bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Cycle Slips Detection and Repair Method with AR Model of BDS-3 Dual-Frequency Signal in Severe Multipath Environments
Authors: Ning Yipeng , Cui Junye , Zhao Wenshuo , Chai Dashuai , Sun Yingjun , Xing Jianping , Wang Shengli
Published: December 2022

High-level applications of geo-processing services generally lack accurate temporal and spatial information. BDS-3 provides high precision temporal and spatial reference for geoprocessing services, but their signal is prone to cycle slips in a severe multipath environment. Aiming at the problem of the reliable detection and repair of cycle slips in BDS-3 (B1c + B2a) dual-frequency positioning in a severe multipath environment, an AR (autoregressive) model-assisted MW + GF BDS dual-frequency combined detection method (AMG method) is proposed in this research. A sliding-window autoregressive prediction strategy is introduced to correct the pseudorange observations interfered by a multipath, then an AR + MW + GF cycle slips detection model is constructed, and a cycle slips statistical completeness test index is established to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. Six groups of cycle slips are artificially added into the different constellations and dual-frequency point phase observations of BDS-3 (B1c and B2a) in a multipath environment to demonstrate the cycle slips’ detection performance. The experimental results show that the traditional MW + GF method fails, but the proposed AMG method still maintains accurate cycle slip detection and repair capabilities. The detection success rate and repair success rate obtained by using the new method are significantly improved by 63.4%, and the cycle slips’ false detection rate and missed detection rate are reduced by 64.5% and 42.0%, respectively, even in harsh environments.
Dough Rheological Properties and Characteristics of Wheat Bread with the Addition of Lyophilized Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. sabellica) Powder
Authors: Korus Anna , Witczak Mariusz , Korus Jarosław , Juszczak Lesław
Published: December 2022

In this study, the effect of replacing 5 or 10% of wheat flour with lyophilized kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. sabellica) on the rheology of dough and bread characteristics (physical and textural properties, sensory acceptability, staling tendency) was evaluated. The farinographic analysis showed an increase in the development time, index of tolerance to mixing, and water absorption. The share of lyophilized kale in the dough affected changes in its rheological properties, e.g., increased the values of storage and loss moduli with a decrease in the value of the phase shift angle (tan δ) from 0.36 to 0.31 at 1 rad/s. A significant decrease in the values of instantaneous and viscoelastic compliance was also observed, and an increase in the value of zero shear viscosity. The incorporation of lyophilized kale into the dough caused a noticeable decrease in bread volume by about 10%, and porosity, by about 8%, despite the lack of statistical significance. Statistically significant changes were found in pore size and the presence of large pores > 5 mm2 in the crumb, while pores density increased. The enrichment of bread with lyophilized kale influenced a decrease in the brightness of the crumb from 73.7 to 49.5 while increasing the proportion of yellow and green color as a result of a considerable increase in the content of chlorophyll pigments and carotenoids. Bread enriched with lyophilized kale had lower acceptability than the control bread. The enrichment of the bread with powdered kale also caused changes in the texture of the crumb, e.g., the hardness on the first day of the study was 2.14 N in the control bread, while in the bread with 10% kale content it was 6.46 N. In addition, the enriched bread showed a decrease in springiness, cohesiveness, and resilience.
Special Issue “Floodplains and Reservoirs as Sinks and Sources for Pollutants”
Authors: Opp Christian
Published: December 2022

Floodplain soils and reservoir sediments are known for their fine-grained structure and rich organic-matter substances; therefore, they are able to sorb metals and other potential pollutants, which is is characteristic of their sink function [...]
Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Analysis Using Deep Learning to Improve Glaucoma Detection in Eye Disease Assessment
Authors: Prananda Alifia Revan , Frannita Eka Legya , Hutami Augustine Herini Tita , Maarif Muhammad Rifqi , Fitriyani Norma Latif , Syafrudin Muhammad
Published: December 2022

Recently, the development of a rapid detection approach for glaucoma has been widely proposed to assist medical personnel in detecting glaucoma disease thanks to the outstanding performance of artificial intelligence. In several glaucoma detectors, cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) and disc damage likelihood scale (DDLS) play roles as the major objects that are used to analyze glaucoma. However, using CDR and DDLS is quite difficult since every person has different characteristics (shape, size, etc.) of the optic disc and optic cup. To overcome this issue, we proposed an alternative way to detect glaucoma disease by analyzing the damage to the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). Our proposed method is divided into two processes: (1) the pre-treatment process and (2) the glaucoma classification process. We started the pre-treatment process by removing unnecessary parts, such as the optic disc and blood vessels. Both parts are considered for removal since they might be obstacles during the analysis process. For the classification stages, we used nine deep-learning architectures. We evaluated our proposed method in the ORIGA dataset and achieved the highest accuracy of 92.88% with an AUC of 89.34%. This result is improved by more than 15% from the previous research work. Finally, it is expected that our model could help improve eye disease diagnosis and assessment.
Reliability Enhancement Driven by ANN for Lighting Control System in Highway Tunnels
Authors: Su Baofeng , Hu Jiangbi , Zeng Juncheng , Wang Ronghua
Published: December 2022

