bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Modular Tissue Phantom for Evaluating Vascular Access Devices
Authors: Boice Emily N. , Berard David , Gonzalez Jose M. , Hernandez Torres Sofia I. , Knowlton Zechariah J. , Avital Guy , Snider Eric J.
Published: July 2022

Central vascular access (CVA) may be critical for trauma care and stabilizing the casualty. However, it requires skilled personnel, often unavailable during remote medical situations and combat casualty care scenarios. Automated CVA medical devices have the potential to make life-saving therapeutics available in these resource-limited scenarios, but they must be properly designed. Unfortunately, currently available tissue phantoms are inadequate for this use, resulting in delayed product development. Here, we present a tissue phantom that is modular in design, allowing for adjustable flow rate, circulating fluid pressure, vessel diameter, and vessel positions. The phantom consists of a gelatin cast using a 3D-printed mold with inserts representing vessels and bone locations. These removable inserts allow for tubing insertion which can mimic normal and hypovolemic flow, as well as pressure and vessel diameters. Trauma to the vessel wall is assessed using quantification of leak rates from the tubing after removal from the model. Lastly, the phantom can be adjusted to swine or human anatomy, including modeling the entire neurovascular bundle. Overall, this model can better recreate severe hypovolemic trauma cases and subject variability than commercial CVA trainers and may potentially accelerate automated CVA device development.
Paradoxical Duel Role of Collagen in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Cause of Inflammation and Treatment
Authors: Elango Jeevithan , Zamora-Ledezma Camilo , Ge Baolin , Hou Chunyu , Pan Zhilin , Bao Bin , Pérez Albacete Martínez Carlos , Granero Marín José Manuel , de Val José Eduardo Maté Sánchez , Bao Chunling , Wu Wenhui
Published: July 2022

In biology, collagen-biomaterial regulates several signaling mechanisms of bone and immune cells involved in tissue repair and any imbalance in collagen turnover may affect the homeostasis of cells, becoming a major cause of several complications. In this case, the administration of oral collagen may play a potential role in returning cells to their normal function. For several decades, the beneficial effects of collagen have been explored widely, and thus many commercial products are available in cosmetics, food, and biomedical fields. For instance, collagen-based-products have been widely used to treat the complications of cartilage-related-disorders. Many researchers are reporting the anti-arthritogenic properties of collagen-based materials. In contrast, collagen, especially type-II collagen (CII), has been widely used to induce arthritis by immunization in an animal-model with or without adjuvants, and the potentially immunogenic-properties of collagen have been continuously reported for a long time. Additionally, the immune tolerance of collagen is mainly regulated by the T-lymphocytes and B-cells. This controversial hypothesis is getting more and more evidence nowadays from both sides to support its mechanism. Therefore, this review links the gap between the arthritogenic and anti-arthritogenic effects of collagen and explored the actual mechanism to understand the fundamental concept of collagen in arthritis. Accordingly, this review opens-up several unrevealed scientific knots of collagen and arthritis and helps the researchers understand the potential use of collagen in therapeutic applications.
Common Ground between Biological Rhythms and Forensics
Authors: Janjić Klara , Reisinger Christoph , Kanz Fabian
Published: July 2022

Biological clocks set the timing for a large number of essential processes in the living human organism. After death, scientific evidence is required in forensic investigations in order to collect as much information as possible on the death circumstances and personal identifiers of the deceased victim. We summarize the associations between the molecular mechanisms of biological rhythms and forensically relevant aspects, including post-mortem interval and cause of death, entomological findings, sex, age, ethnicity and development. Given their importance during lifetime, biological rhythms could be potential tools to draw conclusions on the death circumstances and the identity of a deceased person by mechanistic investigations of the different biological clocks in a forensic context. This review puts the known effects of biological rhythms on the functions of the human organism in context with potential applications in forensic fields of interest, such as personal identification, entomology as well as the determination of the post-mortem interval and cause of death.
Cloning and Characterization of Drosophila melanogaster Juvenile Hormone Epoxide Hydrolases (JHEH) and Their Promoters
Authors: Borovsky Dov , Breyssens Hilde , Buytaert Esther , Peeters Tom , Laroye Carole , Stoffels Karolien , Rougé Pierre
Published: July 2022

Juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) plays an important role in the metabolism of JH III in insects. To study the control of JHEH in female Drosophila melanogaster, JHEH 1, 2 and 3 cDNAs were cloned and sequenced. Northern blot analyses showed that the three transcripts are expressed in the head thorax, the gut, the ovaries and the fat body of females. Molecular modeling shows that the enzyme is a homodimer that binds juvenile hormone III acid (JH IIIA) at the catalytic groove better than JH III. Analyses of the three JHEH promoters and expressing short promoter sequences behind a reporter gene (lacZ) in D. melanogaster cell culture identified a JHEH 3 promoter sequence (626 bp) that is 10- and 25-fold more active than the most active promoter sequences of JHEH 2 and JHEH 1, respectively. A transcription factor (TF) Sp1 that is involved in the activation of JHEH 3 promoter sequence was identified. Knocking down Sp1 using dsRNA inhibited the transcriptional activity of this promoter in transfected D. melanogaster cells and JH III and 20HE downregulated the JHEH 3 promoter. On the other hand, JH IIIA and farnesoic acid did not affect the promoter, indicating that JH IIIA is JHEH’s preferred substrate. A transgenic D. melanogaster expressing a highly activated JHEH 3 promoter behind a lacZ reporter gene showed promoter transcriptional activity in many D. melanogaster tissues.
Mouse Models for Application in Colorectal Cancer: Understanding the Pathogenesis and Relevance to the Human Condition
Authors: Li Chuangen , Lau Harry Cheuk-Hay , Zhang Xiang , Yu Jun
Published: July 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant disease that is the second most common cancer worldwide. CRC arises from the complex interactions among a variety of genetic and environmental factors. To understand the mechanism of colon tumorigenesis, preclinical studies have developed various mouse models including carcinogen-induced and transgenic mice to recapitulate CRC in humans. Using these mouse models, scientific breakthroughs have been made on the understanding of the pathogenesis of this complex disease. Moreover, the availability of transgenic knock-in or knock-out mice further increases the potential of CRC mouse models. In this review, the overall features of carcinogen-induced (focusing on azoxymethane and azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium) and transgenic (focusing on ApcMin/+) mouse models, as well as their mechanisms to induce colon tumorigenesis, are explored. We also discuss limitations of these mouse models and their applications in the evaluation and study of drugs and treatment regimens against CRC. Through these mouse models, a better understanding of colon tumorigenesis can be achieved, thereby facilitating the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies against CRC.
Bcl10 Regulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pro-Fibrotic Signaling in Bronchial Fibroblasts from Severe Asthma Patients
Authors: Ramakrishnan Rakhee K. , Bajbouj Khuloud , Guimei Maha , Rawat Surendra Singh , Kalaji Zaina , Hachim Mahmood Y. , Mahboub Bassam , Ibrahim Saleh M. , Hamoudi Rifat , Halwani Rabih , Hamid Qutayba
Published: July 2022

Subepithelial fibrosis is a characteristic hallmark of airway remodeling in asthma. Current asthma medications have limited efficacy in treating fibrosis, particularly in patients with severe asthma, necessitating a deeper understanding of the fibrotic mechanisms. The NF-κB pathway is key to airway inflammation in asthma, as it regulates the activity of multiple pro-inflammatory mediators that contribute to airway pathology. Bcl10 is a well-known upstream mediator of the NF-κB pathway that has been linked to fibrosis in other disease models. Therefore, we investigated Bcl10-mediated NF-κB activation as a potential pathway regulating fibrotic signaling in severe asthmatic fibroblasts. We demonstrate here the elevated protein expression of Bcl10 in bronchial fibroblasts and bronchial biopsies from severe asthmatic patients when compared to non-asthmatic individuals. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced the increased expression of the pro-fibrotic cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and TGF-β1 in bronchial fibroblasts, and this induction was associated with the activation of Bcl10. Inhibition of the Bcl10-mediated NF-κB pathway using an IRAK1/4 selective inhibitor abrogated the pro-fibrotic signaling induced by LPS. Thus, our study indicates that Bcl10-mediated NF-κB activation signals increased pro-fibrotic cytokine expression in severe asthmatic airways. This reveals the therapeutic potential of targeting Bcl10 signaling in ameliorating inflammation and fibrosis, particularly in severe asthmatic individuals.
Human Blastocyst Components Detection Using Multiscale Aggregation Semantic Segmentation Network for Embryonic Analysis
Authors: Arsalan Muhammad , Haider Adnan , Cho Se Woon , Kim Yu Hwan , Park Kang Ryoung
Published: July 2022

Infertility is one of the most important health concerns worldwide. It is characterized by not being successful of pregnancy after some periods of periodic unprotected sexual intercourse. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproduction technique that efficiently addresses infertility. IVF replaces the actual mode of reproduction through a manual procedure wherein embryos are cultivated in a controlled laboratory environment until they reach the blastocyst stage. The standard IVF procedure includes the transfer of one or two blastocysts from several blastocysts that are grown in a controlled environment. The morphometric properties of blastocysts with their compartments such as trophectoderm (TE), zona pellucida (ZP), inner cell mass (ICM), and blastocoel (BL), are analyzed through manual microscopic analysis to predict viability. Deep learning has been extensively used for medical diagnosis and analysis and can be a powerful tool to automate the morphological analysis of human blastocysts. However, the existing approaches are inaccurate and require extensive preprocessing and expensive architectures. Thus, to cope with the automatic detection of blastocyst components, this study proposed a novel multiscale aggregation semantic segmentation network (MASS-Net) that combined four different scales via depth-wise concatenation. The extensive use of depthwise separable convolutions resulted in a decrease in the number of trainable parameters. Further, the innovative multiscale design provided rich spatial information of different resolutions, thereby achieving good segmentation performance without a very deep architecture. MASS-Net utilized 2.06 million trainable parameters and accurately detects TE, ZP, ICM, and BL without using preprocessing stages. Moreover, it can provide a separate binary mask for each blastocyst component simultaneously, and these masks provide the structure of each component for embryonic analysis. Further, the proposed MASS-Net was evaluated using publicly available human blastocyst (microscopic) imaging data. The experimental results revealed that it can effectively detect TE, ZP, ICM, and BL with mean Jaccard indices of 79.08, 84.69, 85.88%, and 89.28%, respectively, for embryological analysis, which was higher than those of the state-of-the-art methods.
Non-Targeted Metabolomics Approach Revealed Significant Changes in Metabolic Pathways in Patients with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Authors: Lee Jinkyung , Kim Suhyun , Kim Yoon Hwan , Park Uiyeol , Lee Junghee , McKee Ann C. , Kim Kyoung Heon , Ryu Hoon , Lee Jeongae
Published: July 2022

