bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bacterial Targets of Antibiotics in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Lade Harshad , Kim Jae-Seok
Published: April 2021

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most prevalent bacterial pathogens and continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. MRSA is a commensal bacterium in humans and is transmitted in both community and healthcare settings. Successful treatment remains a challenge, and a search for new targets of antibiotics is required to ensure that MRSA infections can be effectively treated in the future. Most antibiotics in clinical use selectively target one or more biochemical processes essential for S. aureus viability, e.g., cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis (translation), DNA replication, RNA synthesis (transcription), or metabolic processes, such as folic acid synthesis. In this review, we briefly describe the mechanism of action of antibiotics from different classes and discuss insights into the well-established primary targets in S. aureus. Further, several components of bacterial cellular processes, such as teichoic acid, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the lipid II cycle, auxiliary factors of β-lactam resistance, two-component systems, and the accessory gene regulator quorum sensing system, are discussed as promising targets for novel antibiotics. A greater molecular understanding of the bacterial targets of antibiotics has the potential to reveal novel therapeutic strategies or identify agents against antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
New Functionalized Macroparticles for Environmentally Sustainable Biofilm Control in Water Systems
Authors: Barros Ana C. , Pereira Ana , Melo Luis F. , Sousa Juliana P. S.
Published: April 2021

Reverse osmosis (RO) depends on biocidal agents to control the operating costs associated to biofouling, although this implies the discharge of undesired chemicals into the aquatic environment. Therefore, a system providing pre-treated water free of biocides arises as an interesting solution to minimize the discharge of chemicals while enhancing RO filtration performance by inactivating bacteria that could form biofilms on the membrane system. This work proposes a pretreatment approach based on the immobilization of an industrially used antimicrobial agent (benzalkonium chloride—BAC) into millimetric aluminum oxide particles with prior surface activation with DA—dopamine. The antimicrobial efficacy of the functionalized particles was assessed against Escherichia coli planktonic cells through culturability and cell membrane integrity analysis. The results showed total inactivation of bacterial cells within five min for the highest particle concentration and 100% of cell membrane damage after 15 min for all concentrations. When reusing the same particles, a higher contact time was needed to reach the total inactivation, possibly due to partial blocking of immobilized biocide by dead bacteria adhering to the particles and to the residual leaching of biocide. The overall results support the use of Al2O3-DA-BAC particles as antimicrobial agents for sustainable biocidal applications in continuous water treatment systems.
Single DNase or Proteinase Treatment Induces Change in Composition and Structural Integrity of Multispecies Oral Biofilms
Authors: Karygianni Lamprini , Paqué Pune N. , Attin Thomas , Thurnheer Thomas
Published: April 2021

Biofilm virulence is mainly based on its bacterial cell surrounding biofilm matrix, which contains a scaffold of exopolysaccharides, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Targeting these nucleid acids or proteins could enable an efficient biofilm control. Therefore, the study aimed to test the effect of deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) and proteinase K on oral biofilms. Six-species biofilms (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, Actinomyces oris, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella dispar, and Candida albicans) were exposed to DNase I (0.001 mg/mL, 0.002 mg/mL) or proteinase K (0.05 mg/mL, 0.1 mg/mL) for 1 h during biofilm formation. After 64 h, biofilms were harvested, quantified by culture analysis and visualized by image analysis using CLSM (confocal laser scanning microscopy). Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA, followed by the Tukey test at a 5% significance level. The biofilm treatment with proteinase K induced a significant increase of Logs10 counts in S. mutans and a decrease in C. albicans, while biofilm thickness was reduced from 28.5 μm (control) to 9.07 μm (0.05 mg/mL) and 7.4 μm (0.1 mg/mL). Treatment with DNase I had no effect on the total bacterial growth within the biofilm. Targeting proteins of biofilms by proteinase K are promising adjunctive tool for biofilm control.
Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) Consumption with a Healthy Dietary Pattern Lowers Oxidative Stress in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Toh Darel Wee Kiat , Lee Wan Yee , Zhou Hanzhang , Sutanto Clarinda Nataria , Lee Delia Pei Shan , Tan Denise , Kim Jung Eun
Published: April 2021

Incorporating zeaxanthin-rich wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) into a healthy dietary pattern may augment its antioxidant potential. The present 16-week, parallel design randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the impact of adhering to a healthy dietary pattern, either with or without whole dried wolfberry (15 g/d) on oxidative stress status (plasma malondialdehyde and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α) in middle-aged and older adults. Changes to carotenoids status (plasma and skin carotenoids) and body composition were further evaluated to explore potential mechanisms which underlie the antioxidant properties of wolfberry. Plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, plasma zeaxanthin and skin carotenoids status were significantly raised in the wolfberry consuming group (n = 22; p < 0.05) compared to the control group which showed no changes (n = 18). Likewise in the wolfberry group only, inverse association was observed between the change values of plasma zeaxanthin and plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (−0.21 (−0.43, 0.00) ng/µmol, regression coefficient (95% CI); p = 0.05). Wolfberry consumption with a healthy dietary pattern may serve as a dietary strategy to attenuate lipid peroxidation among middle-aged and older adults who are at a heightened risk of oxidative stress induced age-related disorders. The antioxidant properties of wolfberry may be attributed to its rich zeaxanthin content.
L-Citrulline: A Non-Essential Amino Acid with Important Roles in Human Health
Authors: Aguayo Encarna , Martínez-Sánchez Ascensión , Fernández-Lobato Bárbara , Alacid Fernando
Published: April 2021

