bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceived Health Problems of Young Single-Person Households in Housing Poverty Living in Seoul, South Korea: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Kim Jisun , Yoo Seunghyun
Published: January 2021

There is an increased prevalence of housing poverty among urban young adults; however, research on housing poverty and health is lacking. This study examined the effects of housing poverty on the health concepts of young people living alone. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 single-person households, with individuals aged 19–39 years, living in Seoul, the demographic group with the highest housing poverty rate in South Korea. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Based on the health concepts of the respondents, housing poverty negatively affected health in terms of “the occurrence and continuation of anxiety,” “the increase and continuation of lethargy,” “the difficulty in managing daily life and taking care of health,” “the lack of a dependable support person,” and “the difficulty in preventing and treating disease.” The majority of young people experienced difficulties responding to their situations, and their housing poverty was hard to overcome. This study suggests the need to expand healthy housing policies, strengthen housing safety nets, and enhance access to public resources needed for a healthy living.
Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Polyvinylchloride and Rubber Consumer Products and Toys Purchased on the Belgian Market
Authors: McGrath Thomas J. , Poma Giulia , Matsukami Hidenori , Malarvannan Govindan , Kajiwara Natsuko , Covaci Adrian
Published: January 2021

This study investigates the presence of Stockholm Convention listed short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and their replacement medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) counterparts in polyvinyl chloride and rubber consumer products and toys purchased on the Belgian market in 2019. SCCPs were detected in 27/28 samples at concentrations ranging from <LOQ–130,000 µg/g with a median level of 2.5 µg/g, while MCCPs were detected in only five samples ranging <LOQ–3500 µg/g. Levels of SCCPs in all but one of the samples were below the European Union’s guideline limit of 0.15%, by weight, and concentrations of both SCCPs and MCCPs in the majority of products suggested unintentional incorporation to the polymeric materials. The homologue distribution of SCCPs was generally dissimilar to known commercial formulations and appeared to be indicative of contamination during manufacture or via recycling of previously treated goods. MCCP patterns, conversely, were broadly representative of those reported for industrial mixtures and may have been inadvertently incorporated via the application of mixed carbon-chain length CP formulations or recycled goods. This research suggests that overall SCCP presence has decreased in goods on the European market compared with previous reports and that both SCCPs and MCCPs may still enter EU marketplaces from unintentional sources.
The Transformation of Conflicts into Relational Well-Being in Physical Education: GIAM Model
Authors: Rillo-Albert Aaron , Lavega-Burgués Pere , Prat Queralt , Costes Antoni , Muñoz-Arroyave Verónica , Sáez de Ocáriz Unai
Published: January 2021

To educate the relational well-being in order to learn to live together in society is one of the main needs of modern physical education (PE). Teachers are in need of pedagogical models to instruct peaceful coexistence and transform possible conflicts into PE. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a pedagogical model (GIAM model) designed for conflict transformation on the relational well-being of students in obligatory secondary school (ESO in Spain). This study was an empirical research (associative strategy, comparative study using mixed methods). A number of 287 valid students (M = 14.90; SD = 0.66) participated in this study from 4 different secondary schools (SSs): third ESO (SS1 (n = 75); SS3 (n = 45); SS4 (n = 86)) and fourth ESO (SS2 (n = 81)). A sequence of seven learning sessions was conducted, the intervention of the teachers on the GIAM model and the student’s motivational climate perception caused by this learning sequence was analyzed. The teachers who best adapted their intervention to the GIAM model obtained greater significant changes (p < 0.005) in favor of the relational well-being of their students. This research provides scientific evidence and intervention strategies for students to learn how to transform the conflicts, adopting a collaborating style based on reflection-for, -in- and on-motor action.
Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in French Guiana: 2005–2019
Authors: Scully Jenna , Mosnier Emilie , Carbunar Aurel , Roux Emmanuel , Djossou Félix , Garçeran Nicolas , Musset Lise , Sanna Alice , Demar Magalie , Nacher Mathieu , Gaudart Jean
Published: January 2021