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that is frequently found in athletes and those who have experienced repetitive head traumas. CTE is associated with a variety of neuropathologies, which cause cognitive and behavioral impairments in CTE patients. However, currently, CTE can only be diagnosed after death via brain autopsy, and it is challenging to distinguish it from other neurodegenerative diseases with similar clinical features. To better understand this multifaceted disease and identify metabolic differences in the postmortem brain tissues of CTE patients and control subjects, we performed ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS)-based non-targeted metabolomics. Through multivariate and pathway analysis, we found that the brains of CTE patients had significant changes in the metabolites involved in astrocyte activation, phenylalanine, and tyrosine metabolism. The unique metabolic characteristics of CTE identified in this study were associated with cognitive dysfunction, amyloid-beta deposition, and neuroinflammation. Altogether, this study provided new insights into the pathogenesis of CTE and suggested appealing targets for both diagnosis and treatment for the disease.
Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis of the Hub Genes Involved in Irinotecan Resistance in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Kryczka Jakub , Boncela Joanna
Published: July 2022

Different drug combinations including irinotecan remain some of the most important therapeutic modalities in treating colorectal cancer (CRC). However, chemotherapy often leads to the acquisition of cancer drug resistance. To bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo models, we compared the mRNA expression profiles of CRC cell lines (HT29, HTC116, and LoVo and their respective irinotecan-resistant variants) with patient samples to select new candidate genes for the validation of irinotecan resistance. Data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (GSE42387, GSE62080, and GSE18105) and the Human Protein Atlas databases and were subjected to an integrated bioinformatics analysis. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of differently expressed genes (DEGs) between FOLFIRI-resistant and -sensitive CRC patients delivered several potential irinotecan resistance markers: NDUFA2, SDHD, LSM5, DCAF4, COX10 RBM8A, TIMP1, QKI, TGOLN2, and PTGS2. The chosen DEGs were used to validate irinotecan-resistant cell line models, proving their substantial phylogenetic heterogeneity. These results indicated that in vitro models are highly limited and favor different mechanisms than in vivo, patient-derived ones. Thus, cell lines can be perfectly utilized to analyze specific mechanisms on their molecular levels but cannot mirror the complicated drug resistance network observed in patients.
Optimizing Therapies in Heart Failure: The Role of Potassium Binders
Authors: Scicchitano Pietro , Iacoviello Massimo , Massari Francesco , De Palo Micaela , Caldarola Pasquale , Mannarini Antonia , Passantino Andrea , Ciccone Marco Matteo , Magnesa Michele
Published: July 2022

Heart failure (HF) is a worrisome cardiac pandemic with a negative prognostic impact on the overall survival of individuals. International guidelines recommend up-titration of standardized therapies in order to reduce symptoms, hospitalization rates, and cardiac death. Hyperkalemia (HK) has been identified in 3–18% of HF patients from randomized controlled trials and over 25% of HF patients in the “real world” setting. Pharmacological treatments and/or cardio-renal syndrome, as well as chronic kidney disease may be responsible for HK in HF patients. These conditions can prevent the upgrade of pharmacological treatments, thus, negatively impacting on the overall prognosis of patients. Potassium binders may be the best option in patients with HK in order to reduce serum concentrations of K+ and to promote correct upgrades of therapies. In addition to the well-established use of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS), two novel drugs have been recently introduced: sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) and patiromer. SZC and patiromer are gaining a central role for the treatment of chronic HK. SZC has been shown to reduce K+ levels within 48 h, with guaranteed maintenance of normokalemia for up to12 months. Patiromer has resulted in a statistically significant decrease in serum potassium for up to 52 weeks. Therefore, long-term results seemed to positively promote the implementation of these compounds in clinical practice due to their low rate side effects. The aim of this narrative review is to delineate the impact of new potassium binders in the treatment of patients with HF by providing a critical reappraisal for daily application of novel therapies for hyperkalemia in the HF setting.
Human iNKT Cells Modulate Macrophage Survival and Phenotype
Authors: Loureiro J. Pedro , Cruz Mariana S. , Cardoso Ana P. , Oliveira Maria J. , Macedo M. Fátima
Published: July 2022