Compared with open roadways, traffic safety in highway tunnels requires more attention to build smoothly transitioned and well-coupled light environments for drivers to alleviate visual discomfort so as to achieve a balanced sense of driving safety and comfort. In this study, in order to overcome the drawbacks of existing tunnel lighting control modes that disregard the color temperature of natural light characteristics and collaborative influence of color temperature and luminance of natural light on tunnel lighting quality, one artificial neural network (ANN) model is designed and trained to simulate one physical lighting control system that takes into consideration color temperature and luminance simultaneously. In this model, multiple parameters of discrete and continuous types of input layer and output layer are synergistically analyzed. The model was also trained with quantities of field data from one tunnel in service and includes one hidden layer with 10 neurons. The simulation results showed that this model obtains a high degree of fitness with inside luminance and 100% recognition rate with inside color temperature in the threshold zone, which conforms to the regulation strategy of actual lighting control systems with high confidence. The proposed model will greatly enhance the reliability and sustainability of the lighting system during its normal operation, which can also support other lighting scenarios due to its flexibility and scalability with multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) capabilities.
Properties of Phenol Formaldehyde-Bonded Layered Laminated Woven Bamboo Mat Boards Made from Gigantochloa scortechinii
Authors: Abidin Wan Nur Shasha Najiha Zainal , Al-Edrus Syeed SaifulAzry Osman , Hua Lee Seng , Ghani Muhammad Aizat Abdul , Bakar Balkis Fatomer A. , Ishak Ridzuan , Qayyum Ahmad Faisal Fadhlin , Sabaruddin Fatimah Athiyah , Kristak Lubos , Lubis Muhammad Adly Rahandi , Reh Roman , Hiziroglu Salim
Published: December 2022

Bamboo is suitable to be a material for the production of new products that can be used indoors and outdoors. Five-, seven- and nine-ply laminated woven bamboo mat boards from semantan bamboo, Gigantochloa scortechinii, were fabricated in this study. G. scortechinii has been used commercially in a structural application and is easily available in Malaysia. The present work investigated the physico-mechanical properties and flammability of the laminated bamboo mat boards as a function of the number of ply. Phenol-formaldehyde resin was used as a binder. The panels’ density, physical, mechanical properties, formaldehyde emission and flammability were evaluated. As the number of ply increased, the density of the laminated boards decreased. Similarly, the highest modulus of elasticity was found in 5-ply laminated boards. However, the lowest modulus of rupture was also measured in 5-ply laminated boards. Regarding shear strength, 5-ply and 7-ply laminated boards outperformed 9-ply laminated boards. Meanwhile, 7-ply laminated boards exhibited the highest dimensional stability, as evidenced by the lowest water absorption and thickness swelling. In terms of flammability, all composites are classified as V-0 because the burning stops within 10 s and no flaming drips are observed.
A Method to Improve the Design of Virtual Reality Games in Healthcare Applied to Increase Physical Activity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Neira-Tovar Leticia , Rodríguez Iván Castilla , Salazar Francisco González
Published: December 2022

In recent years, there has been an increase in research related to specific applications or features of virtual reality tools for health care. Each work highlights their findings related to the specific case on which the research was focusing. The present study is a proposal of a design method for virtual reality games for healthcare applications. Virtual reality allows the integration of real physical activity, required for health treatments, and a virtual world that improves the engagement of the patient. The design method is based on the needs that a health treatment faces in terms of motivational activities and challenges to include in a virtual reality scenario, obtained from the investigation of previous works. A treatment benefiting from user exercise was selected as the case to fully describe the design method. Therefore, this paper also describes a virtual reality tool developed to help in the treatment of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. The tool was used by a group of patients. To evaluate the method and the virtual reality application, two types of tests were applied: a clinical test adapted from previous literature and a usability test focused on the virtual environment. Clinical tests showed low stress and good physical health, while usability tests showed engagement.
Investigating the Influence of Embedment Length on the Anchorage Force of Rock Bolts with Modified Pile Elements
Authors: Chen Jianhang , Wang Shiji , Sun Guoxin , Zhang Han , Skrzypkowski Krzysztof , Zagórski Krzysztof , Zagórska Anna
Published: December 2022

