bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fluence Beam Monitor for High-Intensity Particle Beams Based on a Multi-Gap Ionization Chamber and a Method for Ion Recombination Correction
Authors: Giordanengo Simona , Guarachi Leslie Fanola , Braccini Saverio , Cirrone Giuseppe A. P. , Donetti Marco , Fausti Federico , Mas Milian Felix , Romano Francesco , Vignati Anna , Monaco Vincenzo , Cirio Roberto , Sacchi Roberto
Published: November 2022

This work presents the tests of a multi-gap detector (MGD), composed of three parallel-plate ionization chambers (ICs) with different gap widths, assembled to prove the capability of correcting for charge volume recombination which is expected to occur when high fluence rates are delivered. Such beam conditions occur with a compact accelerator for charged particle therapy developed to reduce the costs, to accomplish faster treatments and to exploit different beam delivery techniques and dose rates as needed, for example, for range modulation and FLASH irradiations, respectively. The MGD was tested with carbon ions at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO Pavia, Italy), and with protons in two different beam lines: at Bern University Hospital with continuous beams and at the Laboratori Nazionale del Sud (Catania, Italy) of the Italian National Center of Nuclear Physics (INFN) with pulsed beams. For each accelerator, we took measurements with different beam intensities (up to the maximum rate of ionization achievable) and changed the detector bias voltage (V) in order to study the charge collection efficiency. Charge recombination models were used to evaluate the expected collected charge and to measure the linearity of the rate of ionization with the beam fluence rate. A phenomenological approach was used to determine the collection efficiency (f1) of the chamber with thinnest gap from the relative efficiencies, f1/f2 and f1/f3, exploiting the condition that, for each measurement, the three chambers were exposed to the same rate of ionization. Results prove that two calibration curves can be determined and used to correct the online measurements for the charge losses in the ICs for recombination.
Comparative Analysis of Biological Activities and Phenolic Content between Fresh and Steamed Sargassum fusiforme in Different Extraction Solvents
Authors: Lee Hyun-Hwa , Kim Jin-Sol , Jeong Jun-Han , Lee Sook-Young , Kim Chun-Sung
Published: November 2022

Sargassum fusiforme (SF), a perennial brown, is often steamed for consumption. SF contains many bioactive compounds; however, the effect of steaming these compounds is unknown. This study investigates phenolic component contents and antioxidant and antiaging activities of fresh (SF) and steamed (SSF) extracts in different solvents (95% ethanol, 95% methanol, hot water). Total polyphenol and flavonoid content was highest in SSF methanol (9.76 mg TAN/g) and SF methanol extracts (13.42 mg QUE/g). The DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in SF methanol extracts (IC50 = 5.83 μg/μL), whereas the FRAP activity was higher in SSF extracts. Methanol SSF extract exhibited higher SOD, CAT, and APX activities. Collagenase inhibition activity was higher in all SSF extracts, whilst tyrosinase inhibition activity was highest in SSF methanol extract (30.5%). Analysis of phenolic compound contents revealed that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid content was highest in SF methanol extract, whilst steaming increased naringenin and naringin contents in ethanol extracts. Finally, antioxidant activity of both extracts showed a positive correlation with polyphenol content. Overall, these results suggested that SSF ethanol and methanol extract had higher phenolic component content and antioxidant and antiaging activities. Thus, SSF can be potentially used in health functional foods and cosmetic products.
A Wideband Microstrip-to-Waveguide Transition Using E-Plane Probe with Parasitic Patch for W-Band Application
Authors: Han Min , Wang Chengzhi , Liu Chao , Xiao Shuwen , Ma Jianguang , Sun Hui
Published: November 2022

The hollow metal waveguides are attractive components for millimeter-wave circuits owing to low loss. To integrate with the front-end circuit, a transition from microstrip line to waveguide is required. In this article, a microstrip-to-waveguide transition is presented in the W-band by using an E-plane probe with a parasitic patch. The probe is embedded into the waveguide along the center of the broad wall to excite the TE10 mode. A backshort-circuited waveguide with a quarter wavelength is used to obtain sufficient energy coupling and achieve good impedance matching. The additional parasitic patch can introduce a new resonance at a low frequency to enhance the working bandwidth. Hence, the proposed transition achieves wide working bandwidth and low insertion loss. For verification, a back-to-back transition is constructed and measured. The measured results indicate that the proposed transition has a wide working bandwidth covering the entire W-band. The measured reflection coefficient is below −13 dB from 70 to 110 GHz and the average insert loss is 1.1 dB. Attributed to wide working bandwidth and simple structure, the proposed transition is attractive for W-band circuit systems.
Learning Deep Representations of Cardiac Structures for 4D Cine MRI Image Segmentation through Semi-Supervised Learning
Authors: Hasan S. M. Kamrul , Linte Cristian A.
Published: November 2022

