bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PYR/PYL/RCAR Receptors Play a Vital Role in the Abscisic-Acid-Dependent Responses of Plants to External or Internal Stimuli
Authors: Fidler Justyna , Graska Jakub , Gietler Marta , Nykiel Małgorzata , Prabucka Beata , Rybarczyk-Płońska Anna , Muszyńska Ewa , Morkunas Iwona , Labudda Mateusz
Published: April 2022

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that plays a key role in regulating several developmental processes as well as in response to stressful conditions such as drought. Activation of the ABA signaling cascade allows the induction of an appropriate physiological response. The basic components of the ABA signaling pathway have been recognized and characterized in recent years. Pyrabactin resistance, pyrabactin resistance-like, and the regulatory component of ABA receptors (PYR/PYL/RCAR) are the major components responsible for the regulation of the ABA signaling pathway. Here, we review recent findings concerning the PYR/PYL/RCAR receptor structure, function, and interaction with other components of the ABA signaling pathway as well as the termination mechanism of ABA signals in plant cells. Since ABA is one of the basic elements related to abiotic stress, which is increasingly common in the era of climate changes, understanding the perception and transduction of the signal related to this phytohormone is of paramount importance in further increasing crop tolerance to various stress factors.
Clinical Sphingolipids Pathway in Parkinson’s Disease: From GCase to Integrated-Biomarker Discovery
Authors: Esfandiary Ali , Finkelstein David Isaac , Voelcker Nicolas Hans , Rudd David
Published: April 2022

Alterations in the sphingolipid metabolism of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) could be a potential diagnostic feature. Only around 10–15% of PD cases can be diagnosed through genetic alterations, while the remaining population, idiopathic PD (iPD), manifest without validated and specific biomarkers either before or after motor symptoms appear. Therefore, clinical diagnosis is reliant on the skills of the clinician, which can lead to misdiagnosis. IPD cases present with a spectrum of non-specific symptoms (e.g., constipation and loss of the sense of smell) that can occur up to 20 years before motor function loss (prodromal stage) and formal clinical diagnosis. Prodromal alterations in metabolites and proteins from the pathways underlying these symptoms could act as biomarkers if they could be differentiated from the broad values seen in a healthy age-matched control population. Additionally, these shifts in metabolites could be integrated with other emerging biomarkers/diagnostic tests to give a PD-specific signature. Here we provide an up-to-date review of the diagnostic value of the alterations in sphingolipids pathway in PD by focusing on the changes in definitive PD (postmortem confirmed brain data) and their representation in “probable PD” cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. We conclude that the trend of holistic changes in the sphingolipid pathway in the PD brain seems partly consistent in CSF and blood, and could be one of the most promising pathways in differentiating PD cases from healthy controls, with the potential to improve early-stage iPD diagnosis and distinguish iPD from other Parkinsonism when combined with other pathological markers.
Verteporfin Inhibits the Progression of Spontaneous Osteosarcoma Caused by Trp53 and Rb1 Deficiency in Ctsk-Expressing Cells via Impeding Hippo Pathway
Authors: Li Yang , Yang Shuting , Yang Shuying
Published: April 2022

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of bone in children and adolescents. Others and our previous studies have shown that Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) as core components of the Hippo pathway are crucial regulators of osteosarcoma formation and progression. Recent studies demonstrated that verteporfin (VP) is an inhibitor of YAP/TAZ signaling in xenograft osteosarcoma. However, whether VP can inhibit primary osteosarcoma in mice is unknown. Mutations of Trp53 and Rb1 occur in approximately 50~70% of human osteosarcoma. In this study, we successfully generated the Ctsk-Cre;Trp53f/f/Rb1f/f mice in which Trp53/Rb1 was ablated in Ctsk-expressing cells and found that Ctsk-Cre;Trp53f/f/Rb1f/f mice spontaneously developed osteosarcoma with increased expansive osteoid lesions in the cortical bone with aging. Loss of Trp53/Rb1 in Ctsk-expressing cells significantly promoted the expression and nuclear translocation of YAP/TAZ. Micro-CT results showed that inhibition of YAP/TAZ by VP delays osteosarcoma progression and protected against bone erosion in Ctsk-Cre;Trp53f/f/Rb1f/f mice. Importantly, the Kaplan–Meier survival curves displayed a significantly longer survival rate after VP treatment in Ctsk-Cre;Trp53f/f/Rb1f/f mice compared to non-injected groups. In vitro studies further showed that VP inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion in Trp53/Rb1-mutant Ctsk-expressing cells. Moreover, the results from promoter luciferase activity analysis showed that the transcriptional activity of YAP/TAZ was significantly increased in osteosarcoma tissue from Ctsk-Cre;Trp53f/f/Rb1f/f mice, which was attenuated by VP treatment. Overall, these findings suggest that targeting Hippo pathway by VP may be a potential therapeutic strategy for osteosarcoma.
Yeast Secretes High Amounts of Human Calreticulin without Cellular Stress
Authors: Zinkevičiūtė Rūta , Ražanskas Raimundas , Kaupinis Algirdas , Macijauskaitė Neringa , Čiplys Evaldas , Houen Gunnar , Slibinskas Rimantas
Published: April 2022

