bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tuned Bis-Layered Supported Ionic Liquid Catalyst (SILCA) for Competitive Activity in the Heck Reaction of Iodobenzene and Butyl Acrylate
Authors: Vucetic Nemanja , Virtanen Pasi , Nuri Ayat , Shchukarev Andrey , Mikkola Jyri-Pekka , Salmi Tapio
Published: August 2020

A thorough experimental optimization of supported ionic liquid catalyst (SILCA) was performed in order to obtain a stable and efficient catalyst for the Heck reaction. Out of fifteen proposed structures, propyl imidazolium bromide-tetramethylguanidinium pentanoate modified SiO2 loaded with PdCl2 appeared to be the most stable and to have a good activity in the reaction between butylacrylate and iodobezene, resulting in a complete conversion in 40 min at 100 °C, in four consecutive experiments. This study elucidated on the stability of the catalytic system with an ionic liquid layer during the catalyst synthesis but also under reaction conditions. In the bis-layered catalyst, the imidazolium moiety as a part of internal layer, brought rigidity to the structure, while in external layer pentanoic acid gave sufficiently acidic carboxylic group capable to coordinate 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMG) and thus, allow good dispersion of Pd nanoparticles. The catalyst was characterized by means of XPS, FT-IR, TEM, ICP-OES, ζ-potential, EDX, TGA, and 13C NMR. The release and catch mechanism was observed, whereas Pd re-deposition can be hindered by catalyst poisoning and eventual loss of palladium.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Caffeine Using Titanium Dioxide Photocatalyst Immobilized on Circular Glass Sheets under Ultraviolet C Irradiation
Authors: Muangmora Rattana , Kemacheevakul Patiya , Punyapalakul Patiparn , Chuangchote Surawut
Published: August 2020

This work presents the development of titanium dioxide (TiO2) film immobilized on circular glass sheets for photocatalytic degradation of caffeine under ultraviolet C (UVC) irradiation. TiO2 was synthesized through the ultrasonic-assisted sol–gel method and immobilized on circular glass sheets by the doctor blade technique. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used to mix with the TiO2 precursor solution to enhance film adhesion on the glass surface. TiO2 film was mainly composed of anatase phase with a small amount of rutile phase. Caffeine removal was found to increase with increasing irradiation time. Caffeine (20 mg/L) in the synthetic wastewater could not be detected after 3 h of UVC irradiation. The reaction rate of caffeine degradation followed the pseudo-first-order model. The concentrated caffeine solutions required a longer irradiation time for degradation. The used TiO2-coated glass sheets could be easily separated from the treated wastewater and reusable. The caffeine removal efficiency of TiO2-coated glass sheets in each cycle maintained a high level (~100%) during fifteen consecutive cycles.
Tsg101 Is Involved in the Sorting and Re-Distribution of Glucose Transporter-4 to the Sarcolemma Membrane of Cardiac Myocytes
Authors: Essandoh Kobina , Deng Shan , Wang Xiaohong , Li Yutian , Li Qianqian , Mu Xingjiang , Peng Tianqing , Fan Guo-Chang
Published: August 2020

Cardiac cells can adapt to pathological stress-induced energy crisis by shifting from fatty acid oxidation to glycolysis. However, the use of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) solution in patients undergoing cardiac surgery does not alleviate ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced energy shortage. This indicates that insulin-mediated translocation of glucose transporter-4 (Glut-4) is impaired in ischemic hearts. Indeed, cardiac myocytes contain two intracellular populations of Glut-4: an insulin-dependent non-endosomal pool (also referred to as Glut-4 storage vesicles, GSVs) and an insulin-independent endosomal pool. Tumor susceptibility gene 101 (Tsg101) has been implicated in the endosomal recycling of membrane proteins. In this study, we aimed to examine whether Tsg101 regulated the sorting and re-distribution of Glut-4 to the sarcolemma membrane of cardiomyocytes under basal and ischemic conditions, using gain- and loss-of-function approaches. Forced overexpression of Tsg101 in mouse hearts and isolated cardiomyocytes could promote Glut-4 re-distribution to the sarcolemma, leading to enhanced glucose entry and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation in I/R hearts which in turn, attenuation of I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction. Conversely, knockdown of Tsg101 in cardiac myocytes exhibited opposite effects. Mechanistically, we identified that Tsg101 could interact and co-localize with Glut-4 in the sarcolemma membrane of cardiomyocytes. Our findings define Tsg101 as a novel regulator of cardiac Glut-4 trafficking, which may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ischemic heart disease.
Fructans Are Differentially Distributed in Root Tissues of Asparagus
Authors: Witzel Katja , Matros Andrea
Published: August 2020

