bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
UVA Radiation Enhances Lomefloxacin-Mediated Cytotoxic, Growth-Inhibitory and Pro-Apoptotic Effect in Human Melanoma Cells through Excessive Reactive Oxygen Species Generation
Authors: Beberok Artur , Rzepka Zuzanna , Rok Jakub , Banach Klaudia , Wrześniok Dorota
Published: November 2020

Melanoma, the most dangerous type of cutaneous neoplasia, contributes to about 75% of all skin cancer-related deaths. Thus, searching for new melanoma treatment options is an important field of study. The current study was designed to assess whether the condition of mild and low-dose UVA radiation augments the lomefloxacin-mediated cytotoxic, growth-inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effect of the drug in melanoma cancer cells through excessive oxidative stress generation. C32 amelanotic and COLO829 melanotic (BRAF-mutant) melanoma cell lines were used as an experimental model system. The combined exposure of cells to both lomefloxacin and UVA irradiation caused higher alterations of redox signalling pathways, as shown by intracellular reactive oxygen species overproduction and endogenous glutathione depletion when compared to non-irradiated but lomefloxacin-treated melanoma cells. The obtained results also showed that lomefloxacin decreased both C32 and COLO829 cells’ viability in a concentration-dependent manner. This effect significantly intensified when melanoma cells were exposed to UVA irradiation and the drug. For melanoma cells exposed to lomefloxacin or lomefloxacin co-treatment with UVA irradiation, the concentrations of the drug that decreased the cells’ viability by 50% (EC50) were found to be 0.97, 0.17, 1.01, 0.18 mM, respectively. Moreover, we found that the redox imbalance, mitochondrial membrane potential breakdown, induction of DNA fragmentation, and changes in the melanoma cells’ cell cycle distribution (including G2/M, S as well as Sub-G1-phase blockade) were lomefloxacin in a dose-dependent manner and were significantly augmented by UVA radiation. This is the first experimental work that assesses the impact of excessive reactive oxygen species generation upon UVA radiation exposure on lomefloxacin-mediated cytotoxic, growth-inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effects towards human melanoma cells, indicating the possibility of the usage of this drug in the photochemotherapy of malignant melanoma as an innovative medical treatment option which could improve the effectiveness of therapy. The obtained results also revealed that the redox imbalance intensification mediated by the phototoxic potential of fluoroquinolones may be considered as a more efficient treatment model of malignant melanoma and may constitute the basis for the development of new compounds with a high ability to excessive oxidative stress generation upon UVA radiation in cancer cells.
Inhibition of HDAC Enzymes Contributes to Differential Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Proteins in the TLR-4 Signaling Cascade
Authors: Weiss Ulrike , Möller Moritz , Husseini Sayed Adham , Manderscheid Christine , Häusler Julia , Geisslinger Gerd , Niederberger Ellen
Published: November 2020

Class I and II histone deacetylases (HDAC) are considered important regulators of immunity and inflammation. Modulation of HDAC expression and activity is associated with altered inflammatory responses but reports are controversial and the specific impact of single HDACs is not clear. We examined class I and II HDACs in TLR-4 signaling pathways in murine macrophages with a focus on IκB kinase epsilon (IKKε) which has not been investigated in this context before. Therefore, we applied the pan-HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) trichostatin A (TSA) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) as well as HDAC-specific siRNA. Administration of HDACi reduced HDAC activity and decreased expression of IKKε although its acetylation was increased. Other pro-inflammatory genes (IL-1β, iNOS, TNFα) also decreased while COX-2 expression increased. HDAC 2, 3 and 4, respectively, might be involved in IKKε and iNOS downregulation with potential participation of NF-κB transcription factor inhibition. Suppression of HDAC 1–3, activation of NF-κB and RNA stabilization mechanisms might contribute to increased COX-2 expression. In conclusion, our results indicate that TSA and SAHA exert a number of histone- and HDAC-independent functions. Furthermore, the data show that different HDAC enzymes fulfill different functions in macrophages and might lead to both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects which have to be considered in therapeutic approaches.
Thyroid Hormone Signaling in Embryonic Stem Cells: Crosstalk with the Retinoic Acid Pathway
Authors: Fernández Mercedes , Pannella Micaela , Baldassarro Vito Antonio , Flagelli Alessandra , Alastra Giuseppe , Giardino Luciana , Calzà Laura
Published: November 2020

While the role of thyroid hormones (THs) during fetal and postnatal life is well-established, their role at preimplantation and during blastocyst development remains unclear. In this study, we used an embryonic stem cell line isolated from rat (RESC) to study the effects of THs and retinoic acid (RA) on early embryonic development during the pre-implantation stage. The results showed that THs play an important role in the differentiation/maturation processes of cells obtained from embryoid bodies (EB), with thyroid hormone nuclear receptors (TR) (TRα and TRβ), metabolic enzymes (deiodinases 1, 2, 3) and membrane transporters (Monocarboxylate transporters -MCT- 8 and 10) being expressed throughout in vitro differentiation until the Embryoid body (EB) stage. Moreover, thyroid hormone receptor antagonist TR (1-850) impaired RA-induced neuroectodermal lineage specification. This effect was significantly higher when cells were treated with retinoic acid (RA) to induce neuroectodermal lineage, studied through the gene and protein expression of nestin, an undifferentiated progenitor marker from the neuroectoderm lineage, as established by nestin mRNA and protein regulation. These results demonstrate the contribution of the two nuclear receptors, TR and RA, to the process of neuroectoderm maturation of the in vitro model embryonic stem cells obtained from rat.
Knocking down USP39 Inhibits the Growth and Metastasis of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells through Activating the p53 Pathway
Authors: Yuan Jiahui , Zhang Gongye , Li Xiaomei , Ma Qiujuan , Cheng Weipeng , Wang Weiwei , Zhang Bing , Hu Tianhui , Song Gang
Published: November 2020