CD1d-restricted invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells are unconventional innate-like T cells whose functions highly depend on the interactions they establish with other immune cells. Although extensive studies have been reported on the communication between iNKT cells and macrophages in mice, less data is available regarding the relevance of this crosstalk in humans. Here, we dove into the human macrophage-iNKT cell axis by exploring how iNKT cells impact the survival and polarization of pro-inflammatory M1-like and anti-inflammatory M2-like monocyte-derived macrophages. By performing in vitro iNKT cell-macrophage co-cultures followed by flow cytometry analysis, we demonstrated that antigen-stimulated iNKT cells induce a generalized activated state on all macrophage subsets, leading to upregulation of CD40 and CD86 expression. CD40L blocking with a specific monoclonal antibody prior to co-cultures abrogated CD40 and CD86 upregulation, thus indicating that iNKT cells required CD40-CD40L co-stimulation to trigger macrophage activation. In addition, activated iNKT cells were cytotoxic towards macrophages in a CD1d-dependent manner, killing M1-like macrophages more efficiently than their naïve M0 or anti-inflammatory M2-like counterparts. Hence, this work highlighted the role of human iNKT cells as modulators of macrophage survival and phenotype, untangling key features of the human macrophage-iNKT cell axis and opening perspectives for future therapeutic modulation.
Maternal Body Mass Index Is Associated with Profile Variation in Circulating MicroRNAs at First Trimester of Pregnancy
Authors: Thibeault Kathrine , Légaré Cécilia , Desgagné Véronique , White Frédérique , Clément Andrée-Anne , Scott Michelle S. , Jacques Pierre-Étienne , Guérin Renée , Perron Patrice , Hivert Marie-France , Bouchard Luigi
Published: July 2022

Many women enter pregnancy with overweight and obesity, which are associated with complications for both the expectant mother and her child. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate many biological processes, including energy metabolism. Our study aimed to identify first trimester plasmatic miRNAs associated with maternal body mass index (BMI) in early pregnancy. We sequenced a total of 658 plasma samples collected between the 4th and 16th week of pregnancy from two independent prospective birth cohorts (Gen3G and 3D). In each cohort, we assessed associations between early pregnancy maternal BMI and plasmatic miRNAs using DESeq2 R package, adjusting for sequencing run and lane, gestational age, maternal age at the first trimester of pregnancy and parity. A total of 38 miRNAs were associated (FDR q < 0.05) with BMI in the Gen3G cohort and were replicated (direction and magnitude of the fold change) in the 3D cohort, including 22 with a nominal p-value < 0.05. Some of these miRNAs were enriched in fatty acid metabolism-related pathways. We identified first trimester plasmatic miRNAs associated with maternal BMI. These miRNAs potentially regulate fatty acid metabolism-related pathways, supporting the hypothesis of their potential contribution to energy metabolism regulation in early pregnancy.
Longitudinal Study of Cognitive Functioning in Adults with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: Mena-Vázquez Natalia , Ortiz-Márquez Fernando , Cabezudo-García Pablo , Padilla-Leiva Claudia , Diaz-Cordovés Rego Gisela , Muñoz-Becerra Luis , Ramírez-García Teresa , Lisbona-Montañez Jose Manuel , Manrique-Arija Sara , Mucientes Arkaitz , Núñez-Cuadros Esmeralda , Galindo Zavala Rocío , Serrano-Castro Pedro Jesús , Fernández-Nebro Antonio
Published: July 2022

Objective: To prospectively evaluate possible decline of cognitive functions in adult patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and identify associated factors. Patients and methods: We performed a 24-month prospective observational study of adults (≥16 years) with JIA. The primary outcome measure was decline in cognitive function defined as a worsening of ≥2 points on the scales of the subsets administered to evaluate the different cognitive areas using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) after 24 months: attention/concentration (digit span); verbal function (vocabulary); visual-spatial organization (block design); working memory (letter-number sequencing); and problem solving (similarities). Other variables included average inflammatory activity using C-reactive protein and composite activity indexes, comorbidity, and treatment. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with cognitive decline. Results: The study population comprised 52 patients with JIA. Of these, 15 (28.8%) had cognitive decline at V24. The most affected functions were working memory (17.3%), attention/concentration (9.6%), verbal function (7.7%), visual-spatial organization (7.7%), and problem solving (3.8%). There were no significant differences in the median direct or scale scores for the cognitive functions evaluated between V0 and V24 for the whole sample. The factors associated with cognitive decline in patients with JIA were average C-reactive protein (OR [95% CI], 1.377 [1.060–1.921]; p = 0.039), depression (OR [95% CI], 3.691 [1.294–10.534]; p = 0.015), and treatment with biologics (OR [95% CI], 0.188 [0.039–0.998]; p = 0.046). Conclusion: Cognitive decline was detected in almost one third of adults with JIA after 24 months of follow-up. Systemic inflammatory activity in JIA patients was related to cognitive decline. Patients treated with biologics had a lower risk of decline in cognitive functions.
Increased Chondroprotective Effect of Combining Hyaluronic Acid with a Glucocorticoid Compared to Separate Administration on Cytokine-Treated Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes in a 2D Culture
Authors: Bauer Christoph , Moser Lukas B. , Jeyakumar Vivek , Niculescu-Morzsa Eugenia , Kern Daniela , Nehrer Stefan
Published: July 2022