Learning good data representations for medical imaging tasks ensures the preservation of relevant information and the removal of irrelevant information from the data to improve the interpretability of the learned features. In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised model—namely, combine-all in semi-supervised learning (CqSL)—to demonstrate the power of a simple combination of a disentanglement block, variational autoencoder (VAE), generative adversarial network (GAN), and a conditioning layer-based reconstructor for performing two important tasks in medical imaging: segmentation and reconstruction. Our work is motivated by the recent progress in image segmentation using semi-supervised learning (SSL), which has shown good results with limited labeled data and large amounts of unlabeled data. A disentanglement block decomposes an input image into a domain-invariant spatial factor and a domain-specific non-spatial factor. We assume that medical images acquired using multiple scanners (different domain information) share a common spatial space but differ in non-spatial space (intensities, contrast, etc.). Hence, we utilize our spatial information to generate segmentation masks from unlabeled datasets using a generative adversarial network (GAN). Finally, to reconstruct the original image, our conditioning layer-based reconstruction block recombines spatial information with random non-spatial information sampled from the generative models. Our ablation study demonstrates the benefits of disentanglement in holding domain-invariant (spatial) as well as domain-specific (non-spatial) information with high accuracy. We further apply a structured L2 similarity (SL2SIM) loss along with a mutual information minimizer (MIM) to improve the adversarially trained generative models for better reconstruction. Experimental results achieved on the STACOM 2017 ACDC cine cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) dataset suggest that our proposed (CqSL) model outperforms fully supervised and semi-supervised models, achieving an 83.2% performance accuracy even when using only 1% labeled data. We hypothesize that our proposed model has the potential to become an efficient semantic segmentation tool that may be used for domain adaptation in data-limited medical imaging scenarios, where annotations are expensive. Code, and experimental configurations will be made available publicly.
Mechanical Models for Comparative Analysis of Failure Characteristics and Groundwater Inrush of Coal Seam Floors
Authors: Zhao Chunbo , Song Wencheng
Published: November 2022

Mining activities conducted above aquifers run the risk of groundwater outburst through fractured floor strata. However, the failure mechanism of the seam floor and the variability in its stability with varying dips remain unclear. Considering the influence of excavation-induced pressure, hydraulic pressure and strata dip, two kinds of analytical models were proposed in this study, which mainly included the hydraulic mechanical model and the key stratum model. These models were applied to comparatively investigate the failure characteristics and inrush risk of horizontal and inclined floors, and then confirmed by numerical simulation. The theoretical calculations reveal that the vertical failure ranges of horizontal and inclined floor strata exhibit approximate “inverted saddle” shapes along the inclination, and have the characteristics of symmetrical distribution and “lower-large/upper-small”, respectively, which is generally consistent with the simulated and measured observations. The theoretical maximum depths of damage within horizontal and inclined floor strata are roughly 12 m and 15 m, slightly lower than the result of numerical simulation. Compared with the remaining horizontal layer, the zone close to the lower boundary of the inclined key strata beneath the goaf incurs the most damage, which corresponds well to the distribution of vertical disturbance ranges. Therefore, the theoretical risk of groundwater outburst from the inclined floor after coal extraction is relatively higher than that from the horizontal floor. The mechanical models established in this study could elucidate the mechanism inducing floor failure and water inrush above a confined aquifer, and thus provide valuable insights for the risk assessment of water-related disasters in underground engineering.
Influence of the Main Geometrical Parameters on the Design and Performance of Mixed Inflow Turbines
Authors: Chelabi Mohammed Amine , Dobrotvorskiy Sergey , Basova Yevheniia , Aleksenko Borys A. , Edl Milan , Zdebor Jan , Machado José
Published: November 2022

The blade shape is of great interest to hybrid turbine designers, due to its significant and direct impact on turbine performance. The inlet and outlet diameters of the vane affect the size of the rotor, which is limited because of the small space available in internal combustion engines. The effect of the ratio of the average inlet diameter and the average exducer inlet diameter on the performance of a mixed inlet turbine will be the focus of this study, which consists of two cases included herein for the purpose of illustrating the means of improving rotor performances and controlling the flow mass rate. In the first case, we achieved this by changing the average diameter of the exducer inlet, while, in the second one, we achieved this by changing the average inlet diameter. Additionally, the angles of the inlet and outlet blades were recalculated to preserve the same blade profile and to eliminate the effect of curvilinearity. It was noted that the shape of the blade was very sensitive to changes in the ratio of the investigated diameters, and—in both cases—interesting results were obtained. First, an increase in output work and in total static isentropic efficiency by 2.16% and 2.15%, respectively, was generated, with a saving of 3.52% of the used mass flow and a lighter rotor compared to one that used to take up the same space by using fixed average inlet diameter blades. In the second case, there was an increase in the output work by 3.31%, and in the total static isentropic efficiency by 3.34%, but the rotor became heavier and required an increase in the mass flow used. Since inter-blade flows are very complex, three-dimensional and viscous—featuring various types of secondary and eddy flows—the CFX.15-CFD code was used in all models to solve the averaged Navier–Stokes equations.
Development of Monitoring Technology for Mine Haulage Road through Sensor-Connected Digital Device and Smartphone Application
Authors: Kim Hojin , Lee Woo-Hyuk , Lee Chung-Hyun , Kim Sung-Min
Published: November 2022