The ER chaperone calreticulin (CALR) also has extracellular functions and can exit the mammalian cell in response to various factors, although the mechanism by which this takes place is unknown. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae efficiently secretes human CALR, and the analysis of this process in yeast could help to clarify how it gets out of eukaryotic cells. We have achieved a secretion titer of about 140 mg/L CALR in our S. cerevisiae system. Here, we present a comparative quantitative whole proteome study in CALR-secreting yeast using non-equilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis (NEPHGE)-based two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) as well as liquid chromatography mass spectrometry in data-independent analysis mode (LC-MSE). A reconstructed carrier ampholyte (CA) composition of NEPHGE-based first-dimension separation for 2DE could be used instead of formerly commercially available gels. Using LC-MSE, we identified 1574 proteins, 20 of which exhibited differential expression. The largest group of differentially expressed proteins were structural ribosomal proteins involved in translation. Interestingly, we did not find any signs of cellular stress which is usually observed in recombinant protein-producing yeast, and we did not identify any secretory pathway proteins that exhibited changes in expression. Taken together, high-level secretion of human recombinant CALR protein in S. cerevisiae does not induce cellular stress and does not burden the cellular secretory machinery. There are only small changes in the cellular proteome of yeast secreting CALR at a high level.
Revealing Potential Bioactive Compounds and Mechanisms of Lithospermum erythrorhizon against COVID-19 via Network Pharmacology Study
Authors: Oh Ki-Kwang , Adnan Md.
Published: April 2022

Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE) is known in Korean traditional medicine for its potent therapeutic effect and antiviral activity. Currently, coronavirus (COVID-19) disease is a developing global pandemic that can cause pneumonia. A precise study of the infection and molecular pathway of COVID-19 is therefore obviously important. The compounds of LE were identified from the Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) database and screened by SwissADME. The targets interacted with the compounds and were selected using the Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA) and Swiss Target Prediction (STP) methods. PubChem was used to classify targets linked to COVID-19. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and signaling pathways–targets–bioactive compounds (STB) networks were constructed by RPackage. Lastly, we performed the molecular docking test (MDT) to verify the binding affinity between significant complexes through AutoDock 1.5.6. The Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) revealed a total of 82 compounds from LE, which interacted with 1262 targets (SEA and STP), and 249 overlapping targets were identified. The 19 final overlapping targets from the 249 targets and 356 COVID-19 targets were ultimately selected. A bubble chart exhibited that inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway could be a key mechanism of LE on COVID-19. The three key targets (RELA, TNF, and VEGFA) directly related to the MAPK signaling pathway, and methyl 4-prenyloxycinnamate, tormentic acid, and eugenol were related to each target and had the most stable binding affinity. The three bioactive effects on the three key targets might be synergistic effects to alleviate symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Overall, this study shows that LE can play a role in alleviating COVID-19 symptoms, revealing that the three components (bioactive compounds, targets, and mechanism) are the most significant elements of LE against COVID-19. However, the promising mechanism of LE on COVID-19 is only predicted on the basis of mining data; the efficacy of the chemical compounds and the affinity between compounds and the targets in experiment was ignored, which should be further substantiated through clinical trials.
Solvent Effects on the Structural and Optical Properties of MAPbI3 Perovskite Thin Film for Photovoltaic Active Layer
Authors: Qaid Saif M. H. , Ghaithan Hamid M. , Al-Asbahi Bandar Ali , Aldwayyan Abdullah S.
Published: April 2022

Controlling the crystallinity, homogeneity, and surface morphology is an efficient method of enhancing the perovskite layer. These improvements contribute toward the optimization of perovskite film morphology for its use in high-performance photovoltaic applications. Here, different solvents will be used in order to process the perovskite precursor, to improve the interfacial contacts through generating a smooth film and uniform crystal domains with large grains. The effect that the solvent has on the optical and structural properties of spin-coated methyl ammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite thin films prepared using a single-step method was systematically investigated. The spin-coating parameters and precursor concentrations of MAI and PbI2 were optimized to produce uniform thin films using the different solvents N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and γ-butyrolactone (GBL). The effect that the solvent has on the morphology of the MAPbI3 films was examined to determine how the materials can be structurally altered to make them highly efficient for use in perovskite hybrid photovoltaic applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results show that the synthesized MAPbI3 films prepared using DMSO, DMF, and GBL exhibit the best crystallinity and optical characteristics (photoluminescence (PL)), respectively, of the prepared films. The optical properties resulting from the noticeable improvement PL of the films can be clearly correlated with their crystallinity, depending on the solvents used in their preparation. The film prepared in DMSO shows the highest transmittance and the highest bandgap energy of the prepared films.
Effects of Hydrolysis Parameters on AlN Content in Aluminum Dross and Multivariate Nonlinear Regression Analysis
Authors: Lv Shuaishuai , Ni Hongjun , Wang Xingxing , Ni Wei , Wu Weiyang
Published: April 2022