Ubiquitin-specific protease 39 (USP39), a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme family, has been reported to participate in cytokinesis and metastasis. Previous studies determined that USP39 functions as an oncogenic factor in various types of cancer. Here, we reported that USP39 is frequently overexpressed in human lung cancer tissues and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. USP39 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of A549 and HCC827 cells and decreased tumorigenic potential in nude mice. Specifically, knocking down USP39 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G2/M and subsequent apoptosis through the activation of the p53 pathway, including upregulation of p21, cleaved-cas3, cleaved-cas9 and downregulation of CDC2 and CycinB1. Moreover, USP39 knockdown significantly inhibited migration and invasion of A549 and HCC827 cells, also via activation of the p53 pathway, and downregulation of MMP2 and MMP9. Importantly, we verified these results in metastasis models in vivo. Collectively, these results not only establish that USP39 functions as an oncogene in lung cancer, but reveal that USP39 has an essential role in regulating cell proliferation and metastasis via activation of the p53 pathway.
Exploring the Interaction between the SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complex and the Zinc Finger Factor CTCF
Authors: Valletta Mariangela , Russo Rosita , Baglivo Ilaria , Russo Veronica , Ragucci Sara , Sandomenico Annamaria , Iaccarino Emanuela , Ruvo Menotti , De Feis Italia , Angelini Claudia , Iachettini Sara , Biroccio Annamaria , Pedone Paolo Vincenzo , Chambery Angela
Published: November 2020

The transcription factor CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) modulates pleiotropic functions mostly related to gene expression regulation. The role of CTCF in large scale genome organization is also well established. A unifying model to explain relationships among many CTCF-mediated activities involves direct or indirect interactions with numerous protein cofactors recruited to specific binding sites. The co-association of CTCF with other architectural proteins such as cohesin, chromodomain helicases, and BRG1, further supports the interplay between master regulators of mammalian genome folding. Here, we report a comprehensive LC-MS/MS mapping of the components of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex co-associated with CTCF including subunits belonging to the core, signature, and ATPase modules. We further show that the localization patterns of representative SWI/SNF members significantly overlap with CTCF sites on transcriptionally active chromatin regions. Moreover, we provide evidence of a direct binding of the BRK-BRG1 domain to the zinc finger motifs 4–8 of CTCF, thus, suggesting that these domains mediate the interaction of CTCF with the SWI/SNF complex. These findings provide an updated view of the cooperative nature between CTCF and the SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes, an important step for understanding how these architectural proteins collaborate to shape the genome.
Plant Volatile Organic Compounds Evolution: Transcriptional Regulation, Epigenetics and Polyploidy
Authors: Picazo-Aragonés Jesús , Terrab Anass , Balao Francisco
Published: November 2020

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted by plants as a consequence of their interaction with biotic and abiotic factors, and have a very important role in plant evolution. Floral VOCs are often involved in defense and pollinator attraction. These interactions often change rapidly over time, so a quick response to those changes is required. Epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, which regulate both genes and transcription factors, might trigger adaptive responses to these evolutionary pressures as well as regulating the rhythmic emission of VOCs through circadian clock regulation. In addition, transgenerational epigenetic effects and whole genome polyploidy could modify the generation of VOCs’ profiles of offspring, contributing to long-term evolutionary shifts. In this article, we review the available knowledge about the mechanisms that may act as epigenetic regulators of the main VOC biosynthetic pathways, and their importance in plant evolution.
The Role of Native T1 Mapping in the Diagnosis of Myocarditis in a Real-World Setting
Authors: Kersten Johannes , Heck Tobias , Tuchek Laura , Rottbauer Wolfgang , Buckert Dominik
Published: November 2020

