bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personalized Ventilation as a Possible Strategy for Reducing Airborne Infectious Disease Transmission on Commercial Aircraft
Authors: Danca Paul , Coşoiu Costin Ioan , Nastase Ilinca , Bode Florin , Georgescu Matei Razvan
Published: February 2022

In the last decade, there has been an increase in ease and affordability of air travel in terms of mobility for people all around the world. Airplane passengers may experience different risks of contracting airborne infectious diseases onboard aircraft, such as influenza or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2), due to nonuniform airflow patterns inside the airplane cabin or proximity to an infected person. In this paper, a novel approach for reducing the risk of contracting airborne infectious diseases is presented that uses a low-momentum personalized ventilation system with a protective role against airborne pathogens. Numerical simulations, supported by nonintrusive experimental measurements for validation purposes, were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system. Simulation and experimental results of the low-momentum personalized ventilation system showed the formation of a microclimate around each passenger with cleaner and fresher air than produced by the general mixing ventilation systems.
Bruxism Influence on Volume and Interleukin-1β Concentration of Gingival Crevicular Fluid: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Nijakowski Kacper , Ortarzewska Martyna , Morawska Alicja , Brożek Alicja , Nowicki Marcin , Formanowicz Dorota , Surdacka Anna
Published: February 2022

Bruxism is occlusal behaviour that often leads to stomatognathic system overload. Inflammatory markers in the periodontium are detectable in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). GCF production fluctuates due to various factors. Our study aimed to assess the effect of tooth clenching or grinding on GCF volume and proinflammatory IL-1β concentration in GCF. This pilot study was carried out on 20 participants aged 21 to 28 with good general health (per 10 people studied and control groups). GCF volume was measured with Periotron 8010 after absorbing for 30 s with PerioPaper strips. Twelve samples were collected from each patient—the buccal and lingual surfaces of teeth 16, 11, 24, 36, 31, and 44 were included. Laboratory examination of IL-1β concentration was performed. In patients with pathological tooth wear, a tendency to increase GCF secretion and IL-1β concentration in GCF was found. GCF volumes were higher in posterior teeth, while IL-1β levels were higher in anterior teeth. Crevices at the molars seem to have a potential predictive value in diagnosing periodontal microinflammation in patients with probable bruxism. Due to occlusal overload, these bruxists are more prone to microinflammatory processes in the periodontium. Further studies in a broader group are required to confirm this correlation.
Development of a System Dynamics Simulation for Assessing Manufacturing Systems Based on the Digital Twin Concept
Authors: Gejo-García Javier , Reschke Jan , Gallego-García Sergio , García-García Manuel
Published: February 2022

Historically, manufacturing system researchers and managers have often failed to consider all the areas, factors, and implications of a process within an integrated manufacturing model. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop an integral modeling approach for manufacturing processes in order to assess their status and performance. For this purpose, a novel conceptual model consisting of an integral definition of areas and flows is applied. As a result, manufacturing systems can be modeled, considering all related flows and decision-making options in the respective areas of production, maintenance, and quality. As a result, these models serve as the basis for the integral management and control of manufacturing systems in digital twin models for the regulation of process stability and quality with maintenance strategies. Thus, a system dynamics simulation model is developed for a metallurgical process. The goal of the simulation model is to provide a digital manufacturing system regulated with different maintenance, quality, and production strategies in order to secure quality and delivery service. The results show how the monitoring of all flows together with the optimal strategies in the quality and maintenance areas as a result of a regulated system can enable companies to increase their profitability and customer service level. In conclusion, the applied simulation case study allows better decision making, ensuring continuous optimization along the manufacturing asset lifecycle and providing a unique selling proposition for equipment producers and service engineering suppliers, as well as for production and assembly companies.
Experimental Investigation on Inner- and Inter-Strip Reinforcements for 3D Printed Concrete via Automatic Staple Inserting Technique
Authors: Cao Xiangpeng , Yu Shiheng , Cui Hongzhi
Published: February 2022

Lack of reinforcements is an existing drawback of 3D printed cementitious components, which is an urgent concern. A staple-inserting apparatus was developed and installed on a 3D printer and automatically fabricated 3D printed and staple-reinforced components with 98% successful insertion to achieve inner- and inter-reinforcement of the printed strips. The inserted staples inside the printed strips improved the compressive strength by 25% maximum owing to the inner locking effect by the staple pins, while the flexural strength did not increase because the scattered staples functioned separately. The staples over the strip interfaces remarkably increased the flexural stress by 46–120%. The inserted staples demonstrated a significant strip locking effect, but the unavoidable voids decreased the bonding between staples and the composite. The mechanical analysis concluded that the printing parameters considerably affected the reinforcing rate. The staple inserting technique proved the feasibility of automatic fabrication of fiber-reinforced and printed concrete structures.
Research on the Dynamic Characteristics of Cables Considering the Constraints at Both Ends of the Cables
Authors: Dan Danhui , Liao Xia , Han Fei
Published: February 2022