Aims: This study examines the dynamics of malaria as influenced by meteorological factors in French Guiana from 2005 to 2019. It explores spatial hotspots of malaria transmission and aims to determine the factors associated with variation of hotspots with time. Methods: Data for individual malaria cases came from the surveillance system of the Delocalized Centers for Prevention and Care (CDPS) (n = 17) from 2005–2019. Meteorological data was acquired from the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) database. The Box–Jenkins autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model tested stationarity of the time series, and the impact of meteorological indices (issued from principal component analysis—PCA) on malaria incidence was determined with a general additive model. Hotspot characterization was performed using spatial scan statistics. Results: The current sample includes 7050 eligible Plasmodium vivax (n = 4111) and Plasmodium falciparum (n = 2939) cases from health centers across French Guiana. The first and second PCA-derived meteorological components (maximum/minimum temperature/minimum humidity and maximum humidity, respectively) were significantly negatively correlated with total malaria incidence with a lag of one week and 10 days, respectively. Overall malaria incidence decreased across the time series until 2017 when incidence began to trend upwards. Hotspot characterization revealed a few health centers that exhibited spatial stability across the entire time series: Saint Georges de l’Oyapock and Antecume Pata for P. falciparum, and Saint Georges de l’Oyapock, Antecume Pata, Régina and Camopi for P. vivax. Conclusions: This study highlighted changing malaria incidence in French Guiana and the influences of meteorological factors on transmission. Many health centers showed spatial stability in transmission, albeit not temporal. Knowledge of the areas of high transmission as well as how and why transmission has changed over time can inform strategies to reduce the transmission of malaria in French Guiana. Hotspots should be further investigated to understand other influences on local transmission, which will help to facilitate elimination.
IL-17F Gene rs763780 and IL-17A rs2275913 Polymorphisms in Patients with Periodontitis
Authors: Mazurek-Mochol Małgorzata , Kozak Małgorzata , Malinowski Damian , Safranow Krzysztof , Pawlik Andrzej
Published: January 2021

Background: Periodontitis (PD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can eventually lead to tooth loss. Genetic and environmental factors such as smoking are involved in the pathogenesis of PD. The development of PD is potentiated by various pathogens that induce an immune response leading to the production of cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-17. The synthesis of IL-17 is influenced genetically. The polymorphisms in IL-17 gene may affect the synthesis of IL-17. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the IL-17F rs763780 and IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphisms and PD in non-smoking and smoking patients to check if these polymorphisms could be a risk factor for PD. Methods: The study enrolled 200 patients with PD (130 non-smokers and 70 smokers) and 160 control subjects (126 non-smokers and 34 smokers). Periodontitis was diagnosed on the basis of 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. All samples were genotyped using allelic discrimination assays with TaqMan® probes on a Real-Time PCR Detection System. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of the IL-17F rs763780 and IL-17A rs2275913 genotypes and alleles between patients with PD and control subjects, between smoking patients with PD and smoking control subjects, and between non-smoking patients with PD and non-smoking control subjects. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a lack of statistically significant associations between IL-17F rs763780 and IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphisms and PD in Polish population.
Broad Kinase Inhibition Mitigates Early Neuronal Dysfunction in Tauopathy
Authors: Koren Shon A. , Hamm Matthew J. , Cloyd Ryan , Fontaine Sarah N. , Chishti Emad , Lanzillotta Chiara , Rodriguez-Rivera Jennifer , Ingram Alexandria , Bell Michelle , Galvis-Escobar Sara M. , Zulia Nicholas , Di Domenico Fabio , Duong Duc , Seyfried Nicholas T. , Powell David , Vandsburger Moriel , Frolinger Tal , Hartz Anika M. S. , Koren John , Axten Jeffrey M. , Laping Nicholas J. , Abisambra Jose F.
Published: January 2021

Tauopathies are a group of more than twenty known disorders that involve progressive neurodegeneration, cognitive decline and pathological tau accumulation. Current therapeutic strategies provide only limited, late-stage symptomatic treatment. This is partly due to lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms linking tau and cellular dysfunction, especially during the early stages of disease progression. In this study, we treated early stage tau transgenic mice with a multi-target kinase inhibitor to identify novel substrates that contribute to cognitive impairment and exhibit therapeutic potential. Drug treatment significantly ameliorated brain atrophy and cognitive function as determined by behavioral testing and a sensitive imaging technique called manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) with quantitative R1 mapping. Surprisingly, these benefits occurred despite unchanged hyperphosphorylated tau levels. To elucidate the mechanism behind these improved cognitive outcomes, we performed quantitative proteomics to determine the altered protein network during this early stage in tauopathy and compare this model with the human Alzheimer’s disease (AD) proteome. We identified a cluster of preserved pathways shared with human tauopathy with striking potential for broad multi-target kinase intervention. We further report high confidence candidate proteins as novel therapeutically relevant targets for the treatment of tauopathy. Proteomics data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD023562.
Partial Inhibition of Calcineurin Activity by Rcn2 as a Potential Remedy for Vps13 Deficiency
Authors: Wardaszka Patrycja , Soczewka Piotr , Sienko Marzena , Zoladek Teresa , Kaminska Joanna
Published: January 2021

Regulation of calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-regulated phosphatase, is important for the nervous system, and its abnormal activity is associated with various pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. In yeast cells lacking the VPS13 gene (vps13Δ), a model of VPS13-linked neurological diseases, we recently demonstrated that calcineurin is activated, and its downregulation reduces the negative effects associated with vps13Δ mutation. Here, we show that overexpression of the RCN2 gene, which encodes a negative regulator of calcineurin, is beneficial for vps13Δ cells. We studied the molecular mechanism underlying this effect through site-directed mutagenesis of RCN2. The interaction of the resulting Rcn2 variants with a MAPK kinase, Slt2, and subunits of calcineurin was tested. We show that Rcn2 binds preferentially to Cmp2, one of two alternative catalytic subunits of calcineurin, and partially inhibits calcineurin. Rcn2 ability to bind to and reduce the activity of calcineurin was important for the suppression. The binding of Rcn2 to Cmp2 requires two motifs in Rcn2: the previously characterized C-terminal motif and a new N-terminal motif that was discovered in this study. Altogether, our findings can help to better understand calcineurin regulation and to develop new therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases based on modulation of the activity of selected calcineurin isoforms.
Advanced Multi-Dimensional Cellular Models as Emerging Reality to Reproduce In Vitro the Human Body Complexity
Authors: Bassi Giada , Grimaudo Maria Aurora , Panseri Silvia , Montesi Monica
Published: January 2021