Inulin- and neoseries-type fructans [fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and fructopolysaccharides] accumulate in storage roots of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.), which continue to grow throughout the lifespan of this perennial plant. However, little is known about the storage of fructans at the spatial level in planta, and the degree of control by the plant is largely uncertain. We have utilized mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to resolve FOS distribution patterns in asparagus roots (inner, middle, and outer tissues). Fructan and proteome profiling were further applied to validate the differential abundance of various fructan structures and to correlate observed tissue-specific metabolite patterns with the abundance of related fructan biosynthesis enzymes. Our data revealed an increased abundance of FOS with higher degree of polymerization (DP > 5) and of fructopolysaccharides (DP11 to DP17) towards the inner root tissues. Three isoforms of fructan:fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT), forming 6G-kestose with a β (2–6) linkage using sucrose as receptor and 1-kestose as donor, were similarly detected in all three root tissues. In contrast, one ß-fructofuranosidase, which likely exhibits fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT) activity, showed very high abundance in the inner tissues and lower levels in the outer tissues. We concluded a tight induction of the biosynthesis of fructans with DP > 5, following a gradient from the outer root cortex to the inner vascular tissues, which also correlates with high levels of sucrose metabolism in inner tissues, observed in our study.
Role of Jagged1-mediated Notch Signaling Activation in the Differentiation and Stratification of the Human Limbal Epithelium
Authors: González Sheyla , Halabi Maximilian , Ju David , Tsai Matthew , Deng Sophie X.
Published: August 2020

The Notch signaling pathway plays a key role in proliferation and differentiation. We investigated the effect of Jagged 1 (Jag1)-mediated Notch signaling activation in the human limbal stem/progenitor cell (LSC) population and the stratification of the limbal epithelium in vitro. After Notch signaling activation, there was a reduction in the amount of the stem/progenitor cell population, epithelial stratification, and expression of proliferation markers. There was also an increase of the corneal epithelial differentiation. In the presence of Jag1, asymmetric divisions were decreased, and the expression pattern of the polarity protein Par3, normally present at the apical-lateral membrane of basal cells, was dispersed in the cells. We propose a mechanism in which Notch activation by Jag1 decreases p63 expression at the basal layer, which in turn reduces stratification by decreasing the number of asymmetric divisions and increases differentiation.
A New ERAP2/Iso3 Isoform Expression Is Triggered by Different Microbial Stimuli in Human Cells. Could It Play a Role in the Modulation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection?
Authors: Saulle Irma , Vanetti Claudia , Goglia Sara , Vicentini Chiara , Tombetti Enrico , Garziano Micaela , Clerici Mario , Biasin Mara
Published: August 2020

Following influenza infection, rs2248374-G ERAP2 expressing cells may transcribe an alternative spliced isoform: ERAP2/Iso3. This variant, unlike ERAP2-wt, is unable to trim peptides to be loaded on MHC class I molecules, but it can still dimerize with both ERAP2-wt and ERAP1-wt, thus contributing to profiling an alternative cellular immune-peptidome. In order to verify if the expression of ERAP2/Iso3 may be induced by other pathogens, PBMCs and MDMs isolated from 20 healthy subjects were stimulated with flu, LPS, CMV, HIV-AT-2, SARS-CoV-2 antigens to analyze its mRNA and protein expression. In parallel, Calu3 cell lines and PBMCs were in vitro infected with growing doses of SARS-CoV-2 (0.5, 5, 1000 MOI) and HIV-1BAL (0.1, 1, and 10 ng p24 HIV-1Bal/1 × 106 PBMCs) viruses, respectively. Results showed that: (1) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA expression can be prompted by many pathogens and it is coupled with the modulation of several determinants (cytokines, interferon-stimulated genes, activation/inhibition markers, antigen-presentation elements) orchestrating the anti-microbial immune response (Quantigene); (2) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA is translated into a protein (western blot); (3) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA expression is sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 concentration. Considering the key role played by ERAPs in antigen processing and presentation, it is conceivable that these enzymes may be potential targets and modulators of the pathogenicity of infectious diseases and further analyses are needed to define the role played by the different isoforms.
Numerical Evaluation of the Perfobond (PBL) Shear Connector Subjected to Lateral Pressure Using Coupled Rigid Body Spring Model (RBSM) and Nonlinear Solid Finite Element Method (FEM)
Authors: Karam Muhammad Shoaib , Yamamoto Yoshihito , Nakamura Hikaru , Miura Taito
Published: August 2020

An analytical investigation focusing on the concrete damage progress of the PBL shear connector under the influence of various lateral pressures, employing a coupled RBSM and solid FEM model was carried out. The analytical model succeeded in simulating the test shear capacities and the failure modes adequately. The internal failure process was also clarified; the two horizontal cracks occurred near the top of the concrete dowels through the hole of the perforated steel plate, and afterward, the two vertical cracks also initiated and propagated along with the shear surface. In a low lateral pressure case, the shear strength was determined by the vertical cracks propagated along the shear surface. While as the amount of applied lateral pressure increased, the shear strength of the two vertical cracked surfaces was enhanced, and the shear strength of the PBL was characterized by the occurrence of the splitting cracks and caused the splitting failure into the side concrete blocks. Moreover, the combined effects of lateral pressure and hole diameters were also evaluated numerically, and it was found that the increase in shear strength was more in a large diameter case subjected to high lateral pressure because of the wide compressive regions generated around the concrete dowel.
Fabrication of Poly(pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate)/dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa-acrylate)HIPEs Macroporous Scaffold with Alpha Hydroxyapatite via Photopolymerization for Fibroblast Regeneration
Authors: Azman Muhammad Imran , Kwangsawart Nunthawan , Preechawong Jitima , Nithitanakul Manit , Sapsrithong Pornsri
Published: August 2020