Suspension bridges and arch bridges are important structural forms of bridges in which the cables are the main load-bearing members. The study of dynamic characteristics of the cable is of great significance to the design and operation and maintenance of suspension bridges and arch bridges. Firstly, this paper derives the cable frequency equation considering the bending stiffness under arbitrary boundary conditions from the dynamic stiffness method (DSM), and gives the calculation method of cable vibration modal frequency based on the W–W algorithm. Secondly, on this basis, the cable boundary condition coefficients and stiffness ratios are introduced to reflect the constraint strength of the main cable and stiffening beam on the cable, so as to study the influence law of these boundary conditions on the cable modal frequency, and then determine the actual cable boundary conditions of this kind of bridge. Finally, the boundary condition coefficients determined in this paper and the relevant parameters of the cables are inversely used to determine the boundary conditions of the actual bridge cables, and a simple method suitable for determining the boundary conditions of the cables in practical engineering is discussed, i.e., the theoretical basis for determining the boundary conditions of the cables through the relevant parameters of the cables, and the practical discussion of the theory is verified through the actual bridge cables. This study provides a reference for further theoretical analysis of cables, a theoretical basis for calculation of actual bridge cables, boundary conditions for in-depth study of dynamic characteristics of cables, and guides the design, operation, and maintenance of cables.
Design Techniques for Low-Voltage RF/mm-Wave Circuits in Nanometer CMOS Technologies
Authors: Ragonese Egidio
Published: February 2022

This paper reviews state-of-the-art design approaches for low-voltage radio frequency (RF) and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) CMOS circuits. Effective design techniques at RF/mm-wave frequencies are described, including body biasing in fully depleted (FD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technologies and circuit topologies based on integrated reactive components (i.e., capacitors, inductors and transformers). The application of low-voltage design techniques is discussed for the main RF/mm-wave circuit blocks, i.e., low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), mixers and power amplifiers (PAs), highlighting the main design tradeoffs.
Carbon Fiber Traces in Cracked Surfaces of Mortar Prisms
Authors: Heo Gwanghee , Kim Jung , Yim Choonsik , Venkel Tetiana , Son Jung-Young
Published: February 2022

The traces of carbon fibers along the cracked surfaces of mortar prisms, being 40 mm x 40 mm x 160 mm in size, are studied, assuming that the cracked surfaces in the prisms are the places with the lowest resistance to the stresses they are exposed to. This is to explain why the prisms with 1.0% carbon fibers in volume reveal higher flexural strength than those with 0.5%, 1.5% and 2.0% of fibers. Five distinctive traces of carbon fibers, such as uprootedness, avulsion, separation, overlay and dividedness are observed in the cracked surfaces. As the percentage increases by more than 1.0%, the number of the uprooted fibers reduces, while the numbers of the divided, avulsed and separated fibers increase. The percentage increase induces more fibers to be clustered together and overlap each other to make more divided, avulsed and separated fiber traces. At the same time, the fiber strands are mixed with the mortar to a greater extent. Consequently, the crack surfaces of the prisms with fiber percentages of 1.5% and 2.0% become mostly covered with fiber-laden mortar and cemented fiber clusters. Since the cemented fiber clusters work as air pockets of various volumes and act as the inhomogeneities together with the fiber-laden mortar, the cohesiveness of the mortar is greatly reduced. The deteriorating cohesiveness of the mortar and the increased inhomogeneity cause the reduction in the flexural strength of the prisms in comparison with those with 1.0% carbon fibers.
Analysis of Trends in Mega-Sized Container Ships Using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Son Woo-Ju , Cho Ik-Soon
Published: February 2022

The size of ships is increasing rapidly, and over 400 m length overall mega-sized container ships are predicted to appear in the near future. Consequently, studies on large container ships have been conducted; however, based on the 30,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) class container ship’s length overall, the deviation of the predicted range showed an 83.9 m difference from 453.0 m to 536.9 m. This is because simple linear regression analysis does not consider trends according to the type of cargo or the size of the cargo. In this study, 5497 container ships up to 20 years of age with an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number registered were clustered according to the change in ship dimensions by k-means clustering algorithm. Based on the clustered data, deadweight tonnage, TEU, length overall, length between perpendiculars, breadth, and maximum draft of container ships with a coverage rate of 75% were analyzed to predict the change in the main dimensions. The results indicated that for a 30,000-TEU container ship, the predicted length overall is 428.4 m, breadth is 67.6 m, and draft is 17.0 m. This study can help minimize the social costs of designing ports in consideration of future mega-sized container ships.
Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Ulva lactuca
Authors: Pappou Sofia , Dardavila Maria Myrto , Savvidou Maria G. , Louli Vasiliki , Magoulas Kostis , Voutsas Epaminondas
Published: February 2022