The embedment length (EL) of full-grouting rock bolts is a core factor in rock bolt reinforcement. Therefore, understanding the influence of EL on the reinforcement performance of rock bolts benefits the rock reinforcement quality. To realise this purpose, this paper adopted the numerical modelling method. In this numerical modelling method, the structural elements of modified piles were used. The elastic debonding law was incorporated into the modified pile elements to model the debonding behaviour of the surface between rock bolts and grout. The results showed that the sliding of modified pile elements had a marginal influence on the reinforcement performance of rock bolts. Moreover, the EL has a paramount influence on the reinforcement performance of rock bolts. Before the rock bolts reached the largest anchorage force, there was a linear relation between the largest anchorage force and the EL. It was effective to use the linear regression analysis method to predict the critical EL of rock bolts. This finding was also applicable to fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) rock bolts. Additionally, the rock bolt type had a paramount influence on the reinforcement performance of rock bolts. Before the rock bolts reached the largest anchorage force, metal rock bolts showed much larger initial stiffness than FRP rock bolts.
Rapid Estimation of Moisture Content in Unpeeled Potato Tubers Using Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Muruganantham Priyanga , Samrat Nahidul Hoque , Islam Nahina , Johnson Joel , Wibowo Santoso , Grandhi Srimannarayana
Published: December 2022

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most significant vegetable crops grown globally, especially in developing countries. Over the last few years, global potato production has been increasing. This growth has created many opportunities for developing a wide range of value-added products from these crops. However, this requires monitoring the quality components of the tubers, such as moisture content, starch content, and soluble solid content. In particular, moisture content is one of the key quality parameters important for ensuring quality control throughout the supply chain and processing for consumer consumption. Ideally, moisture content would be estimated at the field level; however, current methods used by the industry to assess moisture content are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and destructive. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging to quantify the moisture content of unpeeled potatoes before they were subsequently stored and processed. Hyperspectral images are collected from 47 intact potato tubers, with partial least squares regression (PLSR) models developed to predict moisture content from these spectra. The models showed predictive abilities for moisture content with acceptable ratios of prediction to deviation (RPDs) when considering the complete wavelength range (R2 = 0.53, RPD = 1.46, root mean square error (RMSE) = 5.04%) or the β-coefficient wavelength selection technique (R2 = 0.53, RPD = 1.47, RMSE = 5.02%). Furthermore, the prediction ability increased by more than 10% when the model wavelength was narrowed down to 733–970 nm. This study demonstrates the potential of using hyperspectral imaging for the quality assessment of intact, unpeeled potatoes, although further work is required to improve the model quality and implement this approach using remote sensing imagery.
Optical Coherence Tomography Is a Promising Tool for Zebrafish-Based Research—A Review
Authors: Lichtenegger Antonia , Baumann Bernhard , Yasuno Yoshiaki
Published: December 2022

The zebrafish is an established vertebrae model in the field of biomedical research. With its small size, rapid maturation time and semi-transparency at early development stages, it has proven to be an important animal model, especially for high-throughput studies. Three-dimensional, high-resolution, non-destructive and label-free imaging techniques are perfectly suited to investigate these animals over various development stages. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric-based optical imaging technique that has revolutionized the diagnostic possibilities in the field of ophthalmology and has proven to be a powerful tool for many microscopic applications. Recently, OCT found its way into state-of-the-art zebrafish-based research. This review article gives an overview and a discussion of the relevant literature and an outlook for this emerging field.
Classification of Pulmonary Damage Stages Caused by COVID-19 Disease from CT Scans via Transfer Learning
Authors: Tache Irina Andra , Glotsos Dimitrios , Stanciu Silviu Marcel
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced social and economic changes that are still affecting our lives. The coronavirus is proinflammatory, it is replicating, and it is quickly spreading. The most affected organ is the lung, and the evolution of the disease can degenerate very rapidly from the early phase, also known as mild to moderate and even severe stages, where the percentage of recovered patients is very low. Therefore, a fast and automatic method to detect the disease stages for patients who underwent a computer tomography investigation can improve the clinical protocol. Transfer learning is used do tackle this issue, mainly by decreasing the computational time. The dataset is composed of images from public databases from 118 patients and new data from 55 patients collected during the COVID-19 spread in Romania in the spring of 2020. Even if the disease detection by the computerized tomography scans was studied using deep learning algorithms, to our knowledge, there are no studies related to the multiclass classification of the images into pulmonary damage stages. This could be helpful for physicians to automatically establish the disease severity and decide on the proper treatment for patients and any special surveillance, if needed. An evaluation study was completed by considering six different pre-trained CNNs. The results are encouraging, assuring an accuracy of around 87%. The clinical impact is still huge, even if the disease spread and severity are currently diminished.
Exserohilum turcicum (Passerini) Leonard and Suggs: Race Population Distribution in Bihar, India
Authors: Niwas Ram , Anwer Md Arshad , Ranjan Tushar , Ghatak Abhijeet , Jain Khushbu , Kumar Jitesh , Bharti Aditya , Kumari Neha , Srivastava Jitendra Nath
Published: December 2022