Background: This prospective single-center study sought to investigate the impact of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) on the diagnosis of myocarditis, with special attention given to absolute T1 values and defined cutoff values. Methods: All patients referred to our center with the suspicion of an inflammatory myocardial disease were diagnosed by a consensus expert consortium blinded to CMR findings. Classical Lake Louise criteria were then used to confirm or change the diagnosis. Results: Of a total of 149 patients, 15 were diagnosed with acute myocarditis without taking CMR findings into account. Acute myocarditis was excluded in 91 patients, whereas 42 cases were unclear. Using classical Lake Louise criteria, an additional 35 clear diagnoses were made, either confirming or excluding myocarditis. In the remaining patients, there was no further increase in definitive diagnoses using T1 measurements. The diagnostic performance of T1 mapping in distinguishing acute myocarditis patients from healthy controls was good (area under the curve (AUC) 0.835, cutoff value 1019 ms, sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 72.4%). In the group of patients with suspected and then excluded myocarditis, the cutoff value had a false-positive rate of 56.6%. Conclusions: Acute myocarditis should be diagnosed on the basis of clinical and imaging factors, whereas T1 mapping could be helpful, especially for excluding acute myocarditis.
Sex-Dependent Aggregation of Tinnitus in Swedish Families
Authors: Trpchevska Natalia , Bulla Jan , Prada Hellberg Matilda , Edvall Niklas , Lazar Andra , Mehraei Golbarg , Uhlen Inger , Schlee Winfried , Canlon Barbara , Gallus Silvano , Lopez-Escamez Jose , Cederroth Christopher
Published: November 2020

Twin and adoption studies point towards a genetic contribution to tinnitus; however, how the genetic risk applies to different forms of tinnitus is poorly understood. Here, we perform a familial aggregation study and determine the relative recurrence risk for tinnitus in siblings (λs). Four different Swedish studies (N = 186,598) were used to estimate the prevalence of self-reported bilateral, unilateral, constant, and severe tinnitus in the general population and we defined whether these 4 different forms of tinnitus segregate in families from the Swedish Tinnitus Outreach Project (STOP, N = 2305). We implemented a percentile bootstrap approach to provide accurate estimates and confidence intervals for λs. We reveal a significant λs for all types of tinnitus, the highest found being 7.27 (95% CI (5.56–9.07)) for severe tinnitus, with a higher susceptibility in women (10.25; 95% CI (7.14–13.61)) than in men (5.03; 95% CI (3.22–7.01)), suggesting that severity may be the most genetically influenced trait in tinnitus in a sex-dependent manner. Our findings strongly support the notion that genetic factors impact on the development of tinnitus, more so for severe tinnitus. These findings highlight the importance of considering tinnitus severity and sex in the design of large genetic studies to optimize diagnostic approaches and ultimately improve therapeutic interventions.
Influence of Different Strain Hardening Models on the Behavior of Materials in the Elastic–Plastic Regime under Cyclic Loading
Authors: Sivák Peter , Frankovský Peter , Delyová Ingrid , Bocko Jozef , Kostka Ján , Schürger Barbara
Published: November 2020

In exact analyses of bodies in the elastic–plastic regime, the behavior of the material above critical stress values plays a key role. In addition, under cyclic stress, important phenomena to be taken into account are the various types of hardening and the design of the material or structure. In this process, it is important to define several groups of characteristics. These include, for instance, the initial area of plasticity or load which defines the interface between elastic and plastic deformation area. The characteristics also include the relevant law of plastic deformation which specifies the velocity direction of plastic deformation during plastic deformation. In the hardening condition, it is also important to determine the position, size and shape of the subsequent loading area. The elasto-plastic theory was used for the analysis of special compliant mechanisms that are applied for positioning of extremely precise members of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC), e.g., cryomagnets, laser equipment, etc. Different types of deformation hardening were used to simulate the behavior of particular structural elements in the elastic–plastic regime. Obtained values of stresses and deformations may be used in further practical applications or as default values in other strain hardening model simulations.
The Effect of Predeformation on Creep Strength of 9% Cr Steel
Authors: Král Petr , Dvořák Jiří , Blum Wolfgang , Sklenička Václav , Horita Zenji , Takizawa Yoichi , Tang Yongpeng , Kunčická Lenka , Kocich Radim , Kvapilová Marie , Svobodová Marie
Published: November 2020

Martensitic creep-resistant P92 steel was deformed by different methods of severe plastic deformation such as rotation swaging, high-pressure sliding, and high-pressure torsion at room temperature. These methods imposed significantly different equivalent plastic strains of about 1–30. It was found that rotation swaging led to formation of heterogeneous microstructures with elongated grains where low-angle grain boundaries predominated. Other methods led to formation of ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructures with high frequency of high-angle grain boundaries. Constant load tensile creep tests at 873 K and initial stresses in the range of 50 to 300 MPa revealed that the specimens processed by rotation swaging exhibited one order of magnitude lower minimum creep rate compared to standard P92 steel. By contrast, UFG P92 steel is significantly softer than standard P92 steel, but differences in their strengths decrease with increasing stress. Microstructural results suggest that creep behavior of P92 steel processed by severe plastic deformation is influenced by the frequency of high-angle grain boundaries and grain coarsening during creep.
Effect of Solvothermal Reaction-Time on Microstructure and Microwave Absorption Properties of Cobalt Ferrite
Authors: Yuan Yue , Wei Shicheng , Liang Yi , Wang Bo , Wang Yujiang
Published: November 2020