A hot topic in biomedical science is the implementation of more predictive in vitro models of human tissues to significantly improve the knowledge of physiological or pathological process, drugs discovery and screening. Bidimensional (2D) culture systems still represent good high-throughput options for basic research. Unfortunately, these systems are not able to recapitulate the in vivo three-dimensional (3D) environment of native tissues, resulting in a poor in vitro–in vivo translation. In addition, intra-species differences limited the use of animal data for predicting human responses, increasing in vivo preclinical failures and ethical concerns. Dealing with these challenges, in vitro 3D technological approaches were recently bioengineered as promising platforms able to closely capture the complexity of in vivo normal/pathological tissues. Potentially, such systems could resemble tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM), cell–cell and cell–ECM interactions and specific cell biological responses to mechanical and physical/chemical properties of the matrix. In this context, this review presents the state of the art of the most advanced progresses of the last years. A special attention to the emerging technologies for the development of human 3D disease-relevant and physiological models, varying from cell self-assembly (i.e., multicellular spheroids and organoids) to the use of biomaterials and microfluidic devices has been given.
Human Plasma and Recombinant Hemopexins: Heme Binding Revisited
Authors: Karnaukhova Elena , Owczarek Catherine , Schmidt Peter , Schaer Dominik J. , Buehler Paul W.
Published: January 2021

Plasma hemopexin (HPX) is the key antioxidant protein of the endogenous clearance pathway that limits the deleterious effects of heme released from hemoglobin and myoglobin (the term “heme” is used in this article to denote both the ferrous and ferric forms). During intra-vascular hemolysis, heme partitioning to protein and lipid increases as the plasma concentration of HPX declines. Therefore, the development of HPX as a replacement therapy during high heme stress could be a relevant intervention for hemolytic disorders. A logical approach to enhance HPX yield involves recombinant production strategies from human cell lines. The present study focuses on a biophysical assessment of heme binding to recombinant human HPX (rhHPX) produced in the Expi293FTM (HEK293) cell system. In this report, we examine rhHPX in comparison with plasma HPX using a systematic analysis of protein structural and functional characteristics related to heme binding. Analysis of rhHPX by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-HPLC, and catalase-like activity demonstrated a similarity to HPX fractionated from plasma. In particular, the titration of HPX apo-protein(s) with heme was performed for the first time using a wide range of heme concentrations to model HPX–heme interactions to approximate physiological conditions (from extremely low to more than two-fold heme molar excess over the protein). The CD titration data showed an induced bisignate CD Soret band pattern typical for plasma and rhHPX versions at low heme-to-protein molar ratios and demonstrated that further titration is dependent on the amount of protein-bound heme to the extent that the arising opposite CD couplet results in a complete inversion of the observed CD pattern. The data generated in this study suggest more than one binding site in both plasma and rhHPX. Furthermore, our study provides a useful analytical platform for the detailed characterization of HPX–heme interactions and potentially novel HPX fusion constructs.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Oral Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Wang Rong , Wang Yong
Published: January 2021

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Despite easy access to the oral cavity and significant advances in treatment, the morbidity and mortality rates for oral cancer patients are still very high, mainly due to late-stage diagnosis when treatment is less successful. Oral cancer has also been found to be the most expensive cancer to treat in the United States. Early diagnosis of oral cancer can significantly improve patient survival rate and reduce medical costs. There is an urgent unmet need for an accurate and sensitive molecular-based diagnostic tool for early oral cancer detection. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has gained increasing attention in cancer research due to its ability to elucidate qualitative and quantitative information of biochemical content and molecular-level structural changes in complex biological systems. The diagnosis of a disease is based on biochemical changes underlying the disease pathology rather than morphological changes of the tissue. It is a versatile method that can work with tissues, cells, or body fluids. In this review article, we aim to summarize the studies of infrared spectroscopy in oral cancer research and detection. It provides early evidence to support the potential application of infrared spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for oral potentially malignant and malignant lesions. The challenges and opportunities in clinical translation are also discussed.
Bisindolylpyrrole Induces a Cpr3- and Porin1/2-Dependent Transition in Yeast Mitochondrial Permeability in a Low Conductance State via the AACs-Associated Pore
Authors: Koushi Masami , Asakai Rei
Published: January 2021