L-Arginine (Arg) has been widely used due to its functional properties as a substrate for nitric oxide (NO) generation. However, L-citrulline (CIT), whose main natural source is watermelon, is a non-essential amino acid but which has important health potential. This review provides a comprehensive approach to different studies of the endogenous synthesis of CIT, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics as well as its ergogenic effect in exercise performance. The novel aspect of this paper focuses on the different effects of CIT, citrulline malate and CIT from natural sources such as watermelon on several topics, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, cancer, and exercise performance. CIT from watermelon could be a natural food-sourced substitute for pharmacological products and therefore the consumption of this fruit is promoted.
Statistical Evaluation of Quantities Measured in the Detection of Soil Air Pollution of the Environmental Burden
Authors: Skvarekova Erika , Tausova Marcela , Senova Andrea , Wittenberger Gabriel , Novakova Jana
Published: April 2021

The article highlights the investigation of the relationships between measured quantities during the atmospheric geochemical survey of contaminated soil and the environmental burden of the industrial establishment in eastern Slovakia. Statistical data processing was undertaken from the measured values of pollutants. The basic statistical characteristics of the monitored indicators were defined here. With the help of regressive and correlative analysis, dependency was confirmed between examined values, further expressed by a mathematical relationship. We analysed variability of the measured variables due to the influence of changed input quantities by the non-parametric Wilcox test. The statistical data processing helps us to identify the dependency between the measured values and improves valorization of the pollution of a given environmental burden. This was due to the handling of organic pollutants and the production of basic organic and inorganic chemicals stated for other industries. Chemical analysis of soil air helps us to determine the extent and amount of soil contamination by pollutants. Individual pollutants have their own characteristic properties and their negative effects on biota, the environment and humans are different.
Text Classification in Clinical Practice Guidelines Using Machine-Learning Assisted Pattern-Based Approach
Authors: Hussain Musarrat , Hussain Jamil , Ali Taqdir , Ali Syed Imran , Bilal Hafiz Syed Muhammad , Lee Sungyoung , Chung Taechoong
Published: April 2021

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) aim to optimize patient care by assisting physicians during the decision-making process. However, guideline adherence is highly affected by its unstructured format and aggregation of background information with disease-specific information. The objective of our study is to extract disease-specific information from CPG for enhancing its adherence ratio. In this research, we propose a semi-automatic mechanism for extracting disease-specific information from CPGs using pattern-matching techniques. We apply supervised and unsupervised machine-learning algorithms on CPG to extract a list of salient terms contributing to distinguishing recommendation sentences (RS) from non-recommendation sentences (NRS). Simultaneously, a group of experts also analyzes the same CPG and extract the initial patterns “Heuristic Patterns” using a group decision-making method, nominal group technique (NGT). We provide the list of salient terms to the experts and ask them to refine their extracted patterns. The experts refine patterns considering the provided salient terms. The extracted heuristic patterns depend on specific terms and suffer from the specialization problem due to synonymy and polysemy. Therefore, we generalize the heuristic patterns to part-of-speech (POS) patterns and unified medical language system (UMLS) patterns, which make the proposed method generalize for all types of CPGs. We evaluated the initial extracted patterns on asthma, rhinosinusitis, and hypertension guidelines with the accuracy of 76.92%, 84.63%, and 89.16%, respectively. The accuracy increased to 78.89%, 85.32%, and 92.07% with refined machine-learning assistive patterns, respectively. Our system assists physicians by locating disease-specific information in the CPGs, which enhances the physicians’ performance and reduces CPG processing time. Additionally, it is beneficial in CPGs content annotation.
The Moderating Role of Personal Innovativeness and Users Experience in Accepting the Smart Meter Technology
Authors: Alkawsi Gamal , Ali Nor’ashikin , Baashar Yahia
Published: April 2021

The rapid development of smart technologies and data analytics empowers most industries to evolve their systems and introduce innovative applications. Consequently, smart metering technology, an internet of things-based application service, is diffusing rapidly in the energy sector. Regardless of its associated benefits, smart meters continue to struggle from consumers’ acceptance. To promote smart meters’ successful deployment, research is needed to better understand consumers’ acceptance of smart metering. Motivated by these concerns, a smart meter acceptance model is developed to evaluate the moderation role of experience and personal innovativeness factors among residential consumers. A cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire from 318 smart meters consumers who have had experience in using it. Hypothetical relationships were assessed and validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The empirical findings exert the moderating role of experience and personal innovativeness of smart meter acceptance that achieved an acceptable fit with the data, and specifically, five out of nine hypotheses were supported.
Erasure-Coding-Based Storage and Recovery for Distributed Exascale Storage Systems
Authors: Kim Jeong-Joon
Published: April 2021