Synthetic biomaterials that can be structured into porous scaffolds for support cell growth have played a role in developing the field of tissue engineering. This research focused on combination of biodegradable emulsion template along with the assisting of low-cost polymerization reaction. The appendage of ester-based surfactant, Hypermer B246, played a vital role which gave an outstanding dispersion in HIPEs system and degradability. PolyHIPEs were prepared by using domestic ultraviolet light source for producing a multiscale porosity material. The morphology showed a promising result of poly(pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate)/dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa-acrylate)HIPEs with varied Hypermer B246 surfactant concentration resulting in the pores size increased in between 51.2 ± 9.8 µm to 131.4 ± 26.32 µm. Cellular moieties of poly(TT/DPEHA) HIPEs were confirmed by using SEM while inclusion of hydroxyapatite were confirmed by SEM, FTIR and EDX-SEM and quantified by thermogravimetric analysis. The maximum stress and compressive modulus of the obtained materials were significantly enhanced with HA up to five percent by weight. Poly(TT/DPEHA)HIPEs with HA showed the ability for the cell attachment and the adhesion/proliferation of the cells, suggested that poly(TT/DPEHA) HIPEs with HA were suitable for biomaterial application.
Intraepithelial Macrophage Expressing CD163 Is a Histopathological Clue to Evaluate the Malignant Potency of Oral Lichenoid Condition: A Case Report and Immunohistochemical Investigation
Authors: Shigeoka Manabu , Koma Yu-ichiro , Kanzawa Maki , Akashi Masaya , Yokozaki Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

Oral lichenoid conditions (OLC), including oral lichen planus (OLP), oral lichenoid lesions and oral lichenoid dysplasia, differ in pathogenesis and biological malignancy. However, distinguishing them based on clinical or histological features is difficult. It is well known that CD163+ macrophages are associated with oral cancer aggressiveness. We recently demonstrated that CD163+ macrophages of noncancerous lesions infiltrate the stroma, not the intraepithelial area. In this report, we describe a case of OLC that was not detected as malignant by the first local biopsy. Furthermore, we evaluated the malignant potency of OLC by retrospectively comparing the histological findings between local biopsy and resected specimens focusing on CD163+ macrophages. A 72-year-old man with a white lesion in the unilateral buccal mucosa was diagnosed with OLP through the biopsy although invasive cancer was detected two years later. Intraepithelial CD163+ macrophages were found not only on the resected specimen but also biopsy. This is the first report to demonstrate that intraepithelial CD163+ macrophages may be noteworthy indicators to identify the malignant potency of OLC.
Consciousness as an Emergent Phenomenon: A Tale of Different Levels of Description
Authors: Guevara Ramón , Mateos Diego , Pérez Velázquez José
Published: August 2020

One of the biggest queries in cognitive sciences is the emergence of consciousness from matter. Modern neurobiological theories of consciousness propose that conscious experience is the result of interactions between large-scale neuronal networks in the brain, traditionally described within the realm of classical physics. Here, we propose a generalized connectionist framework in which the emergence of “conscious networks” is not exclusive of large brain areas, but can be identified in subcellular networks exhibiting nontrivial quantum phenomena. The essential feature of such networks is the existence of strong correlations in the system (classical or quantum coherence) and the presence of an optimal point at which the system’s complexity and energy dissipation are maximized, whereas free-energy is minimized. This is expressed either by maximization of the information content in large scale functional networks or by achieving optimal efficiency through the quantum Goldilock effect.
An Efficient Algorithm to Count Tree-Like Graphs with a Given Number of Vertices and Self-Loops
Authors: Azam Naveed Ahmed , Shurbevski Aleksandar , Nagamochi Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

Graph enumeration with given constraints is an interesting problem considered to be one of the fundamental problems in graph theory, with many applications in natural sciences and engineering such as bio-informatics and computational chemistry. For any two integers n≥1 and Δ≥0, we propose a method to count all non-isomorphic trees with n vertices, Δ self-loops, and no multi-edges based on dynamic programming. To achieve this goal, we count the number of non-isomorphic rooted trees with n vertices, Δ self-loops and no multi-edges, in O(n2(n+Δ(n+Δ·min{n,Δ}))) time and O(n2(Δ2+1)) space, since every tree can be uniquely viewed as a rooted tree by either regarding its unicentroid as the root, or in the case of bicentroid, by introducing a virtual vertex on the bicentroid and assuming the virtual vertex to be the root. By this result, we get a lower bound and an upper bound on the number of tree-like polymer topologies of chemical compounds with any “cycle rank”.
Automatic Identification of High Impact Relevant Articles to Support Clinical Decision Making Using Attention-Based Deep Learning
Authors: Park Beomjoo , Afzal Muhammad , Hussain Jamil , Abbas Asim , Lee Sungyoung
Published: August 2020