Although the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) is presumably formed by either ATP synthase or the ATP/ADP carrier (AAC), little is known about their differential roles in PTP activation. We explored the role of AAC and ATP synthase in PTP formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using bisindolylpyrrole (BP), an activator of the mammalian PTP. The yeast mitochondrial membrane potential, as indicated by tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester signals, dissipated over 2–4 h after treatment of cells with 5 μM BP, which was sensitive to cyclosporin A (CsA) and Cpr3 deficiency and blocked by porin1/2 deficiency. The BP-induced depolarization was inhibited by a specific AAC inhibitor, bongkrekate, and consistently blocked in a yeast strain lacking all three AACs, while it was not affected in the strain with defective ATP synthase dimerization, suggesting the involvement of an AAC-associated pore. Upon BP treatment, isolated yeast mitochondria underwent CsA- and bongkrekate-sensitive depolarization without affecting the mitochondrial calcein signals, indicating the induction of a low conductance channel. These data suggest that, upon BP treatment, yeast can form a porin1/2- and Cpr3-regulated PTP, which is mediated by AACs but not by ATP synthase dimers. This implies that yeast may be an excellent tool for the screening of PTP modulators.
Dual and Opposite Costimulatory Targeting with a Novel Human Fusion Recombinant Protein Effectively Prevents Renal Warm Ischemia Reperfusion Injury and Allograft Rejection in Murine Models
Authors: Guiteras Jordi , De Ramon Laura , Crespo Elena , Bolaños Nuria , Barcelo-Batllori Silvia , Martinez-Valenzuela Laura , Fontova Pere , Jarque Marta , Torija Alba , Bestard Oriol , Resina David , Grinyó Josep M , Torras Joan
Published: January 2021

Many studies have shown both the CD28—D80/86 costimulatory pathway and the PD-1—PD-L1/L2 coinhibitory pathway to be important signals in modulating or decreasing the inflammatory profile in ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) or in a solid organ transplant setting. The importance of these two opposing pathways and their potential synergistic effect led our group to design a human fusion recombinant protein with CTLA4 and PD-L2 domains named HYBRI. The objective of our study was to determine the HYBRI binding to the postulated ligands of CTLA4 (CD80) and PD-L2 (PD-1) using the Surface Plasmon Resonance technique and to evaluate the in vivo HYBRI effects on two representative kidney inflammatory models—rat renal IRI and allogeneic kidney transplant. The Surface Plasmon Resonance assay demonstrated the avidity and binding of HYBRI to its targets. HYBRI treatment in the models exerted a high functional and morphological improvement. HYBRI produced a significant amelioration of renal function on day one and two after bilateral warm ischemia and on days seven and nine after transplant, clearly prolonging the animal survival in a life-sustaining renal allograft model. In both models, a significant reduction in histological damage and CD3 and CD68 infiltrating cells was observed. HYBRI decreased the circulating inflammatory cytokines and enriched the FoxP3 peripheral circulating, apart from reducing renal inflammation. In conclusion, the dual and opposite costimulatory targeting with that novel protein offers a good microenvironment profile to protect the ischemic process in the kidney and to prevent the kidney rejection, increasing the animal’s chances of survival. HYBRI largely prevents the progression of inflammation in these rat models.
Gene Editing Correction of a Urea Cycle Defect in Organoid Stem Cell Derived Hepatocyte-like Cells
Authors: Zabulica Mihaela , Jakobsson Tomas , Ravaioli Francesco , Vosough Massoud , Gramignoli Roberto , Ellis Ewa , Rooyackers Olav , Strom Stephen C.
Published: January 2021

Urea cycle disorders are enzymopathies resulting from inherited deficiencies in any genes of the cycle. In severe cases, currently available therapies are marginally effective, with liver transplantation being the only definitive treatment. Donor liver availability can limit even this therapy. Identification of novel therapeutics for genetic-based liver diseases requires models that provide measurable hepatic functions and phenotypes. Advances in stem cell and genome editing technologies could provide models for the investigation of cell-based genetic diseases, as well as the platforms for drug discovery. This report demonstrates a practical, and widely applicable, approach that includes the successful reprogramming of somatic cells from a patient with a urea cycle defect, their genetic correction and differentiation into hepatic organoids, and the subsequent demonstration of genetic and phenotypic change in the edited cells consistent with the correction of the defect. While individually rare, there is a large number of other genetic-based liver diseases. The approach described here could be applied to a broad range and a large number of patients with these hepatic diseases where it could serve as an in vitro model, as well as identify successful strategies for corrective cell-based therapy.
Text Classification Based on Convolutional Neural Networks and Word Embedding for Low-Resource Languages: Tigrinya
Authors: Fesseha Awet , Xiong Shengwu , Emiru Eshete Derb , Diallo Moussa , Dahou Abdelghani
Published: January 2021