Macroalgae Ulva lactuca, has been employed as a natural source for the production of extracts with potent bioactivity. The biochemical characterization showed that the macroalgae biomass contains a remarkable amount of the polysaccharide Ulvan (49.9 wt%) which is a valuable chemical compound well known for its benefits in human health. Four nontoxic solvents, water, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and an ethanol/water mixture (70:30 v/v) were examined for their recovery efficiency of total carotenoid and phenolic contents. Experimental results showed that the aqueous mixture of ethanol was the most efficient solvent in the recovery of bioactive compounds with extraction yield of 10–15% dw. The effect of extraction parameters, namely time, temperature, and the ratio of biomass to solvent, on the carotenoid and phenolic compounds’ content, antioxidant activity, and extraction yield, was investigated, using the ethanol/water mixture as a solvent. The extract obtained under 60 °C, 3 h of extraction time and 1:10 biomass to solvent mass ratio showed the highest antioxidant activity. This extract maintained its antioxidant capacity almost stable for five days of storage under cool and dark conditions. Finally, specific phenolic and carotenoid compounds in the U. lactuca extracts were identified using the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique.
Architect Collectives and the Coproduction of Places in the “Grey Zones” of Urban Development Planning: The Educational Institution as a Mediation Framework
Authors: Zetlaoui-Léger Jodelle , Macaire Elise , Tcherkassky Céline
Published: February 2022

Recent research work carried out in France tends to show that calling on collectives of artists or architects to develop participatory approaches with inhabitants has become a common practice for public or private project owners. However, these interventions are still often limited to communication operations or come up against the inertia of political and professional cultures, which limits their scope. After briefly stating the circumstances that lead urban project owners in France to pay increasing attention to the skills of architectural “collectives”, this article focuses on the presentation of two experiments conducted by two of them. Articulating pedagogical and urban citizenship issues, these experiments were confronted with procedural and normative frameworks, some of which came from the world of urban production, others from the school institution. The aim of this article is to show that the coproduction of spaces that have a strong meaning for their users, but which are unthought of within strategic urban projects, can have a greater impact on the way in which the operational actors envisage their project. After summarizing the main highlights of these two experiments, this contribution discusses the lessons that can be drawn from them in terms of their implementation conditions and the extensions they may have had. From a methodological point of view, the interest of these two experiments lies in the fact that the two associations that were involved in them understood them as experiments from the outset. They thus implemented reflexive mechanisms involving researchers, of which this article is one of the concrete results.
State of Industry 5.0—Analysis and Identification of Current Research Trends
Authors: Akundi Aditya , Euresti Daniel , Luna Sergio , Ankobiah Wilma , Lopes Amit , Edinbarough Immanuel
Published: February 2022

The term Industry 4.0, coined to be the fourth industrial revolution, refers to a higher level of automation for operational productivity and efficiency by connecting virtual and physical worlds in an industry. With Industry 4.0 being unable to address and meet increased drive of personalization, the term Industry 5.0 was coined for addressing personalized manufacturing and empowering humans in manufacturing processes. The onset of the term Industry 5.0 is observed to have various views of how it is defined and what constitutes the reconciliation between humans and machines. This serves as the motivation of this paper in identifying and analyzing the various themes and research trends of what Industry 5.0 is using text mining tools and techniques. Toward this, the abstracts of 196 published papers based on the keyword “Industry 5.0” search in IEEE, science direct and MDPI data bases were extracted. Data cleaning and preprocessing were performed for further analysis to apply text mining techniques of key terms extraction and frequency analysis. Further topic mining i.e., unsupervised machine learning method was used for exploring the data. It is observed that the terms artificial intelligence (AI), big data, supply chain, digital transformation, machine learning, internet of things (IoT), are among the most often used and among several enablers that have been identified by researchers to drive Industry 5.0. Five major themes of Industry 5.0 addressing, supply chain evaluation and optimization, enterprise innovation and digitization, smart and sustainable manufacturing, transformation driven by IoT, AI, and Big Data, and Human-machine connectivity were classified among the published literature, highlighting the research themes that can be further explored. It is observed that the theme of Industry 5.0 as a gateway towards human machine connectivity and co-existence is gaining more interest among the research community in the recent years.
Weight Loss Function for the Cooperative Inversion of Atmospheric Duct Parameters
Authors: Han Jie , Wu Jia-Ji , Wang Hong-Guang , Zhu Qing-Lin , Zhang Li-Jun , Zhang Chao , Wang Qian-Nan , Zhao Hui
Published: February 2022

Low-altitude atmospheric ducts are abnormal atmospheric phenomena in the troposphere, impacting the operation of microwave or ultrashort wave radio systems. Therefore, the real-time acquisition of low-altitude atmospheric duct parameters is essential to ensure the successful operation of radio systems. Remote sensing methods based on deep learning are, presently, the most important tools to infer duct parameters. In a traditional deep learning loss function, different duct parameters adopt the same weight coefficient. This study establishes a weight loss function and proposes a method for determining the weight coefficient based on the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test method. Based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation signals, the cooperative inversion model of atmospheric duct parameters is established. Test results show that our proposed loss function was feasible, effective, and yielded a higher inversion accuracy than the traditional loss function.
Correction: Martini, A.; Cassina, M. Victor A. McKusick, the “Father of Medical Genetics”. Audiol. Res. 2021, 11, 636–638
Authors: Martini Alessandro , Cassina Matteo
Published: February 2022