Intra-articular injections of glucocorticoids (GC) or hyaluronic acid (HA) are commonly used interventions for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA). Both substances are combined to achieve a chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect. Clinical studies have shown benefits, but data on the cellular level are still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the GC triamcinolone hexacetonide, HA, and a mix of both substances on cytokine-treated chondrocytes in vitro. Chondrocytes isolated from human articular cartilage were seeded on 6- and 24-well plates. Mimicking OA’s inflammatory state, cells were treated with IL-1β and IL-17 for six days, whereby, after three days, test substances (10%) were added to the culture medium. Chondrocytes were analyzed on days three and six concerning their actin polymerization, expression of anabolic and catabolic genes, metabolic activity, cytokine release, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Adding HA or GC/HA to the inflammatory culture medium increased the metabolic activity of chondrocytes, while groups containing GC reduced catabolic gene expression and the release of TNF-α. In addition, enhanced F-actin content was shown supplementing HA or GC/HA to the culture medium. Supplementing GC with HA leads to an anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effect by diminishing the side effects of GC supplementation alone.
Gold Nanoparticles Prepared with Cyclodextrin Applied to Rapid Vertical Flow Technology for the Detection of Brucellosis
Authors: Fang Ashe , Feng Danni , Luo Xiushuang , Shi Feng
Published: July 2022

Currently, brucellosis seriously threatens the health of humans and animals and hinders the development of animal husbandry. However, the diagnostic methods for brucellosis have some disadvantages, such as low sensitivity, long detection time, professional operation, and high cost. This study aims to establish a convenient, fast, effective, and inexpensive detection method for brucellosis. Gold nanoparticles with β-cyclodextrin as a reducing agent were prepared and optimized, applied to rapid vertical flow technology (RVFT), and used to establish a kit for the detection of brucellosis. In this study, gold nanoparticles prepared from β-cyclodextrin were applied to RVFT for the first time, and on this basis, silver staining amplification technology was introduced, which further improved the sensitivity and reduced the detection limit of this method. Standard Brucella-Positive Serum (containing Brucella antibody at 4000 IU/mL) could be detected in this system even for a dilution factor of 1 × 10−3. The detection limit was 4 IU/mL. RVFT is simple to operate, has a short reaction time, and is 5–6 min visible to the naked eye, without any equipment.
Optical Detection of Fat Concentration in Milk Using MXene-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Structure
Authors: Almawgani Abdulkarem H. M. , Daher Malek G. , Taya Sofyan A. , Mashagbeh Mohammad , Colak Ilhami
Published: July 2022

MXene (Ti3C2Tx) has emerged very recently as an interacting material for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) configuration. It was discovered that Ti3C2Tx can facilitate the adsorption of biomolecules due to its higher binding energies, stronger interaction between matter and light, and larger surface area. In this work, a two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx and silicon layer-based SPR refractometric sensor is proposed for the sensitive and fast detection of milk fat concentration due to the high significance of this issue to people all over the world. The proposed SPR structure employs BK7 (BK7 is a designation for the most common Borosilicate Crown glass used for a variety of applications in the visible range) as a coupling prism and silver as a metal layer. The layer thicknesses and the number of Ti3C2Tx sheets are optimized for the highest performance. The highest reached sensitivity is 350 deg./RIU with 50 nm silver and 4 nm silicon with a monolayer of Ti3C2Tx, which is ultra-high sensitivity compared to the latest work that utilizes SPR configuration. The proposed SPR-based sensor’s ultra-high sensitivity makes it more attractive for usage in a variety of biosensing applications.
A Brain Controlled Command-Line Interface to Enhance the Accessibility of Severe Motor Disabled People to Personnel Computer
Authors: Gannouni Sofien , Belwafi Kais , Al-Sulmi Mohammad Reshood , Al-Farhood Meshal Dawood , Al-Obaid Omar Ali , Al-Awadh Abdullah Mohammed , Aboalsamh Hatim , Belghith Abdelfettah
Published: July 2022

There are many applications controlled by the brain signals to bridge the gap in the digital divide between the disabled and the non-disabled people. The deployment of novel assistive technologies using brain-computer interface (BCI) will go a long way toward achieving this lofty goal, especially after the successes demonstrated by these technologies in the daily life of people with severe disabilities. This paper contributes in this direction by proposing an integrated framework to control the operating system functionalities using Electroencephalography signals. Different signal processing algorithms were applied to remove artifacts, extract features, and classify trials. The proposed approach includes different classification algorithms dedicated to detecting the P300 responses efficiently. The predicted commands passed through a socket to the API system, permitting the control of the operating system functionalities. The proposed system outperformed those obtained by the winners of the BCI competition and reached an accuracy average of 94.5% according to the offline approach. The framework was evaluated according to the online process and achieved an excellent accuracy attaining 97% for some users but not less than 90% for others. The suggested framework enhances the information accessibility for people with severe disabilities and helps them perform their daily tasks efficiently. It permits the interaction between the user and personal computers through the brain signals without any muscular efforts.
Evidence of Neuroplastic Changes after Transcranial Magnetic, Electric, and Deep Brain Stimulation
Authors: Kricheldorff Julius , Göke Katharina , Kiebs Maximilian , Kasten Florian H. , Herrmann Christoph S. , Witt Karsten , Hurlemann Rene
Published: July 2022

