bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of a Proportional-Control-Based Advanced Control Strategy for Independent Temperature and Humidity Control of a Pre-Cooled Desiccant Air Cooling System
Authors: Demir Mehmet Hakan , Cetin Sabri , Haggag Osama , Gursoy Demir Habibe , Worek William , Premer Jeffrey , Pandelidis Demis
Published: September 2022

In this study, the control of a desiccant-wheel-based evaporative cooling system with a double-layer dew-point cooler system is emphasized. There are two dew-point evaporative coolers in the system and the air taken inside is subjected to pre- and post-cooling processes. The dehumidification process of the air taken in is carried out by the desiccant wheel after the pre-cooling process. A proportional-based control strategy has been developed to adjust the temperature and relative humidity of the room quickly and robustly with different operation modes for actuators to bring comfort with less energy consumption. In addition, an automatic Stop/Run mode has been added to the control strategy to save extra energy. With the developed control strategy, enabling the actuators to switch between the operation modes, more energy savings are achieved compared to both traditional ON/OFF and proportional controls. The accuracy and applicability of the developed control strategy were analyzed and it was observed that the room comfort reached the desired levels successfully under all disruptive effects. The control inputs and the energies consumed by all the actuators were investigated and it was determined that 21.19% more energy savings are provided by adding the automatic Stop/Run feature. With the multi-mode control strategy, a total of 40.90% less energy consumption is achieved compared to the classical ON/OFF control technique. Thus, it is seen that the controller developed for the desiccant-wheel-based evaporative cooler is a viable method to provide fast and robust comfort conditions with less energy.
Applying Modern Meta-Heuristics in Intelligent Systems
Authors: Yin Peng-Yeng
Published: September 2022

Engineering and business problems are increasingly impenetrable due to the new economics triggered by big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of things [...]
Regime Changes in Atmospheric Moisture under Climate Change
Authors: Jones Roger N. , Ricketts James H.
Published: September 2022

Recent work attributing decadal regime changes in temperature to radiative forcing is extended to atmospheric moisture. Temperature, and specific and relative humidity (T, q, RH) from the HadISDH data set were analyzed for regime shifts using the bivariate test. Most shifts in q and T for global and northern hemisphere (NH), and tropical land occurred within a year of each other. Only one shift of q was recorded in the southern hemisphere (SH). RH increased in the NH in 1990–91 and decreased in a series of shifts from the late 1990s, while in the SH decreased from 2001. The tropics have remained neutral, shifting negative over land and positive over the ocean. The global decreases in 2001 and 2011 was −0.56%. Global RH from 32 climate models from the CMIP5 RCP4.5 archive all contained regime shifts but only 4 reached or exceeded the observed decreases by 2100, the earliest in 2056. Regime shifts in RH and fire danger over Australia are consistent with the SH decreases in RH, shifting within one year of global fire season length in 2002, showing that impacts are also being underestimated by current analyses. Methods for nonlinear attribution and the contributing processes for nonlinear change are discussed. These results show that developing a better understanding of nonlinear change in moisture-related climate risk is an urgent task.
Reliability of Lower-Cost Sensors in the Analysis of Indoor Air Quality on Board Ships
Authors: Schalm Olivier , Carro Gustavo , Lazarov Borislav , Jacobs Werner , Stranger Marianne
Published: September 2022

Air quality in and around ships is governed by a variety of pollution sources that are unique for the shipping context. This makes the living and working conditions on ships substantially different from situations in cities or inside buildings. To gain insight into these differences, information about trends and absolute pollutant amounts on board ships is needed. However, the installation of reference instruments to monitor NO2, NO, O3, particulate matter and other environmental parameters is often not possible because of their size, weight or because of safety reasons. For that reason, more compact devices incorporating a variety of sensors are a good alternative. However, the use of such sensors is only possible when their behaviour and performance in a shipping context are well understood. To study this context, we were allowed to compare sensor-based measurements performed on a 36-year old ship dedicated to near shore operations with measurements of reference-grade instruments. Additional behavioural information of sensors is obtained by measuring campaigns organized on several inland ships. This contribution demonstrates that trends registered by gas and particulate matter sensors are reliable but that insufficient detection limits, higher noise, imperfect calibration and sensor errors result in some reliability constraints.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Quality of Life in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Survey Study
Authors: Cavallaro Giada , Murri Alessandra , Nelson Emer , Gorrasi Rosaria , Quaranta Nicola
Published: September 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly spread through Europe in the first months of 2020. On the 9th of March 2020, the Italian government ordered a national lock-down. The study’s objectives were: to investigate the effect of lockdown on CI users; and to detect the difference in the perception of discomfort existing between unilateral cochlear implant (UCI) users and bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users, due to the lockdown experience. Methods: A 17-item, web-based, anonymous online survey was administered to 57 CI users, exploring hearing performance, emotions, practical issues, behavior, and tinnitus. Participation in the study was voluntary. Results: all CI users obtained an abnormal score in all questionnaire themes. For the emotion theme and the practical issue theme, the age range 61–90 showed a significant difference between UCI and BCI users in favor of BCI users (emotion theme: UCI mean = 3.9, BCI mean = 2.3, p = 0.0138; practical issues: UCI mean = 4, BCI mean = 3, p = 0.0031). Conclusions: CI users experienced the lockdown negatively as regards behavior, emotions, hearing performance, and in practical issues. CI subjects with UCI in old age suffered more from the experience of lockdown than subjects with BCI in the same age, with regards to emotions and practical issues.
Homothetic Symmetries of Static Cylindrically Symmetric Spacetimes—A Rif Tree Approach
Authors: Khan Jamshed , Hussain Tahir , Santina Dania , Mlaiki Nabil
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we find all static, cylindrically symmetric spacetime metrics admitting homothetic symmetries. For this purpose, first we analyze the homothetic symmetry equations by an algorithm developed in Maple which gives all possible static, cylindrically symmetric metrics that may possess proper homothetic symmetry. After that, we have solved the homothetic symmetry equations for all these metrics to get the final form of homothetic symmetry vector fields. Comparing the obtained results with those of direct integration technique, it is observed that the Rif tree approach not only recovers the metrics already found by direct integration technique, but it also produces some new metrics.
Training Neural Networks by Time-Fractional Gradient Descent
Authors: Xie Jingyi , Li Sirui
Published: September 2022