Various techniques have been used in distributed file systems for data availability and stability. Typically, a method for storing data in a replication technique-based distributed file system is used, but due to the problem of space efficiency, an erasure-coding (EC) technique has been utilized more recently. The EC technique improves the space efficiency problem more than the replication technique does. However, the EC technique has various performance degradation factors, such as encoding and decoding and input and output (I/O) degradation. Thus, this study proposes a buffering and combining technique in which various I/O requests that occurred during encoding in an EC-based distributed file system are combined into one and processed. In addition, it proposes four recovery measures (disk input/output load distribution, random block layout, multi-thread-based parallel recovery, and matrix recycle technique) to distribute the disk input/output loads generated during decoding.
A Magnetic Field Camera for Real-Time Subsurface Imaging Applications
Authors: Suksmono Andriyan Bayu , Danudirdjo Donny , Setiawan Antonius Darma , Rahmawati Dien , Prastio Rizki Putra
Published: April 2021

We have constructed an imaging device that is capable of showing the spatio-temporal distribution of magnetic flux density in real-time. The device employs a set of AMR (anisotropic magneto-resistance) three-axis magnetometers, which are arranged into a two-dimensional sensor array. All of the magnetic field values measured by the array are collected by a microcontroller, which pre-processes and sends the data to a PDU (processing and display unit) implemented on a smartphone/tablet or a computer. The interpolation algorithm and display software in the PDU present the field as a high-resolution video; thus, the device works as a magnetic field camera. In the experiments, we employ the camera to map the field distribution of the distorted ambient magnetic field caused by a hidden object. The obtained image of field shows both the position and shape of the object. We also demonstrate the capability of the device to image a loaded power-line cable carrying a 50 Hz alternating current.
SCADA Data Analysis Methods for Diagnosis of Electrical Faults to Wind Turbine Generators
Authors: Castellani Francesco , Astolfi Davide , Natili Francesco
Published: April 2021

The electric generator is estimated to be among the top three contributors to the failure rates and downtime of wind turbines. For this reason, in the general context of increasing interest towards effective wind turbine condition monitoring techniques, fault diagnosis of electric generators is particularly important. The objective of this study is contributing to the techniques for wind turbine generator fault diagnosis through a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) analysis method. The work is organized as a real-world test-case discussion, involving electric damage to the generator of a Vestas V52 wind turbine sited in southern Italy. SCADA data before and after the generator damage have been analyzed for the target wind turbine and for reference healthy wind turbines from the same site. By doing this, it has been possible to formulate a normal behavior model, based on principal component analysis and support vector regression, for the power and for the voltages and currents of the wind turbine. It is shown that the incipience of the fault can be individuated as a change in the behavior of the residuals between model estimates and measurements. This phenomenon was clearly visible approximately two weeks before the fault. Considering the fast evolution of electrical damage, this result is promising as regards the perspectives of exploiting SCADA data for individuating electric damage with an advance that can be useful for applications in wind energy practice.
A Novel Accelerated Corrosion Test for Supporting Devices in a Floating Photovoltaic System
Authors: Liu Chun-Kuo , Kong Zhong-Ri , Kao Ming-Je , Wu Teng-Chun
Published: April 2021

Recently, countries from around the globe have been actively developing a new solar power system, namely, the floating photovoltaic (FPV) system. FPV is advantageous in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness; however, environmental conditions on the surface of water are harsher than on the ground, and the regulations and standards for the long-term durability of supporting devices are insufficient. As a result, this study aims to investigate the durability of supporting devices through a novel type of accelerated corrosion test, copper-accelerated acetic acid salt spray (CASS). After an eight-day CASS test, the results demonstrated that only a small area of white protective layer on the SUPERDYMA shape steel was fully corroded and rusted. Moreover, five types of screw, fastened solidly on the SUPERDYMA shape steel, namely a galvanized steel screw capped with a type 316 stainless steel (SS) nut, a type 304 SS screw, a type 410 SS screw, a chromate-passivated galvanized steel screw, and a XP zinc–tin alloy coated steel screw, achieved varying degrees of rust. In general, the corrosion degree of the eight-day CASS test was more serious than that of the 136-day neutral salt spray (NSS) test. Therefore, the CASS test is faster and more efficient for the evaluation of the durability of supporting devices.
Optimization of Spheroid Colony Culture and Cryopreservation of Nucleus Pulposus Cells for the Development of Intervertebral Disc Regenerative Therapeutics
Authors: Sako Kosuke , Sakai Daisuke , Nakamura Yoshihiko , Matsushita Erika , Schol Jordy , Warita Takayuki , Horikita Natsumi , Sato Masato , Watanabe Masahiko
Published: April 2021