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) of maize, caused by Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.) Leonard and Suggs., is an important foliar disease common across maize-producing areas of the world, including Bihar, India. In this study, virulence and distribution of races were observed against Ht-resistant genes and also identified the E. turcicum race population distribution in Bihar. For that, 45 E. turcicum isolates were collected from maize fields in Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Katihar and Samastipur districts between 2020 and 2022. These isolates were screened on maize differential lines containing Ht1, Ht2, Ht3 and HtN1 resistance genes. Five different physiological races were observed based on the symptoms response of the differential maize lines. These races are race 0, race 1, race 3, race 23N and race 123N. E. turcicum race 3 was the most prevalent race having 26.6% frequency followed by race 0 (24.4%) and race 1 (22.2%) and the least prevalent races were race 23N and 123N having 13.3% each. Varied resistance response of different isolates was observed on differential lines having different resistant genes. Despite the fact that virulence was seen against all Ht resistance genes, NCLB control might be increased by combining qualitative Ht resistance genes with quantitative resistance.
Effect of Biodentine on Odonto/Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Authors: Wang Xuerong , Cai Yixin , Zhang Min , Xu Junchen , Zhang Chengfei , Li Jin
Published: December 2022

This study aims to compare the biological characteristics of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) isolated from different-aged populations and examine the effects of Biodentine on proliferation and odonto/osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs isolated from the elderly in vitro. hDPSCs were isolated from three different-aged populations: group A (≤18 years old), group B (19–59 years old), and group C (≥60 years old). The adhesion, proliferation, odonto/osteogenesis, and senescence were compared. The optimal concentration of aqueous Biodentine extract was determined by CCK-8 assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alizarin red staining (ARS). The effect of Biodentine on odonto/osteogenic gene and protein expression of hDPSCs in each group was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) and Western blot. hDPSCs were successfully isolated from three different-aged populations. Flow cytometry revealed that all isolated hDPSCs were positive for CD73 (>90%), CD90 (>90%), CD146 (<30%), and negative for CD45 (<1%). There existed an age-related decline in proliferation, odonto/osteogenic gene expression, and S-phase fraction (p < 0.05), an increase in senescence genes and p21 and p16 expression, and time needed for cell adhesion. Biodentine promoted hDPSC proliferation and mineralization in each group, particularly at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL. Biodentine markedly enhanced odonto/osteogenesis-related gene and protein expression in each group (p < 0.05). hDPSCs can be obtained from populations of all ages. Though there is an age-related decline in their biological properties, hDPSCs from the elderly still maintain certain proliferation and multidirectional differentiation abilities. Biodentine can significantly promote the proliferation and odonto/osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs isolated from the elderly over 60 years old, which could be considered a pulp capping material for vital pulp therapy in the elderly. Nevertheless, the efficacy of Biodentine in clinical application has to be further studied.
Biogeochemical Factors of Cs, Sr, U, Pu Immobilization in Bottom Sediments of the Upa River, Located in the Zone of Chernobyl Accident
Authors: Zelenina Darya , Kuzmenkova Natalia , Sobolev Denis , Boldyrev Kirill , Namsaraev Zorigto , Artemiev Grigoriy , Samylina Olga , Popova Nadezhda , Safonov Alexey
Published: December 2022

Laboratory modeling of Cs, Sr, U, Pu immobilization by phytoplankton of the river Upa, affected after the Chernobyl accident, has been carried out. Certain conditions are selected for strong fixation of radionuclides in bottom sediments due to biogeochemical processes. The process of radionuclide removal from the water phase via precipitation was based on their accumulation by phytoplankton, stimulated by nitrogen and phosphorus sources. After eight days of stimulation, planktonic phototrophic biomass, dominated by cyanobacteria of the genus Planktothrix, appears in the water sample. The effectiveness of U, Pu and Sr purification via their transfer to bottom sediment was observed within one month. The addition of ammonium sulfate and phosphate (Ammophos) led to the activation of sulfate- and iron-reducing bacteria of the genera Desulfobacterota, Desulfotomaculum, Desulfosporomusa, Desulfosporosinus, Thermodesulfobium, Thiomonas, Thiobacillus, Sulfuritallea, Pseudomonas, which form sulphide ferrous precipitates such as pyrite, wurtzite, hydrotroillite, etc., in anaerobic bottom sediments. The biogenic mineral composition of the sediments obtained under laboratory conditions was verified via thermodynamic modeling.
Sex-Specific Differences in Cytokine Induction by the Glycolipid Adjuvant 7DW8-5 in Mice
Authors: Watson Felicia N. , Duncombe Caroline J. , Kalata Anya C. , Conrad Ethan , Chakravarty Sumana , Sim B. Kim Lee , Hoffman Stephen L. , Tsuji Moriya , Shears Melanie J. , Murphy Sean C.
Published: December 2022