Motivated by the weighted averaging method for training neural networks, we study the time-fractional gradient descent (TFGD) method based on the time-fractional gradient flow and explore the influence of memory dependence on neural network training. The TFGD algorithm in this paper is studied via theoretical derivations and neural network training experiments. Compared with the common gradient descent (GD) algorithm, the optimization effect of the time-fractional gradient descent algorithm is significant when the value of fractional α is close to 1, under the condition of appropriate learning rate η. The comparison is extended to experiments on the MNIST dataset with various learning rates. It is verified that the TFGD has potential advantages when the fractional α nears 0.95∼0.99. This suggests that the memory dependence can improve training performance of neural networks.
Some New Refinements of Trapezium-Type Integral Inequalities in Connection with Generalized Fractional Integrals
Authors: Tariq Muhammad , Sahoo Soubhagya Kumar , Ntouyas Sotiris K. , Alsalami Omar Mutab , Shaikh Asif Ali , Nonlaopon Kamsing
Published: September 2022

The main objective of this article is to introduce a new notion of convexity, i.e., modified exponential type convex function, and establish related fractional inequalities. To strengthen the argument of the paper, we introduce two new lemmas as auxiliary results and discuss some algebraic properties of the proposed notion. Considering a generalized fractional integral operator and differentiable mappings, whose initial absolute derivative at a given power is a modified exponential type convex, various improvements of the Hermite–Hadamard inequality are presented. Thanks to the main results, some generalizations about the earlier findings in the literature are recovered.
Development of Integrated Linear Programming Fuzzy-Rough MCDM Model for Production Optimization
Authors: Dordevic Milan , Tešić Rade , Todorović Srdjan , Jokić Miloš , Das Dillip Kumar , Stević Željko , Vrtagic Sabahudin
Published: September 2022

One of the most common tools for achieving optimization and adequate production process management is linear programming (LP) in various forms. However, there are specific cases of the application of linear programming when production optimization implies several potential solutions instead of one. Exactly such a problem is solved in this paper, which integrates linear programming and a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model. First, linear programming was applied to optimize production and several potential solutions lying on the line segment AB were obtained. A list of criteria was created and evaluated using the Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (IMF SWARA). To obtain the final solution, a novel Rough compromise ranking of alternatives from distance to ideal solution (R-CRADIS) method was developed and verified through comparative analysis. The results show that the integration of linear programming and a Fuzzy-Rough MCDM model can be an exceptional solution for solving specific optimization problems.
Supersymmetric Polynomials and a Ring of Multisets of a Banach Algebra
Authors: Chernega Iryna , Zagorodnyuk Andriy
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we consider rings of multisets consisting of elements of a Banach algebra. We investigate the algebraic and topological structures of such rings and the properties of their homomorphisms. The rings of multisets arise as natural domains of supersymmetric functions. We introduce a complete metrizable topology on a given ring of multisets and extend some known results about structures of the rings to the general case. In addition, we consider supersymmetric polynomials and other supersymmetric functions related to these rings. This paper contains a number of examples and some discussions.
Temporal Cox Process with Folded Normal Intensity
Authors: Nicolis Orietta , Riquelme Quezada Luis M. , Ibacache-Pulgar Germán
Published: September 2022

In this work, the case of a Cox Process with Folded Normal Intensity (CP-FNI), in which the intensity is given by Λ(t)=|Z(t)|, where Z(t) is a stationary Gaussian process, is studied. Here, two particular cases are dealt with: (i) when the process Z(t) constitutes a family of independent random variables and with a common probability law N(0,1), and (ii) the case in which Z(t) is a second order stationary process, with exponential type covariance function. In these cases, we observe that the properties of the Gaussian process Z(t) are naturally transferred to the intensity Λ(t) and that very analytical results are achievable from the analytical point of view for the point process N(t). Finally, some simulations are presented in order to appreciate what type of counting phenomena can be modeled by these cases of CP-FNI. In particular, it is interesting to see how the trajectories show a tendency of the events to be grouped in certain periods of time, also leaving long periods of time without the occurrence of events.
Electrode Kinetic Data: Geometric vs. Real Surface Area
Authors: Xie Xuan , Holze Rudolf
Published: September 2022

