Koch Sören , Schütt Jutta , Oberoi Raghav , Schaper Wolfgang , Schmitz-Rixen Thomas , Schieffer Bernhard , Grote Karsten
Published: April 2020

Beyond their role in pathogen recognition and the initiation of immune defense, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known to be involved in various vascular processes in health and disease. We investigated the potential of the lipopeptide and TLR2/6 ligand macrophage activating protein of 2-kDA (MALP-2) to promote blood flow recovery in mice. Hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E (Apoe)-deficient mice were subjected to microsurgical ligation of the femoral artery. MALP-2 significantly improved blood flow recovery at early time points (three and seven days), as assessed by repeated laser speckle imaging, and increased the growth of pre-existing collateral arteries in the upper hind limb, along with intimal endothelial cell proliferation in the collateral wall and pericollateral macrophage accumulation. In addition, MALP-2 increased capillary density in the lower hind limb. MALP-2 enhanced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and nitric oxide (NO) release from endothelial cells and improved the experimental vasorelaxation of mesenteric arteries ex vivo. In vitro, MALP-2 led to the up-regulated expression of major endothelial adhesion molecules as well as their leukocyte integrin receptors and consequently enhanced the endothelial adhesion of leukocytes. Using the experimental approach of femoral artery ligation (FAL), we achieved promising results with MALP-2 to promote peripheral blood flow recovery by collateral artery growth.
Effect of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated PD-1-Disrupted Primary Human Third-Generation CAR-T Cells Targeting EGFRvIII on In Vitro Human Glioblastoma Cell Growth
Authors: Nakazawa Tsutomu , Natsume Atsushi , Nishimura Fumihiko , Morimoto Takayuki , Matsuda Ryosuke , Nakamura Mitsutoshi , Yamada Shuichi , Nakagawa Ichiro , Motoyama Yasushi , Park Young-Soo , Tsujimura Takahiro , Wakabayashi Toshihiko , Nakase Hiroyuki
Published: April 2020

Glioblastoma (GBM), which is the most common malignant brain tumor, is resistant to standard treatments. Immunotherapy might be a promising alternative for the treatment of this cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is an artificially modified fusion protein that can be engineered to direct the specificity and function of T cells against tumor antigens. However, the antitumor effects of EGFRvIII-targeting CAR-T (EvCAR-T) cells in GBM are limited. The inhibitory effect is induced by the interaction between programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on activated EvCAR-T cells and its ligands on GBM cells. In the present study, PD-1-disrupted EvCAR-T cells were established using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9). The sgRNA/Cas9 expression vectors designed precisely disrupted the target region of PD-1 and inhibited the expression of PD-1 in EvCAR-T cells. The PD-1-disrupted EvCAR-T cells had an in vitro growth inhibitory effect on EGFRvIII-expressing GBM cells without altering the T-cell phenotype and the expression of other checkpoint receptors. In the future, the in vivo antitumor effect of this vector should be evaluated in order to determine if it could be applied clinically for improving the efficacy of EvCAR-T cell-based adoptive immunotherapy for GBM.
Swirling Effects in Atmospheric Plasma Spraying Process: Experiments and Simulation
Authors: Martínez-Villegas Israel , Mora-García Alma G. , Ruiz-Luna Haideé , McKelliget John , Poblano-Salas Carlos A. , Muñoz-Saldaña Juan , Trápaga-Martínez Gerardo
Published: April 2020

Experimental evidence of swirling effects in 3D trajectories of in-flight particles is presented based on static and dynamic footprints analysis as a function of stand-off distance of Al2O3 deposited employing a Metco-9MB torch. Swirling effects were validated with a proprietary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code that considers an argon-hydrogen plasma stream, in-flight particles trajectories, both creating the spray cone, and particle impact to form a footprint on a fixed substrate located at different distances up to 120 mm. Static and dynamic footprints showed that swirl produces a slight deviation of individual particle trajectories and thus footprint rotation, which may affect coating characteristics.
Design and Validation of a Minimal Complexity Algorithm for Stair Step Counting
Authors: Coluzzi Davide , Rivolta Massimo W. , Mastropietro Alfonso , Porcelli Simone , Mauri Marco L. , Civiello Marta T. L. , Denna Enrico , Rizzo Giovanna , Sassi Roberto
Published: April 2020