A system that can acquire and share information about the environment from vehicles using various sensors and smartphones was developed to prevent accidents that may occur on mine haulage roads. A light detection and ranging sensor and an accelerometer in a smartphone were used to determine the road surface conditions at a mining site, and dust and gas sensors were used to measure the atmospheric environment. The GPS function of the smartphone was utilized to obtain the location data of the vehicle, and a smartphone application was developed to collect and share this information. A preliminary test was conducted at Samcheok Campus, Kangwon National University, and a field test at the Samdo mine. The data acquired from each vehicle could be shared in real time. Additionally, by analyzing the spatial distribution of each dataset, sections with rough road surfaces and those with poor atmospheric conditions could be identified. If the technology is further developed and big-data analysis is performed in the future, the developed technology could contribute to improving the mining environment.
HTN: Hybrid Transformer Network for Curvature of Cervical Spine Estimation
Authors: Yao Yifan , Dong Jiuqing , Yu Wenjun , Gao Yongbin
Published: November 2022

Many young people have suffered from cervical spondylosis in recent years due to long-term desk work or unhealthy lifestyles. Early diagnosis is crucial for curing cervical spondylosis. The Cobb angle method is the most common method for assessing spinal curvature. However, manually measuring the Cobb angle is time-consuming and heavily dependent on personal experience. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic system for measuring cervical spinal curvature on X-rays using the Cobb angle method, which can reduce the workload of clinicians and provide a reliable basis for surgery. Hybrid transformer network (HTN) blends a self-attention mechanism, self-supervision learning, and feature fusion. In addition, a new cervical spondylosis dataset is proposed to evaluate our method. Our model can achieve a SMAPE of 11.06% and a significant Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.9619 (p < 0.001) on our dataset. The absolute difference between the ground truth and the prediction obtained is less than 2°, implying clinical value. Statistical analysis proves the reliability of our method for Cobb angle estimation. To further prove the validity of our method, the HTN was also trained and evaluated on the public AASCE MICCAI 2019 challenge dataset. The experimental results show that our method can achieve comparable performance to state-of-the-art methods, which means that our method can measure the curvature of the neck and the entire spine.
Influence Line-Based Design of Scissors-Type Bridge
Authors: Ario Ichiro , Hama Yuta , Chanthamanivong Khongkham , Chikahiro Yuki , Fujiwara Akimasa , Ma Haicheng
Published: November 2022

Globally, large-scale natural disasters are occurring more frequently due to climatic and environmental changes. In addition, the disaster risk for infrastructures, mainly bridges, has become a vulnerability issue because reinforced concrete bridge structures are being directly exposed to the natural environment. Bridge structures linking cities or prefectures are destroyed in the aftermath of natural disasters and must be rebuilt. As a post-disaster measure, rapid reconstruction of damaged bridges and the reconnection of transportation systems between impacted locations and urban areas are the main problems encountered. This study aims to solve these problems through the application of a novel concept of an emergency bridge based on origami-inspired post-buckling theory, in conjunction with previous studies investigating the optimal deployable structure of scissors-type bridges. This study applied a novel design method for scissor-type bridges that use influence line diagrams and equilibrium equations. The proposed methods can determine the size of each member appropriately while providing the minimum and maximum values of the influence line border when carrying light vehicles by analyzing variations in the live load distribution on the structure. In the case of heavy vehicles passing over a bridge, the fundamental internal axial forces and bending moments were obtained, which provided design parameters for improving the load-carrying capacity of the structure. The proposed emergency bridge has a lower theoretical stress than that of a double-Warren truss.
Deep Compressed Sensing Generation Model for End-to-End Extreme Observation and Reconstruction
Authors: Diao Han , Lin Xiaozhu , Fang Chun
Published: November 2022

Data transmission and storage are inseparable from compression technology. Compressed sensing directly undersamples and reconstructs data at a much lower sampling frequency than Nyquist, which reduces redundant sampling. However, the requirement of data sparsity in compressed sensing limits its application. The combination of neural network-based generative models and compressed sensing breaks the limitation of data sparsity. Compressed sensing for extreme observations can reduce costs, but the reconstruction effect of the above methods in extreme observations is blurry. We addressed this problem by proposing an end-to-end observation and reconstruction method based on a deep compressed sensing generative model. Under RIP and S-REC, data can be observed and reconstructed from end to end. In MNIST extreme observation and reconstruction, end-to-end feasibility compared to random input is verified. End-to-end reconstruction accuracy improves by 5.20% over random input and SSIM by 0.2200. In the Fashion_MNIST extreme observation and reconstruction, it is verified that the reconstruction effect of the deconvolution generative model is better than that of the multi-layer perceptron. The end-to-end reconstruction accuracy of the deconvolution generative model is 2.49% higher than that of the multi-layer perceptron generative model, and the SSIM is 0.0532 higher.
Detection of Risk Predictors of COVID-19 Mortality with Classifier Machine Learning Models Operated with Routine Laboratory Biomarkers
Authors: Huyut Mehmet Tahir , Velichko Andrei , Belyaev Maksim
Published: November 2022