This article studies convolutional neural networks for Tigrinya (also referred to as Tigrigna), which is a family of Semitic languages spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Tigrinya is a “low-resource” language and is notable in terms of the absence of comprehensive and free data. Furthermore, it is characterized as one of the most semantically and syntactically complex languages in the world, similar to other Semitic languages. To the best of our knowledge, no previous research has been conducted on the state-of-the-art embedding technique that is shown here. We investigate which word representation methods perform better in terms of learning for single-label text classification problems, which are common when dealing with morphologically rich and complex languages. Manually annotated datasets are used here, where one contains 30,000 Tigrinya news texts from various sources with six categories of “sport”, “agriculture”, “politics”, “religion”, “education”, and “health” and one unannotated corpus that contains more than six million words. In this paper, we explore pretrained word embedding architectures using various convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to predict class labels. We construct a CNN with a continuous bag-of-words (CBOW) method, a CNN with a skip-gram method, and CNNs with and without word2vec and FastText to evaluate Tigrinya news articles. We also compare the CNN results with traditional machine learning models and evaluate the results in terms of the accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scoring techniques. The CBOW CNN with word2vec achieves the best accuracy with 93.41%, significantly improving the accuracy for Tigrinya news classification.
Intestinal Microbiota and Perspectives of the Use of Meta-Analysis for Comparison of Ulcerative Colitis Studies
Authors: Kushkevych Ivan , Martínková Kristýna , Vítězová Monika , Rittmann Simon K.-M. R.
Published: January 2021

Meta-analysis is a statistical process summarizing comparable data from a number of scientific papers. The use of meta-analysis in microbiology allows decision-making that has an impact on public health policy. It can happen that the primary researches come to different conclusions, although these are targeted with the same research question. It is, therefore, inevitable to have the means to systematically evaluate information and compare research results. Ulcerative colitis together with Crohn’s disease are among the two main inflammatory bowel diseases. This chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract, with an as yet unclear etiology, is presented by an uncontrolled inflammatory immune response in genetically predisposed individuals to as yet undefined environmental factors in interaction with the intestinal microbiota itself. In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), changes in the composition and relative abundance of microorganisms could be observed. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which commonly occur in the large intestine as part of the commensal microbiota of animals and humans involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, have been shown to occur. SRB are anaerobic organisms affecting short-chain fatty acid metabolism. This work outlines the perspectives of the use of meta-analysis for UC and changes in the representation of intestinal organisms in these patients.
Comparison of Microcirculatory Perfusion in Obese and Non-Obese Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: Boly Chantal A. , Venhuizen Margot , Dekker Nicole A. M. , Vonk Alexander B. A. , Boer Christa , Brom Charissa E. van den
Published: January 2021

Obesity is a frequent comorbidity among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Cardiac surgery with CPB impairs microcirculatory perfusion, which is associated with multiple organ failure. As microvascular function is frequently compromised in obese patients, we studied whether cardiac surgery with CPB has a more detrimental effect on microcirculatory perfusion in obese patients. Sublingual microcirculatory perfusion was measured with sidestream dark field (SDF) imaging in obese patients (body mass index ≥32 kg/m2; n = 14) without type II diabetes mellitus and in lean patients (BMI 20–25 kg/m2; n = 22) undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. CPB reduced systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure more profoundly in lean compared with obese patients (SBP: 38% vs. 18%; MAP: 11% vs. 8%, p < 0.05), and both restored after weaning from CPB. No differences were present in intraoperative glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lactate, and blood gas values between obese and lean patients. Microcirculatory perfusion did not differ between obese and lean patients the day before surgery. CPB decreased microcirculatory perfusion with 9% in both groups, but this was only significant in lean patients (p < 0.05). Three days following surgery, microcirculatory perfusion was restored in both groups. In conclusion, microcirculatory perfusion was equally disturbed during cardiac surgery with CPB in metabolically healthy obese patients compared to lean patients.
Temporomandibular Joint Prostheses: Optimal Materials for the Optimal Stomatognathic System Performance—Preliminary Study
Authors: Niedzielska Iwona , Bąk Michał , Niedzielski Damian , Okła Hubert , Gabor Jadwiga , Stanula Arkadiusz , Paluch Jarosław , Swinarew Andrzej Szymon
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate alloplastic Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Prostheses against other treatment modalities regarding the jaw kinematics. Six patients with Temporomandibular Joint Prostheses, four with mandibular ramus Patient-Specific Implant (PSI) with condylar head preservation, and four after mandibular condylectomy were evaluated by the means of axiography (Cadiax Compact 2), which is the noninvasive three-dimensional study of condylar movements. The patients were also evaluated clinically for the mandibular movements. The study revealed that the significant movement limitations occurred bilaterally in patients fitted with TMJ prosthesis. For the protrusion movement, the vector length of the movement (L) for the TMJ prosthesis was 0.31 vs. 3.01 mm for the PSI (Kruskal–Wallis chi-squared = 9.1667, df = 2, p-value = 0.01022, post hoc Dunn p-value = 0.015) and for the laterotrusion to the operated side, the length of the vector (L) was 0.66 vs. 3.35 mm, respectively. Statistically significant differences between groups were most frequent for the laterotrusion to the unoperated side. The study shows that a further development on TMJ Prostheses geometry and materials is needed.
Colonisation and Transmission Dynamics of Candida auris among Chronic Respiratory Diseases Patients Hospitalised in a Chest Hospital, Delhi, India: A Comparative Analysis of Whole Genome Sequencing and Microsatellite Typing
Authors: Yadav Anamika , Singh Anubhav , Wang Yue , Haren Merlijn HI van , Singh Ashutosh , de Groot Theun , Meis Jacques F. , Xu Jianping , Chowdhary Anuradha
Published: January 2021