Wearable sensors play a significant role for monitoring the functional ability of the elderly and in general, promoting active ageing. One of the relevant variables to be tracked is the number of stair steps (single stair steps) performed daily, which is more challenging than counting flight of stairs and detecting stair climbing. In this study, we proposed a minimal complexity algorithm composed of a hierarchical classifier and a linear model to estimate the number of stair steps performed during everyday activities. The algorithm was calibrated on accelerometer and barometer recordings measured using a sensor platform worn at the wrist from 20 healthy subjects. It was then tested on 10 older people, specifically enrolled for the study. The algorithm was then compared with other three state-of-the-art methods, which used the accelerometer, the barometer or both. The experiments showed the good performance of our algorithm (stair step counting error: 13.8%), comparable with the best state-of-the-art (p > 0.05), but using a lower computational load and model complexity. Finally, the algorithm was successfully implemented in a low-power smartwatch prototype with a memory footprint of about 4 kB.
An Approach to Chance Constrained Problems Based on Huge Data Sets Using Weighted Stratified Sampling and Adaptive Differential Evolution
Authors: Tagawa Kiyoharu
Published: April 2020

In this paper, a new approach to solve Chance Constrained Problems (CCPs) using huge data sets is proposed. Specifically, instead of the conventional mathematical model, a huge data set is used to formulate CCP. This is because such a large data set is available nowadays due to advanced information technologies. Since the data set is too large to evaluate the probabilistic constraint of CCP, a new data reduction method called Weighted Stratified Sampling (WSS) is proposed to describe a relaxation problem of CCP. An adaptive Differential Evolution combined with a pruning technique is also proposed to solve the relaxation problem of CCP efficiently. The performance of WSS is compared with a well known method, Simple Random Sampling. Then, the proposed approach is applied to a real-world application, namely the flood control planning formulated as CCP.
Response Improvement of Liquid Crystal-Loaded NRD Waveguide Type Terahertz Variable Phase Shifter
Authors: Lang Trong Nghia , Bui Van Bao , Inoue Yo , Moritake Hiroshi
Published: April 2020

Liquid crystals, which have high dielectric anisotropy even in the terahertz region and are easily controllable for dielectric permittivity by applying an electric field, have become increasingly attractive in recent years. The non-radiative dielectric (NRD) waveguide has a structure in which a dielectric line is sandwiched between two metal plates and by replacing the dielectric part with liquid crystal, a low loss liquid crystal-loaded NRD waveguide type terahertz phase shifter can be obtained. However, since the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is several hundred micrometers, it has a response time of as long as several hundred seconds when the driving voltage is removed. It is necessary to devise improvements for practical application. By inserting two polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films and reducing the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, the decay time was improved well, but the phase change was significantly reduced. In this study, we report improving both decay time and phase change with aligned nanofiber/liquid crystal complex. In addition, we demonstrate liquid crystal-load phase shifter, which has 360° phase change and the response time below one second.
Salivary Cytokines and Airways Disease Severity in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Castaldo Alice , Iacotucci Paola , Carnovale Vincenzo , Cimino Roberta , Liguori Renato , Comegna Marika , Raia Valeria , Corso Gaetano , Castaldo Giuseppe , Gelzo Monica
Published: April 2020