Kinetic data reporting the rate of electron transfer across an electrified interface are of fundamental as well as practical importance. They report the electric current caused by coupling the flow of electrons inside the electronically conducting electrode and the flow of ions in the adjacent ionically conducting phase. At equilibrium or rest, potential currents in both directions at the established dynamic equilibrium have the same absolute value: the net current is zero. This current describes the electrocatalytic activity of an electrode and is called the exchange current; with respect to the surface area, it is called the exchange current density. This study inspected the actually used surface areas because the reported activities may depend critically on the selection of this area. Charge transfer resistances corresponding to exchange currents I0 were determined for a simple redox system using a platinum disc electrode with constant geometric surface area but variable roughness. At all studied degrees of roughness, changes in I0 were found. With an electrochemically active surface area, exchange current densities j0 could be calculated, but the obtained values showed a dependency on roughness that could not be accounted for by using this surface area instead of the geometric one. It is suggested that j0 may be reported with respect to geometric surface area, but at least roughness data of the studied electrode should be provided.
Audio-Visual Stress Classification Using Cascaded RNN-LSTM Networks
Authors: Gupta Megha V. , Vaikole Shubhangi , Oza Ankit D. , Patel Amisha , Burduhos-Nergis Diana Petronela , Burduhos-Nergis Dumitru Doru
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this research is to emphasize the importance of mental health and contribute to the overall well-being of humankind by detecting stress. Stress is a state of strain, whether it be mental or physical. It can result from anything that frustrates, incenses, or unnerves you in an event or thinking. Your body’s response to a demand or challenge is stress. Stress affects people on a daily basis. Stress can be regarded as a hidden pandemic. Long-term (chronic) stress results in ongoing activation of the stress response, which wears down the body over time. Symptoms manifest as behavioral, emotional, and physical effects. The most common method involves administering brief self-report questionnaires such as the Perceived Stress Scale. However, self-report questionnaires frequently lack item specificity and validity, and interview-based measures can be time- and money-consuming. In this research, a novel method used to detect human mental stress by processing audio-visual data is proposed. In this paper, the focus is on understanding the use of audio-visual stress identification. Using the cascaded RNN-LSTM strategy, we achieved 91% accuracy on the RAVDESS dataset, classifying eight emotions and eventually stressed and unstressed states.
Roles of Gut Microbiome in Bone Homeostasis and Its Relationship with Bone-Related Diseases
Authors: Zemanova Nina , Omelka Radoslav , Mondockova Vladimira , Kovacova Veronika , Martiniakova Monika
Published: September 2022

The extended microbial genome—the gut microbiome (GM)—plays a significant role in host health and disease. It is able to influence a number of physiological functions. During dysbiosis, GM is associated with the development of various chronic diseases with impaired bone quality. In general, GM is important for bone homeostasis and can affect it via several mechanisms. This review describes the roles of GM in bone homeostasis through influencing the immune and endocrine functions, short-chain fatty acids production, calcium absorption and the gut–brain axis. The relationship between GM composition and several bone-related diseases, specifically osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, obesity and bone cancer, is also highlighted and summarized. GM manipulation may become a future adjuvant therapy in the prevention of many chronic diseases. Therefore, the beneficial effects of probiotic therapy to improve the health status of individuals with aforementioned diseases are provided, but further studies are needed to clearly confirm its effectiveness. Recent evidence suggests that GM is responsible for direct and indirect effects on drug efficacy. Accordingly, various GM alterations and interactions related to the treatment of bone-related diseases are mentioned as well.
Characterization of the In Vitro Cultured Ovarian Cells in the Asian Yellow Pond Turtle (Mauremys mutica)
Authors: Liu Xiaoli , Liu Fang , Xu Haoyang , Yang Yanping , Wang Yakun , Hong Xiaoyou , Li Wei , Yu Lingyun , Chen Chen , Xu Hongyan , Zhu Xinping
Published: September 2022