Cobalt ferrite is synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. Then, the effect of the degree of cobalt-ferrite growth on its morphology, structure, electromagnetic performance, and microwave absorption is studied as a function of the solvothermal reaction time. When the reaction time during synthesis is 8 h, the structure of cobalt ferrite is hollow spheres. In addition, when the reaction time is 12 h and 16 h, it becomes a submicron sphere with a diameter of 100–150 nm. With the increase of reaction time, cobalt ferrite underwent the process of cobalt ferrite formation, hollow structure formation, hollow structure disappearance, agglomeration separation and reagglomeration in 4–16 h. In general, CoFe2O4-8h shows better microwave absorption-the effective absorption bandwidth is 9.84 GHz (6–15.84 GHz) for a thickness of 1.72–3.72 mm. This represents a minimum return loss of −47.24 dB. A better understanding of both the synthesis parameters and the relationship between structure and electromagnetic properties can open new possibilities for applications and the development of microwave absorbing materials.
Microstructural Assessment of a Multiple-Intermetallic-Strengthened Aluminum Alloy Produced from Gas-Atomized Powder by Hot Extrusion and Friction Extrusion
Authors: Wang Tianhao , Gwalani Bharat , Silverstein Joshua , Darsell Jens , Jana Saumyadeep , Roosendaal Timothy , Ortiz Angel , Daye Wayne , Pelletiers Tom , Whalen Scott
Published: November 2020

An aluminum (Al) matrix with various transition metal (TM) additions is an effective alloying approach for developing high-specific-strength materials for use at elevated temperatures. Conventional fabrication processes such as casting or fusion-related methods are not capable of producing Al–TM alloys in bulk form. Solid phase processing techniques, such as extrusion, have been shown to maintain the microstructure of Al–TM alloys. In this study, extrusions are fabricated from gas-atomized aluminum powders (≈100–400 µm) that contain 12.4 wt % TM additives and an Al-based matrix reinforced by various Al–Fe–Cr–Ti intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Two different extrusion techniques, conventional hot extrusion and friction extrusion, are compared using fabricating rods. During extrusion, the strengthening IMC phases were extensively refined as a result of severe plastic deformation. Furthermore, the quasicrystal approximant IMC phase (70.4 wt % Al, 20.4 wt % Fe, 8.7 wt % Cr, 0.6 wt % Ti) observed in the powder precursor is replaced by new IMC phases such as Al3.2Fe and Al45Cr7-type IMCs. The Al3Ti-type IMC phase is partially dissolved into the Al matrix during extrusion. The combination of linear and rotational shear in the friction extrusion process caused severe deformation in the powders, which allowed for a higher extrusion ratio, eliminated linear voids, and resulted in higher ductility while maintaining strength comparable to that resulting from hot extrusion. Results from equilibrium thermodynamic calculations show that the strengthening IMC phases are stable at elevated temperatures (up to ≈ 600 °C), thus enhancing the high-temperature strength of the extrudates.
Interface Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ultrasonic-Assisted Friction Stir Lap Welded 7075-T6 Aluminium Alloy
Authors: He Changshu , Zhang Zhiqiang , Li Ying , Wei Jingxun , Zhai Menggang , Zhao Su , Zhao Xiang
Published: November 2020

In this work, friction stir lap welding (FSLW) and ultrasonic-assisted friction stir lap welding (UAFSLW) was applied to 6-mm-thick 7075-T6 alloy sheets using three welding tools with the same process parameters. The joint formation, microstructural characteristics, and mechanical properties of the resulting lap joints were then investigated. The results showed that ultrasonic vibration significantly promoted the flow of metal at the interface, enlarged the size of the stirred zone (SZ), and reduced the angle between the hook defect and the interface. During lap shear testing, the FSLW and UAFSLW joints fractured in a similar manner. The fracture modes included tensile fracture, shear fracture, and a mixture of both. Cold lap and hook defects may have served as crack-initiation zones within the joint. Under configuration A (i.e., upper sheet on the retreating side (RS)), all joints failed in the shear-fracture mode. The effective lap width (ELW) of the joint welded using tool T2 was the greatest. This resulted in a higher shear fracture strength. The maximum shear fracture strength of the UAFSLW joint was 663.1 N/mm. Under configuration B (i.e., upper sheet on the advancing side (AS)), the shear fracture strength was greatly affected by the fracture mode. The highest shear fracture strength of the UAFSLW joint, 543.7 N/mm, was welded by tool T3. Thus, under otherwise identical conditions, UAFSLW joints can withstand a greater fracture shear strength than FSLW joints, as ultrasonic vibration helps to mix the material at the interface, thus, enlarging the SZ and diminishing the cold lap defects.
Textile Composite Damage Analysis Taking into Account the Forming Process
Authors: Jauffret Marjorie , Cocchi Aldo , Naouar Naim , Hochard Christian , Boisse Philippe
Published: November 2020