After the discovery of functionally superior Tie2-positive nucleus pulposus (NP) progenitor cells, new methods were needed to enable mass culture and cryopreservation to maintain these cells in an undifferentiated state with high cell yield. We used six types of EZSPHERE® dishes, which support spheroid-forming colony culture, and examined NP cell spheroid-formation ability, number, proliferation, and mRNA expression of ACAN, COL1A2, COL2A1, and ANGPT1. Six different types of cryopreservation solutions were examined for potential use in clinical cryopreservation by comparing the effects of exposure time during cryopreservation on cell viability, Tie2-positivity, and cell proliferation rates. The spheroid formation rate was 45.1% and the cell proliferation rate was 7.75 times using EZSPHERE® dishes. The mRNA levels for COL2A1 and ANGPT1 were also high. In cryopreservation, CryoStor10 (CS10) produced ≥90% cell viability and a high proliferation rate after thawing. CS10 had a high Tie2-positive rate of 12.6% after culturing for 5 days after thawing. These results suggest that EZSPHERE enabled colony formation in cell culture without the use of hydrogel products and that CS10 is the best cryopreservation medium for retaining the NP progenitor cell phenotype and viability. Together, these data provide useful information of NP cell-based therapeutics to the clinic.
Development and Evaluation of a Fluctuating Plume Model for Odor Impact Assessment
Authors: Invernizzi Marzio , Capra Federica , Sozzi Roberto , Capelli Laura , Sironi Selena
Published: April 2021

For environmental odor nuisance, it is extremely important to identify the instantaneous concentration statistics. In this work, a Fluctuating Plume Model for different statistical moments is proposed. It provides data in terms of mean concentrations, variance, and intensity of concentration. The 90th percentile peak-to-mean factor, R90, was tested here by comparing it with the experimental results (Uttenweiler field experiment), considering different Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs): Gamma and the Modified Weibull. Seventy-two percent of the simulated mean concentration values fell within a factor 2 compared to the experimental ones: the model was judged acceptable. Both the modelled results for standard deviation, σC, and concentration intensity, Ic, overestimate the experimental data. This evidence can be due to the non-ideality of the measurement system. The propagation of those errors to the estimation of R90 is complex, but the ranges covered are quite repeatable: the obtained values are 1–3 for the Gamma, 1.5–4 for Modified Weibull PDF, and experimental ones from 1.4 to 3.6.
Guided Mode Resonance in a Low-Index Waveguide Layer
Authors: Guo Tingbiao , Evans Julian , Wang Nan , Jin Yi , He Jinlong , Sun Yaoran
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we show that the guided mode resonance can exist in a low-index waveguide layer on top of a high-index substrate. With the help of the interaction of diffraction from a metal grating and total internal reflection effects, we verify that the guided mode can be supported in the low-index SU8 layer on a high-index substrate. Simulation and experiment show the resonant wavelength can be simply manipulated by controlling the geometrical parameters of the metal grating and waveguide layer. This structure extends the possibilities of guided-mode resonance to a broader class of functional materials and may boost its use in applications such as field enhancement, sensing and display.
Determining the Quadratic Electro-Optic Coefficients for Polycrystalline Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) Using a Polarization-Independent Electro-Optical Laser Beam Steerer
Authors: Ataei Abtin , McManamon Paul , Bradley Cullen , Wagner Michael , Ruff Edward
Published: April 2021

A polarization-independent electro-optical (EO) laser beam steerer based on a bulk relaxor ferroelectric polycrystalline Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) was developed in this study to steer light ranging from visible to mid-IR wavelengths. A large number of the resolvable spots was achieved with this EO steerer. A Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to determine the refractive index of the polycrystalline PMN-PT over a wide range of optical wavelengths. Besides measuring the transmission of this material, the capacitance bridge analysis was used to characterize the effect of temperature on the dielectric constant of PMN-PT. The performance of the steerer over a variety of wavelengths was simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics. The deflection angle for the wavelengths of 532, 632.8, 1550, and 4500 nm was measured in the lab in terms of mrad.mm/kV at two different temperatures and compared to the simulation results. The quadratic Kerr electro-optic coefficient and the halfwave electric field were determined for those four wavelengths at two different temperatures. The results showed polycrystalline PMN-PT has a large quadratic EO coefficient for visible light, almost as large in the near IR, but drops significantly in the mid-IR. No significant temperature dependency for the EO coefficients was observed for any of those four wavelengths.
Investigation of the Time Dependence of Wind-Induced Aeroelastic Response on a Scale Model of a High-Rise Building
Authors: Rizzo Fabio
Published: April 2021

Experimental wind tunnel test results are affected by acquisition times because extreme pressure peak statistics depend on the length of acquisition records. This is also true for dynamic tests on aeroelastic models where the structural response of the scale model is affected by aerodynamic damping and by random vortex shedding. This paper investigates the acquisition time dependence of linear transformation through singular value decomposition (SVD) and its correlation with floor accelerometric signals acquired during wind tunnel aeroelastic testing of a scale model high-rise building. Particular attention was given to the variability of eigenvectors, singular values and the correlation coefficient for two wind angles and thirteen different wind velocities. The cumulative distribution function of empirical magnitudes was fitted with numerical cumulative density function (CDF). Kolmogorov–Smirnov test results are also discussed.
Tuning Single-Molecule Conductance by Controlled Electric Field-Induced trans-to-cis Isomerisation
Authors: Quintans C.S. , Andrienko Denis , Domke Katrin F. , Aravena Daniel , Koo Sangho , Díez-Pérez Ismael , Aragonès Albert C.
Published: April 2021