About 50% of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have sinonasal complications, which include inferior turbinate hypertrophy (NTH) and/or nasal polyposis (NP), and different degrees of lung disease, which represents the main cause of mortality. Monitoring of sinonasal disease requires complex instrumental procedures, while monitoring of lung inflammation requires invasive collection of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between salivary cytokines levels and CF-related airway diseases. Salivary biochemical parameters and cytokines, i.e., interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), were analyzed in resting saliva from healthy subjects and patients with CF. Patients with CF showed significantly higher levels of salivary chloride, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α and lower calcium levels than healthy subjects. Among patients with CF, IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in patients with NTH, while TNF-α was significantly lower in patients with NP. A decreasing trend of TNF-α in patients with severe lung disease was also observed. On the other hand, we did not find significant correlation between cytokine levels and Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia colonization. These preliminary results suggest that salivary IL-6 and IL-8 levels increase during the acute phase of sinonasal disease (i.e., NTH), while the end stages of pulmonary disease and sinonasal disease (i.e., NP) show decreased TNF-α levels.
Comparative Study Regarding the Properties of Methylene Blue and Proflavine and Their Optimal Concentrations for In Vitro and In Vivo Applications
Authors: Nedu Maria-Eliza , Tertis Mihaela , Cristea Cecilia , Georgescu Alexandru Valentin
Published: April 2020

Methylene blue and proflavine are fluorescent dyes used to stain nucleic acid from the molecular level to the tissue level. Already clinically used for sentinel node mapping, detection of neuroendocrine tumors, methemoglobinemia, septic shock, ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy, and photodynamic inactivation of RNA viruses, the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effect of methylene blue has been demonstrated in different in vitro and in vivo studies. Proflavine was used as a disinfectant and bacteriostatic agent against many gram-positive bacteria, as well as a urinary antiseptic involved in highlighting cell nuclei. At the tissue level, the anti-inflammatory effects of methylene blue protect against pulmonary, renal, cardiac, pancreatic, ischemic-reperfusion lesions, and fevers. First used for their antiseptic and antiviral activity, respectively, methylene blue and proflavine turned out to be excellent dyes for diagnostic and treatment purposes. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that both dyes are efficient as perfusion and tissue tracers and permitted to evaluate the minimal efficient concentration in different species, as well as their pharmacokinetics and toxicity. This review aims to identify the optimal concentrations of methylene blue and proflavine that can be used for in vivo experiments to highlight the vascularization of the skin in the case of a perforasome (both as a tissue tracer and in vascular mapping), as well as their effects on tissues. This review is intended to be a comparative and critical presentation of the possible applications of methylene blue (MB) and proflavine (PRO) in the surgical field, and the relevant biomedical findings from specialized literature to date are discussed as well.
Combining Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Yang Ting , Gentile Mattia , Shen Ching-Fen , Cheng Chao-Min
Published: April 2020

The current standard testing method for screening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is through reverse real-time PCR assay (rRT-PCR), a common molecular-based assay that requires an average of four to six hours to provide results [...]
Fusion and Healing Prediction in Posterolateral Spinal Fusion Using 18F-Sodium Fluoride-PET/CT
Authors: Constantinescu Caius M. , Jacobsen Michael K. , Gerke Oke , Andersen Mikkel Ø. , Høilund-Carlsen Poul F.
Published: April 2020

This study measures the total graft of 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) uptake in non-instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion (niPLF) patients one month after surgery and correlates it with the difference in the clinical findings between the baseline and one year after surgery. The walking distance (WLK-D), visual analog scale of back pain (VAS-B), VAS score of leg pain (VAS-L), tandem test (TAN), Oswestry Disability Index questionnaire (ODI), and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) were assessed before surgery and one year after. The graft NaF uptake was analyzed quantitatively with a fixed threshold algorithm resulting in the total graft uptake (SUVtotal) and partial volume corrected SUVtotal (cSUVtotal). Only 4 out of 18 patients experienced fusion; they had an insignificantly lower median total graft uptakes, i.e., 1178 SUVtotal vs. 1224 SUVtotal (p = 0.73) and 1282 cSUVtotal vs. 1231 cSUVtotal (p = 0.35), respectively. Similarly, fused patients experienced insignificantly larger pain decreases, i.e., median VAS-B 4.3 vs. 3.8 (p = 0.92) and VAS-L −6.4 vs. −4.4 (p = 0.2). We found an insignificant trend for a lower NaF uptake and less pain in fused patients. The NaF uptake did not correlate with the chronological change in the clinical parameters.
Evaluation of an Interview-Based Internship Class in the Construction Management Curriculum: A Case Study of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Authors: Karji Ali , Bernstein Stuart , Tafazzoli Mohammadsoroush , Taghinezhad Arash , Mohammadi Arefeh
Published: April 2020