Aluminum dross, as a hazardous waste product, causes harm to the environment and humans, since the AlN it contains chemically reacts with water to produce ammonia. In the present study, a formula for modifying the AlN content in aluminum dross is proposed for the first time, by investigating the components of aluminum dross and changes in their respective contents during the hydrolysis process. Meanwhile, the effects of such hydrolysis parameters as time, temperature, and rotational speed on the hydrolysis rate of aluminum dross are explored. Furthermore, regression analysis is performed on the hydrolysis parameters and objective functions. The results show that as the reaction time increases, the variation in AlN content in aluminum dross decelerates gradually after modification. The hydrolysis rate is the fastest in the initial 4 h, which essentially stagnates after 20 h. The rise in temperature can significantly accelerate the AlN hydrolysis in aluminum dross, while the rotational speed has a non-obvious effect on the hydrolysis rate of AlN in aluminum dross. Regression analysis and secondary simplification are performed on the hydrolysis parameters and the modified AlN content, revealing that the relative error between the theoretical and experimental values is ≤ ±9.34%. The findings of this study have certain guiding significance for predicting and controlling modified AlN content in aluminum dross during hydrolysis.
Study on AgCl/Al2O3 Catalyst Coating on Metal Workpiece Surface by Electrophoretic Deposition and Its Overall Catalytic Performance
Authors: Yu Yimin , Ding Yunlong , Ju Dongying
Published: April 2022

This paper is a study of the coating technique of AgCl/Al2O3 catalyst on metal-based surfaces. In order to remove nitrogen oxides from the exhaust of marine diesel engines, this paper proposes a method of electrophoretic deposition and designs an electrophoretic deposition apparatus according to the coating conditions. An in-house developed catalyst was coated on a specific stainless-steel workpiece by the electrophoretic deposition method under the conditions of appropriate voltage and catalyst solution concentration. The surface and cross section of AgCl/Al2O3 coating on stainless steel were observed by scanning electron microscope, and the thickness of catalyst coating after coating was determined. In this study, an exhaust gas evaluation system was built, and a removal test of nitrogen oxides from diesel exhaust gas was conducted under the environment of temperature cyclic change, and repeated experiments proved that the coated workpiece could still effectively remove harmful nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gas. Converting them to N2 provides a new idea for ship exhaust gas purification.
A Lite Romanian BERT: ALR-BERT
Authors: Nicolae Dragoş Constantin , Yadav Rohan Kumar , Tufiş Dan
Published: April 2022

Large-scale pre-trained language representation and its promising performance in various downstream applications have become an area of interest in the field of natural language processing (NLP). There has been huge interest in further increasing the model’s size in order to outperform the best previously obtained performances. However, at some point, increasing the model’s parameters may lead to reaching its saturation point due to the limited capacity of GPU/TPU. In addition to this, such models are mostly available in English or a shared multilingual structure. Hence, in this paper, we propose a lite BERT trained on a large corpus solely in the Romanian language, which we called “A Lite Romanian BERT (ALR-BERT)”. Based on comprehensive empirical results, ALR-BERT produces models that scale far better than the original Romanian BERT. Alongside presenting the performance on downstream tasks, we detail the analysis of the training process and its parameters. We also intend to distribute our code and model as an open source together with the downstream task.
An Overview of Hierarchical Design of Textile-Based Sensor in Wearable Electronics
Authors: Wu Songmei
Published: April 2022

Smart textiles have recently aroused tremendous interests over the world because of their broad applications in wearable electronics, such as human healthcare, human motion detection, and intelligent robotics. Sensors are the primary components of wearable and flexible electronics, which convert various signals and external stimuli into electrical signals. While traditional electronic sensors based on rigid silicon wafers can hardly conformably attach on the human body, textile materials including fabrics, yarns, and fibers afford promising alternatives due to their characteristics including light weight, flexibility, and breathability. Of fundamental importance are the needs for fabrics simultaneously having high electrical and mechanical performance. This article focused on the hierarchical design of the textile-based flexible sensor from a structure point of view. We first reviewed the selection of newly developed functional materials for textile-based sensors, including metals, conductive polymers, carbon nanomaterials, and other two-dimensional (2D) materials. Then, the hierarchical structure design principles on different levels from microscale to macroscale were discussed in detail. Special emphasis was placed on the microstructure control of fibers, configurational engineering of yarn, and pattern design of fabrics. Finally, the remaining challenges toward industrialization and commercialization that exist to date were presented.
Characterization of Mortars Made with Coal Ashes Identified as a Way Forward to Mitigate Climate Change
Authors: Menéndez Esperanza , Argiz Cristina , Recino Hairon , Sanjuán Miguel Ángel
Published: April 2022