Candida auris is a nosocomial pathogen responsible for an expanding global public health threat. This ascomycete yeast has been frequently isolated from hospital environments, representing a significant reservoir for transmission in healthcare settings. Here, we investigated the relationships among C. auris isolates from patients with chronic respiratory diseases admitted in a chest hospital and from their fomites, using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and multilocus microsatellite genotyping. Overall, 37.5% (n = 12/32) patients developed colonisation by C. auris including 9.3% of the screened patients that were colonised at the time of admission and 75% remained colonised till discharge. Furthermore, 10% of fomite samples contained C. auris in rooms about 8.5 days after C. auris colonised patients were admitted. WGS and microsatellite typing revealed that multiple strains contaminated the fomites and colonised different body sites of patients. Notably, 37% of C. auris isolates were resistant to amphotericin B but with no amino acid substitution in ERG2, ERG3, ERG5, and ERG6 as compared to the reference strain B8441 in any of our strains. In addition, 55% of C. auris isolates likely had two copies of the MDR1 gene. Our results suggest significant genetic and ecological diversities of C. auris in healthcare setting. The WGS and microsatellite genotyping methods provided complementary results in genotype identification.
3D Scaffolds to Model the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche: Applications and Perspectives
Authors: Congrains Ada , Bianco Juares , Rosa Renata G. , Mancuso Rubia I. , Saad Sara T. O.
Published: January 2021

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are responsible for the production of blood and immune cells during life. HSC fate decisions are dependent on signals from specialized microenvironments in the bone marrow, termed niches. The HSC niche is a tridimensional environment that comprises cellular, chemical, and physical elements. Introductorily, we will revise the current knowledge of some relevant elements of the niche. Despite the importance of the niche in HSC function, most experimental approaches to study human HSCs use bidimensional models. Probably, this contributes to the failure in translating many in vitro findings into a clinical setting. Recreating the complexity of the bone marrow microenvironment in vitro would provide a powerful tool to achieve in vitro production of HSCs for transplantation, develop more effective therapies for hematologic malignancies and provide deeper insight into the HSC niche. We previously demonstrated that an optimized decellularization method can preserve with striking detail the ECM architecture of the bone marrow niche and support HSC culture. We will discuss the potential of this decellularized scaffold as HSC niche model. Besides decellularized scaffolds, several other methods have been reported to mimic some characteristics of the HSC niche. In this review, we will examine these models and their applications, advantages, and limitations.
Thermal Model for Timber Fire Exposure with Moving Boundary
Authors: Šulc Stanislav , Šmilauer Vít , Wald František
Published: January 2021

Fire exposure of timber leads to charring, surface cracking and timber burnout, shifting the external thermal load deeper into the timber domain. This phenomenon plays its role mainly in situations of longer fire exposure. The majority of current approaches and models assume initial geometry during the whole analysis, leading generally to the overestimation of the insulation effect of the charred layer and to a limited burnout. This paper presents a heat transport model which is supplemented with a moving boundary condition, a criterion for the finite element deactivation and the internal heat source. Comparison with experiments using a constant radiative load testifies that the moving boundary condition becomes important after approximately 10 min of fire exposure and rather leads to a constant charring rate observed in several experiments.
Direct Derivation of Liénard–Wiechert Potentials, Maxwell’s Equations and Lorentz Force from Coulomb’s Law
Authors: Dodig Hrvoje
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the solution to long standing problem of deriving Maxwell’s equations and Lorentz force from first principles, i.e., from Coulomb’s law, is presented. This problem was studied by many authors throughout history but it was never satisfactorily solved, and it was never solved for charges in arbitrary motion. In this paper, relativistically correct Liénard–Wiechert potentials for charges in arbitrary motion and Maxwell equations are both derived directly from Coulomb’s law by careful mathematical analysis of the moment just before the charge in motion stops. In the second part of this paper, the electrodynamic energy conservation principle is derived directly from Coulomb’s law by using similar approach. From this energy conservation principle the Lorentz force is derived. To make these derivations possible, the generalized Helmholtz theorem was derived along with two novel vector identities. The special relativity was not used in our derivations, and the results show that electromagnetism as a whole is not the consequence of special relativity, but it is rather the consequence of time retardation.
An ITARA-TOPSIS Based Integrated Assessment Model to Identify Potential Product and System Risks
Authors: Lo Huai-Wei , Hsu Chao-Che , Huang Chun-Nen , Liou James J. H.
Published: January 2021