7DW8-5 is a potent glycolipid adjuvant that improves malaria vaccine efficacy in mice by inducing IFN-γ and increasing protective CD8+ T cell responses. The addition of 7DW8-5 was previously shown to improve the efficacy of a CD8+ T cell-mediated heterologous ‘prime-and-trap’ malaria vaccine against Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite challenge in inbred female mice. Here, we report significant differential sex-specific responses to 7DW8-5 in inbred and outbred mice. Male mice express significantly less IFN-γ and IL-4 compared to females following intravenous 7DW8-5 administration. Additionally, unlike in female mice, 7DW8-5 did not improve the vaccine efficacy against sporozoite challenge in prime-and-trap vaccinated male mice. Our findings highlight the importance of including both female and male sexes in experimental adjuvant studies.
Hsp70 and Hsp110 Chaperones Promote Early Steps of Proteasome Assembly
Authors: Matias Ana C. , Matos Joao , Dohmen R. Jürgen , Ramos Paula C.
Published: December 2022

Whereas assembly of the 20S proteasome core particle (CP) in prokaryotes apparently occurs spontaneously, the efficiency of this process in eukaryotes relies on the dedicated assembly chaperones Ump1, Pba1-Pba2, and Pba3-Pba4. For mammals, it was reported that CP assembly initiates with formation of a complete α-ring that functions as a template for β subunit incorporation. By contrast, we were not able to detect a ring composed only of a complete set of α subunits in S. cerevisiae. Instead, we found that the CP subunits α1, α2, and α4 each form independent small complexes. Purification of such complexes containing α4 revealed the presence of chaperones of the Hsp70/Ssa and Hsp110/Sse families. Consistently, certain small complexes containing α1, α2, and α4 were not formed in strains lacking these chaperones. Deletion of the SSE1 gene in combination with deletions of PRE9 (α3), PBA3, or UMP1 genes resulted in severe synthetic growth defects, high levels of ubiquitin-conjugates, and an accumulation of distinct small complexes with α subunits. Our study shows that Hsp70 and Hsp110 chaperones cooperate to promote the folding of individual α subunits and/or their assembly with other CP subunits, Ump1, and Pba1-Pba4 in subsequent steps.
Pediatric Stroke: A Review of Common Etiologies and Management Strategies
Authors: Rawanduzy Cameron A. , Earl Emma , Mayer Greg , Lucke-Wold Brandon
Published: December 2022

Pediatric stroke is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children. There is a paucity of clinical trials pertaining to pediatric stroke management, and solidified universal guidelines are not established for children the way they are for the adult population. Diagnosis of pediatric stroke can be challenging, and it is often delayed or mischaracterized, which can result in worse outcomes. Understanding risks and appropriate therapy is paramount to improving care.
The Multiple Functions of Melatonin: Applications in the Military Setting
Authors: Gancitano Giuseppe , Reiter Russel J.
Published: December 2022

The aim of this review is to provide the reader with a general overview on the rationale for the use of melatonin by military personnel. This is a technique that is being increasingly employed to manage growing psycho-physical loads. In this context, melatonin, a pleotropic and regulatory molecule, has a potential preventive and therapeutic role in maintaining the operational efficiency of military personnel. In battlefield conditions in particular, the time to treatment after an injury is often a major issue since the injured may not have immediate access to medical care. Any drug that would help to stabilize a wounded individual, especially if it can be immediately administered (e.g., per os) and has a very high safety profile over a large range of doses (as melatonin does) would be an important asset to reduce morbidity and mortality. Melatonin may also play a role in the oscillatory synchronization of the neuro–cardio–respiratory systems and, through its epigenetic action, poses the possibility of restoring the main oscillatory waves of the cardiovascular system, such as the Mayer wave and RSA (respiratory sinus arrhythmia), which, in physiological conditions, result in the oscillation of the heartbeat in synchrony with the breath. In the future, this could be a very promising field of investigation.
Variational Approach for Joint Kidney Segmentation and Registration from DCE-MRI Using Fuzzy Clustering with Shape Priors
Authors: El-Melegy Moumen , Kamel Rasha , Abou El-Ghar Mohamed , Alghamdi Norah S. , El-Baz Ayman
Published: December 2022

The dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) technique has great potential in the diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Towards that end, precise kidney segmentation from DCE-MRI data becomes a prerequisite processing step. Exploiting the useful information about the kidney’s shape in this step mandates a registration operation beforehand to relate the shape model coordinates to those of the image to be segmented. Imprecise alignment of the shape model induces errors in the segmentation results. In this paper, we propose a new variational formulation to jointly segment and register DCE-MRI kidney images based on fuzzy c-means clustering embedded within a level-set (LSet) method. The image pixels’ fuzzy memberships and the spatial registration parameters are simultaneously updated in each evolution step to direct the LSet contour toward the target kidney. Results on real medical datasets of 45 subjects demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed approach, reporting a Dice similarity coefficient of 0.94 ± 0.03, Intersection-over-Union of 0.89 ± 0.05, and 2.2 ± 2.3 in 95-percentile of Hausdorff distance. Extensive experiments show that our approach outperforms several state-of-the-art LSet-based methods as well as two UNet-based deep neural models trained for the same task in terms of accuracy and consistency.
Comparison of the Effects of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy and Unconstraint Exercise on Oxidative Stress and Limb Function—A Study on Human Patients and Rats with Cerebral Infarction
Authors: Wang Dong , Li Lijuan , Pan Hongxia , Huang Liyi , Sun Xin , He Chengqi , Wei Quan
Published: December 2022