To support evidence-based precision medicine and clinical decision-making, we need to identify accurate, appropriate, and clinically relevant studies from voluminous biomedical literature. To address the issue of accurate identification of high impact relevant articles, we propose a novel approach of attention-based deep learning for finding and ranking relevant studies against a topic of interest. For learning the proposed model, we collect data consisting of 240,324 clinical articles from the 2018 Precision Medicine track in Text REtrieval Conference (TREC) to identify and rank relevant documents matched with the user query. We built a BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) based classification model to classify high and low impact articles. We contextualized word embedding to create vectors of the documents, and user queries combined with genetic information to find contextual similarity for determining the relevancy score to rank the articles. We compare our proposed model results with existing approaches and obtain a higher accuracy of 95.44% as compared to 94.57% (the next best performer) and get a higher precision by about 14% at P@5 (precision at 5) and about 12% at P@10 (precision at 10). The contextually viable and competitive outcomes of the proposed model confirm the suitability of our proposed model for use in domains like evidence-based precision medicine.
Realization of the Neural Fuzzy Controller for the Sensorless PMSM Drive Control System
Authors: Hoai Hung-Khong , Chen Seng-Chi , Chang Chin-Feng
Published: August 2020

A neural fuzzy controller (NFC)-based speed controller for the sensorless permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive control system is realized in this paper. The NFC is a fuzzy logic controller (FLC), which adjusts the RBFNN-based (radial basis function neural network) parameter by adapting the dynamic system characteristics. For sensorless PMSM drive, the integration of sliding mode observer (SMO) and phase-locked loop (PLL) is executed to estimate the rotor position and speed. To eliminate the initial rotor position estimation and overcome the conventional PLL-based position estimation error in the direction reversion transition, the I-f control strategy is applied to start up the motor and change the rotational direction effectively. The system performance was verified in various experimental conditions. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed control algorithm is implemented efficiently. The motor starts up with diverse external loads, operates in a wide speed range for both positive and negative directions, and reverses the rotational direction stably. Furthermore, the system presents robustness against disturbance and tracks the command speed properly.
Subcritical Thermodynamic Cycles with Organic Medium and Isothermal Expansion
Authors: Kosowski Krzysztof , Piwowarski Marian
Published: August 2020

The efficiencies of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) are not very high and only very seldom do they exceed 20%. The increase and optimization of initial parameters and certain modifications of the thermodynamic cycle make it possible to overcome these drawbacks. A new modified cycle has been described and analyzed in detail in the paper. Similarly to the Ericsson cycle for gas turbines, isothermal expansion in the turbine is suggested for the power plant with organic media. The new cycle and the typical ORC power plants have the same block diagram. The only difference is that expansion in the proposed cycle occurs not adiabatically but as an isothermal process. The thermodynamic calculations have been carried out for 11 various fluids and 4 different cycles. The obtained results have clearly shown that cycles with isothermal expansion (isothermal turbines) are characterized by remarkably higher efficiency than typical power plants with adiabatic turbines. The increase in efficiency varies from 6 to 12 percent points for cycles with saturated live vapor and from 4 to 7 percent points for cycles with superheated live vapor. The performed analyses have shown that it is possible to achieve a very high efficiency (over 45%) of organic cycle, which is a very competitive value. In such cases the proposed power plants can achieve an efficiency which is higher than that of modern steam turbine plants with supercritical parameters.
Predictive Reliability Assessment of Generation System
Authors: Okoye Martin Onyeka , Yang Junyou , Lei Zhenjiang , Yuan Jingwei , Ji Huichao , Wang Haixin , Feng Jiawei , Otitoju Tunmise Ayode , Li Weidong
Published: August 2020

Due to increasing load and characteristic stagnation and fluctuations of existing generation systems capacity, the reliability assessment of generation systems is crucial to system adequacy. Furthermore, a rapid load increase could amount to a consequent sudden deficit in the generation supply before the next scheduled assessment. Hence, a reliability assessment is conducted at regular and close intervals to ensure adequacy. This study simulates and establishes the relationship between the load growth and generation capacity using the generation and load data of the IEEE reliability test system (IEEE RTS ‘96 standard). The generation capacity states and the risk model were obtained using the sequential Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. The load was gradually increased stepwise and is simulated against the constant generation capacity. In each case, the reliability index was recorded in terms of loss-of-load evaluation (LOLE). The recorded reliability index was thereafter fitted with the load-growth trend by the linear regression approach. A predictive assessment approach is thereafter proffered through the obtained fitting equation. In addition, a reliability threshold is effectively determined at a yield point for a reliability benchmark.
A Comprehensive AC Current Ripple Analysis and Performance Enhancement via Discontinuous PWM in Three-Phase Four-Leg Grid-Connected Inverters
Authors: Mandrioli Riccardo , Viatkin Aleksandr , Hammami Manel , Ricco Mattia , Grandi Gabriele
Published: August 2020

A complete analysis of the ac output current ripple in four-leg voltage source inverters considering multiple modulation schemes is provided. In detail, current ripple envelopes and peak-to-peak profiles have been determined in the whole fundamental period and a comprehensive method providing the current ripple rms has been achieved, all of them as a function of the modulation index. These characteristics have been determined for both phase and neutral currents, considering the most popular common-mode injection schemes. Particular attention has been paid to the performance of discontinuous pulse width modulation (DPWM) methods, including DPWMMAX and DPWMMIN, and their four most popular combinations DPWM0, DPWM1, DPWM2, and DPWM3. Furthermore, a comparison with a few continuous techniques (sinusoidal, centered pulse width modulations, and third harmonic injection) has been provided as well. Moreover, the average switching frequency and switching losses are analyzed, determining which PWM technique ensures minimum output current ripple within the linear modulation range at different assumptions. Numerical simulations and laboratory tests have been conducted to extensively verify all the analytical claims for all the considered PWM injections.
Liquid-Liquid Flow Pattern Prediction Using Relevant Dimensionless Parameter Groups
Authors: Osundare Olusegun Samson , Falcone Gioia , Lao Liyun , Elliott Alexander
Published: August 2020