External electric fields (EEFs) have proven to be very efficient in catalysing chemical reactions, even those inaccessible via wet-chemical synthesis. At the single-molecule level, oriented EEFs have been successfully used to promote in situ single-molecule reactions in the absence of chemical catalysts. Here, we elucidate the effect of an EEFs on the structure and conductance of a molecular junction. Employing scanning tunnelling microscopy break junction (STM-BJ) experiments, we form and electrically characterize single-molecule junctions of two tetramethyl carotene isomers. Two discrete conductance signatures show up more prominently at low and high applied voltages which are univocally ascribed to the trans and cis isomers of the carotenoid, respectively. The difference in conductance between both cis-/trans- isomers is in concordance with previous predictions considering π-quantum interference due to the presence of a single gauche defect in the trans isomer. Electronic structure calculations suggest that the electric field polarizes the molecule and mixes the excited states. The mixed states have a (spectroscopically) allowed transition and, therefore, can both promote the cis-isomerization of the molecule and participate in electron transport. Our work opens new routes for the in situ control of isomerisation reactions in single-molecule contacts.
Exploring the Effects of the Substitution of Freshly Mined Sands with Recycled Crushed Glass on the Properties of Concrete
Authors: Devaraj Rajeev , Jordan Jonathan , Gerber Christophe , Olofinjana Ayodele
Published: April 2021

Although many works have reported on the effects of using waste materials on the functional properties of concrete, the results are generally diverse. In this work, the effects of substitution of fresh sands with crushed waste glass (CWG) for a concrete mix design of 32 MPa concrete is explored. The mechanical properties were followed with standardised mechanical tests including compression, indirect tensile, and four-point bend tests. It is shown that the compressive strength of concrete containing 15% of CWG produced the highest compressive strength of 34.54 MPa. The splitting tensile and flexural strengths of the concrete mixtures containing CWG both exhibited a maximum strength of 3.21 and 4.90 MPa, respectively at 15% CWG content. Furthermore, it was found that a maximum of 30% CWG can be substituted without a reduction in the mechanical strength. The loss of strength with higher volume proportion of CWG is attributed to the morphological difference between the riverbed and CWG sand particles. The latter had sharp ends that at a critical content might promote stress concentration. Semiquantitative analysis by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) suggests the presence of alkaline silica reaction (ASR) gel at the interface of glass particles and the mortar matrix. Further exploration of glass mortar interfaces found evidence of ASR gel-induced cracking in the vicinity of the CWG particles in mortar matrix.
Identifying the Primary Odor Perception Descriptors by Multi-Output Linear Regression Models
Authors: Li Xin , Luo Dehan , Cheng Yu , Wong Kin-Yeung , Hung Kevin
Published: April 2021

Semantic odor perception descriptors, such as “sweet”, are widely used for product quality assessment in food, beverage, and fragrance industries to profile the odor perceptions. The current literature focuses on developing as many as possible odor perception descriptors. A large number of odor descriptors poses challenges for odor sensory assessment. In this paper, we propose the task of narrowing down the number of odor perception descriptors. To this end, we contrive a novel selection mechanism based on machine learning to identify the primary odor perceptual descriptors (POPDs). The perceptual ratings of non-primary odor perception descriptors (NPOPDs) could be predicted precisely from those of the POPDs. Therefore, the NPOPDs are redundant and could be disregarded from the odor vocabulary. The experimental results indicate that dozens of odor perceptual descriptors are redundant. It is also observed that the sparsity of the data has a negative correlation coefficient with the model performance, while the Pearson correlation between odor perceptions plays an active role. Reducing the odor vocabulary size could simplify the odor sensory assessment and is auxiliary to understand human odor perceptual space.
Explaining Deep Learning-Based Driver Models
Authors: Lorente Maria Paz Sesmero , Lopez Elena Magán , Florez Laura Alvarez , Espino Agapito Ledezma , Martínez José Antonio Iglesias , de Miguel Araceli Sanchis
Published: April 2021