Internships have been shown to be impactful tools to connect students’ learning in academia with real-world industrial needs. To help the students to get more out of their internship experience, some universities provide a summer internship class in which students do class assignments based on their experiences during their internship. There have been numerous studies on the benefits of internships. However, the benefits of a potential internship class for students in construction management (CM) programs at universities have not yet been investigated. This paper demonstrates the structure of an interview-based internship class and investigates its effectiveness. We have focused on the CM program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) as a case study. We sent online questionnaires to the intern students who took the class, students’ mentors, and the professors who taught the class. The results indicate that despite some challenges to meet the requirements of the class, the students, their mentors, and the professor found the class beneficial. The results of this paper are expected to help CM programs with the establishment and improvement of internship classes in their curriculum.
Preventing Extremism with Extremists: A Double-Edged Sword? An Analysis of the Impact of Using Former Extremists in Danish Schools
Authors: Parker David , Lindekilde Lasse
Published: April 2020

Governments across the West have invested significant resources in preventing radicalization, and strategies to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) are increasingly prominent within wider counter-terrorism policies. However, we know little about their effects, especially about projects that utilize former extremists to counter extremist narratives and increase critical thinking. Despite the prominence of interventions utilizing “formers”, there are almost no systematic, scientific evaluations of these programs. The lack of evaluation is problematic given the recognized risks and negative effects of using formers to address other social issues, such as crime prevention. This paper presents findings from the largest study to date of the effects of using former extremists to prevent violent extremism. Based on a randomized controlled effect evaluation with 1931 Danish youths, it highlights significant successes, including reducing the perceived legitimacy of political violence, as well as negative effects, including a small decrease in political tolerance. Overall, the findings suggest a need for cost–benefit analyses of P/CVE initiatives, weighing the benefits against the risks.
Towards Software Based Optical Communication Methods for the Assistance of Docking Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
Authors: Grindley Josef , McAree Owen , Ateeq Muhammad , Abdullah Badr , Bezombes Frederic
Published: April 2020

The use of optical communications systems is prevalent in underwater robotics when short-range data transmission is required or preferred. This paper proposes a method of producing and testing an optical communications system for use in the assistance of optical docking for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). It describes how the Simulink modelling environment was used to program and simulate a model of a transmitter, which was then implemented on a microcontroller. The transmitter model implemented on hardware was then used to produce an optical signal, which was sampled, logged and used to design a receiver model in Simulink. For signalling purposes, the experiment used a light-emitting diode (LED) with a driver circuit and photodiode based receiver. This simulated approach using real world data enabled the analysis of the system at every point during the process, allowing for a hardware in the loop style approach to be used in the receiver model design. Consequently, the Simulink Coder was used to produce the receiver model’s equivalent in C++ for later deployment. A benchmark was determined through experimentation to compare within future studies; the system was tested and found to operate effectively at distances between 1 m and 12 m in a controlled in air test environment.
Feasibility Analysis of Deep Learning-Based Reality Assessment of Human Back-View Images
Authors: Kwon Young Chan , Jang Jae Won , Lim Hwasup , Choi Ouk
Published: April 2020

Realistic personalized avatars can play an important role in social interactions in virtual reality, increasing body ownership, presence, and dominance. A simple way to obtain the texture of an avatar is to use a single front-view image of a human and to generate the hidden back-view image. The realism of the generated image is crucial in improving the overall texture quality, and subjective image quality assessment methods can play an important role in the evaluation. The subjective methods, however, require dozens of human assessors, a controlled environment, and time. This paper proposes a deep learning-based image reality assessment method, which is fully automatic and has a short testing time of nearly a quarter second per image. We train various discriminators to predict whether an image is real or generated. The trained discriminators are then used to give a mean opinion score for the reality of an image. Through experiments on human back-view images, we show that our learning-based mean opinion scores are close to their subjective counterparts in terms of the root mean square error between them.
The Effect of the NaCl Bulk Concentration on the Resistance of Ion Exchange Membranes—Measuring and Modeling
Authors: Veerman Joost
Published: April 2020