Accurate predictions of flow patterns in liquid-liquid flow are critical to the successful design and operation of industrial and geo-energy systems where two liquids are jointly transported. Unfortunately, there is no unified flow pattern map, because all published maps are based on limited ranges of dimensional parameters. Dimensional analysis was performed on oil-water horizontal flows, to obtain some relevant dimensionless parameter groups (DPG) for constructing flow pattern maps (FPM). The following combinations of DPG were used: (i) the ratio of mixture Reynolds number to Eötvös number versus water fraction, (ii) the ratio of Weber number to Eötvös number versus water fraction, (iii) the mixture Froude number versus water fraction, (iv) the water Froude number versus oil Froude number, (v) the ratio of gravity force to viscous force versus water fraction. From twelve published experimental studies, 2696 data points were gathered and analysed covering a variety of flow patterns including stratified, stratified mixed, dispersed oil in water, dispersed water in oil, annular and slug flows. Based on the performed analysis, it was found that flow patterns could occupy more than one isolated region on the DPG-based flow pattern map. None of the combinations of DPG can mark out all the considered flow patterns, however, some combinations of DPG are particularly suitable for marking out the regions associated with some flow patterns.
Combine Clustering and Machine Learning for Enhancing the Efficiency of Energy Baseline of Chiller System
Authors: Chen Chun-Wei , Li Chun-Chang , Lin Chen-Yu
Published: August 2020

Energy baseline is an important method for measuring the energy-saving benefits of chiller system, and the benefits can be calculated by comparing prediction models and actual results. Currently, machine learning is often adopted as a prediction model for energy baselines. Common models include regression, ensemble learning, and deep learning models. In this study, we first reviewed several machine learning algorithms, which were used to establish prediction models. Then, the concept of clustering to preprocess chiller data was adopted. Data mining, K-means clustering, and gap statistic were used to successfully identify the critical variables to cluster chiller modes. Applying these key variables effectively enhanced the quality of the chiller data, and combining the clustering results and the machine learning model effectively improved the prediction accuracy of the model and the reliability of the energy baselines.
Assessing the Reliability of Earthquake Environmental Effects in Historical Events: Insights from the Southern Apennines, Italy
Authors: Ferrario Maria Francesca , Serva Leonello , Bonadeo Livio
Published: August 2020

Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEEs) are a common occurrence following moderate to strong seismic events. EEEs are described in literary sources even for earthquakes that occurred hundreds of years ago, but their potential for hazard assessment is not fully exploited. Here we analyze five earthquakes occurred in the Southern Apennines (Italy) between 1688 and 1980, to assess if EEEs are reliable indicators of the effects caused by past earthquakes. We investigate the spatial distribution of EEEs and their ability to repeatedly occur at the same place, and we quantitatively compare the macroseismic fields expressed in terms of damage-based intensity (MCS: Mercalli–Cancani–Sieberg) to the Environmental Scale Intensity (ESI) macroseismic field, derived from an intensity attenuation relation. We computed the field “ESI-MCS”, showing that results are consistent when comparing different seismic events and that ESI values are higher in the first ca. 10 km from the epicenter, while at distances greater than 20 km MCS values are higher than ESI. Our research demonstrates that (i) EEEs offer a detailed picture of earthquake effects in the near field and (ii) the reappraisal of literary sources under a modern perspective may provide improved input parameters that are useful for seismic hazard assessment.
Sleep and Prospective Memory: A Retrospective Study in Different Clinical Populations
Authors: Tonetti Lorenzo , Occhionero Miranda , Boreggiani Michele , Conca Andreas , Dondi Paola , Elbaz Maxime , Fabbri Marco , Gauriau Caroline , Giupponi Giancarlo , Leger Damien , Martoni Monica , Rafanelli Chiara , Roncuzzi Renzo , Zoppello Marina , Natale Vincenzo
Published: August 2020