In the original article [...]
Mathematical Neural Networks
Authors: García Cabello Julia
Published: February 2022

ANNs succeed in several tasks for real scenarios due to their high learning abilities. This paper focuses on theoretical aspects of ANNs to enhance the capacity of implementing those modifications that make ANNs absorb the defining features of each scenario. This work may be also encompassed within the trend devoted to providing mathematical explanations of ANN performance, with special attention to activation functions. The base algorithm has been mathematically decoded to analyse the required features of activation functions regarding their impact on the training process and on the applicability of the Universal Approximation Theorem. Particularly, significant new results to identify those activation functions which undergo some usual failings (gradient preserving) are presented here. This is the first paper—to the best of the author’s knowledge—that stresses the role of injectivity for activation functions, which has received scant attention in literature but has great incidence on the ANN performance. In this line, a characterization of injective activation functions has been provided related to monotonic functions which satisfy the classical contractive condition as a particular case of Lipschitz functions. A summary table on these is also provided, targeted at documenting how to select the best activation function for each situation.
Benthic Biodiversity, Carbon Storage and the Potential for Increasing Negative Feedbacks on Climate Change in Shallow Waters of the Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Morley Simon A. , Souster Terri A. , Vause Belinda J. , Gerrish Laura , Peck Lloyd S. , Barnes David K. A.
Published: February 2022

The importance of cold-water blue carbon as biological carbon pumps that sequester carbon into ocean sediments is now being realised. Most polar blue carbon research to date has focussed on deep water, yet the highest productivity is in the shallows. This study measured the functional biodiversity and carbon standing stock accumulated by shallow-water (<25 m) benthic assemblages on both hard and soft substrata on the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP, 67° S). Soft substrata benthic assemblages (391 ± 499 t C km−2) contained 60% less carbon than hard substrata benthic assemblages (648 ± 909). In situ observations of substrata by SCUBA divers provided estimates of 59% hard (4700 km) and 12% soft (960 km) substrata on seasonally ice-free shores of the Antarctic Peninsula, giving an estimate of 253,000 t C at 20 m depth, with a sequestration potential of ~4500 t C year−1. Currently, 54% of the shoreline is permanently ice covered and so climate-mediated ice loss along the Peninsula is predicted to more than double this carbon sink. The steep fjordic shorelines make these assemblages a globally important pathway to sequestration, acting as one of the few negative (mitigating) feedbacks to climate change. The proposed WAP marine protected area could safeguard this ecosystem service, helping to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.
Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Fanelli Emanuela , Di Giacomo Simone , Gambi Cristina , Bianchelli Silvia , Da Ros Zaira , Tangherlini Michael , Andaloro Franco , Romeo Teresa , Corinaldesi Cinzia , Danovaro Roberto
Published: February 2022

The Aeolian Islands (Mediterranean Sea) host a unique hydrothermal system called the “Smoking Land” due to the presence of over 200 volcanic CO2-vents, resulting in water acidification phenomena and the creation of an acidified benthic environment. Here, we report the results of a study conducted at three sites located at ca. 16, 40, and 80 m of depth, and characterized by CO2 emissions to assess the effects of acidification on meio- and macrobenthic assemblages. Acidification caused significant changes in both meio- and macrofaunal assemblages, with a clear decrease in terms of abundance and a shift in community composition. A noticeable reduction in biomass was observed only for macrofauna. The most sensitive meiofaunal taxa were kinorhynchs and turbellarians that disappeared at the CO2 sites, while the abundance of halacarids and ostracods increased, possibly as a result of the larger food availability and the lower predatory pressures by the sensitive meiofaunal and macrofaunal taxa. Sediment acidification also causes the disappearance of more sensitive macrofaunal taxa, such as gastropods, and the increase in tolerant taxa such as oligochaetes. We conclude that the effects of shallow CO2-vents result in the progressive simplification of community structure and biodiversity loss due to the disappearance of the most sensitive meio- and macrofaunal taxa.
Central and Peripheral Thermal Signatures of Brain-Derived Fatigue during Unilateral Resistance Exercise: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Perpetuini David , Formenti Damiano , Iodice Pierpaolo , Cardone Daniela , Filippini Chiara , Chiarelli Antonio Maria , Michielon Giovanni , Trecroci Athos , Alberti Giampietro , Merla Arcangelo
Published: February 2022