Gonadal cell lines possess the abilities of self-renewal and differentiation, being used as an efficient tool to analyzing the genes’ functions involved in sex differentiation and gametogenesis. Although some significant achievements have been obtained in the gonadal cells’ culture or manipulation across multiple phyla including teleost and mammals, there is limited study on gonadal cell manipulation in turtles. In this study, we established a new ovarian cell line from the young Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica), which exhibited a normal diploid karyotype with high alkaline phosphatase activity. The cell line, designated as YTO2, was then characterized through the analysis of gene expression profiles. The transcriptome analysis and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that the cells expressed germline genes such as tdrd7, nanos1, klf5, igtb1, hsd17b4 and rad51. Moreover, the immunostaining showed that the germ cell markers, Tdrd7 and Rad51 proteins, were detected predominant in cytoplasm of perinuclear region, while proliferation marker, PCNA, was dominantly observed in the nuclei of cultured cells. Intriguingly, the cells could respond to the retinoic acid induction with significantly increasing the expression level of some meiosis genes, including vasa, dazl, figla, and dmc1. Furthermore, YTO2 cells could be efficiently transfected with the pHBAd-BHG-EGFP adenovirus and properly expressed the exogenous genes. To sum up, an ovarian cell line of the Asian yellow pond turtle had been established and could be stably propagated under in vitro culture condition, as well as being capable of efficiently expressing the exogenous gene tdrd7. This cell line would provide a valuable tool to elaborate the molecular mechanisms behind germ cells development, differentiation and oogenesis in the turtle, even in reptiles.
Reelin Protects against Colon Pathology via p53 and May Be a Biomarker for Colon Cancer Progression
Authors: Serrano-Morales José M. , Vázquez-Carretero María D. , García-Miranda Pablo , Carvajal Ana E. , Calonge María L. , Ilundain Anunciación A. , Peral María J.
Published: September 2022

Previous observations made in human and mouse colons suggest that reelin protects the colon from pathology. In this study, we evaluated reelin expression during the transition from either colitis or precancerous lesions to colon cancer and tried to elucidate reelin regulation under these transition processes. Samples of healthy and pathological colons from humans and mice treated with either azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) or azoxymethane alone were used. The relative abundances of reelin, DNMT-1 and ApoER2 mRNAs were determined by PCR in the colon samples cited above and in the tissue adjacent to mouse colon polyps and adenocarcinomas. In both, humans and mice, reelin mRNA abundance increased significantly in ulcerative colitis and slightly in polyps and decreased in adenomas and adenocarcinomas. Reelin expression was higher in the tissue adjacent to the colon adenocarcinoma and lower in the lesion itself. The reelin expression changes may result, at least in part, from those in DNMT-1 and appear to be independent of ApoER2. Lack of reelin downregulated p-Akt and p53 in healthy colon and prevented their increases in the inflamed colon, whereas it increased GSK-3β in DSS-untreated mice. In conclusion, reelin mRNA abundance depends on the severity of the colon pathology, and its upregulation in response to initial injuries might prevent the beginning of colon cancer, whereas reelin repression favors it. Increased p53 expression and activation may be involved in this protection. We also propose that changes in colon reelin abundance could be used to predict colon pathology progression.
Carotegenic Virgibacillus halodenitrificans from Wadi El-Natrun Salt Lakes: Isolation, Optimization, Characterization and Biological Activities of Carotenoids
Authors: Fayez Doaa , Youssif Asmaa , Sabry Soraya , Ghozlan Hanan , Eltarahony Marwa
Published: September 2022

Carotenoids, as phytonutrient pigments, are signified by their unique beneficial features that serve human health and the surrounding ecosystem. Haloalkaliphiles from soda lakes produce different natural bioactive molecules; however, their ability to produce carotenoids has been limited. Therefore, this study focused on the screening and isolation of carotenoid-producing haloalkaliphilic microbes. Out of 10 isolates, a powerful carotigenic bacterium was isolated, characterized phenotypically and identified on the molecular level as Virgibacillus halodenitrificans. By employing statistical approaches like Plackett–Burman design and central composite design, the influence of significant nutritional variables on carotenoids production was screened and optimized. Predictive modeling manifested that carotenoid yield was 36.42 mg/mL, a 2.12-fold enhancement compared to the basal conditions through inoculating 1.8% of bacterial biomass on optimized medium containing yeast extract (2 g/mL), peptone (10 g/mL) and NaCl (233.6 g/mL). The carotenoids content was confirmed by UV-Vis spectrum which detected a characteristic unique peak with left and right shoulders at 461 nm, 490 and 522 nm. However, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy showed the presence of several functional groups. Meanwhile, LC–MS confirmed that the examined carotenoids were composed of β-carotene, lutein and β-Apo-8′-carotenal mixture. As a bioactive agent, the carotenoids of V. halodenitrificans DASH showed characteristic antagonistic potency against a wide spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Interestingly, a potent antifungal capacity was observed against Candida albicans, reflecting promising mycocidal efficacy against COVID-19 white fungal post-infections. Furthermore, carotenoids (20 μg/mL) inhibited the biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus by 54.01 ± 3.97% and 80.082 ± 0.895%, respectively. Our results proposed that haloalkaliphiles of Wadi El-Natrun lakes are promising sources of carotenoids that exhibited efficiency as safe, biocompatible and natural bioactive agents for environmental, medical and industrial applications.
A Pan-Cancer Analysis of Heat-Shock Protein 90 Beta1(HSP90B1) in Human Tumours
Authors: Wang Yaxuan , Wang Xiaolin
Published: September 2022