Early evaluation of patients who require special care and who have high death-expectancy in COVID-19, and the effective determination of relevant biomarkers on large sample-groups are important to reduce mortality. This study aimed to reveal the routine blood-value predictors of COVID-19 mortality and to determine the lethal-risk levels of these predictors during the disease process. The dataset of the study consists of 38 routine blood-values of 2597 patients who died (n = 233) and those who recovered (n = 2364) from COVID-19 in August–December, 2021. In this study, the histogram-based gradient-boosting (HGB) model was the most successful machine-learning classifier in detecting living and deceased COVID-19 patients (with squared F1 metrics F12 = 1). The most efficient binary combinations with procalcitonin were obtained with D-dimer, ESR, D-Bil and ferritin. The HGB model operated with these feature pairs correctly detected almost all of the patients who survived and those who died (precision > 0.98, recall > 0.98, F12 > 0.98). Furthermore, in the HGB model operated with a single feature, the most efficient features were procalcitonin (F12 = 0.96) and ferritin (F12 = 0.91). In addition, according to the two-threshold approach, ferritin values between 376.2 μg/L and 396.0 μg/L (F12 = 0.91) and procalcitonin values between 0.2 μg/L and 5.2 μg/L (F12 = 0.95) were found to be fatal risk levels for COVID-19. Considering all the results, we suggest that many features combined with these features, especially procalcitonin and ferritin, operated with the HGB model, can be used to achieve very successful results in the classification of those who live, and those who die from COVID-19. Moreover, we strongly recommend that clinicians consider the critical levels we have found for procalcitonin and ferritin properties, to reduce the lethality of the COVID-19 disease.
Predators and Prey: Cosmological Perspectivism in Scythian Animal Style Art
Authors: Sharkey Benjamin
Published: November 2022

The Scythians, nomads who roamed between the Pontic steppe and the Altai mountains throughout the 7th to 3rd centuries BC, are well known for their iconic animal style art. Composed of vivid stylised representations of animals, but depicting few humans, this art poses a challenge to interpretation. The Scythians left no written sources to give insight on their beliefs, and scholars have often had to make recourse to non-nomadic Greek and Persian sources, but these sources are not without their issues. In this paper I will propose the anthropological concept of cosmological perspectivism, first developed by Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, as a new way through which to think about and develop a better understanding of what Scythians thought and believed about the animal subjects of their art. I will explore the importance of predators, prey, and the contest between them in both perspectivism and Scythian art, and demonstrate how perspectivism might help us approach these works. Turning to a number of objects that combine Hellenistic and Scythian styles, I will examine how they support a perspectivist reading and explore what they can tell us about how the Scythians thought about animals and how they used them to represent human stories.
A Holy Land within The Holy Land: Duc in Altum as a Case in Point
Authors: Pinkus Assaf , Bodner Neta , Segal Einat
Published: November 2022

During the last five decades, the entire Christian religious landscape of the Sea of Galilee has undergone a gradual and steady reshaping, with devotional centers renovated, rebuilt, and even re-invented. Together they frame the area around the Sea of Galilee as A Holy Land in itself, an enclave not only with unique characteristics distinguishing it from The Holy Land as a whole, but also in competition with it. Among the many establishments, one site does this explicitly in both word and image: the Duc in Altum center of worship built on the presumed location of the ancient city of Magdala. In this article, we explore the visual strategies and mechanisms that enable the site to assert its alleged authenticity and legitimacy; lay the foundations for a theoretical framework for understanding the ideological processes of the current Christian art around the Sea of Galilee; and suggest that these strategies are paradigmatic to the redefining of the religious and political identity of the entire region of the Sea of Galilee in order to establish it as A Holy Land of its own.
Higher-Order Jacobsthal–Lucas Quaternions
Authors: Uysal Mine , Özkan Engin
Published: November 2022

In this work, we define higher-order Jacobsthal–Lucas quaternions with the help of higher-order Jacobsthal–Lucas numbers. We examine some identities of higher-order Jacobsthal–Lucas quaternions. We introduce their basic definitions and properties. We give Binet’s formula, Cassini’s identity, Catalan’s identity, d’Ocagne identity, generating functions, and exponential generating functions of the higher-order Jacobsthal–Lucas quaternions. We also give some relations between higher-order Jacobsthal and Jacobsthal–Lucas quaternions.
HPSBA: A Modified Hybrid Framework with Convergence Analysis for Solving Wireless Sensor Network Coverage Optimization Problem
Authors: Zhang Mengjian , Wang Deguang , Yang Ming , Tan Wei , Yang Jing
Published: November 2022