This is a forward-looking approach that uses a multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model as an assessment tool for risk identification. This study proposes an indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (ITARA-TOPSIS)-based assessment model to identify critical failure modes in products and systems. The improved indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis (ITARA) method can generate more reliable weights for risk factors. In addition, the modified technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) is used to obtain the risk levels of the failure modes. The gray correlation coefficient is applied to replace the conventional Euclidean distance, and a new index is used to determine the priority of failure modes. The determination of risk factors is based on the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) theory, including severity, occurrence, and detection. An important indicator, the expected cost, is also included in the framework. The case of a steam turbine for a nuclear power plant is used to demonstrate the approach, and the analysis results show that the proposed model is practical and effective. Moreover, the advantages of our integrated model are illustrated through model comparisons and sensitivity analysis. This paper can help decision-makers, risk engineers, and related researchers to better understand how a systematic risk assessment can be conducted.
Effects of Sintering Temperature on Densification, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-Based Alloy by High-Velocity Compaction
Authors: Yuan Xianjie , Qu Xuanhui , Yin Haiqing , Feng Zaiqiang , Tang Mingqi , Yan Zhenwei , Tan Zhaojun
Published: January 2021

This present work investigates the effects of sintering temperature on densification, mechanical properties and microstructure of Al-based alloy pressed by high-velocity compaction. The green samples were heated under the flow of high pure (99.99 wt%) N2. The heating rate was 4 °C/min before 315 °C. For reducing the residual stress, the samples were isothermally held for one h. Then, the specimens were respectively heated at the rate of 10 °C/min to the temperature between 540 °C and 700 °C, held for one h, and then furnace-cooled to the room temperature. Results indicate that when the sintered temperature was 640 °C, both the sintered density and mechanical properties was optimum. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, X-ray diffraction of sintered samples, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscope were used to analyse the microstructure and phases.
Mass Spectrometry-Based Flavor Monitoring of Peruvian Chocolate Fabrication Process
Authors: Michel Stephanie , Baraka Luka Franco , Ibañez Alfredo J. , Mansurova Madina
Published: January 2021

Flavor is one of the most prominent characteristics of chocolate and is crucial in determining the price the consumer is willing to pay. At present, two types of cocoa beans have been characterized according to their flavor and aroma profile, i.e., (1) the bulk (or ordinary) and (2) the fine flavor cocoa (FFC). The FFC has been distinguished from bulk cocoa for having a great variety of flavors. Aiming to differentiate the FFC bean origin of Peruvian chocolate, an analytical methodology using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed. This methodology allows us to characterize eleven volatile organic compounds correlated to the aromatic profile of FFC chocolate from this geographical region (based on buttery, fruity, floral, ethereal sweet, and roasted flavors). Monitoring these 11 flavor compounds during the chain of industrial processes in a retrospective way, starting from the final chocolate bar towards pre-roasted cocoa beans, allows us to better understand the cocoa flavor development involved during each stage. Hence, this methodology was useful to distinguish chocolates from different regions, north and south of Peru, and production lines. This research can benefit the chocolate industry as a quality control protocol, from the raw material to the final product.
Experimental Study on Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted WECDM of Glass Microstructures with a High Aspect Ratio
Authors: Chen Yan , Feng Xu , Xin Gongming
Published: January 2021

With the rapid development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMSs), the demand for glass microstructure is increasing. For the purpose of achieving high quality and stable machining of glass microstructures with a high aspect ratio, ultrasonic vibration is applied into the micro-wire electrochemical discharge machining (WECDM), which is proposed as ultrasonic vibration-assisted WECDM with a micro helical electrode. Firstly, the formation of a gas film on the surface of the helical electrode in WECDM machining is simulated, meaning the thickness of the gas film can be reduced by adding suitable ultrasonic amplitude, thus reducing the critical voltage, then the machining localization and stability were enhanced. Then, the micro helical electrode with a diameter of 100 μm is used to carry out sets of experiments that study the influence of ultrasonic amplitude, machining voltage, duty factor, pulse frequency, and feed rate on the slit width. The experimental results show that the machining stability and quality are significantly improved by adding suitable ultrasonic amplitude. When the amplitude was 5.25 μm, the average slit width was reduced to 128.63 μm with a decrease of 20.78%. Finally, with the optimized machining parameters, micro planar coil structure and microcantilever structure with a high aspect ratio were fabricated successfully on the glass plate. It is proved that ultrasonic vibration-assisted WECDM with the micro helical electrode method can meet the requirements of high aspect ratio microstructure machining for hard and brittle materials.
Silicon Carbide and MRI: Towards Developing a MRI Safe Neural Interface
Authors: Beygi Mohammad , Dominguez-Viqueira William , Feng Chenyin , Mumcu Gokhan , Frewin Christopher , La Via Francesco , Saddow Stephen
Published: January 2021