Portland cement production is an energy-intensive process that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, it would be necessary to implement innovative measures in the cement industry to deliver carbon neutrality. In this respect, it is striking that the new cement types made with high contents of industrial by-products will act as a lever to combat climate change. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to assess coal–ash blended cements in light of climate change mitigation. In particular, ground coal bottom ash could be considered as a novel constituent for common cement production. The performance of these coal–ash mortars was assessed by measuring pozzolanic reactivity, mechanical strength gain, and microstructural characteristics. Mortars were made with 10%, 25%, or 35% of coal ash (fly ash and/or bottom ash). Therefore, by considering an emission intensity factor of 830 kgCO2/kg of clinker, a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions for all coal fly ash cements is expected, which will be about 83 kgCO2/kg of cement, 208 kgCO2/kg of cement, and 290 kgCO2/kg of cement, respectively. Ground coal bottom ash presented similar characteristics to the coal fly ash. Consequently, ground coal bottom ash is a promising Portland cement constituent with properties comparable to coal fly ash, and its increased usage can contribute to the climate change mitigation.
I-Shaped Metamaterial Using SRR for Multi-Band Wireless Communication
Authors: Ajewole Bukola , Kumar Pradeep , Afullo Thomas
Published: April 2022

A novel I-shaped metamaterial (ISMeTM) using split-ring resonator (SRR) for multi-band wireless communication is presented in this paper. The proposed ISMeTM unit cell structure is designed using the three-square split-ring resonators (SSRRs) and I-shaped copper strip at the center. The size of the proposed ISMeTM is 10 × 10 × 1.6 mm3 while utilizing the FR-4 dielectric substrate material. The analysis of various array arrangements, variation in the ring gap, variation in strip length, and the variation in strip width is performed to achieve the optimum results for multi-band operation. The effective permittivity, permeability, and refractive index of the unit cell have been analyzed. The design and simulation of the ISMeTM unit cell and arrays are performed using the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Studio Suite and MATLAB. The equivalent circuit of the ISMeTM is designed using the Advanced Design System (ADS) software. The split ring’s inner loop’s gap functions as a capacitor, while the metallic ring itself functions as an inductor. Electric resonance is created by the interaction between the split ring and the electric field. The interaction of magnetic fields with metallic loops during EM propagation in the structure causes the magnetic resonance. The variation in dimensions of the structure causes the variation in the inductance and capacitance, which causes the variation in resonant frequency. The proposed design is optimized after several parametric analyses. A comprehensive analysis of 1 × 2, 2 × 2, and 2 × 4 array is also investigated. The results confirm the multi-band operation of the proposed ISMeTM. The proposed ISMeTM is suitable for the multi-band C/X/Ku-band microwave applications.
Salamander Demography at Isolated Wetlands within Mature and Regenerating Forests
Authors: Church Don R. , Bailey Larissa L. , Wilbur Henry M. , Green James H. , Hiby Lex
Published: April 2022

Geographically isolated wetland and surrounding landscape features affect the ecology and life history of amphibian species. We used multistate mark recapture methods and data from over 30,000 captures of adult Ambystoma opacum to explore how survival, breeding, and movement probabilities differed among wetlands surrounded by regenerating 20-year-old clearcuts and mature 100-year-old forest stands. Survival varied among ponds and years but did not differ between regenerating and mature forest habitats. Both sexes at all ponds incurred dramatic mortality during the non-breeding season of a drought year (2001–2002). Females that skipped one or more breeding opportunities had higher breeding probabilities the following year than did successive breeders. Females exiting into regenerating forests had lower breeding probabilities at two of the three ponds. Breeding salamanders tended to make local movements from regenerating to mature forests, particularly when exiting the pond basin. Landscape movements between ponds were generally low, with few individuals moving from mature to regenerating forest habitats. We conclude that clearcuts continue to negatively impact some demographic parameters of salamanders 20 years post-cutting, but other environmental factors may mitigate these effects, and that populations are probably capable of complete recovery, particularly if some mature forest is retained.
Safe Passage or Hunting Ground? A Test of the Prey-Trap Hypothesis at Wildlife Crossing Structures on NH 44, Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India
Authors: Saxena Akanksha , Habib Bilal
Published: April 2022

Crossing structures are widely accepted mitigation measures used to offset the impacts of roads in ecologically sensitive areas that serve as important animal corridors. However, altered interspecies interactions at crossing structures may reduce the potency of these structures for some species and groups. Anecdotes of predation events at crossing structures have necessitated the assessment of predator–prey interactions at crossing structures. We investigated the ‘prey-trap’ hypothesis at nine crossing structures on a highway in central India adjacent to a tiger reserve by comparing the geometric mean latencies between successive prey, predator and free-ranging dog camera trap capture events at the crossing structures. Among all interactions, prey–predator latencies were the shortest, and significantly lower than prey–dog and predator–prey latencies. Prey–predator sequences involving wild dogs had the shortest average latencies (65.6 ± 9.7 min). Prey–predator latencies decreased with increasing crossing structure width; however, these crossing structures are also the sites that are most frequently used by wildlife. Results indicate that the crossing structures presently do not act as ‘prey-traps’ from wild predators or free-ranging dogs. However, measures used to alleviate such prospects, such as heterogeneity in structure design and increase in vegetation cover near crossing structures, are recommended.
Influence of Post-Milking Treatment on Microbial Diversity on the Cow Teat Skin and in Milk
Authors: Verdier-Metz Isabelle , Delbès Céline , Bouchon Matthieu , Pradel Philippe , Theil Sébastien , Rifa Etienne , Corbin Agnès , Chassard Christophe
Published: April 2022