Different systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques are currently used in relevant areas such as healthcare, cybersecurity, natural language processing, and self-driving cars. However, many of these systems are developed with “black box” AI, which makes it difficult to explain how they work. For this reason, explainability and interpretability are key factors that need to be taken into consideration in the development of AI systems in critical areas. In addition, different contexts produce different explainability needs which must be met. Against this background, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) appears to be able to address and solve this situation. In the field of automated driving, XAI is particularly needed because the level of automation is constantly increasing according to the development of AI techniques. For this reason, the field of XAI in the context of automated driving is of particular interest. In this paper, we propose the use of an explainable intelligence technique in the understanding of some of the tasks involved in the development of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Since ADAS assist drivers in driving functions, it is essential to know the reason for the decisions taken. In addition, trusted AI is the cornerstone of the confidence needed in this research area. Thus, due to the complexity and the different variables that are part of the decision-making process, this paper focuses on two specific tasks in this area: the detection of emotions and the distractions of drivers. The results obtained are promising and show the capacity of the explainable artificial techniques in the different tasks of the proposed environments.
Mathematical Considerations for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation in the Magnetic Field of Two Parallel Transmission Lines
Authors: Martinović Dean , Bogdan Stjepan , Kovačić Zdenko
Published: April 2021

This publication deals with the navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) moving in the magnetic field of two long, straight, parallel conductors, which is of high interest for several new technical applications. How the position and orientation of the UAV can be calculated using a minimal number of only three three-axis magnetometers are discussed. It is shown that the angles can be determined without the knowledge of the conductor currents and the magnetic field equations, but only by combining the sensor measurements with the rotation matrix and exploiting a characteristic property of the magnetic field. Furthermore, different strategies were investigated to determine the respective sensor positions. An analytical solution was derived from the nonlinear magnetic field equations, which promises a low computational time. It is shown that for a given sensor, several solutions exist, from which the correct one has to be selected. Therefore, a specific detection method is introduced. Once the solution is known, the UAV location can be determined. Finally, the overall algorithm was tested by simulations far from and near the conductors with superimposed typical magnetic noise.
Light-Emitting Biosilica by In Vivo Functionalization of Phaeodactylum tricornutum Diatom Microalgae with Organometallic Complexes
Authors: Vona Danilo , Ragni Roberta , Altamura Emiliano , Albanese Paola , Giangregorio Maria Michela , Cicco Stefania Roberta , Farinola Gianluca Maria
Published: April 2021

In vivo incorporation of a series of organometallic photoluminescent complexes in Phaeodactylum tricornutum diatom shells (frustules) is investigated as a biotechnological route to luminescent biosilica nanostructures. [Ir(ppy)2bpy]+[PF6]−, [(2,2′-bipyridine)bis(2-phenylpyridinato)iridium(III) hexafluorophosphate], [Ru(bpy)3]2+ 2[PF6]−, [tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) hexafluorophosphate], AlQ3 (tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum), and ZnQ2 (bis-8-hydroxyquinoline-zinc) are used as model complexes to explore the potentiality and generality of the investigated process. The luminescent complexes are added to the diatom culture, and the resulting luminescent silica nanostructures are isolated by an acid-oxidative treatment that removes the organic cell matter without altering both frustule morphology and photoluminescence of incorporated emitters. Results show that, except for ZnQ2, the protocol successfully leads to the incorporation of complexes into the biosilica. The spontaneous self-adhering ability of both bare and doped Phaeodactylum tricornutum cells on conductive indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass slides is observed, which can be exploited to generate dielectric biofilms of living microorganisms with luminescent silica shells. In general, this protocol can be envisaged as a profitable route to new functional nanostructured materials for photonics, sensing, or biomedicine via in vivo chemical modification of diatom frustules with organometallic emitters.
The Role of Digital Technologies in Operationalizing the Circular Economy Transition: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Cagno Enrico , Neri Alessandra , Negri Marta , Bassani Carlo Andrea , Lampertico Tommaso
Published: April 2021

The enabling role of Digital Technologies towards the Circular Economy transition has been recognized. Nonetheless, to support the transition, the operationalization of the discourse is still needed. The present study performs a systematic literature review, deepening the knowledge on the role of Digital Technologies in operationalizing the Circular Economy transition. The analysis is shaped according to the ReSOLVE framework, as it has been recognized as able to operationally guide industrial firms towards the Circular Economy transition. Despite the broad focus on the topic by the extant literature, the results of the analysis show limited Circular Economy aspects addressed and specific technologies considered, making it difficult to have a complete overview on the implementation of Digital Technologies in the Circular Economy transition, operatively addressing it. Shortcomings are identified regarding the lack of an integrated and holistic analysis of the relationships, the need for investigating the decision-making process and specific Circular Economy practices, all from an empirical perspective. The paper eventually suggests streams for further research while offering theoretical and practical implications.
WiGR: A Practical Wi-Fi-Based Gesture Recognition System with a Lightweight Few-Shot Network
Authors: Hu Pengli , Tang Chengpei , Yin Kang , Zhang Xie
Published: April 2021