Complex optimization (CO) problems have been solved using swarm intelligence (SI) methods. One of the CO problems is the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) coverage optimization problem, which plays an important role in Internet of Things (IoT). A novel hybrid algorithm is proposed, named hybrid particle swarm butterfly algorithm (HPSBA), by combining their strengths of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), for solving this problem. Significantly, the value of individual scent intensity should be non-negative without consideration of the basic BOA, which is calculated with absolute value of the proposed HPSBA. Moreover, the performance of the HPSBA is comprehensively compared with the fundamental BOA, numerous potential BOA variants, and tried-and-true algorithms, for solving the twenty-six commonly used benchmark functions. The results show that HPSBA has a competitive overall performance. Finally, when compared to PSO, BOA, and MBOA, HPSBA is used to solve the node coverage optimization problem in WSN. The experimental results demonstrate that the HPSBA optimized coverage has a higher coverage rate, which effectively reduces node redundancy and extends WSN survival time.
A Unit Half-Logistic Geometric Distribution and Its Application in Insurance
Authors: Ramadan Ahmed T. , Tolba Ahlam H. , El-Desouky Beih S.
Published: November 2022

A new one parameter distribution recently was proposed for modelling lifetime data called half logistic-geometric (HLG) distribution. In this paper, appropriate transformation is considered for HLG distribution and a new distribution is derived called unit half logistic-geometric (UHLG) distribution for modelling bounded data in the interval (0, 1). Some important statistical properties are investigated with a closed form quantile function. Some methods of parameter estimation are introduced to evaluate the distribution parameter and a simulation study is introduced to compare these different methods. A real data application in the insurance field is introduced to show the flexibility of the new distribution modelling such data comparing with other distributions.
New Estimation Method of an Error for J Iteration
Authors: Hussain Aftab , Ali Danish , Hussain Nawab
Published: November 2022

The major aim of this article is to show how to estimate direct errors using the J iteration method. Direct error estimation of iteration processes is being investigated in different journals. We also illustrate that an error in the J iteration process can be controlled. Furthermore, we express J iteration convergence by using distinct initial values.
Integrated Proteotranscriptomics Reveals Differences in Molecular Immunity between Min and Large White Pig Breeds
Authors: Yang Liyu , Liu Xin , Huang Xiaoyu , Li Na , Zhang Longchao , Yan Hua , Hou Xinhua , Wang Lixian , Wang Ligang
Published: November 2022

Long-term selection or evolution is an important factor governing the development of disease resistance in pigs. To better clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying different levels of disease resistance, we used transcriptomics and proteomics analysis to characterize differences in the immunities between six resistant (Min pig) and six susceptible (Large White, LW) pigs which were raised in the same environment. A total of 135 proteins and 791 genes were identified as being differentially expressed between the Large White and Min pig groups. Protein expression clustering and functional analysis revealed that proteins related to immune system process, humoral immune response, the B cell receptor signaling pathway, lymphocyte-mediated immunity, and innate immune responses were more highly expressed in Min pigs. Transcriptome gene set enrichment analysis was used to reveal that pathways of cell adhesion molecules and antigen processing and presentation are significantly enriched in Min pigs. Integrated proteomics and transcriptomics data analysis identified 16 genes that are differentially expressed at both the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, 13 out of these 16 genes were related to the quantitative trait loci of immune diseases, including neural EGFL-like 2 (NELL2) and lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB), which are involved in innate immunity. Correlation analysis between the genes/proteins and cytokines shows upregulated proteins in LW pigs in association with immunosuppressive/pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL) 10, IL6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. This was further validated using parallel reaction monitoring analysis. In summary, we discovered several potential candidate pathways and key genes/proteins involved in determining differences in disease resistance between the two studied pig breeds, which could provide new insights into the breeding of pigs for disease resistance.
Extracellular and Intracellular Concentrations of Molybdenum and Zinc in Soccer Players: Sex Differences
Authors: Toro-Román Víctor , Robles-Gil María Concepción , Muñoz Diego , Bartolomé Ignacio , Siquier-Coll Jesús , Maynar-Mariño Marcos
Published: November 2022

Molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn) play important roles in the process of adaptation to physical training. The aims of the present study were: (i) to analyze the differences in extracellular (plasma and urine) and intracellular (erythrocytes and platelets) Mo and Zn concentrations between sexes and (ii) to relate extracellular Zn concentrations with biomarkers of muscle damage and muscle mass. The present study involved 138 semi-professional soccer players divided according to sex: male (n = 68) and female (n = 70). Mo and Zn concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Erythrocytes, platelets, creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values were also determined by automatic cell counter and spectrophotometric techniques. There were no sex differences in Mo and Zn intake. Male soccer players obtained higher values of erythrocytes, CK, and LDH (p < 0.05), and showed higher plasma and urinary concentrations of Mo and Zn (p < 0.05). Female soccer players showed relatively higher Zn concentrations in erythrocytes (p < 0.05). Finally, positive correlations were observed between extracellular Zn concentrations with CK, LDH and muscle mass. Extracellular concentrations of Mo and Zn were higher in male soccer players. However, the relative concentrations of Zn in relation to the number of erythrocytes were higher in female soccer players.
Egg-Laying Behavior of Cataglyphis niger Ants Is Influenced More Strongly by Temperature Than Daylength
Authors: Bar Adi , Shalev Lior , Scharf Inon
Published: November 2022