Prospective memory (PM) is essential in everyday life because it concerns the ability to remember to perform an intended action in the future. This ability could be influenced by poor sleep quality, the role of which, however, is still being debated. To examine the role of sleep quality in PM in depth, we decided to perform a retrospective naturalistic study examining different clinical populations with a primary sleep disorder or comorbid low sleep quality. If sleep is important for PM function, we could expect poor sleep to affect PM performance tasks both directly and indirectly. We examined a total of 3600 nights, recorded using actigraphy in participants belonging to the following groups: primary insomnia (731 nights); narcolepsy type 1 (1069 nights); attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (152 nights in children and 239 in adults); severe obesity (232 nights); essential hypertension (226 nights); menopause (143 nights); healthy controls (808 nights). In a naturalistic activity-based PM task, each participant originally wore an actigraph around the non-dominant wrist and was requested to push the event-marker button at two specific times of day: bedtime (activity 1) and get-up time (activity 2). Each clinical group showed significantly lower sleep quality in comparison to the control group. However, only narcolepsy type 1 patients presented a significantly impaired PM performance at get-up time, remembering to push the event-marker button around half the time compared not only to healthy controls but also to the other clinical groups. Overall, the present results seem to point to sleep quality having no effect on the efficiency of a naturalistic activity-based PM task. Moreover, the data indicated that narcolepsy type 1 patients may show a disease-specific cognitive deficit of PM.
Quantification of the Effects of Droughts on Daily Mortality in Spain at Different Timescales at Regional and National Levels: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Salvador Coral , Nieto Raquel , Linares Cristina , Díaz Julio , Gimeno Luis
Published: August 2020

A performance assessment of two different indices (the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)) for monitoring short-term and short–medium-term drought impacts on daily specific-cause mortality in Spain was conducted. To achieve a comprehensive, nationwide view, a meta-analysis was performed using a combination of provincial relative risks (RRs). Moreover, the subdivisions of Spain based on administrative, climatic, and demographic criteria to obtain the measures of combined risks were also taken into account. The results of the SPEI and SPI calculated at the same timescale were similar. Both showed that longer drought events produced greater RR values, for respiratory mortality. However, at the local administrative level, Galicia, Castilla-y-Leon, and Extremadura showed the greatest risk of daily mortality associated with drought episodes, with Andalucía, País Vasco, and other communities being notably impacted. Based on climatic regionalization, Northwest, Central, and Southern Spain were the regions most affected by different drought conditions for all analyzed causes of daily mortality, while the Mediterranean coastal region was less affected. Demographically, the regions with the highest proportion of people aged 65 years of age and over reflected the greatest risk of daily natural, circulatory, and respiratory mortality associated with drought episodes.
Exploring the Impact of Augmented Reality in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors: Berenguer Carmen , Baixauli Inmaculada , Gómez Soledad , Andrés María de El Puig , De Stasio Simona
Published: August 2020

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in communication and social interaction along with a restriction in interests and the presence of repetitive behaviors. The development and use of augmented reality technology for autism has increased in recent years. However, little is known about the impact of these virtual reality technologies on clinical health symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of augmented reality through social, cognitive, and behavioral domains in children and adolescents with autism. This study is the first contribution that has carried out an evidence-based systematic review including relevant science databases about the effectiveness of augmented reality-based intervention in ASD. The initial search identified a total of 387 records. After the exclusion of papers that are not research studies and are duplicated articles and after screening the abstract and full text, 20 articles were selected for analysis. The studies examined suggest promising findings about the effectiveness of augmented reality-based treatments for the promotion, support, and protection of health and wellbeing in children and adolescents with autism. Finally, possible directions for future work are discussed.
Dietary Intake of Rosmarinic Acid Increases Serum Inhibitory Activity in Amyloid A Aggregation and Suppresses Deposition in the Organs of Mice
Authors: Lin Xuguang , Watanabe Kenichi , Kuragano Masahiro , Kurotaki Yukina , Nakanishi Ushio , Tokuraku Kiyotaka
Published: August 2020

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is one of the most important precursor amyloid proteins and plays a vital step in AA amyloidosis, although the underlying aggregation mechanism has not been elucidated. Since SAA aggregation is a key step in this pathogenesis, inhibitors are useful to prevent and treat AA amyloidosis, serving as tools to investigate the pathogenic mechanism. In this study, we showed that rosmarinic acid (RA), which is a well-known inhibitor of the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ), displayed inhibitory activity against SAA aggregation in vitro using a microliter-scale high-throughput screening (MSHTS) system with quantum-dot nanoprobes. Therefore, we evaluated the amyloid aggregation inhibitory activity of blood and the deposition of SAA in organs by feeding mice with Melissa officinalis extract (ME) containing RA as an active substance. Interestingly, the inhibitory activity of ME-fed mice sera for SAA and Aβ aggregation, measured with the MSHTS system, was higher than that of the control group. The amount of amyloid deposition in the organs of ME-fed mice was lower than that in the control group, suggesting that the SAA aggregation inhibitory activity of serum is associated with SAA deposition. These results suggest that dietary intake of RA-containing ME enhanced amyloid aggregation inhibitory activity of blood and suppressed SAA deposition in organs. This study also demonstrated that the MSHTS system could be applied to in vitro screening and to monitor comprehensive activity of metabolized foods adsorbed by blood.
Roles of Cannabinoids in Melanoma: Evidence from In Vivo Studies
Authors: Bachari Ava , Piva Terrence J. , Salami Seyed Alireza , Jamshidi Negar , Mantri Nitin
Published: August 2020