In dairy cattle, teat disinfection at the end of milking is commonly applied to limit colonization of the milk by pathogenic microorganisms via the teat canal. The post-milking products used can irritate the teat skin and unbalance its microbial population. Our study aimed to assess the impact of different milking products on the balance of the microbial communities on the teat skin of cows and in their milk. For 12 weeks at the end of each milking operation, three groups of seven Holstein dairy cows on pasture received either a chlorhexidine gluconate-based product (G) or a hydrocolloidal water-in-oil emulsion (A), or no post-milking product (C). The composition of the bacterial and fungal communities on the teat skin and in the milk were characterized using a culture-dependent method and by high-throughput sequencing of marker genes to obtain amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). The individual microbiota on the cows’ teat skin was compared for the first time to that of a cow pool. In contrast to the milk, the post-milking treatment influenced the microbiota of the teat skin, which revealed a high microbial diversity. The water-in-oil emulsion appeared to slightly favour lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and to limit the development of undesirable bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.
Predictive Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT-Based Radiomics Model for Occult Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Clinically Node-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Chen Kun , Yin Guotao , Xu Wengui
Published: April 2022

Background: To develop and validate a radiomics model based on 18F-FDG PET/CT images to preoperatively predict occult axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases in patients with invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) with clinically node-negative (cN0); Methods: A total of 180 patients (mean age, 55 years; range, 31–82 years) with pathologically proven IDC and a preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT scan from January 2013 to January 2021 were included in this retrospective study. According to the intraoperative pathological results of ALN, we divided patients into the true-negative group and ALN occult metastasis group. Radiomics features were extracted from PET/CT images using Pyradiomics implemented in Python, t-tests, and LASSO were used to screen the feature, and the random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), stochastic gradient descent (SGD), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) were used to build the prediction models. The best-performing model was further tested by the permutation test; Results: Among the four models, RF had the best prediction results, the AUC range of RF was 0.661–0.929 (mean AUC, 0.817), and the accuracy range was 65.3–93.9% (mean accuracy, 81.2%). The p-values of the permutation tests for the RF model with maximum and minimum accuracy were less than 0.01; Conclusions: The developed RF model was able to predict occult ALN metastases in IDC patients based on preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomic features.
A Comprehensive Assessment of Cardiomyopathies through Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance: Focus on the Pediatric Population
Authors: Baessato Francesca , Romeo Cristina , Rabbat Mark G. , Pontone Gianluca , Meierhofer Christian
Published: April 2022

Cardiomyopathies (CMPs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases that involve the myocardium and result in systolic or diastolic impairment of the cardiac muscle, potentially leading to heart failure, malignant arrhythmias, or sudden cardiac death. Occurrence in pediatric age is rare but has been associated with worse outcomes. Non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques, integrated with clinical, genetic, and electrocardiographic data, have shown a pivotal role in the clinical work-up of such diseases by defining structural alterations and assessing potential complications. Above all modalities, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as a powerful tool complementary to echocardiography to confirm diagnosis, provide prognostic information and guide therapeutic strategies secondary to its high spatial and temporal resolution, lack of ionizing radiation, and good reproducibility. Moreover, CMR can provide in vivo tissue characterization of the myocardial tissue aiding the identification of structural pathologic changes such as replacement or diffuse fibrosis, which are predictors of worse outcomes. Large prospective randomized studies are needed for further validation of CMR in the context of childhood CMPs. This review aims to highlight the role of advanced imaging with CMR in CMPs with particular reference to the dilated, hypertrophic and non-compacted phenotypes, which are more commonly seen in children.
An Improved Machine-Learning Approach for COVID-19 Prediction Using Harris Hawks Optimization and Feature Analysis Using SHAP
Authors: Debjit Kumar , Islam Md Saiful , Rahman Md. Abadur , Pinki Farhana Tazmim , Nath Rajan Dev , Al-Ahmadi Saad , Hossain Md. Shahadat , Mumenin Khondoker Mirazul , Awal Md. Abdul
Published: April 2022