Infrared thermography (IRT) allows to evaluate the psychophysiological state associated with emotions from facial temperature modulations. As fatigue is a brain-derived emotion, it is possible to hypothesize that facial temperature could provide information regarding the fatigue related to exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the capability of IRT to assess the central and peripheral physiological effect of fatigue by measuring facial skin and muscle temperature modulations in response to a unilateral knee extension exercise until exhaustion. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded at the end of the exercise. Both time- (∆TROI: pre–post exercise temperature variation) and frequency-domain (∆PSD: pre–post exercise power spectral density variation of specific frequency bands) analyses were performed to extract features from regions of interest (ROIs) positioned on the exercised and nonexercised leg, nose tip, and corrugator. The ANOVA-RM revealed a significant difference between ∆TROI (F(1.41,9.81) = 15.14; p = 0.0018), and between ∆PSD of myogenic (F(1.34,9.39) = 15.20; p = 0.0021) and neurogenic bands (F(1.75,12.26) = 9.96; p = 0.0034) of different ROIs. Moreover, significant correlations between thermal features and RPE were found. These findings suggest that IRT could assess both peripheral and central responses to physical exercise. Its applicability in monitoring the psychophysiological responses to exercise should be further explored.
Identification of DPP4/CTNNB1/MET as a Theranostic Signature of Thyroid Cancer and Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Sitagliptin
Authors: Cheng Sheng-Yao , Wu Alexander T. H. , Batiha Gaber El-Saber , Ho Ching-Liang , Lee Jih-Chin , Lukman Halimat Yusuf , Alorabi Mohammed , AlRasheedi Abdullah N. , Chen Jia-Hong
Published: February 2022

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing globally, with papillary thyroid cancer (PTCa) being the most prevalent pathological type, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases. Although PTCa has been regarded to be slow growing and has a good prognosis, in some cases, PTCa can be aggressive and progress despite surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. In addition, most cancer treatment drugs have been shown to be cytotoxic and nonspecific to cancer cells, as they also affect normal cells and consequently cause harm to the body. Therefore, searching for new targets and therapies is required. Herein, we explored a bioinformatics analysis to identify important theranostic markers for THCA. Interestingly, we identified that the DPP4/CTNNB1/MET gene signature was overexpressed in PTCa, which, according to our analysis, is associated with immuno-invasive phenotypes, cancer progression, metastasis, resistance, and unfavorable clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer cohorts. Since most cancer drugs were shown to exhibit cytotoxicity and to be nonspecific, herein, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the antidiabetic drug sitagliptin, which was recently shown to possess anticancer activities, and is well tolerated and effective. Interestingly, our in silico molecular docking results exhibited putative binding affinities of sitagliptin with DPP4/CTNNB1/MET signatures, even higher than standard inhibitors of these genes. This suggests that sitagliptin is a potential THCA therapeutic, worthy of further investigation both in vitro and in vivo and in clinical settings.
Terminalin from African Mango (Irvingia gabonensis) Stimulates Glucose Uptake through Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases
Authors: Yoon Sun-Young , Kim Jinsoo , Lee Bum Soo , Baek Su Cheol , Chung Sang J. , Kim Ki Hyun
Published: February 2022

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), along with protein tyrosine kinases, control signaling pathways involved in cell growth, metabolism, differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Several PTPs, such as PTPN1, PTPN2, PTPN9, PTPN11, PTPRS, and DUSP9, disrupt insulin signaling and trigger type 2 diabetes, indicating that PTPs are promising drug targets for the treatment or prevention of type 2 diabetes. As part of an ongoing study on the discovery of pharmacologically active bioactive natural products, we conducted a phytochemical investigation of African mango (Irvingia gabonensis) using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based analysis, which led to the isolation of terminalin as a major component from the extract of the seeds of I. gabonensis. The structure of terminalin was characterized by spectroscopic methods, including one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution (HR) electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectroscopy. Moreover, terminalin was evaluated for its antidiabetic property; terminalin inhibited the catalytic activity of PTPN1, PTPN9, PTPN11, and PTPRS in vitro and led to a significant increase in glucose uptake in differentiated C2C12 muscle cells, indicating that terminalin exhibits antidiabetic effect through the PTP inhibitory mechanism. These findings suggest that terminalin derived from African mango could be used as a functional food ingredient or pharmaceutical supplement for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Dysregulation of β-Cell Proliferation in Diabetes: Possibilities of Combination Therapy in the Development of a Comprehensive Treatment
Authors: Eguchi Natsuki , Toribio Arvin John , Alexander Michael , Xu Ivana , Whaley David Lee , Hernandez Luis F. , Dafoe Donald , Ichii Hirohito
Published: February 2022