Background: HSP90B1, a member of the heat-shock protein 90 family, plays a vital role as a molecular chaperone for oncogenes and stimulates tumour growth. However, its role in various cancers remains unexplored. Methods: Using the cancer genome atlas, gene expression omnibus the Human Protein Atlas databases and various other bioinformatic tools, this study investigated the involvement of HSP90B1 in 33 different tumour types. Results: The over-expression of HSP90B1 generally predicted poor overall survival and disease-free survival for patients with tumours, such as adrenocortical carcinoma, bladder urothelial carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, HSP90B1 was highly expressed in the majority of tumours. A comparison was made between the phosphorylation of HSP90B1 in normal and primary tumour tissues, and putative functional mechanisms in HSP90B1-mediated oncogenesis were investigated. Additionally, the mutation burden of HSP90B1 in cancer was evaluated along with the survival rate of patients with cancer patients. Conclusion: This first pan-cancer investigation reveals the oncogenic functions of HSP90B1 in various cancers.
Proteins Involved in Plant Dehydration Protection: The Late Embryogenesis Abundant Family
Authors: Graether Steffen P.
Published: September 2022

Plants have evolved a number of different ways to deal with different types of abiotic stresses; at the molecular level, dehydration can cause multiple forms of damage to different biomolecules [...]
Calcium-Permeable Channels Cooperation for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Therapeutic Opportunities
Authors: Liang Hong-Yu , Yin Huan-Xin , Li Shu-Fang , Chen Yong , Zhao Ying-Jie , Hu Wei , Zhou Ren-Peng
Published: September 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease that results from the deposition of antibodies–autoantigens in the joints, leading to long-lasting inflammation. The main features of RA include cartilage damage, synovial invasion and flare-ups of intra-articular inflammation, and these pathological processes significantly reduce patients’ quality of life. To date, there is still no drug target that can act in rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the search for novel drug targets has become urgent. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, calcium ions play an important role in all cellular activities and the body has evolved a rigorous calcium signaling system. Calcium-permeable channels, as the main operators of calcium signaling, are widely distributed in cell membranes, endoplasmic reticulum membranes and mitochondrial membranes, and mediate the efflux and entry of Ca2+. Over the last century, more and more calcium-permeable channels have been identified in human cells, and the role of this large family of calcium-permeable channels in rheumatoid arthritis has gradually become clear. In this review, we briefly introduce the major calcium-permeable channels involved in the pathogenesis of RA (e.g., acid-sensitive ion channel (ASIC), transient receptor potential (TRP) channel and P2X receptor) and explain the specific roles and mechanisms of these calcium-permeable channels in the pathogenesis of RA, providing more comprehensive ideas and targets for the treatment of RA.
Mutational Signatures as Sensors of Environmental Exposures: Analysis of Smoking-Induced Lung Tissue Remodeling
Authors: Kim Yoo-Ah , Hodzic Ermin , Amgalan Bayarbaatar , Saslafsky Ariella , Wojtowicz Damian , Przytycka Teresa M.
Published: September 2022

Smoking is a widely recognized risk factor in the emergence of cancers and other lung diseases. Studies of non-cancer lung diseases typically investigate the role that smoking has in chronic changes in lungs that might predispose patients to the diseases, whereas most cancer studies focus on the mutagenic properties of smoking. Large-scale cancer analysis efforts have collected expression data from both tumor and control lung tissues, and studies have used control samples to estimate the impact of smoking on gene expression. However, such analyses may be confounded by tumor-related micro-environments as well as patient-specific exposure to smoking. Thus, in this paper, we explore the utilization of mutational signatures to study environment-induced changes of gene expression in control lung tissues from lung adenocarcinoma samples. We show that a joint computational analysis of mutational signatures derived from sequenced tumor samples, and the gene expression obtained from control samples, can shed light on the combined impact that smoking and tumor-related micro-environments have on gene expression and cell-type composition in non-neoplastic (control) lung tissue. The results obtained through such analysis are both supported by experimental studies, including studies utilizing single-cell technology, and also suggest additional novel insights. We argue that the study provides a proof of principle of the utility of mutational signatures to be used as sensors of environmental exposures not only in the context of the mutational landscape of cancer, but also as a reference for changes in non-cancer lung tissues. It also provides an example of how a database collected with the purpose of understanding cancer can provide valuable information for studies not directly related to the disease.
Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody Index in the Cerebrospinal Fluid for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Rheumatoid Meningitis
Authors: Caputi Luigi , Boncoraglio Giorgio B. , Bernardi Gaetano , Ciusani Emilio , Dantes Marcello , de Liso Federica , Erbetta Alessandra , Marucci Gianluca , Matinato Caterina , Corsini Elena
Published: September 2022

Rheumatoid meningitis (RM) is a rare but often aggressive neurological complication of rheumatoid arthritis. The diagnosis of RM, besides the clinical, radiological, and laboratory criteria, usually requires a cerebral biopsy. Based on the two cases presented in this paper, we propose a new laboratory marker. Cerebrospinal fluid and serum anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) IgG were measured, and the intrathecal synthesis of anti-CCP antibodies (anti-CCP antibody index) was calculated using the hyperbolic function. The anti-CCP antibody index was positive in both cases at first diagnosis and progressively decreased after treatments. Together with clinical and radiological criteria, the calculation of the anti-CCP intrathecal synthesis, more than the simple measurement of serum or cerebrospinal fluid anti-CCP antibody titers, may represent a useful tool for RM diagnosis and, possibly, for treatment response.
Efficacy and Safety of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Clearance of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms under Multiple Comorbidities: A Prospective Comparative Trial
Authors: Shin Jongbeom , Lee Jung-Hwan , Park Soo-Hyun , Cha Boram , Kwon Kye Sook , Kim Hyungkil , Shin Yong Woon
Published: September 2022