A healthcare monitoring system needs the support of recent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and big data, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This global pandemic has already taken millions of lives. Both infected and uninfected people have generated big data where AI and ML can use to combat and detect COVID-19 at an early stage. Motivated by this, an improved ML framework for the early detection of this disease is proposed in this paper. The state-of-the-art Harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm with an improved objective function is proposed and applied to optimize the hyperparameters of the ML algorithms, namely HHO-based eXtreme gradient boosting (HHOXGB), light gradient boosting (HHOLGB), categorical boosting (HHOCAT), random forest (HHORF) and support vector classifier (HHOSVC). An ensemble technique was applied to these optimized ML models to improve the prediction performance. Our proposed method was applied to publicly available big COVID-19 data and yielded a prediction accuracy of 92.38% using the ensemble model. In contrast, HHOXGB provided the highest accuracy of 92.23% as a single optimized model. The performance of the proposed method was compared with the traditional algorithms and other ML-based methods. In both cases, our proposed method performed better. Furthermore, not only the classification improvement, but also the features are analyzed in terms of feature importance calculated by SHapely adaptive exPlanations (SHAP) values. A graphical user interface is also discussed as a potential tool for nonspecialist users such as clinical staff and nurses. The processed data, trained model, and codes related to this study are available at GitHub.
EPHA2, EPHA4, and EPHA6 Expression in Uveal Melanomas: Searching for the Culprits of Neoplasia
Authors: Pergaris Alexandros , Danas Eugene , Gajdzis Pawel , Levidou Georgia , Gajdzis Malgorzata , Cassoux Nathalie , Gardrat Sophie , Donizy Piotr , Korkolopoulou Penelope , Kavantzas Nikolaos , Klijanienko Jerzy , Theocharis Stamatios
Published: April 2022

Uveal melanomas (UMs) comprise the most common primary intraocular malignancies in adults, with the eye representing the second most common site for melanoma, following the skin. Prognosis remains poor, with approximately half of the cases presenting with metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular receptors (EPHs) comprise the largest known family of tyrosine receptors, in which, along with their ligands, ephrins, play an important role in a plethora of processes in human physiology, and are implicated in key steps of carcinogenesis. In the present study, EPHA2, EPHA4, and EPHA6 immunohistochemical expressions were investigated in UM tissues and further correlated to a multitude of clinicopathological parameters, including disease stage and patients’ overall survival (OS). High levels of EPHA2 expression were significantly associated with increased tumor vertical thickness (p = 0.03) and the presence of intrascleral involvement (p = 0.05), whereas high EPHA6 nuclear expression was associated with older age at diagnosis (p = 0.03) and absence of retinal detachment (p = 0.05). In a multivariate survival analysis, increased EPHA4 expression was associated with shortened OS along with the presence of metastasis (p < 0.001) and monosomy 3 (p = 0.02). In a separate model, the concurrent overexpression of at least two of the investigated EPHs (HR = 14.7, p = 0.03) also proved to be an independent poor prognostic factor. In conclusion, our results implicate these specific members of the EPHA group as potential biomarkers for disease prognosis as well as possible targets for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.
Inflammatory Biomarkers in Coronary Artery Ectasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Vrachatis Dimitrios A. , Papathanasiou Konstantinos A. , Kazantzis Dimitrios , Sanz-Sánchez Jorge , Giotaki Sotiria G. , Raisakis Konstantinos , Kaoukis Andreas , Kossyvakis Charalampos , Deftereos Gerasimos , Reimers Bernhard , Avramides Dimitrios , Siasos Gerasimos , Cleman Michael , Giannopoulos George , Lansky Alexandra , Deftereos Spyridon
Published: April 2022

Isolated coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a relatively rare clinical entity, the pathogenesis of which is poorly understood. More and more evidence is accumulating to suggest a critical inflammatory component. We aimed to elucidate any association between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and coronary artery ectasia. A systematic MEDLINE database, ClinicalTrials.gov, medRxiv, Scopus and Cochrane Library search was conducted: 50 studies were deemed relevant, reporting on difference in NLR levels between CAE patients and controls (primary endpoint) and/or on high-sensitive CRP, IL-6, TNF-a and RDW levels (secondary endpoint), and were included in our final analysis. (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021224195). All inflammatory biomarkers under investigation were found higher in coronary artery ectasia patients as compared to healthy controls (NLR; SMD = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.27–1.20, hs-CRP; SMD = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.64–1.28, IL-6; SMD = 2.68; 95% CI: 0.95–4.41, TNF-a; SMD = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.24–0.75, RDW; SMD = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.26–0.87). The main limitations inherent in this analysis are small case-control studies of moderate quality and high statistical heterogeneity. Our findings underscore that inflammatory dysregulation is implicated in coronary artery ectasia and merits further investigation.
Salivary Scca1, Scca2 and Trop2 in Oral Cancer Patients—A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study
Authors: Karmelić Ivana , Salarić Ivan , Baždarić Ksenija , Rožman Marko , Zajc Ivan , Mravak-Stipetić Marinka , Bago Ivona , Brajdić Davor , Lovrić Jasna , Macan Darko
Published: April 2022