Wi-Fi sensing technology based on deep learning has contributed many breakthroughs in gesture recognition tasks. However, most methods concentrate on single domain recognition with high computational complexity while rarely investigating cross-domain recognition with lightweight performance, which cannot meet the requirements of high recognition performance and low computational complexity in an actual gesture recognition system. Inspired by the few-shot learning methods, we propose WiGR, a Wi-Fi-based gesture recognition system. The key structure of WiGR is a lightweight few-shot learning network that introduces some lightweight blocks to achieve lower computational complexity. Moreover, the network can learn a transferable similarity evaluation ability from the training set and apply the learned knowledge to the new domain to address domain shift problems. In addition, we made a channel state information (CSI)-Domain Adaptation (CSIDA) data set that includes channel state information (CSI) traces with various domain factors (i.e., environment, users, and locations) and conducted extensive experiments on two data sets (CSIDA and SignFi). The evaluation results show that WiGR can reach 87.8–94.8% cross-domain accuracy, and the parameters and the calculations are reduced by more than 50%. Extensive experiments demonstrate that WiGR can achieve excellent recognition performance using only a few samples and is thus a lightweight and practical gesture recognition system compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Optical Characteristics and Radiative Properties of Aerosols in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province during 2017
Authors: Liu Jiemei , Shen Wenxiang , Yuan Yuan , Dong Shikui
Published: April 2021

This study considers aerosol optical properties and direct radiative forcing over Harbin (126.63° E, 45.75° N), the highest latitude city in Northeast China, during 2017. Observations based on the CE-318 sun-photometer show that the annual mean values of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm and the Angstrom exponent (AE) at 440–870 nm over Harbin are respectively 0.26 ± 0.20 and 1.36 ± 0.26. Aerosol loading is the highest in the spring followed by winter, and the lowest loading is in autumn. AE440–870 is the highest in summer, second highest in winter, and lowest in autumn. The Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model is used to estimate the shortwave aerosol radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere, on the Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, and the annual mean values are −16.36 ± 18.42 Wm−2, −71.01 ± 27.37 Wm−2 and 54.65 ± 30.62 Wm−2, respectively, which indicate that aerosols cause climate effects of cooling the earth-atmosphere system, cooling the earth’s surface and heating the atmosphere. Four main aerosol types in Harbin are classified via AOD and AE. Specifically, clean continental, mixed type, biomass burning and urban industry, and desert dust aerosols accounted for 51%, 38%, 9%, and 2% of the total, respectively. Aerosol radiative forcing varies greatly in different seasons, and the aerosol load and type from different emission sources have an important influence on the seasonal variation of radiative forcing.
The Development of a Paediatric Phoneme Discrimination Test for Arabic Phonemic Contrasts
Authors: Rayes Hanin , Al-Malky Ghada , Vickers Deborah
Published: April 2021

Objective: The aim of this project was to develop the Arabic CAPT (A-CAPT), a Standard Arabic version of the CHEAR auditory perception test (CAPT) that assesses consonant perception ability in children. Method: This closed-set test was evaluated with normal-hearing children aged 5 to 11 years. Development and validation of the speech materials were accomplished in two experimental phases. Twenty-six children participated in phase I, where the test materials were piloted to ensure that the selected words were age appropriate and that the form of Arabic used was familiar to the children. Sixteen children participated in phase II where test–retest reliability, age effects, and critical differences were measured. A computerized implementation was used to present stimuli and collect responses. Children selected one of four response options displayed on a screen for each trial. Results: Two lists of 32 words were developed with two levels of difficulty, easy and hard. Assessment of test–retest reliability for the final version of the lists showed a strong agreement. A within-subject ANOVA showed no significant difference between test and retest sessions. Performance improved with increasing age. Critical difference values were similar to the British English version of the CAPT. Conclusions: The A-CAPT is an appropriate speech perception test for assessing Arabic-speaking children as young as 5 years old. This test can reliably assess consonant perception ability and monitor changes over time or after an intervention.
The Expression of Anti-Müllerian Hormone Type II Receptor (AMHRII) in Non-Gynecological Solid Tumors Offers Potential for Broad Therapeutic Intervention in Cancer
Authors: Barret Jean-Marc , Nicolas André , Jarry Anne , Dubreuil Olivier , Meseure Didier , Passat Tilda , Perrial Emeline , Deleine Cécile , Champenois Gabriel , Gaillard Solenne , Duchalais Emilie , Ray-Coquard Isabelle , Lahmar Mehdi , Dumontet Charles , Bennouna Jaafar , Bossard Céline , Roman-Roman Sergio , Prost Jean-François
Published: April 2021