Electric and magnetic stimulation of the human brain can be used to excite or inhibit neurons. Numerous methods have been designed over the years for this purpose with various advantages and disadvantages that are the topic of this review. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the most direct and focal application of electric impulses to brain tissue. Electrodes are placed in the brain in order to modulate neural activity and to correct parameters of pathological oscillation in brain circuits such as their amplitude or frequency. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive alternative with the stimulator generating a magnetic field in a coil over the scalp that induces an electric field in the brain which, in turn, interacts with ongoing brain activity. Depending upon stimulation parameters, excitation and inhibition can be achieved. Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) applies electric fields to the scalp that spread along the skull in order to reach the brain, thus, limiting current strength to avoid skin sensations and cranial muscle pain. Therefore, tES can only modulate brain activity and is considered subthreshold, i.e., it does not directly elicit neuronal action potentials. In this review, we collect hints for neuroplastic changes such as modulation of behavior, the electric activity of the brain, or the evolution of clinical signs and symptoms in response to stimulation. Possible mechanisms are discussed, and future paradigms are suggested.
Assessment of 3D Visual Discomfort Based on Dynamic Functional Connectivity Analysis with HMM in EEG
Authors: Long Zhiying , Liu Lu , Yuan Xuefeng , Zheng Yawen , Niu Yantong , Yao Li
Published: July 2022

Stereoscopic displays can induce visual discomfort despite their wide application. Electroencephalography (EEG) technology has been applied to assess 3D visual discomfort, because it can capture brain activities with high temporal resolution. Previous studies explored the frequency and temporal features relevant to visual discomfort in EEG data. Recently, it was demonstrated that functional connectivity between brain regions fluctuates with time. However, the relationship between 3D visual discomfort and dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) remains unknown. Although HMM showed advantages over the sliding window method in capturing the temporal fluctuations of DFC at a single time point in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, it is unclear whether HMM works well in revealing the time-varying functional connectivity of EEG data. In this study, the hidden Markov model (HMM) was introduced to DFC analysis of EEG data for the first time and was used to investigate the DFC features that can be used to assess 3D visual discomfort. The results indicated that state 2, with strong connections between electrodes, occurred more frequently in the early period, whereas state 4, with overall weak connections between electrodes, occurred more frequently in the late period for both visual comfort and discomfort stimuli. Moreover, the 3D visual discomfort stimuli caused subjects to stay in state 4 more frequently, especially in the later period, in contrast to the 3D visual comfort stimuli. The results suggest that the increasing occurrence of state 4 was possibly related to visual discomfort and that the occurrence frequency of state 4 may be used to assess visual discomfort.
A Study of the Use of Iconic and Metaphoric Gestures with Motion-Based, Static Space-Based, Static Object-Based, and Static Event-Based Statements
Authors: Khatin-Zadeh Omid , Farsani Danyal , Banaruee Hassan
Published: July 2022

In this article, we extend our previously suggested categorization of metaphors to literal statements, and categorize metaphorical and literal statements into four pairs of corresponding metaphorical and literal statements: (1) motion-based metaphorical/literal statements; (2) static space-based metaphorical/literal statements; (3) static object-based metaphorical/literal statements; (4) static event-based metaphorical/literal statements. Then, we report a study that investigated the use of metaphoric and iconic gestures with these corresponding categories during the retelling of a set of stories by a group of thirty participants. The participants listened to five audio short stories. Each story contained one statement of each metaphoric category and one statement of each literal category. After listening to each story, they retold it in their own language in front of a camera. The results showed that event-based metaphors and event-based literal statements were accompanied by the smallest number of metaphoric and iconic gestures. Furthermore, there was a significant similarity between each metaphorical category and its corresponding literal category in the number of gestures that were used with these categories. This similarity supports the idea that the mechanisms underlying the embodiment of metaphorical and literal statements are essentially similar.
Development of Self-Compacting Concrete Incorporating Rice Husk Ash with Waste Galvanized Copper Wire Fiber
Authors: Sobuz Md. Habibur Rahman , Saha Ayan , Anamika Jannatul Ferdous , Houda Moustafa , Azab Marc , Akid Abu Sayed Mohammad , Rana Md. Jewel
Published: July 2022

This research work is devoted to the experimental investigation of both rheological and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) produced with waste galvanized copper wire fiber and rice husk ash (RHA). In the study, three different volume fractions of 0.5 p to 0.75 percent, 1 percent of scrap copper wire fiber as reinforcing material, and 2 percent RHA as cement replacement were used. To evaluate the fresh characteristics of SCC, the slump flow, J-ring, and V-funnel experiments were conducted for this investigation. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength of the concrete were conducted to assess the hardened properties. The test was carried out to compare each characteristic of plain SCC with this modified SCC mixture, containing RHA as pozzolanic materials and copper fiber as reinforcing material. Incorporating copper fiber in the SCC leads to a drop in fresh properties compared to plain SCC but remains within an acceptable range. On the other hand, the inclusion of 2% RHA makes the SCC more viscous. Although adding 2% RHA and 1% copper wire in SCC provide the highest strength, this mix has an unacceptable passing ability. The SCC mix prepared with 2% RHA and 0.75% copper fiber is suggested to be optimum in terms of the overall performance. According to this study, adding metallic fiber reinforcement like copper wire and mineral admixture like RHA can improve the mechanical properties of SCC up to a certain level.
Aerodynamic Forces on a Bluff Cylinder in Sinusoidal Streamwise Winds with Different Angles of Attack
Authors: Wu Bo , Zhou Jianting , Xin Jingzhou , Zhang Hong , Zhang Liangliang , Yang Xianyi
Published: July 2022