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is frequently diagnosed in the advanced stages. The purpose of this paper is to determine the salivary values of SCCA1, SCCA2 and TROP2 in patients with T1N0M0 OSCC and to compare them with the values obtained from healthy individuals. Unstimulated (UWS) and stimulated (SWS) saliva was sampled from 29 patients with T1N0M0 OSCC and 29 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. Statistical difference was observed in SCCA1 and SCCA2 levels both in UWS and SWS samples. TROP2 was not measurable in most of the salivary samples. Both SCCA1 and SCCA2 could represent potential biomarkers for the early-stage OSCC. Research on a larger sample and biomarker validation is needed to assess the clinical potential of SCCA1 and SCCA2 in the OSCC early diagnostics.
Comparison of Two Root Canal Filling Techniques: Obturation with Guttacore Carrier Based System and Obturation with Guttaflow2 Fluid Gutta-Percha
Authors: Migliau Guido , Palaia Gaspare , Pergolini Daniele , Guglielmelli Tommaso , Fascetti Roberta , Sofan Afrah , Del Vecchio Alessandro , Romeo Umberto
Published: April 2022

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to compare the quality of the root canal obturation obtained with two different techniques, i.e., thermoplastic gutta-percha introduced through a carrier (GuttaCore) and fluid gutta-percha (GuttaFlow2). Materials and Methods: The study included 40 permanent single-rooted human teeth, divided into two groups and obturated with Guttaflow (group G) and with GuttaCore (group T). The teeth were fixed and transversely sectioned, they were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The dentin–cement–gutta–percha interface and the percentage of voids produced by the two techniques were statistically analyzed. Results: GuttaCore showed a better filling in the apical third of the canal with a percentage of voids equal to 5%. GuttaFlow showed a lower percentage of voids in the middle and coronal thirds of the canal, 1.6% of coronal voids. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the percentage of voids in the two groups (GuttaCore and Guttaflow2) in each portion. Conclusions: GuttaFlow2 seems to flow optimally in the middle and coronal third of the canal, with greater difficulty in filling the apical third. Due to the rigidity of the carrier, GuttaCore is able to reach better the most apical portions of the canals, with greater difficulty in creating the three-dimensional seal at the level of the middle third and coronal third.
UAV and Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry Enhance River Restoration Monitoring: A Dam Removal Study
Authors: Evans Alexandra D. , Gardner Kevin H. , Greenwood Scott , Still Brett
Published: April 2022

Dam removal is a river restoration technique that has complex landscape-level ecological impacts. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are emerging as tools that enable relatively affordable, repeatable, and objective ecological assessment approaches that provide a holistic perspective of restoration impacts and can inform future restoration efforts. In this work, we use a consumer-grade UAV, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and machine learning (ML) to evaluate geomorphic and vegetation changes pre-/post-dam removal, and discuss how the technology enhanced our monitoring of the restoration project. We compared UAV evaluation methods to conventional boots-on-ground methods throughout the Bellamy River Reservoir (Dover, NH, USA) pre-/post-dam removal. We used a UAV-based vegetation classification approach that used a support vector machine algorithm and a featureset composed of SfM-derived elevation and visible vegetation index values to map other, herbaceous, shrub, and tree cover throughout the reservoir (overall accuracies from 83% to 100%), mapping vegetation succession as well as colonization of exposed sediments that occurred post-dam removal. We used SfM-derived topography and the vegetation classifications to map erosion and deposition throughout the reservoir, despite its heavily vegetated condition, and estimate volume changes post-removal. Despite some limitations, such as influences of refraction and vegetation on the SfM topography models, UAV provided information on post-dam removal changes that would have gone unacknowledged by the conventional ecological assessment approaches, demonstrating how UAV technology can provide perspective in restoration evaluation even in less-than-ideal site conditions for SfM. For example, the UAV provided perspective of the magnitude and extent of channel shape changes throughout the reservoir while the boots-on-ground topographic transects were not as reliable for detecting change due to difficulties in navigating the terrain. In addition, UAV provided information on vegetation changes throughout the reservoir that would have been missed by conventional vegetation plots due to their limited spatial coverage. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from meeting to collect post-dam removal vegetation plot data. UAV enabled data collection that we would have foregone if we relied solely on conventional methods, demonstrating the importance of flexible and adaptive methods for successful restoration monitoring such as those enabled via UAV.
Nonparametric Statistical Inference with an Emphasis on Information-Theoretic Methods
Authors: Mielniczuk Jan
Published: April 2022

The presented volume addresses some vital problems in contemporary statistical reasoning [...]
Attitudes, Behavior and Relations in the Early School Years
Authors: Driessen Geert
Published: April 2022