Most conventional post-stroke rehabilitation treatments do not involve imposed constraints of the unaffected limb. In contrast, Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is comprised of massed task practice with the affected limb and constraint of the unaffected limb. CIMT is a promising rehabilitation technique used for motor recovery of affected limbs after stroke, but its effectiveness and mechanism are not fully understood. We compared the effects of the two exercise modes on limb function post-stroke in animal models and human subjects, and investigated whether oxidative stress response was involved in regulating the effects. We first conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT), in which 84 subjects with cerebral infarction were assigned to dose-matched constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), or unconstraint exercise (UE), or conventional rehabilitation treatment. Motor functions of the limb are primary outcomes of the RCT measured using Brief Fugl–Meyer upper extremity score (FMA-UE), Ashworth score, and Barthel scale. Psychological influence of CIMT and UE was also examined using Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Next, we investigated the effects of CIMT and UE in rats undergoing middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R). Motor function, infarct volume, and pathohistological changes were investigated by mNSS, MRI, and histological studies. The role of Keap1-Nrf2-ARE was investigated using qRT-PCR, Western blot, immunochemistry, immunofluorescence, and ELISA experiments. In RCT, patients taking CIMT had a higher score in FMA-UE, Barthel index, and SDS, and a lower score in modified Ashworth, compared to those taking UE. In rats receiving CIMT, motor function was increased, and infarct volume was decreased compared to those receiving UE. The expression of Keap1 protein and mRNA in the peri-infarct tissue was decreased, and Nrf2 and ARE protein and mRNA were increased in rats receiving CIMT compared with UE. Nrf2 agonist t-BHQ increased the benefits of CIMT. In conclusion, CIMT is more effective than UE in improving upper limb motor function, reducing muscle spasm in patients with cerebral infarction compared to UE, but patients receiving CIMT may feel depressed. Moreover, both CIMT and UE are beneficial to limb function recovery and limit the infarct expansion in MCAO/R rats, but CIMT was more effective than UE. Oxidative stress reaction has an essential role in regulating the CIMT induced benefits.
Dysfunction of the Lenticular Nucleus Is Associated with Dystonia in Wilson’s Disease
Authors: Yang Yulong , Wei Taohua , Yang Wenming , Hu Sheng , Jiang Hailin , Dong Wei , Hao Wenjie , Yang Yue , Qian Nannan , Ding Yufeng
Published: December 2022

Dysfunction of the lenticular nucleus is thought to contribute to neurological symptoms in Wilson’s disease (WD). However, very little is known about whether and how the lenticular nucleus influences dystonia by interacting with the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. To solve this problem, we recruited 37 WD patients (20 men; age, 23.95 ± 6.95 years; age range, 12–37 years) and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) (25 men; age, 25.19 ± 1.88 years; age range, 20–30 years), and each subject underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) scans. The muscle biomechanical parameters and Unified Wilson Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) were used to evaluate the level of dystonia and clinical representations, respectively. The lenticular nucleus, including the putamen and globus pallidus, was divided into 12 subregions according to dorsal, ventral, anterior and posterior localization and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) was calculated for each subregion. The relationships between FC changes in the lenticular nucleus with muscle tension levels and clinical representations were further investigated by correlation analysis. Dystonia was diagnosed by comparing all WD muscle biomechanical parameters with healthy controls (HCs). Compared with HCs, FC decreased from all subregions in the putamen except the right ventral posterior part to the middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and decreased FC of all subregions in the putamen except the left ventral anterior part to the cerebellum was observed in patients with WD. Patients with WD also showed decreased FC of the left globus pallidus primarily distributed in the MCC and cerebellum and illustrated decreased FC from the right globus pallidus to the cerebellum. FC from the putamen to the MCC was significantly correlated with psychiatric symptoms. FC from the putamen to the cerebellum was significantly correlated with muscle tension and neurological symptoms. Additionally, the FC from the globus pallidus to the cerebellum was also associated with muscle tension. Together, these findings highlight that lenticular nucleus–cerebellum circuits may serve as neural biomarkers of dystonia and provide implications for the neural mechanisms underlying dystonia in WD.
The Influence of School Atmosphere on Chinese Teachers’ Job Satisfaction: The Chain Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital and Professional Identity
Authors: Han Xinqiang , Xu Qian , Xiao Junhu
Published: December 2022