Temperature and photoperiod are the two most important factors that affect all aspects of animal life. We conducted two experiments to examine the effect of temperature and photoperiod on egg laying and development in the desert ant Cataglyphis niger. In the first experiment, we examined the effect of decreasing temperatures and shortening daylength on egg-laying behavior. An additional treatment was exposure to natural autumn conditions. Decreasing temperatures impaired egg laying much more than shortening daylength. The effect, however, was rapidly reversible when raising the temperature. When the outdoor treatment was brought inside the lab at a suitable temperature, queens started laying eggs as well. In the second experiment, we first kept the colonies under warmer temperatures and moved them gradually to cooler temperatures, 1–20 days after the eggs were laid. The probability of eggs developing into larvae and pupae under cooler temperatures was positively influenced by the exposure duration to warmer temperatures before the temperature switch. When the eggs developed into larvae, longer exposure to warmer temperatures before the temperature switch led to faster development. However, when the eggs disappeared (and were probably eaten), longer exposure to warmer temperatures before the temperature switch led to slower egg disappearance. We suggest that the decision to lay eggs is reversible to some extent because the workers can consume the eggs if conditions deteriorate. We suggest that this reversibility reduces the cost of laying eggs at the wrong time.
Motility Assessment of Ram Spermatozoa
Authors: Van de Hoek Madeleine , Rickard Jessica P. , de Graaf Simon P.
Published: November 2022

For successful fertilisation to occur, spermatozoa need to successfully migrate through the female reproductive tract and penetrate the oocyte. Predictably, poor sperm motility has been associated with low rates of fertilisation in many mammalian species, including the ram. As such, motility is one of the most important parameters used for in vitro evaluation of ram sperm quality and function. This review aims to outline the mechanical and energetic processes which underpin sperm motility, describe changes in motility which occur as a result of differences in sperm structure and the surrounding microenvironment, and assess the effectiveness of the various methods used to assess sperm motility in rams. Methods of subjective motility estimation are convenient, inexpensive methods widely used in the livestock industries, however, the subjective nature of these methods can make them unreliable. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) technology accurately and objectively measures sperm motility via two-dimensional tracing of sperm head motion, making it a popular method for sperm quality assurance in domesticated animal production laboratories. Newly developed methods of motility assessment including flagellar tracing, three-dimensional sperm tracing, in vivo motility assessment, and molecular assays which quantify motility-associated biomarkers, enable analysis of a new range of sperm motion parameters with the potential to reveal new mechanistic insights and improve ram semen assessment. Experimental application of these technologies is required to fully understand their potential to improve semen quality assessment and prediction of reproductive success in ovine artificial breeding programs.
Transcriptomic Analysis Revealed Candidate Genes Involved in Pseudomale Sperm Abnormalities in Chinese Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)
Authors: Sun Yuxuan , Li Ming , Cui Zhongkai , Zhang Mengqian , Zhang Tingting , Li Lu , Wang Na , Xu Xiwen , Wei Min , Xu Wenteng
Published: November 2022

Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) has a ZZ/ZW sex determination system, but the genotypic female (ZW) can be sex-reversed into phenotypic males, namely, pseudomales. Pseudomale fish can produce only Z-type sperm but not W sperm. However, the molecular mechanism is unclear. To screen the key genes involved in pseudomale sperm abnormalities, we analysed the transcriptomic profiles of pseudomale and male sperm. In comparison to male sperm, 592 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in pseudomale sperm, including 499 upregulated and 93 downregulated genes. KEGG analysis indicated that the FoxO signalling pathway, especially the foxo3a and foxo6-like genes, may play an important role in spermatogenesis. The DEGs were mainly distributed on sex chromosomes, with 158 downregulated genes on the Z chromosome and 41 upregulated genes on the W chromosome. A specific area (14–15 M) on the Z chromosome was identified, which enriched eight DEGs inside the ~1 M region. In addition, there were five gene alleles on the sex chromosomes, which showed the opposite transcription pattern (upregulated for the W allele, downregulated for the Z allele). This study has provided valuable data for screening candidate genes involved in the pseudomale sperm abnormality.
Plant Flavonoids on Oxidative Stress-Mediated Kidney Inflammation
Authors: Alsawaf Seba , Alnuaimi Fatema , Afzal Saba , Thomas Rinku Mariam , Chelakkot Ayshwarya Lakshmi , Ramadan Wafaa S. , Hodeify Rawad , Matar Rachel , Merheb Maxime , Siddiqui Shoib Sarwar , Vazhappilly Cijo George
Published: November 2022

The kidney is susceptible to reactive oxygen species-mediated cellular injury resulting in glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, tubular cell apoptosis, and senescence, leading to renal failure, and is a significant cause of death worldwide. Oxidative stress-mediated inflammation is a key player in the pathophysiology of various renal injuries and diseases. Recently, flavonoids’ role in alleviating kidney diseases has been reported with an inverse correlation between dietary flavonoids and kidney injuries. Flavonoids are plant polyphenols possessing several health benefits and are distributed in plants from roots to leaves, flowers, and fruits. Dietary flavonoids have potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties and play essential roles in disease prevention. Flavonoids exert a nephroprotective effect by improving antioxidant status, ameliorating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and reducing oxidative stress, by acting as Nrf2 antioxidant response mediators. Moreover, flavonoids play essential roles in reducing chemical toxicity. Several studies have demonstrated the effects of flavonoids in reducing oxidative stress, preventing DNA damage, reducing inflammatory cytokines, and inhibiting apoptosis-mediated cell death, thereby preventing or improving kidney injuries/diseases. This review covers the recent nephroprotective effects of flavonoids against oxidative stress-mediated inflammation in the kidney and their clinical advancements in renal therapy.
Modulation Effects of Eugenol on Nephrotoxicity Triggered by Silver Nanoparticles in Adult Rats
Authors: Aboelwafa Hanaa R. , Ramadan Ramadan A. , Ibraheim Somaya S. , Yousef Hany N.
Published: November 2022