In the present study, multiple-fan active control wind tunnel tests are conducted to investigate the aerodynamic forces on a 5:1 rectangular cylinder in sinusoidal streamwise winds with different angles of attack (AoA). The effects of the frequency, amplitude, and AoA of the sinusoidal flow on the statistical parameters, spectral characteristics, and spanwise distributions of drag, lift, and moment coefficients are analyzed. Results show that each force has two components: the one induced by the approaching velocity oscillation and the one induced by wake vortex-shedding—this is quite different from that in the smooth flows, where the fluctuating forces are totally due to wake vortex-shedding. For each force, changes of the two components and their relationship with the frequency, amplitude, and AoA are presented. The drag fluctuations are generally dominated by the approaching velocity oscillations, whereas the lift and moment are more sensitive to wake vortex-shedding. Therefore, the drag force has better spanwise correlations than the lift and moment forces. Meanwhile, at a non-zero AoA, the inflow amplitude has different effects on the vortex-shedding-induced component as that at a zero AoA. The differences of spanwise distributions between the sinusoidal flow cases and the smooth flow cases are analyzed.
Effect of Composite Impregnation on Properties of Recycled Coarse Aggregate and Recycled Aggregate Concrete
Authors: Zhong Chuheng , Tian Peng , Long Yuhua , Zhou Jinzhi , Peng Kun , Yuan Chengxin
Published: July 2022

To improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete, single and composite impregnation treatments were carried out on recycled coarse aggregates with sodium silicate solution, silane slurry, and polyvinyl alcohol solution. The effects of the three chemical modifiers and different impregnation methods on the apparent density, water absorption, and crushing index of recycled coarse aggregates, as well as the basic properties of recycled aggregate concrete, were investigated. Additionally, the microstructure of the surface of recycled coarse aggregate and the interior of recycled aggregate concrete were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results show that the water absorption of recycled coarse aggregate soaked in polyvinyl alcohol solution decreases most significantly, reaching 64.56%. Only the combination of sodium silicate and silane impregnation produces a positive compounding effect, with a significant increase in the apparent density and a significant reduction in the crushing index of the recycled coarse aggregate. Compared with untreated concrete, the slump, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength of recycled aggregate concrete prepared by sodium silicate and silane composite impregnation are increased by 9.8%, 26.53%, 21.70%, and 14.72%, respectively. The microstructure analysis shows that the composite impregnation treatment of sodium silicate and silane is most conducive to filling the cracks and holes on the surface of recycled coarse aggregate, which makes the interfacial transition zone of recycled aggregate concrete more compact and the structure more stable.
Reinforcement of Timber Beams with Steel Bars: Parametric Analysis Using the Finite Element Method
Authors: Christoforo André Luis , Gomes Arthur Filipe Freire , Arroyo Felipe Nascimento , Mascarenhas Fernando Júnior Resende , Santos Herisson Ferreira dos , Topolniak Luciano , Akasaki Jorge Luis
Published: July 2022

Incorporating steel bars as reinforcement in glued laminated timber beams is a technique that aims at better structural performance, allowing the reduction of cross-sections. In the present research, based on experimental results from literature about the reinforcement of timbers beams, a parametric study was carried out with the aid of 164 numerical simulations performed within the scope of linear and nonlinear physical analysis via the finite element method to evaluate, with the aid of analysis of variance (ANOVA), the span, base, height, and the reinforcement ratio influence in the service force, ultimate force, and ultimate displacement. Multiple regression models evaluated by ANOVA were established to estimate the service and ultimate forces and ultimate and service displacements as a function of other variables. The results showed an average increase in the service load of 32% and 49%, and the ultimate load of 42.90% and 66.90%, for reinforcement rates of 2% and 4%, respectively. Regarding the multiple regression models, due to the good values obtained from the adjusted determination coefficients to estimate the values of the forces and the ultimate displacements, these can be used in the pre-design of glued laminated timber beams reinforced with steel bars.
Mitigation of Air Pollutants by UV-A Photocatalysis in Livestock and Poultry Farming: A Mini-Review
Authors: Lee Myeongseong , Koziel Jacek A. , Li Peiyang , Jenks William S.
Published: July 2022