In the early school years, the emphasis is more and more on cognitive output factors. Non-cognitive development is receiving less attention than before, though such factors are important determinants of academic success. This study aims at answering two questions: (1) How do young children perform on a number of non-cognitive characteristics, more specifically, attitudes, behavior, and relationships? (2) Are there any differences with regard to those characteristics according to the pupils’ social and ethnic/immigrant background? To answer the questions, data from the Dutch large-scale cohort study COOL5-18 were analyzed. The main sample included nearly 6500 grade 2 pupils (6-year-olds). Teachers answered questions about their pupils’ attitudes, behavior, and relationships. One- and two-way analyses of variance were employed, and effect sizes were computed. The results showed that the teachers rated their pupil’s work attitude as lower than their behavior and popularity. They were more positive regarding their relationship with the pupils. More important was that there were differences according to the pupils’ social and ethnic/immigrant backgrounds: ethnic minority/immigrant pupils scored less positive on all non-cognitive characteristics than native Dutch pupils, and the higher the parental educational level, the more favorable their children performed on the non-cognitive characteristics. These findings are discussed and possible solutions are presented.
Improved Model-Based Rao and Wald Test for Adaptive Range-Spread Target Detection
Authors: Xu Haoxuan , Liu Jiabao , Gao Meiguo
Published: April 2022

This article addresses the problem of the detection of range-spread targets in the presence of Gaussian disturbance which are in possession of unidentified covariance matrices. The detectors have been derived by resorting to a design composed of two steps. Based on the Rao test and Wald test, the corresponding strategies of detection were respectively derived, assuming the expression of disturbance covariance matrix has been obtained. Afterwards, the unknown parameters in the detectors were estimated on the basis of both the primary and the training data, utilizing the autoregressive property of the disturbance. A remarkable characteristic of the Rao and Wald detectors is they both asymptotically attain constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) in respect of the disturbance covariance matrix. Finally, we completed a performance assessment by utilizing the simulated data, and the result demonstrated the effectiveness of the existing proposals compared with the detectors previously proposed.
Integrated WPT-PLC System Applied to UAV: Characterization of a Two-Coil Channel Considering Misalignment Scenarios
Authors: Zouaoui Safa , Dghais Wael , Romba Luis , Melicio Rui , Belgacem Hamdi
Published: April 2022

WPT system performances highly depend on the misalignment scenarios of the transmitter or the receiver coil. In this contribution, the authors analyze the effect of the misalignment influencing factors of the integrated WPT-PLC system receiving coil on the system performances. The simulations and experimental analysis are based on power efficiency and channel capacity metrics. The simulations are performed using finite element calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics and Advanced Design System (ADS) from Keysight technology. By analyzing the results, maximum transferred power is reached under resonance conditions. For instance, the calculated efficiencies versus the misalignment cases of the WPT-PLC system varies (η = 86% to 60%) when d = [3 cm to 7 cm], s = [3 cm to 9 cm], and for a tilt angle θ ≤ 20 deg, while the optimal data rate C(bps) is achieved while appealing different data access points and under reasonable SNR value.
Context-Based Fake News Detection Model Relying on Deep Learning Models
Authors: Amer Eslam , Kwak Kyung-Sup , El-Sappagh Shaker
Published: April 2022

Nowadays, due to the great accessibility to the internet, people seek out and consume news via social media due to its low cost, ease of access, and quick transmission of information. The tremendous leverage of social media applications in daily life makes them significant information sources. Users can post and share different types of information in all their forms with a single click. However, the cost becomes expensive and dangerous when non-experts say anything about anything. Fake news are rapidly dominating the dissemination of disinformation by distorting people’s views or knowledge to influence their awareness and decision-making. Therefore, we have to identify and prevent the problematic effects of falsified information as soon as possible. In this paper, we conducted three experiments with machine learning classifiers, deep learning models, and transformers. In all experiments, we relied on word embedding to extract contextual features from articles. Our experimental results showed that deep learning models outperformed machine learning classifiers and the BERT transformer in terms of accuracy. Moreover, results showed almost the same accuracy between the LSTM and GRU models. We showed that by combining an augmented linguistic feature set with machine or deep learning models, we can, with high accuracy, identify fake news.
Multiple-Output DC–DC Converters: Applications and Solutions
Authors: Litrán Salvador P. , Durán Eladio , Semião Jorge , Díaz-Martín Cristian
Published: April 2022

Multiple-output DC–DC converters are essential in a multitude of applications where different DC output voltages are required. The interest and importance of this type of multiport configuration is also reflected in that many electronics manufacturers currently develop integrated solutions. Traditionally, the different output voltages required are obtained by means of a transformer with several windings, which are in addition to providing electrical isolation. However, the current trend in the development of multiple-output DC–DC converters follows general aspects, such as low losses, high-power density, and high efficiency, as well as the development of new architectures and control strategies. Certainly, simple structures with a reduced number of components and power switches will be one of the new trends, especially to reduce the size. In this sense, the incorporation of devices with a Wide Band Gap (WBG), particularly Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC), will establish future trends, advantages, and disadvantages in the development and applications of multiple-output DC–DC converters. In this paper, we present a review of the most important topics related to multiple-output DC–DC converters based on their main topologies and configurations, applications, solutions, and trends. A wide variety of configurations and topologies of multiple-output DC–DC converters are shown (more than 30), isolated and non-isolated, single and multiple switches, and based on soft and hard switching techniques, which are used in many different applications and solutions.