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is expanding. This study evaluates the modulator effect of eugenol (Eug) on AgNP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Sixty male rats were separated into six groups: control, Eug, AgNPs low-dose, AgNPs high-dose, Eug + AgNPs low-dose, and Eug + AgNPs high-dose. After 30 days, kidney function, antioxidative and proinflammatory status, histopathological, histomorphometrical, and immunohistochemical assessments were performed. AgNPs markedly induced oxidative stress in renal tissues, characterized by increased levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, kidney injury molecule-1, the total oxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6, as well as decreased levels of the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase. Moreover, the normal renal architecture was destroyed, and the thickness of the renal capsules, cortex, and medulla, alongside the diameter and quantity of the normal Malpighian corpuscles and the proximal and distal convoluted tubules were decreased. Immunoreactivity for P53, caspase-3, and TNF-α reactive proteins were significantly increased; however, Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was decreased. Eug reversed most biochemical, histological, histomorphometrical, and immunohistochemical changes in AgNP-treated animals. This study demonstrated that nephrotoxicity in AgNP-treated rats was mitigated by an Eug supplementation. Eug’s antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory capabilities were the key in modulating AgNPs nephrotoxicity.
Isolation and Characterization of Novel Biological Control Agent Clostridium beijerinckii against Meloidogyne incognita
Authors: Lian Xinglong , Liu Shuang , Jiang Lanyuwen , Bai Xinyu , Wang Yuanyuan
Published: November 2022

One of the most severe soil-borne pathogens in the world is the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Biological control is gaining more importance as environmental awareness increases. Thus, keeping this in mind, a total of 712 bacterial strains were isolated from 117 rhizosphere soil samples and investigated for potential biological control activity against M. incognita. Strain Sneb518 (Clostridium beijerinckii) was identified as having solid biocontrol activity against M. incognita. Sneb518 demonstrated significant inhibition against M. incognita, with J2 mortality reaching 90.73% at 12 h and with eggs hatching at a rate of 6.00% at 24 h, compared to a hatchability level of 29.07% for the control. Additionally, Sneb518 was excellent for enhancing seed germination. The seeds coated with a fermentation broth containing Sneb518 efficiently boosted the germination rate to 88.49%. The effectiveness and stability of C. beijerinckii Sneb518 against M. incognita were then further evaluated in a greenhouse. According to the pot experiment data, Sneb518 considerably (p < 0.05) reduced the number of root galls and egg masses on roots and also significantly (p < 0.05) increased tomato plant growth. C. beijerinckii Sneb518-treated tomato seedlings exhibited 50.26% biocontrol effectiveness compared to the control group. Our results demonstrate that C. beijerinckii Sneb518 can be a potential biological control agent against root-knot nematode disease and a biomass enhancer. This research will give new options for the sustainable control of root-knot nematode disease in tomatoes and other host plants.
Notch Missense Mutations in Drosophila Reveal Functions of Specific EGF-like Repeats in Notch Folding, Trafficking, and Signaling
Authors: Nurmahdi Hilman , Hasegawa Mao , Mujizah Elzava Yuslimatin , Sasamura Takeshi , Inaki Mikiko , Yamamoto Shinya , Yamakawa Tomoko , Matsuno Kenji
Published: November 2022

Notch signaling plays various roles in cell-fate specification through direct cell–cell interactions. Notch receptors are evolutionarily conserved transmembrane proteins with multiple epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like repeats. Drosophila Notch has 36 EGF-like repeats, and while some play a role in Notch signaling, the specific functions of most remain unclear. To investigate the role of each EGF-like repeat, we used 19 previously identified missense mutations of Notch with unique amino acid substitutions in various EGF-like repeats and a transmembrane domain; 17 of these were identified through a single genetic screen. We assessed these mutants’ phenotypes in the nervous system and hindgut during embryogenesis, and found that 10 of the 19 Notch mutants had defects in both lateral inhibition and inductive Notch signaling, showing context dependency. Of these 10 mutants, six accumulated Notch in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and these six were located in EGF-like repeats 8–10 or 25. Mutations with cysteine substitutions were not always coupled with ER accumulation. This suggests that certain EGF-like repeats may be particularly susceptible to structural perturbation, resulting in a misfolded and inactive Notch product that accumulates in the ER. Thus, we propose that these EGF-like repeats may be integral to Notch folding.
EIF4G1 Is a Potential Prognostic Biomarker of Breast Cancer
Authors: Li Kun , Tan Guangqing , Zhang Xin , Lu Weiyu , Ren Jingyi , Si Yuewen , Adu-Gyamfi Enoch Appiah , Li Fangfang , Wang Yingxiong , Xie Biao , Wang Meijiao
Published: November 2022