Ultraviolet (UV)-based photocatalysis has been the subject of numerous investigations focused on mitigating undesirable pollutants in the gas phase. Few works report on applications beyond the proof of the concept. Even less is known about the current state of the art of UV photocatalysis in the context of animal agriculture. A growing body of research published over the last 15 years has advanced the knowledge and feasibility of UV-A photocatalysis for swine and poultry farm applications. This review paper summarizes UV-A photocatalysis technology’s effectiveness in mitigating targeted air pollutants in livestock and poultry farms. Specifically, air pollutants include odor, odorous VOCs, NH3, H2S and greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O). We trace the progression of UV-A photocatalysis applications in animal farming since the mid-2000 and developments from laboratory to farm-scale trials. In addition, this review paper discusses the practical limitations and outlines the research needs for increasing the technology readiness and practical UV application in animal farming.
Cloning of Cold-Adapted Dextranase and Preparation of High Degree Polymerization Isomaltooligosaccharide
Authors: Wang Huanyu , Lin Qianru , Dong Dongxue , Xu Yingying , Liu Mingwang , Lu Jing , Lyu Mingsheng , Wang Shujun
Published: July 2022

Intestinal diseases are mainly caused by a decrease in the relative abundance of probiotics and an increase in the number of pathogenic bacteria due to dysbiosis of the intestinal flora. High degree polymerization isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) can promote probiotic metabolism and proliferation. In this study, the dextranase (PsDex1711) gene of marine bacterial Pseudarthrobacter sp. RN22 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The optimal pH and temperature of the dextranase were 6.0 and 30 °C, respectively, showing the highest stability at 20 °C. The dextran T70 could be hydrolyzed to produce IMO3, IMO4, IMO5, and IMO6 with a high degree of polymerization. The hydrolysate of 1 mg/mL could significantly promote the growth of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium after 12 h culture and the formation of biofilms by 58.2%. The hydrolysates could promote the proliferation of probiotics. Furthermore, the IC50 of scavenging rate of DPPH, hydroxyl radical, and superoxide anion was less than 20 mg/mL. This study provides a crucial theoretical basis for the application of dextranase such as pharmaceutical and food industries.
Facile Preparation of Highly Active CO2 Reduction (001)TiO2/Ti3C2Tx Photocatalyst from Ti3AlC2 with Less Fluorine
Authors: Li Jibai , Li Kaining , Tan Qiuyan , Li Qin , Fan Jiajie , Wu Chao , Lv Kangle
Published: July 2022

To date, (001)TiO2/Ti3C2Tx hybridized photocatalyst is usually prepared through the complicated treatment of Ti3AlC2 in the presence of corrosive fluorine with a molar ratio of nF:nTi of more than 20. To reduce the use of corrosive fluorine, herein, exploiting beyond the conventional method, we report a facile synthetic method for (001)TiO2/Ti3C2Tx, elaborately using HF as both an etchant for Al elimination and a morphology control agent for the growth of (001)TiO2 nanosheets, with a sharply diminished use of fluorine (nF:nTi = 4:1) and simplified operation procedures. After optimization, the resulting (001)TiO2/Ti3C2Tx heterojunction exhibited markedly high photocatalytic activity with the CO2 reduction rate of 13.45 μmol g−1 h−1, which even surpasses that of P25 (10.95 μmol g−1 h−1), while the photoelectron selectivity to CH4 is approaching 92.84%. The superior photoactivity is interpreted as the fact that Ti3C2Tx with a lower work function induces photoinduced hole transfer and suppresses the charge recombination, thus facilitating the CO2 multi-electron reduction. This study provides a novel and simple synthesis for (001)TiO2/Ti3C2Tx towards sustainable energy transformations.
Mechanistic Details of the Sharpless Epoxidation of Allylic Alcohols—A Combined URVA and Local Mode Study
Authors: Freindorf Marek , Kraka Elfi
Published: July 2022

In this work, we investigated the catalytic effects of a Sharpless dimeric titanium (IV)–tartrate–diester catalyst on the epoxidation of allylalcohol with methyl–hydroperoxide considering four different orientations of the reacting species coordinated at the titanium atom (reactions R1–R4) as well as a model for the non-catalyzed reaction (reaction R0). As major analysis tools, we applied the URVA (Unified Reaction Valley Approach) and LMA (Local Mode Analysis), both being based on vibrational spectroscopy and complemented by a QTAIM analysis of the electron density calculated at the DFT level of theory. The energetics of each reaction were recalculated at the DLPNO-CCSD(T) level of theory. The URVA curvature profiles identified the important chemical events of all five reactions as peroxide OO bond cleavage taking place before the TS (i.e., accounting for the energy barrier) and epoxide CO bond formation together with rehybridization of the carbon atoms of the targeted CC double bond after the TS. The energy decomposition into reaction phase contribution phases showed that the major effect of the catalyst is the weakening of the OO bond to be broken and replacement of OH bond breakage in the non-catalyzed reaction by an energetically more favorable TiO bond breakage. LMA performed at all stationary points rounded up the investigation (i) quantifying OO bond weakening of the oxidizing peroxide upon coordination at the metal atom, (ii) showing that a more synchronous formation of the new CO epoxide bonds correlates with smaller bond strength differences between these bonds, and (iii) elucidating the different roles of the three TiO bonds formed between catalyst and reactants and their interplay as orchestrated by the Sharpless catalyst. We hope that this article will inspire the computational community to use URVA complemented with LMA in the future as an efficient mechanistic tool for the optimization and fine-tuning of current Sharpless catalysts and for the design new of catalysts for epoxidation reactions.