Melanoma is the fourth most common type of cancer diagnosed in Australians after breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. While there has been substantial progress in the treatment of cancer in general, malignant melanoma, in particular, is resistant to existing medical therapies requiring an urgent need to develop effective treatments with lesser side effects. Several studies have shown that “cannabinoids”, the major compounds of the Cannabis sativaL. plant, can reduce cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in melanoma cells. Despite prohibited use of Cannabis in most parts of the world, in recent years there have been renewed interests in exploiting the beneficial health effects of the Cannabis plant-derived compounds. Therefore, the aim of this study was in the first instance to review the evidence from in vivo studies on the effects of cannabinoids on melanoma. Systematic searches were carried out in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and ProQuest Central databases for relevant articles published from inception. From a total of 622 potential studies, six in vivo studies assessing the use of cannabinoids for treatment of melanoma were deemed eligible for the final analysis. The findings revealed cannabinoids, individually or combined, reduced tumor growth and promoted apoptosis and autophagy in melanoma cells. Further preclinical and animal studies are required to determine the underlying mechanisms of cannabinoids-mediated inhibition of cancer-signaling pathways. Well-structured, randomized clinical studies on cannabinoid use in melanoma patients would also be required prior to cannabinoids becoming a viable and recognized therapeutic option for melanoma treatment in patients.
Drosophila melanogaster Mitochondrial Carriers: Similarities and Differences with the Human Carriers
Authors: Curcio Rosita , Lunetti Paola , Zara Vincenzo , Ferramosca Alessandra , Marra Federica , Fiermonte Giuseppe , Cappello Anna Rita , De Leonardis Francesco , Capobianco Loredana , Dolce Vincenza
Published: August 2020

Mitochondrial carriers are a family of structurally related proteins responsible for the exchange of metabolites, cofactors and nucleotides between the cytoplasm and mitochondrial matrix. The in silico analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster genome has highlighted the presence of 48 genes encoding putative mitochondrial carriers, but only 20 have been functionally characterized. Despite most Drosophila mitochondrial carrier genes having human homologs and sharing with them 50% or higher sequence identity, D. melanogaster genes display peculiar differences from their human counterparts: (1) in the fruit fly, many genes encode more transcript isoforms or are duplicated, resulting in the presence of numerous subfamilies in the genome; (2) the expression of the energy-producing genes in D. melanogaster is coordinated from a motif known as Nuclear Respiratory Gene (NRG), a palindromic 8-bp sequence; (3) fruit-fly duplicated genes encoding mitochondrial carriers show a testis-biased expression pattern, probably in order to keep a duplicate copy in the genome. Here, we review the main features, biological activities and role in the metabolism of the D. melanogaster mitochondrial carriers characterized to date, highlighting similarities and differences with their human counterparts. Such knowledge is very important for obtaining an integrated view of mitochondrial function in D. melanogaster metabolism.
Role of P2Y Receptors in Platelet Extracellular Vesicle Release
Authors: Gąsecka Aleksandra , Rogula Sylwester , Eyileten Ceren , Postuła Marek , Jaguszewski Miłosz J. , Kochman Janusz , Mazurek Tomasz , Nieuwland Rienk , Filipiak Krzysztof J.
Published: August 2020

Platelet extracellular vesicles (PEVs) are potential new biomarkers of platelet activation which may allow us to predict and/or diagnose developing coronary thrombosis before myocardial necrosis occurs. The P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptors play a key role in platelet activation and aggregation. Whereas the P2Y1 antagonists are at the preclinical stage, at present, the P2Y12 antagonists are the most effective treatment strategy to prevent stent thrombosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite an increasing number of publications on PEVs, the mechanisms underlying their formation, including the role of purinergic receptors in this process, remain an active research field. Here, we outline the clinical relevance of PEVs in cardiovascular disease, summarize the role and downstream signalling of P2Y receptors in platelet activation, and discuss the available evidence regarding their role in PEV formation.
Mutational Landscape and Environmental Effects in Bladder Cancer
Authors: Hayashi Takuji , Fujita Kazutoshi , Hayashi Yujiro , Hatano Koji , Kawashima Atsunari , McConkey David J. , Nonomura Norio
Published: August 2020

Bladder cancer is the most common cancer of the urinary tract. Although nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancers have a good prognosis, muscle-invasive bladder cancers promote metastases and have a poor prognosis. Comprehensive analyses using RNA sequence of clinical tumor samples in bladder cancer have been reported. These reports implicated the candidate genes and pathways that play important roles in carcinogenesis and/or progression of bladder cancer. Further investigations for the function of each mutation are warranted. There is suggestive evidence for several environmental factors as risk factors of bladder cancer. Environmental factors such as cigarette smoking, exposure to chemicals and gases, bladder inflammation due to microbial and parasitic infections, diet, and nutrition could induce several genetic mutations and alter the tumor microenvironment, such as immune cells and fibroblasts. The detailed mechanism of how these environmental factors induce carcinogenesis and/or progression of bladder cancer remains unclear. To identify the relationship between the mutations and the lifestyle could be useful for prevention and treatment of bladder cancer.
Advances in Oligonucleotide Aptamers for NSCLC Targeting
Authors: Rotoli Deborah , Santana-Viera Laura , Ibba Maria L. , Esposito Carla L. , Catuogno Silvia
Published: August 2020