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia as a result of insufficient insulin levels and/or impaired function as a result of autoimmune destruction or insulin resistance. While Type 1 DM (T1DM) and Type 2 DM (T2DM) occur through different pathological processes, both result in β-cell destruction and/or dysfunction, which ultimately lead to insufficient β-cell mass to maintain normoglycemia. Therefore, therapeutic agents capable of inducing β-cell proliferation is crucial in treating and reversing diabetes; unfortunately, adult human β-cell proliferation has been shown to be very limited (~0.2% of β-cells/24 h) and poorly responsive to many mitogens. Furthermore, diabetogenic insults result in damage to β cells, making it ever more difficult to induce proliferation. In this review, we discuss β-cell mass/proliferation pathways dysregulated in diabetes and current therapeutic agents studied to induce β-cell proliferation. Furthermore, we discuss possible combination therapies of proliferation agents with immunosuppressants and antioxidative therapy to improve overall long-term outcomes of diabetes.
Immediate Temporal Information Modulates the Target Identification in the Attentional Blink
Authors: Yao Fangshu , Zhou Bin , Zhuang Yiyun , Wang Xiaochun
Published: February 2022

It has been shown that learned temporal information can be exploited to help facilitate the target identification in the attentional blink task. Here, we tested whether similar exploitation also worked on short-term temporal information, even when it did not reliably predict the target onset. In two experiments, we randomly manipulated either the interval between targets (T1 and T2; Experiment 1) or the temporal regularity of stimulus presentation (Experiment 2) in each trial. The results revealed evidence of effects of immediate temporal experience mainly on T2 performances but also occasionally on T1 performances. In general, the accuracy of T2 was enhanced when a longer inter-target interval was explicitly processed in the preceding trial (Experiment 1) or the temporal regularity, regardless of being explicitly or implicitly processed, was present in the stimulus stream, especially after T1 (Experiment 2). These results suggest that, under high temporal uncertainty, both interval and rhythmic cues can still be exploited to regulate the allocation of processing resources, thus, modulating the target identification in the attentional blink task, consistent with the view of flexible attentional allocation, and further highlighting the importance of the interplay between temporal processing and attentional control in the conscious visual perception.
Local Buckling Development of H-Section Steel Core of Buckling-Restrained Brace
Authors: Li Wei , Dong Jing , Qu Hui , Wang Lanqin , Zhao Kun
Published: February 2022

To enhance the theoretical basis for the half-wavelength evaluation of high-order local buckling of section steel used as inner core of buckling-restrained brace, this paper conducts theoretical and numerical studies on the local buckling development of an H-section steel core of buckling restrained brace. Firstly, the elastic buckling development of the flange under monotonic compression is theoretically discussed based on the elastic buckling theory of plate and the principle of virtual displacement. The numerical model for the buckling restrained brace with H-section steel core is then established based on Abaqus, and the elastic buckling development of the flange is validated. Finally, further numerical studies are conducted to reveal the elasto-plastic buckling development of the flange and web under cyclic loading. It is found that the local buckling development of the flange and web of the H-section steel core are different from that of the flat plate core of buckling restrained brace. Under cyclic loading, the shortest buckling wave of the flange and web are induced by the buckling of plates on the two sides of the contact point near the ends. It is confirmed that there is no need to consider the lateral support from the restraining members to evaluate the minimum half-wavelength of high-order local buckling for section steel core of buckling-restrained brace.
Research on 3D Defect Information Management of Drainage Pipeline Based on BIM
Authors: Huang Fan , Wang Niannian , Fang Hongyuan , Liu Hai , Pang Gaozhao
Published: February 2022

With the age of pipeline and increase in the volume of urban sewage, the pipeline has different degrees of defects, which can cause safety problems such as road collapse and urban flooding. The service life of drainage pipes is closely related to daily maintenance and inspection, so it is very important to inspect the defects and monitor the operation of drainage pipes regularly. However, the existing research lacks quantitative detection and intelligent management of pipeline defect information. Therefore, the depth camera is used as the sensor to quantitatively detect the volume and area of the pit on the concrete pipe, and a defect information management platform is constructed in this paper. Firstly, combined BIM model with 3D point cloud, this paper proposes a 3D defect information management platform of drainage pipeline. Then, the depth camera is used to collect the damage data and preprocess the data, and a method for calculating the damage volume and surface area of drainage pipeline based on 3D mesh reconstruction of the defect point cloud is proposed. The verification experiment results show that the error between the quantized volume and the real volume is mostly within 10%, and the maximum error is 17.54%, indicating high accuracy. The drainage pipeline information model is created. Finally, the data is uploaded to the information management platform to realize the visualization and informatization of pipeline defects and the later operation and maintenance requirements of the pipeline.
Recent Developments and Challenges of 3D-Printed Construction: A Review of Research Fronts
Authors: Guamán-Rivera Robert , Martínez-Rocamora Alejandro , García-Alvarado Rodrigo , Muñoz-Sanguinetti Claudia , González-Böhme Luis Felipe , Auat-Cheein Fernando
Published: February 2022