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) belongs to the TGF-β family and plays a key role during fetal sexual development. Various reports have described the expression of AMH type II receptor (AMHRII) in human gynecological cancers including ovarian tumors. According to qRT-PCR results confirmed by specific In-Situ Hybridization (ISH) experiments, AMHRII mRNA is expressed in an extremely restricted number of normal tissues. By performing ISH on tissue microarray of solid tumor samples AMHRII mRNA was unexpectedly detected in several non-gynecological primary cancers including lung, breast, head and neck, and colorectal cancers. AMHRII protein expression, evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) was detected in approximately 70% of epithelial ovarian cancers. Using the same IHC protocol on more than 900 frozen samples covering 18 different cancer types we detected AMHRII expression in more than 50% of hepato-carcinomas, colorectal, lung, and renal cancer samples. AMHRII expression was not observed in neuroendocrine lung tumor samples nor in non-Hodgkin lymphoma samples. Complementary analyses by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry confirmed the detection of AMHRII on a panel of ovarian and colorectal cancers displaying comparable expression levels with mean values of 39,000 and 50,000 AMHRII receptors per cell, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that this embryonic receptor could be a suitable target for treating AMHRII-expressing tumors with an anti-AMHRII selective agent such as murlentamab, also named 3C23K or GM102. This potential therapeutic intervention was confirmed in vivo by showing antitumor activity of murlentamab against AMHRII-expressing colorectal cancer and hepatocarcinoma Patient-Derived tumor Xenografts (PDX) models.
Co-Therapy of Albendazole and Dexamethasone Reduces Pathological Changes in the Cerebral Parenchyma of Th-1 and Th-2 Dominant Mice Heavily Infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Histopathological and RNA-seq Analyses
Authors: Jhan Kai-Yuan , Cheng Chien-Ju , Jung Shih-Ming , Lai Yi-Jen , Chen Kuang-Yao , Wang Lian-Chen
Published: April 2021

Administration of albendazole alone was not very suitable for the treatment of cerebral angiostrongyliasis. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of the co-therapy of this drug and dexamethasone in Th-1 and Th-2 dominant mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Each of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice infected with 50 A. cantonensis third-stage larvae were administered albendazole (10 mg/kg/day) alone, dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg/day) alone, or co-therapy of the two drugs from day 7 or 14 post-infection for 7 or 14 days. After sacrifice, coronal slices were prepared from five brain regions and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Eight pathological changes were employed to determine the therapeutic effectiveness using a scoring system. RNA-seq analysis was performed to confirm the histopathological findings. The infected BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice had similar patterns in the pathological changes. Meningitis, hemorrhage, size of worms, and encephalitis in the cerebral parenchyma were slighter in the mice treated with co-therapy than the remaining groups. Mice treated from day 14 had more severe changes than those from day 7. The histopathological findings were found to be consistent to immune responses determined by RNA-seq analysis. Co-therapy was determined to reduce pathological changes after administration to mice infected with A. cantonensis.
Role of Cdkn2a in the Emery–Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy Cardiac Phenotype
Authors: Pegoli Gloria , Milan Marika , Manti Pierluigi Giuseppe , Bianchi Andrea , Lucini Federica , Santarelli Philina , Bearzi Claudia , Rizzi Roberto , Lanzuolo Chiara
Published: April 2021

The Cdkn2a locus is one of the most studied tumor suppressor loci in the context of several cancer types. However, in the last years, its expression has also been linked to terminal differentiation and the activation of the senescence program in different cellular subtypes. Knock-out (KO) of the entire locus enhances the capability of stem cells to proliferate in some tissues and respond to severe physiological and non-physiological damages in different organs, including the heart. Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is characterized by severe contractures and muscle loss at the level of skeletal muscles of the elbows, ankles and neck, and by dilated cardiomyopathy. We have recently demonstrated, using the LMNA Δ8–11 murine model of Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), that dystrophic muscle stem cells prematurely express non-lineage-specific genes early on during postnatal growth, leading to rapid exhaustion of the muscle stem cell pool. Knock-out of the Cdkn2a locus in EDMD dystrophic mice partially restores muscle stem cell properties. In the present study, we describe the cardiac phenotype of the LMNA Δ8–11 mouse model and functionally characterize the effects of KO of the Cdkn2a locus on heart functions and life expectancy.
Radical Dehalogenation and Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase E. coli: How Does an Admixture of 2′,3′-Anhydroinosine Hinder 2-fluoro-cordycepin Synthesis
Authors: Kayushin Alexey L. , Tokunova Julia A. , Fateev Ilja V. , Arnautova Alexandra O. , Berzina Maria Ya. , Paramonov Alexander S. , Lutonina Olga I. , Dorofeeva Elena V. , Antonov Konstantin V. , Esipov Roman S. , Mikhailopulo Igor A. , Miroshnikov Anatoly I. , Konstantinova Irina D.
Published: April 2021

During the preparative synthesis of 2-fluorocordycepin from 2-fluoroadenosine and 3′-deoxyinosine catalyzed by E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase, a slowdown of the reaction and decrease of yield down to 5% were encountered. An unknown nucleoside was found in the reaction mixture and its structure was established. This nucleoside is formed from the admixture of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine, a byproduct in the preparation of 3-′deoxyinosine. Moreover, 2′,3′-anhydroinosine forms during radical dehalogenation of 9-(2′,5′-di-O-acetyl-3′-bromo- -3′-deoxyxylofuranosyl)hypoxanthine, a precursor of 3′-deoxyinosine in chemical synthesis. The products of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis inhibit the formation of 1-phospho-3-deoxyribose during the synthesis of 2-fluorocordycepin. The progress of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis was investigated. The reactions were performed in D2O instead of H2O; this allowed accumulating intermediate substances in sufficient quantities. Two intermediates were isolated and their structures were confirmed by mass and NMR spectroscopy. A mechanism of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis in D2O is fully determined for the first time.