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer worldwide, with the highest incidence in developed countries. NSCLC patients often face resistance to currently available therapies, accounting for frequent relapses and poor prognosis. Indeed, despite great recent advancements in the field of NSCLC diagnosis and multimodal therapy, most patients are diagnosed at advanced metastatic stage, with a very low overall survival. Thus, the identification of new effective diagnostic and therapeutic options for NSCLC patients is a crucial challenge in oncology. A promising class of targeting molecules is represented by nucleic-acid aptamers, short single-stranded oligonucleotides that upon folding in particular three dimensional (3D) structures, serve as high affinity ligands towards disease-associated proteins. They are produced in vitro by SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), a combinatorial chemistry procedure, representing an important tool for novel targetable biomarker discovery of both diagnostic and therapeutic interest. Aptamer-based approaches are promising options for NSCLC early diagnosis and targeted therapy and may overcome the key obstacles of currently used therapeutic modalities, such as the high toxicity and patients’ resistance. In this review, we highlight the most important applications of SELEX technology and aptamers for NSCLC handling.
Characterizing the Relapse Potential in Different Luminal Subtypes of Breast Cancers with Functional Proteomics
Authors: Lin Tung-Yi , Wang Pei-Wen , Huang Chun-Hsun , Yang Pei-Ming , Pan Tai-Long
Published: August 2020

Poor prognosis due to the high relapse and metastasis rates of breast cancer has been particularly linked to the luminal B subtype. The current study utilized MCF-7 and ZR-75-1 to investigate various luminal subtypes of breast cancers that have discrepant expressions in the estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Understanding of the differential protein profiles and the associated pathways could help alleviate the malignance and promote the long-term survival rate of breast cancer patients. Functional proteome tools were applied to comprehensively delineate the global protein alterations that reflect the varieties of biological features between the two subtypes. In this study, a total of 11 proteins with significant and meaningful changes were identified. These protein targets including PRX2, CK19, nucleophosmin and cathepsin D were mostly involved in cell differentiation or proliferation. Particularly, cathepsin D was highly expressed in the luminal B subtype. Moreover, the level of cathepsin-D was also upregulated in the clinical metastatic tissues. Accordingly, the RNA interference-mediated silencing of cathepsin D stimulated ER expression but suppressed the level of HER2. The knockdown of cathepsin D enhanced the level of ZO-1 and a remarkable decrease in N-cadherin was also detected. Again, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) activity was impaired under the cathepsin D abolishment. Collectively, this study represented a modality to explore novel relationships in a proteome complex and highlighted the functional roles of cathepsin D in treatment options for different subtypes of breast cancer.
Biosurfactants Induce Antimicrobial Peptide Production through the Activation of TmSpatzles in Tenebrio molitor
Authors: Edosa Tariku Tesfaye , Jo Yong Hun , Keshavarz Maryam , Kim In Seon , Han Yeon Soo
Published: August 2020

Biosurfactant immunomodulatory activities in mammals, nematodes, and plants have been investigated. However, the immune activation property of biosurfactants in insects has not been reported. Therefore, here, we studied the defense response triggered by lipopeptides (fengycin and iturin A), glycolipids (rhamnolipid), and cyclic polypeptides (bacitracin) in the coleopteran insect, mealworm Tenebrio molitor. The in vitro antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and fungi (Candida albicans) were assessed by mixing these pathogens with the hemolymph of biosurfactant-immune-activated larvae. E. coli growth was remarkably inhibited by this hemolymph. The antimicrobial peptide (AMP) induction results also revealed that all biosurfactants tested induced several AMPs, exclusively in hemocytes. The survivability analysis of T. molitor larvae challenged by E. coli (106 CFU/µL) at 24 h post biosurfactant-immune activation showed that fengycin, iturin A, and rhamnopid significantly increased survivability against E. coli. Biosurfactant-induced TmSpatzles activation was also monitored, and the results showed that TmSpz3 and TmSpz-like were upregulated in the hemocytes of iturin A-injected larvae, while TmSpz4 and TmSpz6 were upregulated in the fat bodies of the fengycin-, iturin A-, and rhamnolipid-injected larvae. Overall, these results suggest that lipopeptide and glycolipid biosurfactants induce the expression of AMPs in T. molitor via the activation of spätzle genes, thereby increasing the survivability of T. molitor against E. coli.
Extracellular Vesicles in the Development of Cancer Therapeutics
Authors: Sun Haoyao , Burrola Stephanie , Wu Jinchang , Ding Wei-Qun
Published: August 2020

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid bilayer-delimited nanoparticles released from all types of cells examined thus far. Several groups of EVs, including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies, have been identified according to their size and biogenesis. With extensive investigations on EVs over the last decade, it is now recognized that EVs play a pleiotropic role in various physiological processes as well as pathological conditions through mediating intercellular communication. Most notably, EVs have been shown to be involved in cancer initiation and progression and EV signaling in cancer are viewed as potential therapeutic targets. Furthermore, as membrane nanoparticles, EVs are natural products with some of them, such as tumor exosomes, possessing tumor homing propensity, thus leading to strategies utilizing EVs as drug carriers to effectively deliver cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarize recent reports on exploring EVs signaling as potential therapeutic targets in cancer as well as on developing EVs as therapeutic delivery carriers for cancer therapy. Findings from preclinical studies are primarily discussed, with early phase clinical trials reviewed. We hope to provide readers updated information on the development of EVs as cancer therapeutic targets or therapeutic carriers.