Until today, the impact of organizational atmosphere on job satisfaction has still attracted the attention of researchers in the field of education to help decision-makers and school leaders improve the teachers’ commitment, professional identity, and job satisfaction through the construction of the school environment. This study explored the impact of school atmosphere on the teachers’ job satisfaction and examined the chain mediating role of psychological capital and professional identity. The school atmosphere, psychological capital, professional identity, and job satisfaction scales were used to investigate 648 primary and secondary school teachers in China. The bootstrap method was used to test the mediating effect. The results showed that school atmosphere had a positive predictive effect on the teachers’ job satisfaction; psychological capital does not play a mediating role between school atmosphere and job satisfaction; professional identity plays a mediating role between school atmosphere and job satisfaction; psychological capital and professional identity play a chain mediating role between school atmosphere and job satisfaction. Therefore, this study proposes that schools adopt more effective school management strategies to build a positive school atmosphere to improve the teachers’ psychological capital and professional identity to solve the practical problem of low job satisfaction among primary and secondary school teachers.
The Role of Social Value Orientation in Chinese Adolescents’ Moral Emotion Attribution
Authors: Li Zhanxing , Dong Dong , Qiao Jun
Published: December 2022

Previous studies have explored the role of cognitive factors and sympathy in children’s development of moral emotion attribution, but the effect of personal dispositional factors on adolescents’ moral emotion expectancy has been neglected. In this study, we address this issue by testing adolescents’ moral emotion attribution with different social value orientation (SVO). Eight hundred and eighty Chinese adolescents were classified into proselfs, prosocials and mixed types in SVO and asked to indicate their moral emotions in four moral contexts (prosocial, antisocial, failing to act prosocially (FAP) and resisting antisocial impulse (RAI)). The findings revealed an obvious contextual effect in adolescents’ moral emotion attribution and the effect depends on SVO. Prosocials evaluated more positively than proselfs and mixed types in the prosocial and RAI contexts, but proselfs evaluated more positively than prosocials and mixed types in the antisocial and FAP contexts. The findings indicate that individual differences of adolescents’ moral emotion attribution have roots in their social value orientation, and suggest the role of dispositional factors in the processing of moral emotion.
Microenvironmental Factors in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Surgery: Correlation with Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI
Authors: Vidiri Antonello , Ascione Andrea , Piludu Francesca , Polito Eleonora , Gallo Enzo , Covello Renato , Nisticò Paola , Balzano Vittoria , Pichi Barbara , Pellini Raul , Marzi Simona
Published: December 2022

Background: In this prospective study, we hypothesized that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may represent not only the tumor but also the microenvironment, reflecting the heterogeneity and microstructural complexity of neoplasms. We investigated the correlation between both diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI with the pathological factors in oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). Methods: A total of 37 patients with newly diagnosed OSCCs underwent an MR examination on a 3T system. The diffusion coefficient (D), the kurtosis parameter (K), the transfer constants Ktrans and Kep and the volume of extravascular extracellular space ve were quantified. A histogram-based approach was proposed to investigate the associations between the imaging and the pathological factors based on the histology and immunochemistry. Results: Significant differences in the DCE-MRI and DKI parameters were found in relation to the inflammatory infiltrate, tumor grading, keratinization and desmoplastic reaction. Relevant relationships emerged between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and DKI, with lower D and higher K values being associated with increased TILs. Conclusion: Although a further investigation is needed, these findings provide a more comprehensive biological characterization of OSCCs and may contribute to a better understanding of DKI-derived parameters, whose biophysical meaning is still not well-defined.
Targeting mTORC1 Activity to Improve Efficacy of Radioligand Therapy in Cancer
Authors: Grzmil Michal , Wiesmann Fabius , Schibli Roger , Behe Martin
Published: December 2022

Radioligand therapy (RLT) represents an effective strategy to treat malignancy by cancer-selective delivery of radioactivity following systemic application. Despite recent therapeutic successes, cancer radioresistance and insufficient delivery of the radioactive ligands, as well as cytotoxicity to healthy organs, significantly impairs clinical efficacy. To improve disease management while minimizing toxicity, in recent years, the combination of RLT with molecular targeted therapies against cancer signaling networks showed encouraging outcomes. Characterization of the key deregulated oncogenic signaling pathways revealed their convergence to activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), in which signaling plays an essential role in the regulation of cancer growth and survival. Therapeutic interference with hyperactivated mTOR pathways was extensively studied and led to the development of mTOR inhibitors for clinical applications. In this review, we outline the regulation and oncogenic role of mTOR signaling, as well as recapitulate and discuss mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibition to improve the efficacy of RLT in cancer.
Effects of Irradiation on Brain Tumors Using MR-Based Electrical Conductivity Imaging
Authors: Park Ji Ae , Kim Youngsung , Yang Jiung , Choi Bup Kyung , Katoch Nitish , Park Seungwoo , Hur Young Hoe , Kim Jin Woong , Kim Hyung Joong , Kim Hyun Chul
Published: December 2022