The internal structure of composite materials is modified during manufacturing. The formation of woven prepregs or dry preforms changes the angle between the warp and weft yarns. The damage behaviour of the consolidated composite is modified by these changes of angle. It is important when designing a composite part to consider this modification when calculating the damage in order to achieve a correct dimensioning. In this paper, a damage calculation approach of the consolidated textile composite that takes into account the change in orientation of the yarns due to forming is proposed. The angles after forming are determined by a simulation of the draping based on a hypoelastic behaviour of the woven fabric reinforcement. Two orthogonal frames based on the warp and weft directions of the textile reinforcement are used for the objective integration of stresses. Damage analysis of the cured woven composite with non-perpendicular warp and weft directions is achieved by replacing it with two equivalent Unidirectional (UD) plies representing the yarn directions. For each ply, a model based on Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) describes the progressive damage. Two examples are presented, a bias extension specimen and the hemispherical forming coupon. In both cases, the angles between the warp and weft yarns are changed. It is shown that the damage calculated by taking into account these angle changes is greatly modified.
High Strain Rate Superplasticity of WE54 Mg Alloy after Severe Friction Stir Processing
Authors: Álvarez-Leal Marta , Carreño Fernando , Orozco-Caballero Alberto , Rey Pilar , Ruano Oscar A.
Published: November 2020

Friction stir processing (FSP) was used on coarse-grained WE54 magnesium alloy plates of as-received material. These were subjected to FSP under two different cooling conditions, refrigerated and non-refrigerated, and different severe processing conditions characterized by low rotation rate and high traverse speed. After FSP, ultrafine equiaxed grains and refinement of the coarse precipitates were observed. The processed materials exhibited high resistance at room temperature and excellent superplasticity at the high strain rate of 10−2 s−1 and temperatures between 300 and 400 °C. Maximum tensile superplastic elongation of 726% was achieved at 400 °C. Beyond 400 °C, a noticeable loss of superplastic response occurred due to a loss of thermal stability of the grain size. Grain boundary sliding is the operative deformation mechanism that can explain the high-temperature flow behavior of the ultrafine grained FSP-WE54 alloy, showing increasing superplasticity with increasing processing severity.
Effect of Mischmetal Introduction on Hydrogen Storage Properties in Impure Hydrogen Gas of Ti-Fe-Mn-Co Alloys
Authors: Shen Ruochen , Pu Chaohui , Xu Xiaoou , Xu Youpeng , Li Zhilin , Wu Zhu
Published: November 2020

The research aims to study the effect of adding mischmetal (Mm) to the TiFe0.86Mn0.07Co0.07 alloy on its hydrogen storage performance and cyclic stability. The results show that TiFe0.86Mn0.07Co0.07 + x% Mm (x = 0,4,6,8) alloys can be easily activated. The hydrogen absorption capacity of TiFe0.86Mn0.07Co0.07 + 4% Mm reaches 1.76 wt% (mass fraction) at 298 K. With the increase of Mm addition, the hydrogen storage capacity decreases slightly. Furthermore, after 40 absorption and desorption cycles in hydrogen containing 250 ppm O2, the alloy still has 36% of its initial hydrogen storage capacity, and the alloy can recover 93% of its hydrogen storage capacity through heat treatment.
Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Spark Plasma Sintered Manganese Addition on Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb Alloys
Authors: Annamalai A. Raja , Srikanth Muthe , Varshney Raunak , Ashokkumar Mehta Yash , Patro Swarup Kumar , Jen Chun-Ping
Published: November 2020

Titanium aluminide (TiAl) is one of the most promising materials for aerospace applications. It is a suitable replacement for nickel-based superalloys predominantly used in these applications. Titanium aluminide with superior processability is the main task in carrying out this work. A less brittle TiAl alloy was fabricated using spark plasma sintering by adding the nominal composition (2.5, 5, and 7.5 wt.%) of manganese (Mn) to Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb. The samples were sintered at 1150 °C using spark plasma sintering (SPS), which helped produce highly dense models with fine grain sizes at the high heating rate (here, 100 °C per minute). The effects produced by Mn additions on the densification, mechanical properties (yield strength, hardness, and % elongation), and microstructure of the Ti aluminide alloys are studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to explore the sintered samples’ microstructures. The alloyed materials are entirely dissolved in the gamma matrix due to the manganese approaching its melting point. XRD and SEM analysis confirmed the new intermetallic related to Mn neither with titanium nor aluminum. The enhancement of % elongation at break is evident for the little improvement in the ductility of TiAl by the addition of Mn. The samples’ tensile fracture nature is also evidence for enhancement in the alloy’s % elongation.
Isoflavonoid Profiling and Estrogen-Like Activity of Four Genista Species from the Greek Flora
Authors: Cheilari Antigoni , Vontzalidou Argyro , Makropoulou Maria , Meligova Aggeliki K. , Fokialakis Nikolas , Mitakou Sofia , Alexis Michael N. , Aligiannis Nektarios
Published: November 2020

As part of our ongoing research on phytoestrogens, we investigated the phytochemical profile and estrogen-like activities of eight extracts from the aerial parts of four Genista species of Greek flora using estrogen-responsive cell lines. Ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of G. acanthoclada, G. depressa,G. hassertiana, and G. millii were obtained with accelerated solvent extraction and their phytochemical profiles were compared using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (uHPLC-HRMS). Fourteen isoflavonoids, previously isolated from G. halacsyi, were used as reference standards for their identification in the extracts. Thirteen isoflavonoids were detected in both extracts of G. acanthoclada and G. hassertiana, while fewer and far fewer were detected in G. millii and G. depressa, respectively. The ethyl acetate extracts of G. hassertiana and G. acanthoclada displayed 2.45- and 1.79-fold higher, respectively, estrogen-like agonist activity in Ishikawa cells compared to MCF-7 cells at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. Both these extracts, but not that of G. depressa, contained mono- and di-O-β-d-glucosides of genistein as well as the aglycone, all three of which are known to display full estrogen-like activity at lower-than-micromolar concentrations. The possibility of using preparations rich in G. hassertiana and/or G. acanthoclada extracts as a potentially safer substitute for low-dose vaginal estrogen for menopausal symptoms is discussed.
Maternal Docosahexaenoic Acid Status during Pregnancy and Its Impact on Infant Neurodevelopment
Authors: Basak Sanjay , Mallick Rahul , Duttaroy Asim K.
Published: November 2020