An essential method to investigate neuromodulation effects of an invasive neural interface (INI) is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Presently, MRI imaging of patients with neural implants is highly restricted in high field MRI (e.g., 3 T and higher) due to patient safety concerns. This results in lower resolution MRI images and, consequently, degrades the efficacy of MRI imaging for diagnostic purposes in these patients. Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) is a biocompatible wide-band-gap semiconductor with a high thermal conductivity and magnetic susceptibility compatible with brain tissue. It also has modifiable electrical conductivity through doping level control. These properties can improve the MRI compliance of 3C-SiC INIs, specifically in high field MRI scanning. In this work, the MRI compliance of epitaxial SiC films grown on various Si wafers, used to implement a monolithic neural implant (all-SiC), was studied. Via finite element method (FEM) and Fourier-based simulations, the specific absorption rate (SAR), induced heating, and image artifacts caused by the portion of the implant within a brain tissue phantom located in a 7 T small animal MRI machine were estimated and measured. The specific goal was to compare implant materials; thus, the effect of leads outside the tissue was not considered. The results of the simulations were validated via phantom experiments in the same 7 T MRI system. The simulation and experimental results revealed that free-standing 3C-SiC films had little to no image artifacts compared to silicon and platinum reference materials inside the MRI at 7 T. In addition, FEM simulations predicted an ~30% SAR reduction for 3C-SiC compared to Pt. These initial simulations and experiments indicate an all-SiC INI may effectively reduce MRI induced heating and image artifacts in high field MRI. In order to evaluate the MRI safety of a closed-loop, fully functional all-SiC INI as per ISO/TS 10974:2018 standard, additional research and development is being conducted and will be reported at a later date.
Taxonomic Evaluation of the Heyndrickxia (Basonym Bacillus) sporothermodurans Group (H. sporothermodurans, H. vini, H. oleronia) Based on Whole Genome Sequences
Authors: Fiedler Gregor , Herbstmann Anna-Delia , Doll Etienne , Wenning Mareike , Brinks Erik , Kabisch Jan , Breitenwieser Franziska , Lappann Martin , Böhnlein Christina , Franz Charles M. A. P.
Published: January 2021

The genetic heterogeneity of Heyndrickxia sporothermodurans (formerly Bacillussporothermodurans) was evaluated using whole genome sequencing. The genomes of 29 previously identified Heyndrickxiasporothermodurans and two Heyndrickxia vini strains isolated from ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-treated milk were sequenced by short-read (Illumina) sequencing. After sequence analysis, the two H. vini strains could be reclassified as H. sporothermodurans. In addition, the genomes of the H.sporothermodurans type strain (DSM 10599T) and the closest phylogenetic neighbors Heyndrickxiaoleronia (DSM 9356T) and Heyndrickxia vini (JCM 19841T) were also sequenced using both long (MinION) and short-read (Illumina) sequencing. By hybrid sequence assembly, the genome of the H. sporothermodurans type strain was enlarged by 15% relative to the short-read assembly. This noticeable increase was probably due to numerous mobile elements in the genome that are presumptively related to spore heat tolerance. Phylogenetic studies based on 16S rDNA gene sequence, core genome, single-nucleotide polymorphisms and ANI/dDDH, showed that H. vini is highly related to H. sporothermodurans. When examining the genome sequences of all H.sporothermodurans strains from this study, together with 4 H. sporothermodurans genomes available in the GenBank database, the majority of the 36 strains examined occurred in a clonal lineage with less than 100 SNPs. These data substantiate previous reports on the existence and spread of a genetically highly homogenous and heat resistant spore clone, i.e., the HRS-clone.
Antibacterial Effect of Stainless Steel Surfaces Treated with a Nanotechnological Coating Approved for Food Contact
Authors: Di Cerbo Alessandro , Mescola Andrea , Rosace Giuseppe , Stocchi Roberta , Rossi Giacomo , Alessandrini Andrea , Preziuso Silvia , Scarano Antonio , Rea Stefano , Loschi Anna Rita , Sabia Carla
Published: January 2021

Stainless steel, widely present in the food industry, is frequently exposed to bacterial colonization with possible consequences on consumers’ health. 288 stainless steel disks with different roughness (0.25, 0.5 and 1 μm) were challenged with four Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 1402, Yersinia enterocolitica ATCC 9610 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27588) and four Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and Listeria monocytogenes NCTT 10888) and underwent three different sanitizing treatments (UVC, alcohol 70% v/v and Gold lotion). Moreover, the same procedure was carried out onto the same surfaces after a nanotechnological surface coating (nanoXHAM® D). A significant bactericidal effect was exerted by all of the sanitizing treatments against all bacterial strains regardless of roughness and surface coating. The nanoXHAM® D coating itself induced an overall bactericidal effect as well as in synergy with all sanitizing treatments regardless of roughness. Stainless steel surface roughness is poorly correlated with bacterial adhesion and only sanitizing treatments can exert significant bactericidal effects. Most of sanitizing treatments are toxic and corrosive causing the onset of crevices that are able to facilitate bacterial nesting and growth. This nanotechnological coating can reduce surface adhesion with consequent reduction of bacterial adhesion, nesting, and growth.