In the last few years, scattered experiences of the application of additive manufacturing in the construction of buildings using 3D printing with robots or automated equipment have emerged around the world. These use a variety of procedures and suggest relevant advantages for the construction industry. In order to identify the different processes and features in development in this field and to guide future research and applications, this article presents a review of the literature on the main aspects involved in the use of 3D printing in the construction sector. The review includes state-of-the-art material mixtures, printing technologies, and potential uses, as well as a novel analysis of building strategies, management systems, and benefits stated about this new approach for construction. It reveals progressive experimentation regarding diverse features, with challenges related to the consolidation of procedures and this technology’s readiness to participate in the building market.
Towards Sustainable and Smart Cities: Replicable and KPI-Driven Evaluation Framework
Authors: Quijano Ana , Hernández Jose L. , Nouaille Pierre , Virtanen Mikko , Sánchez-Sarachu Beatriz , Pardo-Bosch Francesc , Knieilng Jörg
Published: February 2022

Sustainability is pivotal in the urban transformation strategy in order to reach more resource-efficient, resilient and smarter cities. The goal of being a sustainable city should drive the decisions for city interventions, and measuring city progress is a key step for this process. There are many initiatives aiming at defining indicators and assessment procedures, but there is no convergence in the definition of terms and application methodologies, making their real implementation complex. Within mySMARTLife project (GA#731297), a KPI-driven evaluation framework has been defined with the aim of covering the multiple pillars of a smart and sustainable city (i.e., environment, energy, mobility, ICT, citizens, economy, governance) in a holistic way. This methodology also defines the concepts and terms to guide urban planners and/or experts at the time of implementing the framework for any specific city. The evaluation framework has been deployed in the cities of Nantes, Hamburg and Helsinki, and some lessons have been learned, such as the necessity of providing a definition of measurement boundary to avoid biased interpretations. Due to a co-creation strategy, the main issues from the cities have been taken into consideration in order to increase the replicability of the results.
Emetogenicity of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in Solid Tumors with a Focus on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan: Insights from an Italian Expert Panel
Authors: Bianchini Giampaolo , Arpino Grazia , Biganzoli Laura , Lonardi Sara , Puglisi Fabio , Santini Daniele , Lambertini Matteo , Pappagallo Giovanni
Published: February 2022

In the past decade, nine antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been approved for the treatment of various tumors, four of which specifically for solid malignancies. ADCs deliver the cytotoxic payload to the cancer site, thereby improving chemotherapy efficacy while reducing systemic drug exposure and toxicity. With their high selectivity, ADCs are associated with a manageable side-effect profile, with nausea and vomiting being among the most frequent toxicities, although this may vary according to the respective ADC and the associated payload. Information about the emetic risk of the new ADC compounds is limited. Three virtual focus groups of Italian oncologists were held to raise awareness on the importance of an antiemetic prophylaxis regimen to prevent and mitigate ADC-associated emesis and its sequelae. After reviewing published evidence and guidelines, the three expert panels shared their experience on the early use of ADCs gained through the participation in specific clinical trials and their clinical practice. The following issues were discussed: antiemetic therapy during trastuzumab deruxtecan treatment, with a protocol adopted at the San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy); the use of steroids; the management of anticipatory nausea during trastuzumab deruxtecan therapy; nutritional counselling; and effective doctor–patient communication. The experts acknowledged that recommendations should be drug-specific, and formulated opinion-based advice intended to guide physicians in their daily practice until further evidence emerges.
Assays Used for Discovering Small Molecule Inhibitors of YAP Activity in Cancers
Authors: Maity Subhajit , Gridnev Artem , Misra Jyoti R.
Published: February 2022

YAP/TAZ are transcriptional coactivators that function as the key downstream effectors of Hippo signaling. They are commonly misregulated in most human cancers, which exhibit a higher level of expression and nuclear localization of YAP/TAZ, and display addiction to YAP-dependent transcription. In the nucleus, these coactivators associate with TEA domain transcription factors (TEAD1-4) to regulate the expression of genes that promote cell proliferation and inhibit cell death. Together, this results in an excessive growth of the cancerous tissue. Further, YAP/TAZ play a critical role in tumor metastasis and chemotherapy resistance by promoting cancer stem cell fate. Furthermore, they affect tumor immunity by promoting the expression of PD-L1. Thus, YAP plays an important role in multiple aspects of cancer biology and thus, provides a critical target for cancer therapy. Here we discuss various assays that are used for conducting high-throughput screens of small molecule libraries for hit identification, and subsequent hit validation for successful discovery of potent inhibitors of YAP-transcriptional activity. Furthermore, we describe the advantages and limitations of these assays.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization of KRAS G12C-Mutated Lung Adenocarcinomas
Authors: Pirlog Radu , Piton Nicolas , Lamy Aude , Guisier Florian , Berindan-Neagoe Ioana , Sabourin Jean-Christophe , Marguet Florent
Published: February 2022