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could decolonize multidrug-resistant organisms. We investigated FMT effectiveness and safety in the eradication of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) intestinal colonization. A prospective non-randomized comparative study was performed with 48 patients. FMT material (60 g) was obtained from a healthy donor, frozen, and administered via endoscopy. The primary endpoint was 1-month decolonization, and secondary endpoints were 3-month decolonization and adverse events. Microbiota analysis of fecal samples was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed overall negative conversion between the FMT and control groups at 1 (26% vs. 10%, p = 0.264) and 3 (52% vs. 24%, p = 0.049) months. The 1-month and 3-month CRE clearance did not differ significantly by group (36% vs. 10%, p = 0.341; and 71% vs. 30%, p = 0.095, respectively). Among patients with VRE, FMT was ineffective for 1-month or 3-month negative conversion (13% vs. 9%, p > 0.999; and 36% vs. 18%, p = 0.658, respectively) However, cumulative overall negative-conversion rate was significantly higher in the FMT group (p = 0.037). Enterococcus abundance in patients with VRE significantly decreased following FMT. FMT may be effective at decolonizing multidrug-resistant organisms in the intestinal tract.
Increased Extrasynaptic Glutamate Escape in Stochastically Shaped Probabilistic Synaptic Environment
Authors: Savtchenko Leonid P. , Rusakov Dmitri A.
Published: September 2022

Excitatory synapses in the brain are often surrounded by nanoscopic astroglial processes that express high-affinity glutamate transporters at a high surface density. This ensures that the bulk of glutamate leaving the synaptic cleft is taken up for its subsequent metabolic conversion and replenishment in neurons. Furthermore, variations in the astroglial coverage of synapses can thus determine to what extent glutamate released into the synaptic cleft could activate its receptors outside the cleft. The biophysical determinants of extrasynaptic glutamate actions are complex because they involve a competition between transporters and target receptors of glutamate in the tortuous space of synaptic environment. To understand key spatiotemporal relationships between the extrasynaptic landscapes of bound and free glutamate, we explored a detailed Monte Carlo model for its release, diffusion, and uptake. We implemented a novel representation of brain neuropil in silico as a space filled with randomly scattered, overlapping spheres (spheroids) of distributed size. The parameters of perisynaptic space, astroglial presence, and glutamate transport were constrained by the empirical data obtained for the ‘average’ environment of common cortical synapses. Our simulations provide a glimpse of the perisynaptic concentration landscapes of free and transporter-bound glutamate relationship, suggesting a significant tail of space-average free glutamate within 3 ms post-release.
Characterization of the Urinary Metagenome and Virome in Healthy Children
Authors: Wehedy Eman , Murugesan Selvasankar , George Chinnu Reeba , Shatat Ibrahim F. , Al Khodor Souhaila
Published: September 2022

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing and metagenomic studies have provided insights into the microbial profile of different body sites. However, research on the microbial composition of urine is limited, particularly in children. The goal of this study was to optimize and develop reproducible metagenome and virome protocols using a small volume of urine samples collected from healthy children. We collected midstream urine specimens from 40 healthy children. Using the metagenomics shotgun approach, we tested various protocols. Different microbial roots such as Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryota, and Viruses were successfully identified using our optimized urine protocol. Our data reflected much variation in the microbial fingerprints of children. Girls had significantly higher levels of Firmicutes, whereas boys had significantly higher levels of Actinobacteria. The genus Anaerococcus dominated the urinary bacteriome of healthy girls, with a significant increase in Anaerococcus prevotii, Anaerococcus vaginalis, and Veillonella parvula (p-value < 0.001) when compared with that of boys. An increased relative abundance of Xylanimonas and Arthrobacter, with a significantly high abundance of Arthrobacter sp. FB24 (p-value 0.0028) and Arthrobacter aurescences (p-value 0.015), was observed in boys. The urinary mycobiome showed a significant rise in the genus Malassezia and Malassezia globose fungus (p-value 0.009) in girls, whereas genus Saccharomyces (p-value 0.009) was significantly high in boys. The beta diversity of the urinary mycobiome was found to differ between different age groups. Boys had significantly more Mastadenovirus and Human mastadenovirus-A in their urinary virome than girls. With increasing age, we noticed an increase in the relative abundance of the order Caudovirales. Our optimized protocols allowed us to identify the unique microbes for each sex by using an adequate volume of urine (3–10 mL) to screen for the bacteriome, mycobiome, and virome profiles in the urine of healthy children. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize the metagenomics profiles of urine in a healthy pediatric population.
Redox-Regulation in Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Lendeckel Uwe , Wolke Carmen
Published: September 2022