Background: Breast cancer (BRCA) is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide and a leading cause of death from malignancy. This study was designed to identify a novel biomarker for prognosticating the survival of BRCA patients. Methods: The prognostic potential of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma 1 (EIF4G1) was assessed using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) as training cohort and validation set, respectively. The functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was performed. The relationship between EIF4G1 and tumor microenvironment (TME) was analyzed. Immunotherapy responses were explored by the immunophenoscores (IPS) and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score. The Connectivity Map (CMap) was used to discover potentially effective therapeutic molecules against BRCA. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was applied to compare the protein levels of EIF4G1 in normal and cancer tissues and to verify the prognostic value of EIF4G1. Results: BRCA patients with increased expression of EIF4G1 had a shorter overall survival (OS) in all cohorts and results from IHC. EIF4G1-related genes were mainly involved in DNA replication, BRCA metastasis, and the MAPK signaling pathway. Infiltration levels of CD4+-activated memory T cells, macrophages M0, macrophages M1, and neutrophils were higher in the EIF4G1 high-expression group than those in the EIF4G1 low-expression group. EIF4G1 was positively correlated with T cell exhaustion. Lower IPS was revealed in high EIF4G1 expression patients. Five potential groups of drugs against BRCA were identified. Conclusion: EIF4G1 might regulate the TME and affect BRCA metastasis, and it is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for BRCA.
Macrophage-Conditioned Media Promotes Adipocyte Cancer Association, Which in Turn Stimulates Breast Cancer Proliferation and Migration
Authors: Vallega Karin A. , Bosco Dale B. , Ren Yi , Sang Qing-Xiang Amy
Published: November 2022

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of female cancer deaths worldwide. Obesity causes chronic inflammation and is a risk factor for post-menopausal breast cancer and poor prognosis. Obesity triggers increased infiltration of macrophages into adipose tissue, yet little research has focused on the effects of macrophages in early stages of breast tumor development in obese patients. In this study, the effects of pro-inflammatory macrophages on breast cancer–adipocyte crosstalk were investigated. Methods: An innovative human cell co-culture system was built and used to model the paracrine interactions among adipocytes, macrophages, and breast cancer cells and how they facilitate tumor progression. The effects on cancer cells were examined using cell counts and migration assays. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression levels of several cytokines and proteases to analyze adipocyte cancer association. Results: Macrophage-conditioned media intensified the effects of breast cancer–adipocyte crosstalk. Adipocytes became delipidated and increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, even in the absence of cancer cells, although the expression levels were highest with all three cell components. As a result, co-cultured breast cancer cells became more aggressive, with increased proliferation and migration compared to adipocyte–breast cancer co-cultures treated with unconditioned media. Conclusions: A novel co-culture model was built to evaluate the crosstalk among human macrophages, adipocytes, and breast cancer cells. We found that macrophages may contribute to adipocyte inflammation and cancer association and thus promote breast cancer progression.
Radiotherapy Side Effects: Comprehensive Proteomic Study Unraveled Neural Stem Cell Degenerative Differentiation upon Ionizing Radiation
Authors: Liang Dong , Ning Meng , Xie Hang , He Xiaoyan , Ren Peigen , Lei Xiaohua , Zhang Xuepei
Published: November 2022

Cranial radiation therapy is one of the most effective treatments for childhood brain cancers. Despite the ameliorated survival rate of juvenile patients, radiation exposure-induced brain neurogenic region injury could markedly impair patients’ cognitive functions and even their quality of life. Determining the mechanism underlying neural stem cells (NSCs) response to irradiation stress is a crucial therapeutic strategy for cognitive impairment. The present study demonstrated that X-ray irradiation arrested NSCs’ cell cycle and impacted cell differentiation. To further characterize irradiation-induced molecular alterations in NSCs, two-dimensional high-resolution mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics analyses were conducted to explore the mechanism underlying ionizing radiation’s influence on stem cell differentiation. We observed that ionizing radiation suppressed intracellular protein transport, neuron projection development, etc., particularly in differentiated cells. Redox proteomics was performed for the quantification of cysteine thiol modifications in order to profile the oxidation-reduction status of proteins in stem cells that underwent ionizing radiation treatment. Via conjoint screening of protein expression abundance and redox status datasets, several significantly expressed and oxidized proteins were identified in differentiating NSCs subjected to X-ray irradiation. Among these proteins, succinate dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] flavoprotein subunit, mitochondrial (sdha) and the acyl carrier protein, mitochondrial (Ndufab1) were highly related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease, illustrating the dual-character of NSCs in cell differentiation: following exposure to ionizing radiation, the normal differentiation of NSCs was compromised, and the upregulated oxidized proteins implied a degenerative differentiation trajectory. These findings could be integrated into research on neurodegenerative diseases and future preventive strategies.