Ion exchange membranes are used in different fields of energy and separation technology such as electrodialysis, reverse electrodialysis, and fuel cells. Important aspects are permselectivity, resistance, and water transport. In this paper, we focus on the effect of the bulk NaCl concentration on the membrane resistance. Data from 36 publications containing 145 datasets using 6 different methods for measuring membrane resistance were compared. This study showed that the membrane resistance is dependent on the method of measuring. Two probable causes are identified: the application of reference electrodes and the presence of direct electrode–membrane contact. In addition, three physical and three phenomenological membrane models were tested by fitting these to the datasets. First, fits in the resistance domain were compared with fits in the conductivity domain. Resistance fits are sensitive to fluctuations in low concentrations, whereas fits in the conductivity domain are subject to nonlinear responses at high concentration. Resistance fits resulted in higher coefficients of determination (R2). Then, the six models were compared. The 1-thread model with two fit parameters was in almost all cases a good start. More improvements were difficult to test due to the restricted number of data points in most of the used publications, although this study shows that the so-called Gierke model (with 4 parameters) fits better than the 3-thread model. Phenomenological models were also tested, but they did not lead to much better fits.
Population Connectivity and Genetic Assessment of Exploited and Natural Populations of Pearl Oysters within a French Polynesian Atoll Lagoon
Authors: Reisser Céline M. O. , Le Gendre Romain , Chupeau Cassandre , Lo-Yat Alain , Planes Serge , Andréfouët Serge
Published: April 2020

In French Polynesia, the production and exportation of black pearls through the aquaculture of the black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera provide the second largest economic income for the country after tourism. This industry entirely relies on the collection of natural spats from few highly recruiting lagoons. In recent years, pearl oyster producers have experienced variable success rates in spat collection, with significant spatial and temporal variability in spat supply, driving uncertainty in the future of pearl production. This study combines, for the first time in a farmed lagoon, genetic (SNPs), demographic (sex ratio, age), and biophysical data (larval dispersal modelling) to shed new light on population dynamics, connectivity, and spat recruitment in Ahe Atoll, a well-studied pearl farming site. Our results indicate that the geographical structuring of the natural populations and the contribution of both natural and exploited stocks to the production of spats result from the interaction of hydrodynamic features, life history traits and demographic parameters: the northeastern natural populations are older, not well connected to the southwestern natural populations and are not replenished by larvae produced by adjacent exploited populations. Moreover, we observe that the exploited populations did not contribute to larval production during our experiment, despite a sampling period set during the most productive season for spat collection. This is likely the result of a strong male bias in the exploited populations, coupled with a sweepstakes reproductive strategy of the species. Our results warrant further investigations over the future of the northeastern older natural populations and a reflection on the current perliculture techniques.
GIS-Based Modeling for Selection of Dam Sites in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Authors: Othman Arsalan Ahmed , Al-Maamar Ahmed F. , Al-Manmi Diary Ali Mohammed Amin , Liesenberg Veraldo , Hasan Syed E. , Obaid Ahmed K. , Al-Quraishi Ayad M. Fadhil
Published: April 2020