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a small subset of slowly dividing cells with tumor-initiating ability. They can self-renew and differentiate into all the distinct cell populations within a tumor. CSCs are naturally resistant to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. CSCs, thus, can repopulate a tumor after therapy and are responsible for recurrence of disease. Stemness manifests itself through, among other things, the expression of stem cell markers, the ability to induce sphere formation and tumor growth in vivo, and resistance to chemotherapeutics and irradiation. Stemness is maintained by keeping levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) low, which is achieved by enhanced activity of antioxidant pathways. Here, cellular sources of ROS, antioxidant pathways employed by CSCs, and underlying mechanisms to overcome resistance are discussed.
Endostatin in 3D Fibrin Hydrogel Scaffolds Promotes Chondrogenic Differentiation in Swine Neonatal Meniscal Cells
Authors: Herrera Millar Valentina Rafaela , Canciani Barbara , Mangiavini Laura , Filipe Joel Fernando Soares , Aidos Lucia , Pallaoro Margherita , Peretti Giuseppe Maria , Pocar Paola , Modina Silvia Clotilde , Di Giancamillo Alessia
Published: September 2022

The success of cell-based approaches for the treatment of cartilage or fibro-cartilaginous tissue defects requires an optimal cell source with chondrogenic differentiation ability that maintains its differentiated properties and stability following implantation. For this purpose, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of endostatin (COL18A1), an anti-angiogenic factor, which is physiologically involved in cell differentiation during meniscus development. Swine neonatal meniscal cells not yet subjected to mechanical stimuli were extracted, cultured in fibrin hydrogel scaffolds, and treated at two different time points (T1 = 9 days and T2 = 21 days) with different concentrations of COL18A1 (10 ng/mL; 100 ng/mL; 200 ng/mL). At the end of the treatments, the scaffolds were examined through biochemical, molecular, and histochemical analyses. The results showed that the higher concentration of COL18A1 promotes a fibro-chondrogenic phenotype and improves cellularity index (DNA content, p < 0.001) and cell efficiency (GAGs/DNA ratio, p < 0.01) after 21 days. These data are supported by the molecular analysis of collagen type I (COL1A1, a marker of fibrous-like tissue, p < 0.001), collagen type II (COL2A1, a marker of cartilaginous-like tissue, p < 0.001) and SRY-Box Transcription Factor 9 (SOX9, an early marker of chondrogenicity, p < 0.001), as well as by histological analysis (Safranin-O staining), laying the foundations for future studies evaluating the involvement of 3D endostatin hydrogel scaffolds in the differentiation of avascular tissues.
An Innovative Sandwich Type Biosensor towards Sensitive and Selective Monitoring of 2-Arachidonoylglycerol in Human Plasma Samples Using P(β-CD)-AuNPs-DDT as Amplificant Agent: A New Immuno-Platform for the Recognition of Endocannabinoids in Real Samples
Authors: Aletaha Nastaran , Ghaseminasab Kambiz , Hasanzadeh Mohammad , Kohansal Fereshteh , Liu Yuqian , Seidi Farzad
Published: September 2022

In this work, 2-AG was successfully detected in human plasma samples using a new sandwich-type electrochemical immune device based on poly-β-cyclodextrin P(β-CD) functionalized with AuNPs-DDT and toluidine blue. The P(β-CD) ensured the bioactivity and stability of the immobilized 2-AG antibody by providing a broad surface for the efficient immobilization of the biotinylated antibody. To complete the top section of the immunosensor (reporter), an HRP-conjugated antibody of 2-AG (secondary antibody (Ab2)) was attached to the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified by P(β-CD), as well as a primarily biotinylated antibody (Ab1). The biosensor fabrication process was monitored using field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and EDS methods. Using the differential pulse voltammetry technique, the immunosensor was utilized for detection of 2-AG in real samples. The suggested interface increased the surface area, which allowed for the immobilization of a large quantity of anti-2-AG antibody while also improving biocompatibility, stability, and electrical conductivity. Finally, the suggested immunosensor’s limit of quantitation was determined to be 0.0078 ng/L, with a linear range of 0.0078 to 1.0 ng/L. The results showed that the suggested bioassay can be utilized for diagnosis of 2-AG in clinical samples as a unique and ultrasensitive electrochemical biodevice.
Correction: Yu et al. Recent Advances of Mesoporous Silica as a Platform for Cancer Immunotherapy. Biosensors 2022, 12, 109
Authors: Yu Albert , Dai Xiaoyong , Wang Zixian , Chen Huaqing , Guo Bing , Huang Laiqiang
Published: September 2022

In the published publication [...]
High-Density Gold Nanoparticles Implanted on Mg/Fe LDH Nanoflowers Assisted Lateral Flow Immuno-Dipstick Assay for Visual Detection of Human Epididymal Protein 4
Authors: Liu Hao , Wu Mei-Xia , Ding Shou-Nian
Published: September 2022