Ionizing radiation delivers sufficient energy inside the human body to create ions, which kills cancerous tissues either by damaging the DNA directly or by creating charged particles that can damage the DNA. Recent magnetic resonance (MR)-based conductivity imaging shows higher sensitivity than other MR techniques for evaluating the responses of normal tissues immediately after irradiation. However, it is still necessary to verify the responses of cancer tissues to irradiation by conductivity imaging for it to become a reliable tool in evaluating therapeutic effects in clinical practice. In this study, we applied MR-based conductivity imaging to mouse brain tumors to evaluate the responses in irradiated and non-irradiated tissues during the peri-irradiation period. Absolute conductivities of brain tissues were measured to quantify the irradiation effects, and the percentage changes were determined to estimate the degree of response. The conductivity of brain tissues with irradiation was higher than that without irradiation for all tissue types. The percentage changes of tumor tissues with irradiation were clearly different than those without irradiation. The measured conductivity and percentage changes between tumor rims and cores to irradiation were clearly distinguished. The contrast of the conductivity images following irradiation may reflect the response to the changes in cellularity and the amounts of electrolytes in tumor tissues.
Characterization of Ni-Phases and Their Transformations in Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Catalysts: Comparison of Conventional Versus Boron-Based Ni-Passivation
Authors: Charisteidis Ioannis D. , Trikalitis Pantelis N. , Triantafyllidis Konstantinos S. , Komvokis Vasileios , Yilmaz Bilge
Published: December 2022

Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) has traditionally been a key refining process in generating transportation fuels. Recently, the focus on FCC has been further intensified as it plays an increasingly important role in the generation of key building blocks for the petrochemical industry. Nickel is considered as one of the most challenging contaminants in FCC and originates from Ni-containing compounds in petroleum fractions, not only during unit operation but also in handling of the equilibrium and spent catalysts. Despite this critical role it plays throughout the complete lifecycle of an FCC catalyst, the nature of Ni is not yet well understood at various stages of its journey after depositing on the catalyst surface. The main objective of this contribution is the qualitative and quantitative identification of the various possible phases of Ni that are usually present in an equilibrium FCC catalyst (Ecat). A series of conventional and advanced analytical techniques have been employed, including XRF, ICP-AES, PXRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis-NIR, SEM-EDS, TEM/HRTEM and STEM/EXDS, XPS, RAMAN and TPR-H2, on prototype Ni-impregnated SiO2, Al2O3 and USY zeolite samples, Ni-impregnated and lab-deactivated FCC samples, and equilibrium FCC catalysts obtained from different refineries. Detailed analysis of the obtained results on the basis of background information, showed the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods. It was shown that powder x-ray diffraction (pxrd) can be effectively used for the quantitative determination of the NiO (bunsenite) phase at levels representative of equilibrium FCC catalysts. A comparison of conventional versus boron-based Ni-passivation is presented. It was shown that catalysts from boron-based technology (BBT) can keep Ni at a less-reducible state, effectively hindering its deleterious role in FCC operations.
The Influence of Severity and Disease Duration on TNF Receptors’ Redistribution in Asthma and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Alshevskaya Alina , Lopatnikova Julia , Zhukova Julia , Chumasova Oksana , Shkaruba Nadezhda , Sizikov Alexey , Evsegneeva Irina , Demina Daria , Nepomniashchikch Vera , Karaulov Aleksander , Sennikov Sergey
Published: December 2022

One of the mechanisms of cellular dysfunction during the chronization of immune-system-mediated inflammatory diseases is a change in the profile of expression and co-expression of receptors on cells. The aim of this study was to compare patterns of redistribution of TNF receptors (TNFRs) among patients with different durations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or asthma. Subgroup analysis was performed on RA (n = 41) and asthma (n = 22) patients with disease duration<10 years and >10 years and on 30 comparable healthy individuals. The co-expression profile of TNFR1 and TNFR2 was assessed in T cells, B cells, monocytes, regulatory T cells, T-helper subsets, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte subsets. Percentages of cells with different co-expression combinations and receptor density per cell were estimated. Longer disease duration was significantly associated with a redistribution of receptors in immunocompetent cell subsets with an increase in the expression of TNFR1 in asthma but did not correlate with significant unidirectional changes in receptor expression in RA. In asthma, a higher proportion of cells with a certain type of TNF receptor (as compared with the healthy group) was correlated with a simultaneous greater density of this receptor type. In RA, an inverse correlation was observed (compensatory lower receptor density). Mechanisms of long-term changes in the expression of TNF receptors differ significantly between the diseases of autoimmune and allergic etiology. The formation of irreversible morphostructural alterations was strongly correlated with changes in the expression of TNFR1 in asthma and with changes in the expression of TNFR2 in RA.