Iraq, a country in the Middle East, has suffered severe drought events in the past two decades due to a significant decrease in annual precipitation. Water storage by building dams can mitigate drought impacts and assure water supply. This study was designed to identify suitable sites to build new dams within the Al-Khabur River Basin (KhRB). Both the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the weighted sum method (WSM) were used and compared to select suitable dam sites. A total of 14 layers were used as input dataset (i.e., lithology, tectonic zones, distance to active faults, distance to lineaments, soil type, land cover, hypsometry, slope gradient, average precipitation, stream width, Curve Number Grid, distance to major roads, distance to towns and cities, and distance to villages). Landsat-8/Operational Land Imager (OLI) and QuickBird optical images were used in the study. Three types of accuracies were tested: overall, suitable pixels by number, and suitable pixels by weight. Based on these criteria, we determined that 11 sites are suitable for locating dams for runoff harvesting. Results were compared to the location of 21 preselected dams proposed by the Ministry of Agricultural and Water Resources (MAWR). Three of these dam sites coincide with those proposed by the MAWR. The overall accuracies of the 11 dams ranged between 76.2% and 91.8%. The two most suitable dam sites are located in the center of the study area, with favorable geology, adequate storage capacity, and in close proximity to the population centers. Of the two selection methods, the AHP method performed better as its overall accuracy is greater than that of the WSM. We argue that when stream discharge data are not available, use of high spatial resolution QuickBird imageries to determine stream width for discharge estimation is acceptable and can be used for preliminary dam site selection. The study offers a valuable and relatively inexpensive tool to decision-makers for eliminating sites having severe limitations (less suitable sites) and focusing on those with the least restriction (more suitable sites) for dam construction.
Anti-Shake HDR Imaging Using RAW Image Data
Authors: Liu Yan , Lv Bingxue , Huang Wei , Jin Baohua , Li Canlin
Published: April 2020

Camera shaking and object movement can cause the output images to suffer from blurring, noise, and other artifacts, leading to poor image quality and low dynamic range. Raw images contain minimally processed data from the image sensor compared with JPEG images. In this paper, an anti-shake high-dynamic-range imaging method is presented. This method is more robust to camera motion than previous techniques. An algorithm based on information entropy is employed to choose a reference image from the raw image sequence. To further improve the robustness of the proposed method, the Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) algorithm is adopted to register the inputs, and a simple Laplacian pyramid fusion method is implanted to generate the high-dynamic-range image. Additionally, a large dataset with 435 various exposure image sequences is collected, which includes the corresponding JPEG image sequences to test the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed method achieves better performance in terms of anti-shake ability and preserves more details for real scene images than traditional algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed method is suitable for extreme-exposure image pairs, which can be applied to binocular vision systems to acquire high-quality real scene images, and has a lower algorithm complexity than deep learning-based fusion methods.
Pharmacological Therapeutics Targeting RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase, Proteinase and Spike Protein: From Mechanistic Studies to Clinical Trials for COVID-19
Authors: Huang Jiansheng , Song Wenliang , Huang Hui , Sun Quancai
Published: April 2020

An outbreak of novel coronavirus-related pneumonia COVID-19, that was identified in December 2019, has expanded rapidly, with cases now confirmed in more than 211 countries or areas. This constant transmission of a novel coronavirus and its ability to spread from human to human have prompted scientists to develop new approaches for treatment of COVID-19. A recent study has shown that remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the replication and infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCov) in vitro. In the United States, one case of COVID-19 was successfully treated with compassionate use of remdesivir in January of 2020. In addition, a clinically proven protease inhibitor, camostat mesylate, has been demonstrated to inhibit Calu-3 infection with SARS-CoV-2 and prevent SARS-2-spike protein (S protein)-mediated entry into primary human lung cells. Here, we systemically discuss the pharmacological therapeutics targeting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), proteinase and S protein for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review should shed light on the fundamental rationale behind inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 enzymes RdRp as new therapeutic approaches for management of patients with COVID-19. In addition, we will discuss the viability and challenges in targeting RdRp and proteinase, and application of natural product quinoline and its analog chloroquine for treatment of coronavirus infection. Finally, determining the structural-functional relationships of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 will provide new insights into inhibition of interactions between S protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and enable us to develop novel therapeutic approaches for novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Lactate and BDNF: Key Mediators of Exercise Induced Neuroplasticity?
Authors: Müller Patrick , Duderstadt Yves , Lessmann Volkmar , Müller Notger G.
Published: April 2020

Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies supports the notion that physical exercise can enhance neuroplasticity and thus reduce the risk of several neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., dementia). However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of exercise induced neuroplasticity are still largely unknown. One potential mediator of exercise effects is the neurotrophin BDNF, which enhances neuroplasticity via different pathways (e.g., synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, long-term potentiation). Current research has shown that (i) increased peripheral lactate levels (following high intensity exercise) are associated with increased peripheral BDNF levels, (ii) lactate infusion at rest can increase peripheral and central BDNF levels and (iii) lactate plays a very complex role in the brain’s metabolism. In this review, we summarize the role and relationship of lactate and BDNF in exercise induced neuroplasticity.
Placental Lactogen as a Marker of Maternal Obesity, Diabetes, and Fetal Growth Abnormalities: Current Knowledge and Clinical Perspectives
Authors: Sibiak Rafał , Jankowski Maurycy , Gutaj Paweł , Mozdziak Paul , Kempisty Bartosz , Wender-Ożegowska Ewa
Published: April 2020

Placental lactogen (PL) is a peptide hormone secreted throughout pregnancy by both animal and human specialized endocrine cells. PL plays an important role in the regulation of insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells, stimulating their proliferation and promoting the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins. Cases of pregnancy affected by metabolic conditions, including obesity and diabetes, are related to alterations in the PL secretion pattern. Whereas obesity is most often associated with lower PL serum concentrations, diabetes results in increased PL blood levels. Disruptions in PL secretion are thought to be associated with an increased prevalence of gestational complications, such as placental dysfunction, diabetic retinopathy, and abnormalities in fetal growth. PL is believed to be positively correlated with birth weight. The impaired regulation of PL secretion could contribute to an increased incidence of both growth retardation and fetal macrosomia. Moreover, the dysregulation of PL production during the intrauterine period could affect the metabolic status in adulthood. PL concentration measurement could be useful in the prediction of fetal macrosomia in women with normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results or in evaluating the risk of fetal growth restriction, but its application in standard clinical practice seems to be limited in the era of ultrasonography.
Long-Term Treatment Outcomes in Type 3 Neovascularization: Focus on the Difference in Outcomes between Geographic Atrophy and Fibrotic Scarring
Authors: Kim Jae Hui , Kim Jong Woo , Kim Chul Gu , Lee Dong Won
Published: April 2020

Background: To evaluate the difference in the long-term treatment outcomes of type 3 neovascularization between eyes with geographic atrophy and those with fibrotic scars. Methods: This retrospective study included 195 eyes diagnosed with type 3 neovascularization and treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. The included eyes were divided into three groups according to the fundus findings at the final visit: patients with fovea-involving geographic atrophy (GA group), patients with fovea-involving fibrotic scars (scar group), and patients with no fovea-involving geographic atrophy or fibrotic scars (non-GA/scar group). The best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA) of the three groups at the final visits were compared. Results: The mean follow-up period was 47.5 ± 20.7 months. The mean logMAR BCVA at the final visit was 1.18 ± 0.58 in the GA group (n = 58), 1.67 ± 0.58 in the scar group (n = 62), and 0.69 ± 0.64 in the non-GA/scar group (n = 75). The BCVA was significantly worse in the scar group than in the GA (p < 0.001) and the non-GA/scar groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Eyes with fibrotic scars showed the poorest visual outcomes in type 3 neovascularization among the studied groups. Preventing the development of fibrotic scars should be considered an important treatment goal.
Assessment of Halamphora coffeaeformis Growth and Biochemical Composition for Aquaculture Purposes
Authors: Scodelaro Bilbao Paola G. , Martín Lucas A. , Popovich Cecilia A. , Almeyda María Delfina , Chamorro Verónica , Leonardi Patricia I.
Published: April 2020