Dietary components are essential for the structural and functional development of the brain. Among these, docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3 (DHA), is critically necessary for the structure and development of the growing fetal brain in utero. DHA is the major n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in brain gray matter representing about 15% of all fatty acids in the human frontal cortex. DHA affects neurogenesis, neurotransmitter, synaptic plasticity and transmission, and signal transduction in the brain. Data from human and animal studies suggest that adequate levels of DHA in neural membranes are required for maturation of cortical astrocyte, neurovascular coupling, and glucose uptake and metabolism. Besides, some metabolites of DHA protect from oxidative tissue injury and stress in the brain. A low DHA level in the brain results in behavioral changes and is associated with learning difficulties and dementia. In humans, the third trimester-placental supply of maternal DHA to the growing fetus is critically important as the growing brain obligatory requires DHA during this window period. Besides, DHA is also involved in the early placentation process, essential for placental development. This underscores the importance of maternal intake of DHA for the structural and functional development of the brain. This review describes DHA’s multiple roles during gestation, lactation, and the consequences of its lower intake during pregnancy and postnatally on the 2019 brain development and function.
Association between the Intake of Fermented Soy Products and Hypertension Risk in Postmenopausal Women and Men Aged 50 Years or Older: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2018
Authors: Yoo Dohyun , Park Yongsoon
Published: November 2020

Sodium intake is positively associated with hypertension risk; however, it is not clear whether there is an association between the intake of fermented soy products, a major source of salt, and blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that hypertension risk and BP were negatively associated with the intake of fermented soy products but not with the intake of sodium from fermented soy products. This cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2018). In total, 11,566 men and postmenopausal women aged ≥50 years were divided according to quintiles of sodium or fermented soy product intake. The intake of fermented soy products was negatively associated with hypertension risk (odds ratio: 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.66–0.98; p-trend = 0.023) and systolic BP (SBP; p-trend = 0.043) in postmenopausal women. Mediation analysis showed that the intake of fermented soy products had total and direct effects on SBP; however, there was no indirect effect because soy nutrients, such as protein, fiber, calcium, and potassium, had no significant effects on SBP. Among men, fermented soy product intake was not associated with hypertension risk and BP. Additionally, the intake of sodium from fermented soy products was not significantly associated with hypertension risk and BP in both postmenopausal women and men. This study suggests that hypertension risk and BP were not associated with the intake of sodium from fermented soy products; further, hypertension risk and BP were inversely associated with fermented soy product intake in postmenopausal women. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the effect of fermented soy product intake on hypertension risk and BP.
Bowman-Birk Inhibitors: Insights into Family of Multifunctional Proteins and Peptides with Potential Therapeutical Applications
Authors: Gitlin-Domagalska Agata , Maciejewska Aleksandra , Dębowski Dawid
Published: November 2020

Bowman-Birk inhibitors (BBIs) are found primarily in seeds of legumes and in cereal grains. These canonical inhibitors share a highly conserved nine-amino acids binding loop motif CTP1SXPPXC (where P1 is the inhibitory active site, while X stands for various amino acids). They are natural controllers of plants’ endogenous proteases, but they are also inhibitors of exogenous proteases present in microbials and insects. They are considered as plants’ protective agents, as their elevated levels are observed during injury, presence of pathogens, or abiotic stress, i.a. Similar properties are observed for peptides isolated from amphibians’ skin containing 11-amino acids disulfide-bridged loop CWTP1SXPPXPC. They are classified as Bowman-Birk like trypsin inhibitors (BBLTIs). These inhibitors are resistant to proteolysis and not toxic, and they are reported to be beneficial in the treatment of various pathological states. In this review, we summarize up-to-date research results regarding BBIs’ and BBLTIs’ inhibitory activity, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity, antimicrobial and insecticidal strength, as well as chemopreventive properties.
Drought Detection over Papua New Guinea Using Satellite-Derived Products
Authors: Chua Zhi-Weng , Kuleshov Yuriy , Watkins Andrew B.
Published: November 2020