The timelier and more accurate the diagnosis of the disease, the higher the patient’s survival rate. Human epididymal protein 4 (HE4) has great significance as a biomarker of concern for reflecting ovarian cancer. Herein, we prepared a novel optical label that can be used in lateral-flow immuno-dipstick assay (LFIA) for sensitive visual detection of HE4 by implanting hydrophobic gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) at high density in Mg/Fe LDH nanoflowers (MF NFs). MF NFs with large specific surface area, high porosity, abundant active binding sites, and stable structure were employed for the first time as templates to directly anchor Au NPs in the organic phase. After simple modification with an optimized amount of branched polyethyleneimine, not only could MF@Au NFs be dispersed in the aqueous phase, but also amino functional groups were introduced on its surface to facilitate subsequent antibody coupling steps. The limit of detection reaches 50 pM with a detection range of 50 to 1000 pM. This work initially explored how MF NFs can be used to load signal labels with ideal stability and signal amplification capabilities, which greatly improves the practicability of LFIA and highlights its important role in the field of rapid diagnostics.
Facilitation of Hand Proprioceptive Processing in Paraplegic Individuals with Long-Term Wheelchair Sports Training
Authors: Morita Tomoyo , Naito Eiichi
Published: September 2022

Previous studies have revealed drastic changes in motor processing in individuals with congenital or acquired limb deficiencies and dysfunction. However, little is known about whether their brains also exhibit characteristic proprioceptive processing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the brain activity characteristics of four individuals with congenital or acquired paraplegia (paraplegic group) who underwent long-term wheelchair sports training, when they passively experienced a right-hand movement (passive task) and when they actively performed a right-hand motor task (active task), compared to 37 able-bodied individuals (control group). Compared with the control group, the paraplegic group showed significantly greater activity in the foot section of the left primary motor cortex and in the inferior frontoparietal proprioceptive network during the passive task. In the paraplegic group, the left intraparietal sulcus region was activated during the passive task, but suppressed during the active task, which was not observed in the control group. This shows the facilitation of hand proprioceptive processing and unique usage of the intraparietal sulcus region in proprioceptive motor processing in the brains of paraplegic individuals with long-term wheelchair sports training.
The Effects of Sensory Cues on Immersive Experiences for Fostering Technology-Assisted Sustainable Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zhang Yaqi , Song Yao
Published: September 2022

Games are consistently acknowledged as a powerful approach that can significantly impact people’s behavior towards living in a sustainable way. Sensory cues are regarded as influential factors in facilitating immersive experiences in gamified applications to foster sustainable behavior. As our perception of an environment is influenced not only by what we can see but also by additional sensory input such as sound and touch, additional sensory information can be part of the participant’s experience. This study systematically scrutinized game-based applications containing sensory cues to interpret current technology-assisted sustainable behavior development. This study provides a review of the impact of the sensory signals offered by video games, virtual reality, and augmented reality on pro-environmental behavioral intention. This research found that human senses can change the perception of immersion in multiple ways: visual (dimensions, angles, color), auditory (music, dialogue), and haptic, and these can affect sustainable behavior. Thus, we argue that multiple sensory modalities provide more opportunities to influence users to act sustainably. Based on the results, the theoretical contribution of this paper emphasizes the level of immersion, which is closely related to various sensory perceptions, and explains the correlation between them. In terms of industrial applications, it provides game designers, developers of VR and AR applications, and planners of sustainable education guidelines for the adoption of immersive scenarios.
Characteristics Associated with Burnout among Cardiologists in an Academic Medical Setting: Baseline Survey Results from a Communication Coaching RCT
Authors: Dunbar Travia Kayla , Olsen Maren K. , Yang Hongqiu , Kennedy Danielle , Jackson Larry R. , Thomas Kevin L. , Alkon Aviel , Prose Neil S. , Pollak Kathryn I.
Published: September 2022

Objectives: Clinician burnout poses risks not just to clinicians but also to patients and the health system. Cardiologists might be especially prone to burnout due to performing high-risk procedures, having to discuss serious news, and treating diseases that incur significant morbidity and mortality. Few have attempted to examine which cardiologists might be at higher risk of burnout. Knowing at-risk cardiologists can help frame resilience interventions. Methods: We enrolled 41 cardiologists across five ambulatory cardiology clinics into a randomized controlled trial where we assessed the Maslach Burnout Inventory at baseline. We used bivariate analyses to assess associations between cardiologist demographics and burnout. Results: Cardiologists reported low burnout for depersonalization and personal accomplishment and moderate levels for emotional exhaustion. Female cardiologists reported emotional exhaustion scores in the “low” range (M = 12.3; SD = 10.06), compared to male cardiologists whose score was in the “moderate” range 19.6 (SD = 9.59; p = 0.113). Cardiologists who had greater than 15 years in practice reported higher mean scores of emotional exhaustion, indicating moderate burnout (M = 20.0, SD = 10.63), compared to those with less than 15 years in practice (M = 16.6, SD = 9.10; p = 0.271). Conclusions: In this sample, unlike prior studies, male cardiologists reported more burnout. Consistent with prior work, mid-level cardiologists might be at highest risk of emotional exhaustion.