The vast majority of the world’s fishery by-products are utilized in the fish farming industry. However, due to the high cost and unsustainability of these by-products, alternative sources must be found. Marine diatoms produce important amounts of fatty acids, sterols, proteins and carbohydrates. In this work, we assessed the nutritional value of Halamphora coffeaeformis at the exponential growth phase, to determine its suitability for aquafeed. The strain was grown in a photobioreactor at 20 °C for 6 days. The production of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates was determined, and essential fatty acid, sterol and amino acid composition was assessed. The highest values of triacylglycerides (TAG), free and esterified sterols, proteins and carbohydrates were found after 6 days of growth in the photobioreactor. Fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography showed the presence of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and arachidonic (ARA) in amounts similar to those for fish oils. In terms of sterols, a predominance of stigmasterol was observed, followed by cholesterol. The amino acid composition revealed 50% of them to be among those essential for fish and other aquatic animals. Finally, a suitable amount of carbohydrates was found in H. coffeaeformis cultures. Together, these findings support the use of H. coffeaeformis as an alternative and sustainable source for aquafeed to partially replace the use of fishery by-products.
Radiation-Induced Cerebro-Ophthalmic Effects in Humans
Authors: Loganovsky Konstantin N. , Marazziti Donatella , Fedirko Pavlo A. , Kuts Kostiantyn V. , Antypchuk Katerina Y. , Perchuk Iryna V. , Babenko Tetyana F. , Loganovska Tetyana K. , Kolosynska Olena O. , Kreinis George Y. , Gresko Marina V. , Masiuk Sergii V. , Mucci Federico , Zdorenko Leonid L. , Della Vecchia Alessandra , Zdanevich Natalia A. , Garkava Natalia A. , Dorichevska Raisa Y. , Vasilenko Zlata L. , Kravchenko Victor I. , Drosdova Nataliya V.
Published: April 2020

Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) could affect the human brain and eyes leading to both cognitive and visual impairments. The aim of this paper was to review and analyze the current literature, and to comment on the ensuing findings in the light of our personal contributions in this field. The review was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines by searching PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO and Google Scholar English papers published from January 2000 to January 2020. The results showed that prenatally or childhood-exposed individuals are a particular target group with a higher risk for possible radiation effects and neurodegenerative diseases. In adulthood and medical/interventional radiologists, the most frequent IR-induced ophthalmic effects include cataracts, glaucoma, optic neuropathy, retinopathy and angiopathy, sometimes associated with specific neurocognitive deficits. According to available information that eye alterations may induce or may be associated with brain dysfunctions and vice versa, we propose to label this relationship “eye-brain axis”, as well as to deepen the diagnosis of eye pathologies as early and easily obtainable markers of possible low dose IR-induced brain damage.
Research into Two Photonic-Integrated Waveguides Based on SiGe Material
Authors: Feng Song , Xue Bin
Published: April 2020

SiGe (Silicon Germanium) is a common semiconductor material with many excellent properties, and many photonic-integrated devices are designed and fabricated with SiGe material. In this paper, two photonic-integrated SiGe waveguides are researched, namely the SiGe-SOI (Silicon Germanium-Silicon-On-Insulator) waveguide and the SiGe-OI (Silicon Germanium-On-Insulator) waveguide. In order to verify which structure has the better waveguide performance, two waveguide structures are built, and the effective refractive indexes and the loss characteristics of the two waveguides are analyzed and compared. By simulation, the SiGe-OI optical waveguide has better losses characteristics at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. Finally, SiGe-OI and SiGe-SOI waveguides are fabricated and tested to verify the correctness of theoretical analysis, and the experimental results show that the transmission losses of the SiGe-OI waveguide are respectively decreased by 36.6% and 28.3% at 400 nm and 600 nm waveguide width in comparison with the SiGe-SOI waveguide. The results also show that the SiGe-OI waveguide has better loss characteristics than those of the SiGe-SOI waveguide at the low Ge content.
Supply Chain Coordination with a Loss-Averse Retailer and Combined Contract
Authors: Liu Wei , Song Shiji , Qiao Ying , Zhao Han
Published: April 2020

This paper studies the supply chain coordination where the retailer is loss-averse, and a combined buyback and quantity flexibility contract is introduced. The loss-averse retailer’s objective is to maximize the Conditional Value-at-Risk of utility. It is shown the combined contract can coordinate the chain and a unique coordinating wholesale price exists if the confidence level is below a threshold. Moreover, the retailer’s optimal order quantity, expected utility and coordinating wholesale price are decreasing in loss aversion and confidence levels, respectively. We also find that when the contract parameters are restricted, the combined contract may coordinate the supply chain even though neither of its component contracts coordinate the chain.