This study evaluates the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Space-based Weather and Climate Extremes Monitoring (SWCEM) Demonstration Project precipitation products over Papua New Guinea (PNG). The products evaluated were based on remotely-sensed precipitation, vegetation health, soil moisture, and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data. The satellite precipitation estimates of the Climate Prediction Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (CPC/NOAA) morphing technique (CMORPH) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) were assessed on a monthly timescale over an 18-year period from 2001 to 2018. Station data along with the ERA5 reanalysis were used as the reference datasets for assessment purposes. In addition, a case study was performed to investigate how well the SWCEM precipitation products characterised drought in PNG associated with the 2015–2016 El Niño. Overall statistics from the validation study suggest that although there remains significant variability between satellite and ERA5 rainfall data in remote areas, this difference is much less at locations where rain gauges exist. The case study illustrated that the Vegetation Health Index (VHI), OLR anomaly and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) were able to reliably capture the spatial and temporal aspects of the severe 2015–2016 El Niño-induced drought in PNG. Of the three, VHI appeared to be the most effective, in part due to its reduced incidence of false alarms. This study is novel as modern-day satellite-derived products have not been evaluated over PNG before. A focus on their value in monitoring drought can bring great value in mitigating the impact of future droughts. It is concluded that these satellite-derived precipitation products could be recommended for operational use for drought detection and monitoring in PNG, and that even a modest increase in ground-based observations will increase the accuracy of satellite-derived observations remotely.
Using Wearable Sensors and a Convolutional Neural Network for Catch Detection in American Football
Authors: Hollaus Bernhard , Stabinger Sebastian , Mehrle Andreas , Raschner Christian
Published: November 2020

Highly efficient training is a must in professional sports. Presently, this means doing exercises in high number and quality with some sort of data logging. In American football many things are logged, but there is no wearable sensor that logs a catch or a drop. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to develop and verify a sensor that is able to do exactly that. In a first step a sensor platform was used to gather nine degrees of freedom motion and audio data of both hands in 759 attempts to catch a pass. After preprocessing, the gathered data was used to train a neural network to classify all attempts, resulting in a classification accuracy of 93%. Additionally, the significance of each sensor signal was analysed. It turned out that the network relies most on acceleration and magnetometer data, neglecting most of the audio and gyroscope data. Besides the results, the paper introduces a new type of dataset and the possibility of autonomous training in American football to the research community.
Development of a Novel Electrochemical Biosensor Based on Carbon Nanofibers–Gold Nanoparticles–Tyrosinase for the Detection of Ferulic Acid in Cosmetics
Authors: Bounegru Alexandra Virginia , Apetrei Constantin
Published: November 2020

The present paper deals with the electrochemical behavior of three types of sensors based on modified screen-printed electrodes (SPEs): a sensor based on carbon nanofibers (CNF/SPE), a sensor based on nanofibers of carbon modified with gold nanoparticles (CNF-GNP/SPE) and a biosensor based on nanofibers of carbon modified with gold nanoparticles and tyrosinase (CNF-GNP-Ty/SPE). To prepare the biosensor, the tyrosinase (Ty) was immobilized on the surface of the electrode already modified with carbon nanofibers and gold nanoparticles, by the drop-and-dry technique. The electrochemical properties of the three electrodes were studied by cyclic voltammetry in electroactive solutions, and the position and shape of the active redox peaks are according to the nature of the materials modifying the electrodes. In the case of ferulic acid, a series of characteristic peaks were observed, the processes being more intense for the biosensor, with the higher sensitivity and selectivity being due to the immobilization of tyrosinase, a specific enzyme for phenolic compounds. The calibration curve was subsequently created using CNF-GNP-Ty/SPE in ferulic acid solutions of various concentrations in the range 0.1–129.6 μM. This new biosensor allowed low values of the detection threshold and quantification limit, 2.89 × 10−9 mol·L−1 and 9.64 × 10−9 mol·L−1, respectively, which shows that the electroanalytical method is feasible for quantifying ferulic acid in real samples. The ferulic acid was quantitatively determined in three cosmetic products by means of the CNF-GNP-Ty/SPE biosensor. The results obtained were validated by means of the spectrometric method in the infrared range, the differences between the values of the ferulic acid concentrations obtained by the two methods being under 5%.
Scale-Aware Multi-View Reconstruction Using an Active Triple-Camera System
Authors: Luo Hang , Pape Christian , Reithmeier Eduard
Published: November 2020

This paper presents an active wide-baseline triple-camera measurement system designed especially for 3D modeling in general outdoor environments, as well as a novel parallel surface refinement algorithm within the multi-view stereo (MVS) framework. Firstly, the pre-processing module converts the synchronized raw triple images from one single-shot acquisition of our setup to aligned RGB-Depth frames, which are then used for camera pose estimation using iterative closest point (ICP) and RANSAC perspective-n-point (PnP) approaches. Afterwards, an efficient dense reconstruction method, mostly implemented on the GPU in a grid manner, takes the raw depth data as input and optimizes the per-pixel depth values based on the multi-view photographic evidence, surface curvature and depth priors. Through a basic fusion scheme, an accurate and complete 3D model can be obtained from these enhanced depth maps. For a comprehensive test, the proposed MVS implementation is evaluated on benchmark and synthetic datasets, and a real-world reconstruction experiment is also conducted using our measurement system in an outdoor scenario. The results demonstrate that (1) our MVS method achieves very competitive performance in terms of modeling accuracy, surface completeness and noise reduction, given an input coarse geometry; and (2) despite some limitations, our triple-camera setup in combination with the proposed reconstruction routine, can be applied to some practical 3D modeling tasks operated in outdoor environments where conventional stereo or depth senors would normally suffer.
Is Standardization Necessary for Sharing of a Large Mid-Infrared Soil Spectral Library?
Authors: Dangal Shree R. S. , Sanderman Jonathan
Published: November 2020