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the major subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for approximately 60% of cases. Molecular analysis of LUADs showed that the KRAS gene is mutated in up to 30% of cases; such cases were previously considered “undruggable”. The KRAS G12C mutation has become a hot topic of research after initial, promising, phase I and II trials with targeted inhibitors. We analyzed the morphological and genomic landscape of 202 KRAS G12C mutated LUADs using next-generation sequencing, and identified a specific subtype of patients that could show an improved response to KRAS G12C inhibitors. The main histological subtype was acinar in 29.7% of cases. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were highly or moderately abundant in more than 60% of cases. The immunohistochemical profile showed TTF1 positivity in 78.7% of cases and PD-L1 positivity in 44.1% of cases. The molecular profile showed an association between KRAS G12C and STK11 mutations in 25.2% of cases. This subgroup was associated with a statistically significant lower TTF1 (p = 0.0092) and PD-L1 (p < 0.0001) positivity. This type of combined morphological and molecular analysis can improve our understanding of tumor biology, and help us to identify specific patient subgroups that can achieve the best treatment response.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Limits the Inflammatory Responses in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma A549 Cells via Interference with NF-κB Signaling
Authors: Vázquez-Gómez Gerardo , Karasová Martina , Tylichová Zuzana , Kabátková Markéta , Hampl Aleš , Matthews Jason , Neča Jiří , Ciganek Miroslav , Machala Miroslav , Vondráček Jan
Published: February 2022

Apart from its role in the metabolism of carcinogens, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been suggested to be involved in the control of inflammatory responses within the respiratory tract. However, the mechanisms responsible for this are only partially known. In this study, we used A549 cell line, as a human model of lung alveolar type II (ATII)-like cells, to study the functional role of the AhR in control of inflammatory responses. Using IL-1β as an inflammation inducer, we found that the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 and secretion of prostaglandins, as well as expression and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, were significantly higher in the AhR-deficient A549 cells. This was linked with an increased nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity, and significantly enhanced phosphorylation of its regulators, IKKα/β, and their target IκBα, in the AhR-deficient A549 cells. In line with this, when we mimicked the exposure to a complex mixture of airborne pollutants, using an organic extract of reference diesel exhaust particle mixture, an exacerbated inflammatory response was observed in the AhR-deficient cells, as compared with wild-type A549 cells. Together, the present results indicate that the AhR may act as a negative regulator of the inflammatory response in the A549 model, via a direct modulation of NF-κB signaling. Its role(s) in the control of inflammation within the lung alveoli exposed to airborne pollutants, especially those which simultaneously activate the AhR, thus deserve further attention.
New Developments in T Cell Immunometabolism and Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Oberholtzer Nathaniel , Quinn Kristen M. , Chakraborty Paramita , Mehrotra Shikhar
Published: February 2022

Despite rapid advances in the field of immunotherapy, the elimination of established tumors has not been achieved. Many promising new treatments such as adoptive cell therapy (ACT) fall short, primarily due to the loss of T cell effector function or the failure of long-term T cell persistence. With the availability of new tools and advancements in technology, our understanding of metabolic processes has increased enormously in the last decade. Redundancy in metabolic pathways and overlapping targets that could address the plasticity and heterogenous phenotypes of various T cell subsets have illuminated the need for understanding immunometabolism in the context of multiple disease states, including cancer immunology. Herein, we discuss the developing field of T cell immunometabolism and its crucial relevance to improving immunotherapeutic approaches. This in-depth review details the metabolic pathways and preferences of the antitumor immune system and the state of various metabolism-targeting therapeutic approaches.
Human Amnion-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Pre-Conditioning Inhibits Inflammation and Apoptosis of Immune and Parenchymal Cells in an In Vitro Model of Liver Ischemia/Reperfusion
Authors: Zito Giovanni , Miceli Vitale , Carcione Claudia , Busà Rosalia , Bulati Matteo , Gallo Alessia , Iannolo Gioacchin , Pagano Duilio , Conaldi Pier Giulio
Published: February 2022

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents one of the leading causes of primary non-function acute liver transplantation failure. IRI, generated by an interruption of organ blood flow and the subsequent restoration upon transplant, i.e., reperfusion, generates the activation of an inflammatory cascade from the resident Kupffer cells, leading first to neutrophils recruitment and second to apoptosis of the parenchyma. Recently, human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hMSCs) and derivatives have been implemented for reducing the damage induced by IRI. Interestingly, sparse data in the literature have described the use of human amnion-derived MSCs (hAMSCs) and, more importantly, no evidence regarding hMSCs priming on liver IRI have been described yet. Thus, our study focused on the definition of an in vitro model of liver IRI to test the effect of primed hAMSCs to reduce IRI damage on immune and hepatic cells. We found that the IFNγ pre-treatment and 3D culture of hAMSCs strongly reduced inflammation induced by M1-differentiated macrophages. Furthermore, primed hAMSCs significantly inhibited parenchymal apoptosis at early timepoints of reperfusion by blocking the activation of caspase 3/7. All together, these data demonstrate that hAMSCs priming significantly overcomes IRI effects in vitro by engaging the possibility of defining the molecular pathways involved in this process.