bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using the LSTM Network to Forecast the Demand for Electricity in Poland
Authors: Manowska Anna
Published: November 2020

The impact of environmental regulations introduced by the European Union is of key importance for electricity generation systems. The Polish fuel structure of electricity production is based on solid fuels. Moreover, the generating base is outdated and must gradually be withdrawn from the power system. In this context, Poland’s energy policy is undergoing a transformation as climate and environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent for the energy sector based on solid fuels (hard coal and lignite). However, the transformation process must be adapted to market demands, because the overriding goal is to ensure energy security by maintaining the continuity of energy supplies and an acceptable electricity price. This directly contributes to the development of the entire economy and the standard of living of the society, in accordance with the European Agreement establishing an association between the Republic of Poland and the European Communities and their Member States, signed on 16 December 1991, and the European Energy Charter, signed on 17 December 1991. Ensuring energy security is the most important goal of the energy policy. Therefore, energy companies must forecast the demand. The main goal of this article is to develop a mathematical model of electricity consumption by 2040 by all sectors of the economy: industry, transport, residential, commercial and public services, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. In order to achieve the intended goal, a model was developed by using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) artificial neural networks, which belong to deep learning techniques and reflect long-term relationships in time series for a small set of statistical data. The results show that the proposed model can significantly improve the accuracy of forecasts (1–3% of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for the analyzed sectors of the economy).
Comparative Analysis of Wheat Hay and Silage in Methane Production, Fermentation Characteristics and Microbiota Using In Vitro Rumen Cultures
Authors: Niu Wenjing , Wang Haibo , He Yang , Qiu Qinghua , Shao Taoqi , Cao Binghai , Su Huawei
Published: November 2020

This study determined the effects of wheat stage, preservation treatment, and harvest time on the fermentation characteristics, methane production, and bacterial diversity. In this study, processing wheat into hay can reduce methane production. The MWS7 (wheat harvested at 7:00 in milk stage and preserved as silage) group had a significantly lower CO2 compared with the DWS15 (wheat harvested at 15:00 in dough stage and preserved as silage) group. Neutral detergent fiber degradation in the hay treatment harvesting at 7:00 was significantly higher than that in other treatments. The butyrate proportion in the DWH7 (wheat harvested at 7:00 in dough stage and preserved as hay) group was higher than that in the MWS7 group. Results from high-throughput sequencing showed that there were differences in the relative abundance of some minor rumen microbiota among the treatments. The MWS7 group had greater microbial diversity and the MWH7 group (wheat harvested at 7:00 in milk stage and preserved as hay) had higher species richness. In addition, the MWH7 group had a lower Methanobrevibacter abundance and methane production. Overall, the MWH7 group may have advantages of rumen fermentation and reduce methane production.
Interferometric Wavefront Sensing System Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Niu Yuhao , Gao Zhan , Gao Chenjia , Zhao Jieming , Wang Xu
Published: November 2020

At present, most wavefront sensing methods analyze the wavefront aberration from light intensity images taken in dark environments. However, in general conditions, these methods are limited due to the interference of various external light sources. In recent years, deep learning has achieved great success in the field of computer vision, and it has been widely used in the research of image classification and data fitting. Here, we apply deep learning algorithms to the interferometric system to detect wavefront under general conditions. This method can accurately extract the wavefront phase distribution and analyze aberrations, and it is verified by experiments that this method not only has higher measurement accuracy and faster calculation speed but also has good performance in the noisy environments.
Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of PM10 in a Green-Roof Primary School Building
Authors: Barmparesos Nikolaos , Saraga Dikaia , Karavoltsos Sotirios , Maggos Thomas , Assimakopoulos Vasiliki D. , Sakellari Aikaterini , Bairachtari Kyriaki , Assimakopoulos Margarita Niki
Published: November 2020

Research on air quality issues in recently refurbished educational buildings is relatively limited. However, it is an important topic as students are often exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants, especially in urban environments. This study presents the results of a 25-day experimental campaign that took place in a primary school located in a densely built-up area, which retains a green roof system (GRS). All measurements refer to mass concentrations and chemical analysis of PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 micrometers), and they were implemented simultaneously on the GRS and within the classroom (C3) below during different periods of the year. The results demonstrated relatively low levels of PM10 in both experimental points, with the highest mean value of 72.02 μg m−3 observed outdoors during the cold period. Elemental carbon (EC) was also found be higher in the ambient environment (with a mean value of 2.78 μg m−3), while organic carbon (OC) was relatively balanced between the two monitoring sites. Moreover, sulfate was found to be the most abundant water soluble anion (2.57 μg m−3), mainly originating from ambient primary SO2 and penetrating into the classroom from windows. Additionally, the crustal origin of particles was shown in trace metals, where Al and Fe prevailed (9.55% and 8.68%, respectively, of the total PM10). Nevertheless, infiltration of outdoor particles within the classroom was found to affect indoor sources of metals. Finally, source apportionment using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model demonstrated six main factors of emissions, the most important of which were vehicles and biomass burning (30.30% contribution), along with resuspension of PM10 within the classroom from human activities (29.89% contribution). Seasonal variations seem to play a key role in the results.
Using Simplified Swarm Optimization on Multiloop Fuzzy PID Controller Tuning Design for Flow and Temperature Control System
Authors: Wu Ting-Yun , Jiang Yun-Zhi , Su Yi-Zhu , Yeh Wei-Chang
Published: November 2020

This study proposes the flow and temperature controllers of a cockpit environment control system (ECS) by implementing an optimal simplified swarm optimization (SSO) fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. The ECS model is considered as a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and second-order dynamic system, which is interactive. In this work, we use five methods to design and compare the PID controllers in MATLAB and Simulink, including Ziegler–Nicolas PID tuning, particle swarm optimization (PSO) PID, SSO PID, and the combination of the fuzzy theory with PSO PID and SSO PID, respectively. The main contribution of this study is the pioneering implementation of SSO in a fuzzy PI/PID controller. Moreover, by adding the original gain parameters Kp, Ki, and Kd in the PID controller with delta values, which are calculated by fuzzy logic designer, we can tune the parameters of PID controllers in real time. This makes our control system more accurate, adaptive, and robust.
Performance Boosting of Scale and Rotation Invariant Human Activity Recognition (HAR) with LSTM Networks Using Low Dimensional 3D Posture Data in Egocentric Coordinates
Authors: Ince Ibrahim Furkan
Published: November 2020

Human activity recognition (HAR) has been an active area in computer vision with a broad range of applications, such as education, security surveillance, and healthcare. HAR is a general time series classification problem. LSTMs are widely used for time series classification tasks. However, they work well with high-dimensional feature vectors, which reduce the processing speed of LSTM in real-time applications. Therefore, dimension reduction is required to create low-dimensional feature space. As it is experimented in previous study, LSTM with dimension reduction yielded the worst performance among other classifiers, which are not deep learning methods. Therefore, in this paper, a novel scale and rotation invariant human activity recognition system, which can also work in low dimensional feature space is presented. For this purpose, Kinect depth sensor is employed to obtain skeleton joints. Since angles are used, proposed system is already scale invariant. In order to provide rotation invariance, body relative direction in egocentric coordinates is calculated. The 3D vector between right hip and left hip is used to get the horizontal axis and its cross product with the vertical axis of global coordinate system assumed to be the depth axis of the proposed local coordinate system. Instead of using 3D joint angles, 8 number of limbs and their corresponding 3D angles with X, Y, and Z axes of the proposed coordinate system are compressed with several dimension reduction methods such as averaging filter, Haar wavelet transform (HWT), and discrete cosine transform (DCT) and employed as the feature vector. Finally, extracted features are trained and tested with LSTM (long short-term memory) network, which is an artificial recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture. Experimental and benchmarking results indicate that proposed framework boosts the performance of LSTM by approximately 30% accuracy in low-dimensional feature space.
Power Line Interference Reduction Technique with a Current-Reused Current-Feedback Instrumentation Amplifier for ECG Recording
Authors: You Donggeun , Heo Hyunwoo , Kim Hyungseup , Kwon Yongsu , Lee Sangmin , Ko Hyoungho
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a power line interference (PLI) reduction technique with a current-reused current-feedback instrumentation amplifier (CFIA) for electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. In a portable two-electrode ECG monitoring application, the presence of undesired PLI may severely corrupt the quality of ECG recording. Since PLI can be over a few volts, the input signal including the ECG signal can exceed the supply or ground level by an electrostatic discharge (ESD) diode in input/output (I/O) pad. To prevent this problem, this paper presents a continuous-time input common-mode current feedback loop that can limit displacement current from a capacitive coupling between the human body and a power line. The continuous-time input common-mode current feedback loop can clamp an input common-mode voltage to the saturation region of the input transistor of the current-reused CFIA. After the clamping procedure, the clamped input signal is amplified by the current-reused CFIA. The proposed circuit was designed using a 0.18-μm bipolar-complementary metal semiconductor–double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor (BCDMOS) process with an active area of 1.8 mm2. The total power consumption is 18 μW with 1.8 V. The input-referred noise and noise efficiency factor (NEF) of the current-reused CFIA is 2.68 μVRMS and 4.28 with 107 Hz, respectively.
Real-Time Physical Activity Recognition on Smart Mobile Devices Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Peppas Konstantinos , Tsolakis Apostolos C. , Krinidis Stelios , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: November 2020

Given the ubiquity of mobile devices, understanding the context of human activity with non-intrusive solutions is of great value. A novel deep neural network model is proposed, which combines feature extraction and convolutional layers, able to recognize human physical activity in real-time from tri-axial accelerometer data when run on a mobile device. It uses a two-layer convolutional neural network to extract local features, which are combined with 40 statistical features and are fed to a fully-connected layer. It improves the classification performance, while it takes up 5–8 times less storage space and outputs more than double the throughput of the current state-of-the-art user-independent implementation on the Wireless Sensor Data Mining (WISDM) dataset. It achieves 94.18% classification accuracy on a 10-fold user-independent cross-validation of the WISDM dataset. The model is further tested on the Actitracker dataset, achieving 79.12% accuracy, while the size and throughput of the model are evaluated on a mobile device.
A New Constrained State Estimation Method Based on Unscented H∞ Filtering
Authors: Liu Yuanyuan , Fu Yaqiong , Lin Huipin , Liu Jingbiao , Gao Mingyu , He Zhiwei
Published: November 2020

The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is widely used in many fields. When the unscented Kalman filter is combined with the H∞ filter (HF), the obtained unscented H∞ filtering (UHF) is very suitable for state estimation of nonlinear non-Gaussian systems. However, the application of state estimation is often limited by physical laws and mathematical models on some occasions. The standard unscented H∞ filtering always performs poorly under this situation. To solve this problem, this paper improves the UHF algorithm based on state constraints and studies the UHF algorithm based on the projection method. The standard UHF sigma points that violate the state constraints are projected onto the constraint boundary. Firstly, the paper gives a broad overview of H∞ filtering and unscented H∞ filtering, then addresses the issue of how to add constraints using the UHF approach, and finally, the new method is tested and evaluated by the gas-phase reversible reaction and the State of Charge (SOC) estimation examples. Simulation results show the validity and feasibility of the state-constrained UHF algorithm.
Singularly Perturbed Cauchy Problem for a Parabolic Equation with a Rational “Simple” Turning Point
Authors: Ratnikova Tatiana
Published: November 2020

The aim of the research is to develop the regularization method. By Lomov’s regularization method, we constructed a uniform asymptotic solution of the singularly perturbed Cauchy problem for a parabolic equation in the case of violation of stability conditions of the limit-operator spectrum. The problem with a “simple” turning point is considered in the case, when the eigenvalue vanishes at t=0 and has the form tm/na(t). The asymptotic convergence of the regularized series is proved.
Determining Soil Microbial Communities and Their Influence on Ganoderma Disease Incidences in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) via High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Goh Yit Kheng , Zoqratt Muhammad Zarul Hanifah Md , Goh You Keng , Ayub Qasim , Ting Adeline Su Yien
Published: November 2020

Basal stem rot (BSR), caused by Ganoderma boninense, is the most devastating oil palm disease in South East Asia, costing US$500 million annually. Various soil physicochemical parameters have been associated with an increase in BSR incidences. However, very little attention has been directed to understanding the relationship between soil microbiome and BSR incidence in oil palm fields. The prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial diversities of two coastal soils, Blenheim soil (Typic Quartzipsamment—calcareous shell deposits, light texture) with low disease incidence (1.9%) and Bernam soil (Typic Endoaquept—non-acid sulfate) with high disease incidence (33.1%), were determined using the 16S (V3–V4 region) and 18S (V9 region) rRNA amplicon sequencing. Soil physicochemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, micronutrients, and soil physical parameters) were also analyzed for the two coastal soils. Results revealed that Blenheim soil comprises higher prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversities, accompanied by higher pH and calcium content. Blenheim soil was observed to have a higher relative abundance of bacterial taxa associated with disease suppression such as Calditrichaeota, Zixibacteria, GAL15, Omnitrophicaeota, Rokubacteria, AKYG587 (Planctomycetes), JdFR-76 (Calditrichaeota), and Rubrobacter (Actinobacteria). In contrast, Bernam soil had a higher proportion of other bacterial taxa, Chloroflexi and Acidothermus (Actinobacteria). Cercomonas (Cercozoa) and Calcarisporiella (Ascomycota) were eukaryotes that are abundant in Blenheim soil, while Uronema (Ciliophora) and mammals were present in higher abundance in Bernam soil. Some of the bacterial taxa have been reported previously in disease-suppressive and -conducive soils as potential disease-suppressive or disease-inducible bacteria. Furthermore, Cercomonas was reported previously as potential bacterivorous flagellates involved in the selection of highly toxic biocontrol bacteria, which might contribute to disease suppression indirectly. The results from this study may provide valuable information related to soil microbial community structures and their association with soil characteristics and soil susceptibility to Ganoderma.
Vaccination against β-Amyloid as a Strategy for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Mantile Francesca , Prisco Antonella
Published: November 2020

Vaccination relies on the phenomenon of immunity, a long-term change in the immunological response to subsequent encounters with the same pathogen that occurs after the recovery from some infectious diseases. However, vaccination is a strategy that can, in principle, be applied also to non-infectious diseases, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases, if an adaptive immune response can prevent the onset of the disease or modify its course. Immunization against β-amyloid has been explored as a vaccination strategy for Alzheimer’s disease for over 20 years. No vaccine has been licensed so far, and immunotherapy has come under considerable criticism following the negative results of several phase III clinical trials. In this narrative review, we illustrate the working hypothesis behind immunization against β-amyloid as a vaccination strategy for Alzheimer’s disease, and the outcome of the active immunization strategies that have been tested in humans. On the basis of the lessons learned from preclinical and clinical research, we discuss roadblocks and current perspectives in this challenging enterprise in translational immunology.
Is There Such a Thing as a Genuine Cancer Stem Cell Marker? Perspectives from the Gut, the Brain and the Dental Pulp
Authors: Olatz Crende , Patricia García-Gallastegui , Jon Luzuriaga , Iker Badiola , Carmen de la Hoz , Fernando Unda , Gaskon Ibarretxe , Ramon Pineda Jose
Published: November 2020

The conversion of healthy stem cells into cancer stem cells (CSCs) is believed to underlie tumor relapse after surgical removal and fuel tumor growth and invasiveness. CSCs often arise from the malignant transformation of resident multipotent stem cells, which are present in most human tissues. Some organs, such as the gut and the brain, can give rise to very aggressive types of cancers, contrary to the dental pulp, which is a tissue with a very remarkable resistance to oncogenesis. In this review, we focus on the similarities and differences between gut, brain and dental pulp stem cells and their related CSCs, placing a particular emphasis on both their shared and distinctive cell markers, including the expression of pluripotency core factors. We discuss some of their similarities and differences with regard to oncogenic signaling, telomerase activity and their intrinsic propensity to degenerate to CSCs. We also explore the characteristics of the events and mutations leading to malignant transformation in each case. Importantly, healthy dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) share a great deal of features with many of the so far reported CSC phenotypes found in malignant neoplasms. However, there exist literally no reports about the contribution of DPSCs to malignant tumors. This raises the question about the particularities of the dental pulp and what specific barriers to malignancy might be present in the case of this tissue. These notable differences warrant further research to decipher the singular properties of DPSCs that make them resistant to transformation, and to unravel new therapeutic targets to treat deadly tumors.
Analysis of Biological Screening Compounds with Single- or Multi-Target Activity via Diagnostic Machine Learning
Authors: Feldmann Christian , Yonchev Dimitar , Bajorath Jürgen
Published: November 2020

Predicting compounds with single- and multi-target activity and exploring origins of compound specificity and promiscuity is of high interest for chemical biology and drug discovery. We present a large-scale analysis of compound promiscuity including two major components. First, high-confidence datasets of compounds with multi- and corresponding single-target activity were extracted from biological screening data. Positive and negative assay results were taken into account and data completeness was ensured. Second, these datasets were investigated using diagnostic machine learning to systematically distinguish between compounds with multi- and single-target activity. Models built on the basis of chemical structure consistently produced meaningful predictions. These findings provided evidence for the presence of structural features differentiating promiscuous and non-promiscuous compounds. Machine learning under varying conditions using modified datasets revealed a strong influence of nearest neighbor relationship on the predictions. Many multi-target compounds were found to be more similar to other multi-target compounds than single-target compounds and vice versa, which resulted in consistently accurate predictions. The results of our study confirm the presence of structural relationships that differentiate promiscuous and non-promiscuous compounds.
1-(3-Tert-Butylphenyl)-2,2,2-Trifluoroethanone as a Potent Transition-State Analogue Slow-Binding Inhibitor of Human Acetylcholinesterase: Kinetic, MD and QM/MM Studies
Authors: Zueva Irina V. , Lushchekina Sofya V. , Pottie Ian R. , Darvesh Sultan , Masson Patrick
Published: November 2020

Kinetic studies and molecular modeling of human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition by a fluorinated acetophenone derivative, 1-(3-tert-butylphenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanone (TFK), were performed. Fast reversible inhibition of AChE by TFK is of competitive type with Ki = 5.15 nM. However, steady state of inhibition is reached slowly. Kinetic analysis showed that TFK is a slow-binding inhibitor (SBI) of type B with Ki* = 0.53 nM. Reversible binding of TFK provides a long residence time, τ = 20 min, on AChE. After binding, TFK acylates the active serine, forming an hemiketal. Then, disruption of hemiketal (deacylation) is slow. AChE recovers full activity in approximately 40 min. Molecular docking and MD simulations depicted the different steps. It was shown that TFK binds first to the peripheral anionic site. Then, subsequent slow induced-fit step enlarged the gorge, allowing tight adjustment into the catalytic active site. Modeling of interactions between TFK and AChE active site by QM/MM showed that the “isomerization” step of enzyme-inhibitor complex leads to a complex similar to substrate tetrahedral intermediate, a so-called “transition state analog”, followed by a labile covalent intermediate. SBIs of AChE show prolonged pharmacological efficacy. Thus, this fluoroalkylketone intended for neuroimaging, could be of interest in palliative therapy of Alzheimer’s disease and protection of central AChE against organophosphorus compounds.
Peptide Linker Affecting the Activity Retention Rate of VHH in Immunosorbents
Authors: Li Da , Ren Jun , Ji Fangling , Peng Qiang , Teng Hu , Jia Lingyun
Published: November 2020

VHH-based immunosorbents are an emerging and promising tool for the removal of toxic substances from plasma. However, the small size of VHHs is a double-edged sword, bringing both benefits and drawbacks to the immunosorbent. The small size of the VHH allows a higher coupling density, while the closer distance to the resin might create steric hindrance for paratope access. The latter could be avoided by inserting a linker between the VHH and the gel attachment site. Here, we report an approach to improve the activity retention of the immobilized VHH by selecting suitable linkers between the VHH and the site-specific immobilization site on the resin. Seven peptide linkers differing in length and flexibility were fused to the VHH and contained the formylglycine generating enzyme (FGE) recognition sequence. These constructs were expressed in the cytoplasm of bacteria and purified, the VHH production yield and affinity for its cognate antigen was measured. Furthermore, the fGly conversion, the immobilization of the aldehyde-containing nanobodies, the immobilization on resin and the antigen binding activity of the VHH-based immunoadsorbents was monitored. The VHH with longer and rigid, proline-rich linkers exhibited good expression yield of approximately 160 mg/L of culture, a fGly conversion of up to 100%, and the highest activity retention rate of more than 68%. This study unveiled two suitable linkers for the preparation of VHH-based immunosorbents that will assist the development of their clinical application.
Fluorescent Tagged Vaccinia Virus Genome Allows Rapid and Efficient Measurement of Oncolytic Potential and Discovery of Oncolytic Modulators
Authors: Gallardo Franck , Schmitt Doris , Brandely Renée , Brua Catherine , Silvestre Nathalie , Findeli Annie , Foloppe Johann , Top Sokunthea , Kappler-Gratias Sandrine , Quentin-Froignant Charlotte , Morin Renaud , Lagarde Jean-Michel , Bystricky Kerstin , Bertagnoli Stéphane , Erbs Philippe
Published: November 2020

As a live biologic agent, oncolytic vaccinia virus has the ability to target and selectively amplify at tumor sites. We have previously reported that deletion of thymidine kinase and ribonucleotide reductase genes in vaccinia virus can increase the safety and efficacy of the virus. Here, to allow direct visualization of the viral genome in living cells, we incorporated the ANCH target sequence and the OR3-Santaka gene in the double-deleted vaccinia virus. Infection of human tumor cells with ANCHOR3-tagged vaccinia virus enables visualization and quantification of viral genome dynamics in living cells. The results show that the ANCHOR technology permits the measurement of the oncolytic potential of the double deleted vaccinia virus. Quantitative analysis of infection kinetics and of viral DNA replication allow rapid and efficient identification of inhibitors and activators of oncolytic activity. Our results highlight the potential application of the ANCHOR technology to track vaccinia virus and virtually any kind of poxvirus in living cells.
Chronic Treatment with a Phytosomal Preparation Containing Centella asiatica L. and Curcuma longa L. Affects Local Protein Synthesis by Modulating the BDNF-mTOR-S6 Pathway
Authors: Sbrini Giulia , Brivio Paola , Sangiovanni Enrico , Fumagalli Marco , Racagni Giorgio , Dell’Agli Mario , Calabrese Francesca
Published: November 2020

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) is the most diffuse neurotrophin in the central nervous system and it is crucial for the proper brain development and maintenance. Indeed, through the binding to its high affinity receptor TRKB and the activation of different intracellular cascades, it boosts cell survival, neurite growth and spine maturations mechanisms. Here, we evaluated if the chronic oral treatment for 10 days with a phytosomal preparation containing Centella asiatica L. and Curcuma longa L. could improve Bdnf levels in the prefrontal cortex of adult rats. Interestingly we found an increased expression of Bdnf with main effect of the treatment on the mTOR-S6 downstream signaling pathway. Accordingly, we found an increase in the expression of eukaryotic elongation factor (eEF2) with a shift towards the phosphorylated form thus increasing the transcription of Oligophrenin-1, a protein carrying the upstream Open Reading Frame (uORF) which reduction is paralleled by memory dysfunctions. These results show the ability of the phytosome to enhance mTOR-S6 regulated transcription and suggest the possibility to use this preparation in subjects with impairments in neuroplastic mechanisms, memory and cognitive abilities.
MicroRNA Modulation by Dietary Supplements in Obesity
Authors: Filardi Tiziana , Sabato Claudia , Lubrano Carla , Santangelo Carmela , Morano Susanna , Lenzi Andrea , Migliaccio Silvia , Ferretti Elisabetta , Catanzaro Giuseppina
Published: November 2020

The prevalence of obesity has dramatically increased over the last decades. Weight loss obtained through diet and exercise leads to a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality. Recently, there has been growing interest in the possible beneficial effects of dietary supplements (DSs), including polyphenols, fatty acids, and other plant-derived substances, as adjuvants in the management of obesity and metabolic diseases. Specifically, polyphenols, widely spread in vegetables and fruits, significantly modulate adipose tissue activities, contrasting inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity in preclinical and clinical studies. Remarkably, polyphenols are involved in complex microRNA networks, which play crucial roles in metabolic processes. The administration of different polyphenols and other plant-derived compounds led to significant changes in the microRNA expression profile in peripheral tissues in a growing number of preclinical studies. In particular, these compounds were able to revert obesity-induced microRNA dysregulation, leading to the inhibition of adipogenesis and the induction of weight loss. Furthermore, through microRNA modulation, they attenuated key metabolic alterations, including insulin resistance and lipid anomalies, in animal models of obesity. Some of them were also able to reduce proinflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence about the effect of plant-derived DSs on microRNA expression in obesity.
Waveguide-Based Fluorescent Immunosensor for the Simultaneous Detection of Carbofuran and 3-Hydroxy-Carbofuran
Authors: Sun Weiming , Liu Lanhua , Memon Abdul Ghaffar , Zhou Xiaohong , Zhao Hongwei
Published: November 2020

Carbofuran (CBF) is an efficient and broad-spectrum insecticide. As testing indicators for water quality and agricultural products, CBF and its metabolite 3-hydroxy-carbofuran (3-OH-CBF) are regulated by many countries. The detection of CBF and 3-OH-CBF is of great importance for the environment and human health. However, an immunosensor detection method for the simultaneous analysis of CBF and 3-OH-CBF remains unavailable. Herein, we report a waveguide-based fluorescent immunosensor for detecting CBF and 3-OH-CBF, synchronously. The immunosensor is based on a broad-spectrum monoclonal antibody with high binding affinity against CBF and 3-OH-CBF. The linear detection ranges for CBF and 3-OH-CBF are 0.29–2.69 and 0.12–4.59 μg/L, with limits of detection of 0.13 μg/L for CBF and 0.06 μg/L for 3-OH-CBF, respectively. The whole detection process for each cycle is approximately 30 min. The results show a good application prospect for the rapid detection of CBF and 3-OH-CBF in water or agricultural products.
Does Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Influence Episodic Memory through Unique Mechanisms?
Authors: Loprinzi Paul D. , Moore Damien , Loenneke Jeremy P.
Published: November 2020

Aerobic and resistance exercise (acute and chronic) independently and collectively induce beneficial responses in the brain that may influence memory function, including an increase in cerebral blood flow, neurogenesis, neuroelectrical alterations, and protein production. However, whether aerobic and resistance exercise improve memory via similar or distinct mechanisms has yet to be fully explained. Here, we review the unique influence of aerobic and resistance exercise on neural modulation, proteins, receptors, and ultimately, episodic memory. Resistance training may optimize neural communication, information processing and memory encoding by affecting the allocation of attentional resources. Moreover, resistance exercise can reduce inflammatory markers associated with neural communication while increasing peripheral and central BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) production. Aerobic training increases hippocampal levels of BDNF and TrkB (Tropomyosin receptor kinase B), protein kinases and glutamatergic proteins. Likewise, both aerobic and anaerobic exercise can increase CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) phosphorylation. Thus, we suggest that aerobic and resistance exercise may influence episodic memory via similar and, potentially, distinct mechanisms.
Prognosis after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Influence of Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Marinkovic Ivan , Isokuortti Harri , Huovinen Antti , Trpeska Marinkovic Daniela , Mäki Kaisa , Nybo Taina , Korvenoja Antti , Rahul Raj , Vataja Risto , Melkas Susanna
Published: November 2020

Background: We evaluated the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) patients and investigated psychiatric comorbidity in relation to subjective symptoms and return to work (RTW). Methods: We recruited 103 MTBI patients (mean age 40.8 years, SD 3.1) prospectively from University Hospital. The patients were followed up for one year. The Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire (RPQ) and Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) were administered one month after MTBI. Three months after MTBI, any psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Results: Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed in 26 patients (25.2%). The most common disorders were previous/current depression. At three months, there was no difference between patients with psychiatric disorders versus those without them in RTW (95.7% vs. 87.3%, p = 0.260) or at least in part-time work (100% vs. 94.4%, p = 0.245). In Kaplan–Meier analysis, the median time to RTW was 10 days for both groups. The median RPQ score was 13.0 (Interquartile range (IQR) 6.5–19.0) in patients with a psychiatric disorder compared to 8.5 (IQR 2.3–14.0) in those without one (p = 0.021); respectively, the median GOSE was 7.0 (IQR 7.0–8.0) compared to 8.0 (IQR 7.0–8.0, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Approximately every fourth patient with MTBI had a psychiatric disorder. These patients reported more symptoms, and their functional outcome measured with GOSE at one month after MTBI was worse. However, presence of any psychiatric disorder did not affect RTW. Early contact and adequate follow-up are important when supporting the patient’s return to work.
Bioenergetic Profiling of the Differentiating Human MDS Myeloid Lineage with Low and High Bone Marrow Blast Counts
Authors: Poulaki Aikaterini , Katsila Theodora , Stergiou Ioanna E. , Giannouli Stavroula , Gόmez-Tamayo Jose Carlos , Piperaki Evangelia-Theophano , Kambas Konstantinos , Dimitrakopoulou Aglaia , Patrinos George P. , Tzioufas Athanasios G. , Voulgarelis Michael
Published: November 2020

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) encompass a very heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell differentiation disorders with malignant potential and an elusive pathobiology. Given the central role of metabolism in effective differentiation, we performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis of differentiating myeloid lineage cells from MDS bone marrow aspirates that exhibited <5% (G1) or ≥5% (G2) blasts, in order to delineate its role in MDS severity and malignant potential. Bone marrow aspirates were collected from 14 previously untreated MDS patients (G1, n = 10 and G2, n = 4) and age matched controls (n = 5). Following myeloid lineage cell isolation, untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics analysis was performed. Data were processed and analyzed using Metabokit. Enrichment analysis was performed using Metaboanalyst v4 employing pathway-associated metabolite sets. We established a bioenergetic profile coordinated by the Warburg phenomenon in both groups, but with a massively different outcome that mainly depended upon its group mitochondrial function and redox state. G1 cells are overwhelmed by glycolytic intermediate accumulation due to failing mitochondria, while the functional electron transport chain and improved redox in G2 compensate for Warburg disruption. Both metabolomes reveal the production and abundance of epigenetic modifiers. G1 and G2 metabolomes differ and eventually determine the MDS clinical phenotype, as well as the potential for malignant transformation.
The Tumor Microenvironment—A Metabolic Obstacle to NK Cells’ Activity
Authors: Domagala Joanna , Lachota Mieszko , Klopotowska Marta , Graczyk-Jarzynka Agnieszka , Domagala Antoni , Zhylko Andriy , Soroczynska Karolina , Winiarska Magdalena
Published: November 2020

NK cells have unique capabilities of recognition and destruction of tumor cells, without the requirement for prior immunization of the host. Maintaining tolerance to healthy cells makes them an attractive therapeutic tool for almost all types of cancer. Unfortunately, metabolic changes associated with malignant transformation and tumor progression lead to immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, which in turn limits the efficacy of various immunotherapies. In this review, we provide a brief description of the metabolic changes characteristic for the tumor microenvironment. Both tumor and tumor-associated cells produce and secrete factors that directly or indirectly prevent NK cell cytotoxicity. Here, we depict the molecular mechanisms responsible for the inhibition of immune effector cells by metabolic factors. Finally, we summarize the strategies to enhance NK cell function for the treatment of tumors.
Understanding Inflammasomes and PD-1/PD-L1 Crosstalk to Improve Cancer Treatment Efficiency
Authors: Perrichet Anaïs , Ghiringhelli François , Rébé Cédric
Published: November 2020

Inflammasomes and immune checkpoints have been shown to participate in carcinogenesis, cancer growth and response to treatment. Thus, targeting cytokines resulting from inflammasome activation, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, has emerged as a new tool in the therapeutic arsenal. Moreover, the use of checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 has revolutionized the treatment of some cancer patients. However, inflammasome activation and consecutive cytokine release only occurs in some chemotherapeutic treatments and immune checkpoint inhibitors only work for a restricted number of patients, thus limiting the use of therapies targeting these pathways. Expanding knowledge about the inefficiency of these therapies recently brought forward the hypothesis of targeting both pathways. In this review, we provide an overview of the crosstalk between inflammasomes and programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) that might explain how these two pathways are mutually dependent, and perhaps why targeting only one of them leads to inefficiency of cancer treatment in some patients.
Cnidarian Cell Cryopreservation: A Powerful Tool for Cultivation and Functional Assays
Authors: Fricano Clara , Röttinger Eric , Furla Paola , Barnay-Verdier Stéphanie
Published: November 2020

Cnidarian primary cell cultures have a strong potential to become a universal tool to assess stress-response mechanisms at the cellular level. However, primary cell cultures are time-consuming regarding their establishment and maintenance. Cryopreservation is a commonly used approach to provide stable cell stocks for experiments, but it is yet to be established for Cnidarian cell cultures. The aim of this study was therefore to design a cryopreservation protocol for primary cell cultures of the Cnidarian Anemonia viridis, using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cryoprotectant, enriched or not with fetal bovine serum (FBS). We determined that DMSO 5% with 25% FBS was an efficient cryosolution, resulting in 70% of post-thaw cell survival. The success of this protocol was first confirmed by a constant post-thaw survival independently of the cell culture age (up to 45 days old) and the storage period (up to 87 days). Finally, cryopreserved cells displayed a long-term recovery with a maintenance of the primary cell culture parameters and cellular functions: formation of cell aggregates, high viability and constant cell growth, and unchanged intrinsic resistance to hyperthermal stress. These results will further bring new opportunities for the scientific community interested in molecular, cellular, and biochemical aspects of cnidarian biology.
Reference Values of Thrombolastometry Parameters in Healthy Term Neonates
Authors: Theodoraki Martha , Sokou Rozeta , Valsami Serena , Iliodromiti Zoi , Pouliakis Abraham , Parastatidou Stavroula , Karavana Georgia , Ioakeimidis Georgios , Georgiadou Petroula , Iacovidou Nicoletta , Boutsikou Theodora
Published: November 2020

Background: Thromboelastometry (ROTEM), as a point of care test, is an attractive tool for rapid evaluation of hemostasis. Currently, no reference ranges exist for all ROTEM assays in neonates, limiting its use in this vulnerable population. The aim of the present study was: (1) to establish reference ranges for standard extrinsically activated (EXTEM), intrinsically activated (INTEM), and fibrinogen polymerization (FIBTEM) ROTEM assays in whole blood samples of healthy term neonates; (2) to determine the impact of gender, delivery mode, and hematocrit on ROTEM parameters. Methods: EXTEM, INTEM, and FIBTEM ROTEM assays were performed simultaneously with complete blood count in 215 healthy term neonates. Results: Reference ranges (2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) were obtained for clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT), α-angle, clot firmness at 10 min (A10), maximum clot firmness (MCF), and lysis index at 60 min (LI60, %). Reference ranges for EXTEM were CT 38–78 s, CFT 49–148 s, A10 40–65 mm, and MCF 47–69 mm, LI60 83–98%. For INTEM, CT 134–270 s, CFT 50–142 s, A10 41–63 mm, and MCF 48–67 mm, LI60 85–97%, and finally, for FIBTEM: CT 36–85 s, A10 9–25 mm and MCF 10–26 mm, LI60 92–100%. Hematocrit values were positively correlated with CT, CFT and negatively with A10, MCF values. Conclusion: This study provides, for the first time, reference ranges for ROTEM EXTEM/INTEM/FIBTEM values simultaneously in healthy term neonates. The combined evaluation of ROTEM tests increases its diagnostic accuracy, contributing to the expansion of ROTEM use in the neonatal population.
Climate Change Risk Assessment for Kurunegala, Sri Lanka: Water and Heat Waves
Authors: Cho Hanna
Published: November 2020

Sri Lanka is experiencing various social and environmental challenges, including drought, storms, floods, and landslides, due to climate change. One of Sri Lanka’s biggest cities, Kurunegala, is a densely populated city that is gradually turning into an economic revitalization area. This fast-growing city needs to establish an integrated urban plan that takes into account the risks of climate change. Thus, a climate change risk assessment was conducted for both the water and heat wave risks via discussions with key stakeholders. The risk assessment was conducted as a survey based on expert assessment of local conditions, with awareness surveys taken by residents, especially women. The assessment determined that the lack of drinking water was the biggest issue, a problem that has become more serious due to recent droughts caused by climate change and insufficient water management. In addition, the outbreak of diseases caused by heat waves was identified as a serious concern. Risk assessment is integral to developing an action plan for minimizing the damage from climate change. It is necessary to support education and awareness in developing countries so that they can perform risk assessment well and develop both problem-solving and policy-making abilities to adapt to a changing climate.
Piezoelectric Hybrid Heterostructures PVDF/(Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3 Obtained by Laser Techniques
Authors: Enea Nicoleta , Ion Valentin , Moldovan Antoniu , Bonciu Anca , Scarisoreanu Nicu Doinel
Published: November 2020

In this paper we report the development of thin films composed of two piezoelectric materials, namely (Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3-x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BCTZ) and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), thus obtaining high piezoelectric hybrid heterostructures for making them a viable option for wearable pressure sensors. The piezoelectric output response as a function of different weight percentage of BCTZ ceramic powders (x = 0.50 BCTZ50 and x = 0.55 BCTZ55) in the PVDF matrix was investigated. The highest value of the piezoelectric coefficient d33 and the capacitance, with low dielectric loss was obtained for the heterostructure composed of PVDF/BCTZ50.
Understanding the Influence of High Velocity Thermal Spray Techniques on the Properties of Different Anti-Wear WC-Based Coatings
Authors: Garfias Bulnes Andrea , Albaladejo Fuentes Vicente , Garcia Cano Irene , Dosta Sergi
Published: November 2020

This work analyzes the differences found in hard metal coatings produced by two high velocity thermal spray techniques, namely high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and high velocity air-fuel (HVAF). Additionally, the effect of the metallic matrix and ceramic composition and the original carbide grain size on coating properties is compared to the most studied standard reference material sprayed by HVOF, WC-Co. For this evaluation, the physical properties of the coatings, including feedstock characteristics, porosity, thickness, roughness, hardness, and phase composition were investigated. Several characterization methods were used for this purpose: optical microscopy (OM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), among others. The final performance (abrasive wear and corrosion resistance) shown by the coatings obtained by these two methodologies was also analyzed. Thus, the abrasive wear resistance was analyzed by the rubber-wheel test, while the corrosion resistance was characterized with electrochemical methods. The characterization results obtained clearly showed that the coatings exhibit different microstructures according to feedstock powder characteristics (carbide grain size and/or composition) and the thermal spray process used for its deposition. Thus, the incorporation of WB to the cermet composition led to a high hardness coating, and the complementary hardness and toughness of the WC-Co coatings justify its better abrasion resistance. The presence of Ni on the metal matrix increases the free corrosion potential of the coating to more noble region. However, the WC-Co coatings show a lower corrosion rate and hence a higher protective performance than the rest of the coatings.
Study on Process Optimization of Sprayable Powders and Deposition Performance of Amorphous Al2O3–YAG Coatings
Authors: Zhang Zheyi , Yang Kai , Rong Jian , Zhuang Yin , Ai Yizhaotong , Zhong Xinghua , Sheng Jing , Yang Haifeng , Ding Chuanxian
Published: November 2020

In this study, the process optimization of sprayed powders and deposition performance for amorphous Al2O3–Y3Al5O12 (YAG) coatings was investigated. The solid-state reaction mechanism of the nano-sized Al2O3 and Y2O3 powders with eutectic molar ratio was studied by multiple step-by-step heating cycle calcination processes. The calcination process could be adjusted according the dominant control factors like chemical reaction rate or ion diffusion rate. Finally, the actual deposition performance of the calcined powders (Al2O3/YAG) was examined by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). XRD, SEM and DTA were used to characterize the powders and the as-sprayed coatings. The results showed that the reaction of Al2O3–Y2O3 system is a high temperature solid reaction dominated by Al3+ diffusion, the initial reaction process was usually belong to chemical kinetic range, then the reaction will be transformed from chemical kinetic range to diffusion dynamic range with the temperature increasing. The process optimization of powders was very effective, and the deposition effect of coating was effective.