Recent developments in diffuse reflectance soil spectroscopy have increasingly focused on building and using large soil spectral libraries with the purpose of supporting many activities relevant to monitoring, mapping and managing soil resources. A potential limitation of using a mid-infrared (MIR) spectral library developed by another laboratory is the need to account for inherent differences in the signal strength at each wavelength associated with different instrumental and environmental conditions. Here we apply predictive models built using the USDA National Soil Survey Center–Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (NSSC-KSSL) MIR spectral library (n = 56,155) to samples sets of European and US origin scanned on a secondary spectrometer to assess the need for calibration transfer using a piecewise direct standardization (PDS) approach in transforming spectra before predicting carbon cycle relevant soil properties (bulk density, CaCO3, organic carbon, clay and pH). The European soil samples were from the land use/cover area frame statistical survey (LUCAS) database available through the European Soil Data Center (ESDAC), while the US soil samples were from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Additionally, the performance of the predictive models on PDS transfer spectra was tested against the direct calibration models built using samples scanned on the secondary spectrometer. On independent test sets of European and US origin, PDS improved predictions for most but not all soil properties with memory based learning (MBL) models generally outperforming partial least squares regression and Cubist models. Our study suggests that while good-to-excellent results can be obtained without calibration transfer, for most of the cases presented in this study, PDS was necessary for unbiased predictions. The MBL models also outperformed the direct calibration models for most of the soil properties. For laboratories building new spectroscopy capacity utilizing existing spectral libraries, it appears necessary to develop calibration transfer using PDS or other calibration transfer techniques to obtain the least biased and most precise predictions of different soil properties.
A Kalman Filter for Nonlinear Attitude Estimation Using Time Variable Matrices and Quaternions
Authors: Deibe Álvaro , Antón Nacimiento José Augusto , Cardenal Jesús , López Peña Fernando
Published: November 2020

The nonlinear problem of sensing the attitude of a solid body is solved by a novel implementation of the Kalman Filter. This implementation combines the use of quaternions to represent attitudes, time-varying matrices to model the dynamic behavior of the process and a particular state vector. This vector was explicitly created from measurable physical quantities, which can be estimated from the filter input and output. The specifically designed arrangement of these three elements and the way they are combined allow the proposed attitude estimator to be formulated following a classical Kalman Filter approach. The result is a novel estimator that preserves the simplicity of the original Kalman formulation and avoids the explicit calculation of Jacobian matrices in each iteration or the evaluation of augmented state vectors.
Multi-Scale Shape Adaptive Network for Raindrop Detection and Removal from a Single Image
Authors: Luo Hao , Wu Qingbo , Ngan King Ngi , Luo Hanxiao , Wei Haoran , Li Hongliang , Meng Fanman , Xu Linfeng
Published: November 2020

Removing raindrops from a single image is a challenging problem due to the complex changes in shape, scale, and transparency among raindrops. Previous explorations have mainly been limited in two ways. First, publicly available raindrop image datasets have limited capacity in terms of modeling raindrop characteristics (e.g., raindrop collision and fusion) in real-world scenes. Second, recent deraining methods tend to apply shape-invariant filters to cope with diverse rainy images and fail to remove raindrops that are especially varied in shape and scale. In this paper, we address these raindrop removal problems from two perspectives. First, we establish a large-scale dataset named RaindropCityscapes, which includes 11,583 pairs of raindrop and raindrop-free images, covering a wide variety of raindrops and background scenarios. Second, a two-branch Multi-scale Shape Adaptive Network (MSANet) is proposed to detect and remove diverse raindrops, effectively filtering the occluded raindrop regions and keeping the clean background well-preserved. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves significant improvements over the recent state-of-the-art raindrop removal methods. Moreover, the extension of our method towards the rainy image segmentation and detection tasks validates the practicality of the proposed method in outdoor applications.
Coarse-to-Fine Satellite Images Change Detection Framework via Boundary-Aware Attentive Network
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhang Shizhou , Li Ying , Zhang Yanning
Published: November 2020

Timely and accurate change detection on satellite images by using computer vision techniques has been attracting lots of research efforts in recent years. Existing approaches based on deep learning frameworks have achieved good performance for the task of change detection on satellite images. However, under the scenario of disjoint changed areas in various shapes on land surface, existing methods still have shortcomings in detecting all changed areas correctly and representing the changed areas boundary. To deal with these problems, we design a coarse-to-fine detection framework via a boundary-aware attentive network with a hybrid loss to detect the change in high resolution satellite images. Specifically, we first perform an attention guided encoder-decoder subnet to obtain the coarse change map of the bi-temporal image pairs, and then apply residual learning to obtain the refined change map. We also propose a hybrid loss to provide the supervision from pixel, patch, and map levels. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on two benchmark datasets: LEBEDEV and SZTAKI to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and the experimental results show that our model achieves